//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18 
// Story: Endless Sky 
// by Algorhythm 
//------------------------------//


-18-


Dawn’s eyes fluttered open as she suddenly realized she was quite unable to move from her current position. On either side, both Rainbow and Twilight had managed to move in around her. It was a rather interesting predicament to say the least. Carefully, she squirmed her way out from their vice grip and nearly fell to the floor on the other end of the bed.
They had booked a small room at a overcrowded bed and breakfast. Even with their last teleport, there was no way to avoid the hundreds of ponies dragging their possessions through the land. It had luckily gotten much warmer as they traveled into the valleys in the west - more like the temperatures of Canterlot this time of year.
There was one bed in the room and a small sofa, on which Applejack was sleeping peacefully. Dawn was still confused about why they even needed to book a room when they had Stormbreaker’s fancy hut. Twilight said something about them needing a night to themselves, even though Trixie and Stormbreaker had their own room.
Adults are weird, she thought. She grabbed her hat off of the nightstand, tossed it onto her head, and slipped into the hallway.
Down in the dining room, a couple of gryffons were seen hurrying in and out, setting out trays of food - mostly vegetables and fresh bread. Just the smell of the feast made Dawn’s mouth water. Only a few ponies were up this early, eating their fill of the meal.
“I for one don’t think that Celestia is doing enough to end the long lines at the border,” one of the stallions said, before swallowing a chunk of bread. “The fact that we have to go all the way to the crossing at Seaddle just to avoid the lines is brutal. I mean, gryffons don’t need trains - they can fly anywhere they want to go.”
One of the workers came in and placed a small tin of margarine on the table.
“Thank you,” he said, before continuing. “Pegasi can fly, but that leaves us earth ponies and unicorns stuck in the dust.”
“At least she wouldn’t raise taxes through the roof and draft new guards on a whim,” one of the mares said. “We would have been much better off if she had apologized and paid reparations. Instead we got stuck with a new government a month.”
Reparations? Dawn thought with a confused look. What is she talking about?
“Most ponies back home would look at you funny for that. ‘One bad apple spoils the cider,’ Flora. She just happened to pick a bad pony for her council. That’s why I fought in the war.”
An uneasy silence settled over the table. Dawn took that opportunity to sit in one of the chairs. She grabbed some carrots and a slice of bread, stacking them neatly onto her plate. Once she was certain it was enough, she waved over the gryffon before she left the room.
The gryffon was frazzled, but kind. “What can I do for you, little filly?”
“Can I take this to my room?” Dawn asked.
“Of course. Just try not to spill anything on the floor, okay?”
Dawn nodded to her back as the gryffon sped back into the kitchen. She hefted the plate from its place and trotted back up the stairs keeping it firmly between her teeth. Unfortunately, she had to struggle with the door, just to get it open.
Too bad I don’t have claws, she thought as she squeezed through the doorway. This would be much, much-
“Dawn?”
Dawn nearly lost her balance as the door opened wide enough for her to pass inside. The food slid to the edge of the plate, but didn’t fall off. She breathed a sigh of relief, before setting the food on one of the tables.
Twilight was already awake in bed, leaning against the headboard so she could read. A soft purple glow enveloped the book as it hovered in front of her.
“Morning, mom,” Dawn said, chewing on a carrot.
“Good morning to you too. I see you’ve already gotten breakfast.”
Dawn nodded, munching happily on a carrot. “I was gonna eat it downstairs but there were ponies down there already. They were talking about Aunt Celestia, but they were using words I've never heard of before. What does ‘reparations’ mean?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. They hadn’t walked for very long before encountering crowds of ponies on the roads, all fleeing the Northern Province. Every time they asked what was going on, they were never given a straight answer. That made the mention of the Princess far more interesting. “What does the princess have to do with the herds of ponies in gryffon lands?”
Dawn swallowed her carrot. She looked deep in concentration for a moment, before clearing her thoat - almost like preparation for a speech. “‘There is somepony in the castle who is a bad pony, controlling every move Aunt Celly makes and is intentionally trying to keep me and Dusk apart. We can only assume that this pony is actively trying to move into taking back the northern provinces, as well as nearby countries. Thus, leading to total control over the world.’”
Twilight blinked, still too confused to speak.
Dawn took another deep breath, clearly winded from her initial explanation. “At least that’s what Magic said. She also said that me and Dusk are ‘two pieces of the whole picture.’ She can see everything through two pairs of eyes. I think that would be painful.”
“Magic?”
“Yeah. She said you should remember who she is.”

“Twilight Sparkle. You and I should not be speaking so soon.”
Twilight was standing in the center of an endless library, stacked impossibly high and with paths leading in all directions. The central area had a large desk, with several quills hard at work, recording tomes worth of paper. These papers were quickly bound into books or wrapped as scrolls, before floating effortlessly through the maze to their destinations. There was also a large cushion in the center occupied by a bronze coated unicorn. She ran a hoof through her brown mane, before standing up.
“I am Magic. The element, of course.”
Twilight walked slowly to the cushion, “Where am I?”
“At the center of your soul. You are participating in a sharing, are you not?”
Twilight blushed.
“Then I will be quick. The nature of the elements of harmony has changed. We have bound to you in a hereditary way - meaning you and I are about to part ways. This is not how things should be. There is still much that you and I should be accomplishing with the other five elements, yet they lay useless because this spell will force me to pass on to your foals. Even so, one day you will be needed again. Fate demands it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will when the time comes. Time can only bend the rules so far.”

“Mom!”
Twilight rolled over onto her side, slowly coming to.
Did I black out? She thought.
“How did she end up on the floor?”
Rainbow, she noted. I must have been out for a few minutes at least.
Twilight lifted herself from the floor, wobbling slightly. Rainbow Dash was there in an instant, adding some much needed support.
“You okay?” Applejack asked. She sat on one side of Twilight, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “When you collapsed, Dawn started shaking us awake, yelling her lungs out. Good thing the walls are so thick.”
Rainbow led Twilight to the bed, where she promptly leaned up against it, before collapsing to the floor. “I... I think it’s time we all had a talk. And Dawn?”
Dawn looked up at Twilight.
“You need to tell me everything that happened.”


--*--


"Here we are: Quebeak. The last city before the trade road goes south. This is the oldest city in the Riyalik Empire as well as their capital. From here on out, you four will be hoofing it up north." Stormbreaker let his saddlebags slip to the ground, as he leaned against one of the buildings.
Teleporting just twice in the last five days was all they could manage without collapsing from over-exertion. Trixie was long since out of stamina, forcing Twilight and Stormbreaker to make the last jump by themselves.
Twilight looked a little pale, but she smiled at the other two, "I suppose it's paid travel from here on out?"
Stormbreaker nodded. "For us, yes. We cannot teleport again - the princess prefers old fashioned guard posts. Though if Dawn is right, I have no idea what to expect."
Dawn scraped her hoof along the sidewalk. Telling them that somepony might be controlling the capital whipped Twilight and her friends into a frenzy. Had they not been roughing it that day, they would have practically stormed back through the borders.
She was lucky the stallion could talk some kind of sense into her. After all, if somepony was controlling the castle, he or she would have Twilight and the others branded as enemies for 'taking' Dawn.  In retrospect, she should have listened to Magic after the reaction that realization produced.
In the end, they figured that the dragons could also offer some guidance on what to do. With newfound direction, it was impossible to conceal Twilight's enthusiasm. Rainbow still hadn't stopped threatening the... thing wreaking havoc behind the scenes.
The obsession with Discord's return was rather bothersome as well. Newspapers were flooded with political squabbling over the growing crisis - refugees, claimed attacks, even calls for war on the Princesses and on the Northern Province. They left the last city after riots broke out over the refugees overcrowding the farmlands.
Dawn looked around the city streets. Things were a lot calmer here. There were more sophisticated places of business - a pony-run cafe was across the street from them, with many gryffons having very animated conversations. The populace bowed or saluted to the Emperor's  Guard as they passed in the streets in small patrols. There were very few other ponies in the streets, most of which had very fancy styles of dress.
"I've never seen so many ponies here before. Perhaps that's just the nature of the delicate situation at hoof," Stormbreaker added. "But, again, now that things have changed all of us have very little time to spare." Stormbreaker gave Twilight a hug, patting her on the back, "Be safe."
"You too," she said.
Trixie shook hooves with Applejack. The farm pony smiled warmly at her. "If you're lookin' for a spot to rest your head, stop on by Ponyville. So much has changed, I doubt it'll be a problem."
Rainbow Dash plucked a feather from her wing and placed in Trixie's bag. "Just in case they give you a hard time," she added.
Stormbreaker rummaged in his own bags for a moment, before producing a small bag. He hovered it over to Twilight, who grasped it in her teeth. "Wath dith?"
"I have an old friend a little further north named Sven Firebeak. He and I have been friends since my days in Academia. Should you need any help, give him the bag. He'll understand."
Twilight tucked it away in her bag. "Thanks. If you stop by Ponyville-"
Trixie interrupted, "I'll let them know you're alright. They won't have any problem recognizing me."
The mares shared a laugh, with Stormbreaker raising an eyebrow in confusion. He shrugged and hefted his bags onto his back.
They waved as they continued on into the city before they rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Twilight sighed, looking down at Dawn. She was still wearing Twilight's scarf around her neck, complete with a cabby hat to hide her horn. A big smile was still plastered all over her face. Sweet Celestia, that smile was contagious.
"I can't wait to see them again," Dawn said while walking in front of Twilight. "She said she could show me some magic tricks!"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "As long as you don't drag an Ursa Minor into town, that sounds like fun."
"An Ursa Minor?" Dawn asked.
"A very large creature found in the Everfree Forest. Somepony brought it into Ponyville once-"
"And Twilight used her magic to put it right back where it belonged!" Rainbow added.
"Whoa! Really?" Dawn said excitedly.
"Well... something along those lines,” Twilight said, hiding a smile.
"Ooh! Or you could tell the story-"
Rainbow slammed straight into one of the Royal Guards as that patrol rounded the corner. She landed on her back rather roughly. The guard she bumped into fell flat on her back, causing the others to move into a more defensive stance. 
The captain glared at Rainbow. "Watch where you're going, feather brain! I could have you arrested for assaulting my subordinates!"
"Sorry," Rainbow scrambled to her hooves and gave the group much more space than necessary. She kept her eyes averted from the captain.
Twilight watched as the captain did a small double take. A wicked grin spread across the gryffon's face. She started walking towards them very slowly. Her eyes were locked on Rainbow Dash.
Applejack tried to reason with her. "We're terribly sorry miss, but, um, we-"
"Quiet, unless you want to be arrested as an accomplice!" The captain yelled. She stared hard at the rest of the group, winking at Twilight.
Rainbow was running low on options. She could fly away and shadow Twilight until she could safely land, but that ran the risk of them getting arrested. The other option was jail time. She could imagine a cell deep underground, far from the open skies. Her own private death chamber - she'd go mad if she was grounded.
The captain marched right up to the pegasus. She leaned in close, so they were eye to eye. "Get up, Dash. You're embarrassing yourself."
It took a moment for it to click in Rainbow's mind. She rose to her hooves, brushing herself off. "Gilda?"
Gilda removed her helmet and tucked it under her arm. "The one and only. What in the Emperor's name are you doing here? Last time you sent me a letter, you were babysitting the royal's kids."
"It's a long story."
Gilda nodded as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "I get off duty at four. Swing by my place later. We'll catch up."
She quickly scribbled down her address and passed it to Rainbow. With a quick nod to the other guards, they resumed their march, with Gilda following behind.
"Why is her note blank?" Dawn asked, leaning over Rainbow's shoulder.
The pegasus placed it on the ground. She sighed in frustration, "Why would she give me a note with no address or anything?"
The note lifted off the ground, hovering over in front of Twilight. She looked it over once and knew at once what it was. "Invisible Ink. Nothing a little magic can't fix."
The spell shifted ever so slightly, but the only noticeable change came from the glowing paper. The light on the paper dimmed.
"Got it!" Twilight said excitedly. Her happy smile faded almost immediately. She held the note in front of Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
Somebirdy has been tracking you - I can smell it. They won't enter the city for some reason, so sit tight. Go straight to my place. The address is below.


--*--


Gilda opened the door to her home. She passed through the threshold, practically exhausted, before removing her helmet and kicking the door shut. She sighed.
“Is there ever a day when something weird doesn’t happen?” She muttered. These past few weeks had been beyond stressful for her. Not only had she already served her mandatory two years like everybirdy else, she was being forced to ‘volunteer’ some of her job hunting time. Then again, who would say no to a general? Especially if that general was-
“Gilda?”
Gilda looked up at the imposing voice, belonging to none other than her father. It was deep and rough on the ears, which almost reflected how he looked. His feathers were well preened, but jutted out like small spikes, giving him the look of a rocky mountain. He had a permanent patch over his right eye while the left eye held a globe of orange, like a wildfire.
“Hey,” she said cooly. The helmet readjusted under her wing. He looked at her in a rather accusing manner, but said nothing. She seemed to take the hint. “They’re friends of mine. I ran into them this morning.”
“The unicorn, Twilight, said it was for their safety. Care to explain?”
“Your senses are getting dull, buzzard.” Gilda had a big smirk on her face. 
“Still better trained than yours, little chick. Do you have any idea what or who you’re dealing with?”
“No. I was helping a friend. That’s all.” She quickly passed her father, making a beeline for the family armory. The suit was stifling after being in it all morning. She unlatched some of the buckles on her torso armor, before peeling it off of her damp and matted fur. As each latch came undone, she sighed in relief.
The general stood at the door as Gilda finished hanging her armor. “Gilda.”
She rolled her eyes, “Can I have a few minutes to relax? I just got back from patrol and-” Two of the royal guards stood by his sides, each armed with a spear. Behind him, the Emperor himself stood proudly on his hind legs.
Gilda dropped to the floor, bowing deeply.
“Rise.”
Gilda did as she was ordered, keeping her eyes plastered to the floors.
“Thank you for bringing your friends to your home for safekeeping. It is more than we could ever hope for. Three elements of harmony and a pony princess? You do your family name proud, Captain Gilda Razortalon,” The Emperor spoke clearly, as he paced into the room. “Although from the sounds of your testimony, you had no idea what you were even doing. A friend in need happens to be quite the friend indeed.”
Gilda swallowed hard and said nothing. She knew her place. Speaking out while in the presence of the emperor was a good way to be killed, or at best exiled.
“Tell me, Captain. Are you even mildly aware of the conflict that threatens to plunge the whole world into war? Do you pay attention to the Generals and Lords who squabble like hens on what action should be taken?”
“Yes,” she said. Her voice wavered slightly.
“Then why would you hide the most important bargaining chip in the world from me as if it didn’t even matter?”
Gilda’s heart was racing. “I wasn’t aware of their importance, my Emperor.”
“That is because you are still naive and ill informed!” Gilda cringed under his voice, “If you even had the sense to think, the thought would have crossed your mind. Or perhaps your loyalties lie elsewhere?”
“N-no, my Emperor. I would never dare act against you!”
The Emperor drew his sword. “So you say. However... let fate decide how much truth there is to your words.”
Gilda bowed her head. This was it. Everything in her life came down to an old magic sword. She didn’t care as much for the empire, but it never crossed her mind at every decision to hold what was best for the Emperor. And now, she would pay for it. 
What a stupid way to die, she thought.
The room filled with the dull thud of the sword. Her father still had his eyes closed, standing at full attention.
“Interesting,” the emperor whispered.
Gilda’s dad opened his eyes, momentarily shocked at the revelation. “Indeed.”
Gilda opened her eyes and immediately noticed the sword dug into the stone floor on her right. I’m not... dead?
“Take her into custody. General? I expect to see you in three hours,” the emperor spoke, rubbing his temples with his claw. “I must meditate on this further...”