//------------------------------//
// The Emissary 
// Story: The Immortal Dream 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

As we wandered the streets of the Crystal Empire, me and Corsica and everyone who made the trip from Ironridge following Seigetsu and flanked by more dragons, my sensation that something wasn't right was growing.

No one had come to greet us at the train station, despite the fact that Aegis's security apparently constituted an international emergency, or the fact that we weren't the first train in Seigetsu's convoy to arrive, or the fact that Snowport had apparently been coordinating with the Crystal Empire to have guards in the mountains watching the trains, ready to intervene if there was trouble. Seigetsu, normally unflappable, looked somewhere between annoyed and unnerved, and there was no one anywhere for her to take it out on. The town around the crystal tower was a ghost town.

A beautiful ghost town, at least. Appropriately, the Crystal Empire was made from crystal, with grainy, glittering streets and faceted buildings that looked like natural crystals had just happened to grow up in the shape of houses. After the building material, the most immediate thing that stood out to me about the architecture was how it clearly wasn't designed for a dense population: houses had yards that separated them from the streets and each other, with sparkly sidewalks and cute little porches. Most were a single floor high, and with relatively small footprints, probably unsuitable for families with more than two or three foals.

Instead of functional spaces, space here was spent on aesthetics, like street intersection plazas with statues, or even wedges of crystal that served no clear purpose whatsoever. The quaint little standalone houses reminded me of Sires Hollow, except Sires Hollow had clearly maximized space efficiency with careful planning to cram a vision of some utopia into a small valley in the middle of nowhere. The Crystal Empire looked like more like something that could have colored their vision of what utopia was.

But even the small population indicated by the houses couldn't explain how empty the place was. And so when we finally did see a pony, a lone mare with a watering can trying to resuscitate a garden that looked like it had been stepped on, Seigetsu immediately hailed them.

"Excuse me," Seigetsu said, striding up. "Can you tell me where everyone is?"

The mare looked up from her work, apparently not at all unused to running into dragons, her coat glittering like the holographic foil on a trading card game that used to be popular when I was a filly in school. "At the castle," she said, pointing a hoof toward the crystal tower. "We haven't had a Crystalling this eventful in forever! The after-party energy got a bit much for me, so I left early to fix up my flowers, but most everyone's still going at it like there's no tomorrow."

"Ah." Seigetsu adjusted the brim of her hat. "They're all at a party. Of course. I thank you for your time."

She continued walking, nodding for the rest of us to follow. The sparkly mare waved, then went back to her gardening, apparently unconcerned with the way my eyes - and the eyes of every non-dragon in the party - were still fixed on her as we retreated. With a coat like that, you probably got looks a lot.

Do you suppose the shine is part of living here? Faye mused in my head. I wonder if it's based on the environment, or if she's actually a different race. If we mastered our shapeshifting powers, maybe we could look like that, too.

Good question. Fur that looked like faceted crystal felt gaudy, unnecessary, beautiful and unrealistic... but I wanted it. It was just like the old, oversized coat I had gone back to wearing ever since Corsica's new one got ruined in the Flame District. Somehow, I was most comfortable in my body when I looked like I was trying too hard.

"What is 'Crystalling'?" Braen asked as we walked. "Reason that mare gave for party."

"A local tradition involving the christening of a newborn foal," Seigetsu said. "I did mention all of Equestria's royalty happened to be here today for a cultural event. It just so happens that this foal is the daughter of the Crystal Empire's reigning alicorn."

"And that just happened to fall on the same day this business happened with Duma?" Corsica mused. "Think it's a coincidence?"

"Mmm... I suppose it is possible." Seigetsu considered this. "The Princess's pregnancy was no secret. Had Duma's plans involved it, it would not have been difficult to arrive in these parts near the time of the birth. Of course, it seems more likely his arrival was timed to coincide with his yet-undiscovered collaborator. And since we know so little of their motives, goals or identity, it would pay to remain vigilant. After all, we may well be the only ones doing so." She frowned at her surroundings.

"You're bothered by the complete lack of anyone too, eh?" Papyrus guessed.

"I do not resent the Equestrians their carefree lives," Seigetsu said calmly. "After all, many sacrifices are made so that they can have them. That is simply the role that we who live on the outskirts are meant to play. However... I do find it inconvenient."

"How noble of you," Papyrus remarked, sounding unimpressed. "You know, back in the Griffon Empire, everyone took what they could, when they could, and never felt bad about it afterward. You've got your inquisitor powers, a noble lineage, can swing that purple hammer around... Ever thought of doing right by yourself for a change? What do you actually get out of this arrangement?"

Seigetsu sighed. "That sounds barbaric, and doesn't leave me the least bit surprised that when their order collapsed, the collapse was swift and total."

"Don't dodge the question," Papyrus pressed. "Come on, I'm curious! What's in this for you?"

"If you even need to ask, I can guarantee you wouldn't be satisfied with my response," Seigetsu said. "And so I prefer not to say."

"Spoilsport," Papyrus whined.

"Speaking of things not to say," Seigetsu continued. "I aim to secure a full audience with the Equestrian royalty, both to report on and discuss the situation in Snowport and to introduce you. I should hope this goes without saying, but please leave the speaking to me wherever possible. Once my own business has concluded and the Princesses know who you are and why you have come, there will be ample time for you to make your own cases yourselves."

Fine by me. I suddenly realized I hadn't been thinking about or preparing myself at all for a meeting with a goddess, let alone four of them... or however many answered Seigetsu's call.

Would it suddenly be easy to discuss my mission with the pink flame? Or would I keep tripping over my own secrets, like I had back in Snowport? The last goddess I had gotten to know was Coda, and that sure had ended well.





As we drew closer to the crystal tower, the gardener mare's predictions of a party came true in full force. At least two hundred ponies were dancing, carousing, devouring dainty appetizers and generally having a great time, their coats sparkling brightly and brilliantly. Holding court on a makeshift tower in the center of the mob was a tiny purple dragon about half my height, looking like it was telling a story that enthralled everyone close enough to hear it over the din.

"...Ah," Seigetsu said, scanning the party. "I suppose that's where the royal guards are, as well."

Sure enough, a smattering of bulky stallions with color-coded mohawks and holographic plate mail were participating in the festivities, living it up and clearly not thinking about greeting us at the train platform, or waiting in the mountains to defend the trains.

Papyrus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we'll just leave them to it," Seigetsu said, leading us in a circuit around the farthest outskirts of the crowd. "Hopefully the castle itself is guarded... but if not, I know my way through it. Sometimes it is hard to wrap my mind around just how carefree they are allowed to be."

"You think the castle might be unguarded due to a party?" Leif asked, skeptical. "What good are guards if they're that easy to remove?"

Seigetsu folded her hands behind her back. "We shall see."

Grinning, Papyrus bumped her shoulder. "You thinking about that one time with that one place you tricked you-know-who into breaking into way back when?"

Leif's gaze darkened. "Yes. And I'll thank you never to mention that again."

Mother was so quiet, it was hard to remember she was even there. But I noticed she was now walking a few paces further from Leif than she had been a moment ago.





The tower, it turned out, was guarded, albeit by ponies stationed just in sight of the party, constantly shooting it wistful looks, and probably on a strict rotation with the guards who were currently out carousing. When they saw Seigetsu, however, they immediately stood at attention, looking as if their reason for existence had just been validated.

"Special Inquisitor, Sir!" they barked out with perfectly synced precision, then knelt in a bow. "We've been awaiting your arrival, Sir."

"I can see that," Seigetsu said, looking them over. "Are the Princesses able to receive us now? I would understand if they have more..." She nodded at the party. "Pressing matters on their mind."

"Follow me," one of the guards said, opening a door into the tower. "Princesses Celestia and Luna are currently away on business relating to your own, and should be back shortly, but Princess Cadance will receive you in the meantime."

We followed him into an elevator that rose rapidly through the tower, and after a series of corridors found ourselves in a small-but-regal reception room that looked like it was kept ready around the clock as a backup in case the throne room was either busy or uncalled for. And then, after a wait just long enough that the lone guard remaining with us was starting to get uncomfortable, an alicorn arrived alone, unattended and carrying a mountain of books.

She looked... surprisingly ordinary. Her build was the same as any other mare, perhaps a little bit taller, but not enough to be noticeable unless you really looked closely. She had an above-average horn, though not nearly as long or sharp as Corsica's. And she had wings.

Aside from that, she was a completely ordinary-looking lavender mare, with a straight-cut bang and tail that had a classy double-stripe. She looked friendly, approachable, wore no jewelry or regalia whatsoever, and had the air of someone trying to pretend that they weren't badly out of their league.

"Hello!" she began with a gracious bow. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, Element of Harmony and currently the acting Princess Cadance because the real Princess Cadance hasn't gotten any sleep since the baby was born and needed someone to cover for her. Also, this is the first time I've ever actually greeted foreign dignitaries solo, and I didn't quite have enough time to do proper research on your culture to ensure I don't make any cultural faux pas, so please excuse that if it does happen? But, um, let's get this started! I thank you for coming all this way to pay your respects to the baby, and allow me to welcome you to Equestria!"

Seigetsu slowly blinked, rising from her kneeling position. "You... don't know who we are, do you?"

Twilight Sparkle blushed, and her ears went all the way down. "Um, the Crystal Empire is, um... still kind of newly returned, and nobody has modernized its system yet for briefing officials on duties they're about to undertake, which I promise I will drop everything to fix tomorrow? Or today? Can we start over?"

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and steadied herself in what looked like a practiced routine to avoid panic attacks. "Welcome to Equestria, I'm Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. May I... ask what brings you here today?"

Seigetsu nodded. "I am Seigetsu of Cernial, come to seal a trade agreement that was previously arranged with Her Majesty Princess Celestia. The details are rather arcane, but fortunately already dealt with by her and my negotiators. I merely came to finalize the deal in person."

"Oh!" Twilight looked abashed. "I should have guessed it was something like that. Is there anything I can do to help? We've had an eventful day, and Celestia is currently out cleaning up the aftermath, but she should hopefully be back soon?"

Seigetsu shook her head. "I'm afraid there is nothing you can do, though only because so little remains to be done. And it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Thank you," Twilight said, valiantly keeping her composure. "Um, is there... anything else? I'd hate to end on an awkward note..."

Seigetsu proceeded to explain about the other trains, and how it would be nice to have a posse of guards ready to receive them at the platform, but I had had just about all I could take. This was Twilight Sparkle? The pony who was supposedly in close contact with Fluttershy? Why wasn't Seigetsu introducing us?

Clearly, Twilight was operating in some level of information vacuum, given how far Seigetsu was going to obfuscate what was happening with Aegis without actually lying. But how little actually did she know? Too little to be allowed to know what we were here for, and what was going on? An Equestrian alicorn, one of the four most important ponies in the realm?

How was Fluttershy going to be able to have anything to do with the north if even her boss had a bag over her head? How did anything ever get done in this society?

For the first time, it occurred to me that maybe nothing did get done. I had made it my mission to come here on the hope that two specific ponies, Fluttershy and Starlight, would have magic answers for my problems and could fulfill and complete my quest, but what if they didn't? If even Seigetsu was afraid to speak plainly to an alicorn princess for fear of telling someone something they weren't supposed to know, how could I hope to get anywhere in a place like this? It was horrible.

Well... I could just disregard the rules and say whatever I wanted to whoever I wanted, consequences come as they may.

That almost sounded more appealing as an act of resistance than a way to get what I wanted. Though it could probably nicely accomplish both.

I wasn't paying attention as our conversation ended and our group was shepherded back to a waiting room by the one guard the Crystal Empire could apparently spare to watch us. "Well, that was awkward," Corsica said once we were seated.

"Indeed," Seigetsu said, the only one of us to remain standing. "But, I suppose it is to be expected. Twilight Sparkle is Equestria's newest alicorn. I imagine Her Majesty is taking a measured approach in bringing her into the fold on foreign policy. Goddesses are not known to lightly cede absolute control over areas they deem important, and promoting someone new to act as their equal must be seen as an extraordinarily delicate task."

"Sorry that didn't go smoothly," the guard apologized. "She's right about the Empire's infrastructure. I served with Prince Shining Armor before he married and became a prince... You know the Crystal Empire was supposedly sealed away a thousand years ago, and only recently returned? For all the ponies inside, it was like no time at all had passed. Everyone here is from another era. An era when the diarchs were basically carefree adventurers with no bureaucracy at all, to hear the crystal ponies tell it. We've been doing our best with the resources we have, but it's actually very hard to keep everyone on the same page with how small our crew is. Especially on a day like this, where everyone badly needs a break to blow off steam... If I had known Princess Twilight would be stepping in there, I would have tried to prepare her better. My bad."

"You are remarkably candid," Seigetsu told him. "I appreciate it."

The guard shook his head. "It's been a big day. You think you've had problems... The Empire had a 'power failure' that took the weather shield down for a bit, and we almost got flash frozen during the Crystalling ceremony. Add that to the request we got from you guys... Princess Luna is currently in the mountains watching your trains, along with all the pegasi in our force, and Princess Celestia covertly went to Snowport to watch over the Aegis there, until you finish your exercise to try and provoke an attack from Abyssinia. You know, if you want to go enjoy the festivities instead of waiting around in this room, I'm sure no one would mind."

"I thank you for your offer," Seigetsu said. "But I have never been one for parties. Was the cause of this power outage determined? Based on my knowledge of your infrastructure, such an event would be severe indeed."

"Accident," the guard said. "Not Abyssinia, if that's what worries you. We-"

The doors to the elevator slipped open, and out stepped another guard, accompanied by a pony.

"You still waiting for Cadance?" the guard said when he saw us, and I realized he was the other one who had been down at the entrance. "I've got another petitioner who wants to speak to the crown. No appointment, no connections, nothing. But she's come a long way to get here, so I couldn't just turn her out on the streets..."

The pony behind him looked nothing like anyone I had ever seen before. Her coat was a mix of black and white, separated into jagged stripes that wrapped around her neck, legs and barrel in a pattern that reminded me of a giant spring. She had no fetlocks covering her hooves, and her tail was long and thin, only poofing out into a brush of hair at the end. Her mane was done up into dreadlocks, but it wasn't voluminous enough to give the full effect, and made her look smaller instead of larger.

And she had that same third eye I recognized from Duma and Coda's mother.

My breath caught in my throat. And she was staring right at me, too.

"Cadance is asleep," our guard said. "We're waiting for Her Majesty Celestia to return. What's she here for?"

The striped pony stepped forward and bowed. "I am Nanzanaya, emissary of the zebras of the Aptann Valley, and I have come to beseech Equestria's aid for my people. I greet you all as a friend! Though, I hear we are all petitioners together?"

"The Aptann Valley?" Seigetsu's brow rose. "In the far south? That is quite a distance for one to travel alone. I hear the trains do not reach remotely that far."

Nanzanaya nodded. "It was an arduous journey. Speaking of which, if we are to be waiting for a while, do you have a bathroom?"

She glanced at me again as she said it, and I shifted in my seat. What was it with creatures having that third eye and reacting differently to me? Were they somehow aware I could see it? Something told me she wanted me to follow.

She called herself an emissary, Faye said in my head. Innocuous, given what else she said. But that's what Duma called us...

This couldn't be the pony Duma had mistaken me for, could it?

"A bathroom?" The guard who had shown Nanzanaya in looked up. "Sure, there's one right over here. I'll show you."

"Actually, I'll come too," I said, getting to my hooves. "Been traveling a while to get here, myself..."

Nanzanaya gave me a smile of understanding.

The guard nodded, showing us out into a hallway. My legs jittered as I walked; I thought I had closed the door on my opportunity to find out what Duma's deal was when I sided with Seigetsu against him. I hadn't wanted to dwell too closely on the what-ifs, on whether that creepy centaur who undermined the authorities and rubbed me the wrong way might actually know things I wanted to know too, things I couldn't learn in the closed-off world Seigetsu stood for. Was I seriously getting another chance?

Although I had met her barely a minute ago, this mare's first impression was at least better than Duma's. She wasn't trying to sell me anything, wasn't making insinuations about knowing things about me I didn't want anyone to know. Instead, she looked excited and vaguely relieved, like how I would feel if I was alone on a journey in a strange land and might have just met an ally I had been looking for for a long time... except if I wasn't a paranoid wreck, and actually got excited about meeting new people.

Now that I thought about it, though, why was she interested in me? If Duma knew little enough about her to mistake me for her, was it possible she was mistaking me somehow for Duma?

"Here we are," the guard said, leaning against a wall and pointing to a door across from him. "I'll wait here. Do what you need to do."

I followed Nanzanaya inside. It was an unremarkably opulent public restroom, with crystal sinks and crystal faucets and crystal floor tiles and everything... except for the toilet stalls, which were thoughtfully made from wood, and not transparent crystal. And just as I suspected, once the door had swung closed behind us, Nanzanaya turned on me with bright, eager eyes.

"Are you the ally who was prophesied to be waiting for me?" she whispered. "I never imagined I would run into you so easily! Fate moves in miraculous ways, sometimes!"

I blinked at her... and something told me I would quickly start to feel bad about myself if I intentionally deceived this young mare for too long. "Give me a bit more to go on?" I quietly offered. "I am here for a reason, but what's to say we're here for the same one?"

She pointed a hoof at my forehead. "You have the mark, of course!"

What...? Oh.

She pointed at her own forehead. "You can see my mark, right?"

"The eye?" I said, swallowing.

"Of course," Nanzanaya whispered. "You... wait..." She furrowed her brow. "You talk as if you do not know what the eye represents."

I took a step back. Good thing I wasn't attached to the idea of trying to deceive her, but-

Her face brightened in slow realization, and then in glee. "Truly? My ordained helper is uninitiated in the role she has been given to play? And I get to teach her? Oh, I've rarely been so glad to be a priestess!"

"You're... completely fine with me having no idea what you're talking about," I said, relaxing a little. "Well, you want to explain what this is about?"

Nanzanaya bowed. "As was said, I am Nanzanaya, a zebra emissary from the Aptann Valley. A foreigner I had never met before, bearing our mark - which allows us to see the mark upon others - was prophesied to come to my aid in my hour of need. 'Tis as simple as that! You are my new partner, and I am thrilled to have you."

"Tell me more about the eye," I pressed. "You say I've got one of these? And I can't see it, but it lets me see yours, or anyone else's if they have one?"

She nodded. "Precisely!"

"And where do they come from?" I asked. "You don't just walk up to ponies and tell them they have an invisible third eye."

Nanzanaya giggled. "If I told you everything all at once, where would be the fun in becoming your spiritual guide and teacher? I can tell you are skeptical about me, and may not even be aware of the divine fate that guided us to meet like this. And it would be terribly inconvenient if you decided you were satisfied with my teachings and departed, leaving me to fend for myself on my own. So, I will make a deal with you! We will travel together, and you will assist me loyally on my mission, and in return I shall illuminate to you the darkest secrets of the cosmos!"

I hesitated. "I'm here on an important mission too, you know..."

"Oh?" Nanzanaya perked up. "Do tell! Perhaps it will conveniently align with my own!"

"How about you go first?" I prodded.

Nanzanaya nodded. "I am here to beseech Equestrian military intervention against a grave threat to my people. Our peoples have no formal treaty, and thus it is something of a long-shot goal, but that is why it is all the more important I be creative and persistent in my approach."

"What kind of threat?" I asked, realizing how awkward it could be if we both were here at the same time to try to get Equestria involved in wars on opposite sides of the world.

"Our neighboring nation of Abyssinia," Nanzanaya explained. "They have long been fighting on their opposite border from us, against the ice dragons in Cernial - beings whom I believe I saw you in the company of! However, their king is an ambitious wizard, and his goals are changing. For years already, he has been despoiling our lands and forcing my people to move deeper and deeper into the valley with the magic emanating from his fell tower. And now we have proof that he is about to expand his grasp... So, what about you?"

I thought for a moment. How much did I want to say? This mare was openly admitting to not telling me everything, so I didn't exactly owe her the full story... "I'm from up north," I decided with a nod. "Looking for a couple of experts to help with solving a magical anomaly."

"Fascinating," Nanzanaya whispered. "Well, I'm sure I'll hear all about it in due time! For now, would you mind if I shared your lodging and meals? I spent all my resources on the journey here, and am sadly rather broke."

That might be up to the dragons, at least as long as we were their guests... "You know there's a huge party going on outside," I pointed out. "Lots of free food. Why not go load up down there?"

"Oh, I did!" Nanzanaya grinned. "It was the best I've eaten in weeks. Sadly, I'm not sure that party will last for the duration of my stay in this town... So, may I?"

"I'll... run it by my friends," I said, tapping my forehooves together. "Maybe. Don't get your hopes up."





Not long after Halcyon left to go to the bathroom, the elevator doors opened once again, rousing Corsica from her stupor. It was Princess Twilight.

"Aha!" She brightened, seeing the dragons and their party, and came trotting over. "I thought I might find you here! Sorry again about the wait."

Seigetsu looked up from a magazine she had found on a table near one of the waiting room's couches. "Can we help you?"

"If you're busy, I wouldn't want to waste your time," Twilight started, once again carrying a large stack of books and papers along with her in her aura. "But, after our last meeting, I realized Equestria's trade relations with the dragons is a major blind spot of mine. I didn't even know we had trade relations with the dragons! So, I went down to the castle library to do a cursory study of the subject just in case something like this happens again, and wouldn't you know it, all the books are over a thousand years out of date, because that's how long this castle has been gone for! Not that there's anything wrong with a perfectly preserved snapshot of history from a thousand years ago, of course, but you don't exactly get the opportunity to volunteer to modernize an entire royal library every day. So, um, I was wondering... As a dragon, what kinds of topics about you do you feel like it would be useful for the ponies of the Crystal Empire to have easily-accessible information on? This goes for everyone in the room."

Corsica perked up. An Equestrian royal who was a fan of easily-accessible knowledge? Princess Twilight seemed a little clueless and a little too enamored with the sound of her own voice, but that wasn't a thing she had been expecting to find today.

"It's been less than twenty minutes," Seigetsu said. "You really had time to get to the library and back, let alone search for anything there?"

Twilight shrugged. "I'm a fast reader."

"I see," Seigetsu said. "Much as I appreciate the offer, I would hate to keep you from the party out on the grounds. Surely you have better things to do than converse at length with the likes of me."

Twilight gave her an incredulous look. "Are you crazy? This is a rare opportunity! I almost never get to meet dragons aside from Spike. Besides, I was at the party for a while, and it got a little pointless after Spike started telling the same stories he's already told a dozen times before." She glanced at Corsica and the other ponies in the room. "Spike's a dragon, by the way. Err... You are with them, right? I guess I took you for Equestrian diplomats making sure the dragons' drip goes smoothly, but I probably should have asked. If it's not too much of a tangent, how are draconic diplomatic envoys even structured, anyway? Sorry. I'm... new to this." She tapped her forehooves together sheepishly.

Corsica glanced at Leif, at Nehaley, at Braen... Papyrus, true to his word, was suddenly nowhere to be found. And then she looked to Seigetsu.

"Perhaps," Seigetsu said, slowly getting to her feet, "I ought to enjoy myself at the party after all. But I'm sure you'll be able to have a productive and enlightening conversation without me. Try not to stray too close to any topics that might prove sensitive, would you?"

She said it directly to Corsica... and, from an angle that Twilight couldn't see, she winked.

It was just a wink, with no words attached. But Seigetsu didn't need words to make it say 'I'm annoyed that no one was at the train station, tired of being made to wait, disturbed that they don't seem to be taking a matter of international security as seriously as I am, and if a junior princess who's this curious accidentally finds out something a princess really ought to know, it's no problem of mine. Have fun indulging her.'

At least, that was what Corsica read it as.

Twilight looked awkwardly after her as she disappeared into the elevator. "I have no idea what I'm doing to rub him the wrong way. Probably some matter of protocol, but I really didn't want to leave you here, waiting..."

With a slight rush of victory, Corsica noted that even an alicorn princess, goddess of Equestria, could mistake Seigetsu for a dude.

"Seigetsu's always like that," she said, standing up and offering a hoof. "Don't take it personally. We're only loosely affiliated with them, and were mostly here for an introduction." She gestured to the rest of the ponies in the room, plus Braen. "Name's Corsica. We're envoys from the far-off land of Ironridge."

Twilight's pupils shrank to pinpricks, and then got huge. "Did you say Ironridge?" she breathed, her voice suddenly squeaky.

"Ohh?" Corsica grinned. "So you've heard of it, then?"

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Would you mind terribly if I delayed you for just a moment longer so I can go round up some friends who would love to be a part of this moment too? I'll be as fast as I can!"

The lone remaining guard cleared his throat. "Actually, Your Highness, that's what we're here for. May I?"

"Oh!" Twilight jumped a little. "Right. Could you go find Rainbow Dash, please?"

"And Fluttershy?" Corsica ventured. "If she's here too?"

Twilight tilted her head. "You know Fluttershy?"

"Uhh..." Corsica hesitated. "Heard some stories. Big fan. No biggie if she's busy or not here, though."

"Sure, go find Fluttershy too," Twilight told the guard, who saluted and left the room. "So, is here good, or should we go back to the reception room? And are you really all from Ironridge? I know about writs, and gathering three at once just isn't something that happens north of the border. Or is it four?" She looked sideways at Braen. "Actually, scratch that, I have more pressing questions about you. But what are you all here for? And how's Ironridge doing, anyway? Last I heard, it was recovering from a brief civil war instigated by a rogue ambassador from Yakyakistan, but that info is almost two decades out of date."

"Not good," Corsica said, shaking her head. "But we'll get around to that. It's troubled on a lot of fronts, and we're here to petition Equestria for aid."

"Oh." Twilight's enthusiasm suddenly drained, replaced by a pensive, nervous look. "Wait, when you said you wanted to meet Fluttershy..."

Corsica's spirits rose. "Any chance you already know about a hypothetical connection between her magic and that city?"

"Well, I guess, but..." Twilight fidgeted, the gears visibly spinning in her brain. "If that's really why you're here, then that's really bad."

Corsica grinned. "Glad you know about it, because I only understand a vague overview of what's going on. On top of that, Yakyakistan is also invading. For real, this time."

Twilight looked like she had just dropped an ice cream cone.

"Apropos of nothing," Corsica continued, getting a perverse kick out of ruining this newbie goddess's day and ready to keep the bombshells rolling. "Ever heard of a shape-shifter called Chrysalis? Maybe she's just a problem up in the north?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes, I know her, and you're enjoying this."

"Guilty as charged," Corsica agreed. "But bear with me, I've earned this. We're reasonably sure she's taken over Yakyakistan and is behind the aggression. Also, there are a really lot of windigoes trying to use the war to break a seal that currently imprisons them so they can freeze over the world. We're trying our best up there to sort it out with the tools we have, but figured it would be worth sending someone down here to see if big, bad Equestria can spare some help for a neighbor in need."

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, then forced them back open. "Who sent you? Who's in charge up there? I might have heard of them."

"Does 'Valey' ring any bells?" Corsica asked. "She specifically sent us to track down a mare called Starlight, who supposedly could kill windigoes a long time ago. You aware of anyone who could do that anywhere in Equestria? We figured the fastest way to find her would be ask the crown, and see what resources you princesses have for tracking down ponies. Even if we can't get anything else, we thought she might be able to help."

For a moment, Twilight was quiet. Then she said, "No. I'm afraid that doesn't ring any bells. But I'll see what I can do to help you on my own."