"What do you mean?" Luna asked, scooting up to sit.
Twilight looked torn between anger and shock as she took several steps back, "She says she didn't solve the recurrence principle."
"The what?" I asked, "Keep in mind that most ponies here don't have several doctorates in magical theory."
Twilight shook her head, "The recurrence principle. Basically, the world doesn't like things coming out and into it and the more each thing does it, the more dangerous it gets as they weaken the fabric."
"Dangerous how?" I asked, glancing at Midnight who were looking away.
Luna frowned, "It's not a linear progression. Your appearance in Equestria for example had almost no risk as it was your first trip. But the danger increases exponentially, especially when done in short order," she said seriously, "Such as only a month having passed, especially when it's so many of you."
"Dangerous how?" I asked, pushing myself up, looking at Twilight.
"It may cause a world breach. Remember that thing that appeared at the table when we tried to make a portal to send Midnight and Talon back?" Twilight said, "That wasn't a full breach, just a partial one to the space between worlds. A full one may... I don't know. I never got the math to work, it might throw a pony into the void and seal itself or... or it may cause a permanent portal a hundred meters across to any world or even no world!."
The size of small village.
We appeared just next to Ponyville. In the middle of Equestria.
I stared at Midnight, "You knew of this?" I asked her quietly, feeling ice slide down my spine.
She raised her wings defiantly and looked at me in turn, "I did the math with Starlight and the odds of it happening were low, barely two percent."
Two percent.
She gambled a lot of ponies getting hurt on 98 percent.
Luna let out a small gasp and I couldn't blame her. Out of all the fucking irresponsible... I never would have thought that of her.
Slowly getting up, I moved off the throne and towards her, "Two percent," I said, "Each?"
Midnight swallowed, taking a couple of steps back, shaking her head, "T-there were safeguards, Starlight w-"
She broke off as I reached her.
"So it was more than two percent. Everypony in ponyville. Roll of the die. Two percent."
"No! I-"
"Talon. Pinkie Pie. Rarity," I said, "I suppose Applejack might have made it if she was home. Maybe Rainbow Dash if she could fly fast enough. The ponies running the bakery? The storekeeps, the ponies in the market, the ponies living in the village? Not so much. There is a school in Ponyville, isn't there? How many foals go there? Is it within town limits?"
Midnight started to cry, "I... the math..." as she slowly backed away.
"Fuck the math!" I snarled, baring my fangs at her as I followed, "There are things you don't fucking risk on math! Not for such low gains!"
"We just-"
"We should have stayed," I told her, "We should have stayed and found a better way. A safer way. But no, you dec-"
Somepony touched my shoulder and when I looked, it was Luna. In fact, she was the only one other than Midnight that was on this side of the room, everypony else had retreated and... Sparks had a shield up around them.
Luna looked at me, "Page, I need you to calm down," she said softly but seriously, "Close your eyes, deep breaths."
I looked up at her before I did as she told me to. As I did, I realized my mane had been moving. My tail too.
Damn.
I had never done that before.
Suddenly I felt tired. Exhausted even. I almost fell and would have if Luna had not pressed her side against mine in support.
"Go home," Luna said softly but firmly, looking at Midnight, "I will talk to you later."
There was the sound of hooves and then wings as Midnight left.
I opened my eyes again, "Sorry," I said and then looked at Sparks as the shield went down, "...What's with the shield?"
Sparks uhmed and glanced at Sunset.
Sunset looked back at her before slowly approaching, "Page, you were... shimmering."
I looked at her and then up at Luna, "I wasn't sparkling, was I?" I asked in slight horror.
She frowned and then shook her head, "No. It was more like a heat haze around you. I could feel the dream realm around you so I told everypony else to take cover just in case."
"Oh."
That's new.