Golden Dawn went about her nightly routine before bedtime as she always did, though she did spend a little longer in the shower than usual. The hot water was soothing, and the pulse setting on the showerhead did wonders for the tenseness in her neck and shoulders brought on by a day's worth of stress. She was considering requisitioning a standard neck massager to use during the day at this point.
She always felt the need to get extra clean whenever she was required to have private call meetings with Treasurer Vendetta, this time over the particulars of reopening after the lockdown. The way the stallion looked at her disgusted her to her very core; how was it that he could make her feel the need to wash herself just with words and looks alone?
It certainly didn't help matters that every time she looked at him she remembered their last in-person confrontation. How was it that any pony could become such a vulgar, repulsive creature and yet still adhere to the public's standards of attractiveness? Weren't vile individuals such as him supposed to be vile in appearance as well?
The sandstorm was dying down at last; meteorologists both here and in Hope's Point had predicted that tonight would be the last day anypony had to deal with it. As such, a gradual reopening of businesses and residences was best so as not to overwhelm the city with floods of citizens all at once; the Inner Districts would reopen first so that the city's elite could return to normalcy, followed by the Mid Districts.
The Outer Districts had technically never been on lockdown, so no reopening order was needed. The citizens living out there knew better of their own accord not to go outside during the sandstorm, and there was little out there to place into lockdown anyway.
Once she was satisfied with her comfort level, she dressed for bed in her warmest, softest robe and set up her record player to lull her to sleep, this time with a collection of music from an old ballet. From there, it was a simple matter of focusing on the music in order to drift away into slumber, and from there a simple matter of focusing on her inner essence so that she could reach out to contact her father.
As usual, she found herself in an empty black void occupied at first only by herself and her bed, but upon hopping out and onto the "floor", the bed vanished and she was alone. Her father did not take long to respond to her call, appearing before her in an instant, as naturally as if he had always occupied that space.
"Father," she greeted with a polite curtsey. "I believed it prudent to provide you with updated information regarding our mission, insofar as my own role in it. I was also hoping for a similar update from you so that I may make adjustments to my upcoming schedule if necessary."
Silvertongue tilted his head slightly, then nodded; there was no smile on his face but Dawn could still sense that he approved. "Well spoken, dear. Straightforward and to the point. Business must take precedence in times such as these." He stepped around her, setting his hoof on her shoulder in the process. "If I may first provide you with my details?"
"Of course, Father, whatever you desire is satisfactory to me," she replied, turning to face him.
"My search for Nihila has provided me with disappointingly little information as to her whereabouts, her plans, or her capabilities. There is no sign of her that I have been able to uncover, nothing whatsoever. I know that her life force has not yet been extinguished—I can feel it in my soul—and yet I have no proof. My frustration is… palpable."
Indeed, Dawn could taste how frustrated he was as he said the words; an unpleasant, bitter sensation, sour like a lemon but lacking the satisfying sweetness that lingered. Her metaphysical connection with him allowed sensations like this to transfer over; sometimes they disturbed her, other times pleased her, but they always intrigued her.
"There have been fluctuations in the Darkness of our world as of late, but nothing concrete, nothing of a capacity large enough to suggest that it is her doing. I fear that our new friend Pandemonia is affecting my ability to sense Darkness accurately, an ironic bit of misfortune." He shook his head. "Her presence in the physical realm still confounds me; who is she? Why do I not know anything about her history?"
Dawn frowned, but nodded. "It is indeed quite a vexing set of circumstances, Father, but if I might alleviate some of your woes in that regard, I have it under good authority that Queen Blackburn's investigation into her and her past is ongoing and proceeding well. My latest report on the matter indicates that there should be an update within the next few days."
"Then it is fortuitous that you two are allies, even if only in this matter for the time being." With another tilt of his head, he added, "Though I would advise you to be courteous moving forward in your peace proceedings. Queen Blackburn has proven to me that she is both cautious and resourceful, and if given reason to think your intentions are anything but genuine, she will not hesitate to back out of your peace arrangements."
"I will be certain to do so, Father. I have no intention of doing anything less than bringing true peace and prosperity to the north at last. Should I need to acquiesce to unreasonable demands to do so, then I will do so; with the reappearance of Twilight and her friends, I imagine that our world will soon undergo another major upheaval, as it did before."
He smiled. "A wise prediction. Yes, those six do seem to bring change wherever they roam, don't they? All the more need to ensure they are reunited soon so that they may work in tandem. My understanding was that the Elements of Harmony did not work as individual units, but as a whole."
Dawn cleared her throat, though in this space it was really just out of habit. "Actually, in my conversations with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, I have learned that changes in their own world have since made the Elements of Harmony irrelevant. They are no longer a matter of concern."
"Oh?"
"I am not fully aware of all of the circumstances or ramifications thereof—a conversation with Twilight will solve that—but suffice to say that those artifacts no longer function in the same capacity as they did seven years ago." She shook her head. "I know not if that will have any effect on their capabilities, but from my observations nothing about them has changed in that sense."
"Hmm. A strange consideration indeed." He, too, shook his head. "But it is a trifling matter; they did not possess the Elements in our world in the first place, and there is no telling if they would have worked anyway. A pity, as they might have been of use against Nihila." He then turned his full attention to her. "Now, what news do you have to report?"
Dawn nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Curaçao's investigation into the unknown material of that dagger has provided results, and she is proceeding with matters further. The material's source appears to be located in the Redblade Mountains; she suspects that those responsible for its use may still reside there.
"The reports also indicated some… disturbing facts about the material. While it is only a theory at present, it has been suggested that the dagger was, in fact, the horn of a living creature measuring roughly the same size as an average adult pony. It was forcibly removed."
That got his attention. "Truly? Some as of yet undiscovered creatures, then?"
"That would seem to be the case, yes. In addition, the material seems to possess quite potent anti-magic capabilities, far more than we initially believed." She shook her head. "While I doubt that it would be sufficiently effective against one as powerful as I am, it stands that it would still be a threat to consider."
"Careful, dear. It is one thing to be confident, another to be overconfident. Never discount the possibility that this new weapon may threaten even a pony as powerful as yourself, or your friend Twilight for that matter." He closed his eyes in thought. "I am glad that Red Velvet's willpower was strong enough to push back. I do not want to think of her joining me in the Dreaming before it is her time…"
She nodded. "And I as well, Father."
"So… the Redblade Mountains…" He muttered, looking off into the nothingness. "A dangerous place to hide, but one that provides many advantages. It will not be easy to find them there, and I cannot help locate them as there is too much Darkness clouding the region. To use a southern expression, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."
"Surely a magnet would be of use in such an endeavor?" Dawn suggested; she knew the metaphor, of course, but also knew the mundane solution to the problem it presented.
That made him laugh, albeit briefly. "Indeed. Then more appropriately, it is like searching for a specific needle in a stack of nearly identical needles."
The answer satisfied her; her father was always good at adjusting his words to be more precise and illuminating. "At any rate, I have left that task to Curaçao, as it aligns with her talents and capabilities. I have meanwhile been arranging details so that once the sandstorm clears in the morning, I can deliver Rainbow and Pinkie to Hope's Point posthaste."
"A wise course of action." Silvertongue paused, tapping his chin. "Incidentally, while I have no certain proof of this, I do find it unlikely that Nihila is not involved in our current and recent troubles in some capacity. Though I haven't been able to locate her, there is no doubt in my mind that she is involved in all of this, that she has found some means of concealing herself from me via those she would call allies."
She tilted her head. "Allies, Father?"
"Seven years ago, there was an incident in which assailants attempted to apprehend Fluttershy and Applejack, and others made a misguided attempt to murder Pinkie Pie. I believe you would recall this incident?"
She nodded. "Indeed, Father. I was the one who initially brought it to your attention. Our investigation into the matter proved fruitless at the time."
"Indeed, and I regret allowing my complacency to run rampant, for I fear it has allowed our current predicaments to occur." He shook his head. "The assailants who attacked the Element Bearers belonged to a cult dedicated to Nihila. I was always aware of the cult's existence, of course, for it goes without saying that individuals with dark hearts would be drawn to her, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Nihila did everything in her power to hide their identities from me, and vice versa."
"But… why?"
"Perhaps she feared that if I were in charge of her cult, then her worship would eventually become open and public, as it is in the south with Harmonia. Just her desire to be different, though I know not if there is a need for it. Or perhaps she always suspected my 'betrayal' and wished to have a trump card."
"And why would she hide you from them in turn?"
"Because she knew how important it was to keep me in my position of power, and me specifically." With a chuckle, he added, "I proved myself useful, and as such she would protect me from others that might attempt a coup to gain power for themselves. She would approve of the attempt, of course—it is in her nature—but the results, maybe not. I built this city to lure her into a false sense of security; it worked."
Dawn nodded. "So the ones who attacked Pinkie all those years ago were cultists dedicated to Nihila. Curaçao and I theorized that the recent attack on Velvet was a long-term plot of revenge, but that seemed odd to us; why would anypony wait seven years to take revenge on Velvet for that?"
"Then you are of the same opinion as I am?"
"Yes, Father. The logical deduction with this information suggests that Nihila's cult is still active. Such a suggestion would have been irrelevant and unconcerning weeks ago when the attack occurred, but now… it does certainly lead to the conclusion that Nihila still lives. Her cult would not be so active otherwise." She shook her head. "But I know not what to do with this information, Father."
"I would have you advise caution to your sister, to all of your sisters in fact," he replied. "If Nihila's cult has indeed settled in the Redblade Mountains, I know not what reason they have to be there. Simply collecting this strange material? Perhaps. But the region has remained unexplored since long before even the Beacons were built, my dear; the place is dangerous and unknown, even to me."
Dawn frowned, but nodded. "I will inform Curaçao in particular of your concerns."
"Good." He let out a sigh, just another showing of his continued frustration and nothing more. "Were this new form of mine more simple to wield, perhaps there would be less complications to trouble us. Nopony prepares you for godhood. I am omnipotent, and yet limited in my power; I am omniscient, and yet blind to most of the world. I cannot even see my own daughters, your sisters, without your aid…"
"I… I wish that I could do more, Father. Is there any service that I could provide?" She stepped over and set her hoof on his side; it was never quite the same as a physical touch, but she could still feel the warmth of him on her hoof. "You know that I would do absolutely anything to please you. Surely you can find some further use for me?"
He gave her a brief look, then shook his head. "There is nothing more that you can do in this situation, my dear. This is my burden to bear, not yours." He then turned fully to her again and set his hoof on her shoulder. "Sleep well, my daughter. And do not trouble yourself with the discontented complaints of an old stallion like myself."
"But Father—"
Dawn awoke with a start, just as her alarm clock was ringing.
*****
After a brief, light breakfast—just a single maple bar donut and a cup of coffee with extra cream—Dawn set about the major plans for the day, most important of which was arranging for Rainbow and Pinkie to be reunited with their otherworldly companions. Summoning them to her office was a trifling matter, and the pair would likely already be aware of the developments coming their way and would be ready to depart.
So it was no surprise at all when the two of them arrived dressed and ready to leave, as predicted, within only a few minutes of her requesting their presence. Rainbow had dressed in a casual shirt under her flight jacket, but carried her "Wonderbolt" flight suit tucked under her wing; Pinkie had returned to wearing the bizarre confectionist uniform rather than anything more appropriate or practical.
Dawn was surprised that Havoc was here too, dressed in the usual sort of unprofessional jacket that she typically wore in casual company, even before her discharge from the NPAF. She would address her elder sister's unnecessary presence later though, for there was business to attend to at the moment that required her full attention.
"Curaçao communicated with me an hour ago that Hope's Point has sent out six search-and-rescue craft to find Twilight and Applejack, as well as Winter and her ward," she said, steepling her hooves and leaning back in her chair. "It is expected that they will have found them by now; they are most certainly transporting them back to Hope's Point as we speak."
"So what are we waiting for?" Rainbow asked, eyebrow raised. "Let's get a move on already."
"There is no need to hurry," Dawn said simply, ignoring the rudeness of Rainbow's interjection. "My teleportation magic is instantaneous; we have several minutes to share a brief overview of the situation before we depart.
"I cannot teleport within the protective barrier that surrounds the city, not with passengers at any rate, as the risk is too great. We will be teleporting just outside the main gate, whereupon we will be engaging in conversation with the gate guard. Or rather, I will. Allow me to direct the conversation, and do not speak unless spoken to directly by either myself or the gate guard. Is that clear?"
Havoc snorted loudly. "Cut the crap, Dawn, you know you don't need to go through any hurdles. Queen Blackburn's gotta be expecting you already, probably cleared everything up—"
"What Her Majesty may or not be expecting and may or may not have already done is irrelevant," Dawn snapped, shooting a glare at Havoc. "I did not request your presence at this meeting, Havoc, so if you cannot keep your mouth shut, then leave. I do not require or desire your input."
"You fucking—"
"Our entrance into the city must be handled with all due pomp and circumstance so that there is no potential for accusations of misconduct," Dawn continued, turning her attention back to Rainbow and Pinkie. "So I will ask again: is that clear?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, we get it. You've gotta put on a big show so that you look good so that maybe you'll get back some of that clout you lost. Whatever. As long as it gets us in so we can meet back up with our friends, we'll do whatever you need us to do."
"I can't wait to hear how everypony's been doing!" Pinkie cheered, clapping her hooves and bouncing in place. "I should throw them a Haven't Seen You in Three Weeks Party! I haven't done one of those in a while."
"Excellent. Ensure that you have all of your belongings with you; we will depart in ten minutes."
"Why wait? We've already got everything we need," Rainbow said, lifting her wing and gesturing at her flight suit. "Havoc's had us ready to go for the last hour."
"Damn straight," Havoc said with a nod. She gestured towards the door with her hoof. "My suitcase is right outside the door, so let me grab it and we can get going. I didn't have much to bring and Curie said she'd send over anything that I might have missed."
Dawn raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Havoc, when did you arrive at the conclusion that I would be transporting you? I am embarking on this endeavor with Rainbow and Pinkie, and I do not recall agreeing to anything else, specifically the inclusion of extra 'passengers'."
Havoc blinked. "Huh? But you're taking them to Hope's Point, which is where I'm going. It's not like I'm asking you to drop me off someplace else."
"That may be so but I never had any intention of including you in these proceedings. You are, as you have made abundantly clear to me over the past few weeks, no longer affiliated with the NPAF in any official capacity, nor do you wish to have, quote, 'anything to do with you', referring to me."
"Are… are you serious? You're not gonna take me?" Havoc said through clenched teeth.
"The airports will be fully operational at the end of the week as the commercial liners conclude their safety tests in accordance with lockdown procedures, which incidentally are still in effect for standard departures as well. You will have to wait until then to book transportation. I am certain Curaçao can procure a discount on tickets for you."
"You piece of—"
Rainbow put her hoof over Havoc's mouth. "No dice," she said, leveling a glare at Dawn.
That gave Dawn pause. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me. No dice. No deal, if that wasn't clear. If you're not taking Havoc with us, we're not going anywhere with you."
Pinkie stepped forward too, looking quite serious indeed; Dawn wasn't aware Pinkie could even do serious. "Yeah! We'll walk if we have to!"
"Or we'll just kick up our hooves and wait here, like Havoc's gonna do," Rainbow continued. "You can have fun explaining to everypony why we're not at the big reunion that's been in the works since we got here. I bet that Queen Blackburn chick'll just love hearing how this all went down."
"You cannot be serious," Dawn muttered, eye twitching. "I have arranged for your transportation already, there is to be a welcoming party awaiting our arrival—"
"Then you'd better get on the horn and tell those guys to pack it up, 'cause we're not budging." Rainbow made a show of sitting right down on her rear in the middle of the office. "I don't imagine Twilight's gonna be happy when Pinkie and I don't show up, either. All because you didn't want to take Havoc with us."
"I… but…"
"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, sitting down right next to Rainbow and… somehow pulling out a picket sign out of her mane that had Havoc's picture on it surrounded by hearts. "It's a sit-in strike! Heck no, we won't go! Heck no, we won't go! Fight the power! Save the whales!"
Dawn seethed in place, her anger and frustration rising up to a boiling point—
But then she relaxed. Fine. Plans could change. Adapt, adopt, and improve; bringing Havoc along could potentially be twisted to her benefit if she played her cards right. She didn't have time to coordinate with Curaçao on how to go about that, but she was confident that she could handle it herself.
"Very well," she said, calm and collected. "Havoc, procure your suitcase. We will be leaving immediately."
Havoc seemed just a little surprised, but she didn't question it, she just grabbed her suitcase from outside the door. If anything, she seemed more focused on Rainbow and Pinkie than she was on Dawn at the moment. That was fine; the less words had to share with her, the better. The plan may have changed, but that didn't change anything else about their relationship.
Still, Dawn hoped that this would be the first and last frustration the day would throw at her.
*****
Now that the sandstorm was cleared out, Twilight could finally walk out of the Checkpoint building and see the sky, get some fresh air… or, rather not, actually. The sky still had that sickening orange glow from the northern Beacon that she recognized only too well, having seen it every day when she had spent time in this world seven years ago. She was impressed that it managed to reach all the way out this far. The air wasn't fresh either; it had a dry, stuffy feel to it, like being stuck in a closet.
She was beginning to see why ponies were willing to spend so many bits to just fly out of the big city instead of traveling by land. This was miserable.
She couldn't imagine having to take a legitimate journey across all of the Wasteland on hoof. Between the miserable conditions, the mediocre food and lukewarm canteen water, and the uncomfortable bedrolls, anypony would probably be stressed out beyond belief. Heck, even she and her friends, tightly-knit as they were, might get annoyed with one another's habits before too long.
But still, the lack of a sandstorm outside, now nothing more than a half-hearted breeze that didn't even threaten to keep a pony cool, meant that it wouldn't be long before it was time to reunite with everypony else. She still didn't know if anypony else was even okay; there were no means of remote communications here at the Checkpoint, so she could only hope. All that she needed was a sign.
She felt a familiar bump at her side, and glanced to see the tall form of Aculeata had come up to get her attention. In the past ten days, the Gargantuan queen had moulted again, though the change was not as significant as Twilight had expected it to be.
She was only slightly shorter, maybe by a head at best, and her body had slimmed further into an even more equine shape. Her tail was also much shorter than before, and the two eyes at the top of her head that hadn't worked before were gone. Golden membranous tissue had even started growing along the back of her neck, resembling a mane if you really squinted at it.
The most dramatic change was that her wings had fully sprung from out under her carapace now, long a wasp-like and colored a glorious golden yellow.
Twilight reached up and ran her hoof along the queen's hard, chitinous neck. "Hello, Aculeata. Did you sleep well?"
The queen paused for only a moment, her eyes shifting in thought. Then, she nodded and let out a little chirp and clicked her mandibles together. Twilight had come to understand that this was as good as a "yes" answer as she was going to get; the queen could only respond to yes-or-no questions so far, and definitely wasn't capable of speech, but the fact that she was able to communicate at all was astounding.
If Winter needed any more proof that Aculeata was an intelligent creature capable of thought like a pony was, this was it. Gone was the remorseless killing machine; now, she was just another sapient being that deserved kindness and friendship.
Twilight smiled and turned her attention back towards the endless expanse of dust and sand in the distance. "I know that you can understand me when I say that I have to leave. I just hope that you can understand why." She set her hoof down further on the queen's side. "This isn't goodbye forever, I hope. Before my friends and I have to leave this world… I'll come back to say a proper goodbye."
Aculeata chirped again, slowly, not any response that Twilight could understand but she knew that the queen was trying. The queen's horn had a dim blue glow to it, which Twilight did at least understand to a point. The horn glowed whenever certain emotions were being experienced nearby, sometimes by the queen herself. Blue meant, appropriately enough, sadness.
"I know. I wish that I didn't have to go. There's so much that I want to learn about you and what you've become, what you were like before the changes, what you're changing into." Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Mostly though I wish that I could introduce you to my other friends. But I don't think you're going to be welcome where we're going, not just yet. I wish that I could—"
Then, Twilight heard a noise off in the distance, a whirring noise that sounded like it was getting closer, and quickly. Aculeata heard it too, perking up to glance in its direction before letting out another series of chirps and clicks and running off. Twilight didn't call out after her or give chase; the queen was still skittish around certain things that she either didn't know about or that she recognized from her old life. She just needed time to acclimate to everything.
As the noise drew closer, Twilight could see its source: a flying contraption unlike any she'd ever seen before. She recognized the basic movements and components as those of an airship, as Pewter had a large volume in his library that explored the mechanics of this world's airship technology. It didn't have any of the telltale signs she knew, which likely meant that it wasn't from New Pandemonium in the north, but from Hope's Point in the south.
She glanced down the side of the mountain—she'd perched herself up on the highest part of the slope overlooking the Checkpoint—to see that her friends had all heard the noise too and gathered together to greet the new arrival. With a flare of her horn, she teleported the distance between herself and the bottom of the slope, then walked the remaining distance to come up behind them all.
"Oh, there you are, Twi," Applejack said with a grin. "Where've you been?"
"I was just saying a little goodbye to Aculeata before we left," Twilight replied as she double-checked that her wings were still carefully hidden under her sweater. "I guess this must be our ride?"
"That's what Winter says, yup."
The airship landed on a flat stretch of land a few dozen yards away from the Checkpoint, a section of thin rock that covered a metal plate that Pewter said served as a landing pad; airships used magnetic locks on the bottom of their landing gear to keep them fastened in place. Twilight didn't know how anypony had managed to hide a metal plate under the rock, or why they'd hide it in the first place, but it seemed useful.
A trio of ponies disembarked from the ship, two pegasi and a unicorn with the latter in the lead, all of them stallions. The unicorn held one of those datapad devices in his magic; the earth ponies wore body armor and carried small rifles, but they were strapped to their backs and not ready to use at a moment's notice.
They all walked with a purpose, swift and steady, as they approached the group, and Twilight was just a little amused to see them gawk at her size before returning their attention elsewhere.
"About time somepony shows up," Winter grunted as she approached the lead unicorn. "What's with the hold-up?"
The unicorn tilted his head and looked briefly to one of his compatriots, then turned back to Winter. "Um, apologies ma'am. Apart from very specific vessels, none of the fleet has been in use since the sandstorm first hit. Warm-up procedures and maintenance checks aren't a quick process."
"Yeah yeah, excuses excuses. Are ya here to pick us up or not?"
"That depends. Her Majesty Queen Blackburn has issued a search-and-pickup order for a group of ponies that could've been anywhere in the Wastelands as far as we knew. We can pick you up even if you're not them, sure, but you're not on our priority return list so we'd have to keep making passes through the area until we find them or get called back."
Hourglass gestured at herself and the others. "That's us! We're the ones you're looking for!"
"So you say, but we've got procedures in place. This'll just take a moment." The unicorn then started some sort of process on his datapad, and while it was running he turned his glance over to Pewter, who was standing behind the mares. "Pewter. How've you been holding up through all this sandstorm business?"
"Can't complain. Didn't run out of food, got to catch up on some old vids that were in my backlog, and I certainly wouldn't complain about the company," he said. With a wink to Twilight, he added, "Definitely some very interesting folks, mmhmm."
The wink wasn't because he knew Twilight's secret—that had been kept from him still—but because of the other house guest that wouldn't be leaving just yet. She imagined that having a Gargantuan queen who had shrunk down in size move into your home—even if she mostly stayed in the nearby caverns—would certainly count as "interesting". At least Aculeata seemed eager to learn; there was just something bizarrely amusing about seeing her learn to use a chair.
Twilight hoped that while she was gone to Hope's Point, Pewter and Aculeata would still be friends and that he could still teach her new things about the world around her. She hoped that that would even continue after she and her friends went home for good. Aculeata needed a friend… and so did Pewter, actually.
The as-yet-unnamed unicorn's datapad then finished whatever process it had been performing, giving a little beep as it did so. He looked over the data, then nodded and smiled at the mares. "You all check out as the mares we're looking for. Miss Glow, Miss Hourglass, Miss Applejack, and Miss Sparkle, a pleasure to make your acquaintances."
"Likewise," Twilight said with a smile and a nod. "And you are?"
"Blaze Nitro, first mate of the Shimmering Oasis, a search-and-rescue vessel from Hope's Point. These two are Cool Whip and Cracker Barrel, who serve as combat and medical staff in the event of an emergency during pick-up."
The two earth ponies nodded politely.
"Now, I'd love to stick around and chat, but Captain Sunshine doesn't like to lollygag if she can help it, and I think Her Majesty herself is expecting you all as well." He gestured towards the ship itself politely. "So if everypony would follow me, we'll be on our way, lickity-split."
"You heard the bloke, hop to it," Winter said, hoisting up her saddlebags and trotting towards the airship's boarding ramp. "Thanks, Pewter! See you again soon!"
"Don't mention it!" Pewter called back.
Hourglass followed suit right behind her, and Applejack did the same behind Hourglass. Twilight took only a moment to turn towards the mountainside to see if she could see Aculeata at all, but she couldn't. She waved off in the last direction that she'd seen the queen go, but she didn't see any response or movement. She then turned to Pewter, nodded and smiled in a brief, nonverbal thank you and farewell, and followed after her friends.
~~~~~
A flying shell. I know those from the old life. Some ponies cannot fly, so they made these flying shells to carry them. Why does Friend Twilight want to go inside it? She can fly. Hmm… but her brood cannot fly. She cannot carry them all. Maybe tiny Winter one, maybe tiny Hour one. Apple one, no. Too big, too heavy. Strong though, good beta for the brood.
Ponies coming out of the flying shell. They talk to Friend Twilight and her brood. Will watch, make sure Friend Twilight is safe. Flying shell has weapons, weapons could kill males from the old life. Never hurt me, but Friend Twilight does not have shell like me. Could hurt her. I will watch, make sure she is safe.
No Black taste in the air, no fear. New ponies are not enemies. I taste some Green, Friend Twilight's brood happy to go? Friend Twilight… Green and Blue. Happy to go, sad to leave. I do not understand this. How can Friend Twilight be both? I am not both…
Friend Twilight is going into the flying shell now. I cannot see her. I can still feel her, she is still Green and Blue. The shell flies into the air, flies away. I cannot feel her anymore. Seeing her leave makes me Blue. Makes me sad. I do not want Friend Twilight to leave. But she wants me to stay here.
I do not like it. But Friend Twilight is my… friend? Still a strange thing. Friend. Like hunt partner, but more. Not like mate, though. Friend Twilight is a queen like me, does not mate with other queens. But I will stay here because Friend Twilight wants me to. I will do it, and then Friend Twilight will be Green again, no more Blue.
Down the mountain, towards Metal Cave, I see the Male. Pewter one? He is not Blue. He is looking at flying shell. I cannot see it, so he cannot see it. Watched it go, watched it fly away. He turns. He sees me watching. He waves, makes the mouth noise "hello". A… greeting. Pewter one is strange. Not of Friend Twilight's brood, not Friend Twilight's mate; did not smell his scent on her. He looks at me with no Black, no fear.
Yes, Pewter one is strange. I will observe him more. Learn what he is. Maybe Pewter one can help me learn what other strange color is. Saw color when Friend Twilight looks at Winter one, when Winter one looks at Friend Twilight. Pink color, new color. Have not felt it before, do not know it. Tastes good though.
Very strange. Maybe Friend Twilight would like if I learned it, would be Green if I did? She wants me to learn new things. Yes, I will learn what Pink means, will show to Friend Twilight. Then, all happy.
*****
Rainbow had never really gotten used to being teleported. Twilight typically only teleported her friends around when there was an emergency, so she and the others didn't experience it that often. Sure, sometimes Twi did it when it wasn't needed—usually because she was in a panic—and sometimes even Starlight Glimmer did it—because it was easier than walking everywhere—but generally they'd just leave well enough alone and let Rainbow fly wherever she wanted to go.
More importantly, she'd never been teleported as great of a distance as across an entire continent.
Golden Dawn hadn't given ample warning about it, so Rainbow was completely floored by the ferocious twisting in her stomach that came about immediately afterwards. It was the same kind of weightless feeling she got when she pulled a high-speed loopdeloop, only it wasn't a split-second sensation. It lingered. It lingered hard.
But she pulled through it. How uncool would it be to blow chunks all over the ground 'cause she couldn't handle a little discomfort? Havoc was handling it fine—just a little stumble, that's it—so she could handle it too.
Pinkie though, heh, Pinkie didn't handle it quite as well. She just stumbled over to the nearest rock to steady herself against, and heaved a… literal liquid rainbow right into the ground, exactly like the kind they made in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory before shipping them off to make actual rainbows.
"Ha!" Havoc blurted, pointing at Pinkie and nudging Rainbow hard in the ribs; Rainbow had to suck in a breath to keep from puking. "What'd your wife have for breakfast there, Dash? Was it Taco Tuesday this morning?"
Rainbow's face was red as could be, because Pinkie was embarrassing her, and nonsensically so. "I dunno, don't look at me," she grunted. "Pinkie has cupcakes for breakfast all the time, maybe she just got one with a bunch of rainbow sprinkles. I don't watch what she eats like some kind of foalsitter."
Havoc ribbed Dash again, more gently this time. "Ah, I'm just fuckin' with ya. It doesn't make sense for her puke to be rainbow-colored just 'cause she went down on you. That's some cartoony shit right there."
Dawn cleared her throat. "If everypony is quite finished with these unnecessary distractions, we should proceed onward."
"Right right, always gotta kill the mood, don'tcha?" Havoc said, rolling her eyes and grabbing her suitcase. She gestured for Dash to follow. "C'mon, doofus. After we get you guys hooked back up with your pals, I wanna take you to meet Cotton ASAP. If I know her, she's on my wavelength already and wants to get the wedding done tonight."
"Heck yeah, that sounds great," Dash replied with a grin. She gestured for Pinkie to follow. "C'mon, babe! Stop messing around over there. And don't worry about your breath, we'll get you some mouthwash inside."
Pinkie immediately ceased her constant stream of technicolor barfing, rose upright, and wiped her mouth of some remaining… residue. "Already way ahead of you, Dashie!"
She pulled a full bottle of bright pink mouthwash out of her mane, chugged the entire bottle until her cheeks were bulging out like balloons, tossed the bottle away, then rapidly shook herself in place before spitting the entire mouthful out into the air like those fancy fountains they had at the really high-class casinos in Las Pegasus. It was mesmerizing.
Immediately after, she leapt over to Rainbow and placed a big kiss on her cheek. She smelled like… well, like a bottle of mouthwash. But the good kind, like bubblegum. Rainbow just rolled her eyes, threw a wing around Pinkie, and carried on after Dawn and Havoc.
The process of getting into the city seemed surprisingly simple, and as promised, she and Pinkie stayed out of the way so that Dawn could take care of everything as smoothly as possible. She didn't even bother listening in to whatever video conversation Dawn was having with whatever guards or officials she needed to talk to. As far as Dash was concerned, once they were in, she and Pinkie wouldn't need to bother with Dawn anymore.
She honestly wondered just what it was that Twilight had seen in that mare to make her want to be friends with her. Rainbow herself would just as soon make friends with a mud puddle in Everfree, one that had slimy bugs in it maybe. Some friends were really tough nuts to crack, but this was… well, it was just ridiculous.
"So hey, uh… I wanted to thank you guys for what you did back there," Havoc said quietly to Rainbow and Pinkie so that Dawn wouldn't overhear. "That was really cool of you. I know it's the whole 'that's what friends do' deal, but still. Thanks. Saved me an awkward phone call and another week of laying around."
Rainbow smirked and threw her hoof around Havoc's neck. "Hey, no problem at all, best bud. We'd do it again in a heartbeat, wouldn't we Pinks?"
Pinkie nodded rapidly. "Yup! Sure would!"
"Well, I appreciate it," Havoc said with a nod and a grin. "Almost makes me want to forget that you guys fucked my little sister. I mean, I'm pretty sure that violates some sort of Bro Code somewhere, but I don't know if it works the same if we're all mares in the situation. Do mares have a Bro Code? A Sis Code?"
Rainbow's eyes widened and she immediately withdrew from Havoc. "What?! Sh-she told you about that? I thought she wanted— Okay, uh, look, Havoc, buddy, we were just trying to help her discover herself. I swear, there wasn't anything underhoofed about it. I wouldn't do that, even if she wasn't your sister." With a firm nod, she added. "I'm Rainbow Dash, not Dine And Dash."
"Gross. And hey, that's cool of you guys to help her learn something new about herself, and she said that she had a really good time; I didn't ask for details, don't worry." Havoc shook her head. "But I mean, couldn't you have just rented her a good porno or something, or bought her a fucking book? A book about fucking? She knows how to read, y'know."
Pinkie put her hoof around Havoc and used her other to lovingly tap Havoc's chest. "We're more the hooves-on sort of teachers, hot stuff. You can always learn more by doing it yourself than by reading about it in a book. I think even Twilight would agree to that." A pause. "To clarify, no, we haven't had sex with Twilight."
Havoc just shrugged it off. "Fair enough. Just as long as I don't have to worry about you two fucking any of my other sisters, right? My heart can only take so much, and half of the fuckin' thing is covered in metal junk."
"I, uh… I don't think you have to worry about that," Rainbow replied, coughing into her hoof. She definitely didn't have any thoughts on that subject. No sir. Not anymore, at least.
"Yeah!" Pinkie interjected. "I mean, we've kind of exhausted all the options anyway. I mean, who else are we gonna ask, Dawn? Ahahaaa."
Havoc paled, and Rainbow swore that she looked like she was about to throw up in her mouth a little. Pinkie and Rainbow shared a quick look, and silently with just their eyes alone, agreed to sit back down and be quiet until it was time to move on, and to never, ever, mention Dawn in that way in Havoc's presence again.
It wasn't often that Pinkie could kill a mood with a joke, but she'd just downright murdered it in cold blood.
*****
Rarity always dressed her best, that pretty much went without saying, and today was no exception. Her current morning ensemble—a coffee-colored jacket over a simple-yet-elegant teal sundress—would more than suffice for a little reunion get-together with all of her friends before they decided what they wanted to do with the rest of the day's time.
Emphasis on them, of course, because Rarity already had plans; she had a gorgeous red cocktail dress waiting in her room for later tonight and wished that the day would just move on already.
Not that she didn't want to see her friends and reconnect after three weeks apart and all of that, but nowadays it was sort of the norm for her and her friends to be apart for a month at a time, and this wasn't any different. There just wasn't a Friendship Council meeting to worry about, that's all. They could all get together tomorrow as a group to do something, lunch perhaps, but there were more important, time-sensitive things afoot tonight. They'd understand.
The lounge room at the royal palace was a splendid affair, perfect for any sort of get-together of any size; the walls were modular and could be shifted about to accommodate different sizes of crowds with ease. For now it was kept in a low-key setting, appropriate for a gathering of close friends and no more than fifteen or twenty guests.
She and Fluttershy had taken up a seat at one of the round tables in the room, while the other guests present were all seated either at other tables or at the bar. Luckily nopony was drinking at this hour, not even Blackburn at least as far as Rarity could tell, but then again maybe the queen had spiked her coffee without anypony noticing.
Rarity knew why Blackburn was here, of course, and Gadget and Crossfire naturally, but that didn't mean she wasn't constantly feeling anxious about it. She'd been feeling anxious around them all week, a part of her just absolutely terrified that somehow they knew her horrible, horrible secret.
It was bad enough when Lockwood came over to the table and offered her and Fluttershy some coffee. "Two coffees, fresh out of the pot," he said with that blasted charming smile of his, setting the coffees down like just the perfect gentlecolt. "Fluttershy, you take extra cream and… two sugars?"
She smiled and nodded, pulling the coffee closer with her wings. "Wow, that's right. You still have it memorized after all this time?"
"Of course! You were my number one assistant, after all. What kind of boss would I be not to know how my assistant likes her coffee?" He paused, then tapped his chin. "Actually, isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The boss doesn't get the assistant coffee." A shrug. "Eh."
He then turned to Rarity, still wearing that smile. "And Rarity is light cream, one sugar. And you like the hazelnut cream we import from down south, of course."
She just accepted the coffee and nodded. "Thank you," she said, keeping her eyes locked on virtually everything in the room but his eyes. She couldn't afford to look. Not now, not ever, never again.
If he noticed, he didn't say anything, but there was a small pause. "Ahem… well, I guess I'd better see if anypony else needs anything," he said. "Oh! And hey, I just got confirmation from the docking bay: the Shimmering Oasis just docked and reported that they picked up the passengers we were looking for."
Fluttershy brightened. "Oh, that's great news!"
"Yup. They should be up here within the next few minutes; Chief Storm already pre-cleared them. And reports from the gate say that Golden Dawn showed up about a minute ago with some guests, so everypony should be getting here pretty soon, yes indeed." With another smile, he asked, "Anything else you girls need?"
"No, thank you," Rarity said simply, taking a sip from her perfect-temperature coffee. Yes, he'd gotten the amount of cream exactly right, blast him. How was it that he could be so perfect without even trying? It wasn't fair.
"Well alright then."
With that he nodded politely at Fluttershy, then headed off to Gray and Flathoof's table to chat them up a bit.
After a short moment of silence, Fluttershy licked her lips briefly and asked, "Is everything okay, Rarity?"
"Hmm? Yes, of course, darling. The coffee's just right, as always. That Lockwood certainly knows his coffee."
"Not the coffee, I meant you. Is everything okay with you?"
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you mean, dear. I'm perfectly fine, why do you ask? Do I look ill?"
"No, it's just that you seem so focused. You've, um… you've kind of been like this all week, actually."
"Well of course I am, we're about to see our friends again after so long apart. I'm just bracing myself for the excitement to come, that's all."
Fluttershy tilted her head. "That explains today, sure. But what about the rest of the week? You've been acting kind of strange."
"What do you mean? Strange how?"
"Well, I know that you've made a new friend in Cotton, and I'm happy that you spend so much time with her and are helping her set up her new shop, but it just feels like you're spending too much time with her."
Rarity blinked, then set her hoof on Fluttershy's. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry darling. I didn't realize that I'd been ignoring you. Why haven't you said anything all this time? I feel just dreadful about it. Tell you what, we'll go get breakfast tomorrow, bright and early."
Fluttershy shook her head. "That sounds nice. But, um, I wasn't talking about me. I'm perfectly fine with the time we've spent together these past few weeks. It's a lot more than it has been for most of this year, actually. And I love spending time with Gray and her kids, so it's not as though I'm lonely."
"Then I'm not sure I understand. Is there something wrong with spending time with Cotton? She's a lovely mare, dear, and she's been wracked with nerves about opening up that new store of hers, not to mention the wedding tonight. I've just been a supportive friend."
"And that's very generous of you—"
"It just comes naturally to me, dear," Rarity tittered.
Fluttershy giggled. "Yes, but… I don't know, it feels as if you're spending less time with your other friends. I remember when we first got here, you went out to lunch or dinner with Lockwood and Blackburn every day. I don't think I've heard you mention them all week, maybe even longer than that."
Rarity gave Fluttershy a tight-lipped smile and kept a firm grip on her coffee. "Oh, that's nothing to worry about. The King and Queen are very busy ponies, and they have so much on their plates right now that it would be just rude to impose myself into their lives. I love attention, dear, but I'm no attention hound."
"Ah… okay, I didn't even think of it that way," Fluttershy said with a wide smile. "I keep forgetting that they're the rulers of this entire city together."
"Yes, they're certainly a lovely couple."
Rarity had never in all these years ever wanted a private conversation with Fluttershy to just end as soon as possible, but she was desperate for some excuse to divert attention away from the uncomfortable topic. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk about Lockwood and Blackburn, especially with Fluttershy, who tended to have a pretty keen eye and would surely notice that Rarity was trying to avoid it before long.
So she was glad when Twilight walked into the room, Applejack just behind her, with Winter and that other young mare—Hourglass was it?—just behind them. Gladder than usual, at any rate.
The mood of the room lightened immediately as everypony rushed to greet their friends who had just arrived, whether it was friends from home or friends from elsewhere. Questions were all abound, of course, such as what had happened to Twilight after her spell backfired, where she and Applejack had ended up, what they'd been up to over these past several weeks, and what Winter and Hourglass had to do with all of it.
There were likely plenty of other questions buzzing in everypony's heads as well—Rarity for instance wanted to ask young Hourglass about her adorable ensemble—but for the most part everypony knew that there was such a thing as overwhelming. And, more importantly, there was no time for that; about a minute after that quartet came in, another arrived, this one consisting of Rainbow, Pinkie, Havoc, and Dawn.
However, before anypony could say anything else, Pinkie quite literally pounced on top of Winter with such an excitable demeanor that Rarity was surprised that the pink mare didn't just crumble apart.
"Winter!" she shouted, a tremendous smile on her face.
"Crikey!" the small unicorn blurted as she was pinned to the floor by the enthusiastic pink blur. "Pinkie, what the f—"
"I have a joke for you! I've been waiting for like ten chapters to tell you! Do you wanna hear it?!"
Winter raised an eyebrow, still struggling to get out from under her assailant. "You have a what? A joke? What are you on about, mate?"
"Ahem!" Pinkie took a deep breath, then asked, perfectly calm now, "Okay. So, what do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?"
"A stick."
"A sti—" Pinkie deflated like a balloon, complete with the appropriate sound; had there been music playing, Rarity was certain the record would've scratched, as it was likely to do whenever Pinkie was around. "What? You already know that one?"
Winter rolled her eyes and finally shoved Pinkie off of her. "Bloody hell, of course I do. I learned that joke when I was ten."
Pinkie just stared at Winter, blinking rapidly, then huffed and crossed her hooves over her chest. "Worst. Payoff. Ever."
And so, everypony returned to what they were doing before… whatever that was. Pinkie could sometimes be rather odd, to say the least.
Rarity was surprised, though, when after the brief barrage of light-hearted questions and such, Gray Skies pulled away from the others to approach her youngest sister with a firmness to her that anypony would find intimidating. Rarity took a step back just to be safe; she could see an argument coming a mile away.
"You and I need to have words, little sister," Gray snarled, towering over Dawn as only she could; she was the only pony in the room that was able to stand as tall as Twilight; Flathoof was just a hair shorter.
Dawn eyed her sister up and down briefly, then snorted. "Gray, I was never under the impression that you lacked the knowledge of the basic decorum involved in a social gathering. Whatever topic of discussion you wish to address can be delayed until a later time when we are not all engaged in pleasant conversation."
"Oh no, you're not worming your way out of this, not this time." Gray gestured around the room. "Everypony needs to hear this. They all need to know how lousy of a sister you are. I'm sure Havoc already gave you a piece of her mind, and now it's my turn, and we're doing this right here, right now."
"Sister, this is most inapprop—"
"No, you know what's inappropriate? When your big sister nearly gets murdered, and then you decide not to tell your other big sister about it so that she has to hear it from another sister instead. A big ol' fucked up game of Telephone. Ring any bells?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "You are referring to what happened with Velvet, of course. She made a full recovery in less than an hour following the attack due to the nature—" She paused, seeming to realize that there were a lot of ponies in the room besides just the two of them. "This discussion should really be a private matter, Gray—"
"If you're worried about everypony knowing about our special powers, don't, they already do." Gray jabbed her wing towards Blackburn briefly. "I made sure to keep Her Majesty in the loop on this one. So go on, give me the rest of your little spiel, try and give me a good excuse."
Dawn's eye twitched. "You… you informed her about your enhanced capabilities? Father impressed upon us the need to maintain secrecy on the matter! Why would you do that?!"
"Because we're tired of keeping secrets," snorted Havoc. "All these secrets and shit don't help anypony. If anything, you and your fucking secrets have done nothing but hurt the ponies we all care about."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Dawn snarled, wheeling on Havoc.
"Referring to me, obviously," Blackburn quipped, stepping up alongside Gray. "Or did you forget? Close friend murdered, children threatened, life put in danger. Blame lies with these 'subversives', naturally. However, given that opportunity only because of your mistakes. Your secrets. Such as the Chameleon-class cruiser that attacked us. Left that out of manifests."
Dawn visibly gulped, but she seemed to maintain some level of focus and bearing, enough to say, "And for that mistake, I offer my sincerest condolences and apolo—"
"Save it. Just compounds on other factors. Not just secrets; general subterfuge as well. Ability to trust you, practically nonexistent. Abducted Havoc from my city, did so without permission, without notification, without afterthought, without guarantee of return. Emotionally affected friends, family. No consideration, selfish; deplorable on a fundamental level."
With a sneer, Blackburn continued, "Besides personal attachment and personal affairs ruined, also dangerously close to breaking rules of ceasefire. Havoc's transplanted eye is Hope's Point technomagic; you took it without permission, brought to your city. Had no assurance that it would not be tampered with, examined, stolen. Only stayed my hoof because of trust in Havoc not to allow it."
Havoc scratched her cheek; Rarity had been trying to avoid looking at the poor mare's scars, as they were quite severe. "Holy shit, I never even thought about it like that."
Dawn's eyes darted between Blackburn, Gray, and Havoc, then back to Blackburn. "Your Majesty, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation—"
"And don't give her the shit about Havoc being a military operative," Gray snorted. "You already used that excuse, but then you forgot to mention that you demoted Havoc and that she immediately quit afterwards. You had no need or grounds to keep her up north, and we all know it."
Blackburn nodded. "Havoc informed Ambassador Skies of the situation; she informed me. So, would like an explanation: why keep her there? Hmm?"
Dawn balked, directing a glare at a very smug-looking Havoc, then redirected her attention—her noticeably shaken attention—back to Blackburn again. "I…"
She gulped again, taking a short breath. "The sandstorm had already touched down and a citywide lockdown had been initiated. My teleportation into our city limits was already skirting closely to breaking my own lockdown mandates, and by the time that Havoc and I concluded our… discourse, the lockdown was in full effect. Regardless of my ability to teleport Havoc that distance, the act of doing so would have violated New Pandemonium City law."
Blackburn stared Dawn down for a moment, then gave a terse nod. "Acceptable excuse. Logical, calls upon adherence to law and order, practical. Morally inadequate, ethically questionable, but diplomatically sound." She pointed a hoof right in Dawn's face. "Warning, though: never do it again."
"I had no intentions on a repeat performance, Your Majesty," Dawn said firmly.
"Good."
Then, to the group's surprise, Winter came up behind Dawn and patted her shoulder. "Alright, mate, let me do you a fuckin' solid here, eh? I need to get back up to New Pandemonium real quick-like, you need an excuse to get out of this awkward fuck-up you caused. Buy one, get one free."
"That's not how that saying goes…" Lockwood muttered.
Dawn glanced at Winter, then Blackburn, then Winter again. "Very well, Winter. Is there any particular location you had in mind as a destination?"
"My apartment. I've got some data that needs checkin' out."
Dawn nodded. "I am aware of its coordinates." She tilted her head towards Hourglass. "Will your apprentice be accompanying us?"
Hourglass shook her head. "No, Winter doesn't need me for data analysis. I'm gonna stick here, get some lunch. Ooh, and check in on Sunsy! I bet he's worried sick about me and Winter."
"Who is 'Sunsy'?"
"Oh. That's the nickname I have for Sunspire."
Dawn blinked. "Ah. That's right, he is still in Hope's Point at present. Hmm. Well, there is no rush to return him to Pandora Tower. I can collect him after Winter's business is concluded." She looked at Winter. If you are prepared to depart, Winter?"
"Yeah, all set here," Winter replied.
Twilight balked. "W-wait! You two are just… just gonna leave? Right now? Just like that? But we all just got back together!"
Dawn gave Twilight a sad smile. "Twilight, we will reconnoiter soon. For now, I believe I need a moment's reprieve, if you do not mind?"
"But…" Twilight sighed and nodded. "Alright. I hope you two aren't going to be gone too long, though."
Winter shook her head. "We won't be back before lunch, but we'll be back by tonight for sure. Y'know, unless all the data I find says that things are more pear-shaped than I thought they'd be. Which, y'know, would just be par for the fuckin' course at this rate, eh?"
She then suddenly stamped her hoof on the floor. "Oh! That reminds me: I'm gonna be gettin' in touch with HQ while I'm up north, which means I can find out who they sent to your world to keep things under control. I don't suppose you all want an update like last time? I don't remember who everypony wanted to keep in contact with, so, lay it all on me."
Rarity and her friends from home all gave one another a little look, then they all shrugged—almost in unison, amusingly enough—and shook their heads. Rainbow and Applejack even let out a simultaneous "Nah".
"Actually, Winter, I think the only thing you can do for us on that front is pass along to our friends and family back home that we're okay," Twilight said with a firm nod. "I'm sure that your fellow agent is handling any fallout from my spell just fine on his or her own, but they shouldn't need to worry about keeping anything else under control."
"Huh? What about, ah… Discord? With you all gone—"
"Discord's our friend," Fluttershy immediately responded with a big smile. "He and I meet up for tea three times a week, and he's been helping me put together the animal sanctuary I've always dreamed of opening. I was even planning on asking—" A pause, a blush, and she said something under her breath.
Rarity grinned inwardly, knowing full well what Fluttershy had muttered. But a secret between friends was a secret between friends.
"Right," Twilight said with another nod; she apparently missed Fluttershy trailing off like that. "So, even if the Elements of Harmony still existed and worked the same way that they used to, I'm sure that Discord would realize what was happening and would take measures to ensure nothing bad happened because of him just, y'know, existing. He's a troublemaker, but he's our troublemaker."
Winter balked. "Wait, the Elements of Harmony don't exist anymore? Ya never told me that."
"I mean, we haven't exactly talked all that much…" Twilight muttered; Rarity could tell instantly that Twilight was not happy about that fact, far more than the drop in tone should've indicated. "But suffice to say, they're not a major player in our world's balance issues anymore, or in how we handle threats."
"Okay… okay, fair enough. Things change. But what about the fact that, y'know, you're the ruler of Equestria? Surely having the Princess of Friendship up and vanish without a trace would be cause for concern for the general populace?"
Twilight shook her head. "Considering what happened last time, I put dozens of measures into place to account for anything happening to me or my friends, if only so that the whole of Equestria wouldn't get plunged into chaos because of something like this. Sure, there might be a little panic at first, but it'd all sort itself out pretty quickly.
"I've accounted for if I were to suddenly disappear into another world or dimension, or even an alternate timeline. I've accounted for if my friends also got involved in any of the above situations and as such weren't around to take my place. I've put measures in place in case a magic spell happens to turn me evil, or turns me into a slug—just an example, it could be any animal—or drains my magic entirely, or turns me to stone. I even have a contingency just in case I'm killed."
Winter blinked, clearly impressed. "You… you have all of that in place already?"
"Of course! It always pays to be prepared for any potential threat, even the ones that you'd never see coming. My contingency here mostly involves getting Celestia and Luna to cover for me until we return home. My secretary Raven will have already taken care of everything within the first few days of our disappearance."
Blackburn smirked and gave Twilight a nod of approval. "Well spoken."
Winter shook her head. "Well, uh… alright. I guess you've already taken care of everything important on that front then. I'll just pass along that message for ya." She turned to Dawn. "Right then, let's get movin'."
Dawn grunted. "Of course."
And with a flash and a pop, the two unicorn mares disappeared.
Rarity sighed. So much for a happy reunion.
*****
Rainbow and Pinkie followed Havoc through the streets of the underground levels of this strange new city, Hope's Point. Rainbow found the whole place to be just a bizarrely practical contradiction, at least as she had it explained to her. A city founded by pegasi that was built with a massive underground cavern? And that had a permanently limited air space because of a magical barrier dome? None of that sounded very "pegasusy" to her.
The surface levels, where all of the main business were located, were covered by a shield that had been designed to not just withstand pretty much anything that could be thrown at it, but even filtered out the environment outside so that fresher, cleaner air was filtered in. It was such that apparently the city hadn't even been affected by the sandstorm outside of restricting air travel.
The underground levels, where all of the residential districts were located, as well as important facilities like hospitals and power plants, were built into a massive cavern that had been hollowed out of the humongous cliff the city had been built on top of. Should the shield above fail, the citizens would be safe enough to have time to retreat to further protective shelters. The entire city could survive through even the worst nuclear fallout… whatever that was.
Well, it was no Cloudsdale. But it wasn't bad.
Havoc led the pair through the streets with a purpose. Rainbow had never seen the other mare move with such vigor and speed, even during the most intense skyball matchups. Not that Rainbow had any trouble keeping up, of course, but it was still amusing to see Havoc looking so excited. She did everything but push ponies out of the way in order to make it through the streets just a little bit faster.
This Cotton Rose must've been pretty special.
Along one of the streets in the lower-levels, they eventually came to a little one-story house. It wasn't very big, but it seemed pleasantly cozy, enough to serve as a comfortable home for one or two ponies. There wasn't anything really distinguishable about the place; in fact, it was identical to every house on the block, from the frame to the color to the yard, like somepony had copied it and duplicated it in every way. The only distinguishing marks were the numbers on the door frame, an address.
Havoc ran up to the door before Rainbow and Pinkie were even past the gate into the front yard, giving it a rapid knock before pacing in place like she had to go to the bathroom. After a few seconds, she knocked again.
A voice from the other side called, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Hold onto your shorts, sheesh."
Then the door opened, and a mare poked her head out. She had a pale yellow coat and a two-tone cyan mane, kind of like that one friend of Rarity's, Coco… something; Rainbow was bad with names. She also looked like she was wearing a loose-fitting, long black jacket that went all the way past her flanks, and was in the middle of adjusting a pink necktie.
Her eyes widened, as did her smile. "Hav—"
Havoc stormed forward, grabbed the mare up, and firmly drew her in for a kiss. A very heavy kiss at that. With, uh… oh wow, that was one heck of a kiss.
Pinkie nudged Rainbow, but Rainbow didn't take her attention off of the display. "Now that, Dashie? That is a certified Haven't Seen You In Forever Kiss. The kind of kiss you only see in movies and read about in novels, and no, not the steamy kind that Rarity likes, funnily enough. That's one of those True Love Kisses from fairy tales and stuff."
"Where the heck can I get me one of those?" Rainbow muttered, half joking, half serious.
"Tell you what, you go on vacation for a month before coming back to me, and I'll see what I can do for ya." But then Pinkie leaned over and pressed her cheek against Rainbow's. "But I'd rather give you smooches every day, even if they're just regular ol' I Love You Kisses."
Rainbow smirked. "Yeah, I guess I like having it that way when you put it like that."
Once Havoc and the mare broke off their kiss, they were both out of breath and red in the face—redder in Havoc's case. The other mare spoke first, though. "Havoc, oh my stars, wow. I don't think you've ever used that much tongue before. At least not on my—"
She paused, noticing Rainbow and Pinkie; her face reddened even more; what had she been about to say? "Oh! Hello. Can I… help you?"
Havoc licked her lips and gestured at the pair. "Babe, these are Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They're really good friends of mine."
"'Sup?" said Rainbow, tilting her head up.
"Hiii!" shouted Pinkie, leaping up and waving. "I really like your hair clip! It's cute!"
"Well aren't you two precious?" the mare said, stepping alongside Havoc to offer her hoof, first to Rainbow. "My name's Cotton Rose. Pleasure to meet you." A pause, she looked at Havoc. "Wait, 'Rainbow Dash'? Like, the Rainbow Dash, your friend that can fly really fast and haven't seen in forever?"
"Yup, that's her," Havoc said with a grin. "She and Pinkie are here on vacation for a lil' while, dunno when they're heading home, but they got stuck in lockdown with me up north. And thank fuck for that, 'cause I'd have gone absolutely nuts without 'em. Bad enough I didn't have you for three weeks."
Cotton nodded and smiled. "Well, thank you both then for keeping my bunbun company."
Rainbow snorted out a laugh. "'Bunbun'?"
Havoc, face more red than ever, averted her gaze and scratched her chin. "It's, uh… my nickname. Kinda like how Curie called Shroud her 'little raspberry'… at least I think that's what she calls her. I don't speak fancy-talk, but I asked once."
"Okay, yeah, I got that. But bunbun? What's the deal with that?"
Cotton bit her lip and looked at Havoc, then back to Rainbow. "It's private. Not a story for polite company."
"We're not exactly polite company."
"Fuck off, Dash!" Havoc blurted. "We ain't telling you shit!"
Rainbow held up her hooves. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say." A pause. "Bunbun."
Havoc grumbled something under her breath—Rainbow didn't want to know what sort of swears Havoc felt were so bad that she couldn't say them aloud—then took a breath and threw her hoof around Cotton's shoulder. "So, uh, babe, I've got a bit of a favor to ask."
"Oh?" asked Cotton.
"I mean, I know we were gonna try and keep it down to a small ceremony. I invited my sister, you invited your mom, and we kinda have to invite the royal couple since they made this work out so smoothly." She scratched her chin. "Hey wait, the whole point of that was to rush the wedding up to right after I got out of the hospital. We had to wait three weeks, so—"
"Honey, we're not telling His and Her Majesty they can't come to our wedding," Cotton said, eyes half-lidded in disbelief.
"Fine, fine. Whatever. I want 'em to come anyway." Havoc then pointed at Rainbow and Pinkie. "Anyway, these two. I, uh… I sort of invited them. I know, I should've asked first, I'm sorry, but—"
"No, it's cool. They're more than welcome to come."
"Oh? Oh! Awesome!" Havoc grinned at Rainbow. "See? Told ya she's awesome. Didn't even hesitate."
"Buuut—"
Havoc raised an eyebrow and turned to Cotton. "There's a 'but'?"
"Yes. Buuut, they can only come if my new friend Rarity can come. She helped me out a lot with the store these last few weeks, and she helped me put my wedding dress together." With a grin, she added, "I can't wait for you to see me in it."
"I can't wait to see you in it either. Or to get you out of it." A pause. "Wait. Rarity?" Havoc turned to Rainbow. "Like, as in your Rarity?"
"I guess so," Rainbow said with a shrug and a look to Pinkie for assurance. "We didn't know anything about this, did we?"
"Rarity sure didn't say anything to us, nope nope nope," Pinkie said, shaking her head. She then gasped, holding her cheeks. "Oh. My. Gumdrops. That means she's like a surprise bridesmaid! Just like at our wedding! Cool!"
"She wasn't a surprise bridesmaid, Pinkie, you asked her to be one. You were stressing out for weeks on whether she or Fluttershy would get mad if you asked either of them to be your maid of honor. You decided they should both be." Rainbow puffed out her chest. "I had it easy. AJ was my Best Mare, piece of cake."
"What about Twilight?" asked Havoc.
"She officiated," Rainbow and Pinkie said in unison.
"Oh. Well yeah, that makes sense."
Cotton held up a hoof. "Wait, you guys know Rarity too?" She scratched her head, then nodded in understanding. "Okay, so that means the Rainbow and Pinkie she was talking about are you two. Wow, this sure is one small world we live in, isn't it?"
"I mean, yeah, it's a lot smaller than ours is," Pinkie said nonchalantly.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. What? Did somepony say something?"
"Okay, so, this is really cool and all, I'm glad to be a part of this whole wedding dealie," Rainbow said, stepping up so she was face-to-face with Cotton. "I've been best buds with Havoc for pretty much her entire life, so y'know, I think I know her pretty well. At least I thought I did, 'cause I was pretty sure Havoc wasn't into mares. But you're a mare. And you two are getting married."
"Beep boop, does not compute," Pinkie said, moving her limbs about like a robot. "No offense, but we just don't get it. If a mare and another mare like each other very much, they're called lesbians. Unless they also like stallions very much. Then they're bisexual. Ipso fatso, if Havoc likes a mare like she likes you, then she's one of the two. Boom. Logic."
"Thanks for the vocabulary lesson," Havoc snickered.
Cotton looked at Havoc. "You didn't tell them?"
Havoc smiled back. "I thought you should. You explain it better than me anyway. I told my sister Red and she took like a week to wrap her head around it all. I don't think her brain is wired to see a hot chick like you with, ya know. Ya know."
Cotton shrugged, then turned to Rainbow and Pinkie. "I'll just keep it simple, okay? I'm trans. I was born as a colt, but I realized that that's not who I was pretty early in life, and it took me a long time and lots of effort to get to where I am now. I identify as a mare, and I prefer to dress like one and be treated like one. Because that's what I am: a mare."
Rainbow and Pinkie shared a brief look, then just shrugged. "Okay," they said together.
Cotton was clearly a little surprised by the reaction. "Wow, that was… fast. You don't have any questions or anything? Folks usually ask me all sorts of questions. Even Havoc asked me questions."
"Well, I mean, sure, I've got a couple of questions, but I figure that if that's what you say you are and that's what makes you comfortable, then that's the end of it." Rainbow nodded firmly. "I'm the last pony that's gonna question that kind of stuff."
"Me neither!" Pinkie said with a rapid nod of her own. "But I do have one question that I think might be important, 'cause none of that answered the question we did have, which is if you're a mare, and Havoc's marrying you—"
"You're gonna ask if I still have a penis, aren't you?" asked Cotton.
Pinkie gasped. "Whaaaat? Noooo." A pause. "Okay, yeah. I was. I was gonna use the word 'winkie' but yeah."
"I'm not comfortable with getting surgery," Cotton said simply. "I use hormone pills and some magical treatments to help me look more feminine, but, uh… yeah, outside of surgery, I can't get rid of what I was born with."
"They don't have magic potions or something that can do that?" asked Rainbow.
"Nothing permanent, no, and most of them come with 'enhancements' that I don't have any interest in. I wouldn't be me, I'd be whatever the potion turned me into."
"And I love her just the way she is," Havoc said with a firm nod. "If she doesn't wanna change that part of her, I'm not gonna give her shit for it."
"Huh." Rainbow shrugged again. "Well, I guess with all that, I can kinda understand why Havoc says she's a bit confused about herself. I ain't gonna question it if you guys are happy together."
Havoc nodded and pressed her cheek against Cotton's. "Told ya they're cool." She then clapped her hooves together and smiled wide. "So, the wedding's on for tonight. I talked to the royals and they were able to get our old appointment reconfirmed and everything. I already took care of inviting my sister, so you just gotta get an invite to your mom, and I guess Rarity already knows?"
"Oh stars, you just took care of everything, didn't you? I mean, I assumed you were gonna do it, but I'm surprised that I'm right." Cotton giggled and kissed Havoc's cheek. "Okay, I'll get the invite to my mom. Do you think we have time for lunch first though?"
"Oh hell yes we do." Havoc looked at Pinkie and Rainbow. "You two wanna get lunch with us before we get ready for the wedding?"
"Yeah, sure, sounds good to me," said Rainbow.
Pinkie bounced in place. "Me too! I can't wait for the big ol' romantic wedding chapter!"
*****
Winter arrived at her apartment back in New Pandemonium with a flash and a pop, Dawn right by her side. She felt just a little queasy, having never teleported so far before, but she was able to shake it off after only a few seconds. She simply didn't have time to be sick; there was work to do and it was her job to do it.
The apartment itself was shabby, but not too shabby, just a little hole in the wall on the upper floors of a smaller complex in the Mid-North District of the city. It was barely large enough for her alone, so it was difficult at times living with Hourglass too; Winter was a firm believer that if she actually liked being at home, that would make leaving for work suck that much more.
The jury was out on if that philosophy worked or not.
"Hmm, why do I not recall your living quarters possessing such little space?" Dawn observed, stepping around a tiny coffee table to take a seat on a tiny couch.
"'Cause you've never actually been here before and just know where it is 'cause your big sister told you, probably," Winter grunted, not bothering to look at Dawn as she did. She took out her Timekeeper and stepped over to the large grandfather clock in the corner, twisting a few dials as she did so.
When she opened up the clock's front panel, there was a room behind it, a rather comfortably-sized one at that, and one that had no business being located where it was. It existed in a pocket dimension that the clock gave access to; if it existed in physical space, half of it would be floating outside the window, the other half would be in the neighbor's bedroom.
Dawn didn't even bat an eye at the display. "Is that the 'office' that you have referred to in past conversations?"
"Yup," Winter replied. "Now, I've got a lot of data to run through and I know I'm gonna have to sit through a meetin' with the brass at HQ, so this'll probably take a few minutes. You might as well get comfortable, 'cause when I'm done I need to get back to Hope's Point. Though I might need to run some errands, depends on how the meeting goes, so you could be a pal and taxi me around."
"Naturally, if the matter pertains to our world's stability. I will attempt to 'get comfortable' until you have finished with your meeting, I suppose." Dawn raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room, which had minimal decorations or entertainment appliances available. "To the best of my ability, at any rate."
Winter gestured towards the refrigerator. "We're out of soda last I checked, but if you want somethin' quick to drink there's always plenty of beer. Feel free to pop one open if ya like. Just stay away from the ones with a gold crown, those aren't for afternoon drinkin' unless ya feel like gettin' drunk before dinnertime."
Dawn grunted. "I do not partake in alcohol except for wine as part of social functions in keeping with the polite etiquette expected of a mare of my status and position. And I certainly do not drink beer—"
"After the day you've been havin' so far, Dawnie, you don't need fuckin' wine. You need to have a real drink. Suit yourself if you don't want anything, but that's just my professional opinion, and I'm an expert."
"On alcohol?"
"On gettin' rotten, eh? Gettin' drunk."
"I do not find alcoholism to be an admirable—"
Winter ignored the rest of Dawn's statement and hopped in through the door of her TARDIS, which was the official designation for the "office", and no, it wasn't an acronym. Whoever had designed the original model was some kind of pop culture nerd in his world and named it after something in a television program he enjoyed, but if it really was an acronym he never told anypony what it stood for.
Nopony liked the name, incidentally. But it stuck.
She then sealed the door shut behind her, as per protocol. Even Dawn, powerful as she was, wouldn't be able to break in once it was sealed, but even so much as a quarter-inch opening would be enough that the dimensional barrier wouldn't work properly; somepony could just open it by hoof.
Winter knew from experience that that was a Bad Thing for any number of reasons, least of all the risk of bodily harm to herself, or somepony potentially learning things that they shouldn't. She never learned if that shadowy fuck from seven years ago had actually died or not, but nothing had happened since then to lead her to think otherwise, and she was always sure to double check the seal nowadays.
She sat at her computer station in front of dozens of monitors, dominated by a much larger one in the center. She then placed her Timekeeper onto an attachment on the side panel, which would interface with it and allow her to send and transmit the data that Hourglass had collected. Last, she clicked her hooves on a number of buttons on her keyboard, calling up the Chronomancer HQ emergency channel.
The other line was answered in seconds; that sounded impressive, but it meant that whoever was responsible for answering the calls hadn't actually answered it for several hours, likely because they were dealing with other calls or internal issues. The pony that answered wasn't actually a pony at all, but a teal hippogriff, dressed in a snazzy black suit with a bowtie.
"This is Agent Maltese with Emergency Communications. State your name, world designation, and the reason for your call and I will redirect you," the hippogriff said with a calm, polite tone in a silky-smooth baritone. The name was odd, but hippogriffs tended to sometimes have pony-like names, sometimes not; Winter honestly didn't know why.
Incidentally, she always found it amusing that only ponies could serve as Chronomancer field agents like herself. Non-ponies like Maltese here often served a purpose, but they couldn't work in the field because not every Equestria had certain non-pony races. Maltese would look out of place in Winter's world, or at least he would have until about five years ago when her world first started "getting" hippogriffs introduced.
That was a long story in and of itself.
"Agent Winter Glow, Equestria-V. I need an analysis board to review some concernin' data that I've collected and to provide input and guidance for potential solutions," Winter stated, equally polite and calm.
"Roger that, ma'am," Maltese said, tapping some keys on his own keyboard. "Your call is being redirected. Mind that the analysis team reviews thousands of cases a day; they may take some time to get to your request."
"That's fine, I know how this works. What's my estimate?"
"Your estimated wait time is… sixty-seven standard rotations."
"Ah, that's not too bad. Right then, thanks for the transfer."
"Not at all, Agent Winter. Thank you for your service, and enjoy the rest of your day."
The call with Maltese dropped, and Winter took the time that she knew she had to roll her shoulders, relax back in her seat, and take a nap; she didn't need to set an alarm or anything, she just set her internal clock—not literally—to wake up in an hour. A standard rotation at HQ—a full day—lasted for just a little shy of a full standard minute here in this world; the deviation was so infinitesimal that nopony would notice it except for a Chronomancer.
Once she woke up from her nap, she stretched her legs out in her chair, let out a big yawn, and kicked back to wait for the remaining few minutes. Chronomancer HQ tended to be pretty damn exact about their estimates, so she knew she only had to wait another one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—
Her console lit up with an incoming call, which she answered immediately. On her screen were three windows which displayed her own face in the center, and two other faces on her left and right. To the left was an older unicorn stallion, whom she recognized as Old Timer, one of the leads of the Analysis Department. The old pony was pretty much all gray: his wrinkly coat, his short, thinning mane, his eyes, his thick, bristly mustache, even his suit and tie.
The other, to her right, was a zebra mare that Winter didn't recognize, but then she didn't know everyone at HQ and there were few who did; staff changed frequently enough, sometimes daily.
The zebra's mane was short and curly, two-toned like all zebras, and Winter only assumed that she had stripes along her body like other zebras did, not to sound biased. She couldn't tell, actually, because the mare was wearing a lab coat over herself that covered her from neck to flank. She also had a professional-looking set of glasses that somepony like Dawn would probably approve of.
"Agent Winter Glow, you have requested the services of the analyst board to review some data for you, is that correct?" Old Timer asked, his voice not hinting at his age like the rest of him did.
Winter nodded. "Yes sir. My Timekeeper is already connected and ready for data transfer."
"Excellent. Then we will download your data immediately, and my associate Doctor Likita and I will proceed with the analysis. While that process is working, would you care to go over the circumstances of your issue?"
Winter explained the situation to the pair, both of whom sat and listened quietly to Winter's story without interruption.
She didn't skimp on a single detail that she was aware of, from the sudden surge of Dark energy in her world to her discovery of the mysterious alicorn underneath the gryphon ruins, then to the sudden arrival of Twilight and her friends and the circumstances of the spell that Twilight had made. She also made sure to explain about the sandstorm, and how it had kept her from reporting sooner.
Going through it all in such detail took nearly an hour; it was a lot of information.
Once she was done, Winter finished with, "The data that my apprentice collected was mainly intended to see if the balance levels in my world are returnin' to normal, or if they're proper fucked."
A pause.
"Also, might as well throw this out there, but Twilight and her friends wanted me to send a message back to their friends and family, to let them know they're safe and secure. I know Equestria-IV doesn't have a proper Chronomancer at the moment but you might know who's been assigned to investigate."
Old Timer nodded. "That would be Agent Happy Hour, and I'll have a message sent off to him. He's been sending us reports as well, so a comparison of data should give us an idea as to what course of action to take in regards to both Equestria-IV and Equestria-V."
"Your data has finished its transfer, and we will be going over it now," said the zebra, Doctor Likita. "Please be patient, as this will take some time. Relatively-speaking, of course."
Winter nodded, and the call temporarily went on hold. She didn't know how long it would take, but knew that her time relative to theirs was nothing. She waited one minute, two minutes, three—
The call reconnected, and Old Timer and Doctor Likita were back on screen; they'd hardly changed a bit over the past three days on their end, though Old Timer had on a different tie than he did before. It was still gray, of course, just a different shade of it.
"Agent Winter Glow," started Old Timer, "we have finished the review of your data, and after comparing it to a number of related incidents throughout our database, accounting for your story, and a brief communication with Agent Happy Hour to obtain a thorough data analysis from him as well, we have come to a conclusion."
"Your world has entered into the beginning stages of a Class-1 complete destabilization," said Likita, steepling her hooves as she did. "I am sorry."
Winter sank down in her chair, the weight of the words dragging her down and threatening to pull her through the floor. "Complete destabilization" meant exactly what it sounded like it meant: Equestria-V was on the road to total and utter destruction, and if it was a Class-1, that meant that it was absolutely impossible to turn back.
"I… I don't know what to say. This all happened so fast and… and there wasn't anything I could do," Winter muttered, not even able to look up at the screen. "There weren't even any Void rifts, so how did this happen?"
"This is a unique situation in a great many ways," said Old Timer, professional and even-tempered despite just informing Winter that her world was dying. "The main crux of the issue is that the surge in Chaos energies—Darkness, as your world refers to them by—rose so suddenly and strongly. We cannot say for certain if this mystery alicorn you discovered did this intentionally, but that's only the beginning."
"Your world's Darkness levels are continuing to rise at a steady rate," Likita said, tapping some keys to show off a graph that demonstrated her explanation. "At the rate of which they're rising, we'd normally classify your world at a Class-3 at this point in time and schedule you and your ward Hourglass for immediate evacuation. Luckily, there's a counterbalance present in the residents of Equestria-IV, specifically in Twilight Sparkle."
"Based on our readings, her allotment of Law energy—Light in your world's terms—is so potent that she is quite literally keeping your world from dying just by being there. It's rather remarkable, actually." Old Timer shook his head. "Naturally that presents an unfortunate conundrum because she needs to be sent back to her own world, and doing so will most certainly accelerate Equestria-V's death."
Winter threw her hooves in the air. "So what the fuck am I supposed to do? Because the way you two are talkin', my world's doomed and I might as well head back out there and let everypony know they're gonna die. 'Great job, Winter', they'll say. 'We thought it was your job to stop this kind of shit'."
"We understand your consternation, Agent Winter," said Likita with a short, professional nod. "Unfortunately, that is not the end of this conversation. Data that we collected from Agent Happy Hour has revealed a rather… complicated issue. According to our analysis, the spell that Twilight Sparkle used to 'view' your world is also a major point of concern."
"Of course it is. I told her she was putting her world at risk by doin' that shit," Winter grunted. The satisfaction of being right didn't help matters any because it just proved the projections correct: Twilight needed to go home soon, and when she did, this world would die.
"On the contrary, her spell on its own should not have had such a dramatic effect," said Old Timer with a shake of his head. "Her spell was impressively well-crafted. It functions almost identically to the magic we're using right now to communicate, albeit on a significantly lesser scale as she lacks Chronomancer technology to amplify it."
"Our data suggests that the spell was flawless," said Likita with a pleasant smile; she seemed to actually enjoy this part of the discussion. "The Void tunnels she created into your world were similar to… well, to use a medical metaphor, Twilight's spell was akin to a surgical incision. It was precise, it was small, and it was easily sealed and would have healed with no issue."
Winter raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so… you're sayin' that Twilight's spell was workin' perfectly? That it was safe?"
"Indeed. Agent Happy Hour obtained her notes on the spell from a 'Starlight Glimmer' and was able to determine that the spell was meticulously tested, and that over three dozen failsafe protocols were implemented to prevent any possible malfunction. It's really rather ingenious."
Old Timer nodded. "This would be enough to earn her a minor reprimand from her world's Chronomancer if it still had one, but it would also draw the interest of the Recruiting Department. Though it's doubtful that she would accept, of course."
Winter sank back down in her seat. "I see…" She shook her head. "Then what happened? Somethin' obviously went wrong that she didn't predict, otherwise we wouldn't be havin' this conversation."
Likita adjusted her glasses. "According to your explanation of events, Twilight claimed that something attempted to wrangle control of the spell away from her. While that makes little sense in and of itself—the spell's connection should not allow for interaction between the worlds—the fact is that that's the data we have at the moment."
"The best that we can figure is that something on your end affected her spell somehow," said Old Timer. "What it is, we can't say for certain, but we don't think there are many other possibilities given the data that you have provided us with."
"You think somethin' in this world, what, reached out to try and take over Twilight's spell?" Winter asked, eyes wide. "How would they even notice it? Who could even be powerful enough… to do it…" She leaned back in her seat. "Fuck. Why do I have the feelin' that this all leads back to Nihila?"
"Hmm, your reports on this 'Nihila' character indicate that she would have certainly possessed the power and the wherewithal to attempt such an action."
"Makes sense. I've got a bunch of leaders over here tryin' to find her and take her down for completely unrelated reasons. You're sayin' they might be related?"
Old Time nodded. "Potentially. We compared the current data with data from your report during the prior incident with Twilight and her friends, and our analysis suggests that the balance levels did not return to their proper point following their departure.
"As such, we have been moving forward on possible solutions with Nihila in mind using all of the data on her that you have provided. But, assuming that is to be the case, that's where the complications get particularly… well, complicated."
Likita nodded and steepled her hooves. "When Twilight's spell was sabotaged, the surgical incision she made became more of a wound. To use another medical analogy, if Twilight was wielding a scalpel to make her incisions, then Nihila was wielding a hatchet."
"Easily sealed and healed if Twilight returns to her world quickly," Old Timer continued, bristling his mustache. "Which is one of the options we have for the current predicament: send Twilight and her friends home immediately. Your world will likely die within a month if not sooner, but hers will no longer be in danger of destabilizing."
Winter ran a hoof over her face; she'd been expecting that and dreading it all the same. "Twilight's not gonna like that. I know her, she won't want to sacrifice this world to save her own. She'll want to find a way to save both even if it puts hers at risk."
"Well, luckily for you we have two other options."
"Our first consideration is a standard Protocol Fifty-Two," said Likita, adjusting her glasses. "The scale is larger than we would typically allow, but it's still very much doable."
"Every citizen of Equestria-V that wishes to leave will go through customary world-transfer procedures," continued Old Timer. "The move will be entirely voluntary, but they should understand that if they do not leave, they will die. However, as with any P52 process, the creatures who transfer over may not retain the entirety of their identities. Equestria-IV is too different, and it will change things to make creatures fit its narrative."
"A pony in your world that works as a doctor would likely have little trouble with the transition apart from the facilities involved, but a computer technician would not have an equivalent career to transition into, so there is no telling what Equestria-IV would do to make that fit."
Winter sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know how a P52 works. Results are unpredictable, and some folks that make the move won't even be recognizable afterwards, but… well, at least they're alive. Leads to kind of a Ship of Theseus paradox though. Some folks might not like that."
She could definitely think of quite a few that wouldn't. She'd just left most of them behind in Hope's Point a few minutes ago. It wasn't just careers that changed in a P52, it was entire livelihoods. There wasn't a technological wonderland ruled by a pony queen in Twilight's world, for instance; Queen Blackburn would likely undergo a massive adjustment just to make her life fit.
"Naturally. But that won't be your concern. If we take this option, Chronomancer HQ will send field agents to facilitate the transition in a safe, orderly fashion. You and your ward, Hourglass, will return to HQ to be reassigned elsewhere; Equestria-V will just be a memory, one that only you two will even remember."
Likita tilted her head. "And then there's our third solution. It's rather unorthodox, but the situation is unique and we've seen evidence in the data that suggests that we have a distinct opportunity to make it work."
"I'm listenin'," Winter said. "What is it?"
"A complete world merger."
Winter balked. "A what?"
"A world merger. Equestria-V and Equestria-IV will be combined into a single world. We haven't discussed any possibilities for the new world's designation, but we can do so if the option is considered seriously."
Old Timer nodded. "The last time that this sort of technique was used was in the creation of Chronomancer HQ, which is made up of thirteen different worlds merged and condensed into a single facility to allow us to manipulate time and space effectively and without paradoxical issues. The effect on Equestria-V and IV would not nearly be so dramatic, but it will be dramatic nonetheless."
Likita adjusted her glasses. "In order to save your world, Agent Winter, we must perform a… to use another medical analogy, we must perform an organ transplant, only in reverse. Essentially, entire pieces of Equestria-V will be transitioned over to Equestria-IV in order to save them as they are. Some adjustments akin to a standard P52 will occur, but the effect will be less dramatic."
"So… everypony from this world would move over to Twilight's?" Winter asked.
"Essentially, yes. The technology difference between the worlds will likely be the only major change; technology from your world that transfers over might not work the same, if at all. Otherwise, everypony would retain their personalities and livelihoods, and Equestria-IV would compensate for the new additions organically. It would be more of a gestalt than a simple combination."
"Well if you ask me, that sounds like the ideal solution. Why would ya even bother suggestin' the other two at all?"
Likita sighed. "That is where Nihila becomes the problem. Assuming that she's responsible for the 'wound' that was created from Twilight's spell, she could potentially sabotage any attempt to merge the worlds together, as the process is not as precise as a standard P52. She could… 'infect' the new world we would be creating, the same way that an unhealthy organ cannot be used in a transplant procedure."
"Thus, she would need to be removed from the equation entirely," Old Timer clarified with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "She may be a part of Equestria-V's hierarchy, but she operates in such a way that she is a threat to both worlds' stability. Chronomancer protocol dictates that such threats are to be eliminated with all due prejudice."
Winter rubbed her temples and let out a breath. "So, you're sayin' that I've got three solutions: one, I send Twilight and company home, then watch this world get destroyed; two, we perform a P52 and see how many ponies we can save, but we know we can't save 'em all; or three, we smash the worlds together, but first we have to destroy Nihila. Does that sound right?"
"A succinct summary if there ever was one, Agent Winter."
"Naturally the latter two decisions are not something that you can make on your own," said Likita. "Due to the circumstances of the situation, we are rescinding standard Chronomancer protocol and will allow you to freely discuss the nature of alternate worlds with the denizens of Equestria-V as you see fit, excepting matters pertaining to Equestria Prime of course."
"Of course. They should know what's at stake. Assumin' Twilight decides to stick around to help, how long would ya say I've got?"
"Current estimates place it at forty days, though we cannot account for some variances so this is a rough estimate. It may be less," said Old Timer.
Winter sighed and shook her head. "Right, well, that's better than nothin'. I'll be in touch with ya once I have an answer for ya. Do I have permission to use remote emergency channels?"
"Yes. You may use your Timekeeper to contact myself or Doctor Likita directly, especially if you require additional details to explain these processes to others," said Old Timer with a nod. "But if there are no other questions though, Agent Winter, we will let you go. Doctor Likita will be analyzing dimensional data from both Equestria-IV and V in the meantime so that we can better answer any future questions."
"Yeah, thanks. I think I'm done here for now."
"Godspeed, Agent Winter."
"And good luck," added Likita.
Winter shut off the connection, wondering just how in the blue hell things had gotten this bad without her noticing. How did a Class-1 Destabilization slip past her like that? She'd thought that she'd been performing admirably over the past several years, well enough that HQ wanted her to start training an apprentice early, well enough that her yearly evaluations were all of stellar quality.
There was definitely something that she was missing here. Something big. All she knew is that the big start of the problem came about when that mysterious alicorn appeared in the ruins, the one that looked exactly like Nihila. She was beginning to wonder if she should've just ignored Sunspire and executed the alicorn on the spot. She still needed to get an update on that situation from Queen Blackburn, so hopefully she knew more.
First, though, there was some work she needed to do before returning to Hope's Point, namely that she needed to have some conversations with a few important ponies here in New Pandemonium. There was always the possibility that Silvertongue had caused this problem himself, intentionally or not, and she needed Dawn so the she could interrogate him. She was not looking forward to that conversation.
For now though, she grabbed her Timekeeper out of its attachment and, with a sigh, she hopped out of her chair and made her way to the exit of her office, heading back out into the den of her apartment. She didn't even acknowledge Dawn as she did so, just made straight for the kitchen.
"My my, that was certainly quicker than I was anticipating," Dawn said, glancing at the time on the grandfather clock. "You have only been gone for, according to your clock, just over three minutes. Have you finished analyzing all of the data already?"
Winter grunted an acknowledgement but didn't clarify it further. She couldn't acknowledge anything more than that right now; she didn't want to talk or answer any questions, she just wanted to drink. She opened up the lock on the liquor cabinet, grabbed the big, half-full bottle of scotch off the bottom shelf, popped open the cap, and drank straight from the bottle until it was empty.