Fish and chips. Sunset couldn’t have thought of a more cliché first meal in the Highborn Isles if she tried. Not that she was complaining. The fish was beyond fresh, having been caught just off their island, and the chips had a fantastic crunch. She found herself sitting at a table with a few of the students who had gathered in the hopes of meeting their new magic teacher.
Gloriosa Daisy sat across from her. She was an immigrant from Libertas who had lost her family’s campground when her parents’ loans had proved too steep to pay back in the wake of their deaths. With no direction and less money, she’d put as much distance between her failure and herself as possible. “It was actually my little brother who found this place. Timber found good work at a state park and kept us afloat for a while. I… was depressed for a long time. He thought maybe this could bring me out of it. Give me purpose.”
Sunset watched in awe as a flower bloomed at Gloriosa’s touch. “He was right. This place is amazing. I’m hoping he can come someday. Or maybe I just have to learn enough to teach him.”
The things she saw Gloriosa do were enough to put even the proudest earth pony arbor mages to the test. She had hand-grafted a branch onto a tree in a matter of seconds, with no additional materials needed. The tree had simply accepted the branch. Sunset couldn’t begin to imagine the woman’s power over plant life should she ever make it to Equestria.
Come to think of it, if somebody with this level of magic capability were in Equestria, wouldn’t she have heard about it?
A thought for another time. At the moment, other students were sharing their stories from around the table. A woman named Fleetfoot who had uncovered the ability to fly at high speeds under her own power. A man named Coldstone who could transform portions of his body into unbreakable crystal. A woman named Torch Song who could project her voice as though she had an entire stadium of sound equipment.
Sunset laughed. “You guys are starting to sound like a superhero team.”
“Nah, you want a superhero team,” Coldstone said, pointing at the head table in the dining hall, “you look no further than Headmistress Glimmer and her crew. When Starlight invited me, she did so by lifting my car, my neighbor’s truck, and a nearby minivan with nothing but a thought.”
Torch Song smirked as she lifted a fried potato chip to her mouth. “The hunky guy sitting next to her, Double Diamond, I hear he’s got enough reflexes, agility, and strength you’d think he was bit by a radioactive spider.”
Sunset had seen Starlight’s other close friend, Sugar Belle, when she got food from the kitchen. The woman was moving at speeds the eye couldn’t track, hopping from place to place as she prepared a meal for the whole compound by herself. Hot as the kitchen was, she hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Gloriosa turned to look at the table with something approaching spiritual reverence. “And it’s all thanks to Dr. Twilight.”
Sunset’s smile almost faltered, but she kept up appearances well enough. Every time she thought she could relax, the question of the hour was brought back to the forefront. Twilight Sparkle, MagD; doctor of magic. A graduate of Sombra’s School for Extraordinary Foals and complete master of the science. Sunset would give anything to be a fly on the wall should Dr. Twilight and Princess Twilight ever have a conversation.
And why the heck not? Sunset stuffed a chip in her mouth and mulled over both the salty flavor and her own thoughts. Twilight Sparkle, MagD, already came from a reflection of Equestria. The secret was out, and it was a secret the doctor knew how to keep. She had already surmised that another Twilight existed before Sunset dodged the question with all the grace of a sleeping hippopotamus. Why not confirm it?
Because something seemed off about the doctor, that’s why.
Sunset wasn’t sure if it was her own preexisting notions about Twilight Sparkle as a multiversal entity, but something was different about the doctor. She had the magical prowess and charisma of Princess Twilight, the intensity and shrewdness of the human Twilight, but with another special something rolled into the mix. It wasn’t necessarily a good thing, either. It was anger. Deep-seated, boiling anger, hidden just below the surface.
Sunset recognized it as the same anger she had felt, many years ago. A sense of betrayal. Injustice. A desire for retribution. The only question was who Dr. Twilight wanted revenge against.
It was most likely somebody from her world. Sombra? She had only exhibited remorse when she spoke of him. Trixie? Discord? Neither of the two brought up anything but a wry irritation. Further conversations would be required before Sunset could suss out the source of her ire.
Suss it out and help her grow past it.
Coldstone stood up and reached a hand for her empty plate. “Can I take care of that for you, Teach?”
Sunset glanced at her phone to check the time, which had helpfully updated automatically as she crossed time zones. “Thanks, Coldstone. I lost track of time. I’ve got to call my family really soon.”
Fleetfoot grinned as she hovered four feet above the ground, legs crossed. The air behind her back shimmered with translucent wings. “You said you had a little boy?”
“Sunlight Shields.” Sunset Shimmer felt warmth envelop her heart as she turned her phone towards her eating companions, a picture of her son smiling like his namesake. “Sunny for short.”
Much cooing ensued from Torch, Gloriosa, and Fleetfoot, while Coldstone offered an approving nod and a chuckle. Sunset said her goodbyes and edged towards the other end of the repurposed warehouse, where the women’s quarters were. Starlight’s quick tour of the sleeping area had ended with the door to the showers and pointing out the bunk Sunset would be using for the foreseeable future. It was little more than a fold-out cot, but the comforter was cozy enough. Sunset regretted not bringing pillows from home.
The room was mostly unoccupied, with the students either catching up with each other or performing cleanup in the wake of the meal. One lady could be seen nestled into her bed, one leg bent over a high knee and a phone held above her face. She laughed quietly as she watched some sort of comedy video on a streaming platform.
Sunset got her attention out of politeness. “Hey, mind if I make a call, Miss…?”
“‘Miss’ nothing. Call me Chrysalis.” Chrysalis paused her video and offered a lazy handshake without sitting up. “You the new teacher? Sunset Sunrise or somethin’ like that?”
Sunset nearly snorted at the woman’s careless manner. She accepted the handshake and found Chrysalis’ to be cold and limp. Chrysalis the Tyrant she was not. “Shimmer, actually. Sunset Shimmer. And yes, I’m the prospective teacher.”
“Cool beans. Hope you don’t give too much homework.” Chrysalis returned to her video without a care in the world, though she turned the volume down. “Make all the noise you want. I’m just passing time until lights out.”
Sunset Shimmer took that to be the end of the brief, snappy conversation. She pulled a carryon bag from underneath her cot and unzipped one of the pockets. A small laptop slid out into her hands, which she placed on the cheap bed. She sat beside it and clamshelled it open. She glanced at Chrysalis. “Do you guys have Wi-Fi or are you on data?”
“Look for Ourtown84, password e-q-u-a-l-i, capital T, three.”
“Thanks.” The laptop churned as the screen lit up. Sunset typed her account password without conscious thought. It was the work of a moment to log onto the Wi-Fi network, and another moment to log onto a messenger program.
Sunset began the call and awaited Shining. She plugged a set of earbuds into the computer and wore them, setting the volume lower so that she didn’t burst her own eardrums should an unexpected sound happen. She angled the screen away from Chrysalis on a whim. No sense tempting somebody to snoop, even if it was only accidental.
Shining’s face appeared, then moved back to reveal a few more callers than she expected. She of course saw Sunny on his lap, where the young boy waved gleefully. However, less expected were the talking dog and duplicate Twilight Sparkles on either side.
“Hi Mommy!” Sunny leaned forward to grab Shining’s laptop, but a firm hand on his chest kept him in his place. “We’re at Granny Smith’s!”
A gap appeared in Sunset’s heart. She wanted nothing more than to hold her son close as Shining enveloped the both of them in his strong arms. Her ears burned as she clutched at the cot’s linens. “Hi buddy! I miss you so much! Have you been good for Granny?”
“Yep!”
“Good.” Sunset turned her gaze to Shining. She hated that she couldn’t look him right in the eye—the camera was just that far away from the screen. “How was your first day at work, Shiny?”
“Good enough,” he said, his smile small but sincere. “Scootaloo’s quite the harda—um… tough customer, but still a pretty good boss.”
He shifted in his seat, his eyes going to her image on his screen, which led to him staring at her keyboard. “You guys have a safe flight?”
“It was extremely boring, so I guess that means it was a darn good flight.” Sunset smiled back, but her eyes kept flicking to the stereo Twilights and the singular Spike. “How’s… everybody else doing?”
Princess Twilight waved with a chipper “Hello!” while her Twilight looked down and to the left, clutching the knees of her jeans. “We’ve made some progress in the investigation and found a strange connection. It seems that Raven was a student of the very school you’re now attending.”
The pleasantries were over far sooner than she expected. They were over far, far sooner than they would have been had it just been her, Shining, and Sunny. She considered calling Shining later, just so they could have a moment of privacy. A moment not diluted by—still welcome, but not conducive to intimacy—friends. She leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees. “Starlight said as much when she and Sombra talked about the funeral. She was frustrated that she couldn’t go. It probably has something to do with legal mumbo-jumbo. She’s kinda reclusive when it comes to Highborn Isles government.”
Princess Twilight nibbled on the tip of her long, straight hair. “Be careful, Sunset. Somebody there might have something to do with the murder. I know you’ve got good intuition, but don’t let your guard down. From what I’ve gathered, the murder was committed using a spell that rips the fairy strings from your body.”
Sunset jerked back, her face aflame as her stomach dropped. “Seriously?”
“Yes. The kind of spell only detailed in something like the Grimoire Alicorn.” Princess Twilight folded her hands on her lap, sending a quick glance at Little Spike, who met her gaze with equal weight. “I have the only copy of the Grimoire that we know of, and it’s been close by my side since the Cloudsdale Incident.”
Little Spike flicked an ear. “I thought we agreed to call it the Battle of Cloudsdale?”
“‘Battle’ implies it wasn’t an act of domestic terrorism.” The princess deflated, leaning against the couch back. “Something for the historians to argue about. In the meantime, while we don’t have any suspects from Equestria I could name—everybody confirmed to know the spell is dead—I’m worried that the school could be a petri dish of sorts for evil wizards.”
Little Spike tapped the pen on his muzzle. “No strong evidence to support it, but keep your eyes peeled for unstable individuals.”
Sunset noticed that Twilight, her Twilight, had kept her gaze off to the side of the computer. Her eyes took on that distant look she got when she felt separated from the conversation, with the edges of her mouth pulled down in a limp frown. “Twilight?”
She didn’t react. The princess was savvy enough to realize that Sunset wasn’t talking to her, and turned to her counterpart. Shining nudged his little sister in the elbow and let Sunny scamper out of view.
Twilight jerked upright, her eyes coming alert. “Huh? What was the question?”
She never thought she’d hear that from Twilight Sparkle, investigator of the unknown and genius to the highest degree. After a moment’s pause, she spoke again. “How are you feeling?”
“It’s whatever.” She shrugged, and a smile without mirth appeared for but an instant. “We’re doing everything we can, right?”
Twilight brought her legs onto the couch and hugged them close to her chest. “What about you? What’s the school like?”
On one hand, Sunset was glad to have both Twilights on hand for the bombshell she was about to drop. On the other… She glanced at Chrysalis from the other side of the room. Her phone still droned on with comedy shows, coupled with occasional shakes of laughter from her body. Sunset leaned closer to the computer and lowered her voice. “For the most part, it’s amazing. More than I could hope for. Starlight is really helping people here. Giving purpose to the depressed. Giving full function to the disabled. Opening up a whole new world for so many people. I’ve seen people here who, even with this world’s weird low magic, could put our finest wizards to shame.”
Princess Twilight leaned forward with great interest, while the other Twilight bobbed her head noncommittally. Shining Armor smiled as she gushed, his pride felt even through the airwaves. Little Spike’s tail wagged as he jotted down notes.
Bombshell dropping in three, two, one. “So… their head teacher, the one who taught Starlight magic, is named Dr. Twilight Sparkle.”
From a certain point of view, it was comical the way the same expression flashed across all of their faces. Quirked eyebrows, pursed lips, in Little Spike’s case a twitch of the nose. The Twilights looked at each other, as if verifying that Sunset had indeed said what they thought she said.
Little Spike sighed, scribbling the note at the bottom of his page. “And with that, I’ve officially filled out my Multiversal Shenanigans Bingo Card.”
Princess Twilight about lifted right off her seat. “Have you met her?”
Sunset pulled an earbud out to make sure there was nobody around to eavesdrop. She didn’t hear anybody… “She’s a pretty exact duplicate for you guys. Right down to sharing height and lens prescription with, ah, not-princess Twilight. The voice is spot-on. She comes from the Reflection universe, where Sombra was king before—”
“Before he took the dark magic into himself.” Princess Twilight rubbed her forehead. “That was ten, eleven years ago. Give or take. We locked off the portal to that world to keep the connection from tearing both our and their world apart.” She looked at Sunset from beneath a heavy brow. “How long has she been in your world?”
“The school’s been around about seven years.”
“And you’ve had no sign of instability? Worldwide earthquakes, things appearing out of thin air, people completely inverting their personalities?
Shining Armor crossed his arms over his chest. “I think we woulda noticed by now.”
“Right, right.” Princess Twilight stood up to pace around the back of the couch, her voice coming in and out of focus. “So whatever connection was made to bring her over is far more solid than Starswirl’s prototype mirror. That, or she closed it behind her. That, or it’s a crystal pool portal like the one Spike and I used to travel here.”
“Still not sure if that thing’s natural or not,” Little Spike added.
“Besides the point.” Princess Twilight’s voice was maybe a little harsher than she meant. She sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. “Sorry, Spike. No, you’re right…” The princess peered through her fingers at the camera. “You said she’s teaching there? Helping people with magic?”
“Most people ascribe their abilities to her and Starlight.” Sunset Shimmer stifled a yawn. It was only a little after noon back home, but the sun was on its way downward in the Highborn Isles. Jet lag at its finest. “I’ve only met her once, but she seems sincere. I just need more time with her to get a real grasp on what happened to make her want to come to this world.”
Shining nodded lightly. “You’ll figure it out. You’re the expert on that kinda thing.”
“World-jumping?”
“People.” Shining smirked. “I meant people.”
Princess Twilight leaned her palms on the back of the couch. “What are her magical capabilities? Did you see her perform any spells?”
Sunset tilted her hand back and forth. “I saw her perform a pretty flawless illusion spell as she was telling me about herself. Other than that, she has a vision-correcting spell active at all times.”
Princess Twilight let out a murmur. “Never put too much time into illusion magic myself.”
Twilight twiddled her thumbs as she rested her chin on her knees. “Should we talk with her?”
Princess Twilight frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Should we talk with her?” Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose, accidently smudging them on her forehead. “Connect with her? Explain to each other how this whole multiverse thing works?” She waved a hand vaguely towards the laptop. “Show her she’s not alone?”
An uncomfortable silence spread across the call. Little Spike looked to Princess Twilight for an answer, while Shining and Twilight remained on the screen. Sunset had to admit that she still wasn’t sure herself. It might help to put all the cards on the table… or it might screw up everything.
“I want to hold off on it,” Sunset said quietly. More quietly than anything else she’d said up to that point. “There’s something the doctor’s upset at, back in her homeworld. She’s… very angry at whatever happened. I want to learn more about it, and her, before I risk exposing you guys to whatever she’s got pent up inside.”
“Sunset,” Shining said, his face becoming akin to solid stone, “do you feel like you’re in danger?”
“No.” Sunset swallowed hard. She certainly didn’t feel in danger from Dr. Twilight herself. Nor from any of the students she’d met. “No, I think I’m fine. And besides, Twilight, she invited me because she already figured out I was from another world. That’s why she thought I’d be a good teacher here. She just wasn’t sure whether I was from her world or another one.”
Twilight Sparkle tilted her eyes down. “So you’re just not telling her about us.”
“I haven’t mentioned any of you guys. Just Princess Celestia.” A few students started to shuffle their way into the sleeping area. She raised her voice to make it seem like she wasn’t holding a clandestine meeting between members of multiple worlds. “I’m, um, gonna hold off until I get a better read on the situation. Get to know people more, you know?”
She flicked off her view of the other side of the call. “I think I gotta end the call pretty quick. This place is filling up pretty fast, so…”
“Sunny, come say goodbye to Mommy.”
“I love you, Mommy!”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” Sunset smiled into the camera as well as she could. “I love you all. Be safe out there.”
“We will.” The confident cadence of the voice could only belong to the princess. “Update us on the situation soon. We’ll hopefully have news.”
“Thanks.” Sunset pulled her last earbud out as the call ended from the other end. She sent a quick text Shining’s way—“call you ltr”—and closed the laptop. More greetings came her way as women found their cots and prepared for the evening respite, which she returned in like kind. It would take a bit of time for her to learn everybody’s name, but there weren’t so many people that it seemed impossible. Active though it was, Starlight’s school was a small one.
She hadn’t seen Celestia in a while, though she didn’t much worry for her. Being around Sombra was a far more pressing matter for the principal than hanging around the school.
Sunset sighed as she stretched her legs, both of them having fallen asleep. At least one pair of star-crossed lovers had been reunited.
***
As students entered the sleeping area, Chrysalis paused her playlist and tucked the phone away. From around the same area, she pulled another phone, one with a bit more processing power to it. The laptop’s meager security had cracked without a single word of warning to Sunset. The low encryption of the call had fallen almost as quickly.
The call had been recorded and sent straight to her personal computer upstairs, ready to be examined by her, and later by the doctor.
She’d listened in a little. Not much, but enough to confirm that at least one person on the other end of the connection sounded suspiciously like the doctor herself. Enough to confirm that Sunset and her cronies back home were interested in the murder of Raven.
If Sunset was gonna be snooping into that, she’d have to be watched carefully.
Especially after the second murder went down.
***
“Soup’s up!” Granny Smith said. “That’s subs for everybody, an’ a veggie for the princess an’ Skyhook.”
She gave Little Spike a wary glance, rubbing her chin. “Hmm. Don’t quite feel right givin’ you kibbles an’ bits, come tah think of it.”
“I’ll have whatever Princess Twilight’s having.” Little Spike trotted past Twilight on his way to the dining room. He caught a glimpse of the fully-loaded club sub and gave it a double-take. “On second thought, I’ll have whatever Mac’s having.”
Mac walked in from the kitchen, having just left the fields. He gave Little Spike a nod as he took a seat at the table beside Twilight. “Fella knows what’s good for him.”
Twilight bit into her sandwich as the rest of the family and guests assembled at the table. A significantly smaller than footlong sub had been placed in front of Sunny, catered to his particular penchants. A high concentration of pickles on the side likewise enticed the boy. Apple Bloom sat beside him, helping him eat and attending to him, as she had the entire morning while they were away at Luna’s.
Shining had taken the seat between Twilight and Sunny. “I’ve got good news. A military buddy of mine knows the owner of the Party Favor. He agreed to get us an interview this evening.”
“I’m coming this time,” Skyhook said. When the princess gave him a light glower, he raised a hand. “I’m here to protect you, princess. I’ll stay discreet, I promise.”
“He’s got a point, Twi.” Little Spike pawed briefly at his sandwich before giving up, leaning down, and taking a bite of the ingredients. “You’ve got personal guards for a reason. Accidents can happen in a club.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” Princess Twilight rubbed her temples. “I just… a lot on my mind. I’ve got a lot.” She lifted the sub to her mouth. Before taking a bite, she offered Skyhook an apologetic grin. “I agree. A clubs a bit more dangerous than the vice principal’s house.”
Applejack crunched on an apple slice. “So which of your buddies has deep connections tah the club scene?”
Shining wiped a streak of mayonnaise off of Sunny’s chin. “Flash Sentry.”
The choking gasp from the princess’ side of the table drew eyes immediately, and was subsequently followed by a fine mist spraying from her water cup. Twilight’s glasses took the brunt of the deluge.
Princess Twilight slammed a hand on the table, bringing the other up to wipe her dribbling mouth. “Sorry,” she coughed. “Sorry.”
Twilight Sparkle removed her glasses and pulled a microfiber cloth from her shirt pocket. She wiped down the lenses, taking care to not let them fog up. “Truly doth the blessings of the princess rain down upon me.”
Princess Twilight’s face lit up, from her cheeks, to her ears, to her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Twilight. I—”
“Lemme guess,” Applejack said, cutting in with a wave of her sandwich, a smile at the edge of her lips. “Still carryin’ a torch for that boy?”
Little Spike tried and failed to hide a snort. “Ooh boy.”
Skyhook wisely took a very large bite of his sandwich that would take quite some time to chew.
“We danced when we were both teenagers.” Princess Twilight daubed her napkin over the front of her dress. She very pointedly didn’t look at anybody else at the table. “That was it. We haven’t even spoken since then. It’s been a decade at least.”
Twilight gave Shining a long, dour grimace. “Is that why Flash was acting so weird when you introduced us?”
Shining Armor glanced between the two Twilights with something between utter confusion and growing panic. “I didn’t know anything about the princess, so I didn’t—”
“Shinin’.” Big Mac’s drawl issued from a mouth that rarely cracked a grin, but Twilight could see his eyes glittering with barely-concealed laughter. “Just how many of your old buddies did you introduce Twi to before yah were forced to settle fer me?”
“I’ll…” Shining Armor shrugged and tore a piece off his sub to eat it easier. “I’ll admit there were a couple—”
Twilight felt a smile neatly slide her frown away. Big Mac was anything but “settling,” and the two of them knew it. “Come to think of it, after Flash I met your buddy Soarin from the Crystal Academy.”
Shining winced. “Twilie—”
“And there was the time you and I had dinner with Slab Bulkhead.” She leaned over her shoulder to pat Big Mac’s chest. “Nice guy, but he didn’t know a stethoscope from a spectrometer.”
“I just thought maybe—”
“And there was Wheeljack, and Windcharger, and—”
“Okay.” Shining Armor held his hands up in surrender. “I’ll admit. I meddled.”
“—and Martial Paw and—”
Little Spike let loose with a deep belly laugh, leaning back in his seat with his mouth wide open. Shining Armor and Twilight joined in within a heartbeat. Before long, giggles and chuckles came from everybody at the table. Even Big Mac smiled just enough to let a low chuckle out, reaching out to hold Twilight’s hand. For her part, Princess Twilight only let out a light, polite laugh, but Twilight could see relaxation take hold as the conversation shifted off of her.
“Regardless of the above evidence,” Shining Armor said at last. “I’d say it turned out alright.”
“For once, I’d say you’re right.” Twilight gave Big Mac’s hand a squeeze before they both returned to lunch. She looked up and noticed that the princess had just polished off her sandwich and was waiting for the rest of the table to finish. “So, princess.”
Princess Twilight raised her eyebrows, her mouth a wary line. “Hmm?”
“What do you know about the third Twilight?”
The princess’ shoulders sagged. “About as much as you know. I suspected there might be others out there, but… with no way of finding them…”
She looked to the head of the table, where Granny Smith sat. “May I be excused, Granny? I have an idea.”
“Go right ahead, sugarcube.” Granny Smith gestured to the kitchen door. “Just throw your plate in the trash on the way over.”
Princess Twilight folded her paper plate in half, thanked Granny, and headed for the living room. She returned a moment later with Sunset’s magic journal. “I left my journal with Princess Luna just in case we needed to communicate back and forth. If she’s keeping it close…”
Twilight watched her write a message:
Luna,
I need you to talk with Celestia. I need to know if she ever met a Twilight Sparkle on her trips to the Reflection universe. Sunset met a third Twilight Sparkle whose world matches a description of the world in question. It is imperative that we find all we can about her immediately. Sunset might be in danger.
With Love,
Twilight Sparkle
The princess tapped her pen against the page, leaning her elbows on the table. “Well, all we can do is w—”
The journal buzzed as magic coated its pages. A message scrawled out in concert with the unseen Luna’s pen strokes:
Twilight,
Luckily, I have my sister right here. She says that she did not have much connection with Sombra’s world in modern times, but she did meet his personal student once. She was a very driven and skilled wizard, on her way to rival Starswirl the Bearded in sheer brilliance. Yes, it appears she was a third Twilight Sparkle, and Celestia says she kept it to herself for the same reason she never told us about her relationship with Sombra until it was too late; pride and shame in equal measure.
From what she remembers, there is nothing to suggest that Sunset is in danger, but we agree that time changes people. It is possible Sombra’s turn to darkness may have had adverse effects on the young mare. I am afraid we cannot tell you more from this end.
Advise Sunset to caution. I advise you to the same. Be safe, all of you.
With Love,
Luna
Princess Twilight sighed, retracting her pen’s point and letting it fall on the journal’s spine. She lowered her head to her hands. “Another secret. Oh, Celestia.”
“Yeah,” Little Spike muttered. “Looks like the chickens are coming home to roost again.” He reached over and tugged the journal closer to him. With a little scrambling of his paws, he was able to write out a quick note of his own:
Luna, it’s Spike. Any sign of a third Spike in there? I remember the Reflection world, and I didn’t really like what I saw there. I hate to think of what kind of life a Spike would have had living there.
Luna’s reply was concise:
No sign of any dragons, baby or otherwise. Sorry, Spike.
“Huh.” He passed the journal back, but the princess didn’t react. “Dunno what I was expecting, but not that.”
Twilight Sparkle ran her eyes over the messages a couple of times. She touched a finger to the part where Luna mentioned adverse effects. “So… this other world… You’ve been there?”
When the princess didn’t respond immediately, Little Spike took up the slack. “Yeah. It was kinda a messed up situation for everybody. In our world, Sombra was this massive enslaving monster, but in the Reflection, he was a benevolent ruler. A pretty cool guy all around. On the flipside, Celestia was an absolute freak, willing to sacrifice anybody to get her way. She really screwed their world up, and the people with it. We only later found out it was the influence of some major dark magic mojo, but the facts are the facts. Our Celestia found their Sombra and they hit it off in a big way.”
Princess Twilight rubbed her eyes and spoke with a croak. “They only broke it off when they found out Starswirl’s prototype mirror was imperfect. It was causing imbalance between the world and threatened to shatter both of them.”
“Long story short,” Little Spike said, “to save Celestia’s life, Sombra sacrificed himself by absorbing the evil magic into his own body, setting their Celestia and Luna free. We had to destroy the prototype mirror, and only one fragment of it remains.”
“Remained.” Skyhook leaned his head forward as he let loose weighted words. “I read a report recently that the shard had gone missing, alongside the magic mirror that leads to this world.”
Princess Twilight Sparkle frowned at Twilight, her eyelids heavy. “I guess we could never have the luxury of solving one puzzle at a time, huh?”
Twilight nodded. The princess was worn down in a way that made her think she was looking at a near-perfect reflection of her own agony. The queasy feeling returned to her stomach, in a way that had nothing to do with Granny Smith’s excellent sandwiches. If only Sunset were there! Then they could put there heads together and figure something out, like they did the last time…
Twilight Sparkle blinked. The last time a magical murderer had struck, they figured out a way to detect pathways between worlds. Maybe they could do so again.
“Question.” She adjusted her glasses and crossed one leg over her knee. “Do you have any artifacts from the other world?”
Princess Twilight furrowed her brow, subconsciously twisting her body to a more defensive posture. “Why?”
“Because something from that world might have residual magic from that world…” Twilight rubbed her hands together as a spark of genius surged through her heart. “And I can tune my devices to detect said magic leaking into this world. Therefore, if any portals connect this world to the Reflection—”
“We can note its location.” Princess Twilight’s foot tapped against the round as her mind clicked with the idea. “Skyhook, did the report mention the other artifact going missing as well?”
“Other artifact?” Skyhook shook his head. “No, it only mentioned a mirror shard.”
“Excellent!” Princess Twilight Sparkle scooped up the journal as she stood. She scribbled a sentence or two to Princess Luna and waited a moment. When the book vibrate, she snapped it shut with a decisive nod. “I have just what you’re looking for, Twilight. Tomorrow morning, Celestia herself is going to bring the artifact over and we can use it to find out just where our Twilit friend came from.”
Skyhook jumped up as if he was sitting on an ejector seat. “Celestia’s coming here?”
“It’s her most treasured possession, Commander.” The princess waved her pen in his face. “She’s not letting it out of her sight.”
“But—” Skyhook looked around at the table, but only received a chorus of confused shrugs as a response. “Well I suppose there’s nothing I can say, is there?”
Little Spike patted the guard on the knee. “Trust me, dude. Duck and roll. Bob and weave. It’s the only way to survive these princess types.”
Princess Twilight grinned at Little Spike. “Says the guy who took a volleygun to the chest for his friend.”
Little Spike gave her a rueful smile. “Just one of my many scars.”
Shining Armor took that as his moment to stand as well. “In the meantime, we should get ready for our meeting with Party Favor tonight. We might be able to learn quite a bit from him, too.”
“Absolutely. Everything in its time.” Princess Twilight gave Twilight Sparkle a nod. “The more we know, the better chance we have of clearing your name.”
“That’s what they tell me.” Twilight and Big Mac shared a quick hug before he returned to work. “At least we’ve got a plan now.”
***
Moondancer glowered from her seat beside Caution Tape. It wasn’t that he was bad company. He was just… a lot louder than she was used to. The two of them watched from the windows of his unmarked police cruiser, parked down the street from one of Canterlot City’s most bustling clubs.
“I hope the hunch was right,” she muttered, cradling Twilight Sparkle’s magic detector in her hands. “It doesn’t seem like the sort of place Raven would frequent, knowing what we know.”
“It’s the best the boys down in trackin’ could come up with,” Caution said, more of a series of frustrated grunts than human words. He squinted at the Party Favor, taking a long draught from his thermos of coffee. “Just wish oi were part of the interrogation. Can’t stand stakeouts on the best days.”
“I can’t say I’m overly fond of them either.” Moondancer lifted the magic device and, finding it silent, returned it to her lap. “Sitting around waiting for things to happen isn’t my style.”
She gave Caution a frown. “Are you sure we can’t drive closer? The detector has a limited range—”
“Moony, this is primo stakeout territory right ’ere.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Just the right distance tah get a look at the losers goin’ in an’ out of the club, lookin’ for suspicious folks.” He rapped his fingers across his door-side arm rest. “Like your pal, Sparkle.”
“I highly doubt Twilight Sparkle murdered Raven.” Moondancer peered over her spectacles at the officer. “Though I believe she knows more about magic than she let on.”
“You say that…” Caution took a swig from his thermos and swished it around between his teeth. “But she’s killed before. You remember, just two years ago, when she gunned down the perp on the boardwalk.”
Moondancer clutched the magic scanner tight. “She was defending herself and her family, Caution.”
“Yeah. From an old homeless woman who just so happened to be a witness in a recent murder case.” Caution lowered his thermos to his cupholder and gripped the steering wheel. “We only got hers and her sister-in-law’s word on it. The whole thing smelled fishy, and it wasn’t just ’cause of the pier.”
Moondancer sighed. She couldn’t argue with the thought that Twilight Sparkle kept secrets. Not after the revelations of the week. Sure, there could have been something more to the standoff on the boardwalk… but she couldn’t imagine Twilight hiding something malevolent. She remembered Sonata and the victim both had ties to the same magic they’d been hunting. That was about all she knew for certain.
It wasn’t enough to just know that.
“Twilight Sparkle is not a murderer.” Moondancer nodded as decisively as she could. “I have no reason to disbelieve that she had due cause to kill Sonata.”
“But if she would kill for her family once…” Caution Tape narrowed his eyes at Moondancer, wrinkling his nose at an imagine odor. “What if she thought Raven was a threat to them as well?”
Moondancer answered without hesitation. “She would have reported it immediately.”
“Yeah.” Caution Tape chuckled joylessly. “Wish oi had your belief in human decency. You an’ Chief Carrot both. Oi’ve seen what happens to people after they take a life. Takes healin’, yeah, an’ it takes a steady hand tah bring them back. Sparkle ain’t had neither. She’s a cold fish; a standoffish genius type. She weren’t built to take on that kinda stress.”
“Your prejudice is clouding your perception.” Moondancer extended a finger pointedly at The Party Favor. “Keep you thought on the job at hand and keep your voice down.”
Caution grimaced. He patted his firearm, hidden from view, and resumed his part of the stakeout. “When Sparkle breaks, Oi’m gonna be the first to say oi told yah so.”