Lieutenant Shooting Star of Canterlot’s Valkyrie brigade soared toward the sky, slowly leaving the palace and her dwindling squadron behind. She was already known as the fastest flyer around, but today she would make history by flying faster than any pony ever had—faster than that monster, Discord, could possibly defend itself. It would be a fatal impact for both of them, but this was bigger than just her; this was for the future of Equestria!
She flapped as fast as she could, gaining altitude until she could barely breathe, before turning into a nosedive. Gravity aided her rapid descent, already doing more than her wings alone could as the grassland below approached at an incredible speed. With Canterlot Palace quickly coming back into focus, she pulled up as hard as she could, arcing her trajectory towards her target. Pushing her muscles to their very limits, she cut through the sky like a hot knife through butter. From what little her numbed skin could feel, it felt as though she were pressing against an invisible barrier, on the brink of piercing regular speed and reaching something… more.
As Shooting Star straightened her ninety-degree turn, battling dizzying g-forces as she caught Discord’s attention ahead of her, an unexpected shockwave burst around her. Her strain suddenly eased, and though the speed she was travelling had already rendered her deaf and blind, she could tell she was accelerating faster than before; faster than ever before. So fast, in fact, that the draconequus could barely react to her approach. Time slowed as she shot forward, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. Just a little further and she would be a true hero of Equestria. Just a little—bit—more—and—
The Valkyrie braced for impact, screwing her eyes shut as a deafening boom enveloped her; then silence. Seconds passed like hours, yet the inevitable impact never came. Had she missed? Had she somehow survived against all odds, passing through the beast and winning the day? She didn’t feel dead, or was this what… Elysium felt like?
She dared to open one streaming eye, finding only blurred scenery, but it was enough to remind her to slow down before she hit something solid and was really done for. She fought against the slipstream, barely managing to open her wings as an air-break, but was immediately thrown off-course by the fierce turbulence, sending her tumbling toward the ground like a meteor.
As the dust settled and nausea subsided, Shooting Star struggled to push herself from the miniature crater she had created. Her standard-issue flight-armour had absorbed the brunt of the impact, though discarding her helmet earlier was beginning to feel like a rash choice. With her head spinning and her quivering legs barely able to support her weight, a sudden flash ahead caused her to drop to her knees once more.
“What in Equestria is going on here?!” a blurry voice ahead of her demanded in earnest, though its tone immediately changed upon seeing her state. “Are- Are you all right?!”
“Who- Who are you?” Shooting Star croaked, unable to make out the figure though her squinted eyes and glassy vision. The cost of her intense stunt was rapidly catching up to her, leaving her feeling quite vulnerable amidst all these unforeseen developments.
“‘Who am I’?” the unfamiliar mare repeated, sounding almost insulted that she wasn’t immediately recognised.
A nearby flap of wings and thud joined the confusion, accompanied by a deeper, male voice.
“I got here as fast as I could! What’s going on?!”
“I don’t know, Spike. I’d like answers, but I think she needs urgent medical attention first,” the taller purple blob responded.
“Woah, she’s pretty beat up! And look at all those scars! We’d better get you to the hospital, stat.!”
Star tried to reply, wanting to tell them that she was fine, that she could manage on her own, and to just leave her alone, but found herself falling backwards into a warm, black abyss. Noticing her consciousness slip away, the tall mare called out in a distant, muffled voice.
“Hey, stay with me! Hang on!”
The morning greeted Shooting Star with a powerful headache and wing-pain like she had never felt before. She clasped her head between her aching hooves, groaning as if waking from a night of excess mead. She leaned back on the unusually plush stuffing of this unusually white bed, wondering where she was. Regardless of the ‘where’, at least she had survived, which was always a pleasant surprise. She was done for if she'd broken something, but an early retirement was better than death, even for an ace like her. Commander Ironhead would probably allow her to stay on as Drill Sergeant, though, what with being the Hero of Equestria now. The ladies would be all over her, she thought with a wry smile.
“Oh, good morning!” a motherly voice spoke, caressing her pains with its dulcet balm.
“Where am I?” she rasped, not realising just how dry her mouth was. She attempted to sit up, but a gentle hoof held on her chest, encouraging her to stay down.
“Canterlot Castle infirmary, m’dear.”
“Oh, that’s good…” She was almost coaxed back into slumber before her brain processed what was said. She raised her head once more, frowning as she struggled to see through the blinding morning light of the starkly white room. “Wait, ‘castle’?”
“I’ll be back in just a second, I need to let the Princess know you’re awake.”
“‘Princess?’”
Did she mean Celestia? The matronly earth pony exited through a set of swinging doors on her right without answering her question, leaving Star to take in her surroundings. The room was quite small for an infirmary, offering only four—though luxurious—beds, clearly meant for higher-class ponies than herself. There were two beds on the opposite wall, one to her left, and a tall, lone window reaching up to the lofty ceiling on the far left. Behind the glass was a picturesque view of one of Mount Friendship's signature rainbow waterfalls, illuminating the white-and-gold room with an almost blinding radiance. This view was what troubled her the most, though, as it made no logical sense to her location. The nurse had said this was Canterlot, yet there was nothing like this room in the palace, or around town; nor were there any ‘castles’, at least not in name…
A sudden purple flash lit the rims of the infirmary’s door for a second, followed by muffled, yet freshly familiar voices.
“How is she, Nurse Lovejoy?”
“Honestly, I dare say this ain’t the first time she’s been in hospital, the number of scars that poor thing has. Are you sure I can’t heal them up?”
“No-no. It’s just a hunch, but for now, please concentrate on just getting her mobile.”
“Well, alright then. She’s awake, so you can go on in and see her now. Just don’t-”
With another flash, a large purple pony suddenly appeared in front of Shooting Star’s recovery bed, startling her enough to send shooting pains through her wings. The swinging doors opened, revealing the nurse once more, looking less than pleased.
“Don’t startle her! Honestly, Princess, you don’t have to teleport everywhere, y’know.”
“Sorry,” the tall pony replied, looking back with a sheepish grin as the nurse rolled her eyes and returned to the hall.
This pony wasn’t just tall, though. Standing at twice the height of a regular mare, she had a long, flowing mane that twinkled like the night sky, wings as large as Star was, and… a horn as well. Being called ‘Princess’ and wearing royal regalia should have been cause enough for alarm, but she was an-
“An- An alicorn?!” the pegasus rasped, her eyes bulging.
“You really don't recognise me, huh?” There was a neutrality to her voice that bridged both disappointment and worry, though she quickly regained her regal composure. “Where are my manners? My name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and Primary of Equestria.”
“‘Princess’? Of ‘friendship’?” Star parroted, unable to absorb what was standing before her.
Was this a concussion? She blinked slowly, hoping the impossibility before her would disappear; instead, the fearsome, towering visage remained, now with her head tilted in confusion. This was beyond impossible. King Cosmos was the last alicorn in Equestria after the Queen's passing, and what possible claim could this pretender have when Princesses Celestia and Luna were the rightful heirs to the throne, even if they were but foals!
And yet the evidence that stood before her was undeniable. The stature, the mystical mane, the elements of every pony race in one… Unless this was some kind of illusion, she was unmistakably an alicorn—one that had not existed yesterday. Could there be alicorns outside Equestria? Had a citizen miraculously ascended during Discord's brief attack on the capital? But why, if she had just slain the beast herself?
Shooting Star had so many questions, but she could not accept answers from this… usurper. Where were the others? Where was Commander Ironhead, or any of the surviving Valkyries? Did not a single one come to see her after her brush with death? Was she not a hero?
“And you are?” the Princess asked patiently, allowing her guest ample time to reconcile her thoughts, all the while carefully studying her behaviour with caring, yet analytic eyes.
“How- … How?”
“‘How did I become a Princess?’ Well, that's quite a long story, actually. Perhaps hearing it will jog your memory? You see, it all began when Princess Celestia sent me to-”
“Princess Celestia! Where is she? Is she okay? And what of the King?” The patient forced herself upright, despite the pain shooting down her spine.
“Oh, so you know her,” Twilight mumbled indignantly, rolling her eyes before narrowing them in thought. “But ‘the King’? There hasn't been a King of Equestria in… well over two-thousand moons.”
“Two- Two-thousand moons? What madness are you spouting?!!” Shooting Star's eyes grew hazy as intense pain flooded her brain, forcing her to lie back down.
What- What was happening? This was lunacy. It had to be a dream, it had to be! She just… needed to rest. She would close her eyes and wake up in the palace’s infirmary, with a purple wing pinned to her bandages.
Princess Twilight sighed. “You don't have to tell me your name right away, but at least tell me where you came from, so I can help you get back home.”
She was still here…
“Look, I don’t know who or what you are, but as Saviour of Equestria, at least allow me the decency of being able to walk away before you start speaking nonsense,” Star huffed.
“Saviour of Equestria?”
The rainbow-maned pony opened one eye, disappointed to find the ‘alicorn’ imposter still standing over her. Whether this was a hallucination or some tasteless practical joke, she wanted it to end, now.
“Was nopony told yet? Yes, it was I who risked my life to defeat Discord. How else do you think I got these injuries?”
Twilight could not have looked more flabbergasted if she had practised.
“‘Defeat Discord’?! Discord is fine, what are you talking about?”
Shooting Star’s eyes opened fully, the smug defiance draining from her cheeks.
“What?”
“Discord is fine, I saw him not too long ago. Granted, I did sense an odd magical signature from where I found you, but nothing I would consider a risk to Discord… Believe me, we’ve tried.”
“W- Wha-? Then- Then why am I here? What happened?!”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out!” Twilight snapped, before taking a second to recentre herself. “What’s the last thing that you remember?”
“I- I have to get back to the palace, right now. If Discord is still attacking, they need me!”
“‘Attacking’? What palace? I really don’t think Discord- H-Hey!”
Shooting Star struggled to kick the heavy, white sheets off her as she fought to leave the infirmary bed, straining painfully against her bandaged wings and throbbing headache.
“Who knows how long I've been out. They- They need my help; I'll save them, even if they're already stone!” she feverishly muttered to herself, finally landing a hoof on the white, polished tiles.
“‘Stone’? Look, I’m really going to need to start getting some answers here. And just where do you think you're going?”
Princess Twilight held out her hoof in protest as the injured pegasus gingerly walked to the end of her bed, then made her way towards the window on the furthest wall of the small room.
“If this is a dream, I have to wake up,” she continued, talking to herself as she pushed on the glass to open it. “If not, I have got to get back to Canterlot Palace. They need me.”
“Please, get back in bed,” Twilight gently pleaded, calmly walking after her.
As this scene played out, the matron returned to the room once more, reading the notes on her clipboard aloud.
“Well, the good news is the x-ray is clean, so nothing is broken, b- What are you doing out of bed?! Get off the windowsill this instant!” the matron cried as she discarded her clipboard to rush forward.
“I have to get out of here,” Shooting Star muttered to herself as Twilight motioned for the nurse to stay back.
The pegasus climbed onto the window ledge, one hoof at a time, almost delirious from the pain she was in. She stretched out her bandaged and badly strained wings, resorting to pulling off what she could with her teeth.
“Princess, please!” Nurse Lovejoy begged, though the alicorn’s hoof remained.
“You're nothing but a dream—some nightmare brought on by a crumb of undigested cheese, or one of that monster’s perversions of reality.” Star looked back with a sneer, now addressing them directly. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re that monster’s doing! This has its stench all over it. Well, you won’t get me playing your games, you hear me? If I’m going out, it will be on my own terms, not as your plaything!”
“Good gracious. She needs far more care than I can provide here,” the matron gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
“What monster?” Twilight asked in a far more authoritative tone, tired of having more questions than answers. “What does this have to do with Discord?”
Making her move to exit the window, Nurse Lovejoy pushed past the Princess just as Shooting Star leapt out. It hurt like Tartarus, and her wings burned in their sockets with the fire of a thousand suns, but she was flying. Barely able to flap fast enough to remain in the air, she slowly made her way towards Canterlot Town—or at least where it should be.
“Princess Twilight, please do something!” the nurse begged, almost tearfully.
“Something strange is going on here. Something very strange indeed,” she answered, more to herself than the fretting earth pony. “Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her. Just trust me for now.”
Twilight teleported out of the ward with a flash, reappearing in her throne room as her adopted brother and dragon ambassador, Spike, was playing with an odd-shaped sceptre he had found, causing him to flinch and drop it.
“So, how was she?” he asked, blushing as he kicked the cane behind her throne.
“Not good, I'm afraid, though she didn’t break anything, thankfully.” Twilight furrowed her brow and began pacing the hall in front of their raised thrones. “Her mental state is quite severely compromised, though. I couldn't get any information out of her before she started accusing me of being an illusion cast by Discord!”
“Discord? But he hasn't messed with anycreature like that in moons!” The purple dragon looked around the lavishly decorated hall before feeling his flexed bicep, muttering, “Sure would suck if this were an illusion… I’m pretty happy with Spike the Buff, if I do say so myself.”
“First that explosion, then this mysterious, scarred pony showing up outside Canterlot Castle, and now Discord’s in the mix?” she continued, ignoring Spike’s comment. “Something strange is definitely going on, I just don't know what yet.”
She stopped pacing, sternly looking to her kin with concern.
“Well, if she's not giving you any answers, you can at least clarify the Discord thing with him directly. If Discord doesn’t know her, then she might just be bonkers,” he finished with a shrug.
“I don’t think she’s ‘bonkers’, Spike, but it’s a solid first lead. But first things first, we need to make sure she doesn't hurt herself further while she's escaping.”
“She's escaping? Like, right now? Why didn’t you stop her?!”
Spike spread his large, leathery wings, ready to leave on the Princess’ command.
“Don’t worry, I can sense where she is. She has a certain… aura to her. It’s familiar, but I can't quite place it,” she frowned, before shaking the thoughts away. “Anyway, she didn't get far.”
“Come on, the longer we wait, the more she might hurt herself! Lead the way.”
“Right you are, Spike.”
With a smile, Twilight teleported the pair into the sky outside Canterlot Castle, hovering just behind Shooting Star as she struggled to escape. The labour of even just a few minutes of flight had brought beads of cold sweat to the pegasus’ brow, despite the short distance she had actually travelled. Spike wrung his hands with concern, edging closer to the slowly fleeing patient.
“You really should get back to bed. You’ll hurt yourself even more trying to fly on a sprained wing like this.”
“We're not forcing you to stay here, but please at least wait until you're fully recovered!” Twilight called out from behind. “You haven’t broken any bones, but that sprain could become a torn muscle if you continue to push yourself like this!”
The exhausted pegasus scoffed, continuing to force her way through the sky on her crippled wings. She had fought on the frontlines of the War without any support—this was nothing.
“I don't need advice… from some… dream Princess,” Star forced from her burning lungs. Despite her words, she could feel her eyelids becoming heavier as she slowly lost altitude.
“This isn’t good,” Spike fretted. “Where are you even going?”
Shooting Star couldn't have answered him even if she wanted to. The scope of her escape plan reached as far as the infirmary window, assuming the world outside would be immediately recognisable. This certainly looked like Friendship Mountain, but everything else was… wrong. A colossal monolith of white and gold sat where the palace should have been, were this Canterlot.
Was this Discord’s doing? That beast had already begun warping the palace to its whim, turning stone to fabric and breathing life to the braziers… Yet, this building appeared far too uniform and, dare she say it, beautiful for its doing. The hedges were neatly trimmed, guards in golden armour patrolled the courtyard ahead, and beyond this place lay the unfamiliar roofs of a thousand buildings, the likes of which she had never seen before.
Where… Where was she going? Was there an edge to this dream? A point at which even imagination could not stretch? … Where was this? … Where was she?
Spike and Twilight Sparkle shared a look of worry as the pegasus’ head began to lull—moving forward on muscle memory alone.
“I think this has gone on long enough,” the princess announced, casting a lasso of magenta magic toward the fading pony, who was easily caught in its gentle grip.
“Let- Let me- Let me go.”
Shooting Star’s complaints were easily overpowered as she was slowly reeled in, already exhausted beyond the limits of any regular creature. It was a wonder she was still conscious, let alone flying. She was turned to face the pair, and upon seeing Spike properly for the first time, rolled her drooping eyes.
“Oh look, the ‘Princess of Friendship’ has a pet dragon,” she deliriously sneered. “Sure.”
“Hey, who are you calling a pet?” Spike snapped reflexively.
“Spike isn't my pet; he's my royal adviser, a dear friend, and cherished brother,” Twilight corrected, turning to her companion and smiling warmly, receiving the gesture in return.
“Whatever,” Shooting Star scoffed as her eyes lost focus and her head sank.
Without the adrenaline of the escaping and the pain of flight to keep her going, she was quickly losing consciousness. Whether this was a nightmare, madness, or Discord’s doing, she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her beg. She would fight to her final breath, like any Valkyrie worth her wings.
“Uh, I don’t think we have time for this right now, Twilight,” Spike pointed out, turning his attention back to their captive. “Let’s get her back in bed.”
Twilight sighed, nodding.
“I really didn't want to have to force her to do anything, but this is for her own good.”
Shooting Star shakily spread her wings over the magical tether; her broken pride and joy. If this nightmare truly was Discord's doing, that meant her sacrifice had been for naught. No Purple Wing. No retirement. No Equestria.
What good is a pegasus without her wings, and what good is a pony without her country?
The trio reappeared in the castle's infirmary with a flash, shocking the already frazzled nurse. Princess Twilight carefully levitated the unconscious pegasus back into bed and tucked her in, before following Nurse Lovejoy to the hall outside.
“Honestly, I've never seen wing strain this bad before,” the nurse stated in a hushed voice as the door closed behind them. “I can't imagine what she did to cause it, and this little episode will have only made things worse.” She sighed, trying to calm herself now the disaster was over. “Her wings will heal in time, but her mind…”
“Don't worry, Nurse Lovejoy, you can leave this patient’s care to me. I have a feeling there’s a lot more to this than we yet know.”
There was a twinkle in Twilight's eyes as she spoke, one that Spike hadn't seen in a long time. It had been decades since their last real adventure, and he knew there was nothing Twilight loved more than a certified mystery; no way she would delegate this one.
“Keep an eye on her, and let me know again when she wakes up,” she concluded. “Oh, and it might be an idea to put a lock on that window, too.”
With a smile and a nod, the alicorn and her royal adviser left the nurse with her patient and began back to the throne room—for once taking the time to actually walk there.
“You're loving this, aren't you?” Spike teased with a smirk.
“Of course not!” Twilight hastily objected, though her smile exposed the truth and she knew it. Her mind was already awash with possibilities, analysing the smallest of clues in what little she had learned from the obstinate so far. “This could be the start of something big.”
The purple dragon chuckled, shaking his head.
“Who knew that wide-eyed filly was still in there after all these moons? As for me, every day I spend out of bed is enough adventure for me. Speaking of adventure, is it lunchtime yet?”
“Oh Spike,” she quipped, causing both to laugh warmly, just like the old days.
For once in a very long time, tomorrow felt exciting again.