Chapter Three: A New Light

Equestria, Crystal Empire, 05-27-1005 A.N.M., Sunrise(After Nightmare Moon)

A hoof to her lower back brought Twilight out of one of the best rests she had had in the longest time. Groggily, Twilight wiggled a bit, trying to get more comfortable. The hoof dug in further. Turning to see whose hoof it was, Twilight’s sleepy gaze fell on the smiling face of the newest alicorn. Princess Rainbow Dash looked at her, her cute face framed with a long, cyan addition that only added to her beauty.

Suddenly, the hoof that had woke her up pushed itself into her belly, eliciting a huge laugh from her. Giggling, Rainbow tickled her a couple more times before rolling out of the sleeping bag they shared.

“Rainbow, how long have you been watching me?” she asked the former pegasus.

Rainbow blushed a bit as she replied. “Oh, about the last few minutes or so. You’re so cute when you first start waking up.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, with my unruly bed mane.” Twilight grumbled. Rainbow just chuckled.

What had happened almost five days ago was very much on both Twilight and Rainbow’s minds as they set about their first morning routine; reaffirming a bond that was so new, yet older than both Solaris and Selene themselves. When the Aurora itself opened, and took the love of her life away, Twilight had thought she had lost her. Only the steady beating of Loyalty in her heart let her know that Rainbow was still alive.

Rainbow was still unwilling to tell her exactly what went on, only saying that the story needed to wait until they got to Ponyville.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today Twi?” The lavender alicorn looked up, then looked around the plateau that was incongruently located at the summit of Mount Everfest. Her gaze traveled to where an altar that had featured so prominently in her and Rainbow’s lives recently stood before it traveled back to the eyes of the mare next to her.

“Well, first, we need to get down. Shouldn’t be too hard, the storm has finally quieted down. Odd, that; this storm has raged for centuries, ever since Sombra was sealed away. Anyway, once we get down, we need to head the the Crystal Palace.”

Twilight looked up to see an almost scared-looking expression on Dash’s face. “Um, Twi, we kinda can’t let anypony besides you know I’m an alicorn and princess until we get to Ponyville, remember? Is there any way we can avoid the palace?”

Becoming more frightened by the minute, Rainbow looked at Twilight, only to jump up out of real fright as Twilight’s wings disappeared inside her barrel, lavender sparks of magic floating off of them as they disappeared. Smirking, Twilight pointed at Rainbow’s fairly new horn, then told her the most incongruent thing she could have said. “Just hide it Dashie; you’ll just look like you always did.”

After the last three weeks she had had, Rainbow was pretty certain that the universe was just TRYING to find ways to scare the horseapples out of her. Seeing her lovers’ wings disappear like that was simply the scariest thing she could think of. “Twilight, what kind of spell was THAT?!” she squeaked, sounding more like Fluttershy than Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow, it’s not a spell; alicorns don’t need spells to disguise themselves as pegasi or earth ponies. All you have to do is will your body to change, and it will change. It’s fairly simple.” Twilight then proceeded to reverse the process; not only did her wings return, her height did as well.

Rainbow was starting to get confused. How was she supposed to cast a spell that didn’t involve direct control of her magic? She was about to ask Twilight what would sound like a really stupid question, but stopped herself when she remembered that there was someone else she could ask; Serenity.

Perhaps the most confusing, yet wonderful thing to happen to Rainbow was the fact that she now had a connection to a deep presence that had existed since the beginning of time. A presence that had waited for someone like her since the dark forces had first started gathering. This being, for lack of a better term, was the living embodiment of her realm. Serenity, as she preferred to be called, had been the guide for this whole hair-brained scheme, and if there was anything she had learned, it was that she could ask that gentle, yet fierce soul anything and not get rebuffed. <Serenity, can you please explain what she did? It’s confusing me.>

Within a few moments, the gentle presence in her heart guided her to the answer. Alicorns were able, by their deep connection to the very magic they were made up of, to make themselves look like ordinary pegasi or earth ponies, by willingly suppressing the ambient magics connected to the natures they wanted to hide. Well, she told me that outside of our realm, I wouldn’t be able to hear her voice until it was time for the big reveal. Sighing, Rainbow concentrated on the task at hand. Focusing on the ambient magic within her, she willed her Unicorn and earth pony magics to go deeper into her frame. Within a few moments, she felt like she had weeks earlier, though she could still sense the new mana that was within her.

“Oh wow, Rainbow, you caught onto that real quick!! Feels weird though, doesn’t it?”

“Heh, yeah, you get used to things as an alicorn a lot faster than I would’ve thought.” Rainbow looked on as Twilight levitated the saddlebags that she had brought on their trip through the Caves of Memory.

Learning how to use magic was still something of a chore for Rainbow. If she didn’t have Twilight for a tutor, who was able to use Rainbow’s depth-perception method of learning to great effect, she would have been lost when all the craziness started. She didn’t think those that were destined for alicornhood had trouble with their magic, until she remembered how much trouble Twilight had learning to fly. She had been getting better though, and had even learned to do a few of the more basic tricks over the last few months. “Hey Twi, um, don’t take this the wrong way, but why did you have problems learning how to fly? I thought flying came naturally to all alicorns.”

Twilight looked at Rainbow, then looked down, her ears flattening on her head. “Well, at the time, I didn’t want to be a princess. That translated to not wanting my wings. It wasn’t until I started helping you study for the Wonderbolt Reserve exam that I really became committed to being an alicorn, though I was still unsure about my role as a princess.”

Rainbow remembered that her flying did get better after that.. “Yeah, it did, though you were still a rookie,” she teased, hoping to cheer her love up.

Twilight bumped up against her side, then said in a mock-serious tone, “Oh, laugh it up, miss Best Young Flier. Not everypony has the time to lay about like you do.” They both laughed; this sort of teasing had become a way for them to relieve the stress during their journey. Now though, it was just one more link in the chain that bonded two very different souls together.

Twilight reached over and kissed her mare. Sighing, Rainbow lost herself in the feel of her lover's’ lips on hers. They stood like that for a few moments, basking in each other’s presence. Breaking off the kiss, Twilight looked at her and said, “Come on Rainbow, we got a long trek ahead of us.”

Leaving the summit of Mount Everfest, the two made their journey down the mountain, eager to rejoin civilization after so long an absence.

Crystal Empire, 05-29-1005, A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The two days that it took them to climb down the summit were brighter than either Rainbow Dash or Twilight were expecting. When they made it to the base of the mountain in the late afternoon, they had been expecting snow. What they found was a land in the throes of early spring. Virtually all the snow that they had slogged through after coming out of the caves had melted. It seemed that the last vestiges of the curse Sombra cast on these lands was finally gone.

The atmosphere around them served to lighten the spirit of the two mares further, eliminating the last vestiges of stress they had carried throughout their journey. With an unspoken accord, the two decided to take a slower time returning to the Crystal Empire, in order to fully enjoy a freed land. Nopony was expecting them, since they had told their friends that their task would likely take a few months to complete.

Though they had been wanting to make their way back to the Crystal Empire as soon as they could, Twilight and Rainbow realized that there was no rush; nopony was expecting them back any time soon, since such a journey would normally take several months. So, the two decided to extend their journey for a few days. This was also a great time for Rainbow to get used to other aspects of her new magic, particularly that of her Earth Pony magic.

The next couple of days were spent in bliss. There was fresh crystal berries on the tundra, and plenty of fresh water. The nights were balmier than the northern territories should be, proving that the protection provided by the Crystal Heart extended far further than originally thought. This made Twilight happy, knowing that her sister-in-laws’ kingdom was so much larger than that tiny Kingdom.

Twilight and Rainbow spent the balmy nights exploring the love that had become so precious to them in such a short time. Since there was nopony around to see them, Rainbow dropped her disguise at night, to better share these precious moments. Truly, she was the most blessed of mares to have such a lovely partner all to herself.

For Twilight, learning everything she could that she never knew about Rainbow was such a novel experience. She learned that her life partner was far more girly than she let on. Rainbow confessed that much of her tomboyishness was a result of wanting to impress her miserable excuse for a father, who wanted sons instead of daughters, and had left after the last of his and her mother’s four children was born a filly. Last she had heard, Rainbow’s father was living in Las Pegasus, working as a bar hop in the casinos there.

Teaching Rainbow Dash magic had been particularly taxing for Twilight. The relaxed atmosphere gave her a chance for her to do some practical testing of Rainbow’s skills, which had improved by leaps and bounds since their journey began. She was able to spend time, in a relaxed setting, to improve on her lover’s knowledge of magic, though Rainbow still had trouble sitting still when reading the few dry spellbooks she had. All in all, though, this was a relaxing time for the pair of them. A vacation of sorts, since once they got back to Ponyville, things were going to get real busy.

Little did either mare know, that their idyllic vacation was about to get far more exciting than either expected.

Crystal Empire, 06-03-1005, A.N.M., 10:22 A.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Stalwart Beauty, a Crystal Unicorn that had been living north of the palace when Sombra first cursed these lands, was in the field harvesting the hardly crystal berries, intending to take them to the village market. She was interrupted by her little filly, Radiant Belle, calling for her. “Mama, come see, come see, there’s a princess on the path here!!”

“Oh Belle, how many times must I tell you; the Crystal Princess lives in the palace, and is far too busy with all of the newly freed Crystal Ponies to come here.” Not satisfied with her answer, little Radiant proceeded to jump up and start bouncing on her mother’s back. Groaning exasperatedly, Beauty turned her head to deal with her daughter, knowing she wouldn’t get any work done until she did.

“But mama, this one is purple, not pink,” the little filly said.

“Oh all right, I’m coming, I’m coming!!” Setting the baskets that she had been levitating down, Beauty followed her daughter to the path that led to what served as a road, only to stop in shock. Walking down the path were two ponies that she had never seen before; a purple alicorn, and a cyan pegasus. She, however, knew who the alicorn was, having seen her face in a vision last evening; Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.

“Oh, Your Highness, you’re early! We weren’t expecting you until later today. Please, come with me, you and your friend; the Mayor has been waiting for you to begin the festivities.” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash. Neither of them had suspected that there were crystal ponies living outside of the palace lands themselves. Nor were they expecting to find a Crystal Unicorn of all things; no one had been aware that any of them had survived, as Sombra had been fond of sawing off their horns to prevent rebellion.

For her part, Rainbow was far more interested in the little filly that was using her back as a trampoline. The youngster was all kinds of cute, and reminded Dash of a mixture of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “Oh please, can I ride on your back miss pegasus? Your wings are so soft!”

“Belle, will you please leave the nice pegasus alone?” the fillies’ mother asked. “I’m sure she doesn’t need extra weight on her back like that.”

Belle looked at her mother, then at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow winked, and bent her head to whisper into the little foal’s ear. “As long as you settle down a little, you can ride squirt. I don’t mind.”

Belle nodded, then curled up on Rainbow’s withers. Turning to the fillies’ mother, she said, “Oh, she’s not hurting me there; I kinda like it when cute fillies and colts ride on my back. Reminds me of when I used to ride on the back of my eldest sister.” Rolling her eyes, Twilight just kept walking, following Beauty to the center of the little settlement of Crystal Ponies.

“So, miss, you said you were expecting me?” she asked the unicorn mare. “Did Princess Cadenza manage to get a message to you?”

Belle turned to Twilight, confused for a moment. “Are you speaking of the Crystal Princess?” she asked Twilight. Twilight nodded. “Well, she did send word that you were in the area, though she thought it would be a couple more days. I assume that the pegasus is Miss Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow looked up and nodded, then turned and smirked at the little filly on her withers.

“Yes, that’s right. I imagine that this has been a shock for you. I wasn’t aware that any Crystal Unicorns survived…,” Twilight broke off, swallowing a lump that had suddenly lodged itself in her throat. Looking at Stalwart Beauty, she was surprised to see a satisfied smirk on the unicorn’s muzzle.

“You mean all of the stories about Sombra sawing off our horns, right?” She asked. Twilight nodded cautiously. Smirking even more, Beauty huffed a little. “Can’t believe that one-trick pony managed to convince others that he actually did that. I mean, sure, he enslaved us, but seriously, sawing off our horns? Yeah, he would have been fat out of luck if he did that.”

Rainbow hadn’t been paying much attention to the conversation, until something the last shade of Sombra she 86’ed clicked with what Beauty had just said. The shade had claimed that his master was the lord of shadows and darkness, and as long as those forces existed, then Sombra would be able to escape Tartarus. Yet, her conjured crystal blade was able to sap said powers easily. So Sombra had no ability to find real crystal. This means that he would have had to have help in sealing the Crystal Heart. Or maybe, he didn’t seal it at all, instead using what was already in place.

“Huh, so you mean to tell me that all of the crystal he mined was found by others?” Rainbow Dash asked the unicorn.

Turning to the pegasus, Beauty nodded. “He wanted enough to ensure that nopony could break into the vault where the Crystal Heart was kept in times of war, or when it wasn’t being charged. Mayor Dawn was one of the few who warned the Steward to not trust Sombra. All of us Crystal Unicorns knew that it was a bad idea to trust such an important position to an outcast, but we’ve always been ruled by a pony that wasn’t themselves a Crystal Pony.”

“Steward? Wait, an outcast? Did this pony have a name?” Twilight asked. She looked hard at Beauty. “Please, I need to know; did said outcast have a name?”

Beauty frowned. “Yes, the traitor did. Darkhoof.”

Twilight gasped, then scowled. Her expression darkened further, until she huffed out an exasperated snort. “I cannot BELIEVE those imbeciles would stoop that low.” Turning to Stalwart Beauty, she gave her a sad frown. “Darkhoof was a disgraced noble of Equestria. On the request of the Council, he was sent by Princess Celestia to oversee relations between our two kingdoms. He and another noble were exiles from Unicornia; they were the only two that supported Platinum’s wish to create a new kingdom. ”

Rainbow looked at Twilight. “Twi, you’re not serious, are you? That took place centuries before the first Hearth’s Warming!!”

Twilight looked at her in confusion, before facehoofing. That’s right, she doesn’t know. Nopony does except the Princesses. Turning to Rainbow, Twilight then said, “The Shanksmare play we all starred in all those years ago was a fabrication. One of my Professors at Celestia’s school actually told me that the original version had changed several times, since many of the historical records were lost to a fire that occurred in the Equestrian Royal Archives in 290 A.D. Shanksmare didn’t have a lot to go on, so she did the best she could.”

“Twilight, that one article that claimed that the First Hearth’s Warming play was a near complete fabrication was true, wasn’t it?” Rainbow asked her marefriend.

“Yes Rainbow, it was. The names were the only things that were accurate, as well as the depiction of the spell they all cast. Even the songs came later, during the celebration that took place over the days after all of the Windigos fled. Everything else was ‘poetic license’ by Shanksmare. Also, the common practice of having mares play the roles of stallions didn’t help. I’ve been lobbying to get the more accurate version out, but the Equestrian School Board won’t change their curriculum, stating that there’s no proof that the records I found at the Castle of the Two pony Sister’s are accurate.”

“Um Twilight, that fire was set deliberately by the Council, wasn’t it?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight hesitated before replying. “Well, Luna seemed to think so, but there was no way to prove that at the time, since she had no real authority over the Council.” Her expression turned dark. “It was that same Council that started pressuring ponies to ‘fear the night’.”

“Okay, this is confusing. Twi, this all implies that this Darkhoof and Sombra were sent by the Council years before it disappeared. Did something else happen between those two points in time?”

“Yes, though what did happen is not something I can freely discuss unless in the presence of the Princess,” Twilight said in reply. “All I can really say is that Darkhoof was personally responsible for the original fall of the Crystal Empire, since he was the one that enabled Sombra to get to the Crystal Heart. At the time they were first sent, neither Celestia or Luna knew much about this Empire, aside from the legends concerning the Crystal Princess. I just hope everypony was able to recover from what Darkhoof did. He truly was Sombra’s puppet.”

Stalwart Beauty looked at the three ponies walking back to the settlement with her. I don’t know if I should tell them or not, but I can’t leave them in the dark. He’s changed, he really has, and I can only hope they’ll see that… forgive me papa. Sighing, Beauty proceeded to figuratively throw her father to the hounds.

“Princess Twilight? I think there’s something I should tell you.” Twilight looked at her with a question in her eyes. “The former Steward hasn’t gone by the name Darkhoof since his ‘associate’ betrayed him and the rest of us. He even willingly went through the crystallization process to become one of us, and married a fellow Crystal Unicorn. He was the one that convinced us to just work with Sombra, knowing that the Princesses wouldn’t hesitate to take the tyrant down.” She smiled, a little sadly. “Growing up, I had it hard, being constantly looked down by what my father did. It was only later that I found out just what he sacrificed to save us. Sombra wasn’t pleased with his agent, but there was little he could do. Even one dead unicorn would have been the end of all of his plans, since all of us had memorized a memory purging spell.” Shocked, Twilight looked at the unicorn, then at the filly riding on Rainbow’s withers. “Yes Princess; my mother, who is our Mayor, myself, and my father are devotees of the Aurora. Our kind were created to power and protect the Crystal Heart. Papa willingly became one of us to repair the damage he had done by following Sombra’s plans.” She then snorted. “Not that any of the Crystal Ponies and the Crystal Pegasi will ever accept him, even as one of us. That’s why we’re still here; not only to watch over these Crystal Berry fields, but so we don’t have to deal with those high-and-mighty ponies that can’t let the past stay in the past.”

For her part, Rainbow was tuning most of what Stalwart Beauty and Twilight were discussing, after getting over the fact that the only play she really enjoyed wasn’t fully true. She was far more concerned with walking as softly as she could, so she wouldn’t disturb the now-napping filly on her back. She heard the little unicorn sigh. Must be dreaming, the cute dear. She’s such a darling, I wonder why she wasn’t shy around me? I mean, I’m a complete stranger to her. Suddenly, the little filly opened her eyes, sleepily blinking at the ‘pegasus’ that she was riding on. Moving so that she could wrap her front hooves around Rainbow’s neck, she leaned in to whisper into her ears; “I love you, Princess.” She then slid down, sleepily trotting to climb on her mother’s back.

Rainbow was nonplussed. This was the first time that anypony besides Twilight had called her Princess. Though she was comfortable in the role, she wasn’t ready for the adoration that came with it. She was growing a little concerned, until she saw the cutie mark that adorned Radiant Belle’s tiny flank; a crystal heart made up of all the colors of the rainbow, with a sunburst around it. An image flashed in her mind, and she smiled. One of the true Faithful, huh? I don’t envy her parents, not at all.

One might think that adoration would be something she would search for; however, this was all kinds of different. Being worshiped because she was the Best Young Flyer, or because she was a Wonderbolt was one thing. Those things were based on her accomplishments. However, being adored because of her nature, even if it was her own actions that brought it about, was simply not something she was at all comfortable with. Is this how Twilight feels all the time? Huh, no wonder she goes out of her way to avoid accolades. It's not just that she's almost as shy as Flutters, but that she really feels that she shouldn't get praised for doing what was necessary. Or for getting all of the credit when there were others that helped too.

Chapter Four: The Journey Home

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Crystal Empire, 06-03-05 A.N.M., 12:34 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The journey to the settlement took most of the morning; not because the fields were all that far from the settlement, but because of the sheer number of Crystal Ponies that wanted to see one of the heroines of the Crystal Empire. When they became aware that Rainbow was also involved, they were even more excited.

Of course, being who she was, Rainbow Dash naturally basked in as much of the limelight as she could. Normally, this would be because of her not inconsiderable ego. However, she did it this time for far different reasons. The first was that she wanted to get as much of the adoration as Rainbow Dash, the pegasus that helped free the Crystal Ponies as she could. She knew that as soon as the truth came out, she would be adored for something that was, in a very real sense, frightening.

The other reason was that she was trying to draw as much attention from Twilight as she could. Rainbow had always known that Twilight hated the limelight, at least on some level. She even had mentioned such to her friends on more than a few occasions. However, tied to her love as she was now, she could feel the waves of consternation, nervousness, and even fear that Twilight was suppressing. So, Rainbow did as much as she could, which was only getting harder the closer they got to the settlement.<A little help, Serenity?> she asked. A wordless assurance was felt, and Rainbow felt peace and serenity descend on her. Using a connection that was still new, Rainbow let that serenity translate to Twilight, to lessen the burden she was holding.

For Twilight, the journey to the Crystal Pony settlement reminded her exactly why she hated adulation. No matter how much she wanted to be like the Princess, Twilight was not at all comfortable with the limelight, especially when other ponies were far more deserving of it. Plus, it brought back all of her old fears of failure and inadequacy. Her breathing exercises to stave off her panic attacks were something she couldn’t do in crowds, and it was getting harder to breathe. Before she could fall apart though, a calm serenity descended over her. Looking over, she caught the eyes of Rainbow Dash, and smiled. As long as Rainbow was by her side, she could weather any storm. Rainbow smiled back, knowing that Twilight would do the same for her when needed.

Crystal Empire, 06-03-05 A.N.M., 12:47 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Brighthoof grunted as he finished his daisy, peanut butter, and Crystal Berry jam sandwich. Paperwork always made him ravenous, not to mention grouchy. Even though he was incredibly grateful that he and the rest of his fellow Crystal Unicorns were now free of Starswirl’s Seal, he was NOT AT ALL happy to be once again forced to deal with paperwork. Even though the intervening time between the Sealing and it’s breaking had enabled Equestria to catch up to Utopia in terms of technology, said technology was prohibitively expensive. In fact, outside of the administrative offices at the Crystal Palace, there wasn’t a single government office that had even a recording crystal; though there were such things as phonographs and cameras.

Stalwart Beauty was of the opinion that the reason said technology was being held back wasn’t because of cost, but because the Crystal Empire was still trying to acclimate itself after being sealed for so long. Brighthoof, and his wife Radiant Dawn were of a different opinion. There were many within the government offices that were mistrusting of the common Crystal Pony, and were outright hostile to Crystal Unicorns in general. The local administrator that the Crystal Princess had sent made that plain. As long as he, and any of his family were in charge, there would be little aid sent to the far-flung settlements.

Brighthoof sighed, turning back to his hated paperwork. When the Seal first broke, the image he and the other Faithful had seen was disjointed and confusing. None of them were even sure which of the two ponies involved was their new Princess. Many thought that the pegasus Rainbow Dash was; however, word was that she was still a pegasus had recently come. It was likely that Princess Twilight was the one, though something deep inside Brighthoof felt otherwise.

Brighthoof’s efforts to at least deal with the pile in front of him were cut short by the abrupt entrance of his aide, a young Crystal Pony by the name of Sunshine. She was one of those that had recently emigrated to the settlement, along with her family. Devotees of the Aurora, her family was being ostracized by officials in the city that were trying to outlaw that worship. “Deputy Mayor, there’s a pony out here you really need to see. It’s her.” Brighthoof started, then abruptly got up from his desk. Happily taking any excuse to leave his hated paperwork behind, Brighthoof followed the mare outside.

The first thing he saw upon leaving the Mayor’s residence was his daughter, Stalwart Beauty. Radiant Belle, his granddaughter, was riding on her back, looking sleepy yet happy. Next to her was a Crystal Pegasus that Brighthoof would happily wish would just vanish, Storm Breeze. He was the administrator, all around plothole, and fairly useless pony that was sent by the Crystal Council when their territory came unsealed. The third pony was easily recognizable; Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and Alicorn of Magic. The last pony, however, was something totally unexpected, yet wonderfully welcome. Standing next to Princess Twilight was the Alicorn of Light, Princess Rainbow Dash.

Brighthoof was confused. How couldn’t anypony else see this? The radiant glow spiraling off her mane and tail; her cutie mark of a shield superimposed by a multicolored thunderbolt. Even her horn was a thing of beauty; a bright cyan blue, just like her coat. Getting more confused, Brighthoof was about to step forward to ask, when he felt a knock on the door of his mind. He knew who that was, because she was looking right at him. <Grandpa, don’t say anything until tonight. Only us Faithful can know. Um, your eyes are glowing still.> Realizing that he had his True Sight up, Brighthoof dropped it. As he did so, Princess Rainbow reverted to looking like an ordinary pegasus. Well, all except the aura around her; that was something that likely marked her as their Princess and was probably subconscious.

Further musing was brought to a halt by the arrival of his wife, Radiant Dawn. With a feigned supercilious air, Dawn walked forwards to the group. She then went into a formal, yet quick bow. Brighthoof could tell by her posture that it was just as facetious as everything else; this was an act that made him want to roll his eyes. He noticed that two of the lackeys Storm Breeze brought with him were moving to cut him off from the group. Uh oh, this isn’t good. A blast of magic from Beauty’s horn knocked them both off their hooves. With a scowl, Storm Breeze moved to accost her, only to have Twilight move to stand aggressively in front of him.

“Before you take any more action, I suggest you realize that while I’m here, everypony here has the protection of five crowns. Take any more action against him or his own and I’ll see to it that you will spend the rest of your days patrolling the Badlands. I’ve heard that changelings particularly like Crystal Ponies; they have so much love for them to drain.” Turning to the others that were part of that crowd, Twilight’s voice took on an edge of anger. “Listen up!! I’m only going to say this once; attitudes of dislike or even hatred will not be tolerated in MY presence. Lord Brighthoof has my full protection.” With that, she moved to stand next to Brighthoof, Rainbow Dash and the rest following her. The group moved towards the manor, with Storm Breeze’s eyes following them hatefully. Glancing at Princess Rainbow, Brighthoof was pleased to see a look of disgust in her eyes. Scowling further, Storm Breeze made to object, then blanched when the local Ruby Guard commander pointed his spear at him aggressively.

A few minutes after that altercation, the various ponies involved (minus Storm Breeze and his cronies, who were nursing their wounds inside the stocks after being escorted there by members of the Ruby Guard), were sitting around the table in the smallest of the conference rooms. Mayor Dawn was sitting at the head of the table; next to her was her daughter and husband. Radiant Belle was with the rest of the foals, though it took a stern look from Rainbow Dash to get her to go with them. Twilight and Rainbow were sitting on either side of the two, with Sunshine sitting next to Twilight. She looked uncomfortable there, though Brighthoof likely thought that had more to do with the fact that Starshine was uncomfortable in any situation that wasn’t formal.

For the last few minutes, they had all been discussing pleasantries while some snacks and drinks were being prepared. Once one of their aids had done so, Dawn cleared her throat. “Well, Princess Twilight, Rainbow Dash,” she said, in an apologetic manner. “I hope that little display didn’t give you a bad impression of our community. For the most part, we here are fairly tolerant of other ponies, even those with unfortunate pasts.” Her expression grew pensive then, as if there was something that she wanted to say, yet didn’t know how to phrase it.

Stalwart Beauty spoke up then. “Mother, there’s no reason to hesitate. Princess Twilight and Miss Dash here already know. I told them already.” Seeing the shocked and angry look that her mother was leveling at her, Beauty snorted in irritation. “Mother, I wasn’t about to keep a secret like that from a Princess, especially one that was the personal student of Princess Celestia. From the pointed question that she asked me, I assumed that she was already aware. The conversation that we had on the way confirmed that.”

Brighthoof had an amused smirk on his muzzle. Once again, his daughter was showing how bright she was, considering there hadn’t been much time between their release and the arrival of the pair of princesses to properly prepare. He was just glad that his daughter had the chutzpah to put that plothole in his place; Storm Breeze and his cronies had been nothing but a problem since they had arrived with the newest exiles several days ago.

Rainbow looked at them. “It seems as though you guys have been having a great deal of difficulty with them, huh? Any particular reason why he and the others were sent?” she asked, looking directly at Brighthoof.

Brighthoof sighed. Should have known she’d be the one to ask the tough questions. Not pulling your punches, are you my Princess? Shifting a little in his seat, Brighthoof answered her. “Well, there are several, and all of them revolve around me I’m afraid.” He raised a hoof. “Before we get into those reasons, I wish to thank you for intervening on my daughter’s behalf. We’re already in deep water with the Crystal Council as it is, and my daughter isn’t helping any with her insistence on defending my honor.” Turning an exasperated gaze on Stalwart Beauty, Brighthoof went on.

“For the record, none of us would be having the problems we are if I had been able to agree to the Council’s demands. It seems, no matter what I had done after, few are able to forget that I originally came with Sombra. I wasn’t aware of his and the Equestrian Council’s plans until he started imprisoning Crystal Ponies.” The frown on Brighthoof’s muzzle grew deep. “Indeed, had I known what I know now, Sombra would have likely been sealed away long before we came here.” He sighed at that. “Well, that’s water under the bridge. I’m sure you want a full explanation.” Concentrating, Brighthoof teleported the manuscript of his memoirs in front of Twilight. “There is a condensed version of our journey, which actually started when I first met Sombra in Utopia. You might be aware of some of it Princess, as I know you have access to more history than most.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, I do, although there’s quite a bit that has been lost to us.” Twilight looked sad. “Part of that has been the result of the efforts of many of the moneyed unicorns trying to keep the ‘politically correct’ versions in place.” She emphasized her statement with hoofquotes. “You mentioned other problems. What do those entail exactly?” She looked sheepish at this. “I kind of promised my sister-in-law that I would help catalogue the Crystal Library’s legal section next time I came for an extended visit, but I haven’t had the chance yet.”

Dawn, Beauty, and Brighthoof shared a concerned look at this. The three knew, without any doubt, that mentioning this part would bring the wrath of their Princess down on Unbound Crystal Ponies. That was something they wouldn’t wish on any of their Crystal Pony brethren. Not saying anything, however, would only make the situation worse. “Well,” Stalwart Beauty began, hesitatingly, “it has to do with the reason why we’re all out here, instead of joining the other larger settlements.” Looking dejected, Beauty went on. “Nearly all of the Crystal Ponies here are devotees of the Light itself. That’s caused some problems, as it seems Sombra laid down some laws preventing any Crystal Pony from openly worshipping the aura that the Crystal Heart emits.” Seeing the shocked and angry look on their guest’s faces, Dawn continued.

“It gets worse than that I’m afraid. The Council has amended such laws, which means that this community has been excommunicated from the rest of the Empire.” She sighed. “It’s only because the Ruby Guard is loyal to Prince Shining Armor that we’re still here. “ She then pulled a stack of documents that one of the aids had left on the table next to the door. “Here’s several copies of the eviction order that I was to deliver to the ponies around here in two days’ time. I already sent word to the Crystal Princess that we will accede to the demands.” Dawn looked sad. “I only hope that sanctuary in Equestria will be enough.”

Twilight looked shocked. “B-but I t-thought that the Crystal Empire followed the meritocracy,” she stuttered in disbelief. “How can they do s-something like that without Cadance’s approval?”

Brighthoof snorted at that. “Simple, Princess Twilight. It’s only with the blessing of Serenity that Princess Cadenza is still on her throne. The Crystal Council is in charge of the ENTIRE empire, which is more than just that small city you’ve seen.” He waved his hoof at the map that was on the wall, which showed all of the lands that were previously covered in snow. Only one small area was marked in the bands that represented Cadance’s kingdom. “If they decide to call a vote of no confidence, even that will change.”

A flash of light pulsed from Princess Rainbow Dash’s eyes, along with a deep sense of both anger and sadness. Once it passed, Brighthoof knew that the unfortunate had happened. What he heard in his mind next only confirmed what he already knew.

<That’s not happening, Steward Brighthoof,> the princess said. <Serenity’s blessing will always be upon the Crystal Princess, as she is a descendant of the first King. You’ll likely get word to return to the Crystal Palace soon, because in three days time that so-called Council will be no more.>

Brighthoof looked sad at that. <Can you perhaps leave Storm Breeze’s son out of this, my Princess? He’s not part of it, and only came because his father forced him to,> he asked her silently. She nodded slightly, knowing that the colt was a closet Faithful. Smiling gently, Brighthoof softly nodded in thanks.

The rest of the conversation diverted to other matters. They were interrupted once by one of the Ruby Guard, who came in carrying scrolls that were copies of a formal complaint. Not that such a thing would matter. Posturing aside, there was little Storm Breeze or his cronies could do, since Twilight’s authority encompassed any and all who held friendship in their hearts. Beauty regaled both the princesses (one who was still disguising herself as the pegasus she used to be for some reason) with stories of all the trouble Belle got into, both before they were all sealed, and more recently.

“Oh, you should have seen that colt. He had all of that Crystal Berry jam all over him,” Beauty was saying. “I was in bits thinking he was going to raise a stink. All he did was lick one of his wings, gave the fillies a smile and thanks, and went to get cleaned up. He’s so much different than his father. I had to put that miserable excuse for a stallion in his place though.” Frowning, she drummed her hooves on the table. “Belle had admitted her part in the prank, but he had the audacity to call her out as the ringleader, when it wasn’t her idea. It didn’t help that she took all the blame, and I was not pleased at all that she did that.” She grinned maliciously. “When Breeze decided that the three needed to go to the stocks- never mind that four other foals had done worse not three days prior -would you believe that the local Guard commander refused? He said that it was more on the grounds of community service, and then only if charges were pressed. Breeze wanted to, but Stormcaster refused.” Beauty chuckled. “He said it made him smile, and that the jam was quite tasty.”

All of them laughed at the scene. Radiant Belle had always been a hoofful, and was mostly to blame for the pranks. They were all in harmless fun from those fillies, unlike some of the ones those older colts perpetuated. Letting loose the axles of a cart full of Crystal Berry Cider was NOT funny in any way, no matter who your father was.

Brighthoof noticed that Princess Rainbow seemed to find the pranks to be particularly hilarious. Seeing her laugh at the antics that Belle got into brought a glow to his heart. Noticing the meaningful glance that Twilight sent her, Brighthoof wondered whether she was a prankster. His curiosity was sated by the next statement that the other princess made. “Well, I don’t know whether to chuckle or shake my head. She sounds like another Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. Faust help me, I hope she’s just another Rainbow.” Twilight shuddered.

Rainbow blanched. “Yeah, I kinda think that Equestria has enough chaos with Pinkie and Discord; we don’t need any more beyond that.” She grinned, remembering some of the pranks she had pulled in the past. “I’m kinda looking to compare notes though. Jam isn’t something I’ve used. Was that her idea?” she asked Beauty. Beauty shook her head.

“Targeting Stormcaster was. Her friend was the one who came up with the idea of the jam. And believe me, her mother was not pleased. Especially when we all found out that it wasn’t all just for fun. The other two were hoping that Breeze would get caught in it.” Beauty frowned. “I have to say, I am kinda proud of Belle though. She was the one that got Stormcaster to come through the door when he did. She’s smart enough to know that revenge for past faults isn’t just, no matter how small it may seem.”

Twilight frowned at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, I hope you’re not going to encourage those fillies to make more pranks.” Looking sternly at her partner, Twilight continued. “These ponies have enough issues as it is without pranks, no matter how justified.” Twilight held her gaze until Rainbow nodded meekly. Beauty and Dawn looked at each other, smirking. To those who could see the signs, the relationship between the two princesses was plain as day.

Crystal Empire, 06-03-05 A.N.M. , After Sundown(After Nightmare Moon)

That evening, Brighthoof led his family in the Prayer of Blessing, as he had every night since they were free. As usual, this was hard on his daughter, since her husband wasn’t present here to share in the rights, having traveled to the border between Equestria and the Empire to facilitate the move they would all soon have to make.

The Prayer of Blessing was important to all Crystal Ponies. It solidified their bond with both the Aurora, and the Crystal Heart. Those ponies that lived near the heart were convinced that their light and love was what powered the heart, and that the Prayer was unneeded. However, for those that were devotees, they knew the truth. The Prayer itself was what had connected the Heart to all of them, turning what had originally been intended as the core of a weapon into a vector to spread the Aurora over all Equestria.

Keeping all of these thoughts in his mind, Brighthoof intoned the words of the Prayer. It made him both sad, yet happy, that his daughter and granddaughter were able to join him here, though he did wish that he could retire as head of his family. Beauty made such a better lead, and she was well balanced out by her husband, one of the few Crystal Pegasus that rebelled directly against Sombra. Ending the invocation. Brighthoof said goodnight to all present, then turned to the quarters he shared with his wife.

As he fell asleep, he felt the presence of Serenity enter his mind and dreams once more…

Light- of all shades -surrounded him. Looking around, Brighthoof realized he wasn’t alone. All of the devotees were present, including the young foals. This was more than unusual, as foals were typically brought in separate from adults. Serenity did so because there were things not meant for young ears to hear.

Brighthoof continued to look at the gathering of ponies around him, smiling in gratitude. Of all the things in his life that had happened, being part of this community was the greatest blessing he had ever been given. It was a sure sign that the Light had forgiven him for his involvement with Sombra, and Sombra’s Master. Feeling a presence he turned, only to see the most beautiful creature he had ever seen join them.

Princess Rainbow Dash smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Here- in the Light itself -her full form could be seen. She was taller than he expected, though nowhere near the height of the other princesses. Her mane was longer than expected, and sparkled with all the colors of the Rainbow. He noticed that her cutie mark was different as well; a shield was present, with the thunderbolt superimposed on top. He had the sense that even now, it was unfinished; something inside him told him that the destiny she was now following had yet to be fulfilled.

Princess Rainbow Dash looked at all of the Faithful that were gathered around her. A small smile graced her muzzle as she saw all the little foals present, Radiant Belle among them. Once all had been gathered, the princess began to speak. “There are a few of you here that probably saw me arrive with my partner, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she said softly. “I would ask that you keep my identity a secret, though I don’t think that’s necessary.” Her smile grew. “This is not the reason you were all called here, though.”

Rainbow motioned for the foals to follow her as she walked closer to Brighthoof. “Serenity has made it clear to me that both Lord Brighthoof and the young Lady Radiant Belle are among the two most faithful.” She smiled as she looked at the stallion standing before her. “Some may think that he still must pay reparation for Sombra’s actions, and in truth he does.” She turned as some of the ponies gathered gasped at this statement. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, Rainbow continued.

“In three days time, Princess Twilight and I will have returned to Ponyville. I have already sent word to the Ruby Guard- through the Priests of the Faithful at the Palace -that the Crystal Council is to be detained. I am naming Lord Brighthoof as Chancellor of the Crystal Council, to take place at that time.” Rainbow scowled darkly before continuing. “The present council has made it clear that they hold no respect for that which made them what they are,” she growled. “Therefore- at that time -they will cease to be Crystal Ponies whether made or born.” She looked sad at that; all present could feel the sadness that Serenity exuded as well.

Sighing, the princess went on. “I know that many of you might think that this is too harsh, especially to the children of those that have rejected Serenity’s Blessing. Be at ease; only those that are involved directly with the Council will suffer this. It is they who wish to uphold the Usurper’s Laws.” She then smiled. “The children here are precious, for it is they that will help the newly born into the Faith. By their example, they will lead the Faithful on the path of Light itself.” Her expression turned stern. “I want it understood that in no way is my position usurping the placement of Mi Amore Cadenza as the Crystal Princess. She was born to that role, and I’m not here to take her place.” As the Light faded around them, the princess spoke the words many had waited an eternity to hear; ”May the Light of the Aurora Guide Us All, and let the Blessing of Serenity provide Us Peace Everlasting.” With this, all present descended into true sleep, to await the dawn’s light.

Crystal Empire, 06-04-05 A.N.M. , 10:39 A.M.(After Nightmare Moon)

The next morning, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were at least refreshed as they made their way out of the Crystal Unicorn settlement. Mayor Dawn has seen fit to provide a carriage to take them the rest of the way, with a pair of Ruby Guard to expedite their passage. “Otherwise, you’ll just have more problems with other lackeys of the Crystal Council,” she said when Rainbow made to object. Rainbow had suggested that they fly, but she squashed that idea as soon as she saw the frown on her marefriend’s face.

During the ride, Twilight took the opportunity presented to go over some of the documentation concerning the impending eviction of the Faithful by the Crystal Council. As she did so, her expression became more and more irritated, until she threw the scroll she was reading down in a huff.

“What’s the matter Twi?” Rainbow asked her.

“Oh, I’m just irritated that these so-called Council-ponies would think that either Celestia or Luna would agree to this-this eviction. Especially since laws forbidding worship are against Equestria’s Code.”

Rainbow looked concerned at this. “Um, Twi, this isn’t Equestria. Unless I get involved personally, the Council DOES have this right.” She turned to point her hoof out the carriage window. “See that pillar there? The Council possesses spells that will banish any and all undesirables away.” She looked sad. “The only reason these weren’t in place around the Crystal Palace was because they weren’t needed so close to the Heart.”

Twilight looked shocked at this development. “Rainbow, the Crystal Empire was made part of Equestria when my brother and Cadance became their rulers. They wouldn’t be able to continue to function without Celestia or Luna’s authority.”

Rainbow shook her head at that. “It doesn’t matter Twi. The Crystal Empire predates Discord by 350 years. Why do you think Celly and Lulu had to send a representative in the first place when the last King died? The barrier repulsed the both of them. Rather harshly too, from what Serenity tells me.”

Twilight frowned at Rainbow. “Celly and Lulu?” she asked delicately.

Rainbow looked abashed at that. “Well, that’s what Solaris, Selene, and Serenity call them. Guess all celestial entities have pet names for ponies they’ve known for millennia.” She grinned. “I kinda like Selene’s pet name for you: Twinkle!”

Twilight moaned, facehoofing at that. Rainbow chuckled, knowing that Serenity was amused at her marefriend’s reaction.

The trail outside of the carriage was populated by nearly endless fields of Crystal Berry groves. Here and there, there were fields of green grass, where the tiny sheep that Crystal Ponies loved to keep as pets grazed contentedly. Rainbow smiled at all of this. Everything here was a testament to what the ancestors of these ponies had been hoping to create when they first called out to the Light. No matter what else happened, Rainbow was glad that at least this much good had come from her accepting a role she did not at all think she was cut out for.

Later that morning, the trail outside began change as it grew closer to the barrier surrounding the Crystal Palace. This was the area that many Equestrians believed made up the Crystal Empire in its entirety; few knew, however, that it denoted only a fraction of the territory held by the empire. In fact, nearly all of the land to the north of Manehattan and Trottingham, all the way to the Everfree Mountain range, was part of the empire. All save for the forests north of Trottingham itself were exempt; the border between the two nations started at the mesa on the other side of the Windswept Pines, as they were referred to.

All of these things passed through Twilight’s mind as she took a break from reading the distressing documents that the Crystal Unicorns had provided. None of this makes any sense. Just how much knowledge did we lose because of Starswirl’s actions? Thinking back on the geography lessons that she had received while a student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s funny Twi?” Rainbow asked her.

Twilight pointed a hoof at the approaching barrier, then at the mesa they were leaving. “Oh, just thinking about what my stuffy geography professor at Celestia’s school would say about all of this.” Giggling, Twilight leaned towards Rainbow as she elaborated. “I distinctly remember him saying that ‘the unclaimed lands to the north’ would never make a vital contribution to anypony. I always thought that he only said that because the territory is half again the size of Equestria proper, unless we include the desert past the Badlands.” She snorted at such an idea; nopony in the academic community was ever willing to admit that the Badlands were a part of Equestria.

Rainbow giggled at this. “What’s funny?” Twilight asked her.

“Oh, nothing,” Rainbow said mischievously.

“Rainbow, you have that look in your eye,” Twilight said with a mock-stern glare. “Care to share?”

Rainbow looked at her in amusement. “It’s just the idea of you calling a professor ‘stuffy’. It reminded me of ‘The History of the Wonderbolts’ lessons you tried to give me awhile back.” Chuckling, Rainbow continued. “It stands to reason that history and geography lessons are by their nature, ‘stuffy’.”

Twilight turned her nose up at this. “Well, it’s not my fault that a certain pegasus can’t appreciate a proper lecture,” she said with a false haughty tone. “And here I did everything I could to help you out. I at least made my lecture more engaging than the ones I had to sit through.” Huffing in mock effrontery, Twilight continued her mock lecture. “Some of the ones I sat through as a filly could have put a rock to sleep.” She then turned her head to the side with an indignant “Humph!!”, only to burst out in laughter at the expression on Rainbow’s muzzle. The humor between the two mares occupied the rest of the journey to the palace.

Crystal Empire, 06-04-05 A.N.M., 3:22 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Walking- or flying, as she was apt to normally do -around the Crystal City had always given Rainbow Dash a sense of wonder, though she was always careful to hide it. The ponies here had always shown a great deal of gratitude to the Elements of Harmony, though Spike was held in greater esteem. Now however, Rainbow Felt more than that; an undercurrent of tension that she never knew existed. The posters on the walls, denoting the contested ban on Aurora worship being torn down only alluded to the pressure she was feeling. Further, the overt presence of the Ruby Guard- and the detachment of Sun and Lunar Guard present -only served to underscore the tension. Rainbow knew that things were soon to come to a head, until all of the ghosts left over from Sombra’s reign were at last exorcised.

For Twilight, all the Guards-ponies walking around made her feel that she had somehow descended into the Lower Canterlot Quarter, which had its share of thugs and ne’er-do-wells. While the enlightened reign of the Diarchy meant that crime was lower in Equestria than in other kingdoms, there were still some ponies that refused to accept the tenets of Harmony. While rare, crimes such as rape and murder did happen though the numbers were mercifully low. The - some felt overkill -punishment of forced sterilization for repeat racists and petrification for murderers kept those numbers low. Twilight avoided had avoided Lower Canterlot however, as crimes such as mugging, larceny, and vandalism were far more common. Seeing Guards out like this made her feel oppressed, even as a princess.

Further musings were brought short as they made their way to the palace itself. Once they presented themselves before the Ruby Guard, they were admitted into the main audience chamber. Here, both Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor were in attendance. They were currently in conference with two stern-looking Crystal Ponies, who were flanked by members of all three Guards companies. Cadance- as she preferred ponies to call her -was speaking in a stern tone of voice to the taller of the two, a stallion who bore a strong resemblance to the former Prince Blueblood.

“Councilor Ironhoof, your justification in these orders are not only illegal by current Equestrian standards, but are untenable by the Crystal Ponies themselves.” Seeing his haughty expression, she made a further comment. “I have it on vital authority that you will have civil war if you and yours declare a vote of No Confidence in either myself or Prince Shining Armor. As a Princess of Equestria, I have full authority to cast spells upon this palace- as well as the Royal Archives -that will repel all magic save that of an Alicorn. I suggest you accept what the Priesthood has claimed, unless you want this illustrious nation of ours to be occupied by hostile Equestrian forces, rather than unhappy ones.” Waving to the Guards-ponies, Cadance dismissed Ironhoof and his crony from her presence before turning to Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

With a serene expression on her muzzle, Cadance approached the pair, Shining next to her. All of them bowed in unison, though it didn’t last. Seeing the expression on Twilight’s face, Cadance proceeded to launch in the customary greeting between the two:

”Sunshine, Sunshine,
Ladybugs awake,
clap your hooves,
and do a little shake!!”

Giggling, the two princess hugged each other, as Shining and Rainbow shared an amused glance.

Twilight then turned to her brother for a hug. “Hi, BBBFF!! It’s been awhile!!” she exclaimed happily.

Shining took a look at his little sister, who was taller than she had been even half a year ago. “Hi Twily! How’s my LSBFF been?” Turning to Rainbow Dash, he continued. “When we heard the news of the adventure that you both went on, we were shocked. I thought it wasn’t terribly smart for Princess Celestia to send you both without your friends.” Twilight frowned at this; criticism of either Princess was something that she had difficulty accepting, despite her own misgivings with certain secrets that Celestia had been keeping. Seeing this, Shining looked into his little sister’s eyes. “Hey, I know you don’t like it when somepony says anything against Princess Celestia. She even admitted that it was risky for you two to go alone.”

Continuing to frown, Twilight pondered what Shining was trying to say. “What did Celestia tell you?” she asked her brother.

Cadance answered. “Not a whole lot Twilight; only that there was a mission that only you were able to complete. One that involved Rainbow Dash, but none of your other friends.” Seeing the crestfallen look on Twilight’s face, Cadance made to hug her sister-in-law again. “Twilight, you know that Auntie Celestia has never admitted to being infallible. She herself was concerned that she had to send the two of you on such a mission with very little to go on.”

Rainbow coughed sheepishly at that. “Well, I might have had something to do with that. I was having problems with my pegasus magic, and Twilight was helping me with that. I got involved with that whole mess with Blueblood, the result of which made me one of the only ones who could help Twilight.”

Shining looked concerned at these developments. “Is there any chance that either of you can give us a full run down? There are ponies here that want to know, and I can’t keep on fobbing off answering them.”

Rainbow frowned in thought. “Um, outside of a few personal details, there’s not much I can say until our journey ends where it started.” Seeing the confused looks on the two royal ponies’ muzzles, she elaborated what she could. “Um, well, from what we learned, what has happened with the rest of the Crystal Empire right now is only temporary. All either of us can say to this is what I was told near the end of our adventure; that ‘all cannot be revealed until the winged one of Friendship returns to the place where she first learned of it, else all will return to what it was before.’ Believe me, I’d rather I could tell you what you want to know. I may not be like AJ in that I can keep a secret, but this secret is just too UNCOMFORTABLE to keep like this.” Seeing the other two royals were confused, Twilight made to clarify.

“Rainbow is right on this, and from what I’ve been able to learn, we’d be remiss if we didn’t follow the directions we’ve been given.” She smirked at this statement. “After all, he’s seldom steered anypony wrong, so we’re better off this way.” Seeing the looks of the other two turn from confusion to understanding, all ponies present said three words in unison:

“Starswirl the Bearded.”

Clapping her hooves, Cadance summoned a certain pegasus Guards-pony from his post on the other side of the door leading to the throne room. “Flash, let the wait-ponies know that we’ll be taking an early dinner.” While she said this, a certain glow that had went mostly unnoticed flared briefly, yet intensely. Rainbow, attuned to the spectrum of Light as she was, noticed this.

Looking closer, she saw a pulse of undefined power centered around the princess. Curiously, it seemed to be a mixture of both Cadance and Shining’s auras, yet was new at the same time. Stifling a gasp, Rainbow realized what it was. And here Twilight was worried that her parents wouldn’t get the chance to celebrate grandfoals! I wonder if Shining knows, or if he’s aware of what this means.

Rainbow was the only pony to see a certain Cheshire-cat-like grin that Cadance sent her way. Gulping, Rainbow Dash realized the futility of trying to hide strong feelings of love from the Alicorn of Love herself. I’m really going to get it at the meal; I just hope Shining’s ready for this.

A few minutes later, the assembled royals (one who continued to act as if she wasn’t, much to her increasing discomfort) were making inroads of the delectable salads that were provided. Twilight was regaling her sister-in-law about some of the things that she had learned in the time they spent in the new settlement. Rainbow, for her part, was starting to get both bored and itchy. Not only did she want time to be able to fly, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep her alicorn nature suppressed. Swallowing, Rainbow was about to interrupt her lover, when a sense of calm descended over her. Mentally facehoofing, she remembered that Serenity would always help her whenever things got too difficult for her to handle.

Twilight was about to launch into another tale, only to stop when her brother cleared his throat loudly. “Well, Cadance, don’t you think it’s time we told her? I’d kinda not want to repeat the same mistake I made during our wedding.” Cadance looked abashed at this. Seeing the confused look on Twilight’s face, she decided that discretion was not the best course here.

Letting loose a put-upon sigh, Cadance nodded. “You’re right Shiny. Much as I’d like all parties to be present before giving this news.” She smiled. “Twilight, how do you feel about being an aunt?”

The next words that Twilight uttered were heard all the way to Canterlot Castle; fortunately, the Lord and Lady of House Armor were in Prance on business.

“You’re pregnant?!”

Elsewhere on Equus…

Her ears ringing, Princess Luna turned to her elder sister. “Your wisdom in sending Lord Night Light and Lady Twilight Velvet to Prance was meet, dear sister. Else, they would have been alerted prematurely.”

Princess Celestia sighed at that. “Let’s just hope she calms down before even more of the beans get spilled.”

“Yes Twilight, but please calm down!!” Cadance uttered frantically. “We’ve been trying to keep it quiet, but you yelling like Auntie Lulu isn’t helping.”

Twilight looked abashed at that. Her expression changed in a few moments however, to one of concern. “Um, this shouldn’t be possible, unless…” Twilight muttered, before taking a closer look at her brother. Rainbow Felt the aura of a deep scan spell radiate from Twilight, before she nodded in confirmation. “Well, this confirms what we were told.” Seeing the confused look on her brothers’ face, Twilight elaborated.

“Not much is known about us alicorns. No matter how many times have been tried in the past, all have been found to be sterile.”

Shining looked down at this. Sighing, he nodded. “I was afraid of this. We think the change will take place once the foals are born.”

Twilight saw the confused look on Rainbow’s face. “Until now, all alicorns in Equus’ history were either like myself, ascended unicorns,” she pointed at her sister-in-law, “pegacorns, or winged unicorns that ascended to a higher plane. And most of those had pegasus roots for years before their horn came in.” Grinning madly, Twilight went on. “For Shining to be able to impregnate his wife, he would have to have been either ten times as strong as Starswirl himself,”- here she smiled bashfully, as she was far stronger than her brother -“or is on the path of Ascension.” She got up to hug her brother.

Sitting back down, Twilight made to finish her salad. Rainbow, who up until now had been secretly dreading this, looked at Cadance. Said pink princess was starting to grin that horseapple-eating grin that meant that she was about to let loose some juicy tidbit. Previously, Rainbow had only seen that same grin on Rarity’s muzzle-- and then only after finishing up her latest romance novel.

“Twily, is there something you’re forgetting?” Cadance asked her sister-in-law as the main course was brought in. “Didn’t Rainbow Dash say that there were some personal things that you two could divulge?”

Twilight gulped nervously. Turning to Rainbow for help, her expression turned beseeching. All she got from her partner, however, was a shake of the head; she knew it was useless to try and hide it. Gulping again, Twilight prepared to pay the piper. Oh, I’m never going to hear the end of this…

“Well, a lot went down between Rainbow Dash and I on our journey,” she said in a low, soft voice. “Most of it is something that we can’t share with anypony until we get home.” She swallowed gamely. “However, there is one thing we can. Rainbow and I… that is... we’re...um,” here she continued to falter.

Rainbow decided to help out her marefriend. “What Twilight is trying to say is that we’re together, as a couple.”

At this, there was a thump on the table where Shining was sitting. “Well Twilight, not only does Auntie Lulu owe me five hundred bits,” Cadance said with a smirk, “but I think you just broke your brother.”

Author's Notes:

Babies!!

And yes, I know; Shining Armor becoming an alicorn has been done before. So what?? I and my muse have our reasons, and I'm sure those of you that don't like what may be seen as an overused plot point won't agree with them. Moving on...

Anyway, that was the big surprise I promised. So I disappointed those who were looking for a break-up or something of the sort. Not writing a sad fic, so there won't be any of that here. I got my inspiration for making Shining an alicorn from Within The Seas of The Galaxies by Soothing Stone, which happens to be one of my Top 25 favorite Twiluna fics. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so.

For the full detail on updates on this fic, read the update blog. Any major changes I make, outside of minor editing, will be found there.

June 24th: Made a minor plot change towards the end of the chapter. Not much of a difference, just a fix to a hole between this fic and LRSF, the parallel/prequel fic to this one.

Nov. 17th: Adjusted one of the scenes earlier in the fic. Later chapters had stated that Chrysalis was dead. This is true, and I plan on writing a fic that deals with that battle. It takes place only a couple of months after Tirek's attack.

Don't look for it for awhile though, as I won't be working on very many side fics until my two major ones are finished.

Chapter Five: Echoes of the Past Part One

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Equus, Somewhere, 06-02-05, 11:27 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The eldritch glow that came from the war lanterns bathed the assembled ponies in an unearthly glow. The group was bedraggled after several days of fighting, yet they were still managing to hold the line.

The commander of the group looked at the assembled Shadow-spawn with an impassive expression. Stern Gaze had seen much worse in his twenty years of guarding the Rift that existed between the Moon Kingdom and the Shadowlands. He looked at the stallion standing next to him.

Though he didn’t allow any sort of expression to show on his muzzle, Gaze felt a shiver in the presence of the shadow mage. Such ponies were supposed to be rare; however, the only effective ways to protect their kingdom were by bending shadows, wielding light, or by calling darkness. While such magic was in of itself simply one part of the natural order, those that cleaved to it were often corrupt.

Gaze sighed inwardly. The current Council had been given authority to handle this crisis. His group was one of several that the Princess had sent to the other side to stem the tide as best they could, while others worked to seal the Rift once more. All had to be done to ensure that the creatures didn’t enter their kingdom; or worse, onto the surface of Equus.

Though if one were to ask the Council, they could care less about the safety of the descendants of those who had abandoned them long ago.

A shout called out from the western flank, cutting into Gaze’s musings. “Captain, shadow wraiths are on the ridge!” one of his lieutenants called.

Gaze swore an oath to both Dusk and Serenity. “We’re not prepared to handle wraiths! Damn the Council; what are they trying to prove?!”

The shadow mage looked at the pegacorn commander. “Calm yourself Gaze,” it said impassively-- shadow mages often lost whatever gender identity they had in the pursuit of power. “I’ve already summoned what is needed to win this battle."

A loud thrum came from the direction of the Rift, near the ridge where the wraiths were. A hulking brute came to the fore, tearing into the creatures. The imbecile! Its summoned a behemoth! I’m going to lose my entire garrison! Gaze called his bound blade, and gave a shout.

The line of ponies, earth and unicorn, met the spawn that were fleeing the behemoth. With hoof and spell, they made short work of the creatures.

Gaze stole a look at the mage. Realizing that the freak was making use of the monster to do more than just kill the Shadow-spawn, he once again swore an oath to the Powers that Be.

The monstrosity descended on his battle line. A few of the ponies were shredded by swings from the massive brute. However, before much more could be done, a keening wail was heard from the direction of the Rift.

The opening sealed itself with a tremendous burst. Then, a beam of scintillating moonlight split the behemoth down the center. A growl came from the shadow mage, who prepared another summoning spell.

It didn’t get the chance; a moonsteel blade filled with light, shadow, and darkness separated its head from its shoulders. Then, a burst of plasma rendered the rest of it to sub atomic particles. Gaze sighed in relief, then bowed before his Princess.

Princess Nightingale looked at her Captain. Her expression was one of serenity, yet there was a deep seated anger burning in her normally compassionate eyes. “Captain,” she asked softly, “on whose orders were you sent a Damned One?”

Gaze scowled. “I was sent more than one, Your Highness. The others were all lost three days ago; ripped apart after they conjured a shadow barrier to protect the fortress.” His expression became even more severe. “It was the local council-pony that gave the order. Apparently, he was given authority by the Council to do so.”

Princess Nightingale lost her serene expression. “I am aware of the Council’s actions, Captain. That is why I’ve Sealed them once more.” Those ponies that weren’t attending to the dead and wounded- or weren’t bowed down with grief -looked more than concerned at these words.

The princess smiled sadly. “Fear not, my Little Ponies,” she said kindly. “The Seal only applied to those Sworn to the Council, and not those Sworn to either my service or to the protection of our Kingdom.” She frowned. “Unfortunately, there are those that were sent away to preserve some semblance of resistance to my Law.” She turned to the approaching council-pony.

A bolt of scintillating magic- made up of darkness wreathed in shadow, with a core of light -struck the unicorn before he could bluster. Where there was once a pony, there was now only a crystal statue.

“My Law stands; all who consort with the Damned Ones face a Pure Sealing,” the alicorn said softly.

Gaze shook his head a little. “You always have to be a little theatrical, don’t you Mother,” he said, more of a statement than a question.

She smiled a little. “Of course my son; life would be boring otherwise.”

They turned to gather the remainder of Gale’s bedraggled company, and made preparations to return to the fortress.

The Rift vibrated; its energies once more pressing against the Seal. A nimbus of rainbow light surrounded it, and the Seal flashed, becoming even more strong.

The local fortress was much like many that existed in the Borderlands. Made from moon rock fused closed with moon crystal, it was a structure that could withstand the strongest attacks from the very worst of Shadow-spawn.

The explosion caused by the failed barrier had ripped the walls down.

Stern Gaze was overseeing the return of his troops when a foppish unicorn mare came huffing towards him. “GAZE!” the mare yelled- more of a croak -as she got closer. “What have you done to my son?!”

Gaze looked at Slender Beauty- an oxymoronic name, as she was neither -with an impassive expression. “I should think that I have done nothing, as I am unable to Seal a pony.”

‘Slender Beauty’ blanched. “W-what did he do to deserve such a thing?” She fell onto her belly, tears starting to fall out of her eyes.

“Oh please, don’t act like you weren’t expecting this, Mother.” A young pegacorn mare flew down, carrying a pair of very full saddlebags. “I honestly don’t know what Brother was thinking,” Silent Grace said. “Calling on Damned Ones, even as a Council order? He was nuts, and I told him so.”

The older mare didn’t even acknowledge her daughter’s arrival. Gaze scowled a bit; a shake of his students’ head stayed his reaction. A flash of light caused Beauty to yelp, forcing her to get to her hooves. She rounded on her daughter, intending to slap her for her actions. Her horn aglow, she made to conjure her old punishing rod.

A ring of crystal slid down her horn from nowhere, causing her magic to sputter out. Beauty looked cross-eyed at the ring. She began to blanch, her hooves shaking in reaction.

Princess Nightingale walked up to the three ponies with a severe expression on her muzzle. “I was going to let you off, due to your age and the fact that your daughter is a pegacorn,” she said quietly. “However, since your actions demonstrate that you feel the same as the Council does about those that are born to protect this kingdom, I see that you need a lesson as well.” She frowned. “Get used to doing things as earth ponies and pegasi do, as I’m not UnSealing the Council until the Moon Princess returns.”

Beauty looked at the princess with real fear. “B-but t-that’s never going to h-happen. She abandoned us over a thousand years ago,” she stuttered.

Nightingale looked at the unicorn in disbelief. “Are you really that imbecilic?” she asked, her tone one of confusion. She shook her head to clear it. “The only reason that the barrier is failing is because the ‘Lord of Darkness’ ”- this was said with derision -“has been UnSealed once more.” She looked at all of the ponies that were watching the little tableau. “It stands to reason, then, that we’ve been fighting his chaff.”

A lieutenant flew down from the western ridge. “Captain, Your Highness! A cadre of Damned Ones are making their way here!” he said frantically.

Nightingale's expression became impassive. With a flash of her horn, the fortress was surrounded by a barrier made up of mixed moonlight and sunlight. Thick bands of shadow and dark energy rippled on its surface.

The alicorn teleported to the ridge. She watched the fallen surround the barrier, impassively waiting for them to begin channeling.

They didn’t disappoint. At the apex of their spell however, Nightingale acted.

“I Call upon the Blessings of Solaris and Serenity! Bring forth the Light of Justice!”

A shaft of pure light fell from the sky. Screeching, the fallen ponies were rendered to pure nothingness, their Damned souls purified by the Light of Creation itself.

A cheer went up from the assembled ponies. Nightingale bowed to the Powers that Be in supplication, then teleported back into her barrier. “This is not yet done,” she said. “Unicorns, use the Crystal Calling to rebuild the walls. I will ensure that the coming waves are beaten back until they are repaired.”

The princess turned to her Captain and his assistant. “Gaze, Grace, I need you to reinforce the barrier,” she pointed her hoof at the shield surrounding the bedraggled fortress. “Use the standard arrangement of crystals to do so, but don’t link them to the lines from the palace.” Her horn glowing, Nightingale linked the lines of Power under the fortress to that which she had prepared earlier.

“The Power coming from these lines is my own,” she said. “It’s untainted, and UnBound to the Council’s arrays,” Nightingale spread her wings. Before taking off for the waves that were undoubtedly coming, she gave her usual benediction.

“Be well and as happy as you can be, My Little Ponies.”

Deep in a cavern far to the north of the Rift, chanting could be heard if one listened carefully. The cloaked and hooded ponies- predominantly unicorn with a smattering of the other tribes -moved in rhythm as they called out to the darkness.

These ponies were the Damned Ones, ponies who gave up their very identities in the pursuit of power. Though darkness and shadow simply were, Damned Ones were corrupt by nature and choice.

Many strived for great power; however, few attained what they were truly after, as the corruptive influence of the Lord of Shadows stole from them everything. Their knowledge, their power, even their sexual identity was subsumed in service to their dark master. Once they Fell, they became little more than puppets, possessing no qualities to identify them from their brethren. Indeed, willingness to temporarily lose their gender was considered a small price to pay.

The crimson-cloaked pony at the forefront of the circle was different however. The unicorn was female, and her voice was soft and fluid. She also carried few signs of corruption; the only one that could be seen was the slit-pupiled eyes, and the shape and color of her horn.

The mare looked at the pool of reflected liquid that her underlings surrounded. All that had happened at the Rift was seen, as what had happened to the rest she had sent to deal with the fortress. This setback mattered little; it had served her purpose in any case.

Now that the Moon Council was once again Sealed, she and those like her would have a far easier time rendering the Rift UnSealed. Shifting a little, the mare stomped her hoof to change the timbre of the chants.

The image changed; instead of the field of battle, it shifted to a view of the fortress. Wave after wave broke on the shield surrounding it. Off to the side, a number of shadowspawn were digging a sapping tunnel, under the direction of three of her best mages.

Suddenly, three flashes of shadow-wreathed light went into the midst of the Damned present. The mare cringed in pain as the princess’ damnable son severed the heads of her best underlings. With that, the wave broke; the spawn dispersed, heading off to different parts of the Borderlands.

Snarling in anger, the mare stomped her hoof yet again. The timbre of the chants changed; they became more unearthly, and less guttural. The mare began to add her own power to the pool, intending to summon that which could finish the fortress off.

As she quickly found out, this was a mistake.

The water of the reflective pool burst upwards, showering the assembled Fallen in enchanted liquid. The head mage shielded herself, even as the chanting ponies did the same. Radiant light flashed forward from the midst of the shower. Within a few moments, all of her remaining underlings lay in pieces around the pool.

She screeched in rage, a bolt of black mana appearing on her jagged horn. Bands of light wrapped themselves around it, cutting off her ability to channel. An array of runes appeared under her hooves; they moved up her fur, surrounding her legs and barrel.

She went from screeching in anger to screaming in pain as the runes burned their way into her skin. Geometric lines made their way to her head, surrounding both her muzzle and eyes. She screamed in renewed pain as the array ate her knowledge, consuming three decades worth of study.

A crack of eldritch lightning struck her in her horn, knocking out her last line of defense. A sky-blue aura surrounded it, and wrenched it out of her head. The bleeding wound was cauterized closed by her own mana.

Slumping to the ground, the former high shadow mage glared at the alicorn that had somehow broken the basic laws of reality. “How did you get in here through a scrying pool?” she choked out, her disbelief momentarily supplanting her anger.

Princess Nightingale looked impassively at the Fallen pony. “Water can act as a portal, foal. You tied this pool to the water in the air around my son’s fortress.” Her expression became frightful in spite of her otherwise gentle countenance. “Your mistake was in trying to summon a Greater Behemoth. I’d have left you alone if you had just cut your losses.”

Hefting the horn in her telekinetic aura, Nightingale examined it minutely. “Fashioned after the original I see,” she said, more to herself than to her prisoner. “I suppose it makes sense, since Sombra hates any kind of competition.” She looked at the mare, who was getting back to her hooves shakily.

Nightingale ripped the cloak and hood the mare was wearing off of her. Focusing, she burned it using a small amount of superheated plasma. She then dealt with the horn.

Scintillating webs of rainbow-colored light began to surround the horn. The arrangement became a latticework; more and more lines appeared. As the webbing reached its thickest point, it collapsed onto itself. The horn was obliterated by the oppressing lines of pure light mana.

A howl of both pain and rage echoed across the Borderlands. A vicious smirk crossed the muzzle of the alicorn, before she once more assumed her neutral expression.

Leveling her horn towards the now-empty pool, Nightingale inscribed a rune into its side. The rune caused a spider-webbing of geometric lines to radiate from itself. Within a span of a few moments, the cave walls were covered in an array of runes. Clamping a golden cord around the neck of the unicorn, she shadow-teleported out of the caverns. The caves collapsed soon after, burying the entire complex in tons of stone.

The ponies appeared just outside the central portion of the Rift. Nightingale moved the unicorn’s head by main force; pointing it at the Rift, she began the long process of redemption.

“Look at that,” the princess said, her anger all-too apparent. “Have you any notion that what you did was futile? One mage, no matter how powerful, has any hope of destroying something created by all of the Essences working in concert.”

Her gaze turned intent. “I think it’s truly fortunate that I stopped you; at least you live.” The mare’s expression became scoffing. Nightingale went on before she could be interrupted. “Did you really think he would share? I was alive the first and only time the Dark One managed to break free.” Her intent gaze never wavered. “I watched as he turned my commander- a pony who sold his soul for power -over to his spawn; they ripped him to bits.”

For the first time, Nightingale’s expression changed. Sadness could clearly be seen, and the weight of centuries of fighting seemed to settle onto her withers. “The Dark One seeks to make all who live his servants, and has since before I was born. He is like you in many ways. Except for one; he doesn’t share.” Her expression became cynical. “Oh, he makes promises, and grants some of his servants a measure of power.”

The alicorn bent to stare in eyes of the now shivering mare. “Ones like you, who seek to be his equal?” She snorted. “They only serve him to feed his hateful, hungry hordes of spawn. Or as trophies to hang upon his walls, as the minotaur once did before Celestia turned their royal family into dust.”

Nightingale’s expression changed again; righteous anger could plainly be seen. “No, I really don’t think I’ll allow it, even though it’s no more than you deserve. I’d rather see some good come out of your redemption, since you have shown some temperance towards civilians in the past.” She smiled, a little sadly. “That’s more than most Fallen ever do.”

The mare finally managed to find her voice. “W-what’s going to happen to me?” she asked fearfully.

At this, the princess’ intent gaze returned. “You’re going to experience something incredibly painful. The Ritual of Purification is not kind to those who willingly give into the darkness of evil.” Her eyes closed. “You will change, starting tonight. Reverted painfully, one day for every year you spent a willing servant of the Dark One.” Nightingale looked sadly at the unicorn. “It won’t kill you, but I know that you will likely wish for death. Most do.”

She closed her eyes again; this time, she seemed to be counting in her mind. “I think for you, the process will be swift; you haven’t done much real evil to the weak and helpless.” Nightingale nodded as she examined the array in her mind’s eye, going over the thickness of the lines. “Since you did spend several decades serving him however, you will lose much of the life you’ve lived.” She opened her eyes then, smirking. “Likely enough to regress you to the size and age of a nine-year-old filly once more.” She then frowned. “One thing though; magic other than telekinesis will be Sealed away from you unless you swear yourself to the Essences.”

The mare scowled, her misplaced courage returning. “That’s something I’ll never do, Your Highness,” she scoffed haughtily. “Swear to powers that want little more than for us ponies to someday die? No thank you.”

Nightingale simply looked at the unicorn; her expression was enough to cow her erstwhile companion. “I’d have thought that you were bright enough to see through the Council’s lies.” She snorted. “They only want for us to eventually die? The forces that essentially created life only expect us to struggle pointlessly until our immortal spirits enter the Deep Dark?” Her words cut deep. “The forces that raised my kind from a simple yet powerful equine race to sire a multitude of intelligent races? The same forces that then linked with exemplary members of said race to make immortal protectors? The same forces that love us enough to let ourselves do our own thing, even when it’s evil? Please tell me, what about the Powers that Be do you find so hateful?”

“They let us suffer needlessly!” the mare screeched. “They sit in their oh-so-powerful places and let us suffer while those that love us are slaughtered! So forgive me if I find the Powers that Be less than a worm Nightingale!” She stomped her hooves in anger. “I used to be like you. I used to believe. Until I watched Shadow-spawn rip my family to pieces.”

Nightingale’s first reaction was the one she went with; instead of shaking the mare- or delivering even more arguments -she simply hugged her. The shocked unicorn could feel the tears on the back of her neck. Why is she crying? They weren’t her parents. They weren’t her brothers and sisters.

“I know it hurts Dawn, I really do. I see them, and everypony else I was unable to save that day,” the alicorn said softly. “I lost loved ones, ponies I had helped raise since they were foals.” She moved so that Glorious Dawn could see the pain and sadness in her eyes. “I’ve always regretted that I willingly listened to the Council, and that my inaction cost you the loss of your family.” She closed her eyes. “I’ve lived for far longer than even pegacorns normally do. I’ve lost so many of My Little Ponies in this war. And the greatest comfort has been the Essences.”

Nightingale kissed the unicorn between the eyes, right where her horn would soon grow back. To her pleasure, the mare didn’t resist. “I know you didn’t Fall as fast or as far as the others; that your true effort was to destroy the one that took your family.” She hugged the pony again; the mare hugged her back this time, now sobbing as years of pain came forth.

“You may not know this, but Dusk kept you close,” Nightingale said, a smile on her muzzle. “You were always one of her favorites, and she’s been sad all this time that you’ve been hurting.” She pushed Dawn away to look into her eyes again. “I can’t promise that this won’t be painful; there’s no other way for me to save you. Yet I can’t bring myself to punish a child for doing wrong to right a wrong. I can only teach. What you do from here is up to you.”

Dawn thought for a moment. “Is what you said true? Is the fact that he’s UnSealed the reason they’ve come out in force?”

Nightingale nodded. “I know that the Alicorn of Light has come forth, and that she fought his ‘greatest servant’. I even briefly saw her.” She then smiled, knowing that this one was ready to Rise.

“Ready to return home, My Little Pony?” the princess asked, hope blooming in her heart.

The unicorn nodded. As she did so, a grimace of pain flashed across her muzzle. Her horn burst forth all at once, cutting open her forehead. The magic healed the wound as quickly as it was formed.

Nightingale was happy. This meant that the Ritual would be far less invasive, now that Glorious Dawn was amenable to change.

“Let’s return home, My Little Pony.” So saying this, the princess light-teleported them back to her palace, to greet the dawn of a new beginning.

Equestria, Train to Ponyville, 06-06-05, 1:17 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The Friendship Express chugged its way towards Ponyville. Normally full, the train was packed to capacity with Crystal Ponies that were making the journey to Canterlot.

The fact that they were doing so was highly unusual; Crystal Ponies seldom left the Empire. Many of these ones were looking to escape the tense situation; some were volunteering for the Royal Guard. Those were those few Crystal Unicorns that had moved to the city.

In the royal car, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were sitting next to each other, reminiscing about the trip they just had.

The pair had spent an enjoyable day and a half with Cadance and Shining Armor-- after the latter got over his shock that is. They took in the sites of the seat of Cadance’s kingdom, trying their best to ignore the undercurrent of tension that abounded wherever they went.

“The Fair they were having seemed a little forced,” Twilight was saying.

Rainbow nodded at that. “Yep, I got that impression too Twi. All the stuff the Crystal Council is pulling is making the lives of the ordinary Crystal Pony miserable.” She scowled. “What IS it about Councils?! Why do they insist on being such jerks?”

Twilight frowned. “It’s complicated. I think it boils down to both a sense of entitlement and a desire to control their world.” She looked at Rainbow. “Ponies have problems with change; why do you think Celestia is still Princess?”

Rainbow had a nonplussed expression on her muzzle at that. “What do you mean Twi?”

Twilight grimaced. “Celestia has tried numerous times to give Equestrians political autonomy; removing the authority of the nobles and her own House.” She shrugged her wings. “For reasons I understand but don’t get, the Founder’s Laws concerning her position have been upheld.” She frowned. “Even our meritocracy system isn’t perfect; that’s why Celestia formed the High Court. Clerics of the Essences ensure that those chosen for such office aren’t corrupt or corrupted in any way.”

Twilight shrugged her wings again, as if she wanted to shrug the subject off. A grin appeared on her muzzle. “I’m happy that Cadance is carrying though. I’m also happy that once he got over his shock, Shiny was comfortable with my orientation.” She smirked at Rainbow. “Actually, he told me that he’s glad I’m with you. He said you’d be a hoofful for a colt.”

Rainbow huffed. “Well, I have yet to see a colt that was able to keep up with me.” She started shadow-boxing, her hooves a blur. “I’m the fastest, coolest pegasus there is.” She stopped after a moment. “Huh. I still think of myself as a pegasus at times, even though I’m not really one any more. I’m still fast and way awesome though.”

Twilight snickered. “I’ll say you’re fast all right. I can barely get started before you finish most of the time.” She was wearing a salacious grin as she said that.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Rainbow whined. “Pegasi finish first, but have a lot; that’s just how it is.” She looked at her spread wings, which she had snapped out in mock irritation. “I just wish ponies would think when they passed certain rumors.”

A thought occurred to Rainbow. With the trust that was now between them, she decided to voice it. “Twi, why’d you hide your orientation for so long? Were you scared that we wouldn’t accept you or something?”

Twilight looked down. “That was part of it. Some of the misguided things that Bluey said over the years really hurt.” She looked pensive. “By the time I moved to Ponyville, it had simply become habit. There weren’t very many I was interested in, though Lyra was as cute as she ever was.” She blushed, realizing something. “I kinda think I have a thing for wings though, as I did fool around with Cloud Kicker and Flitter a few times.”

Rainbow looked thoughtful, then grinned. “Cloudy? Flitter? Both at once, or one at a time?”

Twilight blushed. “Mostly one or the other, though we did share some good times together. They like to spice things up. It didn’t last long though; my studies took precedence.” She frowned. “I had to keep it a secret when I was younger for a different reason though.”

Twilight moved closer to Rainbow. “You know how you get when you hear the rumor of wing-boners? Well, part of the reason why I kept it inside for so long was that I was afraid of the backlash that would fall on Celestia if it came out.” She scowled. “It was bad enough that she had to put up with that with Sunset Shimmer. It’s doubly stupid when ponies don’t realize that she’s never crossed that line, even with the colts she’s had as students.” She huffed. “They’ll believe anything; like the horseapples about Celestia and Luna representing all the tribes. If that were the case, where’s her stripes, antlers, and fish tail?”

Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, ponies can be real idiots sometimes. I was surprised that horns could be that sensitive though. Didn’t think that rumor was true.” She grinned at the blush that stained Twilight’s cheeks.

“Yes, well, not every unicorn is that sensitive. It’s all dependent on the nerve clusters,” she said, blushing harder at the smirk on her lover’s muzzle. She leaned in and gave the polychromatic mare a long kiss, bringing a massive blush to Rainbow’s cheeks as well.

“Twi, are you worried that our friends won’t accept our relationship?” Rainbow asked, looking into her marefriend’s eyes.

Twilight leaned forward to place her head on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I do a little; but only where Applejack is concerned. I think Fluttershy knows; she’s never said anything, but she gives me this look every time somepony says something derogatory about gays and lesbians.” She snickered a little. “I think Rarity is bi-curious; she’s got a small collection of lesbian romance novels.”

Rainbow mock-gagged. “Ugh, romance! Who’d want that?”

Twilight bit her ear playfully, causing her to yelp. “You say that, and yet I make you squirm almost every night.” She smirked evilly at the heat she could feel coming off her lover’s cheeks.

The call of ‘Next Stop; Ponyville!’ was heard from the speakers. Twilight got up and pulled their saddlebags down.

Rainbow took a moment to check on something. With a mental call, she summoned her blade Aura. She watched it for a few minutes while Twilight gathered their things. Rainbow then Called Star Swirl’s Stave of Blessing, the one she used to help protect both Twilight and the hapless Blueblood a few months’ prior.

She nodded in confirmation; there was no longer a darkling or shadowling presence anywhere near Ponyville. She Sent her weapons back to the Aurora, then summoned a pair of scrolls she had received in the palace. Both were from her parents.

As they made their way off the train, Rainbow and Twilight both saw that her friends were all waiting for them. All except for one glaring absence; Pinkie Pie. Twilight and Rainbow smirked at each other, knowing that she likely was waiting to surprise them with a party.

Fluttershy held back from hugging the two mares. She noticed the way that they were standing so close to each other; this brought a little smile to her muzzle. Oh, I’m so happy; they finally found each other. But what is that glow around Rainbow?

The other two weren’t as aware of the underlying subtext; then again, neither of them were looking for it. Rarity was exclaiming over the condition of their coats, while Applejack was trying to get details on what Cadance and Shining Armor were up to. She was mightily curious about the shout all of Equestria had heard a couple of days ago.

The five mares made their way to the palace. Spike was waiting for them, as was the mayor. As they made their way into the palace doors, a cry called out from the darkness.

”SURPRISE!”

Twilight and Rainbow both rolled their eyes a little. Pinkie came bouncing in, full of her usual energy. “Were you surprised? Were you? Huh? I thought you might be tired, and I’m like, ‘Pinkie, let’s cheer them up with a ‘Welcome Back Twilight and Rainbow Dash!’ party!’, and Pinkie was like, ‘Don’t make it too loud, cause they’re probably tired,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, then how about for just our friends, and Pinkie was like, ‘That’s cool, let’s do that,’ and so I said mmph…!”

A blue forehoof corked Pinkie’s muzzle. “Pinkie Pie, slow down, kay? We’re surprised, but we’re also a little tired.” She looked around. “Where’s the cake?”

The others all laughed at that, and set about to have a good time.

A little while later, the party was in full swing. It didn’t involve everypony in Ponyville; showing great restraint, Pinkie had limited the number of invitations she mailed to a few of their close friends.

Rainbow was having a good time in particular. This was the first time she’d had to relax in quite awhile, and to do so around the five best friends a pony could have made her smile.

A sweet tone from deep within was felt, and Rainbow once more heard Serenity’s voice.

<It is time, child,> she said, her sweet voice somewhat sad. <Do what must be done, then let them know what has changed.>

Rainbow sighed a little; she’d been hoping to put this off. However, she knew it was time. Time for those who were undeserving to get their comeuppance.

Closing her eyes, Rainbow centered herself in the radiant Light of her Realm, then found the points of light that were those Crystal Ponies that cleaved to the Dark One. Sadly, that was virtually the entire Crystal Council, and a third of the Crystal Pegasi. She sighed, then let her anger envelop them.

The very nature of these ponies was changed. Whether born Crystal Ponies or not, they were returned to the fold of the more ordinary pony tribes. Rainbow cried a tear of sadness, as it was worse than just that.

A pony’s magic is central to their being. If their nature is drastically changed, their very identity is altered. This would mean that many would lose their cutie marks; especially those whose talent was tied to being a Crystal Pony.

Rarity saw this; she had first seen Rainbow close her eyes, then saw the expression of anger. A wave of Power was clearly Felt before her eyes opened again, a solid glow coming from them. They then returned to their natural cerise color. Rarity wondered at that; it was similar to how Twilight’s eyes had glowed whenever she used her alicorn magic, or when the Power of the Elements of Harmony was coursing through her.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Um guys, there are a few things that need to be said.” She walked over to where Twilight was sitting. “First, there’s a few things about the start of our journey that we didn’t get to tell you. Some of it was stuff we couldn’t tell anypony, and some of it was stuff that scared me.”

Rainbow shuddered a little. “Hay, I’m still scared about it sometimes.” She cleared her throat a little, then decided to just show the other girls what she was talking about. She levitated one of Pinkie’s cupcakes over to her, taking a bite out of the sweet treat.

All except Twilight were shocked at this. “Rainbow Dash, are you using unicorn magic?” Rarity asked in disbelief.

Rainbow nodded. “About a week before the dust-up with Blueblood, my mana started to change.” She let go a little, returning her body to its true nature. Her horn reappeared, along with a change to her wings and height. She suppressed the majority of her unicorn and earth pony mana though, as she and Serenity both weren’t quite ready for Celestia to know about her new nature.

“This thing,” Rainbow said, a little irritated, “appeared while we were in the fields past Trottingham. My mana had been changing before that though.” She sighed a little. “Outside of Scootaloo and Twilight, I didn’t tell anypony else. Twi figured it out.”

“Are ya an… alicorn, sugarcube?” Applejack finally asked, still disbelieving what she was seeing.

Rainbow nodded. “I am now, but when the change was happening, I was becoming a pegacorn.”

“Ah,” Rarity said in realization. “And pegacorns are naturally secretive.” She looked at Fluttershy. “Did you know darling? I’m sure that she told you something.”

Fluttershy blushed a little. “Well,” she said in her soft way, “Twilight had told me something was happening, but I said that I didn’t want any details.” She smiled bashfully at Rainbow. “I always knew you were special Rainbow Dash.” She hugged her oldest friend.

Twilight cleared her throat a little, picking up the thread of the story. “Rainbow didn’t become an alicorn until after she… was taken…,” she started to shake at this, tears rolling down her muzzle. Rainbow made to hug her marefriend, not caring if the others caught on or not.

Sniffling a little, Twilight went on. “We had journeyed to a place called the Caves of Memory. It was part of a prison that Starswirl the Bearded had made for Sombra’s Master.” She summoned the tome that Celestia had given her at the beginning of their journey. “This detailed everything that we needed to do, and then changed to all we needed to know when we reached the top of Mount Everfest.”

Twilight shuddered. “When we got there, that which was truly responsible for the most recent attack on Ponyville made his final move.” She turned to the mare that was sitting next to her.

Rainbow’s expression changed. She lost that devil-may-care attitude that she was famous for, and began to look more like somepony that had been recovering from a living nightmare. “I’d been having a dream every night for awhile,” she said softly. “In that moment, I saw the dream happen.” She Called Aura to her once more.

The other ponies besides Twilight gasped. “I’m not gonna go into too many details until the Princesses call for us,” she said, “but all you really need to know right now is we did what the book told us to.” She then scowled. “I watched the shadows surround Twilight. We’d just gone through Tartarus, and now evil wanted to take a pony that was truly special.”

Rainbow then did something that shocked her four other friends even more; she blushed a bright red. “I realized at that moment why I’d been having that dream.” She turned to look at Twilight. “I realized that Twilight meant more to me than anything else in the world. My Loyalty was to her, and not just because of the Elements.”

Rainbow shuddered. “I told her how I felt, then I laid claim to that sword.” Her expression became one of remembered fear. “The sky ripped open, and dark tentacles grabbed me. And then… I…,” She stopped, unable to continue.

“It was hard for you, wasn’t it Dashie?” Twilight said softly. She hugged her lover as the others looked on.

“Yeah, it was more scary than anything I’d ever done before. It only stopped when I realized it was all smoke and mirrors,” Rainbow said. “I was more in fear for you.”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Um, are ya an item now or somethin’?” she asked.

Twilight blushed as hard as Rainbow had. “Yes, we are.”

Rainbow looked at Applejack. “I dunno if this will mean anything to you, but Twi and I are soulbound to each other.”

“Ah see,” Applejack said. The others had looks of understanding as well. “Well, ain’t that somethin’?” She smirked. “Ah think the pair of ya got yer hooves full.”

The others giggled at the blushes on Twilight and Rainbow’s cheeks. Rarity was swooning; her romantic heart was full to bursting.

“I have to say, I’m glad you’re all alright with this,” Twilight said in relief.

“Why, did ya think Ah’d reject ya?” Applejack said, a little hurt.

“It was more of a fear than anything else,” Rainbow said in response.

“Sugarcube, love is love. Y'all are family, and Apples don’t abandon family,” Applejack said.

Twilight launched herself at the farmpony, giving her a hug in thanks. This dissolved into a group hug; all of the other mares realized that Rainbow and Twilight really needed the closeness of good friends.

They were interrupted by Spike. “Twilight, you’ve got a letter from the Princesses,” he said. He looked at Rainbow Dash, and facepalmed. “Another alicorn; great, as if we needed more problems.”

All of them laughed at Spike’s grumbling. Twilight took the letter from her assistant. Her expression became impassive as she began to read out loud what Celestia had written.

Twilight Sparkle,
I have just received word that you and Miss Rainbow Dash have returned from your sojourn north. When Miss Clever Marigold returned to Luna’s service, she was unable to give a full account of what had occurred. The correspondence we had received left much to be desired.
In any case, that is neither here nor there. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has informed me that something quite shocking has occurred to a number of the Crystal Ponies of her kingdom. It seems that they have somehow reverted to ordinary ponies. What is worse is that many of them have all but lost any trace of magic, and no longer have cutie marks.
Luna suspects that it has something to do with Sombra. I am requesting the presence of yourself and your friends in order to discuss the matter further. In addition, I would like a full explanation of what occurred in the north, as we may be able to find clues as to what has happened through those events.
Please respond to this request as early as possible Twilight. Send word with Spike with your E.T.A.

With Regards,
HRH Princess Celestia

“This doesn’t sound like Celestia at all,” Twilight muttered. She was disturbed at the formal tone of the letter. She then noticed a postscript:

P.S. I apologize for the formal tone Twilight; the General Assembly is pressuring myself and Luna concerning this issue, as well as information regarding your quest. I was forced to hide this postscript so that only Spike’s dragonfire would make it appear.

Twilight smiled a bit in relief, before an exasperated expression formed on her muzzle. She then looked at Rainbow. “Could you have waited a little longer? The Assembly now has more to fuel their ire towards the princesses; they didn’t need this on top of everything else.”

Rainbow sighed heavily. “I wanted to, but Serenity is one that keeps her promises.” Seeing the confused looks everypony besides Twilight was giving her, Rainbow made to explain.

“Um, you all know those priests and clerics that talk about the Essences?” The other ponies nodded. “Well, they’re as real as they say they are.” She raised a hoof to tick off each one as she said their names. “Solaris, Selene, Serenity, Dusk, Gaia, Chronos, and the Heart of Harmony itself.”

Rainbow scratched her head. “I’m special when it comes to alicorns. Serenity is connected to the Realm of Light, and I kinda took over as its Guardian.” She shrugged her wings, fluffing them a bit.

Seeing that the others were still a little confused, Twilight did her best to explain further. “Love and Light is what Crystal Ponies call on when they charge the Crystal Heart. So that ties them into the Realm Rainbow guards.” She then looked sad. “It also means that she has a great level of responsibility.” She pointed at the letter on the table. “Those ponies that became ordinary ponies gave themselves over to someone they shouldn’t have.”

The others started to get what was being said. “What, you did that to them Rainbow Dash?” Rarity said in shock. “Whatever could they have done to deserve something like that?”

“Well, first of all they’re rejecting those that revere the Aurora,” Rainbow said, snarling a bit as she said it. “Second, they’re at least on some level working with the so-called ‘Lord of Darkness.’ Or their helping him along,” she grumbled.

“The Lord of Darkness? Do we know this ‘Lord of Darkness’?” Rarity asked.

“Well, none of you have met him, and be glad you haven’t; he’s not awesome at all,” Rainbow said. “We all have dealt with his chief servant though. Or what was left of him anyway.”

“Huh?” Applejack looked confused for a moment; then her expression cleared. “Ya mean Sombra? He had a Master?” Rainbow nodded. “Makes sense, the big blowhard.” She snorted. “What Ah don’t get is why punish ponies for somethin’ like that? I get they should be punished, but isn’t takin’ their natures away a little harsh?”

“Not when it comes to Crystal Ponies it isn’t,” Rainbow said bluntly. “The first of them called on Gaia and Serenity to protect their kingdom.” She frowned. “Whether they really wanted to or not, their descendants were born to serve that same duty.” She was sniffing; when she looked up, her eyes were full of tears. “There are many that I stripped that only went along with the majority. I don’t like that I was forced to do that; it’s not cool at all!” Rainbow started to cry.

To her shock, it wasn’t Twilight that comforted her this time; it was Rarity. “Darling, having to do something like that is never easy.” She gave a stern gaze to Applejack, silently asking the farmpony to keep the rest of her opinion to herself. The mare made to object; the dirty looks she was getting from her other friends silenced her further. Grumbling, she walked off.

“I never knew I’d feel so hard about this; even punishing those that were serving the Dark One directly hurts,” Rainbow said, her voice thick with tears. “I didn’t do it because I wanted to; I did it because it needed to be done.”

“We all know that Dashie,” Pinkie Pie said, uncharacteristically solemn. The others- except for Twilight -hugged the mare in comfort.

Twilight found Applejack standing outside the palace; her hoof was scuffing the ground. She looked up at Twilight, blanching a bit at the anger she could plainly see in the mare’s eyes.

“Ah know yer likely mad at me sugarcube, and I don’t blame ya,” the farmpony said softly. “Ah just don’t think it’s right fer Rainbow to do what she done ‘n all. Ah’m just being honest, like Ah’m supposed to.”

“And not taking into consideration how your honesty can hurt, as usual,” Twilight said, her temper rising. “When honesty is done without temperance, it’s worse than a lie. Don’t even say it Applejack,” she snapped when she saw that the mare made to object, “I’ve gotten a much better understanding of the Elements than I had even when I first got my wings.”

Twilight moved until she was facing her friend. “Instead of criticizing Rainbow Dash for doing something you hardly even understand, try thinking of what she and I both have gone through.” Her expression was severe. “First, her mana started to change. Before she could get a grip on that, she and I were thrust into yet another journey by Princess Celestia, who just loves to have us solve her problems.” Her tone was bitter.

“Then, she had to face innumerable dangers in a realm she was not-at-all prepared for.” Twilight’s expression became even more angry. “And when she and I finally get back, she gets criticized for actions she didn’t even want to take by one of the ponies that should be there to support her.”

Twilight pointed in the direction of the palace. “She’s in there right now, doing something that is so unlike her; crying her eyes out.” She turned to walk back. Looking over her shoulder, Twilight made to say one more thing. “If you can’t learn that there’s a time and place for true honesty- just like there’s such a thing as misplaced kindness, or gratuitous generosity, or needless laughter -then I suggest you get used to having to apologize all the time.” She walked away, leaving a stricken friend behind.

Much later, Applejack found Rainbow Dash down by the lake next to Whitetail Woods. For unknown reasons, she once more looked like the pegasus she used to be.

Applejack didn’t like how she felt. She was quite angry for awhile at Twilight for saying the things that she did; yet at the same time, she had to admit that her friend was only being honest.

Rainbow looked up at her approach, then turned her head. Ah shoot, Ah’s can see the hurt in her eyes, Applejack thought sadly. Ah really need to learn when ta keep mah trap shut.

“Can Ah talk ta ya, sugarcube?” Applejack asked her friend.

“If ya wanna; doesn’t make any difference to me,” the polychromatic mare said indifferently.

Applejack looked down sadly. “Ah’m sorry sugar, Ah really am. Shoulda thought through what Ah was sayin’ before Ah said it.” She snorted. “Twi’s right; there’s a time and place fer honesty, and being honest when a friend is hurtin ain’t right.”

Rainbow looked at the farmpony. “I get what you were trying to say. You never gave me a chance to explain.” She stomped her hoof in aggravation. “Hay, I feel the same way you do, for Tartarus’ sake! I’m supposed to be a weather pony, not some avatar of a realm I never heard of until three weeks’ ago.” She sniffled. “It hurts that I’ve been forced to take away something that nopony has the right to take away.”

Applejack looked at her friend. Rainbow had always been a little bit too brash at times; this wasn’t one of them. She was showing a vulnerable side that even her friends seldom saw. The farmpony realized that her opinion didn’t matter here; this wasn’t about fairness, this was about doing right. “Ya know, Ah think we should just forget it fer now. Ah owe ya an apology sugar, and a promise. This ain’t no Pinkie Swear; this is on mah honor as an Apple. Ah’m gonna keep my opinions about things Ah don’t rightly understand to mahself.”

Rainbow gave in, hugging the recalcitrant farmpony. She pulled away a bit, deciding that they needed to do something else. “Wanna race AJ?”

The farmpony looked at her friend and saw the sparkle was back. “Yah know it sugarcube. Go easy on me now, ya hear?”

“Pshaw, as if!” the athlete scoffed. “Gotta give it my best, otherwise I can’t call myself Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash!”

The two laughed, and took off for Sweet Apple Acres. A purple alicorn looked on, smiling in thanks.

“Thank you for being a good friend Applejack,” Twilight said softly. “And thank you for reminding me to not forget what being honest to yourself really means.”

Equestria, Ponyville, 06-07-05, 9:22 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The Elements of Harmony were all gathered at Ponyville Train Station, waiting for the 9:30 A.M. train to Canterlot. Twilight had sent word to Celestia that she and her friends were on their way, and that a full explanation would be forthcoming.

Twilight was standing as close to Rainbow Dash as she possibly could. Their still-new relationship gave them both comfort. That was something that would soon be in short supply once they reached the capital.

Rainbow had a cute smile on her muzzle. She was looking in the direction of Ponyville, where the CMC were doing an adorable little dance number to the delight of passersby. The routine was something that few had ever seen before. Rainbow knew that Scootaloo had come up with it after she’d read the last letter she’d written her; it wasn’t until they entered the Caves of Memory that Rainbow had stopped writing about her adventure to her little sister.

The train from Canterlot made any other musing moot. The six friends all boarded; each one of the others were there to support Twilight and Rainbow as much as possible. They all knew their polychromatic-maned friend would need as much support as she could get.

Rainbow shook herself, releasing her hold on her pegasus form for awhile. She sighed with relief as she did so. Looking around the royal car, she stopped in shock when she saw a quartet of very familiar Crystal Unicorns sitting off to the side.

“Brighthoof?” Twilight said in shock, beating Rainbow to the punch.

“Ah, hello Princess Twilight.” The stallion walked over to where the two alicorns were sitting. He bowed to Rainbow; she returned his bow, blushing a bit self-consciously. “Hello, My Princess.” He waved his filly-folk over. Radiant Dawn, Stalwart Beauty, and Radiant Belle all came over to where the others were sitting. The three bowed before Rainbow, making her blush even more.

Then the little filly did what she did the first time she met Rainbow; she climbed up onto her withers. The other ponies cooed at the adorable picture it made. Beauty rolled her eyes a bit even as she joined them.

“Sugarcube, who are these ponies?” Applejack asked.

Twilight blushed a little, as she hadn’t a chance to give more details of her and Rainbow’s adventure to her friends. “Oh, I’m sorry Applejack. Rainbow and I met Brighthoof and his family on our way to the Crystal Palace.”

“Actually, it’s soon to be Lord Brighthoof, as the Crystal Unicorns have named me their representative,” Brighthoof said, a look of amused consternation on his muzzle.

Rarity looked confused. “I was under the impression that there were only two tribes of Crystal Ponies,” she said. “Why have you all of a sudden made an appearance?”

Beauty answered her. “Well, our lands were Sealed until recently.” She nodded in thanks towards Rainbow Dash and Twilight. “It was thanks to the princesses here that we were freed. As to the other reason; naturally, we’d have sent representatives here before, but were blocked by our Crystal Council.” She frowned. “My only regret is that they had to suffer the worst that can happen to a Crystal Pony to get the message across. Nothing else would have worked, as they declared a vote of No Confidence in Princess Mi Amore Cadenza shortly before they were removed from the Fold.”

“They did WHAT?!” Applejack yelped, her muzzle wearing an expression of complete shock. “Why would they reject the Crystal Princess? She and Spike were the reason they were saved almost two years ago!”

“It gets worse Lady Applejack,” Radiant Belle said. “There were orders passed down to arrest you and your friends- as well as Lord Spike -if you had ever entered their lands again.” She frowned at the look of shock on the farmpony’s muzzle. “I would think that you were aware that the Council was working hoof-in-hoof with one of Sombra’s Shades.”

Applejack turned towards Rainbow Dash, a look of pure apology on her muzzle. “Ah’m really sorry sugarcube. Ya’ll were right in what ya did, and I was judging yer actions without a lick of evidence that they were wrong.” She came over and gave the alicorn a hug; Rainbow Dash returned it. “Ah jest should have kept mah muzzle shut,” she grumbled. Rainbow Dash just chuckled.

The trip to Canterlot went far faster than it normally would have. Twilight and Rainbow Dash took the chance to regale their friends on some of the tales of their journey down from the summit of Mount Everfest. The laughter that these stories elicited was beautiful to behold.

Not to be outdone, Stalwart Beauty began to tell the other elements of some of the things that Radiant Belle got up to. The mares all laughed, though there was a thoughtful look on Rarity’s muzzle.

“What’s wrong Rares?” Rainbow asked when she noticed this.

“Oh, it’s nothing darling,” the alabaster unicorn replied, flipping her mane to the side. “I’m just thinking of how much Belle reminds me of another little unicorn.” She looked at Beauty, a grin creasing her muzzle. “I have a little sister by the name of Sweetie Belle. She’s a darling, but all of the things her and her friends have gotten up to sounds a lot like what your foal does.” The assembled mares shuddered a bit.

“Why, do they pull pranks?” Brighthoof asked.

“They did at one point; Scoots actually got really good at them,” Rainbow said in response. At Brighthoof’s questioning look, Rainbow explained. “Oh, that’s one of Sweetie Belle’s friends. She’s a little orange pegasus that looks up to me as both a big sister, and an idol. Her full name is Scootaloo.”

“It’s like this,” Twilight said when Rainbow paused. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applejack’s little sister Apple Bloom all met at another fillies’ cute ceanera, around the time I first moved to Ponyville.” She smiled in memory. “The three fillies decided to form a little club, since they were all trying so hard to find their cutie marks. They call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“And they get themselves in all sorts of trouble too,” Applejack grumbled. “A lot of which seems to involve tree sap, or running into the Everfree forest.” She chuckled. “And when they finally did get their marks, it was because they were tryin’ to put that no-account Diamond Tiara in her place.”

Twilight noticed that they were getting closer to Canterlot. “Oh, we’re almost to the capital,” she said. “Rainbow, I know you don’t want to but-” she began.

“Yeah, I think I should,” the cyan-colored alicorn sighed. She levitated Radiant Belle onto Twilight’s back for a moment, then pulled her power inwards. Within a few moments, she had resumed her pegasus disguise.

“Huh, that’s something,” Brighthoof said thoughtfully. “Now I know why I couldn’t sense transformation magic around you Princess.” He looked thoughtful. “Is that something all alicorns can do?”

“Yes, though it’s not something the princesses do often,” Twilight told him. “I mostly taught it to Rainbow Dash because she still has trouble with unicorn-based spells.” She frowned. “Also, it would have been impossible to explain to Princess Cadance why Rainbow was under such a spell.” She smiled self-consciously. “Alicorns can’t sense each other when our magic is suppressed. I found that out by accident when Princess Luna and I were dealing with some problems in Ponyville a while back.”

Further musing was cut short by an announcement. ‘Now arriving at Canterlot Central. Party to the Palace; A royal escort is waiting for you.’

The assembled ponies looked at each other, then gathered their things. They made their way to the carriages that would take them to the palace. The Crystal Ponies were glad of this; it meant that they could get there faster.

Once all were in the carriages, the ponies pulling them began the short journey to Canterlot Palace. There awaited them a trio of confused and concerned alicorns.

The two newest alicorns were about to change that. Some would say for the better.

A hidden dark pony had a different view, and a plan to end everything.

Chapter Six: Echoes of the Past Part Two

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Equus, Kingdom of the Moon, 06-06-05, 9:34 A.M. A.N.M (After Nightmare Moon)

The light of Sol shined down upon the dark side of Lune, bathing it in a radiant light. The lengthening shadows demonstrated that the moon was now on the far side of Equus, lifting and moving the tides in the Western Oceans.

As the light passed by the towers of a magnificent palace, one could see the shine of crystal as the sunlight glinted off the towers. The palace in question was a jewel of pony construction, and had stood the test of time for centuries. Made up of both fused moon rock and moon crystal, the Crystal Moon Palace rivaled that of Canterlot in sheer scope, and matched it in majesty. One could even say that it surpassed it in many regards, as it was more than just a palace.

On a balcony overlooking her kingdom, Princess Nightingale watched her subjects rising to meet a new day. Off in the distance, she could see the great wall that demarcated the Rift, that which separated Lune’s ‘Dark Side’ from its ‘Light Side’. Pegasi- and the occasional pegacorn -moved from tower to tower, bringing the mail that helped run the massive metropolis beyond the gates of her palace.

Nightingale sighed; despite its beauty, her city and palace were the heart of a kingdom under siege. It had been that way for centuries, long before her own birth some seven hundred and forty-five years prior. Nightingale placed her forehooves on the banister of the balcony as she looked over the kingdom she spent so long trying to protect.

Memories of an earlier time flowed through the alicorn’s mind as she looked at the view. Though there were many very happy memories, there were far more sad ones. Ponies that she had loved- some her own children -had died protecting this Lost Kingdom from the Dark One’s forces.

Many blamed the Moon Princess for the troubles they had. If Princess Luna hadn’t fell to her darkness, none of them would have had to face these creatures. Nightingale, however, couldn’t blame her; she was just as much equine as everypony else. Instead, she laid the blame on the one truly responsible; the self-styled Emperor of Darkness.

Nightingale’s normally gentle and serene expression twisted into a mask of pure rage as she recalled the first and only time she had met that creature. Her mind began to slip from the iron grip she kept on it. Unbidden, the memories of the battle that made her what she was today came forth. She lost her mind once more into the past, reliving something that she could never forget…

Nightingale watched in utter disbelief as her now former commander channeled the raw darkness before him. The massive army of mis-born creatures began to overwhelm the three garrisons she led.

Flying upwards, Nightingale tapped into the vast reserves of power that she possessed as a pegacorn. Calling to her troops, she fired bolt after scintillating bolt into the horde. The unicorns in her garrisons responded by firing their own bolts of shadow-wreathed light mana. With some difficulty, they managed to beat back the first wave.

“It matters not, mis-born freak,” the traitorous stallion shouted at her. Using the raw energies surrounding him, he blasted her with a bolt of mana designed to work against her pegacorn nature.

He miscalculated however. Years of torture at the hands of those that had called her friend had given Nightingale a singular skill; a resistance to magic used to kill or torture. Not only that, she also possessed a counter to nearly every single anti-pegacorn based spell her former commander knew. She absorbed the spell using a shield composed of harmonic light, restructured its mana, then blasted the unicorn with a pegacorn-powered version of his own spell

The resulting force was strong enough to propel him backwards several meters, resulting in him crashing against the weakening barrier. A runic array on his fur flashed briefly, then cracked a hole in the barrier. The unicorn stallion smirked as it did so.

Nightingale realized that she had played right into the traitor’s hand. Pegacorn mana has almost the same unique characteristic as alicorn mana, she thought with dismay. I’ve just freed his Master!

The stallion bowed as a form composed of shadow and darkness oozed its way past the crack in the barrier. “Master, I have succeeded,” the stallion said reverently, his muzzle wearing an expression of fawning supplication.

The twisted dark creature looked at the stallion before him, then nodded as if something had been confirmed. Dark tentacles wrapped themselves around the bowing unicorn; one wrapped itself around his horn, sapping every bit of his mana.

”Receive your just reward, Greedy One,” the Dark One said, his tone undulating. He threw the now shrieking stallion into the midst of the Shadow-spawn waiting behind him. The creatures ripped the pony to shreds.

Nightingale watched this in disbelief. Even though he had tried to kill her, her former commander was still one of those she had sworn to protect. He had only Fell as far as he had trying to protect these lands.

Her anger caused a change within her. Nightingale could feel unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony mana rise within her in equal amounts. Acting not on instinct, but with pure intent, she seized on these powers. Using them, she linked with forces greater than herself for the first time.

“By Dusk’s Honor, Selene’s Purity, Solaris’ Light, and the Heart of Harmony, YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

A radiant orb of mana appeared on Nightingale’s horn. The orb contained all of the colors of the rainbow, plus scintillating bands of light, shadow, and darkness. With a terrible shout, Nightingale launched the orb at the Dark One. It hit him midships, pushing him back several meters.

Even so, it wasn’t enough to force him back to the other side. The Dark One laughed darkly at what he considered to be the negligible efforts of an effete creature.

That action was a mistake.

The mocking laughter that her foe let forth drove Nightingale past all reason. Her eyes took on an eldritch glow. The orb of mana grew in strength as its core was fully connected to source of the powers that the newborn alicorn Called on.

The Dark One screeched in horrendous pain as he was blasted back through the Rift. The orb detonated, obliterating not only the remainder of his forces, but all of those waiting on the other side. Snarling, he swiped at the pony who followed him, intending to end her miserable efforts.

Nightingale whipped her head around, her horn casting beams of shadow-wreathed light. The Dark One screeched again, and made to shadow-morph past her.

“NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO TORMENT THESE LANDS AGAIN!” the furious alicorn shouted. Nightingale fired bolt after scintillating bolt. Many missed, though a few connected. Her horn glowing brightly, Nightingale created a temporary barrier right at the breach. She then Called crystals from beneath those points where she ‘missed’, using them in a power-sapping array.

The Dark One had had enough; he was no longer able to retain this form. He fled to one of his nearby strongholds, only to have the entire complex obliterated by the alicorn that followed him. He screeched, then headed for yet another one; only to find that the accursed creature had somehow destroyed all of those nearest the Rift.

Snarling impotently, the Dark One made his way to his dark fortress. He prepared his army inside, only to have sealing crystals appear around it. Once more screeching in pain, he realized that there was nothing more he could do, as the accursed pony was channeling the magic of the accursed mage that Sealed him here; and the Power of the thrice cursed Essences that cared so much for those that were rightfully his servants.

The Dark One stopped his attacks, calling in all of his power, preparing for the time when the Seal would be fully undone…

A flapping of wings pulled Nightingale out of her unplanned trip down memory lane. She turned to see her son approaching her. Stern Gaze looked at his mother with a concerned expression on his muzzle. “The past again, Mother?” he asked her. She nodded ruefully.

“It’s not something I seem to be able to control,” the princess said softly. “Whenever I grow weary, or become real angry, memories come forward.” Nightingale sighed softly, turning back to the view before her. She started to smile, a look of happiness that had seldom been on her muzzle as of late.

“Look at all of them, Gaze. Look at how they work to live as happy as they can, despite everything we exiles have had to deal with.” Nightingale turned back to her son, an impish glint sparkling in her eyes. “How was your date last evening?” She asked him.

Gaze’s muzzle wore a long-suffering look. “Silent Grace is my assistant and pupil,” he said. “We only had a dinner date to go over business, and that was two weeks ago.” He groaned at the look in his mother’s eye.

“Oh, I wasn’t speaking about Grace; I know you two are far too close. I was speaking of the pegasus mare you’ve been seeing in one of the smaller villages near your fortress,” Nightingale said, a knowing look in her eye. “I know that you had evacuated them when the attacks first started, and I know for a fact that you’ve been waiting for a chance to ‘take her about the town.’” She giggled at the look on her son’s muzzle.”Oh come now Gaze; I know how young ponies are. I was one once you know.” Her smile turned sly. “If I had been unwilling to mate myself, none of my children would have been born.”

Gaze facehoofed in aggravation. “Mother, I would ask how you know something even Grace is unaware of, but that’s neither here nor there.” His expression turned neutral. “The remainder of the Moon Council has gathered into the Throne Room, and is calling for your blood.”

Nightingale snorted in frustration. “They can say what they want; I’m standing by my decision. Decentralizing our forces has removed them from the Council’s control, and all of the major traitors have been Sealed.” Her expression became severe. “I will not lift that Seal this time until the Moon Princess returns. Those ponies I give authority to will learn their place, else I will raise up others to take it.”

The pair were walking towards the throne room as they continued their conversation. Along the wall, there were full color oil paintings of every alicorn of note. The one that depicted Princess Luna in her battle dress of old brought a sense of longing to Nightingale. She shook it off.

The one that depicted Princess Celestia reminded Nightingale of her recent efforts to reform the Moon Kingdom’s political system. “Has there been any efforts in establishing the meritocracy system Equestria employs for its royal houses?” she asked her son.

Gaze shrugged his wings. “Most of the Greater Houses have accepted it, those who are allied with our House. A few of them have declined.” He frowned. “Only a small handful of the Lesser Houses have accepted the proposal; the vast majority have declined, as have the remainder of the High Council seats.”

Nightingale looked at her son with a severe expression. “WHAT High Council? There aren’t any of them left!” She snorted discontentedly. “I suppose those that weren’t directly involved with the plan are the ones that are calling for my head?”

Gaze nodded. “I’ve called in the Moon Guard,” he replied. “The entire throne room has been sequestered, and I have troops stationed around the manors of each High Noble.” A sad expression flashed on his muzzle briefly; anypony else would have missed it, but Nightingale was his mother. “It seems that the personal retinue of seven of the houses were fully loyal to their masters. Their barracks are all full of crystal statues.”

Nightingale looked sad as she nodded. “I know that; we’ve lost sixty-four percent of our reserves.” Her expression brightened. “However, we still retain all of those that were stationed at the outlying fortresses.” Her tone turned sly. “It seems as though the Council’s plans bit them in their own flanks.”

Gaze nodded. He was still concerned however. “Mother, what happens when the Dark One makes another attack? We barely managed to repulse this one, and the barrier is only getting weaker now that he is UnSealed.”

Nightingale looked at Gaze with a soft smile on her muzzle. “I wouldn’t worry too much Captain,” she said. “Now that I’ve Sealed the Council, and will shortly deal with the remnants, I will be free to disable the Council’s array.” She pointed in the direction of the palace’s Light Chapel. “Once the power is restored to its proper flow, we should be able to reinforce the barrier.” She frowned. “That won’t stop him from being able to use those paths I have no control over though.”

Gaze shook his head at that admission. “In any case, we’re needed elsewhere at the moment.” He looked at his mother. “Your Highness, can you at least avoid a full Sealing? I know Sealing away only their power is not enough for your sense of justice, but it’s far better politically.”

Nightingale sighed. Gaze only uses that when not in mixed company when he’s appealing to his princess. “I will, Captain, as there are none left that were directly involved.”

The pair continued on to the throne room, in order to deal with the remnants of yet another traitorous Moon Council.

A few minutes later, Nightingale and Stern Gaze approached the throne. While it was true that she was accepted as a princess, she had never laid claim to the throne itself. She preferred to think of herself as a steward; it was only at the insistence of both the common ponies she protected, and the Essences that she accepted the role of princess.

The throne room was filled with the remainder of those that contested her reign. Made up of descendants of those that managed to find their way to her kingdom, these ponies were every bit as power mad as those of ancient Utopia.

Long had these twisted ponies tried to undermine the efforts of those few pegacorns that didn’t seek Sanctuary. And for centuries before Nightingale’s birth, they had been mostly successful. Nightingale’s appearance, and later Ascension changed that.

While she was by no means skilled in magic in those days, Nightingale had an overabundance of another trait; that of faith. She was willing to be a direct conduit of the Essences, and it was their power that she had used to protect her kingdom. That is, until the Moon Council formed the first legions of Damned Ones.

Forced to flee, Nightingale spent several years in the Borderlands. It was in the remains of one of the Dark One’s strongholds that she found evidence of his involvement in the Council’s actions. This led her to seek knowledge at the hooves of the Essence of the Shadowlands.

Dusk sent her to Sanctuary, where the fabled Eternal Library could be found. Promising only to use the knowledge to protect, Nightingale studied what she could. She then spent several more years practicing. Once she was assured that she had the skills, she returned to her kingdom, and performed the first Sealing. Others would follow, once every century or so.

All of this flashed through her mind as Nightingale approached the dais. The most vocal of her detractors approached her. Sighing internally, she listened to the stallion’s complaints.

It became very clear that they weren’t going to settle for anything less than her abdication, and the declaration of martial law. Nightingale didn’t care about the former, as the common ponies would always follow her. However, the latter wasn’t necessary, and smacked of a contingency plan by the traitorous Council.

Before the mare in front of her could bluster, Nightingale silenced all of the foals with a silence spell. Flares of runic mana on each and every one of them spoke of preparations against such things. The alicorn rolled her eyes; she had seen this same tactic many times before.

“You all obviously think that I’m willing to go to such lengths, when I know for a fact that it’s simply a ploy to get the people to desire my abdication,” Nightingale said to the assembled ponies before her. “Have you all forgotten how old I am? The Moon Council tried this same tactic three hundred years after my birth!”

The princess snorted in frustration. “I really don’t know why I even bother to try and teach any of you,” she said, a rare expression of supreme aggravation appearing on her muzzle. “I have tried, again and again, to be more democratic in running this kingdom.” Marshalling her mana, Nightingale prepared to send the message home.

“By Luna’s Law, I hereby decree that this land will follow the custom established by Equestria,” she intoned. Her words were heard by every pony in the kingdom as she continued. “I declare that ALL of the Noble Houses be opened for all that can prove their worth. All present here have been judged, and found wanting.” She grinned; it was not a nice grin. “My Law stands.”

A flash of scintillating mana burst from Nightingale’s horn. Radiating outwards, the aura Sealed the magic of every remaining Council-pony. All except for one; the mare that now stood before the princess.

The unicorn turned to address her former peers, smirking a little as she was proven to be a strong agent for the Dark One. This fact was rendered moot by what happened next. A flash of brilliant rainbow light heralded the appearance of the Alicorn of Harmony herself.

Hope leveled her horn at the hapless pony, saying the one phrase that hurt Nightingale the most.

“By my Heart, be no more, in this or any other world!”

A bolt of radiant light flew from the Alicorn’s horn, striking the pony before her. The mare screamed in agony as her very being was torn asunder. When it was over, not even her immortal pony spirit remained.

Nightingale collapsed at this evidence of her chief Council-pony’s duplicity. Tears rolling down her muzzle, she bowed her head in sadness at the loss. Hope bowed her own head in response, sharing in her fellow alicorn’s pain.

“I am sorry, Princess. There was no other way to protect the children she Bound to herself.” Hope turned away. “I have called Sanctuary for them, as they will not be able to find healing here.” She summoned a scroll, levitating it towards Gaze. “The ponies listed there sold their foals to the Dark One; they are now stone. See to it that they are sent to their Master.” So saying this, the third eldest of all the alicorns vanished in a flash of rainbow light.

Gaze nodded to his mother, then called the guards. “Take these ponies to the stockades,” he told them. “I’m needed elsewhere.” He then teleported to the barracks, in order to marshal the troops.

Nightingale raised herself to her hooves, then looked at Silent Grace, who had just arrived. “Please let any who have petitions know that Court has been cancelled. I haven’t the heart to deal with anything more right now.” So saying, she teleported back to her chambers.

Grace watched her princess leave with a heavy heart. Oh Luna, please come soon, she thought sadly. My princess hurts so much; she needs you.

Her wishes were born on the winds of faith, and would soon be heard by the one who needed to hear them.

The sky overhead was darkly foreboding as Nightingale traced the path that the ponies had been using. She had been following groups of them ever since the new sorcerers that the Moon Council had formed came after her. She watched the group huddle around a boulder that looked suspicious. The unicorns present began to chant, horns glowing. The bolder they were surrounding warped and shifted; within moments it had vanished, leaving an opening behind. Before she could follow, the boulder reappeared, looking as normal as anything did on this side.

Nightingale landed, stomping her hooves in aggravation. There must be some evidence around here somewhere, the young alicorn thought to herself. Those ponies looked like some of those strangely cursed ponies that the Council has recently employed.

Nightingale saw the trail of hooves that the ponies had left behind. She decided to follow them, in the hopes of finding out where they had come from. I may be able to find something of worth there, though it’s a slim chance.

Within a very short time, Nightingale came to one of the Dark One’s ruined strongholds. She realized that this was one of the many she had destroyed in her battle with him a few years back.

Though she was still leery of finding any evidence here, Nightingale decided to investigate. It’s not like I have anything else to do; I can’t go home. I have no power against these strange ponies. She sighed in sadness; even as an alicorn, her skill in magic was still severely limited.

Nightingale was forced to hide as another group of ponies left the ruins. Using one of the few non-combat spells she knew, she scanned the ruins for any more. There were none. She made her way into the ruins, looking for proof.

An hour of searching led to nothing. Nightingale was about to mark this up as a dead end when something pinged her alicorn magic. Following it, she found her way to one of the few walls that remained undamaged.

Nightingale realized that there was something about this wall. She looked closer, and saw that there was a series of markers that looked familiar. Gasping, she realized that they were identical to markers that she had used to guard her now-deceased former commander’s treasure vault.

Nightingale found the unlocking runes, and used the unlocking phrase that she had written into them. A latticework of runes appeared on the wall; within moments, it had become a door. she placed her hoof in its center; with a creak, the door unbolted itself, then swung inward on silent hinges.

Looking inside, Nightingale found what she was looking for; a hidden laboratory. She passed tables containing alchemical compounds, and bookshelves containing reference scrolls. Most of what was here was badly degraded, likely a result of her teacher’s death. There was one thing that was still whole though.

Moonstar’s private journal.

Nightingale used one of her new powers to scan the tome for twisted magics. Finding nothing untoward, she opened it, and began to read.

Much of what was written here was only a confirmation of what she already knew; that her teacher had been a hidden hoof, allied with the Dark One. Later passages hinted at darker leanings however.

It seems as if my former mentor desired power equal to his Master, the young alicorn thought cynically. Too bad that monster doesn’t share.

One passage in particular caught her eye. It was his report on a discussion he had had with the Council concerning their efforts to destroy the Rift barrier. Gasping in both shock and anger, she read the passage more closely.

10-27-227 A.L.F.

Our Master’s efforts to divert the energies Sealing the Rift have borne fruit. Leveraging our influence within the useless Moon Council, we have created a cadre of Damned Ones that will be instrumental in securing the new borders.

What the ‘Master’ doesn’t realize is that these sorcerers are loyal to me, and to their leaders. He’s far too trusting of me, the foal. He doesn’t realized what I’m after; nopony does really.

Except for one, however. That mis-born freak Nightingale is becoming suspicious of myself and the Council. I’ve been forced to flee as a result of her raising her own army.

No matter; I will soon have what I need to ensure my plans bear fruit, whether I live or not. After all, the darkness will preserve me, even if ‘Master’ discovers my duplicity. In any case, I will soon have the Power my Family has long sought since those thrice-cursed alicorns stole it.

If it takes a thousand years, we will have it.

Moonstar

Nightingale looked on in disbelief. Here was proof, in his own hoof, that her teacher had zero regard for her as a pony. Her eyes took on an eldritch glow, and she shouted in anger. A blast of shadow mana nearly tore the room apart; however, she prevented it from doing any more damage to the evidence she had found. Her alicorn magic had another benefit though; it snapped the effects of a mind-controlling array that her erstwhile teacher hid within the tome.

Shaking her head, Nightingale gathered what she had found in a pile with her kinesis. Once everything of worth was gathered, she teleported the mess back to her camp. She followed it soon after.

After several hours, Nightingale was sure of what she had found. There was little she could do however; she lacked the power to fight these new sorcerers, or to even proved the Moon Council’s duplicity.

“By the Dusk, what am I to do?! How am I supposed to fight something like this?!” Nightingale fell to her belly, tears rolling down her muzzle. “I have no skill to fight something like this. By the Dusk, I need the wisdom of the past.”

A radiant essence began to make itself known; rising in shock, the young alicorn watched as a being appeared before her. It possessed the appearance of a unicorn filly, though there was no mistaking who this was.

Dusk herself had answered her.

My child, I feel your pain, the Essence of the Shadowlands said, her words more felt than heard. Sanctuary can provide the knowledge you seek, as long as you are willing to serve Harmony.

The true embodiment of Shadow laid her horn alongside the near-prostrate alicorn. With this, Dusk imparted a small measure of Her power to rejuvenate. She pulled the pony to her hooves, dusting her off. There is no need for such supplication; you have already proven how strong your faith is. My Blessing will always be upon you, as will the Blessings of my Sisters. Once She was assured that Nightingale was presentable, Dusk departed in the same manner She came. Don’t keep them waiting, child, She said, her voice filled with mirth.

Nightingale sighed, half in thanks and half in aggravation. Concentrating on the form in her mind, she Called Sanctuary. A brilliant rainbow flashed, and the Alicorn of Harmony stood before her.

“Why have you called Sanctuary, Sister?” the multicolored-maned alicorn asked. “You already have a place that you can serve.”

Nightingale looked at the embodiment of Harmony itself closely, looking for any signs of duplicity. There wasn’t more than a good-natured twinkle of humor in her eyes. “No, Sister, I Called for Knowledge,” she said.

Hope smiled at this. “Then it is the Eternal Library you wish to enter.” Her expression turned stern. “I must get a promise before I open the Way. Will you Swear to never use the knowledge you acquire for vengeance; that you will use it only to protect?”

Nightingale placed her right forehoof over her chest. “I do so Swear, by the Purity of Selene, the Light of Serenity, and the Honor of Dusk; I will only use what the Library holds to defend the ones I love, no matter how much I yearn for vengeance.”

Hope smiled. Nightingale’s admission that she would do what was right despite wanting vengeance showed that she was mature enough for her new role. Turning, she used her Power to open the Portal to Sanctuary.

Nightingale walked through this portal. She knew that she was walking to an uncertain future, yet she still carried hope in her heart…

A shake of her head brought Nightingale out of the unplanned afternoon nap she had taken. Rising from her bed of pegasus-and-nimbus-cloud stuffed pillows, she walked over to the basin in the corner of her quarters.

Like everything else here, the basin was minimalistic. No matter how hard they tried, the princess refused to use the more lavish gifts her ponies gifted her. She kept them, of course; it would be heartless to turn them away. She simply placed them in one of the many guest rooms in her palace, which were free for the public to use at any time. Even thieves could; not that stealing anything ever got them anywhere other than a session of hard labor. Nightingale was a past master of unconventional spells; she had thousands protecting the gifts she had received over the years. The only gift she never kept was the donations some of the more wealthy ponies made; those went to orphans, much to the displeasure of those stuffy ponies.

No, the alicorn was content with the simple quarters she had. It didn’t mean that what was here wasn’t expensive; it was just that of the gifts she had gotten that fit her style. She shook the water out of her mane as she looked over her quarters.

The one object that didn’t match the decor was recent. A full color painting of Princess Luna hung over the door leading to her private garden. Gazing upon this pony always brought tears to Nightingale’s eyes, yet she couldn’t help but to do so. She had had centuries to come to terms with her emotions, yet they still got the better of her at the worst of times.

Even the affection she had for the mates of her past weren’t enough to fill the void that Luna’s absence left in her. Since the day she’d Felt her fellow alicorn’s consciousness calling out to her, she had pined for the midnight alicorn. It took her a long time to figure out the reason why; the soulbond.

Soulbonding was a curious phenomenon. Often disputed by so-called ‘love experts’, the soulbond was where a soul would harmonize with another soul. Almost completely random, and never taking the same form twice, it was the greatest expression of unconditional love.

Though often limited to ponies, there had even been rare cases where a soulbond occurred between a pony and a dragon. Far more common were bonds that were between members of the pony tribes. There were soulbonds of two ponies sharing a link with the same pony. Or one pony having a link between three different creatures, though that one wasn’t common.

Whenever the bond was between those that were heterosexual yet of the same gender it often took the form of a deep friendship; the purest form of that was with those that had bonded with the Seeds of Harmony over millennia. If homosexual or bisexual, or of opposite genders, it became a union in the truest sense. That one was rare among soulbound stallions, yet common around soulbound mares; the soulbond was extremely rare amongst male ponies.

The rarest form of the soulbond was called a lovebond. This bond often came between those that either had a prior link- such as the Seeds of Harmony -or had a bond of strong love with their partner. The latter was the rarest of them all; there had only been a few reported cases over the centuries, the most recent believed to be Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

Nightingale sighed as she went over the details of her problem. Knowing what it is that is bothering me isn’t going to make suffering through it any easier, she grumbled to herself. After drying off her face, Nightingale walked through the door to her private garden,

As she walked through her garden, Nightingale gazed at the various plants and flowers contained in it. Many of these didn’t grow elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom, as they needed a steady supply of sunlight to grow. The varieties that subsisted on moonlight were all too common; many of them formed the basis for her ponies’ diet.

A very special flower grew here, however; the moon-rose. Cultivated by the Moon Princess herself, there was only a few places where this flower grew in the Moon Kingdom. The bushes here were from seeds that Nightingale had taken- with permission -from the gardens at Sanctuary. She wasn’t required to give an explanation as to why she wanted them, nor did she. Of course, she was fully aware that Hope likely knew how Nightingale felt about Luna.

Near silent hooffalls heralded the arrival of another pony. Nightingale turned and saw one of the palace gardeners entering from the only other entrance. She nodded at the pegacorn mare. “Ah, Quiet Beauty, it’s time for their watering is it?” she asked her adopted daughter.

“Yes, mother, it is,” Beauty responded, with a quick bow. She rustled her wings in aggravation; her pegacorn magic was still new enough to give her problems. “How was your nap mother?” she asked.

“Well enough, though my seneschal is likely to give me flak for it,” the princess responded ruefully. “After all, there was other business I needed to handle today outside the horseapple pile the Council left behind.” She noticed that her daughter had several bags of feed behind her in addition to the watering pots. “Do you need some help, or do you want me out of your way?” she asked Beauty.

“This is your garden mother; if anypony is ‘in the way’, that pony would be me,” the young pegacorn said in slight irritation. Even when it belongs to hers, she’s still willing to step aside for us. Truly, her love for us is as strong as it has ever been. “If you do wish to help, I most certainly wouldn’t mind.”

Nightingale nodded, and began by lifting the feed bags in her kinesis. The two mares set about watering, feeding, and weeding the plants in this private place. Special care was taken by the moon-roses; Nightingale watered these herself, as she cared for them whenever she could.

Before they could finish, a throat cleared nearby. Nightingale looked up to see her seneschal. She scowled at his expression; she didn’t need reminding that she had other duties like a foal. Stern Task’s next words soothed her aggravation. “My Princess, your son took the liberty to handle what of the kingdom’s business he could. I postponed the rest of it until tomorrow; however, you will have to have Court for the next three days to break up the backlog.” The stallion made his way towards the other entrance. “I called for a meal Princess. Please be sure to eat, and enjoy your unplanned day-of-rest.”

“Well, that was a change,” Nightingale commented. “He’s usually far less forgiving when I disrupt his schedule like this.”

“Oh, Grace and some of the others read him and the other staff the riot act,” Beauty said. “You have been working non-stop since the Seal began to fail; you need time to yourself.” Her expression turned cynical. “We’re not like the Equestrian ponies here; most of us Exiles are far more capable of handling things without our Princess looking over our shoulders all the time.” She snorted. “At least the commoners anyway; can’t say the same about the nobles.”

Both mares laughed at that, then finished their gardening tasks.

Once everything was to her satisfaction, Nightingale bid her adopted daughter good evening, then went to eat her meal in peace. She looked at the painting of Luna once more as she passed it; sighing, she buried her feelings as best she could, intent on enjoying what little time she had to herself.

Little did Nightingale know, things were about to change for her, and for all of the other Exiles of the Lost Kingdom. Events long unsettled were about to come to a head, heralding Luna’s return to the kingdom she had long protected…

Chapter Seven: Shadow's Gambit

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Equestria, Canterlot, 06-07-05, 10:37 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The journey to the palace was a short one. During the trip, Twilight took the time to prepare what she was going to say to Celestia.

No matter their relationship, Twilight was aware that her mentor and former teacher had a great deal of pride. She was certain, despite the past, that there was going to be an accounting concerning her actions. No matter that circumstances prevented her from informing her fellow princesses, she was still nervous.

“What’cha thinking about Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked her marefriend.

Twilight looked at the other alicorn sitting next to her; the pair were sharing a carriage with Rarity and Fluttershy. “I’m just nervous. I know there’s going to be some trouble outside of the Assembly.” She sighed. “Celestia and I have always had a strong relationship, but there’s been a few times in the past that I’ve gotten on her bad side.”

“You mean, like at Princess Cadance’s wedding?” Fluttershy asked softly.

Twilight nodded. “She’s never gotten real angry with me, but there was a time when I was a filly that I went some place I shouldn’t have.” She shuddered a bit. “That was the only time the Princess- I mean Celestia -ever really punished me.”

“What, did you go into her private chambers without asking or something?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight looked at her. “It was her private library, and I read something there that I shouldn’t have.” Twilight looked sad for a moment, then sighed. “I’m more worried about her and Luna’s reaction than the Assembly. Not that that isn’t yet another can of worms entirely,” she said, a severe frown on her muzzle.

Rainbow thought that Twilight was making a bigger deal out of the issue between herself and Celestia than there really was.

<Don’t discount her fears to quickly, child,> the voice of Serenity spoke in her mind. <I have known Celly for as long as I’ve known LuLu, and she does have more pride than she needs at times. It is her failing, just as envy is LuLu’s.>

“Twi, the best thing we can do is just tell the truth,” Rainbow told her marefriend. “I mean, it’s not like any of them can really do anything; not if they don’t wanna cause more problems than they already have.”

“That’s just it, Rainbow darling. The Assembly has the authority to make yours and Twilight’s lives very hard, even with you being alicorns.” Rarity had a frustrated frown on her muzzle as she shook her purple mane. “Not that it’ll get them anywhere; the last time they tried to stand on the princess’ authority was when Cadance first became an alicorn.” She looked out the window. “Oh, we’ve arrived girls. Guess we’ll know soon.”

The three parties made their way forward, an honor guard meeting them at the palace gate. The Guard-stallion in the lead stepped forward and bowed to Twilight in respect. “Mares and Gentle-colts, and Your Highness, the Alicorn Council and the General Assembly has requested your presence. Please follow me.”

They all followed the honor guard, Twilight making sure that the tome Celestia had given her months before was in easy reach. They party of ponies made their way to the Council Chamber, knowing that the horseapples were about to hit the fan.

A few minutes later, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Lord Brighthoof, and Radiant Dawn were standing in the presence of the full Alicorn Council. Two members of the Equestrian General Assembly were also present, as well as a representative of the Council of Eight.

Celestia nodded regally towards her former student and her friend. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Dame Rainbow Dash, we of the Council have requested your presence concerning a manner most grave.” She turned her attention towards the next youngest of the alicorns present.

Cadance cleared her throat before speaking. “Thank you, Auntie Celestia.” She looked at the ponies assembled, her expression grim. “Yesterday evening, a curious and grave situation struck a fair number of the Crystal Ponies in my Kingdom.” She nodded towards Lord Brighthoof. “This had come to pass shortly after the Crystal Council declared a vote of No Confidence in myself and my husband, Prince Shining Armor.”

Clearing her throat yet again, Cadance continued. “Details as to how this occurred are sketchy, but apparently, these ponies have ceased being Crystal Ponies, and have become regular earth ponies and pegasi. This has rendered the Crystal Council completely defunct, as only Crystal Ponies can sit on said Council.”

Cadance looked at Luna. The midnight alicorn continued. “What is worse than these ponies losing whatever made them Crystal Ponies, is that a fair number of them have lost their cutie marks as well.” She looked sad. “Not only that, the former Crystal Pegasi can no longer fly, and what little evidence we have shows that the former Crystal Ponies have no working earth pony magic.”

Celestia picked up the thread when Luna stopped, apparently unable to continue. “Documents recently unearthed seem to indicate that these ponies somehow displeased the Aurora.” She frowned. “We’re unclear as to whether or not this was something that Sombra started, though it doesn’t bear his mark.” She looked pointedly at Brighthoof, who coughed uncomfortably.

“Needless to say, whatever Star Swirl the Bearded did to Seal away Sombra ages ago has had unintended consequences.” Celestia looked at the two Bearers before her. “Several months ago, I and Princess Luna sent Princess Twilight Sparkle and Dame Rainbow Dash on a quest, the details of which I wasn’t able to divulge to anypony aside from those present.” A brief look of prideful anger passed over the solar alicorn’s muzzle, too quick for anypony aside from Rainbow Dash and Twilight to see.

“I had asked that myself and Luna be kept abreast of developments. However, a little over three weeks ago, contact between myself and Princess Twilight ended rather abruptly.” She levitated a familiar scroll before the assembled. “This scroll was given to Princess Twilight and Dame Rainbow Dash, along with a tome. When it suddenly returned to me, I was surprised.” Her expression turned rueful as she unrolled it.

Emblazoned on the scroll was symbol of a unicorn stallion wearing a ridiculous cap and robe. “As you can see, this scroll contains the mark of my old teacher, Starswirl the Bearded.” She huffed in aggravation. “I stopped pressuring Princess Twilight, and did my level best to wait patiently. Princess?”

Twilight stepped before the assembled, levitating the tome she had brought with her. “Thank you Princess Celestia.” She turned to face the assembled. “Princess Celestia sent myself, Dame Rainbow Dash, and Centurion Clever Marigold on an important quest.” She tapped the scroll with her horn; with a flash, the mark changed to a complete map. “This scroll now shows the journey through the Crystal Wastes that Rainbow and I took, after we were guided there by the Guardians of Sanctuary.” Celestia looked a bit taken aback by this, but let Twilight continue.

“Our journey was difficult; however, this tome contained everything we needed to know.” Her expression became one of long-suffering frustration. “Some of which would have been helpful before we ran into some of the problems.” She sighed. “In any case, once we had made it to the top of Mount Everfest, the hardest part of our journey took place.” She turned towards Rainbow Dash, giving her the cue to continue.

Leveraging the poise that she had somehow been gifted with when she became an alicorn, Rainbow began her part of the tale. “When Princess Celestia sent Twilight, Marigold, and myself on our quest, she and Princess Luna had given us a third item. Once we made our way towards the outskirts of Trottingham, the third item, a crystal container, revealed itself to be a unique sword.” She pointed at the tome, which had a sword emblazoned on its cover.

“That tome led us on our journey, which was made both harder and easier than it needed to be by a personal issue I was dealing with at the time.” Rainbow Dash looked at Celestia and Luna with a rueful expression on her muzzle. “In any case, we made it through the caves, and followed the instructions given.”

Rainbow looked away for a moment, clearing her throat before continuing. “During this, the meaning of a recurring dream I’d been having suddenly made sense.” She swallowed again. “To make this as brief as I can, I confessed how I truly felt at the time, and took Twilight’s place instead.”

Rainbow moved forward to stand next to Twilight. “Remember when I said that a personal issue I was having made things more difficult? Well, a few days prior to the start of our quest, my mana began the transition from the pegasus mana I was born with to that of a pegacorn.” Summoning her mana, Rainbow caused a flash of light to hide her changing form.

“As you can see, I’m rather more than that now,” the prismatic-maned alicorn said, a cocky grin on her muzzle. A glow around her horn kept the now fuming council-ponies from objecting as she continued.

“I’m not going to say much more, as the details are in that tome,” Princess Rainbow Dash said, her smirk turning into a frown. “I will say this much though. When the Ritual was completed, I was still a newborn pegacorn. I didn’t become an alicorn until I accepted my new destiny.”

The cyan alicorn’s tone took on a resonant quality similar to the Royal Canterlot Voice, though nowhere near as intense. “I, Rainbow Prism Dash, have accepted the role as Alicorn of Light, and Princess of the Aurora.”

Rainbow’s expression became impassive as she continued. “It was on my authority that the colluding members of the Crystal Council were no longer worthy of the Blessings of Gaia and Serenity.” She looked at the now steamed council-ponies- aside from the representative of the Eight, who was wearing a slightly amused expression -as she continued. “These ponies had betrayed the Oath that their ancestors had made twice. First, in that they were in willing collusion with the Great Traitor and One-Trick-Pony, the so-called King Sombra. And second, in that they had declared an unlawful vote of No Confidence in favor of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. They did not have the backing of all of the Crystal Pony Tribes, as only Crystal Ponies and Crystal Pegasi were in attendance.”

Rainbow’s expression became severe. “These ponies forgot that they needed the full vote of all five of the Crystal Pony tribes in order to declare a blood descendant of the first Crystal Emperor unfit. As the Crystal Sea Ponies and Crystal Zebra weren’t even consulted, then their actions were totally illegal.” She smirked. “Not that they would have been able to ask either, as both of those Tribes guard the entrances to the Realm I’m charged with protecting.” She smirked. “You can all talk now; don’t let me stop you.” Twilight smiled briefly at this momentary glimpse of of Rainbow’s usual irrepressible devil-may-care attitude.

The faint glow around Rainbow’s horn suddenly ceased; this heralded the cessation of the light-based silencing spell she had employed. The senior of the three council-ponies present- a stallion -wasted no time in expressing himself.

“Diarchs of Equestria, members of the Alicorn Council, the actions that you and these upstarts have taken have demonstrated that you no longer possess the acuity to rule this nation as you have. Therefore, the General Assembly hereby-- *urk*!” He was abruptly cut off by the junior council-pony present.

“I really wish you pompous windbags would heed the warnings my teacher gives you.” Turning towards the assembled alicorns, the unicorn mare bowed briefly before continuing. “As of this morning, the Assembled Priesthood of the Essences sent word to the Council of Eight that the Prophecy of Light foretold by the Oracle of Daphne had been fulfilled. My teacher sent word to the General Assembly that they were not to question the actions the princesses made concerning Princess Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor”- here Twilight wanted to stomp in frustration -“ and Princess Rainbow Prism Dash.” Glorious Sunrise smirked a bit before her expression turned impassive. “It gives me no pleasure to invoke the authority granted to me by the Council of Eight and the Priesthood, but I have little choice.”

Sunrise made her way towards the alicorns assembled before the others. Motioning to the Guards-ponies present in the room, she continued. “By the power invested in the Eight by the Founders Laws, and by the power invested in the Priesthood by the Heart of Harmony, the General Assembly is hereby banned from any ruling concerning our newest Princesses. As this is a matter between alicorns, and is one concerning a nation outside Equestria’s borders, Princess Celestia Dos Everfree and Princess Lunara Dos Everfree acted in good faith.” She pointed her hoof at her fellow council-ponies. “I really wish you’d grow a pair and stand up to Lady Lemyre and her cronies.” She sighed. “I really wish that uncle.” She stomped her hoof. “By the Founders Law, the General Assembly will not gather unless or until there is a popular vote of ALL of the pony tribes, or at the pleasure of the Alicorn Council.”

Sunrise bowed towards the assembled Princesses. “Your Highnesses, I must escort these ‘representatives’ to the Council Chamber.” So saying, she made her way towards the now-shaking council-ponies were standing.

Celestia took the tome that Twilight had been levitating into her own field. “Princess Twilight, Princess Rainbow Dash, I will give you an hour for lunch. I expect a full accounting of why you thought hiding something of this import from me was a good idea; the excuse that it ‘was Star Swirl’s Will’ will not suffice. I have had enough of that insufferable, selfish, overbearing stallion’s actions to last for three thousand years. Sister, attend to me when you have seen our two youngest princesses settled to their meal.” With a flash of light, Celestia teleported away.

“Oh dear, her Pride just had to speak up,” Luna murmured. Turning to the other princesses, she nodded towards the doors leading to the adjoining dining hall. “Please follow me sisters.”

The ponies all followed Luna to the table, which was already laid out for a meal. “Please, do not hurry on my account. Take as much time as you need.” Luna smirked at the shocked expression on Cadance’s muzzle. “Oh, pish posh; do you honestly think I’m going to force the command my dear sister gave?” She levitated an apple towards her snout. “The last time I checked, Twilight Sparkle was the Princess of Friendship; she is most certainly under no obligation to do anything Tia demands of her.” She took a bite of the apple in front of her while the others digested her words.

The others began to eat, setting aside the issue for the moment. Brighthoof felt as though he was intruding. He made to leave; however, he was stopped by Cadance. “Oh, Lord Brighthoof, please join us.” He did so, shaking his head as he walked towards the seat next to his Princess.

Brighthoof caught the suspicious glare that Luna was sending his way. “If it pleases Your Highness, feel free to speak your mind.” He selected a mandarin orange and cheese-topped salad from the numerous salad bowls that were present.

“Lord Brighthoof, I find it curious that you are somehow affecting the form of a Crystal Unicorn.” Luna selected her own meal as she said this, a daisy-and-watercress sandwich. “Not only is that fact a shock, but that you- as a mortal pony -are still alive after all of these years is something of a shock to me.”

Brighthoof sighed. “I wondered whether it would be you or your sister that would first ask me those questions Princess.” He took a bite of his salad before continuing. “I will answer them by telling my story in brief.”

Chewing yet another bite thoughtfully, Brighthoof began his tale. “I was sent by the Equestrian Council as an attaché of Sombra, though he didn’t use that name at the time.” He took a drink of orange juice. “I wasn’t aware of his plans, as he wasn’t one to tell his aides anything.” Brighthoof frowned. “I can’t say as though I wasn’t aware of the Council’s plans, though all I had to go on were suspicions.”

Brighthoof took another drink before continuing. “When I found out, I did my best to try and get the Crystal Ponies to deport Sombra. I was banished with the Crystal Unicorns as a result.” He then smiled; the expression was a happy one. “I fell in love. It was this love that caused me to take the Crystal Oath, the first to have done so in generations.” His expression turned sour. “I was present when Sombra was first Sealed away, along with the rest of the Crystal Unicorns. That’s perhaps the only time I’ve ever been angry at ponies who were only doing the best they could to help.”

Brighthoof stopped talking for a moment, concentrating on his salad. “When Sombra escaped, we were briefly released, only to have another set of spells Seal us again.” His expression became one of unfettered anger. “I’ve never felt so helpless as I did then, knowing that a no-account, half-baked wannabe wizard didn’t have the balls to find some other way to stop Sombra without Sealing away an entire kingdom of innocent ponies.” He looked at Rainbow in apology.

Luna regarded the Crystal Unicorn while she finished her own meal. “Well, that’s a great deal more than I was expecting,” she said at length. “I take it then that there was some anger directed towards myself and Tia?” Brighthoof nodded, a rueful expression on his muzzle.

The dark blue alicorn looked pensive as she grabbed a salad. “I cannot say that such feelings weren’t unwarranted. We did all we could, Tia and I, and yet it wasn’t enough.” She shrugged her wings a little. “The hang-up, as it were, was the same thing I later dealt with; my sister’s pride.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh on Celly?” Rainbow Dash spoke up, a look of concern on her muzzle.

“Celly? Never mind, Princess Rainbow; you got that from Serenity.” Luna was wearing an amused expression that quickly changed. “I am being fair. ‘Tis as fair to say that my sister is overly prideful as it is to say that I am overly jealous of the attention she’s always received.” She smiled ruefully at the look on Twilight’s muzzle. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle; even before we became alicorns, my dear sister always received more attention than I.”

The ponies all thought about what had been said as they finished their lunch. When it was over, Luna took them on a tour of the gardens, deliberately doing all she could to go past the hour that her sister had given them. While they were exploring the gardens, Luna continued her advice to the two youngest alicorns. “Remember yourselves Princesses; you are not under any obligation to do as my sister demands, no matter what she thinks.” She smirked. “Just ask Princess Angela sometime; she had more than a few words with me when I returned. She was not pleased with Tia’s belief that Sanctuary needn’t be separate from the rest of Equus any longer.”

“Yeah, but ponies’ attitudes towards pegacorns and other undesirables show that Sanctuary will always be needed.” Rainbow’s severe expression fell after a moment. “Then there’s the Eternal Library. And there’s things in there that I don’t think Equus will ever be ready for.”

Further conversation was halted by the arrival of Luna’s majordomo. “Your Highness, the Council of Eight has requested the presence of Lord Brighthoof,” the stallion said in even tones.

“Of course, Stern Hoof; I will send him presently.” Luna nodded towards the other princesses. “I must attend my sister; I am certain that her patience is wearing thin, and I must do what I can to direct it where it needs to go.” She smirked before teleporting away.

Brighthoof bowed briefly before going with Luna’s majordomo. “My Princess, I will see you when I see you. And good day to you as well Crystal Princess.” He then left, following his fellow noble-pony.

Cadance looked at the retreating forms of the two stallions, a question in her eyes. Turning to Rainbow Dash, she decided to voice said question. “I’m not certain as to why he called you ‘My Princess.’ Is that something you can explain Rainbow?”

Rainbow sighed a little as they all walked towards Celestia’s chambers. “It has to do with how the Crystal Oath works,” she said ruefully. “Ya know how the Crystal Heart outpours Light and Love, right?” Cadance nodded. “Well, the Oath was actually to both Serenity and Gaia. Because I’m the Alicorn of Light, I’m the princess to all of the Faithful, those that follow the Aurora itself.”

“That doesn’t mean that she directly supplants your authority Cadance,” Twilight spoke up. She knew her sister-in-law was concerned for her own role; it was as plain to her as her own nose. “You are the Crystal Princess by the right of your birth, and you would have been so even if you were still only a pegasus.”

“So when ponies say ‘My Princess’ to me, they don’t necessarily mean my role as Crystal Princess?” Cadance asked the pair.

Twilight nodded. “I’ve even had a few say the phrase to me, as there is a Circle of Friendship now.” She scowled at that. “The last thing I ever wanted was worship; at least those idiot ponies don’t see me as a deity, just somepony to look up to. That’s bad enough as it is…” Her words trailed off.

Rainbow grinned at her marefriend’s discomfort. “I call her that myself, though I do it for a different reason.” Her grin turned sly as Twilight blushed a bright red.

Cadance chuckled a bit at this. Then she frowned sadly. “Was it truly necessary to punish them so severely Rainbow? I know that they had asked for it by colluding with Sombra, but such a permanent action is unfair to them.”

Rainbow sighed. “I know, and believe me, it was really unfair. Neither Serenity or I wanted it. We had no choice though; Gaia’s Law needed to be upheld.” She then smiled sadly. “Besides, it isn’t permanent; those that come to terms with the unlawfulness of their actions will be restored.” She scowled. “Only those who were truly working with Sombra will remain as they are. I’m afraid that means you will have to choose more to fill the main seats of the Council, as every single one of them were allied with him for one reason or another.”

Cadance sighed at that. “Well, I had to ask. I see that what you have done has caused you some pain. Punishments like this never get easier; Auntie Celestia says that to me every time she’s forced to stone a criminal pony.” She then turned to the left where a clock was mounted on the wall. “Well girls, I’d really like to support you, but there are other things I have to attend to. Besides,” she said with a grin, “Auntie Luna will be there, and you have shown that you are your own mare Twilight.” She then left the pair after hugging the both of them.

The two remaining alicorns made their way towards Celestia’s chamber. Both of them were dreading the confrontation that was about to occur.

They were right to dread it, as things were about to come to a head in ways few would have suspected.

The first thing that Twilight and Rainbow Dash noticed when they entered Celestia’s private chamber was the fact that she and her sister were still in the middle of a very tense discussion.

“I really do not understand why you thought it was a great idea to encourage Twilight and Rainbow Dash to ‘take their time’,” Celestia was saying. Her tone was more frosty than Twilight had ever heard from her. “I have given a great deal of concessions to our fellow princess, considering I have never taken her to task for many of the actions she has done since moving to Ponyville.” She shook her head. “I should have brought her back when the whole ‘Want It/Need It’ incident occurred.”

“I was under the distinct impression that whole circumstance was the result of Princess Twilight’s neurosis. A neurosis not helped by the demanding work schedule you forced upon her.” Luna’s tone was icy. “Not to mention all of the other things you have done to that poor mare. Not the least of which was in sending her to deal with myself under my Nightmare’s influence to do what was your job.”

Celestia’s expression became even more tight. “Luna, we’ve been through this. I had little choice, since Twilight had demonstrated a reluctance to make more friends than she already had.” She walked towards her sister as she spoke, her movements stiff. “And my actions are not what is under discussion. Twilight’s decision of not even giving a single word as to what was happening to Rainbow Dash is what this discussion was about.” She huffed. “Twilight is intelligent enough to have found some way to give word to me, yet she didn’t even make the effort.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight in concern as they walked in. The lavender alicorn had an expression that she had seen before, though not leveled towards her mentor; one of tempered anger. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I see that you have decided to discuss mine and Rainbow’s actions without us present to defend ourselves.” Twilight walked towards the two sisters as she said this. She was rudely interrupted before she could continue.

“You would have been here to have this discussion if you had followed the directive I had given earlier, instead of heeding my sister’s misplaced advice.” If Celestia’s tone could get any icier, it would have. “In any case, that is neither here nor there. What is under discussion is why you deigned to keep the circumstances of Princess Rainbow Dash’s transformation a secret. You could have found a way around whatever restrictions that manipulative stallion might have set up. At the least, you could have informed me prior to entering the Caves, as you weren’t blocked until then.”

Celestia would have continued, but the anger in Twilight’s eyes gave her pause. “Secrets, Celestia? You are angry because I kept secrets from you?” She snorted. “Well, you finally know how I feel. And if you interrupt me one more time until I’ve said my piece, I will call Hope’s Law and The Law of the Six on you.” She said the last as she saw that the day alicorn was about to interrupt her again.

Both Luna and Rainbow were shocked. Twilight had never used that tone with Celestia before; this was more evidence that the emotional storm cresting was a long time coming.

“Since we’re on the subject of secrets, perhaps I should list all of the ones that you have kept from me.” Twilight began to pace back in forth as she spoke. “First, there’s what Princess Luna mentioned; the details of the Nightmare’s arrival, and the fact that you sent me to Ponyville with zero preparation. Add to that the fact that you were aware of my friend’s possible connection to myself and the Seeds of Harmony long before then.”

“Then there’s the circumstances of Discord’s first escape. You were well aware that he had the ability to teleport the Seeds past your wards on the Vault, as Chaos mana is virtually identical to alicorn mana, only on a lower wavelength. Add to that fact that you were also aware precisely where he had sent the Seeds, yet you decided not to assist us. If it wasn’t the fact that Discord has no ability for long term planning, he would have once again taken control. Briefly, as you also failed to mention the cadre of battle-trained unicorns gifted with the knowledge of Chaos-repelling spells.” Twilight huffed at this. “Not that they would have helped, as he hit them with transformation magic before he went after the Seeds, and your backup was guarding an unessential fortress in a completely safe territory.”

“While I’m on the subject of backup, let’s mention all of the secrets you kept concerning that,” Twilight continued. “First, the matter of Shining and Cadance’s betrothal. Celestia, you told my parents, Cadance, and my brother that my ‘studies’ were too important to bother informing me of their impending wedding. It was that that kept my brother from saying anything prior, and only him choosing me as his best mare changed that.”

“Oh, and there’s the wedding itself. You kept the fact that a changeling had warned you of Chrysalis’ plans a secret. Not only that, you knew that Cadance was at risk because of the lack of formal education she’s received concerning her alicorn nature. Much like myself. The only reason we were able to win is because Chrysalis was a stupid bug that didn’t get enough information before attacking.”

“Then there’s all you kept secret about the Crystal Empire. The fact that you had knowledge of where the Heart was sealed, and the spell that Sombra had used. You also neglected to mention the spells that kept him from fully manifesting, spells that were neutralized at the precise moment the Heart was used.”

“Then there’s my ascension. You neglected to inform me that there was a significant risk that my friends could have had more than just their cutie marks swapped.” Twilight’s anger was fully expressed now. “You risked my friends lives in that, and all because of a half-assed ‘if/then’ prophecy that I was likely to fulfill anyway, considering that I was already more than half way down the same Path of Ascension your own sister once walked.”

“Even if Rainbow Dash had told me to tell you what was happening to her, I wouldn’t have. I’m no longer obligated to inform you of anything, and it’s out of respect for this nation that I ever did.” Twilight snorted, her expression still angry.

“All I ever wanted from you is the joy of magic I saw when I witnessed you raise Sol when I was a filly. I never even wanted to be a princess; I just wanted to learn from you.” Twilight huffed again. “Instead of magic, which I mostly learned from my other teachers and on my own, all of what you taught me was grooming for a role I never wanted, and one that I would have turned down. I only have it now because it’s the nature of both pegacorns and alicorns to protect their ponies.”

“But you didn’t see it that way, did you Celestia? In your anger at a mage that has been dead for over a millennium, you had to do all you could to control this world your way. YOUR kingdom, YOUR rules, YOUR ponies. You treated me and my friends in much the same way you treated Sunset Shimmer, and all because you wanted to control everything. Clover would have a fit were she here now, as would any of the other Six.”

Twilight turned away, motioning for Rainbow to follow her. “Before you get all high-and-mighty about the secrets Rainbow and I kept, maybe you should think of the ones that you kept from us. After all, my friends and I are the ones that have been doing your job. You’re truly fortunate in that I don’t want your throne, as by the Founder’s Laws, we Elements have far more right to it. Especially since this nation was founded by ponies, and you were only supposed to reign until we were ready to rule ourselves!”

Before she and Rainbow Dash walked off, Twilight turned in apology to Luna. “Princess Luna, I apologize for sidelining you. You’ve only been a victim of your sister’s pride, just like the rest of us. Let’s go find our friends Rainbow; they have a right to know all we’ve learned, and it’s time we told them.” Rainbow nodded, glaring at Celestia before she followed her marefriend.

Celestia made to follow the two alicorns, her anger all-too apparent; she was stopped by Luna. “Not another word Celestia, else I will call on the Council of the Essences.” Celestia stopped in shock at these words. “Yes, Celestia. Everything Twilight said was just, and needed to be said.”

Before she too left, Luna had one more thing to say to her sister. “Celestia, you need to think about what is truly important, lest you fall to your Pride, as I fell to my Envy.” She then walked away.

Celestia huffed, then called her senechal to cancel Court. She was in no mood to deal with the useless nobles at the moment, and really needed to think things through.

Elsewhere in Canterlot…

A mare wearing a dark hood stood before a mirror in a locked and warded room. She had witnessed everything that had gone on between the alicorns, which would have shocked and appalled Celestia.

The mare in question was only half pleased with how things turned out; she had been expecting an irreversible schism. “It seems as though the Demon of Pride still doesn’t have enough influence over Celestia’s heart and mind, even after all these centuries,” the unicorn said to herself, her tone irritated.

“Well, no matter. That is why the Master contacted me after all. My control of such things is strong. I will put that upstart of a false alicorn in her place, as well as her mentor. The Throne will finally be restored to its rightful rulers, and we will be able to place the Lesser Races where they belong.” She worked her magic to contact the demon through her mirror, only to have the runes Star Swirl embedded into it react to the presence of corrupted Shadow mana.

Unlike the last time she had attempted this- where the reaction only cracked the glass -the protection runes caused the glass to shatter. The unicorn noble growled in frustration. “Now I will have to wait until the glass fully regenerates! Damn that stallion!” The unicorn mare turned towards an array surrounded by black crystals. The entire structure seethed with corrupted Shadow and Darkness mana.

The witch- for witchcraft was what she practiced -stepped into the array, grumbling as she did so. Using this array was a risk, as she opened herself up to possession every time she did so. It wasn’t a danger, merely a setback, as she was far more capable of binding all but the Master Demons to her will. Even then, she could bend those to her needs at will since she was a master of her own vices.

The mare settled on her haunches and began to chant, channeling twisted mana as she did so. Her efforts soon paid off, as she was able to influence the Demon tormenting Celestia.

This would prove to be a mistake, as the mirror’s shattering sent a warning on the winds, one that a part of Celestia had long been expecting…

A couple of hours after sunset, Celestia was still dealing with her anger.

She had spent the better part of the day looking for Twilight, only to have been informed that her and her friends were sequestered in one of the private chambers of the Council of Eight, who had requested their presence. When she made to enter, her anger plain to see, she got a further shock.

The Solar Guards-ponies at the entrances of every door moved to block them, their own expressions going from stoicism to anger. She was informed by her Captain that the Council had invoked the Founder’s Law, and that her continued position as Princess of Equestria was under conflict.

Celestia returned to her chambers in a huff, determined to show these upstart ponies who was really in charge. She prepared to cast the same shield spell she had once used to protect her ponies in the days before Sombra was defeated. The difference was that she was going to use said spell to separate the Elements from everypony else.

This was a mistake.

A feeling of intense anger from Sol came to her, and her connection to Sol’s vast repositories of energy was abruptly blocked. Only her control of its raising and lowering remained.

Worse was what happened to her knowledge of spells; a chorus of voices she had only ever heard once blocked every spell she had ever learned. Only levitation and the minor Blink teleport commonly employed by unicorns was left to her.

“What is the meaning of this, Solaris?! What have I done to deserve this?! I am only trying to protect them!” She cried out, her anger replaced by real fear.

<Because this is your Pride speaking, Celestia,> the voice of the Essence of the Sun replied sadly. <Much like Selene couldn’t let Luna use her power against you, I cannot let you use my power against the ponies. No matter what crimes you may think Princess Twilight and Princess Rainbow Dash have committed.>

A deep sense of sadness overcame Celestia as she finally realized what she had said and done. “Oh, by Harmony, what have I wrought?”

Celestia had never intended to hide so much from Twilight. It was only the words of the Seers of the past that were causing her to hold so much back. “Have I truly been blocking my injured pride this much?” She asked softly. She then sighed sadly. “I have, and I have truly wronged Twilight in doing so. Oh, I should have long come to grips with my pride. I almost let it get the better of me.” Awareness of her misguided actions caused the chorus of voices to restore her knowledge of magic, though this fact barely registered to the sad alicorn.

Celestia would have descended further into her sadness had an insistent whisper not intruded on her awareness. A warbling chime that had been going off in the back of her mind suddenly made itself known.

“Wait, I know that tone. It’s the warning tone that Starry embedded in the Scrying Mirror of the Royal Family. It only does that when a pony of the blood tries to use magic to summon… demons.”

Suddenly, memories long suppressed flashed before her eyes. Of times where she had hid details or pulled strings out of pride, rather than the need that was present. She watched herself ignore her sister’s troubles, her own stubborn pride not letting her offer Luna the help she needed.

Most importantly, she remembered hearing a distinct voice during these times, always as a whisper. Never in words as such. And she finally realized why she had never truly heard it; Clover’s lessons on mind-shielding runes.

Celestia’s anger peaked; now she knew why her pride was able to get the better of her. With a snarl, she sealed her chambers off with a Class 1 barrier and sound-blocking spell, realizing as she did so that her knowledge of magic had been restored to her. This fact allowed her to do what she needed do to ensure the demon and his ilk would never cause her to hurt the ones she loved again.

“By the Blessings of Gaia and Chronos, come forth fully into this world, Demon of Pride! By the Radiance of Serenity, I will it to be so!”

A screech of panic and rage suddenly came from out of nowhere. Around Celestia’s horn, a nimbus of pitch black mana appeared. Within moments, it coalesced into a blob of writhing energy. Celestia swung her head, dislodging the blob.

Within moments of it dropping, the blob started to writhe, morphing as it grew. The shape that it became was horrid, as it was a mockery of Celestia herself.

Every part of the day alicorn that was a source of her pride- her wings, her horn, her flanks -was grossly exaggerated to an obscene point. A nimbus of light from the direction of Celestia’s balcony flashed forward, burning the twisted creature. The light then descended into Celestia’s body, severing the last link the demon had on the solar alicorn.

<I was able to help because you have accepted that pride is a part of you,> the sweet voice of Solaris spoke into her mind. With joy, Celestia felt her connection to Sol fully restore itself. Her joy turned to focused anger as she gazed upon the twisted creature before her.

The demon snarled at her, angered beyond words. Lunging, it made to contact her once more, only for Celestia to send it sprawling with a swipe of her left wing.

Contact with the appendage caused the demon intense pain. “You cannot touch me monster, for I have fully accepted my pride,” Celestia said coldly. “However, I’m not my sister; I have at least some mercy for your kind.”

The demon snarled again, and morphed its forehooves into claws sheathed in twisted Dark mana. It then launched itself at the alicorn yet again, swiping at her as it did so.

Celestia wasn’t taking any chances. She called on Sol’s power, channeling the Light of Solaris into the spells sealing her chambers. Then she spoke one word, calling forth the one thing bound to her that struck fear into the demons that populated Tartarus.

“Helios!”

With a shriek of rage, the demon launched itself at Celestia. Raising her bound blade in a defensive posture, Celestia began to meet the beast stroke for stroke.

A swipe from its left claw-hoof was blocked by a golden shield the princess summoned; a jab from its right was parried by Helios. The demon backpedaled to the wall and began tossing bolts of darkness at the alicorn. Celestia blocked every one, using nothing more than her sword and conjured shield.

The demon shrieked, then dove for the balcony. A flash of purple-hued energy propelled the creature back. It turned in rage towards the alicorn, horn wreathed in a mana-cancelling aura.

Celestia took no chances; three swipes left the demon without claws or a horn. Shrieking in pain and rage, the monster flew to the wall where it had sensed a crack in the runes surrounding Celestia’s chambers.

Celestia snarled, then cast a spell that she hadn’t used since she and her sister had battled Tirek’s hordes ages ago. Chains of sunsteel forged from moonlight wrapped around the back cannons of the creature, and also around its barrel and wings.

The energy that the demon had been using to flee was sapped from it. Finally unable to fight, the twisted creature used the last weapon it had; it used its voice.

You cannot kill Us, Alicorn of the Sun! We are Pride; We are a part of You!

“Wrong, mis-born,” Celestia said softly. “My pride is my own now; you no longer have a hold on it.” She stalked towards the creature while speaking. “My own sister thinks that such creatures deserve to be punished. I feel differently.”

Celestia leveled her sword, the blade shimmering with a mixture of darkness and shadow mana wreathed around a core of light mana. Scintillating bands of sunlight and moonlight flared around the others from time to time.

The demon writhed in its chains.

Kill Us, and We will come back stronger!

“Not this time; you’ve been Blessed with the Blessings of the First and Her Brother. You’re no longer a demon with those Blessings; you’re now a mis-born Shadow-Wraith.” Celestia moved ever closer to the creature as she spoke these words.

“You have tormented me for centuries,” she said softly, pain etched on her muzzle. “You encouraged me to cling to my pride; said pride has caused me to hurt those I truly love time and again. I’m now forced to apologize to three of the kindest, most wonderful ponies I have ever known, ponies that have a far better understanding of Harmony than I ever did.” She hung her head for a moment. “But what I do now, I do not out of anger. Oh no, this is out of a wish to protect My Little Ponies, and out of pity.” She looked the mis-born creature in the eyes. “I pity you, creature; your whole existence has been one of pain and misery. I send you to the Shadowlands not out of anger, but out of that pity.”

Celestia held aloft Helios at shoulder height, blade angled for best leverage. “I release you by Solaris’ Light, Selene’s Purity, Serenity’s Radiance, and Dusk’s Honor. May the Heart of Harmony have mercy on your twisted soul.” As she finished these words, a stroke from Helios severed the former demon’s head from its shoulders.

The chains fell off the creature’s remains. A dome of rainbow-colored light surrounded said remains. Within moments, nothing was left of the creature that had tormented her for over a millennium.

Celestia called the Light from within her wards, then sent her blade back to the pocket dimension she kept her battle armor in. A blue flash heralded the arrival of Luna.

“Sister, what has happened to you?!” the midnight alicorn cried out. She took in the disheveled appearance of her elder sister and decided the best thing she could do was hug her.

Celestia said nothing at first, preferring to lean into the hug being given to her by the one pony she relied upon the most.

“Oh Luna, I should have listened to you all those years ago. I am so sorry little sister,” Celestia said, tears streaming down her muzzle.

Luna held her elder sister tightly. “You were naught but right in many things Tia,” she said in response. “But that is all past and done; even what has recently transpired.” Luna made to look her sister in the eyes, a smirk playing around the corners of her muzzle. “At the least, you did listen to my words of wisdom, did you not?” Celestia nodded, sniffling a bit.

Luna summoned a dark blue hoofkerchief. “Dry your tears dear sister; ‘tis most unbecoming of a princess to cry like this.” Celestia chuckled at the humor as she took the hoofkerchief in her own kinesis.

Celestia then made her way to her alicorn-sized bed, sighing as she did so. “I only hope Twilight and Rainbow Dash can forgive an old mare her foibles,” she said softly.

Luna levitated the blankets over her sister, tucking her sister in as Celestia had so often done fer her when younger. “Worry not about that overmuch Tia. ‘Tis not in that purple alicorn’s nature to hold a grudge, though it may take some time.” She then walked towards her sister’s balcony. “I’m sure a full explanation of your reasons will be enough, as long as you don’t attempt to make excuses.” She shook herself. “Well, I must be off; there are dreams to guard this night. Sleep well sister; worry not about what has happened until tomorrow.” The dark blue alicorn then took off to her own tower.

Celestia smiled. “Thank you little sister. Good night.”

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-08-05, 9:17 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The next morning had dawned bright and clear. Celestia had invited the three youngest alicorns to breakfast, though they had yet to show up.

Celestia was in the middle of reading a massive missive sent to her by Clover the Wise. While the full Council had been unaware of all of the details, she had kept both Clover and Lord Armor in full confidence. However, that still didn’t mean that she wasn’t in danger of losing her crown.

Celestia sighed, shifting a bit. One wouldn’t be able to tell from her serene exterior, but Celestia was quite nervous. No matter how one looked at it, her pride had caused her to malign the one pony who had never been a disappointment to her. Even those few mistakes she had made were the result of her own actions, and not because of anything that Twilight had done.

Celestia thought back to those earlier times, remembering all of the things she had kept from her protegé. She cringed briefly, realizing that a great deal she had kept from Twilight was out of the prideful belief that Twilight wasn’t mature enough to handle it. She also realized that her over-zealousness in preparing Twilight for her eventual role as a princess stunted the poor mare socially.

In her pride, Celestia had never bothered to think if being a princess was what Twilight really wanted. In truth, there really wasn’t a role for her to fulfill in the beginning. Celestia and Luna both had to work in secret to lay the foundation for her eventual placement as the Princess of Friendship. Neither Twilight nor Cadance wanted the roles that Celestia pridefully thrust upon them, whether fated to become alicorns or not.

There was one bit of anger that Celestia still had yet to resolve however, and it had nothing to do with Twilight. Rather, Celestia was still very angry at all of the secrets Star Swirl had kept from her and Luna both. How was she supposed to do her job if she only knew half of what she was supposed to know? And why was it that every dark prophecy involving all of the Sealed-Evil-In-A-Can he left lying around involved her keeping what truth she did know from those that were fated to stop them?

Celestia shook her head to relieve herself of these maudlin thoughts. She needed to be ready when Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Cadance arrived. Which she was certain was soon, as she could hear Cadance’s musical voice down the hall.

The door to her and Luna’s private dining room opened with a cyan glow, a sign that Rainbow Dash was holding the door open for the other alicorns. Twilight entered first, a slight blush on her cheeks as she nodded to Rainbow in thanks. Celestia raised her eyebrow at that display of affection. There’s more going on between those two than I initially thought, Celestia thought to herself, noticing Rainbow’s expression change as her gaze fell on the white alicorn.

Cadance was the last to enter. The three alicorns all took seats around the table. Luna took that moment to teleport in, looking a bit rumpled. Celestia sadly noticed that Twilight was sitting as far away from her as she could, her expression neutral. Oh dear, she is still quite angry with me. I’ve certainly made my nest; I hope I can at least patch things up with her.

Luna motioned to the waiter, who brought forth dishes that were favorites of every pony present. For the next few minutes, the gathered alicorns concentrated on breaking their fast. Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash that spoke first.

“Well, I don’t know about anypony else, but those were some really good waffles,” the polychromatic-maned alicorn said. Twilight facehoofed at that. “What, can’t I at least compliment the chef on his superb cooking skills?” She grinned a little. “Sure, he’s got nothing on Spike; that little guy makes a mean waffle.” Her smile looked a little forced. “I guess I should shut up now.”

Celestia sighed internally. “Well, I guess I should start explaining my actions.” Concentrating briefly, Celestia teleported the breakfast dishes away before summoning a pile of scrolls and several ancient tomes. She then turned to her seneschal. “Let everypony know that there is a session of the full Alicorn Council occurring, and that Day Court will be suspended until it is concluded. Unless there is news of great import, do not interrupt us until I send word.” The mare nodded, gesturing at the Solar Guards-ponies standing at the doors to follow her out.

“Well, I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve asked you here all this morning,” Celestia began, giving herself a little time to organize her thoughts. “I have lived for a long time, much of that spent holding the reins of Equestria.” She then swallowed, her serene mask coming off. “And even with the wisdom that comes with the years, I still fell to pride.”

“Even though a demon whispered into my mind, encouraging my actions, that is no excuse. I was the one that still heeded those words, though the creature was never able to fully express itself.” Celestia turned towards her sister. “Luna, my pride did not keep me from seeing what you had been going through; however, it did encourage me to let you work through it yourself, instead of going to you when you needed me the most. It was only after I used the Elements of Harmony that I saw past my pride.” Celestia sighed. “Once again though, it was my pride that led me to make the changes to the nobility I did, though that was of lesser consideration than the anger I felt at myself.”

Celestia then turned to Cadance. “Cadance, you may think I haven’t wronged you, yet something Twilight said to me last evening showed me that I have.” Her expression turned sad. “I encouraged you to court Shining Armor without ever telling you about your heritage. I left you with little understanding as to your alicorn nature. Had I instructed you as I was advised to, you would have been able to stop Chrysalis yourself. I thank Harmony that Shining has taken it upon himself to teach you to better harness your unicorn mana; however, I should have helped you with your alicorn mana. I risked you even more when I let the nobles convince me to disregard my better judgment in the matter of your wedding.”

Celestia stopped for a moment; it was clear to the other alicorns present that she was finding it quite difficult to continue. After a moment, she did so. “Princess Rainbow Dash, I’ve wronged you as well, just as much as I have your friends.” She lifted a tome in her kinesis. “This tome contains the family trees of all of the descendants of the original Six.” She opened the tome to a particular passage. “I have kept this a secret from all but two ponies. When you triggered that Sonic Rainboom all those years ago, your name, and the names of your friends all bore this mark.” She showed them all the stylized Tree next to Rainbow’s name.

“This has happened before; normally, it only marks one or two ponies in each generation, but for it to mark eight young mares at once was a rare occurrence.” Celestia sighed. “I had already took two of them on as students, though not out of real need. It was pride.”

“I know what you are all wondering; why didn’t I look for the others? Well, I actually did. Once it was clear that all but two were sharing a connection, I did all I could to keep tabs on them.” Celestia pulled a thick scroll from the pile. “This scroll contains a series of ‘if/then’ prophecies written by the Priests of the Temple of Chronos in the kingdom of Utopia.”

Celestia snorted in aggravation. “While none of these prophecies ever mentioned any of you and your friends by name, Rainbow Dash, they did give descriptions of your personalities. Or rather,” she continued, her anger at herself growing more apparent, “the personality traits that the Elements look for. What I wasn’t aware of at the time is that spells laid on this tome by Clover the Clever would ensure that only those with a true connection to Harmony would be marked.”

Celestia stomped her hoof on the scroll. “My overweening pride led me to put stock in a bunch of malignant prophecies from a fallen kingdom. Instead of doing what I should have, and guided all of you to find each other, I listened to the words spoken into the ears of idiots by the darkness. I maligned you, and all of your friends, Princess Rainbow. What’s worse is that I stood in the direct path of Sunset Shimmer’s future, refusing to teach her magic in fear of what she was becoming.” She scoffed. “Words that I clung to is what pushed her that way, and I ended up endangering another world with my actions.”

“Then I had the gall to ignore the warning that the Alicorn Amulet was once more active, and let yet another impressionable young mare get her hooves on it.” Celestia sighed again. “It seems as though my pride has led me to do a great many things wrong to ponies I swore to protect, and all out of ignorance. Even though Angela had warned me against putting stock to ‘if/then’ prophecies.”

Celestia’s expression became deeply sad. “The one pony I hurt the most, though, was the one that deserved it the least.” She looked sadly at Twilight. “I never intended to hide anything from her, or at least, not for long.” She sighed yet again. “I’m sure I really don’t need to go into the litany of things I hid from My Most Faithful Student. However, there is one thing my pride did that needs to be said.”

Celestia got up and walked over to Twilight. “My pride kept me from trusting her; it kept me from seeing that she had truly grown to be a better mare. It kept me from seeing that she was truly worthy, as I had first seen when I took her as my student all those years ago.” Celestia then kneeled next to the purple alicorn. “I’m no longer filled with pride, only sadness. Twilight, my beloved friend, can you forgive an old, prideful, scared mare for being a pony? I truly am sorry for all that I’ve done, to you and your friends.”

Twilight looked at her mentor for a moment, then began to smile a sad smile. “I already did when you first started saying you were wrong Tia,” she said, using Luna’s nickname for her. “And I’m glad that you’ve finally admitted that you’re as much a pony as the rest of us.” She then hugged her mentor.

Celestia’s dam finally broke, and she began to sob into Twilight’s shoulder. The other mares all gathered around her, giving her the comfort that only true forgiveness brings.

They stayed like this for awhile, letting the pain that Celestia felt for having hurt the others come fully out. Soon though, they broke away to give the white alicorn space to collect herself.

Celestia summoned a wash basin and cloths so that they all could clean their snouts. She then walked back to the head of the table. “I’m still angry, though. My pride led me to lash out at those undeserving.” She snorted. “Even though I’ve admitted that I was overly prideful, it hasn’t done anything to change how I feel towards a certain pony. Damn his beard, I can’t vent a spleen on him because you should always respect the dead!” The others chucked at this. Luna was beside herself with happiness; this was a sure sign that Celestia had taken all of them into her confidence.

Celestia sent all of the scrolls and tomes away to deal with later, then summoned tubs of ice cream from her private stash. The other mares giggled at this; more proof that Celestia was just as much a pony as they all were.

While each one chose her favorite flavor, Celestia decided that the mood needed further lightening. She decided to act on her prior suspicions. “Twilight, I did have another question for you,” she said, a merry twinkle of mischief in her eyes as she spoke.

“Hmm? Oh, and what was this question Celestia? Was it about something that occurred on our journey?” Twilight asked, gesturing with her spoon in Rainbow Dash’s direction.

“I was curious as to how long you were going to keep the fact that you now have a Very Special Somepony a secret from the rest of us,” the white alicorn said, an enigmatic smile on her muzzle. To her satisfaction, she saw that both Twilight and Rainbow Dash blushed a bright red at this.

Luna clapped her hooves in glee. “Oh, frabjous day! What a delightful bit of news!” The giddy alicorn turned to her purple counterpart, who was doing her best to bury her muzzle in the pint of mint creme she was eating. “I am most perturbed that you did not tell us from the very beginning!”

Rainbow Dash realized at that moment that Twilight was far too busy stuffing her snout with ice cream therapy to answer Luna. Deciding to giver her marefriend a helping hoof, Rainbow responded to Luna’s question. “Well, LuLu, it isn’t like we had a chance, ya’ know? We all got dragged into that Council Dog-and-Pony Show yesterday.” She smiled a shy smile. “And I did give you all some hint, though Cadance and Brighthoof already knew.”

Luna thought for a moment, then gasped. “Thou meanest to tell us that thou art an item?” she asked in shock, pointing a hoof at Twilight and Rainbow in turn. The two mares nodded bashfully, their muzzles a bright red.

Celestia chucked. “Well, I’d say this is a relief. I’ve known that Twilight has struggled with her orientation for some time, though I’d have thought she would have gone for Lyra.” She turned in apology to Rainbow. “I only thought that because I was certain that she was the only one of the Bearers that leaned that way.”

Rainbow had a sheepish grin on her muzzle. “Well, I’ve kinda known I’m bi for a while, though I’ve made a point to never date friends.” Her smile turned soft. “What Twi and I have goes deeper than that, though. Remember when I said that my pegacorn nature started revealing itself shortly before you sent us off?” Celestia nodded. “Well, I was having a recurring nightmare about the whole thing at the same time.” She frowned. “Actually, I didn’t stop having it until I laid claim to the Realm of Light.”

Luna looked confused. “‘Tis confusing me. What is it that would cause thou to have such a dream?”

“Oh, Auntie Lu, don’t you see?” Cadance asked softly. “Twilight and Rainbow Dash are soulbound.”

Luna facehoofed. “Ah, how foalish of me.” She then shook it off. “Well, this is unexpected, though not unwelcome. Have the pair of you set a date yet?” She asked, a wicked grin creasing her muzzle.

The purple and cyan alicorns both looked at each other, blushing fiercely. The other alicorns laughed at this display.

A pounding on the door interrupted further teasing of the young couple. Celestia answered it in annoyance, which cleared the moment she saw her Captain of the Royal Guard.

“Your Highnesses, you must come quickly! Something terrible has happened to Lady Lemyre!”

As one, the alicorns all followed the stallion, wondering just what had happened to a pony of such high standing. They were about to find out that things were not at all what they seemed.

Author's Notes:

Well, here it is, one of the hardest chapters I've written to date.

I really have problems with making either Luna or Celestia out to be the bad guy. So it was hard to strike the balance needed to show that Tia was just as capable of making mistakes as anypony else.

I also wanted to give her a chance to show off her fighting skills, as the whole wedding finale always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

All of the apology stuff was hard to write too; not because I had trouble with the words, but because I wanted to cry as I felt all the pain Tia was feeling.

I know that some of you are likely mad that I said that I wasn't encouraging tension between Twilight and Celestia. I stand by what I said in that AN, as it had to deal with the letter Tia sent her protegé. All of what came after was the result of the demonic influence, and her anger at Star Swirl. Yes, I'm vilifying him a bit; stubborn stallion just doesn't know when to ask for help, especially from mares more powerful than him.

Yeah, that bit; prideful stallion has trouble with strong mares. At least he never took it out on Clover though.

Well, this will be the last chapter for PSDAL for awhile, as I'm going to start writing the next few chapters of the prequel. No promises of when they'll be done, as there are quite a few I'm gonna have to write.

Until next time!

Edit, September 28th, 2016: changed where Twilight mentions her ascension. Originally, she was supposed to be a nascent pegacorn that ascended before she was able to change. That has now changed as of the last chapter I posted.

Chapter Eight: Cleaning Up the Mess Redux

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Equestria, Canterlot, 06-08-05, 9:25 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

It was a journey of only a few minutes that brought the alicorns to the manor of the Lady Lemyre. When they got there, the royal mares saw that the house was surrounded by yellow police tape. Detachments of both Celestia’s Guard and Luna’s Guard were present.

A lovely Nocturne mare approached the alicorns as they made their way to the entrance of the manor house. “Your Highnesses, I am sorry that this has interrupted the meeting you were all having; however, the state of the Canterlot Police Department is in such disarray. They have no standards as on how to handle something like this.” Commander Radiant Wings rubbed the back of her head with a hoof in aggravation. “I’ll be honest; I am not sure the Lunar Guard have any standards as to what to do.” She then motioned for the alicorns to follow her, giving an amused glance to Rainbow Dash’s self-conscious air.

A few short minutes later, the mares were all standing in front of the doors leading to the private chambers of the Lady Lemyre. The doors had been blown off their hinges. Luna looked at the mess in shock. “What in Faust’s Name happened here?!”

“Around eight o'clock this morning, one of Lady Lemyre’s personal maids came running to the local precinct screaming about ‘a horrible attack on her Ladyship’s person.’ All I have been able to determine is that something of a highly unusual magical nature has occurred.” The captain gestured for the alicorns to precede her as she continued to explain.

“Whatever happened here blew the doors down as well as every window, yet caused no other structural damage. My building experts say that this part of the house is far longer than it should be based on the original blueprints, yet so far we have not found any evidence of secret rooms or the like.”

The alicorns all walked into a room that looked pristine. Absolutely nothing was out of place; even the bed looked fine, though it did look as if nopony had slept in it.

Luna’s horn was a-glow as she scanned for hidden glyphs and the like. Celestia shook her head as a low, distracting hum continued to vibrate her horn; this had been happening on and off all morning.

The most distracted of them was Rainbow Dash. Ever since she entered, she could feel the vibrations of spent shadow and darkness mana. Both were twisted from their usual forms in a way that was unfortunately very familiar to the rainbow-maned alicorn. She followed the trail the residue was giving off, and stood before a tall bookshelf on one of the walls. “Twilight, there’s something in this direction,” she said to the purple alicorn that had trotted up next to her.

Twilight lit her own horn, scanning for sealing runes. Finding nothing, she turned to Rainbow. “Are you sure Rainbow? I’m not sensing anything here; there’s no spell of any kind on anything in this room.”

Rainbow fluffed her wings in frustration. “I know there’s something here,” she said. “It’s some of that same twisted mana I ran into when I fought Sombra’s Shade.” She looked closer at the bookshelf. She could sense that light was somehow passing around its edges.

Her mouth twisted in a confused frown, Rainbow cast a useful spell that one of the pegacorns who had helped her and Twilight on their journey to the Crystal Wastes had taught her. The spell did nothing other than cut off abruptly. Her frown deepening, the cyan alicorn tapped into the x-ray spectrum of light in frustration. Let’s see the bitch try to hide anything now, she thought to herself.

All at once, she could see the hidden door. Walking up to it, she pushed in the several books that were linked to the gears inside. The bookshelf swung open on silent hinges, revealing the secret entrance. “Zounds, it seems as though Princess Rainbow has found what we were seeking!” Luna said, a happy smile on her muzzle.

Twilight looked at her marefriend in shock. “Rainbow, how did you find that?” The mare in question blushed.

“Oh, one of the Guardians taught me a couple of things.” Rainbow tapped the gears on the other side. “I used a spell that can be used to track metal. It’s supposed to ping when it finds something. Unless of course that said metal is nul-steel, as this seems to be made of.”

Twilight facehoofed. “Ugh, so that’s why my scans were off; I wasn’t getting the full scan.” She frowned. “But how were you able to see it well enough to unlock it?”

“Oh, that’s because the ‘Lady Lemyre’ wasn’t smart enough to line the shelf with lead, else I would have had to blast my way through.” The cyan alicorn looked smug, at least until she saw the confused looks the other alicorns were wearing. “Um, you do know I can use all the entire spectrum of light, right? I can even ‘see’ telegraph communications and crystal telephone calls if I want to.” She shook her head to dislodge the thought. “Not that I wanna ever do that again; once was enough.”

Twilight’s look of confusion slowly cleared. “You mean to tell me that you can ‘see’ in the x-ray spectrum?! That’s not possible; a pony’s eye’s don’t have the cones or rods to see that high!”

“Actually, that is only partially true,” the Captain spoke up. “My tribe can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, which is close. And I should say that it makes sense when you take into consideration the Realm My Princess is in charge of.” The Nocturne mare bowed to Rainbow Dash, making her blush self-consciously.

“Ah, yeah, I really should have said something first,” Rainbow said sheepishly. She looked more closely at the Captain. “One of Selene’s Faithful huh?” The mare nodded.

“‘Tis fascinating, but I think this should wait until we explore yonder tunnel,” Luna said, an amused expression on her muzzle. Flushing in embarrassment, the two mares followed the rest of them down the short path.

Stopping in shock, the alicorns and the Nocturne looked in disbelief at what they found. A vast collection of questionable magical paraphernalia graced the shelves. Hanging on one wall was the one thing that Celestia recognized; the Scrying Mirror of the Royal Unicorn Family, the glass part-way between its shattered and rejuvenation states. Further exploration was halted by the shocked gasp that Cadance let out.

There, in the center of a runic circle surrounded by broken crystals dark in color was a statue of a pony made of pure crystal. The statue bore the cutie mark of the Lady Lemyre.

“Well, this is most certainly unexpected,” Celestia said at length.

A few minutes later, all who had explored the secret room were in the foyer of the manor. Captain Radiant Wings was pacing in aggravation.

“Just what the hay happened in there?! I mean, I’ve heard of that sort of punishment, yet I was given to understand that it requires an alicorn present to cast it!” In her frustration, the Captain lost the formal way she had been speaking up until that point.”

“I’m just as confused as you are Captain. I know from some of the reports that Princess Twilight was forced to call on Harmony’s Law, but this is the first time I’ve heard of this having been done outside of the presence of an alicorn or Priest of Harmony.” The tone Cadance spoke in was one of confusion.

Rainbow Dash was frowning. Ever since she had entered that room, the harmonic connection she had to the Tree of Harmony had been vibrating. Something that Angela had told her suddenly made sense. Her expression clearing, she spoke one word, her voice giving off a resonance as she did so.

“Hope.”

With a flash of brilliant rainbow light, the embodiment of Harmony itself appeared before the group. She bowed briefly before the Day and Night Princesses, a merry twinkle in her eyes. Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes at this display.

“Princess Hope, while it is good to see you, I would ask as to how you were able to punish one of our nobles without our awareness,” Luna said, a look of deep dissatisfaction on her muzzle. “As I do remember Clover herself requesting that you at least do so only with the approval of an alicorn.”

The Aspect of Harmony looked at the midnight blue alicorn, as if measuring her. After a moment, she nodded. “I would tell you, Princess Lunara, except it isn’t my place to do so. All you need to know is that My Law, Clover’s Law, and the Founder’s Law was called last evening, around the same time that Princess Celestia dealt with the Demon of Pride.” She bowed again in thanks. “I have to thank you for that; you enabled me to Send the others of its ilk away so that they would do no further harm.”

“But who would Call those Laws, and who would have the knowledge to do so when even my sister was unaware of what was transpiring?” The look of anger on Luna’s muzzle was enough to frost glass. Indeed, those present could feel the temperature in the room fall by several degrees.

“Again, it isn’t my place to say, though you yourself should know who all have the authority to do so. You should thank them once you find out, as doing so is irrefutable proof that the one pulling all of the strings for the Dark One here in Equestria has been dealt with.” The Aspect of Harmony walked towards an open window as she continued to speak. “In any case, I’m needed elsewhere now. Good day to you Sisters; the Blessings of Harmony are with you all.” So saying, the alicorn flew off.

“Well, it seems as though there’s more to this than we were given to understand,” Luna said at length. “There’s no use in asking Hope any further; she was probably asked by whoever it was that Called the Great Laws to not say anything. Though there are few outside the Council that have that authority.”

Twilight abruptly facehoofed in aggravation. “I should have realized this sooner. The Junior Council of Eight received all of the evidence I had sent them concerning House Lemyre’s involvement in what had happened in Ponyville months ago. The only thing is, I don’t see any of those ponies doing something like this without the approval of the main Council. Not without cause…” she trailed off.

“What would give them cause? As I understood it, the evidence against this House was circumstantial at best. And not for a lack of trying,” Luna said in irritation.

“That’s just it LuLu; Twi and I did more in each of the cities that we visited on our journey than look for clues connected to the stuff that was in that blasted book,” Rainbow said. “Every single time we were diverted from our primary goal, it was always to clean up one or more of the ‘Dark One’s plans. And every single one of those efforts was connected in some way to this House.” She pointed to the wall, where a picture of an elegant zeppelin was hanging. “Like that for instance; in Mareago we ran into a thief posing as me that was stealing secrets and stuff from other businesses. Turns out somepony from the zeppelin company that House Lemyre owns hired the con-pony.”

“There never was anything concrete to go on,” Twilight continued when Rainbow paused to catch her breath. “Whenever we’d get close, key documents would be found missing. And there were never any witnesses to whatever it was we were looking for. The few we did find were either criminals, or were in no position to tell us anything.”

The Captain nodded. “Just as Centurion Marigold informed us when she came back to Canterlot after following a trail that led to San Prancisco.” The Nocturne mare sighed. “Your Highnesses, I think it would be best if we continue to discuss this when my Guards-ponies have a chance to gather all of the evidence. If you will excuse me, Sovereign, My Princess,” she bowed in turn to both Rainbow Dash and Luna, who nodded. She then left to chivvy her officers into getting the evidence together.

“Celestia, I think it would be best if we all returned to the castle; I suspect more evidence will be waiting for us there,” Twilight said to her mentor.

Celestia nodded. “Quite right Twilight.” The others all nodded before teleporting back to the castle to await more information.

They didn’t wait for long.

It was just a few moments after they had arrived to one of the lesser conference rooms that a small herd of ponies joined them, one of which was Glorious Sunrise.

The mare in question was carrying a small pile of scrolls in her levitation aura. Twilight looked closer at the mare, and realized that there was something special about the sash she was wearing. That’s the official slash of the Archmage, Head of the Council of the Eight. If she’s wearing that, then that means… Twilight was unable to finish her thought as the mare began speaking.

“Your Highnesses, I’ve been made aware that you have seen the evidence of Princess Hope’s judgement on the late Lady Lemyre of House Lemyre. We have already sent word of what has occurred to her son Blueblood, along with the ruling that the year-ban placed on him has been rescinded due to mitigating circumstances.” She then cleared her throat nervously before continuing.

“What you may not be aware of is the change that has occurred within the Council of the Eight. As of nine o’clock this morning, the Junior Council has taken over responsibility of said Council, due to an unwarranted- and completely illegal -Vote of No Confidence in the persons of Princess Celestia Dos Everfree, Princess Lunara Dos Everfree, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza Crystalia, Princess Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor, and Princess Rainbow Prism Dash. Said Vote was made at thirty minutes past eight; the majority of the former Lords and Ladies sitting on said Council had pressured the only three that had abstained into casting the Vote.”

“Word has been sent to the Heirs of all but House Belle, House Apple, and House Armor that their Lords have been remanded for treasonous actions, and await Sentencing by the High Court. Judgement and Sentencing has already been passed on the former Archmage, who has lost her title as a result of breaking the Confidence of Princess Celestia Dos Everfree.”

“Late last evening, I felt the resonant tones that come from the Scrying Mirror of the Royal Family whenever it shatters. Said occurrence only occurs whenever a unicorn of the royal blood attempts to summon demons. I immediately informed my superior, who informed me that she knew, and also informed me to do nothing. I took umbrage at this, as it was further evidence that even she was caving into the pressure that the unlamented former noble was bringing to bear on the First Houses.”

“I immediately contacted my fellow Junior Councilors, and we called the Great Laws on the unicorn in question. We were later forced to do so on the entire Council this morning.” Sunrise sighed. “I took no pleasure at all in informing my teacher that she was a traitor to both the Mage’s Council, and to the Princess she had served her entire life. She called me a foal.”

“We have been working diligently, and have found the entirety of the conspiracy to undermine both the authority of the Alicorn Council, as well as the Council of Eight. We have sent word to have all remaining conspirators arrested.”

“The scrolls I brought here detail the evidence that was presented before the remaining three who sat on the Council before myself and my compatriots. Needless to say, none of them were surprised, as similar threats and promises of wealth were made to them as well; nothing worked of course.”

The alicorns all took a scroll and began to read. It only took a few lines before Luna threw her scroll down in disgust. “And the foals wonder why I have little love for nobles,” she said sourly.

Twilight wore a shocked expression on her muzzle. “I don’t understand; Clover the Wise is one of the smartest ponies I’ve ever met. She should have seen that the Princess couldn’t be held accountable for the underlying motivations for the decisions she’s made. Every single one of them benefited us Equestrians.” She flushed. “I know that I was both hurt and endangered by some of them, yet I do understand that pride wasn’t the only reason she kept those secrets. She really had no way of telling me anything until after it was all done; I wouldn’t have believed her anyway even if she had.”

“All due respect Princess Twilight,” the council-pony said in response, “but the evidence of demonic influence was just the excuse Clear Mind needed. The Title of Clover has been rescinded, as it has come to light that she has used political blackmail to secure her position.”

Sunrise looked sad as she continued. “My former teacher was foremost a self-serving, selfish politician before anything else. Even her acquiescence in stopping the General Assembly was part of her plans, as there was a petition to have her removed as Archmage before the Assembly. She’s not even as skilled at magic as she’s claimed; a clever network of bribes and threats helped secure her position. She was always proud that the greatest achievement in her career was the fact that ‘I’ve been successful for years in keeping that frigid alicorn in my confidence.’” She said that last part with an apologetic look towards Celestia. “I’m sorry that I’ve kept that from you My Princess; I had to act as if I was in agreement, else she would have picked somepony ‘more suitable’.”

“I’m not surprised at all, frankly; her entire family are some of the biggest supporters of an ‘alicorn-and-pegacorn-free-Equestria.’” The statement Rainbow said was met with confused looks. “Oh, Grandpa Prism took me to her house one day when I was little; I saw some of the ‘literature’ she had in her office.” She smirked. “Boy, was he mad when I told him what I saw.”

Celestia shook her head. “And I would have seen something earlier, as her teachers had told me when she was still in school that ‘she was far too ambitious and conniving’ to be trusted. My pride led me to ignore the rumors that she was the lead of a cheating ring, one that a later Dean of my school closed down.”

“Where is this mare now?” Luna asked.

“Sequestered in a prison cell in the prison just outside Canterlot, on orders of the Mage’s Council. A number of her supporters within said Council are there as well,” Sunrise said in response.

Twilight looked sad. “She always seemed to like me; was that all an act?” she asked, her tone sad.

Sunrise shook her head. “She had no personal feelings for or against you Princess.” A thoughtful look crossed the unicorn’s muzzle. “Actually, I think she might have thought more highly of you than she let on, though I’m not sure of the details.” She snorted in anger. “I was chosen as a successor because of our family connections, and because I was ‘the most moldable one I’ve found.’” She then grinned; it was not a nice grin. “Her expression when I ‘betrayed her confidence’ was sweet; turns out I was smarter and less moldable than she thought.” Luna, Cadance, and Rainbow all grinned at this statement; after a moment, Celestia and Twilight did so as well, though Twilight’s smile was still a bit sad.

“Well, I’m sure you are all up to speed on what has recently been done. You should be happy to know that this Council has rescinded the standing order against Princess Hope’s ‘interference’, as it’s been called. We’ve formally requested her assistance in the defense of Equestria. It makes sense; the Power she represents is the very foundation of our beliefs, and what saved our bacon back when Tirek broke free.” Sunrise then nodded to the alicorns before her and the other Councilors left the conference room.

Celestia sighed as the alicorns were now alone, Luna’s Captain of the Lunar Guard having excused herself a few moments after the Council of Eight left. “I don’t know as whether or not this is all a good thing; none of this would have happened had I not allowed pride to rule my life for so long.”

The others were surprised when Rainbow slapped the table with her hoof. “Celly, you need to stop blaming yourself; it’s not helping,” the cyan alicorn scolded her. “Did you do what you did just out of pride?” Celestia shook her head, wondering just where this was coming from.

“Then there’s no reason for you to blame yourself. Whether or not you did all of that out of pride or not doesn’t change the fact that your heart was in the right place. Even what LuLu went through wasn’t just out of envy; she wanted to be able to express how much she loves us all.” Luna nodded in confirmation of this.

“And telling everypony would have been just as bad. Riot training for the Wonderbolt Reserves made it very clear what can sometimes happen when ponies learn bad information. Mass panics and riots have come from such things.” Rainbow shuddered as she recalled pictures of the riot that occurred in Manehattan shortly after Princess Luna returned.

“Rainbow Dash is right. I may have been angry that so much was kept from me, but most of it I got over after I realized that you had good reason.” Twilight sighed. “Everything I said last night hurt me to say more than anything else. I wasn’t angry at you for any of it, just that you had the gall to take me to task for ‘keeping secrets’ when I had no choice in the matter. Everything just boiled out.”

“And it needed to, Twilight. I should have come clean with you and your friends the moment my sister returned to me.” Celestia then turned to Rainbow. “But Serenity is right; I need to put this behind me. I’ve learned from it, and I will no longer keep anything from those who have a right to know.” She then teleported a thick scroll into the room. “It’s time I did to these what I should have done ages ago.” She then incinerated the scroll with a burst of plasma.

All the mares smiled at this. The discussion turned to the rest of the evidence provided by the Council, as the Alicorn Council turned in one mind to the matter of protecting Equestria from the forces that were allied against it.

Far to the north, a dark presence screamed in pain as his first, last, and greatest weapon was destroyed, forcing him to try other means to end the existence of those who continued to stand in his way…

Author's Notes:

Read the blog post for information as to why this chapter was so short.

No, it wasn't because I ran out of ideas.

Minor Update: Added a few phrases in the scene where Hope finally appears. It flows better than it did initially. I really wish I'd be able to pick these up before publishing the chapters. Ah well, that's why I read over the story as if I was just reading a new story I found here.

And because I love the surreal feeling I get when I see my words on the screen.

Yet Another Minor Update: Added a few words to the scene where Glorious Sunrise explains Clear Mind's motivations. Not sure where her betrayal came from; I wonder if my playing the episode 'Of Mice and Mechs' in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time has anything to do with it.

And these damn pacing and grammatical errors are like roaches; squash one and three more pop up. I really need to read over a chapter fully before publishing it.

Yet Another Update: Corrected an OC name. It's supposed to be Captain Radiant Wings of the Lunar Guard, not Captain Bright Wings of the Lunar Guard.

Chapter Nine: Preparing for the Celebration

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-08-05, 12:49 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Celestia looked at the group of ponies that was sitting around the table in her private dining room, a quiet smile on her muzzle. All of Twilight’s friends had joined them for lunch. Though there were a few tense moments in the beginning, all it took was a look from Twilight to silence whatever objections her friends might of had.

With all of the recent troubles that had occurred, Celestia was pleased to see the smiles that were on the snouts of the mares that had done so much for Equestria. These six ponies not only represented the very best of the powers of Harmony itself, but were prime examples of the very best of the ponies Celestia had worked so hard to protect.

Celestia sighed a little, relieved that she had still managed to do the best she could even in the grip of her pride. In fact, she was aware that only one or two actions were ever undertaken purely out of pride. Everything else she had done had other reasons, which had been her primary motivation at the time.

<Twilight was correct; even in the midst of your pride, you still wanted the best for your ponies. That is the nature of those creatures; they cannot truly affect those that have the best of intentions. You were never a full slave to your pride, any more than Luna was to her envy,> the voice of Solaris whispered softly.

Celestia shook her head of such maudlin thoughts. She really needed to stop dwelling on the past; there were other things that were more important. She paid closer attention to the conversation that was currently going on between the Bearers.

“...and I still find it a bit shocking that a member of your own family would vote against you in such a fashion,” Rarity was saying. “I mean, Lord Dash always struck me as an intelligent stallion. He had to know that backing such an illegal vote would work against him.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. The others looked at her in confusion. “That’s because he was working with the Junior Council on this. Glorious Sunrise is only Clear Mind’s successor because she was named to that position. She’s actually a member of my own house by both blood and marriage.” She scowled. “Internal family politics has kept her family on the down low because they’re not pegasi. And that’s gonna change now that Sunrise is where she’s at.”

“Uh, if it’s family tradition, I’m not sure how it’ll change sugarcube,” Applejack said sadly. “The Oranges were booted out of the top spot in mah family a couple of centuries ago for marrying outside our tribe.” The other ponies looked shocked at this. “Yeah, it’s one of the reasons why mah brother has never taken Grandpa Apple’s position; Granny Smith Apple didn’t think it was fair to block a family just because of who they married, and he agrees wit’ her.” Applejack frowned. “Ah know how the Houses can be sugarcube. Even getting the top spot isn’t gonna change that.”

“Yeah, but my being an alicorn changes that. One of the last things my ancestor set up was a house law that states that any descendant pegacorn born will become head of the house.” Rainbow scratched the back of her head ruefully. “That’s likely one of the reasons why I was so afraid when I started to change. I’m just a simple stunt-pony; I was never slated to take Grandpa Prism’s place.” She facehoofed when she realized what she said. “Ugh, I still can’t help but think of myself as I once was, rather than what I am now.” She gestured at the horn on her head to elaborate.

Luna chuckled at that. “It’s quite common actually. It took me a couple of decades to get used to thinking like an alicorn, rather than the unicorn I was born as.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Your upcoming coronation may help with that; acknowledgement of your alicorn nature will help with the transition.” Luna grinned at the look of shock that appeared on Rainbow’s muzzle.

“No. Nope. No way. Not happening. I’m not having one,” Rainbow said repeatedly. Twilight chuckled. “What’s so funny egghead?”

“Oh, nothing; you just sound like somepony else I know, that’s all,” the purple alicorn said, still chuckling at her marefriend’s antics. The other mares at the table chuckled as well.

“Rainbow darling, you must know that there’s no getting out of it,” Rarity said after a bit. “I would think that you of all ponies would be happy to get such accolades.” The fashionista’s eyes started to get dewy as she thought of the romantic ruminations. Rainbow’s next statement halted her imaginings.

“It’s not the same thing as being Best Young Flyer or being in the Wonderbolts, Rares,” the cyan alicorn said. “Those are for things I’ve accomplished, and not for something I have no control over.” She huffed in aggravation. “Hay, I don’t even think that qualifies as to why I don’t want this; normally I’d love to get in front of ponies to strut my stuff.”

Cadance spoke up at that point. “It’s part of the pegacorn nature Princess Rainbow,” the pink alicorn said. “We tend to be very private individuals, and don’t like it when we’re placed on a pedestal.” She chuckled. “You remind me of my own coronation; I fought with Auntie Celestia for three weeks before I was willing to go along with it.”

“But I’m not even an Equestrian princess; having one here makes no sense whatsoever,” Rainbow moaned. “I could see having one in my own Realm, but why have it here?”

Twilight just looked at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, your kingdom is as much a part of Equestria as Cadance’s is.” She placed a hoof on Rainbow’s withers. “I know how you feel, believe me. But it’s not just acknowledgement of your alicorn status that this involves.” Twilight looked at Celestia as she said the last part.

“Indeed, Princess Rainbow. You are the Alicorn of the Light. Such a thing will help to bring hope to the ponies of Equestria, especially concerning the recent actions of the High Council.” Celestia smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. “It will also be good for those who have had faith in Serenity to see the embodiment of said faith.” She then frowned. “Not that such worship is ever comfortable.” She sighed before continuing. “Rainbow Dash, we alicorns all know and understand what you’re currently going through. A coronation may not be something you desire, yet it’s not something we can ignore.” She slapped the table with her hoof. “I can no longer afford to hide things from my ponies. Especially if it’s something that can be used against them.”

Rainbow scowled. “So my personal feelings have no bearing on this?” she griped. She then looked at the expression on her marefriend’s muzzle. “I’m sorry Twi, but this isn’t what I was looking for at all. Isn’t there any way I can get out of it?”

Twilight shook her head. “No Rainbow Dash, there isn’t. You need to realize something. A coronation will give you a certain level of autonomy in your actions. Unless you relish the idea of a detachment of very visible Solar and Lunar Guards-ponies dogging your every step.”

“Huh? Why the hay would I have to put up with something like that?!” Rainbow yelped.

“Because without it, Princess Rainbow, you are relegated to the status of foreign royalty,” Luna spoke up before Twilight could respond. “As was once the case when Princess Angela first visited this land.” She snorted. “As much as it pains me to say this, there are still some laws that supersede our authority; the ones as to how foreign alicorns are treated are some of those laws.”

Rainbow frowned. “You mean there’s political stuff involved too?” She planted her snout into the table in frustration. “Ugh, this isn’t fair! I’m just an ordinary pony; why do I have to deal with all of this?!”

“Rainbow, I know you’re scared,” Fluttershy said quietly. “But everypony here will be there for you, every step of the way.” All of the others nodded at the shy pegasus’ words.

Rainbow Dash looked at the one pony that was more important to her than almost everything else. She saw the challenging twinkle in Twilight’s eyes, and realized that dealing with a coronation was only the first of many trials she would have to deal with as a princess.

“I still say this isn’t fair. But then again, it’s not fair to deny my ponies their right to celebrate.” Rainbow drew herself up before looking sternly at Rarity. “No frills; if I must wear a dress, there is to be NO frills.”

Rarity looked scandalized. The others laughed at the expression on her muzzle. After a bit, she joined in with them.

Talk then turned to other matters, as it would take more than one conversation to prepare for a coronation.

Lune, Kingdom of the Lost, 06-08-05, 12:49 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Nightingale looked at her Seneschal in shock, not for a minute believing what she had heard. “You aren’t seriously suggesting that a celebration of a princess not even present is a good thing for our kingdom, are you?” Her words were in a tone of disbelief and anger.

The elderly earth pony nodded, a severe frown on his muzzle. “Your Highness, this kingdom needs something to celebrate, what with the continual attacks on the weakening Rift.” Lord Bright Harvest continued to stare down his Princess; his down-to-equus demeanor was the major reason that she had picked him from a list of over fifty candidates sixty-five years ago. At ninety-four, he had served long enough to be able to spend the remainder of his expected one hundred fifty years caring for his large family. Telling that to the irascible stallion was something that Nightingale refused to do however, as the only worthy replacement couldn’t serve due to her pegacorn nature.

Nightingale shook her head to get her wandering mind back on track. “Lord Harvest, you remain one of the few nobles I trust implicitly, not the least reason being that I used to powder your rump; however, I’m trying real hard to keep our friendship in mind in the face of such an asinine suggestion.” The dark purple alicorn stomped a hoof in emphasis. “My dislike of celebrations aside, I don’t see how celebrating the Alicorn of Light is going to bring any sense of happiness to our ponies. Aside from the admittedly large group that worships Serenity that is.”

Nightingale paused, wrinkling her snout in aggravation as a thought occurred to her. “This isn’t some kind of unofficial way to get me to greenlight kingdom funds for a religious celebration is it? Because if it is, you can tell those of your flock that the answer is a resounding no, as it was the last three times they tried to trick me!”

Harvest snorted in amusement. “Oh I’m certain that has something to do with why they’re pressuring for this, at least as far as getting reimbursed is concerned.” The stallion frowned. “However, I’ve made it plain to them that I’m not willing to convince you to favor one religious group over another.” The stallion sighed. “I have two major reasons as to why I think this is a good idea.”

Nightingale looked at the stallion she had essentially raised in irritation. “Bright Harvest, you of all ponies should know my aversion to celebrations. This kingdom does not have the time nor the funds to spend on frivolous displays. Especially since the Rift is failing! What in Harmony’s name could be a good enough reason to plan a kingdom-wide celebration?!”

“To inspire hope, Nightingale,” the stallion barked back in a severely annoyed tone. “Our kingdom has had precious little to celebrate, what with the Council’s actions over the centuries.” Harvest frowned at his sovereign. “Your own dislike of celebrations aside, you have to see the merit in this.”

The stallion pointed at the scrolls he had brought with him. “Fully two-thirds of this kingdom’s ponies worship one or more of the Essences as a body; a third of that alone are devotees of Serenity. They need a chance to let their manes down; a chance to forget their troubles.” Seeing the obstinate look on Nightingale’s muzzle, Harvest sighed exasperatedly.

“And what is your second reason my Lord? Because while I grant you that there are merits to that argument, such things could still be held privately, and should.” Nightingale snorted at that image. “A frivolous excuse for debauchery and drunkenness, causing yet more problems for the Moon Guard when such things are done to excess, yet they still have that right at least.”

Harvest frowned, knowing Nightingale would like this reason even less. “The second reason, Princess, is that approving such a celebration that is obviously what your subjects wants is a great way to improve your standing.” He stomped a hoof in frustration. “This is part of the damage control I’ve been trying to do since you yet again Sealed the Moon Council.”

Nightingale scowled. “Damage control? I Sealed the Council to stop the damage that they were doing to this kingdom’s defenses, as they proved susceptible to the Dark One’s influence yet again. How exactly is coercing me into holding a kingdom-wide celebration supposed to provide damage control?”

Harvest sighed in frustration. “I tried to warn you that there would be a chance this would happen; I tried to get you to find other means to deal with the corruption in the Council years ago, instead of the immensely unpopular method of Sealing that you continue to employ.” Harvest looked at his monarch with a stern frown. “The common pony is once again looking at your actions against the Council, and many are wondering just when the axe of judgement is going to come down on them.”

Nightingale looked shocked. “Why would they think that? I only ever do that to protect this kingdom; it’s all I’ve ever done. Why would they think that I would be coming for them next?”

Harvest rolled his eyes. “For all that I know you love them Princess, I’m not sure you really understand those who live in this kingdom.” He snorted. “It’s stupid, but every time you Seal the Moon Council away, the common pony sees it as an unwanted act of a totalitarian state.” He snorted in aggravation. “It’s silly for them to think that way, as they’ve been complaining since the last time that the Seal was undone about the Council’s actions. Yet they still do.”

Nightingale looked at Harvest. “This is truly something they wish, am I correct?” The stallion nodded. The alicorn sighed as she walked towards the window. “I shouldn’t allow my own distaste for celebrations and the like effect this kingdom. You are right in that this kingdom has had precious little to celebrate in a very long time, and this is something that affects them.”

Nightingale turned back to Harvest, her gaze stern. “I will declare an official Celebration of the Alicorn of Light in two days time; that should give them the time they need to prepare. Minimum shifts should be maintained; Captain Gaze should have a rotation for you.” She sighed. “And it looks like I will have to wear a frilly dress yet again; that’s not something a soldier should wear,” she grumbled. Harvest chuckled.

Before he walked away, Nightingale called him back. “Take the funds earmarked for the Moon Council to pay for it; it’s currently not in use.” His smirk matched hers as he bowed before leaving to carry out her orders.

Nightingale sighed before making her way to her dressing room, to be fitted for the thing that she considered Most Evil.

A frilly dress.

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-09-05, 10:19 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

”I said no frills!”

Had the shout that came from one of the many royal powder rooms of Canterlot been any louder, it would have shattered windows. As it was, the shout did cause the mares surrounding a certain cyan alicorn to cringe in pain as their eardrums rang.

Princess Rainbow Dash cringed in abject horror at the nightmarishly frilly dress that they were attempting to place on her. One of the seamstresses- a unicorn -was projecting a flame-cancelling spell around the dress she spent hours on, as Rainbow’s horn sparked every time they tried. So far, the fitting had gone on for over an hour, as Rainbow continued to cast a Keep Away spell.

“Your Highness, this is a traditional coronation dress, based off the same one that Princess Twilight wore at hers,” one of the seamstresses- this one a pegasus -said in conciliatory tones. “I know it looks frilly and girly, but it’s an expected dress.”

“I am not wearing anything with frills, and most certainly not anything related to that gaudy dress they foisted on Twilight,” the steaming mad alicorn said heatedly. “I don’t care if it’s traditional or not; I am not wearing something that looks like it will strangle me!”

A knock at the door interrupted whatever else the seamstresses would have said. The door opened up onto a familiar alabaster form, carrying a dress bag in her signature aura.

“Darling, I am sure you will be quite pleased at the work I’ve done on this dress..” Rarity trailed off as she got a good look at the monstrosity the seamstresses were trying to foist onto her friend. “What. Is. THAT?!” she said.

“This is a standard version of a traditional coronation dress for royalty,” the unicorn who made it said. “I followed the designs given to me by Hoity Toity himself, who happens to be one of the premiere dressmakers in Equestria.”

Rarity’s left eye began to twitch. “That dress is a monstrosity!” She said haughtily. “That looks like something that Suri Polomare would have designed.” Rarity saw the looks on the seamstresses muzzles. Her eye began to twitch far more rapidly. “It was, wasn’t it,” she said slowly, more of a statement then a question.

Rainbow Dash started to back up as much as she could; she knew what was coming. “And just who told you to contact Hoity Toity of all ponies? His reputation was solid until he got in bed with that whorse of a wannabe designer.”

The lead dressmaker huffed. “Both Hoity Toity and Suri Polomare are some of the best dressmakers in the fashion world. Who do you think you are criticizing her anyway?!”

“Suri Polomare is a cheat and a fraud. I’d bet my business license that THAT monstrosity isn’t even one of her designs. Not that she can design anyway, as everypony knows that she had no worthwhile designs before or after she got her former assistant Coco, who is a far better dressmaker and designer than most I’ve seen.”

“As to who I am, darling, it doesn’t take a Twilight Sparkle to figure out,” Rarity said, drawling out her customary phrase in a way that made it an epithet. “I’m only the most successful of dressmakers in Equestria, and a member of the Council of Friendship.”

“Now, I would appreciate it if you all GET OUT, AND LET ME FIT MY FRIEND WITH A PROPER GOWN! OUT!”

The seamstresses left; all but the unicorn who was still holding up the overly frilly gown. “I don’t see where you get off telling me what to do; this isn’t Ponyville, and what I say here goes. This is the dress that the Master of Ceremonies for all official Canterlot functions chose, and it will be the dress that will be worn.”

A flash of bright light lit up the room briefly. When their eyes cleared, the offending gown had vanished. “My dress!” the unicorn shrieked. “What did you do to my dress?!”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Oh, I sent it to the same place where Chrysalis imprisoned Twilight awhile back. If you want it, go find it.” She got into the muzzle of the seamstress. “Oh, and by the way, you’re fired, as is your boss. This is MY coronation, so I choose who I want as Master of Ceremonies. That’s Equestrian Law, little miss Priss.”

“We’ll see about that. I don’t care if your an alicorn or not, you have no power over me or my boss.” Priss Polomare stalked off in a huff.

Once the door closed, Rainbow sighed. “That went well,” she snarked.

Rarity facehoofed. “I’m truly sorry I wasn’t here sooner darling. In any case, shall we see if I got the measurements right?” Rainbow shrugged. She then gasped at the dress Rarity pulled out of the bag she had brought with her.

Though it was similar in some respects to the one that Twilight wore, its colors better matched her mane and coat. For all of that, it bore a strong resemblance to the dress that she had worn at Twilight's coronation. “Oh my gosh Rarity, that dress is awesome!” she squealed. She launched herself at the alabaster unicorn, giving her an uncharacteristically exuberant hug.

“Thank you darling. I must say, I’ve really outdone myself.” Working swiftly, she soon had Rainbow modeling her gown. “I would have made a hat to go along with it, but since you will be getting a crown based off your new Cutie Mark, I had to make some changes.”

“I absolutely love it,” Rainbow gushed. Rarity chuckled. “What? What did I say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing darling; I’m just glad that you’re comfortable enough around me to let your walls down.” Rarity smirked. “I know you’re somepony who likes girly things more than you let on. Don’t worry; I’ve been keeping that a secret.” Rainbow blushed.

The two mares continued to admire the beautiful gown before Rarity packed it away for the ceremony. They then made their way to the baths in the palace, Rainbow once more hiding her alicorn nature until they were alone.

For the next hour, Rarity primped and pampered her friend, bringing out the athletic beauty that had always been there in a way few had ever seen.

Rainbow Dash has never been one to allow herself to be pampered, Rarity thought to herself. So why is she allowing it now?

“Rainbow darling, don’t take this the wrong way, but why aren’t you fussy about all of this?” Rarity asked, her hoof waving at the medley of beauty-care products. “I mean, you’ve never struck me as the type to get into this sort of thing. If I’d known you were willing, I’d have asked you sooner instead of always asking either Fluttershy or Twilight.”

Rainbow looked at her friend, her face obscured by a hideous face mask. “I kinda wish you had a couple of times Rares,” she said, once again using Applejack’s nickname for the unicorn. “I mean, I’d have gone for the occasional massage, as long as nopony saw me entering.” Rainbow twiddled her hooves. “This all actually reminds me of some of the stuff me and my eldest sister used to do when I was a filly.”

Rarity blinked. “Then why did you put up a fuss about a frilly dress Rainbow?”

Rainbow sighed. “It goes back to flight school. I had to build up a rep to protect myself because of Grandpa Prism’s position.” Her hoof slapped the armrest of the lounging couch she was sitting in. “It wasn’t just protecting ‘Shy, though I felt the need to do that too. I endured a lot of teasing both because of Grampa, and because of the whole ‘Rainbow Pride’ horseapples.” Rainbow sighed again. “So I swore off the girl stuff, at least in public.”

“Now it doesn’t matter so much. I’m still not one to admit to liking dresses in public, but next to the secret I’m currently sitting on, that’s pretty tame.” Rainbow gestured to the mask she was wearing. “Can I take this off now Rares? It’s itching something fierce.

Rarity looked at the water clock on the wall. “Yes darling; it’s been long enough anyway.”

As Rainbow Dash and Rarity cleansed their faces of the remainder of the beauty masks, there was a knock on the door. Rarity went and opened it just a smidgen, then opened it wider as she saw who it was.

Twilight, Luna, and Celestia’s Seneschal all walked into the parlor, stern looks on their muzzles. Twilight and the Seneschal were both carrying scrolls with the official Seal of Equestria on them. “Sorry to interrupt girls, but we have a rather serious issue on our hooves,” Twilight said. She stopped as she got a closer look at Rainbow Dash, staring at the image of athletic beauty standing before her.

Twilight shook off her momentary distraction, then rolled her eyes at the smirk Rainbow had on her muzzle. “Now’s not the time Rainbow; both Priss Polomare and Quiet Gaze are in bits over their apparent dismissals. They’ve called for a counter-suit against you.”

Rainbow’s smirk grew into a shark’s grin. “So what? It’s not like they can do anything about it. I only followed Equestrian law; who my Master of Ceremony is is up to me, and not something the Royal House has any say over.”

“You still have to give a reason other than irritation at the dress as a reason for said dismissal Rainbow Dash,” the midnight-blue alicorn next to her said reprovingly. “The Master of Ceremonies that you so ingloriously ‘kicked to the curb’ has been a member of the Royal House since before all present save myself was born.” Luna frowned. “Not that that is a good thing, as he’s as hidebound as any I’ve had the misfortune to deal with.”

Luna gestured to the seneschal. “Fortunately, his own words when appointing Miss Polomare were and are enough for his dismissal. I just need your reasoning for hers,” the pegasus said.

Rainbow scowled. “Only her dual insult of not accepting my refusal of the dress that she was attempting to make me wear, and her idiocy of thinking she could weave breathing-restrictive fabric into the dress without me noticing.” Rarity looked up at that.

“Are you serious?! What under Celestia’s Sun could possibly convince her to do something like that?!” the fashionista yelped. Rainbow facehoofed.

“Rares, you didn’t notice the layered spells that were on that dress? It would have looked to everypony else like the dress I wore at Twi’s coronation once the spell was triggered,” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t have objected as hard if it wasn’t for the fact that the chief seamstress had the surname of Polomare.”

“Rainbow Dash, her actions notwithstanding, I wouldn’t have thought one such as you would be willing to discriminate against somepony just because of their family,” Rarity said severely, getting over her shock at the apparent set-up. Twilight snorted at that.

“Rainbow Dash and I ran into some of the Polomare Family in Mareago, where they tried to get her framed for a combination of industrial espionage and sabotage,” the purple alicorn said in response. “They had plans to discredit each one of us Element Bearers.” She sighed. “Granted, neither one of the two youngest members were involved in any of those plans. What we did discover is that the Polomare line is actually what is left of The Mareago Crime Syndicate. Every single one of that family are taught how to lie, cheat, and steal from a very young age. And how to do so while incorporating their unique talent.”

Rarity huffed. “Well, as true as that is or not, I still say it’s unfair to judge based on what their family may or may have done before.”

Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight facehoofed at that. “Rarity, we found evidence that Suri and Hoity Toity were involved in the illegal trafficking of stolen Saddle Arabian silk,” Twilight said. “It’s especially good for disguising certain kinds of enchantments. And that dress that young Priss tried to foist onto Rainbow was made out of silk from one of the last shipments that were stolen. A shipment that has yet to turn up.”

“The only reason she’s only getting fired instead of arrested for attempted murder and treason is that it’s likely she was coerced,” Rainbow said as she signed the documents the noble-pony presented her. “If it weren’t for Serenity, I’d have gone as far as the law allows me.”

Rarity sighed. “I do understand that she had asked for a great deal of what had happened to her, but still, her family doesn’t make her a bad pony.”

“Certes, Dame Rarity has the right of it,” Luna said. “Reprehensible as their actions are, they are not bad ponies; just ponies that have done bad things.”

Rainbow shook her head at that, having finished signing all of the documents. She took a few moments to straighten the coat-and-mane care products sitting on the vanity next to her to organize her next thoughts.

“Would you please inform Princess Celestia that I wish to speak with her about tomorrow?” Rainbow asked the noble-pony. The mare nodded, then left. Rainbow turned back to her friends.

“I don’t know how much of this is true or not, given the source,” Rainbow Dash said at length, “but I say that the Polomare family, as one of the Five Families, is one of those few that can be considered to be bad ponies. Outside of the current generation, which is both too stupid and too cowardly to get their hooves dirty, that family has been involved in some really bad things.”

Rainbow held up a hoof to mark off each point. “Pony-napping, extortion, racketeering, international terrorism, trafficking in sex slaves, bribery; the list goes on.” Rainbow stomped a hoof for emphasis. “They were even peripherally involved on the three attempts on mine and Twilight’s lives when we first started our journey in Hoofington.”

Luna frowned. “These are some serious actions. Which is why many of the prior generation are either Exiles or have been petrified.” Her frown deepened. “However, doing bad deeds does not make one good or bad; one has to give themselves fully over to That-Which-Hides-In-The-Dark.”

“That’s just it LuLu; many of the past generations Swore binding Oaths to the False Heart to guarantee their fortunes,” Rainbow said in response. “Now I’m not sure how much of that’s true, as it was a twisted Shade that told me. What little evidence we gathered before making the top of Mount Everfest bears it out though, at least a little.”

Luna’s expression grew severe. “Thou meanest those six natures that run counter to the Elements of Harmony, correct?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “This Shade you speak of may have been both correct, and was trying to cast doubt.”

Rainbow smirked at that. “Oh, it tried. Not that I was listening. By that point, I had already Bonded with Loyalty enough that none of its words had the desired effect on me. I do get though that it wasn’t lying exactly. I know that the snake-bellied bastard dealt with twisted truths. He wouldn’t have conquered the Crystal Empire without that ability.”

“Wait, are you saying that you faced Sombra again?!” Rarity exclaimed. “I thought the Heart banished him!”

Luna shook her head. “Twas only a partial banishment; once he fully manifested, it was enough to send him back to Tartarus.” She frowned. “It seems however, that parts of him remained outside.”

Twilight nodded at that. “Yes, his Shades. A large one attacked me before Rainbow came back.” Twilight shuddered at the memory. Rainbow hugged her, knowing that it still hurt.

Rarity smiled at their obvious bond. “It seems as though you two went through a lot on your journey,” she said.

The two alicorns blushed a little as they ended their hug. “Yeah, we did. Even though it was hard, I wouldn’t change a thing.” Rainbow then kissed Twilight’s left cheek, causing a bright blush to appear on the purple mare’s snout.

“Certes, thou art certainly made for each other,” Luna said, smiling. She then sighed. “Welladay, I’m off; I need to find a certain Centurion; she owes me a debriefing.” Luna hugged each pony, then walked off. Before the door closed, she said one last thing to Rainbow. “Princess Rainbow, worry not overmuch about the ceremony on the morrow; it will go better for you.” The door closed as the midnight alicorn walked off.

Rarity shook her mane out. “Well, I think I’m going to make my way to the dining room. Care to join me girls?”

Rainbow shook her head. “I got a few things I still need to talk to Celly about. Nothing real serious; I just need to make sure that the changes we discussed go through.”

“Rainbow Dash, Luna just told you not to worry,” Twilight scolded. Rainbow just gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Ugh, I know, I know; that’s a case of the swan calling the duck a water fowl. Well, I’m hungry, so meet me and Rarity in the dining hall when you’re done, okay?” Rainbow nodded. The two shared a quick kiss before parting ways, Twilight following their alabaster friend- and her nose -to food.

Rainbow made her way to talk to Celestia, one that was going to involve more than just a discussion about her upcoming coronation.

A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash was waiting- with some impatience -for Princess Celestia to get finished with the pro-tem Archmage of the Mage’s Council.

While becoming an alicorn had settled the nervous fidgets that plagued Rainbow-as like most pegasi -somewhat, it only extended to when she was tapping into either her pure alicorn nature or her earth pony mana. Outside of that, she still had trouble with waiting patiently when not flying.

Rainbow wasn’t looking forward to the next day at all. No matter how much her original career path was one in front of an audience, she didn’t relish the idea of being crowned. Getting ‘rewarded’ for something she now was other than something she did was just wrong. And that’s what bothers both me and Twilight; we’re getting all of this unwanted attention and these new jobs because of a random roll of the genetic dice. We got lucky; if you call becoming a near-immortal cosmic being lucky.

<But child, you did do something to deserve this,> the soft voice of Serenity spoke into her mind. <Creatures of selfishness never become alicorns; you must be willing to embrace all of what it means to be a pony to do so. That is what this is for, and Celly knows this, better than most.>

<Thanks Serenity; you always know just what to say,> Rainbow said in return. She felt the gentle presence tickle her mind, showing off Serenity’s mischievous side. She buffeted the Essence of Light in return; both giggled at that.

Further teasing was cut short by Celestia’s arrival. “Princess Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry that took so long,” the alabaster alicorn said. “There were things that I needed to discuss with them concerning the transfer of power you will be receiving tomorrow.”

Rainbow sighed. “Celly, I get that you might feel some need for reparations, but I don’t need any kind of authority,” she said. “I already have enough on my plate as it is with my own realm.”

Celestia moved closer to the polychromatic-maned alicorn. “This has very little to do with ‘reparations’, I assure you Rainbow,” she said, a small smile on her muzzle. “Though you are right to mention that. I do owe you and your friends more than just apologies concerning my actions with Twilight’s ascension. Tomorrow has little to do with that however.”

Sighing, the sun alicorn looked out the window. “If I do not give you some kind of power, you will be regulated to the same role that Cadance once performed. I swore to myself that I would never allow that to happen again. If I hadn’t recognized- and had already planned -to have Twilight fulfill the role of Princess of Friendship, she would have faced the same fate.” Celestia blushed a little. “That was perhaps the only time my actions had very little to do with pride; the only other one I can think of is taking Twilight on as my student to begin with. I had sworn after Sunset that I would never take another.”

Rainbow frowned. “I get that princess; I’m just not comfortable with it.” She turned to look out the window as well. “I do think that giving me some military duties is a great idea; I just don’t have any kind of military experience.”

Celestia chuckled. “Rainbow Dash, if true military experience were the only measure I look for in commanders, then there wouldn’t be a Royal Guard.Twilight’s brother had only one tour of the Badlands before becoming Captain.” She looked at her fellow alicorn. “No, you have just what is needed. A regal bearing, and a militaristic attitude that Twilight and Cadance both lack. Plus, you are a known quandary; you will be better able to command respect among the hot-headed young flyers in the PPP.”

Rainbow frowned confusedly. “PPP?” She then facehoofed. “Oh, the Protective Pony Platoons.” Her confused look deepened. “I know that the Wonderbolts were formed out of the pegasi branch, but I thought the PPP was disbanded after the situation me and Twilight dealt with in Mareago.”

Celestia shook her head. “No, I have the PPP in reserve in various fortresses around Equestria. A good portion are stationed at the border between the Badlands and the Southern Wastes to guard against potential invasion. The rogue changeling hives are even more of a threat now that Chrysalis is dead.” Celestia’s muzzle twisted in real anger briefly at the mention of Chrysalis. "I believe you are referring to the Equestrian Guard; and you are correct in that they have been completely disbanded following the evidence that they were behind an attempted coup."

“In any case, having you as an actual instructor can only be a benefit, as I’d like to see the Wonderbolts actually serve a purpose beyond airshows. Past actions have shown me that the way they’re directed now is a waste.” Celestia then looked at Rainbow again. “I can see that there’s more; you’re not as worried about these new duties as you have said.” Rainbow Dash nodded.

“Yeah, there’s more, though I’m just the messenger,” Rainbow replied enigmatically. Before Celestia could question what she meant by that, there was a brilliant flash of light from the alicorn next to her. With this, both alicorns vanished; all that was left behind was a rolled-up scroll tied with an azure ribbon, left to ensure that there wouldn’t be a panic.

Naturally, there would be one anyway; such is the nature of the Canterlot Castle staff.

As the spots cleared from Celestia’s eyes, she gazed in wonder at the world she now saw herself in. It seemed familiar, and yet she was certain that she had never been here before in her many long years of life. She knew where it was though; the fabled Realm of Light.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the pony standing next to her said. Celestia looked down to see a smirking Rainbow Dash. “Huh, I would have thought that I’d need to be alive longer to pull a fast one on the Alicorn of the Sun,” she snarked.

Celestia wanted to roll her eyes; Rainbow Dash was known to have just as much of a mischievous streak as Luna. “I trust that there was a real reason you teleported the both of us to your Realm?” She frowned. “Yourself I can see; I’m not clear as to how you were able to bring me along as well.”

Rainbow’s smirk grew. “Oh, I have my ways,” she said. She then laughed at the long-suffering expression on the princess’ muzzle. “Oh jeepers, Serenity’s right; you really need to learn to let your mane down every once and awhile Celly.” She pointed behind them; Celestia looked and saw a filament of light behind them, one that led back to Canterlot Castle.

Another one to the side showed Ponyville. Still another led to a place she had long thought to have been lost. “Does that one lead to Roam?” Celestia asked in disbelief, her annoyance vanishing in place of her shock.

Rainbow shrugged. “It would for you; the Path of Light is different for everypony who has ever been here.” She started walking to a nearby dais. She sat down on the diminutive throne and motioned for Celestia to join her. Bemusedly, the elder alicorn did so after a moment.

Once she sat down next to Rainbow Dash, Celestia was able to see several beams of light surrounding the dais. Off in the distance stood a ruined castle keep. The sky above was a kaleidoscope of colors, far more than she was used to seeing.

“I couldn’t tell you where all of those Paths go. What ones you see lead to places you’ve been that are important to you, just as the ones that I’ve seen do the same.” Rainbow pointed at the one that led to Ponyville. “Like that one; I’m sure that the only reason why you can see that it goes to Ponyville is because that’s where Twilight lives now.”

Celestia looked closer at the shimmering veils. “Where does the one in the center lead to? It seems as though I’ve seen something like that before,” she said in a soft voice.

Rainbow Dash smiled softly. “That one leads to the Temporal Plane of Destiny. And you have been there before; well, at least the upper part of it.” Seeing the look of confusion on Celestia’s muzzle, Rainbow chuckled. “Celly, you pass through the upper part every time you teleport someplace.

A look of dawning awareness appeared on Celestia’s muzzle. “Wait, that is the Plane of Ascension, is it not?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, still smirking. “Yep. It’s one of my favorite places.”

Celestia smiled at this. “I’m sure it is; it is special to all alicorns after all.”

Rainbow’s smile faded. “Yeah, well, it’s not all ‘sunshine and rainbows’, especially where I was when I finally ascended.”

Celestia frowned. “I’ve never ventured into the lower parts; Angela warned me away from them. I would have ignored it if Solaris hadn’t agreed with her.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, they’re all a mess right now. Not that this part of the Realm is any better,” she said sadly.

Celestia looked at her. “How did it get so bad here?”

“A war,” Rainbow snarled, her muzzle twisting into a look of rage. “A certain stallion that I’m sure you’re familiar with fought the ‘Dark One’ here for the majority of their battle. And the Children of Light were the ones that suffered the most for his actions.”

The sky above began to boil in response to Rainbow Dash’s anger. Celestia frowned reprovingly. “Rainbow Dash, if you are speaking about Star Swirl the Bearded, then at least show some respect. He is not here to defend himself, after all.” She placed her hoof on the cyan alicorn’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard; I have my own anger issues with his actions as well.”

Rainbow just looked at her. “Celly, I get that whole ‘respect the dead’ bit. I really do. But cursing his actions says nothing about respect. I have no feelings about him personally; I just feel that it’s totally unfair that two civilizations were lost because of his actions.”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, that’s unfortunate. I just wish I knew more of what went on; I’m little prepared for the future now than I was before. And it’s frustrating to know that he kept so much from me.”

“Yeah, you’re not alone there; Twi was griping about the horseapples he pulled almost the whole journey.” Rainbow sighed. “He did help in his own way. At least, it seemed like his help.” Rainbow shook her head to redirect her thoughts. “Anyway, I didn’t bring us all the way to a Sealed Realm to talk about the past.”

Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the veil in front of them. Three nimbus of light flew from it, coming to rest in front of the alicorns. The light within and without each one was similar, yet at the same time different.

The one in the center was immediately familiar to Celestia; it possessed the same yellow-white glow that Sol gave off, though there were darker parts flittering through it. Celestia frowned at that. The one on the immediate left radiated hues of color too fast to detect. It too bore the touch of familiarity to the solar alicorn.

However, the one on the left, while still bright, was noticeably different than the other two. It was all in darker hues of purple, orange, and blue. Oddly, it reminded her of the comfortable feeling she had sitting under the shade of the old apple tree on her family’s farm ages ago.

The orbs coalesced as she finished examining them. Gasping, Celestia recognized the ‘filly’ in the center. “Solaris?!” she cried out, her voice much higher than usual.

The Essence of Sol smiled an impish smile at that. “Hello princess; I am glad you remembered me,” she said, a merry twinkle in her eye. “It has been over one thousand years since we twain have met in the flesh.”

Solaris rolled her eyes at the throat-clearing next to her. “Yes, yes, I know. Celestia, allow me to formally introduce my sisters; Serenity,” here the multicolored-maned filly bowed, “and Dusk.” The filly on her left curtsied demurely.

“You have met me before,” the darkly colored pony said in a quiet voice. “Though I was unable to fully manifest at the time.” She then turned her gaze to Rainbow Dash. “That may or may not change in the future.”

“That remains to be seen,” Solaris said severely. “You and the others may be assured of her seriousness, but I remain skeptical.”

Serenity backed away fully to stand next to Rainbow Dash. “Solaris, it is not fair to judge all ponies of a family line simply because of the actions of their progenitor. Else we would have to damn the entirety of the pony race for the actions of the first pegacorns.”

“Sisters, stop!” Dusk shouted. “Now is neither the time nor the place! We are here for a crowning, not an argument.” Seeing the obstinate look on Solaris’ muzzle, Dusk’s patience snapped. “Enough Solaris! Either commence with the ceremony, or I will call on Hope instead.”

Solaris snorted. “As if that is going to make any kind of difference,” she snarled. “Hope is as mortal as they are now.” Turning to Serenity, Solaris made to defend her opinion. “Her clan has long proven to be impetuous and impatient, she most of all. Or haven’t you noticed? She wouldn’t be an alicorn if she hadn’t made an impertinent decision that wasn’t hers to make.”

A crack across the sky resounded at that. Turning, the Essences saw that the Alicorn of Light had her wings spread. Eldritch light suffused her eyes. Her horn glowed in the colors of Life itself, though the glow wasn’t soft; rather, it was hard and unyielding.

“Essence of the Sun, you are here to crown a Guardian who has already accepted her role. Do not test Our patience, or We will place thine Sister before thou.”

Solaris’ eyes flashed at that. “Gaia, this is not your place. I am the one who decides which of those are worthy.” She pointed at Rainbow Dash. “The vessel whom you’re speaking through, instead of coming yourself, has proven herself barely capable.”

Solaris would have continued in that vein had she not been interrupted by a triple chime sounding. She paled in real fear as she gazed at Celestia.

The alabaster alicorn’s full radiance was revealed, as was the true nature of her petryal. “As much as I love you Solaris, I will not allow you to deny Princess Rainbow Dash her crown. She is no more worthy of it than I am of mine. I cannot allow you to make the same mistakes I have made.”

“This has nothing to do with you Celestia! I will not, and cannot let an untried youth of that family have Power over a key Realm!” Solaris would have said more, but a nimbus of scintillating light flew from the veil behind them.

This new aura coalesced into three more forms. Light suffused them; the companion radiance that Solaris shared suddenly left her. “What?! What is this?! I am an Essence; you have no Power over me in this fashion!”

“But they do Sister. For you and I were Born from that which was created to guide. The Three all have Power over the Guardian Essences.” As the voice faded, the nimbus of light took the form of Selene, the Essence of Lune.

Selene looked at her elder sister sadly. “Sister, Princess Rainbow Dash has nothing to do with the past actions of her family. Nor will she suffer the Curse that the Dark One infused into her bloodline. That was broken the day she first took up her Element.” She waved her hoof.

Bands of light flew around the filly, binding themselves to her hooves, barrel, and horn. She screeched in pain. “You would curse me with a mortal form?!” she screeched.

Selene looked sad. “I am only doing what is necessary. None of what has happened would have had you not guided your charge to the False Prophets.” She then made another gesture. A brilliant flash came from the veil behind the other two. When it cleared, Solaris was gone.

“I am sorry that this took so long,” Selene said sadly. “Solaris the Elder has been fighting against an Alicorn of Light since she and I first manifested. That’s why she Guided you towards the role you now play Celestia.”

Celestia frowned at that. “That, whatever-it-was, was not the Solaris I know and love,” she snapped, her patience finally ending. Selene nodded.

“The one you know is the Younger; she has no ability to manifest away from Sol itself. The Elder is still Sister to me, though she has long been angry at the ponies for what they have done. Our Sister has asked me to Crown young Rainbow Dash in her stead, as she is now occupied in the acceptance of her darker emotions.”

Seeing the looks of confusion on both Rainbow Dash and Celestia’s muzzles, Serenity made to explain. “Solaris and Selene are manifestations of the heavenly bodies that were once controlled by mortal creatures. Thus, they have many of the same problems with emotions that mortals have. Selene and Solaris had trouble accepting them at first; Selene eventually combined with her elder self. Solaris never did.”

“Yes, though the Elder has no Power over Sol itself, as she manifested a physical form. I can do both, though not on Equus’ surface. The Binding prevents it.”

Selene turned towards Rainbow Dash. Her eyes took on a glow. In a voice far different than what she had been using, she began the Ritual.

“Princess Rainbow Prism Dash, thou stand Before Us in the heart of the Realm Thou have Sworn to Protect. Dost thou wish to pass the Path thou art on to another more worthy?”

“No.”

“Dost thou consider thyself worthy of said Path?”

“Yes, I do.”

Selene smiled at that. She then continued. “Then in the Presence of my Sisters of Light and Shadow, in the Realm of Light, We hereby anoint thee Princess of the Aurora, and Alicorn of Light. Witnessed by the Alicorn of the Sun. Kneel, Princess Rainbow Dash, and accept thy Crown.”

Rainbow Dash knelt before the three Essences. The three touched their horns to the base of hers; with a flash, a prismatic crown appeared on her head, just behind her horn.

Another, much brighter flash of light came from her flanks. Her cutie mark now bore a new addition; a sword bearing the Crest of Serenity on its hilt stood behind the shield, blade pointed south. The thunderbolt in the center was now on top of a compass rose, signifying that she was a Guide to the Aurora.

Rainbow’s eyes glowed bright white as she was fully tied to the Realm she now truly watched over. As it did so, she lent her power to Celestia, who suddenly became aware of the cries of pain that Solaris was giving off. Together, the two broke the Dark Bindings that the Elder Essence had placed on her mind; ones that kept her true self from accepting the darker aspects.

With this, the hiding place of the Greater Demon of Pride was discovered. With a shout of anger, Rainbow Dash used the Power of the Heart of Harmony to Seal the Demon deep in the Plane of Chaos.

A screech of pain was heard from all directions. All the ponies present, alicorn and Essence alike, bent their ears back at the sonic assault.

Within a few moments, the fragmented sky gentled before returning to the gentle blue it had once been. The Light of the Aurora flashed overhead; where it touched, the land became fertile.

Fields of grass and trees sprung up everywhere. Within a very short time, what was once a barren world became rife with life. Out of the sky came flocks of birds, bringing with them small woodland animals.

Greater beasts came from the forests. All save the many ruins were restored as if it had never left.

The glow left Rainbow’s eyes as she looked on her restored Realm. She smiled sadly. “At least there’s something here for me to protect,” she said softly.

Horn glowing, Rainbow Dash centered the Aurora on the veil that led back to Canterlot Castle. Within a matter of moments, it became a sparkling gate. “Celly, you’re going to have to post Guards-ponies at the audience chamber we left from,” she said, a snarky grin on her muzzle. “Cause I just made it the first of many doors into my Realm.”

Celestia just sighed, facehoofing. The Essences laughed. They all took a moment to hug one another; this was a rare moment for the Essences, as they seldom got to commiserate with those that they were tied to.

Celestia took a look at the position of Sol and realized that far more time had passed than she’d been aware. “Princess Rainbow, I must return to the castle; I’ve been here far too long,” she said in alarm.

Rainbow looked at Sol’s position as well and yelped. “This was only supposed to take twenty minutes, tops, not three bucking hours! Chronos, you and I are going to have a few words when I get my hooves on you Mister!” Rainbow Dash shouted the last at the Aurora still hanging above them. A chuckle could be heard plainly, one that sounded vastly amused.

Rainbow galloped towards a nearby archway. Placing her horn along the side, she channeled her alicorn mana into it, changing it into an exact copy of the door leading to her balcony at her cloud home. She then flew back to land next to Celestia.

The Essences all returned to their travelling forms and flew off towards the Aurora while Celestia and Rainbow flew towards the new door near the dais in the center.

They managed to arrive back where they started just as the bedlam reached a fever pitch.

The last two hours had been utter bedlam.

When the minimalist note had been discovered, the entirety of the Castle staff- led by the relative of a recently-fired member of Celestia’s staff -raised a hue and cry.

Ponies were looking everywhere, frantically searching for both Celestia and Rainbow Dash. Luna was a no-show, and Twilight had retired to her and Rainbow’s shared quarters, sealing the door off. (She was in the process of preparing a special night for herself and her marefriend before the big day, and didn’t want to be bothered. By anyone.)

So it was little surprise when both Celestia and Rainbow Dash came out of a room that had been thoroughly searched three times.

“There she is! The traitorous false alicorn returns to the scene of her crime! Guards, arrest her!”

“Lord Blacktail, my Guards will do nothing of the sort,” Celestia’s Captain of the Guard said heatedly. “First and foremost, you have no authority over my Guards; they’re only helping to keep this blasted bedlam from turning into utter Chaos!”

The angry noble-pony got into the Guard-stallion’s muzzle. “I am a noble of Equestria’s Royal Family!” he screeched. “In a time of emergency, authority over the Guard dissolves to myself and the other nobles. And you will do your duty sir!”

“Make me,” the unicorn replied coldly. The other stallions present surrounded him, pointing their spears at his flanks in a threatening manner. The unicorn noble backed off; he was a biased, idiotic moron, but he at least had some wit to know he wouldn’t win.

Things were about to get worse for him; much, much worse.

“It is good that you show some ability to reason, Blacktail,” Celestia said in a frosty voice. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear in our meeting earlier today.” She turned to her captain. “Please escort this former Lord to the train station. He will be taking the next train to Appleloosa; perhaps spending time on his cousin’s plantation will give him the understanding to not buck the tree that shelters him.” The captain nodded, doing his level best to hide his grin.

The Guards-ponies led the former noble-pony off. Celestia sighed as he watched. “I should have listened to my sister all those years ago,” she said softly. “She was right; nobles are far too much a chore.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Most of us what can’t see past our noses that is.”

Celestia colored prettily. “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash; I forget that you and your friends are of noble descent yourselves.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh, it’s not a problem. I was never one for all of the holier-than-thou crap anyway.” Rainbow looked around at the bedlam she had inadvertently caused, cringing. “I really stuck my hoof in it this time. Want my help to settle them all down?” she asked Celestia.

I seldom get to spend any time with the other elements, and they are as much of a joy to be around as Twilight is, Celestia thought to herself. “I’d love the help Princess Rainbow Dash.”

The two made their way to the throne room to smooth the feathers that were all a-flutter.

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-09-05, 9:34 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

An exhausted cyan alicorn made her way to the shared quarters prepared for herself and Twilight. Rainbow Dash had just spent the last several hours in meeting after meeting.

The first several meetings were over her apparent ‘foal-napping’ of the Alicorn of the Sun. Rainbow facehoofed at the memory of the dressing-down she received from the Commander of the PPP. The memory was yet another example of the stupidity of the ponies that lived in Canterlot.

“Stormcloud, I have stated repeatedly that I left a note behind that should have given you all the information about the meeting that myself and Princess Celestia were in. The time lapse was not my doing, and I intend to get a full accounting from the one actually involved in that.” Rainbow Dash’s patience with the military commander was wearing thin.

“As I stated in the note, there were things that I and Princess Celestia needed to discuss privately; these are naturally things of an alicorn nature. I’m under no obligation to inform you what was discussed, so stop asking!”

“Dame Rainbow Dash, a brief note that bears the hallmark of a prank is not sufficient notice of intent,” the stallion in question said heatedly. “If there was something that you needed to discuss with the princess privately, I’m sure it could have waited until after your coronation, a coronation that will now have to be postponed.”

“Pardon, but I’m not sure I understand what I have heard,” Celestia said. “Why is the coronation being postponed?” Celestia was fully aware of the reason, yet she was waiting to see if the current Commander of the PPP was that much of an idiot.

“Dame Rainbow Dash’s actions demonstrate that she has little knowledge of Equestria’s laws. A course in said law must be undertaken before I or the rest of the PPP will deign to allow her to have any kind of connection to Equestria’s armed forces.”

Celestia frowned. “Captain, her placement as leader of the Wonderbolts was and is at my behest and approval. You DO NOT have the authority to postpone her coronation, as the ceremony is simply a formality at this point. She was crowned a Princess the moment I and the rest of the Alicorn Council were made aware of her Ascension. I will hear no more on this subject.”

“With all due respect Princess, we have a proper way of doing things for a reason. The last, the very last thing Equestria’s armed forces needs is an untrained pegacorn filly in any kind of training position.”

Celestia’s eyes flashed in anger. “Stormcloud, you have just made a grave mistake,” the alabaster alicorn said coldly. “I have made it abundantly clear that I will not tolerate derogatory statements or beliefs as a reason for refusing an appointment. Your words and actions just cost you your Commander’s commission. Guards, see the former commander to the train station; he will be joining his cousin in Appleloosa.”

The Royal Guards-ponies escorted the stallion in question out of the conference room, who was loudly protesting his dismissal. “I will be placing a petition before the High Court Celestia!” he yelled as he was bodily removed from the conference room. “Your dominance of the PPP will soon be at an end.”

Celestia’s gaze never faltered. Once the doors closed behind the hapless stallion, Celestia bent her gaze on the stallion that had been sitting next to his superior officer. “Do I need to reiterate to you my reasons for his dismissal Corporal?” The stallion shook his head.

“Good.”

After that, Celestia had made it plain that she would brook no further insults towards Rainbow concerning her military appointment. The entire pegasi division of the PPP, which included the Wonderbolts, was hers to command. Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings at that; she wanted to fly with the ‘Bolts, not lead them.

No matter what Celestia had said, she was in for a struggle with the ‘Bolts. The only way they’d accept her at all is if she were to go through the training just like any other recruit.

Rainbow stopped walking as her tired mind finally registered a fact she had overlooked. That conniving, manipulative alicorn! I’m not just a trainer; she’s handed me the aerial branch of the PPP as my personal Guard! If they wanna stay, they have to toe the line with me; I can dismiss them at any time if they give me any trouble!

Rainbow shook her head as she continued walking, finding herself at her and Twilight’s quarters in short order. She opened the door and looked into the first room in happy shock.

There was a table set for two, with a pair of long-tapered candles set in the center. Along the side was a bucket containing a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres’ Prime Reserve, one of her favorites, and a quartet of covered plates.

The mare sitting at the table smiled softly. “Rainbow Dash, you and I haven’t had much time to ourselves, what with everything we’ve had to deal with the past few weeks. We’ve never even had a proper date.”

Rainbow smiled at Twilight’s effort to be romantic; like everything else about her, her smile was tired. “Thanks for doing this Twilight.”

Twilight’s smile turned into a grin at the state of her lover. “Bad day of meetings, huh Rainbow Dash?” She snickered. “Maybe this will swear you off the pranks for awhile.”

Rainbow sat down heavily at the seat across from Twilight. “The meeting wasn’t the prank; there was something important that Celestia and I needed to accomplish.” She waved at her flank where her new cutie mark now rested.

Twilight blinked as she got a closer look at it. “Well, I’ve heard of cutie marks changing to better reflect the pony, but that has to be one of the most specific I’ve ever seen.” She frowned as she served Rainbow a glass of cider. “I wonder why Celestia and Luna have such a simple cutie mark. I mean, they serve much the same role as you do.”

Rainbow took a sip of her cider before responding. “Well, Celly and Lulu are Guardian alicorns, but not over a complete Realm. They don’t have final authority in Equestria the same way as I do over the Realm of Light.” She sighed tiredly.

Twilight floated two of the covered dishes over to her marefriend. Uncovering them, Rainbow saw that one was a warm weather salad, and the other was Twilight’s world-famous stir fry. The smell revived her somewhat, and she dug into the salad with relish.

Twilight smiled as she started to eat her own salad. The two talked about inane subjects as they ate, relishing in the fact that they were spending a quiet night with each other.

Once the table was cleared, the two lay in front of the fire. The meal had done wonders for Rainbow’s mood, though she was still overly tired. “Ugh, you would think that meetings wouldn’t take so much out of a pony,” she complained.

Twilight started to massage Rainbow’s withers, causing the cyan mare to moan in comfort. “You’re not used to it yet, that’s all,” she said comfortingly. “It gets easier as you go along, though I’d warn against using your alicorn mana to stave off exhaustion all the time. Too much of that will cause you to crash when you eventually run out.”

At this point, Rainbow was nearly a puddle in comfort. She briefly fought through the drugging effect that Twilight’s efforts was having on her to respond. “Yeah, I think that’s why I’m so tired right now; course, if I hadn’t of done that, I’d have fallen asleep in the second meeting.”

Twilight moved down towards the front of Rainbow’s flanks. Rainbow wiggled as her hooves tickled the base of her wings. “I figured as much. Oh, you’re all in knots; didn’t you get a break at all?”

Rainbow shook her head, doing her best to try and keep from falling asleep. “No, they brought food into one of the meetings. I didn’t have to be in any of them, but I wasn’t about to leave Celly to deal with all of that crap by herself.”

Twilight used her kinesis to rub Rainbow’s shoulder blades, causing the mare to yelp as a particularly hard muscle knot came undone, after which she sighed in relief. Some of her lethargy was relieved as Twilight continued to work her magic. She was soon finished.

“Thanks Twi; my shoulders have been bugging me for awhile now,” Rainbow said, rolling them from side to side.

“Rainbow Dash, you should have said something before,” the purple mare scolded. “That’s likely a result of all that fighting you did awhile back.”

“Yeah, prolly.” Rainbow looked at the fire pensively. “Twilight, do you ever regret the things that you’ve done or haven’t done?”

Twilight looked at the pony lying next to her. “Regrets? I think everypony has those Rainbow Dash; it’s all part of growing up.” She frowned pensively. “My biggest is that I buried how I truly felt about all that Celestia hid from me. Even after I found out the truth, I still didn’t confront her on it.”

Rainbow scratched her head. “I don’t regret that we’re together or anything, but I kinda do wish it happened under better circumstances.” She then looked at her marefriend. “At the same time, I don’t think there was much else that could get me to admit to how I felt.”

They both moved at the same time to kiss one another. Twilight nipped Rainbow’s lower jaw. “I get that much Rainbow. I’m glad that you did though; it saved me the trouble of doing it myself.”

Rainbow frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, pulling away slightly.

Twilight sighed before getting up and making her way to the four poster bed along the one wall. Sitting down, she patted the spot next to her. Rainbow made her way over to the bed as well, sitting where Twilight indicated.

“I’ve had strong feelings for you for awhile now Rainbow Dash,” she said quietly. “Not at the level of a soulbond, but it was still very strong. It took everything I had to keep it to myself on our journey, especially after I realized that you were bisexual.”

Rainbow frowned. “I kinda wish you had; it might have made things easier on me.” Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter though; what does is that we’re together now, for as long as Sol shines.” Rainbow moved to place her head onto Twilight’s withers.

Twilight smiled at her marefriend. Rainbow lifted her head up and kissed her again. The two then moved deeper onto the mattress, spending the rest of the evening showing each other how deep their love now was.

Chapter Ten: Celebration!

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-09-05, 11:00 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

A palpable level of festive anticipation hung over the crowd of ponies gathered in the Throne Room of Canterlot Castle. The assembled nobles had been shocked to discover that a previously unknown alicorn was going to be crowned. Though there were those who knew, they had been conjoined by said alicorn to not tell anyone until the moment arrived for the crowning.

What was more surprising was a number of ponies that few ever saw. Sitting in the front row were Priests of the Temple of Light. Priests seldom left their stated Temples unless their services were needed; often, ponies went to them for their needs instead. What’s more, the Circle of Light was the most secluded of all the Priesthoods. That they were present- and in such numbers -was a sign of major changes to come.

Princess Celestia waited on the dias with the other three Princesses of Equestria, a small smile of happiness on her muzzle. No matter how she initially felt, the fact that she was going to formally recognize another princess was indeed a cause for celebration. Not only that, she was also happy that she would now be able to confirm another that had long struggled to defend Equestria.

“Citizens of Equestria, We stand before you today with momentous news! Several months ago, I and my sister sent Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Dame Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty, on a journey to the far north. They were sent to find clues to a danger towards both our land, and the fully Awakened land of the Crystal Empire.”

“After much hardship, Dame Rainbow Dash rose up and faced down a Shade of Darkness in defense of another. In battle, she proved herself more than worthy to wield the Power that We Princesses share. She has become the Guardian of a Realm once thought Lost. Citizens of Equestria, it gives Us great pleasure to present to you all Princess Rainbow Dash, Princess of the Aurora and The Alicorn of Light!”

Cheers rose up as Rainbow Dash made her stately way to the dais. She gave a cheeky wink to Scootaloo, who waited in the front row with Rainbow's eldest sister, Silent Aria. She was the only one who was able to arrive in time for Rainbow's coronation. With a smile, Celestia levitated the crown that Rainbow had received in her formal crowning the day before.

Celestia waited until the cheering had died down before continuing. “Citizens of Equestria, while the Crowning of another of your heroines is much cause for celebration, there is another equally joyful task before Us. Due to the unlawful actions of those thought to be in the Service of Equestria, we now have a new High Council. However, this one has proven bolder and wiser than those before them, and has formally requested the return of one that has long defended our world.”

“To understand the meaning of my words, one only needs to go back in history to remember the aid that she gave the Founders in their Time of Need. Despite this, she was pushed away; even so, she labored from afar to defend this and many other lands. Now the High Council has requested that We formally recognize her as a princess of this land. She is the Guardian of the Heart of Harmony itself, the Bearer of the Sacred Flame of Friendship. Citizens of Equestria, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Our Sister, Princess Hope, Alicorn of Harmony!”

A palpable hush fell on the crowd as Hope made her way towards the other alicorns, followed by the heralds selected for her. She was already crowned; she had been a princess for far longer then there had even been an Equestria, having been crowned by the nation of Roam before it vanished.

Hope was tall; as tall as Celestia herself. Her coat was a light lilac in color, almost the same shade as Twilight’s. Upon her flank was a cutie mark of six bound circles surrounding a heart. Each circle was one of the colors of an Element of Harmony.

Hope nodded towards her fellow alicorns. Turning towards the crowd of ponies before her, Hope bowed. “I have long considered myself a Guardian of this land. Clover herself charged me with the duty to help preserve it, and it gives me great pleasure to be able to do so more openly than I have been able to in centuries.”

The ponies in the throne room all cheered; they had not one but two new princesses to celebrate. Few realized that this was a sign of even more changes to come.

The party that Pinkie Pie threw after Rainbow Dash’s coronation would go down in history as one of the best that the pink party pony had ever thrown.

Sure, Pinkie had done some amazing parties over the years. The one for Twilight’s coronation was almost as grand. However, there was more than just Rainbow Dash’s coronation that Pinkie was celebrating.

First of all, this was the first time that Princess Hope had ever had a party celebrating her-- that Pinkie Pie was aware of anyway. Hope wasn’t saying anything to the contrary either; far be it for her to break the heart of Laughter.

Those in the know also knew that this was a party that celebrated couples. It was a rather understated way for Pinkie to celebrate Twilight and Rainbow Dash being a couple without an official announcement being made.

Rainbow Dash smiled as she saw the rap duel between Vinyl Scratch and Pinkie. She wouldn’t admit it to anypony beside Twilight and Fluttershy, but she was actually glad that she had been named as a Princess of Equestria.

It wasn’t as if she was expected to do any sort of ruling; she’d already made it plain that she didn’t want any kind of jurisdictional duties. She already had enough on her plate with her own Realm.
Rainbow’s thoughts were interrupted by Rarity coming up from behind her. “Having fun darling?” the fashionista asked. Rainbow nodded.

“Pinkie Pie’s parties are always fun. Better now than things were just after my coronation; I met with the Captain of my Guard. That was a little tense,” Rainbow said. “I got the impression going in that Spitfire wasn’t happy with Celly’s decision. She changed her tune after I formally challenged her for the Captaincy. If she won, she’d get to keep the ‘Bolts-- without a PPP commission. If she lost, then she’d have to listen to what I had to say.”

Rarity smiled. “Since I see a number of the ‘Bolts here, I take it that you won?” Rainbow shook her head.

“Nope, I lost. I even hit Sonic Rainboom speeds, and I still lost. Spitfire is fast; she’s one of the fastest pegasi alive.” Rainbow shrugged. “I knew that going in; that was all to prove a point. I knew that I wouldn’t be losing my Guards; even though the ‘Bolts would no longer be commissioned with the PPP, each ‘Bolt still was. None of them had served yet, and I made it plain that I wasn’t going to release them until the end of the year, after the tour season was over.”

Rainbow chuckled evilly. “For being a dumb jock herself, Spits had gotten the impression that I was too stupid to know that their PPP commissions were still valid. Once Spits realized that I knew that, she got angry. Basically accused me of forcing the issue; the ‘Bolts can’t afford to miss even one month’s worth of airshows, let alone an entire season.”

“When I pointed out that serving with me would fix their financial issues, she realized that she had completely misjudged me as well as the whole situation. Fleetfoot rightly pointed out that I wasn’t even trying.” Rainbow snorted. “Of course not; I’m an alicorn. I’ve got more pegasi mana in my right front hoof than the entire winged branch of the PPP, and any foal knows this. Turns out that her commanders had promised the reinstatement of Wonderbolt’s Academy if she could find some way to ‘take me down a peg or two.’ They’re no longer commanders of anything; they’re now serving drudge positions at Fort Last Hope the last time I checked. Spits is going off to the Crystal Empire tomorrow; she’s to take a course in Basic Leadership from the Captain of the Ruby Guard.

Rarity chuckled. “Well, it doesn’t seem as though the others are too angry that Spitfire’s no longer on the team; I got the impression that she was a great Wonderbolt, but a poor Captain.”

Rainbow snorted. “She was too busy signing autographs to make an effective Captain. Fleetfoot and Soarin’ did all the work anyway, and Spitfire knew it. Fleetfoot runs the show now, with Soarin’ as her Number Two. And I got the Royal Guard to recommission the Academy; new recruits are going to go through Basic as well as those tests they had us do. I’ll take Spits back as a Wingleader if she can prove to me that she truly understands what it means to be Loyal. If not, she can serve the rest of her commission out at Fort Last Hope.”

“Well darling, it looks as though you’ve proven yourself worthy to your new title,” Rarity said after a bit. She smiled slyly at the fetching blush that rose onto Rainbow’s cheeks at that statement. “Oh come now Rainbow Dash; you’re telling me that a simple compliment like that is enough to embarrass you?” Rainbow could only nod.

The two mares continued to sit next to each other, just enjoying the company of old friends. They were soon joined by two more. The two turned to see Luna and Twilight trotting up to them.

“Rainbow, we just got word that Priss Polomare has filed suit against you for wrongful termination of employment. You don’t need to worry; she hasn’t a case,” Twilight said quickly. “I just thought you’d like to know.”

“We informed her that she has little chance of winning against a princess, but she refused to back down,” Luna said after taking a sip of watered-down wine. “My Guard are busy trying to find evidence to link her and her sister both to what you and Princess Twilight discovered in Mareago. Nothing so far, and not for a lack of trying.” Rainbow snorted.

“Other than Suri Polomare owning Wholesome Shipping, there isn’t any. I don’t think Priss was involved at all, and Suri was doing that smuggling operation with Hoity Toity at the time.”

“Indeed she was, though we have recently found evidence that shows that she was looking to use that as a way to frame Dame Rarity.” Luna nodded at the appalled look on Rarity’s muzzle. “Centurion Marigold has informed me that there was a convoluted plan to besmirch the reputation of each and every one of the Elements. None of it would have worked; the whole thing stunk like five-day-old socks.” The ponies gathered all laughed at that.

“I’m more concerned what it all means though. Why now all of a sudden? They’ve had opportunities before, but to time them at a point where we were looking for them makes no sense.” Twilight looked tired as she took a sip from her own cup.

Rainbow sighed. “I don’t know Twi; I’ve been trying to figure out that myself.”

Luna had a reason though. “Those of us who protect this land will be targeted by those with ill intent. It has always been thus; like moths to a flame, they descend upon us in order to remove the obstacle we are to their base desires. ‘Tis fortunate that most are as stupid as they are unoriginal; we have far more to worry about those that hide in the Shadows, waiting to strike.”

Rainbow nodded. She wrapped a wing around Twilight in comfort. “Yeah, and things are only going to get worse before they will get better. They will get better Twi; we’re past the starting line now, and things should be looking up from this point forward.”

The four just sat there for a few minutes before joining the other Elements in a rousing round of Limbo. Even Luna sacrificed her dignity to have a bit of fun. Time enough for kingdom business tomorrow; now was time for celebration.

Equus, Somewhere, 06-10-05, 12:24 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Luna floated- for lack of a better term -over a featureless plain. Once more, she found herself on Lune’s surface. What was worse was that she was not caught up in the rage that was Nightmare Moon; no, this was a dream that she’d been having as of late.

What this dream was about, she had little idea. It often seemed as though this was something that she should remember. That she could not was obviously by dint of her own actions, for she could not even glean a single hint.

There! Off to the side! Luna floated over to a much younger version of herself, clad in dark armor. It was her, make no mistake about it; though the armor was that of her Nightmare form, the face was that of her own.

This must have been one of those times then. At certain points during her imprisonment, the Demon of Envy would flee, leaving her in a moment of relative lucidity. Even so, such was her sister’s Power that she was unable to escape in her weakened state.

Her past self wandered in an air of sadness and pain. Luna suddenly remembered this; it was several hundred years after she had first been imprisoned. Lost and alone, she had used what little power she had to force the demon back, though it cost her. Indeed, it was that very reason that kept her sealed on Lune; she was as weak as a newborn kitten afterwards, and was never able to gather enough will to leave. Plus, she didn’t feel as if she deserved to do so.

Past-Luna sighed. It wasn’t a desire to be free that gave her the will to fight Envy, but the presence of a young mind somehow wandering her prison. A Dreamwalker was somehow here, wandering the Wastes.

The mind was one that she had felt briefly a few times before. Past-Luna had searched fruitlessly for the mind then, and it seemed as if she would do so now. In this she was mistaken; not two paces away from her was a young pegacorn mare that Past-Luna had never seen before.

For Present-Luna, the young face was one that was achingly familiar; she had seen it many times in her dreams, though something had kept her from remembering who she was. This time, it seemed as though the dream- or rather memory -was coming to her from another perspective. It was almost as though somepony else was allowing her to see what she herself was unable to remember.

“Who are you, miss? Why have you been crying so? I’ve felt your tears touch my mind; travelling like this is a danger for me, but I must know why you sound so sad.”

Past-Luna surprised the young pony by embracing her. “Thank you for showing me such kindness little one; I was unsure that my efforts had borne fruit, but it seems that my Calls were at least heard. I am- or was -one of the twain that watched over the lands of Equestria; banished here for actions most unbefitting, I have been sealed here for many centuries now.”

The young pegacorn looked shocked. “Then you must be Princess Luna! I have seen your face in my dreams since I was a filly, ever since the teacher told me of what happened all those years ago. Many blame you for our troubles; it has been worse for us Exiles ever since you were sealed away! Why would you do such a thing if it brought you such sadness, such grief?”

Past-Luna sighed. “I gave into Envy young one. I wished to be as loved as my sister, but conniving noble-ponies did dastardly things to rob me of the renown due me; that was on top of the diurnal nature of all ponies save those of Nocturne ancestry. But that dost not concern me; what of you? Why do you call yourself an Exile?”

“Princess Luna, have you truly forgotten what you yourself did years ago? How you took many young ponies that did you service and sequestered them on the far side of Lune, past the barrier that Star Swirl had erected to Seal away the Dark One? How you then Blessed them and their children, that they might share in your gift of Dreamwalking; how you taught but a few the knowledge to do so? Have you truly abandoned us, or did you do something to yourself that caused you to forget?” The young pegacorn looked sad instead of angry as she asked these questions; there was a hesitancy, as though she rejected the words she was saying.

“I vaguely remember doing all that you said and more. Much of what I do must have been sealed when I first came here, likely by my own efforts; my Enemy is crafty, and what I know, It knows.” Past-Luna sighed. “What is your name child? I need something at least before I send you away; my Enemy will soon return, and It cannot know that you were here.”

“My name is Nightingale, Princess. I am an orphan, having lost both parents to Shadow-spawn when little. I’m a pegacorn as you can see; that garners little respect, as we’re judged as mis-born by the Moon Council; it bears little resemblance to what you first set it to be. I wish I could stay longer; even now, I can feel the presence of a great Evil heading this way. Princess Luna, if you truly wish to be free from Envy, you must accept that it is a part of you; one shouldn’t deny those darker emotions, only seek to not be ruled by them.” The young pegacorn then flashed away in sparkles as her astral form returned to her body.

Present-Luna turned away as Past-Luna’s muzzle twisted in rage. She had no desire to see her form twist in that dark fashion as had happened the first time she’d had this dream. Tears rolled down her muzzle as she was finally able to put a name to a face that had been on her mind ever since her return. “Why am I being tortured so? Have I not done enough since my return to be able to see my memories properly?”

“This is not your memory dear Lulu, but the memory of another,” said a voice from behind her. Luna suddenly realized that she was standing on the surface of the Moon once more. Turning, she looked to see the presence of Selene. “You see the memory of Nightingale, she that those of the Moon Kingdom call their Princess. This was the memory of your first meeting; for her, it was as if she was first witnessing it. You would have naturally seen it in the same fashion; however, your mind is shielded by dint of your own hoof. I’ve been unable to help you before this point because of the barrier you see; it keeps the Dark One bound in such a way as to divide his attentions.”

“You came here seeking solace, and her sleeping mind answered. If you truly wish to meet one that I know you yearn for, then you must follow the path you once made ages ago. Search the dates of the last major war between the Gryphons and the Minotaur; there you will find the clues you left there.” So saying, Selene faded away…

Just as slowly, Luna woke up.

Luna rubbed her face sleepily as she woke, groggy. She looked at the scene around her in a daze.

She and a number of all the other party-goers were all draped around various pieces of furniture of a dark blue. Blearily, Luna realized that she and most of the Element Bearers had fell asleep watching a few of the movies in her private collection.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Luna looked at a nearby clock. She gave a soft eep as she realized that she was overdue in the Dream Realm. Time enough for mysteries tomorrow; she wasn’t about to be lax in the one duty that had always brought her joy.

Arranging herself in a restful form, Luna projected her mind along the paths so familiar to her. Even while on Lune’s surface, she was able to Dreamwalk; indeed, it was one of the few things that made that time at all bearable.

To her shock and pleasure, Luna found that she wasn’t alone. Waiting in the garden that linked the Paths was Rainbow Dash of all ponies. “Certes Princess Rainbow; I was not certain if Dreamwalking was something thou wert Blessed with.” Rainbow snorted softly.

“I’m not actually. Well, not any more than any pegacorn or alicorn is; we all have a touch of it, just like any other pony magic. No, this has more to do with my role as Guardian; anywhere where the Light touches, I can be as well as see.” Rainbow frowned. “In fact, if it weren’t for Serenity helping me filter, the seeing part would be driving me bat-shit insane. Some of the things that have come my way are the sort of stuff I’d rather not see.” Rainbow blushed at the salacious grin Luna was wearing.

After a moment the lunar mare chuckled. “Certes, it gave me more than a pause the first time I wandered into a dream that I thought was a nightmare, only to see the private revels. I tend to see my way away from such things unless I know the sleeper is truly stressed. “ She frowned. “What bothers me is how you are here if you are not Dreamwalking. That requires moonlight at the very least.”

Rainbow nodded. “That’s it exactly. I’m the Alicorn of Light LuLu; that means all light, visible and invisible, Sun and Moon. Every single wavelength of Light is one that I can touch.” She sighed. “That’s likely why the Dark One has feared one like me for so long. There’s basically nowhere he can go that I can’t follow. Not that I want to mind; I have enough on my plate right now with all of his Shades that are still in my Realm. At least they’re not in any way a danger; they can’t leave with me Guarding the doors.”

Luna thought for a moment as she selected one of the doughnuts that Rainbow had provided. Curiously, the food was real; it seemed as though Rainbow Dash was truly present as she had stated. “Mine sister and I cannot claim to have faced the Dark One as such; he was defeated by another years before Equestria was ever formed. As to how, we’ve never got a satisfactory answer.” Rainbow just shrugged.

“Eh, there’s really not much to it. Unicorn sage that thinks he was more skilled than anypony else fights against one that is his opposite, finds out that he’s not his equal at all, and Calls upon all of the Elements to seal his enemy away in three different places without even bothering to discover if he had other ways to escape said binding. If it had been me, I’d have asked for help before going in.” Rainbow scowled. “Now I have the unenviable task of overseeing a nearly empty Realm because his war Sealed all of them away. What’s worse is the key to it all is somewhere I can’t See for some reason; I know where, I just can’t See how to get there. That’s maddening.”

Luna chewed for a while as she recalled all that Star Swirl had taught her. It wasn’t much; she had learned more from Clover the Clever than Star Swirl. “Mine sister dealt more with Star Swirl than I. Which is odd, considering; Star Swirl made friends of course, but he wasn’t one that touted the Power of Friendship. That is why his last spell was unfinished; he misunderstood the representation of Harmony it described.”

“You don’t wanna go mentioning the Harmony spell to Twilight. She thinks that the spell was actually developed by Clover the Clever as a way to instruct her mentor in the Power of Friendship. They separated at that point according to history.” Rainbow took a few bites of her own doughnut before continuing. “It all really doesn’t matter to me anyway; all I know is that my ponies- or at least part of them anyway -are still suffering because of him. And there’s not a single thing I can do about it.”

Luna tilted her head questioningly. “Rainbow, you said yourself that you can see where Light touches? Canst thou not travel to such places as well?” Rainbow shook her head.

“There are limits to that. First off, I need to have visited the place enough to remember details. Then there needs to be a pre-existing bridge I can use. Even then, I can only take others who have power similar to my own when there is no Gate to use; right now, the only one I can is Celly.”

“Serenity seems to think that this problem isn’t for me to solve anyway. Since what I do know about the key suggests that it’s somewhere on Lune’s surface, she’s probably right. Only getting to that point is literally impossible unless one takes the right path. There’s one from my Realm; I was forced to Seal it as part of the fight against Sombra’s Shade when I first accepted the role laid before me.” Rainbow scratched the back of her head. “The other one is on the far side of Lune oddly enough; there’s something there, but I have no idea what is. Serenity’s blocking me from Seeing over there, and I’m not sure why.”

“Where is the last one Princess Rainbow?” Luna asked slowly, fearing the answer.

Rainbow shrugged again. “Somewhere in Equestria; it doesn’t seem to have a fixed point. I think it did once, but all that changed at some point. Serenity is being cagey when I ask her. All I really know for sure is that it’s connected to Lune in two places. Which is odd; that means the tunnel branches at some point.” Rainbow frowned as her eyes got a faraway look to them. As Luna looked on, they started to glow softly. “Huh, I’ve never seen this kind of pattern before, but the weave looks familiar for some reason. Wait, I get it! It looks like a dream catcher of all things! The entrance is tied to the Dream Realm in some way; that’s why it doesn’t seem to have a fixed point.”

Luna started in shock. “Mine Realm you say?” she asked the cyan alicorn as her eyes returned to normal. Rainbow shrugged, nodding. “Then it must have been something that I myself or another Dreamwalker did that made it so. Since there are none but myself with that level of power over this Realm, then it was by mine own hoof. But then why do I not recall doing so? Couldst thou See it’s age when you Looked Princess Rainbow?”

Rainbow shook her head. “All I could See was the shape of the pattern; that I only recognized because my mother collects dream catchers. I’m not skilled enough yet to recognize everything about a spell form; Twi’s teaching me, but it’s slow going.” Rainbow’s eyes glowed again as she Looked once more. “Hmm, actually, there is something I can say; the pattern is one that you don’t see often in modern dream catchers. It’s old; probably Circa 2nd Century A.D.”

Luna facehoofed at that. “Then it was mine own hoof that altered the door; that pattern was a favorite of mine, designed by one of my pupils. You have been of tremendous help to me Princess Rainbow; you have given me more clues to a personal conundrum that I have been dealing with as of late. I thank you.”

Rainbow Dash blushed at the praise. “Hay, we’re here to help each other LuLu; that’s what’s being a friend is for, right? I only wish I was able to do more than just offer fleeting clues.”

“Still, it is yet enough to go on. Time enough tomorrow to search out old things; it’s waited this long, one more day will make little difference. I have been remiss in my duties, so I will take your leave Princess Rainbow.” So saying, Luna made her way from the glade, moving deeper into the Dream Realm.

Rainbow frowned to herself as she left. “Serenity, I sure hope you know what you’re doing; I don’t like that you kept me from telling LuLu all that I had Seen. Her heart is just as lonely as it ever was, and keeping her from the one that can fill it will only hurt her more.” Rainbow sighed before making her way back to her own Realm. “Still, if I’ve learned anything in my own journey, is that these things must take the right course.” Rainbow Dash then walked away, leaving the glade to its serenity.

Author's Notes:

It's been awhile since I worked on this one. Now we finally get to see Luna start on her own journey, instead of dealing with the fallout of Twilight and Rainbow's.

For those of you that love Spitfire, I feel your pain. Writing her as such a lackluster character in this chapter was a chore, as I actually do like her. However, the characterization here is a reflection of how I feel about the Wonderbolts in canon in general; that they're a do-nothing set of stunt flyers that get more props than they're deserving.

I could spend the morning writing a blog about just that, but I think the chapter speaks for itself. In any case, expect more in a few days. I'll likely be sending Luna on her journey before getting back to Twi and Rainbow's in LRSF.

Edit, September 17th, 2016: Made a major edit to the coronation scene to fix a continuity error.

Chapter Eleven: Clues from the Past

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Lune, Moon Kingdom, 06-10-05, 4:22 A.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Nightingale sighed as she sat in her garden. She had abruptly woken up from a restless sleep several hours earlier. That wasn’t the problem though.

No, the problem was that she couldn’t return to sleep on account of why it was restless in the first place. Once again, Nightingale was for some reason forced to recall one of the times she met with Princess Luna.

It wasn’t bad for her to remember such things, not by a long shot. However, it was hard on her heart, as the separation never got any easier.

Nightingale had never been sure when she realized that she and Luna were potential bond mates. She was barely out of her fillyhood the first time she had touched Luna’s lonely mind. The meeting she dreamed about earlier wasn’t even the first one she had had with the Lunar Princess; by her count, it was actually the fourth.

Each time was harder than the last, as it seemed as though the princess was worse. Also, Luna only remembered they had met before around twenty five percent of the time; the rest were as though they had never met before.

Nightingale ran a frustrated hoof through her fuschia mane. All these flashbacks and dreams weren’t helping her. In fact, they were making things far more difficult for her. At least they weren’t every night, or she wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.

The clop of hooves sounded behind her; Nightingale turned to see Silent Grace behind her. The lovely young pegacorn had a concerned look on her muzzle as she gazed at her princess. “Princess, you haven’t been to sleep yet tonight? This is the second time in three days that you’ve woken only a few hours after bedding down. You may be an alicorn, but you still need your rest.”

Nightingale sighed. “I had another memory dream; this makes the fourth n the last week.” Nightingale turned her gaze to where she could just see the Rift Seal in the distance. “Ever since Princess Rainbow Dash appeared, I’ve been having them of late.” Grace frowned pensively.

“Your seneschal only accounts for two; what happened with the others?” she asked.

Nightingale shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest; I remember dreaming, but I don’t recall any details. It’s only the first one and the most recent that I remember. I wish I knew why.”

Silent Grace and Nightingale both turned at the clop of small hooves behind them. They turned to see Glorious Dawn behind them. The filly was wearing a frightened look as she saw that Nightingale wasn’t alone. “I-I’m sorry Princess; I can c-come back later.”

Nightingale waver her over. “Don’t be silly Dawn; I told you I’m free whenever you need me. Was there something you needed?” The filly nodded.

“I-I just woke up from a really strange dream; it seemed more like a memory than a dream,” the unicorn filly said, stuttering a bit. Nightingale sighed at the stutter; ever since the Ritual finished, Glorious Dawn had been acting real skittish around any other ponies besides herself. “What was the dream My Little Pony?” she asked.

Dawn made her way hesitatingly over to where Nightingale and Silent Grace were standing. She jumped a little as Grace placed a gentle hoof on her withers. ‘I dreamed that you and P-princess Luna were talking to each other,” the filly said. Her voice firmed up as she lost a bit of her nervousness at the kindness she saw in the eyes of the other two ponies present. “It was strange Princess; you weren’t much older than Miss Silent Grace. Did what I see happen?”

Nightingale frowned pensively before nodding. “Yes, it did; a long time ago. I wasn’t much older than Grace is now. It was only a few years before Commander Moonstar betrayed this kingdom. I was actually woken myself earlier from having the same dream. I wonder why you dreamed it as well?”

Dawn flushed. “I-I’ve always had the ability to See; I buried it deep when I first Fell,” she said. She blanched a little at the frown on Grace’s muzzle.

“I’m beginning to think that you never truly Fell,” the pegacorn said to the unicorn filly. “You may have done much evil while Turned, but you limited nearly everything against soldiers; in fact, I can only think of one, maybe two times where a village fell to your cadre, and you punished those responsible. That’s why the Ritual worked so well, and why you still retain most of your abilities. No, what surprises me is that you would actually See something so personal to Princess Nightingale.”

Dawn looked down shyly at that. “I don’t have any control over what I See; the ability scares me.” She shuddered, remembering the first time. “I even Saw those that ordered my family’s death; wish I had known what it was I was Seeing. I might have been able to stop it.”

Nightingale tipped the filly’s chin up to look into her eyes. “You are not responsible for that, else Dusk would not have held you as close as She did. You had no way of knowing, any more than I did. Holding onto misplaced guilt like that benefits nopony.” The filly nodded, tears in her eyes.

“What does it mean that she’s Seen something like that though Princess?” Silent Grace asked. The alicorn frowned in thought.

“I have only theories, but it seems as though she’s inordinately sensitive to thaumatic energies. Likely a result of the Ritual. Then again, it could be the Essences themselves; I’ve gotten the impression that they’re trying to send some kind of message. Why they’re sending it through you is less clear.” Nightingale shrugged her shoulders. “I gave up trying to second-guess them ages ago.”

Silent Grace scowled. “Well, I wish they’d find another pony to pick on; Glorious Dawn has suffered enough. By her own hoof, but that doesn’t matter; there are plenty of other ponies that could pass whatever message needs to be passed.”

Dawn herself was wearing a pensive frown. “I don’t think there is; I don’t think this involves the same ones I used to blame.” The filly flushed, remembering those times. “Some of the Nameless Ones gave me the impression that there was actually an Unspoken Essence somehow tied to the Power of Darkness. I thought that was a childish belief; now I’m not so sure.”

Nightingale’s response to that was to nod. “There is another Essence tied to all of this. I don’t know that She’s ever been worshipped in the same way that the others have; even Dusk has her devotees. She doesn’t take the Fallen to herself of course; they’re corrupted, and She won’t abide by that.”

“Then how are they able to twist the Power as they do? Is it what the Moon Council truly says, that Darkness is a corruptive Power that is best left alone?” Grace asked, a frown on her muzzle. Nightingale and Dawn both shook their heads at that.

“Darkness only corrupts when forced to do so. Actually, I seldom actually used corrupt Dark mana in my spells.” Dawn frowned pensively as she recalled those dark days. “There wasn’t enough of it for starters; it’s hard to wield properly, and it almost refuses to work in that manner.”

The other two looked on in shock as Nightingale conjured a ball of Dark mana. “Like any of the Forces, one can use them better if one doesn’t force them to their will; rather, one only needs to allow their own Will to align with that of the given Force.” Nightingale shrugged. “I’ve never had that problem; Shadows, Darkness, and Light all answer my Call equally, and always have.”

Grace just shook her head at the display. “You’re lucky that I and Dawn are both aware that Darkness is simply just a Power, else we’d be having problems.” The pegacorn turned to the filly. “By the by, is there any more risk to what I asked you at the party last evening?” Dawn shook her head.

“I don’t believe so; my aborted attempt was all that was left after Princess Rainbow Dash made her appearance. She cut through one of his strongest Shades when she joined back up with Princess Twilight Sparkle, to say nothing of the ones she cut down when she first Awoke as an alicorn.” The filly shrugged. “What I was using was chaff for the most part, and there’s little of that left. He’s consolidating his power; I won’t say that you need not fear any more attacks, though the risk is lesser now. It all depends if there’s any more bold Scarlet Robes willing to take risks. After what happened to me, I don’t think that’s likely.”

Nightingale snorted. “None of the other Scarlet Robes have the balls; I’ve tangled with all of them over the past six months at one point or another, and none are redeemable. They know it too, and are turning out just as craven as expected.” The other two chuckled at that.

Glorious Dawn started to say something when the arrival of her caretaker stopped her. “Young filly, I told you that you were to wait until after breakfast,” Silent Wonder scolded her. “It’s far too early for a filly of your age to be out and about; come along now.” She motioned for the filly to follow her. “I apologize for the interruption Princess.”

Nightingale frowned at the pegasus. “Since when is is your responsibility to oversee what Glorious Dawn does or doesn’t do? I thought I made it clear several days ago; despite her body’s current age, Glorious Dawn is not a filly. In fact, chronologically speaking, she’s your senior by two decades.” The pegasus flushed at that.

“Midnight Radiance was quite clear in her instructions; none of the foals in the palace were to be out of bed before Sunrise,” Wonder said. “I’m only following the orders given to me to the noble I’m sworn to serve.”

“The only ones here that have the authority to issue such asinine orders are myself and Lord Bright Harvest. The foals in this palace are here at my pleasure.” Nightingale stomped her hoof in frustration. “Glorious Dawn is to stay here; I have things to teach her outside of what she came to me about. Go back to the other foals under your charge Wonder; your duties will be changing later. It seems as yet another noble has overstayed her welcome.”

The pegasus bowed before leaving. Nightingale scowled as she watched the pegasus leave. “I’m beginning to think that nobles are more trouble than they’re worth. That’s the third one in as many days that thought they could give orders over mine own house that run contrary to my own.”

Silent Grace shrugged. “I can’t comment on that Highness.” She chuckled as she saw the yawn that Glorious Dawn was trying to hide. “Maybe I should take this one into your guest room. She might be older than me in some ways, but she’s far younger in others.”

Nightingale yawned. “I’ll be joining her; I suddenly find myself able to sleep. We’ll finish this discussion later today; after I fire the Royal Governess. Silent Wonder is more suitable anyway.”

The three all hugged before they parted ways. Nightingale made her way back to her bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit her pillow.

Time enough to deal with problems after Sunrise.

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 03-10-05, 1:30 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

“Can this day get any worse?!” a certain cyan alicorn griped to her marefriend at lunchtime. Rainbow Dash and Twilight were in their shared quarters for some down time at Twilight’s insistence.

Twilight smiled in sympathy. “Oh Rainbow, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be,” she said. “I know you weren’t expecting to spend your first real day in meetings, but you should have. At least you don’t have to put up with Morning Court.”

Rainbow glared at her marefriend. “As if you didn’t know what she has planned for three thirty; I’m supposed to join her and Luna in Afternoon Court.” Twilight shook her head.

“You were supposed to; in fact, the whole of the Alicorn Council was supposed to. However, Luna put the kibosh to those plans; she’s been in the Royal Archives all morning.” Twilight frowned. “For some reason she’s been going over old battle reports between the Gryphon Empire and the Minotaur Confederacy. She grumbled something about searching for clues when I asked. Celestia sighed when I told her.”

Rainbow frowned for a bit before her expression cleared. “Oh, that must have been some of the clues she mentioned early this morning.” Rainbow chuckled at the confused frown on Twilight’s muzzle. “Her and I had a nice little chat in the Grove of Dreams this morning. She’s been having some of the same problems that I was recently with recurring dreams of late, and I guess she finally got enough clues to figure it out.”

“Probably did, but why that time period? It was all years before her Fall, so it shouldn’t really mean anything,” Twilight said, still a little confused. “I wonder what she’s looking for anyway.” The purple alicorn shook her head. “Even if she’s on a private search, I really don’t see why she’d shunt aside her royal duties.” Rainbow just shrugged.

“I don’t see the problem frankly; she’s usually asleep this time of day anyway. I don’t see why Celly wants me to be there; outside of my duties to my Aurora Guard”- Rainbow was frowning as she said this -”I really don’t have any kind of authority to make rulings.” Twilight facehoofed.

“Rainbow Dash, did any of what you were told this morning sink past that rainbow mop of yours? You and Hope were both Crowned as Princesses of Equestria; that gives you the same rights, privileges, and authority that Celestia and Luna both have. Fundamentally, that makes you a part of the Diarchy.” Rainbow scowled at that.

“Words on paper Twi, that’s all that was. Do you honestly think they’re gonna sit by and let a jock sit on Judgement?!” there was a growl in Rainbow’s tone as she continued. “The only reason why there wasn’t a run on Canterlot Castle is because they all love a party.”

“That’s why today is important Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said in a tone of tired patience. “It’s to show Equestria solidarity. Celestia is even certain that Hope will be present as well. I’m not; that alicorn is next to impossible to tie down.” Twilight sighed at the obstinate expression on Rainbow’s muzzle. “I know you don’t like this Rainbow Dash; I don’t blame you, but this is far preferable to the second option.”

Rainbow continued to frown for a bit before relenting. With a frustrated sigh, Rainbow nodded. “You’re right Twi; as much as I don’t like it, at least this way I still get to keep my citizenship. Both you and Cadance have to deal with the same rigmarole; at least I don’t have to suffer alone.”

Twilight smiled in sympathy. “Rainbow, I get that you weren’t prepared for all of this. You’ve been a real trooper ever since we got back.” Twilight frowned as something else crossed her mind. “I just hope that we’ll be able to stave off any remaining fallout for what you did to the Crystal Council.”

Rainbow shook her head at that, grinning a bit. “There’s little to worry about; Lord Brighthoof just received word from the other reps. Oh, you didn’t hear that Twi?” she asked when Twilight looked confused. “I got word early this morning that representatives from the other Crystal Pony tribes are on their way. It’ll take a few days, but there’s gonna be a Summit of the Tribes to discuss the current situation. They’re a little late as it is, but I was expecting that. They probably waited until I was Crowned before they decided that ‘now is the time.’ Frankly, I don’t blame them for waiting; the fact that the Crystal Council is now defunct is gonna be a headache to sort out.”

Twilight frowned thoughtfully. “You said all of the Crystal Pony tribes Rainbow?” Rainbow nodded. “How many is that? I know that there’s those that are similar to regular ponies; unicorns, pegasi, and earth pony varieties. What other types are there?”

“Hippocampi and Zebra. Yes, I know how that sounds; I’m perfectly serious though. There actually are Crystal Merponies; they look just the same as regular merponies, only with sparkly coats. Same for the Crystal Zebra.” Rainbow grinned at the confused look on Twilight’s muzzle.

“Okay, I can buy Crystal Zebra. That makes sense; Zebra are actually an off-shoot of earth ponies. But how in the hay do you get Crystal Hippocampi? There’s not any large bodies of water anywhere in the Crystal Empire that I’m aware of.” Rainbow Dash facehoofed.

“I keep on forgetting that you’re not aware of the same things I am,” Rainbow said. She summoned the chest that Bright Knowledge had given her early in their adventure. Reaching in, she pulled out a folded piece of parchment. “It took me three days to learn the runes necessary to make this, and I’m still not sure I’ve gotten everything right,” she said as she unfolded it.

Twilight looked shocked as she saw a complete map of Equestria and the lands surrounding it. She could see the route she and Rainbow Dash had taken. She frowned suddenly as she saw that the Crystal Wastes were less than half the size that they should be; instead, there was an inland sea.

Twilight gasped as she suddenly recalled something from her history classes. “There’s never been any evidence that the Crystal Lake even existed other than Star Swirls writings! Are you trying to tell me that we walked right by it without even realizing that it was there?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I knew we were close to water when we first entered the Wastes. It just had the feel of a washout zone; not unlike the ones that you see on the sides of a mountain. Also, it never made any sense to me how the Canterhorn River is said to be fed only by runoff and springs; it’s too wide and vast for that, and any foal that deals with water knows that there was a lake someplace.”

Twilight frowned. “I know that so much was lost when the Crystal Empire was sealed away, but why Seal a lake? It doesn’t even offer any strategic value; Equestrians never made war involving boats since we’ve always had mastery of the sky.”

Rainbow’s answer was to point to the coastline that bisected both the Crystal Empire and Equestria. “Right there is likely why; not only is an entrance to my Realm nearby- Sealed by the way -but there’s also one of the three Entrances to Tartarus- also Sealed -there as well. From what Angela was saying, that was one of the first places Start Swirl teleported to in his battle against the Dark One.” Rainbow frowned as her hoof traced the northernmost coastline of the lake. “The villages are likely around here for the Crystal Zebra; they’re in charge of Guarding both Gates, but never actually settled next to them.” Twilight nodded at that.

“The only Gate in Equestria proper is seven miles outside of the southernmost border of the Everfree Forest. There’s actually a garrison nearby, though not right at the entrance itself. It was that Gate that Tirek escaped from after Cerberus wandered away from it.” Twilight frowned, remembering that it was her that was forced to return the three-headed-dog to its post. “Some theorize that that is the reason why the Forest is so wild, but that’s foalish; Celestia has kept the Everfree the way it is to protect the Tree of Harmony.”

Rainbow nodded. “I know the Gate is there. Actually, I know where ALL the Gates are now. Every. Single. Gate. And now I know just how unprotected Equestria really is. Which is why I hope Celly exercises some restraint in her new ‘tell all’ policy. She really only has to be truly honest with those closest to her.”

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry; she’ll be keeping us in her confidence better now that she’s owned up to her pride. She knows that the nitty-gritty details are a bit more than the average pony can take.” Twilight glanced at the clock on the wall. “Eep! I promised I’d meet with Fluttershy before Afternoon Court. I’m running late! I’ll see you there Rainbow!” Twilight gave her marefriend a quick kiss before leaving.

Rainbow Dash finished up her own lunch after a bit. She then decided to find out if Luna had figured out anything more. Destiny or not, I’m not holding this back any more; if she’s still lost at sea, then I’m spilling all that I know, the cyan alicorn said to herself rebelliously. She’s suffered that lonely heart of hers long enough.

<I told both Dusk and Selene as much last evening child; I am in agreement,> Serenity said. <Know that you have my support in this, though you may not be able to say what you desire.>

Rainbow frowned before sending her consciousness through the Veil briefly so that she could speak to Serenity more clearly. “What do you mean exactly?” she asked the Essence.

Serenity sighed. “It has to do with the nature of such Bindings. You’re a new alicorn child; unless it is absolutely necessary, the Binding itself may prevent you from telling all that you know.”

“Even such as I was prevented in telling more than I did this morn,” said Selene as she joined them. “I did not ask Serenity to limit what you saw nor you to limit what you told her because of her destiny. ‘Tis the nature of the Binding itself that forced my hoof.” The Essence of Lune sighed in frustration. “It has moved its anchor at least three times since Luna started looking; all were in response to things that Luna was told. She needs to work it out for herself; what little I did tell her was things that she herself told me that she would one day need to know.”

Rainbow sighed. “All I know is that it’s unfair to make her suffer like this.” She frowned. “I’m not sure if we’re ready though. You both realize what it means should she follow the first clue to its conclusion, right?” The Essences nodded. “Right, well, I’ll do my best. Are you absolutely certain I must keep Celly in the dark about this?”

“‘Tis between Celly and LuLu, Princess Rainbow Dash; should she wish for her sister to know, she will tell her,” Selene said in response. “None of what happens now concerns the defense of the Realms; only if it did were I to suggest different.”

“Selene is correct child,”Serenity said. “Should the need arise, we will certainly set aside the long path; I did so to guide you to where you are now. You were already on the journey, but time pressed. It would have taken almost a year going by the long path, but the threat against the innocents in Ponyville and abroad forced my hoof.”

Rainbow nodded. Suddenly she yelped as she walked snout-first into a wall. “Next time, I need to stop walking before I do that,” she grumbled as she rubbed her pained snout.

Rainbow quickly made her way to the Royal Archives. With any luck, Luna had found whatever it was that she was looking for.

When Rainbow Dash finally found Luna a few minutes later, she was in for a shock. The dark blue alicorn was up to her hooves in old scrolls and tomes, muttering about dates. “Where in Equestria is it? Don’t tell me that all of the Records of that time period burned up in that fire! It should have survived even if it did; I cast the spells of preservation on these tomes myself!”

Luna closed the tome she was reading in a huff. As Rainbow watched in amusement, Luna continued to mutter imprecations at the various tomes stacked around her. “I know of at least three major battles that happened between the Empire and the Confederacy, but none of the dates match to what I’m looking for! I don’t even know what it is I need!”

Luna took that moment to glance up and saw a smirking cyan alicorn standing across from her. “Ah, Princess Rainbow Dash, I didn’t see you there! Was there something you needed of me?” she asked a bit self-consciously.

Rainbow shook her head, still amused. Luna was acting more like Twilight than she ever thought possible. “No; I just had a little time before Court, and I thought I’d see how the search was going. Had any luck?”

Luna scowled. “Not a bit of luck at all, and I’ve searched these books all morning! Zounds, but it seems as though these are only copies, and the clue Selene gave me eludes me. I’m not even certain as to if the originals survived the fire or not; they should have, for only fire from mine own horn would have damaged them.”

Rainbow frowned in thought before her expression cleared. “LuLu, are you certain that you’re even searching in the right Archives? Didn’t you and Celly live at the Palace of the Two Sisters at one point?” Luna frowned at the question before shaking her head.

“That is a good thought Rainbow Dash, though I think it unlikely; the Royal Archives weren’t kept there. That was mine and Celestia’s private collection, that was. Canterlot has long been the seat of Equestria’s authority; the only reason we lived in the Palace at all was because of the Border between Equestria and the Confederacy.” Frowning, Luna scanned the titles again. “There is one missing; I must have checked a dozen times.”

Luna stalked over to where the rest of the references for that time period were sitting. She began to search the titles. Rainbow frowned as she watched Luna’s search. “Are you sure you got the date right LuLu? Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.”

“Rainbow Dash, Selene made it clear; I was to search the dates between the last major war between the Gryphons and the Minotaur…” abruptly, Luna facehoofed. “Of course! There’s never been a major war between the Confederacy and the Gryphon Empire; the Confederacy was formed only three years before I was banished, as a result of the last war!” She quickly trotted to a shelf far to the right of the one she had originally searched.

Scanning quickly, Luna found the proper reference. When her levitation field touched it as she went to pull it down from the shelf, the shelf itself slid inwards on silent rails.

Rainbow wiggled her ears in relief as the near-silent vibration she had felt since entering the Archives disappeared. “Well, it looks like you found what it was you were looking for Lu,” she said, a sneaky grin on her muzzle. “You’ve got a mess to clean up before you go, and I’m sure your sister would like to know.”

Luna blushed at the tomes and scrolls she left piled higgledy-piggledy on the table. “Instead of jesting Rainbow Dash, might you apply aid for me to clean up yonder mess?” Rainbow smiled as she helped the lunar alicorn clean up.

Luna took a look at the entrance. Touching her horn alongside the left lintel, Luna caused the shelf to move back to the position it was previously. She then used her wings to move the tome, switching it with another one an adjacent shelf.

When she touched the tome with her magic again, the new shelf moved forward before sliding to the side. As it did so, the floor beneath it lifted up on silent hinges to reveal an entrance.” Hmm, this is quite the clever entrance; I have not seen its like since I was a foal,” Luna said as she closed the new entrance.

Rainbow grinned as Luna replaced the tomes she had swapped. “Oh, I’m sure you’ve made even better ones Lu. That’s pretty clever though; the entrance will work no matter where the book is.”

Luna shook her head at that. “Yonder entrance was likely just the first gate; it will take Lune’s light to reveal everything. Also, these references are a part of the set; the entrance only worked as it did because I did not remove it far from the set. Were one to be misfiled, said entrance wouldn’t appear at all. Very clever indeed; I just wish I could remember what I hid beyond it.”

Rainbow frowned thoughtfully as she and Luna made their way to the Throne Room. “Who taught you that? I mean, I’ve heard of secret entrances before, but not one that elaborate. Plus, enchanted ones can be broken if the foundation shifts.” Luna shook her head.

“Though you have the right of it, it was Clover the Clever herself that taught me that particular spell form. Now that I know what will open it, I know that it and the tomes themselves are in no danger; the foundation of the entrance is the Grove of Dreams itself. One would have to have mine own power at dreamwalking at a strength greater than mine own to shift something that ephemeral.” Luna grinned at Rainbow’s expression of shock.

The two alicorns paused at the side entrance to the Throne Room. “Would you like for me to sit in on this session Princess Rainbow? I refused not on account of my search, but because I did not wish to overburden you on your first day.”

Rainbow shook her head at that. “LuLu, I’d much rather have you there; this is likely to get boring for me, and I’d prefer it if you were there to chivvy me awake. Twi gets huffy when she has to do that.” The two mares giggled before joining the others already inside.

Hours later, Rainbow Dash was wishing she was somewhere else; even wrangling wild weather from the Everfree would be preferable.

She had thought that the complaints that officers in the PPP were fielding about her taking over the winged branches were bad enough; that paled in comparison to the petitions that Celestia had been dealing with all morning.

Rainbow drew her attention back to the current noble before them as the stallion wound up his long-winded speech about how yet another alicorn was going to affect prices in his region. Celestia raised an eyebrow as she read his petition. “Lord Bright Feather, I do not see how Princess Rainbow Dash can be held responsible for poor sales in your region.” She raised a hoof to prevent the stallion’s bluster as she continued.

“First of all, Princess Rainbow Dash was crowned just yesterday; she hasn’t even had one day to acclimate herself to her duties; none of said duties are over finance or manufacture. When she was still a pegasus, she was in charge of weather management; and that was in the demesne of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Most importantly, the blame of poor sales in your region lies solely in your hooves and no other, as you’ve been trying to sell poorly manufactured goods. Simply put, the petition you have given me isn’t worth the paper you wrote it on; in fact, were I able I’d have you charged for wasting paper. You wasted your time coming here.”

The stallion trotted off, cowed. Celestia gazed at the others who had petitions or complaints. She then looked at the long-suffering scowl that Rainbow was trying to hide.

Taking pity on the young alicorn, Celestia motioned to her seneschal. “The Diarchy is calling for a recess; all complaints and petitions will have to wait until tomorrow.” The mare stopped as Celestia spread her wings.

“I have an announcement to make. I will not hear any complaint or petition against Princess Rainbow Dash unless it has to do with her duties as a member of the Alicorn Council. As she has yet to be fully instructed in said duties, I will be hearing no more complaints about her for the next fortnight. Good day to you.”

There were some grumbles as the assembled nobles filed out. “I honestly should have seen it coming, but there’s only so much I can ignore from nobles before they become passive-aggressive,” Celestia said as her and the other alicorns made their way to the chamber off to the side of the throne room.

“It seems to me that you could hear complaints about Princess Rainbow from now until the next century, and still not be finished. As there are still those that complain about mine own actions from when I first returned. There are even those that complained because my arrival messed up the accounts of history that they were teaching.” Luna scowled for a moment before continuing to gripe. “I’ve said it before, and I will say it yet again; yonder nobles are more trouble than they’re worth.”

“That lot is anyway; the ones that aren’t are actually the ones that do all the work,” Rainbow Dash said in response. “What I don’t get is why they even try.”

“Lots of reasons Rainbow Dash. For starters, many think that they’re cleverer than Celestia. For others, it’s simply the fact that they have to find somepony else to blame; we alicorns make easy targets for that.” Twilight ran a frustrated hoof through her mane. “Still others don’t like the fact that we’re in charge; never mind the fact that there isn’t a single law on the books that was written by Celestia.”

“Certes Princess Twilight; thou hast the right of it,” Luna said. “It is equine nature; all we can do is work around it, and ensure that those of true worth are placed in charge.”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash both nodded. “Well, since we’re done for the afternoon, Rainbow and I were going to spend some time with the girls before they all head back to Ponyville,” she said. She and Rainbow both gave Celestia and Luna hugs before walking off.

Luna frowned as she watched the two young alicorns leave. “Were it possible to send those twain back as well; they aren’t truly needed here.”

Celestia shook her head. “Twilight is free to leave; however, she is here to support Rainbow Dash, who has to remain until her instruction in her new duties is done. That shouldn’t take long; she is a fast study.” Celestia gave her sister a concerned look when she saw the pensive frown Luna was wearing. “Is there something wrong Lu?”

Luna sighed, nodding. “I have something of a personal quest that I’ve suddenly found myself on. I can’t abandon mine duties to do it, but I’m torn; something compels me to see it through.” Luna sighed again. “Earlier today, I and Princess Rainbow found a hidden door tied to some old historical references. ‘Tis the same ones that we argued about shortly before I was banished.”

Celestia frowned in thought. “Who would have created such a door? And why use such a set? To my knowledge, nopony even knew about that fight. I only remember it because it was one of the last times we interacted before I banished you.”

Luna sighed. “Twas yours truly that enchanted said books; both in preserving them, and later creating the door. Why is the problem; for some reason, I also blocked all memory of doing it. All I am able to recall is that it involves something I did, something that was a justification towards the way that the nobles once treated me.”

Celestia looked confused. “There is something, but for the life of me I can’t think of anything that matches.” She continued to frown as she thought back on memories that she had long ago tried to set aside, since they did her little credit.

Celestia’s frown deepened as she thought about all of the arguments she and Luna had. One particular one stood out. Not because she remembered it; it was almost forgettable in its brevity. No, she only recalled it because it would later become a far more serious issue. “Lu,” she said slowly, “do you remember securing the freedom and safety of those orphaned as a result of the attacks on Equestria’s southern borders? Or anything involving orphans at all?

Luna’s eyes widened as she suddenly remembered what Celestia was talking about. “Aye, ‘tis something that I have just remembered.” She frowned as she recalled the event in question. “I remember pulling them into the Realm of Dreams; where I sent them afterwards, I cannot recall.”

Celestia frowned. “I remember us arguing about that; you refused to tell me what you had done with them. In fact, you threatened to leave Equestria entirely if I were to continue to press the issue.” Her frown deepened as she remembered more of the first time they fought over that issue. “I do recall as that being one of the bigger arguments that you and I had shortly after we dealt with Discord.”

Luna nodded. “I do recall that. I wanted to take the foals and start a new colony somewhere where I could protect them. Actually, I think that’s what I did; I even know where I was like to have formed it. I just can’t remember actually doing so. Something must have happened between then and my Fall that caused me to seal those memories up.”

Celestia looked at her sister with a thoughtful gaze. “I’m sure you wish for my blessing to follow these clues, am I correct?” She smiled impishly at the look of surprize on Luna’s muzzle. “I am your sister Lu; I know how you think, and what lies in your heart. You certainly don’t need my blessing; you’re your own mare, and have as much right to a sabbatical as I. You’ve always been one to follow your own heart; I’m certainly capable of raising the moon if and when you decide to leave.”

Luna’s response to this was to hug her sister. “Thank you ‘Tia; this means much to me. I promise that you will be the first to know should I have to leave. I hope it doesn’t come to that though; I shouldn’t be leaving Princess Rainbow’s training to just you.”

Celestia shrugged. “She’s a naturally fast learner; besides, there’s little I really need to teach. Most she learned from her grandsire; all I’m doing is reminding her. Or I should say, all Twilight is doing is reminding her; she’s already learned much of what she needs from Twilight.”

Celestia sighed. “I will miss you though; we’ve had precious little time to ourselves. When do you plan to enter the door?”

“Tonight I think; said door is Sealed by both the enchanted tome and by moonlight. There’s likely runes involving the Realm of Dreams as well. I won’t be able to tell for sure until I pass through.” Luna looked at her sister with a loving gaze. “After all of this, what say you and me take a week on the beach. I’m sure we can get Princess Twilight and Princess Rainbow to pinch hit for us. We don’t need to be here to raise Sol and Lune after all, and you could do with a vacation yourself.”

Celestia brightened at that suggestion. “I have actually considered that; I agree.” The two hugged again before they both went to other tasks. After all, just because Court was finished for the day didn’t mean that the business of ruling was done.

Chapter Twelve: Luna's Journey Begins

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-10-05, 10:22 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Luna waited for almost an hour after she had raised Lune before making her way back to the Royal Archives. The Lunar Guards-mare at the door saluted her with her wing as she made her way past the door. Even though she was slightly preoccupied, she was still aware enough to give the young Nocturne mare both a nod and a smile.

Luna debated exactly how she wanted to do this. Though she already had her sister’s blessing to follow the path that was now before her, she knew that disappearing for however long of a time it was going to take was going to cause a big stink. It seemed the better part of prudence to do so from her private chambers rather than the Archives.

Having set upon a course of action, Luna made her way to the proper shelf. As she started to move the collection of tomes, she paused as she felt a vibration down her horn. Looking closer at the shelf itself, she groaned at finding the shelf was also enchanted.

Luna used an old scanning spell to feel out the lines of magic. She scowled as she realized that the enchantment was tied to the Royal Archives itself. In essence, it meant that she could only use the entrance- if it was even an entrance; that had yet to be determined -from the Archives. “Stupid past-self making asinine hoops to jump through,” Luna mumbled. “This had better be worth the effort I’m taking.”

Any further action on her part was interrupted by an azure flash. Luna turned without surprise to see a smirking Rainbow Dash behind her. “‘Twas expecting you to join me earlier Princess Rainbow,” she said in mild reproof.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Sorry LuLu; I would have, but I kinda forgot that I needed to finish some paperwork for the morning. Gah, I hate bucking paperwork; no matter what kind of job you get in this world, there’s no escaping it.” Luna chuckled at the complaint.

“Such is the way of things. I was most displeased myself when I found out that there still was such a thing upon my return.” Luna had a smile on her face as she related the tale. “The look on ‘Tia’s muzzle when I complained was most amusing. It seems as though the paperwork monster is as bad as it was in this kingdom's earlier days despite some major reforms.”

“Yeah. Even Twilight gripes about paperwork. You would think it wouldn’t bother her, but she says most of it is a colossal waste of time. All I know is that a lot of it was repeating stuff that I had already entered into forms.” Luna nodded in response.

“Well, all of that can wait; let us away to see what lies beyond yonder door,” the lunar alicorn said as she once more touched the specific tome with her magic. The entranceway revealed itself once more.

Rainbow looked on in amazement as the moonlight shining in from a conveniently placed window caused a criss-crossing of runic lines to appear. Luna frowned in sudden remembrance as she traced the thinnest of said lines with her hoof. “‘Tis an old form of runic writing that was an affectation of one of my apprentices,” she said. “I would wonder why I would have used her, except for that most would find her to be forgettable, skilled as she was nonetheless.”

“Why would she be forgettable if she was skilled?” Rainbow asked in confusion.

Luna had a smirk on her muzzle as she remembered the unicorn in question. “Oh, that was her value, she had remarkable skill in going unnoticed. ‘Twas part of her special talent it was, and she wove the same quality in many of her spells. In fact, one of the most popular invisibility spells taught in unicorn universities is one of her creation. She’s never been given credit for it until recently.”

“Huh. Well, I guess I can see why you’d use such a form of writing now. But, why all the hoops?” Rainbow frowned. “I mean, you’re likely the only one that could use this entrance anyway, so why secure it so strongly?” Rainbow asked as though she didn’t already know the answer.

Luna frowned. “That is something I’ve been wondering myself Princess Rainbow Dash. I can think of any number of reasons why I’d do so if it were important. However, if it were something truly important, I wouldn’t have hid it here. Mine own tower would have been a better bet.”

Luna’s frown deepened as she found the two lines that linked with the one she was tracing. “It seems as though I had a pressing reason to make sure that this entrance was at least accessible in some form, bound though it was. The question is why. I’m beginning to think that this isn’t the entrance in and of itself; rather, it’s just the first gate.”

Luna’s muzzle cleared as she found the lines tied to the one she was tracing. Working quickly, she tapped four specific runes in the four thickest lines. The whole weave began to shift as the lines all flowed to the outside of the entrance, revealing a padlocked door made of copper.

Rainbow frowned. “Why would anypony make a door out of copper? You would think that iron would work better.”

Luna nodded. “Iron would be better if one was worried about thievery. However, copper is a better bet since it is magically inert. Any spell cast on it by anyone would be traceable, and if one had enchanted it right, such traces would last. As long as the would-be thief were still alive that is. Such a door was used in olden times to prevent thieves with magic. Mithril works better, but was astronomically expensive in those days. Plus, a smart thief could find a way around a mythril seal much faster than one made from copper; mithril does not hold trace mana well even when enchanted.” Luna frowned as she began to examine the door. “This has been reinforced at the subatomic level; it has bands of carbon running through it. We are going to need the key.”

Rainbow groaned. “Great, so now what?”

Luna frowned as she continued to examine the door. Her expression suddenly cleared. “Clever that,” she said as she channeled her alicorn nature. Eyes now glowing, she tapped the door in a number of spots.

A spider-webbing of runic lines created a unique pattern in the center of the door; after a moment, the pentagon-shaped wedge flipped out on concealed hinges, revealing a ring of keys.

Rainbow blinked as all but one of the keys was glowing. Luna frowned as she used a hoof to lift the ring. “They are all the same,” she said in frustration. “They are also enchanted; if I pick the wrong one, it will melt the lock. It will take a fortnight to reform, and I will have to spend that time recalling everything Silent Measure said about her runic; the melting spell will reset all of the spells tied to the door. Faust, but it seems we are stuck.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Luna, try the second one from the left; that one is glowing.”

Luna frowned as she looked at it. “I see no glow,” she said. She looked at Rainbow Dash, blinking as she did so. Rainbow wasn’t aware that her irises had taken on a decidedly feline cast. Luna shaped her irises in the same manner, allowing them to see in spectrums not native to most ponies.

“Well, that IS clever; said key has been coated with an enchanted layer of mother-of-pearl. It radiates a glow that only those sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum can see. Yet another old method of hiding things.” She nodded in satisfaction as she used the key to unlock the padlock.

Luna removed the padlock from the door and opened it. She beckoned to Rainbow Dash as she entered the darkness beyond the portal. As both ponies entered, the door clanged shut behind them.

Light flared from the walls, revealing old style lamps along each one. The room behind was actually a series of small linked chambers. Luna had a surprised look on her muzzle as she walked towards a nearby bookshelf. “Mine private study! I wondered what I had done with the entrance; I could not enter from the one I customarily use.” Luna placed the padlock on an empty ring next to the bookshelf before removing a book. She briefly paged through it before replacing it, shaking her head in happy disbelief.

Rainbow’s ears popped. She quickly turned around to see a wooden door behind them. “Luna, did you placing that padlock on that ring reseal the entrance we used?” she asked. Luna nodded.

“Yes it did; that lock is part of a linked pair I forged ages ago. Whatever spells are on the one also exist on the other. It seems as though that is yet another piece of knowledge I sealed away. The question before us is one that I have already asked myself; why?”

Rainbow frowned as she walked around the first chamber. Now that she was here, she was wondering the reason why herself. She knew some of what Luna was supposed to do; after all, she had Seen both the hidden entrance to the chambers they were now in, and the significantly more important Gate that was here. Why she needed to be here to reveal said Gate eluded her however.

Luna walked over to the small bedchamber to the left of the entrance they used. She frowned in confusion as she looked at two other archways that were linked to it. “One of those likely leads to the sealed entrance to my old chambers back at the old Palace; the other eludes me.”

Rainbow stared at the other archway; she knew without any doubt that it led to the Gate. Frowning, she channeled the magic unique to her. Suddenly, the archway began to shift as it revealed what it really looked like.

Luna looked on in bafflement as Rainbow Dash traced her hoof along the outside of the archway. After a moment, the cyan alicorn began to speak. Though Luna couldn’t understand a single word Rainbow uttered, she nonetheless understood exactly what was being spoke.

Rainbow abruptly plunged her horn into a slot in the center and twisted it to the left. Luna blinked in shock as the archway revealed itself as a door not unlike the one that housed the Vault in the Tower of Harmony. The door folded inwards in a unique manner, revealing a polished marble staircase going down.

Rainbow looked at Luna in concern. “How you were able to get Serenity to enchant this I have no idea, but I’ve done my part. The rest is up to you LuLu.” She started to channel mana for a teleport and frowned as it fizzled. “Huh, anti-teleport field. Good one too.”

Luna sighed as she nodded. “We have to either leave the way we entered- impossible unless I fully UnSeal it -or from this entrance here.” She walked over to yet another archway back in the center chamber. Placing a hoof on it, she channeled earth pony mana into the wall in the center.

Said wall began to shift into yet another door. Luna nodded in satisfaction before opening it by tapping the knob with her horn. The door opened up onto a small alcove just off her bath chamber in her tower. “You can leave by teleport from here; I keyed the field around my tower to allow all I consider family to enter and leave.”

Rainbow nodded. “That entrance going to be okay like that, or should I close it?” she asked as the both walked through the door into Luna’s tower.

The alicorn shook her head. “Nopony save a handful can get into my tower; plus, yonder door can only be seen by those that know it exists.” She gestured at the door that they just passed through as she said that.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Clever. Well, it’ll remain open for the next couple of days before Resealing itself. It’s not the Gate I had originally Seen; that’s actually further down.”

Luna frowned. “I had the sense that you were hiding some things from me Princess Rainbow. Why would you do such a thing?”

Rainbow sighed. Before she could give the reason why, the remainder of the blocks on Luna’s memories concerning the Binding on her old chambers vanished. Luna abruptly facehoofed. “”Twas not your doing Princess Rainbow, and I apologize for my unseemly question.”

Rainbow scowled. “I wish I was more learned in the ways of alicorns; had I been so, I would have told you everything. There’s still things I know that I can’t talk about. I’m not alone in that; Selene and Serenity both are in the same boat I’m in. I guess that you wanted it that way; maybe you never really intended for anypony else to be able to follow this trail of breadcrumbs.”

Luna stomped a hoof in aggravation. “Zounds, but I’m vexed at why my younger self felt the need to be so vague,” she grumbled. A fragment of a memory flashed before her eyes, and she frowned. “Something about a unicorn horn? What does that have to do with anything?” She shook her head. “‘Tis a conundrum. What it means will have to wait until tomorrow; I have duties to attend to, and you have a lover that is likely missing you.” Luna grinned at the blush that rose on Rainbow’s cheeks.

“Yeah, I told her I was going for a walk. I’ll see you tomorrow LuLu.” With that, the cyan alicorn teleported back to her and Twilight’s chambers.

Luna made her way to the cushions she used while patrolling the Realm of Dreams, after making sure that the door to her hidden study chambers was closed properly. “Time enough tomorrow to dust off more clues,” she said as she slipped into trance.

She wasn’t aware that a shadow-wraith was making its way from a secluded corner. A burst of darkness from the far side caused it to dissipate soundlessly. All of this passed by unnoticed by the meditating alicorn.

Far to the north, a frustrated presence felt the loss of yet another servant. He felt this one most strongly; it seemed the Bound One was somehow involved. Only time would tell.

Lune, Moon Kingdom, 06-10-05, 10:52 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Nightingale looked on impassively as the pony before her continued to rant, though she was supremely annoyed at having to deal with this issue at the tail end of her day. “I do not get where you think you have the right to stand judgement over a member of my house Princess; nor do I think that the replacement is at all suitable. My wife has served as a Royal Governess for over sixty years; by extension, Silent Wonder is not even thirty. Besides, she is not even a noble.”

Nightingale rolled her eyes at the last part. “Lord Brightfeather, the Royal Governess is a position that I myself formed centuries before birth, and nearly every single one was a pony that I myself chose. The one time in the last three centuries that one was chosen by others besides me was your wife. In addition, that is one of only three that was a noble by birth. As if that makes any difference; you and your wife’s status as nobles is currently under question as you have yet to accept the meritocracy system I intend to implement.”

Brightfeather scowled. “I have stated repeatedly that my family will refuse it, nor can you force it. You simply do not have the right--”

“My Lord, I have EVERY right to do so. Any House that wishes to remain a noble house has less than thirty days to accede to the order. Those that refuse will lose all assets and will be Exiled from the Kingdom. I refuse to allow any more future iterations of the Moon Council to fall in the manner of those before them. Were it not for your own daughter and others that are what I consider to be noble, I’d abolish hereditary nobility completely! Much of the suffering this Kingdom has dealt with over the years is because of selfish nobles repeating the same ways of their ancestors.” The noble-stallion flinched slightly at the intense gaze the alicorn was leveling at him as she continued. “My ruling against your wife stands. It was about to change in any case; I had already decided earlier this year that Silent Wonder would be named Royal Governess. Her mother was the one I had before your wife took over; I only let her because the Council pressured me. Had I not been certain that you and she weren’t involved in the conspiracy against this Kingdom, I would have refused the appointment. I plan to do so in the future; in no way should the Moon Council have any right to choose members of mine own House!”

Brightfeather stomped a hoof like a petulant foal as he gave his rebuttal. “If you think for one moment that I am going to tolerate any more of your tyrannical treatment of the nobles of this Kingdom, then you are as stupid as my father once said. The days of your autocratic control over this Kingdom are over *urk*--!”

Brightfeather was abruptly cut off as a maroon glow of magic surrounded his throat. He gazed in anger at the unicorn mare that had just entered the audience chamber. “Pater, do you have to keep sticking your hoof in your mouth every time you open it? I already told you that it was useless to protest this issue. Mother made her hay bed in this; she was told well before I was born that Princess Nightingale has the final authority over all foals in her care. As to the rest, it’s my pleasure to inform you that your and mother’s actions have finally gone too far; our House has rejected your suit as Lord.” Brightfeather’s expression turned from anger to shock as Sweet Hooves smiled.

The crimson coated mare gave a bow towards Nightingale. “Princess, I must apologize for Pater’s actions; his statement that our House was refusing the meritocracy system was one that only he, his brother, and my mother made. The rest of the elders in my House had no desire to refuse it, and had informed Pater that he and mother would not retain their place if they pushed the issue. Our House has long been allied with yours Princess; we wouldn’t even be nobles were it not for your largess all those years ago.”

Nightingale nodded graciously. She smiled as she gazed on the young pony before her. “Sweet Hooves, you show the same courage, intelligence, and wisdom that your ancestress once did. You reaffirm the decision I made all those years ago to ennoble her. I’m glad there’s some young nobles I can count on. I do need you; I can’t be everywhere at once, so sharing the load of rule is vital.” Sweet Hooves bowed again, blushing slightly at the praise.

After a moment, Sweet Hooves gestured behind her. Two of her family’s retainers came forward; one took over the silencing spell she was holding on her father. “Please escort Pater to the waiting carriage; he will be joining mother at our family’s Holding along the western border of the Rift. It is by House Raincloud’s order; any elder of our House that has refused to accept the direction that Princess Nightingale is taking in concerning nobility has suffered the same fate.” Brightfeather continued to scowl as he was led away.

Nightingale shook her head as Brightfeather was led away. “I sometimes debate whether I was wise to leave most of the noble families intact. At least the new system should weed out the chaff; Equestria has had it for over one thousand years now, and they haven’t had a tenth of the problems we have in this Kingdom.”

Sweet Hooves nodded. “It won’t get rid of all of those who act in self-centered ways Princess. It’s equine nature to do so. We all act in that manner in some form or another; it truly only becomes a problem when we place our selfish desires above the needs of others.”

Nightingale nodded at that. “‘Tis true, even for pegacorns and alicorns. While there’s no such thing as a selfish alicorn, we still are apt to act in a self-centered or self-serving manner. After all, we’re still equine.”

Bell frowned pensively. “I wish it weren’t so with my parents. Either I was odd in the faith to adhere to my ancestress’ ways, or they worked too hard to convince me that they were. ‘Tis only been the last couple of years that I’ve seen how selfish my parents truly can be. It hurts Princess; no matter what I say otherwise, it hurts to see mine own parents act like a pair of spoiled foals. My daughter acts better than they sometimes.”

Nightingale shrugged. “I always knew that your father’s support was selfish; he thought he was so clever though. He was smart enough to stay away from the greater conspiracy; other than that though, he’s proven to be like a great deal of the more traditional nobles I’ve known over the years.”

Belle scoffed. “Smart? Princess, staying out of the conspiracy had more to do with cowardice than smarts. He was scared stiff that the conspiracy would fail, and did all he could to stay away from it. At the same time, he was too craven to further ally himself with you as other nobles did, fearing the fallout from the conspirators. He’s little more than a wet blanket really, and mother is too much like how her own mother was raised to stand up against him.”

Nightingale sighed. “He was such an engaging colt when he was younger. I often wonder if fostering him here as your grandsire wanted would have been the better course. Still, deferring to the mother’s wishes has served me far more often; I wasn’t aware of her idiosyncrasies until it was too late to do anything about it.”

The two would have continued on the topic had a set of eight hooves running into the room not stopped them. Glorious Dawn stopped abruptly as she and another unicorn filly raced in from the doorway.

Nightingale chuckled at the blush that Dawn was wearing. The filly had been acting more and more like a real filly would as of late, even with all of her memories of being an adult. Sweet Hooves turned a stern gaze onto her young daughter. “What do you have to say for yourself missy?” she asked Bright Hooves in an aggrieved tone.

“Dawn said that she had seen Grandpa walk in here earlier; I was hoping I’d get to say goodbye before he left,” the tiny unicorn said in a meek tone. Bell sighed before lifting up her daughter to give her a hug.

“Your grandpa has been sent away to the farm for being a naughty pony, sweetheart. I promise that should he want to, we’ll go see him okay?” Bell told her daughter. The filly nodded, sniffing a little. “Why don’t you and your friend go find the new Royal Governess? I’m sure she’s been looking for you.”

“She’s busy with all of the nobles’ foals ma’am,” Dawn said. She gave a half-lidded sardonic look to Nightingale as she continued. “I was told to watch Brighty here until she was free.” Sweet Hooves nodded as she set her daughter down.

“Well, go play in the gardens then until she’s free okay?” The two foals ran off. “She’s as polite a foal as I’ve ever known, yet she’s still a hoof-ful. Yet I wouldn’t trade her for all the stars in the sky.” She frowned pensively. “I find it odd that Glorious Dawn is acting like a filly though. She’s actually almost as old as my mother.”

Nightingale shook her head at that. “Mentally perhaps, but her body is that of a child’s. The reason she acts like one more and more is partly because it’s expected of her, and partly because she never had much of a foal-hood. Her family was lost to us when she was barely older than she is now, and they didn’t have an easy life before-hoof.” The light purple alicorn smiled. “I think every pony wishes that they could relive their foal-hood at some point in their lives. I myself have even entertained that wish a time or two.”

The two continued to talk for a few moments. Since it was likely that her family would name her into her father’s former position, Sweet Hooves needed to hear what her new duties would entail.

Nightingale was about to finish her short instructions when a vibration she hadn’t Felt in centuries brushed along Lune’s surface. Luna’s opened the ancient path! She’s actually coming here! What if she finds it? I need to make preparations in case she does; I won’t be able to stop the spies from alerting the Dark One, so I must tread carefully.

“Well , it seems you have a good grasp of your duties despite not being formally trained in them milady,” Nightingale said, smoothy disguising her startlement. “I don’t wish to be abrupt, but I do have other tasks I need to get to. Please let the pro-tem Council that I’ll be meeting with them tomorrow morning to prepare more of our fortifications against a possible attack on the Rift.”

Sweet Hooves nodded. There was a slight frown on her muzzle. “I will Princess. I certainly hope that the Moon Princess will soon return; maybe then these attacks will end.”

Nightingale sighed in frustration. “That’s not likely to happen even when she returns. It will make the battles against the Dark One easier though. I don’t have the command over Lune’s power that Luna has.” The unicorn nodded. She gave a bow before making her way to her new office.

Nightingale wasted only a moment before making her own way to her son’s chambers. She knew that there was only a short time to prepare for the coming storm, and she needed to get the Kingdom ready for the return of its Sovereign.

Chapter Thirteen: The Moon Kingdom

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Equus, Somewhere, 06-11-05, 11:02 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

As Luna made her way down the rocky tunnel that started at the base of the stairs behind the hidden Gate in her private study rooms, she pondered all of the implications.

For starters, the nobility had more than a few things to say about her proposed week-long vacation with Celestia once Princess Rainbow Dash was fully trained in her duties. She smirked at the buffaloing that occurred when a certain cousin of her nephew’s filed a formal complaint against it. Never before had the nobility ever been caught that flat-hoofed.

Luna smiled at the memory, one that she would cherish for a long time.

Celestia stood patiently as the appointed spokes-pony for a delegation of nobles continued on the same vein that he had been waffling on for the last several minutes. Lord Oak Leaves was something of a bore as far as nobles were concerned. He was on of the late Lady Lemyre’s chief supporters, and in all likelihood knew about the greater conspiracy. He wasn’t directly involved for a number of reasons-- chief among those being that he was an earth pony.

“While I do understand that both you and your sister have the same rights to a sabbatical as does any other noble or royal, you do not have the right to take a week off of your duties; nor do you have the authority to pass said duties off to an untried alicorn of questionable lineage.” Oak Leaves stopped waffling on as his expression turned to shock. The reason was simple.

Celestia had broken character by rolling her eyes. She gave her customary Pony Lisa smile at the flabbergasted noble. “Lord Oak Leaves, I find the fact that you are questioning Princess Rainbow Dash’s suitability as a royal to be laughable. Not only is she a direct descendant of Commander Hurricane from both sides of her family, but her actions in the defense of this nation qualify her for her position several times over. She’s most certainly more qualified than yourself; the term of military service you served to gain the rights of your seat barely qualified as you did not see combat, and staffed a desk for the four years. You’re fortunate in that you’re only required to do so once; had I had greater cause, I would have made you serve on the Border in a scouting party. But this doesn’t have anything to do with you or Rainbow Dash; this is about you and your cronies trying to deny my sister and I our rights.”

Oak Leaves scowled a bit at Celestia’s reminder of his regrettable service record. “I am not questioning your right at all; I am merely stating that you have an obligation to fulfill; your sister has an even greater one, since she is claiming this sabbatical after being Sealed on the Moon for over one thousand years. She is right in suggesting that she and you can use time that you have saved up; however, there is very little of that, since it does not stack after five years.”

“We have decided that it is time that the Diarchy understand the true importance of your duties. You, Princess Celestia, have five weeks of time available; or would if your recent actions did not bring your suitability to rule in question. Your sister however, has none, nor will she until the end of the year.”

Lord Oak Leaves would have continued had not a member of that group of nobles chose that moment to interject. “My dear Lord, I do hope you understand that the ruling we just passed applies to us as well. If you insist on pressing this farce, I feel it is my duty to inform you of that salient fact.” Lady Sweet Rain smiled sweetly at the scowling earth pony noble.

“Milady, I have made it plain that this only applies to the Diarchy, as their duties place them a step above us. I proved that point this morning.”

Sweet Rain rolled her eyes. “You’re proving yourself to be every bit of the inbred earth pony noble my father always claimed you were. Have you forgotten that changing that Law requires more than our vote? It requires the vote of the High Council- which we don’t have and are likely to not get -and the vote of all six pony tribes.” Her smile returned as Lord Oak Leaves scowled at that reminder. “Oh yes Milord; the ruling that this Advisory Council made this morning has no weight. The only reason why I went along with this farce is so I could have the satisfaction of rubbing how much little power you and these other ingrates have in your snouts. Personal opinion on Princess Rainbow Dash aside, we nobles have a duty to the ponies of Equestria. Now that your mistress is a crystal statue, you don’t have a leg to stand on.”

Celestia took the cue that Sweet Rain gave her. “Indeed; what the Lady says is correct. The only reason why you all weren’t served the same punishment is because of your ineptitude; you were too stupid- excepting Lady Sweet Rain, who has once again proven herself a worthy noble -to realize that the late Lady Lemyre was using you just as much as she was anypony else. You never had any real authority, and should she have succeeded, you would have joined the rest of the earth ponies in slavery. That, of course, is the true place that she and her ilk believe where earth ponies should be.”

Luna couldn’t have been happier to see a noble get buffaloed by another noble. It reminded her for that all of the trouble the nobility caused, the vast majority were doing right by Equestria.

Luna’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt at a break in the path. She frowned for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. “Princess Rainbow Dash was correct; the path does branch off. Which one leads in the right direction though?” Luna knocked her head with a hoof. “Dumb featherhead; ponies in the past always led to the left, as Sol rose in the east. That only changed because it was the night-side of Lune that I was sealed on, so the right path will lead to the day side.” So saying, Luna took the right path.

Less than ten minutes later, she found herself in a cavern with an ornate door in the center. She stared at said door in wonder; no matter how many times she had seen or created such doors, a Gate the the Realm of Dreams manifested was always a sight to behold.

Reverently, the midnight blue alicorn trotted up to the door. As she approached it, the door began to shimmer as it irised open. Moonlight shined from the path on the other side, letting Luna know that her assumption was correct. Luna took a brief moment to gather her wits about her before walking through the Gate. Once on the other side, it irised closed behind her. The midnight blue alicorn took a brief look back before making her way down the new path.

The next few moments was spent in comfort as the path bathed the Moon Princess in gentle moonlight. Luna smiled happily; even though she had spent so long sealed on Lune’s surface, she still had a great love and joy for that which had been part of her for so long.

Indeed, were Luna imprisoned in stone as Discord had been, she knew that she probably wouldn’t have held up as well. Because the power of the Moon was so integral to the Realm of Dreams, Luna wasn’t restricted from walking the Dream Ways.

Luna recalled the days shortly before she attempted to wrest the throne of Equestria from Celestia’s grasp. Many thought that Nightmare Moon was an evil entity that had possessed Luna; that was what her sister sealed away with the Elements of Harmony.

There was some truth to that; Luna wasn’t thinking as clearly as she should have been. Frowning, Luna thought back further, to her long past foal-hood. Even when they were fillies, Celestia garnered greater respect and even love from ponies. Few ever seemed to notice the midnight blue filly; it didn’t help that she had always preferred the night as opposed to the day, nor was she at all comfortable with ponies she didn’t know personally.

Luna’s frown deepened as she thought of those by-gone days. While what she told Twilight about envy towards her sister was true, Luna had always known that it wasn’t really Celestia’s fault that she made friends naturally and easily. That’s why the Element of Magic was most tuned to her, since Celestia’s skill in magic was nearly non existent when they were fillies.

Oh sure, she had power, lots of power. However, since Luna spent the first couple of decades of her life as a unicorn, she had gotten a greater level of training in unicorn-based spells. Celestia had gotten some- namely, unicorn runic from Clover -but even with that she was nowhere near Luna’s level of skill.

Luna’s envy had been present though. The thing was, she was aware of it; worse, she had been told by Clover the Clever of the risks of suppressing such emotion. It took years and extra effort by the traitorous Equestrian High Council of the time for her to fall to it. In fact, the reason why she had fallen so hard wasn’t because of their efforts, but because she had suppressed her envy of her older sister for so long.

“Pride, envy, greed, selfishness; these things are natural for all creatures who have a will of their own child. The trick is not to deny them, but to not let them control you. Suppression is never a good idea; it is far better to acknowledge them as a part of you, one that you do all to rise above.” The advice- sound advice -that Clover had given her came back to Luna.

Luna sighed. She wished now that she had heeded those words. Once she had become an alicorn- having ascended in a manner similar to Twilight Sparkle -she had thought she was above such a thing. Naturally, she wasn’t aware that such things were also present in alicorns. Not selfishness of course; that was impossible. However, for the other emotions often called the Seven Deadly Sins, it was all too common for alicorns to forget that they were doubly susceptible to them.

Luna’s expression soured. Would she have remembered that; she would have accepted the truth that her sister was more beloved than she- which wasn’t true -and moved on. Instead, she fought the emotions down, which became all the harder once a Lesser Demon of Envy latched onto her.

Which was why she found herself wandering down a tunnel that was both familiar and unfamiliar to her. She knew that her hooves had likely trod this path before; however, she had no recollection of ever having done so. She did know that the reason why she didn’t remember was because she had locked parts of her memories away from the Demon that tortured her.

Yet another teaching from Clover came to mind. “Demons are unlike other creatures that exist in our world. They come from another Plane of existence, and naturally would have nothing to do with us. However, these tortured souls are bound both by their hatred of those souls with a physical form, and by their Master’s will. If one finds oneself unable- or unwilling -to accept the emotion tied to a Demon, then one needs find another way to hide deep thoughts from them. Though ambivalent and angry to those who are alive, Demons only possess if forced to.”

Luna sighed. If only she had paid more heed to those lessons. She shook her head to end such maudlin thoughts. “Now is not the time to regret the past Luna,” she muttered. “Now is the time to figure if your returning memories can help in the now.”

Luna continued her way down the well-worn rocky tunnel. The moonlight that infused it was a comfort to her. As she slowly made her way forward, more and more of her sealed memories returned to her.

Some of it was the few silly pranks between her sister, and the far more frequent pranks she pulled on the Council in general. She had to stop a moment as her sides shook with silent laughter at the particularly clever prank involving marzipan and kittens that she pulled on Prince Blueblood the XVIII. More recently, a favorite pastime of hers had referenced a similar prank.

After a few moments, Luna continued her walk. She knew that she was getting close to the end of the tunnel. What was on the other side still eluded her however. As she walked, her mind once more returned to the plight of the homeless orphans that she swore to protect all those years ago.

Luna gasped as she suddenly remembered what she had done. The tunnel she was walking down went from familiar yet unfamiliar to completely familiar. Anxious to see if her memories rang true, Luna cantered down the rest of the tunnel.

She soon found herself at the end, and stared in shock. Instead of finding herself in a larger version of the small settlement that she had set up for the foals and their guardians, she found fields of grass that was blue-white in appearance.

“Moongrass! A field of moongrass!” Luna galloped through the field in delight. She had thought that the plant would have died without her care, yet here it looked as though it was being cultivated.

The midnight blue alicorn stopped to take a few bites-- after making sure that it was safe for consumption. She munched happily; it was as sweet and spicy as she remembered all those years ago.

Glancing up, Luna saw pegasus ponies bringing cumulous clouds in. Quickly realizing that her alicorn form would be a dead giveaway, Luna cast a series of quick charms to disguise her appearance. Now appearing as a dark azure unicorn, Luna made her way in the direction that the pegasi had been flying from.

Shortly thereafter, a trio of stallions landed nearby. “Are you loss miss?” the one in front asked. Luna nodded.

“I just came from a tunnel of some kind nearby. Pray tell, can you tell me where I currently find myself good sir?”

The stallion frowned. “You must be Lost then; most who find their way here know at least that much.” He pointed to the wall in the distance. “That is the Capital of the Moon Kingdom, where Her Royal Highness Princess Nightingale sits in Stewardship of the Moon Throne. Does that help?”

Luna nodded. She started a bit as she finally noticed that the stallion wasn’t a pegasus as she first thought. “Good sir, are you by chance a pegacorn?” she asked him. The stallion nodded.

“Yes, my name is Stern Gaze, Commander of the Moon Guard.” He frowned at one of the other stallions who had cleared his throat at that. “As I said, I am Commander of the Moon Guard; I do not have the right to call myself a Prince as I am NOT an alicorn.” The pegasus frowned before shrugging.

“In any case, I know that you are at least a little confused.” Stern Gaze fired off a spell that Luna was intimately familiar with. “I’ve just sent for a carriage for us. You’re fortunate in that I decided to patrol out here instead of letting the local Guard handle it. Too much of a stuffed shirt to handle a Newcomer, and no less but a Lost Newcomer. Been awhile since there was any too; not since the last attacks. Oh, here comes the chariot now!”

Luna looked on in surprise at what she saw; a chariot made out of a combination of wood and Moon Crystal. She gingerly climbed on, noticing that the scrollwork along the side glowed faintly as she did so. “Wonders of wonders!” she said, not needing to feign her wonder. “I’ve never seen the like in Manehattan or Filly! What’s it made of, crystal?”

“Yes miss, Crystal Heartwood and Moon Crystal. Veins of the crystal can be found throughout the kingdom. As for the Heartwood Forests, we’d be overrun with the trees if we didn’t use them for construction; they grow as fast as moongrass does.” Stern Gaze took a seat next to Luna. His horn glowed faintly as he cast a series of low-level scanning spells over what to him appeared as a young but cute unicorn. None worked as they should of course, but Gaze was unaware of the fact.

As the carriage made its way towards the distant city, Gaze continued to talk to the mare next to him. “Miss, I don’t mean to impose, but can I know your name?I I’ll need it for identification purposes.”

Luna allowed her cheeks to flush as if she was embarrassed. “Oh, I’m so sorry! Mum always told me that it was impolite to make a pony ask for your name. It’s Bright Moonlight sir; Mum had a thing for naming her kids after celestial objects.” Gaze chuckled at the face Luna made at her name.

“Well, I know that Mother will be pleased that such a bright young mare has made her way to our lands. However, I’m afraid that our hospitality is all that we can offer. All paths that lead here but one don’t lead away.”

Luna frowned pensively. Using her extra senses, she Felt along the path that she had just recently walked. Her frown deepened a bit as she realized that the path bound all others to it. She noted with some small pleasure that she would be able to teleport back to where the entrance was. “Well, Mum always did say that I rush into things without paying attention. Guess this was one time I should have. Next time I’ll be sure to find out more about a magic portal spell before casting it.”

Gaze winced. “That seems to be the most common method by which Lost ponies end up here. Well, there’s nothing for it but to follow protocol.”

Luna smiled inwardly. Her efforts to divert her real entrance were working perfectly. Not only that, it seemed that she had tied all loose entrances up so that they were connected in some way to the path she had used. Staying in character, Luna sighed heavily. “The only thing that concerns me is that I can’t let Mum know where I am now. I don’t want her to worry.”

Stern Gaze frowned pensively. Though it went almost unmentioned, there were a few paths- two, to be precise -that a Lost pony could take to return to Equestria. Neither one had ever been used since he was alive however; the latter was last used some seventy years before his birth. “There are some options for that Miss Moonlight,” he said at last. “Mother will know of some way that we can contact your mother. We do have allies on the other side of the tunnel, and they can get a message to her. They can even arrange for her and any other family you have to join you here if that’s what’s wanted.”

‘Bright Moonlight’ brightened at that. “Truly? Wow, that’s nice of you! Why would you though?” She waved a hoof at the patrolling pegasi and nocturne that were escorting the carriage to the city. “Wouldn’t that be risky? I mean, if the wrong pony finds out, you might get an undesirable or three.”

Stern Gaze nodded, scowling. “Yes, though it can’t be helped. The Moon Princess made this a Kingdom of Exiles. She had to; it was the only way to secure the aid of both Hope and Princess Angela. Once they were of age, all of the first orphans- two which are my ancestors -declared themselves Exiles from Equestria. I don’t blame them to be honest; the then-Council of Lords wasn’t worth a pile of horseapples if history can be believed.”

The next few minutes were met with silence as the carriage made its approach to the city. Luna’s eyes widened at the splendor she was witnessing. ‘It’s grander in scale than even Canterlot,’ she thought to herself. “Wow, this city is beautiful! Look at the shine of crystal on the walls, and the spires! I’ve visited Canterlot, but I can say that this one is of far grander scale.”

Gaze nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is grand. That we’ve managed to keep it so despite this kingdom being under siege is a testament to our will.”

Luna frowned. “Under siege? You mean that there’s an army that attacks you of some kind?”

Gaze pointed to the left where the leading edge of the Rift barrier was just visible. “That wall you see there isn’t just for looks miss Moonlight. It separates the day side of Lune from the night side. Not only was the other side where the Nightmare was sealed, but that there was something worse between the two sides.” Gaze looked sheepish. “I really can’t say any more; I don’t want to usurp Mother’s prerogative.”

Luna looked at the young pegacorn stallion. “Your mother is this Princess Nightingale, am I right?” Gaze nodded.

“Yes. Her full title is Princess Nightingale, Alicorn of Shadows, Darkness, and Light; Steward of the Moon Kingdom and Guardian of the Path.” He smiled at the frown Luna had on her muzzle. “I can see that her alicorn title gives you a little pause. You’re not the first new Exile to have that reaction, though most are nonplussed to hear that there’s more than one alicorn.”

Luna grinned cheekily. “History was always one of my better subjects in school, so I’ve always known that there were other alicorns. I also always found pegacorns to be cool as well; you get the best of both flight and magic without having to sacrifice for either.” She sighed in not completely feigned envy. “Wish I could fly without use of the true Butterfly Wing charm.”

Gaze gazed- for lack of a better term -in shock at the ‘unicorn’ beside him. “You can actually cast that charm? I’d heard that it was difficult- if not impossible -for an ordinary unicorn to do so. There are a few in this kingdom that have the skill, but that’s only because moonlight is so plentiful here.”

Luna’s response was to conjure a blue flower in front of her. “Abjuration and conjuration are a number of my many talents. I’m no Twilight Sparkle, but I daresay that I can give her a run for her bits were we to duel.” She cancelled the conjured flower. “What sets ponies off about that spell is that they don’t take the time to learn how wings actually work. They just try to follow along with the form of the charm itself, not realizing that takes more power than most ponies can generate.” Her snout wrinkled a bit as she recalled something. “Even Princess Twilight admits that she cast the spell wrong the first time; it takes concentrated sunlight to cancel the spell out. If she had woven sunlight and moonlight into it as you’re supposed to, it wouldn’t have failed at all. That's why her version matched the Flutter-wing spell; that's the result when sunlight and moonlight are left out.”

Gaze chuckled. “It’s nice to know that Princess Twilight is as self-effacing as they say. You sound as though you know her personally miss Moonlight.” Luna actually blushed a bit at that.

“W-well, I have met her a few times. She’s the Princess of Friendship, so she makes friends easily. She got to talking about some of the things she and her friends did, and I admitted that I knew how to properly cast the Butterfly Wing charm.”

This statement was actually true. Luna had indeed demonstrated the proper way to cast that charm, then blasted the Equestrian Literary Association for endorsing a book that contained the flawed version. It was yet another example of so-called ‘magic experts’ getting the particulars of a spell wrong.

“There’s been a rush of that charm in schools recently actually. Princess Luna threatened to remove royal endorsement of the Equestrian Literary Association for endorsing that and a number of other flawed works. She and her sister ended up doing so anyway when they made it plain that the Diarchy doesn’t get to decide what is worthy of endorsement or not. Ponies ignore the ELA now; it’s really funny.” Both ponies chuckled.

A few minutes later, the carriage landed in front of the palace. “Miss Moonlight, I would ask that you remain here,” Stern Gaze said. “It shouldn’t take long to get mother here. Normally I’d take you to Immigration, but they don’t open until ten in the morning. Plus, mother would like to know that the Path is still open; she’s been concerned about that of late for some reason.”

Luna nodded in compliance. As the pegacorn flew off, she smiled to herself. “I finally get to meet a pony that I’ve missed so,” she said softly to herself.

“Here’s hoping that our reunion is joyful; even though we seldom met, I know that we are Kindred Spirits.”

Stern Gaze frowned to himself as he flew to find his mother. When he had been alerted late last evening that Nightingale wanted to increase patrols ‘just in case’, he had little idea that anything was going to come of it.

There was something very odd about that young unicorn. Her story had the ring of truth to it, yet he got the impression that she was hiding something. Also, the path she came out of was nowhere near a common one. Exiles usually found their way to the Gate to the south of the city; it was situated farther away from the Rift a-purpose, since every new arrival could bring unwanted attention from the Dark One.

Even her claim to know an advanced version of the Butterfly Wing charm was suspect. Only four out of every ten unicorns were even capable to cast a temporary version of that spell. Even knowing the proper form wasn’t enough; it took a considerable amount of will to bend sunlight and moonlight to work together in such a manner.

Then there was her name. Bright Moonlight wasn’t a totally unheard of name for a unicorn to have, but something about the way she said the name was off. It was almost as if there was some sort of joke involved that he wasn’t getting.

Gaze landed on the balcony outside of his office. As he thought, his mother was still there. “Mother, we have a new arrival. A Lost Exile; my patrol found her in the Moongrass Fields. The northwestern side of the Fields in fact.”

Nightingale looked up at that, frowning. “Did this Lost Exile give you a name?” she asked, concerned. If it wasn’t Luna, then it could be worse than she thought.

“She calls herself Bright Moonlight; she’s a dark azure-coated unicorn with a cutie mark of a wand with a crescent moon-and-star combination on the top of it. Indigo mane.”

Nightingale blinked for a moment. Then she started to giggle; before too long, the regal alicorn was rolling on the floor, laughing. Gaze looked on in utter bafflement at his mother.

After a couple of minutes, Nightingale executed some control over herself; she was unable to stop giggling like a loon however. “Care to let me in on the joke mother?” Gaze asked, a little huffily.

“Nothing at all; the name just reminded me of somepony, that’s all. Come, let’s go meet this Lost Exile. I think her and I have a lot in common.” Nightingale followed her son to where he had left the unicorn.

As the disguised Luna saw both Stern Gaze and what she recognized as Nightingale approach where she had been waiting, it was taking all she had to maintain her composure. Everything about the alicorn was as she remembered.

“Bright Moonlight, is it?” the light purple alicorn said once she and her son had landed. “Let me be the first to welcome you to the Moon Kingdom. Follow us please.” Luna did so, slightly baffled as to what was going on.

Nightingale led the way to a smallish audience chamber. Before they entered it, she turned to her son. “The West Wing needs to be made ready for our new guest. Can I get you to handle that before you return to the task I interrupted earlier?” Gaze frowned before nodding.

The two mares passed through the door. Luna’s wings itched as she Felt them pass from one room to another. Nightingale closed the door with her magic and made her way to the simple table. After a moment, Luna joined her. “You can drop the disguise Princess; nopony save those close to me can enter this chamber.”

Luna shook her head. “If only I could, Princess Nightingale. Once I do so, all will know that I was using a disguise. A disadvantage of using the variety of perception filter I used. I will have to return in another fashion to keep up appearances.”

Nightingale frowned at that. “Hmm, well, that does make things more difficult. In any case, do you plan on staying?” She laid a hoof alongside Luna’s right foreleg. “I only ask because this Kingdom has been waiting for your return for a long time Princess Luna. It would make them happy.”

Luna shook her head. “I’ll have to leave for a short time to set a few things in motion, then I’ll return for a time at least. However, I won’t be returning to take the throne of this Kingdom. I left it open for one that was worthy of it.”

Nightingale sighed heavily. “I knew that you would say something like that. How long do you think you will need?”

Luna frowned thoughtfully. “Much has already been done to prepare for my sabbatical. I only need to let my sister know what has changed, then I’ll be able to return. I still have yet to figure out why I Sealed even the memory of this Kingdom away; until I have done so, the ponies must be kept out of the loop. It’s unfair to them, as I’m sure there are many who are waiting for my return.”

“Well, yes; the common pony at least. I’m sure the nobles are absolutely dreading it,” Nightingale chuckled evilly. “You do remember the Charter you wrote?”

Luna facehoofed. “Indeed, and now I wish I hadn’t wrote it. It seems my flair for the dramatic got the better of me. In any case, it shouldn’t take long. Is there an easy way for me to return to the tunnel I used?”

Nightingale nodded. “The door we passed through will let you out into the conference room; from there, just ask a Moon Guard to lead you to the West Wing. I tied one of the portals that lead to the Path to the wardrobe in there. The West Wing is as secure as mine own chambers; I’ve held it in trust for you ever since you were freed. That hasn’t been easy.”

“I thank you.” Luna gave Nightingale a hug. “Don’t worry dear heart; I shan’t be too long.” She then walked to the door, using her magic to close it and the portal behind her.

“Let’s just hope that the Dark One remains clueless; I don’t know how long that will last.” Nightingale said softly to the now empty room.

As soon as Luna got to the West Wing, she made right for the most unobtrusive wardrobe- one that looked like it was made out of apple-wood -and opened the door.

“Coats? Why is it full of coats? It doesn’t snow on Lune. Must be Nightingale’s idea of a prank or something. Whatever.” Luna shut the wardrobe door. Concentrating briefly on her destination, she opened it again to see the entrance to the path she had came on behind the coats. “Definitely Nightingale’s idea of a joke,” she said. Shrugging, she entered the path, making sure the door was closed behind her.

Luna made her way down the path in a less meandering fashion on her return trip. Once back in her private quarters, she flew quickly to her sister’s rooms.

Celestia was up as she had been for the past couple of days. She was using the extra time to get through as much of the backlog of work before the both of them were to go on their sabbatical. It didn’t help that the nobility was only adding to the pile with their shenanigans. She looked up in surprised pleasure as Luna alighted on her balcony. “Hello Lu’! I wasn’t honestly expecting you back so soon! Did you find out what you were looking for?”

“That and more ‘Tia,” Luna said in response. She sat down at the portable desk Celestia used whenever paperwork carried late. “This is only a flying visit; I’ll have to return for a time at least. We must needs to contrive of a way for me to be in two places at once for a little while. I’ll have to go on part of my sabbatical soon.”

Celestia smirked playfully. “I figured as much, which is why I’m handling this paperwork. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s not actually mine.” Luna blushed prettily as she realized that the paperwork sitting on the desk was last month’s end-of-the-month reports.

“Now I feel like a filly who has found out that her big sister has done her homework,” Luna snarked. The two giggled a bit.

“So, what have you found out Lu’?” Celestia asked.

Luna didn’t respond right away. “Remember that you asked me what I had done with the ponies I swore to protect?” Celestia nodded. “Well, I did what you expressly forbade me to do, what I didn’t have your blessing to do so.”

Luna started to twiddle her hooves, a sign that her nerves were showing. “I used my personal alicorn magic and pulled them into the Realm of Dreams. I then sealed that Realm in such a way that one could only enter through set paths. I took those foals- and the stallions and mares that had sworn themselves to this endeavor -and formed a Kingdom of Exiles on the far side of Lune’s surface. That’s all I wanted to do ‘Tia; to take them to a place wherein I could protect them. I wasn’t even planning to rule them.”

“More would follow later on thanks to those insufferable nobles. They were part of a three-pronged attack against me that forced me to lock up my own memories. The reason for that eludes me except for flashes.” Luna sighed, still fidgeting. “Even after I feel to that damnable Demon of Envy, I still did all I could to protect them.”

“The Kingdom is still there, rivaling that which has been built here. They’ve survived not because I was there to protect them, but because of another alicorn. One that I call friend, and one that was a comfort to me during the madness that was Nightmare Moon.”

Luna poured herself a cup of tea to organize her thoughts before continuing. “Her name is Nightingale, and according to her son, she is the Alicorn of Shadows, Darkness, and Light.”

Celestia frowned in confusion. “I can see being the Alicorn of Shadows, or even Darkness; neither of those forces are truly evil. But Rainbow Dash is the Alicorn of Light; I don’t see how she can claim the title as well.”

“I don’t know that’s she’s an alicorn of those forces in the same manner as we are. She can Call on them of course, but she’s not directly tied to them in the same manner. Angela never did give us any details on that particular aspect of ascension.” Luna took a sip of the sweet black tea before continuing. “But I know she wasn’t always an alicorn. In fact, when we first met each other, she was a very young pegacorn.”

Celestia blinked in shock. “She actually visited you during your banishment? How?”

Luna smiled. “Astral Projection. Apparently it’s one of her many talents. In any case, we found in each other Kindred Spirits.” Luna sighed sadly. “It’s truly unfortunate that the seal on my memories extended to our meetings. I could remember nothing of each visit until I heard her name and saw her kind eyes. Such sadness for one so young.”

Celestia looked at her sister’s sad, lonely expression. “There’s more than just friendship between you and this Nightingale, isn’t there Lu’.” It wasn’t a question. Luna sighed.

“Wishes mostly, ‘Tia. Though I remember her now, we seldom met. It was always risky for her, and I was seldom lucid enough to respond were she to make the effort.”

Celestia looked at her sister. “Luna, the Nightmare wasn’t an entity, was it?” she asked delicately. Luna shook her head.

“Not strictly, no. Nightmare was little more or less my suppressed envy towards you given form by a Lesser Demon of Envy. I was not able to fight back against it because I rejected the quite natural envy I had towards you ‘Tia.” Luna sighed. “Dear Clover was correct; one can admit to the more negative emotions without letting them control you. Burying them is the same as giving up.”

“Well, I’m glad that you came and told me what you had discovered Lu’,” Celestia said. “There shouldn’t be any secrets between sisters.”

Luna nodded, then frowned. “You’re not angry that I went behind your wings on that issue, sister?” she asked hesitatingly. Celestia shook her head at that.

“You are your own mare, and a Princess in your own right. You weren’t truly more answerable to me then any more than you are now. Plus, my own reasons for saying no in the first place were a combination of pride, and a desire to keep Equestria together. I’m not dwelling on my regrets Luna,” she said when she saw that her sister was about to berate her once again for her self-deprecation, “I’m simply acknowledging that I have pride. That includes being able to realize that the wisdom of a mortal pony has bearing even on an alicorn.”

Luna smiled in relief. She took a glance at the water-clock on the wall and gave a light ‘eep’ when she saw how long she’d been there. “It’s that late already?? I’m overdue for dreamwalking!” She would have left had Celestia not stopped her.

“I assume that you plan on leaving afterwards?” Celestia asked Luna. The midnight blue alicorn shook her head.

“Later this evening I’ll return for a short time to formally announce the beginning of my sabbatical. I just hope that you and Twilight will be able to handle things without me; I don’t know how long I’m going to be in Nightingale’s Kingdom.”

“You mean your Kingdom Luna. No, don’t deny it; though you may not rule them as such, you are still their Guardian,” Celestia said kindly. “Don’t worry too much about me; I’m still able to handle the business of rule as well as I ever did. Better now since I’m now working far more closely with the High Council.”

The two hugged one another in passing. Luna then quickly left to discharge her duties. Celestia soon finished the rest of Luna’s paperwork, then went to sleep herself to prepare for the next day.

Neither one were at all aware that these next few days would be the last of the peaceful days that they would have; a storm was about to crest, and there was a strong chance that Equestria as it was might not survive…

Author's Notes:

So Luna and Nightingale have finally met each other. This chapter was kind of odd, as it's mostly filler.

Filler is such a pain; a pain to write, and a pain to figure out what to write.

In any case, this might or might not be the last chapter for this one for awhile. I have a much clearer idea of where I'm going with it; however, I might need a couple of chapters in LRSF to nail down the particulars.

Starting to think that I should just finish LRSF before doing anything more on this one.

Bonus points for anypony that figures out the reference to another series that I snuck into this chapter. Anypony that reads fantasy- or has watched one of the more recent popular fantasy-based movies -will get it.

Edit, August 21st, 2016: Added more to the scene where Luna talks about the Futterwing spell Twilight cast. In my head canon, there's actually two different versions of the same spell. The one that Twilight cast works fine, but has a limit to its usefulness. Debates rage as to whether or not the spell is safe due to the risks involved. Of course, it's mostly just there to help teach conjuration. Also, they don't teach it to unicorns Sweetie Belle's age; it's mostly university students.

Chapter Fourteen: Of Sirens, Prodigal Students, and Sawed-Off Sorcerers

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Equestrian Universe, Human World, 06-13-05 A.N.M., 2:27 PM (After Nightmare Moon)

Sunset Shimmer smiled as she looked at her friends, which had one more number than they did a week ago. It had only been a short time since the end of the Friendship Games between CHS and Crystal Preparatory. The unusual thing was that the rival school had three alternates that Sunset wasn’t expecting. Only one of them actually mattered though; the Human World’s version of Twilight Sparkle.

The girl in question blushed a bit as she gazed at her new friends. Sunset blinked as her blush deepened when she glanced at this world’s version of Rainbow Dash. Her smile turned smug as she recognized the first signs of a crush.

Sunset winced a bit as a sharp, jabbing pain hit her between the shoulderblades. She was about to ask Rarity for a couple of the painkillers she always carried, when the base of the now-broken statue shimmered. Abruptly, Princess Twilight stumbled through the portal.

All the other girls- except for this world’s Twilight -joined in the outcry. “Twilight!” The princess was dogpiled by a gaggle of giggling teens. She greeted them with smiles before launching into a flurry of apologies towards Sunset.

“I’m so, so sorry I was unable to come sooner Sunset! It’s been a mad few months! Me and another princess had to go North to stop something from happening, and I haven’t had a chance to do much in Ponyville since we got back! I was only able to find out you needed my help because I had to get some books for Rainbow Dash from my castle. I’m so sorry!”

Twilight would have continued in this vein had Sunset not pinched her lips closed. “Slow down Twilight! It’s okay! Sure, we sure could have used your help, but everything worked out. Thanks to the Power of Friendship.”

Twilight smiled at that. She then blinked in shock as she got a good look at the one girl that hadn’t joined in the dogpile.

The other Twilight blinked as well; it was like looking into a mirror. The two girls slowly approached one another. Princess Twilight touched Twilight’s arm at the same time as the other girl touched hers. The two then smiled; Princess Twilight’s was gentle, while Twilight’s was shy.

“Well, it’s so nice to meet me,” the displaced Equestrian princess said a bit sardonically. Sunset rolled her eyes at that. “I understand that you’ve had a bit of an adventure. I know somepony- er, someone I should say -that might be able to help you with the fall out.”

“That’s okay Princess,” the other Twilight said shyly. “Sunset’s been a big help, and I’ve been getting some advice from Vice-Principal Luna as well. I guess she has experience in fighting inner demons too.”

Twilight nodded. “Well, I guess this just turned into a visit then. If you truly want some more help though, just tell Sunset. She knows how to get in touch with me. At the very least, it’ll give you a chance to see my world.” Her smile turned wry. “If you’re anything at all like me, I’m sure curiosity is just eating you alive.” The other Twilight blushed as she nodded.

Sunset frowned. “Ah, actually Princess Twilight, I was thinking of giving Twilight here my old journal. I won’t need it when I return to Equestria tomorrow.” The other girls exclaimed at this.

“Why are you leaving us Sunny? I thought we were friends,” Pinkie Pie asked sadly. The fiery-haired teenager hugged the pinkette.

“You are Pinkie; that’s why I want to leave my journal behind. That way the connection will remain open. I’d leave it with one of you, but I think Twilight is a better bet. I’m sure she can learn much more about the Power of Friendship from you girls without me around.” Sunset sighed. “It’s just; it’s time girls. I’ve got old friends- a whole other life -back in Equestria. Now that the portal can be opened any time, it’s past time for me to go home.” The other girls nodded at that, though they were all wearing sad faces.

Twilight herself was the saddest of all of them. Giving into impulse, she jumped up and gave Sunset a big hug. “I’ll miss you Sunset. I don’t want you to go, but I know know that change is often for the better.”

“Hey, it’s not a good-bye here Twilight! I’ll be back in a few weeks. Or, maybe you can all come over to the other side for a visit.” The other girls nodded at that, smiling more brightly as they realized that Sunset wasn’t completely writing them out of her life.

Princess Twilight smiled as she looked on. “It looks like you’ve learned everything you needed to Sunset. I’m sure that Celestia will be every bit as proud of you as I am,” the purple-haired princess said softly. She nodded as she made up her mind; it wouldn’t hurt for her to stay for another day.

Several hours later, Princess Twilight walked to the Wondercolt statue. She had received a note to meet Sunset and a couple of the other girls there. Twilight was surprised at those that were present; not only were both this world’s Applejack and Rainbow Dash here, but so were the Dazzlings.

Adagio snorted as she saw Twilight approach. “Well, if it isn’t the pretty pony princess,” she said in a huffy manner. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the other side?” To Twilight’s surprise, Aria slapped her upside the head.

“Adagio, will you knock it off already?! We came to ask for her help; well, at least me and Sonata did anyway. If you want to keep on regretting the loss of power that misbegotten son of a hydra and a chimera gave us, then you can just stay here and gloat.” Adagio scowled at that.

“I don’t see why we should have to grovel; it’s not like her or any of the other Equestrian Princesses are likely to give us another chance. The only reason I’m willing to ask at all is because it’s boring here; it’ll probably be just as boring in Equestria, but at least there’s magic there. Maybe then we’ll stop feeling so empty...” the girl trailed off.

Twilight sighed. “Adagio, almost everyone deserves a second chance to prove themselves. If you were past redemption, the Power of Harmony would have done more to you than just destroy those pendants. Only those that have truly given into Evil are irredeemable. You deserve as much of a chance as Discord did, and if it’s in my power to give it, then so be it.”

As Twilight finished speaking, a glow suffused the three former sirens. They blinked as the bindings that Star Swirl cast on them faded. Aria and Sonata weren’t all that surprised. However, Adagio’s jaw dropped a bit as she felt the bonds being lifted. “You mean that’s it? After everything we’ve done, you’re willing to give us another chance?” When Twilight nodded, the girl sighed. “Well, thanks I guess. C’mon sisters; let’s let the rest of these clowns talk until they’re ready to leave.” The three former sirens all walked off a ways, giving the other girls a bit of privacy.

Sunset turned and hugged Applejack first. “Thank you AJ; I know your grandma letting me stay in your townhouse while I was at loggerheads with the rest of CHS wasn’t fair on you. I was always afraid that you were going to toss me out.”

Applejack shook her head. “Ya might have been acting the brat in those days Sunset, but even then, Ah’s could tell that ya had an honest, kind heart. Ya were just all caught up in the easy path, that’s all.”

Sunset nodded. “You be sure and give the rest of the girls my farewells, okay? I’d stay longer, but there simply isn’t anything here for me any more.” Applejack nodded, sniffing a bit. Sunset then turned to Rainbow Dash.

The polychromatic-haired teen scowled a bit. “I don’t get why you can’t just stay till you graduate Sunny,” Rainbow groused. “I mean, you only had one more day, tops.” Sunset shook her head.

“Rainbow Dash, I’ve been over this before. I already went through high school twice now; I don’t plan on staying in this world, so a high school diploma won’t be of any use to me. I need to see if Princess Celestia will let me take my finals at her school. The most important thing though is that this isn’t my world, Rainbow Dash. I’ve made friends here, but it’s not the same.”

Sunset hugged the athletic girl; not surprising, the girl hugged her back. “You take care of Twilight now, you hear me? She needs someone that knows what it feels like when you don’t fit in.” She grinned at the blush that arose on Rainbow Dash’s cheeks.

After a bit, the two girls broke off the hug. The Dazzlings saw that they were all finished, and joined the two going back to Equestria. After a bit of a tussle to see who would go first, the five girls all stepped through the portal back to Equestria. Rainbow Dash waited a bit until she saw the shimmer that heralded the portal’s closing. “So long Sunny; you can count on me to take care of her for you. You’ll be back some day, once you find out where your heart really belongs.”

Rainbow Dash paced nervously in front of the mirror as she waited for Twilight to return. “She said this was only a quick trip over and back,” she grumbled. “What has she been doing over there; tending parties?”

Luna rolled her eyes at her fellow princess. “Rainbow Dash, you know for certain that she has seldom crossed through yonder mirror unless she needed to. It shouldn’t take much to reason why she’s tarried as long as she has. Certes, I can think of four reasons why she has, and mayhap is only waiting on them.”

Rainbow frowned at Luna. “What reasons? Even if Sunny was coming back here, it still doesn’t take her all day. And if she had a reason to take longer, she would have sent a message of some kind.”

Luna sighed. “I suggested the same to mine sister, and she agrees.” She pointed to the contraption where the twin to Sunset’s journal rested. “Earlier, yonder journal did glow most emphatically. I would have told you sooner, but you seemed mightily engrossed in the barrel of cider you got from fair Applejack.” Rainbow colored at that.

“Ack, I missed it!” She sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway; the message probably was for me.” Rainbow sat down on her rump next to the podium. “Anyway, why are you here Luna? I mean, I appreciate the support, but I would have thought you’d be back in you Kingdom.”

Luna smiled slyly. “What says I’m not in both places? After all, I am the Princess of Dreams; when My Little Ponies slumber, there I can be. Much like yourself, Alicorn of Light.”

Rainbow’s pithy comment was halted as the mirror chimed. Rainbow bounced back as a two-toned fiery-maned unicorn jumped out of the now shimmering portal. Sunset Shimmer trotted to the side to give room as four more mares soon passed through.

Luna frowned as her guess was confirmed. “Well, I most certainly wasn’t expecting to see you three again. I trust that Princess Twilight had good reason to allow you to return.” The three now ordinary unicorns quivered before the Lunar Diarch. Even Adagio was unable to hide her fear.

Twilight scowled reprovingly at Luna. “I used the same judgement for them that your own sister used when she freed Discord. Besides, they were little more than pawns, Luna; the magic of the Siren is something that only one unicorn can bestow upon another. I know for a fact who gave it to them, and why he did so. Without that power, they’re just three ordinary half-trained unicorns.”

Luna snorted angrily. “Twilight Sparkle, do not presume to insult my intelligence. I know better than thou how the Pact of the Siren works. Pawns they might have been, but they had to be willing for it to even work. Thou hast taken great risk in granting them passage; their crimes were of far greater level than Discord’s ever were. I still question the wisdom of letting him out, and even more so granting pardon to those three.”

Twilight snorted. “I’ve only granted them what they were already given Luna. I witnessed their defeat; more than just the Power of Friendship won that day. The stones they bore were destroyed by none other than the Avatar of Harmony.”

Luna was about to offer a rebuttal when a flare along the edges of Adagio’s mane caught her attention. Leveraging the Sight granted to her as an alicorn, her eyes widened as she was able to see that the three were indeed touched by Harmony itself. “Certes, thine is right! Not only are they touched by Harmony, but there’s little Taint on their souls.” She frowned pensively. “Still, even that matters little. Star Swirl imprisoned them for crimes against all ponies; they needs must make reparations for said crimes.”

Rainbow Dash trotted over to the three. Ignoring the shocked gaze that Sunset gave her, the cyan alicorn touched her horn to the right front hock of first Adagio, then Aria, and then Sonata. Colored bands of crystal appeared around each mare’s hoof. As she raised her head, all ponies could see the glow of the Aurora in her eyes.

“As it was the Invader of the Land Sworn to mine Sister and I that these three Bound themselves unknowingly to, then it is by this one’s judgement that they are Bound in service to the Aurora. I find them worthy to be returned to the People they were Sworn to, as their Hearts have yearned for my voice for longer than the Nightmare was sealed away.”

All the other mares gasped in shock as first Adagio, then Aria and Sonata changed before their eyes. Their coats took on a crystalline luster. Their manes shined with a thousand sparkles. Even their eyes bore a shimmering look.

Luna’s expression was one of shock. She made to speak, but found herself unable to. The three newly-born Crystal Unicorns all bowed before the Alicorn of Light. She bowed in return, then turned towards Twilight. “See that these three are well cared for, She of Magic.” The mare nodded, and gestured for the three to follow her.

The Alicorn of Light then turned her reproving gaze onto Luna. “I am most displeased that you would believe the lie that misbegotten excuse of a stallion told you after he unjustly banished my daughters. Yes, my daughters, Luna; those three were Born of my Light with the rest of the First Crystal Ponies. The Pact they were Bound to was one of lies; they knew NOTHING of it when they first took it.”

The Alicorn’s gaze grew intense. Luna sunk onto her belly as she felt the weight of an ageless presence press down onto her soul. “Even though they did great evil while under his aegis, it was no worse than the evil done by thine own hoof while under the aegis of Envy. Indeed, it was far, far less than that which was done under the hooves of the pride of both thy sister and thy teacher. Star Swirl has much to answer for, but to demand reparations on three that were sent away to make certain his misbegotten Seal remained intact is by far the worst he has ever done. I sent those three away with others to escape the Seal he placed on the Crystal Empire, only to have him send them away, rather than Breaking the enchantment forced upon them. Your sister has learned the fallacy of trusting anything that miserable excuse of a stallion ever did, but it seems as though you have yet to learn the same!”

Luna’s anger broke her out of the entrancement that the presence of Serenity placed on her. “Essence you may be, but Star Swirl’s efforts were only ever meant to Seal away a Great Evil! Where do you get the right to say that both what he did, and his very existence were worthless?!”

“BECAUSE IT WAS ALL IN DEFENSE OF A FALLEN KINGDOM, DESTROYED BY ONE THAT MINE ENTIRE EXISTENCE HAS BEEN SPENT IN THE EFFORT TO DESTROY! WHAT IS WORSE IS THAT HE SEALED AWAY AN ENTIRE REALM OF INNOCENTS IN ORDER TO BIND ONE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED! THE DARK ONE SERVES NO PURPOSE IN THE CREATION OF THIS OR ANY OTHER REALM; HE IS AN INCARNATION FROM A FRAGMENT OF A FALLEN SOUL THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED COUNTLESS AGES AGO! INSTEAD OF NURTURING THOSE BORN IN THIS WORLD, I AND MINE BROTHER AND SISTERS HAVE INSTEAD BEEN FORCED TO SPEND OUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO DESTROY A SHADOW, ONLY TO HAVE EVERY ITERATION OF THAT ASININE STALLION SEAL HIM AWAY! I KNOW STAR SWIRL FAR, FAR BETTER THAN YOU CHILD, SO BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THAT WHAT OUR POWER WAS FORCED TO DO BY HIS HOOVES WAS THE GREATEST BETRAYAL THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. ASK BOTH THIS ONE WHOM I AM USING AS A MOUTHPIECE, AND THE ALICORN OF MAGIC TO TELL YOU WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED!”

The rant had the effect of reducing Luna to a quivering wreck. “I-I'm sorry Serenity; it is just that Star Swirl was there for both myself and Celestia when nopony else was. I find it hard to think his actions were malicious.”

At this point, Sunset stepped forward, shaking her head as she did so. “I don’t think that’s what Serenity is saying, Princess Luna. What I know of Star Swirl was that all of his efforts were well meaning, but horribly mistaken.” The unicorn sighed. “Part of my own problems was that I followed his model of dealing with things. You and Princess Celestia both learned more from his pupil anyway; at least, that’s what the teachings of Harmony Princess Celestia tried to hammer into my thick skull led me to believe.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, still under Serenity’s influence. “He does indeed mean well, and always has. However, he was ever the traditionalist; he and his teacher parted ways after she was unable to get him to listen to reason. You learned her lessons far better than you thought you did; I am most certain that she is very proud.” The glow left Rainbow’s eyes as she shook her head.

“How many times does it need to be said LuLu?! Angela’s tried to tell you; Clover tried to teach you. Hay, even Selene’s tried to get you to understand. Me and Twilight found out first hoof that Star Swirl isn’t anything more than a hack. In fact, he’s so inept that the Dark One has taken control of just about every major spell he ever cast; the only reason the Seal remains intact now is because others are its pivot points. Were it still Bound to the Crystal Empire and the Plane of Ascension, it would have fallen by now.”

Luna eyes held sadness. “It is hard to think badly of one that I called Teacher.” As she continued to think, her eyes turned hard and flinty. “Which he never was; I learned what I know from Clover. It was Celestia that learned from Star Swirl, and little of it she ever used. Save for those misbegotten prophecies…” Abruptly, the lunar mare facehoofed. “Forsooth! The proof stares me right in the face! The very spell that turned young Twilight into an alicorn is Clover’s creation!”

“Which is a spell that can only be used by a balanced number of the three tribes in the presence of the Seeds of Harmony,” Sunset said. Her tone was dry. “It also requires a balanced amount of the three primary types of pony mana in the caster to work properly. Or maybe it balances out the caster’s mana by making equal amounts. That part of the formula wasn’t very clear.”

“Actually, it requires that either a nascent or full-blown pegacorn cast the spell in the presence of Bearers of the Seeds that are a balance of tribes. It doesn’t have to be unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus; that’s just what worked for me.” Twilight walked into the room before continuing. “Clover was already ascended when she first used that spell. I missed those details because what I originally thought was just an ornate form of writing was, in fact, oversimplified pegacorn runic.”

Twilight teleported a familiar ornate scroll and held it before Sunset. The fiery orange mare took the scroll and unrolled it. She nodded as she read what was written. “Yep, same spell I deciphered about two months before I jumped into the mirror. I fled just after the fight I had; I called the Princess out on the fact that she was using me to free her sister. What she refused to get was that I was more than just ‘scared to make friends.’ I was scared to hurt them. Without all of the Seeds, they could have died. I didn’t want that to happen to Lyra and the others, so I ran off.”

“Then what was all that about taking the Element of Magic?” Rainbow asked. Sunset scowled.

“That was the result of spell residue from the Sirens when they were banished. It’s gone now; it was almost fully dissolved when I passed through. What was left latched onto my fear and desire to prove myself.” Sunset reached back and rubbed her hoof on a painfully itchy spot on her back.

The spot came back bloody. “Um, I don’t feel so good,” she said as she collapsed. The scroll fell from her levitation aura as bony protrusions erupted from her back. The mare started to scream in pain.

Luna gasped. “She’s transitioning?! Quickly Rainbow Dash, get a blanket! Twilight Sparkle, go brew a pot of mine own blend!” Luna’s aura flashed as she and her dream avatar switched places. The lunar mare ran a ball of azure mana down along Sunset’s proto wings as the continued to grow. This helped to soothe the mare, and her convulsions ended.

Rainbow returned with a blanket. Luna carefully levitated Sunset onto the blanket, making sure that her growing wings weren’t touched in any way. She took the towels that Rainbow had also thoughtfully brought and stanched the blood that flowed from the mare’s sides. “Why does this sort of thing always happen when we least want it to?” she grumbled as she ministered Celestia’s wayward pupil.

Rainbow sighed. “Serenity was afraid this was going to happen. I got the impression that that was one of the reasons she was so angry. One of Star Swirl’s so-called ‘prophecies’ was actually designed to push away any student of Celly’s that showed hints of becoming a pegacorn. Twily showed the same ones, but Celly basically ignored them, thinking the ‘warning’ only applied to Sunset.”

Luna gaped. “Thou canst mean that mine sister has let those prophecies direct everything she hast done in the last thousand years?!” Rainbow shook her head; she was using her magic to do the same on Sunset’s left flank that Luna was doing on her right.

“Not everything; just where the either the Elements of Harmony, the Seal on Nightmare Moon, or the Seal over the Crystal Empire was concerned.” Rainbow grinned; it wasn’t a nice one. “Her releasing of Discord was at Solaris’ urging; seems like everything he ever did was a deliberate upset of all of Star Swirl’s efforts. Makes sense when you consider where he came from.”

Luna frowned. “He’s a draconequus; his kind have oft been creatures of chaos.” Rainbow snorted at that.

“Oh, gimme a break! Discord has as much relation to real Draconequi than I do to a hippogryph. Angela told me that he was a chimera created by the Utopian High Council as a last ditch effort to destroy Astropolis. It was stopped by a certain alicorn that I’m sure you’re quite familiar with.”

Luna scowled. “As much as I hate to admit being wrong, I know that thou art correct, Rainbow Dash. Discord has always seemed far too mismatched to be a draconequus. I met a pair of them when young; they may be odd, but they have a natural form akin to gryphons.” Rainbow nodded.

Twilight trotted in with a pot of Luna’s blend. “I got this as quickly as I could. How is she?” Twilight gazed in disbelief at Sunset’s shifting form. “Her wings are almost fully grown already?! It took Rainbow several hours before her horn fully grew in!”

Luna sighed. “‘Tis different for every nascent.” Her eyes widened as sparks started to fly from the end of Sunset’s lengthening horn. “She’s flaring! Help me shield you two!” The other two alicorns joined their barriers with Luna’s own aegis as Sunset’s horn flared to life.

Sunset’s eyes flashed open, glowing a bright white. All of the other alicorns present could feel the presence of primal forces as it forged a bond between the newly awakened pegacorn.

Rainbow’s eyes glowed with the colors of the Aurora as Serenity once more used her as a mouthpiece. “No! This one is not yet ready! She must be able to choose! YOU SHALL WAIT UNTIL SHE WAKES! THE COUNCIL HAST SPOKEN!” The forces subsided in sullen anger.

Sunset’s eyes continued to glow however, as she was still undergoing a mana flare. Twilight yelped as she felt vibrations thunder through the foundation of her palace. “She’s already approaching full apotheosis?! I thought that requires either a conscious choice or action!”

“It does Twi! That’s why Serenity stepped in! She had the full backing of the Council of Essences on her side. The Primal Forces have chosen Sunset as their Avatar!”

“Which force has chosen Rainbow Dash?” Luna asked, yelping as a particularly violent spark smacked her in the left flank.

“All of them! Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Metal! They’ve been waiting for years; they were starting to bond well over five years ago now, just before she jumped into the mirror. YIPE! That’s my wing, not my shield, you stupid flare!” The other two chuckled at the glare Rainbow Dash gave off despite the situation.

For the next few minutes, the three alicorns did their best to stave off wave after wave of magic that flowed off the horn, wings, and hooves of the ascending pegacorn that lay in the center of their rough circle. After a rough ten minutes, the flaring finally stopped; Sunset’s eyes closed and she finally fell asleep.

The three alicorns dismissed their combined shields and took stock of their surroundings. Their efforts had paid off; other than a few singed feathers, a pair of smarting backsides, and a bit of wounded pride on the part of the Lunar Diarch, the damage had been contained.

Luna rubbed her singed left cutie mark, then gave it a pat. “I do hate flare burns; you can’t heal them. Mine sister is going to have words with my Captain; he’ll get blamed for ‘practicing too hard with my baby sister’ again.” The other two mares giggled at that.

Luna gazed at the young pegacorn between them. “What a hard night this has been. First I see three ghosts from the past; then I get a rightful chastisement from one that is far older than I can grasp; and finally I pay witness to something that not even Angela has ever been willing to contemplate.”

The dark blue alicorn frowned. “However, there’s one thing I’ve learned this eve that I’m having trouble accepting. No matter who hast said it, I still find it difficult to accept that Clover is a pegacorn.”

“That’s because she’s not a pegacorn; she hasn’t been one since before there even was an Equestria. Nor was she ever the unicorn she always pretended to be.” The mares all turned their heads towards the new voice.

Princess Hope smirked as she walked her astral projection over to where the others were lying. “I suspected that this one would make her way here sooner or later.” She stroked Sunset’s mane with a tender hoof. “It was perhaps the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time, leaving her in that orphanage. However, I promised my daughter that I would not step one hoof on Equestrian soil unless and until the Council of Eight said I could. I keep the promises I make to my children; they seldom ask anything of me.”

Twilight frowned. “Sunset told me that she was adopted, but I never knew from where. But you make it sound as though she’s also your daughter. That makes no sense.” Hope laughed gaily at that.

“Oh Twilight; I’m not like my sister Essences; myself, Gaia, and Chronos all have true earthly forms. We feel the same urges Our Little Ponies do, and often give into them. I’m alone in that I allow children of said unions to be born though.”

“Why? It’s not fair to deny new life a chance,” Rainbow said in a snappish tone. Hope’s expression grew sad.

“Because it’s seldom fair to the child. Just look at what Sunset has gone through. Plus, all of my children know I’m their mother; they can’t help to.” Hope sighed. “That’s why she ran when she did; the fear she felt was the knowledge of how Harmony works. If she had failed- and as she was then, she would have failed if she had tried -her friends would have died from violent mana flares as the Seeds worked through them. In the end, all that would have been left is five dead ponies and a feral pegacorn. That’s after all the dead would have been counted, as she would have likely leveled Canterlot.”

Hope’s gaze turned flinty as she looked at Luna. “I want you to hear, and hear well, what I am about to say Miss Moon Princess. You and your sister need to REJECT EVERYTHING that Star Swirl ever did or ever taught you. I’ve spent the last 2,347 years trying to unravel the mess he’s made, and you and your sister holding onto the tattered threads has only made my efforts thus far that much more difficult. I’m telling you the same thing I told my daughter Clover all those years ago; CUT HIM OFF.”

Luna sighed. “I can’t speak for my sister, but I see the wisdom of it. By holding this nation- nay, our world -to the standards of the fallen nation of Utopia, he’s shown himself to be an unwitting pawn of the Dark One. That is why that city fell; it was a bastion of his power.”

Hope nodded. She sighed. “Don’t misunderstand me; I love Star Swirl as much as any other of My Little Ponies. As full of hubris as he is, he has never truly given in to Evil. Those that have are among those whose names are inscribed on the Ninth Gate of Hel; they will suffer the same fate as the damned King of Dragons when the time comes. I say when, because I have faith that the Time of Troubles that heads towards our world heralds the end of the Dark One’s influence.” Hope’s muzzle brightened as she gazed at the now-peaceful smile that graced Sunset’s muzzle. “Take care of this one for me; she is truly special.” Her projection dissolved into motes of Harmonic mana as it faded.

The three mares settled down on pillows; Rainbow and Twilight curled next each other on Sunset’s right side, while Luna curled onto a stack on her left. They all soon dozed off, waiting for Sunset to wake.

Author's Notes:

When I started this fic, I had intended to focus entirely on the story that's unfolding between Luna and Nightingale. However, they've pretty much played their parts for now; not much is going to happen until Luna figures out why she Sealed away the Moon Kingdom in the first place.

As far as bringing Sunset into the picture, I'd been kicking the idea around for awhile now. Actually, I started to almost just after I finished writing LRSF. More details of the battles to come are starting to make themselves known. Sunset has a major role to play, though I don't know if that will be stated in this fic.

The Sirens were just tacked on while I was writing. At first, it was just something extra; however, it quickly became a way to further vilify Star Swirl. The same goes for the explanation as to why Sunset went all 'she-demon' in Equestria Girls. There's always been points in that movie that are plot holes, and that just helps to fill them a little.

For those of you who don't like the fact that I'm vilifying Star Swirl too much, all I can say is this; I really don't care, nor am I going to apologize. My personal opinion of Star Swirl the Bearded is completely unflattering. First of all, everything he ever did in the show concerning villains was the whole Sealed-Evil-In-A-Can. I know that so many of those are attributed to Celestia and Luna, but that's only Nightmare Moon, Discord, Tirek, and Sombra. It says nothing else about any he faced off again. And then there's that utterly butchered 'last, unfinished masterpiece' of his. For somepony that was supposed to be as smart as he was, he never seemed to understand friendship.

For those of you who paid attention to the details of the prequel, I had already made Clover an alicorn. Making her both the daughter of hope and half-sister of Sunset was just extra that sneaked its way in as I was writing the scenes in question.

Oh, one more thing. The scene where Serenity vents a spleen on poor Luna; YIKES!! That scene HURT like a BITCH when I was writing it. Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna are my two top favorite mlp characters, and unloading that much drivel- no matter how justified -hurt me just as much as it hurt her. More, because it's all for one thing; Luna was still clinging to what Star Swirl 'taught' her.

I really have a vendetta against that stallion... Ah well, it'll play out to its final conclusion in later fics. To be certain, he's not the bad guy; he just adhered to much to the saying 'the ends justify the means.'

Oh, before I forget; the use of 'gaily' in this chapter is its proper usage. If you don't know what it means, get a dictionary!

Chapter Fifteen: Of Alicorns and Foalish Plans

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Equestria, Ponyville, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 5:31 AM (After Nightmare Moon)

A tantalizing scent tickled her nose. Sunset blinked sleepily as she woke from the most restful period of sleep that she could remember ever having. She was about to try and figure out what woke her up when the scent once more made itself known.

The amber-coated mare lifted her head and glanced next to the bed she didn’t remember climbing into. What she found was delightful; a full plate of waffles with honey and syrup with a side of grilled haddock. Sunset made for the tray, falling back on the skills she had picked up in the human world.

For the next few minutes, the pony was in rapturous bliss as she once more sampled her natural food. Even the fish was good. Sunset paused as she finished it; she had never been overly fond of fish. While at CHS, she often ate it so she could meet her protein requirements, but it was never something she particularly enjoyed. Now though, it was the best she ever had.

Once done with her meal; Sunset finally took a sip of the strange tea that had been served to her as well. Immediately she felt suffused with energy; all the little aches and pains she’d been dealing with as of late faded away. Happy, she drank the tea quickly.

An itch touched her as a bothersome fly landed on her left wing. Sunset flapped the appendage in annoyance, then froze as she realized what happened. She turned to the mirror on the other side and slowly flared the pair of large amber wings she now sported.

“Why didn’t I notice them? I mean, they basically grew really painfully out of my back, but you’d think I would have noticed them before now.” She tilted her head as she gazed at her right wing. “They just feel so natural.” She turned at the chuckle, just now realizing that there was another pony in the room with her.

Rainbow Dash smirked at the young pegacorn. “Well, Luna owes me fifty bits; she bet on you freaking out. You don’t strike me as the panicky type.” The cyan alicorn levitated the pot next to her over to Sunset’s cup. “Your gonna want more of that tea; your body is overproducing alicorn for those wings, and that’ll help.” Sunset nodded as Rainbow poured her another cup.

Sunset was about to ask the question that hovered on the tip of her tongue when five insistent presences made themselves known. They forcefully pressed themselves against her mind; snarling in anger, the amber-coated pegacorn knocked them back forcefully. The presences stopped, first in surprise, then in grudging respect.

“Ornery, aren’t they?” Rainbow asked. Sunset frowned as she nodded.

The fiery amber-coated pegacorn’s frown deepened as she realized that she had felt those presences before. “Why are the Five Primal Essences pushing against my mind like that?” Rainbow snorted in anger.

“Because they think that they can just get you to cave in. They have no understanding that full apotheosis is fueled by either a choice or action on the part of a pegacorn or pegacorn nascent.” The cyan alicorn snorted again. “Then again, they’re young as Essences go; they really only formed around fifty millennia ago, and they never had anything much to do with mortals; especially ponies.”

Sunset frowned. “But I was taught in school that everything in this world has governing Essences, and had them from the start. What makes the Primal Essences different?” Rainbow scratched her head.

“I dunno why; I’m only telling you what I’ve been told. All Serenity will say is that they’re just like any other child when they didn’t get what they wanted.”

At the suddenly sullen feelings that made themselves apparent, Sunset burst out laughing. “Oh, they sound just like I did when I was little. If wasn’t able to read instead of taking my nap, I threw a pout.”

Rainbow fell to the floor in laughter. “Oh, that sounds just like somepony else I know. Celly told me the other day that the way Twilight's lower lip pooched out when she wanted to read was ‘all kinds of cute.’ I probably should have asked her about you; I’m sure she has more stories.” Sunset blushed as Rainbow continued shaking with laughter.

“Well, she probably does. The princess was the closest thing I had to a mother for a long time. I knew it hurt her every bit as much as it did me when I ran away.”

Rainbow finally managed to stifle her laughter. “Honestly, you two are two of a kind.” Her grin grew a little calculating. “And now I know why I find you so cute; I’ve always been attracted to the bookish types.” Sunset blushed at that.

After a little bit, the fiery mare made her way over to the balcony. “I’ve used both the Flutter-wing and Butterfly Wing charms before, but is flying like this anything like those?” Rainbow shook her head.

“Twi had problems because she didn’t really want her wings. All you gotta do is just trust those new instincts of yours; pegacorns were born to fly.” Sunset nodded. She opened the balcony doors and launched herself out of them, whooping in joy as she went on her first flight.

Rainbow Dash looked satisfied. “They chose well Serenity; she’ll do quite nicely.”

The castle was beautiful even in its sad state of decay. Sunset gazed on it as she sat in a quiet little glade nearby. The mare sighed. She knew that there was no going back; once she stepped through that final door, she would become something that she honestly did not feel ready for.

Sunset had spent the past several hours just enjoying her new wings. Of all the things that had ever happened to her, her being a pegacorn just fit like a glove. It honestly felt as though she should have made the transition years ago.

Sunset sighed as she turned away from the old Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. Focusing inward, the amber-coated mare brought her mana to the forefront of her mind.

Her focus rock hard, Sunset changed how her new mana was shaped. Earth pony for her hooves; pegasus for her wings; unicorn for her horn; pegacorn for her inner light.

As the four types rose within her, Sunset Felt the presence of the Five Primal Essences. They offered her their power, and their love. Sunset smiled as she closed her eyes, and let the power of the Primal Elements fold into her as she crossed the threshold.

With that, Sunset Shimmer became the Alicorn of the Primal Star, and Princess of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Metal.

One Hour Later..

Twilight was walking in the Whitetail Woods when she felt a presence nearby. Turning, she gazed without shock as Hope stepped next to her.

“It is beautiful, is it not? It’s times like these that help remind me what it is I fight for.” Twilight nodded at her fellow alicorn.

“Yep, though I don’t get much time for this sort of thing.” Twilight looked at her fellow alicorn. “What brings you here? I thought you would still be with Starlight and Sunburst.” Hope shook her head at that.

“My granddaughter will keep for now. Right now though, there’s another young mare that I owe an explanation to. I would wish that her sister would explain herself, but Astrolia says she cannot until after Darkness gains its heart. I really hate when she’s being cryptic.” Hope sighed.

The two ponies sat quietly for a few minutes, waiting for Sunset to return. They didn’t have long to wait, as the young alicorn flew in from the south after a short time.

Sunset’s first action was to collide with Hope, giving her mother the biggest hug she’d ever had. Twilight sat back, smiling at the mother/daughter reunion. Sunset pulled back and gazed into Hope’s eyes. “You don’t need to explain right now Mother. Maybe later, but not right now. All you need to do is just hug me.”

So that’s what the Alicorn of Harmony did.

“When I was informed that the Stars themselves had marked my own as-yet unborn filly as not not only a Child of Harmony but as a potential for the Alicorn of the Primal Star, I was happy. Then Astrolia told me what it would require; that I would have to leave my daughter on the doorstep of an orphanage near to Equestria. Naturally, I did so; after she turned three. Astrolia wasn’t happy, but I’ve made it plain that Fate and Destiny plays Second Fiddle to the heart of an angry mother.” Hope snorted in anger. “Had she fled to the border, I would have brought her home, and to the Inner Hels with what Astrolia had Seen.”

“But grandmother, why did you do it anyway? I mean, prophecy is hideously unreliable.” Starlight Glimmer timidly looked up at her imposing grandmother as she continued. “I learned in school that the Art of Clairvoyance is at best unreliable.”

Hope frowned. “True, when it involves spells and rituals. Trouble is, Astrolia’s ability to See is not only one that she was born to, but comes from the Stars themselves. Every single prophecy that she has ever made has come true.” Hope sighed. “I had hope that this would be one that failed; then I found out that Celestia was actively finding ways to divert Sunset’s path. All thanks to yet another collection of false prophecies. Angela told her repeatedly that the Temple of Chronos in Utopia was compromised, but Celestia refused to accept it.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “You mean that Utopia was compromised; that whole city has been a thrall of the Dark One since its inception. When He could no longer control it, he arranged for its destruction. Anyway, it needed to happen that way; otherwise, it would have been the rest of us that suffered once Nightmare Moon had returned. Sunny was never meant for Magic, and you know that better than anypony else Hope.”

Twilight scowled reprovingly at her marefriend. “Rainbow Dash, I was there, and I saw how the Element twisted her. The Seeds only work like that with those that have some tie to the Element they represent.”

“Actually Twilight, Rainbow Dash is right; the Element of Magic was reacting that way because I was only partially suited to it. I’m more apt to be tied to Kindness anyway. In fact, the Element of Magic was channeling both Friendship and Kindness that day; Harmony itself Called me. Why do you think I was able to even get the Crown in the first place?” Sunset stomped her hoof. “I had no magic over there Twilight; all of it had been sealed when I jumped through the Portal. No, this was all planned; not only to free me from the twisted residue of the Sirens having been sent there, but later as a vector to allow the Avatar of Harmony to purify the Dazzlings.”

“It goes back to something that I’ve been trying to get you to understand; Harmony has despised almost everything that Star Swirl the Bearded ever did.” Hope sighed. “In fact, he’s not part of Harmony; when he abused the power we Essences sent him, Harmony Sealed him away and used him as a fulcrum for the Barrier he created. That’s why his body was never recovered. The Heart refuses to tell me what she did with him; I only asked once anyway.”

Starlight was about to comment when Spike- who had been sitting quietly next to Twilight with a bowl of inexpensive sapphires -burped out a cloud of smoke that quickly resolved itself into a sealed scroll. Twilight swiftly caught it. Her brow furrowing, she read the contents out loud to all of the ponies present.

To Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor;

This missive is to inform you that the High Speaker of the Grand Assembly has rejected the Coronation of the pegacorn Rainbow Dash, as well as the Coronation of the false Alicorn of Harmony. Further, the Nine High Seats have also rejected said Coronations, as well as your appointment to Regency. To address this, a secret ballot was called two days ago.
The government of Equestria has called into question the authority of the Diarchy. Thus, all seated members of the Grand Council will be casting votes for or against a Vote of No Confidence in the persons of Celestia Dos Everfree, Lunara Dos Everfree, Mi Amore Cadenza Crystallia, and Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor. In addition, all authority that the self-titled Elements of Harmony have in the Equestrian government has also been called into question.
All ponies who wish to hear the final results of the ballot should turn in WEQS Channel Four of the EBN at 10:30
On a more personal note, it pleases me that the dominance of pegacorns over the Ponies of Equestria will soon be at an end.

Best Regards;
The Lady Lily Leaf, Grand Duchess of Stalliongrad

“What the hay?! I come back to my homeland, and they’re gonna do something like THAT?! WHAT IN THE NINE HELS HAS HAPPENED IN EQUESTRIA!” Sunset would have said more had her mother not let out a belt of laughter.

“The Lady Lily Leaf?! Does that little brat really think this will work?! Yes, Celestia may have made some mistakes, but the common pony doesn’t know that! Nor should they; it never concerned them since it dealt with those close to her!” Tears of laughter flowed out of her eyes. “The late Lady Lemyre trusted her final back up plan to a complete ignoramus!”

Twilight simply looked at the water clock hanging on the wall. Seeing that it was about time for the broadcast, she stamped her hoof onto the sigil on the table that activated the crystal radio that she had installed months ago.

The assembled mares waited tensely for the Sapphire Shores song to finish. They closely listened to the broadcast.

‘Good Morning Equestria. It’s the Voice of Canterlot here with a report on the secret ballot called two days earlier. Now, instead of the ballot being cast for its original intent, it seems as though the full Vote Of No Confidence that was to be cast against the Alicorn Council was remanded in favor of a Vote of No Confidence in the members of the High Seats of both the Grand Assembly and the Nine High Seats of the High Council. Further, the Seated members of the Grand Assembly has unanimously cast a vote in favor of the immediate and permanent Exile of the former Duchess of Stalliongrad. The former Lady Lily Leaf was found to have used both bribes and threats to swing the vote in her favor.’ The speaker paused for a moment before continuing her broadcast. The listeners could tell that she was doing her level best to suppress laughter. ‘This just in folks; it seems as though it goes deeper. All of this was a back up plan developed by the inept leadership of the Polomare Family. Word from Mareago is that a successful sting operation has netted the last ruling members of the Mareago Crime Syndicate. Evidence points right to all who attempted to cast a vote of No Confidence in our Princesses. Well, it seems as though the last effort by those working with the late Lady Lemyre have been outed. This has been the Voice of Canterlot; I have to sign off for an early lunch, and about ten minutes of laughter.’

Twilight shut the radio off before she fell to the floor in hysterics. She was soon joined in her laughter by all the others present. The Castle of Friendship echoed with the laughter of those whose faith hadn’t even been bruised.

Finally, Sunset was able to get her giggles in control. “Seriously?! She really thought that would work?! I’ve been gone for over seven years now, and even I never forgot that you don’t work with the Mafia! The current Families are a pale shadow of what they once were.”

Twilight giggled. “We already expected some of this went right to the top, so Celestia just gave Lily Leaf enough rope to hang herself. She could have prevented this easily, but the former Duchess has been a thorn in her side for decades.”

Starlight just shook her head as she did her best to control her own giggling. “Are all the nobles of Equestria like that, or is it just those at the top?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. Leveraging her alicorn poise, she masterfully brought her own amusement under control. “Most of us born as nobles do the best we can. It’s just that the ones that are most visible want what they no longer have; a return to ‘proper rule.’ The silly foals don’t get it though; the only way they’d be able to depose us Princesses is if they were able to convince the common pony that Celly has it out for them.”

“Huh, well, that’s interesting. It escaped my notice that you’re a noble yourself, Princess Rainbow Dash.” Starlight rolled her eyes. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious; House Dash is one of the oldest Equestrian houses. All of the Elements are if I’m not mistaken. The only ones present that aren’t are myself and Sunset.” Sunset just rolled her eyes at her niece.

“What I don’t get is what they said about ‘the late Lady Lemyre.’ I wasn’t aware that she was a part of the conspiracy at all.” At her mention of that name, Hope’s eyes went from being filled with laughter to to becoming hard and flinty.

“The Lady Lemyre was one of a long line of Equestrian nobility that practices the darkest forms of witchcraft. Worse is that she was a willing servant of the Dark One. As to why they call her ‘the late Lady Lemyre’, that’s simple; she’s currently a crystal statue. That’s what happens when the Heart of Harmony is used on those that call on base demons.” Hope snorted. “As much as I personally detested everything else he ever did, Star Swirl at least got that much right; the only good demon summoner is a dead demon summoner.”

Sunset looked at her mother. “It sounds to me as though you dealt with her personally, Mother. I thought that my sister asked you to adhere to the Council of Eight’s wishes to stay out of Equestria.” Hope nodded.

“Yes Sunset, Astrolia did. However, the new Council remanded that decision. In point of fact, it was the morning after Celestia dealt with that misbegotten Demon of Pride that I Sealed her. After that, they formally requested that I return to protecting Equestria.”

“Me and Twi already knew that Lemyre was somehow involved in the aborted assassination attempts against us and Clever Marigold when we first began our journey.” Rainbow Dash scowled. “All we had was circumstantial evidence though, and not enough of that to do anything.”

Starlight Glimmer blinked. “Wait, how was May involved? Last I heard from her, she was in Las Pegasus. Granted, we haven’t been keeping in touch ever since she slapped me upside the head about my plan for Equal Village.”

Twilight frowned. “Wait, how do you know Marigold? I mean, she’s older than you, so you wouldn’t have gone to school together. Is she family?” Starlight nodded.

“She’s my elder sister actually. Boy, was she mad when I told her my plans. Not that hers were ever any better. I’ve come to realize that she was right though; my plan to show ponies how equal we can be without our cutie marks was incredibly stupid.”

Hope walked over and gave the mare a hug. “Not stupid Starlight. You were hurting, feeling abandoned when Sunburst left. Had I been able to, I would have been there to help you cope. I was even able to get Chronos to help as well.” Starlight shuddered at that.

Rainbow frowned. “So Glimmy here is your granddaughter Hope?” The alicorn nodded. “Was it the same thing you did with Sunny?” Hope shook her head.

“No, Radiant Wings was born outside Equestria, but emigrated to it when she met her husband. I met her father in Germaney; the ban only ever applied to Equestria.”

“What confuses me is this plan you mentioned Starlight. How were you able to convince ponies of being equal without their Cutie Marks?” Starlight sighed.

“I found an old journal by Star Swirl the Bearded detailing the creation of both a spell and an object that had the power to remove a pony’s Cutie Mark.” The others- excepting Hope -gasped at that. “Yes, I know; it’s supposed to be impossible. Well, it’s not; it’s a really old Ritual that goes back as far as a time before the forming of the Three Kingdoms. I don’t know where Star Swirl got it, but I was able to formulate what I needed.” She stomped her hoof in anger. “Turns out it was all a plan to divert energy away from the Tree of Harmony to strengthen Star Swirl’s barrier. I wasn’t the first to do it; every single one of them were stopped by Grandmother.”

Sunset frowned. “Sounds like you had quite the adventure Starlight. You willing to share?” The unicorn nodded as she began to tell her full tale.

Chapter Sixteen: Of Past Plans and Cutie Maps

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Equestria, Ponyville, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 10:54 AM (After Nightmare Moon)

Starlight Glimmer twiddled her hooves nervously as she tried to formulate how she wanted to tell her tale. After a bit, she started to speak.

“I’m not sure exactly how I received the journal containing both Star Swirl’s Uncompleted Time Corridor spell, and the Cutie Mark Removal spell, but I do know why I decided to do what I did.” She took a drink of tea to lubricate her throat before continuing.

“It all started during my foal-hood. There was a colt named Sunburst that I was friends with. In fact, we were the best of friends. We did everything together; learning spells, playing on swings; just the sort of things that foals do.” The others noticed that Twilight started at the name Sunburst.

“One day, we were studying a version of a powerful levitation spell when a brief mana surge caused a shelf of books to nearly fall on me.” Starlight’s eyes became bright with remembered joy. “Sunburst had his own flare as he cast the spell we had been working on. He managed to save me from getting hurt, as there was a lot of books. That’s how he earned his Cutie Mark.” The unicorn’s eyes grew sad. “After he showed his parents, he left to go to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I never saw him again; at least, not until a few days ago.”

“For the next few years, I buried myself in my studies. About ten years ago, I received a journal from an unknown benefactor detailing a way to change or remove a pony’s Cutie Mark, as well as a few other spells. The time spell was unfinished; I figured out that I’d need Star Swirl’s unfinished time spell and something the journal referred to as ‘the Cutie Map of Friendship’ to complete it. The other was detailed instructions on the ritual needed to remove or change a pony’s Cutie Mark.” All of the mares except for Hope jumped slightly at her mention of the Cutie Map.

Starlight scratched the back of her head with her hoof. “I had no plan to create ‘Equal Village’ until after I read that journal. Using what I learned, I found a wooden stick that made an excellent vector for the spell, and started looking for ponies that wanted to join me. For some reason, I decided that the reason why I lost my friendship with Sunburst was because of his Cutie Mark. Up until Grandmother showed up, I was working towards a goal of removing all Cutie Marks save my own. I’m not even sure how she and Chronos were able to get me to see where I had goofed.”

“Starlight may not be able to tell you why she did what she did, but I can,” Hope said in response. “In fact, with Serenity’s assistance, I can even show you all what happened.” Rainbow Dash perked up at that. Concentrating briefly, she called up a Window to the Past. The others watched what had happened several days ago.

Equus, Red Point Mountain, 06-12-05 A.N.M., 12:26 PM (After Nightmare Moon)

Princess Hope watched quietly as the light amethyst-coated unicorn muttered to herself. She had been watching Starlight Glimmer for at least a day now, ever since she traced the line leading from the dysfunctional Cutie Map Ritual to this location.

Starlight had been spending the last several hours looking at the wooden staff she used as vector in removing a pony’s Cutie Mark. What the young mare didn’t realize was that the Ritual she performed had empowered the staff to do so, though it did require her mana. Lately, the ponies in her village had had their natural talents show through, despite their marks being in the Cutie Vault behind her. “Am I wrong it what I’m doing to them? I still have my mark; if I truly wish equality by removing Cutie Marks, then I should be willing to lose mine as well. That’ll have to wait until all of Equestria joins me. I just wish I could know why they hate it so.”

This was the chance that Hope had been waiting for. She polycast three powerful spells. One fried the staff in Starlight’s hooves. The second caused all of the Cutie Marks in the Vault to return to their owners. The third reversed the Ritual she had used on the others; however, this didn’t remove her mark. Instead, it simply bound it, making the false mark of an equals sign appear as if it were her own.

“What the hay?! Who are you, and what have you done to me?!” the mare shrieked at the now visible alicorn. Hope smirked. Starlight Glimmer paled as she got a better look at the large alicorn before her.

“Well, I see my reputation precedes me. In that case, let me explain what I’ve done. I’ve destroyed the Ritual Staff that used your mana to rip a pony’s mark off of them. Which, by the way, is a very serious crime. If I hadn’t interfered by making sure that the ponies you did so retained their magic, Princess Celestia would have found you and petrified you as a result. I also reversed the spell and restored the others their marks. Finally, I’ve made it so that you could finally feel what they feel. Doesn’t feel right, does it?”

“It doesn’t mean that I was serious Princess!” the mare said exasperatedly. “It was a rhetorical statement! Why would you do such a thing? I only want to know what I’ve done wrong!”

Hope smiled at that. “Ask Chronos; he will show you what you’ve done wrong. If you wish to know my reasons, that will have to wait until you grow up. When you’ve done so, call my name. I wish you well Granddaughter.” Hope then teleported out of the cave in a burst of Harmonic mana, leaving the stricken mare to her thoughts.

As the scene ended, the others looked on in shock. After a bit, Sunset Shimmer shook her head before asking what was on all of their minds. “Did you ask Chronos?” Starlight nodded. Her eyes took on a thousand yard stare as she recalled what he did.

“He did more than just tell me. He showed me where my path diverged by walking me down a Time Corridor.” The unicorn shuddered. “Not only did it show what I did wrong, it showed a potential future as a result of my interference.” She glanced apologetically at Rainbow Dash and Twilight. “After you and your friends followed the directions given by the Cutie Map, I went crazy and tried to stop Princess Rainbow’s first Sonic Rainboom. I ended up changing the past, and when the Dark One escaped, Equus turned into a wasteland.”

Rainbow slapped her head with her hoof. “Are you telling me that that whole ‘Cutie Map’ bit I saw months ago was actually supposed to happen?!” she groaned. Hope snorted in anger at that.

“No, it was part of an old plan that Astrolia and I had before it was abandoned. Star Swirl appropriated it as a way to strengthen the Seal. All it was doing was strengthening the Dark One’s connection to his sealed power. I had a Hel of a time breaking the links, especially since many of those were ones that I could only do in the presence of the Tree of Harmony. Lucky that the Everfree is my jurisdiction, else I would have had to seal away the Seed of Harmony the Tree gave you.

“That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t explain why Starlight was affected. Fear of losing friends doesn’t simply translate to wanting to make all ponies equal by removing their Cutie Marks.” Twilight looked at Starlight. “Do you still have the journal?” Starlight shook her head.

“Grandmother burned it; she said that it was too dangerous. I never asked why though; after she took me to the Crystal Empire to meet Sunburst, I didn’t want anything to do with it.”

Hope scowled. “Star Swirl wanted to be sure that his back up would work, so he laid mind control cantrips in the journal.” All of the other alicorns present snarled at that. Hope smiled grimly. “Now you know what I’ve been dealing with. About the only thing Star Swirl never did as part of his plans to stop the Dark One was sacrifice innocents. I sometimes wish he had tried; it would have given me just cause to turn him into a crystal statue.”

“Well, at least I know why Sunburst was always studying so hard,” Twilight said. “He had to prove to everypony that he was able to repeat what he did as a foal. He never was though; he only did so that time for the sake of a friend.”

Starlight nodded. She was about to respond, when Spike burped up another scroll. Twilight caught it. She blinked, as this one bore the Seal of Equestria. Breaking it open, she quickly read the contents. She sighed when she was finished. “Well everypony, it looks like we all have to return to Canterlot; Celestia and Luna have called for full Alicorn Council. I think she’s just finished reading that tome.”

Hope and Rainbow nodded. Sunset looked away. “Twilight, does that include me as well?” The purple alicorn tilted her head.

“Well, you’re an alicorn now Sunset; all alicorns present whenever Celestia calls for the Alicorn Council are to come.” Twilight put a hoof onto Sunset’s withers. “Just because you’re now both an alicorn and a princess doesn’t mean you will have to do anything. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to; I know of at least one alicorn currently living in Equestria that still has yet to sit on the Council.” Hope snorted at that.

Sunset shook her head. “I need to go. I need to see her; I have much to apologize for. I just don’t want ponies seeing me as a princess before I’m ready.”

“Then all you have to do Sunny, is to focus on how you were before you became an alicorn.” Sunset blinked, then did so. Her form quickly reverted to that of unicorn, causing Starlight to yelp in shock.

“What kind of disguise spell is THAT?!” The other alicorns all laughed at that.

“It’s simply a way for alicorns to hide their nature, even from other alicorns,” Hope said, chuckling, “It gives any who aren’t expecting it the collywobbles.” She shook her wings out. “Well, I will see you all there; I have a granddaughter to track down. She owes me for a bet.” There was a flash of Harmonic mana as Hope teleported away.

“Starlight, you should probably join the others and Spike, they’ll be taking the Friendship Express to Canterlot. Me, Twi, and Sunny will be using the path that we took to get here.” Rainbow took a moment to write a quick note. “Give this to Rarity; she’ll know what it’s for.” She then made her way to her quarters, Twilight and Sunset following her.

Starlight Glimmer sighed before looking at the dragonling next to her. “Ready to go Spike?” He nodded happily. The two left, making their way to Rarity’s boutique.

Chapter Seventeen: Arguing Essences, Alicorn Councils, and Regent Announcments

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 11:22 AM (After Nightmare Moon)

Celestia gazed at the pony that stood before her. Of all the things that had happened recently, learning that there was a conspiracy to perform an Insurrection was on the bottom of the list. “You are certain that at least four of those that cast votes in our favor two days ago are a part of this plot?” she asked.

Clever Marigold nodded. “Bright Knowledge has confirmed it to my satisfaction. Other Lunar Guards-ponies report the same, as well as our contacts in Trottingham. This plan involves at least two decades worth of work your highness.”

Luna snorted from where she was reading the tome Twilight had brought back. “That is nothing Centurion; mine own sister hast laid pranks against me that involved centuries. These foals know not who they deal with.” She looked up at her sister with a smirk. It soon fell at Celestia’s expression.

“I can say that I’ve been caught a little flat-hoofed; I was under the impression that these plans were halted when Ironside was petrified by Twilight.” Celestia’s wings twitched, a sure sign that she would have started pacing were she and her sister alone. “This is troubling; if they are moving now, it means that they will wait until after I and my sister leave to go on our sabbatical. We will have to postpone it.”

Luna shook her head at that. “That will only postpone their efforts, sister dear.” Luna’s smirk returned. “I did not think that they were quite finished, so I’ve made plans of mine own.” Celestia blinked. Luna’s smirk grew. “How do you think we got word of this? I planted mine own spies in their ranks months ago; it was why I was so keen to work with young Twilight. She is quite the astute spymistress.”

Celestia sighed heavily. “Then this means that we cannot give them any reason to alter our plans. How will we be able to stop them without declaring Martial Law, especially being absent?” Luna grinned openly at that.

“Oh sister, things are already in place. Once we leave, Princess Twilight will give the word.” Luna’s grin grew slightly feral. “I have little sympathy for them; the Princess of Friendship really hates it when ponies threaten her land. Too bad we won’t be here to witness it going down.”

Celestia rolled her eyes, a retort on her tongue. A chime interrupted her. “Well, that is likely Princess Twilight and Princess Rainbow.” She turned to Clever Marigold. “Centurion, please let Bright Knowledge know that I expect her to join the Council as well; I may not be able to acknowledge her as an alicorn, but I value her input as one.” The mare nodded, then bowed before trotting off.

Celestia and Luna both made their way to Celestia’s private audience chamber. Luna looked distracted. “Is there something on your mind sister?” the day alicorn asked her lunar counterpart.

Luna looked up at that. “Oh, I’m sorry ‘Tia. ‘Tis just me thinking of something that recently occurred, that’s all.”

Celestia frowned. She was about to ask what her sister meant when she glanced into the chamber. The presence of a young unicorn she was not expecting brought her up short.

Celestia’s eyes filled with tears as Sunset Shimmer greeted her. “Hello, Princess. I’ve come to say--” the mare didn’t get a chance to finish. She let out a cute squeak as Celestia uncharacteristically lunged at her in the same manner Sunset had to Hope hours earlier.

Both mares cried uninhibitedly as they let loose years of regret. Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all had tears in their eyes as they looked on. After a few minutes, both mares broke off the hug.

Both Celestia and Sunset used conjured hoofkerchiefs to wipe their eyes. Sunset was the first to speak. “If Twilight hadn’t told me that you’ve become more open, I would have thought you were a Changeling or something,” she said. Everypony present chuckled at that witty comment. “Even when alone, you seldom ever dropped your poise to hug me like that. Especially since I never got a chance to apologize.” Celestia shook her head at that.

“Sunset, you have nothing to apologize for. I was wrong to push you as hard as I did, especially since I knew that it was out of fear for others that made you fight.” For the first time in Sunset’s knowledge, Celestia’s expression became one of unfettered anger. “I was deluded into thinking that the prophecies I was following had worth. Had I been paying attention, I would have seen that yours was a different path.” She sighed. “In any case, we’ll have to make this reunion short; as soon as Bright Knowledge and Princess Hope join us, we’ll be sequestered for a session of the Alicorn Council.”

Sunset tilted her head. “Wouldn’t it be advantageous to have an advisor present?” she asked. Celestia frowned at that before nodding.

They didn’t have to wait long, though they were in for a shock. Instead of the two alicorns they were expecting, there were three. Twilight smiled in happiness as she glomped Cadance.

“Cady! What are you doing here?” she asked. Cadance smiled at her sister-in-law.

“Princess Hope came to get me; she seems to think that some of what is about to be discussed involves the Crystal Empire as well.” She blinked as she saw Sunset Shimmer standing next to Celestia. “Well, this is unexpected. I wasn’t expecting you back so quickly Sunset.” She surprised the mare yet again by giving her a hug.

Sunset hugged Cadance back just as tightly. “I’m sorry Cady,” she said. Cadance just shook her head at that.

“None of that now Sunset; a certain trio returning has revealed quite a bit concerning what affected you.” The pink alicorn then turned to Celestia. “Well, should we get this meeting started auntie?” Celestia nodded.

“First of all, this is to appraise you all that there are a few things that will be changing soon.” Celestia teleported a scroll onto the table. “Luna and I will be leaving for the start of our sabbatical. For the next two weeks, we’ll be spending time in Neighico. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be cause for concern; however, an insurrection plot will likely be launched right at that time.”

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Sunset all snorted at that. “We already know of that plan Celly,” the polychromatic-mane alicorn said. “Twi told me days ago that they’d likely try something.” Celestia bent a stern gaze on her.

“And why wasn’t I informed?” she said.

“Ya didn’t ask,” Rainbow quipped back. Celestia rolled her eyes as the other mares laughed.

Celestia sighed. “This next bit is more concerning. The Elemental Circle recently informed me that the Primal Essences have become highly active as of late. Now, this could mean anything; however, as it is coming on the hocks of the Crystal Empire returning fully, I’m inclined to believe that something else is involved. Star Swirl did have skill where they were involved, and this may be more of his efforts to contain the Dark One.” Celestia scowled. “I’d like to see if there was a way that we could undermine them if that is so; I am no longer tolerating or supporting anything that miserable excuse for a stallion said or taught me.”

“Actually, he had no connection to anything of that. Just before Hope came to get me, Gaia Herself said that an old Crystal Empire prophecy had been fulfilled.” Cadance looked at Sunset as she continued. “This is one that was said to have been given to the last Crystal Emperor by a mare named Astrolia, shortly before Sombra arrived.”

Sunset facehoofed. “Ugh, I cannot catch a break! I was hoping to keep this to myself a little longer.” Sunset let herself return to her new nature. Cadance, Celestia, and Bright Knowledge all blinked.

Celestia’s expression went from shock to anger. Her mane shifted from its pastel shades to one of red and orange flames. In a calm voice filled with Power, Celestia Swore an Oath that few would have ever expected for her to utter. “By all that is holy; By Harmony; By the Blessings of Gaia, Serenity, Dusk, Chronos, Solaris, Selene, Melanie, Diana; By the Sacred Light of Creation; By the Sacred Sword of Justice; and By the Fire of Friendship, let it be known that nothing that Star Swirl has Bound or cast in Equestria will remain so. Let it all Be Unbound!”

All throughout the land, spells and objects that had been enchanted by Star Swirl suddenly came undone. The other mares stared in shock as Celestia teleported away in a flash of light.

Luna shuddered. “Star Swirl has just pissed off the one mare he shouldn’t have,” she said sadly. The others just continued to stare; even Hope hadn’t considered that Celestia would go that far.

With one fell swoop, all of Star Swirl’s back ups in Equestria came undone. All that remained was the Seal; for that had been Bound to other Realms instead of Equestria, in order to maintain it.

Equus, Timeless Place, 06-15-05 A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The air around them shimmered in hues of color that mortal eyes seldom saw as the ripples of Celestia’s Oath vibrated through them. The assembled Essences shuddered in sympathy; never before had they heard such anger and pain from one that they had known for so long. All had thought that it would take more than just this for Celestia to display such anger.

“I am of Time itself, and even I would have thought it would have taken more,” Chronos said to the assembled Essences. He looked more than shocked; he was stunned. He wasn’t alone; all but one of his brother and sister Essences were also stunned at this development. With one Oath, all that Star Swirl had put in place in Equestria to reestablish his Seal should it fail had been undone. All that was left were those things that he himself had added enchantments to, such as the Scrying Mirror of the Unicorn Royal Family.

Solaris was the only one among them that wasn’t shocked. She rolled her eyes at Chronos. “That is uncharitable of you Chronos; young Sunset Shimmer is as close- if not closer -to being a daughter to Celestia. Even Twilight Sparkle didn’t enjoy the closeness they shared.” The Essence of Sol smirked. “Now that she and I are no longer bound by that misbegotten Demon of Pride, you will see that her pride will do what is right and needful. Especially where those she considers her family are involved.”

The other Essences continued to watch as the Oath vibrated down the other Paths of Power. Even Melanie and Diana were present, as the Oath had included them. Solaris smiled; it had been a long time since all of them had been Called on in such a manner. Even more so was it rare that Melanie and Diana were Called upon; she had long forgotten that Clover had mentioned those two in brief to Celestia, and wasn’t aware that Celestia had always remembered that seemingly off-hoof comment.

Melanie and Diana were even more stunned than Chronos had been. To the knowledge of all the assembled, few outside the Umbral Realm were even aware of the Essence of Darkness. Fewer still had any knowledge of Diana; up until this point, Solaris wasn’t even aware that any save the Magi of Elysium had ever Called on her.

“What stunned me was that she Called on these two,” Selene said, gesturing to the Essences of Darkness and Nature. “Not that I’m complaining, mind; I just find it odd that a passing comment made by Princess Astrolia would have resonated with her as much as it did.”

Harmony was the only one of them that had been willing to accept that Star Swirl would realize that he had crossed a line with Celestia. She had been shocked at the Alicorn of the Sun’s anger. She shuddered. “I’ve seldom felt such rage and pain as I did then,” she said softly, distressed. “I fear for her sanity; though her heart is robust, this may be the one thing that will undo her.”

Solaris walked over to her. “I would have the same fear, except that I know that Sunset Shimmer- as the daughter of her heart -will be there for Celestia.” She sighed as she gazed into the swirling colors. “I just wish that the Breaking of that damnable Barrier didn’t require such pain; Celestia has suffered enough. As has her sister.”

Dusk’s expression soured. “There is more pain to come. Melanie has informed me that the spells Star Swirl had laid upon the object have finally dissolved; all that was keeping them intact was the runes Star Swirl had embedded in that one mirror you like so much.” This last bit was said in playful jest towards Serenity; said Essence had a love for enchanted objects that ponies in particular had crafted.

The assembled Essences felt the surge as the newest Bound Alicorn Called on her power briefly as she used it to find where her mentor had gone. Five more Essences joined with the others. Serenity wrinkled her nose at the Primal Essences.

Each one was as foal-like as the rest of them, though that was certainly by choice; it didn’t reflect on their maturity. However, only one of them was a unicorn; the others had all taken forms matching the Element they were a part of.

Fire was a drake about twice the size of Spike, and very slender. Water was a winged sea-pony. Air was a Nocturne, which was surprising. Metal was an earth pony. The unicorn was of Earth, which caused the other Essences to blink.

“I can understand some of your choices, but why are you a unicorn, Earth?” Diana asked in her quiet way. Earth shrugged.

“We did not choose these forms as you did; it is our princess that shapes us.” The young-looking colt looked at his brother and sisters. “She has more than just a passing understanding of the Primal Elements; we follow her direction, as she is a Sage of great power.” The other Essences blinked.

“I wasn’t aware that she was in training to be a Sage,” Selene said. The five sighed, wearing put upon expressions.

“Who said anything about training? Not every Sage that has ever existed has been one that was trained. Some were simply born.” Fire flicked her tail idly as she continued. “As far as Sunny goes, she already had the instincts; her time in the mirror world strengthened her connection to us further. Her magic was already strong enough. No thanks to her teacher.”

“That is not fair! Celestia was operating under false pretenses! You cannot blame her for Star Swirl’s actions!” The others blinked at the uncharacteristic anger that Melanie displayed. “Where do you get off saying such a thing to your elder?”

“We can say it because it is true,” Water snapped back, surprising her siblings. “And where do you get that Solaris and Selene are our elders?! We are the same age; we Primals formed at the exact same time as those of Sol and Lune! We’ve just been Unbound up until now! No thanks to Star Swirl, and the Pretty Pony Sun Princess! At least she is now able to show courage in being able to do reject what that stallion did; though if he had been dealt with properly, none of this would have been necessary!”

Harmony looked reprovingly at Water. “We do not stand on the rights of mortals, young one.” At that, Serenity snorted.

“Harmony, as much as I respect you, you might want to close your muzzle before you shove your hoof down further,” the Essence of Light said in anger. “I can think of many times where we Essences have removed the power of choice from mortals, not the least of which was both yours and my interference in Rainbow and Twilight’s journey.”

Harmony’s muzzle colored in anger. “This is not the same thing at all; though what Star Swirl did angered me, he had the best of intentions.” Dusk and Melanie both snorted at that.

“Star Swirl is the one case where we should have provided weapons of our crafting, instead of our power. We wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for that.”

“Do you not think that I am not aware of that?! I know, far better than any of you, what drives Star Swirl. He is not Fallen, and it is because of the choices we made then that prevented it. He holds a Soul Fragment of his Enemy within him unknowingly, and it is this that guides his actions.”

It was Wind that responded to this. His tone was of sarcastic derision. “As usual, you and your brother and sister both think that Star Swirl is guided by that Soul Fragment. We would be worse off if he was; his actions are a combination of the brainwashing he underwent as a foal, and his own ridiculous notions.”

“Enough sister; these Five have the right of it. The Soul Fragment had nothing to do with Star Swirl; in spite of his faults, he never gave into Evil. We would have let you Cleanse him if that were the case.” Gaia looked at the other assembled Essences as she continued. “I find it disturbing that this Council is willing to reject the words of our newest members. Young though they may be, they have much to offer us, as mortals have a far closer connection to that which these five are a part of. Also, Solaris and Selene are just as young, and show just as much impetuousness. Your own actions when you first formed bears that out Solaris.” Solaris colored at that reminder.

Gaia walked up to her sister. “I know how much it hurts Harmony. He showed much promise, as did Sombra. As do any of the mortals we cherish. As much as it pains me, we erred where Star Swirl and Sombra both were concerned. That is why we have dealt so harshly with those others who have contained Soul Fragments since then.”

Gaia walked into the center of the loose circle of Essences. “We Essences cannot forget that, powerful as we are, we are still thinking beings. We do not have the presence that She of Creation has; we make mistakes. All we can do is learn from them, and work better. In the end, all of this bears out what we already know; it is not we who will destroy the Dark Shadow, but those we are Bound to. Let us disperse so that we can better serve them in this. Leave Star Swirl- and his actions -in the past where they belong.”

The other Essences nodded. They soon dispersed to silently converse to those they were Bound to. All except for Melanie and Diana; those two went to their respective Realms to wait for those they Chose to choose.

Sunset’s muzzle wore a look of sadness as she heard Celestia’s tears long before she saw her mentor. As she flew down to the hidden grove, she saw Celestia laying beside the apple tree near the center.

Sunset landed next to the day alicorn. Instead of saying anything, she just opened her wings and hooves. Celestia wordlessly melted into the offered hug, continuing to cry.

Sunset was obviously torn. She wasn’t without fault at anything that had happened between her and Celestia; yet it seemed as though Celestia blamed herself more than anypony else. Her words confirmed this.

“Why did I do the things I have done, Sunset? Why wasn’t I able to see through the lies he gave? My own sister told me that my faith in Star Swirl was dangerous, yet I didn’t listen.” She continued to sob in Sunset’s shoulder.

Sunset pulled back so that she could look into her mentor’s eyes. “Princess, whether or not you did what you did because of bunk or not doesn’t change anything. I’ve had seven years to regret the things that I have done; in that time, I’ve learned that regret doesn’t get us anywhere.” Sunset smirked. “Besides, I wouldn’t be where and what I am now if it wasn’t for my friends at CHS. Looking back, it did more good for me than it did evil. So wipe those eyes Celestia, buck up, and move on.”

Celestia smiled down on her erstwhile pupil through her tears. “I see that both Star Swirl and I were mistaken; you were never of Magic, but of Kindness. And you are right; I’ve already had plenty of examples that I should just move on from past mistakes.” The day alicorn had a deep frown as she broke off the hug. “I do wish that I had known his motivations. In any case, what’s done is done. Star Swirl is gone now, and we should consign him to history.”

Sunset shook her head at that. “Something tells me that he may still have a further role to play. I’m just not gonna worry about it.” She smirked as something else occurred to her. “Besides, I’m wondering if a certain somepony has finally managed to find somepony special.” She grinned at the rosy blush that appeared on Celestia’s cheeks. “Any pony I know, Princess?”

“Never you mind young lady; a princess does not discuss such things in polite company,” Celestia said archly. The two held it in for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. “Oh, I have missed you Sunny. Do you have plans to meet with your family?”

Sunset shook her head. “In a word, no. I was already estranged from my adopted parents before I left, Princess. Once the twins were born, they pushed me aside. Well, my adopted father did anyway.”

Celestia nodded at that. “Yes, I can hardly count the number of times either of your adopted parents asked about you. Your mother has yet to stop asking; I get a letter a week. Your father, on the other hoof, hasn’t asked a single time. He always was a disappointment.” Celestia looked at her pupil. “So, how does it feel, knowing that you have such a famous mother?”

Sunset shrugged. “Mostly the same as it ever did. I was raised by her for the first three years of my life; I had suppressed those memories after I was left at the orphanage.”

Celestia scowled. “That is something that I find hard to accept. Why would she even consider it at all is beyond me.” Sunset sighed.

“She really didn’t have much choice; Astrolia had Seen that that was what was needed.” Seeing the look of disbelief on her mentor’s muzzle, Sunset made to explain further. “My sister’s visions aren’t like the ones that Star Swirl got. First of all, she’s like you in that she comes by the ability naturally. Secondly, her connection to the Stars themselves makes it so that what she Sees will come to pass.” She scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “Mother recently told me that her visions are always twofold; what would happen if the vision was followed, and what would happen if it wasn’t. As much as it hurt both her and me, loss of our entire Realm if she didn’t follow through was something she wasn’t willing to risk.”

Celestia tilted her head curiously. Sunset had to fight back a squee as she looked like a much larger version of Twilight as she did so. “This Astrolia is somepony I find myself quite curious about. A passing comment that Hope made it sound as though I met her, yet I do not recall ever doing so.” Sunset chuckled at that.

“Princess, it’s quite simple really; Astrolia and Clover the Clever are one and the same.” Celestia blinked at that.

“If that is the case, then why the subterfuge? I get why Bright Knowledge hid her nature, but it seems as though she did so without need.” Sunset shrugged.

“I don’t have a clue why, I just know that she did. I get the impression that it was more of the same; prophecies that she was unable to avoid.”

“That’s everything in a nutshell Sunny,” said a voice off to the side. Celestia and Sunset both turned to see that Discord had joined them. Celestia blinked as she got a good look at the Draconequus. He smiled as he continued. “Astrolia was the one that Bound me up, back when I was first created. Good thing she did too, as I was completely nuts.”

Sunset tilted her head in thought as she gazed at Discord. She was unaware that she looked like an orange version of Twilight. “So you’re the famous Discord. Well, you do kinda look like that old statue, except your parts are too uniform.”

It was indeed true; Discord no longer had that mismatched appearance that he once sported, other than the horns on his head. He shrugged. “I’ve been changing, that’s all. That’s what you get when somebody like me starts to get what Chaos is truly about.”

Celestia scowled. “As much as having you free has benefitted Equestria, I still stand by the fact that we can do without Chaos.” Both Discord and Sunset shook their heads at that.

“Sunbutt, what I did before wasn’t true Chaos; that was me playing a fiddle.” He snapped his claws, conjuring a golden fiddle. It gave off an evil hiss as he drew back the bow. “Needs tuning.” He then threw the fiddle behind him; it exploded into a blast of cotton candy. “Sunny here gets what Chaos is about, don’t you kid?” Sunset nodded.

“Something I learned at CHS. Chaos is neither Good nor Evil; it simply is. Our world can’t exist without it, as it brings about change.” Discord nodded, grinning.

“If that was true, then what was all that you had done for that reason Discord?” Celestia asked with a snap in her tone. Discord shook his head.

“Did I not just get done saying that it was a good thing that Princess Astrolia had Sealed me away? I think that I did.” Celestia scowled. “I was little more than just a twisted chimera, created as a weapon. A last ditch effort by the Utopian High Council to destroy Astropolis, though I wouldn’t have stopped there. Sealing me away- first by little Astrolia, then by you and Moonbutt -burned off some of that craziness. It took Six true Bearers to really fix me, though; Harmony helped balance the Chaos in me.”

Celestia groaned. “Why am I not surprised? Yet more evidence that that Council was in the thrall of Evil.”

“That whole city was, from what the Five have told me,” Sunset said after a moment.

Celestia sighed. “Well, I’ve tarried long enough; I have an announcement to make at Afternoon Court. Today will be mine and Lulu’s last day for the next fortnight at least.”

Discord grinned. “Oh goody! I get to prank the nobles!” Sunset snorted.

“Don’t you do that anyway?” she retorted.

“Yes yes, but this time I won’t have to worry about Sunbutt or Moonbutt topping my efforts.”

Sunset snickered. “Nah, you’ll only have the Queen of Pranks to deal with. Good luck Dissy.” Celestia giggled at the pensive look Discord had. Abruptly, he face-clawed.

“Wait, you’re naming both Dashie and Sparky as Regent, aren’t you?! Well, I’d better go see if a certain party planner is free. Ciao!” With that, he slalomed before teleporting away. The two mares looked at each other before breaking out into giggles.

“The Epic Prank War starts again!” the two cried, rolling on the ground in their laughter.

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 2:54 PM (After Nightmare Moon)

An air of palpable anticipation hung over the crowd as they waited for Afternoon Court. All had their minds on the morning broadcast of the secret ballot vote that the Equestrian Councils had recently cast. Outside of those things involving yet another greedy, power-hungry noble, the ponies were simply unaware of the reasoning behind the ballot being called.

That was par for the course, as voting in Equestria had long been closed to the public. This wasn’t because the public didn’t deserve to know, but was an effort to preserve the validity of the vote in question. At least, that’s what was taught; few ponies- even those of most of the noble houses -were aware of the real reason; votes and ballots were secret to keep commoners in the dark about their rights.

This was about to change.

All the quiet talking that had been going on among petitioners ended as the Diarchs approached the royal dias. Celestia nodded towards the crystal camera-pony off to the side. A microphone boom was brought forwards so that Celestia could address all of Equestria.

“Citizens of Equestria, instead of this being an open session of Afternoon Court as is usual, I and my sister have a few announcements to make.” Celestia paused for a moment to let that sink in before continuing. “As you are all likely aware, a ballot was recently cast in an attempt to remove the Alicorn Council from its place of authority. This is was made all the more ludicrous as those that attempted it did so because they decry the monopoly of the Equestrian government that I and my sister alicorns possess.”

“What this didn’t take into account is that I have only ever had oversight authority in Equestria. Only in those times where a law would affect My Little Ponies adversely have I interfered. To that end, both the High Council and Grand Assembly have reordered themselves. In addition, the Council of Eight has remanded the decision to keep all sessions of the Grand Council secret. All council sessions- save for the Council of Eight and the Alicorn Council -will now be open to the public. The Canterlot Crystal Broadcasting Center has graciously offered broadcasting stations for those times that votes are called.”

Celestia paused to take a sip of water to lubricate her throat before continuing. “Another issue is some of the fallout as a result of the recent conspiracy. Both the High Council and the Grand Assembly were forced to remove some of their key members. To that end, a public vote has been declared to select new members for the Grand Assembly. In addition, four more of the Noble Houses have lost more than just their chief members. Due to the fact that the conspiracy goes all the way to distaff Houses, these four Houses are no longer Noble. To replace them, I am declaring an open campaign for any who wish to petition for the right to take the now open spots. Any applicant will be held to the same standards that have been used in Equestria’s meritocracy system since shortly after Nightmare Moon was sealed.”

Celestia was about to continue when her seneschal handed her a scroll. She blinked as she read the contents. “It seems as though more has happened than originally thought. There has been a restructuring of House Apple, as it has been found that the most senior heir was part of the conspiracy that Clear Mind led. To that end, Lord Bright Apple has named his grandson- Big Macintosh of Ponyville -as his heir.” Celestia allowed herself a small, smug smile at that; Big Mac was every bit the stallion that his grandsire was.

“Now we get to the meat of these announcements. This will be the last day for myself and Luna before we head on a much-needed Sabbatical. To that end, I am naming Princess Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor as Regent of the Solar Throne.”

Luna stepped forward once her sister was finished speaking. “I name Princess Rainbow Prism Dash as Regent of the Lunar Throne. Also, I appoint the recently returned Sunset Shimmer, and the Draconequus Discord, as Royal Advisors.”

Celestia picked up speaking when her sister was finished. “Should things go well, we will return in two weeks to finish out the rest of our Sabattical. Please do your best to treat Our Regents as well as you treat Us.” Celestia and Luna then stepped down from the dais to hushed whispers.

Chapter Eighteen: Family Concerns

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Equestria, Las Pegasus, 06-12-05 A.N.M., 12:42 AM (After Nightmare Moon)

Hard Target looked impassively at the royal messenger pegasus that was standing before him. He knew this mare by reputation, and wasn’t sure that he was willing to believe her story. “So, I’m to believe that you have a message from the Diarchy for one of my buss boys, Miss Doo,” the stallion said in an off-hoof manner. “A Mister Rainbow Blitz, am I correct in this?” Derpy nodded.

“Actually, I have three messages for him,” the derp-eyed mare said. “One from the Diarchy, one from a Missus Prismia Dash, and one from Lord Prism Dash.”

Hard Target glared. “Miss Doo, I have run this casino for over twenty years now, so I know when I’m being fed a pile of horseapples,” the stallion said heatedly. “I do not know what his game is this time, but Rainbow Blitz is going to stay right where he is; working until his shift is over. I will be sure to inform him that your effort failed as soon as I have you escorted to the local police station.”

“Is there a problem here, Hard Target?” a soft voice asked off to the side. The stallion turned and blanched white as he saw that the casino’s current owner had arrived. For the first time since he had seen her, Sweet Breeze wasn’t smiling.

“N-not at all, Miss Breezes,” the stallion stammered. “I just have a buss boy that likes to try and play pranks, that’s all.” Sweet Breeze’s expression went from being impassive to a hard glare.

“Yes, I’m well aware of your problems with Rainbow Blitz, Hard Target. However, that doesn’t give you cause to insult any mail-pony, let alone a Royal Messenger.”

“With all due respect Miss Breeze, Blitz has done things like this before,” the pegasus stammered. “His father had asked me to make certain that he remains where he is until he can learn his proper duty as a member of House Dash. The fact that one of these obviously falsified documents is supposed to be from Lord Prism Dash himself is part of the ploy; I happen to know for a fact that they are not on speaking terms.”

“Think with your head, and not your ass Hard Target,” Sweet Breeze snapped, her tone turning harsh. “Not only is the badge Miss Doo holding up authentic, but I myself received a letter from Prism.” She smiled grimly when the stallion blanched further. “My family’s holdings have long had a connection with that illustrious House, so I have long been in contact with each Lord and Lady that has sat at the head.” The pegacorn stalked forward until she was staring down the diminutive stallion before her. “And for the last time, you don’t work for Blitz’s father, you work for me. Insult another official like this, and you’ll be managing a hotdog stand. Am I clear?” Hard Target nodded before fleeing as fast as decorum could allow.

Sweet Breeze snorted. Her expression softened as her gaze landed on Derpy. “Miss Doo, if you will follow me, I’ll get you sorted out as quickly as I can.” She gestured with a wing towards the open arch that led to the casino’s hotel. “I know that you want to get this done as quickly as you possibly can, so that you can return to little Dinky.” The gray mare blushed a little at that; it was common knowledge that she had more love for her little Muffin than she did for muffins themselves.

Dinky was more distracted than usual. She couldn’t help staring at Sweet Breeze’s horn. “Um, are you a pegacorn Miss Breeze?” the cross-eyed mare asked. Sweet Breeze nodded, smiling.

“Yes, just like my twin sister Swift Breeze. I take it that you’ve never seen one before?” Her smile turned smug as Derpy nodded. “Not surprising; those of us that still live in Equestria mostly keep to ourselves.”

“Well, I don’t know if I can actually say that you’re the first one I ever met. My friend Rainbow is one too. I mean, was one, though she’s now an alicorn princess. She still looks almost the same as she ever did, except for the horn and new Cutie Mark she’s got. I always knew she was special.”

Sweet Breeze laughed a tinkling laugh. “Oh, but you’re at least half right Miss Doo; all alicorns are pegacorns, but not all pegacorns are alicorns.” She turned to the left, where an aging light blue pegasus was working. “Ah, here he is Miss Do. Blitz!”

The stallion lifted his head at that call. “Oh, hello Miss Breeze. I was just finishing up before my shift ended.” He blinked as he got a closer look at the mail mare. “Is that Derpy?!” He quickly made his way over to the pair of mares, giving the now brightly blushing pegasus a big hug. “I haven’t seen you in years! How’s Dinky doing?”

“My little Muffin is doing well Mister Blitz,” the blushing mare said as they broke off the hug. She opened up the mail saddlebag she was wearing, and pulled out the three scrolls. Rainbow Blitz frowned at that, but he took them from the mare.

The first one he opened was the one that was bound by a simple pink ribbon. He sighed as he read its contents. “I told her the last time I wrote her that it would be best if I stayed away. Rainbow doesn’t need a deadbeat father like me around.” He then opened the one that bore the Royal Seal.

His eyebrows tabled as he read the scrolls’ contents. “And where in the hay does she get off telling me what or how I should behave?! I’m here now because it’s the best thing for my family! I get that she’s the Princess and everything, but she’s the Princess; I know better than she what’s needed for my family.” He then opened the last one. This one he read out loud in a state of disbelief.

Rainbow Blitz,
I know that it has been some time- years in fact -since you and I have had nothing but harsh words to say to each other. However, I think it is time that we put aside our personal differences for the sake of our daughters.
Blitz, as much as she might say to the contrary, Rainbow Dash needs her family by her side. Now that she is among the alicorns, she will outlive us all; it behooves those closest to her to spend as much time as they have left with her. Not only that, but my daughter has never stopped loving you. I only pushed you away as hard as I did because of your father.
Happily, that is no longer an issue. You will likely receive word of this soon, but there has been a reordering of our House. Though Rainbow herself can no longer occupy the top spot- for obvious reasons -her position has altered the prominence of her branch of the family tree.
Your father has of course refused to accept it; thus, the rest of House Dash has acceded to the request of Princess Rainbow Prism Dash to have him deposed as a member of the House. His own title as Dauphin has been called into question, and the family has decided that you are a far better fit. Not just for the role of Dauphin, but as Duke of the Gallopagos Islands.
I am well aware that an appointment such as this is going to do little to heat the wounds between us great-great-grandson. However, it is because the House as a whole judged you worthy that you were named to the vacant spot. It has been yours since before you left Cloudsdale in fact; it was my anger at you listening to the stupidity of your old man that held me back on agreeing.
Rainbow Blitz, I hope you truly understand that I never stopped loving or caring about you. I wanted the best for my daughter instead of her happiness; that, in the end, is what is truly important. Please return for her and your daughters, if for nopony else.

In Repentant Affection;
Prism Harmony Dash

Blitz sat back on his rump in shock. His grandfather was legendary for his stubbornness; he never dreamed that he would be willing to both ask for and give any kind of forgiveness. He was just about to reread the letter from his estranged wife when another pegasus mare approached them.

This one was wearing barding in the colors of House Dash, with a badge that had the Coat of Arms of the Gallopagos Islands on it. Rainbow Blitz took the scroll she was holding out in trembling hooves. He opened it and read its contents with an air of disbelief.

Sweet Breeze bowed as he finished. “May I be the first to congratulate you on your ascension to your Seat, Duke of Gallopagos?” she said sincerely. Blitz nodded in a bemused manner, still stunned at his turn of fortune.

Derpy followed suit. After a moment, Blitz shook off his shock and took on an official air as he removed his buss boy’s apron. “Miss Breeze, I’m giving you notice that I’m ending my term of employment here. I have a wife and daughters- as well as a demense -to oversee now.”

Sweet Breeze nodded with a smile on her muzzle. “Go with my blessing Duke.” She then watched- with great amusement -as the trio of ponies all left. “It’s times like this that I just love living in Las Pegasus,” she said in humor. She then turned to finish Blitz’s job, as that was a better way to honor one of the best employees she had ever had.

Equestria, Fillydelphia Train Depot, 06-14-05 A.N.M., 11:42 AM (After Nightmare Moon)

Night Light Armor sighed as he and his wife waited for the train from Filly to Canterlot. She and he had just gotten off the zeppelin when they received official notice that their presence was requested by Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Amelia Sparkle Armor. He was more than certain that his daughter had little to do with the wording of the missive. Not only was the fact that they were delayed in their business in Prance, but the letters that he and his wife had tried to send to their daughter likely never made it to her. He started scowling at that.

“Still angry at her I see,” Twilight Velvet Sparkle said next to him. He raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh, don’t look at me that way; no matter what you may think, Celestia has always had good reasons to do the things she’s done. She wouldn’t have sent our daughter like that without good reason.”

“That’s just it Velvet! I know from my uncle that her reasons are suspect! What angers me is that he says he can’t go into any more detail than that!” Night Light uncharacteristically stomped his hoof in anger. “Our children were not born to serve Equestria in the manner that they have!”

Velvet clocked her husband upside the head at that. “Night Light, our son and daughter are perfectly capable of making their own decisions. Twilight told me- as I’m sure you know, as you were listening in -that hadn’t it been for her new nature, she would have told Celestia just what she could do with the offer of princesshood.” Velvet sniffed. “Twilight is an alicorn Nighty, just like her mentor. And no matter their faults, alicorns nearly always have the best intentions for us ponies in mind when they do things.”

Night Light rubbed the back of his head. “I know that Velvet; it’s just that I don’t like the fact that she asks so much of Twilight. I get that she does so where Shining is concerned; he’s Royal Guard. But our little girl should be studying to be an artificer, no matter how much her now being a princess makes me proud.”

“Stop talking like your asinine father Night Light Armor,” Velvet said severely. “He doesn’t get to decide what either Twilight or Shining does, and the both of them have already told him that! Honestly, that stallion just about brought down your entire House! Why do you think that your Uncle Great Aegis is Lord of House Armor? Because he knows how things work in both of our families. We as parents guide our children in becoming worthy citizens until they reach adulthood; beyond that, they make their own choices. Our families are nothing like the other noble Houses in that.”

Night Light scowled. “I know that you and Father have had issues, but our family has been artificers for years Velvet. It’s just something we do.”

“Twilight isn’t an Armor Night Light; she takes after my side of the family. We Sparkles always choose our own path in life, and I’ve said as much to that tight-plot you call Father! He only gave his blessing because of the long standing tradition of members of our Houses being so closely bound! And I only accepted out of love for you, and not because of tradition!” Velvet huffed in frustration. “I just hope you at least keep this to yourself; if Twilight catches wind of it, you might just end up spending our visit as a potted cactus.” Night Light scowled at the reminder.

A few years ago, he and Velvet had visited their daughter when she first moved to Ponyville. When he expressed his displeasure that she wasn’t continuing her studies to be an artificer, she told him point blank that she had never been studying to be an artificer. Her efforts had been aimed at an Archmagus position. She also informed him that she would be making her own decisions as to what her job was going to be. She then transmuted him into a cactus. He wasn’t released from the spell until he and his wife got home. “She really needs to learn proper respect,” Night Light grumbled.

Velvet stuck her now-glowing horn in her husband’s muzzle. “Take that attitude, Night Light Armor, and you can spend until I have the divorce papers drawn up as a cactus,” she said in a frosty tone. “As much as I love you, your continued insistence to adhere to ‘tradition and proper forms’ is not how I want our children to be raised. She was old enough then to make her own choices, and she’s more than certainly old enough now.” Velvet then stalked off in a huff.

Night Light frowned before sighing. “I’m only trying to do what I think is right; Father isn’t the only member of House Armor that feels that way. Now that Uncle Aegis is no longer a member of the Council of Eight, things are going to change for the worst.”

“Actually, they just might, and not in your father’s favor,” said a voice next to him. “That is, if your Twilight is anything like my Rainbow; she sounds like she is.” Night Light turned to see a light blue pegasus stallion with a rainbow-hued mane sitting next to him. “Oh, sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I’ve had similar issues with my old man. I’m Rainbow Blitz, of House Dash.”

“Night Light Armor, of said House,” Night Light grumbled. “I should be angry with you, but it’s hardly fair that we held a very private conversation in a public place.” His brow wrinkled. “Wait, you’re Princess Rainbow Dash’s father, aren’t you?” The pegasus nodded.

“Yes, and I did something real stupid years ago; I left after my youngest was born a filly. I should have stayed, but my old man was bugging me to do the right thing and marry a ‘proper mare’. The only thing was, my wife wouldn’t give me a divorce, and I couldn’t return to her after shaming my family like that.”

Night Light frowned. “You were actually pressured to leave your wife just because Fate made you have daughters instead of sons?” Blitz nodded. Night Light snorted. “What an asinine tradition. Not that the ones my father and his family hold are any better. I was only able to marry my wife because she’s of House Sparkle. They’re the only suitable candidates besides distaff Houses of my own House.”

“More of the same for mine, though it’s really limited to distaff Houses. At least it was; that’s all changed now that those who felt that way are no longer members.” Blitz scratched the back off his head. The movement brought the collar he was wearing to Night Light’s attention. Night LIght blinked.

“Wait, they’ve chosen you as Duke of Gallopagos? I was under the impression that that seat was vacant until the next generation.” The Duke shrugged.

“It was, because the one named to the seat was an asinine bore that had no respect for the ponies there.” Blitz shrugged. “I’m surprised that they were able to accept me, seeing that I’m his son, but they obviously remember me fondly from the time I was living there. They were actually the ones that chose to accept me, especially when they found out just why I’ve spent almost ten years in Las Pegasus.”

Night Light frowned. “So, let me get this straight; your father basically demanded that you abandon your wife, and marry another instead, simply because he wanted grandsons?” Blitz nodded, shrugging. “Glad that the unicorn Houses aren’t usually like that.”

Rainbow Blitz’s brows tabled at that. “Actually, House Dash is a mixed House; we have both unicorn and pegasus distaff clans. I should point out that my father’s views are unpopular to the extreme; our House is one where the top spot is chosen by merit. It’s been that way since before there was even an Equestria; we didn’t get a Seat until the Council of Eight was formed, just after the Nightmare was sealed.”

Night Light frowned at that. “Wait, your House does run on merit; mine and House Sparkle basically used House Dash and House Pensee as an example. Huh, well that’s rich; my own father is basically holding to traditions that aren’t even part of my House.”

“Has there ever been any cases where members of your House have married outside of the Houses?” Blitz asked. Night Light nodded, frowning.

“My grandmother married a member of House Belle; that’s fine though. They’re family as well.” His frown deepened as he recalled just what his grandmother was like. He abruptly facehooved. “And now I know exactly why Papa is the way he is; Grandmother is basically Pony-non Grata in her own House for refusing to dirty her hooves in the meritocracy system.” He smiled sardonically. “I do believe she was even a friend of the late Lady Lemyre. I can’t believe how much of an idiot I’ve been.”

“Yeah, I’m tasting that bitter Humble Pie myself,” Blitz said. He and Night Light chuckled ruefully. “Ah well, if I’m going to fix everything, I might as well get used to it. My Rainbow is not known for holding a grudge, but I really hurt her when I left.”.

“My little Sparkle has had something on her mind lately too, ever since she went North.” Night Light frowned thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, she was talking a lot about your Rainbow Dash even before they went on that journey.”

Blitz nodded. “Same thing with Dashie in the letter I got from her. I think it was just after they got done actually. Seems as though she’s found Somepony Special in Twilight.”

Night Light sighed at that. “And that explains my wife’s anger. It’s one thing for parents to tell their children what job they should do; it’s quite another for them to tell them who they’re able to love. Love does take a proper form, but that form is up to the one that holds it.” Night Light smiled grimly. “I certainly hope my father remembers that forcing that issue won’t go well for him as far as House Armor is concerned; only my small branch of the family holds personal relations with members of the same gender in low regard. The last distaff family to try otherwise was cut off from the House even before Celestia got involved.”

“All this guff about tradition is just stuff and nonsense. I couldn’t even marry the one my father intended, as she married another mare before I was able to propose. And that was a herd proposal, as I wasn’t able to get either a divorce or an annulment. My wife refused the former, and Celestia threw out the latter. Dad was steamed at that, and earned himself a stint at Fort Last Hope for telling her that she had no right to get involved.” Blitz’s smile was sardonic. “He wasn’t too pleased to find out that his hoof-picked mare was in fact gay.” Both stallions chuckled sardonically.

Night Light brightened as he saw his wife returning. He gave the mare a hug, murmuring an apology to her. She quickly thawed. Blitz dawwed a bit at the scene.

The three ponies all looked up as an announcement was heard over the intercom. ‘Final boarding has commenced. This is a nonstop route to Canterlot. All passengers, please have both your tickets and passports- where applicable -ready.’ The two travelling ponies got their passports ready as they saw the conductor arrive in their cabin. All three ponies were shortly confirmed as having paid. The conductor instructed a stewardess to lead them to a more private car once their identities were confirmed. “We’ll have your luggage sorted out as well,” the stallion said.

The three ponies all decided that now would be a good time to get something to eat. While they did so, they started talking about their respective children. Blitz howled with laughter at the tale of what happened when Twilight got her Cutie Mark.

“Since then, my little Sparkle has used that same spell whenever I’ve done something she’s found particularly aggravating,” Night Light said ruefully. Blitz couldn’t speak because he was laughing so hard. Night Light rolled his eyes. “Oh, laugh it up. I’m pretty sure there’s been times that your Rainbow Dash has done something in retaliation for your embarrassing actions.”

Blitz continued to chuckle. “She has, but getting a raincloud of frigid water dumped on you just isn’t as funny as getting turned into a cactus is. I just hope that Dashie sticks to that; with my luck, I’d probably get turned into either a slug or a potted cannabis plant.” He got a thoughtful look on his muzzle. “Actually, probably the plant; my Dashie’s sense of humor is just that twisted when she’s mad. That’s why the water is always frigid.”

Velvet chuckled. “Nice to see that Twilight has found herself such a worthy partner,” she said. The stallions blinked in shock. Velvet rolled her eyes. “Oh come now boys, you were already talking about that. Besides, I’ve known for years that Twilight swung that way. I only had to hear her sigh longingly twice whenever Lyra was around to know which way the wind was blowing.”

Night Light frowned. “Then why didn’t you say anything? I would have put my dear, loving Pater in his place had I known.” Velvet sighed at that.

“Because I wasn’t going to say anything unless she was willing for me to know. I know for a fact that it was nobles like that misbegotten Lemyre and your father that made her hide it for as long as she has,” Velvet said severely. She sniffed. “I wish she had said something at least; I’ve known I was bi for years, so I could have helped her cope.”

Night Light nodded at that. “Yes, I was shocked that you actually accepted it when I first asked you out. I did see that you had your eye on Aria Heartstrings.” He grinned at the fetching blush that that comment brought out.

“Oh, you’re such a tease,” Velvet said. She nuzzled her stallion. “At least, I got a better deal with you. Aria wouldn’t have been with me for long anyway; she was always flighty.” Velvet took Night Light’s hoof and pressed it to her belly. “I certainly hope you can do a better job for these two.” The two held each other tightly, causing Blitz to sigh with envy.

A knock on the cabin door caused the three to raise their heads. The door slid back to admit a lilac-coated pegasus that Blitz thought he’d never see again. “Prismia?” he said in shock. “Is that really you?”

Prismia Dash nodded, wearing a bashful smile. “Hello Blitz,” she said softly. “When I was told that the new Duke of the Gallopagos was on this train, I bullied my way to finding your cabin.” The mare squeaked cutely as Blitz lunged for her. The two collapsed into a hug, causing the other two ponies to chuckle.

“Lord Armor, Lady Dash, it is my great pleasure to introduce the Duchess of the Gallopagos Islands; the Lady Prismia.” Blitz took his wife’s hoof in his and brought it to his lips, causing her to blush every bit as much as she had when he first proposed all those years ago. “My Lady, I hope that we can put the last nine years behind us for the sake of our daughters.”

Prismia frowned at that. “Blitz, I never blamed you, nor did I ever stop loving you. I knew what was going on, and I’ve told Dashie that much. That’s why she’s never blamed you, though it still hurt her when you left. You two were so close.” Another knock at the cabin door caused her to scowl. As it opened, she gave a pithy comment. “If you have nothing good to say to your father, Amber Dash, then you can go right back to the other cabin.” The young mare flounced away in a huff. “Honestly, I should have never let my aunt help raise her; she’s got the same ridiculous notions now that your father had.”

No sooner had she said that then the door once more opened. This time it let in a far more contrite young filly. “Can I at least hug my father? I haven’t seen him in two years, and I do miss him.” Amber approached her parents. They both hugged her, causing Night Light and Twilight Velvet to coo.

The rest of the trip was spent with the ponies all getting to know each other. Though Amber Dash was at first very formal with Night Light and Velvet, she soon changed her tune once she learned how down to Equus they were. She made a pact with herself, then and there; what they all said about her aunt was true. Her father wasn’t the problem; everypony else was.

The end of the trip found a group of ponies that could get along quite well. Not only that, the connection they shared prevented the spirit of suspicion from taking hold, giving them further guard against demonic influence. Thus, a potential way for the Dark One to hurt either Rainbow Dash or Twilight Sparkle was sealed away even before he had a chance to influence it.

Author's Notes:

You can all thank Haruka Dash for this chapter. I mean that sincerely; I pretty much wrote this chapter in response to that post.

I know you likely want more of Dash's family Haruka; don't worry, this is only part of it. Her other sisters will show up as well. They're all going to arrive more or less at the same time, as Celestia plans on surprising both Twilight and Rainbow with their arrival.

I'd also like to call out to Law Abiding Pony; I got the idea of the transformation joke from one of her stories. You should read them; quite a good read.

See you all next chapter!

Edit Note: Made a few quick edits to the scene where Rainbow Blitz was introduced. I started with a different name for both him and his wife, only to have them change midway between that paragraph and the next one. Besides, I already have a Prism Dash; I do my level best not to use a character's name more than once.

By the by, I had initially intended for Swift Breeze to be the one that defended Derpy against the ironically named Hard Target. I got her name wrong, but when I went to change it, the idea of making Sweet Breeze and Swift Breeze twin sisters popped into my head. I like that better. And yes, their aunt is still the same alicorn; we all met Princess Angela in LRSF.

I'll have more soon.

Chapter Nineteen: Family Matters

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 3:26 PM (After Nightmare Moon)

Peals of laughter rang out as the group of ponies made their way to where they were told to wait for their daughters. Both Prismia and Velvet giggled at the scene that greeted them.

An orange filly with a fuchsia mane was getting a tickle attack from not one, but two adult mares. Rainbow Blitz blinked as he recognized one of them. “Aria?” he asked in slight shock. Silent Aria looked up at that. Her face lit up.

“Papa! Mama!” she shouted, launching herself at her parents. Both ponies hugged their eldest. Tears were in Blitz’s eyes; he never expected any of his daughters to be so quick to forgive him.

Velvet and Night Light smiled at the happy reunion. Night Light’s expression changed to a frown as he got a good look at the other mare; that expression quickly morphed to one of shock. “Sunset, is that you?” Velvet turned to see that it was indeed Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset blushed a bit, wiggling her wings. “Hello Sir Armor, Lady Sparkle,” she said shyly. “I’m pretty sure you weren’t expecting me.” She gave Scootaloo another noogie before approaching the pair. “We didn’t part on the best of terms all those years ago, but I never forgot what you taught me.” She turned her head in shame. “And I know it might take you awhile before either of you are willing to forgive me.”

“None of that now, Sunset; it’s all in the past, and any foal can see that you regret it,” Night Light said, giving the repentant alicorn a hug. Velvet soon joined in. After they broke off the hug, Night Light leaned back to examine Sunset. “Well, you’ve certainly improved beyond what I could have hoped for. When your mother told me what had happened after your fight with the Princess, I never dreamed that you would return to us. And as an alicorn princess no less.” Sunset shook her head at that.

“I’m an alicorn, but not a princess; I’ve told that to my mentor repeatedly already,” Sunset replied, wrinkling her snout. This caused the others to laugh, as she looked just like an orange-furred Twilight.

Night Light chuckled. “I imagine so.” He looked at the filly next to them. “Who is this? A kid sister?” Sunset shook her head at that.

“Just somepony who idolizes Princess Rainbow Dash, that’s all,” Sunset replied, causing the filly to blush. “Her filly friends are with their folks at the moment.” Sunset Shimmer focused briefly, causing a scroll to appear before her. “I’ve been asked to make you all aware of a very important matter. Princess Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight Sparkle are currently meeting with the other Elements of Harmony to discuss their and their family’s security.”

Sunset cleared her throat. “I have here a list of names of members of the Royal Guard that will be assigned as plain-hooves security for you all. The reason for this is because we’ve recently received information regarding plans to have you all held as ransom to get the new Regents of Equestria to step down.” She gazed sternly at all of the ponies present. “We hope that this will be temporary; however, you will all have to spend the few days here until those responsible are dealt with.”

“I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to tarry for too long, Miss Shimmer,” Blitz said sternly. “I have a demesne that I need to oversee. All I really came here for was to see my daughter.” Sunset sighed at that.

“I get that this is disruptive milord, and I do apologize. However, until the conspirators are dealt with, stepping one hoof on the Gallopagos Islands would not be a good idea for you or your family. If they cannot capture you, they have orders to end you. You especially, Duke Blitz, as we’ve confirmed that your now Exiled father ordered your death.”

Blitz scowled at that. “Sawed off--” he broke off just as he realized that there was a foal present. He controlled his anger with difficulty before nodding. Seeing the frightened look that Scootaloo was trying to hide, he made to hug the little filly.

Velvet had a frown on her muzzle. “This sort of thing isn’t something a foal needs to hear,” she said, a snap in her tone. She leveled her glare at Sunset. Sunset glared back.

“And how do you expect us to hide something like this from her or her friends? Anypony in Ponyville will tell you that they get up to all sorts of mischief; I’d rather they know the danger they’re in right now, rather than hide it and have them get hurt or foal-napped when they perform their usual shenanigans.” Sunset stomped a hoof. “Besides, I haven’t forgotten my foal-hood; nothing is more insulting to a foal Scootaloo’s age to be treated like a kid. This way, she at least knows that we trust her to act maturely.”

Night Light did his best to try and diffuse the situation. “This sort of thing is scary Sunset; is it wrong to wish to spare the foals the nightmares this sort of thing can cause?” Sunset turned her glare onto Night Light, causing him to wilt a little under her gaze.

“Can the ‘little filly’ speak up here?” Scootaloo asked, her voice thick with sarcasm. “I may only be twelve, but I’m not stupid. I already saved Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom when we were at the park earlier today; a bunch of bad ponies disguised as courtiers tried to foal-nap us. If Sunny hadn’t convinced Rainbow Dash that I needed to know, I wouldn’t have known enough to spot the danger.”

“Scoots and her friends aren’t like other foals Sir Armor,” Aria said, with a smile for the filly. “They routinely tested their parents- and every other adult pony -with all the stunts they used to pull. Besides, you should have seen them chase that little demon; she’s almost faster than Rainbow was at her age.”

“It was at the suggestion of both Princess Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight Sparkle that we were to inform those in danger. Yes, your daughter convinced me to tell even the foals, Velvet. She remembers- with considerable anger -how it was for her growing up when she found out the things that were hid from her. I was also convinced to do so by Princess Celestia, just before she left with Luna for Neighico. Her words were to me, and I quote, ‘They have a right to know because they are close to our Regents. We don’t need to repeat the same mistakes that have already been made, am I correct?’” Sunset snorted. “And what happened earlier today bore out that wisdom, as the adults who were supposed to watch them weren’t able to spot what a little filly did. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle aren’t like Canterlot foals; for one thing, they’ve never been pampered. They’re also smarter; smart enough to speak up when they see something wrong. Canterlot foals have been sat on so much that they seldom know their plots from their elbows.”

“I raised my two children in this city Sunset Shimmer!” Velvet snapped. “They turned out perfectly well! Don’t compare everypony else’s style of raising to the way that your miserable excuse for parents did!”

“Your daughter was just as teased as I was while in the local Magic Kindergarden, and it was worse when the Canterlot brats found out that she was a noble’s daughter! And if you think it stopped after she became Celestia’s student, well, think again; it was worse! Why do you think Twilight was such a shut it?! Why do you think she had few friends?! She may have always said that she didn’t need many because she had Shining, Spike, and Cadance, but I know differently.”

“If my own daughter had been going through those sorts of things, she would have told me,” Velvet snapped as she finally lost her temper. “Alicorn or not, Sunset Shimmer, you do not have the right to make up lies about my daughter!”

“They’re not lies Mother,” said Twilight from where she had been standing in the open doorway behind Sunset. Twilight Velvet paled at the basilisk gaze her daughter gave her, her anger disappearing in place of her fear. “I told you the first time I was being teased; your words to me were to just ‘ignore them, and they will stop.’ So that’s what I did. I ignored them when they put dung beetles in my soup, and urine in my apple juice. I ignored them when they threw my bags- full of library books that I got punished by you for ruining -into the pond at school. Most of all, I ignored them up to the time when my brother defended me from a group of colts and fillies that decided that ‘the teacher’s pet’ didn’t need her horn any more. I found out that you knew all of this was going on; indeed, it was you who pushed Papa into enrolling me into that school. A school that Celestia recently closed down, as they were able to prove that the Dean was paid by rich nobles to hide evidence of torture.”

Twilight stalked over to where her parents were standing. “When I found out yesterday that Celestia had called you all in, I was mad. I had just found out the truth; that the retainers you set on me when I was a foal had told you everything, and you did nothing! You ignored it because of the belief that ‘foals will be foals’! I’m here now because my own brother found out by one of them- the one you later fired -that I was in danger! I’m not one to hold either a grudge or keep anger inside, but I’m finding it incredibly difficult to find any kind of forgiveness towards you, Mother. I may do so at some point, but right now is not that point.” Twilight then stalked off.

Night Light forcefully turned his wife’s head so that she was unable to break his gaze. “Is any of what she said true, Velvet?” Tears in her eyes, Velvet nodded. Night Light frowned sadly. “Then I guess this is goodbye; we’ll discuss parental rights for the twins when they’re born, as I’m not sure that I can remain your husband after all of this.” He then followed his daughter.

All the other ponies soon left as well, leaving Velvet alone to think about where she had gone so wrong.

The sunset was beautiful, but the very sad mare sitting in one of Canterlot Castle’s many gardens hardly noticed it. Velvet had been spending the last several hours going over everything that had happened hours earlier.

Instead of there being a happy reunion of sorts, she was now forced to relive some very dreadful mistakes that she had made in regards to Twilight. She had been completely aware that Twilight had suffered a great deal of bullying growing up; however, that was no more what any other foal had to go through. She herself had dealt with it, after all.

“I know I made some mistakes, but Twilight must have learned at least something from it,” she mumbled, not aware that she was no longer alone. “I mean, she’s an alicorn princess now; Nighty and I must have done something right.”

“Actually, the fact that she was able to make any friends at all is thanks to her large heart; no thanks to the way she was treated,” said a voice to Velvet’s side. Velvet turned to see that Rainbow Dash was standing with an impassive expression. “It took a lot of pleading from us girls to get her to open up about it after Trixie showed up the first time. You’re right in that she did learn from it though.” Rainbow’s expression remained impassive as she ticked off the points she wanted drive home.

“She learned how to bury things; how to hide how she really felt. She learned that having friends was more trouble than anything else. She also became neurotically obsessed with her grades in an effort to impress; I used to think that that was because of Princess Celestia, but that’s simply transference.”

“Don’t misunderstand me Miss Velvet; I know that you love Twilight. You wanted her to learn a hard lesson, but the way you went about it was wrong. You’re lucky in that Shining was able to defend his sister, and that CYS hadn’t gotten word. Had they got involved, you would likely still be in prison with several limiters strapped to your horn. My aunt had the same thing happen to her, and she followed the exact same pattern that you did.”

Velvet scowled. “The government doesn’t get to tell us how we can or cannot raise our children Rainbow Dash. Nor do you get to criticize me for what I did or did not do while raising her. I freely accept that she has chosen you as a life partner, but I most certainly know the heart of my own daughter better than you do.”

Rainbow stalked forward; her presence as Alicorn of Light pressed down hard on Velvet, causing the other mare to flinch. “Actually, where abuse and neglect are concerned, the government has all the right it needs. A certain stallion in Ponyville has learned that lesson the hard way, as he’s lost custody of his daughter because he and his wife raised her to be a brat. As far as the law is concerned, the only reason you’re not under arrest for your actions is because the statute of limitations ran up when Twilight turned sixteen. Had she been injured though, you would still be in jail now.”

Velvet found it hard to breathe as Rainbow Dash continued. “The only thing that makes me at all on your side is that I know you meant well. I also know that you didn’t want your daughter to get hurt, and didn’t find out until much later that she almost did.” Rainbow Dash’s impassive expression turned into a deep scowl. “And yet, because you wanted to protect her innocence, you kept all of it from her. Had you sat her down and explained things, she wouldn’t be as angry as she is now.”

Rainbow Dash’s snout got right in front of Velvet’s as she continued. “I came here, hoping against hope that I’d be able to get you to see how much you defending your past actions is hurting Twilight, and you toss out the ‘I know my daughter’s heart better than you’ line. Twilight and I are soul bound Twilight Velvet; that means that we know each other’s hearts and minds often better than we know our own. I was surprised and pleased when she opened up her painful past to somepony else that had gone through the same thing. If you want any chance to salvage both your marriage and your relationship with your daughter, then you’re going to have to take a long hard look at how badly you were raised.” Rainbow Dash turned away. As she did so, she gave a parting shot. “By the way, that method of parental abuse carries with it a caveat; now that it’s known you’re carrying again, you’re going to be watched very carefully. If CYS gets even an inkling that you’re doing the same, you’ll lose those kids. So do everypony a favor, and disregard how your own miserable excuse for a mother raised you.” There was a flare of light as Rainbow Dash teleported away.

Velvet was finally unable to deny what she had done wrong, and broke down in tears.

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 6:54 PM (After Nightmare Moon)

A very subdued gathering of ponies sat around the table in one of Canterlot Castle’s less-used conference rooms. Normally, a gathering that included Pinkie Pie would be both loud and boisterous, especially where her friends were concerned. However, even Pinkie Pie was unable to break the mood of the purple pony not currently present.

Rarity gazed sadly at the foot of the table where a morose Pinkie was sitting. The normally boisterous mare’s mane lay flat, a sure sign that Pinkie was not feeling like herself. “Are you certain she actually said that, Pinkie? That doesn’t sound like Twilight at all, darling.”

Pinkie shook her head. “I know she’s sad, but this time’s one where a party isn’t going to help. She just wants to be left alone. It just hurts, that’s all.” Her other friends nodded at that, though the idea that Pinkie of all ponies was able to see that this really wasn’t the time for a party was more than a bit shocking.

“I should have stayed out of it, or let it go at least. It really wasn’t any of my business. I just couldn’t help myself.” Sunset looked down. “I’ve been on both ends of the bullying spectrum, and it hurt me as much as it did Twilight that her mother knew but did nothing.”

“It wasn’t like she wanted to hurt her Sunset,” Rarity said. “She was right though; fighting back would have only made things worse.”

“And that’s the same pile of horseshit that ended up with our sisters getting bullied into that gossip column, Rarity,” Applejack snapped. “Bullying is wrong, plain and simple. I lit into Apple Bloom when she finally let on that she and the other Crusaders were being blackmailed by that no-account Diamond Tiara into printing those stories. Stories you were more than happy to spread around.” Rarity sniffed, turning her nose up at that reminder.

“One can stand up to a bully without getting physical Applejack. Twilight Velvet was only trying to look out for her daughter. I do admit that she should have done something more than what she did, but it seems more of Twilight’s blowing things out of proportion.”

“First day of school, three fillies pulled her hair. Second day of school, her apple juice was replaced with donkey piss. Third day of school, she had her book bag full of school library books thrown into a pond.” Rarity turned to see a dragonling glaring at her as he continued. “Magic Kindergarten was Tartarus for her, Rarity. It only got worse when she went to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. They called her all sorts of names; book-nerd, useless egg-head, Teacher’s Pet, Know-It-All; the list goes on. I wasn’t around when she was in kindergarten, but I remember seeing her cry a lot when she first became Celestia’s student. I’ve always thought of Twilight as much my mother as my sister; I’ve never felt that way about Twilight Velvet.”

“And while we’re on the subject of bullies, maybe we should consider how stupid it is to say that we should ‘just ignore them.’” Spike snorted. “By that way of thinking, we should have just left the Crystal Empire alone; Sombra was a bully. Or we should have ignored it when Tirek was prancing around with everypony’s magic. Hay, we should have just let Discord have his fun, and we should have just accepted Nightmare Moon’s Eternal Night.”

“Spike’s right; the only time a bully should be tolerated is when it involves name-calling.” Sunset gave Rarity a very piercing gaze as she continued. “Do you know what Princess Celestia’s response was when she found out that that sort of abuse was not only being covered up, but actively encouraged? She closed it down and jailed every one of the teachers. I’ve heard how irrational Twilight gets at times, and the fact that getting sent back to Magic Kindergarten was a big fear of hers strikes me as a pathological fear. Probably because one of my adopted grandmother’s famous threats was that she was going to send me back there, with my mother agreeing because she had no backbone to speak of. I only said that I should have kept my mouth shut because it wasn’t my place to say anything.”

Rarity scowled. “None of what Spikey just said is the same thing at all. There are ways to deal with bullies without being so uncouth about it. But you were right about one thing, Sunset Shimmer; you should have stayed out of it. Our sisters did not need to know what’s going on, whether or not you were convinced by Twilight that they should be told.”

“They already knew anyway Rarity,” Fluttershy said softly. “Scootaloo was telling me the other day that she saw a suspicious pony that had been following her get accosted by a pair of pegasi she’d seen previously in Dusk Guard purple. And what Twilight Velvet did was wrong; that same attitude almost cost me everything.” Her expression turned harsh. “Do you all know what it was like for me in Flight School? It was harsh; so harsh that if I hadn’t had Derpy, Raindrops, and Rainbow Dash, I’d have taken a canary dive. I was scared of falling because I already fell once before, and my miserable excuse for a father had the exact same attitude so many parents seem to have. ‘Foals will be foals’ is a lame excuse because nopony really wants to remember what it was like to be bullied. We’re just lucky that Twilight was able to get past all of that. She’ll come around, but it won’t be anypony here that’s going to help her.”

The others at the table- with the exception of Rarity -all blinked. That was the longest speech the shy pegasus had ever made, especially in mixed company. Rarity was too busy scowling at Fluttershy’s apparent defense of the criticism of Twilight’s mother.

Unfortunately for Rarity, she still suffered something of a shallow view of things. She’d been brought up with the belief that you simply did not speak ill of certain families no matter the provocation. It was an unfortunate side-effect of being partially raised by her glory grabbing aunt, who was Pony-non-Grata as far as the rest of House Belle was concerned.

However, Rarity’s generous nature was such that she always listened to what those closest to her were saying. Fluttershy’s own experiences with bullying made her realize that her aunt’s attitudes about how foals should be raised were not only antiquated, but hurtful.

Rarity lost the scowl as what her friends were trying to say sunk in. “Oh dear, I’m starting to sound like Gleaming Petal,” she said with chagrin. “My mother got into an argument with her when Grandfather Belle passed on. Mother wanted us to know, but my aunt said that we were too little. I was the age Sweetie Belle is now. It would have hurt worse if I found out that Mother kept it from me.” She turned to Sunset. “I apologize Sunset; my words to you were unbecoming of me.”

Sunset smiled sadly. “You were right though; I should have held my tongue. I’m not even certain why I snapped as I did. I guess I just couldn’t let it go.” Her smile suddenly became brighter at the same time that Pinkie Pie’s mane poofed out. All the others blinked. “You felt that too, Pinkie Pie?”

The pink party pony bounced in place with a big smile on her face. “We need to get everything read girls! Twilight, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash are gonna join us, and Twilight’s gonna want a party!” This surprised laughter out of all the others present; just another example of the enigma that is Pinkie Pie.

Twilight Velvet was still in the garden crying when a pair of gentle wings folded themselves around her. She looked up to see that her daughter was looking at her with a face full of regret.

It was plain that Twilight had been crying for awhile as well. Velvet wrapped her hooves around her daughter as she sobbed into her soft shoulder. As it always seemed to, providing comfort was more of a balm on her own hurts; Twilight was finding it easier and easier to forgive her mother for something that had happened a lot time ago.

“I’m so, so sorry Little Sparkle,” the mare sobbed. “Had I known, truly known, what was going on, I would have stopped it. I was only trying to protect you.” She was unable to say more after that.

Twilight just continued to stroke her mother’s back. After a few minutes, Velvet’s sobs died down. “I know that Mama. But, don’t you think I would have been able to handle it? I was a smart girl; that’s why I let them do all of that.” She smirked at the look of surprise that Velvet gave her. “It was only when those colts wanted to beat me up that I was outmatched; the first time the donkey piss routine was used was the only time they were ever able to do that on me. Why do you think I got so good at swiping cookies? I practiced switching my cup out whenever I ate lunch. After the fifth time, they tried something else instead.”

Twilight’s muzzle had a faint frown. “Why did you fire Misty Heart though? Before Cadance started sitting me, she was the first friend I really remember.” Velvet scowled at the reminder.

“I did not fire that poor girl; your grandmother did. I lit up one side and down the other of her when she did. That’s one of the reasons why we no longer have anything to do with her Punkin. Yes, I know; ‘Honor Thy Father and Mother’ and all that. Well, I do still honor and love her, but she doesn’t run my life any more.” Velvet sniffed. “I just never realized that there was still some of my own terrible upbringing that was influencing how I raised you. I handled Shiny much differently.”

Twilight sighed in frustration. “What is it with the older nobles? Are they so stuck up on tradition that they can’t tell their plots from their elbows?” Velvet snorted as her daughter sounded just like Sunset had earlier.

“Who knows dear.” Velvet then broke off the hug. I need to go find your father. I really put my hoof in it this time; your father’s experience with bullies was far worse than your own.” Twilight winced at that.

“Yeah, Uncle Aegis told me about that. I’ve never seen a pony regard a member of his own family with that much rage and hatred before.” Twilight looked at her mother sternly. “Once you get Papa to thaw, you’re to join the rest of us at Pinkie’s ‘Congratulations On Regency’ party. I want to see that you have put all of this where it needed to stay; in the past. I’ve forgiven you Mama, so don’t forget to forgive yourself.” Velvet nodded, chuckling at the stern manner her daughter was using. The two then parted ways for a short time.

A stallion with his back to the door is the sight that greeted Twilight Velvet when she made her way to the shared quarters in Canterlot Castle that they never used. She slowly walked up to him and sat down.

Night Light sad nothing for a few minutes, just staring at an old journal. Velvet recognized it; it was one of Twilight’s when she was still in school. Night Light looked up; his eyes were red, so Velvet knew he’d been crying.

“It’s all there, every bit of it. I’ve read this journal maybe a hundred times; I was the one that convinced her to keep it. I never expected that she would hide her real words using one of the script keys we came up with as a game so long ago.” He turned his sad, angry gaze towards his wife. “What’s the worst is that she was able to recall everything. She was even able to recall seeing your family retainers on the periphery.”

“It’s exactly the same as what I went through; down to the last detail. A kind of instruction that our two Houses have never used. A way of brainwashing your children into a form you find most pleasing. A way that caused me to try and kill myself when I was just a little younger than our Little Sparkle is now. A way that caused my uncle to buck his brother out a plate window, and blast my grandsire with a kinetic blast designed to cause as much pain as equinely possible without doing damage.” Night Light ran a hoof through his mane before continuing. “My uncle told my father and grandfather that day that if he ever found out that Valiant Armor was raising his children in that manner, he would kill his brother and cast Exila Equis on his father before surrendering to Celestia’s Justice. With the full knowledge that she would have done nothing to him; the last noble to have been confirmed as using that method suffered the exact same fate. Celestia herself has made it plain; the method you let that whorse of a mother use on our daughter is considered a form of slavery.”

“Twilight Velvet Sparkle, you are truly fortunate that it was discovered that you had no hoof in any of this. It’s also fortunate in that it wasn’t successful, had it been, you would have joined your dam in Exile.” Night Light smiled a grim smile. “I’ve sent word to my brother; it seems as though she hasn’t learned her lesson. Our daughter will be forced to render Equestrian Justice on a member of her own family.”

“The only question I have for you is why.”

Velvet sighed. “Fear, Night Light. Fear that Mother would use her not inconsiderable influence to make our life hard. Loss of mine and your jobs, bans on my novels, blocks on our accounts. If I even breathed a word of this to anypony, we’d suffer. And you know she’d do it, and can still do so.”

Night Light chuckled humorlessly at that. “Pretty much what I thought. Well, she’s going to find out that she’ll be able to do horseshit; all of her contacts were through channels connected to House Lemyre, and Blueblood has told EIS everything he’s found out.” He pulled a letter from under the book. “I found this waiting for me when I entered. The spells on these chambers were cast by Celestia herself, and have been reinforced by Luna, so there’s no way she knows.”

A swirl of smoke heralded the arrival of another scroll. Night Light grabbed it in his magic, reading quickly. He then set it down with a grunt of satisfaction. “EIS has confirmed it; your mother is guilty of Clan crimes. That goes straight to the top, and because Twilight is involved personally, she will be expected to be the one to deliver Justice.” Velvet shuddered at that; it had been centuries since anypony had been found guilty of Clan crimes.

Clan crimes referred to a set of practices that went back to the Founding of Utopia. Basically, it boiled down to a way of instruction that was equal parts torture, in order to mold one’s clan or family into warriors. Elements of it were still involved in noble unicorn Houses, and few of those.

Velvet sighed. “Mother is not of House Sparkle; not even of a distaff House. Now I know why we seldom married anypony but those of the Sparkle, Armor, Lulamoon, or Belle Houses; none of those allow Clan methods or teaching. In fact, Beatrix Lulamoon’s own grandmother was Exiled from her House for doing so. I should have just done what was right.”

Night Light shook his head at that. “It would have gone very badly for us, and would have likely ended with the one or both of us in prison. There was a few times that we were sitting on very sketchy forts as it is with how close Twilight is to Celestia. But now I understand why you trusted her so; Celestia’s insistence on the Magic of Harmony is antithetical to the Clan method.”

Night Light drew his wife in for a hug. “I wasn’t angry at you once I realized what had happened for your involvement. I just wished that you had told me.”

Velvet leaned into her husband. “I wish I had as well. At least our two unborn foals won’t have to worry about herbucking up their lives.” She then moved her snout up to kiss her stallion.

Far beneath Equus, a scream of pain rang out as a multitude of twisted, formless creatures were destroyed by bands of Harmonic light. The Heart of Harmony was awake, waiting for that moment when one of the Bound One’s would destroy that which tormented them.

Author's Notes:

Sometimes I hate dramatic tension. I had no plans to vilify Twilight's parents at all, then this chapter pops into my head. However, it ties into the dichotomy I'm trying to create here; that there's enough of what was done in times past to influence what is down now.

Especially where the rearing of foals are concerned.

I also wanted to post a chapter to illustrate how I think bullying- and those who perpetrate it -should be handled. I really do hate bullying, and have little respect for bullies.

This was something that's been on my mind after what I saw on Nancy Grace the other night. All I can recall of the story was that the nine-year-old boy committed suicide because he was being bullied. My prayers go out to the family.

See you all next chapter.

Edit, October 8th, 2016: Made a few changes so that this chapter will better reflect what I'm currently working on. No spoilers; just a few details that needed changing to better line up. I at least spotted them now as opposed to later.

Chapter Twenty: Of Parties, Snuggling Essences, and New Joy

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-15-05 A.N.M., 7:30 PM (After Nightmare Moon)

Night Light and Twilight Velvet followed the servant to where the other ponies could be found. Thanks to some strong anti-sound enchantments, they didn’t hear the party until they had passed the doors.

Both ponies looked shocked. They hadn’t had much exposure to any of Twilight’s friends over the years, so they hadn’t been exposed to the organized chaos that was one of Pinkie Pie’s parties. As was usual, there was something for everypony. Pinkie was leading a group consisting of Applejack, Apple Bloom, Prismia, and Rarity in Blind Pony’s Bluff. Another group consisting of Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Blitz, and Starlight Glimmer were occupied with a Song-and-Dance machine.

Another group of ponies were playing Pin the Tail on the Pony. Velvet blinked to clear her sight; however, nothing changed. Her daughter-in-law and son were playing that game, along with Scootaloo, Aria Dash, Clever Marigold, and yet another alicorn that neither pony had ever seen before.

Off to the side, Spike was ponying the refreshments table. Next to him, Rainbow Dash was making inroads into the various snacks that were there. Night Light shook his head; he was certain that both Princess Celestia and her sister were already on their way to Neighico, but it looked like Princess Luna was sitting next to Rainbow Dash.

Another group also consisted of alicorns. Sunset Shimmer, Princess Hope, their daughter Twilight, and a third very large alicorn were all talking to each other quietly. Velvet and Night Light both blinked as they recognized Princess Angela. Night Light moved to where the drinks were; not only was he thirsty, but he wanted to find out why Luna had apparently stayed behind. Velvet went to see her daughter.

Twilight smiled as her mother approached. Velvet already knew that her daughter had forgiven her, and that smile was as warm as it ever was. The two hugged before Velvet greeted Angela. “Princess Angela, I’m surprised that you’re here without any fanfare,” she said. “The last time you visited, it was all over the place.”

Angela waved a hoof in Rainbow Dash’s direction. “I have her to thank; now that there’s a Path of Light to the palace, getting from Sanctuary to here is easier than it used to be. Plus, the Council of Eight is pro-Guardian right now, so that’s a plus.”

Velvet nodded at that. She frowned as she really got a look at the other new alicorn. “Wait, that’s Bright Knowledge. I wasn’t aware that she was a pegacorn, let alone an alicorn. How long has she been hiding it?” Twilight frowned at that.

“I’m not sure; I know that she’s over one thousand years old, but I don’t know how ascension works for Unbound Alicorns.” She looked sullenly at Angela. “This one here wouldn’t tell me the last time I asked.” Angela sighed.

“I wasn’t able to tell you because of a geasa,” Angela said in a rueful manner. “It was personal of course, but until certain conditions were meant, there were things that had to be figured out without my aid.” Angela smiled. “Now that those conditions have been met, I can finally stop acting so cryptic.”

“While it is true that most pegacorns that have reached one thousand years have become alicorns, the actual time period is different each and every time. For most of us, circumstances have forced us to make the change. Other factors can affect things as well.”

“Bright Knowledge has been actively hiding her nature for so long that it became suppressed. She did so to hide from her father; not because she feared him, but because she feared for others.” Angela smiled a grim smile. “When that stallion made the mistake of going after a pegacorn Chosen by Serenity, it forced her to access all of that suppressed potential at once. You’ll notice that she’s already almost as big as Cadenza. In another five years, she’ll likely match Celestia in height.”

The other ponies looked interested as Angela continued. “When we say one thousand years, we’re speaking in generalizations. Apotheosis is different for every nascent, though there’s only ever been two cases where the pony in question hadn’t made the transition before becoming an alicorn.” Twilight nodded at that in satisfaction.

Angela sighed; this next part was always hard for her to deal with. “Then there’s those that have either died or gone feral. Happily, both are rare these days. That wasn’t the case in the past though.”

Velvet frowned thoughtfully. “So what you’re actually saying is that you haven’t a clue.” She smirked at a now-blushing alicorn. “I’m a novelist Princess; I know how to read between the lines quite easily.”

Angela sighed. “It’s not that I don’t have a clue; it has more to do with the fact that pegacorns seldom stay in Equestria for longer than a few centuries. Most claim Sanctuary after only a few decades at most. In fact, Bright Knowledge is one of only three that have been here for any real length of time. Most of the others are only into their first century; that's about as long a pegacorn can take before either moving away from Equestria, or declaring Sanctuary.”

“Rainbow and I met one in Mareago, and Rainbow’s father met her another one that looked just like her in Las Pegasus.” Angela wrinkled her nose at that.

“Yes, the twins; Sweet Breeze and Swift Breeze. Both were students of mine for a time, but opted out of staying in Sanctuary. I can’t force it Twilight,” Angela said when Twilight acted if she was going to say something. “All I can do is offer, just like I did with Rainbow Dash.” She smiled impishly. “I was surprised and pleased that she refused my offer; she more than proved herself worthy of her role by doing so.”

Velvet decided to interject; there was something she wanted to clear up. “So, can anypony tell me just what your journey was about, Twilight?” Instead of answering, Twilight summoned a familiar tome.

“If you want details, this tome has all of them. If you want the reason why, well, that’s far simpler.” Twilight’s muzzle wore a deep scowl as she summarized. “A wanna-be mage seals an evil he was unwilling to destroy, then creates a bunch of paths designed to keep said seal intact. It never occurred to the mage that said seal could be hijacked by the one he sealed, nor did it occur to him as to how unfair it was that he ended up Sealing away two Realms and a kingdom. And all of this was for the sake of a fallen kingdom that was a thrall of Evil from its conception.”

Angela frowned. “Not that it isn’t true, but I was under the impression that you were impressed by his accomplishments Twilight.” Twilight nodded.

“His theories were sound, and I’ve often used his methods in my own spellwork. I was never impressed by him though; I always knew he was reported to be a hard stallion to know and work with. Clover made that plain in her memoirs.” Sunset snorted at that.

“Hard to work with? Sound theories? Twilight, Star Swirl was a hack, plain and simple.” Sunset waived her wing at the floating tome. “That tome is a prime example; it positively reeks of twisted Unicorn runic. The only reason why it’s still here after what Celestia did earlier today was because Star Swirl wrote over top what Astrolia had already woven into the tome.”

Angela nodded. “I knew Star Swirl quite well actually. When he first Sealed the Dark One away, I almost violated my Oath to the Three by turning him into crystal.” Her muzzle darkened. “The only thing that stopped me was Astrolia actually; she said that ‘he will one day show his worth.’ I can’t see how, honestly.”

Velvet took the tome in her levitation aura and teleported it back to her and Night Light’s quarters. “I’ll read it later.” She smirked at her daughter. “In any case, at least some good came from all of that. Not only do we have a new Princess, but somepony finally has a Special Somepony.” All the other ponies chuckled at the blush that rose on Twilight’s cheeks.

After that, the conversation divulged to other topics. Velvet decided that she was going to hold off embarrassing her daughter for now; rather, she wanted to do so when her and Rainbow were both in the same place.

Night Light gazed at the lunar alicorn sitting next to his daughter’s mate. Luna met his gaze levelly. “You named the pony next to me as your Regent so that you could go on your sabbatical. Care to tell me why you never left?” he asked her. Luna rolled her eyes.

“It is because she is my Regent that I am here, Sir Night Light,” Luna said matter-of-factly. She smirked. “Besides, for an alicorn of my skill, being in two places at once is a small thing. For a stallion that has knowledge of how Dreams work, you should be aware of that.”

Night Light nodded. “So that’s how it is then. I am surprised that you would be willing to do such a thing with so many ponies around; this isn’t the sort of thing I’d want out.” Both Luna and Rainbow Dash smirked at that.

“It’s not like she’s ever hid it,” Rainbow said. “In fact, she uses this ability all the time to pull pranks.” She grinned at the blush that rose on Luna’s cheeks. “Besides, anypony that knows what she’s truly Princess of knows she’s able to do this. Doesn’t take a Twilight Sparkle to figure it out.”

Night Light frowned. “That expression irritates me; since when has my daughter’s name become synonymous with being a genius?” Rainbow snorted.

“Since she was in school probably. I think it flatters her, and that’s exactly the way I use it. It’s only those self-important ponies that see such intelligence as an insult.” Rainbow Dash paused to take a bite of a doughnut. She chewed briefly before continuing. “That’s nothing compared to the pet names she has for me.”

“What bothers me is the term ‘egghead’,” Luna said, a frown on her muzzle. “That term seems derogatory.” Rainbow flushed with embarrassment, scratching the back of her head.

“Yeah, I call her that a lot. I don’t mean it in a bad way; it was mostly habit. I think she views it in the same manner as being called a nerd.” Rainbow looked down. “It never occurred to me that she might have gotten called that while in school.” Night Light nodded at that.

“Yes actually, though I don’t think that ever bothered her. Actually, she always had her snout in a book, so I’m not certain that name-calling would have phased her all that much.” Night Light scowled. “Unfortunately, those brats didn’t stop there.”

“What’s worse is the entrenched corruption that kept the Dean in charge,” Luna said, a scowl on her muzzle. “Even more worse is that because of his connections, nothing my sister was able to do could stick. I actually had to step on her hooves to fix it.” She smiled. Night Light blinked as Luna’s irises briefly morphed into a slitted shape. “Sister wasn’t pleased that I did so, but I had up to my horn with that sort of thing years ago. After I did, I had a group of very thankful foals dogging my hooves for the next two days.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Something about all of that make you mad, LuLu? Your irises wen kinda draconic there.” Luna blinked.

“Hmm, my eyes changed again? That’s been happening of late; I wonder why.”

“”The eyes are a window into the soul,’” Rainbow said in lofty tone. That set them all laughing. “Seriously though, it might simply be mood. One of Angela’s Sanctuary Guardians told me that pegacorns often display that characteristic whenever they feel something deeply. Either great fear, or great anger will trigger it.”

Night Light rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think it’s limited to just pegacorns or alicorns. My lovely wife’s eyes turn red whenever she gets real steamed about something, and there’s been a few times where her irises would turn feline.”

Luna hummed contemplatively. “Hmm, must be the meridians of her eyes. Some of the older Unicorn families have the ability.”

Night Light saw that his wife was approaching. “Hello dear. Hungry?” he asked her. She nodded and took a marshmallow rice cake.

“Thank you dear,” Velvet said. She gave him a kiss before settling her gaze on Rainbow Dash. The cyan alicorn in question bore up under her gaze with aplomb, causing her smile to grow.

“Well, my daughter certainly knows how to pick a partner. I thought for years that it would be Lyra, or maybe even Moondancer, but she’s far surpassed either of those two.” Rainbow preened at the praise. Velvet and Night Light chuckled at the display; Luna just rolled her eyes.

“I have to agree, though I wonder why she waited until you went on that trip to say anything.” Night Light took a bite of a cookie as he waited for Rainbow’s answer.

Rainbow’s eyes grew distant as she recalled a moment in time that would forever be etched in her mind. “Actually, the question never really came up. After I confessed how I truly felt for her, things sort of went from there.”

Velvet nodded. Noticing the frown Rainbow wore, she grew concerned. “Is there something about that you’re not telling us?” she asked. Rainbow nodded, frowning.

“We weren’t exactly in the best of circumstances when I finally confessed to Twi how I felt. Hay, it wasn’t until she was in very real danger that I finally realized how I truly feel for her. It’s more than just a soul bond, though that certainly helps.”

“I wasn’t ever one for deep thought, so I never stopped to examine the deep bonds I share with the other Bearers.” Rainbow paused to take a drink of punch before continuing. “When I first met Twilight, she was just another cute unicorn. A bit- well, more than a bit- bookish, but that only added to her charm.”

“Things really didn’t start for me until after she ascended though. Adding wings into the mix suddenly brought her to my level. Even then, she was always just Twi.” Rainbow paused; this next bit was much harder for her. “After I started changing, she was there for me in a way that no pony has ever been.”

Rainbow’s eyes raised; there was a deep-seated anger in her now-slitted irises. “Then we get sent on a journey. Actually, it was more like ordered to go on a journey. At least Celly had enough tact to couch it as a request. Had she forced us, Twi would have told her to shove ‘Star Swirl’s Tome of Paths’ up her plot, along with the Crown of Harmony.”

“What’s even worse is that we find at the end that the whole journey was nothing more than a protracted demon-hunt, and a fairly useless one. Even then, if it weren’t for Serenity, I--” here, Rainbow suddenly broke off. Her expression was one of surprise. “Huh. Are you sure? Okay, I’ll ask them.”

Rainbow gazed at her erstwhile conversation partners. “I wasn’t expecting this, but there’s Somepony Special that wants to meet with you. It’s your choice, but we can’t do it here.”

Night Light blinked. “Who?” he asked, echoing his wife’s thought. Rainbow shrugged.

“No clue; just that Serenity said to pass the message along. You can come too, LuLu.”

Luna nodded. There was a brief flare of mana as her astral form switched places with her physical one. “I can spare a bit of time for this; something tells me that it’s important.”

Rainbow shrugged again, then led the three off.

A few minutes later, the four ponies were standing before a guarded conference room. Unlike other entrances, the Guards here were members of her new Aurora Guard. The mares bowed before Rainbow Dash as she and her companions passed through the open door.

Once the door was closed, Rainbow turned around and opened it yet again. This time however, there was a shimmering veil of light on the other side. She turned to Twilight Velvet and Night Light. “I have to tell you something; what I’m about to show you hasn’t had the trod of anyone from Equus that wasn’t an alicorn since Star Swirl was still around. So you have to swear that you will keep it to yourselves.”

The two looked at Rainbow Dash before nodding. The mare’s countenance took on a solemn cast. “Do you, Twilight Velvet Sparkle and Night Light Armor, Swear by Serenity’s Radiance and Gaia’s Love that you will mention nothing of this unless I give the word?”

“We do so Swear,” the two unicorns said in unison. A bright glow suffused the two ponies briefly as the Oath burned the connection that the Greater Demon of Pride had set years ago. Rainbow Dash smiled. “Then let’s go, shall we?”

They all followed her into the arch of Light, the door closing behind them.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light stared in open amazement at what lay on the other side. “Welcome to my Realm,” Rainbow Dash said. “I know it doesn’t look like much; I have that sawed-off unicorn sage Star Swirl to thank for that.”

Rainbow gazed at the two unicorns. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but more is involved than just a pair of Essences wanting to meet you. Both of you have been exposed to the Clan method; what ponies don’t realize is that that conditioning sets them up for possession. That Oath has severed the tie that the Greater Demon of Pride had laid in the pair of you. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have bothered.” Rainbow looked up as a chime rang out. “Ah, they’re not gonna make us wait.”

The ponies all followed Rainbow as she led them to a small dais. Once they were all settled, a pair of nimbus floated from out of the Light Archway on Rainbow’s left. The orbs swiftly manifested as a pair of unicorn fillies.

Night Light and Twilight Velvet both bowed very formally at the presence of two of the Essences. Serenity sighed. “Please don’t bow; you two have no need to stand on gravitas with any of us Essences.” Both unicorns raised their heads, still slightly in awe.

Dusk approached the pair. “I would like to thank you on behalf of my own Realm, and Our Sister Gaia for all that you have done. It is thanks to you both that two Guardians turned out as well as they did, in spite of all that Star Swirl placed in their way.”

“We wished to thank you, but outside places that have our Blessing, that is impossible. So we asked Princess Rainbow Dash to bring you here.” Serenity gave Rainbow a fond look. Her gaze turned neutral as she looked at Velvet. “I also wanted to get the measure of you Lady Sparkle; Harmony speaks very highly of you, but I needed to be sure.”

Dusk trotted forward until she was just in front of Velvet. She gazed up at the unicorn with a hopeful expression. Velvet had seen that gaze before; her daughter would often look like that when she was sad or frightened. Taking a risk, Velvet sat on her haunches and spread her front hooves.

Dusk smiled happily as she went into Velvet’s embrace. While she was there, the Essence placed her horn against Velvet’s tummy. “Little ones, here’s my Blessing; may the Power of my Realm always shield you from that which would do you harm.”

Night Light gazed at the scene in slight shock, only to have a small hoof tap his front hoof. He looked down and saw that Serenity was gazing at him in an expectant manner. He swallowed his apprehension and moved to give her a hug as well.

Luna didn’t know what to think; here she was seeing two of the most powerful Beings in existence hugging ponies as if they were simply the foals they looked like. “I know that mine own relationship with Selene was often informal, but I would expect it to be different for a normal pony.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “They actually prefer this sort of thing. They just wanted to offer Blessings, thanks, and a little caring. Besides, Serenity is a very cuddly Essence; she’s not had a lot of opportunities to indulge, and I’ve been too busy lately.”

Luna would have said more had not another nimbus appeared. It soon resolved itself into the shape of Selene. The Essence of Lune glomped her Guardian. Luna responded by tickling her, causing Selent to let out peal upon peal of laughter. She soon had the tables turned on Luna, gaining the upper hoof in their tickle fight. The others giggled; the two looked just like a mother and her foal having a tickle contest.

After a few minutes, the hugs and fights ended. The ponies and Essences all sat in a small circle. Selene was still giggling. “Oh, that brings back memories,” she said.

Velvet looked at her. “I take it that that’s something you used to do in the past?” Selene nodded.

“I helped guide LuLu to becoming Princess of Dreams, as Lune is part of that. In those days, the unicorns of Equestria still moved Sol and Lune, so we had time to be just friends. It wasn’t until after Discord attacked Equestria that mys sister and I guided her and her sister to where they are now.”

Rainbow gave Serenity a wing hug. “I prefer to see the Essences as friends before anything else. When it’s all said and done, they’re just like us.”

“More than you know Rainbow,” Dusk said quietly. “I just wish my own Guardian was more aware of me. Something seems to be blocking her though.”

Night Light frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “I’m confused. You’re the Essence of Shadow; why would you have any connection to my daughter?”

“Because she’s the Alicorn of Magic. The Lands of Shadow are the source of Magic itself, as they lie between this Realm, the Umbral Realm, and the Realm of Chaos. Even her being the Princess of Friendship is part of that, as Friendship is the strongest expression of Harmony.”

Night Light looked at Dusk. “Then you’re saying that her role of Princess of Friendship wasn’t just made up by Celestia to give her something to do?”

Dusk smiled. “Yes, and by Angela’s suggestion as well. When Celestia first got the idea to see if Twilight could do what Star Swirl failed to do, she knew that there would have to be some sort of role for her to play. Angela suggested the Princess of Friendship; wonder of wonders, Celestia actually agreed.”

Serenity giggled. “It was Our suggestion to Angela that she would mention that; we were certain that Celestia would agree, as she was having Princess Twilight study the Magic of Friendship. It would have been harder for her to push her role if that hadn’t been done.” The others all nodded, laughing at the mischievous look Serenity was wearing.

Rainbow’s time sense triggered. “Well, we’ve been here long enough; we should be getting back.” She hugged Serenity again, then led the other ponies present back through the Arch.

A few minutes later, the four ponies rejoined the party. They found Twilight waiting for them. “Where did you all go off to?” she asked her marefriend. “Shiny and Cadance have been looking for my parents.”

“Eh, just took them for a tour around my Realm,” Rainbow Dash said off-hoofedly. Twilight blinked.

“I know there’s more than that, but it can wait. Let’s go meet up with Cady and Shiny.”

Luna took this moment to interject. “Well, I should return to where I was before coming here; I will soon have to do my duties in the Dream Realm.” She teleported away in a dark azure flash.

Twilight shook her head, then led her parents and Rainbow Dash to where her brother and sister-in-law was waiting. Velvet hugged the pink alicorn. “We weren’t expecting to see you until Nightmare Night at least,” she said as they broke off the hug.

“I was here for a session of the Alicorn Council, but decided to stay for a little bit. While the Summit of the Crystal Tribes goes on, I’m forbidden by Crystal Empire law to hold Court. Oh, it’s nothing serious really; just my confirmation as Crystal Empress. I’m told that, as much as they might argue, they’ll get around to confirming me in the end. I gather that they don’t really have much choice; as the Alicorn of Love, I’m entitled to my seat. They’re just waffling because of what happened with Sombra.”

Cadance caught the look that Shining sent her way. She sighed internally. “Um, Mom, Dad, Shiny and I have some news. It’s nothing real bad or anything, but there’s going to be two additions to our family in the next eleven months or so.”

Night Light blinked, then started to grin. “You mean babies?” His grin grew at her nod. “Well, by Harmony, it’s about time! You two have been going at it like rabbits since before Twilight was done with school!” The others- all save Velvet, giggled at Shining and Cadance’s embarrassed blush. “You hear that dear? We’re soon going to be grandparents! Velvet?” He turned to see that his wife had a stunned look on her muzzle.

“Babies? Cadance is going to have two babies?” All the other ponies were shocked to see Velvet start crying. “B-but I’m too young to be a grandmother!” she wailed. Night Light hugged his crying wife while a confused Shining and Cadance looked on.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared a look. Shining walked over to his mother. “Mom, it’s okay. I thought you’d be happy; we’ve been trying for awhile now. You’re not really that old Mom.” This only served to make her cry all the harder. Shining looked helplessly at his wife.

Cadance frowned. This was more than she was expecting; she, like her husband, thought that her family would be happy. She frowned as she used her magic and scanned her mother-in-law. She sat back, stunned, as the scan came back positive.

“It’s babes all around,” she said in disbelief. “Shining, you’re gonna have a new baby brother and sister in about a year as well.”

Shining’s response to that was to fall down in a dead faint.

A few minutes later, a now calm Velvet was discussing diapers and baby booties with a giddy Cadance, while the expecting fathers were fortifying themselves with glasses of brandy.

“Both of them,” Shining said in disbelief. “Both my mother and my wife are carrying. At the same time.” He ran a hoof through his mane. “Why do I get the feeling that this is like a comedy movie plot?” Night Light snorted in laughter.

“Oh, I feel the same way; your mother has used this same scenario in some of her books. And I seem to recall a movie or two that did the same thing.” Night Light put his hoof on his son’s shoulders. “Buck up my boy; the mysteries of parenthood aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be.”

Shining groaned. “Ugh, diapers and early morning wake up calls. And Cady’s carrying two, so that means double the problems.” Shining looked at his father. “That’s on top of whatever else decides to happen to us between now and then.”

Night Light chuckled. “We’re certainly living in interesting times m’boy,” he said. Shining looked concerned.

“I’m just starting to wonder if what we were told is at all accurate.” Seeing the confused look on his father’s muzzle, Shining decided to clarify. “Well, part of the problems we were having was because it’s next to impossible for an alicorn to get pregnant by an ordinary unicorn. I’ve been having a lot of flares lately, and there are those in the Empire that think I may be getting a set of wings to go along with this horn of mine.” He tapped his horn for emphasis. “Now I’m not so sure. Given that we know that Sunset is Hope’s daughter, maybe we erred.”

Twilight chose that moment to walk over, having heard a part of the conversation. “No brother; what I said before was true. An ordinary mortal pony has no chance to impregnate an alicorn; all of Hope’s mates were nascent pegacorns, pegacorns, alicorns, or were on the Path of Ascension.” She took a moment to examine her brother with her magic, nodding as she confirmed her suspicions. “Yep, your wellspring is already four times larger than it was the last time I checked.’ She tilted her head as she ran some quick calculations. “With how being around the Crystal Heart seemed to accelerate Cadance’s development as Alicorn of Love, I’m surprised you haven’t started changing already.”

Shining sighed. “I don’t know if I want to change Twily; I was happy just being a unicorn.” His expression became thoughtful. “I mean, having wings would be nice, not to mention the boost that earth pony magic would give me.” His voice firmed. “Plus, there’s the fact that I will be able to stay right by Cadance’s side; she won’t ever have to worry about old age taking me away.”

As soon as he finished speaking, an outpouring of energy from the Plane of Ascension enveloped Shining, encasing him in a bubble of pure light before he flashed away. Night Light looked over to see that his daughter was wearing a self-satisfied expression. “Well, I figured as much; he was reluctant.” She looked at the burn mark on the floor; it was shaped like her brother’s Cutie Mark.

Velvet and Cadance took that moment to walk over. “Twilight, have you seen Rainbow Dash? She just teleported away as if in a hurry.” Twilight smirked.

“Oh, Rainbow’s fine; just has to help the newbie along, that’s all.” Twilight looked at the clock on the wall. “In fact, it shouldn’t be that much longer.”

Just as she finished, a flash of blue heralded the arrival of her brother. He was crouched with his eyes closed. Cadance watched with teary eyes as Shining flared a pair of large white wings.

Rainbow teleported next to Twilight and looked on as Cadance hugged her husband, crying in joy. “How many does that make now Twi?”

Twilight sighed. “I lost count a long time ago, Rainbow Dash. Let’s just enjoy what little peace we have left.”

Author's Notes:

I had to rewrite whole sections of this chapter. Not only was it retreading of what was already known, but it simply didn't fit with the overall tone.

I also wanted to show the softer side of the Essences. A lot of the reasons why they appear foal-like so much is because I like writing God-like beings that way. However, that had nothing to do with this chapter; I just felt like some snuggles.

Finally, the last scene; Shining wasn't supposed to ascend until after the foals were born. However, when I was writing this chapter, I realized that having him as an alicorn now fit better. Again, this is one of those times where a story just writes itself.

Not only do I like the idea of Shiny being an alicorn like his sister, but it also helps to illustrate just what a mixed bag ascension is. That makes three alicorns that weren't pegacorns before ascending.

That we know of anyway at least.

See you all next chapter!

Note: I've been on a real writing kick lately, s o don't expect to long of a wait before the next chapter.

Chapter Twenty-One: Crime and Punishment

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-16-05 A.N.M., 9:22 A.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The next day started early for both Rainbow Dash and Twilight, as each fully slipped into the duties of Regency.

Much to Rainbow Dash’s surprise, she found that she was well-suited for the business of rule, something that was more than a bit odd. As a mare of action, she would have thought that spending hours on end in meeting after meeting would be a chore. However, things were far different than she was expecting.

For starters, Celestia really didn’t do as much work as ponies thought. Because of the fact that Equestria was split into several autonomous regions, much of the running of the country was done locally. Canterlot was the seat of the Grand Assembly and High Council, but those bodies didn’t actually run the country. Instead, bureaucrats- both noble and commoner -were appointed by the Royal House to fulfill certain roles. The process was almost automatic.

In addition, Twilight was a demon when it came to paperwork; oddly enough, she had passed some of that ethic onto Rainbow Dash as well. Plus, Rainbow’s curious aspect as Alicorn of Light gave her the ability to be in multiple places at once at need, something that other alicorns could only do using Astral Projection. Using that all the time was mentally exhausting for the cyan alicorn though, so she only did so when there was a pressing need.

The only real issue was Day Court, which took up far too much time as it was the traditional time for the titled nobility to air their grievances. For centuries, Celestia thought it was the better part of valor to just let them complain, as most never had any real authority. However, Rainbow Dash agreed with Luna’s opinion about Day Court:

These foals made it out to be a colossal waste of time.

“Twi, tell me again why we’re wasting time going over a useless proposal like this?” Rainbow groused. The two were in what was usually Celestia’s conference room, going over a petition by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Twilight only frowned in response.

“I’m starting to really wonder that myself; Steel Hoof already knows that I’m not going to go over Celestia’s horn on this issue, so I don’t know why he’s bothering with this. Unless, of course, that this is yet another attempt to undermine my authority.” Twilight ran a hoof through her mane in frustration. “Steel Hoof thinks the same as so many of the older nobility; that we’re too young and naive to see through a ruse like this.” She took a pen and wrote down ‘vetoed’ on the bottom of the petition before stamping it. She then set it down with other similarly rejected proposals before turning to Rainbow Dash.

The cyan alicorn was busy reading yet another proposal, humming thoughtfully as she did so. She looked up at her partner. “Twi, this one’s actually pretty intelligent; the noble is calling for a census of all wealthy ponies in Equestria.” Rainbow floated the proposal over to Twilight.

Twilight frowned as she read it. “Huh, it’s not even written in flowery language; who wrote this?” She blinked, then grinned as she got to the end. “Seems like Bluey has learned a thing or two; this doesn’t have his name on it, but this is one of his peers. One of the good ones I would say.” Twilight wrote ‘approved for further consideration’ on the petition before stamping it. She then floated it back over to her counterpart. Rainbow took it with aplomb and did the same.

“One good proposal out of the fifty we’ve looked over this morning,” she said. Rainbow picked up the next one. She only glanced at it before snorting. “What a joke!” She vetoed it before passing it over to Twilight.

Twilight took one look at the petition in question and facehoofed. “Ugh, I don’t even know why she thought she could get that passed us. Good catch Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight was about to unroll the next petition when a scroll bearing the seal of EIS appeared before her. She unrolled it and read the brief note. “Bright Knowledge has sent word; you and I are needed in the High Court Audience chamber.” She turned to one of the Royal Guards-mares standing along the door to the conference room. “Send word to the Seneschal; Morning Court will be postponed until our business with EIS is confirmed.” She then gestured to Rainbow Dash. The two teleported to save time. Knowing Bright Knowledge, she would not have sent word like this if it wasn’t serious.

A pair of teleports later, Rainbow Dash and Twilight both found themselves in the Chambers of the High Court.

Even though the territories in Equestria were autonomous, the High Court in Canterlot had jurisprudence over all of the other courts in Equestria. The reason for this was simple; Justices were selected by the Royal House, but only after undergoing extensive examination by Priests of the assembled Essences.

For the first few decades after Luna’s Fall, Celestia continued to hear each and every case personally. However, that soon became unwieldy as more and more territory came under Equestria’s control. Plus, it had always been the intent for there to be a separate judicial system, one that was outside noble control. Having Justices that were appointed- rather than elected officials -meant that there was no risk of them being compromised due to a contrary political belief.

More than just the High Court operated out of these chambers though. It was also where the offices of the Equestrian Intelligence Service could be found.

Rainbow Dash saw that Sunset Shimmer was waiting for them with a neutral expression. She raised her brow, but didn’t comment as the orange alicorn led the other two into Bright Knowledge’s office.

During their journey to the Crystal Palace, Rainbow Dash had come to realize that there was more going on with Bright Knowledge than being a pocket spy. It came as no surprise to her when she discovered that Bright Knowledge was in charge of EIS, though Celestia was unaware of her pegacorn nature when the appointment was made.

After her consternation at learning that the pony she named as its chief was a closet pegacorn, Celestia realized the benefit of having an alicorn in charge of Equestria’s intelligence. Plus, this was the only way she could honor Bright Knowledge as an alicorn, as she categorically refused to be crowned as a princess.

Bright Knowledge’s expression was as neutral as Sunset’s as the three alicorns approached her desk. Once they were all settled, she sighed before placing a manilla folder before Twilight. “Princess Twilight, I would have sent this evidence through the normal channels if it weren’t due to its sensitive nature. I am afraid that it is quite serious; so serious in fact, that the Council of Eight has already ordered the arrest of the remaining accused.”

Twilight opened the folder with trepidation. As she read its contents, her expression paled. When she finished, she swallowed before looking up at Sunset with a beseeching look. Sunset shook her head. “I’m sorry Twilight, but it’s already been confirmed. What’s there is all too true.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Um, what happened?”

Twilight just sat there in shock. Sunset ran a hoof through her mane before answering the cyan alicorn. “At nine minutes past eight o'clock this morning, the head of Valiant Armor was found on a post in the front yard of the Manor House of House Librania. The report came on the heels of confirmed evidence that the late former Lord was involved in the business of slavery, in addition to the full measure of Clan Method. In addition, Royal Guards-ponies have arrested Aegis Armor for suspicion of murder, as what witnesses we have found said that it was Valiant Armor’s own brother that killed the late former lord.”

Bright Knowledge nodded. “We already had some evidence of both, but not enough to confirm anything. However, the actions of the former Lady Lily Leaf of Stalliongrad were enough to confirm what was already suspected. A number of the retainers of both former nobles has turned State’s evidence to avoid petrification.” The lilac alicorn sighed. “As you might have guessed, since both of the accused are connected to House Armor, I had the unenviable duty to inform Lord Aegis Armor of what evidence we had gathered. He now awaits Justice, though not for murder. Equicide, yes, but not murder; you all know as well as I do that had Princess Luna found this out, she would have done the same.”

Sunset shook her head. “Luna may have done some things that were borderline illegal in the past, but she wouldn’t have done something like this.” Rainbow snorted.

“Sunset, you’re right, but you’re also wrong. She’d have had the dead pony arrested, tried, convicted, and then would have removed his head. What’s worse, is if he was somehow found not guilty, she would have claimed Alicorn Justice on him and took his head anyway.”

At this point, Twilight was able to collect herself, though she was still pale. “What Rainbow Dash said is true; Luna has nothing but contempt for slavery; she’s executed her own commanders that were involved with such things before.” She shook herself before turning a level gaze onto Bright Knowledge. “Was the evidence you had against my uncle conclusive?” The lilac alicorn nodded grimly.

“As I have already mentioned, my ponies have been watching them for some time. Like with all criminal activities that the Five Families have been involved with, there was never much to go on.” She tapped another, much thicker folder sitting on her desk. “However, what we have recently found out gave us links to prior evidence.” Bright Knowledge sighed. “Aegis Armor did not seem all that surprised that his own brother had been involved. Angry; very angry in fact. No surprise though.”

Twilight lifted the second folder and started going through the documents. As she read, the purple alicorn nodded a few times. After a few minutes, Twilight set the folder down before shaking her head. “Not only were my surviving grandparents guilty of the Clan Method of brainwashing, but that my own uncle was involved with slavery. Pleasure slavery! The only thing that has kept him alive since Luna’s return was the fact that highly placed nobles were involved in keeping it a secret!”

Twilight turned her attention to the Guards-mare standing at attention. “Corporal, inform the Commander; I’m stepping up the timetable. I want the rest of the conspirators arrested by the end of the day. We can no longer afford to wait on this.” The pegasus mare saluted before leaving. “Bright Knowledge, gather the necessary items and have them brought to the Courtroom. Once you’ve done that, have soldiers of my Dusk Guard escort Andromeda Titania- she is of this moment stricken from the Rolls and Book of House Sparkle -to the nearby holding cells. I have a few things that need preparation before the Ritual.” She then teleported away. Bright Knowledge excused herself to do what was asked of her.

Sunset frowned. “I was under the impression that a petrification doesn’t require any special items, other than the official Scroll of Records,” she said. She then noticed that Rainbow Dash had paled just as much as Twilight had earlier.

“Petrification doesn’t, but there are a few that are needed for the Ritual of Exile,” the cyan alicorn said faintly. She was once more forced to levy her poise as an alicorn in order to continue. “Twi’s gonna have to use one of the worst Rituals out there on a member of her own family.”

Sunset blanched as she realized what Rainbow Dash meant. “Y-you mean Exalia Equus?”she asked faintly. Rainbow nodded.

Of all the Rituals in existence, Exalia Equus was perhaps the most savage and brutal Ritual that had ever been developed. The Ritual was simple; using the power of the Primal Star, the Ritual did exactly what its name implied. Anyone who had the Ritual performed on them was separated from all of Equus, unable to interact with others. The only way such an individual could interact with everyone else would be to do with those charged with watching over the Unwilling Exiled; the Guardians of the Lost.

When the Ritual of Exiles was originally considered, the ancient Magi had wanted to temper it with at least some mercy. One of the ways was to allow the condemned individual to still have familial connections in order to temper the disconnect. In fact, the first version did that, only to have the three daughters of a sociopathic pony be drained of their life force to fuel their father’s return. After that, the Ritual was redesigned in such a way that severed any and all ties the condemned had forged.

It went even further; outside of special records, only those present and the direct family- if any -of the accused would remember that the condemned even existed. As such, the only ones who knew how many times that Celestia had been forced to perform the Ritual were a bare hoofful.

All of this flashed through her mind as Sunset shuddered. “But why? Why would she even consider it?! Petrification, even death would be preferable to that!”

Rainbow sighed heavily. “If it were any less, it would be those two. In this though, Twi’s gonna follow the Founder’s Law. Look, I know it’s harsh; Twilight knows it too! But in this case, her hooves are tied.”

Sunset sighed heavily. “This can’t be easy for her; to have to render Judgement like this on her own grandmother of all ponies.” Rainbow scowled.

“I know what Twi’s thinking right now, and as far as she’s concerned, Andromeda Titania is no longer her grandmother; the same goes for the late, unlamented Valiant Armor. By doing what they’ve done, they’ve destroyed whatever familial bonds they ever had.” Rainbow sighed again. “I just hope she’s able to hold herself together after this.”

Sunset frowned. “You sound as though this is an area of concern, Rainbow.” Rainbow nodded.

“There’s been a few times in our journey where Twi’s thaumatic signature has altered due to both fear and anger. I’ve been hoping we were passed all of that, then something like this happens.”

Sunset gave her friend a stern look. “All we can do is be there for her. No matter how much she denies it, this is still going to hurt. Making this kind of decision is never easy.” Rainbow nodded firmly as the two made their way to the Main Courtroom of the High Court of Canterlot.

One would think that a pony of Andromeda Titania’s age would show it; however, there was nothing that showed that she was any older than her daughter despite being past forty when Twilight Velvet was born.

Another incongruence was why such a fragile-seeming mare would need to be held under guard by no less than twenty Guards-ponies. One would have been surprised to learn that she had cause grievous injuries to half a dozen of the highly-skilled Royal Guards that had been sent to arrest her. It was only after the Commander of Twilight’s Dusk Guard had arrived that they were able to subdue her. Against a stallion that had instruction in high level combat magic by both the Princess of Friendship and the new Prince of the Crystal Empire, even a mare skilled as Andromeda stood little chance.

In spite of all of this, Andromeda Titania acted as though it was her that had been wronged. “You brutes have no idea just who you have falsely arrested,” she said for the umpteenth time. “I am a highly regarded noble, and you have no right to treat me like this.” The mares and stallions- except for their Commander -simply ignored the bound mare.

Commander Orpheus snorted in anger. “Keep on deluding yourself bitch; the only reason why you’re able to talk now is because none of those sent to apprehend you were killed. You would be hobbled far worse if any had died.”

Andromeda snorted. “Oh please, spare me. If you had done so, my granddaughter would have had you dealt with.” Orpheus snorted, this time with dark amusement.

“I happen to think differently; had any of them died, my Sovereign would have had you under so many bindings that you’d scarcely be able to piss yourself.” The sable unicorn gazed at the haughty mare levelly. “It’s only at her further pleasure that you’re even alive now; as it is, you should have lost your head along with your son in law’s father for your crimes. Were it up to me, you would already be dead.”

Even these words didn’t register to the haughty mare. “So you say; well, your Sovereign isn’t here to say otherwise, and I would think that you would be more cautionary as to saying such things. I know my granddaughter far better than you do, and she is one that will always do what is right and proper.”

Orpheus smiled grimly. “Oh, there’s no doubt of that; which means that she will either take your head or Exile you, as that is no more than what you deserve.” Andromeda simply snorted; not even this could get past her narcissism, though she did decide that further words were a waste of her time.

A few minutes later, a knock at the door heralded the arrival of Bright Knowledge. Andromeda made no gesture of surprise at the arrival of the lilac alicorn; in fact, she acted as though Bright Knowledge was still the lilac unicorn she had acted as for so many years. Then again, that was hardly unusual; the lilac alicorn in question had long mastered any number of perception filters to appear differently to those around her. None of the ones she commonly employed had the vulnerabilities that the ones Luna often used either; the only risk was that they required a more complicated setup, and used up a lot of mana. Not the most conserving of spells.

Bright Knowledge gazed impassively at the hobbled unicorn. She had had little trust for this mare for a long time, having suspected her of grievous acts years ago. Her only regret in all of this was not having any evidence to act on those suspicions. “Andromeda Titania, it is time for Judgement to be heard concerning your actions. I do hope that you have made peace with Harmony, and may She have mercy on your soul.” She then gestured to the stallions around the unicorn.

Andromeda made to fight them, but Bright Knowledge had triggered a paralytic lock aura, making it impossible for her to move. In addition, she also triggered a First Class thaumic barrier as well, preventing Andromeda from being able to channel any mana into the prepared unicorn runic she had in reserve as a means of escape.

Normally, neither one of these things would be necessary; however, the alicorn had had experience with ponies such as this. Andromeda Titania was one of those rare ponies that possessed a narcissistic personality disorder. In her case, it was severe enough that she should have had her right to bear and raise foals removed, never mind the position that she had held for so many years. Nothing happened however; her mother had ensured that the doctor that had made that ruling lost both her reputation and her life. That was one of a number of things that had EIS watching the leaders of House Titania for many a year.

The Guards-stallions surrounding her escorted a completely haughty and unrepentant Andromeda Titania to the main Courtroom. Once they were there, all of her restraints were removed. Andromeda smiled inwardly. How foalish. Before she could make good on her escape- and raise the army of mercenaries that she still thought they didn’t know about -a high level thaumic barrier canceled out all of her prepared runic.

Andromeda snarled inwardly as she looked to where Twilight was standing. For the first time in her life, she suddenly felt something that she never felt before; fear.

Twilight’s expression was cold as she gazed at Andromeda. “Andromeda Titania, you stand accused of High Crimes against Equinity, and against All of Worth.” A beam of harmonic energy passed over the mare from the Priest standing next to the princess. The Priest nodded impassively, confirming what was already known. Twilight’s expression got colder as she continued.

“As has been confirmed, whether or not you plead guilty to the charges before you doesn’t matter; your guilt is confirmed. Judgement will now be rendered.” Twilight’s impassive expression bored into the mare standing in the middle of the runic circle that now graced the floor of the Courtroom.

Andromeda’s heart began to beat with a sense of heavy fear as Twilight’s presence as Alicorn of Magic bore down heavily on her. “Let We assembled hear the charges that you are guilty of.”

The Bailiff on her other side cleared her throat before speaking. “Andromeda of House Titania, you stand guilty of the Clan Method of foal-rearing, the Clan Method of blackmail, and the Clan Method of Status. You also stand guilty of no less than sixty-seven counts of Murder in the First Degree, and sixty-nine counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree.” The pegacorn mare stopped for a moment to let all of that sink in before continuing.

“In addition to those heinous crimes, you stand guilty of an uncountable number of counts of Child Abuse, Child Endangerment, and Child Slavery. You also stand guilty of the Crimes of Treason against Equestria for the crime of Slavery.” The mare rolled up the scroll before her. “There are far too many counts of her crimes to list here, Your Highness.” This last was said to Twilight.

Twilight’s gaze hardened. “I hope you are able to understand the severity of your crimes, Andromeda Titania. The loss of your status as a member of both your House- and mine own -is the least that would happen for even one charge of slavery. In times of old, you would have been as dead as Valiant Librania is for just one charge.”

“However, I feel that even the mercy of death is something that you simply do not have a right to; you have shown that you have no mercy, no compassion in that cold, selfish soul. A fate most fitting for one such as you has been decided. You are to live out the remainder of your natural life in Exile from all of Equus.” Twilight turned to the Priest next to her. “Prepare the Ritual.”

The Priest nodded to three of her fellow Priests. These three all held one of the Ritual items; the Book of Knowledge, the Sigil of Wisdom, and the Scepter of Understanding. Each one of these objects were tied to both the Ritual, and to the Eternal Guardians of Knowledge.

The three Priests each stepped onto one of the four Cardinal points on the sigil. Twilight herself stepped onto the fourth, just in front of Andromeda. The mare in the center was unable to move or think; Twilight’s presence as an alicorn had rendered her completely silent. Even so, she was still unmoved in her right, knowing that even this would have no effect.

She was about to find out that her time was up.

Twilight summoned Starfall without a word, and held the bound sword aloft in a ritual pose. Bands of mana started to coalesce on the blade as the three Priests began to intone the words of the Ritual.

As the Ritual began, all present could feel the Power of the Primal Star as She made Herself known.

Starfall began to glow as the Priests finished chanting. Twilight leveled the bound sword and pointed her at Andromeda. He tone harsh, Twilight finished the Ritual. “Let all know that the pony before Us, Andromeda Majestica, has been Judged, and found unworthy of the Name she was born to. She will be unknown to all for her crimes; her name will not be Anathema, for one cannot make one that is both Forgotten and Unknown Anathema.”

“By the Sacred Heart of Harmony, I do sever you from Equus. By the Power of the Primal Star, I do separate you from Time and Space. By She of Knowledge, She of Wisdom, and She of Understanding, let all of your works and all of your Power be undone. You are now ~sic~ among this world. Let this Ritual be Bound by She of Creation, and He of Justice!”

With the final words spoken, Andromeda became encased in a bubble of pure light. Three harsh flashes flared before the bubble dissipated. As it cleared, Andromeda was still present. However, her expression was one of a pony that was completely broken.

When she was much younger, the now-Exiled mare had taken steps to ensure that not even Exalia Equus would be able to work on her. She now realized that they had failed, for when Twilight was finished, it was as if those very bindings had never existed.

Far, far worse however, was the additional level that her granddaughter had added to it. Though the Ritual did call for the Power of the Primal Star, the only requirement for the Triad was the use of the Ritual objects tied to their Aspects. By Calling on them as she had, Twilight had made it so that Andromeda lost everything. Her thaumatic pathways were undone; it was as if she was born without any. All knowledge of magic- indeed, all knowledge of anything save the most basic of reading, writing, and arithmetic -was also removed. In addition, her ability to comprehend such things- and any wisdom that she had acquired in her life -were cut as well.

In short, Andromeda Majestica no longer possessed even the basest of skills; instead, she had been rendered to the level of slavery that she had placed so many into.

Truly, she had suffered a fate far worse than death.

‘No more than what you deserve,” Twilight said as she turned away. Andromeda collapsed to her knees, sobbing. However, not one pony present had any sympathy for her. She soon faded away as if she had never been.

Hour later, Sunset Shimmer stared at the form of Twilight as she sat in front of the Solar Throne. She had borne witness to the Ritual, but that wasn’t a concern.

What was was the actions of the Princess of Friendship afterwards. She was cordial and polite, but it seemed as though there was something broken. When she asked Rainbow Dash, the cyan alicorn didn’t answer; instead, she simply went over to the purple mare and gave her a hug.

Even this seemed to have little effect. Sunset had considered using her authority as an alicorn to cancel Day Court, but Twilight wouldn’t hear of it. Sunset watched as her friend listened to the last petitioner of the day. After the mare finished speaking, Twilight smiled before agreeing to the proposed action. It was actually a fairly wise one, as it was a proposed amendment to improve living conditions along the border with the Minotaur Confederacy.

After the petition was approved for review by the currently absent Rainbow Dash, Twilight looked to Sunset. “Mares and gentlecolts, today’s session of Day Court is at an end. The next scheduled is in three days. Have a great weekend.”

Sunset was about to join up with Twilight, only to see that she had already teleported away. She frowned. “I don’t know what’s wrong; she’s not acting at all like the Twilight I remember. I just wish I knew how to help.”

Sunset made her way to the nearby conference room; there was still a few details to go over concerning the upcoming raid on the rest of the conspiracy. The orange alicorn smiled in relief at seeing her mother waiting. She trotted over and gave the larger alicorn a hug.

Sunset broke off the hug and then looked at Hope. “Mother, I don’t know how to handle all of this. Twilight’s not acting like herself, and Rainbow Dash won’t say anything about it when I ask her. I don’t know how I’m supposed to advise a pony when I don’t even know what’s wrong.”

“That’s because there really isn’t anything we can do about it,” said a voice from the door. The two alicorns turned to see that Rainbow Dash was standing there. She walked over to sit next to Sunset before continuing. “That’s why I didn’t answer you earlier, Sunset. Right now, Twilight’s operating on alicorn reflex, and will likely continue to do so until the raids later on tonight.”

Hope nodded. “I suspected as much. Her ego is far too robust to be permanently affected by this, but this sort of thing is never easy.”

“You see Sunset, there comes a time in every alicorn’s life when they truly learn that Evil knows no boundaries. It’s different for each of us; for Twilight, the idea that Evil, true Evil could lie in the heart of a member of her own family is one that she ever allowed herself to contemplate.”

“Some might call her stupid for having such a belief, but it is simply a form of naivete that is all too common. When it happens to a mortal creature, it often causes a loss of innocence. For an alicorn, it changes how we view things. Twilight is coming to grips with that part of our nature that caused so many pegacorns to go feral in the past.”

Sunset blinked. “Is she blaming herself?” Both Hope and Rainbow shook their heads at that.

“No, and she shouldn’t have to. What she’s dealing with right now is what happens when pegacorns and alicorns are forced to render Judgement. The fact that it was her own family has just made it that much harder.” Rainbow Dash put her hoof on Sunset’s withers. “I know you wanna help Sunny, but all we can do now is wait. Twi will come around soon, and will be acting just as goofy as she ever did.”

Sunset frowned at the cyan alicorn. “You sound as if you’ve already dealt with this.” Rainbow nodded.

“When we went North, we were attacked by mercenaries hired by the conspiracy we’re about to deal with in order to kill us. Well, Twilight anyway; I was just a bonus.” She waived her hoof airily. “Anyway, when they went after Twilight, I snapped. Coming down from it, I felt- betrayed. As though a part of me had taken over and made me a monster.” Rainbow Dash shuddered at the memory.

“It’s part of our instinct; as pegacorns, we’re genetically predisposed to be guardians, protectors of those less fortunate. It is more controllable for alicorns, but no less apparent.” Hope sighed.

“For most of us, this has always been at one remove; however, for those who have had a sheltered life, when the Face of Evil rises among those we love, it causes a paradigm shift; a reordering of our thoughts that takes some time to sort out.” Hope sighed. “At least we’ve long since learned the signs, and can prevent her from going feral. Feral pegacorns are bad, but they have nothing on a feral alicorn.”

Sunset fell silent for a few minutes before sighing herself. “I guess all we can do is just be there for her.” The other two nodded.

Rainbow Dash was about to speak when Searching Scroll, Celestia’s Seneschal, arrived with Commander Orpheus of Twilight’s Dusk Guard.

One would think that Orpheus, with his sable coat and dark blue mane, would be a better fit for Luna’s Guard. In fact, he didn’t start out to become a Guard-stallion at all. He was like Twilight in that he had a scholarly bent. However, combined with a tactical mind, it made him a perfect it to lead Twilight’s cadre of elite Guards-ponies.

“Princess Rainbow, Royal Advisor Sunset Shimmer, we’re on time or the raids. They're just waiting for the arrival of a royal to start.” Rainbow perked her head up at that.

“Well, that’s my cue. I was tapped for this by Luna, seeing as my ‘Bolts are on point for the raids.” Rainbow teleported away with an azure flash. Orpheus turned to Sunset.

“We’d best get ready as well, Advisor.” She nodded, following him to the waiting carriage.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Same Old Noble Song and Dance

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Equestria, Duchy of Staghelm, 06-16-05 A.N.M. 6:22 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Apple Crisp watched as the mercenaries she’d hired went through the motions of another training session. To have to rely on them after the Equestrian Guard had been dissolved by that false purple alicorn was grating on the nerves.

The noble’s ears turned towards the sound of approaching hooves. “We have word from the Court; Andromeda Majestica has had Equus Exalia cast on her.” The blonde-maned unicorn watched as the hired ponies went through the motions. “It seems as though her banking on family connections to get out from under her crimes didn’t work.” Prince Blueblood sighed. “So that’s one less noble to count on for the raid on Canterlot.”

“At least we have your support, my dear prince. I would have thought you’d side with Celestia and the rest of the pegacorns.” Apple Crisp smirked as she gazed at the stallion next to her. “Your most recent actions had given me pause milord, and has caused the others to still doubt you.”

“All part of the ruse milady.” Blueblood smiled. “What better way to trick ponies than by pretending to reform? In any case, I’m needed elsewhere.”

Apple Crisp nodded. “Be a dear and check on the securi-charms for me?” Blueblood nodded as he left. “Won’t be long before we rule once more,” the unicorn said softly to herself.

Blueblood made his way to where the anchoring crystal for the securi-charms was housed. Apple Crisp is such a foal; she trusts me despite knowing how shallow I really am. Blueblood snorted. She should have been more suspicious of me.

The unicorn soon reached his destination. The low hum from the crystal confirmed that it was powering the defense barrier over the manor; said barrier was the latest in home security. It was keyed to only allow the magic of those wearing special pendants to work, or the specific control crystal.

Apple Crisp had entrusted hers to Blueblood on his arrival due to their past association, which was fortuitous. It meant less spellwork.

A vibration against his collarbone let Blueblood know that he was being paged. He pulled out the communication crystal stored in his cravat and held it up. Inside, he could see the face of Commander Orpheus. “We’ve moved the timetable forward- .lower the AM field.” Blueblood nodded by way of reply. Concentrating on the control crystal, he deactivated the warding spells that prevented magic use by others in the manor. He then threw the crystal against the wall, shattering it. “Well, time to prepare; I still have a job to do, after all.” He made his way to his quarters to prepare for the coming raid.

Apple Crisp, meanwhile, continued to watch the mercenaries train, this time in the courtyard. She sighed again, hating that she was reduced to hiring thugs to return Equestria to its rightful rulers. “Damn Lemyre to Tartarus! I knew relying on that witch would get us in trouble.!”

Apple Crisp frowned as she looked up in the sky. “What are those weather pegasi doing?! We were supposed to have clear skies this week, no cloud cover!” Suddenly, Apple Crisp heard the staccato report of dozens of teleports. Simultaneously, a group of familiar pegasi slalomed out of the clouds and fell like meteors onto the mercenaries.

Apple Crisp wasted no time, teleporting to her chambers. Opening her safe, she used her magic to grab what evidence was there, stuffing it into her saddlebags. She then moved her breau aside, exposing an escape tunnel.

Apple Crisp trotted down this tunnel as quickly as she could. She soon came to its exit. Pausing, she saw that the hallway was full of Guards-ponies. Cursing, she went down another path, heading towards the outside of her manor.

Blueblood was waiting for her; his cravat was torn, and his mane was disheveled. “How were they able to attack?! The shield should have repelled their magic!” she screeched.

“One of your staff was an undercover Guard;she mugged me for the control crystal!” He pointed off to the side. “They have an anti-teleport field down around the manor now; I found that out the hard way. We’ll have to use the emergency portal nearby.”

Blueblood led the way. Using his magic, he made both himself and Apple Crisp invisible to get past the Guards. They soon entered the nearby garden house. Once inside, Blueblood powered up the portal. “This terminates on my yacht, which is already on stand-by. Ladies first.” Apple Crisp trotted through. Blueblood soon followed, after activating the deactivation timer.

Once on the other side, Blueblood made his way to the deck of the yacht. “Captain, we need to leave now, if you please.” His captain nodded, pushing the throttle forward. Turning to Apple Crisp, he pointed aft. “The guest cabin is next to mine; why don’t you freshen up there? I’ll have the staff send you something to eat.” Apple Crisp nodded, and made her way to the cabin.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, cuffs hooked her fetlocks. Noble she might be, but she wasn’t helpless. She let lose with a blast of telekinesis, knocking out the two Guards along the sides of the door.

Suddenly, a band of crystal surrounded her horn, cutting off her magic. Snorting angrily, she tapped the jewel around her neck, only to have it shatter.

She tried again, this time with the rune embedded in the frog of her left hind hoof. There was a flare from the ring around her horn as it cancelled out the teleport.

“Nice try, but it’ll take more than that to dislodge that band,” said a voice off to the side. Apple Crisp turned to see that Rainbow Dash was lounging in the loveseat along the side of the wall. “The only magic that will work on it is mine,” she said.

Four more unicorns teleported in. Two went to their fallen comrades, while the other two bracketed Apple Crisp. Rainbow Dash got up and walked over to the now-helpless mare. “Not real smart to add resisting arrest to your crimes, but what can I say? Your type is all the same; you think the rules don’t apply to you because you’re a noble. Well, I have news for you; the rules apply to everypony.”

“You’re going away for a very long time; it’s only because no pony has died that’s keeping you from being petrified.” Rainbow walked until she was right in front of the mare. “Well, we can’t keep on imposing on Bluey like this, so it’s time to leave.” She touched the mare on the forehead, casting a sleep spell. “Be gentle with her colts; we don’t need a reason for her to sue.” The Guards soon had her trussed and ready for the nearby Guard liner.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, made her way towards the forecastle. Once there, she nodded at Blueblood. “Well, you certainly came through for us Bluey. I admit, you offering to spy for us was a surprise. Not only that, you actually managed to pull it off.”

“I’ve had practice princess. And every colt imagines what it would be like to be a spy,” Blueblood said in response, a grin on his muzzle. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’ll get out of your mane then, Bluey. Thanks for the help.” Rainbow bowed, spreading her wings. Blueblood bowed in return. She then walked to the banister and jumped into the air, flying to the waiting liner.

Apple Crisp glared at the pony sitting before her. “You must be joking! You want me to confess and plead guilty?! I thought you were here to get me off on a lesser charge!”

Apple Bisque shook her head. “There’s too much evidence against you and the rest of your friends, with the exception of Blueblood.” The mare placed a hoof on the folder before her. “I’m trying the best I can here; unless you want to spend the rest of your life doing hard labor, I suggest you take the offer.” She leaned in to push her point home. “Do you know how hard it is for unicorns in hard labor camps? They have to do the work that earth ponies do without magic; moving rocks, bucking down tree stumps. Most unicorns crack after their first six months, and you will have to do so for the remainder of your natural life.”

Apple Crisp scoffed. “Please! Do you honestly see Princess Twilight passing such a harsh sentence on me? I could see Princess Celestia doing so; I’ve long considered her a tyrant. But her student doesn’t have the heart.”

“I’ve been reliably informed to the contrary, sister. If you don’t accept the deal offered, you’ll spend the rest of your life in the fields outside Fort Last Hope. The only reason I was successful in even getting you a reduced sentence is because no pony was killed.” Apple Bisque looked at her sister. “Please, for once in your life, do the right thing. If not for yourself, then for me.”

Apple Crisp looked at her sister. Truthfully, she was something of a black sheep of the family. Passed over for consideration to inherit the family seat because she chose to honor the meritocracy system, she had served four years as a public defender. She now had her own practice, but continued to take pro bono work on the side whenever time permitted.

The two had been close when they were fillies, up until she was taken in by her grandmother for private tutoring. That’s when things turned rough in their relationship. Apple Crisp sighed. “You have a pen?” she asked. Apple Bisque nodded, handing it to her.

Apple Crisp opened the folder, and levitated the pen over the signature line. She hesitated for only a moment before signing her name, noticing that the ‘guilty’ box was already checked. She then set the pen down and closed the folder. “Well, that’s that. I’ll see you at my arraignment next week, sister.” She then gestured to the Guard standing at attention. The mare unlocked her shackles so she could get up from the table. She was then led to the holding cells.

Apple Bisque collected her paperwork, then made her way to the throne room. Once there, she went into the adjoining conference room where the two Regents and their advisors were waiting. She blinked as her gaze settled on Discord; his new appearance was always a shock, as it contrasted with his identity as the Avatar of Chaos.

“Well, did she take the offer?” Twilight asked. Apple Bisque nodded. “Well, then I see no reason that we can’t lessen her sentence, especially since she wasn’t really in charge. Hers was a backup in case the main plan failed.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Why they even tried I have no clue. They had to have known we’d be watching after all that had happened with the High Court. But I agree with Twi; there’s no reason to sentence her to such a harsh punishment.”

“We’ll inform the Justices of our decision. And this takes care of the remnants of the conspiracy that the late Lady Lemyre was heading. That’s a load off my shoulders.” Twilight sighed. “Now there’s only the fallout from your House to deal with. Joy.” Both Rainbow and Sunset chuckled. “Can I count on your support?”

“Sure, throw me into that nest of vipers; I don’t mind,” Apple Bisque snarked. This time, Twilight chuckled along with her marefriend and advisor. “In all seriousness, you have my full support, Princess. I may not wish to, but my House needs a strong leader after the way my Grandmother ran things. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get this paperwork filed with the Hall of Records before they close.” She then left, bowing before the assembled royals.

Twilight unrolled the scroll before her. “Well, that’s that item checked off.” She checked the square off on her list. “Looks like all that’s left is dealing with the fallout. We now have four more vacant seats; they may not have had any political authority, but they were still seated nobles. Any suggestions?”

Sunset opened the folder in front of her. “I have here a list of names from distaff Houses for each seat. All of them are suitable; most have spent the last decade or so serving in the public sector. Assuming we can get the leaders of each House to agree that is. That’s going to be a hard sell.”

“There’s an understatement; all four of these Houses are noted for their rejection of the meritocracy system. Well, they have no choice; it’s either they go with our recommendations, or I declare the seats open to all qualifiers. That should get them to wake up.” Twilight looked at Sunset. “Which ones did you have in mind?”

Sunset wrote four names down, and floated the piece of parchment over to Twilight. She looked at the names for a moment, then floated the parchment over to Rainbow Dash. “What do you think about these four, Rainbow?”

Rainbow looked them over. “I see no problems with these four, Twi.” Her stomach growled, causing the mare to blush. Twilight giggled. “Can we get some snacks?”

Discord snapped a claw, conjuring a fruit and cheese platter. “Thanks, Dissy” She floated over a slice of melon.

“While Rainbow feeds her face, is there any more pressing business?” Twilight asked Sunset. The mare shook her head.

“All that’s left is budget allocation, and I recommend sticking with what Princess Celestia had decided.” Twilight nodded.

“Well, that’s that I guess. Let’s adjourn for now. We’ll pick all of this back up after Court tomorrow.” She then teleported to her quarters, Rainbow following her a moment later.

Sunset gathered the scattered paperwork and placed it all in the saddlebags next to her. She then teleported them to her office before grabbing some apple slices. “I’m glad that the raids are now over; it’s been hard dealing with this side of Twilight.”

Discord shrugged. “Seems to me that she’s been handling things with aplomb.” He cracked his knuckles. “Well, I’m off; there’s Guards to prank.” He slalomed before teleporting away, causing Sunset to facehoof.

The orange-furred alicorn decided that there was no reason to let good food go to waste, and took it with her to her quarters. Time enough tomorrow for the business of the kingdom.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Meet The Sister

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Equus, Neighico Beach, 06-19-05 A.N.M., 12:34 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Celestia sighed contentedly, the noonday sun bathing her prone form as she lay sunbathing on a beach chair. Next to her, Luna chuckled.

Celestia looked over at her sister. “What’s with the chuckle, Lu?” she asked her. Luna just smirked.

“Oh, nothing really; just that myself and Cadance had a bet going. She said that you wouldn’t be able to relax the first week; I said that it would take three days, tops.” Luna’s smirk grew. “Seems I was right; she owes me five hundred bits.” Celestia shrugged.

“Cadance has a point though. It’s only because of Rainbow Dash that I’m at all able to relax; I keep on worrying that I’ve imposed far more on Twilight than is right.”

Luna frowned. “I know that Rainbow being named Co-Regent settled things for you, but I’m not sure of the details. Care to share?” Celestia nodded.

“You remember feeling Equus Exila being cast three days ago? Well, I was all set to teleport back when I found Rainbow Dash standing next to me. She was able to convince me that the best thing I could do is let her and Twilight handle whatever was happening.”

“Naturally, I wasn’t pleased at the suggestion, so I asked for details. Turns out that Twilight was forced to cast the Ritual on Andromeda Majestica of all ponies.” Luna nodded at that, without much surprise. “I wanted to be there, to support Twilight. Rainbow Dash told me that the best way I could support her was to ‘finish my vacation. The last thing Twi needs is to see that you’re worrying about her; she already does that enough as it is.’ And I found myself agreeing with her.”

Luna chuckled. “Seems as though Princess Rainbow has settled things for the both of us. Had it not been for her Ascension, I would not have suggested this vacation.” The dark blue alicorn sighed. “I just wish it didn’t seem as though we were imposing. A two week vacation isn’t the same as Regency; we won’t be going back to work- at least, I won’t -until next year.”

Celestia frowned. “As much as you think I’m a workaholic” the wry expression on Celestia’s muzzle caused Luna to stick her tongue out at her -“I don’t intend to take advantage of Twilight and Rainbow Dash any more than I have to. I wonder why you are; I would call it laziness, but I’m not that rude.”

“Oh, har har; it is to laugh,” Luna snarked, causing both mares to giggle. Luna turned serious. “I don’t wish to, but I have duties in mine own kingdom that will take more than a few days to learn.” She gestured with a hoof. “The defenses for Equestria have remained much the same, barring a few ‘new’ forts to handle ‘newer’ settlements. ‘Tis not the same on the Moon; the land there is ten times what I originally projected when I set the first settlers there. I have a lot of ground to cover; not to mention a lot of lost time to make up.”

Celestia smirked at her sister. “So, how does adulation feel, Luna?” The Lunar Princess groaned, causing Celestia to chuckle.

“I really wish that I hadn’t made that particular wish,” Luna grumbled. “At least things are better than what they were when I first revealed myself to those in the castle; Stern Gaze wasn’t all too pleased that I hid my identity when I first arrived.”

Celestia tilted her head curiously. Luna- with considerable effort -held in her squee. “Who is Stern Gaze?” she asked. Luna sighed, realizing the source of her sister’s curiosity.

“He is the youngest of Nightingale’s children, and one of four pegacorns she’s given birth to.” Luna scowled. “None of her past lovers have survived except one; most died far too young. And I have had words with the one that thought it was ‘too hard to be with a mare that did not love me’, when it is patently obvious that she does.” Luna started to grumble. “All because said stallion doesn’t think it right for a pony to have two ponies she’s in love with; we used to live in herds, for Faust’s sake!”

Celestia put a hoof to her chin. “That’s just it Lulu; herd relationships have fallen out of favor over the last thousand years. Plus, they’ve never been in favor with the unicorn nobility; didn’t you say that Nightingale has had problems with her nobles?”

Luna glared at her sister. “He said the same; it was just an excuse. I got him to admit the real reason why he left; it wasn’t until he found out that Nightingale had unrequited feelings for Nightmare Moon that he left.” Luna slapped the leg-rest of her lounge chair. “I would have understood if it was a stallion thing; most stallions do have problems when a significant other has feelings for another pony. That’s why adultery remains such a sore subject.”

“No, he was convinced that I- as Nightmare Moon -was unworthy of affection because I had ‘given in to my Dark Side.” Luna smirked. “He doesn’t think that any more, however. Angela overheard our argument, and slapped the idiot upside the head for thinking that. At least he and Nightingale are talking now; they haven’t since Gaze was a foal, and he’s past forty.”

“What gets me is that he’s not the only one that thinks that; over half the nobles that are left feel that way. It’s like they misunderstood my intention; I was never supposed to rule as Princess of the Moon Kingdom.’ Luna rubbed her hoof across her muzzle in frustration. “I set it up in the hope that at least one pegacorn would ascend and take the throne. Nightingale has ruled for almost eight centuries now; the fact that she has proves my efforts worked, at least with the commoners.”

Celestia scowled. “Speaking as a mare with over ten centuries of experience, nobles seem to cause more problems than they’re worth. You were so right in that, Lulu.”

Luna smirked at her sister. “So, you admit to my wisdom in that?” Celestia stuck out her tongue, causing Luna to giggle. After a moment, she continued. “That wasn’t just my observation though; nobility was one of the many things that Clover and Starswirl disagreed on.” Her expression darkened. “At least the Equestrian nobles have been mostly controllable; Nightingale has been forced to use Crystal Sealing on multiple occasions. Sometimes, she was left with only a few administrators, as there were entire generations that she was forced to Seal.”

“What?! Why??” Celestia exclaimed in shock. Luna scowled.

“Because of what is between a Rift that separates the near and far side of Lune; it is where Starswirl Sealed the vast majority of the Dark One’s power.” Luna’s pupils slitted as she continued. “In order to free himself, the Dark One used many of the same elements that enchanted the late Lady Lemyre to subvert various Crystal Councils. That culminated in a breach that occurred around the time Nightingale ascended.”

Celestia scowled. “And yet another reason to be angry at Starswirl. Was there anything he did that wasn’t subversive and completely unnecessary?”

Luna shrugged. “I wouldn’t know; he was never really my teacher. I got the sense that he never really trusted me.” She scowled. “Well, actually, I got the sense that he never really trusted either one of us. I broke off all of our lessons, and damn near had him banished from Equestria when I found out his reasons.”

Celestia tensed. “What were said reasons, Luna?” Luna looked at her sister sadly.

“This will give you reason to despise him, ‘Tia, instead of despising his actions.” Seeing that Celestia remained unmoved, Luna sighed. “He was like many a noble in that he had little trust for alicorns or pegacorns. However, he was chauvinistic as well; Clover told me that he was always careful to never act that way around herself, the other female Founders, or you. Considering that Platinum would have had him banished, I think that was smart of him.”

Celestia sighed sadly. “There were a few mares in high position that were replaced by their husbands that accused Starswirl- among others -of discrimination. I was never able to prove either contention. I wish I did; when I first found out, I almost did have him Exiled. However, not only was there no proof, both Clover and Pansy asked me not to.” Luna nodded at that.

“I’m not surprised; both of them made it plain to him that they were the only reason he was still around.” Luna grinned. “After that, it was only a few short years later that he left to deal with outside threats. I’m not ashamed to say that I clapped for joy; never did like the stallion, even before I learned how he felt about me.” Celestia nodded.

“You two never saw eye to eye, and I wish I had known that sooner. His heart was in the right place, but his ends were atrocious.” Celestia shook her head. “In any case, I don’t want to spend the rest of the only vacation I’m likely to get talking about a stallion that has been dead for centuries.”

Luna smirked. “You mean the rest of this part of our vacation. We’re both off for the next year, ‘Tia. Both the High Council and the Grand Assembly have given Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Rainbow Dash full Regency. Unless there’s a crisis, that will last for a full year.”

Celestia jumped up at that, her wings flared out. “What?! But the appointment of Regency was only a formality; I never intended for it to be official! Why would they issue that?!”

“Because you needed a break for longer than two weeks ‘Tia,” Luna said. She gazed at her sister with her eyes lidded. “Knowing you, you’ve likely not taken more than the occasional weekend off since before I was banished.” Luna yawned. “Besides, that’s part of what the Regency is for; at least, that’s the way that Platinum explained the law to me.” Luna looked at her sister. “Really ‘Tia; if both Twilight and Rainbow thought you were imposing on them, they wouldn’t have accepted it. Just relax; I certainly intend to.”

That last bit cut the rest of the wind out of Celestia’s sails. She soon settled back down on her lounging couch. She sighed. “Now I know how my staff feels when I tell them they need to ‘take a vacation’. I should have listened to my own advice.”

Luna didn’t respond; she was too busy snoring, having fallen asleep. Celestia soon followed her sister into the Dream Realm.

Celestia waited patiently in the Garden of Dreams for her sister. At least, she assumed it was for her sister; Solaris hadn’t given her any explanation when she had entered her lovely cake party earlier.

“‘Tia? What are you doing here? Are you brushing up on your Dream Walking skills?” Celestia turned to see her sister arrive with a basket of assorted fruits. She raised a brow, as the basket was real.

“Solaris led me here; she seemed to think that there was something here that I would like to see.” Celestia raised a brow at the assortment of fruits and flowers in the basket. “Hmm; I know that those don’t grow outside of my private garden. Well, except for the Moonflower; lately though, that plant is humorously toxic.”

“Save for when exposed to moonlight; Zecora taught me that,” Luna said cheekily. “But no; these are all from my garden. The golems I left tending it were refreshed by moonlight, so they kept right on after I was sealed away.”
Celestia frowned. “Luna, the Nightmare destroyed your tower during our battle; how did you preserve your garden?” Luna smirked.

“Oh, she only thought she destroyed my tower; what really happened was that she destroyed the clever simulacrum I had made to deter thieves. Nightmare was parochial; she didn’t try to hard to get knowledge I had Sealed away.” Luna’s smirk grew. “Not that she would have been able to; Clover taught me how to shield what I didn’t want others to know away in mine own mind. Naturally, it was all knowledge behind Blessed Runes of Lune and Serenity.” Luna looked down. “I wish that I had the courage to do more than what I did; if I had, we would have been together instead of separated for one thousand years.”

Celestia walked over and gave her sister a hug. “Lulu, what you were feeling was a natural result of ponies favoring me instead of you.” Luna looked up to see a smirk on Celestia’s muzzle. “In truth, the common pony has always respected you as a leader. In many ways, Nightmare Night is as popular as it is because there were so many that remembered the Lost Princess of Dreams. I may have had their heart, but you always had their respect.”

After a bit, the two broke off their hug. Celestia looked at her sister. “So, any reason why you brought a basket containing enough food for three ponies?” Luna nodded, blushing.

“Selene and Nightingale have been visiting me here whenever I can’t make it to the Moon Kingdom. I mean, I can use a Dream Projection, but there are certain things that one can’t do with those without having a vacant look all the time.” Luna’s blush deepened.

Celestia giggled at her expression. “Oh Lu, you haven’t changed. When it’s more than just sex, you still blush like a filly.” Luna’s face darkened even further.

A staccato clop of two sets of hooves caused both mares to turn. On the same path that Luna had used, two ponies were standing.

One of them had the appearance of a filly, though the look in her eyes was one of ancient wisdom. Her coat and mane were all in shades of purple, dark blue, reds, and golds; those colors that one often finds just as the sun sets. Her horn was a perfect spiral. Her flank showed a setting sun in the same red and gold coloration that Sunset Shimmer had for a coat.

The other was obviously an alicorn. She was larger than Luna, almost as tall as Celestia herself. Her build was as the lithe musculature of a warrior. Both her coat and mane sported the same color as a fuschia flower.

The alicorn’s cutie mark was an odd one; a polyhedral-shaped shield split into thirds, with three different colors. In the center was a gibbous moon, and a sword was behind it. The hilt of the sword was a Compass Rose.

Nightingale- for that is who it was -smiled softly at Celestia. “It is rather a lot to take in, isn’t it? I’ve always envied ponies with simpler cutie marks. I like yours; it fits a mare that loves to bring joy to ponies’ lives.”

Celestia was stunned. Few ponies knew that Celestia’s passion had little to do with the raising of Sol. “H-how did you know?” she said, stuttering a little due to her shock.

Nightingale looked down shyly. “I’ve always had the gift of knowing the meaning behind a pony’s cutie mark. It’s quite useful; a pony’s passion can help you find the reason for why they are the way they are.”

Nightingale sat down next to Luna and unfolded the blanket that she had carried under a wing. Once this was done, Luna began to unpack the basket, arranging the fruit in a pleasing manner.

The other ponies sat down as well. Nightingale took the sole Moon Pear and set it aside before grabbing a bunch of Moon Cherries. Luna selected a few choice Moon Grapes, while Dusk picked a Moon Apple. Celestia went for the Moonflower, as it had been some time since she had had one. She ate the others regularly, as she had all but the pear in her own garden.

“So, this is why Solaris asked me to journey here; you wished to meet,” Celestia said, after having eaten a few petals. Nightingale nodded.

“Things are finally starting to settle down in my Kingdom, though not enough for me to make any kind of plans to visit Equestria.” She ate another cherry before continuing. “I’ve made a point to meet with the family of all of my many paramours over the years. ‘Tis been fortunate that they were all members of my own Kingdom; you are the first that wasn’t.”

Celestia nodded. “I hope that I haven’t taken you away from anything important; I know just what it’s like to have a busy schedule.” Nightingale shook her head.

“As I said, things have been slower than usual. We numbered on average at least ten attacks a day on the Rift since the Alicorn of Light first appeared. However, as of the fifteenth of this month, that number has dropped to zero.” Nightingale nodded at Dusk. “Dusk seems to know the reason why; other than the Dark One burning through all of his chaff.” The Essence nodded.

“Much of what you have had to deal with was the fault of Starswirl,” Dusk said, her sweet voice at odds with the anger on her muzzle. “Many of the spells he had in place in Equestria- and elsewhere in Equus -were on objects designed to seal away shadow wraiths and the like. Because they were all easily subverted by the Dark One, he was able to use them to quickly gather his army.”

Celestia frowned. “What changed?” Luna smirked.

“Oh, just that you finally lost your temper where Starswirl was concerned, that’s all.” Celestia flushed at the reminder.

“Please, there’s no reason for you to be embarrassed Celly; though it was a shock for you to have done so, it was precisely what was needed.” Dusk smiled at the day alicorn. “While these creatures are now more free to attack Equestria, they are also less likely to do so unless He forces them. Without those spells and enchantments, the Dark One is no longer able to control them as easily as he did.”

“Ah, so that is why I Felt; she had Called on the Essences to Undo what Starswirl had wrought,” Nightingale said, pleased. “I had wondered.’ Her expression grew curious. “What drove you to that point though? I only ask out of curiosity.” Celestia sighed.

“In the end, I did so out of pain and rage. It was bad enough that a ridiculous self-fulfilling prophecy forced me to abandon my sister when she needed me most; but when I realized that the exact same thing was happening with every prophecy he left behind, I snapped.” Celestia scowled. “What did it was the prophecy concerning the Princess of Friendship. There was a part that concerned Sunset Shimmer-- or, I should say, a pony that showed a deep connection to the Primal Star.” The others blinked as they noticed that Celestia’s pastel mane began to shift, turning into red and gold on the edges. “I’ve put the exact wording out of my mind, but the gist of it was that the ‘one that shows a bond to the Primal Star is Destined for Magic’s Touch’.”

“I schooled Sunset to eventually take up the Element of Magic. When she found out my full plans, she confronted me with the risks involved. She was far, far closer to her friends than Twilight was to hers, and they would have died if she had cast the Harmonic Aegis spell.” Celestia blinked. “Now where did that name come from?” She shook her head. “In any case, I suddenly realized that Angela’s warning was true, and that Starswirl had been playing me like a fiddle. With the lives of the ponies I love as the bow. I snapped.”

“And with that, you pulled on the last remaining string tying the Dark One to Equestria,” Nightingale said. “I owe you many thanks for that alone, as it’s something of a reprieve. For a time at least.” Celestia nodded, still wishing she had kept her temper until alone.

For the next few minutes, the four continued to eat of the their picnic, until the only thing that was left was the Moon Pear sitting next to Nightingale’s plate. Celestia looked at it. “Are you going to eat that? I only ask because those are mine and Twilight’s favorite.”

Nightingale lifted the pear with her magic. “Yes, I plan on eating this; well, a piece at least.” She used her magic to divide the pair into thirds. “Among the ponies of my kingdom, the Moon Pear symbolizes shared unity. No other fruit can be cut in such equal amounts, nor is there another that always grows so uniform, save for starfruit.”

Nightingale levitated a slice over to Luna and Celestia. “It is said that those who are bound by Love, whether friends or family, can strengthen their bonds by sharing a Moon Pear. That’s why I never eat one alone; it is a fruit that is meant to be shared.”

“And a fruit that is meant to be treasured with another,” Celestia said, causing Nightingale to blink. “Neighpon has a similar tradition.” She lifted her slice. “The first bite is given to another member of the group, signifying the shared bond.” She used her magic to cut into her slice, removing a small square of the flesh. Luna and Nightingale did the same. They each passed the slice to the pony on their left. Once they had done so, they all ate the given slice at the same time.

Nightingale picked up the remainder of her slice, and once more separated it into two pieces. Luna and Celestia followed suit. These pieces were passed to the pony on the right. Once more, each mare ate her slice in tandem with the others.

Finally, Luna took the last three slices, and removed the core that was left. These she placed in a bag that was then placed into the center part of a special dish. The remaining slices were divided up into smaller pieces and placed in the same dish. She then covered the dish.

Holding the dish up with her hooves, Luna intoned the last part of the Rite. “Let the Love we three share; that of the Shared Bond of Family, and of the Heart, Bless these Seeds. Let their fruit bear witness to the Love we share.” She then set the dish in her basket.

Nightingale smirked. “And here I was thinking that only Celestia would know of this.” Luna smirked.

“I’m an otaku Nightingale; since my return, I’ve partaken of as much of the Arts of those islands as I could.” Luna suddenly shuddered. “Though I’m not sure I will ever get used to Hentai,” she mumbled. “Things like that are simply not supposed to go there.” Celestia rolled her eyes.

“You sound just like Cadance; she was into all of that at one time. What’s worse is that she got Twilight interested in it as well.” Luna smirked. “Who do you think got me started? For a bookworm, Princess Twilight certainly had a well-rounded grasp on various cultures.”

Celestia nodded. “She only lacked making friends as a skill set.” Dusk snorted.

“Moondancer. Lyra Heartstrings. Minuettte. Spitfire. Sunburst. Cadance. Spike. Numerous other classmates she had helped without realizing it.” Dusk gazed at Celestia with lidded eyes. “My Princess has been able to make friends easily. She never interacted with them because her teachers insisted that ‘her work was more important.’ Never tell a professional student that study is more important than having a life; they’ll neglect to see that they actually have social skills.”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, I’m sure they said that; Twilight isn’t the only student that has been stunted by well meaning yet moronic teachers. I’ve since gotten rid of those that judge a pony based on their degree portfolios, or what grades they have.” She stood. “In any case, I’m off. Enjoy the rest of your visit Lu, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She then walked down the path, fading as she left the Garden. Dusk followed soon after.

Luna and Nightingale took the opportunity to curl up next to each other; they soon fell asleep, one of Nightingale’s wings draped around Luna, and Luna’s left front leg lying across Nightingale’s withers.

Author's Notes:

Originally, I had planned to jump back in time to when Luna and Gaze first met. That may happen later on, though it's much more likely to be a flashback, rather than a back step.

I've already done that enough with this story as it is.

The reason for the time jump is because nothing of worth has happened since Apple Crisp and Company were all arrested, other than a bunch of trials. That's gonna take a lot longer than three days, as there's a lot of evidence to sort through.

Boring lawyer stuff; something I certainly don't wanna see in a Twidash fic.

In any case, I wanted to have a chapter where Celestia and Nightingale meet snout to snout. Interestingly, the whole thing about the Moon Pear was my own inspiration. I got the idea from something I saw in a game, but went my own way with it.

As far as both Luna and Twilight being otaku, that's just my headcanon. It's also a bit of a self-insert, as I have a deep love for Japanese Anime myself.

Have a Happy Holiday.

Edit, December 7th: Added to the first scene; should better match up with prior chapters. As of this moment, only a hoof-ful- Glorious Sunrise being one all by herself -know that Luna is in the Moon Kingdom. Her full reveal won't be until next chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rift's End

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Equus, Lune, Rift Border, 06-24-05 A.N.M., 7:49 A.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

A cadre of shadowspawn led by three Red Robe Damned Ones waited at a small ridge a league away from the Moon Kingdom’s outpost. This was the same one that had been attacked on the late Moon Council’s orders earlier in the month.

Unlike that attempt, however, this one wasn’t comprised of chaff. These shadowspawn were members of what could be considered the Dark One’s ‘Elite Corps’; until fairly recently, they had been housed in the Lower Reaches of the Realm of Light.

Nor were the Damned Ones leading them the same as the ones led by Glorious Sunrise that fateful day. These ones had led a number of successful campaigns against outposts before, though none this large. That wasn’t a concern to two of them; after all, they were Damned Ones. They had long ago gave up any identity they had, and had no wills of their own. Their pursuit of power, unlike Glorious Sunrise, was in effort to destroy the Moon Kingdom, not in revenge against their Master. The third, however, was different; it had not come to be Damned by its own choice.

This one had always retained a small measure of its own will, and the memories of its past. That was highly unusual, of course, but did little for it. It lacked the conviction to fight against its enslavement by its fellows, and was only able to follow orders.

No matter how detestable- and stupid -said orders were.

One would think that the Dark One had complete control over the Damned Ones; however, that was only the case with the majority. Red Robes were different; all had retained a small measure of their inner natures, and some even still possessed their gender and knowledge of their names. Few, however, were like Glorious Sunrise; most had become Damned in the pursuit of power, and had stupidly sold their souls willingly to the Dark One.

The Damned One our focus is on turned its head at the approach of a runner. The creature was a runner, correlating this group with the others that were poised to wipe the fortress off Lune’s surface. “Report,” said the leader.

With a hissing voice, the runner gave its report. “The camp I am part of has been attacked, along with the other six on the west side. Also, Moon Kingdom patrols are far heavier than they should be.” The leader snorted.

“It matters not; our Elite camps are well hid behind our barriers. We will succeed where the
Traitor failed; this fortress will fall, as have the others.” Its fellow nodded. The shadowspawn hissed in agreement, stomping the ground with their hooves. The unusual Damned One said nothing, preferring silence.

Suddenly, four more runners appeared. “Our hidden camps have fallen!” one of the ones in the middle of the group said in a hissing screech. “A pony in a strange, dark blue robe broke through our barriers. We’ve lost our reserve camp as well; a cadre of the Moon Kingdom’s Knights destroyed them all!”

The leader hissed in anger. “Damnation! Our Master will not take this failure lightly.” He turned to two of their own runners. “Send word to the remaining camps; let them know that we are to use the contingency plan.” The runners nodded.

The leader turned to his fellow Red Robes. The first one nodded in agreement; the unusual one, however, shook its head in refusal. “You have no choice, brother; we serve the Dark One’s will!” it hissed in anger. “This plan must go through, and only behemoths will suffice now that we have lost our reserves.”

“That describes you and that piece of offal standing next to you,” the unusual one said, causing the second one to hiss in anger. “Unlike the rest of you, I’m not stupid. Calling behemoths at this point in time would only be a waste of effort.” The unusual one smirked darkly. “Besides, this has nothing to do with the ‘Master’s’ will; this is your own effort to kiss plot. I’m only protesting because of that.”

“No, your reason in protest is a sign of your treason, as is your disrespect for our Master!” the third Red Robe said, brandishing a conjured mana blade. It swung it at the unusual one, who dodged fluidly. Scowling, the unusual one fired a large shadow burst, blasting the head of the third Red Robe into particles.

The first one snarled in impotent rage. Calling on its war axe, it swung it at the unusual one. The unusual one parried the axe with a small mana shield with little effort, then blinked to the side of the other Red Robe. Three swipes from its horn cut the first one into sections. The creature fell to the ground, as dead as its fellow.

Before the spawn could strike, the unusual one took forcible command of their wills, severing their connection from the Dark One. It then triggered the secret traps it had laid in the remaining camps before restoring the wills of the spawn.

The shadowspawn all blinked before bowing before their new master; they were now willing to serve the unusual Red Robe, something that the Dark One seldom had. It smirked before firing a bolt skyward.

A few minutes later, a patrol of Moon Knights- led by Commander Stern Gaze -landed around the spawn. Gaze frowned at the corpses of the two Red Robes. “I must admit, I wasn’t certain you had it in you. You’re certainly unusual, I will say that much; most Damned Ones lack the ability to fight against their Master.”

“He has never been my ‘Master’; I have only served him as long as I have because there was little choice. I am Damned because I was forced down this path; I did not take it willingly.”

“Willingly or not, you still are a Damned One. A traitorous Damned One, granted, but still a Damned One.” Gaze turned at a touch to his shoulder.

The cloaked pony that was standing next to him shook her head. She then walked until she stood before the unusual Red Robe. Pulling back her hood, she revealed herself to be none other than Princess Luna.

The unusual Red Robe prostrated itself before the Princess of the Night. “My Sovereign, it heartens me gladly to see that you are finally free of your Nightmare. I am ever your servant.”

Luna bent down. “You have proven that you still possess your soul; both Selene and Melanie have left their touch upon you. Let the Darkness that is within you become pure, and let the blessed Light of Lune be upon you and yours.”

At these words, moonlight began to radiate from the Red Robe and the shadowspawn. It soon grew to a level that was almost too bright. When it cleared, they were all changed.

Gaze stared in disbelief at the group of shadow ponies that he and his Knights now surrounded. Chief among them was what had once been the Red Robe; he now saw that it was in fact a female pegacorn.

Midnight Dream looked at herself in disbelief. “I-I thought that I was only a u-unicorn,” she stuttered. Luna smiled as she gave the new pegacorn a gentle hug. “Nay child; your hidden nature is part of what protected you. It is impossible to force even nascent pegacorns to; they must be willing to do so. It only took a willingness to serve the Light for you to free yourself.” She then turned to Gaze. “Commander, I think we should take our new allies to the fortress; they may have more information for us.” Gaze nodded. He gestured to his Knights, who proceeded to escort the shadow ponies to the fortress.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before,” Gaze said in disbelief. “I mean, I know that there’s a lot about magic I’m still learning, but everything I’ve seen so far has shown me that there’s no return once somepony gives themselves to the Dark One.” Luna snorted.

“The ‘Dark One’ is only able to take the willing; the Essences of Lune, Light, and Darkness preserve those that are not, or are sacrifices.” The Moon Princess sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, those of that variety seldom survive long; they often prove themselves as traitors at some point. Midnight’s willingness to do whatever she was told- up until recently -is not at all common.”

Midnight nodded. “I had to do what I could to survive; that wasn’t the first time I was accused of treason though.” The pegacorn smirked. “That’s actually been the seventeenth time. All have failed; most Red Robes are stupidly ignorant. That’s why they’re Damned in the first place; they were stupid in their pursuit of power.” Luna giggled.

“Yes; Nightingale says the same. She tells me that she has yet to meet more than a hoofful with any real intelligence; all of them were unwilling ones like Midnight.” Luna giggled again. “The Dark One isn’t even aware that some of his top generals are spies for our side.”

Gaze frowned. “Is that how you were able to inform us of the plan? That you were one of Mother’s spies?” Midnight shook her head at that.

“No. Up until recently, I was sealed in the Lower Reaches. I have Princess Rainbow Dash to thank for my freedom, actually; when she destroyed all of Sombra’s Shades, she inadvertently freed all of the Dark One’s elites. If you can call them that anyway.” The last was said with a snort of derision.

Gaze nodded. “We have much to thank Princess Rainbow Dash for, but there’s also a lot that what the Council wants to blame her for. The attacks are once more increasing.” He sighed. “In any case, I wish I could thank her; what we’ve been fighting lately is nowhere near as bad as what came before. I wish she was here so I could offer my thanks.”

“Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it,” a rough female voice said teasingly. The three ponies turned to see that none other than Rainbow Dash was standing next to them with a smirk on her muzzle.

Gaze blinked before bowing deeply. “I would like to thank you in pony, but since I can’t, thanking you this way is the best I can. Thanks for making my job a hell of a lot easier.” He smirked as he rose. “Not that the Council would agree with me.” Rainbow just shrugged.

“Eh, nothing new; Councils just don’t like it when we do things we’re not supposed to. They keep forgetting that they only exist for the same reason that pegacorns and alicorns do; to protect and serve the common pony.” Rainbow’s smirk grew into a smile. “And your thank-you is in pony; I’m able to make hard-light duplicates that are every bit as real as my real self. Comes with being the Alicorn of Light.”

Rainbow frowned at the prostrate pegacorn before her. “There’s no need for that; get up already.” Midnight rose a little self-consciously. She then squeaked cutely as the alicorn hugged her. “No matter how deep you went, Serenity never stopped loving you. She wants to tell you that in pony, so I’ve come to take you home.”

Midnight shook her head. “I may be a pegacorn, but I’m still a shadow pony; the Realm of Light is no longer my home.” Rainbow shook her head.

“No, your home is still the Lower Reaches; shadow ponies come from there naturally. It’s changed since you were freed; the Dark One has no more presence now.” Rainbow held Midnight at hoofs length. “I can see your answer. I told Serenity as much; she owes me fifty bits.”

After breaking off the hug, Midnight sighed. “As much as I would like to go home, I’m needed here. After all, I and my fellow shadow ponies can go where normal ponies can’t; we’re built for fighting in shadows and darkness.” She pointed her hoof to the south. “Until the Rift goes down and the Dark One’s power is gone, we’re needed here.”

Luna stomped her hoof. “As to that, it already should be gone, but the source of the Ritual Star Swirl used eludes me as of yet.” She ran a hoof through her mane in frustration. “I still don’t know why the Dark One targeted me like he did.”

Gaze blinked. “You mean, with the Nightmare?” Luna nodded.

“‘The Nightmare’, as you succinctly put it, was a dark manifestation of mine own power under the influence of a Greater Demon of Envy.” Luna took a sip of the tea before her before continuing. “However, it wasn’t a gradual effort. Up until my last visit to this Kingdom prior to my descent into madness, I was ignored in favor of my sister.” Luna scowled. “All I can think of is that I must have found something, and the Dark One needed that something. The trouble is, I still can’t figure out what it was. The only thing that comes to mind is that I found a twisted, corrupted pegacorn horn in the Path that goes between this Kingdom and Equus.” She shook her head. “Seems a stupid reason, but that’s the only thing of worth that I can think of.”

Rainbow looked up with an intense frown on her muzzle. “Was this horn red by any chance?” she asked, her tone harsh. Luna shook her head.

“My memory tells me that it was black and gold, in spirals. A rather unusual formation, which suggests that the pegacorn in question had an unusual coat color.” Luna frowned thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it, I remember something my sister once told me. About a beau she had when we briefly lived in Utopia, shortly before the war truly broke out between the Three Kingdoms. He was young- less than twenty -and possessed of a black coat with a golden mane and tail. Though she did say that he had red stripes as well. Curiously, his horn bore that self-same spiral. He disappeared before war truly broke out; my family fled to Roam to escape the lockdown that the Utopian High Council imposed.”

“You never saw him yourself, LuLu?” Rainbow Dash asked. The dark blue alicorn shook her head.

“If I did, I have no memory; I was a foal at the time. I truly grew up in Unicornia, after we fled Roam’s fall. A couple of centuries passed; I’m not sure of the dates precisely. You;d have to ask my sister.” Luna’s muzzle wore a sad frown. “Utopia and Equis were lost when Discord first appeared. Though Equestria did exist, it was an alliance of city-states at the time.” Her expression brightened. “I was glad that we were able to salvage Pegasopolis though.”

Stern Gaze frowned. “Wait, if Pegasopolis survived, where is it now?” Rainbow chuckled evilly.

“Oh, about a couple of decades after Luna’s Fall, a number of the militaristic clans decided they didn’t want to obey the laws coming out of Canterlot. They were deposed, their rule was broken, and Pegasopolis was broken into thirds. The main city was renamed Cloudsdale; the other two weren’t given names, as they were turned into cloud fortresses.”

“Yes, Fort Zephyr and Fort Stratus. They guard the north and south of Equestria to this day. I was surprised to see that, actually; that was one of my plans” Luna chuckled. “It seems as though much of what I had planned has actually been carried out. I had nothing but praise for ‘Tia when I realized that.” The others chuckled as well.

Midnight Dream blinked as something occurred to her. “Wait, you bet with Serenity that I wouldn’t return? How exactly is an Essence supposed to pay a bet? I mean, she has no physical form.” Rainbow Dash giggled.

“Oh, the Essences bet all the time; against just about anything really. As to not having a physical form, they’re limited to not being able to manifest anywhere on Equus’ surface. Once the Seal on the Dark One is fully undone, that’ll change.” Rainbow pulled a small bag of bits from out of her torc. “As to how they pay, well, they use the gold devotees leave in their offering chests.”

Luna chuckled. “Ponies think that the gold bits they put in those chests belong to the Temples. The Temples are supported by what is offered during services; plus, they aren’t forbidden to hold land or own businesses, so many temples get revenue from those sources as well.”

Midnight blinked. “Huh, I always thought clergy were to surrender earthly possessions.” Rainbow shook her head.

“Not entirely; they themselves can’t work a shop or till a field, but there’s nothing stopping them from owning such things.” Rainbow waved a hoof. “Well, nothing stops the Temple in question; most devotees do turn in all worldly possessions. Those that are serving in lieu of prison have to. However, there are plenty that aren’t ascetics, and still keep personal possessions.”

“Faith in the Essences isn’t about denying equine nature; it is about Balance. Those that do give up their worldly possessions often do so because they wish to rise above, as an exemplary. Or, as Princess Rainbow said, because they are serving a sentence.” Luna smiled. “It has ever been that way in Equestria, ever since before the Founding.” Her smile turned into an evil grin. “The only time the Council ever tried to impose restrictions on faith, they faced a mass revolt and revolution by Equestria’s military. My sister and I weren’t involved; we had no political authority at the time.” Luna laughed. “Oh, I just loved the look on Blueblood the Tenth’s muzzle when his own son knocked his pompous plot down the stairs; it was priceless.” The others laughed as well.

Stern Gaze looked at Luna. “Something that Angela once told my mother has always puzzled me; if you were supposed to be Princess of Equestria, why was that role given to your sister?” LUna scowled.

“I wasn’t supposed to be Princess; the common ponies wanted me as their Queen.” Luna scowled. “There was little they could do, however; only those with land or title had voting right in those days. Happily, that has since changed.” Luna’s scowl turned into a satisfied smirk. “Nobles these days have no real authority, even those in the High Council. All the power is held by the High Seats of the Grand Assembly, the Alicorn Council, and the Council of Eight. All the rest of the nobles are only so much window dressing, save for those that are Ministers of their respective territories.”

Gaze snorted angrily. “Our own nobles have been nothing but trouble; we should have done the same that Equestria did years ago, but Mother is far too kind.” Midnight snorted at that.

“Kind? You call Sealing entire Councils in crystal kind?? If so, then your definition of kindness is bizarre.” Midnight snorted again. “I really don’t see how Crystal Sealing is supposed to be any kind of kindness.”

“That’s because you’re not seeing the whole picture; my original Charter called for the purification by Moonfire of anypony found to be a traitor.” Midnight shuddered at the harsh expression Luna was wearing. “I have little love for selfish fools, and wanted none of that in this kingdom. Had I still been around, there wouldn’t be a Moon Council.”

“Actually, that’s precisely what Mother did to the first Council, and the two that were formed as replacement.” Gaze sighed. “It was after the third one that she couldn’t take it any more; that was punishing those that only acted out of fear. So she resorted to Sealing through Hope’s Law instead.” Luna nodded.

“As was her right. Looking back, the purging ordinance was perhaps a bit too harsh; in hindsight, mine own troubles with nobles at the time may have had something to do with that.” Luna sighed heavily. “I myself suffer from an overkind heart as well; it is why having ponies reject me by the false rumors spread by those nobles hurt so.” She gestured towards the north. “I created this Kingdom as an act of kindness; looking back, I see that I was right in doing so.”

“History remembers it differently; Celestia is seen as being kind, while you were often seen as cold.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Yet more lies; Celly told me that she struggles with being kind.”

Stern Gaze snorted. “Mother is far too kind for her own good sometimes.” He sighed. “Still, if it weren’t for her, this Kingdom would have fallen long ago.” Both Luna and Rainbow Dash shook their heads at that.”

“If the Rift had been fully breached, Angela, the Guardians, and Hope herself would have descended upon the Dark One; He would have been torn to shreds.” Luna smirked. “I’m no fool; I had made hard pacts with the both of them to preserve this Kingdom. The only reason why Nightingale is here instead is because the Pact I made with the Essences of Shadow, Darkness, and Light took precedence.”

Gaze frowned. “But I thought that the spells Star Swirl laid prevented the Essences- and those that are Bound to them -from acting. How would they have been able to do so?”

“Bugger Star Swirl to Tartarus; the only reason why the Binding works at all is because the Essences allow it.” Rainbow smirked at the shocked expression on Gaze’s muzzle. “Oh, did you really think such a two-bit hack wizard like Star Swirl had power over the Essences themselves?” She snorted disdainfully. “They seldom stand on choice; however, with the potential loss of a Sworn Kingdom, they would have acted.” Rainbow stomped her hoof. “Hope has been actively breaking every single enchantment that Star Swirl ever laid that she could get her hooves on; out of respect for Astrolia, she left the ones in Equestria alone.” Her smile returned. “Thanks to Celly’s temper, that no longer matters.”

Gaze scowled. “They should have done differently; we’re in this mess because of what Star Swirl did.” Rainbow nodded.

“Which is why Harmony finally intervened, and took him...somewhere. Where exactly is known only to the Essences.” She held a hoof up. “Before you ask whether or not he’s still alive, the answer is yes. He is the fulcrum upon which all of his spells sits. His death would have spelled great disaster for many nations. We weren’t at all able to handle His forces at that time.” Rainbow smirked. “He thinks the same now; however, we’ve got Guardians on our side that tip the Balance well into our favor.”

“In fact, the only ones we lack are ones of Darkness, of Storms, and of the Four Winds. Princess Sunset Shimmer is the Alicorn of the Primal Heart, so that avenue is blocked to His forces.” Luna chuckled. “He has never been able to use those forces themselves; they abide not the touch of Evil, and never have.”

“Don’t let Shimmy hear you call her a princess; she’ll go up one side of your flank and down the other LuLu,” Rainbow Dash snarked. Luna’s only response was immature; she simply blew a raspberry. The other ponies chuckled. Rainbow soon sobered. “However, He still has much power; legions of Shadowspawn wait to cross over. Plus, there are those on Equus that would willingly rise to His banner. Or, rather, the Banner of the Dark King. Without the last three Guardians, He will also be able to bring Storms, the Fell Winds of Windigoes, and Darkness itself to bear upon us.”

“Something tells me that we only have to wait. She of the Storms and He of the Four Winds were once present a long time ago, but were lost to us when the Dragon Lord managed to get free.” Luna’s eyes turned to slits. “Though she doubted me at the time, I know for a fact that his fetters were loosened by dint of the High Council of Utopia. At the time, she was convinced of that city’s purity.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “As if; Utopia was His even before the Keystone was laid. And it’s destruction came from within; Roam and Astropolis both survived, but the common pony rose up against the Council and tore them apart. If and when Star Swirl returns, he will find out that all his efforts to preserve Utopia were for nothing.”

“Star Swirl’s efforts were not to preserve Utopia; they were to preserve his family. They would not leave the city they called home, the lot of them.” The four ponies turned to see that yet another alicorn had joined them. Princess Hope smiled at them as she continued. “He had asked- not demanded, but asked -for the Light and for Harmony to preserve any and all in Utopia that were worthy.” Hope snorted. “He long suspected that the heart of the city of his birth was sick deep within, but he was never able to prove so. Granted, not even the High Council itself were fully aware that they were thralls of the Dark One. All except his chief servant. At its fall, Astrolia took his head herself. Oops, I meant that Clover the Clever did.” The others- save for Midnight, who was cringing -chuckled.

“No reason to be a shrinking violet, Midnight Dream; Harmony does not hold what you did while a Damned One against you. You were unwilling in your servitude; the sins are against the ones that sacrificed you, ones that I Sealed in crystal when they were complete. Yours was the last Dark Ritual ever performed in this Kingdom; since then, I have Cleansed all who have decided to make the attempt, and have Sealed away those that have Bound their lives to their children for safety or have sold them to the Dark One.” Hope nodded at Luna. “Thanks to both her and Nightingale, I have more freedom here than I ever did in Equestria. That is, until recently.”

Hope turned to Rainbow Dash. She held out a small bag full of bits. “Your winnings from the other Essences. Chronos was grumbling something fierce; he bet a thousand against Midnight staying.” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Hay, what can I say; I know how those that have Loyalty think.” Rainbow opened the bag, pouring its contents into her own pouch. “This’ll work quite nicely for a gift for Twi.”

“And what will she say when she finds out you’ve been betting, Rainbow Dash?” Luna asked with a smirk. Rainbow snorted.

“Hay, Applejack and I bet on things all the time; she’ll just roll her eyes.” Rainbow snorted. “Course, I usually lose against her more than I win, except when playing poker. She has no poker face; you know when she’s bluffing something fierce.” The others chuckled.

Midnight was still uncomfortable; that is, until Hope pulled her into her hooves. “I told you; you did what you had to,” she whispered softly. Midnight pushed into the hug. After a bit, they separated. Glancing to the side, she saw the pensive, almost jealous gaze that Luna was wearing. As Hope lingered net to her, LUna suddenly glared at her fellow alicorn’s back.

“Well, I have business I have to attend to; there’s still dratted paperwork. Damn monster is worse than the Dark One,” he grumbled. The others laughed.

“I got time; my real self is currently on a double date with Shimmy and Moondancer at the moment, though she’s kinda bored with three egg-heads at the table.” Luna turned in shock at that.

“Wait, Sunset is dating her friend Moondancer?! When did this happen?” she asked. Rainbow grinned.

“About a week after you and Celly left for Neighico. That was something to see, Twilight said.” Rainbow looked thoughtful. “In fact, I think we can see it; Twi recently taught me a Past Viewing spell she made based on that one potion of Zecora’s. I haven’t had a real chance to test it yet.

Concentrating, Rainbow Dash summoned mana to the tip of her horn, forming the runic on her mind’s calligraphy board. The spell flashed forward, creating a viewing window. The other ponies looked on as the scene unfolded.

Moondancer waited in one of the less used conference rooms for the Princess. A runner had come to her classroom the other day, saying that Princess Twilight wished to speak to her about her work in simplifying unicorn runic. She was shocked; she didn’t realize that her work was known outside of the few that she told about it.

She looked up at the pony that stood before her. Sunset, now with wings, looked both sad and apologetic. “Moondancer, I-I’m sorry I left like I did without saying anything,” the alicorn started to say, only for a white hoof to stop her.

“None of that Sunny; it was years ago. You’re still the best friend I’ve ever had.” She smiled. “I love the wings, by the way. Congratulations on receiving your dream.” Sunset rolled her eyes.

“I now wish that I hadn’t had that particular wish; being the Bound alicorn for five juvenile Essences is as bad as herding cats.” The two giggled at that. Sunset looked at the pony she had yearned for for years now. Moondancer was every bit as cute as she remembered, and having her before her was almost more than she could bear.

The two sat and talked for a bit, reconnecting. Sunset had yet to reconnect with any of the others except for Lyra Heartstrings; she was living in Ponyville, so that was easy.

The temptation to do something she always wanted was getting harder to ignore. Moondancer looked around. “Where’s Princess Twilight? I was supposed to meet her. To her surprise, Sunset blushed.

“Ah crud, I forgot my reason for coming here; Twilight had to cancel at the last minute. They arrested yet another group of idiot nobles that tried to launch another coup; this time in New Mareleans.” Sunset giggled at Moondancer’s huff.

“Well, she wanted to see what I had come up with concerning my pet project,” Moondancer said. She opened her saddlebags and pulled out a notebook. Opening it, she showed Sunset her simplified runic alphabet. “I’ve been spending the last few years testing this on every spell I know.” She flipped to where she had wrote down the runic for the Flutter-wing spell.

Sunset blinked as she compared that to the one she was taught. “Why, a foal with basic reading could cast that, assuming they had the requisite wellspring needed! Are you sure you’ve pared down all the unnecessary symbols though?” Moondancer looked smug as she nodded.

“I’ve proved that this is the original form of the runic as taught by the pegacorns to their unicorn children. Books I’ve found on the subject is what led me to take away what wasn’t needed. Pity I can’t teach it though; the Board of Education has told me that they will take my Master’s away if I so much as even think of doing so.”

Sunset frowned. “So, they know then. Well, we’re going to tell Twilight; they’ve overstepped their bounds yet again. Looks like Twilight and Rainbow Dash will have to nerf yet another bureaucratic Council staffed by ponies that aren’t either parents or teachers.” The alicorn smirked. “Met any cute colts lately, Dancer?” Moondancer snorted.

“I’m not interested in boys, unlike you, Minuette, and Twinkleshine. I was focused on my schooling like Twilight when we were fillies. Besides, the idea of a colt sticking his thing there is disgusting.” Moondancer blushed a bit. “I have had a few fantasies about being sandwiched between Princess Twilight and Princess Rainbow Dash, though.”

Sunset blinked before she started to smile. “So, you prefer fillies. Well, I go both ways myself, though I limited myself to girls while pretending to date Flash Sentry.” She looked at her friend. “There is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time though.”

“What, find yourself a colt friend or mmph!?” Moondancer’s words were muffled as Sunset kissed her. She broke off the kiss after a few moment, gazing at the love and affection in Sunset’s eyes. They moved to kiss again, both moving closer to each other.

Rainbow Dash blushed before cancelling the spell. “Ah, thinks got a little bit steamy after a bit there.” The other ponies blushed as well; except for Hope. All she did was roll her eyes.

“Well, there’s places I need to be, so I’m off as well. Harmony bless.” So saying, Hope teleported away. Rainbow Dash sighed.

“I guess I should go as well; holding up two forms like this is tiring.” Rainbow’s form began to sparkle as it turned into light, before fading away.

Midnight looked at Luna. “I guess I should find something to do; at least until Gaze needs me.” Luna shook her head.

“Actually, Nightingale has expressed a desire to meet you. She says that she remembers that there were other pegacorns before her.” Luna giggled at Midnight’s expression. “I’ll say this much, though; I’m getting first taste.”

“What are you--” Midnight was interrupted by a kiss from the Lunar Princess. It soon devolved into more than just kissing.”

Equus, Moon Kingdom, 06-25-05 A.N.M., 7:24 A.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Luna sighed in content as she lay next to the other members of her new herd. As expected, Nightingale and Brilliant Gaze- Stern Gaze’s father -readily accepted Midnight Dream as a member. Luna giggled softly as she recalled the shocked expression on the mare’s muzzle.

Sighing softly, the lunar alicorn got up from the bed and made her way to the suite’s balcony. After a few minutes alone, she was joined by Nightingale. “Thinking of the past again, dear heart?” she asked Luna, Luna shook her head.

“I no longer need to think; I know what it is that caused Him to single me out. He was after the Lost One’s Horn.” Nightingale blinked.

“Wait, there is a legend about this then?” she asked. Luna nodded.

“In the days before the Fall of the Three Kingdoms, ponies spoke of a dark,brooding pegacorn with a mane and tail of gold.” Luna wrinkled her nose. “I truly have no reason why, as there was no such thing.” She frowned. “However, I do believe he was one of the last ponies on Equus’ surface to be sacrificed to the Dark One. After the Fall, the Kingdom of Equestria and other put to the sword anyone that was found to have done so.”

“No, what I believe is that he may very well be the last of us Guardians. True control of Darkness eludes Him, so he has been searching for it all this time.” Luna frowned. “Why only his horn is left, I do not understand, but it doesn’t matter. All of the Dark One’s Power over Darkness is tied to it; it needs to be returned to its owner so he can destroy it.” She suddenly looked sad. “It will be hard on the two who will be tasked with that, though.”

Nightingale sighed. “Well, I see that you are leaving then.” Luna nodded.

“Only for a time, then I will return.” Concentrating briefly, LUna summoned a small casket she had fashioned years ago. “Wait for me when the door appears love; I will be revealing myself to our Kingdom then.” She then teleported away.

All Nightingale did was sigh.

Luna gazed down at the object in her hooves. As she thought, it was a pegacorn’s horn, twisted yet pristine. Lifting it up in her magic, she could feel that it was the primary focus for all of Star Swirl’s spells, Most especially, the Rift itself.

Luna lifted the casket she had fashioned shortly before she fell to her Envy. Placing the horn inside of it, she shut the lid. She then intoned the last phrase needed to create the Seal on the casket. “Let this be Sealed so that only She of Friendship, of Magic, of the Shadow, may Undo it.”

Light crackled around the casket as the Seal took. Luna then finished her journey back to her tower.

Less than ten minutes later, she was standing at the door leading to Twilight Sparkle’s chambers-- Rainbow Dash had none at Canterlot Castle. She raised a hoof and knocked on the door.

A sleepy, ruffled unicorn answered. Moondancer’s sleepy look cleared as soon as she saw who it was at the door. “Oh, Princess Luna! I thought that you and Princess Celestia were still in Prance!”

“Nay, My Little Pony; mine sister is, but I have had business elsewhere this past week.”Luna looked past Moondancer to where Sunset Shimmer was sleeping on what was supposed to be Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s bed. She turned as a pair of mares came out of the bathing room. Twilight and Rainbow Dash both blinked as the saw Luna standing at the door. “Ah, just the mare I wished to see. Twilight, I must speak with thee before Morning Court.” Twilight nodded.

“Actually, we’re not having Court, as Rainbow has to go on another set of raids. This time it’s the nobles and Council in San Prancisco.” Twilight looked at Luna. “Luna, how mad would Celestia be if I were to just dissolve the nobles? Or at least, get rid of the moneyed lot; we’ve had no less than three attempted coups in the last two weeks.” Luna chuckled.

“I think my sister would be irritated in that she wasn’t here to see it; she to has come to realize that the nobles are proving to be rather useless.” Luna sighed. “I, however, have come to realize that it only seems that way. By and large, what we are dealing with is a vocal- and stupid -minority. The majority of the nobles are actually of some worth; you and your friends are a prime example.” Twilight nodded.

“Yes, exactly. Which is why I said we should limit it to the moneyed lot; most of those are the ones that are unable- or unwilling -to work in the existing system.” Twilight ran a hoof through her damp mane in frustration. “I just wish that all of these leftovers would just dry up; Rainbow Dash thinks that this might just be the last. All of the other territories rooted out their own corruption without Crown assistance.” She looked at Luna. “What’s this about, Luna? It seems as though you have something you need me to do.” Luna nodded.

After a bit, the two were in Luna’s suite of rooms. Luna walked over to where she left the casket. “I found this in the Path between Equestria and the Moon Kingdom. I’m not certain if I know what it is,”- this was partly a lie, as it was all but confirmed -“but I think that this might be why the Dark One decided to focus on me.” She held the casket in front of Twilight.

Twilight took it in her own levitation aura and set it down. She then ran her hoof around the edge. The seal responded to her touch, causing the top to pop open. She lifted the horn inside out with a frown of recognition. “This looks just like the horn of the Lost One, but that’s just a tale. There’s absolutely no evidence supporting it; even folklore has some.” Unnoticed by the two ponies, the light of Sol touched the horn, causing a brief flare.

Twilight frowned. “I know that flavor of magic residue; Star Swirl used this as a focus to bind… something. Something large.” She looked closer, her horn taking on a darker purple aura as she cast a diagnostic spell. “Huh; whatever he did, it’s already starting to fade.” Twilight frowned as she scanned deeper. “There’s further magic tied to it though; something deep.” Suddenly, she yelped, thrusting it back into the casket and re-sealing the lid. “That thing’s dangerous; it’s tied to both Darkness and the Dark One!” She shuddered. Luna hugged her.

“Can it be destroyed, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked. Twilight nodded.

“Yes, but only by the one whom it belongs to.” Concentrating, the purple alicorn used mingled light and shadow mana to send it to her palace. “I put it in the chamber at the Palace of Friendship; up until recently, I was keeping the Alicorn Amulet there, but the damn thing up and vanished.” Luna nodded. “If I have time after the raids and subsequent titles, I’ll do some research.”

Luna sighed heavily. “Well, at least we have found the reason why I was targeted; he must be after said horn,” she stated as the two made their way to the throne room. Before they could get very far, a runner suddenly appeared.

“Princess Twilight! Word has come from Fort Zephyr; a door made of some strange material has suddenly appeared!” Twilight and Luna both looked at each other in consternation.

“Well, I think things have just changed irrevocably. What do you suppose happened?” Twilight asked. Luna smiled.

“I think that the Dark One is no longer going to be much of a problem for awhile at least; He has been dealt a severe blow.”

Upon Lune’s surface, inside the Rift itself, the Dark One waited. He now knew that the Horn was lost to him, but He would soon be freed.

Suddenly, the barrier on both sides fell. He grinned savagely, only to see a radiant form appear before him. In a voice filled with raw Power, Harmony spoke.

“It is finished! By Harmony’s Light; With the Blessing of Creation; and By the Will of Justice; let the Fallen One’s once Sealed Power be Obliterated!”

A brilliant flash of light flared from nowhere. The Dark One cried out in pain and rage as all the Power he had gathered since the fall of Utopia was consumed by holy light, forcing him to flee to the Umbral Realm.

The Light continued to grow, purifying those shadowspawn that were able to be purified. The Lost Ones and the Damned Ones that were left were consumed as well. As abruptly as it had started, the light faded.

Suddenly, a bolt of pure radiance flared. When it was finished, there now stood a large Gate made of Moon Crystal. What had been desired by the Moon Princess was finally realized; there was now a true path between the Moon Kingdom and Equestria.

Things had most certainly changed; time would tell if these changes were for the better, or for the worst.

Epilogue

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Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 06-29-05 A.N.M., 4:27 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Sunset Shimmer stomped her hoof in frustration as she read over yet another ridiculous, asinine proposal. Ever since the Gate that led from Equestria to the Moon Kingdom had appeared, there had been no dearth of stupid proposals from the nobles.

Most of these had been from what was left of the moneyed lot that were either too smart, too stupid, or too chicken to attempt coups. There was already enough of that going around as it was; another group in Los Maraleas had tried something similar to what the unlamented Commander Ironside had tried in Hoofington.

The first of these was a petition to ‘ban any contact from the ‘Kingdom of Exiles’ that Luna had formed, as it was done without the authority of the High Council or the Alicorn Council’. That one was the most ridiculous of all of them, but was also the one that was taken the most seriously, as it was a direct attack on the Alicorn Council’s authority. After due deliberation, both the Council of Eight and the High council ruled that the petitioners had filed an unlawful petition. The lot of them- three of which were highly placed Lords -were now serving at border forts like Fort Last Hope.

Sunset frowned as she read the next passage. Moving to the ‘rejected’ pile, she pulled out the one from the bottom of the pile. Setting the two proposals net to each other, she used her magic to compare the ink and parchment of each one. Both came back as a match. She did the same on the pile; again, everything matched.

Now scowling fiercely, she turned to her Guards. “Summon a runner, and tell them that I wish to speak to Lord Blueberry about his proposals at my convenience.” The Guards nodded; the pegasus Guards-mare to the left of the door briefly left her post to carry out Sunset’s orders.

Several hours later, Sunset looked up from the EIS report at the arrival of a huffing pony. The portly stallion took a moment to catch his breath before giving Sunset a polite bow. “Advisor Shimmer, I was hoping to hear that you had approved my proposal for review by the Regents,” he said pompously. “Do you have good news for me?”

“Actually mi’lord, I’ve already rejected your proposal.” Sunset gestured to the ‘rejected’ pile. “Every version of it I might add.” She pulled a scroll from out of the pile; it bore the Seal of House Dash. “I find it unsurprising that you would have attempted something like this.” She broke the seal; as she did so, the wax turned into dust. The noble paled. Sunset smirked.

“So, rewording the same proposal and sealing it with different seals; ordinarily, that would only be a gross ethics violation. A few hours of community service along with a three hundred thousand bit fine.” Sunset gestured for the Guards at either side of her office door. “However, trying to pass such a document off as coming from one of the Founding Houses is rather more serious.” She pointed at the pile of dust. “Had that proposal really been from House Dash, it would have come from one of their official couriers; they don’t use EPS, nor do they use household servants. Plus, it makes no sense for House Dash to put forward a proposal in this manner; the Kingdom the proposal is against is one that she is duty bound to protect, as she is the Regent currently sitting on Luna’s Throne.”

“Now, before you start blustering about not being involved in this, I should tell you that your secretary has already confirmed that she wrote- under threats against her family -several different versions of your proposal.” Sunset’s smirk dropped; the stallion started to sweat as he also saw that her pupils had turned to slits. Sunset closed her eyes briefly to control her anger before continuing.

“The attempted violation of the sanctity of a Founding House is one thing; threats-- even if they are strictly financial -against another pony are something we do not tolerate.” Sunset’s gaze turned intense as she stared the stallion down. “If Princess Rainbow Dash or Princess Twilight had been the ones to discover this, you’d either be stone or crystal right now, instead of just being stripped of your title, family connections, and exiled.” Sunset’s horn began to glow. “I’m not as merciful as that; I prefer to see that you suffer for your transgressions. Enjoy spending time at Fort Zephyr.” A flash of teal mana- with an ornate, five pointed star in the center- surrounded the stallion as she teleported him away.

Sunset turned and used her magic to burn the rest of the scrolls. Turning to Twilight’s Seneschal, she had this to say; “Let Twilight know what happened here; also, tell her that if she doesn’t want to deal with more of the same, then she better outlaw any proposals connected to the Moon Kingdom.” Sunset stomped her hoof. “And if she or Rainbow Dash won’t, then tell them that I will.” The mare nodded before trotting off.

Sunset sighed. “If I knew coming back would have involved these kinds of horseapples; I’d have stayed on Earth longer.” After a bit of thought, she shook her head.

“Nah, not really.”

Rainbow Dash looked up as she heard an angry snort. Twilight was standing at the door of their shared suite of rooms. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Care to share, Twi?” she asked.

Twilight snorted again. “Why is it that the other nobles of this kingdom persist in acting like a bunch of spoiled brats?” Rainbow Dash snorted.

“You already know the reason.” Rainbow looked on as her lover plopped down on their bed. Setting down her book, Rainbow scooched closer to her and began to massage her withers. “Which noble are we gonna have to fire-and-have-arrested now?” she asked, her hooves working out a tight knot between Twilight’s wing shoulders.

The purple alicorn let out a grunt of pain before she sighed in relief as the ache in her wings disappeared. “It was Lord Blueberry, and we’re not going to have to do anything.” She snorted yet again; this time she sounded a great deal more angry. “He’s one known for his ethics violations; he’s already been fined over one hundred million bits this year alone. This time, however, he went one step further.” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash. “He threatened one of his employees, forcing her to write a version of his ridiculous proposal as coming from your House.”

Rainbow’s irises turned to slits. “They’re stooping that low? Okay, that tears it; no more petitions from the nobles involving anything outside new parks is to be accepted for the rest of our Regency. We should have done that in the first place.” Twilight shook her head.

“The titled but moneyed lot already had their petition privileges revoked earlier this year, around the same time Bluey lost his. He’s the only one of that group that has had them restored; not that that matters, as he’s on our side now. Besides, there are those that do have petitions and proposals that are actually worthy ones. I agree with you, though; it’s time we sent a message to the entirety of the nobility.” Rainbow Dash nodded as she continued to massage Twilight.

Rainbow Dash was hoping that things would have quieted down, now that the Gate of Dreams was fully revealed. Instead, all that had happened was that the idiocy had increased. Rainbow Dash frowned as she recalled the happy events that led up to the current idiocy that her, Twilight, and their staff had been dealing with.

The assembled ponies waited with bated breath for the arrival of Princess Luna. Returning for a brief time, the Princess of the Night was present in Equestria to help the Regents in explaining what had recently transpired.

A short day ago, a large Gate made up of some unknown substance had appeared about three leagues to the south of Fort Zephyr. Within an hour, Princess Luna had assembled a detachment of her Lunar Guard and had flown to the site.

Earlier the next day, she sent word that she would be returning near noon to announce something special, as well as give further explanation as to what had occurred. She had already been present now for two hours, though the crowd had only been gathered for about twenty minutes.

The murmuring died down as Princess Luna appeared on the balcony. Alongside of her were the two Regents and their Royal Advisors. Luna looked down at the crowd of ponies. She shuddered slightly; public speaking was still something she was uncomfortable with, even after so many years since her return. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder in understanding.

Luna cleared her throat, then began to speak. “Mares and Gentle-colts, I apologize for keeping you waiting, but I can finally explain what has occurred.”

“More than one thousand years ago, I, Luna, Princess of the Moon and Alicorn of Dreams created a Kingdom of Exiles on the far side of Lune’s surface. This was done with the express purpose to provide sanctum for ponies that had no place in any other Kingdom on Equus.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Around the time of mine Fall from grace, the Kingdom became Sealed further than what it was before I created it.”

Luna smiled. “I’m happy to say that that is no longer the case. Due to reasons I cannot divulge for safety’s sake, the conditions that forced the Kingdom to be separate from our fair land are no longer apparent. What I had originally planned from the start has occurred; the Gate of Dreams is now present in Equestria. For the first time, passage between our two Kingdoms- for trade and immigration -will now be possible.”

Luna’s smile grew. “There is more good news than just the fact that the Gate of Dreams has appeared. The Moon Kingdom has a Princess of its own, as I had intended when I formed it. Despite a Great Evil doing its level best to destroy the Kingdom, she and the ponies she has sworn to protect have managed to persevere. Mares and Gentle-colts, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the Alicorn of Shadows, Darkness, and Light, and the Princess of the now no longer Exiled Moon Kingdom: Princess Nightingale!”

As the alicorn made her stately way forward, the crowd looked on in hushed wonder at her beauty. Then, the cheering started and clapping of hooves started. To know that there was another nation- one started by Princess Luna long ago, no less -reaffirmed hope for the common pony after all of the attempted coups.

The only group that wasn’t cheering was a small knot of nobles; they were too busy glaring balefully at the alicorns standing on the balcony, trying to think of ways to get around yet another alicorn standing in the way of what was rightfully theirs.

Rainbow Dash shook her head to break the recollection. Feeling a rumble beneath her, she realized that Twilight had fallen asleep. Rainbow giggled at the cute snores she let out occasionally. Gently, the cyan alicorn lifted her mate to get at the sheets, draping them over the both of them.

She soon joined Twilight in blissful slumber; time enough tomorrow to deal with idiots.

Equestria, Canterlot, 06-30-05 A.N.M., 11:17 A.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

The atmosphere in Canterlot was festive.

Midnight Dream looked about herself in wonder as she took in everything that the city had to offer. Though Lunar City was far larger- not to mention opulent -the sheer number of stores available in Canterlot trumped what her home city was able to do.

Luna looked at Midnight’s wondering gaze with an amused grin. “Seeing something you like?” she asked the pegacorn. Midnight nodded.

“As much as I love home, I’d never dream that there were cities that could top it,” she said. LUna snorted.

“Hmph; methinks that thine standards are low. Canterlot is too full of too many stuffy nobles for my taste.” Luna looked at the market stalls with a frown. “This seems new though; these weren’t here this time last year.”

“That’s because the locale was moved to accommodate the crowds coming from the Moon Kingdom and the Crystal Empire.” The two mares looked to see that Sunset Shimmer and her marefriend Moondancer was standing behind them.

“And I bet that went over well with the nobles,” Luna snarked. The mares giggled.

“Actually, it did. The Noble Court has closed ranks and censured the rest of the idiots.” Sunset smirked. “We’ve received word that replacements will be needed for ten more minor Houses and three more major ones.” Her smirk grew. “What’s more, the exile of those three has ended the last of the brushfires Rainbow’s been scrambling to put out; EIS reports that the rest of the revolutionary groups started by nobles have been dissolved. All that’s left are the more usual ones, most of those don’t have a leg to stand on, as they lack both funding and support.”

Midnight frowned. “You have been having troubles here too?” she asked. Sunset nodded.

“Yep. It started in Maerch actually, when Twilight and Rainbow Dash started on their journey north. When Rainbow came back as an alicorn, the horseapples really hit the cart.”

Luna snorted. “About time I say; I finally have my sister back.” She shook her wings out. “Well, aside from that, is the Council of Eight going to monopolize Nightingale the whole time we’re here?” Sunset shook her head.

“They’re about done with negotiations; what was taking so long was because of the idiot nobles. Now that that stump is no longer in the way, they should be finished soon.” Almost as soon as she said that, three more mares joined them.

With a whinny of delight, Midnight trotted over to Nightingale for a kiss. The alicorn indulged her before sauntering over to the blushing Moon Princess. “Hello love; miss me?” she asked teasingly. Blushing even more heavily, Luna nodded. Sunset giggled. The others turned to see that Moondancer was also blushing.

“What? It’s so sweet and charming!” she said. This made the others laugh.”

They all trotted to an ice cream cart. One they all had some frozen goodness, the mares all sat at a low table. The next few minutes were punctuated by noises of pleasure as the group all partook of the thing that all females enjoy-- ice cream therapy.

“Wow, this is wonderful! Our Kingdom has wonderful desserts, but ice cream is a luxury.” Midnight paused as she ate another spoonful of her peanut-butter-swirl. “I’m not sure why; there’s plenty of places on Lune’s surface with no atmosphere, and casting personal atmospheric bubbles is fairly simple magic.”

Nightingale sighed. “That’s actually something I’ve been working on. The reason why ice cream- compared to Moon Berry Sorbet -is a luxury. It’s actually an import.” She took another bite of her mint chocolate chip-- like a certain adorkable purple princess, Nightingale had a fondness for mint. “Most of what we eat comes through what little trade we had established between the other Exiled Kingdoms. Since those lines are protected by the Guardians, there’s not a great deal of room available for over-priced commodities.” The alicorn scowled. “As for making it ourselves, I could never get that through despite my best efforts; the Council always found ways to sabotage it. Most of those were in making it so that common ponies couldn’t afford it.”

Sunset set her spoon down with a clatter. “Actually, ice cream has only recently- like within the last couple of centuries -become so prevalent.” She pointed at the nearby cart, which was being manned not by a pony, but a heifer. “Despite unicorns being one-third of the population of Equestria, most have no magical skill beyond levitation, and whatever their special talent is. Celestia’s School is one of the few institutions that actually has a dedicated magical curriculum.”

“Anyway, we have things like this as a result of milk from cows- who made wholesale agreements for milk in return for living space and voting rights -and from inventions.” Sunset frowned. “Most of those were imports too; it wasn’t until a couple of decades before your return, Luna, that earth pony inventors started building refrigerators. Before all of that, the ice for frozen desserts always came from natural sources.”

Luna nodded. “It was the way of such things.” She ate another spoonful of her fudge vanilla swirl. “Mmph,” she said around her mouthful; after a moment, she swallowed before continuing. “Love this flavor; vanilla was always hideously expensive in my day. The idea of using such an expensive spice to flavor a dessert sold to the masses was unheard of; in fact, the only ones that ever indulged in that manner were my sister and I, plus a bare handful of nobles. Nopony else could afford to.”

“Well, actually, Luna,” Moondancer began hesitatingly, still a bit wary of being on familiar terms with the Moon Princess, “both vanilla and chocolate are still quite expensive. A two hundred pound bag of dried vanilla sells for several hundred bits average.” Luna blinked, a little shocked; her sister was the pony who most often dealt with the economic end of Equestria, so this was news to her.

“Yep, though availability isn’t what drives the price up so high. Vanilla is a hard plant to process; a crop can take upwards of eighteen months, most of which is spent in drying.” Sunset tapped her hooves. “Plus, it’s one of those things where trying to take shortcuts magically results in an inferior product.”

“Then how is so much produced?” Nightingale asked. Both Sunset and Moondancer smirked.

“We actually have the Oranges to thank for that. The lands outside Manehattan house large greenhouses that they use for orange growing. The grow vanilla beans alongside orange trees; so much so that Equestria actually has a surplus. That doesn’t drive the price down though; Celestia insists on keeping it high so the smaller farmers don’t suffer.” Sunset grinned. “It used to be that apples, wheat, pears, and peanuts were Equestria’s largest exports. Now, vanilla is second only to apples.”

“Before the advent of greenhouse methods, countries like Pachydermia or Saddle Arabia were the only places where one could get vanilla or chocolate; that is why it was so expensive. The costs are much lower now that we produce our own.” Moondancer paused to finish her own dessert. After a bit, she sat her spoon down. “Sunset, I’ve been wondering something; just how similar is the human world to ours?”

Sunset frowned. “Aside from their technology, the fact that they only have one sapient species, and much of their history, there’s a lot that’s similar. Including some of their farming techniques; again, though, much of that has been industrialized.” Luna nodded as well.

“Ever since your return, both my sister and I have been watching that world closely. The humans are doing a great deal of damage to their world; if it weren’t for its own magic, they would have faced ruin centuries ago.” The midnight blue alicorn smirked at the look on Sunset’s muzzle. “What, you thought that that world had no magic? Sunset Shimmer, if that were true, neither you nor the Dazzlings would have been able to be sent there; from a pure physics standpoint, there isn’t enough power in either world’s version of Sol to power a portal to pass a bit through, much less a pony. It would take a class 1 quazar- a feeding supermassive black hole -to support a portal big enough to allow somepony Spike’s size”

Sunset frowned as her theories were borne out. “That did occur to me. However, humans must be almost magically dead, as they make no use of cosmic forces outside of plasma. And that is generated using lasers and electricity.”

Midnight looked confused. “Wait, are you saying that the legend that there’s another world parallel to this one?” All of the other ponies present nodded.

“The Mirror of Worlds is a Pre-Unification artifact that allows for the viewing- and occasional visit -of other realities.” Luna scowled. “It’s one of the few artifacts that Star Swirl created that wasn’t flawed.”

“Actually, Star Swirl didn’t create that Mirror; my sister Astrolia did. All Star Swirl did was locked it to that one world; and that was so he could banish the Dazzlings and other undesirables there.” Sunset snorted. “I don’t know how many times I can say it, but every single thing that stallion ever did was either a cheat or a hack. Trouble is, it says nothing about his intelligence, and everything about how he was taught.”

Luna nodded. “While I never received much instruction from him directly, I could tell that he was incredibly brilliant.” She looked up at Sol’s early afternoon position. “Well, we only have a few more hours before Midnight and Nightingale have to return to the Moon Kingdom. And there is much more to show you than what you’ve already seen.”

With that, the five mares left the table. Sunset and Moondancer decided that they would follow Luna and her herd around. The five spent the rest of the afternoon taking in the sights of Equestria’s crown jewel.

In a place of deep, deep darkness, the Dark One looked on in anger and rage at the image in the scrying orb his chief servant called upon. Though his power was once more restored, it was only at the level it was when he first came to this world.

The evil creature let out another snarl of pure rage before bursting the orb. He then turned towards where a conjuring circle was laid out onto the stone. Using his power, He once more tried to bridge the gap between Him and His slave Sombra.

Once more, he was stopped by the Gates of Tartarus. Snarling, He morphed into a ball of dark energy, and moved to another part of His castle.

He soon returned, having summoned more shadowspawn and dark wraiths to attack the Palace of Friendship. His muzzle bore a now-satisfied, evil smile. He soon gazed at what remained of his Kingdom, knowing that soon, the Champions of Creation would fall.

Seeing that his ‘Master’ was now occupied with dark, evil thoughts, the servant made his way to his quarters. Once there, he used his powers to summon some of his own servants. These he sent out to destroy the most dangerous of the Dark One’s creatures, as well as to gather those that would bring her that could finally bring what he needed to destroy his enemy.

Soon, Serenity, Melanie, and Dusk willing, the Lost Alicorn of Darkness would finally be free. Soon, the Umbral Kingdom would join the others once more.

And the Dark One would finally be destroyed; hopefully for the last time.

Princess of Shadows, Darkness, and Light

by jwizard

Chapter One: Garden of the Lost

Chapter Two: Shadow's Fall

Chapter Three: A New Light

Chapter Four: The Journey Home

Chapter Five: Echoes of the Past Part One

Chapter Six: Echoes of the Past Part Two

Chapter Seven: Shadow's Gambit

Chapter Eight: Cleaning Up the Mess Redux

Chapter Nine: Preparing for the Celebration

Chapter Ten: Celebration!

Chapter Eleven: Clues from the Past

Chapter Twelve: Luna's Journey Begins

Chapter Thirteen: The Moon Kingdom

Chapter Fourteen: Of Sirens, Prodigal Students, and Sawed-Off Sorcerers

Chapter Fifteen: Of Alicorns and Foalish Plans

Chapter Sixteen: Of Past Plans and Cutie Maps

Chapter Seventeen: Arguing Essences, Alicorn Councils, and Regent Announcments

Chapter Eighteen: Family Concerns

Chapter Nineteen: Family Matters

Chapter Twenty: Of Parties, Snuggling Essences, and New Joy

Chapter Twenty-One: Crime and Punishment

Chapter Twenty-Two: Same Old Noble Song and Dance

Chapter Twenty-Three: Meet The Sister

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rift's End

Epilogue