//------------------------------// // Home Sweet Home // Story: The Dawn Before Twilight // by CinnabarPony //------------------------------// “Oh no ya don’t!” Without the smallest hint of warning or hesitation, Rainbow Dash bursted out the train window like a multicolored cannonball, colliding with the armored pegasus mid-flight. More devoted guards were on their way to the train, however, speeding missiles searching for a target. Starlight jumped into action, creating a large wave of magic around the train car that blasted away everypony in their vicinity. However, the well-trained guards were quick to recover and continued their path towards the wanted intruders. If Starlight knew one thing, a simple repelling spell wasn’t going to be enough, and Celestia knows she didn’t have nearly enough time to think up something more complex. She could teleport herself long-distance just fine, but six entire ponies was a stretch, even by her standards. The last thing the unicorn wanted right now was for everypony to end up rolling down Canterlot mountain on account of her lack of focus. Frantic to find a solution, Starlight stuck her head out the window Rainbow had recently escaped out of, wind and rain drowning out most of her senses, and found that they were nearing the gates of Canterlot. She then turned to look at the pegasi, getting nearer by the second, save one member who was presumably still brawling it out with Rainbow. Looking back to the gate, only about a couple hundred feet away at this point, then back at the angry guards, Starlight had a plan. Whether it was going to work, she seriously doubted, but it was something. Getting back into the car and planting her feet firmly in the center of the aisle, she attempting to clear her mind the best she could. She ordered the pink pony in front of her: “Pinkie Pie, I need you to look out that window, okay? All tell me when we enter the Canterlot gates.” Pinkie looked rather panicked, but still gave a determined, “Okie dokie, Starlight.” “And make sure, the second we get through the gates, you let me know, alright, Pinkie?” “Yes ma'am!” Pinkie gave a salute and jumped up beside the window to watch the approaching capital. Starlight closed her eyes and tried her very best to focus. “Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy.” All three jumped to attention. “Get to the front of the train, and wait by the door. When this thing stops, you need to get off as soon as possible.” With identical nods, the earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus sprinted for the first train car. Rarity turned before heading off, “But what about you, dear?” “We’ll both be fine. Go! Now!” “Uh, Starlight, not to burst your bubble or anything, but those guards are getting awful close.” “Are we near the gate?” “Oh- uh, yeah! We’re almost there!” “Then hang on just a bit longer!” Starlight made a mental map of the train she was on, then did her best to locate where the brakes most likely were… The train shook back and forth as it entered the gates, as a guard got his trajectory wrong and ended up smacking right into the side of the train car. “Ooh! That’s gonna leave a mark...” “PINKIE! Are we-” “Oh- yeah! We’re here, Starlight! We’re in Canterlot!” “Hold onto something, Pinkie!” Starlight grabbed the brakes, as well as all the wheels themselves in her telekinesis and managed to bring the entire vessel to a halt in a single jarring second, just as she had hoped. She and Pinkie ended up almost pinned at the back of the train car, but a quick look outside proved that Starlight’s plan had, for the time being, worked. The speeding pegasi hadn’t expected such a quick halt from the train, and ended up crashing right into each other in a giant, aerial fray of colliding limbs and clanging armor. “Let’s go!” Starlight, with Pinkie at her heels, rushed to exit the train. When they at last got off and reunited with Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, all three looking slightly sick, Starlight was pleased to find them just within the city’s walls. They had only barely gotten past the tight security of the place. Her relief was premature, however, as the angry pegasi above them, swarming like wasps, reminded her that they all needed to find somewhere to hide, and fast. Doing their best to avoid detection, the five sprinted in the direction of Canterlot’s residential district, the first and lowest level of the city. Rounding an alley and cramming between two close brick walls, the five ponies were finally able to stop and breathe. They were, for the most part, well hidden. The rain had come to a stop at some point during their fortunate escape, but the entire alley was full of mud, and the roofs above them were constantly dripping rainwater. They were far from clean or collected, but they were safe. Rarity had lost her boots during their disembarkment and nearly shrieked at the sight of mud staining her once-spotless white hooves. "Sweet Celestia! That was close." "Good thinkin', Starlight. Way to get em' off our tails." “W-where’s Dash?” asked a concerned Fluttershy, noticing that everypony but the very noticeable rainbow hued mare was present. “We didn’t leave her, did we?” asked Pinkie. “No, she jumped out of the train while it was moving, right?” Starlight racked her brain for the details of the unimaginable chaos that had just ensued. “Well, where has that tirek-may-care pegasus gone off to?” asked Applejack. Everypony looked around worriedly. Fluttershy’s gaze eventually found the end of the alley. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. “What is it, Fluttershy?” The little yellow pony could only point ahead with a shaking hoof. The others turned to find a seething guard pony headed right for them. Turns out the five weren’t as hidden as they’d thought in the tight alley. Everypony scrambled to back away, though they weren’t getting far with how many of them there were and how little room they had. Proven by a large bruise on his forehead, the guard was in fact the same one who had slammed into the side of the car earlier. The unrelenting stallion accelerated into a gallop, focusing hard to not miss his target a second time. When he was only a few mere feet from the frazzled and unprepared huddle of ponies, a multi colored object descended onto him with alarming speed, having dove from who knows how far up. She tackled the guard right to the ground, staring at him with a proud and absolutely thrilled look, adrenaline seeping through every atom of her body. Her breathing was heavy and voice quite louder than need be. “Hey, what’s got you thinkin’ you can go and hurt my friends?” It took the stallion a surprising amount of strength to tear Rainbow off him, and then immediately rear up for a kick. The rainbow pony was quicker, however, and landed a punch right in his exposed gut. As the stallion recovered and lunged again at Rainbow, Applejack came to her senses and descended onto him. He tried to head-but the orange pony, but missed, leaving Applejack the time to buck him right in the side. When the guard came near toppling over in pain, Starlight also finally snapped out of the daze she’d been trapped in and shot a vibrant beam of blue magic towards their adversary. In a fraction of a second, the unsuspecting guard’s mouth and limbs were tied up in an unbreakable magic bond. He struggled and cried out, but there was no use. The six muddy and scared ponies had succeeded, Rainbow looking the by far the most overjoyed of the lot. “Ha! Did you see that? Good thing I saved you guys! Right in the nick of time, huh?” Applejack looked unimpressed, “You saved us? It was Starlight that got ‘im all tied up, you were just about to get yer rump kicked!” She pointed towards the struggling stallion, only able to mumble incoherently in protest. “Where were ya, anyway?” “Where else? I was up there holding these guys off. Managed to take out a good number of em’, too. Don’t think i’d be that bad as royal guard myself, you know? I’ve got the stuff. If I wasn’t already tied up with the Wonderbolts, that is.” She gave a self-satisfied grin. Applejack could only roll her eyes. “Well, we’re glad yer alright.” “Yes, Rainbow. Well done, thank you.” Rarity piped up to keep the two bold ponies from starting yet another argument. “Though, I could only wish we wouldn’t have to resort to violence like this. These guards are simply animalistic!” She examined the struggling pegasus before them. “I know many Canterlot guards, all quite sweet. I can’t imagine any of them acting like this. And to the Elements of Harmony, no less! They know who we are!” “But they’ve all gotta be under Twilight’s orders now, right?” Rainbow asked. “Yes, darling, I assume so. But even under royal orders, I simply can’t imagine-” Starlight drowned out the conversation happening beside her as she observed the thrashing stallion and tried to come up with an explanation as to what exactly was happening with these guards. Finally, she thought something up. She didn’t think it likely, but with the situation Canterlot was in, it was far from impossible. Focusing as hard as she could on the stallion, she used her magic to scan him head to hoof. Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack stopped and turned to see the unicorn let out a surprised gasp. “What is it!?” asked Rainbow impatiently. “His mind, it's being tampered with! He’s under some sort of spell!” “Twilight’s spell?” “Who’s else's?” Rainbow’s eyes grew wide, “Well... what are we gonna do?” “Yeah,” agreed Applejack. “Suppose we can’t just leave him here, 'specially if he’s not doin’ anything on purpose.” Starlight pondered for a moment, then began searching her memory for the correct spell to undo Twilight’s work on the poor stallion’s mind. Rainbow eventually grew impatient with the silence. “Well? Can you do anything about it, Starlight?” Being a pony who has had her fair share of... experience with mind-controlling spells, the mare knew a fair deal about untangling them. Still, Twilight’s spell was awfully powerful, and took her far more effort than expected to release it’s hold on the stallion. The mares were shocked to see the pony before them no longer struggling. He wasn’t moving at all, in fact. The pony just looked dazed and confused. Starlight removed the magic cords restraining him. He let out deep breaths, words not finding their way to his lips just yet. Instead he just stared at the surrounding ponies, completely and utterly shocked. “Hello,” greeted his unicorn savior. “I’m Starlight Glimmer.” The pegasus only nodded. “And you are-?” “Uh- Cloud Chaser. Captain Cloud Chaser.” “Cloud Chaser, it's a pleasure.” “Um, sorry, miss, what where exactly am I? What’s going on?” Starlight looked to the others as if to prove her point. He was most certainly being mind controlled. And he was, that meant the rest of the Canterlot guards were as well. Applejack was next to approach Cloud Chaser. The stallion shook out his legs and got to his hooves. “Sugar, i’m afraid there’s been a pony controllin’ yer mind. And not just you.” she gave a quick glimpse to the end of the alley to double check that there no more guards were about. “What?! Controlling my- By who? For-for how long?” “None other than Princess Twilight, we’re guessin’. And not long, maybe a couple hours or so, a day at most.” The pegasus seemed at a loss with himself, “What did I miss?” The four ponies looked at one another, none knowing quite what to respond. Rarity was the first to speak up. “We’re honestly not all that sure, dear,” Rarity tried to sound encouraging in her words. “All that we know is that something terrible has happened to Princess Twilight, and the other princesses are incapable of helping with what she’s… caused.” “Do ya remember anything at all about ‘er?”Applejack added. “Oh, of course. I've known Princess Twilight since she was a filly. But this- this isn’t anything like her. She'd never do anything bad to us guards. Let’s see- I remember Princess Twilight took power after the royal sisters became unconscious, therefore I was to serve her. But I- I don’t remember anything after than that,” he stared down at the muddy ground, his eyes searching for the answers nopony had. “Did I do anything I might regret? While I was being… controlled? You had me tied up, didn’t you?” Rarity looked back worriedly to the others before responding, “Don’t you worry about that, dear. Whatever happened wasn't your fault, and is in the past. Why don’t you head home, now. You’ve had a rough couple of hours, i’m sure. I bet your family is terribly worried.” “You-you’re right, I should probably take it easy after all this. But what about the other guards? My friends? They’re all under her spell too, right?” All eyes went to Starlight, “...Well, there’s no way I could cast a telepathic correction spell that large, but don’t worry, Cloud Chaser, once we get to the source of this magic, we’ll put a stop to all of it.” “I sure hope so...” said Chaser. He put a hoof to his forehead, overwhelmed and yet relieved. “Thank you all for doing this.” “Well, we are the Elements of Harmony! We’re basically pros at saving Equestria from evil-” “Rainbow Dash, could you go a second without boastin’ bout somethin’?” Applejack cut in. “We’re trying to calm the poor stallion down-” “I’m not boasting, i’m stating a fact. We are the best at-” “As you can see, the ‘harmonious’ portion of our title can be a bit misleading at times,” Rarity whispered into Cloud Chaser’s ear. The pegasus chuckled. “Well... thank you all again for… whatever exactly you did…” “Telepathic correction spell,” informed Starlight. “Yeah, that. And I wish you all good luck. Come and find me if you need anything, but I think i’m gonna go and make sure my family is alright. If you’d like, i’ll get the surrounding guards to leave the area for a bit, so that you all can get out of this dirty alley where... ” he looked around at the dismal setting before him, “I assume you’re hiding?” “That would be just dandy. Thank ya kindly, Cloud Chaser.” Applejack said as Cloud Chaser beat his wings and began to rise into the air. “My fellow guards will be off your backs for as long as I can manage. Try to get somewhere safe, and quickly. And please, help the rest of my friends.” With a salute, he was gone. “Hey, has anypony seen Pinkie and Fluttershy?” Looking around the damp alley, it was now obvious that the earth pony and pegasus were gone. It was a surprising revelation to say the least, Fluttershy’s quiet nature often resulted in her being overlooked, but it was normally close to impossible to not know where exactly Pinkie Pie was within a hundred mile radius of her. But indeed, she and the silent yellow mare were nowhere to be found. “They must have gone off while we were talking,” Starlight looked around worriedly. “Yeah, but where?” asked Rainbow. “Why would they just leave like that?” “I don’t know, but we've gotta find them. It’s not safe around here, and we need to find shelter while we can.” Rainbow nodded and the four of them headed off, doing their best to remain under the dreary conceal of buildings. They didn’t need too hunt for too long, soon both missing ponies to be found. They were sitting beside the fogged up window of a small building, heat emanating from the source, coming from what appeared to be a fireplace somewhere inside. A tattered blanket, obviously found somewhere in the alley due to it’s questionable condition, was slung around Fluttershy’s back. “Sorry we strayed a bit far, girls. It’s just, Flutters here’s looking pretty bad,” Pinkie was supporting Fluttershy in her hooves, soaking wet and dirty pony and continually coughing and sneezing. “I knew what you all were doing was important, but I was just so worried for Fluttershy here, she was shaking so much.” The thin blanket seemed to be doing little to help the yellow pony’s condition, but she looked immensely grateful for Pinkie’s efforts nonetheless. “But you’re alright now, right, Flutters?” she looked at the pegasus with caring eyes and gave her a wide grin. “Y-yes, Pinkie, thank you very much.” Fluttershy’s teeth were still chattering and her body shaking, but Pinkie’s actions meant far more than what good they actually provided the little yellow pony. “Oh, you poor darling,” Rarity ran up to Fluttershy and carefully examined her. “We should get you inside and warm, lest you get even sicker out here.” “You’re right, Rarity, we need to find a place to stay tonight,” agreed Starlight. “We aren’t in anywhere near a good enough condition to approach Twilight right now.” “Yes, but where?” Rarity had since joined in comforting the yellow mare. “That dear Cloud Chaser said we wouldn’t have long until those guards were to return.” “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to look around here for someplace open. Just remember to lay low. We don't want any unwanted attention drawn toward us.” "My stars! Are you the newest Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash?!" The six had been trekking for several minutes, doing their very best to evade detection, and so far being met with nothing but drawn curtains, locked doors, and lots and lots of mud. That all changed when they reached a tall, odd-looking house and saw two wide eyes staring from behind a curtain. There was little time to react to the strange behavior before the pony is question came bursting out the door, causing the whole group to nearly leap out of their own skin. She was a maroon earth pony with a long, curly black mane, and looked simply ecstatic at the arrival of the ponies. Actually, more like the arrival of just one in particular. “Uh… yeah... that’s me, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow wasn’t exactly prepared on how to respond to this unexpected kind of attention. Not that it bothered her, of course. “Oh! I’m such a huge fan! You don’t even know! My husband is as well...  Skycharter! Get over here!” The six damp ponies looked to each other in confusion. It wasn’t long before the aforementioned Skycharter arrived to behold them. He was a grey earth pony himself, with a mane like new copper. He wore cracked spectacles and a scruffy beard. The stallion stared at Rainbow with the same giddiness mirrored by his wife beside him. “Sweet Celestia, Astrid, it really is her! Can you believe it? Out of anypony, a wonderbolt decided to stay in our place for the night? Oh, I’m hoping that’s what you’re here for, right?” he gleefully asked. “Actually,” began Rarity “We all could benefit from a-” “Hold on!” The maroon colored mare dashed back inside for a moment, then came back out with a clunky polaroid camera in her mouth, “Huney, do ya tink you could getta picture of me wiv da wonderbol?” “Sure thing, Sweetheart.” Without any warning, Astrid pulled the pegasus in for a photo op, Rainbow hardly having the time to collect herself before a bright flash momentarily blinded her. “Ack, my eyes! What- what was that?!” “Look, hun! This is going up on the wall, for sure!” “I- uh…” Rainbow stumbled around, cross eyed and disoriented, patches of light staining her retinas. “Well, you see...” Starlight attempted in shifting the couple’s attention from the photograph. “We were hoping you two could lend us all a place to stay tonight, if it wouldn’t be that much trouble-” “Why of course, dear!” Astrid was on the verge of Pinkie Pie levels of excitement. “Come on in! I don’t know what such a well-known pony like yourself, miss Rainbow Dash, is doing in these dirty old streets, but we sure do appreciate your company!” Applejack gave the mare an expectant look out of the corner of her eye before following the others into the dingy household. “Yeah, but, you’ve gotta know who my friends are, surely.” the still quite startled Rainbow asked once the door shut and everypony had been crammed into the living room. “Elements of Harmony, Starlight Glimmer, ever heard of ‘em?” Both Astrid and Sky examined the ponies seemingly far less important than the celebrity that had just entered their home, and could not seem to recognize a single thing about them. “You know...” Pinkie began. “The ponies who saved a Equestria like a dozen million times already! And we’re gonna do it again, just you watch us!” Starlight smacked her face with a hoof. So much for laying low… “Oh, you see, we get most of our information from these here,” Astrid picked up a mouthful of cheap magazines spawled about on a table, most with headshots of rich and famous ponies. She chuckled, “Awlof it , ackally.” The earth pony spit the pages back down onto the table. All six ponies looked at the grinning couple, then to the pile of magazines on the table in front of them, none really knowing what to think. “We just love the Wonderbolts more than anything! We’ve read all the interviews and know each member by name!” “You mean you get all yer news from tabloids?” asked Applejack. “Well, surely ya do go outside at some point, right? It’s really not all tha’ hard to miss what we do.” “Yeah,” said Pinkie, “Like that time an evil army of changelings invaded the city? Remember that?” The couple looked at each other in shared confusion. “What’s a... changeling?” asked Astrid. “I don’t think I remember reading about those.” Now it was Applejack’s turn for a facehoof, “How long have you both been cooped up in here, exactly?” “Oh, we’ve been here for a few decades!” answered Astrid with a pleasant smile, as if Applejack’s question had simply been what the mare’s favorite color was. “We have our studies- the stars, you see, that’s exactly what we study. We work all day with our telescopes and graphs, and every week we get some nice food and some of our favorite magazines delivered, it’s all we really need!” “We’ve got more room than we need in this old place, and it gets a bit lonely sometimes, so we're quite glad you all dropped in for a visit! None of our neighbors seem to ever want to stop for a chat, I simply can't imagine why.” “I can think of a few reasons…” Starlight nudged Rainbow in the side to shut her up. Unfortunately, she should've known that such an act wouldn’t stop the overzealous pegasus for long. “So, wait, you two haven’t left this place for decades? Why in Equestria would you-” All of a sudden, Rainbow found her mouth sealed shut by some intangible force. She turned to Starlight with fury in her eyes, she attempted yelling in protest but found herself completely mute. “I think what Rainbow Dash was trying to say, was that we all thank you very much for the hospitality. We’ve been through a lot and would appreciate a place to stay the night.” “Why of course! You all must be exhausted after your travels. You all can stay on the third floor. We’ve got a few empty bedrooms.” Everypony save the mute pegasus thanked the couple and waved them goodbye as they headed upstairs. “Let us know if you need anything!... Sky, quick! Find the Wonderbolts poster. We’re getting an autograph!” After the ponies were safely on the staircase, Starlight cleared away her spell to prevent Rainbow from opening her muzzle. She regretted it soon after. “What was THAT for?” “I panicked, okay? I’m sorry. We just really need somewhere to stay, and I don’t want to say anything that might end up convincing them to not let us spend the night here.” “Starlight, you heard them, didn't you? They love me! Ponies would never kick a Wonderbolt out! You can’t always rely on your own judgement, you know.” Starlight looked down at her hooves, lacking any kind of response. Rainbow was too caught up in her anger to notice the unicorn anymore, however. She found the first bedroom door, opened it, and stepped inside impatiently.  “And you can’t just count on your magic to get whatever you want!” The door slammed shut. Everypony stared. None apparently wanted to follow her inside. Then their attentions shifted to Starlight. “Aw, don’t look like that, sugarcube. You were only trynna to help, she knows that,” Applejack glanced worriedly over towards the door Rainbow had disappeared behind. “It’s just that she- well, this whole situation’s gettin’ to each of us, with Twilight being gone and all… and Dash’s always had a heck of a temper.” She looked the still-silent Starlight over, muddy and damp just like everypony else, and then to the several doors beside them. “Looks like there’s three rooms up here, huh? I’ll bunk with Rainbow, try ta get her outta this sour mood she’s in for the sake of the team.” “I’ll bunk with Fluttershy, of course!” The little yellow pony still hadn’t left Pinkie’s side, and most certainly wasn’t looking any better. He face was flushed and she was constantly sniffing, her sneezes cutting through conversations on a regular basis. Pinkie nuzzled her friend gently, which Fluttershy unwillingly responded to with a cough. “And i’ll take care of you too! Don’t worry, Flutters, Doctor Pinkie’s here to help!” “Thank you Pinkie, i’d like that,” the pegasus responded weakly. “That leaves me and Rarity, I guess” said Starlight somewhat quietly, still a little unsure of herself after Rainbow’s scolding. “Marvelous, dear.” Rarity said with a warm smile “Yay! It’ll be kinda like a sleepover, huh you guys? Except, instead of the castle or library or Sugarcube Corner, it’s in a creepy old house owned by hermits! This is gonna be so much fun! Come on, Fluttershy!” Pinkie and her sick companion were first to enter their room. Applejack was next, stepping inside with great care, and closing the door immediately after she did so. Starlight was glad. She didn’t at all care to hear the coming conversation between the two. But Applejack was good at bringing other ponies to their senses, and she was hopeful. “Well, dearest, are you coming?” The room that Starlight could only assume was a mirror image of the ones on either side was really not much to look at. There was a bed as well as a somewhat rickety couch. A single small window looked like it had been punched out rather than built in, its curtains drawn, and there was a vase complemented with a couple dead flowers sitting on a bedside table. The room was still full of dust as well, and the corners and windowsill were decorated by large cobwebs. “Well, it is rather bland, I must say,” Rarity took off her violet raincoat, the only remaining article of clothing she had left after their troublesome journey, and laid it gently on the bed frame. “Although, I suppose it could be worse...” she examined the couch Starlight had noticed with hopeful and tired eyes. “These accents sure are… something.” The white unicorn then pulled opened the curtains and coughed as a small ray of light illuminated the large accumulation of dust she had just set free. Starlight started coughing as well, “Yeah, it would help if this place had been used in the last hundred years or so.” Rarity sighed, “I suppose, dear. Although I must say, it’s better than the street by a long shot. We're also very well hidden here, there's a good chance nopony under Twilight's spell will know where to look.” Starlight plopped herself down on the very inviting couch beside her and wanted so badly to escape into sleep, away from the mess they’d gotten themselves into. Away from the reality of what was happening. “Ugh,” a disgusted remark from Rarity opened Starlight’s exhausted eyes, “I simply cannot get any rest in this state!” She was looking down at her hooves, coated in mud from their adventurous travels of that morning. “I’m going to find a shower, I simply cannot live when I am this dreadfully dirty!” It may have sounded a bit uncaring, she loved Rarity, after all, but Starlight was happy to have the room all to herself for a bit. She was coated in mud too, of course. Her hooves, fur and even her mane and tail were desperately in need of washing. At the moment, however, her cleanliness couldn’t make its way into her brain through the overpowering pull of sleep. Twilight strutted around her new bedroom, feeling quite content with the looks of it. Let's see now, there was her enormous bed accented by expensive drapery, a large window with golden accents, a plush purple carpet, a roaring fireplace, and several elegant tapestries hanging from the walls. There were also countless one-of-a-kind titles the Princess took great pains to keep herself from being distracted by, on an hoof-crafted bookshelf. The Princess of the Sun sure wasn’t cheap when it came to decorating her quarters. What Twilight was looking for, she found rather quickly. The alicorn soon discovered a full-body mirror opposite to what used to be Celestia’s bed. She didn’t focus on her pupils or her aura, both slightly darker in hue than usual, nor the devilish grin that sprouted from her lips. No, those weren’t important. What was important was the regalia that she was now wearing. Her own regalia was back in Ponyville, far too long a distance to travel without fear of being spotted, not to mention rather pathetic for such a grand role, so she had located the next best thing. Cadence’s golden crown, breastplate and footwear were now hers. It hadn’t been difficult to locate the regalia of the three princesses, taken off them in order to better treat the ponies presumed to be sick in some way. Celestia and Luna’s regalia were far too big for her, but Cadance’s fit her well. Naturally, it made sense to take it as hers. What kind of princess was she if she couldn’t even look the part? “Oh, can we do it already? You’re making me terribly impatient, Twilight. Don’t forget who’s responsible for getting you such an opportunity.” “I know, I know. But you must wait just a bit longer, my friend. I need to look my best before I proceed. Today is a big day, after all.” With a simple wave of her horn, a spell that would have taken many unicorns years of study was put into motion quickly and effortlessly. The golden regalia she wore was changed into sparkling silver. Not worth as much, obviously, but Twilight’s needn’t worry about riches with all of Equestria at her disposal. It was looks she was going for, and silver regalia looked far better with her color scheme, she had decided. “Alright, i’m ready. Let’s finish this, once and for all.” No guards were asked to accompany or even dare speak the princess that afternoon. Even with all the Canterlot royal guards under her spell, she still didn’t trust them with a secret as important as this one. There was only one she trusted that much. “Yes, yes. I can feel it, Twilight. Such power, their magic holds. Magic that will put a stop to our plans, mind you. We must be rid of it at once.” Be patient, my friend. It is far too dangerous to do the deed in the light of day. It is imperative that we go undisturbed with our business.” “Then lower the sun already! You have the power, Twilight! You can do it right now and get everything over with! I can only keep them unconscious for so long, after all.” “Please, hold on a bit longer. Causing the moon to rise so much earlier than its normal hour will cause a panic. If we do this right, nopony will even notice. Our plans we be unstoppable for sure.” “Unstoppable, perhaps, if you do not foolishly grant them the same mercy as you did the dragon.” Her friend finally giving in to her wishes and leaving her be, Twilight arrived just in time to her throne room. It remained just as she had left it, calm and serene. Teleporting herself up onto her extravagant throne, she immediately called for a report on the ponies who had been caught heading her way because of her maddening little assistant. Another guard, pretty beat up by the looks of it, was called in. He bowed before the princess, who was having none of it. “Well? The ponies from Ponyville heading this way, were they stopped?” “Well, you- uh, you see, your highness…” “They got away?” Twilight said through clenched teeth and a furious gaze. “I- well, we-” the guard pony looked like he would rather have been in the depths of Tartarus than within Twilight’s line of sight in that moment. “We had sights on the train they were traveling in, your highness, but they proved more powerful than we thought, this rainbow-colored mare attacked me in midair, and…” “They got away.” Twilight stood up, her gaze not shifting, her expression all the more angry. “How could you have let them get away! These are the Elements of Harmony we’re talking about! And my own personal magic student! These ponies are powerful, and you should have planned accordingly!” “I understand, your highness, I understand. I am so, deeply sorry.” the mortified guard sunk lower into his bow. “I can order everypony to start a search for them now, if you-” “No.” The guard was surprised by Twilight’s sudden response, and regretted his counter the moment it came out of his mouth. “But, why, you highness? If they plan to do you harm, shouldn’t we look for-” “I said no! We already have countless guards patrolling the castle. We must not waste time and resources. They are clever, you know, and will not allow ponies as incompetent as you all to find them. No, we will wait for them to come to us. It will be far easier. And if you guards prove to be just as inept in stopping them, I will take care of them all myself. Is that clear?” The castle guard knew that if he had just agreed, nodded his head and left, everything would have been alright. But no, he just had to open that stupid mouth of his again. “But, Princess, wouldn’t it work out better if we-” “Are you disagreeing with me!?” Twilight teleported right in front of the guard, her color-shifting eyes glaring furiously, inches from his own. “Are you saying you do not value my authority enough to follow each and every one of my orders?” “No! I-” “SILENCE!” Twilight's eyes burned an electric green, and her voice echoed along every empty hallway the castle held. The guard could only look on in amazement and terror as thick vines of black magic spiraled right for him and caused him to cry out in agony. He fell to the floor, Twilight still blasting her dark magic from above. She burned her dark powers into him only further, his cries for mercy only growing louder. Twilight laughed through it all. She hadn’t expected how much she’d enjoy this. When she felt the guard had had enough, Twilight released him from her agonising hold. He stayed knelt on the ground, crying and hyperventilating. With a flash, Twilight was back on top of her throne, many feet above him, looking as regal and emotionless as she had before he’d arrived. “Now,” she said simply. “You will follow my orders, stop the search, and remain here. That is clear, I hope?” The guard nodded the quickest he had in his entirely life and muttered, “Yes, your highness, your every word I shall follow. I apologize for my ignorance.” Twilight gave a satisfied smile and waved a hoof, “Go on, then, and prove your sentiment.” The guard galloped out of the throne room as quickly as he could, and Twilight leaned back on her throne, feeling more content than ever. “You see, my friend? I am far from mercyful. Our business that we must take care of tonight will be simple and quick, and then we will be able to start the next phase of our great conquest.” “Good evening! Who wants dinner?” The muffled, cheerful greeting of Astrid from behind her door eventually caused Starlight to groggily open her eyes. There was a stampede of hooves coming from outside her room, heading downstairs for a much welcomed meal, but Starlight’s own legs refused to budge from their comfortable position on the couch. Far too much of her sleep had been cut short lately. “Oh dearest!” Astrid gave a light patter on Starlight’s door. “Dinner’s ready! Come down and join us!” with a bright smile that Starlight could only picture but new very well existed, she headed back downstairs. Groaning, the unicorn forced her tired limbs to begrudgingly support her weight. She hated being treated like a little foal, but was far too grateful of Astrid’s hospitality to complain. With a yawn, she headed for the bathroom to wash up before dinner. She was still coated in dried mud, after all, and wanted to at least seem somewhat presentable to her rather odd hosts. When Starlight descended to the bottom floor, she found everypony but Fluttershy squeezed into the rather small kitchen and around the even more confined kitchen table, along with Astrid and Skycharter. “Oh Starlight, you’re here! Come, sit down! We’ve got hayburgers!” Astrid, somehow, seemed in an even better mood than when the gang had first arrived. Skycharter was preoccupied in eagerly handing Rainbow Dash piles of memorabilia to sign, while his wife placed a tray of hayburgers on the table before everypony. “Oh, we’re just so glad to have you all here! It’s been pretty lonely without any visitors, you see. Oh, but now we have you all! Isn’t that just great? Go ahead, eat up!” The five ponies sitting around the table hadn’t eaten for a good while, and wasted no time digging into their meals. “Um, where’s Fluttershy?” Starlight asked as she sat down, crammed between the daintily eating Rarity and the slobbery and messy Pinkie. Rainbow Dash was the pony furthest from her view, still giving Starlight a death glare out of the corner of her eye. Starlight wanted anything but the get the mare yelling again. “Oh, Flutters isn't feeling all that well,” Pinkie said, mouth full. “Said she’s not all that hungry either. She’s gonna stay in bed for now.” Starlight looked down at her food and suddenly felt a sense of guilt. Most of what had led the ponies here had been because of her. Sure, she might’ve managed to keep them in the clear from the guards, but a part of Starlight still felt as if their journey to Canterlot could’ve gone a lot smoother if she’d done things differently. Perhaps Fluttershy wouldn’t even have gotten sick. “Oh, don’t feel bad, Starlight, it’s not your fault.” said Pinkie, presumably reading the unicorn’s mind. Starlight had known Pinkie for long enough to know that wasn’t entirely out of the question for her. “Her temperature isn’t even all that high, I think it’s mostly the stress that’s getting to her. She’ll be fine and dandy by tomorrow, I bet. But Doctor Pinkie’s gonna take good care of her until then.” “Thanks, Pinkie, I hope so.” Her spirits were lifted, even if only a little, and her empty stomach began being filled by extremely tasty hayburgers. Even while the food was delicious and their hosts were very kind and sociable, the crammed and messy state of their home was still a little off-putting. There were piles of dusty astronomy books, and almost every surface was plastered with calculations, maps, and coordinates, occasionally set apart by a wonderbolts poster or a gossipy magazine clipping. Being overly indulged in one’s studies was a characteristic of Canterlot ponies, it seemed to Starlight. She was getting a very Twilightey vibe from the whole scenario. Save for how cluttered the place was, of course. Think of it, these ponies probably could use a bit of organizational advice from the princess. “So, what brings you six lovely fillies to Canterlot?” It was at the point when there was a great lull in the attitude of the room, with nopony wanting to say anything that might put them at risk. Pinkie was about to open her mouth when Starlight thankfully pepped up. “Well, it’s a bit complicated. We won’t trouble you both with the details-” Starlight decided to tread carefully. “Um... we know you two don’t exactly get out… often, but we were wondering if you’ve noticed anything odd happening here in Canterlot recently. Like-” “Like, you know, an evil, corrupted alicorn taking control of the-” Pinkie was shot a look by all five of her friends and quieted down immediately. “Like, anything off about the way things normally go on around here. The way ponies are acting, for instance.” The couple looked at each other, then to back Starlight with she’d been dreading. Blank expressions. “So sorry, dear, but nothing out of the ordinary in the past few days, no. Other than that article on Photo Finish's new photo story not getting good reviews by critics the other day. Now that was something! Right, hun?” “Terrible reviews! Who would’ve guessed? It’s Photo Finish! Only the most talented photographer in all of Equestria!” “Yes, but, you see, that’s not really what I mean-” “If you want to know about ponies we ourselves have talked to, deary, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.” Astrid said with an apologetic smile. “Wait, hun. Remember that castle servant that came to deliver those charts this morning?” Astrid gasped, “Oh yes, of course! I completely forgot about her!” Starlight eyes widened with interest, “Who? Someone from the castle?” “Yes yes, a young servant. What was her name? Silver something… Silverberry! That’s it! You see, we get our star charts from the castle sometimes. A sweet filly, she was. There was just something… off about her.” “Like what?” asked all five ponies in harmony. It was unmistakable that Astrid had now gotten everypony’s interest. “Like, was she extremely angry and tried to kill you on sight?” asked Pinkie Pie. “No, no, nothing like that, we can assure you,” said Sky. “It’s just... she was very jittery, the poor thing. When we invited her in for some tea, she told us she needed to get back to the castle so that Princess Twilight wouldn’t get upset. She seemed pretty worried about it, too. We’ve seen this ‘Princess Twilight’ in a few of our magazines. She’s top rated princess of the year, you know! There was even a dress inspired by her! Made the front page too!” Starlight was growing impatient, “So, she seemed afraid of Princess Twilight? Did she say anything about the other Princesses? Like Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?” “Princess Luna? Who’s that?” Everypony gave a flat look, and decided the explanation wasn’t worth the time. “N-nevermind, just, did she say anything else that might’ve been important?” “I don’t think so. She just seemed really worried about not getting back to the castle on time. Castle servants do a lot of deliveries for us, and i've never seen a single one that paranoid before.” Starlight looked to the others and silently motioned for them to head back upstairs immediately. The rest nodded. “Well, we can’t thank you two enough for the food.” Starlight pushed away her plate and got up to leave, the others quickly following. "We’ll probably be leaving quite early tomorrow, but we're incredibly grateful for you letting us stay. We’re gonna head upstairs now, if you don’t mind.” “Oh! Why, um, certainly. Sleep well, all of you!” The six ponies hurried up the stairs, the old floorboards creaking threateningly underneath them. As Starlight made her way as fast as she could upstairs to discuss with the others, Astrid and Skycharter’s conversation faded out behind out her. “You know, now that I think about it, I think I remember the name Luna on one of those ‘best princess’ polls.” “Oh yes, I remember now! Rated pretty highly, too. I wonder where in Equestria she came from?” Starlight couldn’t help but sympathize with the two friendly and unknowing ponies. She herself had lived secluded from the rest of the world at one point, and most of her knowledge of modern day Equestria had to come from Twilight. She still had no idea how two astronomers failed to notice the outline of a pony just randomly disappearing from the moon one day. She decided not to dwell on it too much. “Well, that just happened.” said Rainbow, once they had securely gotten to the top floor of the cramped household. “What does this mean?” asked Rarity. “These ponies hardly know anything about Twilight, certainly, but that castle servant they were discussing...” “Silverberry, yeah.” said Applejack. “I guess Twilight’s been controlling her mind? Like those crazy guards this mornin’? Sweet Celestia, gives me the heebie jeebies just thinkin’ about it.” “Unless of course nopony even knows who these hermits are anymore, and she was just as creeped out by them as we were.” Said an annoyed Rainbow. “Oh hush, miss Dash,” began Rarity. “We all know you can never get enough attention from fans.” “No, Silverberry was specifically ordered to deliver charts to these ponies,” said Starlight, her mind racing, “And when we got off the train, there were no other ponies around. It was only the guards that were coming after us.” “So, Twi only wants to mind control her guards and servants?” asked Pinkie “How come? If I was an evil ruler, i’d want to control everypony, not just the ones already under my orders. Not that I am, of course. And neither is Twilight. Our Twilight, that is.” Pinkie had, as was per usual with her, spoken everything rapidly in one continuous breath, but Starlight had understood enough to come up with an idea. “What if she wants to, Pinkie, but she can’t?” “What do you mean?” asked Pinkie. “It seemed pretty easy for you to mind control the five of us.” After an awkward pause and a look of embarrassment from Starlight, she finally responded, “No, I... I mean, what if she does want to control everypony in Equestria, like you said, but just doesn't have the power? A mind control spell like that would take an incredible amount, more than even the princesses have.” “Yes, darling, that does seem like a goal that would make sense for her, but her magic is corrupted by that- that thing, right? Shouldn’t she be stronger now?” “Unless she can have all tha’ power, and she’s just waitin’ until she’s able ta get it!” said Applejack. A rather loud cough from Fluttershy cut the five ponies’ concentration for a minute, as they went into her room to check on her. “Excuse me,” said the little yellow pegasus, her voice hoarse but sure of itself, “I heard your conversation and would like to add a thought, if I could,” “Oh, of course, Fluttershy.” Starlight seemed a bit taken aback by the pony’s straightforward and confident tone, “Sorry, I almost forgot forgot you were in here. What would you like to say?” After a few short sniffles, Fluttershy began, “Well, Twilight definitely has the castle ponies under some sort of spell, and it’s probably a real possibility that she wants to control other ponies, too. Maybe even all of Equestria. But right now, I don’t think there’s any way for us to find out more information without getting it from the source. Twilight will probably only get more powerful the more this evil thing corrupts her, so the sooner we get to her, the better.” Fluttershy sunk her head a bit when she finished, avoiding the gaze of the five ponies. “You- you know, if that’s okay with you all…” “No, Fluttershy, you’re right,” said Starlight. The pegasus smiled. “It’s unlikely we’ll get any closer to an answer staying here. Before the sun rises, we’ll leave. We’ll try to attract as little attention as possible, and then we’ll talk things out with Twilight. Or try to, at least.” The others, even Rainbow Dash, seemed to agree wholeheartedly with Starlight’s plan. They all missed their best friend dearly, and wished to see her again under any circumstances. “Well, get a good night’s sleep, everyone.” said Fluttershy. “Yeah, Celestia knows we’re gonna need it,” groaned Rainbow, and she flew off towards her room without even lending Starlight a glance. The unicorn sighed as she too went to get some rest, far more worried than before about how these ponies were faring with her at the helm. Tomorrow, she decided, she’d make it up to Rainbow.