//------------------------------// // The Fragments // Story: We Three Alicorns // by zakueins //------------------------------// PINKIE PIE The Pinkie Sense. Ponies have gone mad trying to figure it out.  The problem was...they were looking for complexity in something that was simplicity. Every pony had a Pinky Sense. Only, Pinkie Pie listened to hers. Thirty-three muffins today, it was thirty-two yesterday and will be thirty-one tomorrow and there are only sixteen buttons on those two vests and those nineteen days of cucumbers and eleven hours of dogs and cats and puppies and kittens and puppet time and all ice cream goes to heaven... Pinkie Pie walked through the restaurant, as the noise grew.  She could feel it in the crinkling of her hair, the twitching of her tail, the ripple of time and flow and space that she knew was all hers. It was beginning again. Ponies didn’t understand how much of their world was afloat on a sea of chaos, whorls of probability, and the flutter of butterfly and breezie wings.  Pinkie Pie sailed on those seas, floating on the confusion, and was as much a part of those flows as was the ship of her soul.  She existed in the moment-and she was forever sailing on the stormy seas of possibility. Having friends helped.  The more people on her ship, the easier it was to keep it trimmed.  The more noise, the more she could focus on what was important. The less noise...the soundtrack of a universe of madness began to flow into her. Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt, would you kindly?, don't gain the world and lose your soul, the flesh of fallen angels, make us whole again, the darkness cannot be breached, remember: Science is the future, and the future starts with you, the Left Eye, our treasured Left Eye, will never fall into the hands of another!, You Did It, Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you when you're sleeping, I am a son of earth and starry heaven, I am thirsty, give me a drink from the fountain of memory… The hair began to grow even more curlier and the tail twitches grew more and more detailed.  Pinkie Pie knew what that meant...a storm was coming.  The glass was dropping, and the clouds were forming on the horizon.  Her nose twitched with increasing possibility, and she knew dark things were ahoof because her left ear was twitching clockwise and her right ear was twitching counter-clockwise.  Like a sailing ship captain, Pinkie Pie knew-at the most instinctual levels-when things changed.  There was time-time to trim the sails, to turn to face the ship to the storm, to start the pumps, but only if she acted now… The sparrows are flying again, they haunt minds, neither can live while the other survives, everything that has a beginning has an end, do you know how to get to Shell Beach?, think on your sins, look at us, look at what they make you give, something fell, try to remember-it's only a game, it's a strange world, let's keep it that way, cast in the name of God, ye not guilty, three hundred and twenty years have passed since the coven sank in the dark, two by two, hands of blue… Pinkie Pie found a seat, and looked out across the whole town of Ponyville.  She could feel the storm coming, as color drained ever so slowly out of her fur, and she realized that the choices that were coming would save or damn souls.  There would be bodies.  There would be blood.  There would be consequences. Such was what Pies did.  They were the very stones of Equestria, that which storms broke upon.  She never asked for this.  She never wanted this.  And none of this would happen if they would just stop.  All of them.  Every monster that came through Equestria...Pinkie Pie knew they were coming...and couldn’t do anything more than be ready for them.  Never preventing them.  Just preparing for those that could stop them. Fulfill the prophecy, may those who accept their fate find happiness, may those who defy their fate find glory, a small wish, Survival Strategy, no rain but thunder, and the sound of giants, you brought this on yourself, it was time, four places at once, rise and rise again, until lambs become lions, hunt the Engineer, and the Engineer hunts you, an Angel touched me, he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts, the wheel of fate is turning, the seed of the Prophet shall sit the throne, and drown in flame the mountains of man… “Here you are, Pinkie Pie!  El Grande Nachos!”  the waitress pony said around the tray in her mouth, putting in front of Pinkie Pie a huge plate of nachos.  Stacked to nearly the ceiling in chips, onions, cheese, and peppers, it was a huge mass of perfect comfort food. The Pinkie Sense stopped. Her color returned, a bright and beautiful pink. The twitches ended, her body restored to hyperactive normalcy. Her main returned to normal, as wild as the wind-swept moors. Silence.  And, nachos! “Golly, gosh gee, thank you!”  Pinkie Pie burbled. And, so, Pinkie Pie ate.  In her mind, she remembered the two most important things she needed to know right now. Here and now, we're alive. And…nachos! TWILIGHT SPARKLE She stood in the middle of her basement, and took a long, slow, deep breath. She was the Element of Magic.  A Princess and an alicorn by the simple fact that she had earned it.  She had created the reduced character spell sets, which lessened the amount of effort a unicorn needed to cast magic spells.  She was one of only thirty ponies that even knew of the Great Orrery, the magical artifact that Princess Celestia created to help her after the Night that Never Ended.  Indeed, she had made two modifications that had lessened the energy that Princess Celestia needed every day to move the Sun and Moon.  Discovered the Final Spell of Starswirl the Bearded, and recreated his work perfectly.  Ascended to the rank of Princess and transformed into an alicorn. She was the founder of a whole new theory and school of magic, Friendshipology. And, this problem was kicking her flank like no other problem ever had. The walls were studded with notes.  She had divided them between the various aspects that the problem embodied.  North wall was the foals-birth, origins, theories.  She had found the newspaper reports of the house fire in Manehattan.  The name of their mother, Midnight Bloom, and everything she did in magical research.  Twilight Sparkle might not have been as deep into magical biology as Midnight Bloom was, but she knew the dance steps and many things she had worked on also related to Midnight Bloom’s work. South wall was the demon summoning-how they did it, location, why they chose Liger Diablocus over any number of other creatures of the night.  Which she had solved, mostly...ease of summoning, ease of “programming” for targets, and all of which could be done in a six pony cart with a single sacrificial goat. Of course, Twilight Sparkle had plans to...talk with the summoners once she had a chance to figure out who they were.  Mostly, said talk was going to involve her working with a full summoning grid.  And showing them how a proper summoning took place.  That doing so was probably illegal and most certainly highly immoral was irrelevant.  Twilight Sparkle was a Princess, she could just pardon herself. East wall was everything she knew about the Order of Eternal Night.  Files borrowed from Celestia’s secure archives.  Notes from the few defectors that had escaped or ran from the Order.  And none in the past hundred years, Twilight Sparkle noted.  Use of spell oath geas to keep the inner circle under control?  If so, what does that say about the leadership?  She used her magic to push another piece of paper and a note pin into the wall.  The connections the Order had with the magical underground-sexual slavery and artifacts to ensure the loyalty of their slaves, specialized (and highly illicit) foal breeding, creation of magical potions-were detailed as well. West wall was the wall that Twilight Sparkle was the wall she was most disappointed with.  It was the “I can’t figure out where else to put it” wall.  It was also the most crowded of walls.  Random notes, ideas, concepts...a thousand and one things.  And, all the notes she had on one Dev Null, a pegasus pony with a most unique Cutie Mark...and one that made so little sense.  How does a pegasus get a sixteen-variable manifold intersecting a spherical cone, which is something you only see in theoretical thaumaturgy... Twilight Sparkle looked at the walls.  Obsession was always a danger in ponies-something in their brains made it so easy to hold onto things that they should just let go of.  And, Spike knew the warning signs, which was why he had snuck up on her and dumped a bucket of ice water on her head. She emerged from the rain of water sputtering and gasping.  “SPIKE!” she yelled, causing the corkboards on the walls to rattle.  “Why did you do that?” “You’ve been in the basement for three days consecutively,” Spike replied without guilt, holding the bucket up in his claws.  “You gave me written instructions on this kind of thing, Twilight!  And, I was to start with the bucket of ice water and work my way up.” Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, pulled a towel out of Elsewhere and dried herself off.  “That I did.  Breakfast, lunch, or dinner?” “Lunchtime,” Spike noted.  “Made your favorite, as well.  But, only if you come out of the basement to the kitchen.” Twilight Sparkle sighed, but she left the basement. Two hayburgers, salad, and a soda later, Twilight Sparkle looked around the Ponyville Library.  “So, what day is it?”  Twilight Sparkle asked. “Tuesday,” Spike sighed.  “So, new book day.  The EPS mare hasn’t gotten here yet, and since they don’t normally send new books by 8am delivery, we’re good for a…” The doorbell rung.  Spike came over, and Twilight Sparkle could hear, “Oh, hi there Derpy, what do you…” Sudden silence.  Then, “Twilight, could you come here please?” Twilight Sparkle came over, saying, “Spike, are they requiring me to sign…,” when she saw it. There were...six Equestrian Postal Service delivery trucks there.  And, Derpy Hooves was offering up a clipboard.  “Here you are,” Derpy said around the clipboard in her mouth.  “Your packages are here, Princess.” Spike looked at Twilight Sparkle and sighed, “Twilight, did you really have to order all that stuff to do the research on what happened two weeks ago?” Twilight Sparkle looked at the contents on the clipboard. “No, I didn’t…” “Good,” Spike said. “But, one box is the stuff I ordered, the rest is the backlog of new books because of the weather back East.  You remember what Rainbow Dash was saying-pretty much every weather pony on the East Coast is working their flanks off because there’s a huge system out there.  Snow, thunder flurries, windigos, rain, all the huge nasty stuff,” Twilight Sparkle continued. “Oh,” Spike replied. “How many boxes of new books?” “Sixteen,” Twilight Sparkle replied, smiling. “But, there is some good news at the huge mass of boxes we’ve gotten.” “Twilight, that’s going to take us most of the day to shelve!  How is it a good thing?” “New Honor Hoofington novel, as well as some of our other favorites, including Quantum Mechanics with Stellar Physics!”  Twilight Sparkle giggled. “Ugh, romance novels,” Spike sighed.  “I suppose you’ll be ‘busy’,” and here, Spike made air quotes, “all night tonight, right?” “Spike, it’s the next book in Quantum Mechanics with Stellar Physics!”  Twilight Sparkle gushed.  “It’s here where they’re going to solve the quadratic equation of ero…” “Ah, sorry, Twilight,” Derpy Hooves interrupted, “could you please sign?” Twilight Sparkle realized that she was pronking again and blushed. “Ooops, sorry,” she said, and signed the clipboard. “Thank you!” As the mail mares were pulling the boxes off their carts, Twilight Sparkle took the box that she requested from the Royal Archives down to the basement.  “Spike, I’ll drop this box off, and I promise I’ll be up to help with everything else,” she said over her shoulder as she left. Spike sighed, but he started to get the invoices for the other boxes.  Twilight was going to be back down in the basement for hours and… “So, what box do we open first?”  Twilight Sparkle asked, sneaking up on Spike. “Uh, Twilight?”  Spike asked in reply, looking at her. “I said I’d just drop the box off,” Twilight Sparkle looked at Spike funny and while she was developing the little twitch of an unsolved problem (Spike knew what those looked like from when she was short on a friendship report), at this stage it should be a medium twitch in the ears and a bit of the lower left eyelid.  Nope, just a slight twitch of her right ear. “Well, normally, when we get stuff like this, you’re down in the basement and are there for days.  I’d have to bring down your ‘special’ toybag, dinner, and Quantum Mechanics with Stellar Physics.  So, why are you back so soon?”  Spike asked, curious. Twilight Sparkle was shocked, then she blushed.  “After listening to what happened with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle I realized that occasionally I’m insensitive and silly.  Applejack, and her anger issues,” and here she rubbed her cheek where Applejack had nearly bucked her when she got to talking about Apple Bloom and her working with Steam Heart, “reminded me that occasionally I’ve got to be a better pony.  I backslid the last few days, but I’m really trying to do better.  And ‘doing better’ means that I’m helping you with the sorting, the cataloging, and the shelving,” she finished. Spike’s jaw dropped. “Twi...wow, I mean...wow!” “Why so surprised?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “There’s a bit of history with you and mad science, remember?  Moth-apple ponies, trees that buck back, the frog-orange spell, the Cutie Mark Crusader Cutie Mark Accelerator, and of course the ‘Want It, Need It’ spell…”  Here, Spike trailed off.  “But, if you’re trying, I’ve gotta help-you keep saying you want to be better.” Here, Twilight Sparkle smiled, “And, with my number one assistant, I’m going to succeed!  To the sorting!” Twilight Sparkle turned to the library, lifting two boxes with her telekinesis.  Spike sighed as he saw her tail. It was definitely starting off at third-stage twitching.  He was going to have to organize a whole new set of warning signs for Twilight Sparkle… Spike was sitting in his room, reading A Rising Thunder, and trying to ignore Twilight Sparkle and her “audience participation” bits while she was reading Quantum Mechanics with Stellar Physics.  His own room was a new thing for Spike-for years, he’d have nightmares (and not the interesting kind) if he slept anywhere other than in close proximity to Twilight Sparkle.  He had a room of his own, of course-but he always slept at the foot of Twilight Sparkle’s bed or at her hooves if they were anywhere else. Twilight Sparkle was curious as to why, but dragon mating and rearing practices tended to be rather vague (mostly due to dragon parents eating pony researchers).  However, Twilight Sparkle didn’t mind having Spike there, she was the nearest thing he had to a parent and she wasn’t going to leave him, ever. In the last few weeks, he’d wanted to “grow up” a bit, and have some space of his own.  Seeing how Rarity had responded to Trenderhoof was another sign that he needed to “grow up”.  Either Rarity would see how much he loved her, or he would find the power to break out of her orbit-either way, he needed the strength.  So, it was time to start being a bit more independent of a dragon, able to stand on his hooves without more help. And, while he had bad dreams, they were only once a week at most.  Okay, for a few days after the demon attack, but they were demons-and Spike should have been big enough and strong enough to take them on.  One day, soon-which gave him even more reason to be stronger. So, it was to his entire surprise when Twilight Sparkle came through the door, wearing nothing but color-coordinated lingerie and stockings, a scroll in her telekinesis, and a wild look in her eyes.  “SPIKE!” she gasped, her eyes bright.  She strode into the room and picked up Spike as well with her telekinesis. “I’mgladyou’reupbecauseIneedyoutosendascrolland…,” she gasped, heading downstairs with Spike in tow. “Twilight!  What’s wrong!?!”  Spike asked, trying very very hard to not think of what Rarity would look in lingerie and stockings as well, mostly by keeping his eyes on a particular knot in the ceiling and ignoring the clutching in his hips. Twilight Sparkle realized what she was doing, had the decency to look embarrassed, and set Spike down on his feet.  “I’m sorry, I just figured it out...I was right in the middle of the part where Linear Equation shows Sequential Calculus that thing he learned from Dirac Sea, the one where…” “Twilight!  TOO MUCH INFORMATION!”  Spike gasped, holding his hands over his ears. “Ooops, sorry,” Twilight Sparkle’s blush was bright enough to light the room.  “Anyways, as I was...oops, almost too much information again...I realized that you could use quantum resonance to track the demon summoners!  Especially using the reduced character spell sets, you have to tie in your own personal harmonics much tighter.  So, I wrote it all down and I wanted to have you get it to CSI Griffin by dragon post now, so he can see it in the morning.” “Okay, Twilight,” Spike sighed, found the address tag on the scroll, and gave it a good belch. The fire burned the scroll and it vanished nearly instantly. “So, now what?” Here, Twilight Sparkle blushed even more-if that was even possible. “Well...I’m going to go back to my room, and see if Linear Equation learned to do his new thing very well...and, thanks, Spike.” “No problem, Twilight,” Spike replied, keeping a firm focus on that one particular knot of wood and working through fast multiplication tables to try and help get his mind off Twilight Sparkle and lingerie and Rarity… “Spike, are you okay?”  Twilight Sparkle asked.  “Is there something wrong?” “If I said ‘it’s a dragon thing’, you wouldn’t leave me alone, would you?”  Spike asked, trying to work through the powers of nine table… “Well, if you tell me what’s wrong…,” Twilight Sparkle said innocently, “I might be able to help…” “Well…,” Spike said, keeping his eyes on that knot of wood and working randomly through the multiplication tables. From outside the library, there was silence, and then an explosive “WHAT!!!” from inside the tree that lit up and rattled all the windows.  Then, silence again. Inside, Twilight Sparkle gasped, and Spike was very, very quiet.  Between them was a large scorch mark where Twilight Sparkle had kept a very powerful explosive spell from going off.  Both were covered in soot, and Twilight Sparkle’s lingerie was completely blown off. “You did ask!”  Spike said loudly over the ringing in his ears. “I did,” Twilight Sparkle replied, and sighed.  “I’m sorry I did, Spike.  I’ll clean up the mess, and thank you.” Spike smiled cautiously and said, “I’ll help.  I mean, you did ask.  But, I did answer.” FLUTTERSHY Fluttershy was pacing.  Her nerves were tight, and she knew that she was a scared little foal in the world that was so terrifying and something that had made sense made no sense anymore… “So, what has you up in a tizzy,” Discord said, appearing behind Fluttershy.  “I mean, you’re safe, the monsters are gone…” “Um…,” Fluttershy asked, “when they attacked, where were you?” Discord considered this for a second.  “Here,” he said, pointing at the floor of the cabin.  “If I showed up, dramatic tension would have been ruined, and Twilight Sparkle wouldn’t have been able to save you, which would make this story, well...kind of boring, don’t you think?  Especially with the spectacular way she blew apart three Liger Diablocus in one blast…” “One,” Fluttershy corrected softly.  “She took out one.” Discord looked at Fluttershy with an amazed expression, then smiled.  “Oh, she only got one?  Who got the other two?” “Apple Bloom did, both of them with one blast,” Fluttershy finished, a bit more loudly. Discord froze stock-still, his jaw dropping a bit, then he tossed in the air, laughing, “BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  Oh, come on, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom is an Earth pony, did she trample them to death?  Annoy them into submission?” “No, she’s...she’s an alicorn, like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, they’ve been hiding here in town for the last two years,” Fluttershy corrected. Discord just looked at her, and waggled his lion paw at her.  “Now, now, Fluttershy, stop pulling my leg, this one has bells on,” as a soft ringing of church bells came from his goat hoof.  “The Cutie Mark Crusaders were alicorns? For two years and I didn’t even notice them?” “Well, um...yes,” Fluttershy replied softly. Discord’s jaw dropped.  Literally, it dropped onto the floor, and he had to grab it and reinstall it.  “Damn.  Just a second,” and with a single gesture he opened up a blue portal to reveal...another Discord.  “Hey, you were right and you won the bet,” Discord said, grumpily. “I was?”  Discord replied.  “Damn, I thought I’d be wrong.  So, got the cookies?” “Here,” Discord said, handing Discord the chocolate chip thumbprint cookies. “Next time, I’m betting on Applejack secretly being one of the Lost Princesses.  I’m not going to guess that Rainbow Dash is Scootaloo’s mom!” “You’re just a sore loser,” Discord smiled. “But, I got cookies, so it makes it much more worthwhile.  Thanks!” “You’re welcome,” Discord replied and closed the portal.  He looked at the air where the portal was and grumbled, “Silly -1313 version of me, seems to always know what’s going on…” Fluttershy looked at Discord and shook her head.  “Um...what were you doing there?” Discord looked at Fluttershy in a bit of shock, and said, “Well, I was talking with another one of me in another branch of reality.  One of the main lines, I mean.  If we went for branches and small alternates, we’d never get anything done.” “So...there’s other universes?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “Oh yes, pretty nearly an infinite number of them, but only the major ones are worth my time,” Discord replied.  “I mean, if I went everywhere, I’d spread myself a touch too thin and that’s never fun.” “So...does it matter, what we do here?”  Fluttershy asked.  “I mean, if the universe is infinite, there are an infinite number of possibilities, so why should we do anything.” Discord looked at Fluttershy, and thought for a bit.  “Fluttershy, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  Let us pretend that reality is infinite,” he said. “But, you said it was,” Fluttershy interrupted softly. “Yes, but the possibility of an infinite reality also implies the possibility, no the probability that it might not be infinite.  Don’t think too hard on that, it’ll give you a headache.  But, let’s play with that thought experiment for a minute.  Let’s pretend that reality is infinite.  For example…” Now, Fluttershy was watching as Twilight Sparkle and Discord were in front of an altar, Princess Celestia behind it, Discord in a suit, and Twilight Sparkle in a wedding dress…no wings, she was still a unicorn, but that made no sense as it had been soon after Discord being nice that Twilight Sparkle ascended, “There’s a universe where I married Twilight Sparkle.  No mind control, I promised-well, none other than the magic of love.” “And, you may now kiss the bride,” Princess Celestia said, to the cheering crowd. Another sudden shift of perspective, and Fluttershy was in the wedding dress, with Discord standing beside her, with Luna officiating the wedding.  “We got married here, as well,” Discord said with a smile. Another, sharp shift of perspective, and Fluttershy was standing in a darkened room, watching as a sleeping Pinkie Pie was snuggled into...a pony in bed together?  A pony with black and red eyes and a face that seemed so familiar… “Oh, this one?  I lost a bet with Princess Celestia, that I couldn’t ‘fake’ being a pony for a month.  And, when I came to town, the first pony I met?  Pinkie Pie.  Fell for her, head over hooves, and I realized that a few decades of me being a pony was a small price to pay for her happiness.” “Is that Applejack,” Pinkie Pie whispered softly, half-asleep. “No, love, tonight is the training montage for Fluttershy-616, tomorrow night is the training montage for Applejack-723,” Discord said softly into Pinkie Pie’s ear, snuggling into her mane. “Okie dokey, Loki,” Pinkie murmured, falling back asleep again, snuggled up tight. “And, as a slight aside, you want to see what chaos is?  Look inside her head,” Discord whispered conspiratorially, “Just, don’t ask for cupcakes.” Another, sudden jarring shift of perspective, as Fluttershy stood-stood!-in the middle of a street, as Discord rested her head on her shoulder, hordes of satyr-like caribou coming from ahead, and Twilight Sparkle, in armor, looking more like a satyr than a pony (she had hands...fingers!  And, wearing armor and a helmet that had a hole for her horn), waved at Rainbow Dash (whom looked like a satyr and was flying on her wings overhead), and she raised a staff in her hands.  “This universe?  Last free city of Equestria, as the Caribou hordes came from the North, raping and enslaving and killing any pony that didn’t know their place…,” Discord said.  “Never did like any universe where Equestria fell to the caribou.  So, I’ll do my small part here to keep it from falling.” The perspective shifted again, as Fluttershy was standing in a hospital maternity room.   Her hooves (hooves again!) were on the bed, as Twilight Sparkle, visibly pregnant, was moaning as Discord held a hoof in his hand.  “Just keep breathing and pushing, dear,” Discord said, as Twilight Sparkle moaned in pain, her wings fully spread out on the bed and she kept pushing. “I am pushing!” she moaned, and her legs twitched hard, and Fluttershy could hear the bones in Discord’s hand cracking as she squeezed. “Here?  First foal with the Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Discord said to Fluttershy, as all of her friends were around her, being enthusiastic about their first child. Then, he winced, and pulled the hand up from Twilight Sparkle’s grasp.  “You don’t even have hands, just hooves and somehow you can squeeze them so hard…” Another perspective shift, and this time, it was Twilight Sparkle...no...it was a boy that looked like Twilight Sparkle (Dusk Shine, she knew, somehow), was holding onto Discord...no, a female Discord (Eris, that was her name) as she was giving birth, her belly huge with child.  Surrounding her was the male versions of all of her friends, Rarity (no, Elusive), herself (Butterscotch, she knew), Applejack (same name), Pinkie Pie (Bubble Berry), and Rainbow Dash (Rainbow Blitz, here).  “Just keep breathing, dear,” Dusk Shine said, his voice with a unique accent that sounded more like Trottington.  “Just keep pushing,” he said. “If I push any harder,” Eris groaned, with her own version of the same Trottington accent, squeezing her hand hard enough of Dusk Shine’s hoof to make him visibly wince, “the bloody foal is going to pop out like a cork!” Eris moaned, and said, “Oh, and Fluttershy?  This universe-gender switch.  And, I remind myself, again, why I remain a boy as often as I can…,” then a loud moan, and the crying of a foal... A sudden slam, and Fluttershy was surrounded by corpses.  Impaled corpses of ponies-all of her friends, the Princesses, everypony she knew, and even her body with a long stake driven through the anus.  The whole world seemed as if it was painted on black-dyed canvas, even the few bright colors were underlayed by the black tone and loss of everything, even hope, as fires burned from horizon to horizon. Here, Discord was the most changed.  His face was white...with red dots like clown blush, his body twisted, marked...distorted in ways that didn’t make any three-dimensional sense.  His fur was a sharp, sharp white and his mane and tail were a vivid, neon green.  And, his face...his face, somepony had carved past the lip line to the base of his horns with a knife, drawing his face up into a permanent smile, the scars twisting his lips into a leer. “And here,” Discord rasped, a voice torn by laughing for hours and hours and hours and hours…, “here, dear sweet Fluttershy, I made the world burn.  Because, creation is hard.  But destruction, chaos, confusion-now, that’s fun!” Another shift of perspective, then the world seems so much more...real to her.  She was sitting on a stool, in a room, with a human male.  She was wearing something over her ears (headphones, she knew), and she was sitting in a room (recording studio, she knew), and she (her name wasn’t Fluttershy, it was Andrea Libman, here and she was human) was recording something. “Or, here, where we’re reading out the script of a fan fiction-technically, we shouldn’t even be reading that, but the author won a contest at BronyCon and he just wanted one particular script he created read,” John DeLance said, speaking into the microphone. “Um, John,” Andrea Libman said in her best Fluttershy voice, “this whole thing is getting a bit too meta for me…” “As you wish,” John De Lance said, and with a snap of his fingers and a flash of light...they were back in Fluttershy’s cabin.  With Fluttershy as Fluttershy, and Discord as Discord. “So, as you can see, the universe is full of so many infinite possibilities.  But, there is one thing, most important of all, Fluttershy,” Discord said.  “And, do know what that is?” “Um...no,” Fluttershy said softly. “This moment,” he said.  “Here, in this moment, you can be anything-yell at me, comfort me, curse me, love me, hate me, adore me, despise me, walk out of the room, fly out of the room, cut your throat with a knife-and it is you who decides.  Nopony else does.  Just you, you are the creator of your own worlds, the builder of your own dreams.” “What about all the other moments?”  Fluttershy asked, curiously.  “Their moments?” “Oh, those are important, too-as well as my moment, but this?  Your moment,” Discord said.  “Does that help any?” “It does, a little,” Fluttershy said.  “So, what matters is not what one of the versions of myself in a universe far far away does, it’s what I do that matters.” “Excellent!  Tomorrow, we’ll deal with multiple perspective cognitive dissonance,” Discord smiled, and looked around.  “And, actually, I was wondering…may I ask a favor from you?” “Sure, what’s the favor?”  Fluttershy asked. With a pop!, four pony foals appeared.  One was a dark pink Earth pony with a brownish/white mane and eight legs, another was a unicorn with purple-ish fur and a purple-green mane, a third was a brown/orange Earth pony foal with beautiful green eyes and hair, and the last was a pegasus foal with...hummingbird wings?  Blue with brown highlights, and just sort of floating over the ground with his wings a blur…  “Well, kids this Auntie Fluttershy.  Fluttershy, this is Slepnir,” Discord pointed out the eight-legged pony, “mine with Pinkie Pie.  The cute little unicorn here is Slippy Time, mine with Twilight Sparkle.  The other cute Earth pony is Cider Press, mine with Applejack.  And, last but not least,” and he nuzzled the flying pegasus, “is Hummingdash, mine and Rainbow Dash.” “AUNTIE FLUTTERSHY!” they all yelled, and clutched onto her legs, hugging and nuzzling her. “Unfortunately, I’m stuck babysitting today, so if you could just watch them for a few hours while I go deal with a griffin in Georgia about grease guns, I’ll do double chores for a week and bring you a dozen of the chocolate hoofprint cookies you love,” Discord pleaded. “Double chores for two weeks,” Fluttershy said, over the four foals playing around with her legs. “Two weeks and two dozen cookies,” Discord replied, “we have a deal.  Kids,” and all the foals looked up at Discord, “I’ll be back in a few hours, don’t make too much trouble for Auntie Fluttershy, and we’ll all go out to have ice cream if you’re really good.” “Yay!” they all said, “Ice cream!” Discord pulled a jacket and a hat off a hat rack that was just there-and vanished just as he got the jacket off.  “I’ll be right back, and we’ll have fun with the universe again!”  He opened the cabin’s front door, closed it, then teleported away. “Auntie Fluttershy,” Hummingdash said, “story time?” “STORY TIME!”  The other three pony foals said. “Okay,” Fluttershy said, and went over to the bookshelf to find a book.  “I’ve got some good ones here…” RAINBOW DASH Rainbow Dash wasn’t the greatest student in the world.  She was very much a “learn as you do” sort of pony, which wasn’t a bad thing. But, Rainbow Dash realized that she needed some help, and she went to Ponyville’s #1 Egghead for help.  “Hey, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew into the Ponyville Library.  “I need some help,” she said. “Oh?” Twilight Sparkle looked around a bit. “So, how can I help you today?” “Well, I’m going up tomorrow to see Scootaloo at the castle, we’re going to do flight training. And, I was thinking that she might have problems, since she hasn’t been doing a lot of flying. Sort of the reverse problem Fluttershy and I had when we got our Cutie Marks,” Rainbow Dash replied, feeling sheepish. “Oh?”  Twilight Sparkle asked, as she looked around for the card catalogue. “Yea,” Rainbow Dash blushed a bit.  “I mean, up until she got her Cutie Mark, she’d never been on the ground, let alone walked any amount of distance.  I’d been down to the dirt a few times, but not for long periods of time.  Scootaloo, it’s the reverse-she’s been pretending to be a ‘deformed’ pony for so long, she’s probably as good as any pony on the ground, but her wings…” “Ah, I got it,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “Physical rehabilitation, I think...yes.”  She walked over to the bookshelves and started to pull a number of books off the shelves.  “There’s a lot of information on this-I mean, you get some ponies that have been sick in bed for a while, and they need to get their wing muscles back in shape...so, why are you asking me?  Princess Celestia probably has a horde of experts you can ask.” “Hey, you’re my favorite egghead-and you know Scootaloo.  I want somepony that cares about her to help me get her into shape,” Rainbow Dash noted.  She looked at the books.  “So, how do we figure out what exercises she needs?” “And, what about Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?”  Twilight Sparkle asked.  “Don’t they need help?” “Well…,” Rainbow Dash prevaricated, looking up at the ceiling, then back at Twilight Sparkle a bit.  “For that, I need your help, as well.” “So,” Sweetie Belle said, “do you know why Rainbow Dash wanted us here?” “No clue,” Scootlaoo said, “just that she asked Princess Celestia for permission to use the Grand Banquet Hall for three hours a day when she was here, and that she wanted to make sure nopony else came in while she did.” As the three of them came in, Rainbow Dash was standing there-clipboard in her wing, a whistle around her neck, and a smile on her face.  “Hey, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle-could you make sure all the doors are closed before we get started?” “Sure,” Apple Bloom replied, and they went and checked all the doors.  “All shut, what’s up, Rainbow?” “One thing left to do,” Rainbow Dash said, pulling out a sack from the saddle bags she had on the floor.  “Scootaloo, could you put these up on all the walls and the roof, as high as you can?”  The sack opened up to reveal a number of gem-like items, all about the size of a baseball. “Rainbow Dash, these are anti-scrying wards-powerful ones, too.  Why…” Scootaloo asked, and Rainbow Dash moved her wings. “Less talk, more explanations when you get them up,” Rainbow Dash cut her off.  “So, get them up and I can start explaining.” Scootaloo shrugged, and then flew as hard as she could to put up all the wards.  This took a while-the Grand Banquet Hall was huge.  Easily seven hundred yards long by four hundred yards wide, the ceiling of the Hall was so high that it was possible to move a huge number of clouds inside to do...well, to hold a full pegasus party without any issues.  It took her nearly twenty minutes to get all the wards up, and Scootaloo flew down in front of Rainbow Dash.  “All done, now what?” “Well, first things first, I show you this,” Rainbow Dash said, holding out a scroll with Princess Celestia’s seal on it. Apple Bloom took it, and gasped, “Rainbow Dash, how…” “Had Twilight Sparkle ask her,” Rainbow Dash replied, and smiled. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle came to look over Apple Bloom’s shoulder.  It was a short scroll, but as scrolls went, it was a bombshell. The scroll said simply- As a condition of your parole, you are to remain in your “normal” forms unless I give you permission otherwise. By reading this scroll, it serves as an indication of my permission. You have my permission that-so long as you remain in the Grand Banquet Hall and use proper anti-scrying protection-you may release your body change spells so you can train with Rainbow Dash. Princess Celestia -and below her hoofprint signature was the Royal Seal again.  All three of them looked up, and saw Rainbow Dash smiling. “Yea, I thought it would be stupid to just train Scootaloo when all three of you probably need the help.  So, if you can just let your wings out…,” Rainbow Dash said. Without a moment’s hesitation, they all released their body change spells, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle flexed their wings.  Rainbow Dash got a good look at their wings, and groaned, face-hoofing herself. “What’s wrong, ‘Dash?”  Apple Bloom asked. “Your wings...you’ve never preened them, have you?”  Rainbow Dash sighed, looking at them.  Feathers out of place, pinions in good need of cleaning...there were pegasus foals with better wings than Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “Well, Scootaloo tried to help, and…”  Sweetie Belle replied, and Rainbow Dash cut her off. “So, that’s our first lesson of the day.  That, and wing exercises.  Scootaloo, if you can help with Sweetie Belle, I’ll help with Apple Bloom.  If it’s not as bad as I think, you can all have about twenty minutes at the end to fly,” Rainbow Dash replied, trotting over to Apple Bloom.  “Lie on your belly, Apple Bloom, ‘cause I’m probably going to have to get started from the top.” Three weeks, several painful preening sessions, and some more painful exercises later, the three of them were playing “catch the balloons”.  “It’s a Wonderbolt training exercise,” Rainbow Dash said.  “Normally we start out from the training clouds, but we’ll start out from the floor here.  I yell out a color, and you find that color balloon that is furthest from you, and you fly back and put the balloon in the basket as quickly as you can.  It’s a tricky exercise, and it’s as much about coordination and observation as speed.” “Scootaloo, blue balloon!”  Rainbow Dash yelled, seeing the balloon up near one of the furthest corners.  Scootaloo took off like a shot, carefully braked, caught the balloon in her tail, and flew down to the basket where they would “score” a capture. “Good timing!”  Rainbow Dash replied, clicking the stopwatch and noting the time.  “Sweetie Belle, red balloon!” Sweetie Belle took off, but she misjudged the balloon, instead getting one that was about half-way down the hall.  And, she used her telekinesis to get it-not a problem, but Rainbow Dash was disappointed that she missed the furthest balloon.  “Good catch, but the balloon you want is over there!”  Sweetie Belle looked sad, but she got into place.  “Apple Bloom, green balloon!” They kept doing this for about an hour, then Rainbow Dash called for a break, drinks of water, some snacks, and more preening exercises.  One of the things that Rainbow Dash had tried to do was make sure nopony preened another pony twice in a row, and every pony preened another pony in their small group per week.  “Ooof,” Apple Bloom said, “d’ya have to be so hard on my wings, Rainbow Dash?” “Got to,” Rainbow Dash replied.  “It’s been a few weeks of good care, but they still need to get into some sort of shape…” “And,” a majestic voice said behind them both, “I am glad you’re helping them out.” All four of them were surprised to see Princess Celestia, standing in the middle of the room.  “I admit it,” she said with a small, sly smile, “I snuck in and cast an invisibility spell to watch you exercise.  You have all made remarkable progress, and I am glad Twilight Sparkle was able to convince me to help.” “Thank you,” Rainbow Dash said.  “But, I’d really like to get them out into the open air, it’s the only place to really learn how to fly.” “Unfortunately, until I have come to a decision about them, it is better for everypony that they remain a secret,” Princess Celestia sighed.  “But…” “But what?”  Apple Bloom asked. “As it happens to have happened, the weather ponies have built a pretty heavy and low cloud layer over Canterlot tonight.  Dangerous flying, but once you break through the cloud cover, you should be clear,” Princess Celestia mused.  “And, if some ponies were to fly out after sunset, they might even be able to see the Night Watch changeover.” “Oh?”  Sweetie Belle asked. “But, of course, this is just idle musings.  After all,” here, Princess Celestia smiled, “the sun will not set until 6:35 pm exactly.  Just...idle musing of a pony that might have some problems seeing some ponies flying tonight.” “Ah,” Scootaloo said.  “I see.” “Well, I think there is a chocolate cake slice with my name on it,” Princess Celestia said.  “Literally-the head cook put my name on the last slice with frosting to make sure somepony else did not eat it…  See you tomorrow!” As she left, the four of them looked at each other.  “So...how long…,” Rainbow Dash asked. “Three hours and some change,” Apple Bloom replied.  “So…” “What are we waiting for?”  Rainbow Dash said.  “We’ve got to get this place cleaned up, a nap in, and food eaten before 6:35 tonight!” “So, what time is it?”  Apple Bloom asked.  All four of them were waiting inside Scootaloo’s room, body change spells released, looking out the window. “6:33,” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh.  “We’ve got some more time to go, the sun is still going down…” As they watched, the sun slowly dipped below the horizon.  This close to Canterlot, the three alicorns knew what they had long suspected.  Princess Celestia had to have built some form of artifact to have helped her move the Sun and the Moon, and how she did it was going to be very interesting to find out.  But, as the Sun dipped below the horizon, the Moon began to come out from behind the hills, they all looked and saw the low deck of clouds that began to form. “Now!”  Rainbow Dash said, and all four of them took to the air.  “Remember, follow me, keep your eyes open for me,” she said, and they flew through the cloud deck as quickly as they could.  The biggest danger was losing track of their orientation-pegasui and alicorns were good at knowing what direction they were flying in, but the thickness of the clouds could get confusing.  But, they made it through, and with a solid swing of their wings, they were above the cloud deck and looking at the crystal clear sky over Canterlot. They all landed on the clouds, and got used to another pegasus trick-cloud walking.  Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were not used to it, but they quickly got the hang of it as the moon rose slightly.  Then, they could hear it. The beating of a thousand bat wings. Thestrals, the so-called “bat ponies” had been one of the most slandered of the Six Races of Equestria.  For the most part, they didn’t care-as long as they had their cairns, as long as their homes were safe, the thestrals maintained their watch on the dark places of Equestria.  With the return of Princess Luna, they had resumed their posts that their ancestors had promised to uphold a thousand years ago. The Night Watch was taking over from the Day Watch. Over a thousand thestrals, armed and in armor, flew in organized lines of three to the walls of Canterlot Castle.  A trio landed next to a member of the Day Watch, and whispered something.  The Day Watch guard saluted, and they trotted or flew off.  One thestral assumed the position vacated by the Day Watch guard, shouldering their weapon and preparing for the night.  The other two thestral turned clockwise about forty-five degrees, and flew off to the inner guard posts, where the process repeated.  The last thestral turned forty-five degrees counter-clockwise and flew to the Canterlot Castle itself, replacing the guards there. “Wow,” Scootaloo said.  She had pulled up a distant viewing spell and was sharing it with the four of them, watching as the precise sequence of military procedure and choreography continued.  “That’s impressive.” “And, if you will wait a minute…,” a voice said behind them, and all four turned in shock to see Princess Luna was standing on the clouds as well, looking at them.  “Princess Celestia admitted She was going to let you ‘play hookey’ tonight, so I came to watch as My Watch assumes their positions.  And, if you will watch this…” The five of them watched, as nothing happened for a few minutes.  Night Watch guards settled into position, waiting for the night to come.  Then, in silence, guards came out of Canterlot Castle, flying outwards from the castle in groups of three.  The entire process of manning the posts happened in reverse, but no pony left their post.  Instead, each post was manned by two thestrals, the thestrals flying out from Canterlot Castle proper with weapons drawn and ready to fight any opponent they faced. “The schedule of their departure is randomized,” Princess Luna said.  “As is the rotation of guards and locations.  A smart foe might try to sneak in just behind Our guards, but as they do, they will encounter armed and ready members of the Watch.  And, they will encounter them head-on.” “Wow,” Rainbow Dash said, watching.  “I’m...impressed.” “Me too,” Apple Bloom said.  “Never got a’chance to meet thestrals before, but knew some lived around the farm.  Always wanted to have them say hello, be neighborly.” “Most ponies do not like thestrals,” Princess Luna sighed.  “They fear and distrust them.” “Most ponies ain’t Apples,” Apple Bloom retorted.  “If they’re civil and good ponies, don’t got any problem with ‘em, however they look.” Princess Luna looked at Apple Bloom with a bit of a shock, and smiled, “I will ask if some can visit you soon.” “Say, Princess,” Rainbow Dash asked, wanting to break the flow of conversation.  “Have you heard anything about what Princess Celestia has decided yet.” “No, I have not,” Princess Luna replied.  “She normally plays Her cards very close to Her breastbone, but I have never seen Her play Her cards this close before.  Never.  And, that worries Me a great deal.” “Why’s that?”  Sweetie Belle asked. “Because, My sister has one very predictable thing about Her,” Princess Luna said sadly.  “She will sometimes be so cunning that She tricks Herself.”