//------------------------------// // Four - Moon's Lullaby // Story: Her Destiny // by Broken //------------------------------// “Chrysalis! The Queen of The Changelings!” Cloud Skipper seemed to be beyond baffled with the revelation. “Don’t lose your cool, Skipper, we are here to ask this bug some questions,” Midnight Blossom turned to him, trying to restore his composure. Inside the cell, Chrysalis seemed to be weak and inoffensive. The changeling stared at the couple with half-lidded eyes, and an emotionless expression. Soon, her nose started to move, as if she was sniffing something, and an electric-green spark flashed through her eyes, “This smell,” she hissed, her evil voice booming with an echo, “I just can’t forget how good this smells...” “Hey! Glad you are alive down here, stupid bug,” the bat-pony quickly turned to her, eyes shooting daggers at the queen. “You are the one who captured me, last time I saw the outside world. How I wish to break those chains and strangle that neck of yours, cursed bat!” “You captured her, Midnight?” Skipper asked, as drops of cold sweat started to fall from his forehead. “Yup. Me and my squadron were tasked by Princess Luna to search the area and scavenge any changeling that might still be unconscious near Canterlot. Turns out we found the Queen herself, passed out cold and with a broken horn north of the Everfree. The rest of them escaped, and seems that they have fled to the underground, and to places beyond Equestria.” The white pegasus was panicky. Chrysalis and her race proved to be the greatest threat known to the ponies of Equestria. They managed to invade Canterlot, their capital, with seemingly ease, kidnap a Princess, and exchange her place with their own Queen. After Shining Armor’s barrier fell, the violent insect-like creatures gave the mighty Sun Guard run for their money. He was one of the guards who ended up inside a disgusting cocoon, and he was sure to remember it as an unplesant situation. Leaving the whole green mucus cocoon business behind, his true fear came from the fact that those changelings were too well organized, aggressive, and numerous enough to be a real threat to Equestria again, if they ever wanted to rise against it once more... “What you want from me, bat?” Chrysalis hissed, irritated by the presence of Midnight Blossom. “Answers to some questions...” The queen laughed, mocking the bat-pony mare, “Why would I answer anything to you?” Midnight opened a smirk, showing her fangs, and suddenly, she turned to her coltfriend, and planted a kiss on his lips. Skipper blushed, caught by surprise. Midnight felt her stallion almost jumping out of place, but she knew how to quickly get him in the mood for some ‘action’. They closed their eyes and continued for some seconds. Chrysalis eyes flashed again with a neon green spark, and she licked her lips. She was upset, like a plagued wild animal. Midnight broke from their kiss, and turned to Chrysalis, “We can give you a little of this if you want, just enough to satiate your hunger for the day.” “My hunger cannot be satiated, bat. Not even if I could suck you and your boy-toy dry. Nonetheless, I miss the sweet taste of love, and maybe we could make a deal...” Cloud Skipper shook his head in negation, “Midnight! What are you saying? She’s a dangerous criminal! We can’t make a deal with her!” “I’m sorry Skipper, but this bug here is the only way for us to find some answers about what happened with Twilight. Besides, this is not the first time that I made a deal with the devil...” Chrysalis laughed again, “You scourge were created by the alicorn nightmare, right? That’s rich!” “Shut your trap, freak! Do we have a deal or what?” The queen pondered in silence for some moments. She continued to stare at Skipper and Midnight with those unholy, intimidating neon eyes. The white pegasus was sweating even more; just being around her was enough to cause him an absurd discomfort. “This is the fear that an animal has when facing a predator, Skipper,” Midnight whispered to him. Skipper gulped, breathing heavily. “Those monsters, the changelings, are everything that we, the ponykind, could become if we embraced our most primitive and violent selfs. Thank Luna for the balance and for Harmony.” “Ask me,” Chrysalis breathed with an empty voice. “Good,” the bat-pony mare smiled, “Okay, so tell me, the stories about you, are they really the truth?” “If you mean the stories about me being a three thousand years old, yes, you are right. My name one day was Emerald Night, I was a nightcorn.” “Nightcorn?” Skipper asked to Midnight, confused. “I’ve told you that those things were part of an ancient extinct race. They lived to the far west of Equestria, past the Saddle Arabia great desert, on several islands at the Great Purple Ocean. Those Islands were known as the Shimmering Islands.” Chrysalis cackled, “You are astoundingly intelligent for a pony with a brain full of guano.” “A knight must be at the peak of its physical prowess, as it must be at the peak of its mind. We aren’t just a tin can full of meat, bug.” The changeling sighed, continuing with her story, “We were a very prosperous country, mind you. The nightcorns were great magic researchers; in fact, our entire civilization was based on magic. Without it, we would easily succumb.” “Let me guess,” Cloud Skipper interrupted, “you guys destroyed everything with some magical apocalipse.” Chrysalis cackled once again, mocking the white stallion, “Where did you got this idiot, bat? Some stallion sale?” Midnight Blossom raised an eyebrow, discontent with Chrysalis’s statement, “He is a little naive at times, but believe me, he compensates...” Cloud Skipper blushed. “Our civilization didn’t crumbled because of us, stallion. However, our strong magical advance attracted the attention of other races. They went far enough to wage war with us in order to take our researches away.” “Which races?” Midnight asked. “The gryphons. It always those stupid, bird-brained freaks. The saddle arabians, being great sailors, tried as well.” “The outcome?” Midnight pressed further. “We were close to annihilation, what else? Years and years of war make a race suffer too much, and differently from the Unicornians, we didn’t have an alicorn Goddess to protect us.” Chrysalis voice seemed to have a tiny bit of nostalgia mixed in the usual evil filled, snake-tongued, sound. Cloud Skipper could see the eyes of his marefriend beaming with happiness, she got Chrysalis exactly where she wanted, “Who was Emerald Night?” Midnight asked. “She was a very sedulous, very diligent researcher. A genius, the government used to call her. It was a shame that she lost her husband and her newborn filly during the war...” “Chrysalis...” The stallion felt somehow sympathetic to the queen’s story. “What does one do, when their hearts have only hate and sorrow inside? Even one of your Princesses was unable to resist, am I right?” Skipper remained silent. He looked towards Midnight, and the bat-pony asked to Chrysalis,“What did you do, Chrysalis?” “She won the war, alone.” The queen cackled madly, before continuing, “There was nothing more to save. Years of exposure to magical radiation turned each female of our race unable to breed foals. The continuous battles emptied our natural resources. Food started to get scarce, and many innocents were dying from starvation. Still, the war continued, even after the gryphons and the saddle arabians took what they were searching for. Wait!” Skipper hissed, “If they took what they wanted, why did they keep attacking?” “They were also looking for something that wasn't on the Shimmering Islands.” Midnight’s expression changed to a curious frown,“What was that?” “The Heart of The World,” she answered, with an empty voice. Chrysalis took a deep breath, then spoke, “They thought that our superior magical abilities were a result from a contact with the Heart of The World. They were so very wrong. We gained our magical advance through our research and skill. However, who wants to have to work hard to gain something? It’s easier to take it away from the weaker, right?” “That’s why we Equestrians are pacifists; nothing good comes from war!” Skipper yelled towards her. “Pacifists? Whatever, I’m not here to discuss Equestrian story, unless you bat are willing to give me some extra portions of that sweet, divine love.” Midnight shook her head in negation, “Forget it, bug.” The queen laughed, “Just as I thought. The only thing that could save us from extinction was a miracle. Funny thing was, it did not matter how much we prayed, our gods never answered us...” Chrysalis hung her head low, “How feeble and small is a mortal, without a god to pray to. The despair is always bigger than your faith in the end, when you have a gryphon soldier piercing your belly with a spear. You survive, and then, you swear to yourself...” Her eyes glowed strongly for a moment, “That you will create a ‘God’ with your own hooves.” Skipper and Midnight exchanged glances. They were very close to extracting the informations they were searching for from the mouth of the devil itself. “Did you manage to succeed, Emerald Night?” Cloud Skipper asked first. Chrysalis mocked him with a cackle, “You think you have my sympathy, by calling me by that name? I’m Chrysalis, not Emerald Night. She died stupid stallion, long ago.” “Answer my question, or the sounds of your empty stomach are going to be your only companions tonight!” She smiled back at him, “You are looking at the results, idiot.” “Then, you were the first changeling?” Cloud Skipper cringed, thinking of how powerful the creature in front of him was. Chrysalis smiled even wider, “Alicorns are Gods. They are creators, providers, symbols. The pinnacles of power from the ponykind. An alicorn god could smash an entire country, simply by flaring its horn. Emerald Night had stopped searching for salvation, she had abandoned the pursuit of bringing a miracle to her land. She wanted only revenge, only to expunge those filthy invaders from the face of the world.” She stood up, and walked towards their direction, as far as the chains allowed her to, “Then she used all her knowledge to create a spell. Not a common spell, oh no! A supreme magick capable of what seemed to be impossible: To turn a mortal, into a god. To turn flesh, into pure magic, death into eternity. Unfortunately, stallion, such a magick has a price, a very, very high price. To become me, Emerald Night sacrificed each and every nightcorn survivor, as well as each and every gryphon and saddle arabian that were on those islands on that night.” “Interesting,” Midnight breathed, looking at Chrysalis dangerously near her sweating coltfriend, “It means the spell exists, then.” “They were consumed by a maelstrom of magic, a glorious pillar of white light that could be seen from far across this world!” Chrysalis yelled, “And they vanished. And the war, was over, once and for all.” Skipper trembled, “To where they went?” “They are still here. Every night, every second, I still can hear their screams. Their glorious, pained screams inside of my soul, hating me for my treachery, hating me for their imprisonment.” Chrysalis was looking straight to Cloud Skipper’s soul, “I’ve lost my child to the war. However, my new condition as Goddess gave me the power to create so many more adorable children! I love my little ones so much stallion...” She smiled, her face as mad as it could be. “Is it possible to replicate that spell?” Midnight came closer, entering the gap between Chrysalis and Skipper. Chrysalis felt disgusted, “Of course not! I’m the only one who knew that spell. I did not even write in in a book or anything.The secret to become divinity, is mine alone.” “That’s everything we needed to hear,” Cloud Skipper smiled, turning to Midnight. Chrysalis walked back to the back end of the cell, “Do still have any other questions, bat?” “Only one. The spell, it worked, or it failed?” The white stallion joined his marefriend in the question, “That’s right, you are not an alicorn, you became a Hive Mother.” “Isn't it obvious? Chrysalis hissed, “It failed. It’s impossible to truly become an alicorn. I’m powerful, I have eternity on my hooves, I can create a living being using my magic, but even so, this is not a fraction of the powers that an alicorn has. Only through the power of love can my powers rival theirs.” “That’s it. Skipper, come here, let’s give her the snack she wants,” Midnight turned back, and smiled to her coltfriend. He gulped, blushing to a crimson color, “How are we supposed to do it?” “Don’t worry you silly filly,” Midnight giggled, and moved a hoof towards her armor, “we are going to use this.” Midnight stretched her hoof, showing Skipper something. He laid his eyes on a small piece of stone, with some curious and intricate designs in it. He raised an eyebrow, and looked back at his marefriend, “What’s this?” “It’s a rune. However, it is no ordinary rune! Some unicorns from the Sun Guard, using the research we did on the changelings, managed to produce an artificial spell that mimics the abilities that a Hive Mother has of absorbing love!” “That’s interesting, but why they did it?” “Well...” Midnight threw her gaze away, smiling awkwardly, “do you remember how this bug over here managed to defeat her Holy Lady Celestia during the invasion?” “Aye,” the stallion nodded, “still have nightmares about that scene.” “We thought that, if we could isolate the spell, we could replicate it’s effects too.” Skipper sighed, “Then, it was for military purposes, right? Soldiers with enhanced strength, powerful enough to rival a Goddess through the power of those love-charged runes.” She gave him a saddened smile, “Yeah...” “I’m happy it didn’t work. The world could be a mess if those things fell into the wrong hooves.” Midnight Blossom remained in silence. Skipper knew how it was hard for his marefriend to let the reputation that precedes her behind, and he didn’t want to make her feel bad for helping in the creation of a possible apocalypse weapon. With a warm smile, he trotted near her, and planted a lovable peck at her lips. They closed their eyes, savoring the moment together. A strong green light lit the cell. Its source was the small rune, still within Midnight’s grasp. “W-What?” Skipper broke from the kiss, blushing, “What’s this?” His marefriend chuckled, “Don’t worry, silly! How do you think this rune is charged? It’s with true love!” “I see...” He breathed, looking towards her hoof with an uncomfortable gaze, “I don’t like to have an eerie green light around me while I kiss you.” Midnight wrapped one hoof around his neck, looking straight to him with passionate half-lidded eyes, “It’s just for a few minutes, okay?” He nodded, and they resumed their kiss, making the rune lit once again. After a few minutes, the light wore off, even with their muzzles still dancing against each other’s. Midnight opened one eye, looking to the rune, “It’s okay,” she warned, with her voice being muffled by her coltfriend's lips. He broke from the kiss, “Alright. Now give it to her, and let’s get out of here.” Midnight walked towards Chrysalis. Cloud Skipper looked to his marefriend, as her eyes once again changed to their dragon-esque aspect. He waited until the bat-pony was near enough to offer the rune to Chrysalis. “Here bug, eat,” Midnight said with disgust. Chrysalis lunged towards the rune, as a starved beast. Her maw opened widely, and she would easily be able to chomp Midnight’s hoof off, if the bat-pony wasn't smart enough to let go of the stone before it. “Let’s go,” Midnight turned around. Skipper also turned around and both ponies trotted to the exit. “She will never make it...” Chrysalis’s voice boomed, freezing Skipper and Midnight in place. Irritated, the pegasus turned back, and shouted, “What the hay are you talking about, freak?” “Do you really think that you can fool me? That I do not know why you two came here?” Skipper looked at Midnight, the bat-pony trying to understand what was happening. He returned his attention to the changeling, “How could you?” “Twilight Sparkle...” Chrysalis hissed, as if she just spat the name, “She managed to transcend, and now, Celestia and Luna think that she used my spell, murdering the rest of that dreaded gang that halted my plans some time ago. Am I right, little pony?” The couple just stared at Chrysalis, baffled by how the monster could know so much from inside a prison cell. She cackled, mocking their expressions of utter surprise. “Oh! C’mon, do you guys really think that I hadn't heard anything? It’s really quiet inside this place, so anything that happens outside is quite easy to hear. After hearing it, it didn’t take too much reasoning to make some assumptions. Judging by your reactions, I bet that I just won the lottery...” “You know all about it right?” Skipper asked, infuriated, “You could even be an attestant, and relieve Twilight from her crimes, because you know that she’s innocent!” “Of course I could! However, why should I?” Chrysalis had the most content smile splattered across her muzzle, “As far as it concerns me, this predicament will throw Equestria into a huge mess. Those stupid alicorns will be fighting against each other, and they will, sooner or later, kill themselves. My only complaint is to be rotting away inside this cell, unable to see the country burning because of their own foolishness!” Skipper scoffed a hoof against the ground, “We will save everypony!” “Really? I don’t care, pony. Also, who said that Twilight is innocent?” The pegasus’s eyes shot open in surprise. “I didn’t said anything. Maybe she is, maybe she’s not. Either way, not even if you gave me each drop of love that you could gather, would I say the whole truth to you.” “Let’s go Skipper, bugsy here is just mocking us. Even if she is telling us the truth, there’s nothing we can do,” Midnight planted a hoof at her coltfriend’s shoulder, signaling to him to come with her. He nodded, and the ponies trotted out of the cell. Chrysalis was left alone in the darkness again, smiling with an infuriating satisfaction... Cloud Skipper and Midnight Blossom traveled back from the prison, and onwards to the main wing of the Canterlot Castle, where the stallion had a cozy room for them to mull over the information they had gathered. Luckily for both, the main wing of the castle was far from being busy during the nighttime. After all, the sun guards are ponies with normal daytime lives, different from the nocturnal bat-ponies of the Night Guard. As for Luna’s army, they were either out of the city tracking Twilight down, working at Celestia’s strange excavation project, or drinking at the Shady Through. With the low security, it was very easy for two ponies of their rank to trot through the castle, without being questioned by the nobles, knights or employees that were still packing their things to go back to their homes after a long day of work. Finally reaching his room, Midnight pushed the door with her hoof, and Skipper entered first. With a clap of his frontal limbs, the magical lights turned on, showing the interiors. Everything was painted in white, from the walls, to the wardrobes, and every piece of furniture was decorated with beautiful trimmings of golden color. The floor had a blue coloration, very light and soothing. The ceiling above them was decorated with luxurious glass lamps, dangling from the white marble, and lit with magical orange flames. Cloud Skipper’s bed was huge and circular, big enough to accommodate two or three ponies with ease. Several soft cushions of bright red colors were around, above an impeccable white blanket used to protect the soft cotton mattress. The room was big. Bigger than somepony could think about a room belonging to a knight, even if the soldier in question was a high-ranked one. It looked more as a bedroom pertaining to the nobility. Midnight Blossom trotted towards the bed, slowly using her forehooves to loosen the leather straps tightening her armor around her body along the way. The heavy plating fell to the ground, resounding through the room. She threw her body at the huge bed, falling there on her belly. Skipper observed everything smiling. He walked towards a hanger, and started to get out of his golden armor, putting it on the wooden piece with care. “I’m beat!” the bat-pony mare complained from the bed with half-lidded eyes. The white pegasus chuckled, amused by his marefriend's drama-queen act, “C’mon, you’re a bat-pony, and it’s just three A.M., you were supposed to be at the top of your condition right now.” He yawned. Of course that Cloud Skipper still was a normal daytime pony, and he had past his bedtime by hours right now. Still, he could endure it, if she was with him... With a smile plastered across his muzzle, Skipper walked to his bed, sitting at her side. Gently, he passed a hoof across her mane, looking straight to her amber eyes, “You can sleep here if you want. I will lock the door to make sure that nopony sees you.” She turned her head to him, and smiled, “Thank you. I will just take a quick nap and try to soak in all this madness.” “You mean Chrysalis’s story?” Skipper’s expression turned into a worried frown. “Right. I’m worried,” she nodded. “What do you mean?” The bat-pony sighed with exasperation, she was noticeably avoiding eye contact with her coltfriend, lost and deep in thought, “The way Chrysalis described her own transformation... It was so very much alike to what happened with Twilight. It’s no wonder that everypony here in Canterlot is doubting her innocence.” “Sorry to interrupt you,” he nudged her, derailing her train of thought, “but let me ask something. This legend about Chrysalis and the nightcorns, how many nobles know about it?” “Everypony,” Midnight breathed slowly, “Politics is hassle. You don’t know how many spies and double-agents we got on the military, working for them. If anything of impórtant happens, they chirp like little birdies at their ears in exchange for dirty money. Somehow, they managed to discover we got bugsy caged down there, and in their fear, the nobles began to research everything about her that they could.” “I can’t blame them, though. Chrysalis and the changelings scare the hay out of me.” After saying that, Skipper felt that unusual chill going through his spine, making his fur bristle. He was sure to never again see green-colored objects and peanut butter the same way... “I got your point. She’s dangerous, but we can keep her down there without any problems. What happened is that they dug so deeply into the history, that they discovered things that they were not supposed to know...” Skipper raised an eyebrow, “Not supposed to know? What do you mean?” “The past Skipper. The past of our species is something that is supposed to be governed by the Two Sisters, and by them alone. That info regarding the nightcorns, and Chrysalis’s mutation, they were meant to be kept in ultimate secrecy. We let it slip, and Luna got furious with us for that.” Midnight sighed again, clearly worried with everything that was happening. “Midnight, why would she want to keep it a secret?” Skipper asked, curious. “It’s to ensure peace. Contact with the world beyond our borders is dangerous, and our Holy Lady Celestia would do anything to prevent the knowledge about warfare that other nations could bring to Equestria from reaching us.” Cloud Skipper sighed, feeling a small hint of deception inside of his heart. When he vowed to serve Celestia and Luna, he slowly came to know about Equestria being an isolated nation, shut out from the rest of the world. However, it pained him to lie everyday to his subordinates about what lurked across the world. Monsters and dangers, he used to say, nothing you small fries would like to see. It was a blatant lie; Skipper knew at least about the second largest and powerful nation, Concordia, to the far east. His vow, though, prevented him from telling anypony the truth about that place. He still could only imagine what kinds of secrets the Night Wing housed, and his marefriend, had access to everything... “How’s this relate to the truth about Chrysalis?” Skipper asked, faking a smile. “The part about the Shimmering Islands and the race of the nightcorns made their curiosity itch. If such a thing existed on the past, how can they be sure that there’s not more hidden nations and species across the borders? Sure, the Crystal Empire resurfacing last year caused a huge ruckus between them...” The stallion crossed his fore limbs,“I bet Luna did something a bit extreme to make sure that no pony would try to venture out of Equestria...” “She sure did,” Midnight sighed, “her original plan was to execute a mass memory erasing spell during an event where all the nobles were supposed to come. We managed to calm her down, somehow, and instead of erasing their memories, she just made them vow to protect the secret, with their wealth and titles at stake. Of course, they agreed; you don’t want to upset the Goddess of The Night too much.” “Yeah... She eats your soul on Nightmare Night after all!” Skipper laughed, wanting to lift the heavy atmosphere. Midnight Blossom could not resist, and laughed a little together with him. “C’mon, silly!” She chirped, “Luna’s not like that!” “I know,” he stopped, “but anyway, Chrysalis gave us some juicy information. However...” The white pegasus fell silent suddenly. “What?” Midnight asked, raising her body, “There’s something wrong?” “You were right. The similarities between their transformations are frightning.” “Are you doubting Twilight, Skipper?” The stallion keep his silent, lost in thought. “C’mon! Say somethin’ will ya! You were the one who believed most blindly in her innocence, and now you are doubting her because of what bugsy told us?” Midnight shouted, putting both her fore hooves on his shoulders, and shaking the stallion a little. “You told me that Twilight seemed to be completely lost and that she was doubting herself when your platoon brought her to Ponyville,” Skipper opened his eyes, and stared right into his marefriend’s eyes... “Maybe she was scared! We don’t know for sure what happened at Tambelon!” He sighed, “I know Midnight. I’m going to help you get to the bottom of this, I swear. However, I would like you to know that I’m not one hundred percent sure about her innocence anymore. I’m really sorry...” Midnight frowned, turning around. She closed her eyes and crossed her fore hooves together, “Are you sure?” “As long as the possibility of her crime still lurks, I can’t go against the facts. For their ascensions to be so much alike, it can only mean one of them were mimicking the process.” Skipper fell silent once again. Midnight opened one eye, and raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, asking, “What now?” “I’m just wondering... Were all the alicorns normal ponies before becoming gods? Was Princess Celestia a mortal before becoming Equestria’s Holy Lady? If they were, and then, transcended later in their lives, could Chrysalis have mimicked those transformations, and what we saw was just the natural process happening with Twilight?.” Skipper observed Midnight Blossom leading a hoof to her chin, questioning herself. “You got a good point there. However, we would be implying that Twilight was destined to become an alicorn goddess!” He sighed, faking a neutral expression, deep inside, he was truly worried, “Then what Chrysalis told was just enough to rise even more questions.Besides, if the only spell that existed was a failure, and turned Chrysalis into that monster, how could Twilight's spell be perfect, and turn her into an alicorn, if she never had any contact with it?” Suddenly, somepony knocked on the door. Midnight and Skipper exchanged confused glances, and the stallion quickly jumped out of the bed, trying to take the armor of his marefriend from the floor on his way to the doorway, with his wings and mouth. Before Cloud Skipper could reach it, the unlocked oak door flung open. Much to his surprise and discontent, the one who trotted inside was none other than Prince Blueblood. “Good night, little brother! You came back from that bar and didn’t even tell me! You’re hurting your big bro’s feelings!” The pompous, blonde stallion was looking everywhere, clearly avoiding eye contact with Cloud Skipper. His face immediately frowned to an expression of disgust, mixed with discomfort. Skipper spat the piece of armor he brought with his mouth, and sighed, “What do you want, Blueblood? Can’t you see that I’m busy here?” Blueblood was showing that he could not care less. With eyes full of boredom, he looked back to his brother, raising an eyebrow, “Busy? You guys from the royal guard actually get busy? In a country such as ours, I always questioned my auntie about the need of an army...” The white pegasus sighed again, this time, doing his best to hide the anger coming from his insides, “Please, let’s not discuss this again, okay? What do you want, for Celestia’s sake?” Ignoring his question, Blueblood stretched his neck, searching for what was behind his little brother. He found Midnight Blossom, still laid on the bed, just observing the brother’s quarrel. “What do we have here?” Blueblood smirked, trotting towards the bat-pony. He made sure to tackle Skipper on his way there, and the pegasus felt his hoof almost moving by itself, and it was about to land a punch on that snotty bastard! “Hello Prince Blueblood, I was discussing some urgent matters, regarding the Twilight Princess crisis with Captain Cloud Skipper,” Midnight jumped out of the couch, going towards the white unicorn, faking a smile. Skipper noticed how his brother was launching some not-so-friendly glances over his marefriend. The way he focused on her hips moving while she walked, and how his eyes danced through her legs and tail made the white pegasus almost explode with anger. Blueblood was practically eating Midnight with his eyes, and everypony on that room knew about it. Skipper led a hoof to his face; it was the only thing he could made to stop himself from lunging against the white unicorn. “Good night, I don’t remember knowing such a beautiful flower of the night, such as you, mistress...” Midnight smirked, quickly glancing over her enraged coltfriend, asking what was happening with her eyes and expressions without Blueblood’s knowledged. Skipper just rolled his eyes inside their sockets, what could he do? “You’re a famous noble, and I’m a knight. It’s just natural we don’t know each other, but I know you by name, at least. I’m called Midnight Blossom, Selena’s Night Guard captain, First Platoon.” “I see. Auntie Selena does have a fine taste when choosing her knights,” Blueblood painted the most fake, infuriating and insinuating smile that a pony would be capable of doing. He was not worried about flirting with his own brother’s marefriend right in front of him. “Blueblood!” Skipper shouted, he had enough. The white unicorn frowned into a displeased expression, and turned around slowly, “What?” “Are you going to tell me what you came here for? We don’t have time to waste with you!” Blueblood remained silent for some seconds, only observing his brother’s altered breathing, and his expression of anger. With villainous accuracy, he turned his body around completely, hitting Midnight’s muzzle with his tail. “It must be something really important for you to be in such a hurry, little brother...” He hissed, poison being expelled from each word. “Do you even know what’s happening to your country?” Skipper raised an eyebrow, going towards him, “This crisis is beyond a matter of urgency!” Blueblood kept walking towards him, “Of course it is! I can even see why you have to discuss it with Captain Blossom here with both of you completely naked.” Blueblood smirked victorious, taking advantage of his brother’s flushing cheeks. “Well... We didn’t saw the needing to be wearing our armors after a long day of work! It’s not like we wear clothes in casual situations and-” “That’s enough little brother,” Blueblood interrupted, “I just think it is quite amazing how quick you were to betray our father’s will of cleansing your half-pure blood, by choosing this bat-pony here, over Pussywillow.” Skipper remained silent, and trotted nearer his armor on the hanger. Midnight raised an eyebrow; she was feigning ignorance until now, but Blueblood crossed the line. “Go away, or I’m going to show you why our dad choose me to don the Azure Star of the Royal Sun Guards over you again, big brother...” Blueblood coughed, clearly resentful for some event of their past, “Fine, I just was passing by to warn you about two knights quitting due to the harsh conditions they are being exposed to at that excavation project. Bless our Holy Lady, but I have to admit that I am curious to know what auntie needs to excavate so quickly.” “See you later, big brother,” the white pegasus replied blankly “See you later, Skipper, and I’m sure to be looking forward to our next encounter, Captain Midnight. Maybe without my hot-headed and selfish little brother around. I don’t mind sharing, unlike him...” Blueblood winked to her before trotting out of their room. A strange silence fell inside. “Okay,” Midnight broke it after some seconds, “What just happened here?” Skipper hung his head low, deep in thoughts. He continuously looked at the star crest that adorned the chest piece of his armor resting on the hanger in front of him. His gaze had a hint of pride and sadness mixed together, and he knew just why that small object made him feel that way. “It was just my older brother being the snotty bastard he turned into.” “That’s the strange part!” Midnight shouted, “He’s Prince Blueblood! He’s a sissy!” “Not anymore,” the stallion replied, shaking his head, “It happened just recently, but it happened, and its not pleasant to see him behaving like this.” “Recently?” “Yes, like just a few days ago. I don’t know why, but now he thinks that every mare is his plaything, and that every stallion must lick the path he walks through.” “I see,” Midnight frowned, “maybe his position finally got over his head. What surprised me, though, was the fact that he’s your older brother. I thought you weren’t a noble, Skipper.” “Half-brother...” Skipper didn’t wanted to talk about the subject. Being with Midnight, and bringing her joy was the only thing he cared about, thus, he deemed some secrets about himself less important. “Care to explain? I’m not forcing you or anything, but if I’m going to marry with you someday we need to know this stuff about each other, am I right?” He sighed with exasperation. It was always difficult to talk about those subjects, but that mare over there was the most important thing in the world to him, and he could not lie to her. “We share only the same father. My mom was a commoner, and worse, a concordian he met during a campaign the Equestrian army made into their territory to ensure that no concordian would dare to travel to Equestria.” “Were Blueblood and his mother already alive at that time?” He nodded. His marefriend was really good with investigations. “He was just a newborn. Our father was a knight; he occupied the position that Shining Armor came to occupy after him, and that I do now. My mother was a concordian pegasus that worked at a local bar, close to the border. She and my father spent one night sharing some stories from each side, and they had too much cider...” Skipper paused, and turned his head away from the insignia as if he was in shame. “Skipper,” Midnight breathed, “Do you mean that you are-” “A child that our father never wanted. Yes, that’s what I am!” Skipper closed his eyes. He already came to accept who he was, but it was always hard to remember. “My mother slept with him, and got pregnant. The other day, our father ran away, too scared to at least say goodbye to her. When my mom found out she was expecting me, it was already too late. She traveled to Equestria, to try to find him, but when she discovered he was a noble, and had a family, she could not muster up the courage to tell Blueblood’s mom about her husband’s betrayal.” “She returned to Concordia?” He shook his head in negation, “No. She would never make it back. She once told me that crossing from the concordian side was already a victory, and that she would never have the same luck. What she did was remain in Equestria, living a simple life. It was harsh, and she had a newborn colt to raise, but we managed, somehow, until she got too ill to keep going. I grew up, and joined the military, but she died before I could even receive my title as knight.” Midnight came closer, “You told me that you didn’t have any family when we started to date, and that your mother was dead, but I never knew it was so-” “Tragic? Nope! Don’t worry, we had plenty time together! Time to know each other, and time to love each other. It’s painful to remember about her death, but my mom makes me very proud when I stop to think about it. She was a true heroine...” “How did your father come to take you into his family?” “My mom wrote him letters periodically talking about my condition. He kept hiding them from the world, but he always wanted to know me, because his first son was a little...” Midnight chuckled, “Different?” Skipper did the same, “I would use the word exotic, but that works too. While Blueblood was making him ashamed going to galas and parties, and spending his money on trivialities, I was raising in the ranks of the military and being praised by the captains. Of course this attracted our old man’s attention, he really wanted a strong stallion as son to pass on the family’s legacy as Captains of the Royal Guard.” Skipper looked straight at Midnight’s eyes, his expression showing distress, “He summoned me one day to the training grounds and told me everything. He showed me the letters, and said things about my mom that only a pony who knew her could have known. I was infuriated, of course, because I had to study and train hard to become a knight, while my half-brother had the world at his hooves. He told me that he was very proud to have a talented son, and invited me to become part of the House of the Azure Star.” “You accepted?” “I wish I didn’t. However, our old man was on his last days, dying from the same disease that killed my mom.” Midnight led a hoof to her mouth. Skipper let off a pained giggle, thinking how ironic that situation was. “He told me that it was his last wish. I had no choice...” Skipper darted his eyes away, biting his lips. Midnight embraced her coltfriend on her hooves, trying to soothe his pain. “Calm down. You did the right thing.” “While his mother accepted me, and welcomed me as her own son, Blueblood was utterly displeased with me. We fought a lot, from words to swords. He may not look like it, but that bastard knows some tricks with a fencing rapier, not enough to beat me, though. When Shining resigned his position to become emperor of the Crystal Empire, he wanted to take the family’s heirloom, the Insignia of the Azure Star, and become the next Captain, but everypony in the military appointed me to take the position, and well, he hates me for it.” Midnight chuckled again, resting her head at his shoulder, “I’m glad! Did you ever have any doubt about taking the position from him?” “Of course I had...” Midnight backed away, looking to her coltfriend with a puzzled expression, “Then, why did you take it?” Skipper blushed and smiled, “Because I saw a certain bat-pony mare that was Captain of the First Platoon, and she had the most amazing flanks I saw on my life, and the most beautiful eyes in all of Equestria.” Midnight blushed, and slapped the right side of his flank, “So you’re in because of my butt?” He grunted with the shock, giggling, “Not really, but you know how it is, you have to make your move, or else...” The pair exchanged glances in silence for some moments. Their half-lidded eyes burned with warming passion, as they stared at each other’s irises for a few seconds, enjoying the vision to the fullest. Their muzzles slowly approached to each other, as if their mouths had been magnetized. Their moist lips collided, and they joined together into a passionate kiss. Skipper had long forgotten the harshness of the story he just told her. He loved that mare too much to care for his past. Being with her in the present was everything he wanted right now... With a wing, Midnight took a piece of her armor from the ground, and without breaking from their kiss, the mare threw it against the door, closing it shut. “Good evening missy, can I sit here?” Twilight glanced to the side, at a fine looking young stallion, wearing a tuxedo and a hat. “Of course, be my guest,” she answered, quietly. The stallion calmly found his way to her side inside the small cabin of a train going from the Crystal Empire to the city of Vanhoover. “Thank you very much,” the stallion smiled to her. Soon, he eyed Twilight from head to toe, paying attention to the long, black cloak she was wearing, an unusual outfit for riding a train. The alicorn soon noticed this, but she decided to remain quiet, feigning attention to the book she was reading. If she could avoid any questions, she was going to avoid them without thinking twice. “Are you coming from a cold place, missy?” The stallion asked, taking some interest in Twilight’s erratic behavior. She nodded, looking at him with the corner of her eyes, “Crystal Empire...” “I see!” He giggled, “That’s the coldest place that I ever set my hooves on. No wonder you’re dressed like this!” Twilight quickly returned to her book. The stallion blinked in rapid succession, a little dazzled by how Twilight was avoiding him. She wanted to turn invisible right now... “So! Tell me, what’s your name?” He pressed further. The alicorn grinded her teeth. How could she blame a fine looking young male for trying to make his moves towards a young mare, probably the same age as him? Certainly, an entire secret crisis encircling her wasn’t his fault, but still, she needed to avoid contact with any unknown ponies right now. “It’s Twilight...” she breathed, looking at her book all the time. “Nice to meet you Twilight! I’m Flash Sentry!” The stallion opened a huge smile. She remained in silence, praying for the train to arrive at the station as soon as possible. Flash Sentry sighed, “Okay, sorry if I’m upsetting you. I just thought we could chat a while, but I think we can’t, right?” Twilight nodded. As the uneasy silence befell the room, the sharp sound of the train’s whistle cut through it like a sharp knife. Both ponies felt the train stopping, and Twilight quickly grabbed her things using her magic and trotted towards the exit. “I’m sorry Flash Sentry... Maybe in another place, we could have talked more, but in this world, there’s no place for me.” Twilight walked out of the cabin, leaving a confused Flash Sentry behind. As she exited the train, Twilight’s eyes scanned her surroundings. She was at Vanhoover’s station. The city was small compared to a big center such as Manehattan or Canterlot, but it had several attractions that made it a tourism spot of worldwide fame. Vanhoover had everything from museums about ancient lost technology, to water parks, and even research institutes working on several projects to make the equestrians’ lives easier. This was enough to make the station bustle with activity. From her spot, the young alicorn could see every different type of pony around the station. She saw the average earth pony doing menial jobs, such as mop the floors or sell tickets, pegasus flying around selling newspapers and helping groups of ponies to find their ways through the known places of the city, and unicorns using their magic to amuse the crowds in small street shows. Everything along with groups and more groups of ponies, some dressed in very classy attires, or simple garments decorated with a more colorful design. Either way, those ponies coming and going around her were too busy with their own business to mind a heavily dressed mare hiding from attention beneath a black garment. Twilight sighed with relief. She finally felt invisible amid that crowd, and she loved it. I need to find the Nameless Cathedral as soon as possible. However, I can’t navigate through Vanhoover without knowing where to look, and I need to avoid contact with ponies. In other words, I can’t just start asking where it is to everypony; I need just one pony to guide me there directly without questioning why! She glanced around a little more, searching for a friendly face in the crowd, one that looked like a tourist guide. Twilight trotted away from the train and it began its trip to the next destination. She walked down the small set of stairs separating the platform, from the main yard, still trying to find somepony capable of answering her question. No one in sight... “Hey! Stranger!” Her ears captured the small voice calling her even through the deafening chorus of erratic voices buzzing all around her. Judging by the infantile sound, it was a colt. Twilight turned around, feeling a little insecure, “Who’s there?” Indeed, her eyes quickly found a young caramel coated colt, with spiky brown hair covered by a small green beret, looking at her with curious, blue eyes from below. “Are you lost missy?” She nodded, taking her time to look at the small earth pony some more. The alicorn observed that he brought beneath a hoof various newspapers. He smiled to her, “Don’t worry, you were lucky to speak with me! My uncle runs a tourist guide business, and our fee is the smallest in Vanhoover!” Twilight smiled. Even though she declined Cadence’s offer of helping her with horsepower, she couldn't decline the money the Empress willed to lend for her crusade. Money was money, and it mattered not where you used it throughout Equestria, it was the same. Plus, the purple alicorn didn’t had her work at the library, nor her generous scholarship from Canterlot anymore, or even the time to actually earn the bits herself. Travel through Equestria while hiding from the authorities was not the cheapest way of life, making Cadence’s generous donation impossible to refuse. Thanks to that, Twilight was not really worried about the money. “Thank you very much, young one! Could you tell me where I can speak with your uncle?” Twilight said, lowering her head, and speaking close to his ear. The colt cringed a little. The mysterious mare walking on the middle of the day dressed in that black cloak seemed a little intimidating. “O-Of course! Just go right there!” He raised a hoof, pointing to a small corridor in between two ticket cabins, “It’s the white door, just remember to say that you’re there thanks to my recommendation. My uncle gives me some coins after the work when I send a client to him.” Twilight giggled, and used her magic to levitate his beret. “What are you doing missy?” He shouted in surprise. The alicorn inverted his hat, and using more magic, she levitate a huge quantity of bit coins, placing them inside the beret, then on the ground in front of him. “Is this enough to buy a newspaper, and thank you for the indication?” His eyes almost popped out of his head. It was probably the first time he saw so much money coming his way, “It’s enough to buy all the newspapers I have!” “I need only one. You can take the rest as a small tip,” she winked. Twilight took the newspaper in her mouth, and walked away from the colt to the small corridor he showed her. Finally reaching the corridor, the alicorn looked around and found a small white door, opened. She trotted nearer and found a small room. Inside, she could see a huge counter, from wall to wall, those painted in a mossy green color. Several posters of Vanhoover famous tourism spots were hanging on the three walls encircling the room.There were two chairs right in front of the brown, wooden counter, where Twilight saw a couple of unicorns, dressed as tourists, sat. Those two were chatting with a middle-aged, caramel furred earth pony of grizzly spiky mane. He was wearing a small pair of round eyeglasses and a tie. She knew that the conversation could take a while. Glancing around, she found a bench, right next to the entrance door, and decided to sit there in order to read the equestrian’s newspaper for the first time after the events of one week ago. Calmly, she trotted towards the green bench, and sat. Using her mouth, Twilight took the recently bought newspaper from inside her saddlebag. She was getting used to not use her magic all the time, like she did when she was just a unicorn. Using her telekinesis just to open it, Twilight started to glance through the main news. She was looking for anything related with the incident, and indeed, she found... Princess Celestia is out in vacation, leaving her younger sister, Princess Luna, charged with running Equestria! Twilight’s face contorted into a confused frown. Wait, what? How Celestia can go out on a trip after everything happened? She decided to read deeper into the column. After the events with the assassination of six national heroines, Princess Celestia needed a vacation from her arduous task of running our nation. Her medical team warned the Royal Council about our Holy Lady’s weak health conditions after being put under so much stress due to the mysterious events where the five bearers of the Elements of Harmony, along with her personal student, Twilight Sparkle, lost their lives while fighting a powerful enemy. Without mental health to keep running the difficult life of Holy Lady, Princess Celestia retired for an unknown period of time to a far away castle to the south, where her closest friends plan on nursing her back to perfect health. Princess Luna, her younger sister and co-ruler, took the responsibility of giving us both the sun and the moon, and is going to act as our Holy Lady while her sister rests. When questioned if the “Powerful Enemy” was disposed of, her closest knights and advisors said that it’s still on the run, but the deceased Elements weakened it to a point where the army can easily destroy it, before this monstrosity who took Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle from us can do any more harm to our peaceful country. The newspaper was reduced to a smashed ball the second Twilight finished reading the column. She felt a mixture of anger and sadness inside of her, strong enough to make her scream. So many years living at Celestia’s side made her a very aware pony, especially in fields such as politics. She could easily spot a lie on a newspaper when she saw one, and she knew this was a lie fabricated by nobles in order to soothe the population’s cravings for knowledge about Grogar’s invasion and the magical pillar of white light, as well as the shocking news about the destruction of the Elements of Harmony. Also, they were saying she was dead, and her friends too... She could only keep shaking her head in negation while smashing the paper further and thinking about how they were bold enough to say those things about her friends. They were alive! However, a story of such proportions could not be entirely false. Something smelled fishy, especially about Celestia’s illness... Alicorns can’t get ill. Twilight recalled the words Cadence spoke to her previously at the balcony. If alicorns can’t get ill, then why Princess Celestia is retiring? What is happening at Canterlot that requires her to actually stop doing the job she did for more than a thousand of years? She threw the smashed paper at the nearest trash can. Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. At least, the Royal Council isn't pointing their hooves at me. They are just killing me along with the girls, and they don’t want the masses to know about the Twilight Princess yet. Even so, Ponyville knows that I am still alive. Everypony over there saw me that day. Lucky for the government, Ponyville is a small rural countryside town that no one ever heard about, and news about the Twilight Princess will probably turn into hoaxes on their way to the big cities, which gives me more time. However, I don’t know how much time I have with the army looking for me, and if I know correctly how our kind can be a bit ‘extreme’ with hoaxes, the Royal Council will have to make my existence public sooner or later, and I can expect the masses turning me into public enemy number one. I need to find the answers fast! The sounds of trotting hooves robbed Twilight from her thoughts. “Thank you very much, Mister Mane for your indication, we shall use this guide while we visit Vanhoover,” the female unicorn chirped happily, as she and her husband walked out of the small room. “Don’t sweat it!” The spectacled stallion replied while waving a hoof, “Hope you like your stay!” Twilight observed everything in silence. The stallion turned to her with a happy expression and asked, “Are you the next on the line for treatment, my dear?” “Your cousin told me about you,” Twilight nodded and jumped out of the bench, going towards him. “That colt! He’s a hard worker! I need to thank him more today. Come, let’s see what the Grizzly Mane Tourist Agency can do for you.” “Are you sure that you don’t want to let that cloak at the hanger my dear? It’s a quite hot day, and you must be dying all covered like that.” The stallion, on the other side of the counter, sitting down in his own chair asked, eyeing Twilight’s heavy clothing with surprise. “I’m fine, thank you for your offer again,” the alicorn shook her head in denial. It was obvious that she could not took her cloak off. She didn’t even want to think about how other ponies would react upon seeing an alicorn trotting through the street like it was the most normal thing in the world. “Okay...” He continued to stare at Twilight with a frightened expression, “Well, what can we do for you?” “I need to go to a place called the ‘Nameless Cathedral’. I want to hire a guide to take me there, one that does not ask questions, and is kind enough to show me the way right now.” The stallion nodded, “I have the perfect pony for you, my dear!” He opened a drawer on the counter, and took a piece of paper. With his mouth, he quickly wrote something on it, and hoofed it down to Twilight. “She’s working at her charity job at the moment, but she’s about to finish, you can go and show this to her. She’s a kind mare, the quiet type, and will not ask you any questions if you don’t want to. What’s better, she knows Vanhoover like the palm of her hoof!” Twilight looked at the paper for some seconds, and turned back to the stallion, “That’s excellent, Mister. Thank you kindly.” “You can speak about our fees directly with her, and we are very happy to serve you! Hope you enjoy your stay!” The alicorn ventured through the nearby streets. Far from the station, she soon came to realize that Vanhoover was a quiet town. She still spotted some tourists groups, but it was nothing compared to the vivid station. Minutes walking, and from afar, at the end of a long avenue, Twilight saw the hospital. It was a huge building, made in the classical era, rich with small details adorning the big marble columns and statues of Celestia along the frontage, marks of the said period of architecture. The entrance revealed a beautiful garden, full of greenery. Tall and well cared trees nested several birds, and the path to the stairway was surrounded by several flowers, of different colors and sizes. From her position, the alicorn could spot a crowd, formed only by fillies and colts, on the marble path leading to the main entrance. She could hear their laughs from afar; certainly, they were having fun. A smile formed at her face. Twilight loved to hear the laughs of a foal, and it was even better when they were such spontaneous demonstrations of happiness. It reminded her of Pinkie... Twilight trotted further, now reaching the big walls encircling the building. She looked the yard inside through the huge, iron gates that were opened. I bet the one performing the show to them is my guide. Let’s wait until she finishes... Calmly, the alicorn trotted towards a nearby bench, and sat. She continued to look at the crowd of foals, and observed they were all wearing hospital clothes. Some of them were bald, while another had a limb missing. Those are all disabled foals, or they probably have serious illnesses. I would like to know who’s the mare doing this charity job. What she is doing is marvelous. “For my next trick, I will need a volunteer. Who would like to help me?” Twilight heard a very familiar voice, making her ears perk up. “Me! Please!” A small bald filly vigorously waved a hoof. “Alright! Seeing how you were fast enough, I will let you help me. I present you, the Magic Boxes!” The alicorn saw a strong blast of pink light. The mare doing this job was a strong unicorn, and she just used a high level summoning spell, Twilight concluded. “This challenge is rather simple, you need to pick one of those three boxes, and if you find the golden coin, you can have a prize! Are you ready to take me on, little one?” “Of course!” The showmare giggled, “You beat me last week, Sun Beam, but I trained extra hard for today!” “C’mon, shuffle them!” The upbeat filly shouted. “Okay. Here’s the coin, as you can see, it’s golden. Now, I will put it under one of the boxes, like this and...” Twilight saw another blast of pink light, and at the same time, all the foal started to sound as if they were seeing the most amazing thing of their lives. “She’s moving them faster, for sure!” A colt shouted on the middle of the crowd. “Can you really follow her, Sun Beam?” Another filly asked. “Shhh! Keep quiet, she’s focused, can’t you tell?” The light stopped suddenly, and the alicorn heard the showmare once again. “Can you guess where the golden coin is, Sun Beam?” Some seconds of silence passed. No foal was brave enough to even make a sound. “Here,” she chirped. “I’m sorry filly, but as you can see, this box has a silver coin below it!” The showmare shouted, victorious. The other foals started to laugh. “Yes! She finally beat you, Sun Beam!” One of the colts said aloud, going closer to the bald filly, “Don’t worry, I know you can win again next week.” “Wait!” Sun Beam’s command made even the birds on the trees stop, and pay attention on her. “What is it, filly? I got you this time, can’t you see?” “No you don’t! Show us the back of the coin!” The showmare remained in silence for a few moments, then suddenly burst into laugh, “You are too smart for me, Sun Beam!” “The coin has two sides! One is golden, but the other is silver!” The colt near Sun Beam breathed. “Yup!” The filly turned to him, answering, “She just inverted the coin inside the box with her magic, without any of us noticing, because we were paying too much attention at the new speed she was using.” Twilight saw some nurses exiting the building, slowly walking towards the crowd. “Awww! The nurses are here already,” Sun Beam complained. “Yeah... It’s a shame,” the showmare replied. “Wait!” The filly said aloud with surprise, “Where’s my prize?” “I wasn't expecting you to beat me again, Sun Beam. I hadn't brought anything for you this time...” “But you said I would get a prize!” “Yes, you are right. Here, take this.” The filly stuttered in surprise, “It’s your hat!” “Of course, and you earned it. Take it with you, and lets bet it next week.” “Okay! You’re not going to beat me!” Quickly, all the fillies and colts followed the nurses back to the hospital. The crowd started to vanish, and Twilight would finally be able to see who was the showmare doing the stunts. Her jaw almost dropped... “Trixie!” Twilight jumped out of her bench, and walked towards Trixie with eyes wide open in surprise, and a confused expression on her face. She observed that Trixie was smiling weekly, happy for completing another day of her charity job. Where was the snotty and cruel mare Twilight once knew, she could only wonder... Trixie turned around, and immediately found the somber figure walking towards her. The blue unicorn cringed a little, scared by the mysterious mare coming in her direction. “C-Can I help you?” She asked, worried. “Y-Yes!” Twilight stuttered, “I’m your client, from the tourism agency. Mister Mane told me to come here to find you.” Twilight did her best to avoid eye contact, and tried to keep her face hidden under the hood, Trixie could easily identify her, and that could mean trouble. “Your voice... It sounds awfully familiar...” Trixie breathed, trying to see the hidden figure below the black cloth. Twilight coughed, and turned in the opposite direction, “S-Sorry! My voice really sounds common! You’re not the first one to say that!” She answered, trying her best to fake her voice. Trixie raised an eyebrow, discontent, “Are you kidding me? Please, do not mock me, I don’t like when a pony tries to make a fool out of me.” “I’m not doing anything as such Miss, I’m just a really reserved pony, who would like to avoid unwanted questions. Mister Mane told me that you were a guide who does not ask much...” “Mister Mane told you the truth, Mistress. However, I do not trust in ponies who are hiding themselves from me,” saying those words, Trixie started to trot towards the gates. Twilight tried to stop her, “Wait! Where are you going?” “I have more important business to take care of.” “What about your payment? I can pay you more if you guide me without seeing my identity!” “I’m not going to sell myself, sorry. That’s my politics, and even if Mister Mane gets pissed with me because I refused a job, I will answer to him later.” Twilight was cornered. Trixie was the best guide to take her to the nameless cathedral. She didn’t had the luxury of choosing them, seeing how her time at a city was supposed to be short, after all, the army was looking for her, and she could be spotted at any time. Her only option was to accept Trixie’s terms... “Wait!” She shouted, not faking her voice anymore. Trixie froze in place, and turned back. Twilight removed her hood, “It’s me Trixie...” The unicorn’s eyes widened in shock, and her jaw immediately dropped. Her expression twisted into the most baffled face that Twilight ever saw, as if Trixie was seeing a ghost... “Sparkle!” Trixie shouted, scared, “What the hay? You’re dead!” The alicorn shook her head, taking a few steps forward and trying to explain, “No Trixie, I’m not.” Trixie backed away, “The reports says otherwise!” “I know!” Twilight shouted, “They are lying to you, and to everypony of Equestria. I didn’t died that night. I don’t know exactly why the nobles forged this hoax about my death, but I am pretty much alive.” The unicorn remained frozen in place, confused and scared, staring at Twilight without blinking for a second. Twilight didn’t knew what to say. “Okay, but what are you doing here in Vanhoover, then?” Trixie asked, breaking the silence. “I’ve told you, I need to go to the nameless cathedral, fast,” Twilight turned her head around, glad that Trixie didn’t made any other questions related to the events of one week ago. “Why there? I know you’re an egghead, but that’s just a historical site. There’s nothing important there,” Trixie replied, raising an eyebrow. “It can hold the clues that I need to find them...” Twilight breathed. Trixie’s expression turned to curiosity, “Who’s them?” “My friends, Trixie.” “You mean the Elements of Harmony? Are you telling me they aren’t dead either, but you don’t know where they are?” The unicorn led a hoof to her chin, bombarding Twilight with a questioning gaze. Twilight nodded, “So many things happened. I don’t want to talk about them, but yes, they disappeared. I need to find them Trixie, to put everything back in place, and you are the only one who can help me!” The awkward silence fell over the place again. The rivals exchanged glances for some moments. Trixie looked puzzled, while Twilight’s eyes beamed with determination. “You can have other guides, you know,” Trixie spoke, and turned around. Twilight gulped, fearing that the unicorn was going to leave her behind, “They aren’t going to trust me if I don’t tell them my motives. Plus, I need to go there fast, because-” The alicorn stopped mid-sentence. She almost let slip the fact that she was being chased by the authorities. Annoyed, the unicorn turned her neck, casting an irritated glance over Twilight, “Because?” “I have my reasons...” Twilight turned her head away. Trixie chuckled, amused, “Are you kidding me? I’ve told you that I do not like being mocked. I would do less questions, if you were a tourist. However, to me, you’re a ghost, and your actions are suspicious. I’m trying to be a better pony, Sparkle, and I’m not going to involve myself into political messes. If you do not tell me what’s exactly happening here, then forget it.” Twilight bit her lips. She was too desperate to lose Trixie’s skills like that. She closed her eyes, and slowly, she led all her limbs to the ground, and lowered her head. “I’m begging... No! I’m imploring; Please! Help me!” Trixie looked to the pathetic heap in front of her with half-lidded eyes. She sighed, and turned her head away, “No.” Twilight rose her head, “Why?” “I can’t. I still can’t forgive you for the humiliation you made me go through.” The alicorn’s face contorted into an enraged frown, she was starting to get pissed with Trixie for acting as the selfish bastard from the past. “What I need to do for you to help me?” “Nothing. I want you to disappear from my field of view, and crawl back to your coffin, Sparkle.” Twilight grinded her teeth, “You are humiliating me for revenge, aren’t you?” “Maybe,” Trixie breathed, smiling, “It’s rather amusing to have you at my feet, begging for my help. I can’t say it’s not pleasant...” The alicorn quickly stood up, furious, “You really need to feel superior, Trixie?” She chuckled as response, “I don’t need to feel, because I am superior, Sparkle!” “I have to disagree! You’re just a selfish bastard! Aren’t you saying you want to become a better pony?” Trixie turned around, irritated, “ Yes I am! However, it does not mean I need to help every little hayseed that appears at my door, begging for help. You’re are an enemy to me!” “Same here!” Twilight shouted, “I need your damn help, and I will get it, even if I have to force you!” Trixie grinded her teeth and trotted near Twilight, “What the hay are you talking about?” “I challenge you to a duel!” Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise again, “What kind of debauchery is this?” “You heard me! This time, I’m the one challenging you to a duel!” Twilight stood nose to nose against the blue unicorn, looking straight at her eyes with determination. If I can’t convince Trixie to help me through her kindness, then I have to use other methods, such as showing her that I’m still strong and need to be respected. It’s a strange way of gaining her trust, but that it’s the only card I have left... Twilight took a deep breath, “No tricks this time! No magical amulets, no friends to help me! Just you and me, and our magical abilities! If I win, you’re are going to guide me to the nameless cathedral, without asking anything!” Trixie backed away a little, smirking with satisfaction, “And what if you lose?” The alicorn shook her head, “I’m not going to lose...” Trixie laughed hard, “That’s a deal, filly. It’s time for the Great and Powerful Trixie, to finally prove who’s the strongest unicorn in this country! You’re are in hot water, because I don’t plan on holding back!” “Me neither!” Twilight smirked. I have only one spell at my side. I don’t know if Trixie got anymore powerful after all those months, but I bet I can defeat her using my intelligence like last time... Right?