Sunshine and Fire

Chapters

Chapter 2: Lay of the Land
Chapter 3: The Prisoner and the Slave
Chapter 4: Apple Underground
Chapter 5: A Twinkle in the Mind's Eye
Chapter 6: Lady of Liberty
Chapter 7: The Forgotten Princess
Chapter 8: Justice, Like Lightning...
Chapter 9: Overshadowed
Chapter 10: The Die Is Cast
Chapter 11: The Plan (Part I)
Chapter 11: The Plan (Part II)
Chapter 12: Shades of Grey Clouds (Part I)
Chapter 12: Shades of Grey Clouds (Part II)
Chapter 13: A Sick People (Part I)
Chapter 13: A Sick People (Part II)
Chapter 14: Daymares
Chapter 16: Keeping Chivalry Alive (Part I)
Chapter 1: Magic Mirror
Chapter 15: The Mare Who Would Not Be Queen

Chapter 2: Lay of the Land

Think. Think. Think!

Nopony was going to swoop to her rescue here – not Rainbow Dash, not the Princess, not even the Royal Guard. But even with frozen fear in her veins, Twilight knew that this was not the end. She still had her magic, and a few precious seconds of time.

She swiveled around her head to look up and saw the purple hide of her dragon companion flash in the corner of her eye. She hadn't even noticed the pain at the back of her scalp. Spike was hanging onto her mane for his dear life, yelping helplessly in the wind all the while, but that would avail him nothing once they hit the ground. Twilight had to think of something for his sake as well as hers.

She couldn't stop screaming even if she wanted to. The ground was looming, and she could see nothing but the sandy hills below and the sloping mountainside running along her fall.

A dozen different spells flickered through her mind. She could give a pony wings, but that required a clear and focused mind, and more seconds than she had. She could turn the ground below into water, but water could be as hard as rock at sufficient speeds. She could teleport, but the landing would be just as fatal wherever she moved herself.

Everything took too much time, and her time was growing ever shorter.

Think! she reminded herself.

The right spell was on her horn before she knew it.

When time was too short, she could lengthen it. Affecting its flow was beyond her, but changing her own perception of it was very possible. The magic burst out of her in a flash; the frantic motion all around them grew languid. Her descent seemed to slow down, but Twilight knew that this was only an illusion. It was still imperative to act fast.

She was suddenly aware of just how thick the air whistling past her felt, how it pushed against her snout and stomach. This gave her another idea.

If water wasn't soft enough to land on, perhaps air was?

There wasn't enough time for a transmutation, but there were others ways to manipulate substances. She reached out her telekinesis as far and wide as she could. She grasped the winds from all around her, and drew them tighter and tighter together. Holding onto it all was difficult – more difficult than anything she'd ever done, it seemed to her, even more difficult than lifting a star-bear – but willing the insubstantial mass to move was worse still. The pressure in her head was horrible, almost painful.

But it worked. The air was all aglow and flew to catch her at her own command. There was so much of it in such a small space that it was almost tangible. It felt a bit like stepping onto an impossibly soft cushion. Trying to balance awkwardly on nothingness almost broke her concentration, but she managed to hold on until she slowed down enough that she was no longer falling but floating.

She dropped to the ground like a sack of flour anyway when she released her hold on the spell. The gusts of wind flying apart blew up vast quantities of sand. The landing itself wasn't exactly gentle. Twilight tried to come down on her hooves, but quickly lost her footing. Another cloud of dust was kicked up when they bounced off from a hillside and rolled down and around and around and eventually slid to a crashing halt.

Every bone in her body ached and she'd swallowed more sand than she'd have liked to; her heart was still thundering in her chest, and she was certain that she'd just earned herself a headache from the strain – but it didn't matter. They were alive. She had done it! Twilight allowed herself a pleased smile.

Spike had managed to hold onto her during all this. Now he let go and rolled off, his chest heaving and his eyes wide open. Twilight was breathing heavily herself. Neither of them was in a hurry to get up. It felt good to lie back for a moment after the ordeal, so they waited for the torrents of sand to settle down.

"Are you all right, Spike?" asked Twilight.

Spike groaned. "There's little birds flying around my head."

"You're all right."

It didn't take long for Twilight to notice the heat. It was hotter than on the hottest summer's day she could remember; even Equestria's frontier lands, which she and her friends had visited on their trip to Appleloosa, were more temperate. The heat was positively oppressive. The air was dry and so warm that it was unpleasant to breathe. She was sweating profusely in mere minutes.

The sun was nowhere in sight, but a blinding glare was in her eyes where ever she looked. Something was amiss. They couldn't afford to rest, or they'd be cooked. Twilight stood up, tried in vain to pat out the sand from her coat, and nudged Spike to his feet as well.

"Oh brother," said Spike, "Don't tell me we were thrown into another universe?"

"I'm afraid so."

Twilight's insides were still churning, and not just from the fall and their narrow escape. The gravity of their situation was starting to sink in.

They climbed one of the taller hills in the area to have a look around. Moving about was difficult – the loose sand shifted under Twilight's hooves, causing her to stagger and stumble. Even worse, her eyes quickly started to water from the bright sunlight. As far as they could tell, no one else was around, but the terrain made it hard to get a good sense of their surroundings. There was no sign of any wildlife or plants, not even cacti. There was nothing but sand.

They found the sun on top of that hill. It peeked out from behind the mountain, looking so much like a golden eye belonging to a giant as big as the sky that it made Twilight flinch. This was not the sun she knew. It was well out of its usual path, and far too huge and far too bright besides. It was nothing but ominous. Twilight had a hard time wrapping her head around the bizarre spread of light. This was magic, she knew. The mountain didn't cast a shadow like it should have. The moment she realized that, she snapped her gaze down to look at the ground. There was no darkness anywhere. Not even she and Spike had shadows. The sense of foreboding in Twilight was growing.

She craned up her head to examine the mountain in more detail. Shadow or no shadow, it looked queer and alien without the city there. The entrance of the tunnel leading up through the mountain was missing as well. There didn't seem to be any ruins on the ground, which meant that this must have been a world where Canterlot had never been built.

"What is wrong with this place?" asked Spike, "Why's it so hot here? Are we in Equestria?"

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight admitted.

She had to remind herself not to jump to any conclusions. This was a new, foreign universe, and there was no way of knowing how different or similar it was to her own. There could have been hundreds of explanations for why things were as they were... but one invariably kept suggesting itself to her: something terrible had happened to Princess Celestia, and the world had gone wrong because of it. That seemed like a likely doomsday scenario, but it was a possibility she would rather not have contemplated.

Twilight licked her lips. She was starting to long for shade.

"The Princess was taken by the portal too," she said, "I saw it. Princess Luna as well, I think. I don't know where they are now, but they are here somewhere."

She'd been too disoriented upon entering this world to be able to tell what happened. She could have sworn she'd seen the colors of Celestia's mane streaking past her, but now she was nowhere to be seen. What could this have meant?

Spike sighed anxiously. "What are we going to do? How are we going to get back home?"

"The Princess will know what to do. We just have to find her." Another thought struck her. "Brainy Bright! He should be in this dimension too! He created the portal, so he can build another one and take us back to our own world."

At the mention of Bright's name, Spike scowled. "He did this on purpose, didn't he? It was some kind of trap, wasn't it? But why?"

"He must have been some kind of radical. It was obviously an attempt to get rid of the Princess."

But how could this be? Brainy Bright was a respected scientist and scholar, he was a genius. Why would a pony like that commit such a foolish act of treachery?

"Do you think he had something to do with that death threat the Princess received?"

"Hmm. I don't think so. He didn't try to kill her, after all. And surely he would be too smart to warn Celestia and put her on her guard."

"You sound like you want to marry him or something," pouted Spike, "He's a bad guy, remember?" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. "Tell me something, will you? If Brainy Bright wanted Princess Celestia to get lost in another universe, then why would he ever help us get back home?"

Twilight wished she had an answer to that.

"I saw a city while we were falling," she said, "It looked to be in the area where Ponyville and the Everfree forest should be. We should head there."

Saying it out loud only made her feel worse. Both of her homes were gone.

"Should we wait for night before moving out?" asked Spike.

Twilight bit her lip and glanced back at the sun. That seemed like the obvious course of action, she had serious doubts about the night. It would do them no good to wait for sunset if it turned out the sun never set.

Perhaps it was a bad idea to move at all? They had no paper and couldn't make use of Spike's flame to message Celestia, or Luna. What if they came looking for them? If they returned, what would they do if Twilight and Spike weren't there?

The thought gave her pause, but the fact of the matter was that it was just too hot. Staying here in the heat was out of the question. What if Celestia didn't come? If they waited for too long and nopony came, they'd no longer be able to go anywhere. They had to find shelter of some kind, or their narrow escape falling down the mountain would be for nothing. Once they reached civilization, they could make further plans.

"No, Spike," said Twilight loudly. She didn't want him to catch on how unsure she was about this. "We can't afford to wait. The sooner we move out, the better."

So they went.

Ponyville was less than a day's trot away from Canterlot – but that was with a road connecting them. Traveling in the desert was different. It was slow going, marching up one hill and down another. Twilight had to be careful and watch every step, since her hooves kept sinking into the sand. A few times, she stumbled when the ground disappeared from underneath her, sending her tumbling down the hillsides. It wasn't so bad when it happened after they'd passed the hilltop, but falling back the way she came quickly became very frustrating.

At first, Spike kept stealing glances at her, hoping she would pick him up and carry him on her back, but he let off when he realized she was having a much harder time than him. The heat didn't affect him as badly, but Twilight felt it stinging her head and back at all times. It sapped her strength, slowing her down further. The air was so heavy it was almost like a wall – a wall she had to keep pushing against to get further. Sweat kept sloshing out of her. It flowed from her mane and dripped down her snout; wet strands of hair kept getting in her eyes. Her coat was still matted with coarse sand, so moving her legs was getting more and more uncomfortable. It was tempting to clean herself up with a spell or to conjure up a fan, but she felt it best to conserve her strength as well as she could.

"Spike, take a note!"

"With what?" wondered the dragon dryly, "It's a bit difficult to write without a quill, ink or paper."

"A mental note then. The instant we get back home, I want you to gather all the books on wilderness survival and desert crossings we have in the library! I want to be well prepared if we ever end up in this sort of situation again."

Properly keeping track of time was impossible, but it was slowly becoming apparent that Twilight's earlier assumption had been correct. The sun lay unmoving in its place in the sky and the day dragged on and on. Twilight wondered how long it had been since this land had last seen night.

"It's like what Nightmare Moon wanted to do," she muttered, "Eternal... day."

The journey was much worse than Twilight expected, but thankfully, things got a little easier as they reached flatter ground. They made much better time when they didn't have to move up and down. Though there were still some low dunes, the hills themselves started to shrink and dwindle the further they got. This was consistent with the geography she knew.

What wasn't consistent with the geography she knew was that there should have been a mountain in front of them as well – the Lonely Mountain, which she and her friends had once climbed to confront a dragon. It wasn't exactly the biggest mountain in Equestria, but it was big enough that its absence raised some serious warning flags in her mind. How could an entire mountain disappear? Had it ever existed in this world to begin with? Or could it be that they were going the wrong way?

Once the plains opened up before them, they caught a glimpse of white buildings on the horizon. That they were tall was the only thing Twilight could say for sure. It was hard to make out anything more specific because of the shimmer.

"How far do you think it is?" asked Spike.

"It's hard to tell. In deserts, the heat can sometimes create the illusion that distant objects are closer than they really are."

Spike cocked an eyebrow. "You know, that's not very comforting. I was hoping for something like "Not much farther" or "It won't be long now, Spike." Besides, I know what a mirage is, thank you very much."

"Heh. Sorry, Spike."

By this point, the thirst was getting unbearable. Twilight busied herself with trying to work up some spittle in her mouth. She would have killed for something to eat as well. She couldn't stop thinking of her saddlebags. She and her friends had decided to spend the night at Twilight's parents' place instead of using guest rooms at the palace, so that's where she'd left her bags. There was a bottle of water in it, and one of Pinkie Pie's sandwiches that she'd left uneaten. It was too sugary and would only have made her thirstier, but Twilight would probably still have eaten it. Applejack had filled her own bag with apples, nice green and red apples. They were from last year's crop, but still tasty. Why oh why hadn't she taken the bag along to the Symposium? Why hadn't she asked for a few of Applejack's apples and packed them in? Why had she skipped breakfast?

Her dragon companion was faring somewhat better, at least for now. Spike could live off the sand if he needed to – perhaps there were even some gems to be found somewhere – but even he needed to drink. How long could they carry on without any water? Twilight was already feeling light-headed from the dehydration. Surely they could at least make it to the city.

Suddenly, there was a canyon in front of them. Twilight caught sight of it from a distance, but didn't want to believe her eyes. She must have been imagining things. Surely the canyon was only a delusional vision born from a heat-struck mind? Or perhaps a mirage? As they got closer though, her vision only got clearer, and didn't even think about fading away. There it was – a canyon.

"Aw, nerts!" groaned Spike, "How did this thing get here?"

It stretched forth on both sides as far as the eye could see, and it was at least a thousand hooves wide. At its sides, the ground curved sharply downwards where the sand had continuously spilled into the canyon over the years. The sand looked deceptively solid, but Twilight knew that it would give out under her and drag her into the crack if she edged too close. She could only imagine how deep the canyon was.

"This isn't a natural landmark," said Twilight, "It was created by magic, I'm sure of it."

She could smell it. It had been no simple spell that had carved this scar into the land – it had been a discharge of raw magic, wild and furious and powerful. It must have happened hundreds of years ago, but the energies that had torn open the earth then had lingered, fading at places and growing strong elsewhere. It was a foul place, but part of her was excited about being there. In other circumstances, she might have enjoyed studying the canyon to find out what had happened.

"We can't go around it, can we?" asked Spike.

"Nope. Climb on my back and hold on tight."

Spike looked nervous about the prospect, but did as she said. He didn't much like tagging along when she teleported. The process had been a little unpleasant for 'passengers' when she started out, but she'd gotten much better at it recently. Still, it was a long jump to the other side of the canyon, and Twilight wasn't in top form. Even Spike felt heavier than usual. The headache she had wasn't helping matters any either. She wouldn't have forced herself to do this if there had been any other way to cross.

"You stink," came a muffled assertion from her back. Spike had his nose pinched shut.

"You don't say? Tell me if you see any bathhouses around here and I'll be sure to step by."

Twilight picked out a spot on the opposite side of the abyss and concentrated. Spike sucked in a breath when her horn started to glow – but everything went fine. They blinked to their destination with a light blue flash. Twilight staggered a little – fearing for a moment that she would faint – but managed to stay on her hooves.

"I'm not on fire!" said Spike, and hopped off. Twilight almost felt like she was. The blaze was merciless.

They continued on their way, taking one mechanical step after another. Looking back and seeing how far their hoof- and footprints extended, it was hard to believe that they hadn't yet gotten anywhere. Time passed at a snail's pace, and it seemed to Twilight that they were moving no faster. They'd definitely slowed down since they started out. Without the hills to keep them company, their surroundings were uniform and dull, and the white city in the distance seemed to be getting no closer. It was hard to gauge their progress. For how many hours had they been traveling now?

Twilight was starting to wonder if she'd made the right decision heading out. Seeing Spike panting listlessly at her side, shoulders sagged and his gaze empty, only made her worry more. He might have been a dragon and resistant to high temperatures, but he was still little, and the strain of the march was pushing him to his breaking point. Perhaps they should have stayed back and waited for Celestia after all? The heat was just as bad there, but she could have conjured up some kind of shelter, so they might have been able to hold out. Had she made a mistake? Had she doomed them both?

It was getting hard to focus, as if her mind was stuffed full of cotton. Her vision was getting fuzzier as well. Her wits, like her strength, was pouring out of her like sand from a broken hourglass.

Twilight tried to imagine what was going on with her friends right now. What did they make of Brainy Bright's surprise attack, and how did Canterlot react to the disappearance of the Princess? Was anything being done to retrieve them? If this whole business hadn't happened, they would all most likely be sitting in a cafe somewhere, sipping lemonade and talking and laughing. Or perhaps they'd all be lying in sleeping bags on the floor of her bedroom, whispering about all that they'd seen at the Symposium. What time was it? Did they miss her as much as she missed them?

It was far too early to give up hope of seeing her home ever again, but she worried.

Holes begun to appear in the desert floor, first one, then two, then dozens. They were wide, more than big enough to fall in, but not so frequent that they were getting in Twilight's and Spike's way. The openings were unevenly round and did not go straight down into the earth.

"What are these things?" asked Spike.

Twilight was quite stumped, but then the answer came to her. "They're burrows." She could hardly believe how hoarse her voice sounded.

Not long after that, Spike fell. His legs simply gave out underneath him. He got right back up again, but it was obvious he was too weak to carry on much longer.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," said Spike, "I just tripped. See? I'm fine."

"Do you want me to carry you?"

He chuckled at that. "Yeah right, sister! Do you want me to carry you?"

He continued on at twice the speed, kicking up sand from under his heels, but Twilight lagged behind, frowning.

She no longer thought they would be able to make it to the city, at least not right away. The odds weren't good, and Twilight had lost her taste for risk. They needed rest, and they needed it now. As temporary measures went, she might have been able to shelter them from the sun by magic, but it would take a lot of effort to do that for even a few hours, and she could do nothing for water.

These holes might have presented a better option. They could crawl inside the earth and hide away where the sun hopefully didn't reach. Perhaps they would even find water underground? There had to be reservoirs here somewhere, and she might have been able to use magic to find them and to dig through to them. It was a fool's hope, but it didn't hurt to try. A simple scanning spell shouldn't be too taxing.

Twilight looked ahead towards the city. How close was it really, she wondered. Did the buildings seem bigger than earlier? She couldn't say for sure.

But...

There was something else. She could have sworn she was seeing a tiny something on the horizon, a dark figure moving amidst the light.

"Spike! Do you see someone up ahead?"

Spike lifted his hand to his eyes to shield himself from the sunlight – a useless gesture. After much squinting though, he could see it as well.

"You're right! There is someone there!" He looked back at Twilight and grinned. "I think it's a pony!"

They started shouting as one. They made more noise than Twilight would have thought possible, but the dark figure in the distance gave no sign of hearing them. Twilight wasn't going to let a potential rescuer get away though. A blast of fireworks thundered into the sky from her horn and blew apart in a shower of purple sparkles. It looked rather beautiful.

"Great going, Twi!" said Spike, "Whoever that is must have noticed that for sure!"

The relief on his face melted away as he looked back at her. His expression showed pure alarm.

"What is it?"

"S-s-s-s-s!" he stuttered.

"Spike?"

"S-S-S-S-S!" He lifted a hand to point.

"Spike," said Twilight in a small voice, "I hope you're not trying to tell me there's a giant snake behind me."

"It's a scorpion!"

Twilight forced herself to turn around. What she found behind her back was more horrible than her most horrible expectations, even worse than a snake. The dark gray monstrosity was at least twice her height and three times her length, and that was discounting the hideous-looking, crooked stinger hanging over its back.

The scorpion lurched closer to her – and it was pretty darn close already. Twilight yelped and backed away, but the creature skittered after her, snapping at her with pincers large enough to take off her head.

Fatigued as she was, Twilight stumbled at the worst possible moment. She dropped flat on her back and the scorpion was on her in an instant. Twilight managed to roll to the side just in time to avoid the stinger striking down at her.

Before she could get back up, the scorpion dealt her a glancing blow with one of its pincers, pushing her over again. As it loomed over her, Twilight got an unpleasant close-up of the scorpion's mandibles, dripping with a thick gray goo, and its only two eyes, which were black and menacing but also pitifully small.

Twilight Sparkle was trembling.

Magic requires a level head, Celestia had told her more than once, A thoughtless unicorn can wreak great havoc, or fail to take action where necessary.

Think! Twilight reminded herself, but nothing came to her.

A moment before the sting came, the scorpion was struck in the head by a burst of green flame. It leaped away without making a sound and started flailing around in mindless terror. Twilight watched in morbid fascination as the creature spun around. It had far more legs than it should have, some of them tiny and atrophied or hanging out of their backs at useless angles. A mutant, perhaps?

A shout from Spike broke her out of her daze. She jumped to her hooves, grabbed Spike's tail between her teeth and broke into a wild gallop to get away from the creature – but others just like it were appearing from the holes all around them.

Of course there were some kind of dangerous beasties in the burrows! Why hadn't she realized that sooner? Had the sun befuddled her mind that much?

The scorpions were converging on them, dozens of them. Twilight focused her magic on the two directly ahead of them, and flipped them over with telekinesis. While they were twitching around on their backs, Twilight sped past them. The next ones, she teleported past, only barely managing to stay moving.

But there were too many of them, and Twilight was too tired to outrace them for long, especially on sand. Her lungs were already on fire.

This wasn't something she could run away from, she realized.

What would a brave pony like Rainbow Dash do?

Twilight slid to a halt. This time, she thought of something. Wreak great havoc.

She let go of Spike. "Stay close to me," she told him, and started weaving up another spell in her horn.

The air around her started crackling with energy. The nearby sand was shivering and blowing away. Spike held onto her, afraid to even breathe.

The scorpions were stopping. They clearly had some rudimentary intelligence – enough that they could tell the pony exuding streams of light before them could be a danger.

The light surrounded her, protected her like a wall. But the scorpions weren't just going to scurry off.

Princess Celestia had always imposed on Twilight the importance of never cutting loose, but there didn't seem to be much of a choice. It was do or die.

She let loose a blast of magic as powerful as she could manage, holding nothing back in reserve.

The sand vitrified in front of her eyes. A whirlwind of color spread out from around her, caught the horde of scorpions and tossed them away as if they were nothing at all.

And then, amidst her bright castle on the plains of sunshine, darkness caught up with her. It struck her by surprise and enveloped her wholly. She passed out.

It was still dark when she regained consciousness.

She did not feel well. Her muscles pained, her joints were stiff and the thirst still plagued her. Her headache had only gotten worse and she felt as weak as a newborn filly – weaker, even. Newborn fillies could at least stand up, but she was not at all sure she'd be able to do the same.

She was lying on a rough-hewn blanket with warm sand underneath it. Once her eyes started to adjust, she saw that there were walls of thick cloth surrounding her. She was in a tent, unless she was mistaken. Hints of sunlight glimmered through the fabric in places, but although it was as hot as in a sauna, the conditions in the tent were infinitely preferable to the fiery hell outside.

Spike was next to her on a blanket of his own, snoring gently.

"Spike?" she said, without meaning to.

"He's only asleep."

Twilight flinched. She hadn't realized there was someone in the tent besides them. It took him a second to pick that someone out in the shadows. A lean old earth pony stallion was sitting in the opposite corner of the tent. His coat was pale brown, his mane short and thin and gray. A wide-brimmed hat hung around his neck by a leather cord, and something like a poncho was spread out on the ground under him.

"Oh! Hello!" Twilight struggled to get up into a sitting position. "Did you save us from the scorpions?"

"The beasts were already gone by the time I reached you." There was plenty of gravel in the old stallion's voice, but he spoke quietly so as to not disturb Spike's rest. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yes, please!"

Twilight eagerly grabbed the water bottle the stallion pushed towards her – with her hooves, since she didn't trust herself to be able to keep it afloat by magic right now. She told herself she wouldn't abuse the other pony's generosity and only take a little sip, but once she started it was hard to stop. Water had never tasted so good before.

"Thank you so much, for everything! I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found us."

"Basic courtesy."

The stallion's eyes were piercing. They almost seemed to shine in the darkness.

"What's your name, filly?" he asked.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. The dragon's name is Spike, but I guess you figured out by the fact that I called him Spike and all..."

"Twilight Sparkle," repeated Glint. He pondered over it, somehow judging. "Strange name."

Twilight chuckled nervously. "And you are?"

"The name's Glint Hardhoof."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Hardhoof. Please, could you tell me where we are?"

"We're in my tent, a couple of miles outside the capital."

"But what country?"

"Why, Equestria of course. I figured you were lost, but I didn't think you'd be that lost. Where did you come from and where were you headed?"

Twilight didn't think it would be a good idea to reveal that she was a dimensional traveler. That would just have made her look like a lunatic.

"I was headed for the capital," she said, truthfully.

Glint met her with a discomforting silence.

"There aren't many ponies who travel the desert by their lonesome," he said at last, "especially not unicorns. Beg pardon, but you're blatantly unprepared for such a journey. You couldn't have lasted long out here."

"I am lost, as you said. I hoped to find my companions in the city."

"That's a bad idea. Everfree City isn't safe. I'd advise you not to go there. I'm on my way to Trottingham, and you're welcome to join me if you wish."

It was a gracious offer, and tempting. Trottingham was a familiar name, and she wondered if it was anything like the Trottingham in her own Equestria. Glint's help would be invaluable, but Twilight had to take into account where she was most likely to link up with the others. Surely Princess Celestia would look for her in the biggest city around, especially if it was also the closest one to where they had arrived in this world.

But doubts kept gnawing at her. It struck her as both foolish and dangerous to just bide her time and hold out hope that Celestia would find her and fix everything. But what could she hope to accomplish on her own? Alone but for Spike, she truly was lost. Her trek in the desert had demonstrated just how clueless she was. What could she do? She needed allies, she needed help, and Glint could perhaps be both. Most of all, she needed information.

"What do you mean, Everfree City isn't safe?"

"Strangers aren't looked upon too kindly at the moment. There's been a crackdown lately. Dissidents are getting arrested left and right. Apparently, there was some kind of assassination plot targeting the Queen."

"The... Queen?"

"Queen Celestia."

Of course! This dreadful situation with the sun had her half-convinced that Celestia was somehow dead and gone, or even that this was a world where she'd never existed at all. She should have known better. Even if she was using a different title, Celestia was a constant, as eternal as the sky itself. Just the knowledge that she was there took considerable weight off Twilight's shoulders. Perhaps she could seek her out and ask for her assistance? Twilight resolved to head to the capital after all.

"So Celestia still reigns?" she confirmed, "But then why is this land a desert?"

Glint narrowed his eyes. "I hope you're not playing tricks on me, filly."

"No! Not at all."

Was that a silly question? Was she just asking why the sky was blue or water wet?

"How can you not know this?" asked Glint, "Is this one of these amnesia things?"

"My memory is perfectly all right, I assure you. I'm just, uh, new here!"

Glint fell silent again. He stared at Twilight so intently that, frankly, it was making her nervous.

"The land is a desert because Queen Celestia wills it to be. It's always been a desert, ever since the dawn of the eternal day. The Heat and the Light are Celestia's instruments. They're her strings, and we're the puppets. We survive only because she allows it, so we have to obey her."

"I- I don't understand..."

"Of course not. None of us can ever truly comprehend the mind of Daymare Sun."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat. She hoped she'd misheard, she prayed she'd misheard.

"Everypony knows of Daymare Sun's regime, because every pony is beholden to it. How is it that you know nothing of it?"

Twilight didn't know how to answer. It didn't even seem to matter. She felt much weaker all of a sudden.

"This can't be," she said, "Celestia would never be like that. Celestia is kind and wise."

"Celestia is, by her own admission, a tyrant."

"What about Princess Luna?"

"Can't say I've ever heard of a Princess Luna."

They were both quiet then. Twilight had to process everything she'd just heard, and Glint didn't feel the need to interrupt her reverie.

She didn't want to believe it. The idea of Celestia being some sort of dictator was so at odds with the Princess she knew that it was hard to even comprehend. But that was just the thing. This wasn't the Princess she knew. It was somepony else, somepony completely different. It was a Celestia that had gone mad and done something horrific. How? Why? Twilight didn't even want to think about it.

Her world had Nightmare Moon and this world has Daymare Sun. Nightmare Moon had failed, but Daymare Sun had succeeded. The day would last forever.

"How long have things been like this?" Twilight asked.

Glint shrugged. "Since long before my grandfather was born, and his grandfather before him. Hundreds of years, untold generations. Who can tell?"

If Twilight couldn't turn to the Princess for help, who could she turn to?

Five names came to her mind. But were they still the ponies she knew?

"Do any of these names mean anything to you? Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack?"

It was a fool's hope, but she saw Glint stir in the shadows.

"Yes?"

"I know of an Applejack. Might be I've even met her once or twice. She's an outlaw, pretty famous in some circles. She's one of the leaders of a group of rebels fighting against the state. That assassination attempt I mentioned? I hear it was her people that cooked it up."

Applejack, a revolutionary? It was too much, the idea was just too strange – but the prospect of seeing a familiar face made Twilight perk up anyway.

"Do you know where she could be? Could you point me the way?

"Why do you need her?"

"Because she's a friend of mine and I have to find her!"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Twilight's answer died on her tongue. Of course, he couldn't. To Glint, she was just an odd stranger. She couldn't expect him to reveal the hideout of a clandestine organization to her. She hung her head, only to raise it again when Glint spoke.

"Might be I'd be able to arrange a meet with the rebels, but I'd have to come along."

"Why?"

"If I didn't, they might mistake you for someone else."

Twilight shivered. She felt inexplicably chilled.

"Mistake me for someone else? What do you mean?"

"There is another young unicorn in the realm that looks much like you. She is also exceptionally talented at magic, and accompanied by a small dragon. She's the head of the Secret Police, the Queen's right hand and heir, and one of the rebellion's most bitter enemies. Daylight Sparkle."

Next chapter: The Prisoner and the Slave.

Author's Note

Notes:

It didn't take long for me to find a contradiction. I was rewatching "Dragonshy" the other day, and Rainbow Dash explicitly mentioned that it gets colder at higher altitudes, as it does in real life. However, seeing as I figure that Equestria's sun and moon are both orbiting satellites, I suggested in chapter 1 that it's hotter high in the sky than at sea level. Tsk.
Unlike the previous chapter, which I was relatively pleased with, I have a whole host of problems with this one. I could list them all, but this would make your job far too easy, dear reviewer. Please tell me what you think!

Chapter 3: The Prisoner and the Slave

Prison was not something Brainy Bright had any experience with. The only crime he could consciously remember committing in his entire life was stealing a toy dragon from his kindergarten classmate, and he hadn't even gotten caught for that. High treason and assault on the person of Princess Celestia herself was a pretty big leap up from that, but he had known from the start that he wouldn't walk away from it. Equestria didn't practice capital punishment, so being jailed for the rest of his life was the most likely outcome for Bright – assuming, of course, that he survived the attempt. While he was plotting, he'd spent long hours pondering about what it might be like, losing his freedom.

This wasn't exactly what he'd expected.

The most galling thing about his imprisonment was how irrelevant it was. Fifty years, give or take some, had been a price Bright was willing to pay, because his cause, while bizarre and incomprehensible to some, had meaning. Some things were worth going to jail for. Being out in the street at the wrong time by sheer chance was not one of them. He had expected to be punished for something, not for nothing.

Not that it wasn't appropriate though. Bright didn't believe in destiny, or karma. What happened to him had simply been a very fair coincidence. He deserved to be in prison, whether in Equestia or some strange alternate universe. He would accept his fate without complaint, he'd already decided that.

He had been put in some sort of dungeon. It wasn't a terribly frightening dungeon, but more on the utilitarian side. The walls were smooth and the chambers all had rounded corners, which were tell-tale signs of a building crafted by magic. The lighting must have been magic as well, since there were no windows or torches anywhere in sight. They were below-ground. It was warm down there, but not uncomfortably so. The thing that really bothered Bright was the complete lack of rhythm. The lights were always on, so time seemed to be at a standstill. Ponies just slept whenever they saw fit and even their meals were brought to them seemingly at random. It was hard to tell, but Bright estimated that he'd been there for about three days.

There were forty of them in that dungeon, and a few more came every day. The cell they all shared was an oubliette, which amounted to being thrown inside a giant hole. The walls around them were almost two stories high, too high to climb. There seemed to be no way for any of them to get out on their own. Whenever the guards came to check up on them or bring them food, a unicorn gaoler would use magic to raise up a long, sloping walkway from the floor. The staff of the prison seemed to be composed exclusively of unicorns, while every one of the prisoners was an earth pony. This was no coincidence. Bright was surprised how dispassionate he felt when he made note of it. He still remembered what the two pegasi had called him when they'd arrested him. The words sounded like slurs.

As far as Bright could tell, all the ponies there had been taken in more or less at random. There had been some kind of incident in the city – Everfree City, it was called – and the culprits had gotten away. The authorities had arrested anypony they had the slightest excuse to arrest in the hopes of taking in the runaways while they were making their escape. The problem was that they didn't have the slightest idea who they were looking for. Bright worried that they didn't much care. One of the prisoners was a young colt that didn't even have a cutie mark. How could he be guilty of anything? All of them were being held there without trial, or without any kind of formal charges. In Bright's world, that would have been a gross miscarriage of justice. Here, it seemed to be normal.

"You know what I hate, my friend?" he asked the large red stallion, "Fascism. I really hate fascism."

The large red stallion said nothing. Bright soon regretted his choice of words. It was a little presumptuous to address someone whose name he didn't even know as a friend. His comment hadn't even been especially funny.

Bright bent his neck down and slurped up the last of the gruel in his bowl. The prisoners were kept decently fed, but the sporadic schedule of the meals made him nervous, so he tried to make the most of his portions by drawing them out for hours. It seemed like the clever thing to do. Realistically speaking, he couldn't be sure when his next meal would come – and pragmatism aside, it tasted awful and he didn't have the stomach for it.

"I wonder what they put in this," he said out loud, "It tastes like brown bread in liquid form."

A shrug was the large red stallion's only reply. In truth, he hadn't uttered a single word in the couple of days since they'd met, but he didn't seem to mind Bright's attempts at conversation either, and it was good to have some companionship. Neither of them mingled much with the others. Bright had learned a few things from listening in on their quiet conversations, but he didn't have a clue about what to do if anypony asked him about his origins. Staying with the mute seemed safer.

"I don't much like brown bread."

The large red stallion had no comment. He'd eaten his own gruel quickly and easily, but there wasn't much of it, hardly enough to keep a big fellow like him from going hungry. Bright wondered whether he shouldn't have offered him some of his own portion. He also wondered whether that sort of sentiment wasn't rather stupid in his current predicament. He wondered about a lot of things.

"I wonder what they're waiting for."

The large red stallion looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"Why aren't they interrogating us? Why aren't they investigating anything? They're just letting us stew here, and I don't see what the point of that is."

Bright was operating under the assumption that this was only an arrest cell. It was also possible that they'd all already been sentenced without knowing it and that none of them would ever leave.

His musing was interrupted by a sound very much like a loud, echoing groan. The floor was rising. Forty heads turned to see who was coming.

Two guardsponies were moving down the walkway, accompanying an officer – a fleshy mare with a teal coat whom Bright thought was in entirely too good a mood, as always. A light smile was never far from her lips. She treated the prisoners with vapid courtesy and behaved more as if she was at a vacation resort rather than a jail. He could well imagine her going home in the evening, perhaps to a husband and children, without taking anything from the prison with her.

"Oh no. They're coming right this way."

The large red stallion hardly seemed to hear him. He was carefully observing the coming unicorns. Suddenly, he scowled and broke off from Bright. He smoothly headed for the far side of the cell without giving him a second glance. Their brief acquaintance vanished in an instant. Bright was confused, until he realized the large red stallion seemed genuinely surprised when the chipper officer ignored him and trotted straight over to Bright.

"Please come with us, earth pony!" said the chipper officer.

Bright frowned, but obeyed. He didn't have a choice. There were few good things to be said about the prison, but one of them was the fact that the guards mostly didn't bother with the captives. They were quick enough to punish anypony that did anything to displease them – and Bright had painfully learned that asking questions displeased them – but they made no extra effort to be cruel. They weren't bloodhounds like the two that had arrested him. If he tried to argue his rights though...

The other prisoners were watching as the guards led Bright away. They were wondering who he was and what he had done. They were wondering why the officer had picked him. It couldn't be just chance, could it?

The chipper officer started humming as they walked back up. It was a sore test of Bright's frayed nerves. He glanced around while trying to look like he wasn't glancing around. The guards were looking much more malicious all of a sudden. The gaoler closed up the walkway behind them, and the chipper officer led Bright into a corridor. They walked for several minutes, weaving around in the complex, heading deeper underground. He was taken to an interrogation room.

Bright wasn't certain what kind of terrible inquisitor he'd been expecting, but the pony sitting behind a small desk fell short. This one wasn't dressed in uniform like the others in the prison, but he was wearing a light orange cape, fastened around his neck by a brooch resembling a sunburst. He was pudgy, with a faint silvery coat so light it looked almost white, but no mane or tail. His cutie mark was a black wheel with eight spokes. Only when Bright had been seated down opposite him did he realize the pale pony was a unicorn as well. The horn on his forehead was only a small stub. Somepony had cut off most of it.

The guards left the room, but the chipper officer remained and took up a position behind Bright. Bright kept his back straight and his ears up and looked directly at the pony opposite him, trying not to stare at his horn. The situation called for a certain wary humility, but he wasn't going to bow and scrape either. That kind of behavior wouldn't keep them from beating him. Weakness and insecurity only ever earned scorn, never respect. This was true even in the academia.

The pale unicorn seemed profoundly uninterested in Bright. There were some papers laid out on the desk in front of him, and he was paying more attention to them than to him. He sat almost motionless, looking calm and bored in equal measure.

"What is your name, earth pony?" he asked in a soft, high-pitched voice.

"I am Brainy Bright." He had decided not to use an alias.

"And where are you from?"

"Canterlot."

This caused the pale unicorn to look up and regard him silently. The heat didn't seem to bother him, while Bright was acutely aware of the trickle of sweat on his own forehead. He had the vague impression that he'd blundered somehow, but there weren't exactly a whole lot of options available to him.

"How long have you been living in Everfree, Brainy Bright?"

"I- I was only visiting."

"Why?"

"Why?" All the stories, lies and excuses he'd previously run through his head in the hopes that they'd get him out of there were utterly gone. Deception had never been his forte. "I just... felt like it."

"Where are you staying? When did you arrive? From whence did you come? Why did you break the curfew?"

The questions came as hard and fast as a series of kicks. Bright was at a loss, unable to conjure up even a single answer. He gritted his teeth together, not daring to breathe.

"Where were you from 17 to 21 o'clock on Tuesday?"

There was nothing for him to say. "I... don't know. I wasn't anywhere."

"Shall we execute him, milord?" asked the chipper officer, "He's definitely one of them. Isn't he?" Bright felt queasy with fear, but the inquisitor silenced the speaker with but a glance.

The pale unicorn was so inanimate that Bright felt like he was talking to a corpse. He seemed weak and fragile somehow, as if a strong wind would break him up like a house of cards. Perhaps he was sick or disabled? His movements were languid, even though he was quite young, not even middle-aged. Did his condition have anything to do with his missing horn? Bright had seen some vague snippets relating to horn removal in historical texts. It had been used as a severe form of punishment, but the practice had been abolished half an eternity ago, at least in the Equestria he knew. There existed no record of what something like that might do to a unicorn – though the obvious guess was that it would remove or seriously hamper their ability to do magic.

Bright had to remind himself to stay focused. This was not the time or place to lose himself in idle musings and pointless theorizing, no matter how comforting they might have been. He swallowed and forced himself to speak.

"Say it plain. This isn't about breaking some curfew. What am I accused of?"

"Treason," said the pale unicorn, "as well as plotting the deposition of Her Holiness Queen Celestia. However, I do not think you are guilty of those particular crimes."

Bright was lucky not to burst into hysterical laughter. He broke eye contact and tried his best not to look as flabbergasted as he felt. The irony was bitter.

"I find your cutie mark interesting, Brainy Bright. What is your calling?"

Bright licked his lips. He wondered if the pale unicorn knew the symbol's meaning. "Magical research," he said, very quietly.

"Is that so? Involvement in the area of magic is rather unusual for a pony in your position, do you realize?"

Bright didn't respond, for fear of saying something that would get him in trouble. This was a subject that often made him testy. The pale unicorn, on his part, was content to let the matter go.

"Would you like to tell me your story?"

"My story?"

"How you came to be here. You were not at all reticent to tell it to the sergeant in charge at the time of your arrest."

"I was, mm, quite drunk. I don't even really remember what I was saying."

Bright couldn't think of anything else to cover up his mistake, but this was a weak excuse. The pale unicorn must have thought so too. Bright caught a glimpse of disdain in his expression before he looked back down at his papers.

"You claimed innocence. You claimed ignorance. You claimed the laws did not apply to you because you were from another world." He paused only long enough to gauge Bright's reaction. "You lavished everypony involved with your tale of how you had come from another universe, and how twisted and wrong everything here is. According to the sergeant, it was impossible to get you to shut up. I believe the word he used was 'raving.'"

"I... must have been very drunk indeed."

"How amusing," said the pale unicorn in a voice that suggested he couldn't possibly have found things any less amusing. "So none of it was true then. You are not an alien pony thrown into this world by a magical accident."

It wasn't an accident, Bright almost said, but caught himself at the last moment. "No, of course not. I went to a tavern for some salt water and drank in excess. I was foolish, I stayed too late and wandered out into the streets inebriated during the curfew. That's my story."

"Is that all you have to say to me?"

The question was dangerous. For a moment, Bright hesitated and wondered if it wouldn't really be best to give everything up. He didn't see any real harm in it, except the possibility that they would think him mad, or a liar, or a mad liar. What was the worst that could happen? Bright didn't know. But he knew he didn't trust the inquisitor. The more he found out about the world he'd gotten lost in and the regime that held him, the more chilled he felt. Refusing his captors may well have had dire consequences – but it still felt like the safer choice.

"That's all I have to say."

Bright expected some kind of threats at least, an ultimatum, a beating, anything. He wasn't foolish enough to think this would be the end of it. The pale unicorn had neither an angry scowl nor a disappointed sigh to offer him. He looked entirely unaffected by Bright's refusal. He slowly rose to his hooves and paused to ponder.

"Do you know who I am?" He didn't seem to be asking to boast.

"No," said Bright hesitantly, "I don't."

And suddenly, the pale unicorn's mouth twisted into a sickly toothless smile. "You do not seem to know much anything. I did not think there were any in our realm who had not heard of me. I am called Gelding. I am the Prime Minister of Equestria." The smile faded away like water seeping into the ground. "And you are a liar, Brainy Bright."

His eyes flickered over to the chipper officer.

"Separate this one from the rest. Put him in an out-of-the-way cell and keep the filly's henchponies away from him for the time being. It would be best if she did not learn of him at all. Also get word to Growing Violet and Doorstopper to inform me as soon as she returns to the city."

"Yes, milord!" said the chipper officer, "It will be done."

Gelding stared down at Bright with his dead eyes. Bright tensed up, but tried to look back with as much defiance as he could muster. He wondered who the filly was they were talking about. More to the point, he wondered just how screwed he was.

"And one more thing," said Gelding, "Don't feed him until he's ready to tell me everything."

Next chapter: Apple Underground.

Author's Note

For the record, I'm aware that I've now introduced three original characters that can be described as Very Serious. This is just a coincidence.

Chapter 4: Apple Underground

"Did you say 'the Griffon Kingdom?'" asked Twilight in astonishment.

"That I did," said Glint.

It was another reminder not to take anything for granted. In Twilight's world, the Griffon Kingdom had fallen hundreds of years ago. Descendants of the original griffon refugees who had escaped the destruction of their homeland were still living in Equestria and other countries, but their culture was virtually extinguished. The Kingdom's existence would have been a staggering change, if this world hadn't already been so different. Twilight didn't know how similar it was to the civilization that had existed on her own world, but she would still have loved to visit it and study it. Of course, the nation wasn't exactly hale and hearty either since Daymare Sun had moved the sun over the Talon mountain range to scorch her old enemies a few years ago.

"Where was the sun before that?" asked Twilight.

"Right here in the crownlands. Above Everfree City."

Spike shuddered. "That sounds horrible! How could ponies live like that?"

"I doubt we could. Thing is, it's not as hot in the cities as out in the desert. The Queen wants ponies to gather up where she can keep watch of us, so she lowers the temperature in some areas. That's why Everfree City is so big. Over a million ponies live there."

"Is that why you stay on the move?" asked Twilight, "You don't want to be under her control?"

"That's one reason."

The answer seemed a little evasive to Twilight, but that was all right. She had tried to find out as much about Equestria and the Queen from Glint as she could, and Glint had done his best to tell her, even though he wasn't a talkative pony by nature. Some of the questions she and Spike had bombarded him with were so naïve and ridiculous that their cover story of being new in the area must have sounded as fake as it truly was, but Glint had the courtesy to turn a blind eye to their fumbling.

They were only a short distance away from Trottingham now.

Twilight had never been there in her own world, but she'd heard a little about the place. Ponies from Trottingham had a reputation of being welcoming and hospitable, since the town was located at a major crossroads and always full of visitors. It was supposed to be a picturesque and lively place. Twilight had always imagined it as basically a larger version of Ponyville – but not much larger.

She had made a point of not expecting anything like that here, but even so, it shocked her to see Trottingham in the distance. It looked a bit like a giant fortress, or perhaps a very squat and ugly mountain. Once they got closer though, it became obvious that its walls had not been built for defense. Up close, it looked more ramshackle than threatening. The entire town had been hidden underneath a patchwork dome of rough stone slabs and ancient-looking lumber planks. It rose high above the ground.

"It seems like a... nice place," lied Twilight, and let out an awkward chuckle.

"I don't know," said Spike, cocking his head, "It looks kind of hovel-ish to me."

Glint grunted. "It doesn't need to look pretty. A good, solid roof over your head – that's what's important."

The journey had been difficult. They had steered away from the open desert and onto a road early on, and Twilight had been as thankful for the smooth white stone pathway underneath her hooves as she had ever been for anything, but the going was still tough. They stopped to rest often, but Twilight never stopped feeling tired. It was impossible to tell how long their journey took; it was all a single endless sunny day that passed in a daze. As she walked, she was uncomfortably aware of the sun behind her every step of the way. It was hard to shake the feeling that she was being watched, that the sun was glaring down at her.

Glint had carried ungodly amounts of water with him, but not enough for two ponies and a baby dragon to comfortably get by with, so he was merciless with his rationing. He had a lot of other supplies and equipment with him as well, stuffed into two enormous saddlebags. He carried most of them himself, only passing some lighter things on to Twilight. She was impressed that a pony of his age could still have so much strength. The folds of loose skin on him indicated that he'd recently lost some weight, but he still looked hardy, not to mention very tall. He would no doubt have marched twice as fast if Twilight and Spike hadn't been there to slow him down. His cutie mark was a horseshoe, though Glint claimed it symbolized his lucky nature rather than his hard hooves.

"So Applejack is here?" Twilight confirmed, "In this town?"

"I don't know where Applejack is," said Glint with a shrug, "but this is the best place to find her."

Twilight chewed on her lip. "Can you tell me more about her?"

There was a glimmer in Glint's eye, something he left unsaid. Twilight had told him Applejack was her friend, so why did it seem like she didn't really know her? Twilight must have looked so insanely suspicious that she wasn't even sure why he continued to help her.

"Let me tell you a story, filly. Before Applejack took charge of the Apple Underground, they were led for twenty years by another pony. There was nothing he wanted more than to do away with Daymare Sun. He'd seen earth ponies build houses and then sent out to waste away under the sun. He'd seen earth ponies plant and harvest and then left to starve. He'd seen earth ponies take up arms and fight their own brethren because they dared to wonder why things are as they are. He'd seen all that and more. He'd even come face to face with the Queen herself, and she scared him so much like you wouldn't believe. He wanted to do something. But he didn't have it in him to take any real action. He was afraid to take risks, because he couldn't stand the thought of losing any of his compatriots. As he grew older, he became feeble and craven, and too stuck in his ways. He refused to involve pegasi and unicorns in the rebellion because he was afraid of them. In the end, he never accomplished much anything.

"The other ponies in the Underground respected the old pony too much to argue with the way he ran things. Maybe they didn't even dare to dream that they could do more. Applejack was the only one who had the guts to speak up and say what was wrong and what needed to be done. She was very young back then. In truth, she should have been in school instead of hiding among criminals and plotting. The things she said made sense though. It just happens that Applejack's the great-granddaughter of Apple Baron, who started this rebellion in the first place when his apple trees withered and died. There was a lot of him in Applejack, hmmhm. She eventually rose up to become the leader of the rebellion. They've done some great things since then. Applejack took the rebellion out of the shadows. More and more ponies have been joining their cause, even pegasi and unicorns. She allied with Zebrican freedom fighters, and organized the first ever jailbreak from the Queen's dungeons. She's personally led attacks against government bureaus and barracks.

"Applejack's a fighter. Mind you, I mean that literally. She has a mean buck, and can brawl with the best of them. She's bold, but she's also smart enough to know when to break off and gallop away. She's evaded the Secret Police countless times. Of course, she can still be stubborn as a mule sometimes. She's a pony that just refuses to give up. She's a hard worker and a good leader. She's fair and straight with everypony. In short, she's the leader the Underground deserves."

Twilight took a moment to digest what she'd heard. For a while, the only sound around them was the clacking of their hooves. For the first time, Twilight had the feeling that Glint was giving her anything less than the honest truth. He spoke of Applejack almost reverently, and she couldn't help but notice that he didn't say a word about the failed assassination attempt in the city he'd mentioned to her earlier. It sounded almost like, well, propaganda. There was another thing as well...

"And the old pony leader?" she asked, "What happened to him?"

Glint pretended not to hear her. "We're almost there," he said.

Before Twilight knew it, he'd slipped off his poncho and wrapped it around her. It was as large as a blanket, but very light and airy.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Best if nopony recognizes you, I think." He took off his hat as well and placed it on her head, right on her horn. It slid down so she could hardly see a thing. "Where we're going, a unicorn would draw too much attention anyway."

That was true enough, supposed Twilight. Glint hardly sweated at all, but his things still smelled funny to her, very musky and masculine, very different from the smells she was used to.

"Looking good, Twi!" laughed Spike. He paused for a moment and considered. "Hey, what about me? Won't people notice me in a crowd? What's the situation with dragons anyway?"

"Equestria is on fairly good terms with the Dragon Matriarch, but I've never known any dragons to be out and about in this land on their own. Your kind is always paired up with unicorns of the Secret Police. You're right, you would stand out. I was hoping you could do something about him, Miss Sparkle."

"A spell, you mean?"

While she was pondering for ideas, Spike already came up with something. "Hey, you could turn me into a pony!"

"Are you sure, Spike?"

"Come on, it's the perfect way to make me unnoticeable! And I'm kind of curious what it's like."

Twilight glanced at Glint. "An earth pony, right?"

"That'd be best, I think."

Twilight closed her eyes. She reached out and found Spike's essence and set to work imagining a new shell for it. Spike had been the one she'd practiced bodily transformations with when they came up in her curriculum, so he knew to stay still. A little zap of magic and it was done. When she opened her eyes again, Spike was a runty purple colt. He looked a little similar to her, though his mane and tail were green and spiky.

"Whoa, this is weird!" he said, twisting his head around to look over his new form. "I'm so long. All this hair is so itchy, and why's it suddenly so hot here? You know, you could have made me a little older." He jerked and looked at Twilight. "Do I look handsome?" he asked with such a serious expression that it almost made Twilight laugh.

"If you think you're going to woo Rarity like this, forget it. It'll wear off eventually."

"I know, I know!" He bent backwards to take a look at his flank. "Aw. No cutie mark?"

"Heh. You're too young. Give it time."

It took effort on her part to keep the spell going, but only a little. The memory of it was like a post-it note in her mind, reminding her to concentrate, but she'd long since learned to hold a grip on her temporary magics. Another unicorn would have been able to tell that Spike was transformed, but if there were going somewhere unicorns weren't likely to be, that wouldn't be a problem.

"I could just as well cast a spell on myself as well," Twilight told Glint.

"You unicorns always want to over-complicate things, don't you? You've got a perfectly good disguise already."

"Well, let's go then!" said Spike, "On to Trottingham!"

He set out and promptly fell on his face.

"Oh yeah. Four legs."

Twilight watched Spike's struggle to get up on his new hooves with a mixture of amusement and excitement. He reminded her a little of a newborn foal, except Spike was a lot more talkative.

"Why would anybody need four legs? Two's the perfect number, I could understand three as well, but four? And they're way too high!"

He adapted quickly enough. Watching him push himself into a standing position with a victorious grin took Twilight's breath away, though she couldn't exactly say why.

They continued on into Trottingham. Glint's hat kept sliding down over Twilight's eyes.

The gate through which they passed was more akin to a modest door. It was big enough to allow a carriage to pass through, but no bigger. Just stepping into Trottingham reinvigorated Twilight. It had been a long way and she had no idea where she would go from there – but if everything worked out, she'd see one of her friends soon. Applejack may think her a stranger, true, but just seeing her would be something. It would be a reminder of home.

Even though the air in Trottingham was heavy and dry, the relief from the sun the dome offered was most welcome. The temperature was downright pleasant compared to the outside. It was, however, brighter than Twilight had expected, since there were cracks and openings in the dome. Whether they were there by design or as a result of wear and tear, she could not say, but they allowed light to flood inside and illuminate the buildings. Still, it was visibly not as bright on the inside, somewhat similar to daytime during a solar eclipse. It seemed that there was a limit to the sun's curious omnipresence.

Twilight had also thought there would be a lot of empty space inside the town. In fact, the buildings went all the way up. There were glasshouses of all sizes scattered throughout the city, and it made her smile to see the green of plants in them. She spotted a few reservoirs of water as well, probably there in case of fire breaking out. The dome was supported by several gigantic limestone pillars. Large houses were attached to each one, connected by a criss-cross of walkways and staircases. A few pegasi were flapping about up above. It looked exciting. Twilight was so focused on taking everything around her in that she hardly heard Glint explaining about the underground river that kept the ponies here supplied with water. She had judged too quickly, she decided. The town didn't look so bad on the inside.

And then she looked down.

She'd been so caught up with what was above her head that she hadn't even noticed the things right in front of her. The buildings on the ground were packed tight and dingy. Some of them were made of stone, others of lumber, and yet others were little more than large tents. Many were in a state of disrepair. Some of the ponies who lived there had tried to brighten their homes with coats of paint, but the faded colors did little to disguise the rotting wood and collapsed corners. The streets were mere dirt roads, and a vaguely unpleasant smell permeated everything. There were really two towns in Trottingham, one on top of the other. The one down below was a slum, that was plain to see.

Glint didn't waste any time in leading them away from open ground, off the main street and into the narrow and winding side alleys between the taller buildings. Twilight quickly lost her bearings as she and Spike trailed after him. After five minutes of twists and turns in Trottingham's labyrinthine streets, she no longer had any idea which way they were coming from and or they were headed. The area seemed like a good hiding place to her. Since Applejack was a wanted fugitive, she imagined her to have a hideout somewhere in the town.

There were not a lot of ponies out and about. Most business and social interaction took place indoors, but there were some who did not have a choice about being outside. When Twilight spotted anypony, they were usually laborers – craftsmen replacing broken panes on one of the glasshouses, dirty miners climbing out from an underground shaft, street sweepers working to keep the sand from piling up. All of them were earth ponies.

Their destination, a large indoor marketplace, was a little livelier. There were a few dozen ponies doing business – but the entire hall looked like it had space for half a hundred vendors and five times as many customers. All the empty space gave the place a desolate appearance. The wares – what little there was – were of low quality and priced steeply.

"You ought to wait here," said Glint, "I've got some business to take care of."

"Business?" asked Spike, "What business?"

"Trying to find somepony who knows Applejack's whereabouts," explained Glint quietly.

They watched him trot off and enter one of the stalls near the middle of the hall. He had a few words with the vendor, after which they both stalked off to go somewhere else. Being separated from their guide, even temporarily, made Twilight a little anxious. She bit her lip and looked around, but nopony seemed to be paying them the slightest bit of attention. Rationally, she knew that her surroundings were relatively normal, but everything felt weird and alien nevertheless, and the ponies here were beyond mere strangers.

Twilight warily sat down and leaned against a wall. Her legs were achey and stiff from the long journey, so she took every bit of rest she could. Spike awkwardly plopped down at her side.

"What do you think of Glint?" asked Spike. The old pony had always been within earshot out in the desert, so it had been difficult to have a frank talk. "Can we trust him?"

"Glint has been very open with us."

"He's been open all right. That's what worries me. He's been a little too open towards somepony he has every right to be suspicious of."

"He also saved our lives, and was kind enough to share his food and water. I think he deserves the benefit of a doubt, Spike."

"I'm just saying, we don't really know whose side he's on."

"You heard the way he was talking earlier. It sounded genuine to me. He's on the side of the rebellion. Actually... I sort of got the impression that he's trying to recruit me."

"Good call, Twilight! He saw you take care of those freaky scorpion things in the desert so he knows you're powerful. He might really be trying to get you to join up. If we go by what he said, then Applejack seems to be her usual awesome self here – but who knows what she's really like?"

"You should always expect the best of your friends, and never the worst," Twilight reminded him.

Spike cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. We're in another universe, and it's a whole new ballpark. Even our friends might not be good people here."

He wasn't wrong, but Twilight still found his attitude a little too cynical. "You're not just saying that because Daylight Sparkle is an amoral agent of a tyrannical government who hunts down political dissidents and freethinkers and makes them disappear, are you?"

"Er, sort of. It was to be expected, really. These alternate universes always have evil doubles of the heroes in my comic books. It's pretty much par for the course. I just hope this isn't a full-blown mirror universe where everything is reversed!"

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Wait a minute," continued Spike, "Glint said officers of the Secret Police have dragon companions! Does that mean there's an evil double of me running around too?"

He paused. If Twilight knew him at all, he was imagining how he would look like with a goatee.

"It wouldn't suit you," she said, "Stick with a mustache."

Twilight wished she hadn't brought up Daylight Sparkle. Her equal number had never been far from her mind on the way to Trottingham, and once she started thinking about her, it was hard to stop. Having a different name should have made it easier to think of Daylight as a completely different individual, but Twilight could never get it out of her mind, what a version of her was doing. It was guilt by association. A pony could conceivably lead a very different life if the circumstances were different enough, if their choices and consequences played out another way – Twilight understood that. But how could she ever be so... so evil? How could she serve such a morally bankrupt world order? The figure that rose up in her imagination was invariably brutal, unfeeling and above all, stupid. How could any person of intelligence not recognize how wrong this all was?

How things were in the Equestria she'd found herself in weighed heavily on her mind. A large part of that weight was anger and pity and disbelief, but another part – a tiny part – was guilt. She was still one of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, even if she didn't have her element on hand. Was that fact meaningless in this universe, or did it mean more than ever before? Twilight could not conceive of anything so lacking in balance, so in need of harmony, as this world. She and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon and saved a world, and yet here was another one, suffering under the hoof of Daymare Sun. Did she have a responsibility to do something? It was a disturbing thought, an unshakable thought, and ultimately, a futile one. She knew it wasn't in her power to do anything. Still, she had decided to talk to Celestia about it once they found each other again. Celestia would have an answer for her.

Glint's return broke Twilight out of her reverie. He was alone, and his expression was unreadable.

"Well?" wondered Twilight.

"Got what we need," said Glint, "Follow me."

Twilight and Spike painfully struggled on their hooves and followed Glint back into the labyrinth. They walked longer than before, circling away towards the edge of town, twisting and turning until Twilight started to get impatient. It sounded childish, but she wanted to be there already. And she was tired.

"Where, exactly, are we going?" she asked Glint.

"To a meet with the rebels." He hesitated, then continued. "They'll probably make it difficult. Doubt they'll allow you to know the path to their secret hideout. Just don't struggle."

Don't struggle? Was he expecting a struggle?

Some of the alleys were so narrow they had to walk in single file. These parts were so empty they might as well have been in a ghost town. At some point, they had simply stopped coming across other ponies, and yet Twilight kept glancing behind her, expecting to find somepony following them. It was dusky in those tight spaces, though not quite dark. This was a pleasant change, but also a little sinister, and made Trottingham seem all the seedier.

At last, they reached someplace more open again. Glint came to a halt at an intersection of several alleyways, but Twilight didn't think this was their final destination. There were no doors or entrances anywhere, nowhere to go but down another alley.

"Now what?"

"They're here," said Glint. He nodded, pointing to something behind Twilight.

There was a pony there, blocking off the way they had come from. The pony was wearing a light brownish cloak with a hood that covered their face, but Twilight could tell it wasn't a pegasus or a unicorn.

When she swiveled around to face Glint again, another pony had appeared. This one was very big, almost a giant, but wearing a cloak similar to the first one's. Within moments, Twilight noticed two more reaching the intersection. The fact that she couldn't see their faces disturbed her. Glint seemed unconcerned, but Twilight's insides were tightening with fear.

The ponies were coming closer. Twilight took a step back, but there was nowhere to retreat to.

"Twilight?" asked Spike nervously.

"Um, hi!" said Twilight, "I'm looking for Applejack. Would you happen to know where I might be able to find her?"

None of them answered her. Twilight swallowed, and peered towards Glint for guidance.

"Now remember, Twilight, I'm on your side. Just relax, and we'll take you to Applejack."

Was this really a good idea? She knew for a fact that some of her friends, like Rainbow Dash – or Applejack, for that matter – would have tried to fight them off. Should she? Was she going to trust Glint, or not?

Twilight decided to trust him. She bent closer to Spike. "Do as they say," she whispered to him.

One of the rebel ponies had some kind of black cloth in his mouth. Twilight recognized it as a bag just a moment before he leapt closer to her and slipped it over her head. It was as if she'd been struck blind. She couldn't see a thing. A yelp from Spike told her they'd done the same thing to him.

She dearly hoped she hadn't just made a mistake.

For a moment, she feared they would tie her up as well, but they didn't. There was muttering she couldn't quite make out. She made out Glint's voice – and then she was heaved off the ground and thrown over somepony's back.

"Hey, watch it!" she heard Spike say. She hoped he wouldn't try anything. A burst of dragonflame was the last thing they needed right now. She really hoped she hadn't made a mistake.

The pony carrying Twilight started moving. He – Twilight assumed it was a stallion – trotted stiffly, and for a moment, it seemed to her that she felt him shivering, as strange as that sounded. They walked for a few minutes and took a few turns. Eventually, Twilight heard the sound of rusted hinges turning. They entered a building. She assumed that was meant they were there, but she was wrong. She couldn't have been any more wrong.

They passed through a few more doors, eventually reaching a staircase. After taking a few turns downwards, they continued on their way vertically. They traveled in a straight line for a while, then headed turned and headed downwards on a sloping walkway. On and on and on, they went, at times down and then on even ground, sometimes even up again.

It was impossible to tell how far they descended, but it quickly became obvious that they were headed deep underground. And even with her eyes covered, Twilight could tell that this was no paltry dungeon they had down here. The temperature decreased as they got further away from the sunshine, until it was almost chilly. The rebels were probably taking an extra long route to confuse her, but the complex must have been extensive even so.

Trottingham wasn't two towns in one, but three. The third was a secret settlement right below everypony's hooves. Twilight thought of the underground river somewhere down below, and the mines built to reach it – mines built by earth ponies. She thought of how deserted Trottingham had seemed. Perhaps the heat wasn't the only reason for that? Twilight would have been willing to bet that a lot of Trottingham's earth ponies actually lived down here. It was an incredible ruse.

Eventually, Twilight was dumped on a stone floor and the bag on her head was removed. By then, the pony who had carried her had already high-tailed it out of there. Spike was there by her side, already relieved of his own bag. Twilight stood up and looked around. The room they were in was bare and empty, but it didn't look like a prison cell either. A burning oil lantern was hanging from the ceiling. There were a total of five ponies present aside from her and Spike. Applejack was nowhere to be seen.

It was Glint who had taken off the bag from her head. He was already wearing his hat, and used the opportunity to take back his poncho and fold it together. That done, he trotted off and laid down in a corner, taking a drink of something that might have been ice tea. He looked improbably relaxed considering the circumstances. Twilight wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

An earth pony mare with a grass-green coat and long, golden locks was pacing around the room. Her cutie mark was a watering can. A large, long-wilted flower in her mane bobbed up and down as she muttered to herself.

"What am I going to tell Applejack?" she was saying, "This is awful, simply awful! Or is it the best thing ever? Oh, why me?"

A sleek and beautiful black and white pegasus mare that surely had zebra blood in her immediate family was standing watch to the side. She stood stone-still and never let her eyes leave Twilight. Her cutie mark was a tangle of black stripes that resembled a throwing glaive.

There was even a unicorn there, a white colt with a blond mane only a little older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The symbol on his flank was a shooting star. He was smiling brightly, and winked at Twilight when he saw her looking at him.

The last pony in the room was a feminine-looking stallion with a tan coat and a lush brown mane. His cutie mark consisted of three blue horseshoes. He kept his gaze on the floor, but even so, Twilight recognized him right away.

"Caramel?" she blurted out, "Is that you?"

Caramel flinched when she spoke to him. "Ah, do I know you, miss?"

Twilight hesitated. "Heh heh, no. No, I guess not..."

Speaking up seemed to remind the grass-green mare of her presence. She whirled around to face her.

"All right, Daylight Sparkle! We'll have none of your tricks here! You are now officially a prisoner and hostage of the Apple Underground!"

Spike blustered. "Ugh, you've got it all wrong, lady!"

"Yes, there's been a bit of a misunderstanding..." said Twilight warily.

Glint loudly cleared his throat. "I already told you, Emerald Hope, that's not Daylight Sparkle."

"Could you please explain to me how that's not Daylight Sparkle?" asked Emerald Hope.

"I've met Daylight Sparkle," said Glint, "This isn't her. Her cutie mark's all wrong."

"Well, technically, you've only seen Daylight Sparkle," offered out Caramel uncertainly, "You haven't met her. That's not quite the same."

"Do you think I'm a idiot?" asked Glint harshly, causing Caramel to draw back.

"If you're not Daylight Sparkle," Emerald Hope asked Twilight, "then who are you?"

Twilight felt supremely silly. Indeed, she didn't think she could possibly feel any sillier.

"I'm, er, Twilight Sparkle."

It took a moment for her words to sink in with Emerald Hope. She proceeded to give Glint a withering glare. Glint just shrugged. Twilight suddenly found the unicorn colt standing right in front of her, holding out his hoof to her with a winning smirk on his face.

"It's such a pleasure to make the acquaintance, milady. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brightsmile."

His words were mature, but his voice was a surprisingly squeaky reminder of his youth. When Twilight raised her hoof to his, he leaned down and kissed it. The way he wiggled his eyebrows when he looked up at her struck her as a bit forward.

"Hello," she said, with hesitation.

"I'm actually a hostage here myself!" continued Brightsmile, "What are the odds, huh? Hey, if I said you had a great body-"

At this point, Emerald Hope unceremoniously pushed him out of her way.

"This is crazy!" she said, Why oh why would you bring her here, Glint?"

"This Underground is supposed to accept anypony who seeks refuge here, isn't it?"

"You can't possibly be serious about that! Since when are you such a fan of unicorns?"

"Never mind about that, will you? She's not Daylight Sparkle, but she might be just as powerful. If you'd seen what I have, you'd know that she could be a great ally to us. She defeated a whole horde of scorpion muties out by the Scar all on her own. Filly's got a serious gift for magic."

Emerald Hope's eye twitched. "That doesn't make me feel better at all!"

She turned towards Twilight and stared at her long and hard, as if she expected to pierce veil of time itself and gleam her entire history up until that point. She looked more afraid than suspicious. Was it because of her own neurotic nature, or was seeing the face of Daylight Sparkle up close just that frightening? Twilight tried to smile at her, but that only made the other pony narrow her eyes and scowl harder.

"So you're here to join us or something, is that it?" asked Emerald Hope.

"Um, no, not exactly," admitted Twilight. She sneaked a glance at Glint, but couldn't make out a reaction. "I'm actually just here looking for Applejack. Is she around here somewhere?"

"Hmh, well, you won't find her here!"

"Why, where is she?" asked Twilight.

"She hasn't gotten back to us since the assassination attempt on the Queen." Emerald Hope's eyes bulged. "Wait, why am I telling you this?"

Twilight looked from one pony to the next. "You mean... something might have happened to her?"

"No, no, of course not! Applejack can take care of herself better than anypony!"

"Most of the other ponies in her group have already made it to safehouses," said Glint, "Applejack likes to take the longer routes to make sure she shakes off pursuers. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Um, shouldn't we be careful about telling her stuff like that?" asked Caramel.

"Yes," said the black and white pegasus.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Emerald Hope, "Yeah, we should! Even if she's not Daylight Sparkle herself, she could still be one of Sparkle's henchponies. In fact, she probably is! And who knows what kind of insidious motive she has?"

"I came across her out in the open desert," said Glint, "It was sheer chance we met."

"Perhaps you only think it was chance, hmm? Have you considered that possibility? That this is all a plot, carefully orchestrated to get an infiltrator into our hideout? Applejack left me in charge when she headed to Everfree, and I'll be damned if the Underground is exposed and destroyed on my watch! Goodness gracious, she might even be an assassin sent after sent after Applejack herself!"

"Use your head, Emerald. If she was a member of the Secret Police, there would have been a dozen better ways to find us. Not to mention, she'd have come to us in a proper disguise. Why would they send somepony looking like that? It's a straight-up guarantee that we'd be suspicious. That makes no sense, no ma'am. The Secret Police isn't so dumb."

Emerald Hope was frantically chewing on her lower lip as she tried to deal with these contradictions. It seemed to Twilight that she was at least considering Glint's words. Finally, she turned to the others in the room with a pleading look.

"Thoughts, everypony?"

The pegasus was the first to speak. There was no trace of the peculiar Zebrican rhyming accent in her voice, but she sounded foreign nevertheless. "We mustn't take any chances," she said, "If you get me ten hooflengths of bamboo, a spoon and a bucket of glue, I could have the truth out of her... dead or alive."

The awkward silence that filled the room told Twilight she wasn't the only one who thought that sounded a little disconcerting. The pegasus looked confused when Brightsmile burst into laughter.

"Oh Chequy, you're such a kidder!"

"That was a joke?" muttered Spike incredulously.

"Okay then!" said Emerald Hope quickly, "Noted! Now, what do you think, Caramel?"

Caramel looked surprised at even being asked. "Um. I'm not really sure it's a good idea for us to decide anything on our own. We should wait for Applejack to get back."

Emerald Hope enthusiastically nodded along to his words. "Brightsmile?"

"Oh, I'm sure such a lovely lady has nothing to hide. I would certainly be willing to put all my faith in her, if you know what I mean. By the way, can I just say that I really like your hair, Miss Sparkle? It's very stylish."

Twilight hadn't gotten much chance for personal grooming recently and was all but certain that her hair looked much like a mummified bird's nest at the moment. She was starting to suspect the young pony had undue intentions towards her. Brightsmile wasn't done yet, however.

"I'm not so sure about the other one though," he said, turning up his nose towards Spike and sniffing, "There's something odd about him I can't place."

Emerald Hope pounced on it right away. "What? You mean like a spell or something?"

"Hey, could be!"

Brightsmile conjured up an expression of intense concentration. The members of the rebellion were paying attention to Spike for the first time now. Twilight caught sight of Glint and saw the old pony slamming a hoof into his forehead.

"Now that you mention it, I think you might be right, Miss Hope! There is a definitive magical feel about him. It's almost as if, hmm, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait."

Suddenly, his eyes turned as big as dinner plates.

"I think he's a dragon!"

It was as if an explosion had gone off in the room.

Emerald Hope gasped so loud that Spike stumbled backwards in shock and rolled over. Caramel looked close to fainting, while Glint simply sighed. Chequy reared, and that was when Twilight first noticed the sharp little blades tied to her forelegs with leather straps. She hung low and folded out her wings, ready to jump, but the next moment, Brightsmile had sidled up so close to her that he was practically underneath her.

"Ooooh, protect me, Chequy!"

"Please don't touch me down there..."

Emerald Hope had to take several deep breaths until she could continue speaking.

"Aha!" she said, "Aha! This proves you're an enemy agent! Why else would you try to bring a dragon among our ranks covertly?"

Twilight sunk down to the floor and let her ears droop. "This isn't what it looks like! I only cast an appearance-changing spell on him because Glint said he would draw attention around town!"

All eyes turned to Glint.

"What were you thinking?" demanded Emerald Hope, "Why would you bring a weapon of mass destruction right to our doorstep? Do you not you understand how dangerous this is?"

"There's no need to get all bothered," said Glint, but he couldn't stop himself from looking abashed. He turned away, his brow furrowed, and there was a defensive note in his voice when he continued. "I knew you people would react like this when there's really no reason for it. The dragon's a good kid. I don't think he's been trained like the others. He's nothing to be afraid of, I promise you. Just try to look beyond it, will you?"

"I can't believe this," moaned Emerald Hope.

"It's not like you to make such a gamble," said Caramel pensively.

"Shaddap, Caramel," said Glint.

"What shall we do about the creature?" asked Chequy. Her voice was calm, but there was a burning intensity in her hawkish eyes.

"Hey, I resent that!" exclaimed Spike. He set down his hooves to get up, causing everypony but Twilight and Glint to take a step back, "Would you all please stop talking about me as if I'm not right here?"

"Shuuut uuup, Spiiike!" whispered Twilight through her teeth. She took up a position between Spike and pegasus, just to be on the safe side. "You don't have to worry," she said "I mean, he's only a baby dragon."

She laughed nervously, but the tension in the air refused to go anywhere. Nopony seemed to think this was a laughing matter. Twilight didn't understand the state of panic they were all in. Caramel was visibly quivering, and Emerald Hope looked at her as if she was crazy.

"I can turn him back if you want?" suggested Twilight.

"No!" burst out Emerald Hope, and then instantly changed her mind. "Okay, do it."

Twilight didn't strictly need to do anything flashy to return Spike's original form to him, but she thought the rebel ponies would be more comfortable if they could see the magic at work. She lowered her horn towards Spike and let it glow on him. It took a single thought, and the shell she'd created disappeared. A collective gasp went through the room when the colt turned into a baby dragon in a flash.

Spike plopped down on the ground, then calmly stood up and dusted himself off. "Hi there. I'm Spike."

"He's so small," said Caramel.

"He's small now," said Emerald Hope, "The other ones in the Secret Police are small too, but... well, you know what they can do."

Spike rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Deal with it, will you?" he said.

Twilight bit her lip. The fear they were all showing Spike was making him a bit too bold.

"You really don't have to worry," she repeated, "We don't mean you any harm."

It didn't look like anypony was going to argue with her on that, at least for the moment, but she wasn't sure whether any of them really believed it either.

"So now what?" asked Glint loudly, "What are you going to do, Emerald?"

"What?" asked Emerald Hope.

"Applejack left you in charge, so make up your mind," said Glint, "What do you want done with them? Should we give them a room or a cell? Or should we dump them out in the open desert like I found her? You don't mean to execute them, do you?"

"No, no, not that, but..." She cringed. "Ohhh, why me?"

She was running her front hooves over the sides of her head in a circular motion, trying to massage her temples. Doing so, she pulled loose the wilted flower in her mane, which fell to the floor and lost most of its remaining petals. Emerald Hope looked sad to see it come to pieces. It was a sunflower, as it happened.

"I may not be the smartest pony around," said Glint, "but I think I do know other ponies a bit. I can tell that Twilight's the okay sort. Just give her a chance. There's no harm in letting her speak to Applejack. If you don't trust her, then at least trust me."

Emerald Hope sighed and looked at Glint unhappily. "I think..." she started.

But before she could finish her thought, somepony kicked open the door.

"Heya!" said Applejack.

Twilight's heart jumped. For a moment, everypony seemed to forget about her. Chequy was the only one who kept an eye on Twilight and Spike, but even she seemed brighter somehow, less composed. Glint remained sitting in his corner, but the others flocked around their leader, all announcing how glad they were that she was back. Emerald Hope looked especially excited. An invisible weight seemed to have disappeared from her shoulders; she stood straighter and even smiled.

"I had a heck of a time getting out of Everfree City," explained Applejack, "The whole place is on high alert, and the unicorns are dragging citizens off the street left and right, hoping they'll nail one of us. They followed me for days before I managed to shake them off. Thank grace we didn't make it to the citadel by the time they got wise."

"What went wrong?" asked Chequy.

"We can talk about that later."

Emerald Hope was frowning again. "Applejack, listen. Big Mac still hasn't made it back..."

"Shush, Emerald. I already know. I'm still hoping he managed to hide away somewhere."

The twangy accent in her voice was familiar, but not much else. This was not the Applejack Twilight knew. This Applejack kept her blond mane cut in a short bobcut instead of tied up in a long tailstyle. She was still sturdy and muscled, but also had more than one scar on her body. Her distinctive hat was missing, and even her cutie mark was different. It was not three gleaming red apples, but a sharp stick with a three-pronged white cover – a parasol. This Applejack's special talent wasn't growing apples, it was standing against the sun.

"So, where is this dead ringer of Daylight Sparkle everypony keeps telling me about?" she asked.

Twilight's breath caught in her throat when their gazes met. She didn't know what to say. Applejack stepped closer and did a full circle around Twilight, curiously regarding her from every angle. Even she jerked slightly when she saw Spike, but Twilight was the center of her attention.

The scowl on her face was more perfunctory than unfriendly. Her mane was matted with sweat and sand, probably from several days of galloping in the desert. She looked horribly disheveled, but if she was tired at all, she hid it well.

Finally, she stepped back and declared her judgment.

"Naah, it ain't her."

They accepted her word as fact right away. It was Glint himself who asked her how she knew.

"'Cause I saw Daylight Sparkle in Cow's Crossing not three turns ago. Only barely managed to lose her. I reckon she's somepony I would recognize by now, after all our run-ins. I have to admit though, they look darn similar. Almost identical." She faced Twilight, and asked her in a much rougher voice: "Now, who are you and what do you want with me? Careful what you say; I'll know if you lie."

Twilight had been waiting for her to ask.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm aware that you don't technically know me, but I came to you for help about, um, a thing." She glanced around in the room. "I was actually hoping we could discuss things privately, away from the others?"

"Heh, fat chance of that. You can just go on and say what you want to say. This crew here's my most trusted lieutenants in Trottingham, and, well, Glint. But I'm sure you won't mind him, since you seem to be such good buddies and all."

"Well, the thing is... How do I put this?" She cringed and laid it all out without drawing breath. "I'm actually a traveler from another universe and I came to you because you're one of my closest friends in my own world and I hoped you could help me find a way back home."

There was a pause of absolute quiet – and then everypony in the room broke into laughter. Chequy snorted, Glint and Caramel chuckled, Brightsmile guffawed, Emerald Hope cackled, and Applejack herself was almost rolling on the floor, with tears of mirth in her eyes. Even Spike couldn't stop himself.

Twilight stomped her hooves in frustration. "I'm serious, you guys! Spike!"

"Sorry, Twi!" said the dragon, "But you have to admit, it sounds kind of ridiculous when you just say it out loud like that!"

Twilight pressed on. "I realize how this sounds, but I'm not crazy, I swear! I really am from another planet, another Equestria! They're both similar to yours, and yet very different in some crucial aspects."

"Different how?" asked Applejack. Her face was scrunched up from trying not to grin.

"Well, for starters, my world isn't a desolate wasteland, and our Celestia isn't a tyrant."

That wiped the smile from Applejack's face.

"In my world, it was Princess Luna who was corrupted a thousand years ago and turned into Nightmare Moon. She tried to bring about an eternal night, but Celestia fought her and put a stop to her plans. The world was never ruined. Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon for a millennium. When she broke out, we two and our other friends defeated her for good and restored Luna."

"The moon?" cut in Brightsmile, "What's that? And who's Luna?"

"I think I've heard of the moon before," said Caramel hesitantly, "My grandmother used to tell me stories. The moon was where the night happened."

"My people still pass on the legends of antiquity," said Chequy quietly, "but... I never paid much attention to old stories. I remember hearing about the moon though, the dark twin of the sun."

Twilight nodded. "Just as Celestia commands the sun, her sister Luna commands the moon. The natural order is an equal duality between the two, between day and night as well. You've all heard stories, haven't you? About how things were before?"

They had.

"You see, Applejack? I'm not Daylight Sparkle, but at the same time, I am. We are the same person, born in different universes. That's why we look the same, and that's why her cutie mark isn't the same as mine. She has grown to doing things I would never approve of."

"And me?" asked Applejack, "You say you know me? So what am I like, in your world?"

"I... don't know what to tell you. I don't know you, so it's hard to compare you two, you know? You look different, but I see a lot of her in you, I think. You would like her if you met her. Does that make sense? Glint told me about Apple Baron, and how he had to stop growing apples because of the climate. Well, in my world, the Apple clan has orchards all over Equestria. You're renown for it!"

Applejack looked quite serious now, but Twilight still didn't think she believed her.

"So in that world of yours," said Applejack, "are my parents still alive?"

Twilight hadn't expected that. "No," she said, "No, they're not. I'm sorry. But the family you do have is wonderful! You all live in your parents' orchard together, you, your grandmother, your big brother and your little sister..."

Suddenly, Applejack's eyes were blazing fury. She whirled around to face Glint.

"Glint Hardhoof, you didn't!"

Glint looked confused for a moment. "Applejack, on my word, I never told her about Apple Bloom."

And with that, Applejack was starting to believe. The anger disappeared and her mouth fell open. When she looked back at Twilight, there was a whole new sense of wonder in her eyes.

"So she exists in this world as well?" said Twilight, "I'm glad to hear that. She's a sweet filly."

"Apple Bloom, she..." started Applejack, and then fell silent. "Nopony is supposed to know about her. Nopony except some of my comrades. Apple Baron's line lost their trees, that's true, but some of my relatives are still growing apples, farther away from the crownlands. Apple Bloom and Granny are living with one of my cousins, so nopony can use them against me. I don't want them involved in this."

"I promise I won't tell anypony," said Twilight

"Something strange," said Glint, "She didn't know a thing about Equestria when I met her. I had to explain everything from A to B. She wasn't faking, I can tell you that much. I don't know if she's from another world or whatever, but I really don't think she's from these parts."

Twilight wasn't the only one intently staring at Applejack. All of the others were watching her as well, waiting to hear what she had to say. Applejack was silent for a while before continuing.

"Your story is.. interesting and all, Twilight, but assuming for a moment you're telling the truth, I'm not really sure what you expect from me, sugar."

What options did Twilight have? Tell Applejack that she herself had no idea what to do? That she sought her out more out of sentimentality than any real reason? But then again, perhaps there was a way for her to help.

"Spike and I weren't the only ones thrown into this world. There were three other ponies aside from me, but we got separated during the crossing. One of them was the magical theorist who created the dimensional travel spell system in the first place, Brainy Bright. If you helped me find him, he might be able to build another portal and get us back to our own world."

Twilight wasn't at all sure she should tell them who exactly her companions were. The ponies of the Apple Underground only knew Celestia as an age-old enemy, and Luna didn't mean anything to them at all. Not being straight with them grated on Twilight's conscience, but she didn't know how they would react if they found out. It was best to hold back that particular bit of information, at least for the moment.

But Applejack's decision came swiftly and mercilessly anyway.

"I can't help you."

Twilight's heart sank. Applejack read her disappointment from her expression and sighed.

"Look, I understand that you're in a serious pickle here, but there's nothing I can do. Do you even have any inkling where this Brainy Bright might be? Trying to find one pony in the whole wide world is the next best thing to impossible. We're fighting a war here, and most everypony in the Underground is wanted by the law. I can't risk sending my people on some wild goose chase for somepony that hasn't yet conclusively proven she isn't crazy." She smiled apologetically. "You're welcome to stay with us though, if you don't have anyplace to go! You don't have to fight for us or nothing. We take in anypony."

No. Twilight couldn't let this be the end of it.

She thought about everything Glint had told her about this world, about the centuries of abuse the land and its inhabitants had gone through. She thought about Applejack's struggle, and all the others who must have tried to fight back before her. She thought about home, her friends, her Princess, and her star-shaped tiara. And she knew what she had to do.

"What if I told you I knew a way to defeat Daymare Sun?"

This caused some murmurs in the room, but Applejack looked skeptical.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"The Elements of Harmony! Magical artifacts infused with the essences of Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter and Magic. That's how we defeated Nightmare Moon in our world. We can do the same here, Applejack. You and I. If we find the rest of our friends, and the physical vessels that hold the Elements, then we can purge Celestia of the corruption inside her and return this world to normal!"

"Normal?" repeated Applejack, "You mean..."

"The end of the eternal day. No more constant light, no more constant heat. Imagine it, Applejack! Imagine an end to the oppression. In my world, all the pony races are equal and free, and we live in peace with our neighbors. Celestia, Princess Celestia, is meant to be a kind and benevolent ruler! She's not just a monarch, she's a mother to us all. If things hadn't gone wrong, if something hadn't happened to your Celestia, she would be like ours as well, I know it! But with the Elements, we could fix everything!"

They were all silent now, deep in thought. Nopony was laughing anymore. Twilight waited patiently as the rebels chewed over everything she had said and tried to look beyond the inherent insanity of it all. It was a long shot, certainly. She had no way of knowing whether the events a thousand years ago had played out anything like in her own world; she didn't know whether the Elements had been destroyed or whether they'd been forged at all. But it was the only chance she saw. She glanced at Spike and saw that the dragon had his fingers crossed. Glint looked particularly excited, but Emerald Hope was the first to speak.

"All the seeds I've gathered," she said, almost reverently, "I could finally plant them! And they would grow!"

Caramel sighed. "I really don't mean to be so blunt, but we gave it our best shot at Everfree, and we still failed. I want to believe we're making a difference, but at this rate, it'll never come to anything. In a hundred years, we'll all be dead and Daymare Sun will still be Queen. So, what I mean to say is..."

"This could be our secret weapon," finished Chequy for him, her face grim, "It could turn the tide. Magic, but not unicorn magic."

Brightsmile was grinning from ear to ear again. "Aren't you curious what nighttime is like?"

"You can't pass something like this up," said Glint, "No matter how small the odds are, you've got to try. There's no harm in trying. Good grace, Applejack, what if she's telling it true?"

Applejack desperately wanted to believe – Twilight could see that from her eyes. But it was also apparent that she was deeply conflicted. She looked Glint in the eye.

"She's not exactly asking for nothing," she said, "There's a lot to do, and no real idea of how to do it. Going out to chase for some mythical artifacts would be a huge risk."

Glint looked good for his age, but the years seemed to melt away from his back as he got to his hooves and stood up to his full height, which was tall indeed. At that moment, he seemed like a much younger pony.

"Everything the Underground does is a big risk," he replied, "but think of the possible gains. This is exactly the chance you've been waiting for."

The corners of Applejack's mouth twitched, and a moment later, she was chuckling.

"Boy, look at us! This feels familiar somehow, but shouldn't it go the other way around, with me proposing some wild plan and you cautioning me about it?"

"Heh. Well, I guess we've both learned a thing or two."

Applejack looked back at Twilight.

"Okay. Supposing everything you've said is true and those Elements of Harmony are really out there – do you have any idea where we might find them?"

"Not really," said Twilight honestly.

"And those friends of ours? How do you know they even exist in this world, or that they'd be willing to help us?"

Twilight smiled weakly. "I don't."

"Taking you by your word and going on this quest has got to the craziest, most foolhardy idea in history." But she was smiling as well.

"You'll do it though, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I reckon I will."

She raised her hoof, and Twilight knocked her own against it.

"First things first," said Twilight, "Do you know any of these ponies – Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie?"

Applejack looked surprised for a moment, and then nodded.

"Which one?" Twilight asked her.

"Rarity. Or Lady Rarity if you want to be particular. She's a member of the unicorn nobility and – get this – she's not an evil bastard or an dumb pleasure-seeker. She- ah, she's been a good ally to the Underground."

Their situation wasn't hopeless at all, oh no, far from it. After all, there was a special bond connecting Twilight and their friends. It was time to see how deep that bond really went. Twilight wanted to know whether to believe in destiny.

"But, um, if you're thinking about seeking her out, that could prove a mite tricky."

"What? Why?"

"Well, it's like this. Rarity lives in Everfree City."

Next chapter: A Twinkle in the Mind's Eye.

Author's Note

It's been a while, hasn't it? It's a long chapter, and it came hard as hell. I must have been averaging a hundred words a day or less for a while there, in the second half. The release of a little game called Deus Ex: Human Revolution put me on a dead stop for a week. And then? Then I wrote the last two thousand words in two days. Funny how these things work out. Still, I bet you could clearly tell from the text that I was struggling... Please tell me exactly what you think.
I originally meant to make Mayor Mare a member of the Apple Underground as well, but I didn't have the slightest clue as to what to call her if she's not a mayor.
One unsigned commentator, Chakat Firepaw, remarked that exact distance from the sun doesn't rightly matter to how temperature varies with altitude. Well, yes, of course I know that - but I don't think that's how things work in this particular fictional universe. Remember "Sonic Rainboom," where Rarity pulled an Icarus because she got too close to the sun. It seems clear to me that Equestria's sun is an orbiting satellite, not a star as we know it.
I've decided to restructure the story a bit. Preceding and immediately forthcoming sections that don't star Twilight will now be separate chapters, not 'interludes' or parts of Twilight's chapters. They will be shorter, however. Next up... Celestia.

Chapter 5: A Twinkle in the Mind's Eye

By the time Celestia got back to Canterlot Mountain, nopony was there. Four others had crossed over with her and she had lost all of them. Of Brainy Bright, there was no sign at all, but she did catch a whiff of Luna's scent in the sky, and found tracks leading into the open desert that belonged to Twilight Sparkle and Spike. There were subtler traces as well – memories of magic gleaming invisibly around her in which she recognized her student's work.

Celestia set down amongst the hills briefly to have a look around. Her pastel mane waved and shimmered, even though the air around her was dead still. The wind was forgotten. It was quiet. She could sense nothing alive anywhere near her – not on the ground or the mountain, not under the earth and not up in the sky. There wasn't even a tiny worm to be found, not even anything left of a worm. There was only sand. She felt like she was in the graveyard of nature.

She had made a mistake.

Upon being thrust into this world, Celestia had floated onwards outside the atmosphere and explored. She had examined the planet from the above and tried to make sense of the sun. As repulsive as it was, it almost seemed to be calling out to her. She mind drowned in thoughts of flames when she looked at it. Still, her flight into orbit could have waited. She had wasted days when she should have turned around immediately and rushed back to find the others. She had made a mistake, and now found herself with no excuse for her foolishness.

Following the tracks was the only option at the moment, but Celestia worried more about her sister than Twilight Sparkle. Luna should have been the one more prepared for any dangers this world might present, true, but what effect would the absence of the moon have on her? It would not be pleasant, neither physically nor psychologically. Celestia hoped to gather everypony up soon so they could start thinking about how to get back to their own world.

She gave her wings a mighty flap, rose back in the air and headed after Twilight. In minutes, she came across a great canyon running several kilometers in length and infused with elemental power. The magic there was not recent – calling it ancient would have made her feel old – but nevertheless raw and pungent. It almost made her gag. The energies that had seeped into the ground there felt evil and terrible, and yet somehow familiar.

There was something underneath the earth. Celestia hadn't sensed anything alive at the mountain, but there was something here... not worms, but something else.

It didn't matter.

Celestia found the tracks again on the other side of the chasm. Soon after, she found another site of a magical eruption. This one was still fresh. There was a crater of vitrified sand there, flat and wide, from which an explosion of light and kinetic energy had burst outward from. What could Twilight have come across here that would have forced her to do something this drastic? What kind of dangers did this dimension hold?

Celestia could not find the tracks again. She soared around the edge of the crater, but found only broken glass and windswept sand that had obscured any sign of movement. Still, there couldn't be any doubt about Twilight's destination anyway. She and Spike had been on their way to the city nearby. Being the closest settlement around, it was the obvious place to head for.

It didn't take her long to get there herself. The city was huge, bigger than anything in Celestia's own Equestria. It was well-planned though. Most of the streets were grid-like and neat. She could see ponies on the move inside. Many of the buildings reached high, but there was an expected lack of towers, even in the huge palace that lay at the city center. Everything was built from a chalk white rock Celestia didn't recognize. There was an obvious distinction between large apartment complexes and elaborate, baroque mansions. The architecture of the latter reminded Celestia of Canterlot, though it was certainly more severe and less curvy. There were also many greenhouses of various sizes strewn about. Many of the bigger ones seemed to be for private use. A massive wall surrounded the city, and numerous tunnels for railway tracks led through it.

Obviously, Celestia was going to have to disguise herself. She picked the eastern gate, since that seemed closest in direction to Canterlot Mountain, and approached the city as a young mare with a snow-white coat and flowery pink locks. A certain tinge of spite made her keep her own cutie mark, the image the sun she called her own, but she made certain to hide away her alicorn features. She also made herself appear sweaty and dusty, and conjured up saddlebags and empty water canteens – everything needed to appear as if she'd just came wandering from the desert. She chose the body of a unicorn more out of habit than any other reason. This was the simplest disguise in Celestia's repertoire, and she used it often enough when she wanted to keep an eye on goings-on in and around Canterlot. She had to admit, she liked this form. It was very similar to herself in her youth. An ageless being felt no vanity about how young she looked, but there was a certain nostalgia in it, and she so enjoyed the feeling of freedom it gave her to be just another unrecognized snout in the crowd.

By entering the city on foot, however, Celestia did exactly she would rather have avoided: she stood out. The city gates were under heavy guard, and it turned out that nopony was allowed to leave the city. Entering was not forbidden, but it was certainly odd.

"You traveled in the desert by yourself?"

There were several armored soldiers there, but the pony in charge was a black and blue unicorn mare dressed in a white robe and hat. It was her who handled the questioning.

"You traveled in the desert by yourself?"

While she spoke, she was also probing Celestia magically. If Celestia had been any other pony, and if her magic was just any other magic, then the inquisitor would no doubt have seen through her disguise.

"Yes, ma'am," said Celestia meekly.

There was no need to say anything else. The unicorn stepped very close to Celestia – all authority – and glowered down at her with dark and cold eyes. Celestia matched her gaze. The guards had nothing to go on, nothing to justify any suspicion. They had to let her pass.

"Enjoy your time in Everfree City," said the unicorn, "Do not try to escape. It is forbidden by express command of the Queen, owing to the emergency situation currently in effect."

"Emergency situation?" repeated Celestia, but the unicorn did not answer. She turned around and stomped off.

On the side of the guardhouse was a large sign, lettered in golden block capitals:

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

WAR IS PEACE

MAGIC IS FRIENDSHIP

Celestia read it over one more time while the gate was being opened. It still did not make sense. She turned towards one of the guards, an earth pony, and smiled.

"The situation can't be that unusual, can it? I'm sure you have young and strapping unicorn ladies coming through on their lonesome here all the time."

The earth pony was slow to answer. "No, Madam. Not really."

Celestia considered asking about Twilight Sparkle directly, but decided to move on, at least at the moment. There was no need to rush ahead of herself and do something she might later regret. She had time to do some investigating first.

Once she was inside the tunnel leading through the city wall and the doors shut behind her, Celestia let her saddlebags melt into nothingness. She was now just another citizen, hopefully. The other end of the tunnel wasn't closed. As soon as she stepped out into the light, she noted a difference in temperature. It was somewhat cooler within the city walls. It might still have been a warm summer's day, but the sunshine was not nearly as intense.

Celestia found her cutie mark everywhere in the city. The sunburst symbol adorned half the street corners and the front doors of all barracks and government buildings. Armored soldiers – unicorn, pegasus and earth pony – wore it proudly on their chests. Hundreds of flags hung listlessly on hundreds of flagpoles, each of them showing what must have been the Equestrian coat of arms – a giant sun surrounded by a ring of fire, on a field of pure white. The sigils came in many different colors, but most often, they were bright and gleaming gold. They were on every side, where ever Celestia looked, and they all seemed to confirm her worst suspicions.

She wondered if it hadn't been another to mistake to use the sun as her cutie mark instead of the little blue stars or something else entirely. It turned out not to be a problem. Her flank drew a few glances, true, but these were almost always appreciative or even jealous. The ponies themselves looked perfectly ordinary to her eyes, but there was a distinct difference in how members the different pony races carried themselves.

The question now was what the best way to locate Twilight was. Should she start checking for guesthouses, public locations? Should she try asking ponies? It did not seem likely that Twilight would have any money to pay for lodgings. Celestia was reticent about doing something like, oh, turning to the authorities, not until she'd had a chance to look things over in Everfree.

The first thing she tried to do was find newspaper to learn more about the current situation in the city, but it seemed that the last several editions of the local papers had been blanketed by royal decree. It was apparently temporarily illegal to report the news, but there was always another way to find things out: gossip and rumor.

There was, of course, the distinct danger of distortion and exaggeration, but Celestia often found that commoners knew far more than anypony gave them credit for, or than they were supposed to. This Equestria had many of the trappings of a police state, and its citizens quite likely wary of being overheard saying something that could be construed as treasonous, but that didn't mean they didn't express themselves. It was as easy to pick up on the moods and concerns of a crowd as it was to read a morning paper, if one knew what one was doing. Celestia did indeed know what she was doing. She weaved through the shops, the marketplaces, the greenhouse parks and the streets – she looked and listened.

"Thank grace the curfew is over and done with. The new opening times I had to set for my shop were killing business. I'm so glad I get to sleep in again."

"I know what they said, but a friend of a friend told me Applejack is still out there, and she heard it from one of the soldiers that was sent to catch her."

"...and you know what the best part is? I've heard the foal might have been Duke Blueblood's!"

"I've been saying for years that we could use another war. I don't know why it's taken us so long to move against the Griffon Kingdom. They've been making a mockery of Equestria for centuries just by existing."

"He's not a unicorn anymore, so what is he? It's like he's not even a pony at all. He's just a dead... thing."

"She broke into Earl Catnap's treasury and took everything that wasn't bolted down. The guards only noticed what was going on when she left them her dust to eat..."

"I've never seen anything like it. The city guards were out of their minds. Nopony expected them to attack Everfree City directly."

"I don't know how we'll get by next month. I've already sold everything I could possibly sell. I told myself I'd never enlist, but what other choice is there?"

"They're only earth ponies."

"...regiments marching past their village..."

"Nopony's seen her for a week. I knew she should have kept her damn fool mouth shut about the Queen."

"But why would anypony want to kill Celestia?"

"I'm so glad Lord Chocolate Sun's ball is still taking place. Everypony who is somepony will be there."

"The griffons don't stand a chance. We outnumber them five to one. As soon as their capital falls, the other cities will follow like a row of dominoes. This war will be over in a couple of months."

"They'll never catch the Blue Bolt. She's too fast."

"They took him! They took him! I tried to tell them he had nothing to do with it – he was with me – but they still took him!"

"I'm telling you, I saw it happen! I actually saw Applejack!"

"There's no way they can beat us in the air. We'll match the griffons feather by feather."

"Nopony knew anything until a message came down from the Queen herself. But how could she have known there were assassins in the city?"

"She came into our store and simply took what she wanted, When I tried to put a stop to it, she threatened to kill me! I don't care whether that bitch is on the Council or not, this is an outrage! A pegasus can't boss around a unicorn like that!"

"What'll happen once we've taken the Griffon Kingdom? I don't want the sun hanging over us again, I don't!"

"Lady Rarity is your best bet. Just go to her and tell her everything. She might be able to help."

"I just can't shake this feeling that I'll never see him again. He'll be buried in an unmarked grave in the Griffon Kingdom..."

"What are you, stupid? There are no wild dragons in Equestria. You mustn't believe every rumor you hear."

"...Daymare Sun..."

Celestia gasped. She immediately raised her hoof to her mouth, fearful that the ponies speaking had noticed that she was listening in on their conversation. Both of them were looking at her. Celestia quickly turned around and cantered away, keeping her pace inauspicious and her expression neutral. Meanwhile, her mind was racing.

Daymare Sun.

She hadn't misheard. The two ponies had been talking about strange graffiti appearing around the city recently. It hadn't been the first time, and the city guard always made sure to have it cleaned away as fast as possible. It couldn't just be a coincidence. What other conclusion could there be but the obvious one?

It made sense though. The piece fit in perfectly with the rest of the picture. At once, this Equestria's plight seemed even worse than before. Celestia was quite powerful by herself, but Daymare Sun's power was no doubt greater still. If they fought for control of the sun – thinking of it purely theoretically – Celestia was certain she would not come out as the victor. Not by herself, at least... If she and Luna faced the Queen together, though, what then? Perhaps it was futile even to consider this. There were too many other variables to consider. She needed time to think.

A coming war with the Griffon Kingdom was something she had heard mentioned again and again. Celestia headed out to look for some shop where she could find a map of Equestria and surrounding lands. She needed to get the full picture of what was going on in this world, and that included the geopolitical situation. She didn't have the money to buy the map, so she settled for committing it to memory.

As it had once in Celestia's own world, the Griffon Kingdom lay to the northeast of the Principality of Equestria. The border between them, however, was further back, coinciding roughly with the Talon mountain range. Surrounding nations were greatly reduced in territory – or simply gone, swallowed whole by their neighbor. Equestria itself was almost twice its original size, and that didn't include the occasional "protectorate" it had annexed over the years. Only the dragon lands were of comparable size, but vast as they were, but it was likely that they were also in large part uninhabited. It seemed clear that ponies were the dominant species on the planet.

What worried Celestia most of all was the fact that the sun seemed to be positioned right above the capitol city of the griffons. The Queen could wipe out the whole nation if she wanted to, but she must not have wanted to, or she would have done it already. The plan seemed to be invasion and occupation.

Celestia scanned the pony-griffon border carefully. The mountains were a respectable natural defense, but they were not impenetrable. A route near the coast called the Valley of the Wind was an obvious route to take if the ponies were going to bring infantry to bear, but it would no doubt be heavily defended. Relying on pegasus troops or perhaps a surprise attack by magic were also options, but there was a lot of risk involved with either strategy. Celestia wondered if Equestria had any strength at sea.

There was much more she yet needed to learn. It didn't take her long to figure out a way to do that. Barracks and guardposts were plentiful in the city. It seemed that the Queen was nothing if not dutiful when it came to "policing" her ponies. Celestia sought out the biggest of them, a district headquarters. From there, she looked for the nearest tavern, where off-duty soldiers were sure to be hanging around. What she found was the Prancing Pony, which was in truth more of an evening club – so to say – than a pub. It was a place for officers, not common enlisted steeds, and that suited Celestia just fine.

Lavish double doors led into the shadowed insides of the club from the street. The gilded metal engravings of ponies prancing and dancing around in happiness that decorated the frame seemed to have a terrible irony to them. On either side of the entrance was a plaque stating 'We Do Not Serve Earth Ponies.' This regime certainly liked to belabor the obvious.

Celestia stepped in and made her way through the entrance hall, making sure to look suitably lost and confused, as well as impressed with the fine interiors. The main hall of the club was quite roomy, and the ceiling reached too high to be visible in the gloom. Low walls segmented the room and kept the tables strewn about apart. It was quite dark in the club, owing to the lack of windows, but the circular bar area in the middle was brightened by magic, and some tables were lit by candles or hornglow. It was hard to say at a glance how many ponies were there, but the place didn't seem too crowded. Most of the guests seemed to be unicorns, and quite a few of them wore uniforms.

Celestia slowly circled around and put herself up for display, then sat down at the bar. It didn't take long for somepony to take the bait.

"Do you want me to buy you a drink?"

Celestia was in luck. The unicorn stallion that had approached her was a guardpony, a lieutenant to boot. He smelled of liquor and salt.

"Oh, would you? That's so kind of you!"

She ordered a glass of white wine. Once the pony tending the bar put it down in front of her, she leaned forward and took a minuscule sip. When she sat up straight again, she had to push her mane back over her shoulder, and smiled at her benefactor as she did so. She expected she looked like a proper vision of loveliness.

The guardpony had taken the seat next to her. His coat was light beige, his mane a candy-cane mix of red and white. He was of middling height, but his posture and uniform nevertheless made him look quite statuesque. The golden plate he was wearing was very similar to the armor of Celestia's own Royal Guard, though this seemed to have a few extra enchantments. It protected its wearer from the heat, for one. His helmet, the stallion had left with a group of friends sitting at a nearby table.

"What's your name?" asked the guardpony.

"I'm Twinkle," said Celestia, "What about you?"

"Scoop. Power Scoop."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Scoop!"

"You know, I'm a Prancing Pony regular and I'm 99% sure I've never seen you here before."

"Oh no, you wouldn't have! My family only moved to Everfree City a few days ago. This is all still so new to me."

"Where are you from?"

"I doubt you'd know the place. It's a bit of a backwater. It took us a week to get to the capital by train. I'm so hopelessly out of date with everything that's been going on."

"Uh, wouldn't it have been more convenient to use a pegasus carriage?"

"That's what I thought, but Mother didn't want to leave the servants alone with our things, especially the money coffers. I'm sure you understand."

"Ah, of course. It's never wise to trust earth ponies too much."

Common wisdom held that lying at length became more and more difficult. Celestia, on her part, found that every new lie came easier than the one before it. It wasn't hard to see how this world fit together, and the nature of ponies was such that what they believed and what they expected to hear could always be predicted.

"Your cutie mark is amazing," said Power Scoop, "You were very lucky to get it."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more, Lieutenant. It's such an honor. May I ask what yours is?"

The stallion's smile curdled. "It's a... ladle. How banal is that? Cooking is a job fit for dirt-eaters. There is no prestige in it. Being a soldier is a much more, ah, noble profession, don't you think?"

Celestia nodded. She wondered if that was simply his personal opinion, or an indication of a more general cultural leaning. Soldiers did seem to have a fairly high social status.

"It feels like I've missed out on so much while I was traveling! I was a little scared about all this recent chaos when I got here."

"No need for concern, Miss Twinkle. The earth ponies' plot fell through before it began. Agents of the Secret Police were onto them before they even made it into the palace."

Why was it even called that when it was clearly not secret?

"I do hope all of the rebel scum is behind bars now?"

"Certainly! Not one of them made it out of the city. We also arrested a whole bunch of collaborators who tried to harbor them. It should only be a matter of time until we know the whereabouts of their hideout and take care of the other ones as well. You know, come to think of it, I'm not supposed to tell other ponies about this, I don't think."

"Oh? I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. Let's talk about something else then. What do you think of this war that's coming?"

"As far as I know, the invasion was already supposed to have begun, but there's a hold-up of some kind. Maybe it's because of the rebels, I don't know."

"Are there a lot of ponies involved?"

Scoop closed his eyes and drummed his forehoof against the side of his skull, making a show of trying to remember. "Over half the earth pony infantry and almost all of the pegasus air force, plus specialist unicorn support attachments. They even pulled in some reserves from the crownlands. That's over a hundred thousand ponies all in all, so yeah, quite a lot. It's the biggest campaign in living memory."

"Oh, wow! How much of Equestria's forces is that?"

"Two thirds maybe? I don't really know the exact numbers of our occupation armies in the south. They recruit some of the local sub-pony species as grunts."

"I admit I'm not well-versed on this subject, but isn't this all a little excessive? I've always heard it said that the pegasi will match the griffons feather for feather. I mean, what can they really do against us?"

"I think the Council is worried about their aeromancers. Apparently, some of these guys can control the airflow or something like that. Besides, the griffons are a martial culture. They'll be fighting down to the last soldier, and the Griffon King has had years to dig in."

"You're so smart, Lieutenant! Who is this Griffon King anyway?"

Scoop shrugged. "I don't really know. Some griffon, no doubt. You know, I'm not sure I'm supposed to be talking about this either."

Celestia paused, then smiled. "What, in case I'm a griffon spy?" she asked with a tiny hint of teasing mockery in her voice.

Scoop forced a laugh. "No, no, of course not. It really is a silly regulation. It's not like any of this is much of a secret anyway."

Celestia took a sip of wine, without letting her eyes leave Scoop's.

"You know, I've heard that Everfree City has wonderful balls."

Power Scoop did a double take at that.

"I've never really had the occasion to go to one before," continued Celestia, "Like I said, I used to live in a backwater. There were few others of my own standing there and none of them were my age. It was mostly just earth pony farmers. I never got the chance to go out and, you know, strut my stuff a bit. Now Mother got me an invitation to Lord Chocolate Sun's ball."

Scoop raised his eyebrows. Celestia hoped the idea that a fairly insignificant noble would be able to arrange an invitation to what seemed to be a very prestigious gathering wasn't too much of a stretch.

"Will you be there, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Oh, um, I'm afraid not. I'll be on duty at the time. It's a pity, I've enjoyed it on previous years."

"Aww," said Celestia with a smile, "Well, I'm really looking forward to it, but I'd hate to make a fool of myself." She frowned. "You don't... you don't think Queen Celestia will be there, do you? Does she usually mingle with the nobles?"

"No, no, she doesn't. I don't believe she's left the palace in a few years now. Ordinary ponies only get to see her by special invitation."

"Oh. I have to admit, I've been wishing I could meet her since I was a little filly, even if it's just once."

"I've met her," said Scoop, and he couldn't wait to tell her about it.

"Really?"

"Oh yes. The Prime Minister summoned me to give testimony at the palace a few years ago, when he was still in charge of the Secret Police. Some ponies under my command were a little rough with a suspected rebel, and he happened to die before he could be interrogated. They wanted to stick the blame on me. I know, stupid, right? But they couldn't prove I had anything to do with that nonsense."

Scoop's smirk suddenly seemed a little stiffer. His eyes flickered around the room nervously.

"When it was all over and done, I was leaving and then – in the hallway – I met her."

"So what's she like?" asked Celestia, almost whispering, to give the question a suitable measure of awe.

Scoop's face scrunched up. "Huh. Well, she's very... um... I don't think I truly knew what the 'divine right to rule' meant until I came face to face with her. You wouldn't believe what a majestic figure she made, truly. I mean, she's as much beyond us as we are beyond the dirt-eaters. She looked me directly in the eye, you know, and somehow, it felt like she knew... everything about me. She had this serene smile on her face, so I would hardly have thought I was looking at a tyrant. I kind of got the impression that she wanted me to come closer to her. I tried to do that, but the heat was too great and I had to back away. Then, before I knew it, she was gone. I'll never forget how she looked until the day I die though. She is glorious, oh yes, and so, so beautiful."

Then he shivered, and fell silent. Celestia took another sip of wine and tried to imagine how the Queen looked like. It now struck her as odd that in the millennium she had spent without her sister, it had never occurred to her – not even once – how things would have gone if the monster had taken her instead of Luna, what she might have become. What did that say about her?

"Shouldn't you be careful about calling her a tyrant?" she asked after a while.

"Why?" asked Power Scoop, raising an eyebrow, "That's what she likes to be called. Hmmm."

"What is it?"

"You're pretty."

Celestia giggled. "Thank you. Hey, you mentioned the Prime Minister, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"What's he like?"

Scoop did a bad job at hiding a roll of his eyes. Celestia's questions were starting to tire him.

"That guy? Hmh, you know what?" He leaned closer to Celestia. "He's not all he'd made out to be. I find him creepy, nothing more. He's lost his horn, he's lost Celestia's Gift. That makes him no better than an earth pony as far as I'm concerned. I don't know why the Queen has kept him around for such a long time. It would have been merciful to put the damn gimp down a couple of centuries ago. I guess she's not very merciful, heh."

Now that was an interesting bit of information. Celestia had to find out more about this Prime Minister. Power Scoop did not seem to think highly of the pony – and yet he lowered his voice when speaking ill of him.

"But you say he's not the head of the Secret Police any longer?"

"Hah hah, true. Celestia gave the position to her new favorite. Not only that, she also named the filly her heir. Not really sure what the point of that's supposed to be, but who am I to second-guess the Queen? I think the filly's name was... Sparkle something."

Celestia took a deep breath. "Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, I think that was it."

There was nothing so good and pure and innocent in the world that it couldn't be corrupted. Nothing and nopony. The thought sounded poisonously cynical in her head, but she could not shake off the grimness that was gripping her, not then and there.

"So how about we two see each other again some time?" asked Scoop, "Privately, I mean." His smile was ugly. "Oh, do you want another drink?"

Celestia looked away, which left the impression that she was blushing. Clearly, she was flustered and had to compose herself. After letting him stew for a moment, she turned back, stared him in the eye and gave him a perfect shy smile.

"Ah, I'll- I'll be going to the little fillies' room in five minutes."

The implication was obvious. Power Scoop looked like he couldn't believe his luck. A big enough ego, though, helped him believe.

"See you there, babe!" he exclaimed and stood up.

Celestia took another sip of wine and watched from the corner of her eye as Scoop returned to his friends, smirking wildly, and told them something that led to general snorts of laughter and several pats on his back. He downed a half-empty tankard of beer, wiped his mouth and galloped for the female restroom. The corners of Celestia's mouth twitched.

It took her a few minutes to finish off her glass. She stepped away from the bar, ignored the leering from Scoop's buddies and left the building. Then she trotted off.

At some point along the way – she wasn't sure exactly when – Celestia had reached a decision. Daymare Sun was going down. She knew this.

There would be no great change to her immediate intentions. She still had to find her pupil, her sister and the treacherous magicianist to ensure their safety, and they still had to secure some way back to their own universe. While dealing with all this, however, Celestia also had to figure out a plan for deposing an all-powerful monarch and crushing her rotten dominion down into nothingness. It would, perhaps, be quite difficult. There was much more she yet needed to learn before she could make a move. Furthermore, certain ethical issues would come about from affecting the causality of another dimension, but that was negligible.

She could not leave this be; she couldn't simply go back to her own throne in her own Equestria and forget. In her heart of hearts, Celestia knew that if she didn't even try to bring Daymare Sun down and correct the horror she'd wrought, its memory would never stop gnawing at her, not until her sun burned out at the end of eternity. Did she not already have enough regrets for her hundred lifetimes? Celestia could not bear to make such a mistake.

She might have been compelled to stay if it was Nightmare Moon or Discord or anything else holding the world under his or her thrall – but it wasn't. It was Celestia herself, or as good as. It was guilt by association. The Queen didn't even have the excuse of a greater good, but dared to openly call herself a tyrant! It was unforgivable. The weight of responsibility resting on Celestia's shoulders left her little choice about what to do.

She was going to have to find a way to kill herself.

Next chapter: Lady of Liberty.

Author's Note

Why, yes, it is extremely convenient that Celestia just happened to meet someone she could question like this right off the bat. I tried to soften the contrivance by having some of Power Scoop's information be vague, inaccurate or outright incorrect.
This chapter posed a bit of a dilemma to me. I could not, in good conscience, simply summarize everything Celestia learned on the streets, but at the same time, I didn't want to write out a dozen different expository conversations. I had neither the time nor the space for that; it would have been unnecessary and probably boring. As such, I tried to split the difference by giving you bits and pieces of bigger conversations. I hope it doesn't come across as too bad...
How do you feel about the way I'm writing Celestia? I'm kind of trying not to show her thoughts or reactions too much, since I think the character needs a certain distance from the viewer/reader. I'm worried that just makes her seem boring though. Do you like the way I write "grim" Celestia? Does she seem convincingly intelligent to you?

Chapter 6: Lady of Liberty

The plan was Applejack's. How could it have not been hers? Twilight tried to flatter herself with the thought that she too might have had the guts to come up with something almost as audacious, if the stars happened to align just right, but she wasn't so sure she'd dare enact it as well. The role Applejack herself had to play was especially dangerous.

Though, in truth, it was less of a plan and more of an idea.

"What if something goes wrong?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "If something goes wrong, then get the heck out of there, and don't forget to take me with you! I'm counting on you to keep your head on your shoulders and break off the whole shebang if necessary."

They were almost at the gates of Everfree City now. Applejack had insisted that they not approach the city from the Trottingham road, so they'd circled around to the eastern gate. It was a safety measure supposed to make the Apple Underground harder to find, if something indeed went wrong.

"What if word about this gets out to the general public though? Won't that be really bad for the resistance?"

"Ehhh. According to the Queen's propaganda machine, they've captured or killed me a dozen times over. Ponies don't know what to believe anymore. It just makes our work easier."

All the traveling Twilight had done over the last week or so had been the hardest workout she'd ever had. Her muscles had settled into a steady numb ache that made it difficult to fall asleep whenever they stopped to rest. Applejack, on her part, didn't look much worse for wear, even though she'd been practically dragging Twilight along for the last stretch of road. Apparently, Applejack simply did not get tired.

"I'm still not sure how exactly I'm supposed to act."

"How would I know? I haven't exactly had occasion to sit down for tea and crumpets with her, you know. Just act bossy and things will work out."

Nopony was in sight. Applejack dropped her saddlebags in the sand, took a final swig of water from her canteen and shared it with Twilight as well. Twilight used her magic to clean herself up from the sweat and dust of travel. It was important that she looked proper, respectable, authoritative. She had to be careful with her flank; one of Applejack's rebels had painted it over. In place of her star and sparkles was now a star casting a shadow – Daylight Sparkle's cutie mark.

Meanwhile, Spike was still practicing his angry face.

"How are we supposed to get out of there again?"

"Secret passage."

"What?"

"Yup. Secret passage. There's a perfectly good one going from the city out to the open desert. I know what you're thinking, but I don't have a clue where it is. We'll have to find Rarity for that."

They were as ready as they would ever be.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Hey, I'd be glad to skip this part if you don't mind just zapping us inside with your magic."

"I already told you, no sensible unicorn would teleport into an unfamiliar environment! Many famous wizards like Bumblebee and Star Wobble the Mustachioed have written about the dreadful consequences this can have!"

"I get it, I get it! Now would you get on with it?"

Twilight took a deep breath and set about casting a spell of conjuration. She created a bundle of rope as thin as spider-silk and wrapped it around Applejack, tightly binding her legs and snout. Applejack closed her eyes and let herself go limp. Twilight caught her and lifted her up in the air with her telekinesis. She then headed for the guardhouse at the gate in long, casual steps, dragging her new old friend along with her.

Twilight felt like she was walking off the frying pan and into the fire. She also felt this was rather silly. No metaphor was adequate to describe her anxiety. Surely there was no way this deception would actually work? She wanted to close her eyes; her natural instinct was to turn around and gallop away. The closer she got to guards, the more certain she felt that they would see right through her, and so every step wound her up tighter. She felt like she had hooves of clay.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, the guards did not see through her. The earth pony soldiers immediately fell on their knees and bowed down all the way to the ground. The black and blue unicorn mare in charge – whom Twilight recognized as an agent of the Secret Police based on Applejack's descriptions – got away with just lowering her head. All of them thought they knew exactly who she was.

"Lady Commander Sparkle!" exclaimed the black and blue mare, "We didn't expect you back so soon!"

If Daylight Sparkle had happened to return to Everfree City ahead of them, then their plan might have ended in failure before it could even begin, but Twilight couldn't bring herself to feel much relief. This was still a huge gamble. Twilight came to a halt directly before the gate, Spike close to her side. The dragon was grimacing and glaring daggers at each of the guards in turn. That, as well as the low-pitched grumbly noise he was making, was his idea of being evil, but the guards didn't even seem to notice him. All of their attention was focused on Twilight, which only made her more nervous.

In lieu of saying anything, she floated her "captive" closer. There were gasps of surprise, and the black and blue mare's eyes widened when she recognized Applejack.

"Is that- is that who I think it is?"

"Um, yes?"

"Oh, this is big! It's just the coup you needed, isn't it, milady? The Queen will be so pleased with you! My congratulations!" Without pausing, and without turning to look at them, she gave the earth pony guards an order. "Leave us!"

Twilight licked her lips and watched the soldiers shuffle away into the guardhouse. She didn't see why they couldn't go in there themselves if there was a need for a private conversation. It would have been nice to get out of the heat.

"What's going on?" she asked hesitantly.

The black and blue mare swooped forward and stood very close to Twilight, almost nose to nose. She looked very serious.

"Milady, may I ask where the rest of your party is?"

Twilight swallowed. "Ah, yes! My party! They're still out there, hard at work with hunting down the rest of those scoundrels! As for me, I felt I had to bring in the catch right away."

"Was Growing Violet with you?"

Twilight's mind was racing. It did several laps in the eternity it took her to open her mouth.

"That's a definite possibility!"

"Then it was lucky that you came back alone. I have some disturbing news for you. Our sources close to the Prime Minister have found out that Growing Violet is his mole!" She paused expectantly.

"Oh... dear," pressed out Twilight, who had no earthly idea what they were even talking about, "What a shame."

"I think Gelding's time is finally up. His influence is waning and all his trump cards depleted. I had heard that the old fool was trying to capture Applejack himself to regain Her Majesty's favor."

"Well, that was certainly... foolish of him. Muahaha!"

One of the black and blue mare's eyebrows was slowly making its way up over her forehead.

"Is... everything all right, milady?"

She was still an agent of the Secret Police, and she wasn't stupid. Twilight felt a subtle touch of magic breezing over her. She was being scanned. There was no disguise to reveal, but relying on the sheer outlandishness of the truth was no way to go. Twilight had to be much, much more convincing. She had to be a bad guy.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?" she barked, "Of course I'm all right, I'm Daylight Sparkle!"

The black and blue mare's eyes widened. In fact, she looked a little bit hurt. She bent her neck quickly enough, however.

"It's standard procedure, milady. Please forgive me."

In her submission, Twilight saw something like an opportunity. She tried to grin viciously while also trying to stay distant and aloof, resulting in an expression that expressed approximately nothing.

"Is there... anything else you'd like to bring to my attention, Agent?"

"Well, the monthly report from the Board of Education has arrived. You might also be interested to know that Agent Striker's left for the Dragon Swamp to deal with that pegasus thief. The only urgent matter is the captives we picked off from the streets during the curfew. We've held off from interrogating them yet, just as you ordered."

Twilight chose her next words carefully. She wanted no doubt or uncertainty in her voice now.

"Have any of the prisoners been identified as rebels yet?"

"No, milady. As I said, they haven't been processed yet."

Twilight couldn't help but glance over at the floating Applejack, unsure of whether this was a good thing or not. By the time they had left Trottingham, Big Macintosh had still not returned. Although news that he'd been captured would have been unpleasant to hear, anything indicating that he was still alive was welcome at this point.

"All right then!" said Twilight, "I'll go on ahead and take this pony to be... processed."

The black and blue mare nodded and smiled. "I look forward to the execution."

She called back the guards and told them to open the gate, even though Twilight was certain that either one of them could have opened it quicker and more easily with their magic. It seemed that ordering earth ponies to do things was an ingrained habit.

The black and blue mare bid Twilight farewell as she was about to enter the tunnel, but she chose not to answer. She walked forward stiffly, not daring to look behind her until she heard the gate slam shut. They were by themselves, and the tunnel was shrouded in semi-darkness, which was probably as good a cover as they were going to get. Twilight lowered Applejack to the ground and released her from her bonds.

"Could this pony have been any more rude?" grumbled Spike, "It's like I was invisible or something."

"You might as well been," said Applejack, standing up and doing stretches to get her circulation going, "That's how most unicorns are. Cows, deer, buffalo, zebras, even dragons – none of them are considered real people. Even their most valuable allies are nothing more than weapons to them. Ah, cripes, you better stop me now before I get worked up over this!"

"Well, you two are certainly very casual about things!" huffed Twilight.

Spike shrugged. "What? I thought everything worked out pretty well!"

Twilight was about to get sarcastic when she realized that he was probably right. Espionage was certainly not her forte, but somehow, she'd managed to muddle her way through the situation and get them inside. This was the end of her role for now; Applejack meant for them to make their way through the city covertly. They were only going deeper into the lion's den – but the hardest part, at least, was over. They'd taken a huge step closer to Rarity, and there was something else to look forward to as well.

After all, Princess Celestia was somewhere in the city.

The semicircle of sunlight up ahead burned bright, and Twilight was surprised at how difficult it was to force herself to move ahead, back underneath the clear sky. She would never have thought that she could be so averse to being out in the sun. Yet, once she stepped through the inner gate, shoulders slumped and head lowered, she found that the temperature wasn't as bad as she'd been expecting.

"Well," said Spike, "This is pretty nice. Or maybe I've just gotten used to medium fried."

"Glint said it wouldn't be as hot here," recalled Twilight, "I wonder if there's some sort of enchantment around the city, perhaps a shield spell? The sunlight is still just as bright, so there doesn't seem to be any luminal filtration. Perhaps the Queen can just manipulate temperature at will?"

"Don't know, don't care," said Applejack with a shrug, "I'd rather be in the heat, myself."

The tunnel led to a small plaza where several streets intersected. The open view immediately made Twilight uncomfortable. Fortunately, while there were ponies out and about, none of them was close enough to recognize her or Applejack. The city gate wasn't seeing a lot of activity, and the blinding sunlight actually worked to their advantage at a distance.

Twilight cleared her throat. "All right then," she said, "the first thing we should- hey, wait!"

Applejack had already stomped off ahead of her. She did stop for the briefest of moment's when she heard Twilight's voice, to look over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow and call out.

"Come on now! Time's a-wasting."

"O-okay!"

Ignoring the creaking and groaning of her bones, Twilight cantered after Applejack. They headed left alongside the wall. Once they reached the nearest buildings, they casually changed course and slipped into the alleyways, out of everypony's sight.

Sneaking through the city was not difficult. The only thing Twilight had to do was stay close behind Applejack as she navigated the streets. Applejack always knew how to evade the ponies they came across, where to speed up and where to turn around. More than once, they had to rush across busy streets and time their movements just right so that nopony noticed them. They had to take careful steps so their hooves wouldn't make too much noise on the pavement.

They wandered around for what seemed like – what must have been – hours. Everfree was enormous, and getting around it by hoof was a real hassle. As routes went, theirs wasn't exactly the most direct. It seemed to Twilight that they were doubling back more often than going forward. Whenever they spotted soldiers patrolling or standing guard near crowds, easily recognizable by their golden armor, they usually had to make a big circle. Occasionally, they did have chances for breaks, when they had to stay back and hide away somewhere, but Twilight simply didn't have the strength to keep going for long, especially with Spike on her back.

Applejack noticed her panting, of course.

"Hang in there, partner," she said, "It'll only be a short while."

But it wasn't just a short while.

At least that meant they had time to see the sights.

Everfree City was a far cry from Trottingham's squalor. Everything in it was neat and orderly and pretty as well. The architecture was a curious mix of modern and classical, simple and grandiose, pragmatic and ornamental – but all of it was built on a scale that Twilight had never seen before. Many of Manehattan's skyscrapers might have been taller, but none of them covered as much ground. Ponies didn't build structures this big in Twilight's Equestria. There were other oddities as well: some buildings didn't even seem to be constructed of brick or slabs, but carved like statues. Everything in the city – absolutely everything – was built of the same white rock, and the streets were paved with the same material. All the white gave the whole city an eerie radiance, as if Twilight had stepped into some kind of strange hyper-reality. As beautiful as it all looked, the brightness also highlighted the imperfections. Every little crack in the pavement and pile of bird droppings stood out.

Occasionally, Twilight caught glimpses of the Royal Palace at the heart of the city from between the other buildings. What she saw was white domes like giant hills of marble. The palace was flat and wide rather than tall and compact, and did not at all seem like the residence of an evil overlord. Twilight had imagines something completely different, some sort of dark and gloomy tower, with spikes extending skyward and firepits and skull-faced gargoyles. The reality was something she could actually picture Celestia living in, and that in itself made her much more uncomfortable than the ominous heraldry featuring her Princess's cutie mark. It wasn't just the palace either...

Eventually, the three found themselves in a residential district in the southern side of town, facing an apartment complex. The building was twenty floors high and shaped almost exactly like a cube. Twilight had never seen a more boring-looking place in her life. Even the white of its walls looked a bit duller than that of surrounding buildings, almost slightly grayish.

"Rarity lives here?" asked Twilight.

"Naah. One of our safehouses is in this building. I just wanted to check by here before heading to Rarity's. It'll only be a minute, and you can have a rest here."

Twilight frowned. "You could have mentioned that, you know."

They poked their heads through one of the doorways into a cramped corridor that slowly lit up with daylight as they stepped inside and then fell into darkness when they closed it behind themselves. Weak electric lights flickered on as they headed further inside. Applejack led them into a small elevator that creaked and groaned as it brought them up to the thirteenth floor. They exited into another corridor and passed by a dozen apartment doors packed very close together and Twilight had to wonder what the point of this detour was.

The hideout itself was decidedly unimpressive. Twilight couldn't see a thing until Applejack opened a sunshade on the tiny window and let in some light. The apartment consisted of a single room with a small kitchen corner and a bed that slid out of a wall. There was a couch, and Twilight didn't waste any time in throwing herself on it with a colossal sigh. It was old, sunk-in and uncomfortable, but it felt good to get off her hooves for a bit. Spike rolled off her and started examining a map of the city hanging on the wall.

Twilight was vaguely aware of Applejack starting to ruffle through some papers on a drawer.

"Rats," said Applejack quietly.

"Where?" asked Twilight, "Er, I mean, what's wrong?"

"I was hoping Big Mac had been through here and left a message or something. He's been off the grid for way too long now."

Seeing Applejack hunched up in the half-darkness made Twilight sit up straight. For a moment, she even thought Applejack might have been crying, but when the earth pony looked up at her, she could see that her eyes were dry and clear, just a little bit tired.

Twilight truly wished she could have said more than merely the expected.

"I'm sure he's okay."

It felt like a platitude, but Applejack seemed to take some comfort in the words.

"Yeah. My big brother won't easy to get rid of, let me tell you that! He's actually been captured by the Secret Police once before. Damn fool has a martyr complex, always puts himself in danger for the sake of everypony else. It was... pretty bad for him, but he persevered where a lot of others might have cracked. Somehow, we managed to get him out, I just... I just don't know whether we could pull off the same miracle twice, if they've taken him again."

"We won't have to," said Twilight with a slight smile, "We'll just pull off a whole new miracle by defeating Queen Celestia and then freeing all the prisoners."

Applejack didn't say anything to that, but Twilight could see that she was imagining it.

"Speaking of which," said Spike, "Have you got any stationary, Applejack? We have a letter to write."

"Oh!" exclaimed Twilight, "Right!"

Applejack wordlessly opened a shelf, stuffed some parchment, a pot of ink and a quill into her mouth and gave them to Spike, who handed them on to Twilight with a sour expression after sitting down next to her. He took pride in his role as royal scribe, but Twilight couldn't exactly dictate what she was about to write. She dipped her quill in ink with her horn and tried to ignore Applejack staring at her.

Dear Princess Celestia, she wrote. Her usual nomenclature was more important than ever right now. With two Celestias, who could tell what might happen if her wording was inexact?

Applejack and I have reached Everfree City and will be heading to find Rarity soon. Where could we meet up? Please respond as quickly as you can.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

"Sooo what are you writing?" asked Applejack.

Twilight hurriedly rolled up the parchment and thrust it into Spike's lap. The dragon sent it off with a flash of his flame, but not before giving Twilight a long glare probably meant to make her feel guilty. He didn't approve of keeping the truth from Applejack.

"I just told her we'd reached the city," said Twilight, "and asked where she could meet us."

"You didn't tell her about this hideout, did you?"

"Of course not!"

"Uh huh. So who exactly is this friend anyway? Another student of that Princess of yours?"

Twilight opened her mouth and then closed it again. She didn't really know what to say. Celestia had mentioned in her letter that she was traveling incognito, but they had never worked out a proper story. She didn't know what she'd have done if Spike hadn't come to the rescue.

"She's Twilight's aunt," he said, "and she's a really nice pony. Just wait, you'll definitely like her once you meet her! On top of that, she's super-talented with magic, way better than Twilight!"

"Oh thanks a lot, Spike!" muttered Twilight, even though he was, of course, right.

"I see," said Applejack curtly before turning back to her desk. Spike had just about enough time to look at Twilight and shrug before she turned around again. "You know, I don't think I caught her name?"

Twilight cleared her throat. "A-actually, isn't it about time you told me a little more about Rarity? How did you two meet?"

Applejack pursed her lips. It took her a while to answer.

"I'm not so sure she'd want me to tell you the exact details, but okay. I reckon I've known her for about a year by now. I've only talked to her face to face a few times though. The first time I met her was out in the open desert. She'd contacted me to set up the meet herself, so right off the bat, I was pretty darn suspicious. We've got to be careful about who to trust if we're going to survive, right? Once I actually saw her though, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that she was for real. Girl looked absolutely ridiculous out there with her oversized parasol and dainty little boots. She seemed to think there was too much sand out in the desert. There was no way she had any real experience with stuff like that. So I had her pegged as a pampered noble who'd never left the comfort of her home – and I wasn't wrong, not really. That just made her reasons for seeking out even more surprising though.

"Basically, she offered us a... business arrangement. Business is what Rarity's all about. Her special talent's finding precious gems and she's pretty savvy, so she's made a fortune in the mining industry. She's turned her family into one of the richest noble houses in Equestria. Quite a few of her mines are right here in and around Everfree, actually. So anyway, she offered to do something for us if we did something for her. It was a heck of a deal, so I agreed. Everything worked out real well, so we just sort of never stopped working together. The Apple Underground gets resources, funds and intelligence at a bargain."

If Twilight was listening with interest, then Spike was completely enraptured. He cut Twilight off before she could say anything herself.

"I heard one of your ponies call her something in Trottingham," he said.

Applejack chuckled. "What, the Lady of Liberty?"

"That was it!"

"Yup, she has her own fancy nickname and everything. Though I guess you could say she deserves it. Rarity... isn't like most other unicorns. Even before our agreement, she lived a dangerous life. She's been running an underground railroad to get oppressed ponies out of Everfree City for I don't know how many years. If somepony ends up on the Secret Police's hit list, or even if they're just sick of the life here but aren't allowed to move away, she can get them out to relative safety and freedom. Many of the ponies she rescues end up joining the Apple Underground. Saving lives's the kind of thing that makes you real popular, so as you can imagine, she has something of a reputation with earth ponies."

"Do you like her?" asked Twilight.

Applejack seemed taken aback by the question.

"Sure I like her! Well, I appreciate what she's done for us. You've no idea how grateful I am about her support. Plus, I'm real glad that unicorns like her are joining our cause, you know? Listen, I don't dislike her, okay?" She shook her head and refocused on Twilight. "Don't get the wrong idea, it's not like we're friends or anything. Circumstances being what they are, we don't get to hang around and chat much, and at the end of the day, we're just not very similar."

"Well, you know, Applejack, friendship isn't limited by anything like race or upbringing or taste. Ponies can be friends with all sorts of other ponies, including those that are very-"

There was a knock on the door.

Applejack was up on her hooves in a flash. When Spike opened his mouth to say something, she shushed him. For a moment, they all stood frozen in place. Who would have chanced to visit them, and how did they know to come at just the right time? Had they been discovered somehow? Surely, the authorities wouldn't knock if they came in force...

They didn't have a whole lot of options. Applejack warily made her way over to the door and opened it. Twilight held her breath and then promptly released it when she caught sight of a young unicorn mare about her own age, with airy light pink curls and a white coat. Twilight thought there was something terribly familiar about her, especially the serene expression and measured gaze. When the mare looked at Twilight and smiled, she realized it – and almost gasped out the stranger's identity right then and there. She couldn't, however, keep herself from pushing past Applejack and pressing herself close to her mentor. Celestia returned the nuzzle.

"Twilight Sparkle!" she said. Even her voice sounded different, less mature, more appropriate for her delicate frame.

"Hello, um, auntie! It's so good to see you!"

Celestia didn't miss a beat. "You don't know how worried I've been for you, my dear niece!"

Twilight detached herself from Celestia and looked her up and down once more. Hugging her felt strange when she wasn't towering over Twilight and didn't have a flowing mane to brush against her head and neck. In hindsight, it should have been obvious that it would be within the Princess's power to hide herself by magic even amongst other unicorns.

"I don't understand though. How did you find us?"

"A spell, Twilight. It seemed like the simplest option to me. There are ways to trace a dragon's flame-mail. You must remind me to teach one of them to you once we return home."

Twilight nodded eagerly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Applejack looking on with a scowl.

"Well, go on then, come inside!" said Applejack, "Two unicorns in a tenement like this is going to look mighty suspicious! So will a pony looking too happy, come to think of it."

Twilight hopped inside ahead of Celestia, probably unable to stop grinning even if she wanted to. The room seemed to brighten as the Princess entered, though that might well have just been Twilight's imagination. Celestia greeted Spike with a pat to his head.

"Ahem," said Spike, pointing a hand towards the Princess, "Applejack, this is..."

"Twinkle," supplied Celestia. She also properly stood to face Applejack, smiling a relaxed smile. "I've heard a lot about you in the short while I've been here, Applejack. You are at the head of something heroic and admirable. I have a great deal of respect for everything you've done for your fellow ponies, and for Equestria."

She then did something Twilight would never have expected: bent her forelegs in an unpracticed but heartfelt half-bow. Even though Applejack's face bloomed in a blush, she made a noise that was half-neigh and half-harrumph.

"Begging your pardon, Miss Twinkle, but I haven't done a single thing 'for Equestria' in my whole entire life. It's Equestria I'm fighting against."

This seemed to catch Celestia off guard, but she quickly returned to smiling.

"Of course. My perspective must seem odd to you, but I consider Queen Celestia the real enemy of Equestria."

"Uh huh. Well, I hope nopony followed you to this place. It'd be a shame if one of our safehouses was compromised..."

"Oh, you don't have to worry. I can be very inconspicuous when I want to."

Twilight plopped down back next to Spike on the couch.

"May I ask what you've been doing the last few days, auntie?"

"I've done little else but study. I've explored the city and the culture of tyranny that built it, I've read up on the histories and politics of this world, I've talked to ponies to find out about this land and its leaders. In other words, I've been preparing for our attack. I have a few ideas of my own, but I applaud your initiative in seeking out the Elements of Harmony. The Elements could very well make the crucial difference in this war. It is wonderful to know that you have the moral fortitude to stand up for this world on your own. You do me proud."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. Not only had she never expected to hear dear, sweet Princess Celestia speak of waging war, it was surprising that she would say that the Elements of Harmony could "make the difference." As far as Twilight knew, they were the only way to save this world. What other method could there be for bloodlessly deposing Daymare Sun?

"You haven't heard anything about, er, your sister? Or Brainy Bright?"

"I'm afraid not. But don't worry, we will find them eventually – or perhaps they will find us."

They had gone over all the important bits in their brief letters, but there was a lot more Twilight would have liked to talk to the Princess about. Applejack's presence made that impossible.

She couldn't keep this a secret forever. She wasn't going to! This was just not the right time. Applejack was a reasonable pony, but she hated the Queen as much as anyone. If Twilight had been in her horseshoes, she would most definitely have been put off by knowing about the Princess being there. Celestia herself thought hiding her identity was a good idea for the time being as well.

"This is all well and good," said Spike, "but isn't it about time we go and find Rarity yet?"

He was looking at Twilight, but it was Applejack who answered.

"If you guys feel up to it, we can head off now."

"As a matter of fact, I had the occasion to scout out Lady Rarity's estate a while earlier," said Celestia, "I can take us there right away."

"That would be great, P- auntie!" exclaimed Twilight, "I really wasn't looking forward to another long walk!"

"Wait, what?" asked Applejack.

Celestia's horn had already started emitting a golden glow. In a moment, the glow had grown to encompass the whole room. When it abated, Twilight was surprised to find herself surrounded by greenery.

"Oh my!"

"What in tarnation?"

Celestia's technique was expectedly superb. Twilight didn't feel a trace of disorientation or physical pain from the jump.

"This is Lady Rarity's greenhouse garden," said Celestia, "She keeps it open to the public, unlike other nobles. We can get inside her manor from here."

"I- I didn't give you permission to do that!" grumbled Applejack.

"Oh? I'm sorry." She never lost her calm smile, not even when she bowed her head as a gesture of reconciliation. "We should move before somepony comes."

It wasn't as hot and humid as it would have been in a proper greenhouse. This place was more like indoor park. The plants there weren't exotic flowers or vegetables; most of them were ordinary trees and bushes Twilight could easily come across stepping out of her house in Ponyville. There were also ragged patches of grass, and it was clear that the plants there weren't watered as well as they should have been. Yet, this little oasis was considered the height of luxury. It smelled of nature and life, and Twilight wished she could spend a bit more time there.

They could see Rarity's home through the trees. The greenhouse was built directly into its side. The building was impressive enough, but not much different from any of the other mansions Twilight had spotted in the city.

Celestia confidently led them to a large set of double doors that could have passed for the front entrance of a lesser noble's abode.

"Shall I open it?" she asked, but didn't wait for a reply.

She raised a hoof and softly stomped it against the door. The lock clicked and the doorway opened. Twilight thought entering this way would leave a terrible impression, but followed the others inside anyway.

Just the entrance hall was as grand and beautiful as almost any room in Canterlot's royal palace. A vast staircase leading forward and then splitting in two filled much of the room. It was almost as light inside as outside. The floor was reflective, and the walls glittered. Everything that wasn't white was toned in shades of purple – those were still Rarity's colors, it seemed. A humongous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Could two places be any more different than this mansion and the apartment building they'd all just come from?

"Would you like some refreshments?" asked a raspy voice from behind them.

Twilight whirled around and found... a diamond dog, wearing a tux. In his hands, he held a silver serving tray with several glasses of clear, pure water in them. His beady little eyes were fixed right on her, and his mouth was twisted into something quite like a snarl.

Spike scooted between Twilight and the dog, spreading his arms in a defensive posture, but Applejack in turn took up position before him.

"Hold on now!" she told the dog, "It's me! You do recognize me, don't you?"

"Of course. You're the rebel, Applejack, whom I have never met before. What are you doing here, outlaw?"

Applejack glanced back at Twilight. "It's okay, everything is fine and dandy. This isn't Daylight Sparkle. She's just wearing a disguise, so you can put away that knife."

Twilight hadn't even noticed that the dog was holding a knife in one of his hands, hidden underneath the tray. After a moment, he slipped it into a scabbard inside his vest. Applejack gave him an appreciative nod.

"We've come to see Rarity," she said, "Is she here?"

"Milady is home. Whom should I announce?"

"Yeah, you can just skip that part. Just tell us where your boss is and we'll go to her."

"Lady Rarity is in the third floor office. I believe you know the way, ponies."

They made their way upstairs in hurried steps. Being familiar with the area, it was Applejack leading the charge, while Celestia was content to stay in the back. Twilight barely had time to notice the opulent furnishings in the rush. Once they got to the office, she pushed ahead in her excitement and stormed through the door. Perhaps that wasn't the smartest thing to do...

Lady Rarity was there, seated behind an ancient-looking wooden desk with stacks of documents in front of her. She had a much fuller figure than the pony Twilight knew, but she looked no less beautiful. Her mane was still elegantly coiffed in the familiar style, but she used slightly different shades of color in her make-up. Her white coat had a healthy shine to it, and she was wearing horn-rimmed glasses as she worked. Unlike Applejack, her cutie mark was the same: three finely-cut diamonds.

Rarity's jaw dropped when she looked up and saw who'd busted in. Spike victoriously called her name. That was when Twilight realized how this must have looked like: a captured Applejack giving up her accomplice to the Commander of the Secret Police.

Rarity sunk out of her chair with a gasp and disappeared behind her desk. When she popped up again, her horn was glowing and she's pulled out a spiked mace from somewhere.

"Come on then!" she shrieked from behind the table, waving the mace around with her telekinesis, "Have at thee!"

"Whoa, nelly!" exclaimed Applejack, "Settle down, this is not what it looks like! There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, believe it or not!"

"I'm not Daylight Sparkle!" called out Twilight, "I'm not Daylight Sparkle!"

She was frantically rubbing off her fake cutie mark, revealing her own star and sparkles.

Rarity looked around between them, uncomprehending. Gradually, she relaxed and lowered her weapon. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ahem," said Rarity.

Looking vaguely embarrassed all the while, she set down the mace on a shelf and returned to her seat as if nothing at all had happened.

"Applejack, what is the meaning of this?"

"I'm just the escort here," said Applejack, "This pony's the one with the story to tell."

"Hello!" said Twilight, "I guess I should start by introducing us. See, this here's Spike-"

"Hi, I'm Spike!" burst out Spike, wearing the goofiest possible grin and waving.

"Settle down, I just told her that! Anyway, that over there is Twinkle, and I'm Twilight Sparkle. This is all kind of complicated, so I'll just be direct. We're travelers from another dimension brought into this world by an accident, and we've come to enlist you and Applejack on a mission to defeat Queen Celestia."

Rarity laughed. It started off as an inelegant chortle and then evolved into a hearty, sonorous full laughter. She spent quite a while at it.

"Er, Rarity?" said Applejack once she stopped, "We're being completely and utterly serious here."

"Oh," said Rarity, looking completely and utterly lost. That didn't stop her from smiling politely. "Gosh, where are my manners? Please, do sit down, all of you."

Twilight and Applejack took their seats on cushy armchairs in front of Rarity's desk. Spike remained standing, while Celestia hung back for some reason, choosing instead to sit down on the floor close to the door. Rarity steepled her hooves and stared at them in silence. Her brow was furrowed. Eventually, she spoke up.

"All right, darling. I can buy the part about you being from another dimension. It's either that or you're an identical twin of Daylight Sparkle – or something! That part is implausible, but believable. But goodness gracious, how do you expect me to believe that you're going to defeat the Queen, just like that? Applejack, you know how I feel about that: it can't be done."

"It can be done," said Applejack.

"I don't want to sound mean, but recent events would suggest otherwise," deadpanned Rarity, "Then again, you never got close enough to try, did you?"

"There is a weapon that could do it," said Twilight.

She explained briefly about the Elements of Harmony, their little group of friends in her own world and everything that needed to be done. As Rarity listened, her expression shifted from bewilderment to worry to uncertainty – uncertainty not just about whether it could be done, but perhaps also about whether it couldn't be done.

"This is the longest of long shots, you do realize?"

"It's not nearly as hopeless as it looks!" said Twilight, glancing back at Princess Celestia, "With you, we already have half the gang together. If you think about it, the odds of either of you even existing in this world despite centuries of differences between the timelines are infinitesimal. We will find the others as well, and once we have the Elements, taking care of Daymare Sun will be a piece of cake!"

"And what about her armies?" asked Rarity, "Her hidden fortresses? The fanatics who'd be willing to die for her? Will they all just disappear with her? I can't help but think your view of this all is a little simplistic."

"If that's true, then you're over-thinking it," said Applejack, "You've worked hard to make a better world, and a world without Celestia will undoubtedly be a better place. I know you think she's untouchable, but that's exactly the kind of hopelessness she'd tried to breed into pony-folk so we'd never have the guts to try anything. Rarity, I think it's time for you to take direct action for once."

"Ahh, hmm, but do I necessarily have to come along with you to? Applejack, you know I'm willing to stand by your side, but I am not going to be much use in the field."

"Yes," said Twilight immediately, "It's absolutely vital that you come with us."

Rarity groaned at length, but ultimately put up her hooves in defeat, a weak smile on her face.

"Very well then. I'll come with you and see where this journey takes us. Maybe it'll even prove to be an interesting experience before the Queen kills us all. Do you mean for us to go off right now?"

"We should leave as soon as you can get your affairs in order, yes," said Applejack, "but there's no rush. There's actually something I want to ask you. Has Big Macintosh been through here lately, Rarity? Have you heard anything about him?"

Rarity frowned. "I'm afraid not, Applejack. Sonnette and Cloud Kicker did come by here and used my secret passage to escape the city, but I haven't seen any trace of Big Macintosh. Is he...?"

"We don't know."

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Hmm, can I ask you something as well?" asked Twilight.

"Certainly – Twilight, was it?"

"What do you think of the fashion industry?"

"Why, I have nothing but respect for the artistry involved in making fine clothes."

"You've never... thought to try it out yourself?"

Rarity laughed. "Darling, where ever would I find the time for that?"

"What about painting? Writing? Composing music?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Sculpting? Interior decorating? Interpretative dance?"

"Neigh, if you'll pardon the pun."

Twilight could only gape. The idea of a Rarity that wasn't an artist was, frankly, strange and unfathomable to her. True, Rarity had always been something of a business-pony as well, and she did well for herself in that regard because of her natural cleverness, but certain questionable business practices kept her from truly excelling financially. She would never be the richest pony in Ponyville while she still gave her friends and neighbors free samples and discarded nearly finished designs due to flaws only she could see.

"So how did all this start? How did you become the Lady of Liberty?"

Rarity stood up and firmly pressed her forehooves on her desk. There was an almost visible glitter in her eyes.

"Why, I have known ever since I was a little filly that I had no greater purpose in this world than to do good! My heart has always bled for the weak and downtrodden; I've only ever waited for the chance to do my part in resisting the Queen's regime! Being the Lady of Liberty is my destiny!"

She plopped back down on her armchair and chuckled.

"Is that what you expected me to say? Well, actually, the truth is a bit more prosaic than that. You could say I stumbled into it by chance. There was a time when I didn't much care for anypony, let alone the plights of my inferiors. I was too rich to worry about such things! Then one day, one of my servants was accused of treason and I happened to know for a fact that she was innocent. She pleaded with me to help, so I got her out of the city and helped her set up a false identity. She told one of her relatives what I'd done for her, and then she came to me and told me about her coltfriend, who'd been blacklisted from working in the city for incurring the wrath of a noble. I helped him as well. Even though I strictly told them not to mention my involvement to anypony, ponies kept coming to me for assistance. I couldn't very well say no, could I? Every one of them told me their stories, and bit by bit, I became more aware of the injustices of this world. It became rather difficult to just stand by and do nothing."

"So that's why you made a deal with the Apple Underground?"

"Aheh... You could say that."

"I have to say, I admire you. I'm sure not many unicorns would have done the same thing in your stead – risking everything for a good cause even though your lives are privileged, I mean."

Rarity's smile right then looked rather painted on. "Privilege is rather relative, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Unicorns do form most of the upper strata of pony society, that is true, but we do pay a certain price for those privileges. We have no more freedom than earth ponies or pegasi, and in some respects, we have even less. I'm referring to the education system in particular. Earth ponies and pegasi get their lessons about what their 'proper place' is, but the schooling of unicorns is much more dogmatic. And that's not nearly the worst of it. You see, when a young unicorn earns his or her cutie mark, they are examined by the State. If they show the promise of great magical power, a prodigious mind or a valuable special talent, they are drafted and assigned to the Secret Police, the Officer Corps or perhaps a special division of the Army, where they undergo special training. I don't mean to mince words on this matter – they are forcibly removed from their homes and brainwashed." Her smile, bitter as it was, twisted into a frown. "When a colt or filly is selected to join the Secret Police, you can be the richest, most influential pony in Equestria, but you still won't be able to get them back. So yes, I'm afraid our privileges are quite useless in some regards."

"I'm... sorry to hear that," said Twilight.

She brushed her tail back and forth with her forehooves, unsure of whether to say anything more. Rarity did not sound as if she was merely voicing her righteous indignation. She sounded genuinely pained.

"Did they take Sweetie Belle?" asked Twilight quietly.

"Sweetie Belle?" repeated Rarity with a note of confusion in her voice.

"Your sister? You... do have a sister, don't you?"

Rarity shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't have any siblings, Twilight, brothers or sisters. And no, I don't mean that figuratively. I'm an only child."

"But then..."

"Be that as it may, don't think I only help the Underground with my wealth. I like to think I'm quite useful to them otherwise as well. Have you heard about the prison break they pulled off? It's the only recorded escape from the Secret Police's panopticon in Equestrian history. Well, I was the one who planned it – yes, me, none other! Did you know that?"

"I didn't," said Twilight slowly, "I thought Applejack was behind that, actually."

"That's just the cover story," said Applejack, "We can't exactly tell ponies the truth, can we?"

"Yes, luckily, I'm not a glory hound like Applejack here."

Applejack rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips. "Hardy har, Rarity."

"So wait, Rarity's operation was the one that got out your brother, Applejack?"

"Told you I felt grateful for her."

Twilight still didn't know what Rarity got out of their deal, but everything else came together nicely. Diamond dogs and the Lady of Liberty, an underground railroad and a fortune in mining...

"You use your company's mineshafts for the smuggling, right?"

"That's exactly right. Considering my role in Everfree City's economy, me and my associates can get away with doing just about anything down below. By constantly digging and re-digging the secret tunnels in different locations, the chance of our little operation being discovered is remote indeed. It's lucky for me this area is so rich in precious gems."

Twilight sat back, quietly impressed. This sort of cunning was something she might have expected from Rarity. Not only that, she was still the giving soul Twilight knew. Helping all those ponies was very generous of her, wasn't it? All things considered, it was amazing how familiar she seemed! Applejack and Rarity were both everything Twilight could have hoped for. She was confident the others wouldn't disappoint her either.

She had to believe that she herself was the only weak link – the only bad seed – among her friends in this universe.

"So yeah," said Applejack, "Let's get down to business, why don't we? The three ponies we still need to find are... what were their names again?"

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie," said Twilight, "Do you know any of them, Rarity?"

"I've never heard of the other two, but yes, I am familiar with Rainbow Dash."

Twilight felt a stab of elation. Everything was going perfectly.

"Well?" she asked insistently.

Rarity fidgeted around in her seat. "Very well, I'll tell you about her, but I do hope you realize this matter requires your strictest confidence. For you see, Rainbow Dash is none other than the Blue Bolt!"

Applejack whistled. "You mean this Rainbow Dash pony is the Blue Bolt? Galloping galoshes, I sure didn't expect that."

Twilight looked around between each of her companions. "I don't understand. Who's the Blue Bolt?"

"She's a thief," said Applejack.

"A most amusing thief," added Rarity, "Though actually, the State has officially classified her as a terrorist now."

"She operates all over Equestria, but Everfree City's her favorite hunting ground. She always goes after nobles, the richer the better, and the police force has failed to catch her for years now. They say she's the fastest flier in Equestria. The catch is that she gives away everything she steals to poor earth ponies or anypony else that needs it."

"Oh, you mean like the tale of Robin Hoof?"

"Yeah, exactly. She's even robbed government bureaus and granaries to distribute food to the needy. Sometimes, she gives supplies directly to the to the Apple Underground, though I've never met her personally. She's nothing less than a folk hero."

"Sort of like me," said Rarity with a sly smile, "but with less style and more hooves-on action. The brawn to my brain, if you will."

"Where could we find her?" asked Twilight.

"Her homebase, if you could call it that, is in the Dragon Swamp."

Applejack grunted. "That's pretty far."

"Well, we don't have to go there by hoof, do we?" Rarity's eye twitched. "Applejack, please tell me we're not going there by hoof."

A memory was dawning in Twilight's consciousness.

"Wait a minute."

She turned to Applejack and Spike.

"The guard at the gate! She mentioned a pegasus thief!" A very nasty feeling was spreading through her gut. "She said an Agent had been dispatched to the Dragon Swamp to deal with her."

"Goodness," said Rarity breathlessly.

"Oh crud, this is bad," growled Applejack, "She might just take off, fly so fast and so far that we'll never find her. And that's if she's lucky! I'm willing to bet she's never faced off against one of the Secret Police before. If they take her unawares, she could be in deadly danger."

"Twilight, do you remember the name of the Agent in question?" asked Rarity.

"It was... Striker. Yes. Agent Striker."

Rarity gasped and raised a hoof to her mouth. "Agent Striker is one of the Elite. He has a dragon."

The moment of silence that followed was almost physically painful. It was as if they had just gotten news of somepony's death. Perhaps they had.

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at Princess Celestia and found her strangely distant, lost in thought.

"We might already be too late," drawled out Applejack.

"No," said Twilight, "No! We don't know that yet!"

"Well then!" said Rarity, "It looks like we don't have a moment to lose, doesn't it?" She raised her voice and shouted "Fido!"

Another diamond dog butler – this one a particularly large specimen – lumbered through the doorway in a few seconds.

"Wake up Soarin'! Get my personal chariot underground to the tunnel-mouth! We have a rescue mission to perform!"

Fido barked an affirmative and left as quickly as he'd arrived.

"My personal chariot driver is one of the best in the business! We can make it to the Dragon Swamp within a turn by flight."

Rarity's confident smile made Twilight feel like they'd saved Rainbow Dash already. They all stood up, ready to follow Rarity down to the mines where their secret tunnel awaited them.

"He'll have to carry four of us, and a dragon," said Applejack, "That's a lot for any pegasus. Considering how much weight you've gained, you better not pack too much luggage. That means you'll have to leave home your cabinet of spare clothing."

Rarity gave an ridiculously protracted sigh. "Hilarious as ever, Applejack."

"There will only be three of you. I cannot join you."

Twilight whirled around to face Princess Celestia, who'd taken a few steps closer to the group.

"What?" asked Twilight, ears drooping, "But why?"

"I can't be there, Twilight. You know why."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Applejack, "I thought you were supposed to be some kind of master wizard. We could use some of that out there, you know! Are you a coward?"

Celestia's eyes met Applejack's. She looked regretful, but also completely unapologetic.

"Well?" said Applejack.

Twilight raised her hoof. "Please, Applejack," she said, "It's complicated, but auntie's right about this."

"She is?" wondered Spike, eyes nervously flickering to the Princess.

She was. Twilight could see the rationale. Princess Celestia could come with them, and quite possibly make short work of the dragon – but what effect would that have in the long run? Their quest to find the Elements of Harmony was as much about the ponies as the Elements. Could they really form meaningful bonds if they ended up being mere onlookers in their own adventure? Could they truly demonstrate the qualities that defined them? Somehow, Twilight did not think so. No, they had to earn their own victories by working together. Celestia had no choice but to step back and let them find their own way – just as she'd done once before, when she'd arranged the defeat of Nightmare Moon. That was also why she'd stayed in the background while Twilight had made Rarity's acquaintance. She wanted their friendship to form on their own terms.

"I will meet up with you again once you've gathered up the others," said Celestia, "There are other things I can busy myself with in the meantime." She turned to look at Rarity. "Lady Rarity, I assume you've received an invitation to Lord Chocolate Sun's ball?"

Rarity fluttered her eyelashes in surprise. "Indeed I have. Now that you mention it, I suppose I won't be able to make it, since it takes place in four turns and I doubt we'll make it back by then. Oh, well, I can still go to the second-biggest gathering of pretentious jerks when the time comes."

"I hope this doesn't sound brazen, but may I take the invitation and go in your stead?"

"I... well, I have absolutely no problem with that, but why? I would assume..."

"Let me just get this straight, missy," said Applejack, "While we're going off to try and save somepony's life, you're staying here so you visit a ball?"

Applejack's accusation only made Celestia smile. One small smile said so much and yet so little. It was a rejection, an apology and a mystery. During an instant, the facade of Twinkle broke. Celestia looked her real age.

It really was just an instant.

"While I do love formal gatherings, that is not exactly what I'm interested in. Lord Chocolate Sun is known to have a collection of antique literature and documents, is he not?"

Rarity nodded. "Yes, his library is rather famous. Not that he ever reads any of it, mind you, he's barely literate. He just enjoys the reputation it earns him."

"I would rather not risk breaking into the Royal Library, and a private collection is much more likely to contain items of interest, so this should suit my purposes just fine."

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"In an undertaking as momentous as ours, preparation is the key to everything. I must get to that library. Recall that we still don't know anything about the physical vessels of the Elements. I am confident that they exist, but where could they be? If there is any hint to be found about their location, I must find it. There are other things I wish to look into as well. For one, wouldn't it be grand if I found a prophecy predicting the downfall of Daymare Sun?"

"A prophecy?" repeated Applejack, voice dripping with doubt.

"I know it sounds like fantasy," said Rarity, "but there are records of genuine prophecies, I believe."

"A prophecy predicted the return of Nightmare Moon in our world," said Twilight, "You'll be looking for something similar, right?"

"Very good, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight could almost see her hidden wings unfolding.

"Trust in me as you always do. I wouldn't let you go if I didn't think you could do it. I have faith in you and all your friends. Go, find Rainbow Dash!"

Next chapter: The Forgotten Princess.

Author's Note

This chapter, like chapter 4, is rather cumbersomely paced, isn't it? During writing, I was faced with a choice: keep writing, or essentially come to a halt so I could try to figure out how to make it more economical. I really want to put out at least one chapter within each calendar month, so I chose to keep writing. How much of a bother do you find 10,000-word chapters?
I hope the story so far didn't leave the impression that Twilight and Celestia finding each other would be some big hurdle. That was never going to be the case. I should really have had Celestia receive a letter at the end of the previous chapter, but the truth is that I just plain forgot.
Do you feel this chapter showcases Rarity well? Do you think Celestia's involvement perhaps overshadowed her a bit?

Chapter 7: The Forgotten Princess

Turn 10

Every evening when Luna woke up, the first thing she thought of was her millennium-long imprisonment, the first thing she remembered was Nightmare Moon's laughter and the first thing she felt was regret. Every morning after a hard night's work when she lay down to go to sleep, it was exactly the same. Every quiet moment, every minute she spent on her own, every hour where she had the slightest bit of time to think, her demons returned to haunt her.

Luna had a lot of time to herself, but the dim state between sleep and waking was the worst, because it was such a vivid reminder of what it had been like on the moon. She had never been truly awake, nor had she been fully conscious either. Somehow, she'd even had some awareness of what was going on down below in Equestria, when she wanted to. From time to time, she'd heard her sister's voice singing in the distance, but whether it was real or just a dream or a jumbled memory from childhood, she could not say. Mostly, the only thing she was aware of was being cold and lonely and in pain, yet she couldn't be sure she hadn't felt that way simply because there was something inside her that made her cold and lonely and pained.

The whispers never stopped for the whole thousand years. There were two beings thinking with her mind, but both of them had only a single voice – her own. Since it was all her, it was so difficult to keep it all straight, to tell what was real, to decide what she really wanted to do. Pondering over this in retrospective, Luna sometimes caught herself thinking a bad thought and got so frightened that it was back that she wanted to kill herself. She'd never mentioned this to anypony.

Luna still couldn't be sure whether she'd even existed as a physical entity, or whether it had only been an idea of her dumped in some metaphysical hole inside of that stupid rock that hung in the night sky. She couldn't ever ask Celestia; these were not things to be discussed openly.

Even now, so far away from home, with much bigger and more immediate concerns hanging over her head, she couldn't forget the woes of her past, not for one second.

Luna stayed in her cot for hours after waking up, not even bothering to disentangle the blanket from her wings or to pick up the pillow from where she had flung it in her sleep. The bed was made for a child and thus dreadfully small for somepony as big as Luna, but that didn't bother her. The bedclothes were rough and not very soft, quite unlike what she had in her royal chambers back home, but Luna had slept in it several times before remembering to mind.

Getting up seemed utterly pointless, but when she considered all the things she had to do, she knew that this couldn't be true. She had to find Celestia, for one, and make sure she was alright. Luna wasn't sure she could do much for her sister, but she had to try to comfort her if possible. Celestia was terribly sensitive to hatred and disharmony, and no doubt very distraught about the attack and this whole dreadful alternate universe. Then there was the matter of figuring out a way to get back home. Equestria – the real Equestria – could not be faring well without its ruler. It would be lucky if the government managed to keep widespread chaos from breaking out among the citizenry. Even worse, with both the Princesses gone, there was nopony there that knew how to move the sun and the moon. The time of the day would be locked in place until their return: day on one side of the planet and night on the other. Things would be okay for the time being, but this state of things would get very problematic in the long run. Last but not least, Luna had to find and annihilate Brainy Bright!

Yet, whatever ardor these thoughts built up in her died quickly.

Where could she even begin to look for Celestia? The only way she could think of was flying from town to town and asking around for her, but if she explained that she was looking for the beautiful, white, horned and winged ruler of Equestria, the pony she'd be pointed to would not be the one she wanted to find. Getting a hold of Brainy Bright and securing a way home was no easier. Everything seemed so difficult. Luna felt tired, even though she had done nothing to tire herself. A strange lethargy had overtaken her since coming to this place, and it was getting worse and worse. Her insides felt hollow, like a part of her was dead and gone. She had always been nocturnal by nature; perhaps that was why she could hardly bring herself to get out of bed here.

What was the point of anything, really? There was no day or night in this world, only the sun. None of the things that defined Luna's being existed here any longer. She was nothing more than a sad, strange relic. Of course, saying she was out of place wasn't quite right either, seeing as how she had

always failed to find her place even in her own world. There was a part of her that recognized how ridiculous the extent of her self-pity was, but the dark mood Luna was in was a pit she couldn't easily crawl out of.

She did, however, eventually manage to crawl out of bed. The room was too small to stretch herself out fully, so she settled for turning her head until her vertebrae popped. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and shambled into the living room. To her relief and dismay, it seemed that the others were already out in the fields – though "already" was perhaps the wrong expression, considering how arbitrary daily cycles were here. Luna couldn't even venture a guess as to how long she'd slept. It was an unusual feeling for somepony who was used to always knowing the exact time through one of her extra senses.

There was a sparse meal set on the table, consisting of a wooden cup of milk and a plate of small spherical rolls of bread. Next to the plate, Luna found a penciled note in the rough handwriting of somepony writing with their mouth.

You should really eat something, it said.

Luna stared at the food ambivalently, before deciding to nibble one of the rolls of bread. It tasted quite good – kind of fruity – but she couldn't bring herself to do more than finish off the one she'd started. Eating was such a hassle.

After standing around awkwardly for a couple of minutes, Luna was just about ready to go back to bed – but there was another note on the outside of the bedroom door.

Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should go out for a bit?

Underneath the note was a happy smiley snout drawn in bright blue crayon.

Luna sighed and turned around. She didn't want to impugn on the wishes of her hosts, so she made herself leave the cottage. The door creaked and quivered as she opened it. One of the hinges was loose; Luna noted that for later.

The sunlight outside was as powerful as ever, though Luna wasn't much bothered by it. She was more resilient to high and low temperatures than the strongest earth pony; what would have been painful for most any other living being was was not even an inconvenience to her. Her eyesight was basically unaffected by the bright light as well, but even so, she couldn't bring herself to look directly at the sun. It disturbed her. She had noticed one curiosity though: of all the things in this world, only Luna still cast a shadow while outside in direct sunlight. It was darker than black and made her stand out almost as much as her mane and tail.

Luna was not at all sure what she should do. In the short while that she'd arrived in Hillside, she'd quickly become something of a curiosity and a source of endless rumor, so she was honestly surprised not to see any ponies around. Luna was, after all, a vision of a night-sky apparently not seen by anypony in centuries; she had a horn and wings and a shadow, and was – according to some – extremely beautiful as well. She was thus half-annoyed and half-relieved that nopony was there to gawk at her, though it was natural enough if she thought about. In a small farming community like this, ponies were most likely to be either working or sleeping at any time, which left little time for waiting behind a closed door for a mysterious guest to wake up.

Luna wasn't certain whether to call Hillside a town or a village. It would perhaps have been most accurate to say that it was a collection of villages so close together they had melted into one. There was no elder or mayor, just a long swathe of windowless, ramshackle houses built on hilltops and hillsides. Each hill had its own name, and between them were the fields and wells – the two things most necessary for life to continue in Hillside. Ecologically speaking, the place was lovely. There was grass growing in the area, as well as some pine-trees, though not quite enough to make a forest. It didn't even matter that most of the plants were yellow and sagging.

Reluctantly, Luna set out to see if she could find anypony. She cantered down the side of Piney Hill and up the slopes of Ponyhill, then followed the small valley between the Littlehills to Middlehill. (With so many hills to name, they couldn't all be winners.) Taking into account the short detours she had to make to avoid stomping through the fields, it was perhaps an hour's worth of wandering all together. She didn't come across a single pone on the way until she finally reached Middlehill.

Her steps wavered when she heard voices up ahead – unexpectedly loud voices. Luna slowed down and crept closer, finding an entire crowd in the small square on the summit. Several cloth bags were strewn around between them, and a number of large chests had been dragged out of the nearby houses. After a moment of confusion, Luna realized what was going on: it was soldiers requisitioning supplies. There was about half a dozen of them, standing amidst the villagers in gleaming gold armor. Luna had been told of them visiting Hillside recently, but she hadn't yet seen any.

After a moment spent frozen in hesitation – during which she was lucky that everypony's attention was too caught up in the proceedings to fall on her – Luna stepped further back and set about casting a spell of invisibility over herself. The dark glimmer of her horn caught the eye of one of the villagers, but by the time she turned to look her way, Luna had already disappeared. She felt too tired to get into lengthy explanations on who she was and where she came from. Dealing with all this... it was such a bother. She could only barely bring herself to walk forward amongst the crowd to look over what was going on.

It was the villagers themselves doing the repacking of their bread, grass and vegetables, with the soldiers overseeing them. A bored-looking unicorn officer was killing time standing in the sidelines, leaving an earth pony sergeant in charge of the work and dealing with the questions of the ponyfolk.

"When are you leaving this area?"

"Yeah, when are you leaving?"

"When?"

They seemed to feel safer asking such questions in a group, but the sergeant seemed understanding enough.

"There's been a delay," she said, "but we'll be ready to move across the border, I promise. We're very grateful for the assistance you provide."

"So long as you understand that we don't have much to spare for you!" said one of the villagers, an elderly mare, "The harvests have been getting worse and worse since Queen Celestia moved the Sun so close!"

"Is it going back to Everfree City once you've taken care of the griffons?" asked another one, a younger male pony.

"I wouldn't presume to make guesses about Her Holiness's decisions," said the sergeant smoothly.

The griping didn't end there. Luna could understand the villagers' ire, but wasn't inclined against the soldiers either. From what she had heard, Equestria was at war, and requisitioning foodstuffs from civilians was sometimes just a necessity when times were tough. In ages past, she herself had been forced into the position of keeping armies fed in such a manner. Seeing as this unit only asked for a portion from each household instead of simply taking everything, they were more benevolent than others might have been.

Once all the supplies were redistributed, the soldiers heaved their newly filled bags on their backs and set out. The sergeant had a one final thing to say to the villagers.

"Remember to be on the watch for griffon spies and saboteurs! Report any griffons you see in this area to the military immediately, and do not try to interact with them! Under no conditions are you to harbor any of them! Do you understand?"

The villagers exchanged worried glances, but had no reply otherwise. The sergeant gave them a nod and cantered off after her commanding officer. Luna watched her and the others head down the hillside for a moment, and then – to her surprise – went after them. At long last, she felt something clear and positive: curiosity. She wanted to know what the Equestrian military was really like, and so decided to follow the soldiers back to their camp. Luna had heard some disturbing, frightful things about Queen Celestia. The truth was that she didn't want to believe them, so she hoped to find out more. There might have been, she thought, some other explanation for why things in this world were as they were.

The group headed northeast, crossing hill after hill on their way. Occasionally, they came across other collection teams picking up supplies from some of the other villages of Hillside, but there were still few villagers on the move. Luna's hooves didn't bend a single blade of grass as she walked, let alone make any noise. She didn't have to worry about being noticed, so she easily kept up with the other ponies' quick military match. It didn't take them long to reach the edge of the settlement. Once they got over one final ridge, Luna finally laid eyes on where the military had set up camp – an abandoned city.

Hillside was apparently located in territory annexed from the Griffon Kingdom many years ago. The ghostly city nearby had once been a griffon settlement. Although pony settlers had cannibalized it for raw materials and other valuable leftovers, griffon architecture wasn't really suited for permanent habitation by landlocked earth ponies, which most of the settlers just happened to be. Although it was still decent for giving an army unit on the move shade from the sunshine, the city was little more than a burned out ruin nowadays. Most of its plentiful towers had long since collapsed, brought down by the ravages of time, and perhaps also damage from the first pony-griffon war. The sad picture was completed by the giant sun illuminating the wreckage. It was close, just beyond the mountains that loomed on the horizon beyond the ruins.

The unicorn officer kept apart from the others on their way, but the sergeant made small talk with the others and asked questions of them. This all faded when they reached the abandoned city. Despite the hundreds of soldiers milling about the streets, the whole camp was unnaturally quiet. Luna wasn't sure whether that was because of the solemnity of the environment or something else entirely.

The band took their supplies to a quartermaster, based in an empty and cavernous hall that was largely intact. They also met their commanding officer there – a grizzled, middle-aged unicorn mare with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The colonel's coat was a cloudy gray and her mane a silver-striped off-white. Half of her snout was a mess of talon-scars and she wore an eyepatch over one eye. The wounds looked relatively recent.

"Well, soldiers?" she asked the new arrivals sharply, "Did you see any griffons?"

It was the sergeant who answered. "No, sir. No griffons anywhere."

"That's where you're wrong!" barked the colonel, "Griffons can be just about anywhere! By Celestia, we can't let our guard down for one moment if we're to beat them! Do you think I got like this because I fell into a rosebush?" She raised her forehoof and pointed it at her face.

"No, sir. Sorry, sir."

"What did the villagers have to say? Come on now!"

"They've seen no trace of the enemy."

"They are lying, of course," said the colonel, "We have reports of griffon scouts coming down in this area. I just know they're hiding somewhere around here!"

The sergeant wisely kept her mouth shut at that. Luna, on her part, turned around to leave in search of somepony more interesting. This whole scene was an embarrassment. Before stepping out the door, she took one last look at the colonel, who was now pacing around the hall with a manic intensity. Her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears and madness.

"I'll need to go there myself in a turn or two to find out the truth! Yes, there will have to be an inspection..."

Luna shook her head and stepped outside. This mare was obviously in no condition to be in command of anything right now. Still, there would probably be no great harm if she brought her troops to knock on some doors in Hillside. After all, it wasn't as if there were really griffon spies hidden there...

She went on to trot around the cityscape, covertly looking in on what the soldiers were up to. Being invisible granted her a pleasant sense of freedom, though this freedom came at a price. She felt like a coward, and a bit of a voyeur as well. This was not behavior befitting a Princess.

From what Luna gathered, there were about a thousand earth ponies in the ruined city – a battalion – as well as some hundred pegasi. The earth ponies were under the command of unicorn officers. Many of them were busy with drills and sparring, or with fixing up this or that for their temporary lodgings, or with standing guard on the perimeter, but just as many were resting and waiting. As expected, the upcoming battle dominated all conversation, but the general mood was neither as somber nor as jittery as Luna would have expected. The troops seemed to await the coming battle with resignation. Nopony seemed worried that the griffons would strike first.

Luna soon came across a group of officers discussing the state of things over a meal. Their outlook was generally optimistic.

"If it hadn't been for that mishap in Stalliongrad, we'd have won this war already. At this point, we're just wasting time."

"I'm not so sure about that. It'll probably take us some time to take the Valley of the Wind and get our main force into griffon territory."

"Do you think that terrorist incursion into Everfree might have been part of the reason for why top brass delayed the attack?"

"Perhaps. I don't see why the Council would be so worried though. The rebels were routed, weren't they? They were never even a threat."

"I have to admit, speaking purely from a strategic perspective, I don't feel comfortable leaving the City so defenseless while most of the army is concentrated here. It would take us weeks to get back there, and the occupation army in Zebrica is out of the game entirely."

"The garrison at Everfree is more than enough to handle Applejack's rag-tag bunch of misfits. She'll never have the numbers to threaten the City openly. The Secret Police will handle them. Meanwhile, we have the griffons shaking in their feathers, so they won't strike out beyond their borders. Who does that leave? No one. Gentleponies, we have no enemies left."

"I can't believe you're worried about that. The Queen is in Everfree City."

One veteran earth pony warrior, sitting underneath a tarp overhang with a bunch of younger recruits, was giving instructions on enemy tactics.

"You'll hear officers telling you that griffons are cowards. They'll be talking right out of their flanks! Griffons are not cowards. In nine cases out of ten, a griffon will face you head on in an honest battle. They're too honorable to ambush you or gang up on you. They call it "chivalry." That's their weakness right there, you hear me? Never get into a one-on-one fight if you can help it. When you see an opportunity to hit them while they're unawares, take it. When one of them picks you out, retreat. Mingle with your comrades, rely on numbers to overwhelm them. That's how you'll survive."

As cynical and dirty as this sounded, it was probably good, pragmatic advice. Luna couldn't blame them for thinking this way. Others, however, had very different ideas and were even looking forward to the battle. On a lookout post on top of one of the standing towers, three pegasi in chainmail armor were having a discussion of their own. Since no stairs led there at all, Luna had to hover up so the beating of her wings wouldn't give her away.

"Sir Darlton Feathershine the Rampant. That's who I want to fight. He's supposed to be a real beast, so wild that others won't even hunt with him. Huge as a bear, too! They won't soon forget my name if I manage to kill him. I've heard he's been spotted at the griffons' defensive line near here, so I think I have a shot."

"Feathershine is good, but the real prizes are back at the Capitolium Leo. I'm setting my sights on one of the King's Claws, the bodyguards of the royal line. If I'm lucky, I might even nab Frederica Greenhill. The Avenger, they call her. Though, I'm worried the capital will already have been picked apart by the time we get there."

"I thought Dame Greenhill had passed away? She must be close to a hundred by now."

"The way I hear it, she swore an oath to die in battle before old age claims her. She'll take to the field sooner or later. If only those bloody giftless earth ponies could finally get a move on..."

"Your goals are lofty, my fellows – but I'm aiming higher still. I'm going to bring down an aeromancer, just you wait."

Overall, there was griping about the army group whose late arrival was responsible for the delay in the invasion plans, musing about sneaking to Hillside for some off-duty entertainment, grousing over the rationing. It was all very normal, very expected, and yet Luna couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. From time to time, she could sense the indistinct stink of rotting meat in the stale air, but the feeling disappeared as soon as she tried to home in on it. She couldn't even trust herself to be sure whether she merely imagined it or not. On top of that, even though she knew she was invisible, she couldn't get over the notion that somepony or something was watching her.

Throughout all this, Luna still couldn't figure out the big mystery... Why was Equestria going to war? Why all this was necessary? Ponies were pure and noble and good in general, and not given to warring unless it was to defend themselves. They usually only did bad things because of bad influence, because they were led astray. The Celestia Luna knew would never have condoned violence without a very good reason. What was she supposed to make of it all? Was she among the armies of evil or the forces of righteousness? She wished her sister had been there to help her and to take away the responsibility of having to decide for herself what to do. Luna was too tired to think properly.

In the end, Luna even saw a griffon – a dead one. She caught the scent of its blood from up the street. When she went to investigate, she found a small crowd gathered around a limping pegasus with a broken wing. The pegasus was very small for an adult stallion, and his bulging eyes would have been almost funny if it hadn't been for the streaks of dried blood in his coat. The griffon corpse he was dragging behind himself was covered in dark red, and every single limb seemed to be bent at an odd angle.

"Why did you bring it back to camp?" somepony asked him.

"Trophy," grunted the pegasus, "For my wall."

Luna shuddered.

Turn 11

By the time Luna returned to the cottage a couple of hours later, Sandy and Sweet Potato were already back home as well. Despite knowing she was welcome there, Luna slinked inside with the greatest sense of embarrassment, which was then mostly dispelled when little Wingspan came galloping up to her like an excited puppy.

"Hello!" he said.

"Good, um, good day!" said Luna earnestly.

"You gonna do another trick, Miss Woona?"

"No, not right now. Maybe later..."

Wingspan nodded, grabbed her by the hoof and dragged her over to the hearth, where his parents were making dinner, lunch, breakfast – whatever. It looked to be some sort of tree root soup.

"Welcome back!" said Sandy, "We're so glad you're okay!"

"Oh yes," agreed Sweet Potato, "We got a little worried about chasing you out of the house just as the soldiers came around for another visit. None of them saw you, did they?"

"No," said Luna, "Why shouldn't they see me?"

They couple glanced at each other. "We just thought it might be... trouble," said Sandy.

Luna had hidden herself from the soldiers almost off-handedly, but now she tried to imagine what kind of "trouble" she might have gotten into with them. She could at least hope that none of them would have tried to make a trophy out of her.

Sandy and Sweet Potato had been kind enough to give Luna a place to stay since she'd found her way to Hillside a short while ago. She'd been in a rather sorry state back then, so she was thankful for their assistance, even though she didn't strictly speaking need the shelter or the food. Luna had told the family – in rough terms – who she was and where she was from, though she didn't for a moment think that they fully believed her. They did, however, accept her even though she looked unlike anything they had ever seen.

Sweet Potato was fairly small of frame for an earth pony, though still all wiry muscle under his yellow coat. He had spiky ginger hair and – unsurprisingly – a potato for a cutie mark, though it was a potato plant, not the produce itself. Sandy was a maroon pegasus with a black-ish mane and tail and a quill cutie mark. One of her wings was slightly bent, indicating an old injury. Their young colt took after his mother in looks as well as race. He was still very young and didn't yet seem to understand the differences between his parents.

"The soup's almost ready if you want it!" said Sweet Potato.

"You didn't eat anything earlier, so you must be very hungry," added Sandy, "I'll get out a bowl for you."

"Um, thanks."

Luna would have preferred to go back to sleep, but didn't feel the need to argue. It was courteous to stay for the meal. In the same vein, although she didn't need nearly as much sustenance as a normal pony, she still forced herself to eat so the others wouldn't feel uncomfortable about what she was.

"By the way, I noticed that the hinge on the door is a little shaky!" said Luna, "I could fix that up for you, if you want."

Sandy and Sweet Potato glanced at each other again, as they often did. They were so in tune with each other seemed to understand each other perfectly through the shortest moments of eye contact. Every time they did it, Luna felt like she was getting left out of entire unvoiced conversations.

"Feel free if you'd like," said Sandy with a smile.

Luna could hardly take a step back towards the entrance when she already found Wingspan at her side.

"You're going to do a magic trick, aren't you?"

"I will perform a spell, yes, but it really won't be very impressive this time."

She couldn't help but try to give him a little show of sorts. She let a bit of mist stream forth as she started exuding black light from her horn. Pointing the horn at the hinge, she started working her magic, reverting the effects of years of mechanical stress. For good measure, she fixed the other one as well. Though his parents looked fairly ambivalent about the display, Wingspan watched Luna in fascination. He had never seen unicorn magic before meeting her.

"That was very nice of you, Luna," said Sweet Potato once she was done.

"No problem!" replied Luna with a vague smile.

It was her way of giving something back to the family. With her magical expertise, repairing this and that around the household was easy as pie. All the same though, she couldn't suppress the guilty little feeling that told her that this was pointless and that there were much bigger issues she should have concerned herself with.

After that, they ate. Luna gobbled up her bowl of soup dutifully and remained sitting at the table. The soup tasted a lot like... well, tree roots – rather bland, in other words. Wingspan wasn't fond of it, but his mother talked him into finishing it, after which he retreated into his play-corner for some quality time with his toys. Luna waited until his parents were done as well.

"I'm curious about some things," she said.

Both Sandy and Sweet Potato smiled identical smiles. Luna had been curious about a lot of things. She'd been quizzing them about most anything that came to mind since she'd moved in. They had taught her a lot of things about the world she now found herself in.

"What do you want to know?"

"What, exactly, does 'giftless' mean?" asked Luna.

The couple shared yet another glance, their smiles gone now. Asking the question, or just saying the word, seemed to impact their good mood somewhat. In this case, the glance was an indication for Sweet Potato to speak.

"Well, according to all the histories, all ponies used to be just ponies. When Celestia descended from the heavens and brought harmony to Equestria, she gave her subjects two gifts: horns and wings like her own. One third of ponykind became unicorns and another third pegasi. But the Queen didn't have any gifts left for those that remained, so they had to stay just ponies forever after. That's why we're the giftless."

"The Queen also declared that since earth ponies are the only ones that can grow crops anywhere but the very hottest deserts, they were obligated to produce food for ponykind and handle the more menial jobs while the other races dealt with more important matters using their gifts."

"That- that doesn't even make sense!" burst out Luna, "How are earth ponies giftless if they have abilities unicorns and pegasi don't? Doesn't anypony realize how contradictory this is? Just because earth ponies' talents aren't visible-"

She shut up abruptly, turning a little red under Sandy's and Sweet Potato's gazes. They certainly didn't need her to tell them how unfair the system was. Sweet Potato was the one that had lived with this discrimination his entire life.

"Wait, you're saying you've been taught that Celestia created unicorns and pegasi?" wondered Luna, "That is such a... such a... such a load of dung!"

"How do you know?" asked Sandy and Sweet at the same time.

It was a good question. She didn't really know, or at least, she couldn't explain how she felt safe in the knowledge that things had happened the same way in this universe as they had in her own.

"Everything in Equestria is kept separate between earth ponies and the other two races," said Sandy, "Schools and hospitals, obviously, and public facilities too. In the case of living areas, it's more the result of economic differences. Relationships are restricted as well."

"'Relationships are restricted?'" repeated Luna, "You mean... there are anti-miscegenation laws?"

"Miscege-what?"

"I mean, it's illegal for ponies of two different races to marry?"

"Well, it's not illegal... It's just not supposed to happen. That goes for all three races, but earth ponies especially."

"If a foal born to a pegasus and earth pony couple or a unicorn and earth pony couple has wings or a horn, they're said to have stolen Celestia's Gift. Things can be very difficult for ponies born from such unions."

Both of them looked over to Wingspan as one. The colt was lounging on the floor and drawing on a piece of paper with dark blue crayon. Luna could guess what he was drawing. Since her arrival, he'd churned out one heart-warmingly grotesque rendition of her after another. He seemed to think she was "cool."

"Do the other ponies here have a problem with you two... you know?" asked Luna.

"Some do. Sandy gets some nasty glances from time to time..."

"That's not because I'm a pegasus; they just think I'm useless."

"...but we get along with most folks just fine. Wingspan plays with the other colts and fillies like any other kid. They're just used to us by now, I suppose."

"Out here in the borderlands, these kinds of stigmas aren't too big of a deal. There's one other pegasus in Hillside, and I hear her family's lived here since the beginning. Young stallions try to court her often enough, but she's not very sociable and mostly stays to herself. That kind of stuff would not be acceptable in the city."

"Well," said Luna, "what would happen if two ponies in a city decided to pursue that kind of relationship? Or what if you moved to some bigger place?"

"I'm not really sure, to be honest," said Sandy with a nervous laugh, while Sweet Potato shrugged. Neither of them looked comfortable with the thought.

"How did you two end up together then, if this is such a big deal?" asked Luna, "How did you even meet? You're not from around here, are you Sandy?" She paused. "I hope it's okay for me to ask."

Sandy laughed, but there was a certain awkward fakeness to it. She had a brief look at her husband before answering. "Of course it's okay! It's kind of a long story though, and not nearly as exciting as you'd expect from a tale of forbidden love. I won't bore you with the details."

That sounded rather evasive, but Luna didn't feel the need to push it. Everypony had some things they wanted to keep to themselves, or things they just didn't like to talk about.

They were all silent for a good long time. Sandy and Sweet Potato finished up their meals, while Luna sat still and pondered. Her thoughts kept sliding back to the one big issue still on her mind – the question she'd been wondering about since coming to Hillside, but had never dared ask. She reckoned it was time to see if she had built up enough courage by now.

Besides, protracted silences with Sandy and Sweet Potato always made her nervous that they were only waiting for the chance to ask Luna when she would move out.

She cleared her throat, catching their attention, and looked at both of them in turn.

"Do you know anything about any other ponies named Luna?" she asked, her voice a little more high-pitched than she intended.

She could tell right away that they did not. Both of them looked at each other inquisitively and were reassured that the other knew just as little about any Lunas as themselves.

"I don't think so, no."

"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell."

"It wouldn't necessarily be somepony you know," urged Luna, "It might be a historical figure, or... something!"

She was too embarrassed to mention the possibility of "Luna" being the former co-ruler of Equestria.

"Well, if you're wondering about history, there's somepony who might be able to help you."

Luna leaned forward. "Oh? Please, go on!"

"There's an old pony that used to work in the big city many years ago. He's not quite a scholar, but he does know a lot, especially about folklore and things like that."

"Mind you, he is getting on in the years, so his memory is a little fuzzy. He can't remember his name anymore, so we at the village just call him Old Pony."

"He lives right near here, on Last Hill."

Turn 12

Luna had a self-conscious look around before raising her hoof and knocking on Old Pony's door. Although the hut he lived in wasn't terribly big, it took a long time before Luna got any sort of response. As Sandy and Sweet Potato had explained to her, catching somepony while they were awake was a matter of luck, so she waited. Just as she started wondering whether it would be proper to knock again, she heard shuffling from inside. Soon after, the door opened, revealing a shriveled-up old stallion half the size of Luna herself. Old Pony had a coat of faded turquoise and little to none of his mane left. He squinted up his eyes in the sunlight.

"Hi?" said Luna.

"Oh? Oh, why hello there! I've been expecting you!"

Luna's eyes widened. "You- you have?"

"Well, aren't you here to deliver my milk?"

"What? No! That's not it at all! My name is Luna, I came here because I heard you could tell me something about the legends of Equestria's past!"

Old Pony stood still for a moment, an expression of utter confusion on his face, then smiled. "Is that how it is? Well, come on in then! You'll have to forgive me, it's a bit of a mess, eh."

Saying it was a bit of a mess was an understatement. The light shining in through the open doorway illuminated the oodles of dust swirling around in the air, and everything else as well. There were books, scrolls and clothes strewn about everywhere, and a rolled-up rug took up most of the dining table – and there was a smell, oh yes. Luna could tell Old Pony was a bachelor. A moment later, she felt bad for thinking that.

Stepping into the room, she almost lost her balance and fell over when the small brown thing on the floor she had (for some reason) thought was a fur hat – but actually turned out to be a small cat – leapt up and streaked across the room. The only space clear for sitting was the bed, so Luna elected to remain standing. Old Pony ponderously made his way there to lie down. Once down, he paused to think.

"Oh my goodness," he said, "I forgot to offer you some water."

"That's all right," said Luna quickly.

It was apparently a bit discourteous for a visitor to refuse water when offered, but Luna was uncomfortable seeing somepony this old and infirm strain himself. She wasn't going to let herself be waited on. Old Pony didn't look offended, but that didn't stop an awkward silence from settling in. His eyes were half-closed and his head kept swaying downwards, as if he was close to nodding off.

"So," began Luna, "is it true you don't remember your name anymore?"

"What'd you say?"

"Never mind..."

"What?"

Luna bit her lip and raised her voice when she continued. "I have a question about the history of Equestria! I was told you were the pony to see?"

"Oh yeah? Well, I do know this and that."

"Well, what I want to know is..." She searched for the proper words. "Do you know anything about Queen Celestia ever having a sister?"

"You're referring to the Forgotten Princess?"

Luna lowered her head. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Hmmmhm. Not many primary sources survive from that period, but I am familiar with the known lore surrounding her. Her name was Luna, and she was once Celestia's equal and opposite." He cleared his throat. "Once upon a time, in the wake of the disastrous reign of Discord, both sisters ruled Equestria together. Celestia, the elder sister, controlled the sun and Luna, the younger sister, controlled the moon. In these days, you see, time passed in a cycle of days and nights, heralded by the movement of two different celestial bodies. The moon was similar to the sun, but brought darkness instead of light. Both sisters also had the title of Princess, in case you're wondering. Anyway, Equestria is said to have been very different in those times – very peaceful and harmonious. But a thousand years ago, something changed."

At this point, Old Pony paused and blinked his eyes in confusion.

"Yes?" Luna urged him.

"Easy, my dear. I was just collecting my thoughts. Now where was I? Oh yes." He cleared his throat again. "Princess Luna disappeared, and Celestia became Queen. Things continued on much the same for a while, and nopony ever knew what happened to Luna. However, there is one last reference to her in the historical texts. When the Queen declared the Eternal Day, destroyed the moon and started the wars of conquest, Luna is supposed to have returned and led a rebellion to try and stop her sister. She came with a secret weapon, something called the Aspects of Harmony or the Elements of Harmony and fought Celestia in a grand battle that is said to have moved mountains. But she and her rebellion failed, and that was the last anypony has heard of her. This was the beginning of what is commonly known as the Tyranny of Light, approximately 750 years ago. From then on, Princess Luna has been consigned to the realm of memory."

"So she was killed," said Luna, looking at the floor.

There was a substantial pause before Old Pony answered. "Yes," he said. He was now staring intently at Luna, eyes fully open, as if only now realizing how unusual she looked like. "What did you say your name was again, young lady?"

Luna ignored the question. It wasn't so much that she felt she had to be secretive – she just didn't see the point if he was likely to forget her as soon as she left anyway.

"Why?" she asked, "Why did Celestia do that? Did she... do it out of her own free will?"

"There is some question on the matter."

"Well, hurry up and tell me!"

"Ahem. There are some stories claiming that Celestia became a tyrant because she has been possessed, or that she has some sort of alter ego called Daymare Sun. The Queen has never referred to herself as such though, and in fact actively discourages ponies from spreading rumors like that."

Luna swayed on her hooves for a moment, then buckled and turned around. She muttered a halfhearted thank you to the surprised Old Pony and rushed out of the hut, back into the bright sunlight. There were perhaps other questions she might have asked, other important matters to consider, but for the moment, she just wanted to get out of there.

She galloped away at random, holding back tears, not even minding where she was going. A painful mixture of different feelings was swirling around in her chest. She felt at a loss on how to handle this, what to think, how to cope. It was hard to think even straight. Rationally speaking, she knew that the Princess Luna who'd lived and died in this world was not her, that she'd been another individual entirely. At the same time though, she knew without the shadow of a doubt that it could have been her, if things had gone differently. Distinguishing them was difficult.

There had once been a time when Luna had been terribly afraid that her sister was going to kill her, but the matter of her mortality was not something she felt she had ever resolved. The thought that she might come across her own dusty bones disturbed her, but that wasn't even the worst of it. Knowing that this entire world and everything wrong with it was a monument to her failure was something else entirely. Whereas Celestia had managed to use the Elements of Harmony to defeat the evil Nightmare Moon, Luna had fallen short in her mission to save the world from Daymare Sun, and died. How many species had gone extinct when the ecosystem had collapsed? How many thinking beings had died in the wars? How many ponies had been killed for trying to resist? And how many still lived under the thrall of a tyrant, not even knowing that they could have been living full and happy lives in freedom, peace and harmony?

It was, all of it, Luna's fault as well – and that burned her more than the heat of the sun ever could. The sheer scope of it was hard to grasp. How was she supposed to deal with the weight of it all?

Underneath, in her heart of hearts, Luna even felt a touch of a sickening sense of triumph, mixed with familiar shameful jealousy. The fact that a world without her was a horrible, desolate wasteland was, in a sense, incontrovertible proof that she mattered. But that was the thing, wasn't it? While the absence of Luna and her moon brought about a decline, it didn't cause the death of everything in all the land like the disappearance of Celestia and her sun would have. It was clear who the more important one of the two was, was it not?

Luna almost wanted to laugh. Worrying over her place in the cosmos was such a ridiculously petty concern, especially in light of the suffering ordinary ponies went through. She hated herself for being such a pathetic crybaby. Acting hysterical like that should have been beneath her, but she simply didn't have Celestia's uncanny self-control; she couldn't help it.

Luna didn't get very far into the countryside before slowing down her pace and gradually coming to a halt. She sighed and looked around, blinking her eyes to clear the tears from them. She had ended up next to a large, half-empty field of carrots, with stalks of corn visible further away. A familiar-looking patch of pines was visible on the next hill over, indicating that she was still close to Sandy and Sweet Potato's cottage. Feeling rather drained, Luna flapped her wings and rose up into the air to quickly get back to bed and forget about everything for a while. There was no way that she wanted to face her hosts right now, but odds were that they had left to go to work by then.

As she was soaring, Luna's gaze accidentally drifted towards the sun. Looking at it made her flinch, and not simply because she didn't like what she saw. She knew nature, and could sense exactly how unnatural the sun's power was. It wasn't just radiating sunshine and fire, but also an evil magic that seemed frightfully familiar to her. The longer she let her gaze linger on it, the more her impressions deepened of some vast intelligence staring back at her, of not being alone, of furious screams echoing inside her head...

With a start, Luna realized that she wasn't imagining it. The screaming was real; she could hear it. It seemed to come from the cottage ahead of her: her destination.

Frowning, Luna sped up and touched down before the cottage. Its door – the same one Luna had repaired previously – had been knocked off its hinges and was now lying on the ground, a large crack running through it. Several voices sounded from inside. Luna stepped into the doorway. The scene that unfolded before her made her blood boil.

The dining table had been tossed upside down, the dishes broken into pieces on the floor. Wingspan was cowering in the corner, a small trail of blood running from his nose. There was an earth pony soldier standing before him. Another one was beating on an unconscious Sweet Potato, already battered and bruised. Two more were menacing Sandy, who was backing away in stiff, twitchy movements, her face face contorted into a fearful grimace. All of the soldiers were saying something or other, whether they were shouting angrily or speaking in quiet mockery. Luna couldn't make out what they were saying in the confusion, beyond hearing one of them call Sandy a whore. It didn't matter. She didn't care what they had to say. She didn't bother demanding an explanation either.

Quivering with silent rage, Luna took a step forward and raised her wings, blocking off most of the light from the doorway and causing the room to dim. This was enough to catch the soldiers' attention. Each of them turned to face her, but before they had a chance to react, Luna's shadow stretched forward on the floor, growing clearer and darker, swirling and spreading like a living thing. Once it touched their hooves, the soldiers were caught in it, unable to move. Luna plucked them from where they stood and dragged them towards her, away from their victims. One of them whinnied fearfully, another gave a wheezy scream of his own. Luna stepped back out the door, drew them out after her and tossed them in the air. The shadow retreated back into the approximate shape of a pony and reared.

One of the soldiers went rolling down the hillside. The other three were picking themselves up from their harsh landing. Luna jumped on the closest one, knocked the helmet off his head and pounded down on his face until he stopped moving. Even seeing red, her mind completely blank, she held back her full strength so she only ended up knocking him unconscious. Without pausing to take a breath, she took aim at the next one and fired off a spell. The flare of black light burst out of her horn and struck the soldier in the chest. The soldier, somewhat protected by his golden armor, was left staggering backwards in a daze. A few more shots and he collapsed to the ground.

The third one was more prepared. He reached down with his mouth and pulled a short sword from a scabbard on his chest, then made a mad dash to get to her before she could get him. Luna deflected the sword with her horn and slammed her forehoof into the soldier's chest, but he had strength enough to shrug that off. His next slash, Luna ducked. This gave her the opening to buck him to kingdom come. The soldier's jaw shattered under her horseshoes. Luna – panting heavily, though more from anger than exertion – was left staring at him writhing on the ground in pain. Somehow, it didn't seem like punishment enough for hurting a child.

There was still one left – the one who had gotten separated from the others. When Luna scanned the hillside for him, she found him galloping away in fright. Luna took to the air and swooped after him. It took her mere seconds to catch up.

"Face me, you coward!" she yelled.

The soldier stumbled on the uneven terrain and went sprawling before Luna could even do anything. Luna came down on top of him and pressed him against the ground roughly, but before she could incapacitate this fourth bastard, she noticed more soldiers approaching. Two infantryponies and an officer were coming to their comrade's aid. Luna growled in frustration. She hadn't thought this through at all, had she?

The new arrivals were confused and frightened. They didn't understand what they were up against. Luna wasn't sure what to do about them, but unicorn officer made that decision for her when she ordered an attack. Both of the earth pony soldiers pulled out their own swords and split up to get to either side of Luna. The officer gouged out some sort of whistle and blew it. Luna had no patience for this, and tried to communicate that.

"I'm not the bad guy here, you fools!"

The group was warily edging closer. Luna had to swing her head around from one side to another to keep sight of them. More of them were coming as well, over the crest of another nearby hill. The one underneath Luna's hooves feebly tried to crawl free, so she kicked him.

"Stay away if you know what's good for you!"

They wouldn't listen. They were just moments from attacking. This was going all wrong...

"I said... stay away!"

Luna got rid of the soldiers surrounding her by teleporting them away, all the way to the other side of the settlement. She needed more time to think, but it was no use. The next group of reinforcements was much bigger – an entire contingent. It looked like every soldier in the vicinity was coming for her.

Luna was going to make them disappear as well, but it wasn't just soldiers that were coming. There were at least a dozen village ponies among them, chained together by leashes around their necks. They were being led by the mad commander Luna had seen earlier. She stomped ahead of the other, but slowed down the closer she got to Luna until she finally came to a halt opposite her. Upon seeing Luna's wings, horn, mane and shadow, the colonel's expression had turned to one of shock.

"What are you?" she demanded.

"What are these ponies doing here?" asked Luna in turn, nodding towards the villagers.

"Them? They're suspicious persons that I've placed under arrest!"

"On what charges?"

The colonel hesitated. Luna doubted that she could even describe whatever paranoid logic drove her to go this far with her "inspection." She had been gravely mistaken in thinking that this delusional madmare wouldn't be a danger to anypony. What would happen to them now, if Luna didn't do something?

"I don't have to justify myself to you, freak!" said the colonel, "I ask again: what are you? And what are you doing with my subordinate?"

"Help me, sir, please!" cried the pony under Luna.

She kicked him again. "Shut your mouth, worm!"

Luna didn't even try to calm herself down. She stood tall and proud and fixed the colonel with a glare.

"You want to know what I am?" she asked, "Well, I'll tell you! I am your rightful lord and master; I am your Princess! And if you do not obey me, I will be your worst nightmare! The conduct of the troops under your command is reprehensible, and their behavior reflects a failure in leadership on your part! Consider yourself relieved of duty! I will take charge myself!"

The colonel stared at her in disbelief, and some of her forces started murmuring amongst themselves. Luna heard some of what they were saying: "looks like the Queen," "what did she do," "insane," "look at her hair," "demon." Finally, the mare in charge started shaking her head, too flabbergasted even to laugh. In fact, she seemed to be getting angrier. Without looking at her forces, she gave them a single, simple command.

"Bring me her head!"

Luna wasn't certain, but she had the impression that Equestria had just declared war on her.

Turn 13

Things had... escalated.

Luna had never meant for things to go this for. She had never meant for any of this to happen at all, but now the die was cast and Luna had to see how it landed.

She had been fighting for hours now, with hoof and magic both. Pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies alike had thrown themselves at her, but they'd bitten off more than they could chew. Luna had defeated them all. The mad commander herself had been taken care of easily enough, and her captives freed and sent home. Luna had also checked up on Sandy and Sweet Potato to make sure they were all right, and imprisoned the four soldiers that had tried to harm them, though in truth, she had no idea what to do with the villains now.

These things accomplished, she had flown all across Hillside and driven out any and all troops in it. Then she had moved on to the dead city of the griffons, where she had done the same. She was still there now, scouring the streets of strays. Few of the soldiers resisted anymore; most simply left the city behind and escaped. Before Luna knew it, the place had been hers.

By this point, Luna had calmed down, more or less, and granted that she had probably overreacted a little. Even though the ironclad certainty that had driven her actions was starting to fade, she didn't really feel bad either. The thing that had been guiding her was pure protective instinct. True, she could have flown away, escaped, avoided conflict – but that would have meant having the leave Hillside at the mercy of these barbarians.

Not a single soul had been killed in the course of her rampage, not even those desperate few that had grasped her motives and tried to use the villagers as hostages. She did not fault all of them for the actions of a few, but it was obvious by now that the presence of the battalion might have been quite a bit more than a slight disruption in the villagers' daily lives. They were a threat. Luna had rectified that... but it wasn't enough.

Luna didn't feel tired, weak, lethargic or feeble any longer. Her sorrow and self-pity were forgotten for now, burned out by a righteous anger she had not felt in an eternity. For the first time since her arrival in this world, she felt exhilarated and alive. It might have been because she had done the right thing. She had needed something like this, something to snap her out of her funk. Rather than feeling bad about what her counterpart in this world had failed to do in the distant past, she had to work out what she could do right in the here and now. She'd spent enough time hiding and avoiding responsibility when there was so much for her to do, such a great many things that had to be fixed.

Luna truly believed that ponies were good by nature. They didn't do bad things but for bad influence, and an unfit commanding officer was neither the beginning nor the end. That's why Luna had to go directly for the source of the problem. The first thing that had to be corrected was Daymare Sun.

Next chapter: Justice, Like Lightning...

Author's Note

I'm going to give this one the nod as my worst chapter so far. Problems in excution were part of the reason I'm so late with the update. It's really a damn shame, since I think Luna deserved much better. I'd point out some of the issues I have with it, but I'd rather hear what comes to your mind, dear reviewer, than whether you agree or disagree with me about this or that.
In case you can't tell, a "turn" is a unit of time twelve hours long, or the time it takes for the hands of a clock to make one complete rotation. I wanted to mention this in the text, but didn't really find a perfect place for it. The countdown here marks the time Luna has spent in Hillside.
For some reason, I was compelled to replace all instances of italics in Luna's dialogue and thoughts with bold text.

Chapter 8: Justice, Like Lightning...

Twilight could hear Rarity's voice, cutting through the haze of her dreams. She was telling her to be a dear and wake up – and she did, right away. Her sleep had been light and restless, and she'd never been able to shake off the perception of her companions' quiet murmuring conversation and the noise of the air rushing past. Twilight opened her eyes, still groggy, and found herself looking at Applejack's face.

"Whazzat?" she muttered, "Are we there?"

"Won't be long now," said Applejack.

Twilight struggled up on her hooves, but not before yawning so hard her jawbone popped. It was quite possible that she was more tired now than when she had laid down to rest. Sleeping on a flying carriage while out in the open sunlight had been one of most uniquely unpleasant experiences she had ever suffered through. In fact, it seemed a miracle that she'd been able to nod off at all. They had taken Rarity's fastest and lightest chariot, which – while opulent – was a little too cramped for three full-grown ponies and one very small dragon. None of them had a lot of movement space. The ride hadn't exactly been the smoothest either, considering the speeds they were doing, but the worst thing of all, obviously, was the heat.

Twilight closed her eyes for a moment longer, enjoying the feel of the wind on her coat. It was a scant pleasure. Her bones, her joints, her muscles – all of them felt stiff and achey, and the sunlight was still beating down on her mercilessly. Unfortunately, they couldn't afford to lose the gain in velocity they got from using a lighter open-air chariot instead of a closed carriage. Rarity had a sporty and fashionable calash with a folding top that would have seated them all, but by a stroke of bad luck, it had happened to be in for repairs just then.

Twilight's knees buckled when Spike hopped from Applejack's back to hers, as much from surprise as outright fatigue. She was about to tell him off, but then the chariot careened forward gently, causing everypony inside to bump into each other in turn. Soarin' was descending.

"Careful you don't fall, Spike," said Twilight.

"Hah hah!" said Spike, glancing back at Rarity, "As if I was that clumsy!"

That was when they finally spotted their destination. Twilight and Spike – at the very front end of the chariot – got the best view. "The Dragon Swamp" was a somewhat ostentatious name for a maze of shallow, winding depressions framed by numerous dried-up tree stumps lying on the hillsides or standing stubbornly in place like gravestones. The ground was all drab and brown, a mix of sand and dry organic grit, not greatly distinguished from the surrounding desert. A small valley led into the distance where there had once been a river. There was a certain deathly peacefulness about the place, that much was undeniable.

"Why's this place called the Dragon Swamp anyway?" asked Spike.

"Well, it's obviously an anachronism," said Twilight, "There used to be a swamp, maybe even as recently as a century ago, which then disappeared due to changing weather patterns. It didn't go dry overnight, so the name stuck around even after the swamp itself was long gone."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah! I was wondering more about the 'Dragon' part, Twilight."

"Oh. Hey, why is it called the Dragon Swamp?"

"I'm not sure," said Applejack with a shrug, "Some folk tale about a dragon, I think."

"The name is rather ominous, considering the circumstances," muttered Rarity, "You don't see any real dragons around, do you? No sign of our dear Agent Striker?"

"He's got to be around somewhere," said Applejack, "No way we beat the guy here."

Soarin' set down the chariot on high ground. Since none of them had any idea where exactly Rainbow Dash's abode might have been, they were going to have to look for her. That Striker might have come across her first, or that Rainbow Dash might be hostile because of Twilight's presence were both very real possibilities – but they still relied on the assumption that Rainbow Dash was even there in the first place. If she was away on business at the moment, well, that would have been troublesome.

Twilight was no tactician, but even she could tell that the uneven ground in the area made it really easy for a pony to keep an eye on somepony else without being spotted themselves. Perhaps that was why Rainbow Dash chose to live there in the first place. A dragon wasn't exactly the easiest thing to hide, but as far as they knew, Striker might have been watching them from somewhere very close by, hidden by the terrain and the glare of the sunlight. There was no way to tell.

The others must have been thinking the same thing. Rarity was nervously eying the surroundings as she daintily lumbered out of the chariot, and Applejack warned them to keep a lookout when she followed. Twilight was the last to stumble out. Feeling good, solid ground under her hooves after almost a full 24 hours in the air felt like a godsend.

"Are you all right, darling?" asked Rarity.

"As well as can be expected," said Twilight, "What about you?"

"Oh well," said Rarity with a polite smile, "This is most definitely an experience I hope never to have to go through again. I hope you understand."

"We're going to have to get back somehow, you know," replied Applejack.

All of them were well aware that it was Rarity who had been most miserable in that chariot. Twilight had the suspicion that – despite her three different methods of transportation – Rarity didn't really leave the house all that often. She hadn't managed a moment of sleep on their journey and looked uncharacteristically haggard. Her hair was coming loose and there were bags under her eyes. And yet, although she was far away from her usual comforts, she braved the situation without complaint.

Soarin' joined them once he'd gotten his harness off. He grabbed the canteen from the chariot, drank several long gulps and even went as far as to pour some over his head. Wasteful as it was, Twilight couldn't begrudge him the luxury. He looked somewhat drained, although there was still bounce in his step. Twilight wasn't exactly sure how much this Soarin' differed from the one in her world, since she couldn't quite conjure up an image of the superstar athlete in her mind. Rainbow Dash would have killed her if she found out about that.

"You've done a wonderful job, Soarin'," said Rarity, "Nopony could have done better. Do you feel up for accompanying us on our search?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, actually!" replied Soarin' brightly, "It's not like I could just wait here while all these interesting things might be happening just around the corner. Besides, it could be dangerous out there."

They set out into the wilderness once they'd all had a drink. It was agreed that splitting up was unwise with the threat of Agent Striker hanging over their heads, even though that would have helped them cover ground faster. Twilight was glad for that. It was very important for them to stick together to become good friends and earn their Elements of Harmony. In fact, Twilight even guiltily wished that Spike and Soarin' hadn't been there with her, Applejack and Rarity. They mostly stayed on the ridges, trading off safety for a better view of the surroundings. From time to time, they had to cross trenches where the former waterways had been.

Moving about was difficult, which made the Swamp seem bigger than it really was. The ground was dreadfully soft, and ancient, gnarled remains of tree roots seemed to get in their way whenever it was least convenient. Applejack went up ahead, with Twilight and Spike close behind her. Rarity was last, huffing and puffing as she walked. Soarin' stayed at her side like a guard dog; he seemed to behave more like a bodyguard than a chauffeur. Twilight wondered if how much good he'd be in a fight.

Despite her anxiety to meet Rainbow Dash, Twilight had to work to keep her attention from flagging. They had been in such a rush to set out from Everfree City, but after all the waiting on their ride – hours upon hours of just standing on their hooves, boxed into place, talking and resting when they tired of talking – the sense of urgency seemed to be gone. By this point, Twilight had gone through and discarded a dozen different what-ifs spelling doom, always coming back to her original conclusion: it was better to hope than to doubt. They were either too late or they weren't. If Agent Striker was only now bearing down on Rainbow Dash, then Twilight was confident she could sense any serious emissions of magic and lead the others to Dash's aid. As it was, they were just trying their luck.

There were some signs of life to be found in the Swamp, if one looked close enough: there were small burrows in the sand, for instance, as well as occasional trails of tiny paws. Things lived there. Of pony habitation, however, they couldn't find a trace. No convenient trail leading to where ever Rainbow Dash lived presented itself.

Twilight decided to use the time spent wandering productively and fell back to Rarity.

"So how did you and Rainbow Dash meet?" she asked.

Rarity tossed her a sideways glance. "Aheh. Well, how does one meet a serial thief? You get robbed by one, that's how. The Blue Bolt broke into my mansion a year or two ago and tried to burglarize me. All in all, a rather tumultuous beginning to a relationship."

"I can imagine. Breaking and entering doesn't seem very conductive to, um, becoming friends. What happened?"

"The Blue Bolt operates in a very particular way. She strikes... well, I'll just go ahead and avoid using the phrase 'out of the blue'... no, not 'like lightning out of a clear sky' either... Well, she strikes when ponies least expect it. Knowing what I do know, it's probably because she's impulsive and thoughtless and makes her moves without any sort of prior planning, but this unpredictability does make her difficult to catch, both for her targets and the authorities, and lends her a certain aura of invincibility.

"I certainly never considered the possibility that she might target me. I remember, I was going over some profit reports with a nice glass of sherry in the lounge when Rover came in and told me we had an intruder in the house. It was a bit of a shock, to say the least."

"It's true," added Soarin', "She was shocked."

"Luckily, my diamond dogs are highly capable – not to mention territorial. They get a bit touchy when somepony enters their 'turf', as they call it. They managed to close off the exits and seal her inside. The lot of them had a merry game of cat and mouse all over the building. My entire household couldn't catch her, but at least they managed to keep her from stealing much anything. Finally, we happened to stumble across each other as I was trying to get to my panic room. Not knowing what else to do, I engaged her in conversation and asked her to have a glass of sherry with me. Despite her rude and dismissive attitude, I managed to convince her that we were alike in some ways. We made a deal. I am in an excellent position to give her tipoffs about the assets of the nobility, who has the most and who'd deserve to lose some. I don't really get much in return, but that just means I have a lot of credit built up with her. She owes me."

"And all the things she steals, she distributes to the needy," said Twilight, chewing her lip and thinking, "She sounds like a really good person."

"I suppose. She's certainly valorous. I mean, she's been known to break into the same places several times, letting her targets get new security systems and hire more guards and then going back just to show them up. She beats them every time, but there have been some close calls."

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a chance to race her!" said Soarin', "We had a short kerfuffle in the corridors at Lady Rarity's, but you can only really tell these things under the open sky. I asked her to a speed date, but she turned me down." He sighed, but not in a gloomy way. "There's all sorts of rumors flying around about how fast the Blue Bolt is supposed to be; I just have to know for myself! I know these things get exaggerated, but her skills are said to be legendary! Though, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the name 'the Blue Bolt'. It just seems like it could be flashier, you know?"

"You'd prefer something like 'Wonderbolt'?" suggested Twilight, ignoring the groan from Spike.

"Hey, I like that!" said Soarin' brightly.

"I hope you do realize that Rainbow Dash didn't pick out the name herself," said Rarity, "It's just something ponies started calling her."

"Oh, did she not? Well, since madam started to call herself the Lady of Liberty on her own, I just assumed..."

"Hah hah haa," said Rarity forcedly, "Let's move on to another subject, shall we?"

"Good idea!" said Spike, "I've had enough about Rainbow Dash anyway. I'm more interested in you, Lady Rarity!"

Rarity slowly turned to look at him. "Indeed? And what do you want to know, dragon?"

"Are you seeing anypony? I mean, I would assume a gorgeous, intelligent, glamorous pony like you would definitely have a very special somepony..."

Twilight raised a quizzical eyebrow at Soarin's sudden coughing fit. Then she noticed the stiff expression of Rarity's face.

"That's a little private, don't you think?" asked Rarity.

Spike chuckled nervously. "Is it?"

"Well, it's something I'd prefer not to talk about. I'm sure you understand."

Spike didn't get the chance to answer as she added pace and cantered up ahead to where Applejack was.

At or near the center of the Dragon Swamp, at the bottom of a concave depression, they found a lake or something like it – seemingly the only remainder of the waterways. It was roughly circular and bigger than might have been expected. There was a lot of empty space around it where the water levels had dwindled over time. It looked to be rather shallow, but that was hard to ascertain since the surface of the still water was an impenetrable brown. There were even some signs of plant life, floating in the sludge in small clumps.

The group did split up at the lake, to cover it from all around. They scanned the shore in semicircles and came back together on the opposite side, having found nothing.

"This is a waste of time," said Applejack, "Aren't there any spells you could use to find Rainbow Dash?"

"If there was any practical way to track her by magic, I'd have done that to begin with. Such spells are usually complex and require magical aids, as well as usually some personal items or such. We don't have anything like that on us, do we?"

"All right, all right, I get the picture."

"Hey, didn't something just move there?" asked Spike breathlessly.

Twilight found him pointing a finger towards the water. "I don't think there's been any movement there for decades, Spike." She turned her attention to Applejack. "This is pretty much the only source of water in the area, isn't it? Shouldn't Rainbow Dash have a place very near here?"

"Not necessarily. I could see her bringing in her own drinking water. Yup, I could definitely see that."

"Shouldn't we move somewhere, ahem, less exposed?" said Rarity.

"I don't know, should we?" said Twilight, "We want Rainbow Dash to notice us if she's here, don't we?"

"But we don't want anypony else to notice us."

"Listen, I can see something moving," said Spike, "There's bubbles."

Twilight sighed. "There are no bubbles, Spike."

"Well, actually," said Applejack, "I can see some of those too."

They all turned to look, just in time to see a particularly large bubble pop on the surface.

"Swamp gas," said Twilight, "Or just an air pocket."

"Or maybe Rainbow Dash has a secret underwater base hidden there!" exclaimed Spike.

"Let's keep our perspective here. There's no need to get excited over... all right, that's a little weird."

Something was rising out of the water – something slimy and writhing and big. A living thing. It uncoiled itself out into the open air, dripping with dark mud from the bottom of the lake. Its elongated, snake-like body towered above them and swayed dangerously from side to side. The monster reached out two gangly arms into the sky, opened a gigantic maw filled with a row of vicious-looking incisors and started a groan from the depths of its throat. Whatever it was, it was... stretching and yawning.

When the great brown thing finally opened its eyes and noticed the ponies before it, gaping upwards, it froze. Then it shrieked.

"Oooohhhh myyyy goodness! Oh my goodness! Please don't tell me you're here to arrest me!"

None of them quite knew what to say to that. Suddenly, it bent toward them to have a closer look. Twilight and the others took a step back as one – all except for Rarity, who cringed and fell on her backside when her hindlegs gave out underneath her.

"A dragon!" squeaked Twilight, feeling terribly vulnerable.

"A wild dragon at that!" said Soarin', "That's kind of cool."

"Actually, I'd prefer to be called a free dragon," said the dragon with a small swish of his hand that flicked drops of mud all over them.

"And it's one of them water-dwelling types," said Applejack, "The Secret Police don't use those."

Spike cautiously held out his hand. "Hey there! Pleased to meet you, I guess."

Two great reptilian eyes swiveled around between Spike, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle before finally resting on Applejack. The elder dragon's hand was entirely too big to shake the younger's, so he elected to pat Spike on the head.

"My oh my, you are a free one as well, aren't you, little one? I take it you fine folks are not with the Secret Police?"

"Heck no," said Applejack, "And we're not looking for a fight."

"Yes!" added Rarity, "I mean no! Most certainly not!"

She had gotten up at some point and maneuvered herself behind Applejack. Rarity's wide-eyed gaze was locked on the dragon, while Applejack was glancing around, perhaps assessing their chances at escaping. Twilight, meanwhile, managed to start breathing again and tried to think back to everything she knew of water dragons. They were the least numerous of the dragon races, as well as the ones most different from the physical baseline, though they were still capable of interbreeding with other kinds of dragons. They lived both at outer sea and in-land, and were also unusual in that, instead of breathing magical fire, they could ingest and expel great quantities of water.

Seeing the dragon up close brought the droopy bushels of hair on its face to her attention.

"Wait a minute," she said, "I know you. I'm sure I know you!"

"Ummmm, I'm quite sure you don't, miss! Or do you? I have a hard time keeping all you ponies apart, to be quite honest. But with the social life I keep, I certainly can't imagine where I might have met you!"

"No, you're right," said Twilight quickly, "It's kind of a long story. Say, do you live here?"

The dragon took a deep breath and gave the longest sigh in history.

"I do, unfortunately!" he exclaimed, his lip quivering, "You can't imagine what it's like, living in this dingy mud-hole! It's so small that I can hardly move! My body fat's gone way up in the last century! And the dirt, oh, the dirt! It makes personal grooming an impossibility! Look at all the dirt under my claws! It's terrible, I tell you!"

He reached forward his hands to show them his nails, though in truth, his nails weren't even visible under the layer of mud.

"You poor dear," said Rarity quietly, without a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

"Wait, so if you live here, do you know a pony named Rainbow Dash?" asked Spike, looking to Twilight for approval, "We're kind of looking for her, so could you maybe point us in the right direction?"

The dragon narrowed his eyes. "Well, maybe I could, maybe I couldn't. I happen to be a friend and confidante to Rainbow Dash, and I can't let just anypony see her! Who are you again?"

"Ah," said Rarity, "We'd actually like to enlist Dash's help for an epic quest sort of thing? I'm a business partner of hers. My name is Lady Rarity; I'm sure she's mentioned me."

The dragon stood up straight and started stroking its chin. "Hmm. Hmmm. Hmmmmm. Oh yes, Rarity! Come to think of it, she did mention you once!"

"Once...?" repeated Rarity.

"But how do I know you're really her? No, no, no, I can't give her up just like that!"

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this!" said Applejack, "We're not from the Secret Police, but we happen to know for a fact that one of them is coming for her. He's got a dragon too, and that one's decidedly not 'free.' We came her to warn Rainbow Dash. Tell us where she is, will you?"

"Oh! Well! That's not good at all!" He sighed again. "All right, the truth is that Rainbow Dash isn't here right now."

Twilight could almost feel the collective team spirit deflate a little.

"She's away on business, actually. Left for a granary at Hoovesburg a while ago. It shouldn't be too long until she's back, so I suppose you could stay here to wait for her, and keep me company while you're at it."

Applejack and Rarity both glanced at Twilight, and she knew that they were both thinking the same thing as her – what now? Spike, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned.

"So what are you doing in a place like this?" he asked the other dragon, "I mean, you must have been living here for quite a while, right?"

"Too long! Too long!"

"Yeah, there aren't supposed to be any wild dragons in Equestria as far as anypony knows," mentioned Soarin', "By the way, do you know what kind of stallions Rainbow Dash likes to race?"

"I can't say that I do, Mr. Pegasus. But be that as it may, I'd certainly be willing to share my sad, sad story with you, if you're willing to hear it?" He cleared his throat.

"Do we really have time for this?" asked Applejack, "We should find a place with the least visibility and the most overview and lie in wait for-"

"I still remember when this place was lush and green!" said the dragon, speaking over Applejack, "Well, perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. Everything was already starting to show signs of withering away, but the swamp still reached as far as the eye could see, there were rivers just around the corner and this lake was big enough to get lost in it. There were still living things around, with dozens of different species flying and crawling and scurrying everywhere. The delicious alligators were my favorites. Anyway, I found my way here on my way from the East Sea. I came in-land through the River Bellerophon. Some of my cousins, the dragons of the air, were hunting me, so I stopped to rest here. I fell asleep underwater some miles from where we are now. When I woke up, a century had passed and the terrain had changed greatly. The water-ways had dried enough that I couldn't get back to the ocean. I was trapped. I floundered around for years as more and more of the water disappeared, until I eventually ended up here."

"What were you doing in Equestria in the first place?" asked Spike, "Why was someone hunting you?"

"Well, if you must know, I came here looking for an egg."

"An egg?"

"My egg. The Matriarch gave it away! Just like she gives away all the eggs! I wanted to rescue my offspring from you ponies, but she wouldn't allow it. So I set out on my own. I thought I could find the egg and hide it away somewhere... Instead I ended up stuck here, not knowing whether the egg ever hatched or if the ponies allowed my offspring to live. The best I could hope for is that it survived to live in slavery. And I can't even go home again..."

At some point along the way, without Twilight even noticing, the dragon's voice had turned from flamboyant and overly dramatic to genuinely sorrowful. His head sank lower and lower, until Twilight could see two large, clear teardrops on his lids. They trickled down the sides of his face when he closed his eyes.

"Queen Celestia and the Dragon Matriarch have this pact," explained Applejack, "They give their eggs to the unicorns. That's how the Secret Police get their dragon companions. I've never understood the reason for it all."

Twilight chewed on her lip and spoke. "Is it because of the Draconic Ovistasis?"

"The what?" asked Applejack.

"The Draconic Ovistasis, or the Doom of Dragons if you prefer. In my world, dragons have a... sickness. Their eggs no longer hatch naturally; only powerful magic can do it. It's believed to have started some nine hundred years ago, but nopony knows the reason for it. A couple of centuries later, they made an agreement with the Princess to have their eggs hatched by unicorns at her school of magic. That's where I met Spike. Er, obviously, dragons are raised as free citizens and allowed to return to the homeland once they reach maturity."

The water dragon was scowling at them in confusion. "Um, yes, that's the reason, but... I feel like I'm missing something here?"

"Aheh. Would you be satisfied if I said it's a long story?"

"I'd prefer something a bit more substantive, actually!"

They were interrupted by an explosion – a paradoxical blast in the distance that reached them even before the glow did. They looked and found a magnificently bright rainbow circle rippling outward in the sky, kilometers away. The light stretched forth almost as if it was a physical thing, made of translucent crystal.

"What the hay is that?" asked Applejack.

"Hey, that's neat," said Soarin' as if he was praising a fine carpet.

Twilight could see something blurry slicing through the air like a knife, backlit by the fading rainbow and accompanied by a faint whooshing sound.

"Oh dear, something is coming," said Rarity.

"Is that-?" started Applejack.

"Oh!" said the dragon, "I didn't expect her to be back so soon."

The blur showed no sign of slowing down. By the time Twilight felt an inkling of worry, it was already too late. A flash of blue, a fearful gasp and already Spike was sent flying with a smack. She called out his name as he skidded across the surface of the lake and then disappeared into the water.

Applejack cursed, Rarity was muttering something, Twilight twisted her head and spun around to catch a glimpse of Rainbow Dash. She was nowhere to be seen. Then, suddenly, Twilight found that the ground and the sky were not where they should have been.

The pain came a moment later, when she landed on her back and was sent rolling in the dirt. Twilight coughed, disoriented and breathless from the collisions, and tried to stagger back on her her hooves.

"Rainbow Dash!" she wheezed, "Stop!"

Rarity was the next to get hit – or she would have been. Her pleading ended in a shriek when Soarin' jumped her and pushed her out of Rainbow Dash's path. The water-dragon was saying something in his high-pitched voice as well, but clearly, "engaging Dash in conversation" didn't seem to be working.

"We're not the bad guys!" yelled Twilight desperately, already racking her brain to identify a suitable spell to defuse the situation.

The Blue Bolt came around for another swoop – but Applejack planted herself firmly down and held her ground. Rainbow Dash rebounded and landed, sliding back through the sand on four hooves, kicking up a cloud of dust. She scowled at the wall that had toppled her. Applejack only smirked.

The water dragon was swinging back and forth at the lake's edge, wringing his hands.

"Behave yourself, Rainbow Dash!" he said, "Don't attack my guests!"

Dash's glare focused on Twilight Sparkle. After a moment's surprise, she narrowed her eyes and sunk low, ready to spring into action again.

"You doofus!" she snarled at the dragon, "That's Daylight Sparkle, Commander of the Secret Police!"

"I'm actually not!" said Twilight very fast, "Oh no. Spike!"

She scrambled towards the waterline, causing the dragon to turn around and dive under to retrieve him. Meanwhile, Soarin' was helping Rarity get upright again. Her coat now looked a lot less white and her mane utterly unsalvageable.

"Rainbow Dash."

"Huh," said Rainbow Dash, "Oh, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just standing around. Waiting for somepony. Getting attacked by thoughtless ruffians!"

"Sorry about that. Didn't recognize you."

"I don't think you mean that apology," said Rarity.

"Look, missy," interrupted Applejack, "We know our companion looks a bit suspect, but she really isn't Daylight Sparkle. Daylight Sparkle wouldn't hang out with me."

Dash eyed her quietly for a moment. "You're Applejack, aren't you? I recognize you from the wanted posters..."

Applejack nodded. "We were looking for you."

The water dragon was returning to shore, holding a dripping, coughing and sputtering Spike in his arms. The smaller dragon groaned when he was set down.

"Are you all right?" asked Twilight, scooping him up on her back and ignoring the muddy smear that left.

"I got some in my mouth!" he complained, "I feel like I'm going to die." He glowered at Dash. "Do you always ram into people when you meet them?"

"Shouldn't I?" asked Dash with a shrug.

"That was some pretty slick flying, by the way!" interjected Soarin', "Not a bad Sonic Boom either. Very colorful!"

The Rainbow Dash Twilight knew was sleek and lithe, but this one had a gaunt, emaciated look. Not in a million years would she have stood a chance against Applejack in a hoof-wrestling competition, not with her ribs showing through her sides like that. There was a small nostril ring piercing on her nose. Her tail was only a small stub, and her mane was trimmed into a very short, multicolored fuzz – almost a buzz cut. She had a small, sky-blue cowl on her back that she could pull up to cover her head and face. Like Rarity, she still had her familiar cutie mark: the rainbow thunderbolt.

Rainbow noticed Twilight looking her over. "So who exactly are you?" she asked, "I'm not supposed to believe that it's a coincidence that you look identical to Little Miss Fascist Princess, am I?"

"Well, no-"

"Twilight Sparkle here isn't from the Secret Police," interrupted Rarity, "but one of them is coming here to find you. We can explain everything soon, but we must act quickly if we're to escape! The agent could find us at any moment."

"Your little display up there had to have tipped him off that you were here," said Applejack dryly.

"Well, yeah," said Dash with a roll of her eyes, "That was the general idea of it, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Twilight.

"I heard about their operation, actually. That's why I'm here instead of making a mockery of the city guard back in Hoovesburg. Wouldn't want to miss this opportunity, would I?"

"What exactly are you saying?" asked Rarity, "Don't tell me you came back here to fight?"

"All right," said Dash, "I won't tell you."

There was an uncomfortable lull in the conversation. The flippancy in Rainbow Dash's voice was impossible to ignore. Twilight put into words what they were all thinking.

"Are you insane?"

"You don't understand, Rainbow Dash!" pleaded Rarity, "This isn't just some grunt you'd be facing – Agent Striker is one of the Elite! You can't take on a dragon!"

"This is not a good idea," said Applejack, "tactically speaking."

Dash barely seemed to be listening. She made a wing-assisted leap and came down at the edge of the lake, before her water dragon friend.

"This is kind of a bad time to be out in the open. Just go and hide away down under for a while, okay?"

"Oh." The water dragon looked around between Rainbow Dash, Twilight and the others, tapping his finger-claws together nervously. "Well. If that's what you think is best. It was nice meeting you all! Especially you, little one."

He nodded towards Spike, gave them all a little wave and turned around to submerge once more.

Rainbow Dash started pacing around, raising and flapping her wings with every other step.

"I don't think you guys understand how I operate. I have a rep to maintain, okay? I spend a lot of time running away, so it's vital that I don't end up looking too weak. Ordinary ponies look up to me. They all know I'm on their side; that's why they give me their support when I ask for it. But they'd never have the guts to do that if they didn't know that I'm the baddest pegasus pony that's ever flown the skies. On the other hoof, the nobility is scared shitless of me! Every time I come to town, they get a bloody nose. There's nothing those fat-cats hate more than taking hits to their wallets or their reputations. They fear me for nothing more than making them look bad, and that makes them weak. They're exposed to the people as the gutless weaklings they are! But would they still be afraid of me if they didn't know I'm the best and most skilled thief in history? Hardly! And the state – the state respects me. I mean, the more troops and resources they assign to take me down, the more their oh-so-perfect machine of tyranny is disrupted, right? Hell, I'm thrilled that they're finally giving me a serious opponent! That means they're taking me seriously. In other words, I matter! My actions are having an effect. And it's all because everypony knows that I'm the fastest flier ever, uncatchable and unstoppable!"

"Yes, but..." Twilight licked her lips and tried to find the proper words. "What if you don't win?"

"Have you ever faced one of the Secret Police before?" asked Applejack, staring pointedly at Dash, "Well, I have, and I'm lucky to be alive. Plenty of others haven't been that lucky. This isn't a game, you know."

"It's suicide!" burst out Rarity.

"What's it to you?" asked Dash, standing and facing them now, "I'm not keeping you here. Go and hide away if you want."

"We didn't come here just to deliver a warning," said Applejack, "We need your help on a very special mission!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Well," said Rarity, "I think Twilight could explain better than we could..."

So Twilight explained everything, as she had explained it to Applejack and Rarity. She told Rainbow Dash who she was, where she was from and what she was trying to do. By the time she got around to the Elements of Harmony, Dash had her forehooves pressed to her muzzle and was snorting and sputtering. When Twilight finished her story, Dash was quick to break down laughing.

"See?" said Twilight, "Isn't it annoying?"

"We're being quite serious here, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity.

"A hundred percent," added Applejack.

Dash straightened herself up, wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. I believe you. I'm in."

Twilight exchanged glances with the others. "Were- were you being sarcastic there? Because I couldn't really tell..."

"Nuh huh. If there's a chance a chance – any chance – of taking down Queen Celestia, then sure, I'll give it a shot. What's the first step?"

"Well, there's two others we need to complete the team. Do you happen to know any ponies named Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy?"

Twilight wasn't even surprised anymore when she saw Dash's face light up in recognition.

"Fluttershy? Yeah, I know Fluttershy. We used to work together, back when I was still in the Cloud Patrol. What do we need with a flake like her though?"

"Never mind that! Do you know where we could find her?"

"Hmh, maybe. Far as I know, she quit the force a while after I bolted. I don't know exactly where she lives nowadays, but my best guess would be that she went back to her hometown – some place near the north-eastern border, I think? It was called Hillside or something like that."

Vague as that was, it was a decent enough start. Twilight had every confidence that everything would neatly fall into place – provided they could convince Rainbow Dash to see reason.

"So you see how important this is?" she asked, "We can't afford to waste time on risky escapades like this. Will you come with us?"

Dash smiled apologetically. "I can't. This is something I have to do."

Applejack snorted and turned away from the conversation entirely. She began to scan the surrounding countryside for any ponies on the approach. Rarity took a step closer to Dash.

"No, you're absolutely coming with us! We'll drag you away by force if we have to!"

Dash's expression darkened for an instant, but the next moment, she was already smirking. "As if you could ever catch me."

"I could catch you," said Soarin'.

"No you couldn't."

Rarity sighed and gingerly stepped before her. "Look, Rainbow, I'm asking you as a favor. You know I've done a lot to help you since we made each other's acquaintance. Surely you can at least postpone this battle while we deal with this matter? Please? Pretty please?"

Dash was shaking her head, but there was now something like doubt in her eyes. At least she seemed to be thinking about it. Just as she was opening her mouth to answer, Applejack interrupted.

"I can see something."

Rainbow Dash jumped a few meters into the air to get a better view, flapping her wings to stay aloft. Twilight galloped to Applejack's side, squinted her eyes and looked where Applejack was pointing. Rarity was slower to join them. There was indeed something there, at the very edge of the depression they were in – a figure that might have been a pony.

"I can't see anything," said Rarity hesitantly.

There was nothing to see anymore. The figure was gone. Twilight was suddenly filled with a most terrible sense of foreboding. With the pounding of her heart in her ears, she turned around.

He was there. Without the quietest zap or pop, Agent Striker and his dragon had landed right amongst them.

"Hello and well met," he said, looking them over as calmly as calm could be, "Fine weather we're having, no?"

They were all shocked and enthralled as he spoke, but as soon as he was finished, Rainbow Dash dropped down to the ground and took off again with a gust of wind in her wake. Rarity instinctively stepped backwards, and Soarin' scooted closer to her protectively. Applejack consciously had to keep herself from rearing, and Twilight could feel Spike inadvertently pressing his claws into her neck. She herself didn't even know what she should have been doing.

Striker looked nothing like what she'd been expecting. He had bulky frame, a wide, friendly face and he was smiling. His coat was a mellow blue, like the wallpaper of a nursery, and his spiky hair the color of ash and coal. Like the guard at the gates of Everfree, he was wearing a white cape and hat, though his cape was cast to one side in a manner that exposed his cutie mark: an arc of lightning, bent like a horseshoe, yellow on a black background. Standing close beside him was a young winged dragon with beautiful bronze and golden scales – a female. She was a hair's breadth taller than her master, but her downcast head made her seem small.

Although the golden dragon was older than Spike, she was still decades away from being fully grown. In Twilight's opinion, she looked... manageable. It wasn't the adult dragon she'd been afraid of, at least. Perhaps they wouldn't even have to fight; perhaps there was still some way to talk their way out of this situation? Striker hadn't made a move against them yet, after all... He was trying to keep watch of Dash whirling all around them in wide circles, but he looked to be in no particular worry doing so. When Dash attacked, hooves extended, he teleported just a few meters away, leaving her to pass him by harmlessly.

"This is quite unnecessary, you know," said Striker.

When she went at him again, Applejack rushed to join her. She approached Striker from the side, flipped around and bucked at his foreleg. Before her hooves could connect, she was thrown off by a blast of kinetic force. Dash, coming up to him from above, smashed straight into the ground when Striker blinked away again. She was up again in an instant, snorting and dragging her hoof along the ground. All she and Applejack had managed to do was cause the wide-brimmed wizard's hat to fall from his head. Twilight decided to step in before they could try again.

"Agent Striker," she said commandingly, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I have everything under control here. Y-you aren't needed. I relieve you of your duties. Go back to Everfree City."

He looked at her and smiled. "Hmm, no. No, I don't think so."

"What? You're disobeying a direct command. That's-"

"Treason? You don't say. I think you should be thankful that I'm willing to overlook you colluding with enemies of the state, Lady Commander. And please..." He looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was crouching and ready to pounce. "Why don't you just settle down? I only want to talk."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in confusion. Clearly, opening negotiations was not something agents of the Secret Police did often.

"What?" spat Dash, "You think I have something to say to the guy sent to assassinate me?"

"Me assassinating you is just one possible way this could go," he paused and chuckled, inexplicably amused, "But I'm sure we can come to a peaceful resolution. I'd like to make a deal."

Dash shook her head in disbelief and then forced herself to laugh. "Make a deal?"

"Sure. Come with me, and your companions get to live. That's nice and peaceful, isn't it? My mission is to retrieve you, Rainbow Dash, nothing more. I am perfectly willing to turn a blind eye to whatever else is going on here. How about that? Isn't that gracious of me?"

This was enough to shock everypony into silence for a while.

Things weren't as simple as they sounded, of course. Striker had seen Rarity. If he went back to Everfree and reported to his superiors, he could destroy her secret identity, her life and her work. All the good the Lady of Liberty did could break apart. Striker just taking off and leaving with Rainbow Dash wasn't an option, for several reasons, but what could they do about it? Twilight thought of memory spells she could use to wipe Striker's mind. It wasn't anything she had ever done before, but she knew the theory and was sure she could pull it off...

"Hold on," said Twilight, "What do you mean by 'retrieve?'"

"That is a secret, Daylight." He said it loudly, confidently, but his smile was a little weaker now. "It doesn't bother you that you don't know everything, does it?"

"Nice try, jerkward," said Dash, "I'm not going to walk meekly to my own execution."

"Who said you'd be executed – publicly, no less? Trust me, we have no interest in making a martyr out of you. If we do end up killing you, it'll be a quiet affair and you'll be buried in a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere, soon to be forgotten. My boss and I have something different in mind. If you come with me, you might even be pleasantly surprised."

What was Twilight supposed to do? How would Daylight Sparkle have reacted to this situation? There was something more going on here, something beyond her understanding or superficial knowledge of the Secret Police. Even when he was talking to Rainbow Dash, Striker kept a view of Twilight from the corner of his eye. He must have been confused about why she didn't do or say anything, why she kept opening and closing her mouth like a fish. She flinched when he suddenly winked at her.

"Sorry, my dear, but the battle lines have been drawn and I'm just not inclined to side with you."

"And I'm not inclined to side with you," said Dash, "You can forget that deals of yours. I don't want anything to do with evil bastards like you!"

Striker clucked his tongue. "That's a bit self-righteous, don't you think? After all, you're the dangerous criminal here, while I'm the representative of the law, here to bring you to justice."

"I don't recognize your law or your justice, okay? Now put up your hooves!"

"Wait," said Twilight. What did he mean by battle lines? she wondered.

"This is how it's going to be, is it?" said Striker, "Hmm, all right. Well, here's another proposal for you: I'll kill all your companions and then ask again. What do you think of that?"

Zig-zagging tendrils of electricity erupted from his horn with a powerful thunderclap, touched the ground and tore forward in their direction. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were quick to split apart and Twilight Sparkle managed to throw herself out of the way as well as well – accidentally dropping Spike in the process – but Rarity was too slow. Soarin' leaped up to protect her and took a lightning bolt to his back. He rolled limply to the ground while Rarity stumbled to her knees.

"Soarin'...?" she whispered.

Striker was strolling closer to them, his horn aglow with the promise of another volley. Twilight clenched her teeth and pushed herself up. She threw a quick reflective field spell – the first thing that came to her mind. The next arcs of electricity bounced away into the sky from an invisible barrier.

"Soarin'? Soarin'!"

Soarin' wasn't moving, not even when Rarity shook him. As horrible as the black burn between his wings looked, it was nothing compared to the empty, glazed look in his eyes.

"He's gone," said Rarity flatly, sinking down to her stomach.

"That bastard!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Is this- is this really happening?" asked Twilight.

Striker casually unclasped his cloak with his teeth and let it fall on the ground. The next spell he cast wasn't targeted at them. He fired it at his own dragon companion. Instantly, a strange distortion passed over the golden dragon, as if they were viewing it through a moving magnifying glass. Twilight recognized it for a growth-enhancing spell. In the blink of an eye, she grew by a factor of twenty, became indistinguishable from any adult dragon – and they were all entirely too close to it.

"We have to move!" said Applejack.

"Get up, Rarity!" urged Spike. He grabbed her leg and gave it a yank, but she refused to buckle or look away from the body.

"Haven't got time for this," muttered Applejack. She grabbed Rarity and threw her over her back.

And then they ran. Rainbow Dash didn't look as if she would join them, so Applejack grabbed hold of her short tail with her teeth and dragged her along. They headed uphill, away from the lake, away from their enemies. Somewhere behind them, they heard Striker's voice.

"Don't let them get away, Blitz," he was saying.

The rush of air the dragon produced beating her wings to lift off almost knocked them all off their hooves. They kept moving. Twilight was dead sure they'd be roasted by her fire or crushed underneath her feet, but the beast only swooped over them and landed on a crest of land up ahead. The ground shook when it touched down. Even if they could get farther away, there was no cover, anywhere.

Twilight, Spike and Applejack all came to a halt, but Rainbow Dash used the chance to tear free and keep moving. She rose up in the air and drew up close to the dragon to deliver a kick to her snout. The dragon – Blitz – reacted with a screech of annoyance. She snapped at Dash with her jaws, then let loose a torrent of dark red flame, hitting only empty air. Dash held the dragon's attention; she turned around to grasp at the pegasus buzzing around her.

Applejack whirled around, and grimaced when she saw Striker heading towards them.

"Twilight, what kind of combat magic do you know?"

"What? None! No combat magic!"

Spike fidgeted, looked at Striker and then back at Blitz. "Give me things! Anything! If I had stuff – if I could grow – then maybe..."

Striker appeared right in the middle of the group. Twilight yelped as a bolt of lightning passed so close by her that it made the hair of her coat stand on end, accompanied by an ear-splitting crack. Applejack wasted no time in throwing off Rarity and lunging at Striker, but he was quicker still. He held her off simply by grabbing hold of her with his telekinesis and dangling her in the air, snorting a laugh as he did so.

"As if an earth pony could ever defeat a proper unicorn..." he said.

While Twilight was still mentally running through a list of spells she could use, Spike blew some of his green magical fire at him, but he teleported out of the way – still keeping his hold of Applejack – right behind him and knocked him down with a hoof to the back of the head. At the same time, Blitz's tail waved over their heads as she whirled around to unleash another inferno on Rainbow Dash.

"But you're hardly any better, Daylight! What is wrong with you?"

Striker lowered his head, readying another lightning bolt. He might have killed Spike then, if he hadn't gotten tripped up by a faint blue glow around his hooves. It was Rarity, pushing herself up by her forehooves and glaring daggers at him. Not seeing any other options, Twilight leaped and barreled into the off-balance Striker. He fell, rolled over, and looked at her with equal parts shock and confusion.

"Blitz!" he screamed, and teleported again, farther away this time, somewhere out of sight.

Applejack touched down on the ground, free again – but the dragon reoriented herself towards them. Her eyes were a sinister red, Twilight noticed, but dull and lacking in malice. Time almost seemed to slow down when she opened her jaws, revealing fangs that glowed like embers. Twilight could see the flames rushing out of her black throat and knew she had to do something.

First of all, she snatched Rainbow Dash from the air and teleported her to the rest of the group with a flash of violet. Then she closed her eyes and focused; reached out and grasped a hold of her companions and brought them all along to the relative safety of a dune a few hundred meters away. She would have stumbled and fallen on her landing if Applejack hadn't quickly moved to give her support.

"All right, we need to think," said Twilight shakily, "Think, Twilight, think!"

"Could you get us back to the chariot?" asked Applejack.

"Maybe with multiple jumps, but that would be useless! The dragon could just follow us!"

"And Soarin'-" Rarity closed her eyes tight and shook her head, "Of course, Rainbow Dash can do the flying."

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, "Steve will help us!"

"Who?" asked Spike.

"Steve!"

Another bolt of lightning thundered over their heads. Twilight jumped in fright, then quickly followed the others as they clambered over the crest of the dune to cover. It was useless; the lightning began coming from another direction entirely only moments later. Evidently, Striker had elected to keep his distance. Twilight couldn't even see where he was. The group could do nothing but to stay low to avoid the fire.

"The water dragon you met!" explained Rainbow Dash.

Another gust of wind heralded that Blitz was approaching. She glided down from high above, wings and claws outstretched, and was coming directly for them. Twilight attempted a spell then – an improvised burst of light and energy – but it glanced off the scales on the monster's chest as if it was nothing. Applejack shouted for everypony to scatter, and so they could do nothing but get up again and spread apart.

Twilight narrowly avoided the dragon's claws coming down behind her with a thump, but couldn't help losing her balance and sliding down the hillside, only barely managing to stay upright. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Spike hitching a ride with Applejack. Glancing back, she found the dragon ready to spew another gust of fire – and she herself was unmistakably the target. Twilight backpedaled immediately, galloped right for Blitz and slipped in between her legs to avoid the flames. She would have been impressed with her courage, if the feel of the heat on her flank wouldn't have been so horrifying.

As Twilight was coming out from underneath her, the dragon almost crushed her with a swipe of her tail. One thing came after another, each close escape was more harrowing than the last. Without a moment's respite, there was no time to think, but Twilight did fixate on one very important thing: they had to get closer to the lake.

She teleported them all away again, right across the entire lake. It may or may not have been the longest jump Twilight had ever made, but she also did it pulling along four others, each of whom was moving and lacked direct physical contact with her. It was magic to be proud of, no doubt, but not right then. Twilight felt an addling buzz from the adrenaline.

"It's coming," whispered Rarity.

The dragon had taken to the air on the opposite shore and quickly honed in on their position. It would take her scant seconds to reach them.

"You sure your dragon friend'll help us?" asked Applejack.

Dash gave a slightly manic laugh. "I can make sure he does!"

She shot off so fast she kicked up a cloud of dust and drove everypony else into a fit of coughing. Twilight had never seen her Rainbow Dash go that fast, of that she was sure. A shimmering mach cone formed around her in mere seconds. An instant before she could collide with the dragon above the center of the lake, the air around them flared up with another ring of rainbow light. The resulting shockwave rocked the waters and stopped the dragon dead in flight. Although seemingly unhurt, she fell into a tailspin, plunging upside down, flailing her wings but unable to right herself. She splashed into the water and struggled to pull up and take off again. Just as it looked as if she might succeed, the water dragon snaked up from underneath. He wrapped his arms around Blitz's neck, clamped his jaws and teeth into the leather of her wings, and dragged her under. Moments later, an explosion of bubbles breached the surface where she had undoubtedly used her flame-breath.

Twilight and the others had to step back to avoid the small tidal wave hitting the shore, but kept watch of the lake. No blood was visible in the dirty water, so determining how the fight was going was difficult. Rainbow Dash rejoined them, feathers ruffled and chest heaving from the exertion. She touched down with a dark chuckle, and immediately stumbled and sank to her knees.

"Should have seen the look on her face," she said.

"Do you think this is funny?" hissed Rarity.

"Maybe we can use this chance to get away," said Applejack, "before- oh darn."

Striker had popped up again, not far from their position. He was glancing around wildly between them and the lake, and his features alternated between a half-hearted attempt at his previous amiable facade and pure, unadulterated rage.

"What is this?" he screamed, "What did you do? That's my dragon, MY dragon!"

He broke into a gallop directly towards them, firing another barrage of chain lightning as he did so. This time, something clicked in Twilight's mind. She didn't waste any time in throwing up another reflective field spell. The lightning bounced back every which way and Striker skidded to a halt. At once, Twilight felt her hooves being lifted up from the ground by a faint electric yellow glow. Striker was using his telekinesis to pull them all towards him, outside of Twilight's protective bubble.

"This isn't fair! You tricked me! You weren't supposed to have two!"

Twilight took a page from Striker's own book and teleported behind him. Doing so disrupted his hold of her, but also broke Twilight's reflective spell. As unfocused and angry as Striker was though, he was also very well trained. Anticipating her arrival, he evaded Twilight's petrification hex by throwing himself to the ground and answered with another lightning bolt before she could even blink. Twilight only barely ducked out of the way, and when she looked up again, Striker had teleported once more. Instinctively, she whirled around and found him aiming his horn at her back.

Twilight took another page from his book and shot out lightning of her own. The spell was simple enough, and he did such a thorough job of demonstrating its use. The two bolts collided between them and crackled away into nothingness. The smell of ozone was overpowering.

"Did you plan this, Daylight?" raged Striker, "What are you playing at?"

If Twilight hadn't been so out of breath – so utterly desperate to keep up with his movements – she might have tried to say something, to explain the situation and to plead her case. But then again, she thought as she remembered the look in Soarin's eyes, maybe peace was no longer an option.

Before she could match him with another attack of her own, Striker already blinked away again. Twilight turned around, but he was nowhere to be seen. All of them looked looked back and forth frantically, trying to locate him before he could strike again.

"Where is he?" cried Rarity, "Where is he?"

"Damn it," muttered Rainbow Dash, back on her hooves.

"There!" yelled Spike, but they only caught the tail-end of a yellow flash when they looked where he was pointing, "He was just there!"

"Be quiet, everypony," said Applejack, "Don't lose your heads."

Striker was nowhere and everywhere. He was simply much too fast. An idea came to Twilight on how to counteract that, however. She recalled her arrival in this world, how she'd almost met her end in another tense situation. She'd managed to save herself there by speeding up her reaction time and thought processes, and she was sure she could do the reverse to Striker. All she needed was eye contact...

Twilight caught sight of him, reappearing behind Applejack, quiet as light. She yelled her friend's name as a warning. Applejack dropped down and rolled out of the way, but Striker was already firing another bolt.

Spike just happened to be standing in his line of fire. He was struck in the chest, and fell over with a burst of emerald fire flaring and dying in his mouth. For a moment, Twilight thought she herself had gotten hit – that's how great the pain of fear in her chest was.

"Striker!" she yelled, "I'm not..."

This time, instead of lightning, invisible waves of force blew out of his horn. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were both knocked over. Twilight, further away, remained standing.

"Striker!" she yelled again.

He didn't look. He was taking aim at Applejack again...

"I'm not Daylight Sparkle!"

This tiny distraction was enough to get Striker's attention. His head swiveled instinctively towards her. Their eyes met. Twilight cast her enchantment.

Striker seemed to freeze for a second – then his expression changed subtly. He seemed to realize that something was wrong, but couldn't quite tell what that was.

"Go for it, now!" shouted Twilight.

Applejack went for it. She hopped up close and drove her forehoof into Striker's jaw hard. Striker staggered back, trying to compose himself, trying to gather his wits and retreat, but Applejack tripped him and laid into him with more punches. He raised his hooves pathetically, and tried to say something, but none of them could make out what. Twilight didn't stop to watch Applejack knock him unconscious, but rushed over to Spike.

He was breathing, and conscious as well. Twilight's heart did a little dance of joy when she saw that. As a dragon, Spike was more resilient than his small size would have suggested, and his thick scales had protected him from the brunt of the blast. Even so, he moaned when Twilight put her hoof too close to the scorch mark on his stomach.

"Is he all right?" asked Rarity.

It took Twilight a while to realize Rarity was asking about Spike. She looked at her and smiled. "He's injured and could could probably use medical attention, but he shouldn't be in any acute danger."

Rarity sighed raggedly and wiped nervous tears from her eyes. "Thank goodness we didn't lose him too. Thank goodness this is all finally over!"

"Not quite," said Applejack, standing up and looking down at Striker's still form. A spurt of blood was still on her cheek, dribbling downwards. "Rainbow Dash, do you want to or should I?"

"Might as well be me," said Dash with a shrug.

"Wait, what?" asked Twilight.

Applejack pushed Striker over on his stomach. Rainbow Dash stepped over him, her bravado all gone now. She seemed like she was trying very hard to look irreverent.

"What are you doing?" asked Twilight again, although she was starting to suspect.

Rainbow Dash reared, and then sharply brought down her hooves.

Twilight closed her eyes and covered her ears, but she couldn't suppress the sickening crunch of Striker's neck snapping.

Next chapter: Overshadowed.

Author's Note

I am sorry it took so long, guys. There are a lot of things in this chapter I'd like your opinions on...
I am utterly unable to tell how suspenseful I managed to make the fight sequence, or how credibly the threats came across. I suspect it was generally adequate, with some parts that dragged on or got dull. I do think it flowed well, at least.
Soarin'... I didn't think it would be practical to genuinely develop his character, so I elected to try to make him simplistically endearing, at least. I hope I succeeded on that front. The depiction of Fred in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and the pie-obsessed Soarin' of fanon influenced my writing of him a bit.
My original plan was for Applejack to kill Striker, but then I realized that would rob Rainbow Dash of the focus in her own chapter. I hope it comes across that they were both equally willing to do it.
Steven Magnet does not sound like a proper dragon name to me. At the same time though, it would be incongruous for me to call him anything else... So I decided that "Steve(n) Magnet" is only a nickname Dash has given him, and that he also has a long and complicated real name that I'll never mention.

Chapter 9: Overshadowed

The cloud was nothing less than a mountain in the sky.

It was enormous in size, and implausibly shaped to say the least. The winding, layered sheets surrounding a gigantic, kilometers-tall pillar even made it look like a mountain. It was big enough to blot out the sun and cast a shade over the land underneath it – for the cloud indeed had a shadow in open sunlight, unlike anything else in all the land. It looked as if it was cobbled together from elements of strati, nimbostrati, cumulonimbuses, cirri and who knew what other types of cloud. It was so thick it looked hard to the touch, and its dark gray folds only seemed darker on the bright blue backdrop.

The cloud was also in constant motion, ever shifting, always growing. Most curiously, it appeared to be multiplying. Chunks of smaller clouds broke off from the main body at regular intervals, drifting off every which way even though there was no wind to carry them. Most of them were apparently headed northeast, towards the griffon border.

To Twilight, it was the single largest cloud she had ever seen. To Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash – judging by their wide-eyed stares – it was quite a bit more. From the moment they spotted it on the horizon, over the hours they watched it grow ever bigger on their approach, to when they finally fell under its shadow, none of them had been able to do little more than stare. It was a rain cloud, of that there was no doubt. The temperature was markedly lower underneath it, and they could sense the humidity of it as well, ready to burst out. The amount of water vapor that had to be created from nothing to sustain a cloud of that magnitude must have been staggering. There were only a few individuals that could manage something like this, and Twilight was thinking of one in particular.

"Princess Luna," she muttered.

"This is her doing?" asked Applejack, "She's here?"

A vaguely affirmative grunt was the only reply Twilight could muster.

Rarity lifted her head to look at them. "But that's excellent news, isn't it?" Her voice was tentative, as if she wasn't really sure whether she had permission to speak. "Having an honest-to-goodness deity on our side should be a marvelous boon, no?"

Applejack looked at her as if she'd said a dirty word. "Yeah, well..." she said, "Lucky us. What were the odds that we'd run into her here?"

Twilight ignored them both.

After briefly slowing down upon reaching the cloud, Rainbow Dash added pace again, and drew closer to the ground as well. Twilight peered down over the side of the chariot, finding yellow-colored fields and trees and grasses, and a great many hills dotted with ramshackle houses. They headed towards the center of the settlement and descended further. It was impossible not to notice that there wasn't a single pony out and about on the dirt roads below. The whole place seemed to be deserted.

Rainbow Dash was none too gentle in setting them down. The chariot bumped and skidded along before coming to a halt. Applejack and Rarity were the first to get off – the latter of them a bit shaky on her hooves. Twilight was about to follow when she felt Spike tugging at her mane.

"Hmm?"

"I could use a lift, you know."

"Oh. Right. Of course. Sorry."

She buckled her knees to let Spike crawl on her back, and then gingerly hopped outside. After a moment's hesitation, she bent forward, smelled the grass and had a taste of it. As expected, she found it to be terribly dry, but ultimately edible.

Rainbow Dash quickly relieved herself of the chariot's harness and looked around the shadowed landscape. "This is weird," she commented.

"It's so... not hot," added Rarity, shivering.

Twilight thought it was still plenty hot, but the thought of mentioning that to the others didn't even enter her mind.

The journey over from the Dragon Swamp had been trying for them all. Rainbow Dash may very well have been the fastest pegasus in all the land, but she lacked the strength and stamina to drag them all with her over a long period of time. The group had to make frequent rest stops, which had dragged out their already long journey even further. Another problem had been finding Hillside in the first place – they'd actually had to ask for directions to get to the small frontier town.

Even though the stops had made things easier for them physically (especially the convalescent Spike), bad dreams had kept Twilight from getting a lot of sleep.

"Have you got any idea where we can find Fluttershy?" asked Applejack.

"Not exactly," replied Rainbow Dash, "I've never actually been here before. She's just happened to mention her birthplace to me a couple of times. Pretty sure I remembered the name of the town correctly though."

"I wonder where everypony is," said Rarity, "It's rather eerie."

Nopony else answered, so Spike hurried to agree with her. "It really is! I didn't think this place would seem so imposing."

Applejack had a look around and marched off as if she seemed to have a destination in mind, so Twilight and the others followed. For a good long while, their hoofsteps in the low grass was the only sound in the world. Twilight was uncomfortably aware of every small twig that crunched and cracked underneath.

Twilight could feel Spike moving around on her back, looking around between the ponies around him, face no doubt etched with worry. At last, he took it upon himself to start a conversation.

"So, Rainbow Dash!" he blurted out, "Mind telling us how you and Fluttershy met?"

Twilight kept her gaze firmly away from Dash, but couldn't help but hang on her every word.

"Oh, we've basically known each other since we were both little. We met in flight camp."

"Really?" said Spike, "It's the same in our world."

"Oh yeah?"

"You've got something else in common too! You and she sort of drifted apart for a while when she finished school and moved to the ground, but then became better friends than ever when you moved down to Ponyville too. That's just like you meeting her again here!"

"Hmh. Why would I ever move to the ground when I could have the sky?"

Spike scratched the scales on his chin. "I'm not too sure about that, actually. You've never – that is to say – our Dash has never talked about that. It's probably because of your job. You do weather work in Ponyville while training to join a flight team in your spare time."

"Interesting," said Dash. She didn't sound particularly interested. "You know, I wish I could see one of those cloud cities for myself. There hasn't been enough cloud cover for those in this world for centuries. They all just rained down or evaporated. We pegasi used to have our own customs and a unique culture, but that's all gone now. I could get used to this, you know."

When Twilight glanced at her, she found Dash looking up at the darkened sky and smiling. Then she turned and saw Twilight look. Her expression curdled.

"We can turn all that around and get the clouds back once we've gotten rid of the Queen, right Twilight?" She stared at Twilight, challenging her to say something. Twilight ignored her and walked on in silence.

"I'm sure that's, um... going to happen," said Spike.

There hadn't been much conversation in general of late. Unlike on their journey to the Dragon Swamp, during which they had all talked and occasionally joked, the way to Hillside had been made all the more ponderous by the unwavering awkwardness. Applejack had taken a curt and business-like tone and talked only when necessary. She spent the rest of the time restless and twitchy. The usually cordial Rarity had done little but stare at the horizon, lost in thought. Rainbow Dash had made attempts at chatting when she wasn't busy flying, but her boasts and jests in camp had ultimately only descended into exchanges of glares between her and Twilight. Twilight herself had nothing to say. Spike had valiantly tried to keep up the mood and get the others talking, asking questions and regaling the others with tales of his and Twilight's native Equestria. Since he'd come so close to death's door, nopony wanted to tell him to shut it. Eventually, the general dour atmosphere had suffocated even his attempts.

"I'm guessing Fluttershy's a farmer like everypony else around here," said Applejack, "You think she'd be willing to uproot her life and come along with us to fight Queen Celestia?"

"Definitely," said Dash, "Her parents were taken away by the Secret Police when she was still a filly. She's gotta be aching for some payback. Besides, to be honest, I'm not sure she has much of a life to uproot."

"I'm a little curious," said Rarity, "Where exactly are we headed."

Applejack pointed her hoof up ahead. "There's a house with a smoking chimney over there. That's where we'll find some ponies."

The homestead was relatively large amongst the others surrounding it. There was even a detached storehouse or something like it standing nearby. The roof was half cloth, half ages-old thatched straw. As expected, the building had no windows. Applejack wasted no time in putting her hoof to the door. It wasn't too long until a middle-aged, balding stallion opened the door. He moved slowly and antsily, and his gaze immediately gravitated towards the sky. Peering over Applejack's shoulder, Twilight could see a family of four more earth ponies sitting around a dinner table playing cards, back-lit by a glowing brazier. All of them were staring at the door with eyes as big as saucers.

"Hello, good sir," said Applejack.

"We'd like to ask for some directions," Twilight forced herself to say. This was something she needed to involve herself in. "We're looking for a pegasus named Fluttershy that's supposed to live somewhere around here."

The farmer was obviously puzzled, but gave an answer quickly enough. "Fluttershy? Windy Hill."

Before they could ask anything else, he closed the door in their faces. It didn't look like the outside world was something they wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Isn't it curious?"

Twilight and the others turned around to find none other than Luna standing behind them. Even though her dark blue coat was disheveled and dusty, she still managed to look majestic enough to make Twilight's companions step back in inadvertent deference. Her starlight tresses waved high in the phantom wind, making her look even bigger than she really was. The Princess wouldn't have stood out more even in the brightest of lights; the surrounding gloom only made her seem darker. The only aspect where her majesty faltered was her expression, which was thoughtful and inattentive. Even though she was facing them, she nevertheless seemed to be looking somewhere far away.

"Isn't it curious, the way these ponies hide away in their homes? Through all the toil from the moment they're born to the moment they die, the sun is their greatest enemy. And yet, when I give them relief from it, how do they react? With fear and suspicion."

"Princess..." muttered Twilight.

"So you're Luna then." Applejack wasn't even trying to come across as polite. Her eyes were narrowed and she was jutting her snout forward combatively.

"The one and only," replied Luna indifferently.

Rarity was a fair bit more accommodating. She stepped up close to the Princess and reached up to put a small kiss to each of her cheeks. Luna only nodded solemnly in greeting.

"Are you responsible for this cloud-thing, then?" asked Rarity, "It's certainly an impressive sight. I can't imagine why these folks would be put off by it!"

"I can tell that you're lying, you know," said Luna simply, "I see you've found some of your friends, Twilight Sparkle. That doesn't surprise me. Somehow, I knew you'd feel compelled to do something about the state of the world. Am I correct in assuming that you're working on gathering the Elements of Harmony?"

"Um, right." Twilight bit her lip. "Listen, Princess, I'm sure these ponies are just a bit confused. I mean, this must be very new and strange for them..."

"I'll say!" said in Rainbow Dash, "I used to work in the Cloud Patrol and even I've never seen anything like this! It would take a full cadre turns to do away with a cloud this big!"

"Is that what the Cloud Patrol does?" asked Luna, "Get rid of clouds?"

"Well, yeah. What else would it do?"

"What else indeed?" She shook her head. "No matter. Tell me, Twilight, how have you been faring? Have you had any contact with my sister?" She glanced at Spike on Twilight's back.

"Oh yes, we have," said Twilight, "We even met her in the capital and I'm happy to say-" She realized too late what she was saying.

"Beg pardon?" asked Applejack.

"Um, right..." Twilight grimaced. "I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you. My aunt from Everfree City? That was actually Princess Celestia in disguise."

While Rarity huffed a quiet "oh dear," Applejack took an abrupt step closer to Twilight. "What? And you kept this from me?"

"I didn't think it was the right time to mention it..."

"When exactly was the right time to mention it going to be?"

"I was hoping for a time when I could be sure you wouldn't over-react. It should be obvious that I didn't want to deal with a potential argument while we were still in enemy territory and- hmh, you know what? I'm not interested in discussing this with you right now." She turned back towards Luna. "What have you been doing since we were thrown into this world, Princess? And how did you end up here?"

"I wandered here by chance. I've done precious little so far, but I believe I have a basic grasp of what we're dealing with and also made contact with the enemy. A detachment of a pony invasion force was occupying this town here. I dealt with them."

"Dealt with them how?" asked Applejack, "How many exactly are we talking about here?"

"A platoon or thereabouts. I scattered them to the four winds. Hopefully, they learned something from it.

"A platoon?" repeated Rarity, "Isn't a platoon a thousand ponies?"

"Yes. I had certain advantages however, not the least of which was the element of surprise. They broke rank quickly enough. It can be quite a boon to be frightening sometimes."

Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances, looking worried as much as impressed.

"And what are you doing here, in the middle of nowhere?" asked Luna.

"Well, like you said, I'm gathering everypony up so we could make use of the Elements of Harmony. Fluttershy's supposed to live somewhere in this area, on Windy Hill?"

Luna raised her eyebrows. "Indeed? Windy Hill is known to me. You will find it on the very northwestern edge of town. Head on until you see the ruins. Fluttershy's house should be somewhere in the area."

"Thanks for that, Princess!" said Twilight.

"Don't thank me. Best get on with it. We will speak again afterwards and figure out how to go on."

Twilight's companions and the inhabitants of Hillside might have found the shade discomforting, but she herself thought it was almost liberating. She felt lighter and more at ease, and not just because the temperature was a tad closer to tolerable. More than once in this alternate Equestria, she'd had the unaccountable feeling that she was being watched.

Some conspiracy theorists claimed that Princess Celestia had the power of omniscience and always kept sight of her subjects through the sun. There were those who kept themselves locked off inside their houses because of these beliefs, or only left their homes wearing elaborate tinfoil hats that were supposed to mask them from the ever-present light. Twilight knew those stories to be utter nonsense, of course, but she was starting to have her doubts. Daymare Sun may well have had powers that Princess Celestia had never known...

What if the Queen had had her eye on them all along? What if she knew everything they were doing?

It was a disturbing thought, but Twilight was sure she was just being paranoid. She wasn't going to bring this up with her companions.

The way to Fluttershy's cottage on Windy Hill took them past small fields of half-withered vegetables. The cottage itself wa smaller than any other they'd seen so far, consisting of no more than a single room, and was in something of a state of disrepair. There were loose panes of wood on the walls and the building seemed more slanted than it should have been.

Twilight had to admit that she felt mentally unequipped for the situation. It was hard to focus, to change modes into who she had to be right then. She was going to have to pull herself together though. This was important. This was Fluttershy.

Twilight slipped ahead of Applejack so she could knock on the door herself. It took long minutes until somepony responded.

The door creaked open slowly, but only by an inch. From the darkness beyond, an eye framed by tufts of pink hair peeked out. Twilight felt a pang of joyful familiarity, but she knew Fluttershy well enough not to push her.

"Fluttershy?" she said gently, but silence was her only answer. "Um, hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle," she went on, "Me and my companions would like to discuss something with you. Can we come in?"

Fluttershy kept up her gaze, but didn't respond. When the moment dragged on too long, Rainbow Dash stepped forward, shouldered into Twilight and knocked her out of the way ungracefully.

"Heeeeeey, Fluttershy! Remember me?"

They heard a quiet gasp from inside. "Is that you, Rainbow Dash?"

"Sure am. Why don't you come outside so we can have a talk?"

They saw Fluttershy's eye narrow and then close. A second later, she shut the door. Twilight had just enough time to feel confused and worried when it opened again, Fluttershy edged out and closed it behind herself. She remained standing with her back to her home, leaving Twilight to take her in.

Fluttershy looked much the same, but also not. It was hard to overlook the signs of malnourishment – her coat was patchy and coarse, her hooves cracked and her long mane brittle and dry. Even more so than Applejack or Rainbow Dash, she looked sun-bleached. There was a drab greyish discoloration all about her. Her cutie mark was a single butterfly rather than three. The biggest difference, however, was also the most subtle. Despite the tenseness in her every movement, and the way her eyes flickered around between the ponies she was facing, Fluttershy did not seem truly afraid. There were lines in her face that gave her a strangely hardened appearance, and the look in her big, baby-blue eyes was resigned and unfeeling.

Before Twilight could think of how to approach their business delicately, Rainbow Dash was already speaking.

"It's really great to see you again! Sorry I haven't been in touch, but it's hard to send letters when the law is after you. What's going on with you? How's your rabbit doing?"

There was a barely discernible twitch in Fluttershy's eye. "My rabbit? My rabbit is dead." Her voice was as meek as quiet as might have been expected, but also eerily calm. "We didn't have a lot of food out here and often went hungry. Even though I tried my best to keep him fed, my poor Angel got weaker and weaker. One turn, he'd simply disappeared. I think he wandered off into the wilderness so I wouldn't starve. I tried so hard to look for him, but he was gone."

"Oh, jeez," muttered Dash.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," said Twilight, and took a step forward.

Fluttershy shivered and withdrew. "What do you want from me?" she asked, "What is going on here? Do you know anything about this cloud?"

"Don't worry about the cloud," said Twilight, "Listen, we're all very happy to finally meet you. We've come a long way to discuss a matter of great importance with you. You know Rainbow Dash. These are Applejack and Rarity, and I'm called Twilight Sparkle. Oh, and this is my good baby dragon friend Spike!"

She grabbed Spike off her back, forcing a smile all the while, and held him up between her forelegs for Fluttershy to see. Fluttershy spared him a glance. Her expression didn't change, and her eyes gave nothing away. The ice didn't break.

Twilight cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I'll get right to it, shall I? You see, I'm actually a traveler from another dimension. Me and some companions of mine were stranded in this dimension by, er, by a magical mishap. All of us here are actually the best of friends in my world. Are you with me so far?"

Fluttershy hesitated. "I think so," she squeaked.

"Now, while I'm trying to get back home, I've also decided to help set things right here. At some point in your history, something must have gone very wrong, allowing Celestia to be corrupted by a malicious magical presence. Since then on, she's warped Equestria into a horrible dictatorship that's illuminated by an unnatural, eternal day. The natural state of the world is actually diarchy overseen by Celestia and her sister Luna, with the time of day cycling between light and darkness. It's all pretty simple, really."

"Right..." muttered Fluttershy, her brow furrowed.

"But see, there's this magical weapon – the Elements of Harmony – that would allow us to rid Celestia of her corruption and set Equestria back on its proper path, effectively saving the world. I've been seeking out allies to help me in doing so."

"Pretty wild story, huh?" asked Rainbow Dash with a smirk that looked more like a sneer.

"I hope you can believe me on this, Fluttershy," said Twilight.

Fluttershy chuckled. "I believe you."

Twilight frowned. "Did you- did you just roll your eyes?"

"Oh no, not at all!"

Twilight could count on one hoof the number of times she'd heard Fluttershy express sarcasm. Perhaps that was why she was so unfamiliar with recognizing it. She could have sworn she'd heard a tinge of sarcastic mockery, but the only thing she could read from Fluttershy's eyes was purest sincerity.

"Er, you do believe me, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course."

"It's very important that you understand-"

"Um, could you – if you don't mind – please get to the point?"

Twilight licked her lips. "Er, okay. The point is this – we need your help. The five of us, plus one other, are the only ones that can use the Elements of Harmony. I was hoping that you could, um, find the time to come with us and..." She paused, trying to think of the right words. "And fight for Equestria."

Fluttershy's expression was slowly crumpling into a grimace of confusion and anxiety.

"What you're describing is insane. It's utterly hopeless."

Twilight could have sworn that there was a tiny, bitter smirk on Fluttershy's lips.

"It's- it's not hopeless," said Twilight, "You've been conditioned to think that way by a system with centuries of practice in oppression, but trust me, there's always hope. Right, guys?"

She looked to the others for further encouragement, but the only thing they had to offer was Dash's bluster.

Fluttershy's smirk melted away, replaced by a haunted, unseeing look in her eyes. She shook her head. "Nothing good ever comes from standing up to the Queen."

"I don't think you realize how much we have going for us. Applejack here? She's the leader of the Apple Underground. She's an expert at survival and guerilla combat, and she has thousands of troops under her command all across the country. Rarity is called the Lady of Liberty in Everfree City. She has a keen strategic mind and the resources of a major noble house at her disposal, not to mention hundreds of ponies owing her favors. And you must know all about your friend Rainbow Dash – how she's one of the best fliers in Equestria-"

"The best," cut in Dash.

"-and how there's nothing she can't steal and no place she can't break into. As for myself, I am a fairly accomplished mage if I do say so myself..."

None of it seemed to make any impression on Fluttershy.

"And I haven't even gotten to the big guns yet!" added Twilight quickly, "The Princesses of my world are both with us – Celestia and Luna. They want to set this world right, and both of them are unbelievably powerful. Trust me, the odds aren't as unlikely as you might think."

She gave Fluttershy the warmest, most reassuring smile she could muster – only to be met with more irreverence.

"Then why do you need me?" asked Fluttershy.

"Um, what?"

"Why do you need me? I'm not a resistance leader or a warrior or a goddess. I'm nothing. I'm nopony. I can't do anything. You're a fool to ask somepony like me help."

Twilight laughed nervously, taken aback by the wording. The Fluttershy she knew could be self-deprecating, but she didn't deprecate others right along with her. "Oh Fluttershy, I'm sure you have many useful skills."

"How would you know?" asked Fluttershy quietly, "You don't know me."

"Well... I know you're living out here on the frontier on your own. That already means you're resourceful and capable. Judging by your cutie mark, you have an affinity for animals as well, don't you?"

Fluttershy didn't even look sad. The only thing her expression showed was an acrimonious and unsatisfying certainty in the truth her own words.

"How am I resourceful and capable if I can't even provide for myself and my pet rabbit? I'm a failure as a farmer. I only survive by begging my earth pony neighbors for help. And I do like animals, but do you see any around? How many have you seen in this lifeless wasteland in general? Do you see how useless I'd be to you?"

"Ah." Twilight sighed. "Look. I know that you might feel... like what you have to offer is too little to make a difference, but please believe me when I say that everypony's contribution is important, no matter how small. If you keep your head up, do your best and believe in yourself, anything can happen! Even if you're not a great warrior, the magic of the Elements Harmony will do most of the work. All you have to do is to be there."

"But I don't want to be there," said Fluttershy, looking down and shaking her head. She wasn't crying, but her back was rising and falling at an irregular rhythm. "I don't belong on a battlefield. I don't want to be... hurt. I'm sorry, but my answer is no."

Rainbow Dash dragged a hoof over her face. "Come on, Fluttershy! Don't be such a whiner!"

"Dash!" Twilight glanced at Rainbow, and then quickly back at Fluttershy. "Couldn't you please just take a moment and consider things-"

"No," said Fluttershy again.

She started turning around, and Twilight felt a panic seeping through her like a chill wind in her bones. Fluttershy was slipping away and she could think of nothing to stop her. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Fluttershy was supposed to agree and join them!

"Wait! Just wait! Pinkie Pie. Do you know where we might find somepony called Pinkie Pie?"

Fluttershy looked back over her shoulder. "I don't know anypony by that name."

The door closed not with a slam but a quiet click. It was the whimpering final note to their entire quest. They were at a dead end.

Twilight felt tired. It felt almost silly to think that – after all, she'd been tired when she'd reached the Dragon Swamp, she'd been tired at the gates of Everfree City, and she'd been tired when she walked into Trottingham. She'd been tired and beleaguered since the moment she'd reached this world. The fatigue had kept building and building, and there was hardly ever a moment of rest to be found. Most of her time had been spent on the move in less than hospitable conditions, and Twilight had never been a particularly physical pony.

Throughout it all, she'd had a goal to move towards, something to push her onwards whenever she felt her legs getting wobbly. All the hardships in the world couldn't touch her because she was on a Mission. More than that, she was motivated by the fact that was on her way to find her friends, never even considering that they might not be to her liking. Now the rug had been pulled out from underneath her. It was all catching up to her...

Twilight and the others had made their way to a ruined city nearby that Luna had "conquered." The soldiers the Princess had driven off from the place had left behind much of their equipment and supplies on their retreat. Twilight wanted nothing more to lie down for a while, so she sought out an overhang in the abandoned campsite and sunk into a messy sleeping mat that still smelled of tobacco and aftershave.

Spike took to pacing around under the overhang and awkwardly rifling through the saddlebags there. It wasn't too long before he sat down opposite Twilight and looked her in the eye.

"What are we going to do now, Twilight?" he asked with a frown.

Applejack had asked her that same question, and Twilight hadn't had an answer to give her. She'd rushed ahead of the others so she could get a chance to think about it, but so far, she didn't have anything.

"I suppose we'll write to Princess Celestia and ask her for advice."

"What can we really do without the Elements of Harmony though? Twilight?"

Twilight sighed. "I'm not sure, Spike."

"I'm just spitballing here, but maybe we could find somepony to replace Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie? I mean, there have got to be other kind and cheerful ponies out there somewhere, right?"

"Maybe there are," said Twilight, "but ponies as kind as Fluttershy or as cheerful as Pinkie Pie? Finding them would be like..." She fell silent. The old needle and haystack comparison seemed inadequate.

And besides, she and her friends were supposed to be tied together by destiny. Their bond may or may not have existed in this universe per se, but if Twilight couldn't bring together people she nominally knew, what chance was there of finding a bunch of perfect strangers?

Twilight turned around on her other side so Spike wouldn't see the inevitable look of defeat on her face.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, "You've been a little out of it recently."

"Just a little tired," said Twilight, "I'll try to have a nap."

After a moment of silence, Spike stood up. "I'll try to find some paper for that letter," he said.

"Are you sure you're up for the exertion?"

"I'll manage. You better get some rest." He was already padding away.

Twilight closed her eyes, but although her body was ready and willing to fall asleep, her mind wasn't. For once, overt brightness wasn't a problem, but sleep just didn't seem to come to her. Clearing her head of thoughts was difficult. The truth was... she was afraid.

She wasn't sure how long she spent lying there – it was long enough to lose track of time – but eventually, she did manage to find her way to slumber.

Her dreams were a fractured mess of familiar imagery: a hundred misshapen scorpions waddling towards her and a hundred banners depicting jagged, golden suns; the open maw of Blitz and the coldly determined gaze of Brainy Bright; Agent Striker with his fake smile and Twilight herself wearing that very same smile.

Finally, she saw a familiar pony shining brightly in the distance, freakishly tall and yet impossibly elegant. She was cloaked in sunshine and fire...

None of it really bothered Twilight. She had grown accustomed to action, and in her mind, she breezed through all these obstacles with the cool and logical detachment of an automaton. Saving the world was old hat.

But then...

There was Soarin', struck down right in front of her. What had taken an instant in reality now dragged on for an eternity. The moment of his death seemed to pass in slow motion, to better burn into Twilight's memory.

Soarin's expression changed from valorous resolve to fear and regret at the very last second. He didn't want to die. Then, all emotion drained from his face as his heart gave out and his existence was extinguished.

Twilight could smell the horrid mix of ozone and burning flesh as if she was still standing there at the lakeside.

The knot in Twilight's stomach drew tighter. Part of her knew that the worst was yet to come.

Rainbow Dash.

A stranger wearing the face of a friend.

She was looking down at the unconscious Striker with an expression of greatest indifference. There was no vengeance in what she was doing, and certainly no justice. All she was doing was snuffing out the life of an enemy – as if it was nothing.

Dash raised her forehooves and smashed them down. This time, Twilight didn't look away. She couldn't.

Crack.

Striker's head bobbed upwards while a spray of blood burst out of his open mouth. The sound of his last breath escaping his shattered throat was almost as bad as the echoing snap of his neck breaking.

Crack.

Twilight heard it over and over in her dreams. She couldn't forget.

Crack.

Twilight woke to the quiet pattering drumbeat of rainfall. The sound was so unexpected to her that she didn't recognize it at first. She listened to it in a confused state of half-sleep, until she felt something wet hit her snout and finally found the strength to wonder. She opened her eyes.

Water was dribbling down the sides of the overhang. Twilight suppressed a yawn and pushed herself up into a sitting position to get a better look. The entire world was gray and misty, and a million drops of rain were hanging in the air. It looked impressive, but was actually just a light shower. Anything much heavier would quickly have swept away the fields of the villagers, and maybe even the hillside houses.

"Bad dreams, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight startled and turned around, finding Luna sitting right by her bedside. She was looking down at Twilight very seriously, very stoically, but she was also soaking wet and holding out her wings to air them out, which came across as faintly silly.

"I... I can't remember." Twilight cleared her throat and rose up to her hooves. She found the intensity with which the Princess was staring at her a little disquieting.

Luna might have had many extraordinary powers, but peeking into others' dreams was not one of them. Was it?

Eventually though, Luna broke her gaze and looked out into the empty city streets. "What do you think of my work, Twilight Sparkle?"

"It's good rain as far as I can tell, Princess. I'm impressed by the measured rate of precipitation and how stable you managed to keep most of the water in that cloud. I'd wager that the average weather team could learn a lot from you."

"Your friend Rainbow Dash did assist me with the shakedown."

"I... see. Um, is this all really a good idea though? Won't this spectacle attract a lot of attention?"

"The die is cast, Twilight Sparkle. Daymare Sun's servants will come to Hillside to investigate my intervention here. By then, I'll be gone and the ponies here need only tell the truth: that they have no idea what I am, where I came from or what I wanted. By then the cloud will have spread far and wide, and the investigators will have their hooves full dealing with the fallout from it to concern themselves with this place. The spectacle also sends a bit of a message."

"A declaration of war?" asked Twilight.

"The message is for the villagers," said Luna, "I wanted to give them the joy of rainfall and the protection of the shade, and to demonstrate that there somepony looking out for them. I hoped to give them some hope." She turned back towards Twilight as she said that. "I may or may not have succeeded. It must all be so confusing and frightening for them. They won't have seen rain like this for decades, and their houses will not be waterproofed. I wonder if they're not looking at their leaky roofs right now and cursing my name."

"Water is life here," replied Twilight, her voice shaking a little, "They'll be too grateful to curse you."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Luna's expression was strange and unreadable. Despite her self-doubt, she didn't seem down on herself. "Spike told me you weren't feeling well."

Twilight cast her eyes down and slowly scraped one of her hooves over the ground. "I'm just tired."

"I can understand being tired. But you've had a rest now, and yet you still feel nothing but apathy and anxiety, do you? What you are is lost."

"Yes, well," muttered Twilight, "I know where I am. I just don't know where to go. We can't go on without Fluttershy."

"It's unlike you to give up so easily, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight snorted. "I could probably bully her into joining me if I tried hard enough, but what would that accomplish? What kind of friendship would that be? I can't just charm people like Pinkie Pie, and she's nowhere around! I don't have a single lead to her. For all I know-"

"Don't sit here and complain about things not falling into your lap!" exclaimed Luna with an emphatic stomp of her forehooves. Twilight glanced up at her in surprise. "Taking down Daymare Sun is a momentous undertaking, one which you've barely begun. This is no time to be giving up!"

"I haven't given up! I'm just... disappointed."

"In Fluttershy?"

"In how things are turning out. Well, maybe Fluttershy too, a little. Is that wrong of me? I know I shouldn't blame her for not putting her entire life on hold to come with us on this quest, but still..."

"You wish she was stronger."

Hearing it said out loud made Twilight feel like... kind of a bad person. Friendship was supposed to be unconditional, not dependent on somepony's willingness to help save the world.

"I am reminded of your struggle with Discord. You also lost faith then, when your friends weren't all they should have been, did you not?"

"But we only overcame all that with the memories of all the good times we'd had together. I don't have anything like that with their counterparts here. I barely know them."

"You know what they can be. You're better qualified than anyone to help them reach their potential, because you've already done it once."

"I don't know what I could do for everypony else. Applejack and Rarity are already heroes. I guess Fluttershy is kind of right. She's a little overshadowed."

"And Rainbow Dash?" asked Luna.

Twilight tensed up involuntarily. All the memories of what Dash had done came flooding back to her. She remembered the crack. "Did Spike...?"

"He did."

Twilight thought for a moment, of how to best sum up her feelings towards Rainbow Dash. "I can't even stand to look at her," she finally admitted.

"So you disapprove of her actions."

"Of course!"

"And your solution is to ignore her and stew in your disapproval until it boils and bubbles over into hatred."

"What? No!" She shook her head, but there was some truth to the accusation. "This isn't about me! Dash killed somepony! That's wrong! She's not the same pony that I know."

"Actually, from what I can tell, she is much the same. Is that what frightens you? That one of your friends might herself be capable of taking a life? Tell me, would you disown her if she did?"

"You're not being fair," said Twilight. She wanted to look away again, but Luna raised her hoof and gently held up Twilight's snout so their eyes were locked.

"I believe you are wrong, Twilight Sparkle. This is about you. Yes, Rainbow Dash killed somepony – what are you going to do about it? In my opinion, you should ask her to explain herself at the very least. You might inspire her to be better, or you might learn something yourself. Things aren't always as simple as they seem. The worst thing you could do is deciding you don't want to know her without giving her a chance."

Luna pulled away, took a few steps off to the side and furled up her wings. While Twilight mused about facing Dash and what to say to her, the rain slowed down to a trickle, and then stopped altogether.

"I won't tell you what to do, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, "but do something."

Twilight nodded. "I should thank you, Princess. For talking to me about this."

"Think nothing of it," replied Luna, "You would have done the same for me."

Twilight stepped outside and smelled the rain. She splashed into puddles on the cracked pavement, and realized that she had missed this. At the very least, it was nice to take a breath without invisible dust getting clogged in her throat. The deathly quiet of the ruins (accounting for the dripping water) now seemed peaceful rather than ominous. Everything felt new and fresh, and it was impossible not to feel a little brighter.

Twilight wondered what to do. She wasn't exactly sure where Rainbow Dash was, and there were other matters to be settled. For one, she wanted to seek out Applejack and apologize for lying to her – and also perhaps to acknowledge her failings and ask for advice. Twilight didn't have to figure everything out on her own, after all. Applejack was wise and as experienced in matters like these as anypony. All the same though... Twilight hadn't forgotten that, while Rainbow Dash had struck the killing blow, Applejack had been just as willing to finish off Striker.

Finding Applejack was not difficult. Twilight came across her at the command post at the center of the army's encampment. Applejack had turned the place upside-down rummaging through various documents there, or perhaps the place had already been a mess beforehand.

"Found anything interesting?" asked Twilight perhaps a little too brightly.

Applejack looked up at her. "Not exactly. There's some battle plans here for the coming invasion, but nothing of use to the Apple Underground. I understand that Luna distributed most of the supplies to the townspeople, but we'll be able to restock our provisions."

"Ah, good... I'm glad you're keeping busy."A glare by Applejack reminded Twilight just how ineffectual she was being in comparison.

"This isn't keeping busy," said Applejack, "There's a lot of things I'd much rather be doing."

"Yes, um, we seem to be a little stuck. Do you have any ideas? About what to do with Fluttershy, I mean."

"Hmh." She shrugged. "Rainbow Dash went back to talk to her one on one. We'll have to see how she does."

"Even with her though, we're still missing the last member of our crew. We don't have anything to point us towards Pinkie Pie. I really expected us all to know each other..."

"Can't one of your Princesses find her then?" asked Applejack with a roll of her eyes.

"They're- they're not all powerful, you know. There's no need to be passive-aggressive." She drew closer to Applejack, keeping her head humbly low. "Look, I wanted to clear the air with you about that. I'm really sorry about deceiving you about Celestia. I just felt really queasy about introducing you to your sworn enemy and I don't want this to give you the impression that I don't trust you. I should have known better than to keep secrets from you."

If Applejack found her emphasis curious, she made no sign of it. She leaned against a nearby table, which creaked under her weight, and stared intently at the closest wall.

"Eh, trust's really not the issue," she said after a moment, "I know where you're going with this. You want to tell me that your Celestia is all different and that there are special circumstances to consider. Well, don't bother. I can abide working with your Princess and her sister because they're an asset too great to discard – but don't expect me to like it, not ever."

"That's... fair enough, I suppose," murmured Twilight.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now," said Applejack, looking her in the eye now, "Suppose we pull through on this thing. Suppose we manage to beat the Queen with those thingamajigs. What then? What's going to happen then? Look, I'll say it plain – who do you think's going to be in charge in this country afterwards?"

"Well. Celestia will be, the real Celestia. Once the Elements of Harmony purify her of the force controlling her, she'll be free to start undoing the damage."

Applejack shook her head. "That's not gonna happen, Twilight."

"Come on!" said Twilight, "You have to realize that she isn't responsible for her actions! You're blaming the greatest victim of them all."

"If you say so. But you know what? It doesn't even matter. Whether she's culpable or not, ponies will never trust or accept her as their ruler anymore. You can't just make them forget all about the last millennium or so. You also can't have a revolution without change, for that matter. Celestia's gotta go. I don't think you realize what a symbol of evil she is..."

"I don't think you realize how vital she is," Twilight shot back. She caught a note of spite in her voice, and tried to go on calmer. "Ignoring the fact that she's the best pony for the job, the day-night cycle requires her to move the sun along its proper path. I'm sure you understand that, despite the detrimental effect constant exposure to it has, the sun is necessary for the life to exist on this planet. Moving the sun is something that used to be done by unicorns, but that knowledge has been lost in my world, and I seriously doubt Daymare Sun would have allowed it to exist here either. Even if she did though, would you really trust unicorns with that power? Those best qualified for it would also be the ones likeliest to want to enforce existing social structures."

Applejack chewed on her lip as she pondered Twilight's words. When she spoke at last, there was a familiar stubbornness to her words. "If I had a choice between changing one thing for the better, ecology or society, I'd pick the latter. Life sure isn't easy with that thing hanging over our heads, but I'd let the Eternal Day continue if that's what it took to make the tyranny end."

"The real Celestia would not be a tyrant."

"If she's going to wield absolute power with no oversight, then she sure would be."

Twilight felt a tinge of pity for Applejack's naivete that she immediately recognized as condescending. Such criticism of Celestia was a bit of a sore spot for her, but in truth, Applejack's views were at least a natural reaction against the world she'd grown up in. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know any better. Forcing an argument on the matter wouldn't be conductive to anything.

"Well, I'm sure there's room for a compromise," said Twilight with a sweep of her forehoof, "but I still feel that you don't truly understand what our Princess is like. Once this is all settled, I'd like you to come back with us – even just for a day – and look at the utopia she's created."

Applejack's expression was a study in ambivalence. Eventually though, she broke into a sad little smile. "I'm not sure I can take you up on that offer. If I ever see your world, I don't think I could ever force myself to come back."

"Applejack, I'm completely certain that this world will one day go back to being just as beautiful as ours, and ponies will have you and your work to thank for it. What we're doing here right now is the path to that. It matters, please believe me on that."

"Heh. Save the sales pitch, you don't have to keep convincing me."

"Well, you did say you wish you were rather elsewhere."

"Ah, well. Even if I was still back in Trottingham, I'd probably still be doing nothing. We're supposed to be laying low right now anyway. I just..."
"You wish you could do something about your brother," finished Twilight.

Applejack nodded. "It's tough, not knowing what's happened to him. At least last time, we knew for certain."

"I can't imagine how you must be feeling," said Twilight.

"How do I feel? Mostly responsible. That's not the same thing as guilty, mind you. He wouldn't even be doing any of this if it wasn't for me. He joined up so he could watch over me. I didn't need him to protect me, but grew used to having him there for me anyway. There was a time, not long ago, when he was talking about getting out of the game and settling down with some mare he knew. I talked him out of it. It seemed like the most obvious thing back then, but now? Now I kind of feel like I pressured him into it."

Yet, wasn't that exactly what they meant to do Fluttershy – pressure her into it? Twilight had been so resolute about not wanting to bully her, but how could she reconcile that with the fact that she had no intention of taking no for an answer? That was hardly respectful of her wishes.

Once Twilight's mind was on the question, it inevitably led her to its logical outgrow: what if Fluttershy agreed to come with them and something happened to her?

Before she stumbled across Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle found Spike again. The little dragon was sitting in a dry spot under the eaves of a broken-down building. Twilight cantered over to him and nuzzled her head against his side.

"Thank you, Spike!"

"Hey!" he exclaimed, wincing under the affection, "I didn't even do anything!"

"You went to Luna and sent her to talk to me, didn't you?"

Spike poked one of his finger-claws into her nose and pushed her away. The scales on his cheeks were a little reddish. "I figured if anypony could get you out of your funk, it would be the Mistress of Brooding."

"Well, you were right! I knew I kept you around for a reason!"

"Yeah, well, maybe you can return the favor now."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw Rarity earlier and thought she looked a little upset, so I followed her here-"

"Mmm. How stalkerish of you."

"I'm being serious here! I really think she could use somepony to talk to. I'd have done it myself, but, well, I figured it should be you." He scrunched up his face unhappily. "She's inside here."

Twilight turned around towards the dark doorway leading into the building. After a nod to Spike, she ventured into the ruins.

At any other time, her scientific curiosity would have been piqued. Ruins was all that was left of the griffon civilization in her world, and archeology was one of her many fields of interest. The building she was in had experienced its share of wear and tear – she couldn't even tell what its function might have been before the city was abandoned – but it would nevertheless have been a golden opportunity for study, had she been so inclined. Alas, there were more important things to deal with.

Twilight found Rarity in a wide-open hall, with only bare hints of muted light shining in from outside. Twilight could barely make out anything of the surroundings, though there were outlines of broken furniture visible on the floor. Rarity was lying on a legless couch with the upholstery ripped away ages ago.

"Is that you, Twilight?" she asked.

Her voice was slurred. Twilight could make out an open canteen on the floor in front of her. As she made her way closer, she picked up on the unspeakable smells wafting out of it.

"Have you been drinking?" asked Twilight.

"Mayhaps," replied Rarity, "I found some sunshine in the campsite. It's absolutely, positively the most despicable-tasting thing I've ever drunk."

"Sunshine?"

"You know. Bootleg. Hooch. Illegally distilled liquor."

"Oh. We call it moonshine. You shouldn't be drinking, Rarity. It's not good for you. It dehydrates you, for one... I don't even understand why these idiots were making moonshine in a desert!"

"Now what business if it of yours whether or what I drink? Considering our current situation, it's not like this is some big hindrance to us."

Twilight rolled her eyes and made a grab for the canteen with her magic. Rarity grabbed hold of it herself, and for an instant, Twilight was afraid they'd get into a telekinetic tug-of-war, but Rarity was quick to relent. She let her head lull.

"You know another word for sunshine?" she mused quietly, "'White lightning.'"

Twilight pursed her lips and went about pouring what was left of the foul-smelling liquid through a gap in the cracked floorboards while desperately trying to think of something to say.

"This isn't very ladylike of you, Rarity."

"How little you know of being a lady! Being able to do whatever you want whenever you want it is a big part of it." She sniffled, which sounded suspiciously like holding back a sob.

Twilight sighed and sat down next to Rarity. "Were you and Soarin' close?" she asked carefully.

"I'm close to all my employees."

"There wasn't... anything else between you two?"

Rarity was addled enough that it took her a moment to catch the implication. "Oh, no. Not at all. I don't do romance anymore. What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know," said Twilight with a small shrug, "You just seemed so comfortable together."

"I want to retrieve his body if at all possible," mused Rarity, "When this is all over and done with, I mean. The Swamp should be safe to return to by then. I hope he'll be undisturbed. I'm not certain where to lay him to rest, or what else needs to be done. He didn't have any close friends beyond our little circle as far as I'm aware. His parents were dead, but he mentioned some cousins... I'll have to contact them and inform them what happened. Goodness, how am I going to tell them that his death was my fault?"

"Oh Rarity, don't say that..."

Rarity snorted. "'Don't say that?' You can't even manage a 'that's not true?'"

"It isn't," said Twilight.

"I was the one who brought him along as our chauffeur, I was the one that refused to let him rest at the chariot and I was the one who froze up at the crucial moment. He laid down his life to protect me. How, pray tell, is it not my fault?"

Twilight was at a loss for things to say. She was used to seeing Rarity's composure cracked by... outbursts of emotion, not this kind of seething bitterness. On the other hand, she'd never seen Rarity in circumstances like these; she'd never seen her truly grieve. In point of fact, Twilight had never had to comfort anypony in serious bereavement. How was she supposed to go about it? Was she overthinking it?

"Striker was the one that did it, not you. He's the only one to blame, and he's... gone now. I don't think the context of it really matters. It was just... bad luck."

Rarity shook her head. There were tears glistening on her cheeks.

"No, no, that came out wrong!" groaned Twilight, "Scratch that. It wasn't really bad luck. It wasn't chance. Soarin' made a decision to defend you. It was meant to happen because he made it happen. The responsibility for Soarin's death was his own." At the throaty sound of disbelief Rarity made, Twilight quickly added: "So I think – I think the best thing you could do is honor his memory by accepting his actions and not blaming yourself."

Rarity considered her words. "This doesn't really do much for me," she said quietly.

"I know," admitted Twilight.

Rarity was breaking up right beside her. Not knowing what else to do, Twilight enveloped her in a hug and held on as Rarity's body was racked by sobs.

Twilight felt guilty about Soarin's death – not because she'd failed to prevent it, but because she was unable to do it justice. She'd never seen a pony die before. It had shocked and horrified her, that was true, but it wasn't enough. In her heart of hearts, she knew that it didn't hit her as hard as what had happened to Striker. Soarin' was outweighed in Twilight's mind by his own murderer. How wrong was that? Her preoccupation with Dash's actions had even caused her to neglect how Rarity was feeling. She'd been so put off by the whole ordeal that she'd neglected the relationships she was meant to be building.

"You don't have to deal with this alone," said Twilight when Rarity had settled down a bit, "You shouldn't be here in the dark."

"You're right," said Rarity, sniffing and running a hoof over her eyes, "You're right."

"You should go find Applejack. She's a resistance leader, I'm sure she's dealt with her share of losses. Perhaps she can give you some advice."

"Yes. And Twilight..." She pulled back a bit and looked Twilight in the eyes. "Thank you."

Here she was now, working on those relationships, and Twilight suddenly realized that she felt disgusted with herself. What she was doing seemed so cynical, so manipulative. It was exactly what Spike had had in mind – letting Twilight comfort Rarity so that they could bond like they needed to. She was building a friendship by mandate. Was such a thing even possible? Was this genuine sentiment or cold calculation? What was familiar and what was strange? Was this friendship "real?"

Should she not have done this? But then what should she have done?

Even in the dark, Rarity could make out some of her internal conflict from her face. Hesitantly, she leaned forward renewed their hug. Twilight felt a little less doubt.

When Twilight found Rainbow Dash at last, it was largely due to luck: she just happened to look up at the right moment. Dash was perched on top of one of the few of the city's old lookout towers that was still standing. Her bright blue coat was the perfect camouflage for a sunny day, but it looked a tad more conspicuous framed by storm-clouds.

Twilight took a deep, halting breath and teleported up to the tower, landing on the roof with a preemptive sense of vertigo. The building's parapets had long since collapsed and fallen away, and the roof seemed slightly slanted. Twilight kept her legs splayed apart to steady herself and tried to avoid looking down.

"Er, ahem, hello," mumbled Twilight, "How did things go with Fluttershy?"

Rainbow Dash stared her down coolly before answering. "Like crap. She wouldn't consider what I had to say, wouldn't even let me inside. She's a lost cause."

"Well, I still hope to give it another shot."

Privately, Twilight wondered whether Rainbow Dash's brusque manner was right for drawing Fluttershy out of her shell and changing her mind, but she wasn't going to say that. This was supposed to be a reconciliation.

"S-so what are you doing up here?" Twilight asked, before the uncomfortable silence had time to settle.

"Small talk, huh? So, what, you feel like talking to me now, Ms. High and Mighty? You want to buddy up all of a sudden?" Dash was grinning humorlessly, her eyes narrowed.

"It's not that I want to buddy up..." Even though that was exactly what she should have wanted. "I just want to get to know you a bit and to understand – and to understand where you stand."

Suddenly, Dash was on her hooves and up in her face, almost close enough that their noses were touching. "I'm standing right here."

Twilight couldn't help but shrink away from her. The motion seemed to gratify Dash, judging by the way her lip curled.

"I can't even tell whether you're afraid of me or whether you just think you're better than me. What is it with that stick up your ass?"

"You-" Twilight cleared her throat. The words were hard to say. "You killed somepony."

"And so what?" Lowering her voice, she added: "Do you think Striker was the first one?"

Twilight had barely even considered that, at least not enough to fully acknowledge the fact that, no, Striker was most likely not the first pony Dash had killed. She realized something else too: Dash was only bringing it up to throw her off her guard.

"That's horrible." It was such a stupidly obvious thing to say, but Twilight wanted Dash to hear it.

Dash snorted. "Um, hello, Ms. Brainiac? He was a bad guy! He was a ruthless, murdering bastard that did his best to kill all you guys! Just look at what he did to your dragon buddy. I don't even want to imagine what he wanted me for."

"But we'd already beaten him! He wasn't a threat to anypony anymore. He was unconscious and completely defenseless!"

"So I'd have been a moron not to make use of that! Do you think he'd have had mercy if the situation was reversed?"

"That doesn't matter!" burst out Twilight, "You're supposed to be better than that!" You're supposed to be better.

"Do you think that other pegasus would have minded? Do you think he would have wanted to go unavenged?"

"Neither of us know what he would have wanted! You don't even know his name, so don't pretend you were particularly concerned about him!"

"You know who I was concerned about? All the ponies Striker had yet to kill. If we'd let him go, he'd have been free to orphan some poor filly or colt, or torture somepony for information, or have his dragon burn down a village for fun! Don't think he wouldn't have! Not to mention he would have blown Rarity's cover and done untold damage to her work in Everfree City! For crud's sake, I can't even list all the ways that it was a good idea to end him!"

"Your pragmatism is not in question here! That doesn't mean it was the right thing to do! There may have been alternative options, if you'd just-"

Dash's nostrils flared. "What gives you the right to judge what's right and wrong? As if somepony from some namby-pamby paradise could ever understand what it's like, living here! We don't have horns or fancy magic to make our problems go away! We don't have a benevolent goddess looking out for us! We have to fight and struggle to make it, and sometimes, that involves being hard and cold! You have it so easy and yet you complain about me not living up to your standards! You can't even comprehend all the horrible things the Secret Police have done, but I do! I've seen it myself! Why don't you try checking your self-righteousness, because you don't know anything!"

She raised her hoof and poked it in Twilight's chest to make a point. Twilight remembered the crack. Startled by the movement, she recoiled and lost her balance. She fell to her knees and swiveled around. Faced with the edge of the tower, she quickly scrambled back upright.

Dash frowned and averted her eyes. "I didn't mean to do that."

Twilight waited for her heartbeat to settle down and tried to think things though. Rainbow Dash was right on both accounts – Twilight was afraid of her and, on some level, she indeed thought herself superior. Both of these were irrational, emotional reactions. She was, however, meant to be intellectual and reasonable. Dash wasn't going to hurt her, and even though every fiber of Twilight's being screamed the opposite, she had to consider the notion that killing Striker may have been the right thing to do. That was Luna's advice – not to close herself off to the possibility.

Twilight would have been lying if she said that Dash's arguments left her untouched. This was a whole new world, and things were so different here. She couldn't take anything for granted, not even morality. It was fundamentally unrealistic to expect somepony from such a hostile environment to grow up with the same value systems as Twilight.

It was true, Dash and others fighting the good fight in this world didn't have the means that Twilight and her friends enjoyed back home. Indeed, they might not have had the luxury of dismissing pragmatism and other extreme methods. It was a complex, maddening dilemma that could ultimately be reduced to a simple question: did she think Rainbow Dash was a bad person at heart? The answer was no. A person that did questionable things, a misguided person, but not an evil one.

Twilight had come to wonder whether there was a reason she'd ended up in this world. Perhaps it wasn't just a matter of defeating Daymare Sun and restoring balance, perhaps she was also meant to show them another way, and that couldn't happen if she rejected Dash out of hand. They were meant to be friends, her conviction in that belief had never wavered. One could be friends with ponies very different from yourself, as long as you were willing to accept those differences. Twilight had proven herself capable of that throughout the childish spats of the mundane, but this was the real test.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm sorry for ignoring you and for... this. I didn't mean to come here to accuse you."

Dash's expression didn't soften, but her voice did. "I... wasn't really going to start justifying my actions like that either."

"No, I'm glad you did. I needed to hear all that. Like you said, I don't really know anything. I guess I've had a hard time adjusting."

Twilight could understand Rainbow's actions, and – to an extent – accept them. But she found that she could not forgive. She could not force her heart to cross that threshold. Perhaps that was fine though. Perhaps it wasn't her place to forgive... Twilight resolved to ask Princess Celestia her opinion once they met again.

Dash just stared at her. It fell on Twilight to deal with the awkwardness.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how many have you... you know?" Perhaps it would have been better to move on from the subject, but Twilight couldn't couldn't suppress her morbid curiosity.

Dash shrugged, but there was palpable weight to the motion. She wasn't being dismissive. "It's not something I keep count of."

Twilight nodded slowly, not really sure where to go from there. It felt inappropriate to segue this conversation into lighter territory at this point. Perhaps it was best to leave things be for the time being instead of forcing anything.

"I think maybe we should take off now," said Twilight, "Let's find the others. Like I said, I haven't given up on Fluttershy yet."

She raised her hoof. After some hesitation, Dash raised hers as well and bumped it together with Twilight's.

Once more unto the breach...

Like last time, Fluttershy was slow to come meet them, though she now met them with irritation rather than anxiety.

"What do you want?" she asked through half-open door.

"I'd just like one final opportunity to talk to you. Please." It must have sounded like Twilight had something big in mind to make a convincing case, but she wasn't too sure about that. She had a new tactic, but suspected it would merely boil down to more pleading in the end.

Fluttershy regarded her with suspicion, but finally decided to squeeze herself through the door and face them again.

"I'd like to you reconsider about joining us, Fluttershy."

"This again? I already gave you my answer."

"Look, you made it abundantly clear earlier that you're unhappy with your life here, and that you have trouble managing. That's understandable. It's a tough going and not suited to just anypony. I don't think that makes you a failure or somehow less than others. But Fluttershy, if you're not happy here then you should leave! Come with us and you'll have a chance to turn a whole new leaf! I know this sounds strange, but if farming isn't working out for you, maybe being a freedom fighter will?"

Arguing with Fluttershy was always a delicate balancing act with her self-worth. Twilight had to push rather hard for her to change without hurting her feelings about who she was. Thankfully, the others were a lot more enthusiastic about stepping in this time.

"No offense, but you are a pegasus," said Applejack, "and a relatively delicate one at that. You're not meant for this line of work."

"You know, quite aside from whether you're joining our little group – and I do hope you will – I could find a place for you in my service. Helping tend to my mansion or some-such should be a little more comfortable."

"You're just undercutting yourself," answered Fluttershy, "If I'm 'delicate,' then all the more reason I wouldn't be able to do anything to help you guys. And no thank you on the generous offer, milady. I came back to Hillside because I wanted to be alone."

"I don't believe you," said Twilight.

In the ensuing silence, they all heard a metallic clunk, loud and clear. All heads turned towards Fluttershy's cabin.

"What was that?" wondered Rarity.

"Sounded like... something," replied Applejack, her eyebrow cocked.

All heads proceeded to turn to Fluttershy herself, who looked like she'd just finished drinking a bottle of vinegar.

"Oh, that was..." Fluttershy's voice faded away. Her eyes flickered from side to side like a cornered animal's. Finally, she sighed. "I have a guest."

"A guest?" repeated Dash, "You?"

"Thank you for that," mumbled Fluttershy, "This is really none of your concern."

"You mean you've had somepony sitting there listening in on us the whole time?" wondered Applejack, with an edge in her voice.

"No, it's not like that..."

"I wouldn't exactly call this being alone," commented Spike.

"It wasn't a – no, don't do that!"

Thanks to a small push from her wings, Dash was already gliding over Fluttershy's head towards the door. "Sorry, but I gotta see this." She pushed open the door.

Twilight wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. There was a griffon standing in the middle of Fluttershy's hut – a particularly familiar griffon at that. It was, unless Twilight was mistaken, Gilda.

Instead of a rebellious fringe, the feathers on her head were trimmed into a crew cut, and she wasn't wearing make-up. One of her wings and one of her hindpaws were wrapped in bandages. She seemed to have been working at slipping on a light metal armor with spots of brownish dried blood on it, and now stared at the group of ponies with a mixture of bewilderment, embarrassment, uncertainty and probably a host of other emotions.

"Oh no!" muttered Fluttershy and breezed past Dash back inside, "I told you, you're not fit to leave yet!"

"And I told you I was," replied Gilda gruffly, "Now's the best time for me to get away, with no ponies to stop me. Except you, I mean."

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Dash and Spike used this opportunity to slip into the cottage after Fluttershy. With all of them inside, the place was rather crowded.

"Um, what?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I'm not confused at all," murmured Spike.

"Uh, hey?" said Gilda, "No offense, but I really don't want to get involved in your crazy shenanigans. Just one of the reasons I'd like to take off now."

"No," said Fluttershy, "You won't make it to that border with that wing of yours, and it would be too risky to walk the whole way."

"Ahem, would you mind explaining what a griffon is doing here?" said Twilight.

Fluttershy snorted and sat down on her bed in the corner of the room. "It's nothing, really. Gilda here is with the Griffon Army. She was injured in a skirmish and came down nearby. I took her in, treated her wounds as best I could and kept her hidden from the soldiers. They... they would have killed her."

Gilda and Dash had started pacing around each other, wings extended.

"A griffon, eh?" said Dash, "What's your title then?"

"Those are for knights, featherbrain. I'm just a regular scout."

"Oh yeah? That must must mean you're pretty fast."

"Fast enough."

"You still got caught and beat up though."

"Correction: they didn't catch me. I got away. That's why I'm here now."

"Cool your heads, ladies," said Rarity, "Applejack, didn't you say something about finding some pony battle plans earlier?"

Gilda perked up at that. "Hey, could I see those battle plans? I mean, uh, if you feel like selling out your homeland? Wow, kind of an awkward thing to ask. Sooo how about it?"

"I'll show you them later on," said Applejack, "Consider it a gift of goodwill from the pony resistance, eh?"

Twilight joined Fluttershy on her bed.

"You're already standing up to the Queen in your own way, you know," she said, "After all, you took in Gilda here, didn't you? She's an enemy combatant and aiding and abetting her would be considered treason, I'm sure. There's only one punishment for treason. You were brave to help her. You're fully capable of rebelling when you feel it's the right thing to do, and you know what we're doing is the right thing, don't you?"

"Yes. Yes. I hope you succeed. I wish you the best of luck. But I'm not meant to go along with you. I'm nothing. I'm nopony."

"Yeah, well, you're a nothing that probably saved my life," said Gilda, "Good lord, I've seen the way you live. There's absolutely nothing keeping you here. Just do it."

"You're keeping me here, for one! If I leave, you would too, and then what?"

"Well, actually," said Twilight, "we could drop off Gilda safely at the border on our way."

"Fluttershy, please," said Dash, "We wouldn't be hassling you if this wasn't important. I know you don't like responsibility, but this might be the most crucial thing any of us will ever do. So come ooooon!"

"I- I can't. I'd only get in your way."

"Don't shield yourself in self-pity, darling," said Rarity, "It's unbecoming."

"We have a lot of different ponies on our side," explained Applejack, "Not all of them fight. There's a lot of ways to contribute something. I can't pretend to know how these Elements of Harmony work, but if you'd just have a little faith..."

"I can't! Why won't any of you understand?!"

"I don't get it," said Twilight, "Dash said the Secret Police took your parents. We figured you would want to go up against them."

"You know about my parents and you still have to wonder why I don't want to go along with you? They tried standing up to the Queen and look what happened to them. They got killed for their trouble. Do you realize that I'm saying? They left me an orphan because they couldn't leave well enough alone! My parents were fools that shouldn't have been together in the first place!"

"Why would you say something like that?" Twilight remembered what she knew of Fluttershy's parents. "You mean because they weren't of the same breed?"

"Yes. My mother stupidly got together with an earth pony. And I'm just as stupid as she was..."

"What do you mean?"

"Did Dash tell you why I left the Cloud Patrol? No, that was after her time. Well, I'll be honest with you." She let her gaze drop to the floor. "I didn't really leave. Not voluntarily. It was the one thing I was any good at. Most ponies assume I quit my job in protest or something, that I just told my bosses to eff themselves like Rainbow Dash did. As if I'd wanted to be left bitless and come back home to chew on dried roots to survive! As if I was that brave... I didn't leave my job – I was fired. For fraternizing with an earth pony."

Fluttershy blushed under their collective stares. Twilight mouthed something indistinct, her brain momentarily unable to formulate any coherent thoughts. By Rainbow Dash's wide eyes, this was all news to her as well.

"But you want to know the funny part?" continued Fluttershy, "He got roped into rebelling against the Queen as well. The Secret Police killed him too."

"Fluttershy..." Twilight reached out and put her hoof on the pegasus's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry."

"He was part of some kind of operation. I don't even know what he was meant to be doing, but the city guard at Everfree caught him. It was over a year ago that they took him from me and walked him to their prison complex. Like you said, there's only one punishment for treason." She took a deep breath and released it. "I can't think of anypony that would have deserved his fate less. Even though he had the look of a brute, he was always the sweetest, gentlest soul. He had a mind too. Even though he rarely spoke, his mind was always working. I loved him, and nopony could ever replace him. We never even got much time together, what with my job requiring me to travel and Big Macintosh being a part-time outlaw. I haven't been truly-"

Applejack raised her head. "Beg pardon? Did you say-?"

"Big Macintosh?" repeated Twilight.

Fluttershy eyed them cautiously. "Yes?"

"Big Mac's my brother!" Applejack half-shouted.

It took a moment for the information to take hold in Fluttershy's brain. Ears twitching and mouth slightly agape, she slowly pulled her skeletal form back upright and stared at Applejack.

"The leader of the Apple Underground," she muttered to herself, "Yes, of course. I should have realized..." Abruptly, she raised her voice. "Then you're the bitch that sent him to his death?!"

The outburst shocked everypony else in the room into silence. For an instant, Fluttershy's face was contorted into a vicious snarl. Her anger dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. She herself seemed as disturbed as anypony.

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, closing her eyes in shame, "That was unkind of me. I didn't mea-" Her mouth snapped shut. Nopony there was under the illusion that she hadn't meant it. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

Applejack's mouth had drawn into a thin, tense line. "You've got something very wrong, missy," she said, "Big Mac didn't die. They took him prisoner, but we got him out before he could be executed. Me and Rarity and the rest of the team."

"Wh-what?" She paused. "That can't be... It's not possible." The desperate smile that flowered on Fluttershy's face was painful to see. "Are you telling me he's all right? That he's been all right all this time?!"

"Oh dear," whispered Rarity.

"He was alright," said Applejack quietly, "Right now... we don't know. He's gone missing in action, just a short while ago. My best guess is that he's been recaptured."

Fluttershy looked as if the smile on her face had been frozen and then shattered. Her entire body seemed to sag, leaving her staring listlessly at the floor.

"How- how did I not know about this?" Her voice was high-pitched and filled with blame. The accusation wasn't directed at any of them, but herself.

"The Secret Police hushed everything up," said Applejack, "They didn't want it known that somepony had managed to stage a prison break right at their headquarters. By the time Big Mac was out and in the condition to go looking for you, you'd left Everfree. It took him a while to get in shape. They- well, they did a number on him."

It took Fluttershy long seconds to raise her head again. Twilight had the oddest mental image – it was as if they were watching a coin spinning in the air, waiting for it to land on its side. Heads, Fluttershy would be so broken by the revelation that she would be neither inclined nor capable of helping anypony. Tails, Fluttershy would be so furious at Applejack and the whole wide world that she'd spit on them and throw them all out.

And the third option...

"Are you telling the truth?" Fluttershy's voice was shaking, but surprisingly calm.

"What kind of question is that?" asked Applejack with a scowl.

"Why wouldn't we be telling the truth?" asked Twilight.

"Because if if what you say is true, I have to come with you. If there's a chance that he could be rescued, then I have to come and try to make it happen."

And that was that.

Fluttershy was on board. The development could not possibly have been less fulfilling for Twilight.

Somehow, it didn't seem right that Fluttershy was the only one among them going along for personal reasons rather than the greater good. She was doing it for a stallion, not for Equestria and not for any one of her companions. It was even a little naïve, since whatever prison Big Macintosh was in was unlikely to be their first destination.

Did that matter? Was this friendship? Was some arbitrary purity of motive necessary to qualify her as one of the Elements of Harmony? Twilight didn't know, and she didn't like not knowing. It was another thing she was going to have to ask Princess Celestia.

Fluttershy wasn't lacking in empathy and social awareness; she was as interested in seeing Daymare Sun's reign end as anypony. Perhaps this personal connection was merely the final push needed to entice her to action? None of them had really been heroes when they'd first braved the Everfree Forest to find a way to defeat Nightmare Moon. As long as Fluttershy had that spark of kindness within her, Twilight hoped, nothing else mattered.

These questions raised, however, were not the biggest problem. There were still only five of them. Even with Fluttershy, they were still at a dead end with no recourse in sight. For now, they had no other option but to head back to Trottingham with Luna and figure out what to do about Pinkie Pie.

Next chapter: The Die Is Cast.

Author's Note

Four months. Four fricking months. It's a terribly long time to leave you hanging. I don't feel very good about it and I apologize. he only thing I can say is that the delay wasn't due to a lack of interest in the story, but an all-consuming apathy that affected all aspects of my life. Seriously, you would be amazed by how little effort I put into my final university exams a few weeks ago. Cooking myself dinner was also too much of a bother more than once. So yes, while I'm sorry... it was probably worse for me than for you.
This chapter is the longest so far, and an absolute monster to write. You might be wondering why I didn't post it in two parts. The reason for this is that I didn't write it in linear order. (This is why the writing might seem a little disconnected and jumpy at times?) I strongly considered halving it now for ease of reading, but couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe it would have been better, I don't know.
If you're thinking that Gilda's appearance seemed pointlessly small, don't worry. She hasn't even begun to play her role yet.
My original concept for this chapter involved a lot more hanging around the ruins, not knowing what to do and being depressed about it. Things didn't work out that way.
I made a conscious effort with this chapter to make dialogue a little less expository and a little more about characterization. I also tried to delve a little into complex moral issues. Did it work?
I'd like to hear your speculation about the situation with Pinkie Pie.
What do you think of Alternate!Fluttershy?
Sorry again.

Chapter 10: The Die Is Cast

Queen Celestia's palace was often considered the most beautiful building in Everfree City, if not the world. Located at the very heart of the city, it consisted of a series of expansive domes built into and around each other and arrayed in a careful, winding pattern. A sizable inner courtyard also served as the city square and center of upscale commerce. The outline of the building was smooth, largely unblemished by overt decorations. The predominant materials were moonstone and crystal, naturally in Her Majesty's preferred colors white and gold. Brown Nose, a prominent unicorn architect, had once said that the curves and slopes of the palace were "at once evocative of delicate femininity in both a sensual and a familial way." Nopony quite wanted to consider the implications of that statement.

Unlike most other surrounding buildings, the palace was windowed. Large clerestories opened up the domes to sunlight, though not to the outside heat. Through various tricks of construction, the offices, storerooms, quarters and museums inside – everywhere that ponies worked and lived – were kept illuminated at all times. There was, however, a place deep in the bowels of the palace where the light did not reach: the Queen's personal chambers underground. The inner sanctum, as it was called, was a place for secrets, but nevertheless kept bright by torches burning with magical flames.

Diane couldn't remember the last time she'd left the inner sanctum. Oh, she knew how long she'd been there – ten thousand tally marks in her calender made keeping track of time a cinch – but her arrival from the outside world was only a blurry memory. By this point, she had grown used to living in the Queen's basement and everything that came with it. Crowds, open spaces and natural light were if little concern to her. The palace was her home, and her home was the palace. There was nothing formal saying she wasn't allowed to leave, no rule or regulation that she'd ever been made aware of. The inner sanctum had no guards to keep her there. Yet, she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that if she tried to get out, something very bad would happen. All in all, it was lucky that she didn't have a claustrophobic bone in her body.

At the moment, Diane was stalking through a dark corridor that wasn't. There was no particular need for her to stalk, but she liked it ever so much. Stalking was much more interesting than simply walking.

Her destination was right ahead – a large double-door leading to Queen Celestia's throne room. Now here, some stealth was called for. Diane pushed open one of the the needlessly heavy doors and slowly poked her head inside. Of course, she would never have come here if she thought there was any chance of the Queen actually being there, but it never hurt to be careful. Nope, the coast was clear! Diane slipped in like a butterfly.

Unlike the dark corridors that weren't, the throne room was actually dark. The chamber was vast and cavernous, roughly rectangular and filled with the shadows of a dozen columns cast by the flickering flames of six large fire pits arranged around it. The fire pits burned high and eternal, consuming nothing and radiating only a mild heat. Diane stalked past the first two pairs and the conference table where the Queen's Council held its sessions, and briefly came to a halt at the throne standing between the last two fire pits at the very end of the hall.

Most of the throne was pure white marble, though it could be hard to tell in the chamber's warm, orange glow. Golden ornaments depicting stylized flames decorated the hoofrests and the top of the throne, and a generously long carmine velvet cloth reaching down to the floor served as a cushion on the seat. The cloth was frayed and blackened in places, as if burnt. The base of the throne was held up by statuettes of various horrifying creatures like minotaurs, ogres and trolls, their faces twisted by hideous, leering grins. It was this element of ugliness among the elegance and beauty that always struck Diane.

There was noise out in the hallway. Diane turned around to look at the doors, then quickly pranced off into the shadows on the side of the chamber. A moment later, the door was slammed open to admit two loudly conversing ponies.

"...have a talk about tracking down and punishing those responsible for spreading these malicious rumors. What's the big deal anyway? It's not like I did anything wrong. I would never hit a lady, of course, but a courtesan isn't a lady! Being roughed up a bit is practically in their job description."

"I swear to all that is unholy, Blueblood, if you don't shut up right this damn second, I'm going to stick my hooves into your throat, pull out your guts, and jam them back in through your ass."

Blueblood was a physically impressive specimen: he was large and well-toned, and had a lustrous blond mane that he was forced to comb over the side of his face to hide a nasty burn scar. The scar was his only physical blemish, but it was a sizable one. Blueblood's one good eye was a piercing light blue, and quite beautiful. He wore a fanciful silver-blue cloak and armor, complete with epaulettes and a chestful of unearned medals and honors, as befitting the highest-ranked general of the Equestrian Army. Ponies often called Blueblood things that Diane didn't know the meaning of, like "philanderer" or "nincompoop."

The mare accompanying Blueblood cut a much less imposing figure, at least if one didn't know her. Redsky was lithe and small, with coat of deep, bloody red and a wild black mane and tail. As commander of Equestia's Air Force, she was quite literally the single most important and powerful pegasus in the world, but she wore no clothes to signify her station, only a pair of military-style spurs on her forehooves. There wasn't as much gossip about Redsky as about Blueblood – nopony much dared to say bad things about her – but Diane still occasionally overheard the horrified whisperings of cooks and other servants that had to deal with her. Redsky... was not like other ponies.

"It seems as if we are the first ones here," said Blueblood.

"Buffoonishly stating the obvious never gets old with you, does it?" sneered Redsky. Her voice was like ground-up gravel.

"You're a tedious little hag, do you know that, Redsky?"

Diane slinked over behind one of the pillars next to the conference table, measuring her steps on the hard stone floor. Alone in a room with those two was never a good place to be. While Blueblood only ever threatened and insulted Diane, Redsky sometimes had the courage to hit her.

"I can only hope this meeting doesn't drag on like last time. I have places to be, you know."

"Blueblood, I know you think I'm joking about this, but I'm not. I'm really not. I'm completely serious when I say I will murder you if you don't shut your mouth! Do you understand?"

"Whatever you say, Redsky," replied Blueblood with a generous roll of his eyes, "Whatever you say."

Diane cringed. Could Blueblood truly have been so dim that he didn't realize that he was teetering on the edge of a knife?

Prime Minister Gelding was the next to arrive. He trudged in with his usual shuffling gait, eyes dull and indifferent to everything. He was so quiet and unassuming that Blueblood and Redsky didn't even notice him until he was close by.

"Oh, it's you," said Blueblood, raising his snout as if he was smelling something bad. Redsky, meanwhile, sneered and bowed mockingly before the new arrival. Redsky was big on sneering in general.

"It is me," said Gelding impassively. His dull, high-pitched voice carried badly in the throne room. He walked past them like a ghost and took a seat at the table.

The Prime Minister looked feeble at the best of times, but being near the Duke didn't favor him at all. He came off worse in every possible way. He was pudgy and small, while Blueblood had an ideal stallion physique. His simple orange cape, already plain-looking compared to Blueblood's ostentatious attire, was becoming more and more dusty and frayed. His pale silvery coat seemed to reflect the firelight oddly in comparison to Blueblood's white. And of course, the horns... Blueblood's was long and magnificent; Gelding's was broken.

If there was one thing to be said in Gelding's favor though, it was that he simply didn't care.

Then at last, Daylight Sparkle came.

If Diane had a watch, she was sure she'd have found that the Lady Commander of the Secret Police entered the room on the dot, right when she needed to be there. She strode in – as always – with her nose buried in a grimoire of magic held aloft by a violet glow, wearing only her wizard's hat. Her long, straight hair had a precise, regal-looking cut to it. Her dragon, Spike, followed closely at her heels, head bowed reverentially and carrying a briefcase of state documents. The door shut itself after them.

Daylight trotted along the length of the chamber and took her place at the table. Only when she'd closed and put aside her book did she acknowledge the others in the room.

"Greetings, fellow oppressors!" she said, "I hope the last 48 hours have gone as well for you as they have for me."

Blueblood nodded his head in a cordial greeting, while Redsky inexplicably began giggling in a most disconcerting manner. Gelding didn't show the barest glimmer of a reaction.

"You're in rather good mood, aren't you?" asked Blueblood.

"Why wouldn't I be?" replied Daylight, "I've just received some rather gratifying productivity reports, I have an interesting book of magical lore on hoof and a dinner-date with the Queen later on. The Day has been good to me. There's just one little thing..." She frowned mildly. "Can somepony explain what that earth pony is doing sitting in out meeting again?"

Diane grimaced. The cat was out of the bag now. Well, in truth, the cat was still in the bag, but whatever. Diane stepped out into the firelight and waved.

Blueblood shuddered, looking extraordinarily unmanly for a moment. "What do you want, Fool?" he demanded.

"Did you say 'fool' or 'Fool'?" Diane cocked her head to the side. "I can never tell! Oh my, but a jester's life is hard!"

Redsky looked as if Queen Celestia's birthday had come early. She made a wing-assisted leap over the table and stalked closer to Diane, grinning all the while. At the sight of her sharpened teeth, Diane backed up against one of the pillars, trying not to look as fearful as she felt.

"Well, if it isn't the mud pony!" said Redsky, "You don't mind me calling you that, do you, mud pony? Or would you prefer I call you giftless? Or dirt-eater?"

"Actually, I'd prefer it if you called me-"

"Diane," said Gelding without looking at them. He was staring off into the darkness with half-lidded eyes. "Her name is Diane."

"I want that freak out of here!" exclaimed Blueblood. He looked around, then – finding nopony he had the authority to boss around – turned back towards Diane. "Do you hear me? Leave, you dreadful thing!"

"Okay-dokey-lokey!" said Diane, and briefly rose to her hindlegs and waved around her forehooves in an exaggerated gesture of galloping off. "I guess I'll just have to go find the Queen and tell her you booted me out of here... She'll be a teeny-tiny bit confused though, since she said I could be here."

It was as if she'd said a magic word. Redsky stopped in her tracks, muttering something under her breath. Blueblood startled and paled – if there was one thing he was more afraid of than anything, it was angering the Queen. Neither of them dared call her on that particular bluff. Daylight wasn't likewise daunted, of course, but she wasn't going to say anything either. She only glared at Diane with irritation and impatience and jealousy in her eyes, and and then looked away, shaking her head dismissively.

All at once, everypony in the room seemed content to ignore Diane. All of them seamlessly went on with the meeting. Redsky hopped back over the table and took a seat beside Blueblood. Diane slowly sat down on her haunches, keeping a close watch of the others. Daylight cleared her throat.

"Let's get to it, shall we? Spike, take a note!" The dragon, standing close behind her, obediently procured a quill and parchment and set to writing down her words. "90th Council meeting of the year. The Queen is not in session. Lady Commander Daylight Sparkle presiding."

As the prime minister, it would have been more appropriate for Gelding to be in charge of Council meetings. Relinquishing this duty was another concession he'd been forced to make to the Queen's rising protege.

"We all know what the first order of business is, don't we? Duke Blueblood?" Daylight leaned towards the General, who stiffened and then deflated with a sigh. "Why don't you give us an update on the invasion plans?"

"It's not my fault!" exclaimed Blueblood immediately, "I can't be held responsible for any of this!"

"I didn't say you were, Duke."

"Look, a train connection breaks down, an army group has to march all the way from Stalliongrad – that's unfortunate, but these things happen."

"According to the reports of the engineers Gelding sent on-site to investigate, the accident was caused by sabotage. That means the incident was a security failure and therefore falls under your purview."

"These reports could have been falsified!"

Daylight looked at Gelding expectantly. "They are, however, not," said the Prime Minister.

Redsky let out a ragged laugh. "Take some responsibility for a change, you pathetic worm!"

"I'd have had the troops there by now, but these earth ponies are as stupid as they are lazy! There's only so much I can do!"

"So, am I to understand there's been another delay?" asked Daylight.

"72 more hours until they reach the border. That's the final word from General Reinherd. If he doesn't come through on that, I'll have him executed, and that's a promise. Goodness gracious, I could use a drink..."

"72 hours," repeated Daylight, weighing the figure in her mind and then nodding, "and then the invasion can finally begin. Queen Celestia will be so pleased!"

Daylight broke into a bright, slightly unprofessional smile. For a moment, her youth shined through. She returned to form when Redsky abruptly slammed her forehooves into the table.

"Gah, this is all so pointless!" Redsky cawed, "Can't we just get on with it already? We should gotten this attack started ages ago! I've been saying for weeks that we should go ahead without the missing troops!"

"And I've been agreeing with her!" said Blueblood, "It's on record!"

"The forces we have are more than enough to overwhelm and crush the griffon army," continued Redsky, "We don't need ten thousand more, so really, what gives?"

"The Queen has been very specific on this matter, Duchess," said Daylight patiently, "She told me herself that she wants the invasion launched only with a full force. I'm sure we can all agree that it would be nice to have this over with, but there is really no great hurry – especially not for her."

At the invocation of Her Holiness, Redsky was forced to back down. She slid down in her seat and pouted. "Still... haven't you asked her what her reasons are?"

"Well..." started Daylight, but quickly fell silent. Diane thought Redsky was a little bit silly for even asking something like that. As if Daylight Sparkle ever questioned her mentor...

"It is really rather simple," said Gelding, again without deigning to look at them, "The more ponies, the bigger the spectacle. This could well be the last great war in the history of the world, and so the Queen wants to savor it."

Redsky was, perhaps not surprisingly, completely satisfied with that explanation. She nodded in quiet appreciation, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly as she – in all probability – reflected on the love of slaughter she shared with the Queen.

"Let's move on. Now, what's next on the agenda?" She picked up one of her personal papers and gave it a cursory glance. "Ah yes, I have some good news to report. We've confirmed the capture of a member of the Apple Underground during the earlier street-sweeps. I'm feeling rather optimistic about our chances of getting some very relevant information out of him. There's a number of new techniques I'd like to test on him. The interviews of the rest of the detainees are proceeding on schedule as well."

"It is my understanding," said Gelding, "that one of your special agents has not sent in his regular update report as he was supposed to."

Daylight steepled her hooves and gave Gelding a sideways glare. "You're referring to Agent Striker? Yes, I'll have to reprimand him for not following procedure once he gets back. I hope you weren't suggesting the termination of some insignificant thief would be any cause for concern? Really, Gelding. But while we're on the subject of you sticking your snout where it doesn't belong, esteemed Prime Minister, could you please explain what you were doing at my headquarters interrogating one of my prisoners?"

Gelding looked about as cold and expressionless as a rock – and Diane knew a bit about rocks. However, he chose not to make use of his flawless poker face. Denying it was probably useless anyway.

"Because you were not there to do it yourself," he said.

"I was out in the field trying to capture the ringleader of these outlaws – the most dangerous terrorist of them all – as you very well know."

"A bird in the hoof is worth three in the bush, is it not? You should have been focusing on the ponies you had already taken in instead of wasting time doing the work of grunts. Since you failed to capture Applejack anyway, your venture accomplished nothing but to waste time."

Daylight narrowed her eyes, but her voice was sugar-sweet. "You would do well to remember that the Queen put me in charge for a reason, Gelding. Just because your... disability left you unable to do field work doesn't mean I'll constrain myself likewise."

"You could have had someone else handle the interrogations while you were away on your chase. You wanted to handle both yourself, and that was a mistake. A leader is meant to delegate. Had your mistress not taught you that?"

"There was no need to delegate. Between the interrogations and the chase, I was in a time crunch with one and had plenty of it for the other. But I think you're trying to misdirect me, Prime Minister. Please, answer the question. Why did you try to interfere in my investigation? I don't believe for a second you were just hung up about your former duties."

"I am surprised you even need to think about it. I did it to get even with you for reassigning my ministers to Zebrica. You should not have done that, Daylight Sparkle. You did not have the authority."

Daylight graced Gelding with a smile that was – at least on the surface – conciliatory. "To get even? That's unexpectedly petty of you. I've never known you to make decisions based on grudges before. You needn't have bothered anyway. The Queen approved my suggestion, remember? Your ministers would already be on their way back if they simply did as they were ordered and fixed the Zebrican economy. And besides, you've shown yourself to be able to step up and fill the void wonderfully!"

It wasn't a secret to anypony that Daylight had pulled her move with Gelding's ministers to keep the Prime Minister busy. There were still some among the Secret Police that preferred to have Gelding in command, so Daylight had hoped to keep him away from state security matters by drowning him in domestic issues. The ploy did not seem to have worked.

"The reason my ministers have not been able to complete their mission is because they are scared witless. One of them was run through by a spear thrown by a zebra headhunter. The Secret Police has been unable to secure their safety."

Daylight shrugged. "Yes, the situation in Zebrica has grown uncomfortably unstable – hence why I intend to head there to take care of things personally once I've dealt with the Apple Underground. But you're still trying to misdirect me, aren't you? You removed one of the prisoners from the Panopticon. That prisoner is now unaccounted for. What did you do with him, and what did you learn?" She lifted up one of her hooves and tapped her snout. "I'll give you this one chance to tell me."

"Or what?"

Diane gasped inadvertently. Even Blueblood and Redsky, who'd been observing the confrontation with casual boredom, took notice. Gelding was not known for being confrontational.

"Will you complain to the Queen about me?" continued Gelding. Another pony's voice might have been mocking, but his only sounded heavy and tired. "What do you imagine she could do to me that she has not done already?"

Daylight Sparkle didn't seem perturbed in the slightest. She was smirking. "Oh, so you do have a spine!" she said, "It's a fair enough question. I mentioned new interrogation techniques I was introducing, didn't I? Tell me, have any of your spies told you of them? No? Well, let me enlighten you. I've invented a spell of telepathy. Breaking into and dissecting the minds of criminals directly will provide a much cleaner, much more efficient avenue of gathering information than your crude tortures ever could."

To any casual observer, Gelding must have looked as cool and emotionless as ever, but Diane had known him since she was only a little filly and could recognize the subtle undercurrent of shock that passed through him. But of course, Daylight had known him just as long...

"You've served the Queen oh-so-dutifully for, what, seven hundred and fifty years now?" asked mused Daylight, "With that in mind, I give you the chance to avoid me taking what you know from you by force when you least expect it. Put your cards on the table right here, right now, and I'll let you keep your dignity... well, what little of it you have left."

Gelding considered it and considered it. His eyes were a little bit wider than usual, his face drawn a little bit tighter. Finally, he lowered his head.

"There is no grand secret I've been keeping for you," he said, "The pony I picked up from the cells is a non-entity. He puzzled me with a strange story he later recanted in a most suspicious manner. I thought he must be hiding something, so I went about breaking him and found that he genuinely seems to believe he is a traveler from another dimension. What can I say? He must be mad, no?"

Daylight scowled, less from irritation and more from confusion. "A traveler from another dimension? How odd. I'll have to speak to this madpony myself when I can fit it into my schedule. Well, thank you for being so accommodating, Prime Minister!"

Gelding lifted his gaze and looked Daylight in the eye. "Will you be resorting to this threat often from now on, Daylight?"

"That's entirely up to you and how cooperative you choose to be, isn't it? I'd like to believe that we're a tyranny whose strength lies in working together. By the way, I'd really prefer if you addressed me by my rank."

"You know, my mind might not be a place you would want to visit, Lady Commander..."

Daylight ignored him and turned back to her papers with an appreciable amount of smugness.

"Now, what other outstanding issues do we have to go over?"

Before she could go on, the doors of the throne room burst open with an thump that echoed through the chamber in the ensuing silence. A unicorn officer had bucked them open. Diane recognized the brown and white stallion as one of Blueblood's adjutants. The officer turned around and galloped the length of the hall, momentarily stopping once he reached the conference table to hurriedly bow to each of the ponies sitting around it, then stepped up to Blueblood and started whispering into his ear.

The officer's explanation took a few moments. At first, Blueblood only squinted. Then he lurched upright, throwing over his chair doing so.

"What did you say?" he bellowed, grabbing the officer by the shoulders and giving him a shake.

"What is it?" asked Daylight Sparkle, her brow furrowed.

"One of- one of our outposts near the Griffon border was attacked," said Blueblood.

"What?" said Daylight.

"Don't say the birdies struck first?" asked Redsky.

"Just... tell them what you told me," Blueblood instructed the officer.

The officer nodded. "An entire platoon was broken up and forced on the run by a surprise attack. We're still trying to determine casualties. It's just... the descriptions of what happened... they're a little confusing..."

"Will you just get on with it, Lieutenant?" snapped Daylight.

"Yes, ma'am! The reports we're getting indicate the lone attacker was an alicorn. Several sources have compared her to Queen Celestia. She's supposed to have had immense magical powers, and control over shadows, and, um, she called herself 'Princess'."

Diane was more than a little lost what all this meant, but the reactions of the Council made the gravity of the situation obvious. The unicorn officer was growing uncomfortable under their intense gazes. Gelding slowly stood upright. There was nothing subtle about his display of emotion anymore. Diane had never, ever seen him like this before: eyes bulged, mouth wide open, barely able to breathe. He was shocked.

"Luna!" he rasped.

"How can that be possible?" muttered Redsky, "Luna is-"

"Don't you see, Duchess?" said Daylight. She had a vague smile on her face and seemed to be looking somewhere far away. "This isn't the Luna, it's merely a Luna. We actually are dealing with an incursion from a different reality! The theoretical implications of this are staggering, and..." She snapped to attention and glanced at Gelding. "And there are steps we must take to defend ourselves. You'd better bring your 'madpony' to the palace, Gelding. I'm sure the Queen will want to talk to him. In fact, I better go see her now and inform her of what's happened. This is very much a big deal."

Daylight scrambled to her hooves and took off, her dragon scampering after her – she then turned around and returned to pick up her book before taking off again. Blueblood and Redsky stared at each other in confusion, while the unicorn officer hesitantly waited for futher instructions. Gelding stood still as a statue, but the shock was already abating. He was hard at work, thinking, but who could say of what?

"Well, isn't this a doozy?" said Diane quietly.

Nothing good would come of this...

Next chapter: The Plan.

Author's Note

In strict chronological order, this chapter would take place before the previous one, I think. I was quite conflicted about how to order them, but ultimately figured posting them like this would have more impact. I don't know, maybe I was wrong?
If I did everything right, then you should have a whole bunch of questions now. I probably can't answer most of them, but feel free to ask.
I'm somewhat displeased with how the chapter ends. It seems far too abrupt, doesn't it? I didn't want the news to start another long discussion, so I hope you can follow Daylight's train of thought as is.
My current story outline has twenty-four chapters (subject to change, perhaps), and I've roughly divided them into three acts. This chapter represents the end of Act 1.

Chapter 11: The Plan (Part I)

"Are you to be my entourage?"

The two ponies looked at each other, and then back at Celestia. They were an earth pony and a pegasus, the former male and the latter female. Both of them were wearing sun-bleached cloaks that would have made them look more than a little conspicuous in any sane and rational universe.

"Are you 'Twinkle'?" asked the mare in a low monotone.

Celestia nodded, and produced a letter from her saddlebags. It was something she'd received from Twilight Sparkle – instructions on how to meet up to regroup, signed by Applejack herself. This was the designated place at the designated time, one small back-alley among hundreds of others in the town of Trottingham. The rebel ponies looked over the letter, then nodded to each other. They didn't see a tall and glorious princess standing before them, only an ordinary young mare with pretty pink curls, but there was something in their eyes – a certain wariness – that made Celestia suspect they had an inkling of who and what she was. She offered them a mild smile to put them at ease. She'd picked the form of an earth pony for the same reason.

"You're going to have to put this bag on your head if you want us to take you to our hideout," said the stallion, "I, uh, I hope that's all right." The mare glared at him, leading to a brief game of charades, with plenty of shrugging from both sides. "Well, it better be," added the stallion a little louder than necessary, "because it's not optional."

"Certainly," said Celestia, and bent her neck to allow them to cover up her head.

One of them took up a position ahead of Celestia, and one of them behind her. Were they escorts or guards – who could say? They themselves didn't know how it was appropriate to treat her. Eventually, after a few minutes of misdirection, they led her inside a building of some sort, and then underground. The air temperature dropped a few degrees as the floor slanted downwards.

Once they were deep enough, Celestia asked for permission to remove the blindfold. Even without being able to see, she could sense a hesitation in the ensuing silence. Nevertheless, they pulled the bag off. Both of them had their hoods pulled back now. The stallion was rather handsome, with a generic brown on brown color scheme. The mare was blackish-whiteish, suggesting she was either a zebra or a mixed breed.

As far as unlit underground tunnels went, the sights were quite interesting. The complex was obviously far-reaching – quite possibly linking together dozens upon dozens of different basements. Celestia made note of traps embedded in the walls, including mechanisms she guessed would cause the tunnels to collapse in case of intrusion. The place was a stunning testament to earth pony ingenuity and labor, all the more impressive for being built entirely in secret. After a few minutes of traversing empty tunnels, they reached deeper halls that were obviously built for habitation. Firelight seeped out from open doorways, and they started coming across other ponies, some of whom threw Celestia curious glances, while others passed her by in blissful ignorance.

"Might I perhaps ask where I could find my dear sister?" asked Celestia, all prim and proper. The earth pony guards were being so uptight that it was hard to keep the amusement out of her voice.

"Your sister," said the female guard, "That would be the Princess."

"That's right," said Celestia, as if she was talking to a little filly, "Princess Luna. I'm sure you've noticed her around."

The stallion cleared his throat. "I think I saw her in the canteen just a short while ago. I don't know if she's still there, but..."

"But it'll be a good place to start looking!" finished Celestia for him, "I would very much like to see my sister and make sure she's all right, so could you please point the way?" She looked around between the two. "Oh, and I suppose one of you should find Applejack and announce my arrival, isn't that so?"

The guards both looked shocked at the suggestion, and quickly held another wordless conference. Between a deep frown from the mare and more shrugging from the stallion, they seemed to reach some sort of agreement.

"I suppose one of us should," said the mare. Somehow, bizarrely, she made this innocuous comment sound like a threat.

Celestia watched her take a few steps back, then turn around and disappear into one of the nearby corridors. She took one last glance over her shoulder before rounding the corner. Celestia turned back towards the stallion. There was something very schoolcoltish in the way he looked away from her.

"The canteen?" suggested Celestia with a smile.

"Yes. Right."

The stallion seemed hesitant to put his back to her, so Celestia solved his dilemma for him by walking at his side. She didn't expect him to break the awkward silence.

"You're not exactly what I- we expected," he said.

"Oh indeed?"

The stallion didn't elaborate. His back was straight as a ruler, and his neck jutted upwards sharply. He looked as if he was trying to stand at attention and look casual doing so. It wasn't an attempt to impress.

"Did you think I would breathe fire and wear spiky armor and try to steal your foals?" asked Celestia, but regretted it an instant later. The jest seemed in poor taste, considering that many ponies indeed lost their children to Equestria's armies.

"I'm not sure," said the stallion, "I'm honestly not sure."

"Have you ever seen the Queen?"

"N-no. Never. I've just heard the stories."

"She's just a pony, you know. Underneath it all, despite all the power, she's just a pony. Don't ever forget that."

"That's what Applejack keeps telling us."

They walked the rest of the way without saying anything. When they finally reached the entrance to the canteen, Celestia breathed in sharply and raised a hoof to her mouth.

"Oh dear, I completely forgot," she said.

"What? What is it?"

"I just realized that I really should have a talk with Spike! Would you be so kind as to fetch him?"

"The dragon?"

"Yes, please. If he's available. I'll just see if Luna is here in the meanwhile, hmm?"

The stallion looked as if he might say something, but Celestia turned around and stepped inside without waiting for a reply. She didn't turn to see to ascertain whether he was leaving or not.

The canteen was low and wide – Celestia couldn't have stood up to her full height under the ceiling – and was lit by half a dozen low-burning oil lamps hanging above a series of long tables. The chamber was sparsely populated considering its size, and the ponies that were there mostly seemed to be conversing and generally killing time rather than eating. A few of them watched Celestia canter inside, but most of them were crowded around one of the side-tables and had their attention focused on a pegasus standing on top of a bench and gesticulating wildly. This pegasus happened to be Rainbow Dash. Celestia barely recognized her without her glorious mane.

"So there I was, playing chicken with a dragon," she declared, sweeping her forehoof from one side to the other, "Outmatched in every possible sense of the word, I'd set myself on a course for my own destruction! I'd been in some tough spots in my life, but this? This one was a real doozy! I knew that my survival depended on just one thing – firing off a sonic rainboom in the dragon's face at just the right moment..."

Fluttershy was also there, Celestia belatedly realized, sitting in the shadows behind Dash. She barely seemed to be paying attention to the latter's tale, choosing instead to take slow sips from a steaming cup and brood. Even seated, she looked incredibly fragile, like a flower made of ice, like she would break up at the slightest touch.

Celestia passed through an archway separating the canteen from a kitchen area where a single earth pony was bustling at an oven. Luna was also there: a large, deep blue shape in the darkness, crammed into a chair at a smaller round table. She seemed to consume the light around her – or perhaps glow more darkness. She was close enough to observe the crowd in the other room, but distant enough to give them an excuse to ignore her.

"This fudge is delicious!" Luna announced to the cook, just as Celestia was stepping in, "I shall have another!" Her eyes widened when she noticed Celestia. "Sister...?"

Before Celestia could do anything, Luna had stood upright, rushed up to her and nuzzled her face against Celestia's neck. It wasn't exactly royal decorum, and must have looked a tad awkward considering their usual size difference was currently reversed, but neither of them particularly cared at that moment.

"It is so good to see you again, sister!" said Luna.

Celestia gave her sister a kiss on the cheek. "Likewise, Luna."

"Your disguise is rather impressive! If only I had thought to disguise myself like you did..."

The sudden turn to self-admonishment wasn't lost on Celestia. "I'm glad that you're safe and sound. I never doubted that you'd acquit yourself well in this hostile environment."

Luna scoffed a little as she pulled back, but didn't say anything else. It was something Celestia had seen a thousand times before: Luna biting back self-criticism and burying it deep within. She was still bright and cheerful, so Celestia was loathe to push the matter with questions, but it was her duty to work through these things.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I've acquitted myself a little too well," explained Luna levelly, a lop-sided, apologetic smile on her face. "My hot-headedness may have cost us an important strategic advantage. But never mind that for now. We can go over all the particulars of what we've been up to later on."

The pair of them took a seat at the table, where Luna sidled up close to Celestia and offered her the plate of sweet fudge that the cook had deposited there. Celestia wasn't hungry, but accepted the plate to please her sister.

"Trottingham's a lovely town, isn't it?" asked Celestia, taking a spoonful of fudge to her mouth. She wished she more often practiced eating like an earth pony.

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "I could not disagree more, sister. I find an ugly, dreary, thoroughly unpleasant place. Unsafe too, as a matter of fact. That dome seems as if it could break up and collapse at any moment!"

"All of that is true, yes, but I still much prefer it to Everfree City. Oppression weighs ponies down like iron shackles in that place."

"I suppose conditions are abysmal all around," muttered Luna.

"Have you, Twilight and Spike gotten settled in nicely here?"

"You could say that." Luna turned her head to look at the ponies in the canteen. "The atmosphere is understandably awkward, you understand. They look at Twilight Sparkle and Spike and see one of their greatest, most dangerous enemies and a mindless, remorseless killing machine. To hear respected figures like Rarity and Rainbow Dash tell tales of how heroically they fought against one of the Secret Police must be rather jarring. I think they are coming around to recognizing Twilight's value, and not just for her magical abilities. But while we are on the subject, I believe you should go and talk to Twilight soon. She has need of your guidance."

"Oh? And where is she?"

"I told her to get some rest, so that's what she'll be doing if she knows what's good for her. She should be in the barracks, in Applejack's bed."

Celestia bent forward and arched an eyebrow. Luna made an adorable frowny-face that made Celestia want to pinch her cheeks. "You know very well what I mean!"

While Celestia laughed, Luna tried to look dignified. "This is a good crew here, I believe," she went on, "The Apple Underground has acquitted itself as well against Daymare Sun over the years as could be expected, and I see a lot of potential in Twilight's friends. I'm sure that with her guidance, they will be able to live up to heroic standard set by their counterparts. They will be a formidable group once we complete the set."

"Oh, I don't doubt that they will be formidable," said Celestia, stroking her chin.

"Now that you're here, we can hold a proper war council and come up with a plan. I have some ideas I want to put forward myself..."

"You know, you neglected to mention what the Apple Underground thinks of you."

"It's the strangest thing, sister!" said Luna, genuinely incredulous, "I thought my appearance would frighten them, but it is not so. Instead they seem curious – fascinated even! Some of them seem hopeful about my presence, and I've done my best to bolster their spirits and assure them that I will lend my power to their cause. I did not think to expect this. It's not so strange, after all, that they would feel an affinity for shadows, right? All their lives, shadows have provided them with safety and relief. Darkness has been their home. Isn't that bizarre?"

"I don't think that's bizarre at all," said Celestia tenderly.

"A while ago, I found out that this world's Luna was killed trying to fight back against Daymare Sun." Celestia had heard the same thing. It was a slightly shameful relief to know that she didn't have to break this news to Luna herself. "I thought this made me – her – a miserable failure. I'm still not sure that's wrong, really. It wasn't easy to hear that everything that other Luna ever was had been almost forgotten, but that might not be entirely correct. There's quite a few ponies here that have heard her name in bedside stories and vague myths. Those that have heard of her have been telling the rest since I arrived here. I had been nearly forgotten as well, and... truth be told, I don't even know why I'm telling you this. It's just good to know that she's not completely gone yet."

"Princess Luna led the original rebellion against Queen Celestia," said Celestia, "She was, in a way, the inspiration for all those that followed her, including the Apple Underground. They are right to look up to you."

They sat in a happy silence for a few moments, until Luna's expression started curdling. "Oh yes. I had nearly forgotten. Have you seen any sign of Brainy Bright?"

Celestia put down her spoon and took a thoughtful lick of her plate. Luna was right – the fudge was quite good. "No, I haven't," she said.

"Hmh. Neither have Twilight or I. That's not too surprising, really. He could be anywhere within the hemisphere for all we know."

"We'll come across him eventually, no doubt."

"Hopefully sooner rather than later! I will say this: we should not necessarily wait until we've defeated Daymare Sun to make contact with our Equestria. I am getting somewhat concerned with how things are going back home. All this time, you've been such a..." Luna briefly averted her eyes and then raised them again to meet Celestia's. "such a strong leader, and now you are lost to them." If Celestia hadn't known better, she would have had the vague impression that Luna was somehow reproachful. "There will be panic. If not right away, then once the short-term ecological problems become apparent. Equestria needs you, Celestia. You must not dally with your return."

“As a matter of fact, I have certain contingency plans in place. Besides that, my government isn't composed of children, you know. I'm sure Cadence, Shining Armor and Fancy Pants have matters firmly in hand for now. They have Twilight's friends to help maintain harmony, don't they?"

"That is true. Still, we mustn't forget about Brainy Bright! We have no way home but for him. Gah, I can't wait to get my hooves on him!"

"I didn't realize you felt that way, Luna..."

"Please do not turn this into a joke!" said Luna loudly, "He attacked you! He disrespected you! That coward! There is no punishment great enough!" Her anger disappeared in halting glimpses of expression, leaving behind only uncertain solemnity. She sighed, and went on speaking with uncharacteristic delicacy. "Please tell me how you feel about all this, sister. Are you... upset?"

Celestia hesitated. "I'm... disappointed in Brainy Bright's actions, yes, of course. He threw away so much for this one chance to get rid of me. I don't understand why someone so brilliant and well-regarded would... take such a negative view of me." There was a strained note in her voice that Celestia didn't appreciate. She didn't want to be thinking about this. "It doesn't matter," she said with a shake of her head, trying to smile, "It's irrelevant. We have bigger concerns, don't we?"

"Yes, well..." Luna bit her lip. "I didn't just mean Brainy Bright, I meant..." She made a weak sweeping gesture. "...everything. Fighting such a distortion of oneself must be a harrowing ordeal in itself. Part of you is still within Daymare Sun, guiding her. Everything about this world is a demonstration of sorts of your own potential for destruction, is that not so? By all rights, this should be an enemy more intimate than any you've faced before. I am not certain that I could stand to confront what I once was in person – and I know you're stronger than I am, and dealing with it much better than I would be, but... What I'm trying to say is that it would be understandable for you to be upset. I hope you know that I want to be here for you, to help you figure things out about Daymare Sun and what brought about her change."

For a moment, Celestia entertained the notion of telling Luna of her suspicions, but looking at her staring back with such obvious worry in her eyes quickly caused her to discard that idea. Where she should have been feeling grateful and touched, she instead felt a curious sense of detachment that she couldn't quite explain. Celestia was the comforter; she found that she did not wish to be comforted herself. In fact, she wished Luna had never even thought to raise this issue, if for no other reason than because she didn't want Luna to have cause to doubt her. She did not need to make sense of all the emotions roiling in her chest since finding out who she was up against to view the matter of her opposite number with perfect clarity.

"You don't have to tell me that, sister," said Celestia with utmost grace and deliberation, "I've never doubted that I can rely on you in this battle. When we work together, there's nothing we can't accomplish and no one that can stand against us. I know you'll help me fix everything and undo the evil that my twin has wrought."

Luna released a quiet breath. She looked as if she hadn't quite gotten what she'd wanted from Celestia, but all the same, she couldn't keep from blooming into a slight self-satisfied smile from the praise. "Yes. Yes, of course! I'll do anything within my power to help you!"

Celestia smiled and nodded. There was, of course, an unspoken implication in Luna's words. Nothing Luna had done in the time since her release from the moon had in any way made up for her actions as Nightmare Moon, at least in her own eyes. She'd taken on minor duties in the governance of the realm, started charities, traveled the world, saved and improved lives, but none of it was enough. Going up against Daymare Sun was a perfect chance to redeem herself for her actions as Nightmare Moon. There was something a little troubling about that mindset... Celestia knew her sister would have done good with or without a guilty conscience, but did Luna?

Both of them turned to their side at once, glimpsing movement from the corner of their eyes. The earth pony guard that had accompanied Celestia had appeared on the doorway, Spike in tow. They began moving through the canteen towards them.

"I'll have that talk with Twilight now," said Celestia, "but I'd prefer some privacy. Why don't you distract my little bodyguard for a moment?"

"If you wish."

The rebel and Spike approached their table. The earth pony had a vaguely nonplussed expression, but Celestia's gaze was invariably drawn to Spike. There was nothing particularly haggard about his appearance, but it was hard to overlook the faded black scorch-mark still adorning the scales on his belly. Celestia returned his wave.

"You found your sister," said the earth pony, "That's good. I've brought the dragon, but now we should really-"

"You there!" barked Luna, "Caramel, is it?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have a marefriend?"

"Yeah... buh... what?!"

Celestia, now upright again, bent down to the floor, pushed her snout underneath Spike and lifted him up, then let him roll down onto her back. Half a second later, she was already casually cantering away. Spike had dug his claws into her mane in response to the sudden drop, but she barely felt him. Somewhere behind him, Caramel was nervously explaining that he wasn't in the market for a marefriend.

"Ahem, welcome to the Apple Underground, Your Majesty," said Spike once he'd gotten the chance to brace himself. She found his light-hearted formality much more amenable than the real thing.

"Why, thank you, Spike. Let's go and find Twilight now, all right?"

Rainbow Dash's display in the canteen seemed to have taken a bizarre turn from self-aggrandizement to economic theory. She seemed to be talking about the rights of the working class. Celestia made a brief mental note of the oddity of this when she walked past, but paid it not further heed. She also noted that Fluttershy had taken off in the meanwhile.

After Spike had given her directions as to which corridor to head down, he settled down on her back and began telling a story. Spike talked, and Celestia listened. He talked of the dried-up and lonesome Dragon Swamp and meeting the fellow dragon that inhabited it, of Rainbow Dash and Agent Striker, and of the battle. He forwarded the explanation Twilight had given him of what had happened while he was unconscious, and described the awkwardness that took hold in the group after they left the swamp. He continued on with their search for the frontier town where Fluttershy made her home, with Luna and her cloud, with the griffon guest and the long path to getting Fluttershy to agree to come along. Celestia often asked for clarification or elaboration, sifting through the story, picking up errant facts and new bits of information to fit in with what she already knew. One could never be sure which seemingly innocuous detail could end up becoming relevant; being aware as much as possible was an essential part of problem-solving. Celestia was a big believer in the doctrine of "knowledge is power."

As Spike's narrative came to a close, Celestia first slowed down, then came to a halt and craned her neck to the side to look Spike in the face. She didn't want to give him the impression that he didn't have her full and undivided attention.

"I'm truly sorry to have put you in that position, Spike. You're far too young to have come so close to dying. It was a mistake to let you go out on your own."

Spike didn't completely succeed at putting on a brave face. "Yeah, well, it couldn't be helped, could it? We had to be there to save Rainbow Dash, and you had to be elsewhere to deal with other stuff."

"Mmm. Are you feeling all right now?"

"I think so." His hand unconsciously drew to his chest. "I'm not in any pain or anything, though I do get out of breath a little easier. I just wish I could have done more and protected everyone. I asked Twilight if she could figure out that growth spell and use it on me, but she just looked at me as if I was crazy!"

"Perhaps she doesn't want to put you in harm's way like that."

"Whatever," said Spike with a sigh, "But it should be my choice, right? Those other dragons haven't got a choice, but I do. I want to help, but... I can't. Not really. I can only send some letters and provide moral support."

"You don't necessarily have to fight to contribute," suggested Celestia mildly.

"I know, I know! I guess I'm not the only one feeling useless right now. Everypony's trying to figure out how we could track down Pinkie Pie right now. We're done for if we can't find her, but we still don't even know if she even exists!"

"I might have an idea or two on how to resolve things. For what it's worth, Spike, I'm sure you'll have a role to play in all this." She winked, leading to a sheepish smile of gratitude.

They reached the barracks in a couple of minutes. Celestia was noticing that, despite the skill of the labor that had created this headquarters, it was not particularly well-planned place. The barracks seemed to be a fairly haphazard collection of dormitories and bedrooms, with living areas interspersed in the halls, and the way there was long and winding. Some of that was no doubt necessitated by the secrecy of its construction, but this hidden village underground was not such a perfect place to live, in the end. Some of the bedrooms didn't have doorframes, much of the furniture was generations old, and hygiene and sanitation were probably luxuries. Celestia looked at the faces of ponies she came across, and wondered how many of them lived there because they didn't have a choice – because they were outlaws in the outside world, or because their previous lives had been destroyed by a whim of fate. She wondered how many of them truly preferred this sort of freedom.

Celestia caught a glimpse of Rarity in a common room, hunched over a young unicorn colt with a white coat and a blonde mane and talking to him in hushed tones. There was something vaguely familiar about the colt, but Celestia paid it no further mind. They were almost at Applejack's personal bedroom, which she'd been lending to Twilight to use.

"This is it," said Spike, hopping off Celestia's back to stand next to the closed door, "Twilight's been asleep for a while now, so it should be okay to wake her up."

Celestia stepped into the bedroom in her true form. She found Twilight still in bed, sleeping the sleep of the righteous. A pang of nostalgia went through her when she saw Twilight lying there in the darkness, looking so small, so defenseless, so much like a young filly. Twilight's mouth was open and her mane frazzled. It almost seemed a cruelty to wake her up, to drag her out of peaceful dreams into a harsh and troubled reality. Before Celestia could even finish the thought, however, a shudder seemed to pass through Twilight's body and her expression tightened into a frown. Celestia hurried closer and gently touched her shoulder as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Twilight awoke with a start, momentarily confused.

"Who's there?" she mumbled.

"It's me, little one."

Celestia did not need a spell to create a source of light like a unicorn would have – Celestia was light. It only took a thought for Twilight to see her as clearly as if it was the brightest day. As Celestia didn't need aid to see in the dark, the bright aura did not pass beyond her form to illuminate the room itself. Twilight wasn't even blinded; her eyes adjusted instantly.

"Princess Celestia!" gasped Twilight, "You're here!"

"Indeed. I only arrived a short while ago."

"Um, well, welcome!" Twilight scrambled up to sit on her haunches, rubbing the bleariness from her eyes. "I'm very, very glad to see you. We've been waiting for you to have a little conference and figure out what we're going to do next..."

"I know. Luna and Spike filled me in."

"Oh, did you find what you were looking for in that library? That prophecy?"

"Actually, I did not. I found nothing conclusive at all, only hints and clues and breadcrumbs." One of those breadcrumbs, admittedly, could yet prove very valuable.

"Ah... That's a pity."

"How did your journey go? Your letter mentioned running into some difficulties."

"'Difficulties?' Did I really write that?" She chuckled humorlessly. "Well, yes, we had some of those."

"Tell me what happened."

Twilight took a deep breath and broke into a story of her own. Although she was hesitant at first, it wasn't long before the words were streaming out of her. Celestia let her unload, without interruption, even though she already knew what happened. Twilight needed to get it off her chest. Her story was a little different from Spike's. Although usually so analytical, she now talked less of events but more of reactions, worries and emotions. The biggest worry on her mind was uncertainty – uncertainty about whether she should have acted differently, uncertainty about Rainbow Dash, and uncertainty about the path they were meant to take. When she was finally done, her voice was close to breaking.

"I'm just so glad you're here now," said Twilight, smiling vaguely, "It's all getting to be a bit much for me, all the decisions..."

"Oh, Twilight," said Celestia, wrapping her forehooves around her and pulling her close, "I'm so sorry you had to go through this. This must all be a terrible burden on you, but you don't have to keep worrying about it any longer. Rainbow Dash was right to take that pony's life."

Twilight tensed up and pulled back, looking at Celestia. Her big purple eyes were quivering in wonder and confusion. "Oh," she said. Poor, poor Twilight. She was ill-equipped to handle a dilemma like this. Celestia might have hoped that she'd never have to lift this veil of innocence from Twilight, but this was a situation that required a realistic perspective.

"I'm not going to tell you that these are somehow extraordinary circumstances that warrant extraordinary measures. Nothing about this place is intrinsically different from where we come from. Our Equestria has been violent and chaotic in the past and could easily become violent and chaotic again. It's taken a great deal of effort on my part to ensure the peace and stability of modernity that we all enjoy. What kind of ruler would I be if I lacked the will to do whatever it took to defend my people? The truth is that anypony that wishes to lead or to champion others should possess a certain... flexibility. I'm sure that someone as scientifically-minded as you, Twilight, can appreciate what I'm saying. It's very important not to fall into rigid patterns of thinking, and a stubborn insistence on a simplistic division of right and wrong is one of the greatest of such fallacies. Twilight, you don't think I've never killed anyone, do you?"

Twilight flinched as if slapped, even though Celestia's tone had been far from harsh. "I know you've fought in wars," she said quietly.

"You know this because you've read it in books, but you don't truly acknowledge to yourself what it means. I've sent armies off to do battle with the stroke of a quill and the sound of a trumpet. I've forgotten more combat magics than any unicorn has ever learned. And yes, I've fought myself." She touched her forehooves to Twilight's cheeks and forced Twilight to look in her eyes. "I've taken lives with these very hooves."

Twilight stared back at her, doe-eyed and mesmerized. "That's different," she whispered.

"In some ways, perhaps. In any case, it's been centuries since I've had to take measures like that. I've quite successfully phased out the concept of war, but make no mistake – it was integral in teaching Equestria's neighbors that ponies are not prey."

"You- you don't have to tell me this, Princess. I know that this is how things have to be. I may not like it, but I accept it."

"You might have to put forward more than just tolerance, Twilight. I'll do what I can do avoid it, but you may well find yourself in other life-or-death situations, where your survival, the survival of others and the success of our entire mission may depend on you making the right choice. Do you understand, Twilight? There may come a moment where all non-lethal avenues are exhausted and you yourself will have to kill as well."

There was, of course, one more theoretical scenario that these high stakes opened up. The fact that Celestia refused to acknowledge or consider this possibility, despite a nagging fear at the back of her mind, was a persistent reminder that her conviction was not absolute. That was not such a bad thing though. Celestia felt strengthened by the knowledge that there were lines that she would not cross, that her conviction remained tempered by morality...

There was a pause before Twilight answered her, as if she was mentally replaying Celestia's words to make sure she'd heard right.

"I- I don't think- I couldn't. I'm not a soldier, Princess, I'm just-" She stumbled over her words, unsure of what to call herself.

"You're my student," said Celestia gently, "so pay attention and learn. No pony is made for killing. Any pony can do it when the need is great enough. All it takes is an adjustment of mindset. Should you come face to face with other agents of the Secret Police, it would be better not to think of them as ponies at all. That will make it easier."

"They're not... ponies?"

"No, Twilight. They are weapons of the enemy; they are obstacles in the path to justice and freedom. Like their dragon slaves, they are nothing but tools. This Equestria is rotten to the core, and the Secret Police gnaws at that rot. I grieve for their ruined, stolen lives – I do – but there there won't be a place for them in the new world we shall create."

"What about Daylight Sparkle?"

"What about her? She is ultimately just another cog in a machine that has no other purpose but to ruin. Don't let her name bother you. Don't waste your time thinking about her. The time for pardons, forgiveness and re-education will come, but not yet. Right now, we must focus on victory. Don't ever think I don't consider this only the very last option, but it's important to explore all possibilities. This is a fight we cannot afford to lose."

Twilight's gaze slowly drifted away from Celestia's face and onto the empty darkness around them. Although she still looked conflicted, there was now a trace of academic puzzlement in her features, the likes of which Celestia had often seen while Twilight was considering some great theoretical problems set before her. Celestia could tell that she'd gotten Twilight thinking. Twilight may have had a tendency to over-complicate, but Celestia was certain she'd reach the correct conclusion in the end.

To be continued in Part II.

Author's Note

This is only the first half of the chapter I intended to publish here. You might notice how there's no, um, plan yet? It really pains me to take this step - for several reasons, but mostly because I look at this chapter and see something incomplete - but I just couldn't, in good conscience, sit on a perfectly workable chunk of the story while people were waiting for an update that was already long overdue. Luckily, the chapter was always composed of two sections, and I wanted to finish Celestia's arrival in Trottingham before moving on to the war council. I'm unsure whether I should combine the two parts once both are out; it seems like that could confuse people, and just generally make me look foolish. I hope you appreciate that I was willing to do this for you guys! ...Okay, I know that's a pretty lame excuse for being slow as fuck.
Splitting this in two does give me the opportunity to ask this: What do you think Celestia's suspicions are? What do you think the plan will be?
This chapter features some of the most emotionally complex dialogue in the story so far. I feel like I'm in way over my head, not getting across half of what I'm hoping to get across and with the appropriate subtlety - but that's all right, really. Getting this practice is I write fan fiction.
Something amazing happened a few weeks ago: one of you guys created a TV Tropes article for "Sunshine and Fire." I'm rather flattered and grateful for that. If there's any more tropers reading this, feel free to add to it.

Chapter 11: The Plan (Part II)

Celestia was among the first to arrive at the war council. She walked the length of the room, ignoring Applejack's glaring, and took a seat at the very front, right under her nose. She made a point of picking a seat opposite Twilight's.

The meeting took place in what could generously be described as a conference room. It was narrow and rectangular, with yet another cramped, low ceiling. Much of the room was taken up by four small tables pushed together to form a single large one. There were maps and scrolls lying on it, and a blackboard permanently smudged from overuse at the back wall.

The council ended up being a rather crowded affair. In addition to the main group, Applejack had – understandably enough – summoned some of her own lieutenants to the meeting as well, filling up most of the seats. Both of Celestia's escorts from earlier were there, as well as a fidgety green pony wearing glasses, and a tall, elderly pony that elected to remain standing at the far side of the room and didn't seem able to take his eyes off Celestia. As the room filled up, Applejack strolled around between them asking questions and giving follow-up orders to matters discussed previously, eventually settling into an exchange with Rainbow Dash admiring each other's accomplishments. Fluttershy and Rarity were also edging into a conversation, mostly consisting of polite, impersonal inquiries into each other's lives. By comparison, Luna and Twilight were both rather quiet, the latter obviously lost in thought.

When the time came, Applejack headed to the head of the table with a quiet sigh and called the room to order.

"Guess I'll get straight to the point," she said, "Things are not looking too good at the moment. Short of putting the word out to all our agents and contacts around Equestria to be on the lookout for this Pinkie Pie, I don't see any way for us to track her down, and that's not really a practical option."

"Not to mention," added Rarity, "We still don't know for sure whether there is a Pinkie Pie to be found."

Applejack nodded. "All things considered, the Elements of Harmony plan seems to be a bust. So I want to get this out of the way – anypony got any ideas that would convince me otherwise?"

Celestia let her eyes wander over the room. Nopony was in a rush to offer solutions to their dilemma. The only one who raised her hoof – and she did so only hesitantly – was Twilight.

"This ain't a school, Twilight," said Applejack with a lop-sided frown, "You can just speak up."

"Well, I've been mulling over this and..." Twilight turned to look at Celestia. "Couldn't you perhaps fill in for Pinkie Pie, Princess? The more I think about it, the more appropriate it feels. I'm sure the Element of Laughter would really suit you!"

Celestia smiled a particular sad smile she liked to use when she was letting ponies down. "Are we friends, Twilight?"

"Um," started Twilight.

"I wouldn't say we are. Don't get me wrong – you're very dear to me and I cherish the bond between us, but we are teacher and student, not friends. The Elements of Harmony would not react to our relationship."

Celestia didn't want to poison the well by suggesting there was too much bad blood between Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and the Queen for them to ever truly accept her, even though that was probably the case. No matter how disarming or amiable she could be, they would never look at her without preconceptions. The spectre of the Queen was just too powerful to allow for any sentimentality. Twilight, ironically enough, had just the opposite problem. Her feelings ran too deep. The sad truth was that friendship usually didn't involve worship...

And besides all that, Celestia hadn't felt much like laughter for a while now.

"Uh, isn't this a bit of a problem?" asked Spike, his head barely peeking over the side of the table, "Aside from the obvious, I mean. If finding one pony is such a problem, how are we ever going to track down Brainy Bright and get home?"

"Well, maybe we'll come across him by chance?" suggested Twilight, "No, I realize that's rather unlikely. But we'll definitely have an easier time looking for him once we've dealt with Daymare Sun."

"And on that matter," said Celestia, ever so slightly raising her voice so everypony in the room could hear her clearly, "I'm actually inclined to agree with you, Applejack."

Twilight perked up her head slightly, while Applejack looked at her in surprise. "Uhh, beg pardon?" she asked.

"Chasing after Pinkie Pie, at this point, would be a waste of time and effort. As a matter of fact, we might not need the Elements of Harmony at all."

There was a barely audible "What?" from Twilight's direction.

Celestia stood up and faced Applejack with a smile. "I have an alternative plan I'd like to put forward – with your permission of course."

"Hmh. Well, let's hear it then."

Celestia stepped to Applejack's side at the front of the room.

"But- but- Princess, wait!" sputtered Twilight, "I've tried really hard to make this work, and we're so close to having everypony together! Haven't you always told me to have faith in the Magic of Friendship?"

"Your quest thus far has not been in vain, Twilight Sparkle. Whether or not they ever become the holders of the Elements of Harmony, the group you've gathered is composed of extraordinary ponies."

"And me," came a quiet voice from the gallery. Celestia fixed Fluttershy with a glare, but she wasn't even looking in Celestia's direction.

"Each of you," continued Celestia, overlooking the group, "possesses skills and traits invaluable to our cause – and yes, that includes you, Fluttershy. Each of you is an asset. There is great merit in putting you all together in one room, in pooling your individual areas of expertise. With all of us combined, the Apple Underground has never been stronger. The "Magic of Friendship" need not be literal, you see. Sharing ideas, forming alliances, complementing strengths and weaknesses, cooperating – all of these things are part of that magic. The power of friendship isn't the greatest force in the universe because it manifests in a magical beam that solves problems. No, it's because what underlies that power are the social contracts without which civilization itself would not be possible."

Twilight didn't look reassured in the slightest, but neither did she inject any further. Applejack's eyebrows were doing some wondrous things. Celestia thought they might get crossed and tied into a sardonic little bow.

"So to beat Daymare Sun, we have to work together?" mused Applejack dryly, "Thanks for that particular bit of wisdom. Real enlightening." Somepony in the back coughed a half-hearted laugh.

Celestia merely kept smiling. "There are three primary problems for us to consider," she explained, "The first is the Equestrian Army. The second is its special operations division, the Secret Police, and their dragon enforcers. The third, obviously, is the Queen herself. Let me ask you this question: which of these do you think is our biggest concern?"

"The Queen," said Applejack immediately.

"I would also say the Queen," said Twilight. There were murmurs of agreement from all over the room.

"Are you sure?" asked Celestia, "Tell me, have you ever come face to face with her?" At Applejack's silence, she went on. "Has anypony in this room ever even met her?"

At this, some of the rebels turned to look at the elderly earth pony at the back of the room, who clenched his jaw and met Celestia's gaze.

"Yeah. I've met her."

Celestia had asked quite a few ponies about their experiences with the Queen. She was almost afraid to do it again, but couldn't help herself. "What was it like?" she asked softly.

The old pony had to force himself to answer, that was plain to see. "Not a whole lot to say, hmh. She was majestic and powerful and all that. She spoke slow and picked her words, but you could tell she had a thousand different thoughts going through her head all at once, and you felt like nothing you could do would ever take up all of her attention. Oh, she was quite pleasant, mind you. All smiles, as if she didn't have a care in the world. Everything she did was so damn gracious. But the thing is, no matter how nice she acted, you could always tell she was pure poison underneath."

The atmosphere in the meeting room was very awkward all of a sudden. Asking that question had been a mistake. Celestia wasn't even sure what she'd been hoping for, but she'd succeeded in trapping herself within expectations. What else could she do but keep smiling and try to segue onwards?

"Yes," she said, "The Queen's attention is always divided. Even something as troublesome as the Apple Underground is beneath her notice. She may be the biggest danger, but she is not necessarily the biggest concern. You already have your solution for dealing with her." She glanced at her sister. "Luna and I together will be able to overpower her in combat, I'm certain of it. We could fly to Everfree City and do it right now – though not without difficulty – but would that really solve your problems? Applejack, have you put any thought into what would happen if you succeeded at assassinating her?"

"'Course I have!" said Applejack. The question seemed to put her on guard – even more so. "Well, the government would be thrown into chaos, wouldn't it? Even the most high-ranking officials don't have much capacity for independent thought. They're pretty much all followers, not leaders. So, we figure the repressive policies would lighten while they try to sort things out, and we'd have more leeway to pick apart what's left. Besides, nothing frightens common ponies as much as the Queen, so they'd be much more willing to rise up against the state. If we were especially lucky, there might even be political infighting among the unicorns!"

"A sensible strategy," said Celestia, "but futile." That was putting it mildly. She was making an effort to be diplomatic. "A headless scorpion can still sting, and the Equestrian Empire would survive the death of its Queen. That's why she's selected an heir for herself. Upon Celestia's death, what happens next would be up to Daylight Sparkle. If she turned out to have the force of personality necessary to maintain control and suppress ambitious rivals, then she would simply take over where the Queen left off, and Equestria would be transformed into a more conventional hereditary monarchy. Nothing would change, at least in the short term. If, however, Daylight Sparkle should falter, you'd probably get the infighting you want - a civil war between unicorn warlords. I couldn't begin to speculate how long this conflict might last and how many ponies might perish in it. This chaos, as you call it, is the absolute worst case scenario, and something we must never allow to happen. Do you understand?"

Applejack kept a good poker face. Celestia couldn't tell whether an all-out war within Equestria was something she'd never considered, or whether it was an outcome she was willing to accept. "So where are you going with this?" Applejack asked, "Are you saying that the Secret Police is what we should be worried about?"

"Yes and no. The Secret Police is a tactical weapon. Their agents have impressive mobility and firepower, but they would never be enough to maintain control of Equestria on their own. Ultimately, they rely on the pegasus and earth pony armies for support, particularly in the occupied lands."

"The chains keeping you in your bondage were forged by your own kind," mused Luna quietly.

"That's deep, mare," deadpanned Rainbow Dash.

"What I'm getting at," continued Celestia, "is that it's pointless to distinguish between these three aspects of the enemy. All three need to be accounted for – not necessarily defeated outright, mind you, but accounted for. Luna and I can fight the Queen for you, but we couldn't fight the Queen and her Secret Police and her armies – at least not all at once. You're right to think that we need to remove the Queen from power, but you're not taking that idea far enough. A guerilla strike is not enough. To truly win, we need to conquer Equestria."

She paused for a moment to let the thought sink in. Big ideas had a way of captivating an audience. Even Applejack was intrigued enough that she didn't interrupt with questions.

"To do that, we'll need an army," said Celestia, "In fact, we'll need two. We need to enlist the dragons and the griffons to our cause."

"How?" asked Applejack simply.

Celestia allowed herself a tiny smirk. "Why, the magic of friendship, of course. It's really quite simple. I propose sending diplomatic envoys to talk to the Griffon King and the Dragon Matriarch directly. As luck would have it, we already have ins with both groups." She swooped her hoof towards where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were seated. "Rainbow Dash has a long-standing friendship with a dragon expatriate, whom we can convince to lead us into the dragon lands and vouch for us. Fluttershy provided assistance to a griffon scout in trouble. If we found that scout, she could get us past the border guard. I also propose that we explain the whole truth to the monarchs. They need to be aware that Luna and I are there to counter the Queen herself, as long as they don't become frightened of us."

"Um, with all due respect," said Rarity, "I'm afraid you may have misread the situation a bit. The Dragon Matriarch is Daymare Sun's closest ally. She would have no reason to make common cause with us."

"Oh, but she does. She's only an unwilling ally to Queen Celestia. Dragons are a proud race, and I assure they, they do not appreciate their offspring being raised as slaves to ponies. They will take the opportunity to rebel, if we give it to them."

"Are you sure? Would they dare go against Daymare Sun with that plague of theirs hanging over their heads? It is a matter of survival for them, isn't it?"

"It doesn't have to be. We can offer them assurances of more beneficial terms for the agreement to hatch their eggs in the future, as well as the return of their lost children. They have much to gain if we win."

"Okay, but what about the griffons?" asked Rainbow Dash, cocking her eyebrow, "How do you expect them to help us out? They kind of have problems of their own, what with the hundred thousand ponies on their doorstep, waiting to invade."

"Hundred twenty-five thousand, actually. But don't you see that this will work to our advantage? Most of the Equestrian Army is occupied at the border, leaving Everfree City protected only by the the city guard and limited reserve troops. The griffon air force is the most mobile military force in the world. If they help us take the capital and topple the Queen, they'll not only divert the invasion force but foil it entirely."

"That's... a hell of a long shot," said Applejack. She'd raised a hoof to her snout, and was gazing thoughtfully at the earthen floor.

"The fact that it's a long shot is what will make it work," said Celestia smoothly, "The Griffon Kingdom knows that it's facing certain defeat. A desperate gambit is the only thing that can save them. We'll be presenting them with an invaluable opportunity."

Celestia let her gaze wander around the meeting room, and she could see that attitudes were shifting. She's expected nothing less. Twilight of all ponies being the one to remain doubtful was also expected, but Celestia was certain her student would come through for her in the end.

"Okay," said Applejack. She lifted her head to look Celestia in the eyes again. "Okay. I have to admit, you've thought this through down to the last detail. This, huh, this might actually work."

"It will work," Celestia assured her.

"Um, excuse me?" Twilight was in the process of raising her hoof, but quickly let it drop her side. "I'm sorry, Princess, but there's still one detail..." She bit her lip, hesitant to contradict Celestia. "You still haven't explained what we're meant to do about Daymare Sun. You and Princess Luna will fight her, yes, but what about afterward? Without the Elements of Harmony, there's no way for us to purify her of her corruption. Is there?"

"I'm afraid not, Twilight," she said in her calmest, most reassuring voice, "As much as I'd like to keep looking for Pinkie Pie and the Elements, with the Equestrian Army poised to strike at the Griffon Kingdom at any moment, we have to make our move as soon as possible."

"So- so you mean to kill her?" burst out Twilight, clashing against Celestia's soothing tone.

"Sometimes, drastic measures are necessary. We talked about this, remember, Twilight?"

"Yes, but..." Twilight chuckled, almost hysterically. "You were talking about evil beings then! Daymare Sun is an innocent! She can't help what she's become! I mean, I mean, I thought rescuing her was as important as anything? You of all people should-"

"It's precisely because I am who I am that I feel qualified to make this decision," explained Celestia, "I know better than anypony what my twin would want, no? If I were in her position..." It disgusted her to make that comparison. "If I were in her position, I would want to be stopped, no matter how. Death will be a mercy to her. Trust me, Twilight."

Somepony else spoke then, almost too quietly to make out. Celestia turned around sharply.

"Could you speak up, please?" she asked.

Fluttershy blushed, but raised her voice nevertheless. "I was saying... that it doesn't matter who you are, that's still such a presumptuous thing to say." She dared to look up at Celestia this time.

Celestia had to admit, she was caught a little off guard by how... forthright Fluttershy was being. She looked at the pegasus quizzically, not even bothering to say anything. Despite Fluttershy's comment, Celestia didn't expect anypony but Twilight to be seriously resistant to the idea of killing the Queen.

Twilight, however, was still not letting the matter go. "She doesn't deserve to die," she pleaded.

Ecological destruction, chaos, starvation, extinction, murder, abuse, repression, fear, torture, genocide, death, death, death, death...

"Doesn't she?" mused Celestia, without looking back at Twilight, "Don't you think at least some part of the blame falls on her shoulders?"

There was a thump. Celestia turned back to face Twilight and found Luna standing upright, having pushed over the chair she was sitting on. She was taking heaving breaths, almost snarling, and it took until an empty feeling started spreading in Celestia's chest for her to realize how thoughtless she'd been with her words. Just when it seemed like Luna was about to explode with rage, she turned around and fled.

"Luna, wait," started Celestia. "I didn't mean it like that..." But already, Luna was out through the door and slamming it shut behind herself.

The silence in the room was deafening. Celestia came close to bolting right after Luna, but managed to maintain composure. For a brief instant, all the stares directed at Celestia seemed judging, but upon closer inspection, they were mostly just confused.

"Please excuse us for a moment," she said to nopony in particular and followed Luna outside in careful, measured steps.

Celestia expected having to chase after her sister, but Luna was right there, waiting for her in the corridor. She hadn't run away to avoid a confrontation, she'd done it to make the confrontation a private one. Celestia approached with carefully, without rushing to make any apologies. She wanted to give Luna the opportunity to calm herself down by getting her issues off her chest.

"Well, go on then," said Luna through gritted teeth, "Don't hold back on my account! Tell me how I deserved to be put down all along! It's so refreshing to hear how you really feel!"

"Please, Luna." She spoke clearly and slowly to put Luna's mind at ease. Once upon a time, she'd sung her lullabies in that same voice. "That wasn't what I was suggesting at all."

"I've misunderstood, have I? Of course I have, I'm just a dumb little filly, aren't I?"

"You're not dumb, and you're not a little filly."

"Stop it! Just stop it! Do you not realize how condescending you sound?! You keep talking like we're all foals – me, Twilight Sparkle, everypony!"

"I'm-" Tired. Tired of the constant self-pity. "I'm sorry if I've given you that impression. Please, calm yourself."

"Why should I?! Pray tell, what were you suggesting? You said it clear as day: I deserved to die!"

Celestia's mouth drew into a thin line. "I should have been more tactful and I apologize, but we have more important issues to deal with right now. This isn't about you, Luna."

Luna barked a bitter laugh. "No, it just has to be about you, doesn't it? Princess Perfect! You always know better than anypony!"

Luna raised her hoof and waved it in Celestia's face accusingly. Celestia looked at Luna's dirtied silvery horseshoe, and then back up at her face. Then she stood up straight. Whatever contrition she might have felt was fading, replaced by a burgeoning flame of anger all her own. When she spoke, she hardly recognized her voice.

"Why are you so mad?" she asked.

"Wh- Why would you even ask me that?!" demanded Luna.

"You've told me yourself that there were moments you were so desperate for release that you wished to die. You've sworn up and down that you'd have paid any price to protect the world from yourself. In fact, you've never tried to deny that the ultimate responsibility for Nightmare Moon's actions is yours – and now I'm the bad guy for agreeing with you?"

"I'm mad because- because you ever pretended otherwise! Perhaps I have said those things, but you know what? You were always there to tell me how wrong I was for thinking like that! All those reassurances that I was an innocent victim... what, were they all lies to make me feel better?"

"You were a victim, but I've never called you innocent, sister."

Luna reacted as if she'd been struck, losing her balance and taking a few steps back. A sound like half a neigh escaped her throat.

In any other situation, Celestia would have felt bad for saying something like that. Indeed, in any other situation, she'd never have said it at all. But the truth was that they did not have the time for Luna's histrionics, and even Celestia's patience wasn't limitless...

"Nightmare Moon started as a mistake – your mistake. Whatever it was that took over your mind, you invited it in!"
Luna sank back on her croup and dragged her forehooves over her face. "So you really would have killed me if you could have?" Her voice was meek and quiet now.

"No." Celestia shook her head. "No, no, no. If I hadn't had the Elements, I would have done everything in my power to find another solution. If I'd had some means so stop you without exiling you, I would have tried that as well. You only made a mistake, after all, and deserved a second chance."

Celestia thought Luna would be pleased to hear that, and so was surprised to see her sink even lower to the floor.

"Why does this other you deserve to be punished when I didn't?" she asked.

Why indeed?

Punishment wasn't really the issue – empathy was. Celestia had so many lives to save, and so little time to do it. The invasion of the Griffon Kingdom would be an unconscionable slaughter if allowed to happen, and there there ponies suffering and dying every hour that the Equestrian Empire was allowed to continue existing.

Or perhaps that wasn't it. It might as well have been a matter of simple, callous convenience. A death was the most obvious, most pragmatic solution to their problem. As disturbing as such cold-bloodedness sounded, a quick end was a good thing and would have allowed Celestia to focus on the substantial social problems that the Queen's reign would leave behind.

Perhaps that wasn't it either. Perhaps those were only excuses after all. In her heart of hearts, Celestia knew she wanted justice to prevail. More than than... she wanted to be the one to cast judgement. As much as she'd have liked to pretend this was only about Equestria and not at all about her, she couldn't deny her desire for redemption.

With a start, Celestia realized she'd left Luna hanging on her question.

"It's... complicated," she finally said, "One obvious difference is the severity of the crimes. Nightmare Moon's holocaust was averted, but the Queen has been enacting evil for centuries."

"So you would have been willing to kill me after all, if things had gone differently..."

"I don't much see the point of such speculation. Are you asking me if I would still have forgiven you if you'd succeeded in wiping out all life in Equestria? Do you really want me to answer that?"

Luna was quick to anger, but she was also quick to calm down. Unfortunately, she often calmed down by sinking into melancholy. All the fight seemed to have drained out of her.

"But the mistake we made... it was the same one, wasn't it? Everything that came after that was out of our hooves. That's... what I need to believe. If I deserved a second chance, then so does she." Luna's eyes narrowed. She found the energy for another accusation after all. "Is this the reason, sister? You can't stand the idea that you could have made a mistake, so you want to wipe out the result?"

Luna never realized how close Celestia got to striking her. There was a moment – just a moment – where Celestia would have done almost anything just to get her to shut up. Every word was like a nail driven into her chest.

"You want to know why I'm not going to forgive 'Daymare Sun'?" asked Celestia, "Because I'm not convinced she is."

"What are you saying?" asked Luna with a suspicious scowl.

Celestia sighed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm saying I don't believe I'm possessed like you were." She spoke quietly, heeding a half-conscious fear that the ponies in the meeting room could hear.

Luna stared at her, barely comprehending her words. Gradually, her expression drew into perplexed outrage. "But-" she started.

"The Queen herself doesn't call herself Daymare Sun, do you realize?" Celestia spoke over her sister. "Using that name is banned in Everfree City. The only ones that call her that are outlaws, and even they don't know what it's supposed to mean. Why do you think this is?"

"I don't know, but-"

"I've been suspecting it for a while now. In Everfree City, the Queen is everywhere. There are so many little things I found out about her behavior, her personality, her tastes. She's not just an avatar of dark impulses, she's too fully formed. She's keeps the world in this hellish state rather than trying to destroy it, and rejoices in being called a tyrant. I don't understand it. And the name... Nightmare Moon coined her own moniker, but whoever it is that sits on that throne, she wants to be known as Celestia."

"But why?!" Luna leapt back to her hooves and stood closer to Celestia, "Why would you- why would she do this?"

"I don't know." Celestia regretted revealing her theory to Luna. She thought she should be honest with her sister, that she would feel better with the truth out in the open. She didn't. Instead, she only felt as if she was drowning in shame.

"This doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up. I refuse to believe it! You are the best pony in the entire world; you could never be evil! You really are perfect!"

Celestia stared at Luna and reflected on why hearing that somehow made her feel like she'd done something wrong.

There were many, many ponies who felt the same as Luna. Princess Celestia was perfect. Princess Celestia was everything a pony should be. Princess Celestia could do anything except wrong. Celestia did her best to live up to expectations, and she certainly never resented others for thinking well of her, but... she'd have liked to think her own sister knew her better than that.

"Thank you for... believing in me," said Celestia with a mild smile, "I suppose we'll find out the truth soon enough. But let's head back now, all right?

Luna nodded and scrambled up to her hooves, then rubbed her eyes to make sure there weren't any tears in them. Together, they cantered back into the conference room.

Celestia had the vague feeling everypony there had been sitting in uncomfortable silence the whole time they'd been away. Nopony even seemed to have moved. Luna quietly took her seat, and Celestia made her way back to the front of the room.

Rarity was the one to take an initiative in breaking through the awkwardness. "I have a question, ahem, Princess?" She'd steepled her hooves on the table and was looking up at Celestia quizzically.

"Go ahead, Lady Rarity," said Celestia, sitting down on her haunches and facing her.

"I do foresee something of a long-term problem in this plan of yours. Inviting in foreign powers to counter Queen Celestia's power-base is certainly clever in itself, but it's something that could have far-reaching consequences. Once they've won this war for us, why would the Griffon King and the Dragon Matriarch just leave? You didn't really answer the question you posed to Applejack earlier – what's going to become of Equestria once the Queen is gone? Will we be left under occupation by our own allies?"

"That's a valid concern to raise," said Celestia, "The Queen's fall will indeed leave behind a power vacuum – one that Equestria's neighbors will no doubt try to take advantage of. There's no need to worry, however. I've taken that into account and fully intend to leave ponies with their own sovereign nation."

"Mmm, but what steps, exactly, will we take to ensure that?" asked Rarity.

Celestia was going to have to handle this... delicately. Since she seriously doubted that the group would appreciate her dancing around the issue though, she laid out her idea straight and upfront.

"Once the Queen is dead, I will have to take over as interim ruler."

All at once, the room exploded with a flurry of questions and protests and general disbelief. There were gaping mouths, furrowed brows and wide eyes. Of course, nopony present was as outraged as Applejack.

"No way. No way! We're not going to exchange one tyrant for the exact same tyrant!"

"Please don't be melodramatic, Applejack. If you'll just think about it, you'll find that there's a lot of merit to the idea. I have the power to stand up to potential retaliatory aggression on part of the dragons and griffons, and – even more importantly – only I can use the Queen's own authority to overturn her orders and begin deconstructing the system she's created. I doubt many of her followers would dare stand up to me once I've taken control."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!" said Applejack. She stomped closer and got up in Celestia's face. "Read my lips, missy: unacceptable! Our next ruler's gonna be democratically elected!"

Celestia didn't know whether to admire her idealism or pity her naivete. "I don't believe democracy would be the right solution for Equestria's problems," she said, treading carefully.

"Figures an autocrat would say that," growled Applejack.

"I understand the necessity for external security," interrupted Rarity thoughtfully, "I do! But if we're taking control of the state itself, we'll have the largest army in the world protecting us. Surely they will keep outside threats at bay?"

"But who will guard you from the guardians?" asked Celestia.

"And who's going to guard us from you?" Applejack shot back.

"Applejack, let me remind you..."

"What is it?!"

"...Let me remind you that this world will still need somepony to take control of the sun and attempt to fix the ecological damage your world has suffered."

"I don't give a rat's ass about the sun! We've managed to survive in the heat for hundreds of years and we'll manage it in the future too!"

"Don't let your pride stand in the way of your better judgement," said Celestia, never one to miss an opportunity for a lesson, "You need to keep the well-being of the people above all else."

Applejack looked particularly offended by the implication that she didn't, but before she could voice her displeasure, Twilight brought up an issue of her own.

"But Princess... What's going to become of our Equestria? How will it keep functioning while you're taking care of things here? Assuming we do find Brainy Bright, of course."

"Keep in mind – all of you – that this is only a temporary solution."

"But then, what do you see as the permanent solution?" asked Rarity, "If you're only the interim ruler..."

Celestia smiled, and looked at her sister.

Luna came just shy of turning around and checking whether there was somepony standing behind her. Her face froze in a curious expression of breathless shock.

"Luna can do everything I can do," Celestia said, glancing over to Applejack, "but should prove to be much more agreeable to the populace. I think you would do well, Luna, if you decide to accept this role. After all, who would be better for ending the Eternal Day than you?"

There were only a few instances in her long, long life that Celestia could think of when she had ever been so profoundly unfair. She was offering her sister an impossible responsibility – an arduous, lifelong task in a sad distortion of their true home – and she did it with the knowledge that Luna would feel compelled to accept due to her sense of duty and caring. It was unfair – but it was also the best possible outcome Celestia could envision. Luna could make this Equestria beautiful again, and in doing so, she could finally escape Celestia's shadow.

Celestia knew she was right, but once again found herself wondering what had led her to making this call. Was she looking out for the ponies and other peoples of the otherworld, or was she simply taking the most logical steps? (Two Princesses, two worlds. It made sense.) Or was she perhaps acting out of a selfish desire to see her sister succeed? In their own Equestria, Luna would never escape the anguish of being second place, both in the hearts of the people and in the rulership of the realm. This was the chance she'd been looking for her entire life. Celestia was confident in the gesture she was making.

Of course, however right this course of action may have been was not going to make their farewell any easier...

Luna's face was scrunched up from fervent thinking. Celestia could guess the question that was on her mind. Was this vote of confidence a lie? Did Celestia only propose the idea out of guilt, to make up for their spat? These doubts were in themselves proof that Luna needed this. She needed a space of her own to come into her own.

When she finally opened her mouth, she managed to press out a single, pained syllable...

"I..."

...before Applejack interrupted her.

"What's the difference, really? Either way, we'll have some unknowable overlord controlling us. Ponies need to stand on their own four hooves!"

"Exactly!" added Rainbow Dash, "Well, sort of. We'll never achieve a classless social order with a monarch being more equal than everypony else."

"Now hold on just a moment," said Rarity, "We shouldn't reject the idea out of hoof. Surely there is some merit to the idea of an enlightened monarchy..."

"'Enlightened?'" repeated Applejack, "Are you messing with me, Rarity?"

"You know what she meant," murmured Fluttershy.

"As fruitful and interesting this debate promises to be," declared Celestia, "this is no time for it. We've yet to win the war, after all."

It was difficult, not being in charge. Celestia had plenty of experience being deferential from the times she'd spent among common ponies in various guises, but in a situation like this, her first instinct was to be the Princess. She tried to find a balance between being mindful of Applejack's authority and keeping control of the dialogue.

"Nor is it the time for second-guessing and belly-aching," she continued, "The invasion of the Griffon Kingdom is imminent. We need to act now. I have put forward my plan. You have asked your questions. Now let me ask you something – do you have any alternatives to propose?"

There was dead silence in the meeting room. Twilight Sparkle was holding her head, desperate to come up with something to put forward, but no new ideas came.

"Then... shall we proceed, Applejack?" asked Celestia.

The decision was difficult for Applejack, but she didn't hesitate in making it. Quick glances at the faces of her troops was all she needed.

"We'll go ahead with the griffon and dragon alliances," she said, "Everything after that? Well, we'll see about that."

Celestia smiled and nodded. "Very good." She turned back towards the rest of the group. "I also have some ideas about deployment. I would propose that Luna take Rainbow Dash and Rarity to pick up the water serpent and then onward into the dragon lands. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike should head back to the griffon border – I'll have to give you a crash course in long-range teleportation so you can get there fast enough, Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle frowned at the idea of her newly formed group of friends being split up, but refrained from saying anything. It was admittedly a rather counter-intuitive move after Celestia's speech about complementing each other, but they had little choice at this point.

Spike stood up in his stool to have a better chance of being heard. "Uh, couldn't I go to the dragon lands too, Princess? I wouldn't mind seeing the place at least once, you know."

"Ahem, yes," said Rarity, "I'd actually take issue with these placements as well. There doesn't seem to be much of a point in me going there, and I'm... not exactly cut out for field work."

"You'll be part of a diplomatic envoy, Lady Rarity," answered Celestia, "It'll be an excellent opportunity to make use of your particular talents. Don't forget dragons' love of precious gems either. Both your treasure-finding magic and personal fortune could prove to be valuable negotiating tools. As for you, Spike..." She stepped over to the table and reached forward to pat Spike on the head. "I'll need you right where I put you. The dragons can get into contact with us by their own dragonflame, but you'll have to mark the Griffon King so we can keep in communication with him through you. You'll be crucial for coordinating our attack."

The change in Spike was subtle but immediate. He pulled in his stomach and stood a little straighter, almost seeming to have a slight gleam in his eyes now. Making others feel appreciated was one of Celestia's favorite hobbies.

Luna was still too bewildered to question Celestia's suggestions, but her placement had been no accident either. When dealing with beings as old as the elders of dragonkind, somepony of Luna's age had much better odds of gaining their respect and regard than just anypony.

"And just what are you gonna be doing all this time?" asked Applejack.

"Oh, me?" Celestia pointed a hoof in her own face. "I don't think either the dragons or the griffons would react well to my being there. In fact, I may well seriously jeopardize the talks, so I'll keep myself busy elsewhere. There's still a lead I have to follow up on..."

"Is this still about that prophecy?" asked Twilight Sparkle, "I thought you said you didn't find anything at the library?"

"I didn't find a prophecy. I did, however, find a reference to a prophet – the same Oracle that predicted Nightmare Moon's release from the moon in our world. I want to visit the island where she's said to have lived and look for any remaining prophecies that might pertain to us."

Finding such a prophecy could turn out to be an important strategic asset, that much was undoubtedly true... but there was something else as well. Celestia needed to know what had caused her counterpart to fall, and the hidden knowledge of an ancient pony oracle might well have been her best bet. Aside from asking the pony in question herself, of course.

"Well, I guess that settles it," said Applejack, "Twi, you can take care of the Griffon King on your own. I won't be going along."

"Oh?" said Celestia.

"I'll be coming with you. Whatever you're up to, I'll be there to keep an eye on you. Got that?"

Celestia considered it, and acknowledged her decision with a bow of her head. "I think that's a wonderful idea. We have a lot to discuss."

"Whatever you say." Applejack sighed and spoke up. "All right, folks, we've got a lot to do so let's move it. We'll need supplies packed, for one, and somepony better find these folks some books or something about dragons and griffons..."

One by one, the ponies at the table stood apart and left, rushing off to follow Applejack's orders or to get everything in order before they left. Some of them were excited for the path they were on, and some of them weren't. Twilight picked up Spike and headed off, her head bent low. Luna was the only one who remained sitting.

Celestia stepped up to her sister. Even though Luna was almost a head taller, she still seemed so little as she looked at Celestia. Celestia leaned closer to tell her something.

"Just think about it. I know you'll make the right decision."

Next Chapter: Shades of Grey Clouds.

Author's Note

I conceived Sunshine and Fire in the June of 2011, when the MLP craze had barely started and I had just finished reading The Final Empire, the first book in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. The Final Empire deals with a group of rebels conspiring to defeat a powerful tyrant that's been ruling their ruined world for a thousand years. Does that sound familiar? Obviously, there's some substantial differences between the two stories, but this is probably the chapter in which the influence shines through the most. Although I didn't know it at the time, every book in the trilogy features a scene where the protagonists sit down and put together a plan of action.
The story's structure is going to change a bit for the second act. Up until this point, with the exception of Chapter 10, everything has taken place in tough chronological order. The next four chapters, however, will take place simultaneously.
I have some... doubts regarding this chapter. I mean, I know the oodles of bad expository dialogue is a particular weakness of mine, but it's almost obscene here, isn't it?
I'll be rejoining parts 1 and 2 in a while as originally intended. Considering these 7000 words basically form a single long scene, I can see why you might think it should actually be a separate chapter of its own, but I encourage you to reread them in order. If I've done everything right, you should be able to see exactly how everything in part 2 is an outgrowth of part 1. (And in the big picture, I hope you'll appreciate elements from the whole story so far coming together.)
General question: which part of the plan do you think will go wrong first?

Chapter 12: Shades of Grey Clouds (Part I)

The longest span of space Twilight had ever teleported was somewhere in the range of a few miles. The trip from Trottingham back to the border of the Griffon Kingdom was several hundred miles as the pegasus flew. To add to the challenge, she was going to have Fluttershy and Spike along with her. The learning curve was such that Princess Celestia had decided that Twilight should make the journey in four jumps, just to make sure she wouldn't be over-taxed or get lost along the way.

The Princess had seemed vaguely distant and distracted throughout their short lesson, but her teaching was impeccable as always. Twilight was reasonably familiar with the theoretical underpinnings of teleportation already and she'd been a passenger on a number of long jumps; Celestia helped her put the pieces together. Much of the impromptu lesson was spent on stressing the importance of maintaining focus.

A lot went into teleportation: expelling the appropriate amount of magical energy, maintaining perspective on topology, finely calibrating two calculated rips in space-time, and so on and so forth. The most complicated part of the procedure – and also the most unpleasant – was the lack of sensation. On a short-range jump, the time-lag involved was practically imperceptible. On a longer journey, several seconds could pass in an empty void between arrival and departure. Twilight could neither see nor hear nor feel – and disconcerted like that, a few seconds could seem like an eternity. It was easy, then, to lose your head and also your sense of direction, ending up somewhere you didn't intend to go as a result. Twilight had to ignore instincts she'd honed for years in order to teleport to a place she wasn't completely familiar with.

Twilight made one jump, she made another, and then a third, and still she didn't get used to the process. Even when she appeared in the thin grass of the northeastern frontier, she instinctively gasped a deep breath she didn't need. A moment later, she felt a wave of fatigue hit her like a mule. All of a sudden, she was exhausted once again – mentally if not physically. She felt much as if she'd just spent an entire day doing exams. Fluttershy and Spike were both there with her, holding onto her tail for dear life.

"Are you alright?" asked Twilight, "Everypony still has all their parts?"

She was trying for some levity, but only caused Spike to pat himself over to make certain. Fluttershy, looking paler than usual, did not respond. She let go of Twilight's tail and inched away into her own personal space. She'd been just as awkward bunching up close to Luna with the others for the trip to Trottingham.

They'd landed several miles further northeast from Fluttershy's hometown, just at the edge of where the hills were becoming mountains. Up ahead loomed sharp inclines and cliffsides. The grass was already noticeably thinner, and the earth was caked and spotty from intermittent rainfall. The remains of Luna's giant storm cloud lay scattered in the sky above them. Much of it had come down in the mountains, either obstructed by the higher ranges or evaporated by the heat, and some had remained drifting aimlessly in the borderlands, but the magic of the cloud had allowed the rest – against all odds and meteorological sense – to pass beyond and provide shade for the Griffon Kingdom. Twilight could only see occasional glimpses of sun on the horizon, with impossible gray clouds swirling around underneath it to block out the light. They were safe from the sunshine, at least for the moment.

"So now what?" asked Spike, "We're just going to wander around and hope we come across some griffons?"
"They should have a defensive perimeter somewhere around here," said Twilight, still running her eyes over the surrounding countryside, "If we don't find it soon, we can head further inland and look for a settlement, but I'm worried that might leave a rather hostile impression."
Fluttershy mouthed something wordlessly, then turned her head away.

Twilight suppressed a sigh. "It's all right, Fluttershy. What were you going to say?"

"I was just wondering whether the griffons would recognize you..."

"Well, I don't think so. The border's been closed off for a while now, right? So, I imagine the average griffon wouldn't be up to date with the newest political developments from Equestria, like who Daylight Sparkle is. I suppose they're bound to have an intelligence community that would keep track of these things though."
"You mean spies?" said Fluttershy, "I'm not so sure about that..."
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

Twilight hadn't had nearly as much time to familiarize herself with the Griffon Kingdom as she would have liked. She only really knew the basics – that it was a hereditary monarchy in which the king or queen usually governed in concert with a parliament, but had control of the military and other emergency powers during wartime. The current King of the Griffons was Humphrey the Third, the latest in a dynasty that supposedly reached back to before the dawn of the Eternal Day. Twilight also knew that the griffons had a proud military tradition, but even that wouldn't be enough to make up for their immense numerical disadvantage.

"The impression I've always had is that they'd be too honorable for spies. But, um, I'm not an expert or anything. I'm just going by what I've heard."

Twilight nodded, pondering over her words. Fluttershy stepped back from her in a clear attempt to end the conversation. Twilight didn't push it, only cast a worried glance at Spike, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we better head on," said Twilight, "We might not have a whole lot of time."

They had to walk uphill, of course. Even if they wouldn't have had to split their attention between scanning the surroundings and keeping an eye on the ground due to the difficult and potentially treacherous terrain, the environment didn't make things easy for them. It was hard to get a good overview with so many nooks and crannies that could have been used as hiding places, and it was really only a matter of time before the crags and cliffs made further passage by hoof impossible.

Cantering through the desolate wilderness, it was so easy to get the impression that they were all alone there. For miles and miles, all they could see was raw and empty nature. From time to time, they found some dubious signs of life, like a lost piece of equipment or a claw-mark on rock, but nothing concrete. Even if the area hadn't been swept over by rainfall recently, griffons would probably have stayed airborne often enough that there was little hope for finding any pawprints to conveniently lead them to a hidden camp. Still, finding some griffons was ultimately less important than some griffons finding them.

Perhaps it was the urgency egging her on and making her antsy, but Twilight quickly lost her sense of time. It felt as if they'd been on the move for hours. In fact, she was finding it rather difficult to keep her mind in the moment.

To begin with, she was acutely aware that somewhere on the plains behind them, there was an army on the move: ten thousand earth pony infantry and hundreds of unicorn officers and magician-specialists. Each one of them was, whether willingly or unwillingly, a trained killer. They might have been a hundred miles away or only ten, there was no way to know. The troops had spent days and weeks on the march; they were tired and frustrated. Twilight could only imagine that they couldn't wait to take out their frustrations the only way they could – on the enemy. Thousands of soldiers more were spread across the border, and somewhere further away, the main body of the invasion force was waiting. Their encampment must have been as big as a town. Twilight could barely imagine it, nor dare to speculate how it was all organized or provided for.

Were the ponies there fearful of the coming battle, or were they looking forward to it? It must have been a bit of both. Many of them were no doubt fixated on the danger, or thinking of loved ones back home, or just wanted to do the right thing, but others... others may well have enjoyed the opportunity to shed blood. In the end, all of them would do as they were told and stomp down every single griffon in their path. Twilight knew she wasn't there to do anything about the Equestrian army directly, but it was hard not to worry when that army might come bearing down on them at any moment. The way Spike occasionally turned to glance at the skyline over his shoulder made it obvious she wasn't the only one this matter weighed on. It was odd to think that she was going to walk into the Griffon Kingdom and tell them to ignore this profound existential threat at their doorstep...

This was, however, not the only issue that stuck to her mind. Twilight's thoughts inadvertently kept wandering back to the war council, Celestia's plan and the objections she'd made, and the more she dwelled on what had happened, the more the situation weighed on her. A queasy sense of doubt in her chest that she might have gone about things the wrong way was becoming an ironclad certainty that she'd failed, failed, failed... She'd failed her mistress.

Princess Celestia was acting unlike herself. Twilight had noted that fact and thought it disconcerting, but she'd put no real thought into why that was – so consumed had she been by her moral dilemmas that she'd completely neglected to consider the strain Celestia was under. The Princess had taken responsibility for so much, she was up against the worst possible enemy and had to make everything right while still dealing with allies who didn't understand her and questioned her wisdom. Right now, more than ever, she would have needed Twilight's support. Whatever misgivings she might have had, Twilight should have been ready to raise her voice in support of Celestia's plan instead of second-guessing everything. All the while that Twilight had spent on the road on her quest, she'd expected Celestia to have the answer to any dilemma or question she faced. Now she rejected Celestia's solutions out of hand instead of trusting in her judgment as she always had. In the end, didn't the Princess know best about what was right and what was wrong?

It was maddening. How could she have undermined her mentor like this, on such an important matter? Twilight could only conclude that she'd been a bad student and a bad subject. She'd have liked nothing more than teleport back to Celestia and beg her forgiveness. Since that wasn't an option, she at least resolved to do her very best as the Princess's agent. What other option was there?

Twilight gave her head a shake, trying to clear away the intrusive thoughts. This was neither the time nor the place for deep thinking. It would have been rather silly if she slipped in her inattentiveness and broke a leg or something.

She was finding the journey uncomfortable, especially with her head still fuzzy from the teleporting, but in truth, she was more worried about Fluttershy. The pegasus looked perennially tired anyway, so it was difficult to say how she was doing, but the heavy rising and falling of her back certainly gave the impression of exhaustion. Twilight veered closer to her.

"Can I ask how you're feeling, Fluttershy? Everything okay with you?"

Fluttershy's ears twitched. She responded without turning to face her. "You mean aside from the fact I'm under-qualified outlaw wasting time stumbling around in the middle of nowhere while my love might be having his eyes gouged out this very moment, if he's not already dead? Aside from that, I'm fine."

Twilight and Spike both cringed. Fluttershy didn't even raise her voice, but the bitterness, subdued as it was, was palpable.

"Well, I'm glad you're holding up," said Twilight, "The cloud's not bothering you or anything, is it?"

Fluttershy looked at her impassively. "It's just a cloud."

"Well, yes." Twilight chuckled nervously. "I just thought you might find it a little... disturbing."

"...It's just a cloud," repeated Fluttershy, "I did use to work with them, you know. We had to corral some of these every few weeks when they came floating in from the sea, and then either disperse it or gather it up. This one's just a little bigger. And more willful." She hesitated before going on. "Would... the other me be afraid of a cloud?"

"Well, maybe. She's afraid of a lot of things, but then again, she's also got this enormous reserve of inner strength and always ends up surprising both her friends and herself." Twilight hoped she wasn't being too obvious with the encouragements.

Fluttershy seemed to struggle internally with whether she wanted to express her curiosity, but finally gave in after all. "So what does she do? Doesn't she work in the Cloud Patrol as well?"

"Our Fluttershy's just an associate member. Her main job is taking care of animals. She pretty much single-hoofedly keeps the fauna around our hometown in order. And of course, when somepony's pets or farm animals are sick, she can take care of them."

Whereas Fluttershy had only kind of sort of focused on their conversation so far, Twilight could tell she now had her full and undivided attention. There was a barely-masked gleam of envy in her eyes. "I never really wanted to be in the Cloud Patrol anyway," she said after a moment, "I'm not really much of a flier, and... training in meteorology always struck me as as something with very limited usefulness. But I was lucky to get a position like that, with my family history, so I had to take it." She sighed. "Do I have a lot of animals in your world?"

"Oh yeah, tons," said Twilight immediately. She thought Fluttershy would be happy to hear that, but the pegasus only lowered her head and stared mutely at the ground. Conversing with somepony so melancholy was difficult, but Twilight found her annoyance receding in favor of an ever stronger desire to make Fluttershy feel better.

"She sounds coddled," said Fluttershy quietly.

Based on the little she knew about her parents, Twilight wouldn't exactly have described her as coddled, but she doubted that this was what Fluttershy wanted to hear. "Maybe so," she admitted with a shrug, "But I guess we're all coddled compared to you and others who live in this world, aren't we? We've had it pretty easy." She didn't quite say Fluttershy could feel proud for managing as well as she had, but nevertheless hoped her meaning would be understood.

Fluttershy only twitched. She seemed to pick her next words very carefully. "I can't really look down at her anyway. You know, before Gilda crashed down in my back yard, I was starting to think about... I was starting to wish I could just lay down and-"

"Halt!"

The voice came from the sky. Twilight looked up just in time to see a blur strike the ground ahead of them, perhaps twenty meters away. The griffon was large, and covered head to wing with a bulky armor of leather and plated mail. The emblem of the Griffon Kingdom was displayed on his chest: 14 golden slashes arranged in four ordinal clusters, two groups of three talons at the top and two groups of four claws at the bottom. The uniform must have been unbelievably hot to wear – not to mention heavy, but the griffon didn't show the slightest sign of discomfort. He stood up straight and spoke.

"I am Sir Reynald Oldhome the Reliant." The griffon's voice pierced the air, sounding as loud and clear as if he was standing right next to them. "I hereby declare you to be prisoners of the Griffon Kingdom. Will you resist, lady unicorn?"
It was game time. Twilight cleared her throat. "We're not here for a confrontation, Sir Reynald. We're here on a mission of peace."

Other griffons were touching down around them. The group was an even mixture of male and female, with plumages reaching from white to light brown. Most of them were light and willowy rather than heavy-set and tall like the knight. They were also not armored nearly as heavily; some were only wearing shoulder-guards, half-helms or sharp gauntlets on their forelegs. Several held weapons, mostly lances, but the majority seemed to rely on their claws and talons. Upon suddenly finding herself in a crowd, Fluttershy kept her head down and edged closer to Twilight. They were, after all, in the presence of predators.

Sir Reynald was cocking his head to one side. "Pardon me, but I find that hard to believe."

The knight's voice was polite, even gentle, but his posture gave the impression of a wrecking ball that could start rolling towards them at any moment. Despite his large stature and heavy armor, there was a practiced ease to all his movements that made Twilight feel like he could lunge at them and tear them apart in the span of a heartbeat – and Twilight's heartbeats were getting to be rather quick. They'd never even have seen him approach if he hadn't announced himself...

"I understand that," said Twilight breathlessly, trying to avoid glancing around at the other soldiers, "But we're not who you think we are! We're a diplomatic envoy from Equestria's resistance movement."
"A diplomatic envoy," repeated Sir Reynald, "With whose authority do you speak?"
"Um, my own, I suppose? Ah, you could say I represent Applejack of the Apple Underground."
"Please accept my apologies for interrupting, Sir Reynald," said one of the griffon scouts from the sidelines, a female. "I believe I have heard stories of this Apple Underground. They are said to fight a shadow war against Queen Celestia. They hide in secret bunkers, they disguise themselves and lie to get what they want. They're assassins and pretenders who don't fight with honor." The griffon kept her tone formal, speaking her piece with no malice, hatred or distrust in her words. If anything, she sounded indignant.
Sir Reynald gave a slow nod once his subordinate was finished and turned back to face Twilight. Discerning the knight's thoughts was difficult with a visor covering his face. "Is that true?" he simply asked.

Twilight was at a momentary loss about how to answer a question like that. Yes, she supposed it was true – the Apple Underground did do some underhanded things on their mission – but describing these necessary moral ambiguities as "dishonorable" seemed to miss the point rather badly. Complaining about lying, hiding and secrecy? Wasn't that just a little bit ridiculous? Rebels and revolutionaries didn't exactly have a choice about following the law.

"That's..." Twilight licked her lips before continuing. "...a little unfair. The Apple Underground exists to save and improve lives, and I think that's very honorable. I hope you understand and appreciate the difficulties of fighting against steep odds in what is essentially enemy territory. They – I mean we – need to keep our heads down in order to survive. And survival is why we're here. We have just as much reason to hate Queen Celestia as you do, so we came to propose an alliance to your King Humphrey and offer our aid in dealing with the current troubles."

Twilight expected displays of skepticism or even anger from the group, but the griffons reacted mostly with polite disinterest, as if this sort of thing happened to them on a regular basis. She couldn't tell whether the stiff upper beak routine went along with the local military life, or whether this kind of composure was an aspect of griffon culture in general. Even the scout that had spoken out against them didn't raise her voice as she went on.

"Sir Reynald, I would strongly urge you not to put any trust in these creatures. The hearts of ponies are black and treacherous by nature. Even if they speak the truth, associating with terrorists who know nothing of chivalry would only stain our honor." She then turned to look directly at Twilight and said something absurd. "Please forgive me, I do not mean to offend. You may be aligned against Equestria, but are you really any better at all, in truth?"

Twilight was left so flustered by the seemingly rhetorical question that she almost forgot to answer. "Um, yes! Definitely!"

Sir Reynald stepped up to Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike, humming quietly to himself. The gesture deflated his physical menace somewhat, but every step he took closer made Twilight feel a little bit more antsy. The moment of truth came when the knight raised his talons and slipped off his helmet, revealing a large, curved beak and attentive blue eyes. His face was surrounded by a vaguely leonine crest of feathers – all wild and ruffled from wearing his helmet. His plumage was snow-white and flecked with gold like bright ermine. Twilight had time to realize that Sir Reynald might well have been called rather handsome before the nervous idea that he really would recognize her one of the griffons' worst enemies bloomed into an instant of full-blown fear. And yet he didn't. His eyes passed over her and rested on Fluttershy.

Twilight looked over her shoulder and found that Fluttershy had sunk down to her stomach and was staring up at the looming knight. It was the short of wariness that might have been expected of Fluttershy, and yet... her eyes weren't quivering or tearful, they were focused and clear.

Sir Reynald's aura of big and scary took a conclusive blow when he bent down and graced Fluttershy with an easy-going smile.

"Please, please, milady. There is no need to be frightened. We would never hurt you without due cause. A griffon never strikes the first blow."

Fluttershy opened her mouth and closed it again without saying anything – that was something she did often – but nevertheless relaxed allowed herself to relax visibly. Sir Reynald stood up straight.

"As much as I'd like to believe you, what assurance can you offer me that you speak the truth?"

"There's someone that can vouch for us!" said Twilight, "One of your own scouts. We met up with her some time ago and my friend here helped her get away from the pony forces."

"Indeed?" said Sir Reynald, "And what was that scout's name?"

"That would have been Gilda."

The knight stood silent for a moment, then cocked his head again, and finally leaned back to unleash an ear-splitting screech that made Twilight shudder as if a chill wind had passed over her.

This time, Twilight caught sight of a dark shape taking off from one of the surrounding elevations. She flew perhaps a little unevenly, but nevertheless reached the group in mere seconds, touching down at Sir Reynald's side and deferently bending her neck. Gilda still wore the bandages Fluttershy had fashioned for her, which finally caused the pegasus to speak up.

"You shouldn't be doing field work with your injuries," she quietly noted.
Gilda almost seemed to blush – it was hard to tell. "Don't be such a dork," she said, "I couldn't take a leave of absence even if I wanted to. Not right now."

"It seems there is no need to ask whether you know these ponies," said Sir Reynald.
Gilda stood at attention. "This pegasus is the one that sheltered me and treated my wounds. I wouldn't be alive right now without her. I met the unicorn and the dragon and some others when they came to recruit the pegasus to a rebellion. They helped me find my way back here, and one of their companions provided the pony battle plans I gave you." There was something eerie about seeing her take on such a courteous and correct mold.
"So you think these ponies can be trusted?"
Gilda looked as if she physically had to keep herself from shrugging. "Far as I can tell."
"This is a matter of great import, Gilda," explained the knight patiently, "Give me an answer with conviction or none at all."
Gilda cast a quick glance at Fluttershy. "I'm, um, sure their intentions are benevolent."
"Do you swear to take responsibility for these ponies and their actions?"
"I... swear it," promised Gilda.
Sir Reynald gave a nod of affirmation. "In that case, it is my honor to welcome you to the Griffon Kingdom as guests rather than prisoners."
"Pardon me, Sir Reynald," said the same scout from earlier, "but are you sure this is the right thing to do? I must remind you that Gilda's record is not without blemish."

Gilda seemed to be getting ready for a nasty rebuke, but Sir Reynald cut her off. "Your opinion is noted, soldier. Alas, this is a matter of state, and I am only a knight. This warrants the attention of His Altitude, and I'll do my duty by him." The scout fell back in line with no further comment, whereas Sir Reynald focused all his attention on his new guests. "Before I forget – may I ask for your names, esteemed ladies?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle." Evidently, the name meant nothing to anyone there. "This here's Fluttershy, and the little guy's Spike."

Sir Reynald and Twilight each raised their forelegs in greeting. Twilight recalled once reading that it wasn't unusual for a griffon to be able to exert 1000 psi of force with their talons, and yet the knight's touch was as soft as silk. Surprisingly, he even bent down to touch his beak to Twilight's foot in a symbolic kiss. It was hardly a gesture familiar to griffons, so he must have done it only as a matter of decorum. He took an even gentler approach with Fluttershy, approaching her as carefully as if he was stepping over a flowerbed and bowing impossibly low. Fluttershy seemed more than a little perplexed at the attentions, but she was also blushing. Knights must have naturally been drawn to damsels...

"Truly a pleasure," said Sir Reynald, "Your dragon isn't going to cause any problems, is he?"
Spike let out a prolonged ruffled groan. "'The dragon' can speak for himself, actually! And if you're wondering whether I'm going to start spewing flame and start hankering for poultry, then the answer is no. Unless someone does something to make me angry."

Twilight quickly grabbed Spike to shut him up and tossed him on her back to get across that he should hold off on potentially causing an international incident.

Sir Reynald looked a bit shocked at the outburst, but recovered himself quickly. "Please forgive me if I've spoken with impropriety," he said, "Now then, shall we proceed? We can get you to the Capitolium Leo and a meeting with the King in less than an hour if you don't mind flying."

"That won't be a problem!" said Twilight, "As long as we get there as soon as possible."

"Gilda, do you feel up for carrying your pegasus friend?" Sir Reynald nodded at Fluttershy humbly. "I don't mean to offend, milady, but I would dare suggest we'd be slightly stronger fliers."

Gilda winced imperceptibly. "I... guess so. Yes sir." Twilight didn't exactly think that would be a good idea what with her recent injuries, but Gilda seemed to think saving face outweighed the discomfort. At least Fluttershy was light.

Sir Reynald addressed the rest of his troops next. "Report to Sir Darlton and explain the circumstances here. I am placing you under his command until such a time as I can return."

Before Twilight could give much of a reaction, the knight already swooped her up on his forelegs and held onto her. Spike wrapped his arms onto Twilight's neck for better support. Fluttershy smiled apologetically as Gilda picked her up. They were set, so off they went.

As they rose up on griffon wings, Twilight realized that she was suddenly brimming with optimism. The encounter with Sir Reynald had gone better than she would have ever dared predict. She hadn't known what to expect of griffons, and was relieved to find them (aside from a few hiccups) to be polite, reasonable and – above all – good. It was as if she'd stumbled into the very opposite of the empire of evil that Daymare Sun presided over. Perhaps the Griffon Kingdom had evolved specifically to fill that void as Equestria's noble opposite number. It only reinforced the feeling that Twilight wasn't just doing all this for ponies, but for the whole world. Whatever the case, she was again coming down on feeling good about how things were going. Hopefully, her meeting with King Humphrey would turn out fruitfully as well...

They did reach the capital quickly, though still not as quickly as Twilight would have liked. She had the feeling Sir Reynald held back from speeding for the sake of his passengers. Perhaps it was for the best, considering the way the air whipped in their faces and how close by the knight weaved through the mountains, but it gave Twilight the impression that he didn't quite understand the urgency of the situation.

The Capitolium Leo itself was magnificent. Even though both its population and land area were substantially smaller than those of Everfree City, there was a palpable sense of scale to the griffons' capitol. Unlike the vast complexes of Everfree, the Capitolium Leo's size reached up rather than around. Most of the city consisted of towers – each a mountain unto itself, together they formed a rough approximation of an even greater mountain. A citadel in the middle of the city took the place of a peak and a series of guard towers arranged on and around the gigantic walled defenses served as the lower reaches. It was an impressive replacement for the ranges that must have been picked apart to provide construction materials.

The city's centerpieces easily dwarfed the spires of Canterlot or even the skyscrapers in Manehattan. Some of the towers were so thin and tall that pony engineering would have declared them impossible, and yet there they were, with tops reaching almost to the swirling mass of cloud-cover hovering above the city. Many of the buildings were in turn capped with enormous statues so high up that anyone on the ground could only guess what they depicted.

The overall architecture was stark and not particularly ornate, but nevertheless elegant. Each tower seemed like the distant descendant of a fortress – the end result of centuries of evolution from something harsh and martial into something sleek and refined. There was a sense of timelessness to the city; most everything seemed well-kept enough not to show its age. The perpendicular pattern of the towers evoked stability and order, especially at a distance.

And yet – of course there had to be an "and yet" – the city was showing signs of decline. The grandeur was almost obscured under makeshift reconstructions. There was a large swathe of tiny, ramshackle wooden buildings outside the city wall, standing out all the more in their slightly pitiful utility clashing against the vast stone backdrop. The area almost had the appearance of a shantytown. Furthermore, some of the towers had enormous canvases reaching down from their tops that were meant to shield the streets below from sunlight. It took Twilight a moment to realize that the towers reached so far up – so close to the sky – that they would have been uninhabitable as long as the sun bore down on the city.

Luna's storm cloud must have been the best thing that had happened to the Griffon Kingdom in the last five years. Even with the protection it offered, conditions were far from hospitable. The air remained hot and heavy, feeling much like a blanket of heat enveloping and weighing down anyone caught underneath it. Whenever the sun did peek through the cloud-cover, it appeared as a bright spear of light driving down into the ground. Twilight did not even want to imagine what sort of living hell the city must have been like just a few days ago.

To Twilight's surprise, Sir Reynald moved to touch down just beyond the city walls instead of flying directly to the citadel. They would apparently walk the rest of the way. As they were landing, Twilight noticed an odd but unsurprising architectural curiosity – there were no gates on the walls. The group touched down on a small plaza leading into a wide-open avenue to the city center. The path must have been bordered by rows of trees at one point as well, but any plants in the city were long since dead and gone by now. In this case though, their absence gave a better view of the seemingly endless series of stone statues that ran along both sides of the street.

Twilight at first thought the statues were all completely identical – a bird of prey with its wings raised, about twice the height of a pony – but as they moved onwards, it became clear that each subsequent pair of statues was subtly different from the ones preceding it. As they walked on, the postures, expressions and bodies of the eagles changed bit by bit, like frames of film shown in three dimensions. The birds flapped their wings and unleashed a screech at the heavens, then folded their wings and turned their eyes to the ground. Gradually, the form of the eagle mixed with that of a lion, finally becoming a griffon at the steps of the citadel.

They were remarkable pieces of sculpture, all the more so for the amount of detail and nuance in them considering they seemed to be carved from granite. Twilight actually recognized the statues, though she wished she didn't. She had seen some of their molten and slagged remains in Canterlot's Museum of the World.

There were griffons in the city. In fact, there were quite a lot of griffons in the city. They could see dozens walking the streets or soaring around between the towers. All of them in total wouldn't have amounted to much of a crowd, but many more must have been inside. The capital was still populated. The more Twilight thought about it, the more baffling this idea seemed.

"I thought for sure the city would be abandoned," said Twilight, addressing both Gilda and Sir Reynald, "I mean, I didn't think it would be inhabitable with the sun so close? And we're so close to the border as well, so once fighting breaks out..."

Gilda was the one who answered her. "His Altitude did try to have the city evacuated a while ago, but the idea fell through."

"Fell through? Doesn't he have complete executive control?"

"His Claws – uh, I mean his bodyguards – managed to convince him that it was a bad idea. Abandoning the capital would have destroyed the morale of the people."

Logical enough, supposed Twilight. Still, it was amazing that the inhabitants hadn't taken off on their own. The discipline and stick-it-to-itiveness of the griffon people was truly admirable.

This turn in the conversation was a welcome reminder for Twilight. There hadn't been much chance for conversation up in the air, so this was her last chance to find out a little more about who she was heading to speak with.

"What can you tell me about the King?" she asked to begin with, only to raise a quizzical eyebrow when the question caused Gilda to stiffen and look to Sir Reynald for guidance. The knight demonstratively ignored them and maintained his distance from the whole subject matter. Gilda was already starting to roll her eyes before abruptly snapping back to a more formal expression.

"King Humphrey is..." said Gilda at last, "very well-meaning."

"Well-meaning?" repeated Twilight in deadpan. As descriptions of monarchs went, that was decidedly less than impressive.

"Don't get me wrong, he's not incompetent or anything," continued Gilda, "When your Queen moved the sun over our capital and Parliament granted him emergency powers, King Humphrey started up a program to store as much of the flood water from the mountains as possible. That and the strict rationing probably kept a lot of griffons alive in the long run, and he moved quickly to mobilize the troops as well. He knows how to keep a country running, it's just that... he might not know how to, umm, keep it running the right way?"

Twilight frowned, but before she could ask for elaboration, Spike already spoke up. "The heck does that mean?" he asked.

"Well, let's just say that..." Gilda glanced over to Sir Reynald once again at this point. "He's not as steadfast in the ideals of chivalry as he could be."

"So King Humphrey is a knight as well?"

"Oh no. Not him. But chivalry is the standard for all griffons, whether old or young, male or female, strong or feeble. Nobility in thought and action is important in all walks of life. It makes sense, right? You don't need to be a warrior to act proper and decent." She sounded like she was reading off a previously memorized script. Funny enough, that more than anything reminded Twilight of the Gilda she knew. She wasn't quite a jerk, but still a little... irreverent.

Twilight hesitated before continuing. Considering how Gilda was dancing around the subject, asking outright how the King had been less than chivalrous seemed like a poor idea. Still, she'd have liked to know as much as possible about the fellow before meeting him.

"But you said he was a good person, right?"

"Oh yes. He might not be as awe-inspiring as one of the old hero-kings, but his heart's in the right place. It's just that he keeps to some... bad company."

"Hero kings?" piped up Spike, before Twilight could inquire further about the "bad company."

"Oh yeah," said Gilda, "His Altitude has some very illustrious ancestors. Did you know that Humphrey the First once killed a dragon in single combat? And then there's Gilbert the Great, the griffon who defeated the ponies at the Battle of the Traps and the First Battle of the Valley, holding back the Equestrian advance. Me, I've always been a big fan of Dolores the Thrice-Crowned. She took her throne back from the Goldwing Pretenders and pretty much single-wingedly kept the country from falling into civil war. Oh, and His Altitude's great-aunt Princess Frieda personally went out with a war party and rescued the royal chicks when the Secret Police abducted them."

These anecdotal bits of history were interesting, but not particularly useful to Twilight. She didn't have the time to ask any more questions before they reached the citadel.

The tower didn't have any sort of main doorway, but rather a line-up of entrances covering its full height, only one of which was on ground level. The inside of the citadel was busier than the streets outside, and that's where griffons finally started noticing the ponies amongst them. None of the griffons they met said or did anything untoward towards them, but Twilight didn't exactly require a lot of social acumen to pick up on the barely-withheld hostility – not that she didn't understand it, of course. It was also obvious she and Fluttershy were only allowed to proceed by the grace of Sir Reynald's presence.

Sir Reynald led the group downstairs. King Humphrey's chambers seemed to be located underground, probably as a necessity due to the heat. It was hard to imagine griffons living beneath the earth if they could at all avoid it. When they reached what must have been the throne room, they found the doors guarded by two armored guards. Twilight at first thought they were equal in rank to Sir Reynald, but the way they bowed down in greeting disabused her of that notion.

"May I ask what this could mean, Sir Reynald?" asked one of the guards while cocking his head to the side, "What are these ponies doing here? Are they prisoners or war?" The other one only glared – obviously while still trying to look prim and proper.

"A diplomatic envoy, actually," replied Sir Reynald evenly.

The guards exchanged mystified glances and then moved to open the doors. Twilight followed Sir Reynald inside, finding the throne room filled to bursting. There could easily have been as many as a hundred griffons in there, making the wide-open hall look tight and cramped. Why ever all these people were there – audiences, reports, inquiries – they had the room completely blocked up. For a moment, Twilight became frightened of the prospect of having to wait in line before she could go on with her mission, but the crowd actually started receding when they noticed the new arrivals. The buzzing of conversation in the room quieted down and the throng split apart to open up a path for Sir Reynald.

The throne was located on an elevated platform at the far end of the room, surrounded by four guards in bright plated mail like Sir Reynald's. An elderly griffon was sitting slouched on the throne. To his left, a large female griffon was floating in the air. To his right stood a dark-feathered shadow. Twilight took a deep breath and stepped forward to meet the King.

To be continued in Part II.

Author's Note

Yes, it's another half-chapter. I have some of the rest already down, I just felt like I couldn't keep people hanging for the sake of my own relatively arbitrary standards for self-contained chapters. I've apologized for slow updates before, but this time I genuinely feel there have been enough real-life factors holding me back that I can't really blame myself and my procrastination for this one.
Speaking of which, I seem to remember swearing up and down that I'd recombine the two parts of the previous chapter... The reason I didn't was simple: wouldn't that mess up the reviews/comments a little? Especially with the formatting.
You might also notice the chapter doesn't have the same title I promised. I had "The Crowned Knight" in my outline for the longest time, and only once I was actually writing this chapter did realize it was just completely inappropriate to my plans for the character in question.
I felt a little conflicted about what style to use for the King of the Griffons. "His Highness" seemed obviously more appropriate than "His Grace" or "His Majesty," but then I thought, why not just take it a step further?
Oh yes, this chapter features the most obtuse line of description I've ever written (in my opinion). Can you spot it?

Chapter 12: Shades of Grey Clouds (Part II)

As she stepped closer to the throne, Twilight quickly realized that King Humphrey might not have been quite as elderly as she'd originally thought. As a matter of fact, he was probably not even middle-aged. Yet, he sat hunched over like some graybeard, his eyes were sunken-in and squinty and the loose feathering on his head gave him a balding appearance. His dull, light gray plumage also made him look older than he really was, and the rich cape of carmine velvet he had wrapped around him despite the heat seemed ill-fitting and overlarge. In truth, there wasn't a bit of majesty to be found on his person. Sir Reynald looked more like a king than the King himself.

Having reached the elevated platform, Reynald and Gilda fell into deep bows. Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike followed suit as well, bending their knees and lowering their heads. They stayed in that position for several long seconds. When Twilight dared glance up at His Altitude, she found him massaging the bridge of his beak with his talons as if trying to scratch out a headache.

Looking up, Twilight's gaze fell on the griffon standing at the King's right-hand side as well. For a second, Twilight thought she could see something like recognition glint in his piercing, yellow eyes. Before she could feel queasy at the notion of discovery, the expression of the counselor – or whatever he was – had already returned to being so unreadable and so inscrutable that any trace of emotion showing on him at all seemed like it would have been nothing more than the figment of an overactive imagination. This griffon's plumage was a darker shade of grey – almost black. His head was wider and flatter than other griffons', more like an owl's than an eagle's. Large tufts of eyebrows stuck out to the side of his face. He stood very close to the King.

A sigh from Humphrey drew Twilight's attention back to him. "Are you really going to make me ask before explaining this, Reynald?" He gave his foreleg a quick wave. "Oh, and rise. Get up, you."

The group stood up. Twilight found the King's voice vaguely surprising. Based on his appearance, she'd expected something wheezy and weak, but instead he spoke with clarity and authority... in sound if not in tone.

"It is my honor to introduce the ponies Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy and the dragon Spike – here as a diplomatic envoy to represent a faction of ponies rebelling against the Equestrian Empire."

"A... diplomatic... envoy," drawled Humphrey, "Is that so?" He did have a powerful voice, but seemed to use that power mostly in the service of sarcasm.

Sir Reynald simply ignored the jibe. "Indeed, Your Altitude."

"You surprise me, Sir Reynald," boomed a heavy female voice from near the throne. It took Twilight a moment to realize that it had been one of the guards speaking – it was difficult to say which one, since she'd remained perfectly motionless, as still as one of the statues around the city. "I never thought you would sully His Altitude's throne room by bringing ponies here. Their lies will foul up the very air we breathe!"

Twilight had to cringe at her words, and Sir Reynald frowned. "The ponies have already made an overture of peace towards us, Dame Frederica. They provided us with intelligence regarding Equestrian troop movements, and even ensured the safe return of one of my scouts trapped behind enemy lines."

The guard's head was covered by a visor, but Twilight could quite clearly imagine a glare. "Back in my day, we wouldn't have hesitated for a second before burning whatever intelligence ponies had to offer into ash. You Talons are our first line of defense, and you are a fine knight, Sir Reynald. Do not let our convictions falter."

King Humphrey's eyes flickered over to Gilda. "And I'm assuming you're the scout in question? What is your name?"

"We've actually met before," said Gilda with a slightly insolent raised eyebrow, "but... ah, it's Gilda, Your Altitude. And I don't know if this is worth much, but they did help me out and I swore to take responsibility for them while they are here."

King Humphrey acknowledged her with a nod of his head and then refocused his attention on Twilight. "We shall hear you out."

Twilight took half a step forward, tried to ignore how the King's armored bodyguards drew tighter around him so she could barely see him, and reminded herself that diplomacy was, in essence, nothing more than the art of making friends writ large. That's all there was to it.

"I realize this must be a position you never expected to find yourself in, Your Altitude. In fact, the circumstances here are even more extraordinary than you realize. I'd have a hard time believing the story I'm about to tell you myself, but I think you and your court deserve nothing less than the naked truth. We're here to do big things, Your Altitude. We'd like to discuss an alliance between our humble group and your people, in the hopes that both our homelands might be saved."

The King seemed pleasantly energized by her words. With a lopsided grin on his beak, he stood up straighter and addressed the whole throne room. "Officials, courtiers, associated hangers-on, as this seems like it's going to be a highly sensitive matter of state security, I would ask that you excuse yourselves. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel all non-essential appointments for the time being."

Most of the bystanders remained politely silent at the announcement, but there were some grumbles to be heard. Not only did the griffons have business of their own to bring up with the King, they must certainly have been curious about the developing situation. Many of them looked over their shoulders with quizzical or worrisome glances as they filed out of the throne room. The throne room emptied up considerably, but not completely. King Humphrey's idea of a private meeting still involved over a dozen griffons, not including the guards at the walls and four of the King's Claws around the throne itself. Gilda used the minutes it took for the crowd to progress out of the throne room to coach Twilight some more about the court.

"The guy with the giant cravat is the representative of Parliament," she muttered, "And there's the leader of the Order of Aeromancers – the floating one." She discreetly nodded towards a plump brown griffon lady hovering near the throne. Twilight was going to ask about that, and perhaps why the leader of the Aeromancers had her eyes closed and was muttering frantically to herself under her breath rather than paying attention to the proceedings, but found herself distracted by movement from the other side of the throne. The King's dark counselor had leaned closer to him and whispered a question. King Humphrey's response was half a nod and half a shrug.

"Never mind about them," whispered Spike, "I want to know who that guy is." He took the words right out of Twilight's mouth.

"That guy." Gilda looked impassive enough, but she also drew in a sharp breath before continuing. "His name is Lord Willard Fairweather. His official position is Chancellor to the King, but..."

She was interrupted by the doors of the chamber slamming shut after the last griffon to leave. King Humphrey was on the ball right away.

"Feel free to carry on, Lady...?"

"Twilight Sparkle. I'm here on behalf of the Apple Underground, a group of ponies fighting against the tyrannical reign of Queen Celestia. But that doesn't tell you who I really am..."

And so she related her story once more, for what felt like the hundredth time. She told them of her origin and the way things were meant to be, of her journey to their world, and of her quest to find a way to bring down Daymare Sun. She told them of the Princesses and the opportunity they represented to defeat Equestria. Explaining this whole business had long since gotten tiresome and Twilight wished she had some way to simply skip it, but she tried not to let her frustration show. A much bigger concern for her was the expected shadow of skepticism she saw fall across the faces of her audience. It was plain to see that they did not believe her. Gilda, who'd heard the story before in Fluttershy's cottage, looked like she'd have liked nothing more than to sink underground and disappear.

"Highly dubious!" thundered the female knight from earlier as soon as Twilight finished. She had to be more than just a bodyguard. No one in Princess Celestia's Royal Guard would have been allowed to interrupt as she did.

King Humphrey, after a long moment of stillness, leaned back on his throne and rested a foreleg against his head. "I never thought I would have to tell you this, Reynald – dear, dependable Reynald – but when bringing in someone for an audience, I would expect you to screen out the obvious crazies!"

The rebuke genuinely seemed to sting Sir Reynald. He reddened slightly, and let his perfect posture sag. "Your Altitude, I-I didn't..." he started before a wave from the King silenced him.

"I suppose this meeting is going to be shorter than I expected," mused King Humphrey, "Well then. I can't say I understand where you're going with this, but can you give me even one reason to believe you, Lady Sparkle?"

It was a debate Twilight was coming to hate. How wonderful would it have been to move past this pointless back-and-forth and get to the real meat of the issue? Unfortunately, Twilight had no evidence, nothing to demonstrate the truth of her words. She hadn't yet formulated a response to sidestep the issue when a quiet question from over her shoulder threw her for a loop.

"Have you been outside recently?"

King Humphrey leaned forward, straining to hear. "Pardon me?" he asked, with only mild incredulity.

"Have you been outside recently, Your Altitude?" repeated Fluttershy, "There's an honest to goodness raincloud outside. How do you think that could have happened? Who do you think would have the power to do something like this? Only the Queen... or in this case, a Princess."

Right. That should do. "Our Princess Luna sent you this cloud as a gift," improvised Twilight quickly, "to ease your burden and to strengthen your resolve. This is meant to be the first step on the road to recovery for this world. An alliance between us could be the second."

"Their tale isn't as implausible as it sounds if you think about it, Humphrey." Lord Fairweather chose this moment to speak up. "Movement through space is nothing for pony magic. Why, they can even travel through time! Is traveling from world to world so far beyond belief then?" His voice sounded neither like an eagle's nor an owl's. It was like the croak of a raven.

King Humphrey cocked his head. "You really think it could be, Willard?"

"Oh, certainly," responded the dark griffon hastily, "In fact, I'm rather sure they're telling it true. If these were Equestrian agents engaged in some sort of plot, the last thing they'd do is invent such an unbelievable story. What would be the point?"

Sir Reynald's eyebrows slowly arced into a scowl. "And who would know truth from falsehood better than the master of lies himself?" Twilight was a little shocked by the sudden ferocity in his voice, and Lord Fairweather himself seemed to flinch as well, but recovered smoothly enough. "Why thank you, Sir Reynald," he responded with a thin, fake smile.

"Believe me, no compliment was intended!"

King Humphrey was quick to cut through the resulting awkwardness. "You have my attention, milady, but I could do with a little more detail and a little less inspirational fluff." Despite his words, his expression was veering from snide to thoughtful.

"I'll be happy to explain. The Apple Underground has a plan for bringing about the defeat of Queen Celestia. Nothing and no one has been able to challenge her for the last millennium, but now we have two goddesses of our own who can and will overcome her. They're just going to need a bit of assistance with getting the Queen's forces out of the way. This is where you come in. An intervention by the griffon army could free the path to the Equestrian throne."

"An intervention, you say?" repeated King Humphrey, "By the griffon army? I don't know if you've noticed, but the griffon army is a tad busy with the defense of our borders at the moment."

"Yes, well..." This was the tricky part. "It would be necessary to evade the invasion force and push forward into Equestria itself. That's why swift action would be crucial to the plan. If we act fast, we can force Equestria to surrender and forgo the invasion entirely."

The King did not respond right away. He bent forward, running a talon through the thin feathering on his scalp. "Forgive me if this question offends you, Lady Sparkle, but have you ever worked as a maid-servant?"

"Er, no?" replied Twilight, "It doesn't, and I haven't. Can I ask why-"

"Because you would offer my kingdom to Equestria on a silver platter!"

There was silence in the throne room after King Humphrey's outburst. Even though he'd barely raised his voice, the words were still ringing in Twilight's ears.

"I know it sounds counter-intuitive-"

"Oh really?"

Twilight tried not to let the sarcasm get to her. "But if you think about it, with the vast majority of Equestria's standing army congregated at your border, the rest of the country is left relatively vulnerable, including the capital. Everfree City's garrison has no reinforcements to hope for. It's as vulnerable now as it ever has been or ever will be. A surprise attack now could end the war before it really begins."

King Humphrey sucked in a breath, then let it out as a monstrously long sigh. "How many griffons are you thinking of?"

"Um, as many as possible, I suppose? Everfree City is too big to secure with just a few thousand."

"Well," said Lord Fairweather loudly, "This is it, isn't it? The chance we've all been waiting for." Despite the wide breadth of his words, he seemed to speak only to the King, whom his unblinking yellow eyes were fixed on.

"It can only be a trap," declared the female knight again, the one Sir Reynald had called Dame Frederica.

King Humphrey looked first at one, and then the other, but did not address either of them. He continued speaking to Twilight. "I am genuinely stupefied that I'd even have to ask such a thing, but you do realize that this would leave most of our population completely defenseless?"

"It might be necessary to temporarily evacuate the capital and its environs, or distract the invasion force somehow. I don't know. I'm sure we can figure out a way to stall the advance if we put our heads together!"

"The risk..." The King snorted a completely humorless laugh. "You cannot expect me to take such a risk with the lives of civilians."

"But..." Fluttershy's quiet interjection echoed through the chamber like a ripple in a pond.

"Go on, Fluttershy," said Twilight, "What were you going to say?"

"Even if your forces stays here to defend the Kingdom..." she offered out while staring at the floor of the throne room, "the Equestrian army will destroy you anyway. You understand that, right?"

"If that is how it must be, then so it shall be," declared Dame Frederica.

"It would be a good death," agreed one of the other Claws, "glorious and meaningful."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," added another one.

"I... what?" asked Twilight.

"As knights, we're all prepared to lay down our lives in the defense of our people," explained Sir Reynald. He seemed to realize how vague that sounded, for he went on after a brief pause. "We are fully aware of our odds in the coming battle, but we do not fear it. Though it may be our last stand, we shall make it a proper one, worthy of the legacy of our ancestors. The rest of the country feels the same way."

"I would not expect a pony to understand," added Dame Frederica.

For a heartbeat, King Humphrey looked like he was on the verge of rousing anger, but he didn't quite seem to have the energy for it. Twilight caught a glimpse of a surreptitious roll of his eyes.

"If you're going to kill yourselves," said Lord Fairweather, "I welcome you to do it. Thankfully, I know that we are a nation of griffons, not lemmings. There are many who would prefer survival to your glorious suicide. I think the children of the Griffon Kingdom, Dame Frederica, would welcome the death by old age you're so fearful of."

"And since when are you so eager to fight after all your harping about peace, traitor?" shot the female knight back, "You, who would have sold us all into slavery if you'd had the chance? We all know what your idea of survival would mean – an existence without sovereignty or dignity as a 'client state' of your Equestrian masters."

"We don't exactly have a lot of options at this point, do we? My plan was the last and best hope for peace, but you ruined it. We could have adapted and persevered as other races have. So what if we might have had to sacrifice a few freedoms to ensure our continued existence? At least now we have another opportunity to escape the hole you're so insistent on burying us in." He leered at Twilight and curved his beak into something like a smile.

"You will throw in your lot with the enemy one way or another, is that how it is?"

"I saved our Kingdom and you would do well to remember that, you ingrate! If my agents hadn't sabotaged the Equestrian railroad, the invasion would be underway and we'd already be drowning in blood."

Dame Frederica had been a model guard until that point, staying stationary almost to the point of absurdity. Now, a quiver seemed to run through her, and for a moment, Twilight thought she would lunge at Lord Fairweather and attack him. "You know less than nothing about what it means to be a griffon!" she said instead.

"If you're so proud of this so-called achievement, then why not explain how your intelligence network managed to find out about these maneuvers in the first place?" asked Sir Reynald.

"Well, that would be rather stupid of me, wouldn't it?"

"I'm sorry, but I feel like I don't know who I'm speaking to anymore?" said Twilight.

"Apologies, milady," said Sir Reynald, "You have the honor of addressing Dame Frederica Greenhill the Avenger, head of the King's Claws and one of the most distinguished knights in the kingdom."

Dame Frederica turned her masked face towards Sir Reynald, then at last lifted up her visor to reveal a generous tuft of feathers whiter than snow. It was hard to say whether she was born with such plumage or whether it had grown lighter with age – for this griffon was old indeed. Her jowls were sagging and her beak shriveled and soft, but her dull eyes honed in on Twilight and her friends with a judgmental intensity. In lieu of a greeting, Dame Frederica bowed curtly.

"And this, of course," said the King with an indistinct wave to his right, "is my trusted adviser Lord Chancellor Willard Fairweather, the Royal Spymaster."

"I... had heard that griffons did not believe in spies," said Twilight carefully.

"You heard right, milady," said Lord Fairweather with another crooked smile, "But alas, that does not mean we have no need for them."

"Enough," said King Humphrey, just in time to cut off a rebuke from Sir Reynald, but he seemed unsure of how to go on from there. He held on in silence for nearly a minute while Twilight and her friends stared at him expectantly. "So, you think a surprise attack by our forces could bring a decisive end to the Equestrian Empire? I generally have a great distrust of simple, catch-all solutions being thrown in my lap, but then again, this isn't exactly simple, is it? And..." The King sagged on his throne. "And I'm afraid... there is another issue that will make your plan unfeasible, quite apart from the strategic considerations."

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight, "What other issue?"

Sir Reynald cleared his throat. "It would not be honorable," he said with a jarringly kindly smile.

Throughout the whole conversation, Twilight's mind had constantly been at work processing information. Now, all her thoughts came to a screeching halt. "What do you mean?" she asked, already fearing the answer.

"Facing an enemy army in open battle – whether from the front, flanks or rear – that's how wars are meant to be fought," said Sir Reynald, "Ignoring the enemy's challenge and choosing the path of least resistance by attacking an undermanned settlement would not be chivalrous. It's underhanded trickery, not the way of knights."

For a moment, it seemed like King Humphrey would hide his face behind his talons, but then he only let them fall limply to his side. Twilight found herself stumped on what to say or what to do. Spike glanced up at her, his mouth as wide open as she'd ever seen it.

Come to think of it... Sir Reynald had announced himself and his troops when he'd found them back in the borderlands. Twilight remembered him telling Fluttershy that a griffon never strikes the first blow – but not in a million years would Twilight have thought he was being literal! The image of griffon patrols standing in front of a pony army and telling them to please leave before meeting them in combat crept into her mind's eye, and it was so ludicrous she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"With all due respect..." started Twilight, her voice almost shaking, "You can't be serious. I- I might not have expressed our intentions as clearly as I should have. We're not discussing an attack on the civilian population or anything like that! Everfree City is a valid military target. I don't see what difference it makes if we take them by surprise!"

"I don't blame you for feeling that way," said Sir Reynald with infuriating patience, "But we are knights. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard."

Dame Frederica picked up where he left off. "As with all things, there is an etiquette to warfare. It is the way of the Equestrian Empire to pillage, burn and stab their enemies in the back like cowards, and it is the way of its victims to give up their righteousness in desperation, by convincing themselves that the ends justify the means and taking up whatever deplorable tactics are convenient to them. We know what happens in the rest of the world. Zebra guerillas meld into the jungle, camel nomads hide in their desert dunes and reindeer raiders in the polar ice. They murder some Equestrian bureaucrats and call it revolution. We griffons are still free because we've remained steadfast in our ideals. As the peoples of the world descent further, we must strive ever harder to be a beacon of nobility to remind others of what is right. Even if we are butchered to the last, the spirit of our heroism will live on to inspire others."

The impromptu speech only crossed Twilight's wires further. Though the tone of indignation never quite disappeared completely, Dame Frederica sounded appreciably more open and peaceful as she explained the philosophy of the Griffon Kingdom. She seemed to speak from the heart. Somehow, that made things worse.

Lord Fairweather's counterpoint was a quiet, bitter cackle. "I can scarcely imagine the cognitive dissonance you must feel every day while you try make me the villain for wanting to save people."

"I can honestly say I feel no compunctions about dismissing whatever pretexts you use to drive your plots currently. I am of course persistently baffled that our merciful King lets an amoral parasite like you live!"

"Please, Dame Frederica," said Sir Reynald, "Can we not speak of this? We made a mistake addressing him at all."

"You are right, of course, Sir Reynald. I should not let that cur get to me!"

King Humphrey suffered this debacle in silence, sneaking a glance at Lord Fairweather over his shoulder but not speaking out to stop the argument. "So you see," he said loudly to Twilight, "I cannot give you my army. The only option I can think of – and this is speaking hypothetically, mind you – is asking for volunteers to step forward, an expeditionary force..."

"Show me those volunteers, Your Altitude," said Dame Frederica, "and I'll show you nothing more than deserters, not fit to be called griffons! I have every confidence you will not find such rabble among our brave troops."

The King closed his beak, in a motion that Twilight supposed would have made a pony look like they were grinding their teeth.

"What about King Gilbert?" asked Twilight, surprising even herself. King Humphrey cocked his head to the side in query, so she went on. "King Gilbert the Great was one of your ancestors, I believe. Didn't he foil the first pony invasion of the Griffon Kingdom in... the Battle of Traps, was it?"

It seemed relevant to the conversation. She didn't know any of the details about how the battle played out, so bringing up that half-remembered tidbit of information was a bit of a gamble, but the payoff was immediately obvious – every knight in the room cringed as one. Gilda looked embarrassed as well, though her reasons were harder to discern. The King covering his beak with a wing could have passed for shock, but Twilight thought she could see amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"King Gilbert was a model knight and remains an example to us all," said Sir Reynald, "But... even he made mistakes."

"So the traps in that battle were his, weren't they?" asked Twilight, almost letting a snide follow-up about honor slip out as well in her exasperation.

Sir Reynald couldn't even bring himself to admit it. "His conduct throughout the rest of the war was immaculate."

"King Gilbert the Great was also the monarch who established the position of the Royal Spymaster, as I recall," cut in Lord Fairweather, in a tone that suggested he was far more interested in mockery than making any sort of legitimate argument.

True to his earlier promise, Sir Reynald ignored him. "We live in a very different Kingdom nowadays. The first invasion happened at a relatively barbaric time in our history, but this is a new age of chivalry..." He fell silent and turned to Dame Frederica for further guidance.

The elderly knight did not address the matter at all, but swiveled around to face King Humphrey. "Your Altitude, I implore you," said pleaded and commanded, "turn these ponies away. They are preying on our foolish hopes for a salvation. Do you think these creatures are as innocent as they look? Do you you think it matters that they are colorful and adorable? That is how they've ever gotten others to lower their guards and wreaked havoc. It would be a mistake to underestimate them. We mustn't let weakness slip into our ranks with pointless debates when we know what is right and what is wrong! There can be no compromise!"

"Need we go quite so far, Dame Frederica?" asked Sir Reynald carefully, "An alliance between us might be worth considering. Obviously I could not condone stooping so low as to use deception to achieve our ends, but there must be other ways we can benefit each other. Should we not consider the possibility that they are being genuine?"

"Even if they are being genuine, association with them and their ilk would stain us and affront our principles. Nothing good would come of it." Twilight had never heard anyone sound so sure of herself in her life.

Sir Reynald bent his neck. "Perhaps you are right."

Sir Reynald didn't even believe what he was saying – that much was obvious from his tone – but he said it anyway, whether out of solidarity or deference or whatever else. Twilight had known him for no more than a couple of hours, so she knew she had no right to feel as betrayed as she did by his attitude as she did. The debate seemed as good as over, and Twilight had never even come close to winning over the griffons to their cause. It was difficult to fathom the scale of such a failure. Would Celestia's plan even still be feasible without the griffon army? Everything depended on Twilight...

"Equestria is counting on you thinking this way," she suggested, trying not to let her voice shake, "With all due respect, a philosophy this rigid makes you predictable. You're playing right into their hands."

"I don't think it matters," said Dame Frederica.

Lord Fairweather had leaned closer to the King to whisper in his ear again, and even made a move as if to put his taloned foreleg on the King's shoulder, but Humphrey shook it away.

"This alliance as the ponies imagine it would be impossible, of course," said King Humphrey, "but I would not send them away just yet. I will make one concession towards pragmatism. We will... detain the ponies for the time being, and learn as much else from them as there is to learn. It may take a while to discern truth from fabrication."

Twilight's throat tightened at what looked like the King turning on them, but thinking about it, the situation was not really all that sinister. It actually seemed like the King's way of keeping the dialogue going.

"They are our guests, not prisoners," said Dame Frederica in apparently completely genuine outrage, "It is a great offense to break one's trust to your guests."

"Would you rather stay or leave, Lady Twilight?" asked the King.

"We will stay," said Twilight right away, "But we don't have a lot of time to-"

"Then it is settled. We will speak again in a little while. Hey, you." He was addressing Gilda with that. "Why don't you show your charges to the guest rooms and make sure they're settled comfortably for the time being?"

The griffon in question first flinched in surprise, and then lowered her head – half a bow and half a nod. "Yes, Your Altitude."

Twilight had no idea why the King felt the need to call this recess, why he expected Gilda to know her way around the palace, or why Sir Reynald offered to accompany them there, but she had little capacity to care for such details at the moment. As much as she'd have liked to argue for carrying on right away, she couldn't deny that part of her was relieved for the chance to rethink and reassess her approach. The atmosphere in the throne room was getting to be too much. Passing by the guards and remaining courtiers, with every eye on her, felt like a walk of shame. She'd expected resistance from rational disbelief, but not this.

Sir Reynald guided them out through a small side-door in the throne room, leading to a badly lit corridor and stairwell, but the door did not close after them. Twilight was still deep in reverie, replaying the conversation with the King and his advisers in her head and frantically trying to think of ways to turn things around, when she heard someone clearing his throat behind them. She looked over her shoulder to find Lord Fairweather slipping into the hallway. He let the door fall shut and blanketed them all in darkness when the torchlight from the throne room no longer reached them. There wasn't much visible of him except his bright yellow eyes.

"I was hoping to have a word in private, Lady Sparkle."

Maybe it was because she was distracted, but Twilight found the Chancellor's eyes almost mesmerizing in the gloom. She hadn't quite caught on to what he was saying, let alone formulated a response, when Sir Reynald already decided for her.

"She has nothing to say to you."

Twilight quickly realized that she dearly wanted to know what Lord Fairweather had to say to her, but the words to say so died on her lips before she could say them. She couldn't ignore the unbidden question at the back of her mind – did she really want to alienate Sir Reynald and lose the support she still hoped to gain from him to engage someone as obviously unpopular as the Royal Spymaster? Given a few seconds to think, she might have come to the conclusion that it was worth it, but she didn't have that time. Gilda placed herself between Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike and Lord Fairweather. Before she knew it, Twilight and her friends were being herded onwards, as if escaping from a house on fire.

Twilight remembered something then. Back when she'd reached the throne room, she'd had the momentary impression that Lord Fairweather had recognized her. Who could he possibly have recognized her as?

"Things weren't always like this, you know," said Gilda.

"Like what?" asked Twilight, knowing she should have been paying more attention than she was.

"So... set in stone," said Gilda, and sighed, "Don't get me wrong, chivalry has always – always – been important. Proper, honorable conduct, and all that stuff. It's a way of life; it's what griffons are all about. But it used to be that there were different ways to be chivalrous, and not everyone who wasn't was a bad guy. There was a bit more space to..." She paused for a bit – Twilight imagined to remind herself that no one that would have minded what she was saying would have been rude enough to listen in. "...be yourself," she finished.

"Everything changed five years ago. All of a sudden, the sun was right on top of us and burned away every bit of normalcy. It didn't edge here bit by bit; it just appeared in a blink. We all knew what it meant – we were being softened up. The ponies were coming. We'd had a long time to prepare for it, but still we weren't ready, not really. The hospitals were filled with heat stroke victims, and some of the folks that were out in flight when it happened never showed up again. Others were blinded. The army had to move out to secure the borders, and militias were appearing left and right all of a sudden. There wasn't quite a panic, everything held together at first, but that was just the beginning. The heat put everyone on edge, and the uncertainty was a thousand times worse. Everyone knew that the end of everything we knew was coming, but no one knew when. The water and food shortages sure didn't help things any either. It started with a single riot about the rationing, then a second one, and suddenly there were riots all the time – about food distribution, about defense strategy, about I don't know what. When people saw how afraid others were, they realized how afraid they were themselves. It was like an infection, like a plague. It was especially bad here in the capital. Looting and doomsayers perched on towers and... sedition. Surrender was unthinkable at first, but more and more people started thinking about it, and some were saying it out loud. Things were looking bad.

"King Humphrey did the sensible, clear-headed thing at every turn, but it wasn't enough. The nation needed someone to inspire them – or shame them, whichever worked. So he sent out the knights. I know you might not have gotten the best impression of Dame Frederica and the others back there, but they really did save our asses back then. They inspired and shamed about equally. They reminded everyone of the right and proper ways, of discipline and bravery and the strength of solidarity. They reminded us that we were supposed to be better than our enemies. They drew the battle lines and made things clear again. They made us want to fight. The common people got back the... zeal they'd lost. I really think the nation would have devolved into anarchy without them."

Gilda was standing in the middle of the guest room, telling her tale looking vaguely like a performer on a stage. It was as if she'd just finished up a spoken-word recitation or something, except there was no applause. No one was in the mood for that.

Spike was laid out on a small couch while Fluttershy was sitting in an armchair taking minute sips from a glass of water. Twilight stood next to the window and balcony door, which were covered by a heavy cloth. She was peeking through the makeshift curtains outside into the open air, but she could not say what she was actually looking at or looking for.

"That's all good to know, Gilda, but it doesn't really help us turn things around," said Spike, scowling in consternation.

"It does tell us something useful," said Twilight , "It's not really King Humphrey we have to convince, is it?"

"But he's the king!" said Spike, "He makes the decisions, and his bodyguards have to listen. Right?"

"It's not that simple," said Gilda. She idly moved one of her talons to scratch her bandaged wing, then pulled it back when Fluttershy shot her a glare. "You're not getting how much influence the knights have."

"Well, what could they realistically do if King Humphrey made up his mind to help us?" asked Twilight, looking over her shoulder at Gilda.

"If they thought his decision would irreparably shame the Griffon Kingdom..." Gilda stumbled on her words, paused for a moment, then sighed and went on. "A lot. Most of the military would support the knights over the King if they proclaimed he was deeply wrong about something."

"Do you mean... Gilda, you can't seriously tell me the knights would rebel against King Humphrey over this matter? Surely they would be too honorable for that?"

Gilda shrugged. "They might be too honorable not to."

Twilight fell silent and pondered some more. "If it came down to it, who would stand with the King?"

"Probably at least some in Parliament, and some of the forces loyal to them. I bet the aeromancers would stick with His Altitude as well."

"What about Lord Fairweather?"

"Discussing his loyalties would be a... whatchamacallit, oxymoron?"

"And what would you do?" asked Fluttershy.

Gilda didn't look for a moment like she actually wanted to answer, but she seemed to think she owed Fluttershy the truth. "I'd go along with the knights," she said, bowing her head in shame, "The Kingdom needs certainty right now, but with King Humphrey, you never know which way he's going to turn and how many of ideas actually come from him. Basically, the knights always know the right thing to do, but the King has to think about it."

The admission led to a semi-awkward silence. Twilight turned back to peek out of the window, trying to puzzle things out. If she thought about the parties involved, Gilda and King Humphrey seemed a lot more alike than Gilda and Sir Reynald, or Gilda and Dame Frederica. Twilight didn't think for a moment that Gilda agreed with the knights on everything – but still she followed them. And why? Because of ideological purity? Twilight would have called it moral absolutism, and she found their earlier demonstrations of it in the throne room insane and counter-productive, but all the same, she found she could not hate Reynald and Frederica. They were only trying to be good people, weren't they? Even though their views put them squarely at odds with rational behavior, they were only trying to be good people. It was annoying that they couldn't see eye to eye on this... no, it was more than annoying, it was painful. It bothered Twilight more than anything about the situation. She was a good pony too, wasn't she? They were all good people. It didn't make sense to quarrel.

There seemed to be only one person in court that was on her side and – well – what was she supposed to make of him? She'd been so willing to dismiss the look he'd given her upon her arrival, but now it seemed impossibly conspicuous in her memory. If he really did recognize her, then there was only one pony he could have mistaken her for, wasn't there? Yet he had said nothing to anyone. Or had he? Twilight didn't know what he and King Humphrey had been whispering about. She had no idea what agenda the Royal Spymaster was pursuing. He seemed willing to go along with Princess Celestia's plan, but it seemed he'd also tried to get the Griffon Kingdom to surrender to Equestria previously. What did he really want?

Of course, Twilight could not discount the possibility that she was making too much of things either – that she was paranoid over nothing.

"How long has that been lying there?"

Twilight turned to look where Spike was pointing – the floor in front of the entrance. Indeed, she found a small glossy piece of paper, not unlike a postcard. They would certainly have seen it coming in. Twilight cantered over to it, picked it up with her horn and examined it. The front was a complicated weave of tiny lines and etchings; there might have been a drawing hidden there, but the card was entirely too small to make anything out of it. When Twilight flipped it over, she found text on the reverse. Look behind the obvious, it said.

"Huh," said Gilda.

"Does this mean anything to you?"

She meant the text, but it was the picture Gilda recognized. "It's a reproduction of some famous piece of art. I don't remember what it's called, but I've seen it over at the Royal Art Gallery. Darn, what was it again? It's on the tip of my tongue. Something about a duel..."

All of a sudden, Twilight didn't think she'd been making too much of things at all. Someone had slipped them some sort of secret message. The griffons had neither the will nor the need for such secrecy, except of course for Lord Fairweather. He was still trying to make contact, but for what purpose? Could Twilight afford to say no to it?

"Where is the Royal Art Gallery?" asked Twilight.

"Right here. Up in the citadel tower." Gilda pointed one of her talons towards the ceiling, but her eyes were fixed on Twilight's. She seemed both fearful and annoyed, expecting Twilight's next question.

"Can you take us there?" asked Twilight.

There was a moment in which Gilda was stuck in time, completely motionless with her beak hanging slightly open. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Think about it!" said Twilight, "This has got to be from Lord Fairweather. I don't know what he's trying to pull, but- but if he's really some sort of spy, then maybe we can nail him?"

It wasn't a lie – not really. She wanted to know what Fairweather had to say, but if her suspicions proved correct, then exposing him might have been just the thing to give Twilight the political capital needed to turn the rest of the court around. Gilda did want to help them, and this gave her a chance to do it without too much conflict. She still seemed hesitant, however.

"I'm supposed to look after you, not get you into trouble," she said.

"Please?" said Fluttershy, "Um, you still owe us, you know."

Gilda's expression slowly faded into a wry half-smile. "Uncool, Fluttershy. Real uncool." She sighed. "Let's just go, okay?"

Twilight counted 25 stairs on their way up – her legs were starting to feel rubbery by the end of it – and the museum itself was spread over several floors as well. Spiral staircases led further up into the high tiled ceilings. Aside from the works of art filling it, the museum was no more adorned than the utilitarian interiors of the rest of the tower. As they got higher, the temperature did as well. Each floor was worse than the last, with the museum at the upper limit of tolerable. Twilight tried not to think about the sun directly above their heads, only a few kilomers away, and focused on the galleries.

The griffons seemed to have little use for painting. All the works of art on display seemed to be sculptures, engravings or reliefs. Not all of them were made of rock either. They walked past one statue of a griffon that was made of moldy old straw, paired up with one made of opaque glass, and some of the others they glimpsed were even more avant-garde. Twilight thought she could detect subtle differences in works carved by talons or tools. She also noticed that there were no lone statues. All of them were either paired with identical copies or opposites. Again she found that she would have relished a chance to research griffon culture at a more opportune time.

"I'm pretty sure it's this way," said Gilda, leading them up one of the spiral staircases.

"How do you know your way around here so well anyway?" asked Spike.

"Hmm? Oh, I used to be stationed here."

"You were a palace guard before becoming a scout?"

"Uh huh. Well, I was actually training to become a knight, but, uh, I flunked out pretty early. Oh, there it is." She gestured a wing at the wall across from the landing.

The little postcard hadn't prepared them for how enormous the original work was. It covered most of the wall, from floor to ceiling. Even though she couldn't make much sense of the work overall, Twilight had to admire its almost mathematical symmetry. The relief was split in two halves, each of which was in turn split in two halves, and so on and so forth. It was composed of tinier and tinier segments like a fractal, each of them depicting a different theme or idea that matched up with a counterpart diagonally across from it. A small plaque next to it on the wall named the work "Dualities" and gave the names of its sculptor and her fifteen assistants.

They'd found the work – but what next? Twilight circled around the hallway but found no one lurking in the shadows. She'd expected someone – either Lord Fairweather himself or perhaps one of his agents – to be there waiting for them, but this gallery was as empty as the rest of the museum. Had they come at the wrong time? Had they already missed whatever clandestine meeting was scheduled there? Lord Fairweather did not strike Twilight as someone that would drop the matter this quickly. Then again, maybe there was nothing to find. Maybe she was making too much of a piece of litter.

"Look behind the obvious, hmmm," repeated Twilight.

There seemed to be another piece of paper sticking out from behind the top of the relief. She could just barely see a glimpse of white below the ceiling. The discovery was actually a slight disappointment. As riddles went, it wasn't exactly impressive. She pointed it out to Fluttershy, who gave her wings a flap and delicately plucked the second piece of paper from behind the relief. Twilight grabbed it from her once she landed. This one was largely blank, possibly stripped from a notepad. There was no text on it, only a string of numbers. She showed the paper to Gilda.

"Does this make sense to you?" she asked.

"It's a date and a time," said Gilda, "Midday three months ago. Huh, three months ago tomorrow, actually."

Was it a message? A secret code? What was this?

Twilight lifted a hoof to wipe some sweat from her brow and rotated the piece of paper around in mid-air look at it upside-down and sideways, but could detect nothing else on it. She read over the numbers again and again, looking for a hidden meaning or cipher she might recognize, but came up with no such thing.

"Did something happen three months ago?"

Gilda's eyes glazed over for a moment as she considered, but only shrugged in response.

Twilight did another circle around the upper gallery, took a glance down the staircase they'd come from and peered up to the next floor as well. There was no one else around. She bit her lip and turned to Fluttershy and Spike. They were staring back at her, waiting.

"It's probably for the best," said Gilda, "If someone had seen you up to something suspicious, they might just have distrusted you guys more. I don't know what you were expecting anyway."

"I don't know what I was expecting either," said Twilight, frowning.

Gilda led them back to their room, and then let them be.

They spent a while – no more than a few hours – in harried preparation for their next meeting with the court. They talked over various strategies strategies they might adopt and rhetorical ploys they might attempt. For Twilight, at least, it was difficult to put the looming invasion out of her mind, so each minute felt like wasted time, which was made all the worse by the fact that their discussions failed to produce any really solid ideas. It did drive home one point for her though: logical arguments alone would probably not enough to turn the griffons around. Appeal to emotion wasn't exactly good form for debate in general, but it was what Twilight suspected she'd have to turn to in this case. The question was which emotion?

Twilight had an inkling of an idea when Gilda returned to take them back to the throne room. She ran a speech through in her head on the way down, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gilda looking less than confident.

The audiences with the King had continued in the meantime, with the throne room looking virtually unchanged from earlier on. His Altitude King Humphrey the Third was still slouched on his seat, with Lord Fairweather at his side and his Claws lined up around him. Dame Frederica had pulled down her visor again. Sir Reynald greeted Twilight and the others with a bow. Some of the dignitaries in the chamber were shuffled around from their previous positions, and the leader of the aeromancers had opened her eyes and stopped her previous muttering. As she looked over the arrivals with sad green eyes, a thought occurred to Twilight. She realized what the griffon lady had been doing before – she had been praying.

"Do you have anything new for me, Lady Sparkle?" asked the King.

Twilight thought it a rather strange question. He had said earlier he wanted to find out more from Twilight, but why did he put it in such vague terms? Why did he give her another opportunity to speak if he'd already decided that an alliance would not work? In fact, Twilight was still a bit confused about why this recess had been called in the first place. She would have liked to think all this this meant that King Humphrey wanted to go along with her proposal, and was only waiting for her to say the right things that would let him supersede the arguments of his guardians. Perhaps he had given Twilight a break to give her time to come up with something else to drive the discussion along. If that was true, then Twilight hoped not to disappoint.

"Your Altitude, I want to reiterate my previous point, that a joint attack on Everfree City is the best way – the only way – to resolve this conflict and avoid disaster. To that end, I would like to tell you about the Griffon Kingdom of my world."

King Humphrey sighed, and bid her to carry on with a wave of his talons. Despite the subdued reaction, there was an interested gleam in his eyes.

"There is no Griffon Kingdom in my world," continued Twilight sharply, pausing to let the words sink in, "It's gone. So many great people and administrations, so many high ministers and brave knights, so many proud princes and power so splendid – all of it gone. It was wiped out by a natural disaster centuries ago. In modern times, the facts of the existence of the Griffon Kingdom only exist on paper, known at best to dedicated scholars. Its survivors have assimilated into other cultures. No one ultimately remembers the nobility the griffon people once aspired to."

She was being so disingenuous...

Once upon a time, there was a king of the Griffon Kingdom that wanted to be more. His delusions of grandeur led him to dictate that his subjects worship him as a god, and over time, he grew to be jealous and resentful for the power and influence Princess Celestia wielded due to her control of the sun and the moon. That king was approached by a rogue unicorn wizard with knowledge of the old spells that had allowed unicorns themselves to move the celestial bodies in the past. Together, they formed a pact to take the world. But something went terribly wrong when they tried to annex the sun. One unicorn was not enough to affect such a spell, and most of the Kingdom was obliterated in the few seconds it took for Celestia to react and set things right again.

How could Twilight reveal that their race had already been doomed by the approach of the sun once – or that it was an alliance with a pony that had led to their undoing? She could not. It would be foolish and counter-productive. She was trying to make a point.

"You said earlier that you hoped a heroic death would inspire the rest of the world," Twilight carried on, resting her gaze on Dame Frederica's armored form, "but death inspires nothing. Only the living can do that. You have to be more than a memory to teach others!"

Only now, with her heart feeling like it was bound by a tighter and tighter knot, was Twilight coming to realize how counter to her instincts saying all these things went. Was she wrong to do this? Wasn't she acting exactly as manipulative as the griffons were accusing her of being? And yet, another voice in her head whispered other questions to counter these: What harm could it do? Was it not worth it? She could no longer tell whether she herself believed what she was saying, and that troubled her, but it was too late to turn back now; she had to carry on. The silence in the court gave her free reign to continue.

"If you perish fighting the pony invasion, you'll be remembered for your defiance, not your idealism. If your last stand is impressive enough, it may well be spoken of for one or two centuries, but in the end, I'm sorry to say, you'll be just another race of victims when you could be so much more. You could be remembered as not just the people but the individuals who managed to beat the Equestrian Empire against impossible odds! Your names could be in the annals of history alongside Gilbert the Great, Humphrey the First and the famous knights who served them! All that glory could be yours, with one... small... compromise."

There was only a minuscule change to King Humphrey's expression. Twilight might have made too much of it by thinking he looked disappointed.

"There are no small compromises," said Dame Frederica, less fire and brimstone now, but no less steely in conviction, "There is right and wrong, good and evil, true and false. One cannot dip over the line and expect it not to affect them. We are who we are, and we cannot 'compromise' our existence for you no matter what you say. You are not of us and only know the morally vacuous thinking of ponies, so you cannot judge us. Being a martyr is about more than public opinion. We will take the moral high ground over glory, thank you very much."

The King remained silent, but he was still looking down at Twilight expectantly. A subtle arc in his brow made him look more sympathetic than usual, but it came off more as pity for her struggling than anything else. Lord Fairweather was so tense beside him he was almost quivering. What were they waiting for? Couldn't they see she'd tried everything she could think of?

Twilight sneaked a glance at Gilda in the sidelines, and found that she had averted her eyes. Sir Reynald, the only knight present whose face was visible, didn't seem the least bit swayed. If anything, he seemed less kindly disposed towards her than before.

They were all expecting her to go on, but she could think of nothing else to say.

"You cowards."

Twilight sincerely hoped she had gone insane. For a moment, she wished nothing as much as that something inside her had snapped that would have caused her to imagine Fluttershy saying such a thing. Slowly, she turned to look behind her, at the pegasus. Fluttershy was staring sullenly at the floor, but the look on her face was... spite?

"You are!" she insisted, eyes flickering back and forth as if she was looking for an escape route, "Y-you're not afraid of dying, but you're so scared of failing your own absurd standards and being judged by your peers! You said public opinion isn't why you do this, but that's not true, is it? Even if you've convinced yourself there's some real breach of morality here, the truth is that you knights have come to be held for such perfect paragons of goodness that you're frightened to death of not living up to that! Don't you realize how insignificant this whole argument is? And how can you be so focused on your personal complexes when the survival of your people is at stake?"

Twilight wondered whether she should interrupt, but found that she could not. If Fluttershy had the courage to come out and say these things, it was only right that she get to finish.

Fluttershy's mouth had twisted into a bitter smile. "You're just like me... I was also willing to stand by and do nothing instead of taking responsibility, but at least I knew how pathetic I was! You're not foolish little girls, you're strong and skilled enough to make all the difference in the world! Well, you know what? If you're not willing to save people, then you don't deserve to have such a high opinion of yourselves. You're- you're so arrogant! You keep putting down ponies, as if there weren't thousands of innocents that aren't kept in slavery or killed trying to stand up to the Queen on our side as well. You've had it easy in comparison! If you were real heroes, you would save them. S-save us..."

She lowered her head even further so her bangs covered her eyes, but they could all see the tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping to the marble floor. If there was a tone to silence, then the entire timbre of the throne room changed at the sight of her crying.

Twilight's own breath caught in her throat, and she felt mildly delirious from the rush of a dozen different thoughts in her head. She dismissed the idea of Fluttershy putting on some sort of show to clamor for sympathy before she could fully conceive it. She'd never seen anyone be more genuine. This Fluttershy may have been orders of magnitude more cynical, but she was still pure. The griffons could tell. All at once, Twilight realized how little chance she'd given for Fluttershy to contribute by taking all the responsibility for Celestia's mission on her own shoulders. This may have been just what they needed. She turned and had another look around the chamber, and almost gasped when she remembered her own thoughts from earlier – these knights in shining armor, they could not resist a damsel in distress...

"Ahem... I'll join you even if no one else does." It was Lord Fairweather speaking from his perch next to the throne. "I'm not much of a warrior, but I might be able to make some small difference."

Twilight wasn't sure whether to be impressed or worried over how ably the Royal Spymaster had seized the opportunity. He'd been able to pick out the one precious moment where saying that came off as valorous rather than dastardly. As if Fluttershy's exhortations weren't enough, Lord Fairweather acting so far out of his context as a sniveling adviser must have been like a slap in the face for the knights. The one they considered the least among them came off as the most chivalrous.

The Claws were shifting uncomfortably and turning to look up at the throne. One of them cocked their head to one side. Sir Reynald, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off Fluttershy, and looked as if he had to physically restrain himself from stepping up to comfort her. Twilight could hear whispers from the other dignitaries in the throne room. She took a deep breath and said the one thing she'd somehow neglected to come up with so far.

"Won't you please help us?"

King Humphrey cleared his throat. It felt like he was intentionally slowing himself down, keeping himself from blurting out a response.

"You've given me much to think about, Lady Sparkle, Lady Fluttershy. In fact, you've offered me a very interesting perspective I had not considered. I may have rushed to judgement in my earlier summation that an alliance between us could not happen, and I dare say I'm not the only one who feels this way. Don't you think, Dame Frederica?"

There was another precarious moment of silence in which the whole throne room waited for Dame Frederica's response. Again, Twilight was reminded of a statue looking at her still, armored form, but this was not a comparison she wanted to be thinking of at the moment. The pause dragged on. The knight was no longer completely sure of herself. She had to think about what to say.

"Yes," she said at last, "It is true that there are lines that should not be crossed, but there is something to be said for having enough self-awareness to measure your steps towards these lines. And there is honor in recognizing when you could be mistaken..."

As oblique as her wording was, it sounded a lot like she was coming around. Twilight released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her heart was pounding; at some point during the last minute or two, all of her despair had been replaced by an irksome hope.

"There is a lot to being a knight, isn't there?" prodded King Humphrey further, "There are various ideals to balance, but some ideals are undoubtedly more important than others, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed, Your Altitude."

"Do you share that view, Sir Reynald?"

"I... I believe knighthood can be a great burden for exactly this reason. All of our ideals are important. When they do clash, however, then surely it is best to err on the side of standing up for the weak and down-trodden..."

"You're not going to fall off some slippery slope," said Spike, sounding very pleased with himself, "You can fly."

King Humphrey smiled. He looked almost handsome when he wasn't being sarcastic. "As I said before, I could never spare all of my..." His voice faded, and so did his smile. He'd just noticed something behind them.

Twilight turned around to look and saw that the entrance door was open. There was a specter standing in front of it, having slipped in without a sound.

The new arrival was another knight, wearing the same bright armor as Sir Reynald, but even taller and bulkier.. He approached the throne briskly, ignoring everyone but the King, and as he stepped closer, it became obvious that his armor was smeared with what could only have been blood.

"May I have a word, Your Altitude?" asked the knight in a deep, incongruously calm voice.

King Humphrey leaned forward, perforating the armrests of the throne with his talons. Twilight shared his dread. "It's begun, hasn't it?" asked the King.

The knight nodded. "As predicted, Equestria opened with a synchronized envelopment by its pegasus troops along the land border. Our scouts confirmed that their main force is moving along the Valley of the Wind, and retreated to the designated defensive lines. The invasion has begun."

Fluttershy had raised her chin again. The tears had dried, but the weary shock in her eyes was not much better. Spike had lifted his hands to his head and was chewing his lip. He would have been pulling at his hair if he'd had any. Twilight imagined she looked rather calm by comparison.

Even if King Humphrey had put all the griffon forces at their disposal the second they'd walked in the door, they wouldn't have been able to get them all off the ground by this point. The few hours that King Humphrey had kept them waiting would never have made a difference. It was liberating, in a way, to know that the onus of responsibility was not on her and never really had been. They had been too late from the beginning.

Next Chapter: A Sick People.

Author's Note

In October 2012, something curious happened to me. I got my first ever job. For the first two months, I only had a temporary position with a relatively light workload and relaxed workplace regulations, allowing me to spend a lot of time at the office with Google Docs open and doing some writing. In December, however, I moved on to a permanent position at a different department, where there's a lot more to do and access to the web is extremely limited. The privacy regulations are in fact so stringent that I'm not allowed to bring paper and writing implements either. It's also a fair bit more tiring. As I said, that was back in December. I'm sure you can see some correlation there. It's taken me quite a while to adjust to these lifestyle changes, and I'm not sure whether I'm completely there yet.
This may or may not sound absurd, but my original plans for this part involved a lot of concepts I had to end up leaving out. Maybe I'll tell you about some of those ideas eventually.
I think this one might be my A Feast for Crows.
There's a separate box for author's notes now? Good gods, how long have I been gone?

Chapter 13: A Sick People (Part I)

Luna was a mare with a mission.

She arrived at the Dragon Swamp already in motion, blazing forward from the moment that she and her companions flashed into the open wasteland from the underground confines of the hideout in Trottingham. Cantering on the ground was a concession she made only because Rarity could not join her and Rainbow Dash in the air, but she did not let that slow her down. For several seconds she kept moving, right up to the point where she realized she did not know where she was going.

Upon this realization, she stopped and turned around. Dash and Rarity, both still standing in place, both still looking somewhat disoriented from the teleport, flinched at her gaze. Luna frowned and wondered – had she looked angry just now? She relaxed her facial muscles and tried to conjure up an expression of confident composure, but wasn't entirely sure she was succeeding.

"We must hurry," she said, hoping she didn't sound too defensive, "Where is this dragon of yours?"

They had landed in what seemed to be an old riverbed; the surrounding ridges and elevations obscured much of their environment. Rainbow Dash gave her wings a beat to hop into the air for a look around, then spiraled back to the ground with a few more measured flutters. Rarity coughed from the sand the movement whirled up – a surprisingly indelicate sound.

"Not far," said Dash as she landed, pulling up the sky-blue hood she wore to shield her from the sun, "Just a couple of klicks."

"Klicks?" repeated Rarity, "Oh, you mean kilometers." She grimaced slightly, presumably at the idea of a long walk, but didn't speak up to complain. She was wearing a rough-hewn brown cloak on loan from the Apple Underground that she was ignoring as if it were a distasteful acquaintance in a crowded ballroom.

Without further ado, they were off on their journey.

Even as she kept pace with Dash and Rarity, Luna's mind went racing ahead, across the dunes of the Dragon Swamp, to the meeting with Dash's contact. She didn't stop to pause there, but skipped a long trip to the dragon lands far in the southwest for an audience with the Matriarch – and continued even further to envision a future where the rebellion was over and she, Luna, was the sole sovereign of Equestria. The idea was as shapeless as any fantasy of the future had ever been. It strained her imagination to its limits. It was the responsibility she had always wanted, but she didn't know what to do with it. Even thinking of the work she'd done back home, she could not think of a single edict or policy or proclamation to make, beyond reversing the edicts, policies and proclamations of Daymare Sun. In short, she could think of nothing that would make her a ruler rather than someone who merely sat on a throne.

Perhaps she wasn't feeling very leaderly running errands for her sister... but then again, had she ever?

There had been a time when Luna had come very close to simply quitting.

She knew she could be a little impulsive, but it had been no whim that led her to consider that possibility. True, she'd always had dark moods every once in a while. There had been moments of spite and anger when she'd thought about simply picking up and leaving, even said as much to her sister in an argument or two – but this had been something altogether different. There had also been a period of time when the prospect haunted her every waking moment. She'd had many a lonely night to think about it, to carefully weigh its positives and negatives like a rational being. It wasn't a matter of giving in to despair – it was about finding a way to happiness.

Even alicorns could get sick – though not usually of the same diseases as normal ponies – and her sister had had the occasion to fill in for her when Luna had come down with something. She had done so admirably, and without difficulty. That's when Luna had learned that one pony could well rule Equestria alone if necessary. Most ponies probably never even noticed the difference. All heads had been turned away from Luna, and those few that acknowledged her existence were as likely to be wary or indifferent as admiring or respectful. There was surely not a single pony in the world that liked her as much or more than Celestia. Nothing she tried to change things, whether personally or politically, seemed to make any difference. She'd been all out of ideas.

What was the point? Why did Equestria need two Princesses?

Luna had begun to think it was foolish to carry on. If you got no fulfillment from your life and career, didn't it make sense to try something new? Luna loved the canvas of the night sky, but she knew ponies could have successful careers not related to their cutie marks. Surely there was something else out there that she could do if she went and looked for it?

There had been a moment when she had stepped to the door of Celestia's room, ready to tell her sister that she was done with it all. She didn't, of course, whether it was because of pride or shame or because she didn't want to wake Celestia in the middle of the night. Not long after, an entirely different idea started to take shape in her mind...

The lake was indeed not far. The water proved to be so dark and impenetrable it made one feel dirty looking at it. There was a mound – a hill – of dirt on the shore nearby. It was a barrow made of mud, big enough to leave no mistaking as to what was buried underneath it. Luna had been told what had happened here. She looked around for another, smaller mound, but found none and decided the matter was too touchy to breach with a question. And anyway, there was no time for such idle curiosity.

The serpent did not keep them waiting. As they approached the waters, a pillar of mud slowly rose up to meet them, dripping and foaming. It bent down towards them and shed enough dirt to become recognizable. Luna craned her neck back to get a good luck and spotted patches of lilac scales, drooping bushels of facial hair and large, expressive eyes opening up under horizontal lids. The dragon looked them all over, one by one. Considering the way he tapped his finger-claws together and snaked his body in place, Luna pegged him for the quiet and withdrawn sort.

"Hi," the dragon said, in a voice that seemed too small for his stature, "How's your quest going, Dash?"

"Could be better," shrugged Dash, "Didn't know saving the world involved so much standing around and talking."

There were so many problems and hardships associated with the idea of ascending to the throne of this broken Equestria that it would have seemed to be lunacy to want it. There were quite a number of logical arguments to be made for Luna taking the job, which she had already thought over at length, but not many understandable reasons for her to desire that herself. Luna wasn't sure if she wanted it yet, but her sense of not minding it only seemed to be growing.

Luna did not mind the fate Celestia had in mind for her, despite all its difficulties. Despite a perennial voice of doubt and fear that whispered from the back of her mind, she knew her sister was not trying to get rid of her. Indeed, the fact that Luna was Celestia's solution to help the disaffected ponies of this world may have been the ultimate vote of confidence. What Luna took issue with, however, is that her sister had not given her the opportunity to offer herself up. Surely Luna would have thought of it herself...

Taking the throne from Daymare Sun wasn't just an answer to her indistinct ambitions, it was an opportunity to recreate her legacy. It was a kind of redemption, or it could be. By another virtue, she supposed it was an admission that she could not fully salvage her reputation in her own world, so she had to wipe the slate clean and start anew with a new people. It was just another way of running away.

Luna wondered whether she still had a decision to make, or whether Celestia had already made it for her.

But this was not the time or place to mull these things over.

"...not quite how I imagined a Fluttershy to look like." The dragon was looking directly at Luna.

Dash snorted. "Yeah, no. This is Luna, not Fluttershy. She's another stray from Twilight Sparkle's dimension we picked up along the way."

"Charmed! You can call me Steven. Or Steve, I suppose."

It was not his true name, of course. Unless they were born among ponies, the given names of dragons tended to be long and very hard to pronounce for most anyone that was not a dragon. That's why they tended to pick nicknames when dealing with outsiders, though Luna had to admit she'd never met a dragon with a nickname quite so... prosaic.

"We require a boon," said Luna.

The water dragon cocked his head to the side. "Pardon?"

"Aheh heh." Rarity interrupted them with an abrupt titter. She moved closer to the lakeshore, ahead of the others, in a few quick steps. "What our companion meant to say is... well, we worked rather well together, all things considered. You saved our lives and we're obviously very, very grateful, so we'd like to show you our appreciation."

The dragon leaned further down in what Luna briefly assumed was a threatening gesture. Instead, he merely let his head sink down on the lakeshore with a sigh.

"Oh, don't thank me!" he said, "I still feel like a louse for what I did. That poor kid's only crime was being a brainwashed, weaponized mutant. She had no awareness of what she was doing, let alone control of her actions! I truly wish I didn't have to be in that position..."

A hint of reproach seemed to creep into his voice at the end of this declaration, and his black eyes came into focus on Rainbow Dash. Rarity merely offered a sympathetic smile and carried on.

"Nevertheless, we are grateful," she said, "Why, the fact the fact that it was such a difficult moral issue for you makes your intervention even more admirable! So we thought we'd make it up to you by getting you out of this dreadful place. We have somepony here that can make that happen." Her hoof made a graceful little arc as it came to point at Luna.

Luna raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Yes... That is something I can do."

The dragon perked right back up at this proposition. Luna kept her gaze steady and acted as if she'd been in on this all along – as if she'd even thought about it. As much as she disliked treading in place, least of all at this particular moment, she supposed it was naïve to assume that they wouldn't have to put some work into it. The dragon may have been Rainbow Dash's friend, but he still had his own interests, so of course they had to negotiate. It was fortunate that Rarity seemed to be a natural at that.

"Oh, glorious freedom!" chirped Steven, lifting his head and shaking it as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, "I could finally have... a bath!"

"You can have a great many baths," agreed Rarity, "Though seeing how we can benefit one another, I for one hope that we can continue our partnership even after you're free. You see, we're planning a little something that could really benefit from a bit of your advice, if not your outright presence."

The dragon drove his two thin arms into the mud and pulled himself further out of the water. "Um, what do you mean by that?"

"Our quest, as you called it, has taken a rather strange new direction." She stepped even closer to him so she was just about adjacent to his giant, mollified eye, then again raised her hoof and made a dramatic sweep towards the horizon, albeit in the opposite direction of where Luna knew the dragon lands to be. "We're actually headed to a sojourn in the dragon lands, so any information you could give us would be very much appreciated."

"Oh," said Steven, "Oh dear. Are you sure that's a good idea? It's, er, not a very hospitable place!"

"You know, we've heard the same thing," mused Rarity, "which is precisely why we're keeping an eye out for a guide to give us some pointers, show us the way, perhaps make some introductions..."

The dragon backed up and rose once again into an upright posture. His eyes flickered back and forth as if looking for an escape route, and Luna wondered if he was even really a dragon or merely looked a lot like one. He was definitely unlike any of the wild dragons she'd ever met.

"It will be quite dangerous there! Quite, quite dangerous! Nice little ponies like you should stay far away. Why would you want to go there anyway? I'm sure that if you think about it a little, you'll find that you don't really need to go there at all! The place is kind of a wasteland anyway. Even more so than Equestria, I mean."

"We have urgent business with the Matriarch," said Luna.

Steven ceased cringing and stood motionless for a moment. "Did she invite you?" he asked with a curious mixture of disbelief and sincere hope.

"No, she did not. She won't know we're coming."

"Oh dear. It won't be safe for you there!" His voice lowered to a hush. "Dragons can be real jerks, you know."

"Understatement much?" piped in Rainbow Dash.

"I know how dragons can be," said Luna, "and I can defend us if necessary. That's not why we've come to consult with you."

"I'm not exactly sure what you think I can do for you! It's been a few centuries since I was there, so I'm not exactly up to date. More to the point, I didn't exactly leave on good terms. I was kind of a wanted fugitive for a while there. Hmh, not that most of them ever had much respect for yours truly..."

"A few centuries would be the blink of an eye for dragons, so I doubt conditions there have changed all that much in the meantime. And weren't you a wanted fugitive because you spoke out against and wanted to interfere with the Matriarch's policies vis-à-vis the adoption of dragon eggs by ponies? As it happens, that is exactly the subject we want to discuss with your one-time leader. Our interests would seem to coincide, hmm?"

Enough of the mud had cleared from Steven's face that it was plainly visible how important this matter was to him. Nevertheless, whatever old fears or shames he associated with his homeland didn't give ground easily.

"I- I'm really not sure how they're going to react to me back home. I was never particularly highly regarded by the movers and shakers of dragonkind. They thought I was a wimp. And the Matriarch... was rather cross with me."

"You don't have to come with us if you truly don't want to," continued Rarity, "But the dragon lands cover quite a geographical area, so some information about it, including where we might find the Matriarch reigning, would be rather appreciated. The benefit of your wisdom would be enough."

At this, Dash scrunched up her face. "Well, not really, if you ask me."

"Rainbow Dash," said Rarity in her best sotto voce, "I am trying to negotiate here!"

"Hey, you're getting a one-way ticket out of here either way," said Dash, "but really, what else are you going to do, Steve? Whatever plan you had when you first came to Equestria isn't really going to pan out after all this time. I can't really argue if you want to go the 'lone renegade fighting a personal war against an oppressive regime' route too, but if you put it off a little bit further, we might come up with a better course of action."

Though Rarity clearly hadn't expected this from Dash, she quickly adapted it into her routine. "Even if you have a hard time resting your faith on strangers like me or Luna, surely you can believe in your buddy Rainbow Dash?"

"I don't really know about this," replied Steven, tapping his finger-claws together again. He paused to think, and since none of them wanted to press him any harder, the pause went on and on to the point of being a little ridiculous. "I suppose... I already owed Dash a lot anyway, right? She did provide for me after I woke up from my sleep. So you're not really repaying me for anything by getting me out of here. And anyway! I don't want to come across as some sort of haggler! Doing right by somepony shouldn't come with so many qualifications." He took a deep breath before carrying on. "For what it's worth, I guess I can come along and show you the way."

"Outstanding," said Rarity with a winning smile.

"Knew you wouldn't let us down, Steve!"

"I'm not entirely sure what you have in mind for transportation though. Magic, I presume?"

"Yeah, guess we'll have to think of our next move now?"

That's when all three of them looked to Luna.

For all that Luna wanted to shape her own destiny, she felt rather annoyed at how little she had done to shape this conversation. It wasn't just that she was deferring to Dash's longer acquaintance to the dragon either – Rarity clearly hadn't let that stop her.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "As Rarity said, we will need to know where we can find the Matriarch first and foremost."

"Well, that's no great mystery," said Steven, "The Matriarch's lair is in the Gulf of Eternity under the Backwards Mountain in the Waste of Pandyssia."

"Which is where?" asked Luna abruptly. None of these locations sounded familiar to her, but she wasn't sure whether it was because they didn't exist as such in her world or because she'd never been there.

Steven thoughtfully scratched his snout. "I'm not really sure how to say it in your language. So the dragon lands are to the southeast of Equestria, right? Do you know that peninsula that looks a little like a fish? There is – or at least there used to be – a mighty river there that flowed directly from the Backwards Mountain. That's the path we water dragons used to take to approach the Matriarch."

"Then we shall start there," said Luna with a decisive nod. She believed she knew the peninsula and river he was speaking of.

"Though, er, there are a few pretty important things about the Matriarch's lair I should explain as well..."

"You most certainly will. But we can discuss all that on the way. Prepare yourself!"

Steven opened his mouth, presumably to ask what he should have been preparing for, but the dark glow Luna's horn had taken on cut off his question. There was a ripple in the water around him, as if he had flinched without moving. Perhaps he felt something invisible and insubstantial move around him. Most of his body was hidden below the surface, so Luna had to reach out with a telekinetic field to get a good idea of his volume. This was not something she would have wanted to spitball.

Moving something as big as a full-grown dragon obviously took a measure of effort, but the magic she needed to put into action was insignificant compared to the power at her command. The real difficulty was something much subtler. Her intention was to teleport ahead to the Pandyssian shore and pull Rainbow Dash, Rarity and the dragon after her a split-second later once she confirmed the local topography.

Her initial jump put her a few hundred hoof-lengths above sea level. The shore reached quite a bit further into the sea than she'd expected, but there was indeed still a river there, visible from her high vantage point. In less than a moment, she'd teleported herself down to the beach where the river intersected the ocean and pulled the others there along with her. Steven, she took the liberty of dropping directly into the sea.

It was a relatively complex bit of magicking, though she doubted any of her passengers noticed that they were traveling separately. The journey would have seemed seamless to them. Luna did make one miscalculation though, in underestimating the splash the dragon's surprise belly-flop would make in the surf. They were all drenched by the shower, which felt pleasantly cool considering the circumstances.

Steven's initial shriek of shock turned a roaring cry of joy and then into a bubbling moan of contentment as his head disappeared underwater. A great brown splotch of dissipating mud obscured him from sight. The surface foamed and splashed and finally dipped when Steven... inhaled, Luna supposed.

"Oh, what a wonderful feeling!" he blubbered upon resurfacing. He still looked far from well-kempt, but admittedly left a much fancier, more respectable impression in his present state. "A most gracious thank you to all of you, my pony friends!"

They were now far enough from Equestria that the sun was actually hidden beyond the horizon. Daylight was still upon them, of course, but the temperature was perhaps a tad more bearable. The land here was relatively flat, giving them a good overview of the surrounding terrain. In the distance along the path of the river – through a flickering heat haze – they glimpsed a sharp-peaked mountain that must have been their destination. The only elevations in the immediate vicinity were outcroppings of rock that marked earlier boundaries of the river, when the water-way had been somewhat bigger. Even further on from the beach, there were no plants visible but occasional patches of shrubbery. The only sound in the wilderness was the gentle back-and-forth of the waves.

Steven had rolled himself sideways on a higher spot in the surf, where he remained half-submerged. He's lifted one of his arms up this drooping facial hair and, almost reflexively, started combing through it with his claws. He reminded Luna partly of a lizard basking in the sun, and partly of an otter cozying itself for a nap in water. As happy as she had been to give him his freedom though, they still had a mission to complete.

"This is no time for rest!" she declared, "We shall have to move on."

"Oh, er, right."

He gazed trepidly over their heads into the heart of the dragon lands, then abruptly turned over to lie on his stomach in the shallow water. Luna didn't immediately catch his meaning.

"Well, climb aboard, ponies! I'll give you a ride!"

Luna wondered if that was really worth it, or whether she should just have teleported them the rest of the way as well. There was one major downside to that idea, which was that they were headed to the nominal heart of dragon territory; they had no idea how many dragons would be there or how they would react to a group of ponies suddenly appearing in their midst. It did not seem like the most safest of ideas. Approaching by an established route of visitation seemed like the most sensible thing to do. It was probably what Celestia would have done. Besides, they really could have used a bit of time to hear more about the being they were going to visit.

Big as Steven was, he was also narrow and slippery enough that they could only fit in single file. Dash hopped up to take the spot right behind his head, Luna touched down and sat in the middle and Rarity gingerly stepped into the rear, careful on the slippery scales. Steven lurched forth, and quickly swam on to the mouth of the river, betraying none of the gangly awkwardness he exhibited when not submerged. It seemed like he could have gone a lot faster if he didn't have to mind the well-being and balance of the passengers on his back.

In her native world, dragons were also ruled by a Matriarch. Perhaps they were one and the same and perhaps not. Just as Luna had flown past Pandyssia in the past but never visited it, she'd never met the Matriarch of Dragonkind back home, despite occasional dealings with other dragons in earlier times. Their Matriarch was content to remain hunkered up in her own realm and never took part in any of the migrations, but Luna knew her sister had made contact during Luna's long exile. She felt foolish for not asking Celestia about this back at the Apple Underground hideout. Maybe she would have thought to do so, but Celestia had seemed to want to avoid her before they parted. Luna had a few questions in mind by now, however.

"Tell us what the Matriarch does," she said. The dragons didn't have much of a government, she knew, and not much in regards to hierarchies either.

"Well, first and foremost, she keeps the peace. Dragons quarrel with each other all the time, of course, and sometimes die fighting. There's all the usual clashes about territory and plunder – that's to be expected. From time to time though, folks start banding together into bigger groups to fight it out over bigger grievances. When that happens, or when a powerful elder starts making trouble, the Matriarch would come out of the mountain and break it all up. Aside from that, she also gets mating privileges."

"There's no earthly way I'm not going to regret asking this question," said Rarity, "but... pardon?"

Steven cleared his throat very thoroughly. "Well, you know. She gets first pick on who to, hmm, procreate with. She gets to birth the future generations of dragonkind – at least in theory. It didn't quite work out that way anymore with the plague and all."

"And what about the other dragons?" asked Rarity with a note of sullenness, "What if they say no?"

"I don't think anyone would say no to a chance to mate with the Matriarch."

"So they agree to it because of her prestige and authority?" Rarity went on. She was fighting to keep her voice level. "That's not right!"

"Oh, it's not so bad," with a slight shrug that almost sent them tumbling.

The implications of his words seemed to hang in the air around them. "Don't tell me you've been with the Matriarch too?" asked Dash, trying and failing not to sound a little grossed out.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Steven defensively, "It came as a bit of a surprise to me as well, to be honest. For various reasons, I was not exactly a smash hit with the lady dragons. I'd actually given up any hope of even the idea of having offspring of my own, least of all with her, but then she picked me. Maybe she thought my eggs might actually hatch? Well, that was the first time I met her. The second time I met her, she told me she'd laid our eggs, that they would not hatch like all the others, and that she'd given them away to Equestria. Somehow, I got the idea of trying to sneak there and try to take them back. It was a silly plan, I realize that now."

He sounded barely restrained in sorrow rather quietly melancholy as might have been expected from a loss that was by this point centuries past. His head was drooping lower and lower into the water before suddenly snapping back up with a splash, perhaps from realizing the awkwardness of the ponies on his back. He went on with a faked cheeriness before anypony had the chance to start consoling him.

"My kind isn't very political, you know. The Matriarch isn't at the top because someone elected her, or because she was born to it. She's in charge because she took charge. She beat out the competition, and whenever someone tries to challenge her for rulership, she beats them too. She's the oldest, biggest and strongest living dragon – and the richest."

"The richest?" "The richest?" Dash and Rarity looked at each other in amusement. That word had piqued both their interests.

"The magic of dragons makes them grow in size and power the bigger their hoard gets," explained Luna quickly.

"Ah, so the Matriarch is going to have a lot of treasure under that mountain, eh?" asked Dash with a slight grin.

"You're not thinking of burglarizing the ruler of all dragonkind, are you, darling?" wondered Rarity.

Steven abruptly threw back his head to have a look at them, almost tipping them all sideways into the river. The slight panic in his eyes seemed to be a bit much in Luna's opinion; it seemed rather obvious to her the question had not been completely serious.

"Oh no, no, no!" said Steven, "You don't want to try stealing from the Matriarch! She wouldn't like that!"

"Relax!" said Dash with a frown, "It was just a joke! We're not going to mess this up by taking her stuff."

Steven kept a wary gaze on them for a few moments longer, then righted himself to look ahead again. "Good, good. In any case, I'm not sure she has all that much to steal anyway. Most of her wealth – maybe all of it – comes from a single item."

"Go on," said Luna. A good bit of this info was new to her as well.

"Oh, it's called the Rock of Ages. It's supposed to be the most valuable jewel ever. It's got all sorts of magic powers in addition to being so valuable. Or maybe it's so valuable because it's got magic powers? I'm not really sure, to be honest."

"What's it like?" asked Rarity dreamily.

"Well, I've never seen it, have I? She doesn't have to carry it with her to own it. It's well-hidden somewhere in her mountain hideout. Occasionally, one of the Matriarch's rivals or an adventurous outsider would try to get in and take it for themselves. This, um, does not end well for them."

On their journey upstream, they had a chance to see some more of the environment, or what little of it there was. Steven had called this land a "waste," and that couldn't have been more accurate. Even compared to the dried-out swamp they'd come from, this place was desolate. The difference was that as far as Luna could recall, this area didn't look much different in her world. No matter in what direction they looked or how far they tried to see, they were met with nothing. Dragons didn't build things, they didn't grow or cultivate anything, but one would have expected some signs of life. Well, in truth, there was one thing: occasional faded scorch marks on the rocky ground, and thin trails of smoke in the distance. Where there was dragons, there was fire.

Luna looked into the greenish river-water, and then up towards their destination. She couldn't help but notice that there was no sign of snow visible on the mountaintop.

"Why did the Matriarch become the Matriarch?" she asked.

"I'm not sure I understand the question?" replied Steven.

"I would like to know what caused her to take up this responsibility. It must have been a considerable effort for her to become the ruler of dragonkind, magic jewel or no magic jewel. Why did she bother, if the biggest part of ruling is fighting others to stay the ruler? What motivated her to do this thing, if she's now content to remain in her hole in the ground otherwise? Was it just a struggle for power, or a dragon's greed that drove her? Or some other ambition?"

"I don't think I'm qualified to answer that question. It's not like we're friends, and this all happened a little before my time. She has a few thousand years on me, you know!"

Luna frowned. For all that Steven had told them, she did not feel like any of it helped her understand the being they were to meet. Luna could assess the Matriarch as a threat, but they were headed to a negotiation and not a fight. Giving dragonkind a future beyond slavery was supposed to be their big trump card, but this depended wholly on the Matriarch caring what happened to her people. What if she didn't? What if what Equestria did with her children was entirely beyond her concern? What if the the disease that could drive dragons to extinction was nothing to her?

This general sentiment was going to be Luna's next question, but she never got to ask it. Rainbow Dash, whose gaze happened to wander across the horizon, perked up suddenly.

"Hey, I think I see something," she said, squinting into the distance to their left.

"What?" asked Rarity warily.

"I think... I think we've got dragons!"

Luna could see them too. Two large reptilian shapes were lounging on the open plains – perhaps a mating pair, or the closest thing dragons had to friends. One of them was lying flat on its stomach with its leathery wings curled around it, while the other one, bigger and bulkier and wingless, was sitting upright. The former was emerald green and the latter a dull bronze that would have camouflaged it well and good if it had stuck closer to ground. As far as could be judged from a distance, they were both asleep.

"Should we go and introduce ourselves?" asked Rarity.

Steven didn't even dignify that with a response. He bent down his neck to reduce his profile and accelerated. He also let himself sink a little deeper so all their hooves were doused by the oncoming water. It became quite hard to maintain balance on his back, and he seemed intent on building up even more speed.

"Hey, what's the big deal, Steve?" asked Dash, but she too was reflexively arcing her back.

"We shouldn't talk to anyone except the Matriarch," replied Steven, half-whispering, "They might be hostile."

"But why would they want to attack us?" asked Rarity, "We haven't done anything to them!"

"They might be in a bad mood. Or hungry. Or bored. They might just not like ponies very much. Or they might not like me very much!"

The lower reaches of the mountain were no more than a few kilometers away by now, but the dragons were stirring. Steven and his pony passengers had the riverside ridge providing decent cover, but voices carried well in the wasteland, and dragons had excellent noses. Any new sound or smell must have stood out.

"I think they've noticed us," commented Dash, to which Steven whimpered.

"Pardon me, but surely we can slow down a little?" suggested Rarity, leaning back despite her best efforts. The water was splashing up to her chest now.

Luna opened her mouth and closed it. She was very close to commanding that they stop. This quiet escape ran counter to all her instincts. She knew better than most how aggressive and territorial dragons could be, and she was willing to trust Steven's judgement on the matter, but she had not come to this place to scurry and hide. How would they negotiate with the Matriarch if they didn't have some dignity? Getting into a fight would be... unbecoming, but backing down from one might have been worse.

The green dragon was up on its feet and stretching its wings. The bronze land-dweller had thrown back its head; they realized it wasn't just gazing at the sky when the echoing roar reached them. The green dragon crouched down and lifted off.

Luna had overplayed her hoof in Hillside. Even though Celestia hadn't said anything, Luna knew her sister had to be displeased by going public so spectacularly. She knew she could be too emotional sometimes, so she would have liked to think things through this time. Alas, there was very little time for thought now.

"It's pointless to try to escape," said Luna, "Stop."

She couldn't deny she was nervous, but the fact that Steven didn't listen made her feel something else entirely.

"I said stop!" she snarled.

In a few beats of its wings, the green dragon crossed half the sky. It was upon them. Where it wasted no time on its victims but swept down with claws extended, Luna hesitated. Her resolution withered into uncertainty; thoughts of defensive spells and tactics were buried under worries about diplomatic impact and the appropriate level of force. Suddenly, it was too late to worry.

Steven, still moving forward, veered to his right. He reached out his arms to intercept the attack. The green dragon couldn't slash him to ribbons, but its weight pushed him under. Luna, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were all thrown off his back and strewn into the river.

Luna found herself whirling around in the water, not knowing which way was up or down. She was caught in the downstream flow, which had grown fierce so close to the river's source

Her surroundings were darkening steadily from mud and sediments kicked up by the commotion. She felt rather than saw the dragons struggling above and around her. Twisting currents betrayed the movement of their gigantic limbs.

Dash had been starting to flap her wings, but even she'd been too slow to take to the air. Rarity, more mindful of landing than taking off, had curled herself into a ball. Where they were now, Luna could not tell.

The river wasn't deep enough to get lost in. Luna knew which way to orient herself when she touched down in the sludge at the bottom. She tried to roll over, push herself off the ground and swim to the surface, but found her hooves stuck in the mud. She stumbled and lost her footing and was dragged further away. Fortunately, she could make do without breathing.

The second time around, she didn't make the same mistake. She blasted out of the water with a beat of her wings, ascended and shook off some of the water with another beat, and circled towards where the water serpent and the winged dragon were snapping at each other.

Her rapid heartbeat in her ears was egging her on like the drums of war. It was as if the river had washed away her doubts. She no longer particularly cared what the appropriate level of force was.

A smoky silvery whip shot forth from her horn, homed in on the green dragon's half-submerged neck and wound around it. Luna yanked back her head, and through a little twist in the laws of physics, her opponent came hurtling out of the riverbed. Luna had exerted far more force on the dragon than just her weight.

She only paused to let the green dragon hit the ground. He was in some ways quite beautiful – up close, Luna was fairly sure it was a male. His scales ranged from emerald plate on its back to minute and shamrock splint around its belly, and he was covered in a glistening sheen from the water. As soon as he'd gathered himself and started staggering to his feet, Luna pulled the whip taut so his head was pulled in her direction. She kept herself aloft slightly higher than his eye level.

"You have made a grave mistake, little dragon!" she declared, "We are here to speak to your mistress and we will not be treated this way!"

She was honestly not sure whether she was using the royal we.

Her eyes flickered, for the barest of moments, back to the river to check on her companions. Perhaps that was what decided the green dragon's answer.

His answer was a burst of flame.

Luna let herself drop. The gout of fire passed her by in free-fall, but the hot wind that followed still caught her.

Luna twisted around and landed upright, cracking the rock formation underneath her with her landing. She dug her hooves into the ground and further tightened the silver band to the point where the flame ceased and the only thing coming out of the green dragon's throat was a thin gurgling sound.

"Will you listen to me now?!" Luna demanded.

They locked eyes. She was choking him, and she could have killed him, but she didn't see panic in those yellow-black eyes. Though his mouth was wide open and gasping for breath, he didn't even try to lean forward to slacken the band. The only thing she could read from his eyes was hunger – but not for meat.

Then, quick as lightning, the green dragon extended his wings and beat them along the ground. Luna had to raise her own wings to shield her face from the torrent of dust and sand that rose up. The painful hail caused her to take a step back. Just like in the river, her vision was obscured.

Luna was surprised by such a move, but she should not have been. She'd forgotten what dragons were like. Despite the indifferent savagery of his attack, this was no mere mindless beast, but a cunning, thinking monster.

She tried to keep a hold on her whip, but she could tell the green dragon was on the move. He kept storming up more sand with his wings, but slithered towards her along the ground. That was an advantage Luna intended to press. She jumped and took back to the air. The last thing she noticed lifting off was that the ground was shaking, and the first thing she saw reaching the clear sky was a metallic brown mass towering over her. The bronze dragon had caught up with them on the riverside.

It struck her before she could react. It struck her so hard she was propelled all the way to the opposite side of the river. The silver band snapped off from her horn somewhere along the way.

This time, she did not land on her hooves. She crashed and bounced on the bank, finally skidding to a halt against an elevation. Stumbling, she rose back up. She lifted a hoof to her mouth and found that she'd been bloodied. It wasn't so bad: a normal pony would have broken every bone in her body twice over from that.

From her new vantage point, she discovered that Rarity and Rainbow Dash had both made it to the riverbank. Steven had wrapped himself protectively around them, which included keeping a hold on Dash so she wouldn't fly into action. There was red in the water around him.

On the opposite bank, the green dragon was still struggling with the silver band around his throat – clawing at it, trying to bend his neck to bite at it – but without Luna there to feed the magic, the hard light would dissipate in a minute or two. The bronze dragon, probably a female, was standing on her hindlegs, off to the side from her companion. This one was built like a fortress, and her scales looked less like reptile skin than tree bark. Her wedge-shaped head had two mouths and four eyes. She bent forward to stand on all fours, and roared once more, with both maws. The sound made the world tremble.

Luna wasn't sure whether the metallic tang in her mouth was blood or bile. Without thinking, she responded with a wordless war cry of her own. There was another spell on her mind, and soon enough her horn. She fired off bursts of force that shimmered at the bronze dragon's head and chest and impacted with no more effect than some growls of pain and a slight staggering.

Luna grunted from the wasted effort, but fired once more, aiming lower this time. A section of wasteland rock on the riverside was ground into dust in a soundless implosion. The bronze dragon stumbled without footing.

Luna took flight immediately, rushed forward much faster than any wings could carry her. She aimed straight for the gargantuan mass before her, obscured by a momentary mach cone. The moment before impact, she whirled around and bucked.

It was as if she'd landed on thunder. She felt the bronze armor splinter with cobweb cracks under her hooves.

Even as she was shrieking in pain, the bronze dragon brought one of her claws down on Luna. She might have been swatting a fly, but Luna knew she'd managed to hurt the beast. Leveraging herself against the wound, Luna pushed off and evaded the blow.

Relying on instinct, she angled her wings and withdrew in zigzag. A pillar of light yellow fire blared past her into the atmosphere, without even interrupting the roar of pain and rage below.

Luna circled around for another approach, quite willing to try the same tactic again. She even went for the center of mass again. The bronze dragon's stumpy legs would have made good targets as well, but... Luna wanted the beast to be able to run away once once she was done.

The bronze dragon was and was not ready for Luna. It bellowed more fire, slashed the air with its claws – but Luna was too fast. She was faster than shadows fleeing from light. The air scattered before her; friction and momentum gave way. The speed seared her bones, but it was worth it.

She struck, now with her forehooves, at the wound she'd left behind on her first pass. Something soft gave way this time. There were no words for the noises the bronze dragon was making.

Something strange happened on her retreat: the horizon inclined, and the earth careened towards her. Luna had to pull up sharply to stay in the air. Perhaps she was trying a bit too hard...

Another pass was all that was needed, she was sure of it. Another pass would allow her to bring the bronze dragon down.

Through the haze of exertion, she almost didn't notice the green dragon clawing forward to rejoin the fray. The silver band Luna had conjured up was becoming too ethereal to impede him.

Blinking her eyes to keep them in focus, Luna changed direction to intercept her first opponent. She tuned out everything else and tried to keep sight of the tangling, frayed end of the silver band. Slicing ahead of the green dragon's snapping jaws, Luna managed to close her own teeth on the end of the ghostly whip, which brightened and solidified at her touch.

Luna kept moving. Instead of tightening the band, she extended it, weaving a tempestuous circle around the green dragon's wings before he could put them to use again, then descended to loop around his legs as well. The whip was going to make do as a snare.

She caught one leg, a second, and a third – the fourth one, front right, met her on her way. Luna banked, but one enormous claw came so close it ripped free some of the feathers on her wing. The only way to evade was down, so Luna made one more crash-landing.

The important thing was that she managed to keep a hold of the line. When the green dragon leaned closer to deliver a fatal blow, all Luna had to do to close up the band around him was to pull. As badly as he wanted to kill her, he couldn't do so yet. Stumbling and immobilized, he had to focus on getting loose, and that gave Luna the chance she needed.

She clambered back up – first on her hooves and then in the air. She had to hurry now. From the corner of her eye, she saw the bronze dragon lumbering closer. With a quick forward surge, she snagged the green dragon's last free limb, then rose back up to tie up his snout and close up his jaws, and finally did a few quick circles around his upper body.

When she constricted the line now, the green dragon's considerable mass came sinking down to the ground, where it remained, twitching and quivering like a volcano that could no longer erupt. Luna touched down next to his head and let go of the whip. It was no longer needed. Up close, she could disable the beast with a sleep-spell.

She'd hoped to find him cowed now at last, but his eyes followed her approach with the same rabid intensity she'd seen before. He could no longer breathe heavily, so he breathed rapidly, driving up gusts of sand with each exhalation.

And then – a puff of fire from his nostrils. It would have done no more than singe Luna's eyebrows, had there been any heat to burn.

The world lurched, and Luna was expelled from time and space for the briefest of moments. When her surroundings resolved back into reality, she found herself somewhere else entirely, standing in ash rather than sand.

She looked to one side and saw crimson, gray, amber and plum purple. She looked to another side and saw copper, teal, magenta and periwinkle blue. All around her, in every imaginable color and shape, there were dragons. Of course they saw her as well, but their stirring was not the worst of it. A deep humming sound from behind alerted Luna to a presence closer than any other. She turned around and saw a living shadow, a coal-black shape so vast that it seemed endless. She could have stared at it for hours without seeing all of it.

Luna didn't know where she was, but she teleported back to her previous location right away.

The green dragon had surely not expected her to have this power. He didn't have time to be surprised by her reappearance, since she struck back from the clear blue sky and smashed his head into the ground with as much force as she could muster. The sleep-spell she'd had in mind was forgotten, but the effect was the same. The same yellow-black eyes that had stared at her so impetuously were now blank and rolling up in his head. Luna didn't feel as much satisfaction in her victory as she'd expected, but she felt some.

Luna now turned to look at her only remaining opponent.

The bronze dragon had stopped in her approach at some point along the way. She swiveled forward and backwards, roaring and roaring again, with one mouth, the second, and both at once. It was like a barking dog, trying to express a wounded pride and an anger like she'd never known before, but not daring to step forward. The thick blood and bits of broken scale dripping from her abdomen must have accounted for some of her hesitation.

Luna leaned forward and extended her wings as far as they reached. She forced her flattened ears up to show she wasn't afraid. She tried to look as majestic as her scruffy and dusty coat would allow.

"Flee!" she bellowed.

The bronze dragon fell silent. She heard and listened. Her resolve wavered and broke. She turned around and went off into the wilderness, though she would not go without occasionally turning around and roaring some more, as if that would lessen the shame of her escape.

Luna kept watch until she was sure the bronze dragon would not return. She had another look at the green dragon to make sure he was down and out. Once she was certain the situation had been resolved, she released a quiet sigh and licked her lips. She still had anger left over from the battle, and nothing to do with it now. With the adrenaline fading fast, the pains and aches were catching up to her. Still, they had not and did not have time to waste, so Luna flapped back into the air. The craters Luna's magic had left behind were filling up with water, but she ignored them and crossed the river to check on her companions.

Luna noticed a limp when she landed, but she couldn't tell which leg. She didn't have as much cause to complain as Steven, however, who'd had a patch of scales torn off from his back during the initial attack. Luckily, the damage only appeared to be skin-deep. The water had made the bleeding look worse than it really was. Rainbow Dash and Rarity both seemed unharmed, though the latter had lost her cloak in the river. All of them were staring at the approaching Luna with wide eyes and unmasked astonishment.

"That was... quite an impressive display!" said Rarity breathlessly. She coughed up some water the next moment.

"Do you know how fast you were going there?!" asked Dash.

The awe of her companions was pleasing to Luna, but she couldn't get caught in such vanity.

"Never mind that," she said, "Are you all right?"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" said Steven, dabbing at his bare back with his arms, "Yes, I am fine, relatively speaking."

Space was clearing up in Luna's mind to worry about what she'd seen earlier. Evidently, the green dragon had been spiteful enough to try having others kill Luna where he could not. The question was, who had he tried to send her to? The black figure couldn't have been the Matriarch... could it? The Matriarch's lair was supposed to be underground, but Luna'd been under open sky. Perhaps the Matriarch's habits had changed, or perhaps the Matriarch herself had changed. There were any number of ways Steven could have been inadvertently mistaken. Of course, if all his information was still up to date, and Luna had not met the Matriarch, that meant the being she'd glimpsed was not the biggest and mightiest of dragons – that there was still one bigger and mightier.

"What a wonderful welcome," Rarity was saying. She sounded more disgusted than sarcastic.

"Well, they've got no reason to be welcoming, do they?" observed Dash, "Ponies keep their kin as slaves. But... yeah. This was pretty excessive."

"You think this was personal?" asked Steven, "I'm not so sure. That's just what we're like."

"You do yourself a disservice," said Rarity, "You're nothing like these brutes. You are a civilized being!"

"Thank you," said Steven simply.

"Think this is what we can expect from the Matriarch?" wondered Dash.

"Oh, the Matriarch would never attack you without provocation," replied Steven, "I hope."

"What does the Matriarch look like?" asked Luna.

Steven raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, I'm not sure about you ponies, but my kind considers her very beautiful. She has an impressive symmetry to her. Silver scales, by the way, kind of translucent..." He must have noticed a change in Luna's expression, because he didn't go on. "This seems somewhat irrelevant to me though. Why are you asking?"

"I will explain." Luna stroked her chin. "But not just yet. Let's head out first."

"Agreed!" said Steven, "Feel free to get back on. And before you ask, yes, I'm sure. Let's just get away from here, hmm?"

Steven was ready and willing to carry them further, though they had to take up position further back than last time. They were probably no more than another hour away from the mountain, and Luna certainly hoped they'd get there soon, without any further incidents. The Matriarch was waiting.

"You said this place was called the Backwards Mountain?" said Dash. Perhaps she hoped some small-talk would keep Steven's mind off the pain. "It looks right-side up to me."

"Oh," said Steven, "Oh, right! I forgot to tell you about that, didn't I? That's not why it's called the Backwards Mountain. It's just that mountain is traveling backwards through time."

Luna wondered if things couldn't ever be easy.

To be continued in Part II.

Author's Note

Unlike the last chapter, I expect this one to have a longer first part and shorter second part. Then again, I'm not sure any of you would have any reason to believe anything I say anymore.
I'm sorry to say that the progress update on my profile page was correct throughout the whole period since my last update. I made most of my progress here throughout a fortuitous sickness that kept me off work for a week and a half in February.

Chapter 13: A Sick People (Part II)

No one had ever taken a hammer and chisel to the gate of the Matriarch's premises, but it had not gone completely without craftsmanship either. Over the course of millennia, the opening of the cave had been battered by spikes, fins and various other protrusions of scaled bodies until it had attained a form that was right for every shape of dragon. It must have been hundreds of hooflengths high, and proportionately wide.

The opening was framed by twin waterfalls, split in twain by a rock formation higher up on the side of the mountain. The doorframe of water looked so elegant and appropriate that it must have been intentional; this touch of ornamentation was as close as dragons got to art or architecture. At the base of the mountain, the two waterfalls joined up with an underground stream to become the river they'd been traversing. They could simply continue on their way, though none of them felt comfortable about entering the tunnel into the unknown.

"What's going to happen to us in there?" asked Luna.

"This mountain is a rip current in the tides of time," said Steven, as if that explained everything, "Time flows the other way here, and foreign bodies are caught in the drift. Inside, old things become new, old persons become young. I've even heard of some folks regrowing lost limbs when they come here. It happens proportionately, so even the oldest feel the effects, and the reverse aging gradually slows down, so you won't be unborn or something like that. It feels a little weird, but you don't have to worry at all. Once we come back out, everything will be back to normal."

"There are things in my past I'd rather not revisit," said Luna. There were things in her past that would have been dangerous to revisit...

Luna wanted to be annoyed at Steven for failing to mention the unusual properties of the mountain earlier, but she was herself to blame. He'd wanted to explain, but she'd cut him off in her rush to move forward.

"I don't think it works quite like that," said Steven.

He took initiative and swam forward into the mouth of the cavern, and nopony objected. It was the only way forward, after all.

"The Matriarch's Rock of Ages was mined here, a long time ago," Steven continued, "Some barbarian canines lived in these lands and dug these tunnels before dragons came and took both from them. That was before living memory, of course. This place is where the Rock of Ages gets its magic. It's said that the gem stops its owner from aging, though it's hard to tell whether that's the case with the Matriarch."

When the longest rays of sunlight no longer reached them, Rarity put her horn aglow to light their way in the tunnel before Luna could even think to suggest it. The thin blue light reflected from the water and sediments on the walls to create a wavery ambiance that most ponies would probably have found eerie.

"Do I look any different yet?" Rarity asked.

"Nope," said Dash, but continued carefully studying Rarity's face even after her reply.

The tunnel got smaller and narrower the farther in they got, though it remained huge in comparison to most underground spaces. Stalagmites and stalactites would have been expected but were nowhere to be found. They too must have been worn away before they could form by visitors and the Matriarch's own outings. (Or perhaps stalagmites and stalactites dripped upwards into nothingness in this place?) The tunnel also split off into smaller paths, some of which opened up from above and some of which led underwater. There must have been a labyrinthine criss-cross of caverns throughout the mountain. Steven kept them on a straight path though, so Luna supposed the Matriarch's lair was at the very heart of the mountain.

In the underground emptiness, the rest of the world seemed to fade away, quite literally. Existence was reduced to the small section of the cave system they could see. There was no sound that they didn't make themselves. Even the pulsing heartbeat of the sun across the world that Luna could feel at the back of her head if she wanted to first quieted and then disappeared completely. This would ordinarily have been very disquieting, but with the evil energies that permeated and powered the sun in this dimension, Luna did not miss the sensation. If she needed any proof that the mountain wasn't just a mountain, however, this was it. There should have been no earthly way to interrupt her connection to the cosmos like that.

Luna had been in a similar situation once before, actually. The would-be king Sombra had trapped her in a pocket dimension of his own creation. None of Luna's senses, movements or magics could take her back outside. It had been a space of infinite scope and tiny magnitude; there was nothing to see not because of a lack of light but because of a lack of anything. It had been a true emptiness, with only Sombra's own voice to give her company. There had even been moments when he'd addressed her directly, but most of the time, his presence had been a background noise of maniacal laughter and depressive musings about entropy and the void of being.

Of course, Sombra had been a very different pony back then. He'd gone beyond his usual gloomy spells and outbursts of rage into the realm of outright hostility, but he hadn't yet been the villain he'd later become. There was still good in him, and enough sentimentality to value the past between himself and Luna. In the end, he'd let her go.

Luna wasn't sure whether she would ever have been able to escape there on her own. The Backwards Mountain was worrisome, but she'd been through worse. She hadn't turned back into Nightmare Moon like she'd feared, had she?

Luna shook her head. She had best focus on the matters at hoof...

Rarity's head had drooped and her hornlight seemed somewhat duller. Judging by the slight scowl on her face, she wasn't just bored. Rainbow Dash, by contrast, was staring right through the cave-wall, a corner of her mouth raised in a subconscious smirk.

Luna glanced at the spot on Steven's back where he'd taken his wound, and found she could barely tell where the scales had been missing. He was as good as healed, but he too was so lost in thought he hadn't noticed or felt the need to bring it up.

"What are you thinking of?" asked Luna, of no one in particular.

Steven didn't react, but her pony companions took notice.

"Ah, excuse me," said Rarity with an affected lightness in her tone, "My mind was wandering."

"Just fantasizing about something," said Dash with a shrug.

"Remembering?" asked Luna.

Rarity and Dash both looked at her, and she knew she'd hit the mark on its head. All of them were remembering.

They did look different now, both of them. Rarity was slimmer, with bigger eyes and what might have been a pimple on her cheek. Dash, already petite and underfed, seemed even smaller now. Her tail hair was longer, the colors brighter. Though most of Steven's mass was still hidden under the waterline, he too seemed to have shrunk. As for Luna herself, she realized her mane had come to rest on her back, and the starlight appeared to be fading from it.

Steven had been right. It did feel weird. The three of them looked at each other, hoping to see the changes as they happened, wondering what to say or do. Luna half-way expected them to shrink down to fillies and lose their cutie marks when she blinked her eyes. Nothing like that happened, of course. They tried to keep the worrying down and just continue on their journey.

Luna had to give credit to what a perfect arrangement the Matriarch had set up. The Rock of Ages remained in the Matriarch's possession even if she didn't hold it in her claws, so every time she left the mountain, she would grow to her natural size and regain full use of the power her treasure gave her. No other dragon could match her then, and if she wished to throw off the shackles of her gargantuan size, all she had to do was return to her abode and grow young again. Meanwhile, the jewel itself remained where the Matriarch's greatest rivals could literally never reach. Young upstarts could perhaps sneak into the mountain to try to take it for themselves, but the jewel was sure to be well hidden in the caves, and searching at length probably would have made them helpless children.

Eventually, main body of the underground river split off from the path to the Matriarch's lair. They had to continue by hoof. Although Steven was quite elegant in water, seeing him waddling on land on his stick-thin limbs was awkward in every way. Then the path turned upwards, and with the rock underhoof slick from trickles of water, Steven regained the advantage. He had a much easier time with his claws and knowledge of the cave system than his hooved companions. Yet even though he was leading the way for them and taking great big steps, there was no energy in his movement. He fell in behind Luna and the others. Once he started hyperventilating, they guessed they were almost at their destination.

The ever smaller tunnel opened up into a much larger space, or at least a somewhat larger space. It wasn't quite the size of a cathedral, but perhaps that of a large church, from what they could see in the limited circle of light. The cave at the heart of the mountain may have been natural, but it must surely have been expanded and reshaped by digging, once upon a time. The flatness of the ground, really more of a floor, and the angles of the steeped cave ceiling indicated architecture more than geology. Their steps echoed all too ominously as they moved forward.

The Matriarch of Dragonkind was not the biggest among her species right now. She appeared to them as a young adult, two times taller than Luna yet diminutive. The lair was too big for her. Her scales looked like the armor plates of a knight, silver and gleaming. In the dark, she was bright. There was a strange sort of transparency to her body - hints of crystal bone, veins of mercury and glowing white flame were visible inside her. The effect should have been horrifying, even disgusting, but it was neither. Seeing her inner workings made her look like an intricate, perfect organism.

She was currently curled up on an elevated platform in the middle of the cavern, her wings loose around her. Her head was raised and she was looking directly at her visitors. No matter how hard Luna tried, she could not discern an expression in the Matriarch's face. She was thankful enough the ruler had more restraint than the subjects, and that there was no malice or anger in the zirconic eyes cast upon them, at least not yet.

Everything Luna had prepared, every diplomatic greeting she'd thought of, was wiped from her mind with the Matriarch's first words.

"Welcome back, Princess."

"You know me?" Luna rasped.

The Matriarch considered her coolly. "We spoke not long ago, did we not?"

Part of Luna's mind went wild with conjecture, but another, more rational part realized how she might have misunderstood.

"When was that?" she asked.

"Only some centuries ago. Perhaps seven hundred and fifty years by your old reckoning."

Of course. There was little chance of meeting the Forgotten Princess at any later point in history.

The Matriarch's voice was smooth and steady; it was not a monster's voice. Yet even though she seemed cordial, Luna could not help the impression that she was acting against her nature, that she had to make an effort to be polite. Somewhere inside her was still a furnace waiting to burn.

"The Princess Luna you met," said Luna, "was not me."

Even though her curiosity was obvious, the Matriarch seemed to make a point of not asking the obvious question. She stood up to full height, folded up her wings and slowly padded closer to the group. There was grace in her every move, but it was not the grace of a doe or a swan, but of a predator. She leaned close to Luna and smelled her. Luna met her gaze. If she was being tested, she intended to leave a favorable impression, a strong impression. The Matriarch may or may not have found what she was looking for. She turned around and stepped further away again.

"You wretched creature. You would have been better off not coming back."

As before, outrage started bubbling in Luna before she could remind herself what was really happening. The Matriarch was speaking to the guide that had brought them to her.

Steven had been trying to hide behind Luna and the others – which was quite ridiculous even with his slightly smaller stature. He might have been a very gentle soul among dragons, but he was no coward. So why was he cowering? There had to be a reason for his fear of the Matriarch. Her words to him were harsh in everything but tone. They did not sound like a threat at all. Then again, perhaps his feelings towards her were more complex than just fear, with shame and a considerable amount of resentment in the mix as well.

"Ah, hello, mistress," he said, with his neck bent down but his eyes turned up to look at the Matriarch.

"I'm surprised to see you back here."

"So am I, mistress," replied Steven. He was squirming under her gaze.

"He came back here as a favor to us," said Luna.

"Dragons do favors for ponies now?" mused the Matriarch.

"They return favors."

The Matriarch bared her fangs in amusement. "I suppose we do."

She was smiling at Luna's words, not at Luna herself. Then, without warning, she threw back her head and released a breath of shining-white fire. Though she was not aiming at them, Rarity and Dash both leapt backwards on instinct, and Luna unfurled her wings to take action if necessary. The flames snaked through the cavern above their heads, where they froze in place to illuminate the audience instead of dissipating. Rarity put out her horn when it became clear that the cavern would remain bright as daylight.

"Don't be frightened," said the Matriarch, "I only thought you'd prefer better lighting."

It was an apology without an apology. At first Luna thought the Matriarch was making a display of her power, or was simply trying to gauge their reactions. She'd seemed to make an effort to keep her guests on the defensive through the whole conversation so far. There was another possibility as well, however, that Luna wanted to kick herself for not realizing right away. Maybe the Matriarch was simply not used to interacting with others? Maybe she was just awkward?

"What are your names?" she asked, addressing Rarity and Rainbow Dash now.

They introduced themselves, and the Matriarch accepted their introductions even though it was quite clear to everyone involved that she was unlikely to remember either their names or their existence in a century's time.

"If you have something to say to me, then speak."

"It's a long story," said Luna.

"I have time to spare."

"And it might be hard to believe."

The Matriarch said nothing more, so Luna went on and explained herself. There were in fact quite a number of things she'd have liked to ask about her counterpart and what the Matriarch knew of her, but she thought it best to focus the mission. She told the story simply and without varnishing, covering the tale of their expulsion from their home universe in only as much detail as necessary, but going over why they stood against Queen Celestia and what they intended to do about her more convincingly. Since they couldn't be sure of the Matriarch's allegiance – she was after all a nominal ally of Equestria – Luna wasn't going to reveal everything all at once. She let Rarity and Rainbow Dash explain the particulars of how they knew 'Steven' and the deal they'd made with him.

The Matriarch, so emotionless before, now made some attempts to express herself. She nodded her head, she raised her brow, she raised a clawed hand to her chin. It all came across as an act, like she was mimicking ponylike behavior for their convenience. But that was a good thing, wasn't it? She was being... forthcoming. It just made it difficult to tell what she was really thinking. When Luna's story ended, the Matriarch looked down at her expectantly, as if waiting for more to come.

"Have you ever had the feeling," she finally said, "as if moments in your life keep repeating?"

"Deja vu?" Rarity filled in mechanically.

"That must be it," said the Matriarch, "Somehow, I know exactly what you're going to say next. Go on then, ask the question."

Luna went on as requested. "I – we – came here to ask for your assistance in defeating Queen Celestia."

"I shall give you the same answer as last time. I know your journey here must have been perilous, but I'm afraid you've wasted your time. I'm not going to take any action against Celestia."

Luna took a deep breath. There was no need to be disheartened; this was only the beginning. She had not expected to close this without a lengthy negotiation.

"Would you tell us why not?" she asked, "You do believe us, don't you? I told you, we've never had this conversation before."

"I see no reason to doubt you. I've known that there are realms above and below ours for most of my life. I shouldn't be surprised that there are also realms next to ours."

"Then why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Celestia is a dear friend of mine. We've known each other for a long time, and we've done much for each other. You're asking me to betray her, but why would I?"

This was... unexpected.

"I don't believe this," said Luna, shaking her head, "You must realize that your 'friend' is only using you to secure her empire!"

"How presumptuous!" The Matriarch growled that last word. Realizing this, she paused and carried on in a much more conversational tone. "You know us so well, do you? Tell me, what do you really think you know? Have you ever even met her? Have you seen her? Or are you just making assumptions?"

Nightmare Moon had not been a complete person. She'd existed only in the present moment – the only existence a being with the ambition to wipe out all life could lead. Luna couldn't imagine being able to carry on living in such a state, nor being able to maintain any sort of relationships with others, not even as an illusion or deception. Yet Daymare Sun seemed to have managed to do both. Even as she made a conscious attempt to suppress it, her sister's idea wormed its way forward from the back of her head. What if there was no Daymare Sun?

What she was forced to conclude – the only thing she allowed herself to conclude – was that Celestia was simply better at being a supervillain than she herself had been.

"I know her by her actions," said Luna. It was a bit of a deflection, but it lead her to a very important question. "So you agree with the things she's doing?"

"What things?" asked the Matriarch.

"The ecological devastation, the oppression of other species, the wars of conquest..."

The Matriarch considered. "None of that is of any great concern to me." She turned away from them and walked off, as if she'd grown disinterested with the conversation, but carried on talking. "Oh, it's true that Celestia has changed since we first met. She's moved in directions I would never have expected. Of course, she's still quite young. I believe the current world order is just a phase she's going through. Growing pains, if you will."

"Growing pains?" repeated Luna in disbelief, "Growing pains she's gone through for centuries, costing the lives of... what, millions?"

The Matriarch only barely seemed to be listening. Luna wondered if she too was prone to reminiscing in this place. She must have had a lot to think back on.

In any case, this wasn't as big of a setback as it might have seemed. She'd never really expected to be able to appeal to the Matriarch's nobility. The plan all along had been to lean on her pride and self-interest.

"What about what she's doing to your people? Your so-called friend is using your sickness to turn dragons into slaves!"

Luna had let her passion into her voice, and recaptured the Matriarch's attention.

"Is that so?"

The coldness in the Matriarch's words disturbed her. She had to count on the idea that the ruler of dragonkind had some concern for the welfare of her people. There was nothing to bluff with here; she could only play the cards in her hooves.

"Yes, that is so," she affirmed, "But I swear to you now, we will put a stop to it! We will fight as hard to liberate dragons as our fellow ponies, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that your lost children are returned to you! If you join together with us, we can work out a new deal, where ponies keep hatching dragon eggs without pressing the little ones into our service and turning them into tools. Dragons could keep going strong as a people!"

The Matriarch paced back and forth during Luna's appeal. They stopped together.

"Would you leave us be for a while?" said the Matriarch.

She threw her voice into the space of the cavern without direction, but somehow, all of them could tell she was speaking to Steven. The water serpent started moving and stopped.

"Er, where should I go?"

"Find someplace in my chambers. Don't wander."

Steven looked at his companions with worry in his eyes as he brushed past them, both for himself and for them. He lumbered off into one of the other tunnels leading away from the central cavern. The Matriarch waited for him to leave, but remained silent even after he was gone. She was staring far away, and broke the silence as suddenly as she'd breathed fire earlier.

"You seem to think that the arrangement Celestia I have is something forced on me," the Matriarch said, "Not at all. It was my idea." Her voice seemed to reach them from distant stars. "The whole plague was my idea."

Words failed Luna. Dash had to pick up the slack.

"What the hell are you saying?!" she demanded.

"Scholars call it the Draconic Ovistasis, don't they? Everyone else calls it the Doom of Dragons. You know what I call it? Our redemption. And yours..."

Luna instinctively stomped her foot. If the Matriarch's statement had not been so perplexing and intriguing, she might not have managed to stop herself from doing something stupid. As it was, she needed to know where the Matriarch was going with this.

"Confused, are we? It takes magic to hatch dragon eggs, but generally, magical cures only work for magical problems. Did you really think such a plague could be natural?"

In truth, Luna had never paid it any real attention. She'd learned about the Draconic Ovistasis as a new fact of life in a history book while reintegrating into Equestria. It had taken hold in the world during her absence.

"Dragons," said the Matriarch, "are disgusting. We are a vile, destructive race. I'm sure you've noticed it yourselves. We have much and more of the greed, lack of caring and bloodlust other beings can show at their worst, but with none of their redeeming qualities. Other species may dip into states of conflict, while we never leave it. They may fight for politics and religion and even pettier things, but we don't need a reason to fight. The only things that keep a dragon from killing are apathy and laziness. I've seen the forces of evolution give the gift of empathy to so many different creatures. Dragons are as savage as we've always been. Over millions of years, we've remained the same. Only our ability to manipulate has grown. We're loose bands of marauders, who harry strangers, kill them for our amusement and take what's theirs when we aren't busy tearing at each other over nothing."

She didn't need any further prompting to keep talking. Indeed, more and more it seemed she wasn't even addressing her guests anymore. She'd started pacing again. Back and forth she went across the cavern, turning around abruptly on each side to go again. It had seemed like a sign of distraction before, but now it hinted at mania.

"We don't create or build things. We have no homes, only the most basic tool use, no culture, no civilization! I've seen the art your kind creates. I've seen beautiful paintings, evocative sculptures. thought-provoking stories and haunting songs created by ponies, griffons, reindeer and leviathans – but not us. There are species long-extinct that never invented the wheel and yet became much more than us. Oh but how we love shiny things, yet making something beautiful is almost impossible for our kind. Once we've scraped some precious metals and minerals from rockwalls, our wisdom is exhausted, so we fall back on taking from others. We're less than the vainest magpie or most rabid of hounds. The worst of us are clever enough to fool others with nice words and not feel a thing doing it. We're just monsters that have fooled the world into thinking we're more!"

This outburst rendered Luna all but speechless. None of the questions that echoed through her head seemed fit to ask, and none of the comments she'd have liked to make seemed like they would make a difference. She was starting to wish the Matriarch would stop, if only because her tone of voice was becoming genuinely painful in its despair. Luna wanted to do something though, so she blurted out the obvious.

"What about Steven?" she asked.

"Who?" The Matriarch stopped and swiveled to face them again. "Oh, him. There are exceptions, of course. I admire them, and I'm thankful for them, and I pity them. Most like him are killed by their parents or brood siblings before reaching maturity. I was sincere in my words to him, you know. He was never happy here among his own kind, and he should not have returned. Weakness doesn't last long among us, and he's lasted longer than I would have expected."

"Steve isn't weak," burst in Dash.

"Can't you just tell them to leave him alone?" asked Rarity hesitantly, "You could do more than that. You are their Matriarch, after all."

The Matriarch chuckled bitterly. "Do you really think I can control them? Dragons respect no laws; the only authority we have is power. By this point, my people are far too numerous to watch over. It took us a long while, but we eventually started multiplying faster than we our violent clashes could cull our numbers. Our territory begun expanding faster than it used to. Every time we spread out and appropriated the labors of others, a new generation would already be on its way to one day do the same. It has gone on that way for longer than you can possibly imagine. My predecessors, warlords all, reveled in it. I could not stop it. Finally, we reached a point where I knew we would ruin the world."

She turned around fully, sat down on her hindlegs and addressed the group directly.

"Do you find the Eternal Day uncomfortable? It's not so bad, if you think about. Celestia takes great pains to keep you all alive, with safe zones where temperatures are carefully measured for agriculture to remain viable. She is in perfect control, whereas our world would have no control. It would be a thousand thousand dragons bringing down their own fire from the sky, charring the countryside for fun and profit where ever they pleased. Your sister integrates other races into her empire instead of exterminating them. Under the reign of dragons, instead of a fascist government, you would be allowed no government. All you would have is dwindling numbers and a road to extinction as all your achievements are smashed to rubble and all your resources are used up for the benefit of others. Do you understand what I'm saying? Can you possibly grasp when you've seen nothing like this in your limited lifespans? A plague of locusts, where each locust is a dragon..."

She paused, and sighed. It sounded of inexplicable relief.

"We would, in truth, probably be better off not existing. That was my first line of thinking – how to wipe us all out. I would have had to do it myself, and – and I admit I lacked the conviction to go through with it. I talked to your sister about these matters, Princess, and I had a different idea. We were already sick, I thought, so... it seemed fitting. It seemed to be the only way to control my people, to keep us from overrunning everything, to make us more civilized. I couldn't have done it without the help of Celestia's magic. She prepared the spells according to my designs. We made it so dragons couldn't just keep breeding, because only unicorn magic can hatch live babies from our eggs. More than that, we made it so the young are raised by ponies who shape them into docile creatures. And the last centuries have proven that it is working!"

The Matriarch smiled again, but not with the same self-assurance as before. Luna couldn't quite say she was hoping for their approval, but she did seem a bit more tentative now.

"Future generations of dragons will exist in a state of symbiosis with ponies. They will be tame – not harmless, but tame. They may be put to work as warriors, but they will not grow up to menace the entire world. Their lives will be strict, but ultimately better than the mindless violence of their homeland. This arrangement has changed things even back here, actually. For the first time in history, dragons consider matters of genetic destiny. They are less likely to get into fights with the knowledge that their bloodlines could end with their deaths. Those among us who cannot adapt will kill each other off. Everything is getting better. I can't say I wasn't selfish in doing this, but it was as much for the sake of everyone else as for my people. You can see why I won't help you ruin it all, don't you?"

The whole thing was ridiculous, morally bankrupt and more than a little bit insane. On the other hoof, Luna at least thought the good intentions underlying it all were genuine. All of a sudden, it seemed like their ambition to recruit this dragon to their case was hopelessly out of reach. It didn't seem like the Matriarch would brook any argument. There was a certainty in her words that must have built up over literal ages.

Luna wondered how long the Matriarch had been living with this. She obviously wouldn't have shared what she'd said here with any other dragons, not just because their reaction might have been violent, but also perhaps because they might have lacked the intellectual and ethical capacity to understand her motives. Aside from Queen Celestia herself, the last time she'd gotten to air these dark thoughts may well have been... with Luna herself?

"This... doesn't have to be," Luna attempted, "I can see what you're trying to do, but... you're going too far! Listen, we have a similar program in our world! We take in dragon eggs and hatch them, but instead of raising the little ones as brainwashed tools of oppression, they become companions for our students of magic. They grow up to be free members of our society, and we respect them as individuals."

"Free members of your society," repeated the Matriarch dubiously, "And what happens if they don't play along? What if one of them wants to return to their people?"

"Then... we let them."

The Matriarch sneered joylessly. "That defeats the purpose of it. You're trying to entice me to your cause, but you have nothing to offer me."

"It's not just about you joining our cause," said Luna with a shake of her head. It was true as well, she realized. "The point this experiment makes is that whatever the problems of dragon society are, they're not inherent! The violence isn't in your blood! Any baby dragon can become a good person with the right nurture." She wished Spike had been there to add his voice to hers.

"There is no one to nurture them right among us," said the Matriarch. "Any dragon that tried to raise their young to be peaceful around here would get chewed up and spat out. Generally speaking, a nice dragon is also a weak dragon."

"What about you, Your Grace?" suggested Rarity, "You're not weak."

This amused the Matriarch enough to provoke a hollow laugh that went on a little too long. "Oh, but I'm not a nice dragon either! I am no better than any of the other beasts out there on the countryside! I have tried to raise my children before, of course, and many times at that. I'm afraid I am not fit to be a mother. All my attempts to set examples, to show empathy and to educate rather than punish have failed. I can't teach something I don't know. You can have others force you to change, but you can't change your own nature."

Luna didn't know what to do anymore. A full-frontal assault – a rhetorical one, of course – didn't seem like it would get them anywhere. Even though she wanted to press on, it seemed like pulling back to reassess these new revelations was the best way to go. They needed to think about whether this situation could still be salvaged, or perhaps even turned to their advantage somehow. Luna would have liked to speak to Steven some more and see if he had any advice – but how much of this they could even share with him was another big dilemma. A talk with Celestia would have been helpful too, but that wasn't really an option.

Luna looked over to her companions and realized that they were both making headway on their teens. Both were now noticeably smaller and cuter. The whole thing was so subtle and gradual that they probably hadn't even noticed it themselves. Luna hadn't. It seemed harmless enough, but staying in this cave for longer to see how far it would go did not seem like a good idea.

"So there's nothing we can say or do to change your mind about this?" Luna asked, quite uselessly.

The Matriarch returned to stand directly before them, and Luna realized that neither she, Dash nor Rarity had moved at all over the course of this conversation. As before, the Matriarch approached her in particular, but she seemed a little bit taller now, or perhaps Luna herself had lost a few inches.

"No," said the Matriarch, "Though I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and hope you and your sister and work out your differences without another war. I'll be gracious and not go out of my way to let Celestia know that you approached me. If she happens to come and visit, I will tell her, but I'm not expecting her."

Though her reptilian expression was still hard to read, Luna now had some experience to interpret her emotions. The little flicker sideways that her eyes made could have meant she was lying, but in this situation, Luna thought it indicated guilt instead. The Matriarch had promised not to betray her dear friend, after all. Despite all that she'd done, keeping this secret made her feel bad. No matter what she herself thought, she was pretty nice for someone that had flirted with the concept of genocide.

"Thank you," said Luna, "We may be back yet. And what about Steven?"

"Ah yes, 'Steven'. I would speak to him for a while. I will send him out after you."

"You gonna tell him what you told us?" asked Dash through gritted teeth. Her voice was a fair bit squeakier than usual.

"No, I think not. And neither will you."

"He deserves to know," said Dash.

"If you tell him," said the Matriarch, stepping away again, "I will kill him."

The Matriarch held herself to be the leader of the greatest evil in the world. She saw this as an almost deterministic fact, and that's why she could say what she'd just said.

The white fire that had burned over their heads all this time started fading rapidly and then flashed away entirely, leaving the Matriarch herself the only source of illumination in the cavern. Luna hadn't paid attention to it earlier, but her crystalline frame revealed a faint glow shining from her insides. Though barely there, it was enough for them to see themselves out by.

They were going to wait for Steven at the mouth of the cave, near the waterfalls.

Their age didn't immediately catch up to them on the way out, but something did seem to change, even just from turning around and heading the other way. Presumably they were surfing on the currents of time, or whatever. Without Steven to ferry them on the currents of time and the actual, physical river at that, the way back was a lot more arduous than it had to be. There was a thin stony ridge at the side of the waterway they could make use of, if they walked in a row, but it was slow going and immediately made them all wish they'd waited it out in the Matriarch's chambers. None of them talked much. At one point, either Rainbow Dash or Rarity – one of the two anyway – asked Luna what they were going to do next, but she was too hard at work thinking to pay notice or answer. She was not going to let this be. She could not be the linchpin on which Celestia's plan failed – there was too much at stake.

They were going to wait for Steven at the mouth of the cave...

When they stepped outside, someone was already there waiting for them.

They all froze, and even Luna – if pressed – would have admitted to feeling a shock of fear. Still, she stood her ground, whereas Rarity and even Dash took an instinctive step backwards into the relative safety of the tunnel.

There was a shadow looming over them. It was as if the mountain itself had bent over to have a look at them. Luna recognized it as the same dragon she'd glimpsed on unwilling journey earlier. She wondered if he recognized her as well. Had he seen here there? Was that why he was here?

"G r e e t i n g s, l i t t l e p o n i e s."

His voice was the bass to end all basses. It pressed down on Luna and her companions and rattled their bones even though he was making an effort to speak softly. More disconcerting than that was that he spoke with an absurd mockery of friendliness, making it clear that he knew they knew he had no chance of acting harmless. Whether he was really friendly they couldn't say yet, but he didn't seem to be hostile, and that was more than Luna would have expected. This one might have been a little harder to take down. Not impossible, but harder.

The dragon's body was the black of coal, the black of obsidian. Scales and scutes flowed into each other, looking like volcanic rock-wall. Though hardly sleek, he was also not as misshapen or disproportionate as some other dragons could be. He had no wings, and that was well and good, because Luna refused to believe something this big could fly no matter how much magic was flowing in its veins. He was lying on its stomach, one gigantic forearm casually crossed with the other.

This black dragon had two heads – but it had once had three. The head on their left and his right had been torn off, and it had been centuries since the wound had scabbed over. It was the middle head that spoke, and it was the middle head that looked down at the ponies in front of him with two gigantic red eyes. The head on their right and his left was looking down and off to the side. The remaining necks were short, quite unlike a hydra's, so the heads were placed very close to each other, but the head on the side seemed to be trying its hardest to be further away.

"Hello," said Luna, and then repeated herself, louder and stronger, "Hello!"

"W h o m i g h t y o u b e?"

Luna took a deep breath. "I am Princess Luna of Equestria, here on a diplomatic mission to your Matriarch. And you are?"

The black dragon made a rumbling noise indicating understanding, but ignored her question.

"A r e n ' t y o u s u p p o s e d t o b e d e a d?" he wondered.

Suppressing any hesitation, Luna stepped out from the mouth of the gave and took flight to approach the black dragon's head – the middle one. She stayed there in front of him, close enough to make conversation easier but not so close that he couldn't focus his gaze on her.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

The black dragon showed its fangs, each larger than Luna's whole body. Perhaps he was making an effort to be threatening, or perhaps he found her defiance amusing. There were things between his teeth that would have made great villains for horror stories.

"M y n a m e w o u l d m e a n n o t h i n g t o y o u. T e l l m e o f y o u r m i s s i o n."

So Luna told the story again, this time in even more edited form. She said nothing of what the Matriarch had told them about the Doom of Dragons and her arrangement with Queen Celestia, but she made it clear the Matriarch had declined to support them. At first she did it because they didn't have anything to lose, but as she went on, she started to wonder if this was not exactly the opportunity they needed. They'd approached the Matriarch in the first place because she was dragonkind's nominal leader, but dragon society was independent enough that individuals might have joined them on their own. This would have been improbable due to their hostility – but this black dragon seemed receptive enough. He was even likely to be influentially powerful, and could perhaps press others into joining in. Everything was still open to them.

Once Luna finished explaining, the black dragon showed even more of his fangs.

"I w i l l h e l p y o u."

"Just like that?" asked Luna.

The black dragon chuckled a minor earthquake.

"O f c o u r s e n o t. I w i l l h e l p y o u i f y o u h e l p m e."

"Then what do you want?"

"I w a n t d r a g o n k i n d t o b e m i n e. Y o u s h a l l b r i n g m e t h e R o c k o f A g e s a n d m a k e m e P a t r i a r c h."

Next chapter: Daymares.

Author's Note

The formatting of the black dragon's speech was a last minute decision and I hope it works. I realized that this guy really should not have a regular voice, but I didn't want to resort to standard italic black. Unfortunately, I was forced to do that on ff.net, since their formatting didn't accept this weird spacing. You'll find out his name in the next Luna chapter, by the way.
An interesting tidbit: with this chapter, "Sunshine and Fire" should be the longest thing I've ever written. I wrote a good 80% of a novel once, which broke off at about 125,000 words. I've gone over that now with this story.
Of course, I started writing this story before season 2 started airing. Aside from Luna's characterization, this chapter features the most content that I've welded into my plans from subsequent revelations. I think it flows quite smoothly.
While I was quite excited to write about the developments of this chapter, one thing that led to such a quick release here was that I've been looking forward to the next chapter for a long time. You guys have been looking forward to it too, even if you didn't know it.

Chapter 14: Daymares

There was a knock on the door of Brainy Bright's cell. Prime Minister Gelding always knocked when he came. It was just one of those peculiar things...

While the key found the rusty lock on the other side and turned, Bright got up from his cot and took a deep breath. The question of whether to stand or sit had been quite a concern for him. He didn't want to act like a trained lapdog for his captors, after all. Imprisonment was a constant struggle in trying to gauge what behaviors were defiant and what behaviors were dignified – and Bright was far from sure which he really wanted. In the end, he'd elected to do what came naturally to him, and greeting visitors while lying down was not it.

The large metal door opened with a creak, and Gelding's pale face appeared in the frame.

"Come with me," said Gelding, and turned around without entering.

Bright, momentarily disoriented, took half a step and looked around his room for anything to take with him. It was a silly, reflexive thing to do. Except for a bucket he used as a toilet, he had no possessions to leave behind. He rushed to follow Gelding, not even excited to leave. He was probably just being moved again.

When he stepped outside into the corridor, he realized that there were no guards. The Prime Minister had come for him alone, and was now staring at Bright as if daring him to do something about it.

Before he could stop it, a fantasy started to take shape in Bright's mind. He imagined attacking Gelding and making a break for it, finding a way out and taking back his freedom. The unicorn with the broken horn seemed about as sturdy as origami. Even famished and weak – and lacking much experience as a brawler – Bright was certain he could overpower and outrun the fellow.

But... no. It would have been futile. Gelding wouldn't have placed himself at risk without back-up. There must have been troops nearby that would intervene if Bright tried anything. Besides, overpowering and outrunning Gelding was only the first step, but what would he do next? What could he hope to accomplish among enemies and in territory he knew nothing about? Where would he even go?

If there was a way out of Bright's predicament, an opportunistic escape attempt wasn't it. If there was a way out of Bright's predicament... Bright didn't know what it would be.

"W-where are we going?" he asked. There was that line again – asking questions was generally not a good idea, but he felt better for taking that small chance at least.

"There are others who would question you," said Gelding.

For a moment, it seemed like he would continue on from there, say something else, but instead he simply set out along the corridor, with Bright obediently following along.

Bright had already been broken, of course, and told the Prime Minister whatever he wanted to know. Aside from an occasional beating from guards when he was slow in obeying commands, nopony had ever really gotten around to torturing him. They hadn't needed to. The hunger, along with the mere threat of pain hanging over his head at all times, had made him pliable enough. With no clocks or cycle of day and night, and with no breakfasts and dinners of prison gruel to tell the time by, Bright couldn't even tell how long he'd lasted before giving in.

He told himself it was all natural. Everypony would eventually have cracked in his situation. By withholding food, they attacked him by his most basic biological imperatives. He had to talk to survive. He'd tried to hold on, he really had, but what was the point? It wasn't as if he was really betraying anyone, or giving up anything important. All he did was answer a few simple questions about his homeworld, how he had ended up here, and who had come along with him. The straws of hay and cup of water he'd gotten in return had been worth it.

Bright hated the Prime Minister. He hated Gelding's annoying, high-pitched voice, and he hated that someone so frail could have so much power over him. It seemed like all passion had been wrenched out of the older pony like water from a wet rag, so interacting with him was not only tense and frightful but also tedious. Gelding was the face to put on all of Bright's misery.

Well, actually, he wasn't so bad. His overwhelming indifference was infuriating, but it was also a consolation. At least he didn't enjoy what he was doing, unlike some of the guards. He didn't hate Brainy Bright back. Gelding was a constant, almost reassuring, amidst bewildering changes.

Bright had gone through three different cells, each deeper and better-hidden in the bowels of the prison complex, before being moved to a different facility entirely – a private dungeon in what he believed was the ruler's palace. He'd never been put back in with the general prison population, though at one point, he'd shared a cell with another pony he was certain was a plant meant to watch him. This pony, a pegasus, had never acted hostile or tried to pry any information out of Bright, but there was something about him – a certain sharpness in his eyes – that had kept Bright from being able to sleep while in the same room as him. The time he'd spent awake had wound him into a paranoid frenzy, but they'd moved him again before anything could happen.

The walk was long, and it led them deeper underground. That was something of a surprise. Bright had assumed his dungeon was already near the bottom. He tried to keep a track of the journey, but the corridors all looked much the same.

"You're not going to try to escape?" asked Gelding dully, without looking at him.

For somepony that had gotten a start on advanced calculus back in elementary school, it took Bright a while to put two and two together.

"You want me to? To escape?"

"I wondered if you would try."

Bright was almost afraid to carry on. This casual frankness, it was something new entirely. Was it some sort of trick, a test, a new interrogation technique?

"W-why?" he asked. The stuttering was embarrassing. He tried to speak clearer. "You wouldn't let me, would you?"

"No," said Gelding, "It would be a convenient pretext to kill you."

Bright misstepped, but continued walking. There were others who wanted to question him. The Prime Minister did not want that to happen. Bright asked a question to see if he would be proven wrong.

"Why would you need a pretext to kill me?"

Gelding responded to the question he'd asked but not the question he'd intended.

"You are inconvenient. Your mind is a Pandora's box I'm not sure we should be prying into."

"Still," said Bright, "You could have me killed and... say whatever you want about how it happened. Couldn't you?"

"I'm not sure whether that would be the right thing to do," answered Gelding.

Bright almost laughed. He had to assume the Prime Minister meant that in terms of practicality and not morality. But that in itself was promising. It must have meant he was regarded not just as inconvenient, but also as potentially useful.

"Would you like me to have you killed?" Gelding now asked, almost spontaneously. It might have been some sort of sick joke, had Bright held him capable of making jokes.

"No!" he said a little too quickly, "No. Why would I want to die?"

"You're headed for an audience with Queen Celestia," replied Gelding by way of explanation, "You may come to understand all too well."

They walked on in what silence they could get. Aside from the clopping sound of their hooves, Bright found his heartbeat becoming distractingly loud. The words didn't sound like a threat, but it could well have been manipulation, an attempt to psych him out even further. But what more could the Prime Minister want from him? Why bother?

"You do not have to decide right away," Gelding went on to say. He spoke quietly anyway, but Bright really had to strain to listen now. "I don't know what your fate will be from now on, but if you change your mind, if you get word to me, I may be able to do something."

If Bright had thought this was a joke before, he no longer could have. The Prime Minister was genuinely offering to assist him in suicide. Somehow, that didn't seem funny any which way anymore. It was a different kind of absurd altogether.

"You're very merciful," said Bright. He was perhaps going for sarcasm, but it didn't come out that way. He had the impression that this really was Gelding's idea of mercy.

"There's not much I would ask from you in return," said Gelding, "You can perhaps satisfy my curiosity. I would like to know if you can keep from your next questioners not what you told me, but that you told me. I don't know if you'll be able to hide the fact that we had this conversation either, but try. If you succeed, then all the better, for both of us."

Brainy Bright considered. The Prime Minister was trying to make a deal. It all seemed to fit together with the conversations he'd heard indicating the Prime Minister wasn't supposed to have interrogated him at all. He wondered if there was a way to leverage this.

It wouldn't do to be afraid now. Bright had found the conviction to take action against Princess Celestia herself, after all. This should have been nothing in comparison. He stopped moving.

"If you want me to do something for you, then I – I need more than the promise of a clean death."

Gelding slowed down, looked over his shoulder and measured Bright with a long gaze. He didn't bother stopping, and turned to face front soon after.

"It's the only thing in my power to give you," he said, raising his voice so it echoed back to Bright.

Just like that, Bright had tried and failed. The tiny bit of influence he'd tried to exert hadn't even given Gelding pause. He was still moving, unconcerned with whether Bright followed. He wasn't even looking.

It felt obscene to make it all so easy for the Prime Minister, to just go along. Again, Bright mulled over the possibility of escape, despite the fate promised to him if he tried. He glanced back in the torchlit corridor and wondered if there was somepony there, ready to take action. Even if there wasn't, there was no hope of navigating the labyrinthine passageways on his own anyway. Eventually, he would be discovered. What would the guards do if they came across him like that?

When Gelding rounded a corner, Bright trotted after him. His eyes downcast in shame, he almost walked into the unicorn, who'd stopped and turned around after all. They were close, face to face.

"You may be thinking of telling my fellows of my request. If you're hoping for leniency, believe me when I say that honesty will avail you nothing with the Queen. She will do with you as she wills either way. If you speak out of spite, I will leave you to your fate."

Gelding continued on his way, and Bright followed. His thoughts had actually not turned in that direction, and he wasn't sure they would have. The Prime Minister was dutifully covering all the angles.

Bright didn't know where they were going, but he had a feeling they were getting there. The surroundings were starting to resemble a fine if gloomy mansion rather than a dungeon. Torches were becoming more frequent on the walls, leaving them to walk in a steady veil of firelight. In that light, a large set of double-doors was visible before them at the end of the corridor. Bright tried to keep his breathing under control. Whatever was in that chamber was bound to be unpleasant.

Before they reached the doors, however, they were ambushed, or at least greatly surprised, by a head leaning into sight from one of the side-corridors. Bright startled, while Gelding barely reacted. The head belonged to a mare with a dull pink coat and a long, straight mane of similar color. She was the first fellow earth pony Bright had seen since the prison when he was first taken in. Around her neck was a large metal band – a collar. The collar looked so rigid and tight it was surprising she was able to breathe.

"Hello!" said the earth pony when she recognized who was coming.

Gelding calmly walked up to the pink mare. As they approached, Bright saw her eyes briefly veer towards him and then flicker back and forth to see if there was anypony else around. She leaned closer to the Prime Minister. At first Bright thought she'd give him a kiss on the cheek, but she only went to whisper something in his ear.

Bright didn't get a clear look at the pink mare's cutie mark, but he saw something else of interest. Certain magical symbols were etched into her collar. The symbols were ages old, and had faded from common usage centuries ago in Bright's own world. He didn't have the chance to read much of what was written on the collar.

"Go on without me," said Gelding.

"What?"

"Go. I will come in a moment."

Hesitantly, Bright moved on towards the doors. This was a far cry from the strict watch they'd kept on him before. His face burned. It was as if he was nothing, that's how lightly they were taking him. But as ridiculous and humiliating as it was, he had no choice but to abide, did he? A much bigger concern was what he would find in that chamber, and what they would do to him...

When he pushed open the door, a blast of hot air escaped from inside. The chamber, with its giant pillars, firepits and gloom, wasn't far from what Bright had expected. His eyes were immediately drawn to the throne at the far side, which was – much to his relief – vacant at the moment.

Her Majesty was not present, but there were others in the room. A red-and-black pegasus was maniacally pacing back and forth beyond a mid-sized conference table. Sitting at the table, comfortably slouched, was a white-and-gold unicorn. This pony actually looked vaguely familiar, though Bright wasn't sure whether he was someone Bright knew in his own world, or because he looked so generically aristocratic.

Though it was the last thing he wanted to do, Bright slowly started edging forward, if only to hear what the two were talking about.

"What a waste of time," the pegasus was murmuring under her breath. When the unicorn didn't respond, she repeated herself louder. "What a waste of time!"

At this, her companion made an indistinct sound of acknowledgment. The pegasus ranted on.

"They'll be making their move right now. It will be the largest battle of our lifetimes. Four hundred thousand hooves on the ground, forty thousand wings in the air. The ground will run red with griffon blood. We'll have the chance to rub out a nation that's survived for over a thousand years!" She harrumphed. "And will I be there? No! I'm stuck here with you!"

At this point, she briefly paused and turned to glower at her companion. When he failed to respond, she pushed on.

"Half the bloody battle strategy is mine! I spent months developing the air force order of battle and the encirclement plan. I should get to see it in action." Bright could hear the grinding of her teeth from half-way across the room. "I want to kill some griffons!"

It seemed there was a war on. Somehow, that didn't surprise Bright.

"The Queen wants us here, so here we are," said the unicorn.

"Oh, please!" snarled the pegasus, "The Queen doesn't care if we're here. Little miss Daylight Sparkle just wants an audience to show off to!"

"Give me a break," moaned the unicorn, "Whatever Daylight has in mind probably won't take more than a few hours. She told me she could teleport us over there later on. We'll be there for most of the invasion. Enjoy the comforts here while we still have them."

"I'm not surprised it wouldn't matter to you, you half-ass! You're just going to pop in to the command tent, do nothing for a while and then take credit for everything, but I want to be there and experience it all. I want to take part, I want to see how their first line of defense reacts as we get closer and closer, I want to see them break and... What is this?"

They had seen Bright, and took a moment to gape at him in silence. It was eerie how quickly the pegasus's mood shifted. She let out a raspy laugh.

"Oho, our guest of honor! Do you know you kept us waiting?"

Bright froze in place. The pegasus begun a casual stroll towards him, even as she turned back her head to speak to her companion.

"You know, I bet I know a way to get this dumb meeting over with right now? Heh."

There had barely been time for her to turn forward again, and for Bright to blanch at her eager smirk, when a purple figure spontaneously appeared between them. It was another unicorn, a mare with a purple star cutie mark, garbed in a white robe and pointy hat rather than the military uniform worn by the stallion. She'd teleported in. Without prompting, the small dragon that had arrived with her produced a pocket watch and held it out for her to see.

"Just in time!" she beamed after having a look.

Even though they were facing the other way, and even though he'd only met them once before, Bright recognized them well enough. It was a mirror image of Twilight Sparkle, and that of her dragon companion. They didn't even notice him to begin with.

"Duke Blueblood, Duchess Redsky, I'm very glad you were able to join me!"

This provoked a furious bout of under breath muttering from the pegasus – presumably the duchess. The duke shrugged in the background.

Twilight Sparkle's double had a look around the throne room. "Ah. This would be the subject, wouldn't it?"

She stepped closer to Bright, and in fact walked a circle around him, examining him from every angle. The sight of his cutie mark evoked a small smile and then a mild scowl. There was a distinct lack of malice emanating from this pony, but that did little to put Bright's mind at ease. She's called him a subject, and this wasn't a meeting, but a study.

"You may refer to me as Lady Commander Daylight Sparkle, earth pony," she said.

No answer was expected, but Bright tried for one anyway. This was a culture that seemed to regard earth ponies as worthless savages, so he could prove them wrong by acting polite and intelligent. Whatever her first name happened to be, Miss Sparkle was known to be a clever pony, so surely she didn't fall in line with such nonsensical racial ideology. Maybe if Bright left a good enough impression, he could even get them to release him. He told himself the notion wasn't completely ridiculous.

"How do you do?" he said, straightening his back self-consciously. He didn't think of himself as vain, but he wished he'd tried to go over his mane a little back in the cell. As it was, he probably didn't look terrible civilized.

Daylight didn't respond, though she carried on speaking. "He's showing signs of short-term malnourishment. Some lacerations and contusions, but not as many as I'd have expected. Gelding seem to have used a rather light touch. Are you taking this down, Spike?"

Her dragon was indeed scribbling Daylight's observations down on a piece of parchment.

"Hey, you!" pressed in Redsky, "Are we getting started soon? Do you know when Her Holiness will be here?"

"I'm quite sure she will be here precisely when she feels like it," said Daylight, making it sound like an admonishment.

She cocked her head to look past Bright and raised a sardonic eyebrow. Bright looked over his shoulder and saw that the Prime Minister had reached the throne room as well, surprisingly with the pink earth pony following along. Gelding came straight at them, while the pink pony slipped off to the side and approached in the shadows of the chamber's giant stone pillars.

"I am truly glad you could make it," said Daylight, "You of all ponies should find this little demonstration of mine enlightening."

Gelding as good as ignored her. He took up position close to Bright, and the only thing he said was... "She is coming."

There was a light shining from the open doorway. Something changed in the throne room.

Bright, glancing back and forth, tried to follow along how the others reacted. Blueblood got up from his chair and awkwardly stood at attention. Redsky chewed on her lip and held her breath. Gelding appeared expectedly wooden, but seemed to be pointedly looking away from the doors. Daylight Sparkle was beaming.

"She is coming," muttered Blueblood under his breath, "She is here."

"Shut up," said Redsky.

"My Queen!" whispered Daylight.

The light at the doorway was blinding by now – but it wasn't even light, but a pony. It was Celestia.

Her mane and tail were fire.

The cloak of flames curled on her back and lazily billowed forth behind her; its movements were easy and languid, more like calm waves at sea than a furious conflagration. Every single sliver of shadow in the throneroom was eradicated when she entered. The light she cast wasn't gloomy, reddish firelight, but bright and clear like summertime air. Her countenance did more than glow. Queen Celestia was not radiant, but radiance.

She didn't look so different from her mirror image. Bright had never been more keenly aware that Celestia was a mutant, freakishly large and disturbingly spindly, unnatural and supernatural, an impossible crossbreed that defied the laws of the universe. She was unicorn, pegasus and earth pony, but she might well have been a child of swans and spiders. Everything unique to the Queen was magnificent, and nothing she shared with common ponies was common. She was beautiful beyond comprehension.

Her body was perfect ivory, as solid and powerful as it was lean and elegant. Even half-folded, her wings – angelically soft by their looks – were enormous. She took slow steps, but moved swiftly on long legs. Her golden horseshoes trod the ground without a sound, and her crown rested on a horn that ended with a point sharper than any spear.

As the Queen approached, she smiled, and looked them over all with kindly serenity in misty white, pupilless eyes.

"I hope I haven't keep you waiting," she said, "With the day being so perfectly beautiful and sunny, I just had to go out for a walk. I do so love to spend time with my little ponies, and yet I rarely get the chance to do it. Whenever I feel like I need a break, I usually go out on the town in an inconspicuous guise, to keep watch of what our good citizens are up to and to teach them some basic truths about the reality of their lives. It's a wonderful exercise in enlightenment. If the occasion is special enough, if a pony intrigues me enough, I might even show them who I really am..."

Bright, so engrossed by her appearance, hadn't even noticed every other pony present falling to their knees. Alone left standing, Celestia's gaze naturally came to rest on him. Breathing heavily, sweating and wide-eyed – he imagined he looked rather pathetic. He tried and failed to swallow when she approached him. All his instincts screamed at him to try to escape, but he already knew that would be futile, and could not move or even look away in any case.

"Of course, it is just as well to have guests brought to meet me. Nothing is quite the same as making a new friend, is it?"

The Queen stopped only inches away. She craned down her neck and leaned over him. Bright fell down on his haunches, and stopped bending backwards only when he could go no further without keeling over. The Queen took his breath away. She may well have literally taken his breath away, by burning the oxygen around him. He shuddered, and he couldn't stop shuddering. His discomfort shook him in an uncontrollable spasm, as if he was caught in intense cold rather than unpleasant warmth.

"What's your name?" Subtle wisps of white smoke blew from her mouth as she spoke.

"M-my name is B-Brainy Bright."

"Mmm. I like it. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Celestia was so close their noses were almost touching, and Bright realized that she did not breathe. There was no movement to her but the rippling of her flames – and the corners of her mouth drawing further back to reveal rows of perfect teeth. It was not a smile anymore, but a grin. Bright wondered what she was looking for in him to make her stare like that. He was struck with an insane yet irresistible compulsion to lean forward himself.

Before he could give in, Celestia abruptly turned around and stepped away. Bright yelped in pain when her cloak of fire almost touched him, and threw himself to the floor to get clear.

"Ah, but it wouldn't do to neglect old friends in favor of new ones," said Celestia, "I will always appreciate your service, my honored councilors."

The others in the room were as quick to rise as they were to kneel. The Queen greeted them warmly, truly more like friends or family members than subjects. Each received a personal sign of favor from Celestia: a hug for Daylight Sparkle that the unicorn hardly wanted to release her from, a cup of the cheek for the smugly smiling Duchess Redsky and a pat on the head for the Prime Minister, who remained as stoic as ever. In the case of Duke Blueblood, now not so lackadaisical anymore, Celestia parted his blond bangs to reveal a sickening burn scar, which she caressed as tenderly as if she was dressing a baby. Even the pink pony, peeking out from behind a pillar with only half a face and a fringe of hair visible, received a gracious wave from the Queen, and immediately receded from sight.

Celestia kept moving even after she finished her wordless welcomes. Instead of taking a seat at the table, she circled around towards the throne at the far end of the room, but she didn't sit down there either. There was something eerie about how noiselessly she moved. She seemed to float like a lifeless spirit rather than walk like a flesh-and-blood pony. Everypony else had to follow her. Bright was forced to follow as well, by a telekinetic snare cast by Daylight Sparkle that dragged him forward and deposited him before the throne, where he remained beneath notice at the center of attention.

Daylight stared at the Queen rapturously. She took half a step forward and looked like she was getting ready to speak up, but held off when Celestia noticed the movement and turned to look at her. Celestia kept up a stare for a few silent seconds, then suddenly cocked her head towards Duchess Redsky instead.

"Does something trouble you, my dear?"

Redsky frowned in confusion. "Not at all, Your Grace."

"Are you sure? You seem so restless to me."

"Maybe a little. I'm eager to get out there and, heh, do my duty for your happiness and the glory of Equestria."

"Ah, that is commendable. But you know what? I've been feeling terribly lonely lately. At first I wasn't sure why, but then I remembered that all my beloved ladies in waiting seem to have died of old age, so I have nopony to chat with these days. That's the sad lot of an immortal. I think it would make me much happier if you stayed with me for a little while to keep me company. I feel like we've drifted apart. Wouldn't it be nice if we spent the next few weeks getting to know each other a little better? Yes, I think it would be."

Redsky's only response was a blank stare and a quiet gurgling noise from the bottom of her throat. Celestia watched her, still smiling, then snapped her gaze to Duke Blueblood.

"And what about you? Are you feeling restless as well?"

Blueblood licked his lips. "Er, I wouldn't really say so."

"Bored perhaps?"

"I don't know..." he ventured in return.

"That's sad. I know this must be all so very tedious for you, stallion of action that you are. You always try so hard to get noticed, but despite your distinguished service record and the honors given to you, you've somehow never had the chance to prove your mettle in battle. I thought I'd put you in charge of a front-line battalion that will be moving to engage in just a few hours. That should show anypony calling you a coward, hmm? I'll make make sure you get there as soon as we're done here. Think of it as my gift to you."

Blueblood's mouth moved as if he was voicing protestations, but no sound came out. After a few seconds, he hung his head and stopped. Celestia observed every twitch of muscle on his face.

"May I say something, my Queen?" asked Daylight Sparkle, evidently unable to contain herself any longer.

"Of course," said Celestia graciously.

"I have some wonderful news for you!" burst out Daylight, "I couldn't resist one more test run of my new spell in the dungeons, and discovered a member of the Apple Underground among our prisoners. I know where their headquarters is! I'll have plans for an attack on your desk within 12 hours, Your Grace."

Blueblood and Redsky each raised a curious highbrow, and the pink pony gasped from somewhere out of sight. Even Gelding's lips parted slightly, which meant as much for him as somepony else's jaw dropping. The Queen's expression did not change. Her face was like an alabaster mask.

"My oh my," she said, "Exemplary work, Daylight! Every time I raise the bar in consideration of your achievements, you exceed my expectations all over again! You're so much better than that stodgy old doormat that preceded you – you've done more in a few months than he accomplished in centuries! Why, Daylight, you're simply the best!"

Daylight's pleased smile faded more and more the longer Celestia sang her praises. Where an ordinary pony would have had to pause to draw breath, the Queen could go on as long as she wanted. She never sounded less than sincere, until she stopped. It was the silence that brought the sarcasm.

"Is that what you wanted to hear, Daylight?" Celestia asked at last.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace?" said Daylight. Bright could have sworn her lip was quivering.

"Honestly, how much credit can you really expect for stumbling across crucial information by accident?"

The Prime Minister cleared his throat. "The prisoners in the dungeons would already have been interrogated and this information discovered had Lady Commander Daylight been less distracted from her duties."

"Indeed?" One of Celestia's eyebrows rose fractionally to indicate displeasure. "How disappointing."

"I- I thought you'd be pleased with me," said Daylight, suddenly looking very young and very small.

"But that's just it, Daylight," said Celestia with obvious worry in her voice, "Sometimes, I feel like you do everything only to please me and to hear me praise you, and that you don't even really believe in what you're doing."

"I – I do! I do believe, Your Grace!"

"Are you sure?"

"I believe in everything you believe in! I love my work and I wouldn't give it up for anything!"

"I'm glad to hear that." She really sounded relieved. "Let's go on to do some of that work now, shall we? Show me what your magic can do. Tell me who this pony is."

Daylight nodded. She marched up to Bright and stood in front of him like her mistress had, but the effect wasn't quite the same. Up close, it was very visible that she had to work hard to keep it together. Nevertheless, there was a grim determination in her eyes, and Bright held his breath in terrified expectation.

She touched the tip of her horn to Bright's forehead and – and the world melted away around them. It melted, faded, dispersed and vanished, leaving them in an endless white space, with no borders, horizons or lines in sight. Bright backed away from Daylight, and she allowed him to do so. He looked down and found he was standing on nothing. There was no sense of distance to give him vertigo.

"We're inside your mind, earth pony," said Daylight.

"I thought there would be more stuff in here," said Bright drily. Considering the circumstances, he felt like the epitome of daring and wit.

She smiled at that. It started almost reflexively, but quickly took on a very polite and formal look. Bright was surprised she would waste any etiquette on him. Perhaps she was trying to emulate her mistress, but her expression was a far cry from Celestia's half-lidded, self-assured pleasure.

"Oh, there would be quite a lot in here," she explained, "That's actually the trouble. The average pony has a brain positively stuffed with information, most of which is irrelevant at best and completely inane at worst. Extracting information from somepony indiscriminately would be a very bad idea, so I've developed a spell to sift through individual memories. I don't expect you to understand what that entails, but believe me, what we're doing here is quite revolutionary."

Bright did understand. Telepathy had never been his chosen field, but he'd read enough papers on it to be familiar with its premises and problems. The fact that he never had to worry about studying spells in practice meant his theoretical knowledge ran far and wide. Obviously, neither of them was, at the present moment, real. They must have been some sort of mental manifestations. Still, even understanding that, the sight of Daylight Sparkle producing a notepad and quill similar to the ones her dragon had been using from nowhere and holding them aloft with her magic came off as notably weird.

"Is that some sort of mnemonic device?" asked Bright warily.

"Oh, very good!" said Daylight, though her compliment came with raised eyebrows, "It's not actually a notepad, just a psychological projection I can use to retain information at a subconscious level. But enough of that. We should get to the point."

That struck Bright as an odd thing to say. Whatever information Daylight Sparkle was hoping to extract from him, she'd never even tried to get it by asking for it. Bright didn't think he would resist. Instead of interrogating him, she had moved straight to invading his thoughts. As far as Bright could tell, it was the spell and not he that really mattered here.

"What is the point?" he asked, "I don't even know what you want from me."

"Let's start with the obvious." There was a violet glow in Daylight's eyes. "Show me how you arrived here."

Bright felt like something grabbed a hold of his thoughts and yanked. He staggered to the side, without weight or gravity to unbalance him. His mind spilled out into the world like liquid. It wasn't quite painful, but it wasn't pleasant either.

The first thing he conceived was ego – himself. A copy of him appeared beside him and Daylight Sparkle, but it was a hideously incomplete copy. Rather than a real pony, it looked like a half-finished outline filled in haphazardly with the golden color of his coat. It had no face, only the suggestion of a head and blank patches of nothingness on its back and legs. Bright took an unintended step back when he saw it. Worse still was realizing what he was seeing – a very literal self-image, all the bits of himself he could see without a reflection.

The empty white void around them became a canvas for his memory. Bright's ego began walking. In the blink of an eye, a world of black shadows and orange-gold torchlight took form around it. The scene they found themselves in was one Bright had just experienced a few minutes ago – his walk to the throne room accompanied by the Prime Minister. Yet his memory of those moments, which he'd lived through such a short time ago, was profoundly imperfect. This was only a recording of his senses, influenced by his state of mind. Everything in the ego's direct line of sight was drawn in oily realism, while the edges of its vision devolved into blurry watercolors. Where ever it wasn't looking, only fading sketches remained. The result was an entire world shifting along with its gaze in a disorienting phantasmagoria. The only thing clearly visible was Gelding's pale form up ahead – the focus of Bright's attention.

Bright felt a stab of pain in his temples. He wasn't sure whether that was because of the reams of information he was forced to recall, or because of the unnatural visual environment that he didn't know how to process. Instinctively, he looked down at the patch of stone floor to give his eyes a rest, and saw that small hoofprints of synesthetic texture remained behind where his ego's steps fell.

"I didn't mean the throne room!" said Daylight indignantly, incongruously visible amidst the shadows of memory, "Show me how you came to this world."

In an instant, the canvas was painted over with a new memory.

Color drained away in a flash, and Bright's ego almost disappeared in a gleam of light so powerful it made a real place look almost like the empty void from earlier. This was the empty street he'd found himself in after falling through his magic mirror, and the scene was that of his arrest. Vague white architecture was around him, and the silhouettes of two ponies approached up ahead. Everything was blurry and diffusive; even less remained of this memory than the last. Bright had been too addled by the trauma of his journey, too concerned with the enormity of his actions and too blinded by the sunshine to retain much of his surroundings. Yet even now, he was acutely aware of the heat he'd felt back then, and wondered if Daylight could feel it as well. If she did, she gave no indication of it.

"No, that's not it," she said, "Where were you before this?"

The next memory, by contrast, was etched out for them to see in painstaking and painful detail. It was Brainy Bright's exhibition at the Tower of the Horizon in Canterlot, on the last day of his old life. Vast as the moment had been, with a crowd of hundreds laid out before him on the roof of the tower to witness his greatest work, he remembered it all. There were little touches of unreality to it all, as the other towers of Canterlot were nothing more than outlines amidst the deep blue sky and the buzzing of conversation was somehow a little too garbled and indistinct, but the ponies themselves were clear and crisp. One pony took up more of his attention than anypony else, but Bright made sure to keep a careful watch of all that was going on. Though his gaze always returned to the seat of honor where Princess Celestia lay waiting, it scanned the crowds every few seconds, making particular note of the guards where-ever they stood, looking for anything that might interfere with his plans. This was a moment Bright would bring with him to his grave.

Daylight Sparkle had a look around. Perhaps rather naturally, the first thing that caught her attention was her own counterpart. She stepped up to where Twilight Sparkle was sitting and looked herself in the face. She also spared a glance for Princess Luna – but only a glance. Ultimately, it was Princess Celestia she focused on. She didn't look but stared. She didn't glance but absorbed. Celestia's aurora mane engrossed her especially, but she examined every bit of her, and crawled as close to Celestia as she could.

Bright himself found somepony else of interest. One of Twilight Sparkle's friends looked exactly like the pink earth pony in Queen Celestia's throne room. Though brighter in hue, much more cheerful in attitude, and possessing somewhat fluffier hair, they were undoubtedly the same pony. Daylight didn't even notice the similarity. If Bright remembered correctly, her name was Pinkie Pie. He wondered what this could have meant. Were the Elements of Harmony a factor in both worlds, or was it some sort of coincidence? What were the odds that these two ponies, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, would be acquainted in such wildly different environments?

Time did not stand still in the memory. Neither Bright nor Daylight paid attention to the speech in the background. When things finally came to a head, it was a surprise to both of them. Bright's ego took action, just as it was always going to happen. Now at long last, everything but the Princess herself blurred, and all sound on the rooftop faded away. Bright watched his ego and his mirror-door go hurtling towards Celestia. A flash of magic engulfed them all. It had felt like an eternity back then, perhaps that's why everything seemed to move so slowly.

"No, no, no," said Daylight, "Go back."

The scene reset. Everything was peaceful again, like it had been a few minutes ago. There was a buzzing noise at the back of Bright's head. It was hard to focus on what was going on.

This time, Daylight dragged her eyes away from the Princess and turned to the dais where Bright's ego and his crew bustled, and to the device that they were bustling with. She leapt on top of the dais and put her quill and notepad to use taking down various observations about the portal and its assembly. Doing so, she couldn't possibly miss Bright's ego giving instructions to his unicorn assistants.

"Who invented this?" she asked Bright.

"I did," he admitted.

"That's not possible," she said shaking her head, but it was only token resistance.

Daylight watched his past self finish the preparations and make the introduction to the proceedings with stone-faced fascination. It was impossible to say how much of what was going on she could actually understand so lacking in context. When the time came for Bright's ego to make his move yet again, she lowered her notepad and narrowed her eyes. The look she gave Bright himself afterward, once the memory had looped around again, held a new sense of contempt, one that almost invited him to turn away in shame. In Daylight Sparkle's world, this may well have been the greatest of all crimes. Was he not, after all, a criminal, and she the law? Bright felt a twitch of outrage in his chest. Where the hell did she get off judging him? He sneered, and made sure to face up to her scrutiny.

Having free reign of his mind, there were a number of directions Daylight could take in her explorations. She threw back her head pondering, perhaps not sure herself. The fact that her aims were still so hazy to Bright only incensed him further. When she finally reached a decision, she pointed a hoof at Princess Celestia.

"I want to know who she is and what she does."

Bright hadn't thought to resist until now. When he tried, it didn't really seem to make much of a difference. He could think of nothing but storybook ideas of telepathic warfare, like emptying his mind and doing calculus for diversion, which did nothing to halt the flow of memories but only made his headache worse.

Daylight returned to even ground with him in the new memory. The dais underneath her hooves had disappeared, but another platform had risen up some distance away. Around them was an impressionist vision of a field outside Canterlot before dawn. Dabs of spring greens in the trees and grass were visible under the early morning's veil of gray. This was a very early memory, and not much of it remained. They were among a crowd of ponies here as well, but these were nothing more than shades. Bright's ego was a tiny phantom amidst them. His older sister was there too, though barely recognizable. He felt a stab of grief and regret over how little he remembered of her.

True to his memories, Bright never saw Celestia appear on the platform, but he heard the sound of horns that heralded her coming, and the explosion of light that followed was unmistakable. All those present could bask in the golden glow of the finest of sunrises. Everything else from this moment in Bright's earliest years may have been faded, but Celestia was eternal. Though far away, she was there in clear and detailed perfection. Having assured her subjects of the passing of time and the continued operation of the world, she touched down and went to greet them, to talk to them, and to grant what favors she could.

It had been Brainy Bright's first Summer Sun Celebration, and thus also his first memory of Princess Celestia. Perhaps that's why they were here. He felt annoyed with his subconscious. This one moment could not possibly represent the political and economic complexities of Celestia's Equestria, nor did it encompass Bright's opinion of the Princess nowadays. He'd never even gotten close enough to hear her speak.

Bright turned to look at Sparkle Daylight and found her wide-eyed with shock and confusion. Even a little bit of panic might have started to shine through, but Daylight worked against it to regain a facade of professional curiosity. She scrunched up her mouth and wrote something in her notepad.

"What was that?" she finally asked of Bright.

"What was what?"

"That peculiar darkness."

She expected an answer. It seemed Daylight's magic worked mostly for episodic memory, with little to no insight into semantic memory. Bright supposed that made sense.

"Night," he said, "It wasn't even proper night, just... twilight."

"Oh yes."

Bright wasn't sure if these words actually meant something to her, or whether she was just acting that way.

"And what would be a proper night?" she continued.

The pressure in Bright's head intensified. He had to close his eyes and grit his teeth to bear it. He didn't even remember to resist until it was already too late. Daylight paid him no mind, but watched the sun melt away from the horizon.

Everything that was gold before was now black. The darkness was not complete, for there were lamps around, lone city lights in the distance, a canopy of stars in a sky as cloudless as they only came in summertime, and a prominent full moon to boot, but it was certainly a proper night. Up above, the Mare in the Moon beckoned. This was a moment from shortly before Luna's return, almost two decades later than the last memory they'd visited.

It was the night Brainy Bright had celebrated getting his first higher degree, and the publication of his thesis. They were on the rooftop of Bright's favorite pub and hangout, him and a dozen or so of his friends that had stuck around this late. They'd been forced to retire to the roof due to a mix-up with the reservations, but this had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The night had been lovely, with perfect weather and the echoes of a string quartet from an open-air concert in a nearby park setting the mood earlier in the evening. The roof was littered with empty wine bottles and withered blocks of salt, but among those that had stayed, the party was still going strong – if it could be called a party anymore.

Why this night of all nights? Was Daylight Sparkle guiding him into particular experiences, or was the choice Bright's after all?

Even though they were all buzzed if not outright drunk, the talk was quite serious at this point. They were uninhibited enough to say things they might otherwise not have said. Celestia was one of the main subjects. Not all those present were earth ponies, but all of them were in their own ways Brainy Bright's philosophical confederates.

Horsepower talked about the trouble he'd had putting his name forward for the Royal Guard and how little faith he had in being accepted – all of which he attributed to being an earth pony. Knelling Bell, born and raised in Las Pegasus, talked about the local governor, who was set to take enough votes for a third term on the basis of taxation and spending policies that ran counter to the Princess's national proposals. The proclamations made by Celestia's cabinet were always called proposals, but they were always meant to be followed implicitly. Rainy Days remembered a study his economics professor was doing that seemed to indicate limiting Equestria's farming subsidies only to earth pony enterprises might have been limiting overall growth, though nopony quite knew how to fit this into a relevant context.

Papyrus, an expert on history and magical theory who knew as much as anypony of the ancient magics unicorns had once used to move celestial bodies, made a convincing case for his suspicion that Celestia had intentionally suppressed knowledge of these magics centuries ago. If that idea was feasible, then what about all the other so-called conspiracy theories people had leveled against her? Some believed that Saddle Arabia's current royal family was only in power due to a coup engineered by Celestia – was that really out of the question? There had always been rumors that she had provoked the reindeer declaration of war in the last century – could they not be true as well? Many suspected that she'd sabotaged the Constitution of 750 and caused the dissolution of Equestria's last parliament – was that so unbelievable?

Doorstopper retold the legend of Nightmare Moon and they all mulled over what historical basis it might have had, how the real story of a power-grab in ages past could have been distorted over time into a propagandistic fairytale meant to reinforce and legitimize Celestia's reign. Many of them thought being imprisoned on the moon forever would have been far too harsh a punishment anyway – if it had really happened. Somepony even drew a few chuckles with the old joke that the Princess didn't actually move the sun, but only took credit for the planet's supposed natural revolution.

Beyond politics and pseudo-politics, they also had a chance to discuss the Princess's character. Wasn't she just a little too perfect? Didn't she seem to be trying a little too hard? Hat Trick mentioned that his aunt and uncle had met Celestia at some social function a short while ago, where she'd acted haughty and distant and above it all. She was apparently a bit of a bitch, he said with a sheepish smile. Rainy Days remembered all sorts of gossip about cruel pranks she'd played on others, as well as whispers of the illegitimate children she was supposed to have had. That was just what he'd heard, he said with a shrug. Melony argued that it didn't matter whether Celestia was a good pony or even a good princess, but only whether she had the divine right to rule. In Melony's opinion, she did not.

Somepony – Bright didn't remember who, so he only appeared as a smirk visible in the shadows – remarked on how much time Celestia spent with little children, and how close she appeared to be with some of her students. Nopony responded, but the silence itself, the idea that people even had to wonder, spoke volumes.

They talked about democracy a lot – the ideals, the practicalities, the historical precedents. Knelling Bell insisted that she would vote for her governor on a national level, if she could. Melony agreed. Papyrus didn't, but got to thinking whom he would vote for if given the chance. It was hard not to wonder why they couldn't choose their ruler.

Throughout it all, Bright himself, for the most part, stayed quiet and listened, only intervening occasionally with a factoid about demographics or a citation from some paper he'd read. He absorbed everything put forward while also recognizing that a great many things were left unsaid, especially about the security and prosperity she had provided for her subjects, and the efforts and sacrifices she'd made for the sake of Equestria. He didn't necessarily agree with all the opinions he heard, but this was the night that struck home that he wasn't alone in asking these kinds of questions about his homeland.

The conversation went on into the early morning. Words like "dictatorship" or "tyrant" were never mentioned, but the implications hung so heavy in the air that they were obvious to everypony. This was only the first such conversation the group was to have, and subsequent meetings saw those words said out loud as well.

In hindsight, irony was a vicious thing.

Daylight, though initially busy being fascinated by the surrounding darkness, could not help but listen in to all this. She attended the conversation mostly with perplexity, and eventually with disturbing coolness. Her lips curled downward until they could go no further. Bright realized that any chance he'd entertained of gaining Daylight Sparkle's respect was already dead. This pony was not primarily a scholar, but an enforcer for the very ruler he'd betrayed. Then again, Twilight Sparkle would probably have been no more disposed to give him any breaks after what he'd done either.

Bright shrugged his shoulders hopelessly. "Aren't you curious why I did it?" he asked.

"I can guess," said Daylight right away, "Envy, ignorance and mindless anger. You did it because you're insignificant, and Celestia is the greatest exemplar of your insignificance."

Bright's mind betrayed him. Though Daylight had asked no question, the setting shifted once more. Even she looked surprised by that, and immediately started scratching something into her notes.

Mellow pastels circled around them and took the shape of Bright's classroom in elementary school. The room was filled with people that had once seemed so important – his first best friend, his first crush, his first academic rival – but were now nothing but names and faces that time had worn all emotion from. He hadn't thought about them for years.

This was a time well before he'd come up with a cutie mark for himself. It was an early afternoon, and they had some time to kill before the end of the school day after going through their curriculum, so the teacher had decided to finish up with a casual discussion about what they all wanted to become when they grew up. Even at a young age, Bright had held that sort of thing to be a waste of time; he'd much rather have kept studying. His little ghostly ego slumped in his seat. With how much his mind had wandered while his classmates talked, he now remembered nothing of what they'd said.

What about you, Brainy Bright? the teacher had asked at last, What would you like to be?

He hadn't really been paying attention. He'd said the first thing that came to mind.

A unicorn.

All of them laughed. The whole classroom laughed. They laughed forever and ever. Even the teacher laughed, though he masked it by coughing. Nopony meant anything bad by it. None of them had been cruel, and none of them had been bullies. They laughed simply because he'd said something profoundly silly.

Bright sat down and buried his face in his hooves, only partly from the shame of living through one of the most embarrassing moments of his life a second time. Each giggle and guffaw buzzed uncomfortably in his throbbing head. He started to wonder how bad it might get. This procedure was apparently novel and experimental, after all. Could it cause long-term damage? Was this pain even "real?"

He lowered his hooves and hesitantly looked up at Daylight. She was smirking at what she'd seen and the validation it had given her, inattentive of his suffering.

Maybe it was the pain and the constant buildup of stress, or maybe it was the dreamlike unreality of these memories, but Bright's resentment was starting to exceed his caution. He wanted to hurt Daylight right back.

"If I'm being quite honest," he said quietly, "you're not much compared to your mistress either."

Daylight maintained her composure, but the way her nostrils flared and her mouth drew into a thin line told Bright he'd hit a nerve.

"For your information," she replied testily, "Her Grace has told me that she foresees a great destiny for me. She said I had the potential to become like her. With proper study and training, I could leave ordinary equinity behind to become something divine – that's a chance you'll never get."

"You think a pair of wings will make you her equal?"

"Shut up."

Bright wasn't willing to take it any farther, so he did shut up. The tiny sliver of satisfaction he got from her cutting him off had to do.

Daylight tapped the end of her quill against her jaw, perhaps in thought about how to go on. The direction she took was like a slap in the face for him.

"Show me how you invented that device from before."

All of a sudden, everything was so very clear to Bright. In his mind was everything Daylight Sparkle would have needed to recreate his portal and to open a path back to his home. The idea, and the unfathomable implications thereof, chilled him to the bone.

Although he now had a much better reason to resist than mere spite, he had no more success at it. He tried once more to suppress his thoughts, to focus on anything but his work on interdimensional travel, but he felt himself failing. Whether it was because Daylight's magic was too strong or he was too weak, he did not know. Perhaps the effects of the spell were a certainty and resisting was simply not possible. Thoughts spilled out of him and dripped pain as they came.

Something was taking form around them. The architecture of Bright's study in his Canterlot apartment faded in as if sliding closer from a great distance. It was night and candles were burning, but there was neither light nor shadow in the room. Most of the walls and furniture were clearly distinguishable and detailed yet out of focus, remembered not necessarily from his particular moment but from countless observations across a number of years. The used wooden armchair, the alphabetized bookshelf, the rug covered in cat hair, the flowery wallpaper fit for a granny – all of it was as familiar to him as anything.

Daylight immediately homed in in Bright's ego, who was sitting at his desk writing. This was the night when he'd finally completed his plans for the portal, but it was not a special night. The first draft had been done months ago, with a lot of time put down on triple-checking the theories, running over the math again and confirming his conclusions, and half the work – construction – still lay ahead.

All that work made for a lot of data. Bright had a blackboard with sketched diagrams covering one entire side of the study, dozens of books that had informed his work, a number of enormous manila folders containing schematics and reams of texts, as well as innumerable smaller notes lying around with scattered thoughts. Much of his writing would have been in shorthand, and all of it completely incomprehensible without the proper background in magical theory.

Daylight bit her lip and considered. She put her quill to paper, but clearly didn't know where to start.

"I guess your notepad isn't big enough," said Bright, too deadpan to be called smug.

She didn't react at first. Bright thought she hadn't heard him, or was ignoring him, but a few seconds down the line, she lowered her quill and looked at Bright with the utmost seriousness.

"This is, what, your life's work? It's nothing. You think I mind doing some reading? I'll take a week or two at most to figure it all out. Picking through your brain is going to be a hobby, a diversion, something to do in between real work. How does that make you feel?"

She let the question hang long enough for Bright to come to terms with an answer, even if he wouldn't and couldn't say it out loud. It was only a minor relief that Daylight put away her quill and notepad in the ensuing awkward silence. Whatever the project was to be, she wasn't willing to go in-depth with it just yet. In light of what she'd just said, being too eager for his knowledge wouldn't have come across right.

Daylight stepped back over to him, with a new violet glow in her eyes. The memory was already fading.

It was over in a flash; they were back in the throne room. Bright stumbled and almost fell again. He'd taken his headache back with him into the real world. His eyes stung from lack of blinking, and he was, for some reason, out of breath. For a time, he couldn't tell up from down. Daylight had already walked away from him. With his ears still ringing, Bright saw rather than heard her brief the Queen about what she'd seen in his mind. The sight of them blurred from tears welling up in his eyes.

The truth was that Daylight Sparkle was probably right. She could figure out the magical technology in his portal given time; there was nothing he could do to stop her. They would make his invention into a weapon. It wasn't as if he'd never considered that it could be abused – he'd been the first to abuse it himself, after all – but he'd never foreseen something like this. All the responsibility would be his. Each thought of escape he had and each notion of a solution that went through his mind seemed more hopeless than the last, until there was well and truly nothing left. The Prime Minister's offer didn't seem so unthinkable now...

He hung his head. Some of Celestia and Daylight's conversation seeped through to him. He heard Celestia say she was looking forward to meeting herself. Daylight said something about sending out out troops to look for "them." It was hard to concentrate. Once the pain and disorientation abated a little, tried to listen in more.

"You've been a very clever pony, Daylight. It's a fine spell you've invented."

"Thank you, Your Grace! I think it will prove to be much more efficient than our traditional means for extracting information. Plus, with some tweaking, it could have interesting applications in other fields, like psychotherapy and education. Perhaps we'd even be able to go beyond reading minds to influencing them! It's such a waste to execute a rebel when we could just ensure their obedience instead..."

She fell silent. Bright glanced up to see the reason why. Celestia had raised her hooves and enclosed Daylight in a hug.

"Oh, Daylight," she said, "at least you're trying."

Daylight didn't get the chance to comment on that. Bright looked away again when Celestia glanced in his direction.

"What do you make of him?" asked the Queen.

"A very promising subject. Give me a few weeks to work with – no, just a few turns – and I can tell you all his secrets! I'll be able to build you an interdimensional portal! It will be easy!"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary."

Bright could tell the Queen was approaching by the glow at the edge of his vision. He didn't want to look up. Suddenly, he was yanked off the floor and left floating in mid-air. Celestia's telekinetic field was exquisite; Bright could feel nothing from the golden aura holding him aloft, no pressure or weight. She raised him up so he had no choice but to look at her face, framed by flame.

"Why go through all the effort, when there's an easier way? Have you even considered simply asking for his cooperation?"

Even though he was several hooflengths above the floor, Celestia towered over him. She raised a hoof and ran it through his sweat-drenched mane, idly combing together strands of hair. Bright's gaze flickered back and forth between her blank white eyes and the sea of heat and hurt encroaching on him.

"Oh... What was your name again?" She cocked her head to one side quizzically.

"Brainy Bright," he said through gritted teeth.

"Won't you please build me a doorway to other worlds, Brainy Bright?"

"No," said Bright, to prove to himself he could.

Celestia sighed theatrically, but her smile was undaunted. "Why not?"

Why not indeed? How could he possibly sum up all the reasons not to, all the fears of catastrophes and calamities, all the ways that would be a terrible idea on both a personal and a universal level?

"You're evil," he said.

"Oh, you wound me!" said Celestia, "You might at least do me the justice of saying I am the greatest evil of all."

She circled around so she was standing beside him, to his right, rather than opposite him. Bright didn't dare follow her movements, so the touch on his back made him flinch. The strokes came slowly and softly. She was patting him down. What should have been a calming motion only wound Bright up tighter.

"What would you like to be?" she asked right at his ear, in a voice that was not her own, "A unicorn. Oh, that was precious!"

Bright hadn't realized the Queen had been following along the journey through his mind. Judging by the glimpse of a shocked Daylight Sparkle he caught further away, she hadn't been aware of it either.

Celestia leaned against him. Bright tried to squirm away to avoid the fire in her mane, but he was helpless in immobility. He didn't feel pain yet, but a terrible suggestion of pain in his every cell. His heart thundered.

"I could make you a unicorn, you know," Celestia whispered, "All of nature's gifts are mine to give."

"Really?" asked Bright, and immediately wished he hadn't.

"Really," said Celestia.

"Gifts are free," he mumbled in response.

"Oh, would my price be too dear for you?"

Bright did not answer, but pressed out another question. So far, his fears regarding the portal were supposition and imagination. He wanted to understand what he was fighting against so that it might give him strength.

"What would- what would you do with a doorway to other worlds?"

Celestia nuzzled into his neck, eliciting a moan from Bright. "I would take you back home, my little lost stallion. I would let you watch while I burn your home to the ground and make your friends and neighbors into cattle."

The answer didn't give Bright strength. He could see it all so vividly in his mind's eye he nearly sobbed. "Why? Why would you do that? Why would you do any of this? Why?"

"Why?" asked Celestia, and laughed, "You would ask me why?" There had been nothing but warmth and good cheer in her voice so far. Only now did her tone take on a harder edge, an unfathomable bitterness, and only for a brief moment. "I am evil, aren't I?"

"I won't do it."

"Oh, you will. I love my Equestria very much, but one world just isn't big enough for one such as I. I've seen most anything there is to see and done most anything that can be done. An eternal being could only be satisfied by infinity. There's an entire multiverse out there waiting to be discovered, so many new friends to make..."

"No!"

Bright twitched when he felt something hot and wet on his neck. He couldn't understand what that was, until Celestia came back into view. She was licking across his cheek until her tongue brushed against his lips. Bright gasped for breath but found none. He couldn't see smoke, but he could taste it.

Celestia pressed her snout to his and looked him in the eye. A slight tingling sensation on his cheek blossomed into pain, and the pain worked itself up to agony. It got worse and worse and worse, all the more troubling for the fact that he could not move or see what was happening. He imagined a scar on his face – a necrotic hole. He imagined acid eating through his skin and flesh. Had Celestia permitted it, he would have screamed.

"You are mine," said Celestia, "and you will do as I please. You will build me that portal. Nopony else will do it for you."

Bright could not think clearly from the pain, nor even remember the syllable he needed. Even when he remembered, he could not say it out loud. He was afraid to shake his head, knowing she was so close next to him, as close as two ponies could be. Through a herculean effort, he forced the word through his lips.

"No..."

"Yes."

Next chapter: Savior of Equestria (provisional).

Author's Note

This seems like a good time to reiterate that daymare is in fact a real word, defined by Merriam-Webster as "a nightmarish fantasy experienced while awake."
I was originally planning on exploring several more of Bright's memories (with perhaps a slight detour into Daylight Sparkle's mind under consideration as well), but ultimately decided to leave them out when I started realizing how much space they'd take up. There's another scene I cut for a different reason - a decision I'm still mulling over - but I'll explain that in my notes for the next chapter.
I don't know how obvious it is what I'm trying to do with Queen Celestia, if it's too subtle or if it's too blatant, but suffice to say it involves a very tricky balancing act that I'm not sure I'm pulling off. Still, I'd rather fail in ambition than not try at all.

Chapter 16: Keeping Chivalry Alive (Part I)

It struck Twilight that in the course of their planning on how to save Equestria, she had never asked Celestia one obvious question, namely what she was to do if she failed and was not able to secure an alliance with the griffons. She had taken the rather simplistic view that failure would not be an option, and that spending too much time thinking about it would be pessimism. Of course the question occurred to her now, once she was already sinking in the great currents of that failure. What was she to do?

From a strictly rational point of view, she couldn't really fault herself. It seemed quite clear that circumstances had been against her from the start, and that a few hours here or there in the time allotted to her would not have been enough to turn things around. There was no cause for guilt or shame in the fact that her usual luck hadn't held out. The Princess was sure to be understanding.

Assuming Luna succeeded in enlisting some dragons to their cause, they would still be able to match the firepower of the Secret Police. The plan could still work. It could work, but there would still be hundreds of city guards and reservists to try to interfere with the Princesses once they went after the Queen. Leaving them unaccounted for would be a risk.

Of course, there was more at stake than the plan. Preventing the destruction of the Griffon Kingdom was an end in itself. Lining up Celestia's dominoes could take time, but defeating Defeating Daymare Sun would do the griffons no good if it happened too late. Millions of lives could be lost.

King Humphrey had slumped against the back of his throne. Rather than appearing defeated, he looked more like a vast amount of pent-up tension had drained out of him. There was a faraway look in his eyes, but Twilight was sure his imagination was turned towards the oncoming storm, not away from it in escapist fantasy. His knights were looking at him expectantly, without outward fear or worry. Lord Fairweather had withdrawn slightly from the throne, but he too was waiting for the King to speak.

"Hmmmhm," said the King, "It's nothing we didn't expect. You say they're moving through the Valley of the Wind, Sir Darlton? "

The new arrival in the throne room nodded. "Five great columns. Only minimal reserves remain at their base camp. However, they are marching slower than expected. Their commanders must know they cannot bring their full numbers to bear in the valley, so the initial approach seems to be watchful and guarded."

"I would hazard a guess," said Sir Reynald, "that the pegasus air force will act particularly aggressive in comparison, to pin down as many of our forces along the border as possible and prevent them from joining the main host."

King Humphrey shrugged with one shoulder. "One way or another, we will have to meet them in the valley before they can spread out in the mountain passes. Sir Darlton, retain command of the scouts for now. Feel free to attacks of opportunity, but make it clear that they are to hold the line and be ready to converge in the valley if necessary."

"I will send back anyone who can be spared, Your Altitude," answered Sir Darlton with a bow.

"I suppose there's a few benefits to being boxed in," said the King sourly, "We hold the interior lines and can shift our forced quicker than them."

What could salvage the situation at this point?

What would Princess Celestia do?

It was silly even to wonder. Princess Celestia could get the enemy forces to stand down somehow – with some trick or threat or appeal – or she would use the magic of the sun against them. If despair dictated it, she could burn the whole enemy army, or more likely, position the sun so they would be forced to turn around from the heat. It would be easy. Why oh why had Celestia not simply come with them? Twilight was not prepared for such a challenge. She wasn't an alicorn princess; she was just a pony.

But then again...

The thought, so sudden in Twilight's mind, reached back along her spine like a slow, cold touch and made her shudder.

Touching the sun was not beyond the grasp of a unicorn, was it?

"As for you, Sir Reynald..." the King was saying now. Although he addressed his knight, he was looking at Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike. "I would have you with the main host, but I have one more task for you first. Perhaps you can gather an escort for Lady Sparkle and her friends and make sure they get through the siege lines to safety?"

"Is that a proper job for a knight?" asked Lord Fairweather, "I don't think it would be much use to try to fight a way out. Leave them in my care and I can help them sneak out safely."

None of the knights in the chamber responded or acknowledged the Chancellor's idea. One of them did, however, snort.

"Huh?" said Twilight. It took her several long seconds to redirect her thoughts. "No, no, I don't think so. We're not ready to leave quite yet. If there's something we can do to help..."

There was something she could do to help.

"I doubt that," said the King, "though the gesture is appreciated."

"Yes, well," replied Twilight, half-mumbling, "If we have to leave, we can do so on our own power anyway, without you having to risk your lives for us. Actually..."

She could imagine a solution to their dilemma. What was taking shape in her mind was a confluence of possibilities so outrageous she wasn't sure she could call it a plan or a daydream.

"Actually... Sir Reynald, you'll be heading to the front, right? I'd like to come along if you don't mind."

She had to know what she was up against, she had to understand the tactical situation, she had to... get out in the open and look up in the sky.

"Oh yes," said Lord Fairweather, "You're very welcome to join us."

Once upon a time, it had been unicorns that performed the task of moving the sun and the moon.

Every pony knew this factoid of Equestrian history from school, but nopony really paid much heed to it. It was a bit of half-mythical trivia, a point of fact irrelevant in the modern era. Whatever ancient spells had been used to accomplish this were long forgotten, and any new research into the subject was banned by royal decree. A variant of telekinesis was obviously at the core of it, but the exact mechanics of nativity transference and intrinsic fields were a mystery to spellcasting theorists. There was more to it than simply raw power, though an unthinkable amount of raw power was nonetheless required. Common wisdom held that a large group – dozens of unicorns – was required to move the sun and the moon before the era of the Royal Pony Sisters.

If Twilight could somehow figure out the magic of celestial transposition in the next few hours, and if she could put it into practice by her lonesome, then perhaps the Griffon Kingdom could still be saved.

It was a dubious proposition to say the least. As other unicorns willing to lend a hoof were in short supply, Twilight had no one to rely on but herself.

Of course, whether it was possible was one thing – whether Twilight dared to try was another matter entirely. She'd be courting disaster and taking it out for a dance, and missing a step would be oh so easy. The Griffon Kingdom of her world had been destroyed by a unicorn's bungling attempt to move the sun. Some things were better off outside the reach of mere mortals; some ambitions were not just dangerous but blasphemous.

Still, it was better than nothing, and she was willing to give it a try. Princess Celestia had given her this mission for a reason, and Twilight was not going to fail merely because of a lack of resolve.

Sir Reynald's flight from the capital back to the frontier was much faster than than the reverse earlier on. He clearly couldn't bring himself to hold back for Twilight's sake anymore, but she never felt anything but safe being held in his gauntleted claws. The convalescent Gilda had a hard time keeping up, and Lord Fairweather, who had invited himself along but was clearly not on the same physical level, lagged far behind them. Fluttershy and Spike had stayed back at the palace.

Twilight fastidiously scanned the countryside underneath, observed the weather conditions, and kept a rough count of the kilometers they traversed. It would be useful to know how far away the sun was from the front lines. Though she had to keep her eyes peeled in the rush of air, there was still much to see. Had the magic storm cloud not obscured the sun, it would probably have been disastrously blinding. It was hard to imagine setting up a proper defense with that kind of glare.

Their destination was one of a series of watchtowers standing atop and among the mountains at the mouth of the Valley of the Wind. In truth, it was more of a giant stone pillar than a tower, wide enough perhaps that ten ponies could stand side by side on its flat hexagonal top. There were no guardrails, of course. This particular tower was unmanned, but adjacent ones had griffons stationed on them. They had passed by quite a lot of griffons soldiers on the way.

Sir Reynald touched down on the tower and allowed Twilight to disentangle herself from him, standing still long enough to let her find her hooves and then stepping away. Twilight had a lot of trust in the stability of griffon architecture, and so attributed the sensation that the tower was somehow swaying to the half an hour she'd spent rustling in the wind. Without consciously thinking about it, she gravitated toward the center of the platform. Working in combination, the height, the thin air and the clutching humid heat were daunting the sense of empowerment she felt she needed right now. Looking down over the edge of the tower seemed too foolhardy to consider, but nevertheless she forced herself to follow Sir Reynald forward and focused her attention to the horizon up ahead.

The enormous vista that opened up from the elevated position was hard to take in all at once. Twilight didn't react when Gilda reached them to take up position on the other side of Sir Reynald, but continued studying the terrain, trying to read it like she would read a book, making an effort to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant.

The valley, with dense mountain formations making up its sides, looked very much like an open passage to the Griffon Kingdom, but it was hardly a flat plain either. In the middle of it, scaling small hills and navigating slopes, was the Equestrian army.

Twilight had never seen an army before. She had witnessed the movements of pony troops on parade fields and in action, she had faced groups of enemies in violent altercations, and she had academic knowledge of most of the major conflicts in Equestrian history, but none of her experiences had prepared her for an actual war.

The long lines of ponies were streaming into the country like an enormous winding snake, which was just about ready to draw back its head and strike. There were more ponies in her sights now than she had ever seen before at once, the distance blurring a number she could comprehend in mathematical theory, but not in flesh and blood. One hundred thousand soldiers were on the move – and more were waiting in the wings.

Yet the difference an army made was as much of essence as of scale. A majority of the ponies there were not anything resembling evil, yet their totality amounted to something monstrous, something that could only create destruction and give birth to death. For the time being, this entity before her was nothing more than a giant grasping limb of Queen Celestia with the grand ambition of snuffing out a way of life.

Although Twilight's knowledge of warfare was restricted to what she'd gleamed from histories, she knew the terrain would give the griffon army at least some advantages. She scanned around, tried to guess at what point the enemy would split up into the mountain passes and, conversely, where the griffons would have to meet them to prevent that from happening. She tried to guess how long it would take the pony army to reach that point. An hour, she figured, maybe two.

She was vaguely aware of Lord Fairweather landing on the tower as well. He was making panting noises behind them.

"The right flank is weak," commented Gilda. Sir Reynald made an assenting sound, not taking his gaze off the enemy.

"How can you tell?" asked Twilight.

Gilda made an indistinct gesture towards one side of the army that encompassed thousands. "They're lagging behind the rest. Very sluggish hoofsteps."

"The divisions from Stalliongrad would have approached from the west," said Sir Reynald, "They were probably put into formation for the attack as soon as they arrived, without any time to rest. They're exhausted."

"There's a lot of exhausted guys there though," said Gilda.

"Hmm, no. The ones next in line are walking out of step with the majority, but they aren't falling behind. I would guess that they're raw recruits."

Twilight couldn't even distinguish individual ponies in the mass of bodies ahead, let alone gauge their walking pace. Then again, she didn't have the eyes of an eagle.

"They really screwed up putting all their weakest troops together." Gilda's voice sounded like she was tempering a hopefulness she knew she shouldn't have been feeling.

"Or they want us to think they did," said Sir Reynald quietly.

"I would humbly suggest we take opportunity at face value," said Lord Fairweather, padding closer with heavy steps. His dark gray plumage had been left rather ruffled by his flight, but he was clawing down loose feathers on his head to restore a more respectable look. "Lady Sparkle, don't your people have a saying about doubting one's good fortune?"

It took Twilight a moment to think of the answer before blurting it out. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?"

Sir Reynald turned to look at Lord Fairweather, but only half-way, perhaps as a deliberate slight. A moment later, he seemed to reconsider and faced Fairweather. It could have been that he didn't want to be rude, or it could have been that he preferred putting his back to the front lines rather than leave it exposed to the Royal Spymaster.

"You're suggesting this isn't a trap?" he asked.

"I happen to know that one Duke Blueblood has been put in command of the invasion force. From what I know about the Equestria's commanders, he is not capable of this manner of deception. In fact, he's exactly the kind of pony to make a mistake like we're seeing."

Although Twilight's eyes widened at the mention of a familiar name, Sir Reynald's expression did not change one bit compared to when he was assessing the enemy.

"How did you come by this information?" he demanded.

Lord Fairweather answered by way of a joyless smile and a shrug. As he smiled, he also stole a very obvious glance at Twilight.

"I have my ways," he said.

"No," said Sir Reynald, shaking his head, "No. If you think I have the time or patience to play games with you, you're sorely mistaken. I can't order men to their deaths based on your rumor-mongering."

"Do you have a better plan then?" Twilight thought Fairweather may have been trying not to sound mocking.

"Hmh... You say this Duke Blueblood is known to be less than competent. Isn't it just a bit too convenient that things would fall into place like this?"

"Nothing about this situation is convenient," snapped back Lord Fairweather, "I made it happen, remember? I'm the one who engineered the delay of the Stalliongrad army group. You're welcome, by the way."

"You'd engineer a lot more than that if given the chance, I'm sure." Sir Reynald's voice was shifting from cold to outright acidic. "Perhaps the trap here is yours, not Equestria's."

Though Twilight tried to grind her teeth and keep out of it, she could not. "Gentlemen, excuse me for saying this, but... are you fricking nuts?" She'd perhaps raised her voice a bit more than she had intended. "Ahem. We're all on the same side here, aren't we? Aren't we? All this bickering does is help the enemy. It's rather unbecoming of griffons of your stature."

Sir Reynald seemed abashed. His perfect posture wavered a bit, as if he was looking for a way to disengage from this conversation, but the tower was too small to go anywhere.

"You are right, of course, Lady Sparkle," he said.

Although he hung his head and probably felt bad about acting unprofessionally, Twilight doubted that Sir Reynald actually thought he was wrong to accuse Lord Fairweather of working against them. Fairweather himself seemed almost indifferent, or at least past caring. He had his piercing yellow eyes locked on Twilight again, his beak twisted sardonically.

"Well, I had better return to report to the King." He said this after being there for all of five minutes. He turned to leave, but held off. Almost as an afterthought, he continued speaking. "Would you like me to accompany you back to the city, Lady Sparkle? I'm sure Sir Reynald will be busy here."

Twilight almost cringed. She would have given a lot to have somehow prevented this situation from occurring, to force the words back in Lord Fairweather's mouth and give him a kick in the behind to get him off the watchtower.

"Um," she said, to win herself some time.

Almost with a sense of resignation, she had a look at Sir Reynald, and found him staring at her expectantly. The optimist in her told her there was concern in his eyes, but the pessimist thought it looked more like suspicion. One way or another, he refrained from voicing his opinion to see what Twilight would do. Gilda, standing slightly behind his line of sight, was trying to signal her thoughts to Twilight with a lot of minimalist head-shaking.

Lord Fairweather was not well liked, certainly not trusted, and his overtures towards Twilight threatened the precarious alliance she had struck with King Humphrey's knights. Going off alone with someone so shady may or may not have been a bad idea, but letting his reputation rub off on her definitely was. They might have all been on the same side, but leaving the wrong impression by playing into the griffons' suspicions could well put an end to that.

"No, thank you," said Twilight, "I appreciate the offer, but I can get back just fine on my own."

Fairweather did not seem surprised.

"Very well. I hope we'll see each other again, and sooner rather than later."

He dropped off the tower's edge and arced up into a glide

Twilight frowned. Perhaps, if she found the time, she would seek out Lord Fairweather in the citadel later on. While she didn't like the idea of working behind the griffons' backs, it would be worth it to finally find out what he wanted from her.

"Gilda," said Sir Reynald, "Follow him. Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't get up to anything suspicious."

"Are you asking me to spy on the Lord Chancellor?" asked Gilda, somehow looking very small.

"Not at all!" said Sir Reynald, though his expression, not unlike that of someone smelling curdled milk, indicated he was aware of the implication, "I would ask you to stay in plain sight. Keep his company. Guard him, if you will. There is no need for anything underhanded."

"I'd prefer to fight," grumbled Gilda back.

"A point will come where you will have to fight one way or another. But for now, rest and heal up, and do your duty by keeping a lookout for enemies of the Griffon Kindom."

Muttering something under her breath – something that probably would have gotten her in trouble if properly voiced – Gilda lurched into movement and flew off after Lord Fairweather. It seemed trying to find and privately talk to him later on was already out.

Sir Reynald sighed. He did not display the same stalwart bravery as he did staring down the doom of his homeland when faced with his own capacity for a bit of hypocrisy. Twilight even felt somewhat voyeuristic intruding on his unhappiness at the moment. She felt like she should say something, but wasn't entirely sure what.

She respected the griffons for their philosophy, and thought they had good hearts, but it seemed beyond ridiculous to be so broken up by this tiny concession to ethical uncertainty. Whatever chivalry had done for them, and she did believe it had kept the spirit of the nation alive, it was also such a tricky balancing act that they were fighting against their own better natures as much as any external enemies.

Twilight had never regarded herself as anything but an idealist and didn't want to be anything but. Part of her was still frightened by what this world had made of Rainbow Dash. She wasn't any sort of trickster, and had no interest in teaching the griffons a lesson. But... if it took a bit of pragmatism to see things through, then she was willing. It's what Princess Celestia would have done. There were lines she would not cross, but Twilight would take on the burden of protecting the griffons her way, and not their way.

When Twilight teleported back into the guestroom of the palace, she found it empty. That was okay. Not having Fluttershy and Spike there was a good thing. It gave Twilight the peace and quiet she needed to fashion something actionable from a bunch of half-baked hopes and imaginings.

At first, not knowing what to do, she stood in place, and thought. She brought to mind the bits of information she'd gathered outside, made a start with the more obvious equations for calculating energy requirements and trajectories, and tried to review everything she knew about telekinesis.

She had become aware as she grew up that she did not think as most other ponies did: her thoughts were more voluminous and compartmentalized, and she could easily understand concepts that baffled others. Yet despite years of being told by her parents and teachers that she was a clever pony, she knew that this did not make her better than others. She was as prone to distractions, idling, forgetfulness and plain lapses of reason as anypony. Great conclusions and inventions rarely happened without effort being put into them, so she too had to focus to achieve anything.

At some point along the way, she started pacing. She walked back and forth by instinct at first, but eventually settled into a more comfortable circular pattern.

Why had she never asked Celestia more about how she did what she did? Why had the never poked and prodded? It was one of many things Twilight found fascinating about the Princess. If she had asked nicely, if she had explained that she would never have considered putting such knowledge into practice, surely Celestia would have indulged her favorite student...

What was the point of wondering what could have been?

The familiar feeling of not having enough time had never been so acute. Even in her worst, most neurotic moments, the pressure for minutes and seconds had not been as intense. There was something else as well, the niggling feeling that one part of her mind was ahead of the rest.

She must have been mad in a very literal sense. Having no desire to kill anypony, she was trying to pull a weapon of mass destruction out of her back pocket. What if it didn't work as a deterrent? The only thing Twilight could do then was to stand down.

But it was the only way. Wasn't it?

How much did the sun weigh? There was a figure in her mind, but Twilight had no idea if she knew it for a fact, had come up with an estimate, or invented it by accident.

She had to take notes. She had to start writing her thoughts down or they would fade away.

Without breaking stride, she changed course and stepped over to the nearest desk to look for some paper. The note from before, the note slipped into the guest room in secret, was lying there. All at once, Twilight lost her momentum, both mental and physical. She stopped moving and her thoughts stopped flowing. She had forgotten about the note, and even knowing she should not have concerned herself with it right now, it had invaded and occupied her attention.

Twilight grabbed the note with a touch of telekinesis, brought it up to her nose, turned it around and studied it once more. The miniaturized picture and vague call to action scribbled on its back were as she remembered them and offered no new insights. She lowered the glossy piece of paper back on the desk. Without hurrying, she walked over to a coach and took a seat. A moment later, she plopped to her side, absent-mindedly pulled her tail in front of her and started brushing her hooves over the dusty and frayed hair.

In a situation where everything seemed to hang in the balance and every moment was filled to bursting with some sort of significance, it might not have meant much to say that something felt important... but Twilight did have the feeling that this note was important. Even if it wasn't, she wanted to know what what was behind it.

She tried to think about it logically. As quandaries went, this one seemed much more manageable.

Anyone could have delivered that note, but based the on the information available to Twilight, she had to assume it was Lord Fairweather, or someone acting on his behalf. He'd been trying to meet Twilight in private; this seemed like a way to bring that about. That answered the who and the why, probably. The pertinent question was how. How did guiding Twilight into an empty art gallery accomplish anything? Had something that was intended to happen not happened? It may have been Gilda's presence that changed the game plan, but how were they even supposed to find the location without her assistance? And what was the significance of that darn date and time?

"Movement through space is nothing for pony magic," muttered Twilight, "Why, we can even..."

While the enmity between the Lord Chancellor and the knights was of a more fundamental nature, their most recent point of contention seemed to be that he had failed to explain how he'd known enough about the coming pony invasion to enact his own plans to hinder it. What if he could not? Because the truth was too outrageous to believe?

What would the griffons have done if Fairweather had told them he'd been warned by a unicorn wizard from the future?

In a very literally twisted sort of way, it made sense. Taken separately, Twilight was a fairly sympathetic representative of the Griffon Kingdom's worst enemy, and Lord Fairweather was a shady guy that gave the King advice that no one agreed with. When put together, they were a lot closer to a spy and a double agent making contact. They compromised each other. A proper face to face was not feasible under current circumstances, but it might just have been possible on a quiet moment three months ago.

Whether Lord Fairweather was really trustworthy or not didn't even really matter. It was still conceivable that he really was a double agent trying to make contact with someone he held to be an ally. He may have known Daylight Sparkle and thought Twilight was her. He could have been misleading the griffons at every turn, could have taken credit for someone else's actions in delaying the invasion, or even spun a tale around some sort of accident. If Twilight saw this through to the end, then the truth would become clear.

Twilight was surprised how dispassionately she was coming to these realizations. There was no shock of dramatic revelation, only the feeling of wheels turning, and a subtle sense of... relief, perhaps? Instead of the uncertainty of an impossible challenge, she was faced with the predictable notion of closing a time loop. She knew what she had to do, because she had presumably already done it.

Time travel was and was not dangerous. Twilight had learned her lesson about trying to use it for personal reasons and sworn off further attempts, but she had also known that she may have have a choice about it. The past could not be altered, only recreated. It was inevitable. Conversely, if it wasn't meant to be, then something would interrupt Twilight before she could go through with it, right?

Twilight forced herself to cease the compulsive movements of her hooves and clutched into her tail. The couch under her side was getting uncomfortably warm. She almost wondered if something would stop her, because she was about to do it. Glancing at the door, when she expected Spike or Fluttershy or anyone to burst in, no one did.

She had wondered from time to time about destiny, and didn't necessarily like how it intertwined with the notion of predestination.

Part of her wished something did stop her. Knowing what to do was comforting, but knowing that there was only one thing she could do less so. If she was right about all this though, then the invasion only came this late due to her actions in the past. If she had a choice, she wouldn't really have had a choice anyway.

If it meant helping the Griffon Kingdom, if it meant getting a chance to save so many lives, if it meant coming through for Celestia, she was willing to give up her freedom to causality.

"Thirty to ninety minutes until battle is joined," she reminded herself.

Thinking about this was... a waste of time.

With a deep breath, Twilight swung herself up on her hooves. Instead of landing on the guest room carpet, she materialized twenty-six floors up in the art gallery of the palace tower, right in front of the "Dualities" relief that the note had pointed to. The sudden rise in temperature caressed her cheeks like a flush.

"Three months... That's way longer than what you've previously done. Are you sure you're up for it, Twilight?"

Star Swirl's spell was adaptable, and could take her farther if she pushed herself harder. The real problem was trickier.

"Ohh, how am I going to have any time for a proper conversation? I'll only get a minute or two in the past before I'm dragged back."

She could expend extra energy on the length of time she traveled or the duration of her stay, but she didn't have enough for both.

"Come on, Twilight, think! Hmmm, maybe if I..."

There was a solution to this as well. Magics of the mind was one of Twilight's many cursory interests, one which she wouldn't have minded doing further research on if there hadn't been so many other things in her life that demanded her attention. While she longed to determine if visiting and observing thoughts and dreams was possible, she already had practical experience with something as simple as beaming her memories into the minds of others. She and her friends may never have defeated Discord without that possibility.

"All right then. Let's do this."

Already she had begun to remind herself of the details of the spell. She ran through it once for practice and then cast it for real, reading the words in her mind and pouring magic out of her horn. A few white sparks quickly turned into a bright light that engulfed her entirely. For a brief time, she could see nothing, yet was somehow aware of her environment twisting and resettling in the anomalous flickering of higher dimensions. Three inverse months passed by in as many seconds.

The art gallery still looked to be a few shades brighter once the light receded. There were no windows in the vicinity, but sunlight seemed to reach farther into the inside of the building, even through distant corridors. The solid stone walls didn't do much against the heat either. At this point in time, no magic storm cloud protected the city from the solar hellfire outside. A heat stroke did not seem out of the question.

Lord Fairweather was there, of course. He seemed to have been looking right at "Dualities," but now had his head turned towards Twilight. His neck was bent several degrees further than it would have been possible for a pony, much like an owl's. Had he come up there to brave these temperatures just for the sake of appreciating art?

"Uh, hello," said Twilight, taking a hesitant step forward.

Fairweather's cool, calculating expression broke down into rather graceless shock. He burst into action hopping down the hall.

"Guards! Guards! There's a pony assassin on the premises!"

"Wait, no! Drat..."

Cursing herself for losing the initiative, she bound after the griffon. All she had to do was get close for a few seconds. Hopefully, no guards were actually in the vicinity to mess things up.

Fairweather's movements were perfect in their hectic aimlessness. Twilight's almost got close enough to try for a grab, but he twisted out of the way and performed a wild series of strikes that were neither punches nor slaps nor waves but involved elements of all three. He was not a warrior, but then again, neither was Twilight. One of his flailing talons connected to her face. It was enough to knock her back and send her sprawling head-first to the gallery floor.

"Nguh..."

Twilight dragged her jaw off the ground just in time to see Fairweather flapping away again. Her vision was red. Blood was trickling from a shallow cut on her forehead.

"Clock is ticking, Twilight," she murmured through gritted teeth and clambered from a standstill to a crawl and then a gallop.

Fairweather was making for the spiral staircase leading to the lowers floors of the gallery. Instead of taking the steps, he dove straight down and smoothly glided out of sight.

Twilight slid to a halt against the railing, almost going over.

"This isn't what it looks like!" she shouted after him, but doubted he could even hear her.

Twilight's next moves were almost automated. If she did any thinking at all, she did it so fast she barely noticed.

She teleported. A split-second's estimate of Fairweather's position down below got her close enough to grasp at him.

Both of them went down in a spin. It was Twilight who got up first, only to lunge down at Fairweather right away.

"Assassin!" screeched the Chancellor again, somewhat muffled by having Twilight's head pushing against the side of his beak, "Someone warn the King!"

Instead of trying to pin him down, Twilight merely clutched and hoped he wouldn't be able to throw her off. He was bigger and stronger, but this was purely a battle of determination, and Twilight was damned if she wouldn't be able to win it.

Fairweather buckled into a more or less upright position, but Twilight held on. With strange, strained bird noises in her ears, she edged forward her neck until she was able to poke Fairweather's forehead with her horn and let loose a stream of consciousness.

The spell she went for – had no choice but to go for – was an awkward and rudimentary thing. She played Lord Fairweather a selection of her memories: basics of who she was and where she came from, everything she knew about the invasion and what Lord Fairweather could do to delay it, and most importantly, knowledge about how to leave the clues that would bring Twilight to this meeting. Some irrelevant things probably slipped in as well. It was over soon.

Twilight expected the memory transference spell to be a kind of finish line, that she would be carried back to the present as soon as she was done. Instead, she was left several seconds with which to disentangle herself from the griffon she had tackled. The awkward silence went on long enough to become almost boring. Twilight had to lift her hoof and hold it to her head to quell the gushing blood. The wound wasn't serious, but the blood was plentiful. Her head was spinning, probably more so from exerting herself in such heat than anything else.

Lord Fairweather straightened up as well and tried to look composed, but he'd lost some of his sinister mystique, even when he peeled his eyes and glowered at Twilight with all the suspicion he could muster. There was an absurdly dazed look about him.

"How do I know that what you showed me was the truth?" he asked, "This could all be a..." He trailed off before stating the obvious.

"Because it's what you would do?" said Twilight, "But it's not what I would I do."

A taste of copper got in her mouth as she spoke. She could feel the energy building that would transport her back to her own time.

"Look, I don't have anything else to give you, okay? There's no time to argue any points. You just have to decide if you have it in you to trust me or not."

On a spur of the moment, she let her hoof drop and lifted the other in front of Fairweather for him to... shake it, bump it, hold it, whatever. He startled at the motion and hesitated. Twilight would have liked to see him respond before she disappeared, but his face grimaced with conflict. In the end though, he did snatch her hoof between his talons and pulled her up close. He did it suddenly, held her so hard it almost hurt, and stared into her with such intensity that Twilight realized he might be worth fearing after all.

"Do you really want to know what I would do that you might not?"

"What?" said Twilight, already aglow.

"I would do exactly what I accused you of doing. If I was planning this invasion, I would send assassins here to cut off the Kingdom's head." Even with light bursting from Twilight and swallowing her, he held on to her hoof. "Do you understand? Humphrey will have his guards, and he'll have me, but he might need you as well! Protect him! Protect him!"

Twilight was deposited back on the upper floor, in front of the "Dualities" relief, like she'd never been gone. She chewed her lip and considered what to do. Lying down for a rest, having a good cry or repeatedly bashing her head into the artwork all seemed like good options.

Technically, she knew she'd just done a hell of a thing. Though there was still the encore performance to worry about, she had just saved the Griffon Kindom. If only there was more satisfaction to be had, more of a chance to enjoy the warm and fuzzy feeling of accomplishment. Closing a time loop may have meant a lot, but it did not feel like much. It felt like she had merely kept something from breaking than that she'd truly fixed something. Her only reward was reaching another link in a ridiculous chain of challenges.

She knew it was true, of course. It made too much sense not to be true. The King was obviously an important symbol to the griffons, and killing him would be a perfect opening blow to start the hostilities. Assassins would come to strike from the shadow of the great army out in the valley. They may have been there already. Even as she considered and accepted this, she was shaking her head and spilling more of her blood.

She was nowhere near doing what she'd set out to do. Intuition was not enough to move the sun; if it could be done at all it needed work. If she didn't get the time she needed, she would fail.

An idea formed in her mind, which did not so much occur to her as slither slimily forth from recesses of her mind that should not have existed.

She could stay up here, in the peace and quiet of an empty art gallery, do her best to think up a spell to move the sun, and nothing more. If she did not go down, then anything happening there were just abstract possibilities that did not have to mean anything to her. King Humphrey may come under attack and he may not, and he may be killed or he may not. If Twilight succeeded and saved his nation, then wouldn't it be worth it either way? It was he oldest moral dilemma in the book – the good of the many versus the good of the few.

Twilight had taken on an enormous responsibility, which entailed much more than charging forth in good faith. She was supposed to be pragmatic about it.

So many justifications were lining up for her. King Humphrey had an entourage of skilled protectors to help him, did he not? Twilight could just end up being a distraction, right? The griffons would have wanted her to stay out of harm's way, wouldn't they?

And yet... it was something she would never have done.

Spike was somewhere down there, and Fluttershy as well. Her friends were in danger, and neither the King nor the countless anonymous griffons around him were hers to sacrifice.

She could not lose sight of the parts for the whole.

With a quiet whinny, she blinked back into the guest room, where she only stayed long enough to march for the door and burst into the corridor.

It was empty there, and nothing seemed amiss looking one way or another.

The griffons would still be antsy around her, so displaying too much magic out in the open could provoke them, but Twilight could not bring herself to care. She teleported again, to the stairwell at the end of the hall that Gilda had earlier led them through. She peered up and she peered down, but saw nothing and no one. It was quiet.

As abruptly as she had moved on from it, she did not leave the choice she had made behind entirely. She worried for herself, just for considering it. There were lines she would not cross, but lines could be redrawn. If she wouldn't do it now, what would it take to make her reconsider?

She teleported down one, two, three floors, still not coming across anyone, and moving so fast she almost missed the first inkling of an emergency: the smell of smoke. Some of it was wafting up from the next landing.

Twilight had to be more careful now, slinking down the flight rather than blindly teleport into potential danger. On the next floor, she could see the smoke as well – thick gray tendrils of it crawling along the walls, floor and ceiling in a manner that wasn't quite natural.

There could be natural fires in stone structures, of course, but it did not seem terribly likely just now...

Twilight shuddered. Where were Spike and Fluttershy? Why hadn't she wondered earlier where they might have been?

She had to consider where to go next. It was hard to keep track in the windowless and blandly grand stone corridors, but she must have been close to the ground floor, and close to the throne room as well. The King must have had private chambers as well though, perhaps quite near here. It might have been best to follow signs of trouble and see where they led.

Somewhere, not far off, a griffon screeched and fell silent. Even without knowing much about bird calls, it sounded like a warning cry. Something had cut it short.

Rather than slowly spreading outward, the smoke was curling back, flowing out of sight. A wall of it was receding at the far end of a corridor.

Forcing herself every step of the way, Twilight cantered off after it. Something strange was going on with the smoke, but the fear of ending up in the middle of a fire was still too strong to let her teleport into the unknown.

She kept her ears forward, listening for anything useful. As she progressed down the hall, she heard the clanging of metal, long scratching sounds and faint screams...

It didn't take long until she came across the first skewered corpse.

To be continued in Part II.

Author's Note

Something that's been an increasing concern of mine is people forgetting too many details from previous chapters during the long breaks between them. This section in particular seemed to end up with a bit more "recapping" than previous stuff, and I have no idea how this would come across when reading everything at once. (Also, I am acutely aware of just how much of this chapter is internal monologue.)
As always, it was not my original plan to split the chapter in two, but it seemed like a really good idea at a certain point, what with all the stuff going on, a relatively natural break and the waiting time being what it was.
You could probably make a legitimate argument that the time travel element in this chapter is unnecessary. I admit, I included in large part because I felt like it, but I also liked the idea of all four current parallel storylines including some commonalities, and "stuff from the past" is one of them.

Chapter 1: Magic Mirror

It felt good to be back home.

Twilight Sparkle still caught herself thinking that when she happened to visit Canterlot, to her honest dismay. She had a cozy house in the nicest town in the nation, as perfect a home as a home could be, but it was hard to forget her roots. Whenever she returned to the city of her birth to visit her parents or the Princess or on some random business or another, she was always hit with at least a little bit of longing. The smell of familiar magic in the air was too much for her. Magic was Twilight's talent, her passion, her life, and Canterlot was the capital of magic; it was as if they were created for each other. The notion always made her feel a little guilty, like she didn't appreciate what she had as much as she should have.

Twilight was in an open-air pavilion on top of one of Canterlot's taller towers. The Tower of the Horizon (as it was called) hung over the outer edge of the city, facing away from the mountain that it was built on, and offered a gorgeous view of the countryside. Equestria stretched forth before her, all the way to the horizon – woodlands and grasslands, lakes and rivers, hills and swamps, towns and hamlets, a thousand farms and fields and orchards for carrots and wheat and apples and everything else. Ponyville was there as well, or at least the silhouettes of its roofs were, there between the Lonely Mountain and the Everfree Forest. The land was covered in spring greens. It looked beautiful. Twilight had never paid much attention to the scenery while she'd still lived in the city, but now she was glad to soak in the sights.

The sky was blue and clear. Canterlot had always favored an open view of the heavens, conceding clouds for rain and snow only when they were truly necessary to maintain natural equilibrium. This was especially true on days of import like today. There would not be a single speck of white or gray in the sky, on the honor of the weather patrol.

It was quiet this far up. The hustle and bustle of the streets and the rush of the city's waterfalls were distant and muted. Twilight appreciated the calm. She closed her eyes and took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the afternoon sun on her coat. It was perfect to bask in. Canterlot was far above sea level; it was, in fact, the highest altitude non-pegasus settlement in Equestria. The sun was closer here, its presence more powerful, its rays almost tangible. It was warm, but not hot. Local climate spells kept the air in circulation, so there was always a pleasant breeze to be had.

Twilight felt someone step up next to her. She didn't even need to look to know it was Spike.

"Do you want some ice cream?" the dragon asked, "It was melting, so I had to take a few licks, but it's still good."

Twilight glanced down at him, and levitated the ice cream cone from his hand. It was chocolate, with peanut shavings. She happily took a lick.

"Thank you, Spike."

The taste was familiar to her. If she knew Spike – and she did – then he'd probably walked all the way to the Royal Palace to buy the ice cream from the same vendor that he'd frequented when they still lived in Canterlot. He was far from a picky eater, but most definitely a loyal customer. He enjoyed his homecoming as well, no doubt.

"What's with the wistful look? You're not thinking of moving back here, are you?"

"Of course not! Well, I suppose it would have some advantages. I could visit a different library every day and see the Princess whenever I wanted, and I wouldn't have to talk to mom and dad by letter. But I'd miss my friends too much." She instinctively glanced over her shoulder to check around for them. "It's been an hour since we split, and I miss them already."

There were a lot of other ponies in the pavilion now, peering off the edge of the tower, conversing with each other, killing time until the show. The Tower of the Horizon was wide enough for hundreds of spectators. An elaborate stage had been set up in the middle of the floor, on which a large rectangular stack covered with black velvet cloth featured prominently. Right next to it, there was a small platform with mats for the guests of honor to lie on.

Twilight had to finish off her ice cream in a hurry so she could greet the ponies she was familiar with – mostly teachers and librarians she happened to know, or else acquaintances of her parents. Quite a few of her fellow students at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Youngsters were there for the exhibition as well, and she made sure to be extra friendly to them, to make up for her past irreverence. Most everyone there were academics. Spike climbed on her back and spoke his courtesies as well. One of the other gifted youngsters had a dragon companion of his own, standing beside him on all fours. The other dragon was of the winged kind, sharp and lean and the color of bronze. He was a few years older than Spike, at a guess, but they quickly got to talking. Twilight had to break it off when she saw her friends come up the stairs. They were all there: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. She made her excuses and galloped over to them.

"So, have you enjoyed your time at the Symposium so far, girls?"

"Oh, it's been a terrific experience!" burst out Rarity, "I truly thought I knew everything I needed to know about unicorn magic, but I found this wizard of a pony running a telekinesis workshop on Amalthea Avenue that gave me some inspiring tips for fine handling – at no charge! And I'll have you know, Rainbow Dash, that this gentlepony thought my perfume was lovely, not anything like a 'flowery industrial accident', so there!"

"It's been pretty interesting," admitted Applejack, "The demonstration for that quick-grow enchantment for plants they were advertising was mighty impressive, to take one example, though that sure was a lot of effort and preparation for one spell! The poor pony doing the casting nearly threw her hooves up once the deed was done. I don't think something like that could ever be economically feasible, thank grace. Besides, I'm not sure who'd want an eggplant thirty hooves high."

"Oh, ahem, I've had a wonderful time as well," said Fluttershy, "There's an entire square set aside for the study of foreign magic, did you know? Oh, sorry, of course you do. There were these nice scholars who talked about dragonflame and fairy-glamors and it was all very pleasant and peaceful. They even brought in this old griffon lady to demonstrate her powers. I think they called her one of the last remaining aeromancers..."

She'd barely finished when words positively exploded out of Pinkie Pie:

"Oh, it's been tons and tons and tons of fun, even the bits that weren't fun! All these stuffy, serious unicorn scholars loosen up when you get a party going, and it gets people a lot more involved with their work too! I especially liked that show where one unicorn created a magical double of himself – but I only liked it ironically, you know? I mean, why would you need a spell for that? But what I especially liked was those giant, pony-shaped mechanical contraptions they animated with the power of love! It's just too bad one of them went berserk and tried to destroy the city. Hmm, I'll have to remember that stomach growl, eye twitch, droopy ears, eye twitch means incoming rampage by giant thing. Don't worry though, the city wasn't destroyed! Me and Trixie – she's here too, I hope you know that! – went and borrowed the other robots and fought off the bad one, so everything turned out all right!"

Nopony quite knew what to say to that. While Twilight exchanged questioning looks with the others, Spike hastily leafed through his event guide.

"I don't think there's anything like giant robots in the program, Pinkie Pie," he said.

"Really?! Well, maybe it was just all in my head then. That happens sometimes!"

Suppressing a chuckle, Twilight turned to the last member of their group.

"What about you, Rainbow Dash?" she asked.

"Meh," said Dash with a shrug, "Hate to say I told you so, but it's just been a bunch of boring talky stuff, just like I expected."

"Oh?" wondered Fluttershy, "But I thought you said you really liked that spell they invented to make walls and ceilings look like the sky outside? I hope I didn't misunderstand you."

"Well, yeah, there was that..."

"And that gravity-affecting device they came up with to help pegasus flight training?" asked Applejack, "Shoot, I thought for sure you'd love it."

"Granted, but..."

"And I saw you giddy as a little filly watching that magically recorded puppet show," said Rarity.

"Okay, okay, okay!" exclaimed Dash, now flushed, "So the event's had its moments and I'm glad you took us along, Twilight."

"Hear, hear!" echoed the others, and Twilight had to smile.

In truth, Canterlot's Symposium of the Magical Arts was bittersweet for Twilight Sparkle this year. She had hoped to see a presentation of her own featured there, but things hadn't quite worked out. Her research exploring the effects of emotional states on teleportation spells had been very promising, but she'd been plagued by one interruption after another until she'd hopelessly lost her way with her work. By the time she had everything in order, it was already too late – which was rather embarrassing for someone who prided herself on being a good planner. Of course, nopony could blame her for the schedule slip after that bizarre body swap incident and the great Ponyville library heist...

Despite everything though, there was so much interesting magic at the Symposium that she couldn't help but have a good time. All the cutting edge magical research in Equestria was represented: there were shows and seminars and and readings and everything else. Some unicorns demonstrated newly invented spells, quite a few of which were still unpredictable and unworkable, while others presented forgotten magics they'd uncovered from forgotten literature. Hanging out with her friends in an intellectually stimulating environment was a perfect remedy for disappointment.

"I'm glad you've had a good time," said Twilight, "but you've seen nothing yet. Princess Celestia tells me the final presentation is going to top everything else so far. They save the most impressive experiments and most significant discoveries for the grand finale. This one is directed by Brainy Bright, one of Equestria's leading magical theorists!"

For some reason, nobody looked quite as excited about hearing about one of Equestria's leading magical theorists as she had expected.

Not long after that, the sound of trumpets blaring the first notes of the Equestrian anthem heralded the arrival of Princess Celestia and her entourage. They swooped into the pavilion from the air, some of them on their own wings and others in pegasus-drawn carriages. The group included a number of courtiers and government officials, flanked by an entire squad of royal guards. It was a larger security detail than usual.

Celestia herself was at the center, looking beautiful, dignified and – above all – constant. She never looked any different. Even though her shimmering mane waved as if it was caught in the wind, as soon as she put her hooves down, she became as firm and unyielding as a rock. She gazed around with half-lidded eyes and her usual mild smile, and to Twilight's great delight, she steered directly towards her.

Twilight would have liked nothing more than to trot right up to her and nuzzle her, but they were in public and certain procedures of formality had to be followed. She bowed like everyone else. Celestia received her as she would have received anyone else as well, but when she spoke, there was an extra dose of warmth in her voice that she reserved only for a select few.

"Twilight Sparkle! You've grown since the last time I saw you, my little pony. I hope you've found the Symposium a rewarding experience." She passed her gaze over Twilight's friends, nodding at them. "I'm glad you decided to join us, girls, Spike."

Only when Celestia stood up straight again did Twilight notice that Princess Luna was present at well, stooped down and off to the side from her sister.

"Princess Luna," said Twilight with a deep bow, "It's a pleasure to see you again! I had not thought to find you in attendance."

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world, Twilight Sparkle," replied Luna with a stiff nod.

She looked tired and disheveled. There were dark circles under her eyes and her mane and tail were matted with inexpertly applied mane gel. Her crown was slightly askew. She'd either had not enough sleep, or too much of it.

Pinkie Pie was already rushing in to make the meeting less awkward. She pushed right past old Lady Blueblood and Paper Cut, the director of Canterlot's Institute for Magical Research (who just happened to be the organizer of the whole Symposium), to shake Luna's hoof.

"Oh, I was so worried you'd spend the whole day cooped up in your room, I don't know, sleeping or something!" she said, beaming, "Boy am I glad you proved me wrong!"

Indelicate as that was, it seemed to brighten Luna a bit. She still didn't smile though.

"As I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I am a student of magic myself, after all, and this is the event of the year when it comes to magic and learning both. Even if it a little too... busy."

Fluttershy quivered slightly. "Mmmm, I'm not good with crowds either," she said as if she was talking to no one in particular.

"A student in a figurative sense, at least," said Celestia, "Your knowledge of the field overshadows that of mortal ponies. I would be surprised if there was much you learned today."

"One never stops learning," replied Luna without looking up at her, "And magic has developed a lot over the last millennium. You still know much more than I do..."

Celestia's entourage was starting to realize that she hadn't paid them any attention in a while now, and slowly dispersed to mingle with the rest of the crowd. Half the guards stayed close by the Princesses, while the others spread out in the pavilion.

"Bit more guardponies than usual, Your Highness," observed Spike, "You wouldn't mind if I asked if anything was wrong, would you?"

Before Celestia could open her mouth to answer, Luna did so in her stead. "I asked the captain of the guard to extend the ranks. Somepony left a death threat in Celestia's quarters."

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"That's outrageous!" rasped Rarity.

"Oh my," said Fluttershy.

"No. Way!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

Applejack cursed quite strongly. "Er, pardon the language, Princess. A death threat?!"

"Pull the other one!" said Pinkie Pie, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"But why would anypony want to harm you?" asked Spike.

"I... I wouldn't worry about it, to be honest," said Celestia with a smile, "It's hardly the first of its kind I've received in my life. Few such threats ever materialize, and I am hardly easy to kill. Nopony has ever successfully assassinated me, you know, and the last time anypony attempted it was over a hundred years ago. It's the duty of my guards to be paranoid, but this is not something for you to be concerned about, children."

Her tone was light, but Twilight couldn't help but worry whether the threat was affecting her after all. She wasn't for one moment afraid for the Princess's physical safety, but for all her power, she was still pony, and had feelings to be hurt.

Princess Celestia was loved by most, but not by all. There were always at least a handful of political extremists and self-professed freethinkers that opposed her rule, and the return of Princess Luna and the validation of the legend of the Mare in the Moon only added fuel to conspiracy theories that she was an unlawful despot. They rarely did more than spread leaflets and rant on street corners. There were few things that angered Twilight as much as such unfounded and malicious attacks against her person. Celestia went out of her way to get to know her people whenever possible, and yet there were still ignoramuses who didn't know anything about her.

But this letter was delivered directly to her quarters, meaning a member of the palace staff was most likely responsible. How could that be? They should have known first-hoof how gracious and good she was; they should have known better than to do something like this, whoever it had been.

Twilight and her friends were Celestia's personal guests, so they got the best seats in the house, on the dais right in front of the stage. Twilight uncomfortably realized that the place of highest honor seated three, with Celestia on the center mat between Luna and her. That did not seem right. Luna looked impassive, but she must have been aware of it herself. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took their places on one side of them and Spike, Rarity and Applejack on the other.

No sooner had they all laid down than Paper Cut headed their way, pushing a stone-faced earth pony with a grain-gold coat and a close-cropped white mane in front of him. He was not much older than Twilight, perhaps a postgraduate. Twilight peeked a look at his cutie mark and recognized it for an Old Equestrian rune. She was uncertain about its meaning.

"Come on now, it's only polite to say a few words to your sponsor," Paper Cut was saying.

"But the preparations..." muttered the earth pony, just before being thrust in front of the dais.

For a moment, it looked like he was struck deaf by Celestia's majesty. It must have been his first time seeing her up close, and that was a natural enough reaction. Eventually, he found his voice and wits and bowed.

"It's an honor to make the acquaintance, Princess."

"The honor is mine," said Celestia, "Your name has been ringing out in Canterlot a lot in recent years, always alongside favorable references to your character and work. Please, allow me to introduce my sister, Princess Luna."

She held out a hoof towards Luna, and wiggled an eyebrow to boot. It took the earth pony a moment to catch on that he was supposed to bow to her too. Luna ignored his bow.

"And this is my star pupil, Twilight Sparkle, along with her dragon companion and her friends, the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. Girls – and Spike – this is Brainy Bright, who will head up the forthcoming demonstration."

Twilight gasped. "You're Brainy Bright? But- um..."

"I'm an earth pony, what of it?" asked Bright with a clenched jaw, "Unicorns aren't the only ones interested in the field. I am a theoretical magicianist – I research and document, and in some cases, invent. I don't see that it matters whether I can do magic or not."

He was completely right, of course. Twilight blushed over her outburst. She had never met an earth pony with magical expertise before, but the fact that he had reached his current eminence without actually being able to cast spells himself only spoke higher of his brilliance.

"I'm sorry, Mister Bright. I really look forward to your demonstration."

"As do I," said Celestia, "I know we're in for something special today."

"You most certainly are, Your Highness!" boasted Paper Cut, "When I signed off on this, I knew I was making history. This is something without precedent! Why-"

Bright interrupted him with a cough. He shuffled awkwardly on his hooves, peering at the guardponies around them.

"I'd rather not give anything away, Princess. It's only a few minutes until we begin anyway."

"Of course," said Celestia graciously, "Don't let me keep you."

With one last glance at Princess Celestia, Brainy Bright turned around and headed for the stage. The rest of his team, a group of four unicorns, was there waiting for him. Paper Cut left them to their own devices as well. As soon as they were out of earshot, Celestia turned towards Luna.

"He's a handsome one, isn't he? And he is rather clever as well."

"I don't know what you're implying, sister."

The expression on Celestia's face bizarrely reminded Twilight of Rarity's cat Opalescence during her smugger moments.

Rarity launched into a lengthy critique of the decorations in the pavilion, which she held to be slightly (but only slightly) too ostentatious for an event as informal as a magical exhibition. Spike was completely enraptured with her and merrily nodded along without hearing a thing she said, while Applejack kept sighing in exasperated boredom. On the other side, Rainbow Dash was flustering Fluttershy with some sort of bawdy tale and Pinkie questioning (or possibly interrogating) Luna about the quality of baked goods in the Royal Palace. When Pinkie paused to take a breath, Celestia leaned over to her sister and whispered something in her ear, causing her to snort and giggle.

Twilight, meanwhile, was watching the preparations on the stage. Bright's staff had thrown aside the black cloth and revealed a stack of thin plates about the size of a doorway. They looked to be made of a substance similar to glass, but were somehow both far more transparent and far more reflective, giving them a hazy, fractured appearance. The plates were levitated up in the air and folded into each other; somehow, they melded together as if they had no substance or mass. At length, the unicorns visibly started to strain holding the construct up. After a brief argument with Bright, they gently floated it down on the stage in a standing position – it really did look like a doorway, though bigger now.

The pavilion was near to full by this point, but the crowd was quiet. Some final conversations were dying down, muffled under the weight of expectation. Everypony could sense that something was happening. When Brainy Bright stepped to the front of the stage and cleared his throat, the hush was absolute.

"Some of you may have read the dissertation I wrote for my entry into Canterlot's Institute for Magical Research six years ago. It's not a well-known piece, but nothing else in my career has polarized the magical community quite as much. It's been praised and denounced in equal measure – the ideas I proposed in it have been held up as the Holy Grail of space relativity magic by some and decried as a sensationalist fantasy by others. The subject matter has always fascinated me, and remained a passion even as I moved on to other projects. The title of my dissertation was 'The Many-Worlds Hypothesis.'"

A wave of murmurs passed through the crowd. Most of the gathered ponies were lost and confused, but the rest were suddenly very excited. Twilight was furious at herself for never having read the work in question and being in the dark about it now. She was familiar with most of Bright's research, but not that. Why not? There was just so much to read, and she didn't have as much time as she used to...

"Twilight," whispered Spike beside her, "Hey, Twilight!"

"What is it, Spike?" she quietly asked.

"I can't see anything from here. Can I climb on your back?"

Twilight nodded without taking her eyes off the stage. Spike crawled on top of her for a better view.

"There are worlds beyond ours," continued Bright, "There are alternatives to our pasts, presents and futures. Every choice we make or don't make creates an alternative universe, a different branch of reality. This is what I posited in my hypothesis. To put it bluntly, I was right, and I can prove it. My associates Golden Perfect, Glimmerbum, Enigma, Life Saver and I have conceived and created a method for accessing such alternate universes – a window, if you will. Today, we will be looking at a few worlds we've already cataloged."

Bright fell silent, and the silence drew on. He seemed to be lost in reverie, his face scrunched up, and ponies were starting to get awkward and restless.

"I am not a braggart, but... I truly believe that this is a very significant discovery. It's a new and potentially dangerous territory, but one with uncountable promises and possibilities for learning. This is science, this is magic. I hope..." His voice faltered; he started anew. "I hope this is what I will be remembered for."

That sounded reasonable enough, but his expression was so pained that Twilight was genuinely confused as to what he meant. Then Bright shook his head and smiled, and everything seemed to be all right.

"We haven't come up with a name for it yet, but it's my pleasure to present it to you all the same."

The four unicorns took this as their cue to lift the 'window' back up and to start feeding magic into it. All of them held their eyes shut, their horns lit up with a colorless glow. The portal flashed and bubbled with light like waves in the sea. Twilight couldn't take her eyes from the spectacle. Eventually, the window settled into a rectangle of perfect blue, indistinguishable from the sky around the tower. Bright muttered some instructions to one of his associates, and the picture shifted to show the countryside. Everything looked normal enough, and Twilight couldn't have sworn it wasn't just a vision of Equestria or one of the other nations they shared their planet with. At length though, she started to notice little oddities in the plant-life. She was no expert on flora, but even the unfamiliar vegetation looked queer to her eyes. When they got their first view of a settlement, many in the crowd gasped.

This strange new world wasn't inhabited by ponies, but bears, colorful bears that walked on their hindquarters. As stunned as she was by what she saw, Twilight tried to be analytical. Their town looked much like Equestrian towns in architecture. The tools they used were similar to their own. They seemed to talk and live as ponies did. They even had their own version of cutie marks – large symbols on their chests. She spotted a maple leaf, a bow and arrow, stars and a heart. Truly, the bears were just like them.

The portal reset. The sky they saw now was the color of ash. Thick clouds blanketed everything. When the view slid downwards, it was hard to make out anything concrete through the smoke. The earth was an ugly patchwork of black fields, jutting crags and rivers of fire. The ceaseless flow of lava was threatening to engulf the entire planet. There had never been any life there.

"Our world as it might have been, save for the grace of the goddesses," announced Bright, his voice curiously dull.

He gave more directions to the unicorns, and after a pause, they obliged. The view changed again, but while most everyone was intently watching another blue sky in the portal, movement in the corner of her eye caught Twilight's attention. Bright was slinking away to the other side of the stage. Just when she started to wonder what he was doing, he sped up and bumped roughly into one of his colleagues.

"Look out!" shouted Twilight, but it was already far too late.

Bright had pushed the unicorn right off the stage, and the weight of the portal was too much for the other three. It was tilting dangerously, and it was tilting directly towards them on the dais.

Suddenly there was sound all around, a hundred questions asked and a hundred panicked shouts. The guardponies were pressing closer to the stage. Everything was happening so fast.

Princess Celestia was up on her hooves in an instant and tried to catch the portal with her magic, but her horn seemed to have no effect on it.

Spike's tiny claws were in Twilight's mane and tugging sharply.

"We need to move!" he was saying, but she barely heard him.

Just when it seemed like the three unicorns were starting to stabilize the sinking portal, Bright leapt and crashed into it from above. The telekinetic field gave out under his extra weight.

"Princess!" shrieked Twilight.

"No!" gasped Luna.

"Stay back!" said Celestia.

She had spread her wings, but the sky was already falling. The portal had shattered into shards of indistinct blue, and Brainy Bright was gone.

Twilight instinctively threw herself towards the Princess, vaguely aware of the black glow of Luna's horn, and the next thing she knew, the world unfolded itself around her.

When Brainy Bright woke up, the first thought on his mind was fear of failure.

After sorting through his jumbled memories, and trying to make a judgment based on the element of surprise and the angle of his descent, he concluded that there was no way to know for sure whether he had really gotten the Princess. The idea that it may have all been for nothing and that he might never know what really happened made him want to retch. He had to hope that he'd succeeded, that he'd managed to exile Celestia from Equestria forever.

Bright was slowly becoming aware of the fact that it was very, very hot. He was outside, he could smell it, so that must have been sunlight that was aggressively seeping in between his eyelids. Laboriously, he opened his eyes and – to his surprise – found himself standing up, leaning heavily against a wall. His head was spinning, and he felt as weak as a newborn foal. There was no way to tell how long he'd been unconscious.

He whinnied and took a few experimental steps. He'd intentionally kept himself from finding out too much about this world, except that it was inhabitable, but he seemed to be in a city. An alleyway stretched forward in front of him, and there were rows of tall, white buildings on either side of it. Who lived in the city, he could not say, since he couldn't see anypony. The sun hung low in a cloudless sky, but it was as light as if it was midday.

He'd been prepared for this possibility – that he too would be lost in an alternate universe. In fact, he welcomed it. The only things he'd had to look forward to back home were imprisonment and dishonor, both well deserved.

Bright had never hated himself as much as he did at that moment. Misusing his greatest creation for an act of terrorism at the day of its own unveiling betrayed every scientific ideal he'd ever held, but there had been no other option. An opportunity like that may never have come again. Celestia was just too powerful to take on by conventional means. At least this way, nopony had gotten killed.

He wondered whether the portal had swallowed Celestia alone, if it had swallowed her at all. Her sister may have been caught as well, but perhaps that wouldn't have been so bad. There was no point in exchanging one absolute monarch for another; it was best to have no deities at all. But Bright sincerely hoped that Celestia's young student hadn't shared her fate.

Without the Princesses, ponies were finally truly free. They no longer had an immortal and unknowable jailor deciding their destinies for them. The invisible eye was gone. The three pony races would get an even footing in society. Nature would longer be beholden to any one individual's whims, and surely even the other species would be glad for that. Perhaps the democratic faction would start to gain support in Equestria at last.

Bright did have one regret about being lost, and that was that he didn't know what would happen next. He hoped it would be enlightenment and equality, not violence and uncertainty.

Somepony was calling. Bright turned and saw two figures approaching, but the sun stung his eyes too much for him to make them out clearly. He was as good as blind.

As they got closer, Bright recognized them as pegasi. They were asking him who he was. It was a small burden off his back that he'd at least ended up on a world with a pony civilization. As he was trying to figure out what to say, one of the pegasi swooped forward and smashed a hoof into his face. Bright was flung to the ground, a streak of blood running from his nose.

"It's a lousy earth pony," growled the pegasus mare who'd kicked him.

"Stupid animal," said the other one, a stallion, "Doesn't he know you're not supposed to go out during a curfew?"

They were both wearing golden armor, emblazoned with a pair of wings and a jagged white sunburst. Bright noticed that just before they kicked him again.

"What is this?!" he groaned.

"What are you doing out here at this time, huh, earth pony?" asked the stallion.

"Dirt-eater!" hissed the mare, "Giftless!"

Bright cringed before them. "Wait! Wait! I'm not from here! This isn't my world..."

The mare pushed him down on his back and stood on his chest. Her ironed hooves dug painfully into his torso.

"Stop! Please!"

"You broke the Queen's law," said the stallion.

"And we just don't like your face!"

"So you're going away forever."

Seeing them bent over him and staring him in the face with mocking grins and rabid eyes, Bright couldn't think of anything to say.

"This isn't right," he tried to explain, "This is wrong."

He would have called it a nightmare, what was happening to him, but the day was clear and bright.

"Hellooooo?"

Nothing. No reply.

"Is anypony there?"

Nopony was there. Not a single living thing.

"Celestia!"

Celestia was gone.

Or else Luna herself was gone, she wasn't sure. They hadn't just fallen through a crack in the fiber of the universe, they'd been blasted through. The magic of the broken portal had been wild, and Luna worried that the telekinetic push she'd unleashed at the last second had contributed to the force with which they had been thrown apart. Luna had flashed through the sky like a meteorite. She may have traveled for hundreds of miles before finally crashing, as far as she knew. Celestia might have been anywhere or nowhere.

Luna had found herself in an abandoned town. Most of it was broken-down houses of mismatched stone, but there were older, wooden buildings there as well, almost rotted away to nothingness. The ruins were empty but for occasional broken pottery and books that had fallen to dust. The town was surrounded by the desert, and the sands were reclaiming the land. It was a desolate place. There were no plants, no animals, and certainly no ponies. Luna did not explore too much for fear of finding the bones of whoever had lived there before, but standing on the edge of town and staring at the empty wastes all around was just as disheartening.

The sense of disquiet in Luna was growing. She stomped her hooves and screamed for her sister and destroyed some of the ruins around her, but felt no better for it. She whirled around, certain that something was behind her, watching her, but found nothing and no one. The quiet of the desert was getting very loud. Something was terribly wrong, but she didn't know what. She could feel it in her bones and her horn. There was a strangeness throbbing in her mind like a second headache.

Eventually, she realized what it was that she was sensing – or wasn't sensing. She was used to feeling the drift of the sun and the moon; the steps they took over the firmament were like her own heartbeats. Now that feeling was gone. Perhaps things worked differently in this world, perhaps her cosmic awareness simply didn't reach here and perhaps is was completely normal that the sun was hanging dead in the sky – but she didn't think so. She was in a world much like her own, and yet not. Everything was familiar enough that she could tell that it was unnatural for the sun to be so close to the earth, and for the light to shine so evenly. The sun was broken. And that wasn't everything, oh no...

Luna sunk to her knees. The weight of the realization made her ill.

The sky looked beautiful from above.

The thin blue sheen of the atmosphere was the only thing Celestia could take any heart in as she looked down at the travesty she'd been thrust into. She recognized much of what she saw. This world was a mirror of her own – she could tell that as much from the indefinable magic certainty in her stomach as from the familiar configuration of the continents and the oceans. The land was faded and burnt though, and there was somewhat less of the seas. The caps of snow and ice at the poles and in the mountains were gone, and proper cloud cover only sporadic between large swathes of clear sky. Parts of the world were still green and verdant, but most of it was covered in sickening yellows. Deserts spotted the surface, the greatest of which lied directly at the heart of her precious Equestria.

It was her world, but something had ruined it.

Celestia could see it all clearly from space. She'd been flung far coming out of the portal, and had let the momentum carry her forth so she could look over her domain. The silent emptiness around her was jarringly peaceful. Celestia nursed her wrath for later. She had plenty of it to go around. For now, she soared, examined and considered.

Stars were catching in her mane as she glided through the void, little glassy orbs that should have twinkled merrily in formation instead of floating about in disarray like trash. The constellations were gone, broken up, and the lights had gone out of the stars. It had been a long time since they'd shined down on the land.

It pained Celestia to even look at her sun. It was bloated and monstrous and hung in the sky at least half as low as she had ever dared to let it go back home. It was situated some ways off from the desert-lands in Equestria, but its light did not go to waste. The sunshine curved around the hemispheres, casting a warm golden glow about everything below. It was day on both sides of the planet, Celestia knew.

All day meant no night. The light had extinguished the dark. The sun dominated the sky, and the moon... the moon was gone.

Equestria had been so beautiful, a small voice at the back of Twilight Sparkle's mind reminded her. Now it wasn't.

She'd been admiring its beauty just a short while ago. She'd gazed at the lakes and rivers, the forests and fields. Now the lakes and rivers had dried up, and the forests had withered and died. All the green was gone, and the empty reaches of desert sprawled as far as the eye could see. The land was dead.

All this, she somehow noticed on her descent. As disoriented and panicked as she was, Twilight tried to be analytical.

She'd been thrown into another world, she remembered that. The world had twisted and spun, and the uncountable streaming colors had grasped her brain and squeezed it, and now she was falling.

She was falling and falling and falling. She was falling because the Tower of the Horizon had disappeared. Canterlot itself was gone. Little Ponyville was gone too, and a great white city stood in its place.

It was hard to breathe with air flowing past her so fast. Spike's screams mixed together with her own, but she couldn't see him – didn't know where he was – and was all the more afraid for it. She'd never been so afraid in her life.

Death was rushing towards her at the base of the mountain.

Next chapter: Lay of the Land.

Author's Note

This chapter has had some small updates done as of April 2015.

Chapter 15: The Mare Who Would Not Be Queen

Celestia and Applejack touched down, quite appropriately, in the middle of nowhere. They appeared on a nebulous strip of land where desert became beach, with an empty plain at their back and an ocean ahead of them. One horizon framed a sea of sand and reflected another that bordered endless blue waters. They were all alone out there. Not much was to be found here in either universe.

Celestia felt a puff of air on her neck. Applejack had been holding her breath for the jump. Now she drew away, almost hopping backwards to get to a safe distance, while Celestia had a look around.

"Where's this?" asked Applejack.

"The southwestern edge of the continent," said Celestia, "If this place ever had a name, it's been forgotten."

Applejack remained silent, most likely calculating just how far they'd traveled in the span of the last few seconds. If she figured out the mileage, she made no comment on it.

The terrain was not entirely flat. Further up on the beach to their left, grains of sand, pebbles, rocks and boulders formed the imperceptible steps of a stairway leading all the way to the horizon, where the ground grew into cliffs. It was good that some monument to the land's ancient geography remained. At some point in the past, the rockface had marked the coastline, but it was a long way from water now. Further outcroppings of stone among the dunes marked, perhaps, the former locations of little islets that had been swallowed by the earth when the sea receded.

"Hmh, well, you can drop the act now."

"I'm sorry?" said Celestia, turning her attention from the distant cliffs back to Applejack.

"This isn't what you really look like, is it? You gonna show me the real thing or what?"

Celestia frowned and hesitated, but had no real cause to object. It was time to drop the guise of the normal, little pink-maned pony she'd maintained since Everfree City. With a mild glow from her horn, she revealed her true form and returned to a familiar, higher perspective.

Applejack suddenly found herself looking almost straight up, and seemed to be resisting the urge to take several more steps back.

"Ah," she said, warily eyeing Celestia's colorful mane and tail, "Well. I thought you'd be..."

"Taller?" suggested Celestia with a slight smile, but already she bent her neck to try to appear less intimidating. Judging by the curve of Applejack's mouth, she wasn't exactly succeeding.

Somewhere at the back of her mind, Celestia found it curious that Applejack had tolerated this disguise while they were in the midst of her compatriots, but that was not something she could concern herself with at length.

"Do you see those cliffs?" Celestia began walking in their direction. "We might as well start looking over there."

She could hear Applejack's hoofsteps following. "So who or what are we looking for here, exactly?" Applejack asked.

Celestia had to take a moment before answering. She knew that her objectives here were somewhat tenuous, and even though Applejack had invited herself to come along, Celestia didn't want to make it seem like a waste of time.

"We're looking for the most celebrated pony prophet of the ancient world – the Oracle of Equ, she's sometimes called. We don't know a lot about her in modern day, not even her name, but it's a matter of historical record that she inhabited this coast toward the end of her life."

"And you're hoping to find artifacts or such? Do you really think there's actual useful intelligence to be found?"

"She's known to have made a great many prophecies applying to both her own time and the far future. I can vouch for the accuracy of at least one myself."

"Have you, uh, met her?" Applejack's brow was almost comically furrowed asking this.
"She lived a little before my time."

"Hmh. That's a lot of trust to put in some legendary unicorn's fancy magics, isn't it?"

"Oh no. History never retained this oracle's name, but we do know her race. She was an earth pony."

Applejack snorted, but only after a brief shocked silence. "How's that possible?"

Celestia wasn't surprised that she'd be skeptical. This wasn't commonly known in the first place, and she suspected that the Equestrian Empire's overall level of education regarding the racial heritage of earth ponies and what made them special by their own right was rather lacking.

"There is magic in all ponies. In earth ponies, it manifests as a tendency for increased strength, a powerful constitution and an affinity for the land and the things that grow in it. Queen Celestia has to keep your people plowing the fields because unicorns and pegasi wouldn't be able to produce enough to keep the population alive in this climate – and they'd have a harder time staying alive."

"I've never seen a farmer cast a spell in my life!"

"There are subtler forms of magic than spells, hexes and curses. Sometimes, it's as natural as breathing, and hard to notice when it's happening. I wouldn't want to credit magic too much, of course. When it comes to farming, there's just as much skill involved, and traditions that have passed on agricultural expertise."

"And what does all that have to do with predicting the future?"

"Well, in some rare cases, the magic in our blood manifests differently, as a sixth sense that gives ponies premonitions or visions, or even an ability to connect with the minds of others. Not every every seer can do what they think or say they can do, but it's not unheard of. Earth ponies in particular tend to display such gifts."

Celestia had not chosen the best of words. Applejack scowled and looked off to the horizon, her mouth clamped firmly shut.

All Celestia had wanted to do was to defuse Applejack's distrust by affirming that her people were deserving of respect and that each earth pony could feel proud of being an earth pony, but all she'd succeeded in doing was reminding her of how they didn't have that respect and any pride they felt was stamped down as a matter of course. She'd tried her best to speak mildly, gently, friendlily – wasn't it obvious that she'd been cloying and patronizing? How could Celestia, with all her maturity and experience, still make such mistakes?

So it went, time and time again.

Some ponies didn't like Celestia. Surely Applejack had that right, the right to hate her outright even, but it still bothered her. It was a niggling little irritation in her chest that just wouldn't go away.

It was so silly, wasn't it? Celestia felt annoyed with herself for the annoyance she felt. She thought it was childish to think Applejack was being childish. She wished she could laugh it off.

Was it manipulative to want somepony to like you? Was it arrogant to think that the reasons so many had for disliking you didn't really make sense?

Ah, well. In the grand scheme of things, such feelings were rather insignificant.

For that matter, there were much more constructive and provocative ways to engage Applejack.

"Tell me, if Equestria held an election, who would you vote for?"

"Huh?" Applejack peered at her sideways.

"Have you given it any thought? You've worked hard to tear down the existing government, but what should take its place? Who would be qualified to rule Equestria, in your opinion?"

"Uhm," said Applejack.

Once Celestia was sure that Applejack did not have an answer ready, she went on. "There might be earth ponies who are respected village elders, pegasi who've made it in middle management, but they wouldn't know much about governance. The only ones with experience in administration and legislation will be unicorns – ponies who have as much to unlearn about ruling a nation as others have to learn. And there's so much else to consider. How many prospective leaders will stand up to lead when when they've been conditioned to keep their heads down by generations of repression? How will candidates establish and distinguish their platforms when most ponies have no concept of open political discourse? I'm curious who you would vote for because the average voter is going to have a much vaguer idea of the process and the result than you would. To be honest, I think you would be more suited to be a candidate than just a voter."

Applejack's eyes widened at that, but Celestia couldn't believe the idea was new to her. If she hadn't wondered about it herself, one of her subordinates must surely have suggested it at some point.

"I'm sure more ponies would know of Applejack of the Apple Underground, who bravely fights for their rights, than anypony else. You're going to be on their minds whether you put your name forward or not. In fact, you're going to have to govern no matter what, at least for a time. If your revolution succeeds, the Equestrian Empire will collapse into anarchy, unless those who destroy the old order retain the authority to build a new one. That's a compromise most revolutionaries are willing to make. Some enjoy it so much they never let go of the position at all..."

"That's not going to happen," said Applejack, "None of us are in this for power!"

"I wouldn't doubt it. But somepony's going to have to make the decisions on how to transition to an entirely new form of rule. And there are so many decisions to make, about constitutions, executives, lawmaking bodies, ratios of representation, regional rights, term periods and a hundred other functions of government. Many of these decisions will have to be made quickly and decisively, and cannot afford the squabbling and fumbling of an inexperienced congress. There are ways in which transforming a dictatorship into a democracy is more difficult than striking up a new state."

"How's that?" Applejack did not seem like she particularly wanted to have this conversation – Celestia had not thought she would – but there was curiosity in her voice.

"Once you get to a certain age, you realize... that time is cyclical. For every action there is a reaction. Once the balance of power shifts with the swing of an election, it will be easy for those once privileged to become victims themselves, and for the existing elitism to be replaced by a mob rule that's really no better. There are more earth ponies than pegasi and unicorns combined – do you realize what that means? Restoring earth ponies to their rightful place in society will perhaps be more important than anything, but can you honestly say there are none that would seek to punish their oppressors, whether by acts of violence or by turning their own institutions against them? Does that fair to you? Does it seem just? It could be called both, but it's not going to create a stable, healthy society. A true democracy is pluralistic and protects the interests of its minorities – even if those minorities have committed serious wrongs in the past. I think the wounds of your people run too deep for that to be possible any time soon. The ideal of One Pony One Vote may be a foundation for equality, but not necessarily for balance and harmony."

"We all know the cliché," grumbled Applejack, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch, right? Does Twilight Sparkle know you're this cynical?"

They walked on in silence for a little while as Celestia considered. She'd never really thought of it that way. It seemed clear to her that Twilight Sparkle would have agreed.

The cliffs they were heading for were much closer now.

"I don't think I'm being cynical. I think ponies are inherently good by nature, but we're as corruptible and capable of pettiness as anyone. The pony races are just different enough in abilities and affinities that it is difficult for one kind to effectively represent another politically. This is true even in my world, where we're much more integrated and familial. Here the centuries of prejudice and resentment are going to make a peaceful ideological competition almost impossible. The revolution is going to expose these racial tensions. The truth is that we are herd animals who tend to be shaped by our communities, and the ugliness of the current world order will have an impact for generations."

"So you think you and Luna should rule because you're above all that?"

Celestia allowed herself a small smile. "It's precisely because we're amidst it all that we should rule. We are earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns all. We can relate to all of you, and represent everypony's interests."

"Uh huh? That sounds more like you can't relate to any of us or properly represent anypony's interests."

Celestia's smile faded. That was, in some ways, a rather cruel thing to say.

"If we're as detached as you say," she pointed out softly, "then we are also free of the grievances and biases that affect you. Even if you believe that I could not possibly understand or empathize the average earth pony's circumstances, you must at least grant that I have a grasp of the big picture of geopolitics. There are other things to consider beside the fate of ponies. What of all the other races whose lands Equestria has subjugated? How will their independence be restored? Can you say with certainty that there aren't ponies who wouldn't rather maintain Equestria's hegemony and international influence?"

Celestia paused to give Applejack the opportunity to contradict her. Even though she hoped to change Applejack's mind, she'd always meant for this to be a conversation rather than merely a lecture. Applejack, however, had nothing to say.

"Do you think a laborer who's never been further than twenty kilometers from Trottingham is qualified to make decisions about the political liberties of zebras half-way across the world? No, there are decisions that must be made unilaterally, because there are some mistakes too great and terrible to be made even in the comfort of knowledge that they were made as part of the democratic process. Equestria's occupation of its neighbors must end. It needs a leader who can make that happen swiftly and decisively, yet one who can protect ponies from revanchism..."

Applejack actually stopped at this point, and stomped her front hooves into the ground.

"All right, democracy's complicated! Nopony ever said otherwise. It's not just something that happens, it's a continuous process that needs ponies working on it and maintaining it. The wheels of justice grind slow and all that."

Celestia slowed down and looked over her shoulder. "I would call that continuous process bureaucracy. While those wheels turn, the injustices prevail. I understand desire for self-determination, but the ideal of democracy isn't worth it when ponies and others continue to suffer, hoping and waiting for reforms to be implemented."

"How do you even figure?! Where's all this expertise coming from when you've lived in your utopian bubble for so long? What do you know about democracy? We – earth ponies, I mean – we pretty much invented it."

"So the old stories go. Unicorns created monarchy, pegasi thought up despotism and earth ponies invented democracy. History isn't quite so clear-cut though. Some unicorn kings and queens were elected, and some pegasus generals were appointed dictators by decree of law and majority support and almost always stepped down peacefully when their terms ended. Some earth pony chancellors abused their power and worked to undermine the limitations of their office."

Celestia faced front and kept walking, hoping Applejack would keep up to hear what she had to say. She was glad to hear Applejack's hoofsteps pick up again behind her.

"There have been various movements to reform my Equestria into a republic, you know. I've never tried to stand in the way. These experiments, they never lasted long. The most recent such attempt was only about two and a half centuries ago. A group of local governors and freethinkers approached me with a proposal to institute a parliament and a request that I step down – so I did. They called their treatise for government the Constitution of the Year 750, and it didn't last beyond that year. The council of ministers voted into power broke up from infighting, the parliament followed, and I was asked to resume my office."

Applejack harrumphed, but Celestia liked the sound. It sounded thoughtful as well as disapproving.

"It just goes to show," Applejack said, "that your people have become so dependent on you that they can't function on their own anymore. Heck, even if you never tried to stand in the way, I bet you never gave it your full support either, did you?"

Celestia looked down from her destination, at the dirt under her hooves, and idly noted that none of it was sticking to her pristine golden shoes.

"I couldn't support a system I didn't believe in."

The words made her feel hollow like a lie, even though they were nothing of the sort. She spoke the truth, but it was also true that she had been afraid, not for her position but for her perception. She'd been scared, so scared, that her ponies would blame her when the experiment failed. It had happened before, in previous instances in previous centuries, when she'd tried to do more as an adviser or an elector or a symbolic constitutional monarch. Always, always there had been angry whispers in the underground, accusations of sabotage and conspiracy that were hardly ever voiced directly to her, and that terrible word was at the back of her mind whenever she saw a frowning face. In 750, she had practically gone into exile so nopony could accuse her of undermining the work of her successors, and she had not succeeded. In the midst of her recrowning ceremony on the last day of the year, with a cheering crowd of hundreds in front of her and a rainbow of fireworks outside, she remembered nothing as well as the whispering servants in the corner of the hall and the former minister who'd spat on the floor and stormed out. She knew what they were thinking...

Ah, well. Celestia had no right to feel angry, or sad, or frustrated. Luna had always had it so much worse.

"Well, neither can I," said Applejack, "However much trouble it is, a republic's still better than some absolute monarch..." She searched for the right words, and found them. "...playing Goddess!"

She said it with conviction, but Celestia wasn't sure whether it was because she genuinely found Celestia's arguments wanting, or due to simple stubbornness. Perhaps Applejack's perspective would change if she had time to think about it, without Celestia's poking and prodding putting her on the defensive. If not, then not. Celestia didn't want this debate to become more heated than it already was. And yet, she couldn't help responding to that last barb.

"I've never claimed to be a god, and I've never asked to be worshiped..."

"Well, somehow, you ended up in that position anyway, didn't you?"

"Mmmm. God... Well, I've always thought that God is a dream of good government."

"What?"

Up close, the cliffs appeared old and feeble. It was a limestone formation, with a steady inward curve that clearly marked the former waterline. The rockface looked like it had curled down on the beach to die after being worn down by the push and pull of waves lasting for millennia. Even though the waves had receded and given it peace, the place must have seemed that old even long before.

Celestia was certain they were in the right place, the place where they needed to be. She'd only had a vague idea of the exact geographical location of the oracle's abode, but stepping closer to these rocks felt appropriate, like she was taking steps in invisible but familiar hoofprints. Something, whether lingering magic or simple intuition, was guiding her. She was hardly surprised when they progressed along the former seaward-side of the cliffs and found a small cave entrance.

It was, in many ways, a highly impractical living space. Celestia looked over the strip of desert reaching towards the sea and tried to picture the area as it had been a thousand years ago. It seemed like it would have been desolate, remote and lonely in any time period. What sort of pony would have chosen to live here? Had the oracle been a loner with an appreciation of flat vistas? Or had she been so hounded by ponies seeking knowledge of their futures that she'd made herself a recluse?

Celestia may have been on the lookout for prophecies to help navigate future paths, but she was also seeking prophecies of the past, answers about how the Equestrian Empire had come about. In Celestia's world, the prophecy of Nightmare Moon's return had been made some time before Luna's fall, even though Celestia had only discovered them long afterward. It was interesting to wonder... Was this an alternate reality or a parallel reality? Had there been a specific time, a specific moment, where this universe and hers and split off from each other? How might that have affected visions of the future from before that moment? Perhaps there was an explanation there for prophecies that did not come true. Celestia certainly hoped she hadn't come all this way to find the same old warning about the stars aiding in Luna's escape.

No scrolls or papers would ordinarily have survived the salty seaside air and the span of centuries, but they might well have been protected by magics, and there might have been stone tablets, inscriptions, less mundane ways of leaving records. Or so she hoped.

The tunnel entrance was wide and open, but the path quickly became cramped enough that Celestia had to bend over and keep her wings tightly folded. Applejack had an easier time moving forward, but turning around promised to be tricky for both of them. The cavern seemed largely natural, but had probably had work done to widen and extend it. There were faint marks on the walls that may have been scrapes left by pickaxes. Though it was dusty and dry inside, Celestia could well imagine how damp the space would have once been. Applejack didn't say anything, but she must have appreciated the lower temperature underground.

They reached a living area. By this point, the daylight had faded away, so Celestia created some of her own. She tweaked her inner glow to a colder blueish, assuming Applejack would prefer something less solar.

"Sheesh," said Applejack observing the chamber, "Not as fancy as I was expecting."

The cavern was a cavern, and nothing more. There was no elaborate stonework, no reliefs or carvings – no sign left of art, only practicalities. The ground was littered with broken pottery and refuse that might have once been wooden furniture. A pile of mortar in the corner implied an oven. Alcoves in the walls had the function of storerooms. The place may have been an archeologist's treasure trove, but nothing there looked conventionally valuable or even serviceable in any way. They had a cursory look through the junk anyway.

Along the way, Applejack cleared her throat loudly. "I can't believe I'm asking this. Uh, can you see the future? If you alicorns have got the same blood as us, do you ever get premonitions yourself?"

"I... can see the present on occasion, in my dreams. Sometimes, it's flashes of secrets and dangers, and sometimes it's nothing at all, things I can't recognize or interpret. Sometimes, I can't tell whether I've dreamed something real, or just fantasy."

Applejack's face scrunched up as she thought about Celestia's answer, but she didn't seem to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

"Why do you ask?" Celestia wondered.

"There's ponies damn near convinced that the Queen knows what's going to happen before it happens. I swear I've had the same idea sometimes. When we tried to infiltrate her palace, I'm telling you, we didn't mess up. It felt like the guards were waiting for us." Her eyes flickered from side to side. "I know what you're thinking – I've thought about it too – but nopony's on my crew's a traitor or a sell-out! I, hmh, I made sure of that. Nopony but me knew when and where and how we made our move, so nopony could have betrayed anything really important to the enemy."

"A wise precaution." Applejack stared a silent question at her, so Celestia went on. "I don't know how she might have known. There are many things about her I don't understand, and she may have allies or command forces that I don't."

A further tunnel led out of the living area. Applejack followed Celestia inside without prompting.

The next chamber seemed more promising. This was a space that had been dug out into a rough rectangular space. There were signs of stalactites and stalagmites being broken off to make room. Large stone shelves, consisting of a dozen tiers and reaching almost up to the ceiling, were lined up next to each other. The place had the look of a library – but the shelves were empty at a glance.

Applejack spent some time chewing on her lip and then spoke up again. "What do you know for sure then?" she asked. It was as if the idea had only now sunk in that she could better understand her enemy by questioning Celestia. "Could you move the sun?"

"I could," said Celestia, turning away from Applejack. She started pacing between the shelves, looking for something, anything. She had to scrape against the cave walls to turn around in the cramped space.

"Then why haven't you?"

"Because until she is defeated, she could move it back anytime. It would be incredibly dangerous to get into a tug of war with the sun."

Only after she spoke did she realize that Applejack had asked her whether she knew this for sure when she actually did not. Celestia thought about it, but did not correct herself.

The truth was that from the moment she'd entered this universe, she'd sensed something strange and unnatural about the sun. It was certainly larger than usual, and there was an energy about it that she could not explain, except by assuming it was being fed by the corrupt magics of its mistress. She knew that ordinary ponies could not look directly at the sun because of its bright light and that was not unlike what she felt here. Even seeing it clearly, a haze of flames seemed to cloud her awareness.

She would have preferred not to take any action before she understood this twisted sun and the ways in which it differed from her own. Celestia wanted to make sure she would have perfect control.

"Besides," she carried on, "Queen Celestia doesn't yet know that I am here, or even that I exist. If I interfered with the sun, she may be able to figure out who I am and we would lose a major advantage, secrecy."

Did that come across as defensive? Celestia glanced back at Applejack, but found her nodding along without rancor.

"You've got something there," said Applejack.

Celestia thought Applejack was voicing her agreement at first, until the latter raised a hoof and pointed to one of the shelves, where something of faded dark metal had eluded the glow Celestia was projecting. It was some sort of tube or cylinder, a container, made of bronze perhaps. She picked it up with a gentle telekinetic field and tempered her excitement. If this was a storeroom of prophecies, most of the prophecies were long gone by now, so the odds of happening across something relevant to their quest were long indeed. Yet she expected they'd come across something and not nothing, which may have been a bit optimistic. She examined the bronze cylinder and clicked open the top. Inside was a rolled-up piece of cloth. Once she extricated and unwrapped it – carefully, without touching it – she supposed it had once been a piece of writing. It looked more like a worn kitchen rag than a document, but there were faint traces of text on it, now far from legible. Deciphering whatever had been written there seemed impossible.

Without a huff, Celestia rolled up the cloth again and slipped it back inside the container. When they looked around for more, they discovered two more bronze cylinders, one of which was empty while the other contained only dust and scraps. They also found shards of clay tablets they could not piece together. Celestia scanned the walls for inscriptions or painted messages and saw nothing of the sort. It was nothing they found after all.

They did, however, come across another way forward, another tunnel deeper underground.

The next chamber was by far the largest. Celestia's glow created a bubble of illumination around them that did not reach the back walls. She had to aim a more focused beam of light from her horn to look around, but found only empty space between herself and the far side. While the previous parts of the cavern had been plausibly natural, with occasional modifications and extensions, this area did not make as much sense. It was too big and symmetrical, like the inside of a dome.

"The heck is this place supposed to be?" asked Applejack, keeping her voice low

Something was different here. Though there was nothing conspicuous to draw the eye, Celestia could sense strangeness. There was a distinct smell to old magic, and she was sure she caught a whiff of it here. Yet even with the feeling that they were in the right place, Celestia felt lost, as there was nothing obvious there to approach or investigate. They had a look around, both zigzagging across the chamber and meeting back up somewhere in the middle. They spent minutes aimlessly searching for, and failing to find anything, stood still and took in the silence. Applejack yawned, and raised a hoof to protect her eyes when Celestia looked at her in reaction.

"Hey, watch it with the flashlight!" she muttered.

Celestia aimed her horn downwards. She did notice something then. There was something on the cave floor – circular grooves in an unrecognizable pattern. As the uneven ground was obscured by loose rocks and dust, it was hard to make out anything for certain, but it may have been some sort of symbols carved into the rock.

"I'll be darned if we didn't come all this way for nothing," murmured Applejack, taking further steps around.

Celestia remained silent and kept her gaze on the floor, but only for a moment. A vague but spiking sense of unease caused her to whirl around at almost the same time that Applejack yelped.

Applejack was quivering, and waving one of her forehooves up and down. She looked, rather implausibly, like she'd been frightened by some rodent or insectoid and was trying to throw it off or stomp it on the ground. Celestia scooted closer and tried to find the real cause of her alarm.

"Applejack?"

Applejack didn't respond, didn't even look at her. She was shaking her hoof with increasing panic, as if something invisible was crawling up her leg and drawing up her body. Her eyes were rolling to the back of her head. She seemed like she should have lost her balance and fallen, but something was holding her upright. Celestia considered a dozen different spells and magical wards, but hesitated to take action before she understood what was happening. Before she reached any conclusions, Applejack neck twitched and she fell still.

When she spoke, she seemed to start in the middle of a sentence.

"...we can begin. Yes, this is the part where we begin."

Her voice echoed even before it left her mouth, before the sound could soar and bounce in the underground hall. Celestia moved closer, causing Applejack to take a wobbly step backwards. She moved only very slowly and was bent forward like an old mare with aching joints.

"Hail Celestia, Princess of Ponykind," said something through Applejack, in a voice too indifferent to be called mocking, "There's no need to get fussy about your companion, you hear? I am only borrowing her for a little bit. Yes, yes, it is all very morally suspect, I'm sure, but it can't be helped. I will only take a few minutes. She will be fine. And I think you can bear it too."

The movements of her mouth seemed to follow the sound rather than the other way around.

"I'm speaking these words over three thousand years before your time and leaving them for you to find. Do not ask me how exactly it works – it's all very complicated and I only hired somepony to make it happen. He is just staring at me with a dumb expression on his face. Maybe he doesn't know how it works either, eh?"

The theory of it, at least, made sense to Celestia. It must have been some sort of psychic imprint, magicked into the environment and triggered by specific circumstances. There was nopony here but a recording speaking through Applejack's body. Her eyes were half-lidded and out of focus – whatever presence was visiting her did not see Celestia or their surroundings.

"You know who I am. I am the Oracle of Equ. You'd like me to tell you your fortune. Before we get to that, I will give you the same two warnings I give anypony else. Firstly, don't get your hopes up too much. You knew what you were getting into when you came looking for prophecies, and something very specific wasn't it. I've been able to predict the future for most of my life and most of it has been good intuition, hunches and mysterious dreams. I've never had a vision as clear as the one I had of this conversation. I can still remember every word you and I say, which is how I can communicate with you at all. I would prefer to skip the nonsense back and forth and tell you everything now, but that's not what I am going to do."

The sudden silence caught Celestia off guard. So far, it felt like the Oracle was reciting from a script, addressing points before Celestia had time to raise them. If the Oracle was following a script, she must have still been following it. She wanted Celestia to speak next, to teach her how to communicate with somepony that wasn't really there, or perhaps to make some sort of point about predestination. It seemed childish to refuse or to change the subject, so Celestia went along with it.

"And the second warning?" she asked.

"Don't blame me if you don't like what I have to say. You have not realized this, since you only know me from centuries of success stories and myths thought up in hindsight, but I won't be very popular until after my death. Ponies are more likely to throw rocks at me than heed me, and those that come to seek my wisdom often regret it. Oh well. I guess a lot of ponies have reason to fear their futures, hmm?" The warning seemed fair, but the Oracle wasn't finished yet. Applejack's mouth twisted into an ugly sneer. "You won't be the only one to leave this cave running away in tears."

"I'll... keep that in mind," said Celestia. She bit her lip and tried to clarify what she could expect a bit further. "You say that you've foreseen this conversation, but if most everything else you've foreseen is vague and blurry, then what do you actually know?"

"I know enough. I know who you are and the circumstances you're in, so the conversation we're having filled in any blanks."

Celestia pondered that for a moment. "So you know the future based on foreseeing your own predictions of the future?"

"Hmh. Don't overthink it." Applejack did a lopsided shrug. "I don't do hogwash, and I'm sure I wouldn't be here without a reason. This is the part where you go ahead with your actual questions."

It was good advice on both accounts. Despite all the rules of predestination, the future could be too mutable to recount reliably, even by the best of prophets. Celestia had not been foolish enough to let her expectation get too high.

The first question seemed obvious enough.

"Are we going to defeat Queen Celestia?"

"Oh yes. Probably."

Celestia sighed.

"Will Twilight Sparkle and her friends be all right?"

"I don't know. They'll survive though, if that makes any difference."

"Am I going to succeed in killing Queen Celestia?"

"You'll come closer to killing yourself than the Queen."

"But she will die, won't she? She has to get her punishment, right?"

"She will lose her life and gain a new one, though not necessarily in that order."

This was presumably why the Oracle hadn't wanted her to get her hopes up.

"Is my plan going to work otherwise?"

"It would get close enough, if you stuck to it yourself."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"There will be several convincing reasons. Applejack will beg you to. Luna will refuse to play her part. Your conscience will force your hoof."

"Are you being cryptic to provoke me?"

"Hmh. I warned you, didn't I?" Applejack cocked her head to one side. "I only say what I'm meant to so you would do as you will. It can't be helped."

Do as you will...The words seemed to have a grating double meaning.

"Then I've wasted my time coming here? There's no point to any of this?"

"There is a point and I wish you'd get to it. The truth is that you wouldn't behave any differently no matter what I predicted."

"That's not-"

"You would not. You believe in prophecy, but you believe in yourself and your allies more. More importantly, you know the future can't be changed, no matter what. You made your plans before coming to this place, and it's too late to recalculate everything now, based solely on the words of a memory. You sought me out because you hate the uncertainty of your conclusions and hoped I would prove you right and make you feel good about yourself. Why don't you ask me what you really came here for?"

Celestia took a deep breath to calm herself. She was starting to see why ponies might have wanted to throw rocks at the Oracle, and it wasn't just because she might have foretold terrible things.

"Do you know why this reality is so different from my own?"

"It's not so different, really. All that separates this world from yours is a single decision made a thousand years ago."

"Who made that decision? Me?"

"It was your sister, when she relinquished her claim to the crown of Equestria."

"Why would she do that?"

"You'd be better off asking that from Luna herself. Stop biding time and get to it."

The Oracle was right. Celestia was putting off the questions that weighed most heavily on her. It was ridiculous, really, how like a nervous schoolfilly she felt. She was acutely aware of her heartbeat, and when she finally spoke, she had to choke out the words.

"Why did all this happen? Why did I do all these things? Why am I evil?"

Applejack's face, in twitches of muscle, took on the expression of a joyless grin. "Did you really come all this way to ask something you already know the answer to?"

Celestia shook her head. "I don't know."

Applejack's slack form took a step forward, and Celestia took a step back. She had thought Applejack's eyes were blank before, but now she could have sworn they were gleaming and boring into her.

"Isn't it possible that you're a simply a bad pony and, somewhere along the way, you got tired of pretending otherwise?"

The only thing Celestia could think to do was glower back. The Oracle went on.

"You've spent centuries manipulating others for their own good. You've gotten used to it. Is it really far to go from that to toying with others just for the hell of it?"

"No... That's silly."

"If it's not true, then why are you crying?"

Celestia startled and raised a knee to her eyes, where she felt tears brimming.

She was surprised that, in this empty cave lost in a desolate wasteland with only an ancient phantom for company, she could feel so embarrassed. What a relief it was that Twilight Sparkle wasn't there to see her act so pathetic. It was unseemly.

"If you were right, then I wouldn't feel so bad," she said, quietly and feebly.

"If I were wrong, then you wouldn't feel guilt for someone else's actions. You wouldn't refer to the Queen as 'I'. It's strange that you'd argue against the idea now. This is what you must have suspected from the moment you started believing that there is no real Daymare Sun and that the Queen is responsible for her own actions."

"That's what I'm trying to understand. Our actions are not so arbitrary. Nopony – no one – is evil for evil's sake."

"Oh, but perhaps you are mad. Perhaps you are crazy and demented. Maybe the strain of your duties and constant pretentions caused you to snap and lose all sense of right and wrong. Would that be a more satisfying explanation?"

"No matter what you believe, I'm not here for my satisfaction. I'm here for the truth."

"What use is the truth about this to you? Will it help you fight your war in any way? You should admit to yourself that the only reason you're here is for yourself – if not so I could prove you right, then perhaps for me to prove you wrong instead." Applejack moved her head to the side and looked away in a show of contempt. "I won't do you that favor. You're going to have to figure out who your other self is and how you feel about it."

Celestia sniffled and frowned. Somehow, it seemed of the utmost importance that the Oracle understood.

"I'm- I'm not like her. I don't hate anyone. I don't want to harm anyone. And I'd never, ever do that to my own sister!"

Applejack showed no reaction. For several seconds, she remained motionless, before eventually turning back towards Celestia.

"Do what to your own sister?"

"Kill her..."

The Oracle laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a laughter from deep inside, loud and resonant, filling the entire cavern, and it would not stop.

It sounded forced.

When the laughter eventually wound down into quiet croaking sounds and then silence, Applejack's face returned to the previous blank expression. It took her a while to carry on.

"Our Luna never died, my dear."

It was as if the world itself took a giant breath, leaving none for Celestia.

"That's impossible."

Was it? Luna's death was a matter of historical record, but history barely remembered her, and facts could become so very dubious across seven hundred and fifty years.

"Where is she?"

"She's hidden away, imprisoned somewhere nopony can reach."

"There's no- She's.. she's in the sun?"

Despite Celestia's sharp stare, the Oracle did not bother to voice a confirmation.

Now it was Celestia who turned away. Thoughts came rushing to her so fast and furious that she could not think clearly. Even the barren, shadowed environment of this underground chamber was too much of a distraction. She wanted to see nothing, to hear nothing, to give peace to her senses. Closing her eyes was the only way she could finally focus and take control of herself.

This idea also had the tinge of impossibility, but why should that have been the case? Magic had a way of making anything possible, as her present circumstances demonstrated, and reducing a being of flesh and blood into an abstraction and fusing them into an object was undoubtedly an inexact science. There was nothing to indicate that Luna and Celestia could only be imprisoned within the heavenly bodies they called their own, was there? Each of them had a connection to both the sun and the moon.

The more she considered it, the more sense it made. Seconds into this revelation, Celestia already believed it with all her heart – and not just because she dearly wanted to believe. It could not be only a prank by the Oracle; there had to be something to it.

Yet Celestia's affinity for the sun had done nothing for her in understanding what was going on, or allowed her to sense her sister's presence. She'd never thought of this, never even considered the possibility. Several times she had wondered about the strangeness of this world's sun, the disturbing energies that permeated it and bubbled in its surface. She had supposed that the Queen was supercharging it as part of her effort to keep the world burning with sunshine, and for all she knew, that was still the case. This had all hidden the truth from Celestia, dulled her perception of something that should have been obvious.

Some things were less obvious. The thing that gave Celestia pause was that she had imprisoned Luna using the Elements of Harmony... How did it all fit together?

Celestia reopened her eyes. Slowly, without any conscious thought on her part, her head had turned to look at a particular section of cave wall. This was the direction where, above the ground and beyond the horizon, the sun lay hanging above the Griffon Kingdom. With effort, she pulled her gaze away and back to the Oracle.

"It is Luna, right? Not Nightmare Moon?"

"Yes."

"How is this possible?"

Applejack shrugged. "I don't know about such things. In fact, we are pretty much through with the things I can tell you."

"This is the part where we say farewell?"

"Oh, there is one last thing to get over with. You should go back to Trottingham as soon as possible."

"I will." Again Celestia's head turned by itself, this time to look at the tunnel they had entered from. Her mind was still roaming, a few steps ahead of her, out of the cave and under the clear skies. "As soon as I've freed my sister."

"You should go immediately."

Celestia slowly shook her head, without much further heed. It didn't help that the Oracle sounded obliged to the point of boredom.

"Queen Celestia knows about the Apple Underground. Her forces will be attacking there soon."

Celestia flinched and peered at the Oracle once more. This recaptured some of her attention.

"When?"

"Tomorrow, if there were such a thing."

"There is time then. I will warn them."

Applejack's smirked, looking surprisingly wistful. "Ahh, I knew you would say that." She paused for several seconds, her jaw unclenched as if she would speak further. Or perhaps she was expecting Celestia to say something? If so, Celestia had no idea what. "Well, Princess, I hope you agree that this has been and will be an interesting experience. I... wish there was something more I could do."

Applejack's shoulders rose. She seemed to take a breath to sigh, but never released it. Instead she slumped to the ground like a sack of apples.

Celestia scooted to Applejack and leaned over her. She said Applejack's name and prodded at her shoulder, but did not get a reaction. A gentle snoring sound indicated that Applejack was all right, merely unconscious. The Oracle had released her.

Celestia took off. There was a lump in her throat and – indeed – tears in her eyes. The dull ache of guilt and shame she was used to flared up into something sharp and urgent. Every thought of pity she had ever had for her sister was back and stronger than ever. Luna could well have been conscious for all the years hours and seconds of her imprisonment, staring down at Celestia's crimes without being able to do anything about it. Celestia could now allow it to go on a moment longer. Once she was finished, she would pick up Applejack and return to Trottingham. It would not take long. She would not dally.

After a rush to the exit tunnel and a few seconds of pressing forward inside it, she realized that she did not have the patience to navigate the cramped pathways and repository. She teleported outside, touching down on the crest of the cliff for the barest split second, and took to the sky.

She did not have to go very far, nor very high. A few powerful beats of her wings took her up to the edge of the troposphere, where she could see the upper side of the sun. She could take it in by sight as well as smell and hearing and the feel of it on her skin and under her skin. From this angle, it looked much like a glowing golden boil or tumor on the surface of the earth. Though the sun's rays reached all across and its energies were within her already, she wanted to look upon her work as she was doing it.

Once she came to a halt, the windless silence and the deep blue gave her an unwanted moment to reflect. She wondered if there were other things she should have asked the Oracle, anything else useful she might have gleamed with further prodding. The Oracle seemed insistent that the conversation go a specific way, but perhaps it would have been possible to find out more. It was pointless to consider that now. This revelation was more important than anything else. Still, Celestia wished she'd at least thanked the Oracle, or... asked for her name perhaps.

Celestia reached out and took a hold of the sun.

This was not, technically, a good idea. Everything she had told Applejack earlier was still true. If she did this thing, even though she planned no movements or modifications to the sun as of yet, her presence and the element of surprise would be lost. It would be as good as poking Queen Celestia in the eye with her horn.

From that doubt others followed. According to the Oracle, it was not Nightmare Moon she was reaching out to, but Celestia could not really know who this sister of hers would be. Did it matter? What else could she do? Would waiting and thinking about it further make any difference? The only alternative she could think of was leaving Luna imprisoned, and that was unacceptable. Celestia could not leave this be, no more than she could have left the Equestrian Empire stand.

With all of her magic and mental power directed and focused at the sun, using senses she could neither name nor describe, she could feel something – sunspots hidden in the brightness, a pocket of chill within the heat. Her attention was met by another. She recognized the presence and smiled through the tears.

During Nightmare Moon's imprisonment, she had always assumed she would be able to use her magic to free her opposite number. She'd pondered it sometimes, usually at night, with hopes that the bad dream was over and Luna could be herself again and everything would be all right, if only she was let out. Of course, Celestia knew she could never take such a foolish risk, but it had seemed a feasible possibility. Now she knew for sure.

She felt along the surface of the sun for the right places and gave it a pinch. The fiery light wavered and blinked and – for the fraction of a fraction of a second – ceased. It was hardly a proper eclipse, and ponies who didn't happen to be looking at the sun at just the right moment would never have noticed. Queen Celestia, where ever she was, oh she would notice most definitely...

The real show happened when Celestia was already on a slow circular descent. The exertion she felt was vastly out of proportion with how much she actually had to do, but she wasn't finished yet. Luna's energies were leaking back into the physical world and collating into a pony, but Celestia had to focus on pulling these energies towards her. Arcs of smoky, black lightning whizzed over the sky, leaping across hundreds of kilometers and striking on the cliffs below. This spectacle too was short-lived, but it kicked off a minor storm on the ground, where dust and sand swirled and mixed with an impenetrable dusky miasma.

The beats of Celestia's wings helped clear the air a little, but the darkness was already receding when she touched down again. It was a darkness of ravens, coal, obsidian and ebony – the essence of everything black. It was the color of mourning, gaping like an empty space in the world, or blazing like a banner to everything that was missing from the world.

And there stood Luna. She appeared with her legs bent, almost at a crouch, but slowly stood up to her full height. There were no royal vestments on her. She was taller than her counterpart, but still not quite as tall as Celestia. Her mane and tail were very short, down to her shoulders in the case of the former, and only showed faint, tired glimmers of starlight. The edges of her hair were gray and frayed; it may have been burned away.

In her expression, the emotion Celestia could read was not dignity or pride, not relief or thanks, not anger or recrimination, not despair or insanity – but resolve. Though her eyes were circled and baggy, her gaze was focused. Even as she looked at Celestia, it seemed like she could see so much else, like she was taking in more than just one anxious onlooker and a desert plain.

Celestia didn't dare approach, or even call out to her. Her instinct would have been to her sister, to nuzzle against her and wrap her hooves around her, but she knew better.

"Don't- don't be afraid!" said Celestia, "I'm not who you think I am!"

It was she who was afraid. Of all that Celestia's deeds had damaged, Luna had been the worst off and her judgment would be the hardest to bear.

Luna's cool eyes shifted but continued staring at Celestia.

"I know who you are," she said, "I've been watching you, when I've been able." She smiled, slowly and awkwardly. She was remembering how. "Thank you for freeing me!"

Celestia was not sure what she was going to say next. She never got to say it.

As the last of the dust and magic smoke cleared, something changed. An unfamiliar weight was bearing down on Celestia and a strange noise buzzing was in her ears. It became difficult to focus on the here and now. She was tired, she thought, but shouldn't have been that tired.

Why did she feel this way? Perhaps it was all in her mind...

Though Luna looked no different, Celestia could sense invisible tendrils of power reaching out and probing her.

"I am sorry about this," said Luna, no longer smiling.

Celestia's knees buckled and she fell. There would still have been time to counter-attack, to escape, to do or say anything, but she could not gather her bearings. The shock was too great, and her thoughts were of the most random things – of playtime with her little sister, of fighting with her little sister, of old friends and enemies, of the minister who'd spat on the floor at her recoronation, of Brainy Bright's betrayal, of the war council at Trottingham where she laid out her plan...

"You're not the only one with a plan, sister."

Celestia head was heavy with the flood of memories, and sleep seemed so sweet as it took her.

Next chapter: Keeping Chivalry Alive.

Author's Note

I know my interpretation of Celestia isn't exactly popular, and I fear that her criticizing democracy in this chapter doesn't exactly help. Nevertheless, it is my sincere hope that you are able to consider the scene and the arguments made therein with an open mind. I like living in a democratic society, but for the purposes of speculative fiction and for the purposes of this story, things aren't quite as simple as "democracy good, dictatorship bad." It was my intent to portray the debate as a grey area, with both sides being right in their own way.
I can't claim credit for the idea that the gods are a dream of good government. That's lifted from one of the greatest video game scenes of all time (the conversation with Morpheus in Deus Ex).
Luna being stuck in the sun is one of the more thoroughly foreshadowed elements in this story, or at least it's meant to be. If you ever happen to reread the story, keep an eye out for descriptions of the sun. I was originally planning on some more immediate reactions to Celestia releasing Luna in chapters 12, 13 and 14 as well, since they take place pretty much concurrently, but decided against it.