//------------------------------// // 22 Same Yet Different // Story: The Line Between Fire and Light // by Stolenalicorn //------------------------------// Adjusting to life in the Capitol of New Guardia was rather easy for the inhabitants of Equestria. With their diminishing food stores and help from other worlds coming less frequently and some now with increasing prices that they would eventually be unable to keep up on they had to come up with something. It was Twilight Sparkle, a princess from another time line, that first made the suggestion. Her unicorn counterpart vouched for her as she explained that Equestria would be allowed to self govern. The change just meant living on another world in friendship with the already welcoming inhabitants. James had saved Equestria many times before and knew Celestia and Luna for years. When they talked to James, however, they found that he was not aware of the proposal. It had been the seven girls James had cared for as much as his own daughters who devised the plan. No longer seeing any other feasible solution for their dilemma for at least a generation, Princess Celestia reluctantly accepted the proposal. And James readily made land available for them to live and work. The plan was always that once a new generation of Equestrians was capable of doing so they would return to their home and reclaim their abandoned kingdom. At least that's what they understood the plan to be. Power corrupts, and when consequence is removed it's influence goes unchecked. The Alicorn magic James had been given to protect Equestria had now been used to destroy it under the cheers of it's inhabitants. Life was not as easy under the new flag as it had once been in Equestria, but as they left it this was as good as they could hope for. Celestia continued to rule the ponies, but in name only. The changes were subtle at first, but Luna could not ignore her sister's bending will to the hospitable monarch. At first Luna just wanted to think it was just her feelings of powerlessness with the absence of her magic and loss of her horn. Or even that they had to accept so much help from another world. But eventually she couldn't help but hear Celestia parroting his words. James's words were a much less bitter pill to swallow with Celestia's charisma and gentle demeanor and soon she was his mouthpiece for all official announcements. The final proof came to her when Celestia left the castle built for them as the Equestrian Capitol of New Guardia for James's castle. She said it was to make negotiations easier and to ease any remaining tensions between their peoples. Luna didn't believe it for a moment. In secret, Luna found a band of Dalish to aid her in gathering information magically. They had methods she had never considered, methods she never wanted to see again. But the results were undeniable. She caught a glimpse of the inside of the castle despite the haze caused by James's guarding spells and watched as her sister was polymorphed into a humanoid entity. Celestia's continued public appearances as an alicorn, despite the polished gold cap where her horn had been, only confirmed the worst for Luna. When James had offered the sisters free use of his castle it had seemed a kind gesture from a friend freely offered. Luna cried as she fled under the guise of simply maintaining the royal presence in the Equestrian province of Saddlebrook. Knowing that if she dared venture to that castle she would be as much a victim as her sister had become. Those closest to James were the first to fall victim to his newly exercised magic, followed shortly by most of his ethics council. Tenyo was abandoned to him as another victim as Jurai severed all ties with New Guardia. Washu had nothing more than her considerable intelligence outside her own universe and James was quick to ensure she was not in the same universe as he was. The Doctor couldn't keep hunting him across universes. Only Sans remained unaffected and out of James's reach on the space station. Luna met him, or rather he approached her, one evening as she was at her most distraught over the situation. “princess.” An unusually calm voice came from immediately behind her. Luna didn't know whether or not to turn around, she didn't know the voice and there was a chilling edge to it. But given the circumstances of her position there wasn't much that could be worse. She cautiously turned to find the diminutive smiling skeleton calmly standing behind her, his hands in his jacket's pockets. “Can I help you?” She carefully asked. The skeleton's mouth barely appeared to move as he spoke. “i may be able to help you, actually.” Luna couldn't bring herself to trust this skeleton, but what could she do if this was James in disguise, she didn't have any magic or strength to fight. But she also had nothing he wanted. Almost nothing. She thought with a shiver. “Very well, what do you wish to help me with?” She may have given up hope, but she wouldn't simply give in. “setting things as right as they can be.” He said, as he spoke the small pinpoints of light in his sockets blinked out and suddenly his entire visage was intimidating. “i'm too lazy to do this myself, but something needs to happen. i guess some of what he used to be rubbed off on me.” “What do you mean?” Luna was genuinely curious as she looked to the skeleton less suspiciously. “james's got a new magic and it's done something to him. i don't know if it was something he was already likely to do or if it was the magic itself. but he's gone too far.” Sans explained as Luna looked down at him. “He has my magic. What could I do about it?” Luna asked, frustrated as much with herself as she was with the skeleton. “you can help make the case. i need a good witness to do this and you're her, your sister isn't his only victim.” Sans' voice was cold as he spoke. Almost as if he were intending to avenge a long dead friend. “Too whom?” Luna was interested now, but after what happened and the magic James now possessed who could make a difference? “follow me, i know a shortcut.” Sans said as he walked off towards the end of the room. Hesitantly Luna followed, and before she could second guess her decision she was standing in a grand room she had never seen before. A pillar of moving lights suspended in a glass tube rose from the center of a large hexagonal console completely covered in buttons dials and levers. There were two distinct levels to the room, the second level almost seemed to be a library. The majority of the room was metallic gray and there were only two exits. “Got your witness Sans?” A well dressed older man asked as the engine spun up and began to move them through time, space, and even universes. “Hello, I'm the Doctor.” *** James was quite surprised to hear the sounds of the TARDIS as he was in town getting his morning coffee. It had been a while since the Doctor had visited him, but he was always happy to see the eccentric Timelord. An even bigger surprise awaited him as Princess Luna and Sans came walking out with the Doctor. “Morning …” James awkwardly said. “Would you three like some coffee?” Sans' face was unreadable as Luna shied away from him, the Doctor being the only one to approach him. “That sounds good. We're not in any hurry right now, so why not enjoy your hospitality.” He said as he ordered himself a tea. “Are you sure this is alright Doctor?” Luna cautiously asked. As she turned to face the Doctor James was able to see that her cutie mark was missing. He quietly made note of it before returning to his primary focus. Coffee. “Certain. Well almost. The thing is he isn't the James you knew, and that's what's important.” The doctor explained as he took a sip of his still hot tea. “Oh, this is much better than usual. Where did you get this?” James smiled as he looked to the Doctor, if he was comfortable there was nothing to worry about and James could afford to take the visit more casually. “I think it's from an Asari colony on one of Porcheron's moons. It's got to be something in the soil.” “Really?” Luna asked astonished. She knew things were typically odd when dealing with James but they came here for a reason and the discussion of tea seemed nothing more than a distraction. “What? I'd like to get some for myself before we leave.” The Doctor said as he looked to the confounded princess. “Whatever business we have, it would be better if we discussed it in private. Assuming you're comfortable in that situation, Miss Luna.” James calmly said. James's demeanor caught Luna off guard as she looked to him. He had never called her “Miss” before, usually it was just Luna. She carefully looked his way and tried to evaluate him. “If you're not I'm sure we can come to an arrangement, perhaps we could bring in your sister and yourself if that would help you feel safe around me. … I could be voluntarily restrained.” James offered. This James was being accommodating and understanding, this immediately set off alarm bells for Luna as she eyed him suspiciously. She couldn't help but wonder if this really was a different James. He certainly looked different, but that was no guarantee that he hadn't simply lost weight in the time she had been hiding from him. She couldn't let herself be outnumbered if she was going to meet with him. It would have to be her Sans and the Doctor. “That is alright.” She said politely. “I believe that our current company will suffice.” “I see. Well, whenever you're ready to discuss I believe my meeting room is available.” James offered. He had an unfortunate feeling where this meeting would be going given the context given to him here. “No.” Luna quickly said. Even if this was another James, she did not want to step inside that castle if it could be helped. “I think the princess would be more comfortable talking in the TARDIS.” The Doctor calmly said as he took another drink of his tea. James shrugged and finished off his coffee before standing. “I guess then we should get down to business then.” “Just a minute, I'm going to get some of this tea to brew for myself.” The Doctor said. James got himself a second coffee as he waited for the Doctor, eventually following them into the Tardis. “So what can I do for you today. Clearly you're not the iterations of yourselves that I know, so there has to be something.” James said as he took a seat on the second level of the TARDIS control room. The Doctor sighed as he thought about what he was going to say. “There's been a change in your counterpart that we know and he needs to be stopped. I pursued him at first, but the TARDIS doesn't travel between universes as easily as you do. It was Sans that eventually contacted me and gave me the information I needed. James still believes that Sans has fallen back into his nihilistic view and isn't acting against him so we've remained just a step ahead of him. But you know your precautions best.” James nodded. “And one of these precautions is that I need to know beyond any doubt that this action must be taken. I guess that's why Luna's here, she's your witness.” He reasoned as he put the clues together. “I am. And my sister is a victim.” Luna calmly said. James's tone and expression reminded her so much of who he had been, it was a little terrifying just how close to being a monster he was. “But I cannot put the blame squarely on your shoulders. We should have listened to you when you insisted that giving you our magic was a mistake. Our fear of Tirek had us focus solely on the monster at our door …” “And not the one beside you.” James calmly finished. “ … Exactly. You were so ingrained in Equestria that we thought nothing could go wrong trusting you, but now I have to wonder when you turned against us.” “When Twilight Sparkle came from another time line as the result of something Starlight Glimmer broke.” James calmly said. “Princess Luna isn't the first witness, technically, but she is the clinching witness. I'll have to find out everything that's gone on to make the determination as to how to proceed.” James pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought, he was going to need spies and would have to make preparations. “So that means you've come to your conclusion?” The Doctor asked, quite astonished that it could be happening this quickly. “Not yet, but there's more than enough for me to start an investigation.” James said as he looked over the group. “I am, of course, willing and able to put you up during your time here. The castle is at your disposal, but given the situation that may not be your first choice. If you would like to stay in Truce I'll arrange hotel accommodations for you.” *** In Guardia Castle James sat with Lucca Tali and Tenyo, talking about the situation. “So you're going to investigate yourself?” Tali asked as she tried to think about the situation. “Yes. And I need you to choose spies to gather information. I doubt I'm suspicious at the moment, but if I become suspicious I need the spies to be people I would never expect. You're free to gather whatever spies you believe can get the job done without restriction. Whoever you believe can do the job without getting my attention. I don't want to meet them or know who they are just in case this ever becomes necessary again.” “Why not get Liara's help?” Tali asked. It seemed the obvious choice to her at least. “Because his Liara is compromised and she's still the Shadow Broker. Anyone she would think to use would already be compromised, if they weren't they would be a threat to her.” Tenyo calmly said. “I'll handle the espionage, it's been a while since I've had to think about anything this tricky and I'm getting bored.” That evening Tenyo sat in her personal study as she considered the situation. There was already a lot different between the two stations, but that could work to her advantage. The Equestrians were new even to that iteration, so Equestrian Spies made the most sense to give them a good cover. But that would mean erasing their memories afterwords. She looked over the lists James gave her of people the spies should watch, another that they should question, and those they should probably avoid. Some of these were likely the suggestion of the visiting Luna, others were James making educated guesses from what he knew about the situation. She cut down the list of prospective spies, there would be a problem with recruitment but she knew that she could coordinate something behind James's back. James was most likely catching up on local issues that needed his attention so he would be busy for the rest of the day. This gave her time to go out and try contacting those she wanted to spy for her. The only reason she had to stick to this cloak and dagger tactic was James's paranoia that it may be needed against him someday. He was intentionally leaving a space on his back to be stabbed. This was adding credibility to that decision however. She didn't know any magic like James did so using polymorph wasn't an option. And Jurai's holographic technology would still leave problems given just how different their body shapes were. But that may not be necessary. She walked down the universal hallway until she found the door she needed. The clock beside the door showed that it was early morning in Equestria, or near dusk. She never really went so she didn't know the time adjustment and the clock didn't specify between am and pm. The inside of the castle didn't offer any hints to the time either, the hallway she entered had no windows or exit to the outside. Tenyo calmly walked through the halls as she tried to get any barring on where she was. It didn't take terribly long for her to find her way to the front of the castle, fortunately that did let her know that it was early morning. But there was no help about finding the princess yet. “Tenyo?” Starlight asked as she walked towards the human woman walking around the castle. She recognized the woman, but even though she was married to James the two were just good friends. She had never come to Equestria without James before. Tenyo smiled as she turned to face the pony, expecting Twilight until she saw who it was talking to her. It took her a moment to recall her name before she spoke. “Hello Starlight. I had come to ask for some help from Princess Twilight, but perhaps you'll be able to help in her place.” Starlight had no idea what it could be, and if Tenyo was looking for Twilight's help she didn't know even if she could help. “I'll try.” She said with an awkward laugh. “It's not difficult, I just thought it could be easier with the Princess' authority. There's three ponies I need to speak to.” Tenyo had to consider just how much to tell Starlight, however with as much as she was going to tell Twilight it would probably reach her anyway. “Recently we got a request for help from another universe and we have to dispose of a tyrant. But first James needs spies to quietly get the information we need to progress. I've got a short list of ponies that fit the criteria.” “I'm pretty good at getting information if you need my help.” Starlight said with a grin. Tenyo shook her head. “No, your presence would immediately let them know everything we need to keep them unaware of. But I appreciate the offer. I need to speak with Bonbon, Amethyst Star, and A.K. Yearling.” Starlight couldn't help but be confused at just what Tenyo was asking. She had just said she needed spies and the closest she got to a spy was an author. She really did need help. “I … don't think those ponies have the skills you need. I could ask …” “Please, Starlight. I have actually considered this and those three are the best choices. Part of why I know that is because you clearly think they're not. We need that ability to be overlooked so their target won't get suspicious.” Tenyo wasn't telling her everything, but then again she didn't need to know much more than that. “I guess I'll go get them then.” Starlight offered. “I appreciate that. I would get them myself, but we have to keep James in the dark about this.” Tenyo said as Starlight turned for the door. Starlight stopped abruptly as she heard the statement. “Why can't he know about this?” She asked, turning back to Tenyo. “He believes any knowledge he might have could compromise the investigation. Things complicate quickly when dealing with other universes.” Tenyo calmly explained. Starlight thought that anything with James seemed to complicate quickly but they always had reasons for what they did. “So who were you looking to talk to first?” Bonbon had never seen a creature like the one that stood before her now. That in and of itself was quite new. But Starlight had told her that she had asked for her help by name and they were meeting in Twilight's castle. This couldn't be as intimidating as it seemed. “Hello. Um … What can I help you with?” She cautiously asked. “Miss Sweetie Drop.” Tenyo started. “New Guardia needs to employ some outside spies.” Bonbon's face twisted. How did this creature know her name? She laughed uncomfortably. “Sorry, you must have me confused with …” Tenyo raised an eyebrow at the pony before interrupting. “Bonbon, formerly known as Special Agent Sweetie Drop during your time with the anti-monster unit in Canterlot. You're agency worked directly for Celestia until it was disbanded following the escape of several monsters including a creature you call a bugbear that later arrived in Ponyville and was defeated by Twilight and her friends.” Tenyo stared coolly down at the pony, waiting for her to drop her cover. Sweetie Drop couldn't hold the facade against someone who so thoroughly knew her past. “As you said I was part of an anti monster agency, not espionage.” She calmly said. “I'm well aware Miss Drop.” Tenyo said with a nod. She felt ridiculous as she said the cutesy names seriously, but these were real people to her now. How did James ever get used to it? “But we have good reason to ask for your help. Part being your secrecy. You were able to keep your position secret for years after the agency was closed, until you told Lyra. We'll need you to keep quiet about this and anything you learn from absolutely everybody. This isn't about royal embarrassment, this could be destructive to your whole world if it got out. Even Princess Twilight is not allowed to know. I didn't come to this decision lightly, you were simply the best choice available.” “I'll have to think about it.” Sweetie Drops nervously said. “I'm afraid I need your answer before you leave the door. You already know too much to not be considered a liability should you refuse.” Tenyo's calm demeanor came off as threatening as she explained the situation. Her back was against the wall. She had no idea what this woman was capable of, and she clearly had the backing of at least the Princess of Friendship. Even if Twilight didn't know. “Alright. I'll take the job. I just need to prepare.” She said. Tenyo shook her head. “Everything you may need will be provided for you.” She said as she activated her computer to teleport them both to New Guardia. Sweetie Drop dropped into a crouch as the falling sensation overcame her. She had decent instincts. “You're about to get a crash course in a whole new world Miss Drop.” The two of them stood in an auxiliary command center on the station. It's command functions were disabled for all but Tenyo at the moment and it made a good out of the way location to handle their business. Of course she still had to go back for the others. Most likely Amethyst would be next as she lived in Ponyville. “There are some reference documents available on that console over there.” Tenyo said as she pointed to a control panel at a helm station. “I have to get the rest of the group, you might want to familiarize yourself with the material.” As Tenyo teleported back to the room she had met Bonbon in she couldn't help but grin at the ridiculousness of the situation. Everything about the scenario seemed comically bizarre, from James needing people to spy on him to the fact that she was getting ponies to do it. It was just absurd. “Hello?” A voice called from the hallway. “Starlight told me there was somepony named Tenyo that needed to speak with me.” Tenyo opened the door and called back out to her. “Yes, I'm over here Miss Star.” Tenyo had no idea what she could do to convince this unicorn to help, at least with Bonbon there was her past she could use to leverage cooperation. “Oh, just call me Amethyst.” She said as she approached the room. As she entered she gasped and took a step back as Tenyo smiled down at her. “I'm so sorry, I was expecting a pony.” She quickly said. Tenyo shook her head as she spoke, she knew this would be the general reaction to her, at least at first. “That's quite alright, I'm well aware that my form is quite unusual here.” “So … what did you want to talk about?” Amethyst awkwardly asked. “Actually, I need your help. A situation has come up and we need spies to gather information. I'm aware that's not your forte, but you keep a cool head in a crisis. The information you gather may be disturbing and I need someone who can keep calm in that situation.” Amethyst took a step back as she looked to the woman standing before her. She thought about why she might have been considered for this. She wasn't a spy, but she could follow up on gossip and maybe that would be enough. “Alright. I'll help, but don't expect too much. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.” Tenyo nodded. “That's quite alright, I imagine your part will mostly be cataloging the information and talking to some connected parties. You just need to keep it hidden that you're not the Amethyst Star that they know.” “Wait, what does that mean?” She asked moments before they teleported to the command center that Tenyo was using. She jumped at the sensation as they shifted universes. “What? How? Where are we?” Sweetie Drop looked up from the console she was reading to see Amethyst Star jump and look around. The console took some effort for her to get used to using, but once she figured out the interface it was quite straightforward. “This is going to function as our staging area where I'll brief you once the last member of the group is here. I wish I could let you walk around Truce, but to maintain the necessary secrecy you'll have to make do in this section for now. You can leave the room, there's three separate living quarters available that you can use should you like, each has a console for study and entertainment and also a tablet with a connection to the grand archives that you can select books from should you like. Now I am sorry, but I must go back for the third when she arrives.” Tenyo said as she violently melted away. Sweetie Drop approached Amethyst, she had no idea she would be working with her, and that brought up the question about who this third pony would be. If it even was a pony. “Bonbon, I am so glad to see you.” Amethyst said as she rushed to meet her. “I know we're here to help her with something important, but I have no idea what's going on anymore.” “I've only got an idea myself, but this is clearly something big. That screen I was looking at actually has a lot of classified information. It turns out that Tali's husband, James, is a king. And that this is a space station that's part of his world of New Guardia.” “Wait, New Guardia's another world?” Amethyst asked. She had always assumed that it was just a far away land and that's why no one had been there before. She had heard theories about other worlds, but actual confirmation was something she never expected to even hear about, let alone see for herself. The comment of James being a king didn't surprise her that much, he was an alicorn and that had to mean something. “There's far more that we don't know about everyone here. James, for example, isn't an alicorn. He's not even a pony. He uses magic to disguise himself and his family, including Tali and Lucca.” “None of them are ponies?” Amethyst asked, shocked. As she thought about it she realized that she never actually saw Tali's face because of her outfit. And Tali had told them that she couldn't eat anything that they did because it was poisonous to her. Not for the first time Amethyst wondered just what Tali was. “Not even in shape. They all have a similar shape to Tenyo. Amethyst … they're all aliens.” Sweetie Drop said as she put her hoof on Amethyst's shoulder. Amethyst sat down where she was this was a lot to take in all at once. “How much else is there?” Sweetie Drop shook her head. “Tons. I've been going through the available information for a while now and frankly nothing makes sense anymore.” Amethyst nodded as she felt everything turning upside down. “Maybe I should read some of this too.” She said as she looked to the console. “The one over there is at the main menu. Apparently she's set up three, one for each pony she's gathering I'd bet.” Sweetie Drop said as she walked back to her console and sat in the chair. Amethyst cautiously walked to the second console and looked at the screen. The table of contents treed out into different subjects. Her curiosity peeked by Bonbon, Amethyst went for the section labeled “Species.” Tenyo finally returned with Daring Do, the hardest part about recruiting her was actually keeping Rainbow Dash from coming along. If things were as bad as James made them out to be Rainbow Dash's presence would not only be a liability but she would be putting herself and the others in serious danger. With this group there was sufficient talent with an acceptable risk to them. And they would be monitored by the Doctor for quick evacuation if need be. “Alright ladies. I know espionage isn't your forte but you are the best candidates for this job. In the next few days you'll learn what you need to do, who you need to talk to, and who you need to watch.” Tenyo said as Daring Do took a seat at ops. “First what you need to understand is parallel universe theory.” As she spoke Amethyst Star raised her hoof. Tenyo hadn't expected to be acting like a teacher, but she went with it. No reason for Washu to have all of the fun. “Yes Miss Star?” “Isn't Parallel Universe theory the idea that there's an infinite number of universes existing at the same time on slightly different planes of existence where every choice is played out in an infinite number of variations?” Tenyo was astonished. It was the most basic example of the theory, but it was accurate. “Yes Miss Star. That's the basic idea. How did you know that? I've been to Equestria several times and the concept seems to be barely explored even in the realm of fiction.” Amethyst blushed slightly. “I'm a science buff, I've read theoretical papers on the subject.” “Alright. Well yes, you'll be traveling to a different world where you'll be spying on that variation of my husband. This is at the request of Princess Luna, as she has provided testimony enough to merit an investigation. You'll need to be aware of your counterparts and not create a situation where it becomes obvious that you are from another world. With the exception of Miss Do you likely live in the Equestrian province of Saddlebrook. Miss Do spends her time exploring, so not terribly different than she does now. Feel free to come up with a convincing story as to why you'll be visiting Truce in case it comes up.” “Now there are several people you'll need to be weary of once in the other world.” As Tenyo spoke the main View Screen flashed to life showing pictures that were mostly familiar to the ponies. “These include myself; Tali Zora; Lucca; Liara T'Soni; Rainbow Dash; Two iterations of Twilight Sparkle one the princess you know the other still a unicorn; Rarity; Fluttershy; Pinkie Pie; The Apple Family; Princess Celestia; James; and any security personnel. Though you will also have to be investigating several of these individuals. Gather what information you can and you'll report back to the Doctor after a set amount of time to return and give us your findings. There's also a list of ponies you should speak with and gather information from that way.” “And investigate your husband.” Sweetie Drop said calmly. “Correct.” Tenyo calmly replied. The room went quiet, even though there had been the question of just who James was married too they were easily enough able to piece the clues together. The next several days were spent in study, Amethyst excelled at retaining details so she chose to speak to the people and ponies connected. Low risk but high value information where precision mattered. Daring Do was predictably good at navigating tight situations so she would be monitoring the primary targets closest to James while Sweetie Drop would contact them in more casual situations as Bonbon, and observe the castle and it's inhabitants from a distance. Eventually they were as ready as they were getting and met with the Doctor who explained their timetable. They would contact him again in a month to make the determination if there was sufficient information to report or if they needed more time to investigate.