The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan

Chapters

Reunion
Meet the Parents
Love and Hate
History Lessons
Of Professors, the Past, Panic, and Parents
Practical Applications
Interlude
2018 APRIL FOOLS SPECIAL: An Unforgettable Luncheon
A Walk in the Park
Realizing the Obvious
Reconciliations
The Diaries
Forward to the Past
Familiar Faces
The Conspiracy
Grey Monarch, New Student, Old Master
Time Flies
The Final Night
Nightfall
With Great Power...
Semblance of Normalcy
Making Waves
Together...
Epilogue
Nova Shine
Bright Lights and Smothering Darkness

Reunion

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 02 - Reunion

“LAST CALL! PONYVILLE STATION TO CANTERLOT!”

Nova sighed contentedly as he rested his head on the top of the padded seat he currently occupied. Outside, the bustling of the many ponies entering and exiting the train had begun to die down as more and more got on. Nova knew he probably wouldn’t be bothered, despite how many people seemed to be going to Canterlot this day.

He could only wonder why this backwater town saw so much business. While he had heard the rumors of the town’s fashionista and her penchant for adding crystals from the Northern Empire to her work, a rumor which may or may not have inspired a near-stampede to the town from Canterlot, according to Princess Luna, that alone couldn’t be the reason for this much traffic.

Or maybe it could and he was overthinking things. Again.

He sighed. Canterlot was still a good three or four hours away, and his attempt to catch up on sleep for the first hour had ended in miserable failure. He could either keep trying or just resign himself to stay awake and deal with it.

Well, if at first you don’t succeed, try try again, he thought, shutting his eyes yet again and hoping the oblivion of the dreamscape came over him quickly.

*tap tap tap*

He groaned. He had picked a compartment in the car just ahead of the caboose specifically so he wouldn’t be bothered. Was there really that much traffic to Equestria’s capital today?

The compartment door opened, and a unicorn mare with a lavender coat, purple eyes, and a navy mane and tail that were streaked with magenta poked her head in.

“Excuse me,” she said, glancing behind her at something out in the hall, “Do you mind if I sit in here? The other compartments are--”

She turned and saw Nova sitting there, staring at her with surprise, and his expression was mirrored in her’s.

“Fancy meeting you here, Twilight Sparkle,” Nova said, inclining his head.

“And you as well, Nova Shine, was it?” asked Twilight. When Nova nodded, she gave a small smile and indicated the empty seat. “Mind if I come in?”

“Not at all,” he gestured at it. “Was just hoping to catch up on sleep. I’ve had some restless nights lately.”

He noticed something off about her eyes as she trotted in and set her saddlebags down under the seat. Her eyes looked slightly puffy and bloodshot. Either she had been crying or she, too, was sleep-deprived.

“And based on the look of your eyes, you have had some sleepless nights recently too, I take it?”

Twilight was about to answer, but she yawned instead, which all but confirmed Nova’s working theory.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said as Twilight hopped onto her seat.

“I’ve just had these nightmares lately,” she explained. “I know Princess Luna is the Mistress of Dreams, but she hasn’t shown up to stop them or anything.”

“Well, after working with her for three years,” Nova replied, running a hoof through his mane, “I’ve learned the difference between when she can and can’t enter dreams, and this one is the latter.”

“Working with her for three years, you say?” Twilight asked, giving him a little smile. “You wouldn’t happen to be her Night Apprentice, would you?”

“That I am,” Nova said, inclining his head and smiling to himself. Princess Luna was right. It really was quite the fancy title. “She asked me the night of Trading Day, actually.”

“And?” Twilight asked expectantly, giving him a meaningful look.

“And… what?”

“Isn’t studying magic fun?” she queried. “You seemed like it was a really touchy subject last time, so I’m just wondering.”

“That’s because my inability to indulge myself in my own special talent was a touchy subject,” Nova replied. “I’m really quite amazed I didn’t fall victim to Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome.”

“Pr-pr-pr--” she was cut off by an even wider and more spectacular yawn than the last one, leaving Nova to wonder just how badly her sleep schedule was being affected by her nightmares. “Probably because you were casting magic that whole time,” she finished.

“Mind if I ask you something?” he inquired.

“Uh, sure,” she answered.

“These nightmares of yours. What are they about?”

“Does it matter?” she asked.

“Well, yes,” Nova said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve learned a thing or two about battling Nightmares when Princess Luna is indisposed. ‘Snot hard, really. Just gotta take a few steps to realize you’re in a dream and then you become master of your subconscious.”

“‘Master of my subconscious?’” she repeated, looking confused. “I thought you said it wasn’t hard.”

“It’s not. Probably should have worded better.” he mused. “Once you’re aware of your dream, you can gain some control over it. Bend physics, do the impossible, all that stuff. All because you are in a world controlled by thought.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Twilight said. “If it’s that simple, why haven’t I figured it out yet?”

“Probably because from what little I have observed in of you,” Nova said, a sudden calculating edge creeping into his voice, “you’re so grounded in what is real and tangible most of the time that you cannot conceive the possibility of breaking irrefutable laws, even in dreams.”

“Well, duh,” Twilight replied, rolling her eyes. “Why deal in matters of an unrealistic nature when you need to find solutions to realistic problems?”

“Because it’s fun, lucid dreaming,” answered Nova.

“I’ll take ‘productive’ over fun,” said Twilight, before giving a very wide yawn. Underneath them, the train lurched and the landscape around them started to move. Their journey to Canterlot had begun. “But anyway, to answer your original question, my nightmares are… well, a bit more like memories. I keep dreaming of that Trading Day, when we met.”

She keeps dreaming about the same day?

“Anything else?”

“Well, yes actually. This old stone temple-looking ruin in the Everfree Forest--”

“You and I are having the same dreams.”

Nova was too excited to let her finish. Finally, there could be a solution to his nightmare problem right in front of him. If someone as smart and talented as the Faithful Student could help him, there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish.

“We… are?” asked Twilight, confused. “But how? If they’re just random dreams, the likelihood of the two of us sharing the same dream is--”

“But who said it was random?” Nova asked, grinning as excitement flooded through him. “You and I are having the same dreams, you and I are the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student, there’s no way this can be a coincidence! And Princess Luna has said she doesn’t know what to do about them, which means she has to be blocked out! These dreams must be magically induced!”

“That… makes perfect sense, actually,” Twilight said, suddenly sounding intrigued by the possibility. “But the only problems I can see with this are that the one casting the magic on us needs to know us both personally. And not just know us like a casual acquaintance, but really know us, so they can cast on our subconscious.”

“Which leaves two possibilities, I think,” said Nova. “The Princesses. And I would bet my horn it wasn’t them. So... it would seem my theory has hit a wall for the time being, but at least this whole situation is starting to make sense to me.”

“Well,” Twilight said, and she yawned again, before resting her head on the compartment wall, “if you don’t mind, I’ll try to catch up on my lost sleep. I don’t have my full eight hours, and that will impede my spellcasting.”

“I can help with that,” said Nova, getting up and reaching out a hoof, but he paused. “May I?”

At her nod, he placed his hoof right under her horn and gently pressed against her skull. With a quick burst of energy, he released the magic into her body, triggering the sleep mechanism. Instantly, Twilight began snoozing peacefully

Sadly, however, the spell was very dangerous to self-cast. Still, he wasn’t all that tired. Perk of being the Night Apprentice, he got used to irregular sleep schedules. Problem was, now what was he going to do to occupy two to three hours of his time?

So he leapt back into his seat and resigned himself to staring out the window out of boredom for the whole trip.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Five bits, please,” the bartender said, holding out a hoof.

“This is utter thievery! The Great and Powerful Trixie only paid three bits for this yesterday!”

“This be my establishment, an’ I can charge whatever I like,” retorted the bartender pony, noting it was probably best not to mention that “The Great and Powerful Trixie” had gotten a completely different drink the day before.

Strong Brew had to admit, Trixie had a certain fire in her gaze when she was particularly angry, but in her current state, he feared the collateral damage more than he feared for his own health.

“...Fine,” she said, hoofing over five golden coins. Strong Brew stuck them in a little strong box under the bar, grabbed a mug from a stack of them on the wall behind him, and made to fill the glass, but he stopped.

“You ain’t performin’ anywhere, tonight, are you?” he asked.

“The Bannered Mare,” Trixie replied dully. “Right after DJ P0N-3 and DJ N30N. When everyone’s already too exhausted and-or drunk to care.”

“Mmh,” grunted Strong Brew. The Bannered Mare wasn’t that bad. Trixie had a point, though. If Vinyl Scratch and Neon Lights were the main event, she was just the afters.

From the few times he had seen Trixie perform himself, she had talent. That was certain. If she really applied herself, she definitely could have gotten herself a Los Pegasus show. So what had happened?

Trixie herself was moping about that. Except she knew exactly what had happened. It was all that damned hayseed Twilight Sparkle’s fault. If she hadn’t been such a goody-four-shoes, Trixie would still be living the good life, travelling around Equestria and making good coin for showing off her awe-inducing spells.

But no, Trixie thought. Trixie no longer bears a grudge against Twilight Sparkle. Not after she helped Trixie that second time.

D҉̤͚̤̙o͈͓̙͇ͅn̖͉̪̥͘’̸̙̼͈̣t̜̭̼͉̬ ͉y̹o̺̝̗͙͉͇̘u̡̜̗̖̖̞̖?̫̬͇̯

Trixie had no reply to that second part of her brain. Deep down, she really did have to admit, she still blamed Twilight Sparkle. They had walked away with no hard feelings after the Alicorn Amulet incident, but it had been her that had destroyed Trixie’s original dignity, and intentionally or not, it had led to… this.

“Still,” Trixie continued, “it pays the bills. and Trixie has to start somewhere.”

“True enough,” replied the amber-colored muscular earth pony. Trixie had to admit, that particular coloration, especially with the brown mane and the tan eyes, lent him a lot of credibility as a bartender. And that wasn’t even considering the mug of ale on his flank. “Where are you staying?”

“Lower Trottenham, one of the apartment complexes, not all that far from that White Hart Lane place.”

“That’s Trottenham Hotspur’s stadium.”

“Whatever.”

“Is it terribly loud there? On game nights especially?” asked the bartender, staring at her eyes.

“No, it’s really not that bad,” Trixie said. “Why do you ask?”

“You… how much sleep are you getting?”

“I’m getting plenty!” snapped Trixie, glowering at Strong Brew. “I just have… a lot of momentary interruptions.”

“Nope!” exclaimed Strong Brew, making Trixie jump at the sudden-ness of it. If she was so tired she couldn’t refer to herself in third-person, she was definitely too tired to spend her day at a bar. He dumped out the glass he had been attempting to fill into a sump container, grabbed the bits Trixie had paid him out of the strong box, and slid them back across the bar top at her. “No, you look like you’re in bad shape. Sorry, Trixie, but you need rest. Get back to your apartment and take a nap or something.”

“B-but--” Trixie attempted to protest, but Strong Brew grew a lot more firm in his command.

“Trixie, if I need to kick you out for the day, I will. Your well-being is more important than a hoofful of bits. Get back to your apartment, get some sleep, and go to work in a much better state, alright?”

Trixie, surprisingly, complied. With a heavy sigh, she slid off the barstool and onto the floor, and began to plod miserably out of the bar.

Strong Brew felt nothing short of utter pity for her. Whatever was going on with her, he hoped she had it fixed soon.

Trixie, however, wasn’t thinking of a way to get out of this mess.

Why? Why does this keep happening to me?

I̥̺͔̲̣̺ ̘̰͖͔t̛̘͍̣̥h͎̞͇̪̥̠̕ͅi̪͇͖̣̫͡n͉͚̹̮͈k̯̙̙̬̗͕̫ ̲̯̜̰̝̥̗y̸͇o̱̟u̩̗̠̞̫͉ͅ ͎̟̙̺̦̲̥͝s̰̫̜̮̺̻̱a͕̬̦̗̖̼i̧̼̝̜̞̦̗̩d̶ i̡͔t̵͉ ̛̦̞ỵ͎̘o͚̯͕u̩͈̹̦r̝͎̦̠͘s̬̤e̡l͖̗̫̗̣̪ͅf̖͇͔ͅ.̸̯̩ ̲͈ ͓͝D҉͚̣̬̘̱̭̩ị̷̰̝̭̼̖d̝̻̜̩n̳͕͉͔͎͕’̸̙͖̻͙t̖ ̢͉̜̝T͏w̸ì̜͇ĺ͉͖͓ͅig͎̫̣̹̫̲̀ẖ̥̟̙ͅt̗͇ ̛͎S̗̝p̶̯̬̺̺̼͕a̛͇͍ͅr̴̯͈̥̪̜̬ͅkl̵̙̘̰̲̺e͏̖̟̰̣ ̣̲̼͚̥r̕u̪̯͎̙̫̖i̢͓̣̩n̸̞̬͉̭͉̺ ̛͎̻̺̞͉ͅy̢o̡͍ur̜̰͕ ̯̲̯͍̲ͅd̸͓͔̤i̞̜̰̞g҉̭n̕í̥̝̠̞t̥̩̯̪y̫͈̲͙?͓̩̺

No, I don’t bear a grudge against Twilight anymore. Not after she peacefully let me go.

D̠̞̤͢i̟̭̝͙͙̣̼d̻̟̭͚̩n̦͎̩̱̳’̨͚̣͉͈̹̘̝t̼̰̙͠ ̙̫̹͔͔̣͍͝s̼̟̞h̭̰̰̥͕̙e̫̱̲?̨̣̝ ̗͈̣͓̤̝͢ Y͍̱͜ͅo̳̜͔̟͓u̺̺̦̗̺̱ͅ ͘k̭̘̼no̤̞̹̬w̡͇͓̞̫͓͎͇ ̛̪̫ṱ̰̺̖̪̭̫͟h͇͇̙͉̼̥a̻̤̖̺t̮ ̘̤͠i̻͠n̰͞du̱͈̥̖̙͎͘c̷̱͈̩̯͍͔͍e͇̜̻͓͙ͅd̷̯ ̧͇d̨̤̫̻̗͙͖r̦͘e̵a͔͓̗͖͉m̗̲̀s̱̪͓͕ ̯͎̬̟̝a̜̻̮͢ŗ͉̟̫̘̹̞̞e̻͓̻ ̹̻̜̥͕͍t̟͔͎̪̹̻̻h̴̠͇̮ͅe͎̺͎͚͈͚̦͟ ̧̟̭̦̼̗̩p̰r̝̙͙̲͓͢o̮͟d̝͝uc͠t̸̰̮͇̙̘ ̥͕̣͙͖͘o̱̤f̘̻ ̖̺̖͎̥̣̰a̴̟̟n͖̞̘͔͈̭ ̰̼̜͇͟i̷̫m̝͉̼̠̙͎m͙̬̝̠̲e̷̹͉̘n̝̰͙͖s̫͉͓el̺̼̣̯̪̮͝y̬̹͙ͅ ̴̻͈͚ṕ̤o̵w͙̤̱̞̝͙ͅe͔̟͍rf̦̱̫͕̣̮ͅu̠͔̝̙͔͓l͢ ͉͍͝s̶̲̭̹͉͔͎p̼̗̲̼̳̭e̫̜̮̜͈̙͖l̠̟̯͓l̘͕͖̻̣̮̭c҉͕͍̮̟͓ąs̩̞̞̭̰t̰̱̗̠e̻̘͇̣̝r̡̫̩̰,̫͡ ̵̦d҉̙o̧͔͓̹̲n̴̖͚͎̜̩̗͍’̶̹̰͎͎̗̺̺t̲͇͝ ̣̜̦͙͚̰̳͟y̴̤͎͍̤̹͙o͙͕͔̯̘̩͎u?̲̱͙

Well… yes… but--

I̸̤̗̞̭̫ț̜̲ ̣s̢͇͕̼̱̫̩͕e͕̬̞̳̼̞e̟̱̣̦̠͔m̯͘s̻͈͖ ̫͉̗̮̣̲ç͉l͙̖̜̻̟e̷̻̥a̗̞̺̝r̭͇̕ ̸̘͍̭̱̝͍͇t̻̝͟h͔̞̳̳̣i̞͈s̶̺̬̗̹ ̸͙͔w͘as̝̗̞̟̰̹͍ ̳̻h̹̪̫̰̠e̸̬̗̬̰̱͖r̝̠͈͍ ̪̫̳p͓͕̻̣u͎̰͙n̬̖i͇̱̦̭͎̬̺s҉͇h̸͕̼m͏̯̱̖̠̯̫̳e̳͟n̸͓̩͉̯̯̝t ̗̠a̱̲̣͞ll͕ al̲͇͘o̟̞̞̞̣̪n̝̱g͕̝͈͔͢.̣̺̤͖

Whatever the case, Twilight Sparkle had some explaining to do. And Trixie vowed that she would answer for this, and for humiliating her twice.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The train had arrived perfectly on schedule, and Twilight had gotten plenty of rest on the ride. Whatever spell Nova Shine had used had worked to perfection, though after feeling its effects, she figured she could emulate it. Though considering that it was actually using magic on the brain in some way, it probably was a very bad idea to cast on herself.

Nevertheless, everything looked to be perfect on the day. The two of them exited the train into Canterlot station, and began to trot out. Twilight thought that now, the two of them could get to know each other on the hike up to the castle.

Imagine her surprise when Nova opted instead to duck into a side-alley between a couple of the pristine marble buildings.

“Nova?” she asked, before following. She knew Upper Canterlot was a safe place to use routes like this, in clear contrast to the lower section of the city where you were very likely to get mugged. But why was he taking this path?

Nova said nothing, instead continuing to follow the alley as it proceeded between more and more buildings.

“Slow down!” she called after him, before breaking into a canter to catch up with him. He didn’t speed up, but neither did he slow down at her command. “Why the alleys? Wouldn’t taking Mane Street be quicker?”

Nova nodded, not stopping for conversation. “It would. But Mane Street is out in the open.”

“Why does that matter?” she asked as they neared a wall with only one outlet path.

“Because there’s certain ponies I don’t want to run into while I’m here.”

He turned at the outlet, only to come face-to-face with a Peacekeeper. The Peacekeeper stood right at Nova’s eye level and glanced at him with disdain. Twilight managed to see around him and spotted a pair of wings folded over his golden armor. So why wasn’t he flying?

But more than that, in all her time spent being guarded by them, Twilight had never had any moments where she felt intimidated by the Pegasi Guardsponies. But here, in an enclosed space, where one stood taller than her, she felt a flicker of nervousness in her gut.

Nova was backing away, and made to turn around.

“Stop right there, criminal scum,” barked the Peacekeeper in a gruff voice. There was something about the way he said it that just sounded a bit fake, to Twilight.

Wait a minute… criminal? Is Nova a fugitive?

Nova turned around hesitantly, looking very displeased.

“Look, officer, the lady and I have appointments with the Princesses. I don’t think they’ll be very pleased to see us being late.”

“In that case,” the guard said in his gruff, faked voice, “why are the two of you not on Mane Street? It’s more open, and it’s faster. Plus, the only ponies who skulk about the alleys in Canterlot are those who don’t want to be seen doing something… unsavory.”

Nova made to move past the guard, but he was blocked.

“Well, we both know you’re not capable of that, don’t we Nova?” asked the guard, his accent suddenly switching into a very natural sounding Braytish.

“Aegis!?” Nova asked, sounding quite exasperated. “Seriously!? Why did you have to go and scare me like that!? We have somewhere to be!”

“I know,” Aegis said, smirking at Nova. “It’s why I came. I brought something along to help you get up to the castle faster. Gimme a second, and I’ll have it right out.”

Aegis turned and strode further up the alley, with Twilight and Nova left to follow him.

“Who’s he?” Twilight asked Nova as he began to trot along behind Aegis.

“Friend of mine from when I lived here,” answered Nova. “We trade letters every so often, but that damn armor makes him look no different from the rest of the guards!”

“I’m not apologizing,” Aegis replied, giving Nova a smug smirk over his shoulder. “Wanted to see how you’d react. Anyway, gimme a moment here.”

They had reached a dumpster, the lid of which Aegis had thrown open and was now rummaging around inside.

“Dumpster diving?” asked Nova, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s empty, normally,” Aegis explained. “This one’s listed as a drop-off point for the Peacekeepers, if they need a spare set of armor or they need to drop it off. Most of the time, both. We’ll break up scuffles and stuff, get the armor all dirty, and switch sets so that the one that needs cleaning is in the bin and we have the clean one. Problem is, you usually don’t get on in your size, which is why I volunteered to bring out a set.”

To emphasize his point, he pulled out a full set of Peacekeeper armor and tossed it at Nova.

“Here, put all that on.”

“Uhh…” was Nova’s intelligent response.

“Hurry up, hurry up, you have somewhere to be,” admonished Aegis.

“Why does he need to wear this armor?” asked Twilight, feeling confused.

“It’s… a long story,” Aegis answered. “Short version is, he’s avoiding certain ponies in the city, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to travel in disguise. Since he’s the right build for a unicorn guard, and the armor will change his coat and mane colors as needed with their Uniformity Enchantment, we can pass him off as the second guard in your escort to get through Market Street.”

“Why don’t you want certain ponies finding you?” asked Twilight. But Nova’s flat look told her she probably wasn’t going to find out soon.

As Aegis helped Nova to put the armor on, he decided to talk with them a bit more.

“I really don’t get it,” he said. “You always insist on making things more difficult for yourself than they need to be. I’m sure if you just asked me to tell them, or something, they’d leave you alone when you visited the city.”

“Aegis, they came after me in Manehattan,” Nova retorted, rolling his eyes. “They aren’t going to not try to take me just because I send them a nicely-worded letter. Frankly, I don’t think the letter would be nicely-worded at all. I might play a drinking game with the sheer number of ‘Fuck you’s and other expletives I write in, since I haven’t seen them in ten years.”

Aegis opened his mouth, but thought better of saying something and just shook his head.

“Very well then. Now, you must be Miss Twilight Sparkle, yes?”

Twilight had not expected to be addressed by Aegis, given that he had seemed to be deep in conversation with Nova.

“Oh, um… yes. How did you know--?”

“Your name?” finished Aegis, cutting her off. “Well, hard not to know the name of one of Equestria’s national heroes and Princess Celestia’s personal student when you live in Canterlot.” Twilight blushed at his remark about being a national hero. “However, I also guarded you several times in your spot in that library. Never spoke to you, naturally. A pleasure to actually get to know you.”

“Likewise,” she replied, inclining her head.

“There we go, that looks good,” Aegis said as they got his chestplate put on, and Nova slid the helmet onto his head. At once, Nova’s fur darkened to a grey color, his eye color brightened into a golden hue, and his mane and tail changed from their bright blue to white. After only a moment, Nova Shine looked no different than the many other unicorn royal guards Twilight had seen in Canterlot, except for being a bit more scrawny.

“How do I look?” Nova asked, sweeping his tail around to get a glimpse of it.

“Like an undernourished guard,” answered Aegis. “But we can’t help body mass. Come on, you two. Let’s get you both up to the castle. We still have a good ten minutes before your little appointment.”

He gestured with his head for Twilight to join them. She complied, walking toward the two of them as Aegis cleared a space between them to walk.

“Alright, Nova, you don’t need to stay in step with me, but you need to keep your head up and your eyes front. She leads, we follow. Sound easy enough?”

“I think I can get it,” Nova replied, nodding.

“Well alright then. Miss Sparkle, whenever you’re ready.”

Twilight nodded and began to trot forward. At first, she couldn’t help but wonder if her pace was too fast or too slow. Aegis had said they didn’t need to be in step, but what if she was trotting too fast? What if she ruined the plan because she was trotting so fast they couldn’t keep up and keep together and--

“Uh, Twilight?” Nova asked. “You can move faster than that, you know. We’re not snails.”

--and she had just gone all of five paces in a whole minute. She ducked her head to hide the blush that was undoubtedly the source of the heat in her cheeks. And after that, she took on a normal, leisurely trot.

They emerged from the alley onto Mane Street, the road that directly connected Lower Canterlot with Upper Canterlot. However, their target was the High Street, which connected Upper Canterlot and Canterlot Castle, passing by Market Street on its way. However, High Street wasn’t far from their location, and so they set off from there further into the upper city, ultimately toward the towers that stuck out above the marble buildings of the city.

While Twilight knew this city like the back of her hoof and seemed very comfortable in it, as did Aegis, she couldn’t help but notice that Nova seemed very tense as they walked. Occasionally, she would glance back at him to see if he was doing alright, but he dutifully kept his eyes forward. But there was a certain rigidity in the way he walked that even Aegis, a guard who spent his cadet days endlessly marching, didn’t have. She could only wonder what it was about the city that made him this way.

They turned from Mane Street onto the High Street, an up ahead, Twilight could see the crowded shoppers on Market Street. Nova seemed to get even more tense at the sight, but he continued on.

“Something wrong?” she asked as they walked.

“No ma’am,” answered Nova. Twilight couldn’t help but admire just how much he sounded like a soldier with that short line alone. “But the sky has eyes.”

She heard a sharp intake of breath from Aegis at that comment.

“In that case, we need to move into the crowd at Market Street and hopefully we’ll lose whoever’s following us.”

“How do you even know--” Twilight asked, but Nova just shook his head.

“No time to explain. Maybe when we’re in the castle.”

Twilight was left with the question on the end of her tongue, but she complied and sped up in her pace. Market Street was growing closer and closer, and with any luck, they’d find their way inside and out the back with no incident.

But Twilight couldn’t help but think that it would certainly help if she actually knew what was going on. No one had told her anything except that Nova didn’t want to be found by certain ponies in Canterlot. And that these mystery ponies apparently came after him when he was in Manehattan for some reason.

Nova said he hadn’t done anything illegal, but what was to stop him from lying to her?

She tossed that idea aside. Aegis was a Peacekeeper, sworn to the service of Equestria. Even if they had been good friends, Twilight knew no Peacekeeper would ever lie to defend a criminal.

They were about thirty meters away from the crowd when it happened.

“EXCUSE ME, PLEASE!”

The loud, male, Neigh Zealand-accented voice sounded from somewhere above and behind Twilight, before a red blur shot overhead and landed right in front of them. The pegasus was fairly muscular, about like Aegis, and his red coat shone in the afternoon sun. Clearly he was a stallion who took pride in appearances. His dark brown mane and tail both looked slightly disheveled, having just been tossed by the wind. And adorning his flank was a telescope.

“Yes sir?” asked Twilight, trying to sound pleasant but noticing on a nearby clock tower that it was 2:54, which meant they needed to get to the Castle fast, or she’d be late. And Twilight Sparkle was never late if she could help it!

“Sorry, miss,” the stallion said, with a polite dip of his head, “just need a word with one of your guards.”

“Sir, we’re on a tight schedule,” said Twilight impatiently. “I’m Princess Celestia’s Faithful Student, and I’m sure she won’t like it if I’m late for a meeting with her.”

“Fortunately for both of us,” the stallion said, inclining his head, “the Princess is merciful.”

He strode past her without another word, right toward Nova.

“Halt, citizen,” Aegis barked, stepping between them. “If you have something to say, you speak to me.”

“Except it’s not for your ears, Corporal,” the stallion replied. “I’ve been searching for Nova Shine for almost ten years now, and I finally managed to--”

But what he managed to do, they never found out. Nova had panicked. His horn had shone blue and the pegasus had been vaulted into the sky. It had little effect, since all he had to do was spread his wings and begin his descent.

“That’s not good…” Aegis remarked dryly. “Nova, when I say to keep your damn composure, you keep your damn-- and damn it, he’s gone.”

Twilight looked down toward where Nova had been to find a sudden lack of Nova Shine. Up above, the pegasus began to aim toward a spot in the midst of the Market Street crowd, which meant he was the best bet at catching up.

I am so going to be late… Twilight thought irritably. So long, perfect record of punctual attendance.

“Follow me, let’s go get him,” Aegis groaned, grabbing her by the hoof and dragging her into the mess of ponies. They weaved in and out around the bodies all massing in the midst of the street, trying to get to the other side as quickly as they could.

Meanwhile, just past a marching column of guards, Nova ducked into another alleyway and collapsed on the other side of a metal dumpster. His side felt like it was on fire. He was definitely not used to this armor, to state the obvious. How the hell did Aegis put up with it?

“Tired, Nova Shine?”

Ah, come on, thought Nova indignantly. After all that, he’s still caught up to me?

The Neigh Zealand pony was standing in front of him, a slight expression of concern on his face as he looked down.

“What’s it to you? Doesn’t that make it easier for you to drag me on back?”

“‘Drag you back?’ My job was just to find you and keep an eye on you. Not drag you back.”

“Well congratu-fucking-lations, you found me,” Nova growled, digging a hoof into his burning side so that the pain would stop. “If I may ask, how?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“Because it’s pretty obvious your special talent is finding ponies. I suppose if all you’re gonna do is keep an eye on me, I can deal with it. But I don’t want any of the others he’s sent coming after me.”

“Fair enough,” said the pegasus. “But if you must know, I really am the only bounty hunter he hired.”

“Not taking that chance,” Nova replied curtly.

“If you say so. All I did was--”

CLONK!

The pegasus’ eyes suddenly unfocused, and he fell right onto his face. Behind him, Aegis stood there, examining his helmet.

“Stupid hardheaded pegasus,” he said as he noticed a little dent above the lip of the helmet that rested just above his right eyebrow. “Well, that escalated quickly. And with your help, the pegasus did too.”

“Oh shut up, Aegis,” Nova groaned, getting to his hooves. As he stepped over Sharp Eye’s unconscious form, he paused.

“Have the street-cleaning crews made their rounds for the afternoon, yet?” he asked.

“I believe so,” Aegis nodded, glancing behind him, perhaps attempting to see the strange new machine they had invented in Manehattan that street-cleaners were now using.

“So the next time they’ll be around is much later tonight, yeah?”

“Should be.”

“Good.”

With that, Nova’s horn shone blue and the pegasus was lifted off of the ground and unceremoniously dropped into the dumpster. As soon as the body hit the metal, Nova shut the lid and was just about to click the padlock into place when Twilight stopped him.

“What are you doing!?” she asked, a bit horrified.

“Setting him back a few hours,” answered Nova. “He’s in no danger. He’ll just smell terrible when he gets out.”

“You shouldn’t just throw ponies into dumpsters.”

“Frankly, you shouldn’t throw ponies into the sky either,” remarked Aegis.

“What if he’s got some kind of physical condition and he ends up in serious condition because no one could find him, all because he was locked in--”

The apocalyptic scenario that had just sprung to Twilight’s mind never reached its conclusion. Nova had sighed, leaned forward, and flicked the tip of her horn. A strange tingling had flickered up her spine, completely distracting her. At the sudden burst of sensation, Twilight gave an “Eep!” of surprise, but no harm was done.

“I think you’re overthinking this, Twi,” he said. “He’ll be out here until the street-cleaners make their rounds, which should be in about three hours. Nothing bad’s going to happen to him.”

“Wh-what was that?” she asked, rubbing gingerly at her horn. Nova smirked.

“Just a little thing I learned from Princess Luna, for when I asked too many questions at once.”

“Well, that little encounter was fun,” Aegis said to Twilight as the three of them took up their positions and continued on their way to the castle. “Nice way to make a morning not boring.”

“You’re telling me,” Twilight said under her breath.

“Oh, before I forget, I assume both of you plan on taking the train back to your homes tonight, yes?”

“I am,” Twilight said. Nova nodded as well.

“Well, in that case,” said Aegis, ”the last departure leaves Canterlot at about 4:00. The next departure doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning, meaning you’re stuck in town for the night.”

Nova lightly groaned. “Figures. Well, at least I came prepared.”

“Railside?” Aegis asked.

“Railside,” confirmed Nova.

“Railside?” asked Twilight.

“Railside,” repeated Nova with a grin.

“Railside?” Aegis asked again, grinning as he noticed the increasing annoyance on Twilight’s face.

“Railside!” Nova responded.

“STOP!” Twilight shouted as Aegis and Nova broke into chuckles at her expense.

“Y-hes, ‘Railside,’ as in Railside Inn,” explained Aegis, still smiling from their banter. “So named because it’s situated right next to the tracks about half-a-mile from the Upper Canterlot Station. Nova here stays there every time he’s in Canterlot for a night, simply because it allows him to get to the station almost as soon as he wakes up.”

“Does this have to do with avoiding those ponies in Canterlot?”

“Everything to do with it, yes,” answered Nova. “Quicker I can get out, the more likely I can avoid seeing them.”

BWONG! BWONG! BWONG!

“And speaking of ‘seeing them,’ Aegis said, sticking his hooves into Twilight’s and Nova’s backs to push them forward, “you two need to get to the Throne Room as quickly as possible. You both know where it is. Nova, just dump that armor in the cleaning chute just inside the foyer. I have to get to my post. Have a good one, you two.”

“And you as well, Aegis!” called Nova as Aegis took off into the sky. Once Aegis was an acceptable height in the sky, he banked to the right and with a couple flaps of his wings, he was gone, flying toward his post in the castle grounds.

“I think he’s forgotten that I’ve never gone any further into the castle than the foyer,” Nova commented as he watched Aegis go.

“Really?” asked Twilight. “But what about the night you went through the formal induction ceremony like I did? Didn’t Princess Luna need you to come to her room like Princess Celestia did for me?”

“Oh, she did,” Nova nodded as they continued trotting toward the castle. “But when I entered the foyer, she teleported me directly there. Never even told me she was going to do that! I got queasy from even turning around too fast for the next week.”

“But you don’t know how to get to the Throne Room, then?”

“Nnnnnope,” he said, popping the P for emphasis for no other reason than to amuse himself.

“That’s fine, I can lead you there.”

“Thanks, Twi. You’re such a peach,” he said, smiling thankfully at her.

Unbeknownst to Nova, Twilight’s cheeks had slightly heated up. Of course, it was nothing more than a simple thank-you, but for some reason, Twilight couldn’t shake a strange little moment of happiness at being called that. Maybe it was the way he’d said it…?

They passed over the castle drawbridge, followed the stone walk through the courtyard, and into the castle’s foyer. The large and expansive room, decorated with suits of armor, works of art, and plush rugs would normally have inspired a less-time-constrained pony to sit and bask in its glory, but Nova and Twilight had somewhere to be. Nova trotted over to the armor cleaning chute Aegis had mentioned, took off the borrowed armor, and dropped it down.

As Nova’s eyes, mane and tail, and coat returned to their normal color, Twilight couldn’t help but feel it was almost a bit of a relief to see him in his natural coloration again.

“So nice to be back in my own colors,” Nova sighed contentedly, shaking his head to tousle his mane. “Feels more like I’m actually me.”

“You look much better in those colors, too,” Twilight said.

Nova glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. “Were you calling my guard colors ugly?”

“Wha-- nonononono!” Twilight hastily clarified. “I just-- your white and blue look-- I mean--”

But Nova reached forward and flicked her horn again. And again, Twilight was started out of her stammers with a surprised “Eep!”

“Sorry, was just messing with you, Twi,” he explained. “Didn’t expect you to get all flustered.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, irritated with herself.

“Even if you are cute when you’re flustered.”

What.

Twilight’s cheeks, earlier simply mildly heated, now felt like they were outright burning.

“You… think I’m cute when I’m flustered?” she asked.

Nova gave her a strange look. “It was just a compliment. I compliment everypony. Just a polite thing to do.”

But even though he simply resumed his trot forward, Twilight was left feeling confused. Confused and… something else. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but there was just something about Nova that stayed on her mind.

Why am I thinking about him like this? she wondered to herself.

“Say Twilight,” the subject of her current train of thought brought said train to a crashing halt, “aren’t you supposed to be showing me to the Throne Room?”

“Wha-- Oh! Right. Sorry,” she apologized as she trotted ahead of him and led him through the halls of Canterlot Castle toward Princess Celestia’s Throne Room.

The two guards on either side both nodded at them as they approached, and pulled open the great doors.

Having never been in the Throne Room before, Nova gasped. The foyer had been something, but the plush red carpet leading up to the rather simple throne, the high ceilings, the stained-glass windows…

Nova blinked. Was that Twilight on a couple of them? Upon further inspection, yes it was. She and her friends resealing Discord into stone, she and her friends banishing Nightmare Moon…

“Ahem,” came a voice from his right. Nova turned to look at Twilight, who was motioning quite frantically that he should turn to look at Princess Celestia. So he did. Princess Celestia, however, was merely rolling her eyes at her pupil’s actions.

“Well good afternoon to you, Nova Shine,” she said, rising from her throne and trotting out to meet them halfway. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

“And you as well, Princess,” Nova said, bowing politely. “If I may, where is Princess Luna?”

“Preparing the room we will be using to compare your’s and Twilight’s progress in your education,” answered Celestia, before pausing and bringing a hoof to her chin. “But now that you mention it, she should be finished and in here by now. No matter, I suppose,” she brushed it off. “She will be here when she is ready. Now, if I may ask, why were you late in coming? I would never have thought Twilight of all ponies would allow this to happen.”

Twilight went a little pink again, but said nothing. Nova, however, launched into an explanation of what had happened after they had arrived. He left nothing out, including Aegis meeting them in the alley and the pegasus confronting them in the street, even being so honest as to note that he had launched said pegasus into the sky to get away.

At that, Princess Celestia had chuckled, a tinkling sound that proved to be infectious enough for Twilight and Nova to both smile.

“But yeah, that’s why we’re late,” he finished.

“I see,” said the Princess, her smile fading somewhat as her expression became unreadable. “Very well, sometimes these things are out of our control. Now, all we are waiting for is my sister’s return.”

Speak of the devil…

“TIA! THOU NEEDEST TO REMIND US HOW TO OPERATE THIS MODERN MACHINERY!”

An almighty crash sounded inside the Throne Room as Princess Luna burst into the room, blasting the two large doors right into the walls they were hinged on. For a moment, Twilight couldn’t believe her eyes. The regal and powerful Princess of the Night was tangled in several cords and wires that were connected to a large metal machine that was dragging on wheels behind her.

Nova started to laugh, a genuine and very loud, raucous fit of laughter that almost made Twilight want to smile, just as Princess Celestia’s chuckle had. But she only felt mortified. Why was he laughing at the misfortune of his own teacher?

Princess Luna seemed to have a similar opinion, because her eyes began to glow white and she turned her gaze toward Nova.

“WHO DARES TO MOCK THE HUMILIATION AND MISFORTUNE OF THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!? WE WILT MAKE SURE THOU ART IMPRISONED FOR THEIR-- Oh. It’s just you, Nova.”

The change was so sudden, Twilight couldn’t stop herself and let out a giggle of her own. Princess Luna smiled sheepishly.

“We suppose we overreacted a little,” she said, her cheeks flushing.

“No, you think?” asked Nova, cocking an eyebrow. He glanced at the cords. “Need any help?”

“Yes, please Nova,” the Princess answered. Nova immediately trotted forward and began to help her untangle herself from the knots of copper and plastic.

“We thought the point of all this technology was to make this sort of thing easier,” complained Luna.

“It is, if you read the instructions,” Nova said, tapping a diagram on the machine. Luna’s flushed cheeks went even darker.

“We still don’t see why we can’t just manually keep tally of thy results the old-fashioned way. We art more than capable with our abacus.”

“This is faster and easier when you get it hooked up,” Nova explained. “And also, you’re speaking in Ye Olde Canterlot again.”

“Are we-- I mean, am I?”

“Ah, much better,” Nova said, as he managed to get the last few snags of cords off of Princess Luna, wrap them up, and place them back on the machine in a neatly-organized manner.

“Thank-you, my Apprentice,” Luna said, leaning down and giving him a very affectionate nuzzle. “Ah, Twilight Sparkle. A pleasure to meet you again.”

“The feeling is mutual, Princess,” Twilight said, smiling as Princess Luna trotted over to stand beside Princess Celestia. “Are we ready now?”

“I believe we are,” Celestia said, dipping her head. “If you both will follow us, and if you, Nova, would get that arcanograph for us?”

“Sure thing,” Nova said as the group began to trot off into the Castle. He found the proper front of the machine, turned it around, and began to follow.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Eighteen… nineteen… twenty… twenty-one. About-face,

Aegis smoothly turned on his hooves a full one-hundred eighty degrees and began to count his steps again as he marched. Aegis always relished being delegated the task of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He respected anyone who gave their lives in service to Equestria, but even more so those who did it and weren’t known

Four ponies rested inside. One perished during the first Changeling invasion,.before Nightfall. He had been tasked with making sure a magical bomb was detonated, and in the end, he’d done it manually, killing him and completely disfiguring him beyond recognition, as well as mortally wounding the Grey Monarch. The other three had been ponies who had died keeping Nightmare Moon at bay before she could attack Celestia during Nightfall, as Celestia had concentrated on getting everypony out of Everfree before confronting her sister.

The normal tribute to the fallen was a twenty-one arrow salute, but so as not to disturb their rest, it was a twenty-one step salute instead.

Twelve… thirteen… fourteen-- what the?

Aegis almost stumbled, but managed to right himself just in time to avoid embarrassment. There was a unicorn guard who was hiding in one of the bushes underneath one of the stained-glass windows nearby. Based on the rank and platoon markings on his armor, he was supposed to be guarding the Statue of Discord. The replica of it, anyway, considering Discord was free and was living in Ponyville now.

What was the guard doing? Probably watching inside, given how the guard had his back to Aegis. But what was he hoping to see?

His answer came as four shadowy shapes began to pass along the windows. Two of them were instantly recognizable as the two Princesses. the other two, then, must have been Twilight and Nova. Nova appeared to be pushing some sort of machine as the shapes passed the location where the hiding guard was situated.

He returned his attention to the task at hoof, almost stepping off the rug he wasn’t supposed to leave until his shift was over, which was in another… according to the castle clock tower, another hour and forty-four minutes.

He could leave his post if it was an emergency, but suspicious though it was, one guard peeking in the bushes didn’t warrant it unless it was obviously an assassination attempt. Or obvious espionage, which was a hell of a paradoxical oxymoron.

Eighteen… nineteen… twenty… twenty-one. About-face.

He turned again, his eyes snapping to where the guard had been, but he was gone. After a moment of surprise, he shrugged it off. He would still alert his superiors, but it probably wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Attention, soldier!”

The guard in question had suddenly appeared to his right. But even though he was a sergeant, the duties of the guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were from the princesses themselves, and as such, only a direct order from them or an emergency situation could make him stop doing his job.

“Corporal Aegis! Attention!” the sergeant repeated. When Aegis ignored that order as well, the guard turned and began to march with him, perfectly in step.

“Aegis,” he muttered, “mind telling me how I got to be in that bush over there?”

“Sir?” he asked, just as quietly.

“How did I get in that bush?” the sergeant repeated. “One minute I was in front of the statue of Discord, the next thing I know, I’m in that bush staring through the stained glass. No clue how I got there.”

Aegis had no answer. He marched silently while he considered the situation. The pegasus only twenty minutes before, now the sudden possible instance of possession. It was a logical way to explain why the guard had suddenly appeared there. Assuming, of course, that he wasn’t lying.

“I’d suggest reporting it to the superiors,” Aegis advised.

“I can’t alert the military or the princesses just yet,” he said. “No harm appears to have been done, and I, like you, shouldn’t leave my post. I’ll go speak to them at the changing of the guard.”

“I will do the same,” Aegis promised. “They’ll need to know, but they’re with their students right now.”

“Keep a watchful eye open, Aegis. Something’s up, and we’d best be prepared for it if we don’t want another wedding fiasco.”

“Noted,” he said as the guard trotted off.

Even for the next hour and forty-five minutes, Aegis couldn’t stop thinking about the happenings. The sergeant wouldn’t be relieved of his post for another three hours, which left Aegis to report what had happened. As soon as his replacement took his post, Aegis practically sprinted into the room he knew the princesses would be testing Nova and Twilight in.

“Apologies for the disturbance, everyone,” he said, inclining his head.

“Not at all, corporal,” Princess Celestia replied with a kind smile. “We just finished. Is there something wrong?”

“Yes, ma’am. We have a very serious problem.”

Author's Note

Reunion, version 2.0

Lemme know how it compares. Thanks for reading! Beware of quality drop off in future chapters as I continue to replace old chapters with newer, better-written ones.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Meet the Parents

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 03 - Meet the Parents

“I see,” said Princess Celestia, frowning as Aegis finished up his account of what had just transpired. “Is that everything you have to report?”

“Yes ma’am,” Aegis said, bowing.

“Very well. Good work, Corporal. You may return to your post.”

“No ma’am,” Aegis said. “I came as soon as I was relieved. I’m finished for the day. And as Nova is my friend, I’d very much like to help him out of this little conundrum.”

“How does he need help?” asked Luna.

“The pegasus finding him this morning, and Sergeant Shield-Breaker I believe being possessed, both happened in a location Nova was expected to go,” explained Aegis. “Granted, Nova was in disguise for the first encounter, but the pegasus was able to see through it. Nova has a routine while he’s here, and if he wants to avoid trouble with those after him, it would be best if he did something a little differently than he usually does. As such, I believe Railside Inn should be avoided.”

Nova nodded.

“Seems I need to vary my routine here a little more than I have been.”

“I don’t see a problem with this,” Princess Luna said. “Canterlot Castle has more than enough rooms for him, and plenty of--”

“No.”

Whatever Luna had been about to say about exactly what Canterlot Castle had plenty of was lost as she almost choked on her suggestion. Twilight was very taken aback by this. She wouldn’t dream of interrupting her teacher! And yet Nova had done so completely without remorse for it. In fact, he seemed to be noticeably irritated at the mere notion of staying in the castle.

“Why not!?” Princess Luna demanded.

“Now now, Luna,” admonished Princess Celestia, giving her a look. “I’m sure he meant no offense. But Nova, do explain why your reasoning for Canterlot Castle isn’t your preferred place of lodging for the night.”

“It’s simple, really,” Nova said, that calculating edge creeping back into his voice, as it had on the train ride here. “The pegasus that found me today is definitely searching for me. The pony that went and possibly possessed the sergeant in the Gardens, we don’t know who he was looking for. It could be any of the four of us. If it is someone other than me, that theoretically puts us in twice the danger you would be if I were somewhere else.”

“So, you’re saying your reasoning for not staying in the castle is to reduce the danger we all could be in?” asked Princess Celestia, raising an eyebrow at Nova, a strange glint in her eye. “How selfless of you, Nova.”

“Even so, regardless of that hypothetical danger it would put us in,” Aegis argued, “you are still within the headquarters for the Equestrian military. Nopony would dare make a move against this bastion.”

“Have you been to any weddings lately, Aegis?” Nova asked coldly.

Aegis opened his mouth, but only grit his teeth with a growl. Nova had a point. They had once thought Canterlot Castle was unassailable. It had taken only one being to weaken Canterlot’s defenses from within, and that had brought about the single most embarrassing defeat in Equestrian history. Not only had it shown how complacent they had become, but it even sent a message to other nations that Equestria was not impervious to attack.

It used to be that the largest thing keeping the Griffin Emperor from invading was the appearance of invincibility. Now, the only thing keeping the Griffins from invading was Equestria’s Eurponyan allies north of their little empire.

“But if you cannot stay at Railside Inn, and you refuse to stay in Canterlot Castle,” pondered Princess Celestia, “where can you stay?”

“My parents’ house.”

Aegis’, Princess Luna’s, Nova’s, and Princess Celestia’s heads all turned to look at Twilight. Twilight blushed a little at the sudden attention, but stood her ground regardless.

“That… seems a good idea,” Princess Celestia said, nodding approvingly at her pupil. And dare Twilight say it, there might have been a bit of a knowing look in her eye.

“That depends,” Aegis replied, stealing the words right out of Nova’s mouth. “How far from Novus Manor is it?”

“On the other side of the Canterlot Business District,” replied Princess Celestia. “And it is also within reasonable distance to the Train Station.”

“Reasonable distance, relative to you, anyway,” added Princess Luna with a cheeky smile.

Nova said nothing. He merely started to rub the skin around his horn, no doubt thinking about their solution.

“Don’t worry about him doing this,” came Aegis’ voice to her right. Twilight jumped. She hadn’t seen Aegis move!

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.

“He likes to try to find ways to tear down solutions. Not that he doesn’t like it,” he added, noticing the strange look Twilight had given her, “but if he can’t come up with a good argument, it’s a good solution.”

“Fine,” Nova said, adding to Aegis’ point. “I’ll go with Twilight.”

Twilight smiled to herself. Not only had she had convinced both two princesses and a Royal Guard to follow her suggestion, even if she hadn’t actually done the convincing, but she had also managed to win a little more time to get to know Nova.

“I guess that settles it,” she said, turning around and beginning her trot out. “Oh, and Nova?” she added, pausing and giving him a mischievous smile, “we’re not taking the alleys this time. We’re taking the main roads where we’ll be less conspicuous by blending in.”

Nova felt his mouth go dry. He had considered venturing out into the crowd before, but he figured it was best to stick with the safe option. But now that he had been discovered…

His train of thought was interrupted as Aegis bumped him forward, after Twilight.

“Get going, you,” he commanded. “Your marefriend awaits.”

“She’s not my marefriend!” Nova called behind him, but he followed Twilight regardless.

“So…” Twilight started, as he caught up with her outside the Testing Room, “you said you’d tell me later how you knew that pegasus was following us.”

“So I did,” Nova concurred as they rounded a corner and began their walk down one of the longer halls in the castle. “Well, do you know of energy sensing?” he asked.

“I’ve heard of it,” Twilight said. “Never took the time to learn how.”

“It takes some time, which I figured you’d think would be better spent learning to cast spells.”

“Pretty much.”

“Well,” started Nova, taking a deep breath, “energy sensing is just that: sensing the energy around you. Seeing as how you and I both know that everything generates energy, this allows me to sense things within a certain radius.”

“Kind of like the Inheritance books?” asked Twilight.

“Oh, you read Eragon?”

“Well, duh. I read everything. Except the Twilight saga. I wouldn’t use those novels as paperweights.”

Nova chuckled. “Yes, well, yeah, kinda like Inheritance. Can’t extend my mind, or anything, but if it generates energy, most of the time I can sense it. There are things that are too small, and if someone casts too powerful of a spell nearby, it kinda overloads me for a bit.”

“So how did you know that pegasus was following us?” asked Twilight.

“The other pegasi in the sky were flying faster,” answered Nova. “He was going exactly our speed, and he was staying right above us, only slightly behind.”

“Interesting,” said Twilight as they passed through the castle foyer again. “Well, if you’ll follow me, I’ll lead you right to my parents’ house.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“I’m home!” called Twilight as she opened the door to her parents’ house. Nova had been very surprised at the sight of it. Compared to the other homes in Canterlot, the Sparkles’ residence was rather modest. But then, it was in a more modest neighborhood to begin with. Still, the fact that it wasn’t some grandiose mansion was a bit of a surprise, given that they were still in Upper Canterlot.

The door had opened into a simple hall. The dining room was off to the left, an office to the right, what appeared to be a living room was in front of them, and against the right wall was a staircase that led into another hall, by the look of things.

“Twilight? You didn’t tell us you were going to be in to--” came the voice of a rather matronly unicorn mare. But she stopped as she came around the corner and saw Nova. She looked almost exactly like Twilight, but older, and with a different color coat, mane, and tail, not to mention cutie mark. Her coat was an off-white, her mane and tail were a mix of purple and white, and her cutie mark was composed of three purple stars. After a moment of staring at him, she smiled kindly. “Who’s your friend, Twilight?”

“Mom, this is Nova Shine,” Twilight said, gesturing back at him. “He’s Princess Luna’s Night Apprentice. He needed a place to spend the night, and I thought we could lend him Shiny’s room.”

As perceptive as he was, Nova noticed that Mrs. Sparkle’s eyes seemed to display some nervousness, despite the cheerful smile she wore. “A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Sparkle,” he said, bowing his head politely.

“Where’s Dad?” Twilight asked.

“Up in his room,” Mrs. Sparkle said, glancing up the stairs. “Dinner’s almost ready, and you’re most welcome to join us, Nova. And please, do call me ‘Velvet.’”

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” Twilight said, grabbing his hoof and pulling him up the stairs.

But once they reached the top flight, a door close by swung open and out stepped a pony with a blue coat, a darker blue mane and tail, golden eyes, and a moon and star cutie mark that could only be Twilight’s father, based on some of the pictures that lined the wall by the staircase.

As soon as their eyes met, Mr. Sparkle’s eyes widened, and his mouth parted in a bit of shock.

“Nova Shine?” he blurted out.

Nova’s eyes, in contrast, narrowed dangerously and his mouth became a very thin line on his face.

“Twilight,” he said quietly, “your father and I need to talk. Alone.”

Twilight had stopped as soon as the door had opened in front of her, and at the moment her father had said Nova’s name out of shock, she had been staring suspiciously at him. But when Nova said that in a low voice, her gaze turned back to him, etched with concern.

“Are… are you sure?”

“Yes,” Nova said, not breaking eye contact with Mr. Sparkle, whose face had fallen into a frown. “You can show me to my room later.”

Mr. Sparkle gestured with his head into the room he had just left, the master bedroom. Without another word, he walked on in, leaving Nova to follow. As soon as Nova was in, Mr. Sparkle shut the door behind him.

“How do you know who I am?” Nova asked immediately. “He didn’t hire you, did he?”

“Relax, Nova,” the stallion said, rolling his eyes. “Princess Luna told me all about how touchy you were when it came to the subject. To see it in person though…”

“You know Princess Luna?” Nova asked suspiciously.

“Let’s start over, shall we?” Mr. Sparkle said, smiling at him. “I’m Night Light Sparkle, current head of the Sparkle clan and the Canterlot Castle Director of Staff. And you are?”

“Canterlot Castle Director of Staff?” asked Nova, taken aback.

“Nice to meet you, Canterlot Castle. Or should I call you Director of Staff?”

“Agh,” Nova said, practically slamming his face into his hoof. “You’re definitely Twilight’s father. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Dad Joke that bad from any other dad I’ve met.”

“Yes, well,” said Night Light, smiling rather sheepishly, “I do try.” His smile fell slightly as he gave Nova a more serious look. “But to answer your question, I know who you are because I interact with the Princesses almost every day. It would have been impossible to not know you were the Night Apprentice, and even more so to not hear of your… ah, incident.”

“I see,” Nova said, eyes narrowing again, but this time his displeasure wasn’t directed at Night Light. “But Velvet said she didn’t know Twilight was in town. Did you not know of our little examination today? If you interacted with the Princesses as much as you say you do, you should have known.”

“We thought Twilight wouldn’t be spending the night,” replied Night. “However, emergency train problems happened, according to the coordinator. I was informed only an hour before you arrived and I got home right before you two did.”

“Emergency train problems, on the day I happen to come to the city?” Nova asked, skeptically.

“Relax,” said Night. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“Your daughter and I were accosted by a bounty hunter this morning.”

“What!?”

“But that’s fine,” Nova said. “Relax. I’m sure it was nothing.”

Night Light just stared at him angrily for a moment, but Nova could tell, as was the case with his scowl back at Night earlier, that the anger was not directed at him.

“Did they--”

“No, neither of us suffered any harm,” Nova cut him off, holding up a hoof. “But it can’t be coincidence that on the day the trains stop and keep us in town overnight, we get accosted by a bounty hunter. Not to mention the stir up at the castle I’m sure you heard about.”

“Yes, I did hear about that,” Night said, frowning. “Curious.”

“Not as curious as your daughter,” Nova said, raising his voice slightly, “who has been listening in on our conversation the whole time.”

They both smiled as they heard an “Eep!” and the sound of hooves scuttling away.

“She really likes knowing what’s going on, doesn’t she,” observed Nova, chuckling lightly.

“That she does,” Night said. “But listen Nova,” his tone got serious again. “I know about you and your situation. And allow me to say right now, if I ever find out my daughter came to harm and you had something to do with it, there will be no place in Equestria you can hide from me, and so help me Celestia, you will pay for it.”

“You needn’t strain yourself,” Nova said, completely unfazed. “I’ve avoided a pony trying to hunt me down for ten years, and even though a bounty hunter found me today, I’ve made sure he’s been set back several hours.”

“My promise still stands,” Night said. “But you’ve done nothing wrong tonight. Dinner’s almost ready. Let’s go relax in a little more light-hearted environment, shall we?”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Set on the High Street, further back into Upper Canterlot than the Mane Street intersection, was one of the most affluent manors in all of Equestria, much less Upper Canterlot. It featured a sprawling three-wing house, with gardens larger even than the castle’s. The marble that composed the walls of this magnificent structure were almost glimmering with the enchantments set into the stone.

As the pegasus passed through the courtyard and gardens, he couldn’t help but notice the many contraptions and magitech inventions that kept the plants well-maintained. No grounds staff were to be found, as the Lord of Novus Manor was well-known to be a fan of horticulture and enjoyed tending to the plants himself.

Despite the grand size of the entire estate, its owners only used two of the wings for themselves and the gardens. The third wing was devoted to an entire laboratory that attracted some of the foremost minds in Equestrian Arcanology. As such, these enchantments were inlaid to prevent some of the more explosive developments in that lab from affecting the house, or any of the surrounding houses.

The pegasus stared at one of the marble pillars that flanked the front doors of the house, watching glittering lights twinkle all around it. Under normal circumstances, he would be quite interested in watching the light show, but he had dealt with enough magic today.

And I lost my target, he thought bitterly. He’s not going to be happy.

Raising a hoof to the large yew doors, he knocked three times.

It only took a minute before the door to the manor opened. A pale blue unicorn mare stood there, taken aback at his presence. Her silver mane was swept behind her shoulders, her tail was neatly combed and held with grace, and her eyes, as silver as her mane, were staring straight at him.

“Good evening,” he said, inclining his head. “Not sure if you remember me, but--”

“Sharp Eye?” she asked, in a very fine Canterlotian accent. “That is your name, yes?”

“Oh, umm, yes,” the pegasus said, nodding. “I believe your husband may be expecting me.”

“Yes, I think he is. Follow me, then,” she said, backing up to let him in. “I take it you bring good news, then?”

“Good and bad,” he admitted. “But I’ll elaborate more when I speak to both you and Ray.”

“Very well,” the mare said, shutting the door behind him.

No matter how many times Sharp Eye stepped into the foyer of Novus Manor, he always felt a sense of awe at the place. The Novus clan was well-known and well-regarded all around the pony lands. They were supposedly the direct descendants of one of Equestria’s most talented and most accomplished spell smiths, second only to Star Swirl the Bearded himself, and it was evident in the magical talent that seemed inherent in the family.

All around the foyer were symbols of the long history of the clan. Original pieces of artwork, a crystal chandelier in the direct center, a mezzanine with two staircases, one on each end of the room, leading up to it, doors leading to each of the three wings, and several different suits of armor with the family crest painted on the chestplates.

Sharp Eye found himself admiring the crest as he waited for his hostess to lead him to his client. The crest was simple compared to some of the others that belonged to other clans, such as the Kickers, a pegasi clan that had their own compound elsewhere in the city. All it depicted was a crescent moon facing upward, with four stars set between it and a sun above those stars, symbols of the magical talent that helped to bridge the sun and the moon.

“If you’ll follow me,” came the mare’s voice, jolting Sharp Eye out of his observations. She led him through the door at the back of the foyer, through a kitchen and past a dining room, into the manor’s living room. A fire was crackling in the hearth, a number of bookshelves lined the walls, a few pictures hung on the walls, mostly depicting the mare with a stallion, and there were several poufs and easy chairs scattered around the room.

“Ray?” the mare quietly said as they approached the living room. A stallion was sitting in one of the easy chairs, reading a book. His tan coat glinted in the firelight, his brown mane looked slightly disheveled, and his grey eyes followed the words on the page behind a pair of glasses.

At the sound of his name, Ray Novus smiled slightly.

“And I was just getting to the good part, Shimmer,” he said. He turned to give his wife a smile, but at the sight of Sharp Eye it faltered slightly, before widening.

“Sharp Eye! I must admit, I didn’t expect to see you here this evening.”

“You as well, sir,” Sharp Eye said, walking forward and sitting on a pouf as Shimmer went to sit in a chair next to her husband.

“I trust you bring news on our son?” Ray asked, an expectant gleam in his eyes.

“Good and bad,” Sharp Eye said again.

“Well, let’s start with the good news first,” said Ray cheerfully.

“I have managed to find your son,” Sharp Eye said. “I found him today in Canterlot as he made his way to Canterlot Castle with a Royal Guard and with a unicorn mare.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Ray noted. “Yes, he was taking a sort of examination with her at the castle today.”

“Yes, well,” said Sharp Eye, looking away as an embarrassed blush crept into his cheeks, “I, uhh, lost him.”

“Excuse me?” Ray said, cocking his head.

“I said I lost him,” Sharp Eye repeated. “Was talking with him in an alleyway when that Royal Guard hit me with something and knocked me out. I woke up locked in a dumpster and had to wait for the street-cleaning crews to let me out.”

“You spoke to him?” Ray asked, leaning forward, hooves pressed together under his muzzle.

“I… well, yes,” Sharp Eye said, feeling sheepish. “He had disguised himself as a Royal Guard, and I confronted him and--”

Ray groaned and buried his face in his hooves while Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Bet he took that well,” she remarked.

“You fool,” said Ray in a low voice. “After he’s spent the last ten years running, did you really think that running right up to him and trying to convince him to come back would work?”

“I just-- I-- he-- Ugh,” Sharp Eye said, burying his own face in his hooves. “I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time.”

“No, clearly you weren’t,” Ray said, shaking his head, but he still smiled. “But still, it is good to know that my son is in good health. Sharp Eye, if you’ll follow me, I have your payment ready.”

“Sir?” he asked, as Ray had gotten up, marked his place in his book, returned it to the shelf, and started to trot back out into the foyer. “I don’t understand. Your contract was to--”

“The contract was only to find Nova,” Ray interrupted. “And you did. You needn’t fear losing him again. The trains have stopped for the evening, leaving him stranded here in Canterlot. He will undoubtedly be on the first train back to wherever he lives, and you can simply follow him from there.”

“Is that wise?” Sharp Eye asked. “If he sees me, he’ll--”

“He won’t,” Ray said, as he began to climb one of the staircases in the foyer. “You must make sure of that. Sharp Eye, I’m counting on you here.”

“Hang on,” Sharp Eye said, suddenly thinking of a flaw in Ray’s logic. “If you’re paying me now, that renders our contract complete, meaning I don’t have to go through with this.”

“Which is why I’m offering you a new one,” Ray replied simply. “But we’ll discuss that more in my office.”

“If you say so,” Sharp Eye said, following Ray as he strode into the West Wing, and into the first room on the right. The office was simple, with a desk and a chintz armchair set behind it. An Appleture Science Magitech Computer sat on the desk itself, which Ray powered up. As it went through its boot-up, Ray opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a stack of paper bills.

“Your payment,” he said. “Now, I said we would be offering you a new contract.”

“Yes,” said Sharp Eye, feeling a little let down now he remembered the agreed-upon fee. Had he accomplished his job quickly, it would have been quite the windfall. But ten-thousand bits spread out over nine years was almost nothing.

“Well, I am prepared to offer you a weekly sum of ten-thousand bits, if you will agree to follow and to keep an eye on Nova.”

Sharp Eye dropped the stack of bills.

“What.”

He could have sworn he misheard. There was no way he would offer ten-thousand bits weekly. That kind of money was something only the highest-paid bounty hunters made.

“You heard me right,” Ray said, smiling. “Ten-thousand a week, if you will simply tail Nova and let me know if anything’s happening with him.”

Sharp Eye could only blink stupidly as Ray continued to smile at him. After a few seconds, he broke into a broad grin.

“Well, I’d be a fool not to take that one up, wouldn’t I?”

“No more foolish than I have been in the past,” Ray said, his eyes glazing over and his gaze suddenly gaining a far-off look to them. “Back when I was young...”

Sharp Eye gave him some space to reminisce, but to his relief it wasn’t long before Ray dismissed those thoughts with a brief shake of the head.

“Nevertheless, thank-you Sharp Eye. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“You’re most welcome. Though it’s really a funny story how I ran into him today,” he said.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Pretty sure it was entirely dumb luck,” Sharp Eye explained. “I had literally just gotten off of the train and I heard that mare, Twilight Sparkle, say the word ‘Nova.’ Had just gotten off a different contract at the time, but I remembered the name. So I followed him from in the air. After that, well… you kinda know the rest.”

“Hmm…” said Ray, resting his forehooves’ elbows on his desk and leaning forward to stare intently into Sharp Eye’s eyes. “That your meeting with Nova is luck, I highly doubt.”

“Sir? I promise, I’ve nothing to hide.”

“No, no, I believe you,” Ray said, waving a hoof to forestall the rest of his response. “I believe you think it was luck. But take it from a researcher of magic. In all of my many years of studying the arcane, never once did I ever find any evidence to justify the existence of luck.”

“How do you mean?”

“Equestria is a land overflowing with magic,” Ray continued. “Love magic in the Crystal Empire, the magics of friendship, the day, the night, and so on. And these different magical forces have guided the ‘fate’ of this land. The Fires of Friendship, the Elements of Harmony, and so forth as well.”

He gave a small smile. “I believe you were led to Nova for a reason. What that reason is, I cannot say. But a reason nonetheless.”

Sharp Eye had nothing to say. He simply chose to look down at the wad of bills he had dropped.

Had that random moment where I had heard the name “Nova” as I exited the train not been random at all?

“Well,” said Ray, interrupting Sharp Eye’s thoughts, “our business is concluded, and I’m hungry. You’re welcome to spend the night at the house, but thanks to a few bits sent the way of the train coordinator, I made sure the next train out of Canterlot is set for 11 AM tomorrow.”

“Thank-you, sir,” Sharp Eye said, politely dipping his head.

“You are most welcome. Now let’s get to the dining room, shall we? I wonder what’s for dinner.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova let out a long, satisfied sigh as he leaned back against the dining room wall. He couldn’t even eat one more bite! Mrs. Sparkle was the single best cook he had ever had the pleasure of eating the works of, and part of his mind was convinced it would definitely be totally worth it to marry Twilight just to experience this every so often.

“Would you like any more, Nova?” Night Light asked, the pan with potato casserole being levitated toward Nova with his magic.

“No thank-you Mr. Sparkle,” Nova said.

“Call me Night Light. It’s my name, might as well use it.”

“That was nothing short of excellent, Mrs. Sparkle,” Nova said happily from his spot as Night Light returned the pan to its place on the table.

“What did I tell you? Call me Velvet,” Mrs. Sparkle said, wagging a hoof at him disapprovingly. “And thank-you, dear. I always appreciate my food being enjoyed.”

“Does that go for me too, Velvet?” Twilight asked, giving her mother a catty grin.

Night and Velvet shared a look, but they were smiling regardless. Yet Nova couldn’t miss how knowing their smiles looked. Almost as if they could see something past Twilight’s cheeky statement.

“Well, if you’re going to call her that,” Night said, “I guess it’s completely alright if we call you Twinklesparky.”

“DAD!”

Twilight’s face had completely skipped lightly blushing. Her cheeks were positively flaming red as she did her best to hide her face where no one could see her.

“What?” asked Night in faux-confusion, as Nova stuffed a hoof into his mouth to keep from laughing. “If you’re not going to call her ‘Mom,’ isn’t it only fair if we break out the baby nicknames?”

Nova decided the best course of action was to take a drink to try to keep it under control. As such, he tapped into his magic and brought his bottle of beer to his lips. He had to admit, he had been pleasantly surprised to find that the Sparkles weren’t prudish about alcohol as most of the ponies in Upper Canterlot were.

“So Nova,” Night said, turning to him, “how does it feel to be the first coltfriend Twilight’s ever brought home?”

What beer had been in his mouth and had been running down his throat was suddenly hacked back up as Nova sputtered. Over in her seat, Twilight’s face had gone even more red, if that were possible, and she was almost trying to hide under the table.

“D-Dad, he’s not my coltfriend!” she protested weakly. “W-we’re just fellow students of the Princesses.”

“Sure, darling, whatever you say,” Night said, giving that same knowing look to Velvet, before turning his sadistic gaze to Nova. “But Shining Armor had the same goofy look on his face every time he looked at Cadance, and look where they ended up. Oh, and Nova, just want you to know, I have a Black Haysa Industries Magi-Gun up in my closet, and if you hurt my daughter--”

BANG!

Nova had been too busy trying to deal with his own teasing, and as such, he had failed to notice that Twilight had levitated a massive book and slammed it down right in front of her face as if she were reading it, hiding her from view.

It might have fooled them, were it not for the fact that the book was upside-down.

Nova opened his mouth to let her know of this fact, but he caught Night Light’s eye. Night Light gave a small shake of his head, before standing up from his pouf.

“Well, I have to be up early to be at the castle tomorrow. Good night, Nova, Twilight,” he said, inclining his head to each of them, before starting to trot out of the dining room and into the main hall. Velvet got up as well, taking the pan and all the plates with her.

“I’ll join you in a minute, dear,” she said as she trotted over to a sink behind a stone counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room. “Let me get all this cleaned up.”

With Night gone, Nova took the opportunity to lean next to Twilight, who kept her eyes firmly fixed on a spot on one of the pages.

“Nice book,” he said quietly. “Might be able to read it better if it were right side up.”

Twilight’s magic slammed the book shut so fast, it almost sounded like a gunshot and it came within millimeters of absolutely shattering both his muzzle and her’s. While Nova was busy trying to process the sudden action, Twilight simply took the book with her and trotted out into the hall after her father, leaving Nova to just stand there, utterly perplexed.

“...the fuck just happened?” he asked, before he was slapped on the muzzle by Velvet’s rag.

“Watch your mouth while you’re in here,” she scolded, before returning to her dishwashing.

“Yes ma’am,” Nova said hastily, rubbing the spot on his nose it had hit.

For several moments, neither of them said anything. Nova was still trying to figure out why Twilight had gone and done that, but Velvet kept her lips sealed as she dutifully scrubbed the dishes.

Finally, after a few minutes, she whapped him again.

“Nova, get your flank up there and talk to her.”

“Ow! What did I do?”

“You stallions are just so damn thick sometimes. She wanted to talk to you on her own, without me or Night! You may not have thought that was the warmest way to say that, but I’d be a poor mother if I hadn’t seen her do that whenever she wanted Shining or Cadance to talk with her on their own and make that connection.”

“I, uhh…” Nova said, before Velvet raised the rag again, freshly stained from what appeared to be his plate. “Alright, alright, I’ll go.”

Moving as quickly as he could, so as to avoid another whip from Velvet, Nova almost cantered out of the kitchen, into the hall, and up the stairs. But it was only once he hit the top stair that he realized, he didn’t know which of the five rooms was Twilight’s. The only one he knew was the master bedroom, and that was immediately to his left.

Well, let’s try this one.

He opened the door directly across and--

“OI! I’M ON THE POT, HERE!”

Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope!

Scrambling out of the bathroom and desperately trying to erase the image of Night Light sitting on a toilet with a newspaper propped between his legs from his brain, he galloped a few paces away before slowing back to a trot to find Twilight’s room.

“Well, that was… unexpected,” he said. It had felt like Twilight had been behind that door, with similar energy nexuses emanating from areas nearby. No doubt the familial resemblance in their magical Source. Fortunately, that left only one room she could be in.

He trotted over to the left room at the far end of the upstairs hall, raised a hoof to the door, and knocked gently.

He felt the energy nexus move toward him and after a moment, the door opened slightly, revealing Twilight, staring at him.

“Yes?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Want to talk about our feelings like pathetic, sappy, touchy-feely ponies do?” Nova asked, grinning.

“What do you want?” Twilight asked, irritated.

“I, uh… well, your mother told me to come talk to you…” he answered lamely.

Twilight groaned and facehoofed. “Oh, that is just so like her. I come up here to calm down and read in peace and she sends--”

She broke off and sighed.

“Fine. Come on in.”

She pushed the door opened wider, allowing him to enter and see her room for the first time. At first, he couldn’t believe he was seeing so many books! Every wall had a bookshelf on it, and each one was stuffed full of different books. The wall opposite her bed had a sort of upside-down U-shape bookshelf, in the gap of which was constructed a desk that was cluttered with even more books, quills, and parchment and a small picture of a younger Twilight and a younger white stallion with a two-toned blue mane.

Having been at said stallion’s wedding, Nova couldn’t help but grin at seeing the normally-determined Shining Armor smiling like a child as he played with his sister in a book fort. The six square inches of space surrounding the picture were completely uncluttered, telling Nova that the picture was clearly Twilight’s favorite possession on that desk.

And speaking of, Twilight had let him in, before shutting the door behind her and trotting over to hop onto the bed with all the grace of such a well-practiced art. The same tome she had been attempting to hide herself behind at the dinner table was lifted off of the bed about six inches before falling back down right where it had been before. As soon as it was back down, Twilight immediately opened it and began reading. Or just ignoring him, as she had attempted to do earlier.

“Nice room,” Nova said conversationally. Twilight didn’t respond. Definitely dutifully attempting to ignore him or she just didn’t care to say anything.

But after noticing that just about everything in the room looked carefully organized, it gave him an idea on just how to get her to reply. Trotting over to her collection of Harry Trotter books, arranged in numerical order, he took the opportunity to switch them all around into alphabetical order based on titles.

And by the time he was done, she was giving him a death glare that could have incinerated the wall behind him.

“Put. Those. Back,” she said, glaring at him with narrow eyes.

Nova just stuck out a tongue. “Make me.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but just closed it and rolled her eyes.

“Fine, I’ll get them later.”

“And I’ll get you to get out of your book and actually talk to me,” he countered, his own aura snatching up Twilight’s book and replacing it in its proper place on her shelves. “So tell me, Twilight, what’s it like studying under Celestia?”

“Why do you want to talk so badly?” she asked, curiously.

“Call it a litmus test,” he answered, thinking to his half-formed plan that was starting to take shape in his mind.

“A… litmus test?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly,” he said, nodding. “Quick question, actually. Do you happen to know a place in Ponyville that rents rooms for a low price that’s not an inn?”

“Uhh… not really, no,” she said, confused. “I mean, I guess I wouldn’t mind letting somepony sleep in my basement if they paid rent every day, but--”

“How much?” Nova asked.

“I dunno, seventy-five bits maybe?”

“How about a monthly fee?”

“Nova, are you seriously asking to move in with me?” she asked, an amused glint in her eyes. “You have your own very expensive-looking house.”

“I’ll tell you more tomorrow, on the train ride home,” he said. “Still working out the details.”

“The details of what?”

“Tomorrow,” Nova replied simply, snorting. “Don’t quite have it all figured out, but I have an idea. Just need to sleep on it some.”

“Oh.”

“So,” Nova said, wresting the topic back to his original question as he hopped onto the bed as well, “really, what is it like studying under Princess Celestia?”

“I could ask you the same thing about studying under Princess Luna,” she said. “I’ve gotten to talk with her a couple of times, and I even got the chance to show her around Ponyville on Nightmare Night, but I’ve never really gotten to know her.”

“Oh yeah, she told me about that,” Nova said, smirking. “Told me she spent an entire evening gobbling the backsides of little foals.”

“Well… you could say that,” Twilight reasoned. She smiled at the memory. “There’s a colt in our town from Trottingham by the name of Pipsqueak. Fell into an apple-bobbing tub, and Luna tried to rescue him by snagging his shorts. Pinkie and Pip then proceeded to lead the town foals in a mass panic.”

“Yeah, remember that,” Nova said, recalling how she had recounted him with the night’s happenings during a little visit to his house before she returned to Canterlot. “Tried to turn it into a ‘Get out and enjoy yourself’ lecture.”

“I know the feeling,” said Twilight, smiling. “Princess Celestia used to do that all the time.”

“Speaking of…” Nova said, trailing off meaningfully.

“Oh, yes, well, studying under her is strange,” she explained, glancing up at the ceiling as she attempted to formulate an answer. “I mean, you’d expect the pony who knows the most about you to be you, right? Well, for me, she knows more about me than I think even my parents or I do.”

“Can’t imagine how that must work,” Nova remarked truthfully. “Luna is still working to get to know me. Doesn’t quite have a really firm handle on what I’m good at, what I’m like, and so on. Like this one time, she sent me some books on alchemistic magic. All so she could teach me a lesson in unbending my pride enough to ask for help.”

“You’re learning Alchemy?” she blurted out, eyes wide and jaw open even wider. “Princess Celestia and I haven’t even touched on the magical implications of the subject yet!”

“No, I’m not,” Nova said, shaking his head. “Couldn’t decipher a word of the textbook she sent to me. Frankly, I don’t think I’m anywhere near casting alchemical spells. Still very behind in spellcasting ability.”

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight, confused. “How can you be behind? You were able to do everything I was able to at the test today.”

“Oh yes, I could,” he replied, “but that doesn’t mean I could do so smoothly.”

“I don’t understand,” Twilight said, still not quite getting it, which only added to Nova’s ever-increasing irritation.

“Look, Twilight, do you think we’re on the same level of spellcasting?” he asked, one of his eyebrows raising.

“I… well, yes, we’re supposed to be--”

“But we’re not,” Nova interrupted. “I’ve been educated and I’ve been taught spells. But despite all of that, I’m practically rubbish at spellcasting.”

“Don’t say that! No you’re not! You performed very well today,” Twilight protested.

“”Oh yes, today I did, but in the past, I’ve always had trouble focusing my mind enough to cast some of the more advanced spells.”

Twilight’s look remained blank.

How the bloody hell is she not getting this!?

“Do you need me to put it in magic kindergarten terms for you?” snapped Nova, snarling. “You. Are better at magic. Than me. Twilight is greater than Nova. I can decipher the spell’s magical language very well, but I can’t cast the bleeding--”

Something twinged his horn and he started, biting off the end of his remark. For a moment, all he could do was try to comprehend what had just happened, which would only have taken a second if he had just processed the fact that Twilight was returning to her spot on the bed.

“Shouldn’t have taught me that,” she teased, but then her expression got more serious. “And Nova, trust me, I understand how you feel.”

“Really?” asked Nova in deadpan skepticism. “The mare who spent all her time indoors studying and performing high level magic has an idea how it feels to not be able to properly indulge in one’s special talent?”

“Seriously, Nova,” Twilight continued, choosing to ignore his little jab, “before I met my friends, casting magic wasn’t as easy for me as it is now. And when I started to study friendship for myself in Ponyville, I grew stronger and stronger at a much faster rate than I did before. It just took me finding that little niche, so to speak. Everypony has theirs, even you. You just need to find yours, and I know you’ll make a powerful spellcaster.”

“High praise, Twilight Sparkle,” said Nova, inclining his head. “Thank-you for it.”

He glanced at the clock above her desk. It wasn’t late by any stretch of the term, but he was hoping to catch up on some of the sleep he had lost from the nightmare that morning.

“Well, I’m off to bed. Thanks for the encouragement.”

“Any time,” replied Twilight, giving him a friendly smile.

“Good night, Twilight,” he said as he started to trot out.

“Good night to you too, Nova,” he heard her respond before the door shut behind him. As soon as it was in place, he trotted into her brother’s room, shut off the lights, got into bed, and fell asleep within minutes.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Night sighed as he slid his way under the covers of his bed, as Velvet read a book next to him.

"What a day," he groaned, pulling the comforter up to about his armpits and resting his head on the pillow.

"Yes, today has been... something," Velvet admitted, marking her spot in the book and setting it on the nightstand. "Little did either of us to expect Nova to show up here. Night, don't you find it ironic?"

Night gave a grim smile, knowing exactly what Velvet was referring to.

"Yes, Vel, I think I do," answered Night. "The two of them do seem to have a certain something between them already. Don't want to call it chemistry, but it's impossible to deny that there's something there, considering the looks she was giving him."

"We thought it was going to be Glimmer and Shining Armor," Velvet remarked, "only to find out that it just might be Nova and Twilight. But, oh Night, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean, Vel?" asked Night, confused.

"He's bound to find out sooner or later that Nova spent the night here," Velvet said, sliding herself further down to lay next to him. "How do you think he'll react? And what if Nova stays here again in the future? Will he come calling?"

"I'll talk with Ray tomorrow," Night said, teeth gritting slightly as Nova's words about Ray's bounty hunter holding up their daughter returned to his mind. "He and I need to have a word after the commotion in the market place and the incident at the castle today."

"But what if he demands to see Nova in the future?" asked Velvet. "You know how he was after the colt left. Tantalus--"

"We won't let him," Night interrupted his wife, draping a leg around her. "Regardless of who is chasing him, Nova Shine is our guest, and he is Twilight's friend, and truth be told, I think he's a good stallion. I trust him. So long as he is under our roof, he should not and will not have to fear us betraying his trust."

For a moment, Velvet and Night just watched each other, waiting to see what the other would say or do next. When it was clear that both of them were of the same mind, Night smiled and pecked his wife.

"Well, since we both seem to agree, I think it's time for bed, Vel."

"I agree," said Velvet, leaning over and pulling on the drawchain to shut off the lamp beside her, as Night did the same to the lamp on his side. "Good night, honey."

"Good night, dear."

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Deep in the Everfree Forest, there stood a stone building. It had a distinctly temple-like look to the architecture, but over the years of neglect, the once-colorful stone had faded into dull grey colorlessness. Windows were shattered, statues were weathered, and it looked like many of the other crumbling ruins scattered around the forest.

Once full of ponies, now it was empty. But nestled in a vault, there was a strange glass vial. It was glowing orange, faintly brightening and darkening, as if pulsing with a heartbeat. But suddenly, there was a flash of red--

--and Nova shot up, gasping loudly as he suddenly woke up, fearing something catastrophic. But there was no strange temple ruin, no glowing vial, no end of Equestria to be found. Instead, he was still in Shining Armor’s room at the Sparkles’ home, his once-perfectly-made bed now completely disheveled and… had he tied a knot in his sheets somehow?

The clock next to him read that it was only 6:33AM, leading Nova to groan and fall back against his bed, letting his back contact the sweaty sheets underneath, only startling him even further into alertness.

Great… yet another one, and it seems like it’s going to be one of those days.

He lay there for several seconds, not really knowing what to do. Should he get moving? Or should he just lay there and hope he finished out his sleep regardless?

After a few minutes of doing so, he discovered that the answer to the latter question was definitely “Nope.” The sweaty sheets made it impossible, their cold keeping him alert. A hot shower was probably in order. He felt completely filthy. His fur was matted with sweat from the night’s tossing and turning, his mane and tail were disheveled and also grimy from the evening’s exertions, and his muscles felt more sore than they should have for such a relaxing inaction as sleeping.

Resigning himself to another long day, he slid out of bed and trotted down the hall to the bathroom. Sunrise didn’t usually happen until 7:30, meaning he had a whole near-hour of darkness to work with. As he reached out a hoof to open the door to the bathroom, it swung inward on its own, revealing Twilight Sparkle.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, surprised to see each other up and about this early. Nova looked Twilight over during that time. Her coat was glistening with water droplets and her mane was freshly styled, so it was obvious she had just gotten out of the shower herself. But her eyes looked even worse than they had the day before. More sleep-deprived, so much more bloodshot, and her gaze even looked a bit half-lidded.

“Wow, you look as bad as I feel,” Nova said, before clapping a hoof to his mouth as he realized what he had just said.

Twilight just gave an exhausted smile. “It’s fine, I know what you mean.”

They continued standing there in silence for a moment, before Nova tested the waters.

“You were having a nightmare…”

“...about a ruined building in the Everfree Forest, yes,” she said, nodding.

“With a glass vial, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she answered, nodding.

“It glowed, and then it flashed red--”

“--and we both woke up,” she finished, nodding.

“How cute,” came a voice from somewhere to Nova’s left, which revealed itself to be Night Light when they both turned to see who it was. “You both can finish each other’s sentences. Truly you’re made for each other. Now, is one of you going to use the shower? Or are you just going to stand here and block the hall all day?”

Nova rolled his eyes and trotted past Twilight into the bathroom, whereas Twilight tried to slip past her dad, who was grinning in that annoying, knowing way that only dads can.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The sound of loud knocking echoed through the halls of Novus Manor. Ray had been just about to go out into the gardens for some afternoon work, which put him in just the right place to answer the door. He checked through the peephole in the door and was surprised to see none other than the Canterlot Castle Director of Staff himself, Night Light Sparkle.

“Night,” he exclaimed as he opened the door to greet the stallion. “What can I do for--”

But he was cut off. Night Light had stormed in, shoved Ray back a few paces, before using a hoof to push him back even further, pinning him to one of the walls.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ray asked, horn brimming with magic, but Night simply placed a hoof on the tip of his horn and forestalled a response.

“Your bounty hunter,” he growled, snarling at Ray, “accosted my daughter yesterday.”

Ray sighed. Sharp Eye had mentioned that Nova and Twilight had been travelling to the castle together. What had Sharp Eye done?

“If you’ll let me down,” Ray said, gently pushing back against Night, but Night was having none of it.

“You’d better give me a good reason why he--”

“He didn’t have one,” replied Ray, rolling his eyes. “And it wasn’t your daughter he accosted, it was my son. Your daughter just happened to be with him at the time.”

Night just stood there, glaring at Ray while Ray pushed with just a little more force. Finally, Night let him down.

“Explain,” he said.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work up at the castle?” Ray asked.

“Lunch break, now explain!”

“Alright, alright, come with me,” he said, trotting out of the hallway he had been shoved into and in toward the living room. Night followed, still looking quite a bit sour.

In the living room, Night took a pouf. Ray trotted over and took one of the sofas, before sighing heavily and launching into his account.

“I spoke to Sharp Eye last night about it when he came to let us know what had happened,” he explained. “He told me he had confronted my son, who was traveling in disguise as a Royal Guard that was supposed to be part of your daughter’s escort to the castle.”

“If he was in disguise, how did he know?” Night asked, eyes narrowing.

“As best I can tell, he flew up above the scene and saw it, so he followed them until he thought he had a good opportunity to confront Nova. Nova fled the scene, Sharp Eye followed, but Aegis, the actual guard on the scene, knocked him unconscious, allowing them to escape.”

“And now he’s searching again,” Night finished, it coming out as a growl. “If he so much as talks to my daughter without her permission, Ray…”

“He’s already found him again, Night,” Ray groaned. “And all he’s doing now is just keeping an eye on Nova. Tailing him from a distance, making sure he doesn’t go and do anything stupid.”

“How could he have already found him again? You said he was knocked unconscious--”

“Because there’s only one train out of Canterlot today,” Ray said, giving Night a serious look. “And they still haven’t reopened the path down the mountain. It’s been five months since Trixie Lulamoon took that little spill in her wagon, and they still haven’t determined what caused it, and you know they’re not going to reopen it until they find out what it is.”

“Oh Ray, don’t tell me,” said Night, groaning and covering his face with a hoof. “You had something to do with the trains being stopped for the evening yesterday, didn’t you. And you were the one responsible for possessing the pony in the Castle Grounds weren’t you. Weren’t you!?”

“I did, yes!” said Ray, nodding frantically as Night scowled at him. “I had to see my son, Night! And as for the trains, it was simply a little bit of a bribe to pay for some rescheduling. Nothing harmful to anypony,” he said, trying to justify himself.

“I don’t think I need to tell you what happened the last time one of us bribed somepony for something we thought was harmless,” Night retorted scathingly. “You, me, and Tantalus used to be the best of friends, Ray! And then ever since the incident at the school, we’re all drawn into stupid little confrontations like this.”

Ray had no answer. All he could do was sit there and think about it. Night was right. Last time someone had bribed someone else over something supposedly harmless, it had led to the mess they all were still trying to clean up.

And it had led to his estrangement from his son.

Ray sighed and let his head drooped as the realization hit him.

“I’m sorry, Ray,” Night said, getting to his hooves. “I do wish you and him would patch things up. But I don’t think this is going to help.”

Ray paused, suddenly struck by a bit of a realization.

"How did you know it was my bounty hunter?" asked Ray. Obviously, the incident in the market had caused enough of a stir for everyone to hear about it, but that didn't explain how Night had known Sharp Eye had been in Ray's employ.

"As I said earlier, Nova was traveling with Twilight to Canterlot Castle. And in the wake of the hunter's encounter and the guard at the castle, Nova needed a place to stay. Twilight brought him home with her, and we let him spend the night."

Ray sighed, but Night continued.

"And we will continue to offer him our roof and Shining Armor's bed in the future. And Ray, we will not be telling you when he is staying with us, is that understood?"

"Completely," said Ray, smiling wanly. "I completely understand, old friend. If I knew he was staying at your home, I know my wife would probably try to beat down the door just to see him."

He sighed.

"For what it's worth, Night, I am sorry about Sharp Eye accosting Twilight. I'll send him a letter telling him not to go anywhere near the filly, if that will satisfy you?"

"It should," said Night hesitantly, "but it had better be a more thoroughly-worded order than that."

"It will be. You have my word."

"Very well."

Night started trotting out, but paused at the entrance to the living room.

“My promise still stands, though. If your bounty hunter so much as talks to Twilight without her permission, there will be hell to pay.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving Ray to think on his words.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

They were sitting in the same compartment in the same train car as they had been only the day before. Unlike before, however, the Friendship Express was taking a much longer route to get to Neighton and Ponyville, circling around north through Manehattan and Fillydelphia, west to Seaddle, down through Trottingham, and finally back through Neighton and Ponyville before finishing back in Canterlot close to midnight. They would be arriving in their towns close to eight and nine o’clock respectively.

As such, as soon as they had gotten into the train cars, the two of them had decided to simulcast sleep spells on each other to regain their lost sleep, in a remarkable display of cooperation between two acquaintances.

A few hours later, somewhere between Fillydelphia and Seaddle, they both woke up around the same time. It took them a few minutes to really return to alertness, but once they did, they were in much better shape because of it.

As such, after Nova had woken up, the two of them were in markedly better moods than they both had been when they had stepped onto the train, and for once, Nova didn’t hate the concept of chatting with somepony he didn’t know very well.

“So, last night,” Twilight said, as they finished up a conversation about the time Twilight’d had a mental breakdown regarding a possibly-late friendship report, “you said that your little conversation with me was a, quote, ‘litmus test.’ Care to elaborate?”

“Ah,” said Nova, smiling. “Yes, I asked you if you’d be charging rent money if I were to stay at the library for an extended length of time. Well, perhaps I should start at the beginning.”

“The beginning?” asked Twilight.

“Yes. The nightmares we’ve been having.”

At the mention of the sleep-depriving dreams they’d been having, Twilight took the opportunity to make a show of taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

“What about them?”

“What if I were to propose that we would work together to find the source of these nightmares and put an end to them?” Nova asked, a serious look appearing on his face.

“I would say that it is a good idea, but that I wouldn’t know a way to work together while we’re both too busy learning from our teachers,” Twilight answered.

At this, Nova smiled again.

“Aren’t you studying on your own?” he asked. “If I recall, you are actually working a full-time job and studying in your off-time.”

“Well, I… yes, that is true,” Twilight admitted. “Though I learn about the magic of friendship every time I interact with my friends. What about you? Don’t you have a job?”

“Nope,” Nova shook his head. “Magical mercenary, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“That means I could simply do magic-oriented jobs around town and make enough money to pay whatever rent you’d impose, as well as help chip in for any food I eat. And in my off-time, I could spend more time searching for a way to end these nightmares of ours.”

“Just out of curiosity, why would you need to live in my library?” Twilight asked. “Why not in your house, or someplace else? Or even a different city entirely, if you’re looking to get away from Neighton?”

“It’s simple, really,” Nova answered matter-of-factly. “My home in Neighton has a fairly decent stuy, to be sure, but compared to a normal library, it’s inferior. The Neighton Public Library is smaller than my study, if you can believe it. And if that were the case, I’d have to walk three hours there and three hours back every day just to do anything in Ponyville. That’s a quarter of the full day, and that leaves it out of the question.

“Second, other cities may come with better libraries and better resources, yes, but Ponyville would put me in closer proximity to you.”

He failed to notice Twilight’s slight blush at those words, so caught up in his explanation, and continued.

“You’re a fellow student, you run a library, and you’re also suffering from these nightmares, meaning that Ponyville would make it more convenient for us to work to stop them.”

“Um, okay,” said Twilight. They were good points, but one question remained unanswered. “But why stay with me?”

“Because frankly, I’d imagine you’d be more willing to allow a friend to stay at your home for an extended period of time, provided of course that said friend pays his dues, than you would be allowing him or her to spend even more money on a room at the inn every night.”

“So, long story short, you’re counting on me being a nice and generous pony,” she said.

“That’s the gist of it, yes,” affirmed Nova. “Well? Do my arguments move you to acquiesce to my requests?”

“Acquiescing would imply that I agreed reluctantly,” Twilight said. “And, yes, your arguments have moved me to accept your request. But,” the held up a hoof, “we would need to discuss payment and ground rules. I do live in the library, and I’ll not have you treating it like a sty.”

“Implying I ever would think of ruining books,” remarked Nova. “But yes, I agree, and you have my word that I’ll live by your rules while I’m there, whatever they are.”

Suddenly, Nova paused, his eyes losing focus, and he turned to stare at the wall behind him, more towards the front of the train. There was a familiar collection of energy on the other side of the wall separating the train compartments.

“Something the matter?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, actually,” said Nova, brow furrowing. “I just happened to notice that our bounty hunter from yesterday is sitting in the compartment next to us, and he’s listening in on our every word.”

Twilight’s horn brimmed and Nova felt the nexus of energy on the other side of the wall shift in surprise, but Nova held out a hoof to calm Twilight.

“No, no, if he wanted to take me, he’d have done so much earlier,” he said, his voice raising somewhat. “Which means he’s obviously out to tail me. And I don’t mind that, but so help me, if I even hear so much as a rumor of him coming to take me, or if I find that he’s been asking some funny questions of you, I’m going to make sure he gets returned to Canterlot on an express pegasi ambulance.”

Nova continued to pay very close attention to the nexus of energy that was the bounty hunting pegasus on the other side.

“Have I made my point? Tap three times on the wall for yes.”

For a fleeting moment, the room remained silent, but then there came three sharp taps on the wall the pegasus was on the other side of.

“Good enough for me,” said Nova. His horn shone, and the room was bathed in a blue glow. The walls shone the brightest, before fading back to their original color within a few seconds.

“A soundproofing spell?” Twilight asked. “And how did you know he was there?”

“My energy sensing,” Nova answered. “And this way he won’t be listening in on us until we arrive home. But still,” he propped himself with his legs on the little fold-out table stuck in the wall, and holding a bottle of pony-cola in his forehoof, “that escalated quickly.”

“It did, didn’t it. But speaking of keeping an eye on ponies, what about the Princesses?”

“What about them?” asked Nova, cocking an eyebrow.

“Should we tell them what we’re looking into?”

“Has Princess Celestia been any sort of helpful to you when you’ve asked?” Nova asked. “Because Luna has been most unhelpful to me. Everything I know of this, I’ve had to figure out myself. So I think that, while we shouldn’t outright lie to them, that doesn’t necessarily mean we should take the initiative in telling them what we’re doing.”

“I… don’t think I can do that,” Twilight admitted. “I would never go against Princess Celestia.”

“How about this? You simply lodge me, I do all the actual doing. That way, you’re in no way at fault. That sound reasonable?”

“Do you even have a plan?” asked Twilight. “This all sounds nice, but do you even have any idea where you’re going with this?”

“As a matter of fact, yes and no,” answered Nova. “While it is true that we don’t know who could be casting these dreams onto us, we can still try to find what that ruin in the Everfree Forest is and look into it. Perhaps that will give us some insight.”

For a moment, the two of them kept quiet, letting the only sound be the train’s wheels on the tracks as the plains of central Equestria zoomed by them.

“Well, since you don’t seem to have any more objections, and you haven’t backed out of your agreement,” Nova said, holding out a hoof, “I look forward to working with you, Miss Sparkle.”

“And you as well, Nova.”

And with that, they went back to chatting about inconsequential nothings as the train continued on its way to Ponyville.

Author's Note

Chapter 03 V2.1

I like how this one went better. I added the scene with Ray and Night, specifically to build their characters a little more.

Anyway, lemme know how I did!

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Love and Hate

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 04 - Love and Hate

“BOO!”

“”Get off the stage!”

“YOU SUCK!”

A bottle whizzed over Trixie’s head only just missing it. It probably would have broken her muzzle, if she hadn’t ducked under it just in the nick of time, but that didn't stop the warm liquid from spilling out and soiling her freshly-cleaned hat and cape. Despite the different bits of debris being thrown at her, she had to take a moment to paw at her eyes. For almost three days now, they had been burning from a lack of sleep constantly.

She couldn’t even do her sleight-of-hoof card tricks, some of the most basic tricks in her arsenal that she had to have done over a million times.

Trixie grit her teeth under her cap, trying desperately to not give into her anger. Her temper was on a short fuse normally, and it had gotten even shorter without proper sleep.

SPLAT!

Trixie sputtered as the juice and pieces of a tomato dripped from her face. It had been hurled with magic at such a velocity that she didn’t even have enough time to duck.

Keep it in control, keep it in control--

J̣̲̤ṳ͓̹̝̤̹s̪̳͇̥͔͙̠͠t͇̝͖̠ ͖̤̟̞͎̀g̖̬̺̮̗̦͘e͡t̷͙̲͖̹ ̟i̡̩͙̖͚̭t̬̯͍͚͚̬ ͉̲͚̖̠̘͓͝o̢u͉̩̫t̪͍͡ ͇͖͈̣̻̟̖o̤̗̲͕̣̪f͍̥̳̦̥̬͎̕ ͏͇̮̤ͅy͢o̠͍u̶͎̲r̯ ͚̮͕s̖̙̙̠̭̱̙y̦̬͡s̴̼̫̥͍̻͍t̘̙e̷͇̜̣͖m͝.̨̦͈ ̞͞ ͈͙͉Y̢͓͓̟͍̩o̤̦̘̩̫̪͎ú͚͈͔̜̬ ̴k̥̮͚̯̗͚̘ń̲̥̝͕̹̣͔ow̘͉̭̤̫̖̩͢ ̕i̜̰̗̭̦̻͕t̳͔̠̗̬͕̠’̥̬͞s͏͕̦̠ g̺̘̫̖̞̬o҉͇̯̼͉̣̪̖iͅn̕g̡̜͔ ̡̜t̝̩͘ͅo͉̻͎̬̞ ͕̻̭̲̞h̸͓̖ap͟p̨̪͔͍̞e̯͕̜̤̭n҉̯̺̬͈.̺͎̠̖̭̼

Keep it in control-- oh, buck it.

There was a loud bang, and everything around Trixie went white. She could hear wood breaking and glass shattering, but she didn’t care. It almost felt good, letting loose like this, just this once.

F̵̲̟e̮ḻ̥͚̝ͅͅţ̻̞ ͕g̳̭̲͍͖̻o̳̟o̥̝̤ͅd,̺̲͠ ̼͍̩͍̲̹ͅd̗̹i̩d̜͙̬͍͎̦n̹̬͢’t̷̠̩̳̯̙ ̠i̡t̩̦͍͖̞?

Trixie had to agree with the half of her brain that had suggested that. It almost felt cathartic, looking around the room and seeing the wreckage. Tables and chairs were wrecked, mugs and bottles lay shattered around the room, and several ponies were unconscious. Those that weren’t were afraid to look at her. Which gave her the perfect opportunity to make her grand exit.

Her mind, already operating on dregs of sleep, only thought of one place to go, which was in its most basic form, not here. With a flash of soft pink light, she teleported, appearing just outside the tavern she had been performing in, right in an alley behind it.

Having never teleported with her own magic before, her stomach wasn’t ready to handle the sudden shift, and she retched, emptying it against the wall.

Keep it in control, keep it in control--

N̥̪͓̬̞o̤̘̟̫̻͝,̵ ͕̙̜̩̯͚̠́l̲e̥̯t͕̞͍̥͈̥ ͝i̯t ̨̲̦̦̠͙͕͉o͈̙̲u͏̝̹͈̭̲̫t̨.̛̱͓͔ ̤͇̮̜̣͘ͅͅ ̧̳̝̙͚̥Y͈̪̻̞͇͉̗o̻̮͈̖͇̜ͅų̮̜̗͔͙̗ ͠n̫̮͉e̬͘e҉͉̪d ̴̖i̯̠͖̙ț̰̞͉͈͍̺.̭̤͟

So she did. Trixie slumped against the wall of the building and just let it out, breaking down and sobbing almost hysterically.

WHAT DID TRIXIE DO TO DESERVE THIS!? she screamed mentally. WHEN WILL WHATEVER COSMIC FORCE THAT’S IN CONTROL OF THIS DECIDE THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!?

She sat there sobbing against the wall for several minutes. She didn’t know how long, nor did she care. After she got tired of that, she stood back up, steadied herself for a moment, and just ran. She didn’t know where she was going. For the moment, the safest option seemed to be to just get out of Trottenham and go from there. Even if she had to run all the way back to the Everfree Forest and camp out in one of the few safe places within its boundaries, she would do it.

Hell, she would even settle for working on that rock farm again, just to save up enough bits to cover a new wagon.

D̸̺̮̞o̸̯̻̭̣̺̞n̼’̣t͔̤͡ ̥͈̰̫̖͡y͍̘̲͔͜ọ͓̻̮͚̘u̦ ͖̙̯̭͈͇̦t͈h̬͍̜̲̱͚͢in̺͎͔̠͇k̰̼̲̟̠̕ ̵̬ͅT̷̬͖̠͖̖w͇̘̬̝̳͇i̴͇̳͈͕̗͉̖l̮͎̘͍͖̘̘i̬̝͚͞g̠̖̩̙̥̯h̶̺̜t͏̠͈̖͇̼̻ ̤̞̱̲̞̭S͎̲p̺̤̙a̻͚̯̯͓͠r̮̰k̭̣̙̘̠̫l̻̻e̷ ͠c͚͎̙͍ou҉̣̜̬̩̬l͟d͕̩̱̯̼̜̯ ̠͙͈̘h͉̜̩̙̖̕el͜p̨̩̭͓̝͔?̬̹̙́

Even as she ducked past a couple of street-going earth ponies, she agreed with the rational half of her brain. If anypony could help her out of this predicament, since it would seem Princess Luna was content to just let her suffer, it was her old nemesis.

After all, they had parted on amicable terms, given their last two encounters. Perhaps she would be willing to help.

Guess that settles it. Looks like I’m heading back to Ponyville. Again.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

For the first time in recent memory, Nova slept like a rock. He slept so well, it was almost a shame to crawl out of his bed that morning, aside from the fact that he had things to do, bits to make, and nightmares to prevent from happening again. So crawl out of his bed he did, stumbling onto the floor of the Golden Oaks basement and climbing up the steps.

Once he made it to the top and opened the door, he wasn’t quite prepared for how late he’d slept. Sunlight almost blasted its way into his eyes, making him cry out, stumble backwards, and fall all the way back down all the steps.

“Nova?” called Twilight’s voice from somewhere above him.

“I’m okay…” Nova groaned from the heap he found himself in back at the bottom.

“You don’t sound okay,” Twilight observed, looking down at him from the doorway, before taking a bite out of her morning sandwich.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, see?” Nova said, getting to his hooves, rubbing his eyes, and trotting back up the steps. “All good.”

“You and me both,” Twilight replied, smiling warmly at him. It was only then that Nova noticed her eyes weren’t puffy or bloodshot. On the contrary, this was the first time in a while that she looked normal.

“You look radiant this morning,” he said, moving past her toward where a plate had been set out for him by Spike, who was already eating his own breakfast. At Nova’s words, he rolled his eyes and made a fake gagging expression that Nova chose to ignore. It was only a small, polite compliment and nothing more, though these small compliments always seemed to heat up Twilight’s cheeks.

“Thank-you,” she said, trotting behind him to her spot at the table. “I don’t think it’s enough to balance my sleep schedule out again, but it’s a start.”

She sat down on her pouf and continued eating her sandwich, even as Nova inspected the toast, cheese, and various other things.

“Special occasion today?” he asked, noticing a much bigger variety than usual.

“No. Just felt like a little treat, given the lack of nightmares,” answered Twilight, finishing her sandwich.

“I see,” said Nova, grabbing a slice of toast and using his magic to start buttering it.

“What all are you doing today?” she asked.

“Well,” Nova recalled the couple of things he was going to be doing today, “first I’ll be working with Ms. Cheerilee and Ms. Rarity. Sweetie Belle’s just that close to being able to control her magic, and they thought I’d be a good teacher to help make it happen. Then after that, Lyra Heartstrings apparently got her hooves on some sort of spell she wants me to cast.”

“That… doesn’t sound good,” Twilight commented. “Be careful, won’t you? She is one of the… err… ponies less-grounded-in-reality that live here.”

“I think I’ll be fine. After all, I currently live with one of those,” Nova replied idly, somehow managing to keep a straight face. “Seem to remember hearing about a time you panicked at the thought of not having a friendship report for the week.”

Spike snickered, and Twilight blushed from the memory.

“But after that,” he continued, “you wanted me to pick up that book on alchemical magical theory from my house, which I’ll have to do once my first two tasks are done. Am I still good on rent, by the way?”

“You’ve got a week to pay for next month,” answered Twilight, though truth be told, she was thinking of doing away with it entirely, given that he practically worked it off in the library, reading and shelving in his offtime.

“Should have it all by tonight,” he assured her.

“How are you doing with your research into the nightmares?” she asked, causing Nova to pull his face into an ugly grimace.

“Not well,” he answered through gritted teeth. “The books on archaeology mention only three ruined buildings in the forest that they mention, those being the Old Castle and this little watchtower to the north over by Trottingham that they’re not sure what it was for. There’s this other building that was apparently a bank of some kind, so it doesn’t sound like our place.”

He sighed and started to massage the skin around his horn.

“Maybe it’s a lot deeper into the forest? There are quite a few places that the archaeologists don’t seem to want to go.”

He massaged all the harder.

“I’m obviously missing something,” he said, voice growing quieter so he could talk to himself. “But… what? Is it in plain sight, or is it hidden?”

“You know, you could always ask the Princesses, or even pay a visit to some of the doctors at the Canterlot Museum of History--”

“No,” Nova answered flatly. “To both suggestions.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the response. It had been expected, but still, she thought she might get him to open up to the idea the more she asked. But then again, Nova had always been fairly blunt and stubborn. During the mandatory “Welcome to Ponyville Party,” he had insisted on advertising his Magical Mercenary business, despite Twilight cautioning him that it probably wasn’t a good idea to do so at a Pinkie Pie party. Major faux-pas to advertise business at a social gathering, after all.

Nova did it anyway, and Twilight was left to eat her words. Pinkie didn’t have a problem with it, and Nova did receive his fair share of customers as a result. In hindsight, when your job is magical handypony work, business depends on getting the word out, and considering everyone goes to a Pinkie Pie party...

“Though, speaking of the Princesses,” she continued, shaking off that memory as she was struck by a thought, “has Princess Luna assigned you anything while you’ve been here?”

“Nope,” said Nova, shaking his head as he finished the buttering he had interrupted. “She knows I’m here, though. Doesn’t seem to mind, really. She’s told me I can ask her for help if I need to, but given that I asked her for help with the nightmares and she hasn’t done anything, I think I’ll pass.”

“But if the nightmares really are magically induced, she can’t do anything about them to begin with,” pointed out Twilight.

“It wasn’t that she couldn’t help,” Nova responded, “it was that she came off as though she didn’t want to.”

He finished his slices of toast, dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, and got up.

“Well, I think I’m going to get an early start to the day. See you in a few of hours, then?”

“Have a good day,” Twilight said, picking up both of their plates and bringing them to the sink.

Nova opened the door to the library and was shocked to find a bedraggled pony sitting on the doormat. And not just any pony. This pony had a pale blue mane, even paler blue hair, purple eyes that were puffy and bloodshot, a cutie mark of a wand and a ribbon, and a purple star-spangled cape and wizard hat.

“Trixie?” he gasped.

Trixie blinked at the sight of him.

“Nova Shine?” she asked, surprised.

“Trixie?” came Twilight’s own surprised voice.

“Twilight!” Trixie exclaimed, looking past him.

“Twilight?” Nova repeated to himself.

“SPIKE!” shouted the drake from his spot at the table, looking quite irritated.

“What are you doing here?” Nova asked Trixie, scowling.

“Trixie could ask you the same question, Novus,” replied Trixie coolly.

“I live here, Lulamoon,” Nova responded just as coolly. “What about you? Pretty sure you don’t.”

“You live here?” Trixie repeated skeptically, an eyebrow arching. “Strange, Trixie thought she lived here,” she jabbed a hoof in Twilight Sparkle’s direction.

“She does. I pay rent,” Nova retorted. “What about you? You look homeless.”

“Trixie, is there something I can help you with?” Twilight asked, moving next to Nova and elbowing him out of the way.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said, before rubbing her eyes. “Trixie hates to admit it but she… needs your help.”

Now it was Nova’s turn to blink stupidly. He could hardly believe his ears.

“Wait wait wait,” he said, gently pushing himself next to Twilight. “You’re actually admitting you need help?”

“Yes, you insufferable plebian, Trixie needs Twilight Sparkle’s help,” she snapped. Now, however, Nova definitely noticed something off about Trixie’s demeanor. She seemed almost defeated. The Trixie he had known would never have shown it, which meant that something big had happened to her.

“Hang on,” Nova said, scrutinizing Trixie’s face. “I know that look.”

He backed up, as did Twilight, allowing Trixie entry into the Golden Oaks.

“You’d better come inside, Trixie,” Nova said, as Trixie’s gaze shifted between the two of them. “I’ve got a few questions I need to ask you.”

“Very well, Trixie will grace this library with her presence,” she said, hoisting her nose into the air and trotting in. “What sort of questions?”

“Simple ones even you can answer,” Nova replied curtly, earning him a swat from Twilight’s tail. “What’s causing you to lose all this sleep?”

“Trixie never said she was losing sleep,” Trixie answered.

“Oh please,” Nova scoffed. “Twilight here’s been having a sleeping problem herself, lately.”

“What, are you a sleep doctor now?” Trixie asked, a smirk etching itself onto her face.

“No, but let’s just say I’ve got some expertise in the area and leave it at that,” Nova answered. “Twilight has been having some serious nightmare problems that we’ve been trying to solve.”

“Well then, you will probably have to help Trixie,” she replied, “And Trixie assures you, she is none too pleased with this arrangement.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Nova concurred.

“What’s up with you two?” asked Spike from the table, who had somehow managed to grab a bag of popcorn the moment he had heard Trixie at the door. “Trixie didn’t act this way when she was around Twilight.”

“I think it should be obvious,” said Nova. “We have history.”

“No shit,” said Spike, only to be smacked with a book by Twilight.

“Spike, you watch your language!” scolded Twilight. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again!”

“But Nova says it all the time!” whined Spike, rubbing the spot on his cheek that had been hit. “How come he gets to!?”

“Nova is a grown stallion, though I wish he’d watch what he said around young and impressionable drakes,” Twilight added through grit teeth, glaring at Nova.

Nova and Trixie, however, appeared not to have seen nor heard what had happened. Trixie was also glaring at Nova, but Nova was studying Trixie’s physical symptoms closely, a forced dispassionate expression on his face.

“Hmm....” Nova said as he continued to look Trixie over. “Yes, you do seem to show a lot of the same symptoms as Twilight does when she’s dangerously low on sleep. We’ll have to talk about what the nightmares are about later, because right now, I have work to do. Be seeing you both.”

With that, he stride past Trixie and out the door, leaving Twilight, Trixie, and Spike on their own.

Spike’s look brightened as he realized the real show was about to start, and he even put on some red and blue 3D glasses he got from probably Pinkie Pie.

“So...” started Trixie conversationally, “how do you know Novus?”

“I’m Princess Celestia’s student,” Twilight said.

“Trixie knows that, but how do you know him?” Trixie repeated, a little flicker of irritation creeping into her voice.

“Well, isn’t it obvious?” Twilight asked, arching an eyebrow. “If I’m Princess Celestia’s student, and he’s Luna’s apprentice, then it would make sense that we’d know each other and work together.”

“He’s what now?” Trixie asked.

“Wait,” Twilight said, confused. “You… do know Nova’s the Night Apprentice, right?”

“The hell is a Night Apprentice?”

Twilight could only bury her face in her hooves after Trixie said that. Right after she had gotten done chewing Spike out for it, Trixie gave him another one!

“He’s Princess Luna’s personal student,” she explained, choosing to just let it go for now. “Like how I’m Princess Celestia’s, he’s Princess Luna’s.”

“Oh,” said Trixie, before giving a small smile. “Well, it’s about time something good happened to him.”

“I… what?”

After the argument between them, this was the last thing Twilight had expected to hear from Trixie.

“But… hang on,” she said, brow furrowing. “You two just… what was that argument, then, if you seemed to actually be positive about him getting something that you didn’t?”

Trixie snickered.

“Oh Twilight Sparkle,” she said in a patronizing sing-song sort of voice, “just because we argued like that doesn’t mean we hate each other. Trixie and Nova go wayyyy back.”

“I could tell,” Twilight said, in deadpan irritation.

“Trixie and Nova were rivals in primary school,” Trixie continued, as if she couldn’t hear. “Excepting you, Trixie does not think she ever had a more worthy rival. It was… mostly friendly.”

“Mostly?”

“Before a certain incident,” Trixie explained, suddenly getting a bit more serious. “Has Nova told you anything about it?”

“About what?” Twilight asked, feeling a bit lost.

“Obviously not,” Trixie said, shaking her head. “If he has not told you, even Trixie doesn’t feel like it’s her place to say. But let’s just say, Trixie unfairly benefitted from something Nova deserved. It was not Trixie’s intention to do so, but the damage was done. Trixie is not surprised he reacted so.”

“Actually, that makes sense,” Twilight said, thinking back to what she had learned from eavesdropping on him and her father. How Nova seemed to completely, utterly despise this “him,” and how after several attempts to get him to tell her who “him” was, he finally said it was his father.

“The poor colt’s had a hard life, and this is coming from me, the mare who had to spend a whole year on a rock farm!”

“You have my pity,” said Twilight. “Hang on, am I to take it that you actually… care about him a bit?”

“Trixie is the most caring pony you know, so it should come as no surprise to find out that Trixie does,” Trixie said, her muzzle rising into the air.

“That… I’m…” Twilight was at a loss for words. On one hoof, she very much wanted to tease Trixie about it, but she was sincerely touched at her rare display.

“A better question for you, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said, choosing to not let her finish, “is ‘How good was he?’”

Twilight blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Oh come on!” Trixie exclaimed, smirking at her. “You seem to be in better than usual mood this morning, Trixie saw the looks you were giving him… need Trixie go on?”

Twilight suddenly caught on to what she was implying, and her face immediately started to heat up. Spike, however, looked between Trixie and Twilight, expecting an explanation.

“How good was Nova at what?” he asked.

“S-Spike, go do your chores,” Twilight said, wanting to just pull a book over her face and hide.

“Aww man,” said Spike, rolling his eyes, hopping down off his chair and walking off to grab the chore checklist.. “Right when the conversation was getting interesting.”

As soon as he was gone, Twilight covered her face with a hoof. “We didn’t do that last night, Trixie,” she mumbled pathetically.

“Heh, you should see the look on your face,” Trixie chortled. “Priceless! But seriously, how strong is he in magic?”

“Strong,” Twilight said, waiting on the burning feeling in her cheeks to go away. “He’s a lot better than he thinks he is.”

“Trixie doesn’t understand. Care to elaborate?”

“He’s spent a lot of time learning with Princess Luna,” Twilight explained, removing her hoof. “He is very proficient, but in his own words, he’s a lot better with theory than with the actual act.”

Trixie began to snicker.

“What!?” demanded Twilight indignantly. “What’s so funny?”

“So you’re saying he knows what to do, but he has no idea how to do it? Wow. I’m surprised he lasted the whole night.”

“What are you talking abou-- Trixie!”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

While Trixie tormented Twilight in the library, Nova wasn’t having a much better time. His attempts to teach Sweetie Belle ended in near-disaster, and Lyra Heartstrings’ supposed anthropomorphization spell nearly caused one.

Sweetie Belle’s magical lessons had started off incredibly well. Nova’d managed to get her picking things up in her telekinesis within minutes of beginning the lessons. Sweetie began to start picking up other objects around the room as soon as she had gotten Nova’s little rock floating around. However, to Rarity’s dismay, Sweetie began picking up several of her more fragile things. This all led to a terrible ending, as the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders burst into the shop, causing Sweetie to drop an expensive vase. Nova wasn’t quick enough to catch it, and it shattered upon hitting the ground.

The CMC were out of there only a few seconds after they arrived, leaving Nova all alone to be yelled at by Rarity about how he should have been discouraging her from levitating fragile things, and so on.

By the end of the lecture, Nova was glad to be out of Carousel Boutique, but then Lyra attempted to make him cast a spell that was supposed to “anthropomorphize” her.

“Miss Heartstrings,” Nova said cautiously as he looked over the spell, “this spell does not look like a working spell.”

“Oh poppycock,” the mint-green mare said, rolling her eyes. “I bought it from a store I trust in Canterlot! Why would they sell me faulty merchandise?”

“You would be surprised,” Nova replied, “but it’s still a very faulty spell. None of this even looks anything like transformative magic.”

“Just cast the damn spell!”

And against Nova’s better judgement, he did. It took him two hours to piece Lyra’s house back together with his magic.

All the while, she kept thinking of newer and newer reasons that it had to be caster error while he diligently refrained from throwing her into the sky like he did the bounty hunting pegasus.

All in all, it hadn’t been a good morning for Nova. He had, however, received all of his promised bits. It had taken all of his charm to wrangle them out of Rarity, and with that in mind, he had asked for the bits up front from Lyra. She had refused at first, but she did pay him in the end, and even after the failure of a spell she didn’t ask for them back, considering he was piecing her house together free of charge.

With his two jobs done and his money earned, Nova set to plodding his way up the road to Neighton, wishing plagues a both their houses. It wasn’t a particularly nice thing to be thinking about, but Nova’s mind had long since taken the form of a purplish-blue-cloaked skeletal pony and it was saying in a curiously high-pitched voice, “I am not nice.”

The path to Neighton cut a little into the fringes of the Everfree Forest, and so trees were everywhere as the path wound its way around the magical woods. None of them were quite as overgrown as the ones further into the forest were, making the trail appear much more welcoming. It also provided some interesting scenery to look at when hiking.

Nova was about five minutes outside of Ponyville’s city limits when he rounded a corner. Directly ahead of him was another bend passing between a few trees, but just on the side of the path was a particularly unexpected sight.

Trixie Lulamoon was sitting up on one of its higher branches, snoozing peacefully. As Nova grew closer, he detected a couple of binding spells holding her to the branch.

Chuckling at the sight, he walked under the tree and used a magical probe to poke her in the side.

“Wuzzappening?” she blearily said from up above, before shaking her head vigorously, causing her hat to fall down to the ground below, where Nova caught it.

“Oh, it’s you,” Trixie said from up above him.

“It’s me,” parrotted Nova, before smirking and putting the hat on himself. “Hmm… I think I’d look good in a wizard’s hat.”

“Give me that,” she snapped, snatching it off of his head with magic. Nova watched as she descended the tree, and had to admit, he was fairly impressed with the way she leapt down from branch to branch. It looked like a practiced art.

“Impressive,” he commented as she landed on the ground. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“As Trixie spent more and more time alone on her own, she had to learn how to climb to high, hard-to-reach places so as to save her mana for her shows,” Trixie explained, moving to catch up to Nova as he continued his trot to Neighton. “Over time, Trixie just got good at it.”

“I see,” Nova said. “Any particular reason why you were up there?”

“Twilight kicked Trixie out of the library,” Trixie said tersely. “Seemed to think Trixie’s teasing was going too far. Trixie was only making light jokes at her expense. Anyway, Trixie came to that tree because Trixie has been waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me?” asked Nova, cocking an eyebrow at her.

“Yes,” Trixie affirmed. “Trixie… I have been wanting to talk to you.”

Nova almost did a double-take. “Dropping the third-pony, are we?”

“It’s just a stage act,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes. “Granted, it’s a stage act I do a lot even outside of performances and can regularly switch on and off, but it’s still just an act for the stage. You don’t really think I’m that egotistical do you?”

“Uhh… do you want the honest answer, or the ‘make-you-feel-good’ answer?”

That earned him a shove.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” she observed dryly. “Well, you do seem to have gotten a bit colder, but you’re still just as sarcastic as those days in magic primary.”

“Before you and your father ruined my life, you mean?” spat Nova, a harsh edge creeping in. “Yeah, I haven’t changed a bit.”

“That’s… exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.”

Aaaaaand the mental skeleton pony was back. This time, it seemed like he had stuck Nova under the metaphorical thunderhead. Nova grit his teeth, tendons in his neck bulged, and he sucked in a breath through his nose slowly.

“What’s there to talk about?” he asked in a low voice. “You got your dad to bribe one of the officials to get you in instead of me. End of story.”

“I had nothing to do with it!” Trixie retorted indignantly. “I benefitted, but I said nothing to my father. He did it on his own. And I don’t think he even intended to replace you or anything.”

“Right,” replied Nova scathingly. “That explains the whole history of the feud between our clans, eh? Novuses and Lulamoons and their eternal rivalry, forever trying to see who’s the better name in magic? Not to mention your constant desire to do better than me in school?”

Trixie opened her mouth to retort, but after a moment, she simply closed it.

“I am sorry for what happened, Nova,” she finally said after a moment’s silence. “I promise, I had nothing to do with it.”

Nova wanted to call her a liar for it. He wanted to ignore it, but the simple fact that her energy didn’t change in the slightest meant that she was telling the truth. She really didn’t have anything to do with it.

Nova’s head drooped at the thought, leaving him feeling quite disappointed in himself. He had heaped blame on her over the years, and only now was it clear it had been undeserved. Her father? Maybe, but her? She deserved none of it.

He let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry too, Trixie,” he admitted. “All this time, I really thought you were the one behind it all. But do you really understand how I felt when I found out that all my hopes and dreams were coming crashing down?”

What had started as a heartfelt apology had suddenly turned into an accusation, and Trixie winced at the sudden harshness in his voice.

“I got my cutie mark taking that test, Trixie. In one glorious moment, I just knew that I loved reading and casting spells, and I passed the school’s entrance test. It was my chance to really shine! I could finally pursue what it was that made me special! And in one moment, all of that was ripped from me, courtesy of your father, who couldn’t bear the thought of his darling little filly missing the cut by that much.”

“You want the truth of that, Nova?” asked Trixie, suddenly sounding bitter herself. “I didn’t want to go to Celestia’s school. I didn’t want to become a master of magic. Magic helps me at my job, but I don’t want to cast the boring and practical spells. My cutie mark is about being a showmare. In the past, I saw that ponies loved celebrities who lorded it over them, and I tried to emulate them. It got me nowhere, and it only made me miserable, and it may or may not have contributed to my little feud with Twilight. But lately, I’ve realized that I enjoy making other ponies happy.”

She shook her head.

“In that moment, I knew what the right thing to do was. And I didn’t do it because I wanted to make my father proud. I knew it was the wrong decision, but it was too late. So I intentionally bombed out.”

Nova let out a little scoff. “You bombed out because you felt sorry for me? That’s really it?”

“That’s it,” affirmed Trixie as they rounded another bend. “Like I said, I didn’t want to go to Celestia’s school.”

“When I heard you had flunked out, I admit, I felt happy at your expense,” said Nova. “Just felt like karma, you know?”

“I know the feeling.”

Nova didn’t bother challenging that statement. Instead, he simply let it be and they continued on their way. After Trixie had said that, he had no other choice but to believe her. She had spoken no lies to him, as the energy of her body hadn’t budged even slightly, and Nova could easily tell if she was casting magic.

But Nova and Trixie, it seemed, had picked up right where they had left off in Canterlot after all this time. Rivals, they may have been, but they were still friendly outside of said rivalry. With the heavier stuff behind them and the past buried, the three-hour trot to Neighton seemed to fly by. In what seemed like no time at all, the town came into view.

It didn’t take much longer for Nova to navigate through the town toward his house, greeting some of the ponies he passed who hadn’t seen him in a few months along the way. But when he was inside, he wanted to take the time to relax a little before he felt like going and looking for the book.

Unfortunately, something felt off about the place.

Nova couldn’t quite place his hoof on it, but there was just a strange sort of feeling like there was something out of the ordinary going on.

“Something wrong?” asked Trixie as Nova began to look around.

“Yeah,” Nova said. “Give me a moment.”

His search led him straight to his study, with Trixie right behind him, looking thoroughly nonplussed with regard to the situation.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Something’s… off,” Nova said, looking around the room.

“What do you mean something’s off?” Trixie asked. “Everything seems alright to me.”

“No, it’s not that,” Nova said, rubbing the skin around his horn. “It’s… my magical resonances. They’re still around.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Trixie.

“Oh, right, you don’t know,” Nova exclaimed, remembering that Trixie had never known him while he was able to sense magic. “Basically, I can sense energy. Very useful for detecting hidden spells and enchantments, as well as seeing if someone’s lying to me or not.”

“So it works as a lie detector? I was wondering why you accepted what I said so fast,” commented Trixie, but Nova was already continuing.

“Magical resonances are supposed to wear off over time. Strange that they’re all still here.”

He focused on several of the unseen resonances surrounding his books. On further observation, they did have signs of being noticeably weaker than fresh resonances, the residue of spells cast on or around objects.

“Strange,” said Nova. “I guess the simple fact that I cast magic on them to levitate them around so often in the past has kept them sustained until now.”

“What book is it you’re searching for?” Trixie asked.

“A book on alchemistic magical theory. Only have one, and it’s bound in bright red.”

“This it?” asked Trixie, pulling one off of the shelf, before clumsily knocking several other books down.

“Be careful!” hissed Nova. “I quite like my books. And yes, that does appear to be it.”

With the book in his possession, he bent down to put the fallen books back in their place. There were only four of them that had been knocked loose, and Nova quickly replaced three of them. He was about to pick up the fourth when his eye caught a pair of words that immediately piqued his interest.

“--temple ruin--”

Immediately, he yanked the book off the ground, jumped into his favorite chair,and set to reading the preceding information.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“TWILIGHTIFOUNDITINTHISBOOK!” announced Nova, barging through the door of the library, blasting poor Spike, who had been standing behind it, back into a bookshelf.

Twilight, who had been watching from the kitchen, could just dumbly blink at the moment, before glancing at the clock he had coerced her into buying, which hung above the door he had just barged through..

“You’re an hour early,” she pointed out, a certain confusion and amazement behind her voice.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” she pointed at the clock, “I accounted for all six hours of the hike to and from Neighton round-trip, and this was assuming you didn’t stay at your house for longer than five minutes to look. You’re back in Ponyville, and a six hour trip only took you five hours and five minutes.”

“Twilight, that doesn’t matter, look what--”

“It does matter,” she huffed. “Did you teleport? How could you have made it all the way there and back, using only 83% of the time it takes to get there and back?”

“I ran!” said Nova in exasperation. “Can you not see or smell that I’m sweating up a storm, or that my legs are about to--”

He collapsed, sending both of the books he had kept stuck in his saddlebags sliding across the floor..

“...give out?” he groaned, before whimpering as his legs started to twitch uncontrollably.

“That doesn’t look good,” said Spike.

“Spike, go fetch me an Elixir of Energy from the medicine cabinet,” Twilight instructed, picking Nova up in her magic and trotting upstairs to lay him in her bed. “You are a thick-headed stallion, you know that?”

“Ow,” he replied eloquently.

“You ran all the way here, and based on just how wild and jerky your legs appear to be, you used an Energy Transfer spell,” Twilight said, giving him a very stern glare. “Do you have any idea how reckless it was to do that?”

“It’s important,” was his only reply. His actual justification for why he sapped his body’s energy reserves just so he could run for an extra few minutes was because it was important. Twilight wanted nothing more than to slap some sense into him, but she let him continue anyway. “Found something you might like to see. Oh, by the way, the alchemy book is the red one.”

“Thanks,” she said, as the two books floated up with magic to where she was tending to him. “So, this green one,” she said, indicating A Brief History of Equestria, 1st ed., “I assume this is where it’s found?”

“It is,” said Nova, nodding, before wincing as his legs gave a rather violent set of jerks. “Turn to Page 394, start about half-way down the page.”

Twilight wordlessly complied, just as Spike came running up the steps, carrying with him a small vial of pink liquid.

“Thanks, Spike,” said Nova, taking the vial, popping off the cork, and downing it in a gulp. As Twilight turned to the indicated spot, Nova could feel his legs heat up, before suddenly their jerking ceased, though they still felt very sore.

“What was that?” he asked aloud.

“Twilight makes those Elixirs of Energy whenever she wants to pull all-night study sessions,” said Spike. “It energizes tired body parts.”

“Oh, nice,” said Nova. “Probably shouldn’t get up, though. Still hurts.”

“One elixir’s meant to restore energy to a moderately worn body part,” explained Twilight, now scanning the page for what Nova was trying to show her. “You had four, and all of them were in fairly bad shape. You’re lucky I happened to have several of them,” she scolded, glaring at him. “If I hadn’t, you very well could have suffered much worse.”

“Aww, you really do care about me,” teased Nova.

Twilight’s cheeks went very red at this, and she raised the book up to cover her face.

“Where’s Trixie?” she asked.

“She’s coming,” said Nova. “She wanted to stick around in Neighton for a bit before heading back.”

“Mmh,” grunted Twilight, before starting to read aloud.

“This brings us onto the topic of Everfree City, the original capital of Equestria, before modern-day Canterlot. The city nowadays is nothing more than a crumbling ruin, and as far as archaeologists are aware, only four buildings from the old times still stand. Naturally, the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled, is one of them. However, the other three are much more ambiguous in nature. There exists in the proximity of the Province of Brayton a tower, believed to have been used as a watchtower in case of attacks from King Sombra’s Empire to the north (See Chapter 28). There’s also a building, about five miles to the southeast, that archaeologists believe to be an old barracks for the Royal Guard, based on a few artifacts found inside.

“Third, however, is probably the most mysterious ruin still standing, even more so than the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters is. The design of the place is nothing more than what appears to be a Pegasi-inspired temple ruin, but due to several magical traps placed on several large stone doors found inside, archaeologists have deemed the place unsafe and have abandoned all attempts to uncover the mysteries of what the building is for. However, due to some very old documents that were obtained in 946 ANM by the Manehattan Institute of Magic, the name has been determined to be the Everfree Vaults.”

Twilight looked up from the book to see Nova looking quite pleased with himself.

“Your books are too within date,” he said, giving a smug smile.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“This is an older edition of the book than you have,” Nova explained, taking the book from Twilight and pointing to the copyright page, where the dates indicated the book was two edition behind and written some thirty years before. “I looked through that book several times over the last month, and it isn’t in there. Might want to consider stocking up on some of the older copies.”

Twilight couldn’t believe her ears. Relevant information had actually been removed from a newer edition of a book!? For the greater good of books everywhere, it was clear she needed to take a pilgrimage to wherever Random House Books was and teach the CEO a lesson in edition-changing.

Nova groaned again as his legs underwent a slight spasm, but to Twilight’s surprise, he actually swung himself off of the bed, retrieved his saddlebags, and started to hobble his way toward the door of the library.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Heading to catch a train,” he said.

“Why do you need to catch a train?”

“More research,” Nova answered, before diverting his course and instead heading for the basement. “The Crystal Empire’s library’s over a thousand years old, after all. If it doesn’t have any then-current information on Everfree City and those Vaults, I don’t know anywhere that will.”

“That… makes sense, actually,” Twilight said. “But why now? And are you just going to leave and head back to Neighton when you’re done?”

“Is that… disappointment I hear?” asked Nova, turning to give her a very odd look.

“N-no,” said Twilight, looking away. Nova noticed a flare-up in her energy, but figured it was probably best not to pursue the topic. Especially considering he had a good hour before the last train to the Crystal Empire left Ponyville.

“Do you even know if a train’s heading that way tonight?” Twilight asked.

“I ran by the station on my way here,” answered Nova. “I’ve got an hour. Figured I was going to board early and sleep on it.”

“A good idea. Get a caboose seat. They have beds,” advised Twilight. “Also, if you’ll give me a second. I’ll have Spike write a letter to my brother and sister-in-law.”

“Oh, that’s right!” exclaimed Nova. “I had forgotten about that. But why do you need to let them know?”

“Well, they are the Crystal Princess and Crystal Prince-Consort,” she replied dryly. “Maybe they’ll be able to help.”

Nova paused, suddenly appreciating the fact that he had never actually expected to get this far in his little plan, and realizing just how little thought had gone into what he was going to do after he found any information regarding the Vaults.

“How much did you think this through?” asked Twilight, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle at Nova’s expense. His shortsightedness could just be so adorable at times.

“I don’t know, I didn’t think I’d actually get this far,” Nova admitted sheepishly. “Story of my life, I suppose.”

Nova waited patiently on exhausted legs while Twilight scrawled a letter as quickly as she could. After all, there was a lot of important information that had to be conveyed to Cadance and Shining Armor. She had to convey everything.

And after everything was written down, she had to go over it three times to make sure there were no grammatical or content errors.

All while Nova sat by the door of the library, waiting as patiently as he could on legs that were going to give out any second now.

Finally, after everything was satisfactory, she had Spike send the letter off to the Crystal Empire, before heading down and getting another bottle of Elixir of Energy, and trotting over and leading Nova out of the library.

Everything was going smoothly, until Nova actually collapsed only a few paces outside of the library.

Twilight just rolled her eyes at the sight. He was going to be okay, but the sheer extent of his stubbornness and stupidity could sometimes just baffle her.

“Just relax for a moment, okay?” she said, turning around to where Nova lay on the ground.

“Do wha?” mumbled Nova, before he was surrounded by a magenta aura and lifted off of the ground. Twilight maneuvered him right around and set him straight down on her back, his limbs draped on either side of her barrell, and his head drooping somewhere ahead of her neck.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” he mumbled as she simply started trotting as if there was nothing unusual about the situation. “You could have just carried me with magic.”

“No can do,” Twilight refuted. “The Elixir’s still in your system. Mixing too much magic with potions can have dangerous side-effects.”

“Thanks,” he said weakly.

“It’s no problem,” she assured him. It wasn’t technically a lie, but she really didn’t want to tell him that it would have been perfectly harmless to carry him with magic (seeing as how she had specifically brewed her potions to not have any unwanted effects when dealing with the arcane), and that she secretly just wanted him on her back.

The trip to the train station was silent after that. Twilight was even so kind as to purchase his ticket for the ride, take him back to the bed, and tuck him in herself. As soon as he was in the sheets, he was peacefully snoozing. Once she was sure he was all settled, she returned to the steward and gave him the bottle of elixir.

“The stallion I was carrying? Make sure he drinks this after he wakes up.”

The steward gave a polite nod and took the small vial from her. “Can do, ma’am. The white unicorn with the blue mane in the caboose, right?”

“That’s him,” she said. “He’s heading for the Crystal Empire.”

“Right. Have a good evening, ma’am,” the steward said as Twilight turned to leave.

And have a safe trip, Nova, she thought.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Sharp Eye knocked at the Ponyville mail station thirty minutes later, carrying an important letter in his saddlebags. The town mailmare, one Ditzy “Derpy” Doo Muffins Hooves, a grey-coated, yellow-maned, wall-eyed pony that always seemed to find herself crashing into things on accident one day, but being completely normal the next, was the one who answered.

“Hello mister!” she greeted happily. “Did you need mail to be delivered, or are you here to pick something up?”

“No, I’m just here to have something delivered. Here,” he said, pulling out and proffering the letter in question.

Derpy took it, looked it over, and then dropped in the box labelled “Canterlot Postage.”

“It’ll be about three days before your letter will be delivered,” she explained. “Tomorrow is when the next train to Canterlot is, and that’s when they’ll pick up the mail. The day after, it’ll be sorted, and then after that, it’ll be delivered. If this is very important, I suggest you just take the train tomorrow and tell whomever it is you want to meet this information in pony.”

“Thank-you miss, but I assure you, he’s expecting this letter on the day in question. Plus, I’ve got somewhere I need to be off to in about thirty minutes.”

“Oh, well, okay,” said Derpy, smiling warmly. “Thank-you for using the Equestrian Postal Service. We’ll always make sure your package is moving in the general direction of the destination... most of the time.”

Sharp Eye nodded at her, turned around, and trotted away. He had a train to catch.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova gave a very contented sigh as he exited the train. The air was much chillier than Ponyville’s temperate climate, and he loved it already. It was his first time to the Empire since its reappearance, which meant that while he definitely was going to work on trying to solve the mystery of the Vaults, nothing was stopping him from enjoying his little vacation.

He could already tell he was going to love it here. Everything glimmered with the light of the crystals that made up the eponymous empire, the native ponies seemed quite friendly, and he had to admit, they were a lot easier on the eyes color-wise. Their slightly muted tones didn’t seem as harsh to look at as the bright colors of regular ponies.

He had to admit, he hadn’t felt so relaxed and so energized in a long time. His legs felt nice and rejuvenated after his sleep, and the elixir he had taken in the morning had certainly helped.

“Ah,” he sighed to himself happily as he exited the train. “I think this week’s going to go by way too fast.”

“You’re telling me,” said a gruff, braytish voice from somewhere to his right. Nova’s head snapped in said direction, bringing him face to face with a pegasus Peacekeeper, who was smiling quite broadly at him.

“Aegis?” Nova exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m on paid leave, actually,” Aegis replied. “For the next seven days, I’m up here to let Shining Armor study my set of armor so he and the Crystal Empire generals can come up with a set of their own for their guards. I get paid for some R’n’R.”

“Sounds like a hell of a plan,” Nova said. “This’ll be great. You and me on vacation at the same time.”

“Yes, well, don’t you have your own work to be doing?” he reminded him. “Oh, and follow me, I’ll lead you to where you’ll be staying.”

He set off at a leisurely pace through the city, heading toward the center, where the magnificent Crystal Spire towered over everyone. As they went, Nova couldn’t help but look left and right at the many different buildings.

And the strange fashion choices. Was that a hat made out of three pieces of hay and a drinking straw?

Well, he had to admit, it does work. Actually looks kinda nice on the crystal pony in question.

"So, how are you and your marefriend holding up?"

"SHE'S NOT MY MAREFRIEND!" Nova snapped. Seriously, what was with people assuming that?

"Keep lying to yourself, Nova," said Aegis, chuckling to himself. “But if you’ll look to your right, you’ll find one of the more surprising things about the empire,” he said, taking up the role of tour guide. “They seem to have a serious thing for Twilight’s pet dragon.”

“He’s not a pet,” Nova reflexively corrected, even as he surveyed an in-progress statue of what was clearly Spike. Nova made a note to stoke Spike’s ego a little bit about it when he got back. “He’s her assistant. And his name is Spike, by the way.”

“My mistake,” Aegis said, inclining his head sincerely. “He always seemed to be little more than a servant whenever I saw him.”

“Well, from what I understand, she didn’t really appreciate him nearly as much when she lived in Canterlot, so for her, he… kinda was.”

Aegis grunted, before his golden eyes lit up. “Speaking of, I hear you’re living in Ponyville now.”

“I thought I mentioned that in my last letter,” Nova said.

“I haven’t had time to decipher it,” Aegis replied. “The letter’s incredibly long, and it takes me a good hour to decode these things. Really, he’s not intercepting the mail. I don’t see why you have to keep using that code.”

“Decipher, decode, and decrypt all mean different things, Aegis,” pointed out Nova. “The correct one to use here would be ‘decrypt.’”

“Whatever the damn word is, it takes me too long to do it, so I haven’t yet.”

“Where are we going anyway?” Nova asked, as they passed by an inn.

“Crystal Spire,” said Aegis. “Lucky bastard. It was the Princess’ orders that you’re staying with them.”

“Great,” groaned Nova. “Is there no way for me to stay at a normal inn?”

Aegis stopped dead in his tracks. Nova didn’t notice, and ran right into him.

“You mean to tell me you would rather stay at a normal inn than at the Crystal bucking Spire?” Aegis asked incredulously. “I mean, I know you declined Canterlot Castle a couple of months back, but this is--”

“Aegis, for once, this actually has nothing to do with my father,” Nova answered honestly, his mind already hearkening back to the five times he had met the sickeningly-sweet pink princess. Four of which had been while he was still wandering, the last had been at their wedding. “Well, it has a tiny bit to do with him, and only indirectly, but let’s just say that I’m not terribly fond of Cadenza and leave it at that, shall we?”

Aegis rolled his eyes, and resumed his trot.

“You are such an unbelievable sod, you know that?”

“And I’m also still successfully avoiding my father,” added Nova.

Aegis had no retort. Or perhaps he simply chose not to. In any case, they had arrived at the Crystal Spire, the magnificent structure which was built on four legs and towered over the city center. Nova even cast a glance at the Crystal Heart, hovering in its little place between two spikes of crystal. It was giving off a faint light, which pulsed similar to a heartbeat.

“This way,” said Aegis, leading him into one of the doors set on the inside of the legs around the structure, which opened to reveal a massive foyer, made out of gems and crystals as well, with many crystal sculptures and a plush purple carpet leading to a ceremonial set of stairs at the end.

This place has got to be worth more than every drop of my blood, thought Nova.

“This way,” said Aegis again, heading up the set of stairs, which split and turned back around the edge of the room, before leading into the main body of the spire itself.

Aegis led Nova up the stairs and into the main structure of the palace, a hall with many doors that led to many different rooms, the purposes of which Nova could only guess, before leading him into one of the side rooms close by. Upon entry, Nova noticed that it appeared to be a war room, of sorts. There were several crystal ponies wearing uniforms, and Prince-Consort Shining Armor stood at the head of the table with his wife close by, and all of them were surveying several documents that depicted sets of armor, which were spread around the table.

“This one has the elegance of our race, coupled with the practicality of the Equestrian armor,” one of them said, in a rich bass voice, indicating one set right before him.

“While I agree that it does focus on the elegance of the armor,” countered Shining, “as a soldier myself, I can say with confidence that it lacks satisfactory protection in several areas, such as the undercarriage.”

“General Zircon,” one of the ponies said, “the armor you’re advocating appears to focus more on emphasizing the beauty of our race, rather than on the protection of our ponies.”

“But we cannot just copy the Equestrian armor,” another general retorted. “The only two here who could enchant it with the same spells as that armor would be our Prince and Princess, of course not accounting for any enchanters Princess Celestia would send to us.”

“Pardon the interruption,” announced Aegis, striding forward and indicating that Nova should follow, “but I am here to present Night Apprentice Nova Shine.”

Nova inclined his head politely, and stepped forward.

“Ah, good to see you again, Nova Shine,” said Shining, giving him a friendly smile.

“And you as well, Prince-Consort,” Nova replied. “What’s all this?”

“As Aegis undoubtedly told you on the way here, we’re working on creating a set of armor for the Crystal Legion,” explained Shining. “While they have fully integrated into Equestrian society, the crystal ponies have been moving to create a local guard, which will also serve as their segregated branch of the military, similar to the pegasi’s Dragoons, the earth ponies’ Groundshakers, and the Mystic Knights for the unicorns. We’re currently working on devising a set of armor for them, that will feature cues from the standard Equestrian set.”

“Kinda like how Celestia and Luna both have their own set of guards?”

“Sort of,” said Shining, nodding. “This will kinda be a mixture. Basically, think of it like Princess Luna’s Nightmares, where they answer only to her, and they’re exclusively a division of Thestrals.”

He paused, before looking up at the ceiling and tapping his chin with a hoof. “Though, if I recall, there’s this young pegasus who’s been trying to get into the Nightmares for the last couple of months now.”

“Hmm,” Nova said, trotting forward. “I like this one.”

He pointed at a diagram of armor that featured a very spiky set. There were several gems put into the armor that apparently featured certain enchantments, and considering the armor itself looked like a weapon in itself, a pony would simply have to put it on and charge straight at an enemy and…

...why was everyone glaring at him?

“Forgive him,” said Shining apologetically. “He’s never been to the Crystal Empire before.”

“So, how did I just inadvertently insult everyone?” Nova asked hesitantly, noticing the less-than-happy expressions on everyone’s faces.

“The armor you selected, Sir Night Apprentice,” answered the first general, Zircon, “is that of the Imperial Legion, the forces of Sombra.”

Nova felt his insides go cold.

“Fear not, we understand, don’t we gentlecolts?” Zircon asked meaningfully, patting him on his upper foreleg and glancing around at his peers, who seemed to drop their glares. “But do try to read some of the supplemental information next time, won’t you?” he indicated several descriptions featuring Sombra’s instructions, including referencing his own name.

Nova felt his face heat up this time. Really, how could he have been so stupid?

“I’ll show him to his room, dear. You can keep debating this,” said the one voice he really didn’t want to hear say that.

“Thanks, honey,” Shining said to his wife, giving her a chaste peck. Nova let out a long-suffering sigh and trotted over to where Princess Cadance stood, waiting for him. As he got near, she turned and began to trot a little ahead of him, leading him to the room he’d be staying in.

As they exited the meeting room through a backdoor, she instead allowed him to go ahead. Nova sensed she was surveying him. He, however, was determined to not speak unless spoken to.

“How have you been?” she asked, and Nova was pleased to hear a cautious note behind the question.

“Alright,” Nova answered.

“That’s good,” Cadance said. “I was wondering how you had coped after the wedding.”

“Well enough,” Nova said. “Did things normal ponies did. Watched hoofball, worked some jobs, got magically-educated by one of the two diarchs of the land...”

He waved a hoof through the air.

“But of course, you already know all of this, don’t you.”

“Actually,” Cadance said, a wry smile splitting her face, “I did not. I told you at the wedding about how I stopped watching you the day Princess Luna took you on as her student, didn’t I?”

Nova furrowed his brow as he tried to recall the conversation. He didn’t remember too much about the goings-on before the wedding debacle, but nopony did, courtesy of the changelings. After, however, Cadance had seemed to take a particular interest in his well-being. The wedding-planner, whom he had only recently learned was Twilight, had been working overtime to make things go smoothly, and he had been spending as little time at the castle as possible. This didn’t stop Cadance from visiting him in his hotel room to give her one of her lectures.

“I don’t remember. I just remember you lecturing me, like you always do,” he admitted honestly. “And let me guess, like you’re going to do now.”

“Do you truly believe I lecture you simply because I enjoy it?” Cadance asked quietly.

“No,” answered Nova. “I think you lecture me because you just can’t let me live my own damn life.”

“I do want you to live your own life,” Cadance refuted. “But I want you to live your own life free from the hatred you’ve kept in your heart for so long. It’s not healthy to keep carrying that around, Nova!”

“You’re doing it again,” growled Nova. “Every time we meet, you see fit to lecture me. Can’t let an opportunity pass up, can you?” he accused.

They entered a stair room, where she began to lead him up several floors. Nova relished the silence that continued for the next several moments, even though he knew Cadance was going to retort in some way.

“I just want what’s best for you,” she said quietly.

“Bullshit,” spat Nova.

“I do!” protested Cadance indignantly. “Look Nova, you may not believe me when I say this, but you are really more than just a project to me.”

“Good to know,” Nova said. “I’m not just a project. I’m your grand master project to impress Celestia, is that it?”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” she snapped. “I just… you’re like a little brother to me, you know that? After all those years of keeping an eye on you, I started to care about you just as much as I do Twilight.”

“I’m like your little brother to you?” asked Nova skeptically. “I’ve only met you all of five times. Six, if you include right now.”

“Yes, actually,” Cadance admitted. “We may only have met several times, but you’re forgetting I kept watch over you, even when we didn’t actually meet.”

Nova opened his mouth to respond, but for some reason, no words could come out. After a moment of trotting with his mouth open and looking like a fool, he closed it.

“I’m touched, Cadenza,” he said. “But if you’re thinking that admission will make me like you just like that--”

“I never expected it to,” Cadance interrupted him. “And for goodness sake, Nova, for the sixth time, call me Cadance.”

“As you wish, Cadenza,” Nova said, bowing his head. Cadance snorted, but bumped him with her flank.

“Hey!”

Cadance giggled, and after a moment, Nova grinned. This was more like it. No lecture, just him and her having a bit of harmless fun. Why couldn’t they have done that any of the other times they met?

“Why can’t all our meetings be like this?” he wondered aloud. “Why couldn’t we only have a bit of fun just one time? Everything has to be a serious confrontation whenever we meet.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right,” Cadance sighed. “You probably already know what I’m going to say right now, don’t you.”

“Oh, here we go,” Nova rolled his eyes, a harsh edge creeping into his voice.

“I don’t know what I can say that will drive the point across, Nova,” she said. “It feels like I’ve said everything there is to say already.”

“Good. That means you can stop now, and we can try to have a normal, non-serious conversation for once.”

“Nova, please, just hear me out--”

“NO, YOU HEAR ME OUT!” Nova shouted, not in the mood for this little game. Cadance flinched, but Nova pressed the advantage. “DO YOU REALLY THINK I’M JUST GOING TO LET TWELVE YEARS OF BEING IGNORED AND UNLOVED BE FORGIVEN, JUST LIKE THAT!?”

“No, I--”

“DO YOU THINK I’M GOING TO FORGET THE SEVEN YEARS THEY PUT ME THROUGH AFTER THAT!?” Nova continued. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF TORTURE I HAD TO GO THROUGH EVERY DAY BECAUSE I COULDN’T INDULGE MYSELF IN MY OWN SPECIAL TALENT!?”

“Nova, I know--”

“How can you ask me to forgive them, even after all of that!?” Nova demanded, letting up in his verbal assault for a moment. “And not just them! Tantalus too! Do you know what he took from me!? HE TOOK MY LIFE FROM ME! MY HAPPINESS, MY FUTURE, MY…”

Nova trailed off, the memories of that fateful day still hurting, even after ten years. It had been the single worst day of his life, and it had forever changed the path he was to tread. He had gone from being a pony destined for greatness as one of the most promising spellcasters in the current age, to being a vagabond, performing odd jobs just to get by, unable to study magic the way he was supposed to.

All because of stupid family politics.

“Do you not wish for this pain to go away?” Cadance asked in a gentle voice. “Your tirade made it quite clear it still pains you, even after all these years. Do you not want it to go away? Are you content to hold onto your anger and pain while it slowly destroys you?”

“I’m not forgiving them. Never!” he snapped.

“I never asked you to, Nova, though I wish you would,” Cadance said. “I have only hoped that you would learn to let go of your hate, to leave the past in the past, and to not let your experiences taint your relationships with other ponies. The tighter you grip a thorn, the more it cuts into you, and the more you bleed.”

“Right,” Nova spat. “Long story short, you want me to start loving ponies, is that it? Because you and I both know love isn’t some magical force independent of our control. I’m well aware of the magic revolving around it, and of the changelings’ ability to feed off of the emotion, but that’s all it is. A bunch of chemicals in the body making you feel that way.”

Cadance sighed, her ears drooping. Nova was always quite stubborn with that misguided belief of his.

“Well, with that out of the way,” she said delicately, “there was one other reason I chose to show you to your room.”

“And that would be?”

“Something concerning Twilight,” Cadance answered, her expression darkening. “What I am about to tell you, I only tell you because I trust that you will not misuse this information. Nova, I want you to promise me that you will never willingly use this information to cause her harm. Can you do that?”

“Uh, why?” he asked. “I don’t fancy shackling myself with promises.”

“Just do it,” Cadance instructed. “It’s very important that you know of this.”

“Fine, fine,” Nova rolled his eyes again. “On my honor, I promise not to willingly use this information in such a way that would cause Twilight any harm. Satisfactory?”

“It is,” Cadance said. They finally emerged onto the guest residence floor of the Crystal Spire. The door opened to reveal a long hallway with several doors. Cadance led Nova to one and opened it. A very luxurious room was inside. Nova gasped. The bed was a large four-poster, with what had to be a cloud mattress. The bathtub was carved from what appeared to be sapphire, and just about everything in the room in some way looked to be made of gems.

“And you’re letting me stay here?”

“I am,” Cadance said with a smile, but her expression turned serious again. “Back to what I was talking about a moment ago. Like I said, I trust you not to misuse this information unless you have no other choice. And if you break that promise, my husband is ex-captain of the Royal Guard. I trust I don’t need to go into details?”

Nova chose not to point out that he had evaded guards quite easily during the first two months of his life as a runaway. “No, you don’t.”

“Very well. Allow me to get straight to the point.”

She took a deep breath.

“Twilight has feelings for you.”

Nova blinked stupidly.

“Uh...” he said, showcasing his intellect and his ability to process large amounts of sensitive information quite easily. “Run that by me again?”

“Twilight Sparkle, your temporary landlord and your fellow student of one of the diarchs, has feelings for you,” Cadance repeated.

Nova could only stare as he thought about that. It… made sense, he had to give it that. It explained why she was always blushing when he teased her, why she seemed a bit more bold when it was just the two of them…

“Any thoughts?” Cadance asked.

“Her loss,” Nova replied.

Cadance couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“‘Her loss?’ What do you mean by that?” she asked indignantly.

“I can’t stop her from having feelings for me,” Nova explained irritably. “But that doesn’t mean I have to return them.”

“Do you feel nothing at all for Twilight?”

“Are you trying to play matchmaker here? It was funny when it was her dad, but now it’s actually getting kind of old.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Nova replied. “I can easily say we are good friends. I’ll even say she’s my best friend. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’re anywhere near a romantic relationship. Her feelings are completely unrequited.”

Cadance sighed. “I guess I expected as much from you,” she said, sounding quite disappointed.

“Why did you tell me this, then?” Nova asked.

“Because you deserved to know,” Cadance explained. “Twilight told me about it in her letters. She trusted me with the information, asking for advice on how to possibly court you. This being said, I tell you this because I know you wouldn’t want to hurt her if you could help it.”

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” Nova concurred. “She’s too good a friend. And considering my own experiences with betrayal…”

“Yes, that’s what I thought. In that case, it is good that you know this. Now, I would suggest taking time to think about how you act around her. If you truly don’t have any feelings for her, you would do well not to lead her on or to say something hasty and break her heart.” She trotted back to the door. “Remember what I said, and remember your promise.”

“Hey Cadance?” Nova asked, suddenly sounding thoughtful.

Cadance blinked. He had actually used the name she wanted to go by? “Yes, Nova?”

“I never thanked you, you know. For paying for those classes in Manehattan.”

“You don’t have to,” she said.

“But I’d like to,” replied Nova. “So, thanks. You paying for those classes gave me the one good year in the midst of seven bad ones.”

Cadance smiled, and trotted over to give Nova a hug.

“You’re most welcome, LBBFF.”

“LB… what?”

“It’s just something Shiny and Twilight do,” Cadance explained. “Little Sister Best Friend Forever, and Big Brother Best Friend Forever. So, I figured I’d call you Little Brother Best Friend Forever.”

“Well, I don’t know about going that far…”

She smiled, and stuck a hoof into his mane to tousle it. “Enjoy your vacation, and good luck on your research Nova,” she said, before trotting out of the room and shutting the door behind her, leaving Nova to unpack and begin the week of relaxation and research.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Trixie demands that you lower the temperature of the library! It is a burning 72 degrees in here! Trixie demands that it be lowered to 68!”

“For goodness’ sake, Trixie, I just cast a cooling spell on the building!”

Spike’s claws met his face with a loud slapping sound. Oh great. Here we go again.

Ever since Nova had left on his little vacation, it had been non-stop bickering between Trixie and Twilight. And over stupid little things, to boot. Whether Trixie’s bed’s fitted sheet was on correctly, whose turn it was in the bathroom, whether or not the clock hanging above the library entrance was an hour fast (the only “won” argument, which went to Twilight), and clearly now, the temperature of the library.

Spike was used to Twilight Sparkle freakouts. It was hard not to be used to them. But the constant screaming was starting to get to him. So he had invested some money into a “Grow Your Own Crystals” kit, complete with some dyes. He didn’t know if they tasted any better or worse than gems, but he was going to try anyway. And if they worked, then he could get himself a steady supply going for himself, without him having to rely on Rarity’s generosity.

Even if he really did enjoy the frequency at which her generosity saw fit to reward him. And the amount of time he spent around her in general.

“It’s still too hot in here,” Trixie huffed from somewhere downstairs. “Your magic isn’t working. Let Trixie try it.”

“No!” Twilight shrieked. “I don’t want you screwing up a spell that causes all of the books to receive permanent damage!”

“They’re just books,” Trixie stated.

“Some of them are priceless,” Twilight argued. “I have several early editions of some of Star Swirl’s--”

“Blah blah blah, nothing you’re saying is fixing the heating problem,” Trixie interrupted.

Under normal circumstances, Spike would definitely be down on the ground floor, bucket of popcorn ready and happily munching away as Twilight’s and Trixie’s fireworks provided quality entertainment that put a Manehattan theatre to shame. Unfortunately Twilight had sent him upstairs to reshelve the books when the first sign of an argument had arisen.

Apparently she had forgotten that only the day before had been Reshelving Day.

“I’m warning you right now, Twilight Sparkle, if you don’t cool this library off sooner, Trixie is going to start pulling these books off of the shelves, twenty by twenty, and just let them fall to the ground.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Well, crud, thought Spike. After all, when had Trixie ever backed down from a challenge?

Sure enough, there came a great crashing noise from somewhere downstairs.

“PICK THOSE UP!” screamed Twilight.

“Or what?” asked Trixie.

“Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that Nova was working on helping all of us with the nightmare problems, I’d toss you right out onto the streets.”

“Oh come now, Twilight,” Trixie replied scathingly. “Let’s be honest here, shall we? We both know you would never do something that you think he would disapprove of.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, in an unconvincing attempt at being aloof.

“Oh, don’t play coy with me,” Trixie said, and Spike was quite startled to hear a bit of glee in her voice. “I saw the looks you gave him on that first day. I saw you carry him on your back to the train station. I even watched you tuck him in yourself with all the tender love and care in the world.”

“I don’t have any idea--”

“Oh quit lying, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie interrupted. “I can see it plain as day. You clearly have feelings for Nova Shine.”

Spike blinked. Twilight liked Nova? Seriously? He just couldn’t see it. They argued over small things just as much as she did with Trixie. Though maybe with not as much malice. There seemed to be a bit of a more playful style of banter between them when they argued.

“S-so what if I do?” Twilight asked.

Spike blinked again. Was it just him, or did Twilight seem to gain a bit of confidence after saying that?

“Hmm… how sweet,” Trixie said. Spike could just imagine the sadistic glee that Trixie was exuding with that single line. “Hmm… should I or shouldn’t I tell you…?”

“Tell me what?” asked Twilight suspiciously.

“Oh, nothing,” Trixie said tantalizingly. “Just something he told me when we were on the road to Neighton a couple of days back.”

“What?” asked Twilight. Spike already knew this couldn’t end well. Not after the last few times Trixie and Twilight had attempted to talk civilly had devolved into pointless arguing.

I mean, for goodness sake, they even found a way to scream at each other about which bed he had make first on her first day.

“Well, first, just let me say, Twilight, I really think it’s quite sweet that you’ve got a crush on your dear, sweet roomie,” Trixie said, with her voice positively sagging with insincerity. “But I just think you should really not waste your time with him.”

“Waste my time with him?” asked Twilight skeptically. “What, don’t tell me you’re looking to try to court him too.”

“Oh hell no,” Trixie said. “He wouldn’t have me. Not after what happened in the past. But I know Nova better than you and trust me, starbutt, you’d be wasting your time chasing after him.”

Spike could almost hear Trixie’s sadistic smile happening.

“Want to know what he told me?” she asked in a singsong voice.

“Doesn’t matter what I say, you’re gonna tell me anyway, aren’t you?” Twilight asked.

“Well, since you asked…” Trixie said, a tiny note of glee in her voice. “He told me, and I quote, ‘I have no feelings for her. Never have, never will.’”

You could have heard a pin drop. Spike was stunned. Had Trixie seriously just done that? Knowing Twilight, it wasn’t what Trixie had said, but just the way she had done so that would set her off.

Sure enough there was a clatter of hooves up the steps, and a lavender blur shot right past him.

“Twili--” Spike started to say, but she dashed through the door to to the bedroom loft, slamming it behind her, and a moment later, a soft pink glow appeared for just an instant around the door. And already, Spike could hear sobbing on the other side of it.

Spike’s mind immediately flew back to the time in which Twilight had magically sealed herself in the library after the Gabby Gums story had broken, and now she was having almost the same reaction to something far more personal.

And Spike was having none of it.

He stomped his way down to the library’s lobby, where Trixie sat, looking disoriented and quite confused. Instead of saying anything, he just glared down at her and crossed his arms.

“What… just happened?” Trixie asked, sounding just as confused as she looked.

“That was low, even for you, Trixie,” Spike growled at her.

“Trixie doesn’t even know--”

Spike didn’t let her answer. He stomped his way back upstairs. His big sis needed his help.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova stepped off of the train feeling more relaxed, and more pleased with the progress that had been made than he had felt since the time these nightmares had started. It had taken a while, but he had managed to find a bit of information on the Everfree Vaults.

And all of it was compiled and kept in a notebook, which was currently stuffed in his saddlebags. As were a couple of trinkets he had picked up in the Empire, though one of them was sitting on his head.

The hat made of three pieces of hay and a drinking straw had grown on him. Whoever had made it had definitely made it work.

The cool autumn air was a welcome change to the rather warm air it had been when he’d left. Almost felt like he was back in the Crystal Empire. The Running of the Leaves must have been around the corner, too.

“Winter is coming,” he said to himself with a smile. He loved the winter. He loved the cold, the snow, and the fact that it almost seemed like Luna was a bit happier compared to how she was in the summer.

That, and he liked the George R.R. Maretin line.

His good mood, however, was brought to a screeching halt as he entered the library and saw it in a state he had never thought he’d ever see in a home belonging to Twilight Sparkle.

Disorganization.

Books were on the floor, others were haphazardly stuck back on their shelves out of place, the horse-head statue had been left lying on the ground for whatever reason, and probably most telling of all, Spike and Twilight weren’t freaking out about it.

Come to think of it, Trixie was being awfully quiet, too.

Definitely something wrong.

But who better to tell what had happened than Spike? Who just happened to walk down the steps, carrying a tray of half-eaten food toward the kitchen. As he caught sight of Nova, they both stopped and stared at each other. After a moment, Spike’s eyes narrowed.

“The heartbreaker returns,” he said in a low, slightly over-dramatic voice.

“Hey Spike,” replied Nova with a cautious wave. “Uhh, what happened here?”

“Oh, so now you care about Twilight?” Spike asked, briskly walking into the kitchen to drop the tray off.

“I didn’t… what?”

He was lost. Completely, utterly gone. How had asking what had happened in the library suddenly translate to “I suddenly care about Twilight?”

“You said something that’s gotten Twilight locked in her room and crying,” Spike said, pointing an accusing claw at him.

“I… did?” Nova asked. When had he ever said something like that?

Strike that, he could think of several teasing insults he had told her over the last two months, but when had he ever said something like that recently?

“Uh, what... did I say exactly?”

“Something about how you didn’t like her,” Spike said, scratching behind his head. “Can’t remember exactly what. Though, come to think of it, knowing Twilight, it probably wasn’t what was said, but the way Trixie said it.”

“Right,” Nova said, inwardly groaning. This reeks of high school fake-drama.

But considering what he had found about Twilight over the week from Cadance, it was probably in his best interest to let her down gently anyway.

“Where is she?”

“Twilight? In her room. Why?” Spike asked, before narrowing his eyes again. “You’re not going to go and make her feel worse, are you?”

“Far from it,” deadpanned Nova.

With that, he trotted up the steps toward the door to the loft. As expected, he could feel the slight pulse of energy radiating off of the door. Naturally, thought Nova. Since he felt it was best to do this on her terms, he raised a hoof to the door and knocked four times.

For a moment, he stood there wondering if she was going to let him in. Considering Spike had just exited with the food…

But after the moment passed, the magenta glow of her magic illuminated the door for a moment, and he felt the magic seal vanish, allowing him to open the door and step inside quite cautiously.

Well, this room looked a lot better. It was still well-lit. The only difference seemed to be that Twilight was curled on her bed, facing away from the door and looking utterly miserable.

“What is it now, Spike?”

It really surprised him to hear just how miserable she was with those five words alone. It almost hurt him, just how bad she felt. Even though he didn’t for her, he still felt very bad regarding the whole situation.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “You doing alright?”

Instantly, he saw her tense up in her bed. For a moment, he thought she was going to throw him out of her room. But instead, her head whipped around, and an energy beam launched itself from her horn faster than he could react. The beam connected with his ribs with the force of an Applejack kick, he was lifted off his hooves instantly, and he was thrown into the wall behind him, where his head collided with the wood, and he slid into a crumpled heap on the floor.

There was a clattering of hooves somewhere above him as his head pounded painfully.

“Sorry! Sorry!” he heard Twilight cry. All he could do was look up and give her a pained smile.

“It’s alright,” he lied. And she knew it, too.

“No, it’s n-not alright! I could have seriously h-hurt you!”

You might have. “I’m fine, Twilight. Really,” he said, getting to his hooves. As he did so, he noticed the pounding in his head subsided somewhat.

It was only after he was back up that he noticed just how much of a mess she looked. Her mane was completely unruly, her eyes were slightly puffy and bloodshot, and there were dried tearstreaks under them.

Nova took a deep breath, noting with satisfaction how the pain receded even more. “It’s alright. See? Perfectly whole.”

His head pounded again, and he clapped a hoof to it and groaned. Twilight rushed forward, but the feeling was gone as quickly as it had come.

“But, do try not to do that again, would you? I feel like it might be just a bit detrimental to my health.”

That got a giggle out of her.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, but Nova shook his head.

“Twilight, you’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I attacked you, though!” she protested. “I just… I don’t know,” she threw her hooves in the air. “I just reacted. It was stupid of me to do that.”

“Fine,” Nova said. “If you want to blame yourself, then blame yourself, I won’t stop you. But if you want to make it up to me, how about you tell me what got you in this state?”

She hesitated for a moment, but then swallowed and launched into an explanation. She and Trixie had started off cordial at first, lasting only for about half the day before Trixie started making demands. The second day, they both had much shorter tempers and argued about the tiniest things.

“A-and on the third day,” Twilight continued, her voice shaking somewhat, “W-we got into an argum-ment over something completely sil-,” she swallowed, “silly, and it just got out of h-hoof. She turned it into… into…”

She broke off, bowing her head so he couldn’t see, but her cheeks had gone quite red under her fur. Nova’s thoughts instantly hearkened back to his and Cadance’s first discussion.

“It’s fine,” Nova said quietly. “You don’t have to tell me. I already know.”

“Y-you do?” she asked, still not meeting his eye.

“I do,” he said, choosing not to tell her that Cadance was the one who had informed him unless she asked. He reached a hoof under her chin and lifted it to where she was looking directly into his calm, assured, confident gaze. “I told her nothing about our relationship. I haven’t discussed it with anyone but Princess Cadance.”

Twilight went red again, but she just couldn’t stop staring at his eyes.

“Y-you spoke to Cadance?”

“I did,” Nova said. “She wanted to know about how I felt about you. Wanted to make sure I’d treat you right, no matter how that was.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “You must think I’m just so silly after all of this.”

“Hardly!” he exclaimed, startling her into making eye contact again. “You and I are both very logic-oriented. We like facts, thought, and logic, but in the end, we’re both still ponies, and we both have feelings that can be hurt, just like anyone else.”

She gave him a watery smile, but said nothing after that, electing to simply paw at the ground for a few moments. Nova decided to simply sit and enjoy the silence between them. It wasn’t often that they could just sit and enjoy each other’s company.

“Was she… right?”

“Hm?” asked Nova, cocking an eyebrow.

“Was Trixie right?” Twilight repeated, sounding slightly afraid for the first time. “When she said you felt nothing towards me, never have and never will?”

Nova glanced up at the ceiling while he considered how to phrase his response.

“I…” he started, pausing when he mentally cancelled out what he was going to say. Probably not a good phrase. He licked his lips.

“I…”

He sighed.

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “I promise it isn’t a cop-out or something. I just…” he ran a hoof through his mane as he fell on his butt. “Recent events have pretty much forced me to start reexamining our relationship.”

“What recent events?” asked Twilight.

“For starters, that little show you made of putting me on your back when you could have simply carried me with magic,” Nova said. “I examined the ingredients with a little know-how from my teacher, Twilight.” He smirked. “Seems you just wanted to carry me to the train.”

Twilight hid her face from view.

“But that wasn’t the only thing. After I realized you had feelings for me, a lot became clearer. And I had to start considering how I felt about you, because I don’t want to lead you on or enter into a relationship when I don’t actually have feelings for you, but at the same time, I don’t want to just shatter your heart into a million pieces.”

“Nova, did Cadance tell you I had feelings for you?” she asked. “You don’t have to lie to me. I know you’ve been pretty thick, even when I haven’t exactly hiding it over the last couple of weeks.”

Now it was Nova’s turn to blush slightly.

“Yes,” he admitted. “Cadance told me. Been spending the last few days relaxing, finding out information on the Everfree Vaults, and simply thinking about what’s to become of us.”

“What’s to become of us-us or just,” she waved a hoof through the air vaguely, “us?”

Nova snorted, and Twilight giggled at his reaction.

“Us-us, I think. It’s not going to be the same after all of this. Like I said, I don’t want to lie to you and lead you into a relationship I’m not sure if I want to be in one, but I don’t want to just break it to you bluntly if I don’t.”

“Just be honest with me,” Twilight interjected, feeling slightly irritated. “It sounds like you’re trying to talk your way out of opening up about how you feel, whether it be what I want to hear or not.”

Nova gave her a flat look.

“I don’t just open up on command, Twilight,” he chided. “Not after some of the things I’ve been through growing up. I have been nothing but honest with you since I came in here.”

“Then why not?” she asked. “I mean, what’s stopping you from going on a couple of dates with me?”

“I don’t--”

“The whole point of the first few dates is supposed to be about learning more about each other,” Twilight continued, interrupting him. “If we go on these dates, and you still don’t think you want to enter into an actual relationship, alright then. But it just feels to me like you don’t want to risk disrupting the status quo when it’s well beyond disrupted.”

“You’re right I don’t,” Nova said. “I like what we had. You were my best friend, and I don’t say that lightly. Looking back on it, if there was some stage between best friends and actually dating, I’d place us about there, and I was happy with that. But this whole thing has just… I don’t know,” he threw up his hooves. “I don’t want to risk losing a friendship I like having when most of my friendships don’t end well, and given my history with love in general, I feel like the odds are ever out of my favor.”

He had let out more than he had wanted, but it was completely true. In his attempt to try to keep himself closed off, he had accidentally opened up. Just like on the day they had first met, in his attempt to keep from talking with her, he had ended up continuing conversation anyway. What was it about her that could prompt her to do this to him?

She had nothing to say after that, choosing only to smile, trot over, and give him a hug.

“Can we not at least see where it goes?” she asked.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Nova said. “If you’re willing to give me time, I’ll think about it. If I can come up with a good reason why we shouldn’t do this, then no, I won’t at least see where it goes. But if I can’t--”

“Your length of time is arbitrary and completely subjective,” pointed out Twilight indignantly.

“Twilight, if there’s anything you should know about me, you should know I’d never drag out something that’s been finished,” Nova answered. “You have my word. If I just can’t think of anything, you’ll be the first to know, and we’ll try a couple of dates out.”

That seemed to cheer her up immensely, but he continued.

“But this doesn’t mean it will continue past that. If I don’t feel like our relationship would go anywhere, it’s off. Got it?”

She nodded. “I know. I understand you might not have the same feelings for me. But I still want to at least try.”

“I understand.”

Though if he were being honest with himself, he had no doubt this was going to end badly for Twilight no matter the outcome. If he couldn’t find a good reason, he would date her a couple of times, but then it wouldn’t continue past that. She would inevitably try to open doors in his history she had no business opening, and it would all just fall apart.

Perhaps that was his bad reason…?

No, that’s a very flimsy reason.

“Well, now that that’s taken care of, let’s go ahead and bring Trixie in,” Nova said. Twilight’s earlier cheer vanished, and she grew noticeably more cold. He paid it no mind, choosing instead to call Spike and have him get Trixie up there so he could share his findings.

After a moment of waiting, Trixie entered the room, and she immediately started apologizing.

“Look Sparkle, I don’t know what Trixie did, but Trixie is sorry for whatever it is that made you so angry at me.”

“Lies,” dismissed Twilight, coldly. “I know you meant every word.”

“Trixie is, for once, actually sincere in her apologies,” the showmare replied. “Trixie has no idea what made you so angry at me, but Trixie is actually sorry about it.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” Nova interrupted, holding a hoof between them to forestall a response. “Something’s not right.”

He stared at the ground, rubbing the skin around his horn. Without warning, he looked right at Twilight.

“Did Trixie say whatever she did, and was it the reason you were in here crying the last few days?”

“Of course,” answered Twilight, sounding confused. “What’s up?”

“Trixie,” Nova moved his hoof to point at her, “did you do anything that Twilight is accusing you of?”

“Of course not,” Trixie denied. “Unless she is accusing Trixie of arguing over the temperature of the library--”

“No, no that can’t be right, then,” Nova muttered to himself.

He looked at Trixie. “Deny it again,” he instructed.

“Trixie said nothing to intentionally insult or hurt Twilight Sparkle.”

“Nova, what’s going on?” asked Twilight, but Nova pointed to her.

“Accuse her,” he instructed.

“Uh, she flat out told me that you had no feelings for me in a blatant way to break my heart,” Twilight said, her cheeks going pink.

“That is impossible,” Nova said, looking quite flummoxed, “and yet here it is.”

“What’s impossible?” asked Twilight.

“You both are telling the truth.”

Trixie and Twilight both reacted how Nova expected them too: by looking right at the other and accusing them of lying. Nova rolled his eyes and interrupted them.

“Look, just because it came out that way doesn’t mean we have two conflicting realities here. Maybe Trixie did say it, and at the same time, maybe Trixie legitimately doesn’t remember for some reason. It raises a problem I don’t want to deal with right now, but one that I do want to look into later. However,” he levitated his notebook out of his saddlebags, “we have something more important to talk about. I know where the Vaults are.”

“Wait a minute, how could you tell if we were both telling the truth?” asked Twilight.

“My energy sensing,” he replied. “When a pony lies, the body undergoes a slight reaction, one that my energy sensing can pick up on. If they try to cover it with magic, I sense the magic. It’s not infallible, but it’s incredibly difficult to fool. Anyway--”

“How do you even know if these Everfree Vaults will help us?” asked Trixie.

“And why haven’t I heard too much about them?” asked Twilight. “Surely if they were important enough to house an artifact that could be responsible for these nightmares, you’d think it’d warrant more than a passing mention in an old version of a history textbook.”

“It’s very troubling, I’ll give it that,” Nova admitted. “Again, something to be researched at a later date. Right now, more important things.”

“Oh, and to answer your question, Trixie,” Twilight cut him off coolly, “we don’t know if they can help us. Nova just thinks it’s a good place to start looking for what’s causing the nightmares.”

“Twilight, please,” Nova said in a long-suffering voice. Twilight tossed him an askance glance, but he ignored it. “Anyway, I know where it’s at now, and while I don’t have a good grasp on the kind of traps that will be found inside, since it would seem these Vaults used to function as a banking center and thus they couldn’t reveal their security, I can say that it would seem there were many attempted break-ins, but all ended in failure.”

A map was pulled out of his saddlebags next, and laid flat on the ground in front of him.

“Now, as for where the Vaults are,” he said, smoothing out the creases with magic, “this map is current to within ten years. Ponyville is here,” he indicated a small collection of brown squares near the southern edge of the map, “Neighton is here,” he indicated another collection a few inches away, “the Everfree Forest is the giant green splotch that takes up the left side of the map, the jagged line here,” he indicated a small line only just south of Neighton, “is Brayton’s border, and all the way up here,” he indicated another collection of squares north of the Everfree Forest, “is Trottingham.”

“So where are the Vaults?” asked Trixie.

“Right here,” said Nova, pointing to a black spot in the middle of Everfree, which almost blended into the green around it. “You’ll notice it’s a lot closer to Trottingham than it is to Neighton or Ponyville, so if we’re going to explore these ruins, we’d probably need to lodge there, so as to not spend several hours hiking there and back from Ponyville.”

“So, how long do we have to prepare?” asked Twilight, failing to completely contain her excitement. She had never been to Trottingham, and it was where the Cloppin Hoof stories in medieval Braytish literature were set.

“About a week or so to make reservations,” Nova said. However, with that being said…”

He grinned.

“Pack your bags, ladies. We’re going to Brayton!”

Author's Note

Chapter 4 v2.0

New chapter name! The trigonometry terms used to refer to what was originally a plan for a Trixie-Twilight-Nova love triangle. But there's none of that this time around.

Also, I'm not using the official map of Equestria. I don't think I did when making this in the first place.

Anyway, please read and review! Rytex out. Have a good day!

History Lessons

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 06 - History Lessons

All in all, not one of my better weeks, thought Nova glumly as he stared at the ceiling in Shining Armor’s room.

Counting the moment he had set out from Ponyville with Trixie and Twilight in tow to Trottingham as the beginning of the week, it had been one of the worst weeks since that time he had contracted Starswirl Sickness. He had never thought that dealing with two mares that never stopped arguing would ever be considered a high point in the week, yet there it was.

The first thing he could remember since passing out in the Everfree Vaults was coming to on an emergency chariot to Canterlot, where the medic with him had informed him that he had used dangerously-high levels of his mana pool in that one spell alone.

“I’m prescribing one week of rest. No magic use outside of the very basic, so your mana pool can replenish,” the doctor he had been taken to in Canterlot had said. “If you had used almost any more magic, it could have had disastrous consequences on your future magic casting ability.”

So there was that.

Upon being discharged from the hospital after an overnight stay, he had gone straight to Canterlot Castle, where he had attempted to barge into Princess Luna’s room while she slept.

Luna’s thestral guards were very displeased, practically throwing Nova into the wall behind him.and obstinately refusing to let him in. Of course, they hadn’t met Nova before, despite the fact that he was their own master’s Night Apprentice, and they remained unconvinced until the argument roused Luna.

...who was not a morning pony.

Nova shuddered. Some memories were better left unremembered.

Still, the earliest he could get time for Twilight and himself to sit down and talk with them was in five days, which was today. More specifically, a bit later in the afternoon.

He had gone straight to the Princesses’ private lounge, a place he actually was allowed in given his position, the next day and asked Princess Celestia why it wasn’t a national emergency.

“Quite simply,” she had responded, taking a sip from her morning coffee as Luna helped herself to a bagel, “because of how laughably ineffectual it would prove, and how much it would rile up the Griffon Emperor. The politics of the situation cannot be ignored, Nova.”

“Indeed,” Luna nodded. “As you know, the Griffon Emperor is all but completely open about wanting to seize an excuse to send his armies out to intimidate. Were we, a pacifist nation with a very quiet military, suddenly seized by a spur of the moment decision to suddenly mobilize our forces, he would respond in kind, except where he sent his forces would be on their ships close to our borders. Obviously, not the ideal situation to attempt to defuse.”

“And besides,” Celestia took another sip, “The being you encountered, Envy, is very proficient at worming her way into control of others’ minds. Mobilizing a military would just give her more targets.”

But the serious was intermixed with the (for some reason) heart-rending.

For whatever reason, Twilight had not decided to visit him in the Canterlot hospital-- not that he wanted her to visit, or anything! It was just boring with no one to talk to, is all.

After leaving from his first attempt at getting an explanation out of Princess Luna, he had gone to the Sparkles to request a place to stay while he waited. As soon as Velvet opened the door and saw him there, he was yanked in and found himself the center of a tight embrace by both her and Night Light.

“Thank-you,” Night muttered into his ear, “for saving our daughter.”

“It… it was nothing--” he had tried to protest, only to be whapped in the cheek by Velvet.

“You rescued her from that creature in the forest,” she reminded him sternly. ‘“That was not nothing, and don’t ever act like it wasn’t again. If it weren’t for you, she--”

Velvet bit off the end of her sentence and glanced away, but not before Nova caught a slight glimmer of tears in her eye.

“Speaking of,” Nova extricated himself from Night Light’s hug, “where is she?”

“Up…”Night swallowed nervously, “up in her room.”

“What’s wrong?” Nova asked, a bit perplexed.

“She...” Night glanced at the ground, “she hasn’t spoken a word since she came home. She’s just been in her room, reading or staring out the window or at a wall.”

No sooner had he said this than Nova had dashed up to see her. He had practically barged into her room without even waiting for her to answer, for that matter. And there she was, sitting in her bed, staring glumly out the window.

Her ears flicked in his direction when he’d entered, but she didn’t look away.

“Twilight!” he had exclaimed, his insides doing that strange jitter they had been doing so often as of late, and only at that did she show any reaction. And all it was was a nervous half-glance at him, before she went back to staring out the window.

It only made an already-sour day even worse.

The next few days were spent in a library, trying to ascertain the cause of those strange jitters, be they from something he ate or some kind of illness he was contracting, but almost as if the universe were cosmically laughing at him, he was thwarted yet again by unhelpful ponies. He either had something that should have gone away four days ago, or he had terminal cancer. Nothing in between.

Welp, might go see the Doc again tomorrow to ask about that, Nova thought bitterly as he slid out of his bed. He could feel Twilight’s aura moving away from the bathroom as she headed off to her room after her shower. There’s gotta be a perfectly logical explanation for it. Or maybe Luna knows something.

Whatever the case, at least there was a good chance one of his frustrations over the last week would finally end today.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Later that afternoon, Nova and Twilight were sitting on a pair of seats outside the throne room, waiting for Celestia to dismiss the Day Court, which would be happening in a few moments, if the clock on the wall was anything to go by.

“Still not talking to me?” he asked, giving her a glance.

She silently kicked her hooves in response.

“Well, alright then,” he said, trying not to let how much he hurt for her show in his voice. “If you want to talk about whatever it was I did, I’m right here.”

“Mm-mm.”

Nova’s eyes snapped back to her. She was shaking her head.

“You don’t want to talk about whatever I did?”

She shook her head all the more vigorously. Nova blinked. A simple ‘No’ shake would have sufficed. But then it clicked. She was saying it wasn’t something he had done.

“Oh. I gotcha,” he replied, though it hardly put his mind at ease. “Wish I would have known that sooner. Would have saved me a lot of unpleasant thoughts.”

She didn’t respond. If anything, her hanging head seemed to sink just a bit lower, which only added to the strange sort of emptiness inside his gut.

“Well,” he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear, “when you’re ready to talk, here I am.”

He didn’t expect a response, nor did he get one, but at least he assured her that he would be there to hear her out when she felt the time was right.

The throne room door opened, and out strode the bureaucrats and the brown-nosing nobles, the inconsequential chatter filling the room. Many of them gave Nova and Twilight a once-over and a few of them made polite nods in their direction, but most of them ignored the pair as they made their way out back into the city.

After a few moments, with the throne room empty, Princess Celestia rose from her throne and began to stride toward the two of them. Luna was nowhere to be seen, presumably already wherever they were going to have their little talk at.

“Follow me, please,” she said, giving the two of them a warm smile as she turned and began to trot further into the castle. Nova and Twilight wordlessly complied, taking up positions on either side of her as they went.

“Luna will meet us in our personal sitting room,” Celestia informed them, as though she could read Nova’s mind.

“I thought the throne room was the sitting room,” Nova remarked.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw the corners of Twilight’s mouth lift just a fraction.

“Yes, well,” Celestia cleared her throat, “in one room, all of the asses speak rather than sit, and in the other, you will be the only ass that speaks.”

“Oh, touché!” Nova snickered. Twilight now appeared to be struggling not to smile.

“But in all seriousness,” her smile fell slightly, “some of this information is not for prying ears. Not that they would remember to begin with.”

“Would you catch them, then?” Nova asked.

“Not exactly,” Celestia replied, a bit of a cryptic note behind her voice. “All that we can will be explained soon. Patience, Nova.”

Nova didn’t like being told to be patient, but then he figured that “soon” meant “within the next hour” soon, so that made it easier to take.

They were led to the wing of the castle that had the Royal Bedrooms. Nova had found himself very familiar with the area after his attempt to break into Luna’s a few days before, since the only time he had been in Luna’s room was when he had been teleported there and so he didn’t know his way around. The sitting room was one of the rooms closest to the corps de logis of the castle, probably the better for Celestia and Luna to make their way to the throne room when finished with a break.

The interior of the room was surprisingly bland, though the way it was designed seemed to indicate that it had been a bedroom of some kind before its repurposement. The room was square, with a hearth set into the center of the left wall from the door, a round window on the wall opposite them pointed outward in the direction of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, with Neighton only just visible if Nova craned his neck.

Three couches were arrayed around a coffee table placed before the hearth and laden with books, three shelves of which were on the wall opposite the hearth, and several pictures hung on the walls on either side of the door, window, and hearth.

Most of them featured Celestia with various ponies. One, a young Cadance. Another, a young unicorn mare with a golden coat and a red and gold mane.

But then Nova’s eyes found a picture featuring Celestia and Luna with another mare. It was already distinguishable by the fact that their manes were pink and a light blue respectively, both of which were not their freely-flapping selves by the look of it, but what made it stranger was the appearance of a beautiful mare who looked exactly like Twilight, but roughly ten years older, grinning exactly the same way she did at the camera.

“Princess, who’s this?” he asked, not looking away.

“Mmm,” he could hear Celestia ponder how to answer behind him. “Who do you think it is, Nova?”

“Well, it looks like an older Twilight, but I highly doubt that’s her.”

Twilight sidled up next to him for a look, and she, too, looked quite a bit confused.

“That is a very dear friend of mine from an age long past,” Celestia said, also trotting up next to him to look at the picture. “Back when the Principality of Equestria was still in its formative years. Nova, Twilight, that pony is Lady Clover the Clever, the first Faithful Student and first Prime Magus.”

“Huh.” Nova hadn’t expected Clover to look exactly like Twilight. He’d expected Clover to look more green, like clovers. Were the cutie mark visible, there would be no confusion.

“Yes, and this actually provides us with an excellent segue,” Celestia left their side. “Come and take a seat one one of the couches. It is time you learned the truth.”

“The truth about what?” he asked, his indignation at being kept in the dark starting to show itself again as he and Twilight sat on the couch that directly faced the hearth.

“About the Night Apprentices, the Faithful Students, the Prime Magi and Night Masters, and about the being you met down in the Everfree Vaults,” Luna answered, seated on the right couch, closer to Nova.

"And this information that you clearly knew of already is something you couldn't have given us before we accepted our roles?" Nova asked. Twilight elbowed him, probably in an attempt to tell him to be more respectful.

Needless to say, he had done a lot of thinking over the week.

"Truthfully? You wouldn't have remembered, even if we had," Celestia answered, which only increased Nova's irritation. He was supposed to be outright pissed at his teachers. They had withheld important, literally life-threatening information from them! And yet... for some reason, something was telling him there was, at least, an explanation behind it.

Whether it would be a good or bad one remained to be seen.

"And what about the previous Night Apprentices and Faithful Students?" Nova demanded. "I thought I was the first Night Apprentice. Why was there a vault specifically made for us there, if I was?"

"Nova Shine," Luna frowned at him, "you will not remember this, but we did tell you on the night you were accepted as my Night Apprentice that in the past, my sister and I took on students who had cutie marks of stars as personal students. "You do not recall, correct?"

Nova racked his brain, frowning even deeper than Luna was. "...no. I don't."

"There is an answer to why, related to what we will be talking about today. So please, hold your questions."

"Still, you clearly knew about her. About Envy," he pointed out.

"We did," Celestia nodded.

"And you simply let us blunder into that trap in the Vaults."

"We were watching you in the scrying orb from the moment you set out from your hotel," Celestia replied, giving him an emotionless stare to counter his mildly irritated one. "From above, Philomena kept her watchful eyes on you, and when you began your expedition into the Vaults, we scried everything through the reflective surface of the compass you carried with you.

"So you were watching," Nova conceded. "But you didn't seem to want to jump in and help when Envy started strangling--"

He felt Twilight stiffen beside him and he bit off the end of that remark.

"Truthfully, we were mere moments away from teleporting in and putting a stop to Envy's attempt at murder," Celestia explained, that same dispassion creeping into her voice. "but before we could, you stepped up and drove her off yourself."

"You would have teleported all that way, miles out, into a Vault that prevents a pony from teleporting inside?" he asked skeptically.

"I don't know if the thought occurred to you, Nova," Celestia examined her hoof idly, "but we know a thing or two when it comes to magic. We wouldn't have teleported directly in, but merely right outside the Vault itself, and then charged in horns blazing."

"You still let us blunder into the trap," he pointed out again.

"We did not know that this particular instance were a trap," replied Luna. "We believed Envy to still be sealed within her Soul Jar. But as you clearly saw, we were wrong. We were prepared in case we were wrong, but we still misjudged your situation."

"You still could have told us we were in mortal peril."

"You would have investigated what this mortal peril was," Luna retorted, "and when you would have found nothing, you would have accepted the position regardless. One way or another, here we all stand."

“Hold your other questions for the time being,” Celestia added, sensing that Nova was indeed about to ask another. “I promise, we will tell you all that we can, and it should answer most if not all of your questions, but let us explain first. You will understand why this information was withheld.”

Nova wasn’t convinced, but he trusted the Princesses, so he settled into the couch, feeling yet another little flutter in his gut as Twilight took a seat next to him, her hoof brushing against his for a mere moment.

“We will start with Clover,” stated Celestia, leaning back into her own couch as well. “What history knows of Clover is very incomplete, partly because of her reputation during the Great Migration. As you both know, she played a vital role in saving the Three Patriarchs, alongside Smart Cookie and Private Pansy, and their bond birthed the Fires of Friendship that still warm the land as we speak.

“What you do not know, however, is her story before and after the Great Migration,” Celestia pressed her hooves together under her muzzle. “It begins in Dream Valley, as the unnatural cold of the Windigos is starting to bury the land.”

“I thought the Windigos came quickly,” Nova interrupted. “The Hearth’s Warming story always shows it that way.”

Luna smiled bitterly.

“As with any divide between peoples, the division was long-standing, and as such, the cold the Windigos brought was also a slow encroachment. Indeed, it was six years before the Three Patriarchs left for these lands that the first ponies froze to death.”

“And this picks up a year after that sad occasion,” Celestia nodded sadly. “Clover, at the age of ten, had discovered her cutie mark to be in magic, but with the ice and lack of food, there was no one who would take her in, so her parents, in a last-ditch effort to give their daughter hope, took her to Lord Star Swirl’s aerie, a tower built in the middle of the Mystical Forest.”

“And he obviously took her in,” Nova finished. “Hard to believe she was one of his apprentices, but she isn’t remembered by history.”

“Part of that lies with the other three ponies who were Star Swirl’s apprentices in magic,” Luna explained, smiling. “All three of them have had varying impacts on Equestrian history, some much more than others. His first two apprentices were myself and my sister, after he freed us from being frozen in stone."

"You both were frozen in stone!?" Nova's mouth fell open.

"A story for another time, though we ourselves do not know much about it," Luna waved a hoof, dismissing that topic. "But yes, he freed us and apprenticed us. And after he deemed us to be fully educated, he took on his third apprentice, Prince Luxius, the son of King Crystallis. He was the last prince of the Crystal Empire and was in line to be king, were it not for a coup thrown together by the nobles which resulted in his father’s assassination and his exile. Sombra seized his opportunity in the confusion and took the throne for himself, and you know the rest of that story.”

“Interesting,” Nova stroked his chin. “I didn’t know he was your master.”

“I did,” came a croak from his left.

Nova’s head snapped to Twilight, mouth parted in surprise. She was still staring at the floor, but at least now she ws talking again. Realizing her own inaudibility, she cleared her throat.

“I’ve thought that for a while now. It only made sense, since Luna knew Star Swirl well enough to know how even his clothes were worn.”

“Astute insight, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna praised. “Yes, we were Lord Star Swirl’s pupils, but that is a story for another time.”

“Indeed,” Celestia dipped her head. “Clover was his last apprentice, and her tuition at his hooves was unfinished. When the situation in Canterlot got too bad to bear five years after Clover became his apprentice,, the Princess herself came to Lord Star Swirl’s tower to ask for him to accompany her on her quest to find a new land. Lord Star Swirl had other matters to attend to, so he sent Clover along.”

“And the rest, as they say, is history,” Luna finished. “Everypony knows what happened after that. Clover, Pansy, and Cookie formed a bond that birthed the Fires of Friendship and destroyed the Windigos, and the three tribes all moved westward to Equestria. And for their parts in helping save everyone, Private Pansy received the Pegasi’s Golden Wing and a promotion, Smart Cookie was given a permanent job as Chancellor Puddinghead’s right-hoof mare, and Clover was made Princess Platinum’s own lady-in-waiting.”

“If you were his first pupils,” Nova was struck by a sudden thought, “does that mean you lived in Dream Valley at the time of the Great Freeze?”

“We did,” Luna nodded. “We came over at the same time as the three tribes did, with a small band of ponies to help us lay the foundation for the Principality of Equestria.”

“How long did it take?” Nova asked.

“The history books would have you believe that the Principality of Equestria took root quickly, but the truth is far more complex than that,” Luna said, resting her chin on her hooves, which were pressed together. “Partly because of the play, which skips the immediate decade or so.”

“The first five years of the fledgling nation of Equestria were mostly uneventful,” she continued, “though Discord did attempt to start his kingdom of chaos right around the same time we attempted to cross over.”

“And of course, we used the Elements of Harmony to encase him in stone,” Celestia jumped in again. “With that, we began to construct the city of Everfree, while the Unicorns began to build their city on the mountainside, the Pegasi grouped a great number of clouds together, and the Earth Ponies cleared land for farming.”

“Immediately, we tried to set ourselves apart from them,” Luna smiled. “While the Pegasi built a fortress for their generals and commanders, while the unicorns built a palace to show off their princess’ regality, and while the earth ponies constructed a manor fit for a chancellor, we helped our ponies build a town before we even planned our castle.”

“Quick question,” Nova interrupted. “If Unicornia became Canterlot and Pegasopolis became Cloudsdale, what did Dirtville become?”

“Dirtville did not stay the name for long, actually,” Luna grinned. “As we said, Puddinghead built his manor first, but the rest of the townsponies built their houses close to their farms, with a great gap in between. Eventually, the town sort of developed in that space, but Puddinghead’s manor was still closer to the outskirts rather than in the midst of the town center.”

Sounds like my house, Nova thought, smiling slightly. Wouldn’t that be something if my house turned out to be Puddinghead’s manor?

“No one liked the idea of it being called Dirtville,” Luna continued, “especially when the Chancellor didn’t even live among them. They rechristened the town ‘Ponyville,’ but that name didn’t stick very long either. It was about forty years after its initial founding that they permanently renamed it Neighton.”

“And as you may have guessed,” Celestia’s smile mirrored Nova’s earlier one, “Nova, you actually live in what used to be Chancellor Puddinghead’s manor.”

Nova’s eyebrows shot into his mane and Twilight stared at him, mouth parted slightly. And then her surprise turned into a bit of an angry glare.

“So help me, if I find evidence of even ONE scratch you’ve caused next time I visit…”

“How will you even tell if I’m the one who scratched it?” he asked, his happiness that she was talking to him again briefly overshadowed by his amusement.

“Let’s return the conversation to the topic you are here for,” suggested Luna. “A few rabbit trails are fine, but let’s not go completely out of our way when we’re relaying important information.”

“Yeah, and we need to get past this backstory part of the chapter, anyway.” Nova muttered.:

“So, to pick up, we are building a city instead of a capital, and the others are building a capital instead of a city,” Celestia recapped. Her horn flashed gold and a cup of tea appeared out of thin air. “For the next five years, that was life in Equestria. But on a random day in Unicornia, the main player in our story makes his grand entrance.”

“Nova Shine himself,” Luna said, and Nova had to stifle a bit of a giggle at the little note of dramatics behind Luna’s voice.

“Indeed,” Princess Celestia chose to ignore Nova’s action, “Nova Shine was a riddle wrapped inside a mystery inside an enigma, because though everyone seemed to know he came from Canterlot, not many claimed to have known him before he appeared outside of Unicornia and even though he was the talkative sort, he remained quiet on his past. And ‘appeared’ is the right term here,” she added, “because as best anyone could tell, Nova Shine somehow teleported himself all the way from Dream Valley to Equestria and wound up unconscious in the middle of a charred circle outside Canterlot’s main gates.”

Nova whistled. Damn, my namesake was powerful. Twilight, however, didn’t seem to be taking it as well as he did. She looked completely flabbergasted. “All the way from Dream Valley!?”

“As best anyone could tell,” Luna shrugged. “Caused quite the ruckus. In short order, in a time when unicorns took great pride in magical strength, Nova Shine became one of the most unintentionally-influential ponies in Unicorn society. Or he would have, had he not hightailed it out of Unicornia and gone to everfree that very afternoon.”

Nova snickered. He could just imagine a pony (with a startling resemblance to like Rarity) fawning over a Nova that looked a lot like him, trying to get him to be her best friend and win her all the respect, only to get rebuffed time and again.

“It was that night that I met Nova shine for the first time, for I found him sleeping in a little grove as I patrolled the town,” Luna said, smiling. “We had heard about the havoc he had caused in Canterlot that day, and so I was very eager for a chance to speak with him.”

“Nova, it turned out,” Celestia put her teacup down on the table, “had a way with my sister the like of which I hadn’t seen since Lord Star Swirl was still our teacher. He knew just the thing to say to her to dispel her insecurity about the ponies sleeping during her night, and he even suggested taking on a student to educate so that she would have a constant companion. Naturally, Luna brought the idea before me and I allowed her to go ahead. And so, the position of the Night Apprentice was born, with Nova Shine being its first occupant.”

Twilight’s interest was piqued.

“Wow,” she breathed. “To think one of the greatest minds in magical history learned it all from you, Princess,” she said to Luna.

“Well, at first, the position wasn’t anything special,” Celestia went on, “as Luna was not accustomed to teaching yet, so Nova Shine was little more than a diplomat, tempering his control over his own formidable Source and mana pool, so he did very little magic learning for first few months. Instead, he helped broker agreements between the pegasi and earth ponies regarding the weather and food exchange, as well as slowly building a good relation with the Principality of Equestria. After he had established himself as a very fine diplomat, we sent him to the unicorns to see if he could open up negotiations with them.”

“And it was here,” Luna cut in,” that Nova Shine first met Lady Clover the Clever. Clover, as the lady-in-waiting, was to be Unicornia’s representative in opening diplomatic ties. Nova and Clover hit it off almost from the moment they met, and negotiations were concluded within two days. Clover volunteered to become the unicorn ambassador to Equestria, and shortly after, my sister created the Faithful Student position.”

Nova hopped out of his seat and began to pace around the room, still soaking all this information in.

“Now, remember how Nova was influential because of his magical prowess?” Celestia asked, eyes twinkling. “Well, it led to no shortage of mares applying for the Faithful Student position.”

Nova snorted. Of course.

“He was powerful, if unrefined, but he was also very witty, handsome, and quite the educated student. In short, he was perceived as, using today’s term, Equestria’s most eligible bachelor. Why,” she snickered, “Nova once had to chase a mare out of his house at three o’clock AM so he could sleep.”

“I can only imagine what that must have been like,” Nova remarked, chortling. “To have mares falling at your feet all over the place…”

“The levity does not last long, Nova,” Luna chided. “It was one of these mares who was the being who would become Envy.”

And sure enough, the grin slid off his face. “So, she was the ultimate stalker?”

Celestia tilted her head. “Not necessarily. As best anyone knew, Envy was one of the few who had known Nova in Canterlot, and she sought the position legitimately to try and learn magic, but also to spend more time with him. It did not play out the way she had hoped, and because her apprenticeship to Star Swirl was unfinished, I ultimately chose Clover. It had the added bonus of strengthening ties with the unicorns as well.”

“And in Clover’s eyes, it meant more time to spend with Nova, with whom she was rapidly falling in love,” added Luna, smiling sagely. “And though he denied it to us, Nova, too, was developing feelings for Clover as well.”

“Well, obviously,” Nova commented dryly, glancing at the wall with the hearth, the wall with the door, and the wall with the window as he attempted to organize his thought. “The stallion likes the mare, the mare likes the stallion. The mare is open about it, the stallion keeps it to himself, leading to all this unnecessary drama and tension. Really, this story just writes itself, doesn’t it?” he asked, leaning on the fourth wall.

Luna chuckled at Nova’s quip. “Remind me, Nova, who is sitting on this couch over here?”

Nova opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly saw what she was getting at. “Right. Stopping thought.”

“Regardless,” Celestia seemed determined to steer the conversation back onto its original topic, “it was apparent to everyone that Nova and Clover were developing feelings for each other. Things came to a head on the night we finished construction on the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, in which Clover asked to borrow Nova for a bit, and when she was granted that request, she dragged Nova out onto the battlements.”

Her countenance darkened, and Nova almost felt the room’s overall mood shift as a result.

“What happened up there only they knew, but we can hazard a guess that Nova and Clover finally confessed their feelings to one another, but what cannot be denied is that the one who would become Envy had followed them, and she caught sight of them. This drove her into such a rage that she attempted to kill Clover in her sleep. Luckily, Nova was on hand to defend Clover from the attack, and she was captured and dragged before us.”

“All of this, just because she didn’t get the guy?” Nova asked, incredulously.

“The pinings of the heart can do very strange things to ponies,” Luna bowed her head. “In some, it can inspire them to become the best they can be, but in others, it drags them downward. Such was the case of Envy.”

“And it was here, that we committed the sin of hubris,” Celestia’s voice grew ever so quiet. “We had used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord and seal him within stone, so Luna and I used the Elements of Harmony on Envy, decreeing that because she had attempted to end a life, she would no longer be able to interact with anypony else’s lives.”

She grimaced. “The Elements were not a tool for discipline. They were for defense, and our breach of that use caused the Elements to turn our own decree against us. Envy indeed was turned to shadow, but was still able to compose herself and strike. Nova Shine had to capture her in a Soul Jar just to keep her contained, but it didn’t hold for very many years before she was out again.”

She shook her head sadly. “Nova vanished that very day.”

“What?” Nova asked.

“But if he and Clover finally confessed feelings, wouldn’t they pursue a relationship after that?” Twilight asked, unconsciously glancing at her own Nova Shine right next to her.

“No, they did not,” Luna also shook her head. “No one could say where or why he had gone. Some believed Nova blamed himself for what happened to Envy, which seemed a very plausible explanation. Either way, he didn’t finish his tenure as the Night Apprentice, leaving Clover alone to learn from myself and my sister. Clover was heartbroken for the first several months, but eventually graduated from her apprenticeship and became the first Prime Magus. She married, had children, and lived peacefully thereafter.”

“But Nova had to come back,” protested Twilight indignantly. “History says he became one of the most brilliant magical minds. He and Star Swirl wrote almost 60% of the spells still in use today between them!”

“And indeed, Nova Shine did appear in Everfree for the first time in many years not long after Clover was married,” Luna nodded. “He was once again taken on as the Night Apprentice, finished out his education, became the second Night Master, mastered magic like none before him save for Star Swirl, married one of Lord Star Swirl’s descendants, sired a bloodline that would eventually produce our Night Apprentice today, and died peacefully in his sleep.”

Nova didn’t know what to say after that. How… sad, he thought. He had everything he wanted, but because he blamed himself for Envy when it wasn’t even his fault, he threw it all away.

He glanced at Twilight, who quickly looked away. Kinda like the opposite of what’s going on with me, eh?

Sure. If you want to call you panicking at lip contact “love.” Which we’re not in, might I add. We’re not even dating her yet.

Fair point.

“We took on more Night Apprentices and Faithful Students after that,” Luna continued, a bit louder and less melancholy. “Each time, Envy would escape and attempt to rampage, but each time, the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student would stop her, sometimes with the help of the Prime Magi and Night Masters. A few cycles in, and it began to dawn on Envy that they knew she was coming. And this is where the complications begin.”

“Subtlety was always Envy’s strongest attribute,” Celestia smiled humorlessly. “The fact that ponies knew she was around was unacceptable. So, at one point in one of her many escapes, she scoured the furthest reaches of Equestria, searching for any scrap of parchment with her name on it, and destroyed it. Then, in one of her more brilliant moves, she cast a curse upon herself, causing anypony who had never met her in person to forget her, even if they had read her name in a surviving book or such.”

Nova felt himself grow cold.

“And since a lot of her mentions were linked with the Night Apprentices, Faithful Students, Night Masters, and Prime Magi, all of their history vanished in a very quick window, and given their very prominent positions, they were in a great many history books. In short, much of our history pre-Nightfall is lost because Envy made it so. Now do you see why you never knew?” Celestia looked at both of them meaningfully.

“Y-yeah,” Nova nodde. “I… I’m sorry about blaming you for not telling us.”

“It is not your fault,” Celestia dismissed, “and your reaction was to be expected. That is why you will find very few ponies who are even aware that the Night Apprentices and Faithful Students existed before Nightfall, and even fewer who are aware of Envy’s existence.”

"But I do have to ask," Nova interjected before Twilight could ask her question, "could you not have informed us, in the general sense, 'hey, something's going to try to kill you!'?"

"You would have wanted to know what," Luna answered. "And when we could not provide an answer you would remember, you would have either investigated it yourself and gained no ground, or you would have waved me off and accepted the position regardless."

She does have a point, Logic pointed out. You were so desperate to be able to study magic, you probably would have taken up this position even if she had told you.

“So, some ponies today know who Envy is?” Twilight asked, sounding noticeably less dejected than she had been as of late, which set Nova’s mind more at ease.

“Yes, actually,” Luna nodded. “And with any luck, you will get to meet them. Every Night Apprentice and Faithful Student has, in some way, kept a record of their experiences. You do it with your own letters to my sister, and Nova has a journal he keeps. When the time comes that you graduate from your apprenticeship, your letters will be compiled and published in a single copy, which will be handed over to the Bookkeeper. the pony whose family has been charged with keeping the many diaries of the many students safe from Envy’s influence over the years.”

“How does he know about Envy if he’s never met her in person?” Nova asked. “Is there an exception to the rule?”

And for what seemed like the thousandth time that afternoon, Celestia smiled. “Yes, actually. The Bookkeeper for Faithful Student Star Dancer and Night Apprentice Sanguine enchanted every one of the diaries with a spell that dispelled Envy’s curse on its reader. Often, the Bookkeeper would share with his closest friends as well, because if the information got too public, Envy would come after those journals as well, and prepared though we are, she would find a way.”

“Why is he called the Bookkeeper?” asked Nova. “That seems like a really lame name.”

“Because it was the best thing we could think of,” admitted Luna, “He keeps a collection of books. He’s not a librarian, for the books in question are not checked out and in; they are your’s to consider property, until you graduate and a new cycle begins.”

“When can we meet this pony?” he asked, eager to read the books for himself. Celestia and Luna glanced at each other meaningfully, something Nova did not miss. His eager smile fell.

“We… can meet them, right?”

“Yes, you can,” Luna assured him, but there was something off about the way she said it. As though there were some hesitance behind it. “But we will discuss that later. Arrangements will need to be made.”

Nova noticed a slight flare-up of energy from her, and instantly his suspicions were increased tenfold. What are they hiding…?

As if she could sense Nova’s distrust, Celestia took the opportunity to address him. “Nova, I assure you that there is a reason this information is being withheld from you at the present. I promise, once you hear who the Bookkeeper is, you will understand why, and you may not like it. You will know who the Bookkeeper is by day’s end, but you will have to be patient just a little longer.”

He felt no telltale flare-up from Princess Celestia’s aura, so his suspicions did decrease, but they were not entirely gone. Still, who would it be that would make them so hesitant to tell him?

“It’s not my father, is it?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

“No,” Celestia and Luna both said together, and Nova could hear the slight frantic edge behind it. For some reason, it felt grimly satisfying, knowing that they were so quick to disavow his father of such an important job.

“You will know soon enough,” Luna assured him again. “We are almost finished with our brief history, and then we will answer any more questions you may have.”

The response seemed reasonable enough, so Nova crossed his arms leaned back on the couch, not failing to notice Twilight leaning into him just a fraction.

“After Envy destroyed all of her own references throughout history,” Continued Celestia, “you can imagine that this gave her an unprecedented edge in her last few cycles with the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student. Nevertheless, she was defeated and re-sealed within a Soul Jar every single time. Obviously, the cycle came to an abrupt end at the time of my sister’s… absence,” Nova noticed Luna shift uncomfortably in her spot, “but it has begun anew with the two of you.”

“You took on other Faithful Students during the last millennium,” pointed out Nova.

“The last Night Apprentice and Faithful Student of their day, Comet and Sunbeam, both graduated from their apprenticeships shortly after Nightfall,” Celestia nodded, “but as there was no Night Apprentice, I felt no need to take on a Faithful Student. That is, until I met a precocious young mare about… oh, six-hundred years ago, whom I felt would benefit from training. Amethyst Sparkle went on to become a very prestigious Archmage of Canterlot. After that, I did offer a helping hoof to several unicorns attempting to study the mysteries of the arcane, though I only took on just the few true Faithful Students.”

“Speaking of, what about the other Faithful Students?” Twilight asked. “There were only two more after Nightfall, Amethyst not included.”

Nova noticed Luna shift uncomfortably.

“Princess Cadance was a Faithful Student,” answered Celestia, nodding approvingly at her pupil, “but I educated her only after she had become an alicorn. She was the first non-unicorn to hold the position, and she is currently the only living Prime Magus. The other was Sunset Shimmer. I was educating her around the time I found you, Twilight.”

Nova noticed that her voice had suddenly gained a distant quality, and that there was a certain somberness in her eyes, though she attempted to mask it.

“She ran away, I do not know where, but she was very ambitious, and her desire to rise through the ranks quickly and without patience ultimately led her to leave me when she felt she was not getting what she wanted quickly enough.”

The mood in the room had darkened instantly, and Nova didn’t like it one bit. Plus, he still had a question that needed answering.

“So,” he said, a little louder than he usually would, which successfully broke the spell of the room, “now that Envy is back, what should we do?”

“A good question,” Celestia nodded, “but ultimately, one we cannot answer completely, nor to your satisfaction, I believe.”

“Envy never tried the same ploy more than once,” Luna explained. “All of her ploys involve attempting to divide the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student, the better to slay them without having to worry about the other, but exactly how she goes about doing that changes every time.”

“And Envy is not limited to just the two of you,” cautioned Celestia, giving them both a look. “She will not leave bystanders alone. She was able to control Trixie because Trixie’s mind had been weakened by the Alicorn Amulet, and even then her control wasn't outright. She acted as little more than a voice in Trixie's head up until very recently. That being said, Trixie would hardly be the first pony she had used to get to our two students.”

Nova felt Twilight stiffen next to him, and glanced over, to see a horrified expression crossing her face.

“Something the matter?” he asked.

“It’s… my fault,” she whispered, her voice reflecting the same horror as her face exuded. Nova glanced up to see Celestia and Luna exchange alarmed looks.

“Excuse me?” he asked, but Twilight just buried her face in her hooves.

“It’s my fault!” she wail. “If I hadn’t humiliated her all those years ago, she wouldn’t have gotten the amulet to begin with! Trixie’s being controlled by Envy because of me!”

And before Nova could try to shut off her catastrophic train of logic, she collapsed into a sobbing mess. Instantly, he leapt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her as she broke down completely.

“Twilight, look at me,” he commanded.

She continued sobbing, but he could tell she was trying to steady herself. It took some time, but finally, with a slight hic, she squirmed out of his grasp and looked up at him, eyes betraying the hysterics beneath the surface, showing that the effort she was exerting just to not break down in front of him was staggering.

“It’s not your fault,” he stated sternly.

“Yes it--” she started, but Nova stuck a hoof on her lips.

“It’s not your fault. Twilight, listen, it is not your fault.”

Her lips quivered, and without warning, she grabbed him and broke down again, sobbing into his shoulder. This time, rather than try to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault, which he had a feeling she was starting to accept, he simply stroked her mane and crooned, “It’s going to be alright,’ in her ear. He didn’t know how long he was there, nor did he care. His best friend needed him, and that’s all that mattered.

A gentle touch on his shoulder made him pull back to see Princess Celestia beaming down at him, but she gestured that he move away.

He did so hesitantly, in case of another breakdown, but Twilight was leaning back on her own, eyes clenched shut, and taking great gulps of air. Occasionally, a tremor would rack her body as her lungs would try to sob again. But this gave him plenty of time to clean up his drenched shoulder.

After a few moments longer, it almost looked like she was meditating. She looked at peace, the redness around her eyes notwithstanding. And finally, after just a moment longer, she opened her eyes eyes and sighed.

“Thank-you,” she mumbled to him. He sniffed and smiled warmly at her.

“Anything for my best friend,” he said sincerely. Luna caught his eye and winked, but Nova turned away, feeling heat rise to his cheeks.

“Twilight, I must ask you to come with me,” Celestia said, laying a gentle hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “You could use a pick-me-up after the week I understand you’ve had, and there are things I am sure we need to talk about. Nova and Luna will join us in time.”

Twilight nodded, rubbing a hoof on her nose and sniffling.

“‘Kay,” she grunted, before sliding out of her seat and following Celestia as she led her out of the room. Just before the door closed behind her, Twilight glanced back at him and caught Nova’s eyes one last time, her glowing look communicating gratitude and… something more. Nova didn’t know, but when he locked eyes, he felt the strange leaping feeling in his gut that he was starting to get used to.

I guess now’s the opportunity to ask her.

But just as Nova opened his mouth, Luna held up a hoof. He forestalled his question, waiting for her to make the first statement.

“Night Apprentice Nova Shine,” she began, and he could hear a very odd note of formality in her voice, “never have I felt such pride in one of my pupils. You have come a very long way, both in your magical prowess to your relationships with others. I am very proud of how you reacted to Twilight’s current state of mind.”

Nova shrugged modestly. “She’s my best friend. I’d do almost anything to help her.”

“Indeed,” Luna smiled at him. “Either way, it is a far cry from the colt who first agreed to become my Night Apprentice three years ago. I watched you through the scrying orb as you met Envy. I watched you stand your ground, watched you leap to Twilight’s defense and ward her off. You are becoming a fine Night Apprentice, and an even finer stallion.”

Nova looked away, feeling his cheeks burn at the praise. “Really, it’s nothing anyone else would have done.”

“But now comes the part that I have been dreading,” the pride in her voice had vanished, leaving Nova apprehensive.

“What part?”

“We told you before that you would know who the Bookkeeper is,” she answered. “Lord Star Swirl was the first to watch the diaries,a t Nova’s and Clover’s request. He has passed it down through his family line. If you did pay attention, then you know Nova Shine the 1st did marry one of Lord Star Swirl’s descendents, making you part of that family line.”

Nova felt quite a bit of pride well up. He was one of Star Swirl the Bearded’s descendents! Twilight was going to be so jealous when she found out. If she hadn’t already pieced it together, that is.

“Your family is not his main line, you can rest assured of that. His line of firstborn down the years, however, became known as the Lulamoon family,” Nova felt his insides grow cold, “and as such, the current Bookkeeper is none other than Tantalus Lulamoon.”

Nova stared at her.

No. This cannot be. This cannot be. There has to be a mistake. There’s no way he could be the Bookkeeper.

Without realizing it, he had grit his teeth.

“You mean to tell me,” he asked in a dangerous voice, unconsciously rising to his hooves, “that the one pony who holds the key to mine and Twilight’s lives is the one who cost me my future?”

Luna met his furious gaze with her calm and cool one. “Nova, I will not pretend like this is a mission you have to like. Nor will I make an unreasonable expectation of you. I do not expect this to happen overnight. But for the sake of your’s and Twilight’s lives, you must make your peace with Tantalus Lulamoon.”

“Do you know what that… that…” he searched for the right word, “that bastard did to me!?”

“Remind me,” Luna answered coolly.

“He cost me my future!” Nova yelled, snarling. “He cost me my place at Celestia’s School! He forced me into this life as a wanderer! How could I go back to my father after he thought I had been accepted!? I would have been twice the shame I ever was to him before that!”

“For your information, he has spent his time ever since banished from our presence and regretting the decision you are so victimized by,” said Luna idly, obviously doing her utmost not to goad Nova into further fury.

She had failed.

“THAT MAKES IT SO MUCH BETTER!” Nova screamed. “THAT FIXES EVERYTHING! I’LL JUST GO BACK IN TIME AND GO TO SCHOOL, SHALL I?”

“Be still.” she commanded, her earlier cool attitude now replaced by disappointed anger, andher voice amplified via magic and feeling as though she had shouted directly into his soul.

Nova wanted to continue shouting, wanted so desperately to try to make her understand, but of course, she wouldn’t have it.

“There is far more at stake here than an old feud, however justified it may be,” she said, a hard edge to her voice. “For your own sake as well as Twilight’s, you must put it aside for the time being and speak to Tantalus civilly. If you cannot put aside your own feelings and do what must be done, then your blind, selfish behavior will doom not only you, but those you care about, and possibly even all of Equestria. Until you do, your apprenticeship will be suspended.”

“WHAT!?” he thundered, but she continued.

“If you will not do it for those you care about, or for your own sake or even because it is the right thing to do, then I will suspend something I know you value until you do.”

Nova gaped at her. She can’t! She-- she…

She’s my teacher, she has every right to, he realized, suddenly completely defeated. She was right. He did value his own education quite highly. After all, he loved magic. He loved studying it and casting it. And to lose it...

“Fine,” Nova growled. “How long do I have to pretend like I don’t hate his guts?”

Luna regarded him for a moment, leading Nova to believe he had finally gone one step too far, but he was wrong.

“Tomorrow, you will go and speak to the Headmaster of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” she said, her voice making it quite clear there was no room for negotiation.

“Won’t he be busy?” Nova asked sourly. “You can’t just drop in on an important--”

“If he has a problem, direct him to me,” she cut him off. “I highly doubt you will have to worry about that. Professor Hoofman has always favored you.”

Nova blinked.

“Professor who?”

Had she just said who he thought she had just said?

“Professor Hoofman. Thomas Hoofman, former Dean of Magic at the Manehattan Institute of Magic, and before that, a Professor of Magic at the same,” Luna said. “I believe you know him?”

“Know him?” scoffed Nova, feeling his mouth start to smile against his will. “The stallion mentored me in magic before you did. I didn’t know he had become the Headmaster for Celestia’s school.”

“Yes,” Luna nodded, “it was a very recent promotion. As recent as the day before our assessment, as a matter of fact, meaning you likely would have seen it in the Equestria Daily if you had seen it that morning.”

“I must have missed it,” Nova said, the memory of him high-tailing it out of his house with steam scalding his back fresh in his mind.

“Hmm,” Luna didn’t look convinced. “Either way, tomorrow, you will visit him. Tomorrow, you will hear every bit of the report that the school’s own inquiry uncovered. Perhaps then, you may finally leave the past in the past, and then perhaps you will go and speak to Tantalus, perhaps not as a friend but at least not as an enemy.”

“No promises,” said Nova curtly. “Will Twilight be joining me?”

“Only if you want her to,” answered Luna. She got to her hooves. “I believe we have kept her and my sister waiting long enough.“

“One quick question before we go,” Nova quickly added, remembering what he had originally intended to ask her.

“Yes, my apprentice?”

“Have you ever heard of any illnesses involving a certain sort of flutter in your gut?”

Luna narrowed her eyes and stared at the wall for a moment.

“Describe your symptoms,” she said.

“It’s weird,” he answered, shrugging. “Ever since my trip to Trottingham, my gut has been fluttering and leaping and jittering every so often. A book suggested it must have been something I ate, but it’s been a good week now. Another suggestion was terminal cancer--”

“It’s not terminal cancer, I don’t know why everyone automatically assumes that,” Luna facepalmed.

“No, I didn’t think so,” he nodded, “but I wanted to see if you knew anything about it before I went to see a doctor.”

She continued to scrutinize the wall for several quiet moments, before her eyes suddenly widened just a fraction.

“When these jitters happen,” she said, and Nova was surprised to hear a strange note of glee in her voice, “do they happen at very specific moments? Say, when looking at a particular pony, or receiving the occasional brush from them?”

“Now that you mention it,” Nova thought back to every instance he could think of, “yeah, it does. Every time, it involves Twilight. Could it be some kind of magical illness.”

Luna snickered. “Oh, it’s magical alright, but it is certainly not an illness.”

“What are you talking about?” Nova asked, confused.

“Congratulations, Nova Shine,” she smirked. “You’ve fallen in love.”

And she was off, leading him down to where they waited while Nova chased after her, demanding a proper answer.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“I just don’t understand him,” moaned Twilight as she set down her empty glass and swiveled in her bar stool to face her mentor. “I mean, seriously, one minute it seems like he’s got the same feelings as I do, but then he’s running away from them the next.”

“But you do think he shares your feelings?” Celestia asked, setting down her own glass of gin and tonic.

“I don’t know,” groaned Twilight, slumping over the bar and holding out her glass to be refilled with Sweet Apple Acres Reserve hard cider. “I just… I just don’t get him.”

“Only one more for the mare, Honeyed Brew,” she directed the bartender stallion.

“Sure thing, Princess,” the stallion saluted, his voice a refreshingly snoot-free change from the nobles she’d had to spend the better part of the day dealing with. He refilled the glass and handed it to Twilight, who promptly took a great gulp of it.

“You seem to know your way around cider,” observed Celestia. “I always thought you never went near the stuff.”

“Applejack’s family only makes any kind of cider once a year,” Twilight explained. “And it’s too good to ignore when it’s out. And given the circumstances, some chocolate and some cider would really brighten my mood.”

“I hear that,” the Princess smirked. “When you have graduated, and you’re no longer my student, we need more times like this, where we just have a drink and catch up on old times.”

“What, do you want me to take the train all the way to Canterlot just for this?” Twilight asked, smiling into her glass as she took a sip.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’ll be a problem, given the frequency of your visits to Canterlot now and in the future,” she said, thinking about a particular book Luna was preparing to send to Twilight.

Twilight finished her glass and put it back on the bar, whereupon Honeyed Brew collected it and set to washing it. Celestia wasn’t keen on ending the silence, preferring instead to simply let the light dosage of alcohol do its part to cheer her up. A quick look around the castle’s pub showed that the Day Shift of the guard was ending, and more and more guards were filing in for dinner or a drink. A couple of thestrals were even playing billiards over at one of the tables, and all the while, a jazz ensemble played a very entertaining number.

“How are you feeling?” she finally asked, as Twilight also took a look around the pub.

“Much better,” answered Twilight, before using a hoof to straighten her mane.

“Are you feeling inebriated in any way?”

“No,” Twilight shook her head. “I’m feeling more relaxed and definitely more happy than I was when we walked in, but motor control still feels normal, and there’s no rising heat in my cheeks.”

“Good,” Celestia smiled. “So now we can return to your boy issues.”

Twilight snorted. “Are you trying to do Cadance’s job?”

“No,” Celestia shook her head, “but if I may ask, if you had to give me an honest assessment of your feelings about Nova, and his about you, what would you say?”

As Nova confided in no one, and Twilight was simultaneously one of the best ponies who could notice details no one else would, and one of the most honest self-examiners she had ever met, she trusted this to be possibly the most accurate account of the both of them she would get, and she was not disappointed.

“Truthfully,” Twilight sighed, “I thought I was crushing on him not long ago. He was smart, funny, good with magic, and it certainly helped that he was pretty easy on the eyes, you know what I mean?” she added, smiling a bit bashfully. “But… when I was holed up in my room, as soon as he was back, he rushed right to my bedside and tried to assure me that he hadn’t done what Envy pretending to be Trixie had said.v I just,” she stopped, and Celestia could see her working her tongue in her mouth, “I just knew it. I just knew that at that moment, I didn’t just like him anymore. Now, I…” her head sagged, “I love him.”

Celestia hummed thoughtfully. So it was all playing out just as she had thought it would.

“But what about him?” she asked, having heard all she needed of Twilight’s own feelings.

“For him? Like I said, I just don’t know,” she sighed and again slumped over the bar. “Before our trip to Trottingham, I couldn’t say whether or not he was crushing on me at all, but after… I don’t think there can be any doubt that he has feelings for me somewhere deep down.”

“Deep down?” Celestia tilted her head. “With how often he interacts with you, wouldn’t they be close to the surface, if they existed at all?”

“I think he tries to hide them,” Twilight thought aloud. “He never wants to let me in at all, but at Trottingham, I caught him looking at me under the Hearth’s Warming tree in a way I had never seen him look at anyone before. It was…” she smiled at the memory, “it was like I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.”

“Hmm,” Celestia hummed again, intrigued.

“We even kissed,” Twilight admitted, her cheeks growing pinker with each passing second, “but he had a full panic attack in the middle of it and pulled away.”

“What makes you think it was a panic attack?” asked Celestia. She had no doubt it was true, but what had clued her in?

“The symptoms matched up,” Twilight shrugged.

“Well, as I am sure you must have figured by now, Nova is far from as stable a pony as you,” Celestia explained, taking another sip from her G&T. “He has always kept a cool and unflappable exterior, but deep down,” she paused, staring at a slight chip in her glass, “deep down he’s about as broken as they come.”

Twilight didn’t have anything to say to that, so Celestia continued.

“My sister is having Nova go and speak to the Headmaster of my school tomorrow,” she took another sip, “and if you went with him, you would likely learn quite a bit more about his past, and what made him turn out how he did.”

“He’s going to speak to Nocturnal Glow?” Twilight asked.

“No, he retired a few months back,” Celestia shook her head. “The headmaster now is Doctor Thomas Hoofman, formerly dean of M.I.M.’s Spellstudies department. He was also Nova’s mentor before he met Luna. If you want to learn more about him, I would suggest accompanying Nova as he goes.”

Twilight nodded, staring at the bottles behind Honeyed Brew’s bar.

“And if I may share a bit of advice,” Celestia leaned in, “be patient with him. If you think he does have these feelings, a sentiment I share, then let him make the first move on his own time.”

“If he ever does,” complained Twilight.

“I’m sure he will,” assured Celestia. “But if you act prematurely, you may ruin your chances at a relationship with him for a very long time.”

Twilight said nothing, instead continuing to stare at the liquor bottles, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Just something to think about,” Celestia patted her back. “Luna and Nova are on their way down. Let’s finish cleaning up, and we’ll go and meet them.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

It seemed that, in the time spent speaking with Luna, Twilight Sparkle had returned to her old adorkable self, something Nova was devoutly thankful for.

Except that Nova could smell alcohol on her breath. Celestia insisted she was perfectly sober despite it, and Nova took her word for it, since Twilight seemed to be in fine control over herself.

“Feeling better?” he asked her as they set off, out of the castle and back toward Upper Canterlot.

“Much better, thank-you,” Twilight almost sounded as relieved she was better as he did. “I’m sorry I haven’t spoken all week. I just…” she trailed off, apparently searching for the right way to describe it.

“It’s alright,” Nova reached over and patted her on the back. “I get it. You went and turtled inside a little shell. As it happens,” he shrugged, “I do the same thing when I get seriously upset. You’re not alone.”

She smiled warmly at Nova for his assurance, and they continued on their way. Though the verbal conversation was silent, Nova’s mind was rife with thoughts.

That’s impossible, he thought, thinking back to Princess Luna’s last little comment as she led him out. I can’t be in love. I don’t even know what being in love is like. Wouldn’t I know if I was or not?

If Rarity’s sappy romance novels would have us believe, probably not, Logic countered. Like I said, we’re not in love with Twilight Sparkle. We’re not dating. We’re friends, and at the moment, that is all.

A fair point. But what if…

What if we take that first step?

I did promise we’d have an answer after we found out what was in the Vaults.

No, you promised you would have an answer after the nightmares were dealt with.

And in case you haven’t noticed, not a single nightmare in a week. Longer than any previous spell without them.

That doesn’t mean they’re gone; only that they haven’t resurfaced since Envy revealed herself. Still, do what you wish. I’m just a figment of your imagination designed to serve as a logical counter-arguer, so what can I do?

“Nova?”

A hoof was waving in front of his face. Nova blinked as he suddenly returned his attention to his surroundings. So absorbed in his mental conversation was he that he had failed to notice he had stopped keeping pace with Twilight, and had stopped at a street corner, in front of a little café.

“Sorry,” he shook his head, further clearing his thoughts. “Just… had a lot on my mind lately.”

“Want to talk about it?” she asked as they resumed their walk from there.

“There’s a lot to talk about,” he mentally went over the list. “What we learned today, Envy, any changes to our current arrangement now that we’ve found out what’s been going on in the Everfree Vaults, us…”

“‘Us?’” asked Twilight, looking over. “Are we talking about us us, or just…” she waved a hoof vaguely through the air, “us?”

Nova snorted. “Your eloquence astounds me, Twilight.”

She swatted him with her tail. “You know what I mean,” she groaned. “About our current relationship? Or about our situation?”

“Little bit of both, I say,” Nova shrugged. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last week.”

“Not including that little moment right there,” she pointed out.

“Well, yes,” he admitted sheepishly. “The point is, I’ve been thinking about our little talk on the train. I’ve been thinking about what it is I want, and since our little… casual date where two best friends can hang out in a completely platonic manner,” Twilight rolled her eyes, “I’ve been thinking about my feelings for you.”

There was silence between them for a moment as Nova searched for a good way to phrase what he wanted to articulate.

“Listen,” he began apologetically, “I honestly haven’t the slightest idea how I feel about you, other than that you’re my best friend. Obviously, things have changed since the lights festival, and I’ve been thinking about that as well, but I have gotten nowhere. But,” he sighed, “I did promise you I’d have an answer for you “

“Nova,” and here, Nova was startled to hear a bit of dismay in her voice, “I don’t want to push you into having an answer. I want you to be ready when you do have one, whatever way it may go.”

“What do you mean?” Nova asked.

“I mean,” Twilight glanced at the ground, “I don’t want to force you into saying yes or no. I want you to decide that for yourself. And if you want me to stop being so open about it, I can.”

Nova blinked again. This wasn’t how this conversation was supposed to go.

“No, no,” he shook his head vigorously. “I mean, Twilight, I’ve been doing this thinking for me. It doesn’t just involve you, you know. And I’ve come to the conclusion…” he felt his mouth go dry and he swallowed, “that I don’t want you to stop.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to blink dumbly. “Uhh, sorry, what does that mean?”

“It means,” he said, inwardly taking a deep breath, “that I’ve thought about it, and I am willing to give us a shot.”

Twilight’s mouth parted in surprise. “You,” she swallowed, “are you saying--?”

“Am I saying that I’m agreeing to be your coltfriend?” She nodded. “That I am,” he confirmed, and she broke into a wide grin. “But! You know the deal, here,” he reminded her sternly. “If I don’t feel like it’s going anywhere, it’s off. Got it?”

“Yes,” she breathed, still beaming. “That’s something I think I can live with.”

And before Nova could do anything, she had sidled up to him and was nuzzling hi quite fiercely as they continued on their way to her parents’ home. And though Nova would normally have asked her to stop… there was just something about it that he liked.

“What the actual hell,” Night Light stared after Twilight after they had gotten home and she had gone to her room. “She leaves a zombie, she comes back completely full of life. Nova, what did you do!?”

“Well, Princess Celestia gave her a bit of a pick-me-up, so if you smell a bit of alcohol on her breath, that’s where it came from,” he avoided Night Light’s eye as he said that. “Both she and the Princess assured me that she was perfectly sober though.”

“So, just the alcohol, then? I find that hard to believe,” Night stepped in front of the stairs before Nova could go up.

“Well,” he glanced away so Night couldn’t see him blush, “I also… sort of… asked her out.”

Night Light said nothing, instead staring quite sternly at him, until Nova finally chanced to make eye contact. When he did, Night scowled.

“You do realize, you’re supposed to go to a mare’s father before you start courting her, right?”

“She came on to me, I swear!” he protested. “Besides, I kinda just figured you’d be alright with it…”

“Well you thought wrong, my boy!” Night leaned himself into Nova’s face. “Wrong! I am not alright with this! All this trouble she goes off and gets into…”

And suddenly, without really knowing how, Nova was pulled into a strong hug.

“...and after what happened in the Vaults, you're one of the few I would trust her life with.”

“Then… then you approve?” he asked nervously, not sure how to react.

“My boy,” Night backed away from him, a fatherly look on his face, “you have had my blessing since you saved her life.”

His fatherly look fell and he frowned at Nova.

“But Nova, make no mistake,” his voice had gotten quiet, “she may live on her own, and she may make her own decisions, but if I hear anything about you toying with her heart or otherwise not treating like the princess she deserves to be treated as, the very gates of Sombra’s palace itself wouldn’t be able to protect you.”

“You can count on me not to do that,” Nova gave a quick little salute.

Night smiled and nodded, that response clearly good enough for him. “I knew it, you know,” he glanced up the stairs behind him. “She acted the same way her mother had when she was trying to get my attention. If I may ask, what made you see the light?”

“Lights, as a matter of fact,” Nova smirked at his little joke. “We spent a night in Trottingham at the lights festival. Just kinda… clicked, I guess. Though a little reminder that life can be fleeting never hurts.”

Night grunted.

Just like the first time, dinner was to die for. Again the thought wandered through his head that meals like this alone were a perfectly valid reason to marry Twilight.

The key to a stallion’s heart is through his stomach! he thought.

And the key to yours is missing in action.

Quiet, Logic. Let me have my night.

“Hey, Twilight?” Night Light placed a hoof on his daughter’s shoulder as she got up from the table, “your mother and I want to talk to you before you head off to bed.”

“Oh, umm,” she cast a nervous glance at Nova.

“It’s nothing bad,” Night assured her.

Nova nodded. “Just the usual Dad grilling about the cute, narcissistic colt you’re dating,” he said, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin and taking his plate over to Velvet’s sink. “I’ll see you when you’re done, alright?”

“Oh, okay,” she looked a bit relieved.

“Oh! And before I forget,” Nova turned back to Night and Velvet, “do you mind if I stay an extra day tomorrow? Princess Luna has me going to Celestia’s School tomorrow to talk with the Headmaster. Don’t know how long it’ll take, and I could need a place to stay if we get finished late enough.”

“Of course, dear!” Velvet smiled sweetly at him. “You are always welcome here.”

“Especially with you dating my little Twinklesparky.”

“DAD!” Twilight’s face went beet red.

“I think I’ll just head upstairs and wait it out,” said Nova, wisely removing himself from the room before any teasing could come his way. But once he was upstairs, instead of going to Shining Armor’s room, he instead ducked into Twilight’s.

Might as well pick something interesting to read while I wait, he reasoned as he looked through the book selection, before finally settling on a compilation of H. Pony Lovecraft’s novels.

“...and Twilight?” Night caught her shoulder as Twilight attempted to duck out of the room, their little conversation now over.

Twilight groaned. “What, Dad?”

“You have my blessing.”

She grinned. “Thanks, Dad.”

Night Light shrugged. “Hey, he earned it.”

With that, she cantered up the stairs before he could drag her back for some more ribbing. A quick glance inside Shining’s room revealed it to be empty, meaning he was probably in her room, reading.

What does he read for fun? she wondered.

Smiling mischievously, she cast an advanced spell that bent light rays around her to make her invisible, and another to completely mute the sound of her hooves striking the floor, and when everything was set, she quietly pushed open the door to her room.

Nova was sitting on her bed, a book with a title she couldn’t see at his hooves, though a spot on her bookshelf told her it was her H. Pony Lovecraft collection.

“Evening, Twi,” Nova didn’t look up from his book.

“How-- how did you--”

The spells ended abruptly as her concentration failed. How had he known she was there!?

“Energy sensing, before you ask,” he turned a page idly. “You may have hidden yourself from sight, but that doesn’t mean your energy was hidden.”

“Ugh, of course,” she groaned. She had really been looking forward to messing with him.

“So,” the book was shut and magically placed back in its spot, “tomorrow, like I said, I’m going up to Celestia’s School to talk to the new Headmaster. Are you planning on coming with me?”

“Of course!” Like I’d pass up an opportunity to learn more about your past, she thought.

“Great!” he grinned. “Now you can listen to me complain all the way there and back about the whole deal.”

“Is that all you were going to ask me?” she asked.

“Well, if you had said no, there were other things,” he shrugged, “but since you’re staying, we can talk about those on the train ride tomorrow or the day after.”

He hopped out of her bed. “Welp, I’m gonna turn in for the night,” he said, before yawning. “G’night Twi,” he started out of her room.

“Wait!”

He paused at the door, turning around and arching an eyebrow.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I…” she started to say, before her nerves failed her.

Say it say it say it SAY IT SAY IT!

“Yes?” he said again, looking a bit concerned.

“I… nothing,” she shook her head. “Nothing important, anyway.”

Liar, she thought. You do know he can sense that, right?

But if he did sense it, he didn’t say anything, just continuing to wait patiently for what she wanted.

“Just…” she stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, Nova.”

Nova’s cheeks went bright pink, but he smiled about as warmly as her cheeks burned right back.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Twi.”

And he was off, leaving Twilight to spend the night dreaming of him and of what the future would bring.

Author's Note

Chapter 6, v2.0

New chapter name! Less generic, methinks. A couple of scenes added, and Hoofman's name has been changed. My professor's name was Thomas Hoffman, and I got him confused with Dustin Hoffman. Shows how much I liked the guy, amirite?

Anyway, lemme know how I did in the comments below.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Of Professors, the Past, Panic, and Parents

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 07 - Of Professors, the Past, Panic, and Parents

The palatial, cathedral-esque structure that housed Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was situated on the very edge of Upper Canterlot. Only three other buildings could hope to match its magnificence. One, of course, was Celestia’s actual home itself, Canterlot Castle. Another, Novus Manor. The final was the Lulamoon estate, which was well-known for its own opulence, though Nova had never been there. And of the four buildings, Nova only had happy memories of one.

This was not that one.

While there was an annex for the school located within the city itself, one whose roof sported a nice patch from when Spike’s head had stuck out of it, that location was reserved mostly for those students who were staying at home. Twilight had attended that particular one, and it would have been the location Nova had attended if he had desired to stay at Novus Manor as he studied. But he had wanted to come to this location, and so it was here that he had taken his examination.

The path out of Upper Canterlot and into the premises of the school went down a gentle hill, giving Nova a view of the whole ridge the school was situated on, beyond which he could see the green forest of Everfree, as well as Ponyville and Neighton. If he really squinted, Nova also thought he could make out Trottingham, even on this cloudy day. No doubt later on, when it rained, nothing past the mountain would be visible, so it was important to enjoy the view now. But he only paid attention to what was behind the school for a moment, before turning his attention to the building which held so much heartbreak for him..

Six statues adorned the front gardens. Two of which were Celestia and Luna, one was Star Swirl the Bearded, another was Marelin, the mythical spellcaster of old, and another was of Marelin’s sister Morgan le Bray.

But the sixth statue was the one that drew Nova’s gaze. The marble statue stared toward the Everfree, his stone gaze fierce, and a cape swirling on his back. His mane was frozen, billowing around his horn as he cast a nameless spell The statue had no plaque, nor did any of the others, but like the others, it was obvious who this statue belonged to.

The sun vanished behind the statue as Nova trotted up to its plinth, leaving him standing in the shadow of his namesake, Nova Shine I.

Ten years ago I stood in your shadow, hoping I could become even half the mage you were, he thought, staring into the lifeless marble eyes. And now I stand in your shadow a student of magic, probably with no hope of even coming near half.

He stepped back and looked toward the side of the cathedral of a building, seeing the exact spot he had appeared on ten years before, desperate to escape from his father, whom he knew had to have discovered what had happened.

Full circle it is, he thought glumly. Welp, let’s not keep the Good Doc waiting.

The large front doors swung open gently before Nova could lift a hoof to touch them, giving Nova his first view of the inside since that fateful day. It looked almost the same as his old home’s entry hall did. A mezzanine bridging the upper levels of the dormitory wing and the Hall of Learning were at the far end of the room, with two staircases leading up to the two sides of it. A larger third door in the middle of the overlook led to the upper level of the Great Hall, in which was the dining room, and beyond which were the administrative offices.

Or so Princess Luna had told him. Nova had never needed to go .The only room he had ever been in was the examination room, which was in the Hall of Learning.

“Do you ever stop to look around?” came a familiar voice from behind him.

Nova jumped. So lost was he in his thoughts that he had failed to notice Twilight trot up behind him as he entered.

Scratch that, as he had apparently absent-mindedly been walking toward and staring at the door to the Great Hall.

“Sorry,” he shook his head. “This isn’t exactly the happiest place for me. I just want to get in and get out if I can help it.”

Nova felt her lay her hoof on his left shoulder, and he glanced back at her.

“Nova, don’t be in such a hurry. You accidentally left me back at Cantering Cross and Wisteria Way back in the city.”

“I did?” he asked. Strange, he hadn’t noticed.

“You did,” she bumped him with her shoulder as she passed. “I stopped to get a morning coffee at that place on the corner.” She took a sip from her red cup and then tipped it in his direction, a teasing toast.

“Didn’t know you were a coffee drinker,” Nova replied, following her as she climbed the steps and started heading toward the door to the Great Hall. “Any particular favorite variety?”

“Cappuccino,” Twilight shrugged. “It’s the popular choice for a reason. What about you? Do you like coffee?”

“I don’t drink it for fun,” admitted Nova. “I had to learn to drink it during my terms in university so I could study.”

“But if you had to choose?”

“Black,” Nova grunted. “Like my soul.”

Twilight snorted.

“Just kidding. Cream and two sugars,” Nova amended, smirking. “Like my soul.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and pushed open the doors to the Great Hall, giving Nova his first view of the room he would have spend a good chunk of his adolescence in had everything been right.

Eight tables were arranged around the room, filled with unicorn students, with a higher table on a raised dais at the far end, though there was only one staff member there, and when he noticed the two of them, he ducked out of the room, no doubt to go and retrieve Doctor Hoofman. The happy chatter of the room died down a little bit as the young ponies stopped to see who had just entered the room. Nova stared back at them, before glancing up at the door behind the high table, behind which he knew the administrative offices were.

“That’s Twilight Sparkle! She’s Princess Celestia’s student!” he heard someone whisper.

“Who’s the white stallion?” asked another.

“Whoever it is, he’s cute,” answered a third. Nova chanced a glance at Twilight to see that her mouth had become a thin line on her face at that last statement.

Then one colt stood up from his table. He was a younger student, with a grey coat and a softer black of a mane, a short stubby little horn, and very bright grey eyes.

“Are you the Princess’ student?” he asked aloud.

The whispers died immediately. Now that attention was firmly fixed on them, Nova noticed Twilight’s cheeks grow a shade darker.

“Yes, I am,” Twilight answered, dipping her head. “I’m Twili--”

“I know who you are,” the colt cut her off, though not unkindly. “Princess Celestia talks about you all the time. I mean you,” he pointed at Nova. “Princess Luna told my class about you. A white colt with a blue mane and cutie mark with a moon and stars.”

Nova could feel every eye on him as his mouth suddenly went dry. He coughed as he tried to form words, which only added to the awkwardness.

“Err, yeah, I am,” he nodded hesitantly.

“You’re Mr. Nova Shiny?” the colt asked, his eyes widening with awe.

“It’s not Nova Shiny, you idiot,” his friend elbowed him. “It’s ‘Nova Shining. Like Prince Armor.”

“It’s just Shine,” corrected Nova, snorting. “Sounds like a couple of ponies weren’t listening to my teacher when she was talking.”

The children in the room giggled as the two colts flushed. A third young pony stood up, this time a young pink filly with a bright gold mane.

“Headmaster Hoofman didn’t say anyone was coming to talk to us today,” she said suspiciously. “You’re not here to give us a test, are you?” she narrowed her eyes.

“Welp,” Nova sighed, “you caught me.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, giving him a bemused look.

“They found us out, Twilight,” Nova shrugged. “No sense hiding it anymore. They uncovered our evil plot to give them a really hard test and then tell our teachers on them about how they’re all not good at magic.”

Nova had to try really hard not to break character as some of the colts and fillies panicked. Twilight, however, looked utterly lost.

“Right, it’s a practical exam,” Nova announced, his horn shining blue and suddenly, he vanished. “First person to touch me gets full marks.”

For a moment, no one moved, not even Twilight, who just stared at the spot where Nova had vanished in complete confusion. Beneath his invisibility spell, Nova almost laughed at the look on her face.

But then there was suddenly a mad scramble as what seemed like every colt and filly leapt out of their chairs and started moving around trying to find him, waving their forelegs blindly, as if hoping to nick him.

“Come on, use those brains of yours!” he encouraged, dancing away from a pair of colts who had almost got him. He caught a glimpse of Twilight, watching the proceedings with amusement, though she didn’t help.

SPLAT!

Nova leapt away from a pile of mashed potatoes that had been thrown a couple of inches to his left.

“Guys! Throw food! It’ll stick to him and we’ll be able to see him!” a nameless filly shouted.

This elicited a roar of approval from the army of foals, who proceeded to turn their game of hide and seek into a full-blown food fight.

“Aah!” yelped Twilight, as her coffee cup was knocked away by a wayward roll. Her earlier amusement had apparently turned to mortification, but Nova wasn’t giving it much thought as he ducked under a barrage of peas, which splattered against the wall behind him.

“What’s going on in here!?” came a soft, yet unmistakably authoritative, voice.

The madness ended instantly. Everyone stopped, the last bits off food hitting the walls or floor, and Nova popping into existence, having taken cover on a window sill.

The professor hadn’t changed in the four years since Nova had last seen him. His white-silver mane and beard were still neatly groomed, the half-moon spectacles sat just under the bridge of his muzzle, and his stern brown eyes surveyed the room. His tan coat seemed to have flecks of grey in it as well, though it wasn’t anything like his mane. Atop his head sat a black hexagonal cap, the mark of a Ph.D., something he hadn’t had back at MIM.

“She did it,” Nova accused, pointing at a random foal.

“I’m a colt!” protested the foal in question.

“She did it,” insisted Nova, eliciting a few giggles from the children. Twilight’s mortification had almost given way to exasperation. Either she didn’t know whether to be horrified that Nova had caused all this trouble, or be fed up with him shifting the blame, even when it was obvious it wasn’t serious.

“Oh, you did it, did you?” the professor turned his gaze down to the foal in question.

“N-no, headmaster, sir, he’s lying,” the colt gulped nervously, yellow eyes shifting around the room as he tried to find a place to run. Or hide. Or hide in the place he ran to.

“I’ve known Night Apprentice Nova Shine for many years now,” the professor’s eyes twinkled slightly, despite the stern look on his face. “And he’s never given me cause to doubt him.”

“Actually, Bright Gleam threw the potatoes first,” admitted the colt, shoulders slumping.

“Did she?” Hoofman’s eyes found the young filly, the same one who had accused him of being there to give them a test. “Why?”

“The food would stick to him,” she crossed her arms. “And we’d be able to see him.”

“Why do you need to see him?” Hoofman asked, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

“He said he was here to give us a really hard exam,” the filly huffed, evidently frustrated that Hoofman wasn’t quite getting it. “The first pony to touch him would get full marks.”

“Really?” Hoofman’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh!” the filly exclaimed, suddenly struck by some sort of revelation. Before anyone could stop her, she dashed over to the window sill on which Nova was sitting and tapped him on the thigh.

“Got ya!” she chirped.

Nova grinned and swept her up with his magic as he dropped to the floor, setting her on his back.

“Why yes, yes you did,” he gently bucked, causing her to bounce. “I guess you get full marks on our really important test.”

Hoofman chuckled. “I’ll make sure to mention it to Professor Witty. A clever idea, young filly,” he praised. “But lunch time is over. It’s time to clean up and head back to class.”

As one, the entire room sans Nova, Hoofman, and Twilight all chorused “Aaaawwwwwww,” before starting to clean up their mess.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Nova stepped forward, his horn shining blue, “I got this.”

It didn’t take long at all. In short order, every tray was clean and neatly stacked by the washing pile, all of the food had been placed in the rubbish bins, and the room looked pristine.

“Whoa!” some of the foals had said, watching Nova’s rather showy demonstration with rapt attention.

“Hey, I can cast the spell better than that,” pointed out Bright Gleam, noticing a waver in Nova’s magic, before huffing and crossing her forehooves from her spot. “I thought you were powerful!”

Ah, childish innocence, Nova thought, Bright Gleam floating off of his back in his blue aura and being gently placed back in line. “If I were powerful, would I need a teacher like Princess Luna?”

“Uhh,” Bright Gleam didn’t seem to have an answer, but another colt came to her rescue.

“Yeah! Princess Luna would teach powerful unicorns how to be powerfuller!”

“That’s not a word!” another foal shouted.

“The truth is,” Nova continued, speaking over the small argument that had broken out between them, “I have a lot to learn. I never said I was powerful. That’s not why Luna’s teaching me. She’s teaching me because she thinks I could use a teacher. I may not be as good as some of you. After all, I’m not the one attending Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” he tried to keep the bitter edge out of his voice, “but with her help, maybe I can be as strong as Star Swirl the Bearded when I grow up. I’m proud to be her student, even if I’m not the best spellcaster in the world.”

For a moment, the room was silent, leading Nova to fear he had spoken too much.

“I wanna be like him when I grow up,” breathed Bright Gleam, pure unadulterated admiration behind her gaze. So much so that Nova had a feeling Twilight might get a bit jealous..

“If you knew me a bit more,” Nova shrugged, “you’d be quite happy you are who you are.”

“Time to say goodbye, everyone,” announced Hoofman, stepping over to open the door to the entry hall. “Everyone say goodbye to Mr. Nova Shine.”

“Bye Mr. Nova Shine,” parroted all the kids. Nova smiled and waved at them as they all left, after which Hoofman let the door shut, leaving them alone in the Great Hall.

“Ever the troublemaker, aren’t you?” Hoofman observed, before smiling. “Seems like every time you come to this school, you raise a ruckus.”

“Some less permanent than others,” replied Nova, before making his way toward the administrative offices door.

“Are you going to introduce me?” asked the professor, indicating Twilight, who had been content to listen to them.

“Oh, this is Twilight Sparkle, Professor. She’s my marefriend,” Nova felt strange saying that, “and she wanted to come with me today. Twilight, this is Professor Thomas Hoofman.”

“A pleasure to meet Princess Celestia’s Faithful Student,” Hoofman took Twilight’s outstretched hoof and gave it a little shake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, sir,” Twilight dipped her head.

“You know, given your way with the foals, I wouldn’t mind having either of you come and lecture the upper classponies someday,” Hoofman opened the door and held it open. “I’ve no doubt your insight would prove very valuable to them.”

“Someday, maybe,” Nova glanced out a window, where the expanse of Equestria stretched out beyond the ridge. “Ironic, don’t you think? Return for one day to teach at the place I was cheated out of learning from?”

“I am inclined to agree,” the professor gestured inside the room, “but as you said, someday. Today, we have something else to address.”

“No time for catching up?” asked Twilight, stepping in behind Nova, where a short hallway with several small offices were placed on either side of it.

“I’ve known Nova for a collective two years, but they were two very close years, so to speak,” Hoofman nodded at his secretary, a pale-brown-coated unicorn mare with a tan coat and thick glasses that magnified her dark eyes almost twice their size, and stepped past the door to the right of her desk. “This is not a pleasant topic, and knowing Nova, he’ll want to just get straight to the point and get it over with. Am I correct in that assessment?” he glanced back at Nova, who nodded.

“I don’t want to talk about this any longer than I have to,” affirmed Nova. “We can play catch-up later.”

The office looked almost exactly like his office in Manehattan had. A mahogany desk sat in the center, on which a picture of his wife and two grown sons stood. Behind the desk was a window that gave a stunning view of the Ponyville-Neighton plain hills, and a chintz chair that Hoofman was making his way toward, leaving Nova to continue surveying the room. A couple of bookshelves, one on each wall. were almost literally jam-packed with different books for different subjects, and Nova was surprised to see a hardback red published copy of the doctor’s own thesis and research, which appeared to be on the possibilities of portals.

“I didn’t know you got your doctorate, much less a Ph.D.,” Nova glanced at the doctor’s framed certification hanging behind his desk. “When did you get it?”

“I was working on it when I personally apprenticed you,” Hoofman took his seat. “I acquired my Ph.D. not a week before I was offered this position.”

“What happened to old Nocturnal Glow?” asked Twilight, conjuring a pair of poufs for herself and Nova. “Why did he retire?”

“Got tired with some of the responsibilities that came with the job,” Hoofman shrugged. “Headmaster Glow enjoyed teaching as much as anyone, and the salary at this position is a comfortable one, but he didn’t seem to enjoy dealing with the House of Nobles every few months, and he definitely did not enjoy some of the less-scrupulous fathers and mothers attempting to bribe him into giving preferential treatment to their foals.”

He leaned back, meeting Nova’s eye.

“Your scandal, Nova, has left quite a mess that is being cleaned up to this day.”

“And yet I had nothing to do with it,” Nova rolled his eyes. “Well, nothing incriminating me, at least. How did you get the recommendation to become Headmaster?”

“The incident we are here to discuss, as a matter of fact,” Hoofman said gravely, as he leaned back in his chair. “Nova, does she know yet?”

“Know what?” asked Twilight, glancing at Nova.

“His history,” answered Hoofman, leaning forward again and resting his elbows on the desk. “Not necessarily the incident, mind, but at least a general awareness of what the colt’s been up to?”

“You mean how he moves from place to place all the time?” Twilight asked.

Hoofman nodded. “Well, all the time until he finally seemed to settle down in Neighton.”

“Princess Luna’s orders,” Nova shrugged. “Told me I needed a permanent place to study.

“Well, have you ever wondered why someone so young would be out and so well-traveled so early in his life?” Hoofman asked. “I heard about the ruckus in the market square a few months back, courtesy of Princess Celestia herself. Has he ever told you who would send bounty hunters after him and why?”

“I did manage to figure out that his father did,” Twilight gave Nova a surreptitious glance, nervous that he might blow up like he did on the train to Trottingham, but her fears were unfounded. Nova seemed to be keeping himself as expressionless as possible.

“What kind of father would send a bounty hunter after his own child?” Hoofman asked, giving her a significant look.

To that, Twilight couldn’t answer.

“You call her your marefriend, but you won’t trust her with your past?” Hoofman was giving Nova a very stern look.

“I don’t think I need to remind you what happened last time I did,” Nova retorted coldly, giving the professor a frozen look of his own. “We only got together last night. Today was going to be the day she was going to hear about it.”

Hoofman said nothing, and Nova seemed to have nothing to add. The silence dragged on for a moment, before Hoofman cleared his throat.

“You came to learn about the full report of the incident,” Hoofman inclined his head at him, “and she came to hear as well, and to be with you. If she is going to hear about this, you might as well,” he said, now giving Nova his own turn at the ‘significant look.’

“Yeah,” Nova dipped his head, “I agree. I think it’s high time I told you about me.”

He reached a hoof up and started rubbing the skin around his horn, trying to think of the best way to begin.

“My story, I guess you could call it, starts a little more than ten years ago.” He was staring resolutely at a spot on Hoofman’s desk, intentionally avoiding eye contact with either of them so that they wouldn’t be able to see when he was starting to break down.

“I was only twelve years old,” he continued. “I had just finished Magic Primary, though I hadn’t yet earned my cutie mark, and my father had applied for me to take the entrance exam for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

He took a deep breath, and blinked back the tears that were already starting to form at the memories.

“My parents were not good parents,” he growled. “My father never spent time with me, my mother always seemed very hesitant to speak to me, there was one memorable week where they didn’t even visit me in the hospital when I had Star Swirl Sickness,” Nova saw Twilight cover her mouth in shock, “and they seemed to want nothing to do with me.”

He looked away.

“I know what I was,” he whispered, just loudly enough for them to hear. “I was a failure. A blank-flank out of Magic Primary? From such an influential and highborn clan as the Novus clan? Unheard of. I was just a disappointment to the family. I thought that maybe if I went to Celestia’s school, I could prove that I wasn’t a disappointment to them.”

He shook his head, still looking away from both of them, and raised his voice.

“The day of the entrance exam, I remember walking alone to this building,” he continued, his eyes glossing over as he started to recall the events of that day. “I got lost on the way here, since I hadn’t been here before, and was almost late. When I found the place, I ran right into the testing room when my name was called, and they were asking me to enchant runes using a spell matrix on a couple of sheets of paper.”

He returned to staring back at the spot on the desk. No doubt Twilight was thinking about just how easy it was to enchant runes.

“I hadn’t ever really gotten the hang of reading spell matrices before, so I was this close to panicking. I thought I was gonna fail the test,” he looked up and started shifting his gaze between Twilight and Hoofman. “Right before I was about to cast the spell, there was this loud bang, and this rainbow circle thing started shooting across the sky.”

“Rainbow circle thing?” Twilight asked, mouth parting.

“I don’t know what it was about that rainbow,” Nova returned to staring at the desk, leaving Twilight to think about whatever that rainbow was, though little did he know, she was way ahead of him in that regard. “While I stared at it, it just… clicked. I just got it, in that instant.”

“Got what?”

“Magic,” Nova started to smile as he recalled the feeling. “I looked back down at the page while the proctors all were talking about the rainbow, and it was like I had suddenly learned a second language. The matrix was easy to decipher, and the spell seemed to just happen, and before I knew it, I had enchanted not just the minimum of four runes, I had done all ten. And what’s more,” he indicated his flank, “I earned my cutie mark.”

“Only the fourth student ever to enchant every rock in the Runecrafting test, might I add,” Hoofman pointed out, smiling at Nova. “While granted, the Runecrafting test is only twenty-four years old, the fact that a novice like him was able to enchant all of them was quite the feat. By all accounts, he should have been a shoo-in to the school.”

“Wow,” breathed Twilight, a slight glint of admiration in her eye. :My test was hatching Spike’s egg. That same rainbow, which, might I add was Rainbow Dash doing the Sonic Rainboom as a filly, was what made me accidentally supergrow Spike, turn my parents into plants, and trap the proctors in a bubble of floating energy,” she grinned sheepishly.

“That’s when Princess Celestia found you, right?” Nova asked.

“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “She took me on as her student to teach me to control all the magic I unleashed by accident.”

Nova snorted. “At least you had the Princess backing you.”

“Yes, and that is where the problems lie,” Hoofman’s look grew severe. “Tantalus Lulamoon’s daughter Trixie had also taken the exam, and while she had talent, she did not quite fulfill the expectations necessary in the entrance test. But not by far,” Hoofman added. “Perhaps in another year, she might have scraped through legitimately.”

“What does Trixie have to do with this?” Twilight asked, looking over at Nova.

“Everything,” he growled. “It wasn’t her fault, though, so I don’t blame her. It was her father.”

“Twilight, what do you know of the Lulamoon family and the Novus family?” Professor Hoofman asked, leaning back again.

“I know they’re both descended from very influential names in the field of magic.”

“Was there any sort of rivalry or feud between the houses?” Hoofman pressed.

Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof as she thought. “Not… that I can remember.”

“This may come as news to you, but in the public eye, many believe there is a longstanding rivalry between the families,” Nova said, his already sour expression growing a bit softer. “There wasn’t really a rivalry, even though Trixie and I had a small one in Magic Primary. But it’s that non-rivalry that’s the problem.”

“Yes,” Hoofman sighed. “Tantalus was informed that his daughter did not quite make the cut, so he offered a small sum to get her in. We will learn more in the final report on the inquiry, but one of the proctors took that to mean ‘Replace Nova with Trixie.’ Whatever Tantalus Lulamoon actually meant is unknown, though I do believe I know the motive.”

Twilight’s hooves clapped to her mouth in shock and she jerked her head toward Nova, and was startled even more to see tears glimmering in his eyes.

“I didn’t know,” he said glumly. “I ran home that night to tell my dad, and it was the first time I ever remember seeing him happy. I thought I had finally started to turn things around. And then when we went in that next morning to see the results…”

He broke off the end of the sentence, turning away from Twilight, but not before she saw his body shake as he suppressed a sob.

“Think about it, Twilight,” Hoofman said quietly. “He earned his cutie mark that day. He had discovered his special talent. He had done what precious few had ever done in that test. Under normal circumstances, he was destined for a future possibly as an Archmage, or a career as influential as his own namesake. And any pony in history who has had a cutie mark in magic has been rated as a beta+ or better in raw magical power. Nova was destined for greatness, and in an instant, all of that was torn away. He was cheated out of his own future.”

“That’s…” Twilight couldn’t even finish the sentence, feeling just as bad as Nova had to be feeling. “That’s horrible!”

“There’s more to it than that,” Hoofman said, but he waved a hoof. “Nova, are you able to finish the story, so we can go and peruse the records?”

“Y-yes,” Nova nodded. For a moment, Twilight had to wonder if he actually would, since he seemed to be taking deep shuddering breaths to steady himself Her concern lasted only a moment, though, because he did continue.

“I ran away that day. I teleported out of the school before Dad could find me, I ran back home, I gathered as many things as I could, and I ran. Stowed away on a train to Manehattan.”

“And here is where I enter the story,” the professor said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. “I found Nova wandering the halls of the MIM Spellstudies faculty section the next day, asking the professors to teach him. I thought it quite strange, seeing a little colt just wandering about one random day, but something seemed strangely different about him.”

“He directed me to admissions, to apply to be educated,” Nova picked up, “and so I went and applied.” He grinned humorlessly. “I think the admissions committee were trying to let me down gently, but the didn’t have the opportunity, because before they could tell me no, in came none other than Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Cadance?” Twilight asked, eyes widening. “You know Cadance?”

“I do and up until quite recently, I hated her guts,” Nova admitted, smirking despite himself. “She came bearing a letter with the royal seal, which she handed to the committee, and they promptly let me in. Then she took me and got me set up with an apartment close to the school, and the crown would pay for both my education, my home, and a small allowance, so long as I was still in school, but on the condition that I had to get a job.”

“Princess Cadance came and spoke to me personally,” Hoofman said. “She asked if I would keep an eye on the colt myself. I don’t know why me, but I did as asked. Nova was enrolled in basic and intermediate magic classes, one each term, and I had him doing clerical work for me while I helped him study and refine his talent, as well as paid him. He was always very secretive, never seemed to want to talk about his family, and he was always interested in some of the strangest things, like energy sensing.”

“So for a year, I took my classes, aced both of them, though only by the skin of my teeth in Intermediate magic, and was about to tell the doctor the good news when--”

“When I betrayed him,” Hoofman cut him off, giving Nova a knowing look. “No sense in sugar-coating it, I stabbed you in the back, even if I didn’t understand the depth of it at the time.”

“You… you what?” asked Twilight, staring at the professor with the same look Nova remembered he wore that day.

Your marefriend actually feels for you, his inner self pointed out. Maybe this wasn’t a bad choice.

“When I found out who he was, and that he was and why he was a runaway, I called his parents,” Hoofman admitted, bowing his head. “They were there to take him back.. The school had expelled Trixie for failing grades, and by then the scandal had become public knowledge. The school faculty were looking to give Nova a spot on the roster again, and his parents had come to take him back. That energy sensing he had studied earlier? He was coming to my office to tell me the good news about his final grades, and he sensed them in the room with me.”

He sadly shook his head.

“I didn’t sell him out intentionally, but he trusted me, and I still called his mother and father,” he said quietly. “Ultimately, I began a professional relationship with your father and served as an outside correspondent during the last few days of the full inquiry, and at your father’s own recommendation, I was offered the title of Headmaster only a few months ago.”

Nova’s expression soured for the briefest of moments, but he relented after a moment.

“But after that, I ran again,” he shook his head sadly. “You want to know why it took me this long to let you in, Twi? That’s why. The last time I had opened up to someone, namely him,” he indicated the professor, “I was stabbed in the back. So I ran. I ran to all the different places I lived. I worked as a magical mercenary, saving up money for myself, and moving from place to place. Eventually, I did return to Manehattan and was properly apprenticed by him again--”

“Though he was in no way the same colt whom I had helped study,” Hoofman interjected.

“--and when that was finished, I moved to Neighton. After that? Well,” he tossed a hoof somewhat lamely, “you know the rest.”

“So I do,” Twilight nodded.

“So now that you know my whole story,” Nova stood up and started heading back toward the door, “can we go to the records now? I could really use some closure on the worst day of my life.”

“Yes, I think we can,” the professor opened a drawer in his desk and withdrew a set of keys. “Follow me,” he said, taking the lead and trotting back through the Great Hall, out into the entry hall, to the left, and into the Hall of Learning.

What would have it been like if I’d had everything taken from me like that? wondered Twilight as they went, keeping her eyes on Nova concernedly. Not being able to use magic again, or see my friends, or even having Nova taken from me...

She wasn’t paying too much attention to where they were going, and so it was a bit of a surprise to her when the professor led them inside the library and over to a restricted section. The librarian, a middle-aged creme-coated red-headed unicorn mare, gave them the briefest of glances from behind her desk, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge their presence. Once there, he separated the right key from the wrong ones and used it to open a set of filing cabinets shunted over in a corner of the large room.

“I… I…” he muttered to himself as he flipped through the many manila folders. “Here we are,” he fished out a relatively small folder and passed it to Nova. “Inquiry Report on Incident Involving Tantalus Lulamoon and Nova Shine Novus.”

“Catchy name,” Nova remarked, before he opened the folder and started scanning the contents. It wasn’t long before his eyes bulged and the folder started shaking.

“NO PUNISHMENT!?” he roared, slamming the folder down on the ground.

“SHHH!” the librarian whispered/shouted somehow (Twilight would have to ask her her secret) from all the way over at her desk, several meters away.

“No one got fired!?” Nova fumed. “No one!?”

“There was no one to fire,” Hoofman sniffed. “If you’ll read a little further in…”

Nova snatched the folder off of the floor and started reading a little slower, before a small slip detached itself from the envelope and floated up in front of Nova’s eyes, and it started shaking just as bad as the folder had, as Nova’s eyes filled with rage once again.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked, taking the small slip of paper in her own magic and bringing it over to see.

It was a small photograph of an elderly unicorn mare. She had pale, pasty blue skin, with a beauty mark underneath her left eye and a very dark purple mane, styled into a sort of elitist-looking severe combover manecut. She had half-moon spectacles and half-lidded eyes that gave her a very cross appearance, and pearl earrings dangling down.

“Disgraced professor Abacus Cinch,” Hoofman recited, a sad-yet-knowing look in his eye. “Ambitious, self-centered, always looking to advance, no matter who she had to throw under the carriage. She wanted a powerful ally, someone who could potentially sponsor her for the Headmaster position after Nocturnal Glow retired. And so, when she overheard Tantalus Lulamoon talking about it, she took him up on the offer. And because she believed he wanted his ‘rival,’ Ray Novus to be the loser, she scratched you from the list of accepted students and replaced you with Trixie.”

“Then why was she not fired!?” Nova demanded.

“Because she had already left!” Hoofman replied. “When news broke of the incident, she placed in a request to transfer to the Vanhoover Magic Academy, which was granted. By the time word got out, there was nothing Nocturnal Glow could do about it. But when the EEA heard about it, however, Chancellor Neighsay put out the order for her to be fired the moment the full inquiry was released to the public eye. She has been unable to take a respectable teaching position ever since.”

A look of savage satisfaction crossed Nova’s face. “That bitch deserved it,” he whispered contemptuously.

“Tantalus Lulamoon also paid for his mistake, if you’ll look,” the professor pointed to the bottom of the page. “The school could not expel Trixie, as she had already been expelled due to poor academic performance. As such, he was punished by Princess Celestia herself, being banished from her presence, and nearly losing his lordship over the Lulamoon family, which then would have automatically been passed down to Trixie, despite her age.”

Nova’s look of satisfaction grew.

“I wonder what’ll happen next time I see him,” Nova thought aloud, and Twilight could still hear the rage and pain behind his voice. “I wonder what he’d do if he saw me now.”

“A question I myself wondered,” came a smooth voice from behind Nova and Twilight, causing them both to jump and turn around. Twilight couldn’t help but wonder why, with his energy sensing, did Nova not sense this unknown pony?

The voice’s owner was a middle-aged stallion, with a hard, angular face and permanently-stern eyes. His mane was black, with a few streaks of grey in it, and adorning his flank, similar to a certain showmare’s, was a star wand.

If Twilight had to guess, based on the cutie mark and the fact that Nova’s face had somehow contorted to portray even more fury than his previous outbursts had communicated, this was Tantalus Lulamoon.

While she wasn’t expecting some kind of monster, Twilight had been expecting someone a lot less, well… good in appearance. As though he just had a bit to him that made him obviously evil.

“I thought we agreed to have this conversation together, Headmaster,” Tantalus looked right past the both of them and locked eyes with Hoofman, who met his gaze quite calmly.

“We were going to,” Hoofman assured him, “but Nova showed up unannounced.”

To Twilight’s surprise, Tantalus seemed to ignore Nova, and instead turned to look at her, causing her to go just a bit pink. She met his gaze, though, and she had to admit, he seemed like a pleasant pony at first appearance.

“You must be Twilight Sparkle,” the stallion held out a hoof, which Twilight took, but not before giving Nova a nervous glance. If looks could kill, Nova would have disintegrated Tantalus by sheer will alone.

If this is how much he hates him, she thought, what must his hate for his father be like?

It was a troubling thought, to be sure.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Tantalus shook her hoof for only a fleeting moment before letting it drop. “As you no doubt have guessed, I am Tantalus Lulamoon.”

A twitch of the eye was all Twilight needed to see. Before Nova could leap onto the elder pony, she had dashed around and grabbed his tail in her mouth, yanking him back before he could jump on Tantalus and most likely hit the elder until his hooves bled.

“You son of a bitch!” Nova yelled, before falling on his face and trying to scramble back up. “Let go of me, damn it!”

“No!” Twilight yelled back through a mouthful of tail hair. “Stop it!”

“Twilight Sparkle, let him go,” Tantalus said quietly, meeting Nova’s eye for the first time.

“But--”

“No ‘buts,’” Tantalus interrupted. “It’s no less than I deserve.”

That got Nova’s attention, and his struggling to free himself from Twilight’s bite ceased. Twilight wasn’t buying it, though, and only kept her hold on Nova’s tail all the tighter.

“”You’re damn right, you’d deserve it,” Nova whispered, with all the venom he could muster. “After everything you put me through--”

“Twilight Sparkle, I’ll say again,” Tantalus turned his gaze to her. “Let him go.”

Twilight stared into his eyes for a moment. She could see sincerity, shame, and a certain penitence in them, but she couldn’t say the same for her coltfriend.

Still, if Tantalus wanted his face caved in…

“...If you say so,” she relented and slowly released her hold on Nova’s tail as Tantalus turned to meet Nova’s eye again.

Nova, for his part, opted to continue glaring at Tantalus, no doubt wondering exactly what Tantalus’ game was.

Then without warning, he reared back and slammed a hoof into Tantalus’ face.

Twilight jumped in front of Nova and immediately started pushing him back, but Nova didn’t seem to be fighting. She wanted to scream at him, but she couldn’t find the words to yell into his ears.

Tantalus, in stark contrast to the struggling Twilight, wiped some blood from his mouth, but didn’t seem even slightly angry.

“I deserved that,” he grunted, before wiping his mouth again to clear a bit more away.

“No shit,” Nova replied coolly. “Why are you here, then?”

“Ahem!”

Nova, thoroughly annoyed by this latest interruption, turned to see the elderly librarian glaring at the three of them, waving the wooden end of a feather duster threateningly in their direction. Professor Hoofman, it appeared, had gone to fetch her.

“Nova, Tantalus, Twilight,” he said as delicately and diplomatically as possible, “perhaps it would be best if we continued these affairs in my office.”

“I have a better idea,” Nova scowled at Tantalus. “Mind if I lead the way?”

“Nova, I don’t think--” Twilight began, but Tantalus cut her off.

“If it’s what I think it is, then yes, please, lead on,” he said evenly.

Nova glared at him, no doubt trying to figure out if there were some ulterior motive, but decided to go forward with his plan anyway.

They were led back into the Hall of Learning, down a hall, up a flight of stairs… Twilight was surprised by his familiarity with the building, but then she reasoned he had to have very clear memories of this place if it were that painful.

Eventually, they stopped outside a lecture hall that, when Twilight peeked inside through the window above the door, was devoid of ponies.

“In,” ordered Nova, shoving open the door.

Tantalus wordlessly complied, as did Professor Hoofman, but as Twilight passed, she bumped him a bit harder than the playful one she had given him earlier.

“You’re acting like a child!” she hissed.

Nova didn’t have a chance to respond as she passed him by, but that didn’t stop him from glaring after her.

The room was a typical lecture hall, only a few rows high, with about twenty spots on each one for sitting. Down at the floor, there was a whiteboard and a lectern, as well as a furled up projection screen hanging above the whiteboard.

“You know what room this is?” Nova asked, turning his glare from Twilight to Tantalus.

“I can hazard a guess,” replied Tantalus calmly, looking around. “This must be where you took your entrance test.”

“It is,” Nova grunted. “This is where I earned a spot on that list. This is where I earned my cutie mark in magic. This is where I stopped seeing myself as a failure and a letdown for the first time in my life!”

His glare intensified.

“Because of you, all of that was undone,” he growled.

“So you have said and so I have had to remember many times,” Tantalus nodded. “Should I allow you to turn me into a punching bag? I daresay I don’t think that will resolve this problem of ours.”

Twilight could clearly see a throbbing vein bulging in Nova’s temple. This was going to get ugly unless something happened to defuse the situation. Tantalus may not have been antagonizing Nova intentionally, but he was still getting angrier and angrier anyway.

“Enough,” Professor Hoofman intervened, stepping between them. “Nova, allow him to say his part. We will go nowhere with this meeting unless you sit and listen.”

Nova opened his mouth to retort, but Twilight was having none of it. Her horn shimmered, and Nova’s mouth was smushed shut by the force of her magic. He gave her a very unamused look, and she responded with a cool “You know I had to do this,” kind of look.

“Let’s start with the consequences of my action, shall we?” Tantalus fell onto his haunches, gesturing for them all to do the same, which they did. “Because of what happened, the Lulamoon family became disgraced, I was banished from the presence of Princess Celestia, and as you know, my daughter would have been expelled had she not already flunked out.”

Twilight could see grim satisfaction in Nova’s eyes, but that only made her even more annoyed at him.

It’s like he’s not even trying! she mentally screamed.

“But closer to home,” his voice grew quieter, “your father disowned me as his best friend and attacked me. One of our mutual friends had to end his friendship with the both of us to avoid getting caught in the middle. I lost everything because of my shortsightedness, Nova,” he stared into Nova’s death glare with a sincere calm.

“Not everything,” spat Nova, managing to fight through Twilight’s spell long enough to snarl at Tantalus.

“Truly, I did,” Tantalus bowed his head. “You must have heard the rumors, how I had to take control of one of the crime families in the black market. All of them are true, though for reasons to be discussed later, as you can see, I’m out of prison and not in trouble with the law.”

Nova’s breathing was slowing as he calmed himself more and more.

“I wanted to see my darling filly do well,” Tantalus bowed his head even lower. “I didn’t want anyone kicked out! I just thought I could use Twilight Sparkle’s selection as the Faithful Student to Trixie’s advantage!”

He shook his head.

“I should have just accepted the loss and moved on, but I didn’t,” Twilight could see tears glimmering in his eyes, hidden slightly by his hanging mane. “Instead, I tried to press my luck. It resulted in my best friend’s son becoming a runaway, myself losing the only friends and family I had after Bellatrix--”

He choked on the end of that sentence. A silent sob racked his body. Twilight knew. Bellatrix Lulamoon, Trixie’s mother, had died giving birth, and Tantalus had been one of the few nobles who had opted to marry for love instead of for political reasons, the same of which could be said for Ray Novus, Nova’s father.

“I’m not asking you to forget, Nova,” he mumbled, still keeping his gaze downward. “Neither of us will ever forget what I put you through, and what I’ve done. But I am asking you for more than I deserve. I’m asking you to please, let go of your grudge with me, so you can save yours, Twilight’s, and Trixie’s lives.”

That seemed to get Nova’s attention. Twilight could see the twitch in his ears at the mention of her’s and Trixie’s names. It gave her a warm feeling, knowing he cared for her enough to show even the slightest bit of emotion at the thought of being in danger. The look on his face, though… it almost seemed as if he was actually affected by Tantalus’ emotion. With that in mind, Twilight let down the spell keeping his mouth shut.

“Tantalus,” Hoofman laid a gentle hoof on his shoulder, “let’s go retrieve the letter.”

Nova’s ear twitched. “‘The letter?’ What letter?”

“I... I wrote you a letter,” said Tantalus, glancing at the door to the room, where Professor Hoofman was on his way up. “Something I left with Headmaster Glow, in case you did ever end up at the school again. Thomas still has it in his office. May I?” he added, gesturing toward Professor Hoofman.

“Sure,” Nova nodded. “Knock yourself out.”

Tantalus nodded, and proceeded to turn around and follow the professor out of the room, closing the door behind him with an echoing click.

“I don’t believe you,” Twilight glared at him.

“Do what now?” Nova asked warily.

“I just don’t believe you,” Twilight repeated, marching right up into his face. “You know exactly what’s at stake here. You know we need those books if we want to beat Envy! And you won’t do what you need to to get them because you don’t want to stop being mad at him!?”

“Do you know what he did to me!?” Nova fired back, meeting her glare with a furious gaze of his own.

“Yes, I do now,” Twilight tossed her mane back furiously, “and you have no excuse! Nova, your life is at stake here! Mine and Trixie’s too!”

“Who I choose to hate and like is none of your business,” Nova growled through grit teeth. “You, Cadance, Luna, all of you are just the same, trying to tell me how to live my own damn life, and I’m really getting sick of it!”

“We care about you!” Twilight cried, doing her best to hide how much his accusation had stung. “I care about you! It hurts me to see you like this! You hurt, and we both know it, but you won’t do anything to help yourself, and if you keep this up, ‘your life to live’ is going to end very--”

She choked off the end of that sentence. The last thing she wanted to do was imagine Nova dead at Envy’s hooves.

“Why do you care so much?” Nova asked, his anger abating for the moment.

“Nova, what a stupid question,” Twilight gave him a bemused look. “I’m your marefriend, for Celestia’s sake.”

“You only care about me because you’re my marefriend?” Nova deadpanned. “Are you serious?”

“No, I-- well, sort of,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Well go on, then,” he motioned with a hoof. “Why?”

“Because…” she started to say, but nerves failed her at the last moment.

“Because…?”

“Because I…”

Nova’s anger and irritation were slowly being replaced by confusion. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to,” he assured her.

“No, I…” she took a deep breath. “Nova, I care about you so much it hurts.”

“So I’ve gathered,” Nova nodded. “But I still don’t get why you feel the need to lecture me on letting go.”

“Because I love you, damn it!”

Nova’s confusion faded into blankness. It only took Twilight a moment to realize, he literally had no idea how to react to this, but she didn’t dwell on it.

“I just…” she turned her face away from him. “I love you, and I care about you so much, it… it’s hurting me to see you do this to yourself.”

“How…” croaked Nova. She could hear him swallow before he tried again. “How lo--”

“A few weeks now,” she answered, her mind already casting back to that wonderful moment. “You knew exactly what to say to unbreak my heart after what Trixie-- sorry, Envy said. And now, with you like this, I have no idea what to do or what to say to help you.”

She fell onto her haunches and stared at the floor.

“If I could just… just hug you until it all went away, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Y-you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Nova asked, in a very overt, and frankly very pathetic, attempt at humor. Twilight glanced at him to see that he seemed pale, even for someone with a white coat, and there was a slight quiver in his legs.

“Are you alright?” she asked, turning around to watch him with some concern.

“I’m f-fine,” Nova lied, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks and his voice becoming shriller with each passing second. “I’ve just discovered that my marefriend of one night has feelings much deeper than just a little crush, despite my best efforts, and now I’m trapped in the very situation I’ve been trying to avoid, but everything’s just peachy!”

With that, he collapsed onto his haunches, and Twilight was startled to see that he was starting to hyperventilate. Quick off the mark, she sprang to her hooves and slid to a stop next to him, before reaching up and twinging his horn like he had done to her those times she had found herself in far less serious moments of overthinking.

He gasped and started, before he seemed to reset himself, his breathing slowing down and his eyes were returning to normal size.

“Th-thanks,” he gasped, catching his breath as he buried his face in his hooves. “I’m-- I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Twilight scootched herself behind him and wrapped her arms around his midsection, just hugging him until he calmed down. “I’m here. Just relax.”

“This is not helping,” his voice got slightly shrill again. She just squeezed a bit and he very nearly seemed to just melt in her embrace. Every bit of tenseness just seemed to vanish and he just relaxed into the hug.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly, resting her head on his shoulder.

“No,” he admitted, before shaking his head and nearly smacking her on the muzzle in the process. “Not right now at least. Later. When we’ve solved this friendship problem we’re stuck in.”

The back doors opened, and in strode Tantalus and Hoofman, with Tantalus carrying a piece of parchment in his aura.

“Oh, forgive us,” Hoofman stuck out an arm to stop Tantalus. “Have we come at a bad time?”

“No, perfect timing,” said Nova, extricating himself from Twilight’s hug and getting to his hooves. “Lets me get my mind off of… stuff.”

Nova didn’t notice the wince that crossed Twilight’s face.

“So this letter of your’s,” Nova sat down again and crossed his forehooves. “Let’s hear it.”

Tantalus nodded, before the parchment unfurled. It didn’t seem too long, but it surely had to carry some weight. After a moment, in which he cleared his throat, he began to read.

“‘Nova Shine, I will not lie and pretend that I know what you must be feeling right now. To have something so important to you be within your grasp and to see it snatched away by some outside force is nothing that I have had to go through. Whatever your father has told you about this incident is probably true. I did pay Professor Cinch, and she did take your name off of the list of qualifying ponies as a result. The exam proctors have assured me that they are trying to rectify the situation, but I will not lie, I don’t think they will. The decision appears to be final, and nothing I say or do can change that.

“‘However, I want you to know that I did not pay to have you specifically removed from the list. Yes, I paid Cinch, and yes, you were removed, but allow me to tell you the full story. You see, my daughter Trixie missed the list by one position. I had learned that the top spot, belonging to a late entry, a filly named Twilight Sparkle, would be vacated and everyone would be bumped up a spot. I thought that this meant that Trixie would be able to make the cut, but she did not, for they reduced the number of students the school would take on, as well. Instead of the usual 32 ponies, they cut it down to 31. I asked Cinch to open up that extra spot again, but she refused. She said it was impossible, because the decision was out of her hooves, and in the hooves of the school governors. I went to them, but they wouldn’t do it either. It was then that I committed my sin. She approached me with a deal that if the position for Headmaster ever opened up, she would accept my payment if I sponsored her for said position. To my great shame, I accepted the offer. Finding the list of qualifying unicorns, she removed your name in particular because she, like everypony else, believed this non-existent feud between the Novus family and the Lulamoon family to be real. I did not know she did this until very recently. Last I heard, she has been removed from her post in Vanhoover.

“‘Perhaps you will never read nor hear this letter. I do not care. At the very least, I need to write this for myself. I ask your forgiveness, not your forgetfulness. I have done wrong, and I admit it, and I know admitting can only go so far. I have explained to you the full circumstances of this entire fiasco. If there is anything, anything at all, that I can do to fix this situation, please tell me and I will do whatever I can. Sincerely, Tantalus Lulamoon.’”

The scroll furled itself up, and Twilight was startled to notice that tears had formed in Nova’s eyes as he had listened.

“Ten years,” Nova whispered, just loud enough for them to hear. “Ten years, I blamed you and Trixie for everything.”

He paused to take a deep breath and wipe his eyes, and Twilight noticed his hoof quivering. Without even thinking, she reached over and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

You can do it! she cheered him on in her head.

“I hated you,” he admitted. “I hated your name, I hated your reputation, I hated Trixie by proxy until we finally met again a few weeks back. I said it before, if it weren’t for you, I could have been something special.”

He wiped his eyes again.

“But when me and Twilight were alone, it got me thinking,” he shook his head slightly. “I already am something special.” He smiled slightly. “I’m Princess Luna’s Night Apprentice, the first one in a thousand years.”

He looked out the door, perhaps searching for wherever Canterlot Castle was relative to them.

“I have friends despite all of this.”

He glanced back at Twilight, and she could see tears welling up again.

.”And I have Twilight.”

Twilight’s heart skipped at least three beats.

“If it weren’t for you, I don’t know exactly how it would have turned out, but I don’t think I would be anywhere close to being in my horseshoes today.”

He took the opportunity to return the squeeze she had given him.

“Because of all that, and knowing you really didn’t mean it, I just....” his body quaked suddenly as he suppressed a sob, “I just can’t do it anymore.”

He stood up, marched over to Tantalus, and held out a hoof.

“I f-f-forgive you, Mr. Lulamoon. Please,” he added, a few tears already sliding down his cheek. “please accept it.”

Tantalus stared at the offered hoof with disbelief, before raising a shaking hoof and taking it. There was a moment of pause, before the grown stallion and the younger one embraced, as though long-lost friends were reuniting.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

In the Canterlot Castle Watchtower, Princess Luna beamed as she watched him from her scrying ball. Her heart swelled with pride at her pupil as the proceedings played out before her.

“Oh, if only you knew how proud of you I am, Nova,” she said to herself, before glancing at the test results she had left in her room. Their examination results had come in, as had the full test of Nova’s magic level. Her smile widened as she noted the “Alpha+” written near the bottom of the full report. “You are going to make a fine Night Master.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“You have no idea what this means to me,” Tantalus said as they let go. :”I promise, I won’t ever--”

“You don’t need to promise me anything, sir,” Nova said, his voice suddenly quite warm and… dare Twilight say it, liberated? “I know you won’t. But what about the journals?”

“Ah,” said Tantalus, an immensely apologetic look crossing his face for only a moment. “May I preempt this by saying something?”

“Sure,” Nova nodded.

“The rumors you have heard of my family,” he began, trotting over to one of the chairs behind the long desks and sitting down in it, “you’ve no doubt heard them. That I am working with the black market and such, you know?”

“I never took those seriously,” Nova assured him, but Tantalus waved him off.

“They’re all true,” Tantalus admitted. “I did take over a black market syndicate. Namely, the Silverblood family, an organized crime syndicate that’s been around since Everfree that had fallen on hard times.”

“You… you’re a crime lord?” Twilight gaped at him.

Tantalus snorted and shook his head. “Hardly. Though I have had to do some very morally-grey things to cement my status with them. I will say nothing of what I do for them in here. But know this, Nova, Twilight: I have hidden the journals in a high-security vault located in the headquarters for the Silverblood Family. A high-security vault that requires two specific unicorns to open. One of them, of course is myself. The other...”

He stared at Nova seriously, and Twilight could almost feel the icy feeling that must have been running down his neck..

“...is your father, Ray Novus.”

Nova just stared at Tantalus for a long moment. Twilight would later admit that she was afraid he was going to explode right there, but to her great shock, he simply blew a slow, deep breath out.

“If you want to have access to those journals, Nova,” Tantalus said with a sort of grave finality in his voice, “you are going to have to make amends with your father as well.”

“Joy,” said Nova in a very flat voice. “You know, it was quite the task, getting over what you did to me. What’s it going to take for me to get over all twelve years worth of problems with him?”

“Nova, I cannot ever deny what you went through,” Tantalus interjected hastily. “I cannot pretend that he did not neglect you, and I can’t even explain why because I don’t know myself, but you must know this. I haven’t spoken to him in ten years, and those brief moments where we were in the same room, he has been a completely different pony. Nova,” he gave Nova a very serious look, “when you ran away, it changed him. And if the gossip about a bounty hunter is true, I can only assume he desperately wants to see you again.”

“I’ll bet he does,” growled Nova. “He sent a bounty hunter after me! I was never worth anything to him as a foal, but now that I’m the Night Apprentice--”

“That’s enough, Nova.”

This interruption came not from Tantalus, or Professor Hoofman, but from Twilight. She had removed her hoof from his, and she was now staring at him with some disappointment. Nova stopped talking and looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say. He felt as if his body had been plunged into a bucket of ice, much as he had when Princess Luna had expressed her disappointment in him the day before.

“Two years ago,” she said, speaking to both him and to the room at large, “a pony came to Ponyville, and she started to show off her magical talent by humiliating other ponies. In doing so, she earned herself more than a few ponies who disliked her, myself included.”

Nova could already see where this was going, and who she was talking about.

“I ended up defeating her in a magical challenge, which humiliated her in return. Two years later, she returned to Ponyville with a grudge against me. She banished me from the town, tormented my friends, and even now, what both she and I have done is causing both of us, and you, to suffer.”

Nova was aware that Tantalus knew exactly whom Twilight was speaking of.

“I defeated her by relying on my friends for help. Nova, she was sorry for what she had done when she took that amulet off. She had hurt me deeply, but I forgave her. Even after, when she stayed with me while you were in the Crystal Empire, and she and I got into the most stupid arguments, I was still willing to forgive her.”

She seemed to be avoiding the reaction she’d had yesterday, when she had blamed herself for Trixie’s current predicament.

“Nova, I know this is asking a lot. You’ve forgiven someone who caused you a lot of pain in the past, and now he wants you to forgive someone else,” said Professor Hoofman. “The decision is yours, but I don’t think, and correct me if I’m wrong Tantalus, that he won’t let you have the diaries until you at the very least speak to your father in a cordial manner, if just for this one instance.”

Tantalus nodded.

“If there were another way, I would tell you in an instant,” Tantalus promised, “but the magical lock on my vault is keyed precisely to myself and Ray. There is no other way, but by going to him.”

Nova, please, thought Twilight, watching Nova with no small amount of trepidation. I know you can do it! Please, at least try!

Nova remained silent, merely reaching up and rubbing the skin around his horn as he thought harder than ever on some way around this.

Please...

Nova finally gave a defeated sigh.

“Fine,” he said in a low voice. “I’ll speak to them.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The night was extra-beautiful, it seemed, as Nova and Twilight walked back to the Sparkles’ home after dinner. Luna must have gone all-out that evening.

All the while, the day’s events just continued to play over and over in Nova’s head. Not the least of which was Twilight’s confession, which was still causing that strange little quiver in his gut every time he thought about it.

“We’re gonna have a nice little chat on the train tomorrow,” he blurted out, having been silent for the past several minutes.

“We always do on these kinds of train rides,” Twilight replied wryly.

“We will definitely need to talk about… us. More than we did last night, I mean,” he amended, before Twilight could respond with some kind of cheek about the previous night’s conversations.

“Want to hear me say it again?” she asked, giving him a sly look. “Is that the only reason? Because I mean it, I’ll say it again.”

“No, I don’t--”

“I’ll sing it from the top of the tallest tower in Canterlot Castle, if you want,” she sidled up to him and gave him a very affectionate nuzzle.

“Stop, please,” Nova pushed her away. “It’s only been a week since my episode in Trottingham, and I had another panic attack in there because I keep getting hit with bombshells I’m not prepared for. Baby steps, Twilight.”

“You mean,” she gave him a thoroughly bemused look, “you mean you couldn’t tell? You had no idea I love you? Not even when we kissed under the tree?”

Nova grimaced. “No, I just thought it was still a crush.”

Twilight’s bemusement fell. ”Nova, I said it before and I’ll say it again. Don’t feel pressured to rush into this. And don’t lie to me or yourself. I love you-- Celestia it feels so good to say that!-- but I will understand if you don’t ever feel the same way. I know it’ll hurt for a while, but I would rather take that than living a lie of a relationship.”

Nova grunted, but nodded. “Got it. When I realize I don’t actually like you, make a scene about it, or something.”

She glared at him, though the working jaw clued Nova in to the playfulness behind it.

“Still,” he said, his gut fluttering slightly at the thought, “for what it’s worth,...”

He quickly reached a hoof over, pulled her face toward him, and kissed her lightly just under the horn. When he pulled back, her cheeks had gone beet-red and she was rubbing her mane bashfully.

“Aww.... you didn’t…” she stuttered, before grinning like a schoolfilly and nuzzling him again. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I did,” said Nova as he returned the nuzzle. “If it weren’t for you dropping that on me, I don’t think I ever would have gotten my head out of my own ass to let go of my anger. Made me realize it wasn’t just me I was selfishly condemning to death.”

“Happy to help,” mumbled Twilight. Nova could almost see the cartoon hearts flying out of her head and popping.

“Are you going to do that adorkable thing every time I hug you?” Nova asked, more than a little amused at Twilight’s display.

“Maybe…”

Nova snorted. “Never change, Twilight.”

She simply hummed to herself in response. For some reason, it sounded familiar, like a theme song to a television show or something.

A thought struck Nova as they continued their walk, something that did need to be addressed.

“Say Twilight?”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry about how I reacted.”

“Reacted to what?” Twilight tilted her head.

“Your confession. When you said that you lo…” he trailed off, feeling a slight chill at the words. “Okay, that’s gonna take some getting used to.”

“When I told you I love you?” she asked.

Nova nodded. He glanced up at Luna’s stars and smiled wryly.

“I know I’m moving slower than Tank without coffee, but I need time.” He shook his head. “I’m kind of trying to overcome ten-plus years of baggage. Be patient with me, alright?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” Twilight patted him on the shoulder. “Take all the time you need; I’m not going anywhere.”

It wasn’t much longer before they reached the fork in the road. Nova knew he could easily follow Twilight home, just skip this whole thing, go straight back to Ponyville. Or Neighton. They’d have to figure that out when on the train ride back.

But on the other side of the fork, a few turns down the road, was Novus Manor. They needed those diaries. The previous Night Apprentices and Faithful Students knew how to defend against, and defeat, Envy. They had nothing.

Nova could easily choose to follow Twilight, but he’d be dooming them both. Or he could go and confront the two ponies he so thoroughly wished he could never see again, and ironically, it was that path that was the path of life.

“You’ll be fine,” Twilight assured him, laying her hoof on his shoulder. “You can do it.”

Nova just shook his head, awful memories of the times before he ran away surfacing in his mind.

Twilight hugged him, jolting him out of his recalling.

“Very physical with the shows of affection, aren’t we?” he noted.

“Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it,” she purred, before poking him where his heart was. “I heard your heart speed up.”

Nova groaned to himself, but let Twilight have her moment. She was only trying to make him feel better, after all.

Feel better, right before we gotta go talk to them. his thoughts reminded him.

And dare Nova say it, but Twilight was right. He was enjoying the hug. If for no other reason than because it kept him from going to Novus Manor for just that much longer.

But all too soon, it ended, and she let him go, before stepping back and looking him in the eye.

“You can do it,” she repeated, placing her hoof back on his shoulder. “If you can let go of your past with Tantalus, you can do it with your parents too.”

“I certainly hope so,” Nova replied, doing his best to hide the sizable nerves he was already starting to feel in his gut.

They were a lot like the ones he felt when he was around Twilight, but unlike the ones around Twilight, these were far from pleasant.

“Hey,” she said softly, to calm him down. “I’ll be waiting for you at home, alright?”

“Yeah,” said Nova flatly, staring down the road that led to Novus Manor. “See you tonight, then?”

She nodded, and then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

“For luck,” she said, before lifting her hoof off his shoulder and stepping back. “You can do this Nova.”

Nova nodded at her, and he was pleased at how confident it had to have seemed when it didn’t feel anything like he really felt. They kept eye contact as she backed away, but then, all too soon, she was swallowed by the crowd of ponies walking up and down the streets.

He was alone.

He was alone, and he had shit to do.

Taking a breath to steel himself, he set off, down the road to the manor. In no time at all, it seemed, he was there. It had felt like a dream, where he glided on his hooves, a dream that ended all too quickly as he found himself outside the gates, the wrought-iron crafted into a split shape of the Novus clan’s coat of arms, but also with the clan’s words underneath.

Nova’s eyes lingered on the words, Ex stellae, magicae. Ex magicae, lux.

From stars, magic. From magic, light. My family’s pretty damn pretentious, aren’t they?

And you wonder where you get it from.

Quiet, Snark. No one invited you.

A hesitant hoof reached out and pushed open the gate. Nova was startled to discover it was him that had done it. His body was on autopilot, it seemed.

He walked through the gardens, listening to the familiar whirring of his father’s contraptions, delivering water and fertilizer in measured doses to the plants that needed them. He could smell the many flowers he kept on the other side of one of these ivy-covered walls, separating the courtyard’s walkway from its gardens.

He snarled as a memory of his seven-year-old self nomming on a carnation surfaced, only to get yelled at by his “loving” father.

No, it’s in the past. Deep breath. Let it go.

Following his inner self’s thoughts, he did indeed take a deep breath and let it out, and with it went the memory.

As confident as he would ever be, he strode up to the double doors of the house, raised a hoof, and knocked four times.

Due to the inherent complex and powerful spellwork laid into the foundation of the house itself, Nova was blind to his energy senses, so it came as a surprise to him to see the red-coated, dark-maned pegasus bounty hunter answer the door.

“Nova Shine!” exclaimed the pegasus, mouth parting.

“I’m here to see my parents,” Nova declared, with no desire to stay longer than he had to.

“Ah,” the pegasus nodded. “They’re in the living room. Still know your way around the place?”

“Of course,” Nova dipped his head, before pushing his way past the pegasus brusquely.

“Follow me, then,” the pegasus said, taking the lead and passing under the mezzanine.

“You know, I never got your name,” Nova pointed out.

“Sharp Eye,” the pegasus grunted.

“Nice to meet you under less-hostile circumstances.”

“Likewise,” the pegasus inclined his head. “Right this way…”

He was led past the smaller, more casual dining room that he often had eaten in, past a smaller kitchen, and then emerged into a sitting room, where poufs littered the ground, bookshelves were placed every so often on each wall, and two ponies sat on a sofa.

One of them Nova was a bit pleased to see. Her silver mane spilled off of her shoulders, her equally-silver eyes followed words on a page of a book she was reading, and her pale blue coat seemed to shine in the firelight.

The other, how ever, made him redouble his efforts to keep the past out of his mind. The tan coat hadn’t changed a bit, the cold grey eyes were hidden behind his eyelids, the brown mane appeared to have a few stray grey hairs around it, and he appeared quite peaceful, almost as though he were napping.

“Mom?” he said, quietly. “Dad?”

His father’s eyes snapped open, and the book dropped from his mother’s grip. Their eyes instantly locked onto his, blue eyes meeting grey and silver.

“It… it can’t be…” breathed his mother, rising to her hooves and approaching him. “Nova? Nova, is that really you?”

Nova nodded, looking past her at his dad, who seemed to be in complete disbelief that he had shown up.

“Oh, after all th-these years, you’ve c-c-come home!” his mother suddenly sobbed, embracing him and starting to cry into his shoulder. Nova couldn’t help but wonder just what it was about mares crying into his shoulder over the last couple of days.

“Hey D-=” he tried to say, but his throat seemed to have jumped. He swallowed, trying to alleviate it, but that didn’t seem to solve the problem.

His father said nothing, still staring at him in shock. His mother, however, let go of him and started examining him from head to tail, a wondrous look in her eyes.

“Y-you’ve grown so much,” she breathed.

“Mm-hmm,” Nova dipped his head, his gaze taking on a cool edge as he continued to wait on his father to say or do something. “I had to grow up quickly, if I wanted to live on my own.”

He felt a slight bit of savage delight at the way his father winced, but then he remembered he was supposed to be making amends.

“How… how have you been?” Ray Novus finally asked, his voice every bit as hesitant as his body language communicated.

“Oh, you know,” Nova waved a hoof through the air, “studied magic, started dating a mare, currently engaged in a life-or-death struggle between myself and an evil shadow that wants me and Twi dead…”

Shimmer gave a strange noise that seemed like half-a-laugh and half-a-sob. Ray gave the ghost of a smile, but otherwise showed no reaction.

“‘Twi?’” Shimmer asked. “As in, Twilight Sparkle?”

Nova nodded. “One and the same.”

“That’s Night Light’s daughter, isn’t it?” Shimmer glanced back at Ray, who nodded tensely.

“Celestia’s student,” Ray added.

Nova couldn’t stop himself. His eyebrows twitched as he fought to keep himself from really glowering. That’s the first thing his mind goes to!?

“And you’re Luna’s student too, right?” Ray asked, if anything even more hesitant than before, as though he had noticed.

“Apprentice,” Nova corrected automatically. “Yes, I am.”

“How… how is that?” Ray asked, not doing anything to ease the sudden tension in the room.

Nova almost didn’t notice himself take a sharp breath into his nose. But it was too late. The wrong buttons had been pushed.

“You know,” he said in a deathly quiet voice, “for a minute there, I actually believed Tantalus.”

“I don’t…” Shimmer trailed off in confusion, looking back to Ray for help.

“He said you had changed. you know?” Nova’s voice had gained a harsh edge. “But here we are, and nothing has changed.”

“What are you--”

“You know very well what the hell I’m talking about!” Nova snapped at Ray, snarling at him. “I come back with my cutie mark, and it’s the first time you ever show interest in me! Before that, I was nothing! NOTHING! AND NOW I COME BACK, AND THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS HOW I’M THE NIGHT APPRENTICE AND AM DATING THE FAITHFUL STUDENT!” He jabbed a hoof at Ray. “ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS WHAT I AM, NOT WHO I AM!”

Shimmer sank to her knees, tears already brimming in her eyes. Ray just stared at Nova, a pained look in his face, but he had no other reaction.

“Nova, that’s--” Shimmer tried to say, but she was cut off.

“YOU CAN’T ASK ME ABOUT ANY OF THE OTHER THINGS I MIGHT HAVE DONE! NOTHING ABOUT DOCTOR HOOFMAN, OR ALL THE PLACES I’VE GONE! NO, JUST ME AND MY STUPID, FUCKING POSITION!”

“No, Nova, that’s not true!” cried Shimmer, losing all control as the tears started to flow freely from her eyes.

“Is it!? IS IT!?” roared Nova, his mane starting to blow around as though an invisible wind were ruffling it. He his hoof at his father again. “ASK HIM! HE’S THE ONE WHO NEVER EVEN WANTED TO GIVE ME THE TIME OF DAY!”

“No, we loved you, Nova!” protested Shimmer, gazing pleadingly at him. “W-we wanted the bes-st for you! We wanted to see you sh-shine!”

“THEN YOU HAD A F-FUNNY WAY OF SHOWING IT!” Emotion was starting to flood his voice. “IT WAS ONLY AFTER THAT FUCKING ENTRANCE EXAM THAT HE EVER SHOWED ANY KIND OF INTEREST IN ME! FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE, HE SENT A BOUNTY HUNTER AFTER HIS OWN SON!”

“With all due respect, all I was contracted for was to keep an eye on you,” Sharp Eye interjected, but Nova cut him off.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP,” he yelled, the blowing of his mane intensifying “YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STAY OUT OF THIS!”

Sharp Eye flinched, but complied, wordlessly backing up and refraining from commenting any further.

All through his tirade, he kept his eyes on Ray, whose gaze had gone from hesitant to teary and now to openly crying.

“You’re… you’re right,” Ray sighed, lifting his glasses up and wiping his eyes. “We were not good parents. We did not show you the attention and appreciation you deserved. But Shimmer is right. We did love you, Nova.”

“DON’T LIE TO ME!” Nova yelled, though what little energy sensing capability he did have was telling him that Ray definitely was not lying.

“It’s not a lie,” Ray continued, quiet as ever. “You know--”

“I DON’T BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD COMING OUT OF YOUR LYING MOUTH!”

He had hit fever pitch. With a wordless scream, the magic that had slowly been building inside of him blasted out of his horn, doing no damage to anything in the room itself, but startling everyone inside.

With it out of his system, Nova felt himself sink to his knees as he took measured breaths, stewing in the last few moments of fury. No one seemed to want to do anything.

But then Nova finally stood up.

“You know what?” he asked the room in general. “Fine. I meant so little to you when I wasn’t the Night Apprentice, why don’t we just go ahead and make it official?”

Shimmer’s eyes narrowed in confusion, but Ray reacted as though he had been punched in the gut.

“After all,” Nova said, giving them one last contemptuous glare, “I’d rather be a bastard than be your son.”

And he turned right around and marched away, leaving his mother and father behind, even passing Sharp Eye without so much as a glance.

“Nova, wait!” He could hear his mother sprinting after him, but he put up a wall of blue magic to prevent her from going any further.

“Goodbye, progenitors,” he spat with no small amount of distaste. “I hope I never have to come to your wretched home ever again.”

And he left.

He marched right out of the house, before any of them could chase, though he was sure they were simply frozen in place, watching him go. Out of the manor, out of the courtyard, where the day’s clouds were beginning to let loose their rain.

He felt his eyes well up as he started to realize the gravity of what he had just done. By his own words, he was no longer a Novus. He had disowned his own parents.

He had followed the long path, but had chosen to cling to his anger all the same.

The droplets started coming down more and more, hiding the tears streaming down his cheeks as he continued to plod toward the Sparkles’.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Four knocks sounded at the door. Tantalus could only wonder who was visiting him so late at night as he rose from his dinner table and went to greet his guest. He opened the door to see the forecasted storm outside in full swing, but even more pressing was his visitor.

There, sopping wet and tears openly streaming from his eyes, was Ray Novus.

“Ray!” exclaimed Tantalus, taking a hesitant step back.

“Tantalus,” whispered Ray, wiping his eyes with his arm. “It’s… it’s been too long…”

“It… has,” he conceded.

“I’ve been a fool,” Ray moaned. “Please, may I come inside?”

Tantalus could only stare down at his friend, broken beyond any state he had ever seen the poor stallion in, and he backed up.

“Of course, old friend,” he said, opening his home to Ray. “You have always been welcome here.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Four knocks sounded at the door. Twilight leapt off her bed, hoping it was Nova coming back with good news about his meeting with his parents.

It had been very quick. Perhaps he was just on a roll with letting go of grudges.

But when she opened the door, she was not greeted by her cheerful, newly-free-from-his-anger Nova, but a wet, miserable, sobbing Nova.

“Nova?” she asked, before trying to pull him inside and sit him on the bed. “What’s wrong? Come inside!”

“I’ve failed,” Nova moaned. “I… I…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” she took his hoof in hers. “Just… what’s wrong?”

“I…” he started to say. But then, without warning, he just collapsed onto her bed, crying.

For one moment of panic, Twilight had no idea what to do, no inkling on how to handle this situation. But then something sprang to her mind, and she followed its command. The candles were put out, the lights turned off, and she simply slipped them both under her covers.

“It’s going to be alright, Nova,” she crooned, “it’s going to be alright. I’m right here.”

And she continued to hold him and comfort him as he cried himself to sleep.

Author's Note

It took me one day to write this originally, but now it took me a few months to write the rewrite. Work is gonna be the death of me.

Also, new chapter name!

Let me know what you think of the new one.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Practical Applications

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 08 - Practical Applications

Music will feature in this chapter, as well as future chapters. Due to a policy implemented in a different story, music will feature in the form of embedded YouTube videos from here onward. In the event of linked text, such as here, right click and open a new tab.

*belch*

“SPIKE!” barked Twilight, glaring at him from the top of the morning newspaper she was reading.

“Sorry Twilight,” Spike grinned sheepishly, before setting down his Pony-Cola.

“If you’re gonna do this every time I let you have soda in the mornings, I won’t let you have it very often. And especially not if you keep forgetting to brush your teeth!”

She folded up the paper, obviously no longer in the mood to read it, and set it on the table they were sitting at. Spike was munching away at a breakfast sandwich, while Twilight had already eaten. Or maybe she hadn’t. Spike couldn’t tell anymore. She seemed just a bit more irritable lately. and may not actually have been eating for some reason or another. At least, not eating much.

Something had to have happened on that trip to Trottingham that got Twilight like this. Hay, Trixie wasn’t even with them, and neither she nor Nova seemed to want to talk about it. And they didn’t say why they had gone to Canterlot for a whole week afterward.

Not that Spike minded. After all, that gave him much more quality time to schmooze Rarity (he was definitely gaining ground there; she had stopped rolling her eyes every time he said a particularly smooth pickup line).

But for some reason, Twilight came back different. And Nova almost seemed like he didn’t come back at all. He hadn’t said so much as a word to Spike or Twilight that he had seen since they had come back. Instead, Nova had plodded his way downstairs to his basement room and locked the door.

That was a week ago. Spike had only seen him outside the basement all of twice. Once, he was heading to the loo, and the other time was when he had woken up late and found Nova raiding the fridge. Both times, Nova had acted like Spike wasn’t there, just did his thing, and returned to his basement..

Whatever he was doing down there was affecting Twilight, too.

Now, Spike was a very sophisticated young drake. And he was smarter than the average dragon, considering he grew up with Twilight and, like it or not, some of her lessons had started to sink in. He actually had big, important things to do. And sometimes, those required him to be out and about.

Maybe Nova and Twilight talked then…?

It didn’t seem like it. Whenever he got back, it always seemed like Nova and Twilight had done no talking, and that was making Twilight more and more touchy.

Suddenly, Spike could feel a familiar spring of magical energy well up inside of him, and opened his mouth.

*belch*

“SPIKE!”

But Twilight’s bark died off as she saw the letter materialize. Surprisingly, however, it had his name on it as opposed to Twilight’s, and the seal was Princess Luna’s.

“Huh?” Spike blinked. “What’s Princess Luna sending me a letter for?”

“I dunno,” Twilight returned to whatever book she was reading.

Spike,

I must inform you that I am sending a letter to you meant for Nova and Twilight Sparkle. Said letter will feature a spell designed to subconsciously make whomever reads it to speak the words aloud, and the word on the page will be a self-sleeping spell. I need to speak to them both personally and privately, and a dream is the best way to do so. As soon as the next letter arrives, which should be in approximately one minute, have Nova read it. As soon as he falls asleep, Twilight will undoubtedly pick it up and read it, so wait to dispose of the letter until after they have both fallen asleep.

Yours,
Princess Luna

P.S. A paint brush with black paint will be included in the third letter, to come after the second one has been sent. I am sure you may know of a use for it.

Spike could already feel the Grinch-esque grin spreading across his face at that last line. Before he could say or do anything, however, the magical spring came again.

*belch*

Twilight almost screamed in frustration from her book, even as Spike caught the letter.

“It’s for Nova,” he said, getting up and walking over to the door to Nova’s room.

Before he could raise his hand and knock, however, the door was pushed open of its own accord, and out stepped the stallion of the hour.

Nova looked a mess. His eyes were half-lidded and bloodshot, and they seemed to be slightly puffy, as though he had cried some time ago. His mane, normally only slightly unkempt, was a total mess. His tail, normally held up right in that zone between casual and narcissistic, was dragging on the floor behind him.

And he barely seemed to even notice Spike as he plodded his way toward the breakfast table.

“Morning!” chirped Twilight, her sullenness suddenly vanishing, though Spike definitely noticed some slight hesitation behind it.

“Mmh,” grunted Nova, plopping down at the breakfast table and conjuring a bowl of cold cereal with a flash of his blue magic. Nova’s Pony-O’s even came pre-milked, it seemed.

“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked, her smile falling slightly.

“Mmh,” repeated Nova. Spike also noticed he was avoiding her eye.

“I’m sorry?” Twilight asked, leaning in slightly just in case she missed it.

Nova said nothing, merely grabbing a spoon from the drawer, stabbing it into his cereal, and jamming it into his mouth,

The effect was immediate. Twilight’s shoulders slumped, and her cheeriness vanished behind her earlier sullenness.

“Of course,” she mumbled.

Spike looked between the two of them, before offering the letter to Nova.

“Princess Luna sent you a letter,” he reported.

Nova again said nothing, but he swallowed, reached over, and took the offered letter, unfurling it with magic as he took the spoon in his front hooves.

There was a moment in which he glanced at the page.

“Slytha,” he suddenly recited in a clear, monotone voice.

At once, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his face fell forward, splashing into the cereal.

“Nova!” exclaimed Twilight, dashing around as Nova’s cereal suddenly started bubbling comically. She yanked his head back out, brushed the convenient arrangement of Pony-O’s that had stuck to his eyes and nostrils, and somehow formed a smiley-face on his upper lip, wiped off the milk that had stuck to his mane (hard as it was to see), and started tapping him on the nose.

Nova didn’t even show the slightest reaction. He just snoozed peacefully. Twilight’s panic vanished into suspicion as she dropped Nova and picked up the fallen parchment.

“What did Princess Luna send him?” she growled as she looked at the back of it while Spike wisely averted his gaze. “If it’s impregnated with a spell, how come Nova didn’t sense it?” She groaned. “What I wouldn’t give to know how to sense magic.”

She turned over the page and glanced at the front.

“Slytha,” she too recited in a monotonous clear voice, before collapsing where she stood, falling conveniently into Nova’s hooves where she had dropped him, and slumbering quietly.

Spike didn’t have to wait more than a few seconds. The spring of magic filled him again, he belched, and out bell a scroll holding a wet paintbrush with black paint on the end of it.

He grinned wickedly.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

For some reason, despite the inky landscape appearing identical to the time they were nearly strangled by Envy, Nova and Twilight both felt calm and at ease as they looked around.

It almost felt… warm. Comforting, even.

“Where do you suppose we are?” Twilight asked.

Nova didn’t answer, yet again. The already-bubbling irritation and sadness from his ignoring of her was only growing stronger.

“THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH.”

The voice rang out around them both, shaking them both to the bones. A light-blue light appeared, before forming into the shape of a tall, regal alicorn. In only a few moments, Princess Luna appeared before them, looking down at Nova with a combination of disappointment and pity.

“Princess!” exclaimed Twilight, before bowing.

Princess Luna chose to ignore her, and instead turned her gaze to Nova, who was neither kneeling nor looking at her. Instead, he was glancing away, and the look on his face told Twilight that if there were any rocks in this empty void, he would have tried to hide under it.

“Night Apprentice Nova Shine, look at me,” Luna ordered, her tone making it quite clear there was no room for negotiation.

Nova complied, most unwillingly. Rather than his usual confident or aloof expression, his eyes betrayed shame, of all things.

“Twilight Sparkle, you may rise,” Princess Luna said, glancing at Twilight for only the briefest of moments. Twilight rose almost immediately.

“What was that spell on the parchment?” Twilight asked immediately.

“A old spell, used back when magic was cast by reciting actual spellwords as opposed to using thoughts,” Luna answered. “I used the sleeping spell of this ancient language and enchanted the letter with a spell that subconsciously made the pony who glanced at the word read it.”

She returned her gaze to Nova.

“All of this so that I may speak with the both of you,” she said, but her body language intended this was more for Nova than both.

Nova shrunk under her gaze, to put it simply.

“Nova, you are not in trouble,” Luna reassured him, her stern gaze softening as she reached a hoof out and placed it on a shoulder that was quivering. “I am not angry at you. Quite the contrary, I am proud of you.”

The quivering only diminished somewhat, as Nova looked up at Luna with an apprehensive look.

“I told you in Canterlot Castle,” continued Luna, kneeling down to meet him at eye level, “I did not expect your animosity with Tantalus Lulamoon to end overnight, and yet,” she smiled at him, “you ensured that it did just that. It took tremendous courage to let go of something you had held onto for so long. And you even went the extra mile and attempted to speak with your parents as well.”

She gave Nova’s shoulder a soft squeeze.

“If I did not expect you to make your peace with Tantalus that soon, I must say that never in my wildest dreams could I have expected you to even attempt to go before your father so soon,” she praised. “So please, Nova, trust me when I say I am not angry at you over what happened at Novus Manor.”

There was obviously a “but” coming, and knowing Nova, he had to know it was on its way.

“But your behavior since your return to Ponyville has been nothing short of inexcusable,” her gentle smile was replaced by a harder look. “I would have thought you would have learned from that very afternoon that Twilight has always been and will always be there to support you.”

Twilight looked away and kicked her hooves bashfully.

“Rather than open up to her, you instead choose to punish yourself by shutting yourself into your room for the week, answering neither Twilight’s nor Spike’s calls to speak with you. In doing so,” Nova shrunk even more as her stern look intensified, “you have not only hurt yourself for the sake of your own misguided attempt to be your own parent, but you have either ignored or just failed to see the hurt you are inflicting on Twilight and Spike both.”

The blackness around them changed to one such moment in which Nova had emerged some days ago, grabbed a quick sandwich, and retreated back down before Twilight could stop him.

“Nova!” past!Twilight exclaimed, before getting up and trying to hurry after him, but his door was shut and locked before she could catch him. A deep, sad sort of pain crossed her face as she realized she couldn’t get through.

Naturally, this made Nova feel even more terrible than he already did.

“As I said, my Night Apprentice, that is quite enough,” She drew herself back and stood at her tallest. “I will make you a deal. Look at me for just this moment.”

Nova reluctantly met his teacher’s gaze.

“If you can promise me that you will never again isolate yourself from those who care about you when things go wrong, I will personally officiate the wedding.”

Nova blinked.

“Do what, now?”

“You didn’t tell me you and Twilight finally became official,” she smiled impishly as she teased him. “I didn’t find out until her most recent letter to my sister.”

Nova’s face went beet red, whereas Twilight’s had gone bright pink.

“That’s not--”

“We’re not even close--”

“He switches the books on the shelves when I’m not looking--”

Luna could only attempt to stifle her laughter as they went off. For one moment, Nova had come back from his despair and was his old self once again.

“Very well, very well, we will put wedding talk on hold for now,” Luna interrupted their babbling, though that didn’t stop Twilight’s mind from conjuring an image of Nova standing in front of Celestia and Luna in a full suit as he waited for her to walk up the aisle.

Nova, face still red as a tomato, rolled his eyes.

“However, promise me that, Nova,” Luna commanded, an expectant look in her eyes.

Nova sighed. “Fine. I promise I will never turtle myself up if something ever goes bad again. And for what it’s worth,” he reached over and gave Twilight a quick side-hug, before jerking himself away quickly as though he were embarrassed of Luna seeing him do it, “I’m sorry that I did in the first place.”

“You’re forgiven,” Twilight assured him, relief flooding through her.

“And as well, my Night Apprentice,” Luna added, “you did everything I asked of you. You made your peace with Tantalus within a day. With that in mind, I revoke your suspension, effective immediately.”

It took Nova only a moment to react, but he broke into a broad grin.

“Does this mean I’ll learn a new spell today?” Nova asked, almost bouncing on the tips of his hooves.

“Yes, actually,” Luna nodded. “Finish your day’s work, and I will send Twilight a letter detailing the instructions.”

“Wait… send Twilight the letter?” Nova asked, confused.

“Indeed,” Luna nodded again. “I will still teach you spells and concepts, naturally, but I believe the time has come for you and Twilight to begin learning from each other. As such, she will be the one to teach you the spells I have selected, and though she does know far more than you on the whole, there are a few subjects and techniques that you know yet she does not.”

“Like energy sensing,” pointed out Twilight. “Ever since I’ve seen what all it can do, I’ve been waiting to learn how to do that.”

“What spells are we talking about here? Elemental?” Nova asked, already thinking of himself shooting fire from his horn.

“Combat,” stated Luna. “We have focused on the practical applications of magic as a skill, but now it is time for you to learn how to defend yourself. Naturally, we will have to start with the basics,” she said, attempting to bring her student back down to earth before he could start thinking he’d be summoning meteors in three days, “but once you have mastered those, we will go into the more advanced applications.”

She turned to Twilight.

“Be expecting your letter, and when Nova is finished for the day, find a good place to practice. I would suggest making it part of your daily routine. It would not be wise to be relaxed and out of practice with Envy on the loose.”

“Will do, Princess Luna,” promised Twilight.

“And one final thing, Nova,” Luna added, a flash of light appearing in the dreamscape, before dissipating to reveal a somewhat thick scroll. “I wished to show you this sooner, but… well, with your trip to Trottingham and the aftermath thereof, there never seemed like a good time.”

“What’s going on?” Nova asked, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized the scroll. “What is that?”

“The full evaluation based on the data the arcanograph took from the assessment we brought you into Canterlot for,” she unfurled the scroll. “Tia and I do apologize for how long it took to send this to you, but there was something interesting that the data uncovered.”

She levitated the scroll over to Nova, who immediately sat down and unraveled it in his hooves. Twilight, curious to see what exactly was so interesting (considering her own assessment report had taken only a couple of weeks to come in), sidled in close and started scanning the contents.

But before she could get a good look, Nova dropped the scroll.

“No way,” he said, staring at a spot past the scroll, utter shock suddenly appearing on his face. “There’s no way.”

“What? There’s no way what?” Twilight asked, reaching down and picking it up.

The report was rather dry, with nothing terribly interesting, so she skipped right on down to the summary.

It didn’t take long to see exactly what got Nova into such a state of disbelief.

Unicorn Rating - Alpha+

The moment she read that line, her head snapped into Nova’s direction. It seemed as though he didn’t have any idea how to react to this either, though a small smile was starting to work its way across his face.

“I’m an Alpha+,” he breathed, the small smile growing ever larger. In no time at all, he was beaming. “I’m an Alpha+! I’m actually a real Alpha+!”

“Yes, a rating you thoroughly deserve,” Luna praised as Nova had taken to expressing his joy by leaping around. “As I’m sure you know, ratings don’t necessarily mean you are better than other unicorns at that moment, as they are merely a measure of your raw potential, but with your guile and a completed education, you can truly become a Night Master to be feared.”

“Congratulations, Nova!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming at the still-leaping-and-vaulting Night Apprentice.

“With all of that in mind, I must end this dream,” the Princess said even as a portal appeared behind her. “You will be contacted within the day.” And with that, she bowed out. There was a brief moment in which Nova was caught mid-jump by Twilight’s magic, but then everything around them vanished completely.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Fluttershy hummed happily to herself as she filled a bowl with lettuce and carrots for his daily salad.

“Here you are, Angel Bunny,” she said, pushing the bowl over to the rabbit. The bunny glowered at it for a moment before rather begrudgingly digging in. Progress. At least he wasn’t demanding that cherry salad anymore. “Eat up, or you’ll have to spend the afternoon with a rumbly tummy while I go out and get more groceries.”

Lunch time was her favorite part of the day. Making sure all of her animal friends were nice and fed was always a delight, especially when Harry was helping. He may have been a rather angry bear when she first met him, but now, he was just the perfect gentlebear! Rarity’s tea time had definitely done wonders.

“Oh, time to go feed the chickens,” she observed as she glanced at her clock, which was showing 10:30AM. With a quick few flaps of her wings, she fluttered over to where she kept the feed, slung it onto her side, and trotted out to the trough by the chicken coop, where she put out a generous portion of food.

The chickens all scrambled out as they heard the seed pour, ready for their next meal.

“There you go, everyone,” she patted one of the hens on the back while it pecked away. “I hope you all enjoy.”

Out of nowhere, all the chickens’ heads snapped to attention. Fluttershy could feel a slight shake in the ground all of a sudden, which was what tipped her off to the oncoming horror, but beyond that, she had no time to prepare.

“SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!”

In an instant, everything was in uproar. The ground was shaking, the chickens were scrambling around and the trees were creaking under the sudden gusts of wind issuing from Ponyville, all while Fluttershy tried desperately to get the feathery birds back into their coop.

“No! Come back, please!” she cried at a couple of fleeing chickens while physically shoving one into the small wooden building while feathers flew everywhere.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Needless to say, Spike was grounded. It took Twilight a whole bar of soap to get the black paint out of her coat. It was especially embarrassing because Spike had doodled “BOOK HORSE” across her forehead, and both of her sides. But he wasn’t grounded for that.

He was grounded for drawing a face on her butt. It wasn’t even a funny face.

After his ears recovered from The Scream, Nova buried his nose in a book while trying to ignore Twilight lecturing Spike. He didn’t have any jobs for the day, so he was just waiting on Princess Luna’s instructions. He had originally spent the time casually rearranging Twilight’s encyclopedia set into spelling TWI’S A DORK, using other books as the spaces, but that didn’t take long enough to cure his boredom, so here he sat, reading a copy of From Stalliongrad With Love.

His reading was interrupted, however, when the bathroom door opened. He peered over the top of the book to see a damp Twilight, mane contained in a towel wrap, stomping off to her room to dry off, obviously having just finished a shower to clean up the paint.

She glowered over at him for a moment, before pausing with a look of confusion on her face.

“What?” she asked.

Nova blinked. He hadn’t realized he had been staring. Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of Twilight in a towel, Nova regained his composure.

“Nothing!” he replied hastily, averting his gaze, though the image was burned in his mind. Her long, wet mane, brushed out of her face, lazily flowing down her neck, and spilling over her shoulder, her sleek coat with a little bit of extra shine from the moisture, and the extra-fluffy chest tuft she had going for her...

She’s cute when she gets out of the shower, he thought, before he shook his head to clear that one away. Stupid, sexy Twilight.

Nova’s paint job had been a little disappointing. Just a couple of black eyes and a moustache and beard. Low-hanging fruit. Nova would have to teach Spike the proper way to draw on somepony’s face in the future.

Probably starting with Rarity.

“Very funny, Nova,” Twilight grunted, startling Nova into looking up. She was staring at him with narrowed eyes, though the glint of light in them betrayed her amusement, as she stood next to her rearranged encyclopedias. Nova grinned, but now that the shower was free, he needed to clean himself up.

Once he had cleaned his coat of paint (and cleared his head of Twilight), he and Twilight set out for Sweet Apple Acres. She had received the letter while he had been cleaning up, and it seemed as though she already had a good idea at what to do.

The leaves on the trees had turned a very beautiful combination of golden, orange, brown, and red colors, and there was a slight nip in the air that was going to become all the more commonplace in the next month.

“So Nova, quick question for you,” Twilight began as they trotted leisurely through the town square.

“Hm?” Nova asked, glancing over.

“Just out of curiosity, aside from obviously Yearling, who would you say your favorite author is?” she asked. “I know you like to read Christopony Paolini, Yearling, Coltien, and others, but if you had to pick a favorite, who and why?”

“Great question, actually,” Nova dipped his head as he thought. “Honestly, I’d say it’s a toss-up between William Flankspeare or Edgar Allan Poeny. Both of them are very poetic, with a clear style of writing that sets them apart.”

“I didn’t know you liked poetry,” said Twilight, wondering if there had ever been an occasion he had ever indulged in it.

“I love the arts,” Nova grinned. “Literature and theatre, obviously, but also poetry and music.” He frowned. “Never got into actual paintings and sculptures, but these four should keep me entertained for a long time.”

“When did you become a fan of them?” Twilight inquired, her curiosity about some of Nova’s hobbies starting to come out.

“Manehattan,” Nova shrugged. “Hoofman had me do some reading from time to time, and considering M.I.M. isn’t that far away from the performance hall, I got to watch no shortage of plays and orchestral performances in my spare time, when I wasn’t watching hoofball. Even learned how to play a couple of instruments.”

“Instruments?” Twilight’s eyebrows rose “I’ve never seen you with a musical instrument!”

“That’s because to a percussionist, everything is a musical instrument,” he replied, punctuating his statement by tapping out “Shave and a Haircut” on the ground. “I’m no master at it, or anything,” he added. “Just enough to make a fun hobby. And also I can proficiently play the trombone. And Prench Horn, but that one not very well.”

Twilight stared at him.

Nova shrugged again. “Like I said, those two I’m not nearly as good at, and I didn’t have much time to practice, but if you gave me sheet music and told me to play it, I’d probably make a passable effort.”

“Any other hidden talents you’d care to share?” Twilight asked.

“I can speak conversationally in iambic pentameter.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

Nova rolled his eyes. “It’s really not that hard to get it down. Go with the rhythm of your heart in mind, and say your words with confidence in full. It’s very rhythmic when it’s done all right. And if you care to know,” he grinned slyly, “I did it now.”

Twilight furrowed her brow while she undoubtedly analyzed his speech. Nova had to admit, smart as Twilight was, it was going to be fun, keeping her mind running around in circles, trying to catch him speaking in iambic pentameter in the future.

“I also do this,” he continued, smirking. “I’m clearly doing something. But just what is it?”

Twilight’s mouth parted for a moment longer, before her eyes lit up.

“That was haiku!”

Nova’s smirk turned into a grin. “Yep! It’s fun, speaking in conversational haiku and iambic pentameter. Of course it can be difficult at first. It takes some time to get your mind to learn, and even longer for your tongue to learn, ‘cause muscle memory can screw it up--”

“You’re doing it now!”

Nova started chuckling deviously.

“You’re never gonna be at peace again! You’ll always hear me talking in this way! And even when you sleep you’ll hear it all!”

“Stop it!” Twilight glared at him. “I don’t want to forever hear your voice when I read Flankspeare! I’d rather hear just silence in my mind. Just words and thoughts about the story’s plot.” Her eyes bulged. “AND NOW YOU’VE GOT ME DOING IT AS WELL!”

Nova snickered even as Twilight’s death glare intensified.

“Sometimes I worry about you, you know that?” Nova patted her on the head patronizingly.

“You have got to be the most petty stallion I have ever met,” Twilight observed, fighting the amused grin she felt creeping across her face.

“Am not,” Nova shrugged.

“Yes, you really are,” Twilight assured him.

“No I’m not,” Nova replied instantly.

“I’m going to add ‘immature’ to the list too, considering you can’t argue with me,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not immature,” protested Nova indignantly, pouting at her. “I’m just implementing immature tactics to win the argument.”

“But you’re not even arguing,” Twilight cut in. “An argument is a series of statements intended to establish a proposition. What you’re doing is contradicting me.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you-- OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE!”

Now Nova was outright chortling. Twilight, in contrast, was glaring at him again.

“Oh come on,” Nova wiped the tears out of his eyes, “that was a good one!”

“Yeah,” sighed Twilight grudgingly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, “it was a good one.”

They walked in silence for just a while longer, before Twilight was able to go all the way back.

“Though, back to things having to do with iambic pentameter,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly and shaking her head dismissively, “what about your favorite play?”

Nova’s amused grin turned into a nostalgic one. “Hamlet is good, but I would have to say my all-time favorite is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I remember seeing a performance where the guy playing Bottom was just so unbelievably hammy…”

He sighed dreamily as he recalled the stallion in question, pretending to be someone as bigheaded as Nick Bottom.

“Though I’m also partial to Lord Avon’s plays as well,” he added, before his voice took an oddly-formal tone and a random twig flew over in his magical grip to be held aloft in front of his face as if it were a sword. “‘Treacherous Leo, my kinsman’s suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!’”

“I Want To Be Your Canary, Act III, Scene 2,” Twilight smiled, “when Marcus and his entourage confront Leo, Benero, and Zenero.”

“Correct!” Nova dipped his head, before prancing forward toward a corner and stabbing at an imaginary foe. “Man, what I wouldn’t give to learn how to properly use a sword.”

“Slow down there,” Twilight yanked him back by his tail with magic. “You could put someone’s eye out.”

Twilight had to admit, learning more about Nova’s likes and hobbies was a lot of fun. Nova didn’t have too much to learn from her, since her hobbies were literally on every wall in her home/workplace, which left him feeling slightly left out at not being able to learn much more about Twilight, but he reasoned that was what future time spent talking was for.

Speaking of learning...

“What.”

...Applejack apparently wasn’t keen on letting them do some learning in her orchards.

“We need a place to practice magic away from Ponyville,” Twilight explained. “Someplace we can put up targets or run around.”

“Why not Whitetail Wood?” Applejack asked, definitely not looking forward to this. “Surely if it had to be some sorta grove, y’all woulda thought to go there first?”

“It’s roped off,” Nova jerked his head back in the direction of said wood. “Running of the Leaves coming up, and they don’t want ponies knocking all the leaves down before said running.”

“Ah think this is one of the dumbest ideas you’ve ever come up with, Twi. No offense,” she added, giving her an apologetic look. “Do y’all really think it’s a good idea for two unicorns to be practicing magic, which they are obviously not masters of yet,” Nova rolled his eyes, “in a place that can catch fire, and on which both my family and Ponyville depend on for food and money?”

“Actually, we were counting on being able to use the West Orchard,” Twilight didn’t at all seem perturbed by Applejack’s rather frank opinion. “The only things we’ll ever have to worry about bothering there are the fruit bats, and we won’t even be working with fire spells until Princess Luna sends us her approval.”

Applejack didn’t appear completely convinced, but Twilight’s suggestion of the West Orchard seemed to have swayed her in their direction.

“Ah don’t think this is a good idea…” she glanced over at the barn, only rebuilt a couple of months ago after the family reunion, “Aw hell, you’ve never let me down before, Twi. Go on ahead. If y’all have any problems, just shoot up a magical beam or somethin’ to let us know and we’ll go do what we can to help out.”

“Will do, AJ,” promised Nova. “Thanks for letting us use it.”

“Don’t make me regret it,” she growled as poked him in the sternum, giving him a death glare to rival Twilight’s.

Unlike their trip to Sweet Apple Acres, their shorter trip to the West Orchard was spent in silence. Nothing was said, and nothing needed to be said. It was merely a short trip enjoying each others’ company.

And all too soon, they had passed through the gate, gone into the wood, and arrived at a small clearing with a small mounted archery target.

“This the place?” Nova asked, breaking the pleasant silence.

“It’s as good a place as any, but I don’t know if this is ‘the place,’” Twilight replied, smiling cattily at him.

Nova, meanwhile, paid it no mind and set to examining the archery target. Apparently there was some hidden meaning behind it being here or some such, because rather than just shrug it off like Twilight did, Nova was even sniffing the canvas.

“Buckball,” he finally ascertained. “This must be where Applejack practices buckball.”

“How’d you know?” Twilight asked, impressed. She had no idea herself that Applejack played buckball, much less that she had a practice set. "I thought buckball was a really niche thing."

“A sport's a sport, and you know me and sportsball," Nova shrugged. "As for the how, well, the canvas reeks of apple juice,” he stated, that calculating edge reappearing in his voice. “She’s been kicking them from distance to hit this target. If she were practicing combat, she’d probably have a bucking bag out here instead. All of that, and some of these impacts,” he indicated a few dents in the archery target, “are a bit too big to be apples. They all are rounded and aren’t even that deep like the apples are, which implies she’s kicking a ball at the target, or some other spherical object with a bit of give.”

He shrugged.

“I can’t say it for certain, but unless she’s secretly a hoofball fan like me and is practicing to be the next Messi, it’s most likely buckball.”

Twilight stared at him in amazement.

“Are you even a real pony?” she asked, suspiciously. “A musician, a detective, one hay of a spellcaster, very well-read and well-versed in theatre… it’s almost too good to be true. You’re starting to sound like a Mary Sue from those fanfiction writers.”

“Doesn’t being a Mary Sue imply perfection, though?” Nova raised an eyebrow. “I mean, lots of ponies like more things than I do, and are better at all of them. I guess you could say I’m like Fluttershy’s brother. What was his name?” he rubbed at his horn thoughtfully. “Zephyrum or something?”

“Zephyr Breeze,”answered Twilight automatically, facehoofing at the unwanted memory of Fluttershy’s younger brother trying unsuccessfully to flirt with Rainbow Dash during his latest visit.

“Yeah, him!” Nova nodded vigorously, before trotting over to a tree and sitting down. “I mean, based on what Fluttershy told me, he dabbles in a lot of things, but he isn’t really all that good at any one hobby. Same for me, I guess,” he sighed, “competent musician, avid fan of literature, poetry, and theatre, a passable spellcaster--”

“Don’t say that! You’re a very fine spellcaster,” Twilight interjected.

“Whatever I am, Alpha+ or otherwise, I’ve still got a ways to go,” Nova leaned back against the tree he was sitting in front of.

“As do I,” Twilight reminded him, before conjuring several pieces of rather thick paper and attaching them to trees all around the grove. “We never stop getting better, Nova. There is never a point where you hit an ending. Even when I think I’ve learned everything about friendship, there’s a surprise or two just waiting to happen. This isn’t some story, this is real life. You are going to need practice. Do not expect to master these spells on Day One.”

Nova scrunched up his face. “Didn’t I do that in the original version of this chapter?”

“Do what now?” Twilight cast him a weird look.

“I mean, yeah, I get that, it’s gonna take time ” Nova rolled his eyes. “But I mean, I’m part of the--”

He stopped suddenly. Twilight didn’t notice for a few moments but when she did, she looked back at him, to find himself working his jaw, as though trying to figure out what to say.

“I am a descendent of a powerful unicorn,” he recited, seemingly chewing on every word, “and the family tree has no shortage of very influential ponies in many fields. There was all this expectation on me to live up to the legacies of these ponies, and here I am, nothing special in any of them.”

Twilight opened her mouth to correct Nova again that he was far beyond merely passable, but she figured all he needed was a confidence boost.

That, and to get his mind off of disowning his family.

“So! Magic!” Twilight hoped she didn’t sound too obvious in her attempt to change the subject.

“Also, by the way, Applejack left her buckball behind that tree, so that’s how I knew” Nova indicated a red ball sitting behind one of the apple trees.

“SO! Magic!” Twilight repeated, louder this time. “We’re going to be starting simple, with a basic shield and energy beam attack. before we even remotely touch on advanced things.”

“Basic shield and energy beam?” Far from crestfallen, Nova seemed eager to learn any application of magic he could get his hooves on.

“Basic shield and energy beam,” Twilight nodded. “Before we get started, we need to determine your element, because that will tell me what I need to know regarding your preferred style of magical combat.”

“My element?” Nova asked, eyebrows twitching.

“All ponies have an element they are closely associated to,” explained Twilight, a chunk of the earth ripping itself from the ground and soaring beside her head, where a ball of fire, an orb of water, and a strange, silvery spinning wind sphere appeared as well. “This element usually manifests itself as a personality type or an affinity for the element in question. Different elements have different advantages and disadvantages, and have different effects on other elements as well. And the way of determining exactly what element you are is quite easy.”

“How easy are we talking, here?” Nova asked, as the three conjured elements vanished, and the chunk of earth was put back in its place.

A simple sheet of paper appeared in midair near Twilight.

“Incredibly easy. But first, a quick overview of each element, starting with Earth.”

Nova sat down as Twilight conjured a couple more papers and shuffled them into a neat stack.

“Earth elementals, with elemental referring to someone who channels that element, are ponies who feel a strong connection with the earth. Earth ponies are very likely to be earth elementals, with pegasi being very unlikely, which should be rather intuitive.”

“Of course,” said Nova, thinking of both Applejack and the farm they were at.

“Earth elementals are often very grounded individuals, stable, firm, and realistic. They tend to confront their problems head on to take them down. When magic manifests in them, it often involves some form of better quality with the ground, such as larger hoards when mining, or a greater crop of plants when farming. Two examples of earth elementals that you know of are Applejack,” Of course, “and Rarity.”

Nova did a double-take. “Rarity?”

Twilight nodded. “She knows her way around gems better than any other unicorn I know, and despite her aversion to mud, she can refine that mud and ground to create spectacular works of art or to beautify herself.”

“Makes sense,” Nova shrugged. “What’s next?”

“Water,” continued Twilight. “Water elementals are a strange bunch, because you can have ones that are cool and gentle,” Nova immediately thought of Fluttershy, “or you can have cold, unforgiving, icy types. Water elementals are often more patient and have less stressed personalities most of the time, though it isn’t a good idea to push that, and because of this, you will find that water elementals are better at more passive ways of dealing with problems, ways that can wear it away over time. When magic manifests itself in them, water elementals often make great healers, among many other things. Fluttershy is a water elemental.”

“Thought so,” Nova smiled.

“Wind elementals,” she looked up at the sky, “are free-spirited and flighty. You’ll find that they tend to be rather impatient, they often hate any and all forms of cages, and they have a tendency to try and take on problems from all sorts of different angles until they find the solution that works. Most pegasi tend to be wind elementals, and few earth ponies, though there are exceptions. Whenever magic manifests itself in them, wind elementals can be excellent fliers,” Nova instantly thought of Rainbow Dash, “or simply have a unique connection with the sky that few others can understand. As you may have guessed, Rainbow Dash is a wind elemental, but Pinkie Pie is also one.”

“That’s… huh,” said Nova, thinking it over. It did make sense. Certainly explained Pinkie’s hyperactivity and ability to teleport.

“And finally, fire,” said Twilight, taking a deep breath. “Fire elementals tend to be very passionate individuals, but also very dangerous. Fire elementals can drive a team, but they can just as easily burn the team away if they are not reined in. Fire elementals like to use sheer brute force to overpower a problem, no matter what angle of attack they choose. Whenever magic manifests itself, it can mean ponies with great passion for their craft can excel at it, though there is always a problem of burnout if they indulge too much. As for who a fire elemental is, well…” She closed her eyes and scrunched up her face. Nova instantly felt a wave of heat surge by him and he reflexively leapt away.

A moment later, Twilight’s mane and tail burst into flames, and her coat shone a bright light, before fading to reveal she had turned white, and her cutie mark had vanished. And when she opened her eyes to glance at Nova, they had gone from their usual vibrant purple to pure red.

“I happen to be one,” Twilight said quite conversationally, as though she had not just turned into an enormous flaming rage monster.

Nova looked her over, very interested in this development. Despite the heat, he reached a hoof out, but quickly yanked it back when the heat got rather unbearable.

“Whoa, that’s hot!” he exclaimed, before glancing at Twilight.

“Down, boy,” she replied in a rather sultry tone, and smirking at him with a half-lidded gaze.

“Have you been taking flirting lessons from Rarity?” Nova asked, massaging his hoof as the sting of heat vanished, feeling those strange jitters again as the incredibly sexy look she was giving him, if he were honest with himself, played over in his mind. “Because you’ve gotten a lot better since Trottingham and I can live with that.”

“Maaaaaaybe,” Twilight’s smirk deepened. The flames that made up her mane and tail vanished, replaced by her usual hair, and her coat regained its color and cutie mark. One blink later, and her eyes were back to normal too. “Though when I get all fiery, I find a lot of my passions tend to get exaggerated, so I get angrier, happier, more flirty when around a stallion I love…”

“What was that?” he asked, scootching close again now that the heat was gone, though Twilight did stand in a circle of charred grass now.

“Just something that happens when I get really angry, or whenever I just let go and plunge myself into my magic,” she shrugged. “I found out I could do it after me, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy escaped a hydra in Froggy Bottom Bog."

“I think you mean, ‘Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and I,’” he said, trotting over and laying a patronizing hoof across her shoulders, right over her mane.

Twilight glared at him.

“YEOWCH!” he yelped, leaping back as she transformed into Flamelight again.

“You know exactly what I meant,” she said, glowering at him. Her horn shone its usual magenta color, and Nova felt relief wash over his burned hoof as she healed it.

“I won’t do it again, I promise,” said Nova honestly. He hadn’t expected such a fiery response.

“Good,” said Twilight, returning to normal. “Anyway, now, to find out which type you are, it’s really quite simple. You just channel magic to your horn without actually performing a spell, and I’m going to hold this Alignment Paper to it. It will either burst into flames, be drenched in water, crumple to ash, or be riven apart by unseen force, and that will tell you what element your magic is primarily associated with.”

The statement was punctuated by Twilight holding a page in her hoof and touching it to her horn as it shone magenta. The page instantly burst into flames and was consumed in mere moments.

“If this is tied with our personality, does it change over time?” Nova asked. “Because you have ponies who fundamentally changed over a long period. Did their magic stay the same, or change with it?”

“Good question! It actually does change with personality,” she answered with a smile. “My brother’s used to be aligned with fire, like mine. Probably because Mom’s is fire-type, if I recall,” she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Anyway, after he started courting Cadance and after he joined the Royal Guard, Princess Celestia was able to condition him in such a way that his alignment changed to water, the better to complement and contrast Cadance’s own earth alignment.”

“Do elemental opposites have an initial tendency to dislike each other?” Nova asked, sitting back down.

“Not necessarily. There can be some initial pushback, but not always. For instance, Fluttershy and I didn’t start off hating each other just because of our elemental differences. You follow?”

“I think so. Let’s see what I’ve got,” said Nova, his horn brimming with magic.

“This will only take a second, and it won’t hurt a bit,” Twilight said, reaching over and holding one sheaf of paper to it.

Upon making contact with Nova’s horn, there was a loud tearing noise, and it was instantly torn to shreds by an unseen force.

“So it looks like you are a wind elemental,” Twilight said, smiling broadly. “Yeah, that makes sense. It explains your push against Cadance and Rarity, though you said you overcame your dislike of Cadance. Different elements react with each other in different ways. The same elements with each other will usually be benign, opposite elements can push against each other but complement each other excellently.”

“How do fire and wind work together?” Nova asked, already considering the implications.

“Well,” said Twilight, rubbing her chin again, “They can work in several ways. Winds can help fire spread out of control, but at the same time, winds can contain a fire. Similarly, heat makes air rise, but the absence of it causes air to sink.”

She met Nova’s eye and smiled sweetly at him.

“I guess it’s up to us to see just how it’s going to work in our case.”

“Food for thought,” Nova nodded, “but let’s get to the spellcasting!”

“Yes, let’s. We’ll start with the beam spell.”

The sheafs of paper vanished, replaced by a strange archery target, with ten white rings separated by very thin black outlines, which Twilight floated over to Applejack’s buckball target and held it in place.

“This is a special kind of target that ponies have been using for centuries to help learn better control over magic,” she said as she fixed the target in place. “It contains several enchantments that cause it to change color depending on the magical intensity that hits it. For instance, a low-intensity beam would cause it to change from white to red, like so.”

She fired a beam of energy from her horn, which struck the target dead center and expanded to the middle of the third ring. The beam lasted for only a brief moment before she ended it, leaving a cherry-red circle at the point of impact.

“A higher-intensity beam would have it turn a darker color,” she continued, before firing another beam, one that Nova could detect contained much more power behind it. This beam hit the exact same spot, though it was a thinner beam, and when she ended the spell, it left a purple spot in the middle of the red.

“Is it a rainbow of colors that determines intensity?” Nova asked. “And do I have to use a new page every time I cast a spell?”

“No, actually,” said Twilight, bathing the target in her magic, and the target went back to white. “I’ll teach you that spell later, since it’s not hard to learn. And yes, a rainbow of colors determines intensity. Red, orange, yellow, green, et cetera, all the way to black. The higher the intensity, the further down that rainbow.”

“So basically, it’s my job to get my beam inside the bulls-eye ring, and have it turn black, right?” Nova asked, eager to get started and see where he was at.

“Not exactly,” said Twilight, pawing at the ground and preparing to shoot another beam. “Wide beams will always have less natural concentration of power than narrow beams, so a narrow beam with a high concentration is inevitable given time and practice. The ultimate aim of this exercise is to have the pony in question be able to shoot a razor-thin beam with almost no power,” she fired a beam as thin as a pencil, that hit the target instantly and turned the dead center into a red dot, “and then shoot a wide beam that covers the target at the highest intensity.”

She blasted another beam, this one a lot more conical in shape, that covered up to exactly the edges of the target, and when the spell vanished, it left behind a black circle, as though it had been burned.

“Enough control over your magic to have the touch of a feather with a beam that should have the highest intensity, while also having enough power to blacken the entire target at the widest beam,” she said, blowing air onto her smoking horn, looking quite pleased with herself. “Most unicorns will typically start with their widest beam hitting within the fifth or sixth rings and leaving behind a yellow or green result, so don’t feel too bad if your results aren’t as good as mine. After all, this is just the beginning.”

“So,” said Nova, trotting over to where Twilight had stood, as she backed away and reset the target, “how do I shoot the spell?”

“As with many spells, channel your magic and then simply will your magic to shoot a beam into this space.”

“Sounds pretty easy,” commented Nova, pawing at the ground in preparation.

“It’s easy to cast the spell, but it’s difficult to control it,” replied Twilight. Her magic shone over the target, which reset back to white. “Just a simple beam for now.”

Nova nodded, before his horn shone blue and a blast of magic erupted from his horn, blazed across the gap, and struck the target slightly off-center.

The target was still for just a moment, before a green circle spread itself out from the bulls-eye point and extended to about the fourth ring from the inside.

“Whoa, it can do that?” Nova asked, impressed.

“It can,” Twilight nodded. “The enchantment registers your hit and calculates it from the center point, to give an accurate reading. If you hit the center point, it’s instant, though. Still, a green beam four rings wide. Not a bad first cast.”

She then had Nova try to make his beam as thin as possible, but he only got to the third ring, with the magic going from green to a light, aqua blue. Then as wide, and Nova was only able to get it to about the sixth, and the magic became orange.

“Not a bad place to start,” praised Twilight, taking the magic sheet off the buckball target. “We’ll work on those exercises some more starting tomorrow. For now, let’s teach you a basic shield spell.”

The shield spell wasn’t all that difficult to pick up either. Instead of willing his magic to blast itself at a single point, this one was to spread it around himself, which proved surprisingly easy. Twilight tested his shield by blasting it a couple of times with her horn, but none of the blasts made it through.

“Now,” Twilight asked, as she ceased her brief assault on his shield and he let go of the spell, “can you tell me why even a basic shield can block even the most powerful of spells, however briefly?”

“First Fundamental Law of Magic, right?” Nova queried, as the two of them set off back toward Ponyville, their brief foray finished.

“Yep,” Twilight nodded. “‘Magic cannot go through other magic, no matter how powerful one Source is compared to the other.’ Do you know why?”

Nova shook his head.

“Because magic is like the inverse of light, in many ways,” she explained, seeming to brighten up at knowing a theoretical topic Nova didn’t know and eager to share her knowledge. “Magic operates under quantum physics, as both a particle and a wave, depending on the spell. Some spells that directly interact with other objects are obviously particles, whereas spells like heating spells or the like, that indirectly affect other objects, are wave-based. But no matter what spell it is, if it comes into contact with another spell, it’s a particle, and the two magicks at the point of contact will annihilate each other.”

“But how does that translate into--”

“I’m getting there,” Twilight rolled her eyes as they trotted out through the gate to Sweet Apple Acres and started back toward town. “Now, with that in mind, even the most basic shield will block even the most destructive beam, but only as long as there’s reserve magic behind it. Once that magic runs out, it falls apart. Like at Shining’s wedding,” Nova thought back to the pink shield Shining had kept around the city, :”and how the Changelings were able to chip away at the magic until finally it all fell apart and they could invade.”

“How does this apply with beam magic?” Nova asked, thinking of Celestia’s and Chrysalis’ duel at the Royal Wedding. “Wouldn’t the beams cancel out?”

“This is where the power behind the beam comes into play,” answered Twilight. “If there’s more power behind one beam, it’s going to push the other back, but it won’t just stop at the point of contact. Think of it like this. If you had 500 ponies rush right at 700, and whenever a pony touched an enemy, they both instantly fell down, eventually the larger number would either push their way past the fewer, or just deplete it entirely.”

“That actually makes it a lot easier to think about,” said Nova as he imagined a few Derpys and several Rainbow Dashs flying at each other at high-speed.

“That’s weird,” came a voice from above them, “I could have sworn you didn’t have enough brainpower to think.”

Twilight looked straight up, but Nova groaned. “I’d know that voice anywhere,” he sighed. “What are you doing in Ponyville, Aegis?”

“Checking in on you, you careless bastard,” said Aegis, who Nova noticed was wearing all his armor, before he dropped right on top of Nova, sending them both to the ground.

“Aegis! What the hell!?”

Twilight watched the proceedings with some amusement while Nova floundered under Aegis, and Aegis just sat on him.

“You came back to Canterlot for a whole week and it never occurred to you that maybe I wanted to see you?” he smacked Nova upside the head. “You didn’t think I’d want to hear about your escapades in the forest, that you and Twilight were in mortal peril, or that the two of you had gone to my old hometown?”

“One of those things is not like the other ones,” noted Nova, still on the ground. “Where did you hear about all that, anyway?”

“Your father, of course,” Aegis replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Right before I got sent out on this mission.”

“He’s not my father,” growled Nova. “Not anymore.”

Aegis opened his mouth, but Twilight was quick to get his attention.

“Different topic of conversation!” she chirped a little too loudly, and shoved Aegis off of Nova so that Nova could get up. “What is this mission you’re on, Aegis?”

“Search and rescue,” shrugged Aegis as he helped Nova to his feet. “Trixie Lulamoon’s listed as a missing pony, so there’s a task force I’m a part of that’s going to be doing a sweep of the shallower parts of the Everfree Forest to try and find her, and then backing off until we can get a group of ponies that are able to go further into the depths of that unpredictable jungle and come out the other side. There’s seven groups, one of which is currently based in Neighton, and that’s the one I’m with.”

“You’re in Neighton?” Nova asked. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have let you stay in my house!”

“Guard protocol, gotta stay in the barracks,” Aegis replied a little glumly as the trio set out. “Offer’s appreciated though.”

“Where are the other six groups stationed?” Twilight asked.

“Different parts of the forest edge, including Trottingham. They didn’t send any out here, though, because I guess they figured with you and Nova here, all they had to focus on was defense, and they contracted that out.”

“Contracted?” Nova asked. “They hired contractors?”

“Just one, to my knowledge,” Aegis tapped his chin as he glanced at the sky thoughtfully. “Again, with the Elements of Harmony in town, as well as the two of you, they didn’t think there’d need to be any more. And come to think of it,” he furrowed his brow, “I want to say there’s a former Equestrian Intelligence Agent living here as well.”

“So they contracted just one guy?” Nova asked. “Just one?”

“Yeah. I was actually in town to brief him on his parameters for his pay,” Aegis answered.

“Figured the Royal Guard would hire contractors to help out,” Twilight said as they passed into Ponyville city limits. “It’s less-complicated than spreading out guardsponies, and as I understand it, it’s an entirely different kind of pay structure altogether.”

Nova and Aegis glanced at each other.

“It’s an entirely different kind of pay structure,” they both recited in unison, trying to keep straight faces.

Twilight just stared at them both. “What is wrong with both of you?” she asked, incredulously.

“I’m pretty sure Nova suffers from insanity,” answered Aegis without missing a beat. “And I hang around him often enough to where the madness rubs off on me.”

“Really Aegis?” Nova asked, giving him a look of irritation. “I don’t suffer from insanity. I enjoy every second of it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes again.

“Anyway,” she hoped to again, steer the conversation back to the original topic, “who’s the contractor?”

“That would be me,” came a rather gruff Neigh Zealand accent that Nova also knew anywhere.

“Of course,” he sighed, before leaping around, his horn brimming with magic, ready to toss Sharp Eye into the sky again, but Sharp Eye just stared at him indifferently.

“Much as I’d enjoy some fresh air, Nova Shine, I’d rather you didn’t toss me fifty meters into the air today.”

“What are you doing here?” Nova growled. “He didn’t send you after me again, did he?”

“No, that he didn’t,” Sharp Eye shook his head. “I came of my own accord. He wanted to be left alone for a while, so I took up a contract keeping an eye on things here in Ponyville. Given I’ve been hangin’ around the town the last few months, I figured it was the best place to go for a while.”

“Is Mr. Novus still paying you to keep an eye on Nova?” Aegis asked.

“Hell if I know,” Sharp Eye shrugged. “He ain’t said a word to me since you,” he poked Nova in the shoulder, “blew up in the sitting room.”

“Blew up?” asked Twilight.

“Literally,” Sharp Eye nodded. “Scared the buck out of me, but didn’t hurt or damage anything.”

“Speaking of damage, I never apologized for hitting you in the head with a helmet a couple of months ago,” Aegis inclined his head to Sharp Eye.

“No problem, mate,” Sharp Eye nodded back, “since I probably woulda done the same thing in your position. Hurt like a bitch, though.”

“Anyway, while I’d love to stay and chat, I do have to relay the details of Mr. Sharp Eye’s contract to him,” Aegis said, separating from the group and leading Sharp Eye with him, “but maybe we can meet up and go out for drinks or something, eh?”

“Sounds good to me,” Nova smiled. “And Sharp Eye, I am sorry about shouting at you to shut up and destroying the sitting room.”

“No worries, mate,” Sharp Eye dismissed his apology with a wave. “Understandable, in light of the circumstances. Have a good one, you two.”

And with that, they were gone, into the city.

“Huh,” Nova watched them trot off. “Never noticed them sneak up on me. Guess that magical training left me more tired than I thought.”

“Well, with time, your mana pool will deepen, and you’ll stop tiring yourself out. So,” and here Twilight got a little more businesslike, “tomorrow we’ll have a day off so you can restore your mana, but starting in a couple of days, we’ll alternate spells. One day, we’ll focus on your beam, and the next we’ll focus on your shield. And so on and so on until you have them both mastered. Then we can let Princess Luna know and we can move onto more advanced things.”

“Sounds like a plan! Already looking forward to it!” Nova grinned.

It was three days later, and Nova kept a shield up as Twilight dashed around, hitting it with beams of different intensity and width, while Nova struggled to keep the shield up. After a few seconds of this, one well-placed shot dissipated Nova’s shield, sending him falling to the ground.

“Not bad for your first time,” said Twilight trotting next to him and reaching down a hoof to help him up.

It was the third day working with the beam spell. Nova felt sweat trickle down his neck as his beam splashed against the target, barely contained within the second ring, though it was taking all of his concentration to keep it there and not let it spread.

“And… stop!” called Twilight, trotting next to him, just in time for Nova to slouch against her in exhaustion, pleased with his own effort and that he had left a green mark inside said circle. “Excellent work, Nova! Not a single mark outside the second ring, and it’s lighter than before! Keep up the improvement!”

Day seven with the shield. Twilight was now hitting him with the strongest spells she could think of. Nova was definitely stronger, as now he was able to ward off spells for about twenty minutes, depending on how ferocious Twilight felt like being with her attacks.

Finally, Twilight let loose with a massive blast of energy that hit Nova’s shield head on. His shield held up, though he was starting to see cracks in it, as well as feel the wear on his mind.

Finally, the dam burst, and Nova was caught by her beam, which sent him flying backward a few meters before she ended the spell.

“Nova! Are you alright!?” she dashed over to where he was slowly getting to his hooves.

“Never better!” he grinned despite himself as he cracked his neck. “All time high!”

Twilight’s concern faded into a smile as she helped him up.

Day nine with the beam. Nova now confidently stood tall, firing a beam as wide as the entire target, leaving it blue as it faded away, before he took a deep breath, and shot another beam that was contained within the second ring, leaving behind an orange circle surrounded by blue.

“You’re doing great!” cheered Twilight as Nova ended the spell without a single gasp. He didn’t even look any more tired! “Keep this up and we’ll be ready to move on by this time next week!”

Day fourteen with the shield, almost a full month after having started this training. Twilight had enlisted help from Rarity and Lyra, who were now pummeling his shield from all sides with every magical attack they could conceive of, while Nova maintained his shield with an almost arrogant air, expertly keeping their spells at bay.

“Come on,” he teased, aimed mostly at Rarity, whose attacks weren’t quite as strong as either of the others, “is that all you’ve got?”

“Careful what you wish for, darling,” Rarity replied with a cheeky grin, before a root ensnared itself around Nova’s hoof and yanked it out from under him, disrupting his concentration and sending him to the ground, which caused him to let go of the shield spell.

"That's not fair," whined Nova from his spot on the ground.

"All's fair in love and war, Nova," Rarity gloated down at him.

“Nice one, Rares,” Lyra smirked down at Nova. “That was a piece of cake, wouldn’t you say?” she added, which only added to Nova’s embarrassment.

Nova stood as tall as he ever had, with five orbs of white light floating in a vertical circle in front of him. Each orb was about half as big as his head, and they spun around at a rather slow speed.

As each orb reached the highest point of its cycle, it would shoot off a razor-thin beam at one target. Then as it came back down, the next one in line would take its turn.

After a few moments of this cycle, Nova ended his spells, leaving a red circle about halfway into the second circle of that first target, spun himself around the circle of orbs to the other side, where a second target had been erected, and began to blast the widest, strongest beam he could muster at it.

And after several moments of that exercise, he stopped casting completely, and the five orbs of light disappeared.

As the lights faded completely, Nova surveyed his progress. He grinned at the first target, noting his improvement, but the second target left him absolutely beaming.

The entire circle was a deep purple. If Nova had put any more magical force behind it, it would have come out black.

“You know,” came the drawl of a southern voice from somewhere behind him, “Ah was wonderin’ whether or not this would be a good idea, but it looks like all my fears were unfounded.”

“High praise, Applejack,” Nova inclined his head, before he walked over to reset the targets.

“He’s certainly come a long way,” Twilight said behind him as well. Both of them had been sitting up on a thick tree branch just a couple of meters off the ground, watching him perform the exercise. “I think Princess Luna might let you move on to the elements now.”

“Say what, now?” Applejack suddenly sounded nervous. “Ah was fine with you practicing normal magic, but if you’re gonna be loosing fire around the trees--”

“Applejack, it’s fine,” Twilight reassured her. “If we are going to work with fire, I imagine Ghastly Gorge or that mountain where we found the dragon should be fine. Lots of rocks, no flammable trees…”

Nova brushed some of his mane out of his face as he turned around. There they both sat, up in the tree, like a couple of oversized birds. Twilight wasn’t wearing anything, but Applejack was wearing a red kerchief around her neck, bound together by a rather shiny brass bauble. Nova felt himself smirk just a tad.

Guess the cold’s not for everyone.

Contrasting himself, and he loved the cold.

Not the outrageously cold, as the memory of Twilight dumping him in slush on a bitter Trottingham night can attest, but the chilly at the very least.

“Wherever it is, bring it on,” Nova grinned. “I’ll be dropping meteors out of the sky in no time.”

Twilight chose that moment to slide out of the tree and land quite lightly on her hooves. “Slow down there, Star Swirl,” she trotted up to take down the targets. “I think we’re a little ways off from channeling cosmic power.”

“If it goes as well as this exercise did, I’m sure I’ll be bringing down the stars in a couple of years. Heh, I might even manage to pass up you if I progress this fast.”

Twilight froze. For a brief moment of panic, Nova wondered if he had said something wrong, but upon checking her face, she didn’t look angry or insulted. Instead, she looked… thoughtful?

“Change of plans, Nova,” her thoughtful look changed into a devious smile. “Time for your final exam.”

“Final say what now?” he asked, suddenly at a loss.

The targets were bathed in a magenta aura and pulled away from the two targets they were affixed to, and said targets were moved away after Twilight put away the targets behind one of the trees.

“Consider this your last little test,” Twilight said, once the clearing had been made completely empty, save for them both, and Applejack still sitting in her tree. “You and I are going to participate in a Wizard’s Duel.”

“A-a Wizard’s Duel?” Nova was sure he’d misheard. Sure, he could shoot beams and raise shields, but he didn’t think he was that good yet.

Was this punishment for his overconfidence?

“Trial by fire, you might call it.” continued Twilight, her horn shining as a large wall of white magic appeared around them, extending to a dome above them. “Normally, these boundary shields aren’t here and the duelists have to invoke them for whatever reason, but we don’t want anything flying out and setting the orchards on fire, would we?”

“Erm… I’m not sure about this,” he took a nervous step back.

“It’s fine,” Twilight reassured him, still concentrating on her spell. “This isn’t a duel to the death, Nova. I mean, why would I try to kill my own coltfriend?”

“Maybe we’re participating in a Flankspearean tragedy?” chanced Nova.

“Do you know the rules of a Wizard’s Duel? Ever read up on them?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“Well, the duel lasts until one combatant is knocked unconscious or until he or she submits verbally, in a clear and direct surrender.” The spell was finished, and Twilight was standing at the opposite end of the ring of magic, pawing at the ground. “Formal duels would usually involve three conditions to the battle, with the challenging party setting one condition and the challenged party setting two.”

“Are we going to do these conditions?” Nova asked, looking around at the domed shield.

“Yes, actually, but I’ll set the only condition for both of us.”

“How is that fair?” Nova asked, giving her an askance look.

“Because the only condition is that both of us can only use standard shield and beam spells for combat,” replied Twilight. “We can use any variation of it we choose, as long as it’s only basic in the end.”

“So, we can do things like delayed-release or contact, or other more benign spells?” Nova asked.

“Precisely,” Twilight dipped her head.

“Cool,” Nova grinned. “Oh, wait, one more thing.”

His horn shone blue and a black strip of cloth appeared in midair.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Blindfold,” answered Nova, using magic to tie the strip of cloth around his head, covering his eyes completely. Visually, he was now totally blind.

But in his blindness, Nova saw clearer than he could ever see with his eyes.

He could feel the gentle warmth of Twilight’s aura standing in front of him, he could feel the magic around them as the neutral energy flowed through the shield and dome around them, he could even feel the subtle energies of the grass, trees, and ground, though it was all a bit of a blur.

But beyond the ten-meter radius around him, almost everything was dark and void but for the brightest of magics. He could see Applejack faintly in her tree, and off in the distance, he could make out the collection of energies signifying Ponyville, shining like a city of lights at night.

“Whenever you’re ready, Twi,” Nova dipped his head.

“Are… are you sure?” Twilight asked.

“Absolutely positive,” Nova nodded again. “I used to do this with Hoofman. He’d toss magical spells at me and I’d dodge them with the blindfold on. Figured I could combine my trainings.”

“Well, if you’re sure.”

Nova channeled his magic again and the same five orbs of light he had used in his exercise earlier appeared around him, beacons in the darkness.

“What are those?” Twilight asked curiously. “You were casting with them earlier.”

“Extensions of my Source,” replied Nova. “They are windows to my Source that I can move around, cast magic through, block spells with, or manipulate with connecting magic to create webs or shields.”

“Well, alright then,” Nova could almost hear Twilight nod. “Ready when you are.”

“Applejack, could you count us off?” Twilight asked.

“Sure thing, Twi,” AJ said from up in the tree she was still sitting in. “On yer marks!”

Nova took a deep breath in through his nose.

“Git set!”

He slowly blew it out, letting everything around him completely wash out of his mind. There was only him and Twilight.

“Go!”

She was off immediately, firing a quick burst of spells that streaked toward him. However, despite the blindfold, he knew exactly where everything with a significant amount of energy was, and he effortlessly dodged around her blasts.

He didn’t know how long this duel was going to last, but he had every intention of winning it, so he was looking to conserve his energy as much as possible. No beams or shields until necessary.

Twilight continued to run around, shooting quick bursts of energy at him, all of which he dodged, weaving in and around them like a leaf in the wind.

Fitting, he thought with a smile.

Twilight must not have liked him grinning as he dodged her blasts, because she launched five bursts at once, flying at him from different directions. Nova’s Source extensions flew out at the merest thought and took the hits, deflecting each beam into the wall of their arena.

His smile slid into a frown. What even was his strategy here? How did he intend to win? And how did Twilight? This duel was just standard beams and shields for combat, meaning he would have to be clever with his more utility spellwork to subdue her.

So lost in that train of thought, he almost missed Twilight fire another one off at him.

And it was impossible to suddenly notice a flicker of energy emanating from the ground. Twilight had set a trap for him.

An immobilization trap, by the look of things, he noted, examining the arrangement of mana in the affected space.

An idea presented itself to him. Why not turn her own traps against her?

Nova jerked his head away as she fired another shot at him, and while he dodged, he could sense she stuck another trap in the ground a bit away.

She’s trying to distract me with her spells so she can set her traps, Nova realized. I need her to keep placing them, but what if I distract her?

So he shot a quick flurry of blasts at her. Twilight simply brought up a shield to absorb the hits, and even while the shield was there, he was able to notice yet another trap spell go down.

Neither of them had even moved a muscle this whole time, with the exception of Nova’s earlier dodges. Exactly why was Twilight setting these traps if she wasn’t driving him around the arena?

Or maybe, she’s setting all these traps before she starts driving me around. Trying to lull me into a false sense of security.

He could only imagine the expression on Twilight’s face right now. Was she smirking that he couldn’t guess her ploy? Was she snarling while she tried to figure out his?

Whatever the plan, Nova knew he had to disrupt it.

She shot four more beams at him, all of which his Source Extensions blocked. And she laid down yet another trap. This one a lot closer to him.

Oh, you want to play, Sparkle? Then let’s play.

Nova then turned on the offensive. Instantly, he was dashing around the enclosure, firing beams every which way, and even getting his orbs of light in on the act. They positioned themselves in different places around the arena, blasting at Twilight even more.

Twilight recoiled, encasing herself in a magenta shield and simply taking the beating, but Nova knew she couldn’t keep it up for long if she wanted to place more traps. She would need to drop it and fire back.

Sure enough, after a solid thirty seconds of blasting at her from all sides, Twilight dispelled her shield and took to running around as well, blasting Nova’s beams with her own to nullify them.

All while placing even more traps around the enclosure. Nova, however had a surprise for her.

He had taken to reassembling the traps to work on his remote signal, rather than either of them accidentally stepping on them.

These traps were arranged in such a way as to catch him unawares, ensnaring him and allowing Twilight to hit him with the coup de grâce He had no intention of letting her get that chance. He was going to turn her own spells against her.

Even while counteracting his spells, Twilight continued placing traps at different places around the arena. Every time Twilight placed a new trap, Nova simply rearranged it more into his favor. In almost no time at all, the entire arena was littered with Nova’s changed versions of Twilight’s traps.

There was still plenty of room to move around in, but now he just needed a way to get her onto one of her trap spots.

Game on, Twilight. Game on.

He redoubled his earlier attack, shooting at Twilight with all manner of spells, trying to catch her off balance. She hadn’t been expecting it, and took a couple of harmless hits to her barrel, which only pushed her towards one of her trap spots. Nova’s Source Extensions continued to shoot attacks from all around, which only added to the confusion, driving Twilight right where Nova wanted her to go.

And then she finally stepped on a trap.

Gotcha!

Nova’s horn triggered the trap, and instantly, tendrils of blue magic shot up from the ground and ensnared her hooves, binding her to the earth. Twilight panicked, squealing and letting loose a raw blast of magic that did nothing, but the level of intensity behind it blinded Nova’s energy sensing ability.

“Gah!” Nova scrabbled away, clutching at his head as he lost his energy sight, and bumping into the wall behind him. He couldn’t tell if Twilight was free, or if she was still caught, and he needed eyesight as soon as possible.

The black blindfold was torn off almost instantly and flung away. His horn was brimming with magic, ready to hit Twilight with one last spell, and he whirled around trying to find her--

--only to find her standing there, still ensnared, and staring at him with a beautiful smile.

Nova was blinking, his eyes not quite adjusted to light again, but he couldn’t help but stare, feeling his magic falter.

It almost seemed like they were back in Trottingham. Her mane seemed framed by an angelic light, her eyes were sparkling as they met his, and everything about her was breathtaking.

Nova felt himself unconsciously step forward, as if to meet her. For a moment, they stared at each other, Nova confused and Twilight still smiling at him.

He didn’t know what made him do it, but he felt himself lean in toward her, his eyes slowly fluttering shut…

BANG!

And quite suddenly, everything around him was a whirl of color. He was feeling weightless and completely disoriented, when all of a sudden, he collided with something hard, knocking the wind out of him and making spots of color explode in his vision.

He felt something grab hold of his legs and bind them down to the ground, felt something cut his horn off from its connection to his Source, and felt a sudden throbbing in his head that returned him to full alertness.

“What the hell was that?” he mumbled as he rapidly blinked and wrestled with whatever was holding his legs down. “What’s going on?”

Suddenly, a lavender hoof entered his vision, planting itself firmly on his chest, and pushing down. Nova looked up it nervously, to find Twilight pushing him down with a devious smirk on her face.

“Submit,” she commanded quite smugly.

“What the…” Nova shook his head wildly, attempting to clear his head after that tumble.

“You okay, Nova?” her smirk fell when she saw Nova’s disorientation. “Spell ‘cat’ for me.”

“C-A-T,” Nova recited, still struggling. “Why?”

“Basic concussion test. Didn’t know if I hit you too hard with that blast of mine,” Twilight replied. looking relieved that she hadn’t. “Now, submit.”

Nova looked down at the hoof holding him there, and then over at whatever it was that was ensnaring his hooves. Magenta tendrils of magic had snaked their way around his hooves, holding them to the ground.

“I didn’t know you were into BDSM, Twi,” remarked Nova dryly.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yep, you’re fine. Now, one last time before I have to knock you out so I can let us both out of here, sub-mit.”

“Fine, fine,” groaned Nova, letting his head fall back against the grass. “I submit.”

At once, his bindings were undone, his horn was unblocked, and the arena around them vanished, leaving them still sitting in their clearing, with Applejack sliding out of her spot in the tree.

“Nice duel, you two. ‘Grats on the victory, Twi,” she said, adjusting her stetson after it got jarred out of place by the landing. “Better luck next time, Nova.”

Nova didn’t reply directly. Instead, a thought occurred to him, and he trotted forward and scrutinized the shiny brass bauble holding her red kerchief together.

“How’s it going, Princess Luna?” he asked said bauble.

“Wha…?” Applejack glanced over at Twilight.

“Princess Luna can use her scrying orb to watch events as long as the object receiving her feed is reflective in any way,” Twilight explained. “I guess Nova seems to think she’s watching from your bauble there.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

From her balcony in the towers of Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna felt herself smile a bit as she adjusted herself on her pouf. Of course Nova would have guessed she would be watching. She had been most pleased at her student’s progress and performance in the duel with Twilight.

“You certainly have a long, bright future ahead of you,” she mused, as Nova started making funny faces at her.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Nova, stop being a silly pony,” Applejack shook her head as he continued to make faces at the bauble.

“Who’s a silly pony?” Nova asked, glancing up at her.

“You’re a silly pony,” answered Applejack.

“Who is?” repeated Nova.

“You is,” she replied.

“Applejack,” Twilight cut in, ignoring their antics, “again, thanks for letting us use your orchard as our training grounds.”

“No problem, Twi,” Applejack nodded at her with a cheerful grin as Nova straightened up. “Just holler if y’all need anything else, and we’ll be happy to help.”

“Actually,” Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully, “there is one thing.”

“Oh?” Applejack seemed curious to hear this. After all, she had provided the orchard, so what more could they need. “Well, fire away. Ah’m sure we can accommodate the two’a y’all.”

“Seriously Twi?” Nova’s tone took on a disbelieving note. “You’re not actually thinking of what I think you are, are you?”

“Erm, what are you on about, exactly?” Twilight asked him with a strange look on her face.

“Are you really going to suggest her joining us for a threesome?”

And it was at that moment that Nova learned just how much the years of applebucking had strengthened Applejack's hind legs.

While his unconscious magic literally caused stars to dance around his face, Twilight just groaned and apologized to Applejack for Nova’s behavior.

“Say it again and Ah black your other eye,” Applejack scowled back at him.

“Seriously, I’m sorry about him. Sometimes he doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut,” Twilight glared at Nova through grit teeth.

“Eh, no worries,” Applejack shrugged. “‘Twas just a joke, and he’ll be sure to mind his manners around me from here on out.” She looked back at Nova. “You okay back there?”

“Fine, fine,” Nova replied in a dazed voice. “Won’t happen again, Jappleack…”

“Now what were ya gonna ask me?” AJ returned her attention to Twilight.

“Just if we could borrow your targets in the future if we needed them for magic practice.”

“Ah don’t see why not,” Applejack smiled warmly. “Y’all took good care of them here, so Ah’m perfectly fine with lending them to ya later.”

“Anyway, we’ll be off,” Twilight said, curling a hoof around one of Nova’s, partly to drag him along and partly to hold his hoof. “Thanks again, Applejack.”

“‘Twern’t nothing, Twi,” Applejack waved off the thanks. “Have a good day, and get somethin’ on Nova’s eye.”

“Will do,” promised Twilight, leading Nova out of the clearing.

“How did you win?” Nova asked, as they trotted out of the gate, his eye not really as swollen or black as initially expected. Applejack seemed to have gone easy on him. “I rearranged your spells to go on my signal, which they did, but you were still able to move and attack. How did you do it?”

“You had a great idea, except for one critical thing,” Twilight replied as they walked the familiar path back to Ponyville. “You rearranged magic already there, rather than completely disassemble it and rebuild with your own.”

“Huh,” Nova mulled over that thought. “How does that work, exactly?”

“Well,” Twilight glanced skyward as she recalled the details, “the trap was mine. If you had completely dissipated and copied the spell and rebuilt it with your own magic, I would have been helpless when you ensnared me. But I wasn’t, because you simply rearranged my magic to do so.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” Nova dipped his head. “Since it was your magic, even if I triggered it, it ultimately bent to whatever you wanted it to do.”

“Exactly,” Twilight beamed. “You’re picking this up really quickly! Yes, since the magic still was ultimately comprised of my personal mana supply, said magic would have instantly recognized that the source magic of the target being was its own kin. Its resonance matched my resonance, so it recognized itself as being from me.”

“Resonance?” Nova had an odd look on his face. "What do those have to do it it?”

“Everything” Twilight’s horn shone and a shapeless form of magenta magic appeared in front of her face. “You know resonances are essentially your personal signature when it comes to magic. A resonance in general is something that can evoke images, memories, emotions, et cetera of something, and a magical resonance is that quality of magic by which everyone immediately knows it’s yours. Here,” she stopped him with a hoof, “lower your head for a moment.”

“Sure,” Nova said, lowering his head and pointing his horn straight ahead. He didn’t see what Twilight was doing, but he felt her magic caress his horn for a brief moment, before it retreated.

“Look up,” she said, and Nova did. While her horn shone magenta, she was conjuring another shapeless form of magic that was blue. Not just blue, now he had a proper look. The blue of his eyes, his mane, and his cutie mark.

“As you can see, this is your resonance,” Twilight was also staring at it. “You can already tell, can’t you? You recognize that this particular blue is your shade of blue, in your eyes, cutie mark, and your mane and tail. That’s what a resonance does. It is a physical manifestation of who cast that spell, added to the spell itself.”

“I mean, yeah,” Nova slowly nodded in slight confusion, “but how does this matter with the traps?”

“Because you didn’t rebuild my traps with your resonance, it had no true effect on me,” they resumed trotting to Ponyville. “Because the magic was still 'signed' to me, you could say, it still recognized when I wanted to reshape it. So when I froze and cast the spell that blinded you from your energy sensing and such, I wasn’t helpless at all, even though you thought I was.”

"Because the resonance was still yours, it ultimately still bent to your will," Nova's face lit up in understanding. "You counted on me not knowing that!"

"Exactly," Twilight beamed at him.

“You played me,” Nova grinned, impressed. “You let me think I was playing you, but you were really playing me all along.”

“Yep,” Twilight grinned right back. “So, now that I’ve won the duel, you owe me something.”

“Hang on, what?” His train of thought crashed just as it was leaving the station. “That was never part of the our agreement with the duel.”

“Well, I’m cashing in anyway,” Twilight’s grin turned devilish. “And all I want is…”

Nova braced for impact.

“...one date.”

Nova blinked. That was it?

“That’s all?” he asked, bemused. “I thought you were going to go for something embarrassing, like making me run through town wearing a Trottenham Hotspur kit, proclaiming my lifelong love of that small club.”

“Nova, I wouldn’t know enough about hoofball for that to be the first thing I’d think of,” Twilight reminded him.

“Oh, right,” Nova rubbed his mane sheepishly. “I mean, I guess we can do it…”

“You guess?” Twilight arched an eyebrow.

“On one condition,” Nova stated seriously. “A big one, at that.”

“Oh?” Twilight’s other eyebrow raised.

“Yes,” Nova nodded gravely, trying to keep a straight face..

“Is it that I can’t be overly flirty? Because I wasn’t going to,” Twilight assured him.

“No, it’s not that,” Nova shook his head. “The condition is, we don’t call it a date.”

Twilight made an O-shape with her mouth in confusion. “Then… what do we call it?”

“A casual event where two best friends can hang out in a completely platonic manner.”

Twilight snorted “You are never going to let that go, are you?”

Nova grinned deviously. “Never.”

Twilight fake-sighed. “Sure, why not,” she was taking great pains to sound as though this were reluctant. “I’ll call it that, and you,” she poked him in the shoulder, “will take me on a casual event where two best friends can hang out in a--” she paused. “Well, it wouldn’t be completely platonic if it were a date, would it?”

“OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!”

Nova and Twilight both looked up in time to see Rainbow Dash speed right down to just above them and glare at the two of them.

“Hello there, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight greeted cheerfully.

“Can it, you two, I’m trying to take a nap!” Dash replied brusquely. “Problem is,. you two keep yammering about some sort of casual thingy and it’s keeping me up.”

“I… sorry,” Twilight looked slightly ashamed of herself.

“I mean, we’re not the ones who chose a cloud above a public road as a good nap spot,” Nova shrugged.

Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but instead glowered at Nova. “Shut up.”

Nova simply smiled smugly right back at her.

“Anyway, just pony up and say yes already, so some of us can sleep in peace,” Dash grumbled back at him. “If you wanted to say no, you’d have done so by now.”

“Maybe I’m leading her on,” Nova suggested. Twilight cast an irritated glance his way.

“You? Lead someone on? Please,” Dash rolled her eyes. “Just balls up and say yes already.”

“Don’t you have to be at work or something?”

Dash glanced over into the distance, probably where the Weather Office was located. “Yeah, but not for a few more minutes. Still, captain’s gotta set a good example. And hurry up and say yes!”

And with that, she flew off at top speed, leaving Nova and Twilight to just stare after her as she flew.

“So…” Nova said after several seconds of silence. “Dinner?”

“Dinner sounds nice,” Twilight beamed.

“How about… a week from now?”

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight nodded, still beaming.

“Alright. It’s a casual event where two best friends--” Nova started before Twilight playfully whacked him. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” he laughed. “It’s a date.”

Twilight hummed happily, curling a hoof around Nova’s own. Nova accepted quite readily, letting Twilight lead him back to Ponyville. All in all, it had been a fantastic month.

But now, one thought was plaguing his mind.

I’ve never been on a date before! What the hell do I do?

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Deep in the dungeons of a ruined castle in the Everfree Forest, Trixie Lulamoon sat, slumped against a wall. It had been over a full month, and no one had yet come for her.

Or at least, no one had made it to her.

Whatever the case, here she sat, stuck in a classic dungeon cell. She wasn’t chained. She wasn’t covered in her own filth. And she was surprisingly well-fed.

But she was still a prisoner.

And speaking of, the steady clip-clop of hooves heralded the arrival of her captor. Over the last couple of weeks, she had seen fit to test out a new ability or two she had regained after being a bit rusty after a thousand-year sleep.

A creme-yellow earth pony with a wind-swept blue mane trotted into view in the stone dungeons, carrying a pack on her back. Her cutie mark was just some generic pastiche of smiling flowers, her tail was short and severe, and her body structure was lean and toned.

But her eyes were red as always.

“I brought food,” Envy said quite carelessly, tossing the brown knapsack into the cell, where Trixie scrambled for it. It had been several hours since her last meal.

Upon opening it, however, all that dumped out were pine cones.

Trixie felt her heart sink at the sight. All that were in the knapsack were pine cones.

“Bon appetit!” Envy smirked at the cruel prank, even as Trixie fought back tears. This was hardly the first time Envy had toyed with her.

“W-why?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t shake nearly as much as it felt like.

Envy shrugged. “No idea. I was wandering around Ponyville and could have sworn I heard some ponies saying they were your favorites.”

Trixie felt her insides clench in anger and shame. Had she really hurt the ponies in Ponyville so much they’d resort to spreading such callous rumors about her?

“Though, being completely serious,” and her voice, normally mocking and sultry, had gotten a lot more straight-faced, “what is your favorite food? You’ve been a pretty good prisoner, and a reward wouldn’t be completely out of the question.”

“Peanut-butter crackers…” Trixie whispered.

Envy hmphed. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you.”

“What do you even want from me!?” Trixie asked, glaring at her through the bars. “Why am I still here!?”

“You’re my vessel,” Envy replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. “Well,” she tilted her head as she reconsidered her answer, “more like my puppet. And I suppose bait could apply too…”

Trixie let out an irritated growl, but in her current state, it was far more pathetic than it was meant to be.

“See, here’s what I need from you,” Envy looked down at her again, even as her mane and tail started dissolving away into black shadow, followed closely by her entire body. In no time at all, she was simply a black shadow, phasing through the bars to glare down at her. “I need you as a good puppet from time to time, I need you as bait for Nova Shine and Twilight Sparkle, and I need you alive to keep me alive.”

Trixie blinked. “Do what?”

“Well, quite simply,” Envy glanced up at the ceiling in an annoying way that reminded Trixie a little too much of Twilight Sparkle, “since I tied myself to you when I first came out of my Soul Jar, I’m tied to you for a while. You live, I live. You die, I die. So keeping you alive is in my best interest.”

“But what do you want?” Trixie asked.

Envy took that opportunity to recompose herself into a stunning likeness of Twilight Sparkle, but she got the cutie mark all wrong, as it was a green three-leafed clover with a six-pointed magenta star in the middle of it, and in a small burst of red light, a very sharp knife appeared in the air.

Held by its handle in her red aura, Envy floated the knife down between the two of them. “Do you know what this is?”

“A knife,” Trixie said hesitantly. Was this going to turn into another mockery?

“Correct,” Envy smiled in the most poisonously sweet way she could. “And what do knives do, when you stick them in ponies?” Trixie opened her mouth to reply, but Envy just cut her off. “Hurt them, cause them pain, make them scream, and hopefully kill them,” Trixie wasn’t a fan of how cheerfully she said that.

“But why?” Trixie asked. “Why do you want to kill ponies?”

Envy’s face fell into an almost-wistful look as she glanced at the wall.

“It’s a long story. Maybe if you stay a good prisoner, I might share it with you. But suffice to say, it all has to do with the mare I’m currently imitating.”

Trixie said nothing. Of all the moods Envy felt from time to time, nostalgic was not the one Trixie had expected to deal with.

“Anyway, here’s your real food,” her horn shone red and another knapsack appeared and was tossed at Trixie’s feet, which was full of several leafy greens and fruits.

“Did you steal this?” Trixie asked warily.

Envy put on a look of fake shock. “I’m a homicidal shadow who gleefully wants to put a knife in a couple of ponies, but I would never stoop so low as to steal something.”

Trixie just gave her an odd look.

“No, I paid for those fairly,” Envy rolled her eyes. “Thieves arouse suspicion, and I’m quite happy camping out here until I can survive without you serving as my Horcrux.”

“Where’d you get the bits?” Trixie asked suspiciously.

“Anyone who lives as long as I do knows to set up a nice cache of hidden valuables and currency,” Envy shrugged. “We need us immortals a good fallback if we’re taken out of the game for a few centuries, Trisha.”

“Trixie.”

“Whatever. Just took a few bits from that stash and paid for your lunch.”

Trixie took the opportunity to practically stuff an apple into her mouth.

“Now, I couldn’t help but go snooping around in your memories last night,” Envy began conversationally, and Trixie froze. She didn’t know where this was going, but she didn’t like it. “I had been wondering for the last month or so how I managed to get inside your head oh-so-easily, and well,” she grinned maliciously, “I found my answer.”

Trixie felt a cold tingle go through her spine.

“You and I are gonna be having a heart-to-heart about where the Alicorn Amulet is really soon, Trixie.”

Trixie shuffled back to the very back of her cell as fast as she could, even as Envy calmly strutted toward her.

“But that’s for later. For now, you may be interested in my latest plan to stick the pointy end of my favorite metal tool into your friends.”

At this point, Trixie was too terrified to ask.

Envy’s malicious grin grew even wider as the black shadow that composed her began to cloud her body. For a few seconds, she was obscured from view, until the darkness vanished, and standing in her place was Rarity.

Her mane and tail were perfectly coiffured to match, her coat was immaculate, and even the cutie mark was spot on.

“They say the best way to win a battle with multiple foes is to turn them against each other,” Envy mused. “Well, I have just the plan in mind for that little venture.”

Author's Note

New chapter name, extended time, new scene, yadda yadda yadda.

An interlude chapter is on its way as well, coming next. It'll be one little breather chapter with slice-of-life silly moments before we get back to Chapter 9. This is done to pad the length of the Audio Drama, which was supposed to have one more episode than chapters, so I figured I'd go through with it to add a bit more fun to the early story.

Lemme know what you think of the new chapter versus the old one!

Rytex out. Have a good day.

Interlude

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Interlude

Piece of Cake (part 1)

Sometimes a mare just needed to let her mane down and enjoy the simpler things in life. Not always, naturally, especially for one as refined and cultured as her, but sometimes.

Rarity always prided herself on enjoying the best things in life. For instance, she only accepted the best, well-crafted gems for her work, she very much enjoyed singing with the local quartet the Ponytones, and she made sure to frequent a very high-class establishment in Canterlot whenever she was there.

But sometimes, a mare as elegant and refined as her simply needed a change of scenery.

“Evenin’, Rares,” Hearty Brew greeted cheerfully as Rarity strode into Ponyville’s resident pub, the Poisoned Apple.

Even in this change of scenery, she only enjoyed the best. There was no better alcohol-artist as a Brew. From the Castle Pub in Canterlot to some other pub in Neighton, the Brew family were almost as, if not just as influential and widespread as the Apples.

Rumor had it they even had their own city, called Brewmen in Germaney. Rumor also had it that every Brew was required to make a pilgrimage there at least once in their life, to learn the secret of how to make the best beverages from some mysterious Elders or some such.

Really, rumors can get so out of hoof.

Hearty’s mane was a wavy brown, and his coat was the bright golden color of the beer he made. His eyes were also a rich brown, and as a cutie mark, he had a full tankard with bright white foam at the lip.

“Good evening, Mr. Brew,” Rarity inclined her head briefly at him as she confidently walked to a barstool. “How is everything tonight?”

“Going well, so far,” Hearty smiled pleasantly at her. “And please, just call me Hearty.”

“A lady never uses first names in a public setting, Mr. Brew. It isn’t proper,” she replied.

“But does a lady not refuse a polite request from a gentlestallion she knows well?” Hearty arched a playful eyebrow at her.

Rarity grinned roguishly. “Too true. Very well, Hearty, I shall indulge you.”

“As you say, Rares,” Hearty smirked at her, before turning around and heading over to the alcohol cabinet. “Not often I have you in here. What can I make for you?”

“An apple sgroppino, if it pleases you.”

Hearty frowned for a moment. “Apple sgroppino, eh? Apple sorbet, vodka, and prosecco, correct?”

“That is correct, Hearty,” Rarity smiled sweetly at him from her stool, even as he started pulling down the necessary ingredients. “You do know your beverages. How often are you called upon to make that particular number?”

“This will be my first time, matter of fact,” Hearty replied, already mixing the prosecco and vodka in even amounts into a champagne flute. “It’s a slow night, as you can see, and it gives me time to experiment, so I do appreciate the break from monotony.”

“Will the Council be sitting in tonight?” Rarity asked. It amused her to no end that fellow Ponytone Big Macintosh had started a bachelor club. It amused her even more that they had embraced the name “the Council of Gentlestallions” after Applejack had poked fun at it.

“No word from Big Mac and the others, but who knows?” Hearty shrugged. “Sometimes they just pop in.”

*pop*

“I know exactly what you mean!” chirped somepony as they appeared right behind Rarity. But, surprised though she was, Rarity did not act as though this were unexpected. After all, a lady does not spit out all of her drink at any moment short of poison or seeing your friend having the gall to wear mismatched colors that don’t go together at a formal event.

But all that composure went out the window when she felt a hoof grab her by the shoulder and lightly spin her around in her stool a full 360 degrees.

“Raaaaarity, it’s been way too long!” the same mare chirped as she fell onto a stool next to her. Rarity stopped the spin, sputtering as the liqueur went down the wrong pipe, and glared at the newcomer, a mint-green mare with short hair and an equally-minty mane and tail.

“Miss Heartstrings, actions like that are precisely why it’s been so long in the first place,” she growled, her earlier coughing ruining the effect.

“So,” Lyra ignored the brusque retort, “what’s got you out here in the Poisoned Apple? I thought a joint like this would be beneath you.”

“It normally is,” Rarity replied, before hastily adding, “No offense, Hearty.”

“None taken, Rares, Hearty Brew replied, inclining his head as he set several glasses up on a rack to air-dry.

“But several days ago, as I’m sure you must have heard,” she scowled, “that thrice-damned unicorn Nova Shine destroyed a rather important possession of mine.”

“Oh?” Lyra arched an eyebrow. “What was it?”

“A vase,” Rarity growled, the mere memory of it making her angry. “A very expensive vase.”

“Really?” Lyra asked, spinning herself around in her stool. “How much was it?”

“I… don’t know,” Rarity admitted. “It was a gift from when I visited Canterlot after the Discord incident. Blueblood gave it to me as an apology for his behavior at the Gala we attended.”

“So how do you know it was valuable?” Lyra asked, before she snatched a random pint of beer from further down the table.

Rarity rolled her eyes.

“It’s really quite simple. I--”

And then she cut off. Wait a minute, this was Blueblood! The same stallion who had spent the whole Gala evening complaining about her friends! Why would he have gifted her a priceless vase?

Her eyes narrowed, and they immediately sought out Lyra, who winked at her as she chugged from her tankard.

“How dare you insinuate--”

“I never said anything about it not being valuable, I just asked how you knew,” Lyra set the tankard down with a thunk, and wiped the moustache of foam that had been left on her upper lip with one of those strange magic five-digit “hands” that she liked to conjure. “You’re the one who’s getting all angry-eyes over there.”

Rarity could only let out a growl at that, which seemed to amuse the mint-green mare.

“As it happens, I’ve got some beef with Nova too.” She took another long drink, before setting it down with another thud. “He blew up my house.”

“I seem to recall, he cast the spell perfectly,” Rarity replied icily. She had seen the spell of Lyra’s. It had been a rather noticeable going-on of that morning. “It was meant to cause an explosion.”

“NO IT WASN’T!” Lyra glared at Rarity. “That was a perfectly good anthromorphization spell. It was going to turn me into a human.”

“Putting your obsession with those mythical bipeds aside,” Rarity rolled her eyes, “I do believe that was meant to be a rather malicious prank at your expense, Miss Heartstrings.”

Lyra sighed, before taking another long draught from her tankard.

“But as it happens,” Rarity smiled devilishly, “we both appear to have an issue with Twilight’s dear coltfriend.”

“What, you want him for yourself?” Lyra asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, heavens no!” Rarity chuckled. “He’s nowhere even near the stallion of my dreams. I mean, who even takes hoofball that seriously?”

“How serious we talking?” Hearty asked from his station, where he was polishing one of his display bottles.

“He was running down the street screaming like a maniac after a goal not long after he moved into the library,” Rarity recalled the incident. It had taken them hours to calm the Flower Sisters down, as they feared an impending attack.

“Oh yeah, I remember that!” Hearty grinned. “Arsenal scored a last-minute winner to secure the Community Shield against Manechester United. A hell of a goal, that was. No one expected Pear Mertesaddler to get that. Defenders don’t score that many goals.”

Rarity made it a point to tune Hearty out as he continued on about whatever the Community Shield was.

“Anyway,” she turned back to Lyra, “I happen to have an idea at how the two of us can get back at him for the headaches he’s caused.”

She smiled mischievously.

“That is, if you’re interested.”

“Count me in,” Lyra grinned back. “So, how’s this going down?”

Afternoon Tea

“Here’s your cock!”

Sharp Eye opened his wing and let the little white chicken fall out of it and onto the ground next to all the other chickens. Said chicken didn’t seem to mind, and immediately tottered on over to pick at the feed with the others.

Fluttershy, however, blinked several times as her face went a very bright shade of red in about three seconds.

“No, wait, sorry,” Sharp Eye rubbed his head sheepishly, “you call them ‘roosters’ here. Forgot.”

“Umm, Elizabeak is a hen,” Fluttershy put forth timidly, hiding her face behind her pink mane so that Sharp Eye couldn’t see her blush. “Hens are plain. Roosters have the plumage on top of their heads.”

Now it was Sharp Eye’s turn to blink stupidly.

“Right,” he said, rubbing all the harder. “Honest mistake.”

“It’s fine. I have your payment, i-if you’ll come inside for a moment,” she said, before whipping herself around and practically bolting indoors, leaving Sharp Eye rather flummoxed. But then again, after a few months of living here, he had heard enough about Fluttershy to know that this seemed rather normal.

So he followed her into her home.

It was a rather nice place, with plenty of furniture, and a lot of animals. He didn’t like the look that rabbit was giving him, though, and made a mental note to ask Fluttershy what it’s problem was.

*thunk*

“Whoa!”

Fluttershy poked her head out of her kitchen, startled by the noise, and when she saw what its cause was, she let out a gasp and scrambled outside.

“Ohmigoodnessareyoualright!?”

Sharp Eye had fallen sideways as he had attempted to stretch his wings, only now discovering that one of them had turned to stone.

“What the buck…” Sharp Eye muttered, looking at it with distaste, seemingly only mildly inconvenienced by the fact that one of his wings had suddenly turned to stone.

“Did you run into a cockatrice in the Everfree Forest?” Fluttershy asked, positively zooming around her house as fast as she could, looking for something. At her current speed, she could give Rainbow Dash a run for her bits.

“Now that you mention it, yeah,” Sharp Eye thought back to the bugger. “It’s currently a sitting statue in the forest now.”

Fluttershy paused in her search to give him a weird look. “How?”

“Easy,” Sharp Eye smirked, holding up his non-petrified wing, which had a silvery sheen on it. “I asked your friend Twilight about the forest before I ran in, and she warned me about it. So I had her coat my wings with this reflective resin. It caused the cockatrice’s stare to get reflected right back at it.”

He looked down at his stone wing.

“Doesn’t look like it’s a flawless solution though.”

Fluttershy continued her search at that. Sharp Eye, however, started rummaging in the deep green vest he was wearing for something.

“Hang on, Miss Fluttershy, if you’re looking for something for my wing, I have something for it already.”

“You do?” Fluttershy paused again, before trotting over. “What pocket is it in?”

“Right here,” Sharp Eye grunted, pulling out a needle that appeared to be made of gold. “Gold Needles are perfect for petrification. I need you to stick it in my stone wing, pointy-end first.”

Fluttershy went pale. “A-are you sure? That looks like it could hurt.”

“Won’t hurt at all,” Sharp Eye assured her, holding out the gold needle. “It dissipates when used.”

“W-well, alright then,” she gulped nervously. “I-if you’re sure.”

With a quivering hoof, she took the gold needle from Sharp Eye, nearly dropping it in her nervousness, and with an even shakier hoof, held it up to the stone wing.

Sharp Eye was almost amused at the fifteen seconds it took for her to steady her hoof.

“Just push it in,” he instructed. The wing joint was getting a bit sore from holding up the stone appendage.

“W-w-will it hurt you?” Fluttershy asked again, just to make sure.

“Not at all,” Sharp Eye repeated. “Just shove it on in.”

“W-well, alright then. On three.”

She took a deep breath. “One… two… three!”

She shoved the gold needle as hard as she could into the stone.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Fluttershy shrieked and leapt backward away from Sharp Eye, even as Sharp Eye’s scream dissolved into laughter as the stone around his wing fell apart from the point where the needle had punctured it, giving way to a whole and unharmed wing underneath.

“Y-y-you… that wasn’t funny!” Fluttershy yelled at him. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“S-s-sorry, “Sharp Eye wiped a tear from his eye as he chortled. “Just… couldn’t resist. Won’t happen again.”

Fluttershy simply glared at Sharp Eye for a long moment, but then for some reason, she tried to stifle a giggle, and before long, she was laughing with him.

Sharp Eye’s earlier self-shame had given way to genuine amusement. Something about the way Fluttershy laughed was able to make him smile more than Pinkie’s best joke.

But it was Fluttershy. If anyone didn’t like Fluttershy, there was something seriously wrong with them. In his own personal opinion, of course.

Nothing wrong with appreciating the gentler things in life, he thought.

“Oh, excuse me,” Fluttershy’s cheeks grew pink for a moment, and she dashed back into the kitchen.

“Everything alright?” Sharp Eye asked, stretching his newly-freed wing and cracking the joints that had been stiffened for the last few minutes.

“Oh, yes,” came Fluttershy’s voice. “Just.. umm… just finishing something.”

“Eh?”

Finishing something? Finishing what? She wasn’t going to pay him in IOUs was she?

But his question was answered when she came out with a tea tray balanced on a wing. Her teapot was covered with a tea cozy the same color as her coat, with her pink butterflies knitted into it, and a pair of white teacups, which she set down on a table close by, before grapping the pot in her mouth by the handle and pouring into both cups.

Damn, wish I could do that, Sharp Eye thought. He could face down a cockatrice, get a stone wing without flinching, and do all manner of dangerous tasks, but what he wouldn’t give to be able to balance things on his wings. It would certainly be incredibly useful.

“How do you like your tea?” she asked. “Sugar? Lemon? Cream or milk?”

“A little bit of sugar, but not much,” Sharp Eye, trotting over and taking a seat on a pouf. This was all rather strange. Why was she offering him tea, exactly?

She retreated for a moment, and returned with a sugar jar, which she drew from with a small spoon and stirred it into his cup, all while he watched rather bewildered.

“Erm, not to sound rude or ungrateful,” he hesitated for a moment, hoping not to offend the poor mare, “but why are you serving me tea, exactly?”

“Oh, umm…” she went a little red, “can’t a m-mare just show some gratit-t-tude for a bounty hunter saving her chickens?”

Was she suddenly scared now? This was definitely rather strange.

Well, I guess as a bounty hunter, I can be a scary pony, he thought.

Shame the cockatrice hadn’t agreed with that thought. Unfortunately, now it was going to be spending its time as a garden ornament of Zecora’s. Assuming she noticed it.

“In my line of work, ponies just give me the gold and be done with it, but…” Sharp Eye sniffed as the pleasant aroma of Fluttershy’s many flowers mixed with the smell of the tea, “...I suppose I could stay for a few minutes.”

She beamed, and there was a strange sort of *squee* sound.

Welp, there’s the most adorable thing I’m going to see all day.

Chuckling to himself, he took a seat at her table as she did as well.

“Alright then,” he said, stretching his wings again to keep the joints nice and exercised, “if I may be so bold, Miss Fluttershy, can I ask you to tell me the truth with all of this?”

“Wh-what do you mean ‘the truth?’” Fluttershy asked, her earlier blush returning, and now attempting to hide behind her bangs.

“Ponies don’t just make tea for bounty hunters after their contract’s up,” Sharp Eye stated, before taking a sip of his. “I’d even be willing to discount you for being a particularly special case, but it still came rather out of nowhere.”

“Oh, umm…” she tapped her hooves together awkwardly and tried to hide even more.

“I mean,” Sharp Eye shrugged, “it’s a nice gesture, and you don’t have to tell me why, but it’s still a bit odd/ Normally I’ve only ever seen ponies do this when--”

He stopped as the implication hit him. Shyer than usual. Extra-pleased that he was staying around. An excuse to talk to him and get to know him more.

“...you’ve got to be kidding me,” he whispered as it set in.

“Umm… what?” Fluttershy asked.

“Miss Fluttershy, did you put all this on to try and ask me on a date?”

The moment he said “date,” Fluttershy’s face went so pink, she could have become Ponyville’s Premier Party Planning Pony (with some added alliterative appeal). And there it was. He had found the answer.

“...m-maybe…” she now was trying so hard to not meet his eyes.

Far from upset about it, Sharp Eye chuckled.

“Gotta admit, this is the most unorthodox way somepony has asked me on a date,” he smiled. “Don’t feel embarrassed, Miss Fluttershy. Just want to ask, though, why me of all ponies? Why not Macintosh Apple, or any of the other stallions around town?”

“I, er… never really…” she trailed off, her blush intensifying. “Except for Thunderlane, but…”

Sharp Eye tried to picture Thunderlane. Charcoal coat, mohawk… yeah, that was him. But if he recalled correctly, that particular stallion had a thing with one of those twin pegasi. Was it Cloudflitter? Cloud Kicker? Something with cloud in it.

“So why me, then?” he asked. “How old are you?”

“Um… 26.”

“Ah,” Sharp Eye leaned back a bit. He had been expecting her to be much closer to the other Bearers of Harmony in age. Twilight was the youngest of them at 22, with Rainbow Dash only a few months older, but the others were all 23 to 24.

“Well, unfortunately,” the word came with a bit of sourness to it, “I think I’m a little outside of your dating range.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I’m 36 myself,” Sharp Eye shrugged. “You’re ten years younger than me. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that my line of work is bounty hunting. Little dangerous for you, don’t you think?”

Fluttershy tapped her hooves together awkwardly again as she looked away.

And then the realization hit Sharp Eye like a carriage in Manehattan.

“Wait, you’re not attracted to dangerous types, are you?”

Fluttershy didn’t answer, and Sharp Eye inwardly sighed.

“Of course you are,” he ran a hoof through his mane. “Explains why you and Discord are such good friends. And why you like Thunderlane.”

“A-and you,” she mumbled.

At the rate she was turning red, she might singlehoofedly discover completely new shades of it.

“Listen,” he hated to do this to her, he really did, “I’m flattered. Really, I am, but something tells me I’m not the stallion for you.”

It was then that Fluttershy-- quiet, sweet, demure Fluttershy-- did something Sharp Eye never would have seen coming.

She said something bold.

“If your only reasons for saying that are because you’re ten years older than me and you work a job as a bounty hunter,” she said, sounding quite frank about it, “then it sounds to me like those are just your excuses for saying no, rather than actual objections because you are nervous about entering into a relationship.”

Sharp Eye could only stare at her. Did she just… did she just psychoanalyze him?

She, however, simply sipped at her tea, quite unconcerned with Sharp Eye’s total bewilderment.

“What the… what the buck was that?” he finally managed to get out.

“Hmm,” she glanced down into her cup, “I guess those lessons from Iron Will did help out.”

“What the buck was that?” he asked, only further confused.

“Sorry,” and like that, she was back to normal Fluttershy. “It’s just… do you know how long I’ve been wanting to… er, make a move?”

“...can’t say I do,” Sharp Eye shook his head, still more than a little stunned.

“I’ve been asking Rarity for advice,” she wouldn’t meet his gaze now, “but could never work up the courage to approach you directly, so when Elizabeak ran off, I just thought it would be the perfect opportunity and now you’re right here, and I’m running on adrenaline, and I’m nervous again andI’mgettingaheadofmyselfbecauseIsuddenlyrealizedwhatIsaidpleasedon’thateme!”

That shook Sharp Eye out of it.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down,” he held up his hooves to placate her. “I’m just… okay, this just seemed to come completely out of left field, so you’ll understand if I’m more than a little bewildered by all of this.”

“Like I said,” she was taking measured breaths now, no doubt trying to regain the confidence she’d had moments ago. “I’ve wanted to approach you, but never had a good opportunity.”

“Fair point,” he shrugged. “Not to mention, with everything happening around Nova and Twilight, and my job to keep an eye on Nova, I guess it makes a bit of sense that I wouldn’t notice.”

He sighed.

“Alright, what you said earlier, about me only using those two arguments as excuses,” he took a drink from his cup of tea, “it, ah, well, it hits a bit too close to home.”

“How so? Is that a bad thing?” He wasn’t a fan of how defensive she got when she said that.

“No, no, not a bad thing,” he held up another hoof to stop her. “Just… I dated a filly in Neigh Zealand for a while. Things were a bit serious, but then Ray Novus came calling. I accepted his contract offer, but went back to visit a few months later after time went by and I hadn’t found young Nova.”

His mouth scrunched, as though he had eaten something sour.

“Turns out she had gone behind my back with some bloke she’d met while I was gone. So yeah,” he smiled humorlessly, “more than a bit nervous about this. Still,” he shrugged, “this is you we’re talking about, and everyone knows you’d never do something like that under any circumstance.”

She smiled bashfully at the praise.

“So, what the hell, let’s give it a try.”

Her bashful smile was gone. Now, she was positively beaming.

“But we’re gonna do this properly,” he continued, giving her a stern, yet somewhat playful look. “A proper night out, dinner and a movie or something. None of this sort of skulduggery, alright? And no more being afraid to tell me something to my face. If you want to be my mare, you need to be able to talk to me, alright?”

“I’ll… I’ll try,” she promised, but that didn’t diminish her smile at all. She was still beaming at him, and even humming something to herself.

Hell, even the rabbit wasn’t giving him evil looks any more. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“Alright then. I’ll make all the arrangements and get back to you. Sound fine?”

“Sounds perfect,” Fluttershy darted over and gave him a quick hug.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Sharp Eye gave her a quick hug back before gently pushing her off. “We don’t know how far this’ll go. But that’s the point of dating, isn’t it?”

“Makes me wonder what took Twilight and Nova this long,” Fluttershy replied, glancing out a window and back toward town. “Twilight just couldn’t stop telling us about it at our weekly spa appointment. Rainbow Dash owed Pinkie thirty bits, since it was Twilight who asked Nova, and not the other way around.”

“No idea,” admitted Sharp Eye. “Especially considering those two are just made for each other. Still, hopefully you and I work even half as well as they do, eh?”

In response, she did that same little squee-smile, and that alone eased any qualms he was having.

No telling what the future held, but it was better to give Fluttershy try and have them fall apart than to never try at all and miss out.

Piece of Cake (pt. 2)

“Gotta say, this is a refreshing change of pace,” Nova sighed as he took a seat at Rarity’s tea table.

“Believe me, darling, the feeling is quite mutual,” Rarity assured him as she went to retrieve the kettle. “I was getting rather tired of our… for want of a better word, ‘rivalry.’ I felt that, after everything you and Twilight had been through over the last few weeks, it was high time we bury the hatchet.”

She paused and blinked, looking a bit confused for a moment.

“Where is Twilight, anyway? She disappeared yesterday after your little training session without telling us where she was headed.”

“She’s off to Canterlot,” Nova shrugged. Rarity disappeared from view, but he continued. “Said something about needing to ask the princesses something face-to-face, and wanted to visit family. Should be back in a couple of days.”

“Of course, of course,” Rarity returned, carrying with her a black teapot covered by a white tea cozy with her usual blue diamonds knitted into it, two mugs, and a few boxes of tea bags. “I took the liberty of having it all boiled before you arrived. What kind of tea do you prefer?”

“What kinds do you have?”

“We have,” she looked at the list of flavors on the boxes, “blueberry, raspberry, ginseng, sleepytime, green tea, green tea with lemon, green tea with lemon and honey, liver disaster,” Nova did a double-take, “ginger, ginger with honey, ginger without honey, vanilla almond, white truffle coconut, chamomile, blueberry chamomile, decaf vanilla walnut, constant comment and… earl grey.”

Nova stared at her. “Did you make some of those up?”

“I think I’ll have earl grey,” Rarity plucked a tea bag from that particular box.

“Surprise me,” Nova shrugged.

“Very well,” Rarity plucked another, and then set the boxes aside on her table as she poured the water into the mugs and set the tea bags into each one.

It didn’t take long for their tea to finish, after which Nova decided to wait for it to cool a bit before he had a taste, even after Rarity added some sugar to it for a bit of additional flavor, as well as to her own.

“I take it you’re not a fan of hot tea?” she glanced at his mug as he left it there.

“Eh,” he shrugged, “I like cold things more. Probably why I prefer beer to tea or coffee.”

A quick spell to artificially cool the tea later, Nova took a sip of the tea, appreciating its very rich flavor, before he quickly drained the cup.

“I personally, prefer liqueur myself,” Rarity put her teacup down.

“Which flavor was this?” Nova asked, prepared to ask for another.

“Sleepytime,” Rarity replied. “I apologize, I cannot offer you anymore. After all,” she smiled in a way that made Nova very uneasy, “you’re going to be learning why that’s its name very soon.”

Oh shit.

Nova almost immediately tried to leap away from the table, especially after feeling the sudden onset of drowsiness, but he wasn’t able to get more than a few paces away before darkness overtook him and he fell into a heap on the ground, snoozing peacefully.

At the sight of the sleeping Nova, Rarity’s grin grew, and she lifted Nova up with her magic, before leading him along toward Lyra’s house to get her accomplice, and then, to the library.

Q And A

“Make sure you’re back in Canterlot at the end of the weekend,” the squad leader instructed him as the group of armored pegasi prepared to take off. “Duty resumes Monday morning.”

“Yes sir,” Aegis saluted his commanding officer.

“At ease, corporal,” the sergeant replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof. “We gotta get back to HQ and report on this on the pronto. Enjoy your leave.”

“What’s there to report?” Aegis asked. “We found nothing, all around the forest. No trace of the young mare.”

“Well, now we have to put in a request for a specialized corps of ponies that can venture into the forest with all the protection against that chaotic mess of a jungle,” the sergeant sighed. “Apparently, the princess is trying to get that chaos spirit in Ponyville to do it himself.”

The Elements of Harmony, Nova, and Discord? Aegis thought. Ponyville seems like an interesting place to live.

Not that Canterlot was any less interesting, especially in recent times. With Discord’s release, the Changeling invasion, the return of Nightmare Moon for all of a few hours, and the reformed Princess Luna now around to prank everyone on the night shift, Canterlot was just about as interesting.

Made the times spent in quiet places like out here in Neighton more worth it.

“Anyway, I’ll see you back at the castle, Aegis,” the sergeant nodded at him, before spreading his wings and taking off back up Mt. Canterhorn, leaving Aegis standing there, just a few short meters away from Nova’s house, still wearing his armor, and now bereft of things to do..

When in doubt, a drink at the pub.

He had really come to appreciate The Cloak and Dagger over the last few weeks. Fantastic food, plenty of drink, and a great atmosphere.

The hanging sign of a black cloak wrapped around a dagger stuck point-first in a table creaked in the light wind as he approached it, but apart from that, the tavern was unusually quiet today. But then, it was the middle of the day. It would probably liven up considerably come nightfall and the onset of the weekend.

As soon as he was in, the warmth of the pub washed over him, leading to a smile as he took a seat at the bar. There weren’t any other people inside except for Potent Brew behind the bar, and a tan unicorn with a brown mane sitting a bit further down, but as soon as Potent saw him, he grinned and slid a tankard his way..

“Always welcome in here, if you’re from the guard. You’ll have to remind me which one you are, though,” he said apologetically as he started filling the tankard from a bottle he had pulled up from behind the bar.

“I’m Aegis,” he replied. “No real good place to put my armor.”

“You couldn’t have stashed it in the barracks?” Potent tilted his head as he finished pouring, allowing the head of the beer to sit just enough above the lip of the tankard to be noticeable, but not enough to drip down the sides.

Aegis shrugged. “I’ve gotten used to having it on.”

“So, what can I do you for?”

“Hampton fries, if you would,” Aegis groaned as he took a seat at one of the stools. The unicorn looked over curiously, his blue eyes surveying the newcomer. His mane was short and tidy, and now that Aegis could have a proper look, his cutie mark was a book and quill, superimposed by a green I/O.

“I’ve not seen you around,” Aegis said to the unicorn. “Neighton doesn’t have too many unicorns.”

“I’m not from here,” the unicorn replied, taking a swig of his own beer. “I’m meeting my brother when he gets out of school in a couple of days. Figured I’d swing by early. I’ve heard this town’s pretty nice in autumn.”

“Having experienced it myself over the last few days, I can say you heard right.”

“I’m Quantum Bit, by the way,” the unicorn smiled at him and extended a hoof. Aegis bumped it immediately. “Friends just call me Q, or Q-Bit or just Bit. Quantum is a bit of a mouthful, after all.”

“Aegis,” Aegis replied. He noticed a black fedora and coat hanging up on one of the coat racks by the pub’s door. “Those yours?”

Q-Bit looked over, and on catching sight of what Aegis was indicating, he visibly cringed.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Aegis chortled. “Not a fan of the fedora and trenchcoat look, are we?”

“Not anymore,” groaned Q-Bit, facehoofing. “I used to have them, and I still occasionally wear the coat, but… gah, what was I thinking with the trilby?”

Aegis just shook his head, still grinning, and took a gulp from his mug.

“So, you from here?” Q asked.

“Nope!” Potent replied, placing a roll of silverware down near Aegis’ seat. “We had a detachment of guards in town. Using the town as a base while they did a sweep of the forest to try and find a missing mare.”

“Everyone’s gone back to Canterlot,” Aegis nodded. “We didn’t find the mare. I got OK-ed to take the weekend off, so I figured I’d stay here. Quiet towns like this are a pretty nice vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I mean,” his smile turned wan, “I love my apartment and all, but sometimes you just need to get away.”

“I know that feeling,” Q grinned, before taking another drink and finishing his mug off. “I live in Manehattan. Finished up school at MIM and am now working with Appleture Science on their computer project. And you know Manehattan.”

Aegis laughed. “Oh yes, I do. Never lived there, but it’s not called The City That Never Sleeps for nothing.”

The door to the outside opened up, and in stepped a green-grey pegasus pony with a windswept golden mane and equally-gold eyes. “Afternoon, all,” he raised a hoof to greet them.

“Afternoon, Lance!” Potent waved back. “I guess the Weather Team are done for the day?”

“Yep,” Lance took a seat on Aegis’ other side. “Figured I’d come in for a drink before I head back home. Tea, though. Homen doesn’t like when I come home buzzed.”

“How’re Homen and the little one doing?” Potent pulled out a teapot with a golden cozy stitched with a beer mug on it, as well as a teacup and he poured Lance a cup. Once done, he went back to a small porthole that led to the kitchen where whoever was on his kitchen staff worked. Presumably, he was checking on Aegis’ fries.

“Oh, Homen’s fine, you know her,” Lance took a drink. “Nova’s finally sleeping through the whole night now, so she’s gotten a lot more rest lately.”

“Sorry, did you say ‘Nova?’” Aegis asked, giving Lance a weird look.

“Yeah, my colt,” Lance grinned as he undoubtedly thought of him. “Only two months old. Found out Homen was pregnant about three months after we got married.”

“You sound like you’ve been wanting to brag about him to someone for a while now,” Potent commented. “Just tell them the kid’s life story, why don’t you.”

“I mean, it is a good story,” Lance hollered back. “You should know, considering you kicking me out of the bar was how it got started.”

“What’s going on?” Q asked, thoroughly confused, but he didn’t look as confused as Aegis felt.

This Lance stallion has a colt named Nova? It better not be--

“Oh, we’re just bantering about the reason why my colt’s name is Nova Shine.”

Motherbucker.

Aegis took the time to remove his helmet and place it neatly by his stool, and then let his head hit the bar surface with an audible thunk!

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Lance looked over at him in total disbelief. “What was that about? You alright there?”

“Just feed his ego, why don’t you,” Aegis sighed as he massaged the spot where his head hit the bar. “Because he needs to have it stoked like that.”

“Whose?” Q asked.

“Ah,” Lance nodded sagely. “So you know Nova Shine too?”

“Unfortunately,” Aegis sighed. “Been that idiot’s minder for about 17 years now,. so to speak.”

Q and Lance snorted. Potent, meanwhile, gave them all an askance look.

“Hey now, don’t be insulting one of my favorite customers. No shortage of entertainment whenever Arsenal are on.” He grinned. “According to Cousin Hearty over in Ponyville, he apparently went running and screaming like a maniac after Mertesaddler’s header against Chelsea a few months back.”

“Fuck them,” Aegis replied quite casually. “They’ve made my life miserable for some time now.”

“Spurs fan?” Q asked.

“Spurs fan,” sighed Aegis. “Even when we have a good season and finally finish ahead of them, they still laugh at us.”

He punctuated this with one last draught from his tankard to finish it off.

“Anyway, yeah, the story of how we came to name our colt Nova Shine is a pretty cool one, if I do say so myself,” Lance smiled fondly at the memory. “I mean, I could start with all the details, but the readers can just go reread the beginning of Chapter 1 if they really want to know.”

Aegis rolled his eyes at that. There’s going to be no fourth wall this chapter, is there.

“Anyway, so basically Nova Shine got me an apartment and refused to ask anything for himself in return,” Aegis felt his eyebrows reflexively shoot into his mane. Nova did what now? “After he did that, I cleaned up myself after the run of bad luck I’d been having, got my job back, basically turned myself around, you know?”

Q nodded. Aegis, meanwhile, could only stare into his mug, feeling a smile cross his face. Nova, you really need to try harder if you want to keep me believing you really don’t care about anyone but yourself.

“Anyway, Homen Hearth, the owner of the Neighton Apartments, got me all set up with my living arrangements, and we handled all the paperwork over the next couple of days,” Lance continued. “Spent quite a bit of time getting to know each other. Took me a couple of months before I felt-- Bal!”

Aegis jumped. The door to the pub had opened up behind him and in strode a tan earth pony with a neat black mane.

“Afternoon fellas,” Bal said, sliding into a stool on Q’s other side. “Never seen you around here before,” he held out a hoof to the stallion. “Name’s Balanced Budget. I’m the mayor. What brings you to Neighton?”

“Quantum Bit. Call me Q. Just visiting. Gonna be meeting my brother on his break,” Q bumped the hoof. “Lance was just telling us the story of how his colt’s named after this guy’s friend,” he tapped Aegis’ armor.

“Oh, you must be Aegis then,” Balanced Budget said, turning his gaze to Aegis. “Nova’s told me quite a bit about you.”

“He has?” Aegis was surprised.

“He has,” Bal nodded. “Especially after he got named the Night Apprentice. It’s good to see he has good friends. Faust above knows he needed them back then. Hear he’s doing alright for himself now.”

“Well, if he’s doing well enough for some stallion to name his kid after him, he can’t have done that bad.”

Bal blinked. “Are you telling them the Nova story, Lance?” he asked, sounding exasperated. “You’ve never met a single pony you wouldn’t tell that to!”

“It changed me life!” Lance replied defensively. “How can I not tell?”

“I’m not saying what Nova did isn’t awesome,” Bal replied. “I’m just saying, do you really need to solicit random strangers with it?”

“Hey, he asked,” Lance gestured at Aegis.

“To be fair, I did,” Aegis had to give him that. “Sort of. I mean, Potent Brew encouraged him. I just expressed disbelief that his colt’s name was Nova.”

“Damn it, Poe!” Bal called at the Bartender, who was emerging from the kitchen with a mug for the Mayor. Poe just sarcastically waved at that as he trotted toward them.

“Where was I?” Lance asked.

“Couple of months?” Q offered helpfully.

“Right! Took me a couple of months to actually balls up and ask her out.”

“Gotta admit,” sighed Bal, “I really didn’t see them happening. Of course, I didn’t see Nova Shine just deciding to up and purchase an apartment for a couple of months for him, so…”

“Yeah, that came completely out of nowhere, too!” Lance seized on this thread of conversation quite enthusiastically. “I mean, he was a hermit and always going about his little ‘magical mercenary’ work that he called it.”

He would call it that.

“I thought he was pranking me at first,” Lance admitted. “Glad I was wrong.”

“So, you guys doing anything for the holidays?” Bal asked, mostly to Lance but the question was open to everyone.

“Homen, Nova, and I are going to see family up in Seaddle for a month,” Lance answered, before reaching over, stealing Aegis’ newly-refilled mug, and taking a long drink.

“Hey!”

“Sorry,” Lance wiped his mouth as he returned the mug. Poe just rolled his eyes and replaced it with a new, full one. “I’m driven to drink every time I think of Homen’s mother.”

“Oh, mothers-in-law,” sighed Q. “I hear that.”

“Seems like everyone with kids is going out of town for the holidays,” sighed Bal. “Town’s going to be strangely quiet until well after New Years.”

“Welp,” Q slid off his stool at that, as he pulled out a few bits and left them on the counter, “time for me to head out for the day.”

“Have a good one,” Poe waved at him. “How long are you staying in town?”

“A few weeks, even after Pen leaves. Don’t really have a specific day I’m leaving, though.” Q shrugged. “Heard this part of Equestria was really nice during the holidays. Might stick around for a while.”

“Well, be seeing you, then,” Lance nodded at him as Q strode toward the door. “Enjoy your rest and relaxation, corporal.”

Aegis paused, shocked. “I don’t remember ever saying I was a corporal, and I’m wearing uniformity armor without ranking epaulets. How did you know my rank?”

“Heh, if an author doesn’t know even basic information about his own characters, he’s a pretty poor author if you ask me,” Q didn’t even look at Aegis as he said that. He just pushed the door open, letting the crisp late autumn air waft in. “It’s been a pleasure writing you these last five years, Aegis. It really has.”

While Poe, Lance, and Bal all chatted on their own, oblivious to this conversation, and while Aegis was thoroughly nonplussed by this, Q just smiled, looking down at the ground now.

“Nova, too. You, Nova, Sharp Eye, Envy… and all of the others. It’s been an honor.”

Aegis just continued to stare, not really sure how to take this.

“Heh, look at me, getting all sentimental just because something I’ve written’s been around for a few years.”

With that, he strode out, but he made sure to call behind him as he went.

“Keep an eye on that idiot for me, will you?”

Aegis smiled to himself at that, even as Poe slid a plate of cheese fries topped with hay bacon onto the bar behind him. “Will do, Q. Will do.”

Piece of Cake (pt. 3)

Nova awoke in an awkward position, all hooves chained as far away from his body as they could be, with him lying on his back and staring up at a dark ceiling in a dark room. Something was pushing up under his jaw, preventing him from talking, though he could grunt a bit. Yet somehow, he was able to lean his head up just enough to glance around the room.

Sitting there, staring at him, next to a rather large-looking loudspeaker, were Lyra and Rarity.

“I was wondering when you were going to awaken, darling,” Rarity smirked. Beside her, Lyra started fiddling with the speaker, a devious grin on her face. “I must admit, I see what Twilight means when she says you’re an adorable sleeper.”

Nova blinked. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how to take that. One the one hoof, it was extra creepy hearing that from someone that wasn’t Twilight. One the other hoof, that weird tingling in his gut was back, when he pieced together that Twilight thought him sleeping was adorable.

“You’ll, of course, notice that you can’t use your magic right now,” Rarity started to pace around the room, like a self-satisfied supervillain who had the hero in the elaborate deathtrap and was just dying to tell him her master plan. “One of Zecora’s brews, a Miasma of Muddling, perfect for suppressing magic and inducing sleepiness in its imbiber.”

Nova grunted in his restraints.

“And on top of that, it tastes fantastic with earl grey tea if one has already taken the antidote,” Rarity continued, grinning at him like the Cheshire Cat from Mareoll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Nova rolled his eyes. Could she just get on with it already?

“I’m going to take that eye-roll as you trying to tell me to get on with it, and I do assure you,” she stepped forward and patted him on the cheek, “in good time, darling. But I suppose you’re wondering just why Lyra and I have you restrained in your dear marefriend’s basement. And whether or not Twilight knows about this, as well.”

Nova grunted again. He had been wondering that, actually. This did seem out of nowhere.

“It’s really quite simple,” Rarity continued her pacing. “You destroyed Lyra’s house with that spell, and it’s your fault Sweetie Belle broke that vase of mine. It was a gift from Blueblood, I’ll have you know,” she turned to glare at him as she said this.

Nova, of course, couldn’t speak, but if he could, he’d be rather up front with how Sweetie Belle had picked up the vase on her own, and he hadn’t been able to stop her before the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders barged in.

But he did give Lyra his most irritated look possible, since she knew damn well that spell was a broken spell. Lyra just grinned cattily back at him.

“Unfortunately, there never seemed to be a good time to take my revenge, what with your trip to the Crystal Empire, your preparations and trip to Trottingham,” she ticked off each thing by tapping on her hoof, “the week you spent in Canterlot, the week after that you spent in here… but now…” she grinned, “now I have you right where I want you.”

Nova almost rolled his eyes. This was rather corny.

“Uhh, Rarity, a thought occurs,” Lyra suddenly interjected. “Does Twilight know about this?”

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Rarity asked her, giving her a look that plainly said she couldn’t believe they were having this conversation now, of all times.

“I mean, I love a good prank and all, but uh…” she tapped her hooves together awkwardly, “have you seen Twilight when she gets really mad? Her mane starts smoking and stuff, and she may or may not actually catch fire, if Pinkie Pie is to be believed.”

“What Twilight doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Rarity replied delicately. “I made sure she would be off in Canterlot while we did this.”

“Yyyyyyeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhno, I’m not sure about this anymore,” Lyra’s earlier catty grin was now decidedly more nervous.

It seemed the dissent was irritating Rarity more and more, so she stomped on over to the controls of the giant speaker, where Nova noticed a counter going up as high as 50, and two levers next to it.

“Pish posh, Lyra,” Rarity looked Nova right in the eye. “What can be certain, however…”

She pulled one lever, and the loudspeaker started to warm up.

“...is that I think no stallion in a century will suffer as greatly as you will.”

And with that, she stomped over and yanked the other one all the way down.

“Not to 50!” Lyra exclaimed, jumping away.

“IT’S A PIECE OF CAKE TO BAKE A PRETTY CAKE! IF THE WAY IS HAZY!”

Fear flooded through Nova as the annoyingly-Pinkie-esque voice suddenly blasted through the speaker. No… please Faust above no… anything but this! Those were the last thoughts he had before he let out the most gut-wrenching scream of pain, of agony, and of fear that he possibly could.

Lyra could only watch on in horror as Rarity bobbed her head ever-so-faintly to the beat, even as Nova writhed on the table, screaming at the top of his lungs.

The song and scream echoed around Ponyville, causing everyday market-goers to glance around uneasily.

“--YOU GOTTA DO THE COOKIN’ BY THE BOOK! YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T BE LAZY--”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--”

Over in Neighton, several of the guards stationed there, Aegis included, could hear it, which caused them all to look around rather nervously..

“--NEVER USE A MESSY RECIPE, THE CAKE WILL END UP CRAZY--”
“--AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--”

Up in Canterlot, as Twilight Sparkle and both of the princesses trotted along up to the sitting room, they heard it.

“--IF YOU DO THE COOKIN’ BY THE BOOK, THEN YOU’LL HAVE A CAKE--”
“--AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--”

On hearing it, all three of the Princesses couldn’t help but glance out a conveniently-placed nearby window rather confusedly.

All around Canterlot Valley did it echo...

Big Macintosh and Time Turner were cheerfully trotting along the road to Neighton, having delivered a shipment of apples to the neighboring city. All was quiet along their journey, but then they heard it.

“--WE GOTTA HAVE IT MADE! YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE CAKE! FINALLY IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CAKE!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Big Mac,” Turner stepped in front of Big Mac and his cart and stopped him from moving, while both stared in the direction of Ponyville, “Big Mac! Listen! Do you hear?”

Big Mac nodded.

“That is the sound of ultimate suffering,” said Turner gravely.

The Perfect Gift

The sitting room was the exact same as it was last time, even though it had been several weeks since the last time they had been there.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took two of the three couches around the table, and Twilight hopped onto the one between them, insides buzzing with anticipation, though she did wonder about that scream they had heard on the way up for a moment.

Whatever it was, it would have to wait.

“So, you mentioned in your letter that this was something you wanted to ask us face-to-face,” Princess Celestia’s horn flashed gold and a teapot and three cups appeared on the coffee table. “Without Nova being present.”

“Yes,” Twilight tapped her hooves together awkwardly. “I, uhh… I kinda wanted some help.”

“Help?” Princess Luna tilted her head. “With something involving Nova Shine? I would have thought you of all ponies would know the answer.”

“I thought you would,” Twilight admitted to Princess Luna sheepishly. “He’s your student.”

“And he’s your coltfriend,” Princess Luna smiled back at her. “While I know much of Nova Shine after three years of working with him, this is true, I can honestly say at this point, I think you’re the pony to ask for anything about him.”

Under normal circumstances, that even Princess Luna would point to her as the one who knows the most about her dear Nova would make her feel quite proud, but under current circumstances, this only frustrated Twilight all the more.

“That’s exactly the problem!”

She sighed.

“Hearth’s Warming is coming up, and I really wanted to get him something special,” she said quietly. “Not just a book, considering I have almost every book he’d like to read, which is pretty amazing,” she smiled at the nights spent talking headcanons and theories with Nova about the next A Song of Ice and Fire book, or of their debate on whether or not Harry Trotter and the Cursed Foal was actually canon or just a semi-official fanfiction.

It totally isn’t, by the way, but Nova won’t admit when he’s wrong.

“If I know Nova,” Princess Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully, “I don’t think it particularly matters what it is, as long as it’s from you.”

“That doesn’t make this any easier,”groaned Twilight. “I don’t want to just get him something. I want to get him something special. Something he’ll love!”

“You could always give him a kiss,” suggested Princess Celestia, wiggling her eyebrows.

Twilight felt her cheeks heat up, but the pleasant imagery of herself and Nova kissing was just too good to pass up.

“Sister, I believe she is drooling,” Princess Luna whispered a little too loudly.

“Huhwha?” Twilight blinked herself out of her trance state, feeling the heat in her cheeks die down.

“Luna was just teasing you, Twilight,” Princess Celestia rolled her eyes at her younger sister’s antics.

Twilight couldn’t help but take the time to just admire how similar their dynamic was to her’s and Nova’s. Little wonder he was as goofy around her as he was when he had a teacher like Luna, and her own teacher was rather straight-laced by comparison.

“However, she does raise an excellent point,” Princess Celestia continued, taking another sip from her teacup. “However well my sister knows Nova, which is rather well,” she added meaningfully, giving Twilight a look, “you have interacted with him in far more meaningful ways. Such as the time you went with him to see Doctor Hoofman. And you have had far more time of late to spend around him. So I must agree with Luna, I believe you are the one best suited to answer this question.”

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Princess Celestia held up a hoof to stall her.

“However, I understand where you are coming from.”

Twilight’s response died in her throat as she closed her mouth.

“You can confidently say that you know what he loves, but despite that, you still feel at a loss for what to get him that would really blow him away, is that correct?”

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight nodded, grateful for her mentor’s intercession.

“I feel with that out of the way, a little help would not be amiss,” Princess Celestia smiled encouragingly at her pupil. “Tell me, Twilight, what is it that Nova likes to spend time on?”

“Magic and reading, naturally,” Twilight answered immediately. Those two were obvious. Every new concept Luna had sent his way since his suspension was revoked had seen him dive into the new information eagerly. And when she had recommended a new book to him over the last several weeks before and after the trip to Trottingham, he was always quick to dig right in and start reading in free time.

“Anything else?”

“Well, he is a massive hoofball fan too,” she said, recalling the several times he had donned a red scarf and gone to watch a match at the Poison Apple, Hearty Brew’s pub.

“As we understand it,” Princess Celestia glanced over at her sister, “‘massive’ is an understatement.”

“No kidding,” Twilight let out a small chuckle at a memory of Nova acting as giddy as a schoolfilly in the runup to whatever the Community Shield was. “If he could live and breathe it, he would.”

“Would he prefer magic, reading, or hoofball, would you say?” asked Princess Celestia, rubbing a hoof under her chin while she pondered what she was learning.

“See, the thing about Nova is, he enjoys the process of learning,” Twilight furrowed her brow as she started to really think about it too. “Just giving him a spell he can easily master would just disappoint him, I think. Not to mention, I think he’s come to trust you, Princess Luna,” Princess Luna smiled at the praise, “and he understands that you’re going at the pace he needs to go, so I think magic can be ruled out.”

“Which leaves reading and hoofball, and as you said, you already have almost everything he’d ever like to read,” Princess Luna pointed out.

“Yes. So, hoofball is the last remaining one,” Twilight said, which only irritated her more. Had she been able to justify magic or learning, getting something for Nova wouldn’t have been all that difficult. But she didn’t know anything about hoofball, except that her father had taken her to see Princess’ Park Rangers when she was young, and that Nova loved Arsenal and hated Trottenham.

“Hmm... “ Princess Celestia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think I might be able to make something happen.” She smiled. “When you have attended as many games as I have, the chairpony of the Equestrian Premier League does owe you a favor or two…”

“Really?” Twilight asked, surprised that Princess Celestia was willing to personally lend a helping hoof. “I don’t want to pressure you into helping me or anything.”

“Nonsense, Twilight,” Princess Celestia smiled sweetly at her. “I will make all the arrangements, and you will get all the credit. Do make sure to bring him back down to earth after a few minutes though, would you? I have a feeling he may literally shoot himself over the moon in excitement.”

Twilight giggled at the thought.

“Thank-you, Princess,” she said, after the laughter subsided. “This really does get rid of at least one of my worries.”

“It’s no problem at all, Twilight,” assured her mentor.

Suddenly, there came a couple of taps at the door, which startled Twilight. Were they expecting a guest?

“Oh, I believe our visitor has arrived,” Princess Celestia rose and strode over to the door to open it up.

Behind the door were a guard and a mare. The mare’s coat was a pale blue, almost like Trixie’s mane. Her own mane, however, was a pure silver, as was her tail, which was held with a strange sort of grace Twilight had not seen in any other pony but Rarity or the two Princesses. And her eyes, silver as her mane and almost as gentle as Fluttershy, immediately met her own.

“Good afternoon, Shimmer,” Princess Celestia stepped to the side to allow their guest entry, and nodded at the escort. The guard saluted and marched off at this. “You came at just the right time.”

“Thank-you, Princess,” Twilight was startled to hear how musical her voice was, and it had a certain quality to it that sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on what it was.

Shimmer stepped into the room, immediately approaching Twilight, her eyes never leaving her’s.

“You must be Twilight Sparkle,” Shimmer said, holding out a hoof as she came close.

Twilight stood up and reached out to bump it. “Yes, I am. A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“I assure you, the pleasure is all mine,” Shimmer inclined her head. Twilight took the opportunity to find her cutie mark, and it was a diamond, much like Rarity’s, though with a bright gleaming star on it, like light reflecting off of its surface.

Fitting, she thought.

“Twilight, do you know who this is?” Princess Luna asked, surveying Shimmer herself.

“I… can’t say that I do,” she admitted.

“You will know her last name, I would imagine,” Luna continued. “Novus.”

Twilight’s mouth parted for just a moment. “You’re Nova’s mother!”

Shimmer nodded. “I am.”

“He… he talks about you a lot,” Twilight internally cringed at that. Obviously a lie, considering Nova always tried to cut himself off if he went anywhere near his parents in conversation.

Shimmer smiled humorlessly. “You need not lie to spare my feelings, Twilight Sparkle. I think the time he screamed at myself and my husband made his feelings quite clear.”

She indicated the empty spot next to where Twilight had been sitting. “May I?”

Twilight nodded, and they both took a seat back on the couch, as Princess Celestia trotted back to her own seat. All the while, Twilight felt Shimmer’s eyes on her, studying her. Internally, she couldn’t help but feel more than a little nervous. Was Shimmer trying to decide whether or not she was a good marefriend for Nova?

Or did she think little of her because Nova’s anger was justified?

“You love him, don’t you,” Shimmer observed, and Twilight noticed that it wasn’t a question.

“I do,” she answered quite immediately. No matter how many times she said it, Twilight would never get used to the butterflies in her gut that always seemed to take flight. It was exhilarating, and it would never get old.

Shimmer smiled at her, and in one beautiful moment, Twilight could just see Nova in it. That moment alone, Twilight felt, was worth all the books and all the spells in the world.

Except for the Deathly Hallows first edition that Nova had gotten signed by Yearling. Nothing was worth that much.

“I could just see it in your eyes,” Shimmer glanced at the floor. “How is he? How has he been since… that night?”

“He’s been fine,” Twilight assured her. “He was more than a little down about that night,” Twilight noticed Shimmer glance away slightly, “but he’s back to his usual self.”

“You should know, he cares about you,” Shimmer said.

“I’m… sorry?”

That seemed out of nowhere.

Shimmer, however, didn’t seem to want to continue that line of thought. Instead, she slid out of her seat and began to trot toward the door.

“Leaving so soon?” asked Princess Celestia, sounding concerned. “But you just got here.”

“I have heard all I need to,” Shimmer replied, pausing before the door. “It is enough to know that my son is in good health,” she looked back and met Twilight’s eyes again, “and that he has a mare who loves him.”

Twilight felt her eyes well up ever so slightly.

Shimmer pawed at the ground for a moment, and before Twilight’s eyes, two flowers, chiseled out of the marble of the floor, began to grow. As they grew, the stems began to intertwine, twisting around each other until they were about six inches tall. As soon as they stopped growing, color began to flood them, starting with their stems turning green.

As Twilight watched, one flower began to be colored the lavender of her coat, with a few petals closer to the center growing darker, the blue of her mane, though with her magenta streaks. The other, however, began to color itself blue. Nova’s blue, though with a spot of white centered around its core.

As soon as the color had finished, the flowers grew apart, stretching away, before suddenly bending back inward, touching ever-so-gently as they met, forming the shape of a heart.

Even as the process finished, and the marble flowers plucked from the ground and levitated toward her in silver magic, Twilight was left speechless. And when she took it in her hooves and felt all around it, she couldn’t help but be completely blown away by just how exquisite it was. Beautifully detailed, durable, and the symbolism of what it meant from Shimmer, all of it was enough to draw a small tear and a touched smile from Twilight as she looked it over.

“Take care of him, would you?” Shimmer asked, drawing her gaze again.

“Of… of course, Mrs. Novus,” Twilight promised.

“Please, just call me Shimmer,” the other mare requested, turning back around. “Farewell, Twilight Sparkle. May you find happiness with him.”

And with that, Shimmer was gone, leaving the three of them alone again. Neither Princess Celestia nor Princess Luna deigned to speak at first, while Twilight just continued to look over the marble flowers. To add to her astonishment, the center of each flower was inscribed with the cutie mark of the flower it belonged to, colored perfectly to match. Her cutie mark stood out rather well against the navy of the center, where Nova’s blue cutie mark stood in stark contrast to the white around it.

“What… what kind of spell was that?” Twilight asked, barely louder than a whisper.

“That was no ordinary spell, Twilight,” Princess Luna sounded just as touched by the gesture as she felt. “That was alchemy.”

“A-alchemy?” Twilight asked. She still hadn’t even touched the book Nova had brought back for her from Neighton. If it could truly produce things this amazing, it was going to be a top priority when she got a chance.

“Indeed,” Princess Celestia stood up and walked over to her. “What she has given you is something you should always treasure, Twilight.”

She nodded, still staring at the two intertwined flowers. “I will.”

She had come seeking the perfect gift for Nova, and she had received the perfect gift from his mother.

And she would treasure it always.

The Beautiful Game

“I’m bored.”

Trixie looked up from her book, at the mare that had barged into her room. This castle was deceptively well-equipped, and Envy was, for some reason, seeming rather generous lately. Just last week, she had moved Trixie out of her cell and into an actually-somewhat-lavish room. And, even though she hated to admit it, Twilight Sparkle’s fascination with books suddenly seemed justified.

“There’s always books to read,” Trixie didn’t so much as glance up from Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.

“I wanna go do something other than read all these books,” Envy replied. “I went walking around Trottingham yesterday and found something that looked interesting.”

“Is it the lights festival?” Trixie sighed. “Tell me it’s not the lights festival.”

“No, it’s not the lights festival. It’s something called… hoofball.”

That got Trixie’s attention. She glanced up at her captor. Today, she was disguised as one of those ponies from Ponyville. Bon-Bon, or Sweetie Drops, or whatever her name was. The only way to tell them apart would have been the eyes, as Envy’s were red as usual.

“Who’s playing?” she asked, before reaching over to a small table to her right and grabbing the teacup placed there.

“Whoever the hell Trottingham Forest and--” Envy stopped. “Are you drinking tea?”

“I am,” Trixie replied evenly.

“What is it with this chapter and tea?” Envy asked, glancing up at the preceding several shorts. “This is literally the fifth time.”

“Do you want some?” Trixie offered her the pot.

“No,” Envy growled. “I was never into tea.”

“Your loss,” Trixie set the pot back down.

“Anyway, Trottingham Forest are playing some team called Manechester United or some shit.”

“Hmm,” Trixie hummed as she turned a page in her book. “By the sound of things, you want to go.”

“Obviously. It looks interesting.”

“It’s… an acquired taste for some,” Trixie warned. “Still, how will we know whether or not you’ll like it unless we go watch?”

“Fair point. Game starts in three hours, and it’ll take one to get there. Might want to get a move on.”

“Just out of curiosity, you’re being really nice to me this chapter,” observed Trixie. “Wasn’t I in a dungeon at the end of the last one?”

“This chapter’s not canon, except for when it is,” Envy shrugged, before giving a meaningful look to the readers. “Got that?”

“Honestly, that sounds a bit like a cop-out just in case people aren’t fans of Fluttershy and Sharp Eye becoming a thing,” Trixie noted.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” Envy grinned at the readers one more time before she stopped acknowledging the fourth wall’s (non)existence. “Welp, let’s get a move on.”

The journey to Trottingham was a surprisingly short one. It probably helped that Envy was taking refuge in Trixie’s head rather than walk around on her own. She also took the liberty of changing Trixie’s coat and mane colors so as not to attract the kind of suspicion she was hoping to avoid.
“Gah, I hate being pink,” Trixie groaned to herself as they joined the throng of ponies swarming into . “It just makes me feel so… I don’t know, poofy.”

Right. I guess there’s no love lost between you and that pink mare from Ponyville.

“I threw her mouth into the trash.”

That sounds like a really interesting story.

“About 22 minutes long, give or take commercial breaks,” Trixie grinned at the memory. The queue they had joined to get into City Ground was slowly making its way into the stadium, though it was made a bit slower by ponies like them purchasing tickets.

“You did bring the bits, didn’t you?” Trixie asked Envy as they got closer,

I brought a knife. We can get in free if we use that.

“No!” Trixie hissed, causing several passers-by to look over at the strange mare talking to herself, before backing away slowly. “We are not doing that. Gimme the bits.”

Hah! You should have seen the look on your face. Hang on, hang on, I’ll get them

Trixie could only growl at her mental roomie. Still, at least the line was clear now. It didn’t take too long to purchase the ticket and get inside, where they followed the directions to their seat.

They were down close to the away supporters, who were dressed mostly in red. A few of them were wearing white kits, but there were a few scattered ponies wearing black as well. Meanwhile in the home side, the colors were mostly the same, but there were some blue kits and scarves scattered among them as well.

Down on the pitch, there were a set of ponies wearing black shirts and shorts that were warming up closest to wear they were sitting, with a couple of them wearing lime-green long-sleeved shirts and pants, and even foam covers for their front hooves.

Why are they standing like that?

The ponies warming up were standing entirely on their hind legs, using their upper torso and front hooves to steady the ball, though they naturally couldn’t touch it with said front hooves, except for the goalkeepers.

“Some technique that lets them kick better and move better, I guess,” Trixie shrugged. “I don’t play the game, so I wouldn’t know. I guess it’s because they can’t use their forehooves, so they take them out of the game by standing up like a dragon or diamond dog.”

Why is there one with a massive afro?

Yep, that was Fellaini alright.

“I guess he just likes his mane that way.”

The ones closest to them, Manechester United based on the away fans cheering at about everything they did, were taking shots to warm the keepers up.

That’s some impressive leg power. A shot whizzed just past de Gea’s hooves and into the goal as he dove to make a save.

Trixie took the time to explain the basic rules to Envy as the warmups ended and the players retreated into the dressing rooms. Up on one of the video baords, the Equestrian Premier League table was flashing up.

POS........TEAM.....................................MP...W....D.....L....GF...GA..GD...P
1.............Manechester City.....................15....12....1.....2.....33....11....22...37
2.............Manechester United................14......9.....4.....1.....33....14....19...31
3.............Chelsea....................................15......9.....4.....2.....37....20....17...31
4.............Arsenal....................................15......9.....3.....3.....32....19....13...30
5.............Trottenham Hotspur................15......7.....6.....2.....24....11....13...27
6.............Liverpool.................................15......6.....6.....3.....20....16....4...24
7.............Everton....................................15......6.....3.....6.....21....26....-5...21
8.............Fillydelphia Union...................15......5.....5.....5.....20....18....2...20
9.............Cloudsdale Wanderers.............15......5.....5.....5.....19....19....0...20
10...........Crystal Palace...........................15......5.....5.....5.....14....15....-1...20
11...........Manehattan City FC.................15......5.....4.....6.....17....22....-5...19
12...........Accrington Stallion..................15......5.....3.....7.....21....25....-4...18
13...........West Ham United.....................15......5.....2.....8.....15....25....-10...17
14...........Seaddle Sounders.....................15......4.....4.....7.....21....26....-5...16
15...........Princess’ Park Rangers.............15......4.....3.....8.....27....29....-2...15
16...........Vanhoover Whitecaps...............15......3.....6.....6.....13....16....-3...15
17...........Trotston Revolution...................15......3.....4.....8.....17....31....-14...13
18...........Los Pegasus Galaxy...................15......3.....3.....9.....19....31....-12...12
19...........Trottingham Forest....................14......3.....3.....8.....12....29....-17...12
20...........Sunderland.................................15......3.....2.....10.....14....27....-13...11

Those the standings or whatever? What’s the numbers all indicate?

“Yeah. First two columns are self-explanatory. Third is Matches Played, then Wins, Draws, and Losses, then Goals For, Goals Against, Goal Differential, and then Points.”

So how’s it work?

“A win gets you three points, a draw one, and a loss none. If you’re tied on points, goal differential is the tie-breaker, which is goals for minus goals against.Team at the top at the end of the season wins the league.”

Why are the bottom three rows red? And why are the top three bright green? Why’s the fourth in a lighter green and the fifth in blue?

“Bottom three teams are in the relegation zone. At the end of the season, the three teams that finish there get bumped down to Tier 2, while three teams from Tier 2 take their place. As for the top, the Top 3 automatically go to the Eurpone Champions League, the 4th goes into a playoff for qualification, and the 5t goes to the Eurpona League, which is not as good.”

Huh. This seems complicated.

“It’s really not,” shrugged Trixie, “but I’ve been seeing games for twenty-ish years, so…”

When does the game start?

“Soon.”

It was at that point that the announcer chose to make his grand entrance, welcoming them all to City Grounds and droning off the starting lineups. The ones from Manechester United were met with whistles from everyone around them, and the ones for Trottingham Forest were naturally met with cheers. As soon as the announcer finished, the double-column of players and foals marched out of the tunnel, led by the referees wearing yellow.

About damn time. I was getting bored.

After that, things proceeded rather quickly. In almost no time at all, the players were trotting out to their spot in the formation, preparing to go. The two close to the ball rose onto their hind legs, ready to begin play, while everyone else but the keepers remained on all fours.

And then the whistle was blown and the match was underway. And at once, the Forest crowd were singing.

“We’re Forest till we die,
We’re Forest till we die,
We know we are,
We’re sure we are,
We’re Forest till we die!”

Oh Faust above, singing? You didn’t tell me there would be singing.

“You didn’t ask.”

The Trottingham players had gained possession of the ball and were passing it around, trying to find a way past Manechester United’s defense, though they weren’t making much ground. Though the times Mane U got the ball, they didn’t fare much better, with their own attacks fizzling into nothing, all while the crowd fell out of singing and started the usual chatter of the match.

And all the while, Envy was getting rather restless.

Is… is this it? It’s so slow!

“This is hoofball. It’s a slower game,” Trixie checked the match clock and saw they were in the 17th minute.

Where’s the scoring? Those goals are huge. How do they not score?

“Be patient,” Trixie hissed as a Mane U player charged down the wing..

Be honest, does this game end in ties?

“It does.”

Damn it, what kind of sport ends in a tie? Sounds fucking boring. Why would people pay to watch 0-0 ties?

A Forest player chose that moment to charge down the flank, managing to get past the Mane U defender and fire a shot on goal, but de Gea was able to dive in and hit it away. The crowd instantly reacted with the usual “Augh!”

That’s much better. At least they’re doing something now.

De Gea’s goal kick went soaring halfway across the field where it was quickly won back by a Forest player, who immediately passed it rather high over the defense toward a teammate, but there came a rather shrill whistle to put a stop to that before anything else, all while the home crowd howled.

What was that? What’s going on? Why’s that ref raising his flag?

“Offside,” Trixie spotted the official with the raised flag. “The attacker got too far forward when his teammate kicked it. They have to be behind a defender when the hoof connects with the ball.”

You sure know quite a bit about the game for someone who’s only been to the occasional match.

“In Equestria, hoofball is a lifestyle,” Trixie shrugged.

Play resumed and it was back to the rather dull affair that had been before, without too much of an attack, but it didn’t last long. A Forest player managed to break free off of a ball that ricocheted off a Mane U player, and he galloped right down field at top speed.

“Oooooooooooh!” you could just hear the crowd getting ready to celebrate. The Forest player was home free, but only had de Gea to beat. Even as de Gea came charging out to challenge the shot, the Forest player just chipped it right over, where it came down gently against the back of the net, and suddenly, it was like fireworks were going off in the stadium.

Everyone in the home sections had exploded into cheers, jumping up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs. It only took a few minutes for the singing to start again.

“And It’s Troooootiiiiiiingham Forest!
Trottingham Forest FC!
We’re by far the greatest team
The world has ever seen!
And It’s Troooootiiiiiiingham Forest!...”

About damn time someone scored, Envy grunted.

“Hush. Let them enjoy the goal.”

“Who are ya? Who are ya? Who are ya?”

“Oh, fun,” Trixie grinned. “Now they’re taunting the Mane U supporters. This is going to end well.”

That statement turned out to be prophetic. It only took another 15 minutes for Mane U to score, and that quieted the crowd significantly, though the away supporters had erupted and were singing their own song.

And then just a few minutes later, they scored again. They were in the 40th minute, and Mane U were up 2-1 when they had been behind only ten minutes before.

Not long after that, it was halftime.

“You’ve been strangely quiet for the last few minutes,” Trixie pointed out. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

It’s not completely awful. I can see why some ponies like it.

Trixie smirked at that. The second half was underway soon after, and Mane U were almost instantly on the offensive, just slicing and dicing the Trottingham Forest defense like sushi.

And in no time at all, they scored again. Now, Forest were 3-1 down.

And it was then that another song started echoing around the pitch.

“You’ve only scored three!
You’ve only scored threeeeeeeee!
How shit must you be?
You’ve only scored three!”

Once Trixie and Envy both heard the words to that one, they both burst out into raucous fits of laughter. The funniest thing about hoofball was definitely the creativity of its fans.

Something reinforced about ten minutes later when the game’s pace had slowed down considerably. Forest controlled possession of the ball but couldn’t make any progress forward, and were just passing it around, leading to mass jeers from the crowd. Until…

“Let’s pretend we scored a goal!
Let’s pretend, let’s pretend!
Let’s pretend we scored a goal!”

And then without warning, the home supporters burst into cheers, despite the players still just monotonously passing the ball around the midfield line while the defense shifted around to cover them.

That, naturally, only redoubled the laughter, something the other fans were also laughing at.

They weren’t laughing about seven minutes later when Forest managed to loft a ball over the defense, where it floated right toward a Forest player making a run, and he got his head to it just in time to direct it in goal, away from de Gea.

Again, the crowd exploded into cheers, but with only 20 minutes left to tie the game or win it, the fans were rather restless, and irritated.

The irritation wasn’t helped by Forest resuming with the same incredibly slow pace as before, which only caused time to tick away at an even more agonizing pace than before.

Sadly, that was the last interesting thing that happened on the field for the rest of the night, though the crowd had some fun with it. A random pony eating a pie down somewhere in front of Trixie had somehow attracted the crowd’s attention roundabouts the 76th minute.

“He’s eating pie!
He’s eating pie!
He’s eating pie, he’s eating pie,
He’s eating pie!”

Even as the pony laughed to himself while he took a bite, the crowd changed the tune.

“Does he want some sauce?
Does he want some sauce?
Does he want some sauce, does he want some sauce,
Does he want some sauce?”

At this, the pony almost spat out his mouthful of pie, laughing at it as it looped for a few times. But then he waved his hoof at a random crowd member who was making his way toward him with some kind of red bottle. And at the sight of that, the crowd changed tune yet again.

“He’s got some brown!
He’s got some brown!
He’s got some brown, he’s got some brown,
He’s got some brown!”

At this, the Mane U fans in their section were laughing up a storm again. Trixie guessed these ponies were having a good time because their hoofball team was making life boring for them, so they had to find some way to entertain themselves.

But with the game winding down, the Mane U supporters started to sing their own song, having been rather quiet all game.

“Glory, glory Mane Uniiiiited!
Glory, glory Mane Uniiiiited!
Glory, glory Mane Uniiiiited!
As the Reds go marching on! On! On!”

But the home fans weren’t having it.

“We lose every week!
We lose every weeeeeeeeek!
You’re nothing special!
We lose every week!”

And that was it. That was the best thing they both heard all day. As the two of them burst into laughter, the ref blew the final whistle to mark the end of the game, and everyone started to file out. It didn’t take long for Envy and Trixie to make their way back into the Everfree Forest, back into the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, and back to the way things were. As Trixie’s coat returned to its usual blue hue, and Envy popped out of her head, Trixie returned to her book.

“You know, that wasn’t completely awful,” Envy remarked as she left Trixie in the room.

“No chance of hoping you get any nicer permanently, though, right?” Trixie glanced at Envy over the top of her book.

“Nope,” Envy shook her head. “One-chapter deal. Next chapter, it’s back to the way things normally are.”

“Fun stuff. For what it’s worth, though, it was kind of fun today with you hanging around up here,” she tapped her head.

“Likewise, Trisha.”

“Trixie.”

“You know I’m doing that on purpose now, right?”

“Obviously,” Trixie smiled to herself as she found her place and continued. “Anyway, lemme know next time you’re bored. I have another thing you can try.”

“Oh?” Envy arched an eyebrow.

And here, Trixie grinned.

“It’s a simple little game called ‘Ogres and Oubliettes.’ It’s this game where you pretend to be fantasy characters and--”

“Nope!” Envy was out of that room faster than Trixie had ever seen, leaving her to just laugh after her.

Piece of Cake (pt. 4)

“Aaaah,” Twilight sighed happily as her saddlebags came off of her shoulders and she stowed them underneath her centerpiece shelves in the library, and the gift from Shimmer floated over and was laid gently onto a windowsill. There would be time to find a proper way to display it, and to put everything else away later, but for now, she was going to rest from the train ride. All these rides to Canterlot were doing a number on her back. One of these days she would need to schedule a spa appointment.

Strangely enough, though, she had expected Spike and Nova to be here to greet her when she arrived. She had only been gone for two days, after all. And they knew it was only going to be that long. Just a quick conversation with the Princesses (and surprisingly, Shimmer Novus), two nights and a day spent with her parents, and like that she was back home in the early afternoon.

...so why was no one here?

Her first instinct was to glance at the door to Nova’s basement, and sure enough, it was shut, like it always was when he wanted to be alone.

Not a good sign...

Rather quickly, she trotted over and slowly opened it, giving way to a completely dark room below. What was more, she could hear some distressed muttering coming from where Nova’s bed was, at the bottom.

“Nova?” she asked, stepping in and lighting her horn to illuminate the room.

Sure enough, her stallion was on his bed, curled into a fetal position, head resting on his pillow.

Maybe he was sleeping?

She nervously made her way down the steps and over to where he lay, and was startled to see that he was quivering from head to hoof, as if he were cold, but upon reaching a hoof out to feel at his head, she could feel the sweat matted on his brow.

Is he sick?

“Nova, are you awake?” she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he wasn’t, though if he were having a nightmare, she’d need to put a stop to it as soon as possible.

Suddenly, a shaking hoof reached up and grabbed her shoulder.

“You don’t understand,” Nova croaked. “You don’t understand. Can’t understand. Can’t hear. Can’t see, can’t speak or feel or know or understand… can’t understand why… why… why…”

This was seriously starting to creep her out now.

“Nova, calm down,” she slowly pulled Nova’s hoof off her shoulder and raised him into a sitting position. His eyes seemed distant… like he wasn’t quite there. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“Bits and pieces little bits and pieces of apple chunks coming up,” he croaked, his voice gaining in volume. “Running and walking on two legs dancing singing like a girl… not a girl, not a girl, a monster… grotesque plastic faces smiling and laughing and moving like it's natural but it's not natural right and left and back and forth and up and down… can't speak can't hear can't feel or know don't understand why… why! WHY!”

Twilight felt her heart stop.

That scream…

“By the book… by the book… by the book…” Nova muttered frantically, before suddenly grabbing Twilight by the shoulder again and yanking her face to be within an inch of his.

His eyes were pinpricks and stared in different directions, while a mad smile suddenly broke across his face.

"YOU GOTTA DO THE COOKIN' BY THE BOOK! By the book… by the book, oh merciful worlds, not the cake… not the cake… they wouldn’t stop… hours… minutes fading into hours of it… the cake… i-it's the cake… THE CAKE!"

Twilight had grown up learning directly from Princess Celestia, and that included the Princess’ methods for pranking ponies. Her pranks were always fantastically subtle and manipulative. She convinced a noble to wear a toilet seat around his neck to the Grand Galloping Gala one year. She invited the six of them to brighten the festivities at another Gala two years before. And this was not forgetting the time she only sent two tickets to that same gala just to cause a bit of trouble at her expense not long after moving to Ponyville.

One time, she had even had her guards lengthen the line at the Department of Transportation, which was one of her most devious achievements.

But this… this was a whole new level. An unbelievable, twisted, and pure evil level.

And she knew exactly who was behind it.

“RARITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!”

Author's Note

Five years.

Five long years full of awesome MLP fun, writing delays, growth as an author and person, and so on and so on.

It's been fun. Thank you all for your support over the last five years. Looking forward to every day beyond with such amazing fans and readers.

Rytex out. Have a fantastic day.

2018 APRIL FOOLS SPECIAL: An Unforgettable Luncheon

Author's Note

Steamed hams but it's a My Little Pony fanfic's April Fools special

2018 APRIL FOOLS SPECIAL: An Unforgettable Luncheon

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
April Fools 2018 Special - An Unforgettable Luncheon

There was nothing about Ponyville that day to suggest anything out of the ordinary. No one new had come to town, so Pinkie Pie hadn’t thrown any “Welcome to Ponyville” parties, the weather had been cleared with uncharacteristic urgency by Rainbow Dash and the weather team, and even Nova Shine hadn’t had any reason to run screaming from the Poisoned Apple due to a late Arsenal goal.

Things had settled into a sort of quiet mundaneness, which hadn’t been seen since before Twilight Sparkle had moved to Ponyville. Most grateful for it were Fluttershy and the Flower Trio, but everyone had reason to be grateful.

Without world-ending disasters on the horizon, everyone could settle down and enjoy the simpler things.

Such as Nova Shine, who was knocking on the door to the library, feeling a mite irritated that Twilight had kicked him out of said library for a few hours and told him to go on a “scavenger hunt” of some kind.

...which had led him right back here.

The door opened rather quickly to reveal Twilight standing there, wearing an apron. At the sight of Nova there, she grinned.

“Well, Twilight, I made it, despite your directions,” he said a bit brusquely. None of this would have been a problem if he hadn’t been kicked out at 8 in the morning.

Why did their date have to be today? And why did they decide to move it to lunch?

“Ah, Night Apprentice Nova Shine, welcome!”

She stepped back to allow him entry.

“I hope you’re prepared for an unforgettable luncheon!” she chirped, gesturing to a table where two seats had been arranged across from each other with a few standard table dressings. The food wasn’t there yet, but it would be out soon.

“Mmh,” grunted Nova, taking a seat.

Twilight, however, stepped back into her kitchen to get their dinner that she had oh-so-carefully prepared for them and--

“Egads!” she shrieked, dashing over to the oven she had been using, which was just pouring smoke from it. Inside, the pot of roasting vegetables was issuing smoke at an alarming rate, which was fortunately being vented out a nearby window. “My roast is ruined!”

With an exasperated sigh, she slammed a hoof into her face. Why hadn’t Spike been keeping an eye on the oven like she had asked? He was going to be SO grounded for this!

But as her eyes followed the smoke, they fell on a Pony-Burger located just outside the library and a few yards away.

Wait a minute… she thought as a plan started to formulate in her head.

“What if…” she stroked her chin, “...I were to purchase fast food and disguise it as my own cooking?”

As she finished the sentence, she broke into a relieved grin.

“Delightfully devilish, Twilight.”

No sooner had the plan come together in her head than she had started to climb onto the windowsill.

But before she could climb out, the door to the kitchen opened, and Nova poked his head in. At the sight of her, his eyes narrowed.

♫Twilight with her crazy explanations,~
♫The Night Apprentice’s gonna need his medication,~
♫When he hears Twilight’s lame exaggerations,~
♫There’ll be trouble in town tonight!

“Twiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!” exclaimed Nova, stepping fully into the kitchen.

“Night Apprentice! I was just, uhh…” an idea presented itself to her and she bent over to stretch her calf muscles. “...just stretching my calves on the windowsill! Isometric exercise,” she added, giving him a smile she hoped wasn’t too sheepish, “care to join me?”

“Why is there smoke coming out of your oven, Twilight?” Nova’s eyes narrowed.again.

“Uh… oh!” She was really on a roll today. “That isn’t smoke, it’s steam! Steam from the steamed maize we’re having for lunch today.” She rubbed a hoof over her belly. “Mm-mm, steamed maize!”

Nova continued to stare suspiciously at her, but shrugged and wandered back out to his seat. As he left, Twilight wiped her brow and hurried out the window before Nova could come back.

The kitchen door was pushed open, and out stepped Twilight, carrying a large silver tray complete with domed cover.

“Night Apprentice, I hope you’re ready for some mouthwatering hayburgers,” she announced, setting the tray down in the center of the table and opening the dome to reveal several hayburgers in a neat arrangement.

“I thought we were having steamed maize,” Nova scrutinized the burgers.

“D’ohohohoho, no,” chuckled Twilight, “I said steamed hays. That’s what I call hayburgers.”

“You call hayburgers ‘steamed hays?’” Nova asked skeptically, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Twilight nodded, almost a bit too enthusiastically. “It’s a regional dialect.”

“Uh-huh,” Nova didn’t seem impressed. “What region?”

“Oh, uh, Mt. Canterhorn Valley.”

“Really?” Nova’s eyebrow raised even higher. “Well, I’m from Neighton and I’ve never heard anyone use the phrase ‘steamed hays.’”

“Oh, not Neighton, no,” Twilight was prepared for this one. “It’s a Ponyville expression.”

“I see,” Nova grunted, but seemed to dismiss it, and set to eating the offered food.

After a few bites, however, he stopped and scrutinized the food.

“You know,” he said, quite conversationally, “these hayburgers are quite similar to the ones they have at Pony Burger.”

“Ohohoho, no,” Twilight chuckled again, “Patented Sparkle Burgers. Old family recipe!”

“For steamed hays,” clarified Nova skeptically.

“Yes,” Twilight dipped her head.

“Yes, and you call them steamed hays despite the fact,” he pulled up a bun to reveal the hay patty, with very obvious black grill streaks, “despite the fact that these are obviously grilled.”

Twilight could only blink stupidly. He had her painted into a corner, with no way out.

“Ye-- You know the--” she was now repeatedly failing to come up with an excuse this time. So much for being on a roll today! “One thing I should--”

Meanwhile, Nova just continued to stare at her with the grilled burger being shown off.

“E-excuse me for one second,” Twilight practically jumped up out of her seat and made a break for the kitchen door.

“Of course,” Nova dismissed her and went back to his burger.

Twilight pushed her way into the now smoke-saturated room, took a deep breath, and then walked back out, stretching her front hooves as though she were tired.

“Well that was wonderful,” she almost yelled in an overly cheerful voice. “A good time was had by all. I am pooped.”

Nova glanced at the clock on the library wall. “Yes, I should be-- GOOD LORD, what is happening in there!?”

The smoke from the kitchen was now issuing out of it, filling the room with a black cloud.

“Aurora Borealis,” Twilight replied instantly, just blurting out the first thing that popped into her head.

“A--” Nova just stared at her incredulously. “Aurora Borealis? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of Equestria, localized entirely within your kitchen!?”

“Yes,” Twilight responded flatly. By now, what even was the point?

“...may I see it?” Nova suddenly asked, a hopeful look on his face.

Twilight pretended to consider it for a moment, but shook her head. “No.”

She led him back outside the library, where he started on his way back into town, off to whatever he was going to do for the rest of the day.

“Twilight! The library’s on fire!” shouted Spike from inside.

“No, Spike, it’s just the Northern Lights!” she called back.

Nova paused to look back at her.

“Well Twilight, you are an odd pony, but I must say, you steam some good hay.”

She grinned at him and he set off, though he did look back occasionally, to which she just smiled and waved all the more vigorously.

“Help! Heeeeeeelp!” yelled Spike, but it fell on deaf ears as Nova trotted away, and Twilight remained completely and totally oblivious to the library burning down behind her.

A Walk in the Park

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 09 - A Walk In The Park

One more musical piece for a while. I don’t have too many picked for this story, so as to not rely on them. Remember to open it in a new tab.

*knock knock knock*

“Coming~!” sang Rarity as she quickly sliced a strip of cloth off of a reel with a pair of shears to add to her latest piece. “Rarity, you’ve really outdone yourself,” she sighed to herself as she pinned the cloth in place. There wasn’t time to stitch it in place properly, not with a guest waiting at her door, but a metaphorical bookmark in her work would restore the creative spark when she came back.

It was the perfect shade of blue to really bring out the color in her eyes, complete with, as Spike so delicately put it, “poofy sleeves” and a “butt cover.” Days like today were rather few and far between. The little dragon was endearing, and his rather obvious crush was just adorable, but sometimes he could really inhibit more than he helped.

Sometimes.

“And… there, that will do for now,” she finished pinning the strip of periwinkle cloth right where she envisioned it, and with that, she dashed out of her designing room and out into the Carousel Boutique entrance.

“And…” she threw open the door, “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! How can… Oh.”

There was a white unicorn stallion standing there, his unruly blue mane making him look a bit more bedraggled than usual today, and his brilliantly-blue eyes were currently fixed on her with… was that desperation?

“It’s you,” she said, frowning, but backing up to allow him entry. “To what do I owe the… pleasure?”

The way she said it suggested anything but.

“I need your help,” Nova Shine answered rather quickly, practically bolting in.

Rarity blinked. “You… need my help?” she asked skeptically. “Is this a prank, Nova? Are you trying to get back at me for the ‘dessert incident?’”

“It’s not a prank!” Nova snapped, glaring at her as she shut the door behind him. “Believe me, Rarity, if there were anyone else out there I believed were more capable, I’d be right on their doorstep right now, but unfortunately for me, you’re the best mare in town for what I need.”

“Hm,” Rarity frowned, “and what do you need?”

“...I have no idea how to put on a date.”

“What was that?” Rarity leaned an ear toward him. “Do speak up, darling.”

“I said ‘I have no idea how to put on a date.’”

Rarity stared at him. She knew Nova was dense. She knew Nova was headstrong. She also knew that Nova was mostly clueless when it came to romance. Seriously, how could he not have seen the constant stream of cartoony hearts issuing from Twilight's head every time she looked at him before their trip to Trottingham?

He was truly as blind as he was stupid.

And yet, here he was, admitting he had no idea what to do, to her of all ponies.

They may have had their disagreements in the past, but in light of his confession (and perhaps a teensy part of her wanting to make it up to Twilight for tormenting her stallion with that awful song), she… considered it.

“So you come to me, asking me for help putting on a date for your dear Twilight, is that it?” she queried.

It was, of course, rather obvious what the answer to that question was, but the way his muzzle twitched when she said “your dear Twilight” was rather telling. As though he weren’t quite comfortable with that phrase just yet.

So he hasn’t quite gotten to that point yet, she thought to herself.

“I thought that would be rather evident by the fact that I’m here at all,” Nova commented dryly.

“I figured, but I didn’t want to assume,” Rarity shrugged.

The town was well aware of Nova’s lie-detecting capabilities by this point after one of his odd jobs for Spoiled Rich had gone awry, with her trying to weasel out of paying him for his work. As such, while it wasn’t a total lie, it wasn’t completely the truth, and she wondered if that would satisfy whatever it was that allowed Nova to sense when ponies were being dishonest.

Whether it did or didn’t, he didn’t seem to react.

“I am willing to help you, Nova Shine,” Rarity continued, leading him into her lounge and gesturing at one of her sofas for him to sit on. “But let’s get a few things out of the way before we get started.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“First,” she took her own seat, and gave him a very stern gaze, “why me? You could go to anyone else in town for help with this. Pinkie Pie knows a thing or two--”

“Hell no!” Nova exclaimed suddenly. “I want a quiet date without interruptions.”

Rarity blinked.

“Point taken,” she conceded. “That aside, you still come to me, even after the Cake Song debacle. Why?”

She giggled to herself at the sour expression that crossed his face as she said “Cake Song.” Trolling him was too fun sometimes.

“Because you’re the most romantic pony in town,” he replied, giving her a flat look. “You and I have our disagreements, but we can both agree that we both want Twilight to have the night of her life.”

Rarity smiled at that. “That was a rather gentlestallionly thing for you to say. I daresay you aren’t completely hopeless after all.”

Nova just kept his flat look at that. She had to wonder just how much she could push his buttons before he decided enough was enough.

“You are correct,” she dipped her head. “I would love nothing more than to see my friends paired happily with stallions or mares that complete them. And though you and I have our… disagreements, I cannot deny the effect you have had on Twilight.”

She didn’t know whether it was more sweet seeing Twilight practically bouncing over the last month and a half or more distasteful knowing that it was this ruffian having that effect on her.

“So let us be quite clear,” she narrowed her eyes, “I’m doing this for Twilight. Not you.”

Nova grinned. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Good. Are you free for the rest of the day?”

“Wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t.”

“Good, good,” her horn shimmered blue and a blackboard appeared, chalk words already writing themselves across it. “Do you know anything about dates? Have you even been on one before?”

“Before I met Twilight, I had absolutely zero interest or knowledge in dating,” Nova answered. “And when we were in Trottingham, she literally dragged me kicking and screaming out to look at the lights festival.”

Subtle, Twilight, thought Rarity, frowning.

“How did that date go, do you feel?”

“Well,” and here Nova did a very uncharacteristic thing: he kicked his hooves rather awkwardly and blushed. “...it went alright.”

“Just ‘alright?’” Rarity pressed.

“We kissed,” Nova’s head seemed to sink down into his shoulders as he said that, and his blush got even brighter.

Rarity stared at him in incredulity for all of a moment. “Damn it, Twilight, I made all of you promise to tell me when you had your first kiss,” she finally growled to herself.

“We were kind of in Trottingham at the time,” Nova replied timidly. “And then we went to Canterlot…”

Rarity facehoofed. You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’ll harp on Twilight later. For now, let’s see if we can’t do everything to engineer a second kiss instead.

“So, you two kissed on that date, and you feel it went ‘alright?’” Rarity asked. “Why just ‘alright?’”

“Because the kiss didn’t exactly go well.”

Rarity blinked. “Didn’t go well? Was it just… too inexperienced?”

Nova opened his mouth to reply, but paused. “...yeah, sure, let’s go with that.”

Whatever he meant by that was rather irrelevant, so she simply continued with her current plan. “So, you enjoyed a date up until that point. And it was spent looking at Hearth’s Warming “Lights, correct?”

“Yeah,” Nova dipped his head.

“Good, so we have a past experience to go by,” she nodded to herself. “Very well, Nova, let’s begin.”

After an hour that seemed to blow right by, they were finished. Rarity had made sure to drill into Nova several things he needed to know, such as dinner, good ideas for things to do one a date, bad ideas for things to do on a date, and several other topics. He had also requested she craft a couple of pendants, something he would be retrieving toward the end of the date to close the night out.

She had tried to tell him that leaving the date to visit another mare, even for a purpose like this, could backfire spectacularly, but considering he had specifically asked for diamonds, and baby dragons just happened to love to eat diamonds she could see his concern. Still, his cluelessness about tact was frustrating.

Really, though, Nova’s cluelessness in general was infuriating, especially about the mare he was taking on this date. How could he not have known that Twilight’s favorite type of food was Bitalian? Or that she had a soft spot for hayburgers?

Well, he knew now, and he would be taking her to Ponyville’s best Bitalian restaurant on the night of their date. She was going to call in a favor with Cordon Bleu, the owner, to make sure of that.

Really, whose idea was it to put a Prench waiter in charge of a Bitalian restaurant? Perhaps it was the same being who thought making Nova come to her of all ponies for help would be funny.

The lengths I go to for my friends, she thought to herself as she led Nova to the door. Except, upon opening it, it turned out that Twilight herself was standing there, hoof raised to knock.

“Uh-- oh! Hello, Rarity,” She grinned. “Can I ask you for some…” she trailed off as her eyes slid sideways to fall on Nova, who had just trotted in behind her on his way out. “...oh. What are you doing here, Nova?”

“Nothing much,” Nova replied, shrugging. “Just getting ready for our--”

Rarity elbowed him and cut him off. “We were just making amends for the dessert incident! That’s all, Twilight. It was about time we actually buried the hatchet.”

“Yeah,” Nova squeaked, eyes watering. She had accidentally-on-purpose hit him right in the solar plexus. “That’s definitely what I was here for.”

“Oh,” Twilight smiled brightly at that. “Good to see you two getting over that. I did always think you were being silly for your little feud.”

“Anyway,” Nova’s voice was still rather high pitched as he sidled his way out, “I’ve got to get some work done in Ponyville Park for Mayor Mare. Be seeing you, Twi, Rarity.”

And with that, he was off, trotting away, though Rarity noticed he was wincing every step of the way.

Twilight watched him go, and then let out a quiet sigh as he trotted off. “I’m never going to get used to that feeling, am I?”

“What feeling is that, darling?” Rarity backed up to let her in, her horn shimmering blue to clear the blackboard that had been there.

“The butterflies,” Twilight answered, stepping in. “Every time he’s around, I just get these butterflies in my belly. It kind of tickles.”

What Rarity wouldn’t give to find a stallion or mare that gave her that feeling.

“So, how can I help you, Twilight?”

“I need your help,” Twilight sighed.

“That seems to be a recurring theme today,” Rarity observed, setting her down on the same couch Nova had been in minutes before. “With what, may I ask?”

“I need help getting ready for my date with Nova.”

Rarity froze completely, staring straight ahead at a spot on the wall.

“...Rarity?” Twilight asked. “You okay?”

“You two truly are made for each other,” Rarity sighed. “Truth be told, he was actually here to get help putting on your date as well.”

“He was?” Twilight asked, sounding surprised.

“Very well, it seems I shall have to orchestrate your entire date if there’s to be any chance of the two of you succeeding. But,” she frowned, turning to give Twilight her best impression of Princess Celestia, “two conditions.”

“Two conditions?” Twilight repeated, looking a bit nervous.

“Yes. First, if I ask a question, I want you to answer it as honestly as you can unless you find it just a bit too personal, in which case I will back off.”

“O...kay,” Twilight looked a bit confused. “I think I can do that. And the second?”

“Clear your morning schedule the day of your date,” Rarity smiled. “We’re going to have a spa day.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

One week.

One long, frustrating, nerve-wracking, grueling week.

A long week of headaches, nervousness, double-checking with Rarity to make sure she was coming through for him, and twelve kisses on the cheek from Twilight. He hadn’t intended to start counting them, but with how nice they were, it kind of got easy to.

But here they were. Tonight was the night.

Unfortunately, the day of the date found Nova pacing in the basement at top speed, trying his best to hype himself up, all while Spike the Dragon sat on one of the stairs with a large tub of popcorn and a pair of 3D glasses perched on his nose while he watched Nova talk himself into insanity.

“Alright, once more,” he dipped his head to some beat best known only to him. “Meetup here in a few hours. Take her to Brayo. Enjoy dinner together. Take her to the park. Do the thing. Finish evening inside.”

“You forgot a step,” Spike pointed out, before grinning and preparing for Nova to repeat his reciting.

“GAH! MOTHER--” his eyes fell on Spike and he remembered the time Twilight had whacked him with a book, “--PARKER SWEET TEA! Alright, starting again!”

“Relax, dude,” Spike advised him, setting the popcorn and 3D glasses down and walking down the stairs.

Nova was many things to many ponies, but to Spike, he had sort of filled in as the cool older brother in place of Shining Armor lately, which was weird, because he looked a lot like Shining in his own right. Twilight had always been Big Sis, but Spike had a suspicion siblings didn’t usually bond over reshelving, literary criticism, and organizing everything to the most minute detail, so Nova being Big Bro was definitely welcome.

“How can I relax?” Nova fell onto his haunches and clutched at his head. “I’M TAKING TWILIGHT ON A DATE! This is no time to relax, Spike!”

“Yeah-huh,” insisted Spike, plopping down next to him and patting him on the knees patronizingly. “Dude, trust me, I know all about mares. I can give you some advice if you want.”

Nova’s response was to give Spike a flat look.

“Really!” Spike nodded vigorously. “You gotta wow her, bro!”

“‘Bro?’” Nova asked, eyebrows raising.

“Uhh, yeah, ‘bro,’” Spike smiled sheepishly. “I mean, if Twilight’s big sis…”

“Fair enough,” Nova shrugged. “Just didn’t know you thought of me like that.”

In fairness, Spike hadn’t thought of him like that for long. They hadn’t even done anything brothers usually did. Brothers usually talked about mares, went to hoofball games together, talked about mares, helped each other with homework, talked about mares, listened to the same music, ragged on each other for every little thing, talked about mares, and generally were best friends.

And they talked about mares.

Nova, meanwhile, usually spent his time out doing his odd jobs, out practicing magic with Twilight, or in his room sulking about something he did. So they were a bit low on quality time spent together.

“But anyway,” Nova went on, “I think I’ve already planned something that will wow her, so I think I got that covered.”

“Aww,” Spike hung his head.

“What were you gonna suggest, out of curiosity?” Nova asked, giving him an inquisitive look.

“You gotta grow a mustache.”

It really was the perfect plan. Mares dig the ‘stache.

Nova, however, just stared at him. “A… a mustache.”

“Yep,” Spike grinned. “I grew one myself before Trixie came to town. Man, you should have seen the look on Rarity’s face…”

“Slow down there, Casanova,” Nova held up a hoof to stop him. “How did you even grow one? You don’t have any hair.”

“Oh, well, Twilight used Spell #25 on me.”

Nova blinked. “And what exactly was the look on Rarity’s face?”

“Dude, she totally digged it. Trust me,” he lay a hand on Nova’s knee again, “You grow a mustache, and Twilight’s gonna love it.”

“Discounting the fact that I can’t exactly grow a mustache over the course of a few hours,” he answered, though Spike could tell it was more to himself than anyone else, “I think she’ll appreciate it more if I’m just myself, and don’t try to be somepony else.”

He sighed and fell backward, his back hitting the floor with a thump! Spike, however, got to his feet and went to retrieve his popcorn and 3D glasses.

“Spell 25, right?” Nova suddenly asked as Spike started to climb.

“Yep, I’ll go grab the book!” Spike dashed off.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“More popcorn, Luna?” asked Princess Celestia, offering her sister the little paper tub, as they watched the proceedings on Luna’s scrying ball.

“I would love some, sister,” Luna said, levitating it over to her with her magic and digging in.

{T} {A} {T] {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Aaaah,” sighed Twilight as she relaxed against the wooden bench in the sauna of the Ponyville spa. Aloe Blossom splashed a ladleful of water on the coals, causing a loud hiss and letting loose a cloud of stam.

Beside her, Rarity leaned back against the bench, letting her head loll backward as the two of them let all their worries drift away for the next several minutes.

But as soon as Twilight was seated, she started to shift around uncomfortably.

“Twilight, dear, relax,” Rarity admonished. “This will do no good if you are constantly moving around.”

“I never understood the point of a sauna,” Twilight stated, staring at the steam issuing from the coals as Aloe trotted out of the room.

“Really? In all your reading, you never saw the purpose of it?” Rarity asked, rather surprised by this. Twilight was, after all, a walking fountain of exposition on every conceivable subject.

“Never really bothered to read about spas, despite our visits,” Twilight shrugged.

“Simply put, saunas induce excess sweating, so that the body may flush out toxins, release stress, and so on,” Rarity explained, taking a small bit of pride that she was the one explaining something to Twilight. “And relaxed muscles are very important to any spa visit. Do try to let your worries drift away for the time being, darling.”

Despite that, Twilight only seemed to shift even more, which only led Rarity to sigh.

“Very well, I can see this won’t work, so let’s try a different tactic.”

Twilight glanced over uncertainly, but Rarity wasn’t going to make her do anything uncomfortable.

“Instead of temporarily forgetting about your date with Nova, let’s instead try to focus on it. So tell me, Twilight, what do you see in him?”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, giving her a strange look.

“Let me be quite blunt, but I just do not see it,” Rarity replied. “With my own personal experiences with Nova Shine, he has come off as a rude delinquent who enjoys tormenting others with his sarcasm and pranks. But clearly you must have seen something in him to be chasing after him like so.”

Twilight went a little pink and rubbed at the back of her head. Cute, Twilight, Rarity thought. There really must be something there if this is how you react.

“Well…” Twilight stared at a spot in the floor, her eyes glossing over. “It’s… hard to put into words.”

“Do your best,” encouraged Rarity with a small smile.

“Well, he’s… funny, we’ll start with that,” she said, and Rarity could hear a spike in confidence. Focusing on something concrete like that would certainly help. “He does act like a gentlecolt most of the time. When he’s not putting his hoof in his mouth, that is,” Rarity wondered if Nova’s recent black eye had something to do with this, “he’s very forward and doesn’t like to beat around the bush--”

“Twilight, dear,” Rarity interrupted, adjusting her mane, which was starting to grow rather sweaty, “forgive me, but you are merely describing him as he is now. Perhaps I should have made my meaning clearer, what caused you to fall in love with him?”

“W-well,” she went pink again, “it was when Trixie was here a couple of months ago.”

Rarity pursed her lips. Yes, if there was one pony she disliked more than Nova Shine, it had to be that charlatan.

“Remember when I barricaded myself in my room for a few days?” Twilight asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head again.

“Yes, I do,” Rarity nodded. The five of them had all wondered exactly what had put her into such a state, and how exactly she had come out looking no different.

“Well, Trixie said… let’s go back to a bit before,” she amended. “See, after Nova left, I suddenly realized just how boring it was without him around.”

“Boring? When you had Trixie to yell at?” Rarity asked.

“Maybe boring was the wrong word,” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Let’s just say I enjoyed having him around."

A knowing smirk started to grow on Rarity’s face. Oh yes, this was very definitely when she realized she had a thing for Nova.

“I mean,” Twilight gulped, “you know that he and I argue a lot. Sometimes it’s over stupid stuff, like whether I should list the Harry Trotter series in the library by alphabetical or numerical order, and the like.”

Rarity gave another slight twitch near the corners of her mouth. Of course Twilight and her fellow bookworm would argue over book organization.

“But our arguing... It started off as just arguing for the sake of arguing, but now, I think it’s become a bit of a game for us,” she theorized, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Anyway, without him around, it just seemed dull. With him, there was always somepony to talk to, somepony to laugh with, you know the drill.”

“I will take your word for it,” Rarity replied.

“But what really did make me realize just how I felt about him happened after Trixie said what she did,” Twilight continued softly. She had gone pink, and despite the fact that this event was in the past, it appeared she was still slightly embarrassed that she had overreacted like she had.“It wasn’t when I spent my time, crying my eyes out on my bed. That was just my reaction to a schoolfilly’s crush being... well, crushed,’ she said with yet another sheepish grin. “What really did it...”

She trailed off. Rarity looked up from observing the coals and steam to see that she had her eyes closed, and that they were slightly wet at the corners. And it was rather obvious it wasn’t sweat

“...was when he... when he comforted me after he got back. I mean,” she paused and swallowed nervously, “There as one particular moment, where we locked eyes, and I just...” she looked down, using her bangs to hide her face from view, “I just knew it. I just knew that I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him.”

She pawed away one of her tears from her eyes rather hastily. Rarity smiled at that. She still thought of Nova as a rude delinquent, but if he truly made Twilight this happy, who was she to meddle in their relationship?

“Good, Twilight. Focus on that feeling. You truly do love him, so use that to motivate you tonight. Everything will go perfectly.”

“I hope you’re right,” Twilight sighed. Rarity rolled her eyes at her friend’s insistence on being nervous about it, but allowed it.

But the day was young. There was plenty of time for things to work out.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Spike, what is this?” Nova asked, his eyes positively blazing as he gestured to what was very obviously not a moustache sprouting from above his lips. Rather, it was a good deal longer and busher sprouting from under them.

“That, uh, doesn’t look like it’s a mustache...”

“That is because THIS IS A BEARD!” he suddenly started shouting, almost blasting Spike into the wall behind him with the force of his voice.

Geez, he’s definitely Luna’s student, Spike thought, staggering to his feet.

“I look like feathering Star Swirl right now!” Nova added.

“Wouldn’t Twilight like that, actually? Also I thought his beard was--” Spike tried to console Nova, but Nova just rounded on him again

“Irrelevant! I have a date with Twilight in five hours, and I have this monstrosity on my face.! How do I get it off!?”

“Easy. Use Spell Number 26. Hair Removal,” Spike helpfully held the book up to the right page.

“Oh-ho no. I am not risking any more damage,” Nova scowled, turning away.

“It’s that, or let Twilight see you like this.”

There was a pause.

“Gimme the spellbook.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Oh dear, it appears we are out of snacks,” said Princess Luna, wistfully turning her tub upside-down. Beside her, Celestia sipped happily from a bottle of Colta-Cola. She’d never been one for Pony-Cola. The original is always best, after all.

“‘Tis a problem simply fixed,” said Celestia, closing her eyes and thinking hard upon an image of a certain pegasus guard.

With a flash of bright golden light, the guard appeared with his back to them.

“—and so I told her ‘Who the buck do you think I am? Princess ... Celestia … ?’” he trailed off as he comprehended his teleportation. He turned around.

“Oh bollocks,” he said rather casually for someone who had to be thinking he was about to be court-martialed. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

“You have done nothing, Corporal. Only, please mind your tongue when around your superiors,” said Princess Celestia with a twinkle in her eyes. “My sister requires more popcorn. Please be a dear and bring us some. When you have brought it, you are welcome to join us for some entertainment.”

Aegis glanced down at the glass orb on the ground. When he saw Nova on it, he looked up at the Princesses with mild disapproval in his eyes.

“So you derive pleasure from watching my best friend make an absolute fool of himself? That’s kind of mean-spirited.”

“He’s going on a date with Twilight, tonight. They’re both attempting to prepare,” Luna answered, grinning impishly.

Aegis broke into a wide, toothy grin.

“...but these kind of opportunities only come around once a lifetime,” he amended. “Be right back.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Ow!”

Twilight winced as the brush caught on a particularly stubborn tangle.

“Our apologies, Miss Sparkle,” said the one of the two spa ponies who were currently attending to her. Twilight thought her name was Lotus. Her sister Aloe was currently filing her hooves. “Eet ees just, you ‘ave not been brushing your mane regularly, ‘ave you?”

“No, I don’t normally do that sort of thing in the mornings.”

Aloe smiled patronizingly as Twilight punctuated her statement with a reflexive kick, which yanked her back right hoof from her clutches. She just would not sit still for her filing! If she kept this up, things were bound to go wrong.

“T-t-t-twi-i-i-light, d-d-d-ear, r-r-relax!” said Rarity from a bed next to her. She was on her belly, with a pink sleeping mask over her eyes, a content smile on her face, and Bulk Biceps pounding gently at her back, which was easily responsible for the shakiness of her voice. “Rem-m-m-member what we t-t-t-talked ab-b-b-b-out in-n-n the s-s-s-sauna.”

“How can I relax!? I HAVE A DATE TONIGHT!” Twilight shrieked.

Bulk cast her a wary glance as he paused in his massaging. Rarity lifted the mask from over her eyes to give her a look of admonishment.

“Twilight, dear, trust me when I say that this will all be worth the effort when you see the look on his face tonight.”

Take that as you will, Twilight, Twilight thought, already thinking of the hundreds of bad looks that could be on Nova’s face.

Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by another snag in her mane.

“Ow!”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“SPIKE, I SWEAR TO CELESTIA—!”

“You’re the one who cast that spell, not me!” yelled Spike over his shoulder as he shot up the stairs and into the library’s main floor to avoid pursuit from the angry unicorn behind him.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Isn’t spying on your best friend as he makes a complete fool of himself so much fun?” asked Princess Celestia, passing Aegis the popcorn tub. Aegis took it and popped a few pieces into his mouth.

“Mm-hmm,” he said while nodding. He swallowed. “Oh, I am so gonna give him hell about this the next time I see him.”

Princess Celestia looked at a clock on the wall. There were two hours left until their date began, which coincidentally was when Luna needed to raise the moon.

“Sister, you need to go and start your routine,” said Celestia to her sister, who nodded. “Oh, and make sure to make the night extra-bright tonight. And remember that the weather pegasi scheduled some rain,” Tia added.

Luna’s eyes twinkled, and she nodded. She had just the thing. After all, Nova’s recent letter explained things quite clearly.

“I think I know just what to do tonight.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

There were a great many underrated feelings that were well-documented through Equestrian history. The feeling of getting new horseshoes after wearing the old ones down, for instance. The feeling of finishing that one task you’ve been meaning to get done all weekend. Even the feeling of finishing a 5,000-word essay on the subtle differences in the various transmogrification spells in the Alteration school of magic a whole seven minutes ahead of schedule for a quick submission to Princess Celestia was rather underrated.

But today, for Twilight Sparkle, the single most underrated feeling was the feeling of lightness after a good session at the spa. It had been a long time since she had felt this light. Her mane was sleek and shone in the late afternoon sunlight, her coat glistened with some of the still-drying oil that had been rubbed into it, and she was practically bouncing her way back to the library.

Everything was on track for this to be, as Princess Luna would say, the most wonderful of nights.

But as Twilight and Rarity entered the library, that train of thought came to a screeching halt.

The entire place was a mess. Several books were left out, the wooden horse head had been knocked onto the ground, and Nova’s door was shut and glowing with a blue aura.

Oh no… thought Twilight as she took it all in. Next to her, she could see her sudden nervousness reflected in Rarity’s face. What happened here? she wondered. Did Spike misbehave? Did a spell go wrong?

Spike apparently had not misbehaved, because down the steps from the second floor he came, wondering who the newcomers were. At the sight of Rarity and Twilight, there was a momentary look of panic on his face, but he was quickly able to overwrite it with that wannabe-casanova look of his.

“Oh, hey,” he said in as casual a voice as he could.

“Where’s Nova?” Twilight asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter. “What’s with all of this?”

“Oh, uhh,” Spike rubbed at the scales on the back of his head, “he, uhh, had some trouble getting ready for the date.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, eyes narrowing. “And this trouble of his was entirely his doing?”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded rather vigorously. “Honest!”

Twilight sighed and trotted over to the door to Nova’s room, still glowing blue. With a quick magical survey, she was able to figure out that he had blanketed all of the walls in his room so that no one could teleport in.

Not the best sign.

“Nova?” she called, knocking on the door. “Are you in there?”

He was definitely in there-- there wouldn’t be magic preventing her from teleporting in if he weren’t-- but it was only polite to ask. This was reinforced when she could hear some shuffling on the other side, but Nova said nothing.

“Nova, I know you’re in there,” she sighed patiently. “Come on out and we’ll fix whatever’s wrong.”

“No,” responded Nova flatly, muffled by the door. “I’ve suffered enough indignity today.”

Twilight’s head snapped to Spike with an angry glare on it. Spike smiled nervously.

“What happened?” Twilight asked silkily, trying not to sound too angry.

“Nova, uhh…” Spike trailed off, looking away.

“Any time now, Spike,” Rarity said patiently, much to Twilight’s consternation.

“Nova… was trying to impress you,” Spike finally admitted. “He, uhh, tried to grow a mustache.”

Twilight felt her eyes clench shut, her lips purse, and her brow twitch reflexively. And the vein throbbing in her temple didn’t help things.

“And I suppose this was entirely Nova’s idea?” she asked, massaging her temple to ease the headache. “No input whatsoever from a certain baby dragon?” she added meaningfully.

“Uhh, nope! None at all!” Spike replied hastily, looking like he would rather be anywhere but here.

Twilight chose not to pursue the matter, and instead knocked again on the door.

“Nova, please, come out so we can fix this.”

“No,” Nova replied again. “Go away.”

“Nova, we have a date tonight. You promised.”

“We’ll do it later.”

“We won’t be able to do it at all if you don’t come out,” Twilight pointed out. That got a pause out of him. Twilight knew Nova well enough to know that this meant he was at least caught.

“Fine,” she could hear the defeat in his voice, and that alone made her feel awful for him. What put him into this state? “I’m coming out.”

The blue glow on the door vanished, and the door was very slowly pulled open. Inside his basement, it was pitch-black. Nova must have turned off all of the lighting so no one could see him.

But then he stepped out.

There was a single heartstopping moment in which Nova and Twilight & Rarity stared at each other.

But then Twilight broke into shrieks of laughter, to the point where she fell onto the central table of the library for support as she laughed herself to tears. Rarity almost did as well, but she managed to catch herself and stick a hoof on her mouth to prevent it from happening. Spike, looked away, trying to avoid Nova’s gaze. And Nova, just worked his jaw, standing there and enduring the laughter despite looking like he wanted to hide under a rock, with burning red cheeks a look of shame very similar to the time he stood before Princess Luna only a few weeks prior in the induced dream.

To say he had radically changed would be the understatement of the century. Rather than being a simple white unicorn with an unkempt blue mane and tail, Nova was now a heliotrope pony, sporting a long and thick white beard that trailed on the ground. His mane had somehow become a mohawk that looked very similar to Thunderlane’s, but it kept its blue coloration But the strangest changes were that his tail had been replaced with some kind of strange plant-like growth, and a magnificent black handlebar moustache stood in stark contrast on his face just under his nostrils.

Twilight’s laughter didn’t end any time soon after it started. After several seconds had passed, she had given up on using the center stand for support and had fallen to the ground, but she was still laughing as hard as she could, with small tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Yet despite this, despite knowing that she was laughing at him, Nova suddenly felt the urge inside of him to giggle a bit. And then the giggle became a chuckle. And then the chuckle became an outright guffaw. And in no time at all, both of them were laughing equally hard.

Rarity just watched the situation unfold, not sure whether to feel more horrified or amused, and a quick glance at Spike showed his own expression mirrored hers. Neither of them had any idea what was going on, and so all they could do was watch.

It took several seconds, but Nova and Twilight finally managed to stop laughing. Nova hadn’t fallen to the floor like Twilight had, but he did appear a bit weak at the knees. Twilight, however, had to pull herself to her hooves using the center stand, wipe her eyes, and contain the last several giggles as she looked Nova over.

Nova, meanwhile, just gestured to the handlebars. “I, uhh… I wanted to impress you.”

Twilight lightly facehoofed, fighting off another set of giggles, and shook her head.

“Nova, come on,” she said. “You had to know that I was happy with you just the way you were.”

“I mean, you say that, and you go off to the spa and get this done,” he gestured at her.

But only now that he brought it up did he finally get a proper look at her. And whatever he had been about to say died in his throat.

She was beautiful. It was as if someone had taken the Twilight he knew and had.. enhanced? That seemed like the right word. Someone had enhanced her. Her coat, normally a matte lavender had instead been made to shine in the light, her mane had been combed and straightened and now was sleek and polished, and she looked like she was carrying herself far more gracefully than he had seen her before.

So lost in the vision of perfection was he that he missed Rarity give Twilight a very clear “I told you so” look.

But he did not miss Twilight blushing and smiling bashfully to herself. And it was then that he noticed something.

“Something’s… off,” he said, rubbing at his horn for a moment, before he stepped forward, stuck a hoof into her sleek mane, and gave it a light tousle.

Rarity felt her eye twitch at all of the work that had gone into it, but as Nova stepped away, her mane still looked very neatly styled, but it did look more like a manestyle Twilight would wear.

“There,” Nova said, smiling with satisfaction at his change. “Much better. That looks more like you”

Then he sighed heavily, his mirth vanishing.

“Now what about… this?” Nova gestured at himself.

“I’ve got it,” Twilight assured him, before tapping into her magic.

With a flash of magenta light, Nova Shine was restored. His beard and moustache vanished, his mohawks collapsed into the organized chaos of his usual manestyle, the plant growth that was his tail was transfigured back into tail hair, and the heliotrope of his coat faded away back into its pristine white.

“Oh, good, Spell 25 wasn’t permanent,” Spike sighed, full of relief, before clapping a claw over his mouth. Rarity gave him a disapproving look, knowing full well who would think a moustache would be a good suggestion for Nova to wear. No one else would have made it but Spike.

Except for, perhaps, Pinkie Pie. But Rarity and Rainbow Dash had gone to great lengths to ensure the date wouldn’t be interrupted.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Applejack sighed in relief as she shut and locked the door to Sugarcube Corner’s basement behind her. A hefty payment of bits and both a favor to Rarity and Twilight made her willing to go through with the ordeal she was about to endure.

The basement was rather large and empty, more like a cave than a basement. Maybe it was a hastily-dug-out shelter for all the recent monster attacks? Pinkie had actually not known it was there. Mentioned something about relocating her Party Planning Headquarters when she had seen it.

Speaking of, the mare in question was pronking around the cave, happy as could be, staring at different spaces and writing things down. No doubt, calculating… something. Applejack didn’t want to know.

“Ah sure hope this is worth it,” Applejack muttered to herself, before raising her voice. “So, uh, how was your day, Pinkie?”

“It was greeeeeat!” she shrieked, delighted to share her day’s experiences. “I got to pick a new favorite word today! Wanna hear?”

“Uhh, sure?”

“Well I was sitting in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner making me some cupcakes because you know me and cupcakes,” she started, in her usual top-speed manner, “because I just love me some cupcakes for lunch! Anyway I was making me some and I said to myself ‘Pinkie it’s been almost sixty-three point seven seven eight seven days since you picked your last favorite word! Don’t you think it’s time you picked a new one?’ So I went and I got Sweetie Belle, because you know how those bronies outside the TVs and computers think she’s a dictionary, right? Well I asked her what the longest word in the dictionary was, and she said she’d go get her own dictionary to look it up!”

“That’s great Pinkie,” Applejack said, already regretting having asked and feeling the vein bulge in her head. Maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew.

“Well, she got some help from somepony,” Pinkie continued, oblivious to her friend’s plight, “but she came up with this really long word! So my new favorite word is this really long one that I think is the longest word published in an Equish dictionary! The word is pneumonoultramicroscopic-”

“MAKE IT STOP! OH PLEASE, MAKE IT STAH-HA-HA-HAP!”

“-silicovolcanovolcanoconiosis! Isn’t it just so much fun to say!? Especially since it has a silent P in it and everything! I just love words with silent Ps in them! So I spent a few hours saying it over and over and over and over and over, but then I found this other one, which is supposedly this really long word that was invented by a writer in the real world, and it goes like lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon!”

“Uh, Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked, choosing that moment to interrupt her friend.

“Yeah-huh, Applejack?” Pinkie asked, beaming innocently at Applejack.

“It’s for you.” She held up a phone.

Applejack was no stranger to telephones. Sweet Apple Acres had one that she often used for getting ahold of Rarity when she was watching Applebloom. But apparently Time Turner, town tinkerer and clockmaker, had managed to make one that functioned using a battery rather than wiring. Apparently there was only one like it in the world right now. Maybe Turner could make more.

Pinkie Pie, however, asked no questions. Instead, she took it and held it up to her face, beaming.

“Yyyyelloooow?” she said conversationally, looking happy as could be.

There was a pause. No one was actually on the phone. Applejack just wondered how long she could keep her hyper friend distracted so that Twilight could enjoy her date.

“Hello?” Pinkie asked, a bit more clearly. Naturally, no response came.

“Well if we’re going to be like that,” Pinkie growled into the phone, “two can play The Quiet Game!”

And there she sat for the next several minutes, still as a statue, and determinedly not making any noise.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

They had gone to great lengths indeed.

Rarity shook her head and returned her gaze to Nova and Twilight.

“Very well, it appears the two of you are ready. enjoy your evening. Nova, I shall have your request ready around eight o’clock. Come along, Spike,” she gestured with her head for the baby dragon to follow.

Spike positively floated out the door after her, leaving Nova and Twilight to watch them go.

“Really nice of her to help out like this,” Nova muttered.

Twilight gave him a curious look. “What ‘request’ is this?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” Nova replied cryptically. “Remember the day after our duel, when you found me at Rarity’s and she said we were burying the hatchet?”

“Yeah…” Twilight answered cautiously. This better not head where I hope it doesn’t.

“We were planning this,” he admitted. “I, uhh, I had no idea what to do.for this. But I wanted to make it really nice for you, so I felt that Rarity would be the best pony to ask, despite our differences. And… there was something I asked her to make for the date.”

“What… thing?”

“You’ll see,” repeated Nova, with a mysterious smile. “I had Rarity hold onto it because it involves gems, and… well, you know Spike.”

“Yes,” Twilight replied evenly, already thinking back to Spike nearly spoiling the night. “So, when will you be getting them, exactly?”

“After we do… some stuff.” He had very clearly improvised that line. “When the night’s over, that’s when. It’s supposed to rain tonight, so I figured I could dash over, grab them, and then get back in time to enjoy a nice, quiet evening in from the rain. Apparently there’s a chance of snow, too. How about it, Twi?” he added, a twinkle in his eyes. “Up for a snowed-in date?”

“Snowed-in, reading books does sound nice,” she smiled dreamily at the possibilities.

Nova, however, simply continued on forward, with her following suit. The sun was descending as Celestia lowered it, though it was hard to tell with all of the cloud cover. Twilight wondered if this would have an effect on the evening’s plans, but Nova didn’t seem remotely perturbed.

“So, where are we going?” she asked.

“Do you like Bitalian?” he replied, glancing back.

She felt a broad smile break across her face. He really had thought of everything, hadn’t he?

“I love Bitalian,” she answered.

Nova smiled at that, and she noticed he definitely seemed to stand a bit taller after that. Perhaps deep down, he was just as nervous about tonight as she had been. How couldn’t he, considering he thought that impressing her was a logical choice?

“Have you eaten at Brayo, before?”

“I can’t say that I have,” her smile broadened. His deal with Rarity did truly seem to have been well-spent. “I’ve been meaning to go, but it’s very expensive. Though I guess for you, money is no object.”

That thought caused her to pause for a long moment. She had never really thought about how Nova had earned his money. Sure, he worked odd jobs, but coupled with his history, it really wasn’t an explanation.

“Speaking of,” she said slowly, hoping not to touch on a rough topic, “how are you so rich?”

“Hm?” Nova asked, giving her an inquisitive glance.

“How do you have so many bits working only odd jobs?” she amended.

Nova smiled a bit humorlessly at that. “Honest answer, I stole from the Novus family.”

“You--” she blinked uncomprehendingly. No. No, she must have misheard. He wouldn’t have.

“I did,” he looked down at the ground, his tone getting a touch more somber. “After… when I decided to run away, I broke out of the school before… before he could find me. I ran back to my house, I grabbed everything I thought I would need. I knew I needed bits to survive, so I stole many from… from the family safe. I knew the way to get in. Ever since my grandfather had it installed, he stored actual currency in high-value units, so as to keep space taken to a minimum. No bank, only the safe, protected by several layers of magical enchantment. Layers that he showed me how to get past.”

His expression soured a bit.

“I’m not proud of it, but I can’t change it now. I stole close to eighty-thousand bits from the vault, stored in increments of one-thousand.”

“Eighty-thousand!?” Twilight mouthed incredulously.

“For my-- for the Novus family, that was like taking a drop of water out of the ocean,” Nova added, “but still… Cadance took it all from me, stored it away, but left it in my name. That’s why I had to work for Professor Hoofman,” he nodded his head. “Didn’t want me relying on that eighty-thousand alone; had to make more while they bankrolled me through that one year of university.”

They had arrived. The building that Brayo was located in looked no different to the other buildings of Ponyville, though there were stands that strings of magic lights were draped from, illuminating the several outdoor tables that several other ponies sat at.

Nova trotted forward to a host stand, where a sharply-dressed creme stallion with a very neat black mane stood by, with Twilight right behind him.

“Buonasera, signore e signorina,” he smiled brightly at them as they approached. “Welcome to Brayo. How may I be of service, tonight?”

“I should have a reservation, name ‘Nova Shine’,” Nova said.

“Un momento, per favore,” the stallion said quietly, his brown eyes scanning the list of reservations, until they lit up ever so slightly. “Ah, si, here you are. Reservation for Rarity, answerable to a Signore Nova Shine. Very well, follow me, per favore.”

Their table was still outside, perfect for the beautiful evening. With the gathering clouds in the sky, a fantastic sunset had to be planned, which made this outdoor seating just perfect. Twilight made a mental note to thank Rarity for helping Nova with all of this.

The host gestured to their seats with a bow and a flourish. “Your waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy your meal!”

“Thank-you,” Nova grinned, before pulling out a chair and allowing Twilight to take a seat in it.

Since when has he become such a gentlecolt? Twilight wondered, slightly bemused by this.

As they sat waiting on their waiter, Twilight noticed a peculiar pair within the restaurant. Was that Sharp Eye and Fluttershy?

Yeah! That was them! That was unmistakably Fluttershy eating with Sharp Eye!

"Hey Nova?"

"Hm?"

"Look behind you," she pointed with a hoof.

Nova shifted around, getting a glimpse of the indoor section of the restaurant.

"Huh. Sharp Eye and Fluttershy are on a date the same night we are," he said, sounding not the least bit surprised.

"You knew about them?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah," he shrugged, turning back around. "He told me about it over drinks a couple of days ago."

"When did it happen? Was it while we were in Canterlot, or...?"

Nova looked skyward and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Pretty sure it happened in the Interlude chapter..."

"The what?"

"A couple of weeks ago," he clarified. "Ah, there's our waiter," he said, brightening a bit as another stallion, wearing a full tuxedo and with a rather thin moustache trotted forward to welcome them.

They ordered drinks, just a water for Twilight and a soda for Nova, and then the both of them got alfredo pasta (Twilight was sure he was only getting what she got to please her), but it was after that that Twilight got an idea for meaningful conversation.

“Nova?” she asked.

“Hm?” Hie responded, raising his eyebrows.

“I know this may sound a bit strange, but I want to play a game,” she said, with the tiniest of smiles. Nova wouldn’t be able to resist this.

“A game, huh?” Nova leaned back in his chair. “What kind of game?”

“Just something for us to get to know each other a little more. I’ll ask a question, and you’ll answer if you want. You don’t have to. But if you do, I’ll answer it too, and then you get to ask me.”

Nova suddenly looked a bit nervous at that. No doubt he thought she was going to try to unearth more things he wanted to keep buried, but she had no intention of doing that. And she planned on answering whatever he asked.

“Fine,” he finally shrugged. “Why not. Ask away.”

She beamed. Already there was a good question to ask.

“Okay, so you like sports, I know that much--”

“Only a little,” Nova replied with a straight face.

“Only a little,” Twilight inclined her head at him, as the memory of Nova running out of a bar, screaming with joy at a hoofball goal could attest, “but do you like any sports other than hoofball? And if you do, who are your favorite teams?”

Nova rubbed his hooves together, grinning. “Going right for the deep, meaningful stuff, are we?”

Twilight just waited expectantly/

“Well,” Nova rubbed around his horn, “I do like baseball. Big Trotston Red Sox fan.”

“Really?” That was unexpected. “I would have thought you’d be a Yankees or Mets fan, since you lived in Manehattan.”

“Eww,” he made a face. “Never. Well, at least never now. Before I liked the sport, I could have ended up a Yankees fan. Thank goodness that never happened.”

“How’d you end up a Sox fan?”

“Cadance,” Nova shrugged. “Remember I hated her guts? Well, she dragged me off to a Yankees game once. They happened to be playing the Sox. She was supporting the home crowd, so to spite her, I rooted for the Sox. Just kinda fell in after that. Though I did get to see some cool moments. I was even at the World Series game back in ‘97.”

“When they played Coltorado, right?”

“Yeah, when we swept them. It was only Game 2, though, so I didn’t get to see us hoist the trophy.” He smiled fondly as his eyes glazed over. No doubt he was thinking of the game. “Good times.”

“Any other sports?”

“Eh,” he shrugged. “Never got into Amareican-style hoofball. Though I guess you could call me a Patriots fan? They’re also from Trotston, after all.”

“Are you saying that just because they’re the best team in the EHL?”

“They are?” Nova looked genuinely surprised by this. “Maybe I should pay attention to it more. How do you know?” he asked, suddenly giving her a bemused look of his own. “I never pegged you for a sports fan.”

“I like baseball.” She remembered the several games Mom had taken her to watch the Giants when they had been playing the Canterlot Royals. “Mom’s family was from San Franciscolt before they moved to Canterlot, so she’s a big Giants fan. And I keep up with Amareican hoofball because she’s a Niners fan.”

“Nice,” Nova dipped his head. “How happy was she when they won it in 1000 and 1002?”

“I dunno,” Twilight shrugged. “I was here.”

“Oh, right,” said Nova. “So… my turn?”

“Yep!” chirped Twilight.

“Hmm…” Nova tapped his chin thoughtfully for a few moments. “How about… if you had to pick a favorite EPL team, who would it be?”

“Of course you’d ask about hoofball,” Twilight chuckled to herself as he lifted his glass to his lips. “Well, Dad took Shining and I to a few Princess’ Park Rangers games as foals, but if I had to pick… I’d say…” she thought about it for a long moment. “Trottenham.”

She had been hoping he would spit it out or otherwise get a reaction out of him, but he didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest. Instead, he set the glass down delicately, licked his lips for a moment, and then shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think this relationship is going to work out,” he leaned back, meeting her eyes. She could hear the playfulness behind it.

“Yeah, I know,” she faux-sighed. “Such a shame. I thought we were really enjoying a good connection there for a while.”

It was Nova who broke character first, stifling a laugh. “Didn’t expect you to play along,” he admitted, before giggling a bit.

“In fairness, I expected you to spit out your soda,” she was trying to fight off her own chuckle. Their food was going to get here soon, and she wanted to be able to actually enjoy her pasta.

“Is it your turn?” Nova asked with all seriousness.

“I didn’t really answer. Though to be fair, I don’t really have one, since I’m not big into hoofball like you are, and it’s pretty easy to tell who your favorite team is,” she smiled. “How about another one?”

“Alright.”

Nova once again started to tap his chin thoughtfully, with the tiniest of smiles, but one that slowly slid into a frown.

“Why me?”

Twilight’s mouth parted as disbelief coursed through her. Again?

“You could have had anyone you wanted,” Nova continued, looking away. “But instead you want me. Why?”

Rather than have any desire to berate him, she had a different tactic in mind.

“Better question,” she responded. “Why not you?”

“Is it not obvious?” he snapped, causing Twilight to flinch. Where did this come from? Why was he suddenly down and angry?

It seemed there was a legitimate argument for Nova having a case of depression. But before she could dwell on that thought, he was continuing.

“Look at you,” he said, a note of bitterness in his voice. “Smart, stable, attractive,” she felt herself blush a bit, “a steady job, a family that loves you, incredibly accomplished with magic, a national hero four times over, and Princess Celestia’s personal student to boot.”

“You’re Luna’s,” she pointed out.

“But look at me,” he added, that note of self-defeat entering his voice. “I’m smart, yeah, I’ll admit that, but compared to you, I’m average at best. I also have serious commitment issues and get angry really easily. I wouldn’t know what to say about my own looks. I rely on magical mercenary work for bits, a family…” he paused and worked his jaw for a moment, “...progenitors that I’ve disowned. I’m very mediocre when it comes to magic. In the end, I’m just some vagabond from Neighton who happened to get enough of Princess Luna’s pity to convince her to train me.”

“Enough,” Twilight said, preventing him from beating up on himself any further. “What’s gotten into you? Why are you suddenly so… so self-loathing?”

Nova said nothing, choosing to continue staring glumly at the table.

“You were doing so well,” Twilight said to herself, pinching her muzzle for a moment, before discarding her irritation. Nova needed positive reinforcement, not this kind of negativity. “You want to know why you? Because every word of what you just said was wrong, and then some.”

That got his attention. He looked up, meeting her gaze and looking almost ashamed to do so.

“I have met very few ponies with whom I can have an intellectually stimulating conversation, and those that I have have been nothing like you,” she asserted rather fiercely, resolute enough to where she would shut down any denial from him. “I’ve had plenty of times where I’ve gotten angrier than I should have, and I’m quite possibly the most neurotic pony you will ever meet. You are quite attractive yourself. Your job doesn’t matter to me. Your family loves you more than you know--”

“How do you know that?” he asked, cautiously.

“I met your mother on that trip to Canterlot I took, remember?” she replied. “If you won’t believe me, that won’t change the truth. Continuing,” she said, preventing him from challenging that, “you’re not simply mediocre; you’re one of the few ponies I’ve ever met that can learn a spell and master it as quickly as myself, and I’m not exaggerating,” she added. His mastery of shields and beams had almost been just as fast as her own mastery when Princess Celestia was teaching her them. “And even if your family don’t love you-- which they do-- Princess Luna chose you to be her apprentice because she saw something in you, and she believes you can be a great spellcaster. As do I. None of this was done out of pity.”

His mood didn’t seem to be changing, but that was fine. It was important that he hear it, regardless of how he felt about it.

“And beyond that,” she continued, “you like to pretend that you have this air of not caring about others, but I know the real you. You’re one of the kindest ponies I’ve ever met, and that’s including Fluttershy! You’re fantastic with foals, you made sure to set the record straight when Envy had me locked in my room a few months ago before you even thought about setting your stuff in your room, you were ready to defend me to the death in the Vaults, and despite everything he did to you, you were able to let go of your past grudge with Tantalus Lulamoon. Beyond that, you tried to make your peace with your family. I chose you, Nova Shine, because underneath all of the sarcasm and self-hate, you are a very good stallion. You are far better than you think you are. That is why I chose you. That is why I love you.”

After all of this, Nova said nothing, continuing to stare at the table. Twilight, however, hadn’t meant to get emotional, but seeing Nova beat himself up like this hadn’t exactly made her all that happy. Failing to blink back small tears, she stood up and started for the restroom.

“Be right back,” she promised. Nova, again said nothing, but nodded. Twilight gave him a small reassuring smile, but then left to clean up, and to let him think on those words.

And think on them he did. As he sat there, her words having an all-out assault on his Fortress of Self-Dislike, he himself felt his eyes well up slightly.

I can’t even let go of it for just a date, he thought dully, but she still thinks that of me.

She really was something else. This whole relationship thing wasn't turning out to be such a bad idea after all.

You are far better than you think you are.

Nova wiped a small tear of his own from his eyes. Whether or not she was right, tonight it didn’t matter. Tonight was supposed to be about her, and he had gone and flubbed it with that question. There would be time to wallow later. Right now, he needed to get his head back in the game. There was still plenty of time for the night to go right.

“And here you are, darling.”

Wait, what?

Nova looked up to see, of all ponies, Rarity there, with two bowls of pasta held in her red magic, setting them down at their table.

Red magic?

She turned to give Nova a sweet smile as she did, if the magic confirmed that this wasn’t Rarity, the red eyes certainly did. Red eyes that looked far too familiar…

“You!” he gasped, horn brimming with magic.

“Tut tut, Nova Shine,” Envy said, shaking her head disappointedly, like a parent would to a child in trouble. “We wouldn’t want to make a scene.”

“What’s stopping me?” he demanded quietly.

“You mean besides the fact that your dear marefriend’s going to come out and see you attacking one of her friends? Or perhaps every townspony here seeing you attack a well-respected member of the community?”

Nova grit his teeth. She was right. He could attack her if he wanted, but all she had to do was pretend to be Rarity, and not use any magic to defend herself, and it would look as if he were trying to hurt her, unprovoked.

“Trixie’s fine, by the way,” Envy said airily, rolling her eyes, “and she thanks you for such touching concern.”

“Shut up,” Nova growled, glaring at the smirking imposter. “What’s your game? why are you here?”

“Why indeed?” Envy asked, with a careless shrug, before responding in a sing-song voice, “You’ll see…”

Nova, however, had no response, and simply kept glaring at her, prepared to defend himself should she attack.

“You’re no fun,” she pouted, her smirk falling. “Oh well, I guess not every Night Apprentice can be entertaining. Be seeing you soon, darling,” she added, reverting back to Rarity’s accent, and trotting away rather leisurely, leaving him to glare after her.

What was that all about? he wondered, his eyes darting around and trying to ascertain if there were any other threats, and paying extra attention to the energy around him.

But everything seemed fine. He couldn’t sense anything off. Was she just here to psychologically pester him? Keep him on guard for something that would never happen, until he lowered his guard?

“What was that about?”

Nova’s head snapped back toward the restaurant proper, where Twilight was on her way out, staring in the direction Envy had gone off in.

“”Is everything alright?” she asked, looking back. “You looked angry. What happened?”

“Nothing,” Nova said, trying to keep the growl out of his voice. “It was nothing.”

“What was she even doing here?” Twilight wondered, taking her seat and starting to eat. “She’s supposed to be watching Spike.”

“I guess trying to make sure the date’s going well,” he lied.

Twilight seemed to know it was a lie, too. She gave him a slightly suspicious look, but seemed to shrug it off.

“Feeling better?” she asked, before taking a bite out of her pasta.

“A bit, yeah,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I just… I dunno, I just get really hard on myself sometimes.”

“Nova, it’s fine,” she reached over and laid a hoof on his shoulder. “I understand. If you’d like, I can try to help you through it. I am a certified counselor, after all.”

Nova blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Well, no,” Twilight smiled sheepishly, “I never got officially certified, but you can ask Princess Celestia. I am more than capable of passing all certification tests.”

“Uh-huh,” Nova just stared at her in disbelief. “Well, I guess it’s only fair. After you learn I like a lot of things, you demonstrate your own hidden talents.”

And like that, everything was back to normal. For the next several minutes, it was back to eating, talking, and laughing. Nova thought it was particularly funny when she started talking about the time she had charmed a bunch of rapidly-reproducing fuzzballs into eating everything except food, leading to the whole town being consumed. In return, Nova told her about the time he had somehow charmed his house to float upside-down on a cloud.

Everything was going well, and Nova was definitely sure there would be more dates like this in the future. There was no check, apparently Rarity’s work, but even if there had been, Nova learned that Twilight liked the inexpensive things. Perfect for future dates.

But now, it was time to head to the park.

After leaving a generous tip on the table for their waiter, they set off, with Nova leading Twilight further into the town.

“Okay, so what’s this about?” she asked as she kept pace with him.

“It’s a surprise,” Nova replied, smiling cryptically.

“I hate surprises,” Twilight shook her head. “I had to lecture Pinkie Pie about it, when she startled me in the middle of my transmogrification practice. I turned a blue jay and a frog into a half-orange hybrid. I like things better when they are predictable and controlled.”

“You’ll love this one,” he promised. “Really. And you’ll appreciate it more if you don’t know it’s coming. Almost moonrise, though, so we’d better get a move on.”

“Are we going to watch the moonrise, or something?” she asked, suspiciously. “Because I’ve kind of seen it at least a hundred times.”

Nova chuckled.

“No, and quit your asking. I’m not giving you any hints.”

She stopped walking behind him, which forced him to stop and see what was the problem. When he looked back, she was looking down at the ground. Nova rolled his eyes; she was obviously trying to pout her way to victory in this argument. Nova may have had his moments of being dense, moody, idiot of a unicorn stallion, but he prided himself on his resistance to the whims of any such cute creature. Not even wearing socks, or her wet mane when she had freshly exited the shower would be able to-- Sweet Celestia, just look at her eyes!

Whether she had magically charmed them to look like that, or whether it was just the effect of the fading sunlight reflected off of them didn’t matter. What did matter was that her eyes were huge, dilated in mock-sadness, and shone with some sort of light from within her pupils.

The longer he stared, feeling his inner fluttering start to turn into gut-wrenching twists, the more a strange voice in the back of his head was telling him, Give into your new marefriend overlord.

But he successfully rolled a Natural 20 on his Charisma save.

“No amount of puppy-dog eyes will work on me,” he shook his head, smiling with amusement. “Trust me, Twilight, you’re going to like this.”

She gave an annoyed groan.

“Why can’t you just tell me?” she asked, exasperated. He simply smiled in a tantalizing way back at her.

“Oh, but it would ruin the dramatic effect, dear Twilight,” said Nova, with a shake of his head. “Besides, you don’t have to wait too much longer.”

The bottom of the sun had touched the horizon, and it would soon be time for Princess Luna to raise the moon.

It only took a few more moments and they were passing through the small kissing gate that led into the park, and slowly making their way toward the park center. Dirt paths wove around small hills, trees had been planted every few feet, and in the exact center of the park, where four paths converged, a great round eight-tiered fountain heated by magic shone in the fading sunlight. Twilight, however, was more interested in the black posts that had appeared in the park since her last visit.

Every few meters, a tall black post was planted in the ground on both sides of each path. Each one was about three meters tall, and at the top was a glass box, similar to a lantern.

“Nova, what are these?” she asked, approaching one and tapping it with a hoof. A clanging accompanied every tap on the black metal.

“Specially-made lamp-posts. I know you’ve seen normal ones before, in cities like Canterlot, but tonight they do more than just illuminate the path. I got special permission from Mayor Mare for this one, for one night only.”

The sun was three-quarters beneath the horizon. ‘Twas almost time. Nova led Twilight in front of the fountain and sat down. She mimicked his action, but her head remained on a swivel, inspecting all of the lamp-posts.

“For this what?” asked Twilight, giving him a slightly nervous look. “Nova, I told you, I hate surprises.”

Nova just smiled.

“You won’t have to wait long,” he said softly, so only she could hear.

Three…

The sun was but a hair’s breadth above the horizon now.

Two…

He could hear Twilight’s nervous-yet-excited breathing beside him as he closed his eyes and concentrated.

One.

The top of the sun vanished below the horizon, and suddenly, every bit of light vanished, leaving them in total darkness.

Nova felt Twilight instinctively grab hold of him, but he couldn’t blame her. After their experience in the Everfree Vaults, he had a feeling she was going to be jumpy whenever things were this dark. But it was time to do what he came here to do.

For a brief moment, his horn shone in the darkness, but then it vanished, leaving them once more in an eternal night.

Nothing happened.

“Nova,” said Twilight, with something of a shaky voice, “You tell me right now, what the hell is going on?”

“It’s alright, Twi,” he said, slipping his hoof free and placing it around her shoulders comfortingly. “I promise, this isn’t anything bad. If I were you, though, I would turn around.”

He felt her shift beside him, and he heard the crunching of the bits of gravel in the path that indicated she was looking behind them, and he followed suit.

Two faint red flickers had appeared in the far distance. Based on their locations compared to each other, the lights were in the lamp-posts at the far end of each path. This was corroborated by the fact that at the ends of the other paths, which they could not see, similar red pinpricks of light had appeared.

The red lights grew brighter and brighter, until they shone at what Nova knew was the maximum brightness. Their combined glows illuminated the path directly underneath, but not much further. Then again, these were meant to be used on moonlit nights, rather than on completely black ones.

The lights started to change color. It started off subtly, with the red becoming only slightly lighter in hue, but it soon became apparent that every red light was shifting to an orange color. And as each red light shifted to an orange color, the next pair of lights sparked feebly to life, displaying the earlier flicker of red.

The lights at the end were a very bright orange by the time the new lights were in full blaze, but again, they started to change. The new lights started to become orange, while the old ones started to lose their redness and become bright yellow.

Slowly, mesmerizingly, the lights on each path grew closer and closer to the fountain. As each new light flickered to life, the ones behind it shifted to the nxt color in the rainbow, until finally, all seven lights on each side of each path displayed the colors of the rainbow in order.

“It’s beautiful,” whispered Twilight beside him. Nova felt his cheeks heat up slightly, and he smiled to himself.

“It’s not over,” he whispered back.

The purple lights at the end suddenly started to shift color again. Instead of turning red, the lights became a bright white. And rather than continue shifting color, it stayed that color as the next lights went from purple to white. Eventually, there were fifty-six bright white lights illuminating the park’s paths, hills, trees, and fountain brightly.

Despite the spectacle, Twilight couldn’t help but notice that ponies visible outside the park seemed to be acting as though there was not an eternal night around them. Some of them were watching the light show as well, but beyond them, most ponies seemed to be going about their normal nightly business.

“How come--” she started, but Nova pressed a hoof to her lips.

“I’ll explain later. You won’t want to miss this, though. Look at the fountain.”

They turned around, but there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary about the large fountain. But even as Twilight began to wonder what would happen, a series of bright purple lights illuminated the lowest tier of the fountain. And a few seconds later, a slightly more violet color illuminated the next tier. It was like the lamp-posts all over again.

Finally, the second-to-last tier was illuminated in red light. A great sense of excitement came over Twilight; she thought she knew what was coming next. But she was completely unprepared for it.

A great beam of pure white light shot upward from the top of the fountain and into the sky. Twilight watched its progress with wonder, for it was not light, but magic. It flew higher and higher, until it was nothing more than a pinprick in the sky.

And then...

With a great flash of light, the enchantments surrounding the park were dispelled as a full moon appeared where the beacon had been flying toward.

Twilight gasped and continued staring at the moon in the sky, where the beam of white light was still shooting toward it.

“Well, now, I think she liked it,” said Nova with a wide grin. Truth be told, he had been nervous about whether or not this would work, but it had done so flawlessly. He felt quite proud of his accomplishment, for he alone had charmed everything in the park. Shame the light show was only for one night.

Twilight turned to gape at Nova, with pure wonder etched all over her face.

“You...?”

“Yep,” said Nova, feeling his grin somehow grow even wider.

“You did all of this?”

“Sure did.”

Nova was vaguely aware of the musicians behind him, but he ignored them and focused instead on Twilight. Her astonishment was giving way to pure joy. When her gape had finally devolved into a grin just as wide as his own, she laughed.

“That was fantastic! Nova, that was just amazing!”

Nova felt himself blush again, but despite all his pride in his accomplishment, Twilight’s praise meant even more to him.

He was first aware of the strumming of the harp. It was a melodic, slightly somber melody, but for some unknown reason, it calmed him to the core.

He turned around to see the musicians he had become aware of earlier. They carried an assortment of instruments. There was Miss Heartstrings, magically playing that melody he had heard on her lyre, there was a teal earth pony mare with a frizzy blue mane who carried an oboe with her, a grey earth pony mare with a pink bow tie and long black mane who played a cello, a peach earth pony mare with a violin of sorts who looked exactly like the cellist in appearance, a red flutist with a white mane, and a teal pony with a bow tie and brown mane who carried with her a Prench Horn.

Lyra caught his eye and winked at him, which caused his blush to deepen. She rolled her eyes with a small smile, but her horn shimmered slightly brighter.

Octy and I went to music school together, said a voice that sounded remarkably similar to Lyra's inside of his head.

Wait, what? You know telepathy?

She shrugged.

Well, obviously. But that’s beside the point. Sorry I was a bit hard on you for that spell a few weeks ago. Rarity asked me if I could come out and play tonight, and I figured this was my way to make up for the Cake Incident. Yeah, I got mad at you for exploding my house, but it was a bad spell, and I guess I just got carried away with my revenge plotting.

Uh... yeah.

Still, she continued, I got ahold of Octavia, the cellist, and she brought along some of her associates from up in Canterlot for this. Apparently Princess Celestia thought it would be lovely if they came down and played in this spot tonight, because they never would have gotten off otherwise.

Nova smiled.

Well, I appreciate the gesture.

Yeah, but I think you’d appreciate your mare even more.

With a small chuckle, he turned back to Twilight, who had her eyes shut, and was listening intently to the music.

“Like the song?” he asked, to which she nodded.

“I think it’s just lovely,” she breathed, opening her eyes to look at him with affection.

“Matter of fact, I didn’t ask them to come out.”

“Is that so?” she asked, tilting her head. “Sounds like a lucky coincidence, then.”

“That, or Rarity’s still helping out.”

“Nova,” she said, her voice becoming less playful and more serious, “thank you. This date has been just wonderful.
You’ve been just wonderful.”

Nova felt his heart skip a beat.

It skipped another when, for the second time in less than a month, he found himself once again leaning forward slightly as she in turn leaned towards him, with her eyes drifting shut.

She was growing closer and closer, and he felt the jittering from before, but they seemed to be egging him on, rather than scaring him this time.

He leaned forward, his eyes slowly drifting shut, until all of his sight was about to vanish… Only for a sudden spike of panic to shoot through him, causing him to shudder rather audibly, ending the moment.

“One of these days,” sighed Twilight as her head rested on his shoulder, “we’re going to find a way to do this without getting interrupted.”

“Sorry,” he said, stroking her mane as she nuzzled him.

“It’s fine,” she assured him, before leaning up to lightly kiss him on the cheek. “I don’t want to rush you. Only when you’re comfortable.”

He felt himself grin rather broadly, reveling in the lingering feeling in the spot she had kissed.

The moment lasted for an eternity and a half, but then a biting wind blew through the park, reminding them both that they needed to get back to the library.

“I think it’s time we got back to the Golden Oaks,” she said, still nuzzling him. “Maybe that way we can finish this without anypony interrupting us, or the weather.”

Nova returned the nuzzle for a moment, before gesturing back to the kissing gate they had entered through.

“After you.”

She curled her hoof around his and started to lead him back to the library.

“So, what was that deal about the darkness?” she asked, looking up at him with curiosity. “I noticed nopony outside seemed to even realize what was happening.”

“Oh,” he said. “Well, I wrote Princess Luna about my idea, and she said she had something she could do to help out. I guess that was it. She just made it to where the park was trapped in a total darkness until I activated the beacon.”

“Oh yeah, and there’s that. You said that was an idea that came over from Neighton.”

“So I did,” said Nova, nodding. “It’s an emergency beacon. If something completely out of our hooves in Neighton happened, we could just activate the beacon, and the Princess would come to see what was going on. It’s completely visible from up to twenty miles away. Granted, no normal pony could detect such a thin beam from that far away, but the princesses aren’t exactly normal ponies, are they? And they have observation teams that would see it from far off. Applejack actually gave me the idea when she mentioned shooting a beam up at the farm if things went wrong.”

She nodded and hummed slightly as she leaned over and nuzzled his neck.

“So I guess I was wrong,” she said warmly, which caused him some confusion.

“Oh? How so?”

“It looks like you did take date duty seriously,” she replied, her warmth growing, if anything, even warmer.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he muttered, leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. “That magic was pretty complex. Took forever to write it.”

“Took forever to write what?” asked Twilight as they arrived at the Golden Oaks, which was located very close to the park, so the walk had not been expected to be too long.

“The spell matrix for a beacon like that,” he answered. “When Applejack told us to send a beam of light up the sky if anything went wrong at Sweet Apple Acres a month ago, it gave me an idea. So I worked with Balanced Budget in Neighton to make it work over there, and then Mayor Mare wanted me to put it in over here, so I did. But manipulating it to do the light show like that was not fun.”

Suddenly, he remembered about the last part of the date he was supposed to do.

“Oh nuts, I’ve got to get to Carousel Boutique.”

She put on a sort of fake pout.

“Nova, I thought the night was supposed be be about us.”

“Oh, believe me, it is,” he said. “Which is why I want to ask you to wait another few minutes. I have something I need to grab.
That package from Rarity, remember? Give me a moment while I go retrieve it, I think you’ll love it.”

She went slightly pink when he mentioned the word “love,” but she nodded. Then she leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

“Be back as soons you can. I think I might just have a little surprise for you, too.”

“I’ll be as fast as I can,” he said sincerely, his mind racing with the implications, and with that, he was off, racing through the streets of Ponyville.

He had been gone for a few minutes, and Twilight was pacing around the room, waiting as patiently as possible.

Everything has gone perfectly! She really owed Rarity for all the help she had provided both of them.

Though there were going to be words with her about leaving Spike alone to oversee the date. The incident with Nova’s moustache that afternoon was evidence for why leaving Spike alone for a lengthy period of time was a bad idea.

Why would she even need to oversee the date? she thought, suddenly struck with suspicion.

“All’s fair in love and war, Nova.” came the unbidden memory of only a few weeks ago, when Rarity and Lyra had helped her with Nova’s training.

Wait, no. No, she wouldn’t.

The thought was absurd. Rarity really didn’t like Nova. And Nova almost completely hated Rarity. The thought of her trying to seduce him in the middle of a date like that was utterly laughable.

...right?

Why did Nova try to hide whatever it was that she was actually there for at Brayo? He could have told her the truth, whatever it was, but he didn’t want to. Why wouldn’t he?

What… was he hiding?

The more she thought about it, the worse everything got. Everything started to seem more and more suspicious. The time Nova was with Rarity to “set up the date”. She had even hit him to prevent him from telling Twilight what the actual purpose was, now she thought about it!

Despite every part of her telling her Nova would never go behind her back like this, the thought remained that he wouldn't do this to hurt her, but rather, to get out of a relationship he was kicking himself for being in. The evidence was piling up, and the seed of doubt had been planted. And so she trotted out of the library, more than a little anxious about what she was going to find.

But she had to see for herself.

“Thanks again, Rarity. Really,” Nova said sincerely, outside the door of Carousel Boutique as Rarity hoofed over two pendants with diamonds set into them. He instantly vanished them in a flash of blue light, storing them within his Source.

“It was no problem, darling,” Rarity smiled at him. “ Do enjoy your evening in. It’s about to rain, you know,and your mare is waiting.”

That she is, thought Nova feeling a grin work its way onto her face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Good night, Nova Shine,” Rarity dipped her head, and gently closed the door, leaving Nova alone in the night. At once, he spun around and practically leaped forward to start his journey to the library.

Despite the… interruptions, everything had gone swimmingly. The time at the park, in particular, had been perfect. His enchantments for the emergency beacon had gone off perfectly. A pity they had to blind his energy sensing for several minutes after, though it wouldn’t be long till he had that ability back.

It was shaping up to be a wonderful night.

BANG!

Nova felt something hit him in the side, causing him to instantly drop. It was as though he had lost all feeling in his legs. No, he had lost feeling in everything! From his position on the ground, he couldn’t even move his neck or body. All that could move were his eyes, and he desperately tried to catch a glimpse of whatever had hit him.

But then he felt himself be lifted up, surrounded by an aura of red magic, and be pulled into an alleyway, where he was thrust up against the wall by his back.

“Too easy,” purred a soft, sultry voice that caused an icy dagger to shoot into his heart.

“N-no…” he managed to force out of his numbed mouth. “You…”

“In the flesh, darling,” Envy said, smirking at him as she stepped out of the shadows further into the alley. She was still wearing Rarity’s visage, just as she had at Brayo, but the eyes, as before, were red. “I can’t believe you were dumb enough to keep that date of yours going, even after you saw I was watching.”

Some feeling had come back to his jaw by that point.

“Ith you’re ‘onna hill me, yust noo it,” he grunted out through his numbed jaw.

“Oh, I will,” Envy promised him, smiling sweetly. “But if I do it now, that’s just going to get that Twilight Sparkle mare angry enough to come at me. No, I need to remove that as a factor first. And I have the perfect plan for that.”

Nova didn’t like how cheerfully she said that.

“After all, we both know how much Twilight likes surprises.”

How much Twilight likes... no.

Nononononono...

N, she’s gonna--!

“It should only be a few minutes,” Envy said airily, pacing around while he remained pinned to the wall. “That reminds me.”

Her horn shone red and several spells were cast on him. Without his energy sensing, he had no way of recognizing what they were, and that terrified him even more. What was she doing?

*plip*

Something wet hit his head, followed by more and more wetness falling around him.

It’s raining...

“Nova?” came the voice he hoped he would not hear.

“Oh, would you look at that,” she smiled cruelly “She’s already coming to look. Looks like she took the bait hook, line, and sinker.”

The rain started to fall harder. Nova was struggling with every fiber of his being against his magical bonds, but she had him caught, and there was nothing he could do.

“Oh, don’t worry. There’s no chance of her finding us,” came Envy’s voice, becoming slightly more sultry, but definitely too loud for just a simple conversation in an alleyway. It was a perfect imitation of Rarity’s slightly-haughty inflection.

“You... monster...” he growled, forcing it through his half-numbed mouth as feeling started to come back. The worst part about it, though, was that even though he could barely see his hooves in his peripheral vision, he could see that there was no magic around them. Envy had to be controlling his musculature from the inside, where it would be invisible to any normal observer. Twilight would have no way of knowing it wasn't him.

She giggled to herself.

“You said it yourself, you have a few minutes. Plenty of time for me to enjoy you.”

He felt his body be yanked off the wall, felt his head be shoved forward, and felt warm breath on his muzzle as his head was pulled in, but he managed to wrest his head away, hitting his cheek against Envy's muzzle.

Envy tsked, and there was a much softer zapping noise. Instantly, Nova felt his head being forced to turn back in her direction, but he resisted as hard as he could. But it was futile, and he found himself feeling the warm breath on his muzzle, just before their lips met.

And then he was forced into a kneeling position, while his lips were kept on her body, as he was pushed lower and lower…

“Nova...?”

No!

Envy gave a surprised gasp before Nova felt the magic binding him in place vanish, leaving him to collapse into the mud. He jumped up as fast as he could, not bothering to swell on the fact that the paralysis was gone, ready to pursue Envy and make her pay for this, but when he got up, he found himself looking upon Twilight.

Twilight’s mouth was hanging open in pure shock, and she was breathing heavily. But her eyes spoke the most. Whether it was the rain, or tears, or even both, there was a liquid trail running down her cheeks. And when he finally dared meet her gaze, he saw a shock, an anger, a pain in them like he had never seen

“Twilight, no! It wasn't--”

He barely had time to react. Her magical energy beam was fired so quickly at him that the only reason he knew it was coming was because he could faintly sense the magic building up in her.

“Twi! It’s not--”

She fired another beam at him, which he dodged again, but this time, she ran. She was running not to the library, but away from him at top speed.

“Twilight! please, it was--"

Before he could explain who it was, however, his tongue suddenly flipped backwards upon itself, causing him to gag and bite off the end of that statement, disrupting his rhythm and causing him to retch and heave as he tried to force it back out. Through sheer force of will, he fought it and kept running.

"Please!" he said, retching slightly.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” she screamed at him, briefly turning her head to fire another beam at him, which he sidestepped before continuing.

“I promise I can--”

“I DON’T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN, YOU-- YOU--!”

But she never finished. With a scream of fury, her beam hit him right in the sternum. He was lifted off his hooves and blasted back, into the wall of a nearby house. His head collided with the rock, and he slid slowly into the mud just underneath.

His vision flickered for a moment, before a purplish hoof entered his vision. He looked up to see Twilight standing over him, with an expression befitting someone who had just been betrayed by a very close friend.

"En... vy..." he gurgled out past the blood dribbling out of his mouth, but she didn't seem to hear.

She raised a hoof and struck him across the cheek, knocking him sideways.

As his consciousness started to vanish from the force of the strike and his head hitting the wall, he heard her sniffle and start to cry as she galloped off. He tried to reach out a hoof to stop her, but he lost the strength to keep it up and it fell into the mud before him.

He lay there for several seconds, watching her gallop away, with tears streaming from his eyes, trying to get up and continue after her, but his body would not cooperate.

A light-blue set hooves entered his vision, and he was able to force his head to look up.

Envy had abandoned Rarity’s look. And instead, she was wearing Trixie’s, with the smile of a cat with its prey cornered.

“And now,” she said softly, “the coup de grâce.”

There was a flash of red light, and a silver knife appeared in midair, the hilt held aloft by red magic.

And then it plunged downward. Nova clenched his eyes shut…

...but the end never came.

He glanced up nervously, to see Envy, jaw clenched and veins bulging as she was trying to force the knife down, but it wasn’t moving.

A pink aura had covered the blade of the knife, and was trying to wrench it away. An aura he recognized at once.

Trixie… he thought, as his vision started to fade.

But finally, Envy gave up, with a growl of anger. The knife vanished in another flash of red, leaving Envy to glower down at him.

“Fine. Looks like you get to live another day. But I will kill you, Nova Shine. You can count on that. And now,” she grinned malevolently, “you’ve got no one to help you fight me.”

His vision blurred, as she started to step back, between the alleys once again. And as she shadows swallowed her, he finally passed out.

Author's Note

Chapter 9, v2.0.

This one was in writer's block for a couple of weeks, but came together really quickly once I got going. Ah, I love being back at my old pace of chapter releases.

Lemme know how you liked it!

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Realizing the Obvious

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 10 - Realizing the Obvious

Any minute now, any minute…

A tan unicorn with a short and slightly-untidy brown mane and tail sipped at his drink as he patiently waited for the one he was meeting. It had been quite some time since they had seen each other face to face, and Quantum Bit was looking forward to it.

It’ll be just like old times, he thought, yawning a bit. It was late morning, but it was still 5:00 somewhere.

The Cloak and Dagger Pub had been rather busy this week. So busy, in fact, that Potent Brew had hired some extra wait staff. On shift today was a rather attractive peach unicorn, with a curly blonde mane and tail, and very deep brown eyes. Q found himself admiring the mare every few moments in his boredom. What was she doing all the way out here in Neighton? He hadn’t seen her until a few days ago.

She had caught him looking a few times. Rather than make a face or generally act disgusted, she instead chose to give him a bit of a flirty wink each time, and each time, it set Q-Bit’s face aflame.

Wonder if she lives in Manehattan, he thought as she did it yet again, forcing him to avert his gaze.

“You know, I’ve been trying to be polite and let you approach me, but you can’t seem to take a hint, can you?” asked an assertive, musical voice from the side he wasn’t currently looking at as he tried to avoid a certain unicorn’s gaze.

Said certain unicorn had come to the table and was leaning against it, and she was giving him a catty grin.

“S-sorry?” Q asked cautiously, trying his best and mostly succeeding at making his expression unreadable.

The unicorn groaned good-naturedly, and shook her head.

“Are you gonna talk to me, or are you just gonna stare at my flank all day?” she asked quite nonchalantly, her eyes sparkling as Q’s eyes shot open.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean…” Q-Bit stammered. “I just… Been looking around. Trying not to stare at him over there.”

Q gestured to a spot on the bar, where a white unicorn with a blue mane was slumped over the bar, staring sullenly at the wall ahead of him, a mug of lager next to him. Or at least, it had been lager when it was poured. From how long it had sat there, it might be too warm to be a proper lager by this point.

“You know, you’re pretty cute when you’re flustered,” the mare grinned. “And you’re from Manehattan, right?”

“How’d you know?”

“Been hearing things,” the mare shrugged. “Ponies have loose lips at bars. Just gotta know how to hear what they have to say,” she tapped her nose with a hoof.

“Don’t you have other ponies to wait after?” Q asked.

“Nah, I’m almost done for the day,” the mare shrugged again. “My name’s Honeyed Words. You can call me Honey. Or if you prefer,” she lidded her gaze, “you can buy me a drink?”

“While you’re on the job?” he replied, feeling a bit of a confidence boost. “Aren’t there laws against that?”

“Well, considering you’re my last table before I’m off for the day, I don’t think Poe would mind,” she said, sliding into her seat. “So tell me, Manehattanite, who are you waiting on?”

“Who said I was waiting for someone?”

“When you weren’t staring at me,” she smirked, “you were staring at the door. Who you waiting on?”

“My sister,” Q shrugged, not affected by Honey’s teasing. “She lives in Vanhoover. We were supposed to meet up today, but she appears to be running a bit behind. She’ll have a Sprite, with no ice, though.”

Honeyed Words pouted. “Poo. Just when I thought we could have a proper moment.”

“She’s heading back tomorrow, but I’m sticking around,” Q grinned. “Maybe when she leaves, we could--”

But what they could do exactly, Q never got to. The door to the pub opened, and in trotted an aqua unicorn mare with a long blond mane. At the sight of her, Q leapt up from his chair and dashed over, practically tackling his sister at the sight of her.

“Whoa, dude, lay off, it hasn’t been that long,” the newcomer grunted.

“A few months,” Q replied, ushering his sister to their table. “We barely talk anymore! How’s Vanhoover?”

“Same as it always is,” Penstrokes sighed, a small notebook appearing and the pencil moving at top speed on its own. “Cold, boring, never leave my room…”

“You could always go watch the Whitecaps, or the Canucks,” suggested Q.

Pen gave him a flat look. “I’m not as into sports as you, remember?” she reminded Q equally flatly. “Well, maybe the Whitecaps…”

“That’s cool, that’s cool,” Q grinned all the same.

There came a clattering from over at the bar, and the two of them looked over. The white unicorn had stirred, accidentally knocking the bottle with his hooves, slopping beer over the side.

Q didn’t miss the annoyed look Potent Brew gave the unicorn as he slid over and wiped up the mess.

“What’s his problem?” Pen asked, still staring.

“No idea,” Q shrugged. “He’s been there, from what I’ve heard--”

“--for about five days now,” came the musical voice of Honeyed Words as she trotted over, pen and pad held aloft in soft pink magic. “Good morning to you, ma'am,” she smiled to Pen, who had a slight look of unease at this development. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Just a water is fine,” Pen said. Honey wrote it down, gave a subtle wink to Q, and then trotted off to retrieve it, leaving the two of them alone again for the moment. “So, how’s the computer gig?”

“Is what it is,” Q shrugged again. “Some days are good, some aren’t. Pretty nifty machine, though. Really cool that it’s what I’m getting paid to do things with.”

“Good to know.” With a flash of light, a notebook appeared in midair and Pen set to doodling in it with a black pencil.

“Just like old times, eh?” Q grinned wryly. “Meet up several hundred miles away from each other in the middle, and it’s same old same old.”

“You know it,” Pen inclined her head. “Still doing that Con Mane thing in Manechester in a few months?”

“Of course,” Q dipped his head. “What about you? Still into My Little Human?”

“Meh,” Pen shook her head slightly. “Not anymore. I lost interest around Season 4, didn’t I tell you?”

“But that’s the best one!” sighed Q.

“Meh, I’ll pass,” Pen shook her head again. “Not my thing anymore.”

There was another clattering at the bar, causing them to look over. The white unicorn was still blankly staring straight ahead, but he had fully knocked over his mug in his stirring this time, spilling beer everywhere, and greatly irritating the bar’s patrons. One of them, a large grey earth pony with a white mane, whose food had been spilled on, was shouting down at the unicorn, who appeared completely and totally non-responsive. When the grey pony saw he wasn’t getting through, he finally stormed right out.

Potent Brew, it seemed, had had enough of the unicorn’s presence as well. But before Potent Brew could do anything about the situation, the door was thrown open with a loud bang!

Someone was shouting above him. It didn’t seem to matter, nor did it seem like it was worth paying attention to. Nothing seemed like it was worth paying attention to anymore. Not the stallion shouting at him, not Potent Brew, not anything…

“I DON’T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN YOU--! YOU--!”

His eyes reflexively clenched shut as fresh tears leaked out the sides, and the bruised spot in his chest pulsed with a dull pain, as it hadn’t properly healed from… from her beam hitting him..

The shouting stallion suddenly seemed to grow angrier, and he finally stormed off. Nova didn’t watch him go. It didn’t matter where he was going. Nothing mattered to him anymore.

A silver knife was floating above him, held aloft by red magic, as a mare wearing Rarity’s face smiled victoriously down at him…

His closed eyes clenched, bracing himself for the dropping knife. She wasn’t going to be there to save him…

What was he going to do?

BANG!

Nova jumped slightly at the sudden loud noise, but otherwise didn’t react. Who cared what was going on now?

He heard a deep sigh, though. A strange sound, that cut through the angry babble around him to fall directly upon his ears.

And there was only one stallion in the world who had that… that dripping disappointment permeating every millisecond of sound.

Nova felt his face tighten with anger, but it relaxed after a moment. At this point, did it matter anymore? What more could the universe take from him? He had already lost everything. What was a little more time and dignity?

There he was, that fool.

As Ray Novus strode into the bar, a look of distaste on his muzzle as he stared down at his son, his horn shone grey and instantly cleaned up the mess of food and drink caused by Nova’s spillage, even going so far as to clean the bar and seat so that he could slide in as well.

By the time he was done, Nova was left with several barstools on either side of him, though he didn’t seem to notice at all. Nova just continued to dully sit there, oblivious to everything going on around him.

The bartender, a Brew by the look of him, looked about ready to quite literally kick Nova out of his bar by that point, but before he could, Ray stepped up.

“You are the owner of this establishment?” he asked.

“That I am,” the Brew said, sounding wary. “Why? What’s up?”

“How long has that stallion been sitting there?” Ray pointed to Nova.

“Since I opened this morning,” Brew answered, with a scowl. “Like clockwork these last few days. I open, he falls over the bar for eleven hours, and then he leaves when I make him. Why do you ask?”

“Why hasn’t he been kicked out yet?” Ray asked, curiously. “Surely, if he’s costing you customers…”

“Because he’s the only damn unicorn in town, and he’s a particularly powerful one,” Brew half-growled, half-sighed. “It wouldn’t be so bad if he were a pegasus, earth pony, or even a normal unicorn, but he’s not. We can’t risk him being one of the belligerent kind of drunks, because he’d blow half the place apart.”

“How do you know he’s that strong?” Ray asked, feeling a smattering of pride within him at this news.

“Heard some rumors here and there, you see,” Brew replied. “About things that happened in the Forest several weeks back. Anyway, we know for a fact he’s strong. Which is why I asked my contact in the Royal Guard to send a contingent of ponies to help evict him.”

“That would be me,” Ray inclined his head. “If you are referring to Corporal Aegis, he came directly to me.”

“That motherb--” Brew growled, before cutting off and sighing. “I’m sorry. I was under the impression he was going to send a cadre of anti-mages. Pardon me, but who are you?”

“His father,” Ray gestured with his head at Nova.

Brew’s eyes went as wide as saucers. “Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir.”

“Whyever not?” Ray asked, already knowing the answer, and feeling the wrench in his gut that had come to be all too familiar after the last time he and Nova had seen each other.

“He, err…” Brew trailed off, before glancing away uncertainly and rubbing at the back of his head. “He’s… not terribly fond of you.”

“He hates me, Mr. Brew,” Ray corrected him, with a wry smile. “Let’s not mince words. And perhaps he will continue hating me after today. But there’s more important things at stake than an intra-family relationship.”

Brew still looked unconvinced, but Ray didn’t allow him to challenge.

“I will require a pot of tea, earl grey, hot, a small pitcher of ice water, two teacups, a pair of mugs, and a bottle of brandy,” he instructed, his magic pulling out the barstool next to Nova, so he could take his seat in it. As he sat, a large pile of bits, far more than enough for all of those items, appeared on the bar top.

Brew blinked, then seemed to steel himself, before nodding and going to retrieve what was being asked of him.

With that taken care of, Ray looked over to Nova, still staring at the far wall with sullen and unfocused eyes. The sight of him looking so thoroughly broken and apathetic was something he wasn’t prepared for. His eyes were puffy, the fur around his eyes was noticeably damp, and caked with dried tears, and his mane was a total mess, even more so than usual.

Nova looked completely and utterly defeated, broken entirely.

“I must admit, I’m disappointed,” Ray said quietly, resting his elbows on the bar. “I’d have thought you’d have at least had the dignity to mope in your home, rather than a bar like a common drunk.”

“Where have I heard that before?” Nova murmured quietly, his eyes hardening slightly.

Ray raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, Nova. Where have you heard that before? What even is ‘that’?”

“You know damn well what I mean,” Nova growled, his eyes hardening even further. “You were always going on and on about how disappointed you were in me.”

He grit his teeth.

“Why am I even talking to you? Why are you even here? I thought I made it quite clear I never wanted to see you again,” he scowled.

“”Your exact words were, and I quote,” Ray said, trying to keep his voice as neutral and even as possible, “‘I hope I never have to come to your wretched home again’. We are not in our family’s home. We are in a bar. By your own exact wording, ”

“Pretty sure I excommunicated myself from your family,” Nova replied scathingly.

“You still haven’t answered my other question, though,” Ray chose instead to extricate them both from this dead end of a conversation thread. “You’ve said that I was always going on about how disappointed I was in you. When? When did I ever say that?”

Nova was now gritting his teeth so hard, tendons were bulging in his neck. Ray was then acutely reminded of the time he had completely gone berserk in their home, his magic unleashing a harmless-but-still-intimidating explosion, and of the fact that now they were surrounded by other ponies, and things that were a lot more fragile than sturdy bookcases.

“Don’t answer that question,” he cut in before Nova could.

“Why? Don’t want to hear the truth?” Nova asked, a biting note in his voice.

“I would very much like to hear an exact instance,” Ray replied coolly, “but I don’t want to hear it while you’re plastered over this bar. This conversation needs to happen while you’re sober.”

“Then it ain’t happening,” Nova replied, and Ray was startled to hear his earlier anger vanish, replaced by a despondence he had seen only a couple of times before. “Hurts too much to be sober right now.”

At once, Nova cringed to himself. He must not have wanted to reveal that sensitive information to the stallion he hated most in the world.

“I apologize in advance,” Ray said, leaning his head over.

“For what?” Nova asked warily, but he was able to do nothing as Ray placed the tip of his horn on Nova’s temple, and sent a jolt of energy into his head.

Nova, at once, jumped about a mile in the air, and a wince of pain crossed his face.

“OW!” he yelped, before turning to give Ray a furious glare. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?”

Suddenly, all eyes in the bar were on them, observing the flailing Nova Shine with trepidation, considering his reputation of causing magical accidents.

“You’re sober now,” Ray replied, swiveling to wave Brew over with the items he had requested. “Arcane alcoholic burnoff. Not a comfortable process, but it successfully cleanses your system of alcohol particularly efficiently.”

“Yeah, no shit,” spat Nova, before his left eye started to twitch uncontrollably, and a vein started to bulge in his head. “Fuck… ow…” In no time at all, he was back on the bar, clutching at his head.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent the hangover,” Ray commented dryly. “Here, drink this,” he added, pouring hot tea in one of the tea cups. “Go back to your drinks,” he added in a raised voice, which did seem to get the crowd back to talking among themselves, though it seemed a lot more hushed than it had a moment ago.

As he slid the full teacup over to Nova, he couldn’t help but wonder if Nova would refuse out of spite, but to his surprise, Nova picked it up and gulped it right down. He must have been that desperate to get rid of the headaches, which did make Ray smile slightly. At least the boy wasn’t going to stubbornly refuse to accept his aid just because it came from him.

Baby steps.

“Now this,” he said, taking the tea cup away and replacing it with one he had just filled with ice water.

He alternated both until the teapot was empty, and then he poured a rather generous measure of brandy into the mug, slid it to Nova, and watched as Nova downed it in only a few moments. Ray was rather impressed. Nova was clearly no novice when it came to drinking. He might have been even better at it than Ray himself had been back in his younger days…

Though that certainly explains the alcoholism, he thought grimly.

“Feeling better?” he asked. Nova was starting to sit up. His eye wasn’t twitching anymore, and the vein wasn’t bulging in his temple.

“Yeah,” Nova groused. “Thanks for fixing the headache you caused.”

“It was a standard hangover, multiplied by rapid removal of alcohol from your system,” Ray replied, with a distasteful expression. “I’ve experienced it a few times myself. Mostly when I was your age. Back when I did stupid things and tried to drink away my pain.”

“Really?” Nova replied, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “You, the stallion who was always just so concerned with the family image, and how I wasn’t living up to it, got drunk in a bar like I did? Because I find it rather hard to believe.”

“I did,” Ray inclined his head. “I was young too, you know.”

Nova just directed a glower at the bar counter at that. Ray could only wonder what was going through his head as he stared at the table, with his eyes directing a mixture of fury and despair at the polished wood.

“To say we aren’t on the best of terms,” Ray said as delicately as possible, “is putting it rather lightly. I get that. You are beyond angry with me over my negligence and my poor parenting, and you are right to be. I was a poor father, and I won’t ever deny it.”

If Nova had something to say to that, he didn’t show any reaction.

“There is a reason-- not an excuse, but a reason-- why I failed to be active in your life, and seemed distant,” Ray continued, his mind drifting back to that day, years before, when his world came crashing down. “I… I would like nothing more to tell you, but…”

He trailed off.

“But what?” Nova asked sourly, still glowering at the bar.

“But it’s not my place,” he admitted softly, with a slight shake of the head. “Your mother made me swear that she would be the one to share it. When she felt ready,” he added, his voice barely a whisper by that point. “It… had an impact on me, in ways I’m still trying to fix, and it had a large bearing on how I interacted with you as a father.”

If Nova had any qualms about that explanation, he, again, didn’t show it. Perhaps he was simply too caught up in his own grief to care.

“But that’s not what I came here for,” Ray shook his head again, dismissing that particular day of his life. “I came here because you need me.”

“As if,” spat Nova, eyes narrowing.

“You can believe what you want,” Ray replied, keeping the sarcastic edge that had once been so common in his youth out of his voice, “but one way or another, I am needed to lead you to the diaries of the Night Apprentices and Faithful Students. Or have you forgotten?”

Nova didn’t answer. Perhaps he had, so consumed with his current predicament that he hadn’t thought about those diaries.

“And even if I wasn’t needed,” he continued, now finally getting to the heart of the matter, “I would have come anyway.”

“Why?” Nova asked, giving him a look, one that had no shortage of anger behind it. “I’d have thought that a disappointment like me would have been ignored, like always.”

Ray simply let that one go.

“I would have come, because you are my son.”

Nova snorted at that one.

“Not anymore, remember?” he asked, glaring at him. “I disowned you as my father to your face.”

“As infuriating as this is going to sound,” Ray couldn’t help the wry smile, “you didn’t file the appropriate paperwork at the Royal Legal Department. You may have verbally said it to me, and perhaps you will file said paperwork in the future, but as of now, legally, you are still a Novus, and still my heir.”

Rather than anger him, that just seemed to cause Nova to deflate even more. It wasn’t much, but it was still enough to speak volumes as to how down he really was.

“But it wouldn’t matter to me whether you were my heir or not,” he continued, looking directly at Nova. He had hoped to meet his son’s gaze, but Nova didn’t seem to want to. “Because you are my son. Legalities, last names, positions, nothing will change that, and none of that matters to me when it comes to you. What matters to me is that for once, I can actually act like a good father and help get you back on the right path.”

He was so sure Nova would challenge that statement, would have some kind of backhoofed remark…

...but all he did was continue to stare at the bar.

“If I may be so bold as to ask, Nova, why are you here?”

“Why the hell do you think?” Nova spat harshly.

Ray winced slightly. He hadn’t been expecting quite that much venom over it, even if he had expected some soreness.

“Is this about Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, as gently as he could.

Nova’s reaction said it all. His shoulders tensed and his eyes clenched shut, and Ray could see a small glimmer of light in the corner of his visible eye, as though he were holding back tears.

“Please don’t say that,” Nova replied quietly, shifting his head to look away.

“Say what?” Ray asked, just as gently, though he knew very well what.

“Twil--” he bit off the end of that, and then changed course. “Her name.”

Ray grunted, but didn’t pursue it. After all, he had been in the same spot as Nova only a few decades ago.

It felt so long ago. The pain had long since healed. Yet he could still remember it just as vividly as the day he felt it.

“I understand,” he muttered, so softly he was sure Nova couldn’t hear it in the tavern babble.

“Yeah, right,” Nova just shook his head.

“I promise you, I do,” Ray responded patiently. “Would you like to hear the tale? Maybe it will offer you some insight on how to set things right.”

“What is there to set right?” Nova spat again, jaw clenching. “I did nothing wrong. She did nothing wrong. Yet it still happened, and I’m still here in a fucking bar, fucking drinking myself to fucking death!”

Ray suppressed a look of distaste.

“Was the swearing really necessary?” he asked.

“Fuck you!”

“Lovely,” a grey aura pulled his glasses from his face and polished them. “I suppose I’ll tell you anyway. After that, well…” He gave a small, wry smile, “after that it’s on you.”

“What’s on me?” Nova asked, finally shifting to give him a look that was half-curiosity, half-disgust.

“Any action taken to repair this burned bridge,” Ray replied, replacing the glasses on his face. “Because I truly believe that this bridge isn’t completely burned if you are telling me the truth about not doing anything wrong, and I believe you are. Granted,” he admitted as he inclined his head, “I don’t know what she believes you did wrong, but I can sense you believe you did nothing wrong that led to this.”

“Sense…” mouthed Nova.

“Yes, Nova, ‘sense.’” Ray nodded. “I learned how to sense energy too. After that time in Manehattan, when you sensed your mother and I in Thomas Hoofman’s office, I picked up the skill myself.”

“How did you not see me coming when I visited the manor, then?” Nova asked suspiciously.

“I did,” Ray corrected him. “But I didn’t know it was you. I had never felt your aura before. I just assumed Sharp Eye was bringing in some new guest who wanted to meet with us.” His wry smile returned. “I guess I wasn’t wrong.”

He shook his head.

“Back to the topic at hoof, it was an otherwise-normal day in Canterlot, years ago…”

Ray Novus strutted up the High Street of Upper Canterlot, basking in the warmth of the sun shining down on them this glorious day.

“Stupid nobles meeting,” he said to himself, inwardly scowling at the idea that there be an orientation process for future nobles. “Why the hell does it even exist? It can’t be that hard to be a noble.”

For whatever reason, they had to have these things on a Saturday, too! Why a Saturday? Saturdays are for relaxation and fun! Not boring, dull meetings on “How to vote for tax reform.”

He turned the corner where the High Street made its approach to Canterlot Castle, and he paused.

There was a young mare there.

There were young mares everywhere in Canterlot, but Ray knew all of them. But not her. Not this mare. She was completely new.

Her mane was somewhat long and silver, her eyes were also silver, and were staring at the ground as she frowned. Her coat was a pleasantly-light blue, though it was mostly covered by a small coat that she was wearing. Ray wondered why for a moment-- after all, it was a rather warm day-- but a deep rumble in the distance got his attention, and a glance over confirmed that indeed, rain was on the weather forecast. If he really squinted, he could make out the weather pegasi slowly pushing the rainclouds over.

But still, why was this mare alone? Why did she look so… thoughtful?

Honestly, it really didn’t matter. As interesting as those tidbits about her were, she was pretty, and she looked like she could use some help.

“Excuse me, miss,” Ray said, his voice proud and confident as he trotted over.

The mare looked up, her silver eyes meeting his own grey, and Ray at once knew, he had to get to know her better.

“Yes?” she asked. Her voice was, surprisingly, refined. Not like the common ponies’ accents in the Lower City. It sounded perfectly in place in Upper Canterlot, but behind it, he could sense uncertainty.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting anything,” he preempted diplomatically, “but I noticed you seem a little lost. Are you new to the area?”

Her silver eyes shifted just a bit, but she smiled nervously.

“Was I that obvious?”

“Not really,” Ray admitted, shrugging. “I just know almost all of the young mares and stallions, and you’re a new face. Moving here?”

“Yes, actually,” she dipped her head, “though I’m not… completely new to the area. It’s been a long time.”

“Well, do you need any help moving in, or finding a place?” Ray asked. This was good. He could use this. “I know of several places.”

“How nice of you,” the mare inclined her head. “I never got your name.”

“It’s Ray,” he replied. “And your own?”

“I’m… Shimmer,” she answered a bit nervously.

“Well, Shimmer, give me just a few hours, and I’ll get finished up with my business at the castle, and then we can get started on finding you a living space.”

“Thank you,” Shimmer inclined her head again.

“And maybe, we could talk a little more over dinner? I’d definitely love to get to know you some more.” Ray asked, feeling more than a little confident. He had her. All he had to do was--

“Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of mare-makers,” Shimmer replied, smiling sweetly at him as Ray’s cocky smile vanished instantly. “Your offer to help me move in is appreciated, though. I suppose I’ll see you around, Ray.”

And with that, she was gone, striding rather confidently into the city, leaving Ray standing there confused.

What the hell was that?

“...and that, Nova, is how I met your mother,” Ray finished.

“Ugh,” Nova rolled his eyes. “How did I know you were going to say that?”

“You’re my son,” he replied simply, giving him a knowing look. “Don’t tell me you’ve never made a large set-up to an unfunny payoff before.”

Nova grunted at that. “Still,” he added after a moment, “she shot you down pretty hard.”

“Yeah,” Ray nodded, smiling nostalgically. “Like a pro, too. Led me on, acting timid, and then sent me down hard when I started to make a move.”

“You say she called you a mare-maker,” Nova pointed out, eyes narrowing. “That doesn’t mean what I think it does, does it?”

“What do you think it means?” Ray replied, arching an eyebrow.

“You… you did what you could to get into mares’ beds. Made fillies into mares,” Nova answered, a scowl starting to form.

“That is correct,” Ray bowed his head, his smile turning humorless. “And she was right. I was a mare-maker in my youth. For the life of me, I don’t know how she was able to tell, but it doesn’t change the fact that she spotted me a mile away.”

Nova just stared at him in disgust and disbelief, but then his scowl returned, growing even deeper.

“If you’re here to try and make me want to still be part of your family, you’re doing a horrible job,” he growled. “Just when you couldn’t make me think any less of you, you reveal that.”

“Think as little of me as you want,” Ray shrugged. “I’m not proud of that chapter of my past, and your disgust with it is very justified. And if it does make you feel any better, I’ve been faithful to your mother the entire time we’ve been married.”

Nova’s scowl didn’t even slightly lessen. “Let me guess, you cheated on her while you were dating?”

“Yes, actually,” Ray admitted, his head bowing somewhat as the lingering shame of that particular point in his past came back as it always did when he thought of it.

That time, Nova’s scowl did vanish, replaced by pure and total disbelief.

“I don’t believe you,” he said softly, with a slight shake of his head. “Just keep digging yourself deeper, why don’t you.”

“You think I have no remorse over this?” Ray snapped, a brief flash of anger appearing in his eyes. “You think I don’t regret it? You think I spend every day wishing I could go back to those days?”

Nova had no response, his scowl lessening somewhat, replaced by uncertainty. Progress, thought Ray.

“Believe it or not, some of us are actually quite aware we haven’t exactly been the most upstanding stallion on the planet in the past,” he continued, resting his elbows on the bar, pressing his hooves together, and resting his chin on them. “As I said, it’s a chapter of my history I’m not proud of. But I need you to hear about it, because perhaps it will offer you a way out of your current…” he gave Nova a once-over, taking in the sorry state he was in, “...situation.”

Without waiting for Nova to offer some half-drunken retort, he just decided to continue.

“Continuing,” he said, giving Nova a look that made it quite clear he was not to interrupt, “yes, I was a mare-maker back then. I enjoyed the company of mares, and my wealth, family name, the charm I learned how to employ, and the fact that I was rather handsome in my youth certainly made it easy to charm them. And so when I first saw Shimmer, I admit, that was my first intent.”

He frowned.

“As noted, she sniffed me out a mile away and shut me down before I could do anything.”

Ray felt his eyes go a tad out of focus as he recalled the immediate days after, when he started to spend time with Shimmer.

“Rather than simply shake it off like I had when I had been shot down in the past,” he said, feeling the tiniest of smiles, “I felt… challenged.”

“Ugh,” Nova shook his head.

“I didn’t always try to win my way into her bed, you know,” Ray gave him a flat look. “It wasn’t long after we started spending time together that I suddenly didn’t really care about other mares, and regarding her, I was just starting to enjoy having her around as a friend, and not more. Sure, there was some mild flirting from time to time, and yeah, at first I made another few advances, all of which she led me on and sent me crashing down yet again, but after that, she was spending time with myself, Tantalus, Night, and our other friends.”

“‘Night?’” Nova blinked.

“Night Light Sparkle,” Ray replied.

Nova’s mouth pursed, and his eyes bulged. “I knew he had something to do with you,” he fumed. “That motherbucker…”

“Well, not recently,” Ray frowned. “After the incident at the school, and the fallout between myself and Tantalus… well,” he closed his eyes rather ruefully, “needless to say, he felt compelled to distance himself from the both of us.”

“Can’t imagine why,” muttered Nova.

“You can continue your verbal assault on me all you want,” Ray gave him a cool look, “it’s only prolonging the conversation you’re so desperate to get out of, and I certainly won’t be leaving until I’ve said my piece.”

That only added to Nova’s glowering.

“In any case, allow me to continue,” Ray preemptively said, cutting off any other way Nova could drag out this part of the conversation when it would go nowhere.

*tap tap tap*

Ray blinked as he stared down at the mana crystals he was busy charming.

I thought I locked all the doors into the house, he thought, frowning as he glanced back at the door into that particular lab room.

Still, he dismissed the thought and returned to trying to charm the crystals. No doubt it his father, back from the Gala early tonight, or perhaps his mother. Maybe it was even Night or Tantalus, here to see why he wasn’t there.

“Thought you’d be at the Gala,” came an unexpected voice, that was none of those four. It was Shimmer, the uncertainty of their first encounter gone, replaced by a bit of playfulness. “Lot of mares are disappointed you’re not there, you know.”

“How did you get in?” he asked, feeling an amused smile creep onto his face as he started to cast a spell. It really was a bit lonely here. Maybe this would make the work he was trying to get done go by faster.

“Picked the lock,” she replied.

Ray blinked. “Picked… you picked the lock?”

“Yep!” She sounded just so proud of herself.

“Our locks are enchanted to detect the use of picks, and they have the highest security, and you’re saying you just went and picked it?”

“How many times are you gonna ask?” she replied. Ray could almost hear the grin. He knew she was pulling his leg. There was (quite literally) no way she could have simply picked the lock.

“So how did you really get in?” he asked, feeling his magic sputter out, which got an annoyed scowl out of him. Why did his magic always have to be so inconsistent?

“Your dad always leaves the key to the patio door hidden under the mat,” she replied. “What are you working on?”

“Trying to see if it’s possible to conduct energy between mana crystals,” he answered, retrying the spell, which successfully did charm the mana crystal in question. “Dad thinks we can greatly cheapen the process of making magical batteries if we can find a substitute material for gems. Common as they are, they’re not the most efficient to get energy out of, whereas mana crystals are easy to tap into. Problem is, we know mana crystals decay over time unlike gems, so they’re impractical for long-term energy storage. If we can find a method through which mana can be easily transferred between crystals, it would have quite a profound effect on energy storage.”

“Such a nerd,” Shimmer remarked airily. “So, why are you doing this tonight?”

“Everyone’s at the Gala,” Ray replied, setting the two crystals next to each other and configuring an energy siphoning machine to deposit the energy within this crystal rather than redirect it as a controlled blast.

“Except you, apparently.”

“And you,” he pointed out. “Did Tantalus or Night send you? Or even Bella?”

“You really think Bella wants you at an event she’s at? She’s still not happy about your last romp,” she answered, sounding a bit bemused. However, surprisingly, she added something in a bit of an undertone that he was just able to make out.

“Neither am I, for that matter.”

“I’m sorry, what?” he asked, wondering what she meant by that.

“Nothing,” she replied flatly, the bemusement gone. “So, you gonna keep playing with your toys, or are you going to come out of your lab for a break anytime soon?”

“When I’m done,” Ray replied, preparing to activate the machine…

...only for a flash of silver magic to suddenly encase it and both mana crystals.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “Let me do my work.”

“Say that to my face next time, please.”

This mare was going to be the death of him one day, he just knew it. With a roll of his eyes, he turned around to humor her.

Only for his reply to die in his throat.

She was leaning against the frame of the entryway into that particular lab room, watching him with an expectant smirk on her face. She was wearing a sequined silver dress that glimmered in the light of the lab, and seemed to make her silver eyes shine all the brighter, to say nothing of her mane. Normally kept free-hanging, she had styled it into a very elegant coiffure that took the normally-relatively-unkempt-but-still-pretty mane into a beautiful arrangement.

He felt his entire face just go slack, felt the bottom of his stomach drop out, and felt heat suffuse his cheeks at the mere sight of her.

He had thought she was pretty when they had first met, but now? Pretty was a complete understatement. She was absolutely beautiful.

“You flatter me,” Shimmer said, suddenly sounding a bit embarrassed. A bright shade of red was shining through her cheeks as she rubbed at the back of her head bashfully, and looking away to avoid his eyes.

He didn’t realize he had been staring for quite as long as he had.

“S-sorry. It’s just… you look… I mean,” he swallowed nervously. Goodness, why was this suddenly so terrifying?

Shimmer, however, appeared to regain her confidence at his own blubbering. Her blush vanished, and she strode forward and stuck a hoof on his lips, forestalling any response. The feeling of her hoof making contact with his lips sent a slight shiver up his spine, and caused goosebumps all under his coat.

“I know,” she whispered, before smiling sweetly. “I… wanted to surprise you.”

Ray swallowed nervously, feeling as though his tongue were made of lead. As he felt the touch of her hoof vanish from his lips, he took a deep, shaky breath. “W-well, you’ve certainly done that.”

“I had hoped you would be at the Gala,” she confessed, his eyes never leaving his. “I was… going to ask you something there, but you never showed up.”

“Ask me something?” he tilted his head. “What?”

Now, it was her turn to act embarrassed again. Her eyes did finally leave his, as she stared at the ground.

“I was going to ask… if you would be willing to let me be your marefriend.”

Ray blinked, feeling a combination of triumphant leaping and a shocked clenching in his gut.

“But…” he furrowed his brow. “You shot me down. That first time we met, you shot me down. And now--”

“Ray, I won’t lie to you,” Shimmer interrupted with a shake of her head. “I thought the worst of you when I met you. But since we started spending time together, I’ve come to see you for who you really are beneath the surface. You’re not a mare-maker. Hell, you haven’t even made an attempt on any mares that I’m aware of since that day in front of Canterlot Castle.”

That was untrue; Ray had tried to stay in the game since then. Several times, in fact. But for some reason, he didn’t really feel all that up to it. No mare had quite given him the same drive as Shimmer had, and that only left him feeling unmotivated to pursue them. Which was yet another reason he wasn’t at the Gala tonight, when normally he’d be there schmoozing every pretty mare he could.

“And I’ve done plenty of thinking, and I’ve come to realize,” she met his eyes again, with a steely, unyielding resolve behind them, “I don’t care what you’ve done. I know you for who you are, and I like you. So, for the sake of formality,” she smiled, “Ray Novus, will you do me the honor of letting me be your marefriend?”

“I… would be honored to have you as my marefriend,” he answered, his voice rather miraculously coming out straight and clear despite his insides undoubtedly measuring a 7.6 on the Richter Scale. No sooner had he said this than he broke into an uncertain smile.

Shimmer’s smile widened, and without waiting for him to say or do anything, she stepped forward and gave him a very fierce nuzzle in the crook of his neck. Ray felt himself recoil ever so slightly at the contact, caught off-guard by it, but it didn’t take long for him to return the nuzzle.

“That was about eight months after we first met,” Ray added, taking a quick drink from some of the leftover brandy. “Some months longer than it took you and Miss Sparkle to get together, correct?”

Nova’s face, which had been rather impassive as he had listened, soured ever so slightly.

“I asked you not to say her name,” he muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

“I never said I wouldn’t,” Ray reminded him. “Frankly, I fully intend to keep saying it. I want you to think of Twilight Sparkle,“ Nova’s sourness intensified, “because there’s a question I’m going to be asking you about when my own tale is finished.”

“Great,” his son grumbled. “And here I thought this was going to be a quick conversation.”

“As quick as it needs to be,” Ray admitted with a shrug. “I will say my piece. After that, it’s up to you.”

Nova said nothing, as he had so often over the course of the last several minutes. It was rather unlike him to be so quiet, especially considering everything he had heard from Princess Luna about his inclination toward sarcasm and snark. Truthfully, it was rather concerning that he wasn’t anything close to what his teacher said.

“I think everyone’s starting to get less angry with you,” Ray observed, taking the moment to glance around the pub. Potent had been throwing glances their way several times over the last few minutes, though he didn’t look all that infuriated anymore. Only… concerned. Yes, that was the right word. A natural reaction, considering his concerns before.

Even around the bar, ponies weren’t throwing as many looks their way. The tan-coated, brown-maned unicorn and his companion a few meters away had stopped glancing over and were now thoroughly involved in a conversation about whatever “c-sharp” was, the grey-coated stallion close to the kitchen doors was now minding his own business rather than staring at them, and the atmosphere had significantly quieted down since his arrival.

“What happened?” Nova asked, still not looking up from his focus on a brown spot in the wood on the bar.

“I guess they’ve relaxed now that you appear to have calmed down,” Ray answered.

“I mean, with you and Mom,” he replied. “You got together. Was that it?”

Ray felt himself smile a tad. Good, he was invested in the story.

“Well, it turned out that I had some serious commitment phobia issues lurking beneath the surface.”

That, it seemed, finally got Nova’s attention. He seemed surprised by this fact. So surprised, he didn’t even look all that angry to be staring in his general direction.

“You had commitment phobia?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” Ray nodded sagely, as though it were just an uninteresting bit of trivia. “Petrifying commitment phobia, as a matter of fact. It wasn’t there at first, when your mother and I dated. But as time went on, as the months rolled by, and things got serious, I started… internally panicking.”

Nova said nothing, but Ray could see the recognition in his son’s eyes. The sort of recognition one only has through experience.

“You have the same phobia too, don’t you,” he stated, meeting his son’s eye.”

“Had,” Nova corrected, now leaning down and resting his head on the bar glumly.

“If they were there for Twilight Sparkle,” Nova clenched his eyes shut for the briefest moment, “they will be there for any mare. The mare isn’t the cause of commitment issues, Nova. You are.”

“You’re saying it’s my fault?” he snapped, giving his dad a sideways glare. “What a pep talk. You really suck at this.”

“I stand by what I said,” Ray answered evenly. “You are the one responsible for your own mental problems. Don't mistake that to mean you could have prevented this, because most of the time such problems and phobias are out of your control, but events in your life and your personality are the reason such issues develop and vanish. Commitment issues are one such problem, and there’s no cure for them; they just… well, for me, they just disappeared when there was a certain… incident.”

“So they’re like depression, then?” Nova asked, choosing to put aside his barbs for now. “Not really controllable, they just come when they want?”

“Yes, actually,” Ray dipped his head. “I don’t suppose you ask about depression out of experience?”

“Twi--” he bit off the end of that, but then continued, “she thought I might have a case.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Ray shrugged. “After you ran away, I was in a very dark place, and risk of depression is a hereditary thing, after all. Maybe when all of this is behind us, and you’re back to your normal self, you can see a counselor.”

Nova clenched his eyes shut again. For a moment, Ray wondered why, but decided it didn’t matter. The important thing was, as he said, to get this current situation behind Nova.

“Now, I mentioned an incident a moment ago that proved to be what cured my own issues.”

Nova grunted, though Ray did see his ears swivel back toward him, to ensure he could hear him over the tavern babble.

“So, we dated for several months, and we grew a lot closer as a result,” Ray smiled fondly at the memories. “Every hour with her felt like a few minutes, because she always had a way of making the time feel like it was flying by. But… as I noticed that I really was beginning to fall in love with her… I got scared.”

“How?” Nova asked.

“Think about it, Nova,” Ray rubbed at his muzzle for a moment. “For years, I was a casanova. For the longest time, I chased every mare’s tail I saw. And now, I was facing the very real prospect of settling down. To me-- and perhaps you can relate to this-- to me, it kind of felt like… I was about to enter a cage.”

That did get Nova’s attention again. He turned his head to face his father, all trace of animosity gone.

“A cage?”

“A cage,” Ray nodded. “I was afraid. I was afraid of settling down, of feeling ‘trapped’ by love. Oh, I truly loved Shimmer more than anything I could ever imagine,” he added, seeing the look on his son’s face, one of surprise, “but I felt terrified that this was going to lead me being metaphorically caged up. Shimmer knew something was wrong, and I knew she could tell I wasn't right, but I couldn’t confide in her. How could she understand?”

Now it was Ray’s turn to close his eyes as the memories of that day flashed through his head.

“And so I did something desperate. I did something that I still look back on as my greatest moment of shame.”

“You didn’t,” Nova mouthed, his surprise slowly morphing into anger.

“I walked down to some of the seedier parts of Canterlot,” Ray said, his voice barely above a whisper, “I paid for an escort, I brought her back, and… well,” his mouth twisted, a crude mixture of a grimace and a humorless smile, “I got myself caught in the middle of the act.”

Despite the babble around them, when it came to Nova and Ray, you could hear a pin drop. All Nova could do was stare at his father, his expression a mixture of anger and total incredulity Ray had to wonder just what was going through his head, considering he had hated Ray for most of his life, but maybe found a new reason to.

“Feel free to hate me even more than you already do,” Ray didn’t wait on him to make some snappy remark. “I readily acknowledge that was easily the second-worst thing I’d ever done.”

“What was the first?” Nova growled.

For a moment, Ray considered telling him. Nova probably thought it was the neglect, and while it definitely was up there on the list of terrible things he had done, it was nowhere near these two. But unfortunately, it was not his time to know exactly what happened.

“Since I’m sure you’re asking about where I consider my neglect of you to be,” Nova’s unwavering gaze didn’t confirm nor deny this, “know that I consider all three of these in near-equal regard. However, the first is, without a doubt, the fact that I attacked Tantalus in the aftermath of the incident at Celestia’s school.”

Nova continued to glare at him, but rather than feel unnerved by it, Ray just shrugged. “If you’re trying to make me feel like a terrible pony, believe me, I’ve had a little over thirty years to live with this. I did my time thinking of myself as the worst pony alive, slumped over a bar and drinking until I couldn’t feel a damn thing, rather like yourself,” he added, giving Nova a quick look up and down.

Nova just let out an angry snort and returned to slumping over the bar.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he growled.

“No, I believe you didn’t,” Ray concurred. “Unlike me, you have proven you are far more dedicated to your commitments than I ever was, and quite frankly, at your age, you are a far better stallion than I could ever have hoped to be.”

At those words, Nova glanced over at him, his mouth parting slightly in surprise.

“I… you think I’m better than you…” he tried to say, but kept trailing off.

“Beyond the shadow of a doubt,” Ray answered firmly. “The thought of cheating on Twilight Sparkle never crossed your mind even once, did it?”

“Never,” Nova said instantly, sounding almost insulted that Ray would even ask that.

“Proof-positive,” Ray smiled at him.

For a long time after that, Nova was quiet. Ray didn’t mind the silence. There had to have been a lot going through his head at that moment. Perhaps he was completely reevaluating a lot of things. Maybe, if he really were lucky, Nova was reevaluating whether or not to keep hating him.

“How did it end?” he finally asked.

“I’m sorry?” Ray asked, leaning his ear a bit closer.

“You and Mom,” Nova clarified. “You’re married now. How did it end?”

“As you can assume,” Ray smiled wryly, “it ended well. I have Tantalus, Night Light, Bellatrix Lulamoon, and even Twilight Velvet and Princess Celestia to thank for that.”

“How do you mean?” Nova asked.

“Well, when I was slumped over the bar, it was Night Light who got me back on my hooves,” Ray helped himself to a bit more brandy. It was more of an opportunity to consider how to say what was to come. “He taught me that alcoholic burnoff technique I did on you, and was able to knock some sense into me. Though life after that day was a total drag,” he frowned as he recalled how those days just seemed to stretch on and on without Shimmer there.

“How long did it take before you two were on speaking terms again?” Nova asked.

“A long time,” Ray replied quietly. “I did what I did i late October of one year. I didn’t see her again until the Grand Galloping Gala of the following year.”

“You didn’t see her for half the year?” Nova asked, sounding more than a bit surprised.

“We were both hurt by what I had done, Nova,” Ray defended. “But there’s more to it than that. Everything came to a head at that gala. I was alone and had no intention of going again, but your grandfather retired not long after Night broke me out of my slump, and as the new Lord of the Novus family, I was obligated to attend.”

Why was he even here? What was this whole obligation even about? Why did new Lords always have to show up to this gala to rub shoulders with each other? Was it supposed to build camaraderie?

Whatever the case, Ray wasn’t going to take any part in it. Here he was, in his black tuxedo, standing in line to be greeted by Princess Celestia for coming, and he was quite sure, he was the one stallion in the entire building who didn’t want to be there.

Invitation to the Lord of the Novus Family in hoof, he did his patient waiting in line as it slowly moved forward, with certain ponies taking longer due to getting the formal announcement treatment, and he was going to be one of them.

Twenty ponies ahead of him became ten, and then ten became five, until finally, he stood at the head of the line, a frown on his face as he waited patiently for the trumpets to sound.

Finally, after a few moments of waiting, sound they did, in a fanfare fit for Princess Celestia herself.

“Presenting Ray Novus, Lord of the Novus Clan!” the herald shouted as Ray stepped inside the foyer. Standing at the top of the small ceremonial staircase, as she always did, was Princess Celestia, who smiled warmly down at him. Her smiles always had this way of making him feel loved, even when, like tonight, he couldn’t think of anyone who would show it to him.

“Ray, I was hoping you would arrive soon,” she greeted, before gesturing to a spot at her right side. “Please, come sit next to me. I would love to speak with you.”

“Sure, he grunted, before clambering up the steps and plopping himself down next to her. She gave him another warm smile, before noticing he didn’t seem in the mood to return it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied, not in the mood for her to give him a lesson on friendship tonight.

“Is this about your recent breakup with Shimmer?”

Ray’s eyes clenched shut, and his jaw tightened. Right. He had forgotten that Shimmer and Princess Celestia were related somehow, or were friends or something. Of course she would know.

“...yes,” he admitted after a long moment.

Celestia just gave him a short stare before returning to greeting the new ponies that came in.

“Presenting Crescendo Heartstrings, Lord of the Heartstrings Clan and his wife, Lady Allegrezza, and their entourage!”

Ray didn’t pay any attention as the Heartstrings family trotted in, giving cordial greetings to the princess. How much longer was she going to keep him here? How long was he required to stay?

“Presenting Twilight Velvet, Lady of the Sparkle Clan, and her date, Night Light!”

That did get him to pay attention. Focusing properly for the first time in several seconds, he looked down to see a beautiful young mare with an off-white coat, a mane with alternating purple and white streaks running through it that was pulled into an elegant ponytail, and bright blue eyes enter the foyer. She was wearing a black dress that contrasted very well with her coat, and standing beside her and looking like he honestly didn’t think he knew how he got there, was Night Light.

“Night!” Ray exclaimed.

“Oh, hey!” Night grinned and waved at him. “Nice to see you’re out and about.”

“Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala, Lady Velvet,” Princess Celestia gave the young mare a wide smile. “How is your mother?”

“She’s doing well,” Velvet bowed her head gratefully. “She’s glad the move from San Franciscolt is finally behind us, and I think she enjoys not having to concern herself with the family’s legal matters anymore,. Sucks that she had to dump all of those matters on me, though,” she growled, rolling her eyes.

“Yes,” Celestia covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. “I’m afraid you’ll find few thrills in Canterlot. If I may make a recommendation, however, a number of pegasi operate a free-falling operation near the White Cliffs that sounds like you would enjoy it.”

Velvet smiled again, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’ll have to keep an eye open for that.”

Celestia gestured to him. “If I may, this is Ray Novus, the new Lord of the Novus family, and one of your date’s best friends.”

Velvet turned to look at him, giving him a brief inspection, before nodding. Politely, he nodded back. He supposed there would be time to get to know her away from this infernal Gala.

“I had better get going. Wouldn’t want to hold everypony up,” Velvet smiled apologetically at the Princess. “It was nice to meet you, Lord Novus.”

“Just Ray, please,” Ray replied. If he had to go by “Lord Novus” for the rest of his life…

With that, they were off, with Night giving him one more friendly wave, something he did return.

“Presenting Adora Belle, Lady of the Belleblood Clan, and her entourage!”

And like that, it was back to the monotony. A group of ponies entered, bid their greetings to the Princess, and then trotted off.

“She seemed nice,” Ray said, thinking back to Velvet. “Hope she and Night get along.”

“Two years ago, I probably would have been concerned she would become another one of your conquests,” the Princess replied, giving him a knowing look.

It was rather amazing how she could say that, but in a way that didn’t sound accusatory or angry. It was so very matter of fact, without a hint of disappointment.

“Two years ago, I probably would have,” Ray agreed. “But a lot’s happened since then.”

“You have learned a great many lessons since then, and have grown so much as a stallion. I’m quite proud of you, and I’m sure your father is too.”

“Yeah, right,” Ray accepted the praise, but didn’t believe it.

“Truly, I am,” she insisted, looking right at him as she said it. “Lessons and growth can hurt, but they make us all the better for it. I believe the saying is ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’”

For a moment, Ray was tempted to reply with something along the lines of how certain poisons crippled the immune system, or how others that didn’t kill a pony could cause insanity, and neither of those outcomes sounded like the victim was being made stronger, but he resisted.

“Presenting Bacchus Lulamoon, Lord of the Lulamoon Clan, and his wife, Lady Verity, and their entourage!”

Ray turned to look at the newest ponies coming in. Lord Lulamoon was there, his cream coat polished and gleaming in the light of the foyer, and receding black mane tucked behind his neck as he bowed to greet the Princess. His wife, Lady Verity, had a very wide grin as she surveyed the room. Her coat was a pale blue, her mane a navy blue, and her eyes the strangest shade of aquamarine, and her very being radiated the kindness Ray had come to enjoy when she was around.

Standing beside her was Tantalus, his mane as black as his father’s, but allowed to flow freely. He looked nervous, to say the least. Ray knew he had hated the previous several galas almost as much as he hated being there tonight.

Honestly, he had been expecting Tantalus to wave, or acknowledge that he was there, but he didn’t seem to want to meet his gaze for some reason. For a moment, Ray wondered why, until his eyes fell on the fourth pony in their group.

It was Shimmer, wearing a silver dress that glittered in the light, complementing her silver mane and eyes beautifully.

And for a heart-stopping moment, Ray felt his heart skip three beats, before plummeting as far down into his gut as it could go, leaving him with a sense of dread.

Unlike Tantalus, she was staring right at him with those silver eyes. Her expression was stony, and he suddenly felt the room growing chilly.

“Lord Bacchus, it’s great to see you again!” Celestia grinned widely at the stallion as he approached with his lady wife beside him. Tantalus and Shimmer remained behind, with Shimmer’s eyes refusing to move from staring at him.

Why did she come with them? he wondered for a moment. Is she here to…

But then it sunk into place.

In one moment, everything went from feeling chilly around him, to suddenly feeling like he was in an inferno.

She had come with Tantalus. She was his date.

For a moment, Ray considered how much he deserved to be two-timed like this. He had, after all, gone behind Shimmer’s back. However, it had been several months, and while he still felt empty, he had moved past it.

But apparently she hadn’t, and based on how Tantalus didn’t want to meet his eye, he knew damn well what was happening.

“Ray, are you alright?” came Princess Celestia’s voice, sounding very alarmed.

Ray blinked. He had been staring at Shimmer for the last several seconds, tendons in his neck were starting to throb painfully from how hard he had grit his teeth, and he was suddenly very acutely aware that everyone except Tantalus and Shimmer were looking at him with some concern.

Tantalus still refused to meet his gaze, but Shimmer was just coolly staring him down, meeting his fury with a sort of challenging indifference.

“Just peachy,” he growled, before turning and stomping away. “Excuse me.”

“Of course,” Princess Celestia said behind him, but he would have gone had she told him to stay..

If there wasn’t a reason for him to not want to be here anymore, there certainly was now. He wasn’t going to spend another minute longer than necessary here, and he certainly wasn’t going to do it in the same room as either of them.

“Ray! Is everything alright?”

He hadn’t even noticed Night Light and Velvet as he stomped past them toward the gardens.

“Everything’s just fine,” he replied sourly, not even glancing at his friend, before continuing.

Night Light could only stare after him in complete confusion as he went, passing by several would-be greeters without so much as a glance his way.

“The buck was that about?” Night muttered to himself, only to get a bump from Velvet.

.”Watch your language, please,” she admonished, giving him a stern look.

“Sorry Vel,” Night grinned sheepishly. “I keep forgetting about all these noble rules.”

“It’s not a rule, it’s just,” she bit her lip for a moment. “Ah, whatever. Just try not to make a habit out of swearing, would you?”

“For you, anything,” Night promised.

“I’ll hold you to that,” she smiled mischievously back at him. “You owe me a trip to that free-falling thing the Princess mentioned.”

“Uhh… you sure? I’m not exactly a fan of thrills like you are, you know.”

“It’ll be fine, trust me,” Velvet patted him on the shoulder. “Anyway, to answer your earlier question, I’ve been… plotting with those friends you introduced me to.”

“Plotting, you say?” Night arched an eyebrow.

About what she had been plotting, Night never really found out. Instead, a pair of mares and a stallion trotted up to join them. Shimmer looked absolutely gorgeous that night. Silver really seemed to suit her as a color. Tantalus looked pretty sharp too. But Night had never known Bellatrix Astrus to wear a dress so well, considering she hated these blueblood social get-togethers almost as much as Ray did. Her dress was white, with a lack of frills or any over-the-top dressings, but it made her look strangely like Velvet, considering her lilac coat and deep purple mane.

“So, we’re all here then,” Bella said in a conspiratorial voice, grinning impishly. “Where’d he get off to?”

“He just walked out to the gardens,” Velvet answered. “Rather angrily, too. I think you might have gotten under his skin a little too well, Shimmy.”

“He’s not gonna talk to me for weeks,” Tantalus moaned. “I saw that look. He was on the verge of exploding where he stood!”

“I’ll handle him,” Shimmer assured him, though she sounded rather grave about it, and Night could see a flicker of uncertainty in those normally-confident silver eyes.

“What the hell are you all up to?” Night asked, feeling his confusion return. At Velvet’s annoyed look, he added “Sorry Vel.”

“Well, Night,” Bellatrix answered, looking over toward the exit to the gardens, “let’s just say we’re helping a couple of friends in need tonight.”

As though that was her cue, Shimmer trotted off, heading toward the garden exit, after Ray.

“Oh, tell me she’s not…” Night whispered, suddenly realizing what they all were up to.

“She is,” Bella replied cheerfully, now sidling over to take Shimmer’s place next to Tantalus. “Now I can finally enjoy the night with my date.”

“And hopefully, the four of us won’t be the only ones with real dates by the end of the night,” Velvet finished.

“And also hopefully, my best friend won’t hate my guts tomorrow morning,” Tantalus whined. “Seriously, why couldn’t you have made Night do this? I like having both my guy friends; I really don’t want to see the day where I lose them.”

“Because Night’s not the kind of stallion to get involved in a plot like this,” Velvet patted his head patronizingly. “He’d rather play bingo all day than do anything fun.”

“Hey!” Night exclaimed, indignant at the belittling of his hobbies. “Nothing wrong with a little tabletop gaming.”

“Never said there was, love,” Velvet replied with an impish grin. “But you’re really not cut out for this whole plotting business. Trust me, we’ve been planning this for weeks.”

“I hope you’re right,” Night muttered, now turning to look back to where Shimmer had trotted off to.

Out in the gardens, Ray was doing his absolute best to focus on the flowers he was currently tending to. Over the past few weeks, he had found horticulture to be an effective way of keeping busy and his mind off of what he had done months ago, but now it just didn’t seem to be working.

“The nerve of him,” Ray growled darkly as Tantalus’ face filled his head. “He knew what he was doing. The bastard couldn’t even look me in the eyes!”

There was a slight tremor under his hooves, and with a startled glance, he looked down to see cracks appearing in the earth under his hooves. In his emotion, he was delving into his elemental alignment again, he realized. With a sigh of forced-calmness, he let go of his unconscious grip on the light within him and the tremors ceased, though the cracks remained. It didn’t matter; they would be trampled down into a seamless surface again once more ponies walked over it.

Maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t in the main ballroom the Gala was being held in. The last thing he wanted to do was defile the gorgeous architecture and effort Princess Platinum’s loyal workforce had put into the castle.

If there was one thing Ray prided himself on, it was that he could appreciate beauty, from things as obvious as a sunset that Celestia was putting extra effort into, to things as subtle as the simple architecture of a structure. Perhaps that was why he enjoyed flowers so much. Their beauty was far more… natural. A flower wasn’t crafted with the intention of being beautiful; it just grew that way, tempered by nature around it.

He let out another slow breath, forcing himself to keep calm, as he surveyed the Hedge of Roses, a wall of hedge devoted to roses (naturally) and the different colors they came in, with some even being artificially modified to display colors roses normally didn’t come in.

Their fragrance was everywhere, but there was a particularly strong scent wafting from further down the way, which he followed. But as he approached, he came to a stop, before glaring at the bush.

The roses issuing this particularly strong fragrance were artificially-colored silver.

Is this some kind of cosmic joke? he thought. I can’t even enjoy flowers without seeing her color.

As if to confirm that it was, in fact, a cosmic joke, he heard the crunching of gravel behind him. Someone else was joining him near the Hedge of Roses, though the gravel path was a bit further back. He glanced back to see who his newest companion was, only to freeze at the sight of them

It was her. Standing at the edge of the gravel path, watching him. Even in the darkness, her silver eyes and mane were still very visible, as was the light glimmering off of her dress.

She was still a bit far off, but now all parties were aware of everything. Ray knew shimmer knew he had seen her. The earlier anger returned, but as he reached critical mass in only a few moments, an entirely different feeling arose in him that quickly dwarfed the anger and left him feeling drained.

He wasn’t sure where he would rather not be. Here, under the watchful eyes of the mare he still loved, and had betrayed; or in there, near the stallion who had been so blatant about going after her not even all that long after their breakup.

It was one or the other, since he couldn’t leave.

“I’m sorry.”

The words just spilled out of his mouth. It felt like he no longer had control, like his body was on full autopilot.

“I was afraid.”

He swallowed. The cat was out of the bag now.

“I was afraid to be in love with you, and rather than tell you about it, I went and did something stupid because thought it was what I wanted. I was afraid of what being in love with you meant for my life’s future, and I hurt you and myself badly because of it.”

The tears were falling now. But rather than feel draining like they had before, now they seemed to be empowering him, helping him to get all of this finally off his chest.

“I spent the last few months just… just lost. You were everything I ever wanted in a mare, and that scared me, because it turns out I have a petrifying fear of commitment. I guess when you spend your youth chasing the tail of every mare you see, you start getting afraid of settling down,” he added bitterly.

Still, she seemed content to let him get his confession out. Frankly, he was suddenly glad she was there. Somehow, some way, she did what she always did, and encourage him to do right for once, even if she was doing so silently, and infuriating him all the same.

“I thought staying single, staying free to chase other mares was what I wanted,” his voice grew soft and he bowed his head, letting the tears fall into the grass below. “But these last few months without you have been empty. I hadn’t chased a single mare since I met you, because you were everything I ever wanted and needed. You… I dunno, fulfilled me, I guess. I didn’t know what I had until I lost you, and it’s my own damn fault.”

That seemed to do something for her, because he could hear her start to move toward him. To what purpose, he didn’t know. All he wanted to do was finally free himself from this burden, and she was letting him.

“And I admit, even after what I did, deep down, I still love you to death. If anything, these last few weeks have only made that even stronger.”

He clenched his eyes shut, even as he felt a pang of pain in his heart.

“But I know I can’t have you anymore.”

With a trembling hoof, he wiped the tears from his eyes, and sniffed.

“I wish you and Tantalus all the best. You deserve someone who will make you happy and stay devoted to you.”

And now that it was over, his earlier anger at Tantalus was gone. the pain at having her so close by was still there, but he supposed it, too, would fade in time. What was important was that he had finally made his confession, and now he could work on being a better stallion for once in his life.

But as he turned to trot away, to head back into the Gala, and to threaten Tantalus that if he ever hurt Shimmer, he was going to answer to him, something caught hold of his tail.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she finally asked. Her voice sounded… cool. There was that much, at least. Maybe she felt he thought that was good enough to buy his way back into her good books, and was going to give him an earful for it.

He turned around to face her, noticing that she was still a few paces off, and that it was her silver magic that had gripped his tail, and saw that she, too, had a stream of tears. And whether it was because of the light of her horn, or because the universe decided it wanted to continue reminding him what he lost, the stream looked like molten silver as well.

Seriously, this is getting kind of ridiculous, he thought.

“You think you can just drop a bomb like that on me and walk away without letting me say anything?”

Now she sounded… sad? What did she have to be sad about?

Suddenly, she strode forward to come within inches of him, and reached a hoof up to touch his cheek. At once, he felt a certain fluttering in his gut, as he had many times around her, as she made contact.

“I… I’m not really with Tantalus,” she smiled uncertainly. “We… that is to say, Velvet, Bella, Tantalus and I…”

She licked her lips.

“We wanted to see if you still cared. But when I saw the look in your eyes… you just--” she bit her lip, “I’m amazed you didn’t vaporize him right there.”

“You… you planned this?” Ray furrowed his brow.

“Tantalus and Bella have been dating for about a month now,” she smiled, and glanced into the main hall. “We all knew how much you were hurting over what you did.”

“Hang on, hang on, what do you mean you wanted to see if I still cared?” he asked, now feeling utterly and totally gone. Just what had been going on these last few months?

“None of us had seen you out and about over the last few months,” she explained. “I shut myself away for several days, but it didn’t take long for Bella, and later Velvet, to get me back to spending time with everyone else again. But you never came back. We started to wonder if you were intentionally avoiding us, so we decided to do something a bit drastic to get your attention.”

“I don’t… What…?”

“Look,” Shimmer sighed. “What you did hurt, Ray. It hurt both of us, and you and I both know it.”

Ray felt himself look away when the thoughts of the mare he had solicited filled his head.

“But seeing you self-destruct hurt me even more.”

At that, his eyes snapped to her’s as quickly as they had to anyone’s, and he found her looking very forlorn.

“I knew something was wrong with you, Ray. Even though you didn’t tell me, I could just tell. And when you did what you did, I won’t lie, I did feel furious at you. I felt that I was right in breaking up with you for it. And I’m sure no one, not even you, would disagree.”

“You were right,” he said.

“But the more I thought about it,” now her own voice had gotten soft, “the more I stewed in what happened, the more I started to blame myself.”

“What!?” Ray’s mouth fell open. “Shimmer, you did nothing wrong. It was all me.”

“I could have done something,” she shook her head. “I knew something was wrong with you, and rather than ask about it, I kept my peace. And it all led to this. Ray, you may have done the deed, but it was my inaction that led to it.”

“Look at us,” Ray suppressed a chuckle. “We’re both completely convinced that everything here is our own fault, and we just won’t hear a word about it being the other pony’s. Some perfect couple we were supposed to be.”

Shimmer smiled a bit at that. “What do you mean ‘were’?”

Ray just stared at her for a long moment, not really comprehending. “I… you… you broke up with me, remember?”

“Yes,” her eyes narrowed. “I do. Ray, you’ve opened yourself up to me, now allow me to do the same.”

“Uh, okay,” Ray replied a bit nervously. What was she about to admit?

“I’ve done things I’m not proud of, Ray,” she said, sounding quite casual about it. “I’ve made peace with my past, and part of me coming here to Canterlot was so I could get away from it all. Being in a relationship with you felt like… I dunno, redemption. It felt like life was finally giving me a chance to bury the past and start over. Everything was completely perfect. You were perfect, despite your old hobby.”

Ray could have sworn he felt himself grow at least ten inches right then and there.

“So when… when that happened,” she finally broke their eye contact as she glanced at the ground, “I… I thought that was the universe making me pay.”

“What did you do that could make you think you deserved me bedding a mare right in front of you?” Ray asked, feeling almost enraged by how she was treating herself. “No one deserves that, Shimmer. No matter what you’ve done, you could never have deserved that.”

“Maybe someday I’ll tell you,” she said softly, seeming to not hear his outburst. “But… but not now. What’s important,” she met his eyes again, and he could see a certain steely determination there, the same kind that had been there when they had locked eyes when the Lulamoons were being introduced, “is that I forgive you. Because if I were to hold a grudge, after some of the things I did, I would be a monumental hypocrite.”

“But…hang on. Shimmer, are you--?”

“Hush, Ray,” she reached forward and stuck a hoof on his lips. “Stop overthinking this. I forgive you. I want you to forgive me. And,” she chewed on her lip nervously, glancing away for a brief moment, “I would like to… to try again.”

It felt as if he had just been struck dumb. Was this really happening? Was he really going to be given a second chance? After what he did? Was she really wanting to try again.

“Yes, dammit,” he replied, after finally finding his words again. “These last months without you have been hell. Of course I want to try again!”

“We’re going to have to do better,” she warned him, giving him a meaningful look. “Ray, if we’re going to try again, we have to communicate better. Can you trust me enough to confide in me if something is wrong again?”

“Anything for you,” he said, feeling not the least bit of hesitance. “Just… if you feel something is wrong, or if something is wrong with me, you need to tell me about it too, right?”

“Yes,” Shimmer dipped her head. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

For a long moment, they just kept standing there, with a myriad of thoughts going through his head. It’s really happening, isn’t it. She’s really giving me a second chance…

Almost as if she could sense it, Shimmer smiled, and then extended a hoof. “Come on. I know you like your flowers, but they’re all waiting for us.”

“Yes, of course,” Ray let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling the weight of everything he was carrying come off his shoulders for the first time in months. “I’m gonna buy that stallion anything he wants for this.”

“Slow down there, love,” Ray smiled as she said that. “Long night ahead of us. Are you ready?”

“With you with me? Always.”

Reaching over, Ray poured himself another measure from the nearly-forgotten bottle of brandy as he finished up. But as he looked back, he scrutinized his son’s face.

“Nova, are you… crying?”

“No!” Nova hastily wiped his eyes. “I mean… yeah. Shut up, I like happy endings.”

Ray grinned at that. “I hear that. And that’s why I’m here. I think a happy ending for yourself and Twilight can still be salvaged, but,” his grin vanished, replaced with a very stern glare, “there’s work to do.”

Nova soured at the mention of her name.

“She’s put up a shield around the library,” he sighed, laying his head down on the bar again. “I tried to get through it the moment I woke up, but…”

His eyes clenched shut. To his credit, however, this time he managed to hold the tears in. Ray couldn’t help but pity him. Unlike himself, Nova had done nothing wrong and had still been hit hard like this.

“Tell me, Nova,” he said. “Why are you so torn up about her?”

“Are you kidding me?” Nova gave him a furious glare. “I lost my best friend because of something I didn’t do, but she thinks I did! Why the hell do you think I’m so torn up about it!?”

“Nova, please,” Ray dismissed his explanation. “Ponies don’t just go spend an entire week plastered over a bar because of a misunderstanding between them and their best friend.”

His look became even sterner.

“Lie to yourself all you want. I can’t stop you. But all I’m asking is to be honest with me. What is Twilight Sparkle to you? Because you and I both know she’s far more than just your best friend.”

“I don’t…” Nova tried to respond, but Ray cut him off.

“If she’s only your best friend, why are you two even dating? Are you toying with her emotions?”

“Fuck no!” Nova exclaimed, looking offended at the insinuation.

“Then why, Nova Shine, are you here!?”

Nova blinked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, sounding confused, and more than a little suspicious.

“You said it yourself,” Ray replied. “She’s barricaded herself inside of the library via magical shield. Which means clearly she’s heartbroken about the entire ordeal, if she’s not even letting those closest to her through. She needs you right now!”

As Nova processed what he was saying, Ray knew he was starting to get through, but he knew that it would take more than that.

“But who am I kidding?” he asked, his voice becoming a tad derisive. “This is Nova Shine, the unicorn so determined to stay off the radar to avoid his father that he even kept his best friend in Canterlot in the dark for the better part of seven years. Compared to Aegis, Twilight Sparkle must be an ordinary common mare, is that it? Is that how she is to you, Nova?” he demanded.

“She’s not--”

“Because you don’t seem to treat her as if she were any more than an ordinary mare to you. Oh sure, you’ve gone on a date with her, you’ve hugged, cuddled, and cried together over small things, but when the going gets tough, you just up and abandon her.”

“I didn’t--!”

Despite his anger, Ray could really tell he was starting to dig deep, to really get to the heart of the matter.

“And now you’re just leaving her to sob into her pillow, broken-hearted and hopeless. But what do you care?” he asked, smiling coldly. “It doesn’t affect your life, so you can just drop right into the pub, spend your hard-earned bits, and drink away your pain while you ignore the one mare in all of Equestria who needs your sorry ass right now. That doesn’t sound fair.”

“Shut up!” shouted Nova, which caused the bar to go quiet again. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I don’t, do I?” asked Ray, doing his best to hide a smile. Almost got him... “Then please explain to me how I don’t know what I’m talking about. I asked you to be honest, and you couldn’t bring yourself to say that which we both know. So, what other conclusion am I supposed to come to?”

Nova fumed, but he had no retort. All he could do was look into that maddeningly calm face of his father’s and wait for something he could interrupt and retort to.

“Since I obviously have no idea what I’m talking about,” Ray continued, “I feel compelled to ask you. Nova, why are you in this bar, crying over--”

“BECAUSE I LOVE HER, DAMN IT!”

The words echoed around the pub, which had gone completely still. Almost everyone there had gone quiet some time ago, but now, with Nova’s roar having drowned everything out, the entire pub’s attention was centered on him.

For a long moment, Nova looked ready to obliterate his father then and there, but Then the anger gave way to tears. Ray knew joyous tears when he saw them, and Nova’s were a textbook example.

“Because what?”

“Because I love her,” Nova replied, a lot more softly, before beaming.

“It’s honestly about damn time you realized the obvious,” the bartender shouted from where he had been standing, observing the conversation.

“Hear hear,” called a stallion sitting over near a window. Must have been one of Neighton’s citizens.

“But now what?” Nova asked, ignoring both of them.

“Pardon?” Ray leaned an ear over.

“She’s blocked me out, Dad. I can’t just waltz right past a shield and apologize.”

“Ah, but I think you can,” Ray replied. “You were at Prince Armor’s wedding, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, I was there because I had to be,” Nova replied, before understanding lit up his face. “We had to go through Shining’s shield to get into Canterlot!”

“You did,” Ray dipped his head. “The shield spell keeps out spells, and also ponies and beings the caster doesn’t want to get through. But like all magic, the heart dictates how the spell works. If, deep down, Twilight Sparkle wants to see you, then you will be allowed through the shield, no matter how much she tells herself otherwise.”

“You think she wants me to tell her it’s all a lie?” Nova asked. “She saw everything.”

“You say you didn’t do it,” Ray reminded him. “Tell her the truth. Make her understand that it is the truth and not a lie. After that,“ he shrugged, “then it goes as it does. So long as you tell her the truth, your relationship will rebuild.”

“I hope you’re right,” Nova sighed, but then seemed to catch himself, and shook his head.

“Though, on the topic of rebuilding relationships,” and here Ray felt himself grow a bit nervous again, “I know we haven’t been on the best of terms, and I think it is a bit unrealistic to think things will be better overnight, but…” he held out a hoof, “I would like to try. Do you think we can try burying the hatchet?”

Nova turned to stare at the hoof for a long moment.

“You told me to tell you if I could remember any times you called me a disappointment,” Nova said.

“I did.”

“I… I don’t think you ever did, did you.”

“Never,” Ray shook his head, his gaze at his son never wavering. “You could never be a disappointment to me, Nova. Did I neglect you? Yes. Was I a bad parent? Most certainly. But never believe I ever thought of you as a disappointment.”

Nova teared up again at that. He had to know Ray was being honest, because his energy sensing meant he could see it plain as day. And before Ray quite knew it, he found himself embracing his son for the first time in years. For a moment, he was completely taken aback, but then, he hugged Nova back, for the first time in more than ten years.

As Nova teared up, Ray felt himself doing so as well, but he held it in.

“As much as I’m glad to fix an old wound between us,” Ray finally lightly pushed his son away, “someone else needs you more right now.”

“R-right,” Nova wiped his eyes, but they were full of determination. “I’ll wait as long as it takes if I can’t get through.”

“When the two of you are on, at least, cordial terms, send me a letter,” Ray instructed. “You both need the diaries of the Faithful Students and Night Apprentices. On receiving your letter, Tantalus and I will be expecting you at noon on the third day after. Though I do honestly believe you ought to be far more than cordial.”

“I hope so,” Nova said, before taking a deep breath.

“You can do it, Nova,” he patted his son on the back. “Just be honest with her, and let time do the rest.”

“Alright.” Nova took another deep breath. “Gotta go get myself presentable, though,” he added, which got a grin out of Ray. “Wish me luck.”

And with that, he stepped off his stool, head held high, and he trotted out of the bar and to his home, where he would prepare himself, and then off to Ponyville, where his mare waited.

Author's Note

Here you are. Chapter 10. A little less silly than the original version of this chapter, but I think it went rather well.

I really enjoyed getting to give Ray more of the spotlight.

Lemme know what you think of this version of the chapter in the comments below, and lemme know any mistakes you find.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Reconciliations

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 11 - Reconciliations

It had been the early part of the afternoon when Nova and his father had parted. Nova had gone straight home, cleaned himself up, and had started the trot to Ponyville at the earliest possible opportunity, wanting to get this done as soon as possible. But as he walked along the path southward, he slowed himself.

It really is a nice day, he had thought, observing the pleasant coolness, the orange, red, and brown leaves of late autumn on the few trees that still had them, and what few birds in the sky flying south. Might as well relish the walk.

That, and it would give him time to think about how best to make his peace with Twilight.

It wasn’t all that hard to piece together what he wanted to do, but he still needed a good way to ingratiate himself just enough so that he could go through with it. That didn’t take him too long to figure out either.

But still, it was a nice day.

He arrived in Ponyville in the mid-afternoon, just past four. A few stops at different stores took him a few minutes more, and in almost no time at all, he was once again on the way to the Golden Oaks library, but now with a basket full of food clutched in his mouth.

It didn’t take him long to arrive at the library. With a pang in his heart, he observed that the shield was still firmly stuck around it, walling him off from the outside.

How torn up is she about this? he thought, feeling a small twinge of pain inside of him at the thought of her still hurting this much from the events of a week ago.

Before he had a chance to consider that, however, he sensed five separate auras of energy in the vicinity. Five auras he recognized. And, as expected, they were closing in on his location.

And one of them was coming from the sky at lightning speed.

About two seconds before impact, Nova’s horn shone blue, and with a yelp of surprise, Rainbow Dash was plucked out of the sky, Nova’s magic having grabbed hold of her tail.

“H-hey! Lemme go!” Rainbow shouted, flailing in mid-air as he set his basket down, though part of the flailing was her trying to aim a punch or two at him. “Lemme go you sunuvabitch!”

“Kiss your mother with that mouth?” Nova asked, slowly pulling her away from him so that one of her punches didn’t nick him by accident.

“Well well,” came a drawl from behind him. The other four auras, no doubt Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and the speaker Applejack, had arrived. “If it ain’t the heartbreaker himself,” she observed.

“Good afternoon,” Nova inclined his head.

“Is it, though?” Rarity asked in a dangerously-low voice. “You’ve got some serious nerve to show up here, given what you did to poor Twilight.”

“And what did I do, exactly?” Nova asked, with an arched eyebrow, turning back to face them.

There they all were, and none of them were very happy to see him. Applejack was scowling at him, Rarity was giving him a rather cool stare, Rainbow was still flailing away, even Fluttershy was giving him a disapproving look! But Pinkie Pie just seemed completely unconcerned with what was going on. Rather, she simply had her usual happy-go-lucky grin on her face as she surveyed the scene around her.

“Put Rainbow down before she hurts herself,” Applejack sighed, with a roll of her eyes.

It was then that Nova noticed she was stretching herself forward, to within an inch of his right ear, and was trying to hit him again.

Nova inclined his head again, and Rainbow was gently allowed down to the ground. No sooner had she landed than she had tried to hit him again, but this time, it was Rarity’s magic that pulled her back.

“Lemme at him!” Rainbow protested, trying to scramble at him. Nova simply gave her a flat stare, not reacting in the slightest as Rarity pulled her back.

“You must have come back for some reason,” Rarity ignored her friend. “Give us one good reason why we shouldn’t turn you over to Applejack and Rainbow Dash this instant.”

“I didn’t do what you think I did,” Nova replied instantly. He wasn’t afraid of Dash and Applejack-- on the contrary, he knew he could take them without suffering any harm-- but he was here to make peace, not start a fight.

Rainbow snorted. “Oh gee, that makes it all better, doesn’t it? He says he didn’t do it. Welp, we’re done here. Come on, guys. He said it, and Twilight can’t confirm it for us, so it must be true!”

“Twilight can’t confirm it?” Nova asked, giving her a strange look. “None of you can get through that shield?”

“No!” Rainbow glared at him. “Whatever you did to her has caused her to completely lock herself away! None of us have seen her for the entire week!”

Nova felt a slight flare-up in her energy as she said this, which caused him to zero in on it.

“That’s… not the truth,” Nova stated, meeting her glare.

“Uh, yeah it is!” Rainbow doubled-down, her glare intensifying

“No, it’s not,” Nova shook his head. “I can sense lies, remember? Have you seen her?”

This got everyone looking at her, which caused Rainbow to suddenly cringe a bit.

“Uh… heh, yeah,” she answered uncertainly, her eyes flicking between them all as they gave her indignant looks.

“She let you in?” Applejack asked, surprised. “She ain’t let any of us in! Why, Ah’ve spent all o’ the last two days here, and not once has that shield gone down! Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because… because…” she searched for an answer, before finally just sighing and confessing. “Because she’s… mad at us.”

That got a reaction of surprise out of all of them. Even Nova was startled by this. He could see Twilight being infuriated by Rarity, but all of them?

“Mad at us?” Rarity asked, sounding confused, and a bit hurt. “But… why?”

“Because of what happened on the date,” Nova answered, shaking his head. “I thought she’d only be mad at you, Rarity. Never did I think she’d be angry at everyone.”

“Not me,” Rainbow said. “She let me in a couple of days ago. She’s a mess, Nova. Wanted me to go spy on you and see what you looked like.

“I imagine I looked the textbook picture of cleanliness and contentment,” Nova replied dryly.

That, for whatever reason, got a small giggle out of Rainbow, thought she tried to fight it.

“No, you were plastered over that bar in Neighton. I saw you, don’t even try to deny it!”

“I was,” he admitted. “I woke up covered in mud the day after the date, and tried to get into the library, but I couldn’t. So, resigning myself to the fact that I had lost a friendship with my closest friend, I stumbled all the way back to Neighton and just fell into a barstool. And there I’ve been for the last week or so.”

Everyone was staring at him, no doubt trying to find even a grain of untruth. Well, everyone except Pinkie, who was still off in La-La Land.

“Applejack,” Nova met her firm gaze with his own. “You’re the Element of Honesty. You want to call me on this?”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. It was a deathly stare, but one, he could sense, that was doing just what he suggested. She was trying to find a reason to call him out.

“Start talkin’,” she ordered.

“Alright,” Nova nodded. “Rarity, what did I do at your boutique when I came by a week ago?”

“You merely picked up those items I was holding on to for you,” Rarity answered, looking a bit confused now that she was part of the interrogation.

“Yes, I did,” Nova nodded. “What happened after? Do you know?”

“I… know nothing. You simply said your goodbye and left. I stayed at the Boutique all night watching Spike.”

“How we doing so far?” Nova looked over to Applejack, whose glare hadn’t wavered in the slightest.

“Nothin’ yet, but that don’t mean there’s nothin’ there at all.”

“True enough,” Nova nodded. “From here, the only ponies who could tell you anything about the remaining events of the night are myself and Twilight. Twilight, of course, is a bit indisposed,” he gestured at the shielded library, “but I can very well tell you what she saw.”

“I was wondering when were were gonna get to the ‘It’s not what you think’ part,” Dash interjected.

“I mean, it’s not,” Nova let out an impatient sniff. “Long story short, there’s a shadow being that’s been plaguing us with nightmares that pretended to be you,” he gestured at Rarity. “She attacked me on the way home from Carousel Boutique, hitting me with several spells to keep me unable to run away or do anything, then when Twilight came looking, she puppetted me into making appear I was in a compromising situation where it looked as though the two of us,” he inclined his head at Rarity, “were in some kind of secret affair.”

The five Bearers of Harmony just stared at him. Rarity looked as though she couldn’t believe her ears, Rainbow Dash was snarling and ready to tackle him, Applejack was just scrutinizing him, no doubt trying to find a hint of a lie, Fluttershy looked almost… pitying? She certainly seemed a lot less angry than the others.

Except Pinkie. She still seemed blissfully unconcerned.

“How preposterous,” Rarity finally said, scowling at him. “That sounds like a load of rubbish.”

“It’s not,” Nova stared Applejack down, even as she continued to stare at him all the more intensely. “We were both manipulated masterfully, and Twilight was made to see what would split us apart.”

For a long moment, no one moved or said anything. Nova and Applejack kept their eyes locked. It wasn’t a staring contest by any means, but Nova was determined to make her see.

“Pinkie?” Applejack finally asked.

“Yeah-huh?” Pinkie beamed.

“What’s your take?”

“He’s telling the truth,” Pinkie replied, giving Nova a quick grin that even gave off its own squeak.

“Your Pinkie Sense tell you that?” Rainbow asked, giving her a suspicious look.

“Well, normally when a pony lies around me, I get an itchy hoof and a sneezy snout, and my hoof’s not itchy, but my snout feels a bit--” she sneezed. Everyone stared at her for a moment, leading her to glance back at them like they were the weird ones. “Whaaaaaaat? Whenever I randomly sneeze, it means somepony’s talking about me somewhere far away.”

She put a hoof to her chin and appeared to think about it for a moment.

“I’m getting the weirdest feeling it was Maud and Limey. No, wait! Maybe it was Marble and Limey! Someone and Limey...”

“You don’t think he’s lying because your Pinkie Sense says he’s not?” Applejack steered her back on topic.

“Nope!” Pinkie chirped. “I also read ahead,” she said, before winking at the readers and whispering “Just wait till next chapter. It’s a doozy! I can’t believe Nova is actually--mmph!”

“That’s enough out of you,” Rarity rolled her eyes and clamped Pinkie’s mouth shut. “Though, honestly, your support of Nova is rather surprising.”

“You’re supposed to be on Twilight’s side!” protested Rainbow in exasperation. “She’s mad at Nova, so you have to be too!”

“If Pinkie vouches for him, I think I can trust him as well,” Fluttershy put forth, before recoiling as Rainbow Dash turned her rather furious glare toward her. “N-n-nova would never cheat on Twilight. It just doesn’t sound l-like him,” she squeaked, giving him a nervous glance.

“Ah have to agree,” Applejack gave him a curt nod. “He ain’t lyin’, far as Ah can tell. And truth be told, the idea that Nova would ever go behind Twilight’s back like that is really far-fetched. So, for what it’s worth,” she stepped forward and offered a hoof, “sorry for doubtin’ ya.”

“It’s no problem,” Nova shrugged, bumping it lightly. “You took Twilight’s side; it’s understandable. Which means now all I have to do is convince her, and then all is right.”

“You’re buying this!?” Rainbow was now gaping at Applejack.

“Rainbow Dash, if Applejack says he isn’t lying, then he isn’t lying,” Rarity stated with a sigh. “Not to mention, Pinkie Pie vouching for him, and even Fluttershy taking his side should be enough. Nova dear,” she gave Nova a dangerous look, “you’re on thin ice. Even if you didn’t do it, it’s taken you this long to try and fix the situation. If you make it worse, I will ensure you pay for it.”

“Ugh, fine!” Rainbow groaned, but floated on down to the ground. “What Rarity said,” she jabbed a hoof at him. “You make this worse, I’m dropping you off of Cloudsdale.”

“No pressure then,” Nova inclined his head. “May I?” he added, gesturing at the library. Applejack just gestured with her head and with her permission, Nova trotted over.

“Moment of truth,” he muttered to himself as he stepped closer to the large pink shield. Never once had he been able to pierce one of Twilight’s shields in training. Now, he was hoping he’d be able to step through without needing a single bit of magic to help him out.

With a deep breath, he raised a hoof and pressed it against the shield…

...only to stumble right through it as though it weren’t there. It almost felt like he was stepping through a sheet of cool water, but the moment he steadied himself and looked around, he felt an enormous amount of relief wash over him.

He was in!

“Alright, that’s the easy part,” he remarked, turning back to see all five of them (except Pinkie Pie, naturally) with jaws wide as can be.

“You stepped through her shield!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“I did?” Nova blinked, before taking a faux-look around. “Oh, so I did. Thank-you for your insight, Rainbow.”

“Har har,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “How did you step through, though? I’ve never seen anypony get through one of Twilight’s shields! The shield was down when I came by, but it went right back up when I left and I couldn’t get back in!”

“She let me through,” Nova answered, feeling his insides quiver. Just because she had let him in didn’t mean he was making it out unscathed, or with what he wanted. “But we’ll see how long she lets me stay. Stick around for a bit, would you? Then you can beat me to a pulp when I step outside.”

With that, he opened the doors to the library and stepped inside, and at once, his senses were assaulted. Books were thrown everywhere, curtains were shut, no light was in the room… it looked like a crime scene rather than a living space.

With a small twinge of pain inside of him, Nova stepped into the Golden Oaks, the door slowly closing behind him. As it shut, the room was, once again, thrown into total darkness. But a quick spell from him later and all of the candles were lit, and the curtains were opened, allowing light to stream in, and allowing him to see all of the damage.

Books being thrown everywhere was the worst part of this room, he realized. The horse head statue had been thrown over, but appeared undamaged, the various knickknacks on top of the shelves and in the niches around the walls had been thrown everywhere…

...except one.

Nova’s eyes fell upon the strangely-colored flowers as he surveyed the room, and when he did, they were picked up in his magic and brought down. They weren’t actual flowers, he realized as they came close to him, but rather, marble imitations. And they were crafted in such a way that they formed a heart between them.

And one of them was colored with Twilight’s colors, and the other with his own.

When did she get this? he wondered, staring at the flowers and feeling small tears well up. But before he thought about it for long, he shook his head, conjured a vase, and stuck the marble sculpture inside, so that they looked like actual flowers.

And with that, he trotted up the stairs to the second floor, toward Twilight’s room. Predictably, the door was shut, but he could sense it wasn’t locked. And he could sense Twilight was in the room, up where her bed was.

As he trotted up, everything looked just as bad on the second floor. Books thrown, shelves emptied, chairs overturned… All of it just led Nova to let out a deep sigh and shake his head.

This really does need to be set right.

With that, he stepped up to the door that led to Twilight’s loft. On the other side, he could sense her, lying in her bed a few meters above the ground, and from the other side of the door, he could just hear the faintest of sniffles.

I can’t wait any longer. No dramatics.

With that, he pushed open the door.

Her room was everything the previous few had been, and then some. Books were still everywhere, her belongings had been tossed every which way, her bed covers had been thrown to the floor, and there, up in the bed perched in her niche amidst several shelves of books that had been carved into the walls, was Twilight Sparkle.

She was staring out of the window, her expression visible thanks to its reflection in the glass, and it was completely forlorn. Her eyes looked half-open, but didn’t appear to be puffy, meaning she probably hadn’t cried all that recently, though she had sniffled moments ago. Her coat was scuffed and dirty, her mane and tail were tangled and frazzled messes, and her demeanor had a noticeable slump to it. All in all, she looked worse than she had when he had come in to make his peace with her after the Crystal Empire trip.

But the moment he pushed open the door and stepped in, her ears swiveled back, and she turned to see the intruder, startled by the sudden noise.

Fora long moment, they stared at each other, with Nova feeling concerned for her wellbeing, but her own expression being several things, most notably disbelief.

He could almost hear the seconds ticking by as they stared each other down, neither one moving or making a sound. Nova could see the battle raging through her eyes, as though she couldn’t decide how to feel about him being there.

Until she settled on fury.

Her face shifted into the absolute angriest he had ever seen. If looks could kill, Nova would have needed at least a hundred extra lives just to make it through the first few seconds. And what’s more, he could see the heat start to radiate off of her, something made more apparent when the dampness of her bed seemed to vanish instantly and steam rose from the mattress.

“How did you get past my shield?” she asked, standing up and glaring at him. Her teeth were grit and bared, her eyes were narrowed, and the heat wasn’t abating. Nova could feel it from across the room.

“I stepped through it,” he answered, shrugging lightly.

“No, impossible,” Twilight growled, snarling at him. “My shield wouldn’t have let you just step right on in. How did you get through?”

“I’m telling you, Twilight, all I did was step through it,” Nova replied, giving no physical reaction to her anger.

The heat intensified, and with a flash of light, she transformed into Flamelight.

“You LIAR!” she shouted. “Get out!”

“May I have a moment to say why I’m here?” Nova asked calmly, despite the waves of heat starting to make him sweat under his coat.

It appeared that was the wrong move.

“GET OUT!” she screamed. Her horn shone and a tongue of fire separated from her mane and lashed out at him at blinding speed.

Acting purely on instinct, Nova felt himself rear back, felt himself delve into his own magic, and felt a sudden rush of wind around him. Before he had a moment to think about what was happening, the fire Twilight had sent his way came to an abrupt halt right between his front hooves, caught in what appeared to be a strange, silvery orb.

It took Nova a moment to realize, he had caught Twilight’s flame in a ball of circling winds. Winds, he also realized, that had come from him.

And now that he had noticed it, he could feel his mane and tail rustle and flap about, as a sourceless and invisible wind blew around him.

For a long moment, he stared at the fire between his hooves, and then looked up to Twilight, who was staring at him with the same shock he was currently feeling. Gone were her flames; it seemed all she could do was stare.

As though his body were on autopilot, he felt himself slowly close his hooves together, the wind between them shrinking down and depriving the fire of its source, before it was finally snuffed out altogether.

Winds can help fire spread out of control, he remembered Twilight telling him of how wind and fire interacted, back when determining his elemental typing, but at the same time, wind can contain a fire.

It seemed Twilight was still having trouble deciding how to feel, but once again, she settled on anger. Rather than lash out with magic, this time she hopped down from her bed and stomped toward him, her face still a snarl.

“Get. Out,” she hissed, her horn shining dangerously as she grew closer and closer.

Deciding that it was best to leave her be, Nova bowed his head in response, before backing out the door. As it shut in front of him, he swore he could hear Twilight begin to cry anew.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Luna found herself in an oddly-good mood all of a sudden. As she pranced her way through the halls of Canterlot castle, letter clutched in her magic and singing a song she was making up the lyrics of as she went, the guards couldn’t help but break composure to give her odd looks as she danced her way to Celestia’s room.

“La-la-la, dancin’ around, na-na-na, letter in my ma-gic!”

A column of guards were marching their way down a hall as she turned a corner, so she did what any sane pony would do, and cast a spell to reverse gravity on herself, and danced her way across the ceiling.

“Headin’ to my sisteeeeer’s room! So she can meet the princess of theeeeee moon!”

“Uhh, captain?” asked one of the guards.

“Private?” the sergeant turned his head to look back, not breaking stride.

“She does know those words don’t rhyme, right?” the private just watched as Luna skated across the ceiling above him.

“Private, the last time someone criticized Princess Luna’s singing, Princess Celestia had them cleaning toilets with a toothbrush. In their mouth, might I add.”

"But that was right after she returned," one of the privates pointed out. "Princess Celestia only did that to prevent Private Withers from psychologically damaging her sister."

"Yes, yes," Sgt. Shield Breaker sighed, pinching his nose. "Buck should have known better, but really, do any of you want to risk it?"

The group of guards let out a collective shudder at that, preferring to let the eccentric alicorn go about her business after that. No sooner had Luna slid across the ceiling past them than she leapt off of it, spinning a perfect triple-axel while righting her personal gravity, and landing perfectly on her hooves with nary a hint of a stumble.

“Huzzah! How many points do we receive!?” she asked, glancing over at the judge’s table… only to remember that she was in a hall in Canterlot Castle, not in the midst of the Equestria Games. With a nervous and embarrassed giggle, she continued on her way, throwing open the door to her sister’s room, where she was taking a three-hour break for the day to catch up on some reading.

“Sister!” she proclaimed, stepping into the room and vaulting onto Celestia’s rather large bed.

It never ceased to irritate Luna just how pink Celestia’s room was. The bed was pink. The walls were pink. The carpet was pink. The ceiling was pink. The curtains were pink. The Cadance sitting on the bed with her aunt was pink. The Shining Armor standing politely beside the bed was white. Even the pillows were pink.

The only breaks in the pink were the golden suns that were everywhere. A large sun on the ceiling, suns emblazoned on all of the pillows, a sun branded into the small pink wooden table Celestia had set up specifically for tea, suns on her pink-painted dresser, suns on the flanks of her sister, who was currently watching Luna make faces as she surveyed her sister’s room, even a sun on the cover of a book Celestia kept on her dresser, though that sun looked a bit strange, with a large portion of red on its lower-right side in addition to the gold.

“Hello auntie,” Cadance greeted her, waving a hoof despite being within a meter of where Luna had landed.

“Hello niece,” Luna smiled at her in return. “And hello to you too, Shining Armor. Is everything all clear in this sector, sir?” she added, giving the former captain a rather exaggerated salute.

Shining, unlike his wife (not to mention Luna), appeared to be in a very bad mood.

“Mmh,” grunted the grumpy guard.

“Forgive my husband,” Cadance threw said husband a look, “he’s just a little bit absolutely livid about what’s gone on in Ponyville for the last week or so.”

“Well, we bring the greatest news on that end,” Luna proffered the letter she was carrying in her magic to Celestia. “Ray says he and our dear Night Apprentice have finally made their amends, and Nova is currently either on his way to, or in, Ponyville to set things right between himself and Twilight Sparkle.”

At the mention of Nova’s name, the air grew noticeably colder. And not in the metaphorical sense, it did very literally get cold enough for Luna to notice that the metal in her chestpiece was starting to frost over.

“Shining!” Cadance threw him another look.

“Sorry,” Shining replied, most distastefully. The chill vanished and the frost receded.

“You were made captain in no small part for your ability to not let your emotions affect the environment around you, Prince-Consort,” Celestia chided, though her tone suggested she was doing nothing more than offer casual advice. “I understand your anger at the stallion who shattered your sister’s heart, but this is hardly the time or place to let it show. Are we clear?”

“Yes ma’am,” Shining inclined his head.

“So, Ray and Nova have finally patched things up, then?” Celestia asked, taking Luna’s offered letter and giving it a read. As her eyes moved further and further down the page, a very proud smile crossed her features, before she handed the letter to Cadance. “Niece, your LBBFF has come quite a long way.”

“You said he was going to Ponyville,” Shining said, throwing the letter a filthy look. “What makes you think Twily is just going to let him talk to her?”

“There is no guarantee she will,” Celestia replied evenly, cutting off Luna’s decidedly more optimistic answer. “However, I am of the opinion that she might, at the very least, hear him out.”

“Hear him out for what?” Shining demanded, looking askance at Celestia. “You think my sister won’t know what happened?”

“What did happen?” Celestia asked in return. Luna knew that as much as she trusted Shining, Shining was treading on dangerous ground here.

Wisely, Shining fell silent at that, just content to glare at Princess Celestia in response. Celestia, however, didn’t seem remotely concerned.

“Regardless of what did or didn’t happen between them,” Celestia informed Shining, taking advantage of the former captain’s silence, “the fact of the matter is, their enemy is still seeking an opportunity to end their lives. Alone, they cannot hope to best her. Their only chance is together. Whether it is only temporary, or whether they repair things and come out all the stronger, Captain, if you do not wish to be present at your own sister’s funeral, I suggest you hope as much as we do that Nova succeeds.”

It wasn’t a threat by any stretch of the term, but damn did it feel like one. Shining could be as angry as he wanted at Nova, but all three of the alicorns in the room knew just how much the implications there-- even if they were far from implicit-- got to him.

“And besides,” Luna seized her moment, “even though we may be no shortage of biased in favor of our pupil, we have seen the both of their dreams, and explored both of their memories.” She gave Shining a significant look. “It was not Nova’s fault, nor was it Twilight’s. As our sister said, their enemy is waiting for an opportunity. This was her first attempt to drive a wedge between them, to split them apart so they would be easy prey. And it succeeded. Our best hope for the two of them is that they are able to at least return to being civil.”

Shining just turned his gaze out of the window, where down below, even as distant as Ponyville was, a faint pink bubble stood out among the collection of buildings, and sighed.

“I just hope you’re right."

"Cheer up, Shiny," Luna lightly jabbed her nephew-in-law's shoulder. "We have the highest of hopes for today, and we believe you should too. Come! Let us double the hopes!"

Yet despite her best efforts, the most she got out of Shining was slightly less of a glower.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Stupid!” Twilight whispered to herself, as she slammed a hoof onto her pillow. The fresh memory of Nova bowing his head and backing out seemed burned into her brain, and hadn’t left at all over the last several hours. Even though she had no way of telling just how long it had been, she was sure it had to have been at least three.

Only minutes before he had stepped in, she couldn’t seem to get her mind off of certain regrets. She didn’t hear him out, she attacked him without giving him a chance to speak up, that he and Rarity had such a rivalry that there was no chance something like that could happen, and Nova’s own experiences with betrayal.

All of that had gone out the window when he had entered, and she had seen his stupid, lying face again.

What had she been thinking? That he really hadn’t done all of the very things she saw with her own eyes? She was a mare of science. She had seen the imposter Cadance for who she was when no one else could tell, not even Princess Celestia. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in the deepest parts of Tartarus that she could be wrong on this one...

...right?

She had tried sleeping, anything to get him off of her mind, but the downsides of crying into a pillow included that pillow being uncomfortably wet. Despite her firestorm having evaporated all of the tears in her bed, the crying done immediately after he left had only redampened everything. Not to mention, she was simply too angry and restless to properly settle down.

“Ugh,” she groaned, before swinging her legs out and plodding her way to the door. Maybe some food would do her some good. It had been more than a day since she had last eaten.

Passing by the books scattered on the ground, remnants of her attempts to pass the time that only resulted in her not being invested enough to even care, she made her way to the door of the library and pushed it open.

She was unprepared for the smell that hit her.

Everything smelled… clean. Yes, that was the word. There was the faint scent of pine in the air as it wafted in, but mixed in was the unmistakable smell of cooking food, something that instantly set her mouth to watering and triggered a rather loud growl from her stomach.

Unfortunately, there could be no doubt who was doing it. First he had gotten past her shield, and now he was refusing to leave? Couldn’t he take the hint?

As she slowly made her way downstairs, the smells grew more and more powerful, and Twilight began to feel the unmistakable cool feeling of freshly-washed wood under her hooves. He must have gotten the stairs recently with whatever he was doing.

As she walked past the second floor, she could see that indeed, everything had been cleaned to pristine condition from the last time she had been down here. Candles were lit, books were properly organized (despite several book series being arranged alphabetically rather than numerically), even fresh flowers had been placed in several pots around the room.

Twilight wasn’t sure whether to feel a bit grateful for cleaning up after her, or more than a bit furious that he was refusing to leave and thought this was a cheap way to buy his way back into her life.

But then she emerged into the ground hall room of the library.

The first thing she noticed was that there was a table set up with only a single chair, plate, and silverware there. Elsewhere, she noticed that again, books had been organized, everything smelled rather faintly of pine, and the library looked better than it had in the last few months.

But the one thing that drew her attention was the marble flowers that had been placed in a vase that stood where the horse-head statue normally went.

With a clenching feeling in her gut, Twilight stared at marble sculpture Shimmer Novus had made for her, with its blue and white, and navy blue and purple flowers growing around each other, before sprouting away and bending inward to form a heart,

In her rage that night, it was the one thing she had so desperately tried to throw across the room and break, but couldn’t bring herself to.

Now she wanted nothing more than to hurl them out the window.

But before she could, her magic already illuminating the vase with the flowers in it, her stomach let out another loud growl as a wave of the smell overpowered her.

Obviously, it was food. But it smelled… surprisingly good. And it had the unmistakable scent of her favorite Bitalian dish.

Her face sliding into a scowl, she released her magic on the vase and stomped her way to the kitchen door, which she shoved open rather forcefully.

Everything in here looked clean, too. There were no dishes in the sink, there was nothing sitting out from her last week even though she knew she had left things out.

And there he was.

Nova Shine was humming something to himself, which she later recognized as a piece from “Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity.” It was just so infuriating to see that he was still in a good mood, despite the yelling and fire-tossing she had done to him earlier. Even more obnoxiously, he had his back turned to her as he hoof-stirred something in a rather large pot that was simmering on her stove, as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

Whether he noticed her or not, though given his energy sensing he most likely did, he didn’t react. Instead, he simply brought a tiny spoon up from her drawer, dipped it in the pot, drew it up to his lips for a sip, savored it for a moment, and then started shutting everything down.

“I told you to leave,” she hissed as he magically pulled the pot off of stove and started carrying it over to a large nearby pot that was filled to the brim with fettuccine noodles, and dumped the contents of his own pot into it.

Nova simply grunted and set to scraping out the leftover alfredo sauce with his stirring spoon until every last drop had been extracted, before he carried it back to the sink to fill and soak.

“Get. Out,” she demanded, her horn flaring to life again.

“In a moment,” Nova said in an even voice, as his horn shone and filled the sauce pot with water and soap. “I’m not finished yet.”

“You’ve done enough,” Twilight growled, her horn just itching to fire the spell that would hit Nova right in the back before he could even react. “Now get out of my library.”

“As soon as you’ve eaten,” her stomach growled again at the mention of that word, “and as soon as I’ve said my piece, I will leave and never bother you again.”

“You think you can just clean the library and make me dinner and just like that, we’re friends again!?” she demanded.

“No,” Nova inclined his head at her, though he refused to turn and meet her eye. “I thought that I could clean the apartment because of how messy it had gotten, and that I’d make you dinner, that you’d eat it, and that you wouldn’t die of hunger. As for us being friends again, well…” he brushed back his mane and still refused to meet her eye or even look in her general direction, “no guarantee of that, but I would at least like to get what I have to say off my chest.”

“And what makes you think I’m just going to sit here and listen to your excuses!?” she demanded, her mane once again bursting into flames as she stomped toward him, already getting pushed closer and closer to that edge she so desperately wanted to cross.

He deserved it, after what he did.

But before she could advance more than a few paces, wind issued from Nova, creating a light vortex around her, halting her in her path. She could have pressed forward, but she knew he would just remove the fire’s fuel again.

“Because I know you, Twilight,” he said. It wasn’t just a statement of fact; it was authoritative. It sounded partly as though he were stating something obvious, but also as if he were commanding her. “If there’s one thing I know you value above all others, it’s the search for truth and knowledge. And today, I offer both.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, but after a moment, she watched as Nova winced.

“That… that was a pretty bad line, let me try again,” he cleared his throat. “The long and short of it is, there’s no way you’ll believe me, or even listen to me, unless you know you can grill me all you want and know beyond the shadow of a doubt what the truth is. And so I’m offering to teach you a way to make that happen.”

Twilight snorted derisively, the fire fading.

“Right,” she sneered, “and I suppose you’re just generously offering something so you can make me think I’m seeing the truth, so you can lie to my face and get away with it, is that it?”

“It’s energy-sensing,” Nova replied simply. “The plan was to teach you how to sense energy, show you how it feels when someone tells a lie in front of you, and then let you grill me all you want.”

Her derisiveness vanished almost instantly. She wouldn’t deny, she had been hoping she had that ability. In general, it seemed like a very useful ability to have, but more importantly, he had a point. Based on what he said about energy sensing, it would be an effective way for her to interrogate him.

Her face slid into a frown.

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Nova shrugged. “I teach you how to sense energy and how to use that to sense when a pony is lying. You use that to grill me to your heart’s content. And when I’m done, I promise, I’ll leave you alone if you still want me to.”

“‘If you still want me to,’” she snarled. “You sound awfully confident in yourself.”

“I know what you saw,” Nova said evenly, still not turning around to face her. “I also know what I experienced. You saw what you were meant to see, Twilight. But you won’t hear any of it until you know I can’t hide anything from you. So I’m offering you that transparency.”

With that, he finished shutting down her stovetop and magically carried the pot with the sauce and a large pot full of noodles toward a large bowl he had set up on a counter, and then mixed the two together. Once finished, he retrieved a bowl from her cabinet, with which he filled with pasta, and a fork.

Once he had both of those, he took them both out into the main room of the library and set them on the table he had set up, with her following him, still considering the offer.

He’s offering you a way to interrogate him. And he’s promising to leave when he’s done. When have you ever known Nova to go against his word?

When he went behind my back with Rarity.

Fair, but what could it hurt to see what he has to show?

He could be trying to hoodwink me. To trick me, or worm his way back into my good graces.

That’s not a good reason to not give this a try. That’s just a reason to be a bit suspicious when he does teach you.

It didn’t take much longer after that train of thought for Twilight to come to a decision.

“Fine,” she growled, still looking daggers at his back as he carried the large bowl of pasta and set it at the same table. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Very well,” Nova dipped his head, but rather than do something to teach her how to sense energy, he pointed with a hoof at the chair set at the table. “But first, you need to eat.”

“Why?” she asked, her growl becoming a bit more irritated. “I’m not hungry.”

She knew he’d sense the lie. She was prepared to fight him over this. But before he could call her out, her stomach let out a rather loud growl that she knew very well he could hear.

There was a second of silence, during which she was absolutely sure he was probably smirking. Celestia, how she wanted to wipe the stupid grin off of his stupid face!

“...fine,” she capitulated, sitting down, stabbing her fork into the pasta, and jamming it into her mouth. The sooner she was done, the quicker he’d be on his way out.

To her surprise, the pasta was actually as good as it smelled. But the last thing she wanted to do was give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Her bowl was emptied in only a few moments. But before she could take both her own bowl and the serving bowl back to her sink to be washed, her stomach let out another growl. Not quite as loud, but still loud enough.

“Eat as much as you’d like,” Nova said, from his position sitting on the stairs and reading a copy of Great Expectations. “I made plenty.”

Her face going red, she instead filled her bowl with more pasta and once again set to jamming it into her mouth, chewing no more than she needed to, and swallowing quickly.

She was halfway through her fourth bowl when she decided she was done. Finishing her bite, she practically threw the fork into it, shoved it back, and glared at Nova with her forelegs crossed.

“I’m done,” she said acidly.

“Alright,” Nova’s book shut, and she could see him nod to himself rather briefly before, rather than be replaced on her bookshelf, it was joined by nine other books, all floating down and stacking themselves neatly in front of him. “Go ahead and have a seat on the floor someplace.”

“Where?” she asked, trotting forward, only for him to turn his head and glance away.

“Wherever,” he shrugged. “You just need a bit of space around you.”

“How much sp--” she frowned as his refusal to look her way finally annoyed her enough. “Okay, why are you doing that!?”

“Doing what?” Nova asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“You know exactly what!” she snapped, scowling. “Why are you constantly looking away!?”

“I just… don’t think I’ve earned that back yet,” Nova answered. Rather than his usual calm voice, it had gone low, almost like someone expressing… sorrow?

He’s just “sad” that I want to throw him out of the Golden Oaks, Twilight reasoned, glowering at him, before deciding to just do as she was asked. A pouf was taken from a pile of them, floated down to her chosen spot, and then practically slammed down onto the wooden floor, on which she plopped down, still fuming.

“Let’s get this over with,” she grumbled. “How long will this take?”

“Not very,” the books Nova had picked out were suddenly illuminated in a blue glow as he also took a seat on the floor. Once he was settled, they all flew up and started to orbit him at a lazy pace.

“So what do I do?”

“First thing’s first, have you ever sat in a Lotus Position before?”

“No.”

“Do you need me to--”

“No.”

Nova held up his hooves. “I’m just trying to help you. You want this to end sooner, the least I can do is speed it along.”

Twilight assumed the Lotus position, crossing her lower legs, sitting up straight, and resting her forehooves on her lower knees.

“Now close your eyes, and start taking slow, deep breaths in through your nose, and out through your mouth.”

Twilight did, failing to contain a death glare before she did so, before all sight vanished.

“So how do I sense it?” she asked, brusque as usual.

“I’m going to start channeling my magic,” Nova explained, his tone as infuriatingly calm as ever. “I’ll be alternating between channeling magic at a high intensity for a moment, and low intensity the next. The idea is to kind of coax your… for want of a better term, ‘third-eye’ into opening up and having a look at what’s causing the weird fluxes.”

“And how long will that take?”

“For you? Probably just a few minutes,” Nova replied. “It took me about fifteen for my sensing to really kickstart. You’ll probably do it more quickly. All you need to do is keep breathing slowly, and try to feel everything you can around you. See if you can hone in on when I’m using my magic at high intensity. Are you ready?”

“Let’s just get this over with” Twilight spat, before shutting up and refusing to speak any more to him.

“Alright, here we go.”

True to his word, for the first few minutes, Twilight couldn’t feel anything. She just sat there, eyes resolutely clenched shut, and trying to sense everything that was going on around her without seeing it. More than once, she sat there simply wondering if Nova was doing this to make a fool of her.

But not long after she had first shut her eyes, she could feel it.

It was the strangest feeling. She could still hear everything around her, she was paying extra attention to her sense of touch around her, but now it was like… it was like seeing the faintest of lights start to illuminate her self-inflicted darkness.

Somewhere, in the distance, she could almost see something swirling around ahead of her, in the direction of Nova.

As she started to focus and pay more attention to that strange set of swirling stars, her darkness gave way to light. Blue light, more specifically. Where Nova was very obviously sitting, it appeared to be a blue nexus of energy, glowing in the darkness around it, and all around this blue nexus, several smaller collections of blue energy were orbiting it rather slowly.

Like planets orbiting a sun.

A moment later, the “planets” sped up, whirling around at a much faster pace, and with it, the energy they were giving off rose considerably. But the light wasn’t the main concern. There was that feeling, like someone was holding the tip of a quill just a few millimeters above her skin, and she knew it was there, but couldn’t really feel it. That maddening near itch of a sensation, except now, it was coming from the magic in front of her, which had grown even more in intensity..

The sudden surge of the sense they were giving off caused her to let out a small yelp and topple backward. As she fell, the same itch stayed in place, pointing in the exact same direction, despite the fact that she was now on her back.

Despite how irritating the sensation was, she couldn’t help but feel… strangely accomplished. She could do it now! It was clear she could sense energy! And now that she knew what it felt like, she could feel her awareness start to turn to other things around her, like the enchantments she had put on her cabinets to occasionally unstack and restack her plates and bowls to prevent them from collecting dust. She could also just barely feel the shield spell outside the Golden Oaks, too.

But beyond that, everything was dark.

“I… I can do it,” she whispered, feeling herself smile for just a moment at the realization…

...until she remembered who had taught her and why.

Her accomplished grin gave way to a frown as she looked over at Nova, who appeared to be in a sort of trance, the books were now orbiting him at various angles. Now he almost looked like the stereotypical picture of an atom for some reason. Was he doing it on purpose?

“Nova,” she barked, a little bit more harshly than she had originally intended, but as she was hardly trying to be gentle around him, she didn’t feel bad about it.

“Hm?”

The books stopped, and briefly, one of Nova’s ears swiveled into his direction.

“I got it,” Twilight announced, before sitting back down. “I hate to admit it, but I’m sure you taught me w-- yes, I can.”

She had noticed he had suddenly taken to writing something down inside of her floor with his magic, probably testing to see if she actually could. It had been rather strange. She had felt that strange sensation, so she had clenched her eyes shut, only to find glowing blue letters beneath her.

The phrase in question was “Can Twilight Sparkle burst into flames?”

And it was now restructuring itself, a bit further away, to ask, “How many objects are in a baker’s dozen?”

“Thirteen,” Twilight answered, scowling. “You’ve proven your point.”

But a third question had appeared, now so far down, her sensing could barely see it. “Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?”

“Wh…?” Twilight mouthed, trying to decipher what the hell he was saying. “Has anyone really… Okay, Nova, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Nova shrugged, though she could just hear the slight snicker in his voice. “Just a nonsense phrase I was using to see if you were telling the truth. You didn’t even notice I hid a fourth one underneath it, so I imagine it means you can’t quite see that far, but that’s fine. Your range will broaden with time.”

“What did the fourth one say?” she asked, glaring at him. Probably something just as stupid as the third one.

“It said ‘I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts’,” he answered.

At once, it felt like Nova’s energy… flared. That seemed to be the right word. His energy seemed to spike, and the nexus shivered ever so slightly.

Did this mean he was lying?

“Was… was that a lie?”

“It was!” Nova was evidently beaming at that. “You’ve figured out what me telling a lie feels like. The sentence underneath actually said ‘Can you read this?’ by the way.”

Despite knowing she was supposed to still be enraged by his very existence, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a bit amused and more than a little accomplished, just by this one act of learning how to sense energy.

Though now that she thought about it…

“So, if I can sense energy now,” she began, with a glance upward, “why can’t I sense the tree?”

“Pardon?” Nova leaned his swiveled ear a bit closer.

“The tree that the Golden Oaks is housed in,” she clarified, pointing upward, though she doubted he could see that. “The tree is alive. Living things give off energy. Shouldn’t I be able to sense it?”

“Good question,” Nova nodded. “You will, with enough time. Your third eye just opened. If your normal eyes were closed your whole life and you opened them now, you would be a bit overwhelmed by regular light, right? And then, over time, you’d start to see things normally, and then eventually start to see the smaller, fainter things as your eyes got used to it all. Well, same with energy sensing. You’re only going to see the overt now, but give it time, and give your new sense some attention, and you’ll eventually start to see the subtle, fainter magical energy that flows in the earth.”

“Wait, so this can only sense magical energy?” Twilight scowled. “I thought it could sense everything.”

“Not quite,” Nova admitted. “If we really wanted to get technical, if you really could sense every type of energy, you should see the potential energy stored in books high up on the shelf, or the reactions given off by the atoms in the air, or even the energy given off by your stomach as it digests the pasta I cooked for you. But no, this sense just picks up the magical energy around you. And you’d be surprised just how much of it is around you at any given time.”

“No, I don’t think I would,” Twilight refuted, now stalking toward Nova, who remained as calm as ever from his spot.

Nova didn’t seem to have anything to say to that, but as Twilight approached, he seemed to start as he realized something else.

“Hang on, hang on, before we get started,” Nova held up a hoof, before his horn shone. While on the surface, Twilight could see nothing, with her new ability to sense magical energy, she could see that he was hiding his energy behind a wall. Rather than appear like a glowing star, now it felt like a glowing blue sheet, hiding things behind it.

“That’s what it looks like when you cover up,” Nova explained. “You could see a shifting and swirling mass of energy before, and now all you can see is a wall, right? Feel free to call me out if it ever goes up.”

The blue sheet of magic vanished, and the nexus of energy was back.

“So, drill away.”

It was rather strange. Not a day ago, her mind had been buzzing with possibilities for ways Nova could have possibly not been the culprit. During all of her mental beat-herself-up sessions, she had lamented so many things she had overlooked in favor of being angry, blasting Nova, hitting him, and then galloping away like she did this past Saturday evening.

But now...

Now she was struggling to think of even one question to ask him.

Now that everything was right in front of her, now that she had the key to really get to the bottom of this all, it was like all of her preparation was gone. She didn’t even know where to start.

“Twilight?”

“Ugh,” Twilight fell backward, running both her hooves down her face as she came to rest belly-up. “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know…?” Nova asked, his head inclining just a bit. “You don’t know what?”

“Where to even begin!” Twilight answered, her voice getting even louder. “I have no feathering idea what to even start with!”

Nova seemed to flinch a little bit. “Wow. You really are mad. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you drop language like that before.”

“We’re here to get to the bottom of the incident last week!” she snapped, glaring at him from her spot on the ground. If she wasn’t careful, she had a feeling that glare would become her permanent expression. “Stay on feathering topic, and quit doing your best to peeve me!”

Nova flinched even harder that time. For a moment, it almost looked like he would turn to give her a concerned look, and he even did turn his head just a bit. However, he seemed to catch himself, and kept his gaze fixed perfectly forward.

Which only peeved her even more.

“Alright then,” he finally whispered, before clearing his throat and trying again. “Fine. I’ll just… just start at the beginning then. Tell it how I experienced it.”

“Oh, that’s how you’re going to do it,” Twilight suddenly sat up and jabbed a hoof at Nova, snarling. “You had someone modify your memory, is that it!?”

“No, I… what?”

“You had someone go and modify your memory so that way you could tell me this story to your heart’s content, and believe you were telling the truth so I wouldn’t see the lie. I know what I saw, Nova!” She smiled to herself. It was all coming together. It still didn’t explain how he got past her shield, but at least now she knew what he was trying to do.

“Twilight, come on!” Nova facehoofed. “There’s only four ponies I know who are proficient enough and powerful enough to cast a memory modification spell. One of them is currently yelling at me, and the other three would never assist me in doing… whatever it is you think I’m doing.”

Twilight’s triumphant smile vanished instantly.

“You could have done it to yourself--”

“I have never cast a memory charm in my life,” he confessed, now sounding a bit exasperated by all of this. “And you know just as well as I do that it’s borderline impossible and incredibly dangerous to cast spells that mess with one’s own brain.”

...right. She had forgotten. It’s why he couldn’t cast a sleep spell on himself, nor could she on herself.

Gritting her teeth and adjusting herself on her pouf, she growled out, “Fine. Get on with it.”

Despite his earlier exasperation, Nova seemed rather unperturbed, all things considered. He took a deep breath to calm himself again, and then began reciting everything the same way he had when he was at Celestia’s School several weeks ago.

“So, the problems begin during the date itself. At Brayo, when you went to the restroom.”

When Rarity showed up in the middle of the date, Twilight recalled, feeling her jaw tighten.

“I lied to you,” he sighed, his head drooping. “That wasn’t Rarity. I know it looked like her, I know what you saw,” he added hastily, correctly guessing she was about to say something sarcastic about how the Rarity she saw wasn’t the Rarity she knew, “but… it wasn’t her. It was Envy.”

Suddenly, everything made sense.

“I see,” Twilight hissed icily. “How… convenient.”

“I know, I know,” Nova interjected before she could say anything else. “I get it. Seems like a good excuse, right? Well, you have energy sensing now. You can tell if I’m throwing this out there as a lie or as the truth, so I’ll say it again. It wasn’t Rarity that came and spoke to me. It was Envy. I know it was her because she rather explicitly gloated to me and her eyes and magical resonance were red.”

...of course he’d be telling the truth. Not even the slightest waver in his energy. So… so Envy had attempted to sabotage their date? Why? That seemed rather petty for someone who wanted to kill them. Unless…

Unless he talked himself into believing it all, she thought, snarling slightly at Nova’s back. How narcissistic, to think that Envy would hate him so much she’d try to disrupt his date.

“She wanted to get me off my game, she wanted me to be looking over my shoulder, and she wanted to be seen by you.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. This was all just too good. Nova must have spent hours talking himself into believing all of this. Hours, connecting every dot, crossing every t, dotting every i, he must have rehearsed this so well, it wasn’t even a lie to him anymore. At this point, she didn’t need to hear anything else. She had everything she needed.

Except...

“I didn’t do the smart thing that night,” Nova hung his head. “I should have called off the date, should have told you we needed to get back to the library, barricade up, and hunker down for the night. But I didn’t. I took you to the park. We saw the lights. And the lights blinded me when they were done.”

“Blinded you?” Twilight scoffed.

“You’re well aware that if an intense enough bit of magic happens nearby, it overwhelms my magic sense,” Nova lashed back. It seemed even Nova’s calm and patience tonight had their limits. “Hell, you used it against me during our duel. You know my energy sense can go blind for a bit if I’m around too intense of magic. Come on, Twilight. Now it seems like you couldn’t care less about the truth.”

He stood up, and Twilight could see the wind whirling around him again..

“Actually, yeah, I don’t think you do,” he continued, his voice going from annoyed to angry. “You’re probably trying to find reasons to discredit or completely disregard what it is I have to say, aren’t you? Maybe you think I had somepony hypnotize me into believing it, or you think I talked myself into it. Whatever the case, you haven’t been trying to find the truth. You either wanted confirmation that you were right, or you would find find some reason why you couldn’t be wrong.”

That stung. His accusation felt like it stabbed right through her, cutting right into her heart, and she felt a sudden twinge of pain in her gut.

Even if he was right, it still hurt.

“No biting remark sent back at me? Nothing to say? Does it hurt that I’m throwing that out?” he demanded. “Because I want you to know what happened after you struck me into the mud, Twilight!”

“I don’t…”

“I ALMOST DIED THAT NIGHT!”

The words seemed to echo in her ears after he yelled them. The winds whirling around him died down almost instantly. She could only gape at him.

He… he almost…

“If you think I’m making it up, that I’ve talked myself into it, then here!” he spat, his horn shining. "Since you won't listen, I'll use visual memories and show you!"

A strange black shape surrounded them. For a brief moment, her mind flashed back to the moment in the Vaults when she had been nearly suffocated, and she tensed up, but the darkness soon gave way to a rainy night scene.

There he was, meeting with Rarity at her boutique. This was what had happened that miserable night. He retrieved a parcel from her, just as he said he would, and then trotted away quite happily, only to get struck with a spell from a nearby alleyway. He was yanked in by a Rarity with red eyes, just like he said Envy had. This Rarity took the time to gloat to him, cast several spells on him, and stick him up against the wall while they waited.

While they waited for her to catch them in the act.

Sure enough, she came, minutes later. The real Nova was watching the same scene, his shoulders and neck squared and tensed, and if Twilight could see it, she was sure his face would be stony.

After that, she watched as he was forced to make it seem as though he were the one ravishing Rarity, before they were caught. And then she watched as he pursued her, trying desperately to tell her the truth, only to be stopped by Envy’s jinxes.

And with each successive revelation, it just felt as though the icy knife in her heart was twisting.

Finally, she watched herself blast him into a nearby building, then strike him down into the mud before she ran away crying.

And there Envy was, striding toward him. Nova was right. The red eyes made it unmistakable, despite the fact that she looked like Trixie. Maybe it was because she was controlling Trixie like before. But even so, no doubt about it, it was Envy, stomping toward the fallen Nova, with a silver knife held aloft in red magic.

She whispered something, the smile of someone about to achieve their goals on her face, before she raised the knife up and brought it down.

Only for a new aura to shield Nova and catch it before it could go even halfway toward him.

The new aura was Trixie’s. It had stopped the knife from taking Nova away from her once and for all.

He didn’t… I… she could only think, seeing the scene play out before her.

No matter what story she could concoct for why his energy sensing wasn’t showing him to be a liar, visual memories couldn’t be falsified by hypnosis, talking it into oneself, or any other method outside of magic. They were pure and direct representations of the memories stored away in the brain, without any embellishments unless tampered with. And as Nova had pointed out, the only ponies capable of that would never have done this so he could lie to her.

As Twilight felt the world reeling around her at the thought of what had almost befallen Nova, the scene around her vanished, the darkness giving way to the light of her library once again.

“You… you really didn’t…” her voice broke.

It was all gone. Her rage, her betrayal, everything that had her sitting morosely in her room for the last several days was gone.

Replacing it was guilt and despair.

He really didn’t… and he almost… I almost…

“I didn’t want to show that part to you,” Nova admitted in a small voice. He sounded just as torn up as she felt. “I didn’t want you to have to see that. But… you just weren’t allowing yourself to even entertain the idea that what you saw could be wrong. I just…’

He sighed and his head seemed to droop even lower.

“I’ll leave you alone forever now,” he finally sighed, his voice falling to barely above a whisper, before he stood up and started trotting toward the door.

For a long moment, Twilight could only stare blankly after him as he stepped closer and closer.

No… no, he’s bluffing… she thought stupidly, her mind still not quite processing everything she had just seen.

But when he was a mere couple of hoofsteps away, it finally seemed to click into place.

He really is going to leave for good!

And before he could reach out and open the door, a wall of magenta energy appeared on all sides, blocking him him.

“No!” she exclaimed, practically leaping to her hooves and dashing over. “No… just… please s-stay?”

Nova’s ears perked quite a bit at that, and his sunken shoulders and head seemed to straighten up.

“I just…” she felt the dam, which she was rather bracely holding back, start to crack. “L-last time…” she swallowed, “l-last time I was alone it w-was hell.”

Nova’s head drooped again.

“Twilight, I didn’t just come here to try and explain the truth away,” he admitted, falling back down onto his haunches. “I came back because… because I thought there was a chance you would listen. A small chance, but a chance all the same.

“And I was wrong.”

Twilight’s heart, already in such a fragile state after being hit so hard by the revelations of the last few moments, finally shattered, and she felt the tears start to stream down her cheeks.

It’s… it’s over...

“You didn’t,” he sounded bitter. Accusatory. “You would have preferred to be right than to find out that I didn’t do it.”

She finally felt her eyes come off of him. That was why he wouldn’t look at her. Not because he didn’t think he had earned it back like he said. He wouldn’t look at her because he hated her. How could he not? She hadn’t let him tell the truth. She hadn’t given him a chance to defend herself.

It was her fault he almost died.

“But I don’t care,” he whispered, standing up again. “I thought you were worth it. I thought you were worth taking that chance, in the hopes of salvaging us.”

Now he was just confirming it beyond a doubt. He thought she was worth it. Which meant he didn’t think she was worth it anymore.

“And that’s why I came. Because I believed the slim chance that you’d listen, that you’d hear me when I told you that I didn’t do it was better than the chance that you’d shut your ears and not hear a word of it.”

“You can stop now,” she finally let out, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “You did nothing wrong, I still threw you out and didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself. And even after it happened,” she stamped a hoof in disgust at herself, “I couldn’t stop loving you despite the pain, but now I’ve gone and thrown it all away!” she swallowed, feeling a pang of pain in her heart as that icy knife twisted all the more, “...I’ve lost you forever. I’m sorry.”

The spell vanished from around him.

“You deserve someone who will listen to you and give you the benefit of the doubt,” her voice was a little louder, but still no less hurt. “Somepony better than me,” she added.

“Wait, what?”

“Even despite your faults and flaws, I thought you were perfect for me,” she admitted, thinking back to the times he had managed to comfort her in the midst of self-blame for Trixie being taken over by Envy, to the time he was willing to sleep with her to comfort her after the nightmares, to the time he came right to her bedside and set everything straight after Trixie shattered her heart. “I should have known you were too good for me. You were everything I ever wanted. Kind, smart, funny, and honorable to a fault. I should have known you never would have done it, but I didn’t. And now it really is over, isn’t it? You came back to me to drop me completely, like I deserve. How could you like me after that?”

“Stop it!”

She felt something tweak her horn and she was suddenly jolted back to alertness. She hadn’t even noticed that Nova had been approaching her.

“Twilight, look at me.”

She did. Why was it so hard now, when it had been easy to glare at him before?

The look on his face was not one of anger, of hate, or disgust. The look on his face was pain. The same look she always imagined on her own face whenever she listened to him beat himself up for all of his perceived shortcomings.

“That. Is. Enough,” he said firmly, staring right into her eyes with his own. It was like the same moment months ago, when he had set everything straight. She felt the same fluttering in her belly, where the butterflies Cadance always talked about, were going haywire.

He sat down in front of her. Now they were across from each other, with Nova’s resolute, determined eyes staring right into Twilight’s distraught ones.

“Every word of what you just said was wrong, and then some.”

It wasn’t some suggestion. It was almost a command. An order. Every syllable had truth in it.

“Being all self-loathy is my job,” he couldn’t help but grin, just a bit. “It’s not a good look for you, Twi, so don’t.”

All she could do was stare at him as the phrase repeated in her head.

Every word of what you just said was wrong, and then some.

“I once beat myself up in the middle of what was supposed to be a romantic date between us,” Nova reminded her. “I sat there, tearing myself apart about how I was nothing special. I was mediocre. I was just some wanderer. I didn’t deserve anything I had gotten, and it was only given to me out of pity.”

He leaned in closer, to make sure she got the message.

“But then I met this pony, perhaps you know her,” the corners of his mouth turned upward in the faintest of smiles. “She had faith in me when I had no faith in myself. She gave me confidence in my magical ability when I had none. She showed me my moments of kindness when all I could ever focus on were my moments of weakness. She inspired-- and continues to inspire-- me to be the best stallion I can be when all I could do was wallow in self-loathing.”

She tried to look away, but he caught her chin with a hoof, his touch sending electric sparks flying through her.

“I came back for you, Twilight Sparkle, because despite everything I’ve ever done to show you why you are far and away more than I could ever hope to deserve, you kept coming back for me, and now I’m here to do the same for you.” He gazed into her eyes with even more intensity. He wanted her to hear the truth of it once again. “You once told me that heat helps air to rise, while its absence causes it to sink. Well,” he smirked humorlessly, “I hit my lowest point this past week, spending almost the entirety of it in a bar sobbing my eyes out.

“Without you, everything felt dimmer,” he continued, and all she could do was watch, her heart fluttering at his words, despite herself knowing she shouldn’t be. Knowing that she’d just drag him down. “But with a little help from my dad, he helped me realize the truth about why everything was so awful, and I had been too stubborn to acknowledge it.

“Like I said, your absence has caused me to hit my lowest point. But when I’m around you, you challenge me to be better, to be the best stallion I can. And despite everything I’ve done over the past several months, from yelling at you, to neglecting you, to closing myself off, you continued to stay with me time and again. That is why I’m here for you. That is why I love you.”

Nova finally fell silent, finally withdrew his hoof from her chin, and leaned back. But her head didn’t fall. All she could do was stare into his eyes, feeling as if… as if the impossible had happened.

He… he loves me?

The words continued to play through her head.

Until, without warning, she broke down, falling forward into his arms, and started to sob into his shoulder. And just like in Canterlot, those many long weeks ago, he embraced her, held her there while she cried, stroked her mane, and cradled her.

"It's alright, Twilight," he whispered into her ear, just like he had in Canterlot, a month and a half ago. "It's fine. It's alright."

And just like they had done that month and a half ago, his words seemed to calm her, to steady her, taking the burden off of her back. After several moments, she wasn't sobbing anymore, but she wasn't exactly in any hurry to move. It was perfect. She could lie here forever, just in his arms, the world around them not even mattering in the slightest.

She didn't know how long she was there, finally letting everything out after days of frustration and just letting Nova hold her, but time seemed to have lost its meaning.

“Wh-what did I d-do to deserve you?” she mumbled, feeling her eyes squeeze shut and a few extra tears leak out, an eternity later.

“I’m sure I’ll be asking myself the same question about you every time I break down,” Nova confessed, smiling nervously. "If it means more moments like this, though, it's worth it."

They sat there, with her in his arms, for several seconds more as she got the last of her sniffles out, before Nova lightly sat her up.

“I’m glad we’ve finally cleared the air and gotten several things out in the open,” he said, rubbing at his mane a bit sheepishly, “and really Twilight, I’d love nothing more than to hold you for the rest of the night, but there’s--”

What exactly there was, however, Twilight didn’t want to hear. Instead, she felt there had been enough waiting.

Without letting him finish, Twilight darted forward and kissed him.

It was as though fireworks had gone off. Bells were ringing, breezies were singing, the ultimate meaning of life had been made known to her, and for one beautiful moment, everything ceased to matter.

Like it had in Trottingham, just the mere feeling of his lips on hers sent pleasurable tingles down her spine, even if he was too surprised to react at the moment, but he soon melted into the kiss, pulling her close and holding her, just like a few minutes ago.

“...and then we can go and watch a movie tomorrow night,” Cadance suggested, reading the Canterlot newspaper in the Sparkles’ living room while she and Shining bounced date ideas around.

“Anything good on?” Shining grunted from his spot in his dad’s easy chair. Some things never changed, and one of those was how he would continue to steal his dad’s seat when he wasn’t home.

“There’s this new movie called Back to the Future that’s coming out,”Cadance scanned the page some more. “Looks interesting, has some great reviews, good matinee prices, and--”

She abruptly cut off, the newspaper falling from her hooves with a rather loud rustle. As it fell away, Shining looked over to his wife in confusion to find that she was staring straight ahead, her eyes unfocused, and her mouth parted slightly.

“Cadey?” he asked.

“Shining,” she whispered, a smile spreading slowly across her muzzle, “I think...”

“What’s going on?” Shining never really understood how Cadance could just get these random “disturbances in the Love Force” from time to time, but he had seen it enough to know when it had happened. It usually meant she was going to be in a good mood for the rest of the day…

...and it also usually meant they weren’t getting that much sleep that night.

“It was like… like months of romantic tension were finally resolved,” her grin was about as wide as Shining had ever seen. “Something wonderful has happened.”

She didn’t know how long it lasted. Was it only a few seconds? An hour? Had they been here a whole day? In any case, she finally broke away from him, resting her forehead against his, their horns almost rubbing against each other.

“About time,” she whispered to him.

“And no panic attack this time,” Nova couldn’t stop beaming. “Personal best.”

Twilight giggled, and then went in for another, but Nova caught her this time.

“Twilight, love,” she felt the butterflies yet again, “much as I’d love nothing more than to do this all night, there’s… others you need to see. And a shield that needs to come down.”

“Right,” she nodded. “I… it’s about time it came down. Before I do though,” a thought had occurred to her, “that package you went and got from Rarity on the date.”

“This one?” his horn shone blue and a small parcel wrapped in brown packing paper appeared.

“Can I see it?”

He nodded, letting the package float over to Twilight, who took it in her hooves and tore the wrapping paper off of it at once. Inside was a small black box. The first thing she noticed was that it was considerably larger than a ring box, but was still packaged the same way, with the felt cover and everything.

“Go on,” Nova encouraged. “Open it.”

She did just that, pulling open the lid.

There were two diamond necklaces inside. Both of them were nothing more than a simple pendant with a diamond set in the center, and a strong, silver chain set against the back.

One of the diamonds was glowing with a bright blue light. The other was empty, nothing more than a simple diamond.

She looked up and met his gaze, and suddenly he seemed… embarrassed?

“I uhh,” he rubbed at the back of his head, “I did some reading, and it turns out, you can store a resonance in a gem indefinitely. Doesn’t do anything practical, but… well,” his cheeks flushed a bit, “I thought… we could maybe wear the pendant with each other’s resonance inside? Carry a part of the other wherever we went?”

Twilight just stared at him, feeling like her heart was melting all the more.

“...seriously, what did I do?” she asked, practically yanking the blue pendant out of the box and putting it on with all haste.

“What did you do for what?” Nova asked.

“To deserve you,” her horn shone and the empty diamond was bathed in magenta light for a moment, before she let go of the magic. As the magenta aura vanished, the diamond now contained the glowing light with her resonance inside of it. The chain was pulled free by Nova’s magic, and only a few seconds later, they were both wearing the pendants with each others’ resonances.

No sooner had she seen him proudly put it on than she slid herself over to sit next to him, and then lay her head on his shoulder.

“The shield?” he reminded her, briefly meeting her head with his own.

“Oh, right.” There was no embarrassment, though. She simply lit up her horn and brought down the shield that had been up for far too long, finally allowing the ponies outside back into her life.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Ugh, what are they even doing in there!?” Rainbow groaned as she just sat in a random corner of the stakeout house. It wasn’t her shift for observation duty anymore, fortunately.

She had actually been taken off of it, given that all she did when it was her turn with the binoculars was complain.

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity sighed patiently as she looked through them, trying to see into the library as best she could. There had been quite some concern when the insides of the ground floor went dark for a few moments, but everything was fine not long after. “We all care about Twilight, and we’re all patiently waiting. Have some faith in Nova, would you?”

“It’s not that I don’t,” Rainbow defended herself, “but who’s to say he hasn’t gone and made it worse? We all saw the light show in there when he first went in, and again a few minutes ago.”

“And there’s another one,” Rarity frowned as the light on the other side of the magenta bubble flashed briefly. Given that it made the magenta all the brighter, it was obviously Twilight’s magic. Nova’s blue had made the bubble appear purple momentarily. She looked back to the ponies in the room. “Something’s going on in there, girls. Be ready.”

“You’re awfully confident, Pinks,” Applejack observed from her little hammock. Pinkie was still just blissfully standing there, looking completely unconcerned with everything going on.

“I told you, I read ahead already,” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Come on, Applejack, it was only half the chapter ago. Please keep up! Repeating things to pad chapter length is bad storytelling.”

Applejack just shook her head, no doubt dismissing Pinkie’s ramblings as a lost cause. She had seemed more annoyed by Pinkie than usual ever since they had harangued her into keeping an eye on Pinkie to keep the party planner from interrupting Nova’s and Twilight’s ill-fated date. Just what had Pinkie done to her?

Whatever she had, it could wait. For now, they had a more important task to do.

“Fluttershy, dear,” she asked, looking over at the butter-colored pegasus, who was currently minding her own business in a quiet corner, “do you know if Sharp Eye will be willing to join us? We’ll need sleep eventually.”

“He’s currently watching the house and animals while I’m here,” Fluttershy replied, though she glanced nervously in the direction of her cottage. “Though I suppose we could switch. I hope Angel Bunny isn’t being too mean to him… plus there’s the possibility that Discord could be hazing him for dating me…”

She frowned.

“Maybe we should switch places…”

Rarity decided to look into her binoculars again, but as she did, the shield around the library finally dispersed.

For the first time in days, the Golden Oaks was accessible.

“Girls! It’s down!” she called, already packing up the binoculars and her stakeout gear in her saddlebags.

“About time!” Rainbow shouted, already speeding out of the house as fast as her wings could carry her. Fluttershy also seemed to zip on out of there as fast as she could, no doubt so she could hug Twilight and then go and see her bounty-hunting beau.

“Ah’m inclined to agree with Rainbow,” Applejack let out a relieved sigh, before galloping after them. “Really is about dang time!”

“Wait for me! Wait for me!” Pinkie yelled, before pronking after them as fast as she could, humming to herself as she did.

When Rarity finally made it into the library, it turned out Rainbow had assumed the worst. She bad bolted in, slammed into Nova, and now had him pinned to the floor.

“ALRIGHT! WHAT DID YOU DO!?” she thundered, nose-to-nose with him and looking daggers into his eyes while, for the first time since they had seen him, he actually looked a bit frightened by the display.

“Umm… made amends with Twilight and am getting back together with her?” he squeaked.

“A LIKELY STORY!” Rainbow somehow pressed even closer to intimidate him,

“It’s not, Rainbow,” huffed Twilight, grabbing her by the tail with her teeth to yank him off. “Now if you would please,” she heaved and with a startling amount of strength, sent Rainbow flying off of Nova, “stay off of my coltfriend, I would very much appreciate it.”

“Coltfriend?” Rainbow’s face fell into one of shock as she stood up from where she had landed. “He brainwashed you, didn’t he!”

Twilight sighed patiently, “No Rainbow, he did not.”

“That’s just what you’d say if he had!” Rainbow pointed an accusatory hoof at Nova, who was still on the ground.

“Nova, lovey, are you alright?” Twilight trotted over and helped him to his hooves.

“That… please don’t call me ‘lovey’ again.” He made a face. “There’s just something… emasculating about being called that, and I don’t know why.”

“How about honey?” Twilight asked.

“No.”

“Dear?”

“No.”

“Darling?”

“That’s Rarity’s thing.”

“This is all well and good,” Rarity cut in, “and who am I to stand between true love, but Twilight, please, we’re all here to make sure. Are you quite alright dear?”

“Yes,” Twilight let out a relieved sigh. “I am now. I’m…” to Rarity’s horror, she started to paw at her eyes, even when it was quite clear she had done some crying minutes before, “I’m s-sorry, girls. I shouldn’t have sh-shut you out like that.”

“Twilight, come here,” Rarity ordered, her magic yanking Rainbow in line with them. Twilight approached hesitantly, and even so she glanced back at Nova, almost as if asking what he should do.

“Hey, don’t look at me, they’re your friends,” Nova replied, motioning that she should continue.

“You’re our friend too,” Rarity answered, giving him an indignant look, even as the five of them swept Twilight up into a group hug, though she winced as Pinkie’s strength squished the air out of her lungs. “Sure, you may not have an Element of Harmony to wield, but that does not make you any less of a friend of ours!”

“Agreed,” Applejack grinned at him from her spot in the hug.

Now, it was Nova’s turn to look surprised. Rarity couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilt for that. Had it not been clear that, despite their rivalry, they really were friends?

“Get in here Nova,” Rainbow waved him over.

Nova took a nervous step forward, and then another, before finally Rarity simply had enough of waiting for him and pulled him into the center, where both he and Twilight were at the center of the group hug.

“What would I do without you all?” wondered Twilight as they sat there in the tangle of bodies and limbs.

“I think you’d do quite well for yourself, darling,” Rarity answered firmly.

All too soon, the hug ended, and Nova and Twilight found themselves sitting together, surrounded by their five friends.

“Well, it is getting late, and Ah do have work to get done tomorrow,” Applejack stepped back. “G’night, y’all. Glad to have ya back, Twi, Nova.” She tipped her stetson to the both of them, and then stepped out.

“Also, I think I really do need to get back to my cottage,” Fluttershy backed away as well. “There’s no telling what Angel is doing to poor Sharpie.”

“He’s a big stallion, I’m sure he can take care of himself,” Nova was clearly resisting the urge to laugh at Mr. Sharp Eye’s nickname.

“Yeah, and I’m putting in a double-shift tomorrow at Sugarcube Corner. Gotta go!” Pinkie dashed, off, before skidding to a halt in front of the door. “Oh, wait!” She turned to stare at Nova ominously. “Next chapter. You,” she jabbed at him with a hoof.

“Me… what?” Nova blinked in confusion.

“See ya later,” Pinkie just said, before bouncing away again, leaving the remaining four of them watching her go in confusion.

“I will never understand that mare,” commented Rarity.

“Welp, I suppose I gotta go as well. You two better not do that to us again, you got that?” Rainbow gave them both threatening looks.

“Your concern is appreciated, Rainbow,” Twilight smiled gratefully at her.

With that, Rainbow flew out, but like Pinkie, she also stopped at the door. “You comin’ Rares?”

“Yes, I shall be along shortly,” Rarity assured her, before turning back to the newly-reunited couple. “I am afraid it is well past Sweetie Belle’s bed time, but before you go, I wanted to ask, should I bring Spike back tonight?”

“Not tonight,” answered Twilight rather quickly, leading to a confused look from both Rarity and Nova. “I just,” she shrunk a bit and her face went very red. “I… kinda just wanted to spend the night with… with Nova.”

“I see,” Rarity smiled knowingly.

“N-not like that!” Twilight protested, getting even more flustered, while Nova just sat there uselessly. “It’s too soon! Just… you know… us together.”

“As you say, Twilight,” her knowing smile deepened, though as she surveyed the poor state of Twilight’s hygiene, her nose wrinkled. “Though I suggest cleaning yourself up first. The point is, Spike for one more night.”

“Y-yes please,” Twilight nodded.

“But we do need him back tomorrow,” Nova cut in. “Train to Canterlot.”

“Hm?” Twilight glanced at him.

“I’ll explain later,” promised Nova, before looking back to Rarity. “That okay?”

“Sounds perfect. Very well, you two enjoy your night, and I shall see you with Spike tomorrow. Nova? A word, please.”

Nova trotted forward, leaving Twilight to sit back and wait patiently for him, without a hint of distrust, which Rarity thought was a testament to her faith in Nova now that he had set things right.

Even as he approached, Twilight even stood up and trotted off to give them just a bit of privacy. Just what had Nova done? It didn’t matter, she supposed. So long as they had their friend back, and he didn’t do anything sneaky, all was right.

“Now,” she said, giving him a serious look. “I think we both agree we should try to prevent what happened last time from happening again, agreed?”

“Agreed,” Nova nodded.

“That being said, I think it’s high time the two of us buried our hatchet,” she held out her hoof. “Do you agree?”

Nova gave her a funny look. “What hatchet?”

“Our rivalry, as it were,” she clarified, before trying again. “Look, Nova, as it piqued Twilight’s suspicions and culminated in this, I think it would be best if we decided to start again as friends, rather than prank each other over our mutual dislike. I care about Twilight too much to hold a grudge over a broken vase.”

“You… held a grudge about that?” Nova looked a combination of amused and indignant. “It wasn’t even my fault!”

“Whoever’s fault it was is no longer relevant,” she dismissed. “What say you we… try again ourselves?”

Nova shook his head. “Rarity, please. I never disliked you as a pony, and never held a grudge, even considering the, uhh,” he gulped, “the Dessert Incident. Frankly, I kind of enjoyed our banter and pranking. I don’t want it to end. I just think we should be careful not to lead Twilight to think anything else is going on. So no,” he pushed her hoof down, “I don’t think we should try again. I think there’s no sense in trying again, when there was nothing wrong in the first place.”

Rarity stared at him for a moment, before smiling and dipping her head. “Very well. In that case, I bid you two adieu, Nova. Treat her well, you understand?”

“Now and always,” Nova nodded.

With that, she trotted out, shutting the door behind him and meeting up with Rainbow Dash outside.

“Glad that’s all behind us,” Rarity remarked, before pausing. “Oh! I forgot!”

“Forgot what?” asked Dash.

“I forgot to ask when they want Spike brought over here!” Rarity dashed back to the door, but suddenly stopped when she saw something in one of the side windows.

Nova and Twilight were kissing rather passionately in the center of the library. And despite the unclean state of her mane, tail and coat, it looked as though there was no place Nova would rather be.

“...on second thought,” she smiled at the tender moment, “it can wait until tomorrow.”

“What’s going on in there?” Rainbow asked, before flying down to take a look. “...whoa.”

“Rainbow, it is rude to spy,” Rarity took hold of her tail and started pulling away despite her fighting. “I thought you hated this ‘sappy frou-frou romance stuff’ as you called it.”

“Yeah, but--!”

“No 'But’s, Rainbow,” chided Rarity, but smiling knowingly as she dragged her pegasus friend along. “Let’s let the happy couple have their privacy.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Twilight took some time to clean herself up. When she stepped out, she seemed to have gone the extra mile and groomed herself as well. Her tail and mane were sleek and slightly damp, and her coat shone in the candlelight around the library.

Meanwhile, Nova had taken the time to repair everything, rather like he had done at Celestia’s school, following the food fight. In almost no time at all, the library was back in pristine condition, as though Twilight had never thrown anything to begin with. The horsehead statue was even replaced, as now the vase with the marble flowers was in Twilight’s bedroom, someplace within easy sight so she could see it whenever she woke up every morning.

“You smell nice,” Nova observed, noting the lavender scent now wafting through the library as she stepped out.

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she smiled sweetly at him, something that made the jittering feeling in his gut return with a vengeance. It really was a nice change of pace, enjoying the jitters, rather than being concerned about them.

“Well, before we hit the hay, I do have something I need to do,” Nova said, suddenly remembering. “I need to send a letter to my dad. Gotta let him know we’ve patched things up and we’ll be in Canterlot in a few days to pick up the diaries. I don’t suppose you know of a way to send a letter up there that isn’t the postal service?”

“Why not just go get Spike from Rarity’s?” Twilight asked.

“Do you really want him to disrupt our first night alone together?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Fair point,” Twilight giggled. “I have just the thing. Write your letter.”

Easier done than said. Nova’s horn shone and the parchment appeared out of thin air, with the ink already spreading across it. Twilight, meanwhile, had opened her bedroom window.

“Owliscious!” she called.

It didn’t take long for the owl to fly down and land on her hoof. The moment it did, though, it made sure to give Twilight a good peck on the forehead.

“Ow!” she yelped. “I get it, I get it, I shouldn’t have shooed you out when I was mad. Sorry!”

Owliscious seemed to accept her apology, because it gave her muzzle a light nip and that, before flapping over to Nova and doing the same. Nova just stared at him for a moment, before he offered a hoof to land on, which Owliscious took.

“So… I’m basically Harry Trottering this letter?” he asked, suddenly, grinning. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”

The letter was rolled up, tied shut with a ribbon, and then tied to the owl’s outstretched leg.

“Alright. So, please take this to Ray Novus, in Novus Manor up in Canterlot,” Nova recited slowly, so that Owliscious could catch the instructions.

Owliscious stared at him.

“Who?”

“My dad.”

“Who?”

“Up in Canterlot, Ray Novus.”

“Who?”

“He’s got this brown coat and black mane--”

“Nova, come on!” Twilight giggled from the bed. “He knows what you’re saying. I’m pretty sure he’s just messing with you.”

Owliscious just lightly nipped at Nova’s muzzle again, before taking off and flying outside. It didn’t take long before he vanished into the night sky, and with that, Twilight shut her window. As she did so, Nova’s magic began to snuff out the candles around the room, blanketing them in darkness, before he clambered up into the loft and into her bed, where at once she slid between his hooves, so that he’d be holding her while they slept. The scent of fresh lavender in her mane also assaulted his sense of smell, calming him even more than he already was.

“I love you, Nova,” he heard her mumble sleepily.

“I love you too,” he whispered back, feeling himself smile as he said it. “Now and always, my beautiful star.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Leaves crunched under Trixie’s hooves as she was made to trot through the woods. The damp air was rather heavy-hanging today, almost to suffocating degrees, and the ground was rather muddy, no doubt due to not having dried up after last week’s rain.

Through it all, she trudged on, because it wasn’t like she had a choice.

You’re awfully quiet today, observed her captor. Trixie could just imagine her, lounging around in her brain in a hammock while she lazily forced her thrall to go hiking this far from the Old Castle, to do who knows what. You know, you’ve been rather quiet this whole week.

“When you’re almost made to kill a friend of yours,” Trixie growled, “and only just manage to stop it from happening, you don’t really feel in the mood for it.”

Aww, cheer up, Envy replied, and Trixie could just hear the wide, cheerful grin. Next time, I’m not gonna make you do it, or even be able to influence the event. Next time, he’s all mine, and you’re gonna get to watch. Though, here in a few days, we might go out of our way to rough him up a bit before that happens.

“Where are we even going?” Trixie asked, feeling as though she almost didn’t want to know the answer. They had set out earlier that afternoon, but now they had to be getting close to the edge.

We’re going to pay a visit to a friend of yours, I think, Envy’s voice replied in her head. You ruined my initial plan in Ponyville, but I’ve had a backup plan in mind for some time.

Trixie could remember every detail about that night. She remembered the rain; she remembered Envy making her trot around like a puppet, disguised as Rarity, to make Nova paranoid…

She remembered the broken look on Nova’s face as Envy raised the knife, ready to plunge it down.

And then she couldn’t take it any longer.

She didn’t know how, but she had somehow been able to try to wrench the knife away. And then, when she had successfully battled Envy to a standstill on that end, she had somehow banished the knife and cut Envy off from using her magic entirely.

She had paid for it; Envy didn’t let her fighting go unpunished. But she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to let Envy kill anyone, much less Nova and Twilight.

Almost there, Envy assured her, though Trixie would rather be locked in her dungeon again rather than be out here, potentially on her way to hurt somepony else.

“Who goes there!? I see the shape of a mare!” came a sharp call from somewhere around them, though in the dense foliage, it was impossible to tell from which angle.

Trixie froze, eyes darting wildly around. That was very obviously the zebra’s voice. Even though her tone had been a bit garbled by whatever zebra magic she was using, she’d know the rhyming anywhere.

But before she could shout into the woods for her to get away, that she was in danger, the bushes in front of her rustled and she stepped out, looking painted for war. She was wearing an intimidating mask that appeared to be made of grass, with golden marks around it, and a bridle styled the same was on her back, and she had a spear fastened to it and clutched in one of her front hooves.

“Trixie Lulamoon?” she asked, her face falling from a scowl into bewilderment, and her spear fell, just for a moment. “I did not expect to see you so soon. Are you quite well? I had heard that upon you, woe befell.”

Trixie tried, she desperately tried to force a word out, anything to tip Zecora off, but Envy held her still.

All the while, Zecora stared at her, but her puzzlement gave way to suspicion. After a moment, she leveled her spear at Trixie yet again.

“If you think you can ensnare me in a trap,” she snarled, now glancing around, trying to find some invisible enemy, “you should know that you are in for a scrap.”

“To̲͉̮͕̣̺͡o͎̖̰̬̣̱͟ͅ ̖̮̺l̦̤̥̩̠̩͡a̮̕t̮̦͓̫̦e̞̘̘.̢̠̱̱͍̳͎̫”

Before Trixie could shout a warning and before Zecora could even react, Trixie felt the most uncomfortable sensation, as though ice was sliding down each of her hooves. As she looked down in horror, she could see the shadows that were Envy slide along the ground and wrap themselves around Zecora’s legs.

Zecora started to react only an instant later, dropping her spear and trying to wrench herself away, but it was too late. Envy had her. The shadows continued to slide up Zecora, very quickly binding her muzzle so that she could not scream, all while Trixie could just watch, rooted to the spot.

And then the shadows started to converge upon her eyes. Zecora’s writhing redoubled, and even as Trixie watched, her eyes darkened until they were completely black, all while her head thrashed around, trying to throw the intangible enemy off of her.

Until, finally, Zecora seized up.

Trixie could only continue to stare, with a mixture of horror, revulsion, and some sick fascination as the zebra that had once helped Twilight defeat her, was assaulted in some unknown way by her captor. Every few seconds, Zecora’s body would twitch, be it one of her legs, her ears, or even eyelids, but she remained upright, stiff as a board, and staring straight ahead through blackened eyes the entire while.

Until, finally, at long last, her body toppled to the ground, and Envy’s shadows slid off of her and composed themselves into the shape of a unicorn mare. Her coat and mane were both silver, her cutie mark was a jewel, and her eyes, red as usual, were staring down at Zecora with a smug satisfaction in them.

Zecora, meanwhile, was still frozen on the ground, twitching every few moments.but with her eyes wide and pupils shrunken.

Trixie wanted to vomit at the sight of it.

“What… what did you do to her?” she asked, feeling the contents of her stomach prepare for an emergency exit.

“Eh, just went digging around in her head for a bit,” Envy shrugged, before scanning the woods before them, trying to locate something best known to her.

“Is… is she…?”

“Dead? Oh, no,” Trixie hated how she sounded almost disappointed by that. “She’s not dead. She’ll be a little twitchy for a few hours, but then she’ll just fall right asleep and forget this ever happened when she wakes up.”

But then she punctuated her statement by giving Zecora’s barrel a good kick.

“Stupid mental defenses,” she growled, glaring down at her fallen foe. “It would have been a lot more painless if you had known when you were outmatched.”

With a dismissive flick of her tail, she turned right back to staring into the forest, before her eyes seemed to alight on something, and she started cantering forward. She didn’t go far before a red magical leash suddenly appeared around Trixie’s neck and yanked her forward, forcing her to keep up.

“Whoa!” she yelped, before she was pulled into a canter as well.

It wasn’t long before they found themselves in another patch of the forest that looked exactly like every other patch of the forest, but there appeared to be a rather large, significant-looking tree, with a little deposit in its trunk.

“Here it is,” Envy breathed, positively shivering with anticipation. “It’s… it’s really right here!”

“What is?” Trixie asked.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Envy promised, before her horn shone red, and with a loud report, a beam shot from it to impact the hole in the tree’s trunk. A bright white shield had appeared where the beam impacted, but beneath Envy’s beam, it cracked rather easily, before it fell apart with a crystalline sound, as though glass were shattering.

“I guess I should have expected weak shielding and weak illusion work from a pony with such weak defenses,” Envy sighed, but went right back to her work, dispelling one more spell, which fell apart in a similar way.

Once it was gone, Envy reached inside with a hoof, and removed something that caused Trixie to fall on her haunches in shock, and for her gut to feel as though it had been punched with an iron-clad hoof.

Sitting in Envy’s hoof was a pendant, crafted out of darkened steel with the likeness of a unicorn’s head and outstretched wings, and set into its center was a large red jewel.

Envy had found and taken the Alicorn Amulet.

Author's Note

So many payoffs. So many callbacks.

So. Many. More. Words! From 7k to 18k, holy crap, and this was only in about a month too, a lot faster turnaround.

Let me know what you thought of the new version of the chapter in the comments below.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

The Diaries

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 12
Part I - The Diaries

Upper Canterlot Station was busier than usual that morning. Four trains had come through from different corners of Canterlot. A train from Manehattan had arrived close to dawn, an express from the Crystal Empire had come through the night and had arrived shortly after 9, another train right behind it pulled in from Las Pegasus, and now, just before 11, a train from Manechester rolled in, carrying with it passengers from Trottenham, Trottingham, Neighton, and Ponyville.

Among said passengers, out trotted two unicorns, arm in arm, with the mare keeping her head nuzzled firmly in the crook of the stallion’s neck as they made their way out of the train and onto the arrival platform, while the stallion looked slightly uncomfortable, but at the same time, he had an expression that there was no place he would rather be. It was a picturesque couple, truth be told, and they drew some stares from several onlookers as they trotted by, up into the station proper and then out into the city.

Meanwhile, Nova, Twilight, and Spike stepped out of the train, with Nova carrying three bags in his telekinetic grasp.

“We’re only here for three days,” he grit his teeth as one of the bags got stuck in the door before he twisted it and pulled it free. “Why did you bring such a big suitcase?”

“In case we take the diaries back to Ponyville with us,” Twilight replied, a little annoyed considering they had gone over this several times. “It never hurts to be prepared.”

“We could just store them in our Sources,” Nova retorted. “There was no need to bring this much stuff for a three day trip.”

“But what if we need to physically carry these books? What if they have an adverse reaction to Source storage? You wouldn’t be ready for that.”

“I’d just buy something to carry them in from one of the stores here,” Nova shrugged.

“Then you’d have an extra suitcase you’d never need once we got back,” Twilight replied.

“Could always sell it.”

“Are you two sure you’ve made up?” Spike asked, glancing between them as they made their way out of the station and out into the city. “You’re arguing like you haven’t.”

“Positive,” they both said together, not looking away from each other. After a long moment, they both broke, chuckling and nuzzling each other, which led Spike to make a rather loud gagging noise to show his annoyance.

“Well, Spike certainly seems to be taking things well,” Nova observed as the two of them separated so they could actually walk without tripping over each others’ hooves. “Something tells me the Princesses are going to be ecstatic.”

No sooner had he said this and the three of them trotted out of the station than they both came to a screeching halt.

A line of eight peacekeepers was there waiting for the both of them, with four having spears raised at attention. As Nova, Spike, and Twilight stood there in the entrance of the train platform, the peacekeepers all leveled their gazes at the three of them, which had Nova’s eyes flicking back and forth along the line, with a nervous feeling starting to appear in his gut.

“Are you Night Apprentice Nova Shine?” one of them asked, stepping forward.

“Uhh, yeah?” he replied hesitantly.

“You’re under arrest.”

“What!?” Twilight exclaimed as three guards stepped forward and started to restrain Nova before he could really process what was going on, while the other four leveled their spears at him threateningly.

“Wait, what? What did I even do!?” Nova asked, resisting lightly, even as the stallions fastened manacles to his neck and legs.

“We have it on good authority you impersonated a member of the Equestrian Peacekeeping Corps approximately four months ago. Such a crime is, as you know, a felony offense punishable by banishment or imprisonment, or in severe cases, imprisonment at the location of banishment.”

“Wha--?” Twilight felt rooted to the spot, as though all she could do was sit there and watch as her coltfriend was clapped in irons, all while Nova squawked in discomfort. She was going to have some serious words with Shining when she saw him next.

But the sound of tinkling laughter brought everything to a halt. With a flash of pink magic, both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia appeared, with Celestia laughing at the scene in front of her, whereas Luna seemed to be doing her best not to show amusement at her student’s misfortune.

“That’s quite enough, sergeant,” Luna ordered, causing all of the peacekeepers to let him go, with one taking the time to undo the manacles. “I do believe my sister has enjoyed her little prank.”

“P-prank? That wasn’t funny!” Twilight shouted at Princess Celestia even as she helped Nova to his hooves. “I thought Shining had set them on him! You know how he gets! I didn’t know if this was him getting back at Nova for last week!”

“I thought it was Aegis trying to rile me up again,” Nova admitted, taking a deep breath in relief as the manacles came free. “I appreciate a good harmless prank as much as the next pony, Princess, but next time could you try not to scare Twilight half to death?”

“I apologize, Twilight,” Princess Celestia bowed her head at her pupil. “I suppose it was a bit ill-conceived, especially since it wasn’t clear it was meant to be harmless. We just thought we would surprise you.”

“Well, you did that much,” Spike remarked.

“Why did you come out to meet us?” Nova asked, giving Luna a confused look. “You’ve never met us at the station before.”

“Well, we wanted to be here to congratulate the two of you,” Luna replied, shrugging her wings.

“Congratulate them for what?” Spike asked.

“For patching things up, and for finally confronting their feelings for each other,” Celestia said, her magic surrounding Spike and placing him on her back. “Well, Nova mainly. Twilight revealed her own feelings to Nova some time ago, but now Nova has finally done the same.”

“Indeed, it’s about time,” Luna nudged Nova meaningfully. “Somepony tried his hardest to hide it and did a terrible job. So tell me, my apprentice,” she trotted over next to Nova as the five of them started making their way up the road, while four guards started to accompany them while the other four made their way back to the castle, “do you feel better now?”

“You have no idea,” sighed Nova, before sliding sideways and giving Twilight a light nuzzle, which caused her to smile rather bashfully (and Spike to roll his eyes) at the public display of affection. “You were right, I guess. I asked you what was wrong with me, and all you did was congratulate me on falling in love.”

“Bleaugh,” Spike fake-gagged, trying to be even more obvious about it than before.

“Oh hush, Spike,” Twilight flicked him with her tail, an impressive feat considering he was high up on Celestia’s back. “When you get older, you might not mind so much.”

“‘Older’ could mean as late as age 22,” Luna bumped her pupil with her flank. “But better late than never at all.”

“We just gonna keep teasing me all the way to Twilight’s parents’ house?” Nova whined as the five of them set off through the roads, the princesses seeming to ignore all of the ponies bowing to them as they trotted by.

“Something like that,” Luna assured him, smiling sweetly. “Honestly, if you were any more blind to your own obvious feelings, you’d have lost your sense of physical touch years ago.”

“Not to mention my own,” Twilight smiled slightly. “I mean, I wasn’t exactly subtle, was I?”

“Subtle enough for me,” muttered Nova.

“That’s because before, you couldn’t recognize if a pony had feelings for you unless they outright explained it to your face,” Celestia smiled playfully at Nova. “If I recall, Princess Cadance had to do exactly that…”

“Good thing she did,” Nova admitted, with a wry grin of his own. “I doubt I’d ever have known about Twi wanting to date me. Probably would have been completely clueless when I got back to the library and found her shut up in her room and Trixie banished to my basement.”

“Sometimes, that’s all it takes,” Celestia did finally acknowledge the ponies bowing to them, giving a lazy flick of her forehoof to dismiss them and have them carry on. “Sometimes you just need someone to take the metaphorical blindfold off and give it to you bluntly. And sometimes, you just have to hear yourself say something before you will ever act on it.”

“Or have my dad goad me into screaming it for the entire Neighton bar to hear,” Nova commented with a small shake of his head.

“Well, it worked, did it not?” Luna leaned over to give Nova an affectionate nuzzle. “Here the both of you are, your relationship salvaged, and dare I say it, stronger than ever. Now, all that really needs to be sorted is this business with Envy, and the two of you can go about living happy lives! How many children do you think they will have, Tia?” she met her sister’s gaze, ignoring Nova’s annoyance and Twilight’s embarrassment.

“Oh, at least three,” Celestia tapped at her chin as she looked at the sky thoughtfully. “All unicorns with limitless magical potential. Twilight will just insist on naming a colt Star Swirl…”

“No I won’t!” Twilight protested.

“Well, she’s got a point,” Nova smirked, bumping Twilight playfully. “You do have a bit of an obsession with Star Swirl the Bearded…”

“I prefer to think of it as a healthy passion,” Twilight growled, a tad pink in the face.

“...and Nova will, of course, name a colt after himself,” Luna continued, pretending to be oblivious to their conversation.

“That’s preposterous,” Nova turned away to give his teacher an indignant look. “I’m not that self-centered.”

“Well, she’s got a point,” echoed Twilight, who bumped Nova in return. “You do have a bit of an obsession with Nova Shine I…”

“Oh har har,” Nova rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t contain a smirk. Turnabout was fair play, after all. “So, to what do we owe the pleasure, Princesses?”

“Oh, we aren’t allowed to greet our pupils as they arrive at the train station?” Celestia asked. “We have to have some kind of ulterior motive when we meet you face to face?”

“Well, no,” Nova replied, “it’s just, you usually do have something you want when we do meet up.”

“Not today,” Luna assured him, draping a wing around him. “Today, it is strictly us taking the morning off to meet the two of you. When you arrive at the Sparkles, we will say our farewells and allow the two of you some time to yourselves and Twilight’s family.”

And that was that. The five of them simply spent the next several minutes trotting up the road, chattering about things going on. Relationship advice was offered, ribbing and teasing was done, and it felt like the first time in a long while that the Princesses didn’t seem like teachers to them, but also as friends.

But all too soon, it was over, because the Sparkles’ home was rather close to the train station.

“Oh, we are nearly there,” Celestia sighed, as she stared down the road. “I’m sorry Twilight, Nova. While we would love to stay and talk more, royal business never ends, I’m afraid.”

“We need to just meet up like this more often,” Nova said, gesturing at everything around them rather vaguely. “This was pretty nice.”

“I agree,” Twilight nodded, using her magic to levitate Spike off of Princess Celestia’s back and onto her own. “We have been visiting Canterlot a lot lately.”

“We’ll have to put it down for a future plan,” Luna promised, before spreading her wings. “Farewell, you two. If you do wish to talk while you’re in town, feel free to come on up to the castle. We’ll make time for you both.”

With that, she took off, flying back toward the castle, though her sister stayed behind.

“In the meantime, enjoy your stay here, and enjoy your renewed relationship,” Princess Celestia beamed at them. “I’ll admit, part of me had my doubts that you two could overcome obstacles to your relationship, given Nova’s history and the stress of your current situation, but it seems you have dealt with both magnificently. From here, we will focus all of our efforts on defeating Envy and rescuing Trixie Lulamoon. And as Luna said, if you ever wish to speak to us, you both are always welcome to come to the castle at any time.”

Nova and Twilight both nodded.

“Will do,” Twilight promised. “Goodbye, Princess!”

“Goodbye, my most faithful student!” Celestia smiled, before she spread her own wings, and with a powerful flap, she bolted into the sky and flew off, following her sister to the castle.

On arriving at the Sparkles’ residence, Nova finally put the multitude of bags down with a relieved sigh, before reaching out to open the door…

…only for it to open of its own accord, as a certain Shining Armor stood in the door, staring down at Nova. And Nova knew murderous intent when he saw it.

“...oh shit.”

Before Shining could even do anything, however, there was a blur of purple, and Nova suddenly found himself watching as Twilight had dashed between him and her brother, and was shoving him backward with a strength that had to come from pure adrenaline, considering how muscular her older brother was.

“Twily, let go of me!” Shining struggled against her grip, while Spike and Nova could just watch.

“No, Shiny,” Twilight growled, struggling against him. “We’re… not… doing that to him!” she finally managed to shove him backward hard enough to send him on his rump, an action that both Shining and Nova seemed stunned by.

“How’d… you do that?” Shining asked, staring at her in amazement.

“You just physically tossed a former captain of the guard right on his ass!” Nova gaped.

“Shiny, I love you to death, but if you know what’s good for you,” she glared at her fallen brother, “never threaten my coltfriend again.”

But as Twilight stared down her brother, another voice called out, one which instilled dread in all three of them.

“Is that Twilight? Shining, be a dear and step aside.”

At the sound of Cadance’s voice, Nova leapt to his hooves at once, already pushing Twilight back just as Cadance took her husband’s place and started attempting to move past him to get at Twilight.

“Nova, let me through,” Cadance ordered, looking past him to give Twilight a cold glare. “Ladybug and I need to have words.” Her voice became a deathly whisper at the final word, which only caused Nova to stand even taller and block more of the door.

“Cadenza, come on,” he just fixed Cadance with an exasperated look. “We’ve already been messed with enough today, and I’m sure you’re well aware we’ve patched things up, sis.”

“Wait, ‘sis?’” Twilight asked.

“Oh poo,” Cadance pouted at her surrogate younger brother. “You’re no fun, LBBFF.”

“I thought we both agreed we weren’t doing that.”

“You just said you didn’t know about going that far, but that wasn’t a noooo~” Cadance sang unhelpfully, giving Nova a smug grin, before stepping past him and starting to dance with Twilight in their usual Sunshine Dance. Shining, however, grabbed Nova in his magic and dragged him over to stand beside the larger stallion.

“Gonna threaten me?” Nova asked, giving him a once-over as he landed. “Your wife tried that last time and it didn’t go so well.”

“Nah,” Shining reached over and gave his mane a light tousle. “Just the usual older brother grilling. I was considering taking a train down to Neighton to pay you back for breaking Twily’s heart, but,” he gestured to his wife and sister, who were shaking their rumps at each other as they finished up their dance, “you’ve clearly cleaned up your mess. As a former Captain of the Guard, that already makes you more qualified to date my LSBFF than any other stallion in Equestria in my eyes.”

“The fact that I avoided messing up any more?”

“The fact that you took the initiative and fixed what went wrong,” Shining corrected, staring down at him. “Whether or not you did it doesn’t matter. There are times I find Cadey mad at me for something I’m ninety percent sure I never did, but it’s still on me to fix it. Happens all the time in the Guard. Stuff goes wrong. But the ones who step up and do their part are the ones who go far. It’s often said that in marriage, there’s a party who’s right a hundred percent of the time, and the other one is the husband, and time and again,” Nova couldn’t help but notice the faint note of irritation in his voice as he said that, “it rings true.”

“Something for me to keep in mind,” Nova nodded to himself thoughtfully. “So, what are you two doing in town? On vacation from ruling an entire empire?”

“Remember the armor discussion you walked in on?” Shining’s eyes gleamed. “The one where you managed to irritate all of my trusted generals by picking Sombra’s design?”

“How could I forget?” Nova asked, feeling his head sink down and a cold icy sensation of embarrassment as the memory of every Crystal Legion general glaring at him caused his cheeks to burn.

“Well, we settled on a design, preliminary enchantment tests were promising, so we’re here to formally request that Celestia station a detachment of Enchanters in the Empire to get our armor working.”

His horn shone pink and a schematic of the armor appeared for Nova to have a look at. It was very elegant, with designs clearly inspired by the standard Equestrian Peacekeeper armor, as well as some practical cues from Sombra’s own armor. It was colored a pale blue, not too far off of the color of Trixie’s mane, but with silver accents as well. And at different points along the armor were different gems, which seemed to be the sources of the different enchantments on the armor according to the notes.

“Looks good,” Nova commented, rather impressed.

“Talking about the armor again, Shining?” sighed Cadance, sliding herself between her husband and her surrogate brother, and draping a hoof around said surrogate brother. “We talked about this. You can geek out about the armor designs when we get up to the castle and you talk with my aunts and General Bastion.”

“I know,” Shining rolled his eyes, “but I don’t find many ponies who can appreciate a good armor schematic."

Cadance just gave him a flat stare, which Shining tried to challenge, but he just sighed after a moment..

“Alright, love. I’ll stop.” He then glanced over at Twilight. “We still doing Plan B? Divide and take the siblings out for lunch?”

“As you can see,” Cadance gave Nova a squeeze, “I’m isolating my LBBFF now.”

“Alrighty then,” Shining strode over to his younger sister, whose eyes were flicking between the three of them.

“What?” she asked.

“Come on, sis,” Shining grinned, trotting over and leading her away, just as Cadance was doing to Nova in the opposite direction. “Brother-sister lunch date.”

“Do we get a say in this?” Nova asked indignantly, though he wasn’t exactly struggling to extricate himself from Cadance’s grip.

“Nope!” Cadance replied a little too cheerfully. “You’re stuck with me for the next few hours.”

“What about Spike?” Twilight asked.

“Mom’s inside,” Shining gestured into the house. “She knows we’re foalnapping you, and she said she’ll handle the bags. In the meantime, let’s go get something to eat.”

“Nova, save me,” Twilight cried in an overly-dramatic voice as Shining started to trot into the city, leading his marefriend away from him. “I fear I will be lost without you!”

Nova jumped right in, sliding a hoof across his brow in the classic overdramatic pose. “I am afraid that I can help you not, for she has bound me far too tight to move.”

Shining tilted his head as he looked back at Nova in a confused sort of awe. “Was… was that iambic pentameter?”

“Vision… growing dark…” Twilight started to slump on down, even as Shining turned his confused gaze directed at Nova into an annoyed one directed at his sister.

“Alright you two, you’ve had your fun,” Cadance said, patiently allowing Nova to make his death as dramatic as possible, with him and Twilight desperately reaching out for each other, “but unfortunately, I don’t think you should be trying out for any Flankspearean theatre roles any time soon. Say goodbye, Nova,” her magic lifted him up and set him back down on his hooves.

“Goodbye, Nova,” Nova replied, causing Cadance to snort.

“Let’s go, Sis,” Shining led Twilight along, giving his wife and the stallion who had a decent shot of ending up his brother in law a wave. “See you two later.”

“So, tell me the truth, Shining,” Twilight stared at him through narrow eyes as they waited for their food. Shining had taken her to a nearby Pony Burger, a typical fast-food hayburger place they had enjoyed as kids that was in Lower Canterlot, hidden away from the disdainful eyes of the elites of Upper Canterlot like Donut Joe’s. Twilight expected that considering Shining had brought her all the way out here, she was going to get the usual “I completely disapprove of this coltfriend you’ve brought home” talk from him. “Were you really about to thrash him into next Wednesday when you saw him at the door?”

“Nah,” Shining shook his head, stifling a laugh. “If you had asked me that about twenty-four hours ago, the answer would have been a resounding yes, but well…” he gestured at her, “he’s clearly fixed things up.”

“Believe it or not, he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place,” Twilight stated, taking the tone she always used when she was refusing to allow Shining to challenge her. “I can say it quite confidently, now that he’s shown me what actually happened.”

“How do you know?” Shining asked, a note of caution in his voice, and a guarded expression on his face.

“Are you familiar with visual memories, Shining?” Twilight asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Of course, we use it for mission debriefing all the time. Unable to be magically altered without leaving behind massive evidence that it had been tampered with,” Shining answered, frowning. “He showed you his visual memories of what happened that night, then?”

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded her head, thought the same icy dagger that she had felt when she witnessed Nova nearly dying pierced her gut again, causing her to cringe a bit. “He… he didn’t want to show me them and instead, he wanted me to trust his word. But I wouldn’t,” she shook her head. “I was refusing to allow myself to even entertain the possibility that I was wrong.”

“But… why would he not want to show you visual memories?” Shining’s frown deepened. “Did he have something to hide?”

“Not… really, no,” Twilight shook her head and feeling the icy dagger stab further into her as the scene played in her head again. Envy, wearing Trixie’s form, preparing to kill Nova, who just sat there with a completely broken and forlorn expression on his face, not even bothering to fight her. “He… he didn’t want me to know about the part where he was nearly murdered.”

Shining’s eyes widened, and his jaw nearly hit the table. “He what?” Before Twilight even had a chance to respond, Shining reached across the table and placed a steadying hoof on her shoulder, but it felt far more like a desperate clutch than a supportive grab. “Is he alright? Are you alright? Is everything--”

“No, everything is not alright,” Twilight shook her head and pawing at her eyes, trying to prevent herself from having another breakdown, as she had the night before. “Shining… am I a bad pony?”

“What?” Shining gaped at her, his hoof’s grip tightening slightly. “How can you even ask that, Twily? You and your friends purified Nightmare Moon, you’ve reformed Discord, you and your friends have saved me and Cadance twice now, and you have one of the strongest moral compasses of anypony I know. What’s made you ask this?”

“I’ve been struggling lately, Shining,” Twilight admitted, staring at a wooden spot on their table to avoid meeting his eyes. “I’ve been insecure, I’ve blamed myself for things I could never have truly predicted or prevented, I’m second-guessing every decision I make, and I have my moments where I would rather be right when it would hurt, than be wrong when it wouldn’t.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shining asked.

“I mean,” Twilight took a deep breath, “the night everything fell apart, it looked to me as though Nova and Rarity were going behind my back.” She grit her teeth. “It just looked as though he were. He was meeting with Rarity at her house, with the explanation that he was preparing for our date and they seemed to be bantering a lot more casually than usual. Despite the fact that I knew both of them would never do anything like that, I still started to grow suspicious of them anyway.”

“That’s natural, Twilight,” Shining assured her, giving her a light shake. “If you think something’s wrong, you’re always going to pay extra-close attention to the situation. Though a little lesson in tact on his part wouldn’t be amiss,” he added with a frown.

“That’s just it, though!” Twilight pushed his hoof off. “I should have known better! But I still allowed myself to start to not trust him anyway. And then when the date happened, Nova went off to go and get a gift, and when he took a long time in returning, I went out for a look and found…”

She trailed off, shaking her head as the memory burned into her head started to play out. Now that she was assured Nova wasn’t doing this himself, that part didn’t hurt so much.

It was what came after that did.

“Found what?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Twilight shakily brushed her mane. “What matters is, what I saw wasn’t what was really happening, and even when Nova was trying to assure me it wasn’t so, and I couldn’t detect him lying, I still refused to believe him until he resorted to visual memories.”

“Twily, listen,” Shining re-established his grip on her shoulder and turned her to face him directly rather than look away. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t react the wrong way. Based on all of the information presented to you, your reaction was completely justified. Ponies refuse to change what they believe because they want to believe all the time. It’s a defense mechanism in the brain, so don’t blame yourself for what you can’t control.”

Twilight said nothing, merely frowning down at the table again.

“I can’t pretend to know what the two of you are going through right now, with each other and with Envy,” he didn’t miss Twilight suddenly look up in surprise, “but I do know this,” he stared right into her eyes, trying to will her to see the truth in them. “Nova doesn’t care. He came back to you despite what you may think you have done. Do not let yourself forget that fact.”

“How…” Twilight whispered, before swallowing and trying again. “How do you know about Envy?”

Shining just smiled cryptically. “You’ll see tomorrow, Twily. But,” he cut off her attempts to grill him before they could even start; he could always tell when she was going into interrogation mode, and had gotten quite good at putting a stop to it, “that’s for tomorrow. For today, relax. Enjoy hanging out with me, Cadey, and Nova. With everything going on, I’d imagine you don’t have much time to relax.”

“More than you think,” Twilight sighed, before rubbing at one of her eyes. “Sorry, Shiny. I don’t mean to make you or him worry.”

“Hey, what are coltfriends and big brothers for?” Shining grinned. “If you’re having trouble, talk to someone. Me, Cadey, Nova, Princess Celestia, your friends… we’re all here to help. Always.”

It was lucky their waitress delivered their food. It provided Twilight the distraction she needed not to tear up when dwelling on that statement.

“Thank you, Shining,” she sighed, as her bangs hid her eyes from view. “You… you have no idea how much it means to me.”

“Hey,” she felt his hoof on her shoulder again, “what are BBBFFs for?”

“So, gonna lecture me today, Cadenza?” Nova asked, as they trotted down the road, toward Canterlot’s restaurant district.

“Cadance.”

“I know what I said, Cadenza.”

“Believe it or not, though, that was the idea,” Cadance smirked down at him. “For old times sake, you know how it is,” she added, her smirk growing into an impish grin. “Especially if you insist on calling me by the name I keep asking you not to call me.”

“What would you even lecture me about?” Nova asked, failing to contain a chuckle of his own. “Me and Dad have made up, me and Tantalus have made up…”

“Love, actually,” Cadance answered, her mischief gone instantly, replaced with pride. “I’m proud of you, you know that?”

“You gonna give me a nice long praise session about how I fixed my mistake, and that’s why I’m fit for Twilight or something?” Nova asked, giving her a sideways glance. “Shining already did that.”

“Oh no,” Cadance shook her head, though she sighed wistfully. “I’m afraid the days where I get to lecture you about why your view on love is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad thing are long gone. You’ve grown and learned far too much since then.”

“I mean, outside of Twi and I finally getting together, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nova admitted.

“There’s more to love than just romantic love, Nova,” Cadance explained, taking on the tone she usually did when there was something she wanted him to get through his head. “Much more. Have you ever heard of the concept of the Four Loves?”

Nova frowned as he racked his brain. “Can’t… no, can’t say I have.”

“It’s mostly a theoretical concept,” Cadance clarified. “Not surprised you haven’t heard of it. Basically, though, you know how translating one language to another isn’t a one-to-one translation, right?”

Nova nodded. “Yeah, like how the yaks supposedly had eighty words for snow in their old language and we only have one.”

“That’s not inaccurate,” Cadance grinned, “but the same concept. Words in Equish may have more words to describe something more specific in another language, and vice versa. In this case, love, and its analogues in Nimbusian.”

“Nimbusian?” Nova frowned. “That’s the old language of the Pegasi, right? From before Hearth’s Warming?”

“Over a thousand years before Hearth’s Warming, but otherwise, exactly,” Cadance nodded approvingly. “You sure know your history.”

“I learned more than magic from those brief college courses you paid for,” Nova responded, looking ahead. Restaurant Row was ahead of them, and he had a feeling she was going to lead him in there. He’d never had any of the food there, even though it was supposed to be really good.

Cadance simply continued. “Well, the Nimbusian language had four different words to describe different aspects of love, that Equish just wraps up into the singular word ‘love’. The four types are storge, which is the love of family; philia, the love of companions and friends; eros, the romantic love everypony is familiar with, and agape, an unconditional love for a fellow pony.”

“So what do these have to do with me?”

“Well,” Cadance chewed on her lower lip, no doubt considering how best to word what she was going to say, “I believe you’ve grown exponentially in three of four of these aspects over the last few weeks.”

“How so?” Nova asked, slightly inclining his head. “Obviously romantically, I’m not pretending like it’s some kind of stupid thing to get into or whatever.”

“No, you’ve instead allowed yourself to grow close to Twilight, and she to you. And now, I believe I shall happily be awaiting the day when wedding invitations show up addressed to Shiny and I,” she teased, giving him a light bump.

“Bit early to be thinking about that,” Nova frowned, though the image he’d once had at the Sparkles’, of himself and Twilight at the altar, replayed in his head and he had to admit, it was far from unpleasant.. “It’s almost like you wanted me and Twilight to get together.” He froze in his tracks, his expression suddenly one of complete shock and a tiny bit of horror. “No, you didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” asked Cadance, glancing back at him in confusion.

“Did you purposefully try and get me and Twi together?” Nova was impressed that he’d managed to keep the sound of accusation out of his voice, but he still couldn’t help but feel once again like he had no true control over things with the realization alone.

“As a matter of fact, I did not,” Cadance shook her head, not the least perturbed by Nova’s change of mood. “Princess of Love I may be, and maybe in the past I had some fancies deep down that the two of you would be almost perfect for each other in the unlikely event that you two ever crossed paths, but no, I never purposefully tried to push you and Twilight together. The relationship between the two of you developed entirely on its own, my informing you of her feelings aside.”

“Did Princess Celestia and Princess Luna do it?” Nova asked, frowning. “How often did previous Faithful Students and Night Apprentices end up like us?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Cadance shrugged. “I never had a Night Apprentice partnered with me. The closest I had was Sunset Shimmer, a fellow Faithful Student, but that only lasted a few weeks before she vanished, and I can confirm,” she frowned in distaste, “the relationship wasn’t even close to romantic there.”

“Hm. But you do think I’ve grown in the eros sense,” Nova dutifully steered the conversation back on topic. “What about the others?”

“Well,” Cadance bobbed her head thoughtfully, “of the other three, I’d say storge was rather obvious how you improved, given you no longer hate your father’s very presence--”

“Understating it a bit there.”

“--and philia, where you seem to be doing a lot more to hang on to your friendship with Aegis than you had in the past.”

“Well,” Nova shrugged, “I have been visiting Canterlot more, and he’s been to Ponyville, plus there was that time he came up to the Crystal Empire at the same time as I did…”

“Even so, you two are spending more time together,” Cadance continued. “The only aspect of love you haven’t seemed to grow in has been agape. Unconditional love.”

“How do you mean?” Nova frowned. “If I sucked at the other three, wouldn’t unconditional love not be one of my strong suits?”

“Quite the contrary, you have always seemed to go out of your way to help those in need in the time I’ve observed you,” Cadance praised him, giving him a fond look. “There’s the incident in Manehattan where you bought clothes for the musician you found wearing rags, there was that time in Vanhoover where you took it upon yourself to purchase enough food to feed that entire homeless shelter for a whole year, and then there was that time in Neighton where you bought that pegasus an entire apartment…”

“I… have a soft spot for homeless ponies,” Nova admitted, sounding almost embarrassed.

“From personal experience?” Cadance arched an eyebrow.

“Something like that,” Nova grunted.

“Even so, never once have I ever doubted your agape,” Cadance continued. “In the time that I’ve known you, you have never turned a blind eye to the hungry, the cold, or the destitute. Distrust toward those you did know you may have had, but you never let it discolor your opinions of the ponies you didn’t know. Even after all you have been through, I can’t help but admit, I admired the way you helped others.”

Nova had to turn his head away so that Cadance wouldn’t see him getting teary-eyed at her praise. It meant more to him than he’d initially thought.

“Where are we even going?” he asked, failing to keep the shakiness out of his voice. “I thought you were leading me toward lunch. Restaurant Row was back there.”

“I’ve been following you,” Cadance replied, looking a bit amused. “You seem to know where you’re going.”

No sooner had she said this than they rounded a corner, and Nova finally recognized where they were, and also felt his gaze drawn down the road, toward the manor sitting at the far end of the road.

It was his family’s home.

Nova stared at it for several seconds, feeling the same anxiety he had felt last time well up in him, but before he could let it cause him any more trouble, the warm and gentle embrace of a wing suddenly draped itself over his back, and Cadance drew him close.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Go do what you need to. We’ll all be waiting at the Sparkles, alright?”

Nova nodded, noticing that his breathing had gotten a bit labored. Sure, he had made his amends with his father, but the psychological triggers were still going to be there to overcome.

And there was no time like the present.

Unlike the last time he had been here, the walk to the house seemed to go by in a flash, as though he had glided along at top speed. It seemed like no time at all had passed before he had pushed his way through the front doors and entered his family’s home.

The foyer looked as pristine as ever, as though nothing had changed, though he was startled to see his mother trotting along the mezzanine. He’d thought she would have been reading in the sitting room again.

As he pushed open the doors, her ears perked up and she looked down toward him. After a moment of recognition, she seemed startled by his appearance.

“N-Nova?” she asked, blinking dumbly. “I… R-Ray’s not here, if you’re looking for him. He told me what happened yesterday and--”

“No!” Nova cut her off, a bit more forcefully than he had originally wanted, and her wince caused him to cringe a bit. “No. I wanted… you. Just you.”

She stared at him for a long time, her silver eyes softening considerably, before she practically galloped down the main stairway to meet him in an embrace.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she held him tightly, as though he were afraid he’d vanish. And uncomfortable though it was, Nova made no move to pull away. “W-welcome home, son.”

“It’s good to be home,” Nova returned the embrace. “It’s good to be back, Mom.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Where Upper Canterlot was nestled on the mountainside, with the Castle only being a short distance away, and Lower Canterlot was situated on a little plateau a little bit closer to the ground, the Lulamoon Estate was even further below the city than that, about half a mile, well into the outskirts. In fact, much of Canterlot proper as a whole did not have any view of the Lulamoon Estate unless they were on the particular side of the city with the path that led to it.

The expanse was what one would expect from a rich family of spellcasters linked to one of the most prolific names in Equestrian history. There were tall stone walls and an ornate wrought-iron gate barring entry, but they were still very far out from the manse itself, which looked just as large as Novus Manor and was structurally-similar in design, with a main section and a wing on each side. And as they passed through the gates, Nova couldn’t help but gaze at the surroundings with wonder.

There were at least ten grassy fields, dozens of allotments of flowers and other plant life, a small grove of trees close to the manse at the end of the walk, and fine gravel walkways between all of them. The mansion itself was about as opulent as they came, carved with tremendous care to put exquisite detail into the marble walls, which were also detailed with valuable woods, precious metals, and all manner of finery. Perhaps to disguise the backside of the estate, the walls and the back end of the manor seemed to run up directly against the mountainside, but that did nothing to take away from the sheer majesty that was the Lulamoon Estate.

“This place is huge!” exclaimed Twilight, looking all around at the yards around them. “It has to be just as big as the castle!”

“Not quite,” Shining Armor said as the path shifted from dirt to the fine gravel as soon as it was inside the gate. “Canterlot Castle remains the largest single campus in all of Canterlot by several hundred square meters. Having several extra floors probably helps.”

Nova, Twilight, and Shining Armor found themselves joined by Aegis and Sharp Eye as well.

“How does Mr. Lulamoon maintain it all?” Twilight asked, still looking around at everything. “I don’t see any workers!”

Nova, however, had an answer.

“Feel beneath you,” he said.

Twilight’s eyes unfocused for a moment, before her mouth parted in surprise.

“A-all of that…?”

“Looks like it.”

“What are you two on about?” Aegis asked, giving them an odd look. As usual, he wore his peacekeeping armor. It seemed to be all he ever wore.

“All of the magical energy underneath us,” Nova replied, pressing a hoof into the ground and crunching the gravel ever so slightly. “It’s like a giant spider web of energy, criss-crossing over the entire estate as far as I can feel. It’s probably gotten to the point where Tantalus Lulamoon only needs to check on it every so often, make a correction or two, and then let it do its thing.”

“But a web of energy like this has to have a really strong power source,” Twilight pointed out. “Look at the Crystal Empire. That entire city is structured to function like this, and it needs the Crystal Heart to do that.”

“I wouldn’t put it past the Lulamoon family to be able to afford a particularly powerful crystal that he can just pour magic into when he needs to,” Nova answered, staring at the manse ahead of them. “Still, the family really didn’t have to show off their wealth this much.”

“What did you expect?” Aegis asked, sounding bemused. “The Lulamoon family is one of the five richest families in all of Equestria. Them and the Kickers just show it off a lot more than you Novuses, or the Bellebloods and Heartstrings do.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of old magical families,” Nova felt an evil grin spread across his face, “how did you react when you found out that Trixie was descended from your idol?”

Nova had never before seen a pony go from being quite jovial to suddenly ready to throw something across the yard in so short a time. To see Twilight’s pleasant demeanour just completely disappear, to be replaced by a barely-restrained cocktail of supreme annoyance and fury.

“Now you’ve done it,” Aegis observed.

“Yeah, that was probably the wrong thing to bring up,” Shining concurred, eyeing his sister warily.

“Ms. Sparkle, you’re about to spontaneously combust,” Sharp Eye pointed out, noticing a faint trail of smoke rising from her mane.

“NO I’M NOT!” Twilight snapped, head snapping over to glare at Sharp Eye, though Nova noticed her eyes had gone quite red.

“Twilight,” Nova stepped between them, a small vortex of wind already starting to swirl around her, nullifying the fire before it ever got going.

Twilight just glared at him for a long moment, but then she blinked, and red was replaced by purple again.

“Sorry,” she said, only half-sincerely, “but don’t remind me that nag is the heir to Star Swirl’s family line!”

“Noted, for future reference,” Nova replied, completely-sincerely, before reaching over and pulling her close. “And also, for future reference, don’t forget you’re dating the heir of an equally-influential family, who also happens to have the added bonus of being one of your idol’s descendants.”

Twilight eased into the hug, and a very satisfied smile spread across her muzzle. “That does make me feel better.”

“And don’t forget you’re one of Star Swirl’s descendants yourself,” he added.

In contrast to her earlier change in attitude, this one went completely the opposite way. Before, Twilight went from happy to angry in a matter of half a second. Now, however, Twilight went from happy to stunned in a fraction of that time.

Nova felt her slide out of his little hug, and when he looked back, she was just staring ahead, slack-jawed, eyes unfocused, and completely unaware of anything around her.

“You… didn’t know?” Nova asked, before glancing at Shining. “Did you?”

Shining nodded briefly. “Checked the family tree once. Wasn’t really surprising, to be honest,. Figured every Canterlot unicorn would have some obscure tie to the Novus or Lulamoon or other influential family at some point in their ancestry. I’m just as surprised as you that Twily didn’t know, or even suspect!”

“I’m… a descendant… of Star Swirl,” Twilight mumbled, as a dopey grin started to spread. “I’m a descendant of Star Swirl…”

“Unicorn families are weird,” Sharp Eye shook his head. “Why does everyone care so much about what unicorn they’re descended from? They don’t make you who you are, you make yourself.”

“Lineage, influence, that sort of thing,” Aegis answered, coming to the rescue of every unicorn in the group that had grown up in said system. “Though in fairness, a few pegasi families are like that. Soon as my dad learned we were distantly related to Flash Magnus, he wouldn’t shut up about it. Probably because Canterlot is big on that sort of thing. Who you know and who you’re related to makes it easier to climb the social ladder.”

“Ah,” Sharp Eye nodded understandingly. “Friends of friends doing favors. I don’t suppose you’ve read The Great Gatsby?”

“I didn’t know you read,” Nova answered as tactfully as ever.

Sharp Eye snorted. “What, did you think I spent all my time working on bounty hunting or bonding with Flutters? As tempting as those may sound, I do have hobbies, Nova.”

Nova responded with a sheepish grin and an embarrassed rub at the back of his head at that. “Yeah… not really sure what I expected,” he mumbled. “Aren't books a little on the expensive side in Neigh Zealand?”

“Very expensive, yes,” Sharp Eye dipped his head. “Shipping by air or sea is always a money sink. Still, I was always able to find books to enjoy. I am particularly good at finding things, as you may guess.”

“What are you, a Flufflepuff?” Nova asked. Twilight let out a gigglesnort. She understood that reference, it seemed.

“What the hell is a Flufflepuff?” Sharp Eye asked, staring over at him.

Nova couldn’t figure if that meant that Sharp Eye knew it too, or if he was being genuine, so he let it pass.

Sharp Eye smirked (So he did get it!), but didn’t press further. They had crossed the yard and were almost to the grand set of double front doors, which swung open of its own accord to reveal a foyer twice the size of Novus Manor’s, with pristine tile floors, artwork on the walls, and a giant, magnificent purple crystal being held in some kind of magical stand in the center.

From top to bottom, it went from floor to ceiling, several meters up. The purple seemed to radiate off of it, and to Nova, it was almost like someone lit a magnesium fire in front of him to his energy sensing, drowning everything else out in the room, even Twilight!

Why was he only just now sensing it? Did the doors block sensing ability?

“Oh,” Nova said, one of the only two of the group who didn’t react with any kind of wonder or surprise at the sheer size of it. “So that’s how he maintains his enchantment web.”

“Yeah,” Shining nodded knowingly. “Collects ambient magical energy from all around and stores it for the enchantment web to use. Believe this was one of the last mana magnacrystals that Ars Arcanum himself created.”

Nova would have loved to sit there gawking, but he and Twilight did have a mission. Not to mention, a side-effect of being a member of an equally-rich-and-influential house was that he was used to such magnificence by now.

“Come on,” he said, leading the three wowed ponies and Shining toward where he could faintly feel his father and Tantalus waiting for them in a back room.

“But… but… big magnacrystal!” Twilight pouted, evidently not pleased that Nova would interrupt such a sight.

“We can stop and look at the big magnacrystal as long as you want on the way out,” Nova promised.

Twilight pouted even more, but it didn’t last very long. Shining took the lead, taking them through the many rooms of the Lulamoon Estate, passing through art galleries, dining chambers, and all manner of show-offy rooms before they were led back into the third-biggest library Nova Shine had ever laid eyes on.

The moment he stepped into the room, his jaw hit the floor.

From floor to third-story ceiling, there were shelves stuffed full of books absolutely everywhere! There had to be thousands! Tens of thousands! Not a single one looked identical to another, save for the newer editions of each one that went along! There were reading desks everywhere, several catalogs at different parts of the library, which Nova could sense would update each other as contents were checked in and out, and there, standing at the far end of this paradise, were Tantalus Lulamoon and Ray Novus.

As they entered the room, both stallions turned to see who was entering, and while Nova was unable to fight off the brief reflex to try and attempt to get away, he stood firm, resolving to beat that flight reflex out of his muscle memory.

“I see that our little talk in the bar had its intended effect,” Ray said, smiling at the sight of Twilight staring around the room, completely and totally enraptured.

“Well, I had to do a little improvising,” Nova pulled his salivating marefriend along, “but yes, everything worked out.”

Tantalus trotted up to the group of them, offering a hoof to Nova. “A pleasure to see you again, Nova Shine.”

“And you as well,” Nova shook his hoof. “Took me a while, but I did it.”

Tantalus smiled. “That you did. Believe it or not, it happened sooner than I expected from you. It can’t have been easy to overcome such a divide.”

“It wasn’t,” Nova answered, before gesturing around at the large library. “So, are the diaries here someplace?”

Tantalus shook his head. “No. If they were, it wouldn’t be so difficult to retrieve them that I needed your father to make amends with the both of us. However…”

He looked over to Aegis with a very serious expression.

“Corporal, am I to understand by your presence here that you are to be the new secret-keeper?”

Aegis just glanced over to Shining uncertainly. “Uhh… sir?”

“Yes,” Shining answered. “Since I live in the Empire now, and am not on hoof to handle cases involving your side-job, it would be best to find someone else. I brought Corporal Aegis along because of his relation to both Nova and Twilight, as I believe this makes him the best candidate to protect a secret involving both of their safety.”

“What secret am I supposed to be keeping, exactly?” Aegis narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t know I was going to be doing this when I came.” He glared at Shining, his eyes positively glowing with resentment at this development.

“Calm down, Corporal,” Tantalus said softly. “As Captain Armor said, he brought you along specifically because your friendship with Nova and Twilight makes you the best candidate for the position.”

“It’s Prince-Consort now,” Shining corrected, “which is why I can’t exactly do it myself anymore. The secret-keeper needs to be someone physically close to Lord Lulamoon. And if you’re uncomfortable with it, you can choose not to do this now and it won’t be held against you. But I can promise you if you accept, it comes with compensation.”

“What kind?” Aegis asked tersely. “I assume this means I’m being asked to withhold knowledge of some kind of illegal activity, right?”

“In the name of Nova’s and Twilight’s safety,” Tantalus replied, unperturbed by Aegis’ sudden uneasiness. “I have possession of several diaries that detail the apprenticeships of the previous Night Apprentices and Faithful Students, and in particular, these diaries contain information on how they may defeat En… their enemy.”

He probably doesn’t know who Envy is, Nova thought, watching Aegis. Well, he’s in for a nasty surprise when he gets around to reading these books.

“Is this a conversation I’m needed for?” Sharp Eye asked. “Because it sounds like you’re treading onto some topics that aren’t for everypony’s ears here.”

“You’re right, Sharp Eye,” Ray dipped his head. “I’m afraid you are no longer needed here and it is a confidential discussion.”

“Guess I’m back off to Ponyville then,” Sharp Eye couldn’t help but smile somewhat at that. “Welp, be seeing you lot!” he said, and with a casual salute, he trotted off, out of the library.

“To answer your question, however,” Shining continued as though Sharp Eye’s departure hadn’t happened, “as this is recognized off the books as a service to Equestria the Princesses are… shall we say, far more likely to recommend you for promotion so long as your lips remain sealed.”

Aegis cocked his head. “Don’t tell me…”

Shining shrugged. “How do you think I ended up as Captain of the Guard at such a young age? Though dating Cadance probably helped out there…” he trailed off with a small nostalgic grin.

Aegis just stared at Shining, his expression unreadable, though the flaring of his nostrils was as good a tell as any that he was not happy in the slightest to find out that even the Royal Guard, bastion of integrity and honor, was involved in off-the-books promotions and the like.

“If it’s for the greater good,” his voice was a deathly whisper, “then so be it. But make no mistake, Captain,” Nova was surprised to hear just how much venom was in the word, “this goes against everything I swore an oath to uphold.”

“We will talk more about it in the future, Aegis,” promised Shining. “For now, remove your armor and put this on,” he conjured a black cloak and held it out. “It’s got an enchantment that changes the colors of your coat, mane, tail, and eyes. Don’t want to risk you being recognized as a guard under any circumstances. Same for you two,” Shining added, offering cloaks to Nova and Twilight as well.

Aegis quickly shed his armor, and Nova had the brief image of a grey coat and black mane, before slipping the cloak on and turning to face them. His coat had now become a very light blue, a shade lighter than Trixie’s, and his mane became a brilliant white, as had his eyes.

“Completely unrecognizable,” Shining Armor smiled, slipping his own cloak on. His new coloration was a bright red stallion, with a jet-black mane.

“How do I look?” Twilight asked, glancing over to Nova with now-bright green eyes. She had become white, with the faintest hint of green, and her mane had become two-tone rather like Shinings, with a lime and forest variety. For whatever reason, Nova could almost feel the faintest aroma of clovers at the sight of her.

“Mmm… One sec,” Nova’s horn glowed, and Twilight’s mane and tail were both very carelessly thrown about. Gone were their neatness, but overall, the now-unruly mane and tail looked better with the cloak-and-dagger effect they were trying to create. “There we go.”

Nova’s own new features, however, were rather odd. His mane seemed to desaturate to a lighter shade of blue, but his coat turned a very bright and vivid pink. His eyes, as well, turned to a rather piercing white.

“So we’re all disguised now,” he said, ignoring Aegis’ and Twilight’s snickering. “Where are we going?”

“In here,” Tantalus said, reaching out and pushing a particular book further into the bookcase.

There was a very loud clunk, and the bookcase he had pushed started to sink into the ground. It was a slow process, but in no time at all, a large passageway into the mountain had opened up behind it. Nova was impressed. An actual bookcase secret passageway? Awesome!

“You’ll need to go by different names while we’re down here,” Ray warned. His cloak didn’t change his colors at all, but he was pulling the hood up. The only one uncloaked was Tantalus, who appeared rather grim as he started to step into the tunnel of rock, with his horn illuminating the darkness. “I think Clever Clover will do for Twilight.”

Nova didn’t miss the smirk his marefriend gave at that.

“Shining goes by Scarlet Sable. Aegis, you can go by Starry Night, and Nova, I’m thinking Bubble Berry.”

“Why did the cloak have to make me pink!?” Nova whispered aloud, facehoofing.

“Now remember,” his father turned just as grim as Tantalus, “you say nothing of what you see down here to anyone. you do not speak to anyone down here. Let Tantalus do all talking. Speak only when spoken to. Under absolutely no circumstances are any of you with horns to cast magic because these cloaks can’t change your resonance’s color. And for the love of Celestia, don’t tell anyone your real name!”

Nova was suddenly having second thoughts about coming down here. The real weight of Tantalus being an actual mob boss was starting to sink in, nice though he might be. What sort of environment were they about to wander into?

“Now let’s go,” Ray motioned them in with a hoof. Shining and Aegis were quick to follow, with Aegis’ mouth having become a very unpleasant pucker. Twilight and Nova followed behind, with Twilight keeping very near him and curling her hoof around his.

“Scared?” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

“If you are, I’ll protect you,” she whispered back, and he could hear a playful edge to it despite the very faint quiver in her voice. Nova figured that she could handle threats to Equestria’s existence with no problem, but a criminal hideout was an entirely new beast.

The light disappeared entirely as the bookcase slid into place behind them with another clunk, leaving them in darkness save for the light of Tantalus’ horn.

“Stay close,” Tantalus advised, continuing to trot ahead. “It gets more than a little cramped in spots, and the last thing you want is to be seen without me.”

“Very reassuring. I feel much better about agreeing to this,” Aegis replied in a low voice. Nova snorted

“I always thought Nova was the one with the inclination toward sarcasm,” Ray observed idly. “Good to know he’s been a bad influence on you, Aegis.”

“How do we know Envy isn’t following us?” Nova cut in, suddenly aware of a little flaw in their plan. “She could be hanging out in one of our shadows right now.”

Tantalus responded by letting off a wave of magic from his horn. Tantalus’ magic was a very, very pale blue, very close to white. It was almost like Trixie’s own pale pink, except even lighter than that. The hall was bathed in its glow as the wave of magic blasted outward, passing through them all well on either side.

“She is nowhere in the vicinity,” Tantalus said, with a note of satisfaction. “If she was, the spell would have forced her to to materialize, and powerful though she may be, six against one are not odds she would play against. Now, shall we?” he motioned onward with a hoof.

“Who’s Envy?” Aegis asked as they trotted along.

“Their enemy,” Tantalus replied. “You will doubtless forget who she is, but worry not. We are going to remedy that while we’re down here. In the meantime, allow me to explain why the skulduggery is necessary.”

He paused for a moment, no doubt gathering his thoughts, before continuing.

“Envy’s last known appearance until recently was shortly before Nightfall. Before that time, she had taken the steps necessary to become a fearsome enemy that struck in unexpected ways from the shadows by hunting down and destroying every last scrap of history with her linked to them. Nova and Twilight are already aware of this, but the reason she did this is so she could cast the Remember-Me-Not Curse upon herself. Are you familiar with what that particular curse does, Aegis?”

“Can’t say I am,” Aegis shook his head.

“Miss Sparkle?” Tantalus asked expectantly.

“The Remember-Me-Not Curse was a curse developed by Sombra, which he eventually used on himself to force the Crystal Ponies to forget the time of the Empire shortly before sealing it away for a thousand years,” Twilight elaborated, looking quite uneased at the thought of it. “There were several variations, but all of them worked roughly the same way. The victim of the curse would fade from the memory of every pony who hadn’t ever known them in a meaningful way.”

“If the curse is cast on one pony, how does it affect everypony else?” Aegis asked.

“Because the magic of friendship connects the hearts of the ponies we all know and love,” Twilight answered, still sounding uneasy about the curse she was having to explain. “Sombra’s magic somehow used this connection against the victim. The ones who had encountered the victim in meaningful ways, such as a loved one or a family member or something like that, they would never lose their memories of the victim. But the ones who were only casual acquaintances, or ponies who only ever read their name in a book would never be able to remember them.”

“And… and their enemy used this on himself?” Aegis asked.

“Herself,” corrected Nova. “And yeah. We didn’t even know she existed until she tried to strangle us in the Everfree Vaults several months ago.”

“She wanted to become completely unexpected to her enemies,” Tantalus continued. “And she succeeded. Her quest to destroy all historical evidence of her existence was terrifyingly effective. It’s why the public at large don’t even know that Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, and Mi Amore Cadenza weren’t the first Faithful Students, or that Nova Shine isn’t the first Night Apprentice.

“So, the Lulamoons, who had been keeping the diaries of previous Faithful Students and Night Apprentices of their day, devised a solution,” a faint note of pride entered Tantalus’ voice. “I do not know the exact reasoning behind their actions, but they placed a permanent counter-curse on each diary, so that if these diaries were read, regardless of whether or not the reader ever read any mentions of Envy, they would counteract the curse permanently, protecting the reader from it removing her from their memory.”

“Naturally,” Ray interjected, “this only meant the diaries needed to be protected even more. Envy was sealed away by Night Apprentice Comet Novus and Faithful Student Sunbeam, and had remained sealed away ever since. In the thousand years that followed, the Lulamoon family name increased in wealth and influence, as did the Novus family. While this meant we both had resources to use to continue looking after the diaries, it also meant that the estate was one of the first places Envy would scour if she ever discovered that these diaries existed, and we wanted to ensure the diaries were well-hidden away, in a location Envy would never think to look in.”

“Thus,” Tantalus picked up, “when I was banished from the princess’ presence after the incident at the school and was approached by some unscrupulous individuals who believed a disgraced noble falling from grace would be desperate enough to finance illegal operations in order to maintain his wealth, I admit I was initially repulsed, but the more I thought about it… the more of an opportunity I saw. And that opportunity has led us to where we are going today.”

They had arrived at a large wall in the cave. Ray simply fired a beam of magic at it, causing it to sink into the floor.

The room beyond looked like an underground bunker of sorts. It was very clearly carved out of the rock around them, but it appeared to be much more well-weathered than the crude tunnel they had just come through. Clearly, this room had seen regular use in whatever its purpose was. It didn’t seem to serve any particular purpose other than storage for the moment, as there were a number of objects scattered around the room in a number of different containers and such.

Boxes contained several different things, mostly paperwork. Bookshelves contained what appeared to be archives and records. Crates around the room seemed to have merchandise inside of it, and as Nova gave it a quick look-over, he saw a number of potion ingredients, particularly the rarer, more morally-grey ones.

He frowned. “What exactly does your little crime family do, Tantalus?” he asked in a low voice.

“We’re suppliers,” Tantalus replied in an equally low voice. “The Silverblood Family is an old family, heavily steeped in some of the worst dealings in Equestria’s history. According to rumor, they once kidnapped a changeling princess. Other rumors talk about them working with Sombra. Still others mention that they supported the Lunar Uprising, and others say they also financed Prince John’s rebellion in Nightfall’s aftermath.

“When they came to me, I made sure we wouldn’t be doing anything directly illegal,” his mouth twisted into a half-smile, half-grimace. “We would simply obtain things and sell them. We wouldn’t be breaking the law, nor would we supply any contraband. What other ponies chose to do with what they acquired from us was their business.”

“You enable them,” Aegis hissed. “If it weren’t for you, they would have nothing at all.”

“Not necessarily,” Tantalus shook his head. “If we don’t do what we do, someone else does it. We do it in a perfectly-legal way, purely for plausible deniability on my part. Hell, I only accepted the role because I saw the opportunity to do my job, even if it meant getting my hooves dirty. Now,” he glanced back at all of them, “no more talking. Leave it all to me.”

The door to the room was a completely normal door, unsecured but for a normal deadbolt lock, which Tantalus unlocked and stepped through leading his charges.

Beyond the door was another bunker-like room, only far more spacious and devoid of objects, but instead with several ponies moving here and there. All were cloaked like they were, with the exception of a few bulky enforcers that were standing beside each door menacingly, glaring at anyone who went near someplace they shouldn’t.

One such bulky pony, a brown stallion with gleaming golden eyes and a complete lack of a mane, strode forward to stop them from advancing.

“Passphrase,” he said in a low, rumbly voice. It reminded Nova a little of Big Mac, but with an added edge to it.

“We don’t have a passphrase, you brute,” Tantalus snapped. Despite being completely taken aback by the brusque reply, Nova thought he saw the ghost of a grin on the bulky pony’s face.

“You made a mistake,” the brute replied, his eyes narrowing. “It’s ‘you incapable brute.’”

“Yes, I think incapable describes you quite perfectly,” Tantalus retorted, meeting the bulky pony’s eyes with an unflinching look of his own.

There was a long moment in which they stared at each other. Nova was starting to feel uneasy about this. With a nervous glance to the side, he saw that Aegis was frowning at the situation, and Twilight appeared apprehensive as well. Shining and Ray, however, looked completely unconcerned. A few of the ponies around the room were glancing in their direction, but none appeared to be making any kind of move in their direction.

“The passphrase is accepted,” rumbled Bulky after a long moment, with a faint nod. “You didn’t have to be that harsh in tone. The words exchanged were all that mattered, sir.”

“Apologies, Stalwart,” Tantalus’ impatience vanished completely. “Typically when a short conversation is a passphrase, it implies tone is a part of the validation. Shall I display my resonance for final proof?”

“No, I’ve seen enough,” Stalwart shook his head. “What’s with the guests?”

“We’re here to visit my private vault,” Tantalus answered. “You’ve met Scarlet Sable and Ouranos,” he gestured at Shining and Ray. “Scarlet brought a new bodyguard, since he’s on his way up to Vanhoover. Stalwart, this is Starry Night.”

Stalwart acknowledged Aegis with a curt nod, which Aegis responded with a stiff one of his own.

“The other two, however, I have paid for the services of. These are Clever Clover and Bubble Berry.”

“Bubble Berry?” Stalwart repeated, smirking. “Not exactly the best name for this line of work.”

“Oi, sod off,” Nova replied, doing his best impersonation of a Trottish grifter he’d once run into. “Make fun of me foockin’ name again and I’ll show ye why he paid so highly fer me services.”

Stalwart’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Nova wondered if he’d done something wrong, but then Stalwart grinned.

“Aye, you’ll fit right in.” He turned back and started to lead them toward another, more secure door at the end of the room. “Least you own the name. Probably makes it easier, right?”

“Meh,” Nova rolled his eyes. “Not intimidatin’, but most ponies cannae believe someone named ‘Bubble Berry’ could be so ‘eartless.”

“Heh!” Stalwart smirked. “Intimidating names don’t always work. There was one mare we had in here a while back. What was her name, Brass?” he glanced back at another bulky pony. “That purple one, scar and the broken horn?”

“Well, she called herself ‘Tempest Shadow’ or sommat!” Brass replied, smirking. “Pro’ly thought it was badass. Me and the lads did some digging, though. That couldn’t be her real name, y‘see? Sounded too much like she was coverin’ her real one up. And y’know what? Turns out her real name’s ‘Fizzlepop Berrytwist.’”

The room exploded into derisive laughter. Nova couldn’t resist a smirk at that story, though he noticed his father, Tantalus, and Shining were all glancing at each other and back at him uneasily, though they always averted their eyes when he looked at them. Were they mad he had spoken out of turn?

“Thank-you, Stalwart,” Tantalus finally said as the laughter died down. Stalwart unbarred a much more secure iron door. “We shall be out shortly.”

“Noted,” Stalwart bowed. “Knock three times when you’re ready to leave.”

The iron door clanged open, revealing a long hallway. The six of them stepped inside, with Tantalus already leading them toward the end, and the moment Shining stepped in last, the door slammed shut and locked behind them.

“We can speak in peace, now,” Tantalus said, still leading them to the end. “Soundproofing enchantments on all walls. A security measure so no one can hear what’s being put into what vault and can guess its value.”

“Nova, you idiot,” Shining glared at his sister’s coltfriend. “Tantalus just said no talking.”

“Unless spoken to,” Nova replied, bristling. “And he spoke to me.”

“You did not need to be so defensive,” Tantalus admonished, though he was far more calm than Shining was. “You did seem to come on a little too strong, but fortunately, it worked out in our favor. Nevertheless,” he gave Nova an annoyed look, “no speaking on the way back.”

“Understood,” Nova nodded. “So what’s all this?”

“These are the vaults in which we store valuable objects or the money the family makes,” he led them down a long stretch of blank walls on either side. “When I took over, I had two more of these constructed. One was a vault where we would handle our financial assets, and the other was my personal vault, with a special little secret compartment included, just for my task. Here,” he had led them to the end of the hall.

At once, red flags went up in Nova’s mind. He could feel the energy of the ponies around him, some magical energies in the distance, and the tiniest specs of energy as small enchantments did little things, but these three walls appeared to be completely devoid of any sort of energy he could sense.

Even as Tantalus shot a beam of magic at a seemingly-random brick in the wall, Nova couldn’t even feel that! Beside him, he noticed Twilight seemed confused by it as well, though she didn’t seem nearly as flummoxed as he was. Perhaps it was because she chalked it up to not being used to the sense yet…?

The brick that Tantalus’ magic struck glowed, and a small archway appeared, just large enough for two ponies to go through. Yet even so, Nova still could sense nothing in this direction!

“Why can’t I sense anything?” he asked.

“I’ll explain inside,” Tantalus replied, not looking away from the door.

Inside was not much. There was very little that Nova could discern as any kind of valuable as they entered the room. Mostly some books, perhaps a few trinkets, that sort of thing. All of it appeared dusty in some way. It was as though this room hadn’t been inhabited by ponies in years.

“Keep moving, we’re not here for this,” Tantalus ushered them back toward the back wall of the moderately-sized room. Nova couldn’t detect any magical energy around the room, for whatever reason. All of it appeared to be completely and totally dark to him, despite the enchantment Tantalus had cast on the vault’s door to even open it.

"I still can't sense anything," Nova said again.

“Because, per my specifications, the bricks used to construct these walls were made with a mixture of powdered obsidian, clay, and trace amounts of inmanipulon.”

Twilight gasped.

“Inmanipulon!? Anti-magic!? How could you even afford to bring it all the way in from Arstrotzka!?”

Tantalus just gave her a flat look, though Nova could see the hint of a smile on his muzzle. After a moment, Twilight just facehoofed.

“Right. Star Swirl’s family and all associated riches and influence.”

Tantalus sniffed.

“Yes. I paid top bit to have enough inmanipulon to construct these vaults brought over.”

“What’s inmanipulon?” Nova asked.

“Anti-magic, in a nutshell,” Twilight answered. “It’s a type of stone that absorbs magical energy, but it’s so rare that precious few ponies have even heard of it, much less have any kind of access to it. No one knows how it’s made, but it is consistently being dug up in the frozen wastes of Arstrotzka and what portions of Dream Valley have been excavated since the Great Freeze. Rumor has it, Queen Chrysalis has a throne made from it, too.”

“Yes,” Tantalus nodded. “In small amounts, it does not ward off magic effectively. However, as you noticed,” he gestured at the walls, “you couldn’t sense anything on the other side, which makes it excellent for hiding things from energy sensors. Such as a time stasis spell. Are you ready, Ray?”

A-- a time stasis spell!?” Twilight openly gaped at Tantalus.

“I am,” Ray nodded. “Step back everyone, if you please.”

They approached a nondescript wall at the back of the vault. Before Nova could even bother to ask what was going on, beams of pale blue and silver shot out from their horns, hitting exactly the same spot and causing a large chunk of the wall to glow, before it turned completely translucent.

Behind the wall, were two bookshelves. One was carved from ebony wood, the other from weirwood. Both were intricate, with five shelves each. The ebony had a polished silver moon etched in the center of the top, and the weirwood had a golden sun. The top row of each shelf was full of books, end to end. The second row of each, however, was more than half-full, but with some space still there. The third, fourth, and fifth shelves were all empty.

But the moment the wall had turned translucent, revealing its contents for the world to see, Nova’s senses went blind due to the sheer intensity of the magical energy on the other side. He winced, clapping a hoof to near his horn, just as Twilight did the same, and so did his father and Shining.

“Behold, the diaries of every Night Apprentice and Faithful Student,” Tantalus said, with a dramatic flair of his hoof. “Inside, you will find records of their experiences and their encounters with Envy."

“Their encounters with who?” Aegis asked, glancing between Tantalus and the books. Nova was about to comment about how he asked who Envy was already, but then he remembered that no one who hadn’t ever met Envy or read these diaries could remember she existed.

“One sec,” Nova replied, before looking over at his dad. “How do we get them out?”

“Why not try walking forward and grabbing one?” Ray replied, arching an eyebrow.

“Come on, Dad,” Nova rolled his eyes. “After all the lengths you went through to protect this vault, you’d be really dumb to just stop there.”

Ray smiled proudly. “Excellent thinking. Yes, if you had attempted to walk forward and just grab one, you’d be frozen too. And don’t try to use your magic either. It’ll just fizzle out and force you to use a physical means.”

“So how do we get them out?” asked Aegis.

“Like this,” said Ray, who conjured a sort of grasping tool in his magic. It was a long wooden pole attached to an odd claw-like object on the end, which he reached over and used to grab the first Faithful Student book. Once secure, he pulled it out, and offered it to Twilight. Twilight however, was still staring open-mouthed at the set-up.

“Twi?” Nova lightly jostled her. “Are you okay?

“Th-this is… kinda overwhelming,” she sank onto her haunches. “So… not only have you imported inamnipulon, a supremely-rare and valuable stone that probably cost millions of bits--”

“Billions,” corrected Tantalus. “For how much I brought over, it was billions.”

Twilight just grasped her head with both her front hooves.

“This is… this is just insane! To bring in that much inmanipulon would be too easily traceable, and the number of wizards you’d have had to bring in to cast the time stasis spell would have been staggering! There has to be a paper trail of some kind!”

“You’re not wrong,” Tantalus dipped his head. “However, the purchase of the inmanipulon was made by an off-the-books organization that served only as a front for the Crown, to acquire the stone for this job. After which, the inmanipulon went through a dozen different transfers, until it wound up in my hooves. I used the inmanipulon on experimental anti-magic armor,which resulted in a large amount of waste, which was collected, ground into powder, and used to create the bricks that lay in the walls around you.”

“Take it from me, sis,” Shining smiled humorlessly. “They really did think this whole conspiracy thing through.”

“‘They?’” Twilight’s eyebrows raised.

“I didn’t hire a large number of mages either,” Tantalus continued. “Or any, as a matter of fact. There were only two of us who cast the spell. Despite his utter hatred of me at the time, and despite the fact that he had attacked me only a year before, Ray accepted my request for his aid, with the caveat that I never speak to him again when it was all said and done.”

The last part earned a regretful look from Ray, but he didn’t say anything.

“He was the only pony I knew of whom I could count on to be able to understand the ludicrously-complex spell matrix that makes up time stasis, and while neither of us could hold a candle to either of you,” he glanced back at the both of them meaningfully, “we weren’t slouches in the magic department. Nevertheless, with those reserves, we still nearly depleted ourselves, and we would have died if we hadn’t brought Night Light along to key him into the door.”

“Wait, Dad knows about this place too?” Twilight looked over at Shining.

“Mmhmm,” Shining nodded. “I replaced him as the secret keeper when he felt the time was right, which wasn’t too long after I was made a full-time guard. Got brought down here, had my resonance keyed into this door, and now any two of the five ponies whose resonances are keyed to the door can open it.”

“So you three, Night Light,” Nova ticked off, “and let me guess, Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?”

“Princess Celestia, yes,” Tantalus answered. “We figured this way, if Ray and I were met with unexpected demises, they weren’t locked out of this room forever. It would still be a task, to sneak in here and get everything, but it was possible.”

“I’m gonna need a lot of time to process this,” Twilight rubbed at her head.

“Yeah, certainly is quite overwhelming to think about,” Shining smiled knowingly. “But all of it was to protect the two of you, and anyone else who becomes the new Night Apprentice and Faithful Student when the two of you graduate.”

“But protect them from who?” Aegis asked, sounding impatient. “None of you have told me who this dangerous enemy is!”

“Give him the book,” Nova said, gesturing to Aegis. Twilight did so, and Aegis snatched it out of her hand, glowering at everyone. He really didn’t seem to be taking this whole situation very well. “Give that a read.”

Aegis did. Upon opening the book to a random page, it seemed as though a white fog flew from its pages, blowing into Aegis’ face which caused him to drop the book and sputter a bit.

“Wha--” he shook his head rather wildly, as though clearing leftover cloud from his face though it had faded only a moment ago, “what was that?”

“The counter to the Remember-Me-Not Curse. Congratulations,” Tantalus smiled at him. “You are now able to remember details about Nova’s and Twilight’s enemy.”

“Oh,” Aegis said, seeming a tad confused.

Nova, however, reached down and picked up the book. If it was the book of the first Faithful Student, then that meant it had to belong to Clover the Clever, and that meant that it could possibly have had details about Envy’s origins, or details on what his idol was like at his age. No doubt she had to have some relevant information on the subject.

With that in mind, he started rifling through the pages, searching for a mention of Nova Shine, or of Envy. Perhaps other relevant information would be there as well. If anyone was bound to know anything about the first Nova Shine, it would be the mare he loved but could never have.

However, Clover’s journal was ultimately rather mundane. It detailed daily studies and activities, spoke at length about time spent with Princess Celestia, and it contained information on daily life in the city of Everfree. However, it was mum on information on who Envy might be, or the first encounter.

There wasn’t even much information about Nova Shine. There was a passing mention here about some diplomatic mission he went on to the nearby Earth Pony capital, there was a minor complaint about Nova not taking his studies seriously there… whatever the present-day Nova had hoped to find in that journal didn’t appear to be there. Still, perhaps there was more information about Envy later on in the diary. Considering the Princesses mentioned that Envy first struck toward the end of Clover’s tenure as the Faithful Student, it would make sense to start there.

With that in mind, he flipped to the back of the diary.

Upon seeing its contents, his brow reflexively furrowed in confusion.

What in the…?

But as he scrutinized the page’s contents, things began to click together in his head, and his mouth fell open.

Is this…?

“What’s this?” he asked, showing the page to his father, who glanced at it.

“Oh, that,” his father grimaced. “I’m afraid that is indecipherable. Not for want of trying. There’s a few more sections like that in Clover’s diary and in a small part of Nova Shine’s second diary, but his first diary is entirely encrypted like that, and despite my attempts to have it cracked by Equestria’s top cryptanalysts, no one has a clue. No one character appears more or less frequently enough to where we can determine which character equals what.”

Nova stared at the page.

“You said Nova Shine I’s diary is entirely encrypted in it?”

“It is.” Ray sighed. "Unfortunately, that's why we don't really plan on letting you have it, despite him being your idol. You can see this one, though," he reached up and got the second of Nova Shine I's diaries.

Nova handed Clover’s diary off to Twilight as he took his idol’s. It took some finding, but he was able to find the encrypted section toward the back of the book. As he scanned the first few paragraphs of dots, dashes, and triangles, however, there could be no denying it.

“Aegis,” he hissed, practically bolting over to show it to him.

“What’s up?” Aegis asked, before Nova shoved the diary under his nose. “Nova, mate, you don’t need to…”

He trailed off as he stared down at the page’s mysterious encryption.

Dots. Dashes. Triangles. It was all there. Aegis had to see it! He was, after all, the one who took hours every time they exchanged a letter...

“Is that…?” Aegis hissed, looking stunned. “In a thousand year old diary?”

“Maybe,” Nova muttered, before closing the diary and handing it back to Twilight.

“Okay, what’s going on?” asked Twilight, glancing suspiciously between the two of them. “What’s in the diary?”

“See for yourself,” Nova found the page in question and gave it to her. Twilight, of course, didn’t have the same reaction that the two of them did. She just stared blankly down at it, before looking back up at him.

"It's in Clover's diary too," Nova said, flipping through the pages and showing her in her own book. Twilight's brows knitted together in confusion at the sight of it.

“Why would Clover encrypt things in her diary? Was she afraid somepony was snooping?”

“Beats me,” Nova shrugged. “Wonder why Nova Shine would use it though. Was he paranoid?”

“An interesting thing to think about,” Twilight commented, before turning back to the beginning and reading again. Nova, however, went back up to his father.

“Think you can get me the first of Nova Shine I’s diaries?”

Ray blinked. “Didn’t I just say it was completely encrypted, and we haven’t been able to crack it, and that we weren't planning on letting you have it?”

“Yes,” Nova dipped his head, but persisted. “However, I wonder if I might be able to make ground where others have failed.”

Ray sighed patiently. “Nova, look, I do believe you are a brilliant stallion. Do not mistake me thinking this a waste of time as me not having faith in your abilities. But your grandfather and I have taken his diary to the foremost minds in cryptanalysis over the years, and not a single one of them has been able to make any ground whatsoever.”

“I understand that,” Nova glanced at Clover’s diary, which Twilight was no longer reading due to her paying attention to this conversation, “but... “

“But…?” Ray arched an eyebrow.

“Do you trust me?” Nova asked, meeting his father’s eye with an unwavering gaze.

Ray held his gaze, though he seemed taken aback. “I… do, yeah, but--”

“Dad,” Nova lowered lowered his chin a fraction to make his stare a more meaningful one. “I’m not doing this just for the hell of it. I just… I don’t want to explain it unless I’m absolutely certain. If my hypothesis proves incorrect, I can simply return the diary tonight before we leave tomorrow.”

Ray and Tantalus looked at each other, not really sure what to do. It was, after all, not exactly the ideal way to spend an afternoon, coming down here to the headquarters of many of Canterlot's most widespread criminal organizations.

“Please,” Nova bowed his head.

After a long moment, he heard Ray sigh.

“Very well,” Ray said, reaching the book-grabber over and taking hold of Nova’s Shine I’s book within the confines of the spell. “Tantalus shall hold you to that. Return the book this evening if your theory proves incorrect. We don’t know what secrets that diary contains, but we’d rather not risk losing them.”

“You have my word,” Nova promised. “It will be returned if I’m wrong.”

The moment he took the book out of his father’s grasp and opened it, however, there could be no doubt. The very moment his eyes fell on the first line of encrypted text, he knew. He knew. There was no way it couldn’t be.

But what does it mean!? he thought, flipping through the pages at breakneck pace, hoping to find something to debunk his new theory. How can it possibly be the same one!?

“Nova?” Twilight asked. “Is everything alright?”

Nova immediately looked up at his father and Tantalus. “I’m… I’m keeping this book for the foreseeable future.”

Both of them just stared blankly at him.

“You’re… you’re keeping it?” Tantalus repeated, as though he could not believe his ears.

“Y-yes,” Nova replied breathlessly. “I’ve seen everything I need to, to know that there could very well be a way forward.”

“You know something we don’t? That decades’ worth of cryptanalysts don’t?” Ray asked, though he didn’t sound derisive in the slightest.

“I… just might,” Nova replied, his voice having quieted to barely more than a whisper.

“What did you see?” Twilight asked, sounding very concerned. “Nova, are you okay? Even for a white stallion, you look very pale.”

“I’m fine,” Nova nodded. “Just… I’ll tell you later.”

Twilight did not look convinced in the slightest, but she relented all the same.

“We need to leave,” he said, still feeling very breathless. “I’m going to need as much time as possible.”

“But we just got here!” protested Twilight. “We can’t take all of them with us, can we?” she looked over at Tantalus.

“That would be ill-advised,” Tantalus gave a slight shake of the head. “I would recommend taking the diaries of Night Apprentice Sanguine, Faithful Student Star Dancer, Night Apprentice Comet Novus, and Faithful Student Sunbeam. They were the previous two iterations before Nightfall, so their information may be the most relevant.”

“Then I’ll do that,” Twilight said, and then she paused. “One last question. Are these safe to store in our Sources?”

Tantalus gave her an odd look. “Of course. They’re just books. Why wouldn’t they be?”

“Just wanted to make sure,” Twilight answered, as each book Ray passed to her disappeared into her Source with a brief flash of magenta light. “Looks like you were right,” she added, giving Nova a nudge. “Probably shouldn’t have brought all those extra suitcases.”

Nova, however, didn’t seem to notice. Nova Shine I’s diary had long since been stored away, and now he was staring at the ground, his eyes unfocused and glossy, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

“Nova?”

“Hm?” Nova looked up, startled out of his thoughts. Twilight was staring at him, her concern growing. “Something the matter?”

“What’s wrong, Nova? I can tell something’s bothering you.”

Nova just shook his head. “Later, Twilight,” he said, perhaps a bit harder than he’d wanted. “I just… I want to make absolutely sure it’s what I think it is.”

“Everything alright?” Aegis asked.

“I hope so,” Nova muttered, staring down at the ground again, and once again becoming lost in thought. Aegis and Twilight exchanged looked, but said nothing. However, shortly thereafter, Tantalus and Ray shut the hidden vault away and they all took their leave.

Author's Note

When your chapter gets so long you have to split it in two parts for easier reading...

Forward to the Past

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 12
Part II - Forward to the Past

It didn’t escape either Twilight or Shining on the way back to the Sparkles’ residence that Nova seemed distracted, to say the least. They had left the Canterlot Underground with nary a single word from anyone else, except for Tantalus to tell Stalwart to shut the passage behind them, and for Nova to be so silent was unsettling.

Not to mention, he didn’t seem to be paying attention. He had run into the wall in the tunnel a few times, and twice since leaving the Lulamoon Estate, he nearly bumped into other street-goers, and didn’t seem to pay even the slightest bit of attention to them as they yelled at him to watch where he was going.

The fourth time this happened, Twilight and Shining shared a look.

Shining’s expression was a knowing concern, very obviously aware of the fact that whatever glimpse of Nova Shine I’s diary Nova had seen, it had affected him.

I know, Twilight’s own expression said back.

The fifth time it happened, Twilight had finally had enough.

“Alright, eyes front, mister,” she ordered, using the magical leash spell to yank him forward and get his attention, which was difficult to do, as even the pony screaming obscenities at him hadn’t gotten that.

“Whoa!” Nova yelped, jolted out of his thoughts, just in time to dodge the sixth pony he would have run into.

“You can spend your time thinking when we get back to my parents house, Nova,” Twilight berated, though even as she said it, she couldn’t help but wonder exactly what was eating him up this much.

“Noted,” Nova replied. Shining gave him a concerned look, which he ignored, and just let him stumble along.

To his credit, Nova did seem to take the suggestion to heart, as he didn’t have another incident.

The moment they got back to the house, Nova went straight up to her room, shut himself away, and got to work doing… something. Twilight didn’t think much of it-- he clearly had seen something in Tantalus’ vault-- but it did cause concern.

Dinner, however, would prove to be just as awkward an affair as the trot home. Nova staggered in five minutes late, being dragged by his ear asTwilight had been forced to bring him. Yet even as they all ate, Nova’s body was at the table, but his mind was clearly someplace else. Four times, Twilight caught him just staring at the table, oblivious to the foodless fork he was trying to stick into his cheek.

Cadance, Shining, Night Light, and Velvet all tried to talk around him, sometimes even making comments that he normally would have responded to, and he did reply with a few curt answers, but beyond that, he was completely, utterly gone.

What did he see that’s got him like this?

And yet it continued for the rest of the evening. Twilight chatted with her mother and father, Shining and Cadance, and Spike. But Nova wasn't in the sitting room with them. No, every time Twilight went to check on him, he was still slaving away over that diary.

“Alright buster,” she finally said, snatching it away from him and putting it away, “you’ve been ignoring us for the last six hours since we got back. Come on down, everyone wants to talk to you.”

“Can’t,” Nova sighed, pawing at his eyes. “Busy.”

“You can come back to the diary later,” Twilight promised, “but right now, let’s go down stairs so you can talk.”

Nova just gave her an askance look, but complied, standing up and following her out toward the sounds of conversation below.

“What are you working on?” she asked, looking back and trying to get a glimpse of what was on his pages that were scattered all over her desk. “What did you find?”

“Tomorrow,” Nova grunted. “Not sure yet, but it’s… something.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Twilight said.

Yet even after joining them for some conversation, he seemed restless.and distracted. He only spoke when spoken to, and even then, his responses were short and to the point. It was almost to the point of him being an entire killjoy.

When they turned in for the night, Twilight came back from freshening up in the bathroom, only to find that Nova had once again gotten right back to work doing whatever it was he was doing.

“Are you going to work on that all night?” she asked, half in amusement, half in exasperation.

“Long as it takes,” Nova grunted.

“As long as it takes to what?”

“To know,” he replied, scowling down at the pages.

“Nova, you heard your dad down there,” Twilight sighed in frustration. This was one of the things she loved and hated about Nova. He recognized when he didn’t know something. But he could never recognize when it was a hopeless search. “Equestrian cryptanalysts have been trying to puzzle out the diary for decades and haven’t come anywhere close to breaking it. And you think you can?”

Nova didn’t answer. with that, Twilight supposed she wasn’t going to get through to him tonight. Perhaps she would have Luna snap him out of it when it got to be too much.

“Fine,” she finally said, pinching her nose. “Fine, just… just don’t forget to actually get some sleep, won’t you?”

“I won’t,” he promised.

“I’ll see you in the morning then, I guess,” she added, climbing into her old bed and sliding under the covers. with one last concerned look in his direction, she blew out her candle, leaving the faint light of Nova’s and the sounds of his shuffling and the scratching of his quill as white noise.

Whatever he thinks he’s found, I sure hope it isn’t anything dangerous...

Twilight didn’t know what woke her, but she shifted in her bed, roused to alertness by some unknown feeling. Was it one of those strange dreams where you wake up after something happens in it? Why did the bed feel odd?

She looked around, only to realize that there was a distinct lack of Nova Shine on either side of her, despite the darkness of the room around her. She had gotten used to the both of them sharing a bed, and his absence felt off. Nevertheless, despite the darkness of the room, she could feel him not far away, still sitting in her chair.

Silly stallion, she mentally groaned, lifting her head just a fraction to see if he was still bent over those journals in the dead of night.

To her surprise, he was. Though, perhaps the word “slumped” was a better way to describe it, as he had fallen over her desk and was peacefully sleeping, with an extinguished candle next to him.

“You really are a silly stallion,” she couldn’t help but smile just a little bit, slipping out of bed and levitating him out of her desk chair and into the bed she had just vacated. With all of the tender love and care in the world, she made sure to tuck him in nice and snug, but before she could crawl in after him, she was struck by curiosity.

“What were you even working on?” she wondered aloud as he at once seemed to relax into the bed while she watched. “What’s got you into this secretive mood of yours?”

Almost as if to answer her question, the diary on her desk drew her attention. To her surprise, there were now a simple roll of parchment and a single sheet of paper there as well, and there were several pencil marks she could barely see without candlelight.

What she could see was a square of letters and numbers, a series of dots, dashes, and tiny triangles that resembled those in the diary, and scrawlings that looked illegible in the darkness.

“I suppose you’ll tell me tomorrow, won’t you,” she mused, shaking her head. “After we get on the train.”

Slipping back into the bed, with Nova peacefully snoozing behind her, she slid one of his forehooves around her barrel, smiling even wider as it seemed to reflexively tighten, holding her closer to him.

“See you tomorrow, Nova,” she whispered, before the oblivion of sleep took her.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The next morning, as expected, Nova seemed completely out of it. There were severe bags under his eyes, despite the sleep he got, and he only seemed to be barely paying attention. Not even Velvet’s haybacon was enough to get his attention, which really was saying something, considering Nova never failed to order things with haybacon.

Spike, however, thought everything was hilarious.

“So, Twilight,” he said, failing to contain a snigger as they packed their bags, “when we get back to the library, where will your pet zombie be sleeping?”

Twilight, to her credit, just gave the drake an annoyed look, though she couldn’t help but giggle just a bit when Nova accidentally ran into the frame of the bathroom door.

“You okay?” she asked as he massaged his shoulder where he’d hit it.

“‘m fine,” he mumbled, pawing at his eyes. “Jus’ tired.”

“You were up pretty late last night,” she noted, glancing over at her writing desk, where the diary and notebook were both gone. “What did you find?”

“Later,” Nova shook his head. “On th’ train.”

“Okay,” she replied, feeling a bit worried.

Nova just seemed to drift all that morning. Twice, Twilight found him staring blankly at a wall, his eyes unfocused and glossy, and she’d have to jolt him out of it to get him packing again. They had plenty of time before their train left, but Nova was taking his sweet time in packing up.

Just what is it that he found out?

When everything was finally ready to go, they took their bags, said their farewells (Twilight receiving meaningful looks from all family members when it came to Nova seeming to not acknowledge anyone), and headed off to the train station.

After some time, they finally got into their compartment, with Nova exhaustedly slumping against the wall the moment he sat down, leaving Twilight and Spike to put the bags away.

“So why were you up so late last night?” Twilight asked, without even bothering to wait or build up to it. “What did you find in that diary?”

Nova just shook his head, before groaning and sitting up.

“Right,” he said, his voice barely above a croak. “So, did I ever tell you about how Aegis and I used to write secret letters to each other all the time?”

“Don’t think you ever did, no,” Twilight racked her brain, but couldn’t recall any time he had ever shared this information.

“What do you mean ’secret letters?’” Spike asked. “Like a spy?”

“Sort of,” Nova shrugged. “I didn’t want Dad finding out where I was by reading my letters to Aegis, so one time when we ran into each other in Trottingham--”

“You ran into him in Trottingham once!?” Twilight gaped. “By coincidence!?”

“It wasn’t by coincidence, his family always goes there on holiday. Or went, anyway, before he joined the guard and they moved up to Manechester. But that’s beside the point,” he shook his head, and rubbed at his eyes. “The point is, we figured out a nice little way to write letters to each other, and to make it hard to read for anyone but us, and that’s because we learned how to encipher and encrypt our letters.”

“Aren’t those the same thing?” Spike asked.

“No, Spike,” Twilight answered. “To encipher something is to put it through a text cipher, which usually rearranges letters or something similar. Encrypting it means to substitute the letters with symbols and other characters so that it isn’t legible. And since I know you’re about to ask me about encoding,” she couldn’t help but smile at bit as Spike closed his mouth as she brought it up, “encoding is swapping words out for different words. For instance, if Princess Celestia were referred to as a phoenix, and Canterlot Castle were referred to as her nest, then the phrase ‘The phoenix has left her nest’ would mean…?” she raised her eyebrows at her ward.

“That Princess Celestia left the castle?”

“Bingo!” Twilight beamed.

“Right, well,” Nova held out the diary, which Twilight took. “Thing is, we used a Playfair Cipher to encipher our letters. I’m sure if you want to learn how that works, there’s a book at the library, but what’s important is that Playfair Ciphers are usually a five-by-five table of squares, where each square has one letter in it, with the letters I and J being kept in the same square. You do some stuff that involves replacing two letters with two different letters, and you get a mess of gibberish at the end. And the letters in the Playfair Grid are arranged based on a key word or phrase that usually does not recycle any letters.

“But we changed the rules. We used a keyword, but we used a six-by-six table, with each character getting its own square and adding the ten digits. But even with all of that, it was still Equish, so we added an encryption on top of it. Unfortunately, we needed one that only we would know about, so I invented one.”

There was a flash of blue light and a single sheet of paper, with thirty-six arrangements of dots, dashes, and triangles appeared. It was clearly an alphabet, plus numbers. But what was more astonishing was that the symbols on that page matched the symbols in the diary, hoofwriting style and all!

“Wait,” Twilight’s gaze flicked between the diary and the page. “Wait, this can’t be right! This would mean--”

“--that the supposed unbreakable encryption that Nova Shine the First used in his diary was actually something I invented?” Nova finished, before grinning. “That’s exactly what it means. When I found the encryption in Clover’s diary, I knew what it was immediately. And Aegis did too. You remember how he seemed just as flabbergasted as I did? But I had to confirm, so I got ahold of Nova Shine I’s diary, and sure enough...”

Twilight just stared at him, as the implications ran through her head at a frightening rate. If this encryption was the exact same one Nova invented, the probability of the first Nova Shine just inventing an encryption that happened to be the exact same one as Nova from the future would invent, when present Nova wouldn’t have access to his diary, was astronomically low!

But that meant…

“So yeah, one-in-a-trillion chance of that possibility of the two of us happening to invent the same encryption, but I had to confirm,” Nova continued, taking the diary back from Twilight, flipping back to the beginning, and handing it back to her. Then he conjured a roll of parchment, which he offered to her. Twilight took it and unfurled it to reveal that he had copied down the first page’s text and had set to decrypting it. the first thing he had done was convert it to Equish and that resulted in a large block of gibberish.

I1IGNVJQKECFXBJPCNFIFQPJLVRPTUBCCJEKHVVK211Y2CHCQBDURCPJHAUKHCVNRTEKQIKUGRPJHAQDX3XHGWQKLRVDXHJPLRTQZBWMBACNOXD0GRKEF1QLCBIGKGPAFCRLVKLGIAMJKWJNOWVOCGEPXGVRME4QQJOVERXDVWPJLVEPUXJCNADXXJHCJOG2KQABRSOSABQKFINCHCWGFK4AWUNCIFOPAZVXWGLCBGQKWNDQLRORTUQITQQLDRVOQIIFIFTQQJERGBKEBVVCFBEVJWJRI4QJFIXHVDQANCKWJPXOVKDLWGXHGWRADREPGIHKRCVQTQQJEKU1JQAICJJWXO1UGWUT

Then he had broken it up into pairs of letters, and had scrawled down a 6x6 Playfair grid underneath

I1 IG NV JQ KE CF XB JP CN FI FQ PJ LV RP TU BC CJ EK HV VK 21 1Y 2C HC QB DU RC PJ HA UK HC VN RT EK QI KU GR PJ HA QD X3 XH GW QK LR VD XH JP LR TQ ZB WM BA CN OX D0 GR KE F1 QL CB IG KG PA FC RL VK LG IA MJ KW JN OW VO CG EP XG VR ME 4Q QJ OV ER XD VW PJ LV EP UX JC NA DX XJ HC JO G2 KQ AB RS OS AB QK FI NC HC WG FK 4A WU NC IF OP AZ VX WG LC BG QK WN DQ LR OR TU QI TQ QL DR VO QI IF IF TQ QJ ER GB KE BV VC FB EV JW JR I4 QJ FI XH VD QA NC KW JP XO VK DL WG XH GW RA DR EP GI HK RC VQ TQ QJ EK U1 JQ AI CJ JW XO 1U GW UT

C L O V E R
A B D F G H
I J K M N P
Q S T U W X
Y Z 0 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9

And from there, it appeared he had done it line by line, deciphering the text, until he had deciphered pairs of characters.

MY NA ME IS NO VA SH IN EI AM AU NI CO RN ST AL LI ON FR OM 10 03 YE AR SA FT ER NI GH TM AR EM OX ON IA MT HE NI GH TA PX PR EN TI CE OF PR IN CE SX SL UN AH EI RT OT HE NO VU SC LA NA ND IH AV EC OM EB AC KI NT IM ET OL EA RN WH OE NV YI SI LO VE TH EU NI CO RN TW IL IG HT SP AR KL EW IT HA LX LT HA TI AM IE AR NE DM YC UT IE MA RK BY RU NE CR AF TI NG AT CE LE ST IA SX SC HO OL IA MA MA SX SI VE FA NO FL OR DA VO NS PL AY SI AM PR OF IC IE NT IN TR OM BO NE PR EN CH HO RN AN DP ER CU SX SI ON MU SI CA LI NS TR UM EN TS

And with that, he had simply converted it into a proper paragraph, though she noted a number of Xs had been removed.

My name is Nova Shine. I am a unicorn stallion from 1003 years after Nightmare Moon. I am the Night Apprentice of Princess Luna, heir to the Novus clan, and I have come back in time to learn who Envy is. I love the unicorn Twilight Sparkle with all that I am. I earned my cutie mark by runecrafting at Celestia's School. I am a massive fan of Lord Avon's plays. I am proficient in trombone, Prench Horn, and percussion musical instruments.

As soon as she had finished reading, Twilight dropped both the diary and parchment in total shock.

“You…” she breathed, scarcely believing what she had just discovered.

“He what?” Spike asked, glancing between them.

“Nova Shine the First, the unicorn I grew up idolizing, the second-greatest spellcaster in all of Equestrian history, is me,” Nova stated.

Were it not for the train’s noises as it chugged along, you could hear a pin drop in the compartment. Twilight could only gape at him, Spike looked like he couldn’t believe his ears, and Nova just sat there, tired as ever.

“How… how is that possible?” Twilight finally managed, as her magic lifted the diary and parchment again.

“Time travel,” answered Nova simply. “I managed to decipher a bit more if you look,” she scrolled a bit down the page, “and according to the diary, you will send me back one thousand two hundred fifty eight years into the past. About four years after Hearth’s Warming, when each of the Three Tribes was building the cities we know today as Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and Neighton, and shortly after Celestia and Luna took their place as the rulers in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.”

“Wait!”

Twilight looked up from the paper, a mixture of pain and horror on her face. “This… this can’t be right.”

Nova shook his head. “It is. Completely.”

“But…” Twilight let the parchment slide out of her magical grip. “But… tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow what?” Spike asked, looking over at Nova in confusion. “What’s wrong with tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is the day Twilight sends me back.”

It broke her heart how dead that sounded.

When Spike didn’t seem to understand, he pressed on, sounding just as hurt as she felt. “You weren’t with us that day, but after we went with Trixie to the Vaults, we had to get up to Canterlot at top speed. That’s where Twilight and I first agreed to start dating, remember? Well, Celestia and Luna told us the story of the first Nova Sh-- of me,” he shook his head slightly as he corrected himself, “and the story ends with me disappearing for a while, and then reappearing to live out the rest of my days in peace.”

“I still don’t--”

“Spike,” Twilight interrupted, in a very small voice, “he’s… he’s not coming back.”

Spike blinked.

“Not coming back? What do you mean not coming back? He has to come back!”

“History is quite clear on what happens to my an-- to me,” Nova shook his head. “I’m sorry, Spike, but I--”

Before he could finish, there was a bright flash of blue light. Nova squawked and covered his eyes at the brightness, Twilight let out a yelp as she scrambled away from the source, and Spike just let out a loud “Whoa!” as he fell over in his seat.

But when the light subsided, the three of them found themselves staring at Princess Luna, who was straightening herself up and adjusting her tiara, apparently oblivious to the two cowering ponies and one startled dragon sitting in the cart.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight blinked. “What… what are you doing here?”

“Our apologies,” Luna preempted, her soft voice somehow carrying over the train’s noises. “Teleportation onto a moving object is something We haven’t been quite able to nail down since Our return.”

She leaned down and gave her student an affectionate nuzzle, and then answered, “We have been watching--”

“Old Equish,” Nova interrupted suddenly.

“Nova!” Twilight snapped. “Be polite.”

“No no, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna rolled her eyes at her own slip, “It is something I asked of him some time ago, to catch me if I slipped into it. Help me break the habit and all. In any case,” she shook her head, “I have been observing the two of you from my scrying orb as you broke the news, and I have come to put your minds at ease, given you do not have a full understanding just yet.”

“Put our minds at ease?” Nova tilted his head, before letting out a yawn.

Luna responded by leaning over and giving him a jolt of energy, which seemed to wake him right up. While he still physically appeared exhausted, he seemed much more awake all of a sudden.

“What was that?” Nova asked, rubbing at his eyes to clear the sleep from them.

“A temporary energizing spell. While it may energize a pony after a restless night or a lack of sleep, it is no long-term substitute for a good night’s rest, but it should suffice for today.”

Note to self, learn that spell for all-night study sessions, Twilight mentally instructed herself.

“Continuing,” Luna drew back, “yes. I am here to put your minds at ease.”

“How exactly does knowing I’m going to go back in time and live out the rest of my days there put our minds at ease?” Nova asked, a slightly bitter edge to his voice.

“Simple,” Luna smiled. “You won’t be living out the rest of your days in the past.”

Nova’s mouth parted.

“Wait,” he frowned. “You told us that day a few months ago that Nova Shine the First vanished after Envy was created, then reappeared, got married, had kids and died peacefully.”

“Never did we specify that it was Nova Shine the First who reappeared,” Luna met his disbelieving gaze with a firm one. “I believe the exact wording was that Nova Shine appeared once again shortly after Clover was married. You shall find out what that means, in time, but in short, you do return. I have met your future self several times over the last few months. And the resolution to that particular bit of shading by exact words-- that Nova Shine does return-- well,” she grinned, “it’s rather extraordinary when you figure out how there is no incongruence.”

“So he’s not going to go back and--” Spike started, but Luna interrupted him.

“No, Spike” Luna interrupted, “Nova will be going back in time, but he will not be staying as long as he believed.”

There was a loud and sudden sigh, which caused Twilight’s attention to turn immediately over to her coltfriend. He appeared as though he could hardly believe his ears, yet he appeared to be enormously relieved at the same time. The way his shoulders just seemed to slacken, and the half-smile that was slowly creeping across his muzzle…

“It’s… it’s not forever.”

“Neigh,” Luna shook her head. “You return, whole and unharmed. In fact, I can inform you that your foray into the past will last no longer than two years.”

Nova and Twilight both stared at her.

“Two… years?” Nova mouthed, the palpable relief starting to become rather obvious by this point, based on the fact that his smile was growing wider and wider with every passing moment.

“Are you sure it’s okay to tell him this?” Twilight asked, glancing over at her coltfriend, who was still smiling stupidly at his sudden stroke of fortune.

“Nova deserved to have this burden lifted before he left tomorrow,” answered Luna. “As his teacher, and also as one of his closest authority figures, it hurts me to see him mentally torment himself with this knowledge over the last several hours. I know better than most what self-tormenting can do to a pony,” her expression darkened, “and I would never allow that kind of pain to be inflicted on anypony else.”

“And how did you know he was telling us this?” Twilight asked.

“I mentioned I’d been listening via scrying,” Luna replied simply. “You, of course, know that any reflective surface is an effective surface to scry from. I did not need sight, I needed to hear, so it was a simple enough modification to the spell.”

“...huh.” Twilight started rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I never knew you could modify the scrying spell to listen in on things…”

“It is rather advanced, but perhaps I’ll ask Tia to teach you how,” promised Luna. “In any case, yes, I felt Nova deserved to have this burden lifted before he went back in time. And I knew a part of him would not accept it unless he heard it directly from my mouth, and could sense my own aura with his sensing.” she glanced over at her pupil, who appeared to be in a daze from the revelation. “To that end, I felt it would be prudent to speak to the both of you personally.”

Now, she looked over at Twilight. “You need not fear that you are permanently losing your beloved, Twilight Sparkle. I came here to set both your hearts at ease.”

“I’m here too!” Spike protested from his seat.

“All three of your hearts,” Luna corrected, sheepishly. “My apologies, Spike. Yes, you will not be losing your surrogate older brother. I daresay, his older self should actually arrive moments after you teleport our current Night Apprentice into the past, Twilight Sparkle,” she added. “At least, that appears to be his intention. After all, you do know Nova Shine and his dramatic entrances…”

Spike snickered. Even Nova had to chuckle at that one, though he still had a dreamy expression on his face. Twilight couldn’t help but feel relieved all the more. It had bothered her for that brief moment when she believed he would go for good, but Nova had known this for many hours longer. To him, this must have been nothing short of liberating.

“In any case, I apologize for how brief this visit was,” Luna drew herself up to her full height once again and moved to gain some space between her and the three of them, “but when you’re an immortal alicorn with magical ability completely off of the rating scale, teleportations over long distance are rather trivial.”

“If that’s the case, why not just teleport us up to Canterlot whenever you want a visit?” Nova asked, arching an eyebrow. “You’ve teleported me to your room before.”

“Indeed,” Luna dipped her head, “but teleporting oneself and teleporting another are two very different matters. And then there’s the logical extension of teleporting yourself with others… but I digress.”

Her horn began to glow teal.

“We hope that we have been of assistance today."

And with that, she disappeared in a flash of light,leaving them to stare at the spot she vanished from for several seconds.

“...Nova?” Twilight finally said.

“Yeah?” he looked over.

“Your mentor’s weird.”

“Yeah, but I love her for it,” Nova replied with a fond grin directed up toward Canterlot Castle.

“I mean, her solution to telling us the answer to your problem was to teleport in here for all of a minute and teleport away.” Twilight was entering lecture mode,

“Sounds efficient, if you ask me,” Nova replied with a shrug. “Beats the Equestrian Mail Service. I sent a letter through them a few weeks back, and it somehow ended up getting routed to Mozebrique, when it was only meant to be sent up to Manechester.”

He had a distant smile on his face as he recalled recent memory.

“Got a really nice letter back from some zebra living over there. Still got it in my house in Neighton.”

“So, I do have a little bit of a concern about this idea of you going back in time,” Twilight steered the conversation back to the elephant in the room about tomorrow’s big day.

“What kind of concern?” Nova asked.

“How you’re going to make sure the timeline doesn’t fall apart when you return to the here and now,” Twilight really had gone into full lecture mode now. Nova let out a quiet sigh, but was going to let her have her moment. “After all, if you’re not there in the past to meet your future wife, you can’t sire the Novus clan. And if you can’t do that, then the Novus family doesn’t exist, meaning there’s a good possibility we all disappear, meaning you never go back in time, and then all of time and space fall to pieces--”

“Reality isn’t like that Back to the Future movie we saw a couple of nights ago on our date, Twilight,” Nova interrupted, hoping to curtail this particular apocalyptic scenario before it started to get really out of hoof.. “Somehow I highly doubt we’ll just disappear from existence.”

“Wait, you two went and saw Back to the Future without me?” Spike asked, sounding dismayed.

“It was date night, Spike,” Nova answered. “We tried to go on a lunch date that day, but Shining and Cadance had other plans, so we had to go that evening."

“Why do you two always want to go alone?” Spike grumbled.

“When you get a fillyfriend, you’ll understand,” Twilight assured him.

“Did you want to see it, or something?” Nova asked. It was going to be the last night he got to spend with Spike and Twilight for some time, so he wanted to make it count.

“Nah, Rarity’s parents took me and Sweetie Belle to see it in Ponyville. I just wanted to see it again with you guys.”

“Wait,” Nova blinked. “When did Hondo and Cookie--”

“Last week,” Twilight answered. “When you were in a bar and I was barricaded in the library.”

“Oh,” Nova said.

“But, like, Twilight’s already gone back in time and tried to change things, right?” Spike continued. “And it turned out that she’d always gone back in time, so nothing broke. What if when you go back in time,” he pointed to Nova, “it’s the same way? Like, you always went back in time, so it all works out?”

“That’s… a good point,” Twilight conceded, before giving him an approving nod. “Good thinking, Spike. I believe it’s that way in Harry Trotter and the Prisoner of Azcoltban.”

“Yeah, the whole Time-Turner sequence,” Spike added eagerly. “Everything they did had already happened, they just didn’t know it at the time!”

“But even so, I don’t want to take that chance that it doesn’t work that way,” Twilight replied, getting back to her original point. “You need to be prepared for the Butterfly Effect, Nova. You can’t count on everything all working out on its own. I think you need to be prepared to make everything work out.”

“Sounds like you’ve given this some thought,” Nova observed. “Personally, I feel like this whole predestination outcome is the one that’s going to work out. It’s not like I’m changing anything, right? I’m just playing my part.”

“Well, I tried to alter it, and it all ended up playing out like how I tried to avoid.” Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe there’s some weight to the whole predetermination thing…”

“Wait, you tried to alter time?” Nova asked, incredulously. The mare that was presently going on about how he had to protect the timeline had attempted to change the way things were done!?

I… may or may not have some experience attempting to change the space-time continuum, yes.”

“Oh, right,” Nova couldn’t help but snicker as he remembered the story. “The epic pony war of Next Tuesday. Spike told me about that. Not gonna lie, you in a spy catsuit is something I wouldn’t mind seeing.”

“But even so, it never hurts to be prepared,” Twilight once again returned to the original point. She must have had something she really wanted to say about this.

“Twilight,” Nova facehoofed, “this is gonna turn into the suitcase debate again, isn’t it? I trust my teacher when she says it all works out.”

“But what if it all works out because you take my advice?” Twilight countered. “Sure, we didn’t need the suitcases and you were right, but it never hurts to be prepared. Personally, I’d rather have something but not need it than need it and not have it.”

“True enough,” Nova admitted. “Okay, then, let’s hear it,” he leaned back in his seat expectantly. “What do you suggest?”

“A magical clone.”

“A clone?” Nova repeated, sounding bemused. “Do we really have to do something so… complex? I feel like there’s a much more mundane way for things to work out...”

“I mean, think about it,” Twilight continued. “If you’re able to create a magical clone of yourself, it would allow you to return to the modern day, and it wouldn’t disrupt any timeline dependent on you staying. You’d get the best of both worlds. The problem is, magical clones aren’t easy to make under any stretch of the term. They require a lot of energy to create a fully-functioning equine form, and to imbue it with life. But,” she suddenly sounded just a little too proud of herself now, as if confirming Nova’s suspicions that she had a point she really wanted to make, “it just so happens that I have an easy solution.”

“What kind of solution?” Nova asked. “How can there be an easy way for me to make a clone of myself if it’s as difficult as you’re saying?”

“Nova,” Twilight grinned, “did I ever tell you about the time a hundred Pinkie Pies invaded Ponyville?”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“How did you even find out about this pool’s existence?” Nova wondered as Twilight magically prised the boulder out of its hole in the ground. Why oh why did they have to fight their way through so many brambles just to get here?

“Pinkie Pie found it first,” Twilight sighed, before facehoofing. “Didn’t want to split her time with her friends, so she… ugh, cloned herself a hundred times.”

Nova shuddered at the mere thought of it.

“Anyway, after we solved that problem, she showed me the pool and I covered up the entrance, but I didn’t destroy the pool or dispel its magic. After all, who knows when you would need another version of you for some reason.”

“Fair enough,” Nova conceded as they trotted down the incline of earth to where a perfectly-still pool of water sat, perfectly reflecting everything around it. “Wow, it’s beautiful!”

“So,” a book appeared in front of Twilight’s muzzle as she flipped to the correct page, “according to this book, you need to approach the pool.”

“Okay,” Nova said, stepping forward and staring down at his reflection.

“Stare deeply into the eyes of the reflection.”

“Hello beautiful,” Nova smiled down at his mirrored self.

“Wait, there’s a note here,” Twilight suddenly paused. “‘If the subject displays narcissistic or vain tendencies, for the good of all of Equestria, do not allow them within fifty meters of the pool’.”

“Oh ha-ha,” Nova rolled his eyes. “I’m staring into my reflection’s eyes. Now what?”

“Now, you need to focus on why it is you are cloning yourself,” Twilight continued, before pausing, “That’s probably why Pinkie’s clones were all obsessed with fun! It’s what she created them to have! So yeah, focus on exactly why you want to create a clone of yourself, and say these words.”

“Okay,” Nova nodded, ready to repeat after her.

“There’s actually two versions of this,” Twilight pointed out. “One for mares, and one for stallions, so you’ll want the stallion version…”

“What happens if you repeat the opposite gender version?” Nova asked.

“According to this, it creates a clone of that gender.”

“Oh!” Nova immediately dashed over to Twilight. “Do the mare one! Tell me the mare one!”

“Why?” Twilight glanced up at him.

“I’ve always wondered something,” he said, before dashing back to the pool surface. “Ready when you are!”

“Fine,” Twilight sighed. “And into her own reflection she stared…”

“And into her own reflection she stared…”

“...yearning for one whose reflection she shared…”

“...and solemnly sweared not to be scared…”

“...and solemnly sweared not to be scared….”

“...at the prospect of being doubly mared.”

No sooner had he finished than a mare walked up out of the pool and stood in front of both of them, and as expected, she looked exactly like Nova Shine, only more feminine. Her muzzle was rounded rather than squared, her body was leaner, her horn was slightly shorter, and her tail was marginally neater and longer, but otherwise, the two of them were identical. The same shade of blue in their manes, tails, eyes, and cutie marks, the same confidence they radiated, and the same flirty looks the both of them were sending Twilight’s way.

“...what?” Twilight asked, now finding herself blushing somewhat at the looks she was receiving.

“So you’re the mare version of Dusky?” mare!Nova said, trotting toward her. It had that same playful edge to it that Nova always did. “You’re cute.”

“Wh-what?”

“See what I like about her?” stallion!Nova asked, stepping next to his mare counterpart, who licked her lips.

“Oh yes, I do.”

Twilight’s mind capitulated, and she fell right over, legs stiff and eyes shrunken as millions of images of two Novas ran through her head. Meanwhile, Nova Shine and… whatever mare!Nova’s name was just started chortling and exchanged a quick high-five.

“Good to know other universe me isn’t a bore!” the mare said, brushing back her mane. “Wait,” she frowned. “What’s your name?”

“Nova Shine.”

“Ah,” the mare dipped her head. “Makes sense. I’m Nova Gleam. And while this has been fun,” she stretched, before she waded back into the pool, “I’m gonna leave you to your lecture on how to clone yourself for when you go back in time.”

“How did you--”

“I’m you, remember?” Gleam winked at him. “I’ve kind of got a lecture about the same subject from Dusky that I’m in for. Anyway, later, other me!”

And with that, she dipped below the surface, which shone bright for the briefest of moments and was gone. Nova smiled to himself as she went. He’d really have to summon his other alternate universe selves sometime, if for no other reason than it’d be fun to get a rise out of Twilight again.

Speaking of, she seemed to be recovering. As she got to her feet, her cheeks still very bright red even in the dim atmosphere of this little cave, she took one look at him and just shook her head.

“Of all the stallions in the word, I had to fall for one who goes out of his way to rile me up,” she sighed.

“You love it,” Nova fired back.

“I do,” she admitted, with a slightly embarrassed grin. “Alright, so now that you’ve had your fun, ready to try and create a real clone this time?”

“Sure,” Nova cracked his neck. “What’s the incantation for a male clone?”

“And into his own reflection he stared, yearning for one whose reflection he shared, and solemnly sweared not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly paired.”

“Oh,” Nova nodded understandingly. “Just swapping out the gender-specific wording, then.”

“Pretty much,” Twilight shut the book. “Need me to write it down?”

“Would be nice,” Nova trotted back over to the pool. “I can keep it nice and stored away for when I need it in the past. But for now…”

He took a deep breath and stared down into the water again.

“And into his own reflection he stared, yearning for one whose reflection he shared, and solemnly sweared not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly paired.”

At once, another Nova trotted out of the pool. Unlike Nova Gleam from before, this Nova was obviously a stallion, and both Nova’s were 100% identical, at least at first glance.

No doubt they would be identical down to their recollections of different events and such. For all intents and purposes, there were two Nova Shines in the world now, completely and totally indistinguishable.

“Excellent!” Twilight clapped her hooves appreciatively. “Princess Luna must have taught you really good mental control to be able to do it on your first try like that.”

“Well, she is a pretty good teacher,” Nova replied modestly, before turning to inspect his clone, who puffed out his chest and stood quite tall. “Not often you get a chance to look at the parts of your own body that are out of view.”

“FUN!”

The grin on Twilight’s face disappeared instantly.

“FUN! FUN!”

The Nova clone was now chanting “FUN!” at the top of his lungs, even as it stood stock still while the real Nova continued his inspection.

“Nova, really?” Twilight glared over at her coltfriend, who was still inspecting his clone, no doubt using it as an excuse to hide the devilish smile he was probably sporting. “You can’t be serious about this for even ten seconds?”

“This one wasn’t me,” the real Nova protested. “Seriously, I tried to create a full copy of me, not a mindless fun-seeking drone.”

Twilight turned her annoyed gaze to the clone; her coltfriend had been telling the truth, which meant the clone, much like the real Nova would, was doing this on purpose. The clone met her gaze, and stopped.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he said.

Twilight just facehoofed. “Even your clones don’t know how to take anything seriously,” her hoof dug into her temple. “Alright, stand back, I’m gonna send him home.”

The other Nova saluted. “Later!”

With a quick blast of Twilight’s magic, the clone was dispelled into a stream of energy, that floated back into the pool with a gentle burst of light.

“So that’s that,” Twilight said, trotting over toward the ramp that led out of the hole in the ground. “If you create a total clone of yourself, your clone can live out the rest of your days in the past while you return to the present.”

“You know,” Nova beamed down at the pool, “this might actually work. I can’t believe one of your little friendship problems actually helped me out like this!”

Twilight just rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t resist a little chuckle. “Ready to head back?”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded. “One last day to spend with you before I’m off on a trip into the past for a while, right?”

“Well then, I’m all ears for date ideas,” Twilight extended her hoof, taking Nova’s into it as he strode toward her.

“Honestly, after the excitement of our first date, I could go for something quiet tonight.”

"Don't you mean, our first 'casual event where two best friends can hang out in a completely platonic manner?'" Twilight asked, sliding in place with her barrel pressed up against his own.

"That one was rather quiet, though," Nova nuzzled her as they started making their way out of the pool's hole in the ground.. "Nothing particularly exciting apart from our first kiss and my major breakdown."

They worked their way out of the underground cavern, and once within the Everfree Forest once again, they set back off toward Ponyville.

"You know, I just had a thought," Nova suddenly said.

"You? A thought? Be serious, Nova."

"Never," Nova vowed, smirking. "The thought certainly wasn't."

"What was it?"

"Well, I'm my own idol, right?" he queried. "I found out I'm actually Nova Shine I?"

"To your simultaneous despair and delight," replied Twilight.

"Does that mean I wanted to be myself when I grew up?"

Twilight facehoofed. "You always did know the right questions to ask."

"I know, and you love me for it," he replied, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss to the head.

"I adore you for it," she corrected, feeling her face grow warm yet again from Nova's public display of affection.

The night ended too quickly for the both of them.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Despite the conversation on the train, despite knowing there was possibly a solution in mind, and despite the assurance that all would be well, Nova could not sleep that night. With the knowledge of what was coming in just a few short hours, the best he could do was toss and turn, all while Twilight slept peacefully beside him. seemingly oblivious to the fact that Nova long since removed his hooves from being around her.

It had felt like he’d been there for hours, trying in vain to get to bed, but on a quick glance outside, he could see the evening weather crews just finishing up their work of arranging the clouds, meaning it still had to be on the early side of midnight, and they had gone to bed around ten.

With an annoyed sigh, he slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb Twilight, and slunk out onto the balcony. What he was going to do out there, not even he knew, but the nights did always make him feel better at ease.

Little wonder he was chosen to be the Night Apprentice.

Well, that, and the fact that he and Nova Shine I were the same pony might have also had something to do with it.

But even as he sat out there, feeling the bitter cold in the air and thinking about everything that would be waiting for him in the past-- his growth, the knowledge of who Envy was, and a romance with Clover the Clever-- he was completely oblivious to the light touch of hooves on the wood behind him, until something warm draped itself around him.

Nova blinked and returned to focus to see a blue wing covering his back, providing excellent protection from the cold, and found Princess Luna looking down at him with a little bit concern.

“It has been quite some time since I have seen you in such a state,” she noted, giving him a once-over. “I take it that, despite everything I revealed to you on the train, you are still ill at ease?”

“What gave it away?” Nova muttered, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

“Well, you don’t normally sit outside navel-gazing in freezing temperatures devoid of winter clothing like you are now,” Luna answered, a wry smile on your face. “Last time I found you out here like this, you were so let down at your inability to grasp alchemy magic that you were convinced I was about to dismiss you as my apprentice and you just went into a trance. I see that this reaction to particularly stressful developments has not changed,” she added.

“Yeah, but that time, I wasn’t faced with the prospect of leaving my marefriend for two years or so,” Nova scowled.

“I see,” Luna frowned, turning her gaze out toward the Everfree on the horizon, toward where they both knew Neighton was, and the older Nova who had to be sleeping there even now. “So that is why you are troubled. You are loath to leave Twilight.”

“Not just that,” Nova shook his head. “I love her. That won’t change. But… well, Twilight gets jealous easily, right?”

“Yes,” Luna dipped her head. “A trait Envy played to turn her against you for a brief time.”

“Well, now I’m going to go back in time and fall in love with a mare who looks exactly like her,” Nova continued, his gaze flicking over to the sleeping mare inside, “and I’m gonna come back. And like it or not, I just know Clover’s going to leave an impact on me, and I’m not sure how Twilight will take it.”

“This is something you both will contribute to,” Luna said, now directing her gaze at Twilight herself. “Yes, your time with Clover will leave an impact on you, and yes said impact will give Twilight Sparkle good cause to be a little jealous, but this is where the two of you will have to make an effort for each other.” She paused for a minute, apparently to collect her thoughts and properly word the details. “You will have to make an effort to reiterate to her that she is the most important pony in your life, something easier said than done but not impossible by any stretch, and she will have to be patient with you, which I think should not be a problem. Given recent happenings, I would be very surprised if she does not attempt to hear you out and see things from your side.”

Nova had nothing to say to that; he figured he wouldn’t really have much to go off of until he was back and waiting to reunite with Twilight. Still, the point about Twilight forcing herself to trust him more was both blessing and curse. Blessing, in that having been vindicated by his experience, it meant she would be less likely to plug her ears when it was something serious. Curse, because it hadn’t been painless, and he had a feeling she might harbor a little resentment regarding what had happened.

It wasn’t something he couldn’t empathize with, not by any stretch of the term. He knew it was often harder to forgive someone for being right than being wrong. It was just… he wanted her to know that he didn’t hold it against her. However long it took, he was determined to make sure she knew that.

“Change is coming, Nova,” Luna suddenly said.

“Hm?”

Luna was now staring up at the castle.

“The coming months will be a time of great change,” Luna clarified, “centered around Twilight Sparkle.”

Nova didn’t know how to respond, so he simply kept silent.

“There is a lot of growth Twilight will need to go through if she is to be ready. And you as well,” she added, her wing squeezing him just a bit. “In the next several months, it is my hope that you will be able to stand beside her after all is said and done.”

“What sort of change?” he asked a bit warily.

Luna worked her mouth for a moment, before shaking her head. “Unfortunately, there is not much we are at liberty to say. However, I just wanted you to be aware. There is much growth that you will need to go through, maturing and strengthening on your part, and it will not be an entirely-pleasant process.”

“Way to make the future sound fun, Luna,” Nova replied, earning a small grin from his teacher.

“The point, Nova,” she turned her gaze back down to him, “is that whatever happens in the past, however you grow and change,” she gestured with a hoof into the library were Twilight still lay on her bed, “it is all for her. It is our hope that you will have grown and matured enough to be ready when it comes around. And I believe you will be, but the path of growth is not normally a pleasant one.”

Nova wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, but Luna simply seemed content to let her statement hang in the air.

“Just a warning,” she finally said. “You will understand more in the future when you return.”

“If you say so,” Nova shook his head dismissively. The far future wasn’t really on his radar, even if Twilight was involved.

“Do you believe you are ready?” Luna asked, with a much softer tone to her voice.

“No,” Nova shook his head and glanced back at Twilight, still sleeping inside. “We finally get together, and I’m already being forced to leave.”

“It’s not forever.”

“It’s still too damn long.”

“Maybe,” Luna placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, “but trust me when I say, your future self loves Twilight no less than you do now. Perhaps even more so.”

There was a rather pregnant pause after she said this, but then she seemed to think of something else.

“Say, would you like to meet your future self?”

“Do what?” Nova glanced over at her. Surely she had to be joking. She knew how the laws of time travel worked, right? Never encounter another version of yourself or the universe implodes.

...except for that one time Twilight met her future self, but even so.

“Future you appears to be awake right now,” Luna gazed out over the land, in the direction of Neighton. “No doubt he is nervous about his reunion tomorrow. Would you like to talk with him?”

Nova looked out toward Neighton as well, wondering if, perhaps, future Nova was looking right back at him all that way away.

“...no.” he finally said. “No, I don’t want that temptation.”

Luna simply smiled at that and tightened her wing and drew him closer.

“Understandable. Anything you’d like me to say? Any comfort or parting words?”

“I think you’ve done more than enough just by coming out,” Nova leaned into his teacher. “Thanks, Princess.”

“Nova…” she said, a warning edge to her voice. “Remember what I made you promise, never call me ‘princess’ when it’s just the two of us.”

“Fine, fine,” Nova smirked. "Just had to mess with you a bit, Luna.”

Luna just hummed at that, smirking right back at him.

And together, they observed the passing night.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The morning found Nova in a quiet mood. He didn’t seem to want to say much, even as he ate a light breakfast. Nor again as he took a stroll around the library, no doubt taking one good long look before it was time to go.

“It’s alright, you know,” Twilight patted him on the shoulder, startling him as he stared at a bookshelf rather morosely. “You’ll be back in no time at all, and I’ll be waiting!”

“Doesn’t ease it much,” Nova muttered.

“When…” she swallowed, thinking back to the last time she had cast this spell, back in Canterlot, “when do you want--”

“I’m ready to go,” Nova said, but she could hear the slight shakiness behind it. He was definitely not ready, but she knew Nova well enough to know that if he didn’t go now, he never would. “Let’s… let’s do this.”

“Alright,” Twilight took a deep breath, “Stand in that clearing, would you?”

Nova did, stepping into an empty space and seeming to stand up to his tallest height.

“Remember,” Twilight reminded him, “find the Mirror Pool. Make sure it works. You wrote down the phrase you have to say, right?” she checked.

“Yeah,” Nova held up a scrap of paper that had the phrase scrawled down on it, before it vanished in a flash of blue light.

“Is there anything else you need to do?”

“Say my goodbyes,” he said, before reaching over and giving Spike a quick hug.

“H-hey, what are you--”

“Behave yourself for the next few hours, alright?” Nova stared down at him.

“Yeah yeah,” Spike rolled his eyes.

Nova let him go, then locked eyes with Twilight, and for a long moment they stared at each other, until Nova stepped forward and gave her one last kiss that ended all too soon, before stepping back into his open space.

“Good luck,” Twilight said, willing the magic within her to do its work.

As the magic wove its way around Nova, she could see the nervousness in his eyes as he watched it, but right at the critical moment, when the magic reached its casting point, they locked eyes one last time.

“I love y--” he tried to say, but it was too late.

But in a flash of magenta light, he was gone, leaving nothing but charred residue on the ground where he had stood.

For several seconds, Twilight didn’t move. She found herself simply staring at the place where Nova had vanished, her mind half-convinced he was going to just pop into existence moments later, as if he had never been gone at all.

This appeared to be a sentiment that Spike shared, because he, too, was staring at the spot on the ground, with the faint scorch marks from the magic, with a very pensive frown on his face.

“So is that it?” he asked after what felt like an hour.

“I guess so,” Twilight replied, still staring at the char marks on the ground. “All that we do now is wait for future Nova to show up.”

“Do you think he’s going to look like future-you did a while back?” Spike asked, before seeming to hype himself up from the idea. “Will he have an eyepatch? A cool scar that goes under it? Maybe he’ll have a scar that goes over the eyepatch! And a black trenchcoat, too!”

“Spike, I really don’t think future-Nova’s going to show up like I did,” Twilight sighed, recalling quite clearly the time she had warped herself to the past from “next Tuesday morning.” “Though I will admit,” her cheeks went a bit pink as she thought of Nova wearing a skintight catsuit, “I don’t think I’d mind him dressing the part.”

Thankfully, Spike seemed to miss her reaction, as he was too busy going on and on about what sort of stuff Nova must have gotten up to in the past, including taking on five hundred ninjas, hanging out with Flash Magnus and Rockhoof, fighting Nightmare Moon on Nightfall, and other such impossibilities.

Twilight let him entertain his fantasies for a while, but since they didn’t know when future Nova would arrive, she finally figured it was time to just get on with their daily routines.

“Alright, Spike, I need you to clean up the burn mark,” she finally said, as Spike waxed eloquent about Nova personally leading the Germane armies to victory over the Roamans in the Battle of Teutoberg Forest.

“Aww,” Spike sighed as he went to retrieve the mop and bucket.

“And besides,” Twilight immediately set to resorting the bookshelves, if for no other reason than to pass the time, “Princess Luna said he was already here in our time, living in Nova’s house in Neighton. So it stands to reason that he’ll probably just knock on our door instead of barging in. And it’s a short trot to Ponyville from Neighton,” she added, “so I really don’t think there’ll be any trouble.”

And of course, no sooner had she said that than the door burst open with a loud BANG! and Rainbow Dash flew in at top speed, skidding to a halt on the library floor as library books went flying out of Twilight’s magical grip.

“Twilight! We’ve got trouble! Like, REALLY BAD trouble!” she shouted, looking every which way around her, while Twilight snatched up the books and tried to shelve them again before they got dirty.

“Trouble? What kind?” Twilight asked, stopping suddenly, books frozen in mid-air.

“It’s Nova!” Rainbow exclaimed, shoving several things out of the way to prepare a spot on the ground. “Fluttershy found him with a knife in his back, bleeding out on the road to Neighton!”

The books dropped at once.

“Nova’s hurt!?” Twilight ran right over to Rainbow and shook her vigorously. “Where is he!?”

“MAKE ROOM!” came a loud call from outside, before Sharp Eye and Fluttershy both trotted into the room, a stretcher being carried between them, and lying on that stretcher was none other than Nova Shine.

Twilight felt all the blood drain from her face at the sight of him. He was lashed belly-down to the makeshift stretcher that both Sharp Eye and Fluttershy were using, and an improvised bandage that appeared to be made from clothing was tied around Nova’s midriff, trying to stem the blood flow from a massive and rapidly-spreading red splotch on Nova’s back His eyes were clenched shut and he was grimacing in his unconsciousness, shifting in pain ever so slightly, but the lashings held firm.

“We would have taken him to the hospital, but your place was closer,” Sharp Eye explained, and Twilight was never more thankful to hear his calm Neigh Zealand baritone despite the situation. “Flutters found him on the road to Neighton with a knife in his back and got me immediately. Bandaged him up as best I could with what little I had,” he gestured at the cloth, “and got him here. Are you able to care for him, or do we need to get to the hospital?”

“I think I can do it,” Twilight answered, her voice miraculously less shaky than she felt, even as the love of her life bled out before her eyes. “Rainbow Dash.”

“What do you need?” Rainbow snapped to attention.

“Get to the hospital,” she instructed, “get me a roll of proper bandages, some disinfectant, and some stitching needle and thread. Tell them it’s an emergency and for them to send someone over here pronto, and tell them I’ll pay them as soon as I have a chance. Go now!”

“On it!” Dash nodded, and with a burst of speed, she was gone.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight asked, reaching a hand out to steady the mare, who was shaking and looked as pale as Twilight felt. “Are you alright?”

“I’m f-fine, Twilight,” Fluttershy answered most unconvincingly, “b-but, what about you? And N-Nova?”

“I can do this,” Twilight reaffirmed, already thinking back to the lessons on pony anatomy and Restoration magic Princess Celestia had taught her so long ago. “I may not be able to completely heal the wound, but I can stabilize him.”

She turned to Sharp Eye.

“You said he had a knife in his back?”

“Yeah,” Sharp Eye said, before reaching into a vest pocket and pulling out a silver dagger, the blade of which was stained red with blood.

Nova’s blood…

“Alright. Let’s get the bandages off,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath.

“What can I do?” Spike asked. He had been watching everything very closely, but was now staring at Nova looking terrified. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Keep everything as clean as you can,” Twilight ordered. “If blood spills, wipe it up. If I need you to fetch something, do it without question. We don’t have time to ask why, alright?”

“Alright,” Spike nodded.

“Good,” she said, before using her magic to delicately start to unravel the bandages. It was a very slow process, but eventually, she pulled it all free, revealing the very ugly wound underneath. The knife wound was thin, but a very quick magical probing spell determined that it ran deep, and…

And it missed every vital organ.

Letting out a shaky breath she didn’t know she had been holding, Twilight wiped her head in relief. Nova was still in danger, but it wasn’t critical. She had plenty of time to work with.

But she still couldn’t help but shake the cold feeling that had arisen in her as she thought of the implication.

This… this was intended. This stab wound didn’t miss every vital organ. It avoided every vital organ.

This wasn’t haphazard; this was surgery!

“Twilight? Are you okay?”

“Fine, fine,” Twilight shook herself out of her thoughts. Save Nova now, think later. “Give me a second, I’m going to start repairing what I can.”

Sharp Eye nodded and stepped back, allowing Twilight to gather her strength, will the magic within her, and finally, reach out and slowly start to mend Nova’s wound.

It was a very slow and taxing process. She magically restitched as many of the more vital arteries and veins as she could first, which was already a very difficult task, and then she moved on to the musculature and other damaged sections.

The seconds ticked by as she worked, the sweat trickled down her head before dripping onto the floor, and the blood slowly continued to pour, despite her best efforts, but she was gratified to see that, ever so slightly, the blood flow was lessening.

And under it, millimeter by precious millimeter, Nova’s skin was magically being coaxed into stitching itself back together. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, and her progress was taxing in the extreme, but it was certainly apparent. The wound was closing, a little at a time, and each precious bit meant all the world.

After an eternity of work, she felt her magic start to slip away,

It was a monumental relief when the door burst open and Rainbow Dash flew in, leading Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart with her, and they were carrying everything she had asked for. Twilight felt the magic slip from her grasp just as they did. If she had to guess, roughly 50% of the healing work had been done. It wouldn’t be enough on its own, though, as he had lost too much blood and was still bleeding profusely, but he was in far less immediate danger, especially now that trained professionals had arrived.

No sooner did they see what was happening than they jumped right to work. Twilight felt herself be gently pulled away by Spike, devoid of strength to fight him, and the two medical ponies set up shop, while Sharp Eye, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Twilight just sat there, watching and helping when asked, while Spike dutifully kept everything as clean and sterile as possible in the area.

After at least another hour, Dr. Horse finally cut the thread he had been stitching with, secured it, and started to rebandage everything. Everything was done. Nova’s shifting had ceased, and now he appeared to be peacefully sleeping. And when all was finally said and done, and the bandages affixed to him nice and snugly, the two doctors led his stretcher upstairs and set him down in Twilight’s bed.

“Thank-you, thank-you so much,” Twilight told the both of them as they started to trot out.

“Your restorative work probably saved his life, Twilight Sparkle,” Doctor Horse smiled at her. “Truthfully, you did the majority of what needed to be done, we simply handled the finishing touches. Your teacher would be proud.”

“Thank-you,” she sighed, still exhausted from her work.

“We’ll prepare some medication for him up at the hospital,” Redheart said as Dr. Horse trotted out. “I’ll bring it out as soon as I can. In the meantime, let him rest. If he’s feeling up for it, he can walk around, but he really needs to take it easy over the next few days. And if you feel up for it,” she added, glancing back at the sleeping stallion, “You can do some more restorative magic. It should accelerate his recovery.”

“Will do,” Twilight promised. She was going to take every opportunity she could to heal him up. “Again, thank-you, Nurse Redheart. How much do I owe you?”

“We’ll work that out later,” Redheart placed a hoof on her shoulder. “For now, rest up, and make sure he does too.”

“‘Kay,” Twilight mumbled sleepily, the exhaustion of the past two hours really starting to catch up to her.

“Is there anything else, any other information, anything along those lines you can provide? We can see about getting the Peacekeepers involved,” Redheart said as they trotted back out down to the ground floor, where Fluttershy and Sharp Eye still waited.

“Well, I’ve got this,” Sharp Eye held out the silver knife, with Nova’s blood now dried on it. “Didn’t look like there was a poison of any kind on it, but it’s still probably not sterile or anything.”

“Yes, here,” the nurse withdrew a hazardous object bag from the collection of supplies she had brought, “we can make sure it wasn’t carrying any harmful disease. Thank-you, your aid has been very helpful today.”

“I’m just glad my friend’s gonna be alright,” Sharp Eye rubbed at his face tiredly. “It’s lucky I flew back a couple’a days ago, innit?”

“You have no idea,” Twilight did her absolute best not to explore the implications of what could have been had he and Fluttershy not found him.

“If you would please," Redheart said, now politely trying to usher the two of them out with her, “she needs rest, as does Nova Shine. You can check up on them later. For now, leave them be.”

“Tell us if he improves, would you?” Fluttershy asked, still very pale, but noticeably calmer now that everything seemed to be clearing up.

“Will do, ‘Shy,” Twilight said, before yawning. “For now, I think I could just use a nice… sleep.”

Fluttershy nodded at that, and like that, they all left, leaving Twilight and Spike alone.

“Close up the library,” she said, feeling the exhaustion crash upon her. “I’m heading to bed.”

“Alright,” Spike saluted. “Is Nova gonna be alright?”

“Should be,” Twilight nodded tiredly. “I’ll be there to make sure of it.”

Her nap wasn’t as long as she thought it would be. In fact, it was only a few short hours later in the early afternoon when she awoke, nestled between Nova’s arms.

Smiling despite the situation, she shifted to inspect him. He felt rather different than his past self had felt over the night. He seemed taller, by a few inches or so. And on further inspection, his mane and tail were slightly longer too, and as untidy as ever, and she felt that he seemed more muscled than his past self had. By no stretch of the term could she call him chiseled, or beefy, but he now seemed to have the same lean physique as Rainbow Dash did.

“You didn’t go and get all muscly for me, did you?” she asked softly, idly tracing his arm. It didn’t feel significantly bigger. Instead, it felt toned, as if he had given some due time to working it out. Perhaps he had taken up regular running in the past?

“Y..’d like that, w...dn’t you?”

Twilight jumped, which caused Nova to be jostled ever so slightly, something he voiced his displeasure with.

“Ngh,” he grunted, his grip tightening reflexively.

“Sorry, sorry!” she scrambled out of bed, trying not to cause any more damage.

“‘Salright,” Nova whispered, still laying there, eyes shut and taking deep, deliberate breaths. “‘Not your fault.”

“How… how are you feeling?” she asked, gently prodding the skin near the stitched wound. “Does it hurt?”

“Not… as much as you’d think,” he sighed, grimacing.

With a great effort, he slid himself out of bed, standing up and stretching, though he still kept his eyes shut as he did so.

“What’s with keeping your eyes shut?” she asked, feeling slightly amused. Knowing Nova, this was about to be something incredibly profound, dorky, sappy, or some combination of all of them.

“Well,” Nova shrugged, “I woke up in your bed after you saved my life, and it’s given me quite an opportunity. So, I figured the first thing I want to see is you.”

“Aww,” Twilight smiled, more than a little touched by it. “You’re such a sap,” she teased, trotting to stand right in front of him.

“I know,” Nova dipped his head. “But I’m your sap.”

“Well, go ahead, Nova. Open your eyes.”

He did, and the moment they caught each other’s gaze, his face fell slack. Blue eyes stared into purple for a long moment, until Twilight felt a trembling hoof touch her cheek..

“You’re really…” he breathed.

“Right here,” Twilight nodded.

In an instant, Nova darted forward and kissed her. In that one act alone, Twilight could practically feel two years of absence and longing finally quashed, despite it only being a few hours for her.

As he pulled away a moment later, he blushed, and she giggled. “Looks like you’re more than a little happy to be home,” she said, as he smiled stupidly.

“You have no idea,” Nova sighed, not even making an effort to hide the trickle of tears from his eyes. “Two years without you guys was… well, it had an effect.”

“Two years, huh?” Twilight asked, leading him down to the ground floor of the library, and not missing the light winces as he walked. “What all happened since I sent you back?”

“Well, it’s a very long story,” Nova replied, leaning back and stretching just a bit, though he winced when it jostled the wound in his back. “Ow… how long is that going to be there?”

“I’ll put some more energy into closing the wound as soon as I don’t feel like I might completely lose consciousness,” Twilight rubbed at her head. “Just closing it that much was… well, I never really appreciated how much energy the equine body uses when it knits skin back together.”

“A few days, then?”

“No,” Twilight shook her head. “If all goes well and energy recovery isn’t an issue, then probably tomorrow morning at the latest. Maybe even tonight, before bed.”

“Should I just go and fetch every Elixir of Energy you’ve got in storage now?” Spike asked, stepping into the room. At the sight of Nova, awake and standing, he instantly dashed over and jumped into his chest in a massive hug. Though Nova winced again from the jostling of his back, he still returned Spike’s little hug just as eagerly.

“You got taller!” Spike pointed out as he stepped back to give Big Bro an inspection.

“Yep,” Nova nodded. “Taller, leaner, stronger… did quite a bit over my last two years.”

“You gonna tell us about it?” Spike asked expectantly.

“It’s a long story,” Nova answered, starting to trot toward the stairs that led down to the library’s lower levels. “Might take the rest of the afternoon. Sure hope you’ve closed up the library.”

“Did that a while ago,” Twilight ran a hoof through her mane wearily. “When your coltfriend gets brought in with a knife wound in his back, you don’t really want many interruptions by ponies who want to check out books…”

“Oh yeah, who was it that brought me in?” Nova asked, seeming remarkably conversational about his near-death experience. “Last thing I remember was getting stabbed and then bleeding out in the grass--”

“Please don’t,” Twilight clenched her eyes shut. “I don’t want to think about it.”

“But still, who was it?”

“Sharp Eye and Fluttershy,” Twilight sighed, feeling an overwhelming wave of thankfulness wash over her.

“I’m gonna buy that stallion a beer every day for the rest of my life,” Nova resolved. “Really fortunate they happened to be nearby.”

“So!” Twilight wasn’t going to let the matter dwell on his rescue, “in the name of changing the topic of conversation, how about you tell Spike and I what all you’ve been up to?”

“Yeah!” Spike exclaimed, plopping right down and gazing up at him expectantly. “Whaddja do? Did you fight Nightmare Moon? I bet you fought Nightmare Moon!”

“Spike, that’s completely the wrong time period I sent him to,” Twilight said patiently. “If he fought anyone, it would most likely be Tirek and Scorpan, or Sombra, since he rose to power not long before the Three Tribes migrated over. And that’s even assuming he fought anyone at all.”

“Believe it or not,” Nova grinned, “I actually did fight Nightmare Moon.”

Spike gave Twilight the smuggest look he could muster. Twilight just shook her head and let him have his moment.

“And also Sombra, though indirectly.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to give Spike an “I told you so” look of her own.

“But before I tell you, I need Spike to send this letter,” his horn glowed blue and a small roll of parchment appeared, pre-written, “to Princess Celestia. There’s… a serious problem.”

“What sort of problem?” Spike asked, frowning. “If you can fight Nightmare Moon and Sombra, nothing should be a problem for you, right?”

“I’m not Star Swirl, Spike,” Nova smiled humorlessly, “though I did get to meet him.” Twilight knew he couldn’t possibly have missed the envious look that crossed her face as he said it. “As evidenced by… by this morning, I’m not invincible. And unfortunately, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and you,” he stared directly into her eyes, “need to know.”

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

Nova took a deep breath.

“Envy has recovered the Alicorn Amulet from Zecora.”

It felt as though a heavy lump settled in Twilight’s stomach as he said that.

She… she has THAT!?

“I think,” he continued slowly, “that today’s little encounter was, if nothing else, a show of force. She didn’t ambush me or anything, she just showed up and took the time to show it off to me when I was coming over here, before sticking that knife in my b--”

“STOP!” Twilight snapped, giving him a furious look. “I don’t want to think about that! You’re here now, you’re safe, I don’t want to spend time thinking about what would have happened if Fluttershy hadn’t found you!”

Nova stared at her for a long moment. He seemed very uncomfortable, and definitely apologetic, but at the same time, she could see… something else in his eyes. Hesitance, perhaps?

Nova took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “I just… some first meeting back. Would rather talk about… about the encounter than about what I did in the past.”

“Why?” Spike asked, tilting his head. “What would make you want to talk about that rather than all the cool stuff you did way back then?”

Nova clenched his eyes shut, and he swallowed, and Twilight could actually see him shaking.

“Because…” he swallowed again, “because I’m the reason Envy exists in the first place.”

Author's Note

Ten months of effort, and I have two whole chapters to show for it.

What do you guys think? Was it worth the wait? Let me know in the comments, please. I always appreciate your feedback.

But now, I have the arc in the past to do! Rytex out. Have a good day!

Familiar Faces

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 13 - Familiar Faces

There was darkness, and there was pain.

Everything ached all over. To Nova, it felt like he had just been slammed into a mountain. It hurt to even move. Hell, it hurt to even breathe right now. With that in mind, he simply lay there, wincing every few seconds as his muscles ignited in protest.

Up above him somewhere, he could hear noise, but it was difficult to make out. Even hearing things hurt right now.

A sharp pain stabbed into his side.

“Ow…” he wheezed, twitching.

“Oh, he moved! And he made a noise!” came a mare’s voice from above him. She sounded equal parts relieved and stressed. “So he isn’t dead.”

“We have determined that already,” a second mare’s voice said, this one calmer, but it sounded colder, of sorts. Hard, and calculating. “The question is, how did he get here? How did his arrival cause this much destruction to the mountain?”

Oh, so he did get slammed into a mountain. Also, there was something oddly familiar about that voice…

With a very loud groan, and with no shortage of protests from his incredibly sore muscles, Nova Shine finally rolled over and sat up, shaking his head and opening his eyes for the first time in what felt like hours. Everything around him was blurry, but he was distinctly outside. The light and warmth of the sun confirmed that much to him.

Next to him, the two mares that were talking had gone silent, but he paid them little mind. Everything still appeared to be very blurry, but he could see a sea of green down below him. Was that a forest? Was the ocean actually green?

He rubbed his eyes, and everything thankfully came into a bit more focus. So that clearly was a forest way down there. And he was clearly up on a mountain of some kind. More specifically, he was standing in a shallow crater on a mountainside, surveying the landscape beneath him.

“Excuse me, sir,” a hoof lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

Nova winced, as his shoulder’s soreness didn’t appear to be going away any time soon, and turned.

Sure enough, there were two mares standing there, and both were staring at him.

One of them was a green unicorn mare, with a maroon mane styled in a way that reminded him somewhat of Roseluck in Ponyville, swept forward without a care for neatness. She seemed half-curious, half-wary of the new stranger that she had found sleeping in the middle of a crater on a mountainside, and Nova couldn’t blame her. Her cutie mark was a single orange flower, which made Nova wonder what her special talent was.

The other mare, however, completely caught him by surprise.

She, too, was a unicorn. Her coat was a pleasant shade of lilac, just like Twilight. Her mane and tail were a deep navy blue, just like Twilight’s. They both contained purple and magenta highlights in exactly the same place as Twilight’s. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple, just like Twilight’s. In short, her appearance, sans cutie mark, was identical to Twilight’s.

Speaking of, her cutie mark was a green three-leafed clover with the same six-pointed star set in the middle of it. She also held herself far more stiffly than he was used to, and her purple eyes contained none of the warmth that his lilac mare had. Rather, they were hard, cold, and calculating.

The first mare’s eyes, however, were certainly wary, but they were infinitely warmer than her counterpart’s in comparison.

He had been expecting this, but he had not been expecting to face Clover the Clever so soon.

“Could you, perhaps, explain how you ended up here?” asked the first mare.

Nova shrugged. “I dunno. One minute I was at my home, and the next I ended up here.”

The two mares looked at each other in confusion for a moment, then back at him.

“You do not know?” asked Clover. Her voice was about as emotionless and dispassionate as Nova had ever heard from anypony. However, while she clearly was trying to show no outward emotion, she frowned and her eyebrows knit together as she scrutinized him. “That was an untruth. Do you know?”

Wait! She can sense energy?

“We haven’t even introduced ourselves,” Nova opted to say instead, before extending a hoof. “My name’s Nova Shine.”

“Summer Blossom,” the first mare said, extending her own and bumping it.

Clover, however, looked down at the offered hoof, and back up at him with a frown.

“If you do not wish to explain, you need only say so,” she replied, still refusing to bump his hoof. “In any case, I am Clover, known as the Clever, apprentice to Lord Star Swirl and lady-in-waiting to Her Royal Highness, Princess Platinum Belleblood XIV, sovereign princess of the Unicorn Kingdom--”

“Yeah, yeah,” Summer cut her off with a roll of her eyes, “I’m sure he gets it. Point is, you’re Clover the Clever, Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Pain-In-The-Ass.”

“I would highly encourage you to not speak so brazenly about your liege-lord, Miss Blossom,” Clover huffed in a rare show of emotion, “especially since the easiest way not to make her such a strict boss is to fulfill your quotas, something you have been slacking in as of late.”

“I’m trying to!” Summer snapped, looking daggers at Clover, who remained as stoic as ever. “If Silverbitch hadn’t stolen my best ponies, I’d be done by now!”

“So, could one of you point me in the way of Everfree?” asked Nova.

“Even though I am sympathetic to your plight,” Clover shook her head dismissively, “if you have a grievance with Shimmer Silvermane’s actions, you have not brought them forward.”

“Because her dad will just get her off and I’ll still have to make up the difference,” Summer pressed. “Just like he has the last four times I have brought them forward.”

“Seriously, do I just follow this road down the mountain, or--?”

“Your precious princess would rather pander to those rich sycophants of hers instead of listen to valid complaints from those of us who can’t get our work done because of them,” Summer went on, now stomping forward to get right into Clover’s still-impassive face, ”all because she wants to be surrounded by a bunch of yes-ponies who kiss up to her and make her feel good, rather than actively try to make the Kingdom an actually-decent place to live!”

“While I do not disagree,” Clover replied, not backing down, though Nova did notice her voice got substantially quieter, as though she didn’t want to be heard, “it is not my place to criticize her Highness. I am there to assist her in everything, and I have found no listing of you having come forward with your grievances against Lord Silverblood or his daughter in any of the records of open grievances.”

“Now you’re just dismissing my complaint on a technicality!” Summer snarled. “I don’t--”

“SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!”

He hadn’t meant to tap into Princess Luna’s whole Royal Canterlot Voice thing, but seriously, they were starting to get on his nerves.

Summer just whirled around and stared stupidly at him, blinking several times as though she could not believe her eyes and ears. Clover, however, was glaring at him with a combination of outrage and disbelief. Nova had to wonder if anyone had ever shouted at her like that before. Her eyes were bulging, her mouth had become a very thin line, and she was staring at him intensely.

“Look, you two seem like you have some serious unresolved issues you both need to work through,” he said in his most annoyingly-patronizing voice, as he started to pace around the both of them. “I would very much like to help. Truly, I would. But unfortunately, I have been woken up from my nap on this very comfortable mountain road with all the tender love and care of a rampaging minotaur in a glass menagerie, and the both of you proceeded to have an argument while completely ignoring my questions. I’m not entirely self-centered,” he said, knowing just how much his marefriend would disagree, “but I find it completely disrespectful to wake someone up and then ignore them like that.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Clover cut in, with her iciest tone yet, “Miss Blossom is the one who initiated--”

“I don’t give a flying feather whose fault it is, Twilight,” Nova snapped, startling her into silence, and the disbelief grew even more apparent on her face, even more than the outrage. “You both are the ones who suddenly locked me out of a conversation you started about me in the first place, and in a seriously-childish way. Aren’t you supposed to be a lot more dignified than this? And you,” he rounded on Summer Blossom, whose stupid blank stare had given way to equal parts awe and shock, “did initiate everything by making fun of her boss, who happens to be your own, when she was simply performing a courtesy of her position. I don’t know you very well, but I personally think that complaining about your boss to somepony you’re meeting for the first time is one hell of a first impression. Both of you are advised to chill the buck out.”

As he finally stopped, the both of them just stared at him, neither one daring to speak. Summer’s awe had shrunk considerably when she had been the target of his lecture, but Clover’s disbelief had not shrunk even one bit. Nova wondered if it was because he had made a mistake and had called her “Twilight” or if it was from having the audacity to talk down to her. Most likely equal parts.

“Now if you don’t mind...,” Nova sighed, trotting back to the mountain’s edge and staring back out over the expanse of land, trying to determine which settlement was Everfree..

“You just lectured the second-most-powerful pony in the entire kingdom,” Summer observed, breathlessly.

“No one has ever spoken to me in that manner,” mumbled Clover, sounding just as disbelieving as she had looked before he’d turned away. “Not since my…”

“Well, there is that captain,” Summer pointed out.

“Do not remind me,” grumbled Clover.

“Much better,” Nova grinned, still surveying the valley below. Now that he’d had time to think, he could identify two settlements down below. One was a motley collection of buildings and farming fields on the plain, whereas the other was located in the heart of a vast forest, which hid its true size from his surveying gaze. “Sounds like you’re starting to become friends already. So, which of those settlements down there is Everfree?”

He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

“Everfree is located in the forest,” Clover replied, her voice still very soft but still with that calculating edge. “The Three Tribes… we agreed not to claim it, so the alicorn sisters did and began to build a city in it. Perhaps it is for the best that way,” she added, pawing nervously at the ground. “A balance. Unicorns in the mountains, pegasi in the sky, earth ponies on the plain, and the united principality in the forest…”

“Cool,” Nova inclined his head to the both of them. “So, you mentioned you were behind on quotas?” he glanced back at Summer.

Summer once again blinked rather stupidly, before giving a quick shake of her head to return to alertness. “Um, yes. Sorry. Yeah, I could use the help. Why? Are you offering?”

“I am,” Nova nodded, before grimacing. “Sorry for yelling at you like that. I’ve kind of had a long morning.”

Clover nodded tersely. “Understandable.”

Summer sighed. “Tell me about it. And now I’ve gotta get back to it. Tell Platty the disturbance is nothing to worry about,” she added, giving Clover a tired look.

“I… will do that,” Clover nodded again, before turning and giving Nova Shine one last once-over. “What shall I tell her about you, though?”

“Nothing good,” Nova replied immediately, failing to suppress a grin. As he said this, if he looked closely, he could just barely see the ghost of a smile touch Clover’s calculating frown.

“Very well,” Clover dipped her head. “If you wish to aid Ms. Blossom, I’d suggest you do so with haste. She will need all the help she can, as behind as she is.”

Summer let out a long drawn-out sound, half growl, half-groan. Clover inclined her head at her, before turning tail and marching back off up the road towards the city.

“I know she didn’t mean that to sound like a barbed comment,” Summer ran a hoof down her face, “but damn did it sound like one.”

“She’s got a point, though,” Nova shrugged. “If it’s as bad as it is, maybe I should get to work on the pronto.”

“Why do you even want to help me, anyway?” she gave him a wary look. “What’s in it for you?”

“A friend,” Nova smiled disarmingly at her. “‘Sides, I’ve got time to kill, and despite my rather abrupt wake-up,” he stretched, and a series of loud pops and cracks came from his joints as he did so, “I feel like I could move a mountain right about now.”

“A friend, huh?” Summer arched an eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe. No one just does things for friendship in this city. Well, more like this entire Three Tribe arrangement, really,” she added bitterly.

“So allow me to prove it,” Nova pressed. “Wanna show me where your houses are so I can get in some morning magic work?”

“Sure,” Summer shrugged, turning and following Clover up toward the city. “I mean, how much is one pony gonna change things? I’m probably getting fired after today anyways.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Hoo boy,” Nova sighed, wiping his brow as he stepped back to survey his work.

Sixteen houses. Sixteen complete, fully-built-and-garnished homes, of the twenty.four that were needed. All done alone, all done in minutes at most. It was tiring work, levitating hundreds of pounds of marble, wood, and so on, but if there’s one thing that Twilight had helped teach him, it was fine control over his considerable mana pool.

This was what separated him from the normal unicorns that were working. While a normal unicorn could levitate maybe three or four things at once, more if they were basically doing the same thing, and while exceptional unicorns could lift more, Nova had been given his necessary confidence boost, allowing him to reach the prodigious levels the was always capable of, and he found it challenging-but-doable to manipulate as many as fourteen different objects of varying weights and sizes.

He tried fifteen, but outside of the tiny implements like screws and nails, he couldn’t quite handle that.

While the normal workers of Summer’s team had to carefully coordinate between themselves as they lifted the heavy marble and the numerous wooden supports, and other materials, Nova was able to perfectly perform alone, and that meant that he reached peak efficiency.

It was a symphony of construction, and he was its conductor. The moment marble slabs were placed, wooden supports would arrange themselves in position, and the nails and screws would drill themselves in as he worked. Perfect and total harmony. In just a little under five minutes each, he was able to fully construct a house to match the schematics shown to him by Summer, who could only watch, utterly flabbergasted as he worked. Even the other workers stopped multiple times to see just what was going on with his work and they had similar reactions.

This new unicorn literally showed up in an explosion and was performing feats of magic that were nearly unheard of! Of course, he was simply constructing the house itself, and not furnishing it, but that hardly mattered. How was he able to do so much in so little time, when it took a group of them several minutes to do even one? How was it that it always left all of them feeling fairly tired after doing just one house, yet this new unicorn looked like he’d taken nothing more than a light trot around the mountain?

Just how powerful was he?

“This is unreal,” Summer mumbled, staring at the line of houses Nova had finished over the last hour and a half or so. It almost looked as though she couldn’t properly express how she felt about this with facial expressions alone. “How…? What... ?”

“Use your words,” Nova encouraged.

Summer responded by giving him a semi-annoyed glare and punching him on the shoulder.

“Ow!” Nova exclaimed, rubbing at the spot she’d hit. She’s pretty strong for a fellow unicorn, he thought, wincing as the spot started to color with a bruise.

“I can’t believe this,” she fell on her haunches head in her hooves. “How could my luck have turned around just like that? I’m...” she started to smile dreamily, “I’m actually going to meet my quota for once!”

“Glad to help,” Nova sat down next to her. “You said you needed twenty-four done, right?”

“Well, you got sixteen done, and my guys got another four finished up, with a fifth almost done. It’s amazing they were able to work, given half of them were watching you the whole time,” she mused. “We may not need your help for the rest of the day. I think we might have it covered.”

“Great!” chirped Nova, but then he frowned. “Wait. No, I insist on finishing the job.”

Summer just stared at him, her mouth parted.

“I mean,” Nova shrugged, “it’s not too much more effort to do three houses. Your workers can focus on getting the last one done, and it’ll make you look even better in front of Platinum to get it all done early.”

She let out a heavy sigh at the mention of Princess Pain-In-The-Ass. “You know, now that you mention her, something tells me this might actually not be a blessing after all.”

“Oh?” Nova cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”

“She might start expecting this kind of output from me from now on.” Summer grimaced. “Though considering Lady Clover’s gone and told her about you, maybe not. Who knows. So,” she leaned against the wall of the house Nova had just finished magicking together, “why’re you wanting to head down to Everfree? Why not stay here in Unicornia? A unicorn as talented as you would be the envy of every single pony in this city, Platinum and Clover included.”

Nova felt an odd prickle at the mention of one specific word in that sentence Still, he couldn’t just say he was there to set into motion a series of events that would eventually lead to his own birth, and the creation of his archenemy. Instead, he figured he’d take a page out of his family’s book and think of something pretentious to say in Roaman.

“Because,” he said, with a tiny smile, “aquila non capit muscas.”

Summer groaned. “I don’t speak Roaman. Are you secretly from Bitalia or something? Are you just determined to be as mysterious as possible?”

“It means ‘The eagle does not catch flies,’” Nova replied, choosing not to answer either question.

“You calling us all flies?” Summer arched an eyebrow of her own, though she had a conspiratorial glint in her eyes.

“I mean,” Nova shrugged, “given how I’ve heard the social climbers here are…”

“Oh I’m not disagreeing with you, don’t get me wrong,” she waved her hooves defensively, “it’s just... Platinum really doesn’t like ponies saying anything other than glowing praise about her. Neither does any unicorn in any position of power here, quite frankly,” she added. “But they really enjoy their compliments and like ensuring they’re all associated and emulating the most influential ponies around.”

“And you think I’d be right at home among them?” Nova asked, arching an eyebrow right back at her, trying to raise it even higher than last time.

“Buck no!” Summer guffawed. “I’m saying, they’d try to make themselves at home around you. If word got out that you’re capable of this,” she gestured at the sixteen houses, “and you look like you’re barely winded, and that’s on top of teleporting over from Dream Valley with enough power to leave a literal crater in the mountainside, they would never leave you alone.”

“Ah,” Nova nodded sagely. “They’d want to associate themselves with me to climb the ladder.”

“Yeah, basically,” Summer leaned back against the house they were sitting in front of. “I mean, you heard me earlier with Clover. I’m not happy with how every time I lose a worker because of Silverbitch, my complaints get thrown under the rug because her daddy is Lord Silas Silverblood,” her voice grew mocking, “richest pony in Unicornia and when he speaks, the Princess listens and all that horseapples.”

“Do you two not get on very well?” Nova asked.

Summer raised an eyebrow as high as she possibly could. The game was definitely on. “Who, me and Clover?” Nova nodded. “Nah,” she shook her head. “We actually get along just fine. I’d even say she’s almost a friend of mine, even though we never really get to talk. Just some frustrations of mine with her boss, and she takes her work seriously.”

“Yes, I could see that.”

“I mean,” Summer tossed a hoof lamely at the air in front of her, “Pain-in-the-ass wouldn’t be a horrible boss under normal circumstances. That is, if it weren’t for the fact that she cares more about her sycophants than she does about her actual workers and if she actually listened to Clover or Inkwell or Captain Steelshod from time to time… but noooooo,” her voice grew scathing, “she’s gotta pay extra attention to Lord Silverblood or Lady Heartstrings or even Sir Glimmerfire when they tell her that she’s the most perfect pure princess who ever lived…”

“Sounds like you’re not all that angry at the Princess herself,” Nova observed. “You just think she’s not listening to the right ponies.”

“Pretty much,” Summer sighed. “She’s not a bad pony, but she just doesn’t want to hear others telling her she’s not doing a good job. No one wants to be told they aren’t doing a good job, but Platinum is just so terrified of not living up to her father that she shuts out any bad criticism. And that just lets the brown-nosers get her to do what they want with a few sweet words. I’ve complained about Silverblood’s daughter stealing twelve of my best workers already, and she hasn’t done jack about it because he says nice things to her.”

“Stealing your workers?” Nova blinked. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Summer rubbed her eyes. “When she spots someone she likes, she just shows up, turns on the charm, and seduces him away from working for me. One good roll in the hay, and she’ll have him wrapped around her hoof and he never ever comes back,” she growled. “It has to be intentional at this point. No other overseer has to put up with this. And what in the world is going on over there?”

Summer jumped to her hooves and started cantering off toward where a crowd of ponies was gathering several meters away. Nova blinked again, having not noticed the gathering crowd, but he got to his hooves and followed after her.

The gathered ponies were out near the edge of the day’s plot of houses to be built, and as Nova approached and the ponies came within range of him to sense their energy, he could feel a crowded semicircle of ponies there, with a lone aura standing in their center, no doubt the focus of the crowd. As they drew closer, he could hear angry shouts from the crowd as well.

“We don’t want any part of you, you silver-coated skank!” one of them shouted.

“I can assure you,” came a haughty, sultry, scathing, and familiar voice from the center of the crowd, “I want no part of any of you either.”

Nova felt a chill creep up his spine the moment he heard it. It wasn’t quite the way it would be a thousand years in the future, but it still sounded too similar.

Beside him, Summer’s face contorted into a furious snarl. “No. No, not today,” she growled, shoving her way in. Nova followed her, slipping past members of the angry mob as the shouting got more and more irate, before he finally breached the front to find Summer and the source of the earlier voice.

Her coat was the brightest silver he had ever seen, but with a sort of matte sheen, which complemented the shining of her long silver mane and tail flawlessly. She carried herself with a vain air, muzzle raised just enough to reach narcissist levels, and she was looking down it with a disgusted scowl, meeting Summer’s death glare with her own.

And her eyes were exactly the same shade of red!

Nova felt his muscles tense at the sight of it. Memories flashed through his head. A malevolent shadow being with those same horrible red eyes strangling Twilight, Trixie staring down at him with those red eyes and a knife held above him…

The new mare’s eyes flicked over to him, and the moment they locked eyes, Nova felt himself shiver, which only got worse when the mare’s disgusted look shifted into a sickening smile, before her eyes turned back to Summer. Nova, too, looked over at his temporary boss and found that her eyes were wide, and she was now openly snarling.

“No!” Summer barked, stepping between him and the new mare. “Not again! Not today!”

“A new stallion friend, Summer?” the new mare said, in a malevolently-gleeful voice. “What is this, the eighth stallion you’ve brought home in two years? Afraid he’s going to run off and leave you alone just like the previous three did?”

Summer’s eyes bulged, and Nova knew that a line had been crossed. It would probably be best to get Summer out of this conversation as soon as possible, before she did something she would regret. He stepped forward, placing a hoof on her shoulder and tried to pull her back.

At that moment, however, he felt an odd shift in the aura of energy emanating from the silver mare. She was clearly tapping into her Source to do something, and while he was certain she’d never try something particularly bold in the streets like this, he didn’t yet know the time period, nor the new mare’s history with Summer.

He started to pull back, drawing Summer away from what was sure to be an ugly confrontation, but the moment he did, he caught a scent in the air. It smelled familiar… like something he could have sworn he smelled not that long ago.

The strongest smell he could identify was a fragrance of lavender. Complementing it was a trace of the smell of book pages, and accenting both of them, there was the sharp metallic aroma of magic in the air.

Most perplexing about it, however, was that Nova felt his mind relax. It was almost as if there was something whispering to him not to worry, but to simply allow the smell to do the thinking for him. He relented, feeling his mind grow blissfully fuzzy, allowing him to fully indulge himself in the lovely aroma. It smelled of nights in his house in Neighton, practicing magic with Luna; of nights in Ponyville, reading alone while Twilight was out with her friends.

But mostly, it smelled of her. Of his beloved, whom he had only said his farewells to mere hours ago.

It smelled of home.

It was only when Nova found himself stepping forward that something else in his mind pushed back against the fuzziness. His mind refused to let something else do the thinking for it, and Nova felt himself suddenly return to clarity.

He was standing halfway between Summer and the other.

What…?

The other’s eyes narrowed, and that same fragrance redoubled, only this time, Nova’s mind didn’t allow it to gain control for even a moment. He resisted, and when he pieced all the evidence together, he realized what was going on.

“Seduction Scent,” he realized, before his magic sprung forth and the scent was cleared away from his muzzle. In short order, he’d improvised a magical filter that would prevent him from inhaling the alluring aroma, allowing him to retain a clear head. “You’re using Seduction Scent.”

Rather than react badly to her little ploy not working, however, the mare simply grinned in a predatory manner. “So someone finally was able to resist. I’d heard rumors of a particularly strong unicorn falling out of the sky, slamming into the mountain, and then coming out here to help dear sweet Summer meet her quotas. Such an angel you are,” she added with a husky purr. “My name is Shimmer Silvermane. I’m Lord Silas Silverblood’s daughter, perhaps you have heard of me?”

He thought back to the conversation between Summer and Clover. So this was the Silverbitch that Summer had a problem with.

“Nova Shine,” he grunted. “Never heard of you.”

The smile faltered, but only for a moment. She strutted toward him, taking great care to show off her admittedly-lovely curves, and the gleam of the sunlight against her coat only accentuated them. In all honesty, she really was a gorgeous mare. Not a hint of pudge, a lean physique, and if it weren’t for the fact that she had just tried to charm him using mental control magic, he might very well have not minded her showing off for him.

However, not only had she tried that, but he was already rather happily spoken for.

“Quite alright, quite alright,” she replied sweetly. “After all, you could hardly be expected to understand the power structure here in this new land of ours. Why else would you choose to waste talents such as yours with the mob?” she added, with a filthy look thrown at Summer.

Summer opened her mouth to respond, but Nova threw her a sharp look of his own that cut her off. He would handle this.

“For starters,” Nova replied, stepping back as she got a little too close, “this ‘mob’ haven’t tried to use mind control magic on me, so they’ve made a far better first impression on me than you have.”

Shimmer’s smile vanished instantly.

“But even with that aside,” he made a show of stretching, “I’m not really planning on sticking around for very long. Ask anyone here, I’ve been asking about Everfree, and I was probably gonna start making my way there after I finished helping out this morning.”

“That would be a mistake,” Shimmer replied, her tone icy. “Talent such as yours would be wasted there, I can assure you. It would be far better served here, in the land of your fellow unicorns, don’t you think?”

Noa let out an impatient sigh from his nose. “Okay, I can plainly see that you’re doing everything you can to get me on your side,” he gave her an annoyed look, “and whatever side that is, I’m not interested. I’m leaving town soon, and really couldn’t care less what you’re trying to accomplish.”

“Must I spell it out for you?” her voice grew dangerously quiet, and she snarled. “You would be beyond stupid to make an enemy of me or my father, and if you are not allied with us, you are an enemy. And let me assure you that neutrality is not observed,” she added, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “No one-- no one-- says no to Shimmer Silvermane.”

Nova snorted.

“I rather think I just did.”

With that, he turned tail and trotted away.

“...and then everyone stood up and clapped.”

Twilight just gave him an unamused look. “Sure they did, Nova,” she replied flatly.

Nova smirked. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

About forty minutes later, Nova was sitting in the shadow of one of the last few completed houses, eating lunch. Since his encounter with Shimmer Silvermane, he’d marched right back to his station and finished his job. He didn’t want to leave Summer in a bad position, especially given that his refusal of Shimmer’s offer was likely going to evoke instant retaliation, no doubt to prevent him from informing the guards of her use of mind-altering magic.

Thing was, why would he inform the guards when Summer and all of the eyewitnesses could? They’d probably have more pull than some random unicorn that had shown up out of nowhere literally just that morning.

His lunch, which was just a simple sandwich made out of a few daffodils and daisies he’d found in a nearby flower bed, was interrupted when Summer herself came dashing around a corner.

“There you are!” she exclaimed, skidding to a stop right in front of him. “Captain Steelshod’s sent out a couple of guards to--” She blinked. “What are you eating?”

“A sandwich,” Nova shrugged. “Put my food between bread slices. Easier to handle.”

Summer’s eyes faded out of focus for a moment, before she shook her head. “Anyway, the captain’s sent out some guards to bring you in for questioning.”

Nova snorted, choosing to remain focused on his lunch. “Questioning, huh? I guess Shimmer went crying to daddy.”

“She has, unfortunately,” Summer grit her teeth. “The captain seemed annoyed at most, but the Princess insisted you at least be brought in and asked about the situation. I tried to vouch for you, as did Lady Clover for what it’s worth,” she added, with a slight sigh, “but Platinum seemed to think that was just my personal history with Silverbitch talking.”

“That was nice of you,” Nova inclined his head in her direction, before nomming a corner of his snack.

“Anyway, it would probably be a good idea to get out of here before the guards come,” she glanced back in the direction she’d come from. “I mean, you’re not being arrested or--”

She broke off, blinking for a moment, before looking at the house he was sitting under. “You… you did all of the remaining houses?”

“Sure did,” Nova replied nonchalantly, before taking another bite.

Summer stared at him, her mouth parted, and Nova was almost alarmed to see them watering ever so slightly.

“I... “ She broke off, her voice clogged with emotion. “...thank-you.”

“No problem,” he replied, before scarfing down the last of his lunch and getting to his hooves. If guards were on their way to take him in, then it definitely was time to go. Fortunately, he had no more pressing business here. Now all that was left was a hike down the mountainside and into the forest, which would probably take several hours.

Summer looked back at the street entrance nervously.

“You know,” said Nova after he swallowed his mouthful, “if things go badly for you here, you can come to Everfree.”

She looked back at him, more than a little surprised. “Everfree? But... why? I don’t know anyone there.”

“You’ll know me,” Nova shrugged. “I’m sure I can help you find something to do down there.”

Without warning, Summer just fell on her haunches and started laughing.

“What?” Nova asked, tilting his head.

“This…” she waved a hoof around while she stifled laughter with the other, “...this everything! It’s… it just can’t be real.”

“It’s plenty real,” Nova assured her, holding out a hoof. “Anyway, I gotta get going. If things go bad here, come to Everfree and give me a shout, alright?”

She stared at him from her spot on the ground for a long time, before standing up, leaning over, and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. It was merely a fraction of a moment before her lips left, but it felt like far longer.

...and he didn’t push her away.

“Thank-you,” she said again, looking away. “For… for everything.”

Nova simply smiled fondly at her. “Any time. I’ll see you soon, I imagine. Remember, meet me in Everfree.”

“I think I will do just that,” she promised.

With that, Nova turned around and set off, trotting back through the city, following pathways that were familiar as ever, as he made his way out of the city and out toward the trail that led down the mountain.

The hike turned out to be something that he was prepared for when it came to time, but not physical exertion. Even with gravity aiding him, it took him six hours to go from the city near the peak of Mount Canterhorn to its base. And despite gravity aiding him, he was sweating up a storm, and his legs felt like mush underneath him as he approached a crossroads, where the road split in two, with a three-way sign standing at it.

”Unicornia behind me, Everfree City in the forest,” he read, something rather difficult as the sunset was behind the sign, and then he frowned. “...they seriously called it Earthponyville?”

It seemed to have been there as long as this all-knowing crossing sign had. He snorted, and leaned against it as his mushy legs started quivering.

“Oh, that’s not good,” he observed, before he conjured a bottle containing an Elixir of Energy from within his Source. “Good thing I stored a few of you away, just in case, eh?”

Bottom’s up. In two quick gulps, the potion had been drained from its vial, and already, he could feel his mushy legs feel less like mush and more like legs.

Goodness, he hadn’t felt this tired since he’d sprinted all the way from Neighton to Ponyville after finding out about the Vaults. It had only been a few short months ago, yet it felt like it had been so long…

Probably just because of all the stuff that had happened since then, he reasoned. His horn shone blue and a certain diary appeared in his grasp. Like finding you and everything you have in your pages. Still, I think I need to start exercising.

Once he felt strong enough to continue, he set off once again, trotting into the vast forest, though he paused at a spot he was sure would later become home to Sweet Apple Acres to snack on a dinner apple. Finally, after several hours of non-stop trotting, he found himself trotting out of the forest and into a city.

The buildings were all simple wood or stone constructions, so nothing particularly eye-catching stood out to him. Just the simple fact that he was here, in one of the most legendary locations in Equestrian history, was a bit overwhelming.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop to think about it. It was now very late. No one was in the streets, and most of the lights within buildings had been snuffed out, leaving him feeling as though he were standing in a ghost town.

“Sure is kinda spooky with no one around,” he observed, before trotting further into the city. It was rather nice out. Since he hadn’t brought any currency with him (Twilight had said something about serial numbers and currency validation and “what if you crash the market by overinflating it if you bring too much with you?”), he was going to have to sleep under the stars.

It didn’t take long for him to find a nice quiet grove as he made his way further into the city. Beside the river that would one day house a great sea serpent, a small grove of trees stood, squished between two other buildings. Nova had no idea what it was for, but he wasn’t complaining. It looked like the perfect place to sleep until morning.

So he trotted in, found himself a nice tree to sleep under, laid down, and closed his eyes.

...and he dreamed of Twilight for the first of many nights.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Yet another hoof was poking him in the side. How inconsiderate of them. Didn’t they know he was still sore from the events of the previous morning?

“Go away,” he swatted toward where the hoof was, but didn’t seem to hit anything.

“Wake up, citizen,” came a gentle, familiar voice. “We have been trying to rouse thee for a minute now.”

“And we aren’t rousing,” Nova grumbled, turning over and trying to get back to sleep. “Go away.”

There was an impatient huff, and without warning, Nova felt himself be hoisted up into the air. His eyes bolted open just in time to see himself be floated over the river and he couldn’t prepare himself as he was unceremoniously dunked inside.

Nova yelped, accidentally inhaling some of the water, before he was yanked out and set on the ground, where he began coughing and sputtering, expelling the water from his lungs, heaving to clear the airways.

“Our apologies,” said the voice above him again sounding genuine, though with a small amount of amusement. “Why art thou not in an inn? There are laws against sleeping outdoors.”

“No… bits…” Nova wheezed, resorting to magic to clear his airways. As his aura washed over his lungs and the water was teleported out, he let out a hoarse gasp, finally managing to breathe in a proper amount of air, though that did nothing to stop the burning.

“No bits? Truly?” The voice sounded horrified, before he felt her stamp the ground in frustration “Fie, that ponies would be forced to live on the streets in Our city, ‘tis a travesty!”

“It’s not so bad--hrrk!” His magic had not cleared out all of his lungs, and he was now having to hammer himself under his ribcage to eke out the last of the water. “It’s quite nice outside,” he hacked, before turning to face his waker, “b-but that’s only when ponies aren’t inter...rupting…”

A pale blue alicorn filly stood before him, with a mane even paler than her coat, but unlike her future self, her mane hung limply by her side, much as it had in the early weeks of her tutelage. Her barding was steel colored a navy-blue rather than black, and her shoes were a pale blue as well, but her eyes were the same aquamarine color, and were currently staring angrily further into the city.

“Princess Luna,” he stated, blankly.

Luna didn’t seem to notice. She was looking every which way now, looking for something best known to her. Nova, however, gave one last pulse of magic to clear out his lungs of river water, and mercifully, he felt the last remnants of liquid give way.

“Much better,” he sighed, falling over sideways again and curling up.

That got Luna’s attention again, and she looked down at him in surprise.

“Rise, citizen,” she commanded, motioning with a hoof for him to get to his feet.

Nova just lay there.

After a few seconds, Luna’s eyes narrowed at him. “How dare thou? Refusing a direct order from thy princess? Thou couldst be imprisoned for such offense!”

“Then imprison me,” Nova replied, groaning. “I just want to sleep.”

“And no innkeeper would allow thee to have a room due to thy lack of bits,” she growled. It was honestly a little cute, as she seemed to almost be around his age, physically and mentally. “Such lack of generosity is unacceptable. It seems We shall have to do it ourselves.”

“Wait, what?” Nova asked. Before he could do anything more, however, he found himself hoisted off of the ground as Princess Luna started to magically carry him away from his sleeping spot. “Waiwaiwaiwaiwait!”

“What is it?” she gave him a passing glance behind her before turning forward and continuing on her way. “We are taking thee to a room for the night, and we shall be having words with the innkeepers that rejected thee.”

“I didn’t have any bits so I never went into an inn to ask!” Nova replied, still flailing in her grip. Her grip vanished, and he fell to the ground in a heap. “...ow.”

“Thou didst not even ask?” she stared back at him, eyes wide and mouth parted while he got back to his hooves and brushed himself off. “Thou must be a new arrival, then. Citizen, in this land, thou should not be afraid to ask for anything. But thou must never assume and thou must never demand.”

“Okay then,” he smirked slightly, “can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

There was a heartstopping second in which she stared at him uncomprehendingly. But the moment she processed what he said, her face went from blue to red in record time, and most amusingly, it was her turn to sputter.

“E-excuse us?” she asked, the queenly mask she was attempting to wear now gone completely. “H-how inappropriate! I-- I mean, We could have thee f-flogged for such brazen--”

Nova put his expression into one of faux-confusion.

“Why are you acting so embarrassed?” he asked, really trying to sell it. “All I’m asking is to sleep in your…” he trailed off, faking a dawning look of realization. “Oh my, Princess Luna, am I trying to seduce you?”

Luna just stared at him, her face now reaching shades of purple.

“Th-thou art… thou art…”

“Use your words,” Nova encouraged, smirking. First Summer, now Luna…

Luna just covered her face with a wing and let out a moan.

“We have made a terrible mistake,” she mumbled. “Had we known that thou wouldst be so forward as this…”

Nova just chortled at seeing Princess Luna in this mortified state, before promising, “Okay, okay, I’ll stop tormenting you now.” He grinned. “Sorry, just a little payback for waking me up from my rather nice sleep.”

Luna slowly lowered her wing, gazing at him with an unreadable expression, though her face was still quite red. “Not many ponies would have the temerity to speak so forwardly to Us. Pray tell, bold stallion, what is thy name?”

“Nova Shine,” Nova inclined his head.

“And that, Nova Shine,” the tiniest of smirks crossed her muzzle, “is the closest thou hast come to showing Us the proper courtesies. Thou art truly an odd stallion. Thou dost not seem even remotely concerned with the possibility that We could immolate thee right now for thy lack of courtesy.”

“You’d miss me if you did,” Nova replied, standing tall and meeting her eyes with a confident smirk of his own.

Luna’s eyes narrowed, her mouth pursed, and the redness that had been steadily leaving her cheeks came back with a vengeance.

“Art thou mocking Us?”

“Nah,” Nova shook his head. “I’d never mock you, your majesty.”

“Highness.”

“Sorry?” Nova tilted his head.

Luna huffed. “Majesty is a title reserved for a queen or king. Highness is for princes and princesses. The proper term is highness.”

“Oh.” You learn something new every day. “My mistake. Still, I’d never mock you.”

Luna eyed him for a long moment, looking at him from head to hoof. Nova simply met her gaze, with the small, confident smile on his face while he let her see whatever it was in him she was looking for. Finally, she let out a sharp breath.

“Truly thou art an odd stallion,” she said, turning around and starting to trot further into the city. “Still, if thou wishes to sleep in Our bed and art so forward as to actually ask that of Us, We suppose the least We could do is grant thee that wish.”

She turned and gave him a tiny smile as she said that. Nova chuckled.

“I never actually thought you’d grant it,” he said, trotting forward and following her. “I just thought a guest room would work or something.”

“We are intrigued by thee,” Luna admitted, giving him a grin of her own. “Thou didst not seem too perturbed by the concept of sleeping under Our stars-- quite frankly, thou wert annoyed that We interrupted thy rest--, thou acts as though We are no more than another common pony despite Our position, and thou art so brazen as to make such forward requests. Why dost thou act this way?”

Nova shrugged. “Why not? Ponies are ponies, regardless of whether or not they have a crown. I imagine you and your sister are no different.”

Luna frowned. “O, that others would have such opinions of us as thee, but alas,” she hung her head, “thou truly art the first pony We’ve ever met to believe this.”

Nova looked over, concerned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything!” she exclaimed, stamping into the ground, and scowling. “Everything is wrong, Nova Shine! Why is it that Our sister gains so much love and adoration from our subjects, but it is only the odd ones such as thee who pay any attention to Us? Do they not see how much We do for them!?”

Nova stopped, turning to face Luna in full, as she had stopped trotting altogether, and she was outright fuming, staring into his eyes with a fury he had never seen from her before in his own time.

“Who is it that wards off their nightmares?” she demanded of him. “Who is it that watches over their dreams? Who paints the canvas of the night sky with the gentle brush of Her magic? Who guides the moon and the tides of the great seas!? Who watches over the students, who spend their nights secluded in rooms lit only by candlelight!? Who does all of this, and receives nary a simple ‘Thank-you’, nary a single grateful comment!? Who, Nova Shine!? We wish to hear thine answer!”

Rather than do that, Nova did what was probably the boldest thing he did all night, and simply strode forward and gave Princess Luna a hug.

Underneath the contact, Princess Luna stiffened instantly, even recoiling a step.

“What on earth…? Thou goest too far, Nova Shine.”

“It was just a hug,” Nova stated, giving her an earnest look. “I learned pretty well from my old teacher that cooldown hugs like that are really good for calming down emotional ponies.

“Cooldown hugs…?” Luna narrowed her eyes at him.

“You know,” Nova traced a hoof along the ground lamely, “hugs that cool you down when you get a little heated, hot under the collar, that sort of thing?”

Luna blinked uncomprehendingly. Nova inwardly facehoofed. He was going to have to chillax with the modern slang, yo. It wouldn’t fly with the ponies of this time, because they probably wouldn’t find it totally bodacious.

“You got pretty emotional and angry,” he re-worded. “I learned pretty well from my old teacher that hugs like that are good at calming ponies down.”

Luna looked away the moment he said “emotional and angry”, with a look that was half-pensive, half-ashamed. Almost like she was being reprimanded.

“Just… thought you needed it,” he added, finding the silence awkward.

“Nova Shine,” she said, quietly.

“Mmhmm?”

“We apologize for our tirade, but the truth is… We are lonely,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah, I figured,” Nova replied, stepping up beside her. “You know what you need?”

She looked over at him, her face forcibly kept expressionless. Even a thousand and a quarter years in the past, she could try to keep her face neutral, but he could still see right through it just like he could in his own time. She was on the verge of opening up, but one wrong word could close her off.

“What do We need?” she asked, sounding skeptical.

“You need a student,” he answered immediately, quite confident in his answer.

“...a student,” she repeated blankly.

“Yep!” Nova grinned, before starting to trot further into the city, with her following him. “Just think. You’d have someone there to talk to, someone there to teach, all that sort of stuff. Someone whom you could give some of your responsibilities to ease your own burden, and most importantly, someone there for you to confide in when you’re feeling overwhelmed.”

There was silence between them for several long moments as Nova headed toward the center of the city. He had no idea where the castle was, as he hadn’t even been there in his own time, but the center of the city seemed to be the logical place for it to be.

“We shall think on this,” Luna said, her voice quiet. “We think your suggestion has merit. But pray tell, suppose We took a unicorn student,” she sped up to fall in beside him. “Suppose We taught them magic. What would We do for the pegasi and earth ponies? We cannot leave them out; it could very well undermine any attempts at diplomacy with them.”

“Well,” Nova shrugged, “you could always teach pegasi air-specific fighting styles or something. And for earth ponies, I don’t know,” he admitted, “but I’m sure you could figure it out. But you do need some pony you can confide in and talk to.”

“Dost thou mean thyself?” she gave him a shrewd look. “Forgive Us, Nova Shine, but such a position thou art suggesting would be a particularly enviable position in Our little principality. Art thou suggesting this as a way to draw close to Us? or to Our sister, perhaps?”

“Mmm…” Nova bobbed his head back and forth, considering the question. “Yes and no. Yeah, after seeing you tonight, I definitely think I could be that pony for you, but no, I am not suggesting the position specifically to do that.”

She gave him a searching look.

“What wouldst thou call such a position?” she asked, her expression now unreadable. “Let Us say, hypothetically speaking, that We decided to create such a position. What wouldst thou call it?”

“Well, if the Princess of the Night was going to have an apprentice,” Nova tried not to come on too strongly,, “then--”

“Of course!” Luna exclaimed, beaming. “Nova Shine, wouldst thou like to be Our first Night Student?”

Nova blinked.

“I was going for Night Apprentice.”

“We know,” Luna stated, giving him a flat look. “And pardon Our bluntness, but the name sounds incredibly pretentious and unnecessarily dramatic. Night Student is just far more practical and intuitive.”

“Yeah, but,” Nova tried to come up with a convincing argument, but “the timeline would break down” probably wasn’t going to work. Instead, he found a new one.

“...what if your sister takes a Solar Apprentice?”

Luna gave him an odd look.

“...what if she does?”

“Wouldn’t you want your pupil to sound a lot more impressive than whatever she could come up with?”

Luna’s eyes narrowed at him, and she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a short moment, she closed it and gave him a suspicious look.

“Art thou trying to turn Us against Our sister?”

“Not at all,” Nova shook his head. “This is just one of those tiny petty acts of superiority that would probably get right under her skin and bother her from now until the end of time.”

Luna blinked.

“‘Bother her until the end of time,’ thou sayest?” she asked, a devious note in her voice, and an evil smile spreading across her muzzle.

Success!

“Oh yeah,” Nova smirked. “Annoyances galore.”

“We can think of no better reason than that, Nova Shine. Ah,” she exclaimed as the Castle of the Two Sisters came into view. “Home and hearth! Come, Nova Shine, and We shall show thee to Our chambers for thy rest.”

She cantered on ahead, leaving him to run after her on his hooves, which were still quite sore from his afternoon hike, and that wasn’t even considering the fact that his entire body still ached from slamming into a mountain that morning. Still, he kept pace with Luna as she led him into the severe stone structure.

It wasn’t particularly impressive. The stones that comprised the walls and main keep were still very rough-hewn, and the feeling it gave off was that they were building first, polishing later. The only structures he could see were complete were the keep and curtain wall, the bailey was nearing completion, and there were several roped-off sections of the large grounds of the castle where Nova figured they were going to construct things like barracks for soldiers and that sort of thing.

“Come, come!” Luna beckoned from the entrance of the keep. Nova stopped looking around and followed. It was dark, so he couldn’t see much, but she led him in, up several stairs, and through a hall toward one of the top rooms of the castle. Directly across from a set of double-doors with a sun emblazoned on them were a set of double-doors with a moon emblazoned on them, making it quite clear whose rooms they were, and Luna pushed in. Nova was a little alarmed to see no guards hustling about, but he filed it away under questions for later.

Luna’s room, like the rest of the castle, was bare. There was simply a bed, a doorway to a washroom, and some sort of wooden mannequin that appeared to have slots for her royal regalia.

“We shall speak with thee on the morrow, as will Our sister, no doubt,” she promised. “For now, Nova Shine, please enjoy thy sleep. We have awakened thee, dunked thee within the River Everfree, and burdened thee with Our troubles, and for that, We apologize.”

“No big deal,” Nova shrugged. “Anything I can do to help.”

Luna bit her lip, looking as though she very much wanted to say something, but thought better of it. “Go on. Sleep as long as thou wouldst like.”

Nova gave her a grateful smile, before climbing into her bed. It had to have been made of clouds! It was the softest thing he’d ever laid down upon, and that wasn’t an exaggeration by any stretch! If he were Luna, he’d spend all day here and never get up.

Luna muttered something else that he didn’t hear, but by the time she finished, Nova’s eyes had drifted shut and he was sleeping once again, and images of the love of his life danced in his dreams.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The next morning, Nova found himself being ushered into the throne room by a pair of attendants. He had been allowed to wake and to eat, but the moment he was done, two ponies had practically marched him over to meet with the other Royal Sister. Nova had been expecting this. Word must have spread about the previous day’s excitement up in Unicornia, and it couldn’t have been hard to make the connection about who had caused it.

But the moment he was thrust inside, he found himself in a very plain throne room, a far cry from the relative opulence of Canterlot Castle. The walls were uncolored stone, there was a simple carpet that led up to a single throne emblazoned with both a sun and moon at its head, and currently seated on the throne, with her sister standing beside her looking nervous, was Princess Celestia.

Nova was completely unprepared for just how different she was in her youth.

Celestia’s coat, while still primarily white, had much more of a pink hue to it, and her mane and tail were a bright pink as well. Far from the authoritative maturity that her future self radiated, this younger version of herself seemed to have an air of playfulness about her, almost a complete 180 from the version of her Nova was used to in his own time.

Where the Celestia of his own time would sit tall and proud, the very picture of royal dignity and grace, this Celestia had been slouching in her throne when he had stepped in, looking bored. Where his Celestia wore an impenetrable queenly mask that offered little more than a small smile no matter the circumstance, this Celestia was more than a little expressive. The moment he had stepped into the room, her expression had brightened considerably from its previous look.

Until her expression turned downright predatory when she saw who it was.

“So thou art the stallion Little Lu-Lu brought home for the night,” she said, her tone brimming with mischief. “We must say, Luna has excellent taste.”

“We told you, it wasn’t like that!” squawked her younger sibling, throwing her an annoyed look. “All We did was offer him a place to sleep for the evening!”

“Oh yes,” Celestia’s catty grin widened, “after a walk under the moonlight and a deep emotional conversation, as you put it. Truly sister, if you are courting and bedding this handsome stallion, you have Our full approval, but remember, good sisters always share.”

Luna’s face was a very brilliant shade of purple by this point as she sputtered and tried to deflect her sister’s teasing. Nova had to suppress a chuckle, but then a thought occurred to him.

Why not turn up the heat?

“Don’t let her embarrassment fool you, Princess,” Nova said, trying to keep a straight face. “She was so very forward with me last night. Within seconds of meeting her, she was already inviting me in, and I gotta say,” Nova would forever treasure the mortified expression on Luna’s face, “if you are anything like her, I don’t think I’d mind being shared.”

There was a heartstopping moment in which Nova thought he might have gone too far. Luna’s eyes bulged and her blush deepened even more.

Until all of a sudden, Princess Celestia fell right out of her throne, laughing harder than Nova had ever seen anyone before in his life. Princess Celestia, raiser of the sun and one of the two immortal diarchs of Equestria, was currently on her back and laughing so hard she was kicking her hooves in the air, while Princess Luna, Mistress of Dreams and his own personal teacher, looked like she wanted to hide under a rock.

“...we have made a very terrible mistake,” Luna moaned, burying her face in her hooves. “Why must thou encourage her?”

After several moments, Princess Celestia’s laughter subsided, and she pulled herself back up onto her throne, which proved to be difficult as she had to stifle even more laughter with one of her hooves.

“Luna, do not let this stallion out of your sight,” she instructed, before suppressing another giggle. “You are to marry him if you must, because if you do not, then I certainly shall.”

“You are making this up,” interrupted Twilight, looking thoroughly unconvinced. “You’re trying to tell me that Princess Celestia, repeat PRINCESS CELESTIA, was a shameless flirt when she was young? And that she flirted with you?”

“I’m telling you, I’m not making this up!” Nova replied defensively. “It really happened. Sense my energy and see for yourself. And she wasn’t a flirt, she was just teasing her sister, and I played along.”

Twilight glared at him while Nova just held up his hooves to show he had nothing to hide.

“I swear!”

Twilight blew air out of her nose rather sharply. Nova was starting to realize that whether he’d realized it or not, he was pushing her jealousy buttons. Eesh, if they were getting pushed now, how bad was it going to be when he got into details about him and Clover?

“So, Luna was going to make you her student, right?” Twilight continued, thankfully choosing to drop the thread that was agitating her.

“Well…”

“You have chosen well, sister,” Celestia said, surveying him rather quickly. “His keenness of mind is evident, and if he has truly proven his capability at offering you this companionship, then you have Our blessing.”

“But what of the earth ponies and pegasi?” Luna asked. “Surely this must appear as though we are playing favorites to the unicorns!”

“Oh, we are?” Celestia arched an eyebrow. “This is intriguing news. We thought you had taken a student to ease your loneliness during long nights spent in solitude.”

“We-- I-- you--!” Luna sputtered, her wings flaring.

“Luna,” Celestia reached out a hoof and placed it on her younger sister’s shoulder, “your motive is pure, We understand that. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. But for now, We would suggest installing your handsome concubine into his--”

“HE’S NOT A CONCUBINE!”

“Our apologies, We meant your handsome bed companion--”

“TIA!”

Celestia chortled, even as her sister sputtered at her, red-faced and clearly miffed. Even Nova couldn’t resist a chuckle. This relationship was such a far cry from the way things were between them in the future. It was just so interesting to see how different they were.

“In all seriousness, sir Nova Shine,” Celestia addressed him directly, a pleased smile on her face, “dost thou object? Wouldst thou be opposed to providing companionship for Our sister? As she tells it, thou suggested the idea, and thou put forth thine own name for consideration. So allow Us to ask.”

She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming, and Nova could see a cold threat hidden in them.

“Why?”

“Simple,” Nova responded, meeting the princess’ threatening look with a calm and sincere one of his own. “I had the chance to speak to her last night. I’ve seen a side of her that I would wager not even you have.”

If she took offense, she did not show it. Instead, she seemed even more interested, and leaned forward just a little bit more.

“I know better than most what being alone can do to a pony,” he continued, remembering his time before he had allowed himself to really have friends like the ponies of Neighton, or Twilight and Spike, or Aegis, or Trixie. “And I don’t think anyone should ever have to suffer through it. Least of all one of the two alicorns responsible for the place I want to call home.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed, and her smile widened dangerously.

“So thy reasons are purely altruistic?” she asked, her voice nearly lowering to a hiss. “Because We have seen the hearts of many ponies like thee, who claim to be doing what they are because they care. Most ponies who say this, of course, are doing it for selfish reasons, and We will not allow such ponies anywhere near Our sister.”

“Yep, mostly,” Nova affirmed, completely unperturbed by Princess Celestia’s implied threat. “Look, Princess, yeah, there are going to be benefits to being this position, and I am more than aware of what kind of influence this will grant me, but I’m being 99% honest with you when I say that I really am doing this because I want to help Princess Luna out.”

“And the remaining 1%?” she arched an eyebrow.

“I like the idea of having an impressive title to flaunt,” Nova shrugged.

There was a long moment where Celestia and Nova simply stared each other down. Luna glanced between the two of them nervously, even making a move to step between them, only for Celestia to keep her back with a simple wave of her hoof. Nova half-wondered if he was pressing his luck just a little too far.

Finally, Celestia grinned.

“We like thee. Thou art honest and sincere, as far as We can sense, thou art clever and unafraid to say what thou wishes to say, and thou dost so in such a way that is blunt yet not insulting.” She waved Luna forward. “Very well, Nova Shine. We shall entrust thee with Our sister’s wellbeing.” Now she smiled coldly. “Do not make Us regret it, or else We shall ensure that thou will regret it far greater than anything else thou ever did.”

Luna let out a very audible sigh of relief, before breaking into a broad grin. “Excellent! Then, should We proclaim it?”

“We don’t see why not,” Celestia shrugged, before settling back into her throne. “You may do the honors.”

Luna smiled adorably, before drawing herself up. Nova, Celestia, and the guards within the room all plugged their ears in just the nick of time

“HEAR YE, EQUESTRIANS! WE, PRINCESS LUNA, DO HEREBY DECLARE THAT WE TAKE THE UNICORN NOVA SHINE AS OUR PERSONAL STUDENT! HENCEFORTH, NOVA SHINE SHALL BE KNOWN--”

She glanced at him for a moment, before giving him a fond smile.

“--AS OUR NIGHT APPRENTICE. SO SAY I, PRINCESS LUNA!”

The rest of the morning was spent observing formalities and installing Nova into his new position, but the evening held one final surprise for him. With everything else taken care of, Nova found himself trotting back out to enjoy some fresh air after being in the castle all day. The grove he’d slept in the night before seemed like an excellent place to go, so he had set off for there.

And who should he find sleeping there, but a familiar green mare, snoozing under the same tree he had.

“Summer!” he exclaimed on recognizing her.

Summer frowned, before cracking an eye open at the source of the noise. On seeing who it was, she bolted upright.

“Nova! I-- how…?”

She stopped as he opened his mouth to fire off some quip, before clamping his mouth shut with her magic.

“No, no snappy remarks,” she interjected, even as he gave her an annoyed look while he trotted over. “How did you know I would be here?”

“I didn’t,” Nova replied as her magic dropped. “Still, I slept in this spot last night, and it seemed nice enough for a return visit. So, what are you doing here in Everfree?”

Summer made a show of taking a long deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds, before blowing it out of her nose slowly. All the while, Nova could see a vein start to bulge in her temple.

“You thought right,” she finally grumbled. “Things did, in fact, go badly.” She sighed, falling on her haunches again, only this time, Nova trotted around and sat down next to her under the shade of the tree she was under. “After you left, Steelshod came with his guards, asking where you were, and I told him the truth. You’d left for Everfree. Clover confirmed that you did have an interest in this place. So when you couldn’t be brought forward to pay for ruining Silverbitch’s day, she took it out on me.”

She put on a fake haughty voice and swept her hoof up to her brow.

“Oh daddy, this mean filly is friends with a colt that didn’t gimme what I want! Ruin her job, please!”

“Juvenile,” Nova replied.

“Right?” she asked rhetorically.

“No,” Nova shook his head, “I meant, this whole mocking mimicking thing. You’re better than that, Summer. I get that you’re mad, but there’s nothing you can do about it now, and you won’t exactly make a good first impression when we go meet the Princesses.”

Summer blinked.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” she swung an ear in his direction. “I could have sworn you just said when we go meet the princesses.”

“Did I say that?” Nova mused airily. “I meant ‘When the Princess of the Night’s new personal student takes the smart-ass unicorn to meet her and her older sister.’”

Summer stared at him for a long moment, her mouth moving, though she couldn’t seem to say anything. Finally, she seemed to settle on a response.

“Pot,” she said.

“Hm?”

“Kettle.”

“Oh.”

“Black.”

“Just come on,” Nova gestured to follow him, hiding a grin. “I’m actually not kidding. Unless you’d rather spend the night out here in the cold for Princess Luna to wake up and dunk you in the river?”

“Right behind you,” he heard her say, feeling her fall in step behind him. “What was that stuff about Princess Luna?”

“Nothing,” Nova answered. “She didn’t like the fact that I slept outside last night.”

“Oh.”

There was another pause as he led her down the somewhat-familiar path to the center of the city toward the castle. She seemed to be taking in the sights. Or she just had no idea how to take all of this.

“So what kind of job are you taking me to get?”

“Who said anything about me getting you a job?” he replied, cocking an eyebrow and glancing back at her.

She frowned. “You did. Yesterday. Said if things didn’t work out, to come down here and you’d find me a job.”

“Oh, right,” Nova replied. “Weeeeelllllll, I think I might have to change that a little bit.”

“Of course,” sighed Summer, her head drooping. “Everything has to be too good to be true, doesn’t it.”

“I was actually going to see if I could nab you a job as the Construction Overseer, given you have some experience with that kind of thing…”

Summer stared at him for a long moment, but then just shook her head. “I’m going to have to stop being surprised by this kind of thing, aren’t I?”

“That you are,” Nova grinned back at her. “Follow me, Summer. Let me repay your kindness yesterday with a promotion today.”

He ended up giving Summer more than just a job that day. He ended up giving her a new stallion to fall head over hooves for as well.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The first few weeks of Nova Shine’s apprenticeship to Princess Luna were honestly rather dull. She spent some time getting a grasp of his abilities, which were considerable. Celestia was of the opinion that Nova needed no teacher, as educated with magic as he was, but Luna held fast. Instead, Nova found himself ferrying messages out to Earthponyville (which had just renamed itself to Ponyville), as well as to a pegasus messenger or two, with the aim of establishing diplomatic ties to both of the tribes. It wasn’t the education he expected, but he did remember that the story he’d been told about himself mentioned that he was a diplomat for the first several weeks.

Also, he had been given a pretty bitchin’ blue cape, joined at the neck by a polished blue stone with a diamond crescent moon set in the center of it, with an etched scroll cut in between the crescent’s arms, and a hood spilled around his shoulders when it wasn’t put on. The cloak was the best thing they could come up with for a symbol of his station, and he used it all the time, which gave him considerable influence and authority when going about his negotiations over what the Principality needed.

Their immediate needs were more food, and better weather control, because even though the Principality was growing, they still didn’t have enough farmers to feed the growing populace, or pegasi to clear the storms and bring the needed rain.

Fortunately, their trust in Nova Shine had paid off, as now General Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead themselves, as well as their entourages, sat in a chamber of the Castle of the Two sisters, deliberating over a treaty that would bind the two tribes and Principality in a trade partnership. The earth ponies would provide food and brute strength for labor to the two nations, the pegasi would provide weather control and military defense, and the Principality would allow for lumber trading and currency. It would be a three-way alliance that would bring them closer together, and allow the Principality to eventually lure Princess Platinum into the alliance as well, because the three nations would need enchanters and artisans eventually.

...or at least, that was the idea. A few of the ponies there didn’t see things that way.

“I admit, I find this proposal intriguing,” admitted General Hurricane in an oddly-soft voice, reading over the documents Nova had brought with him from the Princesses. “Princess Celestia is quite correct that we need the food and we would very much like to have access to the Principality’s lumber.”

It was absolutely astounding to Nova just how much four of the ponies in attendance today resembled a certain four ponies from his own time. Hurricane was a dead ringer for Rainbow Dash physically, but he was male, his coat was grey, his eyes were white, and his mane and tail were tri-colored black, silver, and gold, and on his flank, whenever it showed underneath his armored barding, was a pair of crossed lightning bolts on a round blue shield. He was wearing a set of golden armor that was light enough to allow for agile movement, but heavy enough to show who was in charge, as well as to actually stop any attempted attacks, and he wore a Nimbusian-styled helmet with a red galea. And much like Rainbow Dash, he carried himself with a confident swagger as if he owned the room.

One of his advisors, meanwhile, was quite literally stallion Fluttershy. Timid, shrinking, and rather scrawny, Lieutenant Pansy surveyed the room nervously from his spot on Hurricane’s right. His armor looked too big on him, it was colored silver, and it was far lighter in protection than his commanding officer’s, being merely some plates on the essential parts and a much simpler helmet, but it had some gold trimmings, likely to show his rank. His mane was an identical soft pink, his coat was an identical soft yellow, and his eyes were still blue, but replacing the butterflies of Fluttershy’s cutie mark were flowers.

“It has everything we need, and it offers equal compensation, in my opinion,” Pansy said, his voice just as demure as Fluttershy’s from his own time, but still firm.

“This offer seems too good to be true,” frowned the other pegasus on Hurricane’s left. This light-blue mare wore no armor; instead, she wore a forest-green dress suit decorated with a few medals. Her short black mane was neatly cropped, her face was hard and angular, her beady blue eyes seemed suspicious of the earth ponies and principals whenever she looked at them, and she always seemed tense whenever she was addressed by anyone but Hurricane or Pansy. “I don’t think we should accept the terms at this time.”

Hurricane frowned at his second advisor. “You say the offer seemed good, but you don’t think we should take it?” he asked skeptically. “More suspicious than usual today, Surge.”

“Sir,” Surge replied, unperturbed by Hurricane’s teasing, “I am merely pointing out that when offers seem too good to be true, they usually are.”

“But it’s not an offer, lieutenant,” Pansy pointed out. “It’s a trade proposal. We’re exchanging something they both need for something we need.”

Over at the earth pony table, things weren’t going much better.

Puddinghead, who was identical to Pinkie Pie with the exception of having pastries on her flank instead of balloons, was tilting and twisting the parchment with the finalized proposal on it every which way and trying to see into the mysteries of the universe through it, based on the expression on her face. To her right, a pony with the same build as Applejack, but with a chocolatey-brown mane and tail and a light tan coat, seemed to have a resigned look on her face as her superior did whatever she was doing. Both were wearing outfits that just had to be jokes. They were so over-the-top, with garish color combinations and even overly-poofy shoulders on the sleeves, Nova suspected someone had to be having a laugh when they’d made it, but it had gone over Puddinghead’s puddinghead.

“AHA!” Puddinghead finally shouted in a voice just as identical to Pinkie’s as her appearance, jabbing a hoof at the parchment. “They aren’t including the Birthday Cake Contingency on this proposal!”

“Chancellor, there weren’t any birthday cake contingencies that were talked about,” Smart Cookie sighed, pinching the bridge of her muzzle. She even sounded like Applejack, but without the drawl. “What even is the Birthday Cake Contingency?”

“Duuuuh,” Puddinghead rolled her eyes. clearly annoyed that her Number 1 wasn’t up to speed. “it means we have to store birthday cakes inside of the trees in case of birthday cake emergencies! You just never know when you’ll need to celebrate someone’s birthday!”

“Ugh,” Cookie started massaging a temple, where there was a vein that was dangerously throbbing. “Chancellor… please, just let me do the negotiatin’.”

“I must concur,” sighed her other advisor, an elderly-looking earth pony with a magnificent bushy white moustache. He was also wearing a big floofy outfit, his coat had greyed with age, and his mane had gotten to the point of being salt-and-pepper in composition. “Please, madam, leave it in our capable hooves. I’m afraid you may do something rash. I think we need more time to go over this proposal than Cookie believes.”

“Everything seems plain as day here,” Cookie shrugged. “Don’t know why we need any more time. We have food and farmers, but we need weather control and lumber, and the others are willing to provide. Don’t know what else we need to go over.”

“You’re new to this,” the other stallion patted her arm patronizingly, “but there’s a reason trade proposals are worded in legalese.”

Cookie scowled at her counterpart. “Look, Silver, My birth name may be Tough Cookie, but there’s a reason everyone started calling me Smart Cookie. I’m well aware of the reason why trade papers like this are translated after they’re agreed on, but we haven’t even gotten that far yet. It’s written in plain-as-day Equish while we hammer out the details!”

“Feh!” Silver made a face. “It’s that way now, but just wait until those airheads start using that excuse of ‘weather controllers’ to start pilfering our food again like the snakes they are.”

“What did you call us!?” snapped Surge from across the way.

“You heard me,” Silver snarled across the room, which caused all of the whispered conversation to grind to a halt. “Sure, they may have everyone’s best interests at heart,” he jabbed a hoof at Nova and his two guards, who were simply standing by and watching the proceedings, “but I remember plain-as-day all the raids you pegasi did to steal food from our hard-working farmers!”

“Oh, stuff it!” rebutted Surge, flapping her wings a couple of times to fly over their table and glare directly at Silver. “You air-sick lowlanders were just hogging all the food for yourselves!”

“Yeah, because you harpies went and attacked us!” Silver stepped around the table and met Surge’s glare with his own.

“Mudtrudger!” shouted Surge, not backing down.

“Featherbrain!”

“Hey, lay off!” Hurricane stepped over to stand next to his advisor and glowered at Silver.

“Oh save it, General Compensator,” spat Silver, scowling. “I know what you’re really after, and we’re not biting.”

“Oh yeah, tough guy?” Hurricane stepped right up and stared down his muzzle at the wizened stallion, which only prompted Puddinghead to join in.

“Tough talk, picking on an old guy like that!” she snapped, stepping next to her own advisor and challenging Hurricane.

“Maybe he should have kept his fat mouth shut then!”

The room erupted into chaos as Puddinghead and Hurricane joined in. Soon, even the two guards for both parties were leveling insults at each other. Cookie and Pansy just looked at each other helplessly, and then over to Nova, who was frowning at the entire proceeding. Having been slow to react, he stepped in and cleared his throat loudly and obviously. Thankfully, this drew everyone’s attention, including the two bickering advisors.

“Okay, I can see we’re getting a little hot-headed after being cooped up in here for the last hour and a half. Let’s take a half-hour break, and we’ll resume negotiation. If you have any questions over the proposal, feel free to ask me about them.”

As everyone started to clear out, Nova then added one last warning.

“And if any of you make such uncalled-for comments like that again, you will be tossed out. We’re trying to have a productive discussion here, and I’ll thank you not to disrupt it. I don’t give a flying feather what your rank is.”

As everyone left the room, the tension in the air was quite palpable. The only ones who weren’t moving were Pansy and Cookie, who, like Nova, seemed to simply be waiting for the room to clear out.

Finally, when it was just them and Nova’s two guards, Nova let out an exhausted sigh and fell onto his ass, letting the tension he’d had in his entire being for the last several moments drain out of him.

“I feel ya,” Cookie said, trotting over and standing in front of him while Pansy made his way over as well. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Silver Tongue lately, but he’s been obstinate that we shouldn’t be accepting anything from the pegasi. No offense, dear,” she added to Pansy, who had draped a wing across her back.

“None taken,” Pansy replied, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m having a hard time with Storm Surge too, and clearly we’re not doing a good job of dealing with them.”

Nova’s eyes flicked between them. He wasn’t aware that Pansy and Cookie were in a relationship. This might actually help their collective case.

“So, we’ve never properly gotten a chance to meet,” Cookie said, offering a hoof, “though Clover told us about a unicorn who just teleported all the way here from Canterlot. That’s you, right?”

“That’s me,” Nova nodded. “You’ve been talking with Lady Clover?”

“Of course,” Pansy smiled. “While our new duties mean we don’t get to see each other as often, and that mare is just so devoted to her work that she has to be forced to take days off, we’re still pen pals. If we can get a trade agreement nailed down here today, I’m sure having us to vouch for you is gonna do wonders when you stroll on up to Unicornia and try to rope them into this.”

“Platinum doesn’t strike me as the type to cooperate,” Nova made a face. “As I understand it, that Changeling delegation from a few days ago was only in the city for a few hours before Platinum had them kicked out. I just don’t think she’s going to be helping us out unless Clover makes her in some way.”

“Eh,” Cookie shrugged, “Pudds didn’t want to talk either, but I managed to convince her to come out here. I bet we might even be able to get Silver to come round by the end of the day. I appreciate how there ain’t none of that fancy mumbo-jumbo in there meant to confuse anyone.”

“It’ll be translated that way eventually,” Nova admitted, before standing back up. “Wanna walk around the castle? We’ve got some time to kill.”

“Sure thing,” Cookie grinned. “I like what that new mare’s done with the place. Last time I was here a few months ago, things were coming along real slow-like, and now it’s almost looking like a fully-built castle.”

“Yeah, Summer’s been a huge help,” Nova smiled with pride at his friend. She really had been the perfect mare to oversee construction on this place. Without Shimmer Silvermane there to cause trouble, she’d whipped things right into shape, though a few afternoons with Nova helping her out directly may or may not have played a part. “The place should be finished in over a year, but the bare essentials are getting all touched up.”

“Gonna give us the grand tour?” asked Pansy.

“Eeyup,” Nova drawled in his best imitation of a certain red farmpony.

There weren’t many rooms to show off. The library was coming along nicely, the kitchens and Great Hall were complete and now being furnished, the throne room was, of course, rather spartan compared to others, the dormitory wings were now fully furnished and ready to house guests, and now the main construction project was the barracks and training yard.

“You see out here,” Nova gestured at a large expanse of earth that several earth ponies were flattening by stomping on the ground, “we’re trying to set up a yard for any volunteers to train. Won’t just be open to the guard; anyone who wants to train a martial skill is welcome here. We’ll have a barracks out here eventually, in that half-finished building over there. Back there’s the in-progress chapel as well,” he indicated a tower that was half-way built off in the distance. “For weddings or other dramatic events,” he grinned wryly, “you know, that kinda stuff.”

As they made their way back toward it, however, Nova suddenly frowned. There were two unauthorized ponies in the under-construction chapel. That wasn’t anything particularly special, however.

“Stop, stop,” he hissed, thrusting out a hoof to bring both Pansy and Cookie to a stop. They both gave him quizzical looks, but he gave them a quick “Shh!”ing motion, and started creeping up toward the chapel as silently as possible.

“What’s going on?” Pansy asked, glancing at the half-finished tower with an odd look.

“You’re not gonna believe who’s hanging out in here,” Nova said, paying extra attention to the two energy nexuses within. “Cookie, can you go and get the Chancellor, the General, a few guards and bring them all here? They’re gonna want to see this.”

Cookie furrowed her brow, clearly puzzled by this, but with a shrug, she trotted off, doing as asked.

“What about me?” Pansy asked, watching his mare trot off.

“Keep an eye out. Don’t want the two inside to know we know they’re here.” Nova replied. With a small shimmering, his cape appeared around his shoulders, and before Pansy could say another word, Nova drew up the hood of his cape, causing himself to disappear entirely from view as the cloak’s invisibility charm activated. Pansy’s eyes widened, but the pegasi military discipline kept him from crying out, much to Nova’s relief.

He crept in, taking great care not to make any noise on the ground as he did so. The chapel at the moment was simply a large empty hall, but sitting near the far back of it, in a particularly-dark corner of the room, were Silver Tongue and Storm Surge, the two diplomats who had gone at it before this break…

...only they weren’t doing so now.

Quite the contrary, they appeared to be having a hushed conversation, and Nova found hushed conversations to be enlightening.

“...can’t allow this treaty to be signed today,” Silver Tongue whispered, his eyes firmly fixed on the entrance, where Pansy was doing an excellent job of staying out of view.

“I don’t think there’s much we can do to stop it,” Surge replied, frowning. “That meddlesome unicorn has taken every possible complaint I could have and made it a non-issue. This whole ‘too-good-to-be-true’ excuse won’t last long.”

“We don’t have to stop it from being signed,” Silver replied with a patient sniff. “We simply have to delay it as long as possible. Still, we should inform our employer.”

“Gotta make it quick,” Surge cautioned. “We’re running low on time, and they’ll start looking for us if we’re late.”

Silver fished around in his outfit for a moment, before pulling out a small gleaming crystal, which he set on the ground. Nova cocked his head at this. Were they actually going to contact their employer?

Just in case, and knowing he had heard some particularly juicy bits already, Nova silently cast a spell he’d been preparing on a small pebble he found on the ground.

The crystal, which was completely clear, suddenly started glowing a faint grey light. Unsurprisingly, the voice that came from it was distorted, no doubt to protect the enchanter’s identity.

“What is it?” the voice asked.

“Sir, there’s a problem,” Surge cut right to the chase. “I don’t think we’ll be able to prevent the trade agreement from being signed today.”

“I agree,” Silver nodded. “The princesses have seen fit to delegate the moderation of these talks to a new unicorn servant of theirs, and he’s proven himself to be a massive nuisance. Every complaint we have is quickly revised and removed. We cannot get by much longer on simply casting unwarranted suspicion on the document, and we had to resort to a more drastic measure a few minutes ago.”

“I see,” the voice said. It fell silent for a long moment, before speaking up again. “Do what you can to delay it for a few more days. We are nearing a point of no return. Already the Grey Monarch has sent an infiltrator to find out what befell his daughter.”

Off in the distance, Nova sensed Cookie and everyone else approaching. Good, good. Now to make them see it with their own eyes.

A faint glimmer of his horn later, and everything he was seeing and hearing was now being broadcast on the wall outside the chapel, where Pansy waited. Nova was amused to notice Pansy jump about a mile in the air when video and sound started showing up on a stone wall, but he was satisfied to see the entourage come to a screeching halt the moment he believed they saw it.

“Sir, with all due respect, I believe the unicorn when he says he will toss us out if we misbehave again,” protested Surge, frowning. “If we do anything too drastic, we won’t be in a position to stall these talks any longer. And speaking of, we’re running low on time.”

“Do what you can, but if worst comes to worst, do what you must,” the voice said again. “It is of paramount importance that this treaty not be signed. My client wants the four factions separate for his designs.”

“Maybe he can pay us better then,” snapped Silver. “We’re doing what we can, but we’re losing.”

“Correction,” Nova said, now feeling as though he had heard enough, “you’ve lost.”

Both of them flinched at the noise, eyes bulging, and Surge’s combat instincts kicking in as she snapped into a combat-ready stance. With a dramatic flourish, Nova swept his hood off of his head as he bowed in one smooth motion, revealing himself to the two would-be conspirators.

At the sight of him, both Silver and Surge tensed, but Nova didn’t pay them any mind. Instead, he snatched up the crystal on the ground. “I’ll be holding on to this,” he said with an intentionally-smug tone of voice, before he became serious again as he frowned down at it. "So, who’s the mysterious mastermind behind this particular plot?”

The crystal was silent, but the enchantment was still active. Nova just needed to keep it up long enough to get a feel for where the enchantment was going. Surge vaulted herself at him, but a quick bolt from his horn sent her to the ground, writhing as he hit her with a spasm spell, which set her muscles twitching madly. Silver tried to make a run for it, but a magical leash spell yanked him right back. Nova would have to thank Twilight for teaching him that one. A moment later and the magical link had bound him completely, leaving him tied up next to his partner after Nova’d hauled him back.

“Welp, your plan here has failed,” Nova said to the crystal, making sure to bind the conspirator’ muzzles so they couldn’t say anything. “I’ve made sure to show this nice little conversation to General Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead both so they can see what their fine advisors have.been up to. Clearly, you’ve had them on your payroll for a while, haven’t you?”

Again, the crystal remained silent, but the enchantment still remained active. It was pointing eastward…

“Silent treatment, huh? Don’t want to give away your identity?” he asked, smirking. Maybe he could goad the voice into giving something away. “Smart, but ultimately fruitless. Your plan has been upended.”

“Fool,” the voice dismissed. “If you think this plan began and ended with those two, you are in for a nasty surprise. Even now, as I’m sure you heard, it all comes together. Your efforts will be too little, too late. You will never be able to find us, much less put a stop to our efforts.”

Pointed… upward? he thought, frowning. The enchantment’s energy seemed to have an incline to it for some reason. Why? If it was a communique to another pony, wouldn’t it be at ground lev--

Nova blinked. He had figured it out.

“I will never find you, huh?” he asked, grinning. “Because I look forward to cooperating with some allies of mine in rooting you out from your little den. And I know just the perfect place to start. After all, I do hear Unicornia is nice this time of--”

The enchantment abruptly cut off, and Nova smirked. Sure, it probably would have been smarter to leave him thinking he hadn’t been found out, but that was perfectly fine. He had everything he needed, and he was going to make sure to send a message to this guy.

There was no hiding from the Night Apprentice.

“Come on in, everyone. We’ve got two ponies who have been very naughty today,” he called, before turning his attention to the two ponies on the ground.

It took only a few seconds, but in came Pansy and Cookie, leading with them Platinum, Hurricane, and their guards. Both leaders were furious, and with merely a gesture, both sets of guards detained their advisor. Silver seemed to recognize he would never escape, but Surge twisted and resisted every step of the way. Once they were perfectly detailed, Nova dropped the magical binds, and the moment Nova’s binds dropped, they tried to explain.

“It wasn’t what it looked like!”
“It was a total fabrication by the unicorn!”
“This was a setup! The unicorn made it look--”
“We’re only doing what’s best for our--”

“Oh shut up!” Cookie yelled, looking daggers at Silver. “We all know what we saw. You’ve been trying to sabotage these talks! It explains every objection you’ve ever had, no matter how trivial!”

“You two,” growled Hurricane, gesturing at the two pegasi guards, who were now trying to bind Surge with rope to prevent her escaping. “Escort her to the sky-cells in Pegasopolis and make sure she’s still bound. She’s gonna answer for all of this.”

One of the guards saluted, and both hauled her away, even as she tried to shout excuses the whole way. In contrast, the elderly Silver Tongue simply stood tall and proud, even as the earth pony guards started to take him out.

Puddinghead just shook her head as they went, her mane seeming to deflate ever so slightly.

“Why?” she finally asked, in a small voice. “Why try to sabotage these talks? Why try to make everyone mad at each other like that?”

“Money,” Nova replied simply. “Paid off by their employer in Unicornia. He still needs to be dragged out into the light.”

Nova sighed.

“General, Chancellor,” he addressed them both with a polite bow, “I’m going to have to bow out of our negotiations for today, and probably for a while. If what we all heard is true this is part of a larger plan to keep us all divided, the unicorns need to know about it immediately, especially since, as you heard,” he gestured at the crystal on the ground, “someone involved is operating out of Unicornia.”

“Understandable,” General Hurricane nodded. “Give ‘em hell, Sir Night Apprentice.”

“With those two do-badders kicked out, I’m sure we can get things fixed in time for the general’s next birthday party. Still gotta get the Birthday Cake Contingency in there, though,” Puddinghead frowned.

“Thank-you for your aid,” the general offered a hoof. “The proud Pegasus Nation will not forget this.”

“Neither will us Earth Ponies!” Puddinghead extended her own.

Nova bumped both of their hooves, before motioning to Cookie. “So, think you can write a letter for me?”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The pegasi chariot deposited him right at the city gate just as Celestia began to lower the sun. It felt odd to see what would become Upper Canterlot halfway through being constructed. The roads and alleys were both familiar and unfamiliar. High Street led exactly where it always led, up to the palace off in the distance. However, other streets, such as Mane Street, didn’t quite seem to lead anywhere just yet. Nova doubted Mane Street hadn’t even been planned as the main market thoroughfare it would eventually become, but that would change in time.

Oddly enough, it turned out that Novus Manor had not yet been constructed. Neither had the Lulamoon Estate, or Celestia’s school, or other major landmarks. The only major landmark in this entire city of marble, amethyst, and gold, was Unicornia Palace.

At least for now.

After purchasing his room at a nearby inn, Nova found himself in a bar, as he always did on nights where he had nothing to do. And as always whenever he went looking for a bar, he went looking for a bar owned by one of the Brew family.

Even way back in this time, the Germane family were peddling their craft. Even way back in this time, that rumor that they all came from the Germane town of Brewmen was still a thing. And even way back in this time, their beer was just as good as it was in his own.

“Aaaaah,” Nova sighed as he set the tankard down and wiped some foam off of his mouth. “Excellent as usual.”

“Glad do hear id,” the bartender beamed. He had the usual amber coat, but his mane was neatly cropped and he had tan eyes, that seemed to sparkle in the evening light. .His accent was unmistakably Germane as well. Maybe he was an opportunist searching for prime real estate to sell his beer, but he had certainly found a good place. “Alvays glad to see mein drinks are enjoyed. Are you ze Night Apprentice zat has zee city ein such a stir?”

“That’s me,” Nova dipped his head. He was, thankfully, alone at the bar this evening. It was a simple place, a few tables and poufs, some Germane memorabilia hung on the walls, but nothing had another pony at it. “Nova Shine.”

“Stout Brew,” he extended a hoof, which Nova bumped. “Mein cousin Pale ist moving to Everfree soon. I am sure he vill be finding himself a regular customer vhen he opens his establishment, ja?”

“Of course,” Nova took another great quaff. “Ah… Always down for a Brew’s beer.”

Stout Brew just beamed, but went to retrieve more drink for him. When Nova pulled out his bits purse, Stout just waved a hoof. “On ze house.”

“Huh.” Who was he to turn down free beer? “Thanks.”

“Bitte,” Stout replied, still beaming.

“So, settle a bet for me,” Nova took a quick gulp. “The Brews have their own pilgrimage city, yeah?”

“Pilgrimage? Nein, ha!” Stout Brew guffawed. “Brewmen is simply our… how you say, ancestral home. Vell, apart from our cousins who come from Bielepferd, but many of us aren’t convinced Bielepferd exists.”

“Why not?”

“Ve have our reasons,” Stout shrugged. He glanced out one of the windows. “Einen Augenblick, bitte, I must put ze cat out.”

“Go ahead,” Nova motioned with a hoof. In truth, it gave him a reason to feel out the real reason he’d come out here.

He was certain that whoever this unseen mystery pony was, they would probably try to intimidate him or otherwise keep him from going and meeting Princess Platinum tomorrow.

Cookie’s quick letter to Clover had taken all of fifteen minutes to receive a reply, informing her that yes, the Night Apprentice would be granted an urgent audience with Princess Platinum the next morning. She and Pansy had even been kind enough to fill Clover in on everything that had transpired that afternoon in Everfree, so Clover would be there to back him up.

Nova took another drink.

He was not ready for tomorrow. It was supposed to be the day he met and hit the ground running with Clover, but…

...he missed Twilight.

Another drink.

After Stout had stepped out, he closed his eyes and let his energy sense pick up everything it could. He had known he was being tailed the moment he’d left the hotel. The Night Apprentice was something of a high-profile position, so it’s not like he could really hide without resorting to his new cloak, but even if he could, he wanted to draw them out and send them scampering back so that the stallion in charge knew he was untouchable.

Sure enough, scattered around the building in this otherwise-barren section of the city and discounting Stout were fifteen ponies and… one other thing. Nova could tell there was a sixteenth being keeping an eye on things around them, but he felt… different. Familiar, but not in a way Nova recognized.

Hmm…

“Mein apologies,” Stout suddenly barged his way back in, looking concerned and glancing back outside, “but I zink it may be best if you vere to leave immediately.”

“This about the sixteen ponies out there that are waiting for me to exit so they can ambush me?”

Stout blinked.

“Ja,” he nodded slowly. “You know?”

“Known they were following me since I left my hotel,” Nova shrugged. “Close up after I’m gone.”

“Stick to ze busy roads,” Stout cautioned as Nova started trotting toward the door, not the least bit concerned about what was about to happen to him. “Shall I call ze guards?”

“Give it a few minutes, but yeah,” Nova nodded. “Don’t know how much it will help, though. Thanks for the drink, and the chat.”

“Mein pleasure,” Stout opened the door. “Ze most populated sections of ze city are zat vay.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Nova gave him a tiny salute… and then set off in exactly the opposite direction, heading instead toward some of the still under-construction sections of the city, which got the attention of all sixteen of his followers, and Stout even seemed thoroughly non-plussed as he wandered off.

He didn’t think too much about it.

His tailers weren’t exactly subtle. They kept their distance, sure, but they were still very much out in the open. Nova led them along until they were in a wide-open fountain plaza he knew would eventually go on to become the “Canterhorn Heights” district of Canterlot, someplace a bit out of the way, open enough for a fight, and perfect for a night of ass-kicking.

He approached the plain marble fountain in the middle of this plain empty section. He knew it would eventually have a nice stylized statue of Princess Celestia on it, but for now, it seemed the unicorns just wanted it built. His followers stuck to the shadows of half-constructed buildings or empty built ones. Poo. It seemed he was going to have to taunt them a bit.

“Alright boys,” he called out, cracking his neck, “come on out. It’s playtime. I know all sixteen of you are there.”

All sixteen of them froze in their steps, and he could sense some of them shifting uneasily. One of them, the leader by the feeling of things, stepped forward into the moonlight.

He was a burly unicorn, with mousy hair that was dark in the moonlight, and a greenish coat, but it was hard to tell exactly what color it was with the darkness around them. He wore a few straps on his barrel that had an assortment of small weapons like knives and such, and adding to the intimidation factor were a few scars on his chin, and he was glaring at Nova Shine as he approached.

“You knew we were there,” he growled.

“The whole time,” Nova smiled sweetly at the stallion, knowing it would probably get under hjis skin. “You’re not exactly good at the whole hiding thing.”

“Don’t need to be,” the stallion snarled. “We’re gonna give you one chance, Nova Slime.”

Oh come on, Nova sighed in his head. There are much better ways to insult my name.

“If you head back to your hotel now, pack your shit, and get the fuck out of our city, we won’t have to get… physical.”

As he said this, fourteen of the other fifteen stepped into view. The only one who didn’t was the odd different one, who hung back. They were all equally burly, all had all manner of scars and intimidating marks, and all had various colors, manes, and weapons at their disposal. One had iron horseshoes, another had a pipe strapped across his back and another one… was that a net?

“Aww,” Nova kicked the ground in fake-disappointment. “Here I was hoping you’d be stupid enough to try it.”

The speaker scowled. “You can’t beat all o’ us.”

“Actually,” Nova grinned, “I can. And I will. But because I’m a firm believer in fair play, I’ll give you a choice instead. Scurry on back to your master or whatever and tell him the jig is up, or do the idiot thing and make the first move against me. Please pick option 2.”

“Scourge, a-- a thought occurs,” the stallion to his left said. “This stallion knew we were all here, knew we were here to rough him up, and still came out here alone to an empty section of the city. I don’t think the boss sending us after him was a good idea.”

“Please,” scoffed Scourge. “He’s all talk. He can’t possibly account for all of us. He’s still just a normal scrawny little rat who needs to be exterminated.”

“Oooh, wouldn’t that be something if it were true,” Nova faux-sighed. “Tell you what. I’ll give you all the first shot. See how that goes.”

There was a long pause.

“Scourge, I think this might be a trap.”

“Shut it,” Scourge growled. “There’s sixteen of us. We take him on together, he can’t do anything. Now let’s go beat this punk son of a bitch!”

He charged. And to Nova’s surprise, the others did too. Emboldened by their leader’s courage, they all followed suit at top speed, galloping toward him with some raising their weapons. Nova simply teleported out of the way when they all got close. They really weren’t that bright, were they? Did they think he would just stand there and take it?

Well… it, ah… it wasn’t going to go the way they thought.

Three quick flashes of blue light and a few well-aimed stunning beams later, and every single one of them was unconscious on the ground, except for that same different one at the back, and Scourge, who was now looking around wildly at his unconscious comrades.

“Wha-- how--?”

“Told you,” Nova’s horn shone and all of them were rounded up and tied to the fountain’s centerpiece, before he plucked the brass pipe from the ground. “Pro tip, I’m the student of Princess Luna herself, who learned directly from Lord Star Swirl. On a scale of One to Invading Arstrotzka in the Wintertime, your bad decision today ranks closer to the latter.”

Scourge tried to run at that. The fool.

“No, no, wait!” he yelped as his leg was caught by a spell from Nova, who proceeded to drag him back toward the fountain to be tied with the others. “Please!”

“No can do,” Nova tied him down but left him conscious, before hefting the pipe in his dominant hoof. It was a bit unwieldy, but he didn’t need to swing it very hard to get the desired effect. “This is gonna hurt, and you’re gonna have a hell of a headache when you wake up,” he warned.

“Wait!”

Nova didn’t wait. With a quick swing, the pipe connected with a crunch, and Scourge slumped in his magical binds. He was alive, but he was definitely not going to be feeling great when he woke up.

“Now, about you,” Nova called out to the different one. “I can tell you’re not a normal pony, and you’re certainly too smart to be running around with these idiots, since you hung back and didn’t come after me. So what’s your story?”

The other pony didn’t move at first, but after a long moment, he nervously stepped into the light. He was scrawny, with a reddish coat, and a black mane and tail, and he kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

As he got closer, Nova could now properly gauge the energy radiating off this pony’s aura. Unlike the other unicorns, this pony was constantly giving off some kind of magical energy. Energy that, conveniently enough, seemed to be pony-shaped…

Wait…

“Are you a changeling?” Nova asked.

The stallion tensed immediately, and Nova knew he’d gotten his answer.

“Wait, I’m not gonna hurt you or anything,” Nova tried to calm him down, “I just think it’s weird that a changeling is involved with some sort of crime gang here in Unicornia.”

“I’m not,” the changeling grunted, still looking around. “I’m… here on a mission.”

“Mission? So am I,” Nova grinned. “I’m bringing the guy you work for to justice for trying to drive a wedge between the Three Tribes and the Principality.”

“I don’t work for him,” the changeling said again, curtly. “I took the place of one of his goons because we think he’s--”

He cut himself off, glancing at Nova again. Nova noticed that at no point did his aura flare. He seemed to be telling the truth. Perfect reason to maybe enlist his help…?

“You think he’s what?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Okay, but the important thing is,” Nova took a seat next to him on the cold ground, “we might be able to help each other. I don’t need to know what your mission is,” he added hastily, as the changeling gave him another wary look, “but you’re clearly in that crime group to keep an eye on things, right?”

“I’m looking for someone, and the Grey Monarch believes they have been foalnapped,” he replied cautiously. “A crime group seemed to be an excellent place to start looking. Beyond that, I will say no more.”

His aura did flare at that. No, he didn’t join the crime gang as a place to start looking. Did the crime gang know where the foalnapped individual was? Or maybe it was the quickest way to get to them…?

“Well,” Nova held up his hooves in front of himself in an open gesture, “it seems to me that, although our goals aren’t completely in line, we both have something that the other could use. You represent a line of communication between me and this boss--”

“I’ve never met them,” the changeling grunted. “I had a feeling I would tonight after this mission.”

“Oh. Well then,” Nova tried again, “we can still partner up when needed. You will need to report back, right?”

"You are willing to immediately trust me despite the fact that I am a skin-changer and I could be lying?" the changeling asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I can sense lies," Nova shrugged. "Makes it pretty easy to tell when ponies--"

""Creatures."

"--when creatures are being honest," he amended. "Don't know about you changelings, and I can't make you trust me, but if you and I are both working to bring this sumbitch down, then even if you don't trust me, our work benefits each other."

"That... makes sense, I suppose," the changeling conceded, though he didn't relax in the slightest.

"So, you're supposed to report back now, right?"

“Yes,” the changeling replied carefully.

“Good. I just need you to run back to that boss and let him know I can’t and won’t be bullied away from rooting him out. And if you need any help from me finding this individual of yours, I do represent the Principality of Equestria. You help me out, I help you out in any way I can. Well, any way I can that doesn’t involve going against my nation’s best interest,” he amended.

“I can assure you,” the changeling said, with a tiny, sardonic smile, “locating this individual would be in everyone’s best interest.”

“Good!” Nova chirped. “So… wanna help a guy out?”

The changeling sighed. “I will deliver your requested message. Why do you want them to know that they underestimated you?”

“Because if I have them panicking,” Nova smirked, “they might do something stupid. Something desperate. And that could very well be their undoing.”

“I see,” the changeling frowned. “If they are panicking, it could very well be the perfect way to disrupt operations long enough for me to locate my target. Perhaps… perhaps this could work.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he stood up, “I need to get me some beauty sleep.”

“I shall contact you if I require your assistance,” the changeling promised.

“I’m Nova Shine by the way,” he added.

“I shall keep my name to myself,” the changeling grunted. He trotted off, and after a few seconds, he was gone.

Nova waited for some time before following him. Changelings in the city looking for someone, an entire crime organization trying to put a stop to him and drive them all apart… what was the endgame?

Nova couldn’t help but get an uneasy, prickly feeling regarding the castle a few hours later that evening as he started to slide into bed. Almost as if something about the castle itself wasn’t right. He’d had plenty of time to think about things now. Tomorrow, it seemed, was going to be quite the eventful day.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

After the previous night’s festivities, and after the odd feeling he’d had coming from the castle before he fell asleep, Nova was in a particular hurry that morning, practically dashing through half-familiar streets to make his way up to the castle. The morning streets were mostly devoid of ponies, but he did find himself dodging the occasional early bird or street goer as he sprinted his way up to the castle.

After a quick check of identity, he was allowed into the castle with nary a second glance, and he cantered his way toward the throne room.

Changelings in Unicornia, a conspiracy to keep the four factions from allying… it must end today.

Instead of heading into the throne room, however, Nova instead found himself staring at a line of pikeponies standing in front of the large double doors that led into the room itself, and there were a few finely dressed nobles clamoring at the entrance and shouting at a unicorn who looked to be wearing much finer armor than his compatriots.

“--is an outrage! Princess Platinum assured me she would hear my proposal this morning!”

“Has the princess taken leave of her senses!?”

“Who put you up to this!?”

The captain wore the same set of captain’s armor that Shining Armor would wear centuries in the future, purple with gold trim and several embossments that shone in the morning sunlight. He seemed to have a look of resignation on his face as he stood at attention, letting the crowd yell at him. Nova couldn’t help but notice that he looked abnormally young for a captain, not much older or younger than him. His coat was grey, and a few stray tufts of black hair stuck out under his helmet from where his mane was, and his steely-grey eyes were dutifully kept forward despite the mob.

However, as Nova Shine approached, the captain’s eyes flicked to him, his brow twitched, and he instantly broke attention.

“Are you Night Apprentice Nova Shine?” he asked curtly.

The crowd did not seem to appreciate that he ignored them but suddenly was giving Nova the time of day.

“The princess will hear about this, captain!”

“This is unacceptable! you hear me!?”

“SHUT UP!” the captain finally roared, glaring at the crowd, who very nearly jumped out of their collective skins. They clearly had not been expecting the captain to yell back at them. “You four,” he glanced at four of his six fellow guards, “please escort our guests out of the castle, since it doesn’t look like they will allow us to do our jobs without any obstruction.”

The crowd were stunned into silence at that, but the four guards ponies did as asked, practically shoving them out of the hallway toward the castle entrance, leaving Nova alone with the captain and the last two. The captain relaxed almost as soon as they were gone, tension releasing and letting out a long sigh.

“You’re Nova Shine, right?” he asked again, giving him a cautious look. “The Night Apprentice?”

“That’s me,” Nova nodded, his cloak appearing around his shoulders as proof. “Princess Platinum should be expecting me.”

“Take him into custody.”

Nova blinked. Before he could do anything else, the guards had moved onto both sides of him and were busy fastening manacles to his feet.

“Wait, what?”

The captain didn’t seem to be in a particularly giving mood that day, because all he did was watch his two guards bind Nova in his place and keep their horns glowing threateningly in case he tried something. Nova wasn’t even remotely concerned about his binds-- he could get out of those whenever he wanted--.but rather why he was being detained in the first place.

“Okay okay,” Nova shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Does this have anything to do with the scuffle in the fountain plaza last night?”

“Scuffle in the fountain plaza?” the captain's eyebrows rose. “You’re behind the ponies we found tied up there, too?”

“They kind of attacked me last night,” Nova shrugged, which was hard to do given his restraints. “Ask Stout Brew at his bar. Bunch of unicorns were tailing me, I led them into the fountain plaza, then knocked a bunch of them out.”

The captain sighed. “Sergeant, go get a few guards on the task.”

The guard on Nova’s left saluted and trotted off, leaving him there with only one guard and the captain, who was now massaging his temples. Nova, however, decided he didn’t really fancy spending the whole day in manacles, so with a quick flash of his horn, the manacles fell off and he stepped out of them, kicking them away.

“Hate those things,” he commented, even as the captain and other guard both started protesting. However, he simply let out a sigh of his own, and with a quick burst of light, both of them were rendered mute, something that probably wasn’t helping the situation, but he wasn’t in the mood.

“One at a time,” he admonished, as though he were talking to two screaming kids, and then he let go of the muting spell on the captain. “Okay, captain, since you clearly didn’t know about the fountain scuffle, I’d like to know what it is you stuck me in manacles for.”

“Where were you last night?” he demanded, stepping right up to Nova and giving him a challenging look. “Foreign dignitary or not, any crimes committed in our borders can and will be punished according to our law, and you happen to be a pony of interest.”

“Yeah, and I don’t even know what for!” Nova replied, staring the captain down while the other guard just stood there helplessly. “So unless you tell me exactly why you thought it was a good idea to stick me in chains the moment you knew who I was, I’m walking out of here and heading back to the Princesses to let them know just how hospitable you’ve been.”

He and the captain stared at each other for a long moment, challenging each other with stares alone. Grey eyes bored into blue, but blue eyes just stared coolly right back.

Finally, the captain obliged.

“Very well, Night Apprentice,” he said, his voice scathing. “If you must know, we’re taking you into custody for the same reason we’re not letting anyone into the throne room today. Unfortunately, it would seem you’re a pony of interest in an urgent incident that’s swept over the castle this morning.”

Oh don’t tell me…

“What sort of incident?” Nova asked, feeling as though he already knew the answer.

The captain frowned. “Princess Platinum has gone missing, and unfortunately, you’re a prime suspect.”

Author's Note

I did not expect this to get as long as it did, but I like me some long chapters. I also went ahead and changed the beginning of next chapter (for however long it's up before it gets replaced). Lemme know what you guys think! I need me some sleep.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

The Conspiracy

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 14 - The Conspiracy

The Unicornia Palace Throne Room looked almost exactly the same as it would later look under the reign of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The throne was still the same, stretching tall into the air against a back that stood from floor to ceiling, but there was no pool of water beneath it. The floors were still reflective tile, the ceiling was still pink reflective tile, and it was interesting to see how little things would change.

However, unlike in his time, the stained-glass windows were not depictions of famous events, as they were in his own time (or more accurately, depictions of his marefriend’s many adventures). Instead, they were depictions of previous unicorn monarchs. A regal king with a red coat and a white mane brandished a flaming spear against a strange blue being with ram horns, yellow eyes, and a bell. A beautiful queen, with a light-green coat and a forest-green mane appeared to be dancing in a spring. A young white stallion lifted a glowing sword into the air against a demon, flanked by a bearded grey stallion and a curvy purple mare a few shades darker than Twilight, but with a black mare.

But the biggest window, behind the throne, was reserved for a mare that was the spitting image of Rarity in every way, except with a large golden crown upon her head, who was posing with her nose high in the air and a queenly smile on her muzzle, the literal picture of elegance and grace.

Nova was really enjoying just how familiar everything was in the room. He probably shouldn’t have been enjoying anything, given that four unicorn guards were aiming spears at his throat while he sat in a corner, and the captain was still angrily shouting at a new crowd of ponies outside.

“So, what do you guys do for fun?” he asked the guards as he leaned back against the wall.

The four guards, whose armor was also identical to the armor guards in his time would wear, uniformity enchantment and all, glanced at each other nervously.

“Come on, come on, I won’t bite,” he placed his front hooves behind his head in a relaxed position.

“I stab talkative detainees,” one of them grunted, jabbing toward his neck with the halberd in an attempt to make him flinch.

Nova did not flinch.

“Huh. Weird hobby, but you do you,” he shrugged, thoroughly uninterested in the prospect of a stallion who could end his life just by pushing his hooves maybe two inches forward. “I prefer pub-crawling, reading, magic, and reading about magic while pub-crawling.”

“Are we sure he’s the one who did it?” asked another one of the guards. “I feel like he wouldn’t hang around if he did. Seems like a really dumb idea.”

“Personally,” Nova remarked, “I like to think that if I orchestrated a Royal foalnapping, I wouldn’t turn up to the most secure and high-alert location in the entire city immediately after it happened.”

“Captain’s orders,” grunted Stabby McStabStab. Was he the one Nova had muted earlier? Maybe that’s why he was in such a bad mood. “He’s being indefinitely detained pending the investigation.”

Nova rolled his eyes.

“I can help, if he’d just let me.”

“Maybe that’s why you’re sticking around,” suggested Stabbity, glaring at him. “Foalnap her, then help us find her so your little Principality looks all nice and good for helping us find Her Royal Highness.”

“Could be,” Nova conceded, inclining his head. “Or-- and hear me out here--, I have an alibi that can be easily verified that I never left my inn room at the time of the supposed foalnapping. Oh, I know!” An idea really had just presented itself to him. “Maybe if you get Lady Clover to interrogate me with her energy-sensing, she can prove I’m telling the truth.”

The four guards all glanced at each other again, and Stabmeister’s spear even retracted a bit.

The double-doors to the throne room opened with that loud satisfying boom! he always appreciated, and in stepped both the captain and the mare in question.

Nova was completely unprepared for the little lurch his heart made in his gut when a mare who looked identical to Twilight stepped into the room, albeit with minor differences. Her eyes were still hard and cold, the same omnipresent frown from a few weeks ago was there, her mane was styled into a very tight bun, and when she glanced at Nova, he saw the briefest flash of recognition in her eyes, but none of the warmth and affection that Twilight’s eyes carried.

She also appeared to have been run ragged. Her eyes had bags under them, her mane had a few stray hairs sticking out, and her tail, normally something he suspected she carried tall and proud, was almost dragging on the ground behind her, due to the noticeable slump in her bearing.

At once, the four guards snapped to attention.

“Return to your posts,” the captain ordered “Lady Clover and I will handle it from here.”

“Sir,” the guards saluted, and with that, they marched out of the throne room, leaving Nova alone with the captain and Clover. The captain reached out and offered a hoof to him, which Nova took, allowing him to be helped to his hooves.

“Lady Clover assures me that you have no part in Princess Platinum’s foalnapping,” he said, and Nova was a little amused to hear a begrudging note in his voice. “However, in the name of certainty, I would like to confirm it. She can sense when one speaks lies. So tell me, Night Apprentice. Are you responsible for, or in any way culpable in, the disappearance of Princess Platinum?”

“I am not, as far as I’m aware, involved in, responsible for, or in any way at fault for the disappearance of Princess Platinum,” Nova recited, clearly and firmly, staring right into the Captain’s grey eyes.

The captain glanced sideways to Lady Clover, who nodded once.

“Very well,” the captain nodded as well. “My apologies for your rough treatment, Lord Night Apprentice.”

“I’m no lord,” Nova shrugged. “Just Princess Luna’s personal student. Frankly, I don’t get why everyone insists on calling me ‘Sir’ Night Apprentice either.”

“Your convenient arrival, coupled with her disappearance, made you a suspect in the incident, I’m sure you understand,” the captain continued as if he hadn’t heard Nova.

“I do,” Nova nodded. “No hard feelings, Cap.”

“I am sure you’re aware this means that negotiations are put on hold indefinitely,” Clover said, frowning. “Sergeant Pansy and Advisor Cookie both said that your issue was something urgent, but even so, you must understand that the current trouble is of paramount importance.”

“I am aware,” Nova inclined his head. “However, I don’t think that my issue and this one are unrelated, and I’m willing to aid in the investigation on behalf of the Principality of Equestria.”

The captain closed his eyes and let out a long, drawn-out breath through his nose. Clover glanced at him for the briefest of moments, but simply shook her head.

“I do not believe there is anything you could offer us that would help in the investigation, but when you say you do not believe the incidents are unrelated, how so?”

Nova set to pacing in the corner of the room they were in. “We were having a trade summit in Everfree yesterday when we discovered that two members, one from each delegation, were trying to obstruct the talks and delay the signing of our trade agreement.”

“Why?” the captain asked. “Why delay a trade agreement?”

“It was the first step in bringing all four separate factions of ponies together,” Nova answered, staring at the floor as he talked his way through things. “The trade agreement was originally going to be extended to the unicorns as well, because we would offer our wood and economic capacity in exchange for the food and farmers of the earth ponies, and the weather control of the pegasi, and your artisans and enchanters. A four-way trade agreement that gave us all everything we needed.”

“But why were they obstructing talks?” the captain asked again.

“Because,” Nova’s frown deepened, “they were working for someone who apparently had a vested interest in keeping us all divided. I don’t know why that being wants us divided, but he’s bought ponies in powerful positions, who are trying to keep us all separated for some reason.”

The captain and Clover shared a look.

“So you believe that Princess Platinum was foalnapped to prevent this?” Clover asked. Nova really had to admire how calm she was despite the fact that if she was anything like Twilight, she would be having a total panic attack right now. “Was this urgent matter the negotiations for including the unicorns?”

“No,” Nova shook his head. “The urgent matter was that we figure out who’s responsible and de-fang them. I traced a spell that they were using to communicate--”

“You… what?” Clover blinked.

“I traced a communication spell,” Nova repeated, giving her an odd look. “Its signal was pointing--”

“How?” she asked, giving him a confused look. “How did you trace this spell?”

“By sensing the magical signal being sent to it and trying to work back?” Nova replied. It really wasn’t that difficult to understand.

The captain frowned. “You sensed the magical signal? Like she or Lord Star Swirl do?”

“Yes...?” Nova replied, trailing off as he saw Clover’s eyes widen, and her mouth part.

“Explain yourself!” she exclaimed, suddenly angrier than Nova had ever seen even Twilight. Nova noticed that the air seemed noticeably chillier all of a sudden in the room, and even the captain had recoiled in surprise. Clover simply stalked forward and jabbed a hoof into his chest. “My master created the technique of sensing energy,” she hissed, her eyes blazing with a fire that Nova had never seen. Similar to Twilight, Nova also noticed that her mane seemed to be smoking, which told him she was teetering on the edge. “He only taught the technique to his students, only to us! This technique is secret, and yet you speak the truth about knowing it! How did you learn this technique!? Did you pilfer his research? Did you spy on him?”

“N-no!” Nova replied, trying to push her hoof down, but she slapped his own away. “In case you’ve forgotten, Princess Luna, my master, is one of his graduated students.”

Clover opened her mouth to reply, but instead of saying something, she simply closed her mouth, let out a long exhale, and retreated, before bowing politely but with a noticeable tension. At least her mane had stopped smoking now.

“My apologies, Sir Night Apprentice,” her voice was flat and emotionless. Nova was startled to see this sudden change in demeanor. It reminded him of.. well, himself. When he had yelled at Twilight in Trottingham, he had repressed himself for the rest of the day. Did she do something similar? “I had forgotten about your tutor, made an unfair assumption of you, and accused you of something unwarranted. I beg your forgiveness, and ask that you do not hold my outburst against me.”

“Clover, what--”

“Remember your courtesies, captain,” Clover snapped, not even looking at him.

“Uh, yes ma’am,” Captain Steelshod snapped to attention, though he looked thoroughly nonplussed.

Clover began to stalk out of the room, her expression forcibly blank, but Nova could see in her eyes that she was still furious, but now the question was, was it at him or herself? “Since it seems he can help us with the investigation, show him to the scene of Princess Platinum’s disappearance. I shall meet you there shortly.”

And with that, she exited the room, leaving Nova and the captain alone, staring after her in pure disbelief.

“What… was that?” Nova asked.

“I have never seen her react like that in all of my years of knowing her,” the captain replied, still staring at the door even well after it had closed. He cautiously took a couple of steps forward, as if he were nervous that she’d come bursting right in and start throwing fire at them both. However, as he neared the door, he turned and regarded Nova with a slightly distasteful look. “Well, you said you wanted to help, right?”

“Yeah,” Nova dipped his head, cantering forward to catch up.

“Follow me, then,” the captain turned tail and marched out, throwing open the doors and leading him through the castle. “Platinum disappeared last night shortly before midnight. Both guards on duty and the maid staff from that evening who were meant to attend to the princess have been detained and questioned, but as far as our interrogation methods go, none of them have admitted to the crime, none of them are lying as far as we know, and none of the guards have any idea. No one snuck into the room that they were aware of, the nighttime aerial sentries saw nothing despite having doubled the security around the castle for the last few weeks, and no one seems to have any idea how this could have happened.”

Nova admired how the captain, despite being obviously affected by the whole ordeal, was still forcing himself to remain calm. His neck muscles were still, his eyes were narrowed and intense, and his every line sounded as though he wanted to just yell. Yet he didn’t.

“Since it seems you believe you can sense energy,” the captain gave him a sideways glance, “we can put that to the test immediately. Lady Clover has not been up to Princess Platinum’s room yet, or else we would know what kind of foul magic was at play. So it would seem that the unenviable task of telling us what happened, or at least giving us a starting point, falls to you.”

What exactly had Nova done to make him so belligerent? Sure, he was a prime suspect in the foalnapping at first, but Clover believed he was innocent, which seemed to count for something. Was it the whole mouth-squishing thing? The whole thing was handled tactlessly by all sides, himself included, and he knew he’d have to do better.

Captain Steelshod led him all the way up to the tallest tower of the castle, the tower in which Luna’s and Celestia’s rooms in his own time were located, and the room in which Celestia and Luna had first told him of this story with Twilight shortly after Trottingham.

Princess Platinum’s room, it turned out, was Princess Luna’s room in his own time. While the decor was very different, with Luna preferring her subdued purples, darker blues, blacks, and muted silver to Platinum’s choice of white, bright silver, gold, garish purple, and bright blue, there was still a certain familiarity to the room that made him long for his own time when he first set eyes on it.

There was a magnificent four-poster bed situated at the far end, an ornate writing desk was pushed up against one of the walls, a large bookshelf filled with all sorts of novels took up another wall, a large purple rug covered the floor, A window above the writing desk let in a beam of sunlight, and purple crystals were everywhere.

But Nova only had a brief moment to dwell on the furniture before his senses attuned to just how many resonances were scattered around the room. To the naked eye, they were invisible, but to his sensing, nothing was hidden.

There had to be at least a dozen separate auras of energy left around. The most common one had to be Platinum, without a doubt, and he could sense the Captain’s own aura and Lady Clover’s in the mix too. This left the others.

Nova trotted over to the writing desk, reasoning that as this had happened recently, it would likely be one of the most saturated auras that belonged to the culprit.

But that was where everything went off the rails.

Nova started trying to sense beneath the surface, trying to see where some of the most suspicious auras were, only to find that Platinum’s bed was an absolute mess. Auras upon auras upon auras overlapped, no doubt the various resonances of the maid staff, not to mention Platinum herself. Any typical magic-sensor would have trouble here, considering the sheer amount of energy left over on the bed.

But there was one more aura. A familiar aura, but one he couldn’t quite put his hoof on where he’d felt it before, and it stood in stark contrast to the others, because not only did it stand out, but it seemed fresh. It felt… off. Unnatural. It was like a typical magical aura, but it seemed different. Nova didn’t know how to describe it well, but it was certainly different than normal pony magic.

“Okay,” he muttered to himself, since it seemed he had the culprit.. “Now… how did you get in here?”

That was when he noticed the second unusual thing about this aura. Normal resonances were left over from spells. They normally didn’t leave trails unless they were used to move an object from point A to point B. This resonance, however, left one, which meant that whatever magic they were using was likely something constant. There was a trail coming in through the window, a large resonance doing something to the bed, no doubt the action that foalnapped Princess Platinum, and then… going down through the floor?

“Find something?” asked the Captain, trotting up behind him.

“I… think so,” Nova replied, scrutinizing the bed. Why would the aura go down into the floor? “Here.”

With a quick spell, the many different auras in the room were illuminated for the both of them to see. The captain’s brow furrowed at the sight of it, but with a tiny nod, he began to survey the mish-mash of different colors of magic around the room. It was like being in a rainbow fog, honestly. The older auras were, thankfully. much more faded, but there was still an abundance of white-silver fog pervading the room.

Fortunately, the captain’s eyes were drawn almost immediately to a sickly-green aura that stood out compared to the gentler, less-saturated auras around them.

“This aura goes into the ground,” he observed, staring at the place where cloud met stone. “Why does the aura go into the ground? And…”

He blinked, his eyes following the aura over to the window, where there was a much larger cloud of it.

“...why is it continuous?” he muttered aloud.

“It is because our foalnapper is a changeling,” announced a new voice somewhere behind them. Nova whirled around in time to see Clover step into the room, carrying in her aura a familiar scrawny red-brown stallion who was radiating a constant aura of energy. The changeling from the previous night. Clover’s horn shone a soft pink, very different from Twilight’s color, and a beam of light washed over the changeling. A moment later, the disguise was dispelled, leaving a black insectoid equine sitting there, looking around at them with terrified pupil-less sky-blue eyes. Unlike changelings in his own time, however, Nova was surprised to see that this changeling didn’t have the holes riddling its carapace.

“You!” he barked at Nova, eyes bulging at the sight of him. “You sold me out!”

The captain gave Nova an inscrutable look, but Clover shook her head. “I detected it by sheer happenstance, as I simply passed it by in the hallway.” She tossed the stallion to the ground. “But this new revelation raises many interesting questions.” She fixed Nova with a pointed look. “You know this changeling?”

“First of all,” Nova frowned, “this changeling is a he, not an it. Second of all, he’s not our foalnapper, and if you don’t believe me, then compare this aura here,” he gestured at the green cloud, “to him. You’ll notice that although they have the same traits, like leaving a trail…” a shimmer of his horn illuminated a pink trail extending out of the hallway, no doubt Clover’s aura, and a blue aura, the same sky-blue color as his eyes, surrounded the changeling, “the auras are a different color.”

Clover and Steelshod stared at him for a long moment, before Clover grudgingly lowered the changeling to the ground.

“I… apologize,” she said, and to her credit, Nova did hear a note of genuine contrition. “In my haste to locate Princess Platinum, I jumped to the wrong conclusion when I walked past you in the castle hallways.”

“This is all well and good, but all we know now about this situation is that the foalnapper was a changeling,” Steelshod growled. “But why would the Changeling Kingdom want to foalnap Princess Platinum? Is this about our refusal to open diplomatic ties?”

“We didn’t foalnap her,” the changeling huffed. “Based on what I’m seeing, in addition to the knowledge I’ve gained from being here, my personal conclusion is that a changeling was forced to foalnap her. A changeling that, might I add, was foalnapped herself by you unicorns.”

“We have no changeling prisoners,” Steelshod responded, with a mixture of anger and confusion. “What are you talking about!?”

“I’m here to rescue a changeling that was foalnapped only a few days ago after we began our trek back to our hive,” the changeling stamped a hoof in frustration. “We know it was a unicorn.”

“We didn’t foalnap anyone,” Clover replied, now thoroughly perturbed by all of this. “It would have been a unicorn acting alone.”

“Well, isn’t that convenient,” snarled the changeling.

“I think there’s a simple yet horrifying explanation to all of this,” Nova frowned, as an idea suddenly presented itself to him.

“And that is?” asked Clover, raising an eyebrow. The changeling, too, looked over. It seemed to have cooled off toward him after Clover had absolved him of selling the changeling out, but given the current mood of the room, it was probably best not to anger him.

“You’re both correct.”

“How could we both be correct?” Clover asked, her curiosity outweighing her suspicions.

“A unicorn, acting separately from the Unicorn Kingdom, could have foalnapped this missing changeling and forced them, in turn, to foalnap Princess Platinum.” Nova shook his head. “And it fits with the reason I’m here in the first place. All of us are being played against each other by someone who has a vested interest in keeping us separated and causing conflict between our nations,” Nova frowned, making his point with grim finality. “Just like the pegasi and earth pony delegations were played against each other by advisors who made sure to flare up tensions between us all only yesterday.”

The changeling shuffled, glancing over at Clover and edging away from her. Captain Steelshod looked impassive, but Nova could see a spark of understanding in his eyes. Clover, meanwhile, grew stiff.

“Who?” she asked. “Who would want some kind of conflict between us?”

“I don’t know,” Nova shook his head, “but it makes sense given everything here. Someone paid two advisors, one in each of the courts of Puddinghead and Hurricane, to sabotage and delay trade talks between our nations. That same pony seems to be operating up here, and the moment I come up here to help you root it out, a changeling is used by these mysterious conspirators to foalnap Princess Platinum, with suspicion being cast upon me because I arrived on the night she happened to vanish. And even if I cleared my name by helping you all find out the truth, we would determine that a changeling foalnapped her. And you,” he turned to look at the changeling, “believe they foalnapped this changeling you’ve been sent to find?”

“Not them specifically, no,” the changeling shook his head. “They do speak the truth, and we are well aware of the likelihood of it being a rogue operation, but the Grey Monarch couldn’t just march an army up to the gates of Unicornia and demand to know who stole away his--”

He cut off, grimacing as he knew he’d said too much, but Nova already knew how this ended.

His daughter, he thought. THAT’s where I remember the aura from.

It had been a hectic day, but it was something he would never forget.

He had been fighting for his life, in an attempt to flee the city on the day of Captain Armor and Princess Cadance’s wedding. But talented though he was at using his environment, he hadn’t been taught any true combat spells, and he was quickly subdued and dragged before the Changeling Queen along with the other resistors.

To his complete surprise, rather than be cocooned like everyone else, the Queen had seemed startled by his presence, and had demanded he simply be tossed into a side room and kept watch over. He was only in there for a few minutes before the Love Bomb Cadenza and Shining fired off blasted them all away, but he would never forget the twisted, off sensation of the Queen’s magic.

It seemed decidedly less twisted here, upon further inspection. What had happened between now and then to cause it to change so?

“So, in conclusion,” Clover stated, her voice low, “Princess Platinum was foalnapped by a changeling, whom you believe was foalnapped and forced to commit this act,” the changeling nodded, “and you believe it was specifically to increase tensions between our nations, as well as to cast suspicion on yourself purely based on the timing,” she turned to look at Nova, who nodded. “In that case, to what end?”

“Why would they go for something this big?” Nova asked in return. “Why would they try to keep our nations all divided? Why wouldn’t they let even something as small as trade negotiations work out? Because they want to sow conflict between us, and not in the beneath-the-surface kind of way. I think whoever’s at the top of this scheme has a vested interest in a war between us, in the long run.”

Steelshod’s eyes widened, and Clover could only mouth the words “a war” in disbelief.

The changeling dipped his head. “Yes, that was the Grey Monarch’s conclusion. My mission was to extract my target with as much discretion as possible, and if I could not, then to send word that additional help was needed. A more direct approach was to be avoided at all costs. I was preparing to need to send for additional infiltrators when I was sent off on the task that resulted in me establishing contact with Nova Shine. If you are willing to pool resources, I would prefer to allow the three of you to handle things, but I can give you information on where you will most likely find Princess Platinum.”

Steelshod’s ears perked up. “Where?”

“The crystal caverns,” the changeling answered simply.

Nova felt the back of his neck prickle slightly. Yet another familiar sight, although he hadn’t seen it personally. If Chrysalis was being kept down there, it would certainly explain how she knew about the place, and her present-day attitude about it.

Clover blinked, seeming to not register. “Where is she likely being hidden?”

“The crystal caverns,” repeated the changeling. “You know, beneath the city?”

Steelshod and Clover exchanged confused looks. “There aren’t any crystal caverns beneath the city,” Clover replied, a note of uncertainty in her voice.

The changeling’s eyes seemed to narrow in confusion as well. “What are you talking about? Of course there are. Changelingkind have known about their existence for centuries. We’ve long been aware of this mountain and its contents before your migration.”

“We’ve had geological surveyors examine the mountain, and they said the mountain was solid,” Clover said again, now looking troubled. She had to sense what Nova did. The changeling was telling the truth, but so was she.

Two conflicting realities, but the caves did exist.

“Who was it that was responsible for surveying the mountain?” he asked. It would probably not do him any favors to reveal he knew about the caves. Maybe he could gain some insight and point them in the right direction this way instead. “Surely there was an overseer, right?”

“Silas Silverblood was,” Steelshod answered. Clover inhaled sharply, her ears perking up as well.

“Did Silas Silverblood suddenly gain a great deal of wealth not long after he established his residence?” Nova pressed.

“He was penniless before the migration, so it’s not like he had anywhere to go but up,” Steelshod replied, but he looked just as troubled as Clover now. “But… yeah, he’s one of our richest citizens. Runs a gem trading… business…” he trailed off, meeting Clover’s gaze again, but Clover shook her head.

“What does this prove?” she asked. “I do not wish to jump to any conclusions. Silas Silverblood is one of Princess Platinum’s most trusted advisors, and we wouldn’t do well to falsely accuse him of anything.”

“Except lie about the existence of these crystal caves,” Nova pointed out.now staring at the floor where the magic went down. And now that he knew what to look for, he could sense that it went straight down, like it was going right into the ground.

“Crystals are not gems, though,” Clover frowned. “He has been trading gems with which to do business, so unless there is a large deposit of gems nearby--”

Nova’s horn shone and he levitated over a small purple crystal bead, one of many scattered around decorating the room. Clover watched him with a curious expression as he shot a beam of energy into the crystal for a few moments, infusing it with energy. After a long moment, he ceased, and the crystal’s color changed from purple to blue, and seemed to shine with an internal light.

“Know what this is?” he asked, tossing the converted gem to Clover, who caught it in a hoof and stared down at it, brows knitting together.

“Did you turn it into a sapphire?” asked Steelshod, seeming genuinely interested in what he’d done.

“A ruby actually,” Nova replied. “If you infuse--”

“But it’s blue.”

“You can have blue rubies, captain, and we’re getting off-topic,” Nova shook his head, before pointing at the gem in Clover’s hoof. “The point is, if you infuse crystals with magical energy, they become gems. My guess is Lord Silverblood has been harvesting these crystals and having employees infuse them with energy, which he then sold en masse.”

“But why lie about the crystal caverns then?” asked the changeling. “I am eager to head to the caves, but the lilac one is correct. It would be best if we did not jump to any conclusions about who is responsible, because this must be snuffed out, and they cannot be offered any escape.”

“Corner the market, maybe?” Nova suggested, shrugging. “Saw the opportunity, lied about it to get sole control of the caves rather than have Princess Platinum and the Crown involved, and have an entire network of crystal caves all to himself.”

“But even so,” Steelshod frowned, “we don’t do much gem trading ourselves. Sure, Princess Platinum has bought a few, but has the Principality bought any large amounts of gems?”

Nova shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. They’re common enough for us to find on our own.”

“The pegasi would have little use for them, and so would the earth ponies, so who else would want so many gems?” Clover pondered aloud.

“Dragons," Nova answered, “but they’re not exactly known for trading in bits.”

“There are other city-states and cultures around the land we have all made our home, but none have seen a sudden influx of gem wealth,” Clover’s frown deepened. She trotted over to the window and stared out, eyes narrowing at the horizon. “Perhaps a client across the sea…?”

She shook her head.

“In any case, this is all speculation at best. We need to find Platinum. You believe she is being held in these crystal caves, if they even exist?”

“I do, along with the changeling I am expected to recover,” the changeling inclined his head. “If you will permit me, I would like to speak with the Grey Monarch about this development.”

“You want to… speak with him?” Steelshod stared at him, blinking rapidly as he tried to process the request. “Isn’t your empire far to the south, across the Sandsea?”

“Such a poetic name for a desert,”: observed the changeling, with a small smile. “We call it the San Palomino, and our central hive is located there, yes. We have many hives, spread out across the continent. The Grey Monarch does reside at the one in the San Palomino desert, yes.”

“And you… want to go talk to him,” Steelshod said, sounding completely lost.

Clover, meanwhile, had practically galloped over to Princess Platinum’s desk and was hastily jotting down the words “SAN PALOMINO DESERT” onto a fragment of paper. Nova couldn’t help but grin. Ever the scholar, much like his own lilac mare.

“No, I already have communication implements here,” the changeling’s horn sparked, and a pair of sky-blue crystals appeared in front of him. “And I must speak to him alone. I would suggest planning how you plan to infiltrate and explore these caves. As I said, I do not plan on accompanying you directly. It cannot be known that a changeling infiltrator was in the city, or else the distrust your kind already has for us will only grow worse. Instead, I can aid the captain in positioning guards at every hidden exit from the underground complex, while our two strongest spellcasters enter through the cave’s main entrance.”

“What, announce our arrival with blasts and bangs?” Nova asked. In fairness, the direct approach had worked the previous night…

“No,” the changeling shook his head. “Stealth is a better option, since I cannot estimate how long it will take to ensure all positions are occupied. Although it is the cave’s main entrance, the complex has numerous more convenient entrances directly into the city, but hidden unless you know what to look for. I am aware of a few of them due to my infiltration, but there are bound to be more. Captain, I would suggest having your surveyors look for unknown tunnels underneath the city that lead down into the mountain. You can station platoons at the exits with orders to arrest on sight. As I said, I can point a few out.”

“And the main cave entrance is the long way in,” Nova dipped his head, now understanding the plan. “There will likely be watchers, especially if they are on high alert, but not as many as the ones keeping an eye on the tunnels into and out of the city. And given I took out a bunch of goons last night, they’re likely short-staffed.”

“Precisely,” the changeling nodded. “If you will excuse me, time is of the essence, and I must speak with my king.”

Nova nodded. “Of course." Clover and Steelshod still eyed the changeling suspiciously, but didn’t challenge him.

The changeling picked up his crystal shards and left the room, though Nova felt his aura retreat only to a room next door, and Nova felt the familiar scrying auras activate. He knew changeling magic was different from pony magic, but it was strange to see how similar at the same time.

“I don’t trust him,” Steelshod grunted, trotting over and leaning against the wall..

“I do,” Nova replied with a shrug. “He hasn’t lied, and even though he was in the group of thugs who attacked me yesterday, he didn’t attack me. And he sought us out, which is when Clover found him,” Nova gestured at the mare, who was now staring out the window, and a deep frown on her face.

“Fair enough,” Steelshod grunted again. He stood up straight, trotted forward, and jabbed a hoof into Nova’s chest. “This had better work, or else you will be partially responsible for everything that happens. Whatever that changeling does is on you. Got it?”

Nova nodded, meeting the captain’s intense glare with a cool, accepting one of his own. He completely understood what was at stake here, and even though everything worked out alright in the end in his own time, he still had to play his part perfectly.

“He needs to point out where the main cave entrance is for us,” Clover stepped between them, pushing Steelshod’s hoof down with her own, “but once he has, we must leave immediately. Captain, I would suggest you go and prepare your squadrons.”

The captain nodded, before his eyes shifted to Nova, and narrowed slightly.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright alone with him?”

“Your concern is noted, but unnecessary,” Clover scowled slightly, something that took Nova aback. She’d been reining in her emotions so well thus far… “I am apprenticed to Lord Star Swirl. There is no unicorn whom I need fear.”

While Nova had no doubt she believed it, he resisted the urge to point out that he had supposedly teleported over from Dream Valley not long ago. It would be best not to antagonize her right now, considering the current circumstances.

“Well then,” Nova cracked his neck. “I think I might know the entrance to this little cave. Shall we?”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“How did you know this was here?” Clover asked suspiciously as the pair of them surveyed the little cave entrance from a ledge up above it.

“I passed by it when doing my trot to Everfree a month ago,” he replied, half-honestly. Twilight had mentioned the cave to him as being the place where she and Cadenza had emerged from the cave complex, after their imprisonment down there by Chrysalis, and he’d taken the opportunity to give it a peek when trotting past. “Didn’t have a look in, but it’s the only cave I’m aware of on the mountain, and it’s in a pretty secluded spot."

Her brow twitched, and she frowned.

“That was not the full truth,” she stated, eyes narrowing. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” he replied bluntly. “It’s kinda complicated.”

Before she could mount a retort, he shut his eyes and began to feel below, paying as close attention to the darkness around him as he could. There was nothing in sight except for the lights of Unicornia’s populace further away. Below him was blackness. They were the only ones nearby.

“Follow me,” he said, sliding out of his hiding place and making for the cave entrance. “Light hooves, we don’t want to tip them off.”

“Understood,” Clover answered with a nod.

Silent as the night, the pair of them slipped into the cave. Almost immediately, it veered right, and the light began to fade, and soon after, they were shrouded in darkness.

“No lights,” he whispered. We don’t want them to know we’re coming.”

“Then how do you propose we proceed?”

“Energy sensing.” he answered, pulling up the hood of his cloak to hide the glow of his horn, shutting his eyes, and willing his magic forward. A wave of magic spread throughout the ground beneath him, invisible to the eyes, but highly visible to the pair of energy-sensing unicorns, perfectly mapping out the cave for them to proceed.

Clover’s eyebrows rose, but she said nothing.

With their way forward lit, they continued, following the cave as it twisted and turned. It did not take long before light began to appear in the distance.

“Watchers,” he whispered again. “Let me.”

She stopped, and he crept forward. Then, once he grew nearer to the source of light, which was just around a curve, his cloak’s invisibility enchantment activated. He continued forward, inching ever closer and making as little sound as he could, before he peeked around the corner.

The watchers, it turned out were further down the way. Nova could feel a pair of unicorns far in the distance, keeping an eye out his direction. The light source was some golden glowstone embedded in the wall.

Smart, he thought. If someone disables the light source, that tells them he’s coming. If they don’t, they leave a shadow. Invisibility was the only good way to thwart it.

He continued forward, edging toward a rocky outcropping, a glow of blue in the distance signalling the entrance to the crystal section of the caves.

Eventually, he arrived at their hidden guard station, where they had a large set of brass pipes laying at their hooves. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but one was a shade of blue with a blonde mane and a rather stubby horn, while the other was leaner, with brown skin and a green mane and tail. Both, however, seemed to once again be physically imposing rather than magically-inclined.

“Thought I saw movement,” one of them hissed. “Should we clang?”

“Boss won’t want a false alarm,” the other one replied. “Gotta be sure.”

“Yeah but the guards are comin’ ain’t they? Shouldn’t we do the safe thing?”

“Do ya want the boss mad?” the other one asked.

His partner gulped, but still looked grave. “No, but I’d rather him be mad than us all get caught.”

“You should listen to the guy,” Nova said, the invisibility deactivating.

Both of their eyes widened. Nova took the opportunity to get in a preemptive strike, swirling his cloak off, whipping it around the legs of one of the thugs, and yanking, sending the thug to the rocky ground.

The second was slow to react, but when he finally got his wits about him, he reached for the brass pipes, only for Nova to yank one away and transform it into a cardboard rod. He wasn’t sure if cardboard had been invented yet, but no time to dwell on it now. A quick concussive blast of magic sent the second unicorn staggering backward, disoriented.

The first guard got back to his hooves, but Nova swept the cape around, managed to cover the stallion’s face and tighten a hold around his neck, and began to choke the stallion. When he felt the stallion relax in his grasp, he held on for a moment longer, just to make sure, and then released.

The second guard had reoriented himself and was now charging. Nova dodged out of the way, but the guard was smarter than he thought. As he passed, the guard swept his tail around one of Nova’s legs and gave it a strong pull. Nova felt that hoof be dragged out from under him, and he fell to the ground.

Oh shit.

The second guard reared back, grabbing the remaining brass pipe, lifted it above his head, and prepared to send it crashing down onto his face--

“I don’t get hurt, you know,” Nova abruptly cut in.

“Wh-what?” Twilight blinked.

“The thug doesn’t hit me with the pipe,” Nova clarified. “Sorry, Spike was looking a little nervous.”

“I wasn’t nervous!” Spike protested, though now Twilight noticed, he did look a bit pale.

They both gave him skeptical looks.

“Maybe I was a little bit concerned,” he conceded, before adding, “but that’s not the same thing.”

“We can take a break if you want,” Nova took the opportunity to stand up and stretch, before wincing as he tweaked the wound in his back. “Could give Twilight an opportunity to patch me up a bit more.”

“No, you can tell us a little more if you want,” Spike replied, looking indignant that no one was believing him.

Nova shrugged and returned to his pouf. “Okay, so I was invisible, creeping up on the guards, when I--”

“We’re past that part,” Spike complained. Twilight rolled her eyes. Nova, meanwhile, made a show of looking exasperated.

“Oh,” he said, covering his face in his hooves. “Oh my goodness, I, uhh, I’m sorry. Beg your pardon.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Alright, alright, let’s see here. I was fighting the thugs, one of them tripped me, he stood over me, ready to smash my face in, and then…”

There was a blast of soft pink light on the back of the thug’s head. His eyes unfocused, and down he went, the same pink light catching the brass pipe before it could clang on the ground.

“Are you alright?” asked Clover, stepping into view, looking concerned and offering him a hoof. He took it,and she pulled him to his hooves.

“Never better,” he chirped.

Clover stared at him.

“No, seriously.”

“Is there any reason you take this so casually?” She asked, scowling. “In case you have forgotten--”

“I’ve forgotten nothing,” Nova replied, rolling his eyes. “I like to stay relaxed in tense situations. Helps me think more clearly. I know better than most what happens when I get too emotional.”

“That I understand as well,” Clover replied.

“Oh, so that’s the reason for all the… well, you know,” Nova replied, smirking. They set off once again, the crystal caves now before them, in all of their haunting majesty.

“The what, exactly?” Clover asked, giving him a critical look.

“Well, you know,” he searched for the best way to describe it. “The coldness. The emotionally-distant air.”

“Oh,” she frowned. “It is… part of why I conduct myself so.”

“Only part?”

“The main reason is that I wish to be seen as undesirable,” she stated, trotting forward toward the crystals ahead of them. They came into view, casting a blue sheen over everything as their jagged surfaces covered the walls and floors.

“It is beautiful,” Clover whispered, staring at the cavern with a studious eye. Nova guessed that it was about as close to wondrous as she would ever reach. “In less-pressing circumstances, an opportunity to come down here and study these caverns would be very much welcome.”

“Ever the scholar,” Nova inclined his head. “Is that why you wish to be seen as undesirable?”

“No,” Clover replied, glancing back at him. “I wish to appear undesirable because I cannot abide any distractions.”

Nova snorted. “You think romance is a distraction?”

“Do you not?” she cast him a disappointed eye. “How could you not? Dividing my time chasing after fleeting emotional reactions instead of devoting it to the study of magic would mean that I have no chance of achieving my goal of becoming the most powerful unicorn in the entire world.”

“Aah,” Nova nodded. “You want to surpass your master, Lord Star Swirl.”

“I do,” she nodded. “I believe that by dedicating my life to the study of the arcane, and excluding everything but my duties, it is an achievable goal.”

"You’re missing out,” Nova shrugged.

Her disappointment deepened. “I thought better of you than this,” she admitted in a lower voice. “I thought you to be just as rational as I, barring your… eccentricities.”

“Oh, I would never put myself on your level,” he shrugged, and he hoped it was a modest one, but it felt a lot more like a humble-brag. “But the fact of the matter is, I used to think like you. Used to think it was a waste of time and that it would make me weaker.”

“And what happened?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I fell in love,” he replied, smiling as thoughts of Twilight filled his head. “And, believe it or not, she made me better.”

“Who is this pony?” she asked, staring at him with a strange intensity. “How could she make you better? Did she teach you? Is she Princess Luna?”

Nova snorted. “That would raise all sorts of ethical questions, so no, it’s not Princess Luna. I can’t really say who it is, because it’s pretty complicated. But, well…” he shrugged again, “I’ll let my results speak for themselves. Trust me, I used to be a lot worse.”

She stared at him for a long moment as they trotted, before shaking her head.

“Nevertheless, I do not believe there is anypony I am compatible with. And those who desire me despite my best efforts I cannot say I would be interested in pursuing.”

“Who’s pursuing you?” Nova asked.

“Captain Steelshod,” Clover replied, with a tiny amount of distaste. “I consider him a friend, and we have an excellent working relationship, and I have known the Captain for several years. In that time, he has asked me if he could court me multiple times, and each time I have turned him down.” She paused. “What is your interest in who is pursuing me? Do you wish to pursue me as well?” her eyes narrowed.

“What if I do?” Nova asked, choosing not to answer. Somehow, he figured even if he answered truthfully, it wouldn't be completely truthful.

“I will admit, you are physically appealing,” she eyed him up with a critical gaze. Nova felt as if she were studying him more like an experiment than as a potential coltfriend. “You have demonstrated intelligence and an aptitude for magic. You are, perhaps, the most compatible male of any that I have met.”

“Oh yeah, keep talking sciency to me like that,” he replied, smirking.

She frowned. “And that is why I do not believe any courting could ever occur between us, to say nothing of our conflicting loyalties. You lack the seriousness and focus required to achieve great things. You would be yet another hindrance.”

She sped up slightly, getting ahead of him as they continued through the caves. Nova let her go, choosing instead to ponder what he had just learned about her.

I’m supposed to somehow convince her to fall in love with me? he thought, losing focus. I suppose… he smiled humorlessly, I suppose it’s going to be like convincing me from a few months ago to fall in love with Twilight. Lovely.

“How deep does this cave run?” Clover abruptly asked, turning to look at him.

“Not entirely sure,” Nova shrugged, “but I can find out. Why? Thinking of coming here on summer holiday to do that studying you wanted to do earlier?”

“How deep will we have to look to find Princess Platinum?” she replied, looking not the least bit entertained by his joke. Nova, meanwhile, picked up one of the brass pipes and stored it away in case he needed it with a brief flash of blue light.

“You’re extra dull today, you know that?” Nova replied, rolling his eyes again. “Look, it’s not hard to find out. See? I’m going to use a magic pulse to scan.”

“How will a magic pulse work?” she asked, frowning. “Similarly to how it did when we were walking in darkness a few moments ago?”

“Yeah, but crystal conducts magic really well, as I’m sure you know,” Nova replied, already closing his eyes and summoning one of his Source extensions. The orb of light floated in midair, circling Nova at a lazy pace, before suddenly flying downward into the ground. It glowed a bright blue light, and though Nova and Clover could not see it, they both felt as an invisible wave of magic shot off in the ground.

Clover’s eyes widened as she surely felt what Nova did. Even though it was so far away, the crystal beneath them reflected even the faintest reflection of the wave Nova had sent out. Within seconds, it was like they had a detailed map in their heads of everywhere in the caves.

It was like a minotaur’s hand, but instead of only five fingers, there were twelve. Currently, they stood at the end of one of the fingers. Two sets of these fingers were actually loops, one of which felt like it was at least three miles in diameter, but the other was only a few yards. The others were of varying lengths, and varying straightness. It wasn’t a labyrinth, but he was amazed that Twilight and Cadance had managed to find their way out alone.

At the end of another finger, Nova could also feel pony-made structures, far larger and more organized than the multitude of minecarts and such he detected at the moment.

“How did you know that would work?” Twilight abruptly asked.

Nova shrugged.

“I didn’t, but I remembered that bats did something similar involving sound to echolocate their surroundings. I don’t remember the exact train of thought, but I somehow recalled the bats in Applejack’s orchard,” he chuckled. “Figured since crystal was an excellent conductor of magic, it would let me map out the entire area. And it worked!”

“I’m going to have to remember that,” Twilight breathed, mind already buzzing with the possibilities.

“When are you gonna get to the good part?” Spike whined.

“What good part?” Nova asked, bemused.

“Where you fight this Silent Silverblade guy!”

“Silas Silverblood, Spike,” Nova corrected, though he inclined his head in Spike’s direction. “And it won’t be long. But this next part’s kind of important.”

But in addition to the structures Clover the Clever could feel in the far distance, there was something else…

“We’re going to take a detour,” Nova Shine opened his eyes, processing the new information, and dropping the casual attitude.

“What could be more important than rescuing the Princess?” Clover asked, seeming not to register his abrupt change in demeanor.

“Rescuing a different princess,” he replied, a shadow crossing his face. Gone was the lax, light-hearted Nova Shine from before. In its place was this new, serious Nova, who had clearly seen something.

He led Clover through the cave, with Clover practically cantering to keep up with him as he navigated the twisting passages of bright blue glassy crystal, ignoring the signs of an operation despite how much she wanted to stay and study them. He completely disregarded a different set of watchponies down a different hallway, seeming not to even care if they saw him.

In contrast, she’d teleported across the intersection just to be safe.

She could see his jaw clenched, his eyes hardened and set forward, and a slight flutter of his mane despite the complete lack of air movement down here underground.

Just what had he sensed that she couldn’t?

Finally, she heard voices.

There was a sound similar to the magic the changeling from before had used, a glow of sickly green light that reflected toward them through the crystal, but unlike the earlier changeling’s magic, this aura seemed… weak. The light wasn’t nearly as strong.

“You’re about 30 gems short today, bug,” growled someone on the other side.

Whoever “bug” was didn’t respond.

“Work faster.”

Bug didn’t respond again, but there was another bright glow, which sputtered, and finally went out.

“Give it to me,” the voice grunted. There was a shifting sound. A moment later, there was a whistling sound, and then a loud snap, followed by a scream of pain.

“...please… please stop! I'm trying!”

Clover’s eyes widened. That… that sounded like a foal!

There was a sudden rush of energy next to her. Her head snapped sideways to Nova Shine, only to find that he was gone, invisible and dashing like the wind toward the source of the noises, before vanishing out of her range of detection.

She poked her head around the corner to see three unicorn stallions standing in a semicircle around a quivering black being on the ground, who was whimpering. The stallion in the center of the group was holding a whip aloft in amber magic and gazing down at the shaking form with nothing short of loathing.

“Pathetic,” he spat, before rearing back with the whip again.

Something invisible caught it in midair, however. Clover couldn’t sense that far into the distance, but she knew it had to be Nova Shine.

“Big mistake,” came a furious hiss.

The three stallions turned around, surprised, just in time for the invisibility spell to fade, and Nova Shine to rear back and slam a hoof right into the left stallion’s face.

There was a crunch, the stallion cried out in pain, and he collapsed, holding his muzzle as he began to bleed profusely. Another quick kick knocked him out completely.

Without waiting, Nova Shine yanked the whip away, flipped the handle of it into his hoof, and cracked it against the right stallion’s side, causing the stallion to howl, before Nova reared around and bucked him in the face as well. There was another crunch, and he fell, unmoving.

The amber-aura'ed stallion finally reacted, grabbing a knife from somewhere she couldn’t see and lunging at Nova Shine. Nova Shine dodged backward, whipping the cord around the knife-holding hoof, and then, with a surprising moment of agility, flipped himself onto the stallion’s back, wrapping the whip around the stallion’s neck and pulling hard.

The stallion collapsed instantly, legs jerking, and he began to sputter as he tried desperately to escape Nova Shine’s grasp. They twisted, and she saw Nova's face.

There was a look of bloodlust in his eyes. She had never seen a pony look so murderous before, and he was actively strangling this stallion to death right in front of her!

“Stop!” she cried out, dashing forward.

Nova Shine seemed to snap out of it, looking up at her. The fury lessened almost instantly. He glanced down at the stallion, now completely unconscious, but still twitching, and Clover could see his hoof shaking, as though he didn’t want to let go.

But after a long moment, he did, letting the whip slacken in his grasp. At once, the stallion’s twitching stopped, and Nova Shine slid off of him.

The black being on the ground had shifted, revealing deep green hair on its head, chitin in place of a coat, and bleary green eyes, which were staring at both of them in abject fear. After a moment, Clover recognized her. She was the changeling princess from the delegation only a few days ago!

Those few days ago, the princess’ chitin had been a much sharper black, and her mane had been a brighter green, albeit still a deep forest-green shade. Now, however, her mane looked faded, and her chitin was almost grey. She appeared to be on death’s door.

She must be the one our infiltrator is here to rescue, Clover thought, eyes widening as horror crept over her.

Nova Shine looked down at the fallen changeling as well. It seemed to shrink back when his eyes fell on it, but Nova Shine’s gaze seemed to soften considerably at the sight of it.

He trotted over, kicking away the gems that lay around her, and knelt down. The changeling didn’t recoil. In fact, the fear seemed to lessen.

“They won’t hurt you again,” he promised, his voice low and soothing. It was gentle, as though a parent were assuring their foal that there were no night terrors. “You're safe now, little one. What's your name?”

The changeling stared at him, and then whispered something she couldn’t hear.

“Well, Chrysalis, my name is Nova Shine. My friend and I are here to rescue you and a friend. Will you let us help you?”

She said nothing, but Clover did notice that she seemed to relax just a fraction.

“...hungry…” she whimpered, curling up. “...so hungry…”

“Do you have any food that is safe for changelings to consume?” Clover asked, as Nova Shine stared down at the nymph with a curious expression, a strange mixture of dread and resolution.

“I do,” he replied softly, “but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“Why not?” she asked, seeming more curious than suspicious. “They feed on positive emotion, do they not? Perhaps recalling a pleasant memory will suffice.”

“...love,” sighed Chrysalis, eyes now fluttering as she struggled to keep them open.

“You’re right,” Nova Shine nodded, “which makes them the antithesis of Sirens, who feed on negative emotions. But to a changeling, love is the most powerful emotion and most filling emotion they feed on. And I have plenty to feed her.”

“Impossible,” Clover shook her head. “Love is no emotion. An emotion is a feeling like happiness or anger. Even putting aside the fact that love is a chemical reaction in the equine body, it does not fulfill that definition.”

Nova Shine ignored her objection, and instead leaned down and asked, “Can you transform?”

Chrysalis nodded weakly. “Who…?” she asked, staring up at him through eyes that almost looked unseeing. Nova Shine took a deep breath.

He pointed at Clover. “Her.”

Clover blinked. “Excuse me?”

Chrysalis’ eyes fell on her for a moment, and before Clover’s very eyes, Chrysalis was surrounded by a green flame, and when it faded, she found herself staring at… well, herself.

Chrysalis had mimicked her perfectly, apart from the mannerisms, as she was still doubled over and weak. Nevertheless, even her cutie mark was identical in appearance, a green three-leafed clover with a magenta six-pointed star inside of it.

Chrysalis’ head hung weakly, her borrowed mane hanging over her face. Nova Shine gently lifted her chin, bringing her eyes to his, even as Clover watched, equal parts unease and curiosity. His eyes, only a moment before still full of rage, had softened considerably and looked almost hungry as they stared into Chrysalis’, before he darted forward and kissed the imposter.

Clover stiffened. What is the meaning of this? she wondered, unsure what to make of what was happening before her eyes.

The kiss was hardly one that Clover would find in a particularly steamy story written by an overly-imaginative and fanciful writer, particularly of that genre, and yet…

Yet…

Even as Clover watched, The kiss that Nova Shine gave to the imposter seemed so… pure. It wasn’t long before he seemed to lose himself in it, pulling Chrysalis close. It was not intense, but it was tender and it clearly bespoke a genuine caring beneath the surface. The way Nova Shine held the imposter-her wasn’t as though she were some delicate instrument, or as a possession. He simply… held her. It was difficult to describe.

And, for a brief moment, Clover’s rational mind vanished, wondering for a moment what it would be like to be in the changeling’s place, to be held as such.

Finally, Nova Shine let go and pulled back. Almost immediately, he glanced over at Clover, with an expression of trepidation, yet all she could do was stare at the changeling. Chrysalis was gasping, but she held herself upright on the ground and looked far more attentive than she had been before. There was a brief flash of green fire around her, and the visage was gone, showing Chrysalis in her true form again.

The contrast could not have been more stark. Her mane, while not back to its full deep green, was certainly far closer and brighter than it had been before, her chitin was considerably darker, and she even staggered to her hooves, eyes far clearer than they had been moments ago.

Yet she still shook and took great shuddering breaths. She would live, but she was far from healthy.

“Are you angry?”

Clover jumped, head snapping back to Nova Shine, who was standing a bit away, and looking away from her. There was a curious expression on his face. Was that… longing? Sorrow?

“You… did what was required to save her,” Clover answered. She could not answer if she was angry. Not truthfully.

“But are you angry?” he asked again, his eyes glancing at her for only a moment before he looked elsewhere.

“Why would I be angry because you saved the life of another?”

“Damn it, you know why!” he snapped, giving her an annoyed look. “I told you, it was complicated. And I can’t imagine you would feel nothing at all about what I just did.”

“I… do not know,” she admitted, glancing over at the changeling. “I believe the expression is… I am still processing?”

Nova Shine nodded, a tense and jerky motion.

“Fair enough,” he replied in a soft voice.

“But I would like to speak about it later.”

“I figured,” he nodded again. “But like I said a minute ago, it’s pretty complicated.”

“I do not understand, but I shall take your word for it,” she said. She looked back at Chrysalis, who was now testing her wings, strange gossamer things that Clover wondered how they could even lift a fully-grown changeling at all, but she was astounded at her transformation from tiny creature on the verge of death to now almost looking like a child before bedtime.

Even as she watched, A blue aura surrounded Chrysalis, who “Eep!”ed as she was lifted off the ground, and was settled onto Nova Shine’s back. At once, Nova Shine began to trot forward, seeming more hasty than before. Clover vaguely wondered if he was now eager to reflect that momentary bloodlust onto Silas Silverblood.

She followed him in silence, still thinking about the last several moments in her head. Why had Nova Shine asked the changeling to turn into her? Did Nova Shine… love her? Impossible. They had only met a month ago. And Nova Shine struck her as a rational pony. Rational ponies such as her had no time for a distraction such as romance.

But… the changeling had clearly derived sustenance from him. There was no way around it, was there? Clearly, Chrysalis had benefited from the love energy she had consumed.

Perhaps… she thought, glancing at Nova Shine, whose eyes were set forward, determined not to look at her, ...perhaps I could… reconsider my opinions?

To what end, though? At the very least, reevaluating what love is was a start, but where would it end? Did it automatically mean she would become yet another empty-headed floozy chasing after handsome stallions for looks alone, such as Shimmer Silvermane? Would she be destined for heartbreak if she gave in, such as Summer Blossom, except in Clover’s case, used for her position or something similar?

And for that matter, she had interacted with Nova Shine exactly one time prior to today. How is it that he could develop such feelings over so short a time?

Study the possibilities later, she instructed herself with a tiny shake of her head. Princess Platinum is the immediate concern.

“Are you angry with me?” Nova asked, staring at Twilight with an odd expression on his face.

“Me?” Twilight asked, giving him a strange look. “Why?”

“I had her transform into Clover,” Nova replied simply.

“And you did it because she looked like me,” Twilight replied, smiling as she felt a strange warmth sprout within her at the thought. Nova still didn’t quite look convinced, so she stood up, trotted over, and gave him a firm kiss. Hopefully this would be the end of it.

“When’s the fight start?” Spike asked, thoroughly ruining the moment.

Nova let out an annoyed sniff, but Twilight pulled back and returned to her seat. In truth, she was just as anxious as Spike to hear how this played out, but there was always time for a tender moment in stories like these.

“Alright, you want the fight?” Nova asked. “Well, here’s how it goes.”

They stood at a crossroads. Ahead of them, Nova could see a tower of crude stone that led up toward where Unicornia was, meaning that was likely the direction in which he would find Silas Silverblood. Another pulse of magic confirmed that it seemed to be the case, far in the distance.

To his left, however, closer to the mountain wall, a much more crude construct was located, which Nova figured would be the holding cells, given how there were five or six of them that seemed relatively similar on the outside. Probably to interrogate or coerce any victims.

“Is the prison in that direction?” Nova asked Chrysalis, pointing in the direction of the crude shacks. The nymph was conscious, but she seemed to be teetering on the edge of sleep. Nova’s infusion of love hadn’t been nearly enough to fully feed her, but it had saved her for the next several hours. Still, she nodded tiredly.

“And this way, is that where the bad guy is?” he pointed toward the tower that led up into the ceiling. Chrysalis nodded again.

“Alright.” He turned his attention to Clover, already lifting Chrysalis off of his back and settling the nymph onto hers. “Take her and rescue Platinum. I’ll handle Silverblood. Keep her out of harm’s way at all costs.”

“Nova Shine,” she replied, her tone sounding… nervous? “I believe I should be the one who should confront Silverblood. I am Lord Star Swirl’s apprentice, I believe I would stand the best chance against him.”

“Princess Platinum likely wouldn’t trust me,” he shook his head. “You would be able to convince her you aren’t a changeling and she would put her faith in you more than she would me. Not to mention, I am Princess Luna’s student; I believe we both could take him.”

“You do not know Silas Silverblood,” she retorted, catching his tail with one of her hooves before he could trot away. “By all accounts, he is a skilled mage, despite never receiving true training. You know not what you will face.”

“It’s something I’ll have to risk,” Nova replied, stepping away. “Again, you have to be the one to rescue Platinum. We may be able to take him together, but I don’t think he’ll allow outside interference when it would put him at a disadvantage. Rescue Platinum, then come help.”

“Nova Shine, don’t be a fool!”

He stopped, alarmed. The unflappable, calculating Clover the Clover, suddenly scared?

“I’ll be fine,” he reassured her, with what he hoped was a pacifying smile. Based on the look on her face, however, it wasn’t.

However, he turned around and marched toward the building ahead.

A rough boxy structure eventually came into view, with a simple wooden door separating it from the outside. There were no windows, nor decorations of any kind. A number of smaller buildings lay around, and they seemed to be bunk shacks for the thugs that operated down here. Those would no doubt be completely dissected when this was all behind them. But right now, he had to visit a certain traitorous lord.

He had some frustrations he was itching to take out.

As the door opened, Nova took a moment to admire the surroundings of the room before he turned his attention to the unicorn calmly sitting at a writing desk before him.

The room had bookshelves everywhere, but only one was stuffed with writing of any kind. The rest remained completely bare, but perhaps they were here because of the expectation that they would have been filled later. Beyond the bookshelves, the floor was made of rough-hewn stone, with no rugs or carpentry of any kind to add a little flair to it. It was a dull room, in truth.

At the far end of the room was another door, though to where it went, Nova didn’t know.

Sitting at the writing desk, back to him, was a unicorn who seemed to be somewhere around his father’s age in the present. He was certainly middle-aged, and his coat was stony-grey. There were signs that it had once been the same matte silver as his daughter’s, but age had faded its matte sheen away. His mane was black and looked as though it had seen better days. It wasn’t a mess by any stretch, but it certainly seemed like it was more used to being well-groomed than it was at the moment.

A quill levitated next to him, held aloft by silver magic and dancing along the surface of a scroll. Every so often, he would turn to the side just enough as he neared the end of the scroll, and Nova could see a pair of spectacles sitting on his muzzle. Were it not for the events of the last few days, Nova would have mistaken him for a kindly elder gentlecolt.

“I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time, sir Night Apprentice,” he said, in a surprisingly smooth, deep voice. “You have caused quite a stir in your brief time here in this new land. Teleporting directly here from across the sea, ascending overnight to become Princess Luna’s personal confidante, and you even laid bare my daughter’s secrets for all to see when it came to her… activities.”

His cheeks distended slightly, perhaps a wry smile.

“I had considered perhaps reaching out to you. Shimmer, of course, attempted to ensnare you in her usual way, but it proved to have no effect.”

“I don’t particularly appreciate it,” Nova replied, with a scowl. “You don’t seem too put off for a stallion who’s had his whole underground operation overturned,” he observed.

“As I’m sure you will recall from yesterday, when you so rudely interrupted a meeting with my associates, my enterprise here in Unicornia was nearing its end already. All that was left was to tie up loose ends, something I have ensured will occur regardless of today’s events.”

Nova noticed something curious as he said that. There was a line of magic hidden in the wall that led upward. Not the aura of magic belonging to a pony who had dragged someone down from Unicornia, no. This was very clearly a link of some kind. But… to what?

As he mentally probed the line, he felt that it split off multiple times, in various directions before it vanished beyond his sensing range.

“Killing the princess,” Nova stated.

“Yes,” Silas Silverblood replied quietly. “You may believe that having Platinum foalnapped was an act of desperation. And, in a sense, you are correct. However…”

He smiled again, before setting his quill down and turning around to face Nova. His face was slightly wrinkled, and his eyes were as grey as his coat, and they had a frostiness in them Nova had seen only a few times before.

“In truth, sir Night Apprentice,” he stood up, shooting a beam of silver energy toward the door behind Nova, and to the one behind himself, sealing them both shut, “we were prepared for this eventuality. Forcing the bug to steal the princess away was merely a contingency. Especially once the infiltrator began to snoop around.”

At the mention of the changeling, Nova felt the back of his neck prickle. He knows…

Silverblood nodded. “Oh yes, I have been aware of his presence since he first took the place of my unfortunate underling. It was all part of my plan, you see. Princess Platinum would be assassinated, and during the search for a culprit, I would be prepared to give over a disguised changeling for the blame to be placed on.”

Now a wave of energy blasted outward, moulding itself to the walls of the room, trapping them both. There would be no escaping the battle.

But… why was there a tiny gap in the corner?

“And spurred by this discovery,” Nova continued, frowning as he contemplated both the situation and the gap, “a war against the changelings would be declared. A war which the unicorns have no hope of winning.”

“Not alone, no,” Silverblood shook his head. “Ponykind would band together in a last, desperate effort to repel the changeling invasion, of course, but they would never be as effective as if they were unified, no matter how much your little Principality attempted to sway them. And what will follow is a long, bloody, and exhausting war. A war that would severely weaken both sides.”

And suddenly, everything made sense. That last statement about a war that resulted in a pyrrhic victory at best for the victor only seemed like a pointless goal if those two parties were the only two parties on the island.

Yet they weren’t. There was one more power.

“Aaah,” Nova sighed, understanding flooding through him. “The last piece of the puzzle falls into place.”

Silverblood didn’t react, but he patiently waited, expecting Nova to continue. so Nova obliged him.

“How long have you been on King Sombra’s payroll?” he asked, cutting straight to the point. Time was, after all, of the essence, but if he could delay Silverblood until Steelshod and his guards arrived…

“I never said anything about being in the Shadow-King’s employ,” Silverblood frowned.

“You didn’t need to,” Nova shrugged. “If there were only two civilizations on this continent, then no one would benefit from an exhaustive war between its main combatants. But we’re not the only two on this continent, are we?” he asked, now starting to pace around the room. Silverblood mirrored his movements. They were like two lions, waiting on the other to pounce. “So what’s the rub here? You incite a war, flee north, and live the cushy life while ponykind and changelingkind wipe each other out, and then Sombra gets free rein over the entire continent, with no one left who can challenge him?”

Silverblood smiled again. Nova was starting to feel unnerved by just how calm he was, despite all of this being put together. It was starting to sound like Clover had a better assessment of Silverblood than Nova did. “How astute, and how gratifying to know that not even the pupil of Star Swirl himself could piece it all together. Only you, a meddlesome student of one of those equally-meddlesome alicorns,” he added, his smile turning sour.

“I try,” Nova put on an exaggerated smile and made a show of shrugging modestly. “I do enjoy a good weekend spent upending existential threats to Equestrian sovereignty. And in truth, I couldn’t even figure it all out until I was here talking to you. A genuinely-masterful plan, but not one, I think, that you concocted all on your own.”

“Not quite,” Silverblood inclined his head. “After all, it was King Sombra who informed me of the existence of these caves, and it was he who instructed me to turn two mighty civilizations against each other. The rest was up to me.”

“Magnificently done,” praised Nova, who then cracked his neck. “Of course, I can’t let you get away with it. Especially not the part where you enslaved a child,” he added, his voice becoming dangerous. “If there’s one thing out of everything you’re guilty of that I am going to make you suffer for, it’s that.”

“Of course,” repeated Silverblood, the sour smile now positively sneering. “You must see me brought to justice, ever the white knight you are. But tell me this, Night Apprentice. You are an intelligent stallion. If I believed there was any chance of defeat today, then surely I would not stay here to allow you to confront me. Surely if there was even the slightest possibility that all of my work would be undone, I would have cut my losses.”

“Oh, I have no doubt you are confident of winning, but I’ll take my chances,” Nova dismissed with a shake of his head. “But in the short time that I’ve known you, I also know you’re a narcissist.” The sneer vanished instantly, replaced by a scowl. “You wanted to gloat, to really make sure that one of us basked in the brilliance of a plan you did not even completely imagine. You didn’t merely want victory. You wanted to rub it in.”

Silverblood’s horn crackled with energy, but he wasn’t preparing to fire a spell. He was threatening to, but the battle had not begun yet.

“Choose your next words carefully, Night Apprentice,” Silverblood hissed, pawing at the ground.

“Or what?” Nova asked, arching an eyebrow. “You already plan to kill us all. What else do you have to threaten me with?”

Silverblood’s scowl deepened. “There is nothing left to discuss then, is there?”

“Don’t think so, no,” Nova replied, casually shaking his head. At a mental command, five orbs of light appeared and began to streak around him, his cape fluttering ever so slightly. “Well then, let’s not stand on ceremony any longer, shall we?”

The ghost of a smile touched Silverblood’s lips, but he replied by getting straight to the point. A lance of silver energy burst forth, and Nova was forced to throw up a shield immediately.

Fast, he noted. And strong. His confidence is well-placed.

Silverblood fired again, perhaps thinking he could break Nova’s shield, or maybe he was just testing Nova’s strength. In any case, Nova’s shield held firm.

Block, then counter.

Nova let his shield fall away, ducking under the beam and hurling one of the orbs of light at Silverblood, who calmly stepped sideways to avoid it. The orb then flew right back toward him, with the aim of bludgeoning Silverblood from behind, but Silverblood ducked under it too.

Can he sense energy too? No… only Star Swirl’s pupils were ever taught that, but… wasn’t Sombra one of them before his fall? Would he have taught Silverblood?

Testing his hypothesis, Nova distracted Silverblood with a pair of quick beams, before placing an Immobilization Trap close to Silverblood’s left side If Silverblood noticed, he didn’t react, but that was no guarantee that he couldn’t. Nova would have to keep it in mind.

Silverblood’s horn glowed, and as he watched, four Silverbloods seemed to walk forward from the first one, taking up positions around him. Nova noticed, however, that although they had a tiny amount of magic within them to sustain the illusion, only one was the real thing, and he had been one of the walkers.

“You think four illusory copies will be enough to fool me?” he asked the fake one that had stood still.

The Silverbloods all smirked. “If you cannot find the real me,” his voice rang from five mouths, “what hope do you have?”

“Surprisingly, more than you think,” Nova remarked, before each of his five orbs blasted outward, one at each copy. All five of them dodged in distinct ways, and all began to charge spells, but only the real one of them fired. Nova had no time to conjure a shield, but a flick of his left hoof flared his cloak and caught the blast directly, which was enough to deaden the spell.

“You seem to enjoy those beam spells,” he noted. “I don’t suppose you have anything less… basic?”

A stream of fire burst forth at that.

“That’s more like it,” Nova grinned as the winds within him issued forth, smothering the fire in midair.

Probably best not to use a spell that hasn’t been invented yet, he thought, knowing that a lot of practical combat spells were developed later on by either himself or Star Swirl. But… perhaps something flashy AND practical?

It would need time to prepare, time he would need to buy himself.

As he began to gather the energy within himself, the white orbs of light flew back to him, one of them flying upward to deflect another lash of fire sent his way. Nova mentally directed his Source extensions (note to self, he thought, think of better name) to begin firing off beams of energy left and right, at the very least to keep Silverblood distracted. Or better yet, to drive the unicorn into a corner.

Blasts began to rain down on the five Silverbloods, who all snarled, but only one threw up a shield. The others wavered and faded as the beams of light struck them. Eventually, Silas Silverblood realized he couldn’t stay hunkered down forever and began to wave his way in and around the beams firing at him.

A crystal appeared in his hoof with a flash of light, and he threw it at one of the extensions. Immediately, the extension seemed to be sucked inside the crystal. Nova flinched as he felt as though he had lost feeling in one of his limbs. Source extensions couldn’t just be conjured and reproduced as needed. Even the best spellcasters could only maintain so many.

Recalling his four remaining orbs back to him, Nova went on the defensive. Silverblood had seized on his opening and was now pushing Nova back away. But he made a crucial mistake. Silverblood stepped on the immobilization trap Nova had set earlier, and several tendrils of blue energy sprung up from the ground, snaking their way around Silverblood’s leg and holding him still.

“Tch!” Silverblood grit his teeth, conjuring a wall of ice between himself and Nova, before beginning to try to pull his leg free.

He can’t sense energy! Nova grinned.

Rather than try to blast through the icy wall, Nova turned his attention back to the gap in the containment spell Silverblood had placed earlier. Nova added onto the ice wall, spreading it completely around Silverblood as though he were hoping to trap the unicorn inside, but all he needed was a little time.

Sure enough, he felt the heat from Silverblood’s fire begin to melt the glacial walls he had conjured, but they would take him precious seconds to break through.

Nova now scrutinized that corner, noticing the tiniest possible thread of magic he could have sensed, a gossamer thread on a white surface. And it led outward. The containment had kept the gap to allow this thread, whatever it was, to continue uninterrupted.

That’s a trigger spell, he realized, feeling the delicate spellwork at the end, where the thread met the wall. It almost seems like a… a magical fuse, Nova scrunched his face. Silverblood was almost through, time was running out.

Maybe this was Silverblood’s assurance of victory. If the battle started going against him, light the fuse, bring the entire cave down around them? Whatever it was, it was probably best to cut it. Deciding not to take chances, he went ahead and filled in the gap in the wall with his own spell.

There was a shattering spell, and a wave of heat engulfed him, as Silverblood pierced through the icy wall, his hoof free of the immobilization, and looking annoyed, to say the least.

“Did you truly think it would be so easy to trap me?” he snarled.

“No,” Nova inclined his head, “but I wouldn’t have been opposed if it had been.”

Silverblood let out a yell, and went on an absolute berserk fury. He fired everything he could think of. He shot fire, hurled ice spikes, tried to crush Nova under the air itself, shot normal beams his way, even tried picking Nova up and throwing him around with his own magic.

Nova, in turn, found it almost trivial to keep himself safe. Even with his shield being battered, even while concentrating as he summoned energy to fire off his ace in the hole, Silverblood’s spells were direct, and thus easily countered. A swish of the cape here, a well-placed orb there, a counter-spell for good measure, even something as simple as stepping to the right.

Clover was right, he thought, grimly amused. He’s skilled, but he lacks… finesse.

Underneath this barrage of attacks, however, Nova began to lay the groundwork for his endgame. After each deflection, a new immobilization trap was placed, and he was making sure to stack them on top of each other. Silverblood had pulled one hoof out, but how would he handle his entire body?

After several moments spent firing everything he had, Silverblood’s assault ceased. The elderly unicorn looked far worse for the wear, sweating profusely, his mane singed, his legs shaking from the effort. He was exhausted. Finally, the time had come.

Summoning all of the energy he had set aside, Nova allowed it to surge forth, the mana taking shape within his horn, and firing off as a massive deluge of tiny white stars that flew up to the ceiling and hovered, waiting for each of its brethren to join it. Nova fired off these little stars for several seconds, each one joining its siblings near the ceiling, until it almost looked like the night sky on the most clear and cloudless night.

After nearly ten seconds, the fountain of stars ceased, leaving a great multitude hovering overhead.

“How…?” grunted Silverblood, eyes bulging in fury as his spell finished. “How can you be this strong!?”

He wasn’t as strong as Silverblood thought. Nova felt just as tired as Silverblood looked, but thanks to the conditioning he’d been good about continuing as the Night Apprentice, he still stood tall despite the fatigue.

I hate running, but at least it’s good for keeping me less tired than old ponies,he smirked.

“Fuck you,” Nova replied coolly. “That’s how.”

“Pretty lights,” Silverblood, observed, scowling. “I thought you were doing something practical. Is this all you have to offer?”

“Yes. And no.”

The stars began to descend, flying toward Silverblood at a relatively languid pace, but in a room as small as this one, Silverblood still only had a few fractions of a second to react, tops.

He hastily threw out a shield, but as the stars began to impact it, they exploded into small bursts of light, like sparklers, each with a crack of its own. Silverblood’s shield began to crack almost immediately, and after only a few moments, the shield shattered entirely.

“No!” he growled, leaping backward, but away from Nova’s trap stack. Couldn’t have that, could we?

The stream of stars changed direction and began to descend in a line, ensuring Silverblood stepped back exactly where Nova needed him to. Silverblood must have sensed this too, because he glanced toward where Nova had placed his traps, though he didn’t seem to look at any one spot in particular.

His snarl deepened and the shield returned, albeit much weaker than before. The stars descending continued to hammer away, but Silverblood charged, hoping to burst through the curtain. Nova, in response, dropped the entire lot of them, a deluge of white that completely shattered Silverblood’s shield once again. Though the fragments weren’t all that great for harming the opponent, they were excellent at wearing down an opponent’s defenses, albeit in a flashy, inefficient manner.

As the last of the stars vanished, Nova beheld Silverblood barely keeping himself upright on shaking legs, though he seemed to be trying to regain his strength.

Nova, however, didn’t allow it.

With a blast of magic and no shortage of cathartic satisfaction, Nova shot Silverblood right in the gut, sending him flying backward, right onto the trap stack he had created earlier. The moment he landed, coils of blue energy erupted from the ground and ensnaring every inch of Silverblood they could, even as he struggled to his hooves to fight against the restraints.

“Starfall,” Nova sighed, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “A powerful, taxing spell, but in the right hooves, exactly what is needed to push a pony exactly where I want them to go, or to punish them if they don’t comply.”

Silverblood struggled against his bonds, but after a moment, he relaxed and even started chuckling.

“Well played, Night Apprentice,” he praised, shaking his head as much as his bonds would allow him to. “But I’m afraid the battle doesn’t end here.”

“It’s over, my lord,” Nova snarled, glaring at the unicorn who was currently completely ensnared from head to hoof by ropes of blue energy, including binding his horn so that he couldn’t cast any spells. “How do you think you can use magic in this state? You’ve lost.”

“This certainly isn’t ideal,” chuckled Silverblood, who did not seem to be particularly concerned with the fact that he was no longer mobile. “But I have contingencies.”

He raised a hoof as much as he could off the ground, only a few inches at most, and stamped it back down. At once, a silver blast of energy lanced upward from the ground. Nova ducked out of the way at the last second-- he’d channeled the spell through his hooves!--, but the spell streaked toward the corner of the trigger spell he had spotted before. He tried to throw up a shield to prevent the beam from hitting, but he was too late.

The spell splashed harmlessly against the wall.

Nova let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. His concern about the gap in the containment spell and the trigger hidden there had been well-justified, and his earlier dismantling had been just enough.

"Only the one contingency though?" Nova asked, with a shake of his head. "You think of yourself as some master strategist and planner, but all you do is ride the tail of other, greater ponies." Silverblood's eyes bulged, and Nova casually blocked a spell fired his way in rage. "You have raw magical talent, but you have none of the intellect or finesse that trained mages such as myself or Lady Clover have. It didn't matter who you faced, you would have been utterly demolished today, by myself, by Lady Clover, by Captain Steelshod, hell," he smirked, "even Platinum herself could do it if she wanted. No wonder you had to have her foalnapped. You're nothing but a let-down!"

After a moment, as Nova's words sank in, Silverblood roared again, and his horn began to pulse with energy.

“I'LL SHOW YOU!" his mane began to wave and flap at a high speed as the energy welled up within him. "I WILL NOT LOSE WHAT IT HAS TAKEN ME A LIFETIME TO GET!”

Unlike previous spells, this felt far more sinister, and Nova had a distinct feeling that he didn’t want to be anywhere near this spell when it hit. Purple and black energy began to pulse and spark off of his horn, and Nova’s bravado faded almost instantly.

Dark magic!?

He threw up a shield as quickly as he could, shortly before Silverblood fired the beam at him. There was a squealing sound, like a creature screaming in pain, and a jagged beam of black energy shot toward him at blazing speed. Nova redoubled the energy he put into his shield, but it was for naught. The spell went through the shield, shattering it. Nova cried out, reflexively trying to swing his cape around to deflect it, but he was too slow.

The beam hit Nova right in the chest. It felt as though a rod of molten iron had been stabbed into him, lighting up his insides and causing him to scream. But he felt the fire in his soul just as much as he felt it in his body. It was a spell that was tormenting even his spirit.

The touch of magic slipped away, and he was vaguely aware that Silverblood was no longer ensnared, and despite his awareness that he needed to do something, the pain was too great, and he collapsed.

There was an ear-splitting sound, a shriek of pain, and then an explosion. Nova, still reeling from the spell, looked up just in time to see Silverblood be thrown back from his position where he hit a bookshelf behind him with a crunch, and slid to the ground. Where his horn was, there was now a mess of blood spilling forth, and also blue-green ethereal energy seemed to be issuing from the hole as well.

Mana… Nova though, his mind suddenly sluggish and hazy, and he staggered to his hooves again. Why is his horn… bleeding mana?

He blinked, and suddenly he realized, his horn wasn’t bleeding mana. His horn was gone. Fragments of it lay scattered around the room, but the explosion a moment before had been Silverblood’s horn shattering.

Silverblood lay twitching on the ground. His eyes were open and wide, but empty. He was alive, that much was certain, but his expression was vacant, and he seemed dead to the world. Nearby, the crystal that he had captured Nova's Source extension in had shattered, and the white orb was floating next to the commander, waiting for orders. Nova tried to command it to vanish, and it did, but the effort suddenly caused the world to erupt in a barrage of colors and sounds.

A wave of sickness washed over Nova as the realization of everything that had happened over the last several seconds, and he vomited, before stumbling sideways, and trying to make it to the door. The world around him began to spin, only adding to his trouble.

Have… to… get… Clover...

It was only when he was about halfway there that he realized, no, the door he was going for was the wrong one. As the room spun around him, Nova heard someone shouting his name, but couldn’t seem to muster up the strength to look in their direction. One of his legs spasmed, and with a start, he suddenly realized he had crashed the ground, his limbs jerking horribly.

What… is… happening?

The door at the far end of the room flew open, and Steelshod stood there, at the head of a group of soldiers. For a moment he looked around the room in shock, then down at the twitching, bloody form of Silas Silverblood, and then to Nova.

He, too, shouted something and started running over, but it sounded muted to Nova’s ears. Before he could worry about what was being said, his vision swam, and he blacked out.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

When Nova opened his eyes next, everything was a blur of color. It had that fuzzy sort of look, like gazing into a mirror after a warm shower, with the glass fogged up. He was aware of a white room, of white all around him with some breaks in the monotony, and he was lying on something soft. His hearing felt off too, now he thought about it. It was like having cotton wads stuck in his ears, only there was definitely nothing stuck there.

A mare said something to his right, and he snapped his head in her direction. There was an odd blob of lilac next to him. A very familiar shade of lilac at that.

“Twi...light?” he mumbled sleepily, before reaching a hoof and rubbing at his eyes. The room around him began to take shape. There were several beds around them, each with an end table, though none of the tables nor beds were occupied save for both of his. His end table had some medicine bottles on it, and sitting at it was none other than Twilight Sparkle.

No, Clover. It was Lady Clover. He was still in the past, he hadn’t suddenly returned to his normal time.

He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear out whatever nastiness was left in his head, but was met with only limited success. A hoof pressed firmly against his forehead, and he was pushed back into bed.

“...not… sick, Nov…”

“I’m sorry, what?” he asked, his horn glowing blue, and a cool feeling washing over his ears. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with them according to his probing. What was wrong?

Clover frowned. She made a motion, slicing across her throat with a hoof, and he killed the magic he was casting. As soon as he had, her horn glowed a soft pink and a warm feeling washed over his inner ears. It lasted for a few seconds, but when it faded away, Nova could hear once again.

“Thanks,” he breathed, falling back against the mattress, with a soft flump! “Did I… black out?”

“You did,” Clover dipped her head, looking immensely relieved that he was now fully cognizant and responsive. “After Silverblood’s horn shattered, you vomited and passed out. Steelshod arrived only moments later through a tunnel passageway that he had his guards had found. Princess Platinum, Princess Chrysalis, and you were all brought back here safe and mostly unharmed,” she gave him a pointed look, “and Silverblood is being treated in the dungeons. It has only been two hours,” she sighed,” but it feels like it has been as many days.”

“I know the feeling,” he smiled humorlessly. “I guess we did it.”

Clover gave him an unreadable look, her expression still as hard as ever. “I guess we did,” she replied. “Princess Platinum has made a note of your aid rendered, and has asked me to inform you that she will be accepting any proposals to join in the trading agreement and future alliances with the Principality, though she made quite sure to note that the Unicorn Kingdom reserved the right to withdraw at any time, as well as to maintain its sovereignty.”

“Expected as much,” Nova nodded, before sitting up with a groan. “Finer details will need to be hammered out later, I guess. No real sense doing it here, when I’m confined to a hospital bed, though I suppose there are less-comfortable places...”

The tiniest of smiles graced Clover’s face at that, but it may as well have been like splitting granite. It was as though she were forcing herself to do so, made all the more clearer by the fact that it did not reach her eyes, which remained as hard and calculating as ever.

“Where’s Chrysalis?” he asked. He figured the nymph would be in here too, receiving treatment.

“The changeling is looking after her,” she answered, turning to look toward the room’s exit, beyond which they both could see ponies hurrying about their business now that the princess was back. Surely with the arrest of a high-profile lord, no doubt some of the other lords were looking to seize on the opportunity to further their own interests in the aftermath. It wasn’t something he was particularly concerned about.

“Is she alright?”

“She seems to be, but I confess I know nothing of changeling physiology. Once reunited with one of her own kind, she certainly seemed much more energetic.” Clover frowned, and glanced back at him. “Speaking of the foal--”

“Nymph.”

Her brow twitched. “I beg your pardon?”

“Changeling babies are grubs, their children and adolescents are nymphs,” he corrected. When he had a moment to process that he had just rudely interrupted and corrected Lady Clover, he shook his head stupidly. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“No, I… I appreciate the correction.” Now she was finding it difficult to meet his eye. “It is just… down in the crystal caves.”

Nova had a feeling he knew exactly where this was going, and he shifted uncomfortably in anticipation.

“You had the nymph transform into me,” she recalled, still not meeting his eyes, but to his astonishment, she began to go pink. “In order to feed it love energy so that it would not starve, you had the young princess mimic me.”

Now she finally looked at him directly, steely resolve in her eyes.

“I would know why.”

Nova felt an uncomfortable feeling in his spine, like ice trickling down his back. Oh, this is going to be a fun conversation.

“It’s complicated,” he answered, with as much of a noncommittal shrug as he could muster.

It was true, on the surface. How was he supposed to explain to her that he was secretly from over a thousand years in the future and would fall in love with a mare who looked exactly like her and acted, in a lot of ways, like he had before he’d met her?

“If you do not wish to tell me,” her eyes hardened slightly, “you need only say so.”

“Well, it is complicated,” Nova shrugged. “And it’s a long story--”

“We have no shortage of time.”

“I mean, it’s about twelve chapters and an interlude, and one of them is split into two parts--”

“If you do not wish to tell me, you need only say so,” she repeated, giving him a flat look. “As you may understand, this… issue,” she said the word a little more delicately than usual, “is considerably personal. So believe me, sir Night Apprentice, when I say that I will find out, and I would much rather hear it from you.”

“Understandable,” Nova replied, laying back in the bed. “If I may make a suggestion, then…”

One of her ears twitched at the word “suggestion,” and she tilted her head, eyes sparkling with curiosity. “What sort of suggestion?” she asked.

“There will need to be ambassadors between both the Kingdom and the Principality,” he answered, giving her what he hoped was a meaningful look. “The Kingdom’s ambassador would need to reside in Everfree, where he or she would be able to effectively help negotiate trade deals between our nations. I’m sure this ambassador would probably be in pretty close contact with the Night Apprentice, given the Night Apprentice is the one who’s been given the responsibility of hammering out treaties and such in the meantime.”

Clover studied him for a long time. Nova did not know what to make of her complete and total lack of a reaction to what he had suggested. She simply stared at him. And stared. And stared. And stared some more.

All he did was patiently wait, meeting her look head-on.

“I… shall keep it in mind,” she finally said, her voice soft, and finally, she looked away, the tiniest touch of pink coloring her cheeks.

Nova couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his face at that. They were very different, but there were plenty of similarities between Twilight and Clover beyond simply their looks.

There was a small clamor outside the infirmary, followed by Princess Platinum turning the corner and striding in, as graceful as ever and looking as though she hadn’t spent the last several hours in a prison cell within the mountain, while her guards behind her worked to keep a crowd of petitioning nobles from chasing after her. Clover immediately rose to her hooves.

Just as Cookie resembled Applejack, Pansy resembled Fluttershy, Puddinghead resembled Pinkie, Hurricane resembled Rainbow Dash, and Clover resembled Twilight, Princess Platinum was the spitting image of Rarity. Like Clover, they were identical in almost every way, with the exception of the cutie mark. In this case, the cutie mark was a large platinum crown with three spikes, and in each one was a blue diamond. A copy of that crown sat on her head, with the three spikes being mirrored in the back by three more, but aside from that crown, she wore mo other finery. Her mane and tail were also done in exactly the same style of curl as Rarity would wear in his own time.

Captain Steelshod also managed to squeeze his way through, and he looked completely, utterly exhausted. Clover seemed to have relaxed since they had come out of the caves now that Platinum was safely recovered, but the Captain was probably tasked with clearing out the rot from whomever else was part of this grand conspiracy. Nova certainly didn’t envy him at all.

The clamor got even louder as the guards were starting to get a little pushy. The captain turned back to them, his horn blazing silver, and roared “SHUT UP!”

With a report that sounded like a small explosion, he sent out a magical shockwave that blasted everyone away on the other side of his guards. The moment he did, he followed it up with some sort of sound barrier to prevent them from screaming after him. And following that, he stacked a pile of beds in front of the doorway.

Only once they were all safely barricaded inside of the room did the captain let out a sigh, trot over to the wall, and just slump down.

“Rough aftermath?” Nova asked, pitying the poor captain.

“Thou dost not know the half of it,” sighed Princess Platinum, brushing back her mane. She seemed to be handling her return with an almost-unnatural level of grace and serenity, as though it hadn’t happened at all. “It has been all of two hours, and the considerable hole in the hierarchy of nobles left by Silas Silverblood’s fall from grace has encouraged the nobles to begin immediately attempting to fill it themselves. Poor Captain Steelshod has been run ragged trying to arrest what is left of Silverblood’s retinue and keep the nobles off of Us so that We may recover from Our ordeal.”

Huh. She uses the Royal We and the old-timey pronouns too, observed Nova.

Clover stepped away from the chair she had been sitting on, but Platinum shook her head.

“No, no, dearest Clover. We may have had quite the ordeal, but it was thee who spent thine effort trying to rescue Us. Please sit down.”

Clover blushed a bit at the praise, but complied, albeit at a snail’s pace. Even when she was seated, she seemed ready to leap back to her hooves the moment she was required to.

“Now, We have come to thank thee properly, and personally, for thine aid,” she said to the both of them, with a tired smile. “Although we, the Unicorn Kingdom, have kept the Principality at an arm’s length, it would seem that this choice was folly on our part. If Clover has not told thee, we are going to make preparations to send an ambassador to Everfree, and to open diplomatic channels with the other two tribes as well.”

Her tired grin regained some life, and it turned a bit mischievous. “In addition, there’s something of a celebration planned tonight. Well, planned may be overstating it,” she amended with a roll of her eyes, “but the young changeling filly, Chrysalis, needs a proper emotional feeding, so the infiltrator who has been looking after is planning on inciting a bar party and having her feed off of everyone’s good cheer.”

“That’s… huh.”

“And, of course, there is the matter of returning her to her home,” the princess continued, glancing at the window.

“I’ll handle that,” said Nova, before sitting up, stretching, and sliding out of his bed with nary a wobble.

“Is that… wise?” asked Clover, watching him with disbelief. “Only two hours ago, you were hit with Dark Magic so powerful it rendered you unconscious. We do not even know what effects the spell has had on you beyond that!”

“Someone’s gotta travel with the changelings to make sure Sombra doesn’t send goons to try and finish the job,” he replied, trotting toward the window, opening it with his magic, and letting the breeze waft in. It felt nice on his fur after the events of the last several hours. “I’ll risk it. Better me than any of you, considering the current political environment. You’ll all be needed to ensure instability remains minimal.”

“How gallant, and how politically-insightful, sir Night Apprentice,” observed Platinum, with the tiniest hint of amusement in her voice. “Very well, We shall write to Princess Celestia, informing her of thy decision. Captain, couldst thou escort me out?”

“Ma’am,” the captain saluted, before pulling down the barricades and slipping out with the princess.

Clover rose as well after they had gone.

“I… must go and help her, now that you are awake.” Nova noticed she seemed a little disappointed by this fact all of a sudden.

Nova frowned. “That was a lie,” he noted.

Clover’s eyebrows twitched. Nova wondered if it still annoyed her that he knew how to sense energy too.

“I have been given the remainder of the day to use at my leisure,” she admitted, now choosing to stare out the window. “And… I do not know what to do. But I believe now I shall spend it in the castle’s library. Which, admittedly, I already spend my leisure time at to begin with.”

And then looked back at him, and she smiled.

It was small, and it was a wry smile at her own little joke, but it was, honest to Celestia, the first genuine smile he had seen from her.

There was no longer any doubt in his mind what he would see in her now. That smile, that simple tiny little smile, had a natural beauty to it that matched Twilight.

“Perhaps, I shall fetch you a book?” she asked, starting to trot toward the exit and glancing at him. The smile was gone, replaced by her usual demeanor, but he could still see a certain warmth in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“I’d like that,” he smiled at her. “Are you coming to the celebration tonight?”

She shook her head. “I am a respected official and lady-in-waiting. It would not be prudent--”

“Oh pish-posh,” Nova shook his head. “You need a night out. We’ll find out where that changeling is staging his party, and we’ll go have some fun. Sound like a plan?”

She stared at him for a long moment, and Nova wondered if she would say no.

But she nodded. “Very well. I suppose that I shall see you this evening, then.”

And with that, she was gone. Nova stared after her but then leaned back and rested his head against the pillow. He could use another nap.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova almost laughed at the look on Stout Brew’s face when a bunch of guardsponies showed up unannounced to his bar. He laughed considerably harder at the look on his face when Princess Platinum, Clover the Clever, and Captain Steelshod turned up. He laughed the hardest when Stout gave him a look that screamed “I want to punch you so hard right now”.

“Hey, just think of all the money you’re going to make,” he clapped the Germane Brew Brother on the back from his spot on the other side of the bar.

“Verdammt nochmal,” Stout muttered darkly, giving him a frigid look. “I vas lookink forvard to a slover nacht.”

“Language, my friend,” Nova replied, giving him an apologetic look. “Honestly, I thought it was just going to be a few of us. I didn’t think the entire damn unit was going to turn out.”

He glanced back where, apart from three other ponies, everyone was wearing armor, and several were crammed to each table, with the exception of the table where Princess Platinum in all of her finery, Clover, and the captain sat. Nova noticed Clover’s eyes dart away the moment he looked in her direction. The other two ponies, not wearing armor, were sitting in a corner, keeping to themselves, though one of them, colored black with a green mane, kept glancing at him through emerald green eyes.

Nova snorted. It was like Chrysalis wasn’t even trying to hide.

The changeling now looking after her had chosen to go with a burgundy coat, with bright blue eyes like his, three cuts on his right ear, and a white-gold forward-brushed mane and tail. The changeling gave him a pleased smile and silently toasted him with his mug, before taking a drink.

Dropping several extra bits on the bar, he headed back to the table where Clover, Platinum, and Steelshod were sitting, taking a seat next to the captain, across from Clover, who looked away again almost immediately.

“What a day,” Nova sighed, leaning against the wall he was next to.

“Agreed, sir Night Apprentice,” Platinum smiled sweetly at him. “Again, thank thee for thine assistance. Celestia and Luna have been sent a very glowing report of thine actions, and We have taken the liberty of informing them of thy decision to escort our changeling friends to their city to keep them safe.”

She ran a hoof through her purple mane, adjusting her crown and cape as well, and finally stood up.

“We are afraid We must retire,” she said, and Nova was startled to hear some weakness in her voice all of a sudden. “It would seem that the ordeal hath drained Us terribly.”

“I shall escort you back,” Clover stood up, motioning to help the princess to her hooves, but Platinum shook her head.

“Neigh, stay and enjoy thyself, Clover,” the princess shook her head. “Thou as well, captain. ‘Tis not often when occasions such as these cometh.”

She trotted over to a table of guards and motioned for a few of them to accompany her, which several did at once, forming up and escorting her out. Nova gave her one last bow of the head as she left.

Almost as soon as she left, a guard from the nearest table swung around to face them. A mare, by the shape of her muzzle, with a navy blue coat.

“Now that she’s gone, you lot up fer a drinkin’ game?” she asked in a thick Trottish accent, before grinning and throwing a roguish wink at Nova. “See who comes out on top, yeah?”

Nova could almost feel the temperature dropping in the room as he glanced over at Clover, who was staring at the guardsmare with an unreadable expression.

“I need to stay sober before I leave tomorrow,” Nova answered, shaking his head.

“I’m not allowed to get drunk,” the captain replied.

“How does one make a game out of drinking?” asked Clover, leaning across the table.

“Oh, simple! Ya just drink more’n the rest of us!” she gestured over at another table where the guards there were chugging in sync, stacking the mugs inside of each other, and grabbing the next available one. “No pausin’, no spillin’, and no regurgitatin’. Ya in?”

“So it is simply drinking more than everyone else?” Clover frowned. “I fail to see how that is a game.”

“Not exactly,” Nova shook his head. “It’s a test of alcohol tolerance. You drink too much, and…” he gestured back over at the earlier table, where one of the guards slumped over the bar, snoozing peacefully while his mates started cheering.

“And I lose,” Clover's frown deepened. “Perhaps I shall… make an attempt.”

“Is that a good idea?” Steelshod asked, though he didn’t make an effort to stop her as Clover got up and trotted over to the table where the guardsmare and three of her companions were setting mugs in the center.

“Princess Platinum ordered me to have fun,” Clover replied simply. “I might as well let my mane down.”

“This isn’t going to go well,” Steelshod muttered. Nova, however, caught a small flicker of magic from the mare, and he snorted. “What?” the captain asked, glancing over.

“You’ll see,” Nova whispered, just loud enough for the captain to hear.

Clover took her seat, was passed a mug, took a sniff, recoiled slightly at its bitter smell, but raised it to her lips all the same. The moment he liquid touched her tongue, her eyes bulged, though she did manage to swallow it.

“How do ponies drink this? It is so bitter!”

“We don’t drink it for the taste,” one of the guards replied, before raising his own mug and draining it, before setting it down and immediately being given another.

Clover glared at the mug, then at the mare who had flirted with Nova (halfway through her second mug already), before rearing it back and draining it immediately.

“Relish this moment, Night Apprentice,” said Steelshod, who looked to be on the verge of chortling. “You’ve just witnessed Clover the Clever’s introduction into the wonderful world of alcohol.”

“So how was cleanup?” Nova asked, tuning out the contest for the moment.

“Cleanup?” Steelshod cocked an eyebrow.

“Of the crystal caverns.”

“Oh.” There was a moment, and then the captain’s look shifted to one of pure unease and his ears flattened. “I… don’t know what to say,” his voice was soft. “How we could let such a large cavern escape our notice raises many questions. And when we rescued you and the princess, and the changeling foal--”

“Nymph.”

--and the changeling nymph,” he corrected, “we let a lot of Silverblood’s underlings escape because we had bigger priorities to worry about.” Explains how the Silverblood crime family survived to the present day, thought Nova grimly. “And what is more, we hauled Silverblood off to the castle dungeons, but the jailor tells me that all he does is stare at the wall.”

"What do you mean?” Nova asked.

“He only stares straight ahead, at the wall,” Steelshod looked pale. “I went down and saw it with my own eyes. His horn… it’s like someone scooped it out of his head. I mean, you probably know what losing a horn does to a unicorn,” he was growing queasy at the thought, “but I’ve never seen it like this. He looked… lifeless. A shell. Completely empty and unresponsive.” Nova felt a prickle at the nape of his neck as he imagined it. “And even though he was staring at the wall, I feel like he was staring right through it.”

Nova fell silent. Even the shouts and whoops of the bar around them seemed muted as he thought about this. With Silverblood in this state, it would be impossible to interrogate him. There was no question Sombra was behind it, but they would be unable to tell if Silverblood was truly the root of the corruption, or if he was simply part of a larger network, which had its tendrils in each of the smaller civilizations around them. Would the village of Vulcan be affected, where legendary hero Rockhoof resided? What of the villages south of the San Palomino, where Somnambula and Mage Meadowbrook resided?

“There’s also something else I need to talk to you about,” Steelshod added. The queasiness was gone, but there was a note of bitterness in its place.

“Oh?” Nova looked over.

Steelshod, with a resentful look on his face, pointed at Clover. She had finished four mugs now and was halfway through fifth. Nova noticed she seemed to be slightly tipsy, but nowhere near how the others seemed. The flirting mare was now on her sixth, but the others looked to be nearly finished. Even as he watched, one of them fell over sideways, to the uproarious delight of a small crowd of onlookers.

“She’s doing well,” Nova observed, before taking a drink from his own forgotten mug.

“What happened down in the caves between you two?” asked Steelshod. It was sharp, it was direct, and most importantly, Nova detected that it had a desperate edge underneath it. The captain was now staring at him directly, with an intensity he hadn’t seen in a long time from anyone.

“What is it to you?” he asked, far more calmly.

Steelshod drew in a slow, shaky breath, before blowing it out and looking away. “She spent every minute at your bedside. Before you both went down into those caves, she wouldn’t have even done that for Princess Platinum when there were more important things to be done.”

“I debriefed her on what she saw,” the captain continued, and Nova could hear the bitterness increase imperceptibly. “The only thing she did not answer was how it was that you managed to save the nymph’s life. I knew that changelings fed off of love energy, so I did not need to know, but I wanted to know who it was that the nymph had turned into.”

He turned to look Nova dead in the eyes. Nova could see the briefest shadow of pain before it was hidden away behind a glare.

“It was her, wasn’t it.”

Not a question, a confirmation.

When Nova did not answer, Steelshod’s jaw clenched, and he jerked his head away. “Sir Night Apprentice, I am going to be blunt. She has expressed an interest in journeying to Everfree to serve as the Unicorn ambassador to your lands. I will accompany her, but I will respect her desires and stand aside if she chooses to pursue you.”

He admired how Steelshod had managed to suppress the emotions that had to be affecting him as he said that.

“And I promise you this. If you do anything --anything!-- that breaks her heart,” he hissed, “I will ruin you.”

There weren’t many ponies that could threaten Nova in a way that he took seriously. Steelshod, in that moment, with all of the venom of his feelings and how Clover’s attraction to another must have affected them, Nova didn’t just take this threat seriously. Nova knew that Steelshod would do everything in his power to back up his promise.

Nova didn’t reply, choosing instead to watch the last stages of the drinking game, as it was now down to Clover and Flirty Mare, but Clover was continuing to drain mug after mug. Currently on her twelfth, whereas flirty mare was struggling to finish her eleventh.

“How is she doing that?” Steelshod asked.

“She suppressed her liver’s ability to metabolize the alcohol,” Nova answered. “Not wise long-term, because it’ll catch up to her, but great for the short term, winning drinking games like this.”

“Catch up to her?” asked the captain.

“She’s going to get plastered when her liver resumes normal metabolization.”

“Then I leave her in your care,” the captain slid out of his seat, and began to trot away. Before he made it to the door, he paused, and looked back. Even in the din, Nova could hear his words perfectly.

“Remember my promise, Nova Shine.”

And with that, he was gone, marching out into the night. Nova watched him go, feeling uneasy. There was so much to this story that Celestia and Luna hadn’t told him so long ago, and it was starting to dawn on him that although he knew the important bits, there were still so many threads that he was going to have to be mindful of going forward.

There was a loud thud, and Nova looked back over to Clover's table to see that she had emerged victorious, the last pony standing as Flirty had fallen sideways and spilled her mug all over herself. Clover finished her mug, before slamming down on the table to the cheers of everyone around her. Nova did a quick count of the mugs and arrived at fourteen.

I’m not going to envy you tomorrow orning, he thought with grim amusement.

“Does this mean that I win?” Clover asked, and Nova could hear a slight slur to her speech. Yes, the alcohol metabolizing, while slow, was still happening. He needed to get her to her room on the pronto.

“Nicely done,” Nova grinned, stepping up and moving next to her.

“At the end there,” she said, starting to breathe heavily, and Nova could see that underneath her coat, her face was starting to flush, “I shtarted feeling a tingle in my… in my hoovesh.”

Thick tongue. It’s really accelerating.

She seemed to notice, too, because her expression darkened. “I… do not think I like thish feeling… Everything’sh shpinning...”

“Let’s get you home,” he said, guiding her out of the bar, “because that little trick you pulled was pretty clever, but you’re about to get the full force of fourteen mugs of dark beer.”

“Aww,” she pouted, almost like a foal, “I wash jusht shtarting to have fun.”

They exited the bar, out into the night, where a wave of cool air washed over them after being in a cozy bar for the last several minutes. Nova sighed at the pleasant coolness.

“Heheheh.”

“What’s so funny?” he asked, glancing down at her.

“You shaid… you shaid my idea wash clever.”

“So I did.”

She grinned, before stumbling sideways, though she managed to right herself and stumble back until she was now leaning against him for support. “Clever, like my name!”

“Oh,” Nova replied, doing his best to support her weight, and fighting the urge to grimace as the smell of alcohol on her breath invaded his nose. “I didn’t notice.”

“You’re funny.”

She wasn’t just leaning against him anymore. Now she was getting hoofsy. She was practically draped over his back.

“Note to self,” he muttered,” “never let a lightweight drink alcohol again.”

“Aaawwwww, thanksh!” she cooed right in his ear. “Y’know, you’re pretty handshome yourshelf.”

“We’re not doing this tonight,” Nova batted a hoof away from his withers. “Not while you’re drunk.”

“But y’ did it-- hic-- did it in the cavesh with Chryshalish… hic ‘member?”

“Only too well,” Nova cringed as she bit his ear lobe. She was trying to suddenly be flirty, but a combination of drunkenness and never flirting before meant that she nearly tore his ear clean off when she tried. This was getting out of hoof. “Please let go of my ear.”

“Awww,” she pouted, but did as he asked. Unfortunately, she found other ways to occupy herself, as she managed to “accidentally” bump him on the shoulder with her hooves. A few moments later, she “accidentally” bumped his withers.

A moment later, his flanks, and he batted her away again. She came back a moment later right on his haunch.

“Hey!” he snapped. “Let go of my ass!”

“‘Kay.”

She then grabbed somewhere else.

“OI!” Nova jumped about a mile into the air, flailed around, and landed flat on his face as he swatted her hooves away from reaching for somewhere a little more private.

Clover erupted into another fit of giggles. Nova, meanwhile, scrambled back up, a touch embarrassed but mostly ticked off.

“Never again,” he muttered darkly. “Never. Again.”

It was a good thing they were close to Unicornia Palace. His torment was nearly at an end. Nova was just going to drop her in her room and seal the door behind him and then head back to the infirmary and barricade himself behind it as Steelshod had done earlier.

Fortunately, she didn’t try anything as they got back up to her room, though she couldn’t stop giggling. Unfortunately, she had thought ahead of him.

When they arrived ahead of her door, she shoved him in first, then locked the door behind her and sealed the room. Nova stumbled forward, even tumbling to the ground in the darkness of the room.

“Wha- HEY!”

He staggered to his hooves, and glared at her.

"Let me out."

“All mine now…” she purred, giving him what she evidently thought was a sexy look, though the effect was ruined by the swaying and the haziness in her eyes. If he could just delay her a little bit longer, she’d probably pass out soon.

“C’mon, Shiny, we’ve-- hic-- we’ve got all night…” Nova cringed again as he imagined Twilight saying this to her older brother in this exact tone of voice. It hadn’t occurred to him just how similar he and Shining Armor looked until that moment, although he was far weedier and didn’t have the same two-tone mane as Cadenza’s hubby. Not to mention the fetlocks. Twilight much preferred tidy fetlocks.

“No,” Nova replied flatly. “You are drunk, and I’m spoken for. We’re not doing this. Now let me out.”

“Nope!” she replied cheerfully, and with a sudden burst of magic, Nova was now in her bed, “you’re shleepin’ with me toniiiight~” she sang, revealing that unlike Twilight, she was rather tone-deaf. Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

“No, I’m not,” he scooted over toward the end of the bed, but a pair of hooves wrapped around his midsection and pulled him back.

Before he could protest, however, he was forced to dodge a purple blur in the darkness as Clover’s head darted down and managed to smooch the pillow his head was on.

Nova then attempted to teleport out of the bed, but Clover just teleported him right back in. At that point, Nova knew that it was ultimately futile to try and wriggle out. Drunk Clover was just going to hound him the entire night until he just gave in, and he needed rest before the long journey he had volunteered himself for.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“A deeeeeal?” she giggled.

“Yes,” Nova replied through grit teeth as she started nibbling at his ear again. “I’ll stop trying to escape and sleep here tonight. But,” he added sharply, which caused her to mercifully let go, “stop it. Stop flirting, stop trying to seduce me, it’s not working, and I already told you I’m rather happily spoken for.”

He could see her frown in the darkness. “But Chryshalish turned into meee…”

“Told you, it’s complicated” he responded, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. This is the room we learned about… well, me, he realized. He could see the hearth, but the bookshelf was missing, as were the furniture and paint job, but those would come later. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could see that the room contained only an end table and a bed.

She must not have spent much time here in her daily routine.

“She’sh a lucky mare,” he heard her grumble, but finally, there was a soft flump, and he looked over to see that she had fallen into blissful slumber.

Thank-you, he prayed to whatever merciful deity had finally freed him from above. But he was a stallion of his word, so he lightly pushed her hooves off of him, curled up on the opposite side, and shut his eyes, but even as his consciousness slowly drifted away, he remained acutely aware of who it was that lay next to him the entire time.

“We didn’t,” Nova added, staring directly at her.

Twilight blinked, and she realized that she had been gripping the pouf beneath her rather tightly.

“Didn’t what?” asked Spike, looking between them. “What didn’t you do?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Twilight growled, feeling the same jealousy she’d felt that night almost two weeks ago well up inside her. “You really let another mare sleep in your bed?”

Nova’s ears flattened. “It’s not like I had much of a choice,” he retreated, sliding himself back on the floor a few inches.

She let out a long sigh, pawing at her eyes. Clearly, it was going to take some time to come to terms with the fact that her Nova Shine had come back having given a part of his heart to a different mare, one who looked exactly like her. Surely there was a good reason, and she knew it had to happen, but it was still not a pleasant realization to come to.

Suddenly, her tummy growled, and it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it.

“Hungry?” Nova asked, eyes glittering. “You must be, given you spent a lot of energy trying to keep me alive a few hours ago.”

“Should be asking you the same question,” she rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am, and we could use a break. What’s for dinner?”

“Well, I’m not even halfway through it. Are you sure this is the right time?”

“Good a time as any,” Twilight stood up. “And now I can’t stop thinking about food. Come on, you,” she smiled sweetly at him. “You need a proper welcome back.”

“I do want to finish the story tonight, though,” he said, though he got up and followed after her. “It’s a bit long, but we also had a late start.”

“How much longer is it?” she asked.

Nova pondered the question for a moment, rubbing around his horn and staring up at the ceiling, before he replied, “About thirty percent or so. Though I can skip some of the unremarkable stuff to cut down on time.”

“We’ll get as far as we can after dinner,” she assured him, letting him slide into line next to her as Spike jumped on his back. As he arrived at his side, she curled her hoof around his, and they left, off into Ponyville for some food and fun.

Author's Note

Me, a few days ago to truesailorcomet. "Oh, good news, the word count won't be too much longer!"

About a week later, it's almost 7k higher. :/

Fortunately, the next chapter will be split into two (it was always my plan when doing these rewrites of the past arc). I'll try to release them on the same day, rather than split it up.

Lemme know what you guys think of the rewritten chapter.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Grey Monarch, New Student, Old Master

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 15 - Grey Monarch, New Student, Old Master

Dinner was a talkative affair.

After spending an exorbitant amount of energy slowly patching Nova’s stab wound back together throughout the day, Twilight ordered two full meals and had practically inhaled them while Nova and Spike got caught up. With all of the mana she had expended, even forcing her Source to draw reserve energy from within her body, she needed the calories badly.

Now, Twilight wasn’t a mare that took pride in her tushie-- for that matter, she didn’t even know if Nova was a plot pony or not, and thus had no real reason to care about how it looked-- but her butt, her hips, and her stomach were all feeling noticeably less full than before. Any more energy expended, and she’d probably have the figure of a model like Fleur de Lis, or that impossibly thin figure Cadance seemed to have but with none of the body tolerance.

“What do you mean you want another hayburger?” Spike asked, staring at the two sets of burger wraps and fry holders she had already completely cleaned.

“She used a lot of magic to knit my back wound together,” Nova mercifully came to her rescue, giving her an understanding smile and pulling out a rather plump bits purse. “Spike, I’m saying this completely seriously, this was just her appetizer.”

Spike’s mouth fell open. Sure enough, when Nova bought her more, she hungrily devoured everything while they continued to laugh and joke. She wanted nothing more than to participate, but… well, foody called. Even as she ate hayburger after hayburger, Nova and Spike were now chattering about some of the random things that happened to Nova during his brief foray.

It was like Nova had never left. Except…

She could see it in his eyes. Part of him had, and it hadn’t come back with him.

What had happened to him?

She could see it when he thought neither her nor Spike was watching him. The jovial attitude would just fade ever so slightly, and he’d gain a distant faraway look in his eyes until they got his attention again.

She was halfway through her seventh burger’n’fries and starting to feel a little on the full side when she saw it again. He had just finished giving Spike a little more detail about the time someone threw a glockenspiel through his window, but as Spike began to suck down his milkshake, Nova gave her a quick glance to see her devouring the sandwich, before the smile fell, his eyes lost focus, and Nova was suddenly a million miles away.

“Hey.”

She reached over and tapped him on the shoulder, which caused him to jump, a hoof flying to grab hers. Twilight let out a startled “Eep!” as Nova’s tense grip took hold only for a moment, but after a heart-stopping instant, he relaxed.

“Sorry,” Nova sighed, sliding down in the booth. “You’ll understand if I’m a little on edge after this morning.”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Well I got attacked by Envy--” Nova began, but she cut him off.

“Nova, look me in the eyes.”

He did so, again trying to hide that distance he’d been working to cover up behind a quick smile. Twilight didn’t bite.

“You know what I mean,” she frowned at him. “What happened to you? What happened back then?”

Nova inhaled sharply, and she could see him visibly tense up. He glanced away, but then looked back at her, failing to disguise a haunted look as he tried to plaster another smile on his face.

Twilight reached out and grabbed hold of both his hooves, while Spike’s gaze flicked between the two of them. All she could think about was how touchy Nova could be about his memories, considering he had always shut himself off whenever his parents were brought up before they patched things up. That had been the Nova from before he’d gone back in time, though. That had been the Nova who was still hurt from his experiences growing up and was slowly healing. Now he had been wounded anew.

But how?

“I…” He trailed off and licked his lips, trying to buy himself some time. “It’s… it’s my fault.”

“You said that, yeah.” She reached across the table at the fast-food joint and took hold of his hooves in hers. “Nova, please, let us in. Let me help you carry this.”

Nova shuddered, looking away in shame. Spike reached up and patted Nova on the shoulder. Twilight gave him a warm smile, trying to put all her appreciation for him trying to comfort his big bro into it. Spike, however, looked extremely uncomfortable about all of this. Twilight also had to wonder if he even remembered Nova saying it was his fault that Envy existed, given he had no idea who Envy was.

“Alright,” Nova finally gasped, rubbing his eyes to try and hide the tears that were starting to form. “I’ll… I’ll continue.”

“What happened?” asked Spike, with none of the gentleness Twilight had tried to convey.

“A lot,” Nova admitted, with a slight shake of his head. “Let’s see… I left off after falling asleep with Clover pinned to my side, right?”

“Yeah.” Spike made a face, and Twilight couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy inside of her, but she quickly forced it down and remembered the way he had refused to see anything but her first when he’d woken up earlier.

“So,” Nova began hesitantly, though he seemed to gain more and more confidence with each word, “we had to take Princess Chrysalis back to her home, but to do that, we had to cross the San Palomino Desert…”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The room was empty when Nova awoke.

For a long moment, he stared at the ceiling, trying to puzzle out why exactly he was in an unfamiliar bedroom instead of the one in his house in Everfree, but the events of the previous two days slowly reappeared in his mind. Especially the events of the previous night.

And Clover wasn’t there.

He felt the makings of an awkward morning start to assemble already. She was going to have questions, assuming she remembered nothing after coming home drunk and locking him in with her. She would accept his explanation… he hoped. At the very least, she would see he wasn’t lying, and then… well, who knew after that?

He swung himself out of bed and began to trot out, only to find a pair of unicorn servants waiting for him, wearing purple-and-gold uniforms that looked similar to the more modern color scheme that would eventually decorate the castle.

“Ah! Sir Night Apprentice! Lady Clover had us wait for you,” one of them said with a bow, a mare who looked surprisingly similar to Raven Inkwell, Princess Celestia’s secretary in his own time.

“...Wait for me?” Nova asked, tilting his head in confusion. “Why?”

“To show you to the baths, and the banquet halls, and then where your supplies were being prepared,” the other answered, a stallion with a magnificent bushy moustache that looked like a blue version of Kibitz. “She seemed as though she were in quite the hurry, so we did not press, but she made sure to impress upon us to pass on that your every need would be taken care of.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Great, so it really is going to be an awkward morning.

The stallion bowed, before gesturing out into the hall, with the Raven lookalike already trotting off toward what Nova assumed were the baths. He followed after her, knowing he had a lot to do today before he could even think about leaving, and not wanting to waste any time.

Despite all attempts to oil and perfume his fur, Nova made sure his bath was a simple quick wash, knowing that all of the effort would be for naught here in only a few hours when the journey got underway. Breakfast down in the Great Hall was quite subdued, especially because Nova was a bit late in getting down there. By the time he took his seat and began to munch on expertly-prepared eggs, toast, and other luxurious foods, it was just him and some of the other straggling palace staff.

To his surprise, however, the changeling from the previous few days was there, as was Princess Chrysalis, still in their disguised forms so as not to frighten the others around the castle. As soon as she noticed him, the princess bolted his way, causing the other changeling to hurry after her, abandoning his plate of food where it was.

“Mister Nova Shine!” she chirped, before vaulting over and giving him a rather strong hug. As she dashed toward him, Nova noticed her legs still seemed the tiniest bit shaky, but he knew that with time and proper feeding, she would heal. Though he knew he was going to be the one doing the healing over the next few days, which gave him a strange feeling even as the disguised nymph grabbed onto his midsection and hugged him tightly, her wings buzzing.

“Good morning, Chryssie,” he smiled, reaching down to tousle her mane. “Are you feeling okay?”

Chrysalis blushed, a strange sight on a black-coated pony, before mumbling something he couldn’t hear.

“Sorry, what?” Nova leaned an ear down toward her.

“Papa… only my father calls me Chryssie.”

“Oh.” Nova didn’t know how to react to that. “Is that… bad?”

She shook her head. “Just weird.”

“If you don’t want me to call you that–”

“No, I…” she cut him off, before biting her lip. It was quite an adorable sight, even knowing what she would grow up to become. “It’s fine, it’s just weird.”

“Okay,” Nova nodded. “Is everything ready to leave? I don’t think I have many more preparations to make.”

“Our supplies have been prepared, and an escort party is waiting outside of the castle,” the other changeling nodded toward the castle’s main entrance. “Unicorn guards will escort us to the San Palomino, but from there, I shall guide us home.”

Nova returned to his food, but paused when he noticed the changeling was giving him a strange look.

“What?”

“You volunteered to journey with us, I am told.”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded, idly pushing his food around his plate. “Someone has to protect you from a potential retaliation by Sombra, and the princess will still need regular infusions of love energy to heal.”

The changeling didn’t say anything to that, so Nova continued to eat, wanting to get as much food into his stomach before he had to rely on rations as he could.

“You are… truly an odd pony, Nova Shine.” He sounded quite emotional for some reason. Nova wanted to ask, but he figured there would be time for that on the road.

“I hear that quite a bit,” Nova replied, before shoving a piece of toast into his mouth.

“You know what we are, yet you did not hesitate to defend my princess with your life, and to freely give her the energy she needed to survive. I have never met another pony who would treat us this way, without a hint of fear.”

Nova swallowed and wiped his mouth. “I like to believe we’re not as different as others of our kind would like us to believe.”

The changeling stared at him for a long moment as he continued to scarf down some food.

“I would tell you my name.”

Nova glanced over at the changeling.

“O…kay?”

“I want you to understand,” the changeling clarified, giving a rather furtive glance around. “To changelings, our names are very personal, very intimate things. To know who we are underneath any disguise is an honor we grant a select few. The princess shared hers with you out of necessity. I would willingly share mine with you out of respect.”

“Oh,” Nova replied, suddenly understanding what the changeling was saying. The changeling was giving him a strange sort of power over him. He was placing his very self in Nova’s hooves as a sign of his trust.

“The name that I have chosen is Scheherazade,” the changeling stated in a low voice, trying to make sure none else could hear it but Nova and the princess, who was simply waiting patiently from her spot on the ground. “It is an honor to entrust you with it.”

“The honor is mine,” Nova replied as sincerely as he could, hoping it didn’t seem like he was simply trying to out-humble Scheherazade.

“How much longer do you think you will need to prepare?” Scheherazade asked, turning to head back out into the castle’s main concourse. “I will go and make any final preparations before we leave.”

“I think as soon as I’m done eating, I’ll be ready to go,” Nova gestured at his half-eaten food. “Gotta fill back up after all of yesterday’s excitement.”

Scheherazade nodded, before gesturing at the princess. Chrysalis sprang to her hooves and followed after him, leaving Nova alone to finish up his breakfast.

In truth, he didn’t need to take so long to eat. He was simply stalling for time. Like Scheherazade had said, everything was prepared. All that was left now was to set out. But…

He wanted to see Clover one more time.

He was no doubt going to be seeing plenty of her form over the next several days with Chrysalis, but he wanted to see her. The mare who had smiled in the hospital room yesterday. Not to mention, he definitely wanted to clear anything up before he left so that things wouldn’t be awkward when he got back.

He didn’t have to wait long, fortunately.

As he was just about finished, Clover trotted into the Great Hall, looking around rather hastily and starting to retreat before she noticed he was there. They locked eyes, and he saw her tense up. She had simply left her mane completely alone this morning outside of straightening it, but it made her look identical to Twilight in all but cutie mark, which caused a familiar ache in his insides.

For a long moment, they stared at each other, but finally, Clover approached him with short jerky steps.

“Lady Clover,” he stood up as she approached.

However, she had no time for pleasantries.

“You were in my bed this morning.”

Huh. Direct.

“Yeah,” he rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly. Oh dear, it really was going to be an awkward morning. “You, uhh… you kinda wouldn’t let me go.”

She let out an annoyed huff, her nostrils flaring as she gave him her usual frown. Nova, meanwhile, knew that it was merely for her own peace of mind that she continue to be as closed off as usual, considering what had happened the previous night. So he simply allowed her to glare while he made to step away.

He didn’t really want to leave the conversation, but he knew she would follow.

“Night Apprentice Nova Shine.”

“Hm?” he glanced back at her. She was still glaring at him, but there was a strange softness to her eyes that wasn’t normally there.

“I will be journeying to Everfree after you depart,” her gaze flicked away for a short moment. “I have given some thought to your suggestion yesterday, and I have volunteered to become Unicornia’s ambassador to the principality. I… would hope to see you on your return.”

Nova nodded. “You will. But it won’t be for a few days, just so you know.”

“I will wait,” she promised, bowing her head. “You still owe me an explanation for why the nymph transformed into me. And…”

She trailed off, and Nova’s eyes widened as the unflappable Clover the Clever actually blushed. Nova didn’t say anything, he didn’t move, he stood rooted to the spot as Clover seemed to tense up more and more, furiously clenching her jaw as she processed something. But after a long moment, she stepped forward and gave him a tiny kiss on the cheek, before retreating instantly as though she were afraid of someone seeing.

Nova almost laughed, but something else inside of him overshadowed his amusement, the same jittery feeling he once had been oh so afraid of. There were entire worlds’ worth of differences between Clover the Clever and Twilight Sparkle. But those parts that were the same were the parts that mattered.

Nova reached up and touched the spot she had kissed, before giving her a soft smile.

“I promise,” he said quietly. “You’ll see me again, Clover. But right now, there’s a young changeling that needs to return to her home.”

“I wish you nothing short of the best of luck,” she nodded. “And I shall be waiting for you upon your return.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The San Palomino Desert was harsh and unforgiving, just as it would be in his own time. The winds brought strength-sapping heat and storms of sand, surrounding them, swallowing them whole, and suffocating them. Nova more than once had to shield the trio of trekkers from these powerful windstorms, just so they could make it to the next checkpoint, where they could rest until such storms passed them by.

At night, the winds brought a freezing gale, forcing them to take shelter in caves or someplace else to trap heat, all the better to keep themselves alive. Also at night, the predators of the desert were on the prowl. They had to be wary of antlions beneath them, of sandworms burrowing nearby and following their movements, of all manner of dangerous creatures. Even with a guide, this trek was arduous and taxing in the extreme.

Nova Shine found himself sustained by sheer willpower alone. Food had to be rationed, which meant he wasn’t quite as filled as he would have liked to be, and water had to be measured in precise mouthfuls. Chrysalis and Scheherazade would be safely escorted back to the Changeling Kingdom on his life. Though, considering he did eventually return to the future, perhaps it wasn’t quite a gamble.

What he wouldn’t give for chitin like theirs right now…

Day four was the day they were meant to arrive, but according to Scheherazade, it was unlikely they would be there until well after high noon.

“With our delays in getting this far,” the changeling explained as they crested another dune and began to trot down it, “odds are, we won’t be in safe areas until past lunchtime.”

“But we will get there today?” Nova asked, glancing past Scheherazade toward Chrysalis, who was skipping along next to them, not the least bit exhausted like her two escorts were. Nova had to wonder if the love he had for Twilight was just that strong, or if it was the thought of finally being home that was sustaining her.

“We will,” Scheherazade dipped his head. “I know the desert looks the same in every direction, but I would not have been selected for this mission if my liege had no confidence in my ability to navigate the wastes. The sun of your diarch guides me, as do your other diarch’s moon and stars. They do not lead us astray.”

“I believe you,” Nova nodded, before reaching back and taking a swig from his waterskin. “Nearly out of water.”

“Your reserves shall be restored on arrival,” Scheherazade assured him. “And on your way out, we will escort you most of the way to your home, but we dare not stray too far away. There will be a portion of the journey that you must make alone.”

Nova let the implications sink in. This meant there would be a significant portion of his return trip where he would be in No Pony’s Land, and Sombra could very well come and take his vengeance for upending his plans. Perhaps a letter to his princesses would help?

“We’re here! We’re here!”

Nova looked up to see Princess Chrysalis jumping at the top of another dune, pointing excitedly ahead of her and motioning to come and look.

“We are?” Scheherazade tilted his head. “If we were within our borders, the Sentinels would have met us by now.”

“Who’s to say they haven’t?” Nova asked, wiping his brow and cresting the dune. It was in the distance, but he could see twisting white spires off in the far distance.

“Ah,” Scheherazade shook his head. “Not there yet, I’m afraid, your highness. The mirages of the desert make it look closer than it is. We’ve still got several hours of trotting.”

“Lovely,” Nova sighed, wiping sweat off of his forehead and flicking it away. Chrysalis scrunched her nose at this, her wings buzzing for a split-second. “Any chance of an escort once these Sentinels find us? Preferably one that lets us take a break?”

“Ask, and ye shall receive.”

Before Nova could even jump at the unexpected voice, the air around them shimmered, and no less than six heavily-armored changelings wielding rather brutal-looking spears faded into existence around them. Under normal circumstances, Nova would have probably treated these six guards with a blasé attitude, unless they decided to attack. However, with the last several days of desert trekking, especially since his energy-sensing had been significantly dulled by his exhaustion, he didn’t want any trouble.

“Ahh, Captain Killik,” Scheherazade grinned, not at all surprised by this sudden appearance. “I see you finally got the cloaking armor working.”

One of the changelings stepped forward, though he simply stared at Scheherazade with an unreadable expression. “With some help from His Majesty, yes. We were preparing to be sent to Unicornia to assist you in your mission when we received word that it had been successful.”

Captain Killik glanced at Princess Chrysalis, who had flitted up to sit on Nova’s back.

“His Majesty will be glad to see his daughter safe and whole. Please follow us. Molossus, Brutus,” he added, glancing at two of the larger Changelings, “take up defensive positions at our rear. See we are not followed.”

Without so much as a short delay, Killik and his followers turned right around and began to march toward the city in the distance, not even waiting for the trio to catch up. Nova let out a tired sigh and cantered after them, the sand beneath his hooves making that difficult.

“Is he always like that?” Nova asked Scheherazade as they fell in.

“Pretty much,” Scheherazade grinned wryly. “You’d have better luck getting water from the sand than you would getting Captain Killik to emote.”

“Doesn’t the desert have oases?”

“I didn’t say it was impossible,” Scheherazade noted, giving Nova a sideways glance. “Stay with the group, the Hive is a labyrinth to those who do not know where everything is. All the better to trap those who wish us harm.”

Nova complied, staying with the guards as they began the home stretch. On his back, Chrysalis’ wings buzzed impatiently as their trotting seemed to take them no closer than they were before. They were still quite some way away, but perhaps that was simply the desert’s images confusing them. Or maybe the Changelings intended it this way.

After several minutes of trotting, the fuzzy twisting shapes of the Changeling Hive came into sharper focus. It looked somewhat similar to Canterlot Castle, in a strange way, albeit made of white chitinous material. There were twisting towers and ramparts, with a particularly tall spire standing proudly in the middle. It was eerie, to see a monolithic structure like this so far out in the desert, but Nova supposed this was to the changelings’ benefit.

As they continued their approach, Nova started to see formations of guards flying around the many towers, occasionally landing on the battlements, or flying into its entries, to be replaced by other guards.

“We have been on high alert since we returned,” Captain Killik explained as they grew close enough to actually see the building’s shadow on the dunes. The ground beneath their hooves started to harden and solidify as they got closer, turning into more of a rocky island in the midst of this sea of sand, which did wonders for any traction under him. “We will likely remain so until we can be sure we will suffer no retaliation from Sombra. Nevertheless, you need fear no harm so long as you are here.”

“Thanks,” Nova dipped his head.

At long last, they entered the hive through a massive opening in its side, a main entryway no doubt, and all of the white chitin was now black instead, no doubt to maximize coolness within. The sweet relief of shade and a crisp colder temperature felt like it penetrated him right to the bones, and Nova couldn’t help but let out a relieved moan as the punishing heat of the desert was dispelled.

Scheherazade chuckled at him. Chrysalis, meanwhile, gave his back a tiny squeeze, her wings still buzzing with excitement and impatience.

“I can feel Papa,” she beamed from behind him.

Killik and the guards led Nova and Scheherazade through twisting hallways, up ramps or flights of stairs, down long corridors, and so forth. Nova was extremely grateful for his guides, because there was no doubt that anyone who had to explore this place on their own would likely be lost unless they had help, or other ways of ensuring they kept track of what had been explored and what hadn’t.

Finally, they stood in front of two massive doors that seemed to be cut from a black stone, but which slid open easily as Killik pushed upon them.

The Throne Room was massive, made of more of the glossy chitinous material, with proud black and green silken banners hanging from the ceiling, drapes adorning the walls, mighty pillars propping the room up, and a magnificent black throne situated at the far end of the hall, on which was seated a changeling that had to be the size of Celestia and Luna, who was watching him with interest as he was escorted in.

He looked like Chrysalis in the future, but where Chrysalis’ chitin from his own time was greying from the lack of love, the Grey Monarch’s chitin was pitch-black and had none of the holes that the changelings from his own time would have. He wore no finery, his mane was well-kept, his muzzle was clearly masculine and his chin was strong, and Nova had to wonder in that brief moment why his name was “the Grey Monarch” when he didn’t seem to be grey in the slightest.

The moment, however, that she laid eyes on him, Chrysalis leaped off of Nova’s back and sprinted down the hall.

“Papaaaa!” she shouted.

At once, the large changeling jumped forward himself, cantering down the hall with no regard for decorum, meeting his daughter halfway and sweeping her up into a great hug.

Beside him, Scheherazade reached over and gave Nova a friendly pat on the back, before stepping forward and moving toward the king, who remained in his embrace with his lost daughter. Nova watched the two of them, feeling a strange sensation deep inside.

He had actually gotten kinda fond of Chrysalis over the last few days, and he’d always liked kids. But… maybe if he and Twilight got married, having one wouldn’t be so bad?

He started to smile a small sappy smile as he thought about it. He had no idea what this child would look like, but just the idea of him and Twilight, the two most powerful unicorns in the world, living together, studying magic together, and raising foals together… it didn’t seem unwelcome.

I’ve changed, he thought, thinking back to how he was not even six months ago, as far as his personal timeline was concerned. It’s amazing what a little bit of love’ll do, eh?

Something jabbed him and he jumped, returning his attention to the room he was in. Killik had given him a firm bump with his hoof to get his attention, and was giving him an insistent gesture toward the Grey Monarch, who was approaching him with Chrysalis riding on his own back now.

The changeling guards all knelt as he approached, but Nova, unsure of what to do, just looked over at Scheherazade helplessly. Scheherazade gave him a quick motion to kneel as well, but before he could, the changeling king lifted a hoof.

“You kneel to no one here, Rescuer.”

His voice was deep, simultaneously thunderous as a storm yet gentle as a breeze. It carried power, it commanded the attention of everyone in the room, yet it fell upon his ears no louder than Luna’s voice did on nights they spent together studying the stars, than Twilight’s voice when they were cuddled together reading a book. It was everything that Nova knew the voice of Celestia would become in his own time. The voice of someone who wore their crown well, but never let it rule them.

“You have my eternal gratitude for returning my daughter to me safe and sound,” he continued, with a warm smile on his face. “For all you have done, by my right as King, I hereby name you Friend of the Changelings. So long as you live, you may count Changelingkind among your allies, and we shall do you no harm so long as you do no harm to us in return.”

Nova didn’t know the significance of these boons, but propriety still demanded he respond, so he bowed his head. “You honor me, your grace.”

The king smiled down at him in that same way Celestia would in his own time. A gentle half-smile that conveyed so much and yet so little, before turning around and motioning with a hoof for Scheherazade.

“Chryssie,” he muttered, just loud enough for them to hear, “I need to speak with him alone, and you also need to be properly fed. Can you allow Scheherazade to take you to the Healers’ Den and give us a few moments?”

Princess Chrysalis pouted from upon her father’s back, but slid herself off all the same. Instead of going over to Scheherazade, however, she instead dashed toward Nova Shine and gave him one last little hug.

“Thank you, Mr. Nova Shine!”

Nova smiled down at her, reaching down and tousling her mane. “Any time, little one. You’re safe now.”

She smiled bashfully but started to step away from him half-heartedly, before eventually following Scheherazade as they made their way back out into the hive once more. Nova had one last look at the both of them, with Scheherazade giving one last thankful bow, before they turned a corner and disappeared.

“Please follow me. That will be all, Captain Killik,” the king added to the guards, who all saluted and walked off. With that, the king turned around and walked through an opening behind his throne, with Nova trotting after him.

The room behind was more akin to a lounge, with an opening to a balcony directly opposite, with a stunning vista of the desert that lay beyond. With the winds blowing sand every which way, it was like watching an ever-shifting landscape as dunes appeared and disappeared with each gust.

The vista constantly changed, aside from the stunning view of the Hive, and Nova couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to wake up to a view like this every day.

…even though this wasn’t a bedroom. Or was it? How did changelings sleep now that they were in their hive?

The King strode out to his balcony, gazing out over the shifting sands of his desert kingdom with a watchful eye. Nova could see ranks of changelings flying around, guard formations patrolling, civilians going about their business, nymphs struggling to take off or hold a steady flight…

This must be what Cloudsdale is like, he thought to himself. Only, you know, actually in the clouds.

“There is much to discuss, but oh-so-little time in which to do it,” the King said gravely, still staring out over the lands of his domain. “I know you have come a long way, but you have much further to go, and there will be time for rest, so we must get right to it.”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded. “Figured as much.”

“In addition,” the king glanced back at him, “I would greatly appreciate it if you kept all knowledge of what is to come to yourself.”

“What do you mean, all knowledge of what is to come?” Nova asked, feeling the cold spike of dread in him. Was he found out? The king couldn’t possibly know, could he?

The king smiled.

“Oh, Savior, you hide it well, but you don’t hide it well enough,” the king laughed, before fixing him with a critical gaze. “Particularly not from me, and not from other powerful spellcasters.” At the look on Nova Shine’s face, he laughed again but patted him on the shoulder placatingly. “In truth, I did not know you were a pony out of his own time until I saw you face-to-face, but I have been following your path since your arrival. A correspondent of mine mentioned that if you were as powerful as you were saying, he would have felt the backlash from his own home, yet he felt nothing. Now here you stand before me, tempered and worthy of respect, yet still nowhere near the level of power you would need to teleport yourself all the way to Unicornia from Canterlot.”

“To be fair,” Nova smiled sheepishly, “I never once said I teleported myself.”

“You simply let rumors do as they were wont, and allowed other ponies to spread your legend for you. Clever,” the king nodded approvingly, before trotting over to a small ebony table that had a pair of chitinous goblets and a glass bottle of a substance that looked like wine. However, Nova could detect the supernatural properties within it and knew it most certainly wasn’t fermented fruit. “Here, drink a glassful of this. It shall begin the process of rejuvenation so that you will be ready to begin your long voyage tomorrow.”

“What is it?” Nova asked, following the king and allowing him to pour Nova a measure of liquid.

“The name in our tongue is unpronounceable in yours, but you may think of it as crystalized and liquid love in its purest form. To a changeling, even a few drops can sustain us for days at a time. It will not have the same effect on you, but you will still find it satisfactory.”

Nova smelled the liquid, and much to his surprise and pain, it smelled strongly of lavender, of a mown lawn, of the hops he would find in beer, and so many other smells that awoke a palpable nostalgia and longing in him.

“Its smell is different from pony to pony, specifically carrying aromas of things they love,” the king continued. “It is not enough to sustain you, but it will rejuvenate you in a time of dire need.”

Nova tipped the goblet back and swallowed the entire serving in one gulp. The taste, was quite literally indescribable, so many blends of flavor, so many layers, and more importantly, so many mental images of those that he cared about. Most prominent among them, naturally, was none other than the mare waiting for him in his own time, but there were mental images of Luna and Celestia, of Spike, of Trixie and Aegis, Sharp Eye, his parents…

And Summer and Clover.

As he finished off the goblet, he placed it back on the table, and he could already start feeling energy return to his limbs. He wasn’t anywhere close to ragged, but he was already feeling as though he hadn’t trekked across the desert.

“Now we may discuss the important things,” the king replied, now taking on a more stern bearing. “Let’s begin with the most pressing. Do you understand the significance of rescuing my daughter and giving freely of your own love that she may survive?”

“I mean, other than stopping a member of my own kind to save one of yours?”

“So you do not know,” the king continued. “That is good. We have taken great pains to hide this from the other species, lest it becomes common knowledge and thus exploited.”

The king paused for a moment. Nova took the time to look around the little lounge, though it contained nothing already described. It was rather bare, though he supposed it was more a place for him to take short breaks away from whatever business awaited him in the Throne Room.

“My daughter is now bonded to you for life, Nova Shine.”

Had Nova been drinking some of the liquid love, he would have spat it out.

“I’m sorry, what?” Nova asked, feeling like it was probably best to hightail it out of here on the pronto.

“No no no,” the king couldn’t help an amused smile at the look on his face. “Not in the way you are no doubt picturing. To explain, we changelings have what we call a life bond. To those who save our lives from certain doom and give freely of their own love to help nurse us back to health, we become bonded to them. So long as they live and so long as the changeling lives, the changeling can bring you no harm, be it physical, mental, or emotional. In addition, they will seek to protect you in any way they can. To do otherwise is dangerous for us, for we owe that pony our lives.”

Nova Shine’s memory triggered, and he remembered being dragged before Queen Chrysalis in the chapel of Canterlot, with a hypnotized Shining Armor standing behind her, Celestia cocooned above, Cadenza trying to break Shining free of the spell, and the Elements nowhere to be seen. He remembered that the queen had been shocked to see him, before simply ordering that he be kept away from everyone else in another room, rather than having him hurt or something else.

I suppose that’s why, he thought to himself grimly.

“If you return to your own time and my daughter is still alive and well,” the king continued, “she will protect you should she know it is you, and not simply someone who looks like you.”

“What do you mean, if your daughter is still alive?”

The king smiled humorlessly.

“Your actions have only delayed the inevitable, Nova Shine,” he answered softly, looking sorrowfully over the desert. “Before your arrival, my subjects demanded your arrest and for you to be held responsible for your own kind’s actions. I named you Friend to the Changelings as a decisive action to quell that, to protect you. Yet the damage wrought by King Sombra has been done, and I fear conflict between our civilizations is inevitable. Delayed for a time, but inevitable.”

Nova knew the king was right. It would take over a century, but war would break out, and in the fires of conflict, the king would not live past it and his daughter would carry a burning hatred for ponykind ever after.

Sombra would get what he wanted, but Celestia and Luna would ensure that he wouldn’t be in a position to profit from it.

“Nevertheless, your individual actions will be praised. The Grey Monarch is my title, one I inherited from my father. However, as Scheherazade no doubt told you, for a changeling to give you their name is a sign of the utmost trust. Thus, for all you have done for me personally, Nova Shine, my name is Metamorphosis, and as a father, from the bottom of my heart, you have my thanks for saving my daughter’s life.”

And with that, the mighty Grey Monarch, King Metamorphosis of the changelings, bowed his head to Nova Shine.

Nova stood there feeling awkward, not really sure how to react to a changeling king prostrating himself, but before he could dwell on it, the king righted himself.

“You will have a long night of rest,” the king promised, “and we will begin your preparations to escort you on your return to the lands of ponykind, but only as far as we dare within the desert.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Nova bowed his own head this time. “I won’t forget your kindness.”

The sooner he was back on the trail, the better. He was ready to be safe and sound within the walls of Everfree Castle.

And he was ready to see Clover and Summer again.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Journeying alone was the worst. He had no one to talk to, no way to distract himself from the harsh conditions around him, nothing at all to take his mind off of every step he took, nothing to lure his mind away from the punishing heat, of the smothering heat around him that pressed in from all sides, invaded him with every breath he took.

Step by step, Nova Shine trekked back across the great desert, and he could only now truly see why the unicorns called it a Sandsea. From horizon to horizon, dunes and billows covered the ground, and with the heat radiation added to the mix, everything appeared wavy and watery.

Sweat trickled down the nape of his neck, and he swept his mane back and readjusted the strip of cloth keeping it out of his face. It was murder to travel in the desert during the day, but had he traveled during the night, he risked being unable to see anything about where he was going.

What he wouldn’t give for chitin right about now…

Step by step, he walked.

Step by step, the sand sank beneath his hooves.

Step by step he stumbled.

Step by step, he sweat.

Second by second. Minute by minute. Hour by hour.

The first day passed with no incident. Rejuvenated from his time at the Empire, Nova Shine had set out fresh and had made good progress. He had successfully managed to ration his water and even saved some for the next day.

The second day felt like a year. The sand had become his least favorite thing in the world at this point. It was coarse, it was rough, it was irritating, and it was getting everywhere. He couldn’t even sleep comfortably with how deep it was becoming lodged in his coat.

And now the third day…

If he was fortunate, he would reach the edge of the desert sometime after nightfall, and hopefully, Equestrian pegasi would be waiting for him. Hopefully, he’d be home by tomorrow night and he could sleep in a bathtub to get all of this damned sand out of his coat. Hopefully, they’d have a chariot or something because he did not want to walk anymore for weeks if he could help it.

Maybe he could make his own wheelchair…

Suddenly, Nova Shine heard something.

It was so silent out here that oftentimes all he could ever hear was his own breathing or heartbeat, but there was a sudden skittering noise somewhere in the distance. As he looked around for the source of the sound, he beheld a large dark thing on the horizon, a cloud of black and brown and tan, stretching wide from horizon to horizon and slowly moving towards him.

Under normal circumstances, Nova Shine would have immediately known what was happening, but having been addled by the heat and the lack of water, it took Nova a few seconds to puzzle it out. He squinted, before realizing his eyesight was blurred. Some eye-rubbing later, he beheld a massive wall of sand.

Headed right for him.

“Sandstorm,” he growled bitterly with a tired shake of his head. “Just my luck.”

He would have to conserve magic, there was no doubt about that, but he was going to need the strongest shields he could, and it didn’t seem there was any getting around it.

As the storm approached, he did notice that the temperature dropped as the wind blew in his direction and the sand started to provide some shade, but he knew it was a false reprieve given the punishment he was about to endure. Nearly fifteen minutes passed before the storm seemed close enough to be a concern, and another ten still before Nova began to contemplate raising his shield.

Only a few short minutes later, Nova knew it was time. The wall of sand flying toward him was only a few yards away. He took his last deep breath of clean air, lit his horn, and blasted a shield outward to provide him with safety for at least a few inches in every direction.

Within mere instants, the storm overtook him. The wind was a roar in his ears, the sand skittered every which way, colliding with his shield and other grains as the wind tossed it around. The way forward was impossible to see, the ground itself was shrouded in darkness. Nova Shine had no choice but to simply soldier forward.

But no sooner had he entered the storm than the shield had started to take a beating. One grain of sand hitting his shield was trivial. A hundred too. Even a thousand. But tens of thousands each second were taxing, and after several minutes, Nova knew he had made a serious and potentially costly mistake.

He couldn’t turn back, he couldn’t simply head somewhere off to the side. The only way out was to either go through this mess, or to wait it out. But waiting it out wasn’t an option. He was hungry, he was thirsty, he was tired, and he was lost.

The magic began to slip from his grasp.

N-no… he thought, trying desperately to cling on to the last dregs of energy. I can’t… not like this…

But finally, the magic slipped away entirely. The shield dissipated. And the sand converged at once.

Nova tried to duck down to protect his face on pure instinct, but it was futile. The moment his shield had collapsed, he could no longer see. Sand was everywhere. In his mane, in his coat, in his ears, invading his mouth and nostrils, trying to get into his eyes. He couldn’t see. He could barely breathe.

He coughed as he inhaled sand, sputtering as he tried to expel it. His mouth tasted of dust and rock, his eyes stung as the wind and the sand irritated them as well. The roaring of the wind deafened him.

He was going to die. He was going to suffocate and die here in the desert.

I’m sorry, Twi… he thought, nearly vomiting as he swallowed sand by accident. The problem was, he had nothing left to vomit.

Suddenly, everything around him stopped completely. Taste, sound, pain, all of it was gone in an instant.

Nova cautiously opened his eyes. Was this… was he dead?

The sandscape around him was… calm. Everything had just completely stopped, and he was now sitting in a bubble of peace while the cacophony of sound and sand raged outside. Something in this space was keeping things held at bay, but… who? Why?

Nova looked around, and his eyes fell on a lone figure, standing in the center.

He wore a fur-trimmed red cape, his mane was black and shaggy. Nova beheld metal armor and barding glinting in what little light managed to make it down here, but it was all illuminated by the sickly green and purple glow of energy that was issuing from his horn.

No, Nova wasn’t dead. But he was pretty sure he was about to wish he was.

Sombra turned, apparently satisfied with his work on the sandstorm, to find Nova Shine already making a mad dash toward the edge. Between a battle with Sombra and this storm, he would take his chances.

A wall of sand erupted in front of him, causing him to stumble and fall backward, whereupon the wall flung him back toward Sombra at a high speed. Nova flew through the air, landing with a surprisingly-gentle spray of grains as he fell right at the king’s hooves.

“And here I thought you’d never bow to me,” the king observed dryly, looking him over from head to tail as he groaned and lay on the ground.

“Are you here to kill me?” Nova asked weakly, reaching up and wiping his mane out of his face.

“Now why on earth would I want you to die?” Sombra asked, the faintest hint of amusement in his voice. “In case you haven’t seen, I’ve saved your life. It seems a waste to kill you after that.”

“After what happened in… in Unicornia…” Nova breathed, before pushing himself into a sitting position.

Sombra was staring down at him, his cold red eyes trailing with shadowy energy as he stared down at him, his expression unreadable. What was his game?

“A minor setback, true, but no great loss,” the king replied with the faintest shrug. “It served a greater purpose than you know. The spell that you endured from Silverblood?”

Nova suddenly felt no shortage of unease well up inside him at the mention of the Dark Magic that had been used against him.

“That spell shall serve its purpose in due time. But that was not the only gain I made,” Sombra smiled. “Your triumph sowed the seeds of fear and hate.” Nova knew that the king had sensed as much. Even when he lost, Sombra had won. Yet the king’s smile deepened even further. “It also brought me face to face... with you.”

Nova felt a slight chill go up his spine at these words, despite the heat.

With… me? Why am I so important? What does he want with me?

“I know the truth: this time is not your own,” the king continued, and now Nova could see the ghost of a smile as the king sneered down at him. The chill wracking him grew more intense. “I’ve seen the fate that lies in store for us. I know I die within the course of time…”

He knelt down beside Nova, his sneer now quite apparent.

“My death, I will not let my ending be. In time, to life shall I return once more. When all, you think, is safe, then shall I come. When three are sealed in stone, then shall I come. When Harm’ny reigns again, then shall I come.”

He leaned down right next to Nova’s ear.

“The future carries hope in one bright gleam.”

He leaned back. Nova struggled to process his words. It all sounded so poetic, so… familiar. Why did it seem like he should have known what the king was saying…?

“Fret not, you shan’t remember this at all.” Sombra returned to his hooves. “But worry not, my friend, I’m here to help. After all...”

The poetic intonations of his voice vanished, and his horn began to glow with energy once more. The last thing Nova Shine heard before a beam of light struck him once more…

“I’m invested in your future, Nova Shine.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Summer Blossom was having a day to forget up until this point.

First, there was just the usual antagonization that Silverbitch felt was appropriate as she sauntered her way into Summer’s line of sight at every opportunity on this completely unremarkable day. Summer was still not entirely sure what she even did to make Silverbitch this mad at her aside from stand up to her back in Unicornia.

But that alone didn’t make the day awful. That was something she was just used to at this point.

There was, of course, her constant worry over the still unconscious Nova Shine currently sleeping away in his home.

While she would have loved nothing more than to stay at his side until he woke up, unfortunately, she needed to eat, and for that, she needed bits, and for that, she needed to work. Fortunately, however, Clover had recently arrived, and Summer found it perhaps a bit too easy to convince Clover to keep an eye on him whenever she had to head up to the castle to oversee construction.

So for the last few days, that had been on her mind.

She had also learned that one of her exes had decided to show up in the city as well, and had the utter gall to come and try to worm his way back into her good graces. “I’m different!” he had pleaded with her. “I’ll never do it again, I swear!” he had promised. Of course, back then he had claimed she was the one for him before he had a different one a few months later, and the “it” in question was going behind her back.

He had also not taken no for an answer, which got him a black eye and got her a stern reprimand from one of the Peacekeepers.

Summer didn’t normally keep up with her exes. She tried to keep them as far away from her mind as possible, lest old feelings and pain be brought back to the surface. Frankly, blacking Silky Smooth’s eye was a tame reaction compared to what she would have done.

All of this stacked helping after helping of negative emotion onto her psyche as she stomped her way toward Nova Shine’s house to swap places with Lady Clover once more.

Lady Clover…

When last she had been around Clover before her arrival here, Clover had tried to defend her to Platinum over Silverbitch’s demands she be fired. She had also been there with her when Nova Shine first blasted himself into existence on the mountainside, and their relationship had been none too friendly.

So why was she now so interested in making sure he was okay? It very obviously had something to do with Nova’s recent journey up to Unicornia and whatever had gone on up there, but what had caused such a turnaround that even Clover the Cloistered could be tempted to come out of her hovel?

With an annoyed growl, she shoved open the door to Nova’s house, startling the mare herself as she stomped in. Nova’s house was extremely simple, to say the least. One would have expected Princess Luna’s personal student to have a wealth of books, or perhaps tools for study, but Nova’s house had merely some of the most basic amenities. No doubt everything else he needed could be found up at the Castle.

No, this house featured a bed, a few chairs, a desk, a firepit with a cooking pot positioned above it, cabinets, and a small stone tub for bathing. No books, no pantry or larder, none of the amenities one would expect from someone in his position. He lived modestly.

“Was the force truly necessary?” asked Clover, giving her one of her usual omnipresent frowns.

“Yes,” Summer replied bitterly, plopping herself in one of the wooden chairs around the small shack of a home and looking over at the bed, where Nova Shine lay dead to the world, tucked into his blankets, the only indication that he were even alive being his slowly rising chest. “Had a hell of a day.”

Clover gave her a small nod, before turning her attention back to the slumbering stallion.

“How’s he been?” Summer asked.

“There has been no change,” Clover answered, her frown deepening. “I can detect no spells on him and his vitals are stable. As best I can tell, he is merely asleep.”

“Greeeeeeeat,” Summer slouched in her seat.

“You never told me how he came to be like this,” Clover added, giving her another glance before returning to her studying of the sleeping Night Apprentice. “He left Unicornia with a changeling and the nymph Princess Chrysalis and he was in good health, yet now he seems to be completely unconscious.”

“I don’t know,” Summer shrugged. “Medics were carrying him in the castle, said some pegasi had found him completely unconscious on the edge of the Sandsea like that. I brought him back to keep an eye on him, but had to go to work, so I found you.”

“Curious,” Clover frowned again. “If Sombra had done something to him, then he would likely be dead, but he returned the Changeling Princess. I would also posit that perhaps he simply passed out, but that does not seem likely either.”

“What do you mean, ‘if Sombra had done something?’” Summer asked, curiosity piqued. “And what’s this stuff about changelings?”

“I shall have to regale you another time, it is rather complicated.”

“We have a lot of time on our hooves,” Summer pointed out, giving her an annoyed look. “Look, if you can’t or don’t want to talk about it, just tell me.”

Clover met her annoyance with her usual stone face. Summer would never bet against this mare in a game of cards.

“Very well,” Clover said, her tone containing the thinnest of icy tones behind it. “I do not wish to talk about it.”

“See, there you go,” Summer grinned. “That’s all you had to say.”

Clover did not share in her enthusiasm. Instead, she simply ended all conversation entirely, turning instead to continue monitoring Nova Shine, though she removed a book from a small pack at his bedside that Summer had failed to notice, and started reading it between moments spent looking over their bedpatient. Summer was about to resign herself to hours spent in silence with the two of them pretending to ignore each other when there came a soft groan. At once, Clover snapped the book shut at once and turned her gaze toward Nova, just as Summer bolted over.

“His eyes are moving,” Clover said, reaching out and feeling his head, which had started to sweat. “He also has a fever. Summer, please go and soak rags in water as cold as you can. I fear he may be quite sick.”

“On it,” Summer nodded, before grabbing some rags that Clover had left out a couple of days ago in case of emergency and dashing outside toward the nearest well. With a quick apology to the stallion who was about to use it, Summer snatched the bucket from him, practically tossed it down with her magic, scooped up whatever water she could, and pulled it back up, whereupon she magically brought the water near freezing and dunked the rags in it.

With that, she rushed back inside, where Clover was scanning him with her magic. Nova was starting to shift and turn, which didn’t bode well.

“Got the rags,” Summer announced, practically hurling one at Clover, who caught it expertly and began to drag it around Nova’s face to mop up the sweat and cool him down.

“He isn’t sick as far as I can tell, but something is wreaking havoc on him all the same,” Clover muttered just loudly enough for Summer to hear. “Nevertheless, if we keep him stable, he should awaken in due t–”

“GAH!”

Nova Shine’s eyes flew open, and he practically threw himself out of bed, accidentally knocking poor Clover to the ground. Summer watched, half-horrified and half-fascinated, as Nova looked wildly around the room, horn blazing with blue light.

“Nova Shine!” Summer cried out, darting forward and grabbing hold of him in an attempt to hold him tight before he hurt anyone.

“What… where…?” Nova gasped. He was extremely tense underneath Summer’s grasp. Clover crawled out from under him looking none the worse for wear, but looking startled.

“Peace, sir Nova Shine,” Clover said. “You are in your home in Everfree. Summer and I are here.”

Nova slowly started to untense his muscles, and as he did so, Summer slowly started to let go of him.

“Please, return to your bed,” Clover advised, trying to guide him there, which Summer was only too eager to help. “You are unwell.”

“Where’s Sombra?” Nova asked, still looking around warily and keeping his horn lit as though he expected someone to jump at him from anywhere..

“There is no one else here, Nova Shine,” Clover replied gently, now trying to ease him into the bed. “Please, get back into bed.”

Nova complied, albeit most unwillingly. Nevertheless, as Clover and Summer tucked him in, he did at least seem to be calming down from whatever had caused his outburst. Had he been having a nightmare?

“How long was I out?” Nova asked, his voice a croak.

“I do not know,” Clover answered, her usual frown deepening, “but you were brought back to Everfree four days ago.”

“What day is it?”

“Tuesday the 17th,” said Summer.

Nova fell back against his mattress with a sigh. “So I was out for five days.”

Summer felt something grab behind her neck, and she let out a small “Eep!” Beside her, Clover as well seemed to flinch as a small blue aura of magic took hold between her shoulderblades. Both of them seemed to fall into Nova’s bed, and he promptly gave them both a quick hug.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “Both of you. Taking care of me couldn’t have been easy.”

Summer tried to banish the warm and fuzzy feeling she was getting in her belly. Clover seemed to be blushing as well next to him, and she quickly extricated herself from the hug.

“Yes, well…” she backed up several paces as Nova let Summer up. “I shall come by to check up on you over the next few days, as will Summer. In the meantime, I will go and alert the princesses that you are alright once again.”

Without even waiting for a response, she shoved open the door and bolted out. Summer watched her go, feeling odd. Did Clover seriously show emotion and then do anything other than make a dignified exit?

What was the world coming to?

There was a soft fwump! from behind her, and Summer turned back to see that Nova had fallen back against the bed, though he had grabbed Clover’s fallen book from the ground and had started reading it.

“She… forgot her pack,” Summer noted, fighting back a tiny chuckle. "That’s the first time I’ve ever seen her act like this.”

“Second,” Nova grunted, leafing through the pages, before he just let them all dangle in his face for a moment before shutting the book. “You should see her when she’s drunk.”

“When she’s what?”

“Drunk, yes,” Nova stashed the book in Clover’s pack, bundled it up neatly, and magically floated it over to a table. “I’ll get this to her tomorrow.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you get back to work so soon after waking up from being unconscious for several days,” Summer trotted over and gave him the sternest look she could muster. “You need rest, you need time to heal, and you definitely do not need stress right now.”

“I’ve got you two,” Nova replied, giving her a fond smile. “What sort of stress are you talking about?”

Summer opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when nothing suitable sprang to mind.

“Besides, I’m sure the princesses will be here sooner or later to check up on me anyway,” Nova closed his eyes as he made himself comfortable on the bed. “I’m getting tired of spending time laying around for hours. Just want to get back to learning about magic.”

“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” Summer frowned as she recalled the news that she had seen posted on various billboards around the city. “Princess Celestia’s looking for her own student now. Probably gonna be working closely with you, I’d imagine.”

Nova didn’t react. Truthfully, Summer didn’t know how to react herself. On the one hoof, she probably should have known that this would happen. But considering some of the gossip and mutterings she’d heard in the bars around town, she had a feeling there were gonna be all sorts of mares chasing after Nova now.

Maybe she had a chance…?

“Well, I guess I have that to look forward to now,” Nova muttered just loudly enough for her to hear. “Any word on when she’s going to announce her choice?”

“No idea,” she shrugged, before sighing. “This has been a long several days.”

“Well, it’s over now. Mostly, anyway.”

"Yeah,” she smiled tiredly as she scooted her chair toward his bed. “It is. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he grinned, before wincing slightly. “...I suppose running off and doing dangerous work can be hazardous to my health, but hey, I suppose there are worse things out there than waking up to two of my favorite ponies making sure I’m okay.”

If she had been paying attention, she would have seen the distant, pained look on his face moments later as his mind drifted back once more to the ponies that awaited him in his own time.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“You want me to what?”

Princess Celestia grinned cattily from her throne while Princess Luna shifted uncomfortably beside her. Nova, meanwhile, stood tall and proud at the foot of Celestia’s dais, Night Apprentice Cloak drawn up and brooch puffed out as an unmistakable show of his station. It had been only three days since he had woken up and although he was still a little achy, he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of a royal summons.

He knew the day was coming, but he didn’t expect to be involved.

“We want you to interview potential candidates for the position of Faithful Student,” Princess Celestia replied, giving him an amused look. “After all, the two of you are likely going to be working together, learning together, living together, ravishing Luna together--”

“TIA!”

“--and most importantly--”

“Don’t say it,” said Nova.

“--helping Us learn how to be a better teacher together,” finished Celestia, her eyes rather quickly darting over to Luna, who was red-faced and sputtering.

“Do you really have to tease her that much?” Nova asked, giving her a flat look. “I’m as big a fan of messing with ponies as anyone, but it just becomes bullying if you keep doing it when they keep asking you to stop.”

“Oh, believe Us, if We crossed a line, Our sister would let us know immediately,” Celestia replied casually. Nova did not miss the strange expression that crossed Luna’s face as she said this. It wasn’t quite resentment, but it wasn’t quite a warm look either.

“And you are absolutely sure she would?” Nova arched an eyebrow. At this, Luna looked over and gave him a shake of her head, a silent request not to press this any further.

“Of course she would!” Celestia replied with a whimsical roll of her eyes. “Our sister trusts Us as much as We trust her. If ever We truly said something that offended her, she would tell Us in confidence and We would rectify it.”

Nova looked between them for a few moments, but decided to honor Luna’s wishes, even as she gave him a pleading look. “Alright then. Interview your Faithful Student candidates.”

Celestia nodded, before giving him a grateful smile. “While the final choice does end up being in Our hooves, trust Us Nova Shine, thine opinions are important to Us. Please, keep an open mind, but if thou dost not believe a candidate is a good fit, be honest.”

He already knew how this was going to go. There was only ever one candidate in mind, wasn’t there? But was it because history said so? Or would it be because she proved herself better than the others?

Or… perhaps another reason?

“Thou should already find them convened within the Western Conference Room. Happy interviewing!” Princess Celestia gave him a wave. Nova bowed his head and backed out of the room at this dismissal, before immediately turning and heading off toward the room Celestia had mentioned.

It was rather short notice, but he was already formulating a plan. At the end of the day, he knew it was going to be Clover, but there had to be a logical reason to make it happen. There had to be a legitimate case. She had to earn it. So… why not structure it in a way to play directly to what he knew about her?

Three questions was all he would need. Three questions, and… Nova grinned. Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.

As he continued on his way toward the Western Conference Room, however, he found himself passing by Summer Blossom moving in the opposite direction. No sooner had he turned a corner than had the two of them nearly collided, only to jump backward, before both blushing a bit and laughing awkwardly.

“Off to interview the new candidates?” she asked, glancing back the way she’d come. “The princess said you’d be involved.”

“I only just found out about it,” Nova replied with a shrug. “Haven’t even set up shop. What about you? Where are you off to?”

“I…” She trailed off, biting her lip, and giving him a nervous look. “I… have decided not to try out for it.”

“What? Why?” Nova asked, surprised. “You’d have a fair shot. You’re not really any slouch magically speaking, I’m sure you’d have as good a shot as anyone.”

“Because of her,” Summer replied with a scowl. “Silverbitch is in there.”

Understanding flooded through him immediately. He reached out a hoof and placed it on her shoulder in hopefully what was a reassuring gesture. “Summer, I’m the one doing the interviewing. I already have something in mind that will make sure you get a fair chance.”

Summer bit her lip for a half-second and looked away, but eventually just shook her head. “Thank you Nova, but I’m… happy as it is, and it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to say that. I already get to spend time with you, and spellcasting’s not really something I want to spend all my days doing. Just not really my thing.”

“Fair enough,” Nova gave her a warm smile. “And hey, if you reconsider, I’ll make time.”

Summer smiled, and before Nova could react, she learned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “I appreciate it, Nova. Really, I do. But you’ve already given me so much. I’ll be content with this.”

With that, she trotted off, humming something to herself. Nova watched her go, feeling his warm smile grow slightly wider as he reached up and felt the spot she’d kissed. Was Celestia sure it was Clover he’d fall for…?

He cleared his thoughts with a shake of his head. He had more important matters to attend to. So with that, he continued on his way to the Conference Room, and even as he approached it, he could already hear the talking inside and feel each candidate.

Why the hell were there so many!?

He pushed his way into the room, and the doors swung open, hitting the walls with a rather satisfying thud! There were tens of ponies in here, of every color, of every size, all unicorns naturally, but Nova knew a tough task lay ahead of them to narrow the crowd down to size.

With deliberate steps, he strode toward a door off to the side of the conference room, waiting for the babble to die down and for everyone in the room to give him their full undivided attention. As he turned around, however, a pair of leering red eyes caught his attention, but he ignored them completely. Instead, he cleared his throat to clear what was left of the room’s ruckus.

“Thank you all for coming,” he said loudly, letting his voice carry. “Princess Celestia has asked me to interview each and every one of you to see if you would be a good fit for the position of her personal apprentice. I have decided that a little bit of honesty wouldn’t be amiss, so I will be creating a Zone of Truth within this room here,” he knocked on the door, “to make sure each and every one of you’s motives are true.”

It was almost hysterical how many expressions from the many different faces in the room blanched at that. Oddly enough, Shimmer Silvermane’s wasn’t one of them. No, she was simply giving him a cold smile every second, even though he wasn’t looking at her. She knew he knew she was there.

He pushed the door open. “So, give me a moment to set it up, and we’ll get this ball a-rollin’. When I ask for whoever’s next, step right in.”

With that, he stepped inside. It was a simple round chamber for private discussions, and it would serve his purposes here today. No tables, just a pair of chairs, and no decor. Rather bland, but the decoration would come once the castle was finished. A few spell tags here, some magic there, and about five minutes after entering, he had himself a functioning Zone of Truth there to ward off the liars and the ones trying ti hide their real intentions.

He had tested his spell by trying to say aloud that he was a die-hard fan of Trottenham Hotspur. It had taken his entire willpower not to vomit at the thought, but fortunately, the spell prevented him from saying it, and instead he felt compelled to say “I hope Trottenham lose every game for the rest of time.” Satisfied that his work was complete, he thrust the door back open and called for the first interviewee, and away they went.

He started each one off with “Why do you want to be Princess Celestia’s personal student?” It turned out that both that question and the Zone of Truth he had created were wise decisions..

“Because I want to woo Princess Celestia.“

“Because I want more influence for myself.”

“Because I’m bored.”

“Because I wanna learn how to call down meteors from the sky!”

Most of them had the sense to withdraw after that. Only three candidates had made it to Question 2 out of his first twenty. Things were going about as well as he expected them to. The second question, however, weeded out several more.

“What are you hoping to learn from Princess Celestia?” he would ask.

“How to take down my enemies!”

“How to get rich with magic!”

“How to seduce mares.”

“How to seduce stallions.”

“How to seduce you.”

“And we’re done here,” Nova replied to all six ponies who said that last one. Two of them were stallions. His barn door didn’t swing that way in the slightest and it left him feeling extremely uncomfortable, truth be told, though a quiet suggestion to the second stallion to chase after the first hopefully allowed them to find someone more their orientation.

The third and final question, however, saw a lot more fruit, considering almost everyone else had been eliminated by this point. But unfortunately, none of the answers were quite what Novas was looking for.

“If you are selected for this position, and you graduate, what do you wish to do with what you have learned?”

“I want to join the military, so I can use what I’ve learned to protect others,” said a stallion, whom Nova had learned was an orphan. A very noble goal. However, Nova recommended he join the military directly instead, as a lot of what he would learn would be academic, rather than combative. Academics could be used to protect, but the burgeoning Equestrian peacekeeping force needed battlemages and had a few experts already on hoof for training.

“I want to live in communities of pegasi or earth ponies who don’t have a spellcaster there to help, so I can help them as they need,” said a mare. Nova also felt this was noble, not to mention a nostalgic reminder of his time in Neighton, but he pointed out that nothing was stopping her from doing this now, and that most of what non-magical communities would need would be basic spellwork, things she was already capable of.

“I want to use it to impress you!” proclaimed the last young mare, before promptly shoving a hoof into her mouth as she realized she’d stumbled at the last moment. Nova let out a protracted sigh at this, shutting his eyes and pinching his nose. He had to give her props, though. She’d gotten past the first two questions. That had to count for something.

Lather, rinse, repeat, pony after pony, failed question after failed question, and he still hadn’t yet found someone who just wanted to be a student of magic through all three questions. He was going to need to practice his Zone of Truth, since it was letting too many ponies speak half-truths to get through these questions, but it was also doing a good job of weeding them out as they came.

“Next,” Nova Shine called once more, crossing out the application of yet another mare who was chasing after him and not the position, before returning to his seat. Thirty-six down, eleven to go. To his horror and relief, however, Shimmer Silvermane was next, deciding to strut into the room and give him a malevolent yet sultry half-lidded smile. He could finally get this one out of the way.

“Oh, it’s about time you and I got some one-on-one time together,” she purred, before practically throwing herself into the interviewee’s seat and sprawling across it. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a few days now. I wanted to thank you for the work you did on my father.”

Thank me?

“After all, I hated that stallion with every fiber of my being and eagerly awaited the day he finally got what he deserved. You have no idea how very thrilled I was to hear what you did to him,” she added, giving him a toothy grin that made the fur on the nape of his neck prickle. Why was she so happy about the defeat of her own father?

“I just beat him,” he replied evenly. “He was the one who used a spell that shattered his own horn.”

“You humiliated him,” Shimmer corrected, shifting so that now she was laying back against the throne. It had to have been murder on her spine, but she didn’t seem to care as she stretched and flaunted her svelte physique. Unfortunately for her, with no Seduction Scent, and with Nova having decided some time ago that he didn’t like her, it wasn’t having any effect. “That’s good enough for me. I was even more pleased to hear of his death.”

His death?

“Wait, he died?” Nova did a double-take. “I thought he was in secure custody.”

“He was,” Shimmer replied simply, with a grin.

“You know something about it, don’t you,” he fired back, suddenly becoming acutely aware of the fact that he was now alone in a room with the daughter of a stallion who’d tried to murder him. She’d said she hated her father, and within the Zone of Truth, she clearly wasn’t lying, but the way she had said that short phrase…

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,” her grin widened. “One thing I can promise you, though, Nova Shine. You have my undying gratitude for making it happen.”

This was starting to go down a dangerous road. He needed to get her back on the real topic he was here to cover and away from this one. So with that, he slid a blank page in front of him from the stack.

“Alright then, Shimmer. Three questions, three truthful answers. After that, you wait like everyone else.”

“Of course,” she replied dryly.

“First question. Why do you want to be Princess Celestia’s personal student?”

“I don’t,” she smirked.

Nova blinked. He supposed he should have expected this. She was clearly here to gloat and attempt to charm him some more, not try to actually go for the position. While he had, at least, figured that this might be a possibility, he hadn’t expected her to be quite so brazen about it.

Still… this gave him an idea.

“Oh come now,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You could have come gloat to me anywhere. It’s not like you have any respect for my privacy or desires. You could have picked literally any time and any place to come and rub it in my face that I had given you what you wanted. But you came here. There’s more to this visit than that, isn’t there?”

“Oooh, he’s learning,” Shimmer muttered, intentionally just loud enough for him to hear. With an overly dramatic sigh, she pulled her torso forward and sat in the chair normally, though not without a bored slouch as she leaned a little on one of its arms. “The truth is, Nova Shine, I came here not just to gloat, but to size up my competition.”

Nova stared at her blankly.

“Size up your competition for a position you didn’t even want?”

Shimmer actually laughed at that one. Somehow it almost made her sound more pleasant.

“Oh not even close!” she guffawed, before giving a small shake of her head. “Unfortunately, my competition isn’t here. I wonder if she even wants this position herself. She can be oh so proper and formal about things, she must have figured it was imprudent to try out for this given her own responsibilities.”

“You’re here to size up Clover,” Nova finally realized.

“Now you’re getting it,” she smiled sweetly at him. It gave him an extremely uneasy feeling. She was being too nice.

“You must have been around her all the time back in Unicornia,” Nova poked back. “Surely you know enough about her already.”

“Oh no, you misunderstand,” Shimmer shook her head again, her dancing mane sparkling in the torchlight. “You’re right, I have spoken with her plenty of times. A consummate professional, never talking about anything other than what needs to be done, all so she can retreat back to her little hovel and pore over her books. And yet– and yet–, somehow you managed to worm your way into Clover the Cloistered’s heart. No point in denying it,” she added, before he could say something in response to this, “I still keep in contact with friends in Unicornia, friends who were rather gossipy about the two of you stumbling back up to the castle together following a night of drinking.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny–”

“Oh save it,” Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Your non-answers don’t contradict what I’ve heard. In any case, I’m honestly rather disappointed that she isn’t here right now. I was really hoping she would make an appearance, but alas…” She gave an overly-dramatic sigh and ran the side of her hoof down her forehead. “She must have sequestered herself so much she forgot about even this.”

“She may surprise you,” Nova replied evenly.

“What happens if none of the ponies here answer your three questions correctly, sweet Nova Shine?”

Now that was something he hadn’t considered. Yes, Clover was probably off doing her own thing, but what if she never turned up? History said she got the position, but was she simply given it or did she earn it?

“I guess we’ll move on to the second question then,” Nova scribbled some blather on his page.

“I guess we will.”

“What are you hoping to learn from Celestia?” he asked.

“Everything she knows,” Shimmer replied bluntly.

Nova blinked. Now if that wasn’t a double-meaning, he didn’t know what was. But… was there any proof?

You’re imagining things, he thought. She says she hated her father in a Zone of Truth. There’s no way she was spying or something… is there?

“Question 3–”

“What, no interrogation about that answer?” Shimmer asked, cocking her head at him, that damnable smile still too innocent for his liking.

“Question 3,” he repeated, much more harshly. “If you are selected for this position, and you graduate, what do you wish to do with what you have learned?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Shimmer replied.

“Yes, I rather would,” Nova replied, a tiny bit unnerved that, not only was she actively fighting against his Zone of Truth, she was actually beating its compulsion to answer.

“Welp, wouldn’t we all,” she shrugged before slinking off her seat and starting to trot toward the door.

“That’s it?” Nova asked, surprised. “That’s all you came to do?”

“That’s all I came to do,” Shimmer replied, still standing within his zone. “Gloat, thank you, waste your time, size up Clover only to find that she isn’t here, and leave. Not a bad use of my afternoon, in my opinion,” she added, her omnipresent smile really starting to get under his skin. “Be seeing you, Nova Shine.”

And with that, she left the zone, and Nova made absolutely no effort to chase after her as she made for the exit. As she exited the room, he let out a long breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. That was probably the most delicate part of this series of interviews. There were so many things she could have done, but that was ultimately rather harmless.

She was just trying to put me on edge, he reasoned, taking a couple of deep breaths to steady himself. Just relax, and let’s finish what we’re here to do.

He returned to the list, stuck his head out into the conference room, called out the next name, and the cycle renewed.

There were only a few more names on the list, none of them made it past the second question. So when the time finally came that Nova arrived at the end and sent the last applicant, a teenage filly who seemed eager at first but still only wanted the position to impress her friends, he was ready to turn in his list of recommendations to Celestia.

All zero of them.

Maybe Clover was getting the position by default as a compromise…?

As Nova began to dispel the Zone of Truth in the interrogation interview room, however, he detected a familiar presence making its way toward the conference chamber. Nova blinked, and let out a sigh that was half-relieved, half-annoyed.

So she would try out after all.

Sure enough, the door to the conference room banged open outside, followed swiftly by a few quick knocks at the door to the room he was in.

“Sir Nova Shine, are you in here?” Clover’s voice asked from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, I am,” he answered, answering the door to find a rather disheveled Clover standing there, tall and proud despite an unkempt and wind-tossed mane and the light sheen of sweat on her brow.

“Did you… did you sprint here?” he asked, wrinkling his nose at the slight smell.

“I was only just convinced to try out for the position,” Clover admitted, still remaining as impassive as she could despite her short breaths, messy mane, and general bearing of someone who had just finished exercising when they were not used to it. “I apologize for my lack of decorum.”

“No no, none of that now,” he waved a hoof dismissively. “I don’t mind you being a little less formal than you usually are. However, I just finished interviewing everyone.”

“Yes, I apologize for my lateness,” Clover gave a quick bow. “I did not believe it proper to put my name forth for the position given my current role as ambassador, but was only convinced to do so by Princess Platinum seven minutes ago. Princess Luna then informed me you were holding the interviews here.”

“Well, you’re just in time then,” Nova said, stepping back and gesturing inside. “I was about to finish dispelling my Zone of Truth, but it’s still currently up. Just a few questions, and I’ll let you be on your way.”

“No… practical test?” Clover tilted her head. “Not even a written exam?”

Nova snorted. “Clover, this position is for ponies who want to learn, not ponies who already know.”

Clover opened her mouth to respond, but closed it and bowed again. “I see. I apologize for–”

“Stop that,” Nova replied, sharply cutting her off to prevent her from continuing. “No more apologies. Just have a seat and let’s get to it so I can finish up and get on with my evening.”

“How many potential applicants were there?” she asked, stepping past him toward her seat.

“Forty-seven.”

“How many of them are you considering?”

“None.”

Clover blinked. Then– Nova did a double-take– she almost seemed to smile to herself.

This mare was happy everyone else failed, he realized, fighting the urge to snicker. A little bit devious from such a straight-laced goody-four-shoes.

“Alright then,” Nova got back in his seat, pulled out a blank sheet of paper, and prepared.

“Question 1. Why do you want to be Princess Celestia’s personal student?”

Clover’s answer was everything he was looking for, that no one else had given him.

“Because my magical tutelage under Lord Star Swirl is unfinished, and the opportunity to learn from one of his own graduate students is one I do not wish to pass up.”

“Good answer,” Nova dipped his head, writing her response down. “You’ve already done better than 75% of the other applicants.”

Clover’s ghost of a smile returned.

“Question 2. What are you hoping to learn from Celestia?”

“Everything she learned from Lord Star Swirl,” Clover answered. “Everything she knows that I do not. Everything he taught her that he did not teach me.”

“Welp, by virtue of giving me two good answers, you’ve already got my recommendation by default,” he admitted, which made that ghost of a smile turn into even less of a ghost. Nova could sense that she was immensely pleased with herself. “But for the sake of formality, I have one more question for you.”

“Very well,” she nodded. “One more.”

“If you are selected for this position, and you graduate, what do you wish to do with what you have learned?”

“I wish for nothing less than to become the most powerful spellcaster in the world, as I have told you. Even more powerful than my master.” There was a certain steel to her gaze, a fire in her eyes that Nova admired. She knew what she wanted and was going to jump at the chance to make it happen. “While I feel it would be impossible to ever truly match or surpass Celestia and Luna, I shall settle for becoming the most powerful unicorn in the world.”

Nova nodded to himself, and began to write things down.

“And…” she continued softly, “I wish to be able to spend more time with you.”

Nova’s quill froze.

For several seconds, neither of them said anything. Nova could sense she was staring at him, waiting for some reaction, but he resolutely stared at the page in front of him.

So it begins, he finally thought, letting air out through his nose and finishing his observations.

“Thank you, Clover,” he finally said quietly, putting his quill down. “That will be all.”

She stood up, she bowed, and she left, and Nova was left alone to sort out the conflicting feelings bubbling away inside of him.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Clover had never had a teacher such as Princess Celestia before. That is not to say that Princess Celestia was more powerful than Lord Star Swirl, or wiser, or some such. But rather, Princess Celestia was not in any way what she expected from a teacher.

Princess Celestia, it turned out to Clover’s severe annoyance, did not seem to take her job seriously and chose instead to focus on her own amusement.

For instance, today’s magic lesson.

She had gotten the idea from Princess Luna’s own curriculum with Nova Shine about a way to teach fine control over magic To this end, she had commissioned an infernal musical instrument that set her curiosities alight the very moment she set eyes upon it.

According to this tinkerer, a unicorn musician she had met a few times by the name of Andante Heartstrings, this instrument was called a “pianoforte” and was something similar to pipe organs or other instruments that involved an array of keys such as this. The working theorem would be that Clover would have to press and release the keys precisely with magic alone, while also keeping the strength of her press in mind, as well as the three pedals at the base of this intriguing yet torturous machine.

She had come here to learn magic, not music!

Princess Celestia had taught her the basics of music theory, which “notes” corresponded to which “keys”, and then gave her a simple sheet t begin practicing, using only her magic to play.

At first, she had protested, until Princess Celestia brought her into the chapel where they had placed the piano, for her to watch as Nova Shine played a piece that Andante Heartstrings had composed at Night Apprentice Nova Shine’s own request that was supposedly a sonata written specifically for Princess Luna and to be played on this pianoforte.

As she watched Nova Shine’s blue magic dance across the keys to the keyboard as he played the third movement from this “Moonlight Sonata”, an intricate and uptempo piece of music, she began to see the merits in this approach.

Unfortunately, however, Princess Celestia asked her to play a piece titled “Vexations”, which had a most infuriating stipulation attached to it: the composer demanded that it be repeated 840 times! Princess Celestia had then wished her luck and then trotted out of the chapel to go about her business, leaving Clover alone with her music.

She had thought that Princess Celestia must have had a good reason for giving her this specific piece. She had decided around the 147th time repeating it that this piece had to have been about repetition, about keeping her mind sharp despite the sheer dreadfulness of this task. She would not have given this specific piece to her if it were not important, after all. This was one of Lord Star Swirl’s first students! It had to have a purpose!

It turned out, however, that Princess Celestia had done it for her own amusement. She came in somewhere around the 330th iteration, and then spent the next several minutes laughing after realizing that Clover had actually followed the instructions to the letter. This damnable mare had wasted Clover’s own valuable time, time that could have been much better spent doing more productive things, just so she could enjoy a few moments of laughter!

And then, as if it weren’t already enraging enough, after Clover had indignantly protested her case, Princess Celesta had oh-so-infuriatingly informed her that it wasn’t about following the instructions, it was about the practice and the fine control! As Clover was left to stew in her embarrassment, Princess Celestia moved Clover over to that same “Moonlight Sonata” as Nova Shine shortly thereafter.

Though despite her frustrations with days past, Celestia’s tutelage was having an effect. While her understanding and interest in music was negligible at best, the benefits gained from practicing the lightest touch of her magic on this pianoforte had increased her fine control quite dramatically, and thus she was leaving the Castle of the Two Sisters in good spirits, feeling quite satisfied with today’s work.

Perhaps she could now spend time with the Night Apprentice, and perhaps he would like to hear about her recent accomplishments…

Clover frowned as she scanned the buildings within the forest, searching for any sign of the Night Apprentice. She had not seen him all day, which was most irregular, as the Night Apprentice usually spent time with Luna during her lessons, which meant he was usually somewhere in the castle.

“Something the matter, my lady?”

Clover’s frown deepened as Captain Steelshod and her other bodyguard trotted up behind her. The Captain’s presence was expected, but it had become quite troublesome as of late. It was not that the Captain’s presence was unwelcome, but rather that she sought someone else entirely at the moment.

“Do you know where the Night Apprentice has gone?” she asked, turning to glance past both unicorn guards and back into the castle, where a few ponies were coming and going about their business. However, the Night Apprentice was not among them, despite this usually being the time he was released form his lessons with Luna.

“No idea, ma’am,” the other guard, Lieutenant Bulwark, replied. “I am not familiar with his schedule.”

“If he is not leaving at this time, then odds are he is somewhere in the Castle still. Should we return to your quarters, my lady?” asked Captain Steelshod.

As she weighed the suggestion, something got her attention. Or rather, a lack of something that should be there. Among the crowd of ponies coming and going was an energy nexus that did not seem to be tied to any of the bodies she saw. However, considering her foray into the crystal caves beneath Canterlot had featured the Night Apprentice using his cloak to become invisible, and considering she could recognize his resonance anywhere, there was no doubt in her mind who the phantom energy belonged to.

“Captain, Lieutenant,” she returned her attention to her loyal bodyguards, who promptly snapped to attention.

“Yes ma’am!” Lieutenant Bulwark barked.

“You may take the rest of the afternoon off. I wish to spend the remainder of the day alone.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Lieutenant Bulwark saluted, but held his position. Captain Steelshod, however, gave her an odd look.

“Is that wise, my lady?”

“Whether it is or is not, that is my decision,” Clover rebutted, a cold edge to her voice. The captain had been perhaps far too suspicious of their locale as of late. She was in no danger here, protected by the princesses, and with Nova Shine nearby. “I would ask you not to question me like this in public again, are we clear, Captain?”

Captain Steelshod nearly flinched. Nearly. But like a dutiful soldier, he simply saluted, though Clover could see the miniscule amount of hurt in his eyes. No doubt he was just doing his job and wished to defend himself with his own counterargument, but that was exactly the problem.

It was, after all, rather conspicuous how often “just doing his job” oh so often seemed to involve moments when the Night Apprentice was around.

“Dismissed,” she added, putting no small amount of finality into it. This matter was over, no discussion.

The two guards shuffled off immediately, though Steelshod threw an uneasy glance back her way as he walked off. But with him now dismissed, she turned her attention back to the invisible source of energy that was now moving off into the city. Just when it was at the edge of her range of sensing, which was perhaps only a few meters at most, she started to tail him. His range of sensing wasn’t known to her, but she reasoned it had to be similar to her own. After all, she had been sensing energy for years and her range was rather considerable.

However, this was Nova Shine.

She could take all the precautions, but she was certain he would know. After all, she knew she had no practice when it came to stealth, as he did. No doubt he had picked up on her tailing him the moment he’d passed her by.

So… why the secrecy?

They passed building after building, Nova Shine wove his way around building and pony alike, all while Clover stayed behind him, past the Grand Market, past the Arboreal Gardens, through the current outskirts of the city, and not long after, beyond that into the forests along the road leading toward Earthponyville and Unicornia.

Where is he going? she wondered, still worrying that she had been noticed at this point, but considering they were now at a point where there were no other ponies to blend in with, there could be no doubt her presence was noticed.

Was he leading her out of the city because he wanted her to realize she had been duped?

However, as they neared the junction where the road split off toward Earthponyville away from this main road to Unicornia, he suddenly slipped off the main path and started trotting through the woods. Once again, her curiosity was piqued. What could be all the way out here that he was leading her toward?

After only a few minutes more of walking, during which she noticed that there were small cuts in the trees that must have served as guides, they finally emerged into something of a clearing.

The forest canopy still shaded them overhead, but they were now in agap between the trees, where a small wooden shack had been constructed, where archery targets had been set up on the trunks, and where apples were hanging from almost every branch of every tree.

As she stared all around this little pocket of quiet a few miles away from the city, she heard a rustle and a chuckle, and Nova Shine phased into view as the invisibility spell wore off and he removed his Night Apprentice cloak.

“You know, I’m surprised you didn’t give up before you got here,” he noted as she beheld the whole area. “I would have thought you’d have headed back into the city when you thought I was leading you on a wild goose chase.”

A what?

“I do not understand. Why would I believe you were leading me on a chase for a wild goose?”

“It’s…” he paused, and then sighed with a pinch of his muzzle. “It’s just an expression, forget it. Point is, I expected you not to follow me all the way out here.”

“And just what is ‘out here’?” she asked, gesturing at their surroundings. “You have a home in the city, you have the training yard in the castle. Why make this journey?”

Nova Shine gave her a quick grin, before trotting over to a nearby apple tree, planting his hooves, and striking the tree dead-center with a solid kick from his back leg. A single apple fell from the tree, right into a waiting forehoof, which he promptly tossed her way.

“Have a bite, you’ll love it.”

Clover caught the apple in her magic effortlessly, before pulling it in front of her and scrutinizing it with wary eyes. Were wild apples safe to eat in this untamed forest? They seemed to be, as Nova Shine took the opportunity to pick his own apple and begin eating. It smelled extremely sweet, and she could feel the hunger from her skipped meal earlier in the day.

So she tentatively took a bite.

At once, the apple’s juices flooded her mouth, nearly overwhelming her with the tart taste. she was hardly gulping down the apple pulp in her mouth before she was taking another bite. was it because of her hunger, or because she enjoyed it so? Perhaps both? Despite dining at Princess Platinum’s own table in Unicornia, and even eating with Princess Celestia these last few days, Clover had never tasted a more delicious fruit in her life.

“Hey now, I think she likes it,” Nova observed, before digging into his own apple.

As Clover wiped some of the dripping apple juices from her mouth, she scrutinized the fruit in her magic.

“Is this all you come out here for? Apples?”

Nova Shine shook his head. Instead, he made his way over to the door of the small shack, which he pushed open to reveal a bed pushed up against one wall and a small table built right into the wall, on which was a curious sheet of paper with a collection of dots, dashes, and triangles, as well as a book that contained the same dots, dashes, and triangles in place of letters. Quite literally, there was nothing else inside. No decorations, no floor other than stamped earth, not even a candle or anything.

“I come out here whenever I want to get away from things,” he answered, pulling the door shut. “I don’t know if you know this, but there’ve been some… incidents lately.”

Clover was aware. The ruckus of a musical instrument crashing through a window had been quite loud. She had been rather frustrated that her sleep was interrupted that night.

“Even before I set out for Unicornia, I had ponies that wouldn’t leave me alone, so I had this little number put together not too long before the trade agreement talks. Nice and quiet, away from the city, a lovely place to just spend time when I don’t want anyone else around. And an excellent place to practice magic without endangering anyone, too.”

He trotted over to one of the targets, surveyed it, and performed a little repairative spellwork on a brace that was starting to splinter. However, if it was true that this was meant as a place he could be alone, why show it to her?

“Yet you allowed me to tail you here.”

“Because I trust you,” he replied simply.

Clover felt a strange, warm feeling in her stomach. He was not lying. He truly did have a high degree of trust in her, to show her his little hideaway and let her follow him.

“Summer knows too,” he added, gesturing back toward the city with his head. “The princesses too, naturally. Now you and Captain Steelshod know. I think that’s about everyone I’m willing to trust with the location of this place.”

“The captain knows?” Clover cocked her head. “Have you already shown him?”

Now it was Nova’s turn to look confused.

“No,” he replied, glancing suspiciously at a spot behind her. “He’s been following you. Didn’t you know?”

Clover’s eyes bulged, and she whirled around.

“Captain, step out into the clearing, now.”

There was a moment of silence, and for a fleeting moment, Clover was wondering if Nova Shine was simply making a fool of her. But after several seconds, there was a rustle, and Captain Steelshod, divested of armor, stepped nervously into the clearing, looking as though he was rightfully preparing for the dressing down of a lifetime.

Clover marched right up to him and glared directly into his eyes, which he tried to avert.

“I gave you strict orders to leave me alone, Captain,” she hissed. “You disobeyed me.”

“With all due respect ma’am,” he defended, snapping to attention, “Princess Platinum’s orders to watch over and protect you supersede your own.”

“I was with Night Apprentice Nova Shine,” she countered, just barely keeping herself in control. It would not do to allow her emotions get the better of her. “There is no one more capable of protecting me except for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

Captain Steelshod opened his mouth to fire off an angry retort, no doubt taking it quite personally that she had just elevated Nova Shine above him in terms of how safe they were to be around, but Nova Shine chose that moment to intervene.

Infuriatingly, he intervened on Steelshod’s side.

“Clover, why are you angry that he’s doing his job?”

“I am not angry that he is doing his job,” she growled, giving him a frosty look. “I am angry that he is blatantly disobeying my orders, and that he is not respecting any of my demands for privacy!”

“Clover,” Nova replied, his voice calm and patient despite her outburst. “Only a few weeks ago, Princess Platinum was abducted from her own bedroom in a moment in which it was believed she was alone. I do not blame Captain Steelshod for disobeying your orders in the name of ensuring your safety.”

Clover did not miss the grateful glance Captain Steelshod threw Nova’s way. Were they conspiring against her!? She grit her teeth, but Nova Shineheld up a hoof to forestall her.

“Captain,” he said, now looking directly at the guard, still dutifully standing at attention, “she is now in my care. I have shown you this place so that, in the event that she is alone or unaccounted for, you know of a likely place she may be to ensure her safety. But I believe it is best that you return to Everfree now.”

Clover felt it was best for him to return to Unicornia, personally.

“Off with you. We won’t be far behind.”

Nova gestured with a hoof. Steelshod nodded tensely, before turning tail and beginning the long trek back to the city. Clover watched him go, wanting nothing more than to scream after him.

But…

Nova Shine had a point. She was being rather flippant about her own safety in the aftermath of the foalnapping. Perhaps… perhaps the Captain was the one in the right, and she was reacting irrationally.

Clover let out a frustrated breath. Fie! Why was she so angry about this? It defied reason! She was a mare of logic and reason, not emotion and outbursts. She had worked very hard to master herself, per Lord Star Swirl’s instructions, and she would be damned if she let them overwhelm her now!

“Want to talk about it?”

Clover jumped as Nova Shine placed a hook on her shoulder.

“I… shall be fine,” she half-lied, before blowing a jet of air from her nostrils. “I just… I do not know why this bothers me so.”

“You thought you were spending time alone with me,” he replied. It wasn’t an accusation, it wasn’t mocking, it was simply a statement of fact., And… it felt correct.

“I suppose I was,“ Clover replied softly.

“And that moment was interrupted when it turned out someone else was here.”

Clover did not reply to that. Was it truly so easy to see for everyone but her? Was she truly blind to her own feelings, yet obvious to everyone else?

“We’re still having some alone time,” he observed, his tone suggesting he wanted to cheer her up. “You are getting what you wanted.”

“It is not the same,” she replied with a frustrated shake of her head. “It was a light moment before. And now I am angry and you are trying to cheer me up with a false levity.”

“Ouch,” Nova Shine winced. “You didn’t have to put it so bluntly.”

“And there is always the possibility that he will do it again,” she added, mind already abuzz with more potential instances of Steelshod invading private moments between them.

“Why is him doing his job such an issue for you?”

“Because it’s not just about him doing his job,” she growled, stamping her hoof into the ground. “I told you before, he desires me romantically, and although I have rejected him, he continues to pursue me.”

Nova Shine hmmed to himself for a moment, studying her. Clover met his gaze, trying to show whatever it was he was searching for. Resolve, perhaps? Determination?

“What about Summer Blossom?” she pressed.

“What about her?” Nova asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“You showed her this place as well.”

“So I did. What of it?”

Clover opened her mouth to say something as well, but… yes, what of it? He clearly showed this private place to his friends and those he cared about. Clover should feel honored to be counte among their number, not petulantly demanding more.

Maybe she was no different than the Captain in the end.

Though speaking of…

“You said we would be close behind the captain when you told him to leave.”

“I did,” Nova nodded, thankfully not chasing after her abandoned question.

“Why? We only just arrived.”

“Well, I thought you’d want to be back in the city to meet Lord Star Swirl when he arrived.”

Clover blinked.

“Arrived?”

“Princess Luna told me he’s arriving from Dream Valley today. Was she wrong?” he asked.

“I did not know he was coming here,” she replied, frowning once more. “When was he to arrive?”

“Within the hour, I believe, but–”

“WITHIN THE HOUR!?”

She could not afford to waste another moment out here.

“You must show me back to the city, now!” she ordered, already trying to find the path back to the city. Did he not mark the return path?

“Calm down,” Nova said, sounding amused. How could he be so amused at a time like this!? She was going to miss the arrival of her former master! “Follow me.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Upon arriving at the Castle of the Two Sisters, Clover trotted right in at a brisk pace, leaving Nova ambling along after her far more leisurely instead. Truth be told, he had been looking forward to this meeting for some time, if it was going to happen. After all, it wasn’t every day you got to meet one of your idols!

Nova stepped into the castle, passed several construction workers on their way to the barracks, waved hello to Summer as he passed her by in the halls, and finally entered the princess’ private offices, where he assumed Clover had trotted off to, based on her magic. On the other side of the wall, he could detect three familiar auras, plus several unfamiliar ones belonging to guards and, he assumed, Lord Star Swirl as well, and before he entered, he took a moment to calm himself down.

As he stepped inside, he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he realized the room wasn’t yet furnished, so they were in a simple empty room at the moment. Clover was standing beside Celestia, who was busy chatting animatedly with a pegasus stallion wearing a rough traveling cloak, with his sky-blue wings folded along his back, hood pulled up and pack placed on the ground beside him.

“--were your travels?” asked Luna as he pushed his way in.

“Oh they were fine, Luna,” the stallion grunted, a thick trottish accent. “A few bumps along the road here, a storm on the ocean there, but we finally sailed into Vulcan a few weeks ago, and I got tae meet Rockhoof on my way in.”

“Ah, apprentice mine!” Luna exclaimed as he stepped into the room. “We have someone we would like thou to meet! This is our master, Star Swirl the Bearded.” She gestured at the cloaked pony. The pony turned to allow Nova to see his face, and…

“No beard.”

At this, the stallion chuckled, and he pulled his hood down to reveal that he was, in fact, entirely bald aside from his sky-blue coat, which seemed to match the shade of his eyes.

“Aye, lad. Ponies expect Star Swirl the Bearded to be bearded. It’s the perfect disguise, if I do say so m’self.”

“And, uhh…” Nova gestured at his back. “Star Swirl” chuckled again.

“Aye. Ponies are expecting the most prolific spellcaster of this day and age to be a unicorn. It’s the perfect disguise. No one would ever suspect Star Swirl the Bearded to be beardless, maneless, and a non-unicorn.”

With that, he pulled off his cloak entirely, and the effect was immediate. The wings seemed to fade into midair as they were pulled free, so to speak. As the cloak came off of him, his sky-blue coat faded to a grey color. His mane and beard, however, only seemed to grow a few short inches before they stopped, leaving him with a full beard, but not the magnificent drooping one Nova had been expecting, or that images of him depicted.

“I, uhh…” Nova gestured at the beard.

Star Swirl openly guffawed at that. “You were expecting it to be trailing on the ground with every step I took, is that it?” The Trottish accent had vanished with the cloak, it seemed, though Nova could still hear a faint Trottish note behind the voice.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” Nova replied sheepishly.

Star Swirl seemed to laugh even harder at that. “Oh, the wild tales of my appearance have spread far and wide, it seems.”

“This is Night Apprentice Nova Shine, and he is very honored to meet you, master,” Clover cut in suddenly, giving Nova a harsh look. “You must forgive him for his lack of decorum.”

At this, Star Swirl let out a patient, but annoyed, sigh. “Clover, Clover, Clover…” He draped a hoof around his former apprentice’s shoulders. “He can speak for himself. I, for one, rather welcome how casual his attitude is about meeting me for the first time. It’s a nice change of pace from all the bowing and the blind praise everyone throws my way whenever I happen to be within a quarter-mile of them,” he grumbled.

Unsure of what to do or say, Nova glanced over at Celestia and Luna. Luna was simply watching the two of them, but Celestia caught his eye and gave him a tiny shrug.

“I can see what she likes about you, though,” Star Swirl added, turning his attention back to him. Nova, to his utter astonishment, noticed Clover’s eyes widen a fraction in the background, and a deep red blush started to spread.

“What do you mean?” Nova asked, already grinning devilishly. Ohhhh Clover was never going to hear the end of this.

“Why, she’s utterly fascinated by you, if her most recent letter is anything to go by,” Lord Star Swirl teased, giving Clover a tiny squeeze. Clover stiffened completely, unable to process that she was in for the ribbing for a lifetime. “It’s honestly about time she let herself be courted by someone.”

Nova’s smile fell off his face immediately. “Co– courted?”

Star Swirl’s smile fell a tiny bit as well. “That is the word she used, yes,” he added, now a little less certain than before.

Nova gave Clover a flat look. “That’s actually news to me.”

Star Swirl looked between Nova and Clover for a moment, before a look of disappointment crossed his face. “I see,” he finally said, which caused Clover to flinch ever so slightly. It may have been a wince for the tiniest of moments, but it spoke volumes to them all.

“He used to turn Us into a newt whenever We lied,” Luna cut in, clearly trying to make things light-hearted again.

“A newt?” Nova asked, giving her an odd look.

“We got better,” Luna shrugged. “At lying,” she added, giving Star Swirl a little smirk.

“Cheeky as ever, Luna,” Star Swirl observed with a grin. Well, you’ll forgive me for cutting this meeting short, but it’s been a long voyage, and I would very much like some rest.”

“Of course,” Celestia said, as both she and Luna both bowed their heads in acknowledgment. Clover gave a terse nod, and avoided Nova’s gaze.

“Nova Shine, if you wouldn’t mind, I require a small bit of help in carrying my luggage. Would you be so kind?”

Did he… did he really need help carrying his luggage? His aura didn’t flare up like liars’ auras did. Nova was so caught up in pondering this for a brief moment that he nearly forgot to stumble after the elderly unicorn, who leisurely strode his way out of the princesses’ office and out back into the castle, before making their way toward the northern exit.

Things were coming along nicely now, with the chapel almost completely finished up, the barracks now finishing up and being furnished as well, and a proper training yard was being erected, with dummies, trampled earth, rings for wrestling, archery targets, and so on. It had come a long way in the weeks since the trade agreement summit.

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Star Swirl said as they passed the barracks.

“On who?”

“I think you know exactly who.” Nova let out a tiny growl, but didn’t say anything. Lord Star Swirl let out a quiet sigh and continued. “Who was the first pony you fell in love with, Nova Shine?”

Images and memories of Twilight immediately sprang to his mind. The scent of lavender, the soft feeling of her coat, that night in Trottingham… Even more directly, he remembered feeling her, holding her, kissing her, the two of them whispering each others’ name as they held each other before bed for those few nights they could be together before this. It was enough to make him tear up, just a little.

As he refocused on the world around him, however, Lord Star Swirl had a gentle yet knowing smile on his face.

“She must be someone truly special, then.”

“You have no idea,” Nova muttered to himself, smiling warmly at the memories.

“Oh, I think I do,” Lord Star Swirl countered, giving Nova a nice pat on the shoulders. “Did you know I’ve been married twice, Nova Shine?”

No, actually. No he did not. Most books writing about Star Swirl only mentioned his magical ability and wisdom, and while he knew he’d had to have had someone special in order to produce the Lulamoon line, he’d never really given it some thought. Who was the mare who could attract the eye of the great Star Swirl the Bearded?

“I’d heard you were married, but I didn’t know she was your second wife,” he admitted. What else wasn’t in the history books?

“My first wife was everything I could ever have hoped for in a mare,” Star Swirl said, his eyes misting over as his memories took him a thousand miles away. “She was everything I was not, softened my harder aspects, made me a better stallion. She’s gone now,” he added, a faint note of pain behind the words, “but I know I will see her again one day. My second wife, however, could never have replaced her, but I still loved her dearly. In a lot of ways, she was quite the opposite of my first wife. Spirited, fiery, a little bit full of herself, but she was one of the few ponies who saw me for me, and not me for the wizard that I am.”

Star Swirl’s gaze returned to him, and Nova could feel a strange significance behind his words, as though he wanted Nova to learn something, or at least see what he was trying to get across.

Damn old ponies and their cryptic double-meanings…

“Clover knows you, Nova Shine,” Star Swirl continued when he didn’t respond. “She doesn’t see you as a pathway to Princess Celestia or Luna, for she is already Princess Celestia’s apprentice. She doesn’t see you as a meal ticket, for she is already in a rather cozy position. She doesn’t see you as a status symbol by virtue of your magical talent, for she herself is a prodigy. You could certainly do far worse.”

“Oh believe me,” Nova sighed, “I’m having to deal with worse.”

“All the more reason why you should choose someone you know is interested in you, and not something about you,” Star Swirl said quietly. They were heading toward the northern outskirts of the city. There had been a large tower that was being built here over the last several weeks, though Nova’d never looked into why.

They continued in silence, as Nova didn’t particularly want to continue this thread of conversation, but Star Swirl, it seemed, had other plans. As they made their way out of the city, he gave a quick glance in each direction to make sure no one was around them– no one was within Nova’s energy-sensing range, so he was certain of this– and then took a deep breath.

“Are you, perhaps, waiting to return to your own time and to the mare you are clearly so fond of?”

Nova clenched his eyes shut and let out an annoyed sigh.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Star Swirl asked, sounding amused. Nova gave Star Swirl a rather furtive glance to see what his reaction was, and discovered that Star Swirl looked quite entertained by Nova’s attempts at keeping this under wraps. “Meta and I have been pen pals since I first met him. That, and with a spell blowback that large, it’s clear you must have come to this time from somewhen quite a ways out.”

“Figures,” Nova muttered to himself. It was starting to feel like it was only a matter of when, not if, everyone found out.

“Oh, you needn’t worry about other ponies finding out,” Star Swirl warmly patted him on the shoulder. “Forgive me for being boastful, but I am rather cleverer than most ponies, and I’m one of the select few who could possibly have sensed that ripple left upon the world, much less been able to piece together that it was clearly the result of temporal traversal.”

“Is it really boasting if it’s true though?”

Star Swirl grinned. “Ah, perhaps not. It is why my tower is situated all the way out here, though,” he added as they passed beyond the last few buildings on the outskirts of the city. “I need a nice, isolated aerie where I can properly keep an eye on things up north. Sombra has gotten remarkably active lately, and I intend to serve as a deterrent should he ever get any funny ideas.”

Nova frowned at that. The King’s words were sticking with him despite the knowledge of his own time of his destruction. When all you think is safe, then shall I come. When three are sealed in stone, then shall I come. When Harm’ny reigns again, then shall I come.

“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Star Swirl advised, giving him another friendly pat. “I am more than a match for Sombra, and between you and me,” he lowered his voice rather conspiratorially, “I’ve never had to unleash all of my magical ability before, so whatever he believes about me is false.”

“Not even against Lord Tirek?” Nova asked, surprised. Star Swirl hadn’t lied, and he wasn’t preventing Nova from reading his energy.

“Not even against Lord Tirek. Ah, here we are,” Star Swirl pushed past some untamed brush to reveal a simple tower standing here, hidden from sight by the trees and shrubbery. As Nova glanced at the surrounding plant life, Star Swirl chuckled again.

“After construction was finished, I used magic to accelerate the regrowth, all the better to hide this tower away. Don’t need ponies clamoring outside my home now, do I?” Nova grumbled at that one, recalling the angry reactions when Clover the Clever had been selected as the Faithful Student. It had cost him several bits to repair his windows after some mares had thrown heavy things through them.

Where had they even gotten a glockenspiel?

Star Swirl approached the door and pushed it open, revealing a spiral staircase that led toward the upper floors. With a welcoming gesture, he let Nova pass while he stayed below to lock the door behind him. Nova trotted up the stairs to emerge into a… wait.

This room was larger than the outside of the tower! The tower was only about thirty meters across, but this room looked about seventy in diameter, easily! There was an entire bedroom, a kitchen, an office, even a room that appeared to be intended for magical study! All of this fitting into a tower that had absolutely no room for it! Of course, almost none of it was furnished just yet, but there were still a few odds and ends scattered around.

“Ah, I see you have stumbled upon my little remodeling project,” Star Swirl observed from behind him. “Yes, I personally find enclosed and hastily-constructed towers to be a bit… ah, restricting.”

“How did you…” Nova looked every which way. Not even his energy-sensing could figure out how he did it! Everything seemed perfectly normal!

“A little bit of space manipulation here, an extremely efficient and undetectable shrinking spell there, and…” he trotted forward and tapped his nose, “a good showpony never reveals their secrets.”

“Impressive,” Nova grinned, looking it all over. Space manipulation was probably way out of his league and he couldn’t sense any obvious spell auras, but that didn’t stop him from trying to piece together how it was possible.

“Do keep your eyes out, won’t you?” Star Swirl asked, his own eyes narrowing as a deep frown replaced his easygoing smile. “I have an… uninvited roommate that I’m looking to evict.”

“So you brought me here to help you kick him out?” Nova asked, fighting back a snort. “I thought I was here to help you carry luggage.”

“And I do. Here, hold this,” he replied, his horn glowing white for a split-second before a plain glass jar appeared in his hooves, which he promptly gave to Nova. Nova took the glass jar, eyeing it closely. What was this all about?

Star Swirl's horn glowed again, and the jar glowed white for a few seconds before it faded. “There,” he said, now looking around the tower’s many rooms. “When I give the signal, open the lid.”

“The signal for what?”

Star Swirl didn’t answer. Instead, a wave of light blasted outward from his horn, and after a moment, Nova caught sight of something this wave of light had revealed.

A strange, head-shaped creature was floating up in the rafters of this tower, with beady red eyes that were looking around the room. White tendrils hung from its base, languidly waving in the lack of wind. As soon as the creature noticed it was discovered, it let out a shrill screech, causing Nova to clamp his hooves over his ears, dropping the jar onto the ground.

“Open it!” Star Swirl shouted, throwing up a shield just as the creature opened its mouth wide and launched a fireball at them. The ball hit the shield with a loud ping! but was instantly snuffed out rather than bouncing outward. Nova fumbled on the ground for the jar, before picking it up and yanking the lid off.

The creature let out another shriek, but it was powerless to fight as an unseen force seemed to suck the creature right out of the air and into the jar, which Nova capped as soon as it was entirely inside. The jar began to glow with an eerie and familiar orange light, and Nova felt a prickle at the back of his neck. Star Swirl had just used a Soul Jar to capture… whatever this was.

“Something the matter?” Star Swirl asked, giving him a concerned glance. “Never seen a ghast before?”

“A what?”

“A ghast,” Star Swirl repeated, tapping the jar. “Nasty creature. Not native to this plane, somehow found its way in, but got imprisoned in Tartarus. Normally it’s invisible and intangible, but when my spell made him become solid and visible to us, it was prepared to spit fire when it became distressed, as you saw. I’ll take that.” He lifted the jar out of Nova’s hooves. “Needs to be put under some extra security so this little nuisance can’t break its way out of its prison again.”

He trotted over to a shelf in the office area and slid it into some strange receptacle that had been hidden from Nova’s view earlier. Nova took the time to have a bit more of a look around, and when he strode over to Star Swirl's desk, he got a peek at some pages scattered around the top. Most of it seemed to be written in runes and the language of magic, but there was one page written in plain equish.

“From one to another, another to one, a mark of one’s destiny singled out alone, fulfilled...”

Nova stared at the page, trying to puzzle it out. Was it… was it bad poetry? No, it was kept among the magical documentation, so maybe it was a new spell he was working on?

“Aaah, I see you’ve happened upon my latest project,” Star Swirl observed, stepping up next to him to look down at the pages on the desk. “A half-finished spell of mine that I’ve been working on.”

“What will it do?”

“Test the caster,” he replied cryptically. “The spell is half-finished on purpose Nova Shine. When the day comes that ponykind is able to complete this spell, then I’ll know that ponykind is ready.”

“Ready?” Nova asked, giving him a suspicious look. “Ready for what?”

Star Swirl simply gave him an impassive smile and tapped his nose again, but offered nothing else. With that, he turned around and, with a flash of white magic and a pop!, conjured a traveling pack, which landed on the ground with a loud thump!, a much heavier thump than its size would indicate.

“Now, a little bit of magical unpacking and… Higitus Figitus!” Star Swirl’s horn flashed white once more. The pack opened up, and different pieces of furniture began to fly up out of it, extremely tiny in size, but growing little by little into their proper dimensions as they flew toward their dedicated spots. These pieces of furniture formed a neat, orderly line as they filed out of the pack and floated toward their destinations.

A loud clattering got Nova’s attention, and he noticed that a tea set was seemingly fighting itself as it tried to fit itself into its new place. “Oh for the love of…” Star Swirl groaned, the spell stopping in its tracks as he dashed over to his tea set and arranged it manually. Nova, meanwhile, noticed that several of the books were arranging themselves out of order and decided to properly arrange them–

“Alphabetically?” Twilight asked.

“Alphabetically.”

“Alphabetically what?” Spike asked, looking between them.

Nova replied by rearranging Twilight’s copies of The Thunderlight Chronicles out of its previously-numerical order and into alphabetical order instead. As usual, Twilight had to suppress a groan. Spike looked even more confused than before.

“Sorry, just one of those petty acts I do to annoy her from time to time,” he shrugged. Spike just rolled his eyes. No doubt he was going to be the unfortunate soul to correct this later. “Anyway…”

“Oh, thank you,” Star Swirl said, preparing to resume the spell now that he had finished sorting out the little spat between the different pieces of his tea set.

“Why the magic words?” Nova asked, arching an eyebrow. “You and I both know that spells don’t require incantations unless they’re spells invoked by the Ancient Language.”

“Ancient Language?” Star Swirl tilted his head. “My dear stallion, that ‘ancient language’ that can invoke magic is called Low Alicornian. How do you know of its existence? I have taken great pains to ensure that precious few know about it.”

Nova shrugged. “Something from my own time. I only know one word from it, anyway. My teacher put me to sleep with it.”

“Aaah,” Lord Star Swirl nodded. “Slytha. The word itself cannot invoke magic on its own, just as magic itself cannot be invoked by anything other than willpower. Nevertheless,” he gave Nova a severe frown, “this language is not to be trifled with. I use magic words as something of a showpony’s tell, you see. An indication that I’m about to do something particularly grand. Though for what it’s worth, I may retire the habit. Ponies these days don’t like a little bit of wordplay anymore.”

Nova snorted. Star Swirl, however, simply flashed his horn white and the furniture and other objects continued levitating their way out and arranging themselves around the tower. A few minutes later, and the tower looked as though it had been lived in for years, a roaring fire was crackling merrily in a nearby hearth, and the warmth it emitted filled the room with a cozy and comfortable heat.

“Many thanks for helping me out today,” Lord Star Swirl said, shaking Nova’s hoof. “While I could have done it myself, I appreciate you taking the time to help me all the same, especially since it gave me an opportunity to meet you alone.”

“No problem at all. Pleasure was all mine,” Nova replied sincerely. Oh he was so going to lord this over Twilight…

“If there’s anything I can do for you, any spells or insights I can provide, do not hesitate to ask.”

The wave of light washing over the room, forcing the ghast to become visible to their eyes and tangible to their hooves… would that work on a certain intangible enemy from his own time?

“Any spells you can provide?” he asked, already thinking of this spell’s utility in his own time.

“Within reason,” Star Swirl clarified, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “No dropping meteors out of the sky.”

“How about that wave of light you cast earlier? The one that solidified the ghast?”

Star Swirl grinned.

Time Flies

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 16 - Time Flies

Nova stared down at the board, carefully considering his next move. His opponent sat opposite him, smiling in the way she always did when she wanted to come off as unreadable. It wasn’t quite the perfected Queenly Mask she would wear in over a thousand years, but Princess Celestia was still very good at hiding her intentions behind a grin.

He had an array of pawns, none advanced beyond the third row, both of his rooks, a single knight, a single bishop, his queen, and his king castled. Princess Celestia, meanwhile, was playing a far more offensive game. Her own queen was advanced far up the left side of the board, diagonally adjacent to his dark-squared bishop, threatening his king. She had fewer pawns and no knights, but she still had both bishops and both rooks, while her king sat safely in the far row behind a pair of pawns.

“We don’t believe you have many options left,” Princess Celestia observed, gripping her queen in her magic and sliding it one space sideways, taking one of his pawns. “You’re quite penned in, as it stands.”

“I was never one for chess,” Nova replied, taking her queen with a diagonally-adjacent pawn, “but I’m pretty sure trading a queen for a single pawn is something more favorable for me.”

The Royal Lounge, a recently-completed room by the castle construction crew, was a room available to precisely four ponies: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Nova Shine, and Clover the Clever. Any others would only be allowed in at their personal request. There were several bookcases, each filled with tome upon tome, an eating table, reclining couches, a hearth, and a gaming table, which he and the princess were making use of.

“Oh, We weren’t talking about the game, although you’re quite penned in there as well. You just don’t know it yet.” Princess Celestia observed, using her white-space bishop to take his remaining knight. Her grin turned into a smirk. “We laid a trap, and by merely engaging, you have taken the bait. Thus begins the end for you, Our dear Night Apprentice.” He could see a gleam of smug satisfaction in her eyes as he frowned down at the board. “As We understand it, you have several mares vying for your affections now. We wonder, Sir Nova Shine,” she fixed him with a knowing look, “how long do you intend to dance around them all, avoiding their pursuits and remaining tantalizingly single? Check.”

Nova’s frown deepened as he surveyed the board. His king was now thoroughly in danger, he could see it now. By leaping at her queen, he had opened up his flank. He picked up his king and moved it diagonally around his dark-spaced bishop, out of the path of her white-spaced bishop that had an opening.

“You too, huh?” he arched an eyebrow at her.

“Us too, what?” Princess Celestia shifted her head, still smirking at him in that devilish way like she was clearly planning something. Nova couldn’t tell if it was in the game, or in this conversation. Clearly, she was playing him in both.

“Trying to pry into my love life,” he grunted. “Lord Star Swirl did it a while back when I was helping with the ghast in his tower. Now you’re doing it. Any particular reason?”

“Because you are quite the attractive commodity,” she replied matter-of-factly, moving one of her rooks from staring down his own castled rook to now putting his king in check again. “Intelligent, powerful, skilled, you do not neglect your physical exercise, and you are quite attractive. We have no doubt that if you were to attempt to court any mare in Equestria, they would accept immediately. Yet you do not. Why? Check.”

Nova moved his dark-space bishop to block her rook.

“I have my reasons. Though, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from you,” he glanced up from the board to give her a pointed look, “you are always deliberate in the way you word things.”

Princess Celestia’s smile widened for half an instant.

“So, when you say I could attempt to court any mare in Equestria and they would throw themselves at me immediately,” he rested his elbows on the edge of the table, pressed his hooves together, and rested his chin on them, giving Celestia what he hoped was an equally-unreadable expression, “are you trying to pair me with someone in particular? Because I notice you didn’t rule out your sister.”

Princess Celestia’s smile widened for a full instant this time. She looked down at the board, picked up her dark-space bishop, and took the bishop he had just blocked her rook with.

“Does it surprise you?” she asked, now not meeting his eye. “You were the first pony since Lord Star Swirl to show her proper attention. You were honest and pure with your intentions, and of course, you offered her the companionship she so desperately craved. She makes a great effort not to show it when she is teaching you, We have seen it firsthoof, but she is quite fond of you.”

Nova frowned at that. He knew it was a possibility. Clover herself had wondered this exact same thing back in the crystal caves, after all. It was only natural that Luna would develop a crush on him for providing exactly the emotional support she needed. The problem was, he was trying not to attract this kind of attention from any other mares.

Especially ones he was close to in his own time. It was going to make things awkward.

Nova moved his castled rook forward a few spaces, deliberately putting it in the firing line of her own advanced rook and her white-square bishop.

“What about you?” he asked, feeling a little on the mischievous side. “You did say any mare, and you didn’t disclude yourself. Princess Celestia,” he placed a hoof on his breast, with a faux-shocked and embarrassed expression, “are you trying to ask me to ask you if I can court you?”

Princess Celestia tittered, but thankfully, she took the bait.

“Ah, see, this is why We like you, Nova Shine.” She took his rook with her own. “You don’t shy away from Our teasing. In fact, you engage it. Hmm…” she tilted her head to one side, and then the other, staring at the board in front of them. “Very well. No, Nova Shine. We are not attempting to manipulate you into asking to court Us.”

Well, I suppose that’s a load off my shoulders.

“However, if you were to ask Us, We would quite happily accept.”

Dammit.

Nova took her rook with his pawn. His defenses were gone. It wouldn’t be long before she had him mated.

“Truthfully,” she stared down at the board now, no doubt letting the anticipation of her impending victory hang, “the only reason We have not pounced on you Ourselves is because it is plain as day that you are interested in other mares. We have Our flaws, Nova Shine, but We are not selfish enough to try and sabotage romance for Our own gain. That being said,” her smirk turned downright predatory, “were you immortal, as We and Our sister are, We would have openly pursued you, regardless of whom it was you had eyes for, even if they were for Our own sister.”

She moved her white-space bishop one row further forward, putting it level with the king and cutting off any backdoor escape.

“That sounds like you are selfish enough to interfere in romance,” Nova moved his queen diagonally forward to the right by two spaces. “Check.”

Princess Celestia moved her king into the far corner, out of harm’s way. “You are mortal, Nova. You deserve to spend your life happily with whomever you choose. But if you were immortal, such as Us, well… We too deserve a happy life, with whomever We choose. If you did not choose Us in return, then…” she gestured at the game board, “as you can see, We like long games, and courtship is, if nothing else, one long game.”

It was Mate in 1. There were only so many moves Nova had left, but they would all be equally futile. He took one of Princess Celestia’s pawns with his queen, a small consolation prize, but if Celestia made a colossal blunder here, he would win on the next move. Perhaps, if she were feeling merciful, she would not make the decisive move, letting him take the victory instead.

“And on the topic of courtship,” her smirk lowered to a stern, meaningful gaze, “We advise that you had best choose your preferred mare soon, Nova Shine. Between Summer, and Clover, less likely Luna or Ourself, and far less likely Shimmer, you have three mares openly vying for you, and another two quietly waiting for their opportunity. The sooner you make your choice, the sooner this potential problem goes away.”

“You know,” Nova grinned as he waited for her to end the game with the move they both knew was coming, “I’ve just noticed, you haven’t been calling me by ‘Thou’, ‘Thee’, and ‘Thy’ this whole time.”

“Why yes,” Princess Celestia’s look changed to a satisfied smile, without a hint of mischief or smugness. “You see, Nova Shine, those pronouns are used for addressing inferiors and subordinates, not equals.”

She moved her dark-space bishop from the left side of the board down to the bottom row, his backline. His king was exposed to her rook again, and all avenues of escape were cut off by her bishops.

“Discover check,” she said with a satisfied manner of finality. “And incidentally…” she reached forward and toppled his king with a flick, “Mate.”

She stood up off of her cushion and began to trot toward the room’s entry, off to resume her duties after this fun little distraction.

“Except I’m your sister’s personal apprentice,” Nova frowned, turning to stare after her, as the king piece rolled off the board and clattered to the ground. “I’m pretty sure that’s the textbook definition of subordinate.”

“In public? Perhaps,” she conceded, “but in private? We have considered you an equal since the day Luna appointed you as her student. Not in rank, this is true, but in Our opinion. Which, if We do say so Ourself, is far more valuable.”

She trotted out of the room, turning just momentarily to give him a wink, before she was out of view. Nova stared after her for several moments, before shaking his head and grinning to himself.

That mare… he thought, with a small smile to himself. Still, she had a point. Perhaps it was getting close to time to just put all of the romantic escapades to bed.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Another spot comes up empty.”

Nova groaned as he crossed off another place on his makeshift map. Time was swiftly running low, and he was nowhere closer to finding the Mirror Pool than he had been when he’d first arrived in Everfree… how long ago was it? It had to be nearly half a year, right? Luna from his time has said he would be gone no longer than two, which meant his time was rapidly dwindling, perhaps as much as a third.

Today, he’d been investigating a hilly region not too far from the road south toward his little grove, where Ponyville would be built eventually. No development just yet, but no underground caves with hidden brooks in them that cloned a pony either.

In a thousand and a quarter years, this forest, so peaceful and serene, would become the tangled, overgrown jungle that it was in his own time. Based on what little he knew about the natural evolution of landscapes, that didn’t seem like nearly enough time for it to go that bad, which made Nova wonder if perhaps the forest grew magically after Nightfall? And if so, did the Mirror Pool come into being because of it?

“What are you doing?”

Nova jumped. How had Clover snuck up on him like this? As he turned, he found her sitting in a tree, of all places, staring down at him with the smallest of smirks.

“Not so all-seeing, are you?” she asked, her eyes glinting with mischief. Why was it that she had suddenly begun to have a miscreant streak as of late? Lying to Lord Star Swirl, sneaking after him to find his hiding place, now hiding in plain sight to startle him…

“Who are you, and what have you done with the cold and hyper-professional Faithful Student I regularly spend time with?” Nova countered, cocking an eyebrow, and reaching back and stowing the map inside of the small saddlebags he had bound underneath his cloak.

“Princess Celestia has been making a rather concerted effort to get me to, as she said, ‘lighten up’.” The smirk faded. “Princess Platinum concurred.”

“So you’re out here sneaking up on me and following me around because you’re learning how to have a little fun for once in your life?” Nova pressed, before sighing. “Why not go bother the Captain, or fleece a bunch of stupid rich old fogeys at chess in the lounge? Celestia’s already taken my bits on that one…” he added half-bitterly.

“Ever since you showed me your little training grove, you have failed to be there whenever I have gone to it,” she answered, her look turning a mite accusatory. “Are you avoiding me, Sir Night Apprentice?”

“Honest answer? Yes. And no.”

“Are you incapable of giving me a straight answer?” She narrowed her eyes.

“I’m looking for something, and I’m on a time limit,” Nova continued, choosing to ignore that one. “And I’m no closer to finding it now than I was when I first started looking. I know it exists, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but it’s... not where I thought it would be, or anywhere around it.”

“A disappearing place? Or is it a disappearing object?”

She slid herself out of the tree, though unlike when Trixie did it in his own time, it was clear that Clover needed to work on her acrobatics. The moment her hooves touched down, she buckled and fell. Nova at first thought she might have hurt herself, but she stood up, looking no worse for the wear, and seemingly not embarrassed by her blunder.

“So what were you doing up there?” he asked, trotting over.

“I shall answer that question if you enlighten me with just what it is you were looking for,” she replied, dusting herself off. Her horn glimmered pale pink, and with a flash of light, a white cape settled onto her back, fastened at her neck with a brooch, golden with a sun-shaped topaz set in the center, inside of which was etched a scroll, much like Nova’s own. Her Faithful Student cloak to mirror his Night Apprentice one.

“Alright then,” Nova shrugged. “I’m looking for a pool of water that has been enchanted with the power to clone anyone who says a specific phrase and steps into it.”

Clover blinked, her expression blank. Nova almost laughed, and he took a little bit of pride in the knowledge that she didn’t know how to react to this information.

“Why?” she asked, a note of deliberation in her voice.

“Oh, you know,” Nova shrugged again, putting on an airy facade, “when you have five mares chasing after you, you want a peaceful resolution to the love heptagon I’ve got going on. I figure making more of me will make everyone happy. And the best thing about being me is that there’ll be so many ‘me’s!”

It wasn’t technically a lie…

Clover stared at him, though Nova noticed there was a certain softness to her eyes, unlike the usual flinty coldness she had. Though considering this was Clover, was she about to decide that trying to pry into the chaotic mind of Nova Shine wasn’t worth it and just walk away, or was it going to pique her interest just enough to keep her around for a bit?

“A heptagon has seven sides, so you imply there are six mares?” she finally asked, seeming unimpressed.

“I was including Captain Steelshod,” Nova clarified, before pausing. “Then again, I was also including Shimmer Silvermane, and I don’t think she gets a clone of me. Maybe if I make a foal version of myself, I can replace her with Princess Chrysalis…”

“Who are the other…?” she asked, before suddenly snorting. “You must think ever so highly of yourself if you think Princess Luna and Princess Celestia also have feelings for you.”

“Hey, she said it, not me,” Nova rolled his eyes. “But even though I’m quite fond of both of them, I, unfortunately, have no intention of pursuing either of them.”

“And let me guess,” Clover replied with the tiniest scowl, “you have no intention of pursuing myself or Summer Blossom either?” Before Nova could answer, she pressed onward. “Nova Shine, I do apologize for lying to Lord Star Swirl about the nature of our relationship. However…” she frowned for a moment, her eyes growing distant, before she affixed him with an oddly nervous look. “Nova Shine… may I be honest with you?”

“I encourage it,” Nova dipped his head. What’s eating her?

“I have been… feeling conflicted ever since your visit to Unicornia some time ago,” she admitted, averting her gaze as her voice grew soft. “I used to believe that romance was nothing more than a distraction and a waste of time, as I told you. But… ever since our encounter with the young changeling, and the fact that you had her transform into me so that you could allow her to feed off of your Love Energy, I have felt... drawn to you.”

“Ohh, drawn to me, is it?” Nova asked, giving her a knowing look. “Is that what you want to call it, and not something a little more accurate?”

Clover let out a sharp breath and, to Nova’s shock, she stamped her hoof in frustration.

“Are you incapable of being serious for even a moment!?” she snapped, fixing him with a fierce scowl, her eyes blazing with a strange fire he had come to expect from Twilight whenever she was particularly enraged, and once more Nova was reminded of the similarities between the two of them more than their differences.

“Sorry,” Nova replied sincerely, bowing his head a little. “Look, if you’re gonna chase after me, then you’ve gotta get used to this whole goofy side of me.”

“I am not chasing you.” She said the word so distastefully. “I simply find you intriguing.”

“Mm-hmm,” Nova dipped his head, “yeah, whatever comforts you. If you want my personal insights on the whole thing, though…” he smirked, “I used to refuse to accept the idea that I was attracted to someone as well. Believed I was sick. Repressed it because how could I let myself fall in love? It, ahh...”

Memories flashed through his head of all of that inner turmoil he’d had from those days. He couldn’t help but briefly imagine how much happier and more stable he and Twilight would have been had he just been open with her from the start. But when you’ve closed yourself off for so long, opening up even a little bit is a surprisingly monumental task. It was a wonder he’d opened up as much as he’d had thanks to his dad’s prodding.

Then the other memories came back. The conflict, the miscommunication, him screaming at her for her continuing to pry. The smirk slid off of his face entirely as he remembered in particular what had happened on the night of their first date.

“...didn’t go so well.”

Clover was quiet for a long moment. Nova began to feel a little self-conscious after several seconds of doing nothing but letting the wind rustle the leaves, but after another long moment, she finally looked away, and her cheeks started to color ever so slightly.

“Very well, then. Let us say, purely for academic purposes, that I am… attracted to you.” Nova bit back a snicker at just how disgusted she sounded with herself for using that word. “It is no secret that Summer Blossom also finds herself quite enamored with you. And…” she looked up with a meaningful gaze, “I have not forgotten what happened in the Crystal Caves.”

“I never thought you would,” Nova nodded.

“What… are we? What are you and Summer? You have mares who desire to be with you. I would wager that you also carry feelings for them as well, at least in part. Why do you not pursue us?”

A very apt question, and one he himself hadn’t spent much time thinking about.

“Okay,” he turned to face her fully now. “Hypothetically. Let’s assume for a moment that yeah, I like you and Summer--”

“Oh please,” she scowled and rolled her eyes. “The changeling nymph in the mines quite literally fed off of the love energy you gave it from her impersonating me. As far as I am concerned, you cannot even pretend this is hypothetical at this point.”

“Please don’t interrupt,” Nova shook his head. “Okay, fine, yes, I would love nothing more than to pursue you and Summer.”

Clover’s brow twitched. Internally, Nova knew it was a lie because there was one pony indeed that he loved more than the thought of pursuing the ones in this time.

Or… was it really? Why had it been so easy to say if it were false?

But no, that was impossible. He hadn’t pursued them thus far because he loved Twilight and wanted to remain faithful.

But he wouldn’t, in the end, would he? He was destined-- or perhaps doomed-- to fall in love with Clover. And while he could confidently say he wasn’t at the moment, every passing day made that more and more difficult as he saw the same things in her as he saw in Twilight.

“Sir Nova Shine?”

Nova blinked, returning his attention to the real world. Clover had stepped in front of him now and was looking into his eyes with an unreadable expression. Nova, for some odd reason, felt his fight-or-flight instincts kick in, out of all things. Despite this, he fought them and won, managing to stay where he was while Clover searched for whatever it was she was looking for.

“...I see,” she finally said softly. “So you and I both are unsure.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked, grateful for at the very least an opportunity to see what she was seeing in him.

“Is it not blindingly obvious to one such as you?” she asked, giving him a critical look. “You clearly have romantic inclinations toward myself, and toward Summer Blossom. Summer Blossom has suggested that she reciprocates those feelings, and I…” she went pink and broke off the eye contact, “I… wish to spend more time with you as well.”

He supposed that was as close as he would ever get to an admission from her.

“And yet,” she scuffed the ground with her hoof, “despite what happened in the Crystal Caves, despite seeing you willingly bestow love on the changeling nymph in my form, it feels as though you have been pulling away.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” he asked, looking down at his map, finding a new destination, and starting to trot along. He figured they could walk and talk, and sure enough, she began to follow close behind. “As you said, you’re not chasing me, you just find me interesting. Doesn’t this preserve the mystique?” he added, giving her a sly smile.

“No, it is not!” she stamped a hoof in frustration. “Perhaps before it was, but… not now. Not anymore,” she added softly, now glancing away from him. “Is it too much to ask to spend time with you?”

“We already spend time together. Or does our training with the princesses not count?”

“I mean,” she huffed, “I wish to spend time with you personally. As you and Summer do.”

“You do know Summer and I are just friends, right? I know you’ve mentioned it.”

The poor mare… He wasn’t intentionally needling her, but the sooner she just came out and said what she felt, the sooner she would probably feel less unsure and confused.

Rather like myself, eh?

“That is not the point,” she practically spat the last word.

“Then what is?” Nova asked her, a cool edge to his voice.

Clover met his gaze defiantly, working her jaw, while she attempted to formulate the perfect response to him. However, instead, she surprised him.

With a defeated sigh, she averted her gaze once again and a heavy blush spread across her face.

“Very well. I am attracted to you. I wish to spend time with you because… because I wish to deepen our relationship beyond mere colleagues.”

Nova let it hang in the air for several long moments. The breeze rustled the trees, birds chirped in the air, and the foliage emanated a delightfully grassy scent. It was such a strange corner of the Everfree Forest, and yet, it was such a beautiful place. He hoped Clover was paying attention as well. It was truly amazing how liberating paying attention to oneself and surroundings could be. Hopefully, she was experiencing that same feeling now.

After a long moment, she finally dared to glance back at him, her omnipresent frown once again there, although he could detect a small bit of nervousness behind it. She was afraid this was the part where he turned her down.

“Feels good, doesn’t it,” he asked softly. “To get something you’ve been repressing off your chest.”

She smiled somewhat sheepishly. It was a small thing, but it was all the more important because of that.

“I suppose it does.”

“I think I’m not opposed to spending more time with you,” he answered somewhat airily. “Hope you know I still do plan on having quality time with Summer. I make time for my friends, you know,” he added as her small smile flickered for just a moment. “Just don’t want you getting jealous. Let’s try being friends first, and we’ll see where things go, alright?”

“Very well,” she nodded, and now Nova could tell she was struggling to contain her smile at this point. “I… think I am amenable to that.”

“Always so formal,” Nova shook his head and suppressed a laugh. “You and Summer are complete opposites like that. Maybe I should court both of you.”

Clover blinked. “B-both of us?”

“I checked the laws,” Nova replied, casually turning away and beginning to trot back into the city as he prepared to drop this particular nugget on her. “Celestia hasn’t changed the herding laws yet. Whaddya say, Clover?” he asked, turning back and giving her an eyebrow waggle.

Clover’s face was slack, her mouth had fallen open, her eyes had gone wide and glazed over, and a deep blush had colored her cheeks and it was only getting darker. Nova couldn’t help it this time and began to chortle as Clover began to sputter.

“Y-you utter cad!”

He only had a moment to act, and with a quick leap forward, he began to run toward the city with her following close behind, both of them laughing the whole way. As they dashed past several surprised ponies, Nova couldn’t help but feel pleased that they were already getting closer. She had learned how to take one of his jokes, at long last.

And yet, later on that evening as he lay in bed, small feelings of guilt would creep in when he remembered the other lilac mare in his life, waiting for him a few centuries later.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“One order of true home-brewed Maneich Stout!” called the barkeep.

Nova raised a hoof to get Rich Brew’s attention, the amber-colored Germane earth pony giving him a friendly smile as he set the mug down in front of him before filling another mug for one of the other many customers occupying The Sun And Moon that evening to spend their bits on alcohol. Another day’s work learning and practicing, another weekly stipend from the princesses, another night in the town pub.

Nova hadn’t had this particular drink before despite his many appearances here in the weeks since it had opened. He could smell the malts, he could almost taste the grains used in it and… was that coffee?

A great gulp of the beer in question confirmed that, yes, there were certainly some coffee grounds used in the production of this stout. Huh. He hadn’t had anything like that before. Gonna have to get this one more often.

“Hey there, stranger.”

Nova set the mug down to see that Summer Blossom had taken up a stool next to him and was currently flagging down Rich Brew. “What you got there?” she added, giving his beer a sniff. “It smells amazing.”

“Maneich Stout. Bit darker than the one I had last time.”

“You had me at ‘Stout’.” She caught Rich Brew’s attention and gestured to his pint. Rich Brew nodded and went to get Summer her drink as Nova began to take another gulp of his. “So, Clover tells me you want a menage-a-trois.”

Shortly thereafter, half of Nova’s beer had drenched Summer, having been expelled from his mouth at full blast.

“A–” he coughed, “a what!?”

Was it possible to drown while drinking beer? He might have accidentally inhaled some.

Summer, meanwhile, had collapsed over the bar, howling with laughter and even pounding her hoof against the wood. Rich Brew threw him a dirty look as he dropped off her drink and went to retrieve a rag to clean up.

“Oh, I’m gonna cherish that one forever,” she squeaked, fighting off another fit of giggles. “Celly can’t get you to react with her best ones, but I make one comment and have you sputtering! Oh, what a feeling!”

Nova watched her as she really made a show of milking the moment for all it was worth. Really rolled around on the bar top, laughing her lungs out. After several seconds of this, even Rich Brew was giving her an odd look.

“Are you done?” he asked as Summer’s wheezing started to die down. “Or do you want to keep laughing for another half an hour?”

“Just had to get it all out of my system,” she smirked at him from her position, cheek resting on the bar. “Ain’t every day somepony can fluster you with a double-entendre.”

“I wasn’t flustered,” Nova huffed. “You caught me with beer in my throat is all.”

“Suuuuuuuure,” Summer’s smirk deepened. Nova took another drink. “You know, I was actually all for the idea. What do you think Nova? Want to marry two mares at once?”

One of the most well-known facts is that you can’t surprise someone immediately after you’ve surprised them once already. Their guard is up, and their reflexes and instincts are now preparing them for the inevitable next several attempts at catching them unawares.

Summer should have known this. Nova decided to humor her this time. This time, he sold it almost as hard as she did.

His pint went flying out of his hoof as he let out a massive, dramatic gasp.

“Whaaaaaaat!?” he fixed Summer with the most over-the-top surprised expression he could think of, drawing on half-forgotten memories of a Manehattan actor’s performance as Bottom in Flankspeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the entire sets worth of scenery he gleefully chowed down on. “Why, Summer! I can scarce believe you would ask that of me!”

“Okay, see, there’s what I was doing, and then there’s what you’re doing,” she gave him an unimpressed once-over.

Other bar patrons were starting to watch their little show now. Nova, however, was only just now becoming aware of an unwelcome presence deciding to make its way toward them.

The merriment died and he turned toward the door to see Shimmer Silvermane trotting toward them both, the thrown tankard caught in her magic, but her mane completely drenched, droplets of Maneich Stout dripped from different parts of her face, her teeth were clenched, and her eyes were bulging.

For whatever reason, Summer decided now was the perfect time to antagonize her even more, letting an outright guffaw at her state. Shimmer turned her blood-curdling gaze onto the everpresent thorn in her side, all while Summer made sure to put a little extra oomph into her laughter.

Now, Nova loved to watch ponies eat shit as much as the next pony. Unfortunately, he just didn’t think this was a good time. Shimmer looked like she meant business today.

“I see the rabble are so easily entertained,” she hissed.

“I see the hussies are so easily provoked,” Summer retorted, making no effort at all to hide the smuggest of smug looks on her face. “What’s the matter, Silverbitch? You afraid to get wet?”

“What are you doing here, Shimmer?” Nova stepped between them with the intent to make it quite clear she wasn’t welcome here.

It wasn’t his bar, but Rich Brew behind the counter didn’t seem to make any objections. At this point, most of the pub was aware of who had stepped in, and while most of the earth ponies or pegasi probably just saw a pretty mare, every single unicorn in the building wasn’t making even a tiny attempt to hide their contempt for her, and this feeling of dislike was spreading.

She was well-known and well-hated.

Shimmer Silvermane did not answer him, instead looking daggers at Summer, who was living it up.

“I know one thing,” Summer commented loudly, leaning back and taking a great swig of her flagon. “I’m not drunk enough to hear whatever nonsense she’s peddling.”

“Shimmer, why are you here?” Nova pressed.

“To ruin your evening, obviously,” Shimmer replied, tossing her mane back with a sneer. “I hear your old coltfriends are in town, Summer.”

Summer rolled her eyes with the sourest expression on her face. “Yeah. I kicked one of them in the face. What’s your point? You want my permission to shag one of them? Be my guest.”

“As if I would let myself be bedded by your sloppy seconds.”

Summer snorted.

“My sloppy seconds? Shimmasham, lest we forget, you seduced three of them. Right in front of me, too. And you know what?” she asked, with a faux-sweet tone. “I’m over them. They’re nothing compared to him,” she patted Nova on the shoulder.

Nova tried to keep a straight face, but internally, he winced. No, they were not an item. Why were Clover and Summer both lying to others that they were?

“And ya know what else, Silverbitch?” Summer leaned forward with a smug sneer of her own, “he’s mine, and you can’t take him from me.”

Unfortunately for Summer, she had shown too much, and Shimmer was ready to latch onto this thread the moment it left Summer’s mouth.

Shimmer laughed, that obnoxious noblewoman’s laugh that had always gotten on Nova’s nerves in his own time at high society galas and such when he had been far younger. Summer’s smugness vanished, replaced by slight confusion.

Rich Brew determined that now was the right time to intervene and stepped out from behind the bar.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid I must ask you to leave,” he said in a flat voice, but Nova could hear the beginnings of a growl in it. He meant business if she refused.

“Whatever for? I am simply enjoying conversation with this mare,” Shimmer answered innocently.

“You’re disturbing the other patrons,” Rich Brew answered, starting to scowl. “Leave, now. I’ll call the guards if you don’t.”

Every eye in the bar was on them now. Nova didn’t like this. The center of attention for a confrontation like this was surely to spread via gossip, and Nova didn’t want to be involved in it. Especially if the guards were going to get involved.

Shimmer collected herself, and affixed Summer with one last triumphant smirk.

“I don’t have to take him from you, Summer,” she said softly. “He’ll leave you all by himself.”

Nova felt a prickle at the nape of his neck, and had the uncomfortable sensation of ice sliding down his spine. She was right. Too right. What does she know?

The confusion on Summer’s face vanished instantly, replaced by fury. In a flash, she had jumped out of her seat and was stomping toward Shimmer with fire in her eyes. Nova and Rich Brew immediately moved to intercept, but she pushed past them. Shimmer stood her ground, looking quite satisfied at her handiwork.

“Say that again,” Summer hissed, stopping mere inches away.

“Why?” Shimmer asked scathingly. “You heard it the first time.”

Nova was thinking quickly. This was going to get ugly soon. Something needed to happen to cause confusion so he could get Summer out of here and away from Shimmer as soon as possible.

Nova picked out the biggest, burliest earth pony he could find, a massive teal specimen, and with a subtle yank of his magic, he tipped the pony sideways, sending him on a collision course with the unfortunate stallion next to him. The larger stallion hit him with a loud “Oomph” and a loud splash could be heard.

“Hey, what the hell!?” the smaller pony yelled, jumping to his hooves and dripping from mane to tail.

While Summer’s and Shimmer’s attention never left each other, eyes turned toward the two other ponies.

“I didn’t do nuthin’!” protested the big one. “Slipped sideways, di’n’t I?”

“Liar,” Nova called, “I watched the whole thing!”

Another flick of his magic. Another pony slipped sideways into another victim. They too began to squabble. Summer and Shimmer began to trade insults at the top of their lungs to shout over the squabbling ponies, and Nova braced himself for his endgame.

Then he stumbled sideways into Rich Brew, spilling a third pony’s beer onto the ground who just happened to be a bit too close.

“‘EY! That was on purpose!” the third pony shouted, pointing a hoof accusingly at him. Nova batted it aside aggressively, so the pony in question reared back and punched him square in the cheek.

Nova hated the sensation of being punched. There’s the initial instant of cold hoof hitting sensitive skin but then comes that hot feeling followed by the pain mere instants later. The world spun, and he stumbled back and into yet another bargoer, and thus a chain reaction was started.

In no time at all, a full bar fight had erupted. Nova nursed his bruised cheek but weaved his way in and out of fighting ponies as he tried to make his way back toward where Shimmer and Summer were screaming at each other. He dodged the massive teal earth pony from before as he chased after the fleeing first victim, just missed Rich Brew trying to wrestle a picture from a pony who had plucked it off the wall, slipped past a pink pegasus carrying a stool toward a soon-to-be poor soul, and finally made it to where Summer and Shimmer moments away from coming to blows.

Turns out he was also moments too late.

No sooner had he arrived at their spot than Summer reared back and slammed a hoof into Shimmer’s face. Shimmer was sent sideways, barely keeping on her hooves. Before she could retaliate, and before Summer could press her advantage, Nova used his magic one more time.

A quick flick, and Shimmer Silvermane’s shimmering silver mane was yanked back, carrying her with it into the depths fighting mob with a pained yelp.

Before Summer could chase after her, however, Nova bodily threw himself against her and began to shove her out of the bar and into the street.

“Gerroff me!” Summer tried to fight her way free of his grasp but he wouldn’t have it.

“No!” He pushed even harder.

"Fucking...!" she grunted, still trying to push past him, but he wouldn't budge, eventually managing to push her out the door.

It took a few minutes of fighting, and he even had to just pick her up in his magic and carry her away the same way as he did Trixie and Twilight months ago, but eventually, he had gotten her out of this part of the city entirely before the guards could come looking.

She struggled for several minutes as he made his way along roads, trying to dodge as many eyewitnesses to him abducting a struggling mare as he could. He was in enough hot water as it was, he sure didn’t need to add this to the things he’d need to talk his way out of. After some time of trotting and Summer struggling, they were down on the south side of the city, near the road to his training clearing, and toward the future site of Ponyville.

Summer eventually gave up as he carried her along, seeming to tire herself out. Nova figured their homes and the castle weren’t the safest places just yet, but they did have a place they could hunker down not too far away. As they got closer and closer to the destination, Summer seemed to curl in on herself, looking more and more troubled.

“I’m sorry,” she finally grunted as he carried her down an avenue and drew odd looks from the streetgoers.

“For what?”

“For reacting that way.”

“Summer…”

“She just–!” Summer shook her head and threw up her hooves. “Why? Why did she have to go there?”

They were almost to the grove he’d found her in, and Luna had found him in. Now seemed like a good time to let her down, since they were a good distance away from the squabble he had started and she seemed to be calming down. The magic slowly vanished as she let herself be lowered to the ground and began to plod alongside him.

“She knew your insecurities and weak spots,” Nova said gently. “She knew what she was doing. It’s not your fault that she went there.”

“I just–!”

She dragged a hoof down her face, and Nova was startled to see that she was holding back as much as she could from crying.

“S-seven! Seven coltfriends, Nova!”

Nova stopped in the middle of the otherwise-quiet sidestreet as Summer fell to her haunches and buried her face in her hooves, still trying desperately not to sob.

“Every single one of those bastards wasn’t worth my time, and yet I let myself fall for them anyway!”

She sniffled, and that was all Nova needed. He stepped next to her and sat down in the middle of the street, brushing up alongside her to let her know he was there. Unlike before, there were no streetgoers to gawk, so they had at least some privacy.

Not that Summer seemed to care.

“We don’t control who we fall for, do we,” he observed, looking up toward the sky as he let his mind go toward the mares he cared about.

All three of them.

“Y-yeah,” she nodded. Then she leaned into him. Nova stiffened slightly, and he knew she noticed. “I know you’re not… comfortable with it. I know you and Clover are dancing around each other. I know you spend a lot of time with Luna. And I know there’s a reason you won’t tell any of us yes or no, even when we offer to share, but…”

She suddenly started to laugh, a raucous, giddy laugh completely at odds with the situation.

“But what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and not fall in love with you?”

Nova said nothing as she slowly died down. Truthfully, he felt the same way. About Clover, about her… He wasn’t supposed to. He was going to return to his own time, to Twilight. To be with the mare he loved and who loved him. And yet here he was, spending time with Clover and Summer, and he couldn’t help but feel nothing but deep affection for them both.

“You literally pop in out of nowhere, you rescue my job for a little bit, you expose Silverbitch for who she is, you get me an even better job here, and then you go off on some daring do for ponies you’ve never met, and that’s on top of you being Princess Luna’s personal apprentice and… and…”

She laughed again, throwing her head back and just howling to the heavens.

“You’re so far out of my league you may as well be up in Unicornia compared to where I’m at!”

“That’s not true,” he shook his head.

“Is it really?” she gave him a skeptical look with a sad smile. “You’re ten times the stallion any of them ever were. Head and shoulders above them. And I know you’d never abandon me like they did. Use me like some tool,” she slammed a hoof into the cobblestones. “You’re not like them. I know you. And I love you for it.”

Before he could do anything else, she darted forward and placed a brief kiss on his lips.

It wasn’t even long enough for him to properly react or even reciprocate or not, and as quickly as it had happened, she drew back and lay her head on his shoulder.

“Nova, don’t ever change. You’re one stallion in a million.”

Had she not pulled away, she may have seen the intense guilt cross his face as she said those words.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Neighton, at the moment known as Ponyville, formerly known as Earthponyville, was a town that Nova was hoping he would be able to visit at some point during his time here. He was eager to see how much had changed between this time in the past, and the present day. Outside of knowing that Chancellor Puddinghead’s manor was what would go on to be his own home, he knew next to nothing about how the town was going to be.

However, as he exited the confines of the Everfree Forest on this snowy day, along with a contingent of laborers and a number of ponies pulling wagons with trade goods and raw materials that couldn’t help but remind him of the fateful day and way he’d met Twilight, the flat countrysides of Canterhorn Valley looked not all that different to his own time (though considerably more wintery than the present). Although the land was mostly untamed and there was no direct path yet made between the two towns, the similarities were there.

As they approached Ponyville, the first building they saw was Chancellor Puddinghead’s manor. Nova grinned at the sight of it. There were a few differences at first glance, he noticed. At the moment, there didn’t seem to be a round window in the center of the roof that he would later have in his own house, and of course there was no path outside. Not to mention, the building looked brand new. There weren’t the slight bits of wear and tear that would be expected quite yet, particularly some of the worn-out stone and brick after over a thousand years of wind and rain.

On top of that, there were no buildings anywhere near it. There was a collection of buildings off in the near distance, along with what was unmistakably an in-progress clocktower that was missing the arrows on its face, but it seemed that Neighton had filled in the space between Puddinghead’s Manor and the town proper over the following centuries. Off in the distance, around and beyond the collection of buildings in the center, he could see the low stone fences that indicated farming plots, as well as a few houses around them as well.

“What a strange town,” one of his laborer companions observed, a pegasus mare with a bright pink coat and a lime-green mane, long and flowing along her back, and a tail that was neatly kept. “Who’s the idiot who built their house all the way out here, without any farming plots nearby?”

“That would be Chancellor Puddinghead,” Nova answered, pointing to a pair of earth pony guards standing on either side of the front door, still wearing the same motley uniforms they had several months back during the trade summit. “Had the manor constructed before the townsponies built their residences. They, on the other hoof, built their town closer to their farms, so now the chancellor lives all the way out here on his own.”

“Who would want to live all alone away from civilization?”

“It’s not too far away, and besides, you’d be surprised,” Nova shrugged. “Getting away from the bustle of the city isn’t always a bad idea.”

“Except the Chancellor is supposed to be running the city,” his companion pointed out. “I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure it’s easier to do that when you’re in the middle of it.”

“But that’s just what they were expecting me to do!” exclaimed a familiar shrill voice. Nova could hear his fellow workers react with shock and surprise, but having spent more than a few days around Pinkie Pie, a little bit of spontaneous appearance was just an average Tuesday, especially after the time Pinkie had jumped out of Twilight’s bathtub shortly before he stepped in after one particularly grueling odd-job day.

“So you built your manor half-a-mile away from the rest of the city, because it would be the unexpected thing to do?” he turned and gave the Chancellor, who was currently sitting atop one of the wagons as casually as though she had not just scared the lives out of the workers carting everything.

“Well duuuuuuh,” Puddinghead rolled her eyes, with a rather haughty flip of the bright pink cape she’d added to the rest of her ensemble. “How else am I supposed to make sure my caricatures are working if I show up when they expect it?”

“Caricatures?” Nova arched an eyebrow.

“Caricatures?” Puddinghead rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. “Choreographs? Chamomiles? Chemicals? I wish Cookie was here,” she huffed, prancing off of the wagon. “She’d know the word I’m looking for.”

“Do you mean ‘constituents’, or perhaps, ‘citizens’?” Nova offered.

Puddinghead rubbed all the harder at her chin, determinedly trying to puzzle out this most puzzling puzzle with as little outside help from expert puzzle solvers like Nova. Puzzle.

Nova felt a familiar aura enter his range of awareness, and he turned to look further down the path in time to see Smart Cookie dashing toward them, a three-legged sprint that was made all the more awkward by the fact that her remaining hoof was trying to hold her hat onto her head, and floating along behind her, completely divested of armor and looking almost amused at her pace, was Pansy.

“Saaaaaay,” Puddinghead suddenly appeared in his field of view, glaring at him intensely. “How come you weren’t surprised by me popping out of your wagon?”

“Oh, I expected you all along,” Nova shrugged. Puddinghead’s eye twitched, and he suppressed the urge to snicker. “There’s a point where all of your attempts to become unpredictable cross a line into predictability, Chancellor. You have to learn to be a little predictable every now and again, or else everyone will always see your random zany unpredictability coming a mile away. One of life’s little ironies,” he observed, as Chancellor Puddinghead appeared to be going through a crisis of existence right in front of him.

“Sorry *pant* about *pant* that *pant*” gasped Cookie, sliding to a stop next to them with a spray of snowy powder right into Nova’s face, while Pansy just rolled his eyes and lightly landed next to his marefriend, who was busy brushing herself off as Nova’s companions did the same around them.

“Cookie! Just in time!” Puddinghead immediately seemed to get over her existential crisis and turned her attention to her beleaguered assistant. “Quick, what’s the word I picked? The one about the things?”

“Uhh… wasn’t it ‘bearclaws’?”

“No, it started with a C,” Puddinghead sat down, folded her front hooves, and set to tapping on her noggin. “Think, think, think…”

“Right,” Cookie brushed back her sweaty mane, before holding out a hoof to Pansy, who wordlessly handed her a scroll of parchment. “One moment, I’m gonna go over all the goods ya brought. We’ll unload them when we get to the market, then we’ll reload the Principality’s goods when we get done with the morning’s work.”

Cookie set to her task, running down the list of things on her scroll while the many cart-pullers took their time to rest. Puddinghead, in the meantime, was following her around, jabbering away about some new political advancement she’d read about called “surfdom”, where the working ponies all spent time riding waves on the ocean. Nova couldn’t help but pity the poor mare as she tried to dutifully listen to her chancellor while also trying to get her work done, all while Pansy just lazily floated along helping her out with other carts.

“Oh! Cupcakes!” Puddinghead finally exclaimed happily. “That was the word I was looking for.”

Everyone stared at her.

“Whaaaaat? I always call my lawful constituents provided for by the Accords of Hamsterdam in 862 D.S. as my cupcakes.”

“She called us her ‘pastry cakes’ last week,” Cookie sighed. “Then she got annoyed because the name was redundant.”

“Just like half the workforce!” Puddinghead chirped. “But what do you expect when these peasants want their wages bumped up to a half-bit per hour instead of a quarter-bit per hour?”

Nova could feel himself sprout a gray hair that very moment.

“Welp, time’s a-wastin’!” Puddinghead began to pronk her way off toward the buildings in the distance. “The big old bwong-tock won’t get done all by itself, you know!”

“It’s called a clock tower!” Cookie called after her, but it was to no avail. She slumped the moment the chancellor was gone a moment later. “One of these days, she’s gonna run me so ragged, I won’t be able to fix any more of her mistakes.”

“Is she not democratically elected? She is a chancellor, after all.”

“She is,” Cookie nodded, “but the rule is that when someone wants to challenge her, the election is a two-parter. The first question is if the chancellor should keep office, and the second is who should replace them.”

“Following you so far,” Nova nodded.

“If the current chancellor has more than 50% vote yes, then the second question don’t matter one bit,” Cookie sighed. “It’s happened twice already. People give Puddinghead all the credit for the stuff I get done in her name.”

“So if more than 50% vote no, then how’s the second question work?”

“Straight run-off,” Cookie shook her head. “Even if someone has less than 50% of the vote, long as they beat everyone else, they win. Puddinghead ran with 6 other ponies. She finished with 32%. No one else got any more than 20%. Two thirds o’ ponies didn’t want her to win. She won.”

Nova grimaced. “Yeah, that sounds like a bad voting system.”

“Ah well, when we’re good and fully incorporated into your little principality, I guess it won’t matter will it?” Cookie smiled wryly.

“Who said anything about incorporation?” Nova asked, frowning.

“You didn’t need to, sugarcube,” Cookie patted him on the foreleg with a knowing smile. “I know what this here trade agreement was for. I think everyone except Puddinghead did. Even Hurricane.”

“Can confirm,” Pansy nodded. “The Commander sniffed it out not long after it was signed, but the thing about pegasus culture is, we tend to follow the best and strongest leaders. And who is a better and stronger leader than an alicorn?”

“They’re still young,” Nova pointed out. “They’ll grow and gain in strength, but I think your generals have the experience factor in their favor.”

The caravan began to push forward again toward the town off in the distance. Nova hastily scrawled a note for the chancellor to add a study to the upstairs with a glass dome. He also quickly marked his initials in the stone when he was sure no one was looking.

“I’m pretty sure Hurricane has already factored that in,” Pansy looked upward, toward the distant collection of clouds where Pegasopolis was. “He’s no civic leader or politician, but he does know his battlefields. He’s well aware that everyone has different specialties. And between you and me,” his voice grew conspiratorial, “I think he wants to make sure Pegasus military culture lives on in your Equestrian forces. I have a feeling he wants to teach them how to be effective military leaders the same way Star Swirl taught them magic.”

“Well, we don’t exactly have a standing military,” Nova admitted. “Pegasi soldiers and leadership would go a long way.”

“Mutually beneficial trade deals like this make it a lot easier for everyone to get along, too,” said Cookie. “We’ve needed that lumber for several days now. Ol’ Corncob’s crops have been getting munched on by the local livestock despite his best efforts for months. Need fencing for both of them.”

“And with the city growing as it is and winter upon us, we need the food,” Nova replied. They were entering town now, heading toward market stalls at the center where a number of Earth Pony workers were waiting with massive boxes and barrels of foodstuffs to be hauled back. The moment the caravan arrived in the center of town, the earth ponies immediately began unloading and loading.

“Be right back,” Nova said, heading toward the clock tower, visible even several hundred meters away. One face of it, the one facing Everfree, had been completed, but the others still appeared to be under construction. As he wove through the buildings, he drew up the hood of his cloak, and the invisibility spell activated. Even if he was welcome here, he didn’t exactly want to be seen doing this. How would he explain his little self-given mission?

Hiding his hoofprints in the snow proved to be trivial enough, since all he had to do was unsmush the snow he stepped on in question, but eventually, he ran into the many tracks of the workers on the clock tower and decided it was too much work to smooth those out.

No one was guarding the service entrance to the tower, so he found it easy to slip in. Dodging the workers inside was considerably harder, seeing as they had the working mechanism within and space was cramped. There were only four mechanics within, tinkering with the higher-level mechanisms to prepare them to handle the other three clock faces’ arrows, but he needed to avoid them all the same.

He climbed up toward the very top, finally making it to the ceiling of the tower, behind the “IIX” of the completed clock face. Having heard from hearsay that Puddinghead had insisted on wooden letters fitted into the face rather than glass, Nova had come up with a plan. Fortunately, the X in the Roaman numeral was perfectly sized for what he wanted. With his magic, he cut out a large chunk of the painted black wood, hollowing out the number to suit his ends. Once complete, he withdrew a simple pendant, nothing more than a polished painted blue wooden disc on a strip of ribbon, and stashed it in the hole he had created.

There was nothing particularly special about that pendant itself, but it had a particularly special spell attached to it that Nova knew would come in handy down the line against a particularly special shadowy enemy, whenever it was she chose to reveal herself.

With it safely stashed, Nova enchanted the letters of the clock to ward off wear and tear, the better to explain why he made an impromptu visit to the inside of the tower in case he was found on the way back (and to ensure his pendant was protected), seamlessly filled in the stash so that it was hidden once more, and with his business concluded, made a hasty exit from the clock tower.

Yes, these trade deals did lead to increased cooperation between the different tribes, but they also afforded him an excellent opportunity to put things into place to deal with his troubles in his own era.

Now all he and Twilight needed was the right moment to use it…

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

A blast of fire shot over his head, and Nova only just managed to duck down in time to avoid singing any fur. The fire hit the edge of the arena and then disappeared in a puff of smoke as the magical boundaries nullified the spell before it could go beyond and do any lasting damage.

“Getting good at that,” Nova observed, feeling at the nape of his neck, where the head from the blast had washed over him for those precious instants.

Across from him, Captain Steelshod grinned, and cockily blew on his horn to clear the smoke from it. “Practice makes perfect,” he said modestly. “And when we’re out here as often as we are, and I’m practicing against you, I get damn good damn quickly.”

“True, true,” Nova smiled back. “Try this one on for size.”

His horn glowed, and all around Steelshod, spikes of ice coalesced in mere moments, before slamming inward. Nova saw another flash of fire shortly before the ice impacted, which was followed by a quiet splashing sound. When the fire and resultant steam cleared, Steelshod stood there unharmed, but utterly sopping wet and glaring at him.

“You seem to like using fire today,” Nova remarked, little droplets of water forming out of the air and coagulating into much larger water bubbles that drifted lazily around him. “Just as a precaution, you understand.”

“Yeah, well, when you’re out here throwing ice around, it does feel like the obvious counter,” Steel conceded. His horn glowed, and a wave of fire washed over him, flash-drying him and leaving him looking as though he hadn’t just gotten doused.

“I think our daily duels are making us both better.” Nova fired a Dizzification Jinx Steel’s way, but Steelshod dodged it. “I’m getting better at thinking on my hooves and training against a Captain of the Guard. You get to toss spells at me all you want. I call that a win-win!”

“It would be if you let me get a hit in from time to time,” Steel grunted, sending a spray of stars streaming from his horn.

Nova jumped back, wary of the little white blips of light, knowing the effect they could have if he wasn’t careful. “When did you pick up Starfall? Never seen you practicing it.”

“Got some help from Lord Star Swirl,” Steel smiled mischievously. “He showed me how to actually read spell matrices, and I went and simplified it a bit. When Druidas invented that spell, he wasn’t the most efficient when it came to mana expenditure. I figured springing a little surprise on you would be loads of fun. Even made a special little additive to it.” He gestured at the little stars, most of which were fizzling out. “Try touching one of them.”

Nova trotted over to one of the last ones, fading away as the magic sustaining them flickered out, and tentatively touched his hoof to it. At once, he felt the strength leave his legs, and he began to wobble and struggle to maintain balance. As he fought to stay upright, Steelshod chortled.

“I didn’t actually think you’d be dumb enough to do it!”

“Very impressive, Steel!” Nova cheered, still struggling to maintain balance. “Refining an infamously complex spell and making it so that you can add your own effects. But I’d really appreciate it if you anti-jinxed me already.”

“It’s a Jelly-Legs Jinx, Nova,” Steel replied, infuriatingly not anti-jinxing him.“It’s nothing major, just a little wobble in the walk. You can get over it. Just walk it off, right?”

“I’ve put a lot of work into these legs,” Nova whined. “I would much appreciate it if you let me keep that work instead of letting me deal with this.”

“Mmm…” Steel rubbed his chin with a hoof, seeming to consider the situation. “Nah. Just seems like too much work, you know?”

“You are really taking way too much pleasure in this. Is this about that night with the sheepdog, the barrel of mustard, and the pianoforte? I told you I was sorry!”

He was always just teetering on the edge of balance, and it’s not like there was anything for him to lean onto for balance at the moment. If he tried to hold onto the walls of their practice arena, the magic would jolt him, and he wasn’t exactly looking to suffer just to stay upright.

“Alright, alright, fine,” Steelshod sighed in a mockingly longsuffering manner. “A big wimp, you are. Can’t stand a little shake of the legs. Unjellify”

Steelshod’s horn flashed, and Nova felt strength and coordination return to his wayward limbs once more, and not a moment too soon. He had been about to just give up and fall over by that point. It had felt worse than the time he had overexerted his legs in sprinting all the way back to Ponyville from Neighton, since at least then he’d had a little bit of pain to explain things.

“Was the ‘unjellify’ really necessary?” Nova asked.

“It’s an important part of the counter-jinx,” Steel replied defensively. “Don’t get mad at me for following the directions!”

“Unbelievable,” Nova shook his head. “Still, not a bad workout today.”

“Held my own rather well, I’d say,” Steel grinned. “Thanks for training with me. We’re both getting better and better doing stuff like this.”

“Yeah, good practice, aside from that,” Nova grumbled. “Wanna call it a day?”

“What, this early?” Steel laughed. “What would Clover say if she saw you calling it quits only a few spells after coming out here?”

“She’d probably recognize a waste of time when she saw one.”

Steelshod guffawed at that one. “She played one piece of music over 500 times in a row! No way would she recognize a waste of time if the instructions said otherwise.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” Nova grinned. “Sure thing, a few more rounds–”

Nova blinked. Wait a minute. He had known about this. Celestia had confided in her amusement to him a few days after the fact, but she also mentioned she hadn’t told anyone else except Luna because she didn’t want to embarrass the poor mare. And it’s not like Clover had been playing in a public place.

“How did you find out about that?”

Steelshod shrugged. “I’m her guard. I keep watch over her at all times. Perhaps not directly, but I make sure there is someone close enough to respond in case of trouble.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Nova frowned, a suspicion arising in the back of his mind. “How did you find out?”

“I was there when she did it,” Steel replied as if it were the most obvious thing. “Not in the room, but outside the chapel.”

He wasn’t lying, Nova had to give him that, but there was currently only one way into the chapel. If Celestia had come in and out without seeing him…

“And she knew about this?” Nova arched an eyebrow. “Because Celestia doesn’t seem to be aware you were there.”

“Come on,” Steel replied defensively. “You know what she’s like.”

“Steel…” Nova’s frown deepened into a scowl.

“She doesn’t want guards,” Steelshod looked askance at him. “She needs us and yet she tries to push us away at every turn! I’m just doing my job!”

Nova let out an angry snort. “Do you ever think that maybe the reason she pushes you away is that you won’t stop chasing after her?” he demanded. “Do you ever consider that maybe she’s not forgoing guards, she’s trying to forgo you?”

“Yeah, this was before she let me hear it when I tailed you both here several weeks ago,” Steel answered, rolling his eyes. Nova felt a brief spike of anger at just how casually he was taking this. “You don’t need to tell me twice, Night Apprentice. I know she doesn’t want me around. I’ve even had to talk with her about it and we’ve come up with a compromise of sorts.”

.He wasn’t lying, so at least that was something. But Nova wasn’t satisfied.

“Steelshod, you’re not doing this just because it’s your job, are you.”

“Yeah, I am!” Steel snapped. There was nothing casual about him anymore, and Nova wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing. Steelshod stomped over toward him and jabbed a hoof right into Nova’s breast. “You don’t know what it’s like, do you!? To be the youngest ever captain of the Princess’ Guard just because you were one of the only guards not to freeze to death? To have this much responsibility on your shoulders and to have to live up to it!? To have ponies you care about and to have seen what happens the moment you look away!?”

Nova stepped back as Steel continued to glare at him. “Steel, I–”

“You don’t know!” Steel continued, snarling. “Platinum only picked me to come along because I was one of the few guards who hadn’t starved to death or frozen in the snowstorms. I met Clover again for the first time since we were foals, but everything changed when we made it to this land. We finally found a land we could settle and thrive in again! But then the Windigoes followed us and the freezing started all over again. LOOK, NOVA SHINE! LOOK WHAT I SUFFERED!”

Steel turned sideways and with a flicker of his magic, his fur turned transparent, giving Nova an unfiltered view of the skin under his coat. Nova felt his insides twist at the sight of the scarring on his skin from where it had been frozen and eaten away by the cold, massive and splotchy white stretches of scar tissue that lined his extremities and lower half.

“We huddled in a cave,” Steel continued, his countenance darkening, the transparency of his coat fading, and his eyes glazing over as Steel was transported a million miles away, back to the horrific times not all that long ago. “The last few colonizers. Me, Platinum, Clover, and a few others. The pegasi and Earth ponies came in too. We all huddled together, trying desperately to keep warm. But it wasn’t enough.”

He wasn’t advancing on Nova anymore. Steelshod instead fell to his haunches and was staring right through the ground, his breath growing shallow.

“The ice crept in. But Platinum, Hurricane, and Puddinghead didn’t notice. They were airing grievances with each other while our fire died as Cookie, Clover, and Pansy tried desperately to ignite it again. I and the other surviving guards were trying to fight off these ghostly horses from Hell itself, and my own comrades froze to death around me. And then…” he broke off, choking back a sob, “a-and th-then…”

Nova crept up and sat next to him, letting the captain lean against him, assuring him he was there. Whatever fear Nova had felt before had given way to pity and the desire to help.

“They froze me too,” Steel continued dully. “And the patriarchs. The only ones left were Clover, Pansy, and Cookie. And then…”

Steelshod sighed, and he finally broke into the smallest yet most relieved smile Nova had ever seen on a pony in his life.

“And then this bright magical fire burst forth from them. It obliterated the Windigoes, thawed all of us, and banished the ice that had nearly doomed us all. I couldn’t see when it happened, it was just too bright, but when the light faded, all I could see was… was her.”

Nova’s mind flashed back to that night in Trottingham, to Twilight under the great Hearth’s Warming tree, the halo of white light all around her, the rapturous joy on her face, and the first tingles of attraction he had ever felt. Then he thought back to the day in the infirmary in Unicornia, to Clover in front of the blazing sunset, where her mane almost seemed to be fire itself, and the first real smile he had ever seen from her.

Nova knew what the captain had seen. He understood now. This wasn’t merely the captain being infatuated, or not seeing Clover for who she was. The captain truly did love her, and he really did believe he was doing what he felt was necessary and right.

“She is every bit as powerful as she believes she is,” Steel continued, his eyes misting over, but no longer so very far away. Now it appeared as if he couldn’t bear to look at Nova. “You’re even stronger. I trust you with her, don’t misunderstand. But… what about when you aren’t there?”

He stood up and finally turned to face Nova again, and Nova was startled to see that his gaze wasn’t stony or accusatory, but pleading.

“You run from her, Nova Shine. You love her like I do, I know you do, but you don’t pursue her, and it feels like you pull away whenever she attempts to chase after you. Who will be there if you run away?” he asked harshly. “What would have happened had she gone down into the Crystal Caves alone to face Silas Silverblood? I believe she would have outclassed him at first, but would she have been prepared to defend against his use of Dark Magic? Would she have stopped Silverblood from destroying the caves and everyone in them?”

“Steel…”

“Nova Shine, had I lost her, I don’t know what I would have done,” he said, bowing his head and falling back down onto his haunches again. “I don’t care if she returns what I have, I swore I would do everything in my power to protect her with my life. You, however, can’t just protect her, but you can make her happy. You’re the one pony in the world that she seems to enjoy being around, and you run away from her.”

He had nothing to say to that. He was, but how could he just come out and say “Yeah, I’m doing it because I’m from over a thousand years ahead of now” and not sound like he was joking?

“Do you know what I would give to be in your position?” Steel asked, giving him that same pleading look.

He could imagine. It was difficult to imagine what he wouldn’t give to be able to pursue Clover. And Summer too. He was happy here, he realized. More than happy, he was thriving here. He was around friends he loved, platonically and otherwise. He was learning magic. He was free to live a normal life while also pursuing his interests.

What wouldn’t he give to continue this idyllic existence? To be able to enjoy it fully?

Twilight.

He wouldn’t give up Twilight.

“More than you know,” Nova muttered, just loudly enough for Steel to hear. “I wish I could tell you, all of you, why I don’t pursue them. But…”

“So there is a reason,” Steel said, nodding slowly to himself. “I knew there had to be something. I knew you wouldn’t do this to toy with her, or to taunt me. And why can’t you tell us?”

Nova offered Steelshod a hoof and helped him to his hooves. Their practice session had long since ended, but there was something about this grove that made it peaceful to just spend time in all the same, and neither of them was in too much of a hurry to leave.

“I wish I could,” Nova shook his head.

“You are going to have to, eventually,” Steelshod warned. “Whatever the reason is, you’re going to have to tell them why, and the longer you wait, the worse it will be for all of you. And my feelings completely aside, Nova, Clover and Summer both deserve to know.”

“Your feelings?” Nova asked, giving him a cool look. “You want me to open the door for you sooner, is that it?”

“Damn it, that’s not what I meant at all!” Steel snapped, snarling. “I warned you, if you hurt her, I would ruin you. And I can’t, Nova! I know. I get it. You don’t want to hurt her. But at some point, you have to.”

Nova sighed, looking up above at the sky. Distantly, he could see teams of pegasi from Pegasopolis pushing stormclouds toward Earthponyville and Everfree for the night’s scheduled rain, and he could distract himself from admitting to himself that the captain was right.

At some point, the truth would come out.

Why could he not just tell them the truth and be done with it? Why did he allow them to keep coming closer and closer? The closer they got, the harder it would be to leave them.

Because I do love them, he realized, feeling the same tingly butterflies in his stomach as he always did when he thought of Twilight. And I don’t want to let them go.

“I know,” he whispered. “And I’m dreading the day that I will.”

If Steelshod heard what he said, he didn’t react. Instead, all he could give Nova was a slightly pitying look, before beginning the long trot back toward Everfree. Nova let Steel get ahead of him a few paces before plodding along after him, wanting to give himself some space to think and come to terms with these realizations.

And it’s been nearly a year, he thought. How many more months do I have to go?

How many months did he have left before he could return to his own time? Or, more accurately…

How many more months did he have to cherish before they were gone?

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Now, pay attention, Our Night Apprentice,” instructed Luna, using magic to arrange a particularly intricate set of runes into a spell matrix she was putting together on the ground. Nova was learning the fundamentals of transmutation today, a subject he had been extremely loath to work on given his failings with alchemy in his own time.

It wasn’t often that Nova Shine had lessons that were completely theoretical. Oftentimes, Luna insisted on a mixture of theory and demonstration before moving on to practical applications. She was extremely hooves-on, something he noticed from his own time.

Nevertheless, today they were in the Royal Study, a magnificent room adjacent to the Royal Library, just down the hall from the Royal Lounge, which was next to the Royal Loo, and of course the Royal Walk-In Closets and the Royal Linens Racks were only a little bit further down.

Nova had never seen fit to use dedicated study equipment when his own modest study and Twilight’s library contained everything they needed for magical education. However, in a room such as this, he could certainly see the benefits. It was at least two stories high, with long tables that had all manner of scientific instruments placed on top of them at different intervals, one end of the room had a few students’ desks and a blackboard, there were diagrams and charts of all subjects, and of course, a dedicated doorway that was currently held open giving access to the library just beyond.

There were a few other unicorns in the room working on things, but they were giving the two of them ample space to go about their business. Some of them were familiar faces Nova had seen around here a few times. The guards had been particularly thorough in making sure that only ponies who were there to study or work on things were allowed in, else Nova was sure he’d be surrounded by many more familiar faces, and he would most likely get a lot less work done.

The only thing that Nova hated about this room was all of the magic being used, which practically blinded him to anything else going on except in his immediate vicinity. It was like entering a room where he had to close one eye for as long as he was in it.

“Ahem, we said ‘Pay attention, Our Night Apprentice.’”

“Oh!” Nova jolted back to what he was supposed to be focusing on, the glowing script on the nondescript stone floor in front of him. “Sorry, won’t happen again.”

“Honestly, thou art almost too curious about what everypony else here is working on sometimes,” Luna observed, shaking her head. “Thou must remember, it is their business, not thine.”

“Well this is a public collaboration space,” Nova shrugged. “Maybe there’s things here we can help with.”

“Perhaps, but like We told thee many moons ago, never assume…”

“...And never demand,” Nova finished, nodding. “Yeah, gotcha. Sorry, it’s just,” he grimaced, “I never did get the hang of alchemy and transmutation the first time 'round. Guess I’m just trying to distract myself.”

Luna gave him an encouraging smile and patted him on the shoulder. “That is quite alright. We all struggle with certain fields. Our responsibility is to find a way to make it easier for thee to learn. Shall We demonstrate? We know thou canst be a visual learner.”

“I’ve seen it plenty of times,” Nova shook his head. “I just don’t… I guess I just don’t get it.”

Luna smiled sympathetically and nudged him back away from the spell nexus on the ground as she took up a position to activate it.

“Well, as thou knowest, the first and most important rule of Alchemy and Transmutation is the Law of Equivalent Exchange, and thou wouldst not be the first pony to struggle with the concept. It requires a completely different mindset to…” She frowned, suddenly looking past him. “Lord Star Swirl?”

Nova turned behind him to see that yes, the bearded stallion had entered the room clad in his bell-less cape and hat and was looking around, appearing to be both curious and impressed. What was he doing here?

At the mention of his name, Lord Star Swirl looked in their direction. As his eyes found Luna, he lifted a hoof in greeting and trotted over. The other ponies in the room had all stopped and were now staring at the wizard with varying expressions of reverence, though once he made his way to them, they all went back to their tasks.

“Ah, good afternoon Luna, Sir Nova Shine,” he inclined his head to each of them. “How goes the learning this fine day?”

“It goes well, Lord Star Swirl!” Luna beamed. “We were about to demonstrate basic transmutation for Our Night Apprentice.”

“Aah,” Star Swirl nodded his head understandingly. “Alchemy, a notoriously tricky subject. Well, I suppose you are wondering why I’m here.”

“It had crossed Our Mind,” admitted Luna dryly. “You very rarely leave your tower, much less come up to the castle for a visit.”

“Thou, Luna,” Star Swirl corrected. “I know I was your teacher in days past, but those days are gone, and I’m simply another subject now, so it would not do to show such familiarity in public.”

Luna opened her mouth to make an argument against it. Perhaps it simply felt wrong to address someone who had once been her teacher now as her subordinate. But after getting a slightly stern look from said subordinate, Luna relented. “Very well. So, to what do We owe the pleasure?”

“I’m actually here at your sister’s request,” he said, his horn flashing white and a scroll and quill appearing before him. “She asked me to sit in and observe a session between her and Clover, with the idea being for me to record my insights and share any advice and critique on how she’s doing as a teacher. She suggested also doing the same for you, so,” he shrugged, “here I am.” He paused, before giving her an inquisitive look. “Do you want that? Or would you prefer if I didn’t?”

“Oh no, We don’t mind at all!” Luna beamed. “Nova is, after all, Our first student. He’s learned a lot from Us, but we always appreciate hearing if there’s anything We can do to improve.”

“And what about you?” Lord Star Swirl cast his gaze to Nova. “She may not mind, but do you care if you have an audience?”

“Not at all!” Nova shook his head, thinking back to when he and Twilight would practice in the Western Orchard with Applejack or Rarity there to observe. “Just…” he grimaced, “have low expectations, considering the subject.”

Lord Star Swirl nodded, retreated to a nearby seat, and prepared the scroll and quill. “Very well. Proceed.”

Luna nodded, returning her attention to Nova and the glowing spell nexus on the ground. “As We were saying, Alchemy is a very different school of magic to normal spellcasting and requires a different mindset entirely, so it is understandable that thou wouldst struggle. Normal magic, of course, involves using thy mana to manipulate matter and reality directly, and the ways that thou can do so are often intuitive and direct.”

She punctuated her statement by conjuring a hoofful of dirt that plopped right onto the middle of the spell nexus with a flash of blue light.

“There is a science to things,” she continued, “but magic is just as much an expressive art as it is a science. Alchemy, however…”

Her horn didn’t glow blue this time, yet the spell nexus began to glow and the dirt began to change before Nova’s eyes, compressing, shifting, and moulding, until the dirt had become a stone not even a tenth the size of the small pile of soil.

“Transmutation involves manipulating the very atomic elements themselves, changing or bending them to one’s whim. Rather than manipulate reality directly, thou art still abiding by the laws of nature, most importantly, the Conservation of Mass. The mass of the object thou art changing and the mass of the object thou art changing it into will be the exact same on either side of the transmutation, hence the Law of Equivalent Exchange.”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded. “I remember that.”

“Thou art not conjuring matter out of thin air using energy, as thou dost with traditional spellcasting. Thou art repurposing reality using its own rules and a touch of magical energy to direct things. Alchemy thus requires intimate knowledge of the atomic elements, their relationships with each other, densities, and so on. It is, perhaps, the single most scientific school of magic there is, which is why it is such a break from traditional spellcasting, which is far more expressive and less rigid.”

Nova knew all of this. He had studied the theory for days before he’d ever tried his hoof at it back in his own time. Now sure, he was a far more experienced spellcaster now than he was back then, courtesy of time with Twilight and Luna, but… it wasn’t like it was going to magically click in his head and work perfectly after several months’ worth of time sitting on it.

“Now try it thyself,” she said, stepping back and indicating the spell nexus. “Start with destruction, simply break down the stone into smaller components. Destruction is typically easier to do than construction.”

Nova took a deep breath and nodded. Welp, time to fuck up in front of Lord Star Swirl, he thought morbidly as he took his place.

The pebble sat in the midst of the spell circle, not even bigger than the frog of his hoof. Yet Nova stared down at it as if it were the most intimidating thing he’d ever encountered. He’d faced Sombra and one of Sombra’s lackeys, yet this stone was the obstacle he needed to surmount.

“Alright, here goes.”

He placed his hoof on the edge of the spell circle, channeled his energy through his hoof as he had learned to do before, and pictured the stone separating itself into the many minerals that composed it within his mind.

The stone did not move.

Nova focused harder, pushing more energy into the spell circle. Memories played back in his mind of prior failures at this exact step in his own time, of trying in vain to just break a stone down into its individual components, but he was stronger and wiser now. He pushed even harder, just to make sure, gritting his teeth.

The stone still didn’t move.

Dammit, just do it already!

The stone did not heed his inner demands and continued to be the stoniest stone that ever stoned, not even slightly twitching.

Luna watched him, paying close attention to everything he was doing. “Relax, Nova. Thou art more tense than a stretched rope.”

“I’ll relax when I can break this damn stone apart,” Nova growled, glaring at the rock.

“Nova Shine, take a deep breath. Thou canst not properly transmute the way thou art going about it.”

“I’m trying to do it the same way you did!” Nova protested, channeling even more energy into the circle. This time, the stone wobbled, but it did nothing else. Somehow this made Nova even more frustrated.

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST BREAK APART LIKE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO!?” Nova yelled at the rock. Honestly, failing at this shouldn’t have made him as frustrated as it had, but it brought back memories of his previous failures with alchemy from months back, except now they were exacerbated because the magic wasn’t doing what it was supposed to, and he was sitting here making a fool of himself in front of one of his idols.

The rock, of course, did not answer him. It just sat there in stone-cold silence, taunting him even further.

“Nova Shine, please,” Luna stepped between him and the rock, looking directly into his eyes with her own. Nova was aware that everyone in the room was now watching him after his outburst, and he threw his hooves up.

“I don’t get it!” he groused. “I know I’m doing it right! I’ve read about it, I’ve listened to you about it, I’m doing what I know is the right way of doing it! But it’s not working!”

“PEACE, OUR APPRENTICE!”

Nova begrudgingly backed down as Luna drew herself up to her fullest height, spreading her wings and assuming the same unyieldingly hard look that he would come to dread seeing in his own time whenever he had truly screwed up.

After a moment spent intimidating him, she drew her wings back in and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Nova, thy frustration is understandable. But yelling at the rock and losing thy temper won’t fix the problem.”

“I know!” Nova snapped, before wincing. The last thing he wanted to do was shout down his teacher. It wasn’t her fault that alchemy was just his weak subject. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“If I may…”

Nova and Luna looked over. Lord Star Swirl was approaching them, having set his quill and scroll down from his spot.

“I don’t mean to tread on Luna’s position here,” he said, giving her a small apologetic look, “but it would seem that either she or your first teacher failed to communicate one of the most important parts of transmutation that often trips up many first-time alchemists.”

Ironic, Nova thought. She was his first teacher.

“And what would that be?” Nova asked grumpily.

“When you transmute something, you’re not making the world bend to your will. You’re politely asking it to, with the energy you give it. As Luna said, you are allowing the laws of nature and your own intentions to guide it in reforming.”

Was that really it? Was the answer to his problems simply that he was essentially demanding that alchemy work rather than saying pretty please with sugar on top?

“The way I watched you approach the transmutation was that, as you said, you did everything like you were supposed to,” Lord Star Swirl nodded. “You gave it the necessary energy. You provided it with the intent. But the operative phrase here, the error in your approach, is you did everything. You tried to be the single actor in transmutation, when in transmutation, you are only part of the equation.”

He gave Nova an encouraging smile and a clap on the shoulder.

“Try it again. This time…”

“Never assume, and never demand,” Nova sighed with a shake of his head.

“Exactly.”

Luna smiled at him and brushed back his mane. “Thou canst do this, Our Night Apprentice. Have faith in thyself. We are here to help thee, not humiliate thee. Trust us.”

Have faith in myself, hah, he thought bitterly. Maybe if I can actually fucking do it.

Still, Nova nodded. One more try, at least. Luna’s smile broadened, and she and Lord Star Swirl stepped back once more. And as they took up positions around him, Nova was dismayed to see that they weren’t the only ones watching him now. All of the other ponies in the room were looking over, no doubt wanting to see what had caused the disturbance of Luna using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

An audience. Brilliant, he shook his head. Fine, let’s get this over with.

Nova placed his hoof on the spell nexus and brought forth the energy, focusing on the small stone decomposing itself into its various minerals yet again. Yet again, despite his best efforts, the stone simply sat there motionless, not separating itself like it should.

Nova grit his teeth in frustration once more as he prepared to push even more energy into the spell. Why was he wasting so much energy on what should be a simple task? Spellcasting was about energy efficiency, and if this was the reason why transmutation was so difficult, the sheer amount of energy required to use basic spells, then no wonder hardly anypony used–

Wait.

Wait a moment.

Push.

“Never assume, and never demand.”

The flow of energy from his hooves cut off instantly and he repositioned himself. Had he glanced over in the direction of Luna or Lord Star Swirl, he might have seen proud, knowing looks pass between them.

Once more he focused on the stone separating itself. Once more he positioned his hoof. This time, however, he simply held the energy at the ready, neither holding onto it nor expelling it, but rather offering it to the earth.

It felt as if someone were gently taking something out of his hoof. One moment the energy was there, the next it was gone. But before Nova’s eyes, the spell nexus flashed. As Nova watched, the small stone began to shift and separate itself into numerous smaller piles of minerals, until after only a few seconds, he had small piles of powder, no larger than the tip of a quill sitting there.

Nova let out a deep breath, just in time for Luna to squeal and snag him in a glomp.

“Thou didst it!” she cried directly into his ear. Nova winced, but he was thankful she wasn’t breaking into the Royal Canterlot Voice. Lord Star Swirl was beaming. The others in the room were sounding their approval through soft cheers or stomps on the ground, or short claps, but even though it wasn’t exactly the most demanding spell in the world, nor the greatest feat of transmutation, Nova felt a great well of giddiness well up in him.

He had done it. He had finally, at long last, overcome this obstacle.

Despite the sudden rush of adrenaline, he felt his legs give way, forcing Luna to hold him up as he began to laugh tiredly. “Fucking finally,” he giggled into Luna’s ear.

”Language, Our Apprentice,” she whapped him with a wing, but she couldn’t hide the amusement in her voice. “Thou hast overcome a great obstacle, and thou insists on profanities.”

“I prefer the term ‘language enhancers’, personally,” Nova shrugged, finding his hoofing again and standing on his own. “Goodness, I thought I’d never manage it.”

“It’s amazing what a little paradigm shift will do, isn’t it, Nova Shine?” asked Lord Star Swirl with a broad smile. “Very well done! You’re an alchemist now!”

“All I’ve done is deconstruct a rock.”

“True,” Lord Star Swirl tilted his head in acknowledgment, “but transmuting at all is the first step, and is a step so many stumble at. You have succeeded. Now? You have all of alchemy available to you, and your own imagination to chart the course. How far do you want to go?”

“Far as I can,” Nova stretched, feeling his joints satisfyingly pop as he shook away some of the fatigue from the excess of energy he had expended. “Who the hell knows how far that is, but one thing’s for certain. I couldn’t have gotten past it without you two, so…”

He gave Star Swirl a thankful look, before giving Luna another big hug, pulling her in and practically crushing her.

Luna squawked, blushed, and looked away as he stepped back, while Star Swirl smiled right back, giving him a modest bow of the head. “I think you would surprise yourself, Nova. Luna was already well on the way to helping you overcome that block. I simply… accelerated the process.”

“Even so, thank you. Both of you.”

“Thou art m-most welcome, Our Night Apprentice,” Luna mumbled, still blushing furiously as she tried to hide behind her mane. “Sh-shall we continue with the lesson?”

“Yeah,” Nova grinned, feeling invigorated from finally making it over this hurdle that had taunted him for months. “Let’s see how far I can go.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Quantum Bit blinked confusedly at his desk, quill hovering above the parchment. Wait a minute, I’m not supposed to be in this chapter. Then he remembered that it was because it was getting close to the story’s 10th anniversary, and he realized it had taken him forever to actually get this one out.

“Sorry about that,” Q-bit whispered to the readers, backing out of the chapter, but just before he went out of frame so that the next scene could begin, he added, “Thanks for reading for the last ten years!”

And then he was gone, most likely to continue not working on chapter updates.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Not bad!” exclaimed Nova as he ducked under a blast of magic from Clover. They were in the same little grove that would eventually become Sweet Apple Acres, and Nova and Clover were having a little duel.

He had the clear advantage, but Clover’s tenacity and what she had learned from Lord Star Swirl were making it quite tough for Nova to really trap. Every time he seemed like he had a commanding grip on the duel, she would find some way to upset his tactics and force him to recalculate.

“Nice one, Clover!” called Steelshod, pumping his hoof from his spot on the sidelines.

“Try this one on for size,” Nova smirked, before his horn shone and let loose a stream of stars in Clover’s direction. But instead of shooting right at her, they went around her, cutting her off before she could make a move to get out of the way.

But to Nova’s surprise, she stayed rooted to the spot, simply staring confidently at him, even as the explosive stars shot around her and detonated, blowing her mane about but otherwise not coming close to her.

“Your choice of spells was obvious,” she commented, before rearing back and slamming her hooves into the ground, from which a wave in the dirt erupted, throwing Nova into the air before he could react.

As Nova tumbled, by instinct, he tapped into his Source and a ball of winds coalesced beneath him. The winds stopped his fall just enough above the ground to let him flip over onto his hooves and had felt as though he were landing on the softest imaginable pillow. Once he was safe, he immediately ducked sideways before a water whip could smash into him.

“Nice thinking, Nova!” called Steel.

“Whose side are you on!?” Nova yelled back, catching the water whip around a hoof and blasting it away with a firebolt.

“I’m here to pick up good ideas,” Steel shrugged from his spot by a tree.

A pure blue shield erupted out of Nova’s horn and blocked another spell from Clover, a musical peal sounding from the spot of impact, before Nova blasted the shield outward like a shockwave, catching Clover completely off-guard and sending her careening into a tree, where to Nova’s horror, a sharp-looking branch caught her right in the side of the head.

“Whoa!” yelled out Steel, but Nova was quicker off the mark. He dashed to Clover’s side, where she lay whimpering and quivering, and saw a very long, deep gash near her temple, and blood poured from the wound, matting her fur and spattering the ground around her.

“Oh fuck.”

She curled up, eyes clenched and trying to pressure the wound to staunch any bleeding, but Nova pulled it away to keep the gash clear. Before even pausing to consider the consequences, he tapped into his Source and began casting a healing spell, one that wasn’t supposed to be invented for another four hundred years, and one that would be used to save his own life several hundred years after that.

Steelshod watched in amazement as the flesh knitted itself back together, along with the more minuscule blood vessels and such underneath, even to the point where her fur grew back. It took some time, but after several moments, it was as though she hadn’t hit the tree at all. The gash, mercifully, had been mostly shallow, but it had still been mere millimeters away from being fatal.

All the while, Steelshod just stared at him in amazement as he saved Clover’s life. Clover was completely still, letting him work, though he knew she would undoubtedly have many questions about the spell.

“What… what was that?” she asked, breathlessly, slowly getting to her hooves as he fell away from her, exhausted. "I have never heard of any spell like that before, that can so effectively close up wounds."

“Healing spell,” Nova answered, taking a deep breath as the expected yet sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. He fell onto his back and gulped in the pleasant autumn air. “Fuck, that took a lot out of me.”

“Where did you learn that?” Steelshod asked in amazement. “I don't think even our best Healers know that spell.”

“I… can’t say,” Nova answered breathlessly. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground here. Steel might just deal with that stonewall, but Clover? Never.

“Why can you not say?” she asked, walking over to him and staring down directly into his eyes. “That is knowledge that would benefit ponykind immensely! Why hoard it? Is there a reason?”

“There is, but it’s complicated.”

A flicker of fury crossed her face at those words. He wouldn’t give her a straight answer as to why he wasn’t openly pursuing herself and Summer, and now he wouldn’t share the spells he knew,

“You and Master Star Swirl both just cannot confide anything in me, can you?” she demanded, glaring at him, before stomping off. Nova swung himself into a sitting position and started getting to his hooves.

“It’s the truth, though,” Nova defended. “I’m not exactly allowed to talk about it

“But why!?” she pressed. “What is so important, so confidential that you cannot tell anyone about it? Because you are honest when you say you cannot tell anyone about these things, but not even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna gave you such an order! You are not working for any foreign entity that I am aware of, so what, then, is the explana...tion…?”

She trailed off, and a look of understanding, horror, and pain slowly spread across her face, breaking through her forced stoicism. The bottom dropped out of Nova’s stomach as he beheld this sudden change. What had she just figured out?

“Clover?” he asked, moving toward her.

“What’s up?” Steel also started inching closer.

Clover said nothing, but her knees seemed to weaken, and she placed a hoof over her heart as her breath started coming in heaves.

But what got Nova’s attention most was the sudden glimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Clover, what's wrong?” he asked again, reaching a hoof out.

She whirled around, smacking it away, and dashed back off to Everfree, leaving in her wake a stunned Steelshod and a completely perplexed Nova alone in the hidden grove with nothing but the blood on the ground left behind.

For a moment, they sat there, staring after her, before something collided with his face.

“OW! Steel, what the hell!?” he asked, whirling around. He hadn’t hit him hard, just enough to leave a bruise, but he had still hit him squarely on the cheek.

“What the buck did you do!?” Steelshod demanded, glaring at him with that same ruinous gaze Nova remembered seeing back in Unicornia.

“I don’t know, honest,” he waved his hooves in front of him hastily. “She just… lost it and freaked out. I dunno what set her off, I really don’t,” he groaned, falling on his haunches.

“What the buck do you think you’re doing!?” Steel demanded angrily. “Get the buck up and go after her.”

“I don’t even know what I did!” protested Nova, hastily getting to his hooves before Steel could hit him again.

“Whatever you did, it’s hurt her badly, so you have to go fix it,” he declared.

“How is it my fault!?” Nova asked.

“It had something to do with things you’re not telling her,” Steelshod countered, giving him an exasperated roll of his eyes. “How does that not have something to do with you.”

“Why can’t you go after her, if you care about her so much!?” he demanded.

As the words left his mouth, for the briefest of moments, he could see a look of longing in Steelshod’s eyes, and his head seemed to even twitch in that direction but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

“Because she chose you,” Steel answered, a pained edge behind the answer. “Please, Nova, for her sake, go help her.”

Nova looked away, toward the city for a long moment. Was it really the right thing to do? Steel had been pursuing her for who knows how long and she had rebuffed him, and she seemed to take issue with being chased. But eventually, he nodded.

“See you later, then,” he said, before getting up and trotting into the city.

It took him a short time to find her. She had gone to his grove, where she sat beside the Everfree River, staring despondently into its waters. Clover never cried. It was something he admired bout her. But when she was inconsolable, such as now, it was obvious. Stoic she may have been, but if there was an emotional fracture, it was a deep fracture.

Unlike Twilight, who often required a slightly more active approach, Nova took a deep breath and tried something different. He stepped up quietly next to where she sat, loud enough for her to hear but quietly enough to be reassuring, and sat beside her, laying a forehoof on her shoulder.

“Hey,” he said softly. “What’s wrong?”

She continued staring, but it seemed to soften at his words, and she lay her head on his shoulder.

“It is nothing,” she whispered. He didn’t even need his energy sensing to tell that was a lie, obvious as it was, but he let it pass.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, resting his head on hers.

“You are already doing it,” she sighed, leaning into him.

And together they silently sat by the river, as Luna flew forth from the castle to bring forth her beautiful night.

Author's Note

Took me long enough! Two years of writing, and now I can finally move on to other chapters without worrying about a deadline!

But yeah, for real, thanks for reading this story for the last ten years. Gotten much better than I was back then, and still looking to get even better on top of that. Thanks, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed it.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

The Final Night

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 17 - The Final Night

Sweat trickled up Nova’s face as he breathed in and out slowly, feeling the burning in his forehooves as he kept himself held upside-down with them alone. His horn wasn’t glowing, and yet a gentle sphere of air was wrapped around him, swirling and lightly tickling his fur. He couldn’t see anything with the blindfold covering his eyes, but he could feel everything around him as always.

“Yes, excellent,” Luna said from behind him. “Thine endurance is improving.”

It honestly wasn’t. He was just as tired as he always was at this point, but the only thing keeping him going right now was sheer willpower. After all, Nova just didn’t want today’s session to end. This was his last session.

Today was the final day.

Well, second-to-final, anyway. Second-to-final full day, that was. He had reached the last page of his future self’s journal, though he guessed now it was just his journal, and he had only one page left to fill in.

It had been a curious process. He hadn’t truly transcribed one journal to another– he had done his best to be genuine with his thoughts and feelings rather than rely on what his future self had written– but comparing the two, they were, naturally, identical.

But that all ended today. This was the final training session with Luna in this time. This was his final true day of peace, away from Envy, away from his problems in his own time. Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow was the day Summer’s team completed the Castle of the Two Sisters, and thus it was the night on which Envy would reveal herself, and the day after that was the day he finally went home.

It also meant that, after months of avoiding it, he had to tell Clover and Summer the truth. He had run from it, he had enjoyed being with them for months. He had enjoyed his time with the captain. He had tolerated Shimmer Silvermane continuing to show up and hound him, though she had kept her distance ever since the incident at the bar.

“Focus, Our Apprentice,” Luna reminded him. “Thou cannot allow thy mind to wander.”

Nova returned his mind to the task at hoof. The wind around him redoubled. The burning in his forelegs was just as strong, if not stronger, than it had been moments before, yet he pressed on. It… it couldn’t be the final day. He didn’t want it to end.

I don’t want to go back, he realized.

The strength in his hooves vanished, and he tumbled to the ground, the windy magic dissipating around him harmlessly, doing little more than fluttering his teacher’s mane.

Luna smiled down at him, offering a hoof to help him get to his hooves.

“Thou didst much better that time, Nova Shine. Thou hast been improving dramatically, as of late.”

Nova took several seconds to collect his breath and let himself stew in that last realization, momentarily ignoring Luna’s offered hoof. I… I really don’t want to go back, do I, he thought, feeling his gut clench as he finally acknowledged something he had been trying not to for the past several months.

Finally, he reached out and took Luna’s offered hoof and let himself be helped up.

“Art thou alright, Our Apprentice? Art thou ready to end today’s session?”

Nova shook his head, staring blankly at a spot on the ground before him. “Just… lost in thoughts, I guess.”

Luna trotted around to stand in front of him. She had gained confidence in recent weeks, and she had finally started to radiate the authority and wisdom his own Luna from the present day had, but it was so strange seeing the younger, more excitable version of her carry herself the way his Luna would.

“We see,” she said, looking him up and down for several moments. Nova let her, knowing she was just making sure that he was physically well. She had also taken on some more motherly traits that she knew would serve her well in the future as of late.

“If We did not know better, We would assume that thou art trying to prolong today’s session,” she observed. “Is there a problem between thou and one of thy paramours?”

“I don’t have any paramours,” Nova replied.

“We taught thee many things, Our Apprentice,” she chided, but not in an angry or even disappointed way, “but We never taught thee to lie to Us.”

“I don’t,” he repeated more firmly.

Luna’s playful tone vanished, and she surveyed him even more closely. “In that case, we are done today.”

“We only just started!” Nova protested.

“And We can tell when thou art preoccupied, dearest,” Luna placed a hoof on his shoulder placatingly and looked directly into his eyes. “Thou knowest as much as anyone, a turbulent mind does not mix with magic. So, We recommend that thou takest the day off, that thou may come back with a clear mind.”

“Luna, I don’t want to go,” he snapped, brushing her hoof off.

“Nova Shine, do not make Us–”

“Luna,” Nova snapped, glaring at her. “I don’t want to go.”

There was a moment, where all they could do was stare at each other. Luna processed Nova’s uncharacteristic harshness, and Nova truly demanded to let himself have this final day. This impasse lasted for seconds that felt like hours before Luna finally sighed, her head drooping.

“We see,” she finally said softly. “So thou art leaving soon.”

Nova’s heart sank. He knew he was going to have to come clean to Celestia and Luna at some point, but he wasn’t sure whether it was going to be worse to tell them or for them to find out. Already it looked like the latter. The crushing disappointment, the reality of having to say goodbye forever…

Although, for Luna and Celestia, it wasn’t forever, was it? It was more like “see you later.” But for Steelshod? For Summer and Clover?

“We knew the day was coming,” Luna smiled sadly, stepping even closer, well within personal distance. “We did not know when, but We knew.”

“What gave it away?” he asked, falling into a sitting position by her hooves.

“We always knew thy tutelage would have to come to an end someday, but We did not expect it to be so soon after thou started.”

She sat down next to him as well, leaning over and resting her head against his. Nova let his rest against hers, just enjoying the moment, even though both of them knew, like all good things, it had to end sometime.

“Do you know why I’m leaving?” he asked softly.

“No,” she whispered. “‘Tis not our business. Thou hast thy reasons, and We knew that thou wouldst leave Everfree sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, the time thou spent with Us has been a gift, and We are truly grateful–”

“Lunaaaa,” Nova lightly pushed against her, “don’t think this is goodbye forever. It’s not, but…” he grimaced, “it is gonna be a while till we see each other again.”

Her warmth left his side as she scooted away to stare right at him, her eyes glimmering with hope despite her best efforts to make her gaze unreadable.

“Thou… thou wilt come back?”

Nova sighed, falling back against the grass and rubbing at his face.

“I can't.. tell you when. Not yet, anyway. You’ll find out soon, though. But I promise, Luna,” he swings himself back up to look her in the eyes. “We will see each other again. You can count on it.”

Her unreadable expression broke and she smiled, before scootching back over and leaning against him once again.

“Then…” She draped a wing around him, much smaller than the ones she would hug him with in his own time but no less warm. “Let us enjoy the last few days until then, apprentice mine.”

They did just that. But despite enjoying the moment, Nova could not help but dread how this would go to the ponies he would have to say his final goodbyes to.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The clearing in the apple orchard was as empty as ever. Nova was sitting in his little shack, cross-referencing the Playfair Cipher and his little encryption chart, slowly but surely jotting down his final thoughts and feelings in his final entry.

At first, it had been strange to see his own words before he would write them, but after the first entry, he had decided not to read the journal ahead of time and to simply fill it out as normal, only checking the journal of his future self to measure how much time he had left.

Now here he was, recording his last thoughts on the last page, back cover notwithstanding.

As he finished another sentence, he put his quill down for a moment, took a deep breath, then just looked up outside.

There was nothing particularly special about today. The sky was as blue as ever, the sun shone high in the sky, weather pegasi were pushing some rainclouds toward Earthponyville off on the other side of the forest, Pegasopolis was floating languidly near a mountain in the distance that he knew Twilight and her friends would later confront a dragon over a thousand years later. He could see Princess Platinum’s royal entourage slowly descending Mount Canterhorn’s main road, just as he had done almost a year and a half ago.

The day I met Clover and Summer.

It was an hour past midday. Where had the time gone?

Why is it that when you want a day to last forever, it’s over in an instant, but when you want a day to pass quickly, it drags on and on?

But… when this was all over, he would go back to Twilight. His Twilight. The Twilight he had hurt and ached over on first arriving. The Twilight who understood him in ways that Summer and Clover didn’t. He wanted to be with her again!

…right?

Nova groaned, burying his face in his hooves and finding every excuse not to fill in the last few sentences of his diary. When he filled in those last sentences, he was done, right? It just felt like finishing this task was acknowledging that it was time to go. One of his final few tasks still so far not done.

And yet he had never found the Mirror Pool, despite all of his searching. He had gone everywhere he could, and there wasn’t even a hint of a magical pool anywhere. It later occurred to him after he put the hunt for the Mirror Pool aside that it was more likely that the pool was a byproduct of the Everfree Forest’s wild magic, and thus it most likely wouldn’t even exist until after Luna’s banishment and the city fell into ruin.

His home fell into ruin.

“Thought I’d find you here.”

Nova jumped. He’d been so focused on everything that he’d stopped paying attention to his energy sensing. If he’d been paying attention, he’d have known Summer had been standing there watching him for the past several seconds.

Summer smirked. “Hah, Clover’s gonna get a kick out of this. She’s been dangling it above my head for months about how she managed to catch you off-guard, and now I’ve done it too.”

“Yeah, well,” Nova grumbled, looking back at the diaries, “been a little preoccupied.” With a long sigh, he finally picked up the quill and penned the last few sentences. With that done, he lightly blew on the ink to dry it faster, before promptly snapping the new diary shut with a strange sort of finality that left him feeling oddly morose.

“Wow, what’s eating you?” Summer asked, stepping forward and pressing herself into him. “We’re here for you, Nova. You know that right? Whatever’s bothering you, you can tell me and Clover.”

Nova couldn’t help the small smile.

“And here I thought you two made it a competition over me.”

Eh, maybe at first,” Summer shrugged, before leaning over and resting her head on top of his. “But we both eventually figured out that… well,” she smiled sheepishly, “you’re just… your heart’s too big for only one of us, isn’t it? After that, it was pretty easy to get along when we both realized we loved the same stallion.”

Nova felt his heart plummet. He never expected letting go to be this easy, but he also never expected to have to cut himself off from two mares, not to mention the captain.

“She’s been kinda quiet lately though,” Summer frowned, now gazing back toward Everfree. “Captain says there was a fight of some kind and she got hurt, and she won’t talk to me about it. Did anything happen between you?”

Nova groaned, letting his head fall to the table in front of him and clutching at the back with his hooves. Right. He had been so focused on his imminent departure that he had let that little incident slip from his mind. Clover had been rather distant with him lately.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Summer noted dryly, before he felt her hug him tightly. “Hey, everything alright?”

“No,” he admitted bitterly. “I…”

He swallowed, before sitting up and avoiding her gaze.

“I have to leave, Summer.”

“Oh, are you heading back to the city?”

“Summer, no,” he shook his head, finally mustering enough strength to look her in the eyes. She seemed more confused than anything. “I’m leaving, Summer.”

“Leaving?” Summer looked confused. Nova chose not to elaborate. Then, when it finally clicked, the crushing look on her face was everything he didn’t want to see. She completely deflated, her mouth parting, and letting out a breath that sounded as though she had been punched in the lungs. Worst of all, she looked to be on the verge of tears.

“...but why?” she finally whispered.

“I can’t say,” Nova shook his head. “I know that probably makes it worse but… but it’s the truth.”

Summer could say nothing. All she could do was stare at him through eyes that were watering. Nova made a move to step forward, but she stepped away from him, shaking her head and turning away. His heart sank.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say, a pathetic near whimper.

If there had been something to say, that was clearly the wrong thing. Summer let out a half-scoff, half-sob, turned tail, and sprinted off before he could stop or call after her. All he could do was numbly watch as her maroon tail disappeared into the trees, leaving him there to stare after her feeling gutted.

But…

Why did he feel so awful? It’s not like he had led her on, right?> He had tried to shut them down time and time again… hadn’t he?

If this was how Summer had reacted, then how would Clover?

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova had never felt more alone surrounded by ponies he cared about before.

He’d spent the remainder of the day before in a daze, avoiding everyone who came looking for him. Which was, admittedly, not many ponies. But when he was a no-show at dinner, the captain had tried to visit, only for Nova to flatly send him away despite Steel’s protests. One bandage had been ripped off, but the largest and most painful one still remained, and he knew it had to happen by tonight.

So when he woke up today, a dull, cloudy day with a biting wind that was scheduled to vanish by midday and give way to a clear, beautiful evening, all he wanted to do was curl up, pull the covers over his head, and just skip.

However, as he lay there, finding every excuse not to climb out of bed this morning, rather than think of Clover, another mare entered his mind instead.

The faint but unmistakable scent of lavender, the mischievous smile she had whenever she was feeling particularly flirty, the back and forth they always had and the books he always rearranged…

For the first time in months, Nova felt the familiar heartache from the mare he had left behind. But with it, he felt the quiet relief that after one more day, he was going back to her, and that was enough to help him slide himself out of bed, dress himself up, and go about his daily business until now.

Alone in a crowd, surrounded by the other onlookers as they awaited the festivities that would come after this tiny little ceremony.

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Platinum, General Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead all sat up by the large double-doors to the castle keep, each holding a brick in their hooves, with a brick each lying in front of them, and Nova noticed a second sitting between Celestia and Luna as well. And leading up to these double doors was a brick walkway with eleven conveniently empty spots right at the doors themselves, one last little show of placing the final pieces.

“With these last bricks, construction of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters will officially be complete!” Celestia announced to the crowd at large, beaming as she did so. “A celebration has been prepared, a night of feasting and revelry for all to take part in, a great gathering of ponykind to foster harmony between all four of us! Once we have finished up, we shall throw open these doors, and all may come to the Great Hall to take part!”

The crowd were pleased to hear this, with a great thundering surge of stamping hooves and cheering. Nova, opposite to everyone else, felt himself shrink a little. Second by second, he was growing closer and closer to having to say goodbye to Clover.

A glint of red from somewhere off to the side caught his attention and he glanced up in time to see Shimmer Silvermane leering at him, a sickening smile sliding across her face. Nova didn’t even want to think about what she had in store for him tonight; he was determined to stay out of her way and just go about his business.

One more night and I’ll never have to deal with her again, he thought to himself.

Although…

Red eyes, red magic, the same overly flirty and creepy attitude… this can’t be a coincidence.

He returned his focus to the crowd, but his tormentor had vanished, leaving him to stare suspiciously at the many ponies who were unaware of this encounter. Nova felt a chill run up his spine.

It makes sense. Her father was in league with Sombra and knew dark magic. What could she have?

“...and thus We invite their personal ambassadors to come and place their bricks within the pathway!”

The crowd around him cheered, and Nova returned his attention up front just in time to watch as Pansy, Cookie, and Captain Steelshod strode forward to pick up the bricks before their superiors and place them in the empty spots on the incomplete pathway. Steelshod glanced over at Nova Shine as he looked up, giving a brief flick of his eyes over to Clover, who was very deliberately keeping her attention on the five rulers and off of her friends.

Nova replied with a shrug. He still had no idea why she was so distant with him. Steel’s brow twitched and he gave Nova a slightly suspicious look but returned to his place in the crowd.

“Next, we invite Summer Blossom, our overseer of construction,” continued Celestia. “Thanks to her efforts, the Castle has been completed well ahead of schedule.”

There was a smattering of polite applause as Summer stepped out of the crowd. Nova felt his gut clench at the sight of her, but she kept her gaze firmly away from his too. She walked up to the rulers, took the brick between Celestia and Luna, and placed it in one of the open spots, before turning and heading back into the crowd without giving him so much as a glance.

Nova wanted to reach out to her, to do something to get her attention, but knew he had to wait.

“Next, Our own Faithful Student, and Our sister’s Night Apprentice, Clover of Canterlot and Nova Shine!”

Nova and Clover both stepped forward, taking the bricks from before their respective teachers. She said not a word, only turning right around, placing her brick down, and trotting away before he could have an opportunity to do the same. As with Summer, he wanted nothing more than to ask what was wrong, but knew the moment would inevitably come.

Thus, he opted to place his brick right in the center, touching those of his friends all around it.

It was an oddly philosophical moment for him, but he couldn’t appreciate it for long. With his brick placed, he returned to the crowd as the Princesses bid the three Patriarchs place theirs, before eventually taking the time to place their own, central to the path and pushed right up against the threshold of their own castle.

It was over. The Castle of the Two Sisters was complete. The ponies cheered and celebrated and began to push forward as Celestia and Luna threw open the doors to the completed castle together.

But not Nova. He could only feel grim trepidation as he knew what the night had in store for him.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Down below, the party was in full swing, with the small orchestra playing lively numbers to keep the good mood contagious while the celebratory alcohol flowed. Poniess were starting to relax and let their manes down, so to speak, although in Princess Platinum’s case, it was literal. Puddinghead was entertaining some nearby delegates from all four of the different factions that had come together, but loud and raucous though their laughter was, it wasn’t loud enough to disrupt the party, nor quite to jolt Nova Shine from his thoughts as he took a small walk on the battlements of the castle to clear his head.

Nova had excused himself from the festivities to take an hour's break not long after Celestia and Luna had lowered the sun and raised the moon, and given what was supposed to happen tonight, or perhaps tomorrow morning, he had no intention of indulging himself on any alcohol between now and then.

“Finally, off and all by yourself.”

Nova turned back and was startled to see Summer Blossom standing in the doorway of the stairwell that led down to the courtyard. She hadn’t dressed for the occasion aside from a small glittering ruby necklace which went excellently with her mane. Not exactly the most formal of partywear, but then again, all he needed to do was wear a bright blue cloak. Nevertheless, there she was, leaning on the doorframe and watching him ponder his ponderations ponderously

“Cornering me while I’m alone?” he asked, failing to stop a small grin.

“Please don’t pretend like the last couple of days haven’t happened,” she replied, not even cracking a smile.

“I’m not. I’m just trying to ease the tension. You’re the one who’s been avoiding me after all,” he jabbed back. “Here to try and clear the air or something?”

Summer let out an irritated breath. “Something like that,” she growled. “How do we clear the air when you’ve been leading me and Clover on and have no intention of actually committing to us?”

“Clover knew, okay?” he snapped. “Knows. Whatever. Yeah, I like both of you. A lot. But I kept trying to tell both of you for months now that it was complicated and you wouldn’t listen, and both of you just kept coming after me even more.”

“We wanted to be with you!” Summer stamped a hoof, an exasperated, humorless smile flickering across her face for a moment. “All you had to do was tell us ‘No,’ and both of us would have backed off.”

She sighed, drooping her head and trotting up to him slowly.

“But… you’re right,” she admitted quietly. “I kept coming after you anyway. And I’m sorry for that. It’s just…”

She turned to look out over Everfree, the lights from magical lanterns, torches, and everything else illuminating the city in a beautiful way against the backdrop of the black forest.

“I guess… after everything, I just sort of latched onto you. Especially after Shimmer and all that,” she added with a sour look. “On that note, Platinum’s offered me my old job back, but with a hefty pay raise and a more cushy position.”

“Congrats,” Nova smiled at her. “You deserve it after your work here.”

“Yeah, well,” she shook her head, “I’ve got packing to do. Part of me didn’t even want to come at all tonight, but…”

She looked back to him with a sad smile, before stepping forward and kissing him, a light and brief one, and stepping back. It was chaste, a far cry from what he knew she wanted.

“I wanted to end things on a cordial note at the very least.”

Nova nodded. “You’re gonna go far, Summer. Take care of yourself.”

Summer laughed. “Nova, it’s me! If someone gives me trouble, I’ll just punch them in the face.”

With that, she turned away, heading toward the stairwell once again, giving a little wave as she went.

“Be seeing you, Nova.”

And with that, she was gone, stepping into the small tower and climbing back down out of the castle, and out of Nova’s life.

Even as he watched Summer trot out of the courtyard and back into the city, Nova felt himself let out a long, relieved sigh. Things could have ended much worse between them, but he hadn’t expected her to approach him to make sure both of them walked away with closure. Frankly, it was possibly the best outcome for both of them.

One burden came off his shoulders, but great as it was, it wasn’t the greatest. No, that one was still to come in the next few hours.

Letting out another shaky breath, Nova followed Summer down the stairwell and back out into the courtyard, but rather than follow her out of the castle, he went instead back indoors, back to the party, back to the high table, skirting the edges of a clearing in the crowd as several ponies danced a gavotte to some light chamber music (including Celestia dragging her flailing sister around the opening, much to everyone else’s amusement), all the way up to his spot, which he fell into with a light groan.

Clover glanced over at him, before returning her attention to the dancing ponies (and whatever Celestia and Luna were doing). Nova began eating food that had been delivered to him while he was out. Must have been recently delivered, given that it was still very warm. Or perhaps the plates were enchanted. He was going to miss dining like this. Fluffy potatoes, buttery bread, an excellent gravy... maybe he should stick around for the food alone.

And, of course, a bottle of Maneich Stout, delivered courtesy of Pale Brew from Earthponyville, Rich Brew from Everfree, and Stout Brew from Unicornia. To his surprise, Clover was drinking from a mug that looked and smelled like a pilsener.

“I thought you hated beer,” he commented, remembering all-too-clearly what had happened the first time she’d tried it.

“I have acquired a taste for pale ales and pilseners,” she replied, picking up the mug and surveying the liquid inside. “That mare that challenged me to the drinking contest told me that ponies do not drink beer for taste, and yet…”

She sniffed it, before taking a sip.

“Very wheaty and malty, I must say. And I believe there are hints of lemon and apple.”

“You are just full of surprises,” Nova shook his head, before popping open his own bottle and taking a swig. “I thought you’d avoid it after your drunken antics.”

Clover frowned, glaring at the mug. “I do not like the feeling of not being in control. However, in moderation, I find certain varieties of beer to be quite… delectable.”

Nova nodded knowingly. “Yeah. I prefer darker ones myself. More bitter, more hoppy. Usually richer in flavor and they can hide other things. Everyone’s got a palate for something.”

The gavotte ended, and the ponies in the center bowed to each other and separated, heading back into the crowd, while others around them stamped their approval. Celestia gave a very exaggerated mock bow to Luna, who was stabilizing herself after being swung around the entire enclosure, and Luna responded by haughtily turning her nose up and making a grand show of stomping back off to her seat at the high table a bit down the way from Nov, a seat right next to her sister’s. At first, Nova had wondered if Celestia was tormenting her sister again, but instead, they began laughing with each other as soon as Celestia sat down.

I guess everyone’s having some fun tonight.

A new song began, a light waltz this time. After the fun dance that was the gavotte, ponies partnered up again for something just a bit more romantic this time around. General Hurricane strutted right up to Princess Platinum and rather cockily held out a hoof, which the princess, giggling like a schoolfilly, was all too happy to accept.

Clover’s eyes, however, locked onto her friends, Cookie and Pansy, who were also making their way to the dancing space and beginning to waltz, and a tiny smile began to spread across her face. A genuine smile too.

“They have gotten engaged.”

“Oh?” Nova asked. “How can you tell?”

“They are hiding the earrings,” she said, pointing toward Pansy. On further scrutiny, Nova could see a tiny earring in the shape of Cookie’s cutie mark half-concealed by Pansy’s mane, and when the waltz brought Cookie in closer proximity, he could see Pansy’s cutie mark on her ear too.

“Why hide them?” he asked.

Clover shrugged. “Perhaps they fear Puddinghead and Hurricane will react poorly.”

Nova watched them for a while, watched as Cookie took the lead and led Pansy around the open space, watched her wince every time Pansy accidentally stepped on her hooves, watched the two of them just own the space without a care in the world…

Then he stood up. Clover looked over curiously, and he held out a hoof.

“May I have this dance?” he asked.

Clover blinked for several moments, gaze switching between his eyes, his outstretched hoof, and the dance floor, before that same genuine smile reappeared and she took the offered hoof.

“You may,” she said, getting to her hooves and allowing him to lead her down.

“I wanna warn you,” he muttered to her as they approached the crowd, who were separating to let them in, “I’ve never danced before.”

“Then allow me to lead.”

They found an open spot, Clover took a position opposite him, stepped forward until they were nearly breast-to-breast, then used a tendril of magic to hook the brooch of his Night Apprentice cloak to hers, binding them together.

“Now follow my lead.”

It proved not to be so difficult to pick up. They would step, then move, then wait for a beat. Nova didn’t know much about dancing, but he knew plenty about music, so it wasn’t as difficult as he expected for him to catch on.

“When did you learn how to dance?” he asked quietly. “Doesn’t seem like a thing you’d know how to do.”

“As you said,” she grinned impishly. “I am full of surprises.”

Nova winced as she accidentally stepped on his hoof. She cringed.

“But I am not perfect. Princess Celestia only taught me how two weeks ago.”

“Only two weeks ago? Really?”

“She and I both decided that it was best I prepare myself in case someone asked me to dance. It would seem,” she smiled again, “that our preparation has paid off.”

They danced for a few moments more, Nova growing into it as time went on, before eventually Cookie and Pansy danced their way over, and in a startlingly smooth switch, Clover and Cookie spun around each other and took each other’s place with the other partner, and now Nova was moving to the music with Cookie while the other two stayed close by.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Cookie teased, taking the lead like Clover had.

“When’s yours?” Nova asked right back.

“A few months from now. We came to ask her if she’d be my Mare of Honor. We just haven’t gone public yet.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll get back to you on ours.”

“She’s getting antsy about it, I hope you know,” Cookie said, tilting her head toward Clover, who let out a tiny squeak as Pansy stepped on her hooves. “Won’t stop complaining about it in her letters.”

“That mare puts everything in her letters that she really shouldn’t,” he groused, looking over at her in time to see her trod on Pansy’s hooves this time.

“I think we’d better switch back before one of our partners breaks the other’s shins,” Cookie observed wryly.

“Agreed,” Nova nodded.

There was another switch, and things were back the way they should be. The music and the dancing continued, and no words were spoken, but Nova had never felt closer to Clover than he did in this moment. He could have stayed there forever.

But all too soon, this slice of heaven came to an end, and they had to go back to their seats.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova yawned.

It was approaching midnight now. The party was still in full swing, but he was starting to feel the fatigue. At their own place of honor at the high table, Platinum was laughing with Puddinghead and Hurricane at some joke he couldn’t hear. Pansy and Cookie had retreated for a short break and a moonlit walk after the dance, Steelshod was nowhere to be seen, Celestia and Luna kept bringing ponies of some import up to the high table to introduce to him, and all of this while Clover sat in her seat, eyes glossed over, staring down at the untouched plate of food in front of her with a deep frown on her face.

He nudged her. “Bit for your thoughts?”

Her frown deepened.

“I do not understand you,” she said softly. It was barely heard over the noise of the Great Hall, but their proximity made it impossible not to hear. “Every time I attempt to draw close to you, you pull away, and yet when I do nothing, you do things like… like that.”

“Like what?” he asked. “The dance?”

“Yes!” Clover huffed, pushing her plate away sharply. “The dance! Nova Shine, if you desire to pursue me, I am willing.” Nova’s heart ached to hear those words. “I have already told you, I… I truly do want to be with you. I have been attracted to you for quite some time, and yet despite knowing you are attracted to me, you keep stepping back. Why, Nova Shine?”

Nova opened his mouth to answer but paused. Was now the right time? Surrounded by so many?

She pressed on when he didn’t respond. “If you truly do not wish to be with me, all you need to do is say so and I shall respect your wishes. But I do wish to know. Why? Why would you keep yourself so close, and yet so far? Why lead me on?”

This wasn’t how he wanted to reveal this, but there didn’t seem like a better time or place. The noise of the party was the perfect cover, Celestia and Luna were off mingling, and it was just the two of them up here at the High Table.

Nova took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“Well, the truth is–”

The doors outside suddenly banged open, startling everyone in attendance including Nova, who bit off what he was about to say. A lone pony stood outside, wearing a leather barding with loose metal plates hanging around sensitive areas, each one painted purple and gold, the unicorn colors. They had a jet black cape draped across their back and a rather opulent black Prench-style cavalier hat on their head with a long white feather trailing behind it. With it being so far away, Nova couldn’t sense who this mysterious intruder was immediately, but as their presence became known to the general party attendees and the intruder began to step forward, the crowd began to make a path ahead of them.

A hush fell over the room, and Nova Shine sat up in his seat. Even the orchestra stopped playing. Down below, Celestia and Luna noticed what was going on and hastily made their way back to their places just as the intruder came to a spot just before the high table with all eyes on them. Despite the proximity, Nova still could not sense who it was, as it was just beyond his range.

Finally, once the entire room had fallen silent, the pony reached up with a hoof, took hold of the hat, and swept it downward in a low bow, and Nova’s eyebrows shot upward when he saw that it was none other than Captain Steelshod bowing there. Elsewhere in the room, Princess Platinum’s eyes narrowed, and just to his right, Clover had leaned forward.

“Good evening to everyone!” Steelshod announced, his voice projecting quite well in this massive open hall. “I am Steelshod, son of Iron Heart, captain of Her Highness Princess Platinum’s Unicorn Guard.”

He paused for dramatic effect, and Nova couldn’t help the small smile at how Steel was playing on the crowd’s anticipation and suspense. What’s he playing at?

The captain drew upright, then turned to look directly at him.

“Night Apprentice Nova Shine, I hereby formally challenge you to a Wizard’s Duel.”

Nova blinked. There was an outbreak of excited murmuring from the crowd and the smile slid off of his face. A Wizard's Duel? The only proper Wizard's Duel he had ever fought was the one against Twilight so many months ago.

Then another realization hit him.

He’s trapping me under the weight of the audience’s expectations, Nova thought to himself. Unless…

He stood up.

“Where, when, and for what would we be dueling?”

The excited murmurs grew louder as they realized he was leaning toward accepting.

The corners of Steelshod’s mouth twitched. Nova realized he had just taken the bait.

“Here, now, and not for what, but for whom.”

The realization hit him immediately. Oh no… He had taken the bait, and yes, he could certainly back down from the challenge, but…

Then he’d be known as the coward who wouldn’t fight for his mare.

“I challenge you, Night Apprentice Nova Shine, for the hoof of Lady Clover of Canterlot.”

Clover’s eyes bulged and her mouth fell open. Nova leaned forward, placing his hooves on the table. Clover opened her mouth to say something, but Nova held out a hoof to stall her. She glared at him, but he gave her a confident nod. Let me do this.

“I accept your challenge, Captain.”

The crowd exploded into cheers and began to clear a space. Clover’s fury was replaced by pure shock. Even as he stepped around the table, Clover could do nothing but gape after him. As he passed the table, he sent her what he hoped would be interpreted as a reassuring look, but she didn’t seem to react. Princess Celestia, however, gave him a tiny nod. She, too, looked displeased by this request.

Nova stepped into the clearing created by the crowd. Steelshod’s hat disappeared in a poof of light, and he and Nova both created a shield wall around their clearing as one.

“Name your limitation, Nova Shine,” Steelshod said, stepping back and watching him expectantly. The many times they had dueled, there hadn’t been any limitations, since they were nothing more than friendly sparring contests. For there to now be a formal Wizard’s Duel… what was Steel hoping he would ban?

This time, however, he hoped he was onto Steel’s game.

“I don’t need to limit you to defeat you,” he said bluntly. “We will duel unrestrained.”

Steelshod’s confident smile faltered for the tiniest of moments.

Good, Nova thought. He had finally acted in a way the captain hadn’t prepared for.

“Very well, I shan’t impose a restriction either.”

Nova smiled to himself. He had no choice, now. By coming across as confident enough not to impose a restriction, he had put it back on Steelshod. If Steel had imposed a restriction, any victory he took would always have that caveat, that he had a handicap and couldn’t win in a straight fight. Now, with no restrictions, everything was tilted Nova’s way.

The captain cracked his neck, as did Nova.

“Are you prepared?” Steel asked.

“I am.”

Steel’s smile grew, and they both stepped forward to bump hooves. But once they were in range, Nova seized his and pulled him forward so that they were breast-to-breast, and mouth-to-ear.

“She’s not some prize to be won, Captain,” Nova snapped. “Surely you must have thought about that? You really think she’s just going to accept you if you beat me? If you try to take her by force?”

“It’s not always about winning,” Steelshod fired back. “I thought you, more than anyone, would know that. Sometimes it’s just about being brave enough to face the dragon head-on.”

With that, he let go, pulled back, and marched back to his starting point. Nova stared after him for a moment, wondering just what Steel’s objective here was. Still, he had a duel to win. so he turned around, walked to his position, and turned back to face the captain.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said.

“Steelshod nodded tensely.

“Begin.”

No one moved. No one said a word.

Nova Shine and Steelshod stared each other down for several long moments. Nova wasn’t sure whether he was doing it to try and suss out what Steelshod had planned, or to milk the nervous tension that had crept into the room and swept over the guests.

His orbs of light orbited him languidly, waiting for their master to command them. The firelight of the chandeliers and braziers reflected off the guards’ armor. The orchestra sat primed and ready, waiting for the battle to start. Nova and Steelshod, however, were taking long, slow breaths, each waiting for the other to initiate.

Nova decided it would be him. The orchestra began their song.

The purpose of any opening to any chess match is to develop one’s pieces to enact a player’s strategy down the line. Nova was no master (he was pretty sure his Elo was only just above the four-figure mark), but he knew that he wanted to lay the groundwork for how he planned to handle this duel early. And he needed Steelshod distracted so he couldn’t interfere.

Nova peppered Steel with a few small beams of energy, mere nuisances to someone like the Princess’ Captain of the Guard. Steelshod effortlessly sidestepped each one, making an exaggerated show of doing so. No doubt he was exhibiting his showponyship for the audience’s benefit. However, as he dodged, Nova Shine took the opportunity to bring forth several illusory copies of himself, remembering his battle against Silas Silverblood some months ago. As the Captain wasn’t able to sense energy, he had a feeling this was going to work well to his benefit.

Once Steel was safely on the other side, he surveyed the scene again and frowned.

“I knew it,” he growled, letting his voice carry. “Trickery and deception. Is that all you are capable of, Sir Night Apprentice? This is supposed to be a contest of skill, not subterfuge.”

“Captain, if you can’t tell the difference between the real Night Apprentice and literally thin air, then you don’t have the skill to tangle with the likes of me.”

“Proud words,” Steelshod shook his head in mock disappointment. “Very well. Let’s see if your bite is as good as your bark.”

Steel knew full well his bark was nothing compared to his bite, but Nova supposed they both knew that was for the audience to discover.

Steelshod attacked back, spicing things up with a wave of magic that erupted from his hooves as he stomped them into the ground. As Nova prepared to hop over it, and as his copies all performed a variety of dodges to avoid the wave, Steel swung his head around with magic blazing in his horn, and a blade of grey energy came streaking at him just high enough above the wave to make dodging particularly difficult.

“Clever,” Nova muttered, his five orbs arranging themselves in front of him and creating a layer of magical shielding in front of him that blocked the attack on two fronts. The copies were all erased as the blade struck them, fading into the air without a trace.

Alright, no more standing around, he thought to himself. The moment the spells were behind him, he leaped out from behind his shield and sprinted around the edge of the arena, sending one half of it sliding forward toward Steelshod while the other half remained in its current position. As he ran, the illusory copies returned, charging multiple directions to confuse Steel while he was preoccupied with blocking the projectile.

Steel swept his cape in front of him and swatted the offensive shield with a flick of his hoof, sending the shield spinning into the wall of their little enclosure, where it exploded in a shower of magical stars that winked out of existence. The audience members sounded their approval at this.

He’s learned a lot from me, Nova thought. The second shield lifted up and began to spin at a high speed, before also flinging itself at Steelshod. Steelshod created a shield of his own to neutralize it. Nova kept him distracted so he could get around to a good angle and fired off a jet of fire that Steelshod vaulted himself away from at top speed. Steel took the opportunity to blast a wave of ice behind him, catching the fire in its tracks and creating a small cloud of steam.

It didn’t need to be fire or ice, but fire always seemed to add an extra little bit of excitement to things.

Steelshod, it seemed, was hoping not to move as much as possible. He wanted to own the space around him and control his movement so as not to waste precious energy. Nova, by contrast, wasn’t afraid to run or to utilize the whole arena for his strategy. Steelshod was hoping to win through iron defenses and presumably, some trick up his sleeve he hadn’t yet revealed.

His five magical orbs returned to him and began to orbit him at a high speed, streaks of blue light dancing all around him,

“A lot of unnecessary movement and energy wasted,” Steelshod noted, frowning. “Typical of you. A lot of flash, but little of substance.”

“I’ve made you move,” Nova shrugged. “You seem to be trying to keep still. Suppose that’s something. Think you can just outlast me? That it?”

“That was an idea I’d had, yes,” Steelshod shrugged with a modest smile, “but then I got a better one.”

The metal plates in his getup detached themselves and were flung at Nova at high speeds, with only one shooting right at him and the others taking up angles to try and smash into him if he dodged in a given direction.

Nova grit his teeth as the plates battered into his shield the moment he threw it up to give himself some space. A forceful solution. To keep ramming his shield would tax him over time. But he could afford energy expenditure now to prolong the fight.

The plates were then drawn back and took up several positions around him. Nova watched them warily, wondering what Steel’s next move would be, only for Steel to fire a beam of energy at one, where it reflected off a plate, into his shield, then into another plate, then back into his shield.

Fucking… clever bastard, Nova had to bring a hoof up to his temples to try and massage a headache away that was growing from the more intense pounding his shield was taking. Steel was trying to keep him pinned so he could knock the shield down and take him out.

Nova leaped sideways, dropping the shield and allowing the beam to hit where he had been moments before. So Steel was counting on him turtling up now. Then the wise thing to do was not turtle up like he had been.

“And now I have you on the run,” Steel observed with a derisive shake of the head. “Can’t hide behind your shields, can’t get a hit in at me, how do you expect to fight?”

“Trying to talk me into submission?” Nova asked. Steel flung another metal plate at him, and he tried to catch it in his cape so he could use it as a physical shield of his own, but the effort was unsuccessful, resulting in him taking a knock to his side.

“Actually,” Steel smirked, “I thought I’d beat you into submission. Now watch closely.”

His horn shimmered once more, and a stream of tiny stars erupted out of his horn, flying out all over the arena.

A Starfall variation, Nova realize, frowning and jumping away to avoid one of the stars that drifted a little too close.

Snap!

Nova lurched sideways. He had failed to notice another one coming up behind him, and rather than let out a little fizzle that would sting and drain any shield he put up, it was a bit more explosive than that, releasing a small bombastic burst, one just powerful enough to make him stagger, which opened the door for more of them to come flying at him.

Nova desperately threw up another shield. It wasn’t going to last long at all, but at this point, he was out of options. Steel had really done his homework and had him pinned now. The stars began to rain on his shield, each one pounding it under another blast, and in short order, another barrage of beams was striking his shield as well. The headache he was suffering was increasing.

If Steel kept this assault up, it was over. He had weathered Nova’s initial storm beautifully and had completely turned it around.

Nova wasn’t completely out of ideas, but he knew that nothing he did would put him back on the front hoof unless he was able to wrest control of those armor plates from Steel. They were the key to all of this.

Even as the stars continued to pound away and the beams continued to chip away at his mana reserves, he still held fast. He just needed to gather his strength, and then it would be time for a desperate attack. If that failed, it was over. But if it succeeded…

“You’ve held on longer than I thought you would,” Steel said, stepping forward as Nova’s shield contracted. It was getting taxing to maintain a wide shield, but it was shrinking and shrinking with each second, and with it, his resolve. “But your energy reserves are nearly exhausted, and your focus is dwindling, Nova Shine. Submit.”

Nova let out a small bark of laughter. Hard to do past the headache, but he let it out all the same.

“You think my focus is dwindling?” he asked, failing to keep a slight gasp of exertion out of his voice as one of the metal plates whacked the shield again to add extra strain.

He sucked in a breath, steeling himself even as he labored to keep his shield up under the weight of Steel’s onslaught. Steel sensed something was amiss and tripled the assault. The beams ceased, but every single one of the armor plates now came flying at him in his shield even as Nova prepared to turn the tide.

“My focus is unparalleled!” Nova roared.

An explosion of blue magic blasted outward from him, coming too quick for Steel to adjust and sending him flying backward, unable to throw up his own shield out in time. The metal plates were blasted in every direction and clattered to the ground all around them.

As Steel lay stunned and trying to get to his hooves, Nova retook the initiative, creating a wall of ice to force Steelshod to move only one direction while he began to pelt his opponent with all manner of projectiles. Steelshod’s instincts were enough to help him recover and start blocking or deflecting the blasts Nova sent his way, but they were only a means to an end. Once he was sure he had Steel backpedaling, he resummoned his orbs and sent them out to harass Steel instead so he could focus on his true goal.

With a flick of his magic, the metal plates that lay scattered around their enclosure were captured and repurposed, and Nova Shine began to enact his endgame. With Steelshod on the back hoof, he wasn’t able to contest Nova’s capture of his plates, too busy as he was fighting off the short bursts of light Nova’s orbs were sending his way. In addition, several more illusory copies of himself began to gallop around the Captain, taking up positions in the enclosure. Finally, Nova ceased the assault, when everything was ready.

Despite the assault having paused, Steelshod looked around wildly, trying to determine where the attack would come from next, seemingly having overlooked the plates of armor he had lost. He twisted and turned, keeping his shield up at all times, looking thoroughly rattled.

Nova moved one of his clones into Steel’s blind spot, and Steel jumped the moment he noticed, scampering elsewhere. Another clone moved close and Steel dropped the shield to attack with a beam, causing the clone to fade. An orb closed in, and Steel dodged it, moving closer and closer to the center of the arena.

Finally, the orbs took up positions around and above Steel, who was now surrounded by Nova, his fake clones, his orbs, and the metal plates. The stage was set.

The orbs began to pepper him once more, now with more intensity. It was no longer time to distract and reposition him, it was time to finish the job. As the orbs pelted Steel again, Nova himself shot one last spell toward the closest metal plate. A beam of light struck the plate, before shooting off toward another, then another. Then it zipped up to link with an orb before flying toward another plate. Eventually, Nova had weaved himself a cage of light around Steelshot, and the moment the cage was complete, it began to tighten.

Steelshod knew the end was near. Nova could see the dismay in his eyes as he realized that he had been played and now the jig was up. Still, to his credit, Steelshod planted his feet and renewed his defense, trying to weather the storm. He also expanded the shield, catching the shrinking cage in its tracks and stopping its contraction.

“No…” he growled, just loud enough for him to hear, just loud enough to be heard over the audience, who were preparing to cheer for the inevitable victor. “No… I’ve worked… too… hard!”

“It’s over, Steel,” Nova said, with one final powerful yank of his spellwork. Steelshod’s shield shattered with a musical crystalline sound. The stallion flagged and fell over, and at once, the cage closed in, snaring him to the ground and holding him tight. The metal plates he had brought with him to be his weapons had turned into his binds, and now there was no escape. The fight was over.

But Steelshod did not submit.

He continued to struggle against his binds, even as Nova stepped toward him. His legs kicked, he shifted, and he tried to find some way to escape, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t do it.

“Don’t make me knock you out, Steel,” Nova warned him.

“I… won’t…!”

“You fought well,” Nova said sincerely, but readied the coup de grâce. “But you can’t fight your way out of this one. You risked it all and you lost. Bow out gracefully.”

Steelshod’s hooves kicked a few more times, before finally, Nova could see the defeat in his eyes, and Steelshod slumped against the ground.

“I submit,” he said, and Nova was startled to hear him choking back a sob as he said it.

At once, the bindings disappeared, the enclosure vanished in white light, the crowd exploded into cheers, and the orchestra seamlessly played a triumphant fanfare to celebrate the victor of the duel. Nova paid attention to none of it, simply watching as Steelshod got to his hooves, avoiding his eyes, his metal plates flying back to their sockets on his barding, and his hat reappearing in a flash of light, before being pulled low to hide the tears.

“Take care of her,” he finally said.

And then he was gone, walking out the double doors as the crowd parted for him. Nova watched him go, feeling conflicted. Even as the partygoers closed ranks and blocked his view, Nova could only stare after the white feather as it made its way out into the foyer and then out of sight entirely, wondering where Steelshod was going to go now. What would he do now that he had truly lost his last roll of the dice?

Almost inexorably, he felt his gaze drawn behind him. He turned, suddenly becoming aware of the implications of his victory. Up at the High Table, Celestia was beaming down at him, looking quite giddy. Luna had her hooves pressed together in front of her muzzle and was staring at him quite intensely. And Clover…

The mare of the hour stood up from her seat next to Celestia and was staring down at him just as intensely as Luna, but with an unreadable expression on her face.

Nova felt his hooves move of their own accord, walking forward. As he approached, she stepped around the table, and the crowd waited with held breath to see what the resolution to all of this would be.

“Lady Clover,” Nova said, stopping just short of her and feeling his throat go drier than the San Palomino. “As the victor of the duel, I humbly ask for your hoof.”

The room went completely silent. Everyone’s eyes were on them, and they both felt it. Clover looked terrified. Or rather, as terrified as he had ever seen her, her skin blanching beneath her coat despite her best attempt to maintain an unreadable facade.

“I…” she started, before breaking off and swallowing. You could hear a pin drop, and Nova was surprised no one could hear just how loud the thundering of his heart was. “I…”

She let out a shaky breath, then steeled herself, and stood tall.

“I would speak to you alone. Accompany me, Sir Night Apprentice.”

Then with an assured gait, she turned and strode out of a door at the back of the hall, leading to a stairwell that he knew led to the northern battlements. Nova let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and moved to follow her. Before he exited however, even as hushed whispers broke out among the partygoers once again, he turned to look back at the crowd. Had Steelshod seen, despite his exit?

As he scanned the crowd, he couldn’t find the captain, but for the briefest of moments, his eyes met familiar red ones, and Shimmer Silvermane once again gave him a leer that sent a thrill up his spine.

He stepped through the door, shutting it behind him as quickly as he could, and almost instantly he heard the babble break out, muffled by the wall and even quieter than before, no doubt gossipping about what was about to happen on the battlements.

The climb of the stairs felt as though it took hours, but by the time he pushed his way out onto the battlements, it had also felt as if it had passed in the blink of an eye. His duel with Steelshod had left him blind to energy-sensing for the time being, but he didn’t need it to know who was waiting for him on the other side.

Clover sat next to one of the parapets, looking up at the night sky. Luna had outdone herself tonight, as the stars were clearer than ever he had seen them, and without a single cloud in the sky, nothing was preventing the soft white light of the moon from shining down and illuminating Clover, bathing her in a sort of angelic glow.

Nova felt his heart clench at the sight, and he remembered that night in Trottingham, under the Hearth’s Warming Tree, and again as he recalled Clover against the sunset at Unicornia.

But rather than reflect on it for much longer, he quietly approached her and sat down beside her, gazing out into the city. The chapel down below stood tall and proud, and beyond it, silhouetted against the night sky, was Lord Star Swirl’s tower, where brief flashes of light could be seen as he worked on something best known to him.

“I do not understand you.”

“I am a difficult pony to understand,” he admitted with a small shrug.

“Why did you accept his challenge?” she asked turning to glare. “After dancing away for so long, you finally jump at the chance when he proposes a challenge for my hoof in marriage? Why, Nova Shine?”

“Are you telling me this isn’t what you wanted?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Would you rather the captain have won?”

“No,” she replied sourly. “I would rather that cockfight had not happened at all. Why did you not reject his challenge?”

“And leave him humiliated in front of everyone?” Nova asked, staring at her in disbelief. “He couldn’t beat me. We both knew it. The least I could do was humble him but still allow him to exit with some dignity. And the choice still lies with you, might I add.”

“Choice?”

“You think I was just going to come up here and demand you marry me because I beat him? You think he was going to do that?”

Her mouth parted before she snarled.

“He challenged you in front of a crowd for my hoof!”

“It was a spectacle!” he retorted. “I didn’t know either, not until we had that little conversation before the fight,” he added defensively as her snarl deepened, “but it wasn’t about winning the duel, Clover. It was about the duel itself. All he wanted to do was give me one last challenge, mage to mage, and after that, after he lost, that would be the end of it.”

She stared at him for a long while, before shaking her head and returning her gaze out into the city.

“You’re more angry at him challenging me than you are at me accepting the challenge,” he pointed out. “Why? Who’s more foolish? The fool, or the fool that follows him?”

“You are not a fool,” she whispered.

“By your logic, I encouraged him. What does that make me?”

“It makes you the victor despite his best efforts,” she answered, shaking her head again. “He challenged you in public. He placed the pressure on you to accept the challenge. But now his challenge has put an equal amount of pressure on me to accept the stakes because you won.” She turned to give him a small, grateful smile. “You fought him for me and you won.”

His heart was hammering in his chest again.

“And so…” she swallowed, before turning to look at him properly. “What if… what if I wish to accept?”

Nova’s breath hitched.

“What?” he asked, softly.

“I… accept,” Clover said, staring up into his eyes. “I accept the stakes of the duel, Nova Shine. I wish to marry you.”

She... she said yes.

She said yes!

He should have felt elated. He should have felt ready to leap into the sky, to cry out in joy. He should have been ready to dash down into the Great Hall to celebrate with the other partygoers!

But...

...why did he feel so empty?

“But I know that we cannot be together,” Clover finally continued, looking away, and he was startled to see tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

“What… what do you mean?” he asked, now not even sure what to feel.

Clover actually laughed, a sad, humorless laugh as she threw her head back and wiped her tears.

“I know you have tried to hide it for so long, Nova Shine. So I shall not torment myself or you any further. I know that you will be returning to your own time. soon.”

The bottom dropped out of his stomach. She'd found out too!? Was there any pony in all of Equestria who hadn't figured out he was a time traveller!?

“H-how? How did you find out?”

She gave him a sad smile, before turning her head and pointing to her temple. Nova stared at it for a moment, not understanding.

“When you and I dueled some time ago, I was struck by your shield and I careened into a tree, if you recall. You reacted immediately to heal me, and the spell you used was one I had never seen the like of, nor could I comprehend it. I had always harbored suspicions about your mysterious past,” she admitted, with a wry smile, “but when I made that connection, that the spell you used had to be a spell that did not yet exist, every one of my suspicions fell into place.”

Nova sighed and returned his gaze out toward the city as she continued.

“How you could leave such a large crater in the side of Mount Canterhorn by merely teleporting, why Starfall came so easily to you, how you could sense energy when only two ponies alive knew the technique, and…”

A hoof reached out and grabbed hold of his, and he looked over to see that she was crying now, streaks of liquid light on her cheeks illuminated by the moon.

“...and Twilight Sparkle.”

Nova’s breath caught once again.

“I finally learned why it was so complicated,” she said, brushing the tears away once more. “Why the changeling princess became me, why you inadvertently called me Twilight multiple times. The only explanation that makes sense is that Twilight Sparkle resembles me and is your beloved in your own time.”

She let go of his hoof and turned away.

“I thought I understood you, but after tonight, I don’t and I never will.”

“Stop, Clover,” he said, reaching out and grasping her hoof now. She jumped, before turning to look back at him, still crying.

“I’m not so hard to understand,” he shook his head. “You’re right. About all of that and even more. But that’s not the end of it.”

“How can it not be the end of it?” she asked, a fearful tone in her voice. “What more could there be?”

“It’s so simple,” he shook his head and dragged a hoof down his face. “I love her, and I always will. But… but I fell in love with you too.”

Her mouth parted.

“A-and Summer too,” he continued, now starting to shed some tears of his own. “I w-was happy here, Clover! I was happy to be with both of you! And I didn’t want it to end, but I knew that it had to, and the longer I put off just cutting things off, the worse I knew it was going to get. But I couldn’t ask you to stop, Clover! I couldn't ask her to stop either! I couldn’t just put my hoof down and keep things from escalating, because I love you, damn it!”

He broke down, finally feeling the dam burst and the tears begin to flow. Clover slid herself closer and grabbed his hooves as both of them fought back the tears that were freely flowing now. Two ponies who loved each other dearly and knew they couldn’t be together.

“Tonight I just… when he challenged you,” he pressed on, “I just… couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t thinking, and now here we are because I decided to finally plant my hooves and fight for a mare I love.”

He didn’t have an opportunity to say anything else. His head was pulled up, and suddenly she was kissing him. It only took him half a moment to react, but he was kissing her back just as fiercely, just as passionately.

Time ceased to matter in that moment, all that mattered was the contact and the intimacy, but she pulled back and gave him a gaze as fierce and fiery as the kiss they had just shared.

“What if I don’t care?” she asked, brushing a hoof against his cheek. “What if I don’t care that we can’t be together!? What if we both just damn what you’re supposed to do? What could stop us?”

“Causality,” Nova answered, with the tiniest, saddest laugh. “If I stay, if I’m with you, then things don’t happen in my time that lead to me coming back. If I stay so we can be together, then in the future, I don’t exist and will never come back to begin with.”

Clover shook her head.

“How cruel is fate?” she whispered.

Then she was kissing him again, and despite his weak protests, his justifications, his reasons to pull away, he didn’t. All he could do was kiss her back. All he could do was cling desperately to her on this night, all he could do was hold fast to her knowing that the moment he let go, it was all over and she would be lost to him. He wanted to hold her forever and never part.

The door burst open.

Nova and Clover broke apart, and Nova knew the moment had come. He heard Clover gasp, and he turned to look upon the face of the one who would become his enemy.

And he felt his breath be driven from him as he looked into the doorway.

There, standing in its frame was Summer Blossom, her mouth parted, and a look of pure pain and betrayal written across her face.

Envy, Nova and Twilight’s great enemy, would be a mare he loved.

“Summer? I thought you–”

“You thought I had gone,” Summer interrupted her softly, but with a growing edge of barely-restrained fury. “You thought… you thought that because I had gone, you were now free to take him for yourself!”

“What?” Clover asked, blinking uncomprehendingly. “You believe I was trying to… to steal him from you?”

Summer ignored Clover completely and stalked right up to Nova, who was frozen under all of this. Why did it have to be her? Of every mare it could have been, why Summer!?

“You two-timing lying bastard!” She reared back a hoof to strike him, and Nova made no attempt to defend himself as she punched him squarely across the jaw. He barely felt it, not because it didn’t hurt, but because he knew he was in shock.

She tried to hit him again, but Clover caught her hoof this time in her magic, trying to get between them.

“Summer stop! I did not attempt to steal him from y–”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Summer screeched, almost physically throwing Clover away from Nova. “YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STAY OUT OF THIS, YOU WHORE! YOU BITCH!”

Clover stumbled sideways under the weight of her throw, managing to catch herself just before she hit the parapet. Once she righted herself, she attempted once again to come between them.

“Stop.”

Summer paused, her hoof reared back and ready to strike him again, and Clover stared at him in confusion, even when all he could do was choke back the emotion that he was feeling under this revelation.

“Clover,” he said hoarsely. “Go to your room and wait for me. Summer and I need to speak alone.”

Clover complied immediately, but she paused at the door to look back, as Summer glared furiously down at him, and all he could was avert his gaze.

“Summer, it is true, he–”

“You heard him,” Summer spat, turning her fury toward Clover. “Fuck off, harlot!”

Clover seemed to bristle, and even opened her mouth to respond, but Nova gave her a pleading look, please, you are only making this worse!, and she listened, trotting hastily back down the steps into the castle.

Leaving Nova alone with his future nemesis.

“Out of everyone,” he whispered to himself, “why did it have to be you?”

Summer grabbed him with her magic and slammed him against the parapet, glaring furiously at him. If looks could kill, he would have been atomized on the spot.

“You were supposed to be different from them!” she screamed at him. “You were better than them!”

“I am leaving,” he moaned. He knew it would mean nothing, knew that she had already seen enough. “I told Clover I was leaving, but then…”

He shook his head pathetically.

“Things happened. Steelshod, the princesses…”

“Yeah,” she growled. “You fought Steelshod to marry her! You fucking LIAR!”

She swung him into another parapet, though thankfully he didn't hit it nearly as hard.

“Summer please listen to me–”

Summer just scoffed angrily, before letting out a wordless angry yell, throwing him to the ground, and dashing off.

“Summer!” Nova called after her, but he made no move to give chase. What was the point now? It was over. In a few hours, she would try to murder Clover over this. But… why Clover? Why not him? He was the one she thought was the two-timer.

The whirlwind of emotions within him threatened to burst, but he fought them back as best he could. He could still hear the sounds of the celebration down below, hear Puddinghead telling some joke that had a crowd laughing uproariously, could see paramours stealing away from the party to go and enjoy each others’ company. He could see revelers spilling out into the courtyard, taking the party with them. Everyone, it seemed, had been having a good night.

Not him. All the joy in his life was gone.

With hooves as heavy as lead, he plodded his way back into the castle. Stayed away from the Great Hall, avoided the ponies he saw in the corridors, walked as miserably as he could toward the castle dormitories, until he raised a shaking hoof and knocked at a door.

Clover opened it just enough to peek out, and on seeing it was Nova, opened it further, only to freeze when she saw the condition he was in.

“Nova Shine! Are you okay? What happened?”

Without waiting for his response, she grabbed him by a hoof and pulled him into her room, sitting him down on her bed to stew in his negativity while she checked outside again. He didn’t answer her, focusing on keeping himself from breaking down at the awful way the night had come completely undone.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, shutting the door and locking it behind her. “What did she do? Oh,” she gasped slightly, before running to a cabinet. A few seconds later, Nova felt something begin to dab at his mouth. He hadn’t realized Summer had busted his lip.

“What did she do?” she asked, kneeling down and grabbing hold of his hoof. “Are you okay?”

“Broke my heart,” was all he could muster.

“How did she know?” Clover asked, more to herself than anything, before she tensed, and her alarm was replaced by dawning horror. “No…”

“What?” Nova asked, looking up.

“She… she accused me of stealing you away,” Clover said, starting to take shallow, jagged breaths. “We were speaking some weeks ago, and we started joking about ways we could attempt to court you. I had mentioned that I had learned Seduction Scent for academic purposes and to attempt to research countermeasures, and…”

Now it was Clover’s turn to look stricken.

“Nova, I fear she may believe that I have enthralled you the way Shimmer tried to!”

Nova clenched his eyes shut. It seemed, for what little comfort it was, that the misunderstanding was far worse than he feared, but not entirely his fault.

He stood up and began to walk toward the door.

“I’m sorry, Clover.” He began to unlock the door. “I think it’s best if I–”

“Wait!”

He paused, hoof on the door handle, just before he felt her approach. Her hoof reached up and pulled his down from the handle, before turning him back to face her.

She looked like he felt, on the verge of tears, but was staring at him as desperately and pleadingly as she had on the battlements.

“Please,” she whispered. “I… I just wish for one night, Nova Shine. That is all I am asking for.”

One night with a mare he loved. After what had just happened, it was far more than he deserved. Nevertheless, knowing what would happen in a few hours, he knew he couldn’t deny her.

“Okay,” he said softly.

She reached up and gently placed a hoof on his cheek, before leaning forward and kissing him once more. Under normal circumstances, he would only have been too eager to return it, but not now. Not tonight.

Nevertheless, she led him back into the room, and he heard the light rushing of her horn, and in an instant, the two of them were bathed in darkness as they fell into her bed.

No more words were needed nor exchanged that night, and it ended all too soon as Nova and Clover drifted off into a restless sleep.

“We didn’t,” Nova added, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn’t meet Twilight’s eyes, although he was sitting close enough for her to sense his energy, and nothing was changing.

Twilight let out a long, slow breath. It was easy to brush off everything about Clvoer before. But here they were, nearing the end of his tale, and after everything, Nova confiding in her that he genuinely felt conflicted about staying behind or coming back was taking root in her mind and never wanting to let go.

The rational, logical part of her brain pointed out that Nova had left Clover behind and had come back.

“Didn’t what?” asked Spike, looking between them. “The same thing as before, whatever that was?”

“Yeah,” Nova replied dully. “That.”

“How much more is there?” she asked, hopefully keeping the creeping jealousy out of her voice. There would be time to work through this later. It was late and she had no idea how much was left.

“Still a bit, but we’re getting close. I’ll definitely be able to wrap up the main part. Might even have enough time to talk about how I fought Nightmare Moon.”

“I thought you were joking,” Twilight admitted, her curiosity overriding her jealousy. This was good. Something to help her smother these feelings before they festered.

Nova shook his head, but he wasn’t smiling.

“No. I’m not.”

“I thought that would be the coolest part,” Spike said, noticing Nova’s lack of feeling. “Is it.. not?”

“It’s just…” He shook his head again. “A lot happened. And then a lot more happened.”

“We can wait till tomorrow if you want,” Twilight cut in, reaching out and grabbing hold of one of his hooves. It was getting close to bedtime for Spike anyway.

“No,” Nova shook his head, pulling it free. “No, I can finish most of it tonight. But now we have to talk about the parts that hurt the most.”

Steelshod strode across the battlements of Everfree Castle feeling oddly relieved.

It was so odd to him that he was feeling this way. Only a scant few hours ago, he had sat in his quarters in a complete and despondent haze, unable and unwilling to move or even sleep as he allowed his defeat at Nova Shine’s hooves to replay over and over and over again in his mind. What could he have done differently? How could he have turned that stallion’s cockiness to his advantage?

Yet over and over and over again, he kept arriving at the same conclusion.

There was nothing he could have done.

He had trained with Nova Shine, he was the youngest Captain of the Royal Guard in its lengthy history. Yes, he had been promoted because of circumstance, but had he been unfit for his role, he would have been stripped. He had earned this rank.

And Nova Shine outclassed him in every way.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. But once he accepted that there was no path to victory, a sense of calm and peace overcame him. It was over. He had gambled it all on one last show for Clover and one last battle for himself. He had fought with every fiber of his being to prove to her that he was worthy, and to dispel his own doubts. Nova had beaten him, but he’d hoped he had at least gotten her to open her eyes. He certainly had done himself proud. Of that, he was certain.

Still, no matter what, that was it. There was nothing more that he could do, and all he could do now was move forward.

So he had left his room and come out into the early morning outdoors to get himself some air and just… relax.

For the first time since he still lived in Canterlot on the southern coasts of Dream Valley, Steelshod felt unburdened, and the metaphorical weight that had been lifted off of his shoulders was palpable.

It’s such a nice night, he thought, smiling as he gazed up at the stars, before glancing toward one of the upper-floor windows where he knew Princess Luna resided. She’s really outdone herself.

He knew Princess Celestia had to be awake at this hour. No doubt dawn was coming within the next hoofful of minutes. Still, it was his first time being awake and having an opportunity to just enjoy the night. The cool air, the slightly gusty breeze, the starlight and moonlight being cast upon the Everfree Castle Courtyard, the shadows cast along the ground to give–

Steelshod’s eyes snapped toward the shadow of the castle chapel as something caught his eye, It had looked as if the shadow had shifted for a moment, but the longer he stared at the tower’s silhouette, so long that it nearly reached all the way to the Keep, the less certain he was that he had seen anything.

Hmm… maybe I’m imagining things, he thought to himself, still staring suspiciously at the shade. Can’t even go one night without my instincts kicking in.

He was just about to turn away completely and resume his nighttime stroll when he definitely did see movement. A cloaked figure darted from one shadow to the next, only barely illuminated by moonlight for perhaps half a second, yet so quick that a distant observer might simply mistake the shadows for blending together. Steelshod, however, was no ordinary observer.

His senses were screaming at him that something was very much amiss as the shadowy figure slunk their way to the castle’s doors, left slightly ajar to accommodate late partygoing guests as they exited at so late an hour. Thus, he listened.

As quickly as he could, he vaulted himself off the castle walls, thankful that he wasn’t wearing his armor anymore as he landed a few meters below. Stealth was the aim tonight, and his grey coat and black hair made it remarkably easy for him to blend into the night around him, perhaps less conspicuously than the shadow up ahead.

He followed the figure inside, just catching sight of the hem of their cloak as it disappeared around a corner atop the mezzanine. At the corner, he saw it drag up some stairs in the distant stairwell. He dashed upwards as quietly as possible, following the figure as they slipped out onto the sixth floor.

The Princesses’ floor, he realized with a frown. And Clover’s.

They moved a lot more slowly now, seemingly examining the different doors and the plaques bolted to them. The princess’ doors were much more obvious, given the contrasting paints against the featureless grey stone.

The shadow moved further and further down the hall.

Not the ninth door, not the ninth door, he repeated in his head. He was going to stop them one way or the other if anything nefarious were about to happen, but…

The figure stopped at the ninth door, then lightly pulled it open.

NO!

Steelshod raced forward, silently praying the figure was truly up to nothing nefarious in the slightest and that this was all a misunderstanding.

What does this pony want with Clover?

As he silently stepped to the side of the door, he peeked in.

The cloaked figure stood at the side of Clover’s bed. Clover and Nova lay before her, unaware of the danger that lay right in front of them in their sleep. An eerie red glow began to shine, blanketing them with its light.

And then, a silver knife was raised.

“NO!” Steelshod roared. The light blasted from his horn on instinct, catching the knife right in the blade and sending it flying into the wall, where it embedded itself. The figure whirled around, and Steelshod slid to a halt. Beneath the cloak, eyes bulging with rage and horn glowing red, was Summer Blossom.

“S-Summer?” Steelshod asked, aghast.

The commotion had roused Nova and Clover, who looked up at what was going on blearily. Nova, however, looked oddly cognizant for someone who had been asleep.

“Wuzzgoing–?” asked Clover, wiping away the drowsiness.

“RUN!” Steelshod barked, hurling himself at Summer as her magic yanked the knife out of the wall.

Clover was instantly roused, and she bolted away, fleeing into the hallway just before Summer’s knife stabbed downward where she had been moments before. Nova Shine’s shield appeared behind Clover, stopping the knife before it could catch her.

“LET ME GO!” Summer yelled, flailing underneath Steelshod, before managing to throw him off. She tried to bolt out the door after Clover, but Nova’s beam hit her on the side and sent her flying into Clover’s bookshelf, where she crumpled to the floor, conscious but dazed.

“What the hell is going on!?” Steel demanded, his magic already conjuring all manner of restraints around the cloaked Summer, binding her in place and preventing her from moving.

A blast of red magic caught Nova Shine under the chin, sending him reeling and falling to the ground with a grunt, but Steelshod prevented a similar attack from hitting him just in the nick of time.

“Summer, what the hell are you doing!?” Steel roared, striking her in the horn with his hoof to interrupt an attempted spell before it could unleash whatever nasty effects she had in mind.

Only now, however, did Steelshod notice something blood-chilling.

Summer Blossom’s eyes, normally a pleasant shade of brown, had gone a bright, eerie red.

Steelshod had heard of effects like these. Reportedly, these selfsame effects had corrupted the King of the Northern Empire. Summer Blossom’s eyes, however, didn’t seem to be saturated with Dark Magic, but if her hatred was enough to stain her eyes…?

The sound of clattering armor reached their ears, and Steelshod’s focus slipped for just one critical moment. A blast of red energy hit both him and Nova Shine, and Summer Blossom sprang free, scrambling out into the hall after Clover. Nova and Steel both chased after her, with Nova snagging hold of her tail in his magic and Steel bodily slamming into her and tackling her once again just as, to their shared relief, a number of guards came dashing around the corner.

Even as Summer thrashed underneath him, the guards very quickly subdued her and dragged her off, all while she tried everything she could to escape and throw herself at Clover once more.

The hallway was now buzzing with activity as the people who actually slept in the other dormitories were roused, including the princesses,. who had come out to see what had just taken place. Nova slumped against one of the walls but quickly recounted things to Princess Luna, while Steel stepped away to stare out into the night-covered city of Everfree.

“Thank you, Steelshod.”

Steel blinked and looked over. Clover was standing beside him, also looking out at the city. She seemed to have reverted to the emotionless mask she always hid behind before, but he had been around her long enough to see past it. Summer’s attempt at murder had unsettled her significantly, and she was trying to keep things together. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it could have been like, to see someone you had once called friend try to kill you in your own bed.

“You were right,” she said softly, and yet he heard it clear as day despite the din around them.

“About what?”

“Even with Nova Shine right there, I was not as safe as I felt.”

“You were,” he reassured her. “Even if I wasn’t there, I think he would have been more than enough to subdue her. I only helped make it faster, I guess.”

“You woke him up,” she shook her head. “He helped you, but if you hadn’t roused him, I might have…”

She fell silent, staring back out at the city. Steelshod frowned. No, he hadn’t woken Nova up. Nova Shine had already been awake. Could he have…?

“So… from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

She stepped up and kissed his cheek.

He had wanted this for years. For so long, he had chased after her, desiring her affection. And yet this one night, the circumstances made it the worst feeling in the world.

After that, everything was a complete blur. Steelshod felt as if everything had entered a dreamlike state. Or maybe it was all a nightmare. He didn’t know how many times he recounted what he had seen to those around him, he didn’t know how often he moved from room to room to room to answer even more questions, but eventually, he stumbled his way out into the castle courtyard, following a small crowd as they trotted out to bear witness to the sentencing.

Summer was dragged out of the dungeons, out of the castle into the late night, over in front of the chapel where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were standing, with six radiant gems floating around them. Steel had never seen these before, but a chill ran up his spine just seeing them. Whatever they were, they were powerful.

It was still dark, which meant that the gems’ glowing colors illuminated everything around them, casting everything into a multi-hued glow that clashed brilliantly with the general darkness of the occasion.

“For the crime of attempted murder, Summer Blossom,” Celestia said solemnly, “thou art sentenced to judgment from the Elements of Harmony. For thy attempt to steal away the life of another, thou shalt wander this land forever as a shadow, unable to harm others ever again, unable to partake in the lives of ones such as the one you tried to kill. SO DO WE DECLARE.”

Celestia’s voice thundered around the courtyard. Summer’s eyes widened and she attempted to struggle against her binds all the more, but she was locked up good and tight. She wasn’t going anywhere.

Celestia and Luna both nodded to each other gravely. Nova Shine bowed his head.

The Elements began to glow with light, each one shining brightly in the morning sun, before a beam of white light erupted from each one of them, connecting it to the two elements on either side. In seconds, a ring of light had been created around Summer, who was watching them with terrified eyes.

Until…

“YOU DARE!?”

Steelshod was driven to his knees by the sheer thunderous power of a Voice that rang out all around them, though he very quickly got back up. Elsewhere, Clover had fallen over at the sound of it, Summer Blossom winced under its weight, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had been startled into dropping the elements from their magical grip. The only one in this courtyard who seemed unaffected was Nova Shine. All he could do was stare at Summer on the ground, looking halfway between crestfallen and furious. As if he didn’t know whether to yell or cry at the events happening.

Summer looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Nova helped Clover to her hooves, but otherwise wordlessly watched. Celestia and Luna picked up the Elements once more, but they did not glow with light as they had a moment ago.

“What was–?”

“YOU WOULD USE MY ELEMENTS TO PUNISH!? TO ENACT YOUR WILL!? YOU WOULD DARE!?”

The Elements began to violently shake in the Princess’ grasp, and they dropped the gems once more, each one landing on the ground with a soft thud. Light blasted outward, connecting them once more, before each one fired a third beam upward, each connecting above Summer to form the brightest, whitest light Steelshod had ever seen. A whiter so powerful, he could see dancing colors within it, With a groan, he covered his eyes with one of his hooves and tried to look away due to how intense it was.

“HARMONY IS NO WHIP, CELESTIA, LUNA! YOU MISUSE THE ELEMENTS WITH THIS ACT!”

A blast of force erupted from the source of this magic, and it shook Steel enough to fall to his knees again. Around him, he could hear Clover cry out and Summer Blossom’s terrified screaming, and he could feel the twisted wrongness in the air. The thunderous voice could penetrate him down to his very soul, and he silently promised never to find himself on its bad side.

Fortunately, the light began to face, and Steel chanced opening his eyes again. The light glowing above Summer was shifting and roiling. Celestia and Luna were staring up at it, then at each other in confusion. Clover looked as though she could not believe what was happening in front of her. And Nova…

Nova was watching everything, looking not the least bit surprised by things. What did he know!?

“FOR HER TRANSGRESSIONS, YOU SHALL HAVE THE JUDGMENT YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ENACT! BUT PREPARE, CELESTIA! PREPARE FOR UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES AS A RESULT OF YOUR ACTIONS TODAY!”

The light shot downward, and struck Summer directly with the whisper of wind being the only evidence of what had happened. Summer did not cry out or otherwise react. Instead, she stared down at her hooves, which were disintegrating into shadow. Then her arms and legs. The chains binding her slowly began to phase right through her as though she weren’t even there. Summer began to thrash and struggle once again as the shadow crept up her body, and this time, she came loose, but instants after her chains fell to the ground, there was nothing left of Summer Blossom but a faint cloud of shadow floating above the ground, barely visible in the morning light. It was almost as if she wasn’t even there at all.

“YOU!”

Clover blanched, and every one of Steelshod’s combat instincts kicked into overdrive as Summer’s voice rang out. The cloud began to darken.

“YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME!?”

Finally, a pair of horrible red eyes appeared out of the shadow, staring down at Nova and Clover with pure, unmistakable loathing in them.

“I’LL FOLLOW YOU AS LONG AS I HAVE TO! YOU WILL NEVER BE SAFE!”

To Steelshod’s horror, the cloud of shadow began to thicken and shrink… and take on shape! Summer Blossom was willing herself back into the form of a pony before their eyes! Had the Elements only cursed her so far!?

Clover shot a beam of magic at the shadow-mare, but the beam passed harmlessly right through her. Luna yelped and threw up a shield out of pure reflex.

It was only then that Nova Shine finally acted. His horn blazed with blue light and something appeared out of thin air in front of him. Was that… was that a glass jar? Steelshod knew better than to question Nova Shine’s sanity, but all he could do in the moment between summoning and action was prepare for something to happen.

He was not prepared for what did.

The jar began to glow a bright orange light, an unsettling shade that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. Even as Summer Blossom was recomposing into an equine shape, the shadow that was forming into her suddenly began to fly toward the jar as if it were sucking her in. Summer let out a screech of anger, before galloping toward Clover. Steelshod and several others charged forward to head her off, but they needn’t have made the effort.

Mere instants before Summer could lay her hoof on Clover, she was yanked backward, and whatever willpower she had was broken as she once more disintegrated into a cloud of shadow, flying neatly into the glass jar. The moment the last of the shadow vanished from sight, Nova Shine’s magic capped it with a cover and runes began to glow all over the surface before fading.

For a long moment, there was silence as everyone processed what had just happened. Nova Shine’s magic faded and the jar was settled onto the ground, where he stared at it in exhaustion, a despair in his eyes that he was not used to seeing also present. Clover looked stunned by what had happened. Celestia and Luna appeared shocked, as did the other guards, and Steel himself felt thunderstruck.

In less than an evening, his whole world had been turned on its head. He didn’t know Summer well, only well enough to be on a cordial basis with her up in Unicornia and infrequent interactions with her here, but he still had counted her a friend, if not a close one. And if he could call her a friend, what about Clover and Nova Shine?

“Clover,” Celestia said, her voice firm and even despite everything that had just happened, “taketh that to Vault 982 in the Everfree Vaults. There thou wilt find other Soul Jars, and thou must place it among them. Her Soul Jar shall be locked away in the depths of the Everfree Vaults for as long as possible.”

Clover nodded.

“Nova Shine…” she turned to the Night Apprentice, who was still staring at the jar. “Come with Us.”

With that, she simply strode back into the castle briskly. Clover finally picked up the jar with her magic and trotted off as ordered, but not without one last glance back at Nova Shine. Nova said nothing to anyone else and instead turned around and marched inside, following the Princess. Steel had to wonder what was going through his head. But the one thought that he had lingering at the back of his mind after everything that had happened was simple, and he was going to get to the bottom of why.

He had known.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Celestia sat on her throne, her head buried in her hooves. There were no guards in the room, no other staff, not even another princess, but there was one pony who stood before her, feeling dead inside, and staring out into the city through a stained-glass window.

“What have We done, Nova?” she asked softly.

“The only thing you could have done, Princess,” Nova replied, eyes shifting ever so slightly at the blurry movement behind the glass.

“That does not ease Our minds at all,” Celestia shook her head. “These Elements… We were told they were meant to protect and defend Our subjects. We believed that this was part of their purpose, Nova Shine. We knew there would be crime, but… to try and take the life of another pony? What other punishment could We dole out?”

Nova said nothing. He knew that this Celestia and Luna were new to this, but they were still capable. They would eventually grow into the wise and powerful Celestia and Luna of his own time, but there was still plenty of time for self-doubt.

“And you knew.”

Nova nodded his head.

“I knew,” he affirmed quietly.

“How?” she asked, glaring at him. “How could you have known? How is it possible that you could have known this was coming!? For that matter, Nova Shine, why did you not come to Us with this knowledge!? We could have prevented this!”

“No,” Nova shook his head. “What happened today had to happen, Princess. Because…”

He took a deep breath, then looked up to meet her gaze and made his second confession of the last several hours.

“Because I’m from hundreds of years in the future, Princess.”

Celetia’s glare vanished. Her eyes widened, her mouth parted, and she stared at him in disbelief.

“If what had happened today hadn’t happened,” Nova continued, hoping that she understood the causality of everything involved, “then I would have had no reason to come back. If I don’t come back, then everything I’ve done for the last year and a half doesn’t happen.”

“Including Summer Blossom’s attempted murder,” Celestia added bitterly.

Nova fought down the spike of self-loathing as she said that. She was right, of course. Everything had come from his failure to simply turn them both down when he’d had the opportunity. But he could punish himself later. For now, there was still a lot to do to return to his own time.

“And,” he fired back, “the conspiracy. The rescue of Princess Chrysalis. The negotiations with the Three Tribes. Helping your sister! What happens if I am not here, Celestia? Who returns Chrysalis to the Changeling Hives? Who unearths the evidence of Sombra’s meddling? Who stops Silas Silverblood? Clover maybe, but does she solve it in time to rescue Princess Platinum?”

“Then if you truly are from the future, Nova Shine, did you come back to fix what went wrong, or were you here to ensure that Summer Blossom tried to take another mare’s life!?” she demanded.

“I didn’t even know it was going to be Summer!”

Celestia’s anger faltered for a moment, replaced by surprise, but was quickly followed by suspicion as she glared at him through narrowed eyes.

“You did not know what was going to be Summer?”

“Look, Princess,” Nova started to pace around the room as an outlet for his growing frustration, “in my time, there’s an enemy who’s been around for centuries. I didn’t even know she existed until she tried to kill me. Then I learned she was tied to the first Night Apprentice– to me– and that at some point, she cursed herself to make everyone forget her, and she ensured that there was nothing written down that could give her existence away. So when I came back, knowing her origin, I fully expected to see the one who would call herself Envy try to murder someone, and I would be prepared to stop it.”

He bit back a moan as the guilt and shame came back once again.

“I didn’t know it would be Summer. I had suspicions about who it would be, and it wasn’t her. And now… now my work here is done, and I have to go.”

Celestia stared at him as he sat down, letting his head droop. He couldn’t beat back the tide of self-loathing for long. If only he had just told Summer to stop at the beginning… if only he hadn’t come back at all… if only he hadn’t stood up to Shimmer that first day…

If only, if only.

“So what now?” Celestia asked, her rage gone. “If your work here is done, then… is it time for you to return to your own time?”

“Yeah,” Nova nodded. “It is.”

Celestia stood up from her throne, trotted down to meet him, and, to his surprise, hugged him.

“We cannot pretend to understand the burden you bear. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps in time. Nevertheless, if your mind is made up and it is truly time for you to go, then We shall miss you.”

“Even when you’re violently angry at me, you still won’t address me like a subordinate,” Nova observed.

“Neigh, We won’t,” Celestia replied firmly, helping him to his hooves. “You must understand, We are angry that your actions, or perhaps inactions, led to Our apprentice being in danger. But we all make mistakes. We do not see why that does not make you any less a trusted friend and equal.”

Nova felt the guilt decrease slightly, felt the shame wane, but in its place, there came a great rush of warmth and affection for Celestia, and he pulled her back into a grateful hug, which seemed to surprise her. She squeaked and very quickly tried to extricate herself.

“Nova Shine, We cannot do such things here, it is improper!” she protested with a mischievous smile. “‘Twould be better to retire to Luna’s room and persuade her to take part!”

Nova let out a quiet laugh, but let her go. However, her admission of seeing him as a trusted friend reminded him of something.

“Before I go, though, I need you to remember a date.”

“A date?” Celestia’s eyebrows rose. “Are We to assume this is the date you expect to return to? Or perhaps something more romantic?" she added with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. Nova admired how she could keep a brave face on and keep joking in the midst of everything that was going on.

“Sort of,” he bobbed his head from side to side, not taking the bait. “It’s more… I have a plan for how I’m going to return to my own time. But if I go too far, I need you to come pull me out so I don’t overshoot it.”

“We see,” Celestia nodded in understanding. “Very well. What date is it?”

“December 16th, 1003 ANM.”

Celestia pondered over the date, pacing around the room like he did, before casting him a confused look. “What does ‘ANM’ mean?”

“Unfortunately,” Nova held back a wince, having forgotten how awkward explaining what the term ‘After Nightmare Moon’ meant, “that is something you’ll understand later. But as you might assume, it’s not for a long time.”

“Then We guess…” Celestia smiled sadly, “until we meet again, sir Nova Shine?”

Nova nodded, then turned and strode toward the castle exit with a wave.

“Just so, Princess.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Steelshod knew that Nova could sense him, so he didn’t make any sort of effort to hide the fact that he was tailing the Night Apprentice. Rather, as soon as he had an opportunity, he jogged up to walk with him. Nova kept his eyes front despite this. He had been acting off all morning, though Steel supposed he couldn’t blame Nova for that after the last few hours.

“Steel,” Nova grunted, keeping his eyes front as he trotted up to the northern parts of the city.

“Nova,” Steel answered back, falling in line as they walked up toward wherever he was going. “Was hoping to catch you before you disappeared on us.”

Nova gave him an odd look. “Disappeared?”

“I have it on good authority that you’re a time traveler from the future,” he replied. Not even two hours ago, that statement would have sounded utterly absurd, but here they were. Nova’s nostrils flared, but otherwise he didn’t react. “I was wondering how you might have been awake and ready for Summer’s attack this morning, I was wondering how you could have known about that, but when Clover told me that, it all made sense.”

“Does tend to put things in perspective, doesn’t it,” Nova remarked.

“And am I to understand that you’re going to be returning to your own time soon?”

Nova grunted in an affirmative. Not exactly the answer he was hoping for, but then again, it was like he was a completely different pony today. Steel couldn’t blame him.

“Are you mad at me?”

Steel looked over. Nova hadn’t so much as looked his way since they had started trotting alongside each other, but now his eyes were glossed over and he was just staring at the ground, seemingly unaware of even where he was going, as long as it was along the road.

“Mad at you? Why?”

“You tried to fight me for Clover. Despite knowing that I was leaving, I leaped in to fight you anyway. And I won. I could have let you win, it would have been a graceful way to ‘bow out,’ so to speak. You even had me backed into a corner toward the end. I still beat you. Are you angry with me for that? Knowing that I’m about to leave so soon after?”

“Nah,” Steel shook his head, reached over, and gave him a friendly pat across the shoulders. “I told you. It wasn’t about winning. For the last several months, you’ve been better than me in just about every way. Magical talent is obvious, you showed up and figured out the lead on the investigation into Princess Platinum’s disappearance within minutes, you beat Silverblood, and you got further with Clover in mere days than I had in weeks. I guess…” His smile turned into something sour for a moment, before it returned to normal.

“I guess I just wanted to show that I could stand and face you and hold my own. I just needed to prove that to myself.”

“You sure seemed pretty torn up about it last night,” Nova pointed out.

“I was, at first,” Steel nodded, remembering that eternal moment after he had shouted his submission. The despair, the crushing feeling of defeat after he had thrown everything at Nova, only to come up short right at the end. “I had victory in my grasp. I could sense it. And then…” He let out a hard breath through his nose. “And then you beat me. It hurt, to be that close and come up short.”

“You did very well,” Nova assured him, giving him a light bump with his shoulder. “Had me on the ropes there for a bit. But… well, not to be a braggart, but I’m me.”

“You are,” Steel’s mouth twisted. He had done everything right, and it hadn’t been enough. “Still, I’m glad. You won, fair and square. But I think I gave a good account of myself, and that’s all I wanted. It’s over now, but I gave it my all, so I have no regrets.”

“I don’t think it’s as over as you think it is.”

Steel clenched his eyes and let out a long breath.

“Nova, don’t do that. I threw everything I had at you, and you won, and now she’s all yours. I just hope you treat her well.”

“Steel…”

Steelshod blinked, then turned back to see that Nova had stopped and was giving him a meaningful look. Steel stared at him for a moment, wondering what exactly was going on, and then…

He realized they were following the path to Lord Star Swirl’s tower. The mage who had been working on time travel spells.

“You’re going back,” Steel realized, mouth parting. “You’re going back today.”

Nova wordlessly nodded.

Steelshod stared at him, not knowing how to feel. The biggest emotion was sadness, that much was clear. He was about to lose a good friend, and someone he could trust Clover with. But there were a myriad of others. Deep down, some small part of him that he was trying to smother couldn’t deny that he felt happy that Nova was going, but it was microscopic compared to everything else.

Steel found himself staring downward, eyes flicking every which way as a thousand different thoughts raced through his head. Everything had turned on its head in the last several hours. Why? Why did everything have to change like this?

“She’s going to need someone,” Nova said, stepping past him and continuing along the path. “Summer’s gone, and I’m going to be gone as well. She’s going to need someone to be there for her, Captain.”

The emphasis on the word jolted him back to attention, and he trotted after the stallion.

“She’s wanted nothing to do with me,” Steel shook his head.

“That’s why you let her come to you,” Nova rebutted, giving him a nod. “She’s going to need you, Steel. Give her time, but be there when she needs you.”

Another realization hit him. If he was leaving already, then where was she? Surely he’d want to say goodbye?

“She doesn’t know, does she?”

Nova shook his head. “Not yet. I want to tell her when it’s time to go, but I don’t know when that will be,” he admitted. “If you want to tell her yourself, be my guest.”

“Why not tell her yourself now?” he asked indignantly.

“Because I have work to do,” Nova replied simply. “It must be today. And I don’t know how long this will take. And quite frankly, it already hurts this much saying goodbye to you.”

Steel stared at him for a long moment in disbelief. This was a stallion who had faced down Sombra and his lackeys, and now here he was, seemingly sapped of all desire to even say goodbye to someone he loved?

Was this morning’s incident truly something that weighed so heavily on him?

“In case I don’t see you again,” Nova stopped and turned toward him once more, holding out a hoof. “It’s been an honor, Captain. I want you to know that.”

“You’re gonna get a proper goodbye,” Steel growled at him, disregarding the offered hoof. “You think you can just run away without saying farewell to Clover?”

“I hope that I get that opportunity,” Nova smiled sincerely at him. “Go do what you must, and so shall I.”

And with that, he turned tail and continued on his way, leaving Steel to stare after his departing friend for what might have been the final time.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Star Swirl the Bearded’s tower had been enchanted with all sorts of contingencies, redundancies, and alarms on the off chance that someone feeling a bit mischievous, or perhaps malevolent, or perhaps merely in a malcontent’s mood, decided to forcibly gain entry to his tower to say hello, He had been quite diligent with the spellwork, but there were always vulnerabilities to any system due to biases or simple oversights, and his system was no exception. Thus, of all the methods Star Swirl had prepared for someone to invade his tower, simply opening the front door was not one of them.

The stallion sat in his office, looking quite surprised that Nova had gained entry, before laughing at his brazenness.

“The nerve of this stallion,” he chortled, standing up and moving away from the diary on his writing desk and walking over. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Nova Shine?”

Nova Shine, however, did not share in the stallion’s levity.

“I need Time Stasis,” he stated.

The smile slid off Star Swirl’s face, and he took a step back to give him a searching look.

“Time Stasis,” he repeated slowly. “Do you have any idea what you are asking for, Nova Shine?”

“I have some idea,” Nova said softly, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “But it’s time, and I need a way back.”

Star Swirl’s mouth parted, and his heart sank. Ah, he thought. A shame. The day did have to come eventually, but he had been hoping to spend more time around this stallion of the future and glean some of the information that he could. What was the world like? How had Equestria changed? Was he merely a passable spellcaster in his own time, showcasing how far magical education had come? Or was he an anomaly even then?

“Disappointing,” Star Swirl shook his head. “If I may ask, why now? Does it have to do with the events that transpired this morning at the castle?” He did not miss the way Nova Shine’s eyes clenched shut for the briefest of moments as he said that.

“Something like that.”

Star Swirl surveyed Nova Shine. Gone was the lax and goofy yet insecure and self-doubting stallion of previous weeks, and in his place was someone else entirely, someone teetering on the brink of despair. Star Swirl did not know the specifics of what had transpired, only that a murderer had been caught in the act before anything could happen, and that there had been some sort of a kerfuffle.

Knowing he would find out in due course, he sighed.

“So you come to me for one of my most precious spells, seeking a way to return to your own time. I trust you have thought about the risks involved?” he asked, giving Nova a meaningful glance.

Nova nodded tersely.

“Yeah. If I screw up, I could be stuck there for a while. But I know I’ll get it right.”

“You’re certainly not lacking in confidence,” Star Swirl sniffed. “Nova Shine, do you know you will be returning to your own time?”

“I do,” he nodded.

“Are you certain you returned in one piece?”

“Positive.”

“Hm.”

At that moment, a thought occurred to him. All this time, he had known that Nova Shine had come back to the past and was returning to the future, but never had he bothered to ask the most important question.

“Why, Nova Shine?”

Nova Shine blinked, looking confused.

“Why what?”

“Why did you come back?” he clarified. “I.. well, I surmise it must have something to do with what happened at the castle today. It would certainly explain why your departure is so abrupt. What was the purpose of your visit to this period?”

Nova closed his eyes and let out a sharp exhale when he mentioned the castle’s events, but it told Star Swirl more than enough. Something devastating had happened there.

“Not exactly,” he shook his head. “Originally, I came back because this book told me I would.”

His horn shimmered and a small book appeared in his outstretched hoof, which he offered to Star Swirl. Star Swirl took it, flicking it open and leafing through the pages, only to find that not one part of it was written in Equish. In place of every letter, there was a mixture of dots, dashes, and little triangles. Star Swirl’s mouth parted slightly as he pondered this for a moment, before he let out a quiet laugh, hoping not to conceal how impressed he was too much.

“Enciphered and encrypted! How clever, Nova Shine. You avoid the problem of letter frequency, thus making each series of characters much more difficult to decrypt, but even if they were decrypted, it would be next to impossible to determine what you are saying without the cipher. If I may ask, is it encoded as well?”

Nova stared at him, before letting out a disbelieving laugh of his own.

“Finally, someone who knows the difference between them!”

Star Swirl couldn’t help the twitch of his brow. What did he mean, knows the difference?

“But… they mean different things. How could anyone confuse them?”

“Beats me,” Nova shrugged. “I guess something changes between now and then. Speaking of…”

He turned his gaze back down to the book.

“I need this diary to make it from now until my time. Like I said, it’s instrumental in ensuring I come back in time to begin with. I invented this way of keeping what I have to say a secret when I was younger, and just seeing it in a diary that was supposedly uncrackable was enough to convince me to come back, so it needs to make it in one piece from now until then.”

An impenetrable wall of text that he invented…?

No, Star Swirl frowned. Inventing an encryption is easy, but while Nova Shine is intelligent, he isn’t quite brilliant enough to invent a cipher this thorough. However, to combine two methods to cover each other’s weaknesses…? Very clever, Nova. Very clever indeed.

“Surely even if I reject this, it will inevitably find its way to your own time?” Star Swirl couldn’t help himself as the teasing smile spread across his face. “Why not simply bury it in a hole somewhere?”

Nova shook his head, once again rejecting the tiniest level of mirth he was trying to add to the conversation.

“Your family keeps watch over them. At least, they do by my time. I don’t know what happens between now and then, but at the very least, I figure I can entrust this diary to you to make sure that it is watched over until I find it in my own time.”

Star Swirl stared down at the book and pondered the encryption and the text that lay therein. It was an admirable attempt to keep secrets from being discovered by the wrong being, but no encryption and no cipher were perfect. If he had time, perhaps he could crack it and see just what Nova Shine had hidden in here. If what he said was true, then the text alone should be enough for him to see, which means the diary could be filled with all kinds of gibberish and nonsense! Or… perhaps it could be filled with his thoughts, feelings, insights, and experiences, which would make it truly priceless.

One way or another, perhaps he could take the time to try and crack it.

That said, Star Swirl doubted he would truly have the time to devote to this task. The seed he and his fellow Pillars had created was flowering, he had come to watch over its growth, and that meant it could be left in Celestia’s and Luna’s capable hooves henceforward, but other concerns demanded his attention.

Sombra’s recent actions were alarming. To try and engineer a war between the Changelings and ponykind? What was he after? Why had Vorak and Centauria, far to the east of Dream Valley, not contacted him in recent months? Was Tirek free once again? Were they also affected by the Windigoes as Dream Valley was? What had become of the kirin? Why had his correspondent Rain Shine suddenly cut off all communication with him? And why were storm clouds gathering to the southwest, across the seas?

Something was very, very wrong in the world. So much was happening all at once, and though he knew many of these different concerns could take decades, perhaps even centuries to fully materialize, darkness needed to be smothered before it could fester and grow.

Which, of course, led to his current travel plans. He had been keeping a watchful eye on Stygian ever since he and the other Pillars had cast him out, but now Stygian had disappeared as well. This was most disquieting. Stygian wasn’t the stealthiest pony, nor was he capable of simply vanishing off the face of the map like this. Which meant…

“Lord Star Swirl?”

Star Swirl blinked, returning his attention to the diary he had been staring at for several moments now.

“Forgive me,” he shook his head, the little bell on the end of his hat jingling softly. “A lot has happened and a lot more is happening, and I find myself more concerned than most about what I am hearing from the distant corners of the world.”

He nodded to himself, before placing Nova Shine’s diary on his desk, next to the one he had been working on.

“I do not believe I can watch over this diary myself, I have been making travel arrangements as of late,” he gestured over to a corner of his tower where his bags were, indeed, packed. “However, perhaps I can send it along to my daughter Lucia? She and her wife currently live across the sea in Prancia, but I believe they are making arrangements to journey to Unicornia soon. If my family truly does watch over these books until you find them, then perhaps they are safest sent to her.”

Nova nodded. “That’ll work. Thank you.”

“And, one treasure trove of knowledge in exchange for another,” Star Swirl added, holding out his hoof as a small paper scroll appeared in it, which he offered to Nova Shine. “Time Stasis, as requested. You will, however, notice that the spell is incomplete.”

Nova took the scroll, opened it, and scanned the page. Star Swirl watched him closely. Would the stallion panic at the sight of something so complex? Would he realize just what he had asked for?

“So the spell isn’t finished yet?” he asked, looking up and seeming slightly confused.

“Oh I didn’t say that,” Star Swirl replied airily. “I have cast it a few times already. I have left out certain parts on purpose. Nova Shine,” he smiled warmly at the young stallion, “I believe you are more than capable of finishing the empty portions of the spell, so consider this a test of sorts from me.”

Nova’s eyes returned to the text, and he nodded, before the scroll vanished in a brief flimmer of blue light. And with that, he turned around.

“Where are you going now?” he asked as Nova turned to leave.

“The spell clearly requires more energy than I have at my disposal,” he replied. “I will complete the spellwork, but I still need the energy since it requires quite a bit by the look of things. And fortunately, I know just where to get some.”

He paused for a moment, frowning, before he turned back with a sad little smile.

“I guess this is goodbye, Lord Star Swirl.”

Lord Star Swirl shook his own head at this. “I don’t believe so, Nova Shine.”

Nova cocked his head. “You don’t?”

“I can’t explain it,” metaphorically true, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if, by some chance of fate, we do meet once again.”

“You think you’ll make it until then?”

Star Swirl sardonically inclined his head. “I have made it this long, after all. What’s a few more centuries?”

Nova frowned and scrutinized him now, and Star Swirl felt a mite self-conscious. He was a brilliant stallion, this was true, but…

“Oh, don’t go giving me that look,” Star Swirl shooed him away. “Leave an old stallion his secrets, and I shall leave a young stallion his own.”

“Fine, fine,” Nova stepped back, preparing to turn to leave properly. “Don’t blame me for being curious after you tried cracking my diary right in front of me.”

Lord Star Swirl chuckled, before doffing his cap and bowing his head. “It has truly been an honor, Nova Shine. I am glad to have met you.”

“The honor was mine, I assure you,” Nova replied, giving him one last smile, before stepping back toward the steps.

“I guess I shall see you… out there,” Star Swirl muttered once more under his breath. After all, he thought to himself, the future always does hold many surprises…

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova Shine sat alone on a flying carriage as it descended from Mount Canterhorn back to Everfree. Outside, the late afternoon was giving way to evening, and soon he would likely have one last look at a sunset in this time before it came time to return to his own There was nothing more for him here, and he truly wasn’t in the mood to be comforted, yet he had nowhere to go to sit in solitary confinement so that he wouldn’t be found. Clover knew him far too well for him to have anywhere to hide.

All that remained was to return.

Was returning to his own time his punishment? His failure to break things off resulted in Summer’s scorning, and thus in the birth of his archenemy. It was a period he loved, and he had ruined things here, so was it not a fitting punishment to leave and never come back?

Burlap sacks, fat with their contents and tied tightly at the top, rustled slightly as the carriage hit some turbulence.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” the pegasi carrying him called back. “There’s a storm due tonight, we hit some gusts from the pressure!”

“Might not be as bumpy a ride if he hadn’t brought back all those things in those sacks,” the other pegasus commented.

Nova didn’t have any motivation to comment back at them. All he could think about was this morning. Watching his friend be cursed by the Elements, only for whatever consciousness that existed within the Elements to decide that Celestia and Luna had violated their use and turn their “discipline” into a curse against them instead.

“Coming in for a landing soon,” the first one called back. “Get ready.”

Nova thumped the door to acknowledge.

A few minutes later, he was safe and sound back on the ground just inside Everfree City limits, near to the grove he spent so much of his time in, and no sooner had he landed than he had hoisted the sacks up and started trotting away. The last thing he wanted to do was weaken his resolve any further.

Despite this, as he neared his final destination, he saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fly out of the castle in the distance and set to lowering the sun and raising the moon. For one heart-stopping moment, Nova paused, suddenly filled with a desire to dash back to his own home, bury himself in his bed, and just continue living here as if nothing had changed…

But that desire passed, and he continued on his way as the sky began to darken.

He trotted quickly, avoiding conversation with any familiar faces, making his way toward the Royal Bank, operating out of the building that would one day be known as the Everfree Vaults when it fell into ruins. He already had a plan in motion, having given Celestia the date of his emergence earlier. As he strode through the doors into the lobby area, noting the familiar sights of the room he, Trixie, and Twilight had trotted through so long ago, and made his way up to one of the tellers, a slouching green earth pony wearing a smart red uniform like all the other bank staff, sitting behind a stall.

“I’m here to visit one of the Royal Vaults,” he stated flatly.

“The reason for your visit?” the teller asked, clearly bored from the day’s proceedings.

“Confidential,” he replied, flashing the Night Apprentice brooch. “I’m afraid that business is between myself and the princesses.”

The teller gave him a once over, suspiciously narrowing his eyes as he surveyed Nova from head to hoof, but shrugged, evidently not paid enough to care.

“Which vault?”

“Vault 713 was the one I was asked to use,” he answered.

The teller flipped through a book that listed certain vaults and the registered owners of them, before nodding to himself when he found the right one. “Very good, it all appears to be in order. Do you need a guide, or can you find your way down to that level alone?”

“I’ll be fine on my own,” he assured the teller, before picking up his sacks and trotting off without waiting for a response.

The trot down was agonizingly slow. There were elevator systems, but he was trying to stretch out as much time as possible, trying to eke out a few final moments here in this time he had grown to love.

But after what felt like both an eternity and only a few moments, he now stood in front of a massive vault door, staring up at the gothic 713 carved above it.

This was it.

A quick burst of magic, the grinding of stone on stone as the vault doors opened, a deep breath to calm his nerves, a flash of blue light as he called forth the spell matrix of Lord Star Swirl’s design, the light clacking of the gems as he set the sacks down within the vault, ready to serve their purpose, and one more deep breath as he prepared to do something precious few ponies had ever done in history, and he was preparing to do it alone.

Time Stasis was a ludicrously complex piece of spellwork. Nova stared down at the page with uncomprehending eyes at the tangled mess of lines, runes, matrices, and nexuses of energy that the spell would be drawing from, trying as much as he could to make sense of the mess. This was going to be difficult, he knew that much going in, but he was unprepared for just how difficult.

He was essentially telling the magical energy he was working with to grab hold of something in this place and simply hold it still for nearly 1300 years. What on earth was his magic grabbing, though? He tried to grab hold of what the matrix told him to, but only found himself snatching at midair in vain.

With a heavy sigh, he realized he was going to have to trust Lord Star Swirl’s spellcraft on this one, and with one more sigh of resolution, he set to work. He was doing a lot of sighing today.

It was grueling work. He only made it about halfway in on his own magical reserves due to the sheer magnitude and complexity of this spell. But that was what the gems were for, and as he continued to add the intricacies and complexities of this mass of magical mystery, he made a mental note to thank Chrysalis for inadvertently helping return him to his own time. At least some good came out of her ordeal, however small.

As Nova allowed the energy from each gem to flow through him, he watched as the multicolored crystals full of sparkling energy drained and became dull and lifeless, an empty and fragile clear mass of minerals, many of which simply crumbled to dust.

He had nearly made it through all the sacks, and was starting to worry he wasn’t going to have enough, when he finally finished. With a satisfied wipe of his brow, he went over it again, making sure every metaphorical I was dotted, every figurative T crossed. The third time he went over it, he found nothing. But he went over it again. And again. He was stalling now, he knew that.

Eventually, he stepped back. It was time to test his work. He located the trigger space on the spell, took a deep breath, and gave it a flick of magic. The ground shone blue, and ripples began to spread out from the center of the spell’s matrix, invisible to the naked eye, ending at the edge of the matrix, with just enough room for one pony to sit inside.

With a swallow and another wipe of the sweat from his forehead, he picked up a few gems from the last remaining sack and tossed them into the circle. The moment they crossed the threshold, they froze in midair. He had done it.

He, Nova Shine, a pony once robbed of his own future as a student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, had comprehended and cast Time Stasis alone.

“You are truly incredible.”

Nova’s eyes clenched shut and he fell onto his haunches as her voice drifted in.

“I’m really not,” he shook his head. “This morning’s enough to prove that.”

He heard hoofsteps, energy sensing failing him due to the complex spell he had just cast and how saturated with energy it was, but paused. Not just one set, but two.

“Both of you come to see me off?” he asked, turning back to see Clover and Steelshod both stepping into the vault, through the illuminated glowstone hall and into the vault proper.

“You were going to leave without saying goodbye?”

She was trying to maintain a neutral expression, but even her best effort couldn’t disguise the fact that she was on the verge of tears. She had known it was coming, but that made it no easier at the moment that he would leave her forever.

“Not exactly,” Nova shook his head. It was true. He had planned to go back and say final goodbyes. At least, he had at first. But he had realized it would hurt too much, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to go through with it if he’d have just stepped outside. But now with them there, he was starting to have second thoughts about going through with it here. “I had a lot to do. It’s taken me hours to do everything I needed to Now…” he gestured at the affected stone floor, “now it’s time to go. But the spell could wait for a few minutes.”

“I have never seen nor felt a spell like that before,” she said, stepping past him to stare down at the suspended gems. “Is that… is that one of Lord Star Swirl’s time spells?”

“It is,” Nova nodded. “Time Stasis. I step inside and the spell will freeze me in place for approximately one-thousand two-hundred fifty-six years. And inside these vaults, I’ll be protected until then no matter what may happen out there,” he pointed with his hoof in the general direction of outside, before wiping the sweat away again. “Celestia already knows, I gave her the date I need her to pull me out by, assuming the spell doesn’t end before that.”

“So you are willing to bend the fundamental fabric of spacetime to make it back to your own time and a mare you love?” Steel asked, looking thoroughly impressed. “Considering everything you did for Clover, this mare must be something else.”

“You don’t know the half of it, Captain.” Nova closed his eyes and let himself imagine Twilight Sparkle once again. That night in Trottingham… the walk in the park… their reconciliation and confessions… “My beautiful star,” he whispered to himself.

“Then…” Clover stepped forward and pulled him to his hooves. “I shall not delay you any longer.”

With that, she stepped forward and, like Summer had, kissed him for the final time, chastely and over far too soon. Nova almost chased after her, feeling his heart thundering in his chest.

“I don’t want to go,” he finally admitted, feeling tears sting his eyes. “I… fuck, I don’t want to leave.”

Clover and Steel looked at each other, then moved as one, embracing him firmly, and holding him up as he worked to compose himself. He almost broke down yet again at the support and clung on to them as though he would be tossed into a tempest if they were gone, all while he choked back his tears.

“Goodbyes are never easy,” Steelshod said in his ear. “Don’t feel bad for feeling this way. It only makes you just like the rest of us.”

Nova let out the tiniest of chuckles, a tired and sad little thing. “It ruins the whole mysterious time-traveler thing I’ve been putting on,” he commented wryly.

“That’s the Nova Shine I know,” Steel gave him a firm clap on the shoulder, and stepped away.

Nova and Clover met eyes one last time, and he felt so much well up inside him as they said so much without saying a single word. He felt the familiar jittering in his chest once more, and eventually took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and turned around to face his way home.

“I’m going to miss both of you. Love you both. Hope you never forget that.”

“Thank you,” Clover whispered. “For everything.”

Nova delayed yet a moment longer, before turning back ever so slightly.

“Take care of her,” he said. Steelshod nodded.

And with a trembling hoof and feeling as though his whole body were leaden, Nova Shine took his final step.

The magic began to swirl beneath him, rooting him to this singular moment in time in this singular spot. In just a few short moments, Clover and Steelshod would be gone, and he would be hundreds of years in the future, in his own time, and they would be nothing more to him but memories.

As visions of Luna, Celestia, Steel, and Clover played through his head, he clenched his eyes shut and choked back a sob. No, no, no, he didn’t want this! HE DIDN’T WANT TO GO!

But…

He remembered who he was returning to. Aegis, Trixie, Spike, his own Luna and Celestia, and…

Twilight.

With one last sigh, Nova Shine raised himself tall and smiled. He was leaving a period he had grown to love, and ponies he had grown close to. And it would hurt to see them go. But he was returning to where and when he belonged, and to the mare who was waiting for him.

Finally, with a flash of blue light, the magic was triggered, and his last thoughts were of Twilight Sparkle.

The next thing Nova knew, he was suddenly yanked forward, falling into a heap on the cold stone floor with a groan. His knees stung slightly, having been skinned by the momentum, and he got to his hooves slowly.

If he was pulled out of stasis like this, then that meant he’d overshot it, and Celestia or Luna would have had to come retrieve him. Still, better to have overshot it than undershot it.

“Could have pulled me out more gently,” he grumbled, noting dimly how dark it was. He’d figured there at least would have been some daylight that had filtered all the way down from up above, but he figured he’d get his fill of daylight soon enough. It was probably just that late in the day, so his rescuer had come to check when he hadn’t shown up.

As he looked up to see Princess Celestia there ready to greet him, he froze.

Her mane was pink. She was taller, but not as tall as he knew she would become, and her mane had not yet taken on the ethereal, free-flowing quality and multihued shades it would in his own time.

He hadn’t gone all the way forward.

“You…” he stared at her, before snarling. “You pulled me out early! Dammit, Celestia, I specifically told you not to pull me out until the date I gave you!”

Princess Celestia winced under the sharpness of his tone, and Nova was startled to see tears at the corners of her eyes. A sinking feeling began to spread in his stomach. No… no, don’t tell me…

“How long has it been?” he asked, reaching out and grasping her shoulder.

“Two… two-hundred fifty-three years,” she said softly.

“Where’s Luna?” he asked, already knowing the answer, the one answer he feared most.

Celestia shook her head, giving him a desperate look.

The sinking feeling turned into an icy stab of dread. There was only one reason she would have pulled him out so early on this day of all days. The earlier lack of lighting now seemed even more ominous as he realized why the darkness pervaded everywhere.

It was the night of Nightfall.

Author's Note

And that's that! The rewrite proper is complete. Eight-plus years of work, and it's all done.

All that's left to do is a couple of bonus updates that were voted on earlier, but they're gonna be smaller. No grand big chapters or anything, just a redone finale fight and a bonus few scenes in a new chapter (plus some rearranged other scenes). I'll have those finished when I can, and then all my work on Apprentice will finally be at an end.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Nightfall

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 18 - Nightfall

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“So it wasn’t just her jealousy, coupled with the nightmares,” said Nova as he hurried through the castle’s halls toward the original meeting room, which had remained in the same place the last couple hundred years, despite everything else moving once or twice.

“Envy got to her,” explained Celestia. “It started with her taking control of one of Luna’s guards, one that she trusted dearly. By controlling him, Envy managed to inflame her against me with the old arguments. I’m sure you remember how insecure she was about her night back then, right?” Nova nodded. “Well, she brought it all back, and much worse than before.”

They passed many ponies, either civilians fleeing or guardsponies making their way to their assigned stations, but everyone was in full panic mode. According to Celestia, it was noon, and yet the full moon was high in the sky.

“When she brought it all back, the nightmare spirits on the moon started to sway her again, and in the end, they managed to take over. She’s calling herself Nightmare Moon now, and it appears my sister is gone, replaced by the nightmares in control.”

“They probably have her consciousness trapped inside her own mind,” said Nova as he sidestepped a frantic dark blue unicorn stallion running toward the infirmary. “If she were free to roam, she could add her power to yours and easily take her body back. But now, she’s completely isolated in her mind, and she needs to be freed.”

And she will be, but not for another thousand years.

“Why is everypony fleeing?” Nova wondered. One would think this an obvious question, but everypony had to know that Celestia was easily the most powerful being in Equestria. Surely they would know that they would be safe under her protection.

“I ordered all civilians to evacuate,” she said. “All military ponies will guard their exit, and then guard their migration to Canterlot or beyond. Oh, and in case you weren’t aware, Unicornia goes by--”

“Canterlot now, yes, I was raised there in my time.”

“I didn’t know if you knew that or not,” she responded, “but that’s beside the point. Cloudsdale, which was Pegasopolis, Neighton, which was Ponyville, and Everfree are all being evacuated, and possibly even Canterlot too. They’re all too close to Everfree for what has to happen.”

“You’re going to fight your own sister?” he asked, to which she nodded gravely.

“It has to be done. I will try to free her, but there will be collateral damage. Star Swirl’s Laws of Celestial Bodies dictate that when two titanic forces collide, there will be damage of such a nature. This holds true for even metaphorical titanic forces.”

They arrived in the meeting room, where several ponies were situated around a table with a map of the Everfree Forest spread across it, as well as several small pieces scattered around its boundaries.

“--evacuation is proceeding ahead of schedule, so to speak,” said a gruff grey pegasus stallion wearing very ornate armor. “Ponies are fleeing in all directions, and to be honest, I think the ones heading north have the right idea. The further south the others flee, the more likely they are to run into Queen Chrysalis’ hive, and ever since her father was slain in combat decades ago, she’s harbored anti-Equestrian sentiment.”

One of the other ponies, a unicorn mare, stood to make a counterpoint.

“But General Fury, most of those going north are heading directly for Neighton or northeast to Canterlot! It’s only a matter of time before we have to evacuate those cities as well--”

“You’ll forgive me for interrupting,” said Celestia, striding in briskly after listening for a few moments, “but the order has been given to evacuate Neighton and Cloudsdale. The ponies fleeing are now on their way to Brayton, Canterlot, or beyond.”

“Excuse me, Princess, but who is this?” asked the general pony, gesturing at Nova. “This is a private military meeting, and all civilians were to be evacuated.”

“This is Nova Shine, one of the most powerful unicorns I have ever had the privilege of meeting.. I told you about a source of help only to be used in extreme circumstances, and he is it.”

“This little runt is it?” asked the general, looking indignant. “Princess, if you had wanted a capable unicorn, why did you not request Comet? or Sunbeam? Or for that matter, Prime Magus Star Dancer or Night Master Sanguine?”

“Oy, I’ll have you know I am no runt,” growled Nova.

“General, I can vouch for his competence in magic,” said Celestia calmly, despite Nova’s consternation. “He has singlehoofedly cast Star Swirl’s Time Stasis spell, a feat long indicative of mastery. If anypony can help us, he can. I tasked the Night Master and the Prime Magus with aiding the military in defending the refugees and returning at once to my side. As for Sunbeam, she was wounded shortly after Nightmare Moon appeared, and Comet is currently tending to her.”

“Tch,” responded the general. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one, in this case. He should be helping us. He can worry about his marefriend later.”

“General,” responded one of the other military ponies in the room, “your daughter is out there. Would you not drop everything and rush to her aid if she were injured?”

The general had no retort. He glared at the one who made the outburst, but snarled and returned to studying the map on the table before them.

“What are your orders, princess?” asked the pony that had silenced the general. “What can we do? Nightmare Moon is unaccounted for, and her companion is also missing.”

“Wait,” said Nova. “Her companion?”

“Yes,” said the same pony. “She’s been operating with a green pony with a maroon mane and red eyes--”

“Princess Celestia, there’s something I left in Neighton that I need to get,” said Nova, before the pony could finish.

The Princess scrutinized him for a moment, but nodded and motioned with a hoof to go and get whatever it was. Without waiting for anypony else’s approval, he was off, running through the crowds of ponies yet again. He twisted and contorted to get around ponies, as time was of the essence, but the crowds were just so massive it was nearly impossible.

He made it outside to see that it was black as midnight outside, and the full moon shone high above him. He stared at it for a moment, but he was soon off and galloping on the path to Neighton.

Neighton was closer to the city limits of Everfree than he thought. This probably had to do with the ever-expanding borders of the cities, but even so, it took him several minutes of galloping to get there. Unlike when he had galloped down Canterlot Mountain in the past, he was now in shape, having made good on his promise to himself to go for a run every day. Now he was fit enough to gallop to the town in one go.

He slowed to a canter when he made it to the city, but the guards barred his way in. They looked scared, and Nova couldn’t blame them. A veritable deity was rampaging; what chance did they stand?

“By order of the Princess,” shouted one guard at him, “you are to evacuate this town and head for Canterlot or beyond, citizen! Now get going before that demon in the sky shows up!”

“It’s okay! Princess Celestia gave me permission to get an item from one of the buildings!”

“We have clear orders from the Princess herself that nopony is to enter the city! It’s far too dangerous!”

“I am Night Apprentice,” he said, his cloak appearing around him. He flashed the brooch to the guards, who both looked at each other for a moment before going back to him.

“We apologize, Night Apprentice Comet. We still cannot allow you past this point. Orders from Princess Celestia herself.”

“If you won’t let me by, I’ll fight you to get past. There’s something I need in here.”

One of them sighed heavily and gestured with a white wing into the city.

“Well, if you say so. It’s your funeral!”

“But our orders--” the second attempted protest, but the first cut him off.

“If he’s so intent on doing this, let him. Princess Celestia might be having him do something important.”

“But what could be so important about this backwater town?”

Nova smirked.

Oh, if only you knew...

They let him through, and he galloped to the Clock Tower as quickly as his hooves could carry him. Once there, he ascended the steps two at a time until he was behind the north glass face of the clock itself, where he climbed up to the XII position and opened his secret little compartment with his magic.

“Oh good, you’re all still here,” he muttered with a small smile, pulling out the small round amulet necklace he had crafted and putting it on, before shutting the compartment without removing any of his other items. Those would be for when he got back to his own time, should he arrive too early and need some money to live off of.

He galloped back to Everfree (much to the protestation of the guards of both cities) and got all the way back to the castle as quickly as he could. In contrast to when he had left, the castle was now almost empty. Only Princess Celestia was to be found, and she was waiting in the meeting room for him.

“Is that what you were going to get?” she asked, indicating his amulet.

“Yeah,” he said. “If it works like it should, it’ll force Envy to remain in her solid form long enough for me to get her trapped in a Soul Jar.”

“Why not use the opportunity to kill--”

“She has to survive, Princess,” said Nova. “She’s still around in my time, and so she has to survive. Believe me, I want her gone as much as you do-- possibly more so!-- but I have no choice but to stick her back into the Soul Jar.”

“What’s stopping you?” she asked, glaring at him angrily. “She’s a menace to Equestria! She’s been attempting murder for over two hundred fifty years now, and tonight, she finally succeeded!”

“She... what?”

Celestia’s head slowly bowed.

“Follow me, Nova,” she said in a small voice that haunted Nova to the core. He had never heard her sound like that before, and he was dreading what she was about to show him.

She led him into the infirmary they had passed earlier. In contrast to earlier, when there had been more than a few ponies inside, now there were only two. Both unicorns, one navy blue-coated, lighter-blue maned stallion which Nova recognized as one of the unicorns that had rushed past him earlier, and the other, a white-bodied, golden-maned mare. The stallion was lying over the mare, sobbing loudly, while the mare was lying on a medical table, eyes open and empty, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She was dead.

“She was my Faithful Student,” Celestia explained, and Nova heard the same shaking in her voice he had heard before Envy was cursed, “Sunbeam was a brilliant unicorn. Not as powerful as you or Clover, but very clever with her spell ideas. She was critically wounded by Envy when she first appeared with Nightmare Moon, and minutes ago, she finally--”

She bit off the end of her sentence. She cast Nova a hard gaze, one that caused him to bristle slightly.

“You’re making it sound like it’s my fault she died! What are you trying to say?” Nova asked.

“I’m trying to say, Nova Shine, that Sunbeam wouldn’t have died if you had told me Luna was going to become Nightmare Moon!”

The accusation pierced him like a knife, but he already had his retort.

“Princess, like I said, I couldn’t! King Metamorphosis and Lord Star Swirl were right about this! You can’t know about the future! Such knowledge would put you into a position to where you could influence the event in question--!”

“I COULD HAVE SAVED HER LIFE!” Celestia screamed at him, bringing out the Royal Canterlot Voice in her anger, and Nova’s jaw dropped. She never dropped her mask, even in the most dire of circumstances. What’s more, Nova saw small beads of liquid start to appear in the corners of her eyes. “IF YOU CARED ABOUT EQUESTRIA, NOVA SHINE, YOU WOULD HAVE STOPPED AND THOUGHT ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD!”

“Greater good!? GREATER GOOD!? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT GREATER GOOD, CELESTIA!?”

Celestia faltered. Her anger was replaced by a spark of fear, and she instinctively took a step back. Nova himself was mildly taken aback that his own anger had subconsciously caused his magic to augment his voice to be even louder than her’s. If Nova had paid more attention, he would have noticed small blue sparks being emitted from his horn, and that too was causing Celestia to step back.

“IF TIME WERE ALTERED, IF HISTORY WERE CHANGED, I WOULD CEASE TO EXIST! EVERYTHING I DID IN THE PAST WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED!”

“But then Envy wouldn’t have been created--”

“NO, SHE WOULD NOT HAVE, BUT LORD SILVERBLOOD WOULD HAVE SPARKED A WAR BETWEEN PONYKIND AND THE CHANGELINGS, AND THEN KING SOMBRA WOULD HAVE CONQUERED BOTH AFTER THE CONFLICT! YOUR SISTER WOULD NOT HAVE GONE BAD, AND SUNBEAM MAY STILL BE ALIVE, BUT EQUESTRIA!!! WOULDN’T!!! EXIST!!!”

“HEY!”

A third voice had rung, and Nova immediately looked over to where the erstwhile-mourning unicorn had been, to see that he was snarling at Nova while his horn glimmered with dark-blue magic. Nova saw on his cutie mark a shooting star and instinctively summoned up his own magic to combat this unknown unicorn.

“How dare you speak to the Princess like that!?” he thundered, advancing on Nova, who stood his ground, even as the nameless pony grew closer.

Nova chose not to respond. He could sense that the unicorn was pretty powerful. Certainly not as powerful as he was, but around the level Captain Steelshod had been during that duel the night before he had left. He had no fears about what this unicorn might throw at him, but he took no chances and kept himself ready to strike.

“Comet, that’s enough,” said Princess Celestia in a small voice. “I called on him to help me with this crisis, and I’d rather not see another pony die today.”

“Like he could harm me,” Nova scoffed.

“I wasn’t talking about you, Nova. I was talking about Comet.”

Comet scowled at Princess Celestia while Nova looked askance at her.

“Really, you ought to know me better, Princess,” said Nova. “I wouldn’t kill him. It wouldn’t be worth the effort.”

“What makes you think you’re that powerful? You look pretty--”

But how he looked Nova never found out. Comet was surrounded in a blue aura and hoisted up off the ground, much to his anger. Nova, however, calmly silenced his continued shouts with a simple clamp of the muzzle, and attempted to continue his conversation with Celestia.

“If this is what Night Apprentices are these days, I’m very disappointed,” he said dryly.

“Put him down, Nova,” said Princess Celestia, annoyed. “You’d best be saving your energy for the actual threats.”

“Fine,” sighed Nova, and he put Comet down. Comet immediately attempted to go at him, but a wall of golden magic separated them.

“That’s enough, both of you!” Princess Celestia shouted, trapping them both in cubes of golden magic grown from the wall. “You’re both angry at each other, and I would ask that you direct your anger at Envy!”

They both stopped shouting at each other, glared at each other for a moment, and then turned to face her.

“Can I ask who he is?” asked Comet in a voice full of forced and resentful calmness.

Celestia gave an inquisitive look at Nova, who shrugged. It didn’t matter if he knew or not. There wasn’t much that would affect anypony at this moment anyways, what with Nightmare Moon on the loose.

“Comet, this is Nova Shine.”

“Alright, and why is he named after the old spellcaster?” Comet asked.

“No, you misunderstand Comet. This is Nova Shine. The first Night Apprentice.”

Comet’s eyebrow perked, and he turned to inspect Nova.

“Really? The first Night Apprentice? You? One would think you would be older, with the two hundred fifty years, and whatnot.”

Nova snorted.

“I’m from the future, mate, not the past.”

Comet’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks and his jaw dropped, but before he could comment, Nova was continuing.

“Yeah, so I came back in time because destiny told me to, and then I was like ‘I wonder who Envy is,’ so I stuck around to find out. Now I’m trying to get back to my own time, but Princess Celestia brought me out because of Nightmare Moon.”

“So you’re... you’re...” Comet tried to say, but he couldn’t get anything out.

“I’m... what?”

“You’re Clover the Clever’s son?”

Nova blinked.

“Sorry, repeat that one more time. I’m Clover’s what now?”

“Her son. Are you not the son of Clover the Clever and General Steelshod?”

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than Nova had broken into a great grin.

So they did get married after all. Fancy that. And they named their foal after... wait.

It made sense now! They didn’t know who Clover’s son was in the future but they knew he was named Nova Shine, the name Nova Shine vanished for a few years and then showed up again, everything fell into place! Loose ends he thought would remain loose ends turned out to be all a part of history after all.

So it turned out Nova was not the same pony as Nova Shine I. Or would he be Nova Shine II?

Heh, I’m named after a stallion who’s named after me, he thought with some amusement. Looks like I did manage to create a stable time loop, after all.

“I’m going to go ahead and guess you’re not him, based on that look on your face” remarked Comet.

“Nope, I’m not,” agreed Nova. “He’s named after me, see?”

Now it was Comet’s turn to blink, but he shook his head immediately after.

“No, that can’t be right. You’re Nova Shine. You and Star Swirl made up all the spells we still use today. You have to be her son.”

Nova laughed. It wasn’t one of humor, but nor was it of sadness. It simply was.

“No, I’m not the same one. Perhaps I should explain the whole story. I went back in time because destiny said I was going to. Along the way, I fell in love with Clover, despite the fact that we’re from different times.”

“You know,” said Celestia casually, “I think he’s taking all of this rather well. When I showed your namesake, well, you, he had a sort of reclusion. He literally spent all day in his little house, your house might I add, and refused to talk to anypony. Not even to Lucia Lulamoon, his marefriend and later, his wife.”

Wait...

“But, hang on, aren’t the Lulamoons and Novuses separate families?”

“They are separate,” concurred Comet, whose animosity seemed to have been outshone by his shock and fascination with Nova. “The Lulamoon name has been passed down through the male line mostly, with a few exceptions. Same for the Novuses, actually. It’s actually common betting faire on whether or not the stallions in one family marry the mares in the other, and vice versa. Why? Is it not like that in your time?”

“I...” Nova started, but he trailed off. It did have a pretty huge impact on Celestia’s future. “I can’t say. Sorry. Future stuff that could affect Princess Celestia.”

The mood in the room sobered instantly. The reason they had been yelling at each other and the body of the unicorn on the table all returned to their minds.

“Comet,” said Nova, “if I may ask, what happened?”

Comet sighed heavily, and the tears started falling before he even started to speak. Celestia gave him a pitying look and gestured for Nova to follow her.

“Comet, don’t answer,” she said gently. “I’ll tell him. Nova, if you’ll come with me.”

She led him back to the Throne Room, where she sat on her golden seat with him before her. Before, she had lounged upon it, a sign of the peace that Equestria was in, but now, she sat on its edge, prepared to go to battle, for she knew it would happen soon.

“The second iteration of Night Apprentice and Faithful Student allowed us to implement a few changes,” she explained. “One of them was that, before they would graduate from their studies, they would study under the other princess for a brief spell, just to make sure they were ready to take their new titles. Sunbeam was with Luna last night, about a month into her last bit of training. We don’t know what happened inside, ‘we’ being Comet and I, but Comet said he saw Nightmare Moon burst from the Throne Room and announce that an era of eternal night had arrived.”

She sniffled, which only intensified Nova’s pity. Celestia and Luna were immortal beings, and Celestia was now forced to do battle against the one pony she could count on to keep her company through the long years. And her sister, no less. It couldn’t be an easy experience.

“Comet told me that all he saw was that Envy was carrying a bloodstained knife, and that there was a stab wound in Sunbeam’s back.”

Something finally clicked in Nova’s mind. He had heard the name Sunbeam before, but he didn’t know where, and during the silences that ensued every so often in the last few minutes, he had been trying to figure out why the name was familiar. And now he had it figured out.

“Princess Celestia, what is Comet’s family’s name?” he asked.

“Well, he’s the youngest member of the Novus clan--”

“No way!”

Unlike normal reactions when something amazing happens, Nova was horrified. Comet and Sunbeam were his ancestors! And one of them was dead before she had given birth to a descendent.

“She’s...” Nova said, but he trailed off as he realized the implications. Out of reflex, he looked towards his hooves, wondering if he would simply vanish at any minute.

“Nova, what’s wrong?”

“Envy’s killed one of my ancestors! She’s gone and altered the course of history!”

Celestia’s brow furrowed.

“What do you mean, ‘altered the course of history?’”

“Look, Princess,” explained Nova in a resigned sort of voice, “the Night Apprentice, Comet, he’s my ancestor. You probably already know that. but according to my family tree, if I remember correctly, Comet and Sunbeam will have one of my great-great-to the nth degree-grandfathers. They’re still young, and they’re not married yet, so they can’t have! With Sunbeam dead, I shouldn’t exist right now!”

Celestia shook her head ruefully.

“I’ll have to take your word for it, Nova. As good a friend as I was to Star Swirl, I never understood most his talk of time. However, regardless of how the future has been altered, what matters now is now, with Envy and Nightmare Moon on the loose.”

Nova opened his mouth to say something, but he paused. Something was wrong. Something felt off about the area they were in.

“What?” asked Princess Celestia.

Then he felt it.

“MOVE!”

She didn’t need telling twice. She launched herself in his direction just as a brilliant beam of blue energy vaporized the area she had been sitting at just moments ago. The loose bricks of the roof crumbled into the crater, which gave Nova a better view of what was outside.

A black alicorn mare, wearing blue battle armor, with an ethereal blue mane and tail and icy-blue eyes was flying above them and sneering down at where they recovered from the blast. Next to her floated a shadow with bright red eyes that stared malevolently down at them as well.

“Envy!” shouted Nova.

“Luna!” shouted Princess Celestia.

“Hello, sister,” said Nightmare Moon in a cold, murderous voice as she floated down to land in the smoking crater of charred earth, followed by Envy, who shifted into her physical form next to her.

A quarter of a century had done nothing to change Summer Blossom. She was still wearing the glimmering ruby necklace she had worn at the time of her cursing, her mane and coat were still exactly the same, and really, the only difference seemed to be that instead of staring at Nova with some affection, she was glaring at him with a look of confusion.

“We have been waiting for you to bring the fight to us,” said Nightmare Moon with an evil grin, “but you seemed content to let your subjects flee, while you hid away in the castle. I wouldn’t dream of harming my subjects, so I let them go. Now, however, it is just you and this pathetic--”

She locked eyes with Nova, but Nova saw no sign of recognition. The nightmares must have taken full control and warped her memories. They had probably made her forget that he had been the stallion to have comforted her about ponies not enjoying the night.

“--colt. Pfeh, he is just a child, Celestia, and you brought him with you to fight? How disappointing. Maybe I’ll make him the royal consort when I have taken the throne. He is quite a handsome stallion--”

A raw-throated yell sounded behind Nova. He and Celestia turned to look just in time to see Comet launch himself at Envy, who merely reverted back to shadow and floated just out of his reach.

“I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!” he screamed up at Envy, who cackled from her vantage point.

“Really now, you’re going to make me pay?” she sang at him. “How can you do that when you can’t even reach me up here, much less harm me?”

Nova ran to stand next to Comet, and at once, the power of Nova’s amulet forced Envy’s skin to recondense, and she fell to the ground, where Comet immediately started pummeling her. Before Comet could get anything more than a couple of punches in, however, a blast from Nightmare Moon launched both of them back by Celestia.

“Princess Celestia, engage your sister and hold her off until we can reseal Envy,” muttered Nova to Celestia as he got to his hooves. “Comet, I assume you want revenge?”

“Hell yeah, I do,” said Comet, glaring with hate at the green mare.

“Right, but know that you can’t kill her. All we can do is stick her back in a Soul Jar, because that’s how she is in my time.”

“I’ll take what satisfaction I can get,” Comet growled.

At this, Celestia shot forward, and she and Nightmare Moon were engulfed in a brilliant golden light. When it vanished, so did they, leaving Envy at the mercy of Nova and Comet. Before either of them could do much, however, she was already off, galloping past them and out of the castle.

They gave chase, but Envy stopped once she made it to the courtyard of the wrecked castle. Up in the sky, a great blast of light issued from two tiny specks silhouetted against the moon. Nova couldn’t help but be awed by the display of power from those two.

“Well, now we’re playing in a field more to my advantage,” said Envy, and she was grinning eagerly at both of them. “Good luck, you two. You’re gonna need it.”

Comet and Nova struck at the same time. A blue beam and a slightly darker blue beam both shot at her. She attempted to transform, but just as Nova had experimented, it didn’t work because she was still within that ring of space that prevented any kind of transformation. As a result, she got blasted backwards onto the drawbridge. Before she could get to her hooves, Nova and Comet were already bearing down on her.

She sent a blast of crackling red magic at Comet, who sidestepped and continued galloping, and sent a small spark of magic to trip Nova. Nova stumbled, but the distractions were all she needed to get back to her hooves. With them both off balance, she turned around and continued galloping into the city.

She was not an easy opponent. She shot spells back at them if they got too close, forcing Comet at least to keep his distance. Nova, however, could sense them coming and dodge them, but his foresight wasn’t perfect. Twice he got caught when Envy correctly predicted the direction he was going to dodge.

After a couple of minutes of this chase, they were exiting the city limits in the direction of Neighton, where trees had been leveled to clear for future construction. Logs were lying around and stumps were everywhere, with some having been pulled up.

Envy’s magic sparked, and she leapt upon a hovering red platform of energy, which rose into the air, where she started raining spell after spell on them. Nova used his cloak to block some, or he just dodged. Comet had to shield himself with magic, but his spell was rather weak. After four hits, it shattered, prompting Nova to conjure a much stronger one around him.

“I can’t get a good enough aim at her from down here,” said Nova. “Not with all these spells coming at us.”

“What do you want me to do about it?” Comet responded.

Nova’s eyes fell on a pile of logs.

“How many objects can you levitate at once?” he asked, already thinking of an idea.

“Depending on size, around eight. Why? What do you need me to levitate?”

“How many of those logs can you levitate at once?”

Comet considered it for a moment while Nova’s spell and cloak continued to block incoming magic.

“At most eight, most likely just seven.”

“Good,” said Nova. “I need you to pick up seven logs and give me a pathway to Envy with them.”

Comet scrutinized the logs for a moment, thinking of some way he could do this, and after a moment, his eyes lit up.

“I have an idea. You’ll see what I’ve got in a moment. When you start running, keep going and I’ll give you a path forward.”

“Got it,” said Nova. He probably had thought of the same thing.

Another spell hit the cloak and dissipated. Nova was very thankful that magic didn’t work on it very well. If he kept taking shots like this, though, he’d have to repair the spellshield put into it.

“Ready?” asked Comet, his horn already flaring.

“Go!” shouted Nova, dropping the shield around Comet and dashing in front of him to cover him until he could get everything in place.

Seven large logs were pulled over and arranged themselves into a makeshift staircase, which Nova immediately dashed up, firing a spell at Envy to draw her fire off. He started to gallop up the logs, while five orbs of blue magic appeared around him and started to orbit him, as they had at his duel with Steelshod. As he neared the end of the staircase, another log flew from behind him and set itself on the end, creating another step. Nova looked back to see that the bottom log had been moved to create the extra step for him.

Clever idea, he thought.

Without another thought, he galloped forward. Without fail, as he continued forward, the logs behind him fell out, flew forward, and positioned themselves for him to run over it. Nova continued shooting spells at Envy to keep her from firing at Comet, and it was working. Comet continued to take him closer and closer, until finally, Nova was within striking distance.

Nova tripped her with a spell, sending her falling off her platform, just as she launched a spell at him, which hit him and blasted him off the logs. He didn’t fall far, though his impact with a strump still hurt.

He jumped to his hooves and sprinted at Envy, just as she got up. Comet was coming in from Nova’s right as Nova approached her at a breakneck pace.

Envy fired a powerful beam of red energy at him. He responded with a blue beam of his own, and his was joined by a darker blue beam. All three met in midair with a bright flash, and the contest of magical strength began.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Celestia and Nightmare Moon appeared in the sky, following Celestia’s teleportation. Before Nightmare Moon could do more than look wildly around at her surroundings, Celestia was on the offensive, firing beams at her as fast as she could.

Nightmare Moon flew back over the inky forest below, putting distance between her and Celestia in order to buy herself some time to react and to catch her bearings. Below, a greenish speck was running out of where the ruined castle was located, followed closely by a white speck and a darker little smudge that were giving chase.

Nightmare Moon looked up in time to see a golden beam fly right at her, and she responded with a beam of her own. Where the beams made contact, a great light shone in the sky, all the power of their magic being blasted collaterally.

“You are powerful, dear sister,” taunted Nightmare Moon, “but you must know Luna was much more powerful at magic than you ever were. Now I’m in control of her magic, and more!”

“Do you want to know something, Nightmare Moon?” asked Princess Celestia calmly. “About that colt you saw, the one with the white coat. When I first met him, he wasn’t terribly powerful either. Despite that, he was able to use his cleverness and what power he did have to outsmart and defeat more powerful opponents. It’s not how much power you have, Nightmare Moon. It’s how smart you are with what power you have.”

Nightmare Moon guffawed derisively.

“When one has absolute power,” she roared, punctuating her statement with a great burst of magic, which Celestia dodged, “you can be as smart as Star Swirl the Bearded and as clever as a cat, and you would never be able to lay a hoof upon me!”

A pencil-thin beam of golden energy shot at Nightmare Moon as fast as lightning and sliced her cheek, causing Nightmare Moon to yelp and clap a forehoof to her face. Celestia smiled teasingly at her fallen younger sister.

“Oh Nightmare Moon, you may have a new face and you may be in control, but deep down, you are still vulnerable to the same tricks that Lu-Lu is.”

Nightmare Moon snarled at her.

“You’ll pay for that!” she hissed, before blasting bolts of energy at Celestia. Celestia wormed her way through the gaps in the bolts, remembering how Nova had done the same when battling Captain Steelshod at the Castle Completion Celebration all those years ago. The spells were even identical; Luna must have been paying close attention to the captain’s spell.

Which fits, given her position as the bearer of the Element of Magic.

However, Nightmare Moon was smarter than Celestia originally gave her credit for. Just after she had wormed her way around the first barrage, the bolts all suddenly detonated, exploding and knocking her around from the magnitude of the explosions.

Celestia managed to avoid expending too much energy shielding herself, but even so, those explosions took a toll. She was disoriented and was looking around wildly, hoping to catch sight of her corrupted sister.

Suddenly, a thin line of pain shot through her cheek. She winced and almost fell out of the sky in her shock, but she managed to right herself. A small amount of blood trickled down from her hoof, but it was negligible. She located Nightmare Moon again, flying above her and looking quite smug about the payback.

“Dear sister, I have been told by my friend that revenge is a dish best served cold,” she mused. “And I must say, I think it’s quite cold on the moon.”

A conical blast of blue magic shot from Nightmare Moon’s horn that Celestia only just dodged. She grimaced. As much as she didn’t want to, it seemed Nightmare Moon was going to force her to do harm to her sister, directly or not.

Well, there’s no putting it off, she thought miserably. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.

With that in mind, the Princess tapped into magic deep within her, magic Star Swirl had taught her about. Magic that would empower her beyond anything any possessor could hope to match.

Pure Sun magic.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Envy grinned at them, her face glowing red from her magic.

Comet snarled at her, his face glowing a dark blue.

Nova was also staring at Envy, but with a blank sort of sadness, which the bright blue illuminating his face helped to emphasize.

Nova’s and Comet’s beams together were able to slowly push Envy’s back, little by little, but Nova had the distinct impression she wasn’t putting too much work in it.

The moment he realized this, it was far too late.

Envy ducked under their beams, fired a beam right at Comet which caught him in the chest and blasted him into a tree, where he fell and didn’t move, and then bucked Nova with her hind legs, sending him flying and spinning when his flanks clipped a stump.

The lights in the sky spun nauseatingly and then suddenly, with a massive pain in his head, they ceased.

He was pulled up with magic and held still for several moments, during which he attempted to clear his head, but he failed. He heard hooves clopping, and he sensed Envy’s energy circling him slowly, but he couldn’t do anything about it in his current state.

“It’s you,” she exclaimed suddenly, excitedly. “It’s actually you! I thought you were just that stick in the mud Star Dancer like last time, but no, it’s really you!”

She gave a giddy laugh and dropped him to the ground, where he slumped and groaned as his head ignited and his gut stung. Instantly, she was at his side, easing him against a stump, despite his clumsy swings at her.

She sat opposite him as he tried to move away from his current positioning, but it hurt too much and she watched him, not bothering to hide the broad smile on her face as she looked him over. Her red magic flickered back to its old brown for a moment as an aura covered his chest. Nova, despite the fact that his own enemy was casting magic on him, couldn’t help but feel grateful for her healing.

When her brown aura vanished, he sighed and relaxed against the stump.

“Thanks,” he grunted.

She giggled.

“It’s just like the old days,” she said, walking over and sitting next to him on the stump. “Back before... that night. Back when all we would do is sit in that little grove, forget about everything and just talk.”

“Yeah,” he said dully, glancing over at Comet, who was feebly stirring. “It’s exactly like those times. Minus the whole ‘you being a murderer’ thing.’ And there’s you being a living shadow, and the fact that you tried to kill--”

She hissed angrily at him, her horn sparkling red for a moment. As much as Nova wanted to antagonize her and get her to stop fussing over him, despite being mortal enemies (But does she know that yet?), he couldn’t move yet. He needed to delay long enough for his inner ear to fix enough to the point where he could stand without falling flat on his side. And considering he could barely sit up without that happening, it was going to be a few moments.

“You know,” he said conversationally, “I don’t understand you, Summer.”

“My name is Envy, now,” she said with a hint of an annoyed growl. “And what do you mean you don’t understand me?”

Nova scoffed.

“I just don’t get you,” he said. “You have attempted to kill ponies just because they occupy what was Clover’s position? Seriously? And what for? To get some kind of revenge for Clover’s goodbye to me?”

She said nothing, which only made him shake his head in derision.

“So you have done all of this, all of the attempted murder, all of the cloak-and-dagger, just because she beat you? Is that it?” How petty,” Nova spat. “No, I restate. How pathetic. Have you not heard the phrase ‘All’s fair in love and war?’”

She hissed again, and he was lifted up and brought to hover in front of her. She was standing again, and she looked none too pleased with how he was talking to her.

“So I was wrong that you weren’t actually leaving. But she still used the Seduction Scent. She told me she had learned it, and the only explanation that made sense as to why she would have gone through the trouble was--”

“Was to counter Shimmer, just as I had done,” interrupted Nova. “She had a nasty habit of interrupting our sparring sessions, and once she almost did catch me, but Clover was smart enough to figure out the magical filter I kept on my muzzle.”

“Of course you would say that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Clearly you’re still affected. By the look of things, you left shortly after the Elements did this to me, so it would still affect you. Just wait, Nova. In a few days, you’ll be back to your normal self, and you’ll see exactly what Clover’s gone and caused.”

“Oh Summer,” responded Nova, shaking his head sadly, “do you really think the Princesses would have let her use Seduction Scent on me? Princess Luna would have keyed in on it a mile away and undone it. And anyway, even if I were under its effects, how exactly does that justify murder?”

She snarled.

“When you want to destroy an infestation of parasites and insects, you have to kill their descendents too. She was nothing but a harlot and a witch, and both she and her spawn deserve nothing but death.”

Nova scoffed again.

“Well, if both she and her descendents all deserve to die, then go ahead. Take your best shot.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and furrowed her brow confusedly.

“What are you talking about?”

“You say you want to kill all of Clover’s descendents? Well I’m right here. Fire away.”

“How can you be one of Clover’s descendents?” she asked, sounding somewhat bemused by this. “You were around when she... when... she...”

She trailed off as her eyes bulged, and she dropped him onto the ground below. He tasted blood for a moment, probably the remnants of his damaged insides, before spitting it out and looking back up at her.

“Th-that crater! In Unicornia!” she exclaimed. Nova sat up and nodded.

“Keep going,” he added encouragingly.

“You, traveling forward in time-- you’re from the future!”

“Bingo!” he said, clapping his hooves. “You got it, and now you have to decide if you want to either kill all of Clover’s descendents, including me, or if you want to let me live out of some twisted showing of affection, and know that some part of Clover still survives in this world.”

It was then that Nova noticed that he didn’t seem to be falling over. His inner ear must have started working again, which meant...

“But before you make a decision, I have something more important to attend to.”

Before she could react, his beam of energy hit her in the chest and blasted her back while he scrambled over to where Comet was lying on the ground. Nova lifted his head up to meet his eyes and noticed that on of his pupils was substantially larger than the other.

“Oh damn, you’ve been concussed,” he muttered. Comet blinked stupidly and shook his head vigorously, no doubt attempting to return to clarity.

“No use, bud,” said Nova, reaching up a hoof and steadying his head. “You took a heavy knock to the noggin. You’re not much of a help in this state, so I’m gonna get you out of here. Wait for Princess Celestia to come and get you, alright? And whatever you do, do not fall asleep.”

"Why not?" asked Comet, head lolling.

"I keep hearing one way or the other about concussions and whether or not you should sleep, but you're dizzy, which means definitely stay awake until Princess Celestia can help."

Comet’s eyes slid into focus and then out again, but he gave a feeble nod. Nova’s horn shimmered, and with a flash of blue light, Comet had vanished, teleported into the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters’ infirmary to wait on the Princess to finish her business in the sky.

A sudden burst of energy caught Nova’s attention, and he leapt to the right just as red lightning incinerated the tree Comet had collided with. He whirled around in time to see Envy standing there, her horn glowing red and fury etched on every line in her face.

“I take it you’ve made your choice?” he asked placidly.

“I have,” she said through clenched teeth. “I can see she’s done her job well. Looks like I’ve got no choice.”

Nova grinned as he felt his adrenaline start to rush through him.

“Well alrighty then,” he said, tilting his head both ways sharply to crack his neck, ”since you don’t seem to be holding back, I guess this means I don’t have to either.”

"For the record," Envy said, grinning at him as her horn's aura lit up, "I'm sorry it has to end this way, old friend."

"No you're not," Nova replied meeting her gaze with a pitying look of his own as his own horn began to glow.

For a few short seconds they just stared at each other, faces glowing the light of their magic.

You may not be, Nova thought bitterly, but I am sorry that it has to be this way, Summer.

As one, they both launched powerful blasts of magic at each other. Nova’s beam of energy was so strong, it reminded him of his encounter with Envy in the Vaults. Unlike that encounter, however, where his magic was raw and nothing more than energy released in all directions, here his magic was focused, powerful, and deadly.

Envy’s red magic was completely stopped and then reversed by the sheer power of his blast. He watched with satisfaction as she was lifted off her feet and completely tossed backwards into-- no, through-- a couple of trees, before skidding to a halt on the ground, leaving a trail in the dirt and grass.

Nova’s eyes widened and his eyes immediately flew up to the small white blurry object at the top of his vision. After a moment of awed admiration of his magical ability, he grinned and looked back at Envy in the dirt, who was struggling to get to her hooves. She, too, was completely awed by his display of magic, to the point where she even fell over but didn’t stop staring at him incredulously.

“Huh,” said Nova, still grinning broadly. “Never had to tap into my full magical power for the last year and six months, or so, ‘cept for Time Stasis. Well, I guess this is gonna be an interesting and one-sided battle.”

Envy clenched her eyes shut, but nothing happend. Nova figured she was trying to go into shadow form again, but she was still within the ring of power from the amulet around Nova’s neck that prevented her from transforming. When she had realized nothing had happened and saw him advancing on her, she scrambled to her hooves and started galloping into the city at top speed.

Nova smirked and pursued her. Oh, this was going to be nothing short of a full-on curb-stomp battle! He hadn’t bothered to test his limit in combat since he came back to the past. Not even against Lord Silverblood, where he only used Starfall to defeat him, and while it was taxing, it wasn’t anywhere near his full potential.

Now, however, he could cut loose and use the full extent of his power for the first time in a very long time.

He galloped after her, orbs of white light appearing around him and orbiting at a high speed, and making sure to create traps far in front of the two of them as they continued to run. Some of these were dodged, where Nova simply dissipated them and reconstituted them into his Source, while others were triggered, slowing Envy a great deal and allowing to gain ground.

Before they even reached the city limits, Nova had caught up to her. He grabbed her tail with magic and flung her sideways, almost into one of the outlying buildings, but she narrowly missed it. She was in full panic mode, now, and Nova was pressing his advantage for all it was worth. Before she was on her hooves again, he was already at her side, whipping out a Soul Jar he had stored in his Source to trap her in, but she hit it with a well-placed spell and sent it flying off into the darkness.

While he went after the jar, she got to her hooves and galloped off again. He quickly retrieved the container, stored it once again, and bolted after her, super thankful for making good on his promise to himself to run at least once a day. He could do this for hours if he needed to! Figuratively speaking, of course.

She continued trying to slow him, firing panicked spell after panicked spell behind her. He dodged nearly all of them easily, but her erratic casting was reducing many of the buildings around them to rubble, sometimes flinging large stone objects into the air for him to dodge.

He caught up with her again by where a tavern had been built in his later months in Everfree, and he launched a blast at her. It missed and struck the building, causing the wall it hit to explode inward quite violently. Nova continued to fire spell after spell, blasting buildings as he went and causing them to fall into the street from their weight. This proved to be a great advantage to him, because Envy dodging every building slowed her enough to catch up yet again.

This time, however, he was much harsher.

He focused his beam as thin as he could and shot it right at one of her legs, where it sliced her flesh impossibly easily, before burrowing several feet into the ground. She screamed in pain and reflexively threw some lightning his way, but he stayed out of its path and fired another focused beam at another leg. She managed to just drag it out of the way, however, and set to blasting the buildings in an attempt to draw his attention away.

It worked, and he had to move quickly to avoid a collapsing inn, and a store that was falling into the street as well. As the dust cleared and he extricated himself from the wrecked wood and stone, he looked around to make sure she hadn’t knocked other buildings down to follow up if the first two had failed.

When he was sure no more buildings were falling, and when he could see past the dust clouds that had sprung up with the destruction of the buildings, he looked around and noted that she had taken the opportunity to crawl off somewhere, though the blood trail made pursuit quite easy.

Nova followed the red streaks on the grass, not going quite as fast as before. He knew she was in no galloping shape, so he took his time to recover as he followed the splatters on the ground. She wasn’t going anywhere.

Well, she was. Just not very quickly.

When he found her, Envy was in pitiful condition. She was crawling along the ground as fast as she could, whimpering pathetically . Nova had hit her back left leg with his spell. While the front hooves could take quite a beating and the pony could still move somewhat easily, the back hooves were kind of necessary, as they were what most of the weight was put on.

When his shadow fell across her, she turned quickly to see who it was, and Nova saw the sheer panic on her face. She redoubled her effort and attempted to crawl even faster, but with no success. Nova was above her in seconds.

“You know,” he said, just following her as she attempted to flee, and dodging the occasional poorly-fired spell, “I have a feeling, if you were able to transform into shadow, you probably wouldn’t be hurt. You’d just go back to shadow form, and then reconstitute yourself completely whole once more.”

She fired another spell, which he effortlessly beat aside with one of his orbiting orbs.

“Now that I have you at my mercy, Summer, I suppose I should just kill you and save the future Night Apprentices and Faithful Students the trouble of doing it themselves.”

“Y-you wouldn’t.”

It was merely a contradiction. It was not of any fear, or of any spite. It was only an idle observation.

“I know you too well, N-Nova Shine,” she said, followed by a groan as she kept a hoof clamped over her wound to keep from bleeding out. “You wouldn’t d-do that. You’re not that kind of p-p-pony.”

“So you can do it all you want, but I can’t? I fail to see your logic here.”

She attempted to laugh derisively, but it sounded more like a groan of pain than anything.

“You d-didn’t kill me even though I tried to kill Clover that night,” she said, grimacing and pressing all the harder against her leg. “You let me get t-transformed into this. I may have committed murder today, and in your eyes I may deserve death, but you would never k-kill me.”

Nova stared down at her. She was right, but for the wrong reasons. He knew himself better than she did. If he knew he could stop others from suffering, he would kill her. He would hate the decision, but he would do it. But if he killed her now, everything he had said in his argument with Princess Celestia would happen. He wouldn’t have a reason in the future to go back in time, meaning Sombra would have won, completely altering Equestria itself.

The Soul Jar appeared between them in a flash of blue light.

“I was right. You can’t do it,” she spat. “Well, then I’ll just have to keep on trying then, won’t I? This won’t hold me for long, and you know it.”

“You’d be surprised,” said Nova. “This thing can keep you trapped a pretty long time. Particularly after I’ve messed with it. Not those past unicorns, with their lesser power.”

“In the long run, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to get out. And when I do, I won’t rest until all of Clover’s descendents are gone.”

Nova narrowed his eyes at her.

“I dunno. My family’s a pretty powerful bunch. Good luck with your endeavour, but I highly doubt you’ll succeed.”

Before she could retort, he had opened the Soul Jar. Rather than attempt to fight, like she had in the past, Envy let herself be dragged in. Her flesh and blood form simply disintegrated into shadow, which was sucked into the magical confines of the prison. When the last speck of shadow vanished into its depths, he sealed the jar, now glowing orange, and added several protective enchantments on it, just in case.

As he started to make his way back to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, a bright flash of golden light illuminated the sky, and Nova instinctively looked up.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nightmare Moon had been fleeing before the terrifying power of the Princess of the Sun. As powerful as she was, the moon was the lesser light. While Luna may have been the more proficient of the two in natural magic, this was not natural magic. This was pure Sun magic.

Flame after flame flew from Celestia’s horn and shot right at Nightmare Moon, who did her absolute best to dodge or extinguish them, and for the most part, she was succeeding.

“For the most part” being the key phrase.

While she had done well to dodge attacks at first, her fatigue and her complete inability to do anything more than avoid Celestia’s attacks were wearing her down. Still, every time one of Celestia’s attacks came anywhere near actually causing her harm, she resorted to using magic to negate it.

What Nightmare Moon didn’t know, however, was that Celestia was baiting her right into a trap. And sure enough before long, Nightmare Moon was directly over a clearing in the forest, where Celestia had lain binding spells earlier that evening, before Nova returned from his brief trip to Neighton.

Suddenly, a great golden light illuminated the sky, as Celestia fully thrust her entire being into the source of Sun magic. Her eyes glowed white, and her mane shone with white light as well. Instantly, Nightmare Moon’s wings burst into flame as the sky began to burn with the intensity of her sister’s element, causing her to spiral downward, screaming in pain and fear.

She landed right in the clearing heavily, but before she could react, Princess Celestia had flown down and landed before her, where she lay, whimpering and cowering. Celestia gave her no chance to do anything; she activated the traps, which caused pillars of golden light to erupt from the ground and imprison her in a seamless cage of magic.

Satisfied that Nightmare Moon was now captured, Celestia turned and took off, flying back to the Castle. She would need the Elements of Harmony to return her sister to her original condition, but she would need to find substitutes for Luna to bear her elements.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova knew that Nightmare Moon must have been defeated, based on the white figure flying back toward what was the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, so he set out to return as well.

While he knew he and Envy had damaged the town in their duel, he did not see during the fighting how Celestia and Nightmare Moon had damaged it.

The sheer magnitude of the damage astounded him. How could he have missed all of this!? Particularly in the last few moments as he relaxed, rather than single-mindedly pursue his target! Everywhere he went, he saw wrecked buildings, destroyed property, crushed stone, and so on. It almost looked like a war between two entire legions, rather than two powerful alicorns and two less-powerful unicorns.

Everfree, he realized, was abandoned because of this battle. He had known that the Royal Migration, or so he called it, to Canterlot had been done after the battle, but he had always thought that the ponies of the city had already started to move out before then. Evidence had suggested that a larger number of ponies had made their permanent homes in Canterlot and Cloudsdale before the Nightfall.

He returned to the Castle in short order, to find Comet sitting on an infirmary bed. He refused to look toward the body of his marefriend, but when Nova came in, he did note tear tracks.

“Well?” asked Comet, and Nova was glad to hear greater clarity in his voice than when he had teleported him off.

“Done,” he said, proffering the Soul Jar at him.

Comet didn’t smile. He nodded and fell back on the bed, groaning somewhat, before casting a bright werelight.that hovered right above him.

“What’s that for?” asked Nova.

“Keep me from sleeping. I don’t know why I shouldn’t, but you’re from the future, so I figure I ought to just go ahead and follow orders. You probably know medical shit I have no clue about.”

“Yeah. Well, to put it simply, a concussion is when you hit your head so hard that your brain hits the inside of your skull and takes some damage. I’m nowhere near good enough to heal that, but Princess Celestia probably can. You’ll have to wait on her.”

“He won’t have to wait long,” came the voice of the Princess herself from the doorway.

The first thing Nova noticed was that her mane and tail were waving independently of any wind, and that they had become four-hued, as Nova remembered. She was still not as tall as he knew she would become, but she looked more like her future self than ever.

The second thing Nova noticed was that her eyes were shining brightly with golden light instead of their usual pink, which told Nova that she had come into contact with powerful magic, since it would leave an effect like that on the body.

She walked in briskly, and immediately approached Comet’s side.

“What happened?” she asked sharply.

“He’s fine,” said Nova immediately, because her eyes had narrowed and the golden light in her eyes had grown stronger. “He’s just concussed. He hit a tree pretty hard, so I teleported him back here. He’s been awake the entire time.”

Celestia nodded curtly, before tapping into her magic.

“This is going to take a while, Nova,” she said, looking back at him with the same scowl she had borne since she walked in. “Healing the brain is no fast process.”

“Is there anything I can do, exactly? We captured Envy, so definitely stick her in one of the vaults, but what else?”

“I don’t know,” said Celestia, shaking her head. “Nightmare Moon’s wings have been incinerated, and so she is confined to the ground. There is that, and there is the fact that I have trapped her in a magical prison. She won’t be going anywhere any time soon, and she’ll probably take the opportunity to nurse her injuries.”

“Wait,” said Nova, suddenly struck by somewhat of a morbid thought, but one he felt he needed to go attend to. “Princess Celestia, where are Clover’s and Steelshod’s graves?”

Princess Celestia froze, her magic flickering, though thankfully, she hadn’t yet set to work on Comet yet.

“Why would you want to go to a gravesite?” she asked, looking back at him with surprise. “If I recall correctly, you hated the graveyard to the point of finding routes around the city's graveyard when you were directed near it.”

“I did,” said Nova with a nod. “I just... I feel like I need to visit it.”

She stared at him for a long moment through those golden eyes, before sighing heavily.

“Very well. You remember your favorite grove by the river?”

“How can I forget it?”

“They are buried there. Take what time you need, Nova. Rest, because we still have my sister to deal with when you come back and Comet is fit.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Nova turned around and cantered out toward the vaults. As he passed by the Chapel Tower, he paused in his jog and glanced at the Elements of Harmony. All five of the present ones sat on their arms of stone, looking as though they hadn’t been disturbed in years. He smiled grimly, knowing that within hours, they were going to remove them from these pedestals and let Celestia use them on her sister. With that thought in mind, he continued his canter, quickly arriving back at the Vaults.

He navigated the familiar, if hazy, path to the vault belonging to the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student, stopping when he found the same sigil cut into the rock. Unlike before, when there had been some erosion, the symbols were cleanly cut and stood in sharp contrast. He fired a magical beam at the jewel above the door, prompting the round stone to roll open.

The glowstone in the ceiling was still shining brightly, which meant it had to have been a recent fixture in the vault, and the light created by it shone upon a room full of items. Several cloaks, both for the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student, were neatly folded in piles, several spellbooks were arranged, and in general, many supplies that the students and their teachers used were placed around the room.

With another grim smile, his horn flashed and it all vanished. He hadn’t done anything to the items; merely teleported them to a safe room in Canterlot Castle, where he knew some maid would already be panicking because of randomly-appearing apparel and other things.

He reached forward to set the jar on the little pedestal, when he noticed a familiar crack in the jar. Leaning forward, he inspected it closely, smiling to himself when he realized it was exactly the same one, and that it must have happened when Envy knocked it away from him in their fight.

After he had set it down, he cast a few extra spells on everything in the room, from the vault door the walls to prevent magical escape unless the door was open. Finally, when he was satisfied that he had set in motion everything that would lead up to him and Twilight finding the Soul Jar over a thousand years in the future, he turned around and left the vault, letting it slide shut behind him.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Celestia’s aura vanished as she completed her work on Comet’s brain. It had only been a small contusion in the brain tissue, but it was still enough to affect poor Comet. Fortunately, it still not enough to evade her ability to heal, particularly in her current state.

She felt powerful. She felt almost omnipotent. Pure Sun magic was flowing through her body, waiting to be released, and she had only tapped into a fraction of her current power just to heal Comet. It would take some time to fully burn it up.

Or another titanic battle with her fallen sister.

She had seen the damage they had done to the city. It was uninhabitable now, with all the wanton destruction. It had taken a short time to build, but clearing all of this away and rebuilding would take years.

Ponies might not even want to return! They might just settle in their relocated homes and abandon Everfree entirely. Where, then, would she go? Cloudsdale? Build a castle in the sky? Or perhaps Canterlot? They already had a castle, built by Princess Platinum, and she had visited it several times. That, and it was in a central location. Perhaps Neighton? Or another neutral city like she and Luna had decided back when the Three Patriarchs had been ruling?

“Are you finished?” asked Comet tiredly from below her.

“Yes, I am,” she replied, holding out a hoof to help him up as he raised himself into a sitting position. “You’re lucky. The damage was very minor. Any more, and I would have had to use extra power, and frankly, we need all the magic we can use to face my fallen sister.”

Comet opened his eyes, looked up at her, then rubbed them again quite vigorously. When that didn’t dispel what he saw, he furrowed his brow.

“What happened to your mane? And your eyes?”

Princess Celestia smiled down at him.

“Just a little trick Star Swirl the Bearded taught me. I accessed pure Sun magic, and it changed my mane and tail to the way they are, and I don’t know how long they’ll stay. As for my eyes, I’m full of power that I need to spend, and until all that excess magic is spent somehow, they’ll keep glowing like this.”

“Oh,” Comet replied. He slid off of the infirmary bed, stumbling for a moment as he attempted to find his balance. He crashed into Princess Celestia, who stumbled a bit herself. He cast her an awkward glance, but started laughing a little.

“Sorry,” he said, as the smile slid off his face when his mirth had subsided. “Body control is still a little off.”

Celestia smiled down at him and enveloped him in one of her wings. She had noticed he had glanced over to the lifeless pony in the room right before he had stopped his brief spot of happiness, and now Comet looked as though he wanted nothing more than to go curl up somewhere and let himself go.

“Don’t be afraid, Comet,” she said softly down to him as he suddenly shivered. “I’m right here. If you need to let it out, you can use my shoulder.”

His bottom lip trembled, and within seconds, he was sobbing uncontrollably into her side. She drew him as close as she could, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall as well. The dam was nearing breaking point, but she held it back for the sake of Comet. It would not do for the strongest figure in his eyes to lose it right in front of him.

He cried for several minutes, to the point where she could feel her wing start to sop with the amount of tears going into it. She didn’t care, though. She let him cry as long as he needed. After a long time had passed, his sobs became sniffles, and soon they disappeared as he fell silent. He could have been sleeping, if not for his constant shuffling.

“Mmprincess?” he mumbled from underneath her wing.

“Yes Comet?” she said, loosening her wing enough for him to crawl out on his knees a few inches.

“Who is he?”

Celestia didn’t answer immediately. She definitely knew who “he” was, but she didn’t have any idea where to begin. She had known Nova for only a short time before he had gone, after all. She knew nothing about his life before he came back, apart from some details she and Clover had worked out.

“I’ll be honest, Comet,” she said, “I don’t know too much about him before he came back in time. He just appeared out of nowhere, right in front of Unicornia-- sorry, Canterlot. I still call it by its old name from time to time. He just appeared there out of nowhere one day a little under two hundred sixty years ago.”

“He time traveled, right?”

Celestia smiled and nodded.

“He did, but of course, we didn’t know it at the time. He appeared just outside of Canterlot in a smoking crater, and we just assumed he had been teleported here from Dream Valley.”

“Dream Valley? That the Old Lands?”

“One and the same. I first met him the morning after he arrived, for it was Princess Luna who found him, sleeping in the grove where Lady Clover the Clever and General Steelshod are buried. It was that very morning, as a matter of fact, when Luna and I named him the first Night Apprentice.”

As Celestia delved into the story, she noticed that he seemed to grow more and more awed by what she told him of Nova. How he defeated a rogue unicorn lord who had kidnapped a changeling princess; how he had foiled the plots of Sombra and prevented a war that would have destroyed free ponykind; how over the time she had known him, his skill grew from extraordinary to absolutely prodigious thanks to Luna’s tutoring, his friendship with Clover, his rivalry with Steelshod, and his camaraderie with Star Swirl the Bearded; how he had fallen in love with Clover, despite the fact that he knew he shouldn’t; and how he had defended Clover during an attempt on her life.

“Indirectly, Comet, you owe Nova your life. If he had not stopped Envy from killing Clover, you wouldn’t exist,” she noted, with some amused satisfaction as his look of awe grew even more pronounced, if that was possible.

“He saved your sister, too,” Comet suddenly said.

Celestia blinked. What did he mean by that?

“Sorry?”

“All those years ago,” said Comet. “I asked her how she got the idea for the Night Apprentice, and she told me the story. She didn’t tell me who he was, but she told me that her first student had comforted her with an insight that she had chosen to overlook, if she were honest with herself, and that he provided her with the appreciation for the night that she had longed for.”

“And yet she still became Nightmare Moon,” pointed out Celestia.

“She did, but Envy forced it upon her with the help of the Nightmares. If he hadn’t met her that night, all those years ago, Luna would have become Nightmare Moon by choice before you were strong enough to defeat her. Before there were those who could take up the Elements of Harmony in her stead.”

Celestia’s eyes widened.

“Comet, what are you saying?”

Comet crawled out from under her wing to look her directly in the eyes.

“Princess Celestia, I need to tell you something Princess Luna told me.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova stared at the two headstones in front of him. He didn’t know exactly how he was supposed to be feeling right now, honestly. According to the gravestones, which only contained a name and the dates of birth and death, they had died some thirty years after he had left. At first. he had been alarmed that they had died so early in their lives, but then he remembered that life expectancy back then was only around thirty to forty years. It was only after the advancement of medicinal magic among other things that led to the life expectancy being where it was in his time, around ninety to a hundred years. And even then, there were odd cases. For example, Granny Smith, at a hundred and eight.

In all of his awkward staring, he didn’t realize exactly how much time had passed. He had only been thinking of all their time together in the past as he sat there. Everything from the awkward first meeting to the heartfelt goodbye.

He didn’t say anything to the bodies below. He merely stood there and reflected. The river had carved itself a few feet further down, but thanks to the efforts of the weather pegasi, the river had been kept filled. Nova wondered how it would be without the weather pegasi in the future. Would he be able to find the graves? How would he know?

He smiled it himself, strode over to the tree he had lain under so many times, and branded a small clover into it with magic. At first, the tree bark did nothing, but after a few moments, it started glowing bright blue. Come to think of it, this might have been one of the inexplicable wonders of the Everfree Forest. A glowing blue clover on a tree.

He smiled to himself, and tapped into more magic. While he couldn’t do what earth ponies did completely, he could mimic their power with his own, in a far less potent way. His horn shimmered, and a bed of lavender-hued roses sprung up over Clover’s grave, along with a bed of silvery-grey roses over Steelshod’s.

“Consider my respects paid, though I doubt they’ll be my last,” he whispered, before standing and beginning to trot back to the castle.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Celestia was shocked by what Comet had to say. She had known Luna to be the more calculative, analytical one, but she had outdone herself!

“How do you know it’s true?” asked Celestia.

Comet shrugged.

“She tested the theory in one of our lessons. She wielded Magic and Loyalty, while I wielded Laughter and Generosity. We tried switching, and I could wield Loyalty, but I could never so much as touch the Consciousness of Magic without being rejected.”

Celestia broke into a grin. A sad one, given that Luna had set all of this up purely for this event, but still a smile regardless. Of course Comet wouldn’t be able to wield Magic. He was strong, there was no denying that, but he wasn’t nearly as good of making friends as he should have been to wield it.

Case in point, Nova Shine.

And speaking of, the stallion of the hour trotted in, humming something best known to himself.

“Somepony’s in a good mood,” noted Comet.

“Indeed,” chirped Nova.

“Where were you just now?”

Nova smiled broadly as he strode over to sit next to Princess Celestia on her other side.

“I was off visiting an old flame,” he said cheerfully.

“Did you get laid?”

Nova’s smile was replaced by a comical expression of disgust.

“Ugh,” he said, cringing after a moment. “No, Comet. Just... no.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Twilight looked just as taken aback and slightly disgusted as Nova remembered feeling.

“He actually said that?” she asked, sounding very shocked.

Nova nodded. For a moment, Twilight could do nothing but stare at him with that same look, but she suddenly put a hoof to her muzzle in an attempt to cover up a smile that was starting to work its way onto her face.

“What?” asked Nova.

“Now I know where you got your humor from,” she said.

“Oh, hush,” said Nova. “Besides, you got your brand of humor from him, too.”

“I... what?”

“Yeah,” said Nova, smiling at her. “Comet had three foals of his own a few years after Nightfall. Obviously the first was my ancestor, but the Sparkle line comes from his youngest, his daughter Starlight Sparkle.”

Her familiar slack-jawed expression, which had shown up several times over the last few hours, was back. Nova inwardly sighed. For such a booksmart mare, Twilight sometimes really needed to do actual research. There were many clans that were very integrated into Equestrian society. The Kickers and Dos of the pegasi, the Hooves and the Apples and their relatives among the earth ponies, and the Novuses and Lulamoons among the unicorns, not to mention the Hooves family, which had members of all four races (yes, even crystal ponies). Surely she had to know that at some point, her family tree would cross with his.

And even if it didn’t, he had a niggling suspicion that they would cross permanently some time in the next few years. After all, he was an only child and the only member of his generation to carry the family name.

“Please tell me you knew we were distantly related,” he said after a few seconds.

She shook herself out of her little trance. That had become such a familiar place for her today...

“Oh, I knew we had to be related,” she said, which dispelled any of Nova’s previous disappointments with his marefriend, “but I didn’t know that I’m descended from one of the ponies that fought Nightmare Moon.”

She suddenly grinned.

“Kinda makes the whole ‘me fighting Nightmare Moon’ pretty fitting, doesn’t it?”

Nova nodded. Never mind the fact that she was also dating one of the ponies who fought her...

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

They rested for a few hours. Nova, having been feeling the adrenaline during his duel with Envy, didn’t feel fatigued at all after he sealed her away, not even when visiting Steelshod and Clover. After he had taken the time to relax for a moment, he felt his muscles begin to ache from all the running, and he felt the familiar mental exhaustion that came as a byproduct of having a near-depleted Source. His concentration was slipping, he started hearing a slight muffle when noise was made, and in general, he was completely depleted, both physically and mentally, to the point where it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen over yet. In the future, he needed to be more careful when tapping into the fullest reserves of magic he had, lest he accidentally use too much.

Princess Celestia, once again demonstrating her magical prowess, placed Nova into a deep sleep in a space of magic that worked almost the opposite of Time Stasis. It accelerated time for the duration of the spell until the magic wore off. She weaved the spell to where it would dissipate when he woke and left the space, allowing him, Comet, and herself to rest and restore their depleted reserves of magic.

To them it seemed like nearly a full day, but they were asleep for most of that time, and the spell accelerated the time in their space. When they awoke, they felt completely refreshed, barring hunger, and ready to confront Nightmare Moon. In reality, they only slept for a few hours at most.

A few minutes after they woke up, Celestia and Comet took the time to fill Nova in on what they had been discussing before he returned from his visit to Clover and Steelshod. Nova was the one who originally brought it up, though inadvertently.

“Princess Celestia, do you have a plan on how we’re going to defeat Nightmare Moon?” he asked.

She responded with, “How do I defeat her in your future, Nova? I know we shouldn’t bring up the future, but this is the fate of Equestria.”

“No, no worries,” said Nova waving a hoof. “I think we’re close enough to where it wouldn’t matter. Well, the way you’re said to have defeated her is with the Elements of Harmony, but I don’t see how one pony can wield all six. Last time I saw you use them, you and Luna had to split them.”

“That is true,” concurred Celestia. “However, Comet and I were discussing our same problem. We agree that the Elements would be the most effective way to defeat Luna, but as you said, we do not have all of the bearers present, so to speak.”

“Except that we do,” said Comet.

“I don’t follow,” said Nova.

“One question for you, Nova,” continued Comet. He seemed to have expected that nopony else would know what he did, and he seemed quite eager to prove he knew something this powerful, mysterious prodigy didn’t. “When you accepted the mantle of Night Apprentice in your time, did you feel a sort of itch in your mind? And when you tried to focus on it, it was gone?”

Nova opened his mouth and raised an expository hoof, but suddenly froze in mid-attempt-to-talk.

“I would be honored to accept the position of your Night Apprentice, Princess Luna.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a strange little itch in his mind. For one maddening second, he flinched and brought a hoof to scrub at his mane, but as quickly as it had come, the sensation was gone.

He nodded slowly, unsure of what it meant.

“Yes,” he added in the middle of his slow nod, “she did.”

Comet smiled at him.

“Princess Luna put a portion of her magic within your Source.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Twilight stared at him.

“I’m not kidding,” said Nova. His horn flashed, and rather than the usual brilliant blue, there came a whiter, almost sky-colored aura of magic. “Doesn’t really do much, since I’m not Princess Luna and since it only obeys her, but it’s there if I ever feel like channeling her magic.”

At the sight of it, once again, Twilight’s jaw nearly hit the floor. But after a moment, she screwed up her eyes in concentration, trying, Nova assumed, to channel Princess Celestia’s magic, like he had with Luna’s.

“I doubt you’ll get it anytime soon,” he commented.

“What makes you say that?” she snapped.

Now it was Nova’s turn to be rather surprised. Where did that come from?

“What was that for?”

“What was what for?” she asked, now clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth.

“The snapping. What was it for? I just said you channeling Princess Celestia’s magic probably won’t happen for a while.”

“Why... not?” she grunted, clenching her eyes even tighter.

“It took me seven months to learn how to tap into it.”

She stopped and stared at him.

“Seven months? But wasn’t this, like, last night for you?”

“Not quite. Wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey and all that. Got back seven months ago, which is seven months early, and really convenient for me, because today marks the second anniversary of me going back.”

She didn’t seem to have heard. Yet again, her eyes slid out of focus and she stared straight ahead, frozen in an expression of shock.

“Oh dear, I think I broke her this time,” Nova muttered to himself with a small smile.

After a few moments including countless eye-twitches from the still-mentally-overwhelmed Twilight, Nova taking the time to briefly catch up with Spike, who had been eavesdropping on the story, and Nova going and getting himself one of the bottles of hard liquor that he kept locked in the chest in his basement room, Twilight finally snapped out of her little trance as Nova had taken his first draught from a medium-sized shot glass.

“Oh hey, you’re back,” he said dryly. “Did you see the card soldiers while you were off in wonderland?”

“Oh shut up,” she said. “You should wear it as a badge of pride that you managed to overload my mind.”

“New life achievement,” said Nova without missing a beat.

“So, something about you being back seven months early?” she asked.

“I’ll get to that later. Probably tomorrow, given how late it’s getting,” Nova replied, gesturing out the window, where a bright full moon shone high in the sky and there were hardly any lights on in Ponyville anymore, save for the small glow of his magic illuminating Ponyville Park.

Twilight glanced at the clock on the wall.

“But it’s only nine-thirty!” she protested, but Nova already had his counter-arguments lined up.

“And we have a baby dragon that lives here. Plus, I kinda did get into a fight today, remember?” he said, turning and showing off the white bandage that almost blended perfectly with his coat.

Twilight had completely forgotten that was there, despite her being the one that wrapped it. She opened her mouth, but closed it when she knew she would just lose this little argument.

“How much more is there?”

Nova glanced up at the ceiling for a moment.

“Still a bit. Not too much. Well, unless you count the other time I came back early.”

She blinked.

“Other time?”

Nova smiled.

“Oh yeah. About 400 years ago. Got to meet Queen Elizabeak I of the Griffons.”

“You met Queen Elizabeak!?” gaped Twilight.

“Yep,” said Nova proudly. “Just one small historical discrepancy, though. We still call her by that particular nickname, even after that one night in OW! I WAS KIDDING TWILIGHT!”

Twilight had actually reached over and smacked him for that particular one, but she did appreciate the historical in-joke. Just not when her dear coltfriend was both the butt and teller.of it.

“I didn’t actually come back that early, geez!” whined Nova, as he rubbed the small lump on his head. “You know I love you too much to go and do something stupid like that!”

“Clover the Clever,” Twilight responded in deadpan snark.

Nova stopped for a moment as he thought of the best way to phrase his response without resulting in him getting smacked by Twilight.

“She’s you in all-but-cutie mark,” he finally said after a moment. “Can you blame me?”

“Yes,” was Twilight’s also-deadpan response.

"We didn't even get together," Nova protested. "Well, except for that last night, but I told you we didn't do anything."

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. So, Princess Luna put a portion of her magic in your Source three years ago... well, to you it would be five years ago, but you know what I mean. What happened back then?”

Nova smiled. He had really been waiting to get into this. He had a feeling this was going to floor her.

“Well...”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Okay, so you’ve convinced me, she put a bit of her magic in my Source. Now what exactly does that have to do with this current situation?” Nova asked, feeling slightly annoyed when there was still a rogue alicorn to deal with, and they were here exchanging cool facts about their Sources.

Comet and Princess Celestia both glanced at each other. Comet smiled somewhat unsurely, before turning back to Nova.

“Well, we’re going to temporarily take her place as Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

THUD!

“Damn it,” cursed Nova, as he picked up Twilight’s eye-twitching, overloaded form from the floor. “Took all of three minutes earlier. How long this time?”

After a few more moments spent retrieving smelling salts, he knelt down, held them by her muzzle, and forced her out of her second overload of the evening. After taking a moment to let her comprehend the information, she spent another minute or so sputtering incoherently as she tried to process that.

“B-but how!?” she asked. “The Elements choose their Bearers! How could you wield them!?”

“It’s a sort of fail-safe that Princess Luna came up with. Now, let me explain.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Princess Luna knew this would happen, see?” said Comet, making sure Nova was following along, even as Princess Celestia bowed out of the room to retrieve the Elements. “She noticed that every time Envy failed, she would try to get at the Clover’s descendents some other way, but the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student kept stopping her. Of course, given that our positions have been occupied by her descendents more than any other family, and given that we kept stopping her, I guess it’s only natural for her to start coming after us before anypony else. Well, the last few times, she came after the two students directly, but now, I think she tried to get at us through our mentors.”

“What do you mean, ‘think?’” Nova asked.

Comet glared at him for a moment, but otherwise acted as though he hadn’t been interrupted.

“Princess Luna thought it was only a matter of time before she became the primary target. As powerful as she is, she has a reputation of being the lesser sister, simply because she is the Princess of the Night. Obviously, we both know the truth is the opposite in regards to magical power, but would Envy know that?”

“In other words, would a former peasant know that?”

Comet nodded.

“She wouldn’t, right? Princess Luna figured that out, and she set into motion this little contingency plan, just in case she ever did end up being compromised. After all, maybe it’s not known to the common peasantry, but she always was insecure about the subjects not liking her night, and the Nightmares have been trying to worm their way into her mind for years. It was only a matter of time before they succeeded, and even then, they needed help.”

“You know,” interrupted Nova, “you seem awfully chipper for a guy who just lost his marefriend.”

Comet’s eyes and teeth clenched, a few tendons in his neck bulged, and immediately, his pleasantness vanished. Unexpectedly, he let it go after only a few seconds. That didn’t stop the slight note of despair that entered his voice, however.

“Princess Celestia tells me that, for the time being, I should act like nothing has happened.”

“There will be time--” started Nova.

“--to mourn later, exactly,” finished Comet morosely. “I told her what happened to me in the fight with Envy, why I got teleported back early, when you ran off to visit Clover the Clever’s grave and she told me that I had let my emotions get in the way of how I had been taught to duel. So she told me to put aside everything until everything settles down.”

“That makes us opposites,” remarked Nova. “I get better when I’m emotional.”

“Really?” asked Comet, arching an eyebrow at him. “Do tell. Name one incident where, without a doubt, your emotions helped you.”

“My first trip to the Everfree Vaults,” said Nova.

“Explain.”

“Well, this doesn’t happen for a little over a thousand years. Envy gets released again while the Faithful Student and a younger me explore the Vaults, looking for a cure for a bunch of nightmares we’ve been having. We find Envy’s Soul Jar, but she’d escaped some time ago and possessed a friend of ours. She has us cornered, so she attacks, looking to kill both of us quickly.”

“Sounds like her.”

“Her method was to swallow us with darkness. Trap us in her shadows until we died. Well, Twilight and I start running at each other, even though we can’t see where the other is, but Envy tries to smother us even faster. This is when I just… I don’t know,” Nova searched for the best way to describe what happened, “I just sort of refused to let Envy hurt Twilight. She would not be harmed while I drew breath. So I tapped into my Source to depths then-unreached and repelled her with the basest, rawest, most unfocused form of magic ever, that I just instinctively called out. She fled, and I’m here before you today.”

Comet stared at Nova for a moment, thinking about Nova’s account, or so Nova thought. He was probably just looking for some way to contradict him in some way.

“You were wrong,” Comet finally said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You were wrong,” Comet said again. “You said emotion helped make you stronger. You were wrong.”

“How so?” asked Nova.

“You didn’t desire to protect this Twilight out of any anger, rage,, et cetera. You didn’t leap to defend her because you were happy or sad. You leapt to her defense because you loved her.”

“Present-tense. Not past-tense. Plus, you just agreed with me.”

“No I didn’t,” said Comet, shaking his head. “Tell me, do you love this Twilight?”

“More than anything else in the world,” Nova replied instantly.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Twilight leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek as soon as he finished saying that part. Nova smiled tenderly to himself, touching that place with a hoof for a moment, before shaking his head.

“Please don’t interrupt me anymore. At this rate, we won’t get done till tomorrow morning.”

“But it’s just one little kiss,” protested Twilight, but Nova shook his head again.

“We’ll have time to catch up on that in a couple of hours.” He paused for a moment as he thought of something. “We are still sharing the bed, right?”

She cocked her head at him.

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“I dunno. I thought after that whole business with Clover, you might banish me to my room down below, or something.”

She leaned over and nuzzled him right in the crook of his neck and shoulders, a place she knew he just loved it when she nuzzled there.

“After two years of you not sleeping next to me, I figure your need is better than my irritation.”

Nova leaned his head down onto hers, paying extra attention to when their horns briefly brushed against each other and a small tingle ran through them as their auras interacted.

“And besides, you get the basement for the rest of the week. That’s what you get for Clover.”

Nova smiled again and nuzzling her some more before continuing.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Then tell me, Nova,” said Comet, looking at him with a sort of smug smile on his face, “how do you know?”

Nova blinked.

“What do you mean, ‘how do I know?’”

Comet’s smug grin widened.

“How do you know you love Twilight?”

“I--” Nova immediately started to say, but he abruptly fell silent. Comet’s grin should be made illegal, from just how much he was enjoying this.

“You don’t know, do you,” Comet said. “That’s good.”

“Good?” asked Nova, feeling slightly distraught. “How exactly is that good? I don’t know why I love her.”

“But you do, don’t you?” continued Comet. “You know you love her because you can just feel it, deep inside you. You know you aren’t wrong; on the contrary, that you love her is the rightest feeling in the world, isn’t it?”

Nova thought back to when he had first said the words “I love her” out loud, screaming them at his father in The Cloak and Dagger, a year and five months ago on his timeline. He thought about the feeling that had washed over him as soon as he had uttered those words, which had changed his life. At first, he had been full of anger at his father for forcing him to make that revelation, and then after, it just felt like the truest thing in the world, and that it had finally been made known.

“Yeah,” he said, remembering that feeling as he cracked a small smile.

“Then you understand, love is so much more than a simple emotion,” said Comet. “Your love for a pony, your desire to protect them, that isn’t emotion; it’s so much more than that. Emotion is a rush of hormones in the body, affecting your mood based on your experiences. Love is… well, an extension of that.”

Nova snorted.

“Oh hush,” said Comet. “It’s that, but it’s more than that at the same time. It’s…” he trailed off and rubbed his chin as he tried to think of the right word, “...a bond. A true bond; a reliance of sorts. And it doesn’t get in the way. It never will.”

As he finished those words, Princess Celestia herself strode into the room, bringing with her five stone balls, with a different symbol cut into each one.

“As you know,” she explained, noting Nova’s inquisitive glance, “the sixth will only reveal itself when the other five Bearers are accounted for.”

Nova nodded. He had wondered about that. How would they wield the last Element if it would only be present when the other five were there?

“First,” said Celestia, setting the Elements down with magic, “I will take my place as the Bearer of the Elements of Kindness and Honesty.”

She approached two of the balls of stone, and at once, they flashed a brilliant golden light. To Nova, it appeared as if they transformed into shapeless blobs of golden energy and simply were absorbed into Celestia.

“Now, the other four are a strange case,” she said. “Luna was undoubtedly the Bearer of the Element of Generosity and the Element of Magic, but as for the Elements of Loyalty and Laughter, we shared the position as Bearer. However, I think I already have an idea on who will wield what.”

She turned to Comet and gestured at two of them. As Nova was so used to the cutie marks of his friends in his own time, he didn’t know which they were. But given that there were only three elements left and Comet accounted for two of them, Nova was going to be the one who would bear the Element of Magic.

“But Princess!” protested Comet. “You’ve picked me for Laughter. How can I wield that right now? Why not him? I mean, I can see Generosity, but Laughter?”

"Because, my little pony,” said Celestia, kneeling down to meet him at eye level, “being the Bearer of Laughter is more than simply being happy all of the time.”

Bullshit. I know Pinkie Pie.

“Laughter is being able to see the good in a situation, even in the midst of a dark time. There will never be a pony who was never sad, Comet. There will always be sorrow. What makes you the Bearer of Laughter is that you will find a way through the situation by seeing the good in it. Now, extend your magic, and touch the Elements.”

Comet did as he was told. Just as it had done with Celestia, the two Elements transformed into shapeless blobs of golden energy and were absorbed into him.

“Which leaves the Element of Loyalty for Nova, here,” said Celestia, “and hopefully, the Element of Magic.”

“Uhh, hopefully?” asked Nova, raising an eyebrow at the Princess.

Comet smiled sheepishly.

“The Element of Magic is a strange case. As it is only wield-able by a chosen Bearer, so I could never stand for it. Princess Celestia, however, thinks that if anyone here can, it's you.”

Princess Celestia nodded and continued, “I already speak for two of them, and between you and Comet, you are by far the more powerful. It seems more natural for the Element of Magic to be taken up by you for this brief time. Now do as Comet did.”

Nova complied. He tapped into his Source, extended that tendril of magic used in telepathic spells, and touched the swirling vortex of energy he knew to be the Element of Loyalty. At once, it turned gold and flew into him. Nova felt no different when it did, which let him down. He had been expecting some sort of warm and tingly--

“Celestia.”

Celestia and Comet’s heads both snapped back to Nova. Comet had been looking outside, watching the moon as it shone in the sky while he waited for Nova to unite with his Element. They had heard an alien voice, but it had come from Nova’s mouth! Nova normally had a moderately average stallion’s voice. The voice that had issued from his mouth was gentle and melodic, and undoubtedly feminine.

As for Nova, he hadn’t consciously said anything. As a matter of fact, he had lost control of his body. He could still see, he could still feel, but he could not control his mouth, or his movement. Something had taken hold of him. Something that radiated pure power.

“Do not fear, Nova Shine,” said his mouth again in that same alien voice. “We will release you when We have finished speaking with Celestia. For now, listen. Listen, and know.”

“Do I have the honor of addressing the Consciousness of Magic?” asked Celestia, sounding very surprised and… dare Nova think it, humbled?

“You do, Child of the Sun.”

Celestia instantly bowed all the way to her knees, a gesture Nova was stunned at. When Celestia was acknowledging courtesy, it was not uncommon for her to incline her head, or to even bow to a pony without bending knee. Here, however, she made herself even lower before the being that was controlling him! Celestia was the most powerful being he knew of! And she was bowing before whatever was in his mind?

“You may rise,” the Consciousness of Magic said, and Celestia did. “Your suspicions have proven correct. We have chosen Nova Shine to house Our power in place of Princess Luna, but not because he is the most powerful in Magic. We see in him Ourself, originating from another. Nevertheless, know that as the only true Bearer of the Elements of Harmony, you shall be the one to house the Elements’ combined power and cast it upon your sister.”

“I understand,” replied Celestia gravely.

“Know this, Child of the Sun: After this day, your connection to the Elements of Harmony will be forever severed,” Celestia stiffened, “such is the price that must be paid for allowing unworthy ponies to wield Us, even in desperate times.”

After a moment of silence, Celestia bowed again.

“I understand. Sacrifices must be made.”

“Then you appreciate and wield the burden of the crown with the responsibility and wisdom expected of you.”

Nova’s head turned in Comet’s direction. Comet looked even more stunned than he felt. His jaw was hanging limply from his muzzle, and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

“Comet Novus, We know your pain.”

Comet seemed even more surprised to be addressed directly. He started, and began shifting his gaze from place to place around the infirmary, as though afraid to meet Nova’s eyes.

“Fear not, child. We mean you no harm; only healing. Despite what Celestia has told you, she has not experienced loss like you have. She has lost loved ones, but none as close as Sunbeam was to you. However, she will soon experience what you feel. Fear not, Celestia, for it is only temporary. But in order to aid you in your imminent battle, We seek to make right what went wrong.”

Nova felt a rush of power well up in his Source, greater than anything he had ever imagined. Before he could even react, his vision turned white and he felt all of that magic escape him from his horn. For a moment, he panicked. He fought and tried to move, but he could not. After merely a moment, however, his vision returned an he calmed down.

And over on the infirmary bed, the body of Sunbeam was glowing a soft light. She gave a soft groan, and suddenly, her chest started rising and falling slowly.

“Let your mind be at ease,” the Consciousness said, even as Comet gave a cry of surprise, bolted over to where Sunbeam was lying and started hugging her form, already sobbing in joy. “She is asleep, and she will remain so until Nightmare Moon is dealt with.”

So she was always meant to die, thought Nova. And then be raised by whatever this Consciousness of Magic is.

“Now I speak to you, Pony Out of Time. Know that your actions today and in both the past and future will affect many more than yourself. There will come a time when you must be prepared to answer for everything you have done. Regardless, I leave you with one final message.”

Nova felt himself start to regain control over his body as the powerful consciousness began to leave.

“Prepare for unforeseen consequences.”

The consciousness vanished, and Nova, unprepared to regain control over his limbs, fell over. Even as he staggered to his hooves, the phrase rang in his mind.

Unforeseen consequences? he thought. Is this all supposed to lead toward Sombra’s little predictions?

Having far from forgotten his encounter with Sombra, both the King’s warnings about the future and now the Consciousness of Magic’s warning had him concerned. Not afraid, for he knew that he and all of his friends could likely deal with anything down the road, but still concerned. In the end, everything would lead to Sombra’s return.

Well, Twilight had beaten him once before, and knowing her, she could do it again, this time with help from another pony that could control powerful magic.

Yep, Princess Celestia was gonna help this time.

Nova smiled to himself for a moment, partly at his own little joke, but partly because he knew that what would come would come, and they would be ready to meet it when it did.

“Princess Celestia,” he asked, looking up at her to see that both Comet and the Princess were watching him closely, “what was that?”

“A good question, Nova,” replied Princess Celestia, still scrutinizing him, “but as I do not know much myself beyond that it is the voice that speaks for the Elements of Harmony, and the consciousness that selects their Bearers, I cannot answer that. However, it is a great honor to be used as a vessel by it. To date, you are the fourth pony, and the third I have known, to be used.”

“The third you have known?” asked Comet. “Who were the other two?”

“The first was Princess Luna and the second was Clover the Clever.”

Nova felt another smile creep onto his face at the mention that he and Clover had now both been used by a mysterious and powerful force. Their parallels kept piling up.

“Something funny?” asked Comet.

“Bit of an inside joke,” explained Nova. “And by ‘inside,’ it’s pretty much limited to me, Clover the Clever, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.”

Comet rolled his eyes as Princess Celestia gave a small chuckle and covered her mouth with a hoof. She met Nova’s eye and immediately looked away, which told Nova she definitely understood.

Princess Luna…

“Princess,” said Nova, “I want to go speak to Nightmare Moon before we fight.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be much of a battle, Nova,” said Princess Celestia. “She was injured severely in her fight against me--”

“She’s still going to fight like a hurt dog, though. Have you ever tried to pet a dog with an injury?”

Celestia shook her head.

“They usually snap more and bite harder,” he said, turning around and beginning to trot out to what was the town. He figured he should just follow the source of the strong source of magic not emanating from Celestia and it would lead him right to her.

“Nova, stop.”

Nova complied with Princess Celestia’s order and turned around. She was eyeing him with concern, as though she believed he would be hurt by a corrupted alicorn imprisoned with her magic.

“What are you hoping to accomplish?” she asked.

Nova opened his mouth to reply, but he stopped as he thought. What was he hoping to accomplish? He didn’t know himself, only that he wanted to speak to her before her banishment. Come to think of it, he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. He supposed he would just let the conversation carry him where it went.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I just have this gut feeling, like I need to. Anyway, are you ready?”

“No,” said the princess.

“Take the time you need. But when I fire up a magical signal ino the sky, be ready to teleport to my aid.”

With a nod, she retreated back into the castle just as Nova turned and started to follow the source of power he was feeling. The trip was rather short, taking him just beyond the limits of what was left of Everfree City towards modern-day Ponyville. Nova couldn’t help but feel oddly nostalgic of the city, even recognizing some of the destroyed buildings as he went, including what was his house.

And Clover’s.

With a pang in his gut, he turned away from the ruins of her house and cantered a few paces away before he slowed back to a trot. He didn’t want to be reminded of fresh-yet-painful memories.

Finally, he turned a corner around a wrecked tavern-looking building to see an intricate cage of golden magic surrounding a black figure inside. Knowing he had found whom he was looking for, he galloped forward until he stood before the sleeping form of Nightmare Moon.

For a few moments, he simply watched her as she slept, oblivious to the stallion who would speak to her. Nova even vaguely wondered why it was still nighttime when she could do nothing to stop Celestia from lowering the moon and raising the sun. Then he remembered that Celestia had yet to take on the control of the moon, and that she had no power over it until Luna was banished.

An icy-blue eye opened on the black alicorn’s form, peering at him through the gap in her helmet. Having never seen them up close before, Nova shivered when he noticed her eyes had vertical slits for pupils. No sooner had the shiver left him than her eye narrowed and she swung her head to glare at him..

“You,” she said in a soft voice.

“Me,” replied Nova simply.

“You’re the stallion who was with my sister,” she continued.

“I am,” concurred Nova.

“You’re the pony that Mother fought.”

Nova blinked.

“Mother?” he asked. “You mean Envy?”

She nodded slowly, still glaring at him. If looks could kill…

“She’s your parent?”

“She helped create us,” explained the Nightmare. “Unless parenting has changed in the last few hours, that makes her our mother. And you stuck her back in the Soul Jar again,” she added, snarling at him.

Nova nodded, causing Nightmare Moon to let out a growl.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked. “You don’t have total access to Luna’s memories, do you?”

As expected, she slowly shook her head. Twilight had told Nova of their encounter with the Nightmares on the moon, and how they corrupted Rarity. While they mimicked a darker personality of their host, and while they had some access to their memories, things like Spike’s Fire Ruby they couldn’t recognize, even when it was something the host held dear. These memories were good and pure, the very antitheses of everything the Nightmares sought to bring out in their host, and so the Nightmares would cover those memories up.

Nova couldn’t help but feel touched that Princess Luna thought him of so highly, even when they hadn’t interacted in two and a half centuries.

“Perhaps you will recognize my name and title,” he said. “I am Nova Shine, the first Night Apprentice.”

Her eyes narrowed even more, but Nova saw a flash of recognition in them.

“You…” she said. “You’re the one who defended her mind!”

Nova shook his head.

“You might be thinking of my ex-marefriend’s kid, who’s named after me.”

“No, no it was you,” Nightmare Moon persisted. “Her perception of her comforter. Her mental image of the pony that provided her with the insight and companionship she longed for. The pony who provided her with what she needed to prevent her jealousy of her sister from taking root. It was you.”

Nova faltered, now feeling a great rush of affection for his teacher. She saw him so highly that a mental perception of him was the force that stood against the Nightmares?

“I suppose we have you to thank,” Nightmare Moon said, smiling at him. “We turned her defenses into our offenses.”

“I don’t follow,” said Nova.

“She used you to counter our whispers that ponies willingly ignored her night. So we used you to counter her belief that she had what she wanted. We fed her lies, that you were the only stallion who thought that way, that maybe this was how things were back then but not now. In short, we turned your defenses on their head and used you to our benefit.”

Her smile widened.

“We suppose it also helps that we inflamed her against her own sister as well. Just think. What was the point of the Summer Sun Celebration, with no proposed night opposite, if it was not an attempt to overshadow her lesser sibling?”

She stopped smiling when she noticed that her responses hadn’t affected Nova in the slightest. Her eyes narrowed even more, until they were almost completely shut.

“You do not seem angered or even surprised.”

“Because I’m not,” responded Nova, inclining his head.

“Explain. We demand you explain yourself!”

Nova smirked at her before responding, “I don’t think you’re in any position to demand anything of me, but I’ll humor you.”

He started to pace around the magical prison.

“Think, Nightmare. How do you explain me not surprised by anything you have done?”

“You’re depraved and insane,” she deadpanned.

Nova raised a hoof and opened his mouth, but closed it and gave a short chuckle.

“Jury’s out on ‘insane,’ but not depraved.”

He blinked.

“Actually, I retract me not being depraved, too. I have a few hidden fetishes involving me and Twi--”

“Get to the point,” Nightmare Moon growled at him.

“Party pooper, no cake for you,” Nova said, giving her an annoyed look. “Well, since you so desperately want to know, it’s because I’m from the far future.”

Nightmare Moon’s reaction, while not unexpected, did disappoint him. All she did was glare at him. He had been expecting her to be just as surprised by everypony else.

“Lie,” spat the Nightmare. “We order you to tell us the truth!”

Nova shook his head with a small smile plastered on his face.

“I’ve just told you the truth. I’m from the far future. I know what you’ve done already. I know how all of this ends. I even know personally the one who utterly defeats you, Nightmare Moon.”

Nightmare Moon stared at him for several seconds while he waited for her to react again. But to his astonishment, she started to guffaw.

“Us, utterly defeated? HAH! We guess you will make a fine entertainer. Or perhaps you could be useful for… other things,” she said, giving him a look that made him very uncomfortable.

“I’m telling the truth,” said Nova. “You are defeated tonight by Princess Celestia--”

“No kidding, what gave that away?” asked Nightmare Moon, glaring at him. “Did our incinerated wings do it, or the fact that we’re trapped in a cage of our sister’s design let you know?”

Nova blinked.

“But you just said--”

“Little colt, if you think our sister can defeat us once and for all, you are sadly mistaken,” said the Nightmare dismissively. “I simply have yet to grow accustomed to this host and all of its power. However, today, we have no choice but to allow ourself to be imprisoned while we recover. We know our sister would never destroy us, and she has not the power to free Luna’s mind of us.”

Her eyes seemed to glimmer as she snarled at him.

“But if you think we will go quietly, if you thought you could negotiate a surrender from us, then you are a fool, and you will pay the price. Princess Celestia will know that when we return, we intend to take what is ours for ourself. We are Nightmare Moon, the most powerful of alicorns, and our beautiful night will never end!”

Her eyes began to glow white with magical power. At once, Nova tapped into his Source and launched the blue beam of magic into the sky.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Something’s eating you, Princess,” said Comet, approaching Princess Celestia on her ruined throne.

“Hmm?” asked Princess Celestia, looking up. She had been lost in thought about the recent developments, and even some not recent. The parallels between Nova Shine and Clover were astounding, and they could not have been mere coincidences. “Oh, it’s just you, Comet.”

“You were expecting somepony else?”

“I suppose I both was and was not,” replied Celestia. “If you must know, I have just received the shock of my life, and it has little to do with the fact that my sister has fallen. And,” added Celestia with a small smile, “I believe I now know the identity of the pony who will bring about Nightmare Moon’s true defeat. The pony who will return Luna to me.”

“Oh? Do tell,” said Comet.

Celestia cast him a cautious glare.

“To demand thoughts from a being higher than you courts nothing but trouble, Comet Novus. You would do well to remember that.”

Comet cringed and bowed in a contrite fashion.

“I apologize for my forwardness, Princess. It will not happen again,” he replied almost mechanically.

Princess Celestia sighed and motioned for him to approach her.

“There was no need to apologize, Comet,” she said morosely. “This whole business with my fallen sister has impacted me, but now I know beyond the shadow of a doubt just what I am about to go through, and it terrifies me.”

Comet cautiously approached the throne, close enough to place a comforting hoof on his princess’ shoulders as she buried her face in her hooves.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Princess Celestia laughed humorlessly.

“Unless you can alter time, I don’t believe you can. All I can do is wait until Nova calls the two of us. After we defeat my sister and use the Elements of Harmony on her, I will have to wait even longer to have her back.”

“How do you know?” asked Comet, fearing another snapping reaction.

“I know because I know Nova Shine,” she said. “It all started with Clover, all those years ago. When she and Nova first met, Clover tells me he accidentally called her ‘Twilight--’”

“Like his special one from his time,” interrupted Comet, to which Princess Celestia nodded.

“One and the same,” she concurred. “From a combination of Nova’s diary and my interactions with Clover, she and Twilight were exactly the same, except for the natural difference in their cutie marks. And Comet, when I say ‘exactly the same,’ I mean including everything from personality to the same streak of magenta in their hair.”

“Wait,” interrupted Comet again, “you mean to tell me that you can read his diary?”

“I can,” the princess said. “It took me some time, and some help from Clover, who managed to figure it out, smart as she is. She even added her own little message to him in the back, which would only reveal itself after the date he recorded he went back in time on. He describes in detail exactly how conflicted he was, exactly how similar they are, and generally his thoughts and feelings. There’s not too much you or the other Night Apprentices could gain from that book, so I never bothered to translate it and have the Lulamoons lend it to you.”

She leaned back and her eyes gained a faraway, wistful look.

“Some years after I last saw Nova Shine, and shortly after Clover and Steelshod were married, Princess Luna attempted to contact the Consciousness of Magic. As she was the Bearer of the Element of Magic, she could not speak with the Consciousness, as she was supposed to speak for it. This being said, she and Clover attempted to tap into the magic at the core of the Element’s being, which resulted in Clover being used as its vessel.”

Her lips curved into a small smile.

“I theorized, after this incident, that the Element of Magic had to recognize some part of itself inside Clover in order to use her. So far, I have yet to be proven wrong,” she added, stopping Comet from asking a question and holding up a hoof as if to say “later.” “At first, I thought it was because Clover was so close to us that a portion of Luna’s magic was part of her Source, and it recognized that bit. Now, however I think I might have been mistaken.”

“Why?” asked Comet. “And how could a portion of Luna’s magic be put in her Source if she never went through the same ordeal Nova and I did?”

“She had Princess Luna’s magic within her Source because of how close the two were,” explained Princess Celestia. “When two ponies are close to one another, be it in a romantic or platonic way and particularly if they are unicorns or alicorns, their magic subconsciously bonds with the magic of the other and, depending on how receptive the other pony is, which essentially is based on how the other pony feels as well, the other pony may subconsciously accept this bonding or reject it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You and Sunbeam,” Princess Celestia said. “When you first met her, what was your impression?”

“That she was a grouchy bitch who always had to do everything the hard way.”

“That’s… blunt, but accurate,” conceded Celestia. “Indeed, she was so consumed with being better than you, and proving that ponies who had to fend for themselves were stronger in magic than those like you who led rather pampered lives, that she insisted on doing tedious, pointless tasks via magic just because you didn’t.”

Comet snorted.

“I still remember the trip to Hollow Shades, Princess.”

Princess Celestia gave a tinkling laugh, the first in hours and a very soothing balm against what she knew was about to happen. What she knew she would soon do to her sister..

“Oh yes, I remember as well,” she said. “We left you two alone to fend for yourselves for a month, hoping it would strengthen the relationship between you.”

“Well, strengthen might be the wrong word,” remarked Comet, who smirked. “We bickered for a couple of weeks, argued over whether or not the tent tarp would make a better blanket or possible rain cover on a cloudy night, constantly dueled over the tiniest things, and… fell in love.”

“Like so many iterations of the cycle before you,” Celestia mused. “Nova Shine and Clover the Clever, the second Nova Shine and Lucia Lulamoon two iterations later, even your predecessors Sanguine and Star Dancer… we should just change the name of this whole spiel to ‘Princess Celestia’s Meet-Your-Special-Somepony Training.’”

“All this aside,” said Comet, smiling but returning Celestia to the topic at hoof, “how does mine and Sunbeam’s relationship mean we have each other’s magic in each other’s Sources?”

“I would guess that, at this moment, the two of you have not progressed that far,” Celestia said. “Nova loved Clover greatly, and his love was returned with just as much gusto, and so their magic was exchanged. As for you and Sunbeam, when you first met each other, you two disliked each other.”

“Putting it mildly,” snarked Comet.

“Even so, your Sources repelled the subconscious exchange of magic because it came from a hostile body. Nova and Clover, however, hit it off from the moment they met, so the process was sped up that much.

“Now, as for Princess Luna and Clover,” continued Celestia, “after Nova left, Clover went into a sort of withdrawal. Nopony, not even I could coax her out of it. It took the work of two ponies to bring her back into the public. As I’m sure you guessed, one of them was Princess Luna, and the other was Clover’s childhood friend, Captain Steelshod.”

“I thought he was a general.”

“He was, but only a decade or so after that, but that’s beside the point. Steelshod and Luna together managed to bring Clover back out of her shell. As a result, she began to grow close to both my sister and the Captain. Luna and Clover almost continued the friendship they both had with Nova right then, while Captain Steelshod, after much patience and much consoling, succeeded in courting her and married her.”

“Good for him,” said Comet. “If he didn’t, I don’t suppose I’d be here.”

Princess Celestia smiled, but continued.

“Not too long after they were married, the Consciousness of Magic spoke through Clover to Luna, which is what gave me the thought that it was Princess Luna’s fragment in Clover’s Source. Now that I have witnessed Nova doing it as well, I conclude that it is either Luna’s Source in both of them, or this mysterious mare from the future, Twilight Sparkle.”

“I’m assuming you think it’s Twilight,” said Comet. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brought it up.”

Celestia’s eyes twinkled and she smiled even wider down at Comet.

“Very good, Comet. Yes, I don’t think it’s Luna’s fragment anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because of what I just explained to you, Comet. While it’s true that I said ponies bonded either platonically or romantically, it is also true, and it has been proven numerous times, that ponies romantically involved are closer to each other than any others will ever be to them.”

“I think I know where you’re going with this,” said Comet. “You think that because Nova Shine and this Twilight Sparkle from the future are lovers, their Sources are intertwined, right?”

“More or less,” concurred Celestia.

“You think that when Clover and Nova bonded, this same sort of bond developed between them, linking Clover’s Source to Twilight’s fragment.”

“Correct.”

“So you think that Clover was used as the Consciousness’ vessel because of that small fragment of Twilight Sparkle inside of her, despite them never even having met?”

Princess Celestia tilted her head and gazed out the window, looking for the telltale signal that Nova would fire when he was ready to cast the Elements of Harmony on Luna.

“In a manner of speaking, yes and no,” she said after a few seconds, in which no such signal appeared. “I think it was a combination of the two now, after witnessing Nova being used as the vessel.”

“And speaking of Nova, what’s taking him so long?” asked Comet somewhat impatiently, gazing out of the window like she was.

“He will call for us when he is ready,” said Celestia. “But allow me to continue while we wait. This brings up something important. Why would the Consciousness of Magic choose a normal pony to be its vessel?”

“Wait, so you’re not the first Bearers?” asked Comet. “Because I don’t think you’ve ever had it speak through you before.”

Celestia chuckled, but shook her head.

“No, we are the first. We removed then from the Tree of Harmony, deep below this castle, a tree which we will not allow just anypony to see with their own eyes.”

“Oh,” said Comet, looking down at the ground. “So, you think that this Twilight Sparkle is a future Bearer of an Element of Harmony, then?”

Celestia’s eye twinkled and she gave Comet a knowing look.

“Beyond that,” she said. “I believe this mare from the future is destined to be the Element of Magic.”

Comet’s eyebrows rose, but beyond that, he didn’t show any surprise.

“What gives you that idea?” he asked.

“The Consciousness of Magic chose a pony in the past that had a connection to one with the Element of Magic, and one who served as a link to a future Element of Magic. It recognized part of itself inside Clover, and thus it spoke through her. I assume it’s the same with Nova. It’s all I have going right now, so if it’s not true, then so be it.”

They fell silent for awhile, content to stare outside and wait for Nova to fire the Beacon spell.

“He is taking his time,” remarked Celestia. “Not that I blame him.”

“I just want to get this over with,” said Comet. “You basically already won by capturing her. All we have to do now is use the Elements, right?”

“You don’t know my sister,” said Celestia, with a bit of a dark edge to her voice and turning away from Comet. “When Luna and I were young, she would often get herself into trouble. When I was the one called to bring her before our mother, I literally had to drag her, kicking and screaming. Nightmare Moon will not go down without a fight. Like Nova said, she’s wounded, which means she’ll fight all the harder. We’d better be prepared, because we are going to have to fight.”

As if on cue, a bright blue beam appeared in the sky.

“It’s time,” said Celestia, her golden magic shimmering around her horn. “Stand close to me, Comet.”

Comet nodded and sidled up to Princess Celestia’s side. With a bright golden flash of light, the two ponies vanished from the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova heard the sound of teleportation behind him, and he felt the energy as the Princess and the Night Apprentice appeared. At once, he took up his place beside Princess Celestia, with Comet on her other side.

Nightmare Moon observed all of them and snarled.

“Be prepared for the fight of your life, sister,” she spat, her icy-blue magic already swirling around her horn.

“Prepare yourselves,” warned Princess Celestia. “I’m about to release the sealing spell.”

Her horn flared with magic, and the golden prison around Nightmare Moon vanished. At once, the black alicorn fired a salvo of spells at the three of them. Nova whirled his cloak around himself to deflect any of the beams sent his way, and he felt the slight punches in the fabric as it did its job.

He conjured a dome-shaped shield around himself, which allowed him to get a look at what was happening. Nightmare Moon was slowly backing away as she continued to fire spell after spell at all of them, while Princess Celestia and Comet deflected and countered with their own spells.

A rumbling got Nova’s attention, and he immediately leapt sideways as a fissure opened benath where he had been standing just a moment ago. The break in concentration was enough to cause his shield to falter, and Nightmare Moon pressed her advantage before Nova could react. A blue beam shot right at him and caught him right on the front of his chest, launching him backwards.

Nova landed heavily a couple of yards away. He tried to get to his hooves, but the world was spinning around him, so he shut his eyes. He felt energy bolt up from the ground toward him, and he rolled instinctively out of the way just as a blast of Nightmare Moon’s magic erupted from the ground where he had been lying.

He got to his hooves and charged back into the fray, where Comet and Princess Celestia were combining their power in a three-way beam lock, much like how Nova, Comet, and Envy had done. Despite that, Nightmare Moon was ever so slowly pushing their beams back. Nova ran up alongside the Princess, but fired his beams low, toward Nightmare Moon’s hooves.

The Nightmare broke off the attack and dodged Nova’s offense, countering by sending her magic into the surrounding flora. The trees started to swing their branches at them, the grass elongated and attempted to hold them down, and the leaves sharpened and flew at them to slice them in a whirlwind.

Nova conjured his dome shield again and expanded it as widely as he could before he encountered Nightmare Moon’s magic in the ground. The grass under him remained normal, even as the grass around him grew and tried to pierce the shield. The trees slammed their branches into it and the leaves continued to glance off of it, but his shield stood firm.

Celestia released a wave of golden magic that cancelled out any of Nightmare Moon’s spells, but also had the unfortunate-side effect of causing Nova’s shield to fail.

As soon as the wave passed through Nova, who’d had ample opportunity to witness the spell’s effects, he let loose a blast of magical fire from his horn. Nightmare Moon hissed and sent back the expected hose of water. Comet, having seen what Nova was doing, responded by freezing the water in the air, catching Nightmare Moon’s horn in the ice.

Nova immediately leapt on top of their makeshift bridge and charged right at Nightmare Moon, who struggled to free herself. Right before Nova jumped over her, she freed herself, but Nova hald already conjured a web of binding enchantments around her, in an attempt to hold her down so they could use the Elements on her.

Nova had her secured, but then she suddenly dissolved into a mist of blue.

“Oh, no fair,” whined Nova. “We were doing so well...”

The mist split into three parts, one heading for each pony. Nova fired a beam at the rapidly advancing cloud, but it sank into the ground. Nova searched for Nightmare Moon’s energy inhe ground, but he couldn’t sense her.

He suddenly felt energy welling up behind him and he whirled around, a spell on his horn--

--and he found himself looking on Clover, causing him to stumble back and fall over.

No, it can’t be! he thought, but it was all there. The streak in the hair, the cutie mark, even the same energy!

He was vaguely aware of somepony shouting at him, but he was rooted to his spot on the ground as Clover knelt down before him, took his face in her hooves, and drew their faces closer--

BAM!

Nova coughed out blood as the back of his head collided with something hard. A blue cloud flew away from his body at top speed, even as Princess Celestia hurried toward him.

“Wha-- what happened?” asked Nova, as he watched Comet fend off Nightmare Moon with an impressive display of his own magic being used to counter every offensive attempt.

“She took control of you right after you turned around,” explained the Princess as she used her magic to heal his pounding head. “It’s been a couple of minutes. Did she make you see anything?”

Nova’s gut wrenched. He really didn’t want to say, but the look on his face must have clued Princess Celestia in.

“You saw her, didn’t you?” she asked gently. “Clover?”

Nova nodded, feeling his eyes start to sting a little, but he wiped his tears away and got back to his hooves.

“Let’s end this,” he growled.

He charged to Comet’s side an began to help him counter every attack from the fallen alicorn, but Nova added his own personal touch to his defenses. Every time a spell was deflected, Nova placed a trap spell in the ground, meant to bind a pony in place. As soon as Nightmare Moon was in place, he would activate the spells, but first, he needed to get her there.

He charged out to the side, cutting off the Nightmare as she ran around to their left to flank them, which caused her to backpedal and run the other way. Nova chased her, even as Comet started to back away as well. Nightmare Moon suspected nothing, and continued to work her way away from Nova, eventually finding her way into the space.

Nova grinned and activated the magic. Blue pillars erupted from the ground, trapping the black alicorn inside. Nova let out a triumphant shout.

A blue cloud issued from the trap cluster, which caused Nova to let out a cry in dismay.

What the hell can we do if she just makes herself impervious to all of our magic!?

The cloud solidified back into the form of Nightmare Moon, who cackled at them.

“What can you do to defeat me, when I can shapeshift my way out of your traps, hmm?”

It was then that Nova noticed one glaring detail that he had quite forgotten: her wings were still burnt and featherless. Nightmare Moon couldn’t fly, except in that magic-immune form.

Before he could act on this notion, Nightmare Moon’s tail suddenly shot at him and wrapped around his throat. Before he could do anything about it, he was lifted off the ground, sputtering and choking while he desperately attempted to inhale.

“Hmmm… perhaps I should choke the life out of you before your Princess’ eyes,” she mused. “Both of them, might I add. Yes, Luna can see everything happening here today.”

Nova struggled to gain some kind of leverage with his hooves to force the vicegrip around his neck to loosen any at all, but it was in vain. His vision flickered for a moment and spots swam before his eyes--

Nova gasped for breath on the ground, feeling his raw throat with every gulp of wonderfully, beautifully cold air. He looked up in time to see Comet standing between him and Nightmare Moon with his horn brimming with magic. The fragment of Nightmare Moon’s tail that had attempted to strangle him dissolved into the air.

His hooves gave out beneath him and he slumped to the ground, too weak to hold himself up. A bubble of golden energy appeared around him, and Princess Celestia’s voice rang in his head.

Gather what strength you need, but guard yourself better.

Nova spent several seconds lying there, steadying himself and getting his strength back. When he pushed himself to his hooves, the bubble of magic around him vanished. In that half-minute, Princess Celestia and Comet had started to drive the Nightmare back with a furious combination of spellwork.

Nova had to admire the creativity they were putting into it. Celestia fired off stars like Captain Steelshod had, which Comet would use to chain fire and lightning spells in Nightmare Moon’s direction. Other times, Comet would create a shield, and Princess Celestia would deflect a spell off of it in an attempt to throw off Nightmare Moon.

Nova took a deep breath and plunged his being into his Source. At once, five balls of blue light sprung up around him. Nova took another deep breath, and he charged forward.

At a mere thought, the blue balls of magic flew out to different positions around the clearing they were in. With another thought, they all began firing energy beams at Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon did not expect this new flurry of attacks and conjured a blue bubble around herself that stopped any magic that tried to get through.

Nova took another deep breath.

“You need to brush up on your pegasi and earth pony magicks, Night Apprentice.”

Lord Silverblood’s words had been taken to heart. Instead of allowing the flow of magic to go to his horn, Nova redirected it toward his legs.

To say it felt strange would be an understatement. It felt like ice-cold water was being poured inside his skin, and when it hit his hooves, it felt like it was bleeding out of him. But in the end, he was rewarded. Blue spikes of magic blasted upward inside Nightmare Moon’s bubble and hit her right in the barrel, causing her to shriek in surprise and drop her shield. As soon as the shield was down, the energy beams from his orbs of magic pummelled her, since they had continued firing the entire time.

He couldn’t help but give a sympathetic wince as Nightmare Moon was blasted from all directions with no chance of getting a spell off, but he knew it was time to deal the coup de grâce. He placed the traps beneath her, stopped the beam spamming, and then activated his traps.

Nightmare Moon slumped down on the ground, completely exhausted and definitely wounded from the ferocity of the attack. Nova saw several places where she had been burned or pierced with bolts. Beside him, Comet and Celestia both had places where they had been injured as well. Nova still had a lump on his head from his fight with Envy, and it had only compounded when he had been thrown into the tree by Celestia to get the Nightmare out of his head.

“Ready?” he asked Princess Celestia, who nodded gravely, the tears already starting to form.

Celestia’s horn glowed, but instead of golden magic, this time white magic shone. Nova felt two very different kinds of energy well up inside him, and his horn burst forth a stream of both blue and purple magic. On Celestia’s other side, Comet let loose streams of red and green. All four streams of magic shot upward above Celestia, who added streams of orange and yellow magic to it, forming a beam of rainbow magic.

"Goodbye, sister," Nova heard Celestia mutter, quivering with emotion.

This beam flew at Nightmare Moon, who did nothing to resist it. It struck at her hooves, swirled around her, contracted, and then flew toward the bright full moon in the sky. A few moments later, the unblemished surface of the moon was altered as dark circular patches appeared on it. The dark patches formed a shape Nova had seen up until just after he first moved to Neighton, the shape of a unicorn’s head.

The two streams of magic vanished from within Nova, and a large ball of stone appeared before him, before dropping to the ground with a thud. Two balls of stone had appeared before Comet and Celestia, dropping as well, and Nova took this to mean that the Elements’ presence had completely left the three of them, now that their job was complete.

For a moment, all three of them stared at the moon, content to watch and say nothing. Nova looked down at Celestia to see a small atream of tears trickle down her cheek, but otherwise, she showed no emotion. Finally, she turned her gaze to the ground.

“It’s time to return,” she said softly, picking up the two elements she had wielded with magic. “Please, help me return these to the pedestal before the Chapel Tower.”

Nova nodded, picking up the Element of Loyalty and following after her as she started to make her way back to the Castle.

Comet dashed ahead of them, which Nova knew must be in his eagerness to go and see Sunbeam, who even now must be awakening from her sleep, but Nova called after him to stop. He had just remembered something important.

Comet stopped and turned back, raising an eyebrow.

“After this, I’m going back to my Vault and I am not coming out until I’m back in my own time,” Nova said. “That being said, because we’re going to see Envy in the future, I need you to look after something for me.”

“What do you want me to do with it?” Comet asked. “Anything in particular?”

“I dunno,” said Nova, untying his little amulet from around his neck. “Just pass it down from generation to generation or something. Just keep an eye on this amulet for me, will you?”

Comet took the amulet from him, inspected it for a moment, and then tied it around his neck.

“You can count on me,” he said. He then bowed, which much like it had when Star Swirl had done, made Nova feel rather embarrassed. “It’s been an honor to fight with you.”

“And you,” Nova said, returning the bow.

Comet dashed ahead and out of sight, leaving Nova alone with Princess Celestia, who was slowly following him, her head drooped low and her eyes looking very wet.

“How long?” she asked.

“How long will she be imprisoned there?” Nova asked, and Princess Celestia nodded. “Well, I don’t think I’m supposed to answer that, but--” and here he raised his voice slightly because she had attempted to interrupt, “let me tell you a story from when I was a foal.”

He leaned his head back as he recalled the story his mother once told him, a story she had once just waved off as being an old pony’s tale. While he didn’t remember all the words, he did the best he could.

“Once upon a time, in the olden times of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land.”

He smiled somewhat, remembering his time in the past. Harmony had been exactly the right word to use.

“To do this,” he continued, “the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.”

He knew Celestia was listening to his every word, and he continued telling her the story.

“But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia gave a little shudder and another set of tears dropped from her muzzle.

“She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since. But one day, the longest day of the thousandth year, she will return and bring with her nighttime eternal.”

Upon uttering this last line, Celestia nodded to herself.

“A thousand years,” she said softly. “Must it be so long? It was I who faulted her, yet it is her who bears the punishment.”

Nova shook his head sadly.

“I wish I could say it wouldn’t, but it must. And you only did so little. It was Envy who turned her insecurities into her prison, not you.”

Celestia’s head drooped even lower, but only for a moment. After, her head rose, and she smiled.

“I’ll just wait patiently for her return, then,” she said. “It’ll be a long time, but I will still see my sister again.”

“I got one-up on you, Princess,” Nova replied with a smirk. “I’ve been waiting two hundred fifty years for my special somepony, and i have a thousand years to go.”

“But you’re going to be in time stasis,” she pointed out. “That doesn’t count.”

Nova chuckled.

“I suppose it doesn’t.”

They made it back to the Castle, where Nova put his Element back in its place, just as Princess Celestia did. Nova noticed her eyes had returned to their usual look.

“Looks like you burned out all that excess sun magic. Your eyes are back to normal.”

“Are they?" she asked, before crossing her eyes to glance at her stil-waving mane. "But my hair isn’t.”

Nova smiled at her.

“I think it’s a good look for you,” he replied honestly.

“Is it, now?” she replied, giving him a sultry look and a suggestive wink. Nova smiled back at her, knowing what she was trying to do. After a moment, she laughed.

“Even after two hundred fifty years, you still aren’t one to be defeated by the mere implications of illicit activities.”

Nova shrugged.

“What can I say? I’ve had to put up with you and your sister for most of my Night Apprenticeship. I guess I got good at my poker face.”

She trotted over and hugged him suddenly. He started, but he returned the hug after a moment.

“Thank-you,” she said softly. “I don’t think we would have defeated Luna without your help.”

“Sure you would have,” Nova replied. “I just made it easier.”

“I’m going to miss you, too,” she said, letting go and looking him in the eyes. “I’ve missed you ever since you went into time stasis, and now you have to do it again.”

“I don’t have to, but I very much want to,” he said.

“So, see you in a millennium?” she asked.

“Looks like it,” he said.

“See you in a thousand years, Nova,” Celestia said, giving him another hug, which he returned immediately.

“You too, Princess.”

Nova turned around and immediately set off for the Vaults, and once there, immediately went to his. He saw the shimmering tile on the ground and knew that with one step, he would return to his own time.

“Wait for me, Twilight,” he whispered out loud as he stepped forward and the spell began to flow around him, “I’m coming home.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“And that will do it for tonight,” said Nova, right before he gave huge yawn.

“But what about after you got back!?” protested Twilight. “What did you do for seven months!?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow on the train to Canterlot,” Nova said, “but it’s too late tonight.”

“Wait, the train to Canterlot?”

“Yeah,” he said. “The Princesses want to see us tomorrow. I’ll explain on the train, like I said. But we really need to get some sleep tonight. It’s almost eleven, and Spike’s been listening in this entire time.”

“Wha-- Spike!” Twilight yelled at the hole in the above floor where Nova had sensed the baby dragon listening in. He heard the scuttling of feet and knew Spike had to be quickly running back to his bed before Twilight got up there.

“Besides,” said Nova, getting up and stretching, “I’m tired and I need my beauty sleep.”

“You sound like Rarity.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nova lied as he trotted back up to the loft. “Come on, time for bed.”

Twilight smiled as he walked up the stairs, putting out the lights, closing all the windows, and following him up. He was already curled up under the covers, so she climbed in after him. With one last blow to put out the bedside candle, she climbed in after. Within moments, she was sleeping peacefully.

I’m home, thought Nova, even as he wrapped his hooves around Twilight and held her close. He felt his eyes start to well up, and he rested his head close to her’s.

I’m finally home.

Author's Note

After two months, I did it. 25,000 words. I stand amazed at myself for this. This is the longest chapter I have ever written in my life (and I seriously hope it's the longest i ever write).

Thank-you all for your patience. What did you think of this doorstopper of a chapter?

With Great Power...

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 19 - With Great Power...

One song this chapter. Open in new tab, please.

For the third time in three days, Twilight watched the landscape of Equestria zoom by outside the train window. It was only a few minutes outside of Ponyville, not even enough time for the town to vanish from view, but she still enjoyed the surroundings.

Nova didn’t care about the surroundings, though. At this particular.point in time, his thoughts were on the mare currently laying her head on his shoulder. He still half-couldn’t believe that he was finally back. It had seemed a lot longer than it actually was that he was separated from her, but he didn’t care about that anymore. All that mattered was that he was back, and that he now had one thing separating Twilight from him: Envy.

“So,” began Twilight, keeping her head on his shoulder, “what happened after you got back?”

“Quite frankly? Almost nothing,” Nova answered, which drew a bit of an annoyed groan from his marefriend. “But I’ll indulge you on the parts that actually had some semblance of importance, which basically boils down to my first day back and yesterday walking over to Ponyville.”

At the mention of his walk, Twilight raised her head and glanced at the bandage around his middle. During the night, the previous bandage had been bled through, so she replaced it. The wound would still take some time to heal, but at what point would it close?

“So, it felt like as soon as I stepped on that tile…”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

As soon as the magic started, it stopped. Despite the short work of the spell, Nova immediately knew it had worked. The air had become thicker and mustier, and the walls around him showed signs of decay that had not been there when he had entered the vault.

He looked around in time to see that Princess Celestia was not there to pull him out, and he grinned. He was back! Now it was only a matter of time before he could see Twilight again!

He bolted out of the vault, ascended the long ramp at top speed, and burst out into the Everfree Forest.

At first, he had forgotten to not expect a city beyond the walls of the Vaults. He had been quite startled to find a jungle outside, but he quickly enough got over it and started to make his way toward the trail back to Trottingham, but stopped.

I wonder how the Old Castle looks, he thought, so he decided to go see it. Having only seen it in its constructed state, he found it disheartening to find that though the whole castle was still standing, the main portion was crumbling.. Still, he continued forward and set to looking around the Chapel Tower, which still looked to be in good enough shape to explore.

Before, it had been nothing but a place where weddings and the like could be held, so Nova was not surprised to see a barren room atop the stairs. Before, he and Clover had duelled before the princesses in this very chamber, a duel which he won almost by a landslide.

He returned outside, noting that the Elements of Harmony had been removed from their little pedestal, which he found to be quite encouraging. At the very least, he was within three years of his younger self’s departure.

When he had looked over the Old Castle long enough, he set off along the trail away from Ponyville, toward Trottingham. Just in case it was the wrong date, he didn’t want to go to the place where he was most likely to run into his past self. Trottingham was still a risk, but not nearly as big of one.

He arrived at the village within the hour and noted that the village was in the middle of spring, nearing summertime. It was hard to tell seasons in the thick jungle where it was nearly always hot.

Upon entering the town, he made his way over toward a nearby stand selling copies of the Equestria Daily, and snatched one up to look at.

May 16th, 1003ANM

Seven months early, he thought. Well at least I’ll be exactly two years older when I get back.

But before he could do anything else, he had a pony to pay a visit to.

He had come out in the early morning, at about seven o’clock. The train to Canterlot got him there in another few hours, right around lunchtime, where he bolted toward the Castle. As expected, the guards barred his entrance.

“Nopony enters without proper clearance! State your name and business!” the stern guardspony curtly said to him.

“My name is Nova Shine, Her Majesty Princess Luna’s Night Apprentice. I need to speak to both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as soon as I can.”

“Night Apprentice, eh?” asked the guard. “Then what have you to say about that?”

The idea was Princess Luna’s that he would have a password with the guards to show his authenticity, particularly after the wedding in Canterlot only a month and a half before.

“Trotterdam,” he replied, at which the guards stepped aside.

“You may pass,” he said, but Nova was already cantering down the hall toward the throne room, passing several ponies on his way.

A second set of guards barred the door to the throne room, which Nova knew meant extra security, but why? Something had to have happened that prompted that, even after the wedding. Nevertheless, he repeated his name and business to the guard, before adding the personal touch of his cloak to make sure Princess Celestia knew he was the older one.

“Princess Celestia! Night Apprentice Nova Shine to see you, ma’am!” the guard called inside.

“Send him in,” he heard her say.

The guard motioned with his head for him to continue, and Nova strode inside the familiar Unicornia Palace throne room. Celestia was seated on what was once Princess Platinum’s throne, and she looked rather tense.

“Ah, Nova Shine!” she said with a slight start, followed by a smile. “To what do I owe the… pleasure…”

She trailed off, and her smile faded as she recognized him.

“Oh,” she said, looking very surprised, “oh my, it’s you, isn’t it? The one I fought alongside?”

Nova nodded and bowed. Princess Celestia’s eyes widened, and she lifted a hoof to her mouth in shock.

“You’re early,” she said, standing up and starting to walk down to where she could inspect him.

“Better than being late, I suppose,” he noted. “Where’s Princess Luna?"

“I’m here,” came a voice from behind Nova. “It’s not like you to come to Canterlot, Nova. It must be…”

She too trailed off. When Nova turned his head to look behind his tail and see what she was doing, she was frozen there with a dumbfounded look on her face. He smiled at her.

“It’s been a while, Princess Luna,” he said, turning himself around and walking up to her.

“Yes, it… it has,” replied Luna breathlessly, still gazing at Nova in shock. “But… but you weren’t supposed to come back for… what, seven months? Something like that?"

“Oh, you remembered the date?” asked Nova, turning to Princess Celestia with a raised eyebrow. Princess Celestia smiled and waved a dismissive hoof.

“Not exactly,” she said. “I wrote the date on the last page of my diary, and every year when I hit the end, I would buy a new diary to write in and add the date to the end of it as a reminder.”

“How many diaries do you have?”

“Only about one thousand two hundred eighty” she replied. “I started having to store them in my personal Canterlot Bank vault, which had robberies attempted on it more than once."

She smirked.

“The thieves expected items of value inside, possibly even financial records to modify, and instead, they found diaries.”

The trio shared a collective laugh for a moment, though Luna’s was little more than two or three forced “ha’s.” She was still apparently in blatant shock. Perhaps she didn’t remember he was from this time, until he appeared right before her eyes? After all, she had lost her power as a result of Nightmare Moon, and had to work to reattain it. Perhaps her memory was tied to this?

“Princess Celestia?” Nova asked, turning back around toward the older sister, “does she remember me?”

“Of course I do!” she snapped. “I just… I…”

When Nova cast his gaze back to her, she had her head turned to the side to avoid meeting his eyes.

“I didn’t,” she said apologetically. “I mean, I remembered who you were, I remembered the name Nova Shine, but I forgot it was… well, you. If I had remembered you were coming back, I might not have taken on another Night-- wait.”

Nova snickered as Luna put two and two together and her jaw dropped again. Took her long enough.

“You’re the same pony as my current student!”

“Aaaand Princess Luna just won a million bits!” exclaimed Nova, clapping his hooves together. Princess Celestia turned her head away and covered her muzzle with a hoof to avoid Luna’s annoyed glare.

“You didn’t help me remember him?” Luna asked softly.

Nova felt all the warmth that had been in the room drain almost instantly. Celestia’s eyes widened suddenly, and Princess Luna strode past Nova to confront her.

“You didn’t tell me that my favorite pupil, a pony I barely remembered, was the exact same one that I was educating, at your request!? You didn’t see the need to tell me!?”

Celestia opened her mouth to answer, but she stopped suddenly.

“She’s here,” she stated sharply to Luna, who frowned.

“We are not done with this discussion, sister,” she said coldly. “I will pursue it as soon as you have finished explaining the situation to Twilight Sparkle.”

“Wait, Twilight’s here?” Nova asked.

“Yes,” said Celestia. “I have summoned her. You see, after a thousand years, the Empire to the North has resurfaced, though Sombra now openly calls it the Crystal Empire, but of course you know that. Twilight Sparkle has been summoned because I believe she would be the perfect pony to travel north to it and ensure Sombra’s influence is permanently dealt with.”

“Then I probably need to make myself scarce,” Nova said. “She’s only met me once before today, and that was Trading Day those years ago.”

“Wait,” called Luna.

Nova, who was already on his way back out, turned and raised an eyebrow.

“Give us your cloak.”

Wordlessly and immediately, Nova took off his cloak and levitated it over to Princess Luna. One it was within her control, it shimmered. Nova noted from the energy coming from that nexus of spells that she was fixing his cloak, upgrading some of the spells woven into it, and adding a few more.

After a few moments, the light-blue magic that had covered the cloak vanished, leaving it to flutter down to Princess Luna’s waiting hoof. She inspected it for a moment before proffering it back to Nova.

“I have added several enchantments to the cloaks over the years,” she explained as Nova took the cloak and started inspecting it. “Naturally, I brought it up to the standards as they were when Comet was the Night Apprentice, and then I enhanced it further. I also took the liberty of repairing the spellshield woven into the fabric. I’ll need to teach you how to do all of this by yourself so that I don’t have to constantly repower your cloak every time you run its enchantments dry.”

Nova swung the cloak on around him again, noting that it felt slightly lighter than before, somehow.

“Thank-you, Princess,” he said gratefully.

“One more thing,” added Luna.

“Two more,” said Celestia quickly, which did not do her any favors in making Luna any less annoyed. “The day after you arrive where you were sent back, I will be expecting you here.”

“Yes, Princess,” Nova said.

“Finally,” continued Princess Luna as if Celestia had not interrupted her, “I have little left to teach you, so whenever I do approach you about teaching you anything, it will be at my discretion and when I am not currently teaching your younger self. Just giving you, as ponies say, a ‘head’s-up.’”

“I have to go,” said Nova, bowing to both of them. “Thank-you both for this meeting.”

“Oh, and Nova, do you have anything to live on until you’re back where you left off?” asked Celestia, just as Nova had reached out a hoof to push open the door.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I had something in mind. I just have to get into and out of Neighton without me seeing myself.”

With that, he pushed open the throne room door and trotted back out toward the entrance. However, as he was so preoccupied thinking about where he would live for the next seven months and such, he didn’t pay too much attention to the surroundings, narrowly missing several ponies and culminating in a collision.

“Ugh!” grunted Nova as he landed on his rump.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!”

Nova froze. That voice...

It’s her…

Nova looked up to see Twilight Sparkle, wearing her usual saddlebags laden with books, quills, parchment and the like looking down at him with concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked, offering a hoof, which he took and she pulled him to his hooves.

“Yeah,” he answered, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, tilting her head. “I mean, I did hit you pretty hard, and with me carrying all of these books, all that momentum--”

“Yes, Twilight, I’m fine,” he repeated a little more forcefully. “I just have something important I was thinking about, and I really need to go take care of it.”

“Well, if you say so,” she said. She paused and looked into his eyes. “Sir, are you… crying?”

“Wha-- no!” said Nova, hastily wiping his eyes. “It’s just allergies. Somethin’ in the air.”

“Well, okay then. It was nice talking to you. Sorry I ran into you.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” he said. “You’d better get going. Don’t you have something important you need to do that needs all those books and stuff?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Yes, I need to go and see Princess Celestia as fast as I can.”

“Well, might want to get on that,” Nova said, waving with a hoof up the hallway toward the throne room. “Well, I’ll see you around, Twilight Sparkle.”

With that, he turned and trotted off, leaving Twilight to stare after him in confusion.

How did he know my name? she thought.

However he did, it still probably wasn’t as important as the test Princess Celestia wanted her to take. That being said, she galloped up the hall to the throne room door, which stood ajar, and she could hear Princess Luna and Princess Celestia speaking inside. Not wanting to disturb their discussion, she stood in the entry as they both spoke to each other while looking up at Cadance and Shining Armor’s new stained glass.

“...and when she does,” said Princess Celestia to her sister, “we’ll know that she is that much closer to being ready.”

Twilight cleared her throat. Celestia and Luna glanced at her for a moment.

“Trust me, little sister,” Celestia whispered to Luna, who started walking out.

“You wanted to see me? To give me a test?” asked Twilight as Princess Luna strode past and gave her the merest of glances. “I brought my own quills, and plenty of paper to show my work,” she added, levitating her saddlebags off of her, causing a roll of parchment to unfurl itself from Twilight all fifty or so yards to Princess Celestia’s hooves.

“Sorry, sorry!” cried Twilight apologetically, trying desperately to roll up the parchment, but Princess Celestia levitated it before her and simply rolled it up in a trice.

“This is a different kind of test,” she said somewhat sharply, replacing everything that had fallen out back to their places in Twilight’s saddlebags. “The Crystal Empire has returned.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“So, that pretty much sums up almost everything that happened my first day back,” said Nova. “Well, that’s not counting what happened when I was trotting down Canterlot Mountain later that day.”

“What happened then?” asked Twilight.

“Nearly got run over,” he said. “Twisted my ankle on a bad step, fell over just as a wagon came up the path, and out of reflex, I hit a wheel with magic and knocked it loose. Caused some pretty extensive damage to the wagon, but nothing a few bits couldn’t replace, and given that wagon was going to Canterlot, I was banking on the pony inside to have a few to spare."

“You do realize that this means you’re the one who trashed Trixie’s wagon and contributed to her coming after me a few weeks after that day, don’t you?” asked Twilight.

“You ended up winning that duel,” Nova pointed out. “I see your point, but I won’t lose any sleep over it. And speaking of Trixie, I have to start covering some of the stuff that happened in between that day and yesterday now.”

He leaned back in his seat and put his hooves behind his head in a relaxed pose.

“So first off, I rented an apartment in Manehattan again. It had been a while, so I just lived there up until a couple of days ago. Now, remember when all the nightmares first started happening? You know, the ones that got me to come stay over at Golden Oaks to do research?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, it was me, Twilight.”

Twilight gave him a confused look. “What do you mean it was you?”

"It was me, Twilight,” he repeated firmly. "I'm the one who gave us all nightmares."

“What are you talking about? Envy cast those spells on us,” she said.

“As a matter of fact,” explained Nova, “she did not. The only nightmare she induced was the one you suffered in Trottingham. I induced all of the others.”

Twilight stared at him. Nova couldn’t really tell if she was angry at him or not. He had figured that, since the nightmares were past, there wouldn’t be any problems, but it appeared as though she was inching toward a magical explosion the likes of which Nova had only seen in himself in The Cloak and Dagger when his father had made him so angry, he had let loose that burst of magic.

“You mean to say,” Twilight said in a voice that spoke volumes of her efforts to keep control, “that those hours of sleep I lost, those nightmares we had, everything that led up to us going to Trottingham, those nightmares that made it easier for Trixie to be possessed, and even that last one in Trottingham, all of that was you!?”

“Not all of that.” replied Nova, not even slightly perturbed by Twilight’s furious look. “I’m not responsible for Envy possessing Trixie and neither are you,” he said quickly, because he had a correct feeling Twilight was about to snap at him about it being her fault instead. “It’s not really Trixie’s fault either. None of us could have predicted this with Envy’s curse on herself. It just happened, we have to live with it, and we’ve got to do everything in our power to save her."

Twilight glowered at him, but he continued.

"As for the one in Trottingham, well," Nova shrugged, "looking back on that time, seeing you panicked was what really spurred me to defend you, so I did what I had to do to save both of our skins. Frankly, the reason why I induced those nightmares to begin with was because I realized one evening that the reason why the pony who cast those nightmares on us knew us so well so they could cast those nightmares on us... well," he smiled wryly, "it's because it was me all along."

Twilight stared at him for a moment, still far from at peace. After all, she had just found out it was her own coltfriend who had shown her those visions of the Everfree Vaults, ruined her sleep schedule, and generally made those couple of months miserable. But then again, it had led to them getting together...

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” he asked, his tone making it perfectly clear the question was rhetorical.

“No, you think?”

“It was just a question,” Nova said, his tone sounding long-suffering, but Twilight wanted to call BS on it. He was probably doing his absolute best to placate her in any way. And yet, if that was true, then why wasn’t he making hasty explanations or something like that? Why wasn't he trying to excuse himself, and owning up?

“Yes,” she sighed. “Would you be mad if you found out your marefriend made you dream things that cost you sleeping hours when you’re not used to and generally making life for those days a living Tartarus?”

“No,” said Nova immediately, and calmly enough to annoy her even more. “Because I’d remember that if it hadn’t ever happened, other things would have happened and I wouldn’t have gotten such an amazing marefriend.”

“Who isn’t egotistical in the slightest,” teased Twilight.

“Or vain,” replied Nova, brushing a few bangs of his mane out of his face.

“Or…” she trailed off, “darn you, Nova. I didn’t expect you to start insulting yourself like that.”

“Wait, who said anything about insulting me? I thought I complimented you, and I thought… oh dear, I think we both just got the wrong impression of each other.”

He smiled.

"Oh, and I did start to influence things that led to the both of us finding Envy," he continued. "Well, only one thing, really. I had gone to my house because I wanted reading material, and I had completely forgotten that that day in particular was the day I came over and found the mention of the Vaults. It was too late to get out of the house, so I just hid myself as best i could with my cloak. Then, when he was about to leave, I knocked the book down to the page in question."

Twilight grunted. She had always thought of it as being entirely too coincidental that Nova's account had mentioned that the book fell to exactly the right page. It just went to show that she was right in the end.

Her eyes fell to the floor, and instantly, they narrowed. There was a certain something there, or rather a certain lack of someone, that tipped Twilight off to the fact that there was something wrong with this.

“Nova, where’s Spike?” she asked.

“We left him at Rarity’s, remember?” he reminded her, but she didn’t take the bait.

“No we didn’t. He came onto the train with us, and he slept in his little basket. Nova Shine you tell me this instant, where is Spike!?”

Nova simply returned her furious stare with a little poker face, but after a moment, he grinned.

“Very perceptive, Twilight,” he said. “Guess that means it’s time to wake up.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Twilight’s eyes bolted open. She was still in the compartment; she had been sleeping that entire time, her head on Nova’s shoulder as he peacefully slumbered on the wall next to the window. On the floor, Spike still slept in his basket, curled up and softly snoring.

She sat up, yawned, and cast her gaze out the window. Canterlot was within thirty minutes. They had all been sleeping to make up for the few hours lost the night before, when Nova was still telling his story. But if she had been dreaming the entire time, did that mean his story he had told her was wrong?

Well, duh.

“You couldn’t wait a couple more minutes, could you, Twi?” came Nova’s irritated mumbling from her right. When she looked, she saw that he was content to keep lying there, curled up in his Night Apprentice cloak.

“Were you awake the entire time?” she asked.

“Nope,” he replied, sitting up and stretching. “I was talking to you that entire time.”

“What are you talking about? I was asleep just now.

“I mean, I was dreamwalking inside your mind,” he said casually. “You were dreaming, I paid a visit and changed it all, and I went ahead and told you what happened after I got back. I was starting to wonder when you were going to notice Spike’s absence.”

“Wait, I-- you-- but-- ...huh?”

“I changed your dream, Twi,” Nova explained. “I changed the dreamscape to the train compartment we were in, except I removed Spike from it. This way, we could catch up on the sleep we lost last night and I could explain everything that happened. Except not exactly everything, since you woke up before I could tell you about how I killed all that time, but a good chunk of it.”

“You… dreamwalked?”

“Yep,” said Nova cheerfully. “Princess Luna taught me how, during the seven months I was back. Pretty nifty spell, if I do say so myself. Useful for everything from relaxation to interrogation. I can change the dream to whatever I want, whenever I want as long as I’m the one that initiated the dreamwalking.”

“Does that mean you can dreamwalk into your own dreams?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Good question,” said Nova, nodding. “And the answer is yes, you can. It’s implored, even, because dreamwalking is the first step toward entering another pony’s mind. When you’ve entered their subconsciousness, that makes it easier to enter their consciousness. So, imagine you were entering your own consciousness. It would give you a completely truthful understanding of yourself, with no way to hide your flaws.”

“Have you done it before?”

The question startled Nova. Sure, he had thought about doing it, but there was this niggling feeling at the back of his mind that was telling him that ignorance was bliss enough as is.

“No,” he answered, “but I have thought about it. I just don’t feel like ruining my ego yet.”

Twilight snorted, but lay her head on his shoulder again.

“What did you do until you got back?” she asked.

“Honestly? Not much,” Nova responded. “I basically spent seven months living in Manehattan, learning some advanced stuff from Princess Luna, and going to watch Arsenal whenever I felt like it. That honestly does about sum it up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” admitted Nova. “Pretty boring. I did, however, go and watch myself fall in love with you, though.”

Twilight blinked.

“I’m sorry?”

“I went to Brayton,” Nova elaborated. “I went to Trottingham that day we all did. I was so desperate to see you again, I was willing to risk being seen by myself just to see you once a month and a half before I was supposed to, but my cloak came in handy, since it could make me invisible. I saw us during the lights festival, I followed both of us as we made our way to the giant Hearth’s Warming tree, and I watched as my younger self fell head over hooves with you, even if it would take him a few weeks to realize it.”

Twilight stared at him.

“Let me guess, you think that sounded quite creepy, didn’t you?”

“A bit,” admitted Twilight. “You sound like that vampire pony.”

“I take offense to that!” protested Nova. “I did not watch you while you slept!”

“Hey, can you two please keep it down?” grumbled Spike from his basket on the floor, rolling over and stuffing a claw in each ear. “Some of us are trying to sleep!”

“Sorry Spike,” said Twilight.

Spike continued shifting around to find a comfortable position, mumbling darkly under his breath all the while. Nova made a mental note to drop him off at the Sparkles’ on the way up.

“Now, about what happened yesterday morning,” Twilight said.

“Yesterday morning. Well…”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova was practically bouncing down the path to Ponyville from Neighton. This was it. This was the day! As soon as he was sure his younger self had left for Ponyville from the Cloak and Dagger the day before yesterday, he had gone back to his house to spend the next day. And now it was time for him to be reunited with Twilight.

Nothing could tarnish his mood today! It was a perfect day, even beside the circumstances. The weather was slightly chilly, but he loved cold weather, so he left his cloak stored in his Source, eager to enjoy winter.

“Somepony’s in a good mood today,” came a dry remark from his right.

Purely out of reflex, he whirled around to see a large tree, with a pony sitting up on one of its thicker branches, laying back in classic Rainbow Dash pose. A pony with a blue coat and a pale blue mane…

“Trixie!” Nova shouted reflexively. If that was Trixie, then that meant…

“Oh, I think we both know that’s not true, Nova Shine,” said Trixie-- no, Envy--, sliding over and jumping down, where she landed with a graceful roll into a standing position, mere meters from him. Light glinted off of a darkened steel amulet right on her chest, which highlighted a diamond-shaped ruby set into the center.

Nova gaped at it.

“Is that the Alicorn Amulet!?”

It had been hard to ignore the goings-on in Ponyville when it was under Trixie’s iron hoof some five months previously. Nova had heard the name before, and he had made sure to inquire about it to Princess Luna shortly after the incident. They had been working on a place to keep it away from common ponies, but the process was taking a long time, so they had let Zecora continue to keep an eye on it.

“What have you done with Zecora!?” Nova thundered. He considered Zecora a friend, based on the few times they had spoken, and he would be damned before he saw a friend suffer.

“Oh relax, would you?” Envy sighed, shaking her head at him. “The zebra lady’s fine. She doesn’t even know I took it. I just popped into her mind for a brief look-through, then walked off with it in my possession a few minutes later. All she did was stick it in an enchanted tree. Besides, if I went and killed somepony, I’d just have hundreds of guards on me and as good as I am, I don’t think I’d be able to handle all of them at once, including probably you, that mare in the town, and the princesses.”

She paused for a moment, then glared suspiciously at Nova.

“And out of curiosity, how do you know about the Alicorn Amulet and the fact that the zebra lady had it? When I was poking around through her mind, her memories indicated she’d told nopony about it, and this host’s memories indicate she only met you that day she returned seeking Twilight Sparkle’s help. Dear dear, is our Nova Shine doing things he shouldn’t behind the princesses’ backs?”

“Nothing of the sort,” denied Nova flatly. “Surely you must have seen Twilight and I on a date over the last few days. Not even a week ago, if I remember correctly, you tried to trash it.”

“Tried?” scoffed Envy, “I had her knocking you-- wait a minute.”

Her eyes bulged as yet another revelation regarding him came to her.

“That was you!? That same little stallion was you!?”

“That’s right,” said Nova, nodding. “You’re the reason I went back to the past and turned you into… this. Finding out more about you and how to beat you, that is.”

“I thought you were just him reincarnated, at first,” she admitted, seeming to shake off the revelation quite easily Nova supposed after all the other things she had learned about him, this one had to have been pretty soft. “I mean, I knew that other mare wasn’t her, even if she looked the same, so I thought the same about you in the Vaults. So that was the younger you, eh? I suppose it’s a good thing I didn’t kill you when I had the chance.”

“I guess,” said Nova, shrugging. “Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey and all that."

“You know,” Envy said with a small smile, “it’s a good thing I wasn’t using a host body back then, when we fought each other while Luna was rampaging.”

“Why not?”

“Because you never saw that I can operate my host body like a puppet, even when I’m right behind you.”

Nova whirled around, catching the briefest glimpse of a green coat before there was a sharp, stabbing pain in his back.

Nova cried out in pain and shock, but before he could even fall over, he was lifted off the ground and tossed into a nearby tree by magic. By the purest luck, he hit on his side, which only jostled whatever was in his back instead of driving it further in.

He reached around, desperately trying to reach whatever it was, and felt the hilt of a knife. He tried to stand up, but his hooves gave way. Both Envy and Trixie trotted up to him and leered down.

“The game is up, Nova Shine,” Envy said in triumph. “All I have to do is pull this dagger out and you’ll bleed to death right here. No one will find you, and you’ll never see your precious Twilight Sparkle ever again.”

Nova’s vision started fading. He desperately tapped into his magic, but he could do nothing. He was going to die here, before he even got a chance to see Twilight again!

Suddenly, Envy vanished and Trixie whirled around, before galloping off somewhere he couldn’t see. Nova had a brief blurry view of a yellow pony with a pink mane entering his view, heard screams of panic that sounded strangely distant, and he felt hooves prodding him faintly while he tried to communicate with her.

He felt hooves press hard against the stab in his back. The wound ignited and he groaned, but the hooves pressed all the harder.

Finally, when it all became too much for him, he blacked out.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“And the next thing I remember,” continued Nova, “I was lying in your loft bed.”

He paused.

“Normally whenever I fantasize about waking up in your bed, it typically involves a romantic scenario, but a stallion takes what he--”

He bit off the end of that statement because Twilight punched him in the shoulder, but that didn’t stop him from laughing.

“And here I thought you had changed,” said Twilight, “but after a thousand years, you’re still the same Nova Shine as you were when you left.”

“Is that… relief I hear?” asked Nova, raising an eyebrow at her.

“”W-well, yeah,” she said, suddenly going slightly pink, “I just thought, with last night and all, that you might have gotten a lot, well, broodier.”

“Well, not sorry to disappoint,” responded Nova, looping a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders and drawing her close. “Princess Luna made it sound like I changed into some kind of hard, merciless stallion when she told me about it before I left.”

He glanced out the window. Canterlot was fast approaching. They had to only be a few more minutes out.

“We’d better start getting our stuff together,” Twilight said, having peeked over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” agreed Nova, and they started to prepare to disembark.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

After dropping Spike off at the Sparkles’, the two of them started making their way up Mane Street toward the road that led to Canterlot Castle. The Sparkles had seemed quite puzzled at Nova’s sudden growth spurt and longer mane, but that didn’t stop Night Light from giving him a good old-fashioned bear hug on arrival. After spending a few moments catching up and dropping off their baggage, the two of them departed.

“You know,” said Nova, “I think we dropped the bags off at the wrong place.”

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.

“I mean, I think it’s time you stayed at my parents’ house.”

Twilight stared at him for a moment.

“Would they mind?”

“Not at all,” said Nova. “At least, I don’t think they would. Dad’s always loved having guests, and seeing as how I’m sure Mom would love to meet you and our parents are bound to meet together some time, we might as well do it today when we’re done with the princesses.”

They passed through the front gate of the castle and made their way toward the Throne Room.

“I wonder if Aegis is here,” muttered Nova to himself, though Twilight heard. “Probably guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”

“At least you’ll see him tonight,” Twilight said. “If we’re going to your parents’ house, I’m sure they’ll invite him along.”

They stopped before the two guards watching the Throne Room door. After explaining their business, and after the guards poked their heads in and confirmed that they were expected, they allowed the two of them to pass.

The first thing Nova noticed was that both Luna and Celestia were there. Normally, it was only the older sister. This meant that this had to be pretty important if it involved both of them. There was that, and there was the fact that both of them were standing several meters in front of the throne.

The second thing he noticed was that there were three small circles drawn with magical powder on the floor. Nova recognized the powder instantly when it shimmered different colors on its own, despite the angle of light. Magic powder was simply a solid substance used in many magitech inventions that allowed technology to work flawlessly with the arcane, as it was an excellent generator of magical energy given a small spark.

“Night Apprentice Nova Shine, Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle, welcome,” said Princess Celestia in an oddly-formal voice. “I would ask, Nova, that you stand in the center of those three circles, and that you, Twilight, would join Luna and I up here,” she added, patting a spot to her right.

Nova and Twilight did as they were told, giving each other puzzled looks as they did so.

“Now, to explain,” said Luna, “this was a public ceremony back in the Old Times, even if there aren’t any other ponies to watch it today. So we couldn’t just advertise to your past self that your future self would go through this.”

“What is ‘this?’” asked Nova.

“You’ll see,” said Luna with a wink and a smile.

After Twilight had taken her place, Princess Celestia drew herself up to her fullest height, as did Luna. Twilight did so hesitantly after a moment, watching him with some anxiety.

“Today the three of us bear witness to the graduation of Nova Shine from his apprenticeship to me,” announced Princess Luna to the otherwise-empty room.

“What?” said Nova and Twilight, but Princess Luna was continuing.

“By demonstration of his mastery of magic, namely the single-hoofed casting of Time Stasis, I, Princess Luna, have deemed the unicorn Nova Shine, erstwhile my Night Apprentice, to be worthy of graduation to the rank of Night Master.”

She turned to Princess Celestia, even as Nova and Twilight shared surprised looks.

“Do you agree with my decision, sister?”

“I, Princess Celestia, do agree with Princess Luna’s decision. Present with me as well is my Faithful Student, who can testify his magical abilities, having witnessed them herself.”

Twilight’s eyes fazed out of focus for a moment; Nova had a feeling Princess Celestia was telling her what to say through telepathy.

“I… can attribute that Nova Shine has demonstrated his mastery, despite not being present at the time?” she said, turning to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia to clarify that she had said that correctly. They both nodded, and Twilight visibly seemed to deflate out of relief that she had gotten that right.

“By the power vested in me, as your teacher,” announced Luna in a voice augmented with magic, “I, Princess Luna, do relieve you, Nova Shine, of the position of Night Apprentice and confer upon you the lauded position of Night Master.”

Her horn glowed, as did Princess Celestia’s. After a slight nudge from the elder sister, so did Twilight’s. The three circles of magic powder on the ground began glowing a different color, one for each caster.

Beams of white energy erupted from all three of them, meeting together at a point above Nova, who watched, transfixed.

At the nexus of the energy, a smaller beam shot straight down. Nova instinctively drew his head back, but it wormed around his head and collided with the brooch that held his cloak together.

Nova noticed that while Princess Celestia’s and Twilight’s horns had stopped glowing, Princess Luna’s had not, which meant that she was working the magic from the powder.

After a few moments, the beam of energy broke from the brooch and began to retreat back toward the nexus. Once the beam was gone, the nexus broke and all three beams of energy shrunk back down to their circles of powder until finally, Nova stood in the center of three magic powder circles alone once again.

Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna smiled at him.

“Congratulations, Night Master Nova Shine,” said Princess Luna with the broadest smile Nova could ever imagine on her face.

Nova looked down at the brooch to see how the magic had affected it. The brooch was no longer just a black stone with a moon-shaped diamond and scroll on it. Now it was a brooch of clear sapphire, with a diamond crescent moon centered in it.

“How do you feel?” asked Princess Luna, still smiling widely down at him.

Nova shrugged.

“Not really any different,” he said. “I kinda expected at least the cloak to change colors, but the sapphire in the brooch is a nice touch.”

“I’ll make sure Spike doesn’t eat it,” Twilight assured him. “Diamonds and sapphires together would be almost irresistible.”

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna laughed.

“So, Night Master,” said Nova. “How exactly is this different from Night Apprentice, minus me not learning from Princess Luna?”

“Good question,” said Princess Celestia. “The Night Master and the Prime Magus, which will be your rank when you graduate, Twilight, are accorded all of the privileges of the high nobility, including the right to sit in on and have a say in any of their private meetings. In addition, you have the authoritative say over any pony not of equal or higher rank in politics, or over any military pony of rank colonel or higher.”

“So, he could even command my brother?” Twilight asked, looking thoroughly amused. “Oh, just wait till I’m the Prime Magus. He’ll never have another dignified moment.”

“Now Twilight,” admonished Princess Celestia, “he is the Prince of his own kingdom now, which means he ranks higher than you or Nova politically. However, you can order around Corporal Aegis, Nova,” she added with a twinkle in her eye to Nova.

“Okay, what’s the story behind this privilege?” Nova asked. “There’s no way it can be here simply because you thought we could embarrass our friends.”

“Another good question,” said Princess Luna. “In the Old Times, we only allowed military ponies to command other military ponies. During the Changeling War, however, the current Prime Magus and Night Master were sent to the battlefield, where they had to step in and command. We added that privilege specifically for that purpose.”

“A privilege that proved useful while Nightmare Moon rampaged,” added Princess Celestia. “Night Master Sanguine and Prime Magus Star Dancer were asked to coordinate the evacuation while the generals fought Nightmare Moon’s shadow forces.”

Following this, silence fell between all of them. Nova was still admiring his new brooch and letting his promotion really sink in, while the Princesses just watched him with smiles. Twilight, however, couldn’t help but feel a slight touch of jealousy toward Nova.

Here he was, a stallion that had been her inferior only months before, to her at least, given Nova’s time in the past, and now all of a sudden he gets promoted ahead of her? She had been studying under Princess Celestia for years longer than he had under Princess Luna! Why is he the one that got promoted!?

“Twilight? Are you okay?”

Twilight blinked. Nova was standing right in front of her, looking very concerned. She nodded quickly.

It’s his day, she reminded herself. He earned the position. This just means I’ll earn mine soon.

Nova watched her for a moment, and Twilight had a feeling he knew what she was thinking. He kept the eye contact between them for a few more seconds, before acknowledging her nod with one of his own.

“Twilight,” he said slowly, “do you mind going and waiting at my parents’ house until I get there? I need to talk to the princesses about something alone.”

Both princesses grins vanished instantly. Nova knew they had to be aware what he was going to ask about. Twilight stared at him, originally somewhat resentful of everypony in the room needing to keep something from her, but she decided to do as she was asked.

“Alright,” she finally said. “Novus Manor, right?”

“Yeah. Right off High Street.”

Twilight started to walk out. Nova and the princesses watched her go. When she reached the door, she hesitated, throwing one last glance back at them, before continuing out.

As soon as he no longer felt her energy, Nova got right to it.

“Why wasn’t she promoted?” he asked immediately, almost accusingly. This was not unnoticed by either of them.

“When we decide to promote our students is our decision, and nopony else’s,” responded Princess Celestia, turning and walking back toward the throne. “I have not seen what I am looking for in her, and thus, I believe that she is not yet ready.”

“She’s stronger than I am,” protested Nova, as he and Luna followed her. “How could she not have--”

“Let me stop you right there,” interrupted Princess Celestia, sitting down. “For starters, this has little to do with strength. This is all about proficiency. Your adventure in the past has given you experience she does not have in both combat situations and otherwise.”

“She battled Nightmare Moon,” Nova pointed out.

“She did not battle Nightmare Moon,” denied Celestia flatly. “She restored my sister, but she never engaged in a duel of magic against Nightmare Moon. She has only really done any kind of combat against Discord, Trixie, and the hordes of Changelings. You, however, have fought ponies in duels both for training and for an actual goal. She has almost no real combat experience, and so I deem her not ready.”

“So for her to be ready to be promoted, you just want to throw her headlong into a battle?” Nova asked before he could stop himself.

“How dare you?” asked Princess Celestia coldly. “You know well enough that we abhor combat. We want her to be ready for it, but we would rather not see her face it at all.”

“Think more on what you have to say before you say it, Nova,” warned Princess Luna, “or else it may get you into trouble.”

Nova bowed his head.

“That was stupid of me to say, and I beg your pardon. Forgive me for sounding too forward with this,” he said, “but do you know what I think?” said Nova, “I think you won’t promote her because of this change that’s going to center around her Princess Luna said was coming.”

The two sisters glanced at each other for a moment.

“It is… related to the reason, but it alone is not,” Celestia admitted. “She has yet to demonstrate that quality in her that we are looking for.”

“And I have?” Nova asked skeptically. “Look, Time Stasis is a hard spell to cast--”

“The hardest,” said Princess Luna.

“--but if I can do it, she can.”

“That’s not true, Nova,” said Princess Celestia. “We have already tested that theory. The week before your assessment, I sent Twilight a copy of the Time Stasis scroll Star Swirl the Bearded composed. She was unable to make head or tail of it. As I understand it, you had extraordinary spell-reading ability but lacked the focus required to cast anything beyond slight aging. You have shown so much improvement since those days, and thus you have shown us the signs we were watching for.”

“But she’s Twilight Sparkle!” Nova protested. “She’s the Element of Magic!”

“Really?” asked Princess Celestia. “I never knew that.”

Nova groaned. “She’s the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, and I’ll be damned if she isn’t! How is she not being promoted!?”

“Because there is still some for her to learn,” Princess Celestia responded. “Another part of the reason we promoted you and not her is because there is almost nothing more you can learn from either of us. But the last reason is probably the most important, and it is tied directly to your promotion.”

“It… is?”

“As the Night Master, you are now able to sit in and have a voice in the private meetings of the House of Nobles,” said Princess Celestia. “Those… well, put simply greedy bastards, have been trying to dig out the floor from under me, so to speak. I can handle them well enough alone, as can Princess Luna, but if all goes well, Twilight will be placed in a position of authority much like your own, and we need you there to prevent her from being used as a pawn in their schemes.”

Understanding flooded through Nova immediately.

“So, in other words, you want to throw Discord’s Apple into the lion’s den?”

Celestia smiled.

“Exactly. The nobles will be highly suspicious of you from the moment you step into that room. They may think you’re nothing more than my or Luna’s agent in their depths, or they may attempt to start to sway you to their side as well. There will probably be a mixture. The point is, your job is to create as much chaos in that house as you can.”

“How exactly can I go about doing that?” Nova inquired, genuinely curious. “If they want to keep me out, they may try to vote everything I introduce down, simply because they think it would benefit you and work against them.”

“I think you just came up with a good idea,” said Luna. “Use that knowledge to your advantage. When they figure out what you’re up to, and start voting for your bills, start mixing in those ideas that benefit them with the ones that don’t. They won’t even be able to tell which is which!”

“They will be so focused on trying to defeat you, Nova,” continued Celestia, “that they will be unable to do anything to affect Twilight when her time comes.”

“This would likely benefit you in the long run as well,” said Luna. “With you stirring up chaos in the midst of the House of Nobles, they may even be unable to do anything to affect you when your time comes.”

Nova’s train of thought came to a crashing halt.

“Wait-- my time?” he asked. “I’m going to go through the same change as Twilight?”

Princess Celestia gave a warning look to her sister, but Princess Luna appeared to pay it no heed.

“Yes, your time,” she affirmed. “For some time, now, we have been guiding you in the same direction as her, with some differences, though only after you returned. We have been preparing you to take your place at her side, as we told your younger self some nights ago.”

“What exactly are you guiding me to be?” Nova asked, an undeniable note of resentment in his voice. Princess Celestia noticed it, but yet again, Princess Luna, it would appear, did not.

“Sister, you are not at liberty to say,” Princess Celestia said sharply, cutting off Princess Luna before she could continue.

Princess Luna looked quite surprised at Princess Celestia’s interruption.

“Why not?” she asked. “If we are to guide him into becoming something, he has a right to know what we are guiding him towards.”

Nova felt a rush of gratitude at his teacher. He had a feeling she knew he would probably have said much the same, and he was thankful it was addressed equal-to-equal, as opposed to subordinate-to-superior.

“The last time I attempted to guide a pony towards this change, her pride in the knowledge got the better of her,” Celestia said. “When I had no choice but to tell her that she had failed, she vanished into the Crystal Mirror, Luna. I thought Sunset Shimmer would have made an excellent--”

She stopped and glanced at Nova, who only felt his resentment at all of this increase.

“I’m not Sunset Shimmer, Princess,” Nova said. “I would still like to know just what it is you want be to be.”

Another thought struck him suddenly.

“Does Twilight even know that you’re leading her into something?” he asked.

“Of course she does,” responded Princess Celestia. “She is well-aware that I am leading her towards becoming the Prime Magus.”

“That doesn’t sound like what you’ve described, Princess Celestia,” said Nova, calling the bluff he knew the Princess had sent his way. “If that were the case, why did Luna say she was continuing to guide me in a position to where I would stand beside Twilight, and not over her? Clearly there’s still something you’re leading us to that is above these positions.”

Princess Celestia sighed heavily.

“Nova Shine, you have no right to ask for our thoughts,” she said. “Luna and I have no obligation to reveal our plans to you, simply because you want to know. This is not the first time this kind of change has happened, even recently, so trust me when I say, ‘I know what I’m doing.’”

Nova’s eyes narrowed.

“You know what you’re doing? That I have no doubt. I was not questioning whether or not you knew what you were doing. What I am questioning is whether the ponies you are manipulating have a choice in the matter!”

“You don’t even know whether it will be good or bad for you!” Princess Celestia responded. “How can you hope to judge something when you don’t even know what you’re in the process of becoming?”

“I know what it won’t involve,” Nova said harshly, “and that’s me getting a say in whether or not I want to go through with this. I would have been perfectly happy to live a normal life with Twilight as I was. Hell, I would have been content to stay Night Apprentice for my entire life. Don’t get me wrong, Princess Luna, I’m thankful that you thought so highly of me to promote me. I’ll still do what you ask of me, and I will not tell Twilight what we’ve spoken about here, because she’s still your student, but you know my position on the matter now.”

Nova turned to leave, but paused.

“Did you get my letter, Princess Luna?” he asked.

“I did,” Luna said, her voice sounding weak after what she had just witnessed. She had known Nova always had a selfish view of destiny, but never did she even think it would come ahead of Princess Celestia’s theoretical plans!

“May I have it?” Nova asked, holding out a hoof.

Princess Luna’s horn flashed, and a small package appeared, which Nova took in his own aura and stored in his Source. With that, he turned, his cloak billowing around him, and strode quickly down the carpet.

“Good day, Princesses,” he said, not even glancing behind them, and left the room, the great doors closing behind him with a soft boom.

When the echoes died, an almost-tangible silence filled the room, and with it, tension between the two sisters.

“We were wrong,” said Princess Celestia after a while, and she sounded very let down, a feeling Princess Luna shared.

“I didn’t… He…” Luna tried to speak, but she kept fumbling over her words. She had been so convinced he had been worthy, and in the end, he had failed. She wanted to withdraw to her room and just keep to herself. She had put all this time and energy into guiding Nova on this path, and now all that time had been wasted.

“Any pony who does not sacrifice his or her own desires to serve a greater good does not deserve to be made an alicorn,” Princess Celestia said in a hard voice. “It has been proven in the past, but also has it been proven that there are those who can change and be counted worthy, despite having failed before.”

Princess Celestia got up and strode over to Princess Luna, who looked downcast, and drew a wing around her in comfort.

“Take heart, sister,” she whispered into her younger sister’s ear, “because he might prove us right, in the end.”

With a short, comforting hug, Princess Celestia drew her sister close, and then let her go. She still had much to do for the day, and in terms of her plans for Nova and Twilight, all she could do was wait for the right time. With any luck, Nova would soon prove their original assumptions and take his place beside both of them, and hopefully Twilight too, as a Prince of Equestria.

Author's Note

You all are such good fans... and I'm such a fast writer. I think you guys deserve another chapter after patiently waiting two months for the last one.

I decided to go ahead and split the next two chapters into three, since all this political discussion took longer than I thought. I had someone ask for a little more relationship time between Nova and Twilight, and the next couple of chapters will deliver. Or so I hope. I'm not that good at fluff, so I'll do my best. These three chapters will be something of a breather from all the action of time travel, while still advancing the plot, and then the climax will kick in full force. So, the end is in sight.

After that, in the run up to my sequel (which I may or may not do, depending on school and life in general), I may add a few chapters to the end. Little one-shot interludes that don't really do very much to the overall story but are still good for fleshing out Nova's and Twilight's relationship as a whole.

Well, thank you all for your continued support. As always, please find something wrong that I can fix and tell me about it so I can make this fic better. AuthorGenesis has been diligently working on this fic in addition to his others, and he's doing a great job. Kudos to him. But he's just one guy. The more eyes, the better.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Semblance of Normalcy

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 20 - Semblance of Normalcy

“So, what did you want to talk to the princesses about?” asked Twilight, sitting on Nova’s bed as he fell back against it with an audible groan.

“Well, I wanted to ask her why you weren’t promoted like I was,” Twilight felt a small rush of affection for her coltfriend, “and it ended up with me learning a lot I’m not supposed to tell you, culminating with a near-row between Princess Celestia and I.”

“You two had a row!?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Just about,” said Nova, rubbing his eyes. “Princess Luna took my side a couple of times, but mostly she just stood off to the side helplessly. Yeah, I’m not happy with your teacher right now, but she’s still a princess, so I have no choice but to do as she asks.”

He felt the weight of the bed shift a little and he opened his eyes to find Twilight lying beside him, staring up at the glowing-star-riddled ceiling.

“Did they revoke your promotion?” she asked, but Nova sighed and shook his head.

“No, they didn’t. I’m still the Night Master. But I wish it didn’t have to result in this fighting. They’re supposed to be paragons of harmony, and I just ended up causing a rift between them, simply by disagreeing with Princess Celestia.”

“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t exactly the happiest pony with Princess Celestia today, either.”

“Does this have anything to do with my promotion and your lack thereof?”

“I’d be a liar if I said it wasn’t,” she admitted. “On the bright side, you earned your way out of basement banishment when we get back to Ponyville.”

“Again, I wish I didn’t have to earn it by arguing with your teacher,” he responded, giving her hoof a little squeeze. “I respect her too much after all my time in the past to enjoy arguing with her.”

“Aww, now you’re just saying these things on purpose,” she said, pecking him on the cheek.

“So, how did you know this was my room?” Nova asked. “Having not been here in over twelve years, it took some finding.“

“Well, that’s something I wanted to thank you for, actually,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly. “Your father told me I could go ahead and explore the house while I waited for you, so I did. I was looking through all the rooms for yours, and I noticed a funny, familiar feeling coming from this one. I know my energy-sensing’s not the strongest, but I could still tell that you enchanted those stars.”

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Just felt like making them glow in the dark, so I did one night. If I remember correctly, it wasn’t that long before I took my test at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“Hey!” called a Neigh Zealand accent from outside Nova’s room, and Sharp Eye poked his head in, “Mister Novus wants to know if you want to invite your parents over, Miss Sparkle.”

“Please just call me Twilight,” corrected Twilight.

“If you say so, Twilight,” said Sharp Eye with a bow.

“And yes, tell him I don’t mind.”

Sharp Eye bowed again and exited.

“You know,” said Nova, looking around at his near-barren room, “I forgot just how much I brought with me when I ran away.”

“So, is Sharp Eye your dad’s butler now, or something?” Twilight asked.

“I think he’s probably just helping him out in exchange for good pay, while not necessarily being a butler. Dad never liked butlers. Always preferred doing things on his own. Case in point, the plants outside,” he added, gesturing out the window toward the veritable jungle of flora in the courtyard outside.

“How does that work, anyway?” Twilight asked curiously, getting up and going to look out the window. “I mean, it looks self-sufficient. Does he ever need to adjust it?”

Nova shrugged.

“Never bothered to ask.”

Twilight continued studying the watering mechanism for some more time, during which Nova looked at his new badge.

So she wants me to create chaos in the government, eh?

“Say Twilight,” Nova started, struck by a sudden thought, “have you explored the Arcanology Lab yet?”

“No,” she said. “I was going to wait until after dinner, when I have more time.” She turned to Nova, her eyes sparkling and a great smile on her face. “I can’t wait! There’s so much your dad was telling me he has in there!”

“Having not been in there myself, I’ll have to take your word for it,” Nova said, falling back down on the bed again.

“Really!? You’ve never been inside!?” Twilight asked incredulously. This was his house! How could he not have been inside an entire section of his own residence?

“Dad never let me in,” he responded, shrugging. “After studying magic for half my life, can’t say I blame him for not letting a colt near volatile magic tools. That and the place is shielded. Only the Lord of the Novus Clan can remove the shield, courtesy of some spellwork laid into the foundation by the stallion who commissioned the manor.”

“Why?” asked Twilight.

“Didn’t want ponies stealing research that wasn’t meant for them, and this was back when the Princesses had my clan doing a lot of spell research. My grandfather’s the one who made the lab open to the public, and this was only after M.I.M. opened up. We still get a lot of their professors, though. Like Professor Hoofman, for example.”

“Isn’t he a doctor now? Or headmaster?”

“He’ll always be a professor to me,” Nova said. “But still, we’ve been associated with several of the biggest names in the study of magic, not the least of which are mine, yours, and Trixie’s ancestors. Even magitech companies call on us for help. Appleture Science and Black Haysa, for example. Two rival companies, two completely different lines of work, contracting us to help them with their research. It’s one reason why my family’s so damn rich. They pay us in stuff, and that stuff proves to help us do our work, and it just snowballs.”

“So, only the Lord of the Novus Clan can open or close the enchantments around the Arcanology Lab, right?” she asked, making sure she got it. Nova nodded. “Okay, and with that being said, does that mean you’ll end up owning this house when you inherit the title?”

Nova opened his mouth to reply, but he stopped. Obviously, the answer was yes, but he had never really given it any thought. He had always planned on living in the Ponyville-Neighton area, especially after he and Twilight had really gotten together. What if Twilight ended up moving back to Canterlot when her studies were done-- no, she wouldn’t. She loved her friends too much.

“Haven’t really thought about it,” he answered honestly. “I mean, sure, I’ve always known I would inherit the house and title eventually,” he clarified, “but never really let it sink in, I suppose. Never thought about exactly what I was gonna do about it. Especially considering my current living arrangement,” he inclined his head in Twilight’s direction. “Plus, there’s also the future to consider.”

“What about the future?”

“What if we end up getting married?” he asked. Twilight blinked and started considering the possibilities, even as Nova continued. “You’ll want to stay in Ponyville, so what would I do with this place? For that matter, what if we ended up having a family? I don’t think the library’s the best place to raise foals, but like I said, you don’t want to leave Ponyville.”

“Uh-huh,” said Twilight vaguely, still thinking of what life would be like if they were married. Ever since her brother and her foalsitter ended up married, she had often wondered about what it was like. What would it be like to have children of her own? Where would they live, like he had asked? What would the sex be like--

Twilight blushed furiously as that particular thought entered her head, but Nova didn’t seem to notice. He was relaxing leisurely on his bed, taking slow, measured breaths. Twilight thought he might be trying to calm himself down after his argument with her teacher.

However, she had to wonder. It wasn’t unheard of for couples in Ponyville to have active intimate lives, and yet Nova didn’t seem to adhere to that particular view. Hay, she knew for a fact Rainbow Dash had been one of the most sexually active mares in the history of the Junior Speedsters (no thanks to Gilda’s constant teasing). The thing is, nopony had a problem with it. Nova, however, never seemed to touch on the subject.

“Nova, do you mind if I ask a personal question?” she asked.

Nova cracked open an eye and glanced at her for a moment before nodding.

“Go ahead.”

“Why haven’t you and I… well, you know…” she trailed off. Nova opened his other eye and stared at her curiously.

“Why haven’t we… what, Twi?”

“Umm… you know…”

Goodness, why was this so embarrassing? She had faced down Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, and Sombra without flinching, and she could even talk about it just fine with her friends, even more confidently in a purely scientific context, too. And yet when she wanted to bring it up with the one stallion she was closest to, her confidence escaped her!

“C-copulated,” she stammered out.

Nova gave her a funny look for a moment.

“Pardon?” he asked.

“Copulated,” she repeated more clearly.

Nova blinked stupidly, suddenly at a loss for words.

“I mean had sex!” said Twilight in exasperation, taking his silence as him still not getting it. “Engaged in coitus! Done the deed! Taken our relationship to the next level--”

A bit of magic clamped over her mouth gently, stopping her. When Twilight looked up at Nova, she could see he was blushing almost as much as she felt like. After a moment, he released her muzzle and started laughing.

“What?” asked Twilight indignantly. “What’s so funny!?”

“N-nothing,” said Nova, before losing himself in a couple more chuckles before he could successfully end his laughing fit. “Sorry. It’s just, I didn’t expect you to ask about that. I thought I would be the one to ask about it first.”

He stuffed a hoof in his mouth and bit down for a moment as he struggled not to smile again.

“So, why haven’t we er… ‘done it,’ yet?” he asked. “Well, to me at least, several reasons. First off, haven’t we only been, you know, together together for only about four days now?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but closed it again. She had forgotten. Nova had only realized the depths of his feelings for her a few days ago. Sure, she had known for some weeks now about her feelings toward him, but they had only really gotten this close recently.

“But that issue aside, I don’t think it’d be a good idea to go too much farther into it,” he continued.

“Why not?” asked Twilight. She honestly didn’t want it to sound like she was being too forward or wanting to rush this. Apparently Rainbow Dash had tried to take things too fast even for her once, and it had been nothing short of a catastrophe, and as a result, she and that particular stallion couldn’t even make eye contact anymore. She would be damned before that were to happen to her and Nova.

“Couple of reasons, I suppose. Some of them I think have to do with why I think we haven’t broached the topic until now.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“The fact that we were raised in Canterlot, Twilight,” he said. “You lived here almost seven years longer than I did, so you must have known about some of the upper class and their scandals with foals born out of wedlock. Just knowing my rotten luck, even outside of your heat season, I‘d still find a way to get you pregnant if we took it further, which means we would suffer the same blows to our reputations as they did, and I’ll be damned if I ever let that happen to you when I could have prevented it.”

Twilight felt a faint smile tug at the corners of her lips, but she resisted it. How was it that he was able to say all the right things today?

“Then there’s the fact that you’re the Element of Magic,” he continued, “and I’m the Night Appren-- sorry, Night Master, now. Like it or not, we are kind of famous. Plus, you’re a national hero four times over and there are colts and fillies that look up to you as their hero.”

“Fillies look up to me?” she asked, surprised. Why would fillies look up to her? She was just a librarian from Ponyville.

“I can think of one off the top of my head,” said Nova, remembering an incident where he had trotted past Dinky Hooves playing with her friends, where Dinky pretended to be Twilight because of how good she was at magic. “Even if we kept it on the down low, somehow I have a feeling Rarity and Rainbow Dash would find a way to get the information out of you, and knowing Rainbow Dash’s big mouth and Rarity’s penchant for gossip…” he trailed off meaningfully.

“The first reason applies,” she finished.

“Exactly. It’s not like I don’t want to-- good gracious, you have no idea the things I’d do to those marvelous flanks of yours--”

No sooner had the words tumbled out of his mouth than he clapped his hooves over them, but Twilight giggled.

“Don’t be sorry. You have no idea the ideas I have for if we get married,” she said in an awfully husky voice.

Alarm bells were already ringing in Nova’s head, warning him that they were venturing into dangerous territory, but thankfully, after a moment’s rather awkward silence, Nova was saved by the timely arrival of Aegis, whom it would seem had been invited to dinner as well. Having not seen Aegis in over two years, Nova had to resist the urge to leap up and embrace his old friend.

“Your mane and tail are longer,” Aegis noted immediately upon seeing Nova.

“Hello to you too, Aegis,” Nova responded. Aegis grinned and they did indeed embrace.

“I have it from none other than Princess Celestia herself, that you have engaged in a bit of time travel since the last time I saw you,” Aegis said as they separated. “She told me in the strictest of confidence, and even then she revealed only that. May I ask, when did you go, and what did you do?”

“Eh, nothing much,” said Nova. “Went back to old Equestria, defeated a rogue Lord, fell in love with the first Faithful Student, normal weekend for me stuff.”

“You’re going to have to tell me the whole story when you have the time,” Aegis said, smirking. “But right now, it’s time for dinner. Your father’s sent me to come up and get the two of you. Also, your parents are on their way, Miss Sparkle,” he added.

“Call me Twilight,” replied Twilight almost automatically.

“Also, your father wants a word before dinner, since he’ll probably be showing Twilight around the arcanology labs after,” Aegis said to Nova.

“Where is he?” Nova asked.

“In his office.”

Nova nodded and headed on over to his dad’s working office. His dad sat behind the desk in his chintz chair, tapping away on the keys that input information into the computer of his.

“You’ve been time travelling,” Ray said the moment he shut the door.

“I have,” said Nova, nodded.

Ray looked up at him, a very stern look on his face. “Do I even need to tell you what you’ve risked by doing that?”

“Well,” said Nova shrugging, “we’re all still here.”

Ray stared at Nova. “Point taken. But even so, why did you time travel?”

“Because of the diary I took from the vault in the Canterlot Underground,” said Nova.

“Why would Clover’s diary--”

“It wasn’t Clover’s diary, Dad. It was Nova Shine’s.”

Ray snorted. “What, you’re telling me you deciphered a code nopony has been able to pierce in over one thousand and a quarter years? Nova, look, I know you’re smart, but I don’t think you’re that good.”

Nova smiled.

“I didn’t break the code; I invented it.”

The tapping of keys paused. Ray didn’t appear to have reacted at all. He was staring at the screen, and were it not for his quivering eyes, Nova would think he were staring at a spot on the glass screen. But whenever his eyes quivered like that, it was because he had just been hit with a bombshell that had rocked him to the core, and Nova knew it.

“You… invented… the code?” he asked weakly. When Nova nodded, he seemed to blanch. “Then that makes you and Nova Shine I the same pony!”

“Sort of,” said Nova. “I’m not the Nova Shine that’s the patriarch of our clan, or anything. He’s Clover’s son.”

“B-but how did you--”

“Invent the code?” asked Nova. “Easy. Aegis and I used the exact same code to write letters to each other in case you intercepted and learned where I was. I recognized the code as soon as I opened what was to become my diary. Hundreds of Equestrian cryptanalysts couldn’t solve the code because it wasn’t based on anything. It was just dots, dashes, and small triangles that were used to take the place of letters and spaces, further encrypted with a Playfair cipher.”

For a time, Ray Novus stared at the screen before him, comprehending all of this. His son-- his own son, Nova Shine!-- was a figure that had shaped Equestrian history. Had he known his son would live to accomplish great deeds such as this, things would have turned out far different.

A gentle knock sounded at the door, and Nova moved to open it. Out in the hallway stood two stallions.

“Tantalus! Professor!” Nova exclaimed.

“Nova? What are you doing here?” asked Professor Hoofman.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Nova responded, pushing past Tantalus to give his old mentor a hug.

“You’re older than you were two days ago,” Tantalus observed. “The effects of time travel, am I correct?”

“Completely,” said Nova, nodding. “Remind me to tell you all the story when I have the time. It took all day yesterday just to tell Twi.”

“If the three of you will all step inside, we can begin our little meeting,” said Ray, conjuring two more chairs to join Nova’s.

“Wait, you’re part of this, too?” asked Professor Hoofman.

“Nova Shine was promoted by Princess Luna to the rank of Night Master only a couple of hours ago, Thomas,” explained Ray. “As such, he is now considered a member of the House of Nobles, and this meeting of ours is now relevant to him as well.”

“Really?” asked Professor Hoofman, turning to Nova with a smile. “Well, it seems that now we take the step to ‘obstructive bureaucrat’ together now, eh?”

“You’re a High Noble, too?” asked Nova.

“Comes with the Headmastership of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” he said. “The old Headmaster, Nocturnal Glow, retired simply because he hated dealing with all the ponies trying to worm their way into his good graces. He still teaches, though. Never met a unicorn who loved passing on knowledge more than him.”

Nova returned to his seat as Tantalus and the Professor took theirs. As soon as they did, Ray leaned forward, touching his hooves together seriously.

“Thomas, Nova, as the two of you are now High Nobles, Tantalus and I decided to bring you up to speed on what the current goings-on in the House of Nobles are. Believe me, if you’re like the two of us were when we first entered the House, and jump right in, you’re going to flounder.”

“I don’t really need to know what’s going on,” said Nova. “I was given a rather specific mission from the Princesses about what I’m to do in the House.”

“Yes, that I’m aware of,” said Ray. “I was told of their intent for you this morning, but yes, you do need to know what is going on.”

“If I may ask,” interrupted Tantalus, “what do the Princesses want you to do? Serve as, for want of better term, a spy in the ranks?”

“No, actually,” said Nova. “Apparently, something big is about to happen involving Twilight. More than that I can’t say, but because of this, they want me to cause chaos in the House of Nobles. Apparently, many of the ponies in the House will want to influence Twilight the moment whatever will happen does, so it’s my job to protect her from all of that by keeping them focused on shutting me down in the House.”

Tantalus stared at Nova for a moment, before an evil smile appeared on his face.

“Oh, I have no doubt you’ll excel at that,” he said.

“Indeed,” said Ray. “Knowing some of the ponies in the House, the moment Nova enters, they’re going to be against him. They’ll likely think he’s there to influence the vote in Princess Celestia’s favor and do everything to oppose him.”

“The fun part will be when I start playing with them,” said Nova with a smile just as evil as Tantalus’. “Just wait. They’ll wise up, and then I’ll vote for something one alliance is vying for, and they’ll suddenly start over-analyzing their own bill in an attempt to find exactly what could be used against them, and they’ll pull their support from it.”

“In short, your job is to be a troll worthy of our dear Princess of the Sun herself,” said Professor Hoofman. “Other than Princess Celestia herself, I don’t think I’ve ever met a pony so well-equipped for that particular line of work.”

“And know this, Nova,” added Ray. “If you ever need help shutting something down, you have three allies here to help. We can approach our colleagues and let them know the situation and we have no doubt they’ll side with us. And if you see something in our group that could go wrong, don’t hesitate to go against it. Or, if you’re feeling especially daring, vote for it so everypony else votes against it.”

“Out of curiosity, when is the next Convening?” Nova asked.

“Only the Prince of the House can convene it, and right now, Prince Blueblood sees no need to convene the House of Nobles just yet.”

“Wait, Blueblood?” Nova gaped. “Prince Blueblood is the one in charge?”

“I know what you think of him,” said Tantalus. “He’s really not that bad. I’ve only met a few ponies so loyal to Princess Celestia.”

“Are we still talking about the same Prince Blueblood?” Nova asked. “Because I think you might have him confused with somepony else.”

Tantalus and Ray met each other’s eyes, and they both started laughing. Professor Hoofman and Nova just glanced at each other, utterly bemused.

“Oh, that stallion, he’s done his job too well,” chortled Ray. “No- Nova,” he said, failing to stifle another laugh, “Prince Blueblood isn’t a total ass like you probably think he is.”

“Oh really?” asked Nova skeptically.

“In the few meetings I’ve had with the stallion,” interjected Professor Hoofman, “he hasn’t really said anything that gave me any liking or disliking for him, so you’re going to have to take your father’s word for it, Nova.”

“How should I put this?” Ray wondered aloud as he and Tantalus continued to struggle not to smile too broadly.

“Blueblood is very much concerned with Equestria as a nation, Nova,” explained Tantalus. “Not because he has anything to profit from it. He has his own methods of legitimately earning bits. You probably are looking at him through a jade-colored eyepiece, because he does have a rather snobby reputation.”

“Which is partly his fault,” admitted Ray. “But I think the bit you’ve probably judged him by the most is the show he puts on at the Grand Galloping Gala every year.”

“Show?” Nova asked in a deadpan. Having met with Prince Blueballs before, Nova knew firsthand exactly how pompous the stallion could be.

“See, he was one of the officials in charge of the Royal Treasury back before he was made the Prince of the House,” said Ray. “Since many of the bits from the Grand Galloping Gala would be directly stored in the Treasury, it was his job to finagle as many bits as possible from the Upper Class, since they were the main crowd being pandered to.”

“He had this idea back a few years ago,” continued Tantalus, “to stop looking at the Gala as just another public event and to start looking at it as a two-way investment. As the Treasury was always the group who put the Gala on each year, they would invest in the Gala to get as many rich ponies as they could to pay what they were willing. The Upper Class, at the same time, used the Gala to further their own statuses. As long as the Gala could boast being the most muzzle-in-the-air event in Equestria, both sides would win.”

“The Gala has never before been so profitable. Helped, I might add, by the Prince’s own antics. You already know how notorious he is for being one of the most snooty, snobbish ponies there, but trust me, it is all an act to squeeze as many bits out as he can.”

“Yes, I seem to recall one incident where he insinuated something along those lines,” said Professor Hoodman, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Some ponies who were invited along as VIPs, special favor for helping out some of the Wonderbolts, were used by the Prince to insinuate that with more money, they could raise ticket prices to prevent such common ponies from coming.”

Nova, his father, Tantalus, and the Professor continued to talk about politics for the next half-hour. At the end of their discussion, Tantalus and Professor Hoofman both bid farewell to Nova and his father and left, having business to take care of, which left Nova and his father to make their way toward the manor’s dining room.

Novus Manor had two dining rooms. One, the ceremonial room, as Ray Novus called it. The larger, grander, mahogany table in the room that contained all of the fine art and crafts. Then there was the actual dining room, where Ray and his wife would eat meals with just the two of them. A table that could seat ten was set up, and currently seven of those seats were occupied. Nova took his seat next to Twilight, but Ray remained standing.

“Sharp Eye, could you fetch me the champagne?” he asked.

Sharp Eye nodded, got off, and headed off toward the wine cellar quickly.

“I do believe there is a cause to drink to, tonight,” Ray said after Sharp Eye had trotted off. “Today, Nova graduated from his apprenticeship to Princess Luna, and now holds the rank of Night Master.”

The Sparkles, Shimmer, and Twilight all stomped their hooves, Spike clapped, and Nova smiled modestly, recalling the events after the ascension.

“Really, it’s nothing to break open hundred-year-old wine about,” he said, waving off the applause.

“Nonsense,” replied Night Light. “You were the first Night Apprentice in almost a thousand years.”

“No,” said Ray, frowning. “Nova’s right. It’s not a cause to break open hundred-year-old wine.”

Nove inclined his head towards his dad in thanks.

“Now, for two hundred-year-old wine, that’s a different story.”

Twilight giggled as Nova rolled his eyes.

Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

And so, being the professional drinker he was, Nova did his hosts the honor of drinking half of the bottle himself, and somehow managing to not be even slightly inebriated, much to the amusement of Aegis and Sharp Eye, but not so much for Twilight Velvet.

“Just think of the example you’re setting for Spike,” she hissed at him after chastising him about it.

Nova just looked down at Spike just in time to see him down an entire glass. As both of them went into mental panic mode, Spike gagged.

“This stuff’s nasty,” he said, sliding his glass back a good half-yard or so away. “Where’s the Pony Cola?”

Velvet and Nova looked at each other, then laughed nervously and wiped their brows in relief as Ray went to fetch the soft drink.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Three days later, Nova found himself thinking about the item he had received from Princess Luna. The date when he would give it to her was rapidly approaching, but he wasn’t totally sure how she would react. This was the same Twilight that had panicked when she had arrived hours early to Trading Day, all those years ago.

Suddenly, he was jolted out of his thoughts when a loud knock sounded at the Books and Branches front door.

“I’ll get it,” Nova called upstairs, where Twilight was currently lost in a book about alchemical magic she had borrowed from Nova's mother. A half-hearted grunt sounded from upstairs, which he took to mean “go ahead.”

He opened the door to see six stallions standing outside in the cold night. Nova instantly recognized Big Macintosh standing at the forefront, and he recognized Time Turner, the town clock maker. The other four, however, he didn’t recognize.

One was an earth pony, with a grey coat, blue eyes, and a black mane, who had a cutie mark of a clover. Nova couldn’t help the pang in his gut when he first saw it, but he ignored it. The second was also an earth pony, with an almost-golden coat, lighter-blue eyes, and a brown mane, who had a cutie mark of horseshoes. The third was a unicorn. He had a greyish-blue coat and a white and blue mane, with a cutie mark Nova couldn’t see. The fourth, Nova had to be honest, intimidated him. A dark coat, with a very light-green mohawk for a mane, golden eyes, and a thundercloud for a cutie mark.

“Evenin’, Nova,” said Big Macintosh with a bow of his head. “Me an’ the guys here were just about to head off fer a drink. Turner here figured you’d like to come with us.”

“Twilight?” Nova called upstairs. “Mind if I go out for a drink?”

“Sure,” he heard her respond distractedly from upstairs. “Be home before sundown,” she added, trailing off.

Big Mac arched an eyebrow at Nova when he turned back around, before Nova gestured to the night sky.

“Guess that means I’m staying out till tomorrow evening,” Nova remarked, summoning his Night Master cloak around him.

“We won’t be long,” Time Turner said in that Braytish accent Nova was so jealous of, already following Mac as he led the group. “We’re just heading over to the Poisoned Apple pub is all. The six of us do this regularly, but Thunderlane here noticed that you always seem to spend your nights cooped up in the library.”

“Not totally true,” Nova said. “Wait. How do you know?” he asked, eyeing all of them. To his horror, the intimidating one rubbed the back of his mane.

“Well, I’m a weatherpony. I’ve always been in charge of the southeast area of Ponyville, so I get used to seeing routine things ponies do.”

“Oh, and seeing as how you’ve probably not met them before,” Turner added, “these are Caramel,” the gold, “Lucky,“ the grey, “Pierce,” the other unicorn, “and you’ve just met Thunderlane.”

“Nice to finally meet you up close,” said Caramel, offering a hoof, which Nova bumped. “Been meaning to talk to you for some time.”

“Really? About what?”

“Well,” said Caramel, smiling in an embarrassed way, “h-how did you do it?”

Nova blinked. “How did I do… what?”

“Get her! How is it that you got Miss Twilight?" Nova was alarmed at how he suddenly seemed very frantic. "I’ve been trying to ask her out for almost three years and never once did she even seem to notice I existed! You show up, sweep her off her hooves, and within a few months, the two of you are practically married!”

Simultaneous thoughts hit Nova. One, him standing in front of Princess Celestia, dressed in his most formal clothing, while Twilight walked down the aisle with her father. The second, was a young unicorn guard captain, talking with Nova as they made their way in the bowels of the caves beneath Canterlot.

“You come along, sweep her off her hooves, and make her realize romance isn’t so bad after all.”

Nova inwardly cringed as the latter thought hit him. “Irresistible charm,” he responded.

As one, all six of the stallions groaned.

“...what?” asked Nova after a moment.

“Sorry,” explained Time Turner, “but, you really just sounded a lot like a certain somepony in this town that most of us are a little too familiar with.”

“Really? Which one?”

“‘Sup boys?” came an excited voice from above them.

“Cloud Kicker,” groaned Thunderlane.

Nova looked up in time to see a purplish pegasus mare with a yellow mane flutter down and land in their midst. Upon touchdown, she immediately sidled up to Nova.

“Oh, the new guy this time?” she queried, looking in Mac’s direction, even as she got uncomfortably close to Nova’s flanks.

Mac avoided her gaze, but responded, “Eeyup.”

“Cool! What’s your name?” she asked Nova eagerly.

“I’m Nova Shine,” he responded hesitantly.

“Oh? THE Nova Shine? Interesting, interesting,” she said, with an absolutely predatory grin on her face. “That mean you’re related to the Novuses up in Canterlot?”

“Yeah, I’m their son,” he said as their group resumed its trek to the pub.

“Really? I’m from the Kicker clan, personally." It was just so casual how she said that, a far cry from most ponies bragging about their family ties. "I know you’ve got a nice house and all, but we have an entire compound, so, you know, spirit of friendly competition?”

“Yes, well,” said Nova, sliding away from Cloud Kicker ever so slightly, “shouldn’t be a competition. No need to debate on family superiority when all I’m out here for is a little fun.”

“Fun, huh?” asked Cloud Kicker with a grin. Everypony else facehoofed after he said this. “If you want, we can go have a little fun when you’re done tonight.”

Nova’s cheeks went so red, they almost rivaled Macintosh’s, but he managed to reply, “S-sorry, n-not really, uhh… no thank-you.”

“Why not?” asked Cloud Kicker with a sly grin.

“Kicker, could you leave the poor chap alone?” asked Lucky irritably. “Not everyone wants to just be another name on your ‘To Bang’ list.”

“How can you say that after those nights in Manehattan, Lucky?” asked Cloud in mock hurt. “I thought we were supposed to go places after that!”

“I said ‘dinner,’” replied Lucky coolly, “not ‘my place with the deed on your mind.’”

“Still doesn’t explain why he wouldn’t want a night of banging with the Amazing Cloud Kicker,” she replied, slipping a forehoof around Nova’s shoulders.

“I’m kinda seeing Twilight right now,” Nova mumbled, slipping out of it.

“Aww, oh well,” she said, “I suppose I can’t have all the cute ponies. That aside, how is she in the sack? I’ve always thought about how that cute librarian would be, but I’d rather not endanger my relationship with the Boss--”

“Cloud, where’s Blossomforth?” Turner asked curiously. “Did she run off from you again?”

“From me? Well, sorta, but she’ll come back. Always does. After all, I got my irresistible charm.”

Nova suddenly knew why they all groaned when he said that earlier. Now he felt dirty for using that particular phrase and vowed never to let those words come out of his mouth in that context ever again.

“Kicker, please, do you mind letting us go have our drink?” pleaded Lucky exasperatedly. “Also, don’t your rules have something against ruining other ponies’ relationships, anyway?”

Kicker rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“Well, only if they regret it, but that’s always something I make sure of before it happens.”

“He’s in a serious relationship with Miss Sparkle,” Turner replied before Lucky could snap at her. “Considering how Rainbow Dash tends to react when ponies mess with her friends, it’s probably a bad idea to keep this one up.”

“Take it from me,” said Nova. “She threatened to drop me off of Cloudsdale once, after she thought I broke Twi’s heart.”

Cloud Kicker sighed in disappointment.

“You guys are no fun. Well, see you around, everyone. Lucky, still waiting on you to balls up and pay back what you owe me,” she added with a wink in the grey stallion’s direction. Even as Lucky ground his teeth, she was already flying off.

“What’s your problem with her?” Nova asked, watching her go.

“Her obnoxiousness, that’s what,” snapped Lucky. “She followed me on a trip to Manehattan a few months ago. Just a vacation, but then we helped bust a drug sell we somehow got involved in. She helped me out, even though I don’t like to admit it, so I’m grateful for that, but I think what really got her was the night after we got done with it. I think it was… four other mares? Something like that. Anyway, ever since, when I wanted her to shut up, I’d bring up how she was the weakest of the bunch, if you know what I mean. Ever since, she’s been trying to convince me to some, ah, one-on-one time.”

“Sounds like you don’t live up to your name very well,” Nova replied.

The group all snorted.

“No, ‘fraid I don’t,” said Lucky. “I’m the kind of stallion who managed to avoid getting hit with a magic blast because I hit my head on a fire escape when I wasn’t looking.”

“We’re here,” said Mac, throwing open a door to a building with a warm light shining through a few windows. Nova looked inside to see a bar not quite as roomy as the Cloak and Dagger, but every bit as comfy-looking.

The bar itself was at the far back of the room, with tables spread around evenly, and a few booths. Nova noticed that there was a roped-off large booth that he assumed was for their little group. With all the ponies inside, some familiar others not so much, he wondered why they roped it off when it would probably not go well with those waiting.

“Ah, about time you got here, Mac,” called an amber-coated earth pony behind the bar over the babble. “Six?”

“Seven, Hearty,” Macintosh drawled, his voice carrying over the babble. “Brought Nova Shine with us tonight.”

“Right,” said the pony, trotting up. “Your booth’s right over there, as usual. Enjoy your night.”

Nova trotted up to the bartender and scrutinized him for a moment.

"Can I help you?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Are you one of the Brew Brewers?" Nova asked. The stallion smiled.

"Oh yes, you probably know cousin Potent, then, since I hear you occupied a space in his bar for a week a while back."

"That's me," Nova said, pawing at the back of his head sheepishly.

"Nice meeting you, then. I'll let him know you're one of my customers now. Methinks he'll find it hilarious."

Methinks... I gotta use that word more often.

"Anyway, have a good night, Mr. Shine," Hearty Brew said as he started making a few drinks. Nova made his way back to the group at that.

The group moseyed over to the table, moving around the tables between them. Nova saw a few familiar faces in the bar. Lyra and the creme-colored pony she was always with were both at the bar. Lyra was utilizing some kind of stool, while her companion used the usual cushion.

“She does that,” said Time Turner, following his gaze. “She’s rather well-known for her er… extreme attachment to the human myth. Only, don’t tell her I said that.”

Nova’s gaze fell to another pony in line, this time a purple mare with a grape cluster and strawberry cutie mark. He recognized her, having seen her around the town carrying a bottle of alcoholic beverage every day of the week, though he had never spoken to her.

“Oi, get over here,” Turner called. Nova started and slid into an open seat at the bar.

“Now,” said Thunderlane, “we’d like to welcome you to the Council of Gentlestallions.”

Nova blinked, and then snorted.

“Seriously?” he asked. "What kind of a name is 'The Council of Gentlestallions'?" The smile slid off his face when he saw that all of them looked sincere. “You are serious?”

“It’s nothing that special,” explained Caramel. “Just a little meeting of the town bachelors. Ask Mac, Turner, and Thunderlane about it. They’re the ones who started it.”

“Eeyup,” said Mac with a nod.

“It’s just an excuse for a guys night,” said Turner. “What with the how many mares the town has, we stallions gotta stick together. Especially the bachelors.”

Nova chuckled.

“Alright, so what do we do in this ‘Council of Gentlestallions?’ Shoot the breeze about our love lives, or something?”

“Actually,” said Turner with a smile, “that’s exactly what we do.”

“Which brings us to the first order of business,” said Thunderlane, grinning and looking over at Caramel. “Caramel, have you or have you not asked Roseluck out yet?”

Caramel closed his eyes, grinned, and nodded eagerly.

“Yep, I did ask out my fair filly last Monday.”

“And what did she say?” asked Turner, leaning in eagerly, joined by Lucky and Pierce.

“She said yes,” said Caramel smugly. Nova, however, felt the telltale flare of energy change that meant Caramel wasn’t being truthful. But before he could voice his objection, he noticed Big Mac struggling not to openly laugh, which was also noticed by Lucky.

“What’s so funny, Mac?”

“Nnnope,” Mac said, gesturing at Caramel, who deflated and groaned. “She shot him down like Pokey does Pinkie’s balloons.”

“HAH!” shouted Thunderlane, holding out a hoof toward Caramel. “Pay up.”

With a sigh, Caramel pulled out a hoofful of bits and gave them over. Thunderlane stuck them in a small leather pouch and assumed a business-like pose.

“So, now that poor Caramel’s love life is out of the way--”

“Why, Big Mac!? Why couldn't you have let me have this one?” moaned Caramel dramatically and loudly.

“My sister’s the Element’a Honesty,” he said simply. “Ah’d be doin’ her a disservice by not bein’ honest myself.”

“And speaking of Elements of Harmony, let’s throw our newbie into the deep end, shall we?” asked Thunderlane, giving Nova a catty little smile. “What’s it like to be dating Miss Sparkle?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Nova. What did they mean by that?

“Oh come on! What’s she like!?” interjected Time Turner before Caramel could voice his opinion. “I’ll be one of the first to admit, I’ve fancied her ever since she showed up in a golden carriage the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, but that mare likes to spend her time indoors reading books. You know what she's like even deeper than that! So what’s she like?”

Nova glanced up at the ceiling thoughtfully and racked his brain.

“Well,” he said pensively, “she’s very focused on her studies, she loves reading, she sometimes neglects to pay attention to
Spike because she’s so focused on reading and her studies, she sometimes neglects to pay attention to me because she’s so focused on reading and her studies, she has a slight touch of egotism that was probably got in Canterlot and she’s very insecure about it, she won’t hear a word against any of the princesses, and she can be a mite insecure about almost anything, given enough apocalyptic scenarios... and she's the best mare I know.”

“So, basically, she’s no different than how we see her, then,” said Turner, chortling.

“No, not really,” said Nova as the group laughed. “But I don’t care. I love her as she is; not as I’d like her to be.”

“Good on you, mate,” said Turner, reaching across the table to pat his shoulder.

“So, what about you, Turner?” Nova asked. “I’ve been wondering, you certainly must have your eye on somepony here.”

“Ah, well,” he said, drawing himself up a little taller, “I have good news on that score, gentlestallions. I have successfully asked Miss Hooves to dinner on Hearth’s Warming evening.”

“Miss Hooves?” asked Nova.

“You probably know her as Derpy, the mailmare.”

“Oh, the one with the eye pro--”

Nova bit off the end of that statement as he saw everyone’s anxious looks and Turner’s glare.

“--uh… strange… eyes?”

“For your information, Nova Shine,” Turner said somewhat coldly, “she has strabismus, or ocular misalignment. Her eye muscles just don’t work right. Why, did you think that it meant--”

“No,” said Nova immediately. “I’m not that stupid, to think someone is handicapped because they look like it. I’ve spoken to her before. I just never bothered to ask what her name was.”

“Let’s calm down you two,” said Thunderlane. “How about you, Pierce?”

And so the rest of the evening passed with them swapping stories. Nova would never admit it to anypony, but deep down, after all the excitement, he thought it was rather nice to have a normal life like this. Why did his have to be the exciting one?

Not that he minded, but why did it always have to be something to ruin his nights? Why couldn’t all his nights just be perfect, like this?

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova was jolted awake when a somewhat dense weight jumped onto his hind hooves.

“WAKE UP, NOVA! WAKE UP TWILIGHT! IT’S HEARTH’S WARMING!”

“Spike?” Nova asked blearily, turning and looking at his clock on the wall. “It’s seven-thir-ir-irty,” he said, failing to stifle a yawn.

Twilight mumbled sleepily beside him and curled up even tighter and closer, but Spike just pulled the blankets off.

“Wake up! We gotta go open presents!”

"Oh Faust, this is why we open them a day early," groaned Twilight from somewhere to Nova's left.

“Spike,” pleaded Nova, trying desperately to win a losing battle with the baby dragon, “we can open presents in a few hours. I was up late last night and I need to sleep!”

“Great, now I’m completely awake,” grumbled Twilight as she clung to Nova’s forehoof around her barrel.

“Well, at least you’ve got good company,” Nova said. “Might as well make lemonade out of the lemons Spike just gave us.”

“But I don’t have any lemons,” protested Spike indignantly.

“Figure of speech, Spike,” said Nova, letting go of Twilight and getting up. A slight chill blew ino the room, and his head snapped toward a window.

“Spike!” he said angrily, “Did you leave a window open again!?”

“Umm, well… maybe…” said Spike, kicking his hooves.

“Well, I think you deserve some punishment for this,” Nova said as he tapped into his magic.

A large clump of snow was suddenly pulled in and dropped right on top of Spike, who gave a feminine shriek of surprise.

“That’s for the window,” Nova said, rubbing the top of Spike’s head through the snow pile. “This,” he added, pelting him with a snowball, “is for waking me and Twilight up when we were having a nice lie-in.”

“You do realize snow doesn’t do anything to dragons, right?” Twilight asked behind him. “The fire they tap into to breath warms them and prevents cold from affecting them. And if you get any of my books wet, you’re going to the basement for a week.”

“Don’t worry, Twi,” Nova said, instantly evaporating the snow. “Also, Spike’s still a baby dragon. Snow’s still as fun as ever, since he hasn’t developed the natural fire yet.”

"I know. I raised him," retorted Twilight irritably. Nova chose to brush it off due to morning tiredness as he trotted downstairs. The three Hearth's Warming dolls sat next to each other on another bookshelf, with Nova taking particular pride in just how spiky he had made the mane of his, and the center bookshelf had the main attraction.

“You owe me a snowball fight today,” Spike told Nova as they made their way down the steps toward where Nova and Twilight both had placed magical bubbles around the pile of presents by the center table with the horse-head statue. Knowing Spike, he had a feeling the baby dragon would have snuck a peek at everything if he could.

Twilight came down the stairs a few moments later, and the two of them dispelled their shields, whereupon Spike practically dove into the pile. Nova had a very distinct impression he was searching for one pony’s gift in particular.

“Slo-o-ow down there, Spike,” he said, grabbing Spike’s tail and yanking him out. “I’ve got Rarity’s present for you hidden until after we open all of these.”

“Aww, why?” Spike asked.

“Because you’ll just ignore the rest of them,” said Twilight. “I know for a fact that Fluttershy made you a very nice purple and green sweater, and I wouldn’t want all of her hard work to go to waste.”

“Besides, some of these you’ll like,” Nova said. “Like this one, for example,” he added, pulling out a box wrapped in blue paper the size of Spike.

“Spike’s eyes dilated when he saw the package. Without another word, he ripped all the paper off, opened the box inside, and gasped.

Nova had brought all of the gems with him from his Vault in Everfree before he moved back to Manehattan. Having read in a book that gems grow tastier to dragons over time, he figured they would be the perfect present.

“Now, make sure you eat them slowly and save some for--”

*OMNOMNOM*

“--later?” Twilight finished, peering inside the box, where Spike had dove, literally this time, into the box. “SPIKE! SLOW DOWN!”

She looked over and saw Nova struggle not to laugh.

“Quit encouraging him!”

“I can’t help it, this is hilarious!” Nova protested, failing to stifle a giggle.

“Just put your present up so he doesn’t eat all of them,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Besides, gems aren’t the best breakfast, even for a species that eats them. Yes, I know the more gems you eat as a baby, the more magically powerful you’ll be as an adult, but for one, that’s decades off, and two, if you eat too many at once, you get Mana Poisoning, and I would not like you to accidentally be setting fire to this library under that influence.”

“Yeah, she’s got a point, Spike,” said Nova, yanking Spike out of the box and ignoring his scrabbling to get back in. “We’ll let you have some more later, but we gotta open the others first.”

While Twilight kept Spike suspended in midair with magic to prevent him from diving back in, Nova closed the box and teleported it to his home in Neighton with the help of his cloak. Nice thing about the Night Master cloak was that it allowed for quick teleportation between two places. First, to wherever the wearer had set up a permanent magical tag, and then back to where the original teleport had happened, within a specific timeframe.

After the early episode with Spike, the rest of the present-opening proceeded as normal. The moment Spike opened Fluttershy’s sweater, he was forced to sit down and wear it. Spike said he hated the thing, but Nova and Twilight both felt the telltale flare of energy. They met each other’s eyes, smiled to themselves, and let Spike have his moment.

After hearing from Mac and Twilight how Nova enjoyed his drinking, Applejack had sent them two sets of bottles of cider. The first was baby-dragon-friendly and non-alcoholic, even if alcohol had no effect on dragons, which Nova looked up after the time with the wine at his parents house a week ago. The second had a little something extra, courtesy of Mac, with Applejack’s full knowledge. Nova had promptly gone and locked the second bottles of cider in his chest in the basement.

As the number of presents dwindled, Nova cast his thoughts back to his own gift for Twilight. Again, his nervousness started to claw at him, just as it had done a few nights ago, before the “Council of Gentlestallions” came and gave him the night out. He had a feeling both of them knew they were saving their own present to each other for last.

“Aww, look Nova,” said Twilight, pulling out a small parcel, “Rarity sent you a gift! Nice to know that even on Hearth’s Warming, she can put aside her dislike of you.”

Nova suddenly felt really guilty about what he had gotten Rarity.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“What’s this?” asked the alabaster unicorn, finding a very unexpected gift in her pile. After seeing who it was from, she gasped, “Why, it’s from Nova Shine!”

“Who?” asked Sweetie Belle, who was already hyped up from all of the gift-opening and was bouncing around the room like Pinkie Pie.

“The unicorn who is currently dating Miss Twilight,” Rarity explained, “Remember him? He’s the one who helped you with your magic a couple of months ago.”

“Oh yeah! I remember him,” said Sweetie. “Why do you sound surprised? He’s a nice stallion. Why wouldn’t he send you a present?”

“Well, er… we kind of both mutually dislike each other after you… broke my vase.”

“Well, go on Rarity,” said Magnum, waving a hoof at the package. “Open it!”

Rarity obliged. She did, and she gasped. The most magnificent silken amethyst-colored cape was neatly folded inside. She pulled it out and swung it around with a cry of wonder.

“Oh my, Nova, forgive me, I sent you a joke parcel,” she lamented, though the lamentation didn’t reach the glee in her eyes as she looked over the cape. Without another word, she swung it around and fastened it to her neck. As soon as it was secure, Rarity turned her neck and admired the thing, noting that it seemed to be the perfect color to go with her mane.

*Snrk*

“What?” asked Rarity, turning and looking toward her mother and father, who were both trying not to laugh. “What is it?”

“Rarity, you might want to look in a mirror,” said Pearl, but Sweetie Belle decided to beat her to it.

“YOUR MANE IS GRE-E-EN!” she sang, before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

“Wh-WHAT!?” screamed Rarity, before bolting to her room for a mirror. A high-pitched shriek met everypony’s ears, and all three of them just let the laughter loose.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Nova, what is it?” asked Twilight, when she saw he was kicking at his hooves.

“I kinda… er… sent her an enchanted cape that turns her mane green,” he admitted.

“Oh, Nova, you didn’t!” Twilight said, aghast that he would exploit a holiday like Hearth’s Warming for such a prank.

“Yyyyeah, I kinda did,” he confirmed, reaching over and starting to unwrap her gift. “Now I feel really guilty. She was nice enough to--”

*SPLAT*

Twilight cried in surprise as an old-fashioned whipped-cream pie splattered Nova in the face the moment he opened the small box. After a moment in which everything sunk in, Spike started laughing, and Twilight paled. She seemed to be glancing at Nova with slight apprehension. How was he going to take this?

“Well, I don’t feel guilty anymore, that’s for sure,” said Nova after a long moment. He licked his lips and the cream around it. “Hey, this isn’t bad!” he exclaimed, and proceeded to pull all of it off his face with magic and eat it.

Following Rarity’s gift, nothing as interesting happened. Rainbow Dash had sent both of them tickets to “The Amazing Rainbow Dash’s Death-Defying Sky Show” that afternoon, Fluttershy had sent Twilight some owl care products for Owliscious and Nova an apology letter, saying she didn’t know what to get him. Based on how the letter in question was worded, Nova kinda felt guilty about it, but he did end up getting her a gift: a magical toy of his own making for her animals. He’d used it before on one of his odd-jobs, when he was watching Fluttershy’s animals for her while she went to her weekly spa trip with Rarity.

Pinkie Pie’s present to Nova was… another pie. This one, however, didn’t hit him in the face, and appeared to be of the apple variety. Nova had a feeling she knew what Rarity had been up to and wanted to make up for it.

Finally, after they opened the last of the presents at the foot of the center shelves, Nova retrieved Rarity’s package to Spike from inside the chest downstairs. Spike tore right into it at top speed, pulled out the item, and hugged it like it was a teddy bear before Nova even got a proper look at it. When he actually put the thing on, Nova smiled at Spike. Rarity had given Spike a necklace with an amethyst gem shaped like her cutie mark.

“Nice haul, Spike,” observed Nova, looking down at everything he had received from everypony. Spike promptly picked up all the stuff and started moving it toward the cabinet he usually kept his stuff in, leaving Nova and Twilight alone to give each other their gifts.

“Well,” said Twilight, going slightly red, “I guess it’s time for ours.”

She sounded really nervous about something, which only intensified Nova’s own apprehension. A flash of magenta light later, a small box sat before Nova, about as big as one of her Daring Do books.

Oh, don’t tell me…

Nova tore the paper, and saw that it was actually not a book, which in all honesty surprised him, given that she had given books as gifts to most everypony else, Spike included. Instead, it was a small, apparel-sized box.

Did she get me something to wear?

Carefully, he pried open the box’s lid, and when he saw what was inside, he gasped and froze, not quite believing what he was seeing.

“Y-you don’t like it?” Twilight asked, after Nova didn’t respond for a moment.

“YOU ARE THE BEST MAREFRIEND EVER!” shouted Nova, practically tackling her in an embrace, sending the box that contained two tickets to every home and away Arsenal match next season sliding across the floor, and peppering his wonderful marefriend with kisses all over her face.

"Get a room, you two," Spike rolled his eyes, still looking at Twilight's present to him (a book) with disappointment.

"We had a room, until you decided to wake us up," Nova retorted, giving Spike a look.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not one for sports, but I figure you might want to take Spike some time,” she said, lightly pushing him off now that she wasn't under assault.

“Thank you, SO much!” he said gleefully as he looked down, giving her one last kiss for good measure. But then something struck him as rather odd.

“How did you get these?” he asked curiously. “The home matches are easy enough, but usually the away games don’t come with season ticket packages.”

“Oh, well, you’d be surprised what the Chairpony of the Equestrian Premier League will do at the request of Princess Celestia,” Twilight explained. “She’s always liked the sport, and she’s hardly an inconspicuous guest at games. I asked her for help, and she came through.”

Nova, who couldn’t stop grinning, gave her yet another quick peck, before he conjured his own gift. The small parcel was laid at her hooves, and she opened it. To Nova, it felt like she seemed hesitant about it, which only amplified his own nervousness about her reaction.

When the paper was pushed aside, and the small box was left, she opened it and she, too, gasped at the contents of the package. Her horn glowed, and a white traveling cloak was pulled out of it. A white brooch with a sun and a scroll cut into it kept the two parts at the neck fastened.

“Is this… a Faithful Student Cloak?” she asked.

“Not just any Faithful Student Cloak,” he responded. “It was Clover the Clever’s Faithful Student Cloak.”

The grin slid off her face, replaced by wonder. At first, Nova had mistaken the wonder for disappointment, thinking she probably had come up with some wild theory about her being Clover’s replacement, but when she unclipped the brooch, swung it around, and put it back on, and particularly when she leaned over and kissed him, he let it go.

“I updated the spells on the cloak myself,” he said after they separated. “I had plenty of time to study my own, so I added the same ones in mine and updated all of the ones that were already enchanted. I hope you like it,” he added, almost pleadingly.

Twilight just smiled at him, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, “I love it.”

Following the morning opening of presents, they went to the traditional play, put on by the Ponyville Elementary, and featuring Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as the star roles, followed by the town's raising of the Equestrian Flag. Nova couldn’t help but laugh harder than anypony else at Sweetie Belle’s performance as Clover. He also couldn’t help but think it absolutely hilarious just how wrong Scootaloo was to play Private Pansy.

Nova and Rarity shared a laugh over their respective gifts to each other. Rarity remarked that she had been able to remove the enchantment with some help from her father, and she even wore the cape to the play. Nova also remarked that he thought the pie was delicious, but he would rather have enjoyed it under other circumstances.

After the play, the Council of Gentlestallions engaged in all-out snowball warfare with the kids of the elementary, which Nova only too happily joined joined in, making sure to give Spike plenty of good shots at him to make up for that morning. After the afternoon’s activities, Nova and Twilight decided to repeat their first casual event where two best friends could hang out in a completely platonic manner, so they spent the night looking at Ponyville Park’s collection of Hearth’s Warming Lights.

While nothing would be able to compare to Trottingham’s, he and Twilight both loved several of the displays. Nova’s personal favorite was one commemorating Twilight and her friends battling Nightmare Moon, but Twilight really liked one of the three princesses. While she was off exploring, Nova couldn't help but stare at one particular set of lights in a display depicting the Three Patriarchs' assistants. Clover's display left him choked up, but he still felt oddly happy despite it.

After the park, they headed for a hill Twilight used for stargazing, and just spent time lying under the stars and enjoying each other’s company. Luna had sure pulled out the stops for this particular night. The moon was bright, the stars were clearer than Nova had seen in a long time, and the sky, rather than being its usual inky color, seemed to be lighter, and have a bit of a purple tint to it. The effect was glorious, and Nova made a note to thank his teacher for her efforts.

The day ended far too quickly for Nova. He had enjoyed it so much, but all good things had to come to an end. As he and Twilight lay in her bed in the loft, he couldn’t help but let a tear fall. With the threat of Envy constantly looming over them, this was a taste of the life he couldn’t have. A normal life, with a mare he loved and who loved him.

He had a feeling she heard him sniff, because her embrace tightened. He let himself be drawn closer to her, and they both drifted off to sleep.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

A week after Hearth’s Warming found Nova humming to himself as he trotted through town, running an errand for Twilight. The last few days had been nothing short of perfect, which only increased Nova’s apprehension about the coming unknown day when he would have to confront and defeat Envy. Still, all they could do was wait. Princess Celestia had even resumed sending Twilight spells to learn, some of which Nova knew, others he learned too.

“Ah, good morning Nova,” came a Braytish voice behind him as he purchased a rose from Miss Roseluck’s stand, just for Twilight. Nova turned to see that it was Time Turner, smiled, and bumped his friend’s hoof.

“Morning yourself, Turner,” he responded.

“How are things?” Turner asked. “That rose for your lady?”

“Yes, yes it is,” said Nova. “If nothing else, she’ll at least enjoy the snack. As for things, they go well. Everything the last few days has been amazing. How about yourself?”

“Very well.” said Turner. “Derpy and I have gone on another date following the one on Hearth’s Warming, and I offered to cook this time. So, I’m out buying ingredients for some Bitalian. What about you? Just out grocery shopping, by the look of things, right?”

“Yeah,” said Nova. “She had to buy food more often to feed an extra stomach when I started staying over a few months ago, so she had to up the rent on me. ‘Course, now I don’t pay rent.”

“Are you paying her at night, or something?” Turner asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Nope,” said Nova with a shake of his head. “Seeing as how we’re both important ponies in Equestria, it’s probably not a good idea to risk a pregnancy, even when she isn’t in season.”

“Ah, saving it till after the wedding?”

“Exactly. I’ve already spoken to her about it, too. After explaining my reasons, she seemed to agree, so we’re resolutely waiting. Plus, Spike sleeps in a basket at the foot of Twilight’s bed, so…”

Turner chuckled.

“Yes, that’d be kind of a mood killer--”

Nova dropped the grocery basket he was carrying as a sudden shockwave of magical energy surged over him. He clapped his hooves to his head as the surge ignited a pain inside of his skull as it jumbled up the pathways from his horn to his Source. Around him, other unicorns also seemed to be experiencing some degree of discomfort, but nowhere near the same level that affected Nova. It probably had to do with his sensitivity to energy, which meant Twilight had to have felt that, too.

If that was magic, it had been powerful.

And for some reason, it felt familiar. He knew he had felt that brand of magic before, but where?

He haphazardly stuck everything back in his basket and took off for the library, where he found Twilight blazing through several medical books at top speed.

“Did you feel that?” she asked without looking away from her books.

“Hard to miss it,” he said. “It was a powerful energy surge. And when I say powerful, I would say only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could cast something of that magnitude.”

He fell into a seat at a table, rubbing by his horn, both because he was thinking, and to hopefully help stimulate the flow of magic from horn to Source again.

“And for some reason,” he added, “it felt familiar. I could swear I’ve felt that magic before, but I don’t know where.”

“Me too,” Twilight said. “I know I’ve felt it before. I think it was in the last few months, too. But where?”

“Wait,” Nova said, suddenly struck by an idea. “The last few months? And it feels like I’ve felt it recently, too. We’d know if it was the princesses, since we know them that well. It has to be a pony with a powerful source of magic. And remember what I told you on the train? Envy took the Alicorn Amulet.”

“You think that was Envy?” Twilight asked, turning around.

“Yeah,” admitted Nova. “She’s made her move. But what did she do?”

He recalled where he had felt the energy coming from. It felt like it had been from the north--

Neighton!

“Nova!?” Twilight asked as he got to his hooves and cast a small spell.

“I’m going to Neighton,” he said. “Wait for me.”

With that, he swished the cloak in front of him and fell forward, vanishing instantly. His hooves collided with solid ground, and he found himself standing in his study in his house in Neighton. Without a word, he galloped outside.

The town was eerily empty. But what Nova noticed immediately was not the absence of ponies, but the large white beam of magic rising upward from Neighton Park.

The emergency beacon!

Nova galloped toward it, but suddenly, he slid to a stop. He couldn’t sense any ponies anywhere in the town. He dashed toward the Cloak and Dagger and threw open the door. It, too, was empty. There were spilled mugs on the floor, yet perfectly normal ones standing upright on other tables. There were fragile bottles of alcohol in the shelves behind the bar that were completely fine, but some plates lay smashed on the floor.

It was as if everyone had just vanished, in the middle of their daily lives.

He ran back outside, and continued looking through houses, but he couldn’t find anypony. Balanced Budget, Potent Brew, everyone, just gone!

But then how did the emergency beacon activate? If nopony could activate it…

But the solution was simple. Envy wanted him to know. She wanted him to know she had made the townsponies vanish. Which meant she wanted him to rescue them.

He swished the cloak in front of him again and found himself standing in Twilight’s Library.

“Twilight!” he called upstairs, “we need to board a train for Canterlot immediately!”

Twilight came dashing downstairs.

“What was it?” she asked.

“Envy is holding the townsponies of Neighton hostage.”

Author's Note

I might as well just name this chapter "Fanfic Shout-Outs: The Movie." If anyone can successfully tell me every shout-out I made, you win satisfaction. I just sort of felt like adding in little scenes (or big ones, for Cloud Kicker)

So, you know how I said I was gonna do three chapters before the climax started, instead of two? Yyyyeah, I kinda was able to re-compress them. As of next chapter, the climax begins. Little things I've been leaving around the story here and there all get to tie in, even some off-handed things I've barely mentioned in all of maybe a sentence will show up.

Three chapters posted this month. Maybe I will end up getting this thing finished within a year after I stared it, after all.

Thank-you all for your continued support.

As always, please review! I'm always looking to improve this story, and I can't do that without input from you all, the readers.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Making Waves

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 21 - Making Waves

One piece of music. New tab, please.

The train couldn’t move fast enough. Luckily, today’s scheduled route was going straight to Canterlot. Unluckily, it was not coming straight back. It was going to take the long road, all the way through Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Trotston.

“Why couldn’t you just teleport us again? Or why not call the princesses?” Twilight had asked.

“Carriage travel from Canterlot is about an hour at top speed, since you’re letting gravity do most of the work. Carriage travel back, two and a half, since you’re carrying it against gravity,” Nova explained. “The train’s faster.”

They had made emergency preparations, left Spike at Rarity’s, and they were off within the half-hour, just as everypony started realizing what was going on with the magic. The headaches had worn off as ponies’ Sources reconnected to their horns, but that still didn’t stop them from wondering about it. Luckily, the train had made a stop in Ponyville and was in the process of refueling for the afternoon route when they boarded.

And now they were only a few minutes out from Canterlot, and Nova was ready to dash to Novus Manor.

“Why Novus Manor?” Twilight had asked.

“That amulet I had when I beat Envy in the past, I gave it to Comet, remember?” Nova responded. “Told him to keep it as a family heirloom. I need to get it back from my dad. And then there’s also something your dad has that I need to borrow, as well.”

“What does my dad have?” Twilight asked, perplexed.

“A magi-gun,” Nova said. “He threatened me with it when you first brought me to their home, remember? We’re talking about an enemy who can block either of us from casting magic. We need to be ready in case that happens.”

“I’ve never seen my dad use it before,” Twilight admitted, “but I know he has one. He likes to keep it hidden.”

“Yes,” agreed Nova, “a gun that uses magic, that could still function even when a caster couldn’t. Not only that, but it would tap into latent earth pony and pegasi magicks as well. It’s powerful, and it’s dangerous. Your father is right to keep it hidden. In the wrong hooves, this could challenge even the princesses.”

“Why does he have it, then?” Twilight asked. “If it’s that dangerous, why would it belong to him and only him?”

“Because of you,” said Nova.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” he repeated. “Celestia knew about you long before you were born. As the filly that would become the Element of Magic, you needed protecting when you couldn’t protect yourself. I’m assuming that’s why a princess, Princess Cadance, ended up being your foalsitter, but in the event that she wasn’t there, your father would need something to defend you with, so it was given to him.”

“I don’t remember him ever using it.”

“He never had to,” said Nova.

The next few minutes were silent, save for the sounds of the train. Nova was pacing impatiently, waiting for the train to arrive. The city was visible, which meant they could only be so far out, but Nova just snorted and started pacing all the faster.

“Nova, stop,” said Twilight, standing up and stopping him with an outstretched hoof. He gave her a bit of a glare, but she just walked up and hugged him. “It’s going to be alright,” she said softly.

She could feel the tension everywhere. His shoulders felt taut, his neck felt thicker than it usually did, and his forelegs kept pawing at the ground. However, he relaxed after a moment, hesitantly returning the embrace a moment later.

“I wish I could believe that,” he said in a low voice that didn’t entirely mask the slight shake in it, “but having seen firsthand that collateral damage is nothing Ency cares about, I fear for my friends’ lives.”

“Now arriving at Canterlot Station,” came the cool voice over the intercom. Nova immediately trotted, almost cantered even, toward the exit to the train. As it slowed to a stop, Nova’s impatience only grew. When the doors opened, he was off, blazing past the ponies waiting to board as Twilight sprinted after him, desperately trying to keep pace.

She knew where he was going, so she wasn’t too concerned about falling behind. Still, her job only got tougher as he started weaving in and out of crowds on his way to Novus Manor. When he finally arrived, he tugged frantically on the doorbell just as Twilight galloped past the gate.

After a few moments, Sharp Eye opened the door.

“Oh? Nova? What brings--”

But Nova had already shot past him and was calling for his father at the top of his lungs, which Sharp Eye tried to quiet down, but failed. After a few moments, Ray appeared, looking very irritated.

“I thought you knew better than to yell at your gracious host,” he snapped at Nova.

“There’s no time to argue about this, dad,” Nova replied. “The townsponies of Neighton have vanished, kidnapped by Envy.”

Ray’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

“She what!?”

Nova launched into his account of how he found out that Neighton had vanished. His father asked several questions, such as how Envy had the power to execute that wide of anarea of powerful magic in such a short time. Nova truthfully reported that Envy had stolen the Alicorn Amulet, and had used it to attack him earlier. His father had never seen the bandages because they had been hidden under his cloak when they last visited.

“So, why have you come here?” asked Ray, when Nova had finished.

“There’s two things I need,” Nova replied. “First, do you happento know about an old amulet in our collection of family heirlooms?”

“An old amulet?” repeated Ray, eyes glancing upward in thought, “I can think of one, but it’s pretty outdated. All it’s good for is revealing and solidifying creatures like Windigoes and Ghasts.”

“That’s the one,” said Nova. “I made tha during my time in the past, and it works on Envy. It’ll prevent her from transforming into her shadow form.”

“If you say so,” said Ray. “Sharp Eye, it should be in the Gallery. It’s labelled the Novus Amulet.”

Sharp Eye nodded and cantered off to retrieve it.

“You said there were two things,” said Ray. “What’s the second?”

“Night Light’s Magi-Gun.”

Ray’s eyebrows rose.

“How do you know--”

“He jokingly threatened me with it once, back when Twi and I first met,” Nova interrupted impatiently. “Twilight’s confirmed its existence. I know the risks, so no need to lecture me on them.”

Ray stared at him for a moment, before nodding.

“Alright, but you and I are going to have a word about that weapon before you use it. I’ll send Night a message.”

“Can you send one to Aegis too?” Nova asked. “I’m going to need his help. Knowing Envy, she’ll probably use the ponies of Neighton as meat shields, so to speak. She’ll have them under her control and just send them at us to wear us down before we actually make it to her.”

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to come,” said Ray. “The guardsponies are out on an exercise, leaving a fairly low number in Canterlot. Either he’ll be with the rest of the guards, or he won’t be allowed to abandon his post.”

“Then I’ll order him to,” said Nova simply. “Barring a general’s or higher being’s orders, I can command some of the military.”

“In that case, why not get more guards to help with this?” asked Twilight.

“Because I know several of the guards are susceptible to mind control,” said Ray. “Remember during your assessment how a guard was possessed and put the castle on alert?”

They nodded.

“That was me,” said Ray. “I wanted to see you, Nova, but I knew you’d react rather violently about it, so I settled for watching from afar. I possessed one of the guards to get closer, but I was noticed. The guards may be physically strong, but mentally, I doubt they can ward off an assault from an average being, much less a unicorn augmented by the Alicorn Amulet. They would just swell the ranks of hostages.”

While Twilight expressed her incredulity about how it had been him that had rerouted Nova to her parents home that night, which seemed to start the chain of events that led to them being together, Nova was thinking. Maybe it wasn’t a great idea to being Aegis along at all, even if he could be off.

Sensing what Nova was thinking, Ray responded, “He’ll be alright.”

“Who?” asked Nova, unaware his father knew what he had been thinking.

“Aegis,” said Ray. “He’ll be fine. I helped him train himself to ward off mind control myself. And I know Sharp Eye knows how to ward it off, too. Comes in handy with his bounty hunting. I think they’ll be the best two ponies you can bring with you.”

Sharp Eye can back holding the amulet Nova had crafted those centuries before.

“You know, you’re really lucky we have that,” Ray said. “Your grandfather almost sold that when I was just a colt. After all, the spell is pretty outdated, so the amulet was next to useless. Or so he thought.”

“He would have sold this? Who was the potential buyer?” asked Nova.

“Princess Celestia,” answered Ray.

Nova sweat-dropped. “Now I kinda wish he’d sold it. She knew what it was and what it was for. Why’d he keep it?”

“He never said,” Ray responded. “Just told me he had his reasons. Heh, he probably was going to see if anypony could outbid the princess, knowing him.”

Ray turned to Sharp Eye.

“Now, have you been listening to all of this?” he asked. Sharp Eye nodded. “Good. You’re going with him.”

“I woulda gone anyway,” said Sharp Eye, shrugging. “You did say I could take out other contracts while I worked for you. This one’s basically just a free one.”

“Nova, do you want me along as well? I can bring Tantalus too, and maybe--”

“No,” said Nova flatly, which surprised everyone.

“No? But Nova,” protested Twilight, “we’re going to need as many ponies as we--”

“No,” said Nova, putting more emphasis on the word. “Didn’t you hear dad? I only want to bring along ponies who aren’t unicorns and who are trained in keeping their minds safe from outside forces. The mind control concern has already been explained, but the reason I’d like as few unicorns as possible is because what happens if you find yourself pinned down? You’ll let loose a reflexive burst of magic that might do more damage than I want.”

His countenance darkened.

“Those hostages are my fellow townsponies of Neighton. I will not let any of them die while I can help it. Pegasi would be the preferred group for this task. Most of the ponies of Neighton are earth ponies. The pegasi would have the advantage of the air. I’m the only real resident unicorn, but there were a few staying there, which means we’ll have to subdue them first. The pegasi will have to be taken down as well, which will leave just the earth ponies.”

“Why not bring along Rainbow Dash or Applejack, then?” asked Twilight. “Particularly Rainbow. You want a good fighter who’s a pegasus--”

“No,” said Nova again. “She’s brash, and with the right provocation, which Envy is particularly good at finding, she could become angry enough to be easily taken control of. Plus there’s the whole ‘National Hero’ thing.”

“And yet I’m going,” said Twilight.

“I never said you were,” said Nova, shaking his head.

“Since when are you in control over where I go, or what I do!?” Twilight asked, her voice rising in anger. Would Nova really just leave her out of this!?

“It’s too dangerous!” responded Nova, also growing louder. “Envy’s proven to be quite the match for me, and I’ll feel a lot more at ease knowing you’re safe. You’re not--”

Her horn glowed magenta, and in short order, Nova found himself a victim of the awesome power of Twilight Sparkle’s Magical Energy Beam. The shot hit him right under his sternum, right in the celiac plexus, and blasted him right back into the wall. Sharp Eye and Ray both almost leapt onto the scene, but stopped. Twilight was only using the beam to hold him against the wall, and while it did hurt, it was only because of where it hit him.

She glared at him.

“You seem to forget, Night Master,” she spat coldly, “that Trixie Lulamoon is my friend, and that I will do my best to save her with or without you. And if you try to stop me, we’ll get to see which of us is the stronger after all.”

The flow of magic stopped, and Nova fell to the ground.

“And besides,” said Twilight, watching him as he slowly got to his hooves, “I’m pretty sure you’re well aware that even in dire situations I’m in good control of my magic.”

“The Everfree Vaults,” Nova replied. “Envy’s first attack. You froze up, and I had to save you.”

“I was tired,” said Twilight. “Little sleep for the past few months, coupled with the nightmares themselves. Exhaustion does quite a bit to the equine body, like making it shut down in high stress situations. I promise, Nova, I’m nowhere near as deprived of sleep as I was back then, and now I know what we’re facing.”

“Should we intervene?” Sharp Eye whispered to Ray.

“No, let the lovers quarrel. They need the experience for marriage anyway,” Ray whispered back.

Despite the fact that Sharp Eye and Ray were staying out of the argument, no one told the pony walking in through the front doors.

“Oy, put a lid on it, you two!” shouted the gruff, Braytish voice of one of the pegasus Royal Guards. Both Twilight and Nova stopped instantly.

“Good timing,” said Nova. “I was just about to go find you.”

“No need,” said Aegis. “The princesses know what happened down in the valley, and they had a feeling you’d be coming to recruit my help, so they sent me to join up.”

“Well, that saves me some trouble,” remarked Nova. “Now that we’re all here--”

“Wait, only four of us?” asked Sharp Eye. “Because you already said you didn’t want Ray coming.”

“The fewer the better,” Nova said. “You two are both trained in mental defense, and i’m assuming Sharp Eye is trained in hoof-to-hoof combat as well--”

“I’d be a poor bounty hunter if I wasn’t.”

“--which makes you two the only two ponies I trust to come with us. As I explained to the rest earlier, I don’t want other unicorns to come along, because all it takes is one desperate spell to kill one of the townsponies of Neighton, and I will not let that happen while I draw breath.”

“Do you even know where she’s keeping them?” Aegis asked. “Seems kind of foolish to go running off after an enemy when you don’t even know where she’s at.”

“I think I know where she’ll be waiting for us,” said Nova. “She’d want to use the townsponies to wear us down before we even got to her. The best way to do that would be to pick a place with only one way in, no back doors or secret passages. As we already know, she’s been frequenting the Everfree Forest, which means she should hide in any of the caves. Most of them are one-way after all, but this means she’d run the risk of running into a dragon. Regardless of the outcome of that fight, we’d be alerted to where she was.”

“So you’re saying she’s probably hiding in any random cave in the Everfree Forest?” asked Aegis.

“No, I’m not,” Nova said. “I also think she’d want to use the whole hostage situation more to her advantage. Put them in a place where they can be killed if the wrong move is made. I know for a fact there are two ruins in particular that have that kind of trap. And one of them fulfills the first requirement.”

“Which ones?” asked Twilight, already having a feeling she knew.

“First, the one that she probably isn’t at, is the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters,” Nova explained. “The high cliff on which the ruin is perched means we’d have to be careful not to to send them plummeting into the river below, but that ruin has three ways in. Which leaves the second: the Everfree Vaults.”

Twilight felt a slight chill run up her spine. Of course it would be there.

“The Vaults are built above a hole dug into the ground. Around the hole are the actual vaults themselves, but the hole goes down quite a ways. All the way to Vault 1000, if I remember right. There is only one way in, which makes it the perfect gauntlet for us to have to go through. Couple that with the extra effort in keeping them alive…” Nova trailed off.

“Sounds like she’s picked the perfect fortress,” remarked Sharp Eye. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”

“There’s one more thing I need to get,” Nova said. “Something that Night Light has.”

“Shall I tell him you’re coming?” asked Ray,

“Yes, please,” Nova answered. “The sooner we can leave for Trottingham the better.”

“You’re probably going to be spending the night,” said Aegis. “The trains around the nation have been stopped because of the incident, and Princess Celestia has already sent the order for the Canterlot train to go to Trottingham as soon as you’re ready.”

Nova silently thanked Princess Celestia for this, even if it did cost him the extra day.

“I’ll be back,” he said, cantering out of the house, and making his way through the streets toward Twilight’s parents’ home. The run was pretty short, and in only a few minutes, he was standing outside the Sparkles’ home. He galloped up to the front door, and knocked frantically.

It opened quickly, revealing Twilight Velvet.

“Nova Shine?” she asked, sounding surprised. When she saw that he was alone, she asked, “Where’s Twilight?”

“She’s at Novus Manor,” he said. “I came because I need something from Night Light.”

“From Night?” repeated Velvet, sounding somewhat bewildered, but Night Light came into view behind her.

“Let him in, dear,” he said. “Just got the message from Ray. Come on upstairs, Nova.”

Nova entered and followed as Night led him toward his room. It had been a while since he had last been inside, so Nova took a moment to look around Night Light’s room as Night went straight for his closet. The pleasant sky-blue paint colored the walls, and the pictures took up most of the visible space on them. What surprised Nova was that he found a picture of himself added to the collection of pictures around the wall.

He had forgotten. During the night spent looking at Hearth’s Warming lights, Twilight had insisted on getting a picture ot remember the night, and Nova had gone with it, if unwillingly. He and Twilight were smiling, Nova half-heartedly, at the camera, while the Trottingham Lights Festival sign glowed next to them.

Nova admired the picture of his younger self. A shorter mane, a shorter tail, a slightly softer, gentler gaze, not quite as strong a chin, and shorter as a whole. Twilight, however, hadn’t aged even slightly since then.

It was amazing how much time travel could change one pony.

“Nova, come over here,” said Night Light from inside the rather spacious closet. He was currently pulling down a large metal crate with magic with the letters BHRF painted in white on the side, along with their logo.

“Here, give me a hoof will you? Let’s move it into the room,” he said, catching it in his fron hooves as Nova did the same. When it was securely in their grasp, he stopped the magic and they worked it into their bedroom and set it down.

Once it was on the floor, Night and Nova set to opening it. It was secured by an almost ridiculous number of straps and locks, but given how powerful the weapon was, Nova couldn’t blame Black Haysa for the security. However, after some effort, they managed to get all the straps and locks undone, and open the crate, revealing the magi-gun sitting in a molded black mesh protector.

Nova was surprised by the magi-gun’s appearance. The gun was a metal sleeve, with a thick closed end and glowing lines of some material Nova didn’t know running up and down the length of where his hoof would go. A number of needle-like protrusions inside the sleeve itself caught his eye, and he shuddered. He hated needles.

“Yes,” said Night, following his gaze. “The needles do hurt the first time, but you get used to them after that. Also, the first few shots you fire will also feel uncomfortable, until your body learns how to redirect the flow of magic when it is called upon like this.”

“How do you know?” Nova asked, still looking over the gun.

“I practiced with it. You didn’t think I would just blindly take a weapon and not learn how to use it, would you?” he asked, which made Nova feel sheepish. “:What if my little Twily was attacked? How would I defend her with a weapon I didn’t know how to use? I still take it once a week to an archery range and use a private range to practice.”

“How do you retract the needles? I don’t think they’re supposed to be like that when you put it on.”

“Like this,” said Night, pushing a small button on the edge of the open end of the sleeve. Instantly, the needles retracted. “Here, put it on. After the first time, the needle-sticking won’t hurt.”

Nova hesitantly took the sleeve an nervously slid his right front hoof in. When the bottom of it touched the end of the sleeve, he touched the ground with it. Nothing happened.

“Hit the button again,” said Night.

Nova wordlessly did so. He pushed the small button that made all the needles retract and instantly several spots of very sharp pain erupted on his hoof as the needles extended into his arm. He let out a cry of pain and surprise, but after a moment, the pain vanished completely.

“Yes, the enchantment on the needles is an anesthetic meant to numb the pain completely, and then not hurt at all any other time you put it on,” said Night, looking him over. “Here, lift the gun up to shooting level.”

Nova did so. After a moment, a loud clack sounded, and three prongs extended a few inches from the end of the gun. Nova turned the gun around to look and saw that the end had opened up to reveal a glowing blue light.

“The light is different for every pony,” explained Night. “For my magic, it’s kind of a pale periwinkle, actually. Everything looks good. This means your magic is already flowing through the gun. Excellent. Now, put your hoof down again.”

Nova did, putting his hoof down as if he were walking. The prongs were pushed back into the gun and the blue light vanished.

“A little aperture of metal keeps it covered up when the prongs are pushed in, and it renders the gun unfireable, so you don’t accidentally shoot the ground you’re walking on. This lets you walk around with no worries. Now, for shooting it, we’re going to have to go back to your parents’ house.”

“What’s in the rest of the crate?” asked Nova. The crate was far too large to only contain just the gun.

“Just tools for repairing it should it break, as well as the schematics for another one.” said Night. “And a self-destruct mechanism. The weapon was made for a reason, and after that reason is accomplished, it will be taken out to the San Palomino Desert and destroyed.”

After they made sure everything was working on the magi-gun without firing it, Nova returned to Novus Manor with Night Light. Night had sent an advance message asking to set up a private target range to test the gun in, and when they arrived, they were brought by Sharp Eye to a back room with several paper archery targets pinned to the back wall.

“I want to warn you,” said Night, “the first couple of times are going to hurt a lot.”

“Then let’s get it out of the way,” said Nova. “How do you fire?”

“Try to cast a spell,” said Night. “Any spell at all while the gun is pointed at a target.”

Nova held the magi-gun up towards one of the archery targets and attempted to cast a simple levitation spell. Instantly, it felt like the magic circulating in his body was forced away from the path from Source to horn and town towards that one leg in particular. Nova, however, was surprised that it didn’t really hurt that much. All it did was make him grunt in discomfort.

And then the gun fired. The beam looked no different than a normal magical energy beam, except it was wider and more concentrated. The beam shot towards the wall and hit the target, burning it instantly.

After a short moment, the magic stopped. Night looked surprised after the blast.

“You made it sound like it didn’t hurt at all? Why is that?”

“Because it really didn’t that much,” said Nova, shrugging. “You made it sound like it was going to feel like breaking a femur, or something.”

“As one of the people who made the gun in question,” interjected Ray, raising a hoof, “I think there’s an explanation. Nova, have you attempted to cast a spell through your hooves before? Like an earth pony or pegasus uses their magic?”

“Yeah, once,” said Nova, remembering that moment in his, Comet’s, and Princess Celestia’s battle against Nightmare Moon where he had cast a spell through his hooves to get under Nightmare Moon’s shield.

“That explains it,” said Ray, with a smile. “The magical pathway from Source to his hooves has already been established, even if it isn’t used regularly. The magi-gun didn’t have to create one; it just followed its own existing path.”

“It still didn’t feel that comfortable,” said Nova. “I haven’t cast a spell through my hooves in a little over seven months.”

“In that case, it was probably just using a pathway Nova wasn’t used to using yet,” Ray said. so it still would cause some discomfort. It’ll hurt less and less each time until it doesn’t hurt at all. So, we need you to shoot more. This time, however…”

Ray’s horn shimmered and a wall of silver magic appeared in front of Nova, directly between him and the target.

“Fire straight at the target,” instructed Night. “This surprised me when I first did it, too.”

Nova nodded, shifted the magi-gun to firing position, and let loose another spell. Nova watched as the beam flew right at the wall, and he expected it to simply collide and do nothing.

But it didn’t. It went right through the wall of magic and blackened the target. Twilight and Nova both gasped as the spell faltered and died.

“Now,” said Ray, “I’m sure Miss Twilight here could tell me, why can’t normal magic go through other magic?”

“Because magic is quantum, and thus can be a particle and a wave at the same time” Twilight recited. “Because of the particle physics aspect, when the two different magicks meet, they neutralize each other. In short, the magical particles display total neutralizing annihilation. But then why--”

“Why did the gun’s go straight through the wall?” asked Ray. “Why don’t you tell us? I’m sure you could figure it out.”

“But it can’t,” said Twilight. “The only way magic goes through magic is if they are both in wave state…” she trailed off as her eyes lit up in understanding. “The magi-gun forces the magic to exist in wave state when it makes contact with other magic!”

“Correct, Twilight,” said Ray with a grin. “The gun forces a wave state at arcane contact. Which means if an offensive spell, like a beam from this gun, and a defensive spell, like a shield, were to meet, the beam would go through the shield, which would continue functioning normally. Neither magic would be neutralized. In that area where the two met, the overall magic would probably be weaker, but once it passed through, the beam would be its normal strength, as would the shield.

“But suppose an offensive spell met another offensive spell,” continued Ray, his grin vanishing. “The spells’ strengths would more than double and go right through each other, doing more than double the damage to both casters. The strength of each spell would remain the same, but on top of each other, the overall power would double. And the one with the gun can’t cast a defensive spell while it can be fired, which means you have to close it to use a shield, Nova. Like you probably know, just step down on it to do that.”

Nova did, and as he did, he marveled at the gun itself. A weapon that could challenge the princesses? It could do more than that. In the wrong hooves, it could toss the princesses aside.

This… is too powerful. Black Haysa is right. It needs to be destroyed when it isn’t needed anymore.

“Do you plan on leaving as soon as you can?” Ray asked, after Nova pressed the button to retract the needles and slid the gun off his forehoof.

“As soon as possible, yeah,” said Nova. “As much as I would like to ask the Princesses for help in this one, I’ve got this feeling that this is something Twilight and I have to do without their aid.”

“They’ve already given you all the help you will get from them,” said Aegis. “They said much the same to me when they told me to come help you. This is something that the Night Apprentice and the Faithful Student must overcome together. Granted, you’ve already past Night Apprentice, but still…”

“Which settles it,” said Twilight with a rather smug grin sent Nova’s way. “They want us to do this together, so that means I’m coming, no matter what you may feel about it.”

Nova inwardly snarled to himself. This would put Twilight into unnecessary danger against an enemy she barely knew that he had extensive knowledge of. How was this a good idea?

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Much like his younger self had done a little over two weeks before, Nova sat outside on the balcony that overlooked Novus Manor’s courtyard, deep in thought and trying to calm himself about tomorrow. The moon was high in the sky, the stars were bright, and the mountain air was very cold. Nova wasn’t complaining, however. His cloak provided him what warmth he needed.

Everyone else slumbered peacefully inside, including Aegis and Twilight. They had decided to stay at the Manor, prepared to leave the moment Nova was ready. Nova had spent some more time growing accustomed to the magi-gun, including discovering that, while normal mundane spells were converted into energy beams, some spells like a grappling grip spell could be fired by the gun with the right thought. Considering they were going to the Everfree Vaults again, Nova thought it would come in handy.

He sighed, and his breath froze as a mist the moment it left his mouth. He watched it for a moment as it dissipated in the air, then fell back against the ground, shutting his eyes and enjoying the calm night.

“Here you are again, outside in the cold on the night before something you are about to do,” came an all-too-familiar voice. Nova cracked open an eye to find Princess Luna hovering before the balcony, watching him with concern. “You would do well to go inside; you’ll catch cold in this weather.”

“I’m warm already, Princess,” said Nova, sitting back up. “The cloak keeps me warm.”

She fluttered down next to him, sat, and drew her wing around him like she had done those weeks ago, years to him.

“I wish I could do anything more to help, but it must be this way. You and Twilight alone must be the ones to face Envy.”

“What about the time a thousand years ago, with Nightmare Moon?” Nova asked.

“That was the one time anypony other than the Night Apprentice and Faithful Student confronted her,” she said. “That was an extreme case. This time, I have the utmost faith that neither you nor Twilight will let any harm come to each other.”

“I’d be lying if I said I have that kind of faith in myself,” said Nova bitterly. “I still believe her to be stronger than me. How can I protect her from something more powerful than her?”

“We agree to disagree,” said Princess Luna dismissively. “I know for a fact, Nova, that no matter Twilight’s power, yours is stronger at the present moment.”

“How?” Nova asked. “How is that possible?”

Princess Luna tilted her head, studying him closely.

“After months of training alongside a pony as powerful as Twilight, educated by one of the most powerful magical minds in history, you do not think yourself stronger?"

“No,” said Nova. “She’s defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and Sombra. What have I done? Created my own worst enemy, who keeps trying to kill us both so she can kill the descendants of Clover.”

“So that’s her goal?” asked Luna in some surprise. “Interesting. Does she know about you?”

“Yes,” sighed Nova. “I told her in the past. I don’t know if she knows about Twilight, though.”

“She’s part of your family?”

“The Sparkle line comes directly from Starlight Sparkle, Comet Novus’ youngest child and only daughter. Twilight and I match up exactly as far as generations go.”

“How do you know?” asked Princess Luna.

“When you have seven months to kill, you get bored,” Nova answered with a shrug. “Watching Arsenal matches only kills so much of the time. Felt like looking into my family tree.”

“P-Princess Luna?” came a tired voice from behind them. Nova and Luna both turned to see Twilight standing in the door, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle,” said Luna.

“Why are you here?” Twilight asked, trotting over slowly to sit next to Nova.

“I saw my former pupil sitting in the cold and I came to pay him a visit,” she said. “I’m sure he remembers the last time I did this, only a couple of weeks ago.”

“Before he went back in time,” Twilight said. Luna’s lips curved into a small smile.

“Yes,” Luna said, nodding. “He wasn’t too much younger back then, but comparing him and his older self now, he looked younger than he actually was.”

She withdrew her wing from around him as Twilight leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

“You’re nervous about tomorrow, aren’t you,” said Princess Luna.

“What gave it away?” Nova muttered.

“Peace, Nova Shine, peace,” Luna said gently. “As I said before, I have the utmost faith in you and Twilight. I have no doubt your venture tomorrow will succeed.”

She stood up and prepared to fly away, but paused and turned back to them.

“Take care of him, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “And you, Nova, take care of her.”

“I will,” they said in unison. Luna chuckled.

“Very well. Good night, and good luck tomorrow.”

With that, she flapped powerfully, propelling her forward and into the night sky, where she blended and vanished after a moment. Nova stayed, watching the spot she vanished at, long after he couldn’t tell her apart from the rest of the sky.

“Nova?” Twilight asked softly. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“No,” said Nova. “I’m sorry. I’m being far too overprotective of you, when you just as capable as me, if not more so, at protecting yourself.”

He smiled humorlessly, feeling as cold as the air around him.

“I don’t understand you,” he said. “Time and again, I demonstrate exactly why I don’t deserve you, and yet you’re still here.”

“Really? Name one time you've shown you don’t think you deserve me,” she said.

“Earlier today, telling you that you wouldn't be coming. Presuming to be in charge of where you can and can’t go, I suppose.”

“Nova, I understand why you don’t want me to come,” she said, snuggling closer to him in the cold. “After what happened in the Vaults last time, and after your little fight with her when you were stabbed, trust me, I know why you don’t want me to come. But if you think I’m just going to sit back while my coltfriend is going out there, risking his life to rescue ponies, you’re dead wrong.”

She sniffed.

“Frankly, even if you suddenly became a walking magic bomb, and you were running away, or even fighting me, to keep me from being caught in the blast, I would fight just as hard to stay with you and help.”

Nova looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

“A walking magic bomb?” he asked teasingly.

“Oh, shut up,” she said. “It’s the only comparison I could think of.”

“Falling to Black Magic,” he pointed out.

She paused.

“Yes, I suppose that too,” she conceded, “but even then, Nova. Never forget that.”

“Never forget it?” he asked, looking back down at her. She looked up at him from her spot leaning on his shoulder to meet his blue eyes with her purple ones.

“Yeah,” she said. “Promise?”

“I promise,” he said, but she shook her head.

“Sorry, I meant Pinkie Pie Promise,” she corrected herself. “You never break a Pinkie Pie Promise, so I know you’ll never forget it.”

He gave a small laugh. Pinkie Pie Promise?

“How do I do that?” he asked.

She sat up and turned to face him, which he mimicked. When they faced each other, she took his front hooves in hers, traced an X over his heart, flapped his hooves like wings, and then pushed his right hoof into his eye (which he only just managed to close in time).

“Do that, and say, ‘Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.’”

Nova smiled at her.

“Just for you, Twilight.”

So he did. He recited the rhyme and did the actions. As soon as he had done so, they both turned back to their previous positions and looked back out over the peaceful cityscape of Canterlot in silence.

Nova closed his eyes, listening to her slow, rhythmic breathing, and revelling in the contact between them. On a sudden impulse, he drew the side of his cloak around her, and she snuggled even closer. And together they sat, awaiting the new day and what it would bring.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Ready?” Nova asked, as the four of them stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest path in Trottingham. “If any of you want to turn back, now’s the time.”

“Heh, drawing a line in the sand, are we?” asked Sharp Eye.

Nova bowed his head.

“In a manner of speaking.”

Twilight trotted right up to his side, gave him a quick peck, and said, “I’d say I made my decision seven weeks ago.”

“Really?” asked Aegis. “What was seven weeks ago?”

“The day I realized that I loved Nova,” explained Twilight with a bright pink blush.

“Now this I have to hear,” said Aegis with a devilish grin sent Nova’s way. He didn’t miss that Nova’s cheeks had gone pink, and he certainly intended to make fun of him later.

“Well,” started Twilight, but Nova just shook his head.

“We’ll have plenty of time for embarrassing stories later, Aegis,” he said, starting to trot forward and motioning with a hoof for them to follow him. “Right now, let’s stay focused on the task at hoof."

“Just injecting some humor into the situation,” said Aegis. “No need to get snippy.”

They trotted along the forest path quietly. Every small non-hoof sound made Nova twitch, and Twilight could see the weight of the incident was starting to get to him, but she didn’t want to voice her concerns. The last thing she needed was for him to accidentally vaporize the lot of them from a jump scare.

“Hate to spoil the mood,” said Aegis in a hushed voice, “but does anyone else get the feeling that we’re being watched?”

Nova halted, and they almost walked into him from how sudden he stopped. He was looking around surreptitiously, no doubt hoping he wouldn’t alert whatever being was in the forest that they knew it was there.

“Just keep moving,” whispered Twilight. Nova nodded, and they continued forward.

The trot seemed to take longer than the last time Twilight hiked it, but maybe that was because this time she knew they were walking into a trap, with no other option than to spring it.

Either way, it was only multiplying the jumpy feelings she had in her gut.

Finally, they arrived at the split from the trail, where the Everfree Vaults were off of. Nova wordlessly started pushing his way through the brush, and in short order, they arrived at the clearing in front of the crumbling entrance.

Nova stared straight at the dark entry, attempting to make out if anyone was inside, but it would appear he couldn’t see anything, because he started to look around.

“Where is everypony?” asked Aegis. “This building doesn’t look big enough to fit an entire village in it, so where are they?”

“The Vaults are dug into the sides of a giant hole in the ground, the top of which is inside,” explained Twilight. “They may just be waiting for--"

Three lights erupted out of the ground beneath Twilight, trapping her in a cage of magic. Nova, Aegis, and Sharp Eye all leapt away reflexively. Twilight looked around wildly, trying to find the spellcasters, while Nova charged forward and attempted to negate the cage.

“It’s no use, Nova Shine,” came an eerily familiar voice. Nova bolted around to see a large, muscular earth pony descend dramatically from the steps of the Everfree Vaults. Balanced Budget’s normally-brown eyes were glowing red, and an evil grin on his face. Behind him, a group of ponies were following him down the steps, all staring at Nova with glowing red eyes and evil smiles.

Nova’s blood felt like it turned to ice. Behind him, he heard Aegis and Sharp Eye shift into fighting stances.

“She’s trapped in there, nice and safe from you,” Envy’s voice issued from Balanced Budget’s mouth. “But rest assured, it isn’t for long.”

The three spell nexuses at the base of Twilight’s cage flared, and a bright light surrounded her. Nova bolted toward the cage, but the moment he made it, the entire cage, Twilight included, vanished. He whirled back around to face Balanced Budget.

“WHERE IS SHE!?” he shouted at them, instinctively tapping into Luna’s magic to bring out the Royal Canterlot Voice.

All of the townsponies’ grins grew wider.

“At the bottom of the Vaults. Come and get her, Nova Shine,” she taunted in a singsong voice, which only caused Nova to let out a yell and charge right at Balanced Budget, much to the protestations of Aegis and Sharp Eye. Right before he collided with the earth pony, he vanished in a bright blue light, which reappeared behind the crowd of ponies. He was past the first line of defense.

Before Aegis and Sharp Eye could do anything more, the forest around them suddenly erupted in sound as ponies emerged from it. All of their eyes were red, and all of them wore eerie, evil smiles.

“Idiot!” shouted Aegis in frustration. “We do all this planning, and he just runs off when Twilight vanishes!”

"How romantic," noted Sharp Eye dryly. "Abandon the plan the moment the damsel ends up in distress. That'll ensure her survival."

They shifted into bipedal fighting stances, back-to-back, and surveyed the crowd.

“Target the unicorns first due to magic,” Aegis muttered, “then the pegasi to give us the aerial advantage, and then go after the earth ponies. Strike to submit, not to kill.”

“Noted,” said Sharp Eye, scanning the crowd for any unicorns. “Think we can handle all of them on our own?”

“Maybe,” Aegis replied. “Might be tough if one or two more show up.”

“Guess those’ll have to be the one or two that I take care of,” remarked Sharp Eye.

They both chuckled as they stared down the possessed ponies watching them, waiting for them to attack.

“On three, then?” asked Aegis.

“Yeah,” Sharp Eye nodded. “Go ahead and start us off.”

“If you say so. One.”

“Two.”

“THREE!”

And they charged.

Author's Note

Damn, I flew through this chapter. Only a few days after the last one, and I got it posted.

Well, two chapters left in this story! One finale, one (appearing-to-be-long) epilogue. I'm already working on it, so be prepared!

As always, read and review. I want to make this better, but I can't without your help.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Together...

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 22: Together

The moment Twilight felt earth beneath her hooves, she was shoved sideways.

"I didn't expect you to fall for my trap that easily," came an amused voice from somewhere behind her. Twilight leapt to her hooves, but something cold and metal instantly pressed itself against her throat.

"Got you," Envy whispered triumphantly into her ear. "Magically suppressed by that spell, too. Probably won't casting any spells for the next couple of hours, unless you want to risk hurting your health. Just like your friend over there."

Twilight looked over at the cave wall opposite where she currently stood to see Trixie, the Alicorn Amulet glinting as it hung around her neck, gagged with a strip of cloth and restrained by manacles nailed to the stone behind her. Despite her predicament, she was still struggling against the enchanted metal.

"Now then, let's get a few things clear," Envy continued, pressing the knife a little harder into her neck. "You make any attempt to escape, I kill her. You make any attempt to communicate with Nova I don't like, I kill her. Basically, you do anything I don't like, I'm going to kill her."

"But she's your host," Twilight retorted. "If you kill her, you die too."

"Won't I, Twilight?" asked Envy, a gloating tone in her voice. "Won't I? Like I said, you make any attempt to communicate with Nova I don't like, I kill her."

The knife pressed just a bit harder to her neck, and she felt Envy's hoof start to pull her back. Given her current situation, she had no choice but to comply, feeling as she was led back to the opposite end of the room.

"Now that everyone's in place," Envy said smugly, "let's watch the show."

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova appeared behind the group of townsponies in a flash of blue light. The moment he felt coordinated enough from the teleportation, he took off as fast as he could into the Vaults. Once he began to run towards the opening in the ground, he slid to a stop.

The townsponies of Neighton inside were positioned just on the edge of the pit.

“That’s right, Nova Shine,” Envy’s voice taunted from one of the ponies closest to him. “You’re going to do this my way, or I’ll just have all of these ponies that that one bad step.”

Nova ground his teeth in frustration. So he was just going to have to cooperate, then? Well, if it saved the lives of the townsponies, so be it.

“Fine,” he growled. “We’ll do it your way.”

For a moment, Envy remained silent. The only noise was the fighting outside. Suddenly, however, she started laughing. A high, cold noise that gave Nova chills.

“You’re just going to roll over and do as I say? Just like that?” she asked, sounding amused and incredulous. “Well, in that case, let’s kick the dog!”

Five ponies stepped off the edge.

Before Nova could think about what he was going to do, he darted forward, his horn already shimmering. A magical net caught them, but before he could bring them back up, three more stepped off. However, this time Nova was more prepared. A second net appeared, as well as a couple of walls. The second net caught the trio of controlled ponies, while the wall flew in front of the next few, preventing them from going forward.

As fast as he could, Nova brought the five ponies up, but the moment their hooves touched the ground, they attacked him. Nova didn’t have too much time to react, but he figured this would happen, so what time he did have was enough. Five orbs of light appeared, and instantly flew over and bashed each pony in the head, knocking them unconscious.

“Party pooper,” said Envy. “You’re just incapacitating them. Props for thinking of that, but--”

Nova didn’t give her time to answer. He knew how deep these vaults went, and he knew he could maintain a wall around the entire pit as long as he needed. He had done it once before, in the past just because he could, and to annoy the employees there. Now, however, he could put it to productive use.

His horn shimmered, and the blue wall that blocked some of the other ponies from steppin forward instantly completed a full circle around the hole,and then extended all the way to Vault 1000 below.

“That’s just cheating,” remarked Envy. “Why didn’t you just do that in the first place when I threatened you with having them jump?”

“Needed to get you distracted somehow,” Nova responded to the voice. “If I had tried, you’d just let them go before I could finish the spell.”

“You’re right I would have,” she said. “Well then, since you can’t just dive down here now, looks like you’ll have to run the entire way, with all of these ponies in your path. Might want to get started. I fear for Miss Sparkle’s chances of living, if you’re not fast enough.”

The voice paused.

“And just to add to the pressure, why not throw Miss Lulamoon’s life into the mix, too?”

But Nova was already galloping down the ramp. Perhaps he was being stupid, just taking Envy’s claim at face value, but he was sure of one thing. He was not going to let any harm come to Twilight Sparkle if it was the last thing he did.

“Oho? Such an eager pony…” mused Envy. “I wonder if you would have been this quick to rush to her defense if it had been Clover instead of Twilight. I wonder, does she know about you and her?”

“SHUT UP!” he shouted, suddenly snapping.

“Am I to take it that she doesn’t?” Envy gasped in mock surprise. “Tut tut, Nova Shine, I thought couples were supposed to trust each other.”

“She knows,” growled Nova, as he pawed the ground and stared at some of the ponies in front of him. He was going to have to be careful here. One of them was one of the town’s Councilponies.

“Then why the spectacular reaction? Unless…”

She fake-gasped again.

“No!” she said in a near-perfect imitation of Rarity when confronted with a particularly-unbelievable bit of gossip, “You don’t still have feelings for Clover, do you!?”

“SHUT! UP!” he roared, charging at the crowd of ponies and immediately knocking out the councilpony simply by using a sleeping spell.

“You do!” she exclaimed with glee. “Oh, this is so rich! She’s gone and you know it, but you still have feelings for her!”

Nova punched one of the ponies he was trying to incapacitate a little too hard, and he felt the jawbone break under the ferocity of his blow.

“Careful, now,” admonished Envy. “I thought you wanted to save these ponies. Not do them harm.”

Nova dispatched the last of this little clump of targets, then paused. She had a point. He was letting her goad him, and he wasn’t doing anything to stay calm.

Using a short breathing technique Twilight said Cadance had taught her in the Crystal Empire, he brought a forehoof up to his sternum while inhaling deeply, and then he pushed it out while he exhaled. Almost instantly, he felt calmer.

Don’t let her get to you, he told himself. She’s trying to get to you. Don’t let her.

He galloped down to the next clump of possessed ponies. Envy continued to try to goad him, but he managed to ignore her as he quickly knocked out everypony in the group. He continued moving further and further down the Vaults, but he did so slowly. He may have been a fit stallion, but he wasn’t a particularly good fighter hoof-to-hoof. He was doing his best not to use magic; the last thing he needed was to run out of what he was best at before facing Envy.

Finally, he noticed the groups of townsponies were getting fewer and fewer in number. He had lost track of what vault he was at, but that would be easily checked when he finished with the next group.

Once he managed to subdue the last one, he wiped the sweat from his mane and trotted over to the nearest vault. His heart sank. He was still only in the low one-hundreds.

But wait! He suddenly had an idea. Twilight had told him about their first trip to the Crystal Empire. She had utilized a reversal of gravity to slide up the ramp above the stairs to shorten the trip by lots. Well, he wouldn’t be reversing gravity, but he would be stealing a leaf from her book.

A small sled-shape made of magic appeared, which Nova hopped on. With a push, the sled started moving forward, his cloak flapping behind him, and his pendant with Twilight’s resonance trailing behind as well. Within seconds, the sled had accelerated to a frightening speed. Nova kept up the walls around the pit, both in case there were more ponies waiting, and in case he lost control of the sled.

Even at the speed he was going, it was a long descent. But Nova wasn’t complaining too much. While he was anxious to make sure Twilight and Trixie would be okay, the gap in combat allowed him to rest and regain some energy.

However, he was pretty on edge because of the control he had to keep on the sled. As long as he kept the sled tilted at a certain angle, he would be okay. There were shaky moments, but Nova was able to regain control almost as quickly as it wavered.

As impatient as he was, he refrained from stopping to see what vault he was at. He would get there when he got there. The spinning, though, was going to mess with him.

He could sense he was getting close to the bottom. These vaults were deep into the ground, but he had never been so far down before. The lowest he had gone was in the 700s, but he’d descended and ascended via magical platform. Now, when he couldn’t, he had no choice but to wait it out.

Finally, when he couldn’t take it anymore, he slowed to a stop, curled up into a ball, and clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the world to stop spinning around him. He needed to be ready to fight Envy, and if he was this dizzy, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

It took more than a minute. Envy had been surprisingly quiet for the last few, but Nova had a feeling it was because her mouthpieces were dwindling in number. Which meant Aegis and Sharp Eye had to be doing their jobs well up at the entrance.

When Nova felt better, he looked up to see a small slightly-brighter space a long way in the distance. He had to be almost half-a-mile underground by this point. And considering he was only in the 600s even after that lengthy slide, according to the nearby vaults, he still had a ways to go. Still, at least he was more than half-way there. Struck by a sudden thought, he returned his cloak to his Source. The last thing he needed was a choking hazard.

He leapt onto his sled again and pushed off. A few seconds later, he was zooming at the same high speed.

With every second, Nova got more and more nervous about what lay ahead of him. How would Envy choose to fight him? Would she even fight at all? She had two ponies held hostage, one of them he cared about deeply. Would she use them as meat shields to prevent him from attacking? Or would--

*WHAM*

Nova’s head connected with somepony’s hoof, knocking him backwards and breaking the spell on the walls. With a crystalline sound, they shattered and vanished into the air. Nova, however, was sent flying off of his sled, and he started falling down the stone ramp.

Had this been the same stone of the past, when it was polished and smooth, the worse he would have had to worry about was a burn from the stone friction. After over a millennium of erosion, however, the ground was uneven. He hit the wall several times, skinned himself, bashed or fell on his legs, and generally did great damage to his body.

And then, before he could stop himself, he was flung off the ramp and into the pit. It was so dark he couldn’t see, but he still thrust out the magi-gun and attempted to fire off a grappling grip spell.

It didn’t work, and he plummeted downward, flailing as he did so. Out of desperation, he deactivated the gun and attempted to create a magic slide to ease the fall ever so gently, but it was met with limited success.

Just before the slide evened out, the ground came into view. Nova desperately flipped himself to back-hooves-first to protect himself.

Nova crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, undoubtedly breaking several bones. He lay there for several seconds, whimpering in pain as his ribs felt like they had just been hit with a sledge. His legs felt like they would break apart if he tried to support himself, and the scratches and cuts all over his body only made everything worse.

Nevertheless, he tried. He managed to slide his hooves under his body, and he pushed with all his might. Every bone and muscle in his legs ignited in pain, and his legs spasmed, almost causing them to fall out from under him, but he managed to push himself into a standing position.

A lantern lit up the featureless wall in front of him. He turned, trying to stay standing, until he found Twilight. She was watching him with wide eyes, breathing heavily, and looking terrified. A glint of light shone under her muzzle, and Nova looked down to see the blade of a knife being held to her neck.

And behind her stood a green pony with a maroon mane, holding the knife to her throat.

“Hello, Nova Shine,” greeted Envy rather cheerfully. “You look like shit.”

Nova’s legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground and did not move.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Ray Novus sat in the living room of Novus Manor, reading a short book.

That is to say, trying to read a book.

He couldn’t ignore the fact that his son was fighting for the lives of every townspony of Neighton, as well as his own, Aegis’, Sharp Eye’s, Trixie’s, and of course, Twilight Sparkle’s. When Tantalus had heard, he had wanted to rush off to their aid with him, but Ray had been forced to put his hoof down. Nova had explicitly stated he didn’t want anypony else’s help. Tantalus had protested, but Ray refused to let him go. And besides, how were they going to get there? The only train in Canterlot had left that morning, carrying with it the four ponies going to fight.

Doctor Hoofman had also wanted to go, as he’d had an appointment with Ray, and he had found out from Tantalus. Yet again, Ray had been forced to decline. Both of them were out and trying to find a way, but Ray was sitting in his home, trying to take his mind off of his son.

He’ll be fine, he tried to convince himself. I know he will.

He heard the manor’s doors open in the distance, and figured his wife was probably entertaining guests. The surprised gasp he heard told him otherwise. When he heard it, he set the book down and trotted to the entry hall.

Anything to take my mind off what’s happening, he thought. It’s bloody unbearable, just having to sit here and wait.

He stopped when he saw, standing in his door, both Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Both of them looked none too pleased with him. Luna especially gave him a particularly cold glare.

“Why did you not accompany your son to the Everfree Vaults?” she asked immediately, advancing on him. Instinctively, he took a step back. “You’re his father, and you’re supposed to be there to help him! WHY ARE YOU NOT BY HIS SIDE!?”

“Luna!” admonished Princess Celestia. Luna turned back, sighed, and returned to her sister’s side.

“Tantalus and Thomas came to alert me to the situation the moment they said you refused to go after Nova, Twilight, Aegis, and Sharp Eye,” Princess Celestia began. “Normally, Tantalus and Thomas both would be facing a hefty fine and imprisonment for appearing before me unannounced, especially considering Tantalus’ banishment. However, they tell me you will not go after them.”

“Nova didn’t want my help, Princess,” said Ray. “He said the fewer unicorns the better. All it took was one bad spell, and it could result in death.”

Princess Celestia shook her head.

“Ray, I have known you from the time you were born,” she said. “I’ve watched you grow. I’ve watched you struggle. I’ve watched you transform from a colt who could barely perform any kind of magic at all into one of the most accomplished magical scientists in this day and age. Why, then, did you allow your son, Twilight Sparkle, and their little group to go off alone after Envy?”

“It’s not like I didn’t offer to go with them!” protested Ray. “I asked Nova three times if he was sure going they would be alright on their own. Three times he told me yes. I mean,” he kicked at the ground awkwardly, “it’s not like he said he didn’t want me to go. He told me in any other circumstance that he would be want me along. But...” he trailed off.

“But what?” asked Luna.

“They went to the Everfree Vaults,” he said. “I’ve been there before. I know why Envy picked that place. I know why Nova doesn’t want too many unicorns along. All it takes is on desperate spell--”

“And you believe that you will lose control like that?” demanded Luna.

“Well, yes!” admitted Ray, feeling aggravated that they continued pressuring him to answer. Celestia knew he was never any good at actual magic! Why didn’t Luna know!?

“You sell yourself too short, Ray,” sighed Princess Celestia, shaking her head. “You’re not the stallion you were while your father was alive. You may not have the magical talent of your son, but you are anything but helpless.”

“It’s not that I’m helpless, highness,” he said, his head drooping. “It’s that I lack control. You know that. I’ve never been able to control spells the way better unicorns can. I’d hurt more townsponies than I’d help.”

The princesses stared at him for a long moment. Luna’s glare was harsh, and Ray couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of her. She’d had the relationship with his son he never had. Quite frankly, she was probably more of a mother to him than Shimmer had been. Celestia’s gaze, however, was pitying, and he knew it. She pitied him, because in a long line of prodigies and virtuosos of magic, he had been the one who had drawn the short straw.

He had been the one who’d inherited almost no magical talent from his parents. All he had was his mind. All he could do was study magic, but never cast it the way a true mage could.

The way his son could.

It didn’t help that Nova had seemingly inherited every bit of talent he hadn’t. From the day Nova was born, Ray had always known he was destined for greatness. Perhaps this was why he hadn’t loved the boy like a good father would have. He was so wrapped up in his jealousy toward his own son that he ignored him and left him to fend for himself.

His head bowed in shame as the thought hit him like a hundred-pound weight.

“Ray Novus,” said Princess Celestia, “you are to accompany me this very instant, and that is an order.”

“What?” Ray asked, looking up at the Princesses. Celestia’s eye was twinkling, and Luna appeared to be relieved.

“Follow us,” Celestia said, motioning with a hoof.

Ray complied, and he was led out to the courtyard. Princess Luna motioned for Tantalus and Doctor Hoofman to follow as well, and they did. The trio was led to the golden carriage that was Princess Celestia’s, but Ray stopped, noticing there were no pegasi hooked up to it.

“I don’t mean to sound overly pessimistic,” he said, “but it takes a little over an hour to fly to the Everfree Forest. Princesses, I know you’re fast, but are you there fast enough to get there in much less of time?”

Luna and Celestia met each others’ eyes, and shared a smile.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Luna, hooking herself up as Celestia did too. “In the meantime, we suggest you hold on while we navigate out of Canterlot.”

Ray, Dustin, and Tantalus all climbed in and held on to the straps sewn into the seat of the carriage. Celestia and Luna flew them out over the city and away from the mountain several meters.

“If I were you,” said Celestia, looking back at them, “I would hold on all the tighter.”

Ray barely had time to process. With three powerful flaps of their mighty wings, the princesses propelled carriage faster than Ray thought possible, and they were only getting faster

Even as they heard the sounds of three frightened ponies struggling to hang on tight, the princesses smiled at each other, and then accelerated even faster as they flew as fast as their wings would carry them towards the clearing in the Everfree Forest they knew contained the Vaults.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Aegis backflipped to avoid a blast from one of the unicorns in the crowd. So far, he had only counted two. A peach-colored mare with a long blonde mane and an aqua mare, also with a long blonde mane. The two of them were attacking in flawless coordination, spamming spells to keep the two of them on the tips of their hooves as they flew around to dodge. Anytime they flew at either of them, the other would shield the target.

“Damn,” growled Aegis as he and Sharp Eye found themselves back to back again, having sustained a few shots from the various ponies surrounding them. “Have to give Envy credit. She’s keeping us nice and distracted trying to fight off the unicorns.”

“I think this means we should just switch targets,” said Sharp Eye. “We can’t hit the unicorns, so let’s take ownership of the skies.”

Aegis smiled.

“Noted. There aren’t many. Just be careful, and prioritize dodging the magic over going for submission.”

“Got it.”

They charged away from each other again, this time taking flight. The pegasi in the crowd took off and charged after them. The earth ponies were left to just watch and wait, while the unicorns sent spells after them and the pegasi engaged them directly.

However, this had removed the majority of the townsponies from the battle for the time being. They had more room to maneuver now, and fewer ponies to worry about. Really, why hadn’t they done this sooner?

“Watch out, one on your six!” Sharp Eye shouted at him. Aegis smiled, and just halted in midair. The unlucky pony behind him hit Aegis head on. Or more specifically, he hit Aegis’ armor, literally head on. The pony fell down toward the ground, where Aegis chased after him and let him down gently.

“Mind the old ones!” he called back to Sharp Eye. “Take them out as gently as possible!”

“Got it,” Sharp Eye responded, catching one such elder mid-flight, and choking him into submission, before lowering him back down to the ground as well.

Little by little, they took the skies. It was a long process, and not without its dangers, but after several minutes spend dodging spells and thinking of gentle ways to incapacitate the elderly, there were no other pegasi. The only ponies they had to worry about from their heights were the unicorns, which were easy to dodge when their spell choices were limited.

“Which one?” asked Sharp Eye, flying over and starting to circle Aegis while they discussed their next targets.

“Tan mare first," said Aegis, quickly assessing the situation. "She's not as strong with her spellcasting as the blue one. Once she's down, we can double up on the blue one."

“Got it,” said Sharp Eye, nodding. “How do you intend to take out their shields?”

“By ramming it over and over again,” Aegis said. “Remember the Royal Wedding? That’s how the Changelings pierced Shining Armor’s defenses. They just hit it till it broke.”

“Got it. Alternate hits?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll go first.”

Sharp Eye dove straight at the aqua mare, but a very light tan shield blocked his progress and he bounced off. However, just as he regained his bearings and flew back up, Aegis shot down at the shield and collided with it too. They took turns, smashing at the shield. With the tan mare protecting him, the aqua stallion couldn’t fire anything at either of them.

It was tiring work, but Aegis soon saw small cracks appearing in the spellwork.

“It’s working!” he called as Sharp Eye dove and hit it again. “Stop, let me finish this off!”

Aegis flew a couple of feet into the air, and started to utilize a military technique he had been dying to put to use ever since he mastered it. He began separating the energies in the air around his dominant hoof. That, coupled with a bit of manipulation of his own magic, caused the air around his hoof to start sparkling with white light. As the energies started to converge on each other to balance out, the sparkles changed. No longer were they bits of light, they were bolts of lightning.

With a cry, he dove, hoof reared back to punch. Just before he hit the shield, he thrust the lightning-riddled hoof forward, hitting the shield directly.

A great thundering boom sounded. Aegis was thrown back several meters, but the lightning punch had done its job. The shield was shattered. Without hesitation, Sharp Eye dove and pummeled the aqua pony with four quick strikes, successfully knocking her out. Aegis, however, dove straight at the other mare, who appeared disoriented from the voiding of her magic. All it took was two quick hits, and she collapsed, unconscious, to the ground.

“Well done!” shouted Sharp Eye, even as he took off to avoid the earth pony crowd bearing down on him.

“We own the skies, and they can’t touch us now,” breathed Aegis, winded from the power of the attack he had just used.

“Nice move, by the way,” added Sharp Eye. “Where’d you learn something like that?”

“Military,” Aegis said simply. “Not really supposed to use it except in dire situations, but I’d say, with all these townsponies needing to knocked out, this is a dire situation.”

“Take your time,” said Sharp Eye. “With all the unicorns subdued, we’ve got some time to rest before we take on the horde of earth ponies.”

“I’m going to need… quite a few moments,” panted Aegis. “The lightning punch took a lot out of me. It’s not easy, wielding something like that.”

“It didn’t look--”

The air behind Sharp Eye exploded, throwing him into Aegis, and throwing both of them toward the ground in surprise. When they hit, Aegis was thrown an extra meter or so toward the crowd of now-advancing earth ponies. Sharp Eye, however, hit the ground and did not move.

“Sharp Eye!” Aegis called, struggling to get back t his hooves. He scrambled away from the crowd and made it to Sharp Eye’s side. First thing’s first, Aegis checked for a pulse. It was still strong, which meant Sharp Eye was just dazed or unconscious. Hopefully the former.

“Come on, man, wake up!” he growled, shaking Sharp Eye, but the stallion remained still.

“Damn it all!” Aegis cursed, whirling around to face the oncoming crowd of earth ponies. A tan unicorn with a tidy brown mane stood at the front of them. Like everypony else, his eyes were glowing red.

“Looks like you didn’t defeat all the unicorns,” noted Envy through the unicorn’s mouth. “And here I thought a pegasus bounty hunter and a pegasus Guardspony would be more than a match for a crowd of earth ponies.”

Aegis threw a hoof toward the unicorn’s face, but magic shackles threw him back down to the ground and bound him in place, preventing him from acting at all.

“Now then, the less you squirm, the less this will hurt,” Envy said. The unicorn smiled in such an eerie way it gave Aegis the chills.

“Well, we will be sure to give Nova Shine your last regards,” said Envy, as a knife was conjured in midair. “Farewell, Aegis of Canterlot,” she said as she thrust the knife toward his heart.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Every little movement hurt. Every breath he took irritated his hurt, probably-broken ribs. Every shuffling movement ignited his injured hooves and legs. And every tiny shifting at all just aggravated the numerous cuts and scratches on his body.

Nova whimpered to himself in his awkward position on the ground. Everything was badly hurt. How could he hope to fight Envy when he was in this state!?

“Nova? Can you hear me?” whispered a frightened voice by his ear. It twitched out of reflex, having not been expecting to hear Twilight’s voice.

He grunted, not really able to do much else.

“Please,” begged Twilight into his ear. “Get up! She’s got me, and she’s got Trixie! You have to fight her, or she’s going to kill us all--”

“That’s enough, Twilight Sparkle,” said Envy’s voice harshly. Nova heard a zapping sound and heard Twilight’s gasp of pain. That alone did wonders to help him stand.

“How dare you touch her!?” he growled, feeling his adrenaline start to kick in. With the added energy, he staggered back to his hooves, spitting out blood as he did so.

Envy once again had Twilight at knifepoint, and she didn’t seem even remotely concerned with his anger toward her for hurting Twilight. On the contrary, she seemed to be scrutinizing her knife, rather than pay attention to him.

“Let. Her. Go,” Nova growled through gritted teeth again, feeling a wave of pain hit his ribs.

“Or what, Nova Shine?” asked Envy idly. “What will you do? Will you attack me? You’ll have to go through her,” she elbowed Twilight hard in the wither. “What can you do to me?”

“I’ll… I’ll…” Nova searched for something he could do, but in his current, painful and befuddled state, nothing came to mind. Envy’s cold red eyes met his furious blue ones as a knowing smile worked its way onto her face.

“You’re in no position to be making demands, Nova,” she said. “I have Twilight here at knifepoint, and I also have another hostage as well. One I’m pretty sure you came with the intention of saving.”

She gestured behind Nova, and he turned to see Trixie, bound to a wall with metal shackles and gagged with a strip of cloth, the Alicorn Amulet glowing faintly in the darkness. Nova's first thought was that it was probably how Envy was able to kidnap and control every townspony from Neighton.

Trixie was desperately trying to communicate with Nova, but all she could get out were muffled cries.

“You’re doing such a fine job of rescuing these ponies, Nova Shine,” taunted Envy. “I don’t think I could have made this situation any worse for yourself than it already is. As we speak, my puppets upstairs have defeated your friends, and one of them is about to kill the Guardspony. However, I’m staying his hoof.”

Nova resisted the temptation to clap a hoof over his heart as another wave of pain hit his ribs, but that didn’t stop him from groaning in pain.

“And it would appear that you’re in no condition to stay here for very long. So, since I am such a generous pony, Nova Shine, I’m going to let you take the first shot.”

Nova blinked. What?

“I’m going to just stand here and let you fire the first spell. Make it count,” she added, smiling sweetly at him. “Of course, you’re probably wondering what the catch is. Well, in truth, there is none. I am going to just stand here and let you shoot that magical thing attached to your hoof at me.”

She held up a hoof, as if forestalling a response.

“Oh, wait, there is a catch. See, there’s only two places you could shoot for this to be an effective use of a spell. Obviously, you could shoot at me. But if you did, you’d have to shoot right through Twilight Sparkle to get at me. Or, you could shoot my host. I’m still not quite able to survive with her dead, so you’d be killing me if you shot Trixie. Of course, there’s still that possibility that I might survive. That I might be lying about not being able to survive without her.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her sweet smile turned malevolent.

“Well, Nova Shine? What will it be? Will you shoot right at me, and kill the love of your life, and be guaranteed to kill me? Or will you shoot the lesser pony? The host? The one with only a chance to kill me? Oh, and if you try to tell him which decision to make, Twilight Sparkle, I kill all three of you, and the two ponies up there, and I escape. No one wins but me.”

She elbowed Twilight again, making her grunt in pain.

“Well Nova? Make your decision. I’ll give you sixty seconds.”

Nova stood frozen to the spot. What did he do? How was he going to get out of this one?

Was he going to shoot Twilight? Of course not! But he didn’t want to shoot Trixie, either. But he had to shoot somepony!

He raised the gun and pointed it at Trixie, whose eyes widened, and she struggled all the harder to escape from her bindings.

“Hmm, interesting choice,” remarked Envy. “Sacrifice a pony to save your beloved. How… selfless. The princesses would be proud.”

Nova was shaking from head to hoof. He desperately didn’t want to fire the spell! But what other choice did he have!?

He turned the gun around and pointed it at Twilight, whose eyes widened a fraction, but she otherwise remained still. Envy’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh? Saving Trixie and going straight for me instead? But what about Twilight Sparkle? She’ll die if you shoot at me.”

She suddenly stopped.

“What is that?” she asked, thrusting her free hoof at his chest. Her magic lit up and yanked a metal pendent off of his neck. It was the pendent containing Twilight’s resonance. After looking at it for a moment, she looked over Twilight and found her’s.

After yanking them both off, she looked at them for a moment, before crushing them with magic and tossing them away.

“Such meaningless trinkets,” she said dismissively. “Well, the good news for you is that I’m resetting your countdown. Make your choice, Nova Shine.”

Seeing those pendents had exactly the opposite effect Nova wanted. Now they just brought up how much he didn’t want to shoot Twilight again. Like a slave to his desires, he obeyed this feeling.

He swung the gun around and pointed it at Trixie.

Everything grew still and silent around him as he pointed it at her. Envy’s voice rang out over the deafening silence.

“What a paragon of righteousness, you are,” she taunted. “Sacrificing a normal pony you barely know to save the life of your beloved. You make me proud, Nova Shine.”

The gun was shaking more and more with each passing second. He had to fire! If he didn’t, she would kill all of them! He had to shoot! SHOOT, DAMN IT!

But he didn’t. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he tried to make this impossible decision.

“You make me proud, Nova Shine.”

He swung the gun around and pointed it at Envy and Twilight. Envy’s eyes glimmered in the light as he aimed it at her.

“Ten seconds, Nova Shine,” she said. “Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”

Nova continued to hold the gun in their direction. His hoof was shaking badly. Was it because he was losing his strength? Or was it because he couldn’t do it?

Envy’s smile vanished.

“Five seconds.”

Nova suddenly grew still as a statue. Something about Twilight had stopped him. There was something under her hoof…

The amulet!

“Get out of the way,” he said immediately in a low voice.

Instantly, Twilight elbowed Envy hard in the gut before she could react. Envy, not suspecting the attack, took it with surprise as Twilight galloped away from her. In desperation, she threw the knife in Twilight’s direction, but a beam of magic, focused to a point smaller than he had ever done before, shot from Nova’s horn and blasted it into the wall.

“Don’t move,” he said, aiming the gun at Envy, who looked startled at this turn of events. She clenched her eyes shut, attempting to turn into shadow again. When she couldn’t, she gasped and started looking every which way for what was preventing her escape.

And her eyes fell on the amulet.

“No,” she breathed, staring at it. “It can’t be!”

“But it is,” said Nova. “I’m sure you remember that amulet. Kept you from transforming back during Nightmare Moon’s rampage. And now, it keeps you nice and still so I can destroy you.”

He smirked.

"Did you really think Twilight would just blunder into your trap, now that she can sense energy?" he taunted. "We had this planned the entire time. We knew you were going to try to capture her, and we came up with a plan to exploit it. You set the trap for us, we turned it right back on you."

Nova's horn shimmered again, and a blue barrier appeared above the four of them. The only way out now was to attack Nova, but he had her at gunpoint.

"We got you, you little bitch," he said with finality.

Envy’s eyes flicked every direction, looking for a way out, but it would appear that there wasn’t one for her.

“No,” she growled. “No! This can’t be! I’ve waited for too long for this! YOU’RE NOT NOT LEAVING HERE ALIVE, DAMN IT!”

Before Nova could do anything, Envy’s horn lit up. Nova cast a shield over himself, Twilight, and Trixie to protect them, but she didn’t fire at them. Instead, she was arranging a trap spell in the ground. Nova had sacrificed precious time to conjure the shield, and thus was unable to stop her from creating the spell. He dropped the shield and fired a desperate beam at the hoof that was being thrown at the spot on the ground, but he was too late.

There was an ear-splitting crunching noise, and the entire building began to rumble. The ground split open right where she had arranged the trap. The fissure split fast, but it gave Nova plenty of time to react. The split has heading straight for Twilight, but just before the ground split open, he managed to push her out of the way, but he fell into the hole. He grabbed onto the edge and clung on desperately, even as Twilight ran over to help.

The amulet had been one of the first things that fell into the chasm. Envy, however, had remained safely off to the side of the crevice that continued to advance along the ground. But when she saw Nova about to fall and Twilight trying to save him, she galloped over to them and slammed into Twilight with all her might.

Twilight stumbled around, but another shield from Nova prevented her from falling in. She charged right back at Envy and slammed back into her, causing Envy to stumble backward before colliding with a rock wall. The two charged again at each other and began to throw hoof after hoof at their foe, all the while growing closer and closer to the edge of the ever-growing chasm.

Nova felt his hooves slip slightly, and he clung on even tighter.

Twilight and Envy continued fighting each other, but neither could gain an advantage. Every spell Envy sent Twilight's way was knocked aside with her cloak in a masterclass of Twilight's dexterity, and every one of the few spells Nova sent Envy's way from his predicament was dodged.

But then, just when it seemed they had the upper hoof, bad luck struck. Twilight and Envy continued to pummel each other to the best of their ability, but Twilight stumbled into a small branch of the fissure, causing her to fall. Sensing her advantage, Envy kicked her backwards, sending her toward the edge of the chasm. Twilight fell into it, but just like Nova, she clung on desperately to the edge.

“HAH! After all these years, Clover, I finally get to kill you!” she shrieked triumphantly, stepping hard on her hooves. “And right in front of him, too,” she added, sliding Twilight’s hooves toward the edge.

There was a flash of pale purple light, and Envy shrieked. Nova, having been caught up in trying to keep an eye on the action, had not noticed, but Trixie had fired a spell at Envy, and her aim had been true. She had hit Envy, her spell's power bolstered by the Alicorn Amulet. Envy staggered backwards, unprepared for the attack. But as Trixie had been magically suppressed by the enchanted chains binding her, she collapsed, hanging limply in her manacles.

Envy was thrown straight at Nova, who couldn’t move avoid her as he hung from the fissure's edge. She hit him as she fell over the edge, knocking him loose from his grip, and they both started to fall into the depths of the chasm.

“NOVA!” screamed Twilight, scrambling up onto the safety of the ground and over to where he had been.

Demonstrating the skill befitting the Night Master, Nova aimed the active magi-gun right at the edge and fired a grappling grip spell. The blue ball of light flew from the gun toward the edge and stuck just below the edge. Nova’s body swung sideways into the wall, knocking the wind out of him. It was then, however, that he noticed he had extra weight.

Envy was clinging to one of his hind hooves. When he looked down, she had started to climb up his body. He tried to struggle, to throw her off, but she hung on tightly, only getting higher and higher.

She stepped on his shoulders and clung on to the magic chain and continued to climb higher, growing ever closer to Twilight--

“NO!” Nova roared, jerking the magi-gun as hard as he could away from the chasm wall. That, and a well-timed kick from Twilight, were enough to cause Envy to lose her grip and fall back down as he re-aimed the grappling grip.

*CR-CRACK*

Nova screamed. He screamed louder and harder than he ever had in his life. The shoulder with the magi-gun felt like it had been wrenched out of socket, and so did his opposite back leg. Envy had caught his hind hoof on the way down. The jerking of the weight downward had probably dislocated both of them and torn some of the muscle, cartilage, and tendons inside.

Trying to blink back tears, he looked down. Envy was still clinging to his limp leg, but she seemed to be losing it little by little.

“G-go to hell,” he growled out painfully, aiming a kick at her face.

He connected.

Her grip was broken, and she was sent plunging into the black depths of the chasm she had created, screaming with terror as she plummeted to her doom.

Nova had no time to watch. He willed the magic to drag him back up toward the edge as quickly as it could. The chasm was going to destroy the Vaults, and he, Twilight, and Trixie needed to get out as quickly as they could. The gun pulled him up, but it was a slow and painful process, as it pulled him up by his hurt shoulder.

He finally made it to the edge, where Twilight reached out a hoof to pull him up, but another crunching sound caught their attention. Nova looked over in time to see one of the lower vaults’ walls break open. Its contents started to spill into the chasm. They were all glass vials of some kind. Some were large, some small, some glowing some not…

Soul Jars! Empty ones!

Instantly, a magical shield blocked the Soul Jars from falling out of the Vault. If any empty ones fell down there, Envy could survive. There’s no telling how far down the amulet had fallen. If she had shifted back into shadow form, she might find a way to survive the encounter if she trapped herself in a Soul Jar.

“Nova, let it go! We need to get out of here!” Twilight yelled at him over the loud sounds of splitting earth.

“No!” Nova shouted back. “If any of those fall, she survives! I can’t let that happen!”

“Nova, please! Let it go and let me help! I can't cast magic, she suppressed me!” she pleaded, trying to pull him up, but he couldn’t let her. If there was any chance that monster could still walk the earth and he could have prevented it, it was unacceptable.

“HELP!” Twilight screamed up at the small light above them. “SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP US!”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Aegis couldn’t stop himself. He was trembling from head to hoof, waiting for the moment when the unicorn would plunge the knife downward and end this. He had been sitting there for the last minute, or so, waiting for something.

“What are you waiting for?” Aegis asked.

“Nova Shine has to make a choice,” Envy said. “He has to choose whether or not he’s going to kill Trixie, and in that case maybe kill me once and for all, or he has to kill me by shooting through Twilight Sparkle. If he doesn’t decide to kill anyone in a minute, well…”

The unicorn drew his free hoof across his throat. Aegis gulped.

“How-- how much time is left?” he asked.

“Hmm, not so stoic for a Royal Guard, are you?” Envy asked.

“Hard to be stoic and in control of the situation when there’s a knife intentionally positioned just above a gap in your armor,” he responded.

“Why oh why did we have to be on different sides?” Envy wondered aloud. “You’re fun to talk to. Shame I have to gut you like a fish.”

“I’m flattered you think that,” Aegis replied. “You’ll forgive me if the whole ‘enemy to Equestria’ thing scares me off, though.”

“Well, to answer your original question, he’s down to ten seconds,” Envy said. “If I were you, I’d suggest making your peace.”

Far from what he had thought, Aegis felt his body start to calm down. Maybe it was the sheer simplicity of the moment. He was about to die. That was that, no sugarcoating. He was going to go down trying to save the townsponies of Neighton, and Sharp Eye was going to die too.

“Five seconds. Sorry about this… sort of,” she said. raising the knife higher.

And then, quite suddenly, the unicorn was blasted aside with magic. Aegis blinked.

:Well, that was anticlimactic,” he said dryly. He jumped up to his hooves in time to see three unicorns charging the group of earth ponies and mass-casting spells that knocked large numbers of the ponies unconscious. And what’s more, the earth ponies didn’t seem to be doing anything! They just stood there and took the attacks!

He turned to see Sharp Eye, to find that Princess Celestia herself was tending to the unconscious pegasus. A couple of spells later, and Sharp Eye was waking up.

“What’s going on?” Aegis asked dumbly, not really taking in that the princesses themselves, with no accompanying guards, had brought along Ray, Tantalus, and Doctor Hoofman to help clean up after their partial success.

“Looks like we arrived in the nick of time,” noted Princess Celestia, looking down at the groggy Sharp Eye.

“But… I thought Nova and Twilight--”

“--were supposed to do this alone?” Princess Celestia asked him. When he nodded, she smiled. “They never really had to, but they insisted. We were always going to make sure things never got out of hoof. But considering what I can sense of Twilight and Nova, they appear to be doing quite well--”

The ground began rumbling, and the sound of splitting rock met their ears.

“What in Equus?” wondered Aegis. Tantalus, Doctor Hoofman, and Ray had finished defeating all of the earth ponies and were trotting over.

“Someone’s gone and activated a fissure-forming spell,” Ray said, before noticing Sharp Eye and cantering over. “Sharp Eye, are you alright?” he asked.

Sharp Eye nodded weakly. Ray knelt down and helped him get to his hooves.

“You both did well, judging by the defeated pegasi and unicorns before we got here,” noted Tantalus. “I wonder, though, what’s going on in there? Who’s casting that spell and why?”

A scream of pain sounded from deep within the Vaults. One that scared Ray, Aegis, Doctor Hoofman, and Princess Luna to the very core.

“Nova’s in trouble!” shouted Ray, already galloping forward, but a wall of golden magic stopped him.

“Ray, you’d only be too slow!” explained Princess Celestia when he glared at her and continued to struggle against the magic. “Need I remind you that there are two competent pegasi here who can go to his aid?”

“Sharp Eye, Aegis, go after them!” he shouted without hesitation, and they were both off without a second thought, flying straight into the depths of the Vaults.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“HELP! SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP US!” Twilight screamed desperately to the air above her, hoping the cry for help would make it out of the Vaults. They were very deep down, but she had a feeling the slight funnel-shape would let her voice carry at full volume.

The continued shaking of the ground jostled the lantern loose, and it shattered against the ground, plunging them all into darkness, save for the glow of Nova’s spells as he held to the chasm face and kept the Soul Jars from falling below.

“Someone call for a pickup?” came a familiar Braytish accent from above. Twilight looked up in time to see a flash of golden armor as Aegis landed in front of them, followed by Sharp Eye.

“Y-you took your t-time,” Nova grunted out.

Aegis opened his mouth to retort, but as soon as he saw Nova, he shot forward.

“No!” Nova bellowed. “Get them out of here first! Come back for me later!”

Aegis stared at him, but nodded.

“If you say so. Will you be alright?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. Twilight attempted to protest, but Nova would have none of it.

“Take her and get out of here! She's magically suppressed, so she can't teleport on her own right now! I have to keep these Soul Jars from falling as long as possible! When you’ve gotten them both out of here, come back for me! I’ll be alright!”

Twilight stared at him, desperately wanting to help him, but he was gazing at her with a fierce sort of determination. No matter how hard she fought, she wouldn’t win this fight with him. Not to mention, fighting would let the Soul Jars fall.

“I’ll take her,” Aegis said, gesturing at the groggy Trixie. “I’ll need to free her, so hurry up and get Twilight out of here.”

Aegis flew over to Trixie as Sharp Eye picked up Twilight in his hooves and took off, flying as fast as he could toward the entrance. Once Aegis landed before her, the first thing he did was untie the gag around her mouth.

“Miss Trixie, I apologize in advance. This is going to hurt,” he warned, even as the strip of cloth came off.

“What’s going to GAH!” she screeched as he shattered the metal chains around her forehooves with a lighter lightning punch, before moving to her lower legs before she could protest any further. As soon as both sets were shattered, he picked her up in his hooves and took off as well, even as Trixie began to protest and squirm in the forehooves of a stranger. The sight made Nova chuckle to himself, but the continued rumbling of the ground ended the humor quickly.

He was alone, and it would take some time for the two of them to return.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

As soon as Sharp Eye touched the ground, Twilight squirmed free of him and turned around to watch the Everfree Vaults. Nova was still inside, and he was clinging for dear life. Aegis came through the entrance carrying Trixie a moment later. The two of them seemed to be engaged in an argument.

“Put Trixie down, you stupid oaf!” she yelled at him, which Aegis was only too happy to oblige, dropping her on her rump where he stood.

“OW! You did that on purpose, didn’t you!?”

“Trixie!”

Tantalus darted forward and embraced his daughter, who welcomed it. Ray, however, looked between the two of them.

“Where’s Nova?” he asked.

“Still inside! He's clinging to the edge!” said Twilight, and that was all he needed to hear. Galloping forward, and ignoring everyone’s shouts to stop, he darted inside the Vaults and leapt off the edge and dove into the pit.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

I’m sorry, Twilight, Nova thought, a tear falling from his eyes. His concentration was failing, and he would only be able to keep one spell up. I don’t think I’m getting out of here. If I have to give my life to destroy Envy, so be it.

He clung on as long as he could, focusing desperately on keeping both spells working, but as his energy waned, he was losing his ability to keep either of them up. He could feel his control over the grappling grip start to fail, and he smiled grimly.

So this is how it ends, he thought bitterly. The Night Master can’t control one of his own spells. How ironic.

The magi-gun’s spell vanished. He had lost control. He felt himself accelerate almost instantly--

A pair of hooves grabbed his damaged foreleg, jerking it even more and causing him to let out a cry of pain. Blinking back tears, he looked up to see who it was, and he was surprised to see his father.

“Dad?” he asked dumbly. Ray was gritting his teeth and pulling on his arm with all his might, but he couldn’t pull Nova up. His grip was slipping the harder he pulled.

“Nova,” he said, holding on tightly, “give me your other hoof! I can’t hold on much longer!”

“Dad, I can’t!” Nova said, struggling to keep the spell working through the pain in his shoulder. “I have to keep the Soul Jars from falling! If any of the empty ones fall, she could survive! Knowing her, she’s fighting against the power of the amulet until she can save herself!”

“Son, look at me.”

In the midst of all the noise, Nova had not expected to hear the calm, soothing voice that he knew belonged to his dad. He turned to meet his grey-eyed gaze. Ray was watching him with the same expression Nova knew he had seen once before.

“Let go of the spell.”

“But dad--!”

“Do it,” his father said, still in that same calm voice. “Don’t give your life in a situation like this, where giving it would mean nothing. If you fall, you’ll lose control of the spell and the Soul Jars will fall anyway. Your sacrifice here would be pointless. Live, son. Live to fight another day.”

“But Envy--!”

“But nothing,” said his father. “What will come will come, and we’ll just have to be ready to meet it when it does. Now, give me your other hoof.”

Nova stared at his father, waiting for him to throw him his other hoof.

And he turned to look at the wavering spell keeping the Soul Jars from falling.

“Damn it,” he grunted.

Nova dropped the spell and swung his free hoof to grab his fathers’. Even as the glass jars began to rain into the chasm below, Nova pulled with all his might to climb up onto the edge, as his father pulled him up with all of his strength. Finally, Ray managed to pull Nova up onto the edge with a triumphant yell.

And in the nick of time, Aegis and Sharp Eye had arrived at the ground again.

“Aegis, take Nova, Sharp Eye, take me,” Ray instructed. “Be careful with him. He looks in pretty bad shape, but this temple's about to come down around us, so get us out quickly.”

Sharp Eye and Aegis picked the two of them up and took off, just as the bottom of the Vaults started to collapse under the weakening floor.

They flew as fast as they could, and just in time, they shot out of the entrance of the Vaults as the building fell, crumbling into dust and rocks behind them.

“Nova! Thank goodness!” Twilight exclaimed in relief when she saw he was safe. She galloped up to him and embraced him, even as he fell out of Aegis’ grip and onto the forest floor.

“Are you alright?” she asked him, already looking for some way to help. Her horn lit up and Nova felt some of the minor cuts start to close up.

“Does it look like I’m alright?” he asked, gasping as his ribs lit up again. "What about you? How are you already casting spells again?"

“I’m just trying to be nice,” she said defensively. "Doctor Hoofman siphoned all the suppressant energy out of my horn after I was out."

Nova, however, just smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

“You were brilliant in there,” he crowed. “Absolutely brilliant. I knew we made the right choice in springing the trap on purpose. But how did you hide the amulet? I remember you stuck it in your Source back on the train.”

Twilight suddenly grinned mischievously.

“I bound it to the pendent,” she said. “I used my magic to bind the amulet to the back of my pendent. I had a feeling Envy would try to kick us both around psychologically, so I rigged the spell to wear off when she broke the chain. When it did, the amulet fell and I stepped on it to keep it hidden.”

“But when did you put the enchantment on it?” he asked, bewildered. He doubted Envy wouldn’t have noticed magic use while she had Twilight at knifepoint.

“When you weren’t looking on the train. I have to give you credit, though,” she said, nuzzling him affectionately. “You didn’t even know what I was doing and yet you saw the amulet under my hooves.”

“Tw-Twilight, watch the ribs,” he said painfully, coughing up some blood. “They’re kind of… broken.”

“Oh, sorry!” she exclaimed apologetically. A blue hoof touched her shoulder, and she stopped to see Princess Luna watching her with some amusement.

“I’m sure Nova appreciates your concern, Twilight.” she said, a twinkle in her eye, “but please, let an experienced healer like my sister tend to him.”

“But before we do that, there’s something that needs to be done,” said Celestia. “A formality to be observed, if you will. Twilight, please don your Faithful Student cloak again.”

Twilight stepped back from Nova and did as Princess Celestia asked. Nova hadn't even noticed she had taken it off after she had gotten out. But at the princess' request, there was a flash of light, and her cloak appeared around her shoulders. Princess Celestia strode forward as soon as this was done.

“We’re not doing anything really ceremonial, like we did with Nova, but I don’t think you’ll mind the simplicity of it, given the circumstances” she said. Twilight’s eyes widened with the realization. Celestia smiled at her when her eyes lit up. “Yes, I think you know.”

“Know what?” asked Trixie from behind the Princess. Nova had almost forgotten she was there.

“She knows that the time has come for her to graduate from her apprenticeship to me,” answered Princess Celestia. “She has demonstrated exactly what I was waiting for, exactly what Nova had shown me many centuries ago.”

Her horn shimmered, surrounding Twilight’s brooch in a golden light.

“Before these many witnesses, you demonstrated that you are ready for this rank, and so, Twilight Sparkle, I hereby release you from your apprenticeship to me and confer upon you the rank of Prime Magus.”

The light vanished, but the cloak remained golden. In place of the original brooch was a polished diamond, with a sun made of topaz set into it. Nova beamed up at her from his spot on the ground, trying not to make it look too much like a pained grimace.

“Hey, so we’re equal again, eh?”

“Congratulations, Twilight,” said Tantalus.

“Trixie’s still greater and more powerfuller,” Trixie responded, throwing her nose up into the air, but Nova noticed a small upturn in the corners of her mouth. Even she couldn't not enjoy the moment.

“Congratulations Twilight, but now that this battle is done, should we awaken the townsponies now?” asked Sharp Eye.

“Yes, I think now is the right time,” said Luna. "It would be easier to transport them home that way."

“Allow me to tend to Nova,” said Princess Celestia. “You go ahead.”

Nova bolted upright, ignoring his body's painful protests suddenly realizing something important.

“There were ponies in the Vaults!” he exclaimed.

“We know,” assured Princess Celestia. “When the fissure spell was activated, and Sharp Eye and Aegis went in to rescue Twilight and Trixie, we got them out safely. We wouldn’t interfere with your business with Envy because this was something you insisted the two of you had to do, but that wasn’t to say we wouldn’t help at all. Rest assured, every townspony is safe and accounted for.”

Nova fell back against the ground, relief coursing through his veins, even as his shoulder and ribs throbbed with pain yet again.

"One last question," he said as he felt Celestia's magic start healing his broken body. "Why couldn't you heal me before promoting Twilight?"

"You were in no danger," Celestia assured him as she popped one of his joints back in place (to his immense discomfort), "and I won't be able to heal all of these wounds; most of them will simply have to let time take care of them, and it did its job of taking your mind off of your pain for just a moment."

"Fair enough," said Nova, gently lying back down.

The next half-hour or so was a bit of a blur for all of them, except for Nova. His two remaining dislocated joints were put back into place, which hurt almost as much as their initial dislocation had. But after the relocation, Princess Celestia only healed the cuts and bruises. When Nova asked about why not the broken bones, she repeated, “Some things are better when left for time to heal. If I healed your bones, they wouldn’t be as strong as they would be if I let them heal naturally.”

Nova had to sit out and watch as the Princesses, Twilight, Tantalus, Professor Hoofman, and his father woke and tended to every one of the unconscious ponies. Trixie, however, trotted over to keep him company, after handing over the Alicorn Amulet to Celestia and Luna for safekeeping.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked. Nova’s mouth twitched.

“Is that… concern, I hear?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Trixie said flatly, sticking her nose into the air again. “Trixie just wanted to make sure that her rescuer is still healthy in case she needs more rescuing.” She paused. “That’s not to imply that she will need more, mind you. But just in case…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” he said, leaning over and giving her a quick hug of affection.

“And…” she added in a small voice, “for what it’s worth…”

She kissed his cheek briefly.

“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, and going very red. Immediately, she got up and trotted over to help the others.

Nova felt very touched at the gesture, but the moment was ruined when laughed to himself as he saw Twilight cast her an irritated glance.

Finally, when everypony was awake again, many of whom insisted on thanking Nova Shine and everyone else through promises of gifts and the like for rescuing them, they left the destroyed Vaults. Nova, due to Princess Celestia telling him to take it easy on his legs, was draped over Twilight’s back as she carried him out. Aegis had offered, but Twilight had volunteered. No doubt staking her claim on him in front of Trixie.

Nova, however, thought there was no need. Trixie seemed to be sending an awful lot of furtive glances Aegis’ way.

Well, it would seem we’re both being claimed by powerful unicorns, he thought with a smile.

At the train station, as they were travelling through separate means, Nova said goodbye to his father, thanking him for saving his life. Trixie, deciding to stay at his home for the time being, followed Tantalis, Ray, and Professor Hoofman into the princesses’ carriage, as did Sharp Eye and Aegis.

Finally, the time came for them all to leave. Nova, Twilight, and the townsponies of Neighton all boarded the Friendship Express, which began to head toward Neighton the moment everypony was aboard. Twilight sought out their usual compartment and, once she had claimed it, helped to position Nova as comfortably as possible. Once he was seated, Nova looked out the window immediately, just in time to see the carriage fly overhead, toward Canterlot Mountain in the far distance.

“I’m glad that’s all behind us now,” Twilight said, leaning her head on his good shoulder.

“It’s not,” Nova said.

“Why not?” asked Twilight.

“She probably survived. I had to let the Soul Jars drop in the end,” he sighed. “We’ll probably have to fight her again, given that she seems to like us the most.”

“And somehow,” remarked Twilight, “I feel like we can handle it.”

Nova smiled.

“Well, I guess my old man’s got a point, then.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Down in the Vaults, when he convinced me to let go of the spell, he told me, ‘What will come will come, and we’ll just have to be ready to meet it when it does.’ Well, he’s right. Whatever’s going to come will come in its own time, and we will be ready for it when it does.”

Twilight sighed contentedly from his shoulder and responded by nuzzling him. Nova felt his smile grow even wider. Despite the broken bones, he felt like the most powerful unicorn in the world.

Let Envy come again! With Twilight by his side, he wasn’t scared of what the future would hold! They would meet it head-on, without fear!

And they would overcome it together.

Author's Note

I never explained how Ray stopped himself from falling to his death. Actually, intentional. I figured I'd let you figure out for yourself how he survived. Use your imaginations.

Back at the beginning of February, I managed to write over 10k words in 4 days, leading up to Chapter 5. Today, I finished Chapter 21. 10k words in 3 days. And this time, it IS NaNoWriMo.

Only one chapter to go. I'll try to have the epilogue done before a year has gone by since I first posted this story.

Thank you all for your continued support. Please comment on what is right and/or wrong. I still want to make this fic better, you know!

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Epilogue

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Epilogue

Music in this chapter. As always, please open in a new tab.

A little over two and a half months had passed since the events at the Everfree Vaults took place. For the next couple of weeks, Nova Shine had stayed in his home in Neighton, resting and healing from the injuries he sustained because of his little spill. Twilight and Aegis visited from time to time, making sure he was alright. But injuries aside, Nova couldn’t have been better.

Aegis had been promoted because of his actions. No longer a corporal, now he was a sergeant in the Equestrian Royal Guard. He was still living in Canterlot, and though he refused to admit it to Nova, he and Trixie had struck up an unlikely friendship. Nova had a feeling that it was probably going to snowball into more. He and Twilight, for example, had started off as “just friends.”

Sharp Eye continued to serve as Ray Novus’ aide, though after he had another taste of combat, he was out taking contracts. Often, these were passed his way by Aegis, when he felt situations would be better suited for one pony instead of the guard.

And speaking of the guard, Twilight Sparkle had to stand between Nova and her brother when he had heard Twilight had been kidnapped and held at knifepoint and was coming to give Nova a piece of his mind about that. While Shining Armor glowered at him, Nova had explained that Twilight had refused to stay behind, and that Envy had targeted her directly. Then he explained that Twilight’s presence was largely responsible for their victory, which, in Shining’s words, “bought him a few more years.”

in time, however, Nova was fully healed. Much to Twilight’s bewilderment, he had decided to stay in Neighton. For the time being, at least. When Twilight asked why, Nova gave a vague little smile and said, ”I’ve got some things I need to do.”

And so, two and a half months later, Nova sat in the basement of his home in Neighton, looking over a hoof-drawn blueprint of his home. He’d had an epiphany when lying in bed one day a month or so back. What was stopping him from actually moving to Ponyville? Sure, he was living with Twilight, but technically speaking, he was still just a guest in the basement.

But he didn’t exactly want to part ways with his house. He liked his house. He also liked Neighton, but as he liked Ponyville more, and it was worth the three hour walk, he figured it was high time he left.

Which meant he needed money to buy a house. But he had plenty of money. He had sold some of those small items from the past to the Canterlot Museum of History for a very hefty sum of bits. He had plenty of money, but as much as he wouldn’t mind purchasing one of Ponyville's bizzarely-constructed houses, he would much rather have his house.

The last month or so had been spent measuring every last bit of his house and drawing up blueprints, taking cost estimations, and generally making a plan to reconstruct his house from Neighton in Ponyville. Everything was almost in place for this project of his. He had even made an off-the-record purchase of land from Mayor Mare. The plot of land he owned was located just on the path to Neighton, right on the edge of town, and it was just large enough to build an exact reconstruction of his house.

After calculating the total cost of all of the items, he had plenty of bits to make this large purchase, and enough to have it hauled out as well. He didn’t hire any builders; he wanted to do this entirely on his own, as he figured he might appreciate it more that way.

With everything in place, he and Twilight had scheduled a date night. He wanted to surprise her with all of this. And now, he was only four hours out of his date with her, making sure there were no errors he hadn’t found the last hundred or so times he had looked the blueprints over. Once he had looked his fill, he rolled up the blueprints and stored them in his Source.

Now it was time to prepare for the much-anticipated Date Night.

Humming happily to himself, he practically galloped upstairs to the shower, where he set to work cleaning himself up. He even made the valiant effort to tidy up his hair. He wanted everything to be perfect tonight.

As he finished showering and set to putting the finishing touches on himself, he summoned his Night Master cloak. It still made him smile to know that he and Twilight were equals again, but this time without teachers. Sure, they were of age and were living on their own, but now they could call themselves adults.

Nova was in the middle of attempting to comb his hair when it happened. A sudden shockwave of magical energy rolled over him. It hadn’t been as strong as Envy’s, so he felt no discomfort, but it still perplexed him. The magic had felt like Twilight’s! Whatever she had just cast must have been powerful.

Well, she’s probably alright, he thought to himself. I’ll just have to ask her what she’s been up to when we get to talking tonight.

There came a loud banging at his door. He sighed, knowing this guest would probably be there for a few minutes and set him slightly behind, but he trotted downstairs to answer the door all the same.

He was not expecting to see Princess Luna standing outside with two of her Nightmares.

“Princess Luna?” he asked, surprised.

“Good evening, Nova Shine,” she said, inclining her head. “May we come inside?”

“Sure,” he said, gesturing into his living room. “I was about to leave for Ponyville, but, well, you are royalty.”

“Yes,” she said slowly, following him inside with her guards, “that is exactly what we have come to speak to you about.”

“Me going to Ponyville?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered.

“What about it?”

“Don’t.”

The single word hit Nova pretty hard. He had really been looking forward to tonight! It was important!

“Why not?” he asked, trying to keep the sudden irritation out of his voice.

Princess Luna said nothing for a moment. She was thinking of how to explain. When she decided how to, she gestured at one of the couches.

“You’ll probably want to sit down, Nova. This will take some explanation.”

They both said on different sofas, with Luna’s guards retreating to a different part of the room.

“You remember that my sister was guiding Twilight toward a great change, correct?” she queried, casting him a glance.

“Kind of hard to forget the time I had an argument with her,” Nova said dryly. “I’m still pretty opposed to the idea, if that’s why you’re asking.”

“It no longer matters whether or not you are opposed to it,” replied Luna. “It has started. The spell you no doubt just felt was a result of Twilight initiating the process that will confirm whether or not she can do what we believe she can.”

“Which is?” Nova asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you remember the spell Star Swirl was attempting to create?” she asked. “The one he always spent his time working on?”

“Yeah,” Nova said, nodding. “Never finished it.”

“She has been sent a journal with the incomplete spell inside. He was never able to complete it. The spell that has just been cast was the incomplete version of that spell.”

“What does it do?” he asked curiously.

“At the moment, it creates a separated bubble of time, inside of which the destinies of those ponies closest to the caster are switched around,” she said. “You are not affected because you are outside the area of the spell, and unlike her friends, you share a unique connection to Twilight Sparkle alone, rather than many friends with her, which leads me to believe your destiny would be switched with hers.”

“Wait, so when a pony’s destiny is changed… what does that mean?” he asked, puzzled by how this would work.

“Let us take Applejack and Rarity, to use an example,” Luna explained. “Upon the spell washing over them, it would be as if their histories had been switched. Rarity would have been a farmpony her entire life, and Applejack would have been working with clothing for the majority of her’s. And when their destinies switch, so do their cutie marks. Rarity would have the apples, and Applejack would have the diamonds.

“Now, the reason you are not to go to Ponyville is because, like I said, right now, it is its own separate bubble of time. Ponies with no relation to the caster could come and go as they pleased, but whenever a pony close to the caster who was outside the spell’s target area entered the little bubble, it snapped reality back on course. We want you to be aware, we may need you to go to Ponyville, just in case, but until Tia gives the word, you are forbidden from stepping hoof in that town.”

“Am I to take this all to mean that you’ve done this before?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Just cast the spell willy-nilly and experiment?”

“Not exactly,” said Luna. “Many ponies tried to solve the spell, but none thus far have succeeded. Every time, either Tia or I would have to end the spell ourselves, or we would keep a pony close to the caster away until it was certain they failed. Let’s just say we have experience with the spell and leave it at that.”

“How long will this take?” he asked.

“Well,” said Luna, glancing out the window in thought, “Tia has set the limit at a week. If she cannot succeed in that time, we will have you end the spell yourself.”

At most a week, then, he thought.

“Well, I just want to say right now, I’m not responsible for any injuries sustained from an angry Twilight when I see her again because of me missing Date Night tonight,” he said. “I told her I had something important to tell her, and I’d like to get it off my chest too.”

“If she breaks your ribs, we will pay the hospital bill,” said Luna in stride. “Now, I am leaving my two Nightmares here with you,” she said, gesturing to her guards. “In the event that Twilight is to succeed, you will be chauffeured to Canterlot as soon as possible. If the time goes by and she fails, they will take you to Ponville for you to end the spell. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Princess,” he said, resigning himself to a long week.

“Very well. Farewell, my Night Master,” she said, getting up and trotting out the door. Her guards remained in his living room as he saw her out, and when he got back inside, they were watching the night’s Equestria Premier League highlights.

“Oh good,” Nova said. “And here I thought the two of you would just stand by the wall the entire time.”

“Yes, well, this certainly beats standing at attention for a week,” said one of the Nightmares in a bored-sounding voice. “We’ve never been properly introduced. My name is Frigoris. I’m one of the few true Children of the Night, the ponies Nightmare Moon created, that still exist to guard Princess Luna. This,” he added, gesturing at the other, “is Starstep. He’s relatively new to the guard, so he came with me.”

“‘Sup?” Starstep called, waving a hoof as he watched the Marechester United vs. Princess’ Park Rangers highlights.

“Well, make yourselves comfortable,” Nova said. “The bedrooms are on the second floor. Mine’s the last door on the right, so pick any other one.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” said Frigoris bowing.

“My pleasure,” said Nova, half-truthfully.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova sat in his study, early the next morning, reading through his old diary from the Old Times. He really didn’t know why. Perhaps for some nostalgia? Maybe to remind himself of Clover and Steelshod? Whatever the reason, here he sat, reading every entry.

He was about halfway through when he detected the slightest bit of magic, resonating from somewhere inside the book. Toward one of the back pages, if he was not mistaken. That was not what surprised him. What surprised him was who the spell signature belonged to.

It can’t be… he thought, suddenly perplexed. Unless… a timed-release message?

He flipped through the pages to inside the last cover. It appeared as blank as ever, but Nova could sense the magic working inside.

Even as he watched, words began to appear in ink on the page. He smiled as he watched. She had used magic to mask the ink, only to show it after he was back in his own time. What a wonderful spellcaster, Clover was.

Dearest Nova Shine,

It took a while, but I finally managed to translate your code. As you can see, I even decided to write in it. I didn’t really know how magic would work when it was within Time Stasis, since that’s what Star Swirl said he wants to keep your diary stored in, so I did the safe thing and set the spell to reveal itself some months after the day you’re supposed to return. I told Princess Celestia like you said, and she immediately went and wrote it in one of her own diaries.

I wanted to write to you, just this one last time. I don’t know if you’ll actually get this letter. For all I know, Time Stasis could just delay the spell’s effect, and you might miss it entirely. Naturally, if you’re reading this, disregard that. I kinda had to jot that down just for myself. But like I said, this letter is what I think will be my final goodbye to you. I know we said our goodbyes face to face before you stepped into that tile, but I think it might be because I just want some closure.

You have no idea how tempted I’ve been to just pull you out and keep you here with me. Steelshod told me himself he’s not exactly opposed to the idea. He really misses you. I think he might even break up with me so that I could be with you, if it meant that it would make me happy. He’s always been a sap like that. Must come with having so many brothers. Someone had to get some of the feminine traits. But that aside, I won’t pull you out. That would be selfish of me.

I’ve thought about our last night, up on the battlements, about this Twilight Sparkle of yours. I can’t help but admit that I was always jealous after I found out. I think that’s why I got so upset every time you beat Steelshod in a duel for me but never did anything about it. It’s only been a few months since you left, and it already hurts so much without you. I even found myself staring right at your frozen self a few nights ago, my horn shimmering, already about to cast the spell to pull you out. But like I said, that would have been selfish of me. I knew you would want me to be happy, even without you, so I guess it kind of clicked that I wanted the same for you. That, and I would be depriving Twilight Sparkle of such a wonderful stallion like you.

Speaking of mares and stallions, Steelshod proposed to me last night. Literally, the words out of his mouth when he first asked me for permission to court me were, “I don’t think I’ll be what he was, but I’ll still be here.” Ever since we lived in Canterlot, he’s always been my knight in shining armor. I guess it took this long for me to realize it. He knows I prefer you, but that didn’t stop him from stepping forward and asking. Well, after taking time to really think about it, I said yes.

I’m running out of space to write. There’s only so much I could say to you on this page, but I have so much I want to tell you. I guess I’ll have to settle, though. Just like I know you would want me to be happy, I feel compelled to say that I also want you to be happy, and I mean every word. Twilight is such a lucky mare to have somepony like you in her life, and if she’s the one pony who makes you happier than any other mare would, then I hope you will hold her close and tell her that every night. I wish the two of you nothing but the best, and I hope that you find happiness in each other.

Love, now and always,

Clover

As soon as he read the signature, the book dropped from Nova’s hooves. His eyes had welled up immediately, and by the end of it, he was starting to cry. Clover’s final farewell had really hit him hard, and he felt so homesick for the time in the past.

But something now made itself known in his mind. He had something he wanted to do. He didn’t know how long it would take to accomplish, so it was probably best that he started immediately.

Wiping his eyes and crying no more, he trotted out of the house, leaving Frigoris and Starstep to continue their time-wasting while he set out to do one of the most important things he had ever done in his life.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

It was now well into the day. Nova was already reduced to rereading the entire Harry Trotter series for the umpteenth time. He had found everything he had needed, and he had accomplished his goal, all within a couple of hours, so now he just had to wait some more. Frigoris and Starstep were downstairs, watching the day’s hoofball games. Even with Arsenal playing Trottingham Forest, he just couldn’t get over how worried he was for Twilight. A letter shedding light on more details of the situation had been sent to him by Princess Celestia that morning, and he was now concerned about everything in Ponyville.

Rarity the weathermare? Rainbow Dash the animal caretaker? Applejack the fashionista? Fluttershy the comedian? And worst of all, Pinkie Pie in charge of the cake-making supplies? How was Ponyville even going to last a week? And how was Twilight going to solve this one?

The letter hadn’t said anything about how Nova was going to know if she had succeeded. They would contact him via the scrying ball if she failed, but as for if she succeeded, all that was said was, “You’ll know.”

“Argh, it’s no use,” he said in exasperation, setting the book down on the table next to him in frustration. “Why can’t I get my mind off of Ponyville, even for a moment!?”

And then another shockwave of energy hit him. Again, no ill feelings came from it, but his jaw dropped. That had to be it! It just had to be! The magic hadn’t been Twilight’s, but he had recognized it as belonging to the Elements of Harmony, having used them himself.

Almost as if on cue, the scrying ball emitted a light, which was replaced with Princess Luna’s face.

“Night Master Nova Shine, come here at once!” she shouted, making sure to alert the house if he wasn’t in the study.

“I’m here, Princess,” he said, galloping forward. “What--”

“She’s done it!” Luna crowed, beaming. “Tia has already left, so while we wait for the two for them to return to Canterlot, you need to instruct Frigoris and Starstep to bring you here at once! We will talk more later, but now, just get to Canterlot as fast as they can bring you here!”

“Yes, Princess,” said Nova, not needing another word. He galloped downstairs as the spell ended.

“Frigoris, Starstep!” he called, bursting into the living room, where they were both watching a match. They glanced at him curiously from their spots.

“Has it happened, then?” asked Frigoris.

Nova nodded. “Time to go.”

Both of them nodded, and they made their way outside. The sun was getting close to the horizon, which meant they would probably be spending the night in Canterlot, but Nova didn’t care. He made sure everything was off before following them. As he locked the door, they strapped themselves up to the carriage, which Nova quickly jumped on. At once, they took off.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Twilight Sparkle, still reeling from all of the things that had happened to her today, made her way along the halls of Canterlot Castle with Princess Celestia. The Element of Magic was still perched on her head, and her new wings were folded at her sides as she followed her former teacher.

“Princess--” she tried to ask, but Princess Celestia hushed her.

“Please, Twilight, there will be time for all of this later,” she said gently, keeping her gaze forward as she led Twilight toward one of the many empty multi-purpose rooms in the public wing of the castle. “I’m sure you have many questions, but right now, there’s somepony you need to see.”

“Is Nova here?” Twilight asked.

“Funny you should ask,” said Princess Celestia with a smile. “He arrived here just before we returned from that place. As Luna has been telling me, he has been pacing around different parts of the castle non-stop, waiting for your arrival. He still doesn’t know, by the way,” she added. “Make sure you capture the memory of the look on his face.”

“When…” Twilight swallowed nervously, “when is the coronation?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Princess Celestia said, “and your friends will arrive tomorrow morning by train.”

Twilight smiled, glad that her teacher knew exactly what she was going to ask before she actually did.

Princess Celestia stopped, cracked open one of the doors, and peeked inside.

“Yes, he’s in here,” she said, closing it again. “Now, Twilight, we’re leaving you two alone. Don’t get up to any… hijinks while we’re gone.”

Twilight blushed furiously and started stammering about how they weren’t married, so they wouldn’t, but her words fell on deaf ears, because Princess Celestia was already trotting away.

Still got it, she thought happily.

Twilight watched her mentor go, suddenly feeling like she had just been flung into the deep end, and her lifeguard had swam away. What did she do now?

Well, she had been led to this room, and Nova was inside. Guess that’s as good a place to start as any. She pushed the door open, noting vaguely that this was the room they had first taken their assessment in, and trotted inside.

Nova sat on the floor in front of her, facing the opposite wall, and sitting in some kind of meditative stance, all the while five random objects from around the room floated around him.

“Nova?”

The objects were set down on the floor, but Nova didn’t get up and turn around.

“So,” Nova said, “I hear you’ve been pretty busy lately. Trying to solve Lord Star Swirl’s unfinished spell, and apparently you succeeded.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said, trotting forward, but she stopped right behind him. She prodded him with a hoof. “Hey, why won’t you turn around?”

“Princess Luna told me not to,” he said, shrugging. “Don’t know why. She just said to wait until you gave the okay.”

Twilight giggled. “It’s okay. Turn around.”

Nova got to his hooves, yawned slightly from the late hour, and turned around. At once, his jaw fell open and his eyes widened more than she had ever seen them before.

“Tw--”” he tried to say, but it died in his throat. She had wings! She was an alicorn!

Twilight’s giggle developed into pure laughter. Princess Celestia was right; she did need to capture that memory forever. If only she had a camera…

But then he did the one thing she had hoped at the back of her mind he would never do.

Nova turned his face to the ground, and he knelt.

“N-Nova?” she asked, feeling the smile slide off her face. “What are you--”

“You’re a princess now,” Nova replied. “I’m only a subject. This is what subjects do before princesses.”

Why did that make her want to cry? How did he not know that this changed nothing between them? He would never be her subject! He was her equal, and nothing less!

“Nova, stand up,” she said. “You are never to bow before me again, and that’s an order.”

Nova complied, rising to his hooves, but still not quite meeting her eyes.

“Nova, I may be a princess now, but please understand, this doesn’t change anything! I’m still the same,” she said almost pleadingly. “If you still want to exalt me, I’ll just have to order you to treat me like an equal.”

Nova felt himself smile. Yep, she was still the same.

“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I guess it just took a moment for it to really sink in. Sorry about… that.”

“It’s fine,” said Twilight, smiling wanly. “First Princess Celestia, then all my friends, now you, I guess I’ll just have to get used to all of this.”

“It’s only been part of a night,” Nova reminded her. “I think it’ll take a while, but ponies will mostly stop bowing after a while. Only out of courtesy, I suppose. Especially those of us who know you personally.”

“Speaking of nights,” said Twilight, suddenly giving him a very stern look, “you, sir, missed Date Night last night.”

Nova rolled his eyes.

“I think we both know why I wasn’t allowed to come,” he replied. “Mommy told me that I couldn’t play with you until you got your homework done.”

Ignoring his dry snark, she continued with her point. “You said you had something important to show me. Mind showing me now? We’re the only ones here.”

“Ah,” said Nova, summoning the blueprints. “Yes, I did have something important to show you. Take a look at these,” he said, laying them down on the floor. Twilight trotted over next to him and leaned her head down to study them.

“It’s your house,” she noted.

“Exactly,” he said. “Good to see your skills of observation still serve you well.”

She gave him an amused-but-annoyed glance, before looking back down. Nova just launched into the whole explanation.

“This project here is what’s been keeping me from the library the last few weeks. I’ve measured every dimension that my house has to offer, simply to draw up these blueprints. And when I say every dimension, I mean every single different wooden plank on stone, and all that sort of stuff.”

“Alright, Nova, enough with the build-up of suspense,” said Twilight. “Where are you building it?”

“Wow,” said Nova, giving her the amused, annoyed look right back. “Just kill all the fun, why don’t you. Whatever. Yes, I’m rebuilding my house in Ponyville. Reconstructing it, more like.”

“So you’re moving to Ponyville?” she asked, looking surprised. “But you like Neighton! Why move?”

“Well, first and foremost, you,” Nova answered. “I like my house, but three hours away is just too far to maintain a house I barely use when I’m sleeping over. Second, I’ve really come to like Ponyville. Yes, even more than Neighton. Still kinda tied to the first reason.”

Nova felt his heartbeat speed up a bit. He was starting to get rather nervous about what was coming.

“Third,” he continued, with a slight waver in his voice that Twilight didn’t seem to notice, “It’s convenient for both of us because Ponyville is closer to Canterlot, both by train and by actual distance. Which means if Princess Celestia sends us some kind of project to do or wants us to come to Canterlot, it’s easier. Plus, faster postage to and from Canterlot as well.”

“Writing Aegis again?” she asked.

“And my parents,” said Nova, nodding.

“But I still don’t get something,” she said, looking back down. “You have all this unused space. Like here, four bedrooms that are never used,” she indicated one of the four bedrooms on the second floor that were not in use.

“Actually,” interrupted Nova, “I did end up using them as guest rooms for Luna’s guards. But that’s beside the point. Continue, please.”

“Why not just downsize it?”

“Because I like my basement and study to be as big as they are,” he responded. “It wouldn’t feel right without those bedrooms. The house would be smaller, and so would my evil lair downstairs and my procrastination station upstairs wouldn’t be as big either.”

“But you can replace them with other rooms,” she protested. “You could move your study into all that open space, or move what’s in your basement. Why do you need those extra rooms? I mean I understand having one guest bedroom, but three more?”

Nova sighed.

I guess it’s time, he thought to himself. Well, here goes nothing.

“Well,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “I was thinking about the possibility of putting stuff into them.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I’m a High Noble now, right? The High Nobles have certain privileges that most other ponies don’t have. For example, I could come and go before Princess Celestia unannounced as I pleased, receive free Royal-class service on trains and the like, ask for a small private magical laboratory in our homes, things like that.”

“How does that help you occupy those rooms?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. Nova had a feeling she was trying to figure this out on her own based on his intentional vagueness. “I know you don’t need a magical laboratory because you already have one in your basement.”

Nova’s heart briefly leapt up into his throat and back down.

“W-well,” he said, now feeling the nervousness skyrocket, “there’s one privilege I didn’t think I’d be using when I was made Night Master. Only recently, in fact, did I find out a good reason to put this privilege to use. One of the privileges the High Nobles have that common ponies don’t is…” he swallowed, “...is the r-right to…”

He sighed, trying to take a deep, calming breath. Twilight just watched him in total bewilderment.

“The right to…” he tried again, but when it died in his throat, he forced it out.

“The right to marry royalty.”

Twilight stared at him for a moment, puzzled. Nova seized his chance. His horn shimmered blue, and a small box appeared in midair, which he caught in one of his forehooves. Realization flashed through Twilight’s eyes as he did this, and she clapped both of her hooves to her mouth as she fell into a sitting position in shock.

And Nova knelt down in front of Twilight Sparkle, opening the box to reveal an earring, set with a glowing blue gem in the middle.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” he said in a surprisingly steady and calm voice, “will you marry me?”

To Nova, it seemed like everything else around them had vanished. The only two things that mattered right now were the ring box in his hooves and the mare he was offering it to. She was alternating between looking at him and the box in shock.

“I…” she said softly.

Nova, eyes focused right on her’s, sat there desperately hoping she would say the one word that would make him the happiest stallion in all of Equestria. Scratch that, in all of Equus.

Pleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyes…

“I… you…” she tried again, her voice failing again. Nova thought she literally had no idea what to say. He noticed her eyes appeared to be getting slightly watery. Was that a good sign or a bad one?

“You… have a lot of nerve, you know that?”

Nova suddenly felt dead. It was funny, really. A moment ago, his insides had been shaking so hard it’s a wonder the whole castle didn’t feel it. But now? It felt like he didn’t have any insides at all.

“Whenever you’re around,” Twilight said, her voice soft and dangerous, “I find myself getting more stressed than usual, getting more flustered than usual, arguing with you about the dumbest things…”

Nova’s head drooped and he stared blankly at the floor as she continued to tell him why he sucked.

Why…? he thought. I… I thought… I thought tonight was the night…

“...and we insult each other left and right. Nova, what did you think I was going to say!?” she asked, practically screaming that last line at him.

“A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed,” Nova said dully, already lowering the hoof with the ring box. That was it, then. It was all said and done, and she had made her choice.

A lavender hoof entered his vision and caught the hoof of his that was lowering. A second one touched under his chin and raised his head to meet her eyes.

There were tear trails streaming from both of them. She was breathing heavily, and still staring at him in shock.

“You don’t understand, Nova,” she said, shaking her head. “After all the time we’ve spent together, after you’ve saved my life and just been there for me, even after all of the stuff with Envy, did you think I was going to say anything other than ‘yes?’”

Did I think she would… hang on.

Something wasn’t quite registering in his brain properly. Did she just say…?

“Goodness, for such a brilliant spellcaster, you are rather stupid at times,” she said, placing her hooves on his cheeks and looking him directly in his eyes. “Nova Shine, yes.”

Case in point, Nova blinked stupidly.

“Yes?” he repeated, confused all of a sudden.

Twilight giggled, took the engagement earring out of the box, and clipped it on her right ear. “Yes, Nova. Yes!”

Nova stared at her. She had said yes.

Wait a minute! She had said yes!

He started to laugh nervously, which only made her giggle harder.

“She said yes,” he said to himself.

The nervous laughter started getting louder and more giddy.

“She said yes!” Nova whooped, suddenly feeling light as a feather.

Simply out of joy, he embraced Twilight, who returned it just as eagerly. Nova pulled out the cushion for Twilight’s ring to show his own, which was dull and colorless, since he hadn’t gotten her resonance yet. When she saw it, she immediately placed her own resonance inside, and Nova attached his ring to his ear as soon as his diamond began to glow the bright magenta of Twilight.

The door opened. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were standing there. Celestia appeared somewhat bemused, but Luna was looking quite expectant. Nova had explained the whole situation to her as soon as he’d arrived and started to wait.

At once, she spotted the small glowing gems attached to their ears, and she immediately broke into a wide grin. Celestia eyed the gems as well, an her eyes went wide.

“Nova, did you--?” she asked, but Luna had already bounded forward and started wringing both of their hooves out of socket with the sheer power of her hoofshake. Not to mention shouting their ears off in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“CONGRATULATIONS, NIGHT MASTER NOVA SHINE! WE ARE PLEASED TO SEE THAT THINE ENDEAVOURS WERE SUCCESSFUL! WE INSIST ON--”

“Luna, quiet down,” admonished Celestia, but like her sister, she was beaming. “We don’t want to wake up the entire castle.”

She trotted forward to them both as Luna gave them whole room at large an apologetic smile..

“Well, this has certainly been an eventful evening for you, hasn’t it, Twilight?” she noted. “First your ascension, now your engagement…”

“Heh, looks like your brother and I are going to have a lot in common now,” Nova noted to Twilight, whose already-wide smile grew almost imperceptibly.

“I’m sure the two of you would love to celebrate your engagement,” said Celestia, “and I honestly do not mean to rain on your parade, but we have an important ceremony tomorrow, late morning. I remember when Cadance was coronated, the preparation for the ceremony took quite some time. so I must ask the two of you to please turn in. You will have time to celebrate with your friends tomorrow.”

Celestia and Luna both made their way out of the room, but not before Luna trotted forward and gave Nova an affectionate nuzzle, leaving Twilight and Nova alone. Twilight immediately sidled up to him and started nuzzling him quite fiercely, but while Nova did enjoy a good nuzzling session with his new fiancée, Princess Celestia had a point.

“She’s right,” he said to her, after stopping her for a moment. “You do have a big day tomorrow, Princess, and it’s pretty late. I think it’s high time we got to bed.”

Twilight shook her head, her smile not even slightly diminishing.

“Nova, I don’t even feel slightly tired,” she admitted. “All of today… I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s just so overwhelming.”

Nova started walking out, with Twilight following him. Walking was made somewhat awkward, because Twilight seemed to want to press every inch of herself onto him, and while Nova appreciated the gesture, he had to gently push her off after a few moments of tripping over each other’s hooves.

“I wonder what it’s like,” she finally said, as they continued up to the guest wing of Canterlot Castle.

“Wonder what what’s like?” he asked. “Being a Princess?”

“Well, yes,” she said, “but I was talking about being married. I asked Princess Celestia if there was a book on how to be a Princess, but considering there are thousands more ponies that are married than there are princesses, this one seems more likely to have a book about it.”

Nova laughed. It’s good to know that even after getting wings, she’s still the same Twilight.

“Well, I can think of two pairs of ponies you can ask,” he said. “I’m sure Mom, Dad, and your parents are going to be ecstatic when they find out about us.”

“Speaking of,” she said, “when do we tell them?”

‘That’s a good question,” said Nova, as they rounded a corner and ascended some stairs to the Residential Wing. “Considering how huge tomorrow is, I would suggest not making this information public just yet. And by public, I mean alerting the general populace. As far as friends and relatives go, how does tomorrow night sound? After all the craziness dies down?”

“How exactly do you intend to break the news to them?” Twilight asked. “Just sit them down and say, ‘Hey Mom, Dad, friends, we’re engaged! Right on the day Twilight got coronated!’?”

Nova snickered, which didn’t give Twilight any good feelings about how Nova intended to tell them.

“Actually, I think that might just be the best idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said,” said Nova, smirking. “After the coronation, we just sit them all down in a room, minds still reeling from you becoming an alicorn, and drop this particular bombshell on them. Then we count how many of them we overloaded!” he finished cheerfully.

“Oh,” groaned Twilight, bumping into him, “you’re terrible!”

“Oh come on, Twi,” said Nova, glancing down at his fiancée, “you know you love me. Why would you have said yes otherwise?”

“To keep you from running off and doing something stupid,” she responded, trotting forward and caressing under his muzzle with her tail. “Besides, it’s not like you’re complaining.”

Nova stopped, staring at the marvelous pony in front of him as she gave him a rather satisfied grin of her own.

Damn, he thought. What did I ever do to deserve her?

Shaking himself of the thought, he followed her up. Instead of entering the first room in the wing, Nova led her back towards one that was pretty familiar to him already.

Once the two of them entered what had once been Clover’s room, it seemed the fatigue of the day finally washed over them. Winin seconds, they were curled up in each others’ hooves and in the bed.

“I love you, you beautiful overly-introverted mare,” he whispered.

“And I love you, you wonderful thick-headed stallion.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Considering he had graduated, Nova had wondered when the next time he would feel Luna's Dreamcall would be. He could honestly say he hadn't expected it to be the night before Twilight's big day, considering there had been more of an opportunity during the time he had spent bedridden with his demolished torso.

Yet here he was, trotting through a shining blue portal where he met his teacher in a large, classroom-looking sort of dream.

"Good evening, my Night Master," Luna greeted him warmly, before a silken pouf appeared out of thin air for him to sit on. "Please, have a seat."

Nova did as he was told, the generic classroom starting to become more familiar to him. It was the lecture hall in which he had taken his examination for Celestia's School, as well as made his peace with Tantalus Lulamoon.

"Evening, Princess," Nova inclined his head as he took his seat. "How's things?"

"Things are quite well, Nova," Luna beamed. "My sister is preparing the Chapel Hall as we speak for tomorrow's ceremony. I, however, have a different mission to attend to before I join her."

"Another mission, eh?" Nova asked, already smirking. "Princess Luna, are you trying to seduce me?"

Luna's smile turned to a death glare. "I already get enough teasing from my sister. I don't need to hear it from you, too."

Nova's smirk deepened. "I'm an engaged stallion, now," he shrugged. "I can't help it if mares are trying to prise Equestria's most eligible bachelor out of Twilight's hooves."

"And as we said before," Luna smiled at the earring dangling from his left ear and glowing a bright magenta, "many congratulations."

"Thanks," Nova dipped his head. "So, why call me tonight?"

"Simply, because we-- that is to say, my sister and I-- have spoken at length about your future."

Nova felt himself bristle a bit. Hadn't he already had a row with Celestia about this?

"What about it?" he asked, trying to keep the displeasure out of his voice.

If he had failed, Luna didn't show any offense. She did, however, have a bit of a knowing look in her eyes.

"In light of Twilight's ascension, we have decided to offer you two paths to tread from here, though if you wish to reject both of them, it is your decision."

So it required Twilight to ascend before they'd offer these paths to me? he thought.

"What paths are we talking about here?" he asked. pressing his hooves together in his lap.

"As we said before, you may reject both choices. Do not feel compelled to choose one," Luna advised him, before she grew a bit more serious. "The first choice is the path you initially rejected. The first path we wish to guide you on is the path to princehood. Simply, we would guide you as we did Twilight, with the ultimate goal of helping you to achieve ascension and take your place at our side, standing even with all four of us."

Nova nodded. Surely Celestia and Luna had to know he didn't want that choice, so why offer it to him anyway...?

"You're not gonna pull a fast one on me and just guide me along anyway, are you?" he asked, giving Luna a very meaningful look. "I told you, I don't want to be a prince. I just want a normal life with Twilight."

"Even if we were to guide you along without your knowledge," Luna brushed a stray few hairs out of her face, "when the time came for you to ascend, you wouldn't. Even if Twilight had completed Lord Star Swirl's spell exactly the way she had, had she not wished to ascend, she would not have been transported to the Plane of Ascension. Twilight, ambitious as she is, wanted to be just like her own teacher, and when the time finally came, she accepted the burden of the crown. If the time comes for you and you do not wish to ascend, you will not."

Even in dreams, Nova was able to sense energy. There were times in which Luna hid her energy from him with magic, though those times were not often, and he always knew when she did. This was not one of those times, and so after a moment spent mulling over it, Nova accepted her explanation with a nod.

"Very well. What is the second path?"

"The second path, one I do believe you will find much more appealing," she added, with a smile, "is that Tia and I would like to guide you on the path to becoming Equestria's next Archmage."

Nova's jaw dropped.

"...what?" he asked weakly. She didn't say what I think she just said, did she?

I think she did.

But I'm not qualified! I'm the Night Master, but I'm not even close to being Archmage level!

Almost as if she could read his thoughts, Luna smiled knowingly at Nova as Logic and Emotion went at it in his head.

"Nova, come now, surely you didn't think we were just going to give you the title immediately, did you? We both know you are not yet ready for the position, which is why Tia and I desire to continue your magical education."

"Why me, though?" he asked, still reeling. "There are better spellcasters than me out there. Hell, even Twilight was better than me when she was still a unicorn, and now look at her!"

"We understand your trepidation, Nova, we really do," Luna reached over and gently placed a hoof on his shoulder to calm him. "Your apprenticeship to us is finished, and in that short time, you have developed from a colt who closed himself off from almost everyone he met and struggled to cast many spells into a very fine stallion and an incredibly formidable spellcaster. But consider why we believe you are an excellent fit for the position."

She leaned back.

"Firstly, such a position of importance would warrant a tremendous amount of influence and magical power, which, when coupled with your wife-to-be's, would deter any would-be manipulators from trying to use either one of you for their own ends. Second, because Tia and I both are well aware of how much you enjoy learning new spells, techniques, and so forth. This would essentially allow you to continue doing just that. Third, because though I know you wish for a normal life, you know that this option has the potential to provide the perfect mix of adventure and normalcy to keep your life from being completely dull and boring. Finally, and perhaps the largest reason for the short-term," here she grew very serious, "you and I both know that Envy must have survived your encounter."

Nova could only nod his head. "She can't have gone down that easily. I tried to make sure she wouldn't be back, but Dad--"

"Your father saved you," Luna interjected, even placing her hoof onto his lips to stop him from completing that statement. "He saved you so that you could be there to stop her again when she returned. We are offering to help you with that. You would learn entire new schools of magic to add to your arsenal, with myself, Tia, Cadance, Discord, and even your wife-to-be herself there to help you along the way, all to prepare you for the day in which you and Envy will again do battle."

She leaned back. "The choice is yours. Bear in mind, you need not make your choice immediately, and you may change your choice at any time. If you wish to quit, you have that right, and we will still be ready to continue training you if you change your mind. Equestria has lived without an Archmage since the death of Amethyst Sparkle, and it will continue to do so whether or not you take the mantle."

"But what if I want to choose tonight?" Nova asked, getting to his hooves. "I already know what I want to do. I want to be the Archmage. Sure, I was nervous about it, but if you believe I can do it, then let's start training immediately."

Luna's serious look deepened. "We had a feeling you would choose that, but be warned, Nova. This will not be an easy journey. You will learn many schools of magic. Spellblade, Love magic, the magic of Friendship, chaos, even Dark Magic. You will be one of the most powerful individuals in all of history, behind only myself, my sister, Cadance, Twilight, Discord, and the few who have stood on our level. You will face temptations most ponies live blissfully ignorant of. Many times, you may even be called on to be the one pony who will stand against forces that would destroy us. You would willingly accept this path, knowing the risks?"

Nova walked right in front of his teacher, who rose to her own hooves, and bowed.

"Princess Luna, if you believe I can handle it, I would willingly accept this path."

Luna's grave look gave way to a bright smile. She motioned with a hoof that he should rise, and the new Archmage-in-Training did.

"We will let our sister know immediately," she assured him. "Your training will begin in precisely one week, and will begin with some of the much more advanced spells of normal magic. Tia and I have agreed that we would like to make you a true master of normal magic before we touch on any other schools. But we can worry about all of that later," she said, beaming down at him. "For now, rest, Nova Shine. Your next journey will begin soon, but we have a coronation to get past first."

The room around them dissolved into inky blackness.

"Farewell, my Night Master," Luna began to fade into the darkness as the young stallion began to return to sleep. "May thou enjoy the coming days."

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

The invited ponies stood inside the Chapel room of the castle. Nova, however, stood outside of it with Twilight. It had taken two hours to prepare the coronation ceremony, and now she stood before him looking almost nothing like Twilight at all. She was wearing a fancy pink and gold dress, her mane was styled, and she looked absolutely beautiful.

“Is my tail straight?” Twilight asked, a note of nervousness in her voice.

“For the fourth time, yes Twilight, it’s straight,” he said. “Your dress is perfectly smooth, your tail is straight, your mane is flawless, and you look absolutely stunning.”

She went pink, but shook her head.

“Please don’t patronize me. I have to make a good first impression in there! This’ll be the first time many of them see me as their newest princess. What if something goes wrong?”

“It won’t,” said Nova firmly. “I know everything will be just fine.”

She chuckled, still sounding very nervous.

“Oh, and before I forget,” said Nova, suddenly reminded of something Princess Luna had cautioned him about, “Princess Celestia’s going to want you to address the masses outside.”

“Yeah, Princess Cadance told me the same,” Twilight said.

“Twilight, you and her are equals now. You don’t have to call her ‘princess.’”

“I-- I know,” she said, giving an annoyed smile at herself. “It’s going to take some getting used to, all of… this,” she gestured at herself.

“Nova?” came a voice behind him. Nova turned to see Princess Luna wearing an… interesting dress and a moderately-sized tiara on her head.

“Good morning, Princess Luna,” he said, inclining his head. “Has anyone told you the dress looks awful?”

Luna rolled her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

“Yes,” she said tersely. “Tia insisted I wear something like this, and this was the only one I could find. I’m sure the Royal Seamstresses could make me something more to my liking later, but with the suddenness of the event, it’s important that I have something.”

She eyed him, noticing that he had no clothing at the moment.

“Speaking of having something, you should probably don your cloak and head inside. The ceremony will be starting soon. Twilight, your color guard will be here shortly. They will follow you inside. Please enter and stride directly before Tia as soon as the doors open.”

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight said.

“Twilight,” said Nova, bumping her.

“Oh, I mean, thanks, Luna.”

Luna smiled at them both.

“Well, my former Apprentice, Twilight Sparkle, I wish you both the best of luck, and I will see you after the ceremony.”

She turned and strode off toward one of the doors that led behind the dais inside. Nova followed her advice, and with a flash of blue light, his cloak was on.

“I need to head inside,” he said, “but before I go, like I said, you’re going to have to make a speech to the masses.”

He stared at her sternly.

“I don’t want you saying anything about me, alright?”

“Why not?” she asked, cocking her head.

“Because you’re not standing here as an alicorn because of me,” he answered. To his surprise, she didn’t try to protest, but he continued all the same. “I may have saved your life, but I didn’t help you become a princess. That honor goes to your friends, and I expect you’ll be talking about them, right?”

She nodded.

“That being said, I want you to do me a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“I want you to Pinkie Pie Promise me you will not mention me in your speech.”

She gave him a look.

“Is that really necessary?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Just do it.”

She groaned, but nodded. “Fine. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recited, performing the accompanying motions as well.

Nova nodded, then leaned forward and kissed her. They let it linger for a couple of seconds, before Nova broke it.

“Time to head on in,” he said over his shoulder as he started trotting toward the large doors.. “Remember, everything will be fine.”

With that, he cracked them open and slipped inside. The crowd of ponies was quite large. Nova remembered a crowd this large at the wedding, about this time the year before, having read about it in the Equestria Daily the next day. Already standing to the far-left of the dais were Twilight’s friends, and standing by the door Nova knew the princesses waited behind was Spike.

Despite the large size, he was able to find Aegis in the crowd. Aegis, for once, was not wearing his armor. This was the first time in some time that Nova had seen him without it, and he was absolutely shocked by what he saw.

Aegis’ non-uniformed appearance looked exactly like Steelshod’s, but without a horn and with wings. So shocked was he, that for a moment, he didn’t even register Aegis waving toward him.

“What’s up with you today?” Aegis asked, eyeing him with concern as he sidled through the crowd to stand next to him. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Sorry,” said Nova. “I hadn’t seen you without your armor in so long, I had forgotten what you looked like underneath. And I had never noticed that you looked like a pegasus version of this unicorn I was great friends with back in the past.”

“Speaking of, when are you going to tell me about your little escapade?” he asked.

“Soon,” promised Nova. “Let’s just get the coronation behind us first, shall we?”

“Nova,” said Aegis, suddenly sharp in his voice. “What is that?”

He gestured at Nova’s ear. Nova had forgotten to take off his engagement earring. He hastily started to remove it, but not before Aegis’ face lit up in recognition, shock, and utter joy.

“You… the two of you are engaged!?” he breathed, which Nova was devoutly thankful for, given that the Sparkles were only a few rows in front of them.

Nova nodded, unable to stop the smile from working its way onto his face. “Asked her last night, right after she arrived,” he said. “Figured we’d tell everyone tonight, but I forgot to take it off. Don’t know how she didn’t notice back there.”

“That’s great news!” he whispered excitedly. “Heh, never thought I’d see the day when you’d settle down.”

“Speaking of mares, how are things between you and Trixie?” Nova asked. Aegis blinked, but he gave a small smile.

“She doesn’t do big ceremonies like this,” he explained, “so we’re meeting for lunch. Of course, the moment I mentioned the possibility of it being a date, she was quick to correct me with at least four arguments to why it was not a date.”

“Just a casual event where two best friends can hang out in a completely platonic manner?” Nova asked, the opportunity too good to pass up.

“What?” asked Aegis, confused.

“Nothing,” said Nova, with a wave of his hoof. “Inside joke.”

“Yes, well, I suppose we’ll just have to call them civil meetings, for now. Of course, ’civil' might not be the proper word to describe the situation, but--”

The doors behind the dais opened. At once, a great hush fell over the room as the three princesses, each wearing extravagant dresses, strode to the forefront of the dais. Princess Celestia stood slightly ahead of Cadance and Luna, with a gap between Celestia and Cadance for the newest member of their ranks.

Nova couldn’t help but chuckle at the dresses. Cadance’s looked alright, but Celestia’s was downright superfluous. He guessed she thought her subjects needed a reminder of who was really in charge.

The giant crown on her head didn’t help her case.

“Mares and gentlestallions, welcome,” Princess Celestia announced to the room. “We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion. My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things since she’s lived in Ponyville. She even helped reunite me with my sister, Princess Luna.”

Nova’s perpetual smile broadened as he saw the sisters give each other a fond look.

“But today,” continued Celestia, “Twilight Sparkle did something extraordinary. She created new magic, proving without a doubt, that she is ready to be crowned Equestria’s newest Princess.”

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” she said, announcing to the room at large, and indicating the back doors with her hoof, “may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

The doors opened, and there stood Twilight, in all her regal majesty. She strode into the room, her head not high or low, but level with everypony else’s, which Nova couldn’t help but admire.

Thou Princess Twilight cometh. Behold, behold.

“Are you going to cry?” Aegis whispered to him.

“I thought you knew me better than that, dude,” Nova said, hitting his shoulder. “Of course I’m gonna cry!”

Thou Princess stands before us. Behold, behold.

Twilight stopped before the Princesses, and Spike held up a cushion with her Element of Magic on it.

Behold! Behold, behold! Thou Princess Twilight cometh!

Princess Celestia placed the tiara on her head with magic. Twilight glanced back at her with a watery smile, then over to her friends, who were giving her signs of encouragement.

Behold, behold! Thou Princess is…

She turned to face the crowd, and sunlight glinted off of her tiara. At that point, Nova lost all self-control, and he felt the tears of pride start to trickle down his cheek. Up ahead, he noticed Twilight Velvet was almost sobbing into a handkerchief, and Shining Armor, who was further ahead, couldn’t have looked more proud in his life.

Thou Princess is here!

The crowd erupted into cheers. Nova shouted his approval as loud as he could, but he knew it would be drowned out by the thundering of the crowd.

Now, of course, the time came for the pledges of loyalty, to be followed by the Addressing of the Ponies. Nova joined the line of ponies that led directly up to the new monarch just as instructed, and he waited patiently.

All the while, Twilight was accepting the pledges of everypony who came forth to cite them. Nova knew with Princess Celestia watching, no one would make any kind of hidden statement, but that was at the back of his mind. She kept meeting his eye, and then looking back down at the next pony in line.

And then it was finally his turn. Despite her telling him never to do this, ceremony called for it. So he bowed before her, recited the pledge of loyalty Princess Luna had asked him to memorize in lieu of some extravagant promise, and made to get out of line, but a motion from Princess Luna stopped him.

“Come and stand beside me, my Night Master,” she said with a subtle wink. “You are as large a part of this day as anypony.”

Grateful, Nova trotted forward and stood beside his former teacher, and he continued to watch as the day’s events continued.

We will be prepared, he suddenly thought. We will be prepared for what will come. I just know it. Everything’s going to be just fine.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Miles away from the celebrations in Canterlot, some miles away from the Princess’ home, deep within a clearing in the Everfree Forest, lies a near-forgotten ruin.

The ruin was nothing more than caved-in rubble, but deep below the surface, there is a chasm, created by magic. Most of the chasm is filled in with rock. But the rocks did not fall to the bottom.

The rain of Soul Jars had scattered many along the base of the ravine. Most of the ones that fell shattered on impact with the ground. Others suffered some damage, but not enough to destroy them.

But one intact Soul Jar lay next to a broken amulet. And that Soul Jar emitted a faint orange light…

TO BE CONTINUED, IN THE ARCHMAGE'S LAST BOW

Author's Note

Well, I did it. I finished this story exactly one year after it was first published. I remember thinking of different ways I was going to go about writing this story back when I first started... I also remember that this was originally going to be second banana to a different fic of mine (and I'm glad I dropped it). Oh how far I've come since then.

Starstep is not mine. He belongs to Indigo Eclipse, author of To Love the Moon. I felt like dropping him a shoutout since he's probably my favorite Luna author on this site.

Frigoris, however, is mine. My first MLP fic (a cancelled first-person HiE featuring, keep brain-bleach handy, a black and red pegasus OC) featured him as the total opposite of Flare Dancer, the protagonist. I liked his character, and he never really died in my head, so I brought him here. Who knows? Maybe I'll keep him around for some more fun.

Now, as far as the plot of this story goes, this story is complete. I am thinking about posting a little short chapter (or chapters) featuring just little snippets of Nova's and Twilight's daily lives. Or maybe I'll just skip them and just go straight to the second story. I think it depends on my mood at the time.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for reading this story. Thank you all for your continued support. Please, as always, drop me a comment telling me if I did anything wrong. I want to make this story better. My target is Equestria Daily, but I can't get there unless I get some critique.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Nova Shine

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 01 - Nova Shine

A biting wind blew through the streets of Neighton, causing many of the street goers to tense and bundle up even tighter than they were already. It had definitely been one of the colder winters up to that point. Fortunately, winter wrap-up was right around the corner, but until then, the citizens were stuck dealing with it.

Some had to deal with it far more than others. Huddled against the wall of the town pub, the Cloak and Dagger, was a shivering pegasus pony with a hat laying open-end-up near his curled-up legs, who was desperately trying to keep warm with the cheerful heat that spilled out of the building. He wasn’t allowed in, since he had been kicked out some time ago for his drunken antics. But it was the warmest building in the town.

Where did it all go wrong? he thought miserably, shaking his filthy mane out of his eyes. The Weather Team fired me over an accident, I got kicked out of here, my house got repossessed… how the hell am I going to get out of this mess?

Another gust of wind blew through the street, causing him to hold himself even tighter, trying with all his might to keep warm, but it was a futile effort. He couldn’t even feel his hooves anymore.

He glanced down at his hat, which only had a few bits in it. Maybe enough to get a room at the inn for a night, but it was by no means a permanent solution to his problem.

Still, at least it would keep him out of the cold a while longer. If he could just get through winter wrap-up in two weeks…

The steady clip-clop of a pony walking down the street toward the pub caught his attention, and he chanced a look in the sound’s direction.

Lo and behold, the resident mage was walking toward the pub. Toward him, even.

Well, mage probably wasn’t the most accurate term. He was a unicorn, and his specialty was magic, but he did little odd jobs around town in exchange for bits and services. The closest term anyone could assign him was “mercenary,” but he wasn’t a thug by any stretch.

If anything, he was probably the most cultured least violence-prone pony of the town.

Lightning Lance didn’t know him very well, having never met him in person before, but when he was still working a year ago, the talk of the town had been of the strange young unicorn that had moved into the expensive house near the road to Ponyville. There were rumors about him, such as that he was originally from Canterlot, that he was supposedly from one of the older unicorn clans, that sort of thing. But rumors always spread about the new townsfolk until they got to know the pony in question.

The most interesting thing about it was just how young he was to be living alone. He had barely turned 18 when he moved in! Most ponies his age would be off to university and learning the tools of their future trade.

The pony stopped in front on Lightning Lance, giving Lance a chance to inspect him. Neighton was by no means a large town, which made it all the more strange that he’d never gotten a proper look at the boy before. While he did help keep the cold off of him while he was on the weather team during his move-in, he never spoke to the colt face to face. The colt seemed to spend all his time when not doing his odd jobs cooped up inside that house of his, doing Celestia knows what.

He was rather scrawny at first glance. Further inspection showed that he was thin, but not thin enough to look malnourished by any stretch of the term. And far from a certain naivete he had expected to see, the colt’s demeanor was experienced. Hardened, even. It wasn’t natural to see someone so young look so experienced in the ways of life.

Perhaps most striking about the colt’s appearance were his coat, mane, and eyes, however. His coat was immaculate white, his mane and tail a clear blue, and his eyes were deep pools of the purest blue, even deeper than his hair. Just above his hairline, a white horn, a little longer and just a tad sharper than any average unicorn's he had seen before, poked out of his mane.

And those blue eyes were currently staring down at him with some pity.

“What’s your name?” the pony asked. His voice did have a youthful quality to it, but apart from that it was a very typical voice, one a person wouldn’t think twice about.

“Lightning L-Lance,” he answered, shivering some more as a slight gust found its way under his fur.

“I remember you,” the pony said, seemingly unaffected by the wind.

“Y-you do?”

“Yeah,” the pony dipped his head. “You’re the one who kept the winter weather off my back while I moved in a year ago.”

“I was j-just doing my job, sir,” Lance said, looking down and away. “You l-looked like you needed a hoof with all that s-stuff you had. I f-figured clearing the s-storm would be better than actually h-helping physically.”

“It was very appreciated,” the colt answered earnestly. “I’m Nova Shine, by the way.”

“P-pleasure,” grunted Lightning Lance.

“Why are you out here begging?”

“Why do you think?” Lance snapped, drawing his hooves up around himself all the tighter..

“I meant no offense,” said Nova, holding up a placating hoof.

“Sorry,” Lance looked down at his own hooves. “I’m rather touchy about it.”

“I can tell.”

For a moment, they sat in silence. Lance thought he might be waiting for him to say something, but there wasn’t anything left to say. Either Nova was going to donate a few bits or he wasn’t.

Yet Nova didn’t seem to be leaving. Lance gave a brief glance up at the colt, where he noticed Nova was looking at the inside of his money pouch, seemingly counting what was inside. Lance’s spirits perked up. Was he really going to donate?

But then he put the purse away, causing Lance’s heart to sink. Figures, he thought bitterly. And yet Nova still didn’t seem to be leaving. He just stared at a spot near Lance’s hooves, and now he was rubbing the skin around his horn, apparently deep in thought.

“I think I can help you out,” Nova finally said, reaching out a hoof.

“By doing what?” asked Lance, staring skeptically at it.

“I know what happened to you,” Nova said. “I’m a hermit, not a total recluse.”

“Well, congratulations,” spat Lance. “If all you’re here to do is lecture, then I’ll just--”

“No, seriously, I can help.”

Lance glanced back at the offered hoof again. Could my situation really get any worse?

Against his better judgement, he took it. Nova helped him to his hooves, and began to lead him past the pub.

“So, how is it you can help me?”

“Well, it’s quite simple,” Nova said. “Homen owes me a favor.”

“Homen? Homen Hearth?” Lance asked, surprised. “The apartments owner?”

“The very same,” Nova nodded. “She owes me a favor, and I figure I can use it to help you out.”

“You… you would really do that?” Lance asked, suddenly confused. “But I barely know you.”

“You didn’t know me when you helped me move in,” Nova reminded him. “It’s the least I can do to help you when you need it.”

“I…” Lance licked his lips, unsure of what to say. But then he scowled. “How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

“What would I have to gain from lying to you?” he asked, glancing back and raising an eyebrow. “How would it benefit me by leading you on?”

Lance had no answer. He figured he would keep his reservations until he had his supposed help.

The apartments weren’t far from the pub at all. Once there, Nova led Lance straight to the front offices, where a matronly earth pony mare with a tan coat a brown mane who looked a bit younger than Lance did was currently bookkeeping.

“Hello, welcome to the Neighton Apartments, how can I--” she started as she heard the bell, but cut off once she saw who it was. “Mister Nova Shine? This is unexpected. I don’t think I have a job for you tonight. How can I be of service?”

“I’m calling in the favor you owe me, Ms. Hearth,” he answered, and gestured back to Lance. “Mister Lightning Lance here needs a place to live.”

“I... yes, of course, but there’s the matter of payment--.”

“A month should be plenty of time for him to make it,” Nova assured her. “If he can get a decent job, he should be able to keep paying with no problem.”

“Mister Shine, I’m afraid all I can do is knock off one month’s worth of payment, but I still need the second,” she said apologetically. “That way, if he stays more months, his last month is paid for too, even if he terminates the lease. I'm sorry, but it’s just our policy.”

“How much are we talking?” Nova asked, pulling out his bits pouch.

“Three-hundred fifty bits.”

Nova looked down at his pouch, and Lance noticed his eye twitch just a bit. Lance proffered his hat, which did have a few bits in it too.

“I have fifty right here, if you need them,” he said.

“But that still only leaves me with two-hundred,” Nova frowned.

Homen sighed.

“Mister Shine, in your time here, you have been nothing but a benefit to this town. I suppose I can knock off the extra one-fifty for the first month.”

Lance’s eyes widened. Was this really happening!?

“Deal,” Nova said, taking Lance’s bits as well as all the bits in his pouch and giving them to Homen.

“Very well. Mister Lance? Take this key,” she gave him a key with a number emblazoned on the side. “We’ll do all of your paperwork tomorrow, but your first two months are paid for. I will be expecting payment within the first four days of every month save for these first two. Soon as I get some of these simple things filled out, I'll show you to your room.”

Lance took the key in his shaking hooves. Is this really happening!?

“N-Nova Shine,” he said, his eyes welling up. “I… thank you. How can I ever repay you?”

“Don’t mention it,” Nova said. “Seriously, don’t go making a big deal about it,” he frowned

“I-- How can I not? You just gave me a home!”

“You can’t because I’m asking you not to as your way of repaying me,” Nova said inclining his head. “Look, I’m sure the thought has crossed your mind that I’m young and on my own. Truth be told, I don’t want to be found. I won’t say who by, but I will say that I just want to lay low and keep to myself. Can I trust you, both of you, to do that for me?” he asked.

“Of… of course,” Lance said, nodding. "An if you need anything, anything at all, I will be there to help," he promsied.

Nova nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," he said as he started toward the entry door of the office.

“Why would you do something like this?” Homen asked from behind him.

“Pardon?” he asked, as he turned around.

“Why would you just buy him an apartment out of the goodness of your heart?” she asked, looking up from filling out some of the paperwork.

Nova shrugged. “He needed it more than I needed a night of drinking.”

And with that he was off, back into the howling gale outside, back to his house on the road to Ponyville.

"And besides," Nova commented, just loud enough for Lance to hear, "I don’t think I would be in good shape to meet Ponyville’s representative for Trading Day if I had a hangover."

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Faint blue magics swirled around the sleeping unicorns' heads. Dream magic was always one of the most difficult schools of magic to practice, because if anything went wrong, the target would awaken, and it would all be for naught. But it was important that he see this and set everything in motion.

Visions of the Vault and of the day he met the Faithful Student. They cannot awaken too early again. There can't be many more opportunities to direct them where they need to go, thought the unicorn casting the magic, continuing to focus his energy on the scrying orbs, through which he watched the sleeping forms of Nova Shine and Twilight Sparkle start to grow restless. In a third orb, Trixie Lulamoon slumbered as well, free of the magic plaguing the other two, but that would all change soon.

Too direct. Tone it back, he thought, noticing that his control over their dreams was slipping as they grew close to waking. At once, he changed his approached, and with it, the magics changed. Let's start with more memories, to ease into it. The day they met seems prudent enough.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

A loud banging sound echoed outside. Nova scrambled to his hooves to get out of bed, blearily colliding with things and screaming bloody murder. What the hell was that noise!? It was only after he tripped over his own hooves and fell all the way down the steps of his home did he really return to full alertness. And that alertness was indicating that he had a piercing headache, and that there was noticeable magical power emanating from just outside his door.

"Ugh, it's too early for this," he groaned, picking himself up off of the floor and crawling to the door.

Upon reaching the door, he threw it open, allowing the sun inside and causing him to cry out and throw a hoof in front of his eyes, which only led to him stumbling backwards and collapsing right where he started.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being terrible and 10 being a morning from hell, this morning was shaping up to be about a 6, and it wasn’t even 9AM according to the clock.

On the bright side, at least he was awake now.

Outside the house, a cart of goods sat in the midst of a charred circle on the dirt road, somehow looking completely unharmed despite the sheer intensity of the magical blast that had just woken him up. Leaning against said cart, looking tired but pleased with herself, was a unicorn mare just a bit shorter than him. Her coat was a lavender color, her mane and tail were a bluish-black, with a magenta streak highlighting both, and adorning her flank was a strange magenta six-pointed star, backed by another white one and surrounded by five more smaller white stars as well.

Another mage? Nova thought, looking back at his own flank, which depicted a blue crescent moon, with four blue five-pointed stars surrounding it.

“Are you alright?” he asked, trotting forward and offering a hoof to the mare in case whatever spell she had cast, a teleportation spell by the look of things, had completely worn her out.

“I-I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head vigorously, no doubt attempting to fix her vision.

“Are you sure? Is there anything at all I can do to help? I have a few things for spellcasting aftershocks” he asked, gesturing inside.

“Well, now that you mention it,” she said, finally seeming to get a grip on her surroundings and looking at him with purple eyes, “you can direct me to a mister Nova Shine. I’m supposed to meet him and a Mayor Balanced Budget for Trading Day.”

“You’re new to the area, aren’t you,” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“H-how did--”

“Ponyville and Neighton are styled very similarly in the town’s organization," he explained, pointing up the road, further into the town. "You’ll find Balanced Budget’s office in the same place you’d find Mayor Mare in Ponyville: that way, in the center of town.”

“O-oh. Thanks,” the mare said. “But what about this Nova Shine? He’s supposed to be Neighton’s representative and I’m supposed to meet with him until the allotted time to make sure we have everything on the checklist.”

A clipboard with a list attached to it floated out of the cart, surrounded by a magenta aura, and into her hoof.

“That would be me,” he said, bowing politely. “Nova Shine, at your service, miss…”

“Oh, um, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. For some reason, Nova felt like he had heard the name before, somewhere in the distant past, and somewhere far more recently, but for the life of him, he just couldn’t figure it out.

“A pleasure,” he said only half-heartedly and extending a hoof, which she shook. She wasn’t supposed to be here for another four hours. Ponyville wasn’t all that far away, but hikers had to skirt around the edge of the Everfree Forest to get there, lengthening an average trip by a couple of hours. “Did you teleport here by yourself?”

“Oh, ummm…” she trailed off, her ears flattening and a slightly pink tinge coming to her cheek as she glanced away. “I just wanted to make the job more efficient. Get it done earlier in the day, you know, so there's not as much time wasted.”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand,” Nova said, trotting toward his house and holding open the door for her to enter, “and for what it's worth, I'm impressed you did it by yourself, but did you have to do it so… early?”

“I didn’t think my teleportation would work,” she admitted, trotting inside and into the living room. “I only just learned the spell a couple of months ago, and I’ve slowly been using it with more frequency and with greater distance.”

“A couple of months ago, eh?” he asked, shutting the door behind her. “Roundabouts the time Nightmare Moon came back over there?”

Her cheeks flushed again as she trotted over and sat on one of his couches.

“Y-yes, that’s exactly when,” she said, trying not to meet his eye.

“I don’t know why you’re getting so embarrassed,” he said, trotting into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. “I figure you’d definitely have earned your right to brag if you had that much power. Care for anything to drink?” he added.

“Oh, I…” she glanced down at the floor. “No thank-you. And I just had an encounter with a very brash mare who lorded it over everyone that she was better than them. I don’t want to make it sound like I am.”

“Mmh, a noble sentiment,” Nova noted, taking out a glass of something light to start the morning with. “Well, on to the business at hoof.”

“But we're not supposed to get started for a few hours,” Twilight protested, looking over the checklist herself. “I got here way ahead of schedule.”

“We could, you know, start early,” Nova said, rolling his eyes. “I could have used the extra sleep, but since you're already here, we can go over it and get it done sooner.”

" think it would be best if we waited for the Mayor," Twilight replied.

"Suit yourself," he groaned, getting up and starting to trot toward the stairs. He had, after all, not gotten a chance to freshen up yet. "He's not even going to open up his office for at least two more hours."

“I can wait. You don’t happen to have any books here, do you?” she asked, leaning over and trying to glance upstairs.

“Sure do,” Nova said, and her countenance brightened immediately. “Follow me.”

He led her out of the living room and up the stairs to the third floor of his house. His study/library was the only room up there. Every wall had a bookshelf set up against it, there was a single chair, a footrest, and a small table with a lamp up there, and the ceiling was a dome of glass. Whoever had owned the house before Nova had apparently enjoyed stargazing and/or astronomy.

To Nova’s amusement, Twilight Sparkle started squeeing with anticipation upon seeing his wide selection of books. Nearly every bookshelf was filled from end to end, with only a few gaps here and there. As soon as she was able, she was dashng from shelf to shelf, seeing everything he had.

“How in Celestia’s name do you have A Study of Unicorn Magicks and Their Applications to Everyday Life!?” she demanded. “All of Star Swirl’s writings are so expensive, I doubt my parents could afford one on a year’s salary! Is that A Brief History of Time by Stephen Trotting? How do I not have that yet!? And--”

She gasped and dashed over to another bookcase, while Nova simply trotted over, removed a Christopony Paolini novel from his shelf, and set to reading in his chair.

“ARE THESE FIRST EDITIONS FOR EVERY HARRY TROTTER BOOK!?”

Nova smiled to himself as he glanced at her over the top of his own book.

“That they are, Twilight Sparkle, that they are.”

“H-how? I have first editions of the last five, but you even have one for Philosopony’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets!”

“What can I say?” Nova asked, shrugging. “Parents got me a copy right after it came out, and I loved it so much I was in line for every midnight release ever since. Even got one signed by Yearling, once,” he added. “Go ahead and flip open the cover of Deathly Hallows.”

She did so, and it was almost like Twilight couldn’t bear to look directly at it, fearing that it was worth more than every drop of Celestia’s blood. It was hastily placed back on the shelf, arranged and adjusted to the merest millimeter back in its place.

For the next few moments, Twilight was quiet as she looked for a book to read, giving Nova some peace as he read his book. They were going to be here awhile, but he had no intention of getting to know a mare he probably wasn’t going to see again. Unfortunately, Twilight didn't share his sentiments.

“I noticed your cutie mark,” she said, glancing over at him as she continued to browse the shelves. “Are you a mage?”

“Nope,” Nova answered curtly.

For an awkward moment, Twilight thought he was going to continue, but when he didn’t, she spoke up again.

“What do you do?”

“Odd jobs,” Nova answered. “Call me a magical mercenary. Not totally true, but it’s the best I can come up with.”

He went quiet again, continuing to read his book and hoping Twilight would get the hint that he had no intention of talking with her if he could help it. After all, why build a bridge you weren’t going to use again, so to speak?

“Are you from Canterlot?”

“I was,” he turned a page.

“You… were?”

“I lived there for a time, and then I moved away,” Nova clarified, rolling his eyes. “Really, it’s not a hard concept to grasp.”

Twilight flinched slightly, at his brusque response. Nova figured she was trying to be friendly, but he wasn't ever going to see her again. There was no incentive to engage in conversation.

“Why did you move to Neighton?”

Rather than answer the question, Nova decided to take his own offensive.

“Why did you move to Ponyville?” he asked, closing his book and looking her directly in the eye.

Twilight blinked, taken a bit aback by the redirection.

“Prin-- I mean, my teacher-- had me move here to make friends.”

Nova snorted. “What, spend all your time cooped up in a library reading books, or something?”

“Don’t you do that?” she asked, glancing around at all the books in the room.

“Nope,” Nova answered, shaking his head. “I just told you, I do odd jobs. What about you? Are you a librarian or something?”

“Well, I am now,” she said, and Nova was even more irritated to notice that she had started reorganizing certain shelves. “I didn’t have a job when I was living in Canterlot.”

“Mmh,” Nova grunted, returning to his book. I'll just put those all back later. Now can I please just have... I dunno, five minutes of silence?

And yet, despite his insistence that he didn’t want to be bothered, Twilight simply wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“So how come you’re not a mage if your cutie mark is stars and a moon?”

Nova felt himself grit his teeth and let out a bit of a growl.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, shifting his head lower and more into the book that he was no longer actually reading.

“Why not?” asked Twilight.

“Because I just don’t,” Nova replied, glaring at her from over the top. “I’d rather not divulge my feelings on the matter because talking about feelings is what touchy-feely ponies do, and I’m not one of them. So please, don’t ask again.”

“But why don’t you study it in your off-time?” Twilight asked, trying to steer away from the anger-inducing part of the topic, since it was apparently something in his history, while still keeping on the main bit of it. “You seem to have plenty of books for it.”

“I don’t have time to study magic when I’m too busy keeping myself supported.”

“I’m supporting myself just fine, and I still have time to learn about magic.”

“How can you, if you have a teacher?” Nova asked, momentarily forgetting his anger in favor of his curiosity. “How can he stay in contact if he lives in Canterlot and you’re in Ponyville?”

“I have a baby dragon assistant,” she explained. “I send her letters through his dragonfire and she sends responses back.”

“Convenient,” Nova said, rubbing his chin as he considered the implications. “Maybe I should hatch a dragon egg... Who is your teacher, anyway?”

“Oh, umm…”

Twilight glanced down at the floor and mouthed something he couldn’t hear.

“Sorry?” he asked, leaning his head a little more in her direction..

“Prncssestia,” she murmured.

“You’re gonna have to speak up.”

“I said ‘Princess Celestia,’” Twilight said, finally in an audible tone, though she didn't look up. Nova blinked for a moment, before suddenly laughing openly. Princess Celestia, taking time off from her job as ruler of Equestria, just toteach a normal unicorn mare about magic! What a thought!

But the laughter died when he saw the slightly-offended look she was giving him.

“Y-you’re serious?” Nova thought, feeling his insides grow cold. Please don't be insulted, please don't be insulted, PLEASE don't be insulted...

“I’m her faithful student,” Twilight said simply, shrugging. "She's taught me everything I know about magic for seven years now."

Nova’s eyebrows almost rose into his mane.

“Seriously? But that means you’re the… the...”

He suddenly felt himself grow a lot more respectful to the mare. If she was Princess Celestia’s pupil, that made her the one who had restored Princess Luna some weeks prior.

“The what?” she asked, looking a bit confused or apprehensive about something.

“The bearer of the Element of Magic,” he finished, running a hoof through his mane in disbelief. “Well, this is an unexpected pleasure.”

“Oh, umm…” she looked away, her cheeks going pink, “I didn’t realize my reputation preceded me.”

“Oh come now,” Nova said, almost laughing again. “You saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon and you purified Princess Luna. How won’t your reputation precede you?”

“You would be surprised,” Twilight grumbled, thinking back to Trixie’s encounter.

“Wait, so you want it to precede you? Or not?” Nova asked, tilting his head. “You seem like a modest mare; I can’t picture you liking to advertize that sort of thing.”

“I guess it depends on the case,” she explained. “If it would prevent conflict, I would love for my reputation to precede me. But if it causes me to be treated like some kind of work of art, or very important pony, no thank-you.”

“With you on that,” Nova replied, inclining his head in her direction. “Except I don’t want to have a reputation like that ever.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked.

“I’m trying to lay low,” Nova answered, shrugging. “Haven’t done anything illegal that I know of, but there are ponies out there I don’t want to be found by,”

“Is that why you moved to Neighton?” she asked, and it was then Nova realized he was finding avoiding conversation with her to be a lot harder than he had originally thought.

“Pretty much,” he said, and with that, he popped his book back open and continued reading.

“You know, I can’t help but note that I recognize your name from somewhere,” Twilight said, sounding like she definitely hoped to continue the conversation. “I mean, even aside from the fact that you’re named after one of Equestria’s magical pioneers.”

“Really,” Nova said, not looking up. If she's from Canterlot and she's got a decent memory, then of course she'd know about it.

“Did you ever attend Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? And who are your parents?”

Nova felt his teeth grit again, and his hooves start to shake. He couldn’t blame Twilight Sparkle for asking, since she didn’t know. But her ignorance couldn’t prevent his anger.

“Please don’t ask that again,” he said through gritted teeth, staring straight at words on a page that he wasn't reading.

Twilight seemed to think not pursuing it was the best course of action, because she didn’t. Instead, she finally picked a book and began to read as well. And there they sat, silently reading to pass the time by, for the next two hours. And Nova hadn't been happier with the circumstances all day. At last, some peace and quiet, and no more pestering questions that he didn't want to answer.

Finally, after the time as almost upon them to go about their duties, Nova heard a knock at his door.

“Must be the mayor,” he said, putting his book down, to which Twilight nodded, only half-aware.

Nova trotted out of his study, downstairs to his door and opened to reveal a muscular tan earth pony with a black mane, green eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a bits symbol waiting at his door.

“Ah, good morning Nova,” Mayor Balanced Budget said, offering a hoof, which Nova shook. “I take it Miss Twilight Sparkle is here?”

“Upstairs,” Nova gestured with his head. “Am I going to be needed for the rest of the day?”

“A little bit, but after some of the formalities are observed, you’ll be free for the day with the bits you’ve earned for the job. I assume they’re still going towards your impending and uncertain move to wherever?” he asked.

“Pretty much, barring something unexpected,” Nova answered.

“Shame that,” the mayor remarked. “You’re the only unicorn in town, and even among all the unicorns I’ve met, you’re a damn strong one. Neighton will be sad to see you go.”

“Aww, I’m touched,” Nova said, with only a slight touch of irony. “Good to know you care for the town hermit.”

“Yes. Well, let’s get a move on, shall we? We have work to do.”

“I hear that,” Nova replied. “But do be careful, Bal. She’s Princess Celestia’s personal student. If you offend her, you might end up banished, or put in prison. Or put in prison in the place that you're banished to.”

Nova would be entertained immensely for the next few hours from the look of dismay on Balanced Budget’s face alone.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

A new problem arose, as he felt something start to fight against the magic he was casting. Something that didn't seem to be coming from Nova or Twilight, and felt far more powerful.

Ah, there you are Luna, thought the casting unicorn, taking the appropriate steps to cut her off from disrupting the dreams that would soon become nightmares. I'm afraid I can't let you interfere.

It didn't take long for Luna to give up, as she had done many nights before, but she did so far sooner than expected.

Good. And now, the last few gentle scenes before we reach the crux of it all.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Ahhhh,” Nova sighed contentedly as he fell onto his couch. He had been needed for a while after Balanced Budget’s arrival, but once his end of Trading Day was taken care of, he was free to go about doing even more of his odd jobs.

And so, several hours and many bits earned later, Nova came home, quite satisfied with the day’s events. Which meant it was now time for fun. And fortunately, it was time for his favorite rivalry of the Equestrian Premier League season, his Arsenal against their perennial rivals, the Trottenham Hotspur.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

...and fortunately, it would be time for his favorite rivalry after he met his latest guest.

Groaning good-naturedly, Nova trotted over to the door and opened it up to see his new guest…

...before slamming it shut when he saw that none other than the newly-reinstated Princess Luna herself was outside his door, waiting to meet him.

Why is she here!? he thought, panicking. I haven’t done anything illegal! Is this related to that Twilight Sparkle mare!? What did I do wrong!?

On the other side of the door, he heard an impatient huff and decided it was probably best to not keep her waiting any longer.

Shaking from nervousness, Nova opened the door, revealing a very unamused Princess Luna.

She stood only a little taller than him, with a periwinkle coat, a light blue mane spilling around her shoulders, and her tail nearly touching the ground, even when she wasn’t dragging it.

“Thou lookest as though thou hast seen a ghost, citizen,” she said, her eyes glinting.

“U-unexpected house calls from Equestrian royalty will do that to a pony,” Nova said, hoping his voice didn’t shake too much. “Umm, would you like to come inside?” he added, stepping back to allow her entry.

“That would be most welcome, subject,” she said, raising her muzzle just a little higher and trotting inside, letting him close the door behind her. “Pray tell, wherefore thy reaction? Dost thou have a guilty conscience?”

She smiled at him in manner which unnerved Nova greatly.

“Hast thou been, as modern ponies sayeth, ‘a bad boy?’”

Nova was almost frantically shaking his head before Luna even finished the question, Luna laughed, a tinkling laugh that eased Nova’s anxiety immensely.

“We apologize, citizen,” she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “We did not mean to frighten thee. Dost thou accept our apology?”

For a vague moment, Nova had to wonder who the “we” was, before he remembered it was the princesses’ custom to speak in the majestic plural before Nightfall.

“Our-- my-- apologies, citizen,” Luna said, smiling sheepishly, noting Nova’s confusion. “I am still growing accustomed to thy colloquialisms. It is a little hard to grow accustomed when we-- I-- have been gone a thousand years.”

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing,” Nova remarked. “I’m the one who slammed the door on you.”

Luna giggled. “Yes, that thou didst. Pray tell, what is thy name?”

“Nova Shine, your highness,” Nova said, heading back into the kitchen and heading for his refrigerator. “May I get you something to drink?”

Luna didn’t answer. Nova got a drink of his own and waited patiently for a response, but when none came, he poked his head out again to see Luna staring at a spot on the wall, her eyes glossy. She must have been in very deep thought.

“Your highness?”

Luna blinked a few times as she was jolted out of her thoughtfulness, before she shook her head to fully clear her mind and trotting to sit on one of his armchairs.

“Our apologies,” she said, with a small smile. “We were thinking of one of our first students from ages long past. This, fortunately, giveth us an excellent segue into the purpose for our visit.”

She leaned forward and pressed her hooves together under her muzzle.

“Nova Shine, we have come to offer thee the position of the Night Apprentice.”

Nova blinked, dropping his cup and spilling cider all over the kitchen floor. A spell later and it was completely cleaned up, but he still couldn’t quite comprehend what she was asking.

“Sorry,” he said, “but say that again. You’re here to what?”

“We are here to offer thee the position of the Night Apprentice,” Luna repeated. “Thou likely dost not know, but in olden days, we and our sister would take on personal unicorn students who had cutie marks of stars. That alone is not the entire qualification process, for a potential student must also show an interest in magic and an aptitude for learning. All of those qualities, thou fulfillest.”

Nova didn’t know what to say.

“I… um… wow,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m honored to have been chosen. If I may ask, what all does this entail?”

Before Luna could answer, Nova held up a hoof to forestall her response. “First, why me?”

Luna smiled again. “Alas, we knoweth not wherefore thee. We used to select for ourselves, but as thou art undoubtedly aware, we have been… absent. So our sister chose for us.”

Nova fell right on his rump in utter shock. Princess Celestia had chosen him? Of all the better-qualified ponies in Equestria? Surely she had to know of the incident that had taken place at her school seven years before!

“And as for the original question,” continued Luna, choosing not to pursue the reason behind Nova’s reaction, “the Night Apprentice offers many benefits. For starters, he or she is accorded the rights and privileges of the minor nobility until their graduation.”

“Well, I already have those by birth,” Nova noted, but Luna continued.

“He or she wilt receive the opportunity to learn powerful magicks directly from myself and my sister.”

“I surmised as much,” Nova said, trying and failing to not be sarcastic for this one moment.

“He or she wilt receive an unparalleled education of the night, astronomy, and many other fields of science and magic, overall adding up to an education to rival many of the most educated ponies in Equestria.”

“Very tempting.”

“And finally, the Night Apprentice wilt receive a fancy title to include on resumes for job applications.”

Nova grinned. “I like that one best.”

Luna gave a small smile. “Yes, so did our original pupil. Pray tell, wherefore didst thou wish to know all of this? Surely thou must have figured this all out already.”

“I did, Princess,” Nova assured her, “but I wanted to know the full details of what I was going to be doing. Didn’t want to end up doing something I regretted, after all.”

“A wise policy,” Luna replied with a nod. “Too many times, we have seen short-sighted ponies shackle themselves in misery because an offer looked too good to be true, and they failed to look into it.”

“I mean,” continued Nova, “if it tells you anything, I actually read and paraphrase my contracts and stuff. Helps me not to get caught in stupid stuff.”

However, the smile faded from his face as a thought presented itself to him.

“Princess?”

“Something the matter, Nova Shine?” asked Luna, a look of concern crossing her face.

“Yes, actually,” Nova answered honestly. “If I accept the position, would I need to live in Canterlot? Or can I stay someplace else?”

Luna’s gaze narrowed and she stared him directly in the eyes.

“Tell me the truth,” she said, her voice becoming stern. “What makes thee ask such a question?”

So Nova told her. He told her everything about why he was living alone at such a young age, why he wasn’t at university like other ponies his age, and why he was moving from town to town at a very quick rate.

“Hmm,” said Princess Luna thoughtfully as he ended his tale. “Nova Shine, thou must understand that thou wilt need a permanent residence with a proper study facility for the purpose of a magical education. That being said, thou wilt not need to live in Canterlot; this house will suffice. However, assuming you accept the position, thou art expected in the Canterlot Castle foyer this time tomorrow evening for certain formalities which must be observed.”

“Long story short, I need to visit Canterlot, but I can live here,” Nova said. At Luna’s nod, he sighed, feeling immensely relieved. “Good.”

“Well then, in light of that information, Nova Shine, dost thou accept our offer?”

With every conceivable thing wrong with it explained away, Nova bowed his head.

“I would be honored to accept the position of your Night Apprentice, Princess Luna.”

Luna smiled at him.

“Very well, Nova Shine. Thou hast accepted the post of the Night Apprentice. As of this moment, thy loyalty is ours before all others, even before our own sister. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Nova answered, bowing.

“As we told thee before, thou art expected in Canterlot Castle this time tomorrow night, and bring a knapsack with thee, for we will be lending thee some books and a scrying orb for communication.”

With that business concluded, Princess Luna rose from her seat and made her way to the door.

“Farewell, our new Night Apprentice,” she said, spreading her wings as she exited the house, and giving him one last warm look. “We must inform our sister of thine acceptance. May thou enjoy the coming days.”

And with two powerful flaps of her wings, Princess Luna took off and began to fly back to Canterlot Castle.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Letter for you, Twilight.” *BELCH!*

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said, catching the letter in her magic as it materialized out of the dragonfire. The baby dragon gave her a dutiful salute and then scampered back off to finish the day’s chores.

Twilight sighed, content with the day’s work. She had managed to repeat the long-distance teleportation from Neighton, except for the small matter that she had teleported directly into Town Hall, cart and all, right on top of Mayor Mare’s desk.

Note to self, she had thought, no more teleporting over long distances to places I’m not familiar with. Too much can go wrong due to me teleporting to the wrong place.

Still, the bits had been earned, and she was ready to relax for the evening. But since it seemed Princess Celestia had written to her about something important, that had to come first.

Twilight trotted up to her loft in the library, leapt onto her bed, and unfurled the scroll.

My Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle,

For the first time in over a thousand years, Princess Luna has chosen for herself a pupil to tutor in magic.

Twilight gave a small gasp. Princess Luna had taken pupils to train? Well, in hindsight, it probably should have been obvious. Princess Celestia had taken her personally, just as she had Cadance before her, and some other pony over four hundred years before her.

Her student is traditionally known as the Night Apprentice, and it is important that you know this, for he and you will be very important to each other later in your apprenticeships, but not until he has been trained up a fair amount to where he is around your current level.

She used ‘he,’ noted Twilight, catching the pronoun. The Night Apprentice will be a colt? Is Princess Celestia implying something when she says he and I will be very important to each other later in our apprenticeships?

Mayor Mare has told me that you performed excellently for your part in Trading Day, an account corroborated by Mayor Balanced Budget. However, in the future, I would suggest experimenting with long-range teleportation before you attempt to move large and heavy objects over a great distance, to avoid accidents. However, you have my sincere thanks for agreeing to her request.

Twilight grinned sheepishly. Of course the mayor would tattle.

Finally, I believe congratulations are in order. I heard about your encounter with the Lulamoon mare a few nights ago, and how you were able to send an Ursa Minor back to sleep in its cave. You neglected to mention that in your previous letter, and you know how much I do enjoy hearing about your magical feats, Twilight.

Yours truly,
Princess Celestia

As she read the final words on the page, Twilight yawned. The teleportation had taken a lot more out of her than she had thought, it seemed.

“Spike!?” she called.

The baby dragon poked his head up through the staircase hole in the floor.

“Everything alright, Twilight?” he asked.

“Yes, everything’s fi-fi--i--ine,” she said, failing to stifle another yawn. “Go ahead and close up the library, I’m going to bed.”

“Alright. Good night, Twilight,” said Spike, retreating downstairs.

“Night Spike,” Twilight replied, snuffing out the flames on the lamps around the room and closing her eyes for some much needed rest.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Princess Celestia surveyed a recent report from the elderly chair councilpony of Seaddle, a pair of rather plain spectacles sitting on her muzzle, hardly fitting for a sovereign diarch of Equestria. Her balcony was unlocked and she was waiting for her sister to return from Neighton, already knowing of her success.

Sure enough, as she furled up the councilpony’s letter, finished taking her notes, Princess Luna landed lightly on her balcony, shook her head and rubbed at her eyes quite vigorously, and then trotted inside. Princess Celestia had smiled at the display, before taking out a diary, turning to the very back and noting a date some three years later when she would see an old friend again for the first time in a long while.

“Trouble with your eyes, sister?” she asked, teasingly.

“We had forgotten how it felt, flying in the open air. After a thousand years of flying in a vacuum, we shalt have to accustom ourselves to the sensation.again. Our flight aside, didst thou feel it, sister?”

“I did, Luna,” Celestia said, dipping her head. “I have already sent a letter to Twilight Sparkle, informing her that you have a student. I wonder if she felt it too.”

“It is probable, given what you have told us of Twilight Sparkle,” replied Luna. “Dost thou think she and he wilt be fit for each other?”

Celestia hid a smile, knowing that Luna could not have seen the hidden meaning behind her own words.

“Based on their interaction alone today,” answered Celestia, “I feel as though there are rough edges that could be smoothed out, but overall, I feel as though they are the best combination we could hope for.”

“If we may ask, sister, didst thou pick him because he shares the name with our very first student?”

Celestia didn’t answer at first, which spoke volumes to Luna, but after a moment’s hesitation, Celestia had a reply.

“There is more to it than that, sister,” she explained. “Seven years ago, there was… an incident at my school involving the poor colt.”

“So this is a sort of repayment?” asked Luna.

“I will admit, that is part of it.” Celestia answered honestly, “but there is so much more. Has your memory been totally regained yet?”

“No, we are afraid not,” Luna said.

“When you remember, you will understand.”

Luna didn’t like that answer, but she knew her sister too well than to try to pry a more clear one.

“Tia, please be honest with us,” she said, deciding to divert the conversation.

“About what, Lulu?” asked Celestia, looking at her sister over the top of her spectacles as she closed the diary and placed it back in its place on a shelf.

“First, please don’t call us that,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “We are not a child anymore.”

“But you’ll always be my little sister, Luna,” Celestia said, giving her a teasing smile.

“Yes, well, as we said, please be honest with us. You told us before we left that you would only give the okay if Twilight Sparkle and Nova Shine developed an amicable relationship, something you said, and we quote, ‘they could build on.’”

“So I did, what of it?”

“Tia, please tell us thou art not trying to make them fall in love.”

Celestia gave a fake-thoughtful look up at the ceiling and smiled slyly.

“Maaaaaaaybe--”

“TIA!”

“Luna, Luna, I’m just joking,” she said, stopping her sister’s indignation and beckoning that she sit beside her. “If they fall in love, so be it, but I will not attempt to manufacture romance. I may have my flaws, but I know enough not to try that.”

“Yes, the love poison incident proves why that is a poor idea,” Luna said dryly.

“However, a first meeting like today means very little. They could grow to loathe each other, as Comet and Sunbeam did at first, in which case we will have to steer them right. Regardless, I have no doubt they will grow to be very good friends in the long run, at least.”

“We don’t understand how thou canst be so sure,” Luna said.

Celestia had nothing to say to that. Instead, she unfurled another report, this time from Manehattan, and set to transcribing the records within to a private records book of her own.

“Sister, dost thou think she would have felt the disturbance? Even after so long?”

Celestia sighed.

“I suppose it is too much to hope for that she wouldn’t have.”

Silence fell between them yet again for a time, before once again, Luna piped up.

“Sister, dost thou think we wilt still be a good teacher?”

“My my, Luna,” Celestia smiled. “Normally, you are quiet, confident, and reserved, but tonight you seem insecure and have many questions.”

Luna had no response. Magic had advanced to an unprecedented level over the last millennium. It would take her much time to get used to modern levels of magic, and the spells that were developed. She could only hope that she did not come off as a primitive teacher to her new Night Apprentice.

“Luna, I believe you will still be a great teacher,” Celestia answered sincerely, patting a spot on the ground, where Luna laid down and sidled close to her elder sibling. “There are many times I still wonder what you would do in a situation I have no experience in. Worry not, sister. What will come will come, and we will be ready to meet it when it does.”

Luna smiled at her sister’s kind words, and gave her a nuzzle before watching her go about her work.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

And now, the nightmare, thought the mysterious unicorn, the magics around Nova Shine's and Twilight Sparkle's heads intensifying significantly as the dream shifted once more. Faint magics also began to appear around Trixie Lulamoon's head as well, causing her to begin to shift uneasily in her bed.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

There was an overgrown building, sitting in a clearing in the heart of a foreboding jungle. In its time, the building had been magnificent, a pristine jewel of Everfree, but after a thousand years, the building had fallen into disrepair. Ivy clung to the once-shining, now-dull stone, vines hung out of the building’s many crevices.

Inside the building, there were many stone doors, built into the sides of a giant hole drilled into the ground. One of these doors must never be opened, for within lies an enchanted glass vial, and within the enchanted vial slumbers a shadow, only to awaken when that accursed pair are reunited.

A pulse of magic passes over the vial. At once, it began to glow a bright orange color, and from within came the sounds of mad laughter. It was time, after a full millennium! It was time for bloodshed, time for her work to begin. It would take some time, but she would be free from this prison, free to once again roam the land…

ONCE AGAIN, SHE WOULD BE FREE TO KILL!

Nova Shine let out a yell and bolted upright in his bed. He wasn’t in a temple, he was still in his home. After a moment, in which he sat there, mind reeling from the nightmare yet again, he fell back against the sweat-soaked sheets.

Another dream about that day, he thought. Another dream about that place in the forest.

It was the fourth night in a row he’d had the same dream. After the third overall, he had gone to Princess Luna to ask that she ward off these nightmares, only to hear words he seriously didn’t want to hear.

“You’ll learn later.”

Naturally, Nova had not been happy, but he had kept his complaints to himself. Princess Luna must have had a good reason to withhold the information from him. But she did ask him to tell her if he kept having this dream.

Obviously, he had. Under normal circumstances, he would tell her immediately. However, he was expecting the princess to get into contact him with her scrying orb, so he decided instead to go ahead and make himself presentable for the day.

With a groan, he rolled out of bed, falling right onto the floor with a loud thud. Great, just when the morning couldn’t get any worse.

With another groan, he heaved himself into a standing position and lumbered out of his room, toward the bathroom just down the hall. Once inside, he looked directly into the mirror to see how he looked.

Long story short, the metaphorical cat had dragged in better-looking things.

His blue mane was filthy, matted with sweat and plastered on his forehead, his eyes were a little bloodshot, and there was a noticeable slouch in his gait. He splashed some cold water from the tap onto his face and it helped just a little bit, but not quite enough to really help him out. So he turned on the shower. Perhaps a full-body shock would help. Surprisingly, the cold didn’t. So, if not cold, then heat?

A minute later, those townsponies who were out this early in the morning were treated to the sight of the town’s magical mercenary sprinting out of his house with steam issuing from his back, howling at the top of his lungs.

A visitor to the town might have looked twice, but the townsponies had gotten used to Nova Shine’s hijinks over the last three years. After all, working with magic was a very volatile pastime. One particular incident involved the townsponies waking up to find Nova’s house floating upside-down on the bottom of a cloud, perfectly rooted to it as though the foundation were built in. The cause of that incident remains unknown to this day.

A few minutes later, Nova had returned to the doorstep of his house, slightly embarrassed by what had just transpired. Still, he was awake now, but he definitely still needed to properly clean himself up.

Seeing as how he was already outside, he got his mail and Equestria Daily newspaper from the postbox and after glancing at the title, tossed the both of them onto the couch in his living room. He would have time to read about Celestia’s School’s new headmaster later.

Up in the study, there had only been one addition to it over the years furniture-wise. A small round three-legged table sat in the very center of the room, with a polished glass ball sitting in a small hollow, just for it.

Nova walked right up to the ball, placed a hoof onto it, and said aloud, “Princess Luna, I must speak with you.”

At once, the orb changed from clear to showing an image of a balcony in Canterlot Castle. Nova was currently in a position to see off the edge of said balcony, so he trotted around to the other side, where he gained a clear view of a set of doors leading to Princess Luna’s room.

Within seconds, the doors opened, and his princess trotted regally from her chamber. Over the last three years, her coat had darkened to a shade of blue only just darker than his mane, her mane and tail had changed to look more like her sister’s, with stars and flowing independent of the wind, and she had grown taller and leggier. She had grown to look more beautiful and more royal than before.

“Ah, good morning, my Night Apprentice,” she said, giving him a warm smile. “How was your rest?”

“I had another one,” Nova said bluntly.

Princess Luna’s smile vanished, replaced with a very deep frown.

“That is the fifth overall, and the third in just five days.”

“Yes, I know, I’m the one who dreamt them,” Nova replied, a touch of impatience creeping into his voice. “Look, I can handle a few sleepless nights, after our irregular schedule began to take its toll on me, but it’s getting out of hoof. Are you ever going to tell me what you know about these nightmares?”

Princess Luna was quiet for a moment, leading Nova to suddenly start to hope. Is she actually going to tell me this time?

“Not just yet, my Night Apprentice, but you will know soon.”

Nova inwardly facehoofed. Of course she was going to lead him on.

“Yes, well, nightmare aside, you asked me to contact you this morning. Something going on?”

“Yes, actually,” Luna said, dipping her head. “My sister and I have agreed to put you through an assessment of your abilities, compared with those of the Faithful Student. You are expected in Canterlot at three o’clock this afternoon, and a train leaves--”

“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down,” Nova interjected. “Are you seriously going to compare my progress in three years with the progress of a unicorn who has received training at least since the day I fled Canterlot, if not longer?”

“We will,” Luna said, fixing him with a stern look. “I would like to see how far you’ve come under my tutelage in this brief time, compared to her student’s after that long. I have every confidence in you, but Nova, please remember this is in no way a competition. You are not trying to beat her.”

“As if I could in the first place,” Nova grumbled. “You know I’m rubbish at advanced spellcasting. I can decipher spells no problem, but casting them?”

“Nova, you have come a long way since our first night as teacher and pupil,” encouraged Princess Luna. “As I said, I have every confidence in you to do well. There is no pass or fail, there is simply how you did versus how she did.”

“Well, since my day is accounted for, when is the next train out of Neighton?” he asked.

“In an hour. There will be a stop in Ponyville, where the Faithful Student resides. Perhaps you and she may meet each other on the ride here, or even on the road to the castle? Regardless, you will meet her in Canterlot Castle soon enough as is.”

Right, Nova thought skeptically, assuming she also uses the same alleys I use when I’m in Canterlot, fat chance of us meeting.

“Is that all you needed of me, Luna?” he asked.

“It is, Nova. We will see you this afternoon.”

“Until then,” he said, and then he let the spell drop, returning the scrying orb to its clear, spell-free form.

He didn’t move right away. Five nightmares in a week and a half, and she didn’t want to say anything. This gave Nova the suspicion that she wasn’t being entirely truthful with him. If she didn’t know, she could just tell him and he would drop it and try to deal with it.

But for that matter, why couldn’t she stop the nightmares from happening? She had done so many times. What was different about this?

In the end, Nova sighed. If he wanted to think on this some more, there was always the ride. And with that thought in mind, it was time for a shower. He needed to get ready, because he had a train to catch.

Nova Shine and Twilight Sparkle

THE APPRENTICE, THE STUDENT, AND THE CHARLATAN

Author's Note

Chapter Redux v2, Patch 1. Centering issues fixed.

That aside, to you new readers, I hope you enjoy my story. To you old ones, I hope you will enjoy teh revised version as it comes out.

Rytex out. Have a good day!

Bright Lights and Smothering Darkness

The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan
Chapter 05 - Bright Lights and Smothering Darkness

Princess Luna leaned back from her scrying ball, which was providing a fix in Ponyville. Communication between individuals using the scrying ball was limited to two with two different orbs, but anyone with a scrying ball could watch from any reflective surface. Like a mirror, or the surface of some water.

Or even the glass face of a clock, such as the one Nova had made Twilight buy and hang up in the Golden Oaks.

“Sister, they are preparing to travel to Brayton,” she informed Celestia, who had just emerged onto the landing on which Luna had moved her scrying ball table. Luna was currently occupying a large, fluffy pouf and was gazing into the orb.

“Are they, now?” asked Princess Celestia, impressed. “This is fast progress. I expected Nova’s search to last at least two weeks in the Crystal Empire. I find it amazing that he found all of his information in only one.”

“You underestimate his love of books,” replied Luna, grinning at Celestia. “Something, I believe, he has in common with Twilight Sparkle. As we understand it, half of the Crystal Empire’s library was dissected for information within four days.”

Celestia trotted over to Princess Luna’s scrying ball. Her horn glowed with magic and the image of the Golden Oaks library interior appeared. Nova Shine moved across the library ground floor to a door in the wall, which he opened and entered. Twilight Sparkle was levitating books down from the library shelves and packing them in several saddle bags and suitcases. Finally, a blue pony with a light-blue mane watched the proceedings intently, though she did nothing to help in the packing effort.

“Hm?” hummed Celestia, raising an eyebrow at this mare. “What is Trixie Lulamoon doing there? I thought she left Ponyville for good some months ago.”

“She arrived about a week and a half ago, suffering from nightmares and asking Nova and Twilight to cure them,” Luna thought back to how much time she wasted sitting there, expecting Twilight to physically throw the mare out of the library. “That day was the day that Nova found out the name of the Vaults and set off for the Crystal Empire.”

Celestia looked up to stare sternly at her sister.

“She’s suffering from nightmares, you say? Why have you done nothing about them, since you seem to know a lot about the situation?”

Luna blinked at her sister, which was the tell-tale sign of annoyance. Then she grimaced in an equally annoyed manner.

“I’m blocked off.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Something magical is blocking me from entering any of their dreams," Luna admitted. "It started shortly before our little assessment of our pupils. I would often visit Nova in his sleep, and so teach him to wield power over his dreams, but one night, I attempted to do the same thing, but found that I was blocked by a wall of magic.”

Celestia was thinking hard. The previous Night Apprentices and Faithful Students hadn’t complained of nightmares when they started this stage of their magical education. Something was happening in the present time that had never happened before. It felt ominous, whatever it was.

“Nova even wrote to me about them,” Luna continued, “but I didn’t know anything about them, other than the fact that they appear to be magically induced, so I just told him he would learn later. I knew him well enough to know that it wasn’t a lie, but merely a shading of the truth, since he would learn about them later, after all. Just not from me.”

Celestia raised a hoof when Luna indicated she wanted to continue, which forestalled her.

“Twilight wrote me about them, too. I’m not judging your answer to Nova, as I told her the same thing, with the same thoughts in mind,” she hastily added, for Luna had put on the very stern expression she usually wore when she was growing defensive. “But who could induce these dreams? It would have to be someone who knows all three of them well enough to…” she trailed off, thinking of the likely candidates, though none seemed plausible enough.

They both said nothing while they continued to observe as Twilight and Trixie seemed to get into an argument, while Nova attempted to placate them. They did not know what was said, for there was no sound, but Celestia had never seen Twilight give another mare the cold shoulder before, save for Queen Chrysalis in the guise of Princess Cadance.

“Twilight Sparkle does not seem to have a good relationship with the Lulamoon mare,” observed Celestia.

“Oh please, you already know why,” said Luna, rolling her eyes.. “You were always the more empathetic one. Did you not scry her at any point last week?”

“I cannot say I did,” admitted Celestia.

“The Lulamoon mare said something that left Twilight Sparkle in tears, barricaded in her bedroom. I trust you have some inkling why this is so?” she gave Celestia a meaningful look.

Celestia nodded, while staring intently at Twilight, who was now chatting with Nova, although a very angry expression had worked its way onto her face.

“Twilight has confided in me her thoughts about him. Can’t say I’m surprised, to be honest, given the traditional outcome of such a working relationship, but what bothers me is that Twilight normally hides her feelings. She likes to bottle up whatever is eating her up, and then when it becomes too much, it explodes, just like the incident with the ‘Want-it, Need-it Spell’ in Ponyville last year. Whatever upset her must have been so shocking or so heartrending, that it just crushed her.”

Celestia let go of the spell, letting the scrying ball clear, and looked up at Luna’s expressionless face.

“Has he confided in you any feelings for Twilight?” she asked. She had known Twilight long enough to know how what made her tick, but due to her limited contact with Nova, she had no idea how he worked. She wasn’t even sure if he was aware about Twilight’s feelings for him, if he felt the same way, or if he even cared about her feelings for him.

“No,” said Luna. “He has not. Cadance informed us that she revealed Twilight’s feelings to him, but he responded with a fair amount of apathy. But I don’t think he wants to address how he truly feels about her. He has more than once demonstrated the fact that he fears opening himself up to others.”

Celestia could understand why. After everything the colt had been through, she could hardly blame him. he had closed himself off almost completely because he had opened himself up once, only to be betrayed.

That explained why he and Princess Cadance, the alicorn of love, had a rather testy relationship up until his recent trip to the Crystal Empire, given that she always tried to work her way under said shell. That also explained why he appeared to be so hesitant in confronting his opinion of Twilight, whether it be positive or negative. Beneath that smiling, joking manner was a stallion that rarely, if ever came into contact with the outside world. Perhaps that stallion was a much harder, sterner, less likeable pony, but in order to make friends, he covered it up with his snarking and smiling.

Perhaps, sometimes the line blurred from time to time from the stress of a situation, and the pained soul deep down made his presence known. Such was Celestia’s theory on when Twilight and Nova first met, when they served as trade representatives for Ponyville and Neighton. Nova had come across as rude and annoyed at first, but his manner changed and became infinitely more likeable when he entered his library, and discovered that they both had a love for the written word.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Luna, frowning at her sister. Celestia knew her too well to know that this was no “This is what I think you’re thinking, but in reality it’s something entirely different” shebang. Luna had a gift when it came to that sort of intuition. Perhaps it was because of this that she was such a great teacher.

“Do you?” asked Celestia conversationally. “You haven’t had the privilege of watching Nova for the last ten years. You know what he’s like, but you don’t know what he’s been through.”

“Neigh, sister, he has confided in me,” refuted Luna coldly. “You don’t think he trusts his own teacher?”

“I find it hard to believe he trusts anyone,” she shrugged, “and if he really has confided in you, you would know that.”

“I understand, sister,” Luna replied. “He doesn’t even trust me completely. He doesn’t seem to believe that his teacher of three years is trustworthy, but given his history, we, as the common ponies say, ‘built a bridge and got over it.’”

“You’re picking up modern lingo pretty fast,” Celestia noted, smiling at her sister’s use of the colloquialism. Luna responded with an equally large grin. “When do they leave for Brayton?”

“I would guess tomorrow,” Luna said. “I have been watching them over the last couple of days. They have been making preparations, and they came up with what I assume is a date of travel first thing.”

“How do you know it’s Brayton?” asked Celestia.

Luna merely smiled. “Let’s just we have our source and leave it at that.”

“I see,” said Celestia, smiling as well, since she knew the source in question. “Actually, perhaps you could ask him about the dreams? I’m sure he knows a thing or two about them.”

“Very well,” said Luna, nodding. “It’s getting late, and I have duties to do. I shall ask him tonight. Goodnight, sister,” she added, her horn glowing blue as the moon began its ascent into the sky.

“And goodnight to you as well, sister,” replied Celestia, her own horn glowing gold, and the sun beginning its descent.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova sighed contentedly as he sat in his compartment. The train ride to Trottingham wasn’t supposed to take too long, merely a couple of hours, since it didn’t have to go through the long cycle of Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and so on. They had already passed Neighton, Nova taking the opportunity to wave at some of the townsponies as the train was stopped at the station, and were going to be arriving at Trottingham Station sometime in the next hour.

Despite the fact that a vacation had only been finished up not one week ago, he was looking forward to another one in cold weather, just a bit closer to home.

Unfortunately, the ever-looming day in which he would be forced to confront Twilight about just what they were was approaching.

But that’s Future Nova’s problem, he thought.

A couple of knocks sounded at the door, and a nexus of energy that felt like Twilight Sparkle standing on the other side of it told him another story.

“Come in,” he said.

The compartment door slid open and Twilight stepped in nervously.

“Nova? Can I come in?” she asked.

“Need something?” he asked, trying not to sound as irritated as he was.

Unfortunately, his attempt to mask it didn’t work. Twilight winced at the sound of it, leaving him to inwardly sigh.

“You’re avoiding me,” she stated, frowning at him. Nova sighed and hopped to his hooves.

“No, I’m not. Now, mind moving so I can go and use the restroo--”

Her horn shone and the walls were bathed in a magenta glow, trapping him in the room.

Nova scowled. “That really wasn’t necessary, you know.”

“I think it was more than necessary,” huffed Twilight, before jabbing a hoof at him. “You. Have been. Avoiding. Me.”

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about,” lied Nova, rolling his eyes. Twilight’s eyes, however, narrowed.

“Oh come on,” she scoffed, “I didn’t even need your energy sensing to tell that was a load of horseapples.”

“So prove to me that I’ve been avoiding you,” replied Nova coolly. “We’re on a trip. We needed to make preparations. And I had things to do.”

“Are we going to keep doing this?” asked Twilight, eyes narrowing. “Stop lying to me. I know you’re intentionally avoiding me, and I want to know why.”

“And suppose I am,” Nova responded. “Why? What does it matter whether or not I’m avoiding you?”

Nova saw a flicker of nervousness pass across Twilight’s face but it was gone as quickly as it had come. In its place was a look of concern.

“Nova, are you avoiding me because of a week ago?”

He wanted to shake it off entirely, look completely unaffected, but unfortunately, his body betrayed him. He flinched slightly at her question, which only confirmed Twilight’s suspicions. Her look of concern fell into one of sadness.

“What… what did I do to make you want to avoid me?” she asked in a low voice, her ears drooping as she broke eye contact with him.

Nova just stared at her in disbelief.

“You… you really blame yourself for me wanting to think about us without your influence?” he asked in a low voice. “Do you really have that low of an opinion of yourself?”

She glanced up at him, but looked away after only a moment, leading him to sigh.

“Look Twilight,” he said, running a hoof through his mane. “You had no part in me wanting to distance myself for the time being--”

“So you have been trying to avoid me,” said Twilight, a triumphant smirk appearing on her face, before it fell to her original look of slight concern. “Look, I’m not mad, I just want to know why.”

“Honestly?” Nova asked. “It’s because I feel like you’ll try to influence my decision.”

“Influence your decision?” asked Twilight, confused. “How would I influence your decision?”

“With all the flirting,” answered Nova simply.

“Wait, so you think my flirting actually influences your decision?” asked Twilight, bemused. “It sounds to me like you’re not opposed to the idea of us dating, but you just don’t want to realize that.”

Twilight wasn’t really sure what she had been hoping to draw out of him with that remark. However, she definitely knew anger and irritation were not on the list.

“See, this is what I’m talking about!” he replied. “You’ll just pressure me into it, and I’ll end up making the decision to date you just because I’d know it’d break your heart or something.”

Twilight stared at him for a moment, leading Nova to think he had said something wrong.

“You know, the apathetic facade works for a while,” observed Twilight, “but talks like this really do bring to light the fact that you actually do care about other ponies and not just yourself.”

“I never said I only cared about only myself,” countered Nova flatly. “I’ve just made it clear if it’s a choice between somepony else and me staying away from my family, I’m going with the latter.”

“I don’t buy that for one second,” said Twilight, giving him an amused look. “I may have only known you for a couple of months, but I can honestly say I know you’re not that type. I’ve seen that type before. And she’s sitting in a different compartment.”

“TRIXIE RESENTS THAT!” came a muffled shout from one compartment over.

“And she’s been listening in on everything,” groaned Nova as his horn glowed and a wave of blue magic soundproofed the walls. “But seriously, going back, I don’t want you constantly flirting because I don’t want to end up dating you just to make you happy.”

Twilight’s mouth parted for a moment, no doubt wanting to further nudge him in that direction, but she paused.

“You… you think I’d want you to be dating me even when your heart wasn’t in it?” she asked.

“Well, yes, I figured that,” Nova said, shrugging. “Isn’t that what everyone wants? Their own way, and forget about anyone else?”

Twilight’s earlier amusement vanished instantly. Does he really think that about everyone?

Almost as if Nova could read her mind, he added, “Look, I don’t believe you think that way, Twi. It’s just,” he sighed, “I’ve been wrong. And I don’t want to be wrong about that.”

Want… Twilight thought.

“Nova, forgive me for asking, but, what do you want?”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, sounding bemused.

“What do you want?” she asked again.

“To stay away from my parents, of course,” he replied immediately. Automatically, even, as though it were a practiced response. But there was just something about how he said it that really didn’t help her believe it

“So, you want to be on the run for the rest of your life? Never stopping, never enjoying anything for long, always picking something up and dropping it because it’s too risky?”

Nova opened his mouth to answer, but Twilight cut him off.

“Never growing close to anyone? Alone, from now until you die?”

“I’m not alone!” he protested indignantly. “I have Aegis.”

“And how often do you see him?” queried Twilight. “I’m guessing the last time you saw him before our meeting with the Princesses was three years ago, yes?”

Nova blinked. “What makes you think that?” he asked suspiciously. “Have you been spying on me since Trading Day?”

“Well one, you just told me,” Twilight said, grinning at him, leading Nova to groan and roll his eyes, “but two, you didn’t recognize him as a guard--”

“I can’t recognize anyone as a guard!”

“--and your dislike of Canterlot suggests that you don’t visit when you can help it. The last time you visited Canterlot would have been when Princess Luna made you Night Apprentice, after which you would have spent your days in your house.”

“I don’t dislike Canterlot,” Nova refuted. “Just… ponies in it.”

“You say you have Aegis, and yet you didn’t have face-to-face contact with him for three years,” continued Twilight, her grin falling, and concern replacing it. “Any friendships you have are there for a few years but completely dropped if you think you’ve been in one place for too long. You may mask it and patch it, but you really are alone.”

Nova said nothing, instead glancing away as Twilight watched.

“So I’ll say again. What do you want? Do you want to continue being alone? Constantly running, never trusting anyone, never having any meaningful relationships with anypony that last beyond a few years?”

Nova, again, said nothing. His eyes shifted out the window, where they were getting closer to Trottingham with each passing second.

“Just… before you even think about what we are, think about that, would you? After this whole nightmare thing is over, if you must, but do think about it!” she asked, backing up toward the door. “Please, Nova. For your own sake.”

He didn’t look away from the window until well after she had shut the compartment door behind her.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

“Welcome to Trottingham!” announced Nova as the trio exited the train.

Twilight almost squeed with excitement as they stepped off the outdoor train platform, the sudden cold of the outdoors causing her to shiver. It looked like everything she had imagined it to be. Small log-cabin-style houses pushed right up against each other with a few chimneys letting off smoke, narrow snow-covered streets with ponies trotting up and down on either side, a few foals were playing hoofball in a small field not far away…

It almost reminded her of Canterlot at Hearth’s Warming time, but without all the decorations. Hearth’s Warming in Trottingham seemed fairly conservative.

“Where is our hotel?” asked Trixie, hiking up her saddlebags and surveying the town. “Trixie wants to get out of this snow and into someplace warm.”

Nova had told her to bring winter gear, but Trixie hadn’t had anything to her name other than her cape. For what little kindness it was worth, Twilight put a temporary heat shield enchantment on her hat and cape to help her get by.

“Here,” Nova said, passing her a map. “Follow the map. Reservation’s in my name, and it’s for two rooms. If they ask for ID, just let them know I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. They won’t give you the room, but at least they’ll know we’re coming.”

“If you say so,” Trixie said, her magic unfolding the map and placing it before her muzzle for a moment. “When will we go to those Vaults?”

“Tomorrow,” he answered. “It’s not supposed to be frozen over, and we can do it without a three-hour train ride beforehoof.”

Trixie grunted and set off, trudging through the snow toward the street on which the hotel was situated.

“She took your map,” observed Twilight.

“I don’t need it,” he said, shrugging. “I’ve lived here before. I know this town almost as well as I know Neighton.”

The two of them started their own trek up the street, though Twilight could sense it wasn’t going toward the hotel just yet, based on how he was on the opposite end of the road from Trixie.

“You’ve lived here?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “I came here on break once, when I was living in Manehattan. After I left there, I went to Vanhoover for a while, then moved down to here shortly after. Pretty nice little town.”

“How many different places have you lived, exactly?” asked Twilight.

“Six,” he replied. “Seven, if you count Ponyville. Canterlot, Manehattan, Vanhoover, Trottingham, Baltimare, Manehattan again, and now Neighton.”

He stopped in front of an inactive fountain and looked at the statue placed atop it. A jade unicorn had been sculpted there, a bow held and an arrow nocked. The statue seemed to wear a sort of poncho and ranger’s hat, with a quiver of arrows slung over its back.

“Sir Clopyn of Hofe,” said Nova. “Back when Princess Celestia was re-consolidating her power following the shake-up brought about by Nightfall, an unscrupulous sheriff saw fit to charge exorbitant taxes on the ponies of Trottingham, which were given to the area’s nobles who kept him in power. The sheriff dispossessed Clopyn of his land, and Clopyn began to steal from the sheriff and return the money to the ponies of Trottingham, until Celestia saw fit to put a stop to the whole debacle. Nowadays, everyone knows him as--”

“Cloppin Hoof,” finished Twilight. “His effect on literature of the post-Nightfall era is absolutely staggering! Almost as much as Edgar Allan Poeny’s, or William Flankspeare’s, and he didn’t even write anything!”

“Well, the town certainly doesn’t let you forget,” Nova gestured at the fountain.

They turned and began to trot toward the hotel.

“You said you came here ‘on break,’” Twilight pointed out. “Doesn’t break only happen when you’re in school?”

Nova nodded. “It does, and I was on school holiday at the time. Between the fall and spring terms.”

“While you were in Manehattan?”

“Yes.”

“Hang on…” she frowned. “No, that can’t be right. Your use of term implies that it was university level, and you can’t be older than me. I’m university age!”

“I’m not older than you,” he said, shrugging. “I checked. You’ve got me beat by a couple of months.”

“That’s what I mean!” she continued. “You’ve lived in six places, and you’re only 22, and yet you’ve still gone to university. That doesn’t match up. It can’t match up, unless you’ve only lived in each place for a few months at a time--”

“It does match up, Twilight,” Nova said, an angry edge creeping into his voice.

“How, then? How is it you did university classes before me--”

“I only did a few classes, no degree plan or anything,” he answered, the edge growing more prominent. “Can we please move on to something else--”

“But even so, six different places you’ve lived, in only a few years. How does it possibly match up if you’ve--”

“BECAUSE I RAN AWAY FROM HOME, OKAY!?” he yelled, whirling around and snarling at her, inches from her muzzle. “DAMN IT, SPARKLE, WHY MUST YOU PRY INTO EVERYTHING THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!?”

His voice echoed around the street. Twilight recoiled, a sudden flicker of fear crossing her face. No one made a sound, not even the other ponies, who were watching with concern. Nova continued snarling at Twilight until it dawned on him what he had done.

As soon as he did, his snarl fell into an expression of exhaustion. He fell right onto his haunches, breath growing ragged, and he just seemed to deflate after that. Twilight, still shaken by the outburst of anger, seemed to come to at that, watching as his eyes grew unfocused and stared at a spot in the snow.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, turning around and facing away from her. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

She said nothing, instead walking up and hugging him from behind. He didn’t even seem to register it. The ponies around the street watched with interest at what seemed to be a romantic sight. Twilight couldn’t care less if it were romantic or platonic at that point. Her best friend needed to know that he was forgiven.

After a few seconds, she let go and trotted around. He kept his head down and didn’t meet her gaze when she sat in front of him.

Cautiously, she reached a hoof and touched him under the chin. When he didn’t react, she lifted it and looked into his blue eyes. They were determinedly looking away from her’s.

“Look at me,” she commanded.

He wordlessly complied, eyes shifting and locking onto her’s, flicking slightly side-to-side as they alternated between which eye to look at. Twilight would have giggled in any other circumstance.

There was so much emotion in his gaze. Lingering anger, and fatigue from the train ride and the past few days were prominent, but what got to Twilight the most was the resentment they contained. Yet she could sense it wasn’t directed at her.

He hated himself for his own emotional response.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m right here,” she assured him, pulling her hoof away, and holding her front hooves spread, as if looking for an embrace.

Nova stared at her for a moment, before a small smile suddenly appeared.

“Talking about feelings is what weak, wimpy, pathetic, sappy, touchy-feely ponies do.”

Twilight laughed. She had not expected that response in the slightest, and she openly laughed at it despite the situation. Nova let out a few forced “Ha’s” as well, at least attempting to look happy that she was, but the mirth didn’t reach his eyes.

He got to his hooves and held out a hoof to help Twilight do the same.

“I think we’ve made Trixie wait long enough. The inn’s not too far from here. Follow me, Twi.”

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

They had gotten the rooms Nova had reserved, and now they were going about their business passing the time until the next day. Trixie and Twilight were one room over, and Nova had two beds all to himself, if all went according to plan.

The door banged open, a pair of lilac saddlebags were almost thrown onto the other bed, and Twilight Sparkle stomped into the room with an expression of barely-contained rage.

“I’m sleeping in here tonight,” she growled.

Nova glanced up from his book at the room’s clock. It was only 2:18.

“You lasted longer than I thought you would,” he noted in a surprisingly emotionless tone. “I figured you’d have been in here an hour ago.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” she asked. “There’s not enough room in there to share with both Trixie and her ego.”

“Not at all,” he said, returning to his copy of Eragon. “Just don’t take too long in the bathroom every morning.”

“Come on, if there’s anyone you would need to be worried about doing that, it’s Spike. I thought you knew that by now, considering there’s only one bathroom in Golden Oaks.”

“Mmh,” he grunted.

“I’m going to explore the town,” she sighed. “Any particularly interesting places I should see?”

“If you can get the map back from Trixie, there’s a few places you might like.”

He could almost hear her teeth grind together at the mention of Trixie’s name.

“In that case, I’ll just explore blindly,” she said tersely. “What about you?”

“I’ve already seen everything interesting in this town,” he said, turning a page. “Very traditional, very ‘the way things have been done.’ Nothing ever changes. It took them two years to convince city council to let them build a new stadium for Trottingham Forest.”

“Why not show me your old home?” she asked.

“It’s been dozed,” he answered in that same emotional flatness. “I was the last tenant. When I left, they closed the apartments and tore it down to make way for more houses. I could give you the address, if you like.”

“No, that’s fine,” Twilight said, sounding slightly disappointed. “Won’t you come with me, though?”

“Nope,” he said, popping the P just a little bit as he continued to read.

Twilight sighed again, but slipped on her winter gear and trotted out. Nova didn’t know how long she was gone, but it couldn’t have been long because he had only progressed a few chapters when the door was opened again.

“There’s a Hearth’s Warming Lights festival tonight,” she said.

“Yep,” he dipped his head. “Famous festival. Universities send their students up here to create the best lights fixture they can.”

He glanced up at the clock again to find that it had actually been four more hours. And he had failed to notice the passage of time. He glanced toward the window to find that Celestia had lowered the sun, and that Luna had raised the moon while he was so engrossed in his book.

“Have you seriously spent the last few hours just sitting here reading?” she asked.

“Under normal circumstances,” Nova turned another page, “wouldn’t I be the one asking that question?”

“Do you seriously intend to just sit in here and read all night?” she asked, bemused. “Normally, I figured you’d be out pub-crawling.”

“Normally,” he answered. “But as you can see,” he lifted his book a fraction, “I’m a little busy.”

“Nova, there’s a Hearth’s Warming Lights Festival tonight,” Twilight stated.

“So there is.”

“I intend to go.”

“Have a good time.”

She rolled her eyes. “I intend to take somepony with me.”

“Don’t think Trixie would be up for this sort of thing.”

It was then that it dawned on Twilight that Nova was exiling himself in this room on purpose, all because he was punishing himself for the outburst earlier. It had finally become apparent to her that he was emotionally restraining himself so that he didn’t have another outburst, and he was essentially grounding himself from fun because he had let it slip.

“...you okay there, Twi?” he asked, glancing up at her from the top of his book. “You’ve been standing there for the last thirty seconds just staring at me.”

“Sorry,” she said, shaking her head a little. “It’s just, I’d much rather go with someone I’m not angry at for any reason.”

Nova blinked, but after a moment, his eyes returned to the book.

Guess that’s a no, she thought, before inwardly letting out an exasperated shout. I am NOT taking that for an answer!

“You are so stupid, you know that?” she said, her horn shimmering with her magenta magic.

Nova had no time to react as his winter clothes suddenly appeared on him, his book vanished from his hooves, and he was yanked up out of his chair.

“Wha-nononononoNONONONONO!”

Ignoring his indignant protests and commands to put him down, as well as keeping him at a safe distance to not get hit by his flailing, Twilight casually trotted out of the hotel room with him floating behind her. She strode right through the inn’s lobby, acting as though she were not carrying a screaming stallion who was thrashing around in the air.

An older pony sat with his wife at a table in the inn’s little restaurant, observing the spectacle.

“Ahh, young love,” he sighed happily.

“Yes, reminds me of when we were that age,” the mare sighed, leaning up against her husband and an old nostalgic expression crossing her features.

Damn old couples, thought Nova as he continued to struggle against Twilight’s magic.

He didn’t know how long Twilight carried him, but he was thankful she’d had the foresight to dress him in his scarf, coat and boots. The earlier cold had given way to snowfall. The sky was pitch-black, save for the moon, and it seemed like it was truly a perfect night for lights gazing.

And then he was unceremoniously dropped into a pile of slush, right on his uncovered butt.

“AGH!” he shouted, leaping up and trying to paw the soggy melted snow out of his tail, a task made more difficult by how violently he was suddenly shivering.

“Now then,” said Twilight, a magenta box appearing around Nova to keep him from running off, “you and I are going to look at Hearth’s Warming lights. You will at least try to enjoy them. Heck, you are going to at least try to enjoy just spending time with me.”

“You can’t force me to enjoy a date I don’t want to be on, you know,” he admonished, giving her a half-irritated, half-amused look.

“If you don’t want to call this a date, even when it kinda isn’t, you don’t have to,” Twilight replied. “How about we call it… a casual event where two best friends can hang out in a completely platonic manner?”

Nova snorted. “That’s a stupid name.”

“It might grow on you.”

“I doubt it.”

“Anyway,” she said, turning around and starting to trot toward Trottingham Public Park in the center of town, “at least try to have fun tonight, would you? It wouldn’t be good if you were in poor spirits tomorrow all because of your little outburst earlier today, even when I have hopefully made it clear I don’t hold a grudge.”

The magenta box he was trapped in vanished, letting him roam freely. And he instantly tried to sneak back off to the hotel, only to find himself yanked back in her direction by the neck. As he stumbled around, he found her watching him from a couple of paces away, trying not to laugh.

“Magical leash,” she explained, indicating a small blue fake-gem on her purple coat. “I don’t want you running off on me when I’m dragging you out here on this play-date.”

“A play-date!?” he repeated incredulously. “Is that seriously what you’re gonna call it?”

“You didn’t like the other one,” she said, rolling her eyes. With that, she turned around. Nova almost flew into the sky the moment he felt something soft caress the underside of his muzzle.

“Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, completely taken aback by her tail’s caress. “I don’t ever remember you being such a flirt, and I never expected you to be kinky enough to keep a magical leash spell on hoof.”

“Been taking advice from Rarity,” she explained. “And I’ve been reading a book on how to seduce somepony. I have to be lively, and I have to be provocative. How’s my provocativeness?” she asked, continuing to trot ahead.

Nova wasn’t sure what genuinely surprised him more. The fact that she wasn’t lying, or how completely casually she told him.

“How’s my provocativeness Nova?” she repeated, with just a touch of self-consciousness behind it, even turning to give him an inquisitive look.

Nova chuckled. “Well… it’s really strange to see it from you,” he shrugged, “but you’re doing a decent job I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mare sway her flanks that widely with every step.”

Twilight blushed furiously and her swaying posterior corrected itself into a far more natural gait. Nova’s chuckle deepened.

“You know, I’m really flattered that you’re putting that much effort into trying to charm me,” he said, trotting up to walk next to her. “Really, I am! But you should know, I’d much rather you be yourself instead of you trying to be something you’re not.”

Twilight paused and blinked as Nova trotted past her.

“Besides, never really cared much for flirts,” Nova admitted. “They typically don’t know how to take no for an answer.”

He felt the leash tug his neck a little, and he turned to find Twilight still standing there.

“Oy, weren’t you trying to take me on this ‘casual event where two best friends can hang out in a completely platonic manner, and not the other way around?’”

“Oh you,” she said, jolted out of her thought and trotting forward to catch up with him, taking care to swat him with her tail as she started trotting alongside him.

They turned a corner and the lights festival came into view. Nova heard Twilight gasp beside him, and he grinned. It looked just like how he remembered it. The main attraction was a giant Hearth’s Warming tree made of color-changing lights, but there were several other things there that blended into a massive palette of light. For the first time that evening, he suddenly was glad Twilight had yanked him out of the room.

“It looks amazing,” Twilight breathed beside him.

“I know,” he concurred.

They approached the park entrance, which did not feature an entry salespony, and strode in. The park seemed almost empty, given that the main holiday rush wasn’t for another few weeks, but that made it all the more enjoyable. No line-waiting, no pushy salesponies, no havoc…

The first attraction broadened Nova’s grin. One shield for every Equestrian Premier League team, arranged in alphabetical order, split on either side of the main path in. Naturally, due to personal bias, the Arsenal HC crest was the best, in his opinion.

Beyond that, the path split into four lanes, which left Nova literally not knowing which way to look first. Twilight seemed just as eager to go any which way as well, and they both were looking around the park eagerly at all the different attractions.

“Come on, you,” Twilight said, curling her left hoof around his right and yanking him along the farthest-right path.

Nova, for the most part, simply let.himself be steered around the park. Just about everything was interesting to him. The problem was, the sheer amount of magical spells concentrated in one place blinded his energy-sensing, but he wasn’t even paying attention to it as he walked around. There wasn’t really too much use of it anyway, given how few ponies were in the park.

“The pamphlet said these lights were supposed to be festive,” Twilight said, frowning at the sight of a Con Mane display up ahead.

“Ooo! Con Mane!” exclaimed Nova, darting forward to get a better look. It turned out to be the iconic laser-table scene from Goldhoof.

“I mean, seriously,” complained Twilight, “don’t they read instructions?”

“Nah, that’s just what they put in the leaflet every year,” Nova replied. “I mean, look around. No one else seems to be taking that to heart. Besides, you didn’t complain about the hoofball shields.”

“That’s because we’re in Brayton, and you know them,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I live in Brayton, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Well, technically, you live with me right now,” she reminded him.

“I still own property in Brayton, so… ah, whatever,” Nova waved it off. “Yeah, ponies think of a cool lights display and make it. Doesn’t have to be holiday-themed.”

.”What’s this one?” Twilight asked, trotting over from the Con Mane display toward one that featured a pony wearing sunglasses and a baby-blue tuxedo, standing on two legs and bouncing around with his forehooves crossed at the fetlock in front of him.

“Oh, that’s PSY and the Pony Gangnam Style,” he answered. “Some Neighponese music star or something.”

They walked past a few more of the lights displays toward a giant red dragon display that seemed to be acting as if it were alive.

“Pretty ambitious project,” observed Nova. “Semi-consciousness spell, not to mention all the skeleton frame work they had to have done.”

The dragon must have heard Nova, because it turned toward him and blew a jet of smoke into his face. As Nova sputtered and tried to wave it out of his face, Twilight giggled beside him, which for some reason, made the smoke experience feel just a bit more worth it.

The next display featured both of the diarchs wearing backwards baseball caps, sunglasses, and white earbuds connected to iPons.

“I… don’t get this one,” confessed Nova.

“Me either,” agreed Twilight. “Next one?”

“Next one.”

They proceeded further down, eventually coming to the one Nova knew just had to be the winner, if this was a contest.

A cream-colored, brown-maned earth pony with glasses and a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead was firing a beam of red magic out of a wooden wand toward a black-cloaked snakelike-faced nose-less pale earth pony, who was shooting a green jet that was colliding with the red one.

“Harry Trotter and the Deathly Hallows’ final battle,” recited Twilight, from a plaque near the base. “Though this could be taken from Goblet of Fire, too.”

“Shut up and enjoy the stand,” Nova admonished her.

“Nice to see you’re enjoying yourself out here,” Twilight replied, giving him an amused look. “I had to drag you out here, and now you’re the one telling me to stop complaining.”

Damn it, Nova thought. He had been trying so hard to not give her the satisfaction of being right.

She bumped him with her flank, more than aware of what he was thinking. “Oh relax, would you? This wasn’t about me being right, it was about you getting out of that room. And I’m glad you’re having fun tonight.”

He grinned.

“Let’s go over here,” he suggested, pointing toward where the giant tree of lights was set up, which happened to be next to what appeared to be a miniature hoofball stadium.

“You and your hoofball,” Twilight commented, but complied anyway.

Nova darted ahead, discovering that Twilight had done away with the magical leash spell, though he had no intention of running back to the inn at this point. There was a hooded pony wearing a dark blue cape standing there and observing the inside of the pitch, and Nova sidled up next to him to watch what was going on inside.

“‘Scuse me, sir,” he said.

“Mmh,” grunted the pony, who watched for a few more seconds and then trotted off. Nova watched him for a moment, noticing that there was something off about him, but shrugged and returned his attention to the pitch below.

Two sets of different colored dots were playing a miniature game, with a white dot serving as the ball. The dots even lifted themselves off of the surface whenever applicable. Nova watched with full interest, completely fascinated by it.

How did they make this? he wondered, watching as a red-colored dot scored a shot past the yellow team’s keeper. Semi-consciousness spells, perhaps? Definitely a combination of magic energy and werelight magic to create solid dots, and they even accounted for the laws of physics too. This… this is some pretty fantastic work!

His first thought was to show Twilight, and on glancing behind him, he noticed that she was heading toward the color-changing tree, which featured an opening to allow ponies to stand within it, and he cantered off to catch her.

“Hey Twilight, come look at this!” he called after her, turning back to look by the stadium again as he trotted into the tree frame.

“Hmm?” he heard from further in. He returned his attention to within the tree as the tree changed color from green to white.

And what he saw left him breathless.

Twilight Sparkle was standing within the tree, looking up toward the top of it, an expression of wonder and joy on her face and she looked around it. The white light of the tree framed her in a corona of light, which almost made it seem as though she was glowing.

As Nova stared, transfixed at this image of perfection, a strange jumpy, tingling feeling made its presence felt in his gut, as though little jitters had suddenly appeared there.

“Nova? You alright?”

So caught up in the moment was he that he didn’t realize that Twilight had returned her attention to him, a look of slight concern on her face. He jolted himself from his reverie, shaking his head vigorously and trying to clear his jumbled thoughts.

“You were staring at me like you were shocked by something,” she said, reaching a hoof up to his forehead to check temperature. “You feeling sick or something?”

“Wha-- no! No, sorry, just…” he searched for the right way to describe it. “It’s… nothing.”

“Nothing?” Twilight asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised. “Nothing at all?”

He nodded a little too eagerly, something Twilight noticed. She chuckled for a second, before tilting her head.

“Are you suddenly getting cold hooves about tomorrow’s expedition?” she asked, taking a step in his direction.

“S-something like that,” Nova said, running a hoof through his mane awkwardly.

She stared straight into his eyes with a bemused expression. “Nova, I brought you out here to relax.”

“I… I know,” he said, his voice and knees trembling for some reason.

“You know what I think?” she asked, tilting her head the other way.

It was then that Nova noticed that she was slowly, almost imperceptibly, leaning forward toward him. And he was doing the same thing.

“I think,” she said, her voice growing softer, “for tonight,” he felt rooted to the spot, “you should just…”

Nova’s eyelids fluttered shut. He could feel her warm breath against his muzzle.

“...let it go,” she whispered.

Something amazingly soft touched his lips. He leaned into whatever this heavenly softness was, and for one wonderful, timeless moment, the world around him ceased to exist.

But then came a moment of crystal-clarity. He was acutely aware of where he was and what was happening.

“NO!” he exclaimed, suddenly breaking away.

Twilight recoiled, startled by Nova’s action.

“Wha--”

“N-no.”

Twilight found Nova, who had fallen on his haunches and had covered his face with his hooves. The most concerning thing, though, was that he was trembling from head to hoof despite his winter gear. Without even pausing to consider the situation, she reached a hoof out.

“Nova, are you--”

One of his hooves lashed out and knocked hers away, before returning to covering his face. She recoiled again, surprised and a little hurt by his reaction.

Why… why would he do this?

“I’m s-sorry,” he mumbled, shaking his head and dropping his hooves.

“What… what for?” asked Twilight, trying not to let how hurt she felt be indicated in her voice.

Nova must have heard it, though, because he immediately looked her straight in the eye, an anguished expression on his face, and said, “Don’t blame yourself, Twi.”

She blinked, noticing the stinging feeling that preceded crying in the corners of her eyes.

Nova shook his head again as he got to his hooves. “It wasn’t your fault. It was me,” he said in a voice that sounded like he was trying to hold completely steady but was failing. “I just… I let it go too far.”

“I shouldn’t have--”

“NO!” he interrupted her, making her jump. “Sorry, no,” he apologized. “You did nothing wrong. It’s all on me.”

He stepped out from inside the tree, Twilight following close behind, still unsure of what to do or say next.

“Listen,” he said quietly as they exited the park, “I’ve opened myself up to ponies before, and it led to them betraying my trust. I just...” Yet again he shook his head. “Let’s just say I have serious issues. Shocker, I know,” he added, in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood a bit. To his relief, Twilight gave one small unforced giggle, but otherwise remained silent. “But I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I ruined the night.”

“Nova, did you have fun tonight?” she asked.

“Yes. Before what just happened, yes.”

“Then you didn’t ruin anything,” Twilight assured him. “I mean, that’s not exactly how I expected my first kiss to go or anything, but--”

“Wait,” Nova interrupted, “I was your first kiss?”

“Not counting my family or Cadance, yes,” she answered.

“Well,” said Nova, looking away somewhat awkwardly. “Looks like I managed to botch two first kisses in one go.”

“I... I was your’s too?” Twilight asked, suddenly feeling like her insides were starting to melt.

Nova didn’t answer as they continued on their way. Twilight didn’t mind. He probably just needed a bit of time to breathe and let go of the incident and he’d be back to normal.

Or would he? Had she just completely axed all of her hopes of being able to date Nova by being premature and drawing out that reaction?

No you didn’t, her logical half stated. He kissed you back for a moment, there. Clearly he has some sort of feelings for you. Her emotive half didn’t really offer her a counter-argument, simply still basking in the fact that her first kiss with Nova was his too and still feeling a twinge of pain from the disappointment.

Over on Nova’s end, though, his two halves were in all-out war.

You’re letting her in, his logical half growled. You are letting her grow close, and it could undermine everything you’ve worked for these last ten years.

But what if I don’t want that anymore? his emotive side retorted. I’ve lived in Neighton for four years and he still hasn’t showed up. What if the danger is passed?

What if it hasn’t? That bounty hunter is still following you. Do you really want to risk going back “home” over some mare? Her father knows him! He could use this relationship to get to you! Use Twilight to get to you!

And yet, Nova honestly didn’t know what to make of it. All he could think about was that moment, that wonderful timeless moment in which the heavenly softness of Twilight’s lips were on his.

Is it finally time to stop running? he asked.

“Twilight,” he said, jolting both of them out of their thoughts.

“Hm?” she glanced over at him.

“When all of this is over,” Nova said, waving a hoof vaguely through the air, “when we’ve dispelled the nightmares and we’re back to our usual routine, I’ll have an answer for you.”

“Nova,” she sighed, “don’t rush into this just because of tonight. Make sure it’s what you really want. I only want to date you if your heart’s in it.”

He dipped his head slightly as they continued back to the hotel. Once inside, they trotted upstairs to their room, where Nova sensed Trixie already in bed. They divested themselves of their winter gear, made their own preparations for bed, and even laid out some of the things they were going to need tomorrow.

“Nova?”

Nova glanced over to Twilight, who had a hoof on her bed, but hadn’t climbed in yet.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.

Her head bowed slightly, before she turned and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“Thank-you for tonight,” she said sincerely. “Even though it didn’t end the way I’m sure either of us would have liked, I still had a wonderful time.”

Nova felt his hoof reach up and touch the spot where her lips met his cheek completely on its own. After a moment, he smiled warmly at her as she climbed into bed.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he responded, his magic taking hold of the chain connected to the electric lamp’s power node.

The last thing they saw before the room went dark was each other’s warm, affectionate smile at the other.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova hated strange dreams. He hated them with a passion.

Lucid dreaming normally wasn’t a problem for him. Thanks to his training, most of the time he was able to get himself into a dream and then take control. From there, he could often take part in additional lessons with Luna, reflect on what he had learned up to that point, or just have fun by making the dream about what he wanted.

But the strange ones wrecked his concentration every single time.

He was in the Canterlot Castle throne room, with Twilight standing opposite him. They appeared to be dancing in some way, with Princess Celestia standing on top of her throne and playing a three-part harmony on a single vuvuzela, and with Luna next to her playing the bagpipes.

And right when he had almost regained control, the doors to the throne room burst open, and in strode a guard wearing pink armor, painted with hot rod flames and bunnies, who had announced, “Wonderful! Time for a celebration! Cheese for everyone!”

Nova finally managed to gain control and exit the throne room, only to find that instead of the Central Corridor, he had apparently entered a forest setting. He turned around, and found that the throne room had vanished.

On top of that, the dream felt different. It wasn’t the random overflow of thoughts like normal dreams were. This felt… deliberate.

Before he could do anything else, the ground started moving beneath him. He felt like he was standing stock still, but the ground beneath him was sliding backwards, propelling him through the foliage.

He glanced backwards and saw an exit in the forest and Trottingham beyond that before he turned and it vanished.

And then he noticed that he was sliding along a dirt path toward his destination, wherever that was. After a while on the path, he shot sideways, through some trees and onto a lesser-travelled path, and after a moment of that, he emerged into a clearing, leading him to gasp.

The Vaults from his dreams was right in front of him, The person inducing the dreams had just shown him how to get there.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked aloud. The inducer must have heard him, because the ground shot him forward again, propelling Nova up the front stairs, past the outer row of pillars and into the stone walls of the building. He passed a room full of destroyed banking furniture before passing through a portal leading to a large open room with a giant hole in the ground.

He was thrown off of the edge, much to his horror, but he found that the imaginary surface beneath his hooves was still firmly there. Once he was out in the middle of the hole, he noticed that a path was dug into the wall, in a screw-pattern around the edge of the Vaults, and every few meters along the path there was an indentation in the wall, where a giant stone vault door was nestled, above which was a pink gem.

Nova began to sink into the hole, descending past row after row of vaults, before he finally came to a stop. He was pushed forward, slowly this time, right up to a vault with the number 111.

Before he could study the door any more, the door opened and he was pushed into a room where several gems set into the walls and ceiling illuminated the room with a blue-green glow, and beyond that, into a large, hexagonal room with a little pedestal set in the center.

“What’s this room?” he asked aloud, stepping forward toward the pedestal. Something was placed on top of it, but it was covered with dust.

He reached out a hoof and brushed it off to find a vial of some kind, sitting there on the pedestal undisturbed for a thousand years.

“Is this what’s causing the nightmares?” he wondered out loud, hoping the inducer could hear him. “What is it?”

He glanced back at the vial, and for some reason, he felt a bit apprehensive at the sight of it. Something was off about it. He brushed off some more dust, and as if to make him feel even more uneasy, he saw a crack in the glass.

“What is this vial?” he asked. “Why are you showing me this?”

There was no answer. Before Nova had a chance to ask again, everything went white.

Nova’s eyes opened. Everything was dark, but he could sense Twilight beside him and Trixie in the other room. He was still in his bed in Trottingham, he had most definitely not been dancing in the Canterlot Castle throne room with Twilight while Celestia playing a three-part harmony on the vuvuzela and Princess Luna being a virtuoso on the bagpipes.

But the other part of the dream, though…

He sat up and looked over at Twilight, but to his surprise, she wasn’t awake yet.

But, if the dream was induced, wouldn’t it mean we had the same dream at the same time?

He couldn’t physically see her, due to the darkness of the room, but he could hear the constant shuffling of the sheets and sense that she was tossing and turning.

A nightmare?

He got up and trotted over to her, thinking he could at least cast a warding spell to keep whatever it was out of her mind.

He placed a hoof on her forehead, noticing that it was slightly damp with sweat, and channeled one of the many spells Princess Luna had taught him, before--

Twilight catapulted herself forward, crying out and nearly impaling Nova with her horn.

“Whoa!” Nova yelped, falling backward. She started sobbing a moment later, and at that sound, Nova scrambled back to his hooves and leapt into her bed, laying a comforting hoof around her shoulders.

“Hey,” he said quietly, “I’m here. What’s up?”

“I-it was h-horrib-ble!” she cried, burying her face in her hooves.

Nova squeezed her shoulders gently, and she sidled up closer to him. Alarm bells immediately started blaring in Nova’s mind, but he paid them no mind. His friend needed comfort before he needed his space.

“What did you see?” he asked gently. If she didn’t want to answer, that was fine, but if she did, it might clue him into what was causing these nightmares.

“D-don’t you already know?” she asked, her breath hitching as she spoke.

“Actually, no,” admitted Nova. “I had a different dream tonight, about the Vaults, but that’s beside the point. What did you see? What got you into this state?”

“The… the shadow again,” she said. Nova’s mind cast back to the cracked vial in Vault 111. “I… I was in a d-dark room, couldn’t see anything, and this pair of big red eyes j-just started leering at me.”

“Did it say anything?”

“Y-yes,” she breathed. “It said that I was going to die for st-stealing ’him’ from it, and when I tried to run, it j-just covered me completely and tried to smother me. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t run, and right when I tried to sc-scream, I woke up.” She buried her face in her hooves again and let out a quiet sob.

“It’ll be alright,” Nova assured her, using his other forehoof to stroke at her mane while she cried. “I know where we’ll be going tomorrow now. That was my dream, and I think it had a different inducer than your’s did.”

“Wh.. .what about Trixie?” asked Twilight.

Nova turned his attention toward the nexus of energy in Trixie’s room, only to find that she was still unmoving and unchanged.

“She’s still asleep. Do you need a moment? We need to try to get as much sleep as we can before tomorrow. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long day.”

“Can you…” she started to say, but she trailed off to a point where Nova couldn’t hear her.

“Sorry?”

“Could you… sleep in my bed for the rest of the night?” she repeated, slightly louder.

Nova would normally have had no problem saying no, but Twilight turned to look at him, and the tear-stained puppy-dog gaze she was giving him was crushing his resistance.

“...fine,” he said, letting go of her shoulders and sliding into her bed. “But just for tonight.”

“And could you cast that spell that you did on the train? To make me fall asleep?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said. He waited for her to slide in and curl up next to him, a position which left them gazing eye to eye. “Close your eyes,” he instructed. She complied, and he reached a hoof up to her brow, pressing down gently, before letting a small burst of magic trigger her brain’s sleep mechanism, knocking her out instantly.

It was odd seeing her face, which had been so full of fear moments ago, and now looked calm and serene as she visited the land of her dreamscape. Nova felt oddly protective of her as he watched her sleep, listened to her slow, rhythmic breathing, and paid extra attention to the periodic feeling of contact whenever he or she shifted and their hooves brushed each other for a brief period of time.

Soon, Nova felt the familiar heaviness in his eyes, and he surrendered to it, feeling relaxation come over him again as he drifted off into sleep.

For the second time in one night, the last sight he had was of Twilight’s face, peaceful, and unaware of everything that had just transpired in her mind.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Nova’s first thought when he woke up in the morning was Where the hell is my arm!? For some reason, there was an overwhelming feeling of nothingness coming from right about where his right forehoof should be.

His second thought was This isn’t my bed. The room’s fan felt too close to where it was yesterday.

His third thought was Someone’s next to me. He looked over to see that Twilight was responsible for his first problem as well, since she was curled up next to him and was clinging onto his arm for dear life in her sleep.

Well, shit. was his fourth thought. This was going to be uncomfortable.

With a grunt, Nova started sliding himself up and out of Twilight’s grip. It was incredibly difficult, considering he was down an entire forehoof, and said forehoof was trapped in a vicegrip, but after a few minutes of effort, he finally slid it free.

But it wasn’t any fun to walk on until all the feeling returned, which took another few minutes of Nova sitting at the edge of the bed. Once all was right in his arm again, he got up, trotted over to the window, and opened the blinds to peer outside.

Trottingham looked like every fantasy winter town brought to life. The rooftops were still covered with snow, most of it likely frozen over. The streets featured a healthy slush between road and curb, a slush that was avoided by ponies walking on the streets but not by the carriages taking those who didn’t want to walk from place to place. Out in the distance, Nova could make out the wire frames of the lights festival, sitting in Trottingham Park.

The Everfree Forest was on the other side of the hotel, giving Nova no good view of it, but that didn’t matter. He’d get plenty to look at when they finally started making their way into the depths of the old jungle.

He heard Twilight yawn behind him, and felt her stir in the bed.

“Good morning,” he greeted, not turning from looking out the window.

“M-morning,” she murmured sleepily. “What--” she yawned again, “what time is it?”

“Ahh,” he looked down at his arm, which didn’t feature a watch, “I want to say white fur past the grey fur. No wait!” he held up his other hoof, “...grey fur past the white.”

“You already have grey fur?” Twilight asked, trotting over.

“Aaaaand you missed the joke,” commented Nova dryly.

“It’s too early for jokes,” Twilight whined.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Like a rock,” she said. “And that second time around, there were no nightmares.”

“Good to hear!” Nova chirped.

“And it’s all thanks to you,” she said, sidling up and nuzzling him affectionately. “I don’t think it would ever have been that good if you hadn’t used that spell.”

“HAH!”

The room’s door banged open, revealing a very smug-looking Trixie. “Trixie heard that, Sparkle. Seems Trixie was right, and you were sleeping with him!”

“That wasn’t-- TRIXIE!” shrieked Twilight. Nova just snorted and rolled his eyes as Trixie strode in toward them, sniggering to herself. “He was just helping ward off the nightmares last night,” Twilight explained.

“Liar,” Trixie replied, still grinning. “Trixie isn’t angry, Sparkle. Trixie had no nightmare last night, and if those nightmares are connected like the two of you seem to think they are, then you can’t fool Trixie with that excuse.”

She sniggered again.

“About time you became a mare.”

Twilight groaned, burying her face in her hooves. Nova just shook his head, refusing to take part in the teasing. He was more concerned about the fact that there now seemed to be two dream-inducers on the loose.

It had been bad enough when there was only one of them, and they were giving Nova, Trixie, and Twilight nightmares. But two? Now they were looking for two separate ponies, one who knew Nova inside and out, and another who knew Twilight well-enough to get into her head and give her dreams.

“Well,” he said placidly, “if all goes well today, we won’t even be able to use nightmares as an excuse at all.”

“Are you confirming that you--”

“Nothing of the sort,” Nova interrupted Trixie flatly. “We had two separate induced dreams last night. One was Twilight’s nightmare, the other was one that showed me where in the Vaults we’ll be going. I stuck around to ward off Twilight’s nightmares after we both woke up.”

“Riiiiiiiiight,” Trixie nodded her head a little too enthusiastically. “Makes perfect sense. Just admit it, you rutted. No shame in it!”

While Twilight continued to attempt to refute Trixie’s thoughts, Nova just rolled his eyes. “Sure. If that’s what you want to think, go for it.”

They went through their morning routines after that, with Nova deciding to spend a little bit longer in the shower than usual and ponder the dream he’d had.

Is it safe to trust whoever showed me that?

His preoccupation must have been obvious.

“What’s eating you?” asked Trixie as they started on their way out of Trottingham.

“Nothing,” he lied.

“Mare troubles?” asked Trixie, nudging him knowingly. “Just balls up and ask her out already!”

“It’s not mare troubles!” he snapped, wincing slightly at the unexpected harshness. “Sorry. I just… I had a different dream last night.”

“A different one?” Trixie asked, a gleam of curiosity in her eye.

“Yeah,” Nova sighed, looking down at a little map he’d bought from a vendor before they’d started their trek. Unlike the one Twilight owned, this one was incredibly simple, with just a few dotted paths showing the different paths through the Everfree Forest.

“Different how?”

“It wasn’t a nightmare,” he answered simply. “I mean, Twilight’s not lying. She had a nightmare last night, and I think it might have been induced. My dream, however, showed me the path to take, if it’s accurate.”

“You’re trusting a dream?” Trixie cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

“What else do I have to go on? Why do you think we’re even out here in the first place?”

Trixie had no answer. The group remained silent for a few minutes as they entered the gloom of the forest, but almost as if they just couldn’t resist…

“Watch where you step, Sparkle,” Trixie barked as Twilight stumbled into her.

“I didn’t mean to!” Twilight protested, shaking her head and pawing at her eyes. “I’m just ti-ti----red,” she yawned.

“Is she even cut out to be out here?” asked Trixie. “She’ll just be a liability.”

“No,” Nova replied flatly. “She’s part of this, she’s coming.”

There came a squelching sound a moment later, followed by Trixie jumping a bit into the air.

“Ugh, Trixie thinks she stepped in something,” she whined. Twilight felt the need laugh uncharacteristically harshly back at her. Before they could start going at it again, Nova sighed and picked them both up with magic. It had worked for Twilight yesterday, so he was going to give it a try today.

“Put Trixie down, you plebian!” commanded Trixie, but Nova didn’t listen, instead turning off of the path at a point where he recognized the scenery from his dream. An X had been gouged into a nearby trunk, making Nova wonder if whoever had induced the dream on him had gone ahead of them and was leading them there.

“Pipe down, you two!” Nova yelled behind him as Twilight and Trixie renewed their bickering. When they didn’t, he clamped their mouths shut with magic. “With your bickering, I’m surprised the whole forest doesn’t know we’re here!”

Twilight gave him an askance look from her spot floating next to Trixie. He could almost hear her screaming, You’re supposed to be on my side! at him. Trixie, meanwhile, just glared at Twilight as if it were all her fault.

Nova, however, just kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead toward the path he traversed in the dream the night before.

We have to be getting close, he thought as he pushed his way past a bush. The dream had been almost devoid of landmarks, but it still felt like he was going in the right direction.

Several minutes of relative silence passed, in which Nova continued to trudge through the mire of the forest, following the path his dream had shown. When he was certain Trixie and Twilight would stop being noisy, he had let them down and released them. Trixie seemed a bit more passive-aggressive with him as a result, which he didn’t mind, but Twilight seemed like nothing was amiss.

“How much further?” she asked, avoiding a pile of some kind of slime on the ground.

“I don’t know,” admitted Nova. “But we’re getting closer. I can feel it.”

His feeling proved right not a minute later. He noticed something change in the scenery ahead of him, and a few paces later, the trio emerged into a clearing in the woods, and before them sat a great stone building.

It looked exactly like Nova’s dreams had shown it. A large pegasi temple in design, with ivy clinging to the walls. A row of pillars supported the front of the roof, but the front wall was behind it, as was a door leading to a dark room.

“We found it,” Twilight breathed. “After months of searching, we finally found it.”

“Yes, we did,” concurred Nova, smiling despite himself. “Welp, now for the hard part.”

They strode forward, up the steps, and the apprentice, the student, and the charlatan entered the Everfree Vaults.

The first room was exactly how Nova remembered it from the night before. Smashed desks, broken chairs, faded stone, and moth-eaten carpet littered the room. The smell alone almost made Nova reconsider this little adventure of theirs.

“You’re paying the dry-cleaning bill,” Trixie coughed as she passed the two of them. “If this smell doesn’t get out of Trixie’s cape, you’re buying Trixie a new one.”

“You didn’t have to wear it,” pointed out Nova, already casting a spell to filter the pungent air away from their muzzles. “You could have gone in without clothing like we did.”

“Please, and pass up the opportunity to let the two of you bask in Trixie’s presence?”

“Are you sure this isn’t just a stage act?” Nova wondered aloud as they passed through a second doorway at the back of the room.

The second room was just as wide, though a lot longer, owing to a large hole in the ground. A few shafts of sunlight shone into the room from a couple of holes in the ceiling, but it remained mostly dark. In the dream, Nova recalled, he had just floated over the hole and down, but there had been a path around the edge. With the lack of light, he couldn’t immediately see a path, but he figured it’d start somewhere close to where they were standing.

“So how do we get down?” asked Trixie.

“There’s a path around the edge, but I’ve got to find where it begins,” answered Nova, trotting around the edge of the hole in the ground.

“How far down does it go?” Twilight asked.

“At least 1000 vaults, maybe more,” Nova replied. “That book in the Crystal Empire mentioned a vault 989 as a vault where they kept a lot of enchanted magical items.”

“So what’s probably causing our nightmares is down there somewhere?” asked Trixie, looking down.

“Yep,” Nova said simply.

“And we’ll likely have to go through magical traps when we come to the right vault,” theorized Twilight.

“Probably,” Nova nodded.

“And the vault in question is going to be down at the very bottom, because that’s how this sort of thing works,” continued Twilight.

“Nope,” refuted Nova.

“I know-- huh?” Twilight did a double-take as Trixie snickered.

“We’re looking for Vault 111,” he recited. “Oh, here’s the path,” he found the point where the ground started sloping downward. “We’ve got a bit of a walk, so keep up.”

They started their descent. There was still enough light bleeding through the holes in the roof to where they could make out the numbers on the early doors, but as they went deeper and deeper into the ground, the light of the sun vanished.

“If there was an older version of OSHA, would they have made the ponies who owned the vaults put rails in or something?” wondered Twilight, noticing the lack of protective railing on the inside of the curling path.

“Well, I don’t think they ever intended the Vaults to be devoid of life when it was made,” pointed out Nova. “Thriving commerce center, it was. And the paths are wide, for what that’s worth,” he indicated the fact that the three of them were separated by almost a meter each, and there was will about two meters between Trixie and the empty space of the hole.

They continued downward, passing the 70s, and then the 80s, until at long last…

“109… 110… 111! Here it is!”

The three of them ran over to the vault door with the number 111 cut into it. It was an exceedingly ordinary stone door, about as ordinary as a stone door with a gem set above it could be. Twilight was studying the sides, hoping to glean some information about who owned the vault, while Trixie was scrutinizing the gem above it.

“Nova, Trixie, look at this!” called Twilight. The two of them trotted over. Twilight pointed at something etched into the wall. “Look at this.”

Nova turned his gaze to the etched design. It was a circle, containing within it a crescent moon, exactly like the one adorning his teacher’s flank. And between the arms of the crescent was an unfurled scroll. Reflexively, he turned his gaze to the other pillar and noticed a similar etching, this time depicting the sun on Celestia’s flank, with the unfurled scroll within the sun’s body.

“Did this vault belong to the Princesses?” he wondered aloud.

“Maybe,” Twilight muttered, rubbing at her chin. “Or maybe, it was intended for us.”

“Intended for us?” asked Nova, surprised. He thought about the dream, how it felt like someone had been leading them there. “How do you figure?”

“The scroll was considered the symbol of the Student or the Scholar in the Pre-Classical Era,” Twilight explained. “The fact that these sigils show scrolls with the sun and moon mean they must be intended for the Night Apprentice and the Faithful Student.”

“But that’s impossible. I’m the first and only Night Apprentice, so how could this have been made for us?”

“I’m not the first Faithful Student, though,” Twilight reminded him. “Before me was a mare named Sunset Shimmer, before her was Cadance, and before her was some mare six hundred years ago, and that’s just the recent ones. What if Luna had Night Apprentices before she was banished?”

“Wouldn’t we have heard about them?”

“Well… we should have,” Twilight furrowed her brow. “So if they existed, why haven’t we?”

“This is all very interesting, but none of this is solving our mutual nightmare problem,” Trixie huffed. “If you two are going to keep sucking face all day, then Trixie will solve it herself.”

“No, Trixie, wait!” Nova shouted, suddenly feeling energy welling inside her, but he was too late.

A stream of pink magic shot from her horn and collided with the gem above the stone door. A bolt of light lanced down and struck Trixie, letting loose a flash of light and a bang. When Nova was able to see again, he saw that Trixie was encased in pink crystal, face frozen in an expression of surprise.

“Trixie!” cried Twilight, dashing over.

“Don’t waste your energy, Twilight,” Nova instructed, holding a hoof out.

“Are you crazy!? We have to help her!”

“And we will,” he assured her, “but this crystal here is designed to keep its victim alive for interrogation. The outer shell of the crystal is enchanted, and we’d have to wait for a few minutes before we could breach it. From the inside, it’s nigh-impenetrable, so I don’t think she’ll be breaking through. She can hear everything we’re saying, but she’ll be fine.”

“Do you not care about her?” Twilight demanded, glaring at him.

“I do,” Nova fired back, scowling. “But she’s safe in that crystal, and in all honesty, it’s probably best that she isn’t able to blunder into any traps. We’ll get her on the way out.”

Before she could respond, his horn shone blue and a beam of light struck the gem. There was a moment’s pause, but then the stone door slowly opened.

“She wasn’t a Night Apprentice or a Faithful Student, so she couldn’t have opened that door.”

They strode forward, into the darkness of the vault, darkness soon dispelled by a slight blue glow around them.

Nova looked at the ceiling, to find dozens of small crystalline rocks embedded in it, all glowing blue and illuminating the hall.

“Glowstone,” breathed Twilight.

“Sorry?”

“Glowstone,” she said a bit louder. “Stone that absorbs magical energy and then lets it off, little bit by little bit to illuminate the surrounding area. Probably absorbed your magic.”

“Cool,” Nova smiled at the stones, but then turned his gaze further into the vault. The hexagonal room lay ahead, with a slightly raised pedestal in the center. In the center of the pedestal was a small pillar, and on that pillar was the vial from his dream.

As soon as she saw it, he heard Twilight gasp.

“Don’t get any closer to that,” she whispered sharply.

“Why not?” he asked, also whispering.

“That’s a Soul Jar,” she said. “Look, see that little skull? That happens when magic is used to enchant a jar or vial to be able to contain and imprison some intangible or otherworldly entity.”

“Like what?”

“It was first crafted to capture Windigoes when they followed the Equestrians over from Dream Valley, but it’s also able to capture and hold ghasts, spirits, wraiths, lethifolds, the Vashta Nerada…” she trailed off.

Against her warning, Nova trotted forward to observe the jar. There was a fine layer of dust on it, and he reached a hoof forward to brush a bit off.

His eyes alighted on a crack in the glass.

“Twilight, is this thing supposed to be cracked?”

“It should be no different,” she furrowed her brow. “Just a cosmetic change. The only thing to be worried about is if it’s not glowing.”

Nova’s insides went cold.

“Well, it’s not.”

Nova heard a sharp intake of air from Twilight, but paid it no mind and brushed off the rest of the dust. “No big deal, though! It’s pretty obvious that what was in here is causing our nightmares, so all we have to do is capture it in this Soul Jar again and we’ll be good to go.”

“I’m very flattered that you think I’m causing you to have nightmares,” came a smooth, sultry voice from the entrance to the vault, “I haven't, by the way, but it’s really not that easy to stop me.”

Nova whirled around, as did Twilight, to find Trixie Lulamoon standing at the vault entrance, grinning like a cat that had its mouse cornered.

“Trixie?” asked Nova. “How did you escape from the crystal.”

“You said the crystal was nigh-impenetrable to her,” Trixie shrugged. “So I blew myself out of it.”

“‘To her?’” he asked, eyebrow raising.

“Yes, ‘her,’” Trixie replied again, horn glowing and a red barrier of magic appeared in the only door out of the room.

And without warning, Trixie collapsed, as a black shadow started issuing from her body, coalescing in the air above her, a pair of red eyes staring down malevolently at them.

“What have you done to Trixie!?” demanded Nova. Twilight, meanwhile, had gone pale and had taken a step back.

“Oh relax,” the shadow rolled its eyes. “Trixie Lulamoon is simply unconscious. I need my vessel alive, if I am to maintain a presence here.”

Twilight took the opportunity to teleport behind the shadow, attempting to make a break for the exit, but instantly, the shadow whipped itself around and tossed her back in.

“We’re not doing any of that, now,” it tutted. “You can’t teleport out of here with the enchantments in the walls, and I have the only exit blocked, so allow me to introduce myself.”

Twilight’s breathing was growing shallower. Is this shadow the one from her nightmare?

“My name is Envy.”

“What are you?” asked Nova, only feeling like he was half as afraid as he should be.

“Used to be a pony like you, but then everything changed when I was hit with those stupid Elements of Harmony. A girl’s gotta entertain herself somehow, so I’ve been trying to kill you Night Apprentices and Faithful Students for centuries,” she said conversationally.

“A girl?” asked Nova.

“What about you?” the shadow floated down and stared Nova straight in the eyes. “Hmm… you look exactly like him, and yet…” she lowered her voice, apparently talking to herself, “you’re not him. How is this even possible?”

Before Nova could ask what she was talking about, the shadow floated in front of Twilight, only intensifying her panic.

“And you look exactly like her,” the shadow spat. “Reincarnation seems to have gotten the last laugh.”

Its-- no, her-- eyes glinted maliciously at Twilight’s panicked state.

“What’s the matter? Too afraid to speak?” Envy taunted.

"Shut up!" snapped Nova.

“Oh, at least someone has a backbone,” the shadow sighed. “Well, it would seem the time has come for me to take care of business. Just to sate your curiosity, I wasn’t giving you any nightmares, and your little friend here will be perfectly fine. But the two of you will be dead before you can do anything to save her. Them’s the breaks, I suppose. Just remember, it’s completely personal.”

And without warning, the shadow converged, covering them in darkness.

Black. All Nova could see in any direction was black. No glowstone, not even the color of his own magic could penetrate it.

“NOVA!” he heard from somewhere close by.

“Twilight!”

He ran in the direction of her voice. He was not going to let her die if it was the last thing he did!

She came into view, whirling around, horn glowing with energy, trying desperately to find him. He charged forward, hoping to meet her in the inky landscape, but something knocked him back.

“Uh-uh-uh, we can’t have any of that,” the shadow admonished them. “Well, at least the two of you can rest easy, knowing that the last you’ll ever see is each other.”

Nova felt something like a pillow mash itself against his mouth and nostrils. He flailed his hooves, trying to bat something invisible away from his muzzle. He even tried magic, but nothing seemed to have an effect.

“Nova!” came a muffled cry.

And his eye fell on Twilight, who was watching him with a horrified expression as the darkness holding her airways shut slowly asphyxiated her.

An instinctive surge of magic blasted out of him, blasting the darkness away from him and letting him breathe, but he didn’t pay it a second thought. As the surge of energy within him redoubled itself, he channeled it into his horn.

“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!” he bellowed.

He didn’t pause to consider the effect it would have on him. Instead, he released the surge of energy through his horn, illuminating the area around him with a great flash of light.

Envy screeched and recoiled, letting Twilight out of her grasp and fleeing back into Trixie. Once she was safely inside her host, she staggered to her hooves.

“You haven’t seen the last of me, Night Apprentice! I will kill you both! I swear it!”

There was a flash of red light, and Trixie Lulamoon vanished, leaving Nova and Twilight alone in the vault.

Immediately, Nova collapsed, falling over to his side as his legs gave out. He heard shifting and saw Twilight gallop over to him.

“Are you okay!?” she cried, tears already forming.

“‘M fine, Twi,” he slurred a bit. “Jus’ tired.”

“Post-arcane exhaustion,” she observed, wiping a tear away. “Is there anything I can--”

“We need to get out of the vaults,” he mumbled. “We’ve gotta get to Canterlot. The Princesses…”

Twilight’s breath hitched as he slumped into unconsciousness. At first, she panicked again, but after checking his vitals, she saw that he was just exhausted and asleep. Whimpering a little as the memory of the shadow attempting to strangle her replayed in her head, she levitated Nova onto her back and started the climb out of the Vaults.

{T} {A} {T} {S} {A} {T} {C}

Princess Celestia looked up from the scrying ball to watch her sister, who suddenly did not seem to want to meet her gaze. The scrying orb had been able to catch a muddled view from the glass covering of the compass they had taken with them.

“You have truly trained him well,” she said, her voice full of pride. “He has grown very powerful.”

“I’m not so sure,” said Luna, whose voice seemed slightly choked up. “They only managed to drive her off. They have a long way to go before they can reseal her. Still, I never expected Nova to achieve that level of power in a single spell.”

“You do know what this means, do you not?” asked Celestia, eyeing her sister over the scrying ball, which now showed a bouncing view of the interior of the Vaults, as Nova was carrying in on his back on his knapsack.

“What does it mean?” Luna asked.

“It means that I was right: Nova can match Twilight in magical ability. Like I said, you have trained your Night Apprentice well. I’m proud to have learned from you.”

Rising from her position, Princess Celestia trotted back into the castle, leaving Lun to watch the orb.

The die is cast, Envy has revealed herself to Equestria once more, and now the stage is set for the next iteration of this never-ending cycle,Luna thought miserably. I only wonder if they will prove able to defeat her in the future, because all Nova was able to do today was drive her off.

She drew herself upright, starting to feel the beginnings of pride in her pupil.

Well, Tia was right. Nova has proven to be an excellent Night Apprentice. Perhaps I have no reason to fear.

Allowing herself a small grin, she stood up and walked inside to begin her duties as Princess of the Night.

Author's Note

Original chapter name, in 2012: "The Hatred of Centuries."

New chapter name, in 2013: "Lights and Dark."

New NEW chapter name, in 2015: "Bright Lights and Smothering Darkness."

Got through this one. Had a tough scene to write, but got through it and managed to get it all written. How did I do? Lemme know in the commends below!

Rytex out. Have a good day!