//------------------------------//
// Chapter VI: A Brewing Storm 
// Story: A Dash of Hope 
// by CaptainAwesome9 
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	Rainbow Dash slowly rose from her bedroll, yawning while doing so. She had to admit, Ageroth was right. She felt better thanks to just one additional night of sleep. However, she knew it would be awhile before she regained her full strength, thanks to the amount of blood she lost. She looked around, hoping to see Ageroth, but she found the cave empty once again. 
“He must be outside still,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. Taking the opportunity of her solitude, she decided to inspect the strange glowing crystal that was illuminating the cave. 
It was unlike anything Rainbow had ever seen. The gemstone had a light blue appearance, and its shape was flawless; it showed no sign of any imperfections that generally appeared on carved crystals. If Rainbow Dashed watched close enough, she could swear she even saw symbols emanating from it. When she touched it, the light grew brighter, as if responding to her presence. Rainbow Dash withdrew, and the light regained its former shade of blue. She shivered. It was almost like the crystal was a living being.
“If Rarity was here, she would probably have a panic attack just thinking of all the outfits she could use it in,” Rainbow Dash thought, then immediately regretted it. Thinking of her friends only deepened the void that formed in their absence. Carefully stepping over the gemstone, Rainbow Dash preceded down the passage that led to the cave’s exit. Now that she was thinking clearly again, she realized she had many more questions for Ageroth. He got off easy when Rainbow Dash almost passed out, but now she was determined to get the full explanation of what was going on. Of all the events that occurred ever since he appeared next to her on that day in the clearing.
As she progressed further down the passageway, Rainbow Dash noticed something strange. The smell and feel of the air from the outside was getting stronger, but there was no light to indicate that she was getting closer to the exit. The cyan pegasus had to feel around to prevent herself from bumping into the cave walls, as the light from the crystal had already faded away. Finally, she rounded the last curve she remembered going around before she was blinded by the light outside, and found her problem instantly. The cave entrance was completely gone.
“How is that possible!” Rainbow Dash roared in her head. The entrance had just been there the previous evening. How could something like that just disappear? Worst of all, she could practically taste the trees and other plants that were located outside the cave, as if they were deliberately trying to mock her. If this had been their goal, they were succeeding.
Slowly approaching the newly formed wall, Rainbow Dash looked for any indication of a door or any device that would move the wall, but there was nothing. No sign that an exit ever existed, even though she knew this was the exact spot she had been earlier. Frustrated, Rainbow Dash decided the best course of action was to punch the wall. 
Instead of the hard thud she should have got, her hoof went entirely through the wall with no opposition, causing her entire body to tumble forward. Rainbow Dash thought about catching herself, but she was already hitting the ground before she had time to actually move her other hoof. A small shot of pain shook across her head, mostly centered on the large cut that was still trying to heal.  
After recovering from the impact, Rainbow Dash realized she was in fact lying outside. Right at the exact spot she had talked with Ageroth. Being stuck in the cave so long had messed with her internal clock, but the low sunrise in the distance signified that it was still early in the morning.
Grateful that nopony had been around to see her embarrassing nosedive, Rainbow Dash flew up and dusted herself off. After making sure she hadn’t reopened her gash, she slowly turned to see how she had gotten though the wall. For the second time since she woke up, she found herself both astonished and confused.
Just like the inside of the cave, there was no exit at all, just a solid crag of rock. Or what appeared to be a solid crag of rock. Rainbow Dash slowly approached the wall, this time gradually putting her hoof up to the rock. Just as she expected, it went straight though, as if there was nothing there at all.
It must be a spell Rainbow Dash conceived, seeing no other explanation to the deception. Normally, something like this wouldn’t startle her so much; she had seen Twilight do amazing things with magic. But this illusion was unconditionally flawless.  The consistency of the wall fit perfectly, with not one texture or edge out of place. Not to mention that there was no trace of aura that a magic spell generally caused. The only way anypony would ever tell the wall was fake would be to physically walk through it. Or…fall through it, in her case.
It had to of been Ageroth who cast the spell. The only question was where he had gotten off to now.  Giving the wall one last dumbfounded look, Rainbow Dash decided to explore her surrounds. Her wings felt like stiff wood after not being used for almost 4 days, but after a few unsteady attempts she was able to glide over the ground at a reasonable pace. The action brought a small smile to her face. She was glad to feel the cool wind though her mane once again.
Another strange detail Rainbow Dash realized was that even after all that time, she felt no hunger at all, and was not as thirsty as she should be. She saw a small stream cutting its way through the trees and decided to quench what little thirst she had. Had she been under some other type off spell that protected her from hunger and thirst? The list of questions she wanted to ask Ageroth never seemed to end. 
After a few sips, Rainbow Dash continued with her surveillance of the environment. There was no doubt she was in a forest. Not as dense or dark as the Everfree Forest, but still fairly thick with no ending in sight. Rainbow Dash wondered if it was the same one she and her friends had passed through before finding Hayton.
Her friends. A large hole opened up in Rainbow Dash’s heart, eating away at all her feelings and leaving nothing but miserable emptiness. It wasn’t right…she should be with her friends, even if that meant being captured by the insidious Lord Plagueis. Why should she be free when they were imprisoned, going through things she just didn’t have the will to imagine.
“No, I can’t think that way!” Rainbow Dash contended to herself. She had escaped for a reason, and she was to never going to stop until her friends were safe again. Not until everypony was safe again. And she wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that.
Rainbow Dash was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t even noticed the sky. She was broken from her daze when she heard a low, earth-shattering rumble far off in the distance. Being a pegasus, she instantly recognized the sound; it was the boom of thunder. She looked up and saw the sky had grown dark far off to the south, but the trees blocked her from seeing much past that. She flew up higher to get a better view, using her hooves to prevent the branches from hitting her wound.  Slowly flying past the tree line, Rainbow Dash expected to see a small rainstorm like most pegasus formed when the land needed it. What she saw instead took any shred of normalcy she still felt about the rapidly shifting world around her.
It was a cloud all right; a tall violent mass of pure black storm cloud. The entire form was slowly rotating in a vortex shape over a spot far in the distance. The most terrifying quality was that it seemed to be literally growing by itself; sucking in the blue morning sky and replacing it with more black clouds. 
The very sight of the storm was disturbing to Rainbow Dash. There was nothing natural about it. The entire vortex broke every rule she knew about clouds, weather, and how a pegasus controls them both. It was clear the cloud created in some other manner. After getting past the shock, and observing the entire scene very carefully, she spotted the only thing that could make the experience worse.
The dome covering Hayton was directly under the vortex. The black swirling mass was constantly becoming harder to see as the sky around it darkened. Despite the fact that it had to be miles away, the massive size of both objects allowed for Rainbow Dash to see the monstrous display. She knew it couldn’t be a coincidence; Lord Plagueis had to be responsible for the horrid abomination of a storm cloud hovering over the dome. 
Rainbow Dash became conflicted. Part of her wanted to fly forward and get a closer look, but the other part of her told her that was an insane notion. Her curiosity was about to get the best of her when she found she couldn’t move at all. There was just enough time for her to see a bright gold aura around her body before she was gliding back through the trees. The trapped pegasus attempted to resist until she realized who the aura belonged to.
“What doth thou thinketh thee art doing?” Ageroth asked. Rainbow Dash didn’t need to see his face to know he was angry.  He kept her in his telekinetic grip, his eyes never leaving her.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t find a response. She hadn’t thought what Ageroth might think about her leaving the cave. After a few attempts at defending herself, she found it impossible and had to settle with a very weak answer. “I…I just wanted to stretch my wings,” she managed, trying to add a shrug. This, of course, was impossible while still being immobilized by Ageroth’s magic.
This only seemed to anger the cloaked unicorn more. “Does thee forget what I hath said?! It be much too dangerous for thee to wander about!” It was the first time Rainbow Dash had seen Ageroth actually outraged, and she wished she had remained unacquainted to the experience.
“Why does thou insist on getting thine self into peril?” Ageroth continued. “An agent of Plagueis can discover us at any time!” Then, as if signaled by his words, Rainbow Dash heard the most dreadful sound she had ever heard.
It was something mixed between a shriek and a loud moan. Like somepony had tried to scream, but stopped halfway and decided to howl like a timberwolf. Only she had never heard such an abysmal sound from a timberwolf, much less from a pony. It still sounded far off, and Rainbow Dash didn’t see the source of the cry. As far as Rainbow Dash was concerned, it could stay that way.
It seemed Ageroth’s feelings were mutual. Before she could say anything, Rainbow Dash found herself pushed up against Ageroth’s back as he sped through the forest. The trees almost blended into a blur as he gained speed. Rainbow Dash was amazed the unicorn could move this fast. Even Applejack would have a hard time keeping up with him. 
Applejack. Rainbow Dash would have gone into another miserable fit if her mind hadn’t been focused on watching for pursuers. She hadn’t seen anything yet, but if she listened closely she could swear she heard the flap of wings. .
Ageroth remained silent as he ran, keeping his eyes fixated on getting through the forest in front of them. Judging by their course, they were heading back to the cave. Rainbow Dash was too afraid to ask anything. There was no doubt about the wings now. The creature let out another shriek, this time much closer. The scream seemed to eat away at her very strength of mind, leaving her feeling hopeless. They weren’t going to make it, they should just stop now. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe she was thinking such thoughts, but she had no control over it.
Luckily, Ageroth didn’t seem so easily discouraged. The scream only seemed to reinforce his effort. And it was paying off too…Rainbow Dash could see the rocky bluff that contained the cave. If they could just make it there before the creature caught up…no, they were already caught, they needed to stop now. Rainbow Dash groaned, unable to understand her unwanted thoughts.
They were closing in on the cave. It couldn’t be more than 100 yards away. But it was all over. Rainbow Dash could hear a crashing sound as the creature began to descend into the forest canopy. It was already too late. They weren’t going to make it.
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, unable to process her competing beliefs. All she heard was Ageroth’s hooves on the ground the breaking of branches from the presence above them. She dared one last peak from one eye. She saw a dark figure’s hooves poking through the trees. The rest of its body was rapidly bearing down on them. There was no doubt the creature was equine in nature, but it seemed abstemiously deformed.  Rainbow Dash was about to let out a shout of terror when her entire world went dark.
For a few distressing seconds, Rainbow Dash thought she had passed out or had been manipulated by some form of dark magic like she experienced back at the dome. She then realized that her face was buried in Ageroth’s cloak as he stood as inanimate as a statue. They had made it into the cave, but the danger wasn’t over yet. In the chilling silence, she heard the creature land right outside the hidden entrance. It let out loud, distinct, inhales. Could the creature really smell them? Frustrated, it let out the loudest shriek yet, causing Rainbow Dash’s ears to painfully ring. She felt the urge to yell back, tell the creature where they were. It was too late anyway, it had already found them. 
Ageroth, however, was determined to interfere with Rainbow Dash’s decision. He held her even tighter against his cloak, ending any chance for her to make a sound. The creature sniffed around a few more times, before letting off one more call that sounded like a cry of defeat. With the sound of the creature taking off and flying away, everything was silent once again.
It was a full minute before Ageroth released his telekinetic grip on Rainbow Dash. She realized that when the creature left, her head had cleared up. She knew it hadn’t really been her trying to give up and get them caught. It must have been another form of dark magic connected with the creature that had messed with her thoughts. 
“What was that thing?” Rainbow Dash finally asked. “And why did I feel the urge to allow it to get me?” Although unsure if she really wanted to know, she knew she should be informed in the likely case that they meet a creature like it again.
Ageroth seemed out of breath, and his eyes were closed as if he were concentrating on a past memory. When he responded, he sounded very tired and worn, like had aged with the very encounter with the creature. “The creature with which we hath absconded from is a Screecher. Formed by manipulating the mind of an innocent pegasus. Undeniably the work of Lord Plagueis, for I have witnessed it countless times before. A shriek from such a beast drains the will of resistance from its victims and replaces it with altered thoughts, making them easy quarry to be captured for its master.” 
“You mean, any pegasus he captures is turned into that thing?” Rainbow Dash questioned.  The thought that what had been chasing them was a misshapen pegasus doing the bidding of Lord Plagueis against his or her will was sickening. Especially combined with the fact that it could have been Fluttershy; trapped in a wicked curse that forced her to do things she would never freely do. 
Ageroth nodded. “‘Tis but a mere sample of his power, for he is capable of much more wicked atrocity.  And he shall demonstrate it as his control of the land strengthens.” He slowly began walking toward the back of the cave. Rainbow Dashed followed impulsively, but she was still caught up in the horrifying new development. By the time they had reached the glowing crystal, she decided they could nothing else before rescuing her friends from Lord Plagueis. She couldn’t stand one more day of knowing they could be turned into monstrosities at the hands of the sinister fiend.
“Dost thou now understand to never leave unaccompanied?” Ageroth asked. He seemed less angry, but still had a critical tone to his voice. “For thou hath yet to learn of the new dangers that roam these lands.”
 “But you did the same thing,” Rainbow Dash argued
“Correct,” Ageroth said, “but I knoweth how to stay unbeknownst to such adversaries. Thou doth not.” 
Rainbow Dash lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Ageroth,” she said. She hadn’t thought twice about leaving. She had taken for granted the fact that Equestria was a safe and peaceful place, as long as you stayed away from certain areas. Now that was changing rapidly, and it would take some time for her to get used to it. 
Ageroth sighed. “Dwell little on the subject, for I do know thee meant no harm.  However, I must beseech you to avoid further solitary excursions.”
“I know that now.”  Rainbow Dash nodded. “That’s why we need to stick if we’re going rescue my friends.”
“No, we mustn’t” Ageroth said. His eyes closed as he waited for her response.
“No?!” Rainbow Dash repeated. Somewhere deep down inside, she knew she shouldn’t get mad at Ageroth. But an anger that had been developing ever since she lost her friends was finally letting itself out. “What do you mean no? Those are my friends, Ageroth! I can’t just sit back and let that monster twist their minds until they are lost to his evil. I want to help fight him. If what you say is true and I am the only that can stop him - which you haven’t even explained how that can be true yet - then I want to help you. But not until we rescue my friends.”
Ageroth sighed, but didn’t act surprised at her outburst. Maintaining his calm stature, he responded in his strange language. “Thou hast mistaken my pronouncement as callous. I firmly assure thee that deduction is fallacious. For I know thou feels obligation for thine friends release, and want nothing more than to ease thy distress. Be that as it may, rescuing them be a misplaced desire. For even if we were successful in winning them from Lord Plagueis, his slaves they would remain.”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash painfully asked, dreading the answer.
“Once Lord Plagueis hast planted his seed of malevolent corruption on whomever he selects, there is nothing to save the unfortunate soul. ‘Tis an eternal affair.”
Rainbow Dash’s heart lowered. “Is there really nothing we can do to save them?”
Ageroth looked down at her, his eyes blazing with firmness. “Only the annihilation of Lord Plagueis will free thine friends and all others under his control. As I hath earlier stated, it is imperative to keep thee safe for this very reason. Thou is vital to this all, Rainbow Dash.”
“But why me, Ageroth?” Rainbow Dash asked. She was glad there was some hope for her friends, but she had hoped for something more short-term. Not something that could take Celestia knows how long. Not something where she played such a crucial role in without understanding why.  “Why couldn’t it be you? You seem to know a lot more about this entire situation then I do. You seem to be far more likely to stop such a threat. Why not anypony but me? I may be strong while with my friends, but without them I’m just…a regular pegasus.” 
Rainbow Dash thought for a second. “Well…maybe a fast pegasus, but I don’t think that helps me against something like Lord Plagueis. Against him…I’m powerless.” She sadly looked down at the red lightning bolt that still hung on her neck, wishing the other Elements of Harmony were still there to help her.
Ageroth trotted over and gently put his hoof on Rainbow Dash, just as he had before. “No, Rainbow Dash,” he assured. “Thou art anything but powerless. And thou will recognize it when the time is right. That, I pledge to thee.”      
 Rainbow Dash felt a sudden peace by the unicorn’s words. She may not know or understand what was happening, but she felt a lot safer doing it with Ageroth. Despite his shrouded appearance, she felt like he was the only pony she could trust after recent events. She was even beginning to accept knowing next to nothing about him as a tolerable condition. But that wouldn’t stop her from trying to find out as much as she could.
“I believe you,” she said. “I can’t explain why, but I accept it. Can you at least tell me a little more about yourself, though? Like why you have that cloak, and how you seemed to have skipped over centuries of time to this age, and how you are connected with Lord Plagueis?” Rainbow Dash didn’t have high expectations, but it was at least worth a shot.
Ageroth’s eyes lowered, the strange light from the crystal making them especially golden. “I must apologize on behalf of my cryptic form. I do not mean to retain so much from thee. However, the less thou doth knoweth of me, the better we both remain.”
Sighing, Rainbow Dash gave up. She was determined to find out about Ageroth’s past, but now was not the time. “Fine then, Mr. Mysterious, what’s our next move? I doubt you plan for us to fight Lord Plagueis from this cave.”
        Ageroth shook his head.  “We haveth not what we require to combat him yet,” he responded.
        “And what exactly would that be? Rainbow Dash asked.
        “Thou shall learn in due time,” Ageroth responded vaguely. “At the present moment, there be a much more pressing matter we must attend to.”
        Rainbow Dash simply glared, wondering if he was even willing to share that information. 
“Due to my abrupt arrival into this time period, I knoweth little of this era’s more recent history, endeavors, and current geographic state.  I believe our next move should be to visit an archive of texts so that I may become better erudite of the present time period.”
Rainbow Dash gawked in disbelief. “So…let me get this straight…while Lord Plagueis grows in power and strength, does who knows what to my friends, and prepares to invade Equestria, you want to go to a library and read history books!”
Ageroth let out a tolerant sigh. “I haveth understanding of thine attitude. It seems very trivial given current circumstances. But I beseech thee to recognize how important it is that for me to understand current events. Perhaps I may even learneth this age’s dialect.”
Rainbow Dash had to admit, she was getting annoyed by whatever language Ageroth was using. Although she could mostly understand him, she felt like she was missing out on some things that she wouldn’t if he were just speaking normally. She also couldn’t blame Ageroth for wanting to know more about present-day Equestria. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to one day wake up in a time that had passed on without her. Judging by his words and his lack of knowledge about common things, Rainbow Dash figured it must have been many centuries in Ageroth’s case; a fact that still astonished her.
“I suppose you’re right,” she finally admitted. “I still don’t like the idea of sitting around and reading while Lord Plagueis is still active, but you do deserve to know more about the present. Did you have a library in mind?”
Ageroth paused, and let out quick burst of amusement. It sounded bizarre to Rainbow Dash to hear laughter from the typically staid unicorn, but quickly found she liked deep rumbles of amusement. “As fate hath transpired,” he said as he attempted to regain his normal demeanor, “I am not acquainted to any archives existent in thine era. It would be of great benefit for thou to assist me in that aspect of our expedition.”
Rainbow Dash could feel her cheeks redden, embarrassed that she had overlooked such an obvious detail. Of course he wouldn’t have a preference of library when he probably didn’t even know where the towns and cities of modern Equestria were. She thought for a second, remembering their location compared to Hayton and the sun. From that, she gathered they were north-west of the plagued town by roughly three or four miles. Her mind envisioned that point on a map of Equestria, and tried to think of the closest settlements. The answer came to her in prominent certainty.
“Well, we can’t be too far from Manehattan, from what I saw earlier.” Rainbow Dash responded. “That would definitively be our best choice.”
Ageroth seemed less sure. “And why doth thou thinketh that?”
        “Manehattan is one of the largest cities in Equestria, and probably has the second to best library. It’s only inferior to the Canterlot Library, which is much too far away to travel to now. Manehattan can’t be more than a day’s trot from us.”
        The mention of Manehattan’s size only seemed to upset Ageroth. “Art thou certain this city is our only choice?”
        “Well there isn’t anything else that wouldn’t take days to get to,” Rainbow Dash answered.
        Ageroth slowly nodded his head. “Very well, let us make haste to Manehattan.” He began telepathically rolling up the bedrolls.
        “Now we’re talking,” Rainbow Dash said though a smirk. “But why the sudden change in pace?”
        Ageroth levitated the bedrolls into his cloak, which seemed to cause them to vanish. Yet some other mysterious form of powerful magic. “It is nothing. I merely wish to finish this task hastily. As thou hath expressed, we cannot afford to expend any additional time.”
        Rainbow Dash nodded. She couldn’t agree more with that statement. She turned to collect her own belongings, which she realized were only an empty saddlebag and the Element of Loyalty hanging around her neck. As she strapped the saddlebag back around her, she caught Ageroth studying the crystal still upright on the ground. Remembering her own curiosity about the gem, she decided to ask about it.
        “What exactly is that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked as she came up behind Ageroth. She was sure she saw the symbols deriving from it now, although she could never focus on one before it vanished.
        “Twas a gift given to me long ago,”   Ageroth replied. “A jewel enchanted by a very gifted acquaintance. The dangers this crystal protects us from art excessively bounteous, but for now let it be known as a guardian of our very thoughts and actions. It can protect us from the shrieks of a Screecher, along with many other forms of dark magic.  On account of its expediency, I keep it in possession as habitually as I can. Yet an additional motive to stay close to me.” He slipped the crystal into his cloak, plunging the cave into darkness. 
        Rainbow Dash waited for Ageroth to illuminate the cave with his horn. However, the unicorn took her hoof and began to carefully navigate through the dark passages. “What’s all of this for?” she asked, confused. “Can’t you just magically light the cave up?”
        There was slight pause in Ageroth’s movement, but he quickly continued. “Excessive use of magic is much too great of hazard to use; primarily due to our isolation. Whilst my crystal halts most forms from detection by adversaries, some magic may still be detected by Reapers. Illumination spells art among those that they can.”
        “Let me guess,” Rainbow Dash ventured, “Reapers are unicorns that fall completely under Lord Plagueis’ control?” She was begging to see a pattern this new world of monstrosities.
        “Thou art correct.” Ageroth replied. “Along with perceiving magic, Reapers hath an ability to use magic to subdue victims: draining them of vitality and spirit. This makes them exceptionally challenging to defeat in battle. However, unicorns must be under control for a prodigious amount of time to become corrupt enough to develop into Reapers.”
        “Great,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “What about alicorns?”
        Ageroth’s eyes gave her a questioning glance “What of them?”
        “What do they become when they are under full control?”
        “It…is best not to talk of such things unless required to.” Ageroth said, looking away. 
Hoping desperately not to meet Twilight in whatever horrible form she might have become, Rainbow Dash continued with Ageroth. She was glad when they reached the end of the cave and stopped at the imitation wall.
        “I must say, I have never met anypony that is as skilled at making fake walls,” Rainbow Dash added, trying to ease the tension. “It almost stopped me from leaving.”
        Ageroth only narrowed his eyes. “Thou still departed,” he pointed out, which only raised a shrug from the pegasus. He touched the wall with his horn, which immediately caused it to vanish, letting in blinding sunlight and leaving no trace of the convincing rock that had been there moments before.
        Rainbow Dash took in the sunlight gleefully until she noticed something strange. A section of the sky was much darker than the rest; something she would have noticed the first time she left the cave if it had been there. She flew up to get a better look, but immediately regretted it. It was the same vortex she had seen over Hayton, only so much larger it was begging to cover the sky of the far surrounding area. “What kind of cloud is that?” she asked bleakly.
        Ageroth seemed to know what she was speaking of, even though he couldn’t see it. “Tis the Mark of Plagueis. Thou hath just to be ill at ease. It be a tempest conjured up by the foul beast, as he and his forces prefer darkness, and is sure to be followed by his might and desolation of this land.”
        “Next time, remind me not to ask,” Rainbow Dash said sullenly. With that, the pair began their tramp to Manehattan. 
  
       
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The sun shined bright on the streets down below, but Princess Luna was protected on the covered balcony that she stood on. She was grateful of the room that Mayor Smooth Horn had provided her with. It reminded her of her own room back in Canterlot with its lofty position and quiet, tranquil ambiance the nocturnal princess relished. 
However, even under this ideal condition, Princess Luna was still fretful. Watching the activity below her did give her an effective distraction, if only a momentary one. The city truly was nothing like the rest of Equestria. There were so many different ponies congregated with the biggest population of griffons, mules, and even the occasional zebra populations in any city under the Equestrian flag. It formed a unique and eccentric culture that was always changing and never failed to surprise.
Of course, recent events had put a damper on the usually lively city, or so the princess had heard. Royal Guard patrols almost outnumbered the citizens on the streets, and all special events usually held by the city had been postponed until further notice. 
Even after all of that, everypony still seemed to have stayed calm and acted as if nothing was amiss. Princess Luna admired their diligence, even if it made her a little gloomy. She couldn’t help but remember the time long ago, when she had clashed with her sister over dominance of Equestria. Entire towns had turned to absolute pandemonium and catastrophe had been rampant throughout the land. In her absence, Celestia had mended the land, and created a peaceful and strong nation. Her sister had achieved this all by herself; all without her. 
Princess Luna lowered her head. When she had truly come back, after her encounter with the Elements of Harmony, Princess Celestia had acted delighted about her reunion with her. And Luna had believed her, as she felt the same way. But the more she saw of how well Equestria had prospered since her departure of the land a thousand years beforehand, the more she began to doubt Celestia’s relief at her return. Why should Celestia be glad about sharing the throne with her once again when she had done so well alone? What had she done except make things worse?
The midnight alicorn remained focused on the subject until she forced herself out of it. She couldn’t think like that, Celestia would sense something was wrong. After all, her telepathic link with her sister tended to share more than just the words she intended to send.
Clearing her mind completely, she slowly let her mind reach out, searching for the connection to Celestia’s mind. It took a moment, as she rarely found herself this far from her sister, but she found the familiar consciousness without too much effort. 
“Hello once again, Luna,” Celestia’s warm voice resonated in Luna’s head. “I am glad we can speak once more. The castle feels empty without your presence.”
“As am I, sister,” Luna responded, concealing her recent thoughts. “I thought it would be proper to contact you about our progress in Manehattan.”
“Of course, what do you have to report?” Celestia asked.
“Everything seems to be proceeding without issue. The citizens have accepted the new rules without any protest. I must say, given the circumstances, I believe the situation is going as well as we could have ever hoped.” Luna picked out a squad of patrolling Royal Guard below her.  As they passed by a local market stand selling fresh fruit, they were stopped by the merchant. Before they could do anything, they were each handed a bundle of what must have been assorted fruits. With an encouraging gesture, the merchant sent them back on their way. Luna smiled. “Yes, certainly as well as we could hope for. The adjustment hasn’t ruined the city’s spirit. If anything, it has only made it stronger.”
“That is such heartening news in these dark times.”  Celestia said. Luna could feel her smile, but it soon faded. “I assume there have been no more new developments on Hayton.”
Luna sighed. “I’m afraid that situation hasn’t improved. We still haven’t seen any indication - good or bad - that anything has changed. As much we want to learn more, Commander Maverick and I have agreed that it is too risky to send anypony else. Not after…” Luna stopped. She could feel the guilt growing inside Celestia, and knew continuing would only make it worse. She had a feeling it was still too late.
“After I sent Twilight and her friends on the assignment they never returned from?” Celestia asked abysmally. 
“Yes…” Luna thought, wondering if she should have lied. It wouldn’t have helped; Celestia would have seen right through it.
“Oh, how painfully obvious my error is to me…now, when it is too late to fix it,” Celestia began despairingly. “How could I have been so blatantly arrogant to the point of putting the ones I love at such risk? My total and complete disregard for their safety and well-being has not only put them in danger, but Equestria in the process. They very well may be the key to stopping this new threat, and instead of making sure they had a fair chance against him, I played them right into his hoof…or whatever appendage he has. How foolish it was…” Celestia stopped, her anguish overtaking her words. 
Unsure of what to say that could help, Luna did her best to convey her empathy and comfort. When her sister had calmed down, Luna said, “Despair not, sister. Your sun still shines bright over this land, as does my moon at night. As long as we are still in power, we will not give in to the forces of evil. We WILL defeat Lord Plagueis. That, I am sure of.” Luna thought she sounded honest enough. She only hoped her small pockets of uncertainty were hidden well enough in her own consciousness.
“Your words…are very comforting to me, sister,” Celestia managed. “Just promise me that no matter what happens, you stay safe an out of harm’s way. I just couldn’t bear the thought of losing you again. In fact, maybe you should leave…come back home…”
“No, that is not necessary,” Luna reassured. “My presence gives the citizens here something that they cannot afford to lose right now: your faith. If I were to leave now, the ponies and other residents would see that you think it is not safe here. I know you do not want that.”
 “But Luna…” Celestia began.
“You do not need to worry about me; I promise I will be fine.” Luna could feel that her sister was apprehensive, but she also knew Luna was right.
“I suppose you are correct.” Celestia finally admitted, giving in. “Just, promise you will contact me often, and inform me if anything changes.”  
Luna smiled. “I promise not to leave you in the dark,” she thought. 
“That’s something, coming from the princess of the night,” Celestia managed, even giggling a bit inside.
Even with some of her humor back, Luna could tell her sister was still troubled; certainly not in the mood to mentally converse much longer. “Goodbye, Celestia. I will contact you soon,” she thought.
“Goodbye, and be safe.” Celestia replied. With one last mental projection of fondness, the connection detached and Luna’s mind was silent once again.
It really was a shame; Luna had hoped to discuss their collective memory loss of their distant past. But not when her sister was so emotionally weary.  Perhaps it was a discussion for another time.
The midnight princess got up and slowly made her way to her bed. It was time for another restless day of sleep. She didn’t want to admit it, but she really did miss her bedroom in Canterlot next to her sister’s. Even if she did have her doubts about Celestia’s thoughts on her return, she was still the only pony Luna felt she could really open up to. While they could still communicate telepathically, it just didn’t feel the same; especially with Celestia’s mind clouded with her current burdens.
Just when Luna was about to slip under the covers, she heard an abrupt knock. 
“Mayor Smooth Horn has offered you to join him for breakfast, if you so wish to, Your Highness,” a voice sounded from behind her door.  “He knows that you must sleep during the day, and does understand if you chose not to come.”
A small grin appeared on Luna’s face. Maybe there was another pony she could open up to after all. “Tell him I will be there shortly,” she called out to the messenger before heading into the bathroom to prepare for her breakfast with the mayor.