Harmony Theory

by Sharaloth

Chapter 9: Perceptions

The street was almost completely clear of ponies, but Calumn still watched it carefully. Blaze was talking as if he was worried someone would make it illegal soon and Calumn had half tuned him out as he led them towards his target, a pawnshop that just so happened to be a front for the RIA.

Their train ride up had been uneventful, except for a minor scare where he thought they had to evade and trick the pony looking for tickets. Blaze’s fast-talking and random non-sequiters had been excellent cover for Calumn’s more subtle manipulations and sleight-of-hoof tricks. In the end it had been easy to sneak into the heart of the Kingdom. Too easy.

There was no sign that the Kingdom was actively looking for him, which was both reassuring and distressing. The Griffin had survived the Everstorm, he had confirmed that early on. The question now was why she hadn't informed her government about him. It didn't make sense with what he knew, so something else had to be going on. It brought up possible implications involving the Solar Crown in the entire Max Cash affair, and he couldn’t even begin to think through the consequences of that idea. Still, this inattention gave him some room to maneuver in the sunlands, and he was going to take advantage of that while it lasted.

“So that’s how I made my first trip through the Storm,” Blaze finished, smiling in fond remembrance. “I still have that tutu.”

“Blaze,” Calumn said. “I’m probably going to be leaving you alone for a bit while I gather information. Will you be alright to stay out of trouble?”

“Cross my heart and I forget the rest, but you can count on me!” Blaze said, stopping to go through a series of complex motions as he spoke that as far as Calumn could discern involved either planting flowers or punching people. The Changeling just shrugged and accepted it.

The pawnshop had a bright, cheery marker and pencil crayon open sign in its window, advertising that they bought silver, gold and jewellery and giving generous hours. That sign was part of the signal to RIA operatives like Calumn, the order of the words, even the colors used were part of a code that could be read by those with the proper training. This particular sign said that the owner was waiting for him, and had information that might be relevant to him. There was nothing warning that this place might have been compromised, so he felt a little safer approaching it, but he was still cautious as he walked in the door.

The interior of the shop was full of little bits and pieces of other ponies' lives that they had chosen or been forced to part with. Musical instruments lined one wall, and a display case showed off small figurines, many of them renditions of Celestia from household shrines. By far the largest part of the shop was taken up by displays of jewellery and enchanted items. Calumn circulated through the displays, looking idly at things while he examined the shop for any irregularity that would mean it was compromised. He found nothing of the sort, so while Blaze was eyeing a beat-up accordion with interest he made his way over to the earth pony mare behind the counter.

“You got any good watches?” he asked.

The pony shrugged. “Sure. What kind are you looking for?”

“Something with a season dial, and maybe one for moon phases.”

“Moon phases? You have problems looking up at night?” the pony snorted.

“No, just looking ahead,” Calumn said. “Do you know what the phase is tonight?”

“Waning gibbous, I think,” the shopkeeper said, eyes scanning the room.

“Oh, I was hoping it was full,” Calumn said, sighing. “See why I need the watch?”

The shopkeeper shrugged. “I might have something for you, but it’s in the back, come on and we can pick something out.”

“Thanks,” Calumn said, smiling. He turned to Blaze. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and Blaze nodded with a grin while miming pulling a zipper across his lips. Calumn sighed and followed the shopkeeper as she went through a door into the back room.

The back room was exactly how one would expect a pawnshop's storage room to look like: filled with boxes and stuffed with trinkets and things that weren’t on display in the main store. There were two obvious safes and one concealed one that Calumn noticed. The door shut with a solid thunk, cutting out the sounds from outside completely. “Calumn, I presume?” the shopkeeper asked, turning towards him.

“You have information for me,” he said, not bothering with the pleasantries. The less time he had to spend here, the safer both of them would be.

“Some. There’s been no sighting of the pegasus we’ve been told to look out for, but yesterday around noon there was a pegasus who left a clear etherealization during a high-speed takeoff. I wasn’t there, so I can’t confirm that, but I was able to do this,” she rummaged through a box and pulled out a photo. “This was taken over the forest an hour after the etheralization incident.”

Calumn looked at the picture. It showed two winged figures flying over the treetops. It wasn’t a clear shot, and details were ruined by motion blur, but enough was visible for him to nod. “That’s her,” he said. The pink-blue blur could have been any pegasus, but the brown-white Griffin next to her made the connection clear. "Who took the shot?"

“I did," she said. "I was doing surveillance on another target and just happened to catch them. The direction they left in means they’re headed to the capital. If your target’s travelling with a Griffin it means she’s connected to the Royalty. You’re not going to get close to her.”

“I know,” Calumn said, pushing the photo back to the mare. “If you can get word back to Straff, tell him I’m still on the job.”

The shopkeeper shrugged. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said, then paused, frowning in thought. “I’ve got something else, but I’m not sure what to do with it.”

Calumn gave her a steady look. “Why aren’t you sure?”

“It’s kind of tertiary.”

“Tell me, I’ll decide whether it’s useful to me.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ve been tracking operatives loyal to Max Cash in this town for the past three days.”

“What are they doing?” Calumn asked, his interest piqued.

“They’re shadowing this pony,” she said, pulling out another photo. This one was a much better shot, framing a smiling unicorn looking at an expensive watch. “This is Conrad Sherman. He came into town shortly before Cash’s agents. He’s a slimy sort, but supposedly a real smooth-talker. Managed to score himself a room in the Drake Hotel for less than half what it usually goes for, and he’s been boozing it up and trying to charm the skirt off of any mare he lays his eyes on since. Other than that I’ve got no solid information on him. No business, no purpose, nothing. I think he’s a gambler, but that’s just because his Glyph says his Talent is Games. If he is, there’s still no reason for him to be here. No casinos, not even a good underground gambling circuit.”

“Interesting,” Calumn said, studying the picture. “Is this your work as well?”

“It is,” she answered. “Used a hidden camera. Why?”

“He’s posing,” Calumn said, looking closer. “He didn’t spot your camera?”

“I’m sure of it,” she said. “He’s like that all the time, just prancing around town.”

“And Cash’s people?”

“They shadow him everywhere,” she said, pulling out another photo. This one wasn’t as good as the one of Conrad, but better than the blurred shot of Dash and the Griffin. Two ponies, both wearing clothes that were loose enough to cover up thick muscles and conceal weapons. Calumn didn’t recognize them, but he recognized the type. Bruisers, bodyguard types. Not the kind of ponies sent to keep an eye on someone and not be noticed. More the type to keep someone in line. “They’ve got a room at the Drake,” the shopkeeper continued, “but they’re also renting a place across the street. At least two of them are following him all the time. Whoever he is, they’re very interested in him.”

“How do you know they’re connected to Cash?” The shopkeeper pushed forward yet another photo, this one showing the two bruisers meeting a pegasus mare in an alleyway. Calumn recognized her immediately from the photos in Cash’s file. “Thanks,” Calumn said. “What rooms at the Drake?”

“Conrad’s in 502, his shadows have 503.”

“And he’s been tail-chasing?”

“Like he wants it to be his Talent, giving a different story for himself every time.”

“What about the local intelligence? Have they twigged to this?”

The shopkeeper shrugged. “Not that I’ve heard. They’ve been focused on other stuff right now. The usual informants don’t seem to be looking for Cash’s people.”

“Is she still in town?” He tapped the photo of the pegasus mare.

“I don’t know.”

Calumn accepted that with a nod. “I need funds, can you supply?”

“A little, instructions are for passive assistance only.”

“I know, but I need seed cash. I’ve got tradeables, this can be a legitimate exchange.”

“Good enough for me, let’s get back out there.”

They left the back room to the sounds of an accordion wheezing. Blaze was suspended in the air, somehow tangled in the strings of several instruments that were themselves hanging from the wall at odd angles. Blaze looked back at Calumn and the shopkeeper, a look of wide-eyed innocence plastered on his face. The shopkeeper’s mouth hung open in disbelief, while Calumn found himself shaking with barely suppressed laughter.

“Um, okay. I can explain,” Blaze said. “But I gotta warn you, it’s going to sound like a really weird and improbable sequence of events, and I want to assure you that it had absolutely nothing to do with a failed attempt to put together a one-pony-band suit using only wind and stringed instruments.”

It took ten minutes to get Blaze out of his predicament, ten more to sell the tradeable items Straff had provided Calumn with, and another ten to assure the shopkeeper that there was no lasting damage to her merchandise. Forty minutes later Blaze and Calumn were eating lunch and discussing what to do next.

“We’re going to stick around for a bit,” Calumn said.

“I thought you were in a rush to get to the capital?”

Calumn shook his head. “No. I was hoping to use the train to get ahead of them, but that didn’t happen. They’ve obviously gotten there ahead of us, and a small delay won’t stop me from picking up the trail there. I’ve got another opportunity to do some information-gathering here, though, and I don’t want to lose it.”

“So what are we doing?” Blaze asked, happily sucking on the thick milkshake he had insisted on getting.

“We aren’t doing anything,” Calumn said. “I’m going to see what information I can get out a pony named Conrad Sherman. He might know something relevant to my mission.”

“Ooh, cool,” Blaze said. “So what’re you going to do? Wait in an alley, then grab him when he walks past, then throw him in a chair, shine a light on him and sweat him until he pops?”

“Uh, no. Well, not entirely. He’s got thugs protecting him. Just jumping him is going to get me beaten up. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little low on the energy I’d need to handle a fight.”

Blaze smiled sheepishly. “Heh, well, I’m not exactly a fighter myself. I’m more of a ‘sit there and snark at them’ kind of stallion.”

“And I’d exhaust myself taking out one of them. Not a good option. Instead I’m going to use my Luna-given gifts of disguise to get close to him and ask him some questions surreptitiously.”

“Nice! Maple or butterscotch?”

Calumn blinked at his companion before he realized what he had been referring to. “Not syrup, Blaze, surreptitiously. It means secretly, as in I’ll ask him questions that he doesn’t realize are making him give up answers he doesn’t want to give up.”

“Ah, okay, that should work too,” Blaze said. “I guess I’m not good for helping with that, huh?”

“Not with that part, no, but there is something you can do for me. Two things, actually.”

Blaze leaned forward eagerly. “Tell me! I’ll do it!”

“Well, first I’m going to want you to play lookout for me. Remember those thugs? I’m going to need to know if they catch on to what I’m doing and start moving in. So when I make my move you’ll have to be positioned so you can watch for them and warn me.”

“Yeah! I can do that. I can even distract them so you can make your getaway. You might not know it from looking at me, but I can be one hell of a distraction when I want to be!”

“No doubts about that one,” Calumn said.

“What’s the second thing?”

“Well, that’s a little harder,” Calumn looked out at the street and the ponies walking by. “Blaze, I’m going to need your help in picking out the most good-looking mare we can find.”

“Really? Why?” Blaze asked. Calumn smiled at him, and let the true color of his eyes show through for a moment. Blaze’s own eyes widened as he understood. “Ohh! Oh yeah,” he chuckled and turned to watch the crowd like Calumn was. “Let’s find you a hottie!”

The whole story came out. When Dash realized that Star Fall wasn’t going to hold anything back she threw herself into telling her side of the tale with gusto. She had to backtrack a few times to explain references to her own time and her friends, but not nearly as much as she had when telling Star Fall her cutie mark story. The sparseness of Gamma’s office actually helped her focus on the details, and she was able to describe the scene she had woken up to fairly well. Gamma asked few questions, but when she did they were to clarify points that got a little muddled or to clear up the proper sequence of events.

Gamma only made them pause the tale once, when they revealed that a Changeling had been after Dash while they were crossing the Everstorm. She spent several minutes talking silently with her horn glowing before asking them to continue. Finally, when the tale was done, Gamma sat at her desk and was silent for a long moment.

“So, uh, yeah,” Dash said as the quiet became uncomfortable. “That’s pretty much the whole deal.”

“I see,” Gamma said, then took in a long, deep breath. “That is an interesting tale. For the moment, as I said, I will be suspending judgement on your origins and just take you at your word. In which case it brings up several questions about exactly what Cash could have found or done that would precipitate your existence in the here and now. I see no reason to think that his plans and your arrival are unconnected.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Dash said, frowning. “About this Cash guy you keep mentioning. Who is he?”

“Maximillion Oswald Cash,” Gamma said, eyes going flat. “Is a thorn in my side, and quite possibly an enemy of the crown. He’s a unicorn who is, much like yourself, something of a mystery. He was born in the Republics, which is where he made the initial bulk of his fortune, but has long since expanded into business dealings on both sides of the Storm. That business consists of both legitimate enterprise and a great deal of criminal activity. Despite the best efforts of ponies such as myself and my opposite numbers in the Republics, Cash has remained impossible to counter or arrest. The best we can do is inconvenience his agents and watch him. He is smart, charismatic, magically Talented and utterly ruthless. Worst of all, we have no clue what his ultimate goal is, save that it somehow requires him to maintain several expensive and sometimes illegal archaeological expeditions. Such as the one you awoke in.”

“Wow, ok,” Dash thought about what she’d been told. “So this guy’s bad news, right?”

“Terrible news,” Gamma confirmed.

“And you think I’m mixed up with him somehow?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Alright, that makes sense. I’d just kind of assumed I was here because of Nightmare Umbra.”

Gamma’s eyebrow rose quizzically at that. “What in the world would make you think your presence had anything to do with the Shadowed Alicorn?”

“Well, Star told me all about the Schism, and how Nightmare Umbra’s still alive somewhere, and could come back or something. Since if I was still back home I could have done something about her I figured she must have pulled something to make me be here so I couldn’t.”

“That’s... Miss Dash, I understand that you were able to accomplish great deeds in your own time, but the Shadowed Alicorn is a Goddess, one that single-hoofedly defeated two of the most powerful armies ever assembled, and took the combined might of two other Goddesses to contain. While your circle of friends is legendary enough to have stories of your deeds survive the Schism, you are still mortal ponies. I doubt very much that you could do more than slightly inconvenience her, assuming she deigned to notice your existence at all.”

Dash snorted. “Sure we could, we’ve done it before.”

“Before?” Gamma asked, her voice was deceptively calm, but her eyes showed rapt interest.

“Yeah, we beat Nightmare Moon, and she was, well, okay, so I’m still not going to call them ‘Goddesses’, but she was an Alicorn too. That was practically the first thing we did when we became friends. It’s why we became friends.”

“Wait, Nightmare Moon was an Alicorn?” Star Fall asked, staring at Dash with wide-eyed shock.

“Um, yeah? I thought you knew that.”

“No!” Star Fall practically shouted. “Nightmare Moon was supposed to be some sort of evil spirit! A bogeymare to scare kids with! You’re saying she was actually an evil Goddess?”

“Not a Goddess, exactly, and not completely evil,” Dash said, wiggling a hoof in front of her to hopefully show how she wasn’t sure how to explain it. “Just kind of really sad and really lonely. And a little crazy. Okay, really crazy. Wanted-to-create-eternal-night crazy.”

“Regardless of the exact extent of her insanity,” Gamma cut in. “You say she was an Alicorn, and that you managed to defeat her. How?”

“Well, not by myself. My friends and I used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon,” Dash said.

Gamma turned her gaze to Star Fall, who shook her head. “I don’t know what those are either,” the white pegasus said.

“They’re these magical necklace... thingies. Okay I went through this with Star already, I don’t know how to explain them. They just shoot rainbows and win against crazy and evil stuff.”

“So it wasn’t something you did, or a power innate to you, but a set of artifacts you possessed?” Gamma asked.

Dash nodded. “I guess, yeah.”

“Hm. Too bad, we could have used power like that,” Gamma mused. “Oh, well, I can make do with what I’ve been given. Sergeant Steelwing, what’s your estimation of Dash’s fighting abilities?”

Astrid perked up after having practically fallen asleep through the preceding storytime. “Oh, okay. She’s good. Got some training, don’t recognize the style but it’s definitely a pegasus-based art. Lots of fast strikes, fancy wing-work, no grappling or throwing moves. It might have just been what she was doing, but it was a timid style. Lots of dodging, no kill-shots, very little aggression.”

“Well, yeah, it’s supposed to be for defense,” Dash said.

“Right, timid,” Astrid continued. “With her speed and strength she could have taken enemy combatants clean out of the fight in seconds. Even the Griffins might have had a problem with her if she had actually fought them instead of getting fancy. She didn’t, though, and I think that’s ‘cause she’s not trained in how to actually disable someone.“

“That’s her close-quarters style. How about the rest?” Gamma prompted.

Astrid shrugged. “She’s got everything you’ve already seen going for her. Strength, speed, toughness, agility. Some of what she pulled down there was clever, too. She thinks on her hooves and she’s goal-oriented. She didn’t stop to fight when she could advance through the course instead, so she’s got priorities and sticks to them. And she didn’t panic when she took a hit, so she’s got some pain resistance and determination. More than most ponies who aren’t military can say.”

“I see. And the cons?”

“She’s reckless, stubborn, and while she’s clever she doesn’t think deeply. When the Griffins appeared she didn’t back off and re-evaluate, she doubled down and went with a risky plan that got her intentionally flanked between magic and muscle. It worked, but it was dumb. Going supersonic indoors? Also dumb.”

“Hey!” Dash protested.

“What? You’re dumb. It happens,” Astrid said. “Fact is, Dash, the only reason any of the crap you pulled in the Maul worked is because you’re fast enough, tough enough and strong enough that you outclassed every single pony in the arena so much that they might as well have been paper targets to you. Winning a fight against a cripple isn’t exactly impressive, and having to pull stupid shit to do it does not make that shit any less stupid. All it shows is that you have a crapton of potential that you are really not living up to.”

Dash stared at the Griffin for a moment, mouth hanging open. “Damn, Astrid. That was harsh,” she finally said.

“But informative,” Gamma said with a smile. “I’m glad you agree with most of my assessment, Sergeant.” Astrid snorted dismissively at that. “However, I think you’re underestimating miss Dash here. She wasn’t ‘pulling stupid shit’ as you say in order to win. She was doing that in order to win without badly hurting anyone else. Am I right?”

Dash frowned. “Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Martial arts focused on defense, a lot of effort expended on not hurting others who are directly attacking you with deadly force, and a casual acceptance of both of those facts,” Gamma shook her head. “You’re a pacifist.”

“What? No I’m not,” Dash said. “I’ll fight if I have to!”

“If you have to,” Gamma repeated. “You’ll defend yourself if you are attacked.”

“Duh.”

“Would you defend your home? Your friends.”

“I totally would, and I have. I kicked a Dragon in the face!”

“So you’d face great odds for what’s close to you, what about an ideal?”

“Like what?”

“Something that was important in your time. Celestia, say. Would you fight for your Goddess.”

“I’m always loyal to the Princess,” Dash said, her tone low and serious.

Gamma’s eyebrow twitched at the word ‘Princess’, but she continued without comment. “Admirable. But would you fight for her?”

“Yes.”

“Not just to defend her, but actively commit violence against her enemies.”

“Yeah, okay? If she needed me to, I would.”

“Would you kill?”

That question brought her up short. “What?”

“Would you kill? Would you take the life of a pony, or Griffin, or Zebra, or Dog, or any other thinking person?”

“I... I don’t know,” Dash admitted.

“Let’s make it easy for you. A pony is threatening you and your best friend. He is bigger, stronger, faster, and has no desire except to see you and your friend hurt terribly. Your friend is already injured and cannot run or defend herself. You are in a position to stop your attacker, but the only way to be sure is to go for a killing strike. You know you can make that blow, but it will certainly kill him. If you do not, he will likely beat you and your friend to death. Would you kill then?”

The answer was easy. Which, of course, meant it wasn’t easy at all. “I don’t know,” Dash said. “There has to be another way. There’s always another way. I’m not in that situation so I can’t see it right now, but there’s always another way. That doesn’t make me a pacifist.”

Gamma nodded. “You’re right. You’re not a pacifist. You’re a civilian. Sergeant Steelwing, what would your response be?”

Astrid laughed. “Come on, Gamma. He’d be dead way before it got to the ‘kill or be killed’ stage.”

“Yes,” Gamma acknowledged. “I already know what Agent Fall’s answer would be. Our Equestria is very different from yours, miss Dash, I know enough history to be sure of that. In our world if you are not prepared to answer ‘yes’ to that scenario, and many more where the outcomes are not nearly as clear-cut, you will not have the capacity to act on the world stage. There are many who lack that capacity, and there is no shame in it. Ponies like me exist to ensure that they do not have to face that choice. Ponies like you, however, have to come to terms with it. Your history and abilities will force you to the forefront of events whether you like it or not, and there will come a time when you must choose between lives. If you’re lucky it will only ever be your own that is in danger. Vanishingly few are that lucky, however.”

Dash stared at Gamma, then dropped her eyes and slowly shook her head. “Guys, I get it. Sometimes you think you gotta kill. I’ve been in that kind of situation before, but it’s never come down to it. I told myself I’d do whatever it takes, but I never had to actually make the choice, so I don’t know. What I do know is that every time I thought I’d have to choose, there was another option. Maybe I couldn’t see it by myself, but my friends did and they pointed me in the right direction. I guess that means I’ve been lucky or something, but it’s what I know. If I get into that situation again, I’ll look for that other option.”

“And if you can’t find it in time?” Gamma asked.

“Then I don’t know,” Dash said, holding Gamma’s gaze. “I guess I’ll find out if it happens.”

Gamma relaxed back into her chair. “Fair enough. Now I just have to figure out what to do with you.”

“Hey! I’m not someone you can just push around like this!” Dash snarled, coming to her hooves.

“Miss Dash, what gives you that idea?” Gamma asked. “If you’d take a moment to think it through, I think you’d find that you are exactly the sort of person I can ‘push around’.”

“Calm down, Dash,” Astrid said. “She’s not going to do anything to you. If she was, she would have done it already.”

Dash shot the Griffin a hard look, but then sat down in a huff. Star Fall laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Astrid’s right, Dash. Gamma’s being more abrasive than usual, but I think there’s a point to it.”

“Indeed there is,” Gamma said. “The point being to find out what kind of person you are, Rainbow Dash. I think I have all I need to know.”

“Like what?” Dash huffed, crossing her forelegs and trying to cool her temper.

“Like your strength of will,” Gamma replied. “Astrid said you were stubborn, but I think it’s more than that. I think you have something better than stubbornness: conviction. You refuse to admit you would kill, even when presented with a scenario where that’s the only viable response. You do this not because of some hard-headed obedience to the social mores of your time, but because you genuinely believe that there is another option. You believe it because of experience and thought, not just blind adherence to principle. I also notice that you didn’t judge Astrid for her answer, or even glance at Star Fall when I mentioned that I knew what hers was. That shows that you also don’t expect everyone else to keep to your principles. To stick to your own position while not judging others for theirs? That requires strength of will. I admire that, even if I disagree with your position.”

“So all that was just testing me?” Dash asked. “That’s kind of a sick way to find out if someone’s a good person.”

“It wasn’t to find out if you were a good person,” Gamma said. “It was to find out how I could use you.”

“Wow,” Dash said, caught off guard enough that her temper was momentarily subdued. “That was pretty direct.”

“I have neither the need nor the desire to be circumspect with you, miss Dash,” Gamma replied. “You’re a potential asset, one I am not going to waste. You on your own have the potential to reshape the political landscape. Honestly, you’ve already done so much damage to the status quo between the Solar Kingdom and Lunar Republics that we’re a step away from going to a war footing anyways.”

“Wait, what?”

“You didn’t think you could show off the abilities you have and get away with no one caring did you? Why do you think they sent a Changeling after you? I wouldn’t be surprised if my opposite numbers in the Republics are scrambling to find out if you’re one of mine, and then if they can at all field something that could challenge you. With what you did in the Maul their spies are going to be reporting that yes, you are one of ours.”

“Why did you set that up if you knew it would get back to them?”

“Because I wanted it to. The first thing you learn when you are being trained to be a spymaster is that you never make a move that has only one purpose if you can help it. I confirmed the worst fears of my competition. That it may turn out to be a bluff is irrelevant, as it will force them to divert resources into countering a phantom threat. Even if they do somehow work out a way to counter a pony with your abilities, my spies in their organization will find out those techniques and get them back to me. The end result is still an advantage for me in the short term which I can parley into an advantage in the long term.”

“That’s... pretty crazy twisted,” Dash said, leaning back as she thought through the implications.

“That’s why I’m the spymaster,” Gamma said. “I take potential disaster and I turn it into ways to protect the Kingdom. You are a potential disaster. I have decided the best way to turn you to the service of the Kingdom is to offer you a job.”

It took Dash a long moment to absorb that. “A what?”

“Work. Employment. A career. Money in return for services rendered. I’m fairly certain such things existed in the past.”

“Yeah, but I’m not really going to be sticking around, you know?” Dash said. “I’m going to talk to this Professor Shine and she’s going to find a way to get me back home.”

“Of course, and while you’re waiting for her to figure that out, you’re going to want to buy things and have a place to stay. I can provide the means to do both, and rather comfortably.”

“Okay. You’re offering me a job?”

“Yes,” Gamma said, leaning forward, her blue eyes boring into Dash. “I am. And you’re going to take it.”

“Why would I? You’re kind of pushy.”

Gamma’s lips twitched up in a smirk at that. “Because I’ve been testing you since you left your hotel room this morning, and I’m fairly certain I know what kind of mare you are. You’re the kind of mare who doesn’t like to be pushed into things, which means you want to say no, even if that will end up making your life miserable. However, you’re also the kind of mare who will stick by her friends and her principles. Agent Fall and Sergeant Steelwing are your friends, and they’re going to be going into danger soon. You’re going to want to go with them, and you’ll only be allowed to do that if you say yes.”

“What danger? Where?”

“Say yes and you’ll find out.”

Dash stared at Gamma for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t know whether you’re awesome or horrible,” she admitted with just a touch of awe in her voice.

“Go with horrible,” Gamma said. “It will make it easier to accept it when you catch me manipulating you.”

Dash choked back a laugh. “Fine. I’ll join your super-spy crew, so long as I get to help Star and Astrid. And so long as I can still go home when Professor Shine finds out how to get me there.”

“Trust me, if Professor Shine wants to figure out how to transport a person back in time I will not stand in her way. Deal. Agent Rainbow Dash, welcome to the Secret Service.”

Dash stuck out her hoof, and Gamma only hesitated for half a moment before taking it and shaking firmly. “Okay, so what the hell is this danger?”

“Well, Agent Dash, Agent Fall brought back some information about Max Cash’s illegal digging in the Kingdom, much like the excavation you woke up in. There’s three dig sites, but I only have so many agents that I can trust to scout them. I’m sending Agent Fall to one of them, and you’ll be accompanying her.”

“Which one?” Astrid asked.

“The hidden dig, the one we didn’t know about until Agent Fall brought it to my attention,” Gamma said. “It’s only a couple days away, taking it slowly."

“When do we leave?” Star Fall asked.

“Tomorrow morning, you still have an appointment with your mentor to keep,” Gamma answered, then stood. “Speaking of which, I believe it’s time for you to head to the university. You won’t be able to catch her before she starts a class, unfortunately, but you should have some time with her afterwards to make your introductions.”

Star Fall was on her hooves instantly. “Thank you, Gamma. I know you didn’t have to be this understanding.”

“I’m not being understanding,” Gamma said. “I’m just acting in the best interests of the Crown. Don’t confuse the two, Agent Fall.”

“I won’t,” Star Fall said, smiling. “Trust me, I won’t.”

The lecture hall was built like a theater, with tiered rows of seats leading down to a wide stage where the Professor stood and gave her lesson. Her golden coat nearly sparkled in the harsh stage-lights, while her mane was a stark white with a shocking purple streak running through it. Her mane and tail were given a simple style that wasn’t ostentatious, but presented an image of being expensively maintained nonetheless. She was not a large pony, but even to Dash her presence seemed to fill the room. She was the first pony Dash had seen in the city who went naked, not even a scarf or hat to accent her natural form, and Dash was beginning to think that nudity was something that only the most important ponies were allowed to indulge in.

The audience was filled with unicorns, the muted glows of their magic illuminating their faces as they levitated notepads and pens. There were a few ponies from the other tribes scattered through the audience, but they were so few that they might as well have not been represented at all, and all of them looked like they were there with a unicorn.

Star Fall directed them to sit in one of the sparsely populated back rows, and Dash took her seat, hoping that the lecture would be over soon and she could get to meeting this Professor. At the very least she had her feathers crossed to hope that this lecture wasn’t as boring as the ones she remembered from when she was in school.

“Global rotation,” Professor Shine was saying, “provides the initial cyclic impetus for any basic magic circle. Energies always flow in a certain direction, depending on what hemisphere you are in. You can reverse this flow with the right environment, but that requires so much effort that it’s only used for certain specific magics, none of which are available to the public sector, so those of you not looking to be research unicorns can probably sleep through any lecture on counter-flow circles and the only thing it’ll hurt is your GPA.”

There was a chorus of chuckles from the students, and Dash couldn’t help but feel she was missing something. She leaned down to Star Fall. “What’s she talking about?” she asked in a whisper.

“Magic circles, shh,” Star Fall answered and admonished.

“Rotation provides the push and direction, but it’s the axial tilt that determines the strength of the flow. This means certain orientations of circles are always more powerful in the winter, or conversely in the summer, especially close to the solstices.”

“Star, what’s ‘axial tilt’?” Dash asked.

“Dash!” Star Fall hissed back. “Just be quiet.”

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” Professor Shine called out to them. Her horn flared and a light shone on them as every head in the theatre turned their way. Astrid snickered and smirked at the staring faces, but both Dash and Star Fall were caught wide-eyed.

Star Fall sighed and stood, giving a deep nod to the unicorn on stage. “My apologies, Professor. We did not mean to interrupt your lesson.”

Twinkle Shine smiled, and the genuine expression transformed her face, making her look twenty years younger and far less jaded than the stern teacher she had been a moment before. Dash frowned; there was something about this pony that had started bugging her right then, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what it was.

“Students, I believe most of you know my daughter, the Lady Fallen Star,” she said. There was a wave of bowed heads as the audience acknowledged her. Star Fall had to stop herself from cringing, but she managed it. “Who is your companion? Is it?”

Star Fall nodded. “My new hoofmaid, Firefly. She doesn’t know the proper protocol for sitting in on one of your lectures yet.”

Professor Shine’s smile seemed to fold in on itself, compressing until it wasn’t an open expression of happiness, but a mask that guarded the thoughts that flashed behind her eyes. “Firefly, is it?”

“Uh, yeah,” Dash said, standing. She didn’t know whether to nod or bow or what, so she didn’t do anything, just let her gaze dart nervously around the room.

“You had a question about my lesson? You may not be one of my students, but from the papers I’ve graded over the years I know that many of them don’t ask questions when they should. Perhaps others will benefit from the answer you seek.”

“Oh, uh. Right,” Dash took a deep breath. She normally loved the spotlight, but academics weren’t something she was good at, and she had learned too many times that this kind of spotlight was not where she would shine. “I was wondering what you were talking about. Rotation and axial tilt and all that.”

“I’m talking about magic, Firefly, and how the motion of the earth relative to the sun affects it.”

“You lost me again,” Dash said. “What motion?”

Professor Shine frowned, clearly caught on the wrong hoof with the question. “Well, the earth travels around the sun.” Dash blinked at that in confusion, but didn’t say anything so Professor Shine continued. “It also spins around its axis, creating day and night, and that axis itself twirls, which we call axial tilt.”

“Okay, that doesn’t make any sense,” Dash said.

Twinkle Shine was clearly perplexed by the resistance to what she was saying, and shot Star Fall a questioning look, which the white pegasus didn’t catch as she was frowning at Dash herself. “Could you please specify what part doesn’t make sense?”

“Well, the whole thing. The world doesn’t really spin, does it? I mean, Princess Celestia raises the sun to create the day, right?” Dash wracked her brain, trying to remember if she had ever learned about this when she was younger. She had a vague memory of diagrams of circles and constellations, but she was also fairly certain she slept through most of that stuff.

“Princess?” Twinkle Shine shook her head. “This is strange. Where did you receive your education?”

“Uh, school?” There were titters at this statement throughout the theatre.

Twinkle Shine snorted. “School? Very cute. Well, this isn’t a theology class, Miss Firefly, but your question does actually have some relevance. Alright, students, for the moment imagine that this lecture is not on circle theory, and is instead on fundamental forces. How many of you have attended Professor Blueband’s lecture series on divine interactions with the mundane world?” A few hooves went up, but not many. “Really? The next time he gives them I would suggest you attend. He’s spent his career learning about the numinous and the sublime, his insight into the power of the Goddesses is truly fascinating. You,” she pointed her horn at one of the unicorns that had raised their hoof. “What would Professor Blueband say to Miss Firefly’s question?”

The unicorn stammered, but eventually managed to get an answer out. “He would say that the Goddess is the sun, that her will created it and maintains it. So she does raise the sun, but not literally.”

“A nice answer,” Twinkle Shine said, “It was close, but wrong. I know we Professors can get long-winded, but please try to pay attention, you learn better that way.” The class chuckled at their fellow student’s misfortune, but Twinkle Shine was already moving on. She stepped to the blackboard and erased it with a flick of her horn. A dozen pieces of chalk floated up simultaneously and began to draw so that the complete picture was done in moments. There was a large circle in the middle, an open curve to one side and a small circle on the other side. Between the three she had drawn lines and squiggles with arrows coming from the small circle and the curve towards the large middle circle. All of this was labelled, which was unhelpful to Dash understanding what she was seeing.

“Here is the truth of it,” Professor Shine said. Several of the unicorns in the audience were leaning forward with hungry eyes, and Dash got the distinct impression that this was something important that she just didn’t have the background to understand. Even Star Fall looked like she was caught up in what was happening, and Astrid was watching with no small interest. It left the time-tossed pegasus feeling incredibly left out and more than a little alone. She shoved aside those feelings and studied the diagram on the board, trying to force her brain into figuring it out through sheer determination.

“The power of the Goddesses runs deeper than any magic known to ponies. Tales from before the Schism say that they could literally move the sun and moon in the sky, either to bring night and day, or stop them in their tracks. There are official scientific documents that survive that even reference these tales as fact. The ponies back then were not stupider than we are today, nor any less rigorous in their research. Even religion as we know it did not exist then, so they were not fanatics blinded by their beliefs into ignoring the evidence. No, they simply accepted as absolute fact the utterly religious notion that the Goddesses were solely responsible for bringing day and night. This is apparently still taught in some schools.” Twinkle Shine gave a mocking nod to Dash, who bristled, but held back from commenting.

“The thing is, they were right. In a very real, very literal sense, the Goddesses raised and lowered the sun and moon. That is true. What is also true is that the world rotates on its own wobbling axis once every day and also circles the sun once every year, with the moon in turn circling the world once every twenty-nine days. This was just as true back then as it is today. Who here can tell me why both of these things are true?” There was no response from the audience. “Anyone? You! You’ve gotten the short straw, give me your best answer.”

The unicorn she singled out swallowed hard and looked around as if for assistance, but none was coming. “I, uh, I think it has to do with... multi-modal reflection sorting?”

“You just made that up, didn’t you?” Twinkle Shine asked with a smile as snickers and laughs rumbled through the audience. “Very technical sounding, I’ll give you that. No, it has nothing to do with whatever it is you just came up with. Come on, someone has to have some idea! You’re all magic students, or at least you should be if you’re taking this class. The Magic Of Friendship is on practically every course reading list for a reason, you should all at least recognize what I’ve put on the board. No? Don’t tell me none of you have actually gone through it.” She was met with nervous stares and silence. “Okay, a little advanced for you, I guess. Miss Firefly, what’s your guess as to how this works?”

“Magic,” Dash answered immediately.

Laughter was the response from the unicorns in the audience, but this time Twinkle Shine’s smile was genuine. “Yes,” she said when the laughter had died down, which sent the room into silence as surely as if she had yelled for it. “Magic. In its most basic form magic is the alteration of observed reality through the use of will. The Goddesses use magic in the same way that unicorns do, but on a scale that no mortal can match. For unicorns like myself and most of you, we tap into the energy of the world, store it in ourselves and then release it with our wills to create the effect we want. A Goddess, on the other hoof, does not store energy, for the entire cosmos is hers to command. This means that reality is as we observe it to be because the Goddesses will it to be so. Celestia creates the day by willing there to be day. It is thus by her will that we have sunlight and all the things that come with it. If she didn’t will the day, there wouldn’t be one. Our world would still orbit the sun, still rotate on its wobbling axis, but to our eyes the sun would never crest the horizon, no matter where we were in the world. If Luna similarly forsook her duties then we would have eternal day, where the sun never quite sets. Should they both abandon us then all we would be left with is perpetual, endless twilight. Star Fall, what am I talking about here?”

“A rule of magic,” Star Fall answered. “What you experience may not be what is real, but it is still what you experience, and is therefore real.”

“Reality is a perception,” Twinkle Shine said to the crowd. “What you see, hear and feel is real, but it is not necessarily the full reality, and a being with perception beyond yours can interact with that fuller reality it in ways we cannot understand or match. The Goddesses are two such beings. The world turns, we know that is true, but we do not experience it. The sun rises and sets, we know that isn’t true, but it is what we experience. These are not contradictions, simply our limited way of describing the reality that we exist in. Whatever the Goddesses know and experience, it does not resemble our own limited understanding. Just as when I reach out and lift a piece of chalk, I do it by the mechanisms of telekinesis that every unicorn can perceive. But an earth pony who sees it doesn’t understand the action that allows it, all they see is the chalk rise. In the same way the Goddesses use their power to alter the world that they see to their will, and as a result we have day and night.

“So there’s your explanation, Miss Firefly. The sun rises because the part of the world we’re standing on turns to face it, but it only rises because the Goddess wills it so. In the space between these two truths lies all the potential of magic.”

She set down her chalk, and there was a stomping roar of applause from the audience that only quieted when Professor Shine gave them a stern look. “What are you cheering for? Most of you didn’t understand that, and those that do are probably second-guessing themselves. Think about it. If you can work through the implications of this then you are well on the path to becoming masters of magic regardless of what your Talent happens to be. Well, I think that’s more than enough for all of you to ponder on today, so I’m going to cut this class short. Go, do some research, or get some lunch, or go back to bed, but whatever you do, think about it. And for Celestia’s sake read The Magic Of Friendship, I guarantee you it will be on the test!”

The class stood and began to make their way out, chatting excitedly. A few stayed behind to talk to Professor Shine, but she made her excuses and sent them away. Star Fall was still staring at the chalkboard, her lips moving silently as she talked her way through what was written there.

“Nice work,” Astrid said to Dash. “You’re makin’ yourself real popular today. Powerhouse, spy, and now you get to be an egghead. It’s like you’re doing Fall’s life in reverse. If the Professor adopts you, I’m out of here.”

“I didn’t know she was going to put me on the spot like that,” Dash protested. “I still don’t know what the hell she was talking about.”

“Those are the Sparkle-Pie equations,” Star Fall said. “The basis of modern quantum theory. This was stuff created in your time, Dash. Do you seriously not know that the earth spins?”

“It wasn’t exactly a priority in flight school!” Dash snapped. “Astronomy’s a unicorn thing, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention in the two classes we ever had on the subject. I was too busy learning how to turn clouds into rainbows.”

Star Fall cringed. “Ouch, Dash we’re not making fun of you.”

“I am,” Astrid interjected.

“I’m not making fun of you, it’s just surprising that you didn’t know this stuff.”

Dash huffed, but reined herself in. “I’m sorry, Star. I just don’t like feeling like I’m being laughed at. I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were,” Star Fall sighed.

“To be fair, neither did I,” Astrid added. “Come on, you’re hardcore enough not to have to care about this lame stuff.”

“It’s not lame,” Star Fall protested. “It’s a fundamental part of our reality.”

“Sure, Fall,” Astrid said. “I’m sure the entire legion of snotty eggheads will back you up on that, but people like Dash and I don’t get it, and we don’t need to get it. We’ve got our own stuff that brains like you just can’t match. Doesn’t mean we’re stupid, just focused on something other than apple pie numbers.”

“Sparkle-Pie equations,” Star Fall corrected automatically. “She’s right, Dash. You’re not stupid, just way out of your time.”

Dash gave them a smile that was only half-forced. “Thanks, guys. I’m kinda stepping in it all over today, huh?”

“Your first real exposure to a new civilization, and the people you have to deal with are Gamma and Professor Shine? Dash, you are doing wonderfully,” Star Fall assured her.

“Heads up, here comes the boss,” Astrid said.

Twinkle Shine was indeed making her way up the aisle to them. She was smiling, but her gaze lingered warily on Dash, evaluating her. “I’m glad I didn’t have to come and get you,” she said to Star Fall, laying a welcoming hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier, but the King needed my advice.”

“I heard,” Star Fall said. “Gamma took the opportunity to bring me in and get my report.”

Professor Shine snorted at that. “Of course she would. A Dragon goes missing and she decides to harass my student instead of help look for it. That mare is going to give me an aneurism trying to keep her in check.”

“Professor,” Star Fall chided gently. “She’s doing what she thinks is best for the Kingdom.”

“And I’m not?” Professor Shine asked, then waved off any attempt to answer. “No, it’s fine. I know she does her best, but her best involves far too much manipulation and underhooved dealings for my comfort. Ponies like her are as necessary to our nation’s safety as I am, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She turned to Astrid. “I’m glad you were able to drag my apprentice through yet another foray into enemy territory.”

“Yeah, well, she’s getting better at taking care of herself,” Astrid said. “I don’t have to baby her all the time anymore.” She gave the pegasus in question a playful shove.

Twinkle Shine finally turned to Dash. “And this must be your mystery mare. Fallen Star says you can speak Old Equestrian,” she said, switching to the ancient language.

“Yeah, sure I can,” Dash replied in kind. “I hear you’re probably the smartest pony around. I’ve got this problem, and everypony says you’re the only one who can help me, so here I am, asking for help.”

Twinkle Shine started back in clear surprise, a deep frown furrowing her forehead and her ears twitching. “That’s... that’s incredible,” she took a deep breath and visibly calmed herself down. “Your speech patterns, inflection, accent, everything is just as Fallen Star said. You speak the language as a native would.”

“You’re not too shabby yourself, lady,” Dash replied.

“Who taught you the old tongue?”

“Uh, my mom and dad?” Dash said. “Look, that’s what I’ve gotta get your help with, I’m not from here. Not, like, the city or anything, but from this future.”

“This future?” Twinkle Shine asked, dropping back into Solar.

“Professor,” Star Fall said, “please listen to her. She’s from the past, before the Schism, during the time of legends. She’s been brought forward in time, and we don’t know how or why.”

“From the past?” Twinkle Shine asked, eyebrow quirking in a gesture that reminded Dash of Gamma. “Star Fall, you know how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

“I know, but she can do things. Incredible things that no one else has been able to do for over eight hundred years. She speaks Old Equestrian like a native and she is absolutely not from our time. I didn’t believe her at first, and I still have my doubts about some of the details, but I believe that she believes it, and there’s too much evidence supporting her to dismiss it out of hoof.”

“What evidence?”

“She can cloudwalk, etherealize.”

“She can break the sound barrier,” Astrid put in.

“She heals and learns incredibly fast, and she can work the weather. She made a rainbow for me, Professor. A real rainbow.”

“Impressive,” the Professor mused. “She’s a pegasus from the past, then.”

“Not just any pegasus,” Star Fall said. “Professor, this is Rainbow Dash.”

For a moment, almost too quickly to be seen by anyone other than a pegasus like Dash, Twinkle Shine’s eyes flashed not with surprise, but with rage. It had been brief, and quickly covered up with disbelief, but the force of what she had seen rocked Dash back a step. “Rainbow Dash?” Twinkle Shine laughed. “Right. Of course she is.”

“Hey, I am Rainbow Dash, and I can prove it!” Dash said, her blood heating from the dismissal.

“How?” Professor Shine asked, shaking her head. “Rainbow Dash has been dead for over a thousand years. How would you even begin to prove you’re her?”

Dash paused at that, she hadn’t really thought about it. She had convinced Star Fall by simply being herself, and she had figured that was enough, but when confronted with the question directly like this it made her doubt that it was going to work like that this time. She pulled at the hem of her dress and hiked it up to display her flank. "Check the cutie mark." This tactic failed to elicit a reaction beyond a questioning stare so she dropped the dress and thought of something else. “Uh, okay. Ask me any question about Rainbow Dash’s life and I’ll answer it.”

“Alright then, what’s Rainbow Dash’s favourite food?”

“Professor!” Star Fall whined. “Take this seriously, please!”

“Star Fall, she’s obviously not Rainbow Dash,” Twinkle Shine said to her student and adopted daughter. “A pony pulled out of her own time I could maybe buy, there are ways it could be done, but to claim that she’s Rainbow Dash? It’s ridiculous.”

“Peanut butter and Zap Apple jam sandwiches!” Dash shouted. Star Fall looked at her and Professor Shine sighed and did the same. “That's my favourite food. They're delicious." The Professor just quirked her eyebrow at Dash while Star Fall frowned as she tried to pin down where she had heard the term 'Zap Apple jam' before. Dash took a heavy breath before continuing. "Okay, there's another food that I really like, but it's kind of special for me so I don't normally count it as my favourite. Chocolate cake. I don’t eat a lot of sweets. I’ve gotta eat right to keep in shape, but my friend Pinkie Pie makes this awesome chocolate cake, and every time I perfect a new trick or do something I’m trying really hard for I treat myself. She makes it specially for me, and I don’t like to admit it, but it tastes even better than peanut butter and Zap Apple jam sandwiches. It tastes better because she put so much effort into it for me, and I know it and I can just picture her smiling with every bite. So that’s, uh, that’s my favourite food.” Dash’s head hung a bit at the end, and for once she was glad of her dyed coat as its color could hide any embarrassed blush she might have.

Twinkle Shine’s smile had faded. “Chocolate cake, huh? How about Twilight Sparkle? If you’re Rainbow Dash you’d know her. What was her favourite food?”

“Doughnuts,” Dash said without hesitation, “but she’d probably claim it was daisy sandwiches.”

“When a Dragon was threatening to cover Equestria in smoke, how did you defeat it?”

“Well, I kicked it in the face,” Dash said, smirking proudly at how much use she was getting out of that memory before continuing. “It was Fluttershy that got rid of it, really. She went all ‘stare master’ on it and glared it right off the mountain.”

“How did you resolve the Bison-Appleloosan conflict?”

“We... didn’t. Kinda made things worse, really, and then it all just sorted itself out. Pinkie was ranting about that one for weeks, you shoulda seen how ticked she was her little song-and-dance routine didn’t work.”

“Name the pets of all of Twilight Sparkle’s friends.”

“Pets?” Dash asked in surprise, even Star Fall blinked in confusion at that one. “Well, okay. Pinkie’s got Gummy. Rarity’s cat is Opal, or, uh Opal..escence? Yeah, Opalescence. Applejack’s dog is Winona. Fluttershy’s got every pet in the whole world at her house. You could say Angel bunny is her pet, but he’s more like a roommate or... something. Twilight has Owlowiscious, and I guess Spike could count if you’re a total jerk. And I have Tank the flying tortoise.”

Professor Shine shook her head in disbelief. “Only the most obscure texts even mention that they had pets. You’d have to comb through ten different sources to piece together all their names. You’ve certainly done your research.”

“It’s not research, this is my life,” Dash said. “Come on, you got more for me? I can take it.”

“How did the Goddesses defeat Chrysalis?”

“Uh. Okay, you lost me on that one. Who?”

“Chrysalis? The Changeling queen?” Dash shook her head. “What was the ultimate weapon of Tirek?”

“Still lost.”

“No? Who was the first to confront Celestia Nova, and why did they fail to reach her?”

Dash just shook her head. “Okay, Celestia what? Are you talking about the Princess?”

Twinkle Shine gawked in renewed disbelief. “You know some of the most obscure facts of their mundane lives, but you can’t even recognize their most famous and storied accomplishments? Rainbow Dash figures fairly prominently in these stories, surely if you were her you’d know. What was it like leading the charge against the Tartarus Dragons? How were the Parasprites removed? Who was the saviour of the Crystal Kingdom?”

“Uh, no clue, Pinkie did something with music, and no clue,” Dash replied. “Seriously, what is all that stuff? I’ve never done any of it. Tartarus Dragons? That sounds totally cool, I would have remembered that.”

The Professor drew back, looking at Dash with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. “You are just random.”

“I am not random. Do I look pink to you?” Professor Shine raised an eyebrow. Dash looked down at herself. “Okay, bad question, but I’m normally blue, and I’m still not random.”

“Your knowledge is.”

“I think her memories don’t extend as far as the Changeling invasion,” Star Fall put in. “Dash, didn’t you say your last memory was preparing for something?”

“Bringing water to Cloudsdale to make rainclouds, yeah,” Dash said. “I’ve heard of Changelings, sorta, but they never invaded.”

“Fascinating,” Twinkle Shine said. “You honestly believe what you’re saying, don’t you?”

“I don’t just believe it, I know it,” Dash said.

The Professor chuckled. “Well, okay. You’re no simple charlatan, but I am not just going to accept your word as it is.”

“That’s cool,” Dash said, smiling. “I’ll find a way to prove it to you. I promise.”

“Yes, well, we shall see,” the Professor said. She checked the clock on the wall. “But for now I suppose I could run a few tests. Since you’re going to be staying with Star Fall anyway, I officially invite you to stay at my estate until I’ve ascertained the veracity of your assumed identity.”

“She means you can crash at Fall’s place and she won’t kick you out,” Astrid helpfully translated.

“Thanks,” Dash said, relaxing a bit. She hadn’t won the Professor over, she knew that, but just like with Star Fall, it was a start. Still, that flash of rage she had seen worried her. Where had that come from? Why did the Professor react that way to hearing her name? Dash shoved the questions out of her head and extended a hoof to the golden unicorn. “I really want to get started. The future is nice and all, but I’m missing my friends and Ponyville pretty bad.”

“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do,” Twinkle Shine said, and for the second time that day Rainbow Dash found herself shaking hooves with another pony.

Calumn sashayed into the club with a smile and a wink to the heavy-set bouncer, who watched the Changeling's flank with hungry eyes as she went past. He was in the form of a gorgeous grey-blue unicorn mare, decked out in a little black dress and tastefully placed jewellry. Changelings had fairly flexible ideas about gender, being a species that could change it at will. In general it depended on whether they were 'in-character' or not. Out of character Calumn was male, but for the moment and in this character? She was as resolutely female as it got.

She made her way to the dance floor, joining in the twirling crowd with the finesse of a master socializer. The music was upbeat, some of the newer stuff coming out of the Solar capital that combined old folk dances with modern beats and instrumentation. She'd studied it as it was getting popular, and while she didn't know this particular song she knew the music and the dances that went with it well enough to do them in her sleep. She found a partner and proceeded to lead him in leading her in the dance. She didn't devote a lot of attention to it, though. She was too busy scanning the club for her target.

The club was surprisingly full for it being early afternoon. It wasn't as packed as it would likely get come sundown, but it was a fair sight more crowded than she had expected. It made finding her target harder than it had to be, and would make it more difficult to hold his attention with all the distractions. On the plus side it meant she would be able to slip out with him more easily. Getting lost in a crowd was practically child's play.

Blaze appeared from a backroom door. Calumn didn't know how he got in that way, but she didn't question it. This club was upscale, and you needed either a lot of money or a certain look to get through the door. Calumn had that look but Blaze did not, and he certainly didn't have the money to flash to bypass that. As it was he took up a position with a good view. His Everstorm experience allowed him to ignore the extraneous ponies with barely any effort and focus on finding the ones he needed to. Calumn just hoped he would be able to stay focused without causing a scene.

"Wow, you are one heck of a mare," her ignored dance partner said, practically drooling over her.

She gave him a whimsical smile and did a complicated little twirl that had him paired with a new partner while she took up with a different stallion. This one looked even more surprised to find who he was dancing with, but didn't salivate at her like a Diamond Dog looking at a prime steak.

Finally she spotted her quarry. He was sitting at the bar, chatting with the bartender. He talked with his hooves, she noticed, swinging them around and making big gestures. He also flashed smiles over his shoulder or held certain postures for a few moments longer than necessary. He really was posing all the time.

She gave her dance partner a quick air kiss and stepped off the dance floor. She caught Blaze's eye and he jerked his head at the two bruisers who were sitting at a table in a dark corner of the club and sipping at their drinks. They looked sullen and bored, which was good news for her. They didn't even blink in her direction as she stepped up to the bar and slid into the seat next to Conrad.

"What can I get you?" the bartender, a Dog in a very nice suit, asked her.

"I'll take a strawberry daiquiri," she said, making sure to give a sultry little smirk to the dog as he turned away to get her drink.

"Now that's not the best choice," Conrad said, leaning up next to her at the bar. "This season, this time of day? You want to go with something lighter, build up to the daiquiri and probably not strawberry."

"But I like strawberries," she said, licking their lips. "They're sweet."

"They're out of season," he replied, eying her up and down. "Takes all the taste out of them."

"And you're an expert on drinks?"

"Oh yeah, I've got my own winery in the west," he said, puffing out his chest proudly. "Make some of the best vintages south of the capital."

"Really," she said, leaning into him and staring into his eyes. "Do tell."

"Well, I don't like to brag," he said, chuckling. The bartender came back and put her drink down in front of her. She dutifully picked it up and took a sip.

"So, what were you saying about your mining business?" the bartender asked.

Conrad lurched half over the bar. "I'll tell you later, man, I've just got this filly on the hook, don't screw it up for me."

The Dog took a long look at Calumn, who batted her long eyelashes at him, and backed off. "Okay, mister. Good luck with you."

"You get a tip, sir," Conrad said to him before turning back to Calumn. "So, what were we talking about?"

"Your fine wines?" she supplied.

He laughed. "Nah, let's not talk about wines, that's boring stuff. Hey, why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm not from around here," she began. "I'm just in town for business, and maybe a bit of pleasure," she winked at the appropriate place, making sure he got the implication

"Yeah, I'm in town for business too," he said, stretching out a hoof as if to encompass everywhere in the area. "Looking to do a lot of buying."

"Oh? You're not local?"

"Actually I was born here," he said. "Lived in a little house, just me and my dad. Got out of town as soon as I could, but I figured now that I've got money it's time to come home and re-invest."

"Wow, an entrepreneur. I love ponies who give back."

"Yeah, and I love giving," he laughed.

"And I love getting given to," she gave him her best sultry smile. "You wanna get out of here, maybe continue this conversation in your room?"

He looked at her, his eyes roaming to her shapely flank, then shrugged. "Nah. I'd rather stay here."

Calumn blinked. That wasn't what she was expecting. She shifted herself to display even more of her assets. "Come on. Tell me you like what you see."

"Meh," he said, waving a hoof in the air ambivalently. "Not really."

Calumn was shocked. She had been sure that he was hooked completely. He'd practically been licking her with his eyes, but now he was acting as if she was barely more than a pony he bumped into on the street. A plain pony.

She was just about to try again when another unicorn mare sat down on the opposite side of Conrad. "Hey, I heard you were new in town."

"Not really," he said, turning away from Calumn and towards the new mare. "I lived here when I was younger, did some work for the local Royal Liaison."

The two quickly got into a conversation, and every attempt Calumn made to get the attention back on her was rebuffed by Conrad. It just didn't make sense. He had been flirting with her pretty hard, and he was doing the same to the new girl. Lying through his teeth the entire way, but doing it fluidly and flirtatiously.

Calumn excused herself and headed to the washroom. She had to re-think her approach, and might have to re-think her appearance too. The new mare was far plainer than her current form. She ran some water and dabbed it at her face, looking in the mirror to see if there was anything she missed when donning her current disguise. It all checked out, there was something that she was missing that was causing the problems. It wasn't with her so it had to be with him.

Just then the door opened and that same unicorn mare stepped in. She sidled up to Calumn at the sink counter and gave her a sidelong glance. "You tried too hard," she said.

"Sorry?" Calumn asked, surprised that the mare would talk to her.

"Conrad? The stallion you were talking up? You were trying to hard, being too forward," she continued.

"He seemed pretty into it."

"Yeah, he will, then he'll shut you down the minute you suggest going somewhere. It's not that he doesn't want to, it's just he's got to be the one making the moves. Let him take the lead and you're golden."

Calumn blinked, she hadn't thought of that. It was a common seduction technique, but everything she'd seen about this stallion had said he would have jumped at a forward mare. "Thanks," she said. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Oh, sisterly solidarity and all that." The other mare grinned. "By the way, my name's Janice and I'm with the Kingdom Secret Service. Who do you work for?" Calumn froze, eyes wide. "Yeah, thought so," Janice said, then bucked Calumn in the side.

Calumn smashed into the wall, once again lamenting that carapaces didn't carry over to assumed forms. She hit the ground gasping for breath just in time for Janice to slam a forehoof into her stomach, doubling her over. The unicorn's horn lit with a pale green light and the lock clicked in the door.

"Why... what?" Calumn wheezed out.

"Don't play dumb, it won't get you anywhere," Janice said, grabbing Calumn and hauling her up to slam her back against the wall. "Who do you work for?" she snarled. She was surprisingly strong for a unicorn, but now that she was using that strength Calumn could see the corded muscle under her slinky dress. This was a full-on Kingdom spy, not a local operative like the pawnshop owner had been. She would have training equivalent to Calumn's own, and probably some backup in case things went bad. Calumn wouldn't be able to lie her way out of this one.

So he didn't.

With a flash of green fire Calumn assumed his true shape. The unicorn's eyes went wide and her grip loosened for just a moment, which was all he needed. He smashed his forehead into hers, his carapaced skull far more resilient than her own flesh and bone. She reeled back and he pressed his advantage, shooting off the wall with a buzz of diaphanous wings and hitting her several times. She dropped to the floor, shaking off the blows, but he slammed a hoof into the back of her head. She went limp.

Calumn flipped her over, examining her. She looked up at him with dazed eyes. "Changeling," she said, her breath fluttering as she fought to hold on to consciousness.

"Changeling," he agreed, his horn lighting up with a sickly green glow. "Sleep," he said, touching his crooked horn to her forehead. She let out a sigh and relaxed completely, her eyes closing as the spell took hold. "Forget," Calumn said, casting a second spell into her. It took a lot of energy to do, but not enough to put him in danger, and it would be necessary to keep him from being discovered so soon. She'd know she'd been beaten up and her memory messed with, but that could easily have been another unicorn. They might connect the dots and find it spelled 'Changeling' eventually, but by then he hoped to be long gone.

For now, though, he'd just been given a second chance. He swapped clothes with Janice and assumed her form, stuffing her into one of the stalls and locking it. The sleep spell would keep her under for hours, so he had to work quickly, but he kept her advice in mind.

Giving her mane a little comb through to hide the slightly dishevelled state, Calumn as Janice strode out of the washroom and back to the bar. She caught Blaze's eye and gave him the sign that meant she had switched forms. She didn't see him react so she hoped he remembered what that meant. She slid into her seat and gave her target an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. Okay, what were we talking about?" She smiled at Conrad, and Conrad smiled back. And just like that the plan was back on track.

***

Twinkle Shine had to force herself not to slam the door as she stepped into her office. As it was her legs were shaking and she barely was able to lock the door and turn on the stereo to prevent eavesdropping before she collapsed to her knees.

Star Fall, Astrid and Rainbow Dash had gone on to her home. The Professor had ostensibly stayed behind to clear up some paperwork before joining them, but the true reason was a voice in her head. A voice that was both her own and alien to her. A voice that had started talking during her confrontation with Dash and had only gotten louder since. That voice was screaming in her head now, and had it been a physical thing it would have been loud enough to shake the walls and shatter the windows.

How Dare They? The voice thundered in her head, making Twinkle Shine shudder. Rainbow Dash? They Would Use Rainbow Dash Against Me?

“Quiet, please!” the Professor pleaded as she crawled to her desk and struggled to open one of the drawers while the voice ranted in her mind. She pulled out a small rectangular mirror and set it carefully on the ground beneath her, then stared into the eyes of a reflection that was not her own. “I can barely hear myself think.”

“They Dare To Use Her Against Me?” the reflection snarled, her volume dropping down to mortal levels. “I Will Find Them And End Them.”

“I don’t even know if there’s a ‘them’ to find,” Professor Shine hissed. “She certainly believes she’s Rainbow Dash.”

“She Is Not,” the reflection insisted, her eyes flashing gold and white. “I Watched Rainbow Dash Die. I Watched Her Burn And Her Ashes Scattered To The Wind.”

“I know,” the Professor sighed. “She isn’t Rainbow Dash, but she could be something very close. She knows things. Impossible things. And she doesn’t even realize how impossible they are.”

“It Is Irrelevant,” the reflection said. “She Is A Threat.”

“Star Fall is in danger,” Twinkle Shine said in agreement. “This could be a ruse aimed at her.”

“The Student Has No Experience With Rainbow Dash. It Is More Likely To Be Aimed At Me,” the reflection pointed out.

“But why? And who would know enough to do that? Let alone the question of who could have the power to create a facsimile so close.”

“I Do Not Know,” the reflection stared at her, burning eyes narrowing. “The Forces Of War Gather. It Is Nearly Time For My Return.”

“I know,” Twinkle Shine sighed. “The timing is too much to be coincidence. And whoever she is and whatever purpose she has, she’s dragging Star Fall into it. I have to find a way to separate them without arousing suspicion.”

“The Student Can Be Persuaded.”

“How? How can I convince her?”

“Use Secrets. She Has Been Protected From The Truth For Too Long. It Is Time She Learned What Has Been Planned For Her.”

“I don’t want her exposed to that. She’s still so young, there's time yet.”

“She Is Old Enough To Spy For Gamma. She Is Old Enough To Know The Price Of Her Power.”

Twinkle Shine sighed. “She is, isn’t she? I can’t tell her everything, not yet, but I think I know what I can say to start her on the path to safety. It has to be done carefully, though. Slowly. I need to do it without making Gamma or Star Fall suspicious. They can't learn the truth yet.”

“Very Well. The Student Will Be Protected, And I Will Learn From This False Rainbow Dash Who Has Set Her Against Me. And Then I Shall Destroy Her.”

“So be it,” Twinkle Shine said as the voice faded and her reflection’s eyes ceased their glow. “Let the Nightmare fly once more.”