Mane Sail whistled to himself as he turned the rudder of his large sailboat. With the effortless grace of a pony who had spent much of his life at sea, the caramel colored stallion lowered his head just before the large wooden boom would have knocked him senseless. He sat back up and adjusted the rigging with his bare hooves, locking the sail in its new position. The other sailors that plied their trade in Luna's Sound always gave him a hard time for mostly ignoring the prominent horn that marked him a unicorn.
Mane Sail didn't care to use his magic; he felt it defeated the purpose. Sailing was the closest one could come to being at the mercy of nature's whim in Equestria. The pegasi kept the weather on the land as steady as they could, favoring consistent manageable weather patterns. The extremes of nature were smoothed out to allow the ponies of Equestria to flourish in peace. Mane Sail held no grudges, for he had seen what nature, at her absolute worst, was capable was. None dared sail as far as he did into the great western ocean, nor did anypony fly that far out. The squalls and cyclones that he had survived had impressed upon him the primal fury that few ponies had seen. To bring magic into the equation would have cheapened the experience. At any rate, he had seen enough magic in his life.
His day hadn't been quite so epic as those earlier voyages. The Albatross's Portent was his life's love, but she was as high maintenance as any demanding marefriend. New rigging had to be bought; hull patches had to be measured and installed; sails had to be mended. These and a laundry list of other expenses meant that Main Sail had to spend the occasional afternoon engaged in the pursuit of the almighty bit. Luckily, the sea provided all he needed. His hold was filled with a combination of sargasso seaweed and shallow reef pearls. Satisfied that his buyers would be happy with his haul, he had turned his vessel back towards one of the twin jewels of Luna's Sound, Seaddle. He had no preference between Seaddle and Vanhoover, but his buyers preferred to do business at the docks of the Emerald City.
Luna's Sound was busy during the late summer, early autumn period. Large barges full of fruit from the orchards near Los Pegasus competed for space with dozens of smaller sightseeing boats. Mane Sail deftly maneuvered his vessel through the wake and wash of the traffic and lined himself up with the long docks he called his home away from the sea. Large warehouses rose up behind the piers, massive stallions pulling loads in and out at a frenzied pace. Mane Sail pulled the Albatross into her usual berth and smiled at the mare waiting for him.
"Dockside service Sea?" he asked jovially, "this isn't coming out of my pay is it?
Seaside Bounty rolled her eyes and flared her horn. The mooring lines floated from the side of the Albatross and tied themselves onto the large bollards on the dock. "You think I'm some kind of bit pinching taskmaster," said the turquoise coated mare, "but if not for me, you'd be rowing a dinghy in a pond."
"Easy lass," said Mane Sail, "I meant no offense. Your help is always appreciated, you know that." He shouldered his duffle bag and put on his battered flat cap. "I'm still curious why you're here," he said, "I know you're a busy mare these days."
Seaside shook her head and levitated the bag from the stallion's back. "Not too busy to deliver good news to my best friend," she said, "Did you find those pearls?"
"Two baskets of 'em," replied Mane Sail, "about a hundred; not a bad one in the bunch."
"Then the morning spent waiting at the docks was worth it," said the excited mare. "Long story short, the pearls that your... competitor... brought in were proven to be fakes. I don't think she'll be doing business in the Sound anytime soon. If yours are the real deal, you basically get to name your price."
"That's great," said Mane Sail, "No more wasted days for awhile! Maybe I can finally try that crossing to Neighpon."
"Mane," said Seaside, "with this kind of cash, you could buy five Albatrosses and have enough left over to sail them all to your own island marina. Or you could settle down here; maybe join me in the importing business?"
"Seaside, I-" began Mane Sail, "What is that?"
A pitch black sphere hung over the Seaside Bounty Importers Warehouse. A series of crackling bolts of energy forked to the roof of the building, sending the workponies scrambling for cover. "My warehouse!" shouted Seaside. She dropped Mane Sail's bag to the ground and galloped down the pier. She only made it halfway to the large wooden building when the sphere exploded in a flash of light. A wave of compressed air spread out across the bay, shattering windows and knocking ponies to their backs. Mane Sail, always prepared for a rogue gale, maintained his hoofing and pulled the falling mare out of the air with his magic before she landed in the salty water. He kept his eyes riveted to sky above the warehouse and was perhaps the only pony in Seaddle who witnessed the first confirmed Rockfall.
A collection of boulders, immense in size, even at their considerable distance, hung in the air for a split second before falling from the sky. The docks shook violently as tons of rocks crashed into the roof of the massive warehouse. Mane Sail held Seaside back as she struggled against his grasp. "Let me go," she yelled, "I have ponies in there." He closed his eyes and flared his magic. Within a instant, the two ponies reappeared in front of what remained of Seaside's business.
"Stay behind me," said the sailor pony, "you need to be close for me to teleport you if the docks give way." He pushed a tangled pile of broken plywood aside with a flick of his horn and revealed the main loading bay doors. Seaside grabbed the large chain and pulled on the mechanism that slowly opened the door. Mane Sail ducked under when it was high enough and waved for her to join him.
The inside of the warehouse was complete chaos. The ceiling high shelves were toppled everywhere, their contents spilled onto the floor as far as either of them could see. Broken pottery mingled with smashed produce and countless other sundry items. Mane Sail led them around the debris and towards the rear half of the warehouse, easily recognizable by the complete lack of a roof. He surrounded a particularly large shelf that blocked their way with a dark blue aura and pushed it back to its standing position. The dockside warehouse shuddered and groaned the farther inside they pushed.
"Mane," said Seaside, her eyes wide at the stallion's display of magic, "I had no idea you could..."
"Wasn't always a sailor," he grunted, the exertion of using this much magic at once getting to him, "keep your ears up, we're getting close."
"I think we may be very fortunate," said Seaside, "this side is mainly long term storage."
Mane Sail nodded but kept pressing through the ruined building. "I think we aught to see what caused this," he said, "it has magic written all over it, and I'm sure the princesses will want to know every detail we can find." He lifted a large beam up and waved Seaside under it before dropping it behind them. The large hole in the ceiling let in plenty of light to see the carnage. Whatever had been stored in this side of the warehouse was now buried on the bottom of the ocean floor beneath what must have been hundreds of tons of solid rock. Mane Sail walked to the edge of the hole that the rocks had punched through the wooden floor. He hopped onto the pile of debris, his hoofs briefly sliding on a wet rock. He held out his hoof and helped Seaside onto the rocky hill.
"Where did it come from?" asked the mare.
"The sky," said Mane.
"Not what I meant barnacle brain," she said. They walked over the pile, looking and listening for anypony in distress.
"Boss!" came a shout from behind several toppled shelves on the other side of the chasm, "is that you?"
"Hauler!" shouted Seaside, "Do a roll call outside, and find out if anypony was working back here." The stallion nodded and began making his way to the front of the building. "I don't think there's much more we can do here," she said to Mane Sail, "the guards should be arriving soon to help." The stallion's gaze remained fixed on the boulders in front of him. "Mane," said Seaside, "let's get out of here before this whole building comes down."
"Seaside, do you suppose you could front me the bits for a train ticket to Canterlot?" asked the stallion.
"Canterlot?" asked the mare in shock, "Mane, you haven't been more than half a league from the sea in all the years I've known you."
Mane Sail planted his hooves and strained his horn as he lifted an enormous boulder. He spun it around and placed it on the pile between himself and Seaside. "Like I said," he muttered, "the princesses are going to want to know about this."
Seaside Bounty gasped as she examined the large flat rock. Upon it's large surface, in bright yellow paint was printed a message:
TELL CELESTIA. THEY ARE HERE.
"SPIKE!" yelled Twilight, "How many times have I told you to knock first!"
The dragon laid prone on the other side of the slammed door and rubbed his snout. The last two months had been a learning experience for the young dragon. He didn't mind the changes, in fact, he loved the new room he had just moved into. Twilight had been wary about giving a creature known for compulsive hoarding a lair in which to store his potential ill gotten goods, but she had relented when Spike had agreed to bi-monthly greed checks. "Sorry," said the red faced dragon,"you got a note from the princess."
"Leave it in the study," shouted Twilight from the other side of the door, "I'll read it later."
Spike grumbled to himself as he waddled to the study and threw the scroll onto the cluttered desk. "I used to get yelled at if I didn't bring her scrolls right to her," groused the dragon to himself, "sheesh, make up your mind."
Back in the large bedroom, Twilight fell back onto the soft star patterned comforter on her bed. "Sorry," she said, "I guess we should get a lock on the door."
Argent turned onto his side and rubbed his horn against hers, eliciting a gasp from the mare. "It was a nice way to wake up," said Argent, "until the shouting and the slamming door, that is." He pressed his lips to hers and held her in a deep kiss. "Good morning," he said to her upon parting, "Go read your letter; I know you're dying of curiosity." He looked down across his matted silver coat and jumped up from the bed. "I'm going to grab a shower," he said, "ponies don't take me seriously when they notice long pink and purple hairs in my mane."
Twilight watched him stretch his legs as he walked towards the master bathroom and smiled deviously. "Okay, I'll be in the study," she said while flaring her horn. The bedroom door quickly opened and closed on it's own. Twilight listened for the sound of running water through the wall and crept towards the open bathroom door.
Argent whistled happily as he held his head under the warm shower spray. Had his eyes not been tightly shut to keep the soapy suds out of them, he might have noticed the lavender mare parting the shower curtain behind him. She stepped into the large bathtub and threw her forelegs around the stallion. "I told you I could surprise you," said the satisfied mare.
Thirty minutes, and a full bottle of coat and mane conditioner later, Twilight strode into her study. A large white towel worked itself in her mane as she flared her horn. Smiling at the slightly faded ink stains on the floor, Twilight levitated the books and parchments and sent them on their way into the various bookshelves and binders that lined the walls of the small room. Satisfied that the remains of her late night of studying had been adequately cleaned, she picked up the sealed scroll and her favorite brush and walked out onto her balcony.
She started running the brush through her mane while sitting down facing the early autumn sunrise. She smiled to herself as she began unrolling the princess's letter. "Waking up with my special somepony; a letter from the princess," thought Twilight, "the only thing that would make this morning better would be-"
"Coffee!" said Argent, levitating a steaming lavender mug onto the deck next to the reclining mare, "or sugar slurry with some coffee added."
"Oh, ha ha," said Twilight while raising the mug to her lips, "Some of us work so hard that caffeine alone is insufficient."
Argent smirked and sat next to her. "So what does our esteemed leader have to say this fine morning?" he asked while taking a sip from his own mug. The contented smile on Twilight's face slipped as she read through the princess's letter. Her brow furrowed and she rose her hoof to her mouth. "What's wrong?" asked Argent. Twilight passed the scroll to the stallion and rose to her hooves. Argent began reading:
Twilight,
I need to see you right away. Board the next train to Canterlot and meet me in the observatory as soon as you arrive. Tell nopony where you are going and let nopony delay you. Bring Argent Defender as well: What we must discuss involves him as well.
Celestia
"That's pretty cryptic," said the stallion as he rolled up the scroll, "you don't think she has an issue with us sharing a room, do you?"
"No," said Twilight, "we've been talking, and she says she couldn't be happier for us. No, this is something different. She's never this mysterious unless it's about something very important." Twilight walked back into the study and set her coffee on the table. "No time to worry about packing anything," she said while pulling her crown and hoofcups from a shelf, "go get your uniform and we'll head to the station."
"I'll tell Spike to watch the library," said Argent.
"Are Horizon and Oracle still gone?" asked Twilight, "We don't know how long we'll be away, and they did a great job last time."
"I saw the same note on their front door," said Argent, "I guess Horizon's family must live pretty far away. I know they're used to traveling, but two months is a long time to be away from your home."
"Spike can handle it," said Twilight, "Come on, I don't want the princess to wait for us." She walked down the stairs and waited by the door while Argent gathered his coat and the dragon to whom they would leave care of the library to. Once Spike and Argent met her, she was nervously pacing around the front desk.
"We don't know when we'll be back," said Argent, "but we'll be sure to send you a note when we know."
"Relax," said Spike, "I can run this place in my sleep. You two better leave before she wears a groove into the floor." Twilight sheepishly smiled and gave the dragon a hug before opening the door.
"There's a bag of bits in the study if you want a treat," she said while Argent zipped up his jacket, "and remember, if anypony asks, you don't know where we went."
"But I don't know where you're going," said Spike.
"Exactly," said Twilight. "Be good number one assistant. I'm sure we'll be back soon." Spike saluted as Twilight walked out the door into the slowly warming autumn day.
Twilight gave the limp hoof one more tug before succumbing to exhaustion. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the hard packed dirt floor. She coughed as she slowly crawled to the unconscious mare's side. "Applejack," she wheezed, "you have to get up. We have to get to the girls." She shook the normally unshakable mare and begged for her to wake up.
The sound of cracking wood drew Twilight's attention. She looked up into the smoky abyss and had a split second to react to the the thick cross beam that fell from the barn's roof. With what little strength she had, Twilight yanked on Applejack's foreleg and pulled her aside just before the flaming stanchion crashed into the floor, sending a shower of sparks into their coats. She gave herself a moment to suck in some of the smoky air near the floor. "Come on AJ," she said while grabbing the farm-pony with the small amount of magic she could pull from her horn, "I won't leave you here."
"This isn't real," whispered a familiar voice, "you must wake up."
Twilight's ears perked up and she looked up into the swirling smoke. The eddies and currents in the air formed into the dark silhouette of an alicorn. Two large white eyes glowed through the smoke, staring down Twilight. The crushing memory of nightmare after nightmare flooded her mind, nearly crippling the lavender alicorn. "How Luna!," she yelled with a hoarse rasping voice, "I can't remember. For the love of your sister, tell me what to do."
"You must-" began the smoky visage. The sound of intense wind filled Twilight's ears, drowning out what the phantom alicorn was trying to communicate. From deeper in the billowing mass of smoke four intense red lights raged like infernos. Twilight whimpered as the quartet of bright beacons banished the aspect of the princess of the night. The wind howled as the red light merged into a massive firestorm. The roof of the barn finally gave way. Twilight threw her body atop Applejack and gritted her teeth.
*Flash*
Twilight reached over and turned off the alarm next to her bunk. Warm lights, specifically filtered to resemble early morning sunlight, flickered on above her head, revealing several photos taped to the underside of the bunk above her. With a smile, she kissed her forehoof and rested it on a picture of the silver stallion and three little fillies. She stretched her wings and pulled herself out of the small alcove she called her home away from home. She floated into the middle of the long cylindrical hallway and used her wings to propel herself through the habitation module. She continued to the central work hub and carefully descended one of the spokes, mindful of slowly returning illusion of gravity the spinning ring provided.
"Good morning Princess," said a thin stallion in a white lab coat, "I trust you slept well."
"As well as usual Professor," replied Twilight, "at some point I'll get used to sleeping in null-G. Has there been any movement from Mare Harmonia?"
"There has been some chatter on encrypted channels," said the bespectacled stallion, "but we're no closer to cracking the key. They could be preparing a bombardment and we'd never know until the rocks began flying."
"The princess assured me she was committed to the cease fire," said Twilight, "in all the years I've know her, Luna has never once gone back on her word." Twilight walked to the long window and watched as the Moon slowly came into view from the right side of the window while the Earth receded on the left. Another day at the Lagrange Four Station began much as they had since its construction: With equal parts hope and fear.
Argent walked in front of Twilight as they passed through the long ornate hallways of Canterlot Castle. "Walk like you belong here," thought the stallion to himself, "you're a princess's escort: Act like it." He straightened his neck and puffed out his chest, striving to look every bit the Captain of the Royal Guard that he was. They approached yet another set of spiraling stairs and climbed one level closer to the observatory.
"You know you don't have to impress anypony," said Twilight, "You're my Captain, no matter what they may think."
"It's professional pride," said Argent, "I was in their place not too long ago. No guard wants to see their captain stumbling around like a green recruit." He opened the door with his magic and held it for Twilight. "And there's no way I'm going to embarrass you."
Twilight drew her tail across the stallion's face as she passed him. "You forget that most ponies here remember the book crazed filly and young mare who was constantly running late for her lessons with the princess," she said, "I'm pretty sure there are some funny jokes about me floating around."
The final hallway they crossed was devoid of guards, allowing Argent to finally relax and stroll down the hallway at his leisure. The sound of their hooves striking the marble floors echoed up the final spiral staircase that opened into the observatory. As Argent climbed the final few steps, Celestia's serene stare welcomed him to the highest tower in Canterlot Castle. Both ponies were immediately wrapped in Celestia's golden magical aura. A strong tingling of magic ran through their coats, causing their hair to stand on end. The elder alicorn sighed in relief and placed them both back down onto their hooves.
"I apologize for that," she said, "I had to make sure it was really you." She stepped between the two younger ponies and used her wings to hug each around the neck. "Thank you both for coming so quickly," said the elder Alicorn, "I know this isn't how you wanted to spend this beautiful day." She noted the blush on her student's face and smiled. "As I said in my rather rushed letter, this is something that concerns you both, so whatever happens, you will be together. This alone gives me hope that all is not as dire as I fear."
"Princess," said Twilight, "you're starting to scare me."
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid," replied Celestia, "but what do we always say about fear, Twilight?"
"We fear only as much as we are ignorant," recited Twilight.
"Then we must rectify our ignorance," said Celestia. "I will try to explain this as best as I can, but keep in mind that some of these issues are problems that the most brilliant ponies have spent ages trying to unravel." She led the two younger ponies to one side of the large round, open aired cupola. Something large sat beneath a large white sheet. Celestia flared her horn and pulled the sheet away, revealing a large flat boulder with yellow words scrawled on one side. "Two days ago, this boulder, along with hundreds of tons of others just like it, appeared out of thin air and crushed a warehouse on the docks of Seaddle."
"Was anypony hurt?" asked Argent.
"Yes," said Celestia, "the hospital is full of ponies with broken limbs and lacerations, but by some benevolent twist of fate, nopony lost their life." She placed the sheet back over the boulder and walked to the small balcony reserved for stargazing. "Believe it or not," she said, "that was a message."
"From whom?" asked Twilight, "and who are 'They?'"
"From me," replied Celestia, "and 'They,' are you two."
"Come again," said Argent.
Celestia sighed and sat down beside the large telescope on the railing. "Let me ask you a question," said Celestia, "What happens when you make a decision?"
"Umm, well, you weigh the potential outcomes of that decision," said Twilight, "and choose the outcome that you prefer."
"Okay," said Celestia, "what happens to those other outcomes?"
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight, "they never happen."
"Not for you," said Celestia, "but the potential for those outcomes existed. They were just as possible as the outcome you selected. It was only your subjective reasoning that allowed one to become real."
"I suppose so," said Argent, "but you're still stuck with one actual outcome."
"You are," said Celestia, "but the universe takes those possibilities into account. New worlds are created, similar in nearly every way, save for that one different choice."
"But we all make so many choices," said Twilight, "that's just..."
"Hard to fathom isn't it," said Celestia, "an infinite number of realities with an infinite number of possibilities."
"Okay," said Argent, "I won't pretend to understand any of this metaphysical, meaning of life stuff, but what does this have to do with a magical avalanche in Seaddle?"
"Argent, I need to take Twilight somewhere," said the alicorn, "somewhere you can't follow. I promise you that she will be safe, and that we shall return in a few minutes." She turned to her student and draped one of her massive wings over her back. "The questions you both have are best answered there."
Argent reluctantly nodded and stepped away from the pair of alicorns. Pure white sunlight built up at the base of Celestia's horn and pulsed strongly as it traveled to the tip. A flash of radiant energy surrounded them both and in a heartbeat, Argent stood alone atop the windy tower.
Twilight found herself floating in a familiar void. Distant white dots surrounded her in a sea colors that strongly resembled Celestia's aurora mane. "This is where I became an alicorn," said the awed mare, "where you showed me all the moments of my life."
"Yes," said Celestia, "we call this place The Consensus. Only alicorns can access it, and only I have any measure of control over it. Its name and purpose will make sense to you shortly." Celestia looked out into the sea of stars and spoke loudly. "I have my Twilight with me," boomed her strong voice, "we can proceed." From nowhere, rectangular windows, much like the ones she viewed her achievements through previously, opened in front of her. Dozens of them turned into hundreds, which soon became thousands, which soon became too numerous to count. In each window, the familiar face of Celestia stared back.
"Are we seeing moments of your life?" asked Twilight in confusion, "that might take a while."
"We are not your Celestia," said the voices in unison, "We are echos of her: Versions of your Celestia that could be, and could have been."
Twilight focused on some of the faces and began picking out subtle differences. A Celestia with short cropped pink hair. A Celestia with a large puckered scar running across her face. A Celestia with metal grafted on her face. She stopped trying to differentiate the myriad princesses and instead focused on the questions she had.
"You are from other worlds," said Twilight, "places created when a different choice was made."
"Correct," said the collective, "we are all Celestia, and we all live in a place very much like your Equestria."
Twilight turned to her mentor. "Forgive me if I offend Princess," she said, "but why would you want to speak to an infinite number of yous? It seems a bit... crazy."
"As we said," boomed the voices, "some of us might have been your Celestia. Time is relative to us here. While your Celestia can never speak to who she was or who she will be, she may speak to those who she might have been in the past, or those she could have become in the future."
"You see my student," said the alicorn standing beside her, "In spite of the infinite variation of these worlds, broad patterns emerge. If there is a Celestia; and trust me, there isn't always a Celestia; there is usually a Luna. And if there's a Luna, there is a good possibility that she becomes Nightmare Moon. And if there is a Nightmare Moon, there is a good chance that there will be a Twilight Sparkle to face her and free her." Celestia waved her hoof towards the many quasi-reflections of herself. "The Consensus is a large group of Celestias who have had similar experiences," she said, "similar enough to see a pattern and help one another in times of need. My rumored omniscience comes from the fact that when I need to, I can query The Consensus to determine the likelihood of certain outcomes. Prophecies, omens, unbelievable coincidence: These are my tools."
"Tools for what?" asked Twilight.
"Tools to make sure that Equestria is safe," said Celestia, "much like the pegasi weather patrols, I smooth out radical events that have the potential to negatively impact our kingdom."
Twilight nodded in understanding. "There are so many of them," said the awestruck younger mare as she looked into the see of Celestias.
"A small fraction of the infinite is still the infinite," said the cacophony of Celestia voices. "You have been shown a small part of The Consensus. We are just the Celestias who are in this realm in our local time. There is but one of us you must speak to." The windows winked out at once, leaving a single rectangle which floated to within a pony length of the two alicorns.
"I know this is confusing Twilight," said the Celestia in the window, "hopefully it's a bit less so with just the three of us. That 'thousands of voices at once' thing still annoys me." The alicorn turned to face herself. "You have shown her the boulder?" she asked.
"Yes," replied Celestia, "She and Argent Defender have both seen it."
"The princess said it was a message from her," said Twilight, "I'm guessing she meant you."
"Correct," said the alicorn in the window, "It's purpose will become clear."
"There is a calamity occurring to both of our worlds," said the Celestia at Twilight's side, "On our side, enormous chunks of rock are appearing out of nowhere and crashing to the ground. Seaddle was the first in a populated area that we're aware of, but there have no doubt been more of these Rockfalls elsewhere. I have messengers flying to all of the neighboring kingdoms."
"These tons of rocks are coming from our side," said the alicorn in the window, "they are being pulled through a tear in the fabric of space and time; a tear I cannot close. In our world it is located atop what once was known as Dragon's Peak."
"What created this tear?" asked Twilight.
"You did," said the alicorn, "or rather, the you from my world did. As the others told you, we are a combination of Celestias that might have been, or could have been. Your Celestia and I have determined that our world is roughly two decades beyond yours. There have been differences in our worlds, but our pasts are remarkably similar."
"What did... I... do?" asked Twilight.
"We don't know," said the older Celestia, "the other elements of Harmony tell me that our Princess Twilight had a terrible argument with all of them and fled to be alone." She related to her the story that the five other elements of harmony told her the very night of Twilight's disappearance. "They found her again atop Dragon's Peak, in the middle of a maelstrom of magic. She and Argent Defender were pulled into the portal she had created. The other elements were unable to follow."
"Why would I...she... do that?" asked Twilight, "We've had arguments before, but I would never say things like that to my friends."
"Ponies change," said the older alicorn at Twilight's side, "I remember a shy, stubborn unicorn who wouldn't talk to a single pony who wasn't her brother." She draped a wing over her shoulder and smiled. "Now she's the Princess of Harmony and mistress of the magic of friendship."
"My Twilight is a brilliant magician," said the older Celestia, "but she's also a very dour pony at times. I worry that she takes everything much to seriously. She neglects everything for her studies: Her friends, her own happiness, even her own health."
"So what do we do," asked Twilight, "what happened in Seaddle can't happen again."
"Certainly not," said both Celestias. The one standing next to Twilight flared her horn and created two illusory planets in front of her. "My counterpart says that the portal is growing." A dark black sphere began opening on one of the worlds and slowly began inflating. Simultaneously, flashes of light above the other world heralded miniature explosions.
"It is expanding," said the older Celestia, "it will eventually run out of mountain and begin devouring our world from the inside out."
"I don't think we want to find out what that would do to our world," said the younger Celestia as the illusion winked out of existence, "which is why you must find her."
"You will undoubtedly have more insight into her than any pony in your world," said the Celestia in the window, "ponies do change, but there is always something of the pony they once were left behind. Find my Twilight. Let her know that we all miss her, and that she is unconditionally loved and forgiven."
Twilight bowed deeply before the older of the two Celestias, not that she could really tell the difference in age. "I'll do my best princess," she said.
"Then I leave our hopes in your hooves," said the alicorn. She turned towards her younger counterpart and nodded. "I will see you at sunrise," she said just before the window winked out of existence.
"Come my faithful student," said Celestia, "we should return to your stallion."
"Princess?" said Twilight, "will I be able to return to this place on my own?"
Celestia sighed and looked down at her longtime student. "That is a discussion for another time Twilight," she said.
"But if I can contact other Twilights in those other worlds, maybe we can figure out where is," she said, "maybe I can even contact her."
"It doesn't work like that," said Celestia, "I promise that when you're ready, I will tell you everything that this place has to offer, as well as the toll it takes on the alicorns who are foolish enough to use it. For now, please believe me when I say that you're not ready."
"Okay princess," said Twilight, "I know you only want what's best for me. I'm ready to go back when you are."
Celestia flared her horn and Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as the boundless realm faded to white. The young alicorn opened her eyes and looked out over colorfully topped white spires and domes of Canterlot.
"There they are," said Luna, leaning in to Argent, "I told you not to worry."
"Sister," said Celestia, walking to Luna, "what are you still doing awake?"
"The thing you asked me to do," said Luna. "She is definitely here. I found her dreams, dark though they were. It was odd, they were as vivid as any dream I've ever walked."
Celestia watched as Twilight pulled Argent to the edge of the balcony and began speaking to him. She turned back to her sister and retreated underneath the cupola so her sister wouldn't have to continue to squint through the bright morning sun. "Any clue to where they are?" she asked as Luna slumped down next to the stairs.
"No," said the princess of the night, "if anything, her location is even more mysterious." Luna held her hoof to her mouth as she yawned. "Something is influencing her dreams," she said, mortified by the very notion, "something so powerful it can rebuff my attempts at contact. The things she's being forced to dream..." Luna shuddered at the memories of her long night of dreamwalking. "It ejected me out of the dream big sister," said Luna, "Me! More than once! I spent the entire night trying to pull her from those nightmares."
"Her Celestia says that she's a powerful magician," said Celestia, "perhaps she has a greater control of her dreams than the average pony."
"Please Tia," said Luna, "this was not her doing. Nopony would ever willingly dream what she did." The princess took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm going back to my quarters to try again," she said with a tired voice, "I'll let you know if I find anything."
"I do hope you get some actual sleep Luna," said Celestia, "I don't think these Rockfalls will limit themselves to the day."
"No!" shouted Twilight, "She couldn't! She wouldn't!" Both princess craned their heads around and watched Twilight shaking in fury.
"Go," said Celestia, "I'll see her off." Luna nodded and yawned as she descended the spiraling stairs. Celestia sauntered back out to the balcony as Argent put his hoof around Twilight's shoulder and tried to calm her.
"I'm just saying that it makes sense, love," said Argent, "but maybe you're right."
"About what," asked Celestia.
Twilight spun around and gritted her teeth in barely constrained fury. "It's nothing," said Twilight, "I... I need to get back to Ponyville."
Celestia didn't wish to press her student. She had already inexorably altered her worldview and weighed her down with more worries than the young mare deserved. "I may be able to help you with that," she said. She flared her magic and a beam of the purest white light lanced through the sky. Twilight and Argent looked in the direction she had aimed and gasped as a sleek form burst through a large bank of fluffy white clouds. "Since time is of the essence, I decided that you need a faster means of travel."
A modest sized airship descended from the sky, its long, golden plated gondola gleaming in the sunlight. Racing stripes ran across the craft's tapered, torpedo shaped envelope, each a different color of Celestia's aurora mane. Two large ducted fans, their sleek cowlings sporting Celestia's solar sigil, rotated their nozzles so that they propelled the craft down towards the observatory balcony.
"The Sun Skimmer is the fastest airship in the Equestrian Air Corp," said Celestia, "and there's no pony I'd trust at the helm more than Mane Sail." The sloop came to a hover mere inches away from the balcony railing. The caramel coated stallion leapt down from the deck of the Sun Skimmer and doffed his flat weathered cap.
"Your Majesties," he said in a deep bow, "The Sun Skimmer is awaiting your command."
"Twilight, this is Mane Sail," said Celestia, "a dear friend, and possibly the most experienced sailor in all of Equestria."
"I don't know about all that," said Mane Sail, "but it's a pleasure to meet you Princess Twilight." The older stallion dropped a knee and bowed before Twilight. "Tis an honor to sail with royalty again."
Twilight blushed and pulled the stallion to his hooves. "Please Mr. Sail," she said, "I'm not the bowing and scraping kind of princess. I feel guilty for making you ferry me such a short distance."
The stallion looked at her and back to Celesatia in confusion. "I'm sorry princess?" he asked, "Princess Celestia said that we would be traveling quite a ways. To be honest, it's the reason I accepted the commission."
"The ship is yours Twilight," said Celestia, "wherever you need to go, no matter how far, Mane Sail and the Skimmer are at your beck and call."
"Within reason," said the mare that cautiously climbed down the short section of rope ladder, "somepony needs to be this sun baked sea dog's sense of caution." She rubbed Mane's short cropped blond mane with a hoof and gave a slight nod of deference to the pair of alicorns. "I'm Seaside Bounty," said the mare, "I suppose you could call me Mane's quartermaster."
"Nagmaster is more like it," muttered Mane Sail under his breath. Argent snickered, earning himself and Mane Sail a glare from Seaside and Twilight.
"Well then," said Celestia clapping her hooves together to grab the attentions of the ponies, "I'll leave you all to get acquainted. Twilight, if you need anything, just ask."
Twilight nuzzled her head against Celestia's chest and watched as she descended the stairs. "Alright everypony," she said, "next stop, Ponyville!"
*Flash*
Argent looked across the blood-soaked field at the gleaming golden armor of rank after rank of muscular Equestrian guards. He turned and surveyed the remains of his ragged force. "Too few," he thought to himself. The exhausted stallions and mares leaned against each other, their spears, shields and swords gripped tightly in hooves, magical auras and mouths.
"They signal for parley, Captain," said lieutenant Bulwark, "what are your orders?"
"Remain here Bull," said Argent, "it's probably another set of surrender terms."
"Maybe we should consider running," said the massive black earth pony, "We've done all we can here."
"There's nowhere else to retreat to Lieutenant," said Argent, "and they won't stop until Free Equestria bends to her will." He drew a deep breath and stood tall. "But maybe you're right," he said, "If they take me, try to break through. The Zebrica may yet hold. Find Zeret if you can, he owes me one."
"Yes sir," replied Bulwark, "don't let her take you."
"Fight well Bull," said Argent, clapping the stallion on the shoulder. He zipped up his torn armored uniform and affixed his silver shield to his back. Alone, he trotted across the sodden field, his hooves sending splashes of mud and water with every step. He stopped halfway between the two mismatched armies and waited. It didn't take long for a lone form to approach him. She floated above the muck, her wings flared, but motionless. A bubbling aura of greens, purples and blacks surrounded her as she came to a stop.
"This is you last chance Argent Defender," said the mare, "I give you two choices. One: Submit to your Queen and you may take your place by my side once more. You shall be my consort, as you were always meant to be, as you had planned to be so many years ago." The aura around her darkened, and the shadows seemed to twist around the Fell Queen's body. "Two: Fight me here and now. Die in front of your pathetic rebels, and be remembered for all time as a traitor to Equestria."
Argent didn't hesitate for a moment. His horn flared and his shield sprang from his back and hovered in front of him, the six pointed pink star facing the hovering mare. "I want nothing more than to be with the mare I love," he said with a resigned, pained voice, "but we both know she is long gone."
"Very well," said the mare, "I shall at least make your end swift. This mercy I grant to you." She flared her horn and created an enormous flanged mace of dark black energy, it's length easily equaling that of the stallion it was meant to crush.
Argent raised his shield and slowly circled the floating mare. He drew closer with each circuit until the mare lashed out with her conjured weapon. Mace met shield, and magenta sparks flew. Argent nimbly dodged a ray of hornfire and heaved his shield towards the Queen. It's trajectory was true, but she disappeared before it could strike her. Argent's horn flared and the shield reappeared in a flash of light in front of him. He had a split second to react to her reappearance and vicious attack. He held his shield to his side and winced as the maul crashed into it. A magical detonation of magenta and black sent him sprawling across the field of mud and puddles. He coughed up a bit of blood and shakily tried to raise himself to his hooves. The stallion that looked back at him from a puddle appeared beaten. Years of futile struggles, punctuated by heartache and betrayal stared at him, begging him to just let it all end.
"This isn't right," said a vaguely familiar voice. The reflection of Argent shimmered, solidifying into Princess Luna. "This is not real Argent Defender. You must fight this false reality."
He shook his head in confusion. It was as if two ponies inhabited his mind. One was desperate to bring down the Fell Queen's reign, the other wanted nothing more than to wake up from this nightmare.
"Yes!" said Luna, "I can feel their hold slipping. Remember your world. Remember Twilight. Remember your true plight."
"We... we need to get home," said the stallion, "how do I wake up Luna? I've tried so hard."
"I'm trying too," said Luna, "just hold on, help is coming, but you must tell me where-"
Four red lights tore the image of Luna to pieces and reassembled it into his own battered reflection. Behind him the Queen rose her energy mace and brought it down in a finishing blow. He rolled to the side and brought his shield back up. "You could never be Twilight!" he shouted, "I reject this: All of it!" He tossed his shield to the ground and prepared for the immediate retaliation. "I won't play this game anymore!"
The world disintegrated around the stallion, leaving him floating in a black void. Four red lights appeared before him and the sound of wind was all he heard before he fell unconscious.
Twilight tucked her wings as she landed and looked up at the hovering airship. Argent climbed down the flexible ladder and dropped the last few feet, landing on his hooves. "Twilight," he said while following her to the door of the Golden Oaks Library, "calm down for a moment." He grabbed her by the hoof and spun her back to face him. "Let's not start this with anger, all right?"
Twilight closed her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. She opened the door with her magic and entered the library. Behind her, Argent waved at the airship and followed soon after. She passed Spike without a word on her way to the kitchen. "Argent, would you help Spike prepare some lunch for Captain Sail and Miss Bounty?" asked Twilight, "I need a few minutes to myself." She saw the look of concern on the stallion's face and softly kissed his cheek. "Come down to the lab when you're done and I'll show you what I've been doing down there." She swatted his flank and sent him into the kitchen before opening the door to her basement lab.
The frown that she had sported since her meeting with Princess Celestia returned with a vengeance as she quickly trotted down the stars. Sterile white light filled the room from the sconces on the walls as she passed them. Twilight approached the large table in the center of the room and pulled off the white sheet which covered it. She covered the silver shield in her magenta aura and concentrated her magic into the object. To the naked eye, the seams where she had joined the fragments of silver had disappeared, but Twilight knew better now. Months of studying the art of object enchantment had impressed on her the need to inspect every bit of the shield for the most minute imperfections. Satisfied that her work was as perfect as she could make it, she lowered the shield back to the table and covered it back up with the sheet.
Twilight moved to the far more puzzling conundrum at her lab bench. The burned book sat inside the translucent airtight container she had placed it in upon returning from the Marengeti. She had been hesitant to handle the tome since discovering that the simple act of transporting back home had reduced most of the burned pages to dust. With the day's revelations, her suspicions demanded action. Twilight levitated a glass vial from a rack and swirled the yellow liquid around in the tube. She trusted Zecora's formula, but knowing that the slightest miscalculation on either of their parts would ruin what remained of the tome had stayed her hoof until now. She lifted the lid of the container and poured the contents of the vial into it before closing it again. A cloudy mist rose from the puddle of liquid and quickly filled the small space. Twilight watched as the book seemed to absorb the fog. After half an hour, she carefully opened the container and lifted the tome from its confines. She prodded it with her hoof and smiled as the previously brittle pages managed to hold their structure. She abandoned any hope at reading several of the pages, as they were charred beyond recognition, but a few near the back of the book had survived enough to decipher fragments of their original contents.
Argent peeked into the basement he had been forbidden from entering the last few weeks. With Spike and their new friends enjoying sandwiches upstairs, the stallion carried a plate of food down the stairs. "Really?" he said, "all this time you have me worried about what you've been up to down here, and you're reading." He set the plate sandwiches next to her and awaited her response. "Hey," he said, waving his hoof in front of her face, "Equestria to Twilight."
Twilight shook her head and looked up from the battered tome. "Oh," she said, "sorry sweetie, I was in the zone there wasn't I?"
"A little more than usual," said Argent with a smirk, "Is that what I think it is?"
"It's hers," said Twilight, "I thought maybe it was just a coincidence, or perhaps a copy somepony was trying to switch with my actual spellbook." She carefully closed the book, revealing the singed cover embossed with her cutie mark. "But I have no doubts," said Twilight, "this is hers. Argent, the things she writes about, what I can understand in the most rudimentary way, are brilliant."
"Hardly surprising," said Argent, "she is you after all."
Twilight carefully placed the book back into its container and sealed it. "I'm well read," said Twilight, "she's got twenty years of study behind her."
"So is this what you were doing down here?" asked Argent, "reading?"
Twilight stowed the container on a shelf and laughed. "Of course not," said Twilight, "I like having you with me when I read: It's comforting." She walked over to the central table and grabbed a hold of the sheet with her magic. "I just wanted this to be a surprise." She lifted the sheet, revealing the gleaming silver shield with her six pointed pink star on the front. "I want you to have it," she said, "but maybe it's not mine to give."
Argent ran his hoof down the smooth polished surface. Magenta sparks arced from the shield to the stallion's foreleg, causing the hair of his fetlock to stand on end. Rather than yank his hoof away, Argent used his own magic to wrap the shield in his golden aura. "You fixed it," he said in awe, "and I can feel you on it." He rubbed his cheek against the front of the shield, reveling in the tingling lavender energy that it exuded.
"Two months of enchanting," said Twilight, "I left more than a little residual magic in its compositional matrix. It should fade away over time."
"I hope not," said the stallion as he caressed the shield, "and I don't care what the other me says; I'm keeping this." He propped it against the wall and embraced Twilight tightly. "Thank you," he said while rubbing his horn against hers, "It's amazing; you're amazing." He backed her into the table and stroked her wings while pressing his muzzle to hers.
Twilight returned the stallion's passion, wrapping her forelegs around his neck. "We... shouldn't," moaned Twilight between kisses.
"The apocalypse can wait a while," said Argent as he helped Twilight onto the table.
*Flash*
Twilight could recognize the world as false. Luna had reached her enough times, and ended enough of the nightmares. She had begged the other alicorn for her aid, but the princess of the night always disappeared before any meaningful information could be exchanged. Whatever controlled what was happening to her, however, had decided that it didn't really care if she played along or not. The vivid scenarios ran on whether she liked it or not.
"He is comfortable, your highness," said the motherly nurse, "but it won't be long now." The knowledge of this reality floated in Twilight's mind, like a voice in her head that screamed at her to do as it said. Sometimes the voice was content to stay in the background, allowing Twilight some limited control over the path the dreams took. Most of the time it fought against her, straining against her willpower in an effort to assert its reality upon Twilight. Luna's appearance was often all it took to silence the voices, but she hadn't appeared in several dreams, and Twilight felt her self slipping.
"If you wish to say goodbye, now would be the time," said the nurse. She pushed open the hospital door, revealing a room full of beeping medical devices. Twilight took an unconscious step into the room, regretting it instantly. The other her snapped into place and forced Twilight into the back of her own mind. She watched through her eyes, as if looking through a window. A wizened stallion, as old as she had ever seen, lay in the hospital bed, surrounded on all sides with framed pictures. The entire room had the look of a place that had been occupied for quite a while. His grey, scraggly, mane matched his silvery coat nearly perfectly, making him look like a monotone shadow of a pony.
Twilight watched as her hoof caressed the stallion's face. "I'm so sorry," she heard herself say, "I'm so sorry I can't go with you."
"Not me," wheezed the stallion, "the world needs you Twilight."
"And I need you," she said, "I can't face eternity alone."
"You don't have to," said the stallion, "take what love you have for me and give it to another. Give it to our foals so they can pass it to their foals. When you're ready, find that special somepony who can give you that love back."
"I don't want anypony else," Twilight heard herself sob, "I want you Argent." She leaned over and gently kissed the aged stallion's lips.
Twilight railed against her prison, trying her hardest to regain control and end the dream. She yelled for Luna to reappear and banish the sight before her. She listened helplessly as the machines began beeping erratically.
"A gift freely given doesn't count," said Mane as he flipped a large pearl to the dragonling across the table, "Draconis Avaritia only get aggressive when they steal from somepony. Spike here would be as tall as a frigate's mast if he didn't know that."
Spike licked his chops before biting into the milky white treat. "Yeah," he said around a mouthful of crunchy shards, "I learned my lesson about greed." His prehensile tongue swept away the glittering crumbs around his snout as he unconsciously reached over to Mane's open duffle bag.
Seaside Bounty slapped away his claw with her hoof and flashed Mane Sail an irritated glare. "Fine," said the annoyed mare, "but could you at least ask her majesty's permission before feeding your nest egg to the princess's pet dragon?"
"Hey," said Spike, "the owl's the pet. I'm Twilight's number one assistant slash baby brother!"
"Of course you are," said Seaside, "because that totally makes sense after watching my business crushed by a spontaneous magical rock slide, following my friend to Canterlot for answers, finding out that he knows the Princesses, and being drafted into the services of the newest princess." She stomped back up the gangplank and down belowdecks.
"She's had a rough few days," said Mane. He looked over at the colts and fillies playing on the ground around the grounded sloop. As the afternoon had worn on, and school had let out, the gleaming airship sitting in the central plaza had become the talk of Ponyville. Impromptu games of Wonderbolts versus Air Pirates had raged nonstop. Each colt and filly who was pulled away by their parents was promptly replaced by another font of boundless energy.
"I just feel so stupid," said Twilight as she approached the active playground in front of her library, "she lied right to my face and I believed her." Twilight furrowed her brow as she magically hauled the piles of books she had found in Oracle's basement. "Oracle Dreams," said Twilight, "it's like she was taunting me."
"She's you," said Argent, "she knows what you will and won't believe." He held a heavily annotated map in front of his face as he walked. "I just want to know why they didn't just come to us for help," he said, "why all the hiding and sneaking around?"
"Another reason to find them," said Twilight, "any idea where they went?"
Argent nodded and came to a stop in front of Mane and Spike. "How long to get us to Mexicolt?" he asked the sailor pony.
Before Mane Sail could look at the map the other stallion held out, Seaside burst from the cargo hold door and quickly made her way down the gangplank. Her horn flared a bright green aura, matching the one surrounding the three fillies who floated behind her. "There is no such thing as a stowaway cutie mark," she yelled.