//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: A Shimmering Intellect 
// by DungeonMiner 
//------------------------------//

Flash wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he heard the name “Crystal Empire,” but a giant gemstone tower shooting up from the middle of a frozen wasteland did tick a box he didn’t even know he had. 
Something in the air, a force he didn’t have a word for, left his feathers standing on edge, a sensation that felt just as strange as the lack of fingers. That force also seemed to carry warmth, as everything around the tower for a mile out in every direction felt no colder than a spring day.
“This’ll make a great base of operations,” Flash said. “It’ll let us warm up and everything.”
“If we can get back here,” Sunset agreed. “But I don’t know if we’ll be able to cross the distance from the mountain’s base back to here.”
“If we can afford the time, I’d suggest it. The warmth around here will be essential for us in warding away frostbite. Not to mention a great place to restock. We do have money to restock, right?” 
Sunset nodded. “Twilight gave us some bits to spend, and she’s sent a message to the Princess here to open a line of credit if needed.”
Flash nodded. “Can the Princess get us funds without the Emperor’s approval, or does this universe just run on Princesses?”
“Mostly Princesses,” Sunset said. “I’ll be honest; it was really weird learning that kings and queens were the norms in the human universe.”
Flash nodded. “I guess that’s fair.”
The train pulled into the station, brakes hissing as it stopped, and Flash grabbed his bag.
Or would have if he had fingers. 
He sighed before he used his wings this time. 
Somehow, he could bend his feathers as though they had joints, and while they weren’t a replacement for his fingers, they were something he could use. 
Pulling his pack on, Flash exited the train and onto the station platform, with Sunset following close behind. 
“Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Flash,” she said.
The young man-turned-pegasus glanced around at the crowd around him as they walked between buildings carved from massive gemstones. The ponies here didn’t seem too dissimilar to the ones in Canterlot, but they did seem a little friendlier. They smiled and waved and gave gentle hellos to those around them. So far, this new city has looked reasonably pleasant.
“Last time I was here, I was trying to steal Twilight’s Element of Harmony,” Sunset said as she walked down the street. “I didn’t even know it wasn’t Canterlot till I passed by a window.”
“That must have been a surprise,” Flash said.
“Especially since the Crystal Empire didn’t exist before I left.”
That caused Flash to pause. “You’re saying they built this whole place in about ten years?”
“No,” she said. “The whole city was sealed away through magic. The rest of the Empire fell to pieces not long after that. There was no Crystal Empire when I first came.”
Flash blinked. “Huh.”
They continued to walk for a bit, taking in the sights as they made their way to the city’s northern end. 
“See that mountain?” Sunset asked, pointing.
“Yes.”
“That’s Mount Everhoof and where we should start our search.”
“Is Everhoof the largest mountain in this world too?”
“That’s not a bad guess.”
“Great,” he said as he looked up at the massive mountainside. “How sure are you that it’s up there?”
“Magic has a complex connection to physical locations,” Sunset explained. “It has much to do with leylines and how they affect geographical features and vice versa. The point is that I’d bet it’s on Everhoof because it’s the tallest mountain.”
Flash thought about asking what she meant by that, but someone called as he opened his mouth.
“Flash! Flash Sentry, what are you doing out here?”
His head snapped around to see where the voice was coming from, and he found himself staring down a pair of ponies dressed in armor. “Aren’t you supposed to be on duty?”
Flash blinked. “What?”
“What happened?” One of the ponies asked. “I saw you in gear this morning, so I know you didn’t forget.”
“I…uh…” Flash began before looking over at Sunset in desperation. 
She glanced back, with obviously no clue as to what to do.
“Did something happen?” the other guard asked. “You’re not dumb enough to go AWOL. Did the CO let you go or something?”
Flash’s brain scrambled for thought, any response to give these two ponies that thought he might be in the guard. He knew that there might be a mirror version of himself, but he’d never thought if he’d run into anyone that knew him.
“Flash, is something wrong?” the first guard asked. “Did…did you get discharged?”
“No, no,” Flash said, trying to come up with something to say to these ponies. “I just, uh…” he began. 
Sunset glanced between the three of them and took a deep breath.


---♦---


Sunset watched as the situation spun wildly out of control. 
The chances of running into Flash’s counterpart were low, yet somehow, she’d done precisely that. She didn’t know enough about Pony Flash to give a decent answer or alibi for her Flash, but she had something else she could offer here.
Her horn rang, and she began to weave her spell. Her Create Mind spell didn’t have a name, as most Mind spells were crafted by Starswirl the Bearded or Clover the Clever in the pre-unification days. Yet, even though it didn’t have a name, Sunset knew precisely what it did. 
Sunset planted a thought in both of the guards’ heads. A half-remembered memory that both guards “witnessed” earlier. Flash met them in a fuzzy hallway and let them know he had a special mission ahead, a secret one where he had to escort a high-profile VIP.
The dawning look of realization hit both guards simultaneously. 
“Uh, I mean, excuse me, citizen! You…I thought you were someone else! My mistake. Best of luck, sir!”
And with that, both guards walked away, only glancing back at the two out of sheer curiosity. 
Flash blinked as the guards left, and he turned to Sunset. “What just happened?”
Sunset sighed. “Me backsliding, that’s what.”
“What?”
“I used magic to plant a memory in their heads,” she said. “One where they saw you tell them you had a critical, undercover mission to go on. If I’m right, they thought you were on it right now, and they needed to make distance.”
“You can do that?”
She smirked. “Where do you think I learned to manipulate ponies, Flash? Do you think I appeared in Canterlot High with a psychopathic understanding of how to manipulate everyone around me?”
Flash stared at her for a long second. “You didn’t need to put it that way,” he said. 
“No, but let’s go. There’s a chance they’ll run into the other Flash, and then we’ll have much more to explain.”
Sunset began moving, and Flash followed behind, heading for the northern side of the city.
“So…are we not going to talk about it?” 
“About what?”
“About…” Flash trailed off. 
He didn’t say anything. Instead, they walked to the city’s edge without stopping, and Sunset mentally thanked him for that. 
Sunset glanced toward the city’s boundary, where snow fell gently but collected into thick, knee-high banks. Through those banks and up the mountain slopes was a magical artifact that could unmake the world if given enough time. And with that magical artifact was the money she needed to thrive in the human world. 
She pulled the heavy coat tighter around herself and glanced over at Flash. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” he said. 
Sunset stared into the snow. “Any last-minute checks?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure we covered everything,” Flash said. “Other than maybe checking in with the ruling Princess to make sure we get those funds cleared.”
She stared out into the snow for another few seconds before nodding. “Let’s do that,” she said, turning away from the snow. 
She wasn’t sure why, but the thought of having more time soothed her soul in ways she couldn’t explain. 
So, despite walking past the giant citadel of crystal, they made their way back. 
“Question,” Flash said as they got closer. “The ponies guarding the Princess will probably also recognize me. So what do we do when that happens?”
“That is a great question,” she said. “I mean, I could try reading their minds for some passcodes and then alter memories to get past, but that’s messing with more minds than I’m comfortable with.”
There was silence for a moment. “Or I guess I could sit at a restaurant or a hotel.”
Sunset winced. “Yes. You could do that as well.”
That was so much better than what she suggested. Sweet Celestia, she didn’t have magic back for twenty-four hours, and she was already falling back into her old habits of using mind magic to get her way. 
Coming back to Equestria was a mistake. She’d done better at Canterlot High, but when she had magic there, it could only look into memories, not change them. Now she had the power again, which proved to be too much. 
“Sure, Flash. Go ahead and get a table around here. I’ll meet back up with you.”
“Will do. That place over there looks good,” Flash said, getting her attention by pointing at a building that looked like a medieval tavern before trotting his way over.
Sunset watched him go, reminded herself to try and help him learn to fly once they were out in the wilderness, and then turned to stare up at the palace in the city’s center. 
She approached the towering structure and stepped up to one of the guarded gates.
As expected, the guards stopped her. “State your name, please,” one of the guards said.
“Sunset Shimmer. Princess Twilight sent me to speak with the Princess.”
Both guards glanced at each other before one looked around the corner of the doorway and said something to a runner that took off up the stairs. A short while later, a unicorn dressed in a green robe, glasses, and a beard appeared in the stairway. “Let her through,” he called.
The guards responded by standing to the side, allowing Sunset to climb the stairs and look at this strange pony. 
“Um, hi!” he said, shuffling in his green, star-covered cloak. “I’m Sunburst the uh…Court Mage, I guess? I’m technically Princess Flurry Heart’s magical tutor, but she’s still too young for that.”
The orange-coated stallion laughed nervously, and Sunset blinked at him before continuing. “So, anyway, I need to speak with the Princess, Twilight was talking about—”
“Clearing some funds, yes,” Sunburst said before he pushed up his glasses. “Come this way. We’ll get you taken care of.”
The unicorn led her up the stairway, and she followed along, regretting the heavy coat she still wore, and up to a small room. 
“Go ahead and take a seat,” Sunburst said. “I’ll see if I can get the Princess or the Treasurer to speak with you.” He nervously smiled before slipping away, leaving Sunset alone in a small side room. 
She sat, looking around the simple chamber, though a glance upward did reveal a crystalline roof that let sunlight filter in unimpeded. The chairs were well stuffed and comfortable, and that’s when Sunset thought to herself, “Don’t they usually serve tea or something while you wait?”
She said, waiting, trying to think of something to do, but her mind decided to berate her more for the spell she cast. 
“Those ponies were just doing their job, and you played them like puppets on strings.”
What else was she supposed to do, though? Go through a long and lengthy explanation as to why their Flash—the pony they know so well—didn’t remember them or appeared to be abandoning his post in the middle of the day. That would have only made things more complicated, raised more questions, and caused more delays. 
“So it’s alright because it was necessary?” her thoughts accused. “Of course, that makes everything better, doesn’t it?”
Before she could offer a rebuttal, the door Sunburst left through opened again, and Sunset found herself staring at Dean Cadence.
“Well, hello!” the alicorn greeted. “You must be Twilight’s student Sunset.”
The deja vu that hit her nearly kept Sunset from responding, but she just managed to stand. “Dea—er…Princess Cadence, sorry. It’s…a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said, feeling strange about “meeting” someone she already knew. 
Cadence got close. “Do you do hugs?”
“I mean, sure, I guess,” Sunset said before the alicorn hugged her, using both legs and wings to pin her down. 
After Cadence decided to let her breathe again, she smiled. “Welcome.”
“Thanks,” she replied.
“So, sit. Tell me what you need.”
“Well, uh,” Sunset began. “What did Twilight tell you?”
“Something about a very powerful artifact that she’s afraid to discuss over a letter.”
“That’s the jist,” Sunset said. “It’s um….” She glanced around the room before she began to cast a spell. She surrounded the air around them with a Destroy Image spell, stopping all sound in the surrounding area. The space around them became still as the background noise of the world beyond the room went silent, making everything around them inaudible before whispering the words, “an intellect crystal.”
The noise from outside began creeping in again, and the spell ended.
“I see,” Cadence said quietly, the smile on her face disappearing at hearing the news. “That is a little distressing.”
Sunset nodded. “A friend and I will try to find it in the mountains, but we might need to re-supply in the city. If that happens, we’ll need money.”
Cadence nodded. “Of course,” she said, facing a chest off to the side of the room before pulling a quill and parchment free. “I’ll clear whatever you need, just hand this over to one of my guards, and he’ll escort you to whatever you need.”
Sunset nodded. 
“Flash!” she called.
Sunset blinked.
A moment later, a yellow pegasus that looked all too familiar entered. His eyes glanced over at her, but Sunset saw nothing in them. No recognition, bitterness, or curiosity rested in him as they shared a look for a fraction of a second before he bowed to the Crystal Princess.
“Yes, Princess?” he said in Flash’s voice.
“Let the guards know that the mare who bears this letter is working for the security of Empire, and they are to be trusted,” Cadence said, handing the letter over to Sunset. 
“Um, thank you, Princess,” Sunset said.
Flash—not her Flash, the one that didn’t know her, the one she didn’t hurt—bowed and saluted, stepping back into the hallway.
He looked so…right here. Something about him looked unspoiled. Was the Flash she knew worse off because she knew him, or was it something else that was the problem? 
“No,” she reminded herself. “That’s ridiculous. He’s worse because of me.”
“Is something alright?” Cadence asked, interrupting her thoughts from going further. 
“Oh, uh… I’m just… I’m traveling with a stallion that looks…remarkably like Mr. Flash there.”
“Is that so?” Cadence said. 
“Yes, it’s uncanny,” she said. 
“How uncanny? Like ‘Maybe a Changeling’ levels of uncanny or celebrity-lookalike uncanny?”
Sunset blinked. “What’s a changeling?” Whatever they were, they were apparently common knowledge, and not knowing what they were might out her as strange. She still needed to answer, though. “He looks exactly like your Flash.”
Cadence nodded. “I see. Thank you for letting me know. While most Changelings have reformed, they don’t run around looking like someone else unless they have something to hide. Keep an out on him. We can’t be sure what secrets they might be hiding.”
Sunset nodded. “Of course.”
Princess Cadence nodded again before sighing. “If it turns out there’s nothing, then I will give my apologies in advance. I admit I have a bit of a history with Changelings, and while I’m trying to be better, I still would rather be more careful than not.”
“I see.” 
Cadence shrugged. “But you don’t want to hear that. For now, I’ll let you get started on your mission. You have enough to worry about now.”


---♦---


Sunset returned to the tavern that Flash pointed out earlier and found him sitting at a table with a berry tart. 
“Flash,” she said, greeting him as she sat beside him. 
“Sunset,” he greeted, taking a bite of the tart. “Did you get a word from the Princess on those funds?”
“They’re clear,” she said. “We just need to speak to the guards, and we’ll get what we need.”
“Great. Then we can head out as soon as possible.”
Sunset nodded before pulling a piece of the tart apart. 
“Hey, that’s mine!”
Sunset licked it. “Too late.”
He frowned. “Stealing my food again,” he said. 
She shrugged. “You can only change so much.”
“Sure,” he said.
“Anyway,” Sunset said, chewing quickly. “I don’t think there’s anything left to delay us.”
“Sun’s still fairly high up,” Flash agreed. “We can start moving now, but we’ll have to set up camp fairly soon. If we can afford it, we might want to stick in town until morning.”
Sunset nodded. “That’s probably the best idea.”
Flash shrugged. “Probably. Do we have a place to stay tonight?”
“We can get a spot. That won’t be hard. If this place is what it looks like, we might even want to stay here. It’s close enough to the right edge of the city.”
“Sounds like a plan then; we leave at first light tomorrow.”
Sunset nodded. They had a plan. They’d leave in the morning, go off to find the Intellect Crystal, and then Sunset could finally have her new start.
And then, she’d never come back. 
Her heart had finally found the words she’d not want to face. If this went well, then she’d probably never come back here.
Sunset took a deep breath and took another piece of Flash’s tart.
“It doesn’t matter if I don’t come back,” she thought. “After all, I’ve spent about half my life in the human world. It’s just as much home as Equestria is.”
She forced the thoughts away, leaving no room for argument, but her heart wasn’t mollified.