Knock knock knock.
The sound slid through the darkness of Starlight Glimmer's room and coiled around her head like a snake, each rap squeezing her brain like an orange being juiced. The unicorn hissed beneath her covers and pulled all of her blankets tighter around her body, every ounce of her being screaming to stay right where she was. Who could be knocking at this hour, anyway? She thought blearily as she nestled deeper into her bed. My alarm is set for just after sunrise, and if it hasn't gone off then I'm not getting up... I'm sure they'll just give up and go away if I don't answer. Her lips curved into a self-satisfied smile as she relaxed again, letting the soothing touch of her bed and blankets draw her back towards sleep. It's probably just Sunburst being paranoid again, anyway...
Knock knock knock knock knock.
Starlight's eyes shot open in the dark, and her hooves clenched her blankets tight as anger washed over her as her head throbbed again. No, it's FINE – keep knocking! It's not like I was up really late going over the intricacies of inter-planar magic dispersal! Really! No, please, don't put yourself out by NOT knocking! She sighed sharply and rolled over onto her left side, the blankets pulled even tighter around her. I know Sunburst still had issues with my theories when we stopped for the night, but I swear to Celestia and all that is good in this world that I will end him if he's back before dawn to hash out the minutia. Her eyes stared angrily towards the source of the sound, even though she knew that no less than two walls sat between her and the door to her rooms. Don't knock, she thought as hard as she could. Don't knock don't knock don't knock... just go away and let me sleep, for Celestia's sake...
Her right ear twitched above her and she unconsciously held her breath, drawing the room around her into complete silence. Only the sound of her own heartbeat thrummed in her head as she waited one moment, then two for the knock that she hoped wouldn't come. Two moments turned into three, and when the fourth came she exhaled and smiled. Aaah... good. They went awa-,
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
With a curse that would have caused Discord to do a double take, Starlight Glimmer's horn flared to life in the darkness and threw her blankets off of her, wadding the bedclothes into a ball and throwing them into a corner as she rolled out of bed and onto her hooves, her brow creased with a murderous frown. She stormed to her bedroom door and slammed it open with her hooves, the impact echoing in the hallway as she stepped out and turned left. Her annoyance ricocheted off the walls as she stomped through her dining area, and she could feel the tension growing along her shoulders and back as she approached her door like a hurricane bearing down upon a coastline.
“This had better be important!” she snarled as her magic grabbed the doorknob, twisted it viciously, and yanked the door open so quickly that it caused her mane to flutter in its wash. “WHAT?!”
Her glare seemed to freeze Flash Sentry into place, his wings half spread and his left front leg lifted and held across his chest as if to protect himself from her wrath. The yellow pegasus met her gaze, and Starlight could see the beads of sweat that decorated his brow beneath his golden helm.
“Ah... i-it is..?” he stammered, his posture still as tense as a bowstring. Starlight's frown deepened, her lips pressed together so hard that they became a single thin line across her face. Inside, she felt a pang of sympathy for Flash and shame at herself for how angry she had been, but the flames of her anger still licked the bottom of her patience, and that kettle had long ago come to a boil.
“What is it, Sentry?” she asked, her voice deadpan. “I'm trying to sleep off some late night research here.” The guardspony blinked at her for a moment, as if he couldn't decide whether he was going to actually deliver the message or make an escape, but after a heartbeat or two he finally sighed and lowered his left leg, turning to face Starlight squarely.
“I'm sorry to hear that you had a late night, Starlight,” he said, “but Princess Cadence has sent me to get you.”
Starlight blinked. “The Princess...?” She gave her head a slow shake. “Why... why right now? I mean, I know Princess Cadence gets up early, but this is ridiculous – if this is when royalty gets up in the morning, let them know that other ponies don't.” She held his gaze in her own as she took a tentative step backwards, testing to see if he'd let her just slip back into her room and catch what little sleep may still be lingering around her bed; as soon as she moved, however, Flash lifted a hoof and gave it a shake.
“N-no, this isn't when the Princess or Shining Armor usually get up.” His wings fidgeted against his armor, and Starlight felt her brain click into gear as Flash dropped his hoof back to the floor and pointedly glanced away from her.
“...it's Skyla, isn't it.” It wasn't a question.
Flash's eyes returned to Starlight, and the silence that fell between the two ponies told Starlight everything that she needed to know.
All of the anger that had been burning inside of Starlight snuffed out as quickly as it had started, and it left in its place a cold, sinking pit in the bottom of her stomach. She stepped out of her room, grabbing her door in her magic and pulling it closed behind her as she gave Flash a nod.
“Let's go,” she said briskly. “You can explain on the way.”
“Gotcha.” He looked at her askance as he turned to walk next to her, his brow furrowed beneath his helm. “Shining Armor did say that you didn't have to come if you didn't want to, but the Princess seemed pretty adamant that you-,”
Flash's words slowly faded in Starlight's mind as she stared ahead of her, her blue eyes locked onto the floor in front of her as the pair moved. She couldn't explain how she knew that this had to do with Skyla, but she did: everything inside of her was screaming that something didn't feel right, and that she needed to see Skyla as soon as possible. As she passed into one of the outer halls with Flash, she glanced out the window and saw that the eastern sky was beginning to brighten, but the sun had yet to make its morning debut. The sight of the predawn sky made her resolve falter just slightly, the memory of her warm and comfortable bed beckoning her to return to its soft and loving folds, but with a sigh she turned her eyes back to the hallway before her, her ears up and alert as her tail lashed her flanks, willing her to go faster.
If Skyla needed me, I'd stop sleeping altogether, she thought firmly. I... I can't let her down. I won't. I have to do everything I can, and if she needs me right now, then sleep can burn in Tartarus. She inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp early morning air as Flash turned them towards Princess Cadence's personal study.
Everything can burn in Tartarus, as long as she's okay.
The rest of Flash and Starlight's journey to the study was filled with silence as Starlight's mind churned with what-ifs and worries, and Flash seemed eager to let her have the space that she so clearly needed. Thankfully, their walk was not a long one, and Starlight found herself standing before the door to Cadence's study before she knew it. She blinked slowly as she came back to the present, her gaze focusing once more on Flash, who stood with one hoof on the door and his eyes on her.
“You back with us, brains?” he asked softly, and Starlight felt her mind slam into gear with a frown.
“Don't call me 'brains',” she said, but the words didn't come out as forcefully as she would have hoped; instead of exploding against him and making him regret the nickname, they floated from her lips and seemed to fizzle out halfway to the stallion, leaving her glaring at him as he nodded.
“Apologies,” he said, his tone suddenly all business. “I only meant to see if you were prepared to go in...” his gaze found hers again, and Starlight leaned back on her hooves at the seriousness in his blue eyes, “...because you can go back to bed if you're not.”
A burst of anger filled Starlight's stomach, and she made herself settle back squarely onto her hooves before giving him a roll of her eyes. “Don't be stupid – of course I'm ready to go in.” She gestured towards the door and gave the guardspony a withering glare. “Open the door, dimwit, and let me see what's going on.”
She felt the mocking name leave her tongue, and internally she winced. Starlight... this is not productive when it's directed at ponies you have to work with! she reminded herself, a knot in her stomach snuffing out the angry fire she'd felt earlier. As she watched Flash, however, she didn't see even a hint of anger or pain cross his face; instead, a steely smile slid onto his lips, and he gave her a firm nod.
“Good.” He pushed the door open and used his right wing to gesture for her to enter. “Best of luck, Starlight.”
The unicorn arched an eyebrow at the pegasus as she moved past him, her gaze lingering on him as she did so. ...what was up with that? she wondered. Flash is always so good-natured... why did he have to go and get all confrontational on me? Flash caught her gaze once more as he shifted to close the door behind her, and the look in his eyes made the hair at the base of Starlight's mane stand on end.
Because there was no mistaking the fear in the stallion's gaze.
The door clicked shut, drawing Starlight back into the real world once more, and with a shake of her head she turned to face the study again. Princess Cadence, Shining Armor and Princess Luna all stood together around Cadence's desk where two books were propped open to show Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight's faces upon the pages, clearly looking through them in real time.
“Ah, Starlight, I am glad that you decided to join us,” said Luna and there was no hint of reprimand in her voice – instead, Starlight could hear relief painting her words just as surely as the early morning sun was painting its colors over the city outside. Starlight swallowed audibly and moved to the desk, her heart suddenly hammering in her ears.
“Sure, no problem... so, what's going on?” She glanced around the room once more before turning her gaze to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, her somber expression deepening into a frown. “Is Sunburst going to be needed for this meeting, or..?”
“I sent someone to get Sunburst, but he went back to his house in the city. Considering how late he was here last night and the distance to his house, I'd say we can expect him in twenty minutes or so. We planned to start when you got here,” Shining said, and his tone set the hair at the base of Starlight's mane on edge. I've dealt with Shining Armor in some pretty dire circumstances, and it's pretty rare of him not to wear a smile. The white stallion met her gaze with a soldier's poise and composure, and the lack of any kind of emotion on the face of the normally boisterous Prince made the uneasy feelings in Starlight's stomach ice over.
“Okaaay...” Starlight's jaw clenched as she turned to face Princess Luna, who met her gaze squarely and with no hesitation. “I take it this is going to be something pretty important if we're dragging everypony out of bed at the crack of dawn?”
Luna straightened and nodded. “Oh, I assure you that it is of the utmost importance. Dire importance, in fact.” She took a few steps away from the desk so that everypony, including Celestia and Twilight as they looked on through their books, could see her. “As most of you already know, Skyla has been having nightmares for several days that have been causing her no small amount of distress. She wrote to me and asked for help on the matter, and – after discussing the matter with Cadence and Shining Armor – I set out last night to enter Skyla's dreams and assist her in solving the problem.” Her expression darkened, and Starlight felt the prickle of bile at the back of her throat. “What I discovered was, unfortunately, a greater problem than I had expected...”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This can't be real. It was the only cohesive thought that Cadence could grasp onto as Luna recounted her experience in the dreamscape, and the more information Luna gave, the more that thought grew louder and louder in Cadence's mind. Everything Twilight had said, everything that Sunburst and Starlight had said, all of it had pointed to this not being possible; every ounce of their research had indicated that most they had to fear was Skyla simply not being happy in this new world, and that all Cadence and Shining Armor needed to do was be a family to her to make everything better. This can't be real... it just can't be...
“...and that where we find ourselves,” concluded Luna finally, her wings shifting against her sides as she turned to face everypony in the room squarely once more. “Queen Cadence has declared in no uncertain terms that she will come to claim Skyla in less than one week's time.” She turned to take in the images of Aunt Celestia and Twilight, who both wore expressions as grave as Luna's. “I'm certain that I do not have to tell you how dire this threat is,” she said, and both holographic ponies shook their heads.
“No, I think her intentions were loud and clear,” muttered Twilight, her ears flattening against her mane. “What I don't understand is exactly what she thinks this will accomplish. I mean, Skyla clearly doesn't want to go back with her, right?” Luna nodded, her mane bouncing confidently.
“The first thing that Skyla said to me after the dream ended was 'I don't want to go back',” she confirmed, “so I believe that it is safe to say that she would rather do anything but.” She turned to Celestia's image. “Sister, I know that this is something that we discussed in private... yet I find myself hesitant to ask for your assistance in this.” Her wings rustled against her back and her tail gave an uncharacteristic lash, the stars suspended in it twinkling merrily in spite of her mood. “I know you have much to attend to in Canterlot, but-,”
“I will be there tomorrow morning.” Celestia's words cut off Luna's, and a wave of relief washed over Luna's features as she sighed.
“...thank you, Celestia.”
“Oh please, Luna – do you believe that I would leave my sister, my niece, and everypony in the Crystal Kingdom to try and fend off this menace without me?” Her wings flashed through the bottom of the image, and Cadence was surprised by the fierce look in her aunt's eyes. “I would never abandon my family or my allies like that, so you rest assured that I will be there to help.” Luna nodded once more before turning her eyes back to Twilight, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Twilight Sparkle, the next question is for you. We do not know what kind of force the Crystal Empire will try to bring through a portal into our world, so it is difficult to make a decision on the kinds of force we should meet them with.” She gestured to Shining Armor. “Your brother will undoubtedly have his guards prepared to defend his kingdom at a moment's notice, and with myself, Celestia, and Cadence here, there will be three alicorns to defend the Kingdom as well.” A throat cleared itself on the other side of the room and all eyes turned towards Starlight Glimmer, who shrugged and sighed.
“It's fine, don't even worry about counting me in,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. “I've just been spending every waking moment thinking about what we could do in this situation, so I'm probably not even worth talking to...”
Cadence winced as Luna's wings bristled, her normally serene teal eyes suddenly burning. Oh, that is a bad tone to take with Aunt Luna...
“Starlight Glimmer,” Luna began, her words seeming to sear the air around her as she spoke, “I would be delighted to hear your opinions on the defense of the Crystal Kingdom, but it will be when I choose to hear it, and not a moment before.” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you understand me?” The pink unicorn's eyes widened as her mouth flashed open, and Cadence was sure she could see the fire that Starlight was ready to spit back at Luna, but Shining Armor stepped into the fray before she could speak.
“Unfortunately, Starlight, I have to agree with Princess Luna,” he said calmly. “She's clearly driving at a point here, and I'd hate to derail her and have her forget something.” He offered Starlight a half-smile. “We're all stressed out here, and we're all going to have to take a little extra time to make sure that we're not making enemies of our friends.” He threw a glance at Luna that wasn't much different than his normal glances, but Cadence had to stifle a smile as she watched his blame spread between both of the other mares. Starlight's mouth slowly shut, her eyes still glaring daggers at the blue alicorn, but after a moment she nodded.
“Fine,” she grumbled, and Shining gave her a grateful nod.
“Thanks, Starlight.” He gestured to Luna and took a step back to stand next to Cadence once more. “Continue please, Luna.”
The blue alicorn gave him a cool, appraising stare for a brace of heartbeats, and for a brief moment Cadence thought that Luna was going to ignore his request and give the stallion an earful in the same way she'd just done with Starlight. Cadence tensed, her already aching neck muscles twinging like steel cables in a stiff wind as a silent battle waged behind Luna's eyes; finally, an eternity later, Luna gave her head a shake and turned back to Twilight.
“As I was saying: Twilight Sparkle, do you believe that the Elements of Harmony should be called into service? Should you bring yourself and your friends here along with the Elements?” Twilight frowned, and her right hoof rose into view as she tapped it against her chin.
“The Elements,” she mused. “Hmmm... I honestly don't think so.” She dropped her hoof back to the floor and turned her attention back to Luna. “I'd much rather have the Elements be a backup plan, something that can be used if the Crystal Empire decides that they're going to try and stay here, or worse.” Twilight nodded, almost to herself. “In fact, as long as we have the forces in the Crystal Kingdom that we do, I think that amassing any other power there is superfluous, be it troops or other powerful beings with whom we have a... passing peace.” Cadence watched the image of her aunt chuckle.
“You mean Discord,” said Celestia, and Twilight winced.
“YES, I mean Discord,” agreed Twilight. “He may be one of the most powerful beings outside of the alicorns that we have on our side, and he MAY have come through for us in the past, but I'll be cursed to the gates of Tartarus if I ask for his help before we really, really need it.” She tossed her mane, her frown seeming to touch all of her face at once. “No Discord. He can help out if the Elements are pulled into the situation, and not a second earlier.”
“I have to agree,” sighed Shining Armor. “It's going to be hard to warn the crystal ponies about this without creating a panic as it is, and having the incarnation of pure chaos show up probably wouldn't help the situation.” He gave his sister a nod and, not for the first time, Cadence was relieved to have him in her life. Twilight has become very reliable in her alicornhood, but Shining truly has grown into quite the Prince, she thought, a smile tugging at her lips. And he's become just the stallion I need. Cadence let out a small sigh and turned back to the books, her gaze finding Twilight's own.
“Will you be returning to the Crystal Kingdom as well?” she asked. “I know that I'd feel much better if you were here, Twilight.” The purple alicorn nodded, her mane bobbing confidently.
“You bet. I can't stay indefinitely, but if there's a time limit of a week on this backwards invitation that Queen Cadence has given us then I'm sure I can clear my schedule for that long.” She turned away from the group and shouted, “SPIKE! Bring me a new quill – we've got a list to make!” In the background, Cadence heard the small purple dragon groan in existential agony, and Twilight scoffed. “Don't listen to him, he loves it,” she murmured into the book. “I'll also try to be there tomorrow,” she said in a normal tone as she moved back away from the image. “Can't waste time when there's a possible invasion imminent.” Her eyes found Cadence, and the smaller alicorn gave Cadence a reassuring smile. “Don't worry, Cadence; we'll figure this out, and we'll make sure that the Kingdom is safe. I'm sure that Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst already have a plan to deal with this, so we'll discuss it once I'm there and make any minor changes that might need to be made.” Cadence nodded, and the muscles in her neck felt like they loosened up just by speaking with the other alicorn.
“I'm sure you're right, Twilight. Thank you... for being you,” she said, and she hoped that Twilight couldn't see the tears of relief that were threatening to escape from the corners of her eyes. Thankfully, if Twilight saw them she gave no indication, and with one final nod she closed the book on her end, causing the book on Cadence's desk to close, as well.
“Twilight's right,” said Aunt Celestia from her own book. “We'll figure out a solution once we're all together, and then everything will be just fine, you'll see.” She offered Cadence a reassuring smile before reaching out with her hoof and closing her book just as Twilight had. The pink alicorn let out a sigh of relief before turning her purple eyes back to the group in her office, and for the first time that morning she felt her head clear. It's fine, she told herself. Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna, Twilight, Shining, Sunburst, and Starlight will be there with me, and I'm sure that there's nothing in this world that can stand up to all of us. She took a deep breath and held it for a pair of heartbeats before exhaling, letting her worries go with the exhales and drawing in fresh strength with the inhales as she repeated the process several times. Just focus on defense, and you'll get through this. After several long sets of her breathing exercise, Cadence turned back to Starlight Glimmer, who looked like she could have bitten a hole through the desk next to which she sat. The unicorn had perched herself upon a chair and sat with her elbow on the desktop, staring adamantly at the wall near the door and, for all intents and purposes, ignoring everypony else in the room, her lips pursed in the most impatient look that Cadence had ever seen. And that's saying something – I have a young daughter, thought Cadence wryly.
“Starlight, you had something to add?” prompted Cadence. “If you'd like to speak about it now, I would love to hear it.” Starlight's ear twitched, but she remained adamantly disengaged from the group. Cadence let the silence stand for several long seconds before clearing her throat. “Ah, Starlight..?” she said gently, and this time Starlight turned to face her, the unicorn's bright blue eyes ablaze with anger.
“Oh, do I finally have permission to speak?” she snapped. “I was under the impression that Princess Luna had put me into a time-out, and that I had to wait for her to-,” A loud slam echoed from the other side of the room, and Cadence's head snapped around to see Aunt Luna, her hoof still atop the book that she'd pounded to the floor.
“Get out,” she growled at Starlight, and for the first time in her life Cadence saw true anger in the eyes of the normally placid Princess of the Night. Luna's teal eyes boiled as she stared at Starlight Glimmer, and the pink unicorn let out a sigh before turning to the blue alicorn.
“All right, hold your horses – I'm not trying to start a problem, I just really need to talk about the project that Sunburst and I have been working on. It's really-,”
“Did I STUTTER, Starlight Glimmer?!” Now Luna's words rose to fill the entire room, and Cadence felt the light from the morning sun seem to dim as Luna spread her wings. “You have disrespected me with your asinine displays of childish petulance, and now you would seek to use the same tactics to insert your opinions into our plans?!” The blue alicorn took a step forward, and Cadence flinched as her hoof pounded upon the smooth stone, its sound echoing unnaturally. “GET OUT,” she commanded again, “and do not return to our meetings unless you are invited once more.”
Starlight's mouth dropped open in absolute shock, but if she had planned to make an argument in her favor, it never materialized; instead, after staring at Luna for several heartbeats, the unicorn rose and hopped down from her chair, her curled mane and tail twitching with anger as she hurried to the door and exited the study, slamming the heavy wooden door hard enough as she went that objects on Cadence's walls shook and shivered as she did so. Silence fell in the study, and it was several long seconds before Luna lowered her wings and the light returned to normal.
“I... apologize,” she whispered, “but I cannot abide such self-centered nonsense... not at a time like this.”
“Starlight Glimmer is self-centered,” agreed Cadence as she turned to face Luna directly, “but she is also brilliant.” An ember of anger flared to life in Cadence's belly, but she took yet another deep breath before speaking again. “I understand that you are upset, Aunt Luna, but please understand that I am also very, very upset.” Her throat squeezed as the tears that had threatened her before returned, and she had to clear her throat before she continued. “I am upset,” she repeated, a little more forcefully than before, “but I also understand that we are going to have to stay calm, and rational, and united to defeat this threat.” She lifted her hoof and pressed it against her chest. “I have to, Shining has to...” she moved her hoof until it was pointed at her Aunt, “and you are going to have to, as well.”
The blue alicorn's chest puffed up indignantly, but Cadence's gaze did not waver and, after only a matter of seconds, her aunt slowly deflated.
“...I apologize,” Luna repeated, and Cadence dropped her hoof back to the floor.
“I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The door slammed behind Starlight Glimmer, her magic flashing in the hallway as she turned back towards her room. “I'm disrespecting HER?! I don't have to sit around there and be disrespected myself!” she snarled, her hoofsteps as sharp as breaking glass in the silent morning castle. “I don't have to take that! SHE,” the unicorn pointed back towards the study, “SHE is the one who asked for MY help, not the other way around! SHE asked ME!” She slammed her hoof back to the stone beneath her, a frown twisting her features so mightily that she thought they might stay that way. “Stupid alicorn, stupid plans!! The only pony who knows what she's doing in there is TWILIGHT, and she wasn't even really HERE today so NOPONY knew what they were doing in there today!! UGH!!!” She threw her head back and actually growled, a sound that she never thought she would make. I feel like I could bash my way through a wall of this castle, she thought as she rounded a corner, her anger making her physically hot as she stalked. I hope that I never have to lay eyes on that snooty blue alicorn ever again! She didn't even take the time to listen to what I had to say!
“I mean, I didn't exactly wait to listen to what she had to say,” she muttered hotly, “but that doesn't mean she couldn't have listened to me! I mean...” Her hoofsteps slowed, and her features softened. “...I didn't wait and listen to her... so why should she listen to me..?” Starlight Glimmer winced and she cursed under her breath, her anger rushing back to fill her mind yet again. Great job, Starlight... really killing it with the teamwork today. I'm sure Twilight will be SUPER thrilled to hear about it...
“I can't believe you would use that kind of language in the castle, Starlight,” said a stallion's voice, and Starlight was yanked from her inner thoughts so forcefully that she let out a small scream as her hooves scrambled against the stone. She threw herself against the nearest wall as she spun to face the source of the words and, as her gaze fell upon a familiar white and orange stallion, she felt her heart start beating once again as air rushed to fill her terror-paralyzed lungs.
“Discord's teeth, Sunburst!” she wheezed. “Did... didn't your mother ever teach you not to sneak up on ponies?!” Sunburst frowned at her, his glasses glinting in the morning sunlight.
“I think she taught us both that lesson, actually,” he said with a tilt of his head. “But I'm not sure what bearing that has on the language you were just using... and why aren't you at the meeting? I was just on my way there. Apparently there's some pretty dire stuff going on, and-,”
Starlight stepped away from the wall and sighed. “I was just leaving the meeting,” she said, and Sunburst let out a sigh of his own.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“ME?!” Starlight spun to face him, the curl of her mane bobbing angrily. “Why does everypony assume that I'm the one who starts these fights?!”
“So there was a fight, huh?” Sunburst sighed and pressed his right hoof to his glasses before shaking his head. “Look, it really doesn't matter – all that matters is that we have to tell them all about our plan so that they can take it into consideration as they plot the defense of the Crystal Kingdom.” He took a step down the hall towards Cadence's study. “Come on back, Starlight, I'm sure that they'll let you-,”
Sunburst's tail snapped straight out behind him, its length enveloped in a sheet of bright blue magic as Starlight's horn illuminated the hallway.
“I don't think so, smarty-hooves,” she grumbled. “Those ponies have their own plans to make, and as long as ours is ready, they'll be able to use it if they need it.” She started back towards her room, Sunburst's hooves scraping discordantly along the smooth stone as she dragged him along.
“But Starliiiiight, I wanted to go to the super-secret meeting...” he grumbled, and the mare rolled her eyes.
“I'll fill you in on the details,” she sighed. “The important thing right now is to have our plan ready... in case the worst should happen.” She heard Sunburst sigh, but he didn't struggle against her magical pull.
“Before we start testing, I have to fiddle with the magic detector we built. It was giving me funny readings last night before we stopped testing.” Starlight frowned.
“Funny how?”
“Just some highs and lows that were outside the norm. Probably just echoes of our tests.”
“Did you take into account the Faraneigh effect?”
“Of course I did, Starlight – I'm a royal scholar, I don't forget things like that.” Sunburst adjusted his glasses as Starlight dragged him along. “I'll re-calibrate the detector and we'll be up and running in no time.”