//------------------------------//
// Chapter 26: Summits 
// Story: Harmony Theory 
// by Sharaloth 
//------------------------------//


While a single pony bearing multiple Elements is indeed possible, as shown by the example of the Princesses in the Royal Sisters period, it is extremely dangerous for a mortal pony to attempt. The difficulties of dealing with a single Element are vast enough, but bearing multiple Elements has an exponential, not additive, effect. 

The Princesses were spared much of this difficulty because of their divine natures. They have so much power naturally that they did not call upon the Elements except when needed to create the Magic of Harmony. A mortal pony, on the other hoof, would be making heavy use of the Activated and Passive abilities of the Elements, likely without even realizing it. The resulting energy buildup would rapidly create a host of physical and neurological issues ranging from hypertension and spasmodic muscle movement to full-blown grand-mal seizures and tissue necrosis. This is not even taking into account the explosive results of feedback from the Elements, which would be similarly enhanced.

Furthermore, it is not merely the energetic effects of the Elements that have to be taken into account, but their more metaphysical properties as well, especially Inversion. A major part of the problem here is the overlap between the Elements’ areas of influence. If one Element were to go into Inversion while another remains in an Active state, the overlapping mental traits would be forced into a schism, fracturing the mind of the bearer. From what my research suggests, this schism would not be resolved by the first Element returning to an Active state, as the damage would need to be healed like any other wound. Instead, the shift of the Element to a new mode would only exacerbate the issue, preventing any sort of mental reconciliation. Even without such an Inversion/Active split, the differing pressures of the Elements would still be doing incremental damage over time, eventually culminating in the same result: complete mental breakdown.

Considering the wide impact a single Element can have on the mind and personality of its bearer, I am certain that even the Princesses would have suffered extremely deleterious effects if they had called upon the powers of multiple Elements. Their bodies might have been able to weather the physical symptoms, but their minds would not have withstood the onslaught. To what extent they would be harmed, I can only speculate. However, the existence of both Nightmare Moon and Celestia Nova suggest that their personalities are as malleable as any mortal’s, and as vulnerable.

That is not to say there are no advantages to bearing multiple Elements. Indeed, if the side-effects could be controlled or channeled somehow, the benefits would be remarkable. And frightening.

-From the fifth section of Harmony Theory by Twilight Sparkle.





Chapter Twenty-Six: Summits



"This isn't going to work," Astrid said, watching Star Fall out of the corner of one golden eye as they made their way deep under the palace.

"It'll work," Star Fall said, hoping that she projected more confidence than she felt. 

"Sure, because stuff like this happens all the time," Astrid said, snorting.

"That's exactly the point," Star Fall replied, stretching her wings out and straightening her neck. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. That means there's no precedent, no tradition. I have an opportunity here. I can either make the new rules or let them be made for me."

Astrid let those words hang in the still air for a long moment before speaking again. "I still don't think it'll work."

"If it does you have to sing."

"What!?" Astrid squawked in surprise, turning her head sharply to stare at her charge. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious," Star Fall said, returning Astrid's stare. "It's a bet now. This works, you have to sing. In public. At my wedding."

Astrid shook her head. "No way."

"What? I thought you were so sure it wasn't going to work." Star Fall poked her wing into Astrid's side, accentuating the goad.

The Griffin's eyes narrowed. "Okay, you're on. If I win? You dye your mane green for the wedding."

"No!" Star Fall gasped, but couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "You know how awful that looks!"

"Oh, I know," Astrid said, beak opened in a smirk. "Not gonna back out now, are you?"

Star Fall set her features in an exaggerated frown. "Not a chance." They crossed wings to seal the bet, wide grins marring the solemnity of the act, and continued on their way.

They came to an old area of the palace, one of the few that was entirely underground with no access to sunlight. Shards of crystal were embedded in the walls, letting off a soft, slightly-tinted glow that gave the cool stone corridor an eerie, unnatural feeling. A large, circular door stood at the end of the passage, flanked by a pair of Griffins sitting at studious attention. The door was engraved with an ancient symbol of the united Equestria: Celestia and Luna chasing each other in the eternal cycle of day and night. That door was rolled partially open, and a blue light cast harsh shadows from within.

Besides the Griffins there was a unicorn mare in a smart but otherwise nondescript charcoal business suit. She looked to Star Fall and Astrid as they arrived, annoyance writ clearly on her features. She walked up to meet them halfway to the great door. "Agent Fall, why have you demanded to meet me down here? I have a lot of work to do and I don't appreciate unnecessary dramatics."

"Therese," Star Fall said, inclining her head and ignoring the snippish tone. Therese was Gamma's personal assistant, and thus one of the top agents in the Secret Service. She outranked Star Fall by a wide margin, and normally the pegasus would have cringed at the thought of angering her. These were not normal times, however, and establishing a new relationship with Therese was part of what she was trying to accomplish here. She stilled her natural inclination to apologize and instead simply smiled. "Thank you for coming. We need to discuss the instructions Gamma has left with you, as well as the most recent intelligence reports from the Republics."

Therese frowned. "Agent Fall, the instructions Gamma left for you have already been delivered. You know what's expected of you, I don't see the need to go over it any more."

"No, Therese," Star Fall said, keeping her voice as level as she could, though there was still a hint of a shake in there that she couldn't quell. "Not the instructions for me, all the instructions."

Therese's mouth opened for an angry retort, but it died in her throat as she began to understand what Star Fall was doing. "You aren't cleared..." she managed to say, though even that thought fell away.

"Not yet," Star Fall said.

Therese's eyes widened and Star Fall was suddenly aware that she was being studied by the unicorn spy. It felt invasive, like the physical she had gone through before her first trip through the Everstorm. They had wanted to be sure that she wouldn't be vulnerable to any pathogens or allergic to any foods she might be exposed to in the Republics, and so she had spent a day being poked and prodded all over, stuck with needles and made to bear it all and report every little sensation. The stare Therese was giving her was like that, only on a much more intimate level. Therese wasn't examining her body, she was examining her mind, going over everything she knew about Star Fall, cataloguing and categorizing and paring down until she could find an answer to the question that had suddenly become all important: could she really do this?

A slight twitch of her eyes, a flicker of surprise, was all the evidence Therese gave of the answer she came to. "I suppose you're going to ask me to wait here, then?" 

Star Fall nodded. "Please. It shouldn't be long." She didn't wait for Therese to reply, stepping past her and towards the door. Astrid stayed behind, giving Therese a smug look that the unicorn couldn't see because she was still staring at Star Fall.

The guards spread their wings to block her way as she approached. "The King is with his ancestors," one said. "He is not to be disturbed."

"Announce me," she said. "He will let me in."

The guards shared a look, but they knew who she was. That they would let her pass was never actually in question. The one who had spoken to her turned and stepped into the open doorway. "Your Majesty, the Lady Fallen Star is here to see you. Will you grant her audience?"

There was a short laugh from deep inside. "That's Princess Fallen Star," the King said. "Or will be soon enough. Of course I will speak to her." The guard turned back and nodded to Star Fall, letting her through. 

She paused for a moment inside the door, out of sight from the others in the passage and the King both. She allowed herself a moment of rapid breathing and a shudder of nervousness. She couldn't afford to let her confidence crack in front of Therese or the King, and it had come close back there. She had to be in control. She had to be perfect.

She stilled her body and took a single, slow breath. This was her choice. She was ready.

Beyond the door was a long, wide cavern. It was partially carved and partially left as naked rock, leaving the entire chamber with the strange feeling of only being half-finished. A dozen pillars held crystal goblets, carved into the shape of soaring wings. Those cups burned with a cold blue fire that illuminated the chamber with unwavering light. Between the pillars were long stone tables on which sat the marble busts of every King and Queen of the Solar Kingdom going back to its founding. Other items accompanied the busts, weapons or banners or other icons of their time of rule. She had heard that each bust was also a reliquary, the marble holding a piece of the ruler it depicted.

Star Fall walked between the frozen faces of power. Some were stern, their mouths set in sneers and their horns pointed high. Others were smiling or laughing. A few looked sad and melancholy. She saw faces of pride and confidence, expressions of thought or triumph. Precious few seemed kind or warm. These were depictions as much of the character of their rule as it was of the rulers themselves. She caught sight of Overspear's bust, and shuddered at the intense madness that had been captured in his wide, stone eyes. It was a frightening reminder that she might be dealing with a similarly insane King now.

The King stood before the busts of his parents. Both had died relatively young, an accident while they had been touring the Kingdom. It had been before Star Fall was born, so all she knew of them was from history textbooks and the few stories the Professor had told her. From their busts they looked almost serene. Their rule had been one of peace and prosperity, of quiet borders and a complacent populace. They never knew the turmoil their son would face, with increasing immigration from the zebra nations and the Republics becoming ever more unified in their belligerence. 

"I don't often come here," the King said, not turning as she came up beside him and made a quick bow to the faces of his parents. "I always thought it a little silly. I'm going to spend my death down here, why bother wasting my living years here as well?"

Star Fall was silent for a moment as she gauged the King's mood. Finally realizing that he was expecting a response, she mentally scrambled to think of something halfway intelligent. "A... reminder of what has come before," she said. "And a reminder of what will come after."

He snorted. "Aqua said something similar once. I don't think I agree, but regardless I come down here a few times a year and wonder at how many more faces this place can hold." He paused, looking to her with a smile that was made frightening by the harsh light. "Or, I used to wonder. My face may not be the last addition to his mausoleum, but yours will be."

That statement sent a chill down Star Fall's spine. She tried to think of something to say to fill the silence that stretched between them, something to bring the conversation around to what she wanted to talk about. But she could think of no way to guide the conversation smoothly, and so she simply held his gaze and waited to see what he would do next.

"Do you know what those are?" the King asked, tilting his horn towards the burning goblets.

Star Fall nodded, grateful for the change in topic. "Phoenixes," she said. "They all died in the Schism, but instead of turning to ash the ones in the keeping of your family transmuted into an eternal flame, and were set here to watch over the dead."

"Not quite eternal," he said, examining one. "They have to be fed a certain amount of magic every year, or they begin to gutter and fade. That's one of the secret duties of the King and Queen. They're still alive, you know. The phoenixes. Just a little. So long as their flames burn, they're alive. It's said that when the Goddesses return, the phoenixes will be reborn to herald their coming. So you see, the common story has it backwards.  They don't watch over the dead, the dead watch over them. Waiting for the true dawn to break."

"Your Majesty," Star Fall began, but he stopped her with a raised wing.

"I'll be calling you daughter soon enough. We have no need to stand on ceremony between us."

"I... yes, of course... si... um..." Star Fall floundered, completely unsure of how to address the King now.

"Golden will do for now," he said, his voice gentle even as the light cast his features in hard angles. "Though I hope that one day we are close enough for you to call me father. Did you know I was prepared to adopt you before the Professor beat me to it?"

Star Fall nodded. "She told me."

"She is forever forestalling me," the King said, a wistful sigh accompanying the though. "Always caution from her. Every action thought out a thousandfold before the first step can be taken. On the day she takes a bold action, I swear the world will end."

"I know what you want," Star Fall said, blurting it out. The King looked at her, frowning slightly at her outburst. "An Alicorn foal. I know that's what you want from me."

"It's not just what I want," he said. "It's what the world needs."

"I..." Star Fall took another breath, trying vainly to control the quickness of her pulse. "Am I a real princess? Do you really mean to make Regal heir, and me along with him? Or am I just supposed to be a broodmare and this is all a setup to make it look legitimate?"

He was taken aback. Both unaccustomed to being talked to in that tone and surprised at the content of her question. She hoped that she knew him well enough that her guess at how he would react was correct. "Fallen Star," he said, hurt lacing his voice. "You would think so little of me?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what I should be thinking," she said. "That's why I asked. I need to know."

His ears drooped. "In truth, it's been a question I've been asked before. Most often by myself, in the quiet moments. Were you not the vessel for a Goddess, then I would never have considered elevating you as high as I have. Is it all for the child, then? The one you will birth, the saviour of the world? I suppose it is. But is that elevation false? Is your betrothal a lie? No. I mean to place you on the throne after my time is done. So that your daughter may in turn take her place and rule forevermore. It is no mere farce. You are a princess in truth. I swear it."

"Then I need to be a princess," Star Fall said. "I'm working at a disadvantage no other princess has ever faced. I'm an outsider, I'm not even a unicorn. I need to show that I am more than just a pegasus you've taken a fancy to. I need to show that I have power. I need to have power. And I don't mean magic. I need to have authority."

He frowned. "And what more can I do to give you that?"

"I'm standing for Gamma on the council," she said. "I want to make that official. Put me as acting head of the Secret Service."

"Fallen Star, I–"

"I'm not done," she said. She hoped the interruption would make him listen to her, not make him angry. "I want your official, open support as well. I want to make decisions and have those decisions acted on."

"You want the authority of the Crown."

"If I'm going to be Queen one day, then I'd better start learning how." Star Fall stepped closer to the King, lowering her voice to a more vulnerable, intimate tone. "I will not be a puppet or a figurehead or just a womb. I need a choice in how this all happens. If you want me to be Regal's wife, if you want me to be a princess and bear an heir, then I have to get it all. All the responsibility, and all the power."

The King stared at her for a terrifying moment, then threw his head back and laughed. Star Fall froze, she wasn't expecting this response, and had no idea what it could mean. "Oh, I made a terrible mistake in letting Gamma and the Professor have so much influence on you."

"I only learned what they taught me," Star Fall said, unsure if she should be angry at that or not.

"And learned well!" he said, grinning. "Very well! You shall have what you want, Princess Fallen Star. On two conditions."

"Name them."

"First, the wedding will be moved up. Two weeks from now."

Star Fall frowned. "That's not a lot of time to prepare a royal wedding."

"We will cope."

She couldn't see any reason that this would be a problem so she nodded in acceptance. "What's the second condition?"

"Honesty," he said. "I need you to be honest with me."

Star Fall frowned. "Of course, I..." she trailed off, not sure of how to finish that thought.

"As a ruler, you will find that it is the very rare subject who will be truly honest with you," the King said. "I have been blessed in that regard. Gamma, the Professor, Aqua. All of them have their opinions and are not afraid to share them. Though even they demur and hide their thoughts if they do not think I will like them. Something they have done ever more as of late. I hope you will be one on whom I can count to be absolutely honest with me. So, if you want the power so much, you will pay for it with your ability to hide or sugarcoat the truth with me. I will have your honesty, regardless of how much you think I might not want to hear it. Only in private, of course. Decorum must be maintained for others."

"I..." Star Fall frowned, trying to understand his request. She could see the point of it, but she didn't realize he would value her opinion as highly as the Professor's. She certainly couldn't deny him this, though, not with everything she was asking. In that case, it was probably best to get the most damaging truth out of the way first. "I think you might be going insane."

He blinked at her, shocked. "Well. I suppose I asked for that. Could you explain why you think this?"

"You think I'm going to have an Alicorn child."

"Ah, so it is that."

"What else could it be? Your Majesty, Golden, what you want is impossible."

He didn't seem angry with her, though it was hard to tell in the light of the dead phoenixes. "I know what Regal showed you, that he let you see the secret of the Deep Power."

"Yes, he also told me that it can sometimes make you see or think things that aren’t true."

"Oh, they're true," he said, a quiet, sad chuckle accompanying the words. "They're always true, just not always in a way we understand, or expect. I would like to assure you that I'm no Overspear, but I would say the same even if I was. Instead, let me tell you something. Something I have not revealed to any other, even Aqua." He turned back to the visages of his parents. "I first touched the Deep Power when I was barely more than a foal. I had a vision, I saw an Alicorn at the center of a great whirlpool of power, touching all parts of the universe, yet somehow separate from it. Ever since, all my visions have been of this Alicorn, this Goddess. They came to me at odd times, and with increasing power and frequency, until the day I first heard your name, and what you had done. That day I had the most powerful vision I have ever had, and with it came knowledge. Not a vague premonition or prophecy, either, but utter, absolute knowledge. The Goddesses would return, and they would return through you. So you see, I'm not insane, no more so than any ruler, at least. Certainly I am no Overspear."

Star Fall’s training as both a scholar and a spy emphasized picking out important statements and putting together larger pictures from limited information. Even surprised as she was by the way this conversation was going, that part of her mind was still working, and it brought an important piece of information to her attention. “Wait,” she said. “You… you expect Regal to take the throne. Actually expect it.”

“I do.”

“But I could foal as soon as next year. If you are certain that I will bear an Alicorn, an eternal ruler for the Kingdom, why not just give the succession to her once she comes of age? Why bother with Regal and I at all?” She shook her head. “You aren’t telling me everything.”

“No.” His wings twitched as grief tinged his voice. “Another thing I have been shown. I will not live to see the Alicorn’s rebirth. That, above any other reason, is why I have never told Aqua or the Professor about the nature of my visions. This must come to pass, even if it costs me my life. The Kingdom, no, the world needs the Goddesses. Only they can unite us after so long being fractured.”

Star Fall shook her head. “And the Professor just thinks you’re obsessed with Alicorns.”

The King laughed again. "I've been having visions of one since I was a child. Of course I'm obsessed with them. Wouldn't you be? So, knowing all of this, my closest secret, do you trust me more?"

"I... think I do," Star Fall said. "I'm not as worried that you're going to lose your mind and kill me if I don't bear a Goddess."

"I know you don't think you will, but it will happen. Trust in what I have foreseen, and trust in what you have experienced yourself in the Deep Power."

Star Fall didn't know how to respond to that. So she just shook her head. "Thank you for telling me. I... I have a lot to do."

"Yes, I'm sure there is much to be done. You are now the head of my Secret Service. It will be official as soon as I have a clerk draw up the papers. You may take your leave. I do not need to order you to keep my visions a secret."

"I won’t speak of them unless there is a dire need, I promise," Star Fall said, then left his side.

She stepped back into the corridor with a pensive frown on her face. She walked past the guards without really seeing them, and was halfway down the passage before Astrid stepped in front of her. "Hey," she said. "I'm not gettin' happy vibes from you, but I'm not getting failure either, what's up?"

"It didn't go as I thought it would," Star Fall said. Then gave herself one great shake and snapped her wings open. "But I still get to hear you sing."

"Celestia damn it," Astrid said, with only half-feigned horror.

Star Fall turned to Therese, who was already falling into a long-practiced stance of professional helpfulness. "Come on," Star Fall said, walking past the secretary. She joined Astrid in following in the newly-minted spymaster's wake. "We've got a lot to discuss. I’d like you to summarize the reports I asked for as we walk, once that’s done I'm going to explain how we're going to make sure Rainbow Dash keeps her title."

“That’s not possible,” Therese said. “No matter what promises and power you’ve wrangled from the King, there’s no way you can convince the nobles to allow a pegasus into the peerage like that.”

“Really?” Star Fall shot her new secretary a cocky grin. “Just watch me.”


***


“I know you told me to expect something big, Spike, but this...” Rarity shook her head. “Why, I've never dreamed of a storm so... so..."

"Wrong," Spike said. It wasn't the word she had been looking for, but she nodded nonetheless. He was right, it was wrong.

They were standing in a small clearing in what she had been told was once the Whitetail Woods, stowing all their gear for the coming passage through the Everstorm. The train ride south had been an awkward one, with Gamma and Strongheart staying warily silent while Blaze filled the air with a non-stop stream of bizarre and meaningless chatter. Rarity had still found the time to speak with Spike about many things, including the times he had crossed the Storm before. Standing before the towering, roiling wall of the Storm, though, she was sure that no amount of explanation and stories could prepare her for the real thing. It was too much to take in all at once, and she could feel the magic in it, clashing with itself. Confined, yet untameable.

"Like something Discord would find amusing," Rarity said.

Spike hissed in anger, making Rarity turn to him with wide eyes. "Don't," he said.

"Don't?"

"Don't use that name," Spike said, his furious eyes locked on the ground. 

"Another thing you've forgotten to tell me?"

"Something I wish I could forget." He took a deep breath, and his claws dug furrows in the earth as he clenched his fists. "You don't remember what happened with him, and that's for the best."

"I remember enough!" Rarity protested. "I remember him nearly destroying Equestria, and him making me think an ugly, plain rock was a beautiful, enormous diamond!"

"That was... the first time," Spike said.

"He got out again?"

"You let him out." Spike turned away. "Look, it's a long story, and a bad one. Celestia thought he could be reformed so you let him out. It looked like it worked at first, even when he was being a jerk he wasn't nearly as bad as the first time, but... but it didn't last. When he finally turned on us it was the worst thing I've ever experienced."

"Worse than the Schism?" Rarity asked, stepping up beside him so that she could see his face.

He nodded. She could see the pain beneath the anger, a hurt so deep it was shattering. "The Schism was a war. What came after it was survival. It was all bad, but it wasn't aimed at me. With him it was personal. He knew us, he'd pretended to be our friend. He used that to hurt us, all of us. What you remember was only a taste of what he was capable of."

"I'm sorry," Rarity said, laying a hoof on the Dragon's shoulder. "I'll not bring up that ruffian’s name again."

"Thank you," Spike said, laying a claw atop her hoof.

Across the small clearing, but still within earshot, Calumn and Blaze were watching the exchange. "What's that about?" Blaze asked, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't carry.

Calumn shook his head. "Some villain from a thousand years ago, I guess. I don't recognize the name they were using, it's not a Solar or Zebra word, probably Old Equestrian."

"It looks serious."

"Not our business," Calumn said. He shot a look over to Gamma, who was carefully checking the packing of her own saddlebags. "What is she hiding?" 

"A scar on her neck?" Blaze said.

Calumn shook his head. "Sorry, it was supposed to be a rhetorical question. She's definitely not telling us everything. That's a given. I'm just wondering what she's trying to accomplish by hiding the fact that we're being followed."

Blaze blinked at that. "What?"

"We've been followed since we got on the train." Calumn said, closing his eyes. "Someone who has kept pace with us. Someone who is desperate, angry, and terrified. I can feel her hating you."

"Me?" Blaze gasped, frowning in affronted confusion. "I work real hard to be a pony everybody can love! I'm so nonconfrontational I once lost an argument with an assertive billboard! I've joined three cults 'cause they said they'd like me if I did! Who could hate me?"

Calumn snorted back a laugh. "I don't know. I can just tell you what they're feeling, not why. But what's really important is when Gamma is planning on telling us. In the middle of the Everstorm, maybe?"

"Wait..." Blaze's confusion dropped away, replaced by sober concern. "You think this person's gonna follow us into the Storm?"

Calumn nodded. "Absolutely. With what I'm feeling, they won't quit. Not for anything."

"No." Blaze blinked at his friend, startled by the sudden hardness in his voice and the thin, angry set of his lips. Before Calumn could ask what he meant, Blaze was walking to Gamma. He stopped in front of the spymaster, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence before speaking again. "Call him in."

"Excuse me?" Gamma asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Whoever you've got tailing us. Call him in now, or tell him to stop following." The unyielding tone was so unlike Blaze that everyone in the clearing was now staring at him. 

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Yes you are," Calumn said, giving her a hard look. He wasn't going to get in a staring match with her, but if Blaze was serious for once, it meant he should be taking this just as seriously.

Gamma shrugged. "Very well. Yes, we are being followed, but I'm not responsible for that."

"But you know who it is, and why,” Calumn said.

"I do, yes."

"Then call them in," Calumn said, managing to hold her gaze.

She let the moment stretch, testing his resolve. Then, satisfied, she shrugged and raised her voice. "Melody! We know you're out there, you might as well join us!"

There was a rusting in the trees, and a moment later a pegasus mare leapt from the branches, staring daggers at Blaze. Her coat was caked with dirt, wild clumps of hair sticking out and caught with burrs. Her mane and tail were similarly frayed and tangled with twigs and leaves. Scratches showed through her dirty coat and the skin around her eyes was dark and sagging with exhaustion, but her eyes were bright and alert –almost feverishly so. She wore a slim saddlebag that had a small doll sticking out of it, like some absurd passenger. That doll was the only clean thing on her.

"Why, Melody, dear!" Rarity said, staring at the newcomer. "You should be back in the palace, being cared for! You're in no state to be travelling!"

Melody Drop spared a glance for Rarity, though it was obviously an effort to look away from Blaze. "You're going after Cash. I need to be there when you find him."

"Darling, this is dangerous!"

"It's all because of him!" she yelled. "My home is destroyed, people I've known all my life are dead! And Charisma ki... killed my master." She shuddered, visibly restraining herself from some emotional explosion. "I have to come with you, Lady Rarity. I have to."

Rarity opened her mouth to reply, but found that she could not think of anything to say. Instead, Blaze spoke. "Charisma killed your master?"

Her gaze snapped back to him, eyes narrowing and lips pulling back to show teeth. "Yes," she spat at him. "Your lover killed the stallion I'd dedicated my life to protecting."

"You can't blame him for–" Calumn began, but Blaze stopped him with a raised hoof.

"I'm sorry," Blaze said. "I'm sorry she hurt you." Melody's whole body twitched, like she was trying to move in a dozen different directions at once, but her eyes remained locked on Blaze. "You're right, I was... am her lover. I think one of us might actually be in love with the other, though I'm not really sure which one. So you can trust me when I say that I know exactly what she's like. She hurts people, all the time. I understand if you want to hurt her back."

"No," she snapped. "I can't," she shivered again, her breath speeding and her wing folding protectively over the doll in her saddlebag. "I can't fight her. She's... she's just a puppet. It's Cash I want."

Blaze shook his head. "It's not like that. Cash tells her to do bad things, but he doesn't make her do these things, he just gives her permission. If she killed your master, it's because she wanted to."

Melody took a step back from him. "No... I..."

"You're afraid of her," Blaze said. She shrank back from him as though he had lashed her with a whip. "That's okay, she's really scary. But, Melody, don't make the mistake of thinking Cash is an easier target. If you're afraid of Charisma, you should be much, much more afraid of him."

"Blaze is right," Calumn said. He could feel the hatred ebbing from her, but the roil of emotions he sensed from her was too chaotic for him to see which way she would go. "The worst Charisma can do is kill your body. Cash... he can break you. All the way through."

She sank to her knees, shivering. "I know." Her wings swept out, indicating her state. "He did this to me," she said, her voice wavering with the weight of her despair. "He did this to me," she repeated, hissing like a snake as anger flooded into her again. She curled into a ball and shook. To Calumn it was like two opposing tides competing to fill a bay, hopelessness and rage cresting into alternating waves of emotion. From what he was sensing from her, the rage was winning. 

"Oh, you poor girl," Rarity said quietly, one hoof raised to reach out to the mare, but held in the air as she knew her comfort would not be welcomed. 

"The Element of Loyalty," Gamma said. "This is the effect it has."

"No," Spike said. "This is a corruption. A perversion of Loyalty."

"You were a bearer of Loyalty," Gamma said.

It hadn't been a question, but Spike nodded. "For a time. I know what Loyalty does, and this? This is not what the Elements are meant to do."

"Regardless, this is what Cash is capable of with them. I find Trail Blazer's estimation of his threat to be somewhat understated."

"Melody," Blaze said. She stopped shaking, peeking an eye out to stare at him. Calumn noted that her hatred for his friend was all but gone. "Are you going to follow us if we try to leave you behind?" 

"Until you find him," she said.

"Oh, okay. Well, I can’t let you trail behind us through the Storm.”

“You can’t stop me,” she growled, glaring up at him as her wings snapped at the air.

Blaze smiled. “I bet I can.” 

“Try it.”

“I thought you’d never ask!” Blaze said, a happy laugh accompanying the words. “Now, um, we're gonna need a bit more rope." Blaze said, pulling off his saddlebag and nosing through it. 

“What are you doing?” Melody asked, beginning to uncurl.

“Yes, what are you doing?” Gamma echoed.

“Looking for rope,” he replied, his head still stuffed in the bag. “Here we go!” He pulled out a length of rope and held it out to Melody. “You’ll need to tie it around your middle and then to someone else. Spike’s a good choice. He’s heavy.” His eyes went wide and he turned to the Dragon. “Not like, heavy-heavy. I don’t mean that you’re fat or anything. Though I guess you could be and I wouldn't know because Dragons have weird ways of storing fat or something. I mean, you look all muscular and scaly, but I guess that could be some kind of inter-species misunderstanding. Actually, hey, do Dragons even have fat? They eat minerals and gems, right? So those aren’t really known for their high-calorie nature–”

“No,” Spike cut him off. “To… all of it.”

“Oh. Okay,” Blaze turned back to Melody. “So, do I win the bet?”

"You're going to let me come along?" Melody asked, standing. "Just like that?"

"Yup!" Blaze said, grinning. "It's just my policy not to let anyone go through the Storm without a guide. It’s not a good idea. Trust me on that one. And since the trip’s all paid for anyway, well, I’m not going to break that policy just because you like being a rugged individualist.”

“Rugged…?” Melody shook her head, but took the offered rope.

“Well, now that that’s dealt with, I guess it’s about time to head out,” Blaze said. “Please make sure all valuables are secured tightly to your person and that the rope tying you to the rest of the group is double-knotted, not just bunny-eared. Remember that in case of emergency the trick is to pace your screaming so that you still get enough air to run properly. Exits are located wherever I’m going and nowhere else, so stick close, kids! Oh, and if you need to use the facilities, now would be the time. Once in the Storm, if you stop to squat you’ll lose your plot. Like… literally. There are things in there that can and will bite your ass off. So, uh, don’t. Yeah. There will be a customer survey handed out at the end of the trip. Don’t groan! It’s not that bad, it’s just one question long. That question being: Are you still alive? If you can answer that question in any way, then yay! It was a successful trip. Thank you for choosing me, Trail Blazer, as your guide. Recommend me to your friends and your next trip through the Storm will get a five percent discount!”

Blaze walked over to Calumn, who was already beginning to fasten the rope around himself. “Five percent discount?” he asked.

Blaze shrugged. “That or surcharge. I can never keep those two straight. Probably why I flunked out of business school.”

Calumn couldn’t help but laugh. And with Blaze’s levity dispelling the looming menace of the Storm they prepared for the journey.


***


"Argh! Why does this have to be so lame?" Rainbow Dash cried, throwing the thick tome down and flopping backwards onto the red couch with exaggerated finality. The sun streamed through the window of her room, the dust motes in the air swirling like sparks from a fire as they were disturbed by Dash’s show of disgust.

"Problems?" Applejack asked. She was lying on the bed, looking at her friend over the top of her own book, which was propped up in front of her on the bed by one of the overstuffed pillows these guest rooms were furnished with. "Another word givin' you trouble?"

"No," Dash said, her voice brimming with petulant exasperation. "It's just so... boring! I thought learning to read would mean adventure stories and stuff, but all I've been reading are these stupid old law books!"

Applejack shrugged. "You're a high-falutin’ noble now, Rainbow Dash. You got a lot of catchin' up to do if you want to do it right."

Dash snorted and rolled to her side. "Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen."

Applejack shook her head. "Don't sell yourself short, sugarcube. Once you get the hang of it, I'm sure you'll do just dandy."

"Thanks, I guess," Dash said. "But I meant the whole thing."

"I think the King was pretty clear on that," Applejack said just there was a short knock on the door, it was opening before either of them could answer.

"You heard Star, AJ," Dash said, ignoring what she assumed would be another servant with yet another stack of books. "I'm probably not going to get to keep the title at all."

"Dont' be so sure of that," Star Fall said, walking into the room with Astrid close behind. She looked around at the piles of books that had been left haphazardly around Dash's chamber. Most of them hadn’t even been opened, and of those that had been several were left splayed out and face-down in a way that was surely no good for their bindings. The sight made Star Fall cringe, but she ignored it, focusing instead on her friends. 

"Star!" Dash said, leaping in the air to hover over to her. "Where've you been? I haven't been able to get ahold of you for, like, days."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Star Fall said, her wings drooping at the thought of leaving her friends the lurch for so long. "I've been really busy getting everything ready."

"I've seen the invitations," Applejack said, not getting up from her own place on the bed. "You know, sugarcube, this weddin's happenin' real soon after you got to meet your groom."

"The King's insistence," Star Fall said, shrugging. "Not that I'm too worried about that."

"Really? How is Prince Stature?" Applejack asked. There was more to the question than mere curiosity, a fact revealed in the probing look in the farmer's eyes that Star Fall didn't miss.

"He's..." she shook her head, unsure of how to answer, but feeling that an answer was needed. "He's handsome, friendly, kind, smart, powerful, and absolutely smitten with me."

"But you’re not so smitten with him," Applejack said, seeing the truth behind the evasion.

Star Fall shrugged again, trying to think of a way to word her feelings on the matter. "I like him. I don't... I like him. And I'm pretty sure I could be happy with him." She nodded smartly after that, content with it.

"Well, okay," Applejack said. "So long as you're happy."

Dash frowned at the exchange. "I still don't like this whole arranged marriage thing. It's... uh... Astrid, what's a good swear word for thinking something is stupid?"

"Bullshit," Astrid provided without hesitation.

"Yeah, bullshit," Dash said, smiling a bit as she committed the word to her unnaturally prodigious vocabulary.

Star Fall didn't bother responding to that, instead going back to the comment she had walked in on. "I've been talking to the nobility," she said, taking a seat on the floor since all the available chair space was occupied by books, and she didn't want to upset whatever filing system –or lack thereof– they were using. Astrid leaned up against the wall behind her, looking casual and deadly. "I think I can convince them to let you keep your title."

"That's, uh..." Dash looked around at all the books, settling back onto the one clear space on the couch. "Great?"

"I thought convincin' them noble unicorns to lay off her'd be harder than keepin' an ornery squirrel from stealin' the birdseed," Applejack said. "How'd you manage it?"

"I just exercised some authority," Star Fall said, unable to keep a pleased smile from her face. "I made a few promises, cut a few deals."

"Threatened a few assholes," Astrid added, snickering. 

"Yes, thank you, Astrid," Star Fall said, rolling her eyes. "And a few threats. But I managed it. It'll be made official later today, at the council meeting."

"Threats?" Applejack asked, frowning. "Won't that make you some enemies?"

Star Fall shook her head. "Not in this case. This actually turned a few nobles from enemies into allies."

"How so?"

Astrid barked out a laugh. "Go ahead, Fall, explain it to them. You know you want to." Star Fall snapped an annoyed look to her guard. "Come on," Astrid said to that look. "You're in love with your own cleverness here. Just admit it and gloat before you explode."

"Well, now I really want to hear this," Dash said. "So spill, Star. What's the secret?"

"No secret, just politics," Star Fall said. "The King changed the succession so Regal and I will inherit the throne after him. That doesn't sit well with the nobles, who've been cultivating alliances and influence with every Royal they thought would be important since… well, since forever. Obviously, I wasn't on that list. So now they're off-balance. They don't know me, except that I'm a pegasus with unique magic who was first taken in by the Professor and now married to royalty. That makes me their worst nightmare, a wild card who they have no influence over and no experience with. They can’t predict what I'll do or how I'll change what Regal would do. It scares them and it would make them work against me almost by default.” Star Fall grinned, her wings fanning out behind her. “So I gave them something they could use as leverage on me, something that might, in a pinch, get me to agree to something they want that I wouldn't have otherwise." Star Fall paused, letting her smug smile do the talking for her.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack stared back at her. "So..." Dash prompted.

"What'd you give them?" Applejack asked.

"I... uh," Star Fall deflated a bit, which wasn't helped by Astrid's snickers. "You, Dash. I gave them you."

"Wait... what?" Dash asked, face twisted in incomprehension.

Applejack was frowning thoughtfully, though. "Hold on, now. I think I get it. You let them know that you're friends with Rainbow Dash, and that you'd be mighty appreciative if they saw clear to lettin' her stay a noble. Right?"

Star Fall nodded. "Yes. They know you’re important to me now, Dash, and that makes them feel more secure, like they have some leverage on me if they need it. They know I’ll protect you, and that they can put pressure on you to put pressure on me. That will make them feel safer with me now, so they won’t fight against me instinctively. That means I can use the power and authority of the Crown more easily. Hell, they might be more willing to work with me than they would one of the Royals, so long as they get something out of it."

"So... wait," Dash said, holding out a hoof. "You want them to let me keep this knighthood, so that they feel better about you being a princess?"

"Yes,” Star Fall said, but continued quickly. “That’s not everything, though. Your title is much more important than just a political playing piece. It's something new, a sign that the times are changing, that the old rules are falling away. It’s something that is going to give a new level of hope to the lower classes. Maybe even improve relations with the nightlands. A pegasus noble is incredibly important. The fact that it's my friend and I can use it to solidify my own position, well, that's just a bonus."

"You made yourself vulnerable to help a friend, and ended up making yourself stronger," Astrid said, an undeniable note of pride in her voice. 

“So…” Dash looked around. “So I actually do have to learn all this stuff?”

They shared a chuckle at the pained terror on Dash’s face. “At least the basics,” Star Fall said.

“What are the basics?”

Star Fall’s brow furrowed and her ears twitched back and forth as she thought about it. “Let’s see… You’ve got a big parcel of land, so property management law is a good start. Don’t go in depth, just whether you’ll be expected to keep your fields cultivated or if you can just let it all stay uninhabited. You’ll need to create an account with the treasury so that you can request funds… Actually, yeah. Do that first. Then submit a proposal to buy an estate and hire a seneschal.”

“A what?”

“A seneschal, that’s someone who runs your household for you. Get someone good and you can probably leave all the details of maintaining your title and property to them.”

“You mean I can hire someone else to read all this stuff for me?” Dash asked, her eyes practically glowing with excitement at the idea.

“Well, that’s not exactly how it works,” Star Fall said. “But, basically, yeah.”

“Done,” Dash said, slamming a hoof down on the cover of one of the books next to her. “Star, it’s been great but I have been inside too long. Catch you later!” And with that she became a rainbow blur that rushed through the door and down the hall before any of the others could say a word. The wind of her leaving flipped open books and ruffled pages throughout the room, and Applejack actually had to put a hoof to her hat to keep it in place.

“That girl,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. “I swear gettin’ her to sit still and learn somethin’ is harder than pullin’ teeth.”

“She’s a doer, not a learner,” Astrid said.

“Yeah, well, if she wants to ‘do’ right, she’d better ‘learn’ well,” Applejack replied. “I was hopin’ you’d help her with this, Star. What with your experience and all.”

“Actually, I don’t have a lot of experience,” Star Fall said. 

“You’re a noble, ain’t you?”

“I am, but adopted nobility,” Star Fall answered. “It’s not the same thing as being given a title and lands. Hell, the Professor doesn’t even have lands, so I’ve never really dealt with that side of it, even peripherally. She’s probably going to want to put those lands to use, and that means setting up farms and mines and houses and infrastructure and transport routes. It’s going to be a hard time convincing commoners to move out to the middle of nowhere and start a new village completely fresh, at least without some pretty big incentives. She could always buy serfs to do all that, but…”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed at the thought. “Yeah. That ain’t happenin’.”

“Didn’t think so. The point is, there’s a lot that she’ll have to figure out that I’ve never had to deal with. And, honestly, I’d love to help but I am just too busy managing my own new title to do much. Especially with the wedding only a few days away.”

Applejack nodded. “I understand, sugarcube. We’ve all got a lot on our plates, and I’m thinkin’ you’ve got more than the rest of us.”

Star Fall let out an exasperated sigh. “It certainly feels like it. And that’s a problem. I should be able to spend more time with you, I should be here to help Dash learn what she’s got to do for her new nobility. But I can’t, and that’s really not good. Dash, and you, too, you’re both important, and I mean that as more than being my friend. Even if half the people don’t believe it, you’re heroes from the past come again. That’s got a lot of imaginations roaring about what can be done with you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“War,” Astrid said, her bright eyes staring into Applejack’s. “A pegasus with Dash’s powers can be an engine of destruction, given the right motivation. You’re basically a living tank. I’ve seen how the unicorns react to Rarity, too, and that kind of power, and the fear it causes, can win battles all by itself.”

“But we’re not soldiers,” Applejack said. “And Rarity’s gone south after Cash.”

“And that’s a fact we are not spreading around,” Astrid said. “There’s war coming. It’s been heating up for a long time now, and we can all feel the pot finally beginning to boil. There’s a lot of push to put you three on the front lines, leading the glorious fucking charge to victory. If they knew we had practically handed the most powerful unicorn in the world over to our enemies, they would flip their shit.”

Applejack shook her head. “I don’t like the sounds of that.”

“Neither do I,” Star Fall said. “And I am doing everything I can to stop all of it from happening. Right now, it’s about all I can do to keep it all from touching you and Dash. At least until you’re ready to deal with it.”

“Well, I appreciate that, Star,” Applejack said. “But I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for any of this. I ain’t one to shy from a fight, but I don’t know if this is a fight I should be in. If you catch my meanin’.”

“I do,” Star Fall said, getting up. “I’ve got to go. The council is about to meet, and that’s going to be the moment of truth. Whether Dash keeps her title, whether we get even closer to war with the Republics, it’s all going to be played out there. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Applejack dutifully said. “Though I think you’ll do fine without it. You’ve got a good head, Star Fall. And a great heart.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to see you two again before the wedding, but it might be, uh, rushed. Sorry.”

Applejack waved that off. “Don’t you worry none. Just do what you got to and let us sort ourselves out.”

Star Fall smiled gratefully, and with Astrid following close behind, she left.


***


It was more difficult than many would expect to be in two places at once. Beyond the normal issues of creating a second body and inhabiting both simultaneously, there were a lot of misconceptions about how it worked. For one, when people imagined it, if they ever did, they often assumed that each body would have its own mind. For another, they assumed it was just a matter of splitting attention or concentration. Simply a more complicated form of multitasking, in other words. The reality of it was utterly different. It was seeing two images at once, hearing two conversations at once, moving two bodies at once. It took long years of practice to even be able to walk without tripping everywhere.

Years of practice that Twinkle Shine had, fortunately, put in. It also helped that she and the Nightmare were naturally used to relinquishing control over their bodies to the other. The real trick there was in both relinquishing and maintaining control at once. This was easy for her, but hard for Umbra, and, unfortunately, it showed.

"Are you alright, Professor?" the Queen asked, frowning down at her.

It took Twinkle Shine a moment to realize she had been asked a question, and another to force a response past her uncooperative tongue. "Concerned, Your Majesty," she said, ducking her head to hide the unfocused stare of her eyes. "Gamma's maneuvered my student into something here, and I can't help but feel worried that it might end with her hurt."

The Queen nodded in quiet agreement and the two continued down the palace corridor. They were on their way to a meeting of the King with all his chief advisors, an occasion officially known as a Crown Summit. It was there that Twinkle Shine would present her plan to trap Nightmare Umbra, and there she would face opposition from her own beloved student.

It was a very underhoofed tactic from Gamma, setting Star Fall against her, but perfectly in line with the spymaster's usual modus operandi. The Professor found she couldn't blame Gamma for doing it. She had good reason to oppose Twinkle Shine's plan, and it was perfectly reasonable of her to use any and every advantage she could in putting a stop to it. She was, after all, entirely correct about its chances of working.

Far away, flying above the clouds in the light of the afternoon sun, the Destroyer searched the land below for something civilization had long forgotten. The wind in her wings made Twinkle Shine's shoulders twitch, the cold biting in places she didn't actually have. It would be much worse once Umbra landed and started her work, and so they had agreed that the Nightmare was not to do anything until Council meeting was over.

"I'm sorry, Twinkle," the Queen said, leaning down and speaking quietly so her words wouldn't carry to their Griffin escort. "I know how hard you worked to protect her from all of this. If I could have done more for you, I would have."

"I know, Aqua," Twinkle Shine replied, this time without having to muscle her way past Umbra's unconscious grasping for control. "I wish you could have done more. I wish I could have done more, but..."

"But it is as it is." The Queen nodded. "It seems all of our efforts over the years have come to naught. Still, she’s taken to her situation quite well. The moves she's been making: taking control of the Secret Service, wrangling concessions in the Stile Islands from my lord husband, I hear she's been talking to the nobles, and has somehow gotten in their good graces."

"Yes," Twinkle Shine said, frowning. It was true, her student was making a lot of headway in areas she'd thought impossible. It was a testament to the skill and strength of her protegee, but it also smacked of doing too much too fast. She'd made gains that weren't possible without big promises or harsh bullying, and the Professor was afraid the debts her student was racking up would come due far too soon.

"If I may be honest, Twinkle?"

"Please, Aqua, I would want nothing less from you," she replied.

"I hope your student surpasses her teacher today."

That would have brought her up short, but Umbra kept her legs moving without pause and her face squarely ahead. "I... see," she managed to reply. "You agree with Gamma, then?"

"I can't be sure I agree with anything that mare says or does," the Queen said, shaking her head sadly. "No, I say this for myself and my lord husband. What you are proposing, it's meddling in the divine. There are stories of ponies who have attempted such things in the past, and I think you know how they all ended."

"I know," Twinkle Shine said. She had, after all, been the inspiration for several of those stories, in one form or another. "But I don't see any other option than to try. She's here, Aqua. The Shadowed Alicorn, the Destroyer. She's here, and this time she means to finish what she started eight hundred years ago. If we do nothing we will only invite that end."

“Celestia did not abandon us before. I do not think she will let us face the Destroyer alone this time either,” the Queen said, straightening. “Have faith, Professor.”

“I will try, Your Majesty,” Twinkle Shine said, making the effort to take full control of her body as they came to the place of the Summit, the Red Chamber. Their Griffin guards joined others already stationed at the doors, settling into attentive, ready postures. Twinkle Shine gave them barely a thought as she preceded the Queen into the room.

The Red Chamber was one of several solariums in the Court, and it got its name from the predominantly red marble that made up its floor and walls. A radiant sunburst design on the floor pointed out where each advisor was to stand, dividing the room into eight neat wedges. It was the traditional place for a Crown Summit, chosen originally because the thick walls made eavesdropping all but impossible, and also for its several doors so that the Crown’s advisors could come and go by different routes if they happened to hate each other. Which was an unfortunately common situation.

They were the last to arrive. The Queen crossed the floor and took her place next to her husband, the both of them flanked by the highest-ranking among the Griffins. Twinkle Shine made her own way along the outside of the room until she came to her own position at the King’s right. The positioning was actually important, in a way. While the advisors were all technically of equal status, there was still a kind of hierarchy to them, one illustrated by where they stood in relation to the King. If the sunburst was a compass rose with the King at north, Twinkle Shine’s own position would be north-west. She was his chief advisor, her word came last and carried the greatest weight.

At the west position was the General of the Armies, and across from him at the east position was his counterpart, the Admiral of the Navies. As the heads of their respective branches of the military, they often agreed on policy, and could be counted on to support each other. At the south-west position was the Crown Exchequer, responsible for the economic policies of the Kingdom. It was a position not well loved or respected by many, since dealing with money and the vagaries of supply and demand were often seen as suspiciously republican pursuits. The south position was taken up by the representative of the nobility. Their place opposite the King was no accident, but most nobles saw it as an insult rather than the reminder that it was: that they were subordinate to the Crown. The south-east position was taken by the Crown’s Justice, the pony responsible for keeping the nobles in line and making sure they were administering the laws of the Kingdom properly.

Finally, the north-east position was taken by the Master of the Crown’s Intelligence. That would normally be Gamma, but on this day Star Fall stood in her place. Standing behind her were Astrid as well as Gamma’s secretary, Therese, both eying the gathered ponies in their own way. Star Fall gave the Professor a look that was tangled with many different emotions, but managed to keep it from being more than a pained glance before her features returned to a professional neutrality. Twinkle Shine couldn’t help but see it as a mask of false bravado. Star Fall was in over her head, and she didn’t even know how deep it would get.

“Professor,” the King said with a tilt of his head. “Now that we’re all here, I call this meeting to order.” At those words the guards swung the doors shut all around the room, each closing with a solid boom that rattled the windows that made up the ceiling. “We have only a few points of discussion today, the first of which is an introduction. I believe all of you know our soon to be daughter-in-law, the Princess Fallen Star.”

“Your Highness,” came the acknowledging murmurs from around the room. Even the noble managed to say it without choking on his tongue. 

“Fallen Star has been appointed representative to this council by Agent Gamma,” the King continued. “She has also taken control of the Secret Service in our spymaster’s absence. As such, it is her right and her privilege to open our discussions with a report from her spies. Princess?”

Star Fall stepped forward. She held her wings high, her neck stiff and her legs straight. She was naked, as befit her new station, and her coat practically glowed in the sunlight, the crimson lines of the Glyph she was finally able to show off burning like fire on her hips. She didn’t look scared, or overwhelmed. She looked confident, strong. She looked regal. That realization took Twinkle Shine’s breath away. She had never seen her student like this before, not really.

“Focus,” Umbra chided from half a continent away, forcing the Professor’s lungs to fill and eyes to blink. 

“Reports from the Republics indicate an ongoing upheaval in their Senate,” Star Fall said, not even a hint of hesitation or trepidation at the company she found herself in marring her voice. “What was started by one Senator has ballooned into a full-blown power struggle. A lot of them, the usual robber-baron sorts, are seeing an opportunity to do away with one of the checks on their power, and are attacking the Republics Intelligence Agency directly. The Moderates are opposing them, but both factions are courting assistance from the Hawks, who will support any side willing to give them the votes to go to war.”

“How is the RIA responding?" the General asked.

"With remarkable restraint," Star Fall answered. "Best case scenario right now is that the moderates win without the RIA interfering or assistance from the Hawks, and everything goes back to status quo."

"What's the worst case?" the King asked.

"For us? Any resolution with the Hawks coming out on top. That would mean war immediately and a government completely uninterested in diplomacy."

"What do you mean 'for us'?" the Exchequer asked. There wasn't any deference or respect in his voice, an unspoken challenge to Star Fall's place there.

"I mean that is the possibility that has the most immediate impact on the Kingdom," Star Fall responded, her own tone not wavering in the slightest in response to the Exchequer’s challenge. "The general worst case is if the RIA decides to eliminate their opponents in the Senate. That would mean a shadow-coup. Changelings taking the place of Senators, the entire government quietly and decisively becoming a puppet for the Directors of the RIA."

"Could that not be to our advantage?" the Exchequer asked, the question carrying subtle barbs.

"In the short term, yes," Star Fall said. "The RIA would be much less likely to go to war. In the long term? No. Anyone who would seize power like that once will not be content to control only their own borders."

The Exchequer stepped back, nodding in acquiescence with a new bit of respect in his stance. Whatever test he had set for her, Star Fall had passed. 

"Beyond the Republics, the Zebra nations are beginning a conflict of their own. Border skirmishes have been reported between most neighboring states, though as near as we can tell casualties are low. I believe they're jockeying for position, readying for another round of unification talks."

"Savages playing at diplomacy," the noble sneered. 

"Many of our subjects are Zebra," the King said. "Would you call them savage too?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty," the noble said with a deferential bow. "The Kingdom is, after all, a civilizing influence on them."

The King let out a derisive snort, but did not reply. Twinkle Shine decided that it would be appropriate for her to speak instead. "The Zebra nations are not savages, my lord. They are divided and contentious, true, but those traits come from traditions that date back to before the Schism. Do not underestimate them should they stand united. And they will unite if Equestria looks like it will pose a threat to them."

"As the Professor says." Star Fall inclined her head at her mentor. "The Zebra nations are a periphery issue now, but they can evolve into a real threat very quickly."

There was a moment of silence at that, broken by the Queen clearing her throat. "So," she said. "Is that all from the Secret Service?"

Star Fall nodded. "That's the priority information. Our military reports have already been delivered to the General and the Admiral, which indicate no change in the buildup of forces in the Stile Islands. Additionally, our search for Max Cash has been fruitless."

"Thank you, Princess," the King said, and Star Fall stepped back. "Admiral, General, the floor is yours."

"The situation remains unchanged," the Admiral said. "The Republicans are building up forces faster than we are, and the window of opportunity is shrinking. We either strike in the next month or we cede the Islands."

"A month," the King mused, looking at Star Fall for a moment. "Perhaps we can use the turmoil in the Senate to stall their progress?"

"I'll see what the Service can do, Your Majesty," Star Fall said with a bow.

"Husband, diplomacy may be our best avenue there," the Queen said. "Offer aid to the moderates, perhaps lift the sanctions on the crystal trade for those who will work with us."

The King made a sour face. "I am loath to part with any of our crystal resources. Every shard we trade to them is a shard that they can turn against us."

"Not if that shard ensures they won't turn against us," the Professor pointed out. "I advise diplomacy and patience, Your Majesty."

He grunted. "I will consider it. Enough talk of the coming war. The nobility have signalled that they object to our appointment of Rainbow Dash to the peerage. We will hear that objection now."

"Actually," the noble said, with an apologetic bow that didn't hide the sly smile he shot Star Fall. "The nobility would like to withdraw that objection."

The King frowned. Twinkle Shine quirked an eyebrow. She had known that her student was advocating on Rainbow Dash's behalf, but the look in the noble's eye was a smug one. This was some scheme, and he felt he was getting the better end of it. "If you withdraw your objection now, I will not allow you to raise it again," the King warned.

The noble looked to Star Fall, who kept her face carefully neutral, though Twinkle Shine could tell by the way her legs and wings stiffened that she was worried. "The nobility understands and accepts, Your Majesty."

"Very well," the King said, clearly puzzled at the noble's choice. Not that he didn't have reason to be. Twinkle Shine was curious as to how her student has persuaded the notoriously hard-headed nobility to allow Rainbow Dash her title. "Then we come to the most important business. Professor, if you would?"

Twinkle Shine stepped forward. She had to make an effort not to stare at her student. She wished she could just explain it all to Star Fall, she was sure that her protegee’s keen mind would see the sense in it, would realize that it was the only real way their broken world could move forward. But she couldn't do that. There were secrets to be kept, and the full was far more dangerous than even her present ignorance. 

"We all know of the Shadowed Alicorn's return," she began, looking around the circle and ensuring that she had the full attention of every pony there. "I have received word that early this morning thaumographs registered a massive power. The wavelength and sheer size of that power mean that it can only come from her. That power has maintained a steady increase in intensity throughout the day. As of one and a half hours ago it surpassed our estimates of the strength of every Magic Talent unicorn in the Kingdom. Combined." There was a soft gasp at this, though she didn't see which pony it came from. "Her magic is creating a diffusion effect so we cannot tell exactly where she is, except that it's not close to any of the major cities. If she does do anything with that power, such as she did during her fight with Rainbow Dash, then I suspect any unicorn within a thousand miles will be able to pinpoint her. If they remain conscious through the feedback, that is."

"What is she up to?" the King wondered aloud.

"Exploiting Your Madness," the Nightmare growled, though Twinkle Shine only shook her head.

"I can't speculate on that," she said. "What I can say is that whatever she's doing, it will only be disastrous for the Kingdom. As dangerous as a war with the Republics will be. If we focus only on them we are missing the real threat. We must prepare for her."

"The Destroyer has shown that even weakened she has no difficulty wiping out armies," the General pointed out. "How do you suggest we prepare?"

"I recently visited the Temple of Luna," Twinkle Shine said. "There I researched stories of an ancient, evil spirit known as Nightmare Moon. A spirit that was defeated by Twilight Sparkle and her friends a thousand years ago."

"I don't see how millennium-old myths help us against an angry Goddess who is here, now," the noble said.

"Fool," Umbra snorted, dropping into a dive that sent Twinkle Shine's heart thudding and her stomach flip-flopping.

Twinkle Shine swallowed her discomfort and kept her composure as she answered the noble. "With Rainbow Dash's return we have learned a lot about those times that had been lost. For one, it turns out that this Nightmare Moon was also an Alicorn."

That set the noble on his heels, as well as widening the eyes of the half of her audience that didn't already know that. "So she can be defeated," the Admiral said.

"She can," Twinkle Shine confirmed. Just not the way I'm about to give you, she silently added. "Rainbow Dash said they used artifacts called the Elements of Harmony, artifacts which are currently being pursued." There was an uncomfortable shuffling from Star Fall, probably her holding back from saying something about Cash. Twinkle Shine silently thanked her student for not speaking up, this situation was delicate enough without dragging the mad stallion into it. "However, I found something in the legends, an alternate method. Not to destroy or defeat the Nightmare, but to bind her."

"Bind her?" the General asked, giving voice to the skepticism she saw in most of their eyes. "Bind a Goddess?"

"It can be done," Twinkle Shine assured them. "Not easily, to be sure. Not cheaply, either. It requires something called the 'Chains of Tartarus'."

"More artifacts?" Star Fall asked, though she sounded more genuinely curious than dismissive or belligerent.

"In this case, no," the Professor replied. "The 'Chains of Tartarus' can be literal chains, but important aspect of them is the substance used to make them. Specifically, what we call non-terminal mana-absorbing super-conductive crystal."

"Mana-absorbing," Star Fall said, her face scrunching up as she thought about it. "Anti-magic crystals?"

"Exactly," the Professor said. "And even then, only the most resilient, highest-tolerance crystals will do."

"And the Destroyer is weak to these crystals?" the King asked, leaning forward in eager anticipation.

"Not specifically, but they can be used to drain off her power, to make her weak. Theoretically, they can make her weak enough that she could be held in one place indefinitely."

"How indefinitely?" the Admiral asked.

"She is immortal," Twinkle Shine said. "Nothing I know of can change that." The Nightmare landed hard, and Twinkle Shine couldn't help but flex her own knees in an unconscious attempt to absorb some of the impact. It made her look like she had nearly fallen for a moment, but she recovered quickly and kept speaking, hoping no one asked her about it. "If no other solution is found, indefinitely would have to be forever, if we wanted to survive. If we do manage to trap her and she gets out, I doubt she'll let us get a second chance."

"How much of this 'Chain' will you need to make it work?" the King asked.

Twinkle Shine sighed. "That is where this plan becomes costly. A lot of it. I've taken an inventory of how much of the specific crystal we have in stock, and... well, it's not enough. Enough to slow her, perhaps, but not to hold her in place."

"How long will it take to mine more?"

"Sadly, this is not the kind of crystal that we can easily mine in the north. This is... well, it was a kind of weapon created during the Schism. I think, perhaps, the ponies back then knew of these same legends and were trying to create a weapon against Umbra themselves, only to have it all come to an end too soon. We have some of it available, I even have a length of chain made from these crystals, a kind of proof-of-concept. But the majority of this crystal, the amount we need can only be found in the Republics."

The King hung his head. "And thus out of our reach."

"No, Your Majesty, not entirely," Twinkle Shine said. "Umbra is a threat to both us and the Republics. Hell, she's a threat to the whole world! This is the only way to stop her. Especially if she regains her true power as she has promised. This is why peace with the Republics is our only option. And not only them, but with the Zebra nations as well. Only together will we be able to contain her. Only together will we be able to ensure that there is a world left for us."

"If I could be assured of the Republicans seeing it the same way, I would agree with you," the King said. "But as your daughter has just finished telling us, they are in the midst of an upheaval that will likely see them start their inevitable war with us. We cannot trust them with a project like this."

"I know," Twinkle Shine said. "There is... there is another way we can use the Chain we have. We can't lock the Destroyer down with it, but we might be able to... direct her anger, for a time."

Star Fall's eyes widened. "What are you saying, Professor?" she asked, shocked disbelief in her voice. "Are you saying we intentionally set the Shadowed Alicorn on our enemies?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying," Twinkle Shine said, and let out a silent, internal cry as she saw a piece of respect die in her student's eyes. 

"Steady," the Nightmare said. "Do Not Allow Sentiment To Outweigh Purpose."

The Professor took a steadying breath and continued. "We can't stop her, we can't control her, but if we aim her at them and present the solution, they will have no choice but to capitulate. We can hammer out the terms of their surrender after we contain Umbra."

"Professor... what you're suggesting," the Queen shook her head. "Millions will die. And it will be on our heads."

"I will do what must be done," Twinkle Shine said. "If we do this, I will take all responsibility. But we must do this."

"Professor!" Star Fall shouted, and hers was only the loudest voice that called out.

"Enough!" the King roared. Silence fell. Star Fall looked at Twinkle Shine like she'd been betrayed, tears welling. The Queen refused to look at her, staring at the floor instead. The others wore various expressions of shock and fear. The King, though, he was grinning with a hungry edge. She'd known he would be enamored of her plan, his madness for Alicorns betraying any better judgement he might have had. "The Professor has spoken. We find her plan... yes, we find it to our liking. But even a mind as great as hers can miss things. I will hear from my advisors."

Star Fall took a moment to compose herself, but it was clear that her earlier composure had been shattered. She stepped forward. "Your Majesty, this is... this is an abomination," she said. Twinkle Shine couldn't hide a shiver at those words. "Rainbow Dash, Astrid and I beat her before. Even if she gets stronger, that shows that she can be defeated by normal people working together. There has to be an alternative, a way that doesn't require us to become just like her. Because make no mistake, that's what will happen. If we unleash the Destroyer on our enemies, then we will be the Destroyers. And there will not be a hole in Tartarus deep enough for our black souls." She stepped back, and Astrid stepped to her side, laying a comforting wing over the pegasus. It was a breach of decorum, and it made her look weak, but for the moment Twinkle Shine was just glad her student had a friend to stand with her.

The Admiral looked to the General, who shook his head. "Your Majesty, the military cannot condone this plan. It places too great a risk in a force we do not understand and are not sure we can control."

The Justice just shook his head, abstaining from saying anything. He was rattled, sure enough, but he was a pony with Administering The Law as his Talent, she knew he wouldn't be able to side with her.

The noble was next. He looked from the King to Star Fall to the Professor and then back again. "Your Majesty... the nobility will have to agree with the Lady Fallen Star. We are contemplating sin here."

The Exchequer took his turn. "From what I hear, we don't have a good chance against the Republics in open warfare. Better than against the Destroyer, but in the long run both will wipe us out given the opportunity. I say if we get the chance to turn her against them, we take it. Better to be devils today and build heaven tomorrow, than to be angels now and let the world go to hell while we keep our halos."

The King nodded. He took a long, silent minute to contemplate what they had said, but Twinkle Shine could see the mad glee behind his eyes. She had him. Finally he stepped to the center of the circle. "This is our decision. We are not a monster. We do not wish the suffering that comes with the Destroyer on any one, not even our most hated enemy. However, we cannot ignore that this might be the only chance there is to save everyone from her. Thus, we will prepare for the worst while searching for the best. Professor, you have our authority to gather the remnants of this Chain of Tartarus and forge it into the weapon we need. But we shall not use it until and unless all avenues of cooperation with the nightlands have failed. Princess Fallen Star, you will work with our Queen to influence the Republics towards peace and conciliation. You have our authority to offer them what you see fit from the treasures of our Kingdom. General, Admiral, we have promised the Princess that we would hold our military buildup, and we will keep to that promise. Instead, we would like you to put your forces at her direction. She is fulfilling plans left by Agent Gamma to counter yet another threat to our Kingdom, and she needs as many forces as you can spare without weakening our position at the Stile Islands. If all our efforts fail... then the Professor will enact her plan."

The meeting was adjourned after that. Star Fall clearly wanted to talk to the Professor afterwards, but Twinkle Shine made her excuses and fled back to her estate. There she locked the doors, set the wards to keep out absolutely everyone, and huddled on her bed, giving control fully to Umbra.

"Finally," the Nightmare snarled, and without further hesitation she began her work. Ash fell from her body in drifting flakes. It billowed out from her in a cloud of grey-white that blanketed the land for a mile in every direction. Once it covered the whole area, tendrils of ash began to dig their way into the soil, growing and branching like deathly roots, searching for the long-forgotten remnants of a near-millenium-old battlefield.

She found them. A few at first, but then more and more as her seeking roots touched the deep graves of the fallen. She found them, and she filled them with herself. She poured into them the memories and power of the thousands of souls she had taken across her millennium of activity. It took a great share of her strength, but if power was a currency then she had far too much to ever fully spend. 

She burned her magic into them, and she felt each of them become a part of her. Distinct, separate, but driven by her power and her purpose. 

It took time. Days passed as she cast her great spell, taking care that it was not something that could be traced by the Kingdom. The Professor rose and went about her activities, but the Nightmare was too engrossed in her work to influence her now. Finally, she was ready. 

She opened her eyes and stared into a twilight made eerie by the pale deadness of the ash-covered world around her, then spoke one word:

“Rise.”


***


"Two stallions, loitering by the door," Hard Boiled said as he leaned against the alley wall and tried not to wince as the felt of his hat rubbed against his horn. He didn't like hats for exactly that reason, but it was one of the best ways to hide the telltale glow of his magic, so he lived with the discomfort. The brim was low over his eyes from the angle it had to sit on his head, but that worked to his advantage too, making him even harder to recognize from a distance. "Add those to the ones in the apartments across the street and the three watching the block, and there's got to be fifteen people watching the place. I’m not seeing a lot of coordination so they’re not all working together, either. So it's not just Cash." He turned to Traduce, who waited in the alley wearing the body of a pale brown earth pony mare. "You were right, something else is going on here."

She nodded in grim agreement. "Only something big would cause all my contacts to go dark like this." She shook the dark expression from her face and flashed him a weary smile. "Well, I guess your apartment isn't an option, then. You know, I never really realized how much being stuck in one shape sucked until I had to sneak you into the country."

"Sorry for being such an inconvenience."

"I know how you can make it up to me," she said, her smile changing to a sly grin that left no question as to what she meant.

He ignored the flirtation, stepping back into the alley. "So the apartment's out. We can't stay in a hotel without grabbing more money, which we can't do without putting a target on ourselves for anyone watching."

"If it wasn’t a toss-up on who would get to us first, I'd be tempted to do it anyway." Traduce said. "It's not all bad, though. I once masqueraded as a vagrant for six months. I can find us some no-questions-asked shelter and food easily enough."

HB shook his head. He had a better idea. "I need information. My place was a long shot to begin with, but if they weren't keeping a tight watch here it would mean we had a better chance of getting into the SIU offices. Now that we know how many eyes they have here, I know I’ve got no chance of getting in there."

"So you've got a plan," she said. It wasn't a question. She was still eating his pain, giving him the freedom to use his magic as needed. It let her feel the direction of his thoughts, even if she couldn't read them outright.

He nodded anyway. "How long until Straff gets the messages you've been sending him?"

"It's hard to say. The molehunt is going to make any line of communication suspect. I'd like to say he's already got them, but that might be wishful thinking. Really, we won't know until he finds us."

HB grunted in acknowledgement. "Let's hope it's sooner rather than later. We might not have much time to prevent Cash from getting to Birchfield. Come on, we're heading to the suburbs."

The journey took them longer than HB liked, a necessity of having to navigate the sprawling streets of Orion City by hoof. Already exhausted by the journey up from the jungles, the long walk wore on them. When they finally got to their destination, HB was too tired to muster up much of a response to what they found.

"Nice place," Traduce said, looking at the house they'd come to.

It was a nice place. A pretty two-story house with a wide yard and a landscaped garden. A radio antenna stuck up from the roof. A normal enough sight, but to HB's magic it looked subtly wrong. He couldn't tell how, not without getting closer, but it was one of the two important details that stuck out to him. The other was that the place was far too big and far too nice to be affordable on a bachelor detective's salary. 

"Can you get us in?" he asked Traduce.

"Please," she said, her look of mock-affront making HB’s lips twitch in a halfhearted attempt at a smile. It was a measure of her own fatigue that she simply walked up to the door rather than sashaying. A half-minute later and the front door clicked open. They went into the house to find a sparsely furnished living space that managed to convey with its smooth lines and solid palette of shiny black and white that everything in it had been selected for how much it cost rather than any utility. 

HB collapsed into a plush leather chair, sighing as his aching hooves were given some respite. He wondered if Traduce was masking the hurts of his body like she was reducing the severity of his headaches. He dismissed that thought a moment later, unwilling to contemplate the implications of that idea.

Traduce didn't rest, instead doing a sweep of the house. She came back to him a short while later, a frown creasing her forehead. "This place is new," she said. "The wiring was done to the most recent building codes, which means in the past three years. Kitchen’s stocked, but only with quick-fix stuff. Nice set of utensils, none of which look like they’ve seen much use. A lot of takeout bags in the fridge, though. Whoever lives here eats out more often than in.”

“Figured,” HB said. “What’s the time?”

“Seven thirty,” Traduce said. “Who are we waiting for?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know,” HB said, not moving as she stepped up to the window and looked out at the quiet street.

“Why would you think that I would know?”

“Because I thought you spy-types liked to be thorough,” he replied. “Shouldn’t be long now. Just tell me when he gets home then make yourself scarce.”

He could practically feel the look she gave him. Part irritation, part lust. All dangerous. He wished he knew what made him so enticing to her, but it seemed even his magic wasn’t good enough to get to the truth of a mare’s heart.

He let the thought go, settling into a light doze that only dulled the edge of his exhaustion. Time passed quickly, and soon Traduce was shaking him awake, her touch light but insistent. “He’s here.”

“Stay out of the way,” HB said, blinking his eyes clear. “If I need help, you’ll know it.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, giving him an intent stare.

“Trust me,” he said. She held his gaze for a moment longer before nodding and fading into the shadows of the darkened house just as the sounds of a key in the front door reached them. HB held still as that door opened and the owner of the house walked in. The stallion stepped confidently and blindly into his home, but halfway to the kitchen some instinct must have warned him that all was not well. He froze, his head snapping to where HB sat, watching him. “Hello, Barry,” HB said, inclining his head to his partner.

“Lieutenant?” Barry said, confusion ruling his features for a long moment. Then his brain caught up with the situation, and HB could see his face shift through each stage of the realization of just what a meeting like this meant. He didn’t even need his magic to tell what the junior detective was thinking.

Barry tensed, but unicorn magic is faster than earth pony muscle, and before he could act Hard Boiled had his gun out, cocked and aimed. “Don’t,” HB said. Barry swallowed hard, his eyes focused on the yawning barrel of the pistol. “Take a seat, Barry.” HB gestured at one of the other chairs in the living room, making sure to keep his gun pointed squarely at the other stallion. Barry obliged, slowly making his way to the chair and sitting down.

“I didn’t know you were back,” Barry said, still watching the gun. His voice was steady, admirably so in the circumstances. “I’m guessing you didn’t find what you were looking for?”

“No, I found it,” HB said. “And a lot of trouble besides.” He sighed, deciding that he was too tired to beat around the bush. “Barry, you’ve got two chances to come clean with me. If you take the first, then I’ll be inclined to think you’re not a bad cop, that you just made a few mistakes. We all make mistakes, Barry. Mistakes can be forgiven, the damage repaired. Take the second –and if you don’t take the first you will take the second– and that inclination reverses. Do you understand my meaning?”

Barry nodded slowly. “Yes sir, I think I do.”

“Good. Now. How long have you been passing on information about me?” HB’s magic burned to life in his mind, focusing on Barry, picking his every twitch and breath apart to discover if he would tell the truth or resort to a lie.

“I –” Barry began, but HB cut him off.

“This is that first chance, Barry,” he warned. “Think damn carefully about what you say next.”

Barry swallowed hard again, sweat glistening on his coat. He knew what HB could do, knew how impossible it was to lie to him. He wanted to lie, wanted it badly, but he knew how futile it would be, how dangerous. Those two thoughts warred within him until, in the end, the rational course won out and he slumped in defeat. “Years,” Barry said. “Since I was promoted to detective.”

HB let out his own held breath. “Years,” he repeated. “You’ve been on the take for years.”

“I’ve been spying on you for years,” Barry said. “I’ve been taking bribes since… well, since I was a beat cop. The usual stuff, you know? Look the other way one time, forget to log something into evidence. Just… just stuff that every cop does.”

“Not every cop,” HB growled.

“Yeah. I guess not every cop,” Barry said, sighing and wiping a foreleg across his brow to clear some of the sweat. “I busted my ass to get off the beat, you know. Worked myself like a sunland slave just to make the grade. Nobody thought I could do it. Didn’t think I was good enough.” Barry snorted in disgust. “I showed them, though. I made it, no tricks, no cheating. I earned my place on the SIU, believe me.”

“I do,” HB said, and he could see that Barry had desperately needed that acknowledgment.

“Thank you.” Barry shook himself, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Right after I got promoted, these ponies came to visit me. I don’t know who they were, they never gave names and I never saw them again. They knew what I’d done as a beat cop, the bribes I’d taken. Damn it, they practically had an itemised list! They had evidence, too. Photos, times, places. They said that if I didn’t play ball with them they’d give the list to Captain Rivers. I’d lose my job, go to jail. Then they offered me money, lots of it, and all I’d have to do is keep them informed about the investigations the SIU did.”

“Carrot and stick,” Traduce said, stepping out of the shadows like a ghost. Barry’s eyes shot open and the only thing that stopped him from bolting was the continued steady aim of HB’s gun. “Looks to me like you took the carrot.”

“Barry, Traduce. Traduce, Barry,” Hard Boiled said, giving Traduce a flat look. 

She returned the look with a coy shrug. “I was getting bored watching,” she said, then turned back to Barry. “So you’re the leak.”

“Not the leak, only a leak,” HB corrected. “You weren’t spying on me specifically, right?”

Barry shook his head. “No, the whole SIU.”

“Why the distinction?” Traduce asked.

“Because it changes how pissed off I am,” HB said. “Barry, do you know who you were spying for?” Barry hung his head and gave a small nod. “Who?”

He looked back up at them, despair and shame clear in his eyes. “The Kingdom,” he said, his voice breaking on the admission. “I’m a Luna-damned sunland spy.”

“A what?” Traduce snarled, taking an aggressive step towards Barry. 

HB held out a hoof to stop her. “Take it easy.”

“Easy?” she snapped, fangs flashing as her pony form burned away to reveal her true self. Barry yelped, throwing himself back into the chair, as if he could burrow away from the angry Changeling. “I should drain this traitorous coward dry for this, and you tell me to take it easy?”

“It would have been better if he’d been spying for Cash?”

“Yes!” Traduce hissed, then backed off. “Cash is a psychotic criminal, but at least he’s a Republican.”

Hard Boiled sighed, pulling the hat off his head so he could rub at the growing hair there. Traduce’s anger had lessened some of her concentration on him, which meant a return of his headache. He accepted it as the price of her displeasure, reminding himself not to grow too dependant on her. In truth, he was just as angry as her that Barry was a sunland spy, but for different reasons and with a different target. He had been hoping that Barry had been the leak to Cash. He could have learned more about what Cash's plans were in that case. As it was, this was just another dead end for his investigation. “Barry, how much of the James Bay murder case have you passed on to the sunlands? And how do you do it?”

“Everything,” he said. “As soon as I got my hooves on it, I was copying it and sending it along. The antenna on my roof has a crystal in it, it transmits what I give them to somewhere else and money gets deposited in my account. I never... haven't seen any of them since I agreed to spy for them. Sometimes I get messages, instructions, but never in person.”

“Damn,” HB said. “That means that Cash’s informant could be anywhere along the chain.”

“There might not be a mole in the RIA at all,” Traduce said.

“Might not,” he stressed. “Nothing’s for certain.”

“And never will be now, damn.”

“Barry,” HB said, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what to do with you.”

“She’s not going to eat me?” Barry asked, the gun having been forgotten with the revelation of Traduce.

“Still weighing that option,” Traduce snarled.

“No,” HB said, looking at Traduce and trying to silently impress on her the finality of that decision. She knew what he was feeling, of course, and she demurred instantly, stepping back into a dark corner of the room. “I need to know what’s going on at the office. What have you learned about the case in the past few weeks?”

“Not… not much,” Barry said, tearing his eyes away from Traduce and back to Hard Boiled. “That name, Cash, it’s come up. Max Cash is a big financial backer for James Bay, word is he is the real owner for every company Bay signed his name to. He’s also involved in some big time shady stuff.”

“I know,” HB said. “Skip Cash, unless you’ve got him as a suspect.”

“No. I've kept digging like you asked, but the investigation's pretty much closed. We’re pretty sure that sunland pegasus did it.”

“Sunland pegasus? The one Flash and Forrest ran into?”

Barry nodded. “You haven’t heard the news?” he asked, relaxing a bit as the conversation kept away from the topic of his indiscretions.

“I’ve been kind of busy.”

“It’s all over the place. There was some kind of big announcement in the sunlands, some new princess getting married. But they also showed off these three mares who were supposed to be ancient heroes or something, an earth pony, a unicorn and a pegasus. There were pictures of them doing these crazy, impossible things and Forrest and Flash both swear that the pegasus is the one who kicked the crap out of them."

HB grunted at that. It shed more light on another piece of the puzzle, the impossible mare. Unfortunately it didn't tell him how that piece fit with the rest. "So the Captain passed it on to the RIA, right?"

Barry shook his head, which surprised Hard Boiled. "The Captain's keeping that under wraps, he doesn't want to draw attention from the suits. It's gotten real political at headquarters, there's Senate aides vetting everything right now. Word is that there's some kind of scandal being covered up."

"Scandal?" HB shook his head, it didn't sound right to him, his magic pinging the statement as not so much a lie as blatant rumor and misinformation. "Barry, I need to get in touch with Captain Rivers, and you are going to help me with that."

Barry brightened at that, seeing a chance at redemption, or at least to weasel his way out of paying for his crimes. "Yeah, I can do that, Lieutenant!"

"Good, now we'll need to get you..." Hard Boiled trailed off, watching a long black car pull up to the house. "Traduce, we've got company."

Traduce flashed into her earth pony guise and stepped over to the window. A moment later she was grinning at him. "It's Straff."

"Stay still and quiet, Barry," HB warned. "There's no getting away from this, and trying is only going to make it worse." Barry slumped in on himself, surrendering to the inevitable. 

Traduce let Straff in, and he greeted her with a simple "Traduce," and a nod. He walked into the living room and took in the scene with a dispassionate eye. The pale unicorn was looking almost ghostly in the half-light of the fading day. His eyes stood out from the spectre of his face with cold blue intensity. There were shadows under those eyes, and a hard set to his jaw that told of a great deal of stress and not enough sleep. HB could relate. "Lieutenant," Straff said. "I trust you have a reason for holding your partner at gunpoint."

"He's a sunland spy," Traduce said. Straff took the news with a quirked eyebrow that quickly smoothed back to a neutral expression. "We were hoping he was Cash's leak, but if he is, it isn't directly."

"Unfortunate," Straff said. His gaze roamed over Barry for a quiet minute before dismissing him utterly and returning his attention to Traduce and Hard Boiled. "Your message said you had found Cash's target."

"One of them," HB said. He and Traduce told Straff the entire story, from their encounter with Cash's assassin in Hoofprint through HB breaking through the concealing magic on the statue to their rush to get back to Orion City and secure the statue in Senator Birchfield's possession. 

Straff listened through it all without interruption. When they were finished he stood digesting the information for a long moment before speaking. "Birchfield has started a campaign against the Agency," he said, looking at HB. There was no accusation in his tone, but Hard Boiled's magic told him that Straff was blaming him for this. "The Senate is fracturing along faction lines, and if we do not step very carefully the RIA will not survive."

"They can't destroy the Agency," Traduce said. "The Constitution--"

"Can be amended," Straff said, cutting her off. "A two-thirds majority is all they need. And with this sunland stunt riling up the hawk factions, the Senators who would like to see us eliminated might be able to get that majority."

"These sunland 'heroes'?" HB asked.

"Yes."

"What's the story behind that?"

Straff shook his head. "I have no idea. Yet. I expect that I will be hearing from one of our agents on the matter soon. For the moment all we know is whatever propaganda has made it from the Solar Capital to the Republics."

HB sighed. His horn ached at the thought of the impossible mare showing up as a sunland hero. He knew it was important, knew that it tied into everything else somehow, but without more information all he had was that magic-provided hunch. "Birchfield. We need to protect him from Cash. At the very least we need to keep that statue out of his hooves. The Senator said people would go to war over it."

"Birchfield would, certainly," Straff said. "The RIA cannot move against him, not even to 'help'. It would trigger a worst-case scenario for us."

"What about the police?"

Straff nodded slowly. "Acting to protect a public figure? Yes, that will work. I cannot, however, offer any Agency assistance."

"I understand."

"Traduce?" Straff looked over to the Changeling.

She shook her head. "I have to stay with him to keep him functional." HB winced at that, the consequences of using so much magic recently would lay him out for days without her around. 

"I see," Straff looked like he was going to say more, but another pony came in through the front door and whispered a short message into his ear. HB's magic made him an excellent lip-reader, so he was able to get the phrase 'Calumn in Willow Heights' before Straff moved to block his line of sight. He knew that Willow Heights was a suburb of Orion City, not too far from this one, but the rest of it didn't mean much to him. "I'll be there shortly," Straff told the pony, who nodded and left without another word. Straff seemed pensive, and the little tells that HB was picking up on also said that he was worried. "Can he be trusted?" he asked, pointing his horn at Barry.

"I want immunity," Barry said, and all eyes turned to him with identical incredulous looks. He shivered under those angry glares and steeled his resolve. HB almost interrupted him, but decided to let it play out. "I can help, but I want immunity."

"Detective," Straff said, walking slowly to where Barry sat, his horn igniting to cast his face in the harsh magnesium flare of his magic. "Even if I had the authority to offer you immunity from prosecution, which I do not, I would refuse to do so. But since you are so willing to aid us, I am willing to offer this: leniency. When this affair is over you will be judged by how much, and how readily, you cooperated with this operation. Do well and I will ensure that your stay in prison is a relatively pleasant one at a minimum security facility. We will even keep your name and crime from appearing in the papers. Do badly, or balk at any time, and that deal is off. You go into the deepest, darkest hole we can find. And if you are very, very lucky, we forget about you. This is your only option, do you understand?"

Barry was nodding hard enough to send droplets of sweat spraying through the air. "I'll help," he said, stuttering over every syllable. "I promise, I'll help."

"Good," Straff said, then turned smartly and strode out of the house. "Be swift, Lieutenant," he said as he was leaving. "I fear events are already beginning to outpace us."

Barry breathed in heaving gulps as Straff got back in his car and drove away. Hard Boiled sympathised. Straff had used the same tactic that HB had, but the threat it was somehow far worse when made in the harsh white of Straff's magic instead of the copper glow of HB's. "You'll be fine, Barry," he assured him, putting the gun away and leaning towards the other detective. "Look at me.” Barry complied slowly. “You’re going to be fine.”

“I can’t go to jail,” Barry said, voice barely above a whisper.

“We’ll work something out,” HB said. “But you have to keep your head in the game. I need to talk to the Captain and I need to convince him that Senator Birchfield’s life is in danger. And I can’t be seen doing it or everything could go to hell. You said there’s suits all over, and probably others watching that you don’t even know about. Do you think you can get him out of the building and to somewhere I can meet without tipping any of them off?”

Barry shifted in his chair, but nodded. “Okay… okay. I think I can do that.”

“Good,” HB said, leaning back again. He ached from exhaustion, and the stress of this entire encounter had only added to it all. Yet there was a lot to do before he could find some rest. “Now, let’s go over your plan. I need to know every detail, what you plan to say, do, everything. We have to be certain that there’s no way Max Cash will find out what we’re doing. Because if he’s forewarned and gets to Birchfield first, then Orion city is gonna be a warzone.”


***


Calumn stared at the house, his pulse thudding in his ears. “Buddy, are you sure you want to do this?” Blaze asked, standing beside him. 

Calumn shook his head. Motion behind one of the curtains caught his attention, and he watched the shadow of a mare trot across the window. “I have to,” he replied.

The passage through the Storm had been hard, but compared to being chased by an enormous undead bear, it had practically been a cakewalk. Blaze’s expert guidance and Spike’s solid anchoring prevented the Storm from separating and confusing them. They had been worried about Rarity; if she had used any magic at all it could have activated the worst dangers of the Everstorm. Fortunately she hadn’t needed to, and they had made it through to the nightlands a little frazzled, but completely unharmed. 

Now that they were here they faced new challenges. Any notion of stealthing their way through the Republics was made laughable by the presence of Spike. Calumn had been considering plans to steal or rent a truck and have him hide in the back, but for some reason Gamma had been perfectly fine with letting him be out in the open. Actually, she insisted on it. So, with discovery and capture by the RIA inevitable, Calumn had made his own insistence that they come here directly. 

Now he stood in front of the house of Strongheart’s mother, where he was faced with one of the most difficult tasks he had ever known.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” he reminded himself. It was enough to push him into motion. He walked up to the door, pausing as he considered what to do. He could knock, but this had been his house for two years, and knocking like a stranger didn't feel right. He tried the handle and found it unlocked.

The smell of the house was the first thing that got to him, that distinct scent that spoke of love and caring and home. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed it. He took a deep breath of that scent and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He could hear noises from the kitchen, dinner being cooked. 

"Hello?" Strongheart's mother called out. "Is someone there?" She stepped out of the kitchen and caught sight of him, freezing in place. 

"We need to talk," Calumn said. 

His words broke her paralysis. "Strongheart!" she cried, rushing to him and enfolding him in a crushing hug. "I was so worried! They wouldn't tell me anything about you and you never wrote! Why didn't you write?"

"I couldn't, I'm sorry," he said. He wanted to hug her back, wanted to tell her everything would be alright, but he couldn't. It was hard enough already. "We need to talk."

"Oh, we can talk later," she said. "Just let me hug you."

"No," he said, pushing her away. 

She looked at him as if he had slapped her. "What? Why? Strongheart, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, shaking his head. "But I can't leave you like this."

"Like this? Strongheart, what do you mean? You just got home, why would you leave again so soon?"

"It's hurting you," he said, ignoring her questions. "You don't notice it, but what I’ve done, it's keeping the wound open and raw, not letting it heal. Eventually it will start to fester."

"Wound?" Her eyes tinged green as the magical commands he had implanted stopped her from putting the pieces together. "Strongheart, stop this. I don't know what you're talking about and it's scaring me."

He sighed. There was no use trying to discuss it with her. His own magic prevented her from understanding. He drew her close again and put his forehead to hers, reaching into her mind with his magic and finding the places where his influence was warping her. Then, carefully, he stripped that magic away. Layer upon layer of subconscious suggestions and obfuscations were rooted out and removed.

"No," she moaned as the magic preventing her from remembering the true fate of her son vanished. "No, please. I don't want to know, I don't want to know!"

"I'm sorry," he said again, holding tight as she started to struggle against him. "I'm so sorry. I know it hurts." He kept going, taking every last vestige of Changeling influence from her mind. Then he relaxed his grip and let her slump to the ground, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"Why?" she gasped out. "Why did you do this to me?"

"Because it wasn't right," Calumn said. "It was hurting you, and it was cruel. You're a good mother, and Strongheart loved you just as much as you love him. He wouldn't have have wanted to see you hurt, and I owe it to both of you not to leave you like that."

"Make me forget!" she pleaded, pawing at his legs. "Please make me forget!" 

"No," Calumn said. "I'm sorry, but I won't do that. I'm not your son, and I never could be." Green fire burst around him, burning away Strongheart's form and leaving Calumn as himself. She recoiled from him, instinctive fear and revulsion in her eyes. Calumn winced at that, feeling a part of his heart break at that look. "Remember," he said. "Remember Strongheart, and think about what he would want for you. Would he want you to live a fantasy, making his life meaningless by refusing to acknowledge his death? Or would he want you to live in reality, acknowledging the sacrifice he made and moving on with your life?"

She looked up at him, and he knew she was hearing his words, knew that she knew he was right. But it was too soon, she was too raw. She let out a wail and scrambled away from him, rushing up the stairs and to her room. She slammed the door behind her, but she needn't have, he wasn't following.

Calumn sighed again, resisting the urge to kick at the wall, instead he stood staring at his own hooves for a long time. He had loved her like she had been his real mother. Had fallen so far into his role as Strongheart that he hadn't even realized how genuine his feelings had become. But he was different now, changed by Max Cash, changed further and more completely by his own inner struggles. He knew that it hadn't been fair to leave her like he had. He was sure of that. Now, he just had to keep reminding himself of that.

Calumn turned and walked from the house he had called home for the last time. 

Straff waited for him in the street. RIA forces were sweeping through the neighbourhood in full combat gear and with guns drawn. Blaze was already surrounded by three ponies. He grinned happily and chatted with them, much to their confusion, and gave Calumn a wave as he spotted the Changeling. Calumn returned that wave with a nod and walked to Straff.

"Calumn," Straff said as he came close. He noted the obvious fatigue that Straff was displaying and wondered at the cause. "I would very much like to ask what you think you're doing."

"I had to let her go, sir," he said.

"You had a duty to inform me of your findings as soon as you returned."

Calumn shrugged. "Yes. But this was more important."

Straff's eyes narrowed at that. Nothing was more important than duty to a Changeling, or nothing should have been. "You've been compromised."

Calumn nodded. There was no point in trying to hide it. "Cash got to me. He can... he has power, like nothing you've ever seen before."

"Should I be treating you as an enemy?"

"No," Calumn said. "I don't think I can ever be what I was, but I'm not ever going to be an enemy of the Republics."

"What about him?" Straff asked, indicating Blaze.

"He's nobody's enemy. Trust me on that." Calumn looked beyond Straff, to where a group of Agency troops were escorting Gamma, Spike, Rarity and Melody to them. Spike was looking less than pleased about the whole situation, and Rarity was picking up on that, warily watching. Calumn was grateful she wasn't the type to start lashing out, with the kind of power she had she was very capable of killing every soldier here with their own uniform. Melody was extremely twitchy, and flinched every time one of the soldiers looked her way. Calumn just had to hope that she wouldn’t cause a scene, but he could feel the intense clash of her emotions and knew it would be a close thing.

Gamma was the one he was really worrying about, though. He knew that she had some kind of plan, but she had always been vague on the specifics. Other than that she was ‘surrendering’, though he doubted the spymaster would ever truly surrender. She tugged at her scarf with her magic, settling it so it covered more of the scar that ringed her neck. That action, and the way she was staring right at Straff, told Calumn that she was worried. 

"I think the one you really should be asking that question is her," Calumn said, tilting his head towards Gamma as they came to a stop. 

Straff turned. Calumn couldn't see his face from this angle, but the sudden bunched tension in his shoulders told him everything he needed to know. These two knew each other, and not just by reputation, there was history here. He maneuvered to the side so he could get a better view of everyone, and found Straff and Gamma locked in a stare that showed something that surprised Calumn.

They had the same eyes. Not just in their serious intensity, but in the depth of blue they shared. Eyes that almost seemed to glow in the half-light of dusk. 

Gamma spoke first. "It's been a long time."

"Twenty years," Straff replied. Calumn noted anger in the Director’s tone, and his emotional senses caught a flash of deeply personal hurt as well. "You've come up in the world."

"Don't be fooled," she said. "I'm not here looking for forgiveness or redemption. I have not gone soft. I'm still the mare who betrayed you."

"And I'm still the stallion who strung you up for it," Straff said, the anger in his voice hardening it to a lashing snap. He spent a moment in silence, composing himself. When he spoke again, it was with a calm, measured tone. "And advancing age has, if anything, only made me more bitter and cynical. I was never in any danger of being fooled by you again. Why are you here?"

"I am surrendering myself to your custody."

"Yes. Clearly." Straff's dry delivery was untouched by the tension that still had his muscles rigid. "Why are you here?"

"Because you need my help. Max Cash is much more dangerous than you can imagine, and we have reason to believe that something he wants is here, in the nightlands."

"Max Cash."

"He must be stopped."

"Well! All this staring and low voices are delightfully dramatic, but since I can only understand every other word, I'm afraid it's all lost on me," Rarity said in Solar. Straff and Gamma broke their stare to look at her. Rarity was undaunted, stepping forward, a move that caused the surrounding troopers to level their guns at her. She noted the weapons with a raised eyebrow and a cool disdain, then continued speaking. "If someone would introduce me, I would like to know why these, ah, gentleponies are pointing guns at us."

Straff blinked at her for a moment, taking a closer look. Then his eyes jerked wide and he looked back to Gamma. "Is this...?"

"Yes," Gamma replied, a small smile breaking her careful neutrality. "And this is Master Spike, Lord of Dragons."

Straff frowned. "Heroes from the past," he said, his tone skeptical but his eyes calculating.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I believe I'm being talked about, and it is quite rude to speak of a lady as if she isn't present when she is standing right there," Rarity said, flipping her mane and giving Straff a look of practiced condescension.

Straff turned to face her fully, giving her an exaggerated bow. "My apologies, great lady. I am Straff, Director of the Republics Intelligence Agency, and for the moment, your captor.”

"Captor!" Rarity cried, gasping. "Why, what law have we broken that would have you treat us so?"

"Rarity," Spike said. "Director Straff has just been informed of who we are. I'm sure he's calculating exactly how many people he's got here and whether they are enough to hold us if we didn't want it."

"I would think they'd do a fairly good job of that," Rarity said, glaring at the nearest soldier and his gun. "They are armed and we are not, after all."

"Hm, true. Then why don’t we take their guns away?" Spike said with a grin that showed off just how sharp his teeth were. 

"Well, if I must," Rarity said with exaggerated resignation. Then her horn lit up, and every soldier in the street found their weapons floating up into the air. Straps were loosened and buckles undone, and they were disarmed simultaneously and within moments, far too quickly for the shocked Agency troops to react. Not just their guns, either, but knives, sidearms and batons were similarly removed, along with the belts they were attached to. In the end the horrified soldiers could only watch as their entire arsenal arranged themselves into a trio of concentric circles above Rarity's head. Circles that began to rotate, two in one direction, with the one between them moving the opposite. 

It was undoubtedly the most powerful demonstration of magic that any of them had ever seen, and Rarity wasn't even winded. She smiled at the reaction, the dropped jaws and bulging eyes. With a whooping laugh she leaned over and gave Spike's neck a quick nuzzle. The Dragon, for his part, looked on with reptilian satisfaction.

Calumn stared at them rather than the casual display of power. This smacked of something rehearsed, especially with their dialogue beforehand. The two of them must have come up with this little show during the trip, probably working out the details in one of their frequent Old Equestrian conversations. Yet she hadn't practiced, hadn't even hinted that she was preparing something like this. He was suddenly acutely aware of the monstrous power he had been travelling with, and it made him feel like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.

"It's all true," Straff said, his own voice showing clear awe. He tore his eyes from the blue-glowing weapons and looked at Gamma.

"Yes," she said. "And my surrender still stands. So, this is what is going to happen–”

“Shut up!” Straff snapped. Gamma blinked at him, taken aback. “It has always been your greatest weakness that you have to be the smartest one in the room, and worse yet that you have to make sure everyone else knows it! I had thought they would have beaten that particular habit out of you years ago, but clearly the standards at the Secret Service do not measure up to those of the RIA. So, no, you will not be dictating the terms of your surrender to me.” 

He turned to Rarity and Spike. “Great lady, Master Dragon, I assure you that neither of you are under arrest. You are free to go whenever you wish. This mare, however, is an enemy of my nation, and I cannot allow her to walk free within it. I’m afraid that if you fight me on that, you will be declaring yourselves enemies as well.” He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. “However, I invite you both to accompany me back to our headquarters where we can discuss your reasons for being in the Republics in a more comfortable setting.”

Spike and Rarity shared a look before the Dragon ducked his head. “That sounds like a good plan to me.”

“Excellent,” Straff said. “Would you be so kind as to return my allies their weapons?”

Rarity nodded graciously. “So long as they promise to point them somewhere else.”

The guns began floating back down. In a further, and to Calumn even more impressive, display of her abilities, Rarity somehow managed to remember which particular weapon belonged to which soldier, and was able to re-equip them in just as much time as it took to disarm them. 

“Do not treat the Dragon and white unicorn as hostile,” Straff called out. “Show them the utmost respect!” The instructions were practically unnecessary, as fear and awe already dominated the emotions of the Agency troops. “Bring the vans around, we’re heading back.” 

“Stay close, Melody,” Rarity said, and the twitchy pegasus obliged by stepping in not quite close enough to touch her.

“You will not offer any resistance,” Straff said to Gamma as soldiers rushed to complete his orders. “You will not speak to anyone except myself unless you are making a minor request, such as for water or use of the facilities. Even then you will be watched at all times and you will not complain. Is that understood?”

“Perfectly,” Gamma replied.

Straff merely frowned in response, then turned to Calumn. “And you are coming with me. Compromised or not, I think I can still trust you. Is that accurate, Calumn?”

“It is,” Calumn said, watching as a trio of black vans pulled up and the group was hustled inside. He caught Blaze’s eye and nodded once, letting his friend know it was all going to be okay.

“Then I need to know everything,” Straff said. “Because if this is about Max Cash, then we don’t have a lot of time, and your information could prevent a disaster.”

“It can do more than that,” Calumn said, his doubled voice grim. “It could save the world.”


***


Charisma stood before seven mounds of earth, seven graves she had dug with her own hooves, and wondered how many more there would be before they finally left. 

This was the particular horror of being stuck in the Horseshoe Valley. A creeping, slow agony that tightened her muscles, making both motion and stillness uncomfortable. It was more than the ennui of the deep country, though that certainly played a part. In a moment of pique she had likened it to being locked in a small room with two thousand mosquitoes, no matter how she flailed or twisted there was another one whining past her ears every second.

That’s what they were, the residents of Cash’s hometown, mosquitoes. Flitting about, unaware and uncaring of the aggravation they brought, every interaction sucking a little more life from her. Leaving only an itch that insisted it be scratched, straining her control.

It wouldn’t have been so bad in a larger city, like one of the full Republics. There, the millions of people would be overwhelming. Their sheer numbers would numb her Talent, allow her to let them fade into the background, safely ignored. Here, though, there were only a hooffull of people. Three thousand at most. Here, it was entirely possible for her to kill all of them.

It would have been better if they weren’t so brutally friendly, if they didn’t stop to talk to her at every opportunity. But they could see she wasn’t happy, and something in their natures demanded that they try their best to cheer her up. If they only knew what it took to make her happy, they wouldn’t want to be within miles of her.

It would have been easier to bear if she knew when she was leaving. In her years working for Cash they had rarely stayed in one place for more than a week. He was always moving, he always had somewhere else to be. More than that, he always had work for her: a little intimidation here, fetching a specific person there, a quiet assassination somewhere else. Consistently moving on before the weight of her own compulsions began to wear on her. This inaction was unnatural for him, and devastating for her.

It was almost as bad as being back in the Court of the Sun, waiting for a war that was always imminent and inevitable, but never realized. Almost.

Charisma looked down from the hill, out over the town. It wasn’t much to look at, a few houses and side streets clustered around the intersection of the two roads that held all the shops and stores that the valley had to offer. At one corner of the intersection was the building that served as both library and town hall for the small community. If this had been the sunlands, there would have been a prominent church somewhere close, but the Republics had never been as religious as the Kingdom was, so the best she could find was a small shrine to Luna on a hill outside of town. The rest of the buildings along each road sold the usual staples: groceries, clothing and tools. All of them were painted in splashes of bright pastel color, mimicking the coats of the ponies who frequented them.

The only blight on the cheery facade of Horseshoe Valley was the ugly green tents that were set up in the fields just beyond the edge of town. Those makeshift barracks held the sizable mercenary force that Cash employed. They had been filtering into the Valley since he and Charisma had gotten there, five or ten at a time. By now there were over two hundred of them, all keeping their weapons clean and ready to move out the moment their employer gave the word. Considering how long it was taking for that word to come, there had been surprisingly few incidents of the soldiers harassing the locals.

She wished she could take credit for the discipline of the troops, but in truth she had been avoiding them. In the endless isolation of the Valley, they had become just another bunch of mosquitoes to fray at her nerves. 

The most recent grave was occupied by one of those mercenary soldiers. He hadn't known who she was, hadn't bothered to find out. He had just seen a pretty mare and, mistaking her for one of the locals, decided to ply her with his dubious charms. 

It was a mistake he had paid for. It had taken the edge off, allowed her one good scratch, but her Talent did not rest, and she knew that her head would again be pounding with its demands far too soon.

She noticed the intruder coming up on her, but didn’t react, allowing the other pony to think they’d gotten the drop on her. The quiet rustling of wings and the careful hooffalls were stealthy enough, but still noticeable against the quiet backdrop of the valley. Charisma even had a good idea of who her visitor was, but all doubt was dispelled with her first words.

“I could have killed you five times by now,” the other mare said.

Charisma turned her head, regarding the assassin with studied indifference. “Lyssa. You look like crap.”

She sneered at Charisma, obviously having to fight the impulse to attack. Charisma almost smiled at that. She was battling a similar impulse, and clearly doing so with much more grace than Lyssa could ever manage. She had also been honest with her assessment of the other mare’s appearance. Lyssa looked like she had seen some hard travel. Sweat stained the combat jumpsuit she wore and darkened her coat from tan to brown, her wings were splayed out from her sides in a manner that clearly showed how fatigued they were from hard flying. Her blond mane was in similar disarray, slicked back from her face by sweat and held in place by a dusty pair of flight goggles. Charisma would have ditched the jumpsuit in her place–it would only cause unnecessary drag and heat buildup–but Lyssa had always been overly fond of her toys.

“And look at what you’ve been doing,” Lyssa said, looking past Charisma at the graves. She tsked and shook her head. “Feeding the habit, I see. I wonder if Cash knows you’re offing his childhood buddies.”

Charisma sighed. “If he does know, he doesn’t care,” she said. It was pointless to rise to Lyssa’s bait. Max had made it clear that she wasn’t allowed to kill the other pegasus, and engaging with her only made that directive harder to follow. “Why are you here, Lyssa? I thought you were supposed to be following some cop.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I did follow him. Now he’s back home and I need to report to Cash.”

“Well, then, let’s not keep Max waiting,” Charisma said, and took off for the Cash family home.

Lyssa caught up with her quickly, and Charisma didn’t hide a small smirk at the effort on the mare’s face. She had flown hard to get here, and her pride wouldn’t let her fall behind Charisma, no matter how sore her wings were. It was a petty thing, but satisfying all the same.

There were others at the house. Not soldiers, but the people indispensable for running a massive criminal empire. Accountants, thugs, smugglers, and lawyers. Charisma had always made it her business to avoid those types. Their sheer attitudes and pecking-order games reminded her too much of palace politics, and that made it terribly difficult to resist the demands of her Talent.

She landed by the front door and walked in without giving any of those others so much as a look. She could feel their eyes on her, though, wary, fearful. These people, at least, knew who she was. A glance at Lyssa showed that the assassin had noted the same thing, and the tight anger in her stride betrayed the depth of her envy.

In a small way, Charisma pitied the mare. She wanted so much, but refused to understand the nature of the thing she desired.

They found Cash in his office. The room was full of books, paintings, statuettes and other things that Cash had collected from across the world. That much of the statuary had been sculpted by Spike only reminded her that the Dragon was very likely out for their blood. Just one more dangerous enemy to add to the list.

Cash himself sat behind his heavy, expensive desk with his head bent down over a large pad of paper. A stick of charcoal was held in his magic and he was furiously drawing out the lines and curves of a complex maze. Several sheets of discarded paper displayed similar labyrinths. “Just a moment,” Cash said as they entered. “Almost got this one down.” The two mares waited patiently as he completed his work. With a finishing flourish he set the pad down and dropped the charcoal stick atop it. The maze he had drawn was strange, with distorted perspectives that made it seem three dimensional. Charisma had seen Cash do similar things in the past, usually when he was bored. James Bay had once told her it was something he had done compulsively as a child, though it had become more and more infrequent as time went on.

“Lyssa!” Cash cried, his eyes lighting up. “You’re back! Did he find it?”

Lyssa shrugged. “He found something, Mister Cash. I’m not sure what it was, but he was acting like it was a big deal.”

“Not sure,” Cash tapped his hoof against his chin. “Here, look at this.” His magic opened his saddlebag and drew out the book he was always fawning over. He set it carefully on the desk and pointed at the picture on the front. “Recognize any of these?” He asked, then indicated the pink butterfly. “Say, this one for instance?”

Lyssa frowned, looking closer. “I… yeah, I think so. I don’t know where from…”

“How about this?” Cash’s magic reached out and pulled one of the statuettes from its place on a shelf. The figure was well done, a life-like representation of a pegasus mare with a long, flowing mane and a benevolent expression. She looked soft to Charisma, but there was something in her that spoke of steel beneath that softness.

“Hey!” Lyssa said. “I know that! There was a statue just like that! And it had this necklace on it, with a gem just like this.” She pointed back to the book, to the symbol Cash had indicated. “Why didn’t I remember that?”

“Oh, girls. I just got chills,” Cash said, looking at the both of them with a wild grin. “Tell me everything.”

Lyssa did. It didn’t take very long. The majority of the tale focused on keeping control of the local muscle she had hired in Hoofprint, and Cash sped her through those bits to focus entirely on her pursuit of the detective, and their confrontation at the strange garden in the jungle. “And he did something with the statue,” she said, bringing the story to a close. “I don’t know what, some magic thing. Then the Changeling could see it too, but I… couldn’t? I guess? I mean, it was there but I didn’t remember it being there until you showed me that little statue.”

“Yes, nice, fine,” Cash said, waving her quiet. He had fetched a chart showing the jungle and had made her mark down where the garden was. He stared at that mark now, his expression vicious and sly. “Oh, Fluttershy, you eluded me for so long.”

“Fluttershy?” Lyssa mouthed. It was a measure of her confusion that she actually looked to Charisma for an explanation. The enforcer could only shrug, she didn’t know the name either.

“Whelp!” Cash jerked away from the map suddenly. “We’re done here. Time to pack up and head out. Charisma, gather the troops, give ‘em a rousing speech, and point them at Orion City.”

“I don’t do speeches,” Charisma said. 

“And I don’t do karaoke, but we all have to make sacrifices sometimes.”

Charisma snorted at that, but Lyssa spoke up. “We’re attacking Orion City?”

Cash chuckled. “Not so much Orion City as the mansion of one Senator Alan Birchfield. He’s got something I want, so we’re going to get it.”

“We’re assaulting a Senator?” Lyssa laughed. “That sounds like fun!”

“Fun or fury,” Cash said, giving Lyssa a look that sent shivers through Charisma’s wings. “Either works.” He opened his saddlebags again, slipping his book back into them. “Lyssa, you’ve done a great job. All I ever asked for. I’ve been thinking about how to reward you for a while now, and I’ve got just the thing.” He drew a cookie from his bags and floated it over to her. He locked eyes with her, and Charisma saw the assassin go rigid, Cash’s strange stare holding her in place. “It’s delicious,” he said, and Charisma thought she detected a strange energy suffusing his voice. She went cold as she realized he was using Deceit on Lyssa, just as he had used it on her weeks ago, after her fight with Rainbow Dash. “You deserve it.”

“Thank you, Mister Cash,” Lyssa said, accepting the cookie and shaking a little as Cash broke his gaze away.

“Time’s wasting,” he said, ushering the two of them out of his office. He shut the door behind them and for a moment they heard his wild laughter through the thick door, before it abruptly ended. 

Charisma looked at Lyssa. She was immensely pleased with herself, and she held up the cookie she had been given like it was some kind of trophy. “Well, well. Look at what I’ve got,” she said, then gave a look of mock-surprise to Charisma. “Wait, didn’t you get one?”

“No,” Charisma said. “I don’t want one. And neither should you.”

Lyssa made a noise of disgust, sneering at her. “You jealous bitch.” Charisma closed her eyes and stopped herself from responding. “No, look at me when I’m talking to you!” Lyssa demanded, putting a hoof on her and shoving. Charisma obliged, opening her eyes to stare at the assassin. Strike for her throat, her Talent hissed, kick to break her foreknees and lock her wings with yours to prevent retaliation. Hold her mouth shut to speed suffocation. She almost let her Talent have its way, but held back. “You’ve had it good for a while, but your act is getting old. You got this big, scary reputation, but what have you ever done for it? Huh? What have you ever done to deserve it?”

“More than you need to know,” Charisma replied. 

“Right,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I just tracked a unicorn and a Changeling through the jungles and came back with everything Cash wanted. I’m getting sent on the dangerous missions, the really important ones. Last I heard he had you playing babysitter to one of his gambling buddies. Face it, he doesn’t trust you anymore.” Lyssa was in Charisma’s face now, practically spitting on her. “And still people treat you like you’re Luna’s gift to warriors.” She sneered again, pushing Charisma up against the wall. “But I know the truth: you’re just a tired, pathetic little serial killer who lucked into a reputation as a badass. I’ve been training pretty hard, you know, between doing actual missions. I bet I could take you.”

“Don’t,” Charisma snapped, and for a moment she wasn’t sure what she was warning the other pegasus about.

“Or what?”

“Don’t. Eat. The cookie,” Charisma said. 

That brought Lyssa up short. “What?”

“Don’t eat it,” Charisma said. “Just… just trust me on this. What you want from Cash? It isn’t real. And even if it were, he is not going to give it to you. This is the last chance you are ever going to have to get out, to go find some… meaning in your life. But if you eat that cookie, I guarantee you are never going to get the chance to prove that you’re better than me.”

Lyssa backed up, looking from the cookie to Charisma and back again. “You know, I don’t think I have to prove anything. I know I’m better than you. And I deserve this.” Then, with deliberate, mocking slowness she stuffed the cookie in her mouth and chewed it. “So delicious,” she moaned through the mouthful of crumbs before she swallowed it down.

Charisma hung her head. “Dammit, Lyssa. I was trying to help you.”

“Help me? Right,” Lyssa scoffed. “You’re just trying to help yourself. Well, news flash, there’s no help for you. Cash knows that I’m better than you. Give me a year and I’ll have your job. Maybe I’ll take pity on you, keep you on as one of the grunts so I can watch you… watch you…” Lyssa trailed off, a confused expression coming over her face. “What?”

“I warned you,” Charisma said, shaking her head. “Too late now. Whatever he puts in those things, it’s fast-acting stuff.”

“Fast acting?” Lyssa staggered. “What did you… do to me?”

“You trusted Cash,” Charisma said with a small sigh. “That’s always the mistake everyone makes. And it always ends the same way.”

“I… no… I’m…” she dropped to the floor, gasping for breath as her wings and legs shook and foam bubbled out of her mouth. 

Charisma watched the mare suffer. End her now, her Talent insisted, apparently unwilling to let Lyssa die on her own time. She saw no reason not to, and so she gave in. She placed a hoof on the assassin’s throat and with one sharp stomp, broke her neck cleanly. Lyssa collapsed completely, the light gone from her eyes. With no one to see, Charisma didn’t bother to hide the pleasant shudders that went through her.

Some time later Cash opened his door and stepped into the hallway. He was light on his hooves, almost dancing. “My oh my, what a wonderful day!” he sing-songed. “Plenty of suns– Charisma!” He stopped as soon as he spotted her. “I thought I told you to give a speech.” She gave him a hard look before nodding her head at the body on the ground. “Oh, right. Well, she’s just having a little nap and then…” He looked closer at the corpse, and his happy tone was gone, replaced by anger, something she had almost never heard from him. “Charisma, is it just me, or is Lyssa dead?”

“You poisoned her,” she said, confused and worried by his reaction. “I just sped along the process.”

“You sped…” he looked up at her and his eyes were filled with a mad fury that made her flinch back. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” His voice was clipped and tightly controlled. “The poison wasn’t going to kill her, Charisma. Just knock her out for a few hours so that we could be long gone by the time she woke up feeling sick, betrayed and very, very pissed off.”

“I–” He didn’t let her finish the thought.

“Do you know how hard it is to find someone like her?” he said, stepping towards her. She took a step back, bumping into the wall. “Someone whose buttons are so easy to push? Someone you can count on to hate everything at just the right time? Someone connected? Do you know how hard it’s going to be to find a replacement in the time we have?” His tone suddenly switched to a furious, fake joviality. “Are you volunteering? How’s the anger management issues, Charisma? Feelin’ the old rage at the world stirring up?”

She steadied herself and stood her ground as he advanced on her again, her Talent screaming death in her brain. “You didn’t tell me, Max. How could I know?”

He stopped, looking to the body. “How could you know? You shouldn’t have had to,” he said, and the fury was gone from his voice, leaving it cold and empty. “This has really put a dent in my plan, Charisma. We’re going after Anger. I need someone angry. Not just a little angry, really angry. Murderously angry. And for best possible results, they have to be angry at me.”

“There’s got to be other options.”

“Oh, there are,” Cash said, sighing. “The problem is, other than you, those options aren’t working for me. The flip side of Anger is Laughter. Tell me, do you think Blaze is going to show up?” Charisma’s body went very still, in contrast to her heart which was suddenly pounding. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” His voice hadn’t changed, but she could still feel the layers of threat and promise in it hitting her like a choking force, locking her breath in her throat. Then he dropped his gaze, shaking his head. “Too much to hope for,” he muttered. He looked at his saddlebag, she couldn’t see the expression on his face, but by the set of his legs he was angry, and barely holding it in. “And no time to do it my way. Well, it’s in the hooves of fate, now.” He sounded almost disgusted when he said that, and Charisma was at a complete loss as to how to interpret it. Then he turned back to her, and a wild grin twisted his face, making it seem like an ill-fitting mask. “I guess a little surprise in life never hurt anyone. Except, you know.” He jerked his head at the corpse. “Come on, the sooner we get started, the sooner we’re back in the big city!”

With that he trotted past her, whistling the same jaunty tune that he had left his office with. But his steps were heavy and the tight set of his body put the lie to his forced joviality. Charisma spent another moment looking at Lyssa’s body, then shook her head and followed her employer out of the house.