//------------------------------// // Encounters // Story: The Last Hope of a Fallen Nation // by thehalfelf //------------------------------// Encounters Here’s something you may not know: teleportation where you randomly launch yourself into the intersection of space and time (yes, with practice and a little bit of luck, teleportation can be used in both the material plane, and for time travel, but that’s another story) is not exactly the best way to travel.  As Pinkie and myself flew through the purplish-black vortex of magic, I began to count the seconds, knowing that if we were in the tunnel too long, we could end up somewhere bad. As it was, the tunnel was unstable.  I didn’t have the time to structure the energy into a secure, stable form like I had been taught.  What we now traveled in would make any magical tutor cringe, any accomplished magi holier-than-thou, and make any Circle member strike you down without a second thought.  It wasn’t terrible, but if we were unlucky, the tunnel would collapse, throwing us out at a random location.  Given our recent luck, I was more than a little worried. Thankfully, my worry was all for naught, for not a minute later, we were spit from the tunnel into the bright sunlight.  For the second time that day, I found myself cringing and blinking as bright light filled my eyes.   “Twilight... what did you do?”  Pinkie Pie asked from beside me. “I broke about, five rules of long-range teleportation, which could have killed both of us in the process,” I replied.  “But, it didn’t, and we’re out of Canterlot.” I finally blinked back the last of the tunnel vision.  Now able to see without intense pain, I took a quick look around.  We were on train tracks, overgrown train tracks, bordered on both sides by large trees.  There was also one very angry looking pink pony. “Could have killed us?” the angry pony asked. “Well, yeah, in theory it could have ripped us apart and spread our molecules across space and time,” I said.  “But, it was highly unlikely,” I lied as the angry pony grew angrier.  “I have a safety weave embedded in the spell I use for teleporting.  In the event of a total collapse, it activates and kicks the traveler out of the teleport, and dispenses them wherever they may be at the time.” Pinkie blinked.  “What...?” “Okay, imagine travel through teleportation as a sort of train ride,” I began, switching into lecture mode.  “In the event of a collapse of the tunnel, the train, holding the teleporters, the travelers, I have a weave inside of the spell itself, like a conductor on the train, that would have pushed us out wherever we may have been, like the time you got us thrown off the Ponyville Express.” “Oh!” Pinkie said, eyes lighting up in understanding.  “So, the conductor would have stopped the train and made us leave before something bad happened!” “Sort of,” I replied, “but with the possibility of a lot more falling, and scraped legs.” “So, where are we then?” I looked around, noting the monolith of the mountain behind us.  We were far enough away to be unseen, but you could still make out tiny dots of changelings rushing too and fro on top of the walls.  What worried me more, however, was the now-visible magical bubble around the outside of the walls. “Well, we are west of Canterlot, on the rails towards Ponyville Station, if I had to guess, but we need to go.  Now!”  Without waiting for a response, I pushed Pinkie and started running.  If my guess was correct, any minute now... yes, there they were.  A squad of changeling hunters had flown down from the castle. As part of my last revisions of the Burrow System, I had recommended, but not modeled, a magical tracking system, so that anypony that escaped could be hunted down and brought back with minimal effort.  We had to escape, and either get far enough away the the tracking spell couldn’t be used, and would naturally dispel, or get somewhere with enough magical residue to befuddle the tracker until I could dispel it myself. I whipped my head back and forth, searching both visibly and magically for a hotspot large enough to hide two fully grown mares long enough to unweave the spell that lit us up like fire in a dark cave.  There wasn’t anything close, but... there!  About a mile and a half down the track! “Pinkie, no time to explain.  Follow me!”  I sprinted off down the tracks, pink friend close behind. “There they are, get them!” came the shout from behind us.  Apparently, the changeling hunter squads had locked onto our magical signal, and now our sprint to salvation was a race for our lives. Honestly, I’m getting sick of running. “Okay,” I said through gasps of air.  “We’re looking for the train.  It derailed sometime during the coup, and I think the residual magical energy that used to power it should be enough to hide us from the changelings.” “But they know where we are,” Pinkie said next to me. “So we kill them.” “What!” Pinkie’s eyes shot wide open.  “You can’t just kill them, Twilight!” I shot a look over my shoulder.  “Are you kidding me?  We just got out of a slaughter!” “I didn’t kill any,” Pinkie replied, subdued. “Look, we can argue about this later!  Right now, we have to either kill them, or hide well enough they don’t find us!”  The train was drawing closer, but so were our pursuers. We were quickly approaching the train.  Sometime during the coup, it appeared that something had happened, causing it to tip over.  A coupler somewhere had snapped, and now part of the train was lying on the left side of the track, and the other part on the right. I hazarded a glance over my shoulder.  The changelings were still chasing after us, but they were starting to lag behind a little.  “Quick, in here!”  I shouted to Pinkie, pushing open the door on the train’s caboose.  The pink pony rushed inside, and I quickly followed, shutting the door. “Do we hide?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah, but not in here.  They saw us walk into this car.  We need to move on,” I replied.  I tip-hooved through the partially shattered windows, making my way over to the door suspended halfway in the wall.  “Come on,” I said, crouching down.  “Climb on me, and get into the next car, hurry.” Pinkie glanced back at the door to the outside.  “But I hear them getting closer, Twilight.  What about you?” “Don’t worry about me, just get through and hide.  I’ll be in soon, promise,” I replied with a reassuring smile, hoping my lie wasn’t too obvious. Pinkie nodded before clambering up onto my back.  She pulled the door open, ducking as it fell down towards us, then climbed through into the next car.  As quickly as possible, I set a couple simple trap weaves in the door to the outside, and then, with a nice running start, jumped through into the next car, setting another trap on that door before pulling it closed. True to her title as party pony, Pinkie was pretty good at playing hide and seek.  She had been in the car less than two minutes, and she was gone.  I needed to join her, and fast.  I looked around, biting my lip. Well, as far as hiding places go, this car wasn’t good for much.  The Ponyville Express was primarily a passenger train, carrying ponies between Canterlot, Ponyville, Appleloosa, and Dodge City.  As such, this was nothing but a passenger car.  Loads of benches and windows, and no convenient hiding places. I briefly considered hiding in the benches below my hooves, but quickly ruled it out.  It would be almost impossible to contort myself like that and slip in before the changelings were upon us.  That really only left one option: the luggage bins. With a feat of dexterity I would have thought impossible for anypony but Rainbow Dash before my stint in the mines, I lept from the bench I was on, to the side of a bench on the ceiling, catching myself on one of the hoofrails.  A quick burst of magic opened the door and another teleported me safely into the luggage bin.  I quickly braced myself so I wouldn’t fall before reaching out with a hoof and pulling the door almost all the way closed, leaving just a small gap to see through. I could feel myself slowing down.  I had been hyped up on adrenaline for quite some time, and its effects were starting to wear off in the relative safety of my bin.  I just had to hold on, wait for the changelings to hit the traps, kill any who were left.  Then I could find Pinkie and get out of here. I was beginning to think that the changelings hadn’t seen us, and had lost our trail when we neared the train.  It was totally silent, the only sounds being those of my breathing and heart, and the gradual settling of the behemoth we were resting in.  I couldn’t even hear Pinkie, who I had expected to break out of hiding and run screaming by now.  Everything was still and calm. Until the door opened.  The door on the other end of the train from my traps.  The tiny sliver from the door of the luggage bin only allowed me sight of the door to the caboose, and a very slim window at that.  Now, all I had to understand what was going on was a very limited magical sense--no point in giving myself away by the blatantly obvious glow of magic--and what I could hear. “Come on, the pink one said she was down this way,” a strangely confident voice said. “Do you really think it’s the Twilight Sparkle?  Man, the boss will pay us out the plot to bring her back,” a lighter, more feminine voice replied. “Shhh!  The changelings might be near.  Let’s go ahead and blow our cover, shall we?” “Sorry, sir.”  The female sounded subdued. Wait?  What?  My thoughts ran rampant for a moment or two before the commanding voice spoke up again. “Let’s move into the next car.  I don’t think she’s here.” Okay, decision time.  I thought.  Do I let the strangers open the door and trigger the trap and probably die, or do I risk myself to see who they are and what’s going on.  After all, they don’t really talk like changelings. Then again, it’s changelings I’m talking about.  They might have taken on pony forms to fool Pinkie Pie.  Ooh, I hate dilemmas... “Wait, sir, is that a tail sticking out of the luggage bin?” the female voice asked. I mentally whacked myself in the head.  Stupid. Twilight.  Stupid. No reply came, but not a second later, a rough pounding shook the door of the luggage bin, rattling my eardrums.  “‘Allo?  Is anypony in there?” the first voice asked, followed shortly after by, “We’re armed,” and the sound of a sword being drawn. “Okay, okay, calm down,” I said, sticking a forehoof out of the bin.  “Let’s not be hasty now.  I’m coming out.  Don’t slice my horn off.” True to my word, I poked my head out of the luggage bin, taking a moment to reorient myself to the sideways car.  I heard a gasp behind me.  “Sir, is that really her?”  I glanced over to identify the speaker; a small yellow pegasus with strange mechanisms strapped to her wings. “Only one way to find out,” the pegasus’ companion said.  The dark unicorn flared his horn, and I felt the tingle of a magical scan.  “By the Goddesses, it is.  Miss Twilight Sparkle, please, allow me.”  The unicorn quickly sheathed his sword before reaching out a hoof, using it to gently pull me from the bin and set me down precariously on one of the benches. “Who are you ponies?” I asked, still somewhat wary.  Zil had told me that changelings can’t reproduce a magical aura, but given that he had turned again, I took his instruction with a grain of salt. “Allow me,” the pegasus said.  “I am First Scout Fleetwing, and this is Sergeant Midnight of the Free Equestria Society, Canterlot Espionage Division, at your service, Miss,” she said, gesturing to herself and the dark blue unicorn balanced next to her. “The what?”  Yeah, call me slow.  You try being locked in a dungeon for Celestia-knows how long and try to keep up with current events. “The Free Equestria Society.  We are the resistance, led by--”  An explosion from the caboose cut her off. “Tell me later,” I said.  “Right now, we have to get out of here.  Changelings are after us, and one just hit a trap I put on the door.” “I thought you said she couldn’t fight,” Midnight said, turning to Fleetwing.  “That’s why you dragged me from the base, because you said she couldn’t fight, and you weren’t sure you could take the changelings on by yourself!” “Well, we don’t know if she can!  She knows traps, and that’s all well and good, but traps aren’t much use in a brawl, especially in a closed in area like this!” Fleetwing replied. “Look, it doesn’t matter, you’re here now, uh, sir, and we have to go!”  Another explosion rocked the car as I finished speaking.  “There’s only one trap left, and we’re right in front of it.” “How can we trust you?” Midnight asked.  “Sure, you passed the scan, but how do we know you are the real Twilight Sparkle?” I opened my mouth, about to defend myself, when Fleetwing spoke up.  “Of course it’s Twilight Sparkle.  How many other unicorns do you know who the changelings are after who happen to be purple, with a highlighted mane, and a six pointed star on her flank?”  She turned to me.  “In fact, I’d bet she did something totally awesome before she ran.  What’d you do, Twilight? Did ya single-hoofedly lead a revolt from the inside?” “Look, this really isn’t the best time,” I said, but Fleetwing went on, her voice become faster with every word. “Ooh!  I bet you took down Chrysalis yourself!  You don’t need a resistance to help, don’t need anypony backin’ you up.  Why, I bet--” Running out of time, and unable to get Fleetwing to stop talking, Midnight reached out a hoof and whacked her on the side of the head.  “Damn it Fleetwing, get your head together!  Real Twilight or not, we have a responsibility to bring this free mare into safety.  We can quiz her later.” Fleetwing rubbed the side of her head.  “Ow... I mean, yes sir!”  Turning to me, she continued.  “Right this way, Miss Maybe-Sparkle.” MIdnight turned around and started moving away, leading me away towards the door they came through just as the door to the caboose flew open, triggering my last trap.  A wave of flame burst into the caboose, blowing forth a wave of heat that singed the ends of the hair of my coat. “Fleetwing, protect the innos!” Midnight shouted to the pegasus. “Yes, sir!” Fleetwing replied with a smirk.  She shook her wings, two blades sliding out of the mechanisms on them and clicking into place just as what was left of the changeling search force carefully entered the car, wary for more traps. “Hey, boys!” Fleetwing shouted to the few changelings who had survived.  “Looking for me?” “Out of the way!” the leader commanded.  “We are looking for the purple and pink ones.  You are not our concern.” “Oh really?” Fleetwing replied with a smirk.  “Allow me to fix that.”  Almost faster than the eye could see, she darted forward, moving her wing to slice across the throat of the changeling leader.  He fell with a gurgle, blood quickly pooling below in the recesses of the windows. One of the surviving changelings quickly thrust compacted air at Fleetwing, which blew her back into the wall.  They were on her in an instant.  The pegasus raised a wing, slicing into one of the changelings, but she was unable to get the other in time. The lone changeling selected a dagger from a belt full of them slung across his chest.  As he raised it overhead, I blasted him with a thin bolt of fire.  His hard, black exoskeleton cracked, the force of the blow blasting him back through the closed caboose door. “You... you saved me,” Fleetwing said, looking up at me with something suspiciously like adoration in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.  You guys saved me, it’s only fair I return the favor,” I replied, inexplicably embarrassed. “Yeah, good job Miss Sparkle, but can we continue this conversation somewhere else?  We need to get back to the outpost before reinforcements arrive.”  Midnight began walking towards the door out as I helped Fleetwing to her hooves.  “Come on.” Midnight led me deeper into the train, Fleetwing not too far behind.  Most of the fallen cars seemed to be passenger cars, which made sense.  It was pretty standard for rail companies to put luggage and the like up at the front of the train. About four cars in, at an inconspicuous bench on the right side--what was now the bottom of the car--Midnight stopped.  He rapped a hoof on one of the bench’s supports, and the whole ensemble slid down and back, revealing a stairway down below the train itself. “After you, Miss Sparkle,” Midnight said, gesturing down the dark shaft. “Yeah, I’m not going down there unless one of you go first,” I replied, giving Midnight a flat stare.  “I’ve had my fill of dark spaces for a very long time.” “So you were locked up,” Fleetwing piped up from beside me.  “Don’t worry, I’ll go down with you.”  She nudged me with her snout, pushing me towards the staircase. “Alright, alright, but I’m warning you right now: if this is some kind of a trick, I’ll make what happened to that changeling seem like a kindness,” I said with venom in my voice as my hoof hit the first step. Fleetwing’s eyes grew in astonishment.  “I promise, it isn’t a trick.  We are part of the resistance.  This is our Canterlot Outpost, and I imagine the Commander is going to send for you as soon as she hears you’re here.” “Undoubtedly,” Midnight said.  He entered the stairwell as soon as there was enough room, flicking something with a hoof that slid the bench on top of us again.  He light his horn in a dark blue glow, illuminating the rest of the steps down to an unassuming wooden door. As we approached, the door banged open and a blur rocketed towards me.  Without even thinking, I flared up a wall of magic and knocked the blur aside, into Midnight.  With one taken care of, I spun around, using a burst of air to knock Fleetwing off balance.  While she was dazed, I pounced, knocking her into the wall. I was about to scramble Fleetwing’s brains when I felt a pair of hooves wrap around me from behind in a hug.  “Twilight!  I’m so glad you’re safe, but what did you hit me with a wall for?” My magic slipped away as I backed up, letting the frightened Fleetwing move.  “Oh, Pinkie, it’s just you.”  I looked back over my shoulder at the pink pony, and the blue unicorn dazed beyond.  “Uh, sorry.  Guess I’m just a little tense.” Midnight opened his mouth, likely to chew me out for attacking them, but Fleetwing jumped in front of him, facing me and beaming.  “That was awesome!  You were all, ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll kill you,’ and then the door opened and you freaked and knocked all of us over without breaking a sweat!” “Is everything alright out here?” asked a vibrant blue unicorn, stepping through the door.  “Wait a minute, isn’t that Twilight Sparkle?” “The one and only!” Pinkie said from beside me. “OhmigoshIhavetotellCommand!” the unicorn spun on her back hooves and galloped back into the outpost at top speed, bright yellow mane trailing out behind her. “I had a feeling she was going to do that,” Midnight said, taking lead of the group once again.  “Better get inside before she tells Command we just broke about every protocol there is.”  Without further preamble, he walked inside.  I followed shortly behind, side to side with Pinkie.  Fleetwing fluttered right behind us, closing the door as her tail crossed the threshold. The outpost was... interesting.  Broken bits of wood and other building materials had been scavenged from the train where it wasn’t noticeable from the outside, lending the room a very bright but chaotic appearance.  There was no floor to speak of, it was nothing but the dirt the cave had been dug out of.  Over in the corner I could see the strange unicorn speaking into a blank mirror. The stranger’s horn glowed, and her reflection reappeared on the mirror.  She trotted over to me and held out a hoof.  “I’m Private Sparky.  It is an honor to meet you, Miss Sparkle.” I hesitantly reached out a hoof and took hers.  “Uh, thanks...?” MIdnight rolled his eyes.  “Alright, if you two don’t stop swooning like schoolfillies, I’m going to send you topside.  What’d Command say?” he asked, turning to face Sparky. “I think our mirror might be broken, sir.  As soon as I said we had Twilight Sparkle unharmed, it got very difficult to maintain the spell.  Command said they would send a flyer with orders,” Sparky replied.  “They are to stay here in the meantime.” “Twilight Sparkle is staying here?” Fleetwing asked, practically vibrating.  “She can bunk with me.” “What?” I asked, stunned by the Pinkie-esque level of enthusiasm. “No, I’m bunking with her,” Pinkie asserted, sticking her muzzle right up against Fleetwing’s.  The two glared at each other.  Just before it looked like it was about to go to blows, Midnight stepped in. “Alright you two,” he said.  “We have five bunks.  Nopony has to bunk with anypony.” “But I want to,” Pinkie and Fleetwing said at the same time.  They turned and continued glaring.  “No, I get to.”  Pinkie pushed her nose forward, causing the other pony to scrunch back.  Fleetwing growled, causing Pinkie to pull back.  The pegasus pushed her neck forward, filling the gap. Midnight looked over at me.  Can’t you do something? his eyes asked. “Hey!” I shouted, trying to make myself heard over the echoing argument.  Both Fleetwing and Pinkie stopped mid-sentence and turned to face me.  “How about I’ll sleep there,” I pointed to a bed, “Pinkie sleeps there,” my hoof moved to the one to the left of mine, “and Fleetwing sleeps there,” my hoof stopped on the one to my right.  “That way, you both are near, and nopony has to be left out.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sparky and Midnight exchange a look, but I was focused on Fleetwing and Pinkie.  They looked at me, at the beds, at each other, then back to me.  The cycle repeated several times until Pinkie raised her hoof. “Um, can I have the bed on the right?” she asked with a sheepish grin. I sighed and looked at Fleetwing, who grinned.  “Sure,” she said, “the bunk on the left is mine anyway.” ***** A few hours later, everypony was settled down and sitting around a table that took up most of the middle of the large room.  I looked up from my plate, having eaten my meager portion of some unidentified rations from the outpost, and gently pushed it towards the middle with the others. “So, what now?” I asked, looking at all the ponies around me.  Midnight was directly across from me, with Sparky on his left.  Pinkie was to my right, and Fleetwing was to my left.  There was one open spot, but none of the others wanted to so much as look at it, so I didn’t ask. “Now, we wait,” Midnight replied, leaning back and putting his forehooves behind his head.  “Obviously, we have to get you to Command.  It’s the only place you’ll be safe.  The only problem is that our Mirror apparently can’t connect to the main relay in Manehatten.  Sparky says Command is sending a messenger with orders our way.  Really all we have to do is hang out here until he arrives.” “And how long will that take?” Midnight looked over at Sparky.  The unicorn stared off into space for a minute or two.  “Depending on changeling patrols and the pegasus they send, it could be anywhere from tonight to the day after tomorrow, at the latest.” Before I could reply, a thud echoed from overhead.  Midnight quickly held a hoof to his mouth, motioning us to be quiet.  Synchronized perfectly, as though rehearsed, Fleetwing darted over to the door, placing her eye against a peephole, and Sparky shot a bolt of magic at the light, dousing it and shrouding the room in darkness.  I felt some fumbling and a scraping noise before I felt a warm body huddle against mine. As one, all of us save Fleetwing stared at the ceiling, as though we could stare through it.  The thumps came in measured strides; whoever was up there was searching for something.  The pony huddled against me began to shake, and I put a forehoof around them to try and keep them calm. “Twilight, I don’t like the dark, they do bad things in the dark,” the pony against me said. “It’ll be okay, Pinkie.  The changelings can’t hurt you in the dark, not here, not anymore,” I replied.  Pinkie didn’t say anything else, but the shaking gradually abated. I mentally mapped the train car from our short jaunt through before.  If my calculations are correct in approximately--thud--two more steps, whoever is up there will be at the passage here. Two steps later, the sound stopped. A low-pitched scratching sound echoed through the room, followed by the dull thump of a hoof on wood.  Pinkie nestled against me even harder, burying her muzzle in the fur of my neck.  Whatever they had done to her, whatever I had done to help, it wasn’t enough. A few minutes later, even the thud of hoof-on-wood ceased, leaving the room deathly quiet.  The thin hissing of breath was the only thing breaking up the oppressive silence, until something thumped against the door. Thunk.  Thunk thunk.  Thinkthunkthunkthunk.... thunk. “Open it up,” Midnight said.  “That’s the code.”  The light flared up, momentarily blinding everyone in the room.  Pinkie looked up at me with a shy smile, and I nuzzled the top of her head. “Private Starfire, reporting,” said a small reddish-yellow pegasus from the door.  Her sky-blue mane was pulled back by a simple leather strap, causing it to cascade over the low-slung saddlebag favored by long-distance flying pegasi.  “I’ve got a message from Command for Sergeant Midnight, regarding one Twilight... Sparkle...” Starfire trailed off as she looked from Midnight over to me.  “You’re Twilight Sparkle, yes?” I nodded. “One moment, please.”  The pegasus reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a scroll.  Midnight grabbed it with his magic and began reading.  Sparky quickly trotted over and stuck her head next to his, reading alongside him.   “Here.”  While I was watching the scroll, Starfire had approached me, holding a scroll out to me.  “There’s actually two there.  They are marked for your eyes only.  Orders are to burn them when you’re done.” As I took the double scroll from Starfire’s mouth, I felt a faint tingle of familiar magic.  On a hunch, I turned it over so I could see the seal holding it shut.  I made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a sob, causing everypony in the room to stop and look over at me. “Are you okay over there?” somepony asked. “Y-Yeah,” I replied, tucking away the scrolls to read later.  “What’s the plan?” “Command wants us to escort you to Manehatten.  We’re supposed to shut down the outpost, in case it gets found while we are gone,” Midnight said.  “Starfire, help yourself to some food, if you want it.  Fleetwing, Sparky, get over here and help me go over these plans.” With a thanks, Starfire sat down where Midnight had been and grabbed a plate of rations.  Pinkie sat next to her, after a reassuring nod from me, and they began chatting.  Midnight, Sparky, and Fleetwing were over by the strange mirror in the corner, going over maps and changeling movement reports.  Figuring nopony around was watching me, I picked up the scrolls and started to read. Dearest Twilight Sparkle, The day they told me you escaped Chrysalis’ dungeon was probably one of the best I’ve had here.  I’m so proud of you, Twilight.   You were right about Cadence all along, and we didn’t listen to you, and I’m sorry.  Because I didn’t listen to you like I should have, your brother, Spike, and countless others are dead, and you spent three years with Chrysalis. But now, you are out.  If you are reading this, then Starfire must have reached the outpost okay.  They will bring you back to the Free Equestria Society in Manehatten.  Doubtless, they will take you to the Mirror so we can speak, but just in case we don’t have a chance to talk alone, you must know this. In the moment before Chrysalis banished me to the sun, I harnessed all the magic I could and bound my room shut.  Nopony but you can get in.  Once Chrysalis is disposed of, make your way alone into my private chambers, and ask Philomena to retrieve the letter I left there for you.  Follow the directions contained within.  You are the only one who can. I look forward to speaking to you again, Twilight.  It has been too long.  Remember all I’ve taught you, Twilight, and remember who your friends are, Celestia My eyes shot down to the signature, then back to the top.  I read the whole thing so fast, I couldn’t recall half of it.  I read it again, slowly, trying to see if it was maybe a fake trying to buy my loyalty, but it was perfect, down to the little flourish on the C in Celestia.  Finally assured it was from Celestia, somehow, I went about committing it to memory.  As soon as I could recite it forwards and backwards, and after covertly nuzzling Celestia’s seal across from her signature, I touched my horn to the scroll, and watched it quickly burn. Now, knowing somehow I might be able to talk to and see Celestia again, I couldn’t help but smile as the little fire burning within me got a little brighter.  Still with a silly grin on my face, I levitated over the second scroll.  My smile died the instant I read the first word. Twilight Sparkle, This whole business has gone pretty sideways, hasn’t it?  If only you had trusted me, and not left me alone down in that cave.  It doesn’t matter.  What’s done is done. I hope you realize the damage you did to my reputation with Chrysalis, single handedly leading a revolt and then usurping my control of my forces?  I have at least five new scars from that. I just want you to know that in the wake of that “riot,” almost a hundred of your kind have been put to death, including your mother.  She wasn’t part of the riot, but I made sure to find her and put her to the sword, just for you.  It’s just a matter of time before you join her. Lieutenant Zil I blinked back tears.  I had hoped that somewhere, my parents had survived this.  Zil didn’t say anything about my dad, and I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but no matter what, I knew my mother was gone.  Then it hit me: these letters were from the resistance.  How did Zil... “Starfire!” I shouted.  Everypony in the room turned to look at me. “Yeah,” Starfire replied.  “What’s up?” “Where did you get this?”  I held up the letter from Zil. “Is that the one from the changeling guy?”  Now, the focus had gone from me to her.  “Yeah, it was for her eyes only, but Command sent specific instruction with that one.  Apparently, it was intercepted communication from Canterlot to Vanhoover.  Someone high up read the first couple lines, and ordered it sent to you.” I looked over at Pinkie Pie, sitting next to Starfire and doodling on the table with a hoof.  She looked up, smiled, and shrugged.  “I guess I’ll just have to ask this elusive ‘Command’ when we get to Manehatten, huh?” “I guess,” Starfire replied.  “Sorry.  What was the other letter about, if you don’t mind me asking.” “It...”  I was about to answer, when I remembered Celestia’s last line.  “Remember who your friends are.”  Starfire seemed okay, but I wasn’t totally certain...  “It was a message for me, from a friend.” The resistance ponies all nodded.  “Hey, it was for your eyes only,” Midnight said, shrugging.  “What you said is more than we usually would have heard.” “When do we leave, sir?” Sparky asked. “First thing tomorrow.  Sparky, Fleetwing, shut it down,” Midnight replied.  The two ponies saluted, and went about their tasks.  Fleetwing was stacking food and placing it and other supplies into heavy traveling saddlebags, while Sparky was over with the mirror, horn glowing as she chanted the spell, presumably to disable it.  I made a note to ask her about it later. Left with nothing to do, I went and sat on what I had claimed to be my bunk during the argument earlier.  Moments later, a pair of pink hooves appeared in my vision, and more weight settled on the end of my bed. “It was Celestia,” Pinkie said. “Yeah.”  I wanted to say more, but couldn’t bring myself to.  It wouldn’t be good to bother Pinkie with my problems. “Did she say anything?” “She said I’d be able to talk to her when we go to Manehatten, and she left me instructions for after we debunk Chrysalis.”  I looked over at Pinkie.  “I’m just afraid it was a fake.” Pinkie cocked her head.  “Did it feel like a fake?” “Well... no.”  After all, every unicorn, and Alicorn, had a unique magical signature, like a hoofprint.  Even with advanced magic, it was almost impossible to fake. I felt a leg wrap around my side and pull me into a hug.  “Don’t worry, Twilight.  Tomorrow we head for Manehatten, and you can ask her yourself.” I smiled at that, and my hope grew a little bit more.  “Yeah, I’ll make sure to do that.”  Ask her about the letter, and other things...