Rekindled Embers

by applezombi

Chapter 50

Personal Journal of Empress Cadance, date unrecorded

I’m worried about Flurry.  She’s been an alicorn nearly as long as I have.  The difference in our ages is almost negligible, given how long we’ve lived together.  And yet she still will not seek communion with the Starlit Path.  I’ve told her about what it is, and what it means to us.  To our kind.

I’m not worried that she can’t find it; I guided her there, once, in a dream we shared.  I’m not the most skilled at dreamwalking, but I’ve always been able to find the thin connection between my dreams and the Path.  I know it’s there for Flurry Heart, too.  But she fears it.

I’ve brought it up many times.  She only gets angry.  The last time was well over a century ago, and it nearly drove a wedge between us.  She shouted at me, told me ‘she would never abandon me or her people like that.’

Is that how she sees what Celestia and Luna did?  Abandonment?  I need to talk to her, to correct her misapprehension, but I can’t.  She won’t even let me say a word about it before she leaves or changes the subject.

It may need to be another.  The time is getting close; there will be new alicorns.  Maybe one of the others will be able to speak some sense to her.  I can only hope.  My beloved daughter needs to know the peace and enlightenment that comes when we commune with our homeland.

Maybe she’ll even be able to speak with you, Twilight.  I know you’re there, if weakly.  Even in death you cannot lose your place on the Starlit Path.

Only why is it so hard for me to find your presence there, some days?

Northern Seas, 1113 AF

To say the mood on board Pearl Shimmer was a lousy one would be an understatement in the extreme.  The ponies' procession back to their rowboat was painfully silent.  Sunset Shimmer (or, more properly, Princess Sunset Shimmer, Emberglow supposed) was still asleep; as far as Emberglow’s diagnosis spells could confirm, she was in a coma with no medical cause.  All they could do was wait and wonder, and bring her back to the ship.

At least there was some good news when they made it back to Pearl Shimmer.  The Diarchy ship that had come to retrieve Mercy Song had left soon after it arrived.  As far as Captain Yancey could tell, the Knights were not going to try to chase them back to the Crystal Empire.  It was a small relief, at least. Captain Yancey was elated to receive his ship’s namesake on board.  The fact that she was comatose didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

“Captain Yancey will give up Captain Yancey’s own quarters to house Princess Sunset!” he declared, to the cheers of all of his sailors.  Emberglow found it hard to join in.  She hadn’t known the changeling Escher for more than a day or so, but she could certainly see Lofty’s stricken look.  Topaz could barely stand from shaking, all the way back to the boat, and as soon as they made it back onboard Pearl Shimmer Topaz practically fled to their quarters.

A buzzing from above made Emberglow jerk her gaze up.  It was the other changeling, Mahogany. 

Mahogany took one look at their returning party and stiffened, his eyes filling with fury.  He buzzed his wings, landing next to them.  “Where is my nephew?”

“Escher… gave his life to save us.  To save…” Emberglow waved limply to where the sailors were now lovingly carrying Sunset down into the Captain’s quarters.  “To save her, too.”

The changeling pushed his stricken face close to Emberglow’s, and she had to recoil.  If she was being honest, ever since she’d met the two changelings a few days ago something about them had made her uncomfortable.  Especially this one; the older of the two always seemed to be staring at her, as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t. 

“I need to know the whole story,” he demanded, voice thick with grief. 

“Do you… would you like to go somewhere more private than a ship’s deck?”

The changeling shook his head.  “No.  I just need to hear what happened to my nephew.”

So she told him.  They moved over to the railing of the ship, watching out over the gently rolling waves as Emberglow spoke about the creature she’d barely had a chance to meet.  Mahogany said nothing, but every time Emberglow glanced over he had tears streaming down the sides of his face. 

It must have been a while later that Rarity interrupted, approaching them from behind.  “I’m sorry to interject, dears, but Emberglow is needed for a bit of a meeting.  Did you…” Emberglow turned to look at them, and Rarity’s eyes widened.  “Oh!  You haven’t even had a chance to clean up, yet.  Well, we can delay the meeting for a bit.”

“It’s okay, Rarity.  I can wait.”

“You’ll feel much better when you do, darling,” Rarity said.  “We’ve all needed to take a few moments to ourselves, after what happened.”

“Go,” Mahogany said, glancing away from both mares.  “And… thank you.”

“Did he have any other family?” Emberglow felt the need to ask.

“Just me,” Mahogany said.  “His mother died when he was too young to remember, and his father passed just a few years back.  I’ve been… out of touch, so he’s mostly been by himself.  Topaz was his family.”

“I see.” Emberglow gulped, her throat tight.  There had to be more she could say.  “Um, if there’s anything you need, anything I can help with…”

“You go clean up, and have your meeting,” Mahogany turned back to her.  There was kindness in his voice, even if Emberglow had a hard time reading his alien eyes.  “Thank you for offering.”

“Sure.”  Emberglow hesitated a moment, but Mahogany was once again lost, staring at the waves.  She trotted off.

Her cabin was right next door to the cabin Lofty, Topaz, and True were sharing, and as she passed she could hear the sounds of an argument.

“Where Esser?” True demanded, and Emberglow’s heart clenched.  “Where Star?”

“True, honey,” Topaz said softly, her voice raw.  “Starlight and Escher are not coming back.”

“No!  Coming back!”  The foal’s voice was snarled with anger and confusion.  Emberglow hurried on before she could hear more choked sobs from Topaz as she tried to explain things to True, while Lofty murmured comforting things to his despairing son.

Emberglow’s cabin was empty, but Rarity and Terminus had left out a small washbasin and several towels.  She closed the door and removed her armor, then her gambeson, soiled with specks of blood from the scrapes she’d gotten courtesy of the caving ceiling.  She took a moment to wet one of the towels, and carefully cleaned the mud, sweat, and blood from her fur.

You’re just not going to think about anything, are you?  Just going to hide from what just happened?  Like you always try to avoid the thought of death.  Coward.

The voice in her head usually sounded like Gadget.  Now it sounded like Escher.  She didn’t even pause in her cleaning to wonder what that meant.

Once again, Emberglow survives while others die.  What makes you so special?

That time it was Gadget.  Emberglow shuddered, reaching down into the water to splash as much as she could over her face. 

It wasn’t a perfect job, but at least she was presentable.  She dressed quickly in one of her spare sets of robes and tossed the soiled towels in an empty bucket laid next to the first.  Her friends needed her.  Everypony needed her to be strong.  She’d have time to break down and mourn later.

The Elements of Harmony had met in the galley.  Each of them sat on the benches around the room, but nopony was looking at each other.  Their eyes were on the floor, or on the walls.  Topaz was curled up in Lofty’s hooves, and Terminus had what looked like a rather tight grip on one of Heartwing’s.

“I’d really prefer us all to take some time to get a handle on what happened,” Rarity began, as soon as Emberglow entered.  “But life doesn’t seem to be giving us that chance.  It seems we’ve been rocketing from one disaster to the next.  At least we’re safe now, I suppose.  And we need to talk about the illusion we saw, while it’s still fresh in our minds.  Heartwing?  Do you know anything about this ‘Adagio Dazzle’ character?”

“A little,” Heartwing said.  “Not much.  We met, once.  During my wilder days, before Fluttershy.”  Emberglow noticed Terminus squeeze his hoof once, but he didn’t flinch.  She had a moment of pride for her friend.  “Before my first time in stone, actually.  She was one of the three Sirens, a family of sea serpents that used the power of their voices to corrupt ponies and spread disharmony.”  He gave a wan smile.  “I told her I admired her work, and we agreed to stay out of each other’s way.  She had two sisters, if I remember.  Both musical names, though it escapes me what they were.

“They didn’t last long after I met them.  Starswirl and his wonder team tracked them down and gave them a beating.  Last I heard, he’d tossed them into another dimension.”

“That’s where I’ve heard of them before!” Rarity’s eyes lit up.  “From the other dimension!  The one Twilight used to visit through the mirror portal!”

She was met by several blank stares.  “Well, don’t all look at me.  I don’t remember half of what she told us about it all, except that everypony there walked on two legs, and they had hands instead of forehooves.  It honestly sounded wretched, until Twilight explained that on the other side, there were mirror versions of each of us.  There was another Rarity, another Twilight, and so on.  It’s where Sunset used to live, even though she was from our side of the portal.”

Emberglow could barely follow as Rarity weaved a bizarre tale of an alternate reality, a singing competition, and somehow destroying the Sirens’ ability to sing.  “I’m sorry that I don’t know all the details.  In retrospect, I clearly should have paid more attention.  Sorry.”

“Well, whatever the reason, it seems this ‘Adagio Dazzle’ didn’t take too kindly to being thwarted.  We villains rarely do,” Heartwing shrugged.

“You’re not a villain any longer,” Terminus nudged him with a hoof.  

Rarity gave them both a skeptical look.  “Quite.  It makes me wonder, though.  Was that really all it was?  All this death and hatred and terror, just some bitter creature’s revenge plot?”

“Did it need to be more?” Heartwing said.  “You heard her voice.  She was mad.  She knew Twilight was dead, but kept talking to her.  She was rambling, maybe even a little incoherent.”

“I’m sorry if it’s a little hard for me to accept ponies killing each other so easily.  Some ponies simply are not as experienced in that regard as you.”

Heartwing recoiled.

“That was uncalled for, Rarity,” Topaz said softly.  Rarity flushed, but her frown held steady.

“N-no, it’s fine,” Heartwing glanced down.  “That’s why you’re here with us, Rarity.  You remind us of how the world was supposed to be before it all went bad.”

“I guess we all know why that happened now, right?” Emberglow said.  “I hate to think that all of this misery was caused by one creature.”

“A team of them, more accurately,” Rarity said.  “Cozy Glow was a master manipulator; she nearly destroyed Equestria as a foal.  Tirek was a magic-stealing centaur.  We… that is, Princess Twilight and the rest of our friends defeated them.  I can see why they may bear a grudge.”

“It must have taken a colossal effort to convince all these villains to work together,” Heartwing said.

“You would know a bit about villainous collaboration, wouldn’t you?”  Rarity’s voice was far too innocent, and Heartwing looked away.  But neither one seemed willing to explain.  

Everypony fell silent.  Emberglow couldn’t help but wonder who these names were, who they represented.  Who was Cozy Glow?  Who was Tirek?  Adagio Dazzle?  What had their lives been like?  What had they felt?  Seen?  What… what compelled them to do what they did?

“Be that as it may,” Rarity said, “It hardly matters, does it?  They’re all gone.  And we have a new problem.  The Element of Magic.  Though we may have at least found the Element’s bearer.”

“You mean… Sunset Shimmer?” Heartwing blinked at her, his face thoughtful.

“Why not?  It makes sense.  She was trained by Princess Celestia before Twilight, she even held the Element briefly herself.”

“If I remember the story as Twilight told it,” Heartwing said sardonically, “that wasn’t exactly with permission.  Nor did it go very well.”

“Be that as it may, I don’t see any other alicorns ready to take up the mantle, do you?” Rarity shot back.

“You forget, Twilight didn’t begin her time as Element with her wings, Rarity.  It could be somepony else.”

“Of course it’s possible,” Rarity said dismissively.  “But right now, she’s the best lead we have.”

“If she wakes up,” Emberglow interjected.  She felt oddly like an outsider in this whole conversation, and the looks on the eyes of her companions suggested she wasn’t alone.  Lofty also looked lost, and Terminus was blinking with confusion.  Topaz simply looked exhausted from her place curled up against Lofty.

“I think you should make that a priority, Emberglow,” Rarity said.  “I will as well.  I’ll ask Twilight for any advice she has.”

“And when you say Twilight, you mean…”

“Yes!” Rarity interjected with an exasperated sigh.  “Yes, I mean the construct, or doll, or talking Twilight facsimile.  I’m going to study what she has to say about the whole thing.  Maybe we can learn something useful.”

Meanwhile Emberglow’s heart was sinking.  Another few weeks of barely talking to Rarity, barely being in her company, while she spent all her time with a pony dead a thousand years?  It sounded awful.

“So I know nopony has mentioned it yet,” Terminus said.  “But that ‘Adagio’ thing, that creature, gave the Element of Magic to Diarchy Knights.  Guessing we have a pretty good idea of where it ended up.”

The room felt like it got a little colder.  Emberglow looked around at everypony’s crestfallen faces.  The Diarchy was the one place she wanted to forget, to leave behind forever.  But that wasn’t really going to be an option, was it?

“We’re going to have to go back.”

The words were out of Emberglow’s mouth before she realized she’d been the one to speak them.  She hated herself for being the one to say it.  But it was true.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Terminus ventured, sounding unsure.  “Steadfast Word left the capitol with the Element of Honesty.  Maybe he’ll do it again?”

“I don’t think we can count on Sir Steadfast making the same mistake twice,” Heartwing said.  “And besides, we have another stop to make before we can even think of trying to sneak into the Diarchy to look for the Element of Magic.”

“We could ask Princess Flurry for help,” Topaz said.  Her voice was rough; Emberglow knew she’d been crying quite a bit.  “She’s not your enemy.”

“I’m a prisoner on this ship, whatever permissions the Captain may have given me,” Heartwing said.  “No matter what we do with the Diarchy, we’ll have to deal with Princess Flurry first.”

“Princess Flurry will help us,” Topaz said firmly.  “I know it.”

There was nothing left to discuss, but nopony seemed eager to leave just yet.  Nopony wanted to talk about Escher, but his death loomed like a dark shroud over everypony there.  Finally Rarity stood.

“I’m going to go consult with Twilight.  Perhaps she has some answers that will help us wake Sunset.”

“C-can I come with?” Emberglow stood up quickly enough that she nearly tripped on the stool she’d been sitting on.  Everypony gave her an odd look, including Topaz, who had a small smile.  “I’d like to help!”

Rarity paused, looking at her for a few moments, then nodded.  It wasn’t the enthusiastic response Emberglow had been hoping for, but it was enough.  She followed Rarity out of the galley towards their cabin.

“You seemed rather eager, there,” Rarity noted.  Emberglow felt her face heating up.  It was time to be honest.

“I’ve been missing what we had before the dragon,” Emberglow admitted.  “I just feel like you’re moving further and further away from us.  Or me.”

Rarity’s expression softened, and she gave a little smile and a nod.  “I’m afraid I may not be very good company at the moment, but of course you’re free to join me.”

It wasn’t much, but it was enough.  Emberglow and Rarity moved into the cabin, where Rarity retrieved the Twilight construct.  A touch of her magic woke it up.

“Good evening, Twilight,” Rarity said politely.  “Emberglow and I are hoping you could answer some questions for us.”  Her horn stayed glowing, and a journal floated over, along with a few quills.

“You’ve been taking notes?” Emberglow asked.

“I have.” Rarity sighed.  “I was never one to bury myself in books and study fastidiously like Twilight, but I’m finding that, the more I listen to her, the more it makes sense for me to keep a record of the things I’m learning.”  Rarity laughed.  “It’s a little silly.  Sometimes I joke with her that I’m becoming more and more like her every day.”

“Like her, how?”

“As my friend Rainbow Dash would have put it, perhaps I’m becoming a bit of an egghead.”  Emberglow cocked her head to the side in confusion.  “Don’t get me wrong, darling.  I don’t believe I’ll ever feel the true joy of learning for learning’s sake, of burying myself in research and study the way Twilight always did.  But I have to understand what Twilight gave me.  I have to make sense of it.  Otherwise, what good am I?”

“Rarity…”

“Sorry about that, darling.  We didn’t come so you could listen to me being all mopey and introspective.”

“Well, if you want to talk about it, we can put the session with the construct on hold.”

Rarity seemed to consider this for a moment, and Emberglow’s heart beat faster.  Maybe they’d actually get a chance to really talk!  But then Rarity shook her head, and Emberglow’s heart fell.  “No.  No, I think we need to understand what happened to Sunset Shimmer.  So we can wake her up.  Twilight darling, what can you tell me about the process of Alicorn ascension?”

“The process of a pony from the three tribes ascending to become an alicorn is difficult to explain and to understand,” the construct began.  “Before I share more, a query; this construct was designed to respond to either Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, or Rarity.  Of those three, has one of them ascended?”

“Sunset Shimmer has, darling,” Rarity said, her eyes widening slightly.

“Then I will lock most information about ascension behind voice recognition for Sunset Shimmer.”

“Lock?  What do you mean, lock?” Rarity’s voice filled with panic.

“Access to most information about ascension will be accessible only to the voice and magical signature of Princess Sunset Shimmer,” the construct said.

“So… I could have lied, and said it was me?  And you would have locked it to my voice and signature?” Rarity pouted.

“That information is not stored in this construct.”

Rarity was seething, and Emberglow had to stop herself from reaching out to comfort her.

“Very well then, Twilight darling.  What can you tell me about alicorn ascension?”

“The processes and circumstances of ascension are a deeply sacred secret to alicorns.  In the past, ponies of nefarious intent have tried to pry the secrets from various Princesses throughout time.  As a result, I find it prudent to include safeguards around that sort of information.  However, since there may be no other alicorns nearby, it was necessary to include it in the construct anyways.”

“We have an alicorn who is unconscious.  In a coma.  We don’t know if it is from her ascension, or from something earlier,” Emberglow chimed in.  “Can you tell us anything about why an alicorn may be in a coma?”

“The process of becoming an alicorn is both physically and magically taxing.  When it occurred to me, Princess Celestia was there to guide me through the process.  I didn’t know at the time, but she was feeding me some of her own magic, her own energy, to allow me to move through the process more comfortably.  It may be that an alicorn, experiencing ascension under stressful circumstances, will be sleeping off the effects for days.”

“What can we do to help?  Does she require a feeding tube?  Or an IV?”

“While alicorn physiology is different than average ponies, an alicorn will still require food and water, though it would take much longer to starve one of us.  It is recommended for the health of the alicorn that you employ either medical or magical means to feed the comatose patient.  Some examples of unicorn spells to that effect are included in this construct, and will be produced on request.”

“Can you tell us about the process itself?  What caused Sunset Shimmer to ascend in the first place?” Rarity asked.

“That information is secure behind a voice analysis and magical signature of Princess Sunset Shimmer.”

“Oh good,” Rarity snarled.  “We’ve now managed to teach her another phrase to annoy me with.  Maybe I should have just lied.”

Emberglow, the Element of Honesty, gave her a look complete with thin pressed lips and raised eyebrows.

“Kidding!  I’m kidding, Emberglow.  Twilight, please teach us those spells.  We’d like to do our best to ensure that the new princess is as healthy as possible, and wakes up soon.  I believe her to be the new Element of Magic, after all.”

It turned out to be rather more complicated than Emberglow thought.  The construct was not a good teacher, and from Rarity’s own huffs of frustration, Emberglow was sure Rarity was feeling the same thing she was.  The construct was very technical in its explanations, and lacked the more personal interactions Emberglow was used to from a flesh-and-blood teacher.

It also didn’t help that the construct was describing a unicorn spell.  While, in theory, her teachers back at the Ivy Seminary had said that all unicorn spells, save telekinesis and teleportation, could be translated into rune spells, the practice of doing so was not something she’d ever had to consider.

“I’m sorry, Rarity.  I’ve never had to translate a unicorn spell to runes before.” Emberglow sighed with frustration after the construct had repeated her instructions for the fifth time.  “Maybe we need to ask Heartwing for help.”

A look of distaste oozed over Rarity’s muzzle, and Emberglow immediately regretted the suggestion.  “I’m sorry, Emberglow, the thought of spending any length of time closed in a room with him is…” she waved a hoof.  “…still too soon.  Even with your lovely company there to soften the blow, as it were.”

Emberglow tried not to blush at the compliment, even though the news that Rarity had still not yet come to terms with Heartwing’s presence was a bit of a blow.

“I promise to ask him if we become desperate.  But I think you’re going to be much more help than he is. I simply don’t have the medical training to understand exactly what Twilight is talking about,” Rarity groaned.  “It may take a while to work something out.”  A small smile graced her muzzle.  “Perhaps not the date you were hoping for, darling, but I think we’re going to need to spend a lot more time on this.”

Even though Emberglow was fairly certain Rarity was simply trying to change the subject from obtaining Heartwing’s help, she couldn’t help but laugh nervously.  “Um, okay.  I’ll do my best.”

The next few hours until bedtime weren’t anything like the date they’d had in the Nyumba ya Joka market, but it was certainly pleasant to sit and study alongside Rarity.  It made Emberglow think of all those times she’d tutored Lofty, teaching him rune magic, and the not-so-subtle crush he’d been harboring at the time.

At least this time, Emberglow was at least getting a few hints that her crush was not as one sided as his has been.

It was with no little annoyance, then, when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.  She and Rarity shared an exasperated look and a small smile, before Rarity’s sing-song voice called out, “Come in!”

Terminus poked his head in, his face flushed slightly.  “I thought I’d knock, in case…” he cleared his throat.  “Um.”  Emberglow glanced away quickly.  “Some of the sailors are pretty grateful for what we did, and what Heartwing did.  You know, with the cyclone?  So they offered to double up, so they could clear out an extra cabin for Heartwing and I.  Since he isn’t really going to be staying in that damp cage in the ship’s bottom any longer.”

“That’s kind of them,” Emberglow said, when she saw Rarity’s mouth harden a little at the mention of Heartwing’s name.

“Yeah,” Terminus said.  “So I’m just going to gather up some things, and then we’re going to bed.  Early, I know, but…” he trailed off, looking down and away with a tiny smile on his face.

“You need some ‘private time’,” Rarity guessed.  Terminus nodded, a little quickly.

“After what happened, I really feel like I need to do something life affirming, you know?” Terminus said, slipping into the room.  Rarity gave out a little giggle, and Emberglow didn’t even want to know just how red she was.  “There hasn’t been much opportunity lately, you know?”

“I don’t need to hear the details!” Rarity sounded just a little panicked, and Terminus laughed as he picked up his saddle bags from where they’d been stored underneath one of the cabin’s bunks.  He gave them all a little wave.

“You two have fun, okay?” he slipped out of the door.

“Does he think…” Emberglow could hear her own heart pounding, and barely held back the urge to hyperventilate. 

“I don’t know what he thinks,” Rarity said.  “But it doesn’t matter.  This was a lovely evening, darling.  Maybe we didn’t make much progress, maybe we did.  But I’m rather glad you spent it with me.”

“I want to do more,” Emberglow said before she could even consider stopping herself.  “Rarity… you…” her thoughts and words jumbled together, tripping over each other on their way to her tongue and out of her mouth.  “I mean, I enjoy spending time with you.  Really enjoy it.”  Rarity’s eyes were wide, and Emberglow just now realized how close their muzzles had grown.  She gulped, her mouth suddenly very dry.  “I don’t even know what comes next.  Or how.  But I want us to be more.  Am I even making sense?”

“You are, darling,” Rarity began, after a heartbeat of silence.  But then she sighed and glanced away.  “I…”

Something in Emberglow’s chest broke.  The hesitation, the way Rarity’s eyes wouldn’t meet hers.  “I… I see.  I’ll back off, I can…”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant!” Rarity’s gaze snapped back to hers, and she held out a hoof to stop Emberglow in the act of turning to leave.  “I want to have this conversation.  I do.  Just… not right now?  Not in the wake of what happened earlier?  Please.”

Emberglow stared at the other mare, studying her face, getting lost in her eyes for a few breaths.  There was no lie Emberglow could see.  She nodded.

“Okay.  I can be patient,” Emberglow said.  “It’s not like… I know what I’m doing anyways.  I’ll need you to guide me, every step of the way.”

“Because I’m such an expert at romance?” Rarity quipped sarcastically.  “With my many failures, and a reputation for virginity that has lasted a millennia?”

“Don’t take that to heart, it’s just—”

“Relax, darling.  I’m just being silly.”  Rarity leaned close, their lips almost touching.  “I never thought I’d be here.  Going on dates that involved studying, of all things.  Princess Twilight would be beside herself with glee.  Rainbow would never let me live it down.”

She was close enough that Emberglow could smell the shampoo she’d used to clean up after their misadventure on the island, and feel the gentle breeze of her breath.  Some deep, primal part of her begged to just lean that much further forward, to span the divide, bridge the gap and meet in the middle.

Rarity did it for her.

Their lips touched, gentle and soft and wonderful.  For a moment, Emberglow waited, listening, for the voice in her head, the nagging, hateful voice that sometimes sounded like Gadget, sometimes like the nameless Adamant she killed, and now sometimes sounded like the changeling Escher.  It never came.  Instead, all she could hear were the gentle splash of the waves lapping against the side of the ship and the hoofsteps of the sailors above them, on deck.

And of course, the needful little sounds both she and Rarity made as they pressed their lips against each other.  It was enough to drive all inkling of her own doubts from her head in a wave of heat, burning away the guilt, the regret, and the shame she’d lived with her entire adult life.

This was nothing like Emberglow’s first kiss.  This was no quick peck, followed by fear and regret.  This was a meeting, a melding of passion and fire.  Their lips moved together, and when something tiny and wet danced along Emberglow’s mouth, Rarity’s tongue, she parted her lips at the request.

Emberglow felt a hoof running through her mane, and she leaned in, pressing her front against Rarity, reaching out herself to embrace the other mare.  She closed her eyes, drowning out sight, ignoring sounds, and just let herself feel the silky texture of Rarity’s mane, smell the scent of her, of soap and clean and Rarity, and feel the touch of her lips, the dance of their tongues.

Far too soon the kiss was over, and Emberglow found herself panting for breath, opening her eye to see Rarity’s own half-lidded blue eyes gazing at her.  She could see the flush of Rarity’s cheeks, her own face hot as well.  She wanted to lose herself in those eyes forever.

Suddenly Rarity’s eyes widened, and she jerked back a few inches.

“I-I’m sorry, darling.  And right after I said I wanted to wait to have this conversation.  I just… couldn’t help myself.”

“To be fair, we weren’t doing much conversing,” Emberglow said, and Rarity gave a snort of laughter before blushing and covering her mouth with one hoof.  “You’re right, though.  I’m so—"

“Don’t you dare apologize for that,” Rarity whispered urgently.  “That was exactly what I needed right now.  And you were wonderful, in case you were wondering.”

“I was?” Emberglow stared at Rarity dumbly.

“Don’t you doubt it for a second.”  Rarity sighed, and released her embrace, stepping away from Emberglow with a look of longing.  “But I really am sorry, myself.  After suggesting we wait—”

“If I’m not allowed to apologize, you’re not either,” Emberglow said firmly, tapping one hoof on Rarity’s muzzle.  “You also have nothing to say sorry for.  That was…” she giggled when she realized she had no words.  “I really needed that.”

“Well, then, we shall have to have study dates more often!” Rarity declared.  Emberglow smiled along, but inside her a dark little jealous flame flared to life.  It had been fun spending time with Rarity.  Cathartic, even, after the tragedy earlier.  And what they were working on was important.  But every time Rarity called the construct by Twilight’s name, or spoke to it as if it were the real Twilight, Emberglow felt some dark, irrational worry deep inside her.

“I’ll look forward to them,” Emberglow said.  “For now, though, I think I should get some fresh air.  Go for a walk on the deck.”

“Is everything all right?” Rarity’s eyes narrowed a bit.  Could she have noticed?

“It’s fine,” Emberglow said, and with a hint of boldness that came from who-knows-where, she leaned forward, giving Rarity a quick peck on the lips.  “But you’re right when you suggested earlier we should be taking this slowly.  I need to head off before I’m much more tempted to take things too far.”

“Oh?” Rarity said coquettishly.  “I must say, a lady does like to hear when she is desired.” Emberglow’s heart fluttered again.  This time Rarity leaned forward to kiss Emberglow back.  “Have fun on your walk, Emberglow.  And remember, I’m thinking about you.”

It wasn’t fleeing when Emberglow made it out onto Pearl Shimmer’s deck.  A tactical retreat, maybe.  Disengagement.  But she knew her head wasn’t in the right space for what was happening, and she really wanted it to be.  But that didn’t stop her from wanting to burst off the deck in a flurry of flight, dancing through the cooling night air on giddy wings as she frolicked with the stars and the clouds above.

Glad you’re happy.  Is this the last betrayal?  The last bit of you left to murder, before you fully embrace your new life as a traitor to everything your parents raised you to believe?”

Ruthlessly Emberglow shoved the voices deep.  Not tonight.  Not right now.  She wanted just a few moments to savor what had happened, to remember the taste of Rarity on her lips before the inevitable happened, and the cacophony of guilt, shame, and regret once again pounded through her head.

The night shift on a sailing ship was not very exciting, but there were still sailors about, working by lamplight.  She greeted them with a cheerful wave, and received respectful bows in return.  That was odd; none of these creatures had the same respect and fearsome awe for the Knighthood that Emberglow had grown reluctantly used to back in the Diarchy, and even in Angel’s Rest.  But then she remembered.  Just a few hours earlier, she’d brought an alicorn princess, one that shared a likeness with their figurehead, back to rest in their captain’s cabin.

The sailors didn’t ask any questions as she made her way to the port side of the ship, looking out over the waves.  The moon above them was gibbous, hanging fat and pregnant in the sky and shining a silvery bit coin of light onto the gentle motion of the waves.  She watched it for a while, trying not to think too hard.

Rarity.  Rarity liked her.  Desired her, she’d implied.  But she was right; this was something they had to be patient about.  What Emberglow wanted with Rarity was not a casual fling, a dive between the sheets in a fleeting moment of comfort for grief.

And even then, anything between them wasn’t without baggage.  Rarity was still harboring a grudge against Heartwing.  However deserved that might be, Heartwing was Emberglow’s friend.  And of course there was the matter of the Twilight construct.  But even with all that, even though her rational mind was screaming at her to cool off, slow down, it had still been a heroic feat to drag herself out of that room and not beg for more, right then.  The feel of Rarity’s lips on hers, the electric sensation of their bodies pressed together in a warm embrace…

Emberglow’s shiver had nothing to do with the cool night breeze.

Emberglow’s time of solitude was short-lived, though.  Soon there were hoofsteps behind her.  She didn’t turn to look, expecting that perhaps Rarity had followed her out.  But then the pony stepped up beside her, and she realized it wasn’t Rarity, it was Lofty.  His face was troubled, but he also gazed out over the ocean waves.

Neither pony spoke.  Lofty seemed lost in his own thoughts, as was Emberglow.  But the sounds of the ship were soothing, and she found herself desiring the timbre of her old friend’s voice.  After a day like today, though, what was there to talk about?  She said the first thing that popped into her head.

“Mares are weird.”

Lofty’s whole body jerked, hard enough that Emberglow turned to look at him in shock.  He wasn’t hurt, though, he was shaking with silent laughter.  He was holding one hoof in front of his muzzle in an effort to hold back the tide, but it was slipping out.

“Hey…”

The dam burst, and Lofty was cackling with laughter, throwing his head back, his eyes closed.  Emberglow was sure she could see tiny trails of tears at each of his eyes.

“Lofty Tale, I swear…”

He held out a hoof to pat her on the withers, shaking his head while he still giggled.  “S-sorry.  Just didn’t think… ever hear that from you!”  He snorted again, letting out another gale of laughter.  She rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly.  “Congratulations, Emberglow; you’ve now had the very same epiphany as every single eight-year-old colt who’s ever lived.”

“Shut up, you,” Emberglow mock-scowled.  “I’ve got an excuse.”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I know,” Lofty rubbed at his eyes with one hoof.  “Still, really funny to hear you say it.  Last time I had that thought, I got really drunk and made an idiot of myself.”

“Right…” Emberglow looked away.

“Don’t.”  Lofty moved his hoof, gently pulling on her face so that she wasn’t hiding from him.  “Don’t feel bad.  I was an idiot, and I almost ruined the best friendship I ever had because I was thinking with my fifth leg instead of my brain.”

Emberglow just had to snort out a laugh.  “Lofty!”

“Really!  I’m grateful, you know.  For how things turned out.  It led me to make certain choices.  Maybe bad ones, some of them, but they led me here today.  I might not have True.  I might not have Topaz in my life, if things hadn’t happened the way they did.”

“You're welcome, I guess?” Emberglow shook her head.  “I feel like now I should be saying stallions are weird.”

“No, we’re the normal ones,” Lofty scoffed.  “But I’m curious.  What led you to your conclusion regarding the odd behaviors and habits of the fairer sex?”

She eyed him, considering.  This was Lofty Tale.  Her oldest friend.  If she couldn’t confide in him, who could she?  Besides, Emberglow had always been a very serious teenager, and perhaps a little antisocial.  She’d never had a real chance to have a conversation like this, a gossipy little chat about crushes and first kisses with a best friend.

“Rarity kissed me tonight.  After we both agreed we should be moving slowly.  Because we should.  But then she kissed me.  And I kissed her back.”  She was touching her lips with her hoof.  “And it was good, Lofty.  I never knew it could be so good.  Why did nopony tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t printed in a medical textbook?” Lofty teased.  Emberglow scowled.  “Really, though, you don’t have to tell me just how wonderful it is to kiss a mare.  I’ve done it way more than I should.“

“I remember you said something about that in the letter you sent me, when you told me about True.  A little playcolt, were you?”

“And I was proud of it.  I had an idea that I’d be joining the Vigilant, so I thought… why not get it out of my system?”  He laughed ruefully.  “Sex doesn’t work that way.  But for the brief time I was a Knight, I did hold off.  Just flirting and kissing, for all the good it did me; True was conceived before my vows, and I didn’t even learn of him until much later.”  He smiled.  “Look at me now.  A one-mare stallion.  Who would have thought?”

“That sounds serious.”

Now it was Lofty’s turn to eye Emberglow consideringly.  “It is, yeah.  Really serious.  Emberglow…” he paused, glancing up at the stars.  “Emberglow, I think Topaz is ‘the one’.  Like, the forever mare.”

“You’re a real sap, you know that?” Emberglow teased, but her smile split her face wide.  “But really?  You think you’d like to be with her forever?  Even marry her?”

“Don’t say anything yet?” he pled.  “But yes.  I know it hasn’t been long, but I think so.  I love her, Emberglow, and True adores her, too.”

“You think you’re good enough for her?”  Emberglow had to tease, if only because he did it back.

“Oh, Saints, of course not.  But she hasn’t figured it out yet, so don’t you dare tell her.”

“Your secret is safe with me, Lofty Tale,” Emberglow said solemnly, then remembered something Heartwing had said once.  “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“That’s cute,” Lofty raised an eyebrow.   “Where’s it from?”

“You’d have to ask Heartwing,” Emberglow shrugged.

They were silent for a few moments.  “I’m sorry, we got a little sidetracked.  You wanted to talk about Rarity, and I took us off subject.”

“No, it’s really okay,” Emberglow insisted.  “Hearing about you and Topaz makes me happy.  We need good news tonight.”

“So if you want to feel happy, why don’t you tell me about Rarity?  The real one, not the one in the Book of the Saints.”

“Rarity is…” Emberglow waved a hoof airily, her mind searching for the right words.  “Rarity is, well, Rarity.  One of a kind.  She’s nothing like she is in the Book, as I’m sure you’ve already seen.”

“I’m quite impressed with what I’ve seen,” Lofty said.  “She’s decisive, she’s determined and passionate.  Her heading to the Treaty Hall to rescue you was a sight to see.  She was like a thundercloud, ready to blow down any obstacles in her way to get you two free.”

The mental image of Rarity braving danger to rescue her made her stomach flutter in silly ways, but she didn’t mind.  Emberglow was sure Lofty could see her blushing, even in the moonlit night.

“But she’s more than that.  She’s… unstoppable.”  Emberglow remembered the day in her Angel’s Rest boutique, where Rarity and Klieo had browbeat her into accepting the gifts of dresses.  “She’s fiercely protective of her friends, and what she thinks is right.  If she wants to give you a gift, she won’t take no for an answer.”

“Rarity sounds perfect.”

Suddenly the image of the Twilight construct popped into Emberglow’s mind, and she shook her head.  “She’s not.  She’s got her issues too.  I think she’s still struggling to come to terms with how much things have changed, and I’m worried she’s using her construct to avoid facing it.  There’s nothing I can say about that, though.  She gets very defensive every time I’ve suggested she’s hiding away from things by talking to that construct of hers.  And she can hold a grudge.”

“Nopony is without flaws,” Lofty nodded with mock sageness.  “Topaz, for example, snores.”

“Rude!” Emberglow accused, laughing.

“But we love our ponies because of their flaws, I think,” Lofty said, his eyes distant and wistful.  “Besides, it’s a little nice to know that she’s not perfect.  Living up to the legacy of one of the Saints is…” he shivered.  “It’s some big horseshoes to fill.”  He paused.  “Do you think Rarity resents me?  For wielding her element?”

“I don’t know.  I haven’t talked to her about it.”  Emberglow wanted to say something comforting.  But she just wasn’t sure.  “I’m sorry.”

“She was a little awkward when we met.  I could tell it was bothering her.  Any advice?”

“Just have her spend more time with True,” Emberglow said.  “Anybody who spends half a minute with your adorable son seems to forget all your personal flaws.”

Lofty snorted with amusement.  “You know?  That’s not a bad idea.”

A cool wind blew across the deck of the ship, and both ponies shivered.  “We should probably head to bed.  It’s getting late.”

“Sure,” Lofty said.  “Um, one thing, though.  I have a favor to ask, if you’re up to it.”

“Okay?” Emberglow was curious.

“Esher’s uncle, Mahogany.  He’s…” Lofty looked tense, like he was choosing his words very carefully.  “He’s going to need a friend.  This is going to hit him really hard.”  Lofty sighed.  “It’s hitting all of us, of course, but Escher was his only family.”

“You’re asking me to befriend… him?” Emberglow tried not to shiver in nervous fear.  There was something so utterly alien about the changelings; with their almost pony forms, their smooth, unadorned chitin, their pupil-less eyes.  Every time she saw him, all the old voices of confessors and teachers from her past, words of fear, words of warning and hate and unkindness, flowed through her memories like an unwanted guest.

Non-ponies were not to be trusted.  Non-ponies were dangerous.  Non-ponies would lead you into temptation.  It was a litany of hate, and Emberglow hated herself for all of it still being stuck in her head.

“I am,” Lofty said.  “It would be good for both of you, I think.  He…” Lofty looked on the verge of saying something, then snapped his mouth shut.  “Not my secret to tell, I think.  But he should.  And you can tell him I said that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing I can say,” Lofty shook his head.  “But ask him to tell you his secret.  It will do both of you good.”  Lofty’s usual grin slid back onto his muzzle.  “And if he asks you why, tell him it’s revenge for chess.  He’ll understand.”  When Emberglow nodded, though reluctantly, Lofty stretched and yawned.  “Thanks, Emberglow.  I’m going to head to bed.  I’m sure True and Topaz are both snoring away by now.”

“Goodnight, Lofty.  I… I guess I can try, at least.”

Emberglow frowned as she watched him retreat back down into the ship’s cabins.  That was probably unnecessarily cryptic.  She wondered what Lofty meant by all that.  It didn’t seem to Emberglow like Mahogany wanted anything to do with her, the way he kept turning his stare on her over the few days she’d known him.

But, she’d said she’d try.  But maybe it should wait for the morning.  She’d go check on her alicorn patient, then head to bed herself.

There was no change in Princess Sunset Shimmer’s condition, and Rarity was already asleep when Emberglow went to bed.  She noticed that Rarity had left the Twilight construct out on the small desk they shared in their cabin, but her notes were all put away.  A small, jealous part of her wondered if Rarity liked having the figurine there to keep her company.  She barely resisted the urge to put it away.  Or perhaps something a bit more violent than that.

Her sleep that night was hollow and mostly dreamless, though towards the end she woke up panting and sweating.  It had been a short dream.  Like many of her nightmares, she’d been back in Manehatten, sitting in her tent, where Gadget had kissed her.  Only this time it wasn’t Gadget, it was Rarity.  Every time she leaned in to touch her lips to Rarity’s, she could hear the murmur of voices around her.  Disapproval.  Condemnation.  Judgement.  She kept jerking away, looking to see who the voices were.  But there was nopony there, only the sound of large, feathery wings swooping overhead.  Like a bird of prey.

Emberglow wondered how you could feel exhausted, frustrated, guilty, and aroused all at the same time.  It seemed like something she should have a chat with Topaz about.

But Topaz was still in mourning, and Emberglow wasn’t about to intrude on that for her own needs.  The nightmares would just have to continue.  She was sure she could handle things on her own.

So Emberglow made it her task to keep her promise to Lofty over the rest of their trip.  It wasn’t easy; the dour changeling seemed to want to be left alone entirely.  It was impossible to corner him on the ship, and after several days of trying, Emberglow was convinced he was avoiding her.

Study time with Rarity wasn’t going much better, either.  The glow of excitement wore off as they continued to search the construct for information.  Emberglow felt like she was learning magical theory from the ground up; and lacking a horn to actually practice the theory Twilight was teaching, it felt like a waste of time.

“I honestly feel like we’re going about this the wrong way.  We’re not using all of our resources,” Emberglow said finally, after an entire week on board Pearl Shimmer had led to no real breakthroughs.

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked, suspicion lurking in her eyes.  She probably knew what Emberglow was going to say.

“We need to be working with Heartwing on this.  He’s offered.”

“He has?  So kind of him.”  Rarity glanced away.  “You’ll have to let him down, of course.  I don’t believe we’ll be needing—”

“Rarity, please!  Won’t you even consider asking him for help?”

“I’ve told you again and again, I’m not quite ready to be that close with him just yet.  We have everything we need with Twilight here.  Now I’ve said my piece on the matter, and I’ll thank you not to bring it up again.”

They stared at each other, two thunderheads of fury building behind polite veneers.  But Emberglow was done with this stupid game.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she addressed the construct without taking her eye off Rarity.  “Do you have instructions for if your user is becoming so obsessed with you she won’t spend time with her other friends?  Perhaps because she’s letting irrational grudges keep her from growing and learning from you?”

“Irrational grudges?  I’ll have you know—”

“Rarity, is this true?” the construct said, and Rarity paused, peering at it with wide eyes.

“O-of course not, Twilight dear.  My grudge isn’t irrational.  And I haven’t—”

“This construct was designed to detect prevarication.  The assessment that user Rarity is avoiding friendships may be accurate.  This construct will be inaccessible for a period of at least twenty-four hours.  Rarity, whatever is going on with you right now, would you please go talk to your friends about it?”  The construct went silent.

“See? Even the construct Twilight Sparkle made thinks—”

“Darling?  I think we’re done here.”  Rarity’s voice was cold enough to make Emberglow flinch.  “Go ask Heartwing for help, if you’re so determined.”

“But what will you do?”

“I think that’s hardly your business, is it?  I suppose I’ll make do on my own.”

Emberglow fled out of the cabin, turning fast enough so that Rarity wouldn’t see the tears leaking down her cheeks.

Oh, well done, Emberglow.  She hates you now.  She’s probably safer that way.  The things you love tend to wind up dead, don’t they?

“Shut up!” Emberglow shrieked, slamming her hooves against the deck of the ship.  She heard a startled noise from down the hall.  Mahogany was standing there, watching her.  “What?” she snapped, before she could bite the words back.

“You got a minute?” he asked, his voice polite.

“Sorry.  I’m sorry.  Yes, sure.  What can I do for you?”

“I know you’ve been looking to talk to me.  Let’s go up on deck and talk.  Some of the sailors have spotted a pod of whales in the distance.  Maybe we’ll get close enough to see something impressive.”

Emberglow looked at him skeptically, but he simply turned and walked up the stairs without another word.  She followed after him, only to have him pause at the top of the steps.

“Is everything okay?” He sounded concerned, and it seemed genuine enough to her that she stared at him in shock.

“No.  But there’s nothing you can do about it.”  That sounded harsh.  “Thanks for asking, though.”

He turned, and Emberglow saw the worry in his eyes.  It was confusing; she’d barely met him, so why was he concerned about her?  But then he turned again, and opened the door to the deck.

“Okay,” he said.  “Come see the whales with me, and we’ll talk.”

Outside, the air was bitingly cold, and Emberglow shivered.  They were moving further and further north.  Captain Yancey had provided cold weather gear for all of them, but Emberglow had no desire to brave the cabin she shared with Rarity in order to retrieve it.  She supposed she’d just have to suffer a bit for her pride.

The first thing she saw when she reached the deck were the sailors.  While they still went about their tasks, several of them were lined up on the side of the ship, gazing out towards the south.  Over their heads and shoulders, Emberglow could see plumes of water splashing into the air.

“C’mon, up to the crow’s nest.  It’s bigger than it looks, and Greengills won’t mind if we give him a break.”  He didn’t wait for her answer as his carapace split down the back, opening to reveal a pair of translucent, bright green insect wings.  They buzzed as he sprung into the air, and she followed him up.

In the crow’s nest was one of the diamond dog crewmates.  He had blond fur, and a sleek, elongated muzzle that reminded Emberglow of a golden retriever.  He glanced at them as they arrived.

“Hey, Greengills,” Mahogany said.  “Mind if we borrow the nest for a bit?  We’ll keep watch for you.”

“Fine by me,” the dog shrugged, then nimbly leapt over the side of the wooden tub-shaped platform.  Emberglow was about to yell in alarm until the dog’s claws dexterously wrapped around the rope ladder that led here.  With a level of grace that looked awkward coming from the strange form, he slid down the ladder to where the rest of the crew sat.  “Just holler when you’re done, I’ll climb back up!”

“Greengills?” Emberglow asked, confused.

“Don’t really know his real name,” Mahogany said.  “Sailor nickname.  I’ll bet he had seasickness when he first came aboard, or something.”  With that, he settled down into the crows nest, patting the platform next to him.  Emberglow landed.  “Look.”

Emberglow looked, and she gasped.  There was a difference between an academic knowledge of what whales are, and seeing them in the wild.  The creatures were massive.  One of them might have been half as big as the ship, and there were at least three that she could see.  They would surface, sometimes firing off a plume of water from their blowhole, then sink back down with a majestic flick of their tail, sending up another colossal splash as they did so. 

“They’re huge,” Emberglow breathed.  She tried to count them all, but she wasn’t sure given she didn’t know how often they would surface then sink below again.  “Could they hurt the ship?”

“I suppose.  If they wanted to.  But they’ll leave us alone if we leave them alone.  And there’s no chance those sailors down there would even dream of harming a whale.  They’re seen as good luck.”  The changeling snorted with amusement.  “Superstitious lot.”

“That small one, there,” Emberglow pointed.  “Is that a juvenile?”

“Yes.  Whales tend to stick together in family groups, from what I’ve read.”  His voice drooped a little at the end.  “Though sometimes the males go off on their own, roaming about from group to group without a real family.”

Emberglow regretted the question.  Of course she’d find a way to make this conversation difficult.  She tried to glance at Mahogany out of the corner of her eye, watching the whales while trying to watch his reactions at the same time.

“So Lofty said I should ask you about your secret.  He said it might help you to talk about it.”

“He said that, did he?” Mahogany’s voice was inscrutable.  “Meddling little bastard.  He’s right, maybe, but it’s none of his business.”

“I think he’s worried about you.”

Mahogany snorted.  “He would be.  Silly stallion.”

There was something in the way he said it that triggered something in Emberglow, some sort of déjà vu, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on why.

“You can tell me if you want.  Or not.  I’m not going to push,” Emberglow said.  “But… would it help if I thanked you?”

“Thanked me?  Why?”

“Your nephew saved my life.  I owe a debt.”

Mahogany didn’t respond.  He leaned up against the side of the crow’s nest, his forehooves crossed in front of him and his gaze looking far into the horizon, past the boat and the whales and the entire ocean.  Emberglow was fine waiting; though it was chilly, she found the cold wasn’t biting like it had when she’d first gotten on deck.  Maybe it was a pegasus’ natural affinity for working in high altitudes and cold places.  Or perhaps she was just invested in the conversation, and the whales.

“I should apologize, too,” Emberglow finally said, after several minutes.

“You?  Why?”

“I don’t know that I’ve been as kind to you, or Escher, as I could have been.”  She swallowed hard, and steeled herself.  “You’re just so different.”

Mahogany snorted.  “Would you be more comfortable if I took pony form?”

“Now?” Emberglow shook her head.  “No, I don’t think so.  I know your true form.  You shouldn’t need to hide yourself in front of me.”

“That wasn’t always true, was it?” he mused, and she glanced away to look at him.  He waved a hoof to the west, where the Diarchy lay.  “I’ve been a spy nearly my whole life, Emberglow.  Pretending to be a pony so I could feed information back to the Empire.  I’m used to hiding myself in front of ponies.”

Kinda makes your racism dig even deeper, doesn’t it?  You’re so afraid of looking at the scary alien bugs that part of you wants him to take pony form, to make you more comfortable.

This time it was Escher’s voice.  She shivered.  “Y-you’ve lived most of your life in the Diarchy?  What was that like for you?”

“Our training is hard.  They teach us about the dangers of getting too close to the ponies around us.  But at the same time, we make our cover personas as close to our actual selves as possible.  So it’s impossible to not form relationships, friendships, that sort of thing with our neighbors.  There’s a craving to pretend to be normal, to feel… real for once.  It’s a weakness, but we all do it.”

“Did you have friends?”

“I did, yes.”  He swallowed, hard, and spoke very slowly.  “Before I made a mistake that blew my cover, I’d grown very close to several of the ponies in my neighborhood.  Especially the silly pegasus filly that lived in the tailor’s shop next door.”

It was quite the revelation.  Huge, even.  Emberglow took a deep breath.  Then another.  She took a third, waiting for the shock, the surprise, the overwhelming tide to overtake her, like it usually did for each new stunning blow to her world.  Instead she just felt numb.

“Why not tell me right away?”  She was amazed at how calm she sounded.

“I don’t know,” Mahogany said.  “I really don’t.  I’m a spy, Emberglow.  I’m trained to be suspicious by nature, and to keep secrets.”

“But you’re telling me now.”

“Yes.  I’m sorry.”

Emberglow blinked, then turned to the changeling.  “Why?”

“For lying to you, maybe?  For being a spy, for years, living next door to you?”

“That was your job.”  She guessed she should probably be angrier about all this.  Or have any sort of real reaction to find out one of her oldest friendships had been a lie.

“No, Emberglow.  You were never part of the job.  You, your parents, the other friends I made…” he sighed.  “When I was younger, in training, I forgot.  I was caught up in the glory of what I was doing.  Fighting the good fight against the evil to the South.  But the Diarchy isn’t the ponies who live in it.  You were all such good ponies.  Such good friends.  I would have stayed, if I could have.”

“What happened?”

“I got sloppy,” Mahogany snorted.  “Overconfident.  I’ve been a spy for over three decades, and I slipped up.  My job was to infiltrate the Star Shine building and keep an eye on the inquisitors in charge of receiving reports from the dragon and griffon war fronts.  I was just there for observation, to read and copy documents and reports, that sort of thing.  I was careless, and left a quill behind when I was copying legers in their library.  The librarian noticed the quill out of place, got paranoid, cast a few forensic spells and… next thing I knew there was a Mystic black-bag squad breaking down my door.”

“How did you escape?”

“They weren’t prepared for a changeling.”  His smile was full of grim pride.

“I need to know.  Our meeting.  Our friendship.  Was it all coincidence?”

“I…” Mahogany stared out at the whales.  “I can’t say.  Maybe?  Only I’m not sure I believe in coincidence any longer.  Why was it that after I escaped, I was one of the ones chosen to go back south with the Embassy?  Why was I assigned to the task force helping Lofty Tale rescue his son?  So that me and my nephew could end up here?  So he could end up dead?”

There were tears in his eyes. .

“Is this all my fault?  I started the chain of events that led to my nephew’s death, Emberglow.  So was it coincidence?  Or just the natural consequence of my own mistakes?  If I’d never become a spy, if I’d never accepted either mission to go South, would Escher still be alive?”  His eyes begged for understanding and answers, and the small block of ice in her heart, the part that kept her numb, melted a little.

“Can I call you Oak Chips, still?”  It wasn’t what she’d meant to say.  Emberglow had meant to ask about his nephew, or say something comforting, or even just to reach out and hug him.  But when she spoke, her words took on a life of their own.

“Huh?”

“I asked around, when I found out.  Nearly got in trouble with the Mystics myself for being too nosy.”  She took a deep breath.  “If you’re going to blame yourself, Oak, then you need to know what your actions did for me.  If you’d never gotten caught, I never would have agreed to the mission that sent me to Manehatten.  I never would have found the truth.  I never would have found Rarity, or the Element of Honesty.”  Finally she did reach out, wrapping a hoof around him and pulling the changeling against her.  She wondered why he’d ever appeared alien to her before.  Even with his hard carapace, she could feel his warmth.  “You saved me, Oak.  Without even meaning to.”

She held him close.  He finally reached around, hugging her back.

“Silly mare,” he said, a hint of his old accent coloring his voice.  She laughed.

“Thanks for telling me, Oak.  Thanks for bringing me up here.”

In the following days, the temperature dropped dramatically.  It was no longer an option to go out and suffer through the cold; everycreature now wore heavy parkas, hats, and scarves every time they went out on deck.  Not even the pegasi were immune, though Terminus did complain about having his wings tucked away under the thick coat.

Rarity, for her part, stayed mostly in the cabin she and Emberglow shared.  Since their fight, Emberglow had avoided Rarity as much as possible; she didn’t know what she could possibly say to fix things, and being with the other mare just made her think of the kiss.  Not talking was better than fighting.  At least that’s what Emberglow told herself when the new loneliness cut her to the bone.

Emberglow did speak with Heartwing about their problems translating the spells the Twilight construct was teaching them into rune spells, but Rarity was still upset at both of them.  To be honest, Emberglow understood.  She felt awful for tattling on Rarity to the construct, but she’d been so frustrated.  She hadn’t known that Princess Twilight had programmed the construct to shut down like that.  At least the shut down had ended; Rarity was once again hard at work learning about her newfound power.  From what Emberglow could tell, she was at least still trying to figure out Twilight’s complex medical spells in order to help Princess Sunset.

In the end, though Emberglow realized they’d probably have to simply wait until they reached the Empire, and spoke with another alicorn.  Hopefully Princess Flurry would be able to help, or maybe one of the unicorns that lived up north.

On a cold, clear morning, nearly a month from leaving Jubilation, Emberglow found herself rising early and pacing about the deck.  She was cold, even under her parka, but the moonlight up above was a comfort to her soul, if not her temperature.  Luna had been silent in all of their dreams recently, but they still frequently felt her presence, if not her words.

“Couldn’t sleep?” The voice came from above her.  Emberglow glanced up to see Oak in insect form, dangling by one hoof from the rope ladder that led high up into the rigging.

“No.  What are you doing?”

“Getting some elevation for the view.  The crow’s nest is needed for ship’s business, but I still wanted to see.”

“See what?”

“Come on up and I’ll show you.”  He scrambled nimbly down the ladder, motioning for her to climb.  “Get up as high as you’re comfortable, and keep your eyes to the west.  If I’m right, we’re close enough.”

She saw the sparkle of excitement in his eyes, and she pulled herself up the ladder.  The ship spread out darkly beneath her, lit by the sailor’s lanterns so they had enough light to do their tasks.  On the ladder, Oak was right behind her.

“What am I looking for?” Emberglow asked.

“Shh.  Just keep watching to the west.  You can’t see it now, but soon.”

Emberglow did as he asked, hanging onto the rigging with both hooves as she focused on the horizon.  The first glow of sunlight was appearing in the distance.  Emberglow thought she could see something, perhaps land, but she couldn’t be sure.  She kept watching, scanning the horizon for any hints of whatever Oak was talking about.

Then, just as the first rays of sunlight burst over the horizon, she saw it.  The light hit the edges of the dome, invisible in the darkness, but glorious in the rays that scattered across it.  It was iridescent pink, with geometric panels just like the shields Emberglow was used to.  But if she could see it at this distance, it had to be…

“It’s massive,” she gasped.  “And it’s beautiful.”  It was like a sparkling gem on the horizon.  After a few moments of sunrise, it was nearly impossible to look at, shining so brightly that she had to avert her eyes.

“Even more beautiful, when you think about what it is, and what it means.”

“That’s the shield, isn’t it?  The one that keeps the Empire separate from the Diarchy.”

“It is.  Powered by the love of the citizens themselves, given freely to the Empress Cadance, so that she may keep us all safe and protected.”  He smirked.  “Except for those of us dumb enough to accept assignment outside the Empire, of course.”

“How does it work?” The details of such a massive casting were fascinating to Emberglow.  She remembered reading everything that she could get her hooves on about the shield, back when she was Turquoise’s squire.

Oak chuckled.  “I really don’t know.  But my guess is you’ll be able to ask the Empress herself.  You’re not some grunt, Emberglow.  You’re important.”

“Me?  I’m nopony special.”

“Horseapples.  You’re an Element of Harmony.”  She glanced down at him in horror, and he was grinning.  “You’d better get used to the idea of being a bit of a celebrity.”

Emberglow didn’t like the idea one bit.  Suddenly staring at the steadily growing gemstone on the horizon wasn’t as attractive.  “I’m coming down, now.”

“Sorry, too much?” Oak Chips backed down the ladder to make room for her.  Emberglow gulped and nodded.

“A celebrity?  Really?”

“What did you expect, Emberglow?  You’re literally walking in your Saints’ hoofsteps, now.  And in the Empire, that will mean something to these creatures.  We’ve been hoping for a change in the status quo, something that will bring things back to the way things were between the Empire and Equestria.  There’s tons of pony expatriates, too; even more than in Jubilation.  Ponies who may have distant relatives in the Diarchy.  You represent hope that this could all come true.”

“I’m no Saint,” Emberglow whimpered, and Oak wrapped a hoof around her.

“No, you’re not.  But you know what?  Neither were they.  Look at Rarity.  Is she the perfect goddess you used to worship?  Or a flawed, wonderful, complicated, problematic mare whom you’re in love with?  And which one do you prefer?”

“T-the second,” Emberglow stammered, and Oak squeezed her tight.

“Of course you do.  Silly mare.

“When we get home,” he said, “you’ll get a chance to meet Empress Cadance.  Share your struggles with Rarity with the Empress herself.  You might find a willing listener, eager to help.”

“The Empress?  Help m-me?”

“The least you can do is ask.  What’s the worst that could happen? Love is her field of expertise.”

He trotted off with a smug look on his face, and Emberglow stared after him, wondering.  She realized she hadn’t thought much about what would happen once they reached the Empire.  She knew they’d have to sort out what would happen to Heartwing, and maybe what might happen to she and Terminus, but she’d mostly been thinking about returning home to the Diarchy to find the Element of Magic.  Now, the idea of the Empire was ominous.  Not frightening, necessarily, but she wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of being a celebrity.  She was just starting to enjoy being treated more like a normal pony.

But maybe there was something hopeful she could do, right now.  She trotted down to her cabin, where she’d barely been the last few weeks except to sleep and change clothing.  Rarity was there, scratching out some notes with her magic while the Twilight construct was speaking.

“…the case of a long-term enchantment, the motic structure can be bolstered by the use of complementary spell constructs, in the form of magical foci or permanent runes.  Though the process often requires several unicorns working in perfect harmony, this is the method by which enchanted objects and locations can be created.  Some examples include…”

“Twilight, stop a moment,” Rarity said when Emberglow entered.  “You look like you have something on your mind, darling.  Can I help you?”  She was being cool, but polite.  Emberglow took a deep breath.

“Yes.  I’d like to show you something up on deck, if it’s not too late.”

“Too late for what, Emberglow?” Rarity rose from her seat, carefully placing the quill she’d been levitating down next to the construct.

“Come on.  You might want to throw on a parka, though.  It’s rather cold.”

“If I’d known we’d be sailing into a veritable freezer, I would have designed our own winter wear,” Rarity grumbled as she floated her own coat out of the room’s chest and onto herself.  “These utilitarian pieces are simply an eyesore.”

They were, indeed; the parkas were all a uniform bright orange color, designed to improve visibility in case of emergency.  But Emberglow stopped herself from pointing out the obvious.

“I would have loved to see what you would have come up with,” Emberglow said, and Rarity’s eyes widened with surprise.  “I’m sure they’d have been wonderful.

“Thank you, darling.  What is it you wanted to show me?”

“Follow me.”  There wasn’t peace between them just yet; Rarity’s voice was still a bit stiff, but Emberglow was willing to count it as a win that she was even following in the first place.

Out on deck, the reflection of the sun against the distant magical dome was still sending rays of pink light across the sky.  Rarity gasped in awe and delight, rushing over to the side of the ship for an unobstructed view.

“It’s as if somepony put mother-of-pearl over a pink tourmaline.  Or perhaps some sort of opal. Why, it’s just lovely!  This is the shield over the Crystal Empire, isn’t it?”

Emberglow moved up beside her, keeping a small space between them as she leaned up onto the rail beside Rarity.  “Yes.  We’re nearly to Armor’s Bay.  The sailors say it’s only a ten minute train ride from there to the capital itself.”

“The Empire has grown since I was there last,” Rarity said.  “It used to be only a single small city, surrounding a magnificent palace.”

“I didn’t realize you’d ever been there before,” Emberglow said.

“You mean, your book doesn’t cover our fight against Sombra?”  Rarity asked.  “I admit I haven’t looked much at it since… since the slanderous bit about the…” she cleared her throat.  “Nevermind.  But I would have thought your stories would have told that much, at least.”

“They do,” Emberglow said.  “I’m just not sure what’s real and what’s made up any longer.”

“Would you…” Rarity hesitated, considering.  “Would you like to hear the stories?  Of our trips to the Crystal Empire?”

It was a peace offering, for sure.  Emberglow nodded enthusiastically.

The two mares watched as the glittering pink dome grew closer and closer, while Rarity told Emberglow all about their heroism in the Empire.  She told about the struggle against Sombra, about the Equestria Games, even about the time a baby Flurry Heart nearly destroyed the entire Empire with her out of control magic.  As they spoke, Emberglow felt, at least in part, a tiny rekindling of their closeness.

It was nearly an hour later when they had reached the edge of the shield.  What in the distance had been a vast dome now appeared as a solid wall, towering high into the sky.  Rarity eyed it with apprehension.

“I wonder how we get inside,” she said.  “I don't think it would be practical to raise and lower the shield with every ship that arrives.”

“Oh!  I actually know this one!” Emberglow remembered her research.  “Ship captains authorized by the Princess are given amulets, enchanted by her personally, that allow the entire ship to slip through the shield.  I know the Diarchy tried in the past to acquire some of them, but they were never able to get them to work.”

Indeed, as soon as Pearl Shimmer’s prow reached the edge of the shield, it seemed to slip through with not even a ripple of the pink energy.  Emberglow tensed as the line of magical shielding slipped over the ship, and then her.  Some small, terrified part of her expected the shield to reject her, to push her back and toss her off the ship into the freezing waters below.  But it slid over her with nothing more than a mild magical tingle which made her fur stand on end.

“Huh.  Somehow I was expecting… more drama, I suppose,” Rarity noted, brushing at her parka.  “Well, it was a rather fascinating experience.  Thank you, darling, for dragging me out of my cabin to come see.”  She leaned over, giving Emberglow a light peck on her cheek.  “I suppose I should—”

“I’m sorry!” Emberglow blurted suddenly.  Rarity raised her eyebrows.  “I’m sorry.  I owe you an apology. I didn’t know the construct would shut you out like that.  I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“Friends are allowed to have disagreements, Emberglow,” Rarity said, tapping her lightly on the nose with her hoof.  “You should have seen the epic tiffs Rainbow and Applejack used to get into.”

Rarity closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.  “And I should apologize as well.  I realize that whatever my issues with Heartwing may be, you are still his friend.  I can be patient about that, and seek his help with Princess Sunset.  Let’s get everything sorted out with Princess Flurry, and I’ll ask him for his assistance.”  She gave a light laugh.  “Assuming we still need it, of course.  I wonder if Princess Flurry will just be able to wave her horn and make everything right with Sunset Shimmer again, and we can go on about our business of finding the Element of Magic for her.”

“You think Princess Sunset will carry the Element of Magic?”

“It seems logical,” Rarity said.  “She is, after all, a powerful wizard.  Trained by Celestia herself, and later Twilight Sparkle.”

Emberglow wasn’t so sure.  The idea of somepony she didn’t even know leading the Elements of Harmony felt… off, somehow.  But she kept her doubts to herself.

“Come, Emberglow.  We should be making landfall soon, and I imagine things will go smoother if we’re all packed and ready to go.”

It was only a few minutes of packing later that one of the sailors wandered by to inform them that they would be landing in Armor’s Bay in less than a half hour.  Emberglow and Rarity finished their own preparations before moving to the cabin next door and helping Lofty and Topaz, who were both struggling a bit with a cranky foal who had missed his nap and was now rather disruptively protesting the idea of getting off the ship.  Only the promise of a train ride, delivered in Rarity’s sweetest and most cajoling voice, convinced the cantankerous True to finally settle down enough to get dressed in his own winter gear, and to also stop getting in his father’s way.

When another sailor dropped in to inform them that they had docked, the ponies stepped out on deck, dressed in their parkas and bearing their luggage and saddlebags.  Emberglow had considered stowing the shield of Flash Magnus in her bags, but some instinct told her to strap it to her hoof.  Rarity approved.

“It looks wonderful on you, darling.  Delightfully martial.  You’re the picture of a storybook hero.”  She even fluttered her eyelashes a bit.  “The kind of dashing hero to fly off and rescue princesses and fashionistas in distress.”  She paused thoughtfully, a sly smile crossing her muzzle.  “Have I ever mentioned I find tall, fit ponies to be particularly attractive?”

Emberglow was certain that her blush would remain a permanent feature of her face the rest of the day, as well as the need to stand as tall as possible.  Not that she wasn’t already a little taller than Rarity, but an extra bit of effort wouldn’t hurt, right?

The Knights and their friends gathered on the deck, waiting as the sailors secured the gangplank.  As she stepped onto the deck, Emberglow caught her first real glimpse of the Crystal Empire.

Armor’s Bay was a small port surrounded by crystalline cliffs.  The cliff walls which sheltered the harbor were tall, perhaps twice again as tall as the crow’s nest of Pearl Shimmer.  They were smooth, nearly too smooth to be natural, which fit what the sailors had said.  It had been built, Emberglow heard, when the Crystal Empire had to cut itself off from Equestria, and needed its own port to ship and receive goods and trade, rather than relying on their southern neighbors for commerce.

The docks themselves were made of stone, a light pink material that also couldn’t have been natural.  It was as if somepony had summoned them into place.  Emberglow could see the light shine on the surface, as if the entire floating structure had been made out of crystals.  Given where she was, she wasn’t surprised.

Standing on the docks was a contingent of soldiers, dressed in purple armor and bearing spears.  A unicorn stood at the head, with epaulets on his shoulder guards marking him, she guessed, as some sort of lieutenant.  He watched the ship, sternly running his eyes over the deck.  When his eyes rested on the Knights, particularly Heartwing, they narrowed with anger.

As soon as the gangplank was secured, the soldier pushed his way up it onto Pearl Shimmer’s deck.  “I am Sergeant Lockstep, of Her Highness’ Imperial Guard.  I was told I would be escorting a prisoner to the palace?”  He pointed at Heartwing.  “Why is the prisoner not secured for transport?”

There was a loud thud, and the whole deck shook as Captain Yancey leapt down from the quarter deck to land in front of the Sergeant.  To his credit, Sergeant Lockstep didn’t flinch.

“Captain Yancey is captain of Pearl Shimmer.  The prisoner has been behaving perfectly.  We even required his help to fend off an assault by a Diarchy ship.  He has agreed to continue to behave well.  Captain Yancey took him at his word, and Captain Yancey has not been disappointed.”  He turned his gaze to Heartwing, and bowed.  “Not in the slightest.”

“B-be that as it may,” Sergeant Lockstep said.  “The prisoner is accused of regicide and treason.  He must be secured.”

“Please,” Heartwing said, sliding between the two before their argument could really escalate into something problematic.  “I have no objections to being bound.  The chains are still in my cell, in the ship’s hold.  I won’t fight it.”

Terminus frowned at that, but nopony else protested.  With a shrug, Captain Yancey ordered a sailor into the depths of the ship to retrieve the old restraints, which had apparently been left there ever since Emberglow had taken them off while they were being chased.  The wait was awkward, with Captain Yancey and Terminus both staring daggers at the Sergeant, while he pretended not to notice.  Emberglow and the others simply waited and worried.

“At least there was no mention of putting the other Knights in chains, darling,” Rarity said.  Emberglow nodded, though she had to bite back a comment about how little Rarity seemed to care that Heartwing was going back into chains.

When the sailor arrived, Heartwing stood proudly, willingly allowing Sergeant Lockstep to bind him.  Terminus was shaking with fury.  Emberglow moved next to him, to put a hoof around him.  He calmed visibly when she did.  “Sorry.”

“For what?” Emberglow asked.

“It’s just…” he whispered back.  “After everything he’s done for ponies.  All the hours he’s dedicated, all the blood he’s shed.  This is what he gets.  I hate it.”  He shivered.  “I hate it and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Suddenly Heartwing began to laugh, and Sergeant Lockstep backed away a hoofstep or two, staring at him in worry.  “Explain yourself,” he demanded.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Heartwing said.  “I was just thinking.  I’m all chained up, and it’s not even my birthday.”

“What?” The Sergeant scowled in confusion.

“No, don’t you dare,” Terminus moaned, sotto voce. 

“It’s usually the sort of thing my stallionfriend and I save for special occasions.  Though if you like, I can tell you where in my luggage the ball gags are stashed.”

“So help me I will spank you when I get you alone,” Terminus muttered, low enough that Emberglow thought only she could hear.  Though when Heartwing turned back to smirk at them, she was blushing just as hard as Terminus was.

“Promises, promises,” he whispered, and winked.

“Enough of that,” the sergeant snarled, and finished attaching the restraints, including a halter.  He pulled the reins in front of the prisoner.  “I’ll have no shenanigans on the way to the palace.  You’ve got an arraignment before the Princess, and I won’t stand for any disrespect.”

“Will you lie down for it, then?” Heartwing even waggled his eyebrows, and the Sergeant growled and leaned forward threateningly.

Terminus was in his face in a heartbeat.

“Thus far we have been patient.  We have accepted everything you have done.  But I swear to you, by the Element of Harmony I bear, that I will not allow you to abuse this stallion in my presence.”

The air suddenly froze with deadly tension; the soldiers still behind on the docks started forward up the gangplank, spears at the ready.  But Sergeant Lockstep eased back, and held up a hoof to his soldiers.

“Stand down, guards.  You are correct, Sir…”

“Terminus Flash,” Terminus said.

“You are correct, Sir Terminus, and your loyalty does you credit.  I was warned beforehoof that the prisoner would probably seek to torment me with his words.  I should have had better control of myself.”  Sergeant Lockstep’s words were stiffly professional.  “Thank you for the reminder.”

“You won’t object if I stay close, in case you need another?” Terminus said, his own voice mimicking the chill in the Sergeant’s.  The sergeant nodded reluctantly.  “Good.  Because he is dear to me, and I value his life far more than my own.”  The sergeant actually gulped at the hard stare he received.

“Stay as close as you like.  We’re moving to the train station.  Be aware that any attempt at escape will be met with swift and brutal force.”

“You can trust us, Sergeant.”

“There is room on the train for all of you, of course.  I was informed there would be a party of nine, with one foal and two changelings?”

Emberglow saw the faces of her companions fall at that.  She stepped forward and spoke up.  “No, Sergeant.  One of the changelings met an unfortunate fate.  But he was able to save the life of another pony in the process.  She’s in a coma right now, but I’d like to keep her close.  She’s a patient of mine, and I think the Princess would very much like to see her as well.”

She knew the sailors had arranged for a stretcher to carry the slumbering princess from the captain’s quarters to the deck.

“Who is…” the sergeant began, then his eyes shot wide as two diamond dog sailors brought out Sunset, with the stretcher held carefully in their claws.  Emberglow had dressed her patient in a simple linen shift, cut so that she’d have room for her wings, and it was obvious to everypony watching that this was an alicorn.  “By the Empress, who is she!?”

“Sunset Shimmer, saved by your own comrade-in-arms, Escher,” Emberglow answered.  “He died to bring her through time.  When she arrived she looked like this.”

“Lieutenant Escher passed?” Lockstep gasped.  “I knew him.  I…” he turned to his soldiers, pointing at one, a crystal pony.  “Quicksilver.  Hurry on ahead and inform Princess Flurry that the prisoner is on his way,” he glanced towards the sleeping alicorn.  “And tell her that there is now another alicorn princess.  Sunset Shimmer.”

Quicksilver saluted and dashed off, more quickly than Emberglow would have expected.  “He’ll reach the palace before we can, though not by much.  Soldiers, show these good sailors to the passenger car.”  He looked at the Knights.  “The rest of you, follow me.  And no funny stuff, prisoner.”

“I’d salute you, but…” Heartwing wiggled both his eyebrows and his chains, before Sergeant Lockstep pulled on his reins and Heartwing jolted forward.

The Knights had a passenger car all to themselves.  It took a while for everypony to get inside and settled in, especially Sunset Shimmer on her stretcher.  Both of the dog sailors paused after they laid her reverently on one of the benches.

“Just wanted ta say, Knights,” the one Emberglow remembered was nicknamed Greengills.  “Y’all saved Sunset Shimmer.  Our Sunset Shimmer.  Like what’s on our ship.  Uh.  Thanks.  She’ll be okay, right?”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Emberglow said.  Both of the dogs nodded, then turned towards Sunset, kneeling on one knee each as they bowed their heads, touching one hand first to their noses, then to their throats.  She wondered what the ritual meant, but whatever it was, it felt sweet to her.

Then the dogs exited the car, and Emberglow took her seat on the bench next to Sunset.  She took a moment to look around the car.  It was comfortable, with brightly colored benches in pairs, facing each other.  A row of enchanted crystals spread across the ceiling, glowing in a green and blue pattern that Emberglow realized may have been meant to simulate the fabled Northern Aurora; something she’d read about but of course had never seen. 

The soldiers directed Heartwing to one of the benches and Terminus sat next to him, coolly ignoring the looks the crystal pony guards were giving him.  Sergeant Lockstep sat across from them, twisting his spear in his hooves.  He never set down the reins, leaving them looped around his right hoof as if he expected Heartwing to make a break for it at any second.  Heartwing, for his part, held his peace with quiet dignity.

The others all took their own seats, including Rarity across from Sunset and Emberglow.  True, however, never seemed to land in one set bench, content to orbit around the cart in a display of foalish energy that was strangely exhausting to watch.  He kept darting back and forth between the windows, and cooing in awe at the armor of the Empire soldiers.  He even had them laughing when he asked if he could hold their spears, which earned him a stern denial from his father.

Much to the foal’s disappointment, however, the trip did only last ten minutes.  When the train cars opened, Emberglow realized that, true to his sergeant’s word, Quicksilver had indeed made it back before them.  A team of ponies, led by a too-young looking crystal pony stallion dressed in a doctor’s coat and wearing a stethoscope, were the first to greet them on the open-air platform.  He rushed into the car before anypony could even stand up.

“By all the stars above, it’s another alicorn,” the young doctor breathed, sliding to his knees in front of Sunset Shimmer.  He quickly pressed a hoof gently to her neck, feeling for a pulse.  What followed was a quick and skillful exam by the doctor, a flash of an assessment, before he looked up at Emberglow.

“You’re the Knight who was taking care of her?” the doctor asked.

“Emberglow, of the Discordant,” she said, holding out her hoof.  He shook it, a wide smile growing across his muzzle.

“Heartthrob Pulse,” he said.  Objectively, Emberglow could see why.  He was handsome, and that wasn’t something she usually noticed in stallions.  His long mane was tied back in a girlish ponytail, and his eyes were eager.  “Royal physician.  Can you tell me more about her condition?”  He turned behind him and beckoned with a hoof, while a team of nurses wheeled a gurney onto the car.

Meanwhile, everypony else was getting their belongings ready, waiting for a chance to disembark once the medics were out of the way.  True was twitching, his eyes eagerly locked on the open door, held back by one hoof from Lofty and another from Topaz.  Emberglow understood the curiosity; she couldn’t wait to see the Empire for herself.

“We know very little about alicorn physiology, so we were hoping you could help with that,” Emberglow said.  “My diagnosis spells show that she’s in a coma, that her heartrate and breathing are normal, and that some sort of magic is keeping her metabolism slowed to a crawl, meaning we haven’t needed to feed her intravenously.  Rarity and I,” she motioned to the unicorn across from her, “found some ancient documents that describe spells which will help keep her fed, watered, and otherwise healthy, but she lacks the medical understanding to cast them, and they’re not noted down in rune format, so I couldn’t either.”

“I’d love to see the work you’ve done.  Meanwhile, I have a clinic set up in the palace.  She’ll be in good hooves.  You have an audience with the Princess, I understand, but I would be fascinated to spend some time meeting with you both.”  He nodded to Rarity, then turned back to Emberglow.  “I’ve never had a former Radiant to pester about healing rune magic before.”

Heartthrob’s eyes practically sparkled with excitement as his nurses very carefully transferred Sunset to the gurney, securing her in.  While Emberglow was watching them, servants had slipped on board the train, picking up the ponies' luggage and saddlebags.

“I suppose we won’t need our things for an audience with royalty,” Rarity hummed nervously as they wheeled Sunset away.  “Still, I wish I had more time to actually prepare.  I’m wearing a parka, for Celestia’s sake.  This isn’t even remotely the outfit to approach a princess with!”

“Even a princess whose diaper you changed?” Heartwing giggled, and Rarity rolled her eyes at him.

“It’s the principle of the thing.  One always likes to be best dressed when visiting royalty.  I wouldn’t expect a ruffian like you to understand.”

Emberglow made it a point to move between them, blocking their view of each other with her body.  “You look just fine, Rarity.  Fantastic, in fact.  I’m sure the princess will understand.  We’ve been in a bit of a hurry, and we’ve just finished a rather long journey.”

“While I do appreciate the compliment, darling,” Rarity replied, “I would have preferred a few hours.  I could have made us all look spectacular!”

Realizing it wasn’t a point Emberglow was going to win, she patted Rarity on the shoulder.  “I’m sure there will be plenty of time for another chance to dress nicely for Princess Flurry.  You’ll just have to save your ideas for then.  Maybe she’ll give you some material, so you can make your own?  It’s been so long since you’ve designed something.”

It was the right kind of distraction.  Rarity’s eyes lit up with inspiration, and Emberglow couldn’t help but stare deep into them.  It was nice to see Rarity getting excited about something other than her studying time with the Twilight construct.

“Let’s go,” Sergeant Lockstep commanded, finally standing and jerking Heartwing to his hooves with the reins.  The rest of them moved towards the door as well, Emberglow eagerly looking out the open portal towards the city itself, which she could barely glimpse from inside.

The Crystal Empire was gorgeous.  The buildings were clearly ancient, massive structures of crystal and carved stone that demanded your attention.  The streets spread out between the buildings like the corners between facets on a gem; everything managed to look both meticulously planned and absolutely natural at the same time.  Even though there was a dusting of snow on everything, Emberglow could still make out a rainbow of crystal colors spread throughout the architecture.

They stepped off the train, and Rarity immediately shivered.  “It’s rather cold.  Heartwing told me the Heart was no longer being used to keep the Empire warm.”  Rarity’s voice dropped.  “The necessities of war, I presume.”

“Rarity?”

Emberglow had been so caught up in the sights of the gorgeous, snow-dusted city that she’d failed to see the magnificent pony standing on the train platform, surrounded by half a dozen guards wearing glimmering golden armor.  Emberglow had to look up at the regal creature, she was so tall.  A radiant purple mane curled elegantly down her shoulders and around her face, with cyan streaks throughout.  She was dressed in a winter parka of her own, but one made of fine faux fur in a soft white.  An aqua colored scarf wrapped around her neck.

Her aqua eyes were wide, locked on Rarity, and her jaw hung open.  The soldiers all stopped and bowed, and even Topaz lowered her head respectfully.  Emberglow didn’t know what to do; part of her wanted to join in the motion, but Terminus, Lofty, and even Heartwing stood tall.  So she did, as well.

“Rarity?  I heard, but I couldn’t…” the princess spoke again.  Her voice was beautiful; a tinkling of bells over a snow-blanketed field.  But then she inhaled, drawing herself up even taller, and her feathery wings spread out behind her.  She cleared her throat.

“Discord, you are…”

“Heartwing,” Heartwing interrupted.  Sergeant Lockstep raised a hoof to cuff him for interrupting the princess, but then lowered it.  “My name is Heartwing.  Not Discord, any longer.”

“You think a change of name will hide you from your crimes?” The princess’ voice was now laced with venom.

Heartwing shook his head.  “Not at all.  But it’s who I am now.  It is the name I took to honor Fluttershy.  I ask you to respect that.”

“You deserve no respect from me, you monster,” she snarled, surging forward quickly enough that her guards jerked in panic, scrambling their hooves to keep up.  Princess Flurry’s horn glowed with an ominous yellow light, and she shoved her face so that it was inches from Heartwing.  He stood firm, his expression blank and patient, though Emberglow was close enough to see the slightest of trembles in his hooves.

“Deserve?  Probably not.  But I ask it anyways.”  A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.  “Besides, I won’t answer to my old name.  So, by all means, if you wish me to be even more aggravating than my charming usual self, continue to use my dead name.”

They stared at each other, muzzle to muzzle, as time ticked on.  Emberglow didn’t dare to breathe.  After a few moments, something cold touched her nose.  She glanced up.  It was snowing.

“Fine.  Heartwing,” Princess Flurry Heart blinked, and Heartwing smiled.  “You deserve nothing, but Fluttershy does.  She certainly deserved better than you.”

Terminus made a strangled, angry sort of noise next to Emberglow, and she reached out a hoof to rest on his shoulder.

“Heartwing, if you insist.  You are under arrest for regicide and treason, as well as vigilantism and rebellion against the government-in-exile of Equestria.  You will be taken in chains to the throne room, where you will be legally arraigned before a trial can begin.  Do you have anything to say?”

“Princess Flurry, as always your eloquence is only surpassed by your beauty and your wisdom.  Lead away to yonder dungeon with much haste, for I wish to see my new accommodations.”

“Do you never take anything seriously?” Rarity hissed from behind Emberglow.  Heartwing ignored her.

“I can have you arraigned here, right now, in front of all these witnesses.  That is, if you truly wish to see the inside of my dungeon so soon,” the princess offered.

For the first time Emberglow noticed the mass of crystal ponies standing about, watching the proceedings with an air of fascination.  There had to be nearly a hundred of them.  Emberglow wondered if they’d followed the princess out for some reason, or if they’d been summoned as witnesses to this event.

“I plead guilty, your highness,” Heartwing said.  “Does that ease your mind and smooth out the process a little?”

Princess Flurry’s eyes widened a little in surprise, before returning to a mask of control and regality.  “It does.  Soldiers, do your duty and take the prisoner to his cell.”  She paused.  “We have been informed that two of your Discordant have also been extradited on charges of vigilantism.  We pardon you for your role in bringing this…” she grit her teeth.  “…this criminal to Our custody.”

“With all respect, your highness,” Terminus said calmly.  “I will be following Grand Master Heartwing to his imprisonment.”

It was oddly formal, the way he used the title Emberglow had almost never heard Heartwing use himself.  But the Princess hesitated, turning from Heartwing to look into Terminus’ eyes.

“I never had my mother’s full talent at it…” the princess whispered, as if to herself.  “But…”  She stood up straight, and there was a kindness in her gaze that Emberglow hadn’t yet seen.  “Very well.  Soldiers, as long as he doesn’t interfere with Heartwing’s imprisonment, this Sir…”

“Terminus Flash.”

“Sir Terminus is allowed in the jail near his lover.”

“Thank you, highness,” Terminus said.

“Now go,” she waved a hoof.  “I wish to speak with an old friend.”   She turned her back as Sergeant Lockstep and his team led Heartwing away.  As her gaze fell on Rarity, it filled with warmth.  “Rarity.  It has been so long.”

Rarity, for her part, looked uncomfortable.  “Not so long, darling.  For me, it feels like just a few months ago I visited the Empire with…” she gulped.  “With Twilight.”

“Of course,” Princess Flurry said calmly.  She stepped forward.  “Would it be too awkward to ask for a hug, though?”

“Never,” Rarity said, and the monarch stepped forward, wrapping wings and legs around Rarity in a tight embrace.  Rarity laughed, though Emberglow could see tears in her eyes.  “Though the last time I gave you a squeeze, you were much smaller.”

“Still mostly non-verbal, I believe,” the Princess laughed.  She broke the hug with a reluctant sigh.  “Come.  I’m sure you’re all tired.  I’ve had rooms in the palace prepared for all of you.”  She glanced at Topaz.  “Even you, Topaz.  Your banishment from my presence has been lifted, if you weren’t already aware.”

“I was wondering…” Topaz said, glancing away with a nervous smile.  Emberglow eyed her curiously.  Banishment?

The princess turned to the assembled, watching crowd, and her voice grew, becoming more formal and commanding.  “This is a great day for the Empire.  We have seen the apprehension of a dangerous fugitive, as well as the safe return of Duchess Topaz Glitter from her daring mission to the South.  We have also seen an addition to the ranks of alicornhood; Sunset Shimmer, who even now sleeps off the strenuous effects of her transformation.  But happiest of all is the arrival of Rarity herself, dear friend to Our mother and aunt.  Please give her and her companions the warm welcome and kindness We know my citizens are capable of.”

The ponies and other creatures in the crowd cheered, even as the gold-armored guards began to gently guide them apart so that the Princess and her entourage could pass.  Emberglow suddenly felt like a thousand spotlights were shining on her as hundreds of curious eyes bored into her.  She wanted to hide behind Rarity, but instead stepped forward with all the others, following after Princess Flurry.  It was like a parade, with the guards fanning out to create a bubble around the Princess and her companions.

The palace itself was in the distance, a towering spike of crystal soaring majestically into the grey sky.  There was something odd about it, and Emberglow realized that it seemed to be floating, suspended over the nearby ground by four curving pillars holding it up over a plaza underneath.  Emberglow wondered just how strong that crystal was as a building material.

As they proceeded down the street, Emberglow couldn’t help but notice just how happy the creatures around them were.  Yaks and Diamond Dogs, crystal ponies and unicorns and pegasi, even the odd changeling or two, all stopped and waved as the Princess passed, bowing before returning to their tasks.  Children scampered about in the snow, tossing snowballs and building snowponies as the sky saw fit to add to the white blanket draped gracefully across the tops of the buildings and the yards in front of the houses.

As the procession approached the palace, Emberglow noticed a large statue of a very young-looking dragon, holding up a crystal heart with a smile on his face.

“Oh, the statue’s still here?” Rarity said.  “Hmm.  How long has it been since you’ve spoken with Spike, Flurry?”  Emberglow gaped at the statue.  This was Mlinzi, the vicious angry creature she’d met?  He looked so… innocent and sweet.

“Centuries,” she admitted.  “He won’t return my letters.”

“We spoke with him,” Rarity said, her mouth forming a hard line.  “He was kind enough to inform me of Heartwing’s…” she stopped, and cleared her throat.  “That was before he tossed us out on our rumps, of course.”

“Twilight’s death hit him harder than most,” Princess Flurry said.  “She was the world to him; his whole family.  By that point Dad was already gone, and of course Grandpa Night and Grandma Velvet.  I was just a cousin.  He stopped speaking to me after a while.  Said he was done with ponies.”  The princess snarled.  “Yet another thing Dis…’Heartwing’ has taken from me.”

“Grandmother,” Topaz began, her voice careful.  “We should talk about that.  Heartwing is one of the Elements of Harmony now.  I don’t think it’s going to be helpful to lock him away.  Especially over something that happened so…”

“I’m not having this discussion with you, Topaz,” the princess interrupted.

“You’re going to have to,” Topaz shot back, stamping a hoof on the hard street.  The princess turned and glared at her.  For a moment they faced off, the princess and the duchess both glaring daggers.  Then the princess spun with a flip of her tail.

“You can say whatever you like at the trial in his defense, Duchess Topaz,” the princess called behind her with cool distaste.  She stormed forward, towards the palace, but Topaz was frozen to the spot, fuming.

“Guards?” Topaz’ teeth were gritted.  “Could you show my stallionfriend and his son to the suite we’ll be using while we’re at the palace?”

“Topaz, what—” Lofty began.

“Sweetie, I’m going to yell at a princess.  Maybe even use the kind of language that True shouldn’t be hearing, hm?  I’d rather you not be there to see it.”

“Ah.”  Lofty looked nervously between his marefriend and his son, before gulping.  “Yes, I think it would be a good idea to see our suite.  Get True settled.  Emberglow, you’ll keep her safe, right?”

“Uh, sure?” Emberglow said, but Topaz was already moving forward, her hooves stomping as she stormed after the princess towards the palace.