> Whatever Happened to Princess Sparkle?
>  by Algorhythm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-1-

The night was unusually cool for summer – a perfect night for a campfire to keep fillies and colts at camp warm as they told stories and sang songs. After all, today was the thirteen hundredth Summer Sun Celebration. 
Up at Canterlot Castle, however, there was less to celebrate. It was a quiet night for the Night Guard and one where they tread cautiously. The longest day of the year seemed to upset the Princess of the Sun, Princess Celestia. It wasn't a very new phenomenon – but it certainly made the guard nervous.
There was a time when that was not the case. The castle and all the residents of Canterlot were greeted by a parade and festivities lined the streets sponsored by the castle. The princesses joined in that procession, displaying their finest robes, armor, and effects. 
Guards took on the tradition of the joust to an effect. Each year at the height of the festival, each of the subdivisions pitted themselves against one another, to prove who had the mettle to be claimed as the most powerful protectors of Equestria.
Sitting on her throne, Princess Luna watched the moon make its short trip over the horizon. Her gaze was transfixed to the sky, unmoving, unwavering from some kind of place her mind seemed to be. She could still smell the aroma of baked treats in the room, but now it was stale. The servants would come to take them back eventually.
"Iron Wing."
One of the two unicorn guards standing in front of her throne, moved ever so slightly in his place. He turned and bowed deeply before the princess. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"How many of the Night Guard have been assigned duties?"
Iron Wing cleared his throat. Her eyes reflected the moonlight in such a way that he couldn't see her pupils behind the glow of the moon. "All but the new recruits, Your Majesty."
Luna nodded and turned her gaze back to the sky. She held it for a moment. "What of the new recruits?" Her voice cut through the cool air like a knife through hot butter. "What are they doing?"
"Shadowing potential positions within the castle and completing assigned chores as they are given."
Luna didn't make it appear as if she'd even registered a word that he said. 
A small bead of sweat dripped down Iron Wing's face and off of the end of his helmet to the floor. He shifted his weight to his other side. “Is there one in particular you wish to see?” he asked.
Luna’s gaze turned to him. He froze in place from his fidgeting. Their eyes stayed locked together for what seemed like an eternity, before her unwavering gaze softened and her eyelids slid closed. “No. Thank you, Iron Wing.” Her lips pursed together as she returned her gaze back to the moon, silhouetting the tower in which her sister slept. Rather, where she knew her sister brooded and was unwilling to be comforted.

--*--

The observatory was perhaps one of the most boring and uninteresting places that rookies could be. Whenever stationed there, their task was to walk around and clean up after the librarian. Some of the captains said that it was to give a sense of history and preservation to the new recruits. Behind closed doors, they were sick of picking up heavy books that the librarian could no longer lift on his own.
Captain Fine Point happened to be one of the latter. It was one of the few reasons he still brought rookies to the observatory – that, and his insatiable desire for non-fiction. The cool blue pegasus stallion walked through the doors, the smell of worn paper and stale ink delighting his senses. His amber eyes flicked to one of the far shelves – his destination for the evening.
“Alright, listen up.” His voice was firm and even. In this room, it carried a soft echo, giving it a more authoritative tone. “This job is easy: Tomes have a marking on the sides that indicate where they go. If you can’t read it, bring it to me and I will translate the old equestrian. The Royal Alchemist makes a rather large mess of the place, and our librarian, Final Note, tends to leave his research scattered about the room. If it has a star on its side, it belongs in the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the archives and you will place it on the cart by the door. Any questions?”
Behind the large, older stallion came three smaller ponies. First in the line, was a pegasus with a red, candied apple mane. Her mint colored coat was hidden behind the golden armor of the Royal Guard, but her bright orange stare came through her helmet clearly. It was quite apparent that she was not happy about being here. 
The second pony seemed to share that feeling, his light blue eyes darting from shelf to shelf, looking for the fastest way to finish the work for the night. The unicorn’s cream colored coat and golden-brown mane looked off in the pale moonlight coming through the large windows behind the Captain.
The last pony, however, was a more interesting sight. One of the few batponies in the castle, her rookie status always had her being shafted and sabotaged at any chance she could manage. In her deep blue armor, she seemed at home in the moonlit room. Her eyes gazed over the vast space, taking in the sheer amount of knowledge stored in this one space. It was beautiful and harrowing.
“Any questions?”
The three younger ponies shook their heads. Fine Point studied their faces, noting that only the batpony mare wasn’t really paying attention. A slight frown played on his features. He knew she didn’t deserve the reprimands she received on a regular basis. But being soft on her was not what he was being paid to do, nor was it the goal of her training.
“Willowisp!”
The batpony froze in place and her eyes locked onto Fine Point. She could feel the calm before another agonizing reprimand. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew the castle grounds had her name on them. The snickering from her fellow recruits didn’t help.
“Do you understand the goal of this shadowing? Can you understand why you are being assigned this particular task?”
Willowisp nodded her head. He narrowed his eyes at the batpony mare. “Yes sir!” she replied.
“I’m not so sure of that.” Fine Point walked forward a few steps. “I’m keeping an eye on you, leather wing. Prove me wrong.”
Willowisp sunk into her armor slightly as he walked into the center of the room. Her peers continued their soft laughter as they followed in suit.
The room was large – domed with a large glass window facing out towards the moon. Books lined the shelves which soared up to the edges of the ceiling above. In the center of the room was a raised floor, suspended by steel and stone. Several tables with cushions lay in a star pattern on the landing, one of which was now occupied by Fine Point. She caught him staring at her and she kicked off into the stale air. 
From the higher shelves, she was able to get a better look at the lower levels. Huge scrolls – some the size of her entire body – were neatly organized in slots along the lower wall, their wooden hoof-holds sticking out of the wall like an oversized wine rack. The larger part of the bottom floor housed the main apparatus of the telescope, which stretched over the upper landing and pierced through the stone ceiling at an angle.
Willowisp swooped down to the lower level to get a closer look, but as she landed, her eyes focused on the big scroll sitting on a reading apparatus. Curious, she walked over to it. Her head ran through all the possibilities of what it contained – history, star charts, famous battles. The more she thought about it, the quicker her pace became. She placed her hoof on the edge of the handle, her eyes alight in wonder.
That is, until she tried to read it. Her eyebrow slowly crept up her brow in confusion. Every symbol seemed foreign, yet Equestrian looking. She tried to sound out the script quietly to herself but it was worse than trying to scrape paint off of the marble floors. Disappointment and frustration tugged on either end of her expectations. 
Why do we even have this thing? she thought.
Her eyes flicked to the mess on the table and she sighed in frustration. Work wasn't going to help her improve in the skills she needed to be accepted. Her marks in combat were rough, to say the least. She wasn't doing much better in the physical department either – her scores for the mandatory requirements were barely passing. On several occasions, she was on the receiving end of taunts like, 'Do they let anyone in here?', or 'I didn't know we were accepting fillies now'. 
She shook her head. The best way to look useful was to complete something properly at this point. There weren't many other options. Grabbing the scroll from the stand, she hefted it into her forehooves. She grunted under the weight and let out a bit of her breath. It looked heavy, but it was a lot more than she'd expected. After a moment or two of adjustments, she managed to get a good enough grip on it and she set about the stacks looking for the right section.
It continued much the same for the majority of the short evening: find a heavy book, find the symbol, follow the number, put it on the shelf, get yelled at. In fact, it seemed to occur every single time Fine Point came to check on her work. Being off by a single book or a single number had her scrambling to fix her mistake. Of course, she knew it wasn’t all incorrect, but it certainly felt like it.
As she struggled to slide another heavy tome onto the shelf, she noticed something rather peculiar about the library. While in the other sections, she could hear the sound of her fellow recruits shelving books, here, it was as if there was no sound at all. Her hoof pushed the book neatly into place as she strained her ears for some kind of sign that they hadn’t up and left the room. Her features turned sour and irritated when no such sound came, except for the book.
When she looked back, she could still see the other ponies flying around the library. Her eyes narrowed as she settled down on the lower floor. Something was amiss. She tiphooved down the aisle looking around for some kind of sign and as she reached the end, she was greeted once again with sound.
What the hay?
She looked behind her at the bookcase. The aisle was still free and clear of books. She walked back down the opposite direction and was faced with sound on the other side. Her mouth hung open in confusion as she stared at the shelf.
“So we’re going to do this the hard way, eh?” She moved towards the center of the shelf. Looking to the left and to the right to make sure it was clear, she began to remove books from the shelf at eye level. Old tomes thumped to the floor as she fervently pulled them away to see through to the other side. She pushed aside those on the other side of the shelf and peered through the small gap.
“What the hay?”
On the other side of the gap a unicorn lay face down in one of those huge tomes from the other side of the room. She couldn’t hear any snoring, but it was clear that the pony on the other side was asleep.
She quietly zipped around the corner of the bookshelf and landed next to the sleeping figure. Up close, she could tell it was a mare. She had a silver coat with a white patch on her back and on her muzzle. Her lavender mane had fallen loose of what she assumed was a braid or pony tail and was spread out all over the table. A strip of white hair ran loosely down the center, still holding the hair tie in its grasp.
Willowisp placed her hoof on her shoulder and shook her softly. “Uh, Miss?”
The unicorn continued to snore softly. Willowisp smiled. It was kind of cute. She heard the sounds of a book being shelved nearby and her eyes lit up. Sound?
She shook the mare a little harder. “Hey.”
The unicorn groaned and opened her eyes. She shot backwards in her chair and slammed into the back of the bookshelves. Willowisp jumped back as if the unicorn was going to attack her and assumed a half-assed stance to defend herself. She looked up at the bookshelf and her eyes widened. She looked back at the unicorn getting up and then, back at the shelf. Deciding she was no threat, she focused her attention on all the books about to spill onto the floor.
"Oh, no you don’t,” she said angrily as she shot up into the air. She zoomed around the end of the bookshelf and aimed her body for the center of the unit. Just before the shelf could topple over, Willowisp grabbed it and pushed hard against it. For the moment, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling it moving back into a more stable position. But that was just one part of its wobbling desire to collapse and make a mess of the whole library. Willowisp flew hard against it, trying her best to prevent it from falling over.
“What’s going on over there, leather wings?”
She began to feel a sense of panic wash over her. Fine Point had heard the commotion and was coming to investigate. Great. It was exactly what she didn’t need to have happen. The clatter of a book turned her attention back to the situation at hoof. Some of the books towards the top were starting to slide towards the edge – an inevitable path to the floor and to a hundred laps around the castle with her wings tied down.
Miraculously, the falling motion seemed to stop. Wisp’s eyes lit up with adrenaline as she pushed her strength to the edges of her capability. Slowly but surely the shelf managed to move back into the upright position. She felt the edge slide into place with a dull thud.
Without a second thought, she dropped down to the floor to sit down. Her panting filled the aisle and she threw her head and back against the bookshelf. She watched as the books she’d tossed around lifted into the air with a silvery glow around them. She rose to grab one, but only managed to flop stomach first onto the floor.
The unicorn from before peered out from the other aisle and pressed her hooftip to her lips. She winked and placed the remainder of the books onto the shelf. Then, she disappeared with a loud pop and a flash of silver.
Willowisp rose to her hooves and stumbled towards where she last saw the mare, but couldn’t find any evidence of her. Even as she trotted back to the desk she was sleeping on, both her, the scroll and the small pile of books were gone.
“What was that noise?”
Willowisp turned around and snapped to attention. Captain Fine Point trotted into the aisle with the other two trainees. They seemed bewildered at how clean everything was.
“It was...” She looked around the room for an excuse. Her eyes focused on the huge scrolls in the wall. She pointed at one of them. "That. Somepony didn’t push it all the way back in so I, uh... pushed it. Back into the wall.” 
Fine Point looked at her suspiciously for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction. “Time’s up. Go back to the mess hall for breakfast, and then you can get some shut eye. You three will be shadowing the librarian for the evening shift and with Lieutenant Eagle Eye on the walls for the night shift.”
	
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-2-

One of the newer wings of the castle was built during the years following the inauguration of Princess Sparkle. Although, to call it a wing would be rather improper. This section of the castle was built into the underside of the mountain overhang the castle's outer towers clung to for support. Almost two years of working on clouds, pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns alike were able to carve their way into the mountain and build a huge circular space. Only then were the rooms and crystal-glass floors built within the completed structure. It was a marvel of millennial engineering.
From below, it looked as though it belonged to the castle. The round 'underdome', as it was sometimes referred to, was constructed of one solid piece of marble, fused and tempered by magical wards strong enough to stand the test of time. The windows were imported from the Crystal Empire at Princess Sparkle's request. Princess Cadence sent it to her for free.
Over the years that the Princess lived within the castle walls, she collected and created her own tools for her research. In fact, the hallway was wide enough that it was turned into a showcase of obsolete, but important tools created throughout Equestrian history. Each had their own plaque which was brimming to the edges with information. As far as anypony could remember, the young princess was adamant that all of her work was thorough, which extended even to these snapshots of history.
Sadly, following the initial bans on research, many of the 'most dangerous' machines were confiscated or destroyed. Any of those that were still in working order had been moved to the bottom floor of the dungeon, to stay until they could be controlled properly. Any of the designs that outlived the application, were in a sealed archive. It was still closed, and only the Princesses knew of its location.
Despite this, those machines that were left behind had already become outdated by an explosion of thought and design. This renaissance, although soft in its impact, had spurred many creations. Some were swallowed in the ever increasing bans, but most had found basic use in everyday life. Subsequently, these new creations had also found a new home in the halls and rooms of the underdome.
Sir Dew Point, the Royal Alchemist, was lucky to have been given this part of the castle as his own. The beige coated unicorn trotted across the Glass Room with a rather tightly wound spring in his step. In this marvel of a building, inspiration was hard to lose and its proximity to the formerly abandoned mines beneath the castle left him with plenty of research material. Today, he'd finally discovered a new gem growing within the caves – something new to test and study in the best room in the castle: the Dawn Room.
Situated near the center of the underdome, the room was designed to study the effects of magic on crystals. Used frequently by Princess Sparkle and various scientists she collaborated with, they studied crystals and gems from all over the world in this room. Light was funneled in to be captured at any point in the day through a series of tubes and mirrors build discreetly around the castle grounds. Here, the very foundations of magical theory were tested – where science met magic head on in a collision of thought and ideas.
He stopped in front of the crystal altar in the center of the room. It was a round pedestal, with an ornate clamp in the center. Hanging directly above it were several pipes – exit paths for the ingenious sun capturing mechanism. Fortunately there was space for direct sunlight only once per day at dawn. Unobstructed on the side facing the glass wall, a small port in the ceiling was already opened. Fortunately the birds weren't inclined to come inside, so he didn't have any preliminary cleaning to do.  
Sir Dew placed the chunk of white and black crystal into the clamp. He grunted as he pushed down on the crank with his magic. The crank offered some resistance but after a moment, it gave way. 
Dew frowned. The scratching noises coming from the clamp's plates were not a normal occurrence with the machine. That, paired with the crank's resistance, meant it was time for an inspection – especially before any substantial damage occurred. He made a note to request a checkup – after all, somepony from the Crystal Empire would have to take a look at it.
He turned to grab a piece of parchment from his newest package, but his quill was nowhere to be found. Rolling his eyes, he dug into the paper bag beside the box of parchment for a new quill and inkwell. Organization would come later. His eyes flicked up to the unit beside him.
Along the stone walls, were scrolls and books of research materials – current ones, of course – most of them written by his quill. So much of his work seemed to be in progress, or placed on hold, or otherwise stalled in publication disputes with The Royal Academy for Magical Study. It irked him greatly to even think about it. How could the Royal Alchemist, and former Dean of the Academy not have his papers published?
A frown crossed his features. Of course he knew why they were always stalled. It was a petty rivalry he didn't even care about with the current dean. Her papers had to be more important because she was on the front lines of changing–
Too far, he thought. She's not my ex-wife.
That set him groaning. His ex-wife could never understand the importance of keeping alive the traditions and benefits of alchemical science. Magic could do more for pony kind than mundane science could on its own. That, and at least his pursuits weren't intending to release banned avenues of research to the public. Working for the Princesses gave him the leeway to make discoveries under strict supervision. He had no ambition beyond being the first to pen a discovery, so that his name would be solidified in the halls of history. In his mind, banned research wouldn't stay banned forever. Getting in where he could now was an advantage he was happy to take.
Besides, the banning of research was arbitrary and uninformed. As much as he loved the Princesses, he couldn't understand why Princess Celestia would ban types of spells that had enormous potential to save ponies from harm.
He shook his head. His magic reached out behind him to the desks against the front wall. He fumbled with the vials and beakers on the tables for a moment before sighing in exasperation.
His worktables were a complete unorganized mess of ingredients, bottles, phials and flasks of... something. He'd figure it out later. He trotted over to the desk and shuffled through all of the research notes scattered about and shoved into empty spaces between his works for his clipboard. The more time it took, the more frustrated he became. He was not going to miss the dawn light because of his disorganization.



As he shoved another set of papers into an empty beaker, the door opened and a silver unicorn mare trotted through the door.
"Good morning, Sir Dew," she chirped.
Dew Point did not look happy to see her. "You're late."
The mare's cheery smile turned to a frown. Her ears flattened against her head and she averted her gaze.
"I'm assuming you slept in the library. Again. Perhaps you should bring an alarm with you when you go to study."
Her small build made it easy for her to go unnoticed in crowds and right now, she wanted nothing more than to just shrink so small that nopony would have to see her again. Failing Dew Point was worse – there was no escape knowing she had failed her mentor, no matter how little or large the mistake was. It stung like putting a hoof on a hot stove.
Dew Point trotted over to the crystal altar in the center of the room. After a moment of agonizing silence, he said, "Quicksilver, make yourself useful and find my clipboard. I have a new crystal to study and I cannot afford to be without it."
Quicksilver perked up and trotted over to the shelves. She lifted the scrolls she'd organized for him last night and pulled out the clipboard, his quill, and a vial of ink. "Here you go–"
The clipboard flew out of her magical grasp and floated over to the waiting Dew Point. "Organize those research documents by date, time, and subject. I was busy last night approaching the red potion from another direction. Don't touch it."
Quicksilver nodded as she placed the quill and ink on top of his supply box. Dew Point was very methodical as a researcher – but his interest was so tuned into new ideas that many of the shelves held recipes he'd approached but never finished. She'd thought of pulling a few off of the shelf for him to complete, but her teacher had never been one to approach something old and tried. It had become her job as the apprentice to complete whatever work he'd started. Of course, she never was given credit, but that was understandable. Apprentices didn't get credit for finishing a potion.
That didn’t mean that she didn’t want or deserve credit – far from it. The amount of work she did for her master was enough to be considered partner-discovered work. Just getting to the recipes was a hassle, trying to make sense of a table that looked like one of his experiments had exploded on it. Sorting the recipes out was the worst part of the job. Not to mention that in order to put it in the right place, she’d have to analyze its properties, and then try to find a proper type of magic to categorize it. Sometimes she would have to make the potion from scratch just to understand its effects.
She winced. Once, she had to drink one of his potions to analyze its properties. When she had woken up to her mentor laughing while calling for a doctor, she noticed that it had done nothing more but change the colors of her mane and coat, as well as adding some rather embarrassing polka dots. After a few days at the hospital for additional side effects – nausea, anxiety, feelings of being on camera and not knowing it – her coat finally turned back to a normal color and she stopped coughing up hairballs. As much as he put in an effort to remove the dangerous recipes from the table, she didn’t want to risk it again. It was an experience she was very cautious never to repeat.
"Oh yes! This is a fine specimen!"
Quicksilver looked behind her. Dew Point was eagerly writing away on his clipboard, looking at the crystal he had gathered. Curious, she stepped back from the table to get a look at it too.
While before it was a white and black, in the focused light from the sun, greens, reds, greys, and even some purples were flooding out of the crystal, refracted on the floor. The colors of the crystal itself seemed to shift and move in the sunlight, becoming lighter and lighter as time passed. In fact, Quicksilver was drawn in by the way it seemed to move in the clamp... almost as if it was trying to wriggle free of its confines.
A low hissing began to assault her ears. She flattened them to block out the noise, but that didn't seem to do anything – it came through as clearly as before. She tried to look away, but found that she could not.
...mine...
Thoroughly alarmed, Quicksilver began to call on her magic to form a shield. Not even a twinkle came to her aid. A light blue iris began to take shape in the colors on the floor. The dragon-like slit of black came soon after, turning to face the entranced mare.
With a small pop the eye turned back into a rainbow – a normal refraction of light. She looked at the crystal which was now a clear chunk of diamond. The hissing noise in her mind stopped as well. She stared at it, her mouth slightly agape.
"Rubbish! Absolute rubbish," Dew Point shouted angrily. "A little bit of sunlight destroyed this whole chunk of crystal! Such strange magical properties – it would be useless in potions..." He tapped his hoof against his chin in frustration before looking at his apprentice. "Quicksilver!"
She shook her head and looked at him in concern. "Yes, Sir?"
"Your severe lack of attention this morning is frustrating at best and angering at worst! You've never seen strange crystals before working under my tutelage?"
She looked at him incredulously. "But I was–"
"Let me finish." Quicksilver's eyes went wide and she shut her mouth. He pinched the bridge of his muzzle with a hoof. "I cannot work with you being in a daze or distracted." He levitated a badly beaten up paper from a set of saddlebags under one of the front tables. He levitated it in front of her face. "However, given your continued high marks, I see that it is fit to give you a break from your scholarly pursuits. You can wander the castle grounds like you normally do and I will fetch another one of these fine specimens before the budget meeting this evening."
Her temporary relief turned to abject terror. "But that crystal looked at me!"
Dew Point looked back at her. "Don't be ridiculous. You were staring at those research notes as if you were either sleeping, stupid, or dead. I assure you that you are none of those things."
"But–"
"Although if you continue hearing or seeing things or having lapses of memory, the word 'unwell' would be a fitting description." He turned his gaze to the side while waving his hoof back and forth.
"It was alive–"
He narrowed his eyes, and placed his hoof on the ground. "Perhaps if you slept more often, then you wouldn't be as overtired as you seem to be."
Quicksilver opened her mouth to protest, but closed it upon seeing Dew Point's stern gaze. Maybe he was right after all?
"Go get some sleep. A nap would do you well."
She hesitated for a moment. If that crystal was alive, then it could be a threat to the Princesses and the castle. But if it was a hallucination, like Dew said, she'd be the biggest laughing stock in Canterlot. Dew might even get rid of her for someone else. 
Eventually, she sighed and relented. "Yes, Sir."
He smiled at her. "Good." Dew ruffled her mane in a fatherly manner and went back to the crystal in the clamp. "Come back tomorrow when you are fully rested and ready to work. Be on time."
She smiled weakly. "Yes, Sir."

--*--

Quicksilver opened the doors to the main hall of the castle. Her white hooves were mostly clean, but strewn with hedge trimmings from the castle garden. She was slightly damp, having run through the fountain to cool off and her mane dripped onto her back, sending chills through her spine. It was a sweltering day, just as planned on the weather schedule to dry out a few flooded areas down in the valley. The previous week's storms had been rather awful, and because the unicorns still fought with Cloudsdale on rain schedules, it made cleanup efforts take longer than anticipated. As such, it was still a perfect day to play outside in the local fountain. One of the off duty guards followed behind her, his normal toffee coat much dryer than hers.
He flipped his dyed blond mane out of his face and smiled. "The Captain of the Guard will make an example of me."
"Not until next week, when the heat warning gets pulled. He was in the pool out back this morning for his workout." Another stallion, his coat dyed grey and his mane a bright white, shut the door behind him with his magic. "It'll be fine."
"Says you."
The unicorn stallion rolled his eyes. "Relax, feather brain. If Silver can go in the water and make a fool of herself in front of the castle brew, we'll be fine."
She groaned. "His name is Sir Dew Point."
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon. I bet Dutch Oven and his crew are making dinner. We might be able to get food early."
The two stallions ducked off down a different hallway towards the kitchens. She sighed in relief. 
It wasn't that she hated social situations, per se. She was... awkward. Very limited interactions with the other guards went poorly at best. They were acquaintances, and that's how she wanted to keep it.
That wasn't to say she didn't like having friends. It was merely a complication her career could not afford. When she was young, she had a few very close friends. They ate together, walked to school together, practically lived in each other’s apartments, and acted almost like sisters. At the Fillydelphia Public Library, they were the only members of the Junior Readers book club. 
Her cutie mark changed things. While in magic class one day, she earned her cutie mark by creating a first aid potion from scratch. Her promising step forward at a young age gave her the chance to be accepted into The School for Gifted Unicorns, which her parents pushed her to do. Of course, she was accepted and the next school year, their unbreakable friendship was tested.
Needless to say, things worked out poorly. Comet Tail wouldn't talk to her when she came home for the first summer after boarding school. Comet believed that her new school meant she was too good for her friends. The others stuck by her and they tried to salvage what they had left. The next summer they had less to talk about. By the third year back, they barely even exchanged glances. Quicksilver never returned home after that.
She wandered down the hall, taking in the beautiful stained glass windows on either side. One she passed was of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna using the Elements of Harmony to turn Discord to stone. 
She snorted. Discord was far more useful creating managed chaos in Equestria than when he was a bitter tyrant. He had made the wild northern frontier a little more manageable and the southern forests tamer for visitors, explorers, and the like.
She looked back down the hall, shaking her head. Tourists couldn't appreciate these mosaics for the history they contained. At least... most of them couldn't. She was once a tourist too. Part of the reason she applied for being an apprentice was to be in this place.
As she passed through the hall to the observatory, she noticed that there was less traffic than usual. She raised an eyebrow. Her ears flicked to the left and right trying to see if there was anypony in the halls. As her eyes scanned the hallway again, she slowed to a stop. One of the doors was slightly ajar.
She crept closer, wondering who was using one of the private studies.
"–and because we took a voluntary cut last year, we would like to simply return to that amount."
"I second that. The Academy deserves the requested funding after being as gracious as they were last fiscal year."
Silver recognized the latter voice as Dew Point for sure. But the subject matter was something she could care less about. Finances were for ponies who went to the Merchant's College.
"That seems fair. Any objections?"
Quicksilver stopped just beyond the door. That was Princess Luna's voice... during the day.
Quicksilver backed up a few paces and turned to face the door. It was slightly ajar, but she didn't dare open it any further.
"I have several. That funding was reserved for the establishment of a second school in Manehatten. On top of that, only salaries have increased. Tuition has stayed flat. Perhaps a few extra bits from everypony would cover the amount you are looking to gain."
"I also object. Farmers were promised additional assistance in expanding farmland this year to get ahead of growing demand. Without that funding, we risk being unprepared for a food shortage or a bad season."
"Princess Celestia promised that she would lift the ban on improving magically powered vehicles to save on physical labor for transportation, farming, shipping, and even the postal service. At the moment, it’s not even worth producing any! We're slipping behind on the pursuit of science. Even the griffons are jumping ahead of us!"
"Please, please," Luna interrupted. Quicksilver licked her lips and pressed closer to hear. "In the twenty-five years of your service, Balance Book, how many meetings has my sister attended?"
"Of this meeting?" Came the stallions reply.
"Of any meeting."
There was an uncomfortable pause before Balance Book spoke. "Few. None within the last five years."
Quicksilver covered her mouth with her hooves. Princess Celestia... wasn't doing anything?
	
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-3-

Trumpets sounded their triumphant call through the halls of the castle. Guards on either side of the entrance hall to the ballroom were dressed in newly polished steel and gold trim. Nobles from all sides of Equestria came in their finest fabrics – luscious flowing garb in all types of colors and design. The hall felt like a journey through the rainbow fountains of Cloudsdale.
As the group in large turned their heads to see the precession of the Princesses, they instinctively bowed forward to greet them. In their normal royal attire, they gleamed in the light of the hall.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts, welcome once again to the Grand Galloping Gala,” Princess Celestia began. Her smile beamed down like a ray of morning sunshine, filling the crowd with elation. The gathered guests stomped their hooves and cheered for a good minute before she could get control of the hall. “My sister and I are humbled that you have decided to join us once again in our centuries old tradition. As a token of our gratitude, each guest shall be provided with the stone of this occasion – a fire ruby – in celebration of thirteen centuries of continued peace and prosperity.”
The nobles in the entrance hall stomped their hooves in applause and excitement. Cheers erupted from the crowd as they looked on in admiration at their immortal rulers.
Off in the wings, individuals of higher station were preparing themselves for their formal introductions to the nobility. The Captain of the Guard was already standing to Luna’s side on the stage, going unannounced until it was appropriate. However, royal advisors were already adjusting their finest for their presentation.
“Quicksilver!” Dew Point hissed.
The silver mare shook herself from her stupor and looked up at her mentor. His magic was already hard at work, ensuring she and her styled mane would stay in one piece. The braid was much longer than she had expected it to be. Her lavender mane was coiled tightly with royal purple and navy blue ribbons.  Golden hairpins in the shape of stars were placed in fashionably random locations to keep her mane from unraveling, and it seemed like the random factor bothered Dew Point greatly. Her purple dress covered much of her torso and the entire back half of her body. The streaks of silver were in a classic curled design used for several hundred years. It was a statement ponies still couldn’t avoid reusing and paying homage to, something that confounded her greatly.
“Please try to be focused on formal appearance. I will not have you making a poor example of yourself in this environment.”
She rolled her eyes while he had his head turned.
“I saw that.”
She looked a little startled. He’d have to have eyes in the back of his head to see that. That or he had very good peripheral vision. Considering that he had caught her dozing off a few times while working on potions, all while his attention was focused in a different direction–
One click on the stone from his horseshoe snapped her back to attention. “Honestly. Your attention this week has been less than I expect from somepony I plan on claiming as a Journeymare of alchemy. Know that your actions can decide your fate and I cannot help you if you destroy your public image.”
Quicksilver’s mouth dropped open.
“Don’t look so surprised. You finished over a hundred potions and formulas for your exam and managed a perfect score. You’ve practically – and sometimes I think, literally – consumed the entire textbook on advanced alchemy which I gave to you to study and learn. Did you even read the papers I gave you?"
She scoffed as his magic grabbed the un-tied clasp on the front of her dress. The slight choking feeling from having it tightened had her swallow to make sure that she still could. “I’m sorry I spilled Cream Carton’s Corrosive Concoction on the cover–”
“–which is the perfect story to shift the blame from a desire to eat my book, to that of a harmless spill which would have made it much better to digest.”
“Ew!”
Sir Dew chuckled softly and smiled. “I will miss your inability to understand humor."
Quicksilver frowned and looked away. There were always two sides of the coin to Dew Point: angry mad scientist, or warm and fatherly. If he had a middle ground, she'd be much more upset about his admission than she was. That in itself was difficult for her to understand, but being moved to the rank of Journeymare? Much more difficult.
When she turned back to face her mentor, she found it was difficult to understand the frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. Strangely enough, he seemed... upset.
He cleared his throat. "You will find that the world is a dangerous place, smothered by beauty and peace. Hold your head high, but never forget to look down."
She raised an eyebrow at his cryptic 'good luck' wishes. But that was all that she could do. The trumpets began to play their second march signaling the presentation of the royal advisors and staff. Dew Point flicked his cloak behind him with his hoof and began his walk towards the entrance hall.


--*--


"There is no way that we can accept her into the Royal Service."
Captain Fine Point stood in front of a small horseshoe table in the basement offices of the Royal Guard. Built below the staff tower, it was worked by no less than twenty trained guards, many of which were sent below to patrol the dungeons. Even if they were relatively unoccupied, it was important for the transport of high level prisoners.
The meeting room of the lower complex was the only one that was newly fortified with magic and steel. The walls were covered in strong stone, hewn to be simple but strong. The floor was polished stone of the same nature, speckled with naturally occurring iron and crystal.
Around the table sat five individual ponies. To the left was Captain Glimmer Sheen, head of the Magical Guard. His magical prowess was unmatched in the castle, save only for the Princesses and perhaps the Royal Alchemist.
Next to him was White Lily, the head of the Night Guard. Luna's personal guardian, the batpony mare was tough and built like the other stallions in the room. She drew a hoof through her navy colored mane and stared at the others at the table with disinterest. A few of the guards stationed for protection couldn't help but stare at the missing chunk of her right ear.
On the other side of the table sat the remaining two heads – Captain Fortress, the head of the Earth Pony division, and Captain Whiplash, Head of the Pegasus Guard, and personal guard to Princess Celestia for excursions.
Fine Point was focused on none of these figures. Since he was in charge of recruit training, he only needed to answer to Star Strike, the Captain of the Guard. He stood above all of the other gathered ponies as the undisputed protector of the castle. Despite being a pegasus, he had training against magical effects from none other than Princess Luna. Tales from his past were legendary in Equestria. The most notable was single hoofedly bringing down a pair of manticores without his armor on. That is, if the tales were to be believed, of course.
Fine Point swallowed. "I have watched her train on the castle grounds. She is agile, quick on her hooves, and given any circumstance – including combat – she can analyze a situation with excellent accuracy."
Fortress frowned. He raised a hoof to his muzzle and scratched the underside of his chin. "That is not what the other officers have attested to." The grey coated earth pony lifted his clipboard in front of him. "Unable to cooperate with other recruits, physically unable to meet standard benchmarks in combat armor, barely meets vital statistics required for enlistment, cutie mark incompatible with position... Need I continue?"
Fine Point looked away from Star Strike and met Fortress' steel-blue eyes. The earth pony was more than skeptical about Willowisp being affirmed to the force.
"Actually, yes, Fortress," Glimmer Sheen began. Fine Point removed his gaze from Fortress and turned back to his superior. "Let's talk about her cutie mark."
Glimmer Sheen lifted his own copy of her records. The sound of pages being turned was the only thing keeping the room from being left in utter silence. 
"Ah, yes. Here we are. A column shrouded in mist. Let’s see what the official cutological report says about our recruit." Fine Point shifted uncomfortably, but Glimmer didn't seem to notice or care. "Mist represents the ability to move about undetected, a good indication that stealth is part of her special talent. The empty column, especially its stout height represents a display of some sort, perhaps from a museum. The fact that it is empty suggests that her stealth allows her to take what she wants in life. This also suggests that she has stolen something before, perhaps of great value, and if not now, the potential remains for her to do so. Your recruit is a thief."
"The column is broken."
The group turned to look at White Lily, shocked that she had spoken at all. She stared off into space as if she had no interest in the conversation. "If you are going to read the report, include all of the details."
After regaining his composure, Glimmer glared at her. "This is all that is relevant. She is a threat to the castle if left unattended as patrols usually are."
Lily turned her head and fixed a stare directly at her comrade. "Read the next line." Glimmer narrowed his eyes. Lily held his gaze.
"Read it, Glimmer," Star Strike said. He shifted forward in his chair and added his gaze to the battle of wits. "If I may remind you, this is a pony's life we are talking about. A cutie mark is a representation of hopes and dreams, as well as their upbringing."
Glimmer backed down and returned his eyes to the clipboard. "Breaks in the column suggest that she discovered her special talent out of necessity, not out of greed or malicious intent. It also suggests that she may have shared with others since the breaks cut the column into symmetrical pieces."
Lily returned to staring at the far wall, leaning back in her chair. Glimmer placed a permanent scowl on his face. 
Fine Point had since relaxed in his position before the group. The only thing he was trying to do now was hide his smile. 
Sometimes he felt Glimmer needed to be put in his place. There were occasions when it was clear he was disappointed that he wasn't captain of the guard. Although nopony in the castle talked about it openly, his ambition to take Star Strike's place was possibly more than mere words and impressions. Several security incidents from miscommunication had already fallen on the aging Captain, of which could not be explained.
Whiplash cleared his throat. "What do you make of her abilities to work with others, Fine Point? Her cutie mark suggests a generous and friendly demeanor, but the reports speak in contrary."
Fine Point cleared his throat, "With all due respect, there is a serious lack of respect among a few of your subordinate officers towards her and her kind. By that, I include all divisions of the normal castle guard, except for Lily's. I know little about Captain Lily's Night Guard as they are illusive and few on patrols."
Lily cast her gaze on Fine Point.
He quickly added, "It is no judge of your force, Ma'am. Princess Celestia's many divisions have had this responsibility for over a millennia and that still has yet to change."
"Our force doesn't do well in public," she said lazily. Her gaze shifted back into space. "There is no need for an apology, but I appreciate the notion."
"Your force doesn't really do well anywhere does it?" Glimmer growled.
Fine Point froze. Whiplash quietly slid his chair back from the table in anticipation, while Fortress' eyes shifted from one to the other.
"Our force does what we do, because nopony else can. I would be happy to tell you more, but I don't know if Princess Luna will give you the clearance."
"There is no honor in spying on ponies and other countries for a living. We have been at peace for centuries–"
"Including when Princess Luna returned under the influence of the nightmare? Or perhaps we were at peace when the changelings invaded? Or any event in which the Elements of Harmony needed to be used to avoid catastrophe?"
Glimmer quickly shut his mouth. Fine Point noticed Lily now had her full attention focused on the meeting. Her eyes were wild with anger, but her body seemed calm and restrained. 
"Because of us, all of your training has never had to be used. Ever since Princess Sparkle's time we have been utilized to slow down other countries from overtaking us, monsters from overrunning our borders, and stopping threats to Equestria from the outside as well as the inside. So while you get to sit on your flank and criticize my methods, I get to fight and maneuver my troops to give you the right to continue."
Star Strike interrupted, "Off topic, Lily. If your quarrels with one another need to be settled, you can arrange for a tournament on the grounds." He placed his clipboard on the table. "Now, about Willowisp. Those who approve of her joining the service, say I."
"I," Lily said.
"I," Whiplash chimed.
"Those opposed?"
"I," Fortress said.
"With the utmost conviction," Glimmer snorted.
Fine Point looked to Star Strike for some kind of final verdict. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow. Star Strike would never take a tactical risk, but Fine knew that he had a history with the illusive batpony mare. He hoped that maybe that would win out over assumptions based on Willowisps poor performance.
When he opened his eyes, Star Strike was idly flipping through the clipboard.
"I would be happy to take her into my service," Lily added. "She could do some real good for Equestria."
"Or you could be risking priceless and dangerous artifacts to a pony whose talent provides her with the opportunity to get away relatively unnoticed," Glimmer added.
Star Strike placed the clipboard back on the table. "It also says on the report that she refused to talk about theft as part of her cutie mark. It seemed to upset her greatly, which leads me to believe that she is no threat to this castle. She will be placed under Captain Lily for further instruction and training."
Fine Point breathed a sigh of relief. Glimmer stared, open-mouthed at his superior. He seemed dumbfounded at the decision.
"I suggest, Captains, that you re-evaluate your officers and punish them appropriately. I do not tolerate discrimination of any kind as we are all pledging to fight, protect and die for the Princesses and Equestria." The silence was palpable. He licked his lips and rose from his seat. "Captain Fine Point, please lead all of the approved recruits to be fitted for armor and dress clothes. Once they are in their current formal dress, bring them to the throne room for an audience with the Princesses."
	
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-4-

In the main hall of the gala, the party had finally begun to wind down. The general nobility of Canterlot had only stayed so long as to enjoy hobnobbing with the political elite and whatever expensive snacks they happened to line their pockets with. Opportunities to save money on food and dining were never missed by the stingy, it seemed. Once the snacks were removed, it hadn't taken long for the first few to shuffle out.
Of course, some of those that stayed were there to meet the Princesses themselves. Tickets were within reach of the middle class, so there was a light dusting of up and coming business ponies looking to find either a royal contract or endorsement. Failing that, the well-established entrepreneurs were more than willing to buy their ideas or partner in their companies. One pony in particular seemed eager to enlist the services of the Royal Alchemist in creating a potion that would renew the body and reverse the effects of aging. Obviously, that tread on very thin ice as far as Dew Point was concerned, and he politely declined.
Quicksilver, however, was on her own for the majority of the evening. Most of her time she'd spent dodging the nobles where she could, which meant she spent an exorbitant amount of time by the punch and cakes until Sir Dew gave her one of his classic cautious stares. Taking almost an entire pitcher of punch from the table, she slunk off to one of the tables setup out of the way of the festivities. Needless to say, she had enough sugar to last her until tomorrow morning. It was a miracle she hadn't spilled anything on her dress.
Her eyes danced across the room, looking for something else to focus her attention on. The two statues on either side of the ballroom gleamed in the light of the chandelier, towering over the remaining dignitaries. Each of them was polished regularly, so that their reflections would add some much needed extra light to the room. Behind them, far to the back, the stage was emptied of the quintet that had been providing the music for the evening. They had been gone since the Wonderbolt performance, but a record player behind the stage was still being magically amplified throughout the room.
She sipped another cup of punch. Over in the corner she could see the Wonderbolts laughing amongst one another as they gathered their suits to leave. They only took them off after the party was really over. No sense in walking around in sweaty clothes after the midnight performance. To that end, she would do the same if she were in their horseshoes. 
One of the doors to the hall opened, drawing her attention away from her attempt at keeping distracted. Her eyes went wide in recognition and she stood immediately. Dressed in his golden armor and helm, the Captain of the Guard was an unmistakable sight. It didn't take long for the room to take notice of him, and the sounds of chatter slowly died out.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts. Royal Dignitaries and Ambassadors: Princess Luna and Princess Celestia cordially invite you to the throne room, where we may present the newest members of the Royal Services."
Quicksilver stayed in place while many of the group began to move towards the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dew Point cross the room. He motioned for her to follow him. She swallowed hard and hesitantly joined her mentor for their walk to the throne room.
Once in one of the back hallways, Dew cleared his throat to speak. "After your presentation, you will need to stay. All of the invited guests will see the general members of the Castle, but once they leave, then the guard will present their newest candidates."
Quicksilver nodded idly, looking down at the ground. Her only real focus was warding off the sense of impending failure that always came with public presentations. Like the one time she was asked to brew a particular potion for headache relief, and ended up adding a chunk of granite. They were wiping the walls of burn marks for weeks–
Dew grabbed her by the shoulder. "Quicksilver, please! This is extremely important,” he hissed. “If you cannot be respectful and pay attention, then remember this. One of these ponies can save your life someday. You should know guards of your age, as they will be the ones who will watch over you during your time now and until you leave this place for good. We are licensed by the Princess' good will to let somepony carry on Princess Sparkle's legacy of discovery and research. If you can't make friends, then you risk making easy enemies."
Quicksilver looked at him quizzically. What was he going on about?
Dew Point stopped in the hallway, rubbing his head as if trying to rid himself of a migraine. "Quicksilver. Being a Journeymare means that you will have to discover your path on your own."
Quicksilver gave a hesitant nod. "I know that."
"That also means that there will be ponies looking for your success." He frowned. "There will also be those that want your utter downfall. Our position is one that the apprentice always returns to replace the master. One day you will have my position in the castle, and when that day comes, I fear you will be woefully unprepared for the kind of politics I have shielded you from."
Quicksilver raised an eyebrow. This most certainly wasn't making sense. She couldn't stop herself from spurting out, "Then why wait until a few hours before I graduate to tell me I was graduating?"
"Because–" He started angrily. 
Dew licked his upper lip. Quicksilver knew that he was on the verge of losing his cool and she shut her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was to make him angry before her presentation. If the nobility was going to notice her anxiety, they would be blind or deaf not to notice his irritation. He practically glowed with it when he was angry.
After a long while, Dew refocused his eyes on her and his facial features seemed to relax. For the first time, perhaps since she knew him, he seemed to be showing his age. The bags beneath his eyes from long nights behind a research desk, seemed to droop dangerously close to his cheeks. She noticed the grey tufts of fur growing in around his muzzle were more clear than ever, as his ears drooped slightly from their normal alert position.
"I'm not asking you to understand my decisions, Quicksilver. I do what I must, because I don't want you having to wade through the muck caked onto the proverbial swamp that is Equestrian politics. If the circumstances were different, I would have waited until next year to better inform and prepare you. I simply don't have that luxury. But what I can do, is give you an edge." Dew Point reached into his coat and pulled out a scroll no bigger than his horn. He carefully tucked it into the shoulder of her dress. "Keep that hidden until your darkest hour of need. Tell no one of its existence that you cannot trust. I can't say more, but please... at least consider what I've said."
Quicksilver tucked the scroll into a more comfortable place in her dress. "S-Sure–"
Dew Point stopped her. "You have to promise me."
"I-I don't understand–"
"Tartarus, Quicksilver!" He quickly looked around to make sure he wasn't too loud. Taking a deep breath, he looked her in the eyes. "You must swear to me that you will make a friend."
"Ok!" Alarm bells were going off left and right in her mind. She had never, ever seen her mentor look as scared as he did right now. He was trembling from head to hoof and his eyes were like spears, trying to pierce her very soul for the truth. She wasn’t much better. Under the pressure of his gaze, she began to go into a cold sweat. She bit her lower lip, trying hard not to break eye contact.
After a moment, he relented, rose, and rubbed his hooves together. His entire demeanor changed like the track on a record, returning to his normal posture and manner of speech. "Well, come now Quicksilver. We don't want to be late." 
She looked at him dumbfounded. He simply rolled his eyes and turned on his hoof. "If you are hungry, I assure you that flies will not satisfy your need." His horn lit up as he adjusted his tie.
Equestria will not wait until next year for you to graduate. Act normal or else you threaten to imbalance everything.
Quicksilver looked at him with a sense of terror and confusion. The earlier feeling of panic became stronger, her chest beginning to tighten. Her ears began to grow hot and tingled. A small spike of pain began to stab at her beneath her forehead and her vision began to swim. She took in deep breaths over and over to try and calm herself.
Dew tapped his hoof as his magic ceased with his tie. He patted her on the back which caused her to cough and sputter in her exercises. But it had the intended effect. Her panic subsided and she looked up at his cheery smile. 
“Be excited, Quicksilver,” he chuckled. “Being a Journeymare will be the best time of your life.”


--*--


Twenty minutes was all it took for Willowisp to get to the fitting room. After being made to wait outside the festivities of the Grand Galloping Gala for almost the entire night, she was ecstatic and even a little bit surprised to find that she had been accepted into the guard. Of course, her immediate reaction of joy was brought to a halt when her superior got involved.
“Rookie! You’re not shadowing me to jump for joy, you’re here to learn! If you can’t do that, not even a pardon from the Princess will keep you here for your incompetence!” She rolled her eyes. So much for being able to celebrate anything in the castle. 
At the moment, she was being measured from head to hoof by one of the castle’s few seamstresses: Golden Thread. Initially hired on by the castle for repairs to old tapestries and to uniforms, she was commissioned to create a gown for Princess Luna for the Hearth’s Warming Ball. So stunning was her creation, that she had started a trend in noble fashion to include more night-related colors in winter fashion. Darker blues, purples, and whites became the new norm, all thanks to her.
If only they knew what she actually did in the castle. Follow designs, make clothes for the guards that have stood relatively unchanged for hundreds of years – there was very little room for her to create during her job. But as she’d heard, Luna’s dresses for formal functions were left entirely to her design. But that was a rare occurrence at best.
“Hold still, please. This shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to fit.”
Willowisp rolled her eyes and tilted her head to the ground. She was bored – beyond bored. It was a change from being bored and having something boring to do – here it was agonizing. She couldn’t watch the Wonderbolts perform while she was here, she couldn’t read a magazine because she lacked a horn to flip the pages, and she couldn’t do something idle like preen because – of course – she didn’t have feathers.
Instead, the batpony cast her eyes on the table piled with spools of thread. She counted each of them as she passed, trying to find out how many the seamstress really needed in her room. As soon as she hit thirty, the first piece of clothing appeared rather suddenly on her body and she nearly jumped from the touch of rough fabric. She looked down, but her head was firmly pushed back up into a regal pose.
Golden Thread raised an eyebrow. “I said, hold still.”
Willowisp sighed in exasperation. “A little warning next time?”
The unicorn mare responded with a smile. “Of course.”
After a few more minutes of counting the cracks on the tiled floor, Willowisp looked up at Golden Thread. She wasn’t much to see, surprisingly. Her coat was a clean cream color with brown spots in random locations, including one of her ears. Gold’s black mane was brought back tightly into a bun, and a pair of glasses dangled dangerously on the edge of her snout. It was as if her gold eyes were trying to see over the glasses, rather than through them.
Willowisp looked away quickly before the other mare returned with more cloth.
“Next piece,” she said, levitating several cloth cutouts to the outfit.
The inevitable hum of magic tugged at the edges of the batpony’s ears and she flicked them out of irritation. It was as if she was in the woods swatting at mosquitoes, or in one of the bakeries trying to avoid the flies. Thankfully, the small buzz subsided as Gold stepped back to look at her work. A gentle nod was all she gave before going back to her table. 
“You know, I’ve never actually created formal attire for a batpony before. I was expecting it to be more difficult.”
Willowisp raised an eyebrow. “Uh... sorry?”
“No need to apologize. I’m just making conversation. You seem bored to tears, and I’d rather not have you go into a ceremony with ruined formal dress.”
Willowisp blushed. So she was being considerate? That was certainly unexpected. Most of the time she was just below everypony else. It was comfortable when that feeling came, as it was what she expected. Here... she wasn’t sure how to consider the change in attitude.
“Where are you from?”
Willowisp cleared her throat. “Uh. Tall Tale.”
“Ah. Beautiful forests, if I do say so myself. One of only two homes to the mysterious night trotters.” She spun around and walked back to Willowisp. A trail of cloth and brass buttons followed her in her wake. “It’s rare for most ponies to even meet one of your kind. I find that fascinating.”
“We, uh... don’t get tourists much.”
“Next pieces." The clothes began to float towards the batpony mare. Gold focused on its placement as she continued her conversation. "I can tell. It’s very hard to be able to go there and see your suburbs. Most ponies are too scared of what they hear. The only real exposure to batpony culture is in Hollow Shades – the life of the party, it would seem.”
Willowisp had heard that before. Her ears stopped flicking once again after Gold stepped back to observe her. “Tall Tale is really a resort town.”
“Oh, I know that. Who wouldn’t want to be there for the clean air and the woods? I’ve heard the heir to the family that owns the place has a private residence overlooking the whole valley. What was his name...?”
“Extra Rich.”
“Ah, yes. Interesting fellow, although his public manner is a bit... fake.”
Willowisp stared at her with curiosity. She knew the self-proclaimed ‘Master’ of Tall Tale?
“I think the hat is all that remains, according to this design.” Her drawing lifted from the desk and floated in front of her. She nodded. A navy blue beret lifted from one of the tables and landed on Willowisps head. “Perfect! Now tell me if anything is too tight.”
Willowisp hesitantly walked towards the mirror. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. Unlike the uniform’s armored components, this particular outfit incorporated a purple vest with the Lunar Crescent over a black moon as her heraldry. Beneath that was a dark blue jacket that stopped about halfway down her barrel. There were no armored shoes or leg plates for her to wear, nor was there a helmet involved, but the addition of the navy beret made her smile. In the center, the ‘Eerie Eye’ – the light blue eye of the night guard – stood out, almost glowing.
“Cool.”
Gold rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yes, ‘cool’. Now off you go. You have an important meeting to line up for. Wear those colors with pride, Miss...”
“Willowisp,” she said. A smile tugged at the edges of her face. “I’m Willowisp.”


--*--


Quicksilver stood stock still in the back of the line. Of course she was the last pony to be called. It made logical sense – she was the apprentice to one of the highest positions in the entire castle. But considering her mentor’s strange demeanor and the hidden scroll tucked against her side by her dress, last place was the worst place to be. She had spent the whole opening of the ceremony doing breathing exercises just to be able to be in the same room as the princesses.
Don’t panic, she thought to herself. If you don’t panic, everything will be fine. You’re only being displayed before both of the Princesses, the Captain of the Royal Guard, several mayors, and the diplomats to seven different foreign countries. Nothing to worry about! Her eye twitched a little bit and she returned to taking steady, deep breaths.
“Now presenting Cream Pop, apprentice to Dutch Oven, the Royal Baker, and head chef of Canterlot Castle. She will be studying under the famous griffon Chef Sous-Sans LaFrommage for two years, before returning to Canterlot as a Sous Chef.”
Quicksilver watched her bounce happily across the stage, bowing deeply in front of the Princesses. They followed in kind before she ran off to hug her mentor on the other side of the room. She noticed one of the Griffons in the audience giving a standing ovation, while the rest of the gathered ponies simply stomped on the ground in respect.
“Presenting Tongue Twister, apprentice to Lady Elegance, the Royal Translator. Of his many accomplishments, this young stallion has mastered seven languages and four distinct dialects of Equestrian. His first task as Journeycolt Linguist shall be to accompany Ambassador Quill Tip to Saddle Arabia as his translator.”
Quicksilver ignored the announcer and poked her head around the side of the line. Seven candidates were still in front of her, which put her slightly more at ease. She shifted back and forth on her hooves, biting her lower lip.
What would the announcer think of her non-existent duties after her advancement to Journeymare? Would she be laughed at? Called a mare with no ambition or goal in life? Springing her advancement of position on her last minute was the most bizarre thing she could think of her mentor doing. 
Her mind flicked back to his moment of panic in the hallway. No, it certainly wasn’t the most bizarre thing he had ever done. But it certainly came close. It was curious that both of those things would occur in the same night. In fact, it was almost too coincidental for her to overlook it.
“Presenting Ironworks, apprentice to Cold Cast, the Royal Blacksmith. His..”
Quicksilver snapped back to attention. Cold Cast was directly in front of her in line. Panic began to brew in her chest. She could feel the gaze of her peers, the elite, the Princesses, and her mentor’s drilling into her skin from seemingly all directions. If she flubbed this ceremony, everything would come crashing down around her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she swallowed hard.
Summoning what strength she could manage, she forced herself to focus. Perhaps it was the sugar she had imbibed during the night, or perhaps she had control over herself for once, but what she was sure of, is that she held her ground. The oncoming waves of panic subsided to that of a twinge of discomfort in the back of her mind. Hopefully it held up, or else she’d be in trouble.
“Finally, presenting Quicksilver; apprentice to Sir Dew Point - Royal Alchemist of this Court.”
Quicksilver began the customary walk to the stage, crossing from the empty corner of the room, towards the waiting hooves of her mentor. Her steps were carefully planned to the counting she forced herself to continue while she walked. By the time she reached a hundred, she stopped to the right of the stage, bowed to the audience, and continued towards the red carpet to face the Princesses.
“After this evening, Quicksilver will be tasked on a royal envoy to the City of Paris, in an exchange of knowledge and discovery.”
Quicksilver nearly fell over in her bow to the Princesses. Her brain was trying to keep up her composed act, but that was like trying to hide a bonfire inside a wooden storehouse – eventually it would come crashing down on her in a blaze of glory. Her best bet was to have it happen while she was standing with Sir Dew. 
She rose with a smile as the Princesses rose from their bows as well. Something must have caught Princess Luna’s eye, however, because there was just the slightest hint of a frown as Quicksilver turned away. She made her way over to Dew Point who placed a hoof on her mane. The overwhelming panic ready to burst beneath the surface subsided just enough for her to stay put.
The announcer nodded to the Princesses, and took his position at attention by their side.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts. Royal Dignitaries and Ambassadors. It has humbled my sister and I that you have been able to witness the next steps of our most prized pupils.” Princess Celestia beamed her smile over the crowd and looked over towards Quicksilver and her peers. “Their time here in the castle has been spent perfecting their talents to the utmost of their abilities. We are pleased to present them before you, so that you may watch them grow into mares and stallions of the highest caliber in their trades. Thank you for attending. We look forward to seeing you next year.”
There was another huge round of cheers and applause from the audience. Quicksilver let out a deep breath. It was over. She had survived, despite her immeasurable uncertainty. That didn’t stop her concern for her earlier discussion with Sir Dew. 
If anything, the look Luna gave her made her extremely uncomfortable. Did she know? Was Princess Luna able to see right through her charade? Or… did she know about the impending doom for the castle? Her eyes looked over the audience in their cheers. She couldn’t understand how a place like this could be in danger.
That’s precisely why it’s absurd to think that Luna has anything to do with this, she thought. But was it really?
...mine...
Quicksilver’s ears shot to full attention. She couldn’t pinpoint the source of the noise, but she listened closely to try and catch it a second time. Her ears swiveled in every direction, alert and focused. Her eyes drifted across the room, but once again to her dismay, it seemed like nopony else had even heard it. In the process of sweeping the room, Luna’s eyes caught hers.
She froze. Luna did know. Whether it was her fault or not for the noise, coincidence was untenable as an excuse for Luna’s sudden interest in her. A frown passed the Princesses features as she seemed to acknowledge the noise by the tilt of her head.
If she’s not responsible… Quicksilver continued to stare back until the Princess of the Night looked away, over the now dispersing crowd. Dew Point shook her a little.
“How much of that punch did you have?” He looked at her, his eyebrow raised. “A sugar crash in front of the Princesses would be most unpleasant for your appearances and for the floor which you would be collapsing onto. I don’t think it would appreciate the drool. Neither would Squeaky Clean.”
“I’m fine,” she lied. She reconsidered immediately. “A little too much maybe. F-For the record, I don’t drool.”
He looked at her for a moment as if to argue the point, but then nodded. “You will get to sleep soon. Just– Please don’t make a fool of yourself.”
The front doors to the throne room closed with a noisy thud. The sound echoed in the room as a large bar was brought down into its holder behind the doors. Above, the chandeliers dimmed as small magical fires began to pop up around the room, suspended in the air. Quicksilver nearly jumped when one formed beside her. She reached out to touch it, but Dew pushed her hoof to the floor.
“Watch.”
From the back doors of the throne room, four ponies entered the chamber. Quicksilver followed their movement to the stage, but her eyes fixed themselves on the batpony on the far end of the line. The mare was one of the few ponies her age that she hadn't had contact with in the castle. In fact, she was the only one she knew nothing about.
But mainly, she'd just never seen a batpony around her age. She knew that there had to be batponies around her age to be any at all–
Sudden realization hit her. The mare that she helped in the library last week was a batpony mare around her age. She looked on excitedly, curious as to who this pony was.
"Princess Celestia. Princess Luna."  Captain Star Strike was now standing in front of the Princesses. "I present to you these recruits, who have trained for the last six months in the name of the service of Equestria."
Princess Luna cleared her throat. "Have these ponies met the requirements of service and do they understand the risks in which their duty entails?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Proceed."
Star Strike moved forward and turned his back to the Princesses. He nodded to the announcer, who cleared his throat once more. "Presenting Recruit Gilded Shield. Hailing from Canterlot Proper, her skill with protective spells has earned her a place in the castle under Captain Glimmer Sheen. She will continue to further her magics under the watchful gaze of his purview."
Gilded Shield moved forward and bowed. The Princesses nodded to her when she rose, and she joined the others.
"Presenting Surefire, hailing from Manehatten. He comes to the service with knowledge of hoof to hoof combat, as well as combative spells. He will also continue his service with Captain Glimmer Sheen."
Quicksilver rolled her eyes. There were a lot of unicorns as part of the guard these days. She rarely came across pegasi, and even less so with earth ponies. At least there was a pegasus and a batpony this time around.
"Presenting Flash Fire, hailing from Cloudsdale. Her training on the front lines of forest fires has lead her to pursuing a career in your services. She will be training under Captains Fortress and Whiplash, before being officially stationed under Captain Whiplash."
Quicksilver raised an eyebrow. That was certainly unusual.
"Finally, presenting Willowisp, hailing from Tall Tale. Her talents have earned her a place amongst the Night Guard, under Captain White Lily."
Quicksilver watched Willowisp adorn the stage with a gracefull bow. Her movements were sure and confident, regardless of the pressure of the situation. This continued to be the case as she strode across to her new mentor.
As the new recruits settled in next to their new captains, the Princesses straightened up and looked them over. Luna was first to speak. "Congratulations on your new positions. Your devotion to Equestria has brought you into the ranks of the elite. Your training will be hard, but the rewards are only offered to the few who can reach them. I wish you good luck on your journey, and I will now leave you with Captain Star Strike's administration of the oath of service."
	
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-5-

Luna paced in the corridor behind the throne room. She had no contingent of guards or bodyguards surrounding her yet as it was early for her to have even arrived for her nightly court. Dusk had barely fallen which meant there was at least an hour of twilight she was required to give to her subjects. That hour was reserved for her and her sister to have dinner 
That routine has also changed over the years. When once they dined together regularly, it was now more common for the princesses to dine seperately. Daily court made her sister more tired as her obligations of enforcing bans became more regular and commonplace. While that was an accepted loss, she still looked forward to sharing breakfast each morning. 
But since this year's Summer Sun Celebration, her sister had spent all of her breakfasts alone, or taken in the throne room before court. Keeping that fact from public knowledge was difficult, but up until now, they had managed to do so with only minor difficulty. The tabloid fervor over their apparent 'falling out' when Celestia first became overwhelmed by work lasted for almost a decade. A repeat would be much, much worse this time around.
The door opened and Celestia stepped out into the hallway. Her expression was unreadable, but Luna could feel her frustration boiling off of her. The frown she tried to hide still tugged at her lips. It was as if she were scowling at herself for having such royal duties. That may have been the case, but Luna pushed those thoughts away from her mind.  Instead, Luna practically pranced over to join her. "Sister! I was hoping you would join me for dinner tonight?"
Celestia feigned a smile. "That depends on what Dutch Oven has planned for this evening. Hopefully not pasta – it stains rather easily."
Luna frowned. "I believe it is taco night."
Celestia laughed, "Your new favorite food this year. What next? Ravioli? Pizza?" Luna held her gaze of concern. Celestia retaliated with her continued smile. Eventually she relented, "Of course. Perhaps it would do me some good to spend more time with you."
Luna smiled and had a bit of spring to her step as they proceeded to their dining room. 
"What wakes you so early, Luna? I thought you liked to sleep in."
"I wanted company for dinner."
Celestia feigned surprise. "And no date? I'm shocked!"
Luna rolled her eyes and snorted. "As if a stallion could keep up with me."
A sly smile crossed her features. "Then perhaps a mare?"
Luna gawked at her. She nearly lost her balance as she stumbled over her hooves. "'Tia!"
Celestia let out a genuine fit of laughter as her flowing tail and mane seemed to swish about. Her smile grew wide and it seemed as though the sun was coming up instead of setting.
Luna had no choice but be drawn into it. She let out some stifled giggles as her stiff posture visibly relaxed. Laughter was still a good measure that part of her sister was still the same. If she lost that sense of humor... well, no matter how detached Celestia seemed to be, she was - for the moment, at least – still the same about some things. It almost made Luna's fears unfounded. Almost.
They entered the dining room together, still recovering from Celestia's jest. The servants waiting there for Princess Luna seemed surprised and relieved at her company for the evening. One of them, a stallion with a baby blue coat, pulled back both of their cushions for them to sit. 
"Thank you, Guss," Luna said. Celestia nodded her thanks.
The stallion bowed and resumed his work lightning candles and the various oil lamps in the room. His curled pink mane bounced as he trotted from one place to another. In his finest, as usual, Luna made a note to give him a raise. Poor Gussied Up didn’t make enough for his discretion.
Another pony – one of the chefs, Thin Slice – stood vigilant by the table, her mane pulled back in a tight bun. Her chef’s apron and hat were in pristine condition, as if they were brand new.
"Cheese and jalapeños for me," Luna said.
"Garden vegetables and cheese, mild salsa, Thin Slice.”
She nodded and trotted off to the kitchens. Guss followed shortly after, leaving the two sisters alone.
They peered out of the glass doors by the table to the slowly darkening sky. Oranges and pinks seemed to be strung together by strips of blues and purples across the horizon. The brightest stars in the sky could barely be seen, but it seemed to draw the rest of the sky together with the soft tapestry. Not a word was passed between them.
When Slice returned with their food, she did her best to go as unnoticed as possible. The aroma of spices and warm salsa filled the air, the steam licking at the edges of the window. After a few minutes of silence, their view was slowly beginning to shorten under the gathering steam on the window. Another cool summer night, it seemed, was planned. Luna sighed. That meant a storm was on the horizon to cool things down – it was about time.
Celestia finally broke her gaze to focus on Luna. "Do you remember the first time we watched the sunset? Together?"
A smile played on edges of Luna's lips. "Of course. How could I forget?"
"Do you remember what we promised?"
Luna paused and her smile dropped. That was a conversation that before now, they'd only had three times. Luna's fear threatened to overcome her.
The first time, was right before they had gone to battle with Discord. His crazed tyranny had pushed them both to breaking point, and all over the world in a race to recover the Elements of Harmony. Right before they had assaulted the castle, Celestia brought up their promise. She reaffirmed it, of course. After that…
"'Tia," she said softly. Luna swallowed hard, taking the momentary pause to gather her courage. "I would never forget that promise. Even when I was Nightmare Moon, I never once forgot. I let you banish me in my moment of clarity during the nightmare."
Celestia closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, held it, and let it go. "Luna... I'm sorry. I know you did. I don't mean to bring up the past."
Luna held her gaze. When her sister’s eyes opened, she watched her turn away. It felt like a slap in the face and her cheeks reddened. "’Tia. I promised before, now, and forever, that no matter what happens, I will always love you and we will always be together. At the end of days, we will only have each other. We’re sisters."
"I broke that promise once-"
"You had to. I let you."
"I–"
Luna rose from her seat and pressed a hoof against Celestia's lips. She strode around the table and dragged her into a warm embrace. "It's alright sister. I'm not leaving you again."
Celestia buried her muzzle into Luna's coat. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She repeated the phrase over and over until it could no longer be distinguished from her soft crying.
Luna held her sister close, but outwardly, as she looked off into the distance, a look of panic was plastered to her features. She knew in her heart that something was horribly wrong. Only once had her sister cried over this conversation, right before she was banished to the moon. But here? There was no dire crisis to Equestria or their relationship, save for her slow hermitage. Luna had tried and tried to comfort her, to draw her away from her demons, but she had closed that door and kept it hidden from her.
What scared her now was that there was nothing more she could do to save her sister from herself – at least… nothing more that wouldn’t repeat the past.


--*--


Willowisp rose from bed late in the afternoon. It had been almost four weeks since her graduation to the Night Guard, and while she wasn’t regretting the decision, she certainly wasn’t enjoying the new routines. Nightly training sessions started before the moon rose, and they lasted until the sunrise. Each night would be filled with intense training routines – running and flying over miles of land, heavy combat training with weapons, she’d never seen or held before. On the nights where she needed to stand guard, she had to wear full combat armor, the heaviest protection in the castle, meant for war. 
But in the last two weeks a new, crazy routine was added to her list of displeasure – doing all of her combat and flying in complete darkness. She lost count of how many bumps and bruises she'd suffered in the caverns below, flying only by sound to guide her. Being a batpony meant that she could harness her ancestor’s use of echo location. She personally thought it was a useless skill at first. It was painful and she felt like a blind mare being forced to fly through an obstacle course.
"Instinct is the fastest response mechanism our bodies have," Captain Lily had said. "When you cannot defend yourself with your eyes, your body must be prepared to do it for you."
Willowisp shrugged. So far she'd manage to catch on quickly. She could use echolocation to guide her in the caves below the castle, their preferred training grounds. But when it came to combat training? She was an utter failure. She’d managed to defend herself against basic swings just by learning her combatant’s preferred method of fighting. Changes in their fighting style, or a change in pace would give her no chance of defending herself. She was hard pressed to make it out without injury.
The batpony slid out of bed, falling gently to the floor. She sighed in content. Yesterday, she was given leave for medical care and recuperation. Running and fighting in the caves had worn out her hooves and the medic had to make sure she wasn’t going to seriously injure herself. A free hooficure wasn’t the best way to spend her short time off, but she seriously appreciated not having that pinching or stabbing pain in her hooves. Her hoofsteps barely clicked on the stone floor as she crossed to the bathroom door. She smiled – hopefully that would help prevent bruises in that night’s combat training.
Glancing in the mirror, her mood soured. Her short mane came with the downside of being unusually fussy when she awoke from her daily sleep. She grabbed hold of a brush and dragged it through her mane, pulling the knots apart by hoof.
Despite the tangles, there was something else bringing down her mood. Spending so much time in front of the mirror had reminded her of her obligation to the force. Mare or stallion, after being accepted into the forces, each pony needed to have their mane and coat dyed to that particular force – that, or they used magic to change it. Needless to say, she was happy with her colors the way they were. She blew a raspberry in annoyance. At least she'd get her colors back when she retired.
A soft knocking came from the door. She rolled her eyes - it seemed being presentable wasn't her most pressing task. She lazily flew over to the door so she could keep brushing, before landing and pulling on the handle.
There was nopony waiting for her in the hallway. Curious, she stuck her head out of the room and looked around. Maybe they were on their way to dinner? As per normal, there were some off-duty guards dawdling in the hallway towards the mess hall, but they were too far off to have been the perpetrators. None of them looked particularly out of breath, and since there was nothing waiting outside her door, it wasn't the mail pony.
Raising an eyebrow, she closed the doors and made sure to shut the lock. Her sense of caution was sufficiently peaked. Was it another test? She moved to look around her room for her gear, but her hoof caught on a small scroll slipped under the door. She picked it up in her teeth and went back into the bathroom to finish up.
A few minutes later she was idly spinning the scroll, trying to find some kind of seal. She'd pulled the paper open, but it was blank. She scrunched up her face in confusion. What was the point of sending a blank letter?
While she fiddled with the answer, her idle hooves managed to make something on the wooden holds slip. She quickly undid the wooden cover and let it clatter to the floor. A small note lay inside.
Your first mission is available. Report at nine o'clock for assignment. Burn when received.
Below it wasn't the symbol of the Night Guard as she was half-expecting. It was Luna's personal seal. A little bit of panic began to leak into her mind. She ran around the room checking to make sure the windows were shut and covered and that she was alone. Satisfied with that, she walked over to the fireplace and set the scroll ablaze. It disappeared immediately, as did the fire.

--*--

Willowisp was thankful that the entrance hall was still empty as it usually was before night court. Princess Luna never usually had visitors at her court until closer to midnight. Most nobles waited until the early hours of the morning - farmers mostly - to make their requests. Those that came during the night were mostly astronomers or ponies or those that couldn't make Celestia's court. Few seemed to actually pay her the respect she was due, if her earlier training held any indication. 
Once while she was shadowing the court guards, one of the nobles came in to make demands of her for some land he wanted to purchase from the royal preserves. When she said no, he wouldn't even response to a reasoned argument for her side. They had to drag him from the court.
She cast her eyes over the room. Everyone and everything seemed to be in their normal positions, but in the hallway, she could see White Lily waiting for her. She hesitated. Was she supposed to go to practice as well? The normal locale was empty when she checked. Slowly, she crossed the room and into the other hallway.
"Punctual," Captain Lily said once she was close enough. The captain closed the distance between them rather quickly and nudged Willowisp forward. "Although being a half an hour early is a bit much. I see you got my letter."
Willowisp looked at her with a hint of confusion on her face. Lily jabbed her with her wing so it went unnoticed. "Free Fall suggested that we begin your training on a simple guard mission. Those guards can't sleep through the night without having somepony being awake they can trust."
Lily pushed her down another hallway. "I'm sure you're excited to get started. But there are a few things we need to discuss." She opened a door in the hall and shoved the startled recruit inside. The door shut quickly behind her as a magical aura covered the doors behind her.
"Good evening, Miss Willowisp."
Willowisp looked up long enough to drop down to a bow. Princess Luna stood in a shadowed corner of the room, resting against a small set of bookshelves. Beside her was the rather terrified looking unicorn mare she'd briefly encountered in the library, and... the tailor?
"Rise, please. This is a huge burden I'm about to place on your shoulders. Formalities are unnecessary."
"I, uh, I'm sorry, Princess." Willowisp spurted out. She rose to her hooves while Captain Lily took a seat at one of the tables in the room.
"Let me preface this discussion by saying that I am aware at how strange this might look. You three may know each other, or not, but I know your paths are rather different from one another. Very different.”
Willowisp looked over at the unicorn, who was taking in deep breaths. Her eyes were still widened and she was shaking slightly. The tailor, on the other hoof, seemed calm and collected. The only tell that something was up, was the constant sliding to the left and right of her forehoof.
"Now, I have my reasons, to which I cannot explain. But I am sending you, under the guise of a royal envoy, across the ocean to France. Your combined skills should be more than sufficient for the task. I need you to find a pony named Twinkle Swirl. The last time she was spotted by the Night Guard, she was in the south of France, on the Isle of Croupsica. I need you to find her and bring her home, along with what she has taken from the treasury. The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance.”
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-6-


Quicksilver stared at the photograph in her hooves as the airship listed gently to the side. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around their task to essentially find and drag a unicorn back home. More dubious, is that they were not told what she took that was so imperative to retrieve.
The mare in the photo was relatively peaceful looking – she was of average build, maybe a little thinner than she should have been. A wide smile was plastered on her face as she played with the bottom end of a telescope. Her mane was lavender, with a stripe of light blue zig-zagging through it. Her tail was much the same, and both looked meticulously cared for. The cutie mark was a a star made from six diamonds, connected at one tip, placed over a swirl of wind.
"So... what are we after?"
Quicksilver looked up from the picture. The question came from one of her cabinmates, Willowisp. The batpony was laying on her bed, staring up at the empty bunk above her. Quicksilver placed the picture on the table and shrugged. "I wasn't really informed."
"Is that because you passed out?" Quicksilver blushed in embarrassment and she scrunched up her features into a scowl. Willowisp giggled. "Relax. I won't harp on it." Quicksilver raised an eyebrow. Willowisp rolled her eyes and set her gaze out the window. Her smile grew wider. "Much."
"It was the first time I've ever been in the presence of royalty! Aren't you the least bit concerned why we're doing this with barely anything to go on?"
Willowisp frowned. "Geez, they don't teach you apprentices much about following orders, do they?"
Quicksilver shot back, "From what I heard, you're quite the slacker."
"Am not! I was sabotaged!"
Golden Thread's head popped through the curtain covering the bunk above Quicksilver's. "Ladies, please be civil. This isn't a fast flight by any means and there is no need to get at each others throats."
Willowisp deadpanned. "That seems ironic coming from a seamstress. Why were you even included in the bunch?"
She raised an eyebrow. "If you must know, I was chosen for my perfect picture memory. It helps with my designs, as well as tracking down important ponies."
Willowisp stayed quiet at that. That was a useful skill to have. For their mission, it seemed like the appropriate decision to send her along. "I have Night Guard training under my saddle."
"I make potions?"
Willowisp paused. She scratched her chin softly. "Truth elixirs? Flytrap gum?"
"You mean can I make those?" That was absurd, of course. She had been trained to make all kinds of potions even on the fly – her mentor would be appalled at any assumption to the contrary. Her momentary confused look on her face turned to an excited smile. Quicksilver nodded. "Of course!" She levitated her personal journal out into the open air beside her. "I even have notes on minor adjustments and alterations I've discovered in practice. Well... Before I read the Advanced–"
Willowisp smiled and cut her off. "Good enough for me. Sorry about before."
Quicksilver set her book down and returned the smile. "Its alright. Although, if you get claustrophobic, maybe we should stay in a different room."
Willowisp looked at her funny. "Huh?"
"You seem to be having trouble keeping your cool – irritability – you have made frequent trips out of the cabin, and you had trouble sleeping last night. My best guess is that being in a space like this, especially suspended high in the air, makes you feel uncomfortable and trapped–"
Willowisp darted out of the room before she could finish. Gold looked down at the stunned unicorn below her.
"Next time, just offer her something."
"I... I was just trying to explain." Quicksilver blinked as a frown came across her face. Her ears flattened against her head. "Oh."
"Don't blame yourself. She'll be alright. Though I'm surprised that she has such a phobia. Batponies like cavernous homes."
Quicksilver looked up at her. "Did you study batpony history?"
"No," Gold said. She lay back on her pillow and looked over her hooves for chips or damage. "But  I did spend some time in Hollow Shades learning classical stitches."
Quicksilver nodded. She stretched out her forelegs and slipped out of her bunk. "Is that where you're from?"
"No, though I'm sure I wouldn't have minded. It has quite a vibrant culture and night life, for obvious reasons." Gold ran the same hoof through her mane and looked over at the picture. "It is probably one of the only places where most of the businesses are open all day and through the night. I think they just pamper their patrons."
Quicksilver giggled. "Where are you from, then?"
"Ponyville. Born there, raised in Canterlot. I've studied practically everywhere in Equestria, mostly before I became 'big'." Golden Thread dropped down to the floor and opened the door to the main hall. Quicksilver was right behind her, closing and locking the door to their room. "I found that Canterlot is my true home, although I visit Ponyville from time to time. It's a quiet town. I'm surprised it never became a city in all its years. Its certainly a popular destination for tourists and the like."
Up on deck, they noticed Willowisp flying around against the backdrop of the morning sky. She twisted and looped around some of the sparse clouds, occasionally kicking off of them as she passed by.
Quicksilver was particularly struck by how she was flying with her eyes closed. It was as if she was being led by blind faith and intuition alone to avoid her obstacles. It was concerning. If she closed her eyes in a flight, she was sure she'd be terrified. 
No, she thought. The danger that it constituted was too much for her to consider risking injuries.
"Dear?" Gold tapped her on the shoulder. "You can close your mouth. Willowisp simply has a knack for flying."
Quicksilver closed her mouth and cleared her throat. She blushed in embarrassment. Gold let out a little chuckle at the journeymare's expense, but Quicksilver figured it was good natured. They sat down on the deck of the ship and continued to watch their compatriot soar through the air above the ship.
Once or twice the Captain floated by, checking on the magical balloons on the sides of the ship. When he did, it drew her attention away from Willowisp. While most airships were designed with a large balloon holding up the ship by ropes, this one was designed to transport many ponies at once. Two large balloons filled with magically charged air sat beneath the hull of the ship along either side. Over the course of the trip it would let out tiny bits of the magic to push the ship forward. By the time they reached their destination, the ship would gently float down to the water, and coast into port. 
It was a rather ingenious design of Princess Sparkle, based on a magical fabric she and the legendary Rarity designed. This self repairing fabric fixed holes and cuts on its own and repelled water to prevent being bogged down by water weight. Combined with an initiative to increase global trade, Princess Sparkle helped to inspire regular airship travel all over the world. 
Of course, there were only official envoys and the pilots employed to the castle on this ship. One of three in the castle's fleet, this ship was top of the line, built by craftsponies at the height of their trade. Regular inspections kept them in pristine condition.
Willowisp passed by close to the ship, and she was shaken from her thoughts.
"It seems strange, doesn't it?"
Quicksilver jumped a little. She pressed a hoof to her chest before turning to face her companion. "What does?"
"Us? The three of us, I mean. We're so... different."
Quicksilver furrowed her brows. She couldn't stop her mind from drifting back to her earlier concerns. It was definitely strange if she continued to look at it as three random ponies sent on an unrelated quest. But, as they managed to figure out, there appeared to be reasons for them to be on this task. 
What was a little more concerning was the implication that they were an intended to be group. Almost like some friends out for a trip to France. She shoved that thought aside in her mind. She was too awkward to have that kind of relationship.
"We were picked for our talents, right? I suppose since that was the case, it wouldn't be that strange."
"Mmm."
They sat in silence for a moment longer, before Gold rose and brushed herself off. "I suppose I should see what Miss Cream Pop's cooking is all about. I think she's the lead cook on the ship today. I'm rather hungry after being shoved onto a flight so late last night."
Quicksilver nodded and watched her go down below deck. After a moment or two, she walked over to the banister and looked out at the ocean below. Horseshoe Bay was just behind the ship, which meant they had officially left Equestria.
She couldn't help but harbor some excitement along with her anxiety. She'd dreamed of going out in the world as a young child, absorbed in the stories in her books. But now? In spite of fulfilling her dreams, she was concerned on what she'd left behind.

--*--

A thousand years was a long time to be patient. Fifteen hundred years, had tried his insatiable will to no end, but now, after almost two thousand years, it had finally reached a boil.
Frustration was only an intermediary sensation. He had won once, long, long ago, and that dream that came crashing down when his pawn took control of the power it had been granted. Then opportunity came again, and once again, another thwarting that wrended it into two separate parts. 
Anger, he felt after he sensed that distant half succeed briefly, only to be utterly destroyed and scattered among the stars. The unbearable pain lashed upon it only festered that anger. But, yet... he continued to be patient.
Then came the destroyer – the ender of his certain place in this world. She ripped parts of him away  leaving him in agony he'd never imagined was possible. As his last home seemed inevitably destroyed, he was released to see the stars once more. 
The half of him that had been split away began to return to him, until the destroyer put a halt to his view.
"I think another piece will make this a sufficient find."
He slithered across the crystal darkness towards that horrible stench of light. That... pony creature had returned again to the caves. 
A low hum filled the caves as he shuddered. How he so desired to take him as his vessel, but he was unsuitable. He had tried to pierce his dreams, but his will was disturbingly well built. Trying any further would have alerted the four limbed being of his presence. He was too close to his goal to risk it.
The sound of a pick against the crystal brought momentary pain to him. The crystals in the cavern vibrated with ambient noise – unfortunately, pleasant to the pony's ears.
Again the pain. And again. Mercy was the creed of these things, yet here was one who had no such love.
"Dew, you have found perhaps the most pristine one in the bunch. This will last for quite a while," the pony said in the darkness. Since he was alone, it was safe to assume that was his name.
That recognition was fleeting as he felt the crystal containing a small part of him break away from the bunch. He writhed about, but this... Dewpony seemed to not care or notice.
"Come my sweet," said Dewpony. Even in his agony, the dark creature noted that a strange liquid was dripping from his mouth. "I have several potions with your name on the ingredients list. It will be a shame to have to grind down one as sweet as you."
Dewpony seemed happy to slide the chunk of crystal into his bag, unaware of the creature's rage building beneath the castle.
As Dewpony trotted back down the established path, the creature returned its focus to the task before him. But he swore that once he was Sunpony, he would destroy Dewpony and every other offender to his existence.
He would start with Dewpony. That was for sure.
	
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


-7-




There was a distinct difference between private and public airships. Public airships were docked beside normal transport ships on the river. In Equestria, they had a whole separate place for them to come in and land, as to not disturb traditional shipping vessels. However, in France, it was clear that they had more grand views on those of private ships. Instead of floating to the river docks like normal practice, the ship slowly glided towards a massive tower, with huge nets suspended by steel and polished stone. As Quicksilver leaned over the banister she could see that it would hold the ship in between, like a drawer in a cabinet.
Just as expected, the ship's approach was rather quick. After the first morning of their trip, the unicorns that worked on the ship placed up an invisible magical barrier, so that the deck hooves and passengers, wouldn't get blown off the ship after increasing to top speed. What she didn't know about, was the sail they used to slow down the ship.
When it rose out of the deck, she turned around and looked at it, shocked. It was facing backwards, and as soon as it unfurled, the pegasi working as deck hooves flapped their wings to produce a counter current.
The airship slowed to a grind as it passed over the city. The background noise of the city began to filter in through the shield as the spell finally wore off. She didn't see the unicorns in charge of that aspect, so she assumed they were exhausted from the one spell.
"Ah, Paris! The culture! The glamour!"
Golden Thread trotted excitedly onto the deck. She peered over one side, made a noise not unlike an excited schoolfilly, and ran to the other side to do it again. Willowisp staggered onto the ship behind her, looking a little worse for wear.
Quicksilver winced. Willowisp, who was on a batpony's sleeping schedule, was a bit messed up from the time differences. She was so used to sleeping during the day, that waking up in the morning was a foreign and unpleasant experience. It didn't help that she tried to adjust her sleeping schedule while en route, to match her new companions. If she had to guess, Willowisp might collapse some time in the afternoon, but she wouldn't put money on it.
"You look... tired," Quicksilver said as politely as she could manage.
"I look like Cerberus."
"Feeling particularly canine this morning?"
Willowisp rolled her eyes and gave a frown. She walked past and grumbled to herself. Quicksilver barely managed to make out her saying, ‘woof’ under her breath.
"Isn't this just fabulous?" Gold cried. She skipped over to the front of the ship and leaned over the front. "We have to make sure we see all the sights while we're here. The Neighffel Tower, The Hoovre–"
Quicksilver quickly cut her off. "We have a job to do, Miss Thread–"
"Call me Gold or Golden," she shot back in a matter-of-fact tone. She smiled and waved her hoof in the air. "I'm not employing you. We're friends."
Quicksilver refrained from cringing, but she still shifted a little uncomfortably. Friends? No, for several reasons. First, she had already triggered Willowisp's claustrophobia and had spilled last nights dinner all over Gold. Second, there was also her lack of obvious wit keeping up with Willowisp. The batpony seemed to be strides ahead of her when it came to jokes. Even Golden had caught on to most of them. Maybe they were inside jokes? She knew nothing of their relationship beforehoof, so she left it alone. Either way, there was no way Golden Thread was serious about that.
The speech barely registered with Willowisp. "Gold. We have a job to do."
Quicksilver piped up, "I agree. If this is as dire as Princess Luna says it is, then we need to find her as quickly as possible."
"But while we're here we can at least dine in style," Gold huffed and strolled beside the banister. "My friend, Tiramisu, is an executive chef with a passing interest in fashion. I met her at the Canterlot fashion show a few years ago and we hit it off rather well."
"Prepare for Port!"
The three ponies looked back at the captain of the ship. He was carefully moving the wheel slightly to the right to bring them in line.
"Slide us a few feet, colts!"
The pegasi on deck flapped their wings in unison, sliding the ship sideways.
"Easy, now!" he called out. The ship caught hold of the polished holster and slid into place with a soft bump against the end of the landing. The captain called out, "Port!"
A specially designed wooden staircase was rolled over the front tip of the boat, and one of the dock workers climbed aboard to secure it in place.
"Perhaps we should go get our things," Gold said.
Quicksilver blushed. Why had she forgotten to repack her bag?

--*--

It was almost an hour before they were let off of the ship and onto the landing of the tower. Their hooves clicked against the wood and steel floor. It was designed less for luxury – more apparently, it was almost like a train station.
Gold knew that this was far better than the docks. On the small support walls for the dome overhead, the steel was shaped by hoof and claw into intricate patterns, curling in on themselves as they wound an ivy path to the ceiling. That too was designed for the elite, with its stained glass ceilings depicting a map of the opposing coastlines. Various figures of ships seemed to dance along the surface with magic.
As she stopped exploring the station with her eyes, she noticed a griffon dressed in a fine black and navy uniform walking towards them. It was quite fitting for a greeter – of which she assumed he was. Another check of her surrounding confirmed that it was the dress code for the tower. He stopped before them and bowed, tipping his hat in respect.
"Bienvennue á Paris, madamoiselles," he said eloquently.
Golden and the others bowed or nodded in kind, but Cream Pop sprinted past them like a tornado, leaping into the waiting arms of a tan coated griffon, with a ring of yellow feathers around his neck.
"Tonton!" she called out as she squeezed him tightly.
"Ma pétit bon-bon! Comment ça va?"
She smiled. Uncle? she mused. It seemed the young chef had some very interesting things in her saddlebags. The reunification of family was heartwarming, but it was not her place to gawk at them like it was unheard of or shameful. Unfortunately it seemed that her two new compatriots didn't know any better. They stared at the exchange of hugs and kisses with confused looks on their faces.
She cleared her throat rather loudly. "Girls? Give them some privacy?"
Quicksilver looked away quickly, a slight blush on her face. At least she had enough sense to understand being polite. Willowisp, on the other hoof, continued to watch them with great curiosity. Gold cleared her throat again, a little louder than before.
Willowisp turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Gold rolled her eyes. "It is impolite to stare. She's greeting family, nothing more."
"Wait, what?" Willowisp's face turned suspicious. "Family?"
"Figuratively speaking, yes." One look at the batpony's face made it clear that she didn't understand. Gold pursed her lips and shifted them to the side. "How best to explain... Did your family ever friend that was introduced to you as an Aunt or Uncle?"
Willowisp shook her head. Quicksilver tapped Gold on the shoulder. She spoke in a hushed tone. "Can this wait? Our group is leaving us behind. We still have to act like we're part of the delegation."
Gold glanced over at the center of the landing. Four steel pillars jutted out of the ground, containing a little glass box. It seemed to be suspended by ropes and cables and wheeled up and down in a frame.
She shuddered. Lifts weren't uncommon in the cities, but most looked more sturdy than a glass box. Watching the delegation walking towards it with a previously unnoticed guide made her shiver.
"Yes," she said, drawing out the word like a warm taffy. Her hesitation was clear, but as expected, neither pony picked up on her trepidation. "I suppose it can wait. We can continue once we're safely on the ground."
Gold followed her companions the short distance at a rather brisk pace, just slipping into the lift with the rest of the royal staff before the door was closed. She nearly jumped as the box began to move downwards into the floor. But it was when they emerged that she really had a problem.
The lift gave a perfect view of the whole city – the glass windowed parts of the tower allowed them to see through the lift out into the bustling streets and main thoroughfare. While the floor wasn't also see through, the harnesses for the cords and pulleys became thin and sleek pieces of steel, preventing obstruction of the view as best as possible. It also made it appear as though the lift was being moved by magic, when there was no such guarantee.
That is precisely why drops of sweat were beginning to form on her brow. Gold was not comfortable with machines like this – without magic – and normally, she took the stairs. She couldn't fathom how uncomfortable it was making Willowisp. Her companion had on a brave face, but she could tell that the batpony mare was losing her patience with small spaces like on the boat.
In fact, when the elevator passed through the ceiling of the enclosed space under the tower, Gold was curious why she hadn't cracked under the heel of her slight fear of lifts. The imminent feeling of falling and crashing to her death didn't seem to–
Her breaths became strained and she could feel panic welling up in her. No, no, she thought angrily. You've had all this time to start panicking, don't you dare go there. You're a royal dignitary for Celestia's sake, act like one!
"Mademoiselle?"
Gold whipped her head over to the right, locking eyes with a now empty car, save for their guide. She flushed in embarrassment and cantered out of the elevator. "Excuse moi, monsieur," she apologized.
He waved her off to signal that he understood. Her companions were far less discrete.
Willowisp smirked. "Afraid of little glass boxes?"
Gold's features soured. It was as if Willowisp was smiling from the top of each fuzzy tipped ear. Normally, she'd let it go, but she decided a small passing shot would be better. "As a matter of fact, I'm not afraid of glass boxes. I have several on my night stand for my jewelry, a few in my work room, and perhaps another in the bathroom for the soap."
The intended effect was immediate. Willowisp 'lost interest' in poking fun of her, and returned her focus to following the ponies in front of her.
Perhaps two stories high, the domed ceiling was fitted with huge windows, letting tons of natural light pour in. Ponies and griffons alike moved in huge crowds in all directions. Some smaller permanent booths seemed to have lines spinning out of the confused mess of citizens and travelers. Along the walls were large crystal panels, displaying arrival and departure times for different airships. A few looked like they needed their magic refreshed, but otherwise the atmosphere of luxury stayed intact.
"Gold?" Quicksilver's voice carried over the crowd around her. She turned away from the beauty of the station and focused on the booth in front of her. Quicksilver pointed at the booth. "You're next."
She stepped forward and dug around in her bag. She produced a small wooden tablet, with an inlaid piece of paper – her passport – and placed it on the counter. The stallion behind the counter dipped a small wooden stick into a pool of hot wax, before pressing it against the bottom of the page. "Welcome to Paris, Mizz Thread," he said in rather poor Equestrian. "I 'ope you enjoy your stay."
Gold scooped up her passport and stuck it back into her bag. As she walked over to stand by Quicksilver, she felt like she was being watched for the first time since they arrived. That was obviously nonsense – the hunted never watch the hunters before they know they're being hunted.
Quicksilver tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Gold? I was just wondering–"
Gold gave a nod, but she had completely zoned out of the conversation. The feeling of being watched was getting worse. Her eyes flicked around the room, trying to find something, some lead or connection to follow. But as soon as it had come, the feeling stopped.
"–right? I mean, this isn't your first time abroad, is it Gold?"
Gold was now painfully aware that she had been ignoring a rather concerned looking Quicksilver. She winced. "Sorry, what was the matter?'
"My passport – I'm not wearing the same mane cut as when I took the picture. I don't think it matters, does it? Like if we go to leave and then they think I'm not who my passport says it is?"
Gold looked at her with some trepidation. She humored Quicksilver and took hold of her passport with her magic. It looked almost identical to the frantic mare. "I don't see a difference. I'm sure it will be fine."
"But–"
Willowisp cut her off, as she rejoined the two mares. "The tour group is ready to bring us to the parliament building. They have a car waiting outside." As they turned to rejoin the group, Willowisp asked, "Why are we taking a train?"