//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - The_Ind1e_Us3r // Story: 40 Years // by bookhorse125 //------------------------------// Tick-tock went the time by the second, as the Mane Five reached the castle in Canterlot. “Is that Twilight’s castle?” said Sunny. “We must be in Canterlot!” “I’m sorry, what?” pondered Pipp. “The original princess lives in that very castle! I think there’s a good chance we might meet her!” As the five ponies reached the castle gates, guards around the wall stopped them. Gael was one of them. “Who goes there?” he yelled. “Us?” answered Sunny. She was astonished, but surprised by the guards immediately grabbing their attention. “Why are you in Canterlot at this time?” asked Gael. “We’re here to see Princess Twilight Sparkle?” answered Sunny. Gael leaned over to another guard. “Sterling, ponies don’t seem harmful at all. Should we let them in?” “And get fired?” the other guard said. “No! Absolutely not!” “Hey, listen to me. Whatever they’re here for, I know it’s our duty to make sure they don’t get into trouble at all. But they don’t seem like trouble either way. So please, just follow me on this one.” Sterling stuttered. “Okay, fine. But only this one time.” Gael pulled a lever that opened the gate to Canterlot. He, Sterling, and a few other guards jumped from up above and surrounded the Mane Five. “Come with us,” commanded Gael. “You’re not going anywhere at our command.” “What’s going on?” asked Izzy. “I don’t know, Izzy,” replied Sunny. Inside the castle, Twilight worked with Starlight and Sunburst to conduct potions for the so-called “changelings”. She was still worried about the unusual phenomenon taking place. Then, Gael arrived.   “What’s going on, Gael?” asked Twilight. “Some visitors are here to see you.” Gael stepped aside to show five ponies guided by Sterling and the other guards. They were amazed by everything they were seeing. All except Zipp. “This” — said Zipp — “was the castle back in old times?” “Hey, don’t judge a princess’s castle,” whispered Sunny. “Princess Twilight Sparkle owns it.” “Oh, hello!” called Starlight. “What brings you here, my little ponies?” requested Twilight. “Oh. My. Gosh.” Sunny was beaming from head to hoof when she saw Twilight looking at them. “Are you the Princess Twilight Sparkle?” “Yep,” answered Twilight, smiling down at Sunny. “You look pretty stylish, by the way. What can I do for you?” Sunny was so surprised by Twilight complimenting her that with a loud thud, she fell to the ground. The other ponies looked at her. “Is she okay?” asked Sunburst. “She is,” replied Hitch. “It’s just that she’s a superfan of Twilight.” “Okay? That sounds weird.” Before Twilight could say anything else, she noticed the ponies had one cutie mark on one side, so she was puzzled. “Why do you have one cutie mark on one side and not both?” “What are you talking about?” Izzy wondered. “We’ve always had cutie marks on one side!” “Yes, but here,” Twilight implied, “we have cutie marks on two sides.” She turned around to show them the two cutie marks near her tail.  “What…?” said Zipp quietly. “Yep. I don’t know how yours work, but it certainly isn’t common here. Unless…” “We’re from the future,” Zipp denoted. “There. That’s it.” “Wait, wait, wait a minute, back that up,” stuttered Twilight. “Did you just say you’re from the future?” “Yeah,” answered Pipp. “Here’s proof. Look at this device here called a ‘phone’. I assume you don’t have anything like this in this timeline?” “No, we don’t.” Twilight walked back to the science desk and continued her conducting with potions. “Anyways, what are you doing here, you five? Can’t you see we’re working on something right now?” “Yeah, we get it,” said Zipp, “but I think there’s something you’d like to see. Hit it, Pipp!” Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst stopped working and Pipp played the video she took earlier with Grogar and Sprout. When the video finished, Twilight stepped away from the Mane Five. “No… it can’t be, can it?!” Twilight panted as she began to hyperventilate. “What can’t it be?” asked Izzy. “That it’s high-definition?” “No! This has nothing to do with that ‘phone’ or whatever you call it! I think he’s back!” Twilight rambled through the bookshelves to look for a book. “Who’s back?” questioned Hitch. “Grogar!” Everyone in the science room gasped, including Sunny, who had just gotten up. “Wait, what?” gasped Sunny. “Grogar? Like that old-looking ram from the legends?” “I know about a ‘Grogar’ in an old library book I borrowed once!” recalled Izzy. “I think you’re looking for this one, Twilight?” Starlight was manipulating an old history book. “That’s it! That’s the one, Starlight!” Twilight took it from Starlight and placed down the history book with a symbol of peace and prosperity on the hardcover. She flipped through the pages to find a short excerpt from the book. “Here it is.” Twilight cleared her throat. She read aloud from the excerpt. “Grogar is a blue ram that once ruled the land of Tambelon. His time came when a unicorn named Gusty the Great banished him to the underworlds of Equestria. Though gone, but not forgotten, there is a claim that a certain pattern of stars in the night sky could respawn Grogar back into the world of Equestria as we know it. And if it does happen, a group of ponies from generation after generation shall be summoned in hopes that they are Equestria’s last and only hope.” “So that’s why we are here right now?” gasped Sunny. “A unicorn named ‘Gusty the Great’ thinks we are the only ones that could finish the job of defeating Grogar forever?” “Seems about right,” disclosed Zipp. “Not really! Why us of all ponies?” “Don’t ask me,” replied Twilight. “I wasn’t the one that banished Grogar.” “Well, let’s not debate now,” said Starlight. “Let’s focus on Grogar.” “But what about our work, Starlight?” asked Sunburst. “Both of us will take care of it. But for now, let’s have Twilight solve her problem first.” Starlight went behind the table and continued working. “Gael,” requested Twilight, “call in the other ponies and tell them to meet back here. We’ve got a bigger situation on our hooves.” “Yes, Your Majesty!” Gael left off in a hurry to notify the rest of the Mane Six. “As for you five,” Twilight continued, “you’ll be staying with me. I can’t have you roaming about in Canterlot without knowing what this place actually is.” “Fine by us, Princess!” Sunny obeyed. Only an hour had passed. Twilight was sitting on her throne with the Mane Five sitting right beside her. Sunny stared at Twilight, admired by her looks. Pipp kept navigating around the room to find a cellular signal for her phone, but to no avail. Just then, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash walked in. “Girls!” cried Twilight. “Did you do what I asked you to do?” “Yeah, about that,” said Rainbow Dash, “no one in Ponyville or anywhere else in Equestria wanted to listen to us. They were caught up with those so-called ‘changelings’ coming to attack us.” “As for Discord,” added Applejack, “he’s busy with whatever he’s doing in a place called Chaosville. But he’ll come to help us whenever he can.” “Are you kidding me?” snapped Twilight. “He’s unavailable at the wrong time? What about you, Fluttershy and Spike? Did you manage to talk with the other ponies or whatever they are?” “Well, it’s kind of a funny story, but… C’mon in!” Fluttershy whistled. Twenty-one ponies of unknown origin simultaneously entered the throne room. Every pony was surprised. "Wow," an amazed Izzy gasped. "That's a lot of ponies." “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” exclaimed Twilight. “How many ponies from different worlds are in this timeline?” “Twenty-one,” answered Spike. “Yes, I took a full body count before we came here.” “Twenty-one ponies?!” Twilight could not believe her eyes. “This is bigger than I thought.” Let’s not waste time introducing the characters to each other, so in favor of that, let’s just say introductions were made. And on top of that, they also explained how they were transported to Imperial Equestria via a portal. “Interesting,” said Twilight. “So you all came here the same way those five did.” “Correct!” said Gusty. “Well,” Twilight began, “let’s paraphrase why we’re all here. A ram named Grogar is coming to destroy all our worlds as we know it. And we’re the only ones who could stop him from doing such.” “And that’s why we’re all here!” said all the other ponies. “So you’re not changelings… right?” Rainbow Dash had a keen attitude toward them. “No, we’re not,” replied Surprise. Twilight thought long and hard. She didn’t know what to do in a situation like this. But then, a thought popped into Sunny’s head. A thought that might be crazy, but should buy everyone enough time in Equestria. “We have to make the announcement,” said Sunny. “What? But why?” asked Rainbow. “Everyone in Equestria has to get a warning first,” explained Sunny. “Or else they’ll be unprepared!” “You know what, Sunny girl? I think that’s a good idea!” agreed Applejack. “Wait-” Twilight said, but knowing this was a last-ditch effort to warn everyone in Equestria, she had to follow. “Ugh, okay.” Meanwhile, not so far away, Opaline and Misty were sitting atop a hill, overlooking Canterlot. Misty was holding a pair of binoculars. “Do you see them anywhere, Misty?” Opaline solicited. “No, Opaline,” answered Misty. “The only thing I could see is a lavender alicorn.” “A lavender alicorn,” said Opaline. “Now where have I heard something like that?” “Wait a second! I see something over there!” Misty pointed to a machine just from across a river. It appeared motionless. “Who is that?” questioned Opaline. “I think it’s the same obeyer we saw before.” Misty kept a close eye on it. “Really?” Opaline laughed. “Then it’s about time we strike soon.” Hours passed. At Canterlot, many Equestrians are gathered in the Canterlot Castle to listen to the announcement from Princess Twilight Sparkle. Every civilian, ranging from Earth ponies to yaks, is talking about what the announcement might be. Some have theorized that the announcement might be something new for the land, while others think it’s a warning. Either way, they all waited patiently for Twilight to listen to her announcement. Guards roamed and guarded every corner around the castle to make sure that no one breaks in. “What do you think it is?” one pony asked. “You think something’s coming? Like what’s to come for the future?” “I don’t know,” another replied. “Maybe it’s a warning of some kind. Considering that there haven't been a lot of attacks ever since those three took over Canterlot, there might be one coming soon.” Then, a female pony interrupted their conversation. “I think it’s a new gala!” The two ponies looked at her confused. “Depending on the gravity of this situation, I highly doubt it,” a pony said. "Why would something that is probably very serious to take notice of would be an announcement of a new Grand Galloping Gala?" “Whatever,” the pony said. "Probably just to strengthen the excitement." Inside the castle, Twilight and Spike are ready to give the speech to everyone in Canterlot. However, something caught up in Twilight's mind. The other main ponies from the other generations are there too. "You ready?" Starlight said to Twilight. "You got the speech memorized and everything?" "Yeah," said Twilight. "But there's just one thing, everyone." "What is it?" Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight exhaled. She wanted to get this out now because she knew something wasn't right out of this. “I don’t know about this, everyone,” she said, completely worried. “I don’t think now’s the right time to reveal this information to anyone in Equestria. Because think about it, hysteria might ensue. And not to mention that the Grogar they know about has remained a myth for such a long time. Once they hear my speech, they’ll just brush it off as fake news.” "Come on, Twilight!" said Pinkie Pie. "They'll want to listen to your speech! Let them know! Don’t delay!" "Yeah," added Rainbow Dash. "Who cares what they're gonna think about your so-called 'false claim'? They just don't know what's soon about to hit them!" "And not to mention that you'll do something about it," said Izzy. "You're the leader of Equestria, for crying out loud!" “You have to do this, Twi,” said Applejack. “They need to know what's to come in the future. Or else, like Sunny said, they’ll be unprepared.” Twilight exhaled. “You’re right. They need to know. We mustn't keep this a secret any longer. Thank you, everyone. Come on, Spike; we've got some civilians to address." Both Twilight and Spike walked out slowly from the castle. The ponies waved to say good luck. “Good luck, Your Highness!” said Sunny. Everyone looked at her in confusion. “What? It’s the right term to call a princess!” “It’s not bad, by any means,” said Fluttershy, “but I think she prefers to still be called Twilight Sparkle.” As the two enter the balcony, the Equestrians spot Spike. "Hey look, there's Spike! Twilight's assistant!" a yak said. Everyone clamored as Spike walked to the microphone. "Come on, Spike!" said a pony. "Tell us what's going on!" The crowd continued clamoring to tell Spike to give them the news. "We need to know!" a dragon said. Spike wanted to get everyone to be quiet. So he said the one thing he thought could shut them up immediately. "Silence!" he yelled, and everyone went quiet. "Thank you." No one in the crowd said a word after that. Spike's order was clear. “Fillies and gentle colts, Princess Twilight Sparkle will speak to all of you very shortly. Please pay attention to this speech, as it may be vital for your safety in what’s about to come for the foreseeable future. Anyone who cannot make it to this address, the message will be sent via newspaper across all cities and towns in Equestria.” He walks aside to have Twilight take the microphone. Twilight walked up to the microphone. Everyone took notice and paid attention to her and her speech. “Fillies and gentle colts,” she announced, “I regret to inform you all that we have recently received from an anonymous source information regarding something that may very well be hard to comprehend. Equestria, the land we all know and love, will be a target of an unspecified extinction-level attack.” Everyone gasped at those words. An extinction-level event in Equestria? the crowd thought to themselves. That’s something they’ve never thought or heard of in a while, ever since the Legion of Doom tried to take over Equestria. “As a result of this attack, a state of emergency has been declared for all of Equestria and other surrounding kingdoms, including, but not limited to: Yakyakistan, Maretonia, and Saddle Arabia, all three of which have their own emergency plans. Now the attack, in question, is commanded by an unknown entity that was spotted deep in the Crystal Mountains, as stated by the anonymous source who spotted this entity last night. No tolerance for ignoring this emergency is allowed. I want everyone across Equestria and beyond to heed this warning. But do not panic. I will be giving out a set of instructions on what to do during this situation.” Everyone was more concerned than ever, especially since this so-called “entity” was crossing their minds at this point. They didn't know what to say, or what to do. All they knew was that they had to listen to Twilight’s speech, so they would know what to do, and know more about what was to come in the future. “To prevent any more hysteria on the streets during this situation, as of 8 a.m. local time, I am initiating a contingency plan to ensure that Equestria would continue to live on. This plan is codenamed ‘Loki’.” Then she went over to Spike. “Spike, where’s the contingency plan outline?” “What contingency plan outline?” he asked. “You mean this one?” He took out a piece of paper titled “Emergency Plan: Loki”, which contained all the emergency details to comply with should an emergency like this take place. “Yes, that one! Give me that!” She took the outline from Spike and walked back to the mic. She cleared her throat and spoke to the mic, reading aloud from the outline. “The following contingency plan goes as follows: effective immediately, all areas in Equestria are declared under martial law. The nationwide curfew of 7 p.m. tonight to 7 a.m. has been put into effect, and anyone caught outdoors between these hours will be subject to arrest without question or warning, and be charged with severe consequences. To ensure that no one breaks this contingency plan, the Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasi Guard will be deployed in all areas in Equestria to be on the lookout for any civilians outside and will keep watch in the skies and landscapes for any more sightings of the entity and try to stop it. Anyone who rebels against this will be given severe punishment by the E.U.P. As for sheltering in place, stock up on any non-perishable food, and water shall any food outside go to waste. Do not try to resist the danger of this situation, as it is something that shall be taken seriously at all times. Nor shall you try to stop the entity on your own, as you may be putting your life in danger. Any and all communicational services, including postal mail, will be shut down and reserved for military use. No questions.” Before Twilight could even exit the balcony, the crowd clamored again. They demanded more answers regarding this situation, something they all wanted the most. No one was safe from this attack, so they needed more info on what was going to happen soon, regardless if they'd die or not. “Who is this ‘unknown entity’?” a yak asked. “We can’t do anything without knowing who the entity is.” “That is classified information, sir,” Twilight answered. “We cannot disclose this information to you at this time.” "This has something to do with those weird-looking ponies ever since they arrived, right?" a pegasus pony asked. "Now, hold on, everyone-" Twilight was about to say before she was interrupted shortly by the crowd. “Come on, Princess!” an Earth pony yelled at Twilight. “Tell us!" "My foals are scared right now!" a unicorn pony said. "And you're not helping at all!" Everyone in the crowd clamored and protested against Twilight to tell them who the “unknown entity” is, no matter the severity. Now it didn't seem like the contingency plan was going as expected, because everyone wanted the answer to everything. And that "everything" was the "entity". “Wait, everyone!” an old gray Earth pony called out, silencing the protest. “I think I know who this ‘unknown entity’ is. It’s all been over the conspiracy theories!” “Who is it?” the crowd asked him as they all turned at him, wanting to know his answer. Twilight was worried. The old pony laughed to himself. He moved his lips to say, “Grogar.” The crowd then turned back to Twilight to demand if the old pony’s word was true. “Is this true, Princess?” a changeling asked her. “Is this ‘Grogar’ character the thing that’s causing all of this to happen at this very moment?” Twilight didn’t say a word. She still wanted it kept confidential. “Tell us now” — shouted another pony — “or we will use heavy force to rebel against you!” “Yeah! We want answers!” shouted a dragon. “And very serious ones!” More clamoring and protesting were made to convince Twilight for more answers to this crisis. Twilight moved her lips to the microphone closely. “Yes.” The crowd became silent, looked at each other, and then they all continued protesting angrily even more. They could not believe that such a rumor about Grogar's existence would catch up to a princess's mind, especially since the princess is Twilight, a pony who warned them about some danger in the past. But what makes this warning even worse is that no one, not even a single soul in the crowd, believed Twilight, and they all thought she was lying. "Grogar is just a dead-on myth of the past!" a pony said. "And he hasn't laid a single leg on this land ever since then!" another called out. "It's all just lazy, baffling, flat-out appalling lies!" "Don't believe in everything you hear about, Princess Nerd!" a yak yelled. The crowd then began to boo at Twilight and Spike, and some even went as far as throwing things at both of them, such as vegetables, hay forks, and even sharp glass bottles. Twilight looked away and went back inside the castle, feeling ashamed of herself for not being able to warn everyone. Spike went to the microphone to give an after-speech. "Now, everyone," he announced, "no more questions until further notice. Like Princess Twilight Sparkle said, a mandatory curfew is in effect, and you all should take action now! Whoa!" He narrowly dodges a glass bottle meant to be thrown at him and leaves the balcony, as everyone continues to angrily protest and yell at them. Twilight and Spike walked back to the castle in dismay. The other main ponies saw them, confused as to what they were feeling. “How was it?” asked Twilight. “Did you get them to listen?” Twilight was upset. “No, Twilight Two. It’s not working.” “Why?” asked Hitch. “Are they in denial?” “Yes, Hitch,” said Twilight. “They just denied all the warnings and now they’ve rebelled against me. At this rate, there’s no way we’re going to prove to everyone that Grogar is coming to destroy everything and that we should all take action immediately. We are on our own now." Everyone felt bad for her, especially since the crowd thought she caused a lot of controversy during the speech. Now they don’t know what to do. All hope seemed lost now, or was it? “So what are we gonna do now?” asked Rarity. “We’re not just gonna sit here like cowards. We have to do something!” So everyone had to think of a way to save Equestria and abroad. Then, Sunny had a plan. A plan that is their last resort to everything. “I know, everyone!” she announced. “I think I know what to do to stop Grogar from destroying us all!” “What is it?” the other ponies asked as they turned their heads to her. Sunny grinned. “We’re going to confront him ourselves.” Everyone gasped at her idea, especially since Grogar is too strong compared to all of them. “What?” asked Zipp. “Us? To confront that big old ram? That’s impossible!” “We can’t do that, Sunny!” said Pipp. “He’s too strong, and not to mention he’s probably plotting something that maybe we can’t stop!” “Sorry, Sunny,” said Gusty. “Normally, I want to agree with you on this, but this is probably a bit too much, even for me.” "What? Come on!" yelled Sunny. "Just like Rarity here said, we're not just going to give up and let Grogar destroy all of us! We need to do something about it!" The main ponies argued with each other, debating whether or not they should just go and defeat Grogar on their own. It was either too risky if they go or too hopeless if they stay. Then, Twilight used her horn to shut everyone up. "Everyone, shut up!" she yelled and everyone went silent. "Sunny's right. We're going to find Grogar." "Finally!" Sunny said. "Thank you, Twilight." "Wait, what?" asked Zipp. "You want all of us, small little ponies who don't have enough power like a god, to go against him?" "I mean, yeah," Twilight replied. "Why shouldn't we?" "You heard what Hitch said!" Zipp bellowed. "He's too strong compared to all of us combined!" "I did, Your Highness," Hitch added. He winked at Sunny. "Just because he's over-the-top strong doesn't mean we can't beat him," Twilight said. "We all have to try." All the ponies and Spike listened to her carefully. "All of us were chosen by Gusty the Great to defeat the one enemy capable enough to destroy all the pony worlds as we know it. If we give up now, there won't be a world to live in." The ponies and Spike listened to Twilight. It was a life or death situation: if they gave it a try, they might still live. But if they don't, all hope would be lost. So it was up to them to decide. "So do you want to get up and save your world from total annihilation? Or stay here and have the one enemy we were meant to defeat destroy everything we know and love?" All the ponies and Spike had made their choice. "Get up and save our worlds from total annihilation!" "That is what I'd like to hear," Twilight said. Just then, Starlight walked in. She was exhausted from all the clamoring and protesting outside the castle on their way inside. “Twilight, Sunburst and I were at your speech just now, and we heard what’s going on. The Grogar coming to destroy us all? We believe in that "myth". This is something we want to help you all with; so can we come with you all?” Twilight looked at Starlight.  “I’m sorry, you two, but the prophecy from Gusty the Great states that us ponies are the only ones who can stop him. Speaking of which, where is Sunburst?" Starlight frowned but understood Twilight's words. "Eh, it's okay. I don't feel cut out for that, anyway. Also, Sunburst is out there. He’s trying to keep everyone calm. But what else can I do, at least?" Twilight didn't know what Starlight should do. There was nothing else that she could do while they were out. That was until an idea flew into her head. "You know," she pointed out, "since we're all going to stop Grogar and I'm not going to be here to look over Equestria, I need someone to fill out for me, and I think you'd be my perfect temporary replacement." "Like, ruler of Equestria?" Starlight asked. "Exactly," Twilight answered. "Well, until I get back, of course." “Fantastic! Sounds like I’m in charge again!” Starlight exclaimed. The other ponies looked at her. “What do you mean ‘again’?” Sunny asked. “It’s a long story,” Starlight replied. Just outside the castle, the crowd is still protesting over the existence of Grogar. “Grogar is a myth!” they all chanted. The guards did their best to push back the crowd from overtaking the castle. Unfortunately, the guards were overwhelmed by the high number of ponies, yaks, dragons, and changelings, so they had to call in backup from all corners of Equestria. “Requesting backup in Canterlot, over,” requested Gael. "No myth will stop us!" a dragon yelled. "Equestria can stand on its own!" “Hold on, everyone!” called Sunburst before being crowded in by two yaks. Meanwhile, from behind the castle, Twilight, and the other ponies snuck out from the castle and into the mountains, where no one could see them. “You sure you know what to do?” Twilight asked Starlight. “The speeches, orders, everything?” “Don’t worry!” Starlight replied confidently. “I know just what to do! It’s like controlling my old town!” “Okay,” Twilight said. “We’re all counting on you.” “Anyways, good luck!” Starlight called. “Take care!” The main ponies left the castle and deep into the mountains. Starlight went back to the castle. As she walked around, she found “Emergency Plan: Loki” on a table and picked it up. “All areas in Equestria declared under martial law…” she read to herself. “A-ha, this might be a piece of cake!” Then, she heard the angry crowd noises just outside of the castle. It's gotten all out of control now. “Oh dear, I need to do something about the protests,” she said. Starlight went over to the main balcony of the castle, witnessing thousands of Equestrians attempting to get over to the castle. She didn't want what happened to her last time to happen again, so her anger got the better of her, and she strolled to the microphone. “Quiet!” she yelled into the microphone. Everyone, including Sunburst, went silent and stopped trying to go over. “Thank you. On behalf of myself, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the royal family, we trust that you all adhere to the contingency plan the Princess has provided for you.” “Who are you?!” a pony asked Starlight. “That’s not important right now,” she answered. “What’s important is that I want to make sure that all of you are safe.” “And why should we?” a yak asked. “The Princess is giving us nothing but vile lies about this so-called ‘Grogar’ coming to attack us!” “I can assure you that the Princess knows what she’s doing and that she is taking care of the situation as I speak,” she also answered. “And you’re just going to follow her orders?” the yak asked again. "Everything she told us earlier here sounded completely asinine!" “Hey, I know Twilight Sparkle is doing the right thing!” Starlight bellowed. “And it's now my responsibility to make sure that none of you Equestrians get hurt by Grogar!” "As if. Say it with me, everyone: Grogar is a myth!" a pony began the chant again. And the rest of the crowd chanted the same thing for the second time, as if chanting it only once wouldn't make anything different. "Wait-!" Starlight stuttered before her reply was long interrupted. The crowd angrily yelled at Starlight for having to listen to Twilight’s orders. They all still think she's lying, even though she isn’t. Starlight gulped. “Oh boy, this is gonna be harder than I thought.”