//------------------------------// // Hidden Messages // Story: What Didn't Happen // by Zeg //------------------------------// What Didn't Happen by Zeg Chapter VIII – Hidden Messages The front door to Fluttershy’s cottage opened with a small creak shortly before its owner stepped out into the moonlit evening. She glanced back and forth quickly, continuing out to a mailbox adorned with her name and taking one last glance around herself before swiftly opening the lid to peek inside. She did a double take when she noticed something was actually there, and then quickly scooped the envelope out with her hoof. She glanced at the simple envelope bearing her name curiously for a moment, and then tucked it under her wing as she hastily made her way back inside. Once securely back indoors, she made her way to her couch, dropping the letter there on the nearby reading table next to the lamp as she made herself comfortable. She looked over to the envelope, noticing that it was stamped to be delivered to Ponyville from Canterlot, and suddenly her face lit up with a smile. It had been nearly a week since she had heard anything at all from Twilight. She snatched up the envelope, breaking a small wax seal that held the flap closed before flipping it open. Catching the folded pages inside with the tips of her lips, she pulling them out and tossed the envelope back to the table before unfolding the pages in her hooves to look them over. When she saw nothing on the two pages, she flipped them over, only to see nothing again. She separated them, casting a puzzled and slightly disappointed look between the pages that she had draped across her hooves, wondering why Twilight would send her blank paper. Resting one of the sheets on the table, she flipped the other end over end and gave it a closer look to make sure she wasn’t missing something. As she was doing so, her eyes caught something lighting up on the page, and in a dim flicker the words ‘Dear Fluttershy’ appeared at the top, causing her to let go a startled yelp as she dropped the page from her hooves. The words then vanished even quicker than they had appeared. Fluttershy’s surprised expression slowly melted into a confused and a bit curious one. She leaned her head away from the page and grit her teeth as she reached out a hoof to the page and tapped it. When nothing happened, she touched her hoof to it longer, her eyebrows raising a bit. Slowly, the dim flicker began to happen again, causing words to appear on the page as if being written in by some unseen pen. The shock of the moment now past, Fluttershy picked up the page, and began to read from it. Dear Fluttershy, I do hope this letter makes it to you safely. I would have sent something sooner, but I feared I would draw attention to the letter if I sent it right away after coming to Canterlot. Just to be completely safe, I enchanted the pages within this envelope. The one you are holding only reacts to your touch, and can only be read as long as you are holding it. I included a blank page that you can use to write back with that works the same for me, so you can write about anything you want without fear of anypony else other than myself seeing it. Fluttershy tilted her head with a quiet ‘hmm’ as she glanced to the other blank page laying on the table, and then read on. Things are going really well since I’ve settled in here at the palace. I’ve actually gotten the chance to meet my family again, which was interesting to say the least, but I felt I simply couldn’t ignore them once my name became known in Canterlot. My parents visited for a few days before returning back home. Their home is now Manehatten, which they moved to years ago. It turns out that my brother is working in Canterlot as an arcane armor smith making armor for the guard and just happens to be engaged to Captain Moondancer. What is concerning, is that these are all things which never actually happened in the past I remember. Day by day, I discover more changes in this Equestria, and I’m still no closer to discovering the true cause. However, seeing my family again has been wonderful. And yet, at the same time it has been rather difficult. I wish I could tell them the truth of everything, but I feel that would only confuse things needlessly, and I will not risk involving them. As far as they know, I simply don’t remember anything from the last thirteen years. I have told them that I woke up one day, not knowing where I had been or how I had learned what I know. Basically, my story is that I have a strange sort of amnesia. I know it sounds a bit like a wild story, but not nearly as much as having become a time traveling alicorn princess, right? Fluttershy gave out a light giggle as she flipped the page over with her hooves, looking to the words forming on the back side. Actually, it turns out I was able to befriend Moondancer, after we had a talk. Since she is close to my brother, she knew about the disappearance of this time’s Twilight Sparkle, who I am told mysteriously vanished thirteen years ago. Moondancer ended up confronting me about it, thinking at first that I was somepony posing as Twilight Sparkle, but I think I set her straight on that. I revealed my identity to her, so she now knows what I really am, though she still doesn’t know the full story of how I got here. While I doubt she would buy the story of me having amnesia, I think it would also be unlikely that she would believe I’m a time traveler, since I really have no physical proof of either. However, being a princess has certain perks, such as not having to explain yourself to anypony if you don’t wish to. I’ve simply told her that she would have to take it up with Princess Celestia if she wanted to know more about my past. Of course she didn’t really like that answer. However, Moondancer seems to be the type that takes it upon herself to investigate unknowns until she finds the truth she is looking for. I’m hoping that with time, I can guide that curiosity of hers toward something useful, and maybe even get a solid answer as to what really happened here. I do believe Moondancer can be trusted. She holds Equestria’s continued safety above all else, and in that we found some common ground. She is loyal to Nightmare Moon, but only in so much that she is loyal to Equestria’s current ruler because she understands the importance of keeping the nation strong in Celestia’s absence. She fears a possible invasion or even a civil war if things were to become unstable, which isn’t an unfounded fear. I’m going to try to work with her to make sure Equestria stays safe, and hopefully we’ll soon find an answer to ending the eternal night. I may end up taking your advice on having that conversation with Nightmare Moon after all. She seems much more approachable lately, and I’m holding on to hope that as her court enchantress, I can discover a compelling reason for her to raise the sun once again. Please tell the girls how things are going for me. I send well wishes to you all, and look forward to hearing back from you soon. Your true friend, Twilight Sparkle Fluttershy stared at the signature at the bottom of the page for a moment with a gentle smile on her muzzle. Her eyes eventually glanced up to the blank sheet of paper resting near the opened envelope on the reading table, and at that moment an idea found its way to her. After gently folding Twilight’s letter and the blank page back into the envelope, Fluttershy tucked it under her wing and stood from her couch. “Angel?” she called out as she glanced around the room looking for the little white bunny. “Angel, where are you?” she called again, but then stopped when she felt a quick tug at her tail. She glanced back to see the bunny in question looking up to her expectantly. Fluttershy smiled down to Angel, turning and kneeling on her forelegs so her own gaze was nearly the same height as his. “I’m going out for a little while to see the girls. Take care of the house while I’m out, okay?” Fluttershy smiled and patted the bunny on the head when he quickly nodded in response. She then made her way to the door and out into the evening to visit her friends. --- The interior of Twilight’s tower was dark and silent. The sand had run out of the hourglass hours ago, and nopony had been around to reset it. Time seemed to stand perfectly still in this place, until a noise disrupted the silence from outside. The sound of hooves making their way up the stairs to the tower’s front door slowly grew louder as the tower’s current resident made her way home for the evening. Twilight used a small burst of magic to signal the doorway to open, and it swung open on its own. She had taken a few liberties in refitting the tower with some useful things, mostly simple recreations of magical technology that she had grown accustomed to in her own time. She had limited access to proper materials to create some of the magical items, but she had done well with what she had managed to find in such a short time. The doorway had been fitted with an enchanted item that allowed her to control it with very simple signals instead of having to manage telekinetic magic or use her hooves to open it. The lights within the tower noticed her presence and came to life on their own as she crossed the threshold of the doorway. As the door closed itself behind her, Twilight made her way to the back of the room and then up the spiral stairway to the platform above. She approached the desk there, which was cluttered with a number of scrolls, books, and notes. A quill hovered just above an inkwell on the desk, and had done so for the many silent hours before its owner had returned home. Twilight loosened the straps to her saddlebags and let them slide to the floor with a clunk, and then proceeded to shed her unicorn disguise. Her velvet jacket found its way to a nearby golden coat stand, and her crown flickered into view atop her head as she let the translucency spell dissipate. She groaned slightly as she let her wings stretch out from her sides, flapping them once and then folding them back as she turned her attention back to the saddlebags laying on the floor. Undoing the leather buckles holding the flaps of her saddlebags closed, she flipped them open and began to use her magic to lift the contents that she had picked up at the palace’s post office. She had used her new position to request many books and scrolls to be sent to her from various libraries all across Equestria. Sealed scrolls and wrapped books slowly floated up and out of the bags, along with something else that stood out among the rest of the items; a rectangular envelope. Twilight brought the envelope closer with a scrutinizing look and then noticed that it was from the Ponyville post office, which caused a smile to brighten her muzzle. With no doubt in her mind that it was a response to the letter she had sent two days earlier, the rest of the hovering items quickly lost their importance as Twilight absentmindedly stacked them on the floor to the side of the desk and found her way to the seat cushion. She made some extra room on the desktop for the envelope, pushing a stack of scrolls to the side and causing a few of them to roll off to the floor. Other than a quick glance at the few scrolls rolling away, she seemed to otherwise pay them no mind. Breaking the seal on the envelope, Twilight lit her horn and lifted the blank page out, and with a content sigh she reached out to it to hold it in her hooves, causing the page to come alive with words. Dear Twilight, It’s good to hear from you, and I’m glad everything is working out okay. The girls and I are all here right now, and I’m going to let them each write a little something to you. I hope that’s okay. The smile on Twilight’s muzzle only grew wider at Fluttershy’s gentle words. When the writing on the page changed suddenly, Twilight blinked in confusion for a short second before she recalled that in this time, ponies still did their own writing by unicorn magic, hoof, or even teeth. Twilight cast a quick glance to the hovering quill she had enchanted to do her writing for her by dictation, something that in her time was as commonly used by everypony as drinking water, and realized how easy it had been to forget about something so simple as unique writing styles. Howdy Twilight, this is AJ. I have to say, when I heard that you had gone off to Canterlot, I was a bit taken by surprise, but I suppose it makes sense. I’m sure you know your way around the castle, and if anypony among us girls can figure things out it’s going to be you. You just remember to not be taking on the world on your own, you hear now? If you need help, just send word and I’ll be on the next train to Canterlot. I’m sure the same goes for the rest of the girls. The writing style changed once again as it transitioned over to another message from one of her friends. Hey Twilight, Rainbow here. So, I’ve got something to say to you, sister. The smile on Twilight’s muzzle didn’t wane, even though she rolled her eyes, quietly mumbling ‘here we go’ to herself before reading on. I know you’re a princess, and you can do whatever you want, but really, if we’re going to be a team you need to work on your team work. Running off without telling us is not cool. You hear that? Not. Cool. Anyway, I’m sure you have your reasons, so just don’t forget about us while you’re there in Canterlot being all important. Twilight smirked as she flipped the page over, watching as the first words began to form at the top. Just as she noticed the word ‘Surprise’ coming into view, a startling pop shot out from the letter, along with a puff of confetti and streamers. Twilight let go a yelp as she flinched, and blinked a few times as the steamers caught and hung off her horn and muzzle. The confetti that didn’t stick to her face fluttered down to the table and floor around her. Twilight’s brow twitched slightly. “Pinkie... how... oh whatever,” she said with a laugh as she brushed the colorful pieces of paper off before continuing to read. Surprise! Hopefully that worked! Fluttershy told me about this nifty paper that you sent her, that makes writing disappear and reappear. That’s neat! So I thought, hey, I wonder if it can make confetti disappear and reappear! I mean, if it’s magic that you made, it has to do neat stuff like that, right? Twilight raised one eyebrow at the letter, wondering how Pinkie always arrived at conclusions that shouldn’t make sense, but then somehow ended up doing so. It was a trait the mare had that she had never been able to figure out; one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of Equestria. Anyway! This isn’t really supposed to be a letter about confetti. Next time we meet, I want to throw you a ‘Congratulations-on-becoming-the-Queen’s-enchantress’ party! Maybe you can make the invitations, that would be nifty. Oh, I better leave some space for Rarity, so anyway, see you later! Twilight noticed the writing transition from Pinkie’s bubbly letters to a style that looked like a carefully crafted work of art. Dearest Twilight, I have to say, I’m so very proud to have a friend such as yourself. Even when hiding your true identity, you have found a way to elevate yourself to such an important position so easily. It must simply come naturally to you. Should you find the need for company, please let me know. I would gladly make the time to visit you. Truth be told, I’ve always dreamed of living in Canterlot myself, and have always enjoyed spending time there. Do take care of yourself, and stay in touch. Once again the letters transitioned from one style to another, this one returning to Fluttershy’s gentle flowing writing. Well, that’s everypony. It was good to hear from you, and I think everypony is feeling a lot better now knowing that things are going well for you in Canterlot. We actually talked about it a bit, and I think we would all like to visit sometime soon, if that’s okay. I know you’re busy and all, so it’s just something to think about. Anyways, we’re all hoping for the best for you. Take care, From all of your friends, Fluttershy Rarity Rainbow Dash Applejack Pinkie Pie Twilight found herself lingering on the signatures at the end of the page, taking in the unique characteristics of each one. She wasn’t exactly sure how long she had stared at them in the silence when her attention was brought back to reality by the sound of a knock below her. Twilight’s ears had shot straight up at the sound, and she sat there still as a statue as she strained her hearing. Again, the knock came from down stairs; the sound of somepony rapping their hoof against her front door. Twilight quickly sent a signal to the doorway to activate another part of the magical device that controlled it, and then a blurred image began to materialize in the air just in front of her. The image shimmered and shook as it struggled to take form, and eventually reached a clarity that was enough for Twilight to recognize the pony it pictured. The face of a white stallion could be seen in the floating circular image, his multi-shade blue mane flipping from one side to another as he glance upward. He seemed to reach up toward the image with his hoof, tapping against it, the knocking sound from below matching his motions exactly. Twilight dismissed the image, and quickly whisked her jacket from its resting place, pulling it tight over her shoulders and back as she worked to fasten the silver snaps. Her crown faded from view as she also sent a quick signal to the doorway below to get it to open up. “It’s open!” she called out as she flipped her mane out of the jacket’s collar. She could hear hoofsteps on the lower level that hesitated after having walked into the room. “Twily?” the familiar voice of her older brother called out, echoing through the tower. “I’m up here,” Twilight said through a smile as she sat at her desk, taking a moment to carefully place her treasured letter safely to the side. She turned her gaze to watch the stairs as she heard her bother climbing them. Shining Armor stopped just a couple steps past the top stair, smiling back to her. “Hey,” he said through his simple, infectious smile. “Hey, Shiny,” Twilight said as she stood from her desk, walking over to greet him with a quick hug. Shining took notice of the pile of wrapped books and scrolls near the desk as he peered over his sister’s shoulder. Leaning back to look straight on at her, he curiously asked, “Catch you at a bad time? I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy.” Twilight glanced over her shoulder quickly toward the mess of books, then back to her brother with a sheepish grin. “Don’t mind the mess. I just need to organize things a bit.” She turned and took a few steps back toward her desk, using her magic to nudge the pile of books and scrolls into a slightly more uniform stack instead of a random pile. “And you know I’m never too busy for my brother,” she added as she smiled back to him. “Well, I don’t exactly have anything important to talk about. I just felt like stopping by... like every other day since I found out you were back.” There was a nervous edge to the laugh that followed as he rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “I’m not bothering you, am I?” Twilight reached out with her magic, grasping a nearby pillow cushion to bring it closer to the desk. “For the last time, Shiny, no. You’re not bothering me,” she said as she took a seat at her desk, and then gestured to the other pillow cushion she had just placed on the other side. “Honestly, you worry too much,” she said as she leaned her folded forelegs on the desk’s edge. Shining Armor accepted the seat across the desk from his sister with a quiet ‘thanks’, making himself comfortable as he rested his left foreleg against the desktop. After a short pause he let go a very audible sigh. “I can’t help it,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders. “I mean... all of this has really been like a dream come true. When Moondancer told me she had found you....” Twilight watched as her brother went silent and seemed to blankly stare off at nothing. She reached out across the desk, cupping her hooves around his, causing him to look back to her. “I know. I’m just sorry you had to go through all that. The years of not knowing. I’m sure it would have driven me crazy. I can’t stand not knowing things.” “Speaking of... not knowing things,” Shining said as he shifted to look straight on at Twilight, “I know you said before you don’t remember anything. Is that still the case?” Twilight hesitated for a few seconds before she leaned back, drawing her hooves back to herself. “Yes, it is. I still don’t remember a thing.” Even though it was technically the truth that she had no memory of this history’s past thirteen years, it still felt like she was lying to her brother, and she didn’t like having to repeat it. “Even the day it happened?” “Sorry,” Twilight said as she barely shook her head. She watched the frustration playing out on her brother’s face as he shifted back to leaning against the desk to stare off at the back of the room again. “It bothers you that much, huh?” Shining Armor worked his jaw back and forth as he considered how to explain what he was feeling. “I just don’t feel like I have closure, and I don’t see how you would either,” he said as he cast a glance back to his sister. “I mean, thirteen years of your life are just gone. Thirteen years that we didn’t know if you were alive or dead, and nopony has an excuse. Even your sitter was just clueless.” Twilight's ears suddenly swiveled back, laying flat against her head. “My sitter? You mean Cadance?” In contrast, Shining’s expression seemed to lighten a bit at the mention of the name. “I’m surprised you remember her. Well, actually, I guess that might make sense if she was one of the last things you remember,” he said as he rubbed his right hoof against his chin. “What does Cadance have to do with it though?” It was a question that Twilight wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to, but if the other princess was somehow involved with the disappearance thirteen years ago, she had to follow up on it regardless of her personal feelings on the matter. “Oh, well, she doesn’t really, other than that you were with her when you disappeared. She claimed she didn’t see anything though. Said you were there one second, then gone the next.” Twilight grew very quiet, and found herself staring down at her hooves as her mind mulled over the new information. “I was out with her when it happened,” she quietly said to nopony in particular. “Yeah. Kind of sad, really,” Shining Armor said before he shifted so he was once again looking straight on across the desk. “I mean, none of us thought she would ever intentionally do anything to you, so of course we knew she had nothing to do with it. You two were pretty inseparable, and she was devastated by the whole thing.” “I didn’t realize I was with her the day it happened,” Twilight said as she slowly looked up to her brother. “You two used to be pretty close.” Shining quietly stared back for a few seconds before he smiled weakly. “Yeah, you could say that, but it’s kinda hard to forgive somepony for losing your little sister.” There it was, the reason why. The reason why another change had come to be, and once again it tied back to her past self’s disappearance. It was looking more and more like everything tied back to this one event. In time, her parents had accepted that their daughter was lost, and had moved away from Canterlot to start over elsewhere. While her brother had remained in Canterlot, he had never joined the guard, likely an indirect result of him not having a little sister to protect. And then there was the eternal night, the most noticeable change due to her absence in this past. Twilight had even theorised that her absence could have been the catalyst that had pushed Celestia toward dealing with the changelings, though she still had no definite proof of such. Still, she was learning firsthoof just how connected a single pony was to the world, and the impact that her past self’s absence was having on Equestria’s history was very troubling. And to learn that the love between her brother and Cadance had been shattered because of something outside of their control was more than just troubling for her, it was painful. The air in the room had taken on a tense feeling as the two siblings fell into silence over the uncomfortable topic. However, the silence was broken by the sound of somepony else in the room clearing their throat. Both siblings looked over to the top of the stairs to see Moondancer standing there, fully clad in her armor. Twilight was a bit more than surprised, since there was no way anypony should have gotten into her tower without her knowing. “Uh, Moondancer,” she said with an unsure smile. “How did you get in?” “You left the door open,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Twilight let go a disappointed groan before she closed her eyes and shook her head, clucking her tongue as she sent a quick magical signal to the door below. The sound of the tower’s door creaking and then coming to a close echoed through the room. Obviously, the door needed some adjustments if it wasn’t automatically closing all the time like it should. Moondancer let go a quiet snicker at Twilight’s frustration as she approached Shining Armor. Shining gave a loving smile to his fiancé, standing and sharing a quick nuzzle with Moondancer that she happily returned. “Hey you,” he said softly to her. “‘Hey you’ yourself. Pestering the Queen’s enchantress again?” she jokingly said as she playfully jabbed a hoof at the center of his chest. He responded with a deeper nuzzle aimed under her chin, just brushing against her neck. Moondancer couldn’t help but let go a ticklish laugh as she shied away. “Hey now, I’m still on duty,” she said as she struggled to keep at least a hint of her professionalism intact. “This late?” Shining said as he tilted his head curiously. Moondancer let go a light sigh. “A captain’s work is never done. Actually, I’m here to talk with your sister about something important.” Shining’s expression suddenly changed as he put on a mock surprised look, glancing to his sister. “Ooo, important official royal stuff,” he said as he faked a serious nod, to which Twilight just rolled her eyes as she shook her head at his silliness. Though Moondancer couldn’t hide the grin turning up the corners of her mouth, she still managed to give the stallion a stern stare as she jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “Alright, alright, I can take a hint,” he said through a laugh as he rubbed at his side. He circled around her, making his way toward the stairway. Pausing just at the top of the stairs, he turned back to catch one more glance at her. “Catch you later tonight?” She nodded with a loving smile back to him. “Sure, later.” Shining’s gaze lingered on Moondancer for a moment longer, before he looked to Twilight. “Take care, sis.” “Goodnight, big brother,” she said from her desk, her hoof giving him a small wave as he turned to depart. Twilight silently listened as she heard her brother’s hoofsteps echo through the tower as he descended the stairs and crossed the room below. She remained quiet even after he had left, her ears barely able to pick up on the faint sounds as they faded off into the distance. Only when everything had once again gone completely silent did she fully acknowledge that Moondancer was still standing there. “So,” she started as she leaned her elbows against the desktop, resting her chin on her folded hooves. “You can be pretty stealthy when you want to be. How long were you standing there listening in on us?” Moondancer seemed to seriously consider the question as she glanced around in though. “I think I got here somewhere around the part where you started talking about Cadenza.” Twilight let go an annoyed grunt as she slumped slightly. “Cadance was my foalsitter for many years. Our families were very close friends before either of us were even born. Seriously, if you’re worried about her past with my brother, I think he made it rather clear that he never forgave her.” Moondancer shook her head, quickly dismissing the thought. “I’m not that shallow, Twilight. I’m not worried about him being stolen away by a childhood sweetheart,” she said as she took a seat at the desk across from Twilight. “Anyways, I didn’t come here to talk about that.” “Right,” Twilight said as she propped herself back up. “Important official royal stuff,” she said jokingly, mimicking her brother and managing to get a small laugh from Moondancer in response. “Your request has been granted,” Moondancer said, bowing her head slightly. “The Queen is going to let you talk to Chrysalis. She seemed convinced that it could help your changeling research, and that it definitely wouldn’t hurt it.” Twilight shot straight up, looking a bit shocked shortly before a smile spread across her face. “That’s great news! It’s possible that what she has to say could very well be more important than anything I could find in all of these books.” “I have to wonder through,” Moondancer said as she tilted her head. “Why do you think she’ll answer your questions when she hasn’t been telling anypony else anything useful?” Twilight thought about the question shortly before giving Moondancer a confident smile and simply saying, “I don’t.” “Er....” Moondancer didn’t seem to share in Twilight’s strange sense of confidence as she furrowed her brow. “You’ve likely been asking her direct questions about what you want to know, haven’t you?” Shaking her head, Moondancer blinked at the odd question. “How else would you question somepony? Play a guessing game?” she said with a strong tinge of sarcasm. Twilight’s confident smile didn’t waver. “If you are dealing with somepony who is likely to keep information from you, you shouldn’t ask them the questions that you want answers to. You’re only telling them what to hide,” she explained. “Instead, you should just get them to talk to you, in any way you can. And very often, you’ll find that if you can loosen their tongue up a bit, they’ll start telling you all kinds of things you wanted to know, and maybe even a few things you hadn’t even thought to ask about.” Moondancer looked on at Twilight with a bit of a stunned look, letting go a ‘huh’ as she thought on the words. “You know, sometimes I wonder if you’re really a princess. You don’t always act... princessy,” she said as she gestured a hoof in a small circle. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Twilight said cheerfully. “I guess you can say I have my own way of doing things.” --- Chrysalis sat upright in her cell, peering out through the bars at the two mares that had arrived to visit her. “Well... this is rather surprising,” she said as she scratched a hoof against one of the dimly glowing light-blue fetlock bands that ringed each of her legs. She had worn the magic suppressing devices since she had been captured, along with a matching band secured around the base of her horn. “To what do I owe this honor?” Moondancer let go a harumph, pointing a hoof to her side at Twilight. “She said she wanted to talk to you.” Chrysalis’s eyes widened a bit in surprise as she looked over toward Twilight. “Really? After how she behaved toward me in the hive, I can’t imagine what for.” “Moondancer,” Twilight said, drawing the captain’s attention to her. “Would you mind if I talked to her alone?” This move was actually part of a plan that Twilight had discussed with Moondancer before they had arrived. There was no doubt that Chrysalis would have reservations about answering any questions in front of the Captain of Nightmare Moon’s Nightguard. “Have it your way,” Moondancer said, acting as if she were somewhat put off by the request. She began walking away down the hall, stopping only for a short second to glance over her shoulder and add, “Just be sure to call for help if she tries anything stupid.” Chrysalis’s eyes followed after Moondancer, watching until she had passed around a corner. Her somber expression never broke as she looked back to Twilight. “You two really don’t make a good pairing,” she said with a slight shake of her head. Twilight sat back on her haunches in the middle of the hall, trying to make herself as comfortable as one could on the cobblestone floor. “How have they been treating you?” she said as she tried to put on a smile. Chrysalis didn’t react to the question right away, but after staring back for a few seconds she suddenly let go a loud chuckle. She shook her head, letting out an amused sigh as she recovered from the sudden fit of laughter. “I find it hard to believe that you would be concerned for my well being,” she said as the smile on her face quickly melted off. Twilight’s eyes closed as she let go a frustrated huff of air. She could tell Chrysalis wasn’t going to make this simple. “Okay, lets try this a different way then,” she said in all seriousness as she looked back up. “I’ve had this feeling that there was something you wanted to tell me since we last saw each other.” Chrysalis curiously tilted her head at the statement. “Oh, so you haven’t figured much out on your own then.” Twilight’s gaze hardened. “I’d like to think I’ve figured out a few things. For example, I know that you were getting something from Celestia.” The corner of Chrysalis’s mouth turned up with a toothy grin as she let a curious ‘hmm’ go. “Did Moondancer come up with that one?” Twilight didn’t waver before the dodging statements. “She has proof. Honestly, it’s a bit surprising to find out that Celestia had been just hoofing over Equestrians to you.” “Ah, so that’s what you’re talking about,” Chrysalis said with a knowing nod. “Yes, well... what purpose would they had been serving otherwise? Occupying a cell?” she said as she gestured at the walls around herself shortly before letting her hoof fall back to the ground with a loud clack. “Being a worthless drain on Equestrian society? Heh... you may not see it the way I do, but they were given a purpose beyond what they were otherwise destined for.” “And Celestia was just giving them to you out of the kindness of her heart,” Twilight said as she casually threw a gesture to the side with her hoof. Chrysalis let another short laugh go, shaking her head at the claim. “Hardly. No, she needed me, and she knew it, though she only begrudgingly admitted so.” Twilight raised her brow slightly. “So you’re the one who offered her the deal.” Chrysalis paused momentarily. Slowly blinking her eyes, she glanced off to the side as she quietly said, “I suppose you could say that.” “Seems like a strange deal. Your hive was practically being used as a prison, and Equestria didn’t have to give you anything else in return.” “They served their purpose, as a way to sustain our power,” Chrysalis said as she seemed to casually admire one of her glowing anti-magic bands. “That’s not nearly enough though, is it?” Twilight said, drawing attention back to her. “You were tasked with guarding something extremely important as well. The only reason why Celestia would have allowed you to build the hive there would be to guard the Elements. Seems like that would be worth a lot more than just a place to sleep and food to survive on.” Chrysalis stared back silently for some time, before she finally smiled. “Why don’t you ask the question you really want to know the answer to,” she said as she stood and approached the cell bars. She reached up and hooked a single hoof on the center crossbar and leaned her forehead against one of the bars as she maintained her piercing stare at Twilight. “Why would Celestia even need the Elements to be guarded... hm?” she asked, voicing the question herself. “You see, she had managed to locate five of the six by then, but the sixth had gone missing. Time was starting to run out, and she was desperate for any alternative just to keep the youngest sister from getting her hooves on one of the most powerful set of artifacts the world has ever known.” Twilight frowned and shook her head. “Why would she need to locate the Elements? The five were always at the castle and the sixth was hidden, likely on purpose. She already knew that.” “Oh,” Chrysalis said, a surprised undertone to her voice. “You thought I was talking about the Elements?” She shook her head. “No no, the bearers. She could only find five bearers. The bearer of Magic had mysteriously vanished just a few years before she had identified that one. And by then, it was too late.” Twilight’s gaze broken away, her eyes darting about as she quickly tried to process what she had just heard. “She knew who they were back then?” she asked to herself, before looking to Chrysalis. “But that was years before... how could she know?” “You don’t understand, do you?” Chrysalis said with a slightly annoyed sigh. She rolled her eyes as she sat back on her haunches, leaning further against the bars as she hooked both of her hooves over the crossbar. “She chose the bearers herself.” Chrysalis broke into a grin when she noticed the shocked look on Twilight’s face. “Weren’t expecting to learn that, were you? Trust me when I say the Sun Princess has many secrets.” Twilight scowled back. “You talk like you don’t have any.” “Oh of course I do. Every girl has her secrets,” Chrysalis said as she casually waved one of her hooves. Twilight seemed to wait expectantly for more to follow the statement, but only got another toothy grin from Chrysalis instead. “Forgive me if I’m not very forthcoming with them. This environment doesn’t really bring out my sharing side.” Twilight let an annoyed grunt slip from herself. “I still think you’re hiding something important from me, something that you don’t want me to know. I just don’t understand why yet.” “Now what would bring you to that conclusion?” Chrysalis said, maintaining a mock innocent look for a few seconds before allowing it to shift back over to her grin. “A gut feeling, perhaps?” She’s playing with me, Twilight thought. It was beginning to seem likely that she wouldn’t get anything else useful. “If you just want to waste my time, I do have other things I could be doing,” she said as she stood to prepare to leave. Chrysalis let go a long ‘hmm’ as she seemed to ponder something, causing Twilight to wait for just a moment longer. “Well, I suppose I can share one of my little secrets with you, since you are so interested,” she finally said, gesturing with one of her hooves for Twilight to come a bit closer to hear this ‘secret’. Of course Twilight hesitated, staring back with a look that told all too well just how little she trusted the Changeling Queen. Chrysalis put on as pleasant of a smile as she could as she said, “Oh come on now, I don’t bite that hard.” The glint from her sharp fangs peeking out from under her smile seemed to say otherwise. Twilight was curious about what Chrysalis might be thinking about sharing with her. And even if it were some attempt at attacking her, there wasn’t much that the defeated queen could do through the cell bars. Twilight stepped forward until she was just out of reach, to which Chrysalis gestured once more for her to approach closer just before she raised a hoof to her muzzle, as if she wanted to quietly whisper the ‘secret’. Twilight rolled her eyes, turning her ear toward Chrysalis as she took another step closer to the bars. Chrysalis rushed forward, pressing herself against the bars and extending a forelimb out. In less than a second, her foreleg wrapped around Twilight’s shoulders and pulled her side against the bars tightly, causing the bars to let go an echoing metallic rattle. Twilight tensed, mentally preparing herself to quickly escape at the last second if need be. She couldn’t help but shake slightly at the changeling’s touch. Chrysalis didn’t attack; she merely held Twilight there against the bars firmly. Bringing her muzzle uncomfortably close to the side of Twilight’s face, she began to whisper quietly. “I know who you really are... Princess.” She hissed the last word through her teeth, grinning at the shuddering breath that Twilight sucked in. “I think my secrets are the least of your worries. It would be rather unfortunate if word got around to a certain Queen of the Night that her new Enchantress wasn’t exactly who she seemed to be... wouldn’t it? But so long as we respect each other’s secrets, that shouldn’t be a problem, I think.” As Chrysalis loosened her grip, Twilight took the opportunity to pull herself away quickly. Her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears as she stared back. Chrysalis simply maintained her innocent smile as she perched her forelegs on the cell crossbar, leaning forward to speak again. “One last little... tidbit... before you go. Your suspicions are right, the prisoners were not all that we received in return for our help.” She rested her chin on the crossbar, seeming quite content with the unnerved state she had left her guest in, simply adding, “That’s all.” Despite her efforts to maintain her composure, Twilight’s nervousness was plainly visible. She tried to swallow down the tight knot that had formed in her throat as she turned to walk away, managing just barely to keep herself from breaking into a gallop to escape. “See you soon,” she heard as Chrysalis’s voice eerily echoed through the hall from behind her, the simple, chilling words causing the hackles on her neck and back to stand on end. Twilight’s steps hastened as she rounded a corner in the hallway, helping to put distance between herself and the uncomfortable situation. She finally came to a stop in the hallway when she felt she was far enough away, turning to look behind herself as if to make sure she hadn’t somehow been followed. Annoyed at how she had mishandled her emotions, she tried to force calmness to herself even as her mind was racing with questions. How does she know? She can’t know! I’ve been too careful. But she knows. Only six other’s know and they would never.... Her thoughts came to a halt as she came across an answer. There wasn’t just six others who knew about her true identity, there were seven. “Crystal,” she said in a whisper. Feeling suddenly weak, she leaned against the nearby wall for support. If it were true that Chrysalis had somehow learned this from her student, there was no telling what else the Changeling Queen might know. Twilight’s breath caught in her throat and a shiver worked its way through her body as she considered what possible, horrible fate could have befallen her student. Shaking her head, she tried to put the troubling thoughts aside for now. Right now she needed a place where she could feel safe so she could organize her thoughts instead of letting them run wild. She hadn’t paid much attention to which direction she had left in, since she had simply wanted to be anywhere else. Glancing about to try and find something familiar to get her bearings, she happened to notice something out of place in the dingy cobblestone hallway. Laying up against the bars inside a cell only a short distance down the hall was something mostly light pink, with a hint of a few other pastels. Her curiosity caused her to take a few steps toward the pink mass to get a better look. She stopped suddenly when her hoof tapped a loose pieces of stone lying in the floor, and she cringed at the clattering noise that it made as it skipped across the floor and shattered the silence. The figure within the cell stirred, and after shifting she glanced over her shoulder from where she was laying on the floor toward Twilight. The light blue glow from the band encircling the base of her horn was enough to light her face, revealing Cadance’s tired eyes. Twilight’s mind froze at the moment the recognition hit her, causing her to draw in a gasp. It took Cadance a moment longer, but then her eyes suddenly went wide. Scrambling to her hooves, she stood shakily in her cell, staring back at Twilight. Her coat was matted from sleeping on the floor, and her mane and tail were a knotted mess of hair. She seemed to struggle to speak for a moment until her voice finally forced out a name. “...Twilight?” “Shh,” Twilight hissed as she cautioned with her hoof as she glanced back down the hallway. “I-I... Is it you?” Cadance said a bit more quietly as she blinked her eyes and shook her head a bit to make sure the pony she was seeing before her wasn’t just the remnants of some dream. “Yes, it’s me,” Twilight gently spoke as she approached the cell. Cadance stepped back a step, her eyes suddenly going wide. “But, no. No! You were gone. You disappeared!” she said as her voice climbed in volume. Twilight halted her advance, sitting back to avoid frightening Cadance any further. “Cadance, please calm down,” she said as gently as she could. “But you vanished! You can’t be here,” Cadance said as she backed down to the far wall of the cell. The fear in her voice caused her words to shake as she cowered to the floor. Her eyes darted quickly over Twilight’s form as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing, causing her to quietly ask, “...Can you?” Twilight chanced a step forward, and when she only saw Cadance warily staring back to her she cautiously stepped up to the cell bars, hooking her forehooves on the crossbar before setting herself there. “See for yourself,” she said as she slowly reached a hoof through the bars toward Cadance. Cadance eyed the hoof suspiciously, but eventually her curiosity won over as she timidly approached and reached her own hoof out. Twilight smiled back as Cadance gingerly touched her hoof. The fear in her eyes gradually faded, and feeling a bit more confident, she approached and reached her hoof up to touch it against Twilight’s face, taking in the kind smile that she saw. “I-It really is you.” Twilight’s smile deepened, and she reached forward through the bars at the same moment that Cadance did to hold her. They shared the embrace quietly for awhile, the only sound around them coming from a quiet sniffle that escaped Cadance every so often. “I wouldn’t forget about the greatest foalsitter in the world,” Twilight said quietly, causing a choked laugh to escape from Cadance. Cadance eventually backed away a step, letting her hooves slide back into the cell. She sat there behind the cell bars as she tried to dry her eyes and get her sniffles under control. “But how? How did you even get here?” “I’m the court enchantress now.” Twilight noticed the sudden flinch when Cadance heard the statement, but tried not to let on that she had seen it. “I had heard that you were being held here.” “You’re... working with Nightmare Moon?” Cadance asked, her voice quivering a bit. “It’s a complicated situation,” Twilight said, sounding a bit tired. “Cadance, I know you don’t belong here. You’ve done nothing wrong, and if there is anyway to change this, I’ll find it.” Cadance’s ears swiveled back against her head, and her gaze fell downward as she realized Twilight wasn’t there to free her from her imprisonment. However, Twilight gently guided Cadance’s gaze back up by hooking her hoof just under her chin. “Hey, don’t lose hope,” she said as she tried to put on a reassuring smile. Cadance reached up to cup Twilight’s hoof in her own. “Where have you been all these years?” she asked with a shake of her head. “What even happened to you?” Twilight’s gaze wandered off to the side. Once again she wouldn’t be able to tell somepony she cared about the full truth. “I don’t know yet,” she simply said, hoping it would be enough. Cadance seemed to struggle with the answer, looking back confused. “You don’t know?” Twilight huffed a sigh as she looked back. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and I’ll do everything I can to help you. You don’t deserve to be kept here.” She glanced down the hallway, realizing that she had probably overstayed her visit in this place. “I can’t stay,” she said, looking back once more. “It wouldn’t be good if anypony found out that I’ve been talking to you, so if anypony asks, you never saw me, alright?” Cadance barely nodded to acknowledge the request. Twilight could see the disappointment in her eyes, and felt horrible about having stirred the hope for freedom in her heart only to bring it crashing back down. Twilight gently reached up to touch her cheek, trying to offer her a confident smile. “Don’t lose hope,” she said again. Cadance hooked her fetlock over Twilight’s hoof, trying her best to put forward a smile. “Alright,” she said through her shaky voice. Twilight gently pulled herself away from the cell, allowing her touch to drift away. “We’ll see each other again, I promise.” Twilight lingered there for a moment longer before she finally turned to walk away. She cast her glance back toward the cell, watching as Cadance hung her forelegs on the cell crossbar, quietly looking after her. Twilight tried to maintain her smile as she left, but it was hard to do so. As Twilight rounded the corner, she came to a sudden stop, tensing when she saw somepony was standing there waiting for her. She relaxed when she realized it was Moondancer leaning against the wall, who then took a couple steps toward her. “Are you trying to get us both in trouble?” she asked. Twilight frowned as she glanced back behind herself. “She doesn’t belong down here,” she said, before looking back to Moondancer. “It’s not right.” “You don’t think I know that?” Moondancer grumbled as she turned to start walking down the hallway. “I’m the one who put her down here,” she said lowly. Twilight took a few swift steps to catch up, walking along side her in the hall. She cast her glance toward Moondancer a few times, and then finally decided to ask her something. “Isn’t there a way she could be moved?” The question caused Moondancer to halt as she closed her eyes, seeming to grind her teeth. “I’m not asking for her to be freed, just for something better than... this.” A frustrated groan echoed from Moondancer’s throat. Her eyes finally snapped open, looking directly to Twilight. “No promises!” she said quickly before she started walking down the hall again. “...I’ll see what I can do.” Twilight smiled as she turned to follow along side Moondancer. “That’s all I ask.” Moondancer quickly pointed an accusing hoof at Twilight. “You’re going to owe me a huge stack of favors when this is all through.” “Yes, I’m sure I will,” Twilight said with a smile back to her companion.