The sun had long since set by the time the train rolled into Canterlot. The train doors opened and as no one else was riding in the same coach, the group of six exited swiftly and with no hassle. A group of royal guards was waiting for them on the platform, but unlike the white-coated guards from earlier, these were dark gray with bat-like wings, slitted golden eyes, and wearing midnight-blue armor. Hector heard Florina gasp at the sight. He found them more interesting than surprising; Equestria certainly had a greater diversity of sapient creatures than Elibe.
The leader stepped forward and addressed Twilight.
“Good evening, Ms. Sparkle. Their Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna await your party at the castle.”
Twilight took a moment to stretch her hind legs before nodding. “Lead the way, soldier.”
The group fell into step behind the guards, following them as they traversed the previously bustling cobblestone streets, now empty with only the sounds of their foot/hoofsteps filling the air. Everyone walked as softly as possible, mindful of the sleeping residents. Hector had to admit, he was feeling a lot less tense now that the streets were empty. The peaceful nighttime ambiance certainly didn’t hurt, either.
One thing that caught his eye as they backtracked through Canterlot was the previously unlit street lamps. The lights shining within came from the same kind of ball-like devices he’d seen on the train. The idea of opening up a system of trade with Equestria to bring their advanced magic and/or technology to Lycia was starting to look very appealing; it would be especially useful if a war with another country ever broke out.
Eventually, the group made it to the castle. A midnight-blue alicorn was standing at the entrance, tracking Hector and Florina with her curious eyes as they approached. In contrast to Celestia’s golden regalia, this one’s was silver but otherwise wasn’t much different in design.
“Princess Luna!” Twilight said and ran the rest of the way. She wrapped her hooves around the princess and nuzzled her side, a gesture that ‘Luna’ returned after a second of hesitation.
“It is good to see you again, Twilight Sparkle,” she said with a smile.
The rest of the group reached them. Princess Luna broke the hug and returned her attention to Hector and Florina. “So, you are the human royalty from another world.” She tracked her eyes up and down as if studying Hector’s and Florina’s figures. “I must say, your kind’s choice of royal garb is rather unorthodox.”
“I don’t know what you’re comparing it with,’ Hector said, inspecting her own choice of clothes, or rather, distinct lack of them. “A crown, necklace, and shoes aren’t a whole lot to rightfully call ‘royal garb’.”
Princess Luna’s eyes widened in response to the remark. Hector heard some of the ponies draw sharp gasps. Florina clutched his hand; a brief glance showed she was biting her lip with a finger to her chin.
A few moments of silence passed between everyone. Hector waited patiently for whatever possible rebuttal Luna could give. He wouldn’t have been so blunt had Luna not done so first, so she didn’t have a leg to stand on for being angry at him.
“Not one to put on airs, are you, Lord Hector?” she finally said with a sly grin.
Hector matched her sly expression. “Something I take great pride in, Princess Luna.”
“As you should,” Luna replied. Hector heard a few more shocked intakes of breath. Luna turned and beckoned the group to enter. “Come. My sister awaits to send you all off to Elibe.”
The group followed Princess Luna through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Twilight talked up a storm with Princess Luna the whole way, asking her questions that sometimes managed to elicit a blush from the princess. Seeing such a casual conversation between a royal and a commoner actually made Hector a little jealous. He figured there was some special history between Twilight and Luna that was the reason for their unusual casualness.
At one point, Rainbow flew up beside Hector and whispered, “Hey, what you said to Luna back there? Not a whole lot of people would have the nerve to speak down to either princess like that.” She smiled. “I gotta say, I like your bravery. Some would call it stupidity, but there’s no way it’s not bravery.”
“I spoke to her the same way I speak to all the other Lords and Ladies of Lycia.”
“Well, it was still awesome.”
The corner of Hector’s mouth lifted. “Thanks.” It always felt nice to meet someone new who appreciated his mannerisms.
Princess Luna led them through the halls, past several more bat-winged guards who only spared brief, curious glances towards Hector and Florina as they passed. She led them down the exact same path Hector and Florina had come from upon arriving in Canterlot Castle earlier, eventually ending in front of the same supply closet the Window was located in. Princess Celestia was waiting for them outside the door.
“So you two were successful in your mission,” Princess Celestia said, regarding Hector and Florina. “I trust they know the full details surrounding your call for aid?”
“They know everything they need to know,” Hector promised, stepping up to the alicorn.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “They also know how violent your world can be at times compared to Equestria, as well?”
All the ponies, minus Twilight, cringed a little.
“I made clear the danger of being ambushed by bandits.” Hector smiled and reached around to pat the axe strapped to his back. “They’ll have the best possible protection, so don’t believe for a second they won’t come back safe and sound.”
“You’re certainly confident, Lord Hector, that much is certain.” Princess Luna stood alongside her sister. “We only hope that confidence isn’t born out of arrogance.”
Florina spoke up. “Hector means what he says, Princess. I’ve witnessed his combat skills firsthand and he truly is the strongest fighter I’ve ever seen.”
“And hey, don’t think the four of us can’t pull our weight in protecting ourselves!” Rainbow Dash said. She punched the air a few times. “If the going gets tough, the bad guys’ll regret messing with us when they get a taste of my hoof in their face!”
“Let’s not get carried away there, Rainbow,” Applejack said, her tone conveying a sense of reason and patience. “Things’re a whole lot different in their world if they gotta use actual weapons to defend themselves. Better we jus’ let them do all the fightin’ and make sure to repay them by doing our jobs when we get to this ‘Ilia’ place.”
Rainbow crossed her hooves, pouting a little. “I guess you’re right.”
Fluttershy flew up to Rainbow’s side, laying a hoof on her withers. “Maybe we’ll have a nice, safe trip and no one will try to ambush us. Even better, maybe we’ll make a new friend or two along the way.”
Hector snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up. With how long we’ll be traveling, odds are at least one of the dozens of bandit groups spread over Elibe will try to attack us.”
Fluttershy’s gaze wilted a little.
“But we just might make some new friends,” Florina spoke up, to which Fluttershy’s face brightened. “We made lots of new friends during our time in Lord Eliwood’s army, all just from traveling across the continent on our journey.”
“And I’m hoping to learn as much as I can about Elibean culture and magic while we’re there!” Twilight’s eyes lit up and she rubbed her hooves together.
Celestia chuckled. “I would expect nothing less from you, my faithful student,” she said, earning a blush from Twilight.
“Well then, shall we head off?” Hector asked.
“Yeah, let’s get this adventure started already!” Rainbow said excitedly.
The group of six stepped into the supply closet. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all stared in awe at the sight of the Window hovering in the air, this being their first time witnessing it.
“Be safe, my little ponies,” Princess Celestia said, enveloping the door in her magic. “And happy travels.”
“We will, Princess,” Twilight affirmed.
With a final nod from Celestia, the door was closed.
“Well then, time to go,” Hector said. He stepped through the Window alongside Florina.
They once again found themselves in the infinite white expanse of the Singularity. Twilight came through a second later. After some hesitation, the rest of the ponies followed suit, gathering in front of the Window and scanning the plain scenery around them.
“Wow, so this is the Singularity?” Applejack breathed.
“Yeah,” Twilight answered. “Exactly as it was last time I was here.”
“Why’s it so white and boring?” Rainbow asked.
“No one knows for sure, but the people who were here when it was formed concluded that the person who orchestrated the Great Convergence deliberately constructed it to look like this.” Twilight shook her head. “Honestly, a lot of the things we were actually told would seem unbelievable to anyone who wasn’t there, but one thing we know for sure is that the Singularity was created as a hub for all worlds, to permanently connect and allow travel between them.” She smiled up at Florina and Hector. “Lucky for you, because now you’ve got help from my friends.”
Hector smiled as well, nodding. “Yeah, it was definitely a good thing.”
Florina nodded her agreement as well.
Fluttershy spoke up. “So, how do we get to Elibe from here?”
“Well, first we have to find a Guide,” Twilight answered. She took a moment to scan their surroundings. “Ah! There we go.”
The group followed her to a Guide hovering a little ways away from them. Rainbow, Applejack, and Fluttershy stared at it curiously.
“Hello,” Twilight said to it, receiving no response. “We wish to travel to the land of Elibe.”
The Guide raised one of its spheres and a Window appeared from far away in an eye’s blink, eliciting gasps from Twilight’s friends.
“See? Easy,” Twilight said and stepped through the Window.
Everyone else followed after her, coming into the Castle Ostia supply room. Hector stepped forward and knocked on the door. It opened a second later to reveal Oswin staring back at them.
“Welcome back, milord,” he said. “Were you successful?”
Hector smiled and stepped aside to let him see the ponies. He heard Fluttershy squeak while Oswin reeled his head back a little in surprise. He must not have been quite as prepared to meet alien equines as he’d claimed.
His features quickly returned to stoic, however, and he gave a curt nod. “Very well. Shall I have rooms prepared for them, then?”
Hector nodded in return. “We’re going to need a good night’s rest; we leave first thing in the morning.”
“Your will be done, milord.” And with that, Oswin strode off, his bulky armor clanking the whole way.
“Wow,” Rainbow said, stepping up beside the royal couple, “that was some pretty bulky armor he was wearing.”
“Those who choose to become armor knights must be strong and durable,” Hector explained. “No one is as proud to wear armor like Oswin, nor as skilled in such combat. He alone would be enough to protect you girls on our journey.”
“Wow, really?” Twilight said, coming up beside them.
“Oswin is one of the most skilled knights of Ostia in many years,” Florina remarked. “He will protect you four as if you were Ostian royalty yourselves.”
“That’s good to hear,” Fluttershy said.
“There are a few things we need to discuss before retiring to bed,” Hector said, stepping out of the closet. “Let’s go someplace better to sit down and talk.”
The ponies fell into step behind Hector and Florina as they traversed the halls. Only the sounds of their steps against stone filled the air as the castle was barren and devoid of activity, all the servants having retired to their rooms. At one point, Hector motioned for the group to stop just before they rounded a corner. Looking around, he spotted a lone guard wandering the hall on patrol. He waited until the guard was out of sight before signaling the all clear to the group, to the plainly apparent confusion of the ponies.
They eventually reached the sitting room and filed in, taking seats.
“Ugh, this chair is so hard,” Rainbow whined, trying to position herself comfortably on the chair’s wooden seat. “This is definitely not built for ponies.”
“Then feel free not to sit in it,” Hector said brusquely.
Rainbow shrugged and flew up into the air, hovering in place. None of the other ponies complained about the seats, but it was clear from their expressions they weren’t too comfortable either.
Hector waited until everyone was settled in to begin.
“There’s just one aspect of this mission that I haven’t accounted for. We can provide enough food for the journey, the best protection Ostia can offer, and relatively comfortable sleeping conditions.” He folded his hands under his chin. “The existence of the Window has been kept a well-guarded secret to all but a select few people outside of myself and Florina, and believe me, that’s hard to do with how many spies there are in this castle, let alone the castle town.”
“Whoa, there are spies in this world?” Rainbow asked. Her eyes lit with excitement. “This world is starting to sound awesome!”
“Sucks Pinkie didn’t wanna come,” Applejack remarked. “Bet she would’a liked it.”
Hector couldn’t even begin to guess in what alternate universe spies were a pleasant occurrence. “As we’ve said before, equines aren’t sapient here. We can’t let anybody we can’t trust see colorful, talking ponies walking around. Luckily, I learned a few tricks of stealth from my big brother, so we can get you out of the city without being seen. We’re not as likely to be seen while traveling across uninhabited land, but I’d still rather not take the chance until we get to Ilia.” He sighed. “I’d hate to have to confine you to the supply wagon the entire time, but I don’t see any other option.”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Rainbow repeated, making another strange gesture with her hooves. “No way in heck I’m gonna be cooped up in a wagon for Celestia knows how long. In case you haven’t noticed, flying’s kinda my thing.” She gestured to her still flapping wings.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Fluttershy said softly, scuffing a hoof across her chair. “I wouldn’t really mind it that much.”
“Ah think I’m gonna have to agree with Rainbow,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head. “I’d get a might bit antsy bein’ cooped up in one place fer too long.”
“I understand your concerns,” Hector said. “But we can’t risk anyone seeing you girls until we get to Ilia.”
“Actually, you just can’t risk anyone knowing we’re not human,” Twilight said. Her eyes tracked up to her horn. “I can cast a spell that’ll disguise us as whatever I choose for as long as we need. When people look at us, they’ll see normal-looking human women. All we’d need to make sure of is that no one touches us and that we don’t do anything that humans aren’t capable of, otherwise the spell will be broken.”
“Wait wait wait,” Rainbow repeated, again making the strange gesture with her hooves— Hector surmised it had something to do with being concerned. “You mean… no flying?” There was a hint of terror in her voice.
“I’m afraid so, Dash,” Twilight said with a sympathetic smile. “But once we get to Ilia, you’ll be able to fly all you want.”
Rainbow crossed her forelegs. “Can’t promise I won’t complain,” she grumbled, but no one gave a reply.
Hector furrowed his gaze. “And you’re sure that plan will work?”
Twilight nodded, confidence crossing her features.
“All right then.” Hector got up out of his chair and turned to his wife. “Florina, when you’re done here, take the ponies to their guest rooms.” He turned to the door. “I’m going to write up a reply message for the Knights Union of Ilia.”
“As you wish,” Florina replied with a smile.
Hector flashed everyone a smile himself before exiting the room and making his way towards his office. A surge of triumph enveloped him the whole way. Things were going great; the mission was proceeding smoothly. With himself, Florina, and Oswin providing protection for the ponies, getting to Ilia would be easy. He’d seen Rainbow Dash’s weather magic with his own eyes and if she was as strong as she said she was, he had no doubt Ilia would start seeing sunny skies before long. Whether Applejack was as extraordinary a farmer as was purported, he’d yet to know for sure, but something in the back of his mind was telling him his trust wasn’t misplaced and he was perfectly willing to trust instinct over logic any day of the week.
Everyone silently watched Hector leave the room, his armored footsteps echoing down the hallway. The ponies all turned back to Florina.
“He sure is a forthright guy,” Twilight remarked.
“Hector is never one to act formal, even in official meetings with delegates,” Florina explained. “But he always means well, regardless of what he says.”
“Well, Ah think I can appreciate that quality ‘bout him,” Applejack said. “‘Course, I’m just an unrefined country mare; can’t imagine I’d have that kinda nerve to talk so roughly with fellow rulers, though.”
“I’m still lovin’ how he dealt with that timberwolf,” Rainbow said excitedly. “I would’ve just given it a buck to the face, but I get that you humans aren’t made to use your legs. The way he used that axe was awesome, still.”
Fluttershy said nothing at first but gave in under everyone’s expectant stares. “He’s, um, okay,” she whispered. “But… I didn’t like how he hurt that timberwolf.”
Applejack leaned over and gently patted her withers. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Sugarcube,” she soothed. “That big ol’ varmint’ll be okay. Hopefully, it doesn’t try any more funny tricks like it did to my sister and her friends again.”
“I... guess so.”
They sat in silence for a few moments before Florina got up. “Would you like a tour of the castle?”
“Yes, please.” Twilight got up, followed by Fluttershy and Applejack while Rainbow Dash lowered herself to the ground. “But first things first.” She lit her horn in a lavender aura which quickly spread through the air, enveloping all four of the ponies. Before Florina’s amazed eyes, the air in front of the ponies distorted. Their forms stretched and morphed, eventually transforming them from quadrupedal equines to bipedal humans. Their bodies were roughly the same size and build as her own while their mane and eye colors were exactly the same as before. They each wore exact duplicates of her dress.
Florina blinked slowly, struggling to comprehend the magic on display before her. It took her a few moments to realize the ponies were looking at her expectantly. She fiddled with a lock of her hair, unsure what to say or do.
“Does it work? Are we appearing as humans to you?” Twilight finally asked.
“Well, yes…” She trailed off. Her mind was a scrambled mess of questions, each struggling to escape her mouth. The most basic one she could’ve asked managed to break through. “How does it work?”
“Basically, the spell works in tandem with your brain and whatever expectations it has in addition to my own input,” Twilight explained. “I want people to see me and my friends as human women wearing your dress. People who see us will be expecting to see fellow humans. What the spell does is it harmonizes those specific brain pulses to create the illusion you’re seeing now. It also works on more than just general appearance.” She raised an arm over her head. “Right now I’m lifting a hoof up off the ground and the spell is making your brain perceive it as a human similarly lifting their hand. If I started galloping on all fours, you’d perceive me as running on two legs as a human would. Try picturing us as ponies.”
Florina did as instructed. Almost immediately, their human disguises blipped out of existence, replaced by their actual pony bodies. “Oh my…”
“Because you’re expecting to see us as ponies, the spell is broken,” Twilight continued. “If we get touched by someone who thinks we’re human, the spell will be broken because it only works with eyesight, so we’ll have to be careful on our journey.”
Florina nodded. “I… I think I understood all that.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Looks like Twilight’s egghead speak doesn’t translate even to humans!” She doubled over laughing.
Twilight narrowed her eyes at the pegasus. “Anyway, let’s go.” She turned to look around the room, or rather, through the walls at the castle beyond. “I’m interested in seeing more of this castle. It’s so different from Canterlot Castle, so alien and interesting.” There was a hint of wonder in her tone.
“It’s pretty bland,” Rainbow Dash said, recovering from her laughter. “I don’t care about decoration nearly as much as Rarity, but even I’m bored by how generic everything looks.”
“Rainbow Dash, we’re guests in this castle,” Applejack admonished. “Let’s be gracious to our hosts.”
“It’s okay,” Florina assured. “Actually, the reason the castle isn’t so lavishly decorated is that the Ostian royal bloodline has always preferred strength and defense over decorum. Castle Ostia is famed far and wide as being impregnable.” Memories of the time the castle’s defenses were altogether bypassed via magical gateway during the war against the dark druid Nergal resurfaced, but she quickly pushed them down. She walked to the entrance and opened the door, beckoning the ponies to follow. “Let’s go then.”
Florina led the ponies around the castle, never straying too far from the route leading to the guest rooms and pointing out the more interesting sights the castle heralded. The ponies took varying levels of interest in everything; Twilight, especially, looked like she was ready to start salivating more with every minute; Rainbow Dash was clearly bored, and didn’t try to hide that fact in her facial features; Applejack had a more casual interest in everything Florina pointed out; Fluttershy didn’t say much the whole time, but noticeably perked up when Florina showed them the castle gardens.
At one point, they came upon the royal bedchambers. Opening the double doors, she let the ponies inside. They took a few moments to examine what was the most lavishly decorated room in the whole castle: canopy double bed, plush red carpet, and golden-bordered paintings and mirror— nowhere near as lavish as she was sure Canterlot Castle’s royal bedchambers were, but befitting of royalty nonetheless.
“Hey, who’s this fella?”
Florina turned to the portrait Applejack was staring at. It depicted a blue-haired man of small stature, wearing similar clothes to Hector and wielding a sword half his own size. He stood against a warm-colored backdrop, his gaze focused and stance battle-ready.
“That’s the original Marquess of Ostia; the ‘Little Hero’, Roland,” Florina explained. “He’s one of the eight legends of Elibe.”
“Legends, huh?” Rainbow said, coming up alongside her. “Sounds like there’s an awesome story to this.”
“Yeah, let’s hear it,” Applejack said, smiling with anticipation. “Probably the best bedtime story I’ll hear since I was a little filly.”
“I guess we can spare a little time,” Florina relented, noticing similar interest in Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s eyes. She began reciting the story of the eight legends.
“It’s said that long ago, the continent of Elibe was home to both humans and dragons and that the two races lived together in peace. But then tensions between them broke out, eventually leading to a vicious war known today as the Scouring which ended almost one thousand years ago.
“Eight humans rose up to lead the charge against the dragons: Roland, Athos, Hanon, Barigan, Bramimond, Hartmut, St. Elimine, and Durban. They were successful in winning the war and eventually founded their own nations during the aftermath.” She gestured to the painting. “Roland founded Lycia, specifically, the territory of Ostia. Over time, the country grew as more territories were founded, eventually founding the Lycian League of which Hector is currently the leader.” She placed a hand on her chest. “My homeland, Ilia, was founded by Barigan.”
“Wow, that’s… wow,” Rainbow breathed. She placed a hoof against her head, seemingly overwhelmed by the story.
“I’m about the same,” Applejack said, similarly humbled. “Can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to live through that.”
“It sounds horrible,” Fluttershy said softly, mane obscuring much of her face.
“It’s scary to think the same could very well happen to us.” Twilight’s mouth turned downward. “Relations between ponies and dragons is very strained; we’ve been teetering on the edge of conflict for some time. But I guess we can consider ourselves lucky it hasn’t gotten as bad as what you’re describing.”
“Well, it’s not so bad in one sense,” Florina said. Memories resurfaced of something Lord Eliwood had said; a tale he’d heard from the still-living Athos two years ago during the war against Nergal. A smile crossed her lips. “There’s a village far to the west, called Arcadia, where humans and dragons still live together in harmony. The dragons from the Scouring disappeared after the war, but a select few humans and dragons who’d refused to participate retreated to the deserts there, founding the village and remaining secluded from the rest of the world.”
“Sounds like a nice place,” Applejack said with a nod.
“I’m sure it is; I’d love to visit there someday.” Florina continued to lose herself in memories for a few moments before turning and heading back to the entrance. “Anyway, it’s getting close to bedtime. Let’s go to the guest rooms; I hope you like them.”
“Meh, it can’t be any better than cloudstuff,” Rainbow said.
Applejack gave her a light punch in the shoulder, eliciting a small pained grunt from her friend. “‘Member what I said about bein’ grateful?”
Rainbow sighed, rubbing the spot she hit. “Fine.”
Florina led the ponies through the castle to the guest chambers. Oswin was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed the chambers were prepared and ready for use. A look inside the first few confirmed this to be the case.
“Goodnight, girls,” Fluttershy said, entering the first room. “Sleep well.”
“I second that,” Applejack said, entering the next one over.
“I’m gonna be flying as much as I can until I feel pooped,” Rainbow announced, her tone that of resignation. “As much as I can if I’m gonna be grounded for a long time.”
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Florina said with sincerity. She placed a comforting hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, only to reel back when Rainbow’s illusion disguise suddenly disappeared and she turned back into a pony. “Oh, um… sorry.”
“It’s okay, Florina,” Twilight said, smiling. “It doesn’t matter if the spell fails on people we can trust. And we can trust each other, can’t we?”
Florina smiled herself. Twilight had always struck her as a benevolent soul, ever since they’d first met during the Great Convergence. She hadn’t felt particularly tense about the upcoming journey to Ilia, but knowing that Twilight — and three of her friends, as well — was joining effectively stripped away every shred of doubt she’d had.
“Yes, we can trust each other,” she confirmed with a nod.
Twilight nodded herself and headed for her own room. “See you in the morning, Florina.” She entered and closed the door.
Florina turned and began heading back to the royal bedchambers. A surge of warmth spread through her chest while a huge, happy smile graced her mouth the entire trip back.