> Those Who Seek Death
>  by the7Saviors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Here's to a Fresh Start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before I could take us all home, I had to ensure the past remained unaffected or I'd just wind up in another terrible future. To that end, I traveled back to Rainbow's race, intending to sit idly by in an inconspicuous spot while she did what she had to do.

The plan fell apart in an instant.

The moment we were all out of the portal, a ragged scream ripped through the air from somewhere next to me. It was so loud, I was afraid I'd go deaf from the noise—to say nothing of all the pegasi that were no doubt flying nearby.

It was a sort of warbling, echoing cry that seemed to twist and warp as it went on, and the air practically vibrated from the force. Before I could make any sense of it, something solid and very, very hot smashed into my barrel.

I let out an agonized scream of my own as I felt several things within me snap, a sensation that was quickly followed by searing pain all the way across my right side.

The next few moments were a blur of pain, confusion, screaming, and motion. I was fairly sure whatever hit me sent me flying off in some kind of direction, but I was too stunned, my mind too focused on the burning sensation in my possibly broken ribs to pay that any attention.

A whole new feeling of terror gripped me as I felt something tightly wrap around my throat and cut off my oxygen. I thought I could hear Spike shouting something from somewhere above me, but I was more or less losing my mind at this point, as well as my vision from the lack of air in my lungs.

Things were getting very hazy, and the only thing I could hear anymore was the howl of the air as it whipped past me. In the distant part of my mind, I was vaguely aware that I was falling, and the thought was enough to spur me into finally using my magic.

The problem with this was that I was dazed, confused, choking, and in an incredible amount of pain. That awful alien cry from high above didn't help my concentration either.

Then something wrapped itself around my barrel and I was suddenly yanked upwards, or at least, I think that was the case. By this point, I didn't actually know which way was up anymore. 

Either way, the thing that wrapped around me squeezed with enough force to cause my broken ribs to puncture through something else. I would've gasped in shock, but I didn't have the air do so anymore. Then I tasted copper, thick and warm in my mouth.

The vice grip around my throat didn't let up for a moment, and now, on top of that, I was choking on that liquid copper. I could feel it pushing its way past whatever was trying to strangle me and filling my throat and mouth.

My pointless croaking as I tried to suck oxygen into my body turned to choked gurgles. Thankfully I hadn't felt any additional pain yet, and it looked like I was going to pass out before I got the chance.

Not once during the many adventures I went on with my friends had I ever been anywhere close to this injured. For one heart stopping second, my hazy confusion gave way and panic completely overtook my senses as a single thought rose to the surface.


I'm going to die.


Then, just like that, both the thought and the panic were buried under the haze of lightheadedness once more. It was all too much, and at this point I just wanted it all to stop. My earlier fear of death was replaced by the far more intense desire to end the madness of my current situation.

Then, mercifully, I could feel myself slipping away. 

The whirlwind of noise, pain, and confusion had faded to a dull roar, and my vision was nearly gone when I heard the tell-tale roar of magic. 

It was distant at first, but got louder and closer by the second. The sound was strange in my ears, and I wondered why until I realized I wasn't the one that had cast the spell.

My own magic sparked and faded with a pop, and a sharp jolt of pain in my horn was the last thing I felt before the darkness closed in and I was gone.
> Here's to Good Health
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small, weak groan was the first thing that escaped my lips as I groggily came to my senses. My eyes were squeezed shut, and I found I was hesitant to open them.

"Oi, she's waking up. Pepper, douse her would ya?"

I didn't even have time to be properly confused when something freezing cold was splashed onto my face and neck. my eyes snapped wide open and I let out a sharp gasp before raising my head.

I was lying sideways on a cold metal surface that rumbled and shook below me. The sound of rattling chains were the next thing that caught my attention.

I looked down to see that all four of my hooves were chained together. There were also metal clamps affixed to my wings, and flapping them proved to be a pointless endeavor.

"W-Wha—"

"It's about buckin' time ya woke up, princess," came a gruff voice from somewhere to my left, "now maybe we can get somewhere."

I turned towards the sound of the voice and was taken further aback when I saw the heavy thicket of trees pass me by behind a set of thick, sturdy looking iron bars.

I was trapped in an iron cage just big enough to hold me. That cage seemed to be on some sort of large wagon that traveled along a rough road littered with dark brown soil, fallen branches, and small twisting tree roots. 

Looking up, I could just barely make out a few thin rays of sunlight poking through the large mass of branches and leaves that blotted out most of the sky.

From the look of it, I was in some kind of thick forest.

"I..." I blinked a few times and started to rise to my hooves, wincing as the hoofcuffs bit into my legs, "w-what's going on? Where's..."

As my vision fully returned, I could see that the wagon was a lot larger than I initially thought. To my immediate left was another cage, this one empty. 

On the opposite side of where I was sat a thin, but lean looking earth pony stallion with a bright yellow coat and a short, messy dark green mane.

He stared at me with hard orange eyes and a wary frown. My eyes passed over his face and down towards the empty wooden bucket he held in his hooves, the stallion looking as though he was poised to toss its contents.

Judging by my sopping wet mane and fur though, it looked like he already had. I was reminded of this fact when a particularly cool breeze blew past me and made me shiver involuntarily.

"W-Who are you, a-and where's..." 

I noticed the other two cages behind the stallion. One was also empty like the one next to me, but the other one held another pony, clapped in irons the same as I was.

My eyes widened as I realized just who that pony was.

"S-Starlight?" I cried, stumbling closer to the bars of my cage, "Starlight, is that you? Can you hear me?"

I ignored everything else around me as I tried to get the pale pink unicorn's attention. She sat slumped against the side of her cage, unconscious from the looks of it. Looking closer, I could see a few slowly fading bruises around her barrel and one on her cheek.

She'd been hurt, but remained completely unresponsive.

It was then that I noticed the small circle of metal surrounding her horn, and to my horror, I could feel the same cold metal near the base of my own horn now that I was paying attention to it.

Anti-magic horn rings? Chains? Cages? What in Celestia's name is—

"I think your friend might be in a coma, princess," came that same gruff voice, "won't respond to a thing we say, and roughin' her up didn't do any good either."

I finally turned to see another pony sitting at the head of the wagon and looking back at me with a strange, self satisfied smirk. The pony was a short and stubby looking sandy brown unicorn stallion with a short cut dark brown mane and a nasty scar over one of his cobalt blue eyes.

"Never mind the vegetable," he continued, "I wanna know more about you, princess. Not too often we get another alicorn out here, let alone all busted up and unconscious in the middle of nowhere like that."

He chuckled as though he was telling a particularly funny joke.

"In fact, I ain't never seen another alicorn besides the Queen herself," his smile turned thoughtful as he looked me up and down, "y'know, at first I thought it was some kinda trick. Thought someone was havin' a real good laugh at my expense. 

"But then we gathered you an' the vegetable up an' you started healin' in your cage. Before Pepper an' I knew it, you were lyin' in there as good as knew. Imagine my shock when I saw that," he paused and looked at me expectantly, "go on then, imagine it."

"I... I don't understand," I replied weakly, "what's going on? Where are we, and why are we in cages?" I looked around, suddenly aware that something was missing. My eyes widened again and my heart began to race as I realized what it was, "wait... where's Spike... a-and where's..."

I turned back to the stallion sitting in front, pressing my face against the bars. Mine and Starlight's current situation took a backseat to the now more important question on my mind.

"Did you see a purple baby dragon and another mare who looked like me?" I asked desperately, "they should've been right next to us. What happened to them?"

"Whoa, easy there, princess," the stallion replied, raising a hoof, "I got no idea what you're talkin' about. You and that other mare back there are the only two we found. Like I said, the two of you were just lyin' knocked out in the middle of the road. Well, she was anyway, I thought you were dead when I first saw ya."

"Oh no," I muttered in horrified shock, "oh no... nononono..." I fell back against the bars at the back of my cage before raising my head and giving the stallion a pleading look, "I don't know where this is, who you are, or why you threw Starlight and I in cages, but you have to let us out."

"Um... no?" the stallion answered with an incredulous raise of his brow, "we didn't slap those chains on ya and throw you two in cages just so we could let you out, at least not until we reach our client anyway."

"You don't understand!" I shouted, throwing myself back towards the bars of my cage, "I need to find them, now! The mare—the one who looks like me, she's dangerous, and if she feels threatened she might—"

"Look, princess," the stallion interjected with an irritated frown, "I don't know what you're on about, but you're startin' to sound awfully insane. There was no baby dragon, there was no other alicorn, and I'm not lettin' you out of that cage."

I stared at him, and he glared back at me for a long moment before shaking his head and turning back around to face the road ahead.

"I had some questions I wanted to ask ya, but now I just want ya to keep your trap shut." 

He muttered something under his breath about crazy mares before falling silent. The wagon continued to roll along, seemingly under its own power, as I saw no ponies pulling it forward.

I didn't know what to do.

I felt incredibly weak, and trying to pump mana into my horn only resulted in a sharp stab of pain. A horn ring shouldn't have caused any kind of pain at all, only blocking out the use of magic. 

This meant that either there was something wrong with my own magic or this horn ring was different somehow. I cast another glance at the yellow stallion whose name was apparently Pepper, but he had moved away from me and was now staring out at the trees on either side of us, his face impassive.

Distantly, I could feel the beat of my own heart rapidly picking up, but with some effort and a bit of deep rhythmic breathing, I managed to push back the oncoming panic attack.

I could see the yellow stallion giving me an odd look, but I ignored him and instead focused on my current predicament. I shut my eyes and began to replay the events back in my head, hoping the mental cataloging would help my nerves and allow me some kind of control.

Okay, I cast the spell to take us back in time, the portal opened up and we arrived back in the past during the race. The plan was to stand by while Rainbow Dash pulled off the sonic rainboom... but something happened. There was an odd scream, and then something hit me, and... and I...

"...and I blacked out."

I swallowed as I stared at my shaking, manacled hooves. Confusion and disjointed images of what transpired flashed through my mind, and as I sat there, lost in the fractured memories, I let one of my hooves drag across my right side.

The fur was nearly pristine, and the skin was smooth beneath. There was no sign that I had ever been injured at all. I was suddenly struck by how strange it was that I never once thought to study my own anatomy since becoming an alicorn.

I had always wondered about how alicorns came to be, and how they worked, ever since I was a filly. It was only now that I remembered that Celestia had never really given me a definitive answer to those questions.

It was only now that I realized why that was.

The images shifted, and I once again saw the tragic events that had befallen my other self from her perspective. I could still feel what she felt, I could feel how all of that horror built up and crushed her beneath its weight.

I could feel her slowly slipping into madness as she was forced to confront the friends she'd thought, and nearly accepted, were dead and gone. I could feel the numb disbelief as she accidentally killed Pinkie Pie.

I could feel the agony she experienced as she died, over and over and over again. What happened to me seemed insignificant by comparison, and yet, it was the single most horrifyingly painful thing that had ever happened to me, physically speaking.

Then there was the whole thing with Starlight Glimmer.

By all rights, I should've hated the mare for what she'd done. I should've had Celestia lock her away in the deepest pits of Tartarus for tampering with the timestream like she had, but I couldn't do that.

I was the Princess of Friendship for a reason. I didn't have it in me to do something like that. I had even gone so far as to save her from the other me, putting both myself and Spike at risk in order to do so.

As I sat there in that cage, shivering from the experiences I had gone through up until now, I turned my gaze towards the seemingly comatose mare opposite me.

What had she seen when the other Twilight probed her mind? What really happened back there in that desolate timeline? It couldn't have been any worse than what I was forced to witness, I was certain of that.

Yet, she was the one who looked as though she had suffered the most, and I found myself asking, why? Why was she so broken when I was the one who had to helplessly watch as I killed my own friend?

I blinked.

Wait, what am I thinking?

The fact that I had suffered through traumatic memories didn't lessen her own experiences. She was just as much a victim as I was of what happened in that bleak world, if not more so. She was the one that was almost eaten alive.

But it was her fault that we were even in that mess to begin with.

I shook my head, pushing the thought to the back of my mind. Had it not been for Starlight, I never would've found out how much I had suffered in that other timeline.

And that's a good thing? Was it really for the better that I went through all of that? Was it worth it?

I grit my teeth and clenched my eyes shut, trying to fight back against the negativity that was beginning to overwhelm me.

It was worth it because I was able to save that poor mare from a life of solitude in that wretched place. She didn't deserve what happened to her, and out of all of us, she's the one that suffered the most.

Okay, that's fair, but there's something you're overlooking, Twilight. Quite a few things in fact, and they're all very, very important. Or maybe you're not overlooking the elephant in the room, maybe you're just avoiding it. Maybe—

"Where are you taking us?" I asked suddenly as I turned to the stallion in the front, "where even are we, who are you ponies, and most importantly, why did you lock us up like this?"

Thinking about what had happened wasn't going to get me out this situation, nor was it going to help me find Spike and my other self. I needed to focus on what was going on around me so I could look for a chance to escape with Starlight.

"I was wonderin' how long it was gonna take ya to start askin' questions," the stallion called back with a chuckle, "yeah, I don't mind answerin' a few things for ya. Not like you're going anywhere anytime soon." 

He turned slightly so that he had one eye trained on me. Another smirk played across his face and he gestured to himself as he spoke.

"Name's Sandpit," he pointed a hoof at the yellow stallion, who continued to stare into the distance, completely oblivious to the conversation, "this here's Ghost Pepper, and as for where we are and where we're headed... I think I'll keep that little tidbit of information to myself for now."

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow, "why?"

"For the sake of security of course," Sandpit replied as if it was obvious, "you see, we're in the employ of a certain group of powerful individuals, and the work we do is rather... sensitive."

My eyes narrowed slightly.

"What kind of work do you do?"

"Let's just say our clients tend to pay very well for the merchandise we provide and leave it at that, shall we?" Sandpit replied with a knowing smile, "I'm sure you'll put two and two together once we get to where we're goin'."

Merchandise?

I looked around at the cages, then back down at my shackles, my eyes slowly widening in shocked disbelief.

"You're pony traffickers," I croaked out in a small, horrified whisper, "you're trying to sell us into slavery."

I didn't know much about it, but I did remember reading something about it in passing. According to what I'd read before, it was something that happened often way back when the three pony tribes were still divided, and went a long way towards pushing that division even further.

It had been outlawed in Equestria since before even Celestia and Luna took the throne. Not even Discord enslaved ponies like this during his reign. The only pony to ever stoop to such horrible acts was Sombra, and he was cast down by the Princesses. 

It just didn't happen in Equestria... at least, not in my Equestria.

That's right... this isn't my timeline, is it?

That had to be the case. That must've been what the spell was that I'd heard before I lost consciousness. The portal must've activated after whatever happened and dragged us all to another horrible future.

I felt ill.

I wanted to curl up and cry, and I might've if it hadn't been the myriad of other thoughts plaguing my mind. What happened to Spike and my alternate self? Did they arrive with us, and if they did, where were they?

Did they leave us behind?

No, I'm not sure about my other self, but I know Spike wouldn't abandon me. Something must've happened to them... but what?

I swallowed my fear and looked up at the stallion with a determined frown.

"I'm going to get out of here and find my friends," I stated firmly, "I'm not gonna let you just sell us off like this," I narrowed my eyes, "I swear I'll get out."

Sandpit just chuckled again in response, shaking his head and turning back around.

"Not gonna happen, princess," he muttered. He was quiet for a moment before glancing back at me with an odd sort of frown, "I could charge a literal fortune for you, and my client would happily pay it, so I'm not lettin' you go, not when I'm so close."

I blinked and furrowed my brow in bemusement, caught off guard by his words and the sudden seriousness in his tone.

"So close?" I asked, "so close to what?"

Sandpit turned to Pepper and they both shared some kind of significant look for a short moment. Then the stubby unicorn stallion grimaced and turned away once more.

"Never you mind, princess," Sandpit replied, "you just sit there and look pretty, you hear?"

I opened my mouth to push the issue, but decided against it. He wouldn't tell me anymore than that, so it would've been a waste of time. 

Instead I glanced over at Starlight's unconscious form before turning my attention back to the forest around me. A tight knot of worry formed in my stomach and I frowned.


Spike, wherever you are, I hope you're okay... you and the other me.
> Here's to Old Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy had been content to live her life in relative solitude on the outskirts of Ponyville. 

Sure, the days had been a lot longer since the Princess had assumed the title of Queen, and that had thrown a very large wrench into the cycle of nature itself, but both the flora and fauna had adapted quick enough, much to Fluttershy's great relief.

The pale yellow pegasus had to remember that most Equestrian wildlife was exceptionally flexible. It was a natural result of flourishing among a race that had been controlling the weather for millennia, to say nothing of the naturally ambient magic surrounding Equestria and how that too affected the plants and animals.

Whatever changes the Queen had put into place over the last few years, they hadn't been enough to uproot the meek pegasus mare's quiet way of life, and for that, Fluttershy was thankful.

She had her animals to take care of, she had her small cottage, she had her oldest friend to keep her company, and that was enough. The only thing that worried her at all was the well-being of said oldest friend. It still tore at her heart to see Rainbow Dash suffering even after all these years, and Fluttershy could see it, no matter how hard the embittered cyan pegasus tried to hide it.

After they'd lived together for so many years, there wasn't much they could hide from each other. Lately, for some reason she couldn't fathom, Fluttershy would often ruminate on both past events and her present situation with Rainbow whenever the mare in question was out and about.

Today hadn't been any different, and Fluttershy's mind wandered as she poured various types of feed for her animal friends. She hadn't even noticed when Bella, who'd been curled up resting in the corner, peeked one eye open, frowned, pushed the bowl away, and yawned before getting comfortable and closing her eyes once more.

Generally Fluttershy tended to spoil her mocha colored ferret with something a bit more palatable, but she'd been distracted lately. She couldn't put her hoof on what it was, but something felt off. It felt like the air around her was thickening with some kind of tension she couldn't quite place.

And then she heard it.

Dozens of animals stopped what they were doing as the distant sound tore through the air. It was a cry—loud, shrill, and otherworldly, much like the cry Fluttershy and so many others had heard so long ago.

In fact, many would've said it was the exact same cry, an alien shriek that had caused so much horror and despair among the pegasi of Cloudsdale. There wasn't a pegasus from the city that didn't know it, and now the horrid sound rang out again to torment the poor yellow pegasus.

She dropped the large bag of lettuce she'd been about to feed the rabbits, her wings locked up and her body frozen in terror. Her eyes widened as nightmarish memories came flooding back into her mind. 

She began to shiver uncontrollably, and as the flashes of events long since past overwhelmed her she let out a small shaky whimper. The whimper turned into a full on scream of terror as the front door of her cottage was suddenly and violently slammed open.

Dozens of animals squeaked and squawked and roared as they scrambled and scattered to get away from something they didn't understand. The majority of them were already agitated by the unnatural cry, and Fluttershy herself was in too much distress to calm their nerves like she would've normally.

She instead fell to her stomach, her hooves instinctively covering her head, her body and whimpering voice shaking with fear. Not even the familiar scratch of her friend's voice could break her free of her fear induced paralysis.

It was only when she found herself wrapped in a warm, comforting embrace that the paralysis broke. Finally recognizing the voice whispering reassuring words in her ear, Fluttershy wrapped her hooves tightly around the mare and sobbed openly into her chest.

All the while unaware that the mare she was crying into was shaking almost as much as she was. Distracted as both mares were, neither of them noticed the far off, yet intense flash of light amongst the trees of the dense forest nearby. 

While Fluttershy shivered and sobbed purely out of fear, Rainbow Dash herself shook with suppressed rage at what she'd heard on her way back to her friend's home. 

Her useless, misshapen wings twitched with an old ache and old fears, both sensations brought back to the forefront of her mind, at the familiar memories and sound that plagued her. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow pushed the aches and fears down in favor of the growing hate and sense of purpose she was beginning to feel.

Nevertheless, the rainbow maned pegasus continued to hold Fluttershy until her sobs once more became quiet whimpers. A few more moments later, those too died down into small sniffles, and Rainbow Dash looked down at Fluttershy with a concerned frown.

"You okay now?" Rainbow asked quietly, pushing back her own feelings for the moment, "if you need more time, we can—" 

"No," came Fluttershy's small muffled voice, "no, I'm... I-I'll be fine in a moment. Just..."

She fell silent and Rainbow Dash waited patiently.

A few seconds later, Fluttershy gave a loud sniff and a tiny nod before reluctantly pulling back. Rainbow Dash allowed a small, slightly forced grin to cross her face for a second before letting it fall back into a grim frown.

The distant shriek had since stopped and with it, the panicking animals had settled down somewhat, though it was easy to see many of them were still on edge. With the relative silence returned, Rainbow Spoke again.

"You heard that," Rainbow stated, "the freaky scream from before."

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes drifting toward Rainbow's mangled wings, then passing them to look down at her own hooves. She shuddered again before looking back up at Rainbow, a look of fear and worry in her eyes.

"It sounded like it came from the forest," she nearly whispered, "Rainbow, what do we do? I'm sure the rest of the town heard that too, a-and I think they might send some ponies to... t-to investigate."

"And if they do, I'm gonna volunteer," Rainbow replied firmly, "heck, I'm going whether they send somepony or not."

"What?! Rainbow, no!" Fluttershy cried, grabbing her crippled friend by the shoulders, "I know you're still upset about what happened, but you can't go! You saw that thing! You saw... y-you saw what it did to all those pegasi... to you," more tears began to well up in her eyes, though they didn't yet fall, "what would you even do in your condition, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash said nothing at first, simply staring at Fluttershy as she stared back, her eyes pleading. After a moment Rainbow looked away and towards the front door, still wide open from her earlier entry.

Fluttershy waited for a response, hoping... praying that the cyan mare would see reason. One of Rainbow's ears twitched a few times, and though Fluttershy couldn't see her face, she could tell the other pegasus was thinking.

Rainbow Dash continued to stare out at the grassy field past the doorway, and the barely discernible forest further in the distance for a few seconds longer, then let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash finally replied as she turned back and pushed Fluttershy's hooves away, "to tell you the truth, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I have to do something. I can't just sit here while that thing is out there, you know I wouldn't be able to."

"But... Rainbow, you—"

"I can't fly anymore because of that thing, Fluttershy!" Rainbow suddenly shouted. She paused and lowered her gaze before looking back at her crippled wings and markless flank, "I can't... not like I used to... not even close." 

She turned back to Fluttershy, a fire burning in her rosy eyes. 

"I don't know what that thing was or where it came from," Rainbow turned away from Fluttershy and began resolutely trotting towards the door as she spoke, "but it took everything away from me, it killed all those pegasi, and then it just... vanished. It's not fair, it's not right, Fluttershy, and now that its back, who knows what it'll do? Something needs to be done, and I'm gonna do something about it."

"Rainbow Dash, stop!"

The cyan mare froze at Fluttershy's tone and reflexively made to turn back to the other pegasus, but stopped herself just short. She knew what she'd see if she turned around to face Fluttershy now, and she knew she wouldn't be able to resist anymore. Instead, she hung her head, but remained facing forward.

"...I'm sorry, Fluttershy," Rainbow replied softly, "I promise I'll make it back out of that forest, no matter what happens, alright?" she raised her head and took a step through the doorway, "I'll figure this out, just gimme a little bit of time."

And with that, she trotted the rest of the way out of the cottage.

Fluttershy watched her go for several moments until she was out of sight, then fell to her haunches. It was only now that the tears came, falling silently as she continued to look out the doorway towards the horizon. 

"Oh, Rainbow," she muttered to nopony, "you lost so much... but you didn't lose everything... not even close," she squeezed her eyes shut and sank further to the ground, "there are still ponies out there that care about you. I'm still here, and you still have a future, even if it isn't the one you wanted."

She fell silent, wishing she could've told her oldest friend as much face to face, and kicking herself for the fact that she didn't. Instead she'd tried to coerce Rainbow Dash into staying, and even then, it didn't work.

Now Rainbow had left, gone off to most likely die at the hooves of whatever that monstrosity was, and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't go after her, surely. Just thinking about what might've been out there sent her shivering all over again.

Fluttershy felt sick with worry and self-loathing for her own inaction, but what could she do?

The despondent pegasus squeaked in surprise, suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by the ferret that had hopped on her back. It deftly crawled its way up her neck and settled atop her mane before poking its head down in front of her face.

"B-Bella?" Fluttershy sniffed, staring cross-eyed at the frowning ferret above her. Her eyes widened in realization a second later, "Oh! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, Bella. You and the others must've been terrified! I didn't mean to—"

She was interrupted by a series of stern chatters from her pet ferret. Fluttershy watched, stunned as Bella dropped down from her head and onto the wooden floor in front of her. 

"Bella, you don't understand," Fluttershy replied, taking a step back and looking away, "it's not like I don't want to be there for Rainbow, but what can I do? That... that... whatever it is... it scares me."

Bella raised herself on to her hind legs and gestured to the open doorway, chattering and glaring at her owner all the while. Fluttershy shrank back even further before looking outside. She remained that way for a good minute or so before she felt tiny paws on her legs.

She looked down to see Bella staring up at her with an expectant frown. When Fluttershy didn't respond right away, the ferret breathed out a sigh and turned away from her, scurrying towards, and out, the open doorway.

"Wha—Bella, wait!" Fluttershy cried out in alarm, "where are you going?"

She took a step forward, hoof raised in protest, but Bella didn't stop until she was outside. Once she was out, she stopped and turned to give Fluttershy one last look. She let out a single squeak before scurrying off once more.

Fluttershy stood frozen in shock at what she'd heard. A low growl from somewhere behind her caught her attention and she turned to see many of her animal companions eyeing her with varying expressions of concern. 

She looked back at them all, her wide eyes shifting from one creature to the other. She could tell that many were worried for her safety, but still more gave her encouraging nods or chirps or squeaks or growls, urging her to act.

Fluttershy slowly shook her head and looked back to the doorway. She bit her lip, indecision wrapping about her like a shroud. Several thoughts ran through her head, but in the end, it was one simple question that spurred her into action.

Am I really going to let Rainbow Dash go into the Everfree to face that thing alone, where she has every chance of never coming back?

"No."

Once that question had crossed her mind, the answer was instantaneous. That monster had taken far too many lives as it was, and Fluttershy would be damned to Tartarus if she let Rainbow Dash suffer the same fate, not when she'd already managed to survive once.

Fluttershy wouldn't risk a second miracle, no matter how scared she was. The fear of losing her oldest and closest friend was far greater she found. With that in mind, she shored up every single ounce of conviction she could muster and followed Bella's lead, quickly trotting out the door before she lost her nerve.


I don't know how this is going to end, but it won't be with your death, Rainbow... that's my promise, and I'll keep it, no matter what I have to do.
> Here's to Wonderful Memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike awoke with a sharp gasp, quickly sitting up from where he lay on the ground.

He coughed a few times before letting out a groan and grasping his head. For a minute the only thing the drakeling could do was clench his eyes shut and ride out the dull throbbing pain of what felt like an oncoming migraine.

Thankfully the pain subsided as quickly as it had come, and within few more moments the migraine had faded to mostly manageable headache. The pain didn't completely disappear, but Spike could at least think a bit more clearly now.

"Ugh... what..." he blinked a few times before raising his head and squinting slightly from the bright glare of the sun overhead. He lowered his gaze back down and swept it across his surroundings, his expression one of befuddlement, "where in the..."

The diminutive dragon found himself sitting near the bottom of a large grassy knoll. The hills around him seemed to stretch quite a ways out before flattening out into a wide open prairie. Further away he could just make out the treeline of some woods, but not much more than that from where he was. He frowned and rose to his feet before brushing himself off. 

He tried to take a step forward, but stumbled slightly as an intense bout of vertigo overtook him. It didn't last long and he was able to catch himself before he tumbled further down the hill, twisting around as he did so.

It was then that he spotted the very out-of-place piece of furniture behind him. His brows shot up, then furrowed in confusion as his eyes fell on the large table sitting slightly lopsided near the top of the grassy hill in the middle of nowhere.

"How did this get here?" the dragon muttered to himself as he made his way over to it. He frowned thoughtfully as he walked around it, "why is it even here? Actually..." he paused and looked around once more, "where even is here?"

After a minute he turned back to the table. It was wide and appeared to be made of some kind of somewhat reflective crystal, but other than that, it was rather unremarkable.

Spike raised an eyebrow and edged closer to the table before leaning forward and giving one of the sides a tentative lick. Regret washed over him as he tried to spit out the oddly bitter taste, glaring at the offending piece of furniture a second later.

He went to say something, only to snap his mouth shut as he realized he was about to complain to something that had no way of responding to him. With a huff he turned away and began making his way further up the knoll and over to the other side. 

"Stupid random table," he grumbled, shaking his head in disappointment, "what kind of crystal is that, anyway? Didn't taste edible at all. Tasted like some kind of... whoa..."

He slowed to a stop just over the hill, blinking in surprise as he spotted a settlement in the distance. From where he stood he had a perfect view of the entire town, as well as the massive forest that lay next to it, and the tall mountain that stood even further behind it. 

It was an odd sight to say the least, mostly due to the juxtaposition of the warm, inviting atmosphere the town evoked even from this distance, and the incredibly ominous vibe of the forest opposite said town.

A strange mist seemed to settle over the dark greenery of the forest, and just looking at the expanse of trees was enough to make the baby dragon shiver. He looked from the forest to the town, noting the many thatched roof cottages and how close together they were. 

The settlement also seemed to be surrounded by another forest of trees, though these were more sparsely placed, making him think they were more woodland than forest.

With one last glance back at the displaced crystal table, Spike made his decision. He raced down the hill as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, his momentum aided by gravity as he moved down the slope.





By the time Spike reached his destination, he was well and truly out of breath. He hadn't run the whole way, but he was now all too aware of just how far away the town had actually been from where he had awakened.

He panted heavily as he trudged on ahead, stopping every now and then to catch his breath. Leaning over, claws on his knees, he took a deep breath and let it out before straightening back up and casting his eyes skyward.

The sun hadn't moved an inch since he began his long trek, and he was almost certain he'd been traveling for at least two or three hours. He silently thanked the fact that he was a dragon or the constant heat beating down on him would've made this journey much more difficult. 

Thankfully he could handle a little sun.

He turned his attention back to the town a moment later and saw that he'd reached the large field of trees that framed the town. With an audible sigh of relief, he continued forward, eager to rest after the long walk.

As he made his way through the wide open field, he took a moment to observe the trees around him. Now that he was here, he could see that the trees in this area didn't make up another expanse of woods, but rather, a very large orchard. 

An orchard of apple trees.

A great many of the trees looked slightly withered, but what caught and held his attention were the gleaming apples hanging from each and every one. He eyed them with a hunger he'd almost forgotten about while he had made his way over here.

Without giving any thought to who might be around, the ravenous drake hurried over to one of the trees and began to climb. It was a clumsy effort, but the claws helped a great deal in getting the leverage he needed to make it up the tree.

Eventually he settled down onto one of the thicker branches and with a bit more effort, he managed to pluck a nearby apple from where it hung. He eyed it for a moment, noting that, like the tree itself, the apple was slightly withered in a few spots, though it was most definitely edible.

With a small shrug, Spike bit into the fruit, humming in delight at the taste. It may not have been the healthiest looking apple he'd seen, but that didn't detract from the flavor in the slightest. The drakeling proceeded to gorge himself on as many apples as he could reach, clearing out a good portion of the tree he sat in.

It had been a good fifteen minutes or so when he finally ran out of apples to eat, the rest simply too far for him to grab without falling out of the tree. Leaning back against the trunk, Spike closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. He went to open them, but found he didn't want to, and saw no reason to.

There'd be plenty of time to find out where he was after a quick nap. 

With a mental shrug he settled deeper into the tree, getting into a comfortable position before letting out a jaw stretching yawn. Within minutes the baby dragon was out like a light, one claw resting on his stomach and the other hanging by his side.





The last few years hadn't been kind to Sweet Apple Acres, but Big McIntosh and the rest of the Apple Family had somehow been able to make it work.  Sure, the 'rest of the Apple Family' only consisted of his littlest sister Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, but that was only here near Ponyville. 

The Apple's extended family was widespread, and could be considered one of the largest earth pony families in Equestria. In fact they were historically documented as such, and with the kind of numbers they had, there was no shortage of help to be had.

Still, all the help in the world wasn't enough to get their crop of apples growing any healthier—not with how long the days lasted. Big Mac found it rather odd that their trees were having so much trouble adjusting when the other flora around the area were getting along just fine.

Whatever the case might've been, that didn't stop the large red earth pony from doing what needed to be done. The longer days just meant more work tending the fields, and if Big Mac was being completely honest, he didn't mind. Apple Bloom may have complained, but her older brother was content to while away the hours bucking trees and collecting apples.

It was peaceful, it was quiet, it was familiar... it was what he knew. Perhaps most important of all, it kept his mind preoccupied and away from more troubling thoughts. Thoughts like where Equestria was headed under the Queen's reign.

Thoughts about how much longer their farm was going to last, thoughts on whether or not a war would break out between Equestria and the Crystal Empire, thoughts about the sister who'd left her home to live the high society life in Manehattan so many years ago.

She hadn't visited even once since then.

But that was all in the past, and dwelling on it wouldn't get the apples harvested any faster. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, Big Mac continued onward to the next tree.

He grunted softly as he pulled a large cart laden with several wooden baskets full of apples. He'd left Red Delicious and Apple Bumpkin to take care of the eastern fields while he himself finished harvesting the crops over in the western part of the massive orchard.

Both Red Delicious and Apple Bumpkin had been kind enough to take a train out from Dodge Junction to help with the crops this season, and had been staying with Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith for the time being. 

It was somewhat inconvenient for the siblings from Dodge, but Apples stuck together when times were tough, and right now times were certainly tough for the small family of three. Apple Bloom was still too young to take on much of the more demanding jobs, and Granny Smith was too old, so a lot of it fell to Big Mac to get the tougher jobs done, and there were plenty of those to do.

All the same, the quiet stallion didn't complain. Just like dwelling on the past, complaining didn't get the work finished any faster. Big Mac continued to keep this in mind as he came to a stop before one of the few remaining trees left to buck in the western field.

He unlatched himself from the cart and wiped the accumulated sweat from his brow, before pulling out one of the empty baskets. He placed it atop his back and made his way over to the tree.  

Removing the basket from his back, he placed it beneath the shade of the tree with a practiced hoof and got into position. Nodding in satisfaction, the large earth pony turned and lifted a back hoof to strike the tree when a sudden sound stopped him in his tracks.

He furrowed his brow in bemusement, ear flickering as the sound came again. His first thought was that something was growling nearby, but as the sound came again, he realized it wasn't a growl, but a snore... and it was coming from somewhere above him.

He looked up, squinting slightly as a few rays of sunlight hit his eyes from between the leaves. The first thing he noticed was a distinct lack of apples hanging from the tree. This observation was quickly followed by another as he saw some kind of purple shape between some of the higher branches.

He couldn't quite make out what the shape was, but it was clear it had been the source of the snoring. Putting two and two together, it was also safe to assume whatever was in the tree had also partaken of more than a few of the Apple Family apples.

Apples meant to be sold to paying customers in the marketplace.

Big Mac narrowed his eyes and snorted in irritation before turning back around and slamming a back hoof into the trunk. The snoring was replaced by a startled yelp as the purple colored thing was thrown off balance.

A moment later, Big Mac stepped back as the creature, along with several of the remaining apples, dropped out of the tree and landed right in the large basket with a heavy thud. A pained groan escaped the creature's lips and Big Mac couldn't help but wince slightly at the result of his actions.

He moved closer to get a better look, and his eyes widened in shock as the creature stirred. Out of all the things Big McIntosh could've expected to be napping in one of his family's apple trees, a baby dragon was most certainly not one of them.

The drakeling pulled himself up to a sitting position and shook his head before looking up at the much larger pony before him. Their eyes met, the dragon's eyes widening in alarm. Big Mac in turn, raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Uh... hey there," Spike tried with a half-hearted wave and a nervous smile, "I take it this is... your tree then?"

Big Mac blinked.

"...Eeyup."

"And those apples were uh..." Spike looked down and noticed the basket he was currently sitting in, then looked up at the tree, then back to Big Mac a moment later, "...supposed to go in here?"

Big Mac's eyes narrowed.

"...Eeyup."

"Ah... I see," Spike swallowed and gave the pony his most innocent smile, "I don't suppose I could just apologize and we leave it at that... could I?"

"Nope."

Spike hung his head and sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, didn't think so," he rubbed the back of his head and looked back up at the stallion with an unhappy frown, "alright, what do you want me to do?"

"How 'bout ya get outta mah basket fer starters?" Big Mac replied, his tone stern, "ah ain't done harvestin' yet, so if ya wanna make it up ta me, a bit o' help would be mighty appreciated."

"Right, help, yeah... I can do that," Spike replied as he scrambled out of the basket. Once he was out he stretched, popping a few joints before returning his attention to Big Mac, "name's Spike by the way, and uh, yeah... sorry about the apples, really."

"Big McIntosh," the stallion replied as he grabbed the basket and deftly launched it up and onto his back, "ya'll can just call me Big Mac, an' we can call it square once the chores are done."

"That's... fair, I guess," Spike replied, following after Big Mac as he returned the basket to the cart, "hey, can I ask you a question though?"

Big Mac didn't answer for a moment as he latched himself back onto the front of the cart. It wasn't until he'd made a few adjustments and gotten comfortable with the weight that he finally responded.

"Go on," he grunted as he began pulling the cart forward.

"Where exactly am I?" Spike asked, waddling after the cart, "I kind of just... woke up on a hill outside of this town and I don't really know what's going on, so I just came here. Guess I was sort of hoping for some answers."

"Oh?" Big Mac replied, pausing as he turned to raise an eyebrow at the little dragon, "an' ah suppose ya were expectin' ta find 'em nappin' up in that tree, were ya?"

"Well, no," Spike answered, chuckling sheepishly, "I was... really hungry and kind of tired, and I sort of got distracted," his sheepish smile gave way to a bemused frown a moment later, "actually, now that I think about it, I'm not really sure what I was doing on that hill to begin with... or how I got there."

Big Mac watched Spike with some concern as he furrowed his brow. The drake seemed to be lost in thought, and it wasn't long before his eyes widened in shock.

"Big Mac, I... I can't remember anything from before I woke up on that hill."

Big Mac opened his mouth to respond, but had no words to give. He snapped it shut and gave the dragon a troubled grimace. This was the first time he'd ever seen a dragon, and out of nowhere, one drops out of his tree, with amnesia no less.


It was turning out to be a very strange day for the large stallion indeed.
> Here's to Endless Joy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm not sure how long we were traveling through the forest, but I hadn't bothered to say anything else to the two stallions and kept to myself. I preoccupied myself with finding a way out of this mess with Starlight, but as of now there was nothing I could do.

Not helping matters were the memories that kept worming their way into my head.

With no plans forthcoming and nothing else to distract me, the memories of the other Twilight pushed themselves to the surface from where I'd been desperately trying to push them down. I'd seen everything through her eyes as though they were mine, and the effect was vivid and felt all too real.

It was like I'd lived a second life I hadn't even known about.

The only thing that kept me from breaking down was the knowledge that I had friends waiting for me to come back home. I felt terrible for my other self, but that didn't mean I wanted to walk a mile in her horseshoes. I had my own life to live, and I wanted to live it with my friends.

Still, there were certain revelations the other Twilight had been told of that raised more than a few questions about certain events, as well as a certain Solar Princess and her sister.

Then there was the matter of ambient magic and how it worked, particularly in regards to the current bearer of the Element of Magic. When I'd first arrived in that post apocalyptic wasteland, I'd felt the magic all around me, and it was an atmosphere unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

The Equestria in my timeline had its own thaumic field, but it hadn't been nearly so powerful as it was back in that wasteland. I wondered just what could've caused such a spike in external mana, but even that mystery paled in comparison to what I'd discovered about the Element of Magic.

Celestia had never mentioned anything about being able to tap into the power of Equestria's thaumic field, and based on what I saw and heard of its effects, I didn't blame her for not telling me about it. It was honestly an ability I would've been content to do without now that I had time to think on it, and even if I could use it, I certainly wouldn't have made the attempt.

The other Twilight had been desperate, and had no reason to hold back, but I had far more to lose, and I wasn't willing to risk the consequences. There were more problems than these I could've been dwelling on, but I decided to push the thoughts aside for the moment and refocus on my current predicament.

I could ask the other Twilight more about it later when we were all together again, but for now, I had to find a way to escape with Starlight. Looking around me, I could see that we'd passed out of the forest at some point and were now traveling alongside a large, and familiar gorge to our left.

My eyes widened in realization of where we were and where we'd most likely come from. I did some quick mental mapping of our location relative to how far Ponyville was from Ghastly Gorge and discovered that the forest we'd just passed through must've been part of a smaller forest south of the Everfree.

That meant that on our current course, we were most likely headed southwest towards Las Pegasus and the San Palomino Desert. I doubted the two stallions had planned to head into the desert, which meant they were probably planning to sell Starlight and I off to somepony in Las Pegasus.

I threw another glare towards the stallion at the front of the wagon before turning a worried gaze towards Starlight. The other mare still hadn't stirred in the slightest, and I was beginning to think whatever had happened to her might've been fatal, but quickly tried to dismiss the thought.

I'll find a way to get us out of here, Starlight, then we'll get you the help you need...

Unfortunately I didn't currently have a plan to back up my claims, and time was running out. I frowned down at my chained hooves and tried to flex my bound wings, to no avail. There was no longer any kind of pain in my horn, but my magic was still securely locked behind the anti-magic horn ring affixed to it.

As much as I hated to admit it, there wasn't anything I could really do in this situation, not physically at any rate. I may have had the strength of an earth pony, but I'd found out quickly that brute forcing my way through my bindings had little to no effect. Whatever metal they were using in these chains and manacles, it wasn't cheap.

This all left me with only one other option, and I was far from confident it would work. In the end, the only thing left to me was trying to talk my way out of the situation, and given how stubborn Sandpit seemed to be, I doubted I'd get anywhere. Still, it was better than doing nothing at all.

"Do you really think this is going to go down like you plan?" I asked the stallion, "wouldn't ponies have questions if they saw a Princess being dragged around in chains? Wouldn't there be an investigation? Wouldn't somepony tell somepony else? What about Celestia, wouldn't she—"

"Queen Daybreaker, is far too busy negotiating some kind of deal with the Crystal Empire to bother looking into such matters, Princess, and besides..." he chuckled darkly before turning around slightly and giving me a malicious grin, "...where you're going, ain't nopony gonna see you except for who we want to see you."

He turned back around to face the front, but I could still hear the malevolent smirk in his voice as he spoke.

"And let me tell you, Princess," he barked out another laugh, "the client ain't somepony who cares about status or tribe. We could bring them our glorious Queen all trussed up in chains and they'd treat her just the same as they would any other pony."

That gave me some considerable pause, and I swallowed nervously at the thought. Another thing that gave me pause was the fact that I was evidently not dealing with the same Celestia from my timeline. 

It was then that I remembered Sandpit had said something about a Queen earlier, but Princess Celestia proclaiming herself as a Queen, and calling herself Daybreaker? This all smelled too much of a Nightmare Moon scenario with Celestia as the new 'Nightmare Moon', and the thought wasn't comforting in the slightest.

It also explained why the sun hadn't moved an inch since I'd woken up, and begged the question of what had actually happened to Nightmare Moon. Without my friends and I to stop her, I had no idea what would've become of her.

Did the me of this timeline actually band together with the others to stop her, only for Celestia to suddenly turn evil? Did Celestia herself defeat Nightmare Moon? Did Nightmare Moon somehow manage to revert back to Luna, and if so, where was she?




...Was she still alive?




I blinked and furrowed my brow, unsure of where that thought had come from, but unable to quite shake it. That wouldn't have been a question I would've entertained normally, but something made it come to my mind, and what was worse, was that there was a possibility that may very well have been killed in this timeline.

I was about to ask the Stallion as much when something in the distance near the edge of the gorge caught my attention. I whipped around to fully face the edge of the cliff just in time to spot two shapes ducking out of sight just below the edge. I blinked and narrowed my eyes, trying to see if the shapes would appear again.

"Have you ever been to Las Pegasus, princess?" 

The sound of Sandpit's voice pulled me away from my observation. With an inward growl of frustration, I turned back to see that the stallion wasn't even looking in my direction as he spoke.

"I myself haven't been there, no," I answered, seeing no reason to lie, "that's where you're taking us though, isn't it? To sell us off to somepony, make your ill-gotten bits and do... whatever it is ponies like you do with the money?"

I winced, not satisfied at all with how I was handling the situation. Neither Sandpit nor Ghost Pepper were too impressed either it seemed, as their only response was mocking laughter.

"Yes, princess, you got me," Sandpit chuckled, shaking his head, "were all headed to Las Pegasus for our little rendezvous, but don't worry, I'm sure, that even as somepony's pet, you'll find plenty of wonderful things in Las Pegasus to keep you and your owner occupied," he turned to Starlight with a frown, "...though I don't know about the other one."

"Why do this?" I practically shouted in my aggravation and slight desperation. I reared up as best i could and leaned against the bars of my cage, "why put yourselves at risk trafficking ponies across the country? I know for a fact Equestria wasn't always like this! We didn't have ponies like you and Ghost Pepper doing these terrible things!"

I shook my head in disappointment and glared at both stallions, gritting my teeth in anger when all they did was look back with impassive, dismissive expressions. I snorted and slammed my hooves against the bars, my chains jangling wildly.

"Equestria is a better place than this, and I can't and won't believe for a minute that Pr... that Queen Daybreaker would allow something like this to go on if she knew!"

"Equestria was a better place than this."

The deep, yet quiet and gentle tone of Ghost Peppers voice caught me off guard and my righteous fury petered out in favor of surprise. Ghost Pepper, for his part, stared back at me, his eyes neither malicious, nor mocking, but serious, and somewhat sad.

"I don't know where you've been, lady, but times have changed. Drastically," he turned to cast a side glance back towards his partner, who simply sighed and turned towards the road ahead of him. Getting no help from Sandpit, Ghost Pepper returned his gaze to me, "when the Princess announced her new reign as Queen, she made some changes."

"Changes?" I asked, frowning deeply, "what kind of changes?"

"I don't know all the details, but I do know that Queen Daybreaker got rid of both the nobles and the council that supported her," Ghost Pepper replied grimly, "now she makes all the decisions herself."

"What... what has she done?" I asked, afraid of the answer, "Princess Celestia's been ruling Equestria for literal ages. Even if she's changed, she's still a wise leader with millennia's worth of experience."

"You wouldn't think that given the state she's reduced Equestria to, princess," came Sandpit's voice, "ever since she killed Nightmare Moon, I don't think she's been right in the head."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I felt my skin go cold as my fear was confirmed.

"She... she what?" I muttered in a near whisper, "Princess Celestia... she..."

"Yeah, and I don't blame her none either," Sandpit continued, unaware of the horror I was feeling at the moment, "crazy nag showed up out of nowhere one day during a Summer Sun Celebration several years ago. Didn't see it myself, but apparently there was some kinda battle."

"From what I heard, neither one could get one up on the other," Ghost Pepper continued. He snorted and glared at nothing in particular, "the way it goes from ponies who were there, Celestia didn't want to finish Nightmare Moon off so they fought to a standstill, and then the Moon Nag started going for the citizens."

"She what?!" I cried, the yellow stallion's words knocking me out of my shocked stupor, "no, that can't be right, that wasn't... I knew she was under the influence of dark magic, but she'd never... I mean, I didn't think she'd... she'd actually..."

"She'd actually start killing off innocent ponies?" Sandpit finished, turning back to me with an incredulous raise of his brow, "of course she would, she was insane. Seriously, princess, where the buck have you been that you don't know this? Everypony knows at least that much."

I didn't respond, too stunned to speak and too distraught to make any sense of what I was hearing. Sandpit eyed me suspiciously for a moment before shaking his head and pressing on.

"Anyway, the Princess and Nightmare Moon somehow wound up fighting over Vanhoover, and I guess Nightmare Moon must've had enough, because she blew up the whole Tartarus damned city. Wiped it off the map, and not a one of the ponies living there made it out of the blast zone."

I leaned back against the cage, and stared out at the scenery without really seeing any of it. Tears began to blur my vision as I pictured what might've happened next, and Ghost Pepper's next words told me I wasn't too far off.

"After that... well..." the stallion shivered, "the Princess wasn't the Princess anymore. She was more like a demon than Nightmare Moon. Folks say you could hear her scream clear across every corner of Equestria. I know I did."

"She changed, princess," Sandpit said, his tone just as quiet as Ghost Pepper's had been, "turned herself into something like Nightmare Moon, but it was more like she grabbed a piece of the sun and wrapped herself in it. Reduced the Moon Nag to ashes in an instant after that, some say."

"And she hasn't been the same since," Ghost Pepper finished, "called herself Queen Daybreaker and made some announcement about how things were gonna change, and that she'd never let anything threaten 'her little ponies' like that ever again. Started building up Equestria's military, spending an insane amount of bits on that and developing new weapons."

"The other nations wouldn't like that," I muttered numbly, "especially Griffonia. Equestria is already a hegemony, and many of the other countries around Equestria might see this as an attempt to gain even more of a dominion over the weaker nations. Not to mention the damage this could do to the economy, and if she's drafting ponies into military service that would make it all the worse. Ponies aren't meant to go to war, not like what this could lead to."

I continued to ramble on in this manner, my mind reeling with the implications of what I was hearing. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't hear the two stallions bemused, questioning voices. It wasn't until one of them cried out in alarm that I finally snapped out of it and looked up.

My eyes widened and I gave a startled cry of my own as I saw two incoming boulders falling from the sky and right towards us. One of them smashed into the ground right next to the wagon, missing it by mere inches, the other went wide, but the first was enough to cause Sandpit to lose control of the wagon. 

The stallion cursed and the mauve colored aura around his horn brightened as he tried to regain control of the spell moving the wagon forward. The wagon turned sharply, and came to a halt, the forward momentum we'd been maintaining enough to cause the whole thing to tilt dangerously.

The empty cages slid across the floor of the wagon, tipping over and out of the back onto the road below. I screamed again as my own cage threatened to do the same, and a panicked glance over to where Starlight was confirmed that her cage had already been tossed over the side.

"Star—oof!" before I could get anything else out, the wagon slammed back onto all fours, and I slammed into the bars of my cage, my back exploding in pain from the impact, "nngh... w-what's..." I grunted, struggling to my hooves, "Sandpit, what the hay is going on?!"

The wagon jerked forward and I nearly fell again, and when it came to another sudden stop, I did fall. Through the pain and confusion the familiar, almost electrical sounding pop of a horn shorting out reached my ears, quickly followed by another, pain filled curse.

I lifted my head to see Sandpit hunched over with his hooves covering his horn, his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth grit in agony. Ghost Pepper was nowhere to be seen, and I wondered why, until I heard his voice crying out in pain somewhere to my left.

I looked over to see him pinned down on the ground by another pony that definitely hadn't been there a moment ago. He was on his stomach with a grey coated mare atop him, one of her hooves pressed down into the back of his neck. The mare looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't see her face, as her back was turned to me.

I heard Ghost Pepper cry out again as the mare wrapped the hoof around his neck and yanked his head upward so that he was facing the sky. The stallion grit his teeth and groaned in pain, the mare didn't say a word in response. She seemed content to simply hold him in that position for the time being.

Another shout pulled my attention away and I turned back to Sandpit, just as he was yanked from his seat and thrown to the ground by another mare, this one a very familiar shade of pink. I moved closer to the front of my cage to get a better look, and my mouth dropped open in disbelief as my suspicions were confirmed.

Sandpit tried to rise to his hooves, but a pink hoof kicked him over onto his back and smashed into his chest, apparently with enough force to knock the wind out of him. The mare stood atop Sandpit and glared down at him, her raspberry colored mane falling around her face in a flat curtain.

The deep hatred I saw in those familiar cerulean eyes was enough to make me shiver. I remembered then that Rockville had been around this area, and if that was close, the Pie Family Rock Farm couldn't have been too far either.

In all honesty, I hadn't given any kind of thought to what the girls might be going through in this timeline, and had I known this is how I'd find Pinkie Pie, I would've been far more worried.
> Here's to One's Chosen Path
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun hadn't budged an inch in the sky since Spike began the grueling work he was tasked by Big Mac. Pulling another apple from the tree he stood in and dropping into the basket below, he paused and turned his gaze skyward, his draconic green eyes squinting in the relentless sunlight before lowering to watch as Big Mac moved to his next target.

Once again he thanked the fact he was born a heat resistant creature, and pitied the large red stallion turning to buck another tree nearby. Then he remembered how dismissive Big McIntosh had been about his current condition, and found that the pity lessened somewhat.

When Spike realized he'd lost the memories of all his experiences before waking up on that hillside, he'd almost had a full blown panic attack. Big McIntosh had simply let him freak out on his own, waiting silently as the little drake asked him question after question about what was going on.

To be fair, Spike had rattled on, talking over the stallion every time he went to reply, and in the end, Big Mac had given up and just stood there in exasperated silence. Once the baby dragon had finally calmed himself down, Big Mac had only said one thing.

"If yer memories are that important to ya, they'll come back on their own, just give it time."

And that was it.

With those words he returned to his work and urged Spike to do the same, pulling another basket down off the cart for the drake. A baby dragon though he may have been, he still had strength enough to carry the large wooden basket on his own, though it was an awkward load to bear, as it was bigger than he was.

The cold attitude didn't sit well with Spike, and he grumbled and mumbled about it under his breath, but nevertheless set off to accomplish his task. He had told Big Mac he'd make up for the apples after all, and Spike wouldn't let a little bitterness get in the way of clearing his debt.

That had been two hours ago now, and he'd started to work himself to complete exhaustion. Big Mac had it easy in that he could just turn and buck, felling dozens of apples in one go. Spike had to climb each tree, pick each individual apple, and drop it into the basket below, and it was a painfully slow process.

To Big Mac's credit, he'd offered to take the full baskets when he'd noticed the small framed and slightly pudgy dragon struggling as he tried to futilely push the laden baskets to the next tree. It was undoubtedly heavier, but the stallion didn't complain or outwardly show any additional stress.

He just put the baskets back in the cart, pulled out the empty ones, passed one to Spike, and they'd start again. It was rough going, but something he could appreciate was that it kept him busy and his thoughts unclouded by the concern regarding his amnesia.

He even began to fall into a rhythm, and while he didn't particularly enjoy the work, he was content with the process, but it was clear he was running out of steam, and a glance over to Big Mac revealed a similarly tired expression. The exhausted dragon was about to suggest a break when a loud, long cry rang out from the nearby forest. 

It was unlike anything Spike had ever heard, and yet the eerie, unnatural sound tugged at something in the back of his mind, even as he turned towards the noise. The sound startled the baby dragon and nearly made him lose his balance, but it was the bright flash of light in the distance and the low rumble that caused him to actually stumble and fall right out of the tree with a panicked shriek.

Big Mac, who'd turned just in time to see Spike stagger, had already begun moving, and managed to catch Spike on his back. That done, the stallion returned his attention to the alien cry coming out of the infamously dark forest nearby, his eyes troubled and his frown grim.

The sound didn't last too much longer, and by the time Spike had regained his senses, it had died down completely, along with the mild rumbling. After a few moments of stunned silence, Spike stood up atop Big Mac's back, wincing and putting a claw to his head at the sudden dull, throbbing pain he felt.

It only lasted a moment before it passed, and he sighed in relief another moment later. He turned back to the eerie forest, its thicket of trees made all the more so by that unsettling and oddly familiar howl. 

"Hey, uh... Big Mac?" Spike began hesitantly, "what do you think that was?"

Big Mac narrowed his eyes slightly, his ears twitching every so often as if expecting another cry.

"Nothin' good."

Spike wanted to roll his eyes at the obvious statement, but held back, opting instead to cast a worried frown around the orchard. The cry had been terribly loud, probably loud enough to be heard for miles, and Spike wondered if there were any other ponies around nearby that'd felt the small tremor.

His silent question was answered when he heard a distant, panicked shout coming from somewhere behind him. He and Big Mac turned to see two other earth ponies galloping towards them, one a stallion and the other a mare. 

The stallion sported a light blue mane and tail while the mare's were a dark red in color, though both shared the same pale olive coat color. Spike hadn't seen either pony since he'd started helping Big Mac, but by their drawl and the fact that they looked just as tired as he himself felt, Spike thought it safe to assume they were related in some way.

"Big Mac!" the stallion cried as he and the mare came to a stop in front of the larger pony, "Big Mac, what the hay was that all about?" he blinked and furrowed his brow in confusion as he spotted the little dragon standing atop Big Mac's back, "and... is that a dragon?"

"Hey," Spike replied, waving a claw in an awkward greeting, "name's Spike. It's, uh... nice to meet—whoa!"

"Awww~" the mare cooed as she yanked Spike off of Big Mac's back and pulled him into a tight embrace, "well ain't you just the most adorable little thing!" 

"Wha—hey, let go, I can't..." the helpless drake grunted in both surprise and annoyance as he tried to pull himself out of the mare's strong grip, "Big Mac, can you please do something?"

"Big Mac?" the stallion continued, turning back to the larger stallion after a moment, "what in Cele... what in the Queen's name is goin' on here?"

"Found the dragon sleepin' in one o' the trees after he'd darn near eaten all the apples in it," Big Mac replied curtly, completely ignoring the drake's plight, "can't remember nothin' 'sides his name. Dunno what the noise was fer sure, but ah aim ta find out."

"What?!" the stallion cried, "Big Mac, you heard that noise! Whatever it was, it ain't o' this world, an' that aside, it came from that Tartarus forsaken forest! Ya'll can't tell me yer just gonna—"

"Ah ain't goin' in alone, Red Delicious," Big Mac interjected calmly, "no doubt the Mayor's gonna send some ponies out ta investigate. Ah'll join em' an' be back before ya know it," before Red Delicious could open his mouth to argue again, Big Mac raised a hoof to stop him, "the Everfree is too close to the farm ta just ignore what's goin' on. Ah gotta do what ah can ta protect this farm an' the rest o' mah family, and ya ain't gonna stop me."

For a moment, Red Delicious' mouth flapped open and closed like a fish before he finally let out a resigned sigh. The mare, still holding Spike in her clutches, looked from Red Delicious to Big Mac, her expression one of worry and uncertainty.

"Alright then," Red Delicious finally relented, "ah won't try ta stop ya, but ya'll promise me you'll skedaddle if things get too hairy out there, will ya?" his tone grew serious, his face grim as he spoke, "they ain't never said it, but ah can tell that between you, Granny Smith, an' little Apple Bloom, yer the bond holdin' this family together right now, so ya'll better come back in one piece, ya hear?"

Big Mac grimaced and hung his head slightly as he mulled his cousin's words over. Images of his deceased ma and pa rose to the forefront of his mind, their warmly smiling faces quickly followed by the retreating form of his younger sister as she made her way to the Ponyville train station to meet their Aunt and Uncle.

Why had he just let her go like that? Why didn't he do anything to stop her? He should've done more to convince her to stay, should've fought harder and said more, but in the end, he'd relented, and it had turned out to be one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Big Mac knew all too well that without Applejack, the family didn't feel complete, and to this very day it still felt like there was something missing. 

It wasn't just him that could feel it either. 

Granny Smith could feel it too, and so could Apple Bloom even though she had no real idea who her older sister even was. Sure, she'd heard stories, but that was all they were... stories. Even so, Applejack's departure had left a large pit that couldn't be filled, and each of them were suffering from it to some degree.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on the issue however, and with a shake of his head, Big Mac brought himself out of his melancholic thoughts. He raised his head and looked into his cousin's eyes, his jaw set and his expression determined. He'd failed his family once, by not convincing Applejack to stay, and he wouldn't fail again.

"Ah'll be back before supper, ya can count on that." 

A minute passed by as Red Delicious eyed the red stallion, but he smiled and gave a small satisfied nod a moment later. Spike had been shifting through several expressions ranging from irritation, to worry, to thoughtfulness as he silently watched the exchange. He was about to throw in his own two bits when Big Mac spoke again, turning and beginning to trot away.

"Red, Bumpkin," he called back, "keep an eye on the dragon fer me until ah get back, would ya?"

"Ya can count on us, cuz!" Apple Bumpkin cried, squeezing the dragon a bit tighter and causing him to groan in frustration, "just please be careful, an' don't do nothin' stupid!"

"W-Wait!" Spike suddenly shouted, making Big Mac stop in his tracks and turn a quizzical frown towards the dragon. Spike grit his teeth as he tried to wrest himself from Apple Bumpkin with little success, "take me with you! I... I think  I might be able to learn something if I go!"

Both Apple Bumpkin and Red Delicious protested, but Spike ignored them and kept his eyes trained on Big Mac. The large red stallion watched him, his scowl deepening as he thought it over. He wanted to refuse the baby dragon outright, not wanting to put Spike in danger needlessly.

He may not have known the drake for very long, but he was a hard worker who was serious about paying his debts, at least, when he wasn't stealing apples and snoozing in a tree. He hadn't said as much, but the little dragon had begun to earn his respect, and he would've hated for something to happen to him on his watch.

Still, if he truly believed whatever was out there could help him get his memory back, who was Big Mac to stop him, really? He may have earned respect, but he wasn't family, and thus Big Mac had no obligation to hold him back from doing what he felt was right, even if he himself knew it was the wrong decision.

Not like with a certain other pony.

The thought ignited an almost overwhelming urge to tell Spike no, and have him stay on the farm until he got back, but he pushed the urge down and told himself that it was simply the reminder of his own failure that would've driven the decision, and that wouldn't have been right or fair to Spike.   

Small though he may have been, he was his own dragon, and Big Mac had no right to deny him in regaining what he'd lost.

"...Alright then," Big Mac relented, "ya'll can tag along, just remember that this ain't no field trip, and that we're headed into a place where critters would chomp ya down as soon as look at ya."

Spike's determined frown faltered at that and he turned and he gave the distant forest a worried glance. It looked far more menacing this close than it did from way back up on the hill, and it gave him pause, but only for a moment.

He wasn't gonna get his memories back by being a coward, and he knew there were answers waiting somewhere in that forest.

"I don't care," he finally said, turning back to Big Mac and restoring his look of conviction. At Big Mac's frown he quickly amended his words, "I mean, I'll be careful, sure, but I need to go. I won't... I'll... try not to get in your way."

Big Mac eyed the dragon for another long minute, reluctant, but appreciative of the honesty all the same. He sighed inwardly and nodded to the dragon before addressing Apple Bumpkin.

"Ya'll can let him go, Bumpkin," he said with a hint of resignation, "ah'll take care of him."

"But... you sure, Big Mac?" Apple Bumpkin replied, looking down at Spike with no small amount of concern, "I mean, he's just a little guy an' all. I don't think—"

"Hey, I can take care of myself," Spike cut in with an indignant frown, "I may not look like it, but I'm pretty tough, y'know? A stupid old forest isn't gonna bring me down."

"Ah'm more worried about the critters in the forest, sweetie," Apple Bumpkin deadpanned, "ya got a tough hide, sure, but some o' them critters have some nasty teeth that could bite right through solid rock from what I hear."

Spike said nothing in response, not willing to admit how nervous that actually made him as he tried to keep his confident grin.

"Just leave it be, Bumpkin," Red Delicious sighed, before giving Spike an indulgent smile, "we'll see him an' Big Mac again, don't you worry none."

Apple Bumpkin looked from her brother, to Spike, before her eyes settled on Big Mac. They held each other's gaze for a minute longer before she let out a small defeated sigh of her own and released the drake.

"Finally," Spike muttered, flexing his arms and legs as he tried to get the kinks out, "you're really strong, you know that?"

"So I've been told," the mare replied with a small smirk. It fell a moment later in favor of another worried frown, "hope yer able ta remember who ya are. Ah know ah'd feel terrible if ah couldn't remember mah family."

"Family," Spike quietly repeated to himself, "yeah... right."

"Well, don't just stand, there," Big Mac called back, jolting Spike out of his thoughts, "hop on, we ain't got all day."

"Right, coming!" Spike called back as he made his way over to the red stallion. He paused a little ways away from the other two ponies and turned back to Apple Bumpkin with a wide, reassuring grin, "BIg Mac and I will be back before you know it, just you wait! Then I can tell you guys all about how awesome of a dragon I am!"

Both siblings nodded and gave encouraging smiles of their own, though it was clear even to Spike that they weren't entirely convinced. His smile fell a bit, but he quickly shored up his resolve and hurried after Big Mac. The larger stallion watched as Spike climbed back up onto his back.

"Ready?" Big Mac asked.

"Yup," Spike replied, "all set."

Big Mac nodded once and together, they took off towards Ponyville proper. Though neither said as much outwardly, both of them could feel the large knot of unease in their gut, and it was only growing worse as they thought about what they might find in the Everfree.
> Here's to Allies, Old and New
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Rainbow Dash neared Town Hall, she could already see a large group of ponies gathering outside its doors. It didn't surprise her all that much, given what many of them probably suspected.

The calamity that occurred all those years ago, and that had robbed the bitter cyan pegasus of her dreams, hadn't really affected Ponyville itself, but the event was on a large enough scale that it could most definitely be heard throughout the town, and the inequine wail was something a lot of Ponyville residents would never forget.

She frowned slightly and picked up her pace until she reached the group. She pushed past the group, ignoring the uneasy muttering and furtive glances as she made her way closer to the double doors of Town Hall.

She reached the doors, push them open and briskly stepped inside, stopping a little ways in as she spotted Mayor Mare and one other pony, both of whom turned in her direction. Rainbow didn't know the massive red stallion personally, having only seen him a few times since she'd moved in with Fluttershy on the outskirts of Ponyville.

She'd spotted him in the marketplace selling apples, and had even bought a few from him, but she'd never bothered to learn his name. More surprising to the cyan pegasus was the small purple dragon sitting atop the stallion's back.

For a long moment, everypony in the room was silent, all eyes on Rainbow Dash. Then, Rainbow finally got over her shock and looked around the room. She turned to look back towards the entrance and frowned before turning to address Mayor Mare.

"Is this it?" she asked, trotting over to where the others were, "I came here expecting a search party, and this is all there is?" she cast a side glance at the dragon, who waved back nervously. Deciding to leave her questions about the dragon for later, she returned her attention back to the Mayor, "you are planning an investigation into what just happened in the Everfree, right?"

"Well, yes, I did send out a missive asking for volunteers to investigate the forest," Mayor Mare replied from behind the desk she'd set up near the back of the main room, "but it seems nopony other than Big McIntosh and his, erm... new friend, answered the letter. As you most likely already saw, several ponies arrived, but none of them have actually volunteered."

"Most of the ponies out there were already here by the time we showed up," the dragon chimed in, giving Rainbow a friendly smile, "my name's Spike by the way."

"Good for you," Rainbow replied dismissively. Ignoring Spike's indignant frown, the cyan mare once more address the Mayor, "so it's just gonna be me and the big guy then? That's fine with me. It'll make it easier to move around and keep quiet."

"Wha—hey!" Spike exclaimed, gesturing to himself and glaring at the disinterested pegasus, "It's not just Big Mac, I'm going too, y'know!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before turning to fully face the indignant little dragon, her head rising to meet his offended gaze.

"Look, Spines—"

"It's Spike!"

"—I don't care if you come or not," Rainbow continued, "I don't care if this stallion comes or not, all I care about is finding the thing in that forest. The only reason I'm even here is because I'm not stupid enough to go in alone without at least trying to get help first."

"But you'd go in alone if nopony was here, I take it?" Big Mac asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup," Rainbow replied simply, "I need to see whatever made that noise with my own eyes, and I'm gonna see it whether I'm alone or not," she turned back to the Mayor, "so we gonna do this or what? Cause I'm ready to go—"

It was at that moment that the double doors behind them all slammed open, cutting off Rainbow and causing the rest of the small group to turn once more in surprise. Rainbow reflexively attempted to flare out her mangled wings and winced in pain at the effort.

Unbeknownst to the pegasus, Spike happened to catch sight of it and frowned before returning his gaze to the pony who'd just thrown open the doors. Standing in the now open doorway was another pegasus, this one a soft yellow with a long pale pink, and slightly frazzled mane.

Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped at the sight of the sweaty, panting mare before her. 

"F-Fluttershy?" she croaked before rushing over to her friend, "what are you doing here?" as she moved closer, a familiar mocha colored ferret poked its head out of her mane and chittered animatedly. The sight halted Rainbow for a moment and she frowned in bemusement, "Bella?"

"Rainbow," Fluttershy gasped, "I'm... so glad... I caught you... before you left... for the Everfree..."

"Whoa, Fluttershy, take it easy," Rainbow advised, allowing the tired yellow mare to lean against her, "did you gallop all the way here?" she frowned in disapproval, "come on, Flutters, your wings actually work. Why wouldn't you just fly here?"

"Bella... doesn't like... heights," Fluttershy wheezed, "it's okay... I'm okay... just... give me a minute..."

Further back behind the two mares, both Spike and Big Mac looked at each other, unsure of what to make of the situation. Spike went to say something, but the large stallion shook his head and looked back to the mares. Spike sighed, shrugged helplessly, and did the same, figuring it was better to just let whatever was going on play out on its own.

"Fluttershy, why did you come here?" Rainbow asked after a few moments, "I told you I wasn't gonna just sit around and wait. I'm gonna search the Everfree until I find that thing, and I'm not coming back until I do."

"I... I know," Fluttershy replied, taking a deep breath before straightening up, pushing her unkempt mane out of her face, and raising her head to look Rainbow Dash in the eye, "I know I can't stop you, Rainbow, and that's why I'm coming too."

Rainbow Dash was speechless. 

Though she'd lived with her for some time now, there were still times that Rainbow couldn't figure Fluttershy out. She was normally terrified of her own shadow, and yet she chose to live next to one of the most dangerous forests in Equestria, on the outskirts of Ponyville. 

She was afraid of getting hurt, and yet she lived in a location where she wasn't likely to receive any help from the townsponies any time soon should anything happen to her. At least, that would've been the case if Rainbow wasn't there for her.

She was terrified of the forest itself, but not the animals in it, whether they were carnivores or not. That was one of the main reasons to be terrified of the forest, and yet Fluttershy went in and out of the Everfree regularly for her animals. To Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy was a coward, but also one of the bravest ponies she knew, and she'd often asked herself a single question about her friend more than once. 

What was Fluttershy truly afraid of?

Even now, when she didn't know what they'd find, when it could've been some massive monster with rows and rows of teeth meant to specifically devour a pony, she still wanted to join the group. Even though Rainbow could see her visibly shaking all over, her eyes were hard and resolute, just as much as, if not more so, than her own.

She didn't want Fluttershy to go, but Rainbow Dash couldn't bring herself to say that out loud, because she knew it would just make her a hypocrite. Aside from that, deep beneath all the shock and bemusement, Rainbow Dash was proud of and grateful to, her paradoxically cowardly and courageous friend.

"Fluttershy," Rainbow tried half-heartedly, "you don't have to—"

"I'm not letting you go without me, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy interjected, "if I can't stop you from putting your life at risk, then I want to be there to make sure you keep your promise to come back alive, and I'll make sure you keep it. That's my promise."

And there it was.

That was the reason Fluttershy was willing to march into this potentially deadly situation right along with her, Big McIntosh, and the baby dragon. With those words, there was no way Rainbow Dash could say no to her determination. She might've once, when she was younger and far more bitter, headstrong, and protective than she was now, but living with Fluttershy had mellowed her out, at least to some degree.

Fluttershy herself cast a quick glance over Rainbow's ruined wings before looking into the other mare's eyes once more.

"I know my way around the forest, at least more than you do," Fluttershy reasoned, "I'm also very quiet, and if I'm around, you shouldn't have any trouble from the animals that live there."

"That sounds mighty useful."

Fluttershy squeaked and jumped back in fright at the sudden deep timber of Big Mac's voice. She looked over Rainbow's shoulder to see the tall stallion approaching, his trot slow, easy and non-threatening. The yellow mare stepped back a bit further as Big Mac approached, but the stallion stopped just a few hoof-lengths short of Rainbow Dash, though he still addressed Fluttershy.

"Ah can't speak fer yer friend here, but ah'd be more'n happy ta have ya with us, Miss Fluttershy," Big Mac gave Fluttershy a friendly smile and raised one of his giant shod hooves, "name's Big McIntosh, but ya'll can just call me Big Mac. It's a pleasure ta meet'cha."

Fluttershy looked from the outstretched hoof to Big Mac's smiling face. She'd actually seen the stallion in town before on the rare occasions when she herself went into town to shop at the marketplace, but, like Rainbow, she hadn't learned his name.

She stood there for a few seconds, frozen in terrified indecision, but then she noticed the purple drakeling peering down at her curiously from Big Mac's back. Just like that, all her nervousness and awkwardness vanished and her eyes lit up with wonder.

"Is... is that a baby dragon?" she asked, moving around the stallion to get a better look at Spike, "it is! Oh, what are you doing here, little one? You must be far from home to have ended up all the way here in Ponyville."

"Um," Spike replied, caught off guard by the attention. He looked down at Big Mac, who lowered his hoof and shrugged. When he went to looked back to Fluttershy, he found the doting mare had lifted herself off the ground to get right into his face, "gah! I-I mean, uh... hi there... my name's Spike, and I—"

"You can talk?" Fluttershy gasped, "oh that's amazing! I had no idea dragons could speak! You said your name was Spike? How adorable!" before Spike could do anything about it, he found himself once more snatched up into a tight, relentless embrace, "you have to tell me more about yourself. How old are you? How'd you get here? What do dragons eat? I have all kinds of animal feed back at my house, maybe I can—"

"Pardon, Miss," Big Mac interrupted, his expression halfway between annoyance and amusement, "if ya don't mind, we got a forest ta investigate. Ah'd rather do it sooner than later."

"Yeah, Flutters," Rainbow Dash added, trotting over to her friend and laying a hoof on her shoulder, "forget about the dragon for now. If your gonna come, that's... that's fine, but I wanna go before whatever's out there gets away."

Fluttershy looked from the extremely disgruntled baby dragon, to Rainbow Dash and Big Mac. She looked back to Spike and sighed before letting him go, after which he rubbed his arm, frowned up at the mare, and hopped back onto Big Mac's back.

"I really hope this doesn't become a trend," Spike muttered, "seriously."

"Um... excuse me."

Everypony in the room turned to see Mayor Mare sitting back behind her desk, fixing them all with an awkward smile of her own. Many of the group had completely forgotten the mare was there, as caught up in Fluttershy's unexpected arrival as they were. Fluttershy, much to her own embarrassment, hadn't even seen the mare.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, the rest of you," Mayor Mare continued, "but if all of you are heading into the forest, I think it would be prudent to prepare yourselves for the worst. I recommend making sure all your affairs are in order and... oh!"

She stood up suddenly before trotting towards a door leading into a room further back. The others looked at each other with bemused frowns as the Mayor pulled the door open and stepped inside. She came back out a moment later with a small scroll.

"Before you go, take this with you," she trotted over to Big Mac and pressed the scroll into one of his hooves, "it's a scroll imbued with a spell that'll send out a magical flare when tossed into the air 'with the intent to call for help', or so the instructions say. Queen Daybreaker provided all the towns and cities around Equestria with some, in case of an emergency."

Big Mac eyed the scroll dubiously for a moment before hoofing over to Spike, who grabbed it and pulled it open curiously. Opening the scroll revealed a rather complicated looking series of runes surrounding several interwoven magic circles. Unable to make heads or tails of any of it, he shrugged and rolled the scroll back up.

"So how does it work? What happens when this 'magic flare' goes off?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow, "does somepony come running or something?"

"Apparently, it's supposed to summon the Solar Guards," Mayor Mare replied, looking unsure of her own answer, "don't ask me how. The instructions weren't very clear in that regard."

"Huh," Rainbow responded, eyeing the scroll in Spike's claw with the same dubious look Big Mac had given it a moment ago, "well... alright, whatever," she turned to Fluttershy, her features softening somewhat, "we should head back to the cottage and get a few things. I, uh... kinda forgot to grab some supplies when I left."

Fluttershy didn't say anything in response, merely nodding in agreement. Her mind was already on what they'd find in the forest, and how badly things might go. Big Mac likewise had his own preparations to make, and after telling Spike as much, he turned back to the Mayor, Rainbow, and Fluttershy.

"Looks like we all got somethin' ta take care of before we go," he announced, "why don't we all grab what we need an' meet back here before headin' off to the Everfree?"

"Sounds good to me," Rainbow Dash replied as she and Fluttershy began making there way to the exit, "just don't take too long."

With those parting words, she pulled the doors open and the two mares stepped outside, parting the crowd as they left. From what Spike and Big Mac could see, the crowd of curious ponies seemed to have thinned out quite a bit, and there were only a few stragglers left.

"So... what happened to her wings?" Spike asked once the doors had closed, "that pony... what did Fluttershy call her? Rainbow Dash?"

"Ah don't know, but ah get the feeling whatever's in that forest has somethin' ta do with it," Big Mac replied before twisting around to give Spike a disapproving glare, "but don't go askin' her about 'em, ya hear?"

"Yeah, I got it," Spike replied, raising his claws defensively, "don't worry, I won't. She'd probably deck me in the face if I asked anyway."

Big Mac eyed him for a moment before snorting and shaking his head. He thanked the Mayor for the scroll and trotted out of Town Hall. He'd only encountered the Solar Guard once before, and it had been an experience he didn't particularly care to remember. If the scroll did indeed summon the Guard, then he'd do everything in his power to make sure none of them had to use it.

Big Mac had said nothing and made no visible reaction to the information regarding how the scroll worked, but he wanted nothing to do with anything related to the Queen's Solar Guard. If he was being honest, he'd rather face whatever monster was in that forest than watch those monsters at work.
> Here's to Freedom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hadn't yet recovered from the shock of seeing Pinkie in this light when a choked cough snapped me out of my stunned stupor. I focused my attention back on Sandpit as he gave a ragged gasp and glared up at the angry pink mare atop him, his teeth grit in pain and frustration.

"W-What the buck?" he gasped, "there... there wasn't supposed to be anypony... a-anypony on this—ngh... this road!"

Pinkie said nothing in response, merely narrowing her eyes and pressing her hoof deeper into his chest and making him grunt in pain. She turned and cast a glance towards the wagon, finally taking notice of me and the fact that I was still chained up in a cage. Her eyes briefly widened in surprise beneath her flowing pink curtain of a mane, but she quickly stifled the expression behind a mask of indifference.

"Maud!" she cried out suddenly as she returned a venomous gaze to Sandpit, "get that cage open!"

Maud?

I didn't have time to dwell on the name before hearing a cry that was suddenly cut off somewhere behind me. I turned and saw the grey earth pony mare moving away from a now unconscious—or at least I hoped that was the case—Ghost Pepper. Upon closer inspection, I could see that it was indeed Pinkie's older sister, though she was missing her trademark frock.

"What?! N-No!" came Sandpit's desperate, angry reply, "that purple nag is our ticket outta all this! If you think I'm just gonna—"

I winced at the sound of Pinkie's hoof slamming into the stallion's face and the muffled grunt that followed. I hadn't missed what Sandpit had said before that however, and my mind latched onto one thing.

"He... doesn't want to do this?" I muttered to myself in surprise, "he's... neither of them are doing this because they want to?"

I thought back on the conversation from earlier and how much harder life seemed to be since the Celestia of this timeline had taken the moniker of Queen Daybreaker. If the two slavers were to be believed, them being forced into this kind of life may not have been such a far-fetched idea, but still...

No, that doesn't absolve them of the crime of selling a pony's life away. They chose to do this when there were no doubt, several other paths they could've chosen. I'm sure there were...

"Just shut up for a minute!" Pinkie growled in the stallion's face before turning back to the wagon, "Maud, the cage?"

"I've got it, Pinkie."

A deafening screech of metal from directly behind me made me shriek and slam myself against the opposite side of the cage. I watched in both shock and fascination as Maud pried to the bars of my cage further and further apart with her hooves, to the point that I thought they'd snap right off.

It took me a moment, but I regained my composure and began thinking of a way to help make the process easier. My eyes fell on the padded lock on the door of the cage, and I frowned thoughtfully.

If she's strong enough to bend such high quality metal with only her bare hooves...

"I appreciate the help, really... but, um..." I pointed to the padded lock, "wouldn't it be easier just to break the lock on the door?"

Maud paused in her work and stared at me impassively for a moment. I smiled and shrugged awkwardly in response, and her gaze slowly moved from me, to the lock in question. Without a word, she let go of the bars and smashed a hoof into the lock, causing it to dent, but not to break. She hit it again with a bit more force and the lock popped off, falling to the ground below in two pieces.

The force of the blow caused the door to creak open, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief at almost having been freed. That relief was short lived when I thought about just how the mare was going to get both my chains and the horn ring off. As she stepped into the cage and reached for my chains, I held up my hooves.

"Wait," I said before raising a hoof as high as I could and gesturing towards my horn, "if you can get this horn ring off, I can do the rest, though I don't know how it works exactly, so you might have to—"

"It won't be a problem," Maud interjected in a dull tone as she reached for the ring, "I can handle something like this."

I reflexively clenched my eyes shut as she pressed a hoof on the ring. When nothing happened I peeked an eye open curiously before snapping them both open as I felt her hoof twist sharply. With a surprisingly loud snap, the ring fell to pieces on the floor of the cage.

I gasped in shock as the mana came rushing back into my horn like a river bursting through a dam. My horn sparked and flashed with pent up magic, and, thinking quickly, I cast the first spell I could think of. With a thought, I increased the size of the shackles and wing clamps binding me.

Because of the excess magic however, they grew a bit larger than I had intended and Maud was forced to scramble back out of the cage as the chained shackles took up most of the space. 

Embarrassed by my blunder, I apologized as I stepped out of the enlarged shackles—the wing clamps having already fallen off with loud, metallic clangs. Wasting no time, I quickly stepped out of the cage and stretched my wings, wincing slightly as they cramped up from being bound so tightly. 

"Thanks for that," I replied gratefully, "now I can... wait," I looked around in concern, "where's the other cage? Where's Starlight?" I hopped off the side of the wagon and moved around to the back, spotting Starlight's cage further back along the trail, "Starlight! Oh sweet Celestia please tell me she's okay..."

I nodded my thanks to Maud once more before lighting up my horn and disappearing in a magenta flash. I reappeared an instant later next to Starlight's cage, and looked her over worriedly. I breathed an audible sigh of relief a moment later when I saw that she was still breathing and that there were no additional injuries aside from the ones she'd sustained at the hooves of the two slavers.

"Thank Celestia," I muttered, "she's still alive and... wait..."

I paused and my ears twitched slightly as I heard a soft groan coming from the mare. My eyes widened along with my smile as Starlight began to stir.

"Starlight!" I cried, leaning against the cage, "Starlight, can you hear me?"

Her only response was to groan again and wince as she tried to shift her position. I frowned and looked her over, gauging her condition. She was trying to regain consciousness, but couldn't quite seem to manage it, and her hooves were still bound, most likely making movement difficult and painful given her injuries.

Then I noticed the horn ring, and my frown deepened.

With Starlight's magic blocked like that, it could be interfering with her mental recovery. I should probably take care of that before moving her out of the cage...

"Do you need some help?"

I turned to see that Maud had made her way over to where I was and was watching me with that same impassive expression from before. I blinked and looked from her to Pinkie in the distance. The pink mare was leaning in close to the stallion and it looked as though she was saying something, though she was speaking so quietly I couldn't hear her.

If the stallion's terrified expression was anything to go by, whatever Pinkie was saying must not have been pleasant to hear. I grimaced and looked away, returning my attention to Maud.

"No, I think I've got it from here," I finally replied with an appreciative, if somewhat strained smile, "just... give me a minute."

Maud simply nodded and turned away, trotting toward her sister and Sandpit. I watched her go for a moment before focusing my magic into a spell and aiming it at the lock on Starlight's cage. The padded lock clicked open and I pulled it away before telekinetically swinging the door open and stepping inside.

My first thought was to simply teleport Starlight out of the cage, but that would've been dangerous with the horn ring still attached. It could've interfered with the spell and caused a nasty reaction, such as her horn being separated from the rest of her.

I shuddered at the thought as I examined the ring on Starlight's horn. I reached out and touched it with my magic, only for it to slip off the ring. I hummed aloud and reached out with a hoof instead, feeling around for some sort of mechanism to unlock it.

"How did Maud do it?" I muttered, "maybe if I just..."

I pulled upward and, to my surprise, the horn ring came right off with very little effort on my part. I sat there for a moment staring at the inert ring in my hoof with a puzzled expression, but was soon distracted by another groan from Starlight. I quickly cast the ring aside in favor of checking on Starlight's well-being.

The mare's horn lit up with a cyan glow briefly before flickering out, after which Starlight jolted suddenly with a sharp gasp. The aura continued to flicker and spark for another few moments, the mare groaning and whimpering in pain. It was clear the build up of mana was affecting her differently than it did me.

I had more mana by far, but as an alicorn, my body could handle a large amount of mana build up. Starlight, who was a powerful unicorn in her own right, seemed to have more mana than her body could regulate at that moment. 

It wasn't a problem normally, but the horn rings that were used to bind our magic didn't allow mana to flow properly, a careless mistake which quashed what little sympathy I had for the two slavers. In this case I had little choice but to siphon off what I could, as Starlight was in no shape to cast any spells herself.

"Starlight?" I repeated, stepping back a bit as her horn sparked weakly, "sorry, but this is gonna sting a bit..."

With that, my own horn blazed to life, and I took a deep breath before adding another layer of magic to my horn, this one the cyan color of Starlight's magic. Like a magnet, Starlight's mana was drawn into my own horn, the transfer causing the pale pink mare to wince and twitch in discomfort.

This spell was something I learned a long time ago, and I hated the fact that I had to use it. It wasn't something Celestia had ever taught me, and I'd never had to, nor had I ever wanted to use it, at least until now. Still, I had learned it specifically for this very purpose.

It was this very same mana siphoning spell that Celestia herself had used to rid me of the excess mana I had released as a foal during that fateful exam. Celestia didn't even know I knew about it, and I never told her I'd learned it on my own just in case something like this happened again.

Watching Starlight now, writhing around in discomfort like this, I knew now why Celestia had given me that apologetic smile after all was said done, I knew why she never told me, and I also remember feeling the same way back then, though I hadn't found out why until much later. 

I didn't fault her for it—it had to be done or something much worse would've happened, but that didn't mean I didn't feel horrible subjecting Starlight to the spell. I continued to reflect on these thoughts for another moment or two until I noticed Starlight's expression begin to settle into something more peaceful, after which I cut off the spell. 

I used the additional mana I'd drained to rapidly rust and break the shackles around Starlight's legs. That done, I used my own magic to lessen the pain from her wounds, thanking Celestia that the most she suffered were some nasty bruises. I could heal a few of her lesser injuries, but without the aid of the magical devices used in hospitals and the like, that was the most I could do for the moment.

There is another way to heal all of her wounds...

I frowned at the traitorous thought, casting it aside as Starlight finally opened her eyes. I smiled as she turned to me, and went to ask again how she was, but her ragged scream of terror cut me off. Startled, I scrambled back just as she did, though she had pushed herself back against the bars, her wide, horrified eyes locked on mine.

"Starlight! Starlight!" I cried, trying to make myself heard over her shrieking, "it's okay! It's me, the Twilight from your timeline! I'm not her! You're safe now!"

Her eyes were wild and panicked, darting this way and that as she scanned her surroundings—no doubt looking for a way out of this situation, but she'd stopped screaming at least. She breathed hard as she turned her fearful gaze back to me, and to my relief, she seemed to actually stop and take in my appearance.

I gave her the most reassuring smile I could, though her reaction had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. 

"It's okay now," I said in what I hoped was a calming tone, "she's... the other Twilight isn't here. We're not in that horrible place anymore, Starlight," my smile dropped slightly, "we're... somewhere else now."

Starlight eyed me for several seconds without saying anything, her expression not changing from fear and panic, to fear and confusion as she once more took in her surroundings. After another moment she visibly shuddered, swallowed, and turned back to me before finally speaking.

"W-What happened?" she croaked, "where... w-where are we, Twilight Sparkle? Why am I in a cage?" as she spoke, her composure began to return, though her fear was quickly giving way to anger as she sat upright, "what did you... what did that... that... thing do to me?!" she ground her teeth and shook her head once before stomping a hoof, "what in Celestia's name is going on here?!"

I couldn't bring myself to meet her glare, and looked away as I replied.

"It's... complicated, Starlight," I nearly whispered, "I don't really know exactly what happened—I'm still trying to sort things out myself, both about what happened before and what's happening now," I turned back to look her in the eye, "but I promise I'll try to explain what I can in a moment. Right now we need to..."

I looked over to where the wagon was, and noticed, with a start, that both Pinkie and Maud were watching the two of us from a distance. I couldn't read either mare's face from where I was, but further behind, I could see that Sandpit was no longer moving and my heart skipped a beat.

Oh, Pinkie... please don't tell me you—

"I need to know what's going on, right now, Twilight Sparkle," came Starlight's strained voice. I returned my attention to her and saw that she had followed my gaze, a hard frown on her face as she stared back at the other two mares, "what happened and where are we now?"

I opened my mouth, shut it, and looked back over to the other two before hanging my head and letting out a tired sigh.

"I used Starswirl's time spell to get us back home, but..." I grimaced, "...something went wrong and we wound up here," I replied dully, "I don't know what happened directly after that, but when I woke up, we were both in cages, captured by slavers."

At that, Starlight whipped around to face me, her eyes wide with shock. I continued speaking as she sat there in a stunned silence.

"They were going to sell us off, but they—" I nodded towards Pinkie and Maud, "—ambushed the slavers and freed me. I just freed you, and that's more or less all I know regarding our current situation. I don't know what happened to Spike or the other Twilight, and as for where we are..."

I turned my gaze skyward, squinting in the merciless sunlight, then cast a furtive glance towards Pinkie Pie, who was watching me with narrowed eyes and a suspicious frown. I let out another long sigh before returning my gaze to Starlight.

"We made it out of that horrible wasteland... but we didn't quite make it home."
> Here's to a Brand New Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash, Big Mac, Spike, and Fluttershy stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest, each eyeing the thick treeline with various expressions. There was a mix of fear, determination, apprehension for what they might find within, and though Fluttershy in particular wanted nothing to do with the situation, they were all set on unraveling the mystery.

That said, none of them were expecting the unnerving chill that seemed to emanate from the very trees themselves. It wafted out and around them like a cold shroud, sending shivers down each of their spines, despite the relentless sun beating down on them all.

"M-Maybe this isn't a good idea after all," Fluttershy squeaked, taking a few steps back, "I'm... I'm not the only o-one that can feel that, am I?"

"Oh, I feel it alright," Rainbow Dash muttered, her face set in a scowl and her eyes hard as she stared at the forest defiantly, "I feel it, but I'm not backing out, not now."

Fluttershy whimpered and turned to Big Mac for help, only to find that the stallion had already started moving forward, Spike sitting on his back and giving her an apologetic shrug.

"I'm scared too, Fluttershy, but I need to know what's in there," he said before pounding a confident fist to his chest, "don't worry, if it comes down to it, Rainbow Dash, Big Mac and I will protect you," he turned to the cyan pegasus, "isn't that right?"

"I don't know what you think you're gonna do, shrimp," Rainbow scoffed as she followed after the large stallion, "but there's no way I'm gonna let Fluttershy get hurt on my watch."

Spike opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it and shut it again. Remembering Big Mac's words, he decided, perhaps wisely, not to point out the shortcomings that would've made it difficult for Rainbow to fulfill that promise. Instead he shook his head and turned back to Fluttershy with a reassuring smile.

"It'll be okay, you'll see," he assured before patting the small satchel he had slung across his chest, "besides, the Mayor gave us that scroll, and we can use that if things get really bad."

Fluttershy watched Rainbow Dash and Big Mac as they trotted into the forest, her worried frown deepening. Deciding there was nothing for it, she adjusted her wings, steeled her nerves as best she could given the circumstances, and followed the rest into the Everfree.

















It was so cold.

Twilight racked her brain trying to remember what had happened before her consciousness had returned, but the chill in the air was making it difficult to concentrate. 

There had been pain, and a lot of it, that much she knew, but she felt as though things were beginning to settle. Images of darkness and desolation flitted across her mind—the memory of an endless, gnawing hunger and the ones she'd used to sate that hunger slowly began to creep upon her.

She didn't know if the cold was beginning to wane, or if she was just getting used to it, but she suddenly found it much easier to gather her thoughts. The other Princesses, those endless, empty dark wastes, her horrible trek through Tartarus, the desperate decision she'd made in order to keep her sanity intact to at least some degree.

It was all beginning to come back to her, and as she mentally cataloged her thoughts, she gradually became aware of the Voices. She could hear them within her, nearly drowning out her own thoughts, both the Voices of the living and the dead. They seemed almost infinite, whispering and screaming, and moaning their grudges and bitter regret.

One of those Voices in particular rang out louder than the rest, by a wide margin. It pounded incessantly in the back of her mind, screaming of vengeance and justice. To her confusion, Twilight found she recognized the Voice, yet at the same time it felt completely different, like an old friend who'd changed drastically in the years since she'd last seen them, and the target of that overwhelming rage...

Twilight finally snapped her eyes open, blinked a few times, and frowned.

She was curled up on her side, one quick look around showing that she was in a large crater, seemingly of her own making. Though the majority of her memories had returned, she still had no idea how she'd come to be in the crater or where she was in general. Slowly, and with some difficulty, she began to rise to her hooves, and with the added height, she could finally see just where she'd ended up, or so she thought.

Just outside the crater, and much to Twilight's confusion, there was a solid wall of ice that rose several meters high and surrounded her on all sides. She could make out nothing through the heavily distorted images the ice wall created. Twilight looked around with slight bemusement before raising a hoof and inspecting it.

Gone was the blinding glow of her light form, gone were the wisps of light, gone was the insatiable hunger, and in their place she could see what looked like pure starlight in the form of a hoof. It was around this time that she noticed that, while she wasn't nearly as tall as she'd been in that monstrous form, she was still a great deal taller than her normal lavender alicorn self, her legs much longer.

Curious... I wonder...

She turned to see the rest of her body, and found that her entire form looked as though it was cut right out of the night sky. Her mane and tail were no different, and for a moment, the mare wondered if she'd taken on the form of the Tantabus, but dismissed the thought.

There were several key differences in that, this form was far more solid in shape, and the stars and galaxies blinking, swirling and sparkling within her were far more pronounced. There was also something vaguely familiar about her form, but Twilight couldn't quite put her hoof on what it was.

"Interesting... I wonder what this could mean..."

Unlike the warbling, echoing voice emitted from her previous form, this one was soft, ethereal, and also somewhat familiar. There was still much to discover about herself and her new form, but Twilight figured that could wait until she at least knew where she was.

Satisfied for the moment, she turned her attention back to the ice around her and, with a thought, shattered it, sending shards and chunks of ice falling around her. With that done, she snapped out of existence for a brief instant before reappearing just outside of the crater. She scanned her surroundings, and saw that she was in some kind of forest, the amount of trees around her thick enough to blot out the sun.

Twilight turned to look behind her, and through a break in the foliage she could just make out the top of a familiar ruined castle in the distance. That was when it all clicked in Twilight's mind, and she almost had a mind to chuckle in amusement... almost. Instead, she gave a slow, understanding nod to nopony in particular and returned her focus to the trees before her.

It looks like the other me managed to get us all back to some kind of timeline, but somehow I doubt it was the one she intended if the Voices I hear are anything to go by. That being the case though, where is she and the other two? Why am I alone in the Everfree?

She closed her eyes and focused on the Voices, but they were of little help, and she opened them once again. The loud, familiar yet alien Voice in particular had nothing to offer but endless fury and promises of retribution. It was then that she began to feel something similar to what she'd felt when her other self first arrived in her own desolate world.

It seems I'm not alone after all. I can feel it... there's other ponies out there somewhere in the forest, maybe my other self and the rest? she narrowed her eyes, concentrating on that feeling, no... one of them holds a terrible grudge, but it's not Starlight Glimmer, and the other three...

Her mind made up, she moved forward to meet the group she could sense further away. As she trotted ahead, her starry form shrank and morphed back into her once natural lavender coat, minus her cutie mark and amethyst irides. One new addition she noted with some interest, was the frosty breath she exhaled every so often.

A new timeline brings with it a new body and new abilities it seems... interesting, but how and why did this happen? What was the trigger? What are the rules? All that time to think and I still haven't figured it out yet...

















"Hey guys?" Spike began, eyeing every branch, bush, and stone with an acute wariness, "is it just me, or has it gotten a lot warmer?"

"Yeah, that weird chill is gone," Rainbow observed, her eyes flicking from one tree to another as though expecting something to jump out at them at any moment, "I don't know what that means, but we should be careful anyway," she turned to the shivering yellow mare at the front of the group, her features softening slightly, "how you holding up there, Fluttershy?"

"F-Fine, I'm... I'm fine," she replied a little too quickly for Rainbow to believe it. Fluttershy went silent for a moment before raising her head and looking around, her worried grimace turning into a troubled frown, "s-something isn't right though."

"I'll say," Spike agreed, "it might not be cold anymore, but this place still gives me the creeps. It looked creepy from a distance, but now that I'm here..." he gave a little shiver, "...yeesh."

"No, t-that's not what I mean," Fluttershy replied, shaking her head, "it's too quiet. I don't hear any of the critters that live here, big or small. It's like they all just... vanished."

"Ya think somethin' scared 'em off?" Big Mac guessed, "maybe whatever's hidin' deeper in the forest?"

"Maybe," Fluttershy replied, biting her lip and continuing to look around uncertainly, "oh, I hope they're all right. I'd hate for anything to happen to—"

Fluttershy's lamentations were suddenly cut off by Rainbow Dash, who shushed her and the others.

"You guys hear that?" she whispered, "I think there's something out there."

The others stopped in their tracks, their ears swiveling around and trying to catch any kind of noise. In Spike's case, he stood atop Big Mac's back, looking around in confusion for a moment before returning his gaze to Rainbow Dash.

"I don't hear anything," he whispered back, "what are we listening for?"

"Ah hear it," Big Mac muttered, "there's somethin' in the underbrush, maybe a few yards away. Maybe a forest critter... maybe not."

Each of them froze as the ominous chill descended upon them again, albeit somewhat muted compared to before. They could all hear it now, the rustling of bushes being pushed aside and the soft crunch of dirt being trodden on. They all turned towards the sound, unsure of what to do.

All of them had their own expectations as to what they'd meet when they finally came across whatever had made that noise in the forest. Rainbow Dash, who'd caught only a glimpse of the thing before it smashed her out of the sky all those years ago, had been expecting some kind of twisted glowing monstrosity with writhing tentacles.

Fluttershy, who hadn't seen the thing at all, but had heard a vague description from Rainbow Dash, was expecting something similar, albeit most likely much bigger. Big Mac and Spike had no idea what to expect, but they were prepared for something horrible all the same.

"Get ready, guys," Rainbow muttered, her eyes locked on the underbrush and her body tensing up for a fight. She grit her teeth and stomped a hoof into the ground in a futile attempt to stop the shaking. Her wings began to ache with a familiar pain, "it's almost here, no turning back now."

She couldn't and wouldn't admit it out loud, but Rainbow Dash was scared. Thankfully her growing anger cancelled it out, and she was able to stand her ground, despite the shaking in her limbs. Fluttershy merely whimpered as she spotted movement in the bushes. Whatever was making its way toward them, it didn't appear to be some big, hulking monster like she'd expected, though that did little to calm her fraying nerves.

Spike, who'd hopped off of Big Mac's back, swallowed nervously, one claw resting on the satchel and the other clenched into a tight fist at his side. Big Mac merely frowned and took a step forward, putting himself in-between the other three and whatever was in the bushes. It was all too clear now that the horribly cold presence belong to whatever this thing was, and it didn't make the coming confrontation any easier to stomach for the group.  

Then, all at once, the rustling stopped just short of the entity revealing itself.

Nopony or dragon dared to move or make a sound for several seconds. The air grew tense, the sudden silence pressing down on each of them like a physical weight. It dragged on to the point where Rainbow was ready to simply charge in, if only to put an end to the unbearable pressure. Just when the cyan mare thought she couldn't take anymore, a feminine voice droned out of the underbrush, surprising all of them.

"I'm not here to harm anypony, so please, calm down all of you," the voice spoke in a clear but oddly lifeless tone, "I only want to talk, nothing more."

There were several reactions from the group of ponies and the dragon, ranging from shocked, to confused, to wary. Rainbow Dash in particular was having none of what this voice was saying.

"You only wanna talk, huh?" she scoffed, glaring daggers at whatever was still hidden from view. She stomped forward, emboldened by the fact that this creature wasn't attacking, "if you wanna talk so bad, why not show your face? Got something to hide?"

There was no immediate response, and Rainbow went to say more, but a shaking hoof on her shoulder made her turn around instead. Looking back at her was Fluttershy, her frame trembling, but a hint of both pleading and hope in her eyes.

"Please, Rainbow, don't antagonize her," she begged quietly, "if she just wants to talk, I... I think we should at least hear her out, whoever... or w-whatever she is," she looked back at the bushes, "it's better than starting a fight, don't you think?"

Rainbow Dash wanted to argue, but the pleading look on Fluttershy's face stopped her cold. She grimaced and looked to Big Mac and Spike for help. The drakeling was standing stock still, his eyes strangely unfocused as he continued to stare in the direction the voice had come from. Big Mac returned her look with a thoughtful frown, and shook his head a moment later.

"Ah'm sorry, Miss Dash, but ah'm gonna have to agree with Miss Fluttershy on this one," he finally replied, his shoulders relaxing a bit, "ah'd rather avoid a scuffle if ah can help it," he nodded towards the voice, "if they wanna talk, ah'm willin' ta listen."

"Wha—oh come on!" Rainbow snapped, jabbing a hoof towards the underbrush, "am I the only one with any kind of common sense around here?! For all we know, this thing could be lying! It could just be waiting for us to let our guard down before... doing... something! I know you can all feel that creepy chill in the air, and I'm pretty sure it's coming from this thing!"

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but that's something I can't help. It's simply a part of who and what I am now," explained the voice flatly, "rest assured, though, I truly mean you all no harm. The reason I have yet to move from this spot is because you all may find... issue with my appearance. I'd like to have your word that you won't panic if I come out into the open."

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow cried, her frustration mounting at the unexpected turn of events, "look, I don't know what game you're trying to play here, but I'm not making any kind of agreement until I see your face. Show us what you look like, and we'll see what happens from there."

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy began, only to stop and sigh in resignation when she saw the determined look on her friends face. She wasn't going to budge and Fluttershy knew it, "oh, Rainbow..."

There was another long silence as the voice seemed to mull over Rainbow's words. After what felt like an eternity, she finally replied, her strange, flat tone taking on a softer edge.

"...Fair enough."

With that, the creature the voice belonged to slowly emerged from the underbrush. It wasn't some horrible glowing beast with countless tentacles like Rainbow or Fluttershy thought, and it wasn't at all what Big Mac was expecting either. What had stepped out of the bushes was a pony—a lavender alicorn to be specific.

Rainbow Dash had seen only two alicorns in her life, the Princess-turned-Queen, and Nightmare Moon. Compared to the appearance of Queen Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, this alicorn was relatively normal looking and not all that intimidating, but that was only at a first glance.

When it came to the unsettling factor, this mare took the cake by a long shot. Aside from her blank white eyes and lack of a cutie mark, she was rather unremarkable looking as far as an alicorn went—her mane wasn't even flowing like Daybreakers or Nightmare Moon's, but none of that mattered. There was something about the mare that put Rainbow on edge, something that made it feel like there was a claw at her throat, just waiting to rip it out. 

Her eyes seemed to pierce right through her, and she felt like the mare was summing up her entire existence in one quick glance. Her unreadable expression and the visibly icy breath she exhaled didn't help matters, and Rainbow could see that everypony else was just as unnerved as she was. Before she had any time to give any sort of response to her appearance, the alicorn mare spoke, her blank eyes moving from one pony to another before resting on an open mouthed, wide eyed Spike.


"You all can call me whatever you'd like I guess, it doesn't really matter to me anymore. That said, and I realize I'm being presumptuous given most of us have only just met, but I would like to ask a favor of you... if you're willing to help."
> Here's to a Lasting Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evidently Pinkie had had enough of waiting around for me and Starlight to catch up, because her suspicious scowl deepened and she began trotting over to where we were. Maud followed closely behind her sister, her expression as impassive as ever. 

Leaving Starlight to process her current predicament for the moment, I turned to fully face the approaching Pie sisters. I didn't quite know what I wanted to say to them, and Pinkie's unnervingly grim frown was making me more nervous by the second. Eventually I just decided to give voice to my most immediate concern.

I forced a smile on my face and reminded myself that this wasn't the Pinkie I knew. In all honesty I found it wasn't really that hard to do, given how different this one seemed.

"Thanks for saving us from those stallions," I called out, "I'm not sure what we would've done if the two of you hadn't shown up when you did... but... um..." my smile faltered and fell as my eyes flicked towards the unmoving stallion, "that stallion—Sandpit I think his name was... d-did you—"

"He's still alive if that's what you're wondering, I just knocked him out," came Pinkie's sudden curt reply as she stopped in front of me. She looked me up and down before narrowing her eyes, "but what you would care if he wasn't? He and his lackey tried to sell you into slavery."

Oh thank Celestia...

"I know, I realize that," I replied, breathing a quiet sigh of relief, "I'd just... rather not have anypony die is all. Not if I can help it," I suppressed a shiver at the resulting sneer Pinkie gave me and gave her a stern frown in response, "they don't deserve that much. I've talked with them and I don't think they're bad stallions, I just think they made some bad decisions during a desperate time in their lives."

Pinkie's brow furrowed and her mouth fell slightly open in silent disbelief.

"...What?"

My frown wavered and doubt began to seep into my expression at the low dangerous tone in Pinkie's voice. As Pinkie took a sudden threatening step forward my frown vanished completely, replaced by fear and shock. Her cold blue eyes bore into mine and I took a startled step back as she advanced.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" the pink mare nearly whispered, "of course somepony like you doesn't know. 'Oh, they just made a bad decision'," she snorted in contempt, "let me tell you something, princess..."

She jerked her head in the direction of the unconscious stallion behind her.

"...those stallions are bad. I don't care what they told you, and frankly you're an idiot for believing anything they say in the first place," she gave Sandpit a scathing glare for a few seconds before turning back to me, "I don't know what life is like wherever you came from, but I can tell you what life is like for a slavepony."

I swallowed nervously, not liking at all where the conversation was headed. I cast a quick glance behind me to see that Starlight was watching us silently. To my slight surprise she looked just as troubled as I felt, but it appeared she didn't have anything to say on the matter just yet.

"There is no actual slavery in Equestria, only slavers and pony traffickers," Pinkie continued, "they capture ponies from all over the country and sell them off to clients for a huge profit; those clients take them out of Equestria and they're never seen again," she leaned in close and smiled a horrible smile that lacked any sort of mirth, "...but I know what happens after that. Do you wanna know what happens to ponies who get sold into slavery, princess? Do you wanna know what Maud and I really saved you from?"

"Pinkie."

Pinkie frowned and turned to Maud, who in turn shook her head and stepped forward. The pink mare looked like she wanted to argue something, but relented instead and settled for a silent glare in my direction before stepping back to let her sister talk.

"My name is Maudileena Daisy Pie and this is my younger sister, Pinkamena Diane Pie. You can call us Maud and Pinkie if it's easier," Maud began tonelessly. She nodded to her sister and turned back to me, "I apologize for Pinkie's behavior, but both she and I feel very strongly on this matter," her gaze slid over to the overturned wagon and the empty cages, "this is a very personal situation for both of us."

"Maud, we don't have to tell them anything," Pinkie interjected. She stepped up next to Maud and frowned at me before addressing her sister again, "I got what we needed out of that stallion, so let's just go. We're wasting time as it is." 

Maud eyed Pinkie passively for a moment, then looked back to me, then to the stallions they'd attacked. For a minute I thought she'd say something against it, but she returning her half-lidded gaze to Pinkie and gave a single slow nod.

"W-Wait!" I cried, taking a step forward as the two of them turned to leave. They both stopped and looked at me; Maud with a dull frown and Pinkie with an irritated grimace. I winced and retreated back to where I'd stood before, "I don't really know what's going on, and you don't have to tell me what you're going through, but just... tell me one thing before you go."

"Ugh... fine," Pinkie groaned in annoyance, "but no promises."

"The trafficking," I began hesitantly, "how... just how long has this been going on? Why hasn't Cel... why hasn't the Queen done anything about it? Does she even know?"

"We don't know exactly how long pony trafficking has been around," Maud replied, "but we do know it's been going on since at least before the Princess became Queen Daybreaker. The Queen already knew about it, but hadn't really made any progress in stamping it out until recently."

"Not like it's done a lot of good yet," Pinkie snorted, "most pony traffickers are smart enough to stay far out of the Queen's reach," she glanced back at Sandpit with a vindictive smirk, "...most of them."

Too lost in my own thoughts, I failed to respond and simply stood there in stunned silence. Back in the Equestria I'd come from, trafficking and slavery had long since been a thing of the distant past, but somehow it had managed to survive here.

But why? What makes this Equestria so different? What changed? How was this allowed to happen under Celestia's rule?

I couldn't fathom how it was possible, but I had to remind myself yet again that this wasn't my Equestria and that this Celestia wasn't my Celestia. The only consolation I could take from this news was that Daybreaker was apparently taking measures to quell the problem.

Maybe Daybreaker isn't as bad as I thought?

I still had my doubts, but if she was trying to rid Equestria of something so horrible, then she couldn't be all bad. Right then and there I resolved to try and speak with Daybreaker if I ever got the chance; before that possible conversation could happen though, I needed to find Spike and the other Twilight.

And I guess getting back home to my own timeline is more important...

I knew finding the others and getting home were top priorities, but the problems I'd stumbled upon here in this Equestria were quickly piling up and beginning to get to me. I found myself wanting to help Sandpit and Ghost Pepper turn their lives around, I wanted to help Pinkie regain her bright smile, I wanted to help do something about the trafficking, I wanted to talk to Daybreaker.

I was starting to want so many things beyond just finding the others and going home.  

"Well we told you what we know, so we're leaving," came Pinkie's voice from much further away than it had been a moment ago. I looked up from where I was staring at my hooves to see the two earth ponies had already trotted a good distance away. Pinkie gave one last look back and gave that same unpleasant smirk from before, "try not to get captured again, princess!"

Watching the two mares go, I had a sudden, almost overpowering desire to follow after them. I wanted to know where they were headed, what they were planning to do. In the end, I just stood there biting my lip with worry and staring after them as they disappeared down the path. 

It wasn't long before I heard hoofsteps from behind me, and a moment later, Starlight quietly appeared beside me. We both stood there in silence for a few seconds before Starlight finally spoke up, her voice oddly quiet.

"I thought you were gonna charge after them," she began, turning to me with a small frown, "yelling to take you with them. Thought you were gonna spout some nonsense about Friendship and working together to solve your problems," she jerked her head towards the road, "the pink one was your friend, right?"

"No, Starlight," I replied with a heavy, melancholic sigh, "she may have been Pinkie, but she wasn't my friend, and as much as I want to help them, none of what they're going through is my business," I fully turned to face Starlight, my expression as grim and determined as I could make it, "we need to find out what happened to the others so we can get back to our own timeline."

"Wow, that's... surprisingly pragmatic of you," Starlight commented with an impressed raise of her brow. Her brow furrowed a second later as what I said sank in, "wait... what do you mean... others. I know that little purple dragon was with you..."

Her eyes slowly widened in horrified realization and she took a step back from me.

"You said you didn't know what happened to that... that thing that looked like you," she muttered, staring at me with terror in her eyes, "d-don't tell me you actually took her with us when you cast the spell?"

I winced and looked away.

"I'm sorry, Starlight... I know what she did to you was horrible," I began, giving the other mare a pleading look, "but I don't think she's bad. She's just... been through a lot, and it changed her."

"No," Starlight replied, slowly shaking her head as she took yet another step back. She visibly shivered and her voice grew shaky with fear, "nononono... I don't know what in Tartarus you were thinking, Twilight Sparkle, but I'm not going near that thing... not again."

"Starlight, please!" I practically begged, "she did the same thing to me!"

That gave Starlight some pause, though she still looked as though she wanted to flee. Seeing that, I pressed on before she could say anything else or make any sudden moves.

"After you went catatonic, she approached me," I explained in a somewhat more measured tone, "she said something about me holding the answers to the depths of your sins and... and then she did something. I didn't see it, but I assume it was the same thing that happened to you."

"And you still want to take her with you back to our timeline?!" Starlight nearly shrieked, "that thing must've scrambled your brains worse than it did mine," she shook her head once and stomped a hoof into the dirt, "I'm going to have nightmares about that freak!"

"She's not a freak!" I shouted back, unable to help myself. I took a second to calm down and continued in a softer tone, "I... when she probed my mind... when she looked into my memories, I kind of... saw hers," I looked Starlight in the eye, "that was the Twilight Sparkle of that timeline, and while I don't exactly know how she became what she is now, I know she's suffered far worse than any creature should ever have to."

"You're insane!" Starlight snapped back, "I don't care if it used to be Celestia herself! Whatever it might've been, Its nothing but a monster now!"

Anger I hadn't even noticed was building up inside me suddenly bubbled to the surface. I stomped my own hoof and glared back at the pale pink mare with undisguised frustration.

"Her entire world was destroyed, Starlight!" I hissed through gritted teeth, "as far as I could tell, there was nopony left except for her and the other Princesses," the anger faded from my voice as I thought about the other Twilight's predicament, "...and they were all driven mad with despair and turned into monsters. The only one left was the other Twilight... she had to endure all of that alone, and in the end..."

An image of Pinkie Pie came unbidden to my mind, her struggling form desperately and futilely trying to breathe through a crushed throat. I shivered and tried to push the thoughts back to the deeper recesses of my memory, and found it harder to do so. Perhaps it was because I'd run into Pinkie herself, but I couldn't quite blot out that horrible memory, so I distracted myself by speaking to Starlight instead.

"I know you have every reason to be scared of the other me," I began, turning back to a contemplative looking Starlight, "I know you don't agree with me, but I couldn't just leave her there in that place. My friends and I, we can help her; we can give her a better life than what she had. I know we can."

"Ugh, more friendship?" Starlight groaned in irritation, though I noticed her heart didn't seem to be in it, "not everything can be magically resolved with kind words and holding hooves and... and singing songs," she took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh before looking me in the eye, "if... if what you're saying is true—a-and I'm not saying it is or that I care—but if it was, then she'd need more than just friendship to fix her. A lot more."

"I know that," I muttered, "I know it's going to take a massive effort to help her, but I still think my friends and I can do it," I matched her serious expression with my own determined frown, "friendship alone might not be enough, but its a good start. That said, I think I need all the help I can get if I want to help my other self," I held out a hoof to Starlight, a hopeful smile crossing my face, "so what do you say, Starlight... will you help me? Please?"

For a long uncomfortable moment, Starlight didn't move; she simply stood there staring at me with a slight frown. She looked from me, to the offered hoof and her frown deepened before she looked back to me again.

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" she asked, to which I answered with a quiet shake of my head. She nodded once and spoke again, "okay, so what would you do if I said no? I could travel back to our timeline on my own, you know. I don't owe you anything, Twilight—"

"That's not true, Starlight," I interjected, lowering my hoof back to the ground. I was both relieved at the out the other mare had given me and uncomfortable for taking advantage of it, "while I'm aware that it doesn't really help my case for the other Twilight, I did save you from being eaten by her, so yes, you do owe me for at least that much."

Starlight opened her mouth to argue the point, but that simple fact couldn't be argued against. I had put the lives of myself and Spike at risk to save Starlight's own life, and as much as she wanted to deny it, that was something that couldn't be ignored, not even by her. Her mouth hung slightly open, but no words came, and in that silence I took the opportunity to speak again.

"I want your help, Starlight, but more than that, I want us to be friends, I want us to see eye to eye," I tried, giving her the most reassuring smile I could, "I want to understand you and what you have against cutie marks, but before any of that can happen, we need to get back home. All of us... together."

The pale pink mare grit her teeth and glared at me, but I could see that her eyes were full of indecision. She stayed that way for a good few moments before startling me with a loud, wordless cry of frustration, after which she sank to her haunches and gave a tired groan of defeat and resignation.

"Starlight?" I asked, taking a tentative step towards the mare, "are you... okay?"

"I feel like an idiot," she finally muttered before giving me a sullen, bitter stare, "you want to know why I did all of this? Why I tried to create a society of ponies without cutie marks? Why I went through the trouble of traveling through time to get my revenge? Why I despise your friendship so much?"

I didn't reply.

We both knew she was going to tell me regardless, and I had no need or desire to ruin her moment by saying anything in response. Sure enough, she let out a humorless chuckle and shook her head before speaking again.

"It was because my best friend got his cutie mark and moved away when we were both still foals," she continued, "I was hurt, I was angry, I was bitter. I felt like he'd moved on, forgot about me and left me all alone. I never heard from him again, but looking back on it, that was as much my fault as it was his."

"You never tried to reach out to him, and he never got back in touch with you," I surmised, moving closer and sitting down next to the despondent mare, "I made the same mistake with some old friends of mine from Canterlot, and it tore me apart when I realized how much I'd neglected my old friendships in favor of the ones I'd made in Ponyville."

"And I bet you went rushing back to Canterlot to make it up to them, right?" Starlight asked with a roll of her eyes, "knowing you, you probably went to some ridiculous lengths to win back their friendship."

"Well, most of them forgave me pretty easily," I replied, my idle gaze on the path ahead as I thought back to Moondancer, "but there was one pony who I'd hurt far more than I realized. It took a lot of effort, but in the end, we managed to make up and become friends again."

"Figures," Starlight muttered, "must've been nice, getting your friend back. I don't even know where mine is right now," she sighed again and followed my gaze down the road, "everything I've done up until now, all of my ridiculous plans seem so stupid when I stop to really think about them.

"I isolated myself from others after Sunburst left, so there wasn't really anypony around to tell me how dumb my ambitions were. I didn't confide in anypony; I had nothing and nopony to put things into any kind of perspective other than my own... until now."

"What do you mean?" I asked, before my eyebrows raised in realization, "wait... are you talking about the other me?"

Starlight nodded.

"I don't... really have a reason not to believe you about what happened to that... to the other Twilight," she conceded, "and compared to what happened to her—what happened to that entire world, my problems and vengeance suddenly seem horribly shallow and foalish. 

"Not only that, but when she... did whatever she did to me, I saw my life flashing before my eyes. I remembered all of my plans, saw what I'd done to the ponies in that town, saw what I'd done to you and your friends, and relived what we'd gone through in the past."

"And... you felt bad?" I guessed, to which Starlight shook her head.

"I was angry," she replied, much to my dismay, "I still felt justified in what I was doing and what I'd already done. I was prepared to fight against you for a literal eternity if it meant you'd lose the friendships you'd made," she suddenly gave a visible shudder and her voice grew slightly shaky, "but... but then I heard the other Twilight's voice somewhere in all of the madness." 

"You did?" I asked, surprised, "when she got into my head, I didn't hear her say anything."

"Count yourself lucky then," Starlight replied with a grimace, "she spoke to me, told me things about myself and who I was—things I didn't even know. She read me like a book and what she said to me... it hurt," she winced, "eventually I couldn't take it anymore and... I don't know what happened next. The rest is a big blank."

"Oh, I'm... sorry to hear that," I said, unsure of what to say, "and... how do you feel now?"

"I don't know, Twilight," she answered with another heavy sigh, "I really don't know anymore. I realize how stupid I was being, but it doesn't make me feel any better about you, the other Twilight, or our current predicament. If anything I feel worse, and I still don't want to see her again."

We were both silent for a moment, each of us lost in our own thoughts. At the very least, Starlight had acknowledged her mistakes and that a was huge step in the right direction. Now I just had to convince her to come with me somehow, but I was running out of ideas.

"Hey," I tried, "can I ask you something?"

"Oh sweet Celestia, I think I feel a headache coming on," Starlight groaned, rubbing at her temples, "what is it now?"

"You said you could leave at any time, and I don't doubt that you could," I pointed out with a bemused frown, "but why didn't you? If you were that terrified of meeting the other Twilight again, why didn't you just cast the spell to take you back to our timeline?"

"I don't know, okay?!" she snapped before wincing and rubbing her temples again, "I just... I don't know."

I stared at her for another long moment, going over my options. She frowned when she turned and saw me looking at her.

"What?"

I decided to ask one more time.

"Starlight... come with me."

"Oh for the love of—are you serious?" she cried, her eyes rolling up to the sky in exasperation, "Twilight, I don't. Want. To see that freakish mare again!"

"She won't do anything to you," I promised, "I swear she won't. I'll make sure of it."

"And what can you do?" Starlight challenged, "you saw her for yourself; you saw how powerful she was. What could you possibly do if she decides to snack on me like a pack of hayfries?"

"I can talk her down," I answered simply. She scoffed at that, but I ignored it and continued on, "Starlight, she's not some mindless brute who can't be reasoned with. I already convinced her once to spare you, and she already agreed to do so. She won't hurt you, please just trust me on this—"

"FINE!"

I took a startled step back at the sudden outburst and Starlight jabbed a hoof in my direction. Her eyes were wide and angry; her voice was loud, and her words weren't exactly what I wanted to hear, but...

"I'll go with you, I'll help you find that monster," she spat, "but know this, Twilight Sparkle... I know you. I know that if something happens to me because of this, it'll eat you up from the inside out. If you still want to risk that, then by all means, let's go find our little lost lamb."

"I... I understand," I replied, somewhat shaken by her words but still resolute in my decision, "thank you, Starlight. You won't regret this, and neither will I. I know it."

"We'll see about that," she snorted, "now where do we go?"

Despite her less than stellar attitude, a small smile still found its way across my face. As I took one last look back towards the stallions who'd captured us I remembered everything I'd heard from Pinkie and Maud. My smile fell as I wondered where the two were headed and what they'd planned to do. I wondered if I'd see them again at some point.

If the others are where I think they are, it's highly unlikely.

I let out a quiet sigh and turned back to Starlight.

"If this trip into another timeline is like the others, then they'll probably be somewhere around Ponyville," I explained, "I'm not sure how long we've been here, and they might've moved on already, but that's really the only lead we have right now."

"They might not have even crossed over with us," Starlight pointed out, "we all should've ended up in the same place, but apparently we didn't so who's to say they weren't left behind or something?"

"They're here," I said with absolute certainty, "I know they made it. Once we reach Ponyville we can ask around, see if anypony has seen anything." 

"That's a great plan and all," Starlight replied before gesturing to all of me, "but do you really think it's a good idea to go around as an alicorn?"

"Ah," I answered, looking myself over, "you might have a point. Best not to stir up any more trouble while we're here..." 

I furrowed my brow in concentration and my horn flashed to life. An instant later my wings vanished, hidden beneath a static illusion that rendered me a simple unicorn to everypony else. Satisfied that the glamour would hold I turned back to Starlight with a wide smile.

"There, that should do it. Now let's get going, shall we?"
> Here's to Finding Oneself
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy wanted nothing more than to flee the scene, but both her worry for Rainbow Dash, and the words of the unnerving alicorn kept her frozen on the spot.  She was scared, that much was certain, but along with that came indecision, and looking to Big Mac had been no help, as he was just as indecisive on the matter.

While Big Mac was just as indecisive as Fluttershy, he was also rather distracted by the fact that his new dragon companion had been staring at the the alicorn thing with a hint of recognition. At first it was open mouthed shock like the rest of the group, but as the pony—whom Big Mac still wasn't entirely sure was a pony at all—spoke, the drakeling's expression began to change, and now he was looking at the creature as one might some sort of particularly difficult puzzle.

Rainbow Dash for her part, was eyeing the 'alicorn' with a look of absolute disbelief. She opened her mouth, closed it, then looked back at the others. None of them had anything to say, so she turned back to the unsettling pony standing silently before them. Rainbow would've laughed at how absurd the mare's story was, had it not been for a few factors that gave her some pause.

"So let me get this straight," Rainbow finally said, her tone incredulous, "you came here from a different timeline, meant to go back to another timeline, but somehow wound up here instead?"

"Correct," the alicorn replied tonelessly, "I don't quite remember the details, but I know this is not where we're supposed to be. Something went wrong and I believe I may have been the one at fault."

"Right," Rainbow replied slowly. She turned to the dragon standing on Big Mac's back. Spike was making all kinds of strange faces as he struggled with... something, and Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the drakeling, "and you said this dragon and two other ponies came with you—one of them being your alternate self—but you all got separated."

"Also true," the alicorn confirmed with a slight nod of her head, "I woke up here in the Everfree Forest, but when I came to, the others were nowhere to be found. I wouldn't mind a bit of help in finding them, but I'm fine with you simply escorting me to Ponyville."

"And that's where we have a problem," Rainbow Dash replied, turning back to the other 'mare', "even if I did believe a word of what you're saying—which I don't naturally—how do I know you wouldn't start slaughtering everypony in sight or something?"

"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy chimed in quietly, "I'm not sure that's—"

"And another thing," Rainbow pushed, ignoring Fluttershy and taking a challenging step towards the 'pony', "we all came here because there was an earthquake and a creepy scream in the Everfree, and what do we find?" she stabbed a hoof in the 'alicorn's' direction and sneered, "You."

"It seems my mind and body were in a volatile state upon re-entry into the timestream," the mare replied, unmoved by Rainbow's implied accusation, "I'm not sure what effect that would've had here, and I don't remember what happened immediately before I woke up, but I don't believe it would be a stretch to say that I was the one who caused the tremor and cried out like that."

"That's funny," Rainbow sneered angrily, "because there was this little incident thirteen years ago where some huge hideous monster appeared out of nowhere and made that exact same noise before killing dozens of pegasi in one fell swoop," she took another step forward and winced as she stretched her mutilated wings as far as they would go, "not to mention making me some pathetic cripple who can't even do the one thing she was best at!"

For a long tense moment, no one moved.

Rainbow stood there before the alicorn as if daring her to refute the implications. The eerie mare looked back at Rainbow silently, completely passive and expressionless in the face of Rainbow's ire. Fluttershy looked between the two, growing more horrified and afraid for her friend by the second.

Big Mac remained as calm as ever, though he watched the exchange with a careful eye. The stallion wasn't sure what would happen next, but there was a subtle tension in his frame that spoke of a readiness to act immediately if necessary. Spike's expression had gone back to shock as certain memories of a past encounter began to fill his mind.

"Well!?" Rainbow snapped suddenly. She herself had no idea if it was fear or rage that made her lash out, but her guess was a lot of both, "say something! You were the one who killed all those pegasi weren't you?"

"That... is a high possibility," the alicorn replied with a slow, almost thoughtful tone. She blinked once, raised a hoof and stared at it as she continued to speak, "due to various... circumstances, I am not a normal pony. I in fact don't believe that I'm a pony at all, not anymore—"

That was all Rainbow Dash needed to hear. 

With a strangled cry of raw emotion, she hurled herself at the mare—all the pain and hate that'd been building for years released all at once. She had no idea what she was going to do to the emotionless creature standing in front of her, but she knew it was going to be violent, visceral and satisfying. 

The cry was enough to snap Spike out of his reverie, but before he could react, he found himself flailing for purchase as Big Mac burst into action. With a speed that seemed unlikely for somepony of his bulk, the stallion charged forward and latched onto the furious cyan pegasus before she could get much farther than a few strides. His grip was like iron, yet somehow he managed to avoid putting too much strain on Rainbow's wings.

"Wha—lemme go!" Rainbow cried angrily, "get... offa me!"

"Nope," Big Mac grunted, "not until... ya calm down. Flyin'... off the... handle like that... ain't gonna help nopony."

The sudden movement had caught Spike off guard and he'd fallen clean off the stallion, bag and all. Fluttershy watched all of this with  an increasingly frantic look, completely unsure of what to do in this situation. She cast a glance at the bag Spike had dropped and a thought crossed her mind, but Rainbow's angry grunts and growls brought her attention back to the scene playing out before her.

Rainbow Dash was struggling in Big Mac's grip, her teeth gnashing and her wild, teary eyes fixed on the stoic alicorn mare. Fluttershy had never seen Rainbow Dash like this, not even right after the incident. Back then she just looked... hollow, like she'd been completely drained of life.

Like she was dead and her body just didn't know it.

She'd been that way for months, and Fluttershy had done everything she could to help, but no matter how hard she tried, she got no response. Then one day, Rainbow had just started speaking again; she was active in a way she hadn't been in ages. She'd become a lot surlier and bitter than she used to be, but Fluttershy was just happy the mare was on her hooves again.

She remained that way for years afterward, growing from a depressed filly to a bitter mare, and Fluttershy was with her every step of the way. For the longest time, Fluttershy had thought Rainbow had managed to sort out all of her issues somehow in her own way—Rainbow had said as much herself. As they both grew older however, she realized just how much Rainbow was still hurting, but by that point it was too late. Rainbow Dash had changed, and Fluttershy feared she'd never get the old brash, confident, positive Rainbow back.

Certainly Rainbow was still kind to the meeker pegasus, but there was still an emptiness in her tone a lot of the time, even on the rare occasions when she did smile. Looking at her now, Fluttershy could feel guilt and fear welling up inside, as well as anger in herself for not being able to do more for her crippled and sullen friend.

The butter yellow pegasus turned back to the object of Rainbow's ire, seeing nothing in the way of a reaction out of the creature; the eerie alicorn who'd denied she was even a pony to begin with. Fluttershy wasn't sure what manner of creature she may have been, but if it really was the one that'd caused that tragedy all those years ago then Rainbow was right.

They couldn't trust it, something had to be done and Rainbow Dash was too distraught to be of any help. Big Mac had managed to restrain the mare and had stopped her from doing anything reckless, but that might not have been enough. The creature looked passive enough, but what if that was a ruse, Fluttershy thought. What if it suddenly snapped and did something horrible like back then?

What if she attacked Rainbow and the rest of them? The shy mare furrowed her brows and frowned, desperately trying to will her frame to stop shaking. She'd followed Rainbow Dash into the Everfree to make sure she kept her promise to return alive and well, and when compared to the life of her friend, her own toxic fear was an insignificant thing.

Just looking at the creature, Fluttershy knew there was something terribly off about it, and if she or Rainbow Dash or even Big Mac tried anything, she was sure there'd be nasty consequences. No, there was nothing any of them could do, but maybe there was another solution...

She glanced back to the bag the baby dragon had dropped.

Spike, who'd been recovering from his fall off of Big Mac's back, scrambled back to his feet and shook his head free of the spots in his eyes. He'd landed face first on the hard ground and was only now regaining his senses. Along with that, he'd more or less pieced together a few things from before, and the fall had shaken a few more things loose.

Upon seeing her for the first time, he remembered meeting that strange, unsettling pony somewhere before, but couldn't place where. Then, as she described how she'd wound up in the Everfree, he began to remember where he'd met her. It had been in a dark and empty place, and he'd come there along with another mare that looked exactly like the alicorn thing. 

He knew that other mare, and he knew it wasn't just a passing acquaintance either. They'd been close—very close. He didn't know much about the other mare mentioned, but the fact that Spike couldn't remember the lavender mare's name was eating at him. He looked at the cyan mare, loudly protesting and spewing all kinds of obscenities at both the stoic alicorn and Big Mac himself.

Spike had the distinct feeling he knew that pegasus along with the yellow one as well, but the memory, if that indeed was what it was, was a vague, distant, hazy thing. Before he could think too much more on the matter, the lavender mare began to speak again, somehow able to make herself clearly heard over Rainbow's outburst without yelling.

"In order to travel to the timeline my other self inhabited, we had to travel to the past," the alicorn continued to explain, very much as if Rainbow hadn't lashed out at all. Her blank white eyes were focused on the snarling mare—more specifically, her wings—as she spoke, "I still know very little about what I am exactly, but it seems returning to the past had quite a few... unexpected consequences. Whatever tragedy I may have caused, please understand that I had no intention of harming anypony."

"Buck you!" Rainbow cried, "I lost everything because of you! My wings, my dream... my family..." she paused and sniffed, but the unshed tears in her eyes did nothing to soften her caustic glare and she continued to stare daggers at the alicorn, "I don't care what you intended to do. You ruined my life, you bucking monster."

There was a brief silence in which the two stared at each other. Rainbow continued to glare at the blank faced mare, and the alicorn in turn stared back, her flat expression unchanged in the slightest by Rainbow's words. The others watched with a sort of nervous anticipation, each of them holding their breath as they waited for something to happen.

"What happened to your family is unfortunate," the alicorn finally replied, her dull tone undiminished, "I may not be able to bring them back and I might not be able to give you back your dream, but at the very least, I think I might be able to give you back your wings, or the ability to fly again at any rate."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

"You... what?" she uttered, completely caught off guard and fumbling for a response, "you can give me..." she shook her head and sneered, "what kind of idiot do you think I am? Back when the Queen was still the Princess, she personally made sure I got the best doctors in Canterlot to fix my wings, but even with all their fancy medicine and healing magic, they couldn't do a thing!

"I got caught in one of your stupid tentacle things and was nearly crushed to death! They said some of the bones in my wings were practically powderized! They said I was lucky to be alive!" 

Rainbow tried to wriggle free of Big Mac's grip and winced again before looking up at the stallion. Big Mac looked back down at her and after some kind of silent conversation, the stallion let her go and stepped back. Rainbow Dash shuffled her wings painfully before turning back to the alicorn.

"You see this?" she said, splaying her crumpled wings out as best she could for the mare to see, "this is permanent. I'm never gonna fly again, and it's all your fault."

Though her hate for the thing calling itself an alicorn still burned just as hot as it ever had, there was no doubt its words had had an effect on Rainbow Dash, no matter how she tried to mask it. The blind rage and fear had mostly vanished, leaving the hate and—to Rainbow's own shame—just the smallest glimmer of hope that the creature's words were true.

But it couldn't have been... could it?

"As I said, it might be possible," the alicorn replied, taking a step towards the cyan pegasus. She paused a moment, giving one of her ears an idle flick before speaking again, "I am still unsure of how this body and my abilities work, and I can't fix your wings directly, but there may be another solution."

The temperature around them all suddenly dropped a few degrees and Rainbow Dash shivered before taking a step back. 

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked warily, her heart rate picking up ever so slightly. Something wasn't right about the situation, she could feel it, "I told you it was impossible. I don't know what you think you can do, but—"

"Twilight!"

All eyes snapped towards the baby dragon, who rushed past Rainbow, his eyes locked on the slowly approaching alicorn. The alicorn in turn, paused and stared down at him passively. Spike didn't stop until he was standing in front of the creature, and for a moment they simply looked into each others eyes.

"You're Twilight... right?" Spike asked, searching for something in the alicorn's white eyes, "not my Twilight, but... I remember you, and I remember her," he slowly lowered his gaze, backing away a step and frowning in thought, "I remember she wanted to help you—to get you back, just like you said."

Shocked, Fluttershy looked from Spike and the alicorn creature, to Big Mac. The two shared a bemused look before turning to Rainbow Dash. For once, Rainbow looked just as unsure about the situation as Fluttershy herself felt, but all focus returned to Spike and the alicorn as she spoke again.

"Your Twilight was suppose to send all of us back to her own timeline, yes," the alicorn finally replied after a moment, "she did agree to help me, but it seems pulling me from my own time was a mistake. I did warn her of the possible consequences, but that is now neither here nor there," she looked back up at Rainbow Dash, who flinched and glared back defiantly, "what matters now is that I do what little I can to right the wrong I've caused. We can seek out the other Twilight and Starlight Glimmer together once I'm done here."

Before Spike could respond—before any of the others could react at all, the alicorn vanished from sight and reappeared before Rainbow an instant later. The others cried out in surprise and Rainbow tried to scrambled away, but the alicorn's eyes held her fast where she stood. Though she was only about half a head taller, the creature seemed to positively tower over Rainbow, and the pegasus could feel the icy breath washing over her face as the thing spoke.

"How badly do you want to fly again, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash only continued to stare back at the alicorn, her eyes wide and her mouth flapping wordlessly, uselessly. At the alicorn's words, images of her as a filly flashed through her mind; memories of being able to zip past the clouds and outpacing most adults at her age. The wind through her mane and wings, push against her even as she pushed back harder.

Maybe it was something in the way the alicorn had asked, maybe it was the heat of the moment, maybe Rainbow was more broken than she realized, but that one question had a profound effect. Something snapped, and just like that, the rage, fear, and hatred evaporated. The small spark of hope the alicorn had lit within Rainbow flared into a desperate blazing inferno of need; an overpowering desire to have her greatest wish granted. 

"...I'd give anything to get my wings back."

The words were quiet, and slipped from her mouth almost unbidden, as if a completely different pony had said them. Immediate regret washed over her, but as she thought on it, Rainbow Dash realized it was true. She'd give literally anything to be able to fly again. She'd spoken the truth; a truth she'd long kept hidden from Fluttershy and from herself.

She'd tried in the past to take Fluttershy's words to heart. She tried to move on, she tried to appreciate what she still had, but ultimately—when it came right down to it... she still wanted her wings back, and no price was too high.

"I know of a way to restore your ability to fly, but it may result in an... irreversible change," the alicorn continued. She paused and cocked her head as if listening to something only she could hear. After a moment she frowned and spoke again, "...do you know what a thestral is?"

Rainbow's eyes widened, the implications far from lost on her. She knew exactly what a thestral was; they all did. When Nightmare Moon returned, the thestrals had arrived from seemingly nowhere at all and flocked to the mad Queen of the Night. Rainbow didn't see it herself, but it was said they fought against the Royal Guard in an attempt to keep them from interfering with Celestia and Nightmare Moon's battle.

After Nightmare Moon was killed, they scattered and most of them vanished off to nopony-knows-where. Once the Princess had elevated herself to a Queen, she issued a decree to hunt them all down and exterminate them. The thestrals were powerful creatures, and part of the reason Daybreaker had formed the elite Solar Guard was to track and combat them specifically.

Based on the stories Rainbow had heard about the Solar Guard, they were terribly efficient and horribly brutal in their methods. If the alicorn before her now was suggesting what Rainbow suspected she was suggesting...

"Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow sucked in a breath, her body stiffening with surprise. For a moment, it was as if the world had been reduced to just Rainbow herself and the alicorn creature. Hearing Fluttershy's voice; the soft yet commanding tone she'd used, it shocked her out of whatever reverie the alicorn had put her in. She shook her head and turned to see Fluttershy standing a stride or so away.

The bag Spike had dropped lay next to her hooves and her expression was uncharacteristically hard. Even more surprising was the fact that the mare was looking not at Rainbow, but the alicorn. Wrapped beneath one wing was a familiar looking scroll, and seeing that, something clicked in Rainbow's head.

Her mouth still hanging slightly open in bewilderment, Rainbow turned to Big Mac who stood near Fluttershy looking troubled—almost conflicted. The stallion didn't say anything, though his eyes were also fixed to the alicorn. Spike still stood where he'd been before a little ways behind the alicorn. His unsure gaze switched from the alicorn to Rainbow and the others, but all eyes, including the alicorn's, turned to Fluttershy once she began speaking again.

"I think you were right after all, Rainbow," Fluttershy began, pulling the scroll from under wing and holding it delicately in one hoof, "I'm not sure what she has in mind, but if it involves thestrals, it can't be good. You know what happens to thestrals—how they're treated and where their allegiances lie, and if she's working with them, we can't trust her."

Rainbow Dash swallowed and looked back to the lavender mare, who now had her blank white eyes affixed to the scroll in Fluttershy's hoof. The cyan mare took a step back away from the alicorn Spike had called Twilight. Somewhere in a distant corner of her mind, she recognized the name, but she couldn't remember where.

More pressing at the moment were the words Fluttershy spoke and the effect they had. Seeing Rainbow's hesitation, Fluttershy pushed on, her expression softening and a sharp pang of guilt and sorrow welling up in her chest.

"I knew you were still hurting, Rainbow Dash," she continued, "but I had no idea just how badly until now. To think you were still willing to give up everything like that... I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner," her expression once more turned grim as she looked the alicorn in the eye, "I wish I could give you what you want, Rainbow, but I can't... and neither can she. You know that."

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy and the yellow pegasus looked back. For a long moment, neither spoke, and a cold wave of guilt and shame washed over Rainbow. She'd been willing  to sacrifice everything for a chance to take to the skies once again, even if it meant abandoning the mare that had been there for her all those years when she had nopony left.

Just the thought of it made her physically ill, and what was worse, was that deep down, the feeling—that desperate desire was still there. She'd come back to her senses, but the desire to fly amongst her own again was still there, and she knew it always would be.

"She's right," Big Mac suddenly exclaimed, snapping Rainbow Dash out of her self-loathing thoughts and surprising everyone present. He took a step forward and grimaced in the alicorn's direction, "if mah hunch is right, yer fixin' ta turn Rainbow into a thestral somehow ta give her wings, am ah wrong?"

The alicorn looked at Big Mac, blinked, and gave a slow nod.

"No, you're correct, that was my intention," she replied, "even with all the power and knowledge at my disposal, I can't fix Rainbow's wings—or rather, if what Rainbow says about her wings is true, I lack the specific knowledge I'd need in order to do so. That said, I know of a rather... ancient spell that can change Rainbow's form to that of a thestral, but the change is permanent."

"Ya seem like a mighty powerful sort," Big Mac pointed out with a bemused frown, "ah'm not too sure ah completely buy the fact that ya can't just fix her up with a wave o' yer horn."

The alicorn merely shook her head in response.

"Even as magically powerful as I am, what little healing magic I do know is not sufficiently advanced enough to fully restore functionality to limbs in Rainbow's condition. Trying to 'brute force' the healing process by pumping additional mana into the mix would only cause further problems, and it's too risky to try using any other power at my disposal when I don't fully understand what I can and can't do. 

"With all of that in mind, this was the only viable option I could think of to regain her ability to fly," she looked around at them all silently for a second, "though judging by your words and reactions, it seems that option is out of the question."  

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied with a nod of his own, "there ain't no place in Equestria fer a thestral, not while Queen Daybreaker an' her Solar Guard are around. If ya turned Miss Dash into a thestral, she may get a new pair o' wings, but you'd be doomin' her to a life on the run," his face turned grave, "...an' she wouldn't get far."

"And aside from that," Fluttershy continued, holding the scroll close to her chest as her newfound resolve faltered, "if it was possible to turn a pony into a thestral, there would only be one pony I could think of that could do it."

"Yeah... you're right," Rainbow muttered, backing further away from the alicorn and towards Fluttershy, "I didn't even know it was possible to turn a pony into a thestral. I thought they were just lackeys Nightmare Moon summoned when she showed up or something, but if you can turn ponies into those things..."

"She'd have to be Nightmare Moon herself. But... that can't be right though," Fluttershy nearly whispered as the implications finally settled in, "Nightmare Moon is... the Queen... she..."

"Queen Daybreaker killed her," Rainbow Dash finished, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "she burned her to a crisp, a bunch of ponies saw it happen."

"Ah heard tell from mah cousin there's a cult somewhere in Equestria that worships Nightmare Moon," Big Mac said with a heavy grimace, "the way he tells it, they use all sorts o' weird magic an' the like in their rituals. Maybe she's in cahoots with the lot of 'em?"

"She's not Nightmare Moon and she isn't working with her or any sort of weird cult!" came another, panicked voice. Fluttershy, Rainbow and Big Mac watched in bemusement as Spike ran over to stand by the alicorn's side. The baby dragon spoke again, his expression pleading, "she's kind of scary, yeah, but she has nothing to do with Nightmare Moon! She came here from another timeline—we both did! We just wanna go home, back to our own timeline!"

"Oh please," Rainbow scoffed, "there's no way that load of horseapples about time travel is true, and even if it was," she raised a hoof and pointed at the alicorn, her vicious glare from earlier returning in earnest, "she's still responsible for what happened all those years ago. She even admitted it herself!"

Now that she'd been freed from whatever influence the alicorn had exerted over her, Rainbow's rage had returned in full and burned brighter than ever. She wouldn't be fooled again, not for anything; not even for a chance to fly again, whether as a thestral or a pegasus.

She owed at least that much to Fluttershy if not herself.

"Well, that's... I..." Spike faltered, at a loss for how to respond. He bit his lip and glanced nervously in the accused mare's direction. Though he remembered most of what had transpired back in that horrible timeline, he still had no idea what had happened during their trip into the past, "it was an accident... I'm sure she didn't mean to—"

"It doesn't matter what she meant to do!" Rainbow snarled in reply, "that thing ruined my life! She killed a bunch of pegasi and caused one of the worst disasters Equestria has ever seen! My mom and dad are gone because of her! I can't fly because of her, and I'm not letting her get away with it!"

Fluttershy yelped in surprise as the furious mare snatched the scroll from her hooves.

"I'm done talking," she growled, "I'm not gonna stand here and listen to your lies anymore. I know I probably can't do anything to hurt you, but if this thing does what it's supposed to, I won't have to."

With those words, Rainbow flung the scroll into the air.

Complete silence fell over the group as they all watched the piece of parchment rise higher and higher until it stopped suddenly and hung in the air. As the silence continued, Fluttershy whimpered, a horrible tension twisting her insides in knots. She wasn't alone, and both Big Mac and Spike could feel it as well.

Rainbow and the alicorn merely continued to eye the thing—Rainbow with grim satisfaction and the alicorn with a curious frown. The alicorn wasn't sure what would happen, but she could feel something odd coming from the scroll. She thought about stopping it from activating whatever magic was held within, but decided to see what would transpire instead.

An instant later the scroll snapped open and, with a sound oddly reminiscent of a hawk's cry, a thin but blinding pillar of golden light erupted from its surface, shooting high into the sky above. The ray of light vanished after a few seconds, once again leaving the forest quiet. The group stood in a small clearing just wide enough to see the sky beyond the trees, and each of their gazes were drawn skyward, all of them waiting to see what would happen next.

They didn't have to wait long.

Another bright flash of golden light lit up the Everfree, making all but the lavender alicorn shield their eyes and turn away from the sight. The light eventually died down enough to show the large and slowly rotating forms of complex magical sigils above. Spike recognized it as the same series of twisting lines and runes he'd seen printed on the parchment, and it was only now that he'd find out what they meant.

Then the sigils began to converge on each other, glowing brighter and brighter in the process. As each individual sigil moved to form one large circle, there was sound—soft at first, like a whistling wind. Then the sound grew until it mimicked a howling tempest. The sheer force of it made the trees below sway and the earth tremble slightly beneath everyone's hooves and feet. 

"We should move," Big Mac muttered, staring up at the sight with wide eyes. As the sound grew louder, so too did his voice, "we need ta move... NOW!"

His voice managed to break through to the other transfixed ponies and dragon and they all scattered. The alicorn merely snapped out of existence and reappeared a safe distance away just as another, larger pillar of golden light burst forth from the magic circle above and slammed down onto the ground below it with a deafening boom.

All manner of forest debris was thrown into the air, bits of dirt, rock, leaves and dislodged branches pelted the others as they scrambled to get away. Both the trees and the ponies nearest to the pillar were pushed back. Spike cried out as he was flung off his feet, though he hadn't gone far before the alicorn's dark blue aura caught him and set him down beside her.

All the while the alicorn stood and watched the pillar carefully, frowning slightly as the outlines of three figures gradually came into focus within the pillar's light. Something about this whole thing felt off, but the alicorn couldn't figure out why—that is, until the golden light and howling began to fade. 

It took a minute, but the howl of raw magic and blinding light subsided completely, leaving most of the group disoriented and seeing spots. The alicorn, unlike the rest in almost every sense, stood as the only one not affected, and her troubled frown only deepened at what—or rather who—she saw standing in the middle of the clearing.

The fading light revealed three ponies, one in the middle and flanked by two others wearing barding the alicorn had never seen before. Two of the ponies, both pegasi from the looks of it, wore something that looked like a mix of the standard Wonderbolt uniform and the lighter armor the pegasi in the Royal Guard wore.

form-fitting metal plates covered the majority of the legs, flank, barrel and chest while a crinet and shaffron covered the entirety of the face and neck, leaving the pony's identity hidden including the eyes which were covered by thick dark goggles. Beneath the armor, the alicorn could see evidence of the suit that had reminded her so much of the Wonderbolts uniform she'd seen in the past.

While she could tell the suit was made of a different material, she couldn't discern what material had replaced it from sight alone, though it certainly looked tougher than what the original uniform used. Only the wings were exposed, but even then, the alicorn could tell they'd been coated in some kind of transparent magical field—most likely meant to keep them from harm.

The entirety of the armor was colored in an elegant mix of fiery hues, with orange, red and yellow being the primary focus. Both pegasi were armed with retractable hoofblades, something the alicorn had seen once before during a military demonstration she'd gone to with her brother back when she was an actual pony and not an inequine abomination. Each of them looked intimidating in their own right, but what held the alicorn's attention was the pony in the middle.

With the way the armor covered almost every inch of the pegasi, it was nearly impossible to tell their gender, but the pony in front was clearly a unicorn mare. She wore no armor whatsoever, only a dark red double breasted military tailcoat fastened up to the neck with brass buttons. It reminded the alicorn somewhat of her brother's ceremonial uniform, though much simpler in design.

All in all, the mare cut an impressive figure, standing tall and imposing with a dangerous air that somehow surpassed that of even the more heavily armored ponies behind her. Cold amethyst eyes surveyed the scene falling first on the still recovering ponies, then the baby dragon and blank eyed alicorn, before focusing solely on the alicorn. 

A frown crossed her face, matching that of the alicorn's own and the two stared at each other. It took very little effort for the alicorn to remain outwardly impassive, but she could see the military mare sizing her up, assessing the rather unbelievable situation she found herself in, running through each and every possible explanation she could think of for what she was seeing.

To her credit, the mare still looked calm and composed. The alicorn doubted any other pony would be able to tell that she was troubled by the sight of her at all. The only reason she herself knew otherwise was because she'd worn that same face every day of her life; she'd been born with that face, and knew every tell and facial cue she had.

Staring back at the alicorn shaped entity formerly known as Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, was none other than the unicorn mare currently known as Twilight Sparkle, apparently of the Queen's own Solar Guard. 

At least, this is what the relatively new Avatar of Retribution assumed. 

Seeing her in that uniform flanked by two armed and armored ponies, what else could she think? She remembered Big Mac talking about the Solar Guard, something that didn't in any way shape or form exist in her own timeline. These ponies were wearing barding that she'd never seen before, it was a safe assumption to say that they were all part of the aforementioned Solar Guard and until proven otherwise, the alicorn would assume as much.

Evidently done with her assessment, the lavender unicorn narrowed her eyes and took a cautious step forward towards her alicorn counterpart, pulling said alicorn away from her thoughts. She stopped a few strides away and spoke, her tone curious, but with a sharp, cruel edge the former Twilight herself had never used—at least, not before her own world had ended.


"I was a bit skeptical of the Queen's hunch, but I guess she was onto something after all. She said I'd probably find something interesting if I waited long enough and it looks like the wait paid off."
> Here's to Old Foes Defeated ~ Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was as Starlight and I were making our way back northeast through the Ghastly Gorge that we saw it. 

Even before I saw the pillar of light that seemed to swallow the distant forest of the Everfree, I could feel that something wasn't right. That was to say nothing of the warbling cry that had accompanied the light show. The sound itself seemed to ring out across all of Equestria for how loud it was, and while it was a sound I'd only heard once before, it was a sound I would never forget. 

A minor quake had accompanied the pillar of light and unsettling cry, but none of it lasted very long before things settled back down. Still, I could tell Starlight was shaken and as the noise died down I could see renewed indecision in her eyes and clear hesitation in her steps. We'd made it a good way towards the Everfree by way of flight—me with my concealed wings and Starlight by self levitation. It was a skill I'd never thought to learn, and I couldn't help but be impressed by Starlight's magical feat, even as we battled through time.

Unfortunately the mare couldn't keep the feat up indefinitely and we had to trot the rest of the way to the forest. I was able to mitigate the time it took to travel through Ghastly Gorge by casting the occasional long range teleportation spell, but that took a good bit of magic and I didn't want to run out for fear of what we might find when we finally reached the others, so the spell was used sparingly. It was when we were about midway through the Gorge that we saw the light and heard the cry.

It took some convincing, but I managed to convince Starlight to push forward—all the while pushing down my own unease—and together we continued our way through the Gorge. That had been roughly two hours ago, and in the interim, both Starlight and I had time to regain our nerve. Then we felt something shift in the thaumic field—felt some powerful magic being cast somewhere far ahead of us. It was Starlight who spotted the source of the disturbance first.

"What in Celestia's name is that?" Starlight muttered in horrified disbelief, "I don't think it's the freak... it feels wrong, but... it's a different kind of wrong than what I felt before..."

I didn't reply right away, and ignored the insult to the other me entirely in the face of the bright arcane glow coming from the Everfree. It only lasted a few moments, but I could hear the distant roar of raw magic being unleashed all the way from where we stood frozen in shock. As we watched, another pillar of light flared into being, this time slamming down into the forest itself. I watched it fade away after a minute or so and as it did, a strange feeling came over me. I wasn't sure what it meant, but something felt off. 

"I don't like this," I said, more to myself than Starlight, "something's not right, and I get the feeling things are only going to get worse if we don't hurry and meet up with the others."

"W-Whoa, hang on—wait a minute!" Starlight stuttered as I began to move again at a quicker pace. I heard the tell-tale pop of a short range teleportation spell behind me, and a split second later, Starlight appeared in front of me, her expression and tone both incredulous, "please don't tell me you're just gonna go rushing into whatever's waiting for us in that forest without a plan or something. We don't even know for sure if your friends are there or not!"

I stopped and blinked silently, then blushed slightly. I in fact, had no plan beyond seeing what had happened in the forest with my own eyes. I wanted to find the others, and rescue them if necessary, but I'd completely fail to consider what kind of situation they might've been in. That second pillar of light had only gotten me more worked up and worried. Still, Starlight had a point, and with how ominous this all felt, it was probably best to go in prepared.

"You're right," I conceded, "sorry, I'm just... worried about the others. That first pillar of light was almost definitely caused by my other self so we know that's where she'll probably be. You're right about Spike, though; I just have to hope that he's somewhere nearby," I shook my head and gave Starlight a nervous frown, "I have a bad feeling about all of this and I still think we should hurry, but yes, a plan might be necessary given what we've seen."

"I'm glad you agree," Starlight replied with visible relief, "because I am not going any further without some sort of way to escape if that thing goes on a rampage."

"Starlight," I sighed, "that's not—"

"I don't care what you say, Twilight," Starlight interjected with a set frown, "until it proves otherwise, that thing is a monster to me. Despite my many, many misgivings, I'm coming with you, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna put my life on the line on just your word alone," her frown faltered and she looked away, "I have... things I need to take care of back home, and I'm not planning on dying here."

What could I say to that?

It wasn't like she didn't have a reason to be skeptical of the other Twilight's intentions, even if I knew better. All she'd seen was a monster who'd nearly eaten her whole and had violated her mind. Spike and I were the only ones who'd seen that she was even capable of calm, rational thinking, and I was the only one who'd truly seen what she'd gone through. Thinking about it, I realized that what I'd seen in my other self's memories was probably clouding my judgement, and I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"I suppose that's fair," I finally replied before turning my attention back to the forest, "alright, we'll think of something... but I'd like to flesh out a plan on the way. We've still got a ways to cover, and it's better if we get there sooner rather than later..."

"Fine," Starlight agreed grudgingly, "but whatever you come up with, it better be good. Both our lives might be on the line here, Sparkle."

I was silent for another moment, staring out at the Everfree as I thought. I ran through several different scenarios of what we might've found once we reached the forest and cast a concerned glance at my lavender hooves, then the rest of my body. After a minute or two I nodded to myself and turned back to Starlight with a determined grimace.

"I think I might have the beginnings of an idea, but before that... do you know any transmogrification magic?" 



















Twilight had seen and experienced much in her years serving the Princess-turned-Queen, and liked to think she could stay on top of any situation, no matter how bizarre, unexpected or dangerous—it was why she'd been promoted to Captain of the Solar Guard. In most instances this would be the case, and to Twilight, this situation was no different, despite how bizarre, unexpected and dangerous it was. For one thing, it wasn't entirely unexpected—not by the Queen anyway. Ever since the horrific incident in Cloudsdale all those years ago, there'd been something off about Celestia.

Outwardly, she'd been the same caring and benevolent ruler to her ponies, but many could tell that their Princess wasn't all there; it wasn't that she'd gone mad or anything, but the Princess seemed far more worried and distracted during Day Court, like there was always something else on her mind—not that Twilight knew any of this at the time. Back then she'd been an embittered little filly whose dreams had been crushed beneath the hoof of her own ineptitude when it came to magic. She was a studious and intelligent filly all things considered, but she'd lacked the raw thaumic power needed to reach out and grasp true greatness.

Of course, she'd only found out much later that she'd simply been a late bloomer. It wasn't until after she'd followed her brother into the Royal Guard and gotten her first real combat experience that her magic blossomed into what it was meant to be, and what powerful magic it had been! Still, the damage had already been done years ago, and her cold and bitter persona had long since been cemented. She could no longer be the starry eyed and hopeful filly she once was before her horrible failure during that horrid exam. Things had only gotten worse when Nightmare Moon returned.

Much worse.

But that was in the past, and there were more important things to deal with now. Princess Celestia had become Queen Daybreaker, and while Twilight knew many feared and even despised the change, she herself knew Celestia had only done what was necessary to protect her kingdom. It didn't matter if the once benevolent ruler was a little more militaristic these days, it didn't matter if she now looked like a demon wreathed in the flames of Tartarus, it didn't even matter that she'd used her control over the sun to reduce the night to a mere third of the length it had been before.

If she could prevent tragedies like what happened in Cloudsdale and threats like Nightmare Moon from ever happening again, then it was well worth the change. Even now, it was thanks to the Queen's foresight that Twilight herself stood here before the thing wearing her own face—that she'd reached it before it had a chance to do harm to the citizens in the town not far from the Everfree. She'd already been stationed close by when she was summoned, and had in fact already been on her way to investigate the strange and unsettling phenomenon of the eerie cry and pillar of light. 

Twilight had thought it was only a hunch on the part of the Queen, and Queen Daybreaker herself had hinted as much. At first, Twilight wasn't so sure, and had more than a few reservations about being stationed out near the backwater town of Ponyville. After all, there were far more important things she could've been doing with her time... like hunting the rogue thestrals rumored to have been hiding out near Hollow Shades. Once she'd seen the light and heard the cry, her attitude had changed drastically, as had her assessment of the Queen and her 'hunch'.

Twilight was far from a fool, and while she had her doubts initially, she knew now without a doubt that the Queen had to have known something of this magnitude would occur. Maybe not the exact situation as it stood now, but something similar at least. The thought went a long way towards keeping the mare grounded despite the impossibility of what she saw standing before her. If the Queen had known something like this would happen, then it must've meant she'd planned accordingly, but that left the question of what Twilight's role was in all of this.

Should she try to bring her look alike back to the Queen for questioning? Or did the Queen expect her to eliminate the possible threat altogether? For that matter, if Queen Daybreaker had indeed planned for this supposed eventuality, why hadn't Twilight herself been included in those plans? She'd been told nothing beyond her orders to keep an eye on Ponyville and the Everfree. Thankfully this hadn't been the first time she'd been left in the dark without specific orders, and generally during these times she was encouraged to make executive decisions.

Twilight was good at making executive decisions, which was another reason this situation, while unnerving, wasn't worth panicking over. She had complete confidence in herself and her leadership, and wasn't afraid of making the hard and sometimes downright brutal choices. That said, something didn't sit right with this pony, and it wasn't just the fact that she shared her looks or even that she was apparently an alicorn. No, that's not what bothered her the most; what bothered her the most was something she couldn't quite grasp—something immaterial.

Her first thought was that this look alike had been a changeling posing as her for some unknown and no doubt nefarious purpose, but upon closer inspection she dismissed the idea. Each race on Equus had a subtle and unique effect on the thaumic field, and a unicorn could train themselves to feel that unique 'aura'. It took years of tireless training and nigh impossible amounts of focus, but Twilight had in fact taught herself to do just this for just such an occasion. Sure there were spells that could reveal disguises and specific counter spells that could out a changeling for what it truly is, but if one could attune themselves to a creatures unique 'aura', spells like those weren't entirely necessary to reveal a façade.

This mare... this creature was dangerous, that much she could discern even ignoring the tumultuous shift of the thaumic field around her. She didn't know the extent of what the creature could do, but she wasn't about to take unnecessary risks if she could help it. There were still the civilians that had called her here, and ensuring their safety was a top priority. She could question the unregistered drakeling brazenly waltzing around Equestrian territory once all was said and done, but in the meantime, she had to tread carefully.

Even as the Captain stood there sizing her up and gauging her chances at a possible capture, the alicorn counterpart was doing some sizing up of her own. She hadn't expected to run into this timeline's Twilight—at least not so soon after her arrival, but here it was, and she'd simply have to deal with it one way or the other. She didn't need her ability to feel the grievances of others, living or otherwise, to know that the mare harbored a deep resentment. Of what, she wasn't certain just yet, but the emotion was terribly strong—almost as strong as that of the loudest Voice in her mind.

It wasn't strong enough to completely drown out the other Voices in her mind however—Voices that called out for her blood in payment for their suffering at her hooves. Judging by the sheer amount of raging Voices roiling within the false alicorn that were directed at the uniformed mare, this Twilight Sparkle had quite a lot to answer for.

"Well buck me... she wasn't lying after all..."

The disbelieving mutter snapped both Twilight's out of their musings and all eyes turned to Rainbow Dash, save the Captain, who only gave the mare a passing glance before fixing her cold gaze back on the alicorn. Realizing she'd inadvertently drawn the attention of nearly everypony in the vicinity, she looked between them all and took a hesitant step back, her wings twitching painfully. The pegasus wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting to happen when she used the scroll, but it certainly wasn't this.

She'd been hoping for the Solar Guard to swoop in and bring the creepy alicorn to justice—to do what she knew she was too weak to do herself, but things had quickly taken a turn for the strange and now she found herself on the backhoof, unsure of what to do or what to make of the situation. Looking at Fluttershy and Big Mac, she could tell they felt much the same. Rainbow felt she should give some kind of follow up—speak in her own defense—but the Captain was the first to break the tense and uncomfortable silence that followed her quiet outburst.

"I think I remember you," the mare said, her tone cool and her eyes still locked on the alicorn in front of her, even as she spoke to the crippled pegasus, "Rainbow Dash, wasn't it? You lost your parents in the Cloudsdale incident fourteen years ago and were left permanently grounded as I recall."

A furious retort caught in Rainbow's throat at the callous observation, but with no small amount of effort she bit it back. Facts were facts, and she was above lashing out at others for pointing out what happened—at least, that's what she told herself. Besides that, the Captain wasn't the real target of her ire anyway.

"Yeah, that's me," she replied through gritted teeth instead, then jabbed a hoof in the alicorn's direction, "and for the record, you're looking at the thing responsible for that clusterbuck." 

"Is that right?" the Captain replied, her eyes narrowing and her frown deepening just a fraction. Hearing this, the two pegasi behind her tensed, but a glare from the unicorn put them back at ease. She eyed them for another second before turning back to her alicorn self, "you've been awfully quiet. Do you have anything to say about her claims?"

The alicorn blinked, but her face remained otherwise impassive.

"She's not wrong," she replied, turning to glance towards Rainbow Dash who glared right back, "I'm not supposed to be here, nor was I supposed to run into you specifically," she turned back to the other Twilight, "I am—or rather was—a Twilight Sparkle that came here from another timeline, but this Equestria was not meant to be my final destination."

The Captain's immediate response was to deny the creature's claims. Research into time travel had reached a dead end back in Star Swirl's age. The only thing that had come of the ancient stallion's research was a spell to send a pony a week into the past and nothing more. Lauded as a breakthrough at first, it was quickly revealed that the spell was ultimately useless, and every thaumatologist who'd studied time magic since then was in full agreement:

No matter what you do, you can't change the future.

More than one pony had tried, and each time they'd failed to cause any kind of effect other than what was meant to happen. Thankfully Star Swirl had created the spell with several fail-safes which prevented things like the predestination paradox. A causal loop would only happen once before the spell broke and the timeline reasserted itself.

The wizard had begun work on another time spell, but was never able to figure out how to complete it. Both spells were documented, but had been restricted to the heavily guarded Star Swirl wing of the public Canterlot Library. Once the Princess had risen to her position as Queen, she'd moved those spells, along with several others, to the forbidden section of the Royal Archives where they would never see the light of day if the Queen could help it. With all this knowledge well in mind, Twilight had every reason to doubt the words of her strange alicorn counterpart... and yet she found herself unable to fully rule out the possibility.

The alicorn may have been right in that she didn't belong here—that is, if the abnormal disturbance of the field was anything to go by. Adding to that was the fact that she could also feel the same disturbance from the drake now that she was focusing on their aura, though to a much lesser extent. If the creature wearing her face was telling the truth, did that mean she and the baby dragon had come here together? Whatever the case may have been, there were dozens of questions that needed answering, and for the sake of her Queen she was going to get those answers, no matter how ludicrous they may have been.   

"For the sake of the argument I'll take your word for it," the Captain finally replied, "now how exactly does this connect to the Cloudsdale incident?" 

"I believe the event you state happened fourteen years ago was the result of an..." the alicorn paused, trying to find an explanation for what could've happened, "...adverse reaction caused by the mental strain of so many Voices flooding my mind at once upon exiting the time warp." 

The Captain's frown deepened another inch. Perhaps she was dealing with a changeling; perhaps a Queen of some as of yet unheard of breed with a more expansive hive mind network? Apparently the two pegasi guards were of the same mind, because they tensed again, subtly priming their blades and shift their stance in such a way that they'd be on the creature in an instant if necessary. Twilight not only allowed it, but raised her own guard as well, several combat ready spells coming to the forefront of her mind.

"Voices?" she replied carefully, "what do you mean 'Voices'?"

Rather than give an immediate explanation, the alicorn turned to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Big Mac. Both Fluttershy and Big Mac seemed to be content to hang back, stay silent and let events play out. Rainbow looked as furious as ever, but there was also impatience and a hint of something else. Confusion? Curiosity? Intrigue? The former Princess couldn't tell for certain, but it was clear the pegasus was expecting some kind of fight to break out, and depending on the next words spoken, that was still a possibility.

Spike looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing came of it and all he could do was stand with the others. No doubt he was having trouble reconciling the cold, business-like captain with the mother/sister figure that was his own version of Twilight. Come to think of it, he probably hadn't gotten used to the blank eyed mare that had become a pony in outward appearance only, and barely even that. While the mare in question was making silent observations and deliberating over how she should proceed, she was all too aware of the Captain's eyes on her back and the fact that she was waiting for answers.

Unfortunately the relatively new Avatar of Retribution was also aware of how insistent the Voices were getting, and that it had been some time since she had fulfilled her role. On one hoof, the alicorn would've liked to resolve the situation peacefully—some minute leftover slice of her equinity demanding she hold off her new instincts and at least try the civil route of negotiation and understanding. On the other hoof she did have somewhere else to be, some other ponies to find. Not only that, but every moment she resisted the Voices, she felt something shift uncomfortably within her—some squirming sense of unease that could be ignored, but not shaken.

The feeling hadn't plagued her while she'd been wandering the black and desolate world that was her Equestria alone for who knows how long. It was only now that she hadn't been listening to those Voices for an extended period of time that she felt it. It was like a bad itch; ultimately harmless, but the more she ignored it, the more aware of it she became, and the more she wanted to scratch it. 

"I'm not certain of what it all means just yet, nor do I fully understand the nature of what's become of me," the alicorn continued, turning to stare the Captain full in the face, "but I've become an entity that can hear the 'Voices' of those who hold grudges—both minor and powerful."

Something in the air changed, putting every single pony in the vicinity on edge. Hackles were raised, hoofblades were drawn, and the Captain's horn suddenly blazed to life with a barely contained spell, the mare ready to obliterate the threat where it stood. It didn't matter how many questions went unanswered, it didn't matter if she was an actual doppelgänger from another time or some strange new breed of changeling—any sudden movements and it died.

The only thing keeping Fluttershy from fleeing the forest entirely was Rainbow Dash, who'd felt the ominous shift in the atmosphere, but disregarded her fear and stubbornly refused to budge an inch. Big Mac was unwilling to leave either behind and Spike was rooted to the spot, images of what had occurred in that bleak and barren timeline flashing through his mind.

The Avatar of Retribution ignored all of this and continued speaking, her blank eyes staring into and through the Captain, burning a hole in her cool façade and sending a chill down her spine. In fact, they could all feel a chill—literally and prominently. It fell over each and every one of them, making even the pegasi in insulated armor shiver despite themselves. 

"I can sense their thirst for vengeance, feel their need for justice, taste their desire for retribution upon those that have wronged them," she took a single step towards her look alike, "I can hear the Voices of both the living... and the dead. I can hear yours... and I can hear those of the ones whose lives you've personally snuffed out."

With a painful slowness she moved closer and closer, but the Captain found she couldn't move under the empty white gaze of the thing wearing the flesh of an alicorn. Twilight had trained her mind and body to their limits in order to get where she was today, and it was the first time in a long time that her mental fortitude had been tested like this. The only other pony who'd manage to overpower her mental defenses was the Queen herself, which meant only one thing in the Captain's mind...

This creature's threat level was at least on par with that of the Queen.

She couldn't move, she couldn't look away, and it took all she had just to stop the unreleased spell from fizzling out. Now that she knew for certain that she wasn't dealing with any kind of minor threat, all bets were off. As powerful a mare as she was, Twilight knew she wouldn't be able to match the thing in terms of raw power—not if it had managed to render her immobile with just a look. With that in mind, a change of tactics was in order.

She didn't know what the creature was planning to do, but she didn't want to find out. With a mountainous effort and a shameful bit of desperation, the Captain forced herself to shut everything out and focused her scattered thoughts inward. After a few seconds, the magenta glow of her horn shifted to a brilliant gold and she could feel the thing stop in its tracks.

"That spell," the alicorn began, an icy blue mist pouring from her mouth as she spoke, "that's... Celestia's magic... how did you—"

That's as far as she got before all Tartarus broke loose.

With a flash of golden light, the Captain sapped the will from her two guards and replaced it with her own. The two stunned pegasi shuddered and groaned in discomfort, then screamed in agony as their minds were broken down and reconstructed in an instant. The  shuddering stopped abruptly a second later, and behind their goggles, their eyes flashed bright with that same golden glow—two pairs of bright orbs that locked onto the approaching alicorn. 

Before anypony else could react, the two guards wordlessly shot off like a pair of cannons, hoofblades out and ready to slice the alicorn to ribbons. The pegasi were a blur as they raced towards their target, but the Avatar didn't move; she didn't need to. She did nothing as they struck, one pair of hoofblades digging into the soft flesh of her neck and the other pair sliding in-between her ribcage. The poor residents from Ponyville barely had any time to be horrified before each guard was flash-frozen—turned to lifeless chunks of finely sculpted ice in the blink of an eye.

There was no visible flash of the alicorn's horn, no sudden movements, seemingly no reaction of any kind whatsoever from the punctured alicorn. She didn't even pay them any mind, her attention still stuck on whatever her other self was trying to accomplish with the sudden and futile assault. The guards were dead, but the golden magic surrounding the Captain's horn hadn't faded. The mare's mouth was set in a grim line as she witnessed the fall of her comrades; there was no hint of grief for the dreadful waste of life—only disappointment and frustration... but then her expression changed. Unable to hide her shock any longer, the Captain watched as the air began to ripple and waver around the false alicorn.

The thaumic field around the creature looked as though it was being pulled inward towards it, and it wasn't just the field. The two frozen guards with their hoofblades still lodged in the alicorn, were slowly drawn into her body, twisting, warping and stretching as though they were being sucked past the event horizon of a black hole. Somewhere nearby, the horrified scream of a yellow pegasus reached the Captain's ears, but it went unheeded in the face of what she was seeing. 

Even as the guards were pulled in, the creature itself began to change, its form blackening until it was little more than a pony shaped hole in the universe. The pony shaped void began to grow until it was almost as large as the Queen, and eventually it solidified into something that looked like somepony had carved a large swathe out of the cosmos and used that to make an alicorn. Within the black silhouette, there were no features save for twinkling stars and swirling galaxies that flared and sparkled brightly, and yet the outline was vaguely familiar to the Captain.

"No... she killed you..." she whispered, her face changing from shock, to horror, and finally settling on rage as she realized what—or rather who—she was seeing. The golden blaze about her horn seemed to flare right along with her turbulent emotions, but still she kept the as of yet unleashed spell in check even as she shrieked in fear and outrage, "she killed you... she killed you!"

If the creature understood her, it didn't show it. The only response it gave was to resume its slow, almost casual trot towards the Captain. Any more conversation was pointless as far as it was concerned. Justice would be served and a great many Voices would be appeased and silenced. It had been curious about how the Captain was able to wield Celestia's magic, but no more. Gone was the last shred of the Avatar's equinity for the time being and in its place was the Will of the Slighted.

Twilight Sparkle, Captain of Queen Daybreaker's Solar Guard and cold, unflappable leader among her retinue, had completely lost any kind of composure in the face of the monster that had caused so much despair and destruction before the Queen had put her down. She didn't know how or why; perhaps she'd come back as some horrible specter from beyond the grave, she wasn't sure, but despite her eerie—almost alien appearance, one thing was clear to the Captain:

Nightmare Moon had somehow returned to terrorize Equestria once again, and Twilight was the only pony standing between it and the rest of the kingdom.
> Here's to Old Foes Defeated ~ Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As far as Twilight was concerned, all communication had broken down, but deep down somewhere beneath her new and troubling instincts, she knew that wasn't really the case. She'd simply given in because things had gotten complicated and it was easier to let go and let the Voices take over. She was the Avatar of Retribution now after all, why not play the role thrust upon her? No, it was a choice; she'd chosen to take on this contract, granted it was hardly any kind of choice given the alternative. It was either this or madness and eternal isolation. Death would've been a blessing, but she was denied that and almost met a fate much worse, but all that time she wandered her desolate world alone, she couldn't help but wonder from time to time, was the end result really any better? She still had no idea what would've happened to her if her other self hadn't shown up then but maybe that was for the best.

Still, without her turbulent emotions to distract her, the former alicorn's innate desire to learn—which she found hadn't at all been affected—was free to blossom, and beneath those new and troubling instincts, she had a great many questions she wanted answers to. One of the biggest questions that came to mind was how her new abilities worked and the other, more recent, question pertained to this militaristic iteration of herself and how she came to wield the magic of another pony, and from the feel of said magic currently wrapping around her cosmic frame in the form of tightly bound golden chains, it wasn't just any other pony either. Before she'd had the chance to let her abilities run wild or make any other sudden moves, she'd been bound by another spell this world's Twilight had unleashed, and much to her own surprise, she'd had quite a bit of trouble breaking free of it by magical means or otherwise.

Given that I don't yet know what I can do or what kind of damage I may cause to the others around me, this may be for the best. Still, what is it this magic that can hold me like this? I never saw anything like this in my Equestria...

With those thoughts, Twilight had once again gained control of herself, much to the displeasure of the many Voices in her mind. They ranted and raged and nagged at her like an everpresent itch, but she ignored all that as she reverted back to her smaller alicorn self, the brilliant golden chains shrinking right along with her. Twilight didn't recognize the spell that was used, but if it could hold back the creature she'd become, she knew it couldn't have been any ordinary binding spell. it must've been some kind of task to pull off if the other lavender mare's strained and exhausted expression was anything to go by. The blank-eyed alicorn watched silently as her uniformed counterpart closed her eyes and held a hoof to her chest. In a gesture painfully familiar to the alicorn, the Captain took a deep breath, held it for a brief moment, and let it out in a barely audible sigh of what Twilight was sure was relief. Having composed herself, the Captain turned her attention to the stunned and horrified onlookers.

"Now then... I have questions for the dragon so it needs to stay, but the rest of you all need to leave immediately," she called out in a tone that brooked absolutely no argument, "I have the situation under control for the moment, but there's no telling if or when that will change. I suggest you evacuate the forest now before you're dragged into this incident any further."

For a long minute, nopony moved.

The situation had been sorted out somehow, but it was still too surreal to Rainbow Dash and the others. It had all happened too fast and the shock of what had transpired still left them all frozen—Rainbow Dash especially. Yes the horrifying creature had been dealt with, but watching that monster slowly make its way over to the wild-eyed Captain of the Solar Guard, Rainbow Dash felt like she was in a dream—like reality was warping around her. She'd had her suspicions about whether or not that thing posing as an alicorn was Nightmare Moon or maybe somepony working to bring Nightmare Moon back, but seeing what was most likely the creature's true form and what it had done to those soldiers, all her suspicions were blown away. Rainbow Dash knew now without a doubt that this wasn't Nightmare Moon. This monster was something much worse. It may have looked similar to the Mad Queen, but every bone, every nerve, every instinct in Rainbow's body was telling her this was something else entirely.

She couldn't stop trembling.

She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. Her aching wings had twitched with the desire to flee, but they weren't taking her anywhere; the crippled pegasus was so transfixed by the sight before her that she didn't even notice the usual pain of trying to move her broken limbs. Somewhere far away she could hear voices; she could hear the little purple dragon verbally floundering about in indecision and she could tell Fluttershy was saying something to her, but she didn't have the wherewithal to acknowledge the yellow pegasus. A small smile crept onto her face, quickly warping into a twisted grin as a bitter, helpless chuckle escaped her lips. It was horribly inappropriate, but when she thought back to all those years of pent up anger and hatred—the countless fantasies she'd had of vengeance against the unnamed beast that destroyed her life, what else could she do but laugh? 

Rainbow Dash knew all along that if she'd ever met the monster that terrorized Cloudsdale all those years ago she wouldn't be able to do a thing. She knew she was powerless and was even willing to accept help from the Solar Guard if it meant getting her revenge. She knew there was no way she could take on something that could wipe out so many so thoroughly in so short a time, but none of that mattered to her so long as she could see the creature with her own eyes... but was that really true? Was that really the reason? Now that she'd seen this demon seemingly spawned from the very stars themselves for herself like she wanted—now that she'd seen what it was capable of, she couldn't help but think...

What did I even come here for in the first place? Was it just to finally give that thing a piece of my mind? Even at the cost of my life? I dragged Fluttershy into this for such a stupid reason?  

Did I really have that much of a death wish?

Maybe that was it, maybe deep down she really was looking for an excuse to end it all, but even if that was the case, this was just too much. It was far beyond what Rainbow had expected and not only was she disgusted with herself for thinking such things and getting her closest friend involved in her hangups, at the end of the day, she was still just as helpless as she'd ever been—as she always was. Whatever she'd thought before, seeing the gruesome fate of those two guards and what was most likely about to happen to their captain had convinced Rainbow Dash—or rather snapped her out of her years-long haze of hatred and self-loathing. She didn't want to die and she was an idiot for bringing not only Fluttershy, but all these other ponies into her foolish venture in the first place.

So caught up in her spiraling thoughts was Rainbow Dash that she didn't immediately notice the soft touch of a hoof resting itself on her withers. It wasn't until it pressed a bit harder and shook her slightly that she finally turned with a surprised yelp to see Fluttershy staring back at her. Rainbow could see a clear mix of pity, relief, and worry amidst the residual fear in her fellow pegasus' eyes. It hadn't been the first time she'd seen that look and just like every other time Rainbow had seen it, she'd hated it and herself for causing that kind of expression to cross Fluttershy's face. Every time she'd had to make that face, it was because Rainbow Dash had done something stupid like lash out in a fit of unwarranted anger. It was why she'd been working so hard to quell that kind of behavior—at least around Fluttershy. 

"Fluttershy, I..." Rainbow began, trying to find the words to convey just how sorry she was for involving her closest friend in this mess. In the end, all she could think to give was a simple, "I'm sorry. I... this was stupid—I was stupid for letting you follow me here. Yeah, things turned out okay with the Solar Guard here, but if they hadn't... if I hadn't—"

"There's no telling what would've happened if you hadn't used the scroll when you did," Fluttershy interjected with a frown, "maybe things would've turned out alright in the end anyway, maybe not, but there's no point worrying about it now, and I chose to follow you here, Rainbow. You don't need to feel guilty about a decision I made on my own."

"Yeah, but—"

"If you're still not satisfied we can talk things out once we're back at the cottage," Fluttershy continued, her expression and tone turning somewhat strained and slightly pleading, "but please, Rainbow Dash, I don't want to be here anymore. Let's take the Captain's advice and leave while we still can."

That's right... the whole reason she came here was to make sure I made it back...

The thought crossed Rainbow's mind at Fluttershy's words and the guilt that had already been smoldering in her chest flared up once again. Her soft-spoken friend had been right of course; it had been her decision to accompany Rainbow and the others into the forest, and it was because of that very promise she'd made to herself. Rainbow Dash knew that, but it didn't change the fact that Fluttershy wouldn't have had to make such a promise if a certain stubborn rainbow-maned pony refused to listen to reason and go traipsing off into the forest to confront her potential doom anyway. But even realizing all of this, just below the guilt and self-pity and fear, Rainbow Dash, still couldn't let go of that pig-headed grudge. 

She'd felt bad for getting Fluttershy caught up in her own problems, but those problems continued to persist even now. One look back at the thing entangled in golden chains was enough to strike not only terror in her, but also that same relentless hatred. One look at her mangled wings was still enough to drag out that bitterness and resentment she'd been carrying for years. That she'd come to her senses and saw just how foolish she'd been didn't erase the past and how she felt about it, but another look at Fluttershy's pleading expression and she realized that maybe now she could at least try to put it all behind her. Maybe one day, she'd even succeed and live a happier life going forward, but with the source of all her pain, misery, and fear right there before her, it was impossible to forget it all completely. Now though, she'd given her friend enough trouble, so at the very least she could heed the Captain's command and withdraw for now.

Rainbow Dash let out a resigned sigh and opened her mouth to tell Fluttershy just that when another voice spoke up, snapping through the air like a cold and bitter wind. 

"It seems you've all lingered a bit too long. There's been a change of plans," came the Captain's curt voice. All other ponies present, plus Spike who'd been in a hushed and frantic conversation with Big Mac, turned just in time to see the magenta glow of magic around the Captain's horn die out. The Captain, who'd had her eyes closed in concentration only moments ago opened them and looked back at the others with a businesslike frown as she spoke, "I've just updated Her Majesty on the situation and by Her decree, you're to accompany me back to the castle for further questioning. All of you."

The Captain of the Solar Guard listened to the expected protests—the loudest of which was coming from the drakeling and the crippled pegasus—with a cool expression. The guarantee of their safety had initially been one of her top priorities which was why she'd given them all a chance to leave, but all they'd done was stare at her like stupidly gaping fish before ignoring her completely in favor of their own problems. After a second's thought, she decided that rather than give another warning, it was more important to contact the Queen while the anomaly was still captive and so she did just that via telepathy. The report she'd given was a short one—clear and succinct with a focus on only the most important details. The rest could be further discussed with the Queen herself when she returned to Canterlot Castle. 

The result was as she'd told the others. Queen Daybreaker had been very interested in the results and demanded every bit of information she could squeeze out of the situation. Captain Sparkle had been all too happy to comply, as she was no less curious. Still, she couldn't help but frown at her earlier behavior. Even at a glance, the disparity in power between herself and that thing trapped before her was too great, the monster too much a threat to Her Majesty and the rest of Equestria to leave alone. It was her duty to see the threat either captured or neutralized in the Queen's name, but she'd panicked and made mistakes. Big ones. The Captain of the Solar Guard was supposed to be ruthless, fearless, cunning, a leader among leaders—the most powerful pony in Equestria save for the Queen herself. She knew all of this, and yet her thoughts and emotions had been thrown into turmoil at the realization that Nightmare Moon had returned.

She'd needlessly sacrificed her subordinates when she knew full well that they would've attacked on her command without hesitation anyway. Yes, it was true that any data gained on what this thing could do was valuable, but to act in such a way was shameful beyond measure. She'd left her blunder out of the brief report for now, but she'd have to bring it up eventually, and she knew Queen Daybreaker wouldn't let her mistakes slide. Twilight could only hope the Queen would understand given the circumstances, but she wouldn't hold her breath. The spells she'd used weren't meant to be used lightly, and if she couldn't maintain a proper handle on the situation after using two of the three precious spells she'd 'borrowed' from the Queen, there would most definitely be Tartarus to pay later. Even standing before this terrifying creature, the thought of failure and the punishment that awaited her should she come back with nothing to show for her efforts still gave Twilight chills.

Ultimately the simple fact was that Twilight had shown none of the qualities that had gotten her so far throughout the years of her service to Equestria and the Queen. She'd been shaken by the sight of that false alicorn who shared her appearance even upon first laying eyes on her. The first step to improving was to admit that much, and so Twilight did, albeit grudgingly. Her unease had caused her to make mistakes, but that was then. Now, though she hadn't yet grasped the full scope of the danger this creature posed, she did have a better handle on herself. She ignored the griping of the other ponies and turned to get a better look at the cosmic being who'd reverted back to its alicorn shape. Now that rational thought had once again taken over, it didn't take long for her to come to a conclusion she'd been too panicked to come to before.

"...You really aren't Nightmare Moon, are you?" the Captain muttered more to herself than to the monster, "no... you look like her in that form, but you're something completely different..."

Without the panic clouding her judgment, it was obvious that this was altogether a different creature. Just the fact that it had chosen to take her own lavender form out of anypony else's should've been some kind of evidence of that. It had given an explanation of why that was the case of course, but the Captain wasn't sure how much of that to believe just yet. There were still too many unknowns, but even if she couldn't sort it out, she was sure Queen Daybreaker would, and the Captain herself would be there for the questioning so there was no need to worry about answers she didn't have right then. With that thought, Twilight decided it was about time to wrap up the situation and make her way back to the castle, but before she could berate the others for their insolence in arguing against the Queen's orders, another voice called out to her unexpectedly.

"This magic... these chains you've bound me in," the alicorn began in a dull monotone that somehow still managed to convey deep curiosity, "this is not a spell of your own making, nor is it your magic to wield. How is that possible?"

The other ponies had fallen into a bewildered silence in the wake of the creature's sudden question, but the Captain's cool answer came with almost no hesitation.

"A strange question to ask for somepony in your position, but I suppose I can sympathize with your curiosity if nothing else," she replied with a slight sneer, "unfortunately for you, I'm not at liberty to say. What I can tell you is that the spell entrapping you is powerful enough to keep even the Spirit of Chaos at bay, so don't think you'll be escaping anytime soon."

"...I see," the other lavender mare murmured after a brief silence, "and what do you intend to do with me?"

Rather than answer right away, the Captain instead lit up her horn, the hue of magic surrounding it once again glowing with a brilliant golden shine. At the same time, the chains—which had been haphazardly wrapped around the alicorn's entire body—rapidly shifted, shrinking as they snaked along the alicorn's fur. After a few seconds, the changes slowed until the only chains that were left had uniformly snapped back into place around each of the creature's six limbs like the hoof and wing cuffs of a prisoner—the prisoner that the cosmic being technically was. 

The last chain had shrunk and morphed itself into a small ring that slipped around its horn. The change had no effect on the actual magic binding the alicorn; it only made movement somewhat easier for the prisoner and nothing more. Unbeknownst to the creature bound in chains, the spell was still incomplete, its secondary effect taking hold in the form of another complex magic circle of blinding gold flashing into existence beneath the false pony. There was a cry of surprise from the bystanders watching and a cry of Twilight's name from Spike, but the Captain continued to ignore the others in favor of finally answering her counterpart's question.

"You will be transported to Tartarus effective immediately via these Chains of Tartarus," the Captain explained in a cold and formal tone, "there you will be imprisoned while you await Queen Daybreaker's interrogation. She will be the one to decide your fate," a small sneer crossed her face, "and who knows? Perhaps the Queen will give you the answers you seek."

As the Captain finished speaking, a sharp chill seemed to fill the air, effectively wiping the cruel smirk from her face in the process and replacing it with an involuntary shiver. She wasn't alone; the others could feel it as well, a chill they'd felt before, back when they'd first entered the Everfree. All eyes focused on the entity now slowly sinking into the glowing magic circle, but the creature only had eyes for its unicorn self. There was no hint of emotion on its face or in its tone, but the words it spoke next carried a terrible weight that was directed at the Captain but felt by all.

"Remember this, Twilight Sparkle: I am the Avatar of Retribution. My body is a blade—no... a tool that can and will take any shape necessary to carry out the Will of the Slighted, be they living or dead... and that includes you. We will meet again at some point, but until then, I will give you something to think about..."

Nopony spoke a word in the heavy silence that followed. The Captain, frozen where she stood, could only stare back at this incomprehensible thing with a grim frown. She'd broken out in a cold sweat, but she paid that no mind as she focused on the creature's next words, the last words spoken before it vanished within the circle below and completely disappeared from the Everfree Forest—parting words that destroyed her composure all over again.

"The creature that killed your brother all those years ago... it is still very much alive... and much closer than you think..."
> Here's to Friendly Locals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't say that casting a transmogrification spell to change my appearance was the safest idea I'd ever had. Turning an inanimate object into something else was one thing, but trying to shift the shape or even just the color of a living creature carried with it certain unpleasant risks if done incorrectly or without proper preparation. 

It wasn't as perfect as a changeling's transformation, but if done correctly and with enough raw magical energy behind it, transmogrification was far more effective than a standard illusion spell when used to disguise oneself. You also didn't need to worry about constantly maintaining the spell to keep it active and it lasted until you chose to undo the spell. Thankfully, Starlight and I were both capable magic casters, so the transmogrification of myself into an entirely different pony was no issue whatsoever.

After discussing it for a bit, and with a suggestion from Starlight, I chose to completely rework my identity for the duration of my stay in this timeline. With Starlight's help, I'd changed my coat to a pale pink color a bit lighter than Starlight's and had given myself a slightly windswept pale blue mane with violet highlights. The idea was to pass myself off as Starlight's somewhat frumpier looking sister and once everything was said and done,  it wasn't too hard to believe. I found it amusing and—if I was being honest—an outright fun idea. While I was able to talk Starlight into playing along, she didn't exactly share my enthusiasm, but that was fine by me.

I realized that there was a chance we might run into the 'me' of this timeline and I would've rather avoided that confrontation if I could help it. Given what I'd seen of this timeline so far, I wasn't expecting things to be as pleasant as the universe I called my home. In other words, it was better to be safe than sorry. The only snag in my plan had been disguising my cutie mark—not necessarily because I couldn't, but moreso because I didn't really want to. It felt wrong and looking at Starlight, I was reminded of just how wrong it felt. Starlight, evidently noticing my hesitation, had no such qualms about the issue and took it upon herself to change my cutie mark for me.

She'd shifted my cutie mark into the image of a bundle of fireworks. All the while she wore a vindictive smirk that I would've smacked right off her face had I been the type of pony to do so. Still, I couldn't really complain too much given the majority of the plan was my idea so I let it go, albeit with some difficulty. After everything was said and done we traveled the rest of the way to the Everfree. On the way, I took the opportunity to bring Starlight up to speed regarding what I'd found out about this timeline. 

I told her about what had happened on the day Nightmare Moon had returned as well as what fate would've awaited us if the Pinkie of this timeline and her sister hadn't intervened. I couldn't quite parse Starlight's expression once I was finished explaining the situation, but I got the impression that she was at least as unsettled as I'd been when I first found out about our predicament. Whatever she truly felt, all I got in response was a non-committal grunt of acknowledgment and the rest of the trip was made in relative silence. It was somewhat heavy, but I chose not to break it because I had some thinking of my own I wanted to do. 

By the time we reached the forest's edge, the strong thaumic presence we felt had disappeared, much to my concern and Starlight's relief. Dissatisfied, I decided a bit of investigation was in order. To that end, I dragged Starlight with me as I scoured the Everfree for clues as to what could've happened, all the while watching out for any dangerous fauna and flora. On a hunch, I started to make my way to the Old Castle, but we didn't even make it halfway when Starlight and I stumbled upon what I could only assume was the area where the magical anomaly had occurred.

"Well, I think it's safe to say we found our first clue," Starlight commented, frowning at the complete and utter destruction of wildlife surrounding us, "sheesh, looks like a tornado hit," she gave a small, humorless chuckle, "a tornado in the Everfree. As if this place needed to be more dangerous than it already is."

"It definitely wasn't a tornado," I absently replied as I wandered the perimeter of the clearing. My eyes were shut in concentration and my horn was alight as I tried to pinpoint the origin of the thaumic energy. After a moment I opened my eyes and looked around in bemusement and frustration, "I can feel the remnants of some powerful magic, but I don't really understand what it is I'm sensing exactly."

"What do you mean?" Starlight asked.

"I mean this isn't like any magic I've ever come across before," I paused and my frown deepened as I thought about it, "no, wait... that's not completely true. Actually, a bit of it feels kind of like what I felt from the other me... back when she first appeared when we were in her timeline."

"So she was here then," Starlight surmised, "well, don't see her now."

"And there's something else," I continued, turning my full attention to Starlight, "it doesn't really make any sense, but I swear I could just make out the remains of Celestia's magic. It's faint, but I'm almost certain it's there."

"I don't know," Starlight replied with a disinterested shrug, "maybe she and that overgrown lightbulb had it out?"

"Maybe," I muttered, giving the area around me one more once-over,  "it's possible I guess, but somehow I don't think that's what happened. Call it a hunch, but I think what happened here was a bit more complicated than that."

"Oh?" the other mare raised an eyebrow, "how do you figure?"

"Well, for one thing, there are signs of multiple ponies having been present," I gestured to the faint, but still clearly visible hoofprints scattered about the ground, "and it wasn't just ponies, either. I think Spike might've been here too," I pointed a hoof at a tiny pair of footprints ending in sharp points, "and each of these leads... north I think, most likely back towards Ponyville."

"Okay, so that means we can move on then, right?" Starlight asked hopefully, "you're done playing detective and we can get the hay out of here?"

"There are still some questions that need to be answered," I briefly frowned in Starlight's direction but sighed in resignation a moment later, "but I don't think we're gonna find any more clues here, so yes, I think it's time we moved on to Ponyville. Hopefully, we can find out more from the ponies in town."

Starlight had no arguments whatsoever, and while I was a bit nervous about what I might find waiting for me in the Ponyville of this timeline, I nevertheless forged ahead. I had the nagging feeling that I was missing something, but I also felt we didn't really have the time to spend wandering around the Everfree Forest for too long. With that in mind, Starlight and I made our way north toward Ponyville. I'd been in the Everfree enough times to, at the very least, know my way back and thankfully the route back to Ponyville hadn't changed from what I knew.

Lost in thought as I was, I didn't realize we'd passed the forest's edge until I looked up and saw Fluttershy's cottage in the distance. I knew the path out of the forest so well it seemed, that I had led us out of the forest without thinking. I saw the achingly familiar cottage and, for a brief moment, I was under the impression that I'd somehow made it back home to my own timeline. Reality came crashing back down around me the moment I heard Starlight's irritated voice as she emerged from the forest behind me.

"Ugh, finally," she grumbled, brushing a few stray leaves out of her mane, "if I never have to set hoof in that blasted forest ever again, it'll be too soon. Give me a rocky desert in the middle of nowhere any day..." she stopped beside me and furrowed her brows at the modest abode in the distance, "what's that? Some kind of cottage? All the way out here?"

Before I could respond to the question, a sudden rustling of leaves and a high pitched whimper caught both our attention. We turned just in time to see a furry brown shape dart out of the underbrush we'd left behind and dash directly towards us. Starlight screeched in surprise, lighting up her horn and backing away, but I held out a hoof and stopped her. Being a bit more familiar with the forest's creatures thanks to Fluttershy, I was able to spot what Starlight couldn't right away. The furry shape, startled by Starlight's reaction, froze long enough that we both managed to make out what it was.

"A ferret?" I muttered aloud in bemusement, "did it follow us all the way out here?"

Ignoring Starlight's exaggerated groan of annoyance and more complaints about the forest, I focused my attention on the frantic ferret. As I watched it whimper and chirp and wave its arms around I was reminded of a certain white rabbit, and that's when it hit me.

"Oh, I get it," I said, my eyes widening in realization, "you must be this Fluttershy's pet."

I'd never thought to ask Fluttershy how she met Angel Bunny, but it looked as though things had happened a bit differently here in this timeline. As if to confirm my guess, the ferret chirped in acknowledgment and raced up one of my forelegs before settling on my back. I turned to see it gesturing from the cottage to the forest, then to what I presumed was the direction of the town. I couldn't understand what it was saying, but its body language spoke loudly enough for me to get the gist of what it was trying to convey.

"What's with the racket?" Starlight asked, now looking more confused than annoyed, "why is it freaking out like that?"

"I think something happened to Fluttershy," I replied with a concerned frown, "it might have to do with whatever happened in the forest, but why would Fluttershy be involved?"

"Who knows?" Starlight shrugged, "maybe she went to go investigate?"

That actually made more sense than I would've liked to admit, but if the ferret's motions were anything to go by, the pegasus was no longer in the forest and had made her way back to town. At least, that was my hope.

"Come on, let's head into town and see what we can find out," I called back to Starlight as I began heading the direction of Ponyville, "I'm not sure if Fluttershy was involved or not, but it's worth looking into. Maybe we'll find out more by asking around."  

The ferret hopped off my back and hurried ahead as if to lead the way and I wasted no time in following after it. Starlight hesitated a moment, but sighed in resignation and followed after me a moment later. I felt a bit guilty about dragging the mare around with me but then remembered that she could've chosen to abandon me at any point and had decided to stick with me instead. That would've been enough to bring a small smile to my face had it not been for the situation we were currently in. With that situation in mind, I brushed aside all my other miscellaneous thoughts and focused on finding this Equestria's Fluttershy, Spike, and the other me.





I initially wondered and had been worried about what state I would find Ponyville in, but as Starlight and I reached the town, it quickly became apparent that my fears were unfounded... for the most part. Ponyville looked more or less the same as I remembered it with only minor changes to the scenery here and there. The real change, however, came from the ponies wandering the streets; On the surface, the town was bustling, filled with happy townsponies going about their day. 

I liked to think that I'd lived in Ponyville long enough to gauge when something was wrong at a glance, even if everything seemed normal. I wasn't sure if that was the case up until now, but as I observed the ponies of Ponyville, I could tell. A closer look revealed that each and every pony I came across had a vaguely melancholic expression about their face. Some hid it better than others, but there was no mistaking the dull look in their eyes. I wasn't sure if Starlight could see it, but it was clear that she could feel the atmosphere was somehow off.

"Why does it suddenly feel like we walked into a morgue?" Starlight asked, looking around the town with a frown, "seriously, with the vibes I'm getting from this place, you'd think somepony just died."

I took a moment to muse on Starlight's words before answering.

"In a sense, I don't think you're too far from the truth, Starlight," I finally replied, "it's possible somepony might've just died, but I think it's more that the ponies are still mourning the death of an era."

"Isn't that a bit melodramatic?" Starlight scoffed, "I mean it's not like everypony's dressed in black and dragging their hooves."

"No, but think about it," I explained, "up until a few years ago this Equestria was just as peaceful and happy a place as our Equestria was, and it would've stayed that way had we not interfered with the timeline."

"Hey, you can't blame me for this one," Starlight argued, "I wasn't even conscious."

"I'm not blaming you, Starlight," I countered, shaking my head impatiently, "I know it wasn't your fault, but that doesn't change the fact that irreversible damage was done to this timeline. Because of that, my friends and the me of this timeline most likely never came together to defeat Nightmare Moon," I let my gaze drop to the ground as I thought about how that day must've played out, "Celestia wound up fighting her own sister and in the end... she killed her, and the pain of having to do that along with the guilt of letting Nightmare Moon commit such a horrible atrocity drove her mad."

Starlight said nothing in response and I continued. 

"Celestia became a different pony that day," I turned to look the other mare in the eye, "Equestria lost their kind and benevolent Princess and with her loss came the loss of Equestria's peace and harmony, at least I believe that's how most if not all ponies feel right now."

"Well... when you put things in that kind of perspective I can see that," Starlight replied after a minute. She looked around, watching the many ponies milling or wandering about in the distance, "still, when you put this Equestria next to that other timeline, I still think I prefer this."

"You'll get no argument from me on that front," I chuckled humorlessly as I thought back to that timeline, "out of all the timelines Spike and I saw, that one will always stand out as the worst I've seen."

Another round of heavy silence ensued, marking the end of that somber conversation. Rather than keep this silence going, I busied myself with asking the other ponies we came across if they'd seen any sign of Fluttershy, an eerie lavender unicorn, or a baby dragon wandering around. The first few ponies I asked knew of Fluttershy but hadn't seen her around town, nor had they seen a baby dragon either. Asking about the other Twilight, however, had produced a slightly more interesting result. At my description of the mare, the ponies I asked would grow visibly pale, make some excuse and hurry away without answering my question. 

That was concerning, to say the least.

After it happened for the third time, Starlight and I agreed that something was off about the situation. I hadn't given my actual name to be safe, just a description, but that was enough to send everypony in the other direction. What made it strange was the confusion they showed when I mentioned the other Twilight's soulless demeanor, blank white eyes, and lack of a cutie mark. I finally decided to drop the name and that got a more immediate reaction without any of the confusion. 

That, more than anything, confirmed my suspicions, and I didn't like what was being implied. I filed my worrying thoughts away to the back of my mind as we continued deeper into town. Thankfully, it didn't take long before we ran into somepony who had actually seen Fluttershy and Spike earlier. I recognized the mare as Bon Bon and knew she ran a small sweets shop in town back in my Equestria, but not really much more than that. This time I chose not to mention my other self and got a much better reception as a result.

"Fluttershy and a baby dragon? Yeah, I did see them earlier. Kind of hard to miss actually," she explained, "a bunch of ponies gathered around Town Hall a few hours ago to see what the Mayor would do about that creepy scream coming from the Everfree and Big Mac suddenly shows up out of nowhere with this tiny purple dragon on his back." 

"Big Mac?" I asked, looking over to Starlight who could only shrug and shake her head. I turned back to Bon Bon with a bemused frown, "why was he with Big Mac?"

"Oh? You know him?" the cream-colored earth pony asked in slight surprise before giving a small shrug of her own, "well, in any case, I'm not really sure, to be honest. I was one of the last ponies to show up at Town Hall and all I know was that they went in to talk to the Mayor, Fluttershy showed up all panicked and out of breath a few minutes later, and they all came out along with Rainbow Dash a good ten minutes or so after that."

"Rainbow Dash was there?" I blurted without thinking. Wincing, I quickly reined in my surprise before speaking again, "er, and you say they were all there to talk to the Mayor about the sound coming from the Everfree?"

The mare gave us an odd look, which I did my best to respond to with nothing but innocent curiosity. After a second she continued, albeit with a bit more wariness. 

"Yeah... they all came out looking like they were on a mission," she said, "I think they were all headed to the Everfree to investigate, find out what the sound was. I'm sorry, but who did you say you were again?"

"Oh, um... well..." I stumbled, caught off guard by the sudden suspicion, "we're kind of from out of town and—"

"There's really no need to worry about the two of us," Starlight interjected, stepping forward and giving Bon Bon a disarming smile, "my name is Starlight Glimmer and this is my sister, Bright Spark. We're from out of town and have a few errands to run involving the ponies in question."

"Oh? What kind of errands?" Bon Bon asked with a friendly smile that didn't reach her eyes, "maybe I can help."

"Oh no, you've helped us plenty," Starlight responded with a smile just as fake as Bon Bon's. She suddenly frowned in thought, "actually, maybe you can. Do you think you could point us in the direction of Town Hall? We need to stop by to see the Mayor for one of our errands anyway and I figure we can ask her for more info while we're there."

"Of course! I'd be happy to lead the way for you," Bon Bon offered, already turning to do just that, "it's only a short trot away so it's no trouble."

"No, that's okay, really," Starlight replied, "we'll be fine with just some directions."

I frowned as I watched the two of them go back and forth like this a few more times. I listened to Bon Bon's kind but oddly persistent requests to help and Starlight's polite yet staunch refusal of said help with a sense that I was missing something. I'd initially been impressed and somewhat put off by Starlight's ability to lie through her teeth without a second thought and with so much ease, but now I was growing more concerned than I already was at Bon Bon's persistence. 

I wasn't sure what was going on, but I was certain something definitely wasn't right. When Starlight finally convinced Bon Bon to just give us directions I was all too happy and more than ready to leave. Once we were a good distance away from Bon Bon, I turned to ask Starlight what that had been about, but something made me turn back. I looked over my shoulder to see Bon Bon still standing there in the distance, watching us trot away with an inscrutable expression. I shivered and quickened my pace slightly.

"Starlight," I whispered, "what the hay was all that?"

"I don't know. I don't know what her deal is, but I do know that the mare definitely isn't a friend," she muttered back with a troubled frown, "just keep moving and don't look back."

She didn't need to tell me twice. After that encounter, I suddenly felt like I was a complete stranger in a new town—an outsider who didn't belong here. The feeling faded a bit as we made our way closer to Town Hall and my thoughts began to turn towards the many questions I wanted to ask Mayor Mare, assuming she was still the Mayor in this Ponyville. The ferret that had initially led the way was now resting on my back and I turned to give it an idle glance. It had hidden behind me and hadn't made any noise when Bon Bon arrived, and that brought my thoughts back to the mare. 

Thinking about her and about the state of the town along with the reactions I got from mentioning my name, I was beginning to think it might be best if we finished our business here and left sooner rather than later.
> Here's to New Discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Voices were in a rage, but Twilight ignored them all, opting instead to take in what should've been familiar surroundings.

From within a large cage made entirely of some type of jet black metal, the blank-eyed avatar looked out and puzzled at what she saw. The Twilight Sparkle from this timeline had intended to imprison her within Tartarus, the avatar was certain she'd heard at least that much. With that being said, this was nothing like the Tartarus she knew—the Tartarus she'd suffered through.

There was no magma, there were no precarious pathways with death waiting below, no pitch-black sky, no perilous caves or cliffs... nothing of the sort. The Tartarus that Twilight had risked and lost her life multiple times to traverse through was essentially an entirely different world. This place was more like a cavern than anything else.

Granted it was positively massive in scale, but it was still a cavern nonetheless. The aesthetic was similar and there were monstrous creatures about, but they were all in the same predicament as Twilight herself—locked inside a metallic cage. Each of the cages varied in size based on the creature within and there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the placement of said cages.

There were clear paths leading to different areas of the cavern and the cages themselves were at the very least placed out of the way. Other than that, Twilight couldn't really see any evidence that any kind of thought was put into this infernal prison—at least, not from where she was imprisoned. Twilight frowned slightly and turned her attention back to her own cage. 

It was large enough that she had room to move around a bit and the bars were thick but not so much that they impaired her view of the outside. A quick once over of her lavender coat was enough to reveal that she was still bound by brilliant golden chains of magic. She could still move freely, but the weight of those chains felt like they were pulling at her own magic, trying to sap her dry.

"A spell powered and kept in place by Celestia's magic and made stronger by the very magic it drains from its victim," she mused aloud as she examined the golden cuff placed upon one of her hooves, "did the Celestia of my own time ever use such a devious spell?"

She couldn't imagine it, and at the very least she'd never seen her mentor use or even mention it in the time she'd known her. She couldn't ask either given that her Celestia's Voice had disappeared along with all the others of that timeline when she crossed over. What was more curious was that although she could feel a noticeable drain on her magic, it hadn't weakened her in the slightest. 

"Like it's pulling from a wellspring that has no end," she observed, "another result of my transformation I suppose... yet another change that shows I'm not a pony anymore."

She continued to reflect on the nature of her transformation for a bit longer before focusing on the bars of her prison. Curious, she reached out with her raised hoof and pressed it against one of the black bars. Her frown deepened as she pulled it away a moment later, a wisp of smoke rising from where her hoof and the bar had made contact.

Her fur and flesh had become less an actual part of her and more a simple vessel that held her true self within. The same could be said of the now melted keratin that made up the hoof she'd used to touch the evidently enchanted bars of her cage. She watched as the keratin reformed in mere seconds, with nary a burn or dent to be found.

Enchanted? Or is it just an effect of this place on the metal? Too many possibilities, not enough information to know for sure, but it doesn't seem like it will hinder an escape. 

She gave the idea a moment's thought, but before she could act, a weary feminine voice from somewhere nearby reached her ears.

"Trixie wouldn't if she were you."

The familiar voice and name brought Twilight's thoughts screeching to a complete halt. She'd heard that name and voice only once in her life some time ago. It had been back in her own time and it was nothing more than a vague and distant memory now, but the unicorn had been so distinctive that a face quickly rose to match the name.

As she turned to face the one who'd spoken to her, the memory came flooding back in full. A memory of a haughty unicorn mare who'd traveled to Ponyville positing herself as a great magician. Her attitude had grated on many, but nopony could deny that her prestidigitation and presentation skills were impeccable.

Most of what she'd accomplished didn't use true magic sure, but what was utilized was utilized with a certain finesse Twilight had only seen from Rarity up until that point. There'd clearly been a lot of time, dedication, and care put into the act. Yes, the mare had a disposition that would put most off, but at the end of the day, she was an entertainer. 

Twilight could respect that and her skill within her chosen career, and she'd convinced her friends to look past the mare's attitude for that reason. Ultimately, despite her faults, the wandering magician had gained quite a few fans that day performing in that podunk little town south of Canterlot. And that mare who left an impression with her performance and illeistic tendencies called herself...

"...Trixie Lulamoon."

"Twilight Sparkle," came Trixie's dull reply in kind, "somehow Trixie isn't surprised to find you here on the other side of that cage, though your new... look is a bit unexpected," she chuckled and turned to the avatar with a small smirk, "what? Did you finally follow in your precious Queen's hoofsteps and go mad with power? Use some forbidden ritual to make yourself an alicorn, perhaps?"

Twilight blinked at Trixie's words and appearance. The mare reclined idly next to her in a black cage much like her own. Generally speaking, Trixie looked just as Twilight remembered, but at the same time far removed from what she once was. There was the same azure coat and silver mane and tail, but the similarities stopped there for the most part.

Where there was once brilliant violet eyes brimming with a confidence bordering on arrogance, there was now only a burning scarlet gaze devoid of any vigor or passion. The magician looked haggard, tired, old beyond her years. It was clear to Twilight that Trixie had suffered greatly, and with a quick once over of the mare, the avatar understood why.

"Well, judging by our matching jewelry Trixie takes it your vie for power didn't go so well," Trixie raised a hoof to show she was bound by the very same golden chains, though hers had a noticeably dimmer glow about them, "that makes two of us, but you'd know all about Trixie's failure, wouldn't you, little miss Perfect Soldier?"

"If you mean to imply that I was the one who imprisoned you, then you have me mistaken," Twilight replied, "I was detained and placed here by the Twilight that you speak of."

For a moment, it looked like the other mare was about to protest. She opened her mouth, most likely to snap at Twilight, but then paused as if to reconsider. Quietly and with some difficulty, she struggled to her hooves and leaned closer within her cage to get a better look at the blank-eyed alicorn. Her scarlet eyes narrowed and flashed with an eerie red glow.

The avatar's attention, meanwhile, was taken up by the shining object affixed to Trixie's chest just below her neck. She hadn't seen it before, but now that the unicorn had fully turned to face her, she could make out some kind of large diamond-shaped ruby seemingly embedded directly into the mare's azure coat. The gem radiated a deep crimson light, matching that of the glow in Trixie's eyes. 

Something about the ruby and its rather ominous aura stirred another memory in Twilight, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before. Curious, Twilight listened, and before long she could make out Trixie's 'Voice'. She could hear a desire for vengeance against a mare that had taken everything from her—a desire warped by a malevolent power into something beyond Trixie's control.

"You really aren't the Twilight Trixie knows, are you?" Trixie muttered, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. The glow in her red eyes faded and she retreated a step back with a bemused and slightly unnerved frown, "you're... who—no, what in Equestria are you?"

"A question first," Twilight began with a nod towards Trixie, "that ruby... what is it? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"This?" Trixie placed a cuffed hoof over the gem before giving Twilight a suspicious scowl, "what does it matter to you?"

Twilight blinked.

"If you'd rather not tell me, that's fine," she said after a moment, "but just be aware that the ruby in your chest is corrupting your mind. There's no telling what will happen if you leave it as it is."

"You think Trixie doesn't know that?" the unicorn snapped, her scarlet eyes once again blazing to life, "Trixie is aware of the consequences and she has it all under control! Who are you to—"

Trixie winced suddenly, the angry flare in her eyes cutting out as she pressed a hoof to her temple. She paused and took a deep, calming breath before lowering herself back into the resting position she'd been in before. She looked away from Twilight, keeping her eyes closed as she spoke again in a far more patient tone.

"It's... it was the Alicorn Amulet once upon a time," Trixie explained, "it still is technically, but now it might be more accurate to say that Trixie herself is the Alicorn Amulet."

"The Alicorn Amulet," Twilight replied with a tilt of her head, "I have heard of it. I've read that it was an artifact that granted its wearer unparalleled magical aptitude at the cost of their sanity, but I know little beyond that."

"Yeah well, that's all Trixie knew at first too," Trixie continued with a sardonic smile, "like the stupid little filly she was, she thought that was all she'd need to become as great and powerful as she was truly meant to be. She thought she could handle a little madness if it meant she could accomplish her goal, but..."

She trailed off and raised her head to stare out at the surrounding cavern and the other caged creatures around her with distant eyes. Twilight could see sorrow and anger in equal measure in those eyes, and thanks to her ability, she hardly had to wonder what the mare was thinking about. Still, she remained silent, letting Trixie gather her thoughts. Eventually, the corrupted magician shook her head and continued her explanation. 

"...well, a lot of this and that happened and Trixie found out too late that the more you use the amulet, the more the amulet becomes a part of you," she frowned at the ruby in her chest, "this used to be something Trixie could wear and remove but now that's clearly not an option."

"And the captain of the Solar Guard?" Twilight asked, "given her ruthless disposition I imagine she would've tried to kill somepony as dangerous as you."

"Ha!" Trixie scoffed, "oh, she tried alright, but you'll find that Trixie doesn't die so easily, at least not anymore," her prideful smirk quickly fell into a grim scowl, "no, she couldn't kill Trixie so she used the Princess' magic to bind her and tossed her in this infernal place to rot, just like you apparently."

"I see..." Twilight replied, partly to herself, "so those she can't dispose of are sent here to be imprisoned in this cavern she calls Tartarus."

"Pretty much," Trixie responded with a tired sigh, "the only sapient creatures left here are you and Trixie as far as Trixie knows," she grimaced in disgust suddenly, "when Celestia became Daybreaker she rounded up and eliminated all the other villains being held here—said it was her obligation to 'cleanse Equestria of all the infectious filth plaguing it from within' or something."

"And so the only creatures left are mindless beasts that pose no threat to the outside world from within these walls," Twilight surmised, looking around the massive cavern, "monsters that can be easily dealt with at the Queen's leisure."

"Those, and creatures like us who can't be wiped out with a simple stroke of a blade or the wave of a horn," Trixie added. She turned back to Twilight with furrowed brows, "and speaking of, Trixie thinks it's about time we talk about you. What are you and why do you look like Twilight? And for that matter how do you know Trixie?"

Twilight hesitated a moment, then...

"For somepony bound to the Alicorn Amulet, you seem surprisingly... clear-headed."

"Yes well, you have these blasted chains to thank for that," Trixie replied icily, "they are good for something as it turns out, now quit avoiding Trixie's questions. She told you about herself, now it's your turn. What are you and how do you know, Trixie?"

"...I saw one of your performances once, believe it or not," Twilight finally replied after a moment, "it was in another place in another time and you were a different mare then... I suppose we both were now that I think about it."

Trixie blinked.

"You... you came to one of Trixie's shows?" she said as if trying to wrap her head around the notion, "you... don't tell Trixie you were a fan... were you?"

"I was," Twilight replied, her response simple and emotionless, "I respected you quite a bit in fact. Though just as the Twilight you know is literally a different pony entirely, so too is the Trixie that I knew."

"What are you talking about?" Trixie asked, irritation seeping into her voice, "you're not making any sense! How could Trixie be anypony else other than Trixie? There's only one Trixie... unless," Trixie's expression turned wary, "unless you're talking about a changeling. Are you? And for that matter are you a changeling? Is that why you—"

"I'm not a changeling and neither was the Trixie I'm referring to," Twilight interjected, "she and I were ponies from an alternate timeline separate from this one. I am—or rather was—a Twilight from that alternate timeline," she cast another quick glance around her, "...or so I'd like to say, but if this really is supposed to be Tartarus then I have a feeling things may be a bit more complicated than I initially thought."
> Here's to Jolly Cooperation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trixie had previously been sprawled across the floor of her cage, partly due to lazy indifference, but mostly due to the weakness she'd accrued over the length of her incarceration. By the time the creature calling itself Twilight finished her story, however, she'd completely forgotten about her magically attenuated state. She was up and eyeing 'Twilight' with an expression trapped somewhere between fascinated and disturbed.

"So... let Trixie see if she has this straight," she began once Twilight finished speaking, "in your timeline, Equestria was—no, the entire world—was destroyed by some eldritch horror, you lost everything, went insane, made a shady pact with some kind of... Trixie doesn't even know what and became a god of vengeance, ate the only other ponies alive and the eldritch horror, and came here with another Twilight, her dragon pet, and some other unicorn using some sort of time spell?"

"That is a broad generalization of the situation and you've mistaken some facts, but... yes," Twilight replied stolidly, "that is essentially what led me to this timeline."

"And what's more," Trixie continued incredulously, "you're the reason Equestria is going to Tartarus in a hoofbasket! If Trixie understands you correctly, you messed up this timeline!"

"In the grand scheme of things I suppose I have," Twilight answered readily, "but your actions are still your own. I wasn't the one who put you in this position."

"That hardly matters!" Trixie snapped, her scarlet eyes flaring as she glowered at the other mare, "if it weren't for you I might've... Trixie could've... she... aaarrgh!"

That scream of frustration seemed to drain the rest of Trixie's energy and the mare slumped back down to the ground, the light in her eyes fading once more. For a long, uncomfortable moment, neither mare said anything and simply watched one another—Trixie with a tired glare and Twilight with complete and utter impassivity.

"You're free to blame me if you wish—"

"Trixie does blame you. There's no way this isn't your fault."

Twilight's only response to the interjection was to simply blink before pressing on.

"...but blaming me for your mistakes will get you no closer to the retribution you seek."

This time it was Trixie's turn to blink. Completely caught off guard by the statement, she floundered for another expression to replace her surprise before finally settling on a wary scowl.

"How do you know about Trixie's..." she paused and her eyes narrowed slightly as realization set in, "right... you did say you were some kind of god of revenge—"

"The Avatar of Retribution," Twilight corrected, "I am, as far as I know, a forgotten spirit whose sole purpose is to bring retribution to those who've wronged others, no matter how small the slight."

"So... you're the god of revenge."

This time Twilight didn't bother to reply so Trixie continued.

"Just how much do you know about Trixie—no..." she sighed, shook her head, and met Twilight's gaze with a cold stare, "...how much do you think you know about what I want?"

"I'm unable to grasp the full picture without tapping directly into your memories, but I have a general idea of your plight," Twilight replied without hesitation, "I know that you were taken in and betrayed by a certain mare you fell in love with, and I know that you want her to suffer for what she's done, but I lack any further details beyond that."

Maybe it was because of the way Twilight spoke of her situation with such a dispassionate tone. Maybe it was because she hadn't been expecting her to so brazenly cut right to the heart of the matter. Whatever the reason, Trixie was rendered speechless as shock and rage warred for supremacy within her mind. Shock won out in the end as Twilight spoke her next words.

"Interestingly enough, I know of the mare that betrayed you—or rather, I've met her in an alternate timeline," she continued, "in fact, I arrived here in this timeline with the use of a spell that very mare improved upon."

"Alternate... you don't mean," Trixie nearly whispered, not wanting to believe the direction her thoughts and Twilight's words were taking her, "that other mare you mentioned... the one that came with you and the other Twilight—"

"Her name is Starlight Glimmer, and as far as I know, she was with us when we transitioned over to this timeline," Twilight finished, confirming Trixie's suspicions, "though we were separated during my violent reaction and I'm unsure of her current whereabouts."

"That's... I..." Trixie opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say, and completely choked with emotions she thought she'd buried long ago, "I don't..."

She fell silent and turned away from Twilight. Twilight watched for a time as the distraught mare tried to wrestle with her feelings on the matter but eventually, the blank-eyed alicorn turned her attention elsewhere. It was clear that Trixie hadn't actually expected Twilight to cut so brazenly to the heart of the matter. It was also clear that she wasn't prepared to deal with the knowledge that there was another Starlight Glimmer somewhere out there.

Twilight understood at least somewhat, so she let Trixie be while she herself pondered on something else she'd noticed about the cavern. There were no Voices to be found here other than Trixie's, and that made her frown. The Tartarus she'd crawled out of had plenty of Voices crying out for revenge, even if the majority of them were demons. This cavernous prison—for she refused to believe it was the real Tartarus—was utterly silent, but if what Trixie had said was true, that didn't make sense.

Non-sapient creatures like those trapped in the other cages didn't elicit a response from her preternatural senses, but if the Celestia of this timeline had slaughtered all the villains who'd been kept here, she should've heard something. Something she'd learned since becoming the Avatar of Retribution was that when it came to the echoes of the damned, the Voices of the malevolent more often than not resounded the loudest.

That would've bothered Twilight more had she been a slave to the demands of the Voices around and within her, but as she still had the will to resist, it hardly mattered. As things stood, she was leaning more toward impartiality when it came to dealing with those Voices. That being said, she hadn't fulfilled her duty in quite some time and she was beginning to feel the weight of the Slighted pressing down on her.

"Do you know how Daybreaker disposed of the villains being kept here?" she asked suddenly.

"Wh... what?" Trixie croaked before clearing her throat and turning to face Twilight with a bitter, slightly conflicted grimace, "h-how is Trixie supposed to know? She wasn't here for that, she only heard about it later along with everypony else when Daybreaker made the announcement to Equestria."

"Hm," Twilight fell into silent contemplation for a moment, then, "so she didn't extract them from Tartarus before executing them as far as you know?"

"As far as Trixie knows, no," Trixie replied tiredly, "what does it even matter?"

All the anger had seeped out of her voice, leaving her sounding just as drained emotionally as she was magically. Twilight took notice and decided to shelf her concerns. The fact that there were no Voices here other than Trixie's did bother her, but as she had no readily available explanation she chose to focus on what she could do—what her new existence ultimately demanded.

"Do you want to escape this cavern, Trixie?" she asked, "do you want to leave this place and take your revenge on the Starlight Glimmer of this timeline?"

To be honest, Twilight still wasn't sure if she was doing this right. There were still so many questions that needed answering—not just about what she actually was, but about how to actually carry out her duties. There was no tome to read, no tutor to teach her, no guidance whatsoever. On a whim, she'd tried asking the Voices like she'd planned to do when she confronted the Celestia of her timeline for that last time.

Despite what she'd boasted to the corrupted mare before, it hadn't worked. On this subject, the Voices remained silent. They refused to speak for her benefit but were all too happy to constantly bellow their own selfish demands. Whether it was because she'd been ignoring them or some other reason—they told her nothing of what to do or how to do it. Idly, she wondered about the creature that had made the contract with her in the first place. 

She wondered where it had gone, and if it was still there somewhere, why it was remaining silent. Was she simply meant to learn the extent of her powers and responsibilities on her own? Or was there some way to find out through other means? Would the Voices assist her if she worked harder to meet their demands? Would carrying out their will loosen their tongues then?

Only time would tell.

When all was said and done, all she could do was keep an eye out for any opportunity to learn more about herself and her abilities while fulfilling her obligations to the best of those yet unknown abilities. With her goals set firmly in mind, she watched and waited for Trixie's answer. Trixie looked back at Twilight with eyes that shone with the millions of questions she wanted to ask, but in the end, her face twisted in pain and she closed her eyes.

"I've been stuck in this stupid cage alone for months, Twilight," Trixie began in a voice trembling with emotion, "if you can get me out of here... if you can help me find that... that bitch..." she paused and gave a slow shake of her head, "just... just get me out of here... please."

Gone was the haughty, angry, embittered mare of a few minutes ago. Now, at this moment, the only thing Twilight saw was a creature broken by circumstances that had gone far beyond her control—somepony begging for a way out. The situation rang eerily familiar and Twilight felt her heart tremble as something powerful struggled to break free. Her instincts roared in response as if indignant and the feeling was forced back down, causing her to grimace with discomfort.

"Very well then," she replied after a minute, "please stand back."

Trixie frowned in bemusement but did as she was told at Twilight's look. Nodding in satisfaction, Twilight lowered her impassive gaze to look at the radiant magical shackles about each of her legs. She could feel each one trying to sap her thaumic strength, but felt no weaker for it. 

Giving a slight frown, she attempted to shift into her true form but found—surprisingly—that she couldn't. A pale icy blue glow erupted from her eyes and the air around her body warped and rippled in response to the immense power within her, but there were no physical changes beyond that. She let out an icy breath and turned her attention to the black iron bars of her own cage. 

For a long moment, she stood, reflecting on the properties of her form based on how she looked and what she'd done thus far. It didn't take long for Twilight to come to a conclusion that would've surprised and amazed her had she the capacity to feel such things. She did to a certain extent, but not nearly enough to show such emotions outwardly.

The ice that I emit... a change in my internal temperature? But that's not all, is it? For it to come out as both solid ice and in a mist... it could be magic, but that doesn't feel right somehow... 

Perhaps it's more basic than that... perhaps... manipulation of both temperature and pressure within myself? And if I take the evident gravity well effect into account...

With those thoughts in mind, and keeping her eyes on the bars in front of her, she focused on trying to manipulate various forces within herself to affect the world outside—something she should easily be able to do if her hypothesis was correct. 

Trixie, for her part, watched on in confusion and curiosity as the air surrounding the alicorn-turned-spiritual-entity continued to warp and shift with increasing intensity. The shackles around each of her legs began to glow with the blinding brilliance of Celestia's own sun—the light so bright that Trixie had to close her eyes and turn away. There was a sound like a low, pulsing thrum that seemed to grow in volume alongside the visual warping of space about the mare, and then... nothing.

Just as the spectacle was about to reach some kind of crescendo, it all stopped suddenly, like a switch being flipped. The glow of the shackles quickly dimmed back down to bearable levels and when Trixie opened her eyes and turned to see what had happened, she found that nothing about either of their predicaments had changed. Both she and Twilight were still trapped in cages and bound by Celestia's magic. She blinked once, then gave the other mare a disappointed scowl.

"What? Is that it?" Trixie asked, her supercilious tone and rampant illieism returning in full force, "all that buildup for nothing? Is Trixie supposed to be impressed?"

Once again, Twilight took her time giving any kind of answer. Instead, she turned her gaze again to the shackles binding her with a sort of thoughtful stoicism. Trixie's indignation at being ignored boiled over, but before she could snap at the spiritual entity in the other cage, Twilight spoke first, not taking her eyes from the shackles.

"I was attempting an experiment of sorts," she began, cutting off Trixie's initial operation, "the results of which may have born fruit if it weren't for the dampening effect of these shackles."

"Experiment?" Trixie asked, curious in spite of herself, "what are you talking about? Were you..." she looked from Twilight to the iron prison around her, "were you trying to destroy the cage with some kind of crazy magic?"

"I'm... not quite sure," Twilight replied, "I believe I hold a power within me that goes beyond the scope of magic as we know it, but these conditions are not conducive to a proper test of my full capabilities."

Trixie frowned.

"...Meaning?"

"In all likelihood, I could destroy this cage with ease using that power  had I continued with the approach I'd intended to use but bound as I am now, if I'd gone any further, the results would've been... problematic."

Something in Twilight's tone made Trixie shuddered with a nameless sense of dread.

"Problematic?"

But instead of elaborating, Twilight cocked her head at Trixie... and then vanished, shackles and all. There was no telltale flash or the magical pop that signaled the activation of a teleportation spell. She simply disappeared from Trixie's view as if she'd never existed in the first place. Before Trixie even had time to process what had happened, however—

"I suppose this is to be expected of a spell powerful enough to contain a creature like Discord."

Trixie shrieked in surprise and whipped around to find herself face-to-face with none other than the mare who'd vanished right before her eyes. Twilight stood mere inches away, forced into close proximity by the small size of the cage that now held them both.

"W-What?! Twilight? How? When did you—" Trixie sputtered.

"This magic doesn't just drastically limit my mana usage, it also keeps me tethered to the vessel that is my alicorn body," Twilight continued, ignoring Trixie's shock entirely as she inspected herself and the shackles, "but it seems I can circumvent the limitations of my thaumic abilities using my power as a spirit."

This might mean spirit magic is fundamentally different from the magic ponies use. But wait... this still doesn't make sense if I consider the fact that Discord is also a spirit. If this spell was truly able to bind Discord completely, shouldn't that be the case for me as well?

Could it be that the Twilight of this timeline is overestimating Celestia's power when it comes to Discord... or maybe it's because Discord and I are fundamentally different despite the fact that we're both spirits? Or maybe I have it all wrong...

Thinking back to her final conversation with Discord in Tartarus, she began to consider the nature of spirits and just how many actually existed. After all, to hear the draconequus speak of it, he was more a physical embodiment of a concept than anything else. Is that what Twilight had become? The physical embodiment of retribution, just as Discord was the embodiment of chaos? 

Is that what it meant to be a spirit? And if so, could such a thing truly be bound by magical means—be they by an alicorn's power or otherwise? Taking into account all factors based on what had just transpired, Twilight could only come up with one conclusion for the time being. 

Evidently so, but only to an extent.

Taking advantage of Trixie's shocked silence, Twilight finally addressed the magically malnourished mare. Whatever other questions she might have, Twilight had other, more immediate issues to deal with right now. Putting her contemplations aside for the moment, she placed a hoof on Trixie's shoulder as she spoke. 

"Try not to move," she cautioned, "I've yet to try this with an escort so I'm not certain it'll work the way I intend. If for whatever reason this fails and you don't survive the trip, I'll do what I can to bring Starlight Glimmer to justice in your name."

"W-Wait, what?!" Trixie shrieked, "hold on! Wh-what are you—"

Both mares vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only empty cages behind along with the myriad sounds of the many mindless beasts still trapped within the infernal cavern that was Tartarus.
> Here's to Diplomatic Relations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life had become very interesting since Celestia had cast aside her name and former title to take on the mantle of Queen Daybreaker. At the time it had seemed like a necessary change—something she felt she'd needed to bear the burden of what she felt she had to do. The drastic steps she had to take to prevent any more tragedies like...

Well, she'd decided to look to the future. Everything she'd done since that day had been for the sake of Equestria's safety. For the nation's future. For Her Little Ponies. It had been difficult at first. There'd been doubts. So many doubts and worries and reservations and hesitation... but it had gotten easier. Eventually. The change to her appearance had been somewhat unexpected if Daybreaker was being honest. 

If she was being honest, she hadn't thought she'd had it in her to become something like this. This blazing inferno. This living embodiment of that unbearably incandescent star in the sky. She was a demon shrouded in the flames of Tartarus—the true Tartarus—and in the beginning, at least, she'd been horrified at what she'd become. There'd been so much emotion. So much grief and agony and fury.

The madness had taken her in the brief moment after what she'd done. What she had been forced to do. It was only a moment, a mere few seconds that she'd lost control of herself, but that had been enough. By the time she'd regained her senses, Daybreaker had already taken hold, and it would not let her go. Celestia often thought about the transformation and often wondered if it was perhaps some kind of curse unique to alicorns.

Not that it really mattered. After all, what's done is done, and there was no changing it now. She'd had some kind of plan involving the Elements, but that had come to nothing. Had that plan worked she might've saved her sister. Had that plan worked, none of this would've come to pass, but it was far too late now. Now the Elements were out of her reach, and the stones hadn't seen fit to choose another successor.

Her Solar Guard Captain might've been a decent candidate once, but that ship left shore the moment she'd first chosen to take the life of another sapient creature willingly. It wasn't even really about the murder itself, Celestia knew it wasn't—although her methods had been questionable even by her own standards. It was the malicious intent. The want. The borderline need to do what she did.

No, there was no hope of going back to the way things were before the Vanhoover Incident. Not for Twilight Sparkle, not for Equestria or the rest of its citizens, and certainly not for Celestia. Daybreaker was here to stay, and though it had taken time for her to accept that, accept it she did in the end. All she could do now was use her newfound power to strengthen and protect what was hers.

If she wound up looking like a tyrant in the eyes of her subjects, then so be it. So long as Equestria was strong enough to defend against any threats, be they internal or external, then it was worth her tarnished image. Of course, having chosen that path, certain decisions needed to be made for the greater good of her kingdom. 

Daybreaker currently found herself contemplating a few of those decisions as she thoughtfully eyed the stone-grey stallion from over the rim of her teacup. The stallion in question sat across from her, the both of them seated at a small round crystalline table on a balcony overlooking the entirety of the Crystal Empire. The balcony was on the uppermost floor of a castle that was arguably even more opulent and beautiful than Daybreaker's own royal abode back in Canterlot.

This, of course, meant nothing to the Queen who only had eyes for the Emperor sitting before her. Well, he called himself a King but again that was neither here nor there. There were more important things to consider in this meeting than useless semantics. Namely, how to proceed now that King Sombra had given Daybreaker his answer.

After another moment of thoughtful silence, Daybreaker sighed, setting her cup back down on its saucer just as Sombra picked his up to take a sip.

"Will you not reconsider?" she finally asked, "I understand that you've had no hoof in Equestria's current predicament but surely you can understand my concerns regarding your own practices?"

Sombra took a moment to finish off the rest of his own cup of tea before responding. Once he was done, he set his cup down and looked Daybreaker in the eye, his ruby-red gaze meeting the placid stare of her predatory golden irides. Another quiet moment passed before he gave the fiery maned mare a smile oozing with false sympathy.

"I understand and acknowledge your distaste for my admittedly heavy-hoofed policies, Your Highness," he replied apologetically, "with that said, I have no intention of relaxing those laws in the slightest, even if that means giving up an alliance with Equestria."

Daybreaker frowned.

"Rest assured, though," the stallion continued, his tone turning placative, "should any of your more undesirable subjects try to bring their 'merchandise' beyond the border of Equestria and into the Crystal Empire they will be detained and you will be the first to know."

"And why, may I ask, must you continue to foist these outrageous laws upon your own subjects?" Daybreaker's frown deepened a fraction, "I've walked the streets of the Crystal Empire, Sombra. I've seen the sorry state of crystal ponies under your rule. They're weak, downtrodden, hungry, tired, terrified." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke, "Why? For what reason must things continue to be this way?"

"Ah, so that's how we're playing it then, is it?" Sombra snorted in amusement, "very well then. If we're going to talk about leisurely jaunts then I'll have you know I've taken a few trips down to Equestria myself, Your Highness—incognito, of course."

"Oh?"

Daybreaker's expression shifted into something like wary interest. Sombra nodded and gave his empty cup a pensive glance before speaking again.

"You wish to make your kingdom strong," he continued with an approving look in Daybreaker's direction, "to not only protect your subjects but to give them the means to protect themselves should the worst happen. I can respect that, really," his approving smile fell away, "but tell me, Queen Daybreaker, have you considered what you might be giving up in return?"

"You talk of peace and stability," Daybreaker replied, matching Sombra's serious expression, "you talk of the love and respect of my subjects, yes?"

"Ah, Celestia," Sombra sighed with a shake of his head, "even under this new persona and title you are still the same mare that challenged me so many moons ago. All that fire and determination and yet you still make the same mistakes."

"The same mistakes," Daybreaker repeated snidely, "if I recall, my sister and I were able to push back your forces, defeating you so thoroughly that you had no choice but to flee into the Abyss with your usurped empire for a thousand years."

"And here I am now," Sombra readily replied with open hooves, "once more free to reign over my usurped empire," he leaned over the table, propping his head  on one upturned hoof as he continued to address the grimacing mare, "you're not the only one who can play the long game, Your Highness, but then that's the problem, isn't it?"

A brief flash of irritation made the corners of Daybreaker's mouth twitch but she held her passive expression as she polished off the rest of her tea.

"Creatures like you and I only tend to see the bigger picture," Sombra persisted, "plans, schemes, machinations that span dozens to hundreds to thousands of years. So many years that the smaller problems get lost in the shuffle."

"You think me too farsighted," Daybreaker surmised, setting her cup down with an unamused scowl, "that immediate issues and consequences are ignored in favor of future gains and goals," she shook her head once, "you are not the first to bring such concerns to my attention, Sombra. Indeed, I find it strange that it's a concern of yours at all."

"I only mean to point out the hypocrisy of your accusations," Sombra replied easily, "I will not deny that the crystal ponies are suffering, but there is little I can do at this juncture to ease the current circumstances," his relaxed grin fell into a grim frown, "the collective memories of every crystal pony in the empire was not the only thing that was lost when we returned from the Abyss, Celestia."

"Really?" Daybreaker's eyebrows rose a fraction, "this is the first I've heard of any additional side effects. I suppose whatever else it is that you've lost is what drives you to push your subjects so far?"

"It is," Sombra curtly affirmed. Both his tone and eyes grew steely as he spoke, "I will not divulge them here, not now, but there are reasons for the path I've chosen. Even if they hate me now, the citizens will come to see the necessity of what I do and thank me for it. In time."

Daybreaker quietly searched the stallion's eyes for a moment, trying to find any hint of deceit or insincerity. To her surprise, she found none whatsoever in those crimson eyes so heavily dipped in dark magic. She mulled his words over for another second before giving a slow nod of—not respect, but something close to it. She pushed her curiosity and suspicion down for the time being.

She had several ways to unravel the motives of the Emperor-King, but that could wait until she had her own affairs in order. 

"Fair enough," she finally replied, "keep your secrets then, but know that while your subjects slave away in the Crystal Mines and while you continue to produce and distribute those wretched helmets, you'll receive no support from Equestria."

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Sombra replied with a sardonic chuckle, "but I believe, at this point, your support would be more cost than benefit."

Again that flash of irritation hit Daybreaker and this time she couldn't help a slight flaring of her burning mane. "You say this knowing what kind of political power Equestria wields over the other nations?"

"Ah, but it is the wrath of those very nations that worry me," Sombra's expression changed to one of genuine concern and bemusement, "surely you must be aware of what effect your militaristic pursuits have had on the countries surrounding your kingdom?"

At this, Daybreaker grinned, her gleaming fangs on full display.

"Oh, I'm well aware of what the other nations think of me and my pursuits," she answered, then gave the stallion another unamused scowl, "I'm not as ignorant of my actions as you seem to believe. I know both my subjects and the surrounding countries are scared of me and what I'm turning Equestria into, but like you, I have no choice but to push forward regardless."

"And the sun?" Sombra inquired, "these overlong days are hurting more than just Equestria, Your Highness. Many believe you've either gone the way of the vainglorious tyrant or have grown fearful of the night since—"

Daybreaker's eyes narrowed, her burning aura flaring dangerously.

"I'll thank you not to finish that sentence, King Sombra."

Sombra just sighed and shook his head in response.

"All I'm saying is that you're playing an exceedingly dangerous game this time, Celestia," he continued, "the two of us have never been anything close to friends or allies in the past but I've been where you are now and I've learned my lesson," he watched the mare carefully, "I have certain measures in place should the citizens of my empire turn on me while I'm still consolidating my power, but even should that happen, it will only affect the Crystal Empire. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You fear the other nations will turn against me?" Daybreaker guessed, her expression skeptical, "no, I don't believe that will be a problem, for several reasons," she leaned back in her chair and turned a musing gaze to the sky above, "this isn't the only diplomatic venture I plan to make in the coming weeks and even should things take a turn for the worst, I have my deterrents against an all-out war."

"The sun," Sombra surmised with a grimace.

"Precisely," Daybreaker nodded, a vicious grin splitting her demonic features, "I can utilize the sun's power in ways I've never shown to anypony, not even my sister. And even without the use of the sun, I'm still the most powerful creature in the world as things stand now. This is no mere boast or simple hubris, it is an immutable fact and the other nations know it."

Sombra couldn't help but laugh out loud at that. It was a booming, mirthful sound that pressed against Daybreaker's nerves, but thankfully it didn't last long before he spoke again. 

"Careful, Your Highness," he replied, still smiling darkly, "it's that kind of thinking that brought me low so long ago. That you are the strongest in the world is something you can never know for certain. I believe those were the exact words you spoke to me on the eve of our final battle."

"And wise words they were," Daybreaker conceded with a nod of acknowledgment, "which is why I've taken great pains over the years to ensure that any potential threats are dealt with swiftly and thoroughly," she tilted her head slightly, her look one of innocent curiosity, "tell me, King Sombra, do you see this long term endeavor of yours getting in the way of my own plans for the future?"

"That depends, Queen Daybreaker," Sombra replied, his stony features giving nothing away, "do you intend to involve the Crystal Empire in those future plans?"

The two of them silently held each other's gaze for a long moment. Daybreaker let the tension build for a bit before dispelling it with a light chuckle. She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. A crystal pony servant who'd been standing by near the entrance to the balcony took that as his cue and moved to collect Daybreaker's empty cup and saucer. She ignored the pony as he gathered up hers and Sombra's cups and gave Sombra a reassuring smile.

"If you wish to be left to your own devices then I won't interfere," she assured, "I have no intention of dragging you into my schemes so you needn't worry about that either," as she turned to leave she smiled at Sombra from over her shoulder, "having said that, I am always open to negotiation should you decide to change your mind."

Sombra smiled in turn, but it was a mirthless, bitter thing that didn't reach his eyes.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, it has been a long day and I still have much to do. I'll be sure to send a messenger your way should I choose to reconsider your offer."

Daybreaker cackled wickedly at the stallion's response and continued into the castle, another one of the King's attendants following right after her.

"Farewell, King Sombra," she called back, "I wish you luck in your oh-so-important task. Oh, and thank you again for the tea. It was... exquisite."

Sombra watched from his seat on the balcony as Daybreaker and his attendant disappeared down a distant corridor within the castle. Once they were gone he leaned against the back of his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a quiet, shaky breath. Fear and fury welled up within him in equal measure, but he viciously forced both emotions back down. This time he let out a calming breath as he stood up.

"With the way things are going that mare is going to be the death of us all," he muttered bitterly, "it's only a matter of time."

"An amusing observation, coming from the stallion once feared as the King of Monsters."

Sombra grimaced at the sound of that deep, teasing feminine tone and cast a glance over to the servant who'd collected the cups and saucers. The crystal stallion stood casually off to one side of the balcony's entrance, watching the King with an impish smile. He blinked and his dull amber irides vanished, replaced with hungry cat-like eyes that shone with an unnatural emerald green glow. The crockery was nowhere to be seen.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sombra sighed, "a bit bold to be revealing yourself while Daybreaker is still within my castle, don't you think?"

"Oh, it's fine, this here is just a proxy," the other stallion replied with a dismissive wave of his crystalline hoof, "my real body is back in Canterlot and the wanna-be tyrant will soon have other things to occupy her attention anyway," his green eyes flashed, and one of the teacups popped into existence before falling into an upturned hoof. He eyed it with a frown, "honestly, that mare really is a monster. Not even I'd come away unscathed from that kind of poison and she just downed it and went on her merry way."

Sombra, who up until that point had been looking out over the snowy horizon, whipped around to face his servant, his eyes bulging.

"You tried to poison Celestia in my castle?" he hissed, "alicorns have an all-encompassing immunity to poisons you fool! You know this and there is no way that she doesn't know what you've done! I will be the one to bear the consequences should she decide to retaliate!"

"Oh relax," the stallion huffed with a roll of his lambent eyes. He tossed the teacup in the air and it vanished with another pop, "do you think this is the first time someone's attempted to poison her? She's been dealing with those kinds of dirty tactics since long before Queen Daybreaker. She won't hold it against you, trust me."

"And I suppose you would know," Sombra replied somewhat skeptically.

"I would," the stallion nodded, "after all, my children and I are the ones that made most of those attempts. Still, though, I thought that little concoction would work for sure."

Sombra just shook his head and turned to look once more down at his empire.

"You mentioned that Celestia will have her attention diverted elsewhere," he continued after a moment, "what did you mean? Have you finally decided to make your move?"

"No, it's still too soon," the stallion replied, his tone and expression growing solemn, "I'm still stationed at the castle for the moment, but Celestia is planning to bring two of her strongest Solar Guards with her to Griffonia as a show of force and I'll be one of them along with the Captain."

"Ha! A diplomatic venture indeed," Sombra snorted, "but if not you, then what else could be tying up her attention?"

The servant smiled a small mysterious smile.

"That, my dear King, is a question I would very much like to know the answer to myself."
> Here's to Dutiful Citizens
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ignoring the dismal air surrounding Ponyville and its inhabitants, the journey to Town Hall had been an uneventful one so far.

Even without Starlight asking for directions, I'd already known exactly where the place was. As somepony not native to Ponyville, I was surprised Starlight even knew there was a Town Hall to begin with. What's more, she'd already known where it was and had only asked Bon Bon about the location to move the conversation along from more uncomfortable topics.

When I asked her about it, Starlight told me that she'd simply scouted out the town before inacting her plan to ruin the future. That, in fact, madde a lot of sense so I just shrugged at the explanation and we moved on. Along the way I decided to take in more of this Equestria's Ponyville and in doing so, I started to notice something else—something other than the somewhat morose atmosphere.

Most of the ponies we passed didn't just look sad, they seemed... skittish. I caught lots of furtive glances and hurried steps. The ponies around us rarely, if ever, stopped to chat or even said so much as a 'hello' to one another. It wasn't just the strange behavior either. Whether as a friend or simply an acquaintance, I prided myself on knowing just about every pony in Ponyville.

Sure, my knowledge about those ponies may not have been as extensive as what Pinkie knew, but I made it a point to talk to everypony I came across at least once. Here in this Ponyville, however, I noticed several ponies I didn't recognize at all. And it wasn't just that I didn't recognize them, It was their demeanor compared to everypony else, mostly.

They stood out in strange ways. I would see the occasional mare or stallion with hard eyes or a slightly-too-stiff gait. Unlike the timid, almost paranoid glances of the average citizen, these ponies would scan the crowd with a confidence and purpose that was wholly out of place. These ponies were on the lookout for something and they weren't exactly shy about showing it.

It took me a moment to realize why I noticed this and why it all looked so familiar, but the anwer hit me soon enough. This was the same kind of behavior I'd seen from the Royal Guard back in Canterlot. Looking around, I finally began to see the situation for what it was, and the implications sent a cold chill down my spine.

“Those aren't civilians... they're soldiers...”

The words slipped out in a dread-filled whisper. I was aware that I might've been jumping to some very horrible conclusions. It was entirely possible that the Guard was here to keep Ponyville safe from anymore threats like Nightmare Moon. It was possible that I was reading too much into their behavior and that they weren't soldiers at all.

Or perhaps they'd been soldiers in the past and had simply moved to Ponyville to retire. That wasn't too far-fetched to believe—Ponyville was a great place to live out the rest of your days after several long years of service. I wanted so badly to believe anything other than what I was actually seeing. Unfortunately, Starlight heard my quiet utterance and her equally quiet response cut right through my silent denials.

“Of course there'd be soldiers here in town,” she whispered back, “if even half of what you heard from those slavers about Daybreaker is true, it's only natural there'd be at least a few secret police ponies wandering about.”

“In no way is that natural!” I hissed back.

“Hey, it's what I would've done,” Starlight answered with a shrug, “what I did do in fact. I only wished I'd noticed our situation a little sooner.”

I wanted to berate Starlight for her callous tone regarding what she'd done, but the look on her face stopped me cold. The mare looked calm and collected, but I could see sweat starting to be on her face. I wanted to ask what the problem was, but then her last statement finally registered.

Our situation... oh... oh no...

My mind flashed back to all the questions we'd belted out without a care for who might be listening. I didn't personally see anything wrong with the questions I'd asked, so I didn't worry about it too much. Thinking back on it, though, for all I knew, my alternate self could've been branded some kind of wanted criminal. It was entirely possible that my questions might've sounded suspicious to certain parties I wasn't aware of.

I winced as I thought back to our conversation with Bon Bon. Given her reaction to our inquiries, I could only assume—much to my horror—that she'd been one of those so-called 'secret police'. Unable to help myself, I started to look around me for any ponies watching or following us, but my motion was cut short by Starlight's hushed but frantic words.

“Don't look back.” She muttered under her breath. She kept moving, her eyes locked on the Town Hall building that had finally just come into view a few dozen meters ahead of us “Don't make any sudden moves. Just follow my lead and act natural. If it comes down to it, let me do the talking, got it?”

I swallowed and gave an almost imperceptible nod. I was near panicking, but thankfully we were close enough to our destination that I could hold it together for now. In the meantime I distracted myself by pondering some other questions I had about the situation.

Now that I knew the citizens of Ponyville were being watched by undercover guards, I couldn't help but wonder about the other Twilights—both the one I knew and the one in this timeline. What happened to them? For that matter, what happened to Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Big Mac?

Were they captured by the Guard? Did they even know they were being watched? Well of course this Equestria's Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Big Mac would... right? From my earlier investigaion, I knew they'd at least made it to the Everfree, but what about after that? And speaking of the Everfree, if there were Guards already station here in secret, then why didn't they go to investigate?

Or did they?

I had no answers for any of these questions and in the end, my distraction only served to pile on additional stress. I kept expecting to be stopped or for somepony to call out to us at any moment... but surprisingly, we continued onward unmolested. I didn't dare search for any suspicious onlookers lest the eye contact trigger some sort of unfavorable reaction, but it took every ounce of self-control to resist.

As my mind wandered, I suddenly remembered the presence of a certain little ferret. It hadn't made a peep since we parted ways with Bon Bon and now that I recalled the creature, I was starting to get worried. I almost turned to check if it was still riding on my back, but stopped myself at the last second. Instead, I moved a bit closer to Starlight and leaned over to mutter, “Hey, Starlight? Is Fluttershy's ferret still on my back?”

I probably should've been able to tell, but the creature was a much lighter load than Spike—light enough to forget it's there. Starlight's response was somehow both worrying and comforting all at once.

“Nope,” she replied with clear disinterest. “Saw the thing dart off a while ago. Probably ran back to the forest or something.”

Not sure how to feel about that, I decided to just remain quiet and keep walking. Another few moments passed by without incident and despite my fears, we eventually made it to Town Hall. I almost allowed myself a small sigh of relief as we reached the entrance, but then remembered that we weren't necessarily any safer inside Town Hall.

If anything, we just might've been in more danger in there than outside. With that troubling thought on my mind, we pushed open the doors to the cylindrical structure and stepped inside. The entrance hall was just as I remembered it from the Town Hall in my timeline. Once quick glance around told me it was just as empty as it normally was, too.

Mayor Mare didn't keep a lot of staff around and Town Hall was usually relatively quiet most days. It was only when there was some kind crisis that the place filled up. While that happened fairly often back in my Equestria, it didn't happen all the time. Here, there were a few ponies going about official looking business but I didn't see any sign of the undercover Guard anywhere.

Starlight and I stood in the entrance for another few moments, waiting with bated breath for something to go wrong. When we weren't immediately swarmed by the Guard—and spurred on by a few strange looks thrown our way—we both finally let out relieved sighs and continued further inside.

With the lack of the reaction I was expecting, I wasn't as sure if we were correct in our assumptions about the Guard as I was before we entered Town Hall, That said, I still didn't want to entirely rule out the possibility that we were being watched so I kept my eyes peeled. I didn't see Mayor Mare around, which likely meant the mare was in her personal office.

Thankfully, she had a sort of literal open door policy. Anypony that wanted to ask questions, air grievances, or otherwise seek general advice or assistance was free to walk right in and do so. At least, that's how things worked in the Ponyville I lived in. Although Mayor Mare employed other ponies for certain day to day tasks, there were no actual receptionists.

Ponyville's mayor had opted to forego the practice—a decision, I initially found incredibly strange as somepony raised in the bustling capital. Given that I saw no receptionist in this Town Hall either, it was safe to assume this Mayor Mare had the same strange policies. With that in mind, I made for the double doors at the other end of the entrance hall where I knew the mayor's office was, but was stopped by a hoof on my shoulder before I could make it three steps.

“Wait, hold on.” Starlight came up next to me and leaned in to mutter, “Before we go marching into the mayor's office, do you have a plan?”

“A plan?” I asked with a slightly bemused frown, “what do you mean? The plan is to find out what happened in the Everfree and to everypony involved in whatever occurred there.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, looking as if she was trying to bite back an exasperated groan. “Okay, that's all well and good,” she replied, clearly attempting to keep the irritation out of her tone, “but I think we should be a bit more careful about the questions we ask. I don't know why we haven't been clapped in irons and accused of conspiring against the Queen yet, but better safe than sorry.”

“Okay, yeah... yeah, you're probably right,” I conceded after a moment, “so what should we do then? Honestly, I don't think the other Twi...” I paused and glanced around worriedly before starting over, “the, uh... alternate arrived in town with the others. If they had, I think there'd be more of a stir.”

“Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing,” Starlight agreed, “that might be why we haven't been accosted by the Guard. And if that is the case, it's probably best we don't mention her at all. If she was involved in what went down in the Everfree, then her name—or at least her description—should come up on its own during the conversation.”

I thought about that for a second, then nodded in agreement. “Okay, that's a fair assumption, assuming Mayor Mare doesn't try to hide the fact,” I replied, “so how do you want to go about this then? I have a few ideas but I'm always open to suggestions.”

Starlight glanced around the entrance hall to make sure nopony was listening in, then turned back to me with a conspiratorial grin. “Alright, so here's what we'll do...”





Starlight and I opened the doors to Mayor Mare's office and entered to find her seated at her desk. The mare sat hunched over the desk scanning through a small stack of documents with a grim frown. Her eyes snapped to the entrance when she heard the door open and our eyes met. Even through her surprise, I could immediately tell that something was wrong.

I wasn't sure if it was just a current situation I didn't know about or if it was just a consequence of how her life had changed under Queen Daybreaker's rule, but there was a drastically different air about this Equestria's Mayor Mare. She looked... haggard—like she'd been trying desperately to hold out as life beat her down. The dark circles beneath her eyes and additional lines in her face spoke volumes.

The sight left me speechless, and for an awkward moment, we just stared at each other. It was only then that I realized we probably should've at least given her the courtesy of knocking first. Thankfully, Starlight was able to pick up the slack. She cleared her throat and took a step forward, an apologetic smile on her face.

“Hi there! We're, uh... sorry for barging in on you like this,” she said with a rueful chuckle, “if you're busy we can come back later.”

Mayor Mare blinked once, then shook her head and set the parchment she was reading back down on the desk. “Ah, no, that's quite alright,” she replied, giving us both a hospitable grin, “I... needed a break anyway.”

With that, she steepled her hooves over the desk and looked between the two of us. Her smile turned to a bemused scowl and she leaned forward slightly as if to get a better look at her guests. “Well now, I don't believe I've seen the two of you around Ponyville,” she commented. She adjusted her half-moon spectacles and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, “new arrivals from out of town, perhaps?”

“Guilty as charged.” Starlight admitted. She let an embarrassed grin slip before gesturing to herself and me. “My name is Starlight Glimmer, and this awkward mare over here is Bright Spark.”

I give the mare behind the desk an awkward smile and wave, perfectly living up to Starlight's words with far less effort than I would've liked to admit. Mayor Mare didn't seem to mind, thankfully. She just nodded to the two of us in greeting and introduced herself in kind.

“A pleasure to meet the two of you,” she replied cordially, “you can call me Mayor Mare—and yes, that's both my title and my name.” She chuckled a bit, but it was clear from her tone that she'd used that line more than once. “Now... how can I assist a couple of newcomers such as yourselves? If you're looking for a tour of the town I'd be happy to arrange—”

“Nono, we're quite alright on that front, but we appreciate the offer,” Starlight cut in politely. Her expression grew concerned as she continued. “You see, we were planning to move to Ponyville at the suggestion of a relative who lives here.”

It was subtle, but I noticed the mayor's genial smile slip just a bit at Starlight's words. If she was disappointed for whatever reason though, she didn't let it show when she replied, “I see... well, you've certainly come to the right place, but by your tone and the look on your face, I take it there's some kind of issue?”

Starlight nodded hesitantly. I hated to admit it, but the mare was a great actor when she wanted to be. “Kind of,” she replied, “we were planning to stay with that relative here in town while we make our preparations and were told to meet with you to get things rolling... but on our way here we heard a worrying noise coming from the nearby forest... along with some equally worrying rumors.”

Mayor Mare's brows furrowed at that, her slightly diminished smile dropping into a full on frown. “Ah yes... that,” the beleagured looking mare sighed and gave a helpless smile, “I'm afraid the incident tied to that noise is still being investigated, but rest assured, everything is under control. As for these rumors... well I wouldn't put too much stock into them.”

“Believe me, I'd rather not,” Starlight replied with another rueful grin, “but our cousin heard about a few ponies that were involved and wanted us to ask about them while we were here.” She took a step forward, her face full of subtle but genuine distress, “Is there anything you could tell us about what happened?”

There was a long and uncomfortable stretch of silence following Starlight's question. Mayor Mare's eyes had taken on a slightly sharper edge as she once again looked between the two of us. I suddenly felt as if her earlier attitude had been a facade and this sharp-eyed—almost hawk-like—mare was the true mayor. I tried to dismiss the thought but the grim suspicion in her next words made me break out in a cold sweat.

“Just who is this cousin of yours?” she calmly asked as she leaned back in her chair, “I don't believe you mentioned a name.”

“Amethyst Star,” I blurted out. I was both surprised and relieved at how calm my own reply was. I certainly didn't feel nearly as calm as Mayor Mare looked. “She's... a distant cousin, but we, ah... like keep in touch. She was more than willing to put us up until we got our affairs in order.”

It was a gamble, but I believed it was a safe one to make. I'd actually spotted the mare in question on our way here and the lie seemed plausible when Starlight and I discussed it. Still, none of that stopped me from shifting nervously under Mayor Mare's sudden scrutiny. She remained silent for another second or two as she mulled over my words.

Where is this coming from? I thought, Did we say something wrong? Was there something I missed?

After what felt like an agonzing eternity, Mayor Mare's expression finally softened, though just a touch. She favored us with another smile, this one both sincere and apologetic. “I'm sorry, if I've come across as rude. It's... just been a long day. You understand, I hope?”

“Oh yeah, no we understand completely,” Starlight replied, latching onto the mayor's apology like a lifeline. “I can't imagine how stressful your job must be on a day to day basis.”

“Y-Yeah,” I continued, hoping my own smile looked at least half as sincere, “it's no problem. We've all got our concerns and I'd think the head of a town would have more than most.”

“Well, you're not wrong there,” Mayor Mare chortled. She schooled her features a second later and shook her head sadly, “but I'm afraid there's not much I can say about the incident in the Everfree at the moment.”

“Ah,” Starlight muttered, “I see...”

At our disappointed faced, the mayor sighed and leaned forward to rest her hooves on the desk again. She paused a moment, then smiled softly as she said, “I'm not at liberty to speak about what happened in the Everfree, but I can guarantee you that all parties involved are safe and sound.”

“Well, that's a relief at least,” Starlight replied with a small sigh of her own, “the ponies that got caught up in... whatever ever happened... do you know where they are now?”

Mayor Mare hesitated, as if unsure whether she should say or not. Before she could answer one way or the other though, there was a loud knock at the doors behind us. As we hadn't really moved too far from the entrance since our arrival, the sound nearly made me jump out of my skin. As it was, I let out an embarrassing yelp and scurried away from the double doors.

Both Starlight and Mayor Mare handled the sudden intrusion with far more grace. The former stepped away from the doors with an annoyed grimace and the latter called out for whoever was at the doors to enter without missing a beat. At her invitation, a pegasus mare I didn't recognize with a cobalt blue coat and snowy mane threw open the doors and brushed past Starlight and I without giving either of us so much as a glance.

The mare's icy blue eyes were focused on the mayor, and her stony expression made me more than a little uneasy. More than that, she had the same kind of subtle mannerisms I'd seen in the other mysterious ponies wandering Ponyville. She walked with that same vaguely militaristic march in her step.

None of us said a word as the mare moved around Mayor Mare's desk to whisper in her ear. I couldn't hear what was being said from where I stood, but with each word, the mayor's features seemed to grow more and more severe. Seeing that, a horrible knot of dread formed in my gut. I threw a glance in Starlight's direction and she looked just as pale as I probably was.

Something was very wrong here. I could feel it and so could Starlight. Thoughts of escape flashed through my mind as the pegasus mare finished whatever report she was giving and took a step back. Mayor Mare's grim expression suddenly gave way to bone-deep exhaustion. She closed her eyes and exhaled a long and weary sigh, then stood from her desk.

The mayor opened her eyes and refocused her attention back on the two of us. When she spoke again, both her visage and tone had turned cold. “Come with me,” she all but commanded, “the both of you.”

“Um... i-is something wrong?” Starlight asked as both she and the pegasus mare made their way toward the entrance.

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Mayor Mare replied as she moved past us and through the open doorway. She stopped just outside and turned back to us, the look on her face unreadable as she said, “in either case, if you want to know more about those ponies you mentioned, I suggest you follow me and Miss Skies here.”

Both Starlight and I turned to the pegasus who'd stopped just behind us. The mare nodded for us to continued. “Go on,” she urged in a surprisingly husky voice, “I'll be right behind you.”

Starlight and I looked at each other, unsure what to do. On one hoof, I had a very bad feeling about whatever was waiting for us if we followed Mayor Mare. But on the other, we needed that information. This very well may have been a trap of some kind, but in the end, I was confident we could escape if need be.

From the look on Starlight's face she felt the same, and we ultimately decided not to resist. I gave Mayor Mare a nod and together we all left the office. We headed up a flight of stairs nearby and continued on down a series of serpentine halls. I wasn't too familiar with the layout of Town Hall, but I did know that the structure was much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

Evidently this had been due to some kind of ancient enchantment cast by a powerful unicorn mage when the town was first founded. There were a few buildings like that back in Canterlot so it wasn't unheard of, but the spellwork still fascinated me nonetheless. Unfortunately I was too nervous to truly appreciate the fact now.

The trip itself was a painfully silent one, but thankfully wasn't too long. After a few more flights of stairs and another twisty hall, we stood before our destination. Mayor Mare had stopped just outside of what looked—and by all intents and purposes was—a nondescript wooden door at the end of a relatively short hallway.

The mayor stared at the door in front of us for a second before turned back to us. “Well Miss Glimmer, Miss Spark, this is where we part ways,” she announced, her expression still inscrutable. I opened my mouth to ask what this was all about, but Mayor Mare held up a hoof to cut me off and said, “I know you have questions but I'm afraid I can't be the one to answer them for you.” She looked over to the pegasus mare, “I trust you can take things from here?”

The mare nodded once and Mayor Mare nodded in return before making her way past each of us. Before we could say anything, she was already heading across the short hall. She reached the stairs shortly after and headed down without another word or a single glance back. In the ensuing silence, all Starlight and I could do was look to the other mare.

“Alright you two,” the mare said, motioning for us to open the door, “in you go.”

“I, uh... don't suppose you could give us an idea of what we're in for here?” Starlight asked hopefully, “y'know, like... who's behind the door?”

“You'll find out when you open it,” the mare nearly growled before jerking her head toward the door, “now move.”

“Alright, alright, jeez...” Starlight grumbled. Her irritation was short-lived as she faced the entrance. She visibly swallowed, hesistated a second more, then used her magic to twist the door handle and slowly push the door open. The door creaked open and Starlight tentatively peered inside.

My eyes widened as the mare jerked in surprise, pulled back and slammed the door shut. She whipped around to look at me and my heartrate skyrocketed at the mix of horror and confusion on her face. Starlight opened her mouth, her face white as a sheet, but nothing came out. After a few seconds of useless lip flapping, she finally managed to croak something out in a shaky voice.

“We need to go. Like, now.”

I didn't get a chance to respond before another magic aura gripped the door and ripped it back open. Before either Starlight or I could react, we found ourselves wrapped in that same aura. We both shouted in surprise as we were violently yanked into the room and unceremoniously dropped onto the floor. I quickly scrambled to my hooves, scanned the room in a panic, and froze.

The room itself wasn't much to look at. Decorations were sparse, as was furniture save for two plush, dark red chairs and a large cabinet shoved into one corner. The back of the room was slightly rounded with two large arched windows overlooking the town. The light shining in from the windows framed a single desk that sat opposite the entrance.

That was all I was able to comprehend before my thoughts grounded to a complete halt. The only thing I could focus on was the desk in front of me—or rather, the pony who sat behind that desk. The unicorn mare who looked down at me with a cold smile and eyes that were both hauntingly familiar and horribly alien.

“Well now, meeting myself not once but twice! In one day! I have to say, this mission is turning out to be one of the most interesting I've ever been assigned to.”

Somewhere behind me I heard the pegasus mare enter the room followed by the soft click of a door being closed and locked, but I paid it no mind. Flanking either side of the desk were what I could only assume were six Guards wearing strange fire-themed armor with even stranger weapons attached to their hooves. What's more, I could see Bon Bon included in the line-up... but I ignored all that too.

The only thing that mattered—the only pony that mattered—was the mare who'd just spoken. The one sitting behind that desk. The lavender unicorn wearing a cruel mockery of my face. I was so shocked and horrified by what I was seeing that I hadn't even realized the spell hiding my true identity had completely unraveled.
> Here's to Healthy Curiosity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Solar Guard Captain Twilight Sparkle looked down at the mare wearing her face, observing every facet of her familiar features with a calm and critical eye. Each Solar Guard in the room had both her doppelgänger and the as yet unknown mare pinned to the ground with hoofblades pressed against their throats. Was it an excessive show of force considering the targeted anti-magic ward surrounding the room?

Probably, but the Captain had never been one to take half measures—not when it came to her job, and especially not in this situation. The Twilight in front of her may have had her magic blocked, but that didn't mean she didn't have other tricks up her proverbial sleeve. She was an alicorn, after all—a real alicorn, not whatever that thing was. The Captain could “see” it plain as day. Though it didn't burn nearly as bright, this Twilight had the same divine aura as the Queen.

But then, why would that beast appear as an alicorn? Perhaps she might've actually been one in the past? And if both of my counterparts were alicorns, what does that say about me? About my future? Or about my past? How did they do it? And could I have accomplished the same?

Would I even be allowed the right after what I've done?

The Captain shook away the useless thoughts. Equestria already Queen Daybreaker, and that was enough. Maybe that monster might've been an alicorn once, but even if that'd been the case once, it certainly wasn't anymore. Now it was a freak of nature that she couldn't afford to let roam the lands of Equestria. Just like the self-proclaimed Lord of Chaos. Just thinking about the encounter with that abominable copy in the Everfree made the Captain grind her teeth. Its final words were still bouncing around in the back of her mind, despite her best efforts to shove them aside.

She didn't want to believe that thing. She didn't trust it. Of course, she didn't. But the words it spoke—the declaration it made—the Captain found she couldn't ignore them. There was something irrefutable in its voice. The Captain met its powerful gaze and knew the monster had told no lies. Not only had it known about her brother, not only had it known he'd been murdered, but it had somehow deduced that the killer was somewhere close by. The Captain nearly snarled at the thought.

If it knew where that wretched insect was, it could have just told me instead of speaking in vague proclamations, she thought bitterly, then allowed herself a small but vicious smile, but it doesn't really matter. I'll get the full story out of that loathsome thing in the end, one way or another. And if I can't do it, the Queen certainly will.

Of that, the Captain of the Solar Guard had no doubt. That thought eased some of the Captain Sparkle's growing frustrations and allowed her to refocus her mind on the matter at hoof. The Captain had set up some temporary “accommodations” for the witnesses here in town while she finished preparations for their trip back to Canterlot. At least, that had been the original plan, at any rate.

But then the Captain had gotten a sudden communication from the Queen upon reaching Ponyville about a matter that needed immediate attending to, and the whole operation was placed in the Solar Guard Captain's hooves. The ponies that had summoned her in the Everfree Forest weren't technically prisoners or accused of any crimes. Yet. The same couldn't be said for the baby dragon, but that was a separate political matter that could be handled once more immediate concerns were resolved.

The Captain couldn't have the group wandering off while she was attending to other business—especially the dragon. No, the ponies weren't accused of any crimes per se, but that didn't mean they couldn't be questioned. She hadn't finished investigating the events that led up to the confrontation in the Everfree yet. Unfortunately, that business had been put on something of a hold when she received word from the Ponyville surveillance team about two suspicious individuals approaching town from the south.

Specifically, from the direction of the Everfree Forest.

Needless to say, that had grabbed the Guard Captain's attention. When one of the team members shared a thaumic vision of what they'd seen, the Captain had completely set her work aside. Evidently, the two strangers had been going around asking some very pointed questions about individuals they had no business knowing about. Sweetie Drops failed to convince them to accompany her to Town Hall, but that hadn't mattered ultimately.

The Captain simply had Ashen Skies track them from above to make sure they didn't stray from their objective, and that had been enough. Now they were in her custody, and Captain Sparkle had been given the okay to act with impunity by the Queen. This was her show now, and the Captain intended to take full advantage of the circumstances. Of course, she'd had no idea who this Bright Spark really was until she'd dragged the mare into the room.

Her thaumic sight—her ability to sense and see a creature's unique thaumic aura—didn't work unless the creature in question was within close proximity. That, and she actually needed to see them with her own eyes. Had the anti-magic ward not stripped away the mare's disguise, the Captain would have recognized her own thaumic aura immediately. The aura of the monster she'd captured in the Everfree was a wild and alien thing for the most part, but as much as she hated to admit it, the Captain could sense a trace of herself within that aura.

It was faint, but it was there, and she couldn't deny what her own eyes were telling her. Then again, that thing was a complete mystery. For all she knew, it could have warped her senses to suit its own needs. All the more reason to get what they could out of it and, if possible, dispose of it. This mare, on the other hoof, was, undoubtedly, Twilight Sparkle. There was some strangeness in her aura—in both the mare's auras—that she'd seen in the monster and the baby dragon, but the Captain was convinced it was her counterpart for sure.

Even without having asked any of the questions she'd been dying to ask since the mares were brought to her, the Captain had already been able to come to a few conclusions just based on their auras. If that anomalous factor in their aura was any indication, the two mares here and the monster and dragon were connected somehow. It also might've stood to reason that, based on that same anomalous factor, the monster's tale about coming from another timeline might not be a complete fabrication.

That had some very interesting implications, ones that Captain Sparkle planned to investigate the moment she had the opportunity. She might've been the Captain of the Solar Guard now, but the mare was still an academic at heart. She didn't often show her scholarly proclivities outwardly anymore, but the Captain never once denied them. If her intellectual interests were piqued, she'd pursue the source without hesitation.

And these four creatures who'd fallen into her hooves certainly were interesting specimens. If the Captain was being honest with herself, she found the presence of her two lookalikes as unsettling as it was fascinating. But there was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be had here. She just had to figure out exactly what it was and how to capitalize on it. And if she was going to get anywhere, she needed some answers.

“You know...” Captain Sparkle began casually. She traced a hoof idly across her desk as she spoke, though her eyes never left the other Twilight forcefully prostrated before her, “...that other counterpart of mine told me some very interesting things when we met out in the Everfree.”

Her alternate didn't answer right away, but the grimace of bemusement and consternation said volumes. The Captain just smiled and waited another few seconds to see if she said anything. Eventually, she did, though it sounded like she was struggling to push the words out.

“Where is she?” the mare asked, her voice strong but clearly lacking in intimidation, “what did you do with her? And the others?”

“Others?” the Captain furrowed her brow in confusion, “I'm not sure I follow. What 'others' are you talking about?”

“You know who I mean,” the alternate ground out, “I'm not going to play this game with you—with myself. I don't understand how or why you turned out this way, but what I do know is that we've done nothing except ask a few questions. Or is that alone enough to condemn us?” As the other Twilight spoke, her tone and expression grew more challenging. “Is this Equestria really so far gone that the Royal Guard is willing to threaten me with violence just for asking the wrong questions?”

The Captain raised an eyebrow at the mare's accusatory tone. She would've been impressed by her alternate self's courage in such a volatile situation, if not for the slight quake in her voice and the anxiety bubbling just behind her fierce amethyst irises. The alicorn was bluffing, and not very well by Captain Sparkle's estimation. That she was just as terrified as she was confused was plain as the boiling sun in the sky.

She has some experience with this kind of situation, but not much, I'd wager. Just what kind of Equestria did you come from, alternate?

The Captain didn't completely buy the story that abomination was selling, but given the growing evidence and increasingly absurd circumstances, she was beginning to come to grips with the notion that the creature's words warranted at least some manner of consideration. Rather than make her thoughts known, the Captain chose to answer her counterpart's question with an amused grin.

“The Royal Guard? No,” she replied, “no, my unfortunate lookalike, that's what the Solar Guard is for. We do the threatening, and we very much have the right to detain and interrogate you for asking the wrong questions.” The Captain's mocking smirk fell away, “and if we don't like what those questions imply, then yes, we just might resort to violence, as is our right and potential duty.”

The alicorn opened her mouth, but disbelief rendered her mute. Rather than wait for her to collect her thoughts, the Captain turned to address the other mare instead. She hadn't said a word since the two were dragged into the room. Captain Sparkle figured it was about time that changed.

“What say you... Starlight Glimmer, was it?” the Captain gave the unicorn a curious look, “you've been awfully quiet over there. Surely, you have something to say on the matter? Come on, speak up,” she gave the mare a toothy smile, “I don't bite. Really.”

Starlight Glimmer flinched at the sudden attention. She glanced sidelong at her alicorn companion, then back to the Captain. After a moment, she licked her dry lips and opened her mouth to speak.

“How... does this spell work, exactly?”

The seemingly impertinent question actually gave the Captain some pause. She gave Starlight a slow, measured blink, then gradually leaned forward over the desk as if to get a better look at the unicorn. After an excruciating few seconds of complete silence, the Captain finally spoke. Her tone was calm and patient, but the look in her eyes was anything but.

“Do you think I'm an idiot?” she asked.

The Captain let the question hang in the air, as if that was all that needed to be said to get her point across. Starlight, having heard well the threat beneath her collected response, gave a wry, shaky smile in turn.

“Well, it was worth a try, right?”

In truth, Starlight Glimmer hadn't expected her plan to work, but getting Twilight's militaristic double to spill the beans on how the anti-magic ward worked wasn't the plan anyway. Not exactly. No, the question itself was the plan—a prompt, really. It wasn't meant for the Captain of the Solar Guard, but rather for the Princess of Friendship. Starlight glanced at Twilight again and had to bite back a sigh of relief as a look of realization crossed the alicorn's face.

If she was being honest, Starlight was afraid the mare wouldn't catch on, but it seems when it came to magic, Twilight didn't disappoint. Starlight Glimmer herself was adept at spellcrafting—it was her talent, after all. She'd used that talent to modify Star Swirl's original time spell and had even improved upon it, or at least she'd like to think so. But the thing was, spellcrafting took time and resources. Time and resources Starlight didn't have on hoof right now.

Twilight Sparkle didn't have those restrictions. Starlight had done her research. She knew about Twilight's ability. She knew that the mare was a magical wunderkind that could analyze and reverse engineer a spell through simple understanding of the underlying principles. Starlight had no doubt that Twilight knew a few things about magic-restricting spells and wards. The unicorn just needed to get Twilight's mind back on track... and keep her double preoccupied while she thought up a way out of this mess.

“Alright, alright, real question then!” Starlight squeaked in terror as one of the guards pressed their hoofblade closer to the back of her neck. Clearly none of were amused by her wit. Starlight made a mental note of that and let out a shaky breath as the blade retracted ever so slightly, then continued in a more contrite tone.

“Okay, so obviously we were being watched this whole time, so I won't beat around the bush anymore.” She resisted the urge to give Twilight another look and held the Captain's gaze as best she could. “Yes, we were asking questions about the other Twilight and the others in the Everfree. We're worried about them. All of them. We're just trying to make sure nopony was hurt in whatever went down in that place. With all that out in the open, what do you actually want from us?”

It was a gamble, but the Captain of this Solar Guard hadn't had them killed on the spot, which meant she had a use for them. Whether it was just for questioning or something else, Starlight didn't know and didn't particularly care, so long as Twilight found a way around the anti-magic ward and got them out of here. She just needed to buy time.

Starlight wasn't sure if it was the admittance of their actions or the actual question, but either way, her words seemed to mollify the Captain somewhat. The mare leaned back against her chair and gave Starlight Glimmer an assessing look. All levity and mockery, false or not, disappeared from her face. When she finally started talking again, it was clear to the captured duo that the time for banter had passed.

"What I want—what the Queen wants—is answers. Proper answers,” the Captain replied seriously, “if the two of you and that drakeling really are accomplices to that abomination like I suspect you are, then that makes you all a potential threat to Equestria. My job is to find out what you know, your motivations, what you plan to do, how involved with the abomination,” her eyes narrowed, “if I don't like the answers... well... I'm sure I don't need to say it.”

“Fair enough,” Starlight conceded with a jerky nod, “ask away, and I'll be happy to answer as best I can—though, I have to warn you that our story is kind of out there, and I was, ah... sort of indisposed during part of what happened.”

“And what did happen exactly?” the Captain asked.

Captain Sparkle leaned forward in her seat again, eager to hear what the mare had to say. She'd gotten some details about what happened in the Everfree Forest from the crippled pegasus and her companions, but she hadn't heard anything of real substance yet. The baby dragon, on the other hoof, had spun her a much more interesting tale—nonsensical and impossible to believe, but interesting nonetheless.

Of the four evident outsiders she'd detained, the Solar Guard Captain had gotten a full account from one and a brief account from another. So far, both stories from the dragon and the abomination had matched up, but as they were together at the time, that didn't mean much to the Captain. A corroborating account from these two could change that, depending on what was said. And just maybe she could also get some details on the other magical anomaly the surveillance team found deeper into the Everfree.

All that ice, and the residual distortions in the thaumic field... it has to be related to that thing somehow...

She just needed more. More answers. More time. More opportunities. She needed to know, to understand, to sate the hidden beast that was her curiosity. Captain Twilight Sparkle told herself time and again that it was all for Queen and country, but that wasn't true. Not really. No, in reality, this was personal. There was clearly something going on here that the Queen wasn't telling her about—something much bigger than it seemed, the Captain was sure of it.

And despite herself and her dedication to the Queen and professionalism, she couldn't help her own desires. Still, she allowed those feelings to sink deep into the abyss of her mind, just as she always did. Just as she'd done for years. She'd have her chance to find out the truth of the matter, but not now. Not yet. Now she had to listen to this mare's story, and what a ridiculous story it was.

She listened intently as Starlight Glimmer told her of another Equestria across time and space—one where peace reigned, and Princess Celestia still ruled the land with patient grace and boundless benevolence. She reluctantly told of how she'd modified and used Star Swirl's time spell to unravel their timeline out of some misguided bid for revenge against the Princess of Friendship. The Captain found she couldn't bring herself to rebuke the mare for her rash and foolish actions.

While she herself wouldn't have done so just for some petty revenge, the Solar Guard Captain would have happily used that power to change the course of her own history. Assuming countless thaumatologists had been wrong and that the future could, in fact, be changed permanently. Maybe Nightmare Moon's attack on Vanhoover could've been prevented. Maybe the tragedy of Cloudsdale could've been avoided. Maybe Twilight could have saved her brother somehow. Maybe... maybe, if what this mare said was true, then maybe she still could.

Maybe this was the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

This mare, without realizing it, had suddenly become far more important in the Captain's eyes, even more so than the abomination or her royal doppelgänger. To think, the potential answer to all of her and the rest of Equestria's problems would come not from her alicorn counterpart, but from this single, no-name unicorn. The Captain wanted to laugh at the irony, but bit it back, along with her growing excitement. There was yet more to the story that was being told.

Starlight, oblivious to the hunger in the Captain's eyes, went on to talk about how she'd dragged Twilight into a temporal game of cat and mouse and how they'd wound up reaching a dead world completely devoid of life—save for a horrifying monstrosity made of pure light. According to Starlight, it was there that the Captain's more monstrous counterpart found and attacked them.

Princess Twilight was able to talk her bestial alternate down, though Starlight was still reduced to a vegetative state. What happened next, Starlight only knew from what Twilight had told her. She'd expected the Captain to mention something about the slave traders that'd captured the both of them, but the Captain didn't even acknowledge them. Instead, she finally turned her focus to the other Twilight to ask a different question... and froze.

None of the other Solar Guards could see it, but to the Captain, it was painfully, horribly obvious—or at least, it should've been. Captain Sparkle had been so focused on Starlight, so enamored with her words and the possibilities she presented, that she hadn't even glanced the alicorn's way. That had been a mistake, and a careless one at that. Too late, the Captain of the Solar Guard noticed the fluctuations in her counterpart's aura.

There was no visible glow in the mare's horn, but for somepony as skilled as Twilight, there didn't need to be. The Captain knew that better than anypony. She knew how intelligent and resourceful she could be, so why would this Twilight be any different? If anything, this Twilight likely had much more time and experience to devote to the study of magic than the Captain did. She was a genius. She was powerful. She was an alicorn. And yet, the Captain had somehow still written the mare off.

Despite her resolution to do so, she hadn't given the situation its warranted due, and now she was about to pay the price. To anypony who couldn't “see” Princess Twilight like she could, the mare looked utterly docile, with her eyes closed and her head bowed. Captain Twilight Sparkle knew better. She recognized the rhythm of the alicorn's shifting aura—the subtle ebb and flow, the rhythmic pulses, the thaumic vibrations. Instantly, the Captain knew what the mare was doing, but she was already too late to stop it.

Even as she shot up from her chair, lit her horn, and opened her mouth to shout a warning, Twilight had already finished her preparations. Twilight's eyes snapped open, her amethyst orbs blazing with magenta tinted power. That same magenta light wrapped around her horn, then traveled down her entire frame before erupting outward like a bomb. The shockwave of thaumic energy washed through Starlight harmlessly, but each and every guard was violently thrown backward.

The anti-magic ward, surrounding the room like an invisible bubble, turned opaque as the Princess' magical shockwave reached the walls and ceiling. The moment the two conflicting energies made contact, the new magenta bubble of anti-magic shattered like glass. Captain Twilight Sparkle was a powerful mage—the strongest in Equestria barring the Queen herself—but she was no alicorn. The expertise was there, but the raw thaumic strength to overcome her alternate's magic was not.

She'd thrown up a last second barrier to defend against her counterpart's assault, and while it had allowed her to hold her ground, the barrier itself was also shattered to pieces. The magical backlash the Captain suffered was terrible, but the rage and shame allowed her to cut through the pain—not that it did her any good. All she could do now was grit her teeth and glare at the font of magical power before her. Princess Twilight returned the look, her eyes still ablaze with blinding magenta light, and it was the Captain of Queen Daybreaker's Solar Guard that flinched first.

She knew the mare was an alicorn. She knew just how powerful she personally could be as an alicorn—maybe not as powerful as Queen Daybreaker, but an unstoppable magical powerhouse in her own right. She knew that and had even seen as much from the abomination, but it was only now that she truly understood that she, as an admittedly powerful unicorn, but a unicorn, nonetheless, was utterly out of her depth here.

Her mind railed against the notion, fought against it desperately, but ultimately, all she could do was watch with impotent fury as her royal doppelgänger and the potential key to hers and Equestria's salvation vanished from Town Hall in a blinding flare of magenta light.
> Here's to Serendipitous Encounters ~ Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike frowned as he watched Rainbow Dash pace back and forth across the lavishly furnished guest room on the second floor of Town Hall. The crippled pegasus had been wearing an indignant scowl ever since she, Fluttershy, Big Mac, and Spike himself were confined to this admittedly luxurious space several hours ago—and confined was certainly the term Spike would've used.

Two Solar Guards stood vigil just beyond the door to make sure Spike and the others remained right where they were. The Captain had said it was for security purposes, but it was clear to everyone they were being detained so they could be interrogated like some kind of spies or prisoners of war. Spike knew it, Big Mac and Fluttershy knew it, and Rainbow Dash certainly knew it, and wasn't taking it well.

"This is complete and utter horseapples," the pacing pegasus groused, "we've been stuck here for hours, and for what?" She stopped and suddenly rounded on the others, "We didn't do anything wrong!"

Big Mac and Fluttershy, who were both sitting on opposite ends of a rather lengthy sofa, shared a look of weary exasperation. This hadn't been the first outburst from Rainbow Dash—far from it—and, frankly, even Fluttershy was reaching the limits of her patience. Sure, the situation wasn't ideal, but the meeker of the two pegasi in the room had just been happy to be able to return to Ponyville alive and unharmed, though she was worried about where her little ferret companion, Bella, had gone.

The ferret had followed Fluttershy into the forest, but had disappeared sometime during all the chaos. Fluttershy hadn't noticed because of what was going on and hadn't seen her since they left the Everfree Forest. Now she could only hope the little troublemaker made it back to the cottage safely. Trying not to think about it any more than necessary, Fluttershy had initially tried to focus on calming Rainbow Dash down, but gave up after the first few attempts.

Neither Spike nor Big Mac could blame her, as Rainbow could be downright insufferable when she got worked up. Fluttershy had learned a long time ago that when her friend got riled up like this, all she could do was wait until the fuming pegasus burned herself out. To that end, they'd tried to either ignore her while they waited for the Captain of the Solar Guard to return, or when they couldn't, just agree with her furious proclamations instead.

"We got the okay to investigate from the Mayor," Rainbow continued, gesturing a hoof to the door, "we found that creepy alicorn thing, we used the scroll, the Captain captured it. That's it! We did what we were supposed to do, so why are we being treated like dirt?"

Spike let out a long-suffering sigh before finally replying, "Well, for one thing, these Solar Guards are jerks, but beyond that, it's probably my fault—at least partially."

Rainbow's gaze snapped to the baby dragon, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she replied, "What are you talking about?" Then her eyes widened slightly in realization, "Wait, that's right! You were in cahoots with that thing from before!"

Spike grimaced. 

"Hardly," he said with some reluctance, "we did arrive here in this Equestria together, but I didn't exactly know that Twilight before all of this. We met under some really weird and really scary circumstances just before all this madness went down."

Still...

He hadn't said anything about it until now, as he'd been lost in his own thoughts about the situation. But now that he'd had some time to mull it over...

"All that said, after what we all heard, I'm pretty sure things aren't as black and white as you or the Captain made them out to be with her," the baby dragon slowly shook his head, "and that wasn't what I was talking about anyway."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes on Spike but her mind obviously on the twisted alicorn from before.

Rather than Spike, it was Big Mac that answered, his gaze somewhat pitying as he, too, looked at Spike. "He means the fact that he's a dragon in pony territory," he elaborated, "Ah don't much care who or what he is so long he don't do nothing to harm me an' mine, but that ain't the same for the Queen an' her Solar Guard."

"Exactly," Spike nodded, looking slightly guilty, "this isn't my Equestria so I don't know all the details, but just from the little I picked up from what the Captain said when talking about me, I get the feeling dragons aren't exactly welcome in this Equestria, and since you were all seen with me when the Captain found us..."

"That makes us suspicious, even if we had nothing to do with that whole mess back in the forest," Rainbow Dash finished, the fire in her gaze and tone finally subsiding somewhat as the pieces fell into place in her mind. She looked from Spike to Big Mac, conflicting emotions reflected clear in her twisting features for a time before she finally replied in an oddly defensive tone, "l-look, all I'm saying is that this whole thing sucks, alright? I don't really care if he's a dragon or whatever, but he came here with the alicorn thing, right? He said it himself!"

She punctuated her accusation with a hoof jabbed in Spike's direction. Fluttershy, evidently picking up the cause of Rainbow Dash's brief moment of hesitation, frowned at the mare disapprovingly, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, she turned her own pitying gaze toward Spike.

"That's not fair, Rainbow Dash," she said, "if what he and the... the alicorn said is true, then poor Spike was just a victim of circumstance. You can't blame him for a situation outside of his control."

"Yeah, if what they said was true," Rainbow pressed, "but we don't know that for sure yet."

Spike sighed again for what felt like the twentieth time since they'd been "escorted" to the fancy guest room. As the two pegasi argued back and forth, with Fluttershy growing less meek and more irritable, Spike once more looked to the door barring their way out. Rainbow Dash had tried to force it open, but quickly found herself rebuffed by a magical barrier that glowed with a radiant magenta sheen. To be sure, Spike himself had tested the windows and, sure enough, those too were blocked by a barrier.

That, more than anything, was proof that this was a prison, they were all prisoners, and the two Solar Guards outside were their jailers. With nothing to stop his mind from wandering, Spike wondered—not for the first time since he'd recovered from his temporary amnesia—what had happened to his Twilight and Starlight Glimmer. He was certain they'd wound up here in the same timeline, but with the wretched state this Equestria was in, he couldn't help but worry.

Where are you, Twilight?

As if to answer his unspoken question, a distant sound like thunder erupted from somewhere above the room, the tell-tale hum of magic barely audible beneath the rumble. Fluttershy, who'd had just about enough of her friend's attitude was working herself up to say something uncharacteristically scathing when both pegasi snapped their eyes up to the ceiling. Spike and Big Mac did the same, but that was all any of them had to time to do before the entire room shook.

At that same moment, the magenta barrier keeping the entire room sealed shut lit up like a beacon, practically blinding the inhabitants as the whole thing shattered all at once. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, Spike watched in stunned silence as the glass-like pieces of the barrier dispersed, the remnant magic disintegrating into nothingness before the baby dragon's wide eyes.

What... just happened?!

















Verdant Vanguard blinked her eyes rapidly as the last of the residual light from the translocation spell faded away. It took a moment for her vision to return, and Vanguard couldn't help but frown at that. Translocation spell scrolls were quite the convenient little enchantment, but, like all early-stage innovations, there was certainly room for improvement. 

Still, it got the job done. The Royal Guard Captain found herself and her two subordinates transported from Canterlot directly to the humid and swampy city of New Horseleans—a trip that would've taken days, managed in nearly an instant. With results like that, Vanguard had no problem biting back her complaints. Instead, the forest green unicorn tossed her snow-white mane aside and swept her ochre gaze across the town before her.

New Horseleans was a strange town in Vanguard's opinion. A rural settlement just large enough to be called a city, the entire place was built within a swampland, isolated by both a thick forest and the Appleloosan Mountains to the north. Most of the structures were built on mossy hills or large wooden platforms atop thick stilts. Beyond that, there was a clear liberal usage of treated wood and metal in the design of many of the buildings.

It was an interesting town to say the least, but that was only in that the location chosen to build such a city was rather unique—novel, Vanguard would say. Other than that, though, not much about the city itself really stood out to Verdant Vanguard—not that she was here to do any sightseeing anyway. No, the royal soldier and her underlings, each clad in gleaming golden armor, had come here on business. Looking around, the city wasn't entirely devoid of ponies, but the roads weren't exactly bustling either.

Not that New Horseleans had a large population to begin with compared to larger cities like Manehattan or Canterlot. But even at a glance, Vanguard could see the unease in each of the ponies that did choose to wander the streets. She could practically feel the uncertainty. Taste it even. The Captain found it all entirely too bitter, but that's exactly why she was here. Thanks to the Queen's vastly expanded communications network, the Royal Guard had received a tip from the local mayor of New Horseleans about some strange goings-on close to the city.

Normally, this would have warranted sending out a soldier of a much lower rank and even then, the response wouldn't have been quite so immediate. This time, however, the Queen herself had ordered Captain Vanguard to take two of her best soldiers and head out posthaste. Evidently, something in the report from the sheriff had given her pause, and she wanted to proceed with caution.

So, here she was, standing in the middle of the road, looking completely out of place with her radiant armor, cool gaze, and tall, imposing figure. She and the other two Royal Guards had appeared just outside City Hall, which had, needless to say, caused a stir among the public who hadn't been expecting her sudden arrival. Belatedly, Vanguard realized that some of the unease she was feeling from the citizens might've come from her and not just whatever situation was taking place before her appearance.

Oh come now, I'm not that intimidating, am I?

Verdant Vanguard let a small smile of amusement slip for a brief moment, but quickly schooled her features as she noticed the mayor himself emerge from the rather modest governmental building to greet her. She fully turned to face the approaching stallion, looking the slightly pudgy earth pony over even as he did the same to the Captain. The mayor wasn't much to look at in Vanguard's opinion—a pale amber coat, short-cropped dark brown mane beneath a small black derby, a prominent handlebar mustache and glasses, and a formal white shirt and bowtie beneath a black buttoned up blazer.

While she did find his clear emerald eyes rather striking, Verdant Vanguard was mostly unimpressed, but she didn't let it show as she gave the stallion a businesslike nod and said, "Mayor Evergreen, I presume?"

"The one and only," he replied with a light chuckle and a friendly drawl, "you'll be the one they sent from the capital, then?"

"Just so, Mayor. The communication scroll you sent us spun a rather interesting tale—interesting enough to catch the Queen's attention, it seems."

Mayor Evergreen's lips twitched downward slightly, but he quickly cleared his throat and gave Vanguard a genial, if slightly strained, smile. "Yes, well, it's nice to know our Radiant Sun is looking out for us humble little folk, eh?" At the Captain's raised eyebrow, Evergreen quickly stuttered on ahead, "Wh-What I mean to say is that the Queen has my sincerest thanks for deigning to look into this rather disconcerting matter."

"Right," Vanguard drawled, giving an internal roll of her eyes, "and while we're on the subject of that 'disconcerting matter'..."

"Y- Yes, of course! Please follow me," the flustered mayor nodded rapidly before motioning for the Captain and her subordinates to follow him into City Hall, "it wouldn't do to prattle on out in the open like this. We can speak more in my office."

"After you," Vanguard replied, before turning to her two stoically silent companions and jerking her chin toward the building's entrance.

The trio followed the mayor inside and as they made their way past the receptionist desk and toward the double doors in the back, Vanguard took note of the nearly empty lobby. Looking around, she got a sense that the place had been fairly busy until recently. The receptionist was still present, but the pasty yellow unicorn mare had an expression that made it clear she wanted to be anywhere else than where she was.

She didn't even glance in Evergreen's or Vanguard's direction, instead making a show of filing a set of documents into a nearby drawer. Interestingly enough, the mayor made no attempt to acknowledge the mare either. Rather, he decided to strike up another conversation with the Captain as they passed the front desk.

"So, the Royal Guard, eh?" he began in a carefully casual tone, "I must confess, I expected the Queen to send for the Solar Guard."

The comment could have easily been taken as a slight toward the Royal Guard and the mayor clearly realized this because as soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he flinched and cast a nervous sidelong glance back at the Captain. Vanguard, for her part, was entirely unfazed by the comment and simply tilted her head slightly, a small amused grin crossing her face.

"Disappointed, are we?"

"N-No! Not at all! Quite the opposite, in fact!" the mayor replied, then stopped just before the double doors leading to his private office. He took a step back toward Vanguard and leaned in like he was about to reveal some big secret before stage whispering, "We've ah... heard rumors of the Solar Guard's... exploits, even all the way out here in the sticks, and I have to say, I'd much prefer to work with the 'Old Guard' as it were. Just a personal preference, really."

"I see," Vanguard replied with a knowing nod, "I'll have to be sure and let the Queen know of your... personal preference, then. I'm sure she'll be happy to send more of us in the future."

Mayor Evergreen blanched at the response, but covered his flash of terror with a jovial laugh, like the Captain's words were some kind of jest. "Ah, now there's no need for all that," the mayor replied, trying to backtrack, "let's just... move on to the matter at hoof, shall we?"

"Certainly," Vanguard replied, deciding to let the stallion off the hook for now.

A few moments later, Mayor Evergreen was comfortably seated in the plush chair behind his desk, while Captain Vanguard and her vigilant underlings had chosen to remain standing. Clearing his throat once again, the mayor adopted a serious frown, all nervousness and surface-level geniality gone from his expression as he spoke.

"As I mentioned in the communications scroll, we—that is, myself and the rest of the fine ponies in this city—have reason to believe there's been some kind of disturbance out near Knight's Peak."

Vanguard grimaced, but didn't say anything in response. She'd already known about the disturbance, as she'd read as much in the report. This didn't surprise her, but she could sense the mayor had more to say, and what he said next actually did surprise her.

"Now I know you know all of this, but there's been another development since we contacted you—one I was in the midst of writing to you about when you arrived," the mayor leaned forward over his desk to look Vanguard in the eye, his tone turning grave, "We don't know what caused that disturbance or even what the disturbance was, but we do have it on fairly good authority that whatever caused that disturbance might be on its way here to New Horseleans."