Faust suddenly woke up. Something had changed overnight, though she didn’t know what. Did the Rules suddenly change once more? Was she free?
She got up from the bed, only to feel a hand on her wrist as she did. “Leaving so soon?” Greg asked her, looking at her intently.
“Just going to get a glass of water, hon,” she told him. “I just got back home last night from my ‘business’ and believe me, I’m looking forward to getting back to being just a housewife again. You have no idea how much I prefer doing the laundry to watching Belgium turn into a war zone.”
“Please don’t tell me you were there,” he said, facepalming.
“Well, I could either lie and say I wasn’t or I could tell the truth and say that I had a hand in keeping a bad situation from becoming worse.”
“Do I want to know?”
“No,” she told him sadly, “you don’t.”
“Well, while I’m used to you vanishing back and forth on a regular basis, what are you going to tell the kids?”
“Easy: got home late from my business last night, had Emmé pick me up at the airport and didn’t want to wake them. Standard lie,” she said. But the look in her eyes said she hated every bit of that. She’d never had cause to lie to her older daughters when she was with them, and it seemed that she had every little secret and falsehood truly keeping herself from her younger ones.
“Look, Faust, I’m not going to say I disapprove….” Greg began.
“I don’t like it either, love,” she told him, “but we have to wait until they’re old enough to know the truth.”
“I’m not going to disagree with that,” he stated. “As it is, Emmé’s not happy with you for teaching me some magic.”
“She’ll get over it. She trusts you; she’s just worried about generalities, I gu—” She was suddenly interrupted by the scream of a child and a large crash downstairs. At once, both of them leapt out of bed, and with snaps of their fingers were instantly dressed as the rushed down the stairs to find a freaked-out Sarah, instinctively protecting a confused Jon, while oversized Froot Loops floated in the air.
“What th…?” Greg asked.
Faust facepalmed. “When I told you that you could go home, I didn’t mean my home!” she groaned as a pair of ponies attempted to make breakfast for the whole family.
“7|-|3 bR34|<Ph457 0Ph (|-|4/\/\P10|\|5!” Screwball said happily, her voice sounding like an old computer modem on the verge of losing the connection. Beside her, Screw Loose merely nodded, throwing a chicken in the air, which suddenly exploded into scrambled eggs and – inexplicably – bacon.
“Mom! Dad! What’s going on?” Sarah asked.
“Um….” Faust thought about it for a second before she realized she wasn’t getting out of this one. “Well, sweetie, it’s a long story….”
Blue Velvet peeled herself off her lover. She felt something she hadn’t felt in a while: sated and at peace. There was something about Ghino di Tacco that had caught her attentions in the past few, and as she cuddled closer to him, she found herself wanting more with him, and less with the others.
Now that I think of it, the last time I…. she thought, then realized she couldn’t come up with the answer. And maybe in itself that was the answer. She was about to go back to sleep when she heard a command from the hivemind:
«Daughter, attend me.»
She knew that order when she came to it. Getting out of the bed and casting a quick cleansing spell, she stepped out of the tent that she shared with him and headed over to the command tent where Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon made their own plans. As she made her way towards the tent, she looked at the beautiful sky before her and the gentle murmur of the seaside cliffs below her, things that she’d somehow never noticed before; she never thought them important. Truthfully, things hadn’t been important before she’d met Ghino – only pleasure and her duties for mother. But, like everything in the past few days, things had changed.
Was she experiencing something that she’d never expected? Yes, she decided. But is it love? I wouldn’t really know what that is or how I could. I suppose I could discuss it with him later, but...I wonder if he feels the same about me.
As she entered the tents, she bowed before the Queen of the Changelings and the Eternal Demon. “I have come as called, Mother,” she said, not looking up from the floor. “I wish to be of service.”
“Rise,” Chrysalis said. “I have an assignment for you.” Velvet smiled appreciatively until Chrysalis delivered her next words. “You are to seduce Prince Artemis, the Heir to the Viceroyalty of Saddle Arabia. His father, Prince Solaris, is on the verge of death, and they are looking to Prince Artemis to lead the future of their realm. The problem is, for his age, he has never had an heir. The ponies that live there spin a great story that their Heir Presumptive will not marry until they are free. But I suspect there is more to it.
“You are to go and seduce Prince Artemis and bring him under your hoof at any cost possible. We are sending a group of drones with you to assist you in this. Your duty is to seduce him, not to replace him. We will need him for the next stage.”
“I see,” Velvet said, suddenly feeling very wrong about something, though she couldn’t pin it down. It was a job tailor-made for her, and yet…she didn’t want to do it. Something in her wanted to turn around, head back into bed with Ghino and just stay there. Was it fear? Confusion? She didn’t know and the feeling, like the one earlier, was definitely a new sensation for her.
“Is there something amiss, Blue Velvet?” Nightmare Moon asked, narrowing her eyes at the pepsis. “You seem…hesitant.”
“Forgive me, Lady Nightmare,” Velvet recovered immediately, knowing that favored foal of Chrysalis or not, Nightmare would likely murder her instantly if she felt something was amiss. “It’s just that I might need a bit more information as to how to ensnare Prince Artemis if I am to succeed. If, for example, he’s a stallion-lover, then sending a mare to do the business would hardly be of use. Even my skills have limits, my lady.”
“Understandable, which is why we are sending regular changelings with you,” the Alicorn of Terrors told her. “Should that turn out to be the case, the drones can imitate either sex and will take orders from you. But we would rather have somechangeling with a mind present to deal with the situation as opposed to the awkwardness of the hivemind.”
“I see,” she said, feeling a slight defeat. She was going to have to leave Ghino, even for a while. “When do I depart?”
“Immediately,” Chrysalis told her.
As she walked out of the room, she heard Nightmare’s voice ring out, “Don’t worry, we will make sure that your…current…duties are taken care of for you.” At those words, she stopped and paused, her face a mask of shock.
Seated at the small table in Twilight’s kitchen, DJ yawned. Maybe it’s just the hell of the past few days catching up to me, she thought to herself as she took another huge gulp from the coffee mug in her hands. God knows I could use the extra sleep. Unfortunately, however, that wasn’t going to be in her plans. While the truth was, she really didn’t have many plans for the day, as she’d done just about everything she’d intended to do in her visit to Equestria – and a few she hadn’t – she was more than happy to return to her place in officers’ housing back in Yoko. She wanted to get back to just being an author and housewife, two kids, picket fence on a little slice of America on Japan’s eastern coast. Right now, she realized to herself, just going to that, and that alone, would have been utter heaven for the humanized pony.
But at she looked at her parents, both of which were seated across from her at the table, she knew she wasn’t going to get off easily. That and the unassailable fact that since she’d returned to the land she was reputedly born in – Wish I could find a way to disprove otherwise! – whatever barebones of a schedule that she’d planned had been tossed like so much jetsam in the sea, leaving her adrift and buffeted by the flow of fate as she could honestly say that the only thing of her original plans that she’d accomplished was to see Twilight and some of her other family members.
Instead, I almost got killed, then Mike almost got killed while I got a ringside seat for Cloudsdale’s obliteration, then I got to argue with that…that….
“Furball?” DJ looked up and saw Anna looking at her from the other side of the table. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“You’re brooding,” the older woman said. “I don’t recall having raised Bruce Wayne.”
DJ rolled her eyes. “Just thinking about the…fun…I’ve had since I arrived here. I think I might still have a scar or two from Singapore. Besides, I was not brooding.”
“A mother knows her child,” was Anna’s response, who then went back to sipping her own coffee.
Matt took that as a cue to continue. “So, care to discuss last night?”
DJ sighed. “I’m…still having issues processing it. He…Silversteel…he….” She paused, looking at the light brown liquid almost completely gone from her mug. “He says that he wants to have a relationship with me. He wants to get to know me, to, and I quote, ‘make things right.’”
Matt looked at his daughter with sympathy. “So?”
“So? What right does he have? I’m your daughter, not his! You raised me, not him!”
“Furball, we’re not going to feel offended if you want to have some kind of relationship with your birth parents,” Matt replied. “If you think you’re ‘betraying’ us—” He punctuated that statement with air quotes made by his fingers, “—that’s hardly the case. We’ve had a life with you, DJ, and nothing is ever going to take that away from us.”
“Besides,” Anna added, “Look at it from his point of view.”
“I tried. I tried picturing Tyler disappearing and thrown into another reality where they’re raised by, I dunno, sapient bats or something. Then we finally find him and he loves hanging from the ceiling, screaming in order to find out where he is, all that stuff. And yes, I know that after searching for a decade and a half, I would want my son back – I don’t blame Silversteel or even Rarity for that.”
“You don’t? I thought—”
“It was an accident, an unexpected occurrence. I can’t blame anyone, anypony, any-fill-in-the-blank-after-‘any’ because it just happened. Plus, I found out that he lost a lot more than just me.” DJ then reached into her pocket and pulled out the photo, handing it to her parents.
Anna took it in hand, and both of DJ’s parents leaned over to peruse the image. “This is your birth family?” Anna asked.
DJ nodded. “Including the two ponies who died that day risking their necks to save me: Dinky and Sparkler.” DJ then fell silent for a few before she said in a soft voice, “They were my older sisters.”
“What?” both Matt and Anna stated at once.
“Yeah. The person who took the picture was their mother, Derpy, who was Silversteel’s first wife, I think. Don’t know the whole story, save that I guess it was an amicable divorce, and both she and Silversteel doted on their kids. She also died that day; they were apparently babysitting me when all hell broke loose.” At that point, all three at the table fell into an uneasy silence; regardless of the situation, there was no doubt that outliving one’s children was an unpalatable and unthinkable option.
It was a few minutes more before Anna spoke. “So, what do you plan to do?”
“I don’t know,” DJ admitted. “Yes, I’ll be the first one to admit the whole situation is insane. And it’s not as though I’ve called a wholesale embargo on knowing members of my birth family. I’ve gotten to know Elusive very well, and I don’t think I would change the growing situation there.”
“And what about Rarity? How does she factor into this?” Seeing the sudden scowl alight on DJ’s face, Anna stated, “DJ, any conversation about your birth family is going to involve Rarity in some form or another. It’s unavoidable.”
“Mom, please don’t take her side,” DJ groaned.
“I’m not taking anyone’s side,” Anna replied. “If you’ll recall, I was recently bucked by her. I still have some bruises from that and thankfully the doctors cleared me of any injuries.”
“I swear, I’m never going to forgive her for just that alone,” the humanized pony seethed. “I want nothing to do with her. Nothing.”
“Unfortunately, that’s just not realistic,” Matt pointed out. “The day we arrived, we had a brief meeting with Princess Celestia prior to her departure to Singapore. During the meeting, she discussed a few things that pained her regarding the family situation. She does want you and Rarity to make up, and she told me she would discuss it with you when you met there.” A sad look came onto the elderly woman’s face as she asked, “Given all that happened, I guess that didn’t occur?”
“Well, Celestia probably brought it up, but as usual my mouth got in the way of things and then a building got dropped on me. Otherwise, no, it really didn’t come up.” The pair became quiet for a second as they searched for a way to change the subject slightly, given the macabre detour that had just been taken.
It was finally Matt who spoke after the second bout of silence. “So, then, DJ, what thought have you given to Mike’s new assignment?”
“I’ve already told him, and I’ll be honest: I don’t want to live here. Especially since if I do, I won’t be me, but ‘Countess Faroe’, which is how several of the ponies in the know have been treating me. I’m not some royal that lives for Arsenic & Old Lace bullshit; I want to have a normal life, and I want the boys to have normal lives.
“But…I remember the time when Mike was stationed at Fifth Fleet and I was still living in LA. Just being apart…it was soul-crushing. And that was just when we were carefree and single, not married for nearly a decade with two kids. And he’s been incredibly supportive of my own career, even when it was problematic for him. So…I’ll have to just suck it up and deal with his assignment here. Yay, Navy Wife, go me.”
“Well, if it means anything, we’re very proud of you, sweetie.”
“Thanks. I’m just glad that Twilight is giving us her parents’ old place on Northside. I still have to go today to check that out. I was planning to go yesterday, but I didn’t have the opportunity. Hopefully now, I’ll be able to do so without the problem of anyone deciding to blow up a building, shoot in my general direction or have a sudden firefight break out while I’m present.” Suddenly, DJ froze, as if paused in thought.
“Something wrong, furball?”
A sly grin came onto the pony’s muzzle. “Yeah. Just realizing all that I just said? I’m probably the Royal Equestriani Tourism Council’s worst nightmare.”
“Celestia!” Luna knocked on the door of her sister’s bedchambers. It was almost noon and she hadn’t made an appearance. Granted, while both Luna and Cadance were more than versed in how to deal with the day’s events and had even split the day’s required royal duties between them, Celestia’s absence was a glaring mark for all that knew her. The Princess of the Day’s conspicuous absence within the halls of the palace was everpresent. This was likely going to be made worse by the loose muzzles of the housekeeping staff, and regardless of whether or not Luna had a talk with the maître d’hôtel, the secret would be out. By tomorrow, whatever little tryst the Sun Alicorn was up to was likely to be headlines in the papers – or possibly even sooner, given modern technology that had crept in from Human-Earth.
After a few minutes, there was a click of the door, and a very haggard-looking alicorn with a wide smile came to the door. Her mane, for a change, was neither flowing nor sparkling, but hung limply, as if it had been worn completely down. She was not wearing her regalia; instead, Luna swore that her beloved sister was wearing…a saddle and socks? Lastly, even from here, the Princess of the Night could catch the distinctly overpowering scent of both chocolate and wild honey, something she herself knew was an extra addition to the alicorn status.
And I think I got Robin addicted to honeycomb chocolate after that, Luna mused softly, though she didn’t say anything further. Instead, she looked at her beloved older sister and was as plain as she could be: “Cadance and I could hear you from the Throne Room. Do you know how much magic it took to white noise your moaning?” A half-second later, she clamped her jaws shut before they could drop as she realized her sister was a moaner.
“Hi, Luna,” Celestia said in a syrupy-sweet, laconic tone. During one of her previous trips to Human-Earth, Luna had accidentally tuned into a pornographic film while trying to find something to watch on her hotel television. The woman had the same exact look on her face that Celestia had at the moment, and while translated from human to pony it still disturbed Luna somewhat.
Cadance’s words from earlier came to mind: “Celestia’s more like my mother than my actual mother is. And thinking about your parents having sex? Ick.” Like Cadance, Luna had spent most of her life being raised by her older sister; she’d never really known their mother, Faust, so Celestia was very much a mother figure to Luna as well as older sibling.
And right now, I think I’m in wholehearted agreement with Cadance, Luna mused, looking at the sated alicorn standing there.
Celestia, giddy, giggled. “Oh, Luna, you have no idea, how wonderful I feel right now.”
“That’s…uh…nice. Um…Tia, we have a meeting with the Indonesian ambassador at three, and I wa—” Luna was suddenly silenced by Celestia’s gently placement of her hoof – complete with sock – on her muzzle.
“I trust you to know what you’re doing,” Celestia said, a wild smile on her face, which went away as she added, “And…I was wrong, Luna. I never should have broken you and Robin apart. I want you to know that.”
Luna blinked. “Are…are you okay?” Celestia admitting she was wrong was rare. Celestia delegating duties was also that. Celestia doing both in one breath was almost as freakish as if someone had announced the laws of physics were about to be rewritten in the next thirty seconds.
“Fine,” she said in a husky, unwound voice. “Oh, also, I’m going to step out for a few days – going to use the grotto for a little while. I’ll notify the ERG to set up the security perimeter.”
“Tia?”
“Yes?”
“What is going on?”
A soft, tender smile came onto Celestia’s face. “Lulu…for the first time in centuries, I’ve let my heart fly once again. For the first time, I finally have somepony special to share my life with.”
“But Tia, we can’—”
“I know you won’t mind running the show for a few days, dearest sister of mine, so please, let me state how much I appreciate your sacrifice.”
“But I can’t b—”
Celestia leaned over and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for being so understanding, Lulu. I love you for that. Ta-ta!” And with that, the Princess of Equestria closed the door to her bedchambers, leaving one very stunned younger sister standing outside.
What. The. Buck? Luna thought, her mind still feverishly trying to make a connection as to the situation.
As for Celestia, she giddily trotted over to her desk, jotted down a note, then sent it to the head of the ERG via magic. That done, she shifted back to her human form, the saddle and socks easily falling off her body. With that, she made her way back to the bed, where Sam was gently dozing. Sitting down next to him, she ran a finger down the trace of his jaw, gazing at him with a longing she hadn’t felt in a long time. The past few hours had set her mind that, right or wrong, this relationship was meant to be, and right or wrong, she was going to pursue it.
After all, he’d admitted to having wished to pursue her.
After a few seconds, he woke up and looked up at her. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself,” she said, a soft smile on her face.
“So, what now?”
“Well, Luna thinks I’m going to the grotto for a few days. I can maintain a doppelganger spell long enough to look convincing, so I’ll effectively be there for a few days.” As proof, she waved her hand, and an identical duplicate of her normal form stood before them, before wandering off to go slip on Celestia’s regalia. “Meanwhile, that should leave the two of us a few days to go househunting for you.”
“So you’re serious about this, then?”
Celestia pouted. Surprisingly, she was good at it. “What, did you change your mind about us already?”
Sam sat up, taking her face in his hands. “Not on your life, Cel.”
She grinned. “Good. Now let’s get dressed, and go see this realtor I know about down on Queen Platinum Way. She’s assisted the Crown in several real estate deals before, so she should be able to find exactly what we need, especially for the Princess’ Hoof.”
Meanwhile, in the ruins of the Royal Infirmary, the Archmagus of Equestria was on the counterattack. Focusing her magic into a small, isolated sphere, Twilight strained to compress the magical forces she had on hoof. Now that she was free from the contamination that had almost killed her and her sisters, she was going to find the cure, save them all and then bring the fight to Nightmare Moon.
I’m coming, Twilight said to herself, her face a mask of grim determination as she focused on compressing the magic energies even further. You’re not going to stop me from saving everyone, Nightmare.
At her side, watching intently with a look on her face that was both awe and pride, Twilight’s newly-claimed daughter, the pepsis Shining Dawn, sat, an apt pupil if there ever was one. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
Twilight’s tone was gentle, even though she never took her eyes off her experiment. “Yes. Go see if any of your aunts need assistance.”
“Um…I’m not sure they like me, Mom.”
“Nonsense, sweetie. They just…look, sometimes it takes a while to get used to big adjustments. When my parents adopted my younger brother, they had to get used to having a child that wasn’t a pony. And sometimes it wasn’t easy. But just like Spike became an important part of the family, so will you.”
Shiny blushed. “Thanks.” With that, she immediately went over to the cots, where Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash were currently in stasis and watched over by a concerned Rarity and Applejack. “Mom said I should check to see if there’s anything I can do to help you.”
Both mares looked at the teen with cautious glances, then briefly to Twilight, whose attention was already taken, and then back to Shiny. Applejack was the one to speak. “We dun’ need anythin’ at th’ moment, Shiny, but we’ll be sure t’ tell ya if’n we do, okay?”
Shiny huffed. “Fine,” she said, lying down on the ground petulantly.
“Well, if nothing else, she has the ‘petulant teenager’ part down pat,” Rarity wryly said to the earth pony. For that, she earned a glare from the teenage pepsis, to which Rarity said tartly, “A lady does not stare.” Chastened, Shiny sighed, then looked down at a small pillbug as it crawled along the length of the floor. Spurred on by boredom and a fascination with the terrestrial crustacean, Shiny then did what came naturally to any being of changeling ancestry: spellfire surrounded her, and a second later, a giant pillbug sat where she’d been.
Rarity and Applejack stared, wondering if they’d both wandered into some sort of surrealist nightmare. “Whut th’….” the farmer gasped.
The pillbug then turned to face them. “What, is something wrong?” it asked, its mandibles moving in time with the speech. The response was an immediate and sudden scream of fright from both mares, to which the pillbug realized what just happened and uttered an embarrassed, “Aw, crud.”
The next sound that occurred, a WHOOMPHF as Twilight was working on, interrupted by the sudden terror-stricken screams of her sisters, caused her to lose concentration; the spell misfired and did what any compressed-magic spell did naturally – exploded. Fortunately for the lavender unicorn, she had a spell up to prevent any major issues that would have occurred had the backblast hit them. As the energy and shield annihilated one another, she turned to shout in irritation at the others, “What are you girls…oh. Um, Shiny, do you mind…?”
With another flicker of changeling magic, the pepsis was back to normal again. “Sorry,” she said, having the good grace to look embarrassed at her faux-pas.
With that, Twilight then looked at Rarity and Applejack, both of whom were holding onto one another for dear life. “Girls, it’s a subconscious thing with changelings, part of their natural curiosity,” Twilight explained. “I found that out during my research. She didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Are you kidding? What if she turns into a manticore or something? Or, Celestia forbid, an attercop?” Rarity asked.
Shiny shook her head. “Wouldn’t be able to use venom, if that’s what you’re worried about – changelings can only take the form of something, not the ability, unless it’s already ingrained in the native changeling phenotype.”
“But aren’t changelings venomous?”
“It’s a recessive trait in the drones,” Shiny explained, “and supplementary in the pepsis Velvet brood. I couldn’t do it if I tried, not that I want to. And why would I hurt you two anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be my aunts?”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything!” Rarity snapped.
“Rarity, that’s enough,” Twilight interjected. “Look, I know this isn’t easy for either of you, especially given what we’ve been through and general mistrust of changelings, but you have to understand that Shiny is now a part of our family and she’s here to stay!”
“Twilight, I think we’ve come to an agreement that something is definitely wrong here,” Rarity replied, looking at Applejack for approval. “This…this…filly has you wrapped around her hoof, and…well, it’s just not natural. Granted, it’s clear that she favors Shining Armor in nature and behavior – unexpected transformations aside – but…I think your biological clock is making you do something rash that you wouldn’t do normally.” She then turned to Shiny. “I don’t blame you. It’s clear that you’ve been nothing but helpful, young miss, and that’s clearly the influence of your father’s side. But I don’t believe tha—”
“Liar,” Shiny accused. “You just don’t like me, because I’m part-changeling. Well, I didn’t choose that! Do you think I want Chrysalis’ blood in me? Did you think I asked to be hatched by her?” Tears began to well in the pepsis’ eyes. “I just want to be a normal pony – a pony, not a changeling, or this halfway thing that Chrysalis considers disposable and you consider a monster!”
Applejack remained silent throughout this time, looking at the teary-eyed face of the filly, the angry scowl on Twilight’s face, and the same look on Rarity’s face. Applejack then thought back to her own son, who she hadn’t seen in months. Little tyke must be worried ‘bout me; Ah know Notes is. That thought brought a new line of concern to the former farmer: If she’d been th’ daughter of Shining an’ some mare he had a fling with, would we be as worried? Or is it just because of her mother?
At what point did the sins of the mother transfer to the child – especially given that said child was already horrified by her links to her past? Should mah boy be held account’ble ‘cause Ah’ve done wrong at times in mah life? Er Notes? An’ what ‘bout Pinkie’s kids? Or Bloomie an’ that foster kid Sweetie says she’s got now? At what point did it all end?
She came out of her thoughtstream just as she heard Rarity say, “…and both Applejack and I firmly believe that this should be none of your business, Twilight. Give her to Cadance, or put her in an orphanage. While neither of us blame the filly, this…this isn’t you.”
“Yer right, Rares,” Applejack replied. “It ain’t like Twi. But…maybe it should be.” From the sudden change of look on the three other females’ faces, Applejack suddenly knew she was on the right course. “Rares, we’re holdin’ Shiny t’ a standard we don’ hold ourselves to. She ain’t t’ blame fer everything that Chrysalis an’ th’ Nightmare’s done; she ain’t t’ blame fer us being stuck here, sick an’ poisoned.”
“N-no, I never implied that,” Rarity said, suddenly backtracking.
“Yeah, we done did,” Applejack told her sister royal. “We told Twi that she’s insane t’ take this filly underhoof ‘cuz she’s part changelin’. If’n she’d been just a normal pegasus er other pony, we wouldnta batted an eye. Hell, Ah bet if’n she was a zebra, donkey er even a gryphon we wouldnta cared. But we’re holdin’ her birth against her an’ that ain’t right.” She then turned to both Twilight and Shiny. “Girls…even an Apple should know that y’ don’t push away family, an’ t’ mah shame, Ah realized Ah did. An’ Ah’m sorry.”
“Applejack, you can’t seriously be—”
“Ah am.” Straining herself, Applejack looked at Twilight Sparkle, her knight commander, long-time friend and sister royal. Taking the unicorn’s hooves in her own, she said, “Ah done ya wrong, Twi. Ah blamed ya fer so much over th’ years, an’ in th’ process fergot what friends are t’ each other – what sisters are t’ each other. Ah prob’ly don’t deserve it, but Ah hope y’ kin fergive me.”
“I do, Applejack,” Twilight said, a smile on her face. “I really do.” The two mares embraced…
…and then three apples suddenly flared with light.
Seated in his VIP quarters at the officers’ quarters on-base, Silversteel sipped a mug of chamomile tea. He’d rather have had coffee, but the nurse who came by to take his blood pressure and give him another dose of medicine and magical injections “suggested” (in that friendly yet firm near-medical-order tone) that he stay off caffeine for a few weeks. With what little choice he had in the matter, he agreed, though he was horrified to learn that “caffeine-free” included caffeine free products, because they did, in fact, have trace amounts of the compound within them. By the time the nurse had fully detailed the list of items he was required to stay clear of, Silversteel had begun to seriously wonder if he should just go out in a big blaze of caffeinated glory instead.
So, one pot of chamomile and a nearly tossed-out-on-her-plot nurse later, Silversteel looked out the window and watched as the various members of the REAF went about their duties. It felt to him as though he were trapped, in a sense; a survivor stranded on an island of light blue far away from the nearest REA facility and any semblance of sanity. Oh, sure, the REAF’s military medical system was the closest to the palace since the destruction of the Royal Infirmary and the doctors knew what they were doing, but…when push came to shove, he was an Army stallion. Always had been, always would be.
It was then that he noticed one of the flag cars coming towards the building. Soarin’, maybe? Probably not; though he was a friend, he was busy managing the hell that had broken loose over the past couple of days and threatened to get worse. If war with the human nation of Iran broke out, Spitfire would be very much leaning heavily on Soarin’ to keep the REAF upstairs and flying, which meant that his old friend was likely too damn busy with paperwork to even look up from his desk and breathe.
The car came to a stop, and as it did, the stallion noticed the license plate on the car was that of the one assigned to Allied Forces Equestria; specifically, the fact that the plate’s number started with OE indicated that it was an official vehicle assigned to a US military unit. Only one American unit was stationed here at Canterlot Mountain, and that was the US Forces Element of the Combined Command. And a second later, as an American naval officer arrived in his dress uniform, Silver knew that things were about to get ugly.
Rising from the chair, he limped over to the door, just as the officer present started to knock. As he opened it, he said, “I hardly expected this to be a formal call, Commander – it is Commander, right? Still not sure how differently American military ranks are from naval ones.”
“It’s ‘commander’,” Mike replied, looking down at the stallion that was his wife’s biological father. Mike himself hadn’t expected to be here either, and frankly, knowing what he knew, he thought the whole thing stunk. But it wasn’t his call to make, just his to deal with. “Reporting as ordered, General.”
Silversteel shook his head. “Look, just…just drop it, okay? I’m out of uniform right now and I don’t feel particularly like a general officer – or flag officer, to use the term you navy guys do. And for the record, I’m not really happy about this either. I just received the paperwork this morning and knowing the folks involved, this smacks highly of meddling…and I’m married to one of the all-time meddlers. I know this kind of stuff from the bottom of my hooves.”
“I see,” Mike said, not sure where to continue.
Silversteel got the unspoken hint. “Well, c’mon in,” the stallion told the man. “Got a pot of chamomile tea brewing – doctors insist that I have to stay off caffeine until further notice – but I can whip up something if you need anything stronger.”
“Tea’s fine. DJ’s not too fond of it, but I grew up in Europe, so you get used to it.” With that, both males made it back to the chairs and sat down, overlooking the tea, both trying to avoid any conversation.
Finally, Silversteel focused his soft red eyes on Mike and chuckled. “Look at us, acting like a pair of mules. Listen: I meant what I said. I want to make it up to Sand...DJ. This isn’t going to be easy for me, but I’ve never denied that. And I know that as hard as it is for me, it’s going to be harder for my wife. But you hav—”
“General, I’m not sure this is the best time to discuss this,” Mike interjected.
“Commander…Michael. Mike?”
Mike sighed. “Mike’s fine.”
“You’re being defensive about the whole thing. Protective of DJ – I can appreciate that. Probably even protecting her adoptive parents as well.” Seeing the cautious look in the man’s eyes, he said, “I promise you, I’m not trying to shatter the relationship DJ has with the people who raised her. I couldn’t do that even if I tried. She clearly loves them, and she wouldn’t have survived five minutes on Human-Earth if she wasn’t loved as well. I can’t state that enough, and I know that’s been the case for years – I’ve certainly spent the past couple of decades having Twilight harangue us – quite fairly – over that fact. But I bet you don’t know what we talked about last night, do you?”
“Wait – you and she talked last night?” Mike looked at him with surprise. DJ didn’t mention anything about that.
“You can ask Lyra if you don’t believe me; she was here doing the same ‘overprotective big sister’ shtick that seems to be so common in this family.” Silversteel poured himself a cup of tea, then did the same for Mike. “And just to breeze over the formal stuff, I’ve looked at your record, Commander, it’s impeccable, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, you really did Equestria a favor we can never repay by saving Princess Celestia, yadda yadda yadda, your recent promotion is well deserved, I’m sure your unit will do well while reporting to me, end of story.” He shook his head. “So now can we get back to what we were really talking about?”
“So, I don’t normally assume nepotism is standard in the Royal Equestriani military,” Mike said, flatly.
“Well, you’re honest about that; Applejack would very much appreciate that. So do I,” Silver replied. “And to answer your question, no, I don’t know who did it. Maybe one of the folks who outrank me; maybe Rainbow, since she is technically Minister of Defense – hell, for all I know, Tia or Luna did it themselves – they’re the worst when it comes to meddling; taught their sisters everything they needed to know and then some. But I didn’t ask for this. I firmly believe that everypony should earn their stripes and work their way to the top, not have it handed to them. Otherwise, that’s likely to get good soldiers killed. But like I said, I’ve seen the stuff that the Pentagon sent over. And I’ve read the reports that Tia and Luna filled out – they wouldn’t lie, not even for family. If they say that you know what you’re doing, then you clearly earned your CO post.” He then leaned back in his chair and added, “Plus, General Bryson isn’t exactly a paper pusher. Man reminds me of a pet manticore – friendly as all get out, but you really don’t want to get on his bad side. Men like him don’t put puppies in charge of the dog pound.”
“Thank you, sir,” Mike said, appreciative of the compliment. Whatever kind of relationship DJ and he were going to have with Silversteel, it was at least good to hear that the stallion knew that Mike was a competent officer; he got the feeling that actually would smooth things in the long run, at least on the personal side.
“Well, if you ask me, they paired us up for one of two reasons. The first would be that they expect us to be like bucking broncos. It’s no secret about our respective relationships with DJ, and given the rather salacious nature of the press – humanity doesn’t have the cornerstone on poor journalism, sad to say – somepony is hoping that repeated public flare-ups will make the Royal Family look bad. Might even reflect badly on humanity, given DJ’s high notoriety as an adopted member of your species.”
“Then let me guess the other one: it could also be construed that someone put us together, because the exact opposite will occur, after which someone will accuse the princesses of nepotism, that I got the job both because of my family connections and because I saved her in Singapore. Also given that my wife’s biological father is the person I’m reporting to in my new command, and my authority is instantly undermined; furthermore, because of the situation and that no one in the Royal Family voiced concerns or tried to put a stop to it, it also damages the position of the princesses as well.”
Silversteel let out an appreciative nicker. “Yeah, looks like you’re as quick on your mental feet as they claim. Looks like my troops are in good hooves.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then I’d like to have my XO, Sable Loam, involved in this. I’ve been talking to him and I think he’s got the mindset that we can use as a go-between to help ameliorate this whole thing.”
Silversteel chuckled. “Sable, huh? Good kid, but you’d better watch your back, Mike.”
“Something I should be aware of?”
“No, I don’t mean that way. What I mean is that he’s utterly devious when it comes to his opponents, but if you don’t put a leash on him, he’ll get ‘creative.’ Again, not that it’s a bad thing, but you at least want to know what he’s up to so that if you ever have to explain something to an inquiry board you’ll at least have your story straight.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“Yes. I think we should get back to the topic in question. I’ll tell you the same thing I told DJ last night: the night she disappeared and her sisters and my ex-wife died trying to save her was the most horrific day of my life, with the events of the trial having been the second. And now my oldest two and youngest daughters are dead, and the middle one is back – and I will be damned to Tartarus if I let this chance to change the narrative slip from my hooves.
“I know Sandalwood is gone; DJ said so. But regardless of who she is, she is still my daughter. And I appreciate everything her parents – your in-laws – did to give her a life. I didn’t say that back then and it made things a whole lot worse as a result. But I’m stallion enough to know when I’ve made a mess and need to clean it up. I asked DJ to arrange a meeting for me and her parents. I will probably never be buddy-buddy with them, but I want to make it clear that this…whatever this nothing is… it can’t go on forever.
“But I told her – and I’m telling you – deep down, Rarity still loves DJ. She may want Sandalwood back; she may hate the person that DJ has become and blame her human parents. But that doesn’t take away the love that Rarity has had all these years for our daughter. Neither of you have seen the anguish and hell she’s gone through these last few decades, or the pain that she feels inside to keep this charade going. While I would like for all of this to end, I’m not blind – I know it’s not going to happen in a day or so.
“But I need your help, Mike. I’m not asking you as your commanding general. I’m not asking you as a member of the Royal Family. I’m not even asking you because I saved your lives. I’m asking you because I’m a father who is haunted by the loss of his children and wants his daughter back in whatever way he can have her. That doesn’t take away from her human parents, and the past can’t be undone. Surely, as a father yourself, you understand that?”
Mike didn’t say anything for fear that his words could be easily misconstrued. After all, what could he say? Silversteel was right, at least about that much. And while Mike stood firm in the fact that he wanted DJ to resolve her issues with her birth and extended families in the way that would be best for her, as a father he couldn’t deny that Silversteel, objectively, had a point.
Not that I’m about to tell him that. I don’t want that to be completely misconstrued.
“From the look in your eyes, I can see there’s a slight conflict,” Silver said. “Well, I’m not going to push the issue further. I should be checked out of my medical status soon and will be able to go back on light duty; unfortunately, that means no field time for me for a while. So the next time, bring your XO and your SEA and we can discuss where to go next. I want your unit trained and ready to roll at a moment’s notice – we cannot afford to have another situation like Fillydelphia or Cloudsdale happen again, and with our enemies out there, we have to be extra vigilant. The lives of too many innocents stand in the balance.”
“Understood, sir,” Mike replied as he rose from his chair.
“Silver, if you please, Mike,” the stallion replied. “You can do all that ‘sir’ and ‘Yes, General’ stuff when I’m in uniform in my office. Now, in the meanwhile, get going. I understand that DJ wanted to check out that home that Twilight provided for you in Northside and I’m enough of a stallion to know that unless the stallion manages to stop his wife from spending one out of hock and halter, things are bound to get very messy indeed.” He nodded to DJ’s husband in approval. “Dismissed.”
As Rumble walked down the streets of Ponyville towards the Guild Office, he noticed a certain tension in the streets that he hadn’t before. It was weird; the town was never like this even during its weirdest when he was younger. Maybe it’s just like in the human world, where things change so much from when you were young and innocent that it always seems so much darker, he reasoned. I’ve heard more than enough people bitch about that.
Finally arriving at the treehouse that was once the old library, he noticed how much things had changed. For one, the tree itself was much larger, probably reaching close to five stories now, and far greater than any oak tree that he’d ever seen on either Earth. Secondly, the structure itself had grown in size, with a third floor added to accommodate the growth of the tree. There was a small parking lot now to the left of the tree, with a Smart Fortwo 4000 in the parking lot. A sign stating WELCOME TO THE PONYVILLE MAGE GUILD OFFICE along with hours of operation hung in a brick-set wrought iron sign that replaced the old wooden sign from when this building was a place of learning of an entirely different nature.
Knocking on the door, the pegasus waited for a few minutes before a cute young mare answered the door. He could feel magic radiating off her in a way he hadn’t felt since the one time he’d met Archmage Twilight a few decades back. “Yes, can I help you?” she asked.
“Actually, I’m looking for Star Swirl,” he asked.
“I’m Star Swirl. You don’t look like a mage,” she said, eyeing him. “Library’s been moved over to the old town hall, if you’re looking for that.”
“No, I’m actually looking for you, Ms. Swirl.” Rumble reached into his pocket and produced his ID. “Need to speak to you for a minute, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, office hours haven’t started, but…sure, c’mon in.” She opened the door, and as Rumble walked in, he noticed the library of old was definitely gone, with its only remnant a replica of the unicorn bust that sat on the central table – and he knew it was a replica, because the current bust was marble vice wood. The bookshelves had mostly been replaced with various charts, tables and computers; on the upper loft what used to be the living space of the library was a makeshift office that seemed to be buried in documents and the like; just barely in the corner of his vision against the far wall of the loft was a closed door that likely led to the new residential spaces on the third floor.
“So, welcome to the Ponyville Mage Guild Office,” Star said, standing there at ease. “We are responsible for the Ponyville, Berryville, Everfree, Lakeside and Whitetail Woods jurisdictions. We have a current liaison office with Fort Ponyville, the local REA installation down the road, though of course that’s army, not navy. Is there anything I can assist you with, Captain Rumble?”
“Well,” he said, scratching the back of his head; it wasn’t really itchy, but he picked up the habit while spending all the time around humans. “I was actually looking for your mentor, Sweetie Belle. I’m an old friend of hers an—”
“Great,” Star groaned. “Another suitor.” When Rumble looked at her oddly, she grunted, “Just…look, Sweetie’s been more than just a mentor to me – she’s like a big sister, so excuse me for being overprotective when stallions like you come looking for a piece of tail an—”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Rumble said, waving his forelegs. He did not want this going south just because of…other suitors? “No, I meant what I said. I was just in town on leave – I live in San Diego, on Human-Earth – and I just thought I’d see some of my old friends.”
The change in demeanor was night and day. “Really?” When he nodded, she perked up. “Well, then. Have a seat!” Star offered, pointing at a lounge chair near the center of the room. “I was just going to put on some coffee. Care for some?”
“Um, sure, if you don’t mind.”
With that, Star jotted over to the kitchen, and a few minutes later was back. “Sorry about coming down so hard on you,” the mage said, handing him a mug. “It’s just that when you’re a ‘Star Swirl’, quotes and all, everyone treats you like you’re the greatest thing since the princesses. But Sweetie didn’t care about any of that and treated me as though I was just another apprentice in need of training. But then she realized I needed more than that, and she filled that spot in my life as well. I absolutely love her for that – she’ll always be more than just a mentor to me; she’s a big sister and so I’m very protective of her.” Star sighed. “You won’t believe how many jerks come here to try to sweep her off her hooves.”
“Really?”
Star’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you said—”
“And I meant it. It’s just that…well, Sweetie was somewhat of a tomcolt when we were all foals, so it’s somewhat of a surprise to hear that she’s the talk of the town. I mean, I was surprised enough to hear that she hadn’t pursued her dreams of a career in music.”
Star blinked. Is he really on the up and up? The last thing she wanted to deal with was another stallion trying to get in the way of her winning Sweetie’s heart. But this “Rumble” stallion was a military pony, he said he lived on Human-Earth – which means that he clearly wasn’t here on a regular basis – and he wasn’t in the know about the various ponies that tried to pledge themselves to Sweetie’s attentions, including that of the one that had her attention – Pip.
Plus, he did mention something about her foalhood, which nopony has before. Maybe he is being honest. She looked at him and stated a lie: “Really? I don’t think she ever mentioned about any sort of musical career.”
“Really? I remember her singing a lot of showtunes when we were kids – Hinny of the Hills, Appleoosa!, that kind of stuff. I know it probably drove Apple Bloom and Scootaloo all kinds of nuts when she did it, but then again, they were all so fixated on getting their cutie marks I don’t think it really registered. By the time she’d gotten her mark, I’d already started on my apprenticeship with pre-Guard duties. The rest, I guess, is history.”
Star took a drink from her mug. “And here I thought that you were just here to use me in an attempt to get a hold of Sweetie.”
Rumble’s face was like stone, though he was wincing inside. Thankfully, Wednesday Night Poker at the Naval Station O-Club comes in real handy. “No, that would be like someone hitting up one of my junior personnel to get a hold of me. That wouldn’t be fair to the hypothetical sailor, and it wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“Thanks,” Star said, giving Rumble a genuine smile…and for a second, it made him pause. Well, she is kinda cute. About twenty or so years younger than me, but really cute. But just as much as that, it gave him pause. Yeah, that would go over well. I’m trying to dig up info on Sweetie, and I end up in bed with her apprentice. Yeah, that’s really a good way to try and start a relationship, Rumble.
With that going, the two fell into a sort of easy pattern, just idly chatting about nothing in particular while spending some time just bantering away. For Star, it was a definite change; it felt like a relief, with someone wanting to talk to her about nothing in particular, not really wanting any demands on her or to berate her for being “Star Swirl the Waste of the ‘Star Swirl’ Name”. For Rumble, he found himself chatting with a very interesting young mare, someone far worldlier than her age seemed; she was well-traveled, both due to her duties as a mage and from all the trips that Sweetie had taken her on. She was even raising a baby dragon, like Twilight Sparkle, and just as with Twilight and her adopted brother, Star Swirl and her kid sister Spines were just two getting along in a world that didn’t seem very normal for a pair of mismatched siblings.
Finally, as the grandfather clock upstairs chimed 11, Star sighed and said, “Well, I really hate to break this convo off – it’s been great, really – but I have an investigation to conduct in the Everfree today regarding a potential attercop infestation near Berryville.”
“Attercops?” Rumble had never seen one, but he knew they were dangerous. “Why on Earth are you going up against attercops?”
“It’s…it’s a long story.” The order, in fact, had come down last night: Mesothelae, the would-be attercop queen that Star had tangled with last year, was recently seen on the outskirts of the Everfree that had bordered the town of Berryville. While Star had no idea what the giant spider wanted, the Vicemagus believed that she was possibly tied to Nightmare Moon and/or Chrysalis and that it would be, regardless of the truth, best if the monstrous eight-legged creature was driven back into the depths of the Everfree, or dealt with for once and for all.
But the truth was that Star was afraid. Sure, she had the power to deal with Mesothelae – recent changes in her life all but assuring that – but she’d lost to the wicked creature before, and that had taken a toll on her. But unlike last time, she didn’t have lording things over Blackie – who was currently suspended from the Guild for his actions – to use as a confidence booster, nor did she have Sweetie to rely on, who was apparently on “special assignment” and wouldn’t be able to bail her out of this. She was so afraid of the situation, she hadn’t even told Spines about it, instead having “allowed” the baby draconess to stay over at Sugar Sprinkle’s house tonight.
But from where Rumble stood, all he saw was fear in her eyes. Maybe she was arachnophobic, maybe she’d had a recent incident where she’d lost her nerve and had yet to recover it. The latter was a common enough problem out in the field, and it was just one of those little reminders that no matter what kind of ditty-bag kind of sailor you were, that and other stressors proved that you were more than your hooves, wings or horn. Besides, even as powerful as this mare standing before him was, she was still just a pony at the end of the day, and ponies naturally felt fear.
Besides, maybe this’ll get me in good with Sweetie, he considered – she’d probably be more interested in the stallion who saved her precious protégé from trouble. And besides, an attercop is nothing to sneeze at – and when he ordered me to take leave, Soarin’ didn’t say that I couldn’t get myself into trouble of another kind.
“Okay, any way you can magic me up some gear?” he asked. “I’m going with.”
She looked at him with a stunned expression. After a second, she said, “You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes I do,” he told her. “I’m a sailor, a Seapony, and I’m sworn to protect the lives of the Crown and its citizenry. Besides, attercop spawnlings are the size of adult stallions – if you’re dealing with an infestation, things are going to get messy and ponies are going to get hurt.” He paused, then added, “Besides, I’d feel bad if I let a cute mare like you get hurt because I didn’t do my job. So I’m coming with you.”
“You’re on leave,” Star said, surprised. “If I recall military regulations, you’re not authorized to have weapons or anything of the sort while out of uniform, right?”
He looked at her, a stern grimace planted on his muzzle. “Do you think the attercops care?”
“Right this way if you please, your grace,” an aging stallion with a combover mane peered at DJ through thick lenses. “Allow me to say that it is an honor to assist you, Countess Faroe, i—”
DJ sighed. “Please, Mr. Watermelon Slice, I would very much appreciate it if you just called me DJ. Or Ms. Martinez, if you must. I’m still not entirely used to the title.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You are a member of the Royal Family, your grace,” Watermelon said, a dutiful tone in his voice, “and etiquette prevents me from doing so. Besides, your uncle, Lord Spike insisted that I treat you and your family with the utmost diligence and dutifulness that is within the demeanor of the Crown Services, your grace.”
Behind her, Anna chuckled slightly. “I think what he means is—”
“Yes, Mom, I got the point that he should really just eschew obfuscation,” she said, wondering exactly how the hell she got roped into all of this. The original plan had been for her and her parents to go check out the place that Twilight was giving them in Northside, so that DJ could get a general idea of the neighborhood, the house itself and a bunch of other stuff that she’d need to know once she returned back to Japan to prepare for the move. As it was, Mike would only have enough time to meet his ship back at the nearest port call and officially detach from the Konetzni before he returned back here to Canterlot; that meant that with the boys’ schooling still ongoing, DJ and the boys would have to remain in Japan for at least a few more months until the paperwork approving their overseas move would be allowed. Granted, while DJ’s technical dual citizenship – something that turned out to be a rare case of serendipity, all things considered – would speed things up, she would still not get a chance to move into their new place until August at the earliest.
“Furball, I can already see that you’re bummed about having to live separately from Mike for a while, but look at it this way: soon enough you’ll be here with him, and your whole family can enjoy living at this place. Plus, it might not be bad living here in Canterlot.”
“Dad, I love you with all my heart,” DJ said, “but please don’t tell me how wonderful things will be when you know how much I’m sacrificing for my husband’s sake.”
Anna smiled. “You’ll do fine, DJ. You’re strong, after all.”
“Yeah, I know,” she replied. “Well, shall we catch up with Watermelon?”
With that, the two humans and humanized pony caught up to the stallion. “Now, as I was saying, your grace, we’ve had traffic blocked off to the street so that you can park your automotive vehicle anywhere you choose.”
“Wat.” The look on DJ’s face as she tried very hard not to do a facepalm would have been considered priceless had she not been on the ragged edge of irritation. “Watermelon, approximately how many families live on this street?”
The pony thought for a moment. “About thirty or so, I believe, your grace,” he told her.
“And how many are human and thus have cars?”
“Almost all of them, your grace,” he replied. “The ERG felt it was important, due to the fact that you will not be residing within the standard safety perimeter of the Westside, that we increase security for both yourself and your family—”
“Why?” DJ asked, genuinely exasperated. “Look, I’m a minor noble. Nobody’s going to give a damn about that in the slightest.”
“If I may, milady Countess,” he pointed out, “you are the niece of the princesses and the daughter of her grace Duchess Lippizan – no offense meant to either of you, sir and madam.” The last he said as an aside to DJ’s parents, who understood. “Furthermore, you are a celebrity and a noted pony within the media. And lastly, you have been attacked in the very recent past, not once, not twice, but three times. Given that, even with the fact that your husband is a member of the American military, we cannot afford to risk your safety.”
“But what about the people who live on this street? You can’t just—”
“Actually, Statute 321.649A of the Crown Safety and Security Codes allow the ERG to take plenipotentiary measures to ensure the safety of a member of the Royal Family when her or his life is at risk. As I understand it, the head of your security detail wanted to have everyhuman – and the one gryphon family at the end of the street – removed from the block for your safety, but the ERG believed that was a bit of overkill.”
“So’s banning them from using the street!” DJ finally facepalmed, counted to five, and then told him, “Let’s get something clear: One, I don’t want – or need – a security detail. Do you really feel that Equestria is so dangerous that I need to be packing heat with bodyguards?”
“Milady, I think not alone of your security, but that of your foals – your colts will need a security escort to and from their school, undoubtedly.” The look in Watermelon’s eyes radiated sincerity – DJ was sure at this point the stallion could show no other emotion than that. Well, maybe fawning as well, she thought.
“I refuse to allow myself or my family to live in a Goddamn birdcage,” DJ said. “And furthermore, it is completely unfair to the people who rely on their vehicles to have to trudge a few blocks—”
“Actually, the vehicular cordon is about a half-mile radius, your grace,” Watermelon said meekly.
“That’s worse!”
“Watermelon, just give it up,” a new voice said. The group turned to see Lyra walking down the street, with her own family in tow. “Tell you what: just give me the keys and you can head back to your office.”
“Milady Viscountess, I must protest,” the bureaucrat stated. “My instructions were specific: to escort Countess Faroe to see the ancestral home of their graces Duchess Shetland and Margra—”
Lyra burst out laughing, a near-bray. “Ancestral home my ass! Watermelon, do you see that house down the street there?” Lyra pointed to a house just past the end of the block, on the corner of the next one. “I grew up in that house. My parents used to live there until they passed away a few decades back. I think my brother sold it to one of our cousins, though I’m not sure which. But the point is that Twilight and Spike’s house is hardly ancestral. They come from the lesser line of the Cloverines, so I know that for a fact.”
“Yes, your grace,” Watermelon said, “but even still I—”
“DJ, would you look at the house right there?” Lyra pointed at a brownstone townhouse in the middle of the street. Unlike the others, it looked slightly run down, though that was more due to the fact that it hadn’t been lived in for a while than any sort of neglect.
“Is that it?” DJ knew her aunt had come from humble beginnings, but for someone like Twilight Sparkle, even still it seemed a little…well, pedestrian.
“Yeah, that’s it. Amazing, huh?” She then turned to Watermelon. “Mazel tov, you have now shown Countess Faroe the home as duly prescribed in your orders. Now give me the keys and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“But mil—”
“Did I mention my husband’s a lawyer? I learned how to argue real good from him.” A wicked grin split her muzzle. Sighing, the aged stallion reached into his waistcoat pocket and produced a key that he handed over to Lyra. “See? Wasn’t so hard,” she replied. “Now go ahead and head back to your office, and I’ll be sure to let Spike know that you were very helpful.” As the stallion departed, Lyra looked at DJ. “Don’t give me that look – I’ve had a lifetime of dealing with pencil jockeys like him. It’s why I personally oversee the hiring of all my diplomatic staff at the embassy; I really don’t weak or nebbish types hanging around.”
“Then why…?” DJ asked.
“Because he’s really good at his job. When it comes to local governmental duties, I’m sure he’s one of the best Spike has working for him. But you know as well as I do that just because you’re good with A doesn’t mean you should be placed in charge of B, right?” Handing the key over to DJ, she said, “Well, let’s go take a peek at the place. I haven’t been here since I was a child, so I have to admit that I’m a little curious myself as to how it looks.”
DJ nodded, looking at Paul, then her own parents. “Yeah, let’s get going.”
A minute and one unlocked door later, two humanized ponies and three humans entered the townhome that had once been the fond foalhood domicile of a few members of Equestria’s cherished royalty. As they entered, a scholarly look came over DJ’s face: she could almost see the filly version of Twilight Sparkle, bouncing around with a book in her magical grip, dancing and carrying on just like every other little girl, regardless of species, that had ever existed.
Lyra went over to a nearby shelf and ran a hoof over it, drawing a line in the dust. “Wow, the preservation spell must have partially failed,” she mused. To the non-unicorns in the room, the celeste diplomat explained, “When a house is kept in storage for a while, humans tend to throw tarps over everything and double-spray the house with insecticides, right? Well for ponies, we have house preservation specialists who cast a stasis spell, which basically keeps away bugs, pests and dust until the spell wears off – about every five years or so – or until it’s renewed. It’s such a power-intensive spell that usually only specialists do it and it’s not used as a common housecleaning spell, though obviously someone of Twi’s skill could easily have done the spell herself – it wouldn’t surprise me if she did.” Lyra then looked down at the dust and said, “Given the lack of cobwebs or bug corpses, the anti-dust portion of the spell must have failed, which means that it won’t be long before the rest of it does. Hopefully by then the renovations will begin.”
“I see,” DJ said, looking around at the various furniture that had been left as is. It was almost as though neither Twilight or her siblings wanted to deal with the house after their parents passed away. DJ then looked at her own parents, and a brief tightness gripped her heart. They’re in their seventies, she thought, and I dread the day that Sam and I have to think about that. She then turned back to focus on the furniture, before her parents realized what she was thinking about.
“Were they happy?” DJ asked. “Twilight’s family, I mean.”
“I really didn’t know her parents that well,” Lyra admitted, “though I think Rarity once told me that her mother, Sandalwood, and Twilight’s mother, Twilight Velvet, were old friends. Maybe I’m misremembering that; I’m not sure. But don’t let any of that color what you think of the place. I do know, from what little of our shared childhood was, that Twilight and her siblings were well-loved and that her parents were respected members of the community.”
“I see.” A small thought came to her. “I wonder how much grief I would get if I put the US ensign and the Navy flag up?”
Lyra looked at DJ oddly. “That’d be unusual.”
“Well, if I recall correctly, don’t you have the Equestriani national flag flying from a flagpole in your front yard?”
“That’s different – I’m the ambassador, remember? I’m supposed to do that. Besides, technically, the house belongs to the embassy, not me personally, so it marks it as Equestriani territory.”
“Well, I am American, so it does behoove me to fly the flag of my country.”
“You’re also a member of the Royal Family of this nation, remember? Divided loyalties and all that?”
DJ groaned. “And this is why I didn’t want the title! Look, Lyra, I consider myself American, not Equestriani – as far as I’m considered, my citizenship—”
“Subjecthood. This is a monarchy, remember.”
“Whatever. The point is that I’m hoping to move here by early July, and I certainly plan to hold a 4th of July party here—”
“DJ, did it ever occur to you to not piss off people of other countries?”
“Yeah,” she said, a grin on her face. “That’s why we live on-base instead of off.”
Now it was Lyra’s turn to facepalm. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
The remainder of the hour was spent looking at the house, appreciating all the fine points. One particular point was scored when DJ noted that a house two blocks away was flying a Canadian flag, to which Lyra just gave up and basically made DJ promise that she wouldn’t try to fly a battle ensign from the top of the house. Finally, as the group went down to the basement, Lyra used a lighting spell – since the house still wasn’t wired for electricity, but instead magic use – to illuminate the basement.
“Never been down here before,” she explained. “Obviously they didn’t let little fillies play in basements back then.”
As they walked around, they noticed a ton of older things: various pieces of Night Light’s astronomy equipment, old typewriters that Twilight Velvet used in the production of her writing, even a rusted old flugelhorn that Lyra said Shining Armor played when he was younger. Most of those downstairs were interested in the life of a family long gone from the household, but DJ found it sad and melancholy. Maybe I’ll have to discuss this with Twilight or Spike. I don’t want to get rid of anything they want to keep to remember their parents by.
Once done, they were about to head upstairs, when a flash caught the corner of DJ’s eye. Turning back, she walked over to a shelf, upon which sat a curious object. It looked like a crystal ball or an unfinished genderstone, save that the crystal was a smoky brown color. It glowed with a soft violet sheen, and DJ felt like touching it—
She found herself standing on a barren plane. Behind her was a smoking, wrecked city seemingly made out of quartz and other crystals – Empire City, the capital of the region known as the Crystal Empire, if she remembered Twilight and Sweetie’s own recollections of the place. The sky was dark and burning with a dim red, as though the very air itself was ablaze. The ground itself was burnt and cracked, as though it had just survived utter hell.
Where the fuck am I? she thought.
“You’re here, though you’re not supposed to be here yet.” DJ turned to see a woman approaching her. Silhouetted, the woman looked ripped. Muscular but not overly so, a body that clearly looked as though she was a looker or athlete of some kind. Definitely attractive for a guy’s attention, DJ reasoned, unlike her own body – thankfully she never had to worry about breasts. But it was that when the silhouetted woman moved closer, DJ realized the woman had a pony’s head. She was a hybrid of sorts – a pony’s head, though proportionate to the human body that was the rest of the person.
That, and the voice sounded familiar. Quite a bit familiar.
“It’s not your time yet,” the woman told her. “You will be here someday, and you will be present at the final decision. But until then, you need to forget about all you see here. Clarity will come soon enough.” There was a soft chuckle as the woman then added, “Though I have yet to figure it out myself. Maybe someday.”
DJ looked at the woman as she grew closer now. There was an incredible magic coming from her, so strong that it even someone unversed in it like DJ could feel it. “Why? Who are you?”
The woman stopped before her, then smiled before looking up at DJ with clear purple eyes framed by brown hair, set in tan fur.
“You, of course.”
Everything went black.