Hybridization

Chapters

Prologus I: Retelling
Prologus II: Loss of Memory
Capitulum I: First Contact
Capitulum II: The Rebel and the Servant
Capitulum III: A Quick Heart to Heart

Prologus I: Retelling

The familiar emblem that was known as Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark appeared in the night sky in a burst of arcane light. It descended from the heavens to the ground, in front of her friends, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. From it appeared Twilight Sparkle herself… and with a grand flourish, she spread her new wings. She had become an alicorn, and achieved her destiny.

Then suddenly, everything ground to a halt. Everything seemed to blueshift, as time itself slowed to a stop.

Time is an interesting thing. We see time as linear, but it in fact is anything but linear.

Everything began to move again, but everything remained blueshifted. There was only one problem… everything was moving backwards.

Twilight folded her wings, and began to fade back into the light that had glorified her. The light rose back up, forming her emblem, which promptly vanished as her friends trotted, backwards, into the library that made Twilight’s home.

Like us, time is subject to the pressure of decision. It must decide whether or not to walk one path or the other.

Within the library, the ponies stood around a scorch mark in the shape of Twilight’s cutie mark. A flash of light, and energy returned to the Elements of Harmony around the ponies’ necks, and Twilight emerged from the flash of light, the Element of Magic on her head and her back devoid of wings.

Time, however, has no ability to decide for itself. So, instead, it divides like a cell, to account for every possibility the world will throw at it.

The reversal of time began to speed up. Plants began to shrink back into the ground. Trains were moving backwards at an immense rate of speed. Trixie was shooting up fireworks as she ran, backwards, into Ponyville, before Twilight reversed her havoc. Clones of Pinkie Pie were leaping back into the Mirror Pool. Finally, though, it stopped at King Sombra emerging from his gaseous form, licking his lips at the chance to consume the Crystal Heart. Everything still remained blueshifted, however, and everything stood still.

By following those branches of time, we can always find the answer to a question that has plagued even the wisest of men; “what if?” What if this had happened instead of that?

Time leaped backwards again, this time to Queen Chrysalis as she was being blown away by Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s immense love. Her face was twisted in fear as the predator became the prey; as the love she so desired to consume became a fearsome weapon aimed directly at her.

Why don’t we find out?

Time continued to leap backwards, this time pausing at Discord being confronted by the six Bearers of the Elements, five of which had been corrupted, their whole bodies turning black, grey, and white.

Instead of allowing time to continue forward, why don’t we take a trip down memory lane?

Time leapt backwards again, this time to Twilight Sparkle confronting Nightmare Moon, the pieces of the shattered Elements of Harmony strewn at the dark mare’s feet.

Memory is, however, subject to change. We may remember one thing, but something else may have happened.

Time again leapt backwards, to that fateful moment where Twilight Sparkle, laying on the grass out on a sunny vacation day, realized that action had to be taken to prevent the return of Nightmare Moon, and as a result, the threat of eternal night.

Time is also subject to change. Every instance that time splits, a new universe is born. We assume that each universe is static; that we will make the decisions we have made because it is our path, and it is set in stone.

Time leapt backwards again, this time not to Twilight Sparkle, but to a young Rainbow Dash, who had successfully created a Sonic Rainboom; the first to grace Equestrian eyes. She was smiling with glee, which would inevitably be replaced by that of determination as time began to roll backwards again.

The use of both time travel and interuniversal travel will tell you otherwise. Changing events in one universe will not affect another, allowing universes to become echoes of each other.

Time finally leapt back to Twilight’s first Summer Sun Festival, where she decided to follow the path that led her to greatness as Celestia raised the sun for Equestria to celebrate.

But we are not seeking echoes. We seek possibilities. And time, being subject to change, will allow us to explore those possibilities.

Time did not stop there. But this time, it did not stop either. It would not stop, not until it had reached the desired point. Images of the past flashed by, faster and faster; the conquering of the Crystal Empire, the liberation of Equestria, the conquering of Equestria by Discord… Faster and faster, the images flew.

And so we shall. We shall explore a timeline where decisions were changed not just by free will, but by the change of facts as well.

Eventually, time did stop, but in a dark void. Everything returned to normal coloration; pitch black. Suddenly, there was a quick flash of light, and a little filly with a pink mane and white coat appeared, dropping onto the ground. She looked around, revealing that she had a horn, and stretched her wings. “Where… am I?” she wondered aloud, in spite of the fact that there was nopony to hear her.

We shall start from the beginning, like all stories, but we will tell the story differently.

She looked around at the black void. Then, growing a smile, she leapt into the air, and came crashing down, creating a shockwave that forced the earth into existence. That one crash boomed through time and space itself, heralding the birth of Equestria.

Prologus II: Loss of Memory

“Sister…”

Princess Celestia stopped before she took a sip of her soup. “Yes, Luna?” she asked.

“Do you remember what happened to the rest of us? The rest of the alicorns?”

That took the elder goddess of Equestria by surprise. “You don’t remember?” she asked.

“No…” Luna admitted, taking a sip of her own soup. “I’m afraid not…”

“Well…” Celestia began… “They spread around this world, after we created Equestria, and the alicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns.”

“Oh… they did?” Luna’s ear twitched in curiosity.

“Yes,” Celestia replied solemnly. “Why don’t you remember?”

“… I don’t know,” Luna admitted, lowering her head. “Ever since I was purified from Nightmare Moon, I’ve been… forgetting. I can’t remember stuff as well as I normally would, not as well as you or Cadence would.”

“Well, Cadence has her massive library of diaries…” Celestia rolled her eyes.

“One for each of her reincarnations,” Luna finished. “That’s one of the other things I don’t remember. Why did she choose reincarnation over immortality?”

“Because she wanted to be closer to our subjects,” Celestia reminded her. “… What do you remember?”

“I remember when I invented aspirin,” Luna instantly cheered up a little. “You recovered from that awful headache of yours in 3.14 seconds.”

“Not the worst headache I’ve ever had…” Celestia admitted. “I never found out from you. Does aspirin cure a case of the nobility?”

“I wish.”

The two sisters giggled at their own joke. “Oh, do you remember when you invented the wheel?” Celestia continued. “You were such a little filly, and you still managed to do it!

“I remember when you tried to balance on it,” Luna grinned.

“How could I forget that…?” Celestia sighed. She could still feel the pain from landing, horn first, on the ground after falling off, even after all those millennia. “What about when you invented that liquid explosive?”

“Trinitroglycerin?” Luna asked. “It was a blast.”

They had another fit of giggles from her pun. “We actually found another use for it, while you were… gone,” Celestia admitted. “Royal doctors found that it’s also a good medication for heart problems.”

Luna’s ears perked up, again. “Really?” she asked. “I always thought it was too unstable.”

“You should ask them how it works, I don’t understand half of what they say,” Celestia shook her head.

Luna, however, had begun staring at her soup. It was clear that the gears were turning in her head. “That… makes sense now…” she thought to herself. “Enzymes would catalyze the nitroglycerin and convert it to nitric oxide…”

“Um, Luna?” Celestia interjected, to which Luna finally took notice. “I don’t understand you either.”

The two princesses both laughed. “So is there anything else you managed to do with the stuff I’ve made?” Luna asked.

“Um…” Celestia began, her eyes shifting. “Actually… yes.”

Luna tilted her head. “With what?”

“… Do you remember when you created your own brand of magic?”

“Oh, yeah!” she nodded. “Lunar magic! It never caught on…”

“… It did, actually.”

Luna’s ear twitched. “It did?” she asked, confused. “But… I haven’t seen a single pony use it.”

“That’s because the ponies that use it aren’t here,” Celestia answered. “They’re far away, in Komodo City.”

“Komodo City? I haven’t seen it on a single map…”

“You won’t,” Celestia explained. “It’s a city that very few ponies that live outside of it know it even exists, because of what goes on there.”

“… What does that mean?” Luna couldn’t help but ask. “How does this connect to my lunar magic?”

“… Do you remember when you began to experiment with a pony’s… what was it, genetics?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah…” Luna lowered her head. “That was one of my biggest failures… I tried to hybridize the three ponies, hoping to be more like you.”

“Have you considered using your lunar magic to do that?”

Luna tilted her head. “… How would lunar magic help me hybridize ponies? What made you think of that?”

“… While you were gone…” Celestia lowered her head, almost in grief. “I continued some of your experiments, hoping to keep you close in some way. It’s part of why technology continued to grow while you were gone; without you, it would have stagnated.”

“… Are you going where I think you’re going?” Luna asked.

“… Eighteen years before you were purified, I received a letter from Komodo University,” Celestia continued. “It took nearly a millennium, and a large part of the treasury funds, but… we succeeded.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “On September 16… the first hybrid pony, Concordia, was born.” Celestia finished.

“Yippee!” Luna instantly shot into the air, nearly knocking over the table. Celestia recoiled a little; she didn’t expect Luna to be that happy. “I can’t believe it! Hybrids! Yes! YES!”

“Luna…” Celestia tried to calm her down. “You might want to go visit Komodo University. It might spur your memory.”

“I’m going right now!” Luna promptly declared.

She instantly zoomed up to her sister, and planted a large kiss on her cheek. In surprise, Celestia’s wings raised upwards, her blush showing through her white coat. In almost the same instant, Luna had shot out of the dining room door. Celestia sighed. “Oh, Luna.”

Celestia creaked open her little sister’s door to see her quickly packing what few things she had; spare shoes, a couple of pieces of formalwear… “Luna?” Celestia said.

Luna stopped quickly. “Is something wrong, sister?” she asked.

“Komodo’s up north, pretty close to the Crystal Empire,” Celestia explained. “You might want to get a parka; I’ve already tried staying up there for a few months. I came home with pneumonia.”

Luna took a quick look at what she packed. She quickly dived back in, and tossed out a couple of jackets and other winter gear. “There is something wrong, though…” Celestia began, again.

Luna stuck her head out of her spacious closet. “What is it now?”

“Technically, the hybrids are your creations,” Celestia warned. “I’ve always considered them yours. But they might not be who you expect them to be. You haven’t seen a single one in Canterlot, or anywhere outside Komodo City, because Equestria isn’t ready for them yet.”

Luna came out, curious. “They also… hold a secret that would throw Equestria into chaos, were it to be revealed,” Celestia continued.

“So... what is it?” Luna asked.

“Even I don’t know,” Celestia admitted. “I was only told that they managed to do something, but the pony who wrote me the letter refused to say what it was, in fear of his letter being intercepted.”

“But that isn’t a problem anymore,” Luna retorted. “The last time a letter was intercepted magically was 1034 years ago.”

“He still didn’t want to take the chance. He said it was something that even he shouldn’t have clearance to witness. Only four ponies know the secret, and none of them have clearance that deep.”

“… How deep exactly?”

“… Level 20, he says.”

Luna’s jaw dropped. “Only we can know secrets that secure…” she breathed. “What’s his level?”

“I think his was level 18…”

Luna sighed. “Who exactly is he?”

Celestia sat down. “He is Night Flash, chief geneticist of Komodo University.”

“So that explains why he’s so high up on the chain…” Luna said to herself. “I should go meet him.”

“I’ll inform him of your visit,” Celestia said. “Just… be careful.”

“I’ll be alright, sister,” Luna tried to reassure her. “I may have been trapped in the moon for a thousand years, but I have learned some tricks for adapting quickly to new ponies. But… why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”

Celestia lowered her head again. It was clear that spilling the beans was taking a small toll on her emotionally. “… I didn’t think you were ready,” she finally admitted. “You haven’t even adjusted to the political atmosphere yet.”

“And something tells me I don’t want to,” Luna shook her head. “Not without inventing a cure for the nobility.”

Celestia smiled. “With your memory loss, however, it’s important you know. While you are gone, I will rule the Night Court for you. I want you to focus on your journey, and not on what is going on in Canterlot. With a situation like this, I am sure even the nobility will understand.”

Luna, smiling, nodded. “Thank you, Celestia.”

The last coat drifted into Luna’s waiting suitcase. “Goodbye,” she said as she spread her wings, picking up her luggage, and leapt into the sky…

Suddenly, however, she felt something tug on her tail. “Whoa!” she gasped as she flopped onto her carpet, with a thud.

“Luna… You might want to sleep tonight,” Celestia suggested. “It might be the last time you sleep in your bed for a long time.”

Luna turned back to Celestia, a look of embarrassment on her face. “But first…” Celestia changed the subject. “Shall we get back to dinner?”

Capitulum I: First Contact

Celestia's sun shone weakly in the sky, as if just as tired as everypony in Canterlot without two mugs of coffee. It was partially blotted out by an overcast that shouldn't have been there. The Cloudsdale pegasi had recently sent a report about it to her; the cloud couldn't be moved, so they scheduled a powerful gust to blow it away later that day. "Be safe for me, Luna," Celestia asked of Luna as they walked towards a waiting carriage, Luna's luggage carried by her blue magical aura. "Komodo City should be safe for you, but the outside area is not."

"Sister, I may be younger than you, but I am no less mature," Luna reminded her. She held back a joking tone, seeing as they were in public.

She promptly noticed the two pegasi that were pulling the carriage, however. They were wearing black armor, and had a black visor over their eyes. They certainly weren't Luna's, as their wings were normal pegasus wings. "Have we changed the color of the armor that quickly?" Luna asked in confusion.

"No," Celestia explained.

She lowered her voice. "They are black operations soldiers. They only put on their black armor when they must deal with matters as secret as this."

"Oh," was Luna's only response. She understood clearly; it just felt like Celestia couldn't trust her with Equestria's deepest secrets. Then again, she had been sealed in the moon for a thousand years, during a time when those secrets didn't exist and weren't needed. The world had definitely changed around her.

"Princess," the guards bowed as the two regal ponies approached them.

"You know your instructions," Celestia said in a strict tone as Luna got on the carriage. "This may be a personal matter, but it is no less important than the missions you have trained for. Follow all of my little sister's instructions, and do not let her down."

"Yes, Princess," the guards bowed again.

Celestia turned back to Luna. "Come back soon," she said, nuzzling up to her.

"I will, sister," Luna nodded, nuzzling back.

With a silent command, the guards pulling the carriage ran forward, leaping for the sky. Luna felt herself rise as the carriage did, pulled by the passive magic of the pegasi. She looked back to see Celestia watching as they flew away. She thought she saw a tear come from Celestia's eye. One came out of Luna's, as well.

"... Guards."

"Yes, Princess?"

It was five hours into the flight, and the first few flakes of snow had begun to fall, prompting Luna to put on a coat. "What do you know about Komodo City?" she asked. "Sis- er, Princess Celestia told me you were supposed to carry out missions involving Equestria's darkest secrets. Do you know anything about this one?"

Neither of them responded for a few seconds. Luna could tell they were exchanging glances. "I'm afraid not, Princess," one of the guards finally admitted. "We were just given clearance to know about Komodo itself. For security reasons, we were only briefed on its location."

"Oh..." Luna's ears drooped.

"We will arrive in roughly two hours, Princess," the other guard reported.

He paused for a minute, and then asked, hesitantly, "Permission to speak, Princess Luna?"

"You may," Luna responded.

"I have to admit that something feels wrong," the guard continued. "We don't get much black ops work, and when we do, it's normally something very, very big."

Luna drooped her head. "Your concern is shared by all of us."

"Princess!"

Luna lifted her head, a little sleepy. "We're approaching Komodo City," the guard that woke her up informed her. "It's just over this ridge."

In an almost childish manner, Luna put her front hooves on the frame of the carriage, to get a better look at the world her sister had hid from the world. And she was in awe almost instantly. Her eyes grew wider as they flew over the ridge.

Komodo City was built into a crater in the ice. What caught her attention the fastest was the large campus directly in the middle; it almost seemed as large as the palace Luna called home. The city itself was built around it. It looked like two cities forcibly merged; some of the buildings were almost like pieces of art, with beautiful forms and vibrant colors. Those, however, clashed with the grey structures they shared the city with, which looked old and rotted with age. "It looks like they're undergoing a gentrifying process..." a guard let slip by accident. He covered his mouth in embarrassment, realizing his slip, but Luna wasn't paying attention.

The citizens below certainly took notice of her. Below them, she saw parts of the crowd bow deeply. The others simply watched. "Am I not fully respected, even here?" Luna wondered.

"Princess Luna!"

This time it wasn't one of the guards. Luna looked up to see a group of ponies circling her. All of them looked like foals... and all of them had horns and wings. Luna's jaw dropped, and she wouldn't be surprised if the guards pulling her carriage were equally surprised.

The alicorns slowly spread out into a V formation, with Luna's carriage in the middle. "Clear the runway!" the leader of them, the one in front, called down.

The crowd down below began to disperse as the alicorns slowly led the carriage down onto the asphalt road. Luna knew what it was; she had helped create asphalt. It was just very hard to produce back then. Komodo must have improved her design. The carriage landed with only the slightest of bumps, unlike in Canterlot where the landing would always be rough. Luna stepped off to see that very crowd of alicorns bowing before her. In confusion, she asked, "I thought the alicorns had died out?"

It was as if Luna had set off an emotional bomb. The crowd went straight from bowing to shouting at her. "What makes everypony think we're alicorns?!" she could have sworn she heard somepony shout at her among the ruckus.

"Enough!"

The crowd suddenly stopped, turning to the voice. Immediately, they parted, revealing another alicorn, clearly much older than any of them. This one was as blue as the ice around him, and his eyes were piercing in their gaze. "I beg your pardon for our behavior, Your Majesty," he said, walking forward to meet Luna. "We pegacorns don't take very well to being called alicorns."

Sixty questions were flying through Luna's head, but one came out. "Um... what are you, then?"

"We are known as pegacorns," the ice-blue pony explained, "the evolutionary children of both unicorns and pegasi."

Bowing his head, he introduced himself, "Night Flash, chief geneticist of Komodo University."

"You're the one Cel-, er, Princess Celestia told me about?" Luna asked.

Night Flash nodded. "Please, take me to your labs," Luna ordered.

"Princess Celestia informed me that you would be staying for a few days," Flash responded. "With all due respect, may I suggest settling in, first? I have already prepared accommodations for you, Your Majesty."

As much as she hated to have her authority subverted, Flash was right. It had been a long, cold journey, and Luna could really use some warm chocolate. Celestia wasn't kidding, she thought to herself.

"Very well," she agreed. "Please lead me there."

"This way, Your Majesty," Flash said as he took to the air, gliding through the city streets.

Luna was quick on his tail. Flapping her powerful wings, she also took to the air, motioning for her guards to follow. It felt nice to fly again, for her, and she needed little effort to catch up with the geneticist. "Can you tell me about the pegacorns, Dr. Night Flash?" she inquired.

"Gladly," Flash agreed. "Though I lack a doctorate. I am not even an adult yet."

Luna nearly fell on the ground. "You're still a colt?"

"Barely," Flash corrected. "As for the pegacorns... I am the first."

Again, Luna nearly fell out of the air. She tried her best to restrain her excitement, to be able to speak with the first of a kind. It explained why the pegacorns leading her carriage down were all children. "We are a blend of unicorns and pegasi, as I had mentioned earlier," Flash continued as they took a turn. "Were I not hybridized, I would be born a unicorn. For the power of flight, we sacrificed our strength."

He waggled one of his limp legs. Luna may not have put too much effort into the medical sciences, but she could tell they were atrophied. Flash's legs were so thin, she could have sworn she saw bone. "These accursed things are why I am forced to take to the air," he lamented. "Sometimes it reaches a point where we are confined to a wheelchair to the rest of our lives."

Luna gasped. "That bad?" she had to ask, letting her formal tone slide.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Flash confirmed. "What's even worse is that it is genetically impossible to stop it. The code that atrophies our legs is also responsible for the growth of our wings."

They stopped in front of one of the fancier buildings, colored blue with pink highlights. "Here we are," Flash said. "Welcome to-"

Flash did not have the chance to finish before a pink blur tackled him. "Oof!" he gasped as he landed in a pile of snow.

"Hey Night Flash what brings you here?" a feminine voice asked, speaking very quickly. "I already prepared the penthouse for you but you normally live in the labs so did you get tired-"

"Get OFF ME!" Flash shouted with all of his strength.

A burst of purple lightning exploded from the snow pile Flash and his attacker were buried in, sending snow everywhere. In front of her, a pink pegasus landed with a cartoonish splat, like a sleep-deprived Applejack trying to land on a see-saw. "When will you stop tackling me?!" Flash demanded, his eyes burning with anger, his teeth gritted, and his horn still sparking.

Seeing those sparks gave Luna a funny feeling. She felt a pressure in her head, as if the nobles were in front of her, squabbling again. "Ooh..." she sighed, holding a hoof to her head in pain.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?" one of the black ops guards asked.

Luna wasn't listening. Images were appearing in her head... familiar ones...

"Sister!" Luna called from the gardens.

"What is it, Luna?" a teenaged Celestia asked.

Celestia had been feeling very tired lately. She and a tiny little Luna had created Equestria nearly half a millennium ago, and Celestia herself had just finished creating their subjects, the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns; twenty-four of them total. They were sleeping peacefully, in the same massive cradle Luna built for them. Cadence, who was created a few years ago, was watching them for Celestia. "I finally succeeded!" Luna cheered, bounding up and down. "I made my own magic!"

"You made your own spells?" Celestia asked.

"No, I made my own magic!" Luna insisted.

She pointed at a large boulder. "Can you lift that boulder, Celly?" Luna asked. "Just as a point of comparison."

"Okay..." Celestia agreed. She felt a little skeptical about what Luna was trying to prove. She may be much smarter, but she was still little.

Concentrating, Celestia began to pour magic through her horn, into the air. She willed for the boulder to move, as is the nature of magic. The rock began to glow a bright yellow, like the sun itself, and rose into the air. "And what are you going to do with it, Luna?" Celestia asked, keeping the boulder there.

"I'm going to keep it in the air, like you," Luna explained.

She didn't give her sister the chance to sigh. "I'm just going to do it differently."

Luna closed her eyes, and like Celestia, began to concentrate. However, instead of pouring magic like Celestia did, she pulsed it, sending many short bursts of power through her horn, very fast. Immediately, a burst of purple lightning leaped from her horn and hit the boulder, enveloping it in the same energy. Celestia was so shocked, she let her grip go. True to Luna's words, the boulder remained in the air, unmoving. "It's lunar magic!" Luna explained. "The magic we normally use works by directing energy to where we want it to go."

Luna carefully set the boulder down, with more finesse than her sister could ever achieve at that age. "This magic works by sending a signal through the energy instead of directing it. It's really energy-efficient!"

Celestia could not hide her pride in Luna. "I'm impressed, sister," she said, nuzzling her on the cheek. "I thought you were still too young to do stuff like that.'

"I'm only a little younger than you!"

Celestia smirked. "Ten years younger."

"So? That's not much," Luna pouted.

"You're right, it's not much compared to how long we've lived together," Celestia admitted.

"So do you think the children will use this magic eventually?" Luna asked, changing the subject.

Celestia shook her head. "I'm sorry, Luna... I don't think so."

Luna tilted her head, in confusion. "Why?" she asked.

"When I created them... I only infused them with our usual magic," Celestia admitted. "It would be impossible for them to use any other type of magic."

"Aww..."

"I'm sorry, Luna," Celestia sighed in regret. "I wish I knew of your new magic earlier."

"That's okay, Celly," Luna's face brightened up. "I'll just make my own ponies!"

Luna quickly snapped back to reality. "Princess?" the guard asked. Flash and his assailant were also on their feet, watching Luna with concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Luna said. "I spaced out a little."

Night Flash had a look of skepticism on his face, the same one Celestia had in Luna's flashback, but said nothing. "It's nice to meet you Your Majesty!" Flash's pink attacker greeted, flapping her wings like a hummingbird. "I'm Pink Ribbon I'll be your host for the next few days welcome to Komodo City-"

"Ribbon," Flash hissed. "Slow down."

Blushing in embarrassment, Ribbon simply shut up, landing back on the ground. This gave Luna the opportunity to look her over. Instantly, she noticed something different about this pegasus. She was wearing a maid's uniform, like in Canterlot, but she could easily see her muscles underneath them. It was clear, however, that she didn't work out. She also couldn't help but notice a set of lighter pink patches on her flank, just like her own, darker ones. But something stood out to her, though; Ribbon lacked a cutie mark. "You're not a pegasus, are you?" Luna asked.

"Nope!" Ribbon confirmed. "I'm a chollima!"

"The children of pegasi and earth ponies," Flash explained, cutting off Ribbon before she had a chance to continue speaking. "For strength immeasurable, they are cursed with boundless energy. In Ribbon's case, it's particularly bad, as the first chollima."

"It's nice to meet you," Luna greeted, holding out a hoof.

"It's an honor to meet you Your Majesty it's a really great honor to meet you and even better to see you living here wait a minute-" Ribbon began shaking her hoof up and down very, very quickly, but then stopped to glare at Flash, getting back on the ground. "You got the penthouse for Her Majesty?"

"What do you think?" was Flash's only response.

Ribbon suddenly became worried. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh what if the penthouse isn't up to spec I'd better go double-check it!"

She darted back through the doors of the hotel, so fast that Luna was amazed the doors weren't blown off. "I beg your pardon for her behavior, Your Majesty," Flash solemnly apologized.

"It is no matter," Luna replied. Ribbon reminded her too much of Pinkie Pie.

Luna picked up her luggage, and was about to go through the hotel door when Ribbon burst back out. This time, Flash dodged her... but he wasn't Ribbon's target to begin with.

Ribbon did a hairpin turn, and plowed right into Luna's tail, pushing her through the lobby with blinding speed. "This way, Your Majesty!" she said, excited as usual.

Luna didn't have a chance to respond as she was pushed up ten flights of stairs, eventually stopping at a lone door. It was simply labeled "Penthouse". "Here's your key, Your Majesty!" Ribbon held it out. A card was dangling from it; "Velvet Hotels, Penthouse."

Still in shock from being pushed that far that fast, especially by her flank, she cautiously took the key. This pony may be innocently hyperactive, but that level of hyperactivity should be illegal. Luna made a mental note to learn some high-level sleeping spells as she turned the key in the door. It clicked open, and Luna stepped inside.

The penthouse was lavish, but clearly nothing special. It was decorated with soft blue wallpaper, and all of the doors were open, revealing that she even had her own kitchenette. It was clear that the room had been sped through, despite it being so tidy. No points for guessing which pony made short work of this room, Luna joked to herself.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of rustling. Ribbon had become a blur again, but this time she was handling Luna's luggage. "What are you doing?!" Luna nearly shouted.

Luna wasn't fast enough. Ribbon had finished unpacking all of her stuff for her; the closet door was open, revealing that all of her coats were hung up, and her spare shoes were tucked underneath them. "Are you sure those coats are enough?" Ribbon asked.

"Well, Night Flash was outside with nothing more than a jacket," Luna retorted, a little peeved about how Ribbon kept taking all of these liberties. Luna may as well have been a stone statue.

"Oh, that smartypants loves the cold," Ribbon waved a hoof. "His magic is mainly ice-based too."

That explains a lot, Luna groaned to herself.

"He likes to throw icicles at whoever bothers him while he's working," Ribbon continued. "And they fly fast! I've never been hit by them but I hear they leave holes in walls!"

"I've never heard of such a violent pony," Luna admitted as she trotted into the kitchenette. "What happened to him?"

For once, Ribbon stood still. "We... don't talk about it," she replied, almost solemnly.

"Is it that bad?" Luna asked, reaching into the fridge.

"Very," Ribbon confirmed. "Bringing it up in conversation around him is normally a death wish."

Luna pulled out some milk from the fridge. The Velvet Hotel definitely didn't want to leave their princess unprepared. "I supposed I shouldn't try to find out, then," she muttered to herself as she poured herself a glass, heating it up with a spark of solar magic.

Ribbon gave Luna a look of confusion. "Your Majesty, why do you use solar magic?" she asked.

"... I haven't used lunar magic in over 2000 years," Luna admitted. "I'm not sure if I remember how to use it."

Ribbon's ears drooped. "Oh..."

Luna had begun mixing in some provided chocolate powder when Ribbon suddenly got an idea. "Oh! Your Majesty!" she gasped. "There's somepony I'd like you to meet!"

Luna had naught a chance to even drink her hot chocolate when Ribbon plowed right into her again, this time pushing her towards a window. It flew open for them... then closed itself right behind her. "Special design for pegasus variants!" Ribbon shouted over the rush of wind. "Lets us out, keeps the heat in!"

"I'd rather you let me DOWN!" Luna shouted back.

"Look, we're there already!"

Ribbon quickly went into a nosedive. Luna screamed, thinking she would land splat on the asphalt road. At that speed, immortality would be a curse. She closed her eyes...

... and nothing happened. In fact, she felt like she wasn't moving at all. She creaked one of her eyes open, finding herself standing on the street. She was in front of a shop, called Serendipity Sewing. Bordering the elegant logo were two ponies in parkas. And inside, she could clearly see Ribbon flying around, apparently pestering somepony. The door was open, and she could hear them. “Come on, Concordia, it’s Her Majesty Luna! Don’t you want to meet her?” Ribbon tried to convince that same somepony.

“I’m… I’m just afraid…” a quiet voice replied.

“Come on, chicken! She’s not going to deep-fry you!”

“I know somepony I’m planning on deep-frying…” Luna muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah! We went flying together just to meet you!”

“I’m… I’m still not sure…”

“Oh, come on!”

“Wait, wait, wait, no!”

It was clear Ribbon was trying to push that same pony. There was a struggle going on, that much was clear. Rolling her eyes, Luna simply let herself in, closing the door behind her.

Ribbon was trying to push another, much larger pony out of her position. She was ice-blue, like Night Flash, but her mane and tail were an earthy brown. It was clear that Ribbon was losing; the other pony was not only too large, she was clearly too strong. She was wearing a dress, but her front legs were noticeably muscular. If Luna didn’t know better, she would have mistaken her for a unicorn that worked out. “Greetings,” Luna said, breaking up the fight.

Both Ribbon and Concordia stopped. While Concordia froze, Ribbon tried to introduce her. “Oh Your Majesty I’m sorry I didn’t notice you there this is Concordia the first arion-…” she began to say, but Luna cut her off.

“The first arion?” she asked, holding out a hoof for Concordia. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Concordia tried to hide her fear of the lunar alicorn, in spite of the fact that she was less than a head shorter than her liege. It suddenly occurred to Luna that Concordia was most likely stronger than even herself; Ribbon failed to even budge her, while Luna was dragged around like a rag doll.

With either care, caution, or fear, Luna couldn’t tell, Concordia held out her hoof, and they shook. “It’s… an honor… Your Majesty…” she squeaked. “C-can I get you something?”

“Why not sew Her Majesty a parka?” Ribbon suggested. “She’ll need it up here!”

Luna was just about fed up. She opened her mouth to shout at her, but Ribbon caught the movement. “Oh, that’s right, I’ve gotta go clean out the toilets!” she made a very, very fast excuse. “See you later!”

With a burst of speed, she blew her way through the door. Luna and Concordia were alone in the shop. “… How do you tolerate her?” Luna let her formal tone slide.

“I… just do…” Concordia replied. “We shared a nursery, the three of us.”

“The three of you?” Luna asked. “Including Night Flash?”

“Yes… Did you meet him?”

“Yes,” Luna answered.

“Excuse me,” Concordia quickly ducked into the back room.

Luna could hear sparks of magic from the other room. Concordia quickly came back, carrying with her all sorts of supplies; cloth, artificial fur, thread, needles, and measuring tape, among other things. It was how she was holding them that impressed Luna. Tendrils of lunar energy were arcing from Concordia’s horn into the objects she was holding. Quietly, she put everything but the measuring tape down. “Please stay still,” she quietly requested, holding out the tape.

Luna stood upright, taking her jacket off and letting Concordia take her measurements. She couldn’t feel the sparks of energy from Concordia unless the measuring tape touched her. That was one of the reasons why lunar magic was so energy efficient; unlike solar magic, lunar magic had practically no runoff whatsoever. “Do you mind telling me about the arions?” Luna asked as Concordia wrapped the tape around one of her front legs.

“Um…” Concordia tried to tell her, but it was clear her tongue was tied. “We’re… a cross between earth ponies and unicorns.”

She began to measure Luna’s waist, but accidentally brushed against her hip, making Luna shudder a bit. Luna was a little ticklish, especially there, and she struggled to hold back a giggle. Concordia, on the other hand, nearly jumped out of her skin. “Your Majesty!” she squeaked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

“No, no, it’s alright,” Luna tried to calm the hybrid. “I’m just ticklish there, that’s all… You wouldn’t believe how many times Sis-er… um… yeah, Sister got me there.”

“She… did?” Concordia asked, giving Luna the impression that practically nopony thought that the Princesses actually had personal lives.

Luna opened her mouth, but suddenly, she realized something. She didn’t actually remember any of those tickle fights they used to have. She could remember that they happened, but no images came to mind, nor did she even trust those scant memories. She couldn’t even feel Celestia’s slick feathers across her waist anymore, nor could she remember that shortness of breath she felt in the aftermath. What was particularly jarring was that they were some of her happier memories, just them goofing around. “Yes,” Luna affirmed, trying to get her insecurity out of the way.

“Oh… I’m sorry anyway…” Concordia lowered her head.

“No, no, it’s not a problem at all,” Luna said. “Please, continue.”

Concordia continued in silence, draping cloth over her and expertly stitching each individual piece. Luna didn’t bother trying to start another conversation. She could easily tell that Concordia was too shy to even speak.

A couple of hours later, Concordia put the last stitch on Luna’s new parka. “Your new parka is finished, Your Majesty.”

Luna took a moment to admire Concordia’s work in the mirror. She was impressive; not a single stitch was either visible or out of place. Concordia had managed to make her parka fit perfectly, and it was decidedly warm. “Thank you, Miss Concordia,” Luna said as she reached into her parka, searching for something. “How much do I owe you?”

“That will be 100- um, 90 bits, Your Majesty,” Concordia seemed to correct herself.

Luna knew what she was really doing. She was trying to stay on her good side by cutting the price. With a small grin, Luna pulled out a hundred little gold coins. She knew that if ponies counted a sum that large, it would be normally after she left. “Here you go, Concordia,” she said, handing over the bag.

Luna had forgotten something about her own lunar magic. Unlike solar magic, it could be used to measure, not just manipulate. The second Concordia took it, she instantly noticed something was wrong. Ten bits were withdrawn from the bag, and hovered in front of Luna. “Your change, Your Majesty.”

With an extended hoof, Luna refused. “You deserve to keep it. I know few better seamstresses than you.”

Concordia was genuinely surprised. “Oh, um… thank you, Your Majesty,” Concordia said. Luna, again, couldn’t tell if it was a gasp or a sigh of relief.

“You’re welcome.”

Luna emerged from the shop. By now, night had fallen. She was still a little overtaken with the idea that she met the first of three new species in the same day. And yet, Celestia said that they might hold the key to her memory, but she only unlocked one memory; when she first showed off her lunar magic. Then again, Luna knew patience all too well.

Her eyes wandered to the massive structure the whole city was built around. Night Flash worked there, maybe he had some answers. She was about to take off when a voice stopped her. “Princess Luna!”

She turned, to see the two black ops soldiers behind her, with the chariot. “Please, allow us,” one of them said as they both moved in front of her.

Gracefully, Luna got on. “Take us to Komodo University,” she commanded.

Without a word, they set off into the air.

The flight took less than five minutes. Luna stepped off onto the cold asphalt again, still glad she got her new parka. She could easily tell the two soldiers had begun to shiver. “Do you have any money?” she asked them.

“Yes, Princess,” they both replied. “Do you need it?”

“No,” she responded. “Go back to the street we came from. There’s a shop called Serendipity Sewing, and a young ari-…”

Luna stopped herself. She wasn’t sure they knew what an arion was. “A young unicorn with a blue pelt and brown hair will make you some more appropriate clothes. Ask for Concordia. I will reimburse you. Meet me back at the Velvet Hotel.”

“Yes, Princess,” they replied in unison, seemingly relieved that they could get out of the cold.

Luna moved out of their way as they flew off. She turned back to Komodo University. In front of her was a massive gate, which was wide open. Nopony was coming in or out, but she could see plenty of students and professors walking back and forth. As Luna went inside, she was quick to notice that none of them, as far as she could tell, were hybrids. Then again, most of them were adults, and Flash, the first pegacorn, was just below stallionhood. She took a couple of tentative steps into the main plaza, and then realized something.

She had no idea where Night Flash’s office was.

Luna looked around, hoping to see some type of directory. A voice piped up behind her. “Do you need something, Your Majesty?”

Luna turned to see a young, purple pegasus standing below her. He was surprisingly young, and was carrying a pair of saddlebags that were filled to the brim with papers. Luna wanted to assume he was a pegasus, but his leg muscles said otherwise; the colt was a chollima. The fact that he called Luna ‘Your Majesty’ tipped her off. “Yes,” she answered. “Do you know where Night Flash’s laboratory is?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he nodded. “Please, this way.”

Luna expected him to take off into the air. Instead, he simply began trotting to the eastern section. She followed him, her long legs allowing her to catch up with no effort whatsoever. Or so she would like to believe. For such a young pony, this colt was an abnormally fast walker. “Please tell me,” she began a conversation. “You are a chollima, is that correct?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the colt nodded. “Most ponies either mistake me for, or blatantly call me, a pegasus, but I simply brush it off and let them have their fun. It matters not to me.”

“Aren’t chollima hyperactive?” Luna asked. That fact had not gone unnoticed by her.

“Not me,” the colt replied. “I was once, but I calmed down ever since. Even still, however, it takes a lot of restraint for me to stay like this. I have to let it out once in a while.”

“How?” Luna wondered.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty… do I look like the type of pony who would go snowboarding?”

That was the last thing she expected. “No…” she answered. “In fact, I would think you had no interest in sports whatsoever.”

The colt grinned. “It is, for all intents and purposes, a requirement of being a chollima. Either that, or we cause mass destruction.”

Then he realized something. “Oh, heavens. I failed to introduce myself.”

He stopped, and held out a hoof cordially. “My name is Illusion. I study law here at Komodo University. It is an honor to serve you.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Illusion,” Luna shook his hoof.

They continued on their way as they entered the Princess Mi Amore Cadenza Center of Biomedical Research. “Cadence has a building named after her here?” Luna slipped as they entered through the double doors.

“All princesses do, Your Majesty,” Illusion explained as they went through a second pair of double doors.

The inside was massive. It was built around a central, open space, and reached at least ten stories high. In the middle was a statue of Cadence, standing proud and tall. “You should see yours, Your Majesty,” Illusion beamed a little. “One is in the main courtyard. The other is located in the Her Majesty Luna Center for Mechanical Design.”

“Fitting,” Luna admitted. She loved the mechanical sciences; that must not have been lost on Celestia. “And what about Princess Celestia?”

Illusion began to lead her up flights of stairs. “That would be the Princess Celestia Center for Mystical Research,” he answered.

Makes sense, Luna thought to herself. She was always... interested in the magical arts.

They reached the fifth floor. “Flash’s lab is on this floor,” Illusion said. “I would be careful as you enter, Your Majesty.”

“He has a tendency to throw icicles at intruders?”

“… Yes, Your Majesty.”

They stopped in front of a door that had tinted glass on it. Luna could feel a cold breeze drifting under it. “Refrigeration?” Luna wondered. “I thought this building was for biomedical research.”

“It is,” Illusion answered.

Illusion knocked on the door. There was no reply. “Professor Flash?” Illusion called through the door. “Her Majesty is here to see you.”

The door creaked open, and a blast of cold air rolled out, making Luna’s dark coat stand on end, parka or not. Night Flash came out, as if his lab wasn’t a degree colder than the rest of the building. “Good evening, Your Majesty,” he greeted coolly. “I trust you are settled into Komodo City?”

“Yes, I am,” she responded. “Although I disapprove of your friend Pink Ribbon.”

“I never was too fond of her myself,” Flash responded. “Please, come in.”

Flash moved aside, to allow Luna in. Luna was very surprised; the lab was nothing she expected it to be. She knew for a fact that most labs were cramped, but Flash’s was spacious. He had placed all of his equipment in a neat row in the back. She didn’t need to look to tell that every machine was designed for multiple purposes, giving Flash some measure of efficiency. What she did notice, though, was that Flash had brought a bed into the lab. “You live here?” Luna asked.

“I have no home of my own,” Flash answered.

Luna could not help but become curious. The chief geneticist of Komodo University was homeless? “What happened to your parents?” she asked.

Instantly, the room got much colder. Luna could see the anger in Flash’s face at the mere mention of his parents. Luna looked down to see ice forming at Flash’s hooves. Was that the subject that would end in me getting skewered? Luna thought. “… Nevermind,” she tried to defuse him. “So, tell me about how hybridization works.”

Wordlessly, Flash stepped away, his hooves snapping free of the ice his anger generated. A spark of magic shot forward from his horn, leaping towards some files. Pulling it over, he began to explain, "Hybridization is a delicate process," he explained. "Junk DNA must be pulled out-"

Luna suddenly lost concentration. She felt that same pressure in her head, from when she first met Ribbon. Her vision began to blur, and she held a hoof to her head as the pain increased. She could see Flash tilt his head and say something, probably asking about her, but she couldn't hear him. Her vision eventually blurred into something else as images forced themselves into her head...

In a well-lit room, Luna was hard at work doing something to a vial of red liquid. Purple electricity, lunar magic, was shooting from her horn into the test tube. Celestia came in, with a tray of food. Luna's favorite; mashed potatoes with gravy. There were a couple of moon pies next to it. "Luna?" Celestia asked as she set the tray down.

In surprise, Luna dropped the vial. It clattered onto the desk, but as it was corked, nothing came out. "Is that... blood?" Celestia asked.

Luna sheepishly grinned, turning to her sister. "It was a donation," she explained awkwardly.

Celestia had always been a little queasy around blood, even her own. Luna knew that all too well, and quickly put it away. "You've been here for three days," Celestia said. "I know the... what was it again?"

"Hybrids."

"I know the hybrids mean a lot to you," Celestia continued, "but please don't let them consume you. I'm wondering if I even have a sister."

Luna lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Tia," she apologized. "I... I've been a little crazy about making the hybrids, especially after seeing your ponies spreading all around the world these past 500 years..."

Celestia nuzzled her, to Luna's surprise. "I know how you feel," she tried to comfort her. "And your work is noble; there is no question about it. To be honest... I cheated a little. I created the ponies out of magic. But you chose to make your own ponies, out of science."

Luna smiled. "You never held much faith in science."

"I never truly understood it," Celestia admitted. "How do you do it?"

"In everything that's alive, there's something called DNA," Luna explained. "It's basically the organism's unique blueprint. That's why no two ponies are the same, and why foals look like their parents."

"And you're trying to manipulate these blueprints?" Celestia asked, sitting down.

"Yeah," Luna responded. "There's a specific part of DNA that controls what species a pony is born as."

Luna pulled out a scroll, this time using solar magic, and unrolled it. All Celestia could see written on it was lines of seemingly random As, Cs, Gs, and Ts. To Luna, however, they were a puzzle she was trying to solve. "These are the lines of code that result in earth ponies," Luna explained. "The vial I was staring at had pegasus blood in it. Blood has a full copy of a pony's DNA in it."

"And you're trying to discover that code?" Celestia asked.

"Yes," Luna replied. "I have to sift through and compare a lot of code, in an attempt to isolate which gene does what. This is the twenty-fourth sample I've tested, and I've burned through less than half of the control's DNA."

Celestia's head began to swim. "How much DNA does a pony have, anyway?" she asked.

Without a word, Luna reached into a drawer, pulling out one of the thickest scrolls Celestia had ever seen. With a flick of magic, she let the scroll unwind, falling to the floor. It landed with a thump, and Celestia moved out of the way to let it continue. It rolled out the door and down a whole hallway, falling off a balcony. Celestia's jaw fell with it. The scroll was covered in those As, Cs, Gs, and Ts as well, but hundreds more of them. "I'm amazed I managed to find out what the earth pony code is in two days," Luna admitted. "I still need to decode pegasus and unicorn DNA."

"Now I know why you sealed yourself away for three days straight. Have you been sleeping in here?" she asked.

"No," Luna responded. "I went to bed this morning."

"You've worked for two straight days?" Celestia nearly gasped.

"Yeah..." Luna admitted. "I didn't feel sleepy."

Celestia smiled. That was the exact excuse she would use if she was procrastinating on her own political work. "Come on, silly filly," she said, picking up Luna magically. "Your kingdom awaits."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Luna struggled as she was lifted off the ground, her limbs flailing.

Celestia took the tray with her as she carried Luna out. With a quick spark of power, Luna quickly rolled the giant scroll up, spinning it at an incredible speed as it snapped back into place. "You're sitting at the table with us," Celestia grinned.

Luna smiled back, blushing. She was getting sick of that room, anyway.

Luna was suddenly pulled back to reality when she felt the cold touch of ice on her sensitive flank. "Eep!" she gasped as she literally jumped, landing with a thump.

She looked back up to see Night Flash with a blunt icicle held magically, and another pony she didn't recognize. He was a cobalt blue, with alternating stripes of dark blue and cyan in his mane and tail. He was wearing a white jacket, too, and his cutie mark was a red cross. Immediately, Luna pegged him as another arion; his size gave him away. "Are you alright, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Yes... I think I am..." she sighed, getting up. "What happened?"

"You collapsed midway through my explanation about hybridization," Flash explained. "I had to lift you onto my bed. Honestly, I thought you were having a seizure, Your Majesty."

"No, no..." Luna sat up straight. I should tell them, she thought to herself. "Do you know the reason why I am here?"

Flash and the other pony exchanged glances. "I am suffering from... a loss of memory," she explained, lowering her head. "My memories have begun to slip away... my happiest ones. Princess Celestia suggested I come here, to see if the hybrids can help restore my memories."

Again, they exchanged glances. "MRI?" the blue pony asked Flash.

"That and a blood test," Flash added. "We don't have enough information as to the cause. It could be pathological for all we know, not neurological."

"I'll prepare the open air machine," the blue pony offered. "I don't think Her Majesty's horn is going to fit in the usual MRIs."

He quickly trotted out of the room. Flash, on the other hand, reached into a drawer and pulled out an empty bottle with a needle on it. Luna instantly knew what it was for. "Should I mention that I've never had a needle poked into me before?" she asked.

"There is a first time for everything, Your Majesty. Now please, stay still."

Luna lay on her back as a mobile table slowly pushed her into a ring-shaped machine. Her flank still felt really uncomfortable, like there was still something inside of it that shouldn't be there. She also had to be shaved just to put a bandage on it. In short, it was embarrassing.

Luna's head was soon surrounded by the machine. "We're beginning the scan, Your Majesty," that blue-coated pony informed her. "Please stay still."

I'm going to kill the next pony who says that to me, Luna thought.

The machine began to hum. Luna thought that she would feel at least some form of magical interference, but she felt nothing. The machine was simply humming around her. I take it back, Luna thought. This isn't that bad. Shooting Star lives.

As quickly as it began, the machine suddenly stopped humming, and the table retreated, pulling her with it. Shooting Star poked his head into the room. "Scan's complete, Your Majesty!" he reported, coming in. "Let me help you off that."

"Thank you, Shooting Star..." Luna replied as the arion helped her down, acting as a stepping stool. Luna was quick to notice how Shooting Star held up against her weight, not that she was fat. Arions were truly the children of earth ponies and unicorns.

"Please, call me Comet, Your Majesty," Comet insisted. "It's not as much of a mouthful as Shooting Star."

"Very well, Comet," Luna conceded. "So, do you know what's wrong with me?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm an undergrad," Comet apologized. "A medical professor needs to see the MRI scans before a diagnosis can be made. Your blood tests will also take a while, sometimes as long as 24 hours."

“Oh…” Luna sighed. “Is there anything else that needs to be done while we wait?”

Comet leaned slightly. “Um… I’m not sure.”

Then, he realized something. “Oh, right! There’s something I think you should see while you’re here. It might help with your memories. Did Professor Flash tell you?”

“… about what?” Luna had to ask.

“… oh, right, level 20 security matter, can’t say over a magically-transmitted letter,” Comet sighed sarcastically. “Doesn’t he have any faith in his own magic?”

That clicked in her head. “Oh, that,” she realized. “Yes, I would like to see it. It is almost insulting that Professor Flash is too afraid to let even Princess Celestia know of it.”

“And…” Comet sighed, losing his positivity, “with good reason. Its codename is Apotheosis. Please, come with me, Your Majesty. I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

“Here we are, Your Majesty.”

The two of them were standing in front of a pretty large townhome. It was one of the older buildings, but it was clear that somepony was sprucing it up, as it wasn’t so gray. “Can’t say I like the newer apartments,” Comet commented. “Stone is the way to go. Nice and warm.”

Comet pulled a key from his pocket, but the door opened by itself. “Princess Luna!” a blue unicorn greeted, emerging from the warm house. Luna was quick to assume that she was Comet’s mother. “Please, come in!”

“Thank you,” Luna replied as Comet’s mother moved aside for her.

Luna ducked her head to avoid the top of the door frame. She would never get used to civilian structures. In Celestia’s case, she had to teleport into buildings instead. “Can I get you anything, Princess?” Comet’s mother asked, with a grin that seemed… too wide. Luna, again, was no empath, but it was clear that Comet’s mother was clearly quaking in her boots.

“No thank you,” Luna replied.

Comet walked over to his mother and whispered something. Instantly, her eyes went wide. “I’ll go get her,” she replied, trotting off.

“Her?” Luna wondered, looking at Comet.

Comet didn’t get a chance to respond. Instantly, a cobalt blue blur, like the color of Comet’s own coat, came bounding down the stairs. It came directly to a stop right in front of Luna, turning out to be what looked like a little pegacorn filly. Her mane and tail were curled extremely tight, for some reason. “Hi!” she grinned, clearly oblivious to Luna’s status.

“Twinkle,” Comet warned as his mother came down. “This is Her Majesty Luna, Princess of Equestria. You should call her that.”

“She is?” Twinkle looked at Comet with confusion, then back at Luna. “Don’t you normally wear a lot more tech on you?”

“Twinkle here is referring to the statues of you in the university,” Comet explained. “Have you seen them?”

“No…” Luna admitted. “A chollima told me about them, though.”

Suddenly, Twinkle jumped up, and hovered in the air ever so briefly with her wings. This gave Luna a chance to look her over. She had wings and a horn, and here, pegacorns had wings and a horn. The odd thing out was that pegacorns’ legs were atrophied. Hers weren’t. “Let me go get Blaze! She’ll be so happy to see you!” she offered.

In a flash, she was off, dashing back up the stairs. “… You took me here to show me your little sister?” Luna growled, thinking she had been duped.

Wordlessly, Comet pulled out some sort of device, with a glass pane on it. Although he simply looked like he was staring at it, clicking sounds were coming from it. Luna realized that he was operating the device using magic. He turned it around, showing her a message on it. She couldn’t believe what he wrote on it.

DO NOT REACT. MY LITTLE SISTER IS APOTHEOSIS. THE FOURTH ALICORN OF EQUESTRIA.

Instantly Luna knew the gravity of the situation. Why Night Flash was so hesitant to send that information in a letter. Why Comet claimed that he’d be killed for revealing their secret. Why his mother was so scared when she laid eyes on her. “Are you going to take her?” Comet’s mother whimpered.

Luna shook her head. “She is not going anywhere,” she declared.

The tension in the corridor practically disappeared. Luna could see Comet’s mother’s legs go weak. Tears began to well up in her eyes. It was clear that years of stress and worry were lifted off her. “T-thank you…” she tried to hold down her sobbing.

Comet seemed equally relieved. “Please don’t tell her,” he said as he helped her mother into the living room.

Luna nodded as they trotted away. Her attention turned to back up the stairs. She took light steps as she walked up them, remembering a moment where a flight collapsed on her. There were days she hated being an alicorn.

Luna came up to the second floor. She could hear sounds of activity coming from down the hallway, from a room with its door ajar. “Come on, Twinkle, you need to dress up for the Princess!” another voice said, amongst sounds of protest and struggle.

“Ow ow ow! Stop! That hurts, Blaze!” Twinkle replied.

Luna nudged open the door to see two fillies struggling with each other. Twinkle was the victim of another filly, this one with an absurdly long mane and tail, who was trying to put her in a dress. Luna coughed, causing them both to stop where they stood. “Oh, um… Good evening, Your Majesty?” the long-maned filly, who Luna assumed to be Blaze, greeted.

“Good evening,” Luna smiled.

The two of them instantly untangled from each other. “What brings you here, Your Majesty?” Twinkle asked.

Twinkle had a point. It was… rare, to say the least, for a princess to visit a civilian home. “I’m here to visit the hybrids,” Luna half-lied, sitting down at the little table in the middle of the room. “I once tried to create them, but I couldn’t.”

Blaze and Twinkle looked at each other, then turned their attention back to Luna. “How are hybrids made, anyway?” Twinkle asked.

Luna smiled. This would be an interesting night.

As the stars twinkled in the night sky, there was only one soul in Komodo University, Night Flash himself. He was waiting for a centrifuge to finish spinning when he heard a loud crash. He didn’t even flinch as he looked up. “What in Her Majesty’s name is that?” he wondered as he left the room.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a portal of flame opened, and out came what looked like a pegasus… with wings on fire. It trotted over to a nearby set of filing cabinets, and tried to open one of them. It only clattered against the lock. Seemingly desperate, it suddenly breathed a quick burst of fire, melting the lock immediately. Quickly, it began to sift through all of the folders, before pulling one out.

PROJECT APOTHEOSIS

Capitulum II: The Rebel and the Servant

Thick clouds hung over the quiet town of Ponyville, blocking out Celestia’s sun. The overcast had hung for two days now, and had not moved an inch, even after a furious assault from a very annoyed Rainbow Dash. In fact, at the current moment she was flying in a wide circle, faster and faster, in an attempt to budge the clouds through sheer wind speed alone, but making sure to be careful. The last thing the ponies needed was a tornado in the middle of town to make their day worse. “Agh, I give up!” Dash declared to nopony in particular as she glided down from the overcast, her brow sweating and her white tank top almost soaked through.

Dash came to a soft landing on the town library’s balcony, which also served as Princess Celestia’s top student’s home, fittingly enough. Said student, Twilight Sparkle, came out of the library, with her assistant, Spike, by her side. What immediately caught Rainbow Dash’s eye was that she had a harness on, connected to a wagon filled with Celestia knows what kind of equipment. It looked odd against her purple uniform. Curious, she leapt down. “First time I’ve seen you do physical work, egghead,” Dash playfully jabbed. “What’s the occasion?”

Twilight turned to meet the sweat-soaked athlete’s eye. “I’m going to study the overcast, Rainbow Dash,” she replied, ignoring Dash’s comment. “If a whole army of pegasi can’t move it, maybe it’s due to something else.”

“And how are you going to get up there?” Dash asked with a grin. “It’s not like you want to ride me.”

Twilight squinted in annoyance. “No,” she confirmed. “Not unless you take a shower. I’m going to send up weather balloons instead.”

“I still wish I could ride them,” Spike admitted.

“You popped three of them already,” Twilight reminded him.

Spike’s face betrayed no amusement whatsoever, matching the same squint Twilight had. “Let’s just go,” he tried to shift the conversation.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar from the sky… not the roar of a beast, but the roar of an intense fire. The two ponies and one dragon looked up, surprised, to see four large arrows of flame burst out of the overcast. All of them were headed straight at the trio. “Inside! NOW!” Twilight shouted.

A quick spell, and she unhooked herself from the wagon, dragging Spike with her as she dashed into the library with Rainbow Dash. None too soon, either, as the first arrow smashed right into the wagon, completely destroying the wagon and equipment. “No!” Twilight shouted from inside the library, her priorities a little skewed. “I spent nearly twenty thousand bits on those!”

The arrow quickly bounced off the wreckage as the others followed it, and then began to circle the library, as if it was trying to lose them. As if it was alive. They began to spin, faster and faster, around the library, causing Twilight to panic a little. “They’re going to set the library on fire!” she cried.

“I got this!” Rainbow Dash called, about to burst through the window, when suddenly, a portal of fire opened in the library, making her, Twilight, and Spike jump.

From it emerged… a pony? A pegasus, by the looks of it, but save for one thing. Her wings were on fire. She quickly pressed herself up against a bookshelf as she spotted the other arrows of flame stop outside, peering around the corner. The fires vanished to reveal three more pegasi with wings on fire. One of them barked a command to the others, and they split up, flying in different directions. The mare watched as they flew off. She quickly turned to meet the trio’s eyes, and bounded towards them. “Hide me!” she hissed.

Rainbow Dash quickly noticed something. This mare was obese. Yet, somehow, she was capable of outflying three athletic pegasi. She even had two tails! If there were a pony stranger than Pinkie Pie, this was it. Spike, on the other hand, noticed something else. One of the pegasi were peering through the window. It was fortunate that this fugitive was hidden under an overhang. “Watch out!” Spike hissed, grabbing the mare by her apron and trying to throw her in a nearby closet.

“Oomph!” she heaved as she got caught in the sides of the door.

Twilight also spotted the pegasus, and tried to help Spike, pushing the large pegasus with as much magic power as she could. Eventually, she went in with a small “pop”, and Spike slammed the door. The pegasus in the window spotted them. Twilight and Spike quickly pressed themselves against the door, with large, innocent grins. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, rooted herself against the ground, ready to spring at him. The pegasus gave Rainbow Dash a glare before dashing off, turning back into an arrow of fire as he and his compatriots went back into the overcast. The trio waited for a few tense seconds. “... They’re not coming back, right?” Spike broke the silence.

A knocking came from inside the closet. Spike opened the door to see the large pegasus tumble out, gasping for air. “Phew...” she sighed.

“Alright!” Rainbow Dash barked, flying over and getting a little... too close to her face. “Who are you, what are you, and what are you doing here?!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded her. “Give her a break! She just got away from those... whatever they were!”

“Haizum.”

By now, the pegasus on the floor had regained her breath. “We’re known as the haizum,” she repeated.

She got back up on her hooves. “My name’s Cream Puff,” she introduced herself. “I’m sorry for scaring you like that. I had to get away with them as fast as I could.”

“Doesn’t that hurt?” Rainbow Dash had to ask.

“Doesn’t what hurt?”

“Your wings.”

“Oh, no,” Cream shook her head. “They’re spiritual flame. They don’t consume my wings, and they burn cold.”

Cream did a quick flap of her wings, and almost immediately, they went from aflame to smoldering. “Anyway, I need your help,” she shifted the conversation, her voice a little tense. “I had to get this away from the other haizum.”

Cream reached into her apron, pulling out a file that had ‘SECURITY LEVEL 20’ stamped onto it. On the tab, it read ‘PROJECT APOTHEOSIS’. “I stole this from a city far to the north,” Cream explained. “They were after it. Our queen felt a strong magical disturbance a few years ago, and this is the source of it.”

She handed it to Twilight. “What is it?” Twilight asked, afraid to open the file. Twilight knew her security level very well; it was three. Princess Celestia had to bail her out when she once accidentally got her hooves on some knowledge classified as level four. It was dark magic.

“A fourth alicorn.”

Everything stopped for a moment. “WHAT?!” Dash and Spike both shouted in disbelief.

Twilight wasted no time. She didn’t care if she would be banished to the moon for it; she opened the file. Inside was a personnel file, among other things, but this one was for a filly named Twinkling Star. The file included a photograph of her face. She had a tightly-curled mane, which reminded Twilight of Pinkie Pie, all tied up by a bowtie like Apple Bloom’s, and a goofy grin on her face. She quickly began reading the Notes section.

SUBJECT, CODENAMED APOTHEOSIS, IS UNAWARE OF HER TRUE SPECIES AND THINKS OF HERSELF AS A NEW TYPE OF PEGACORN. SUBJECT IS TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED AND HER GROWTH DOCUMENTED; AS THE ONLY REMAINING ALICORNS ARE PRINCESS CELESTIA, HER MAJESTY LUNA, AND PRINCESS CADENCE, NOT ONLY IS SUBJECT A PRIME SPECIMEN FOR ALICORN STUDIES, BUT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN DURING HER GROWTH. SUBJECT HAS ALREADY EXHIBITED EXTREME MANE AND TAIL GROWTH CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF PRINCESS CELESTIA AND HER MAJESTY LUNA, BUT INCONSISTENT WITH PRINCESS CADENCE, LIKELY BECAUSE THE DONOR FOR HER ALICORN DNA IS PRINCESS CELESTIA. SUBJECT’S OLDER BROTHER HAS VOLUNTEERED TO TEACH HER LUNAR MAGIC, THE ONLY MAGIC SHE IS PERMITTED TO LEARN; SUBJECT MAY BECOME SUSPICIOUS IF SHE DISCOVERS SHE IS CAPABLE OF SOLAR MAGIC. IF SUBJECT DISCOVERS HER TRUE SPECIES, SUBJECT MUST BE ISOLATED FOR HER OWN PROTECTION, REGARDLESS IF SHE IS CAPABLE OF KEEPING SILENT. IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT SHE IS INCAPABLE OF EARNING A LUNAR CUTIE MARK; STEPS MUST BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT SHE EARNS HER MARK WITH NOPONY PRESENT. ONLY FOUR CITIZENS ARE AWARE OF HER STATUS AT THE TIME OF WRITING; NONE HAVE CLEARANCE NECESSARY. THEY ARE GRANTED SPECIAL ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

Twilight looked back up. “Is this… for real?” she asked.

Cream nodded. “I didn’t believe it at first either,” she admitted. “I was making a large delivery to the palace when I overheard a conversation. We were going to kidnap her.”

“What for?” Spike had to ask. “She doesn’t even know she’s an alicorn.”

“… There’s more than just the haizum that the Holy Races don’t know about,” Cream began to explain. “There’s also the sleipnir and the kelpies, and… we’re at a cold war with them.”

She then tapped the file with her hoof. “We wanted her as an asset in the war. If we had her, and she unleashed her power against them…”

Cream shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about it. Not to mention a little filly shouldn’t be exposed to that stuff, let alone take part.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. This was serious. “Spike, take a letter.”

The city of Canterlot was bustling now. Although nopony could tell, thanks to that hated overcast, it was midday. A group of colts were playing by the largest fountain in the city, which was adorned with a grand statue of Princess Celestia. One of them was bouncing a small rubber ball, when it bounced off a broken cobblestone. It fell into the water. “Oh shoot!” the colt cursed. “Mom’s going to bite my head off!”

He leaped onto the edge of the fountain when, suddenly, the ball began to levitate, rising out of the water, much to the colt’s surprise. It wasn’t glowing, either. Then, slowly, a tidy, leaf-green mane began to stick out of the water… then a horn… then finally, another colt’s head. The two stared at each other for a couple of seconds, and then the colt in the water asked, “Is this your ball?”

“Y-yeah…” the dry colt responded. “Isn’t it a bit cold for a swim?”

“It’s never too cold for a swim,” the wet colt responded. “Anyway, did you see any haizum around here?”

“Haizum? What are those?” the dry colt asked.

“Nevermind,” the wet colt dismissed.

He then ducked his head back underwater, and came leaping out. The colt and his friends’ jaws dropped; the wet colt was no average pony. He had fins. In fact, he was half-fish. What was even stranger was that the water leapt out with him, as if sticking to his body.

Naturally, he caused a panic. The ponies around him dropped everything and ran from this beast, screaming. He seemed to just float in the air, the water floating with him, as if he was floating in the water. He simply watched as everypony around him ran, seemingly unaccustomed to this reaction. Shrugging, he began to swim off towards the Canterlot Palace.

He didn’t get very far. Seemingly out of nowhere, at least twenty Royal Guards pounced on him. It looked like a scene from a hoofball game, and the only thing visible of the poor colt at that point was his limp tail fin.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I bring you grave news. Four ponies arrived in Ponyville today. Well… more like charged in screaming. One of them was on the run from the other three. I gave her shelter after she managed to lose them. She had recently betrayed her own race, a species we know nothing of. They call themselves the haizum. The haizum were after something she stole, which would help them in a cold war they are embroiled in, against two other species we know nothing of, who she calls the sleipnir and kelpies. She had stolen a level 20 file from a city far to the north. I’m sorry, but I had to see what was inside, and needless to say, I was very shocked, and I can see why my… guest had to betray her own species. I haven’t included the file for safekeeping purposes, but I’d like to know more in the event that there’s more that I can do to help. I’d like to request a royal audience at your earliest convenience.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

P.S.: Spike and Rainbow Dash read the file as well. I couldn’t stop them.

Celestia stared blankly at the letter for a couple of seconds. It wasn’t often that you hear something like this from one of your students. What bothered her even more was that there was no way she could have dreamed up those details; a level 20 file from a city deep in the frozen north. That sounded too familiar.

Her thoughts were interrupted when there was a loud thump as the throne room doors opened. Celestia’s eyes widened slightly as she saw what the guards were bringing in; a half-fish, half-pony, chained by his fins. “Princess Celestia!” the lead guard reported. “This beast was rampaging around the Canterlot Fountain.”

“Beast?” the fish-pony asked, rather innocently. “I’m not a beast.”

Princess Celestia raised her eyebrows in skepticism. Her guards had a tendency to overinflate their reports; she always thought it was the testosterone. “You are all dismissed. Leave this… beast with me, and unchain him,” she commanded.

With a bow, the guards unchained the young colt and trotted off. He flopped to the floor. “Wait!” he called, seemingly desperate.

The guards stopped. “I need water!” he pleaded. “I can’t move without water!”

The guards looked at each other. “Go get him a tank,” Celestia ordered.

“Actually, I just need a bucket,” the colt corrected, unaware of who he was talking to.

“Whelp!” the lead guard shouted, stomping the colt’s head into the ground. “You will refer to Princess Celestia with the proper respect!”

Princess Celestia had other thoughts. “Get off him!” Celestia ordered. “It is clear this young colt is foreign to our knowledge, and we foreign to his. I will forgive his insolence. Bring our guest a bucket of water immediately.”

The guard lifted his hoof off of the young colt, and with a bow, trotted off. “What is your name?” Celestia questioned.

“P-Parhelion…” the colt replied, his head still ringing from being stomped on. “My name is Parhelion.”

“What brings you to Canterlot, Refraction?” Celestia continued, lowering her tone to a less authoritative one.

“I...” Parhelion shook his head quickly, as if trying to realign his brain. “I bring a message from my queen. My race needs help in a cold war. We spotted one of our enemies flying here, chased by some of his own. I was sent to make sure that we beat him to it, so that we can preserve ourselves and our way of life.”

Celestia’s eyes brightened at the mention of a “cold war”. “… Against who?” Celestia asked.

“The sleipnir and haizum,” Parhelion replied, “two other races of pony.”

That did it for Celestia. The letter finally made sense. “… There’s somepony I think you should meet,” Princess Celestia said, taking out a new parchment and a quill.

The Ponyville-Canterlot line slowly ground to a halt, the whistle blowing. Out from one of the cars came Spike, looking up. “I swear, there are times I miss living here,” he admitted.

Grunts of effort came from inside the train. Spike turned back around to see Twilight and Dash struggling to pull the unconscious Cream Puff from the train. “She’s… heavy…” Twilight wheezed, all of her magic being used in conjunction with Dash’s strength.

“Tell me about it!” Dash strained, carrying Cream on her back.

Dash, despite only carrying her for half a minute, gave out and dropped her. She ended up falling on her head, which ended up waking her up. She shot upwards, blinking and taking a look around her. “… where are we?” she asked.

“We’re in Canterlot, the capital of Equestria,” Twilight replied. “You fainted as soon as we mentioned an audience with Princess Celestia.”

Cream Puff’s eyes went wide again. “… How long have I been out?” she asked.

“A full hour,” Dash rolled her eyes.

“I know ponies love Princess Celestia, but I’ve never heard of ponies fainting at the mention of her,” Twilight admitted as they made their way through the station.

Cream stopped. “… She’s our goddess,” she explained. “The haizum worship her.”

Twilight, Dash, and Spike stopped, in surprise. “My home… The Holy City, it’s filled with statues of her,” she continued. “Honestly, I didn’t even think she existed in the mortal realm.”

Then, her eyes widened in realization. “I’m not dead, am I?”

The three exchanged glances again. “Um, no,” Dash cocked an eyebrow.

Cream sighed in relief, although her eyes said otherwise. “Come on, the Princess is waiting,” Twilight reminded them all as they began trotting towards the palace.

Twilight quickly noticed something. Normally, when she arrived, most ponies ignored her as they went about their business. This time, though, they gave her scared looks as they avoided her. Twilight gave a quick look to the others, just in time to hear a colt shout, “FIRE!”

That colt grabbed a bucket of water and threw it onto Cream, drenching her. Her wings of fire still remained lit, though, and she was clearly very annoyed. “They don’t hurt,” she growled at the colt.

Cream then inhaled deeply, and with a sharp exhale, she instantly lit up, becoming a tiny little inferno. Everypony around her screamed as they ran away for the second time today, not wanting to be barbecued. Cream emerged from the dying flames, her clothes and coat dry. “We should hurry up,” Twilight stated.

A few minutes later, the three ponies and dragon were standing in front of the majestic throne room door. Twilight and Rainbow took a step towards the door, but Cream shrunk back a little. Rainbow took notice. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m… about to meet Her Holiness Celestia… who we worship…” Cream punctuated, a little shaky. “Are you sure I’m not dead?”

Twilight nodded again. “What makes you think that?” she had to ask.

“One of our beliefs is that when we die, we are allowed to live again with Her Holiness in the immortal realm, the Holy Realm,” Cream explained. “But if this isn’t the Holy Realm, then…”

Cream was interrupted by a loud clang. The doors slowly opened, revealing the throne room, and Princess Celestia, clad in her regal white robes. Cream’s jaw fell… not at seeing her goddess, but at who was in front of her.

Parhelion. A kelpie. Her worst enemy.

Cream seemed to switch gears almost instantly. Her face twisted in what looked like anger, and she inhaled, with an open mouth.

In her mouth, a fireball formed, and with a sharp exhale, she launched it at Parhelion.

Fortunately, the colt had gotten his bucket of water earlier. He quickly wrapped the water around himself, and swam out of the way, lightning-quick. He was fortunate; the fireball exploded where he was floating a second ago, leaving a large burn mark and a few errant fires. “Don’t hurt me!” Parhelion pleaded as he dove underneath the throne, his quaking tail fin the only part of him visible.

Cream leapt into the air, but Rainbow Dash didn’t let her. For once in her life, she was the one doing the tail biting, and grabbed one of them. Twilight got the other as they restrained her. Princess Celestia, however, used a skill nopony knew she even had.

“ENOUGH!”

The whole castle rumbled with the sound of her voice. Everypony was so shocked, even Rainbow Dash nearly had a heart attack. Cream coughed out a tiny fireball she was charging up, and Parhelion had stopped trembling; he thought he was dead. “I will not permit violence in my own throne room!” Celestia boomed. “Now, land!”

Cream carefully landed on the floor. “You are a haizum, is this right?” Princess Celestia questioned.

Cream’s jaw fell. “You… didn’t know?” she gasped. “Didn’t you create us?”

This time, it was Princess Celestia’s turn to be confused. “I’m sorry?” she cocked an eyebrow.

“Didn’t you create us to battle the sleipnir and kelpies?” Cream asked. “And… what happened to your wings?”

Princess Celestia spread her regal wings, inspecting them. As far as she could tell, not a single feather was out of place. “Aren’t they supposed to be on fire?” she asked. “Like ours?”

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged another glance. “I’m sorry…” Princess Celestia finally admitted. “In my five thousand years of life, you are the first haizum I have ever seen.”

Cream’s jaw fell again. “You… but…” she stammered, clearly unable to comprehend what she just heard.

Twilight stepped forward and gave Cream a tap on the shoulder. “Why don’t you tell us your side?” she suggested.

“Well… It’s really long. I mean, it would take days for me to recite everything I know…” she admitted.

Then she caught herself. “… everything I knew…” she corrected herself, lowering her head in grief.

It was clear that Cream had gone straight to depression. “It’s okay,” Twilight tried to comfort the haizum, but she didn’t know what to say.

Princess Celestia then got up from the throne, and walked over to Cream. Cream looked up, to meet the eye of her goddess… and quickly bowed back down, but weakly. Princess Celestia then did something nopony expected.

She nuzzled the little haizum gently.

Cream, shocked, nearly fell over. “It’s okay,” Celestia repeated. “Everypony gets something wrong at some point. Plenty of ponies get a lot wrong, too.”

She then looked up at Twilight. “Twilight?” Celestia asked. “Year 2752.”

Twilight instantly let the academic beast out. “Year 2752, commonly referred to as the Year of Stupidity. A scholar named Ditzy Hooves managed to publish a paper just after Celestia’s Birthday which appeared to disprove most common knowledge, replacing it with nonsensical logic such as two plus two equals muffin. Somehow, ponies throughout Equestria took this information to be true, resulting in many failed construction projects, horrible gadget prototypes, and even pharmaceutical issues, with magic being the only thing Professor Hooves could not mess up. Princess Luna had to publish her own paper disproving Professor Hooves’, and it required until her own birthday to repair the whole fiasco.”

Next to her, Dash lay on the floor drooling, smoke gently rising out of her ears. The whole display brought a smile to Cream’s face. “Hee hee hee…” she couldn’t help but giggle.

Behind Princess Celestia, Parhelion slowly floated over, cautiously. Cream, noticing him, quickly took a battle posture again, but a glare from Princess Celestia stopped her. “Why are you so hostile to this young colt?” Princess Celestia asked.

“… The haizum believe that the kelpies are agents of Discord, here along with the sleipnir to conquer and corrupt the mortal realm,” Cream explained. “It is our duty to defeat them and Discord.”

“What are you talking about?” Parhelion asked, with similar confusion. “I don’t know any Discord.”

“You don’t even know your own creator?!” Cream nearly shouted, in surprise.

“I was born like any other colt,” he missed the message. “I know who my parents are.”

“She means do you know who created the kelpies?” Spike clarified.

Parhelion shook his head. “I’ve been to the Seahorse Town Library plenty of times. There’s nothing about us there.”

“Maybe there’s something about them in the Canterlot Library!” Twilight nearly jumped in excitement.

“Twilight?” Princess Celestia stopped her. “I don’t think there are any books about the kelpies.”

Twilight did a face fault. “Ugh…” she sighed.

“Anyway,” Princess Celestia began again. “This is a very serious issue. I will not grant aid to any war, but I will divert all of my efforts to bringing peace between the races.”

Cream’s jaw fell again. “Your Holiness… We’ve been at it for millennia,” she stated.

“I have handled worse,” Princess Celestia assured her. “Tell me about the race not present… what were they again? The sleipnir?”

Far up north, at the very edge of Komodo City, a young mare stood at the rim of the ice crater, wrapped in many cloaks. From underneath those cloaks poked six pink hooves. “I hope Chocolate was right…” she said to herself in a slight accent. “I hope Cream Puff is here."

Capitulum III: A Quick Heart to Heart

Light...

That was all that went through the lunar princess' head as she slowly opened her tired eyes.

She blinked them. A high morning's sunbeam was poking its way through the blackout curtains, assaulting her sleepy face. Magnets will fix that... she thought to herself as she turned back around, but the damage had already been done.

Sleepy, Luna sat up in bed. She had slept really well, but, as to be expected of the princess of the night, she was not exactly a morning pony. "What time is it...?" she wondered, looking over at the nightstand.

On it was her Smart Monocle, which she had invented just before she became Nightmare Moon. A spark of solar magic, and it floated over to her face, affixing itself to her ear. The readout at the bottom read "10:34PM". She didn't normally wear it, seeing as the guards were fearful of it for some reason, but here, it didn't seem like that much of a problem.

Luna rolled out of bed, landing gracefully on her hooves two at a time. Almost on instinct, she went straight for the bathroom. She flicked on the lights, and instantly had to shield them. "Ugh..." she sighed as her eyes got used to the fluorescent light.

Once she was no longer blind, she lowered her hoof and examined the counter. On it was a rather thick toothbrush, and some sort of dispenser with "Toothpaste" printed on it. Picking the toothbrush up magically, she looked it over. It had a single button. Luna pressed it, causing the toothbrush's bristles to start vibrating, with a soft whirr. "Fascinating..." Luna muttered, turning it off.

She then looked over at the dispenser. Curious, she poked it magically. Toothpaste squeezed out, falling onto the counter. "Ohh..." she realized.

Poking it with her toothbrush, a pea-sized amount came out, evenly sitting on top of the toothbrush. "Why didn't I think of these earlier?" Luna wondered as she got to work.

A few minutes later, Luna came out, her teeth quite literally shining, and dressed in her famous blue dress. "They must use something stronger than fluoride..." she thought to herself as she trotted over to the kitchen.

She was about to open the fridge when there was a knock on the door. "Oh, coming!" Luna called, trotting over.

She opened the door to see Pink Ribbon standing there, a cart by her side, with the all-too-familiar covered plate on it. "Good morning, Your Majesty," Ribbon bowed, surprisingly sullen.

That did not go unnoticed by Luna. "Did something happen?" she asked as she stepped aside, letting Ribbon in.

"Yes..." Ribbon bowed as she wheeled the cart in. "... There was a break-in at Komodo."

"A break-in?" Luna's eyes widened.

Ribbon nodded. "Flash's office was robbed."

Perhaps even faster than Ribbon herself, Luna made her way for the window. "Keep that warm for me!" she instructed as she leapt out the window, grabbing the parka Concordia had sewn for her yesterday.

Spreading her night blue wings, Luna glided towards Komodo's campus. There were plenty of secret things Night Flash was responsible for. She simply hoped that Twinkle wasn't compromised.

Below her, a young, cloaked mare spotted Luna. With a hoof, she pulled out... a doll? It looked a lot like Princess Luna, but the doll's wings were red. "Is that... Luna?" she wondered out loud, and gave chase.

Luna was flying into the Komodo campus. The mare was about to make it through the gates, but was stopped by a white hoof. She looked up to see another mare, a pegacorn, as young as her. The white mare had a burning gaze... and a mace chained to her tail. "Who're you?" she demanded.

"A traveler," the cloaked mare explained. Under her cloak, she curled up two legs... two extra legs.

"New here?"

"... Yes."

"You know where the immigration office is?"

"Immigration?" the cloaked mare tilted her head in confusion.

"... You're moving here, right?"

"Oh, no... I'm just passing through," the cloaked mare lied.

Passing through in the frozen north?, the pegacorn wondered. "... You should go to the immigration office anyway," she finally said. "Go into the Administration Building, and head to the third floor."

"Thank you," the cloaked mare bowed, and walked off... but towards the Cadenza Center, where Luna had gone through the main doors.

The pegacorn, now downright alarmed, quietly followed.

"This is unbelievable! Outrageous!"

"Calm down, Flash," an authoritative stallion told the panicking scientist as Luna came up the hallway.

"I will not calm down!" Flash barked, pointing a hoof at him. "A level 20 file was stolen! Twenty! The thief has probably already left Komodo by now!"

Luna's eyes went wide. "Flash, listen, I know you're freaking out, but I doubt the thief has gone far. Most pegasi can't leave Komodo by air anyway, the winds are too strong," the stallion tried to calm Flash. "Her Majesty got in because we remotely calmed the winds to let her in."

"Excuse me..." Luna made her presence clear, making the stallion jump.

"Your Majesty!" the stallion bowed.

Flash clearly did not care about courtesy at the moment. "Larceny!" he cried out. "Your Majesty! That file Shooting Star told you about was stolen!"

Luna's eyes could not have gone wider. "Oh no..." Luna gasped.

She barged right by Flash to take a look inside his office. The first thing she noticed was that the sole filing cabinet in his room was slightly melted... but nothing else was out of place. "Has anything else been stolen?" Luna questioned.

"No, Your Majesty," Flash shook his head.

Luna took another look around. Her horn began to glow, and from it, a small beam of light emanated, shining onto the filing cabinet. From the melted lock, small tendrils of energy flittered around, bouncing around at sharp angles. "That's not a type of magic I've seen before..." Flash admitted.

"It's not solar magic..." Luna thought to herself. "Nor does it seem like lunar magic..."

Suddenly, Luna felt... tired. She blinked, but all that did was make her vision swim, everything fading out of focus. Luna felt her legs grow weak... but, for some reason, quickly snapped out of it. "Ugh..." she moaned, shaking her head.

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Flash asked.

By now, the cloaked mare had arrived, poking her head through the door. Luna was the first thing she spotted... then the burned lock. "Only a haizum can do that..." she gasped.

Luna's and Flash's heads turned to her. "Who are you?" Flash growled. Luna could tell that Flash already suspected this mare.

"A-a traveler," she repeated, a little caught off by Flash's hostility.

"Some traveler you are!"

The cloaked mare jumped in surprise. Behind her was the same white pegacorn that stopped her at the gate. "I'm glad I followed you. You're stalking Her Majesty, aren't you?" she accused the cloaked mare of.

"Knockout Punch," Flash began. "Who is she?"

"Buck if I know," Knockout shook her head, not noticing a disapproving glare from Luna.

Suddenly, her horn began sparking with energy, turning everypony's heads. Luna simply looked up, cross-eyed, at her horn... which promptly materialized a scroll. She caught it as it fell to the ground, and opened it.

My dearest sister Luna,

I will be joining you in Komodo City, along with Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie within a few hours. Two visitors came to the castle today. They were of a species of pony that I have never seen before; one identified herself as a haizum, while the other identified himself as a kelpie. They have requested my assistance in ending a cold war between their species and a third, whom they called the sleipnir. The haizum, Cream Puff, described the sleipnir as six-legged ponies with the strength to move mountains. Only the haizum know about Komodo City, but I was hoping to use Komodo as a forum so that the population of Equestria does not know about the warring ponies. How they found out, not even Cream Puff knows.

Tia

She looked back up at the cloaked mare. "... Did you mention something about haizum earlier?" she asked.

She got no reply. The cloaked mare took a step back... and ran. "Hey!" Knockout shouted, swinging the mace on her tail at her.

Artfully, the mare dodged it with a sidestep, as if she had been avoiding maces for all of her life.

Her cloaks were not so lucky.

They got caught on the mace's spikes, and with a loud rip, came right off her, exposing her for all eyes to see.

And they were all shocked.

The cloaked mare had six legs. She was one of the sleipnir Celestia mentioned! Realizing she was busted, she ran even faster, closing her eyes as she began to sprint. However... she felt no motion. Opening her eyes, she realized she was running on thin air, suspended by solar magic. And behind her, Luna, clearly not very happy. "You have a lot to tell us," she declared.

A few minutes' flight away from Komodo City, a large, almost limousine-like carriage was being pulled by a team of six black ops pegasi. Inside were Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, her assistant Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, who had her face plastered to the window, as if looking for something, with a Cheshire Cat grin on her face. "... Okay, why did we bring Pinkie again?" Dash whispered into Twilight's ear.

"Because the Princess thought she would help out a lot with the peace talks," Twilight quietly answered. "You know, after our visit to Appleloosa?"

The two exchanged glances. Neither of them had the heart or courage to tell Princess Celestia that Pinkie's methods had backfired so badly it triggered the battle everypony was trying to avoid. It was fortunate that Princess Celestia wasn't looking; she had taken an interest in Pinkie. "What are you looking for, Pinkie Pie?" Celestia asked, looking over Pinkie's head.

Pinkie pried her face off the glass, stretching her nose until it came off with a cartoonish 'pop'. Shaking her head slightly, she replied with her usual grin, "I'm looking for the Crystal Empire! I can't wait to see it again!"

Celestia gave Pinkie a look of confusion. "I'm sorry?" she asked. "What is the Crystal Empire?"

"Wha-?" Pinkie asked. "It doesn't exist in this timeline either?"

"Timeline?" Celestia wondered, now hopelessly confused. "What are you talking about?"

All eyes were focused on the two now. "You don't remember the old timeline either?!" she gasped, shocked. "You sent us to the Crystal Empire in that timeline to save it from King Sombra!"

Celestia turned in her seat fully towards Pinkie. "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie..." she apologized. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

Pinkie's jaw practically hit the floor. She tried to say something, but no words came out. "Princess..." Twilight tried to pipe up. "Pinkie claims that she's lived in an alternate timeline before."

Celestia looked back over at Pinkie Pie, who still stood there in shock. "... Pinkie Pie," Celestia began. "Perhaps you can tell me more about this alternate timeline of yours?"

"Sure!" Pinkie agreed, suddenly becoming bouncy again. "Back in the-"

There was a knock on the window, interrupting her. One of the guards had disconnected himself and was flying alongside the carriage. Celestia opened the window and stuck her head out. "ETA is five minutes to landing, Princess," the guard informed her.

"Thank you," Princess Celestia replied. "Landing site is Komodo University Airstrip."

The guard saluted, then quickly got back to his post. "Look!" Spike suddenly called.

All of the ponies moved over to look through the same window Spike was. Outside was the grand Komodo City. Twilight and Rainbow's jaws were on the floor. Cream, on the other hand, scooted back slightly, while Parhelion simply looked down with his usual curious look. "Ooh!" Pinkie nearly squealed. "Is that it?!"

"Yes, Pinkie Pie," Celestia confirmed. "Welcome to Komodo City."

The carriage began to descend as they approached the campus. Down there was a large black strip of asphalt. Ponies were scurrying around, turning on bright lights, which the guards aimed for. Everypony braced themselves, but came to a calm landing. "Whoa..." Twilight sighed. "Never had a landing this smooth."

"Tell me about it," Rainbow sighed.

The door opened, and Celestia let herself out, followed by the other ponies. Coming out of a nearby double door was Luna, who immediately spotted Cream and Parhelion. "Luna!" Celestia greeted, almost jovially, but maintaining her formal tone.

Luna didn't respond. She was still trying to process seeing the haizum and kelpie. "Luna?" Celestia repeated, snapping her out of her stunned state.

"Oh, um, Celestia," she blinked. "Are those two the haizum and kelpie you mentioned?"

"Yes," Celestia nodded.

She motioned for Cream and Parhelion to come over. "This is Cream Puff," she introduced as the haizum bowed deeply, almost shocked herself.

"And this is Parhelion," Celestia continued as the kelpie also bowed.

"It's a... pleasure to meet you both," Luna said.

"Your Holiness," Cream bowed even deeper.

Luna couldn't help but be surprised at Cream's level of politeness. For some reason, she began to feel light-headed again... "Luna?" Celestia asked, knocking her out of it.

Gasping quietly, Luna shook her head. "Sorry," she apologized. "I haven't been feeling well."

"Is it the cold?" Celestia smiled. "I warned you."

Luna nodded no. "We have something else we want to show you. This way."

Luna brought the group to the door of a medical office, with a one-way window. Knockout Punch was standing outside, at attention. "Your Majesty," she bowed, not even flinching at seeing Cream and Parhelion.

"At ease," Luna ordered.

Inside was the pink sleipnir, who had developed a severe cold. Cream put her hooves on the door to get a better look... and instantly went white. "What're they doing here?!" she gasped, stepping back.

"I have no idea," Luna admitted. "All I know is that she was following me. Then she got sick, and lost her voice."

"She should have it back by now, according to Shooting Star."

All heads turned to Flash, who had just recently arrived. "Princess Celestia," he bowed to her.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Night Flash, chief geneticist of Komodo University," he reintroduced himself. "We have spoken via letter."

"... I didn't expect you to be so young," Celestia admitted.

"Most ponies don't, Princess," he added. "I'd like to get us all up to speed on the situation."

"Yes," Celestia agreed.

She motioned for Cream and Parhelion to move forward. "This is Cream Puff and Parhelion," she introduced again.

Night Flash's eyes went wide at seeing the haizum and kelpie. "... What is your project ID?" he demanded.

"Project ID?" Parhelion asked, confused. "What's that?"

"They are not one of Komodo's many projects," Celestia stepped in before Cream could say anything. At least, it seemed like she was going to say something.

She wasn't.

With a loud heave, she sneezed, a huge blast of fire coming out of her mouth. Even though Flash didn't see it coming, he felt himself move faster than he could think. Instantly, a wall of ice formed between them, from Flash's horn, protecting him from the searing blaze. His eyes went wide, not just from surprise, but realization.

When the flames died down, having melted the wall of ice, Flash's burning gaze was centered on Cream. "You're the thief," was all he said.

"... I'm sorry?" Cream smiled uneasily.

Flash instantly lunged at Cream, horn sparking furiously. "I'LL SKIN YOU!" he shouted.

Cream, frightened, took a step back before charging up a fireball. "Stop it!" Celestia shouted, getting in the way of them both.

With a magic shield, Celestia took the brunt of both attacks, with Flash slamming into it with a blood-curdling crunch, making everypony except Celestia wince. He fell to the floor, dazed but clearly unharmed. "We have more pressing matters," Celestia declared to him. "I'm going in to talk with your visitor."

Still a little dazed from the impact, Flash lifted his badge with an arc of lunar magic, holding it by a black panel next to the door. Beeping, the door clicked open. "I love those, I swear," Luna admitted.

Celestia was about to enter when Cream quickly grabbed her hoof. "Your Holiness..." she implored. "Please don't go in. The sleipnir are the most violent ponies known to both realms. They will not think twice about killing you."

"Twenty-five years ago, the sleipnir lead a violent assault against the kelpies," Parhelion added in, floating over. "Seven hundred fatalities at minimum. We were very nearly wiped out."

Cream looked over at Refraction with fear, clearly realizing that the haizum weren't wrong about that. "... I think I can handle one," Celestia decided.

Pushing the door open, Celestia ducked down, squeezing through. These doors were more designed for Luna... she thought.

The pink sleipnir looked up, a small dribble of snot running out of her nose. "Hello," Celestia greeted, sitting in front of her. "What's your name?"

"A... aaa..." she opened her mouth, to try to speak.

Celestia leaned in a little, curious. "Aaaaa-" she gasped.

Her eyes widening, Celestia realized what was about to happen. "ACHOO!" the sleipnir sneezed.

Celestia threw up a barrier just in time. Something lethal flew out with her snot.

Lightning.

With a loud bang, it bounced off Celestia's barrier right into the ceiling, leaving a nasty looking scorch mark. Celestia was most definitely shocked, and lowered her barrier. "I'b sowwy..." the sleipnir apologized, her voice warped by her cold. "I can'b help but bischarge..."

"It's alright, my little pony," Celestia nodded, almost laying down to see eye-to-eye with her. "What is your name?"

"Sweeb Heawb..." she responded.

"Sweet Heart?" Celestia confirmed.

"Yeb, m'laby..." Sweet Heart nodded. "Bough mosb ponieb call be Aimee..."

"It's nice to meet you, Aimee," Celestia greeted again. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria."

Aimee's eyes went wide at the mention of "princess". Quickly, she leapt off the table, landing at Celestia's feet with a deep bow. "No need for that, my little pony," she stroked her mane. "Where are you from?"

"De Stone Fowbwess..." she responded, clearly having missed the cue for her to stand back up.

"Stand up, Aimee," Celestia commanded. "I can't hear you."

Aimee quickly stood to attention. "The Stone Fowtwess, m'laby," she responded, trying to fight the cold's effect on her voice. "Faw to the west."

"What brings you here?"

"I followbed a haizum flyinb eabt," she explained. "On owbers fwom m'lord."

"A haizum flying east..." Celestia repeated, looking back to the door.

Though she couldn't see through the door, Luna could, and could clearly hear her. "Go on in, Cream Puff," she ordered.

"What?!" Cream breathed, shocked.

"Go in," Luna repeated, lowering to meet Cream's eye level. "Celestia will keep you safe."

Luna was no expert on emotion, but Cream was clearly quivering in her skin. "... Yes, Your Holiness," she finally said.

Cream slowly creaked the door open, catching Aimee's eyes. She froze in the door. "Is this the haizum you mentioned?" Celestia asked Aimee.

"... Chocolabe?" she asked. "Whab awe you doinb hewe?"

Cream blinked. "Chocolate? As in Chocolate Puff?"

"Yeb..." Aimee nodded. "You musb be Cweam Puff, wighb?"

"How do you know my sister?" she demanded, ignoring her question.

Aimee opened her mouth to answer... but stopped. "Aaa-... Aaaaah..." she began.

Celestia stood between Cream and Aimee, and just in the nick of time too. Up came Celestia's barrier, protecting them both, from another glob of snot and lightning bolt.

"EEP!"

Celestia looked down at Cream, who had stumbled over, trembling. The once brave and headstrong whistleblower had been reduced to a pile of quivering jelly by a lightning bolt. Celestia could tell from her eyes, her fearful eyes, that she had grown up and lived on the fear of sleipnir, and the hatred of kelpies. "I'b sowwy..." Aimee apologized, sniffling.

She wiped her nose with a nearby handkerchief. "Chocolabe Puff anb I meeb ofben, ab nighb," she began to explain. "She cabe to be one nighb, cwying bewwibly, anb bold be you had bebwayeb be haizum. I bold m'lord, who owbeweb me bo follow you."

Aimee paused for a second. "Be..." she finished. "Be wanbs peace."

Cream seemed to do an emotional 180. She quickly went from a quivering wreck to a pony of mass destruction. Blowing right by Celestia, she instantly rammed right into Aimee, who gasped in surprise. "He wants peace!" she shouted. "King Stoneheart, ruler of the violent and genocidal sleipnir, wants peace! I've heard crazier horseshit back home!"

She then began to shake the poor sleipnir violently. "What else are you lying about?" Cream demanded, her face burning with anger. "What have you done to Chocolate?!"

"Cream Puff!" Celestia shouted, but Cream wasn't listening.

"Nobing!" Aimee tried to defend herself. "Look!"

Aimee quickly pulled something out of a pouch on her clothes, which made Cream stop. It was a little doll of Luna, but with red wings... seemingly on fire. "She gabe bis bo be," Aimee hastily explained. "Be bould have burneb ib obewise!"

Cream froze. She reached out and took the doll with her hooves, propping herself against the table. She turned it over, quickly looking at the front left hoof, which had signs of being sucked on. Aimee was right about one thing, though; it was unscratched, apart from the hoof. "This IS Chocolate's..." she gasped to herself.

"Bhe's back ab be Holy Ciby..." Aimee explained. "Sabe and sownb."

Cream could only stare at it in disbelief. "I will let you rest," Celestia declared, picking up Cream magically and walking out with her.

Back outside, Celestia let Cream flop onto the floor. However, she accidentally let go in such a way that she tumbled onto her head, with an audible "bonk". "Ow!" she sighed, getting back up with a visible lump on her head. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry, Cream," Celestia tried to force down a smirk.

"What happened in there?" Twilight asked. "All we could hear was the lightning that sleipnir fired off every time she sneezed."

"Like me and party favors!" Pinkie shot up in front of Twilight, making her jump.

"You sneeze into party favors?" Rainbow had to ask.

"It turns out she was following Cream Puff, not Luna," Celestia explained before Pinkie had a chance to start talking. "And it appears that she and her lord do not want to continue this war."

"I still think she's crazy," Cream shook her head.

Celestia glared at Cream, who instantly backed down. "Everypony get some rest," she commanded. "I have plans for our visitors tomorrow. Doctor Flash?"

"With all due respect, Princess, I lack a doctorate," Flash, who had just gotten back up, responded.

"Professor Flash," Celestia corrected herself. "Will you please come with me?"

"Yes, Princess," Flash bowed.

Celestia trotted off, with Flash following quickly. "Princess Luna?" Twilight asked the lunar princess. "I'm sorry, but... I still don't feel like I'm following everything. Not everything was explained to us on the way here."

Luna smiled. "I've only known you for about a year," she admitted, "but I know very well you are discontent with ignorance. Where do you want me to begin?"

"Allow me, Your Majesty," Knockout interrupted, saluting. "I know Komodo City the best out of anypony."

Luna looked over to her, and nodded. "Cream, Parhelion," she ordered. "I'd like you to remain with me."

With a quick nod, Knockout led the three ponies and dragon away. Luna looked back down at Cream and Parhelion. "Would you mind... telling me more about yourselves?" she asked. "Who you are, what you are? I'm very fascinated, and Princess Celestia didn't tell me much."

"Well..." Cream began, but an incessant thumping interrupted her.

The three remaining ponies looked over just in time to see a cobalt blur slam right into Cream, with a sickening crunch. "Thief!" it shouted.

Cream didn't hesitate to fight back. With a burst of fire a dragon would be proud of, she launched her attacker off her. A medium rare Comet landed on the floor with a pretty hard thud. He quickly got back up, stomping his hooves on the floor and leaving visible cracks in the linoleum. "What the hell were you thinking?!" he shouted.

"If you'll stop trying to kill me, I'll explain!" she shouted back.

"Explain to my hoof!" Comet retorted, again charging at her.

He was stopped by a sudden jolt of searing pain coming from his flank, and collapsed to the floor. Right next to him was Luna, with a sparking horn. "I quite like this... 'taser' spell," Luna admitted. "I should use it more often."

"Your Majesty..." Comet gasped, still in pain. "Who gave you that spell?"

"Your little sister Twinkle," Luna smiled.

"I'm going to rip her wings off..." Comet grumbled.

"Wings?" Cream asked, cogs turning in her head. "... Are you the brother of the alicorn?"

"Yeah, I am..." Comet hissed, clearly struggling to get back up. "You're after her, aren't you?"

"NO!" Cream snapped back. "I'm trying to keep her safe!"

Luna and Parhelion looked at each other. "We will leave you alone," Luna declared, trotting off with Parhelion in tow.

That just left the downed Comet and the apprehensive Cream in the middle of the abandoned hallway. "Look, I'm sorry I stole the file, but if I didn't, a bunch of haizum would have fried you and taken away your sister, you got that?" Cream rattled off at Comet. "Here's your Luna-damned file back!"

She took out the file from the front pouch of her apron and dropped it in front of Comet. "You haven't thrown it in a copy machine, have you?" he asked.

Cream tilted her head in confusion. "What's a copy machine?" she asked.

"Nevermind..." Comet grumbled.

Still in pain from the taser spell, Comet forced himself to his feet. "Why didn't you tell anypony?" Comet demanded, glaring at Cream.

"You think I could?" Cream glared back. "Three big burly soldiers chasing me. Doubt you'd stand a chance against them."

As if insulted, Comet smashed his hoof into the floor again, leaving a visible crater. Cream recoiled a bit. "... I wish I knew about you earlier," she backpedaled.

"You didn't?" Comet asked, confused.

"I don't even know your name," she added, "and look at that damned file. It only talks about your sister, not you. It doesn't even mention you! Doesn't even have her name!"

"... Alright..." he grumbled. "How the hell did you get in, anyway? Professor Flash hardly sleeps."

"Like this," Cream smirked.

Instantly, she went up in flames, promptly disappearing. Jaw dropping, Comet looked around. "What the buck just happened!?" he gasped.

"Boo."

The huge arion jumped, surprised. Cream was right behind him. "Teleportation," she explained. "Still not sure how it works."

"But... that's not possible..." Comet gasped. "You're not a unicorn. You're not even a unicorn variant!"

"We thought it was a gift given to us by Celestia... but she doesn't even know who we are," Cream admitted.

Then she realized something. "... We worship Celestia," she added.

"Oh," Comet's brain clicked.

"Anyway, do you know anywhere I can live?" Cream asked. "I've got no gold, no home, nothing but the clothes on my rump after keeping your sister safe."

Comet thought for a moment. "Let me talk to someone quickly."

Comet pulled out his cell phone, which Cream eyed with curiosity. Tapping a few keys on it, he turned away from Cream and held it up to his ear. "Hi, Mom," he said into it. "... I've got something to ask you. Mind if someone stays over for a few days? ... Well..."

Comet looked back over at Cream. "... It's the thief. Turns out she stole the file to keep it safe. ... I know. I already gave her a thrashing."

Comet's face twisted in grief and embarrassment from something his mother added. "Do not mention that again, Mom," he warned. "I'm not proud of that moment of my life."

He continued to listen into the phone. "... Okay," he nodded. "Alright."

Tapping the call end key on the phone, he put it away. "Right... You're coming with me," Comet said, glaring.

Cream blinked. "Huh?"

"Mom wants to see you for herself," Comet explained. "And she wants you to see the rest of the family too. You nearly killed my dad, you know?"

Cream blinked again. "What did I do this time?!" she groaned, exasperated.

"The whole family freaked out when we heard you stole that file," Comet continued. "He's got a heart condition, and you nearly sent him into cardiac arrest."

"What's cardiac arrest?"

Comet squinted. "You've never heard of a heart attack before?"

"Nope," Cream shook her head.

"When a pony's heart stops suddenly, while they're alive?"

"Look, I grew up in the Holy City," Cream retorted. "We don't exactly have slabs of stone that let us talk with others across cities!"

"It's not stone, it's plastic!" Comet fired back as they walked away.

"What's plastic?"

"Aaargh!"

Flash entered his office, with Celestia closing the door behind herself. As she did, though, a loud thump echoed through the building, causing the whole lab to shake. "What was that?" Celestia asked, concerned.

"Shooting Star, most likely," Night Flash responded coolly. "He and the other arions tend to do that when they're frustrated. We are lucky Concordia is extremely difficult to anger."

"Speaking about anger..." Celestia glared at Flash. "Why did you hide Project Apotheosis from me?"

"I intended to show it to you upon your next arrival, Princess," Flash stood up straight. "Comet took the time to introduce Apotheosis to Her Majesty Luna."

"You told me it existed, and yet you still hesitated to tell me then," Celestia retorted. "Magic mail is perfectly safe, and yet you refused to believe me!"

"Incorrect, Your Majesty," Flash responded.

"What do you mean, incorrect?" Celestia demanded.

"Over the past few years, Komodo City has had a rash of letter interceptions thanks to our increase in technology and the introduction of lunar magic," Flash explained.

He took out his cell phone, similar in model to Comet's. "That is why these were invented. Information is transmitted at the speed of sound, roughly 1125.50 feet per second, and they are already difficult enough to intercept. By contrast, solar magic travels at a measly 120 feet per second. I had already informed you in our correspondance. Do you not remember?"

"... Now I do," the solar princess admitted, realizing she had been outsmarted by a colt. "But why?"

"... why what, Princess?" Flash had to ask, his facial expression betraying no confusion.

"Why did you go and create another alicorn?" Celestia asked.

Flash suddenly tensed up, a motion Celestia did not miss. "Research, Princess," was Flash's quick answer. "All three princesses are off-limits for study, as you may imagine. It was hard enough acquiring a sample of your mane. I cannot thank you enough for that."

"And you went and cloned me!?" Celestia nearly shouted.

"No, Princess," Flash responded. "I only inserted 3% of your DNA into an unfertilized egg."

"She was born from an egg?" Celestia missed the point.

"No, Princess," Flash answered. "An egg is the female sex cell, one of two components necessary to create a foal. We are not talking about a chicken or dragon egg."

"But even still, it's a flimsy reason," Celestia switched back to the original subject. "Research? Why go that far simply for research? In the process of research, you gave a little child godlike power! This is too far even for Luna, and I know it is a line you will not cross without a very good reason."

She gave Night Flash a glare that would silence a dragon. "Now, tell me," she commanded.

From experience, she knew that simply glaring at a pony would make them submissive to her, instantly. But Flash... Flash didn't even flinch. He simply stared right back, silent. To an onlooker, they may as well be having a staring contest. Finally, though, he relented. "Debts," he responded, to her surprise. "I owe two ponies my life."

"And how does turning a foal into an alicorn pay those debts?" Celestia asked.

"I wish not to go into detail for personal reasons," Flash confessed. "Comet saved my life once, seven years ago. And even still, I feel as if I have not repaid him yet."

"So who is the other pony?"

"I wish not to reveal that," Flash repeated. "It was a moment in my life I will forever loathe myself for."

Celestia glared again, her upper lip stiff. "Intimidation will not work on me, Princess," Flash stated, his face still as flat as ever. "Even death fails to cow me."

"And why does it?" she demanded.

"I've stared it in the face."

Celestia stood there for a second. "... I will confess that I was shortsighted when I began Apotheosis," he finally admitted.

"You're getting away with a lot here."

Flash finally blinked. "... I'm sorry, Princess?" he asked.

"I will let you go, but do not do this again," she ordered. "Do not hide such things from me, no matter how much you fear the world knowing."

"... Yes, Princess," he bowed.

"But know this..." she smiled.

Flash looked up. "I'm glad you made another alicorn," she continued, her voice wavering slightly. "... It's been so long since an alicorn was born."

"... Are you fighting tears, Princess?" was Flash's only response.

Celestia stopped. "... Yes," she replied, her eyes twitching to stop her tears.

"The birth of the fourth alicorn has yet to be celebrated," he added. "And yet it still cannot be celebrated, knowing the danger she is in."

"I know," she finally straightened up. "I would have done similar to what you have, locking up her identity even to its owner."

She turned to go for the door. "I'm going to rest," she announced to him, on her way to trot out.

"Princess," Flash stopped her. "I have not had an opportunity to prepare lodging for you. I have only notified the Velvet Hotel of Her Majesty Luna's arrival."

She looked back, with a grin. "That won't be a problem."

Celestia trotted out, leaving behind a dumbfounded Night Flash.

"Are you sure about this, sister?"

Celestia trotted in behind Luna, into her penthouse. "Why yes, Luna!" she said, closing the door behind her. "Even with you back, we still spend too much time apart!"

"... Indeed we do," Luna admitted.

"This was just like when we were fillies, do you remember?" Celestia asked.

Luna's ears twitched in confusion, as she took her tiara off. "What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"When we would sleep together in a cute little ball?" Celestia's own ears twitched in concern.

Luna shook her head. "I wish."

"Aww," Celestia moaned. "... How is your memory, by the way?"

"We still don't know the cause," Luna admitted. "Comet told me that there's been a delay in my tests, the results should arrive tomorrow."

"Do you remember anything?"

"... Yes, actually," Luna nodded. "I remember... two things."

"Oh?" Celestia perked up. "What do you remember?"

"... Do you remember all the way back, when I first created lunar magic?" Luna asked.

"Oh, yes!" Celestia almost cheered. "There are days I still can't believe it. I'm glad you taught me a bit, otherwise Komodo would have been impossible."

"... I did?" Luna had to ask.

"Yes, you did," Celestia confirmed. "How did you do it again...?"

Celestia closed her eyes and began to focus. Her horn began to spark with purple lightning ever so briefly, but then stopped. "I never really got how you do it..." Celestia admitted. "Pulsing magic is so much harder than weaving it."

"It helps if you start slowly, the rhythm is more important than the speed," Luna suddenly blurted out.

In surprise, Luna covered her own mouth. "... Where did that come from?" she wondered.

Celestia only smiled. "You're remembering more," she realized.

Without warning, Celestia suddenly hugged Luna, taking her by surprise. Luna didn't return it, far too shocked.

The hug was the last thing on Luna's mind, though, when Celestia yet out a lion's yawn. "Oh dear..." she sighed, letting go. "It's getting late."

"It's only 10:12PM," Luna replied.

"Still a late sleeper?" Celestia grinned, taking off her dress.

"... Yes," Luna nodded.

Celestia kicked away her dress, and turned back to Luna. On her chest was a huge diagonal scar. Luna quickly looked away; she knew full well who caused that scar. Celestia caught the motion. "... Still worried about that?" she asked.

"I might hurt you in the night," Luna answered, wishing she never had to say that.

Celestia went and flopped onto the bed. "You know... I'm more likely to hurt you in the night," she responded. "Last pony that tried to sleep with me got a nasty hole in his flank."

Celestia raised her head, remembering something. "Oh, that's right... I was driving him out."

Luna couldn't help but let a smile out. "Come on, I don't think it's going to happen again," Celestia tried to encourage her.

Gingerly, Luna climbed into bed with her sister. "Just like the old days, isn't it?" Celestia snuggled up to Luna.

Luna opened her mouth to speak when suddenly there was a sharp crack.

And they fell.

The four-poster bed suddenly collapsed on the two, under the alicorns' weight. When the dust cleared, the two found themselves buried under the ruins of the bed. "Ouch..." Celestia moaned. "I thought these beds were tougher..."

"They weren't meant for two, Tia..." Luna responded.

The door suddenly burst open as a familiar pink blur charged in. "Your Majesties!" Pink Ribbon shouted, lifting the debris off them with some effort. "Are you alright?!"

"Yes... We're fine," Luna responded. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to get you some cots?" she asked. "The hotel went and ordered some arion-sized cots if those would work for you."

"No thank you," Celestia shook her head, dusting her mane off. "We'll just take the carpet."

"The carpet?" Ribbon had to ask.

"Yes," Celestia replied with a grin. "It's not like beds were invented when we were born."

Luna looked over at Celestia, with a look of apprehension. Luna was no idiot, but she could tell Celestia was planning something. "... Yes, Princess," Ribbon bowed. "I'll clean up the mess immediately."

"Leave it for tomorrow, you seem tired," Celestia ordered.

"Yes, Princess," Ribbon bowed.

Instantly, Ribbon disappeared in a blur of pink, dashing out the door and closing it behind her. Celestia, on the other hand, flopped onto the carpet. "Well, come on. It's about time you started sleeping early," she invited.

Luna, for the second time, gingerly snuggled up to her. As the two fell asleep, Celestia slowly curled herself around Luna. Not trusting herself, Luna curled up defensively, trying to minimize herself.