//------------------------------// // Facts Revealed, Truth Concealed // Story: In the Absence of Twilight Sparkle // by MyHobby //------------------------------// “Different people seem to have different aptitudes for different magic.” Starlight Glimmer led to way to a grove of trees some ways around the island. “Twilight tells me that in your respective worlds, your people have three tribes, divided by physical attributes, correct?” Sunset Shimmer nodded. “Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies.” “Ponies.” Starlight rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Magic must be a helluva advantage if ponies are the dominant species in your world.” “Wouldn’t say ‘dominant.’ There are other sapient races. Lots of them.” Sunset looked ahead and saw a few people milling around inside the tree line. Some sat on benches, but most appeared to be expecting Starlight’s arrival. “So the people here seem to have the same divergences?” “Those exactly. Twilight can pick up almost instantly whether somebody has an affinity to what she calls Ether magic, Sky magic, and Earth magic.” Starlight shielded her eyes with a hand. “Aaaaand—yep! Your buddy Celestia fits nicely in with the other Ethereals.” As more people came into clarity, Starlight’s mood soured at the fringes. “Aaaaaand so is Dulcimer. God help me.” Sunset Shimmer looked back at the compound, where she could see other students arrayed around the front door. “And Double Diamond teaches the earth ponies?” “Earth mages, yeah.” “Who’s your resident p—Sky mage?” Starlight grimaced fully this time. She ran a hand over her face and stood still on the path. “It was my friend Night Glider, until she left. Twilight’s standing in for her until another Sky mage becomes knowledgeable enough… and wants to stay.” Sunset frowned, cupping her hands behind her back. “Have you had many students leave?” “Not many.” A sardonic grin spread across Starlight’s face as she glanced towards the waiting students. “I’m still able to count our… eh… ‘dropouts’ on one hand. Raven, Night Glider, Party Favor, Wallflower Blush, and Neighsay.” Sunset was almost sure that two of those names belonged to members of the pony Starlight’s one-time cult. Almost. Wallflower didn’t ring a bell, but Neighsay was a prominent leader in the Equestrian education system. She’d even met him once or twice at galas. He didn’t seem like the type of person to leave a school like this. At least, his pony alternative-reality duplicate didn’t. Different people. Even twelve years after investigating the ins and outs of parallel worlds, Sunset occasionally caught herself forgetting that critical detail. Starlight continued, having composed herself enough to let her anger die down to mild irritation. “Wallflower and Neighsay only left a couple of months ago. Not a huge tragedy, but it irritates me. They never mentioned being dissatisfied with their progress or my teaching. Haven’t answered my calls. Haven’t provided a forwarding address. Haven’t the human decency to drop a line or a how-do-you-do.” Sunset shrugged. “You can’t really control who walks in and out of your life.” “No, but it’d be nice to find out why.” Starlight tossed a light sneer towards the ocean before moving them forward towards the waiting class. “If only to get closure.” “Closure’s a rare and valuable thing,” Sunset muttered. Starlight’s tutelage covered a broad range of topics, never hovering too long on any one. A refresher of the three elements of spellcasting (math, crochet, and intent), explaining that the body metabolized sugar into magic, the basic stuff. The lesson was clearly meant to fill in the knowledge gaps for the newer students. After that’s he split people into groups which, judging by their observable skills, were divided by how advanced their knowledge was. Though Sombra was clearly a highly skilled mage, he remained with the newer students. More precisely, he remained with Celestia. Sunset sat in on her practice, observing her attempts to levitate simple objects. She was still a bit clumsy—that is, extremely accident prone—but then, she had only just discovered magic that morning. This proved to confuse Sunset when she looked over the other new student’s progress and found him to have the careful certainty of someone with years of experience. He was already adept at lifting several object simultaneously, and moving them independently. He looked up and saw her watching him. “Impressed, Professor?” “I’m not a professor. I’m just a teacher.” Sunset sat on a rock beside him, trying and failing to not look mystified at his apparent magic genius. “It’s rare for a mage to go from unaware to proficient in three hours, Sir.” “Dulcimer is fine, Mrs. Shimmer.” Several small rocks orbited around each other in intricate patterns. “Perhaps I just have a knack for it.” “Sunset!” Sunset Shimmer looked up to see Celestia giggling as she drew illusory images in midair. “I’m a skywriter!” Sunset only spared Dulcimer another brief glance as she moved onward to her friend. Something about the man itched at the back of her memory. Try as she might, it was still impossible to place him… and there was something sinister about him. But, again, maybe she was just conflating this Dulcimer with some half-remembered pony she hardly knew. Focusing on Celestia brought a smile to her face. The woman was scribbling nonsense in the air, wide-eyed and excited as she tested out the limits of her newfound abilities. It was a little like watching Sunny play with finger-paints. Adorable and heartwarming. Sombra was a few feet away, conversing with Starlight. They’d have a few minutes alone. Celestia shook her head as the magic faded into an afterimage. “I can’t believe… I just had no idea, Sunset.” Sunset sighed. “I’m sorry for keeping it from you.” “Bullplop, you didn’t keep anything from me.” Celestia touched a hand to Sunset’s. “I just… never knew it would be this easy. Or this wonderful.” “And I didn’t even know you could do it.” Sunset sat side-by-side with Celestia so she could watch the other students work. “I never even guessed.” Celestia smirked and patted Sunset’s shoulder. “You have that look in your eyes.” “What look?” “The focused one that says you’ve got a goal in mind.” Celestia winked and resumed her idle scribbles. “May I ask what?” Sunset joined Celestia’s small-scale skywriting. She drew a picture of a unicorn, then wiped away the horn to give the pony a set of wings. “Not sure, actually. I guess I’m just considering what I’ve been missing out on all this time.” “Oh?” “Like… magic isn’t limited to people who come from Equestria…” She raised an eyebrow and swirled a finger through the pegasus, causing it to become a glittering smear in midair. “And it’s not limited to people who’ve visited it.” As the image vanished, a flame lit on the tip of her pointer finger and hissed as it danced around her hand. “I think we can teach literally everybody.” She pressed her lips together and quenched the fire in a closed fist. “Even if I can’t join the school here, maybe I can start a new one back home?” Celestia laughed lightly as she looked over her shimmering fingernails. “Trust me when I say running a school is quite an undertaking.” “Oh, I know.” Sunset took a proverbial backseat as Celestia resumed attempting to lift a hand-sized stone. “I probably wouldn’t even start until after Sunny was grown up.” “Hmm.” Celestia turned her eyes to the sky as if a thought had just occurred to her. “But you will be teaching Sunny.” “Well, yeah.” “And you’re already teaching Twilight Sparkle.” “Sure.” Celestia grinned wide. “Sounds to me like you’ve already started.” “Well, fair enough.” Sunset crossed her arms. “Nothing wrong with starting small.” “Nothing wrong at all!” *** Dr. Twilight Sparkle dismissed her students for lunch. If she was right about Sunset’s hometown, they were exactly six hours behind the Highborn Isles. She slipped a hand into her pockets to check, for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, that her phone was still there. She had to make the call. Otherwise, she’d be unable to focus on anything else for the rest of the week. She needed to be sharp. But what if… What if the human Twilight told others about the call? What if Sunset, Starlight, literally anybody found out about it? How would she explain how she found the number? It was a breach of trust few would be comfortable forgiving… Unless she lied about how she came across the number. That’s all she would say; that she’d found the number while researching the Canterlot High Hoax. That she’d stumbled across the existence of the other Twilights while trying to discover a way to contact Sunset herself. It was almost not a lie. She could tell it convincingly enough. She stepped into her personal laboratory in the rear of the old warehouse. The one she kept dark. The spell that corrected her vision also allowed her a bit of night-vision. Here, she could be completely concealed. She sat in a chair beside a large glass tube and dialed, her breath held. *** The first thing Twilight Sparkle noticed when she awoke was that she was very, very warm. It felt nice, and she saw absolutely no reason to leave her blanket. The second thing she noticed was that she’d left her glasses on all night, and they were askew on her face, which was pressed up against the source of her warmth. The cold metal and the hard plastic felt uncomfortable for the drowsy sleeper. The third thing she noticed was that the warmth came from a very tall, very muscular source. Her first thought was to pull away, but it was quickly overturned by a desire to remain exactly where she was forever. Big Mac muttered in his sleep, her head lying against the back of the couch. It was only after all of that had filtered through her head that she noticed what had initially woken her up: Her vibrating cellphone. She had forgotten to turn the sound back on after they’d gone to the Party Favor. Good thing, too, or Big Mac might have decided to wake up as well. And worse, he might have left to get ready for work. Twilight stifled a yawn and looked at whoever was calling before sunrise. She didn’t recognize the number. She rolled her eyes and silenced the call, letting the phone drop to the cushion beside her. The phone vibrated again. The same number showed up. This time, Twilight noted that it was an out-of-country call. Weird. Sunset would normally just call with her cellphone… unless something had gone wrong. Twilight gave Big Mac’s unending warmth and comfort one last look, then slowly extracted herself from the blanket. She left him snoozing on the couch while she took the phone into the kitchen. She took a swig of water and pressed the answer button. She tried not to sound like she’d just woken up, but she sounded groggy even to herself. “Hello?” “Is this Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight leaned a palm against the tabletop. If she allowed herself to be paranoid, it already sounded like a scam. “Speaking.” “Okay. Good.” There was a deep breath on the other end. “I am Dr. Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.” A jolt ran down Twilight’s back, waking her up in a hurry. “Er… you mean—?” “Please don’t tell anybody we’re talking,” the other Twilight said in a rush. “Sunset doesn’t know I have your number.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Why doesn’t she know?” “Because for some reason, she doesn’t want me to know about you.” An exasperated huff came from the speaker. “She keeps dodging around the question.” To Twilight’s dismay, the first reaction she thought of was “Welcome to being friends with Sunset,” but she refrained from speaking it. Instead, she went for a slightly more aggressive “Yeah. It’s almost like she doesn’t want to reveal details of her life to a complete stranger.” Her answer was silence. She was about ready to speak again, when the doctor finally continued. “I suppose it’s fair, and there would be no harm to it if…” Twilight scrunched her mouth to the side. “If you didn’t already know about me.” “That exactly.” “Well…” Twilight pulled a chair from the table and took a seat. She hissed as the cold wood of the chair touched the bare skin of her legs. “Okay then. Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle. We have the same name and hair. Nice to meet you.” A small chuckle made its way across the ocean. “I see you’ve made peace with the concept?” Twilight laughed, quietly enough to not disturb the rest of the house. “My brother married a pony from another dimension. I’m pretty well armored against mind-blowing possibilities.” She leaned her elbows against the table and frowned at the clock. Maybe Applejack and Big Mac had decided to get a late start today after the previous night’s excitement. She thought they’d be up by now. She supposed she couldn’t put it past them. She was dog-tired, too. “So, how’d you make your way to this world?” The doctor sighed. “Accident, mostly. I was trying to get away from King Sombra, my teacher, when he went mad. The mirror to this world was my only escape.” Twilight took a gentle sip from her cup. “Sombra sounds like a really chill guy.” “He was. A long time ago.” There was a shuffling sound from the other end of the line. “Can I ask you a few questions?” “You can ask them, sure.” Twilight went over in her mind what was appropriate to share. Probably not addresses, not that this other Twilight couldn’t get them some other way. Probably not intimate details of Sunset’s life, even though she was certain Sunset had been flashing Sunny’s picture around to anybody who would look. If she kept it general, what could it hurt? “I can’t really promise to answer them, though.” “Understandable.” A tapping sound came from Dr. Twilight’s side, like she was drumming her fingers. “Your brother is Shining Armor, correct?” “Yeah.” “And you said he was married to Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight winced. Half-asleep slip-up. “Yeah, I did.” “Is he… happy?” Twilight’s forehead creased. “What do you mean? Career, life, currently?” “Just anything.” Dr. Twilight’s voice grew slightly weaker. “My older brother was taken as a slave when I was very young. I searched for years, but never learned what happened to him. I just… want a little peace. I wanna know there’s a chance he’s okay, here if nothing else.” Twilight’s heart dropped. The thought of Shining Armor as a slave was ridiculous to her. He would fight to the death for his freedom. Maybe Dr. Twilight’s had, too. “You know they’re different people, right?” Twilight said after a moment. “Whatever happens to your Shining Armor has nothing to do with—” “I know. I know you’re right.” If Twilight read it correctly, the doctor’s voice was verging on tears. “Just please, give me this.” Twilight frowned deeply. She pushed her glasses onto her forehead to rub the corners of her eyes. “Shining is fine, here. He’s happily married to Sunset. He’s the proud father of Sunny. He spent most of his life in the military, but recently decided to pursue a civilian career to be closer to his family. He is happy, Doctor. He’s so happy.” “Thank you.” Dr. Twilight cleared her throat. “And… do you know a person by the name of Spike?” Twilight’s eyebrows shot up. “My dog?” “Uh—” Dr. Twilight’s voice could not have been more confused. “What are you talking about?” “I knew a Spike. He was my dog.” Twilight found that it was her turn to feel loss to the very core. She set her glasses down on the table so that she could rest her forehead in her palm. “He was my best friend for a long time. He died… two years ago. He sacrificed himself to save me, and Sunset, and Sunny.” “That… does sound like Spike.” “Yeah.” Twilight let out a chuff as she considered the other Twilights she knew. “I take it your Spike was a dragon?” “Yes. A dear companion for many years.” The voice had gone flat, having switched to a rote recitation of facts. Twilight couldn’t read an emotion. Granted, that was difficult enough for her face-to-face, let alone over the phone, but the difference was marked. “Sadly, he was left behind when I escaped.” Twilight nodded out of instinct, despite neither of them being able to see each other. “I’m sorry. It’s gotta be hard, leaving all that behind.” “Yeah. It was.” The squeak of a chair punctuated that sentence and started the next. “I need to get back to my students, but may I ask you one last question?” “Shoot.” “Have you ever been to Sunset’s world?” Twilight’s hand gripped her phone tight. Was it safe to tell the truth? Was it smart to lie? Dr. Twilight was technically a suspect, but… how was that possible? Did they really think she was masterminding a continent-hopping murder conspiracy? Then again, if anybody could pull it off, a Twilight Sparkle could. She couldn’t not answer, because that would be the exact same as a firm “yes.” And she couldn’t wait to answer any longer, or— “You don’t have to answer. I understand your hesitation,” the doctor said. “I hope we can talk again soon. Good bye, Twilight Sparkle.” The doctor hung up. Twilight stared at the phone for a good minute. She was way too keyed up to go back to sleep now. The sounds of Applejack and Apple Bloom getting ready upstairs played as a background to the sleep-deprived buzzing in her head. She sent a quick text Sunset’s way—Dr. Twilight called me. We talked about her Shiny and my Spike. Try not to be mad when you confront her about it.—and slid her glasses back on her nose. Apple Bloom walked into the kitchen looking as chipper as ever. “Howdy, Twi. What’re y’all doin’ up?” She poured herself a bowl of cereal and dumped a heaping dose of sugar on it. “Got a call.” Twilight yawned and accepted the bowl Apple Bloom passed her. “Not sure what to do about it.” The phone vibrated. Twilight grimaced at the message from Sunset: K let me know if she calls again Apple Bloom frowned. “More bad news?” “I dunno yet.” Twilight took two bites of the dry cereal before she realized she hadn’t put milk in it. She rectified that right away. “I dunno what any of this means.” Apple Bloom tilted her head. “Anythin’ I can help with?” “I’m not even sure what I should do.” Twilight stirred her cereal until it started to get soggy. “Thank you for the offer, though.” Apple Bloom smiled, though to Twilight’s eyes it seemed to be a weak one. “What’re sisters for, anyhow?” Twilight’s smile was equally weak, but no less sincere. *** Sunset Shimmer wasn’t sure how to feel besides confused. How had Dr. Twilight got a hold of the number? How had she even known Twilight existed? Maybe she was just frustrated at how little the two of them had communicated over the past couple days. On one hand, they hardly knew each other. On the other… they hardly knew each other. She stuffed the phone in her pocket. Celestia stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Trouble?” “I don’t know.” Sunset brushed her hand through her red-yellow streaked hair. “I need to have a talk with the doctor.” “She’s on the southwest side of the island,” Dulcimer said as he walked past. “With the Sky students.” “Thanks.” Sunset tapped Starlight’s shoulder. “Mind if I go have a talk with Dr. Sparkle?” “Um. Not at all.” Starlight Glimmer muttered an apology to Sombra and broke away from her conversation with him. “Is something the matter?” Sunset waved her phone. “She’s apparently been calling my family back home. I’d like to find out why.” Starlight looked as if Sunset had sprouted a second and third head while she watched. She shook her head as her brow furrowed. “What? How… why would she…?” “Like I said, I’d like to find out.” Sunset Shimmer walked down the southwestern pathway, peering at the tops of the trees to follow the glow of magic. “We don’t exactly broadcast our existence.” Starlight started after Sunset, but paused ever-so-briefly to speak with Sombra. “Doctor, would you see to the class? Thanks.” She moved on before waiting for his reply. “I’m sure it wasn’t meant to be underhanded.” Starlight’s easy jog caught up to Sunset immediately. “We were looking into the Hoax for ages before Sombra actually stumbled across you. Maybe she just found your family member’s number?” “This person had nothing to do with the Hoax. I’d never even met them until seven years ago.” Sunset took a deep breath in. If Dr. Twilight had a reasonable explanation, then there was really nothing to be mad about. Just like she’d searched for the other Sunset Shimmer, so too she practically expected a Twilight to look for her counterparts. But if she’d been digging through her family’s personal information… Sunset wasn’t sure what she’d say. Dr. Twilight Sparkle turned at their approach, her expression souring in an instant. Her shimmering eyes turned upward as she spoke to a student. “Fleetfoot, would you keep an eye on everybody? I might be a minute.” She couldn’t help a smirk. “The Sparkle family is honest to a fault as usual.” The sight of so many grown men and women fluttering around on transparent wings was… comical, to say the least. Pegasi looked majestic in flight, but humans were obviously not physically built for the sort of aerial acrobatics they were performing. Even the smoothest maneuver looked awkward when the person’s legs pinwheeled through the air. Sunset crossed her arms and got right to the point. “How did you get Twilight’s number?” Starlight Glimmer gave Sunset a double-take. “Wait, what?” “She doesn’t put it online, she barely gives it to her family and friends, let alone her coworkers.” Sunset forced herself to take another deep breath. “She doesn’t even use it to back up her email, so unless you give me a good excuse, I have to assume you stole it.” “I found it while studying the Canterlot High Hoax—” “She was never part of the Hoax.” “How could she have stolen it?” Starlight Glimmer said incredulously. “We’re on the other side of the bleeding world!” “Please, ladies.” Dr. Twilight held up her hands in half-surrender, half-imploring. “I got the number the same way anybody would: Calling around. I never touched your belongings, Sunset, if that’s what you’re implying. I just—” She clicked her tongue and let her hands drop to her sides. “I just want some sort of closure.” Before Sunset could speak, Dr. Twilight held a hand towards her. “And I certainly,” the doctor said, “wasn’t going to get answers from you any time soon, so please forgive me for taking a risk like this.” Sunset Shimmer bit back a harsher remark and replaced it with “I’m trying to be cautious about my family’s safety.” “So I’ll just go over what I know.” Dr. Twilight’s voice lowered to a hissed whisper as she took a step closer to Sunset. “I know that I’m the third Twilight you’ve known. I know that you’ve visited your old home recently. And I know that…” She sucked in a breath, her forward charge hitting a stumbling block. “I know that Shining Armor’s your husband. He’s okay here.” She shut her eyes, cutting off the ever-present glow. For that moment, she looked exactly like the Twilight Sparkle back home. “Just knowing that… it’s such a relief, Sunset. It’s so soothing to know that in at least one world, things turned out okay.” She opened her eyes, and the illusion distorted. But only slightly. “I’m sorry I went behind your back. I just needed to know. So very, very badly.” So, Sunset thought, she had lost her Shining Armor. Her older brother. Apparently, her anchor to peace. The thought of Shining Armor not being there for her—with her—shook Sunset to the core. The very concept sent shivers down her spine and bats fluttering through her stomach. She could understand wanting closure. Even if it was just vicarious. Was that what she was so angry about? Maybe, and yet, maybe not. But it still didn’t answer how she’d found the phone number. It didn’t answer why she felt it necessary to contact Twilight behind Sunset’s back. It didn’t answer whatever else she was hiding behind a smokescreen of empathy. “I understand that,” Sunset said. “I understand wanting closure. Or maybe just comfort.” She didn’t know whether or not to press the source of the number. It seemed like the doctor was going to simply clamp down on the obvious lie. That alone made Sunset Shimmer nervous. “And I’m trying to be more open. It just doesn’t come naturally.” “Back up a bit…” Starlight Glimmer looked back and forth between the two former ponies. “Three Twilights? There are more of you?” “There is one Twilight from Sunset’s world…” Dr. Twilight gave her friend a small smile. “And there is one from your world.” Starlight looked like she wanted to speak, but didn’t know how to proceed without resorting to profanity. Lots and lots of profanity. “I need a drink before you drive me crazy.” “You get used to it eventually,” Sunset mumbled. Sunset Shimmer found the doctor looking at her expectantly, awaiting her final word on the subject. Sunset could do little more than sigh. “I obviously have no reason for or ability to prevent you from talking to the other Twilight. And I suppose I can only marvel at your abilities as a private investigator. I’m just… sorry I made you feel like you had to take those measures.” Dr. Twilight bobbed her head. “I’m sorry for making things awkward. I hope you know I truly wasn’t trying to be malicious.” “Yeah, I know.” Sunset brushed a lock of hair out of her face as an errant wind swirled it around. “I guess we need to get back to our classes.” And so they did, with Sunset returning with Starlight, and Dr. Twilight remaining with the pegasi. It didn’t sit right with her, despite the doctor’s words. Or maybe because of the doctor’s words. It was still hard to know what to feel, what to expect, what to think. There was still something very important that she was missing. But she had no idea how to figure it out. *** It was a quiet ride out to the mirror pool that led back to the princess’ Equestria. It was several miles outside Canterlot City, out past Peopleburg and halfway to Caramelton. The trees were thick by the road, part of the forest that surrounded the Rich Enterprises Camp Resort. They were acres away from the resort itself, so there was little chance of anybody stumbling on the cave that held the magic pool. But two years ago, Twilight had found it with Spike and Sunset’s help. Two years ago, she had traveled to a new world full of magic, dragons, and sirens. She had been invited back, but she’d never taken up the offer. Even now, it was going to be nothing more than a brush with this strange alternate world. Sometimes she wondered why she’d declined to visit. Her thoughts always ended up going back to Spike. It hurt to go back. Shining Armor parked the minivan at the edge of the woods. It was only him, Twilight, Princess Twilight, and Little Spike. They needed at least three extra seats for Princess Celestia and her two hoof-picked guards. Skyhook was loath to remain at the Apple Farm, but he contented himself with making sure their home base was secure. They proceeded through the forest carefully. Exposed roots and mossy rocks peppered the dirt trail leading back to the cave, and one trip could turn into a trip to the hospital. Shining moved easiest, having been trained to navigate far worse terrain. When the princess stumbled, he easily caught her by the hand and helped her lean against a tree. They came to a valley. The last time Twilight had been there, it was in the middle of a rainstorm. The hills had been slick with mud and treacherous to traverse. It was still steep, here in the morning sunshine, but the dry dirt and angled trees made for much better footholds. Shining helped Little Spike descend without getting his purple coat dirtier than necessary. “So, you guys walked all the way from here to Canterlot City?” “It wasn’t too bad,” Little Spike said. His legs wobbled as he perched between two sturdy trees. “Just about a half-day’s walk, and we got here early in the morning. Blame Twilight for not hiring a cab.” “We ordered a cab once we got to the city.” Princess Twilight dropped one foot down on a rock to test her footing. The rock came loose and tumbled to the ground below. She settled for sliding on her thigh along the hillside. “We only had so much of this world’s money from our last visit. You’d think people would be more willing to take pure gold as payment.” Twilight looked upon the princess’ bits in a new light. “Just how pure is it?” “At least twenty karats. Why?” Wow, Twilight thought as her pulse quickened, Gold Fever kicks into gear real quick. “Uh… no particular reason.” They reached the bottom of the valley without too much struggling. Twilight pressed forward, pushing aside the bushes and dangling vines that concealed the entrance to the mirror pool. Once inside, she switched on her flashlight and beckoned the others forward. The cave was deep enough that they had to walk for a minute or two before they could reach the back, where it opened up to a sizable cavern. A few stalactites dotted the edges of the ceiling, dripping ichor to the insects and slugs that populated the hollowed earth. The mirror pool lay before them, flat and clear, not a ripple to be seen. Twilight switched off her flashlight, and the room changed. Where before it was dark save for her light, now it was awash with luminescent gemstones that lay at the bottom and sides of the pool. The warm pink and orange glow invited Twilight to jump in and splash around for the sheer joy of it. Before she could process this sudden desire, Little Spike stepped forward. “I’ll let them know we’re here.” He made a leaping dive into the pool. The splashing water mingled with the sparkle of magic as both swallowed him up. A few ripples later, there was no sign of him. “Holy cow.” Shining gazed wide-eyed at the cavern, the pool, anything else that could catch his eye. “How is this even possible? How has nobody found this place?” “We did find it,” Twilight said with a smirk. “We just never told anybody.” The pool churned. Twilight thought she saw the scales of a dragon for a brief moment, but they quickly shifted to the damp hair of an adult dog. “Princess Celestia ’ll be over in a minute,” Little Spike said. “And we’ve got good news for the memory stone!” Princess Twilight knelt down beside Little Spike. “News they couldn’t just send to me with the journal?” He shrugged noncommittally. The water in his fur seemed to seep away back to the pool of its own accord. He was dry in seconds. “Apparently.” Two tall, strong-built men rose from the pool first. They saluted Princess Twilight the instant they were on dry ground. “Princess, Royal Guards Sturm and Drang, reporting for duty.” “We’ll be reporting to directly Commander Skyhook, but we are also at your complete disposal.” “Thank you, gentlecolts.” Princess Twilight Sparkle gestured for them to stand to the side and looked back to the pool. Shining Armor leaned close to Twilight’s ear. “Complete disposal? Why’d they make her sound like some sort of evil empress?” “I think Equestria’s a little…” Twilight grimaced as she thought it through. “Backwards when it comes to politics. It’s an absolute monarchy… or tetrarchy, I guess.” Little Spike cleared his throat near Twilight’s knee. “It’s not an absolute tetrarchy. There are plenty of rules and checks and balances and mandates that the princesses all have to follow.” Twilight raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “But the princesses are indisputably the highest power?” “Well, kinda, but—” She patted Little Spike’s head. “That’ll do, Spike. That’ll do.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s a little more nuanced than that.” The pool stirred. All eyes turned to watch the next person emerge. She was recognizably Celestia, at least to Twilight’s eyes, but… she wasn’t. She was somehow both older and younger than the Celestia from Sunset’s school. Her face was smooth and pristinely porcelain, but the bags under her eyes made her look like she hadn’t slept in a decade. Her arms were clearly strong and able, yet her posture was hunched, like she was dragging a stone behind her. Her limp belied the youthful look to her body, and the cane she leaned on looked akin to some wizard’s magic staff. Simultaneously the very picture of grace and beauty, while also appearing to be the epitome of weariness and wear. Princess Twilight’s eyes lit up, if only to cover the sudden look of concern that washed over her face. She stepped forward to help Princess Celestia from the pool. “Celestia! Welcome! Thank you so much for agreeing to help.” Princess Celestia’s free hand took Princess Twilight’s, while she levered the cane against the crystals to pry herself out of the enchanted water. “Of course, Twilight. I could do no less.” She smiled serenely at both Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle. “A friend of Sunset’s, and a friend of Twilight’s, is most certainly a friend of mine.” Twilight had to admit, even seeing how old Princess Celestia acted, she still cut a startlingly impressive appearance. She was taller than even Shining Armor, thin and lithe, with a sureness in her voice that caused Twilight to stand up a little straighter. Her dress was pulled from a fairy tale, glimmering and glistening with sparkles and interweaving colors. Gold decorated her wrists, neck, and forehead. Her hair was long and flowing, pink-hued but with subtle hints of other colors. The cane caught Twilight’s eyes and held her attention hostage. It was shoulder-height compared to Twilight, made from a dark, twisting wood. At the top, in front of the handle, a green gemstone glittered with inner fire. Twilight pointed at the cane. She sounded like a small child, even to her own ears, but curiosity has a way of taking charge. “Is that a wizard’s staff?” Princess Celestia’s brow furrowed briefly, before being replaced by a tittering laugh. “I’m afraid not, Miss Sparkle. It’s just a walking stick. However…” She twisted the handle and caused the cane to come apart. A long, transparent purple blade slid from beneath the wood. “I do have a means of defending myself.” Another splash from the pool served to distract Twilight away from the awe-inspiring woman. It was a man with fiery orange hair and a blue robe that went down to his ankles. The robe seemed to be the source of his struggles as he attempted to reach the edge of the pool. “Ah! Can I—hugh!—can I get some help here, please? Maybe a little?” Twilight stood at the edge of the water and reached her hand towards him. He took it with a grateful smile and used the opportunity to get a better foothold. The water fell from his robes as he emerged from the pool, turning what was a hefty burden into a flowing, lightweight mage’s uniform. His goatee turned fuzzy and unruly as it dried far too swiftly. He fiddled with it a moment before eventually just giving up and leaving well enough alone. He held a scroll close to his chest and gave Twilight a big smile. “Princess Twilight, I must say it’s so nice to be able to work with you again! This research project has been fascinating, as the adventures of Clover the Clever often are. It’s been too long! Um—” He searched the folds of his robe for a second before eventually coming up with what seemed to be a newspaper ad. “If we have time in the next couple of weeks, there’s a new curio shop that opened up just south of Fillydelphia. It’s been a long time since we had the opportunity to go antiquing, and I hear this one’s just drenched in history!” Twilight pressed her lips tight. She felt bad popping this guy’s bubble of enthusiasm, but— “Iiiii’m not the princess, actually.” “Oh…” The man’s eyes widened. “Oh, excuse me, Miss Sparkle! How rude of me to… assume?” He shook his head and took a step back. He nearly tumbled back into the pool, but was saved by Twilight grabbing the edge of his cloak. “Ahem. Thank you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sunburst, history teacher and magic tutor at Princess Celestia’s School for Extraordinary Unicorns.” “And a good friend,” Princess Twilight said as she stepped beside them. There was no hiding the mischievous smirk on her face. “Sunburst here was studying the memory stone while we were sleeping.” Sunburst pulled a pair of glasses from his sleeve and slid them onto his nose. His eyes widened as he looked up at Princess Twilight. “Oh. Oh! Yes, I can see the difference. I was going to ask when you’d started wearing glasses.” Twilight crossed her arms as she spoke to the princess. “Contact lenses?” “Nope.” With her hands spread, Princess Twilight subtly led the three of them away from the edge of the mirror pool. Sunburst nearly tripped over his robe on the first step. “After I ascended and became an alicorn, I just didn’t need them anymore. And I got wings. And I got taller. But mostly my eyes corrected.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Where can I sign up for that little package deal?” Sunburst hunched his shoulders as he glanced at the princess. “Invent a new kind of magic and it just sorta happens. Apparently.” “I’m not sure that’s the case,” Princess Twilight said. “Starswirl’s invented hundreds of new kinds of magic and he’s still just a unicorn.” Sunburst nodded, his hand finding his frizzy goatee and stroking it gently. “I see. So it was more the specific spell you completed than it was simply discovering new magic?” “That’s my current proposition, but unless we get more empirical data, it’s only—” “Excuse me.” The conversation died in an instant as all eyes turned to Princess Celestia. She leaned against the damp wall, her cane held loosely in her hands, her guards on either side of her. “I believe we should move quickly. There is a great deal at stake.” Little Spike waved from the cavern entrance. “Right. The memory stone’s waiting at Canterlot City hospital. You got the goods, Sunburst?” Sunburst patted the scroll he was holding with a deathly-strong grip. “Got it all right here.” Shining Armor spoke up, glancing between the two princesses. “I was only expecting three more people. We don’t have enough seats for one trip.” “It’s cool, Shiny,” Little Spike said. “I’ll sit on the floor. Just… try not to drive too crazy.” Twilight Sparkle breathed a sigh. Things were looking up on this side of the ocean. For once. “Hold on, Moondancer. Help is on the way.”