Despite the open window and a fan directing cool air towards Twilight, sweat still trickled down her face as she concentrated on imbuing the proper thaumic matrix into the gems and crystals. Her horn remained almost constantly ablaze, a wisp of smoke occasionally wafting from the tip. She finally let out a ragged sigh as the glow diminished. "I have to take a break."
"I wish I could," Starlight murmured.
Twilight gave her friend a troubled look. "I'm sorry, I've been so focused on this, I didn't think to ask how you're holding up."
Starlight's own horn glowed, as did Sunset's cutie mark which she still held aloft. "I'm managing for now."
"How much longer can you hold on to that?"
"As long as it takes."
"That's not an empirical answer."
Starlight rolled her eyes. "But it will have to do, won't it?" She gestured to the side with a hoof. "At least until you get time to unravel Sunset's magic."
Twilight shifted her gaze towards the runic circle. Her magic workshop had been moved to the basement of Sunset's home at the humans' insistence, much to Twilight's initial dismay. She had claimed they didn't have time for that, but human ingenuity and drive surprised her once more; by the time she had arrived, the Army Corps of Engineers had just completed setting things up to her specifications.
"My orders came from higher up," Anthony had explained. "The President insisted on increased security around the portal, since it represents an uncontrolled entry point into the country, and you're best able to deal with it."
Twilight had made an initial attempt to unlock the portal but had found Sunset's spells to be complex enough to require more time than she felt they had in light of the latest numbers of ETS cases. She had instead focused on enchanting the gems and crystals so the thaumic pulse could be set up to delay the start of any further transformations.
"How much energy does it take to hold a cutie mark like that?" Twilight asked.
"More than I care for," said Starlight. "And please don't complain about a non-empirical answer. I never studied the exact energy expenditure since I had intended from the start to place captured cutie marks in enchanted glass containers. I can tell you that the more powerful the pony, the harder the mark is to hold."
"Is that why it took some effort to remove Sunset's mark even after her shield fell?"
"I'm frankly not sure about that," said Starlight. "It's bothering me a bit. You had managed to resist me, but I overcame you without working up a sweat. Sunset should've been easier than an alicorn, not harder."
"She may have been able to put up a defensive spell at the last minute when she realized what you were doing." Twilight looked down at the gems and crystals on the table. She had separated them into two piles: those she had enchanted and those remaining to be enchanted. The former was about twice the size of the latter. "As soon as I get these done, I'll unlock the portal. Canterlot has thaumically aware glass in abundance. I need to get this done first to buy time before I'm ready to mass-cast the counterspell."
"I would like to hear your thoughts on that, Twilight," said Anthony, the lone civilian among the army soldiers who stood guard about the periphery of the room. "Some of what you said during the operation suggested you discovered a solution."
Twilight nodded. "Where's Star Singer? She should hear this, too."
"She's assisting Doctor Marlowe in making a more effective sedative for Sunset," said Anthony.
"We can fill her in later," said Starlight.
"I found an incomplete spell among Sunset's hidden possessions," said Twilight. "It's for a permanent energy conduit between this universe and Equestria."
"Another portal?" Anthony asked.
"It could be used as a portal, yes, but it's more than that. Sunset's reason for transforming humanity was to provide ponykind with more magic to fend off future threats. She thus needed a way to allow magic to flow from this universe to the other. However, the conduit is bidirectional. I intend to complete the spell, build a conduit, and channel magic from Equestria to help mass-cast the counterspell."
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "And just how long will that take?"
"Not as long as you might think," said Twilight. "Sunset discovered that two objects can be thaumically entangled: whatever happens to one instantaneously happens to the other. I'm going to build the equivalent of a magic mirror that allows matter and energy to freely flow between universes. It's several orders of magnitude more efficient than her original portal, and it will have the side-effect of making the establishment of formal relations with this world far easier."
"So the other end will be in Canterlot?" asked Starlight.
Twilight smiled. "No. The Crystal Empire."
"Uhh, I don't follow."
"It's actually quite simple," said Twilight. "I'm going to have the ponies of the Crystal Empire feed all their energy into the Crystal Heart. I'll piggyback the counterspell on that energy stream, feed it through the mirror, and in turn channel it through the crystal ponies of this world. I'm estimating that will cover about eighty to eighty-five percent of the affected population."
"I'm afraid I've lost the thread of this conversation," said Anthony.
Starlight smirked. "You're not the only one, but I'm used to that with Twilight. I'm also wary when she explains a complex plan like that and claims it's simple."
"Let me first explain for Mr. Heller's benefit," said Twilight. "In my world, we have a place called the Crystal Empire. It's populated by crystal ponies and currently ruled over by my brother Shining Armor and his wife Princess Cadance. They have a magical artifact called the Crystal Heart. The ponies have the ability to channel positive emotions into the Heart to generate very powerful magical effects. For example, the Empire is in the frozen wastes where the weather cannot be tamed even by pegasi. The Crystal Heart helps maintain a shield against it. When the Heart had accidentally been shattered, even Celestia and Luna working together couldn't hold back the cold indefinitely. It was also used to help defeat an evil unicorn named Sombra who attempted to enslave the inhabitants."
"I believe I follow," said Anthony. "At least to the limits of my non-magical background."
"Even I don't see exactly how this will work," said Starlight. "I can see the first part working, yeah, and I could see you attaching the counterspell to it. It's that last part I'm not sure of."
"I know, I'm making a large assumption about crystal pony abilities," said Twilight. "That's why I want to consult with Sunburst. He was the one who came up with the spell combo that repaired the Heart. You told me that since then he's been doing more research into how the Crystal Heart works. I'm hoping that means he's learned more about the crystal ponies' connection to it."
"It does sound like a bit of a gamble," Anthony said.
"Anything we do is a gamble, Mr. Heller," said Twilight. "The only difference is the odds of winning, and I feel this has the greatest chance of success." She paused. "I have another reason why I think this will work, but I want to talk to Star Singer first."
Star Singer uttered a forlorn sigh as she stared at the monitor depicting Sunset's room. As she watched, white-coated technicians adjusted an IV containing the sedative that Star Singer had helped formulate. Sunset twitched, as if still somehow fighting from the depths of unconsciousness. The unmarking sign pulsed once, and she stilled.
Star could not look at that horrible equals sign without her stomach turning. As much as she knew Sunset had to be taken out, she had no idea such a terrible spell even existed. Even though she lamented over how much trouble her own cutie mark caused, she would never have agreed to give it up.
Star Singer frowned. She found it all too easy now to justify her initial mistrust of Starlight Glimmer. Had she known Starlight could do this, she may never have agreed to work with Twilight in the first place.
Her expression softened, and she shook her head at her own foolishness. No, working with Twilight had been the right thing to do from the start. This changed nothing. Whatever sinister intent Starlight once had concerning the spell, it didn't matter now. Like Star Singer's own talent, it had been put to a good use.
Even if she still felt a lingering guilt over betraying an old friend.
"Star Singer?"
Star whirled around in surprise at the sound of the Equestrian language. "Twilight? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at work on--"
Twilight stepped up to her. "I've finished enchanting the gems. They're being taken to the transmission towers now. Frankly, I could use another break."
Only then did Star notice how haggard Twilight looked. She never thought she would see an alicorn of Twilight's ability actually overtaxed. "Have you come to check on Sunset's condition?"
"Not specifically." Twilight glanced at the monitor. "But how is she?"
"As good as can be expected," Star said. "I'm doing my best not to harm her, but I don't fully understand how their chemicals work."
"Just do the best you can," said Twilight. "Even if Sunset awakes, she shouldn't be able to do much without her cutie mark."
Star felt her stomach twist again but managed to ignore it. "Does it sound strange that I actually feel sorry for Sunset?"
Twilight sighed. "I think I've felt that way since this started, now for more reasons than one."
Star Singer shook her head. "I don't mean what the natives might do to her. It's more fundamental than that. We can agree that Sunset was wrong to forcefully transform another species, but what about her ultimate goal? Was it wrong to want to see ponykind safe?"
"Not at all. I share that goal as well, just not her methods for achieving it."
Star turned back towards the monitor, her eyes glistening. "I'm sorry, I guess seeing Sunset ... unmarked hit me harder than I realized. It's not just her talents ripped away, her purpose was taken as well. She's lost everything that was dear to her."
"This hurts me as well," Twilight said in a somber voice. "But we can't lose sight of the fact that she brought this on herself. Nopony else is to blame. Especially not you."
"She acted on my visions, Twilight."
"Star Singer, please--"
"I can't even take solace in the fact that my visions helped stop it as well." Star turned to Twilight. "But never mind all that. It's my problem to deal with. You should be more worried about yourself. You look like you're ready to drop."
"I'm tired, but I can endure," Twilight said. "Which brings me to the reason I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you about your visit to that other plane."
"You heard pretty much everything that Triss told me," said Star.
"I want to hear what your impressions of her are," said Twilight. "What sort of power do you think she possesses?"
"I honestly don't know," said Star. "She claimed to be the equivalent of Princess Celestia, so I would assume at least as powerful as her. Why do you ask?"
"You told me after we captured Sunset that Triss actually incurred your healing trance," said Twilight. "That suggests she has some ability to influence events in the physical realm. She clearly knew about Sunset and what she was doing."
Star had indeed wondered about that, but only after the fact. At the time, she was too desperate to convey her vision to Sunset in hopes of stopping her. "I wish I had been of the presence of mind to ask her more questions. Can you find a way to visit her realm and speak with her yourself?"
"I'll need Celestia's help with that, but, yes, I do want to talk to her, preferably before we attempt to cast the counterspell."
Star gave Twilight a look of genuine curiosity. "Why? Do you need her help?"
"In a way," Twilight said. "As I got to thinking about this, I realized that the presence of the crystal ponies among the transformed humans is almost too convenient. Starlight and I know for a fact that Sunset never planned for them. Crystal pony abilities are too complex to come about by just a random genetic or thaumic shift."
"Are you saying you think Triss had something to do with it?"
"She's the only known native magical being in this universe," said Twilight. "And if she really is billions of years old, she's had time to refine her knowledge of magic to an incredible degree."
Star considered. "But if she does have all that power and knowledge, why not just fix everything herself?"
"That's what I'm getting at," said Twilight. "Triss is the equivalent of an alicorn. Equestrian alicorns are powerful, but we have limits. Making such a fundamental change to Sunset's transformation spell without her knowledge, and from a concealed plane of existence seems to break those limits. And if she can break that limit, why not just completely disrupt the transformation spell in the first place?"
Star slowly nodded. "I guess I hadn't considered that when I first spoke to her."
"My point is, either there's something I'm missing about alicorn abilities, or Triss has a hidden agenda," said Twilight. "I don't like the former any more than the latter as it implies there's still something Celestia is keeping from me."
Kevin rushed into the conference room in time to hear Sandra raise her voice in exasperation as she said, "I'm really getting tired of arguing semantics with you, Mr. Heller!"
"This is hardly just a matter of word play, Doctor Marlowe," said Anthony in a urgent voice. "If you don't care for the term 'brainwashing,' then offer me a more scientific term."
"We've never dealt with something like this before. We don't know how much of their changed mental attitudes are indeed just indirect results of the transformation as Twilight suggested or a genuine attempt to influence their thoughts."
"I am more concerned with this shared dream than--"
"And until we know more, that's all it appears to be."
Kevin took a seat next to Sandra. "What's going on?"
Sandra uttered an exasperated sigh. "We're still trying to get a handle on what happened to the transformed patients last night, but Mr. Heller here seems bent on assuming a final diagnosis."
"The point I am trying to make," said Anthony. "Is that we need to know sooner rather than later the mental state of these people if you want the plan to release them to move forward."
"I beg your pardon?" said Kevin. "I had suggested that decision be left to the emergency zone staff."
"Yes, your suggestion was passed up the line and rejected."
Kevin frowned. "May I ask why?"
"We don't know if these transformed patients are in their right mind," said Anthony. "That makes them a potential threat to national security, which is already hanging by a thread."
"And what do you propose we do when they decide to break out themselves?" Kevin asked. "Stop them by force?"
"I'll remind you there are many non-lethal ways to stop a riot."
"And just how many of those methods have been proven to work against magic?"
"I'm all for exercising caution," Sandra said. "Remember, I was reluctant to go along with this idea at first, but Kevin is right, we can't keep them cooped up forever."
"Twilight had volunteered to talk to them," said Kevin.
"She's been on the verge of exhaustion since she finished enchanting the artifacts," said Anthony. "I'd rather she concentrate her limited energy on stopping ETS. Until she can turn her attention more to this, I want to err on the side of caution."
Sandra consulted one of her folders. "As far as we can tell, the impact of this dream is largely due to the shared nature rather than some direct attempt to alter their minds. Much of the details of their conversation with the alicorn are based on their most recent personal issues. It could be just their own minds 'filling in the blanks' so to speak."
"Or it could be Sunset knowing exactly which buttons to push in people's heads," said Anthony. "That would qualify as direct manipulation to me."
"I agree there was manipulation here," Sandra said. "What I'm unable to quantify right now is how much direct interference took place. A smooth-talking politician can influence the masses with a good speech, but we don't call that brainwashing. I need to know more about the nature of this dream before I can make a definitive statement about their mental state."
Kevin folded his hands and leaned forward slightly. "I just spoke with Heather, a person who I've worked with for many years. She's fully transformed, and a crystal pony as well. When I put it to her that we had a cure and that she might assist in its distribution, she said she would be willing to help. To me, that seems like she's thinking for herself."
Sandra looked at Anthony. "I'd like you to admit your real reasons behind your interest in their mental state. I can probably guess."
Anthony leaned back in his chair. "Twilight has promised that she will seek a way to transform back all those she can. Despite the fact that magic will be involved, it still amounts to a medical procedure."
"I see where this is going," said Kevin. "The lack of desire on the part of the patients to be changed back, and hence the lack of consent."
"Thousands of permanently transformed people can be handled, but millions would--"
"Handled?" Kevin snapped. "Just how do you intend to 'handle' them? Confine them to their own little ghettos? Or maybe force them to live on plots of the worst lands in the country, since that worked out so well in the past."
"Hyperbole is unnecessary, Doctor Conner," Anthony said. "And they appear to be confining themselves. None of their plans involve living in harmony with humans."
"Nor do they advocate open hostility. If anything, they're avoiding conflict as much as possible. They were outright friendly with me when I visited the shelter. That hardly seems like the start of an armed revolt."
"This whole argument becomes a moot point if these transformed patients can be declared mentally incompetent," Anthony said in a raised voice. "They can then be transformed back without having to worry about consent."
"You're putting an awfully large number of eggs in one basket, Mr. Heller," Kevin declared. "We have absolutely no idea how quickly cutie marks are attained."
"All the more reason not to let them gather unsupervised in communities. You've claimed in the past that we need to be practical, Doctor Conner. Is that not the most practical alternative to prevent widespread permanence of the transformation?"
Kevin uttered an exasperated sigh. Of course that was the more practical solution! Anyone could see that, but he had hoped to find a balance between the practical and the humane. His exposure to Twilight had made him appreciate just how much alike humans and ponies were; perhaps that had colored his judgment somewhat.
So many of the affected townsfolk were his patients. If that biased him, it should have been towards finding a way to change them back at all costs. Yet what he ultimately wanted was for his patients to be happy. He didn't know enough about what was going on in their heads to say whether that happiness was induced or real.
"The fact still remains," said Sandra in a level voice. "I absolutely will not allow a diagnosis to be made or assumed as to the mental state of the transformed without sufficient investigation."
"Mr. Heller, please be straight with me," said Kevin. "I've appreciated your candor in the past and would like more of that now. Are there any contingency plans for the presence of a large, permanently transformed pony population?"
"Define 'large,'" said Anthony.
"Worst case scenario: the fifty million people in the US with ETS all transform and stay that way. That's something like fifteen percent of the population."
Anthony laced his fingers together. "There's two possible extremes we're considering. One, the transformed shake off this pony commune mentality and seek reintegration into human society."
"So that's the idealistic vision?"
"Not really. The worry is that magic would allow the transformed to out-compete nontransformed humans in certain employment sectors. Earth pony abilities versus human farmers, for example. It would take the 'immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans' debate to a whole new level."
"I thought the President was adamant that the transformed were still Americans," said Kevin.
"Yes, well, unlike Sunset, he doesn't have the ability to plant an idealistic dream in people's heads while they sleep. We're trying to be realistic about people's perceptions."
Kevin admitted to having shielded himself from a lot of modern political debates. Deciding who to vote for each election cycle was a tedious chore of looking up information on the candidates and trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. He could actually see the benefits of a society that seemed to place mutual concern over petty politics. "And at the other end of the spectrum?"
"They continue to seek to live together and largely apart from humans," Anthony explained. "In that case, where can they go? Where should they be allowed to go? There is very little property in this country that's not owned by someone or some entity."
"Many of the transformed own property."
"For which they can no longer pay their mortgages and taxes," said Anthony. "The economy is already in free-fall. Banks and lenders are not about to forgive all these debts. They'll want to collect or foreclose just to stay afloat. Having a partially transformed world is almost worse than a completely transformed one, and certainly worse than a wholly untransformed one."
Kevin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to shout that money should be the least of everyone's worries. He never let the immediate lack of payment options ever stop him from treating a patient. "What about BLM lands? Isn't that something like two hundred fifty million acres of land owned by the federal government? A huge chunk of that is right here where ETS is at its worst."
"Yes, but realize over half of that is leased to ranchers as grazing lands, not to mention lands administered for the coal, oil, natural gas, and timber industries," said Anthony. "And we're ignoring the more basic problem: millions of people who now have no use for money, no willingness to be in the labor force, and no longer purchasing billions of dollars of human-oriented consumer goods. So you can see why I have been adamant about completely reversing the effects of ETS. We just don't know how to make a pony society work in the context of our current socioeconomic structure, and we'd be better off if we didn't have to deal with it in the first place."
"I appreciate that someone is looking at this in the long term," said Kevin in a strained voice. "But, meanwhile, we have a looming short term problem. You talked about perception, Mr. Heller. Right now, we have a growing population of American citizens who now consider their quarantine to be unethical."
"Technically, they still have a disease."
"Which is no longer contagious and has given them abilities that we have no clear means to stop or curtail. This is a very extraordinary situation which requires extraordinary solutions."
"Be that as it may--"
"Mr. Heller, if there is any chance that Twilight could fail in her endeavor to change people back, the last thing we want to do is instill resentment in them now," Kevin said. "We either give them their freedom or they'll take it for themselves!"
Anthony made an exasperated noise before turning to Sandra. "Do you have an opinion, Doctor Marlowe?"
Sandra took a deep breath before consulting her notes. "Just an observation. Food supplies are having a harder time getting to us. Where the transformed -- as well as those with ETS that has progressed far enough -- cannot eat meat, this is putting a strain on supplies of greens, vegetables, and grains. Eventually, we'll be hard-pressed to meet the demand. We have no idea how long it will take to change them back. The sooner they can start sustaining themselves, the better."
Anthony sighed and leaned back in his seat, covering his eyes with a hand.
"I also should point out that we have more ETS cases outside the shelters than inside. They're already coming together for mutual support and protection. Unless you have plans to round them up, too, I don't see the point in keeping our patients confined."
"Look at it this way, Mr. Heller," said Kevin. "We have only the vaguest notions of how a pony society works. Wouldn't this be an opportunity to learn what to expect? Not to mention if we keep interacting with them, they'll be reminded that they're sharing this world with humans."
Anthony tapped his finger on the table for a long moment. "All right, let me take this under advisement." He stood. "I need to attend a briefing with the Bureau director. We can sync up again later."
He turned on his heel and marched out.
Kevin uttered a long sigh and rubbed his eyes. "That could've went better."
"I share your frustrations, Kevin," said Sandra. "But he does have a point that there is some question as to the mental state of the transformed."
"I firmly believe that they can think for themselves," said Kevin. "They just need some time and direction. You told me yourself that Fred was debating with the others on the merits of their shared vision."
"And you told me how Laura reacted when she was given the truth about Sunset," said Sandra. "She still wants to remain a pony."
"That doesn't make her mentally incompetent."
"But it's still not normal."
"Sandra, I think a lot of our conventions have been thrown out the window," said Kevin. "I don't think we even know what's normal anymore."
Twilight stepped around the runic circle for perhaps the tenth time, her horn glowing. Blue light flickered inside the circle, reflecting from her bloodshot eyes, only to wink out after a few seconds. She finally uttered a noisy sigh as she fell to her haunches. "Almost there."
"You sound awfully tired," said Starlight.
Twilight looked towards the window, where the sunlight had grown ruddy and the shadows long. "You're not sounding very peppy yourself."
"I'll manage. Maybe you should take a break."
Twilight shook her head and rose to her hooves. "I have to get this portal open." She turned towards Starlight. "We can't risk you tiring yourself out."
Starlight rubbed her head near the base of her horn. "I'm more concerned about this headache. I've never constantly streamed magic for this long."
"Then I definitely need to get this portal open. That could be a precursor of mana saturation."
Starlight lowered her hoof. "What exactly is that?"
"It has to do with the way your thaumic channels work," Twilight explained. "They get temporarily locked into the mode of a single spell execution, making it harder to cast new spells until they recover."
"Oh, fun," Starlight muttered.
"The last thing we need is either of us out of commission for any length of time." She glanced at a nearby table, where the pages she had found in Sunset's stash lay. "And I still need to finish Sunset's spell. At least I understand it enough to know what materials I'll need."
As Twilight turned her attention and magic back to the portal, Starlight stepped up to her, Sunset's cutie mark held a bit lower in her grip than earlier. "How long do you think it will take to finish the spell and build the conduit?"
"If I can focus full time on it and can enlist the aid of mages back home, two days."
"That's slim timing. The thaumic pulse will delay new transformations by at most two days. It might be only one."
Twilight frowned as light flickered and faded inside the runic circle again. "I know. I worked extra hard on crafting the matrix in the gems and crystals to make the pulse as strong as possible. I need those two days." The flickering blue light inside the circle expanded into a steady swirl of magic rising in a twisting column. Energy thrummed and sent a faint vibration through the floor as the column straightened. Twilight backed away and smiled. "I've got it! The portal is unlocked!"
At the edge of the room, an army officer said, "Ma'am, does this mean that the portal can be traversed now?"
Twilight turned to him. "Yes, it's still energized at the other end."
He nodded and turned to a subordinate. "Inform the rest of the team outside. Go to highest alert level and activate intrusion contingency plans."
"Yessir," said the soldier as he saluted.
"That's not really necessary," said Twilight as the soldier headed out. "No one is going to come through here without permission."
"Sorry, ma'am, I'm just following orders."
"Apologies for these measures, Twilight," said Anthony. "It makes the folks at the Pentagon sleep better at night. The President does trust you, but he has to show that he's taking security seriously."
"Let's not argue anymore," Starlight said. "I really need a break."
"All right, I'm going to head through now," said Twilight.
"How long will you be gone?" Anthony asked.
"No more than an hour. I just need to apprise them of the situation and inform them of the materials I need. I'm going to send my assistant through with the jar that Starlight needs. He's, um, a dragon."
Anthony's eyebrows rose. "I beg your pardon?"
"A little one!" said Twilight quickly. "Technically, a baby in dragon terms. Er, don't tell him I called him that. Just didn't want to surprise you."
"Ah, thanks for the warning," said Anthony with a faint smile.
Twilight smiled in return before turning towards the portal. She hesitated only a second before stepping inside and vanishing a moment later.
The first thing Twilight heard as she stepped through the other end and into the midst of a late-night skeleton staff of mages was Spike's voice. "It's activating! Something is--" He gasped. "TWILIGHT!"
Several mages stared in astonishment as Twilight called out, "I need a jar made of thaumically-aware glass right now! Spike, I'll need you to -- oh!"
Spike had launched himself toward her and wrapped his arms around her chest. "Twilight, you're alive! You're safe!"
Twilight smiled and hugged him in return. "Sorry if I worried you," she said softly.
Spike drew back, blushing. "Worried? Me? Nah, I'm just, um, hugging you for dear life because others were so worried about you, that's all! That's right, it's hugs from them."
"I'll get that jar for you right away, Princess," said one of the mages before galloping off.
"Spike, I need you to send a letter to Celestia," said Twilight.
"You got it!" Spike said as he scurried off towards one of the workbenches.
"The portal is unlocked," said an older mage. "Shall we keep it open, Princess?"
"Yes, please do," said Twilight. "And I'm going to compose a list of materials I need procured at once. I can't emphasize enough how fast they need to be provided. I also need Sunburst summoned from the Crystal Empire."
"He's already here. Princess Cadance had him bring Princess Flurry Heart."
"Thank you! That just may save some time."
"Ready!" Spike said as he ran back carrying scroll and quill.
"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight dictated. "I need to speak with you--"
Two flashes of teleportation magic briefly turned the room white.
"--at once." Twilight blinked. "Uhh, never mind, then."
Both Luna and Celestia stepped forward. "I sensed the energy surge from the portal, Twilight, and awoke my sister," said Luna.
"Twilight, it's good to see you again," said Celestia. "But you look something of a fright. Are you all right?"
"Just very tired," said Twilight. "We've only just managed to subdue Sunset Shimmer. Now I have to undo the damage she's caused."
The mage returned, a jar hovering in his magical grip. "Here you are, Princess."
"Thank you." Twilight took it from him and presented it to Spike. "Spike, take this through the portal and give it to Starlight on the other side. You can come right back after that."
Spike took the jar, giving the portal a nervous glance. Loyalty won out over fear, and he nodded. "Got it. Be right back!"
As Spike headed off, Celestia took a deep breath before asking in a solemn voice, "How bad is it?"
"Very bad," said Twilight. "Thousands already fully transformed, many millions more in the process. I have a counterspell, but it needs to be cast over such a wide area that I've had to get inventive. I need to talk to Sunburst."
"Twilight, do they understand that we only want peace?" said Celestia in a quavering voice.
"I've made that very clear to them, Celestia. If they trust me enough to let me help them, I think they'll trust me that far as well."
"I am willing to come through the portal myself to help cast the counterspell," said Celestia.
"As am I," said Luna.
"Thank you, but the scale of this is beyond even all the collective alicorn abilities." Twilight paused. "Or at least I think they are, anyway."
"I'm not sure I follow," said Celestia.
Twilight stepped up to her former mentor. "You told me before that you were sorry you weren't more open with me. I want you to continue honoring that. If there is anything at all about alicorn abilities and powers that I don't know about, I need you to divulge them."
Luna gave her sister a questioning look.
Celestia responded in a soft voice, "I will provide whatever information you need."
"All you need to do right now is answer a simple question." Twilight's horn glowed, and she snatched the paper with the power equations for Celestia from the workbench. She held up the page for Celestia to see. "Is this correct?"
"To a point," said Celestia. "It is not the whole story."
"May I see?" Luna asked. She took the page in her own magic. After a moment of study, she raised an eyebrow. "Would there be an analysis of my potential by any chance?"
"Um, sort of," said Twilight. She levitated the equations for Nightmare Moon.
"This is actually more useful." Luna studied it for a little longer. "Is this supposed to be accurate?"
"According to Sunset," said Celestia in a somber voice.
"But I verified it myself," said Twilight. "It all fits with my own observations."
Luna looked at her sister. "You apparently have not told her."
Twilight noted that Luna's voice held no admonishment. It was more a statement of fact than anything else.
"Only because Twilight is not yet close to that threshold in power," said Celestia. "I did not feel it was worth worrying her about it, but circumstances have made it necessary to inform her now." Celestia sighed. "Had I known Sunset was basing all her beliefs on her lack of this knowledge, I would have educated her as well."
Before Twilight could interject, her assistant barreled out of the portal. "I'm back! Boy, those natives looked weirder than I thought they would."
Twilight turned towards him. "Did you have any trouble?"
"Other than I couldn't understand a word they were saying, no. Wow, did Starlight really take Sunset's cutie mark?"
Celestia's eyes widened. "She did what?"
"It was the only way to subdue Sunset," said Twilight. "But they have no thaumically-aware materials on that world, so I had to unlock her portal to get some. Celestia, what is it you haven't told me about alicorns? Is it something that allows you to break your normal limits?"
"In a way, yes," said Celestia. "In a useful fashion ... often not. I will explain in greater detail, but I am curious as to how you knew to ask about this."
"Star Singer met the other universe's equivalent of an alicorn," said Twilight. "She's also immortal and immensely old. She looks something like a dragon, and ... um ... Celestia, are you all right?"
Celestia's eyes shimmered, and her mouth had fallen open.
Luna jerked her gaze towards her and said, "Sister, could she be the one you told me about? The one who warned you when you first reached the threshold?"
"Wait, you know this creature?" Twilight asked.
"I may," Celestia said softly. "Twilight, how much time do you have before you have to return to the other world?"
"Not long," said Twilight. "I have to compile a list of materials and speak with Sunburst about a potential solution to mass-casting the counterspell. Cadance and Shining Armor should hear about it as well. As much as I would love to sleep in my own world, I don't want to leave the natives alone. They're drawing on me for emotional strength as well as my knowledge."
"Then I will keep this as succinct as possible," said Celestia. "Becoming an alicorn is but the first threshold. When a second threshold is reached, an immensely larger pool of power can be tapped, but it is very hard to control. Both myself and Luna have reached that second threshold. The side-effects of that threshold are our ethereal manes and our immortality."
"That pool of power is so volatile that we pledged not to use it," said Luna. "A pledge I attempted to break when I tapped into it to become Nightmare Moon, believing -- incorrectly -- that I had discovered the means to control it properly."
"That is why I was forced to banish her," said Celestia. "I had to protect Equestria from Luna potentially losing control of that magic. It was why I was unable to stop her when she returned. It was also why I was unable to stop Chrysalis when she attacked Canterlot. Had I tapped into that power, I could have easily destroyed her, but I would have killed everypony else in the room."
Twilight never forgot that moment. Seeing her mentor fall, seeing and even smelling the severe mana burn on Celestia's horn had completely shattered her illusions of Celestia's invincibility.
"I strongly suspect we were granted such power only as a last resort," said Celestia. "To counter the most severe of threats to Equestria, ones in which the collateral damage would be better than a complete fall."
"My sister and I have spoken on this ever since your final confrontation with Starlight Glimmer," said Luna. "We strongly suspect the wasteland timeline was either or both of us tapping into that power and losing control of it."
Twilight shuddered. In all the scenarios she could think of as to how such a catastrophe could have come about, she never once thought that Celestia or Luna could have been directly responsible. Yet what really made her shiver was a deeper implication. "Celestia ... what about ... what about me? Do I--?"
"Yes, Twilight," said Celestia. "You have the potential to reach that second threshold. You grow closer to it every year. I've been watching very carefully for it, so I can help you cross it peacefully."
"Peacefully?"
"The first time an alicorn is opened to that pool of magic, it can come out rather explosively," said Celestia. "But I was warned of it in a dream, and in that dream was a creature very similar to what you described. I sensed she was older than I could ever imagine."
Twilight gasped. "Star Singer said that Triss had tried to reach out to you several times, when the universes were linked by a natural portal!"
Celestia smiled. "Then the creature from my dream may have been her. Thanks to that warning, I was able to better control the transition, and I in turn helped Luna. I will be there for you if and when it happens."
Twilight felt like her head was spinning. She had already only barely absorbed the revelation about her suppressed memories and a family member she never knew she had, now everything she thought she knew about alicorns was being challenged as well. "As much as I am dying to ask for more details, I don't have the time. I have to start preparing to cast the counterspell."
"I will gather the others at once while you work with the mages to procure what you need," said Celestia. "We will fix the damage Sunset has wrought no matter what it takes."
"I will stay with Twilight and assist her if needed," said Luna.
"Thank you, sister."
Twilight approached Luna after Celestia had teleported away. "I wanted to ask this of Celestia, but I imagine she would seek your advice for something this important."
"And what would that be?"
"Whether to leave Sunset to the humans to be judged or return her to Equestria."
Luna considered. "I am told that these natives were a warlike species when last contacted."
"They've largely given up their imperial traditions," said Twilight. "But they still are a more aggressive species. There's still a lot of mistrust among their various nation-states. Their justice is harsher than we're used to. If we let them judge her, I doubt very much she'll live long enough to understand exactly what was so wrong about what she has done."
Luna turned more fully towards Twilight. "Unfortunately, you may be the most able to make this decision. You've been in contact with these natives and understand them more than either my sister or I."
Twilight shivered. "I don't want to have to do this."
"Twilight," Luna said in a voice both gentle and urgent. "I know you are loathe to be known by your title, but the fact still remains: you are a Princess. Being a Princess means having to accept such burdens. I have lost track of the many heavy decisions that Tia and I have had to make in the past."
Twilight cast her glistening gaze at Luna. "But did they involve other ponies' lives?"
"All our decisions involve ponies' lives," said Luna. "Even when we are not deciding on the fate of a specific pony, everything we do has a ripple effect. Yours will have such an effect on the natives of that world as well as the ponies of ours."
"How can I look my own family in the eye and tell them I gave their flesh and blood over to be executed?!" Twilight cried. "No, Luna, there's got to be some sort of compromise that can be reached. There has to be a way to make Sunset understand."