"This is too bizarre,” I murmured as we walked along the forest path. I remembered the few times I had set foot in the Everfree. It had always been foreboding, with the threat of timberwolves or cockatrices around every gnarled trunk.
But I for sure didn’t recall a well maintained paved path that leads to a castle near the center, let alone magic lamps for the darker stretches. The undergrowth was kept well back from the pavers and a few tended flower gardens dotted the way.
Twilight rubbernecked the entire time, taking in every new item we came across. Things might have been odd for me, but I knew she had taken multiple trips to the Castle of the Two Sisters in the past. She likely knew every twist and stump along the way.
“I mean, why would Luna take the court so far from a major cosmopolitan area?” I shook my head. “Any ideas?”
“If the Castle here was never destroyed, then maybe it was just fiscal responsibility.” Twilight chewed on her lip. “But that would imply that a thousand years ago Luna never became Nightmare Moon or was banished. I’m not sure how I feel about that possibility.”
We turned a bend and stopped. Before us in the distance, now visible through the canopy, rose a tower of black stone, glittering in the evening sun. The curve of the path hid the rest of the edifice from us, but judging by its relative height against the treetops, it was easily four hundred feet tall. Deep crenellations crested the top and a large flag bearing a crescent moon surrounded by a Pegasus, Unicorn, and an Earth Pony waved in a lazy breeze.
“That looks like the Tower of Duty,” Twilight said, pausing as well. “Where we would raise or lower the sun and moon.”
I nodded. “If nothing else, the castle seems to be in good repair.”
We continued along and came across a small branching path, leading off to a stone archway that was covered in creeping vines. I frowned as something in the back of my mind niggled at me, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it.
We turned a bend and were brought up short by a small bailey gate and a pair of dark-armored guards bearing pikes.
“The castle is closed to visitors until the Rite of the Cycle is concluded,” The guard on the left said. “By word of Her Majesty, Queen Luna.”
“The Rite of the Cycle?” I asked, echoed by Twilight.
“The lowering of the sun and the ascent of the moon,” the other guard provided, rubbing her forehead. “Her Majesty declines to see any petitioners at this time.”
I glanced at the sky, watching as the sun began its path to the western horizon.
“I think we can wait,” I decided.
I glanced at Twilight, who was staring at the tower.
“Twilight,” I prodded. “We’re fine to wait, yes?”
She shook her head, seeming to come out of a trance. “What? Yes, yes, fine.” The far off look in her eyes returned, one I recognized as trying to track down a fact from her memory. I put a hoof on her shoulder and led her away from the gate to sit and take a small bite from our leftover food.
“What’s up?” I asked as we ate.
“It’s probably nothing,” she said absently.
“It’s weighing on your mind pretty heavy for a nothing,” I noted.
“It’s just…” she sighed. “For a moment, when she started lowering the sun, I thought I felt an eddy of magic, like when we were controlling them during our reign.”
I frowned. I hadn’t felt anything like that, but I trusted Twilight’s senses. She was the embodiment of the Element of Magic, after all. “Do you think you still have some residual power from when Luna transferred hers to you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t feel anything like that.”
I reached back into my mind to where I had once held Celestia's power. Though I felt the node where it had once rested, I didn't feel any lingering traces or a feeling of where the sun was. I sighed and glanced up as the silvery moon rose.
“Ladies?” the guard asked as she approached. “The Chamberlain has begun allowing petitioners to enter for the night hearings. You’ll be shown to her after you’re cleared by the captain of the House Guard. Captain Shield will meet you within presently”
I rose, hurriedly wrapping my dinner up. “Thank you for letting us know,”.
She nodded and her companion pushed open the bailey gate.
We walked in and gazed at the massive stone castle, the dark grey walls chased with lines of gold and silver, the designs of the sun and moon gleaming in the soft moonlight. Long loops of ivy and other vines crept up the sides and over gateways. Another pair of guards appeared and led us to a small waiting room.
The castle held several stained glass windows depicting the banishing of the Sirens by Starswirl, the defeat of Discord, and the Windigos with the founding of Equestria, but I didn’t see anything about Nightmare Moon or the rule of Celestia and Luna. Several windows, however, were shrouded.
“It’s so odd being on the waiting end of an audience,” Twilight murmured as we waited for the guard captain to show up. “I’m just used to being shown in when I show up at the Palace.”
“This isn’t Canterlot, Twilight,” I said, glancing out the window. “And we don’t have the status we did there. We’re just ordinary ponies.”
For some reason, those words tasted sour in my mouth.
A door opened and an astonished gasp rose from the other side.
“Oh. My. Goodness!” a smoky feminine voice exclaimed. “Twily, is that you?”
We turned as a tall and lean mare rushed in and swept Twilight up in a hug. She had a pure white coat and under the helmet, she had a short shorn sapphire mane. She was somewhat familiar and a complete stranger at the same time. A cutie mark of a shield with a single star spangled within and three over top shone on her flank.
She didn’t seem to notice our complete shock as she moved to ruffle Twilight’s mane. “How’s my LSBFF? I didn’t know you were visiting!”
I looked at Twilight and mouthed LSBFF? to her confused face.
“Shining Armor?” she stuttered.
The mare laughed. “Good one, Twily,” she giggled very unprofessionally. “Haven’t heard that name since I was a filly playing adventure with you. But don’t use it too much, I’m finally being called by name instead of rank by the Queen.”
Twilight just gawked at the mare.
As I made the connection, I had to bite back laughter as well.
“Surely you two would like some privacy, catch up with some sisterly gossip and what not.”
“Sunset,” Twilight whined.
“Maybe schedule a girl’s night?”
“Sunset!”
“Oooh, that does sound like fun!” Twilight’s ‘sister’ exclaimed.
“Gleaming, if the guests are prepared,” a soft voice called. “Show them in, if that’s ok with you.”
Gleaming poked her head out the door and to the side, giving a curt nod.
“Sorry, Twily,” she said, the mischievous glint in her eye never fading. “Guess we’ll have to catch up later.” She gestured into the next room. “Queen Luna will be down soon. She always has time for the Archmage of the Crystal Empire.”
We stared at her as she led us into a room with a small dias and a rather plain throne. Next to the throne were two smaller seats, one next to and just to the left side, another behind and between the two. A Pegasus mare stood before the third seat, a clipboard held in her hooves as she made a few notes. Her pink mane and tail were pulled up into severe buns, and the cutie mark of three butterflies was impossible to mistake.
“Fluttershy?” we gasped at the same time.
“Yes?” she answered, glancing up. “Oh, Your Eminence!” Fluttershy dipped a shallow bow. “If I had known you were here, I would have fetched Her Majesty immediately. Please, make yourselves comfortable, I won’t be but a moment!”
Fluttershy flew up through a skylight quickly. Gleaming giggled as she left, pulling the door closed.
“Never could do things the easy way, could you Twily?”
A deep thrum of wings brought our attention up as Fluttershy returned, two more ponies with her. As they alighted, I stared in awe at the full height of Luna, full as tall as Celestia was, the weight of millennium showing in her eyes. At her side was a slender Pegasus I recognized immediately.
“Cadance?” I blurted out.
Luna tilted her head, a soft smile forming.
“I see you are familiar with my niece, but I don’t recall having met you before, my little pony.” She turned to Twilight. “And in the company of the Empire’s chief magus. How can I help you this night?”
I glanced at Twilight and then at the Queen before us.
“It’s a long story,” I sighed.