• Published 20th May 2013
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The Road Not Taken - levarien



Twilight has spent her adult life keeping Equestria safe. While her friends found careers, family, and love, she has spent her time searching for ways to defend them all. Resentment now rules her heart, and somepony has to get through to her.

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Ch. 22: The Best Laid Plans

Trixie braced herself against the the ash tree, a thick rope held tightly with her might and magic. It wound around one of the tree's thickest branches and back towards the ground below. "Trixie is not sure about this," she said, "what if the spell fails while you're on the other side?" She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at the dangling mare. "Trixie doesn't much like the idea of watching you risk yourself like this."

"Have some self confidence," said the older mare, "Trixie has already proven to you the portal spell can function in this manner. We need to find out how the counter spell works in practical situations. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Are you seriously asking that?" said the younger mare, "We're doing this because somepony didn't get an answer to that old cliche."

"Just hold the rope," said the older Trixie. She looked down, twisted the slate ring around her horn and focused her magic on the ground in front of her. An inky black disk, skirted with Trixie's pink magical aura, dilated open. Trixie looked up to the clear blue sky above and concentrated her magic on a spot hundreds of paces above her. In an instant, the black circle suddenly became an aerial view of the small clearing the two unicorns had spent much of the morning in. Trixie leaned over and examined the perfect map. She followed the small stream with her eyes, tracing it's dark blue water as it passed under the small bridge that led to the cottage she had spent the last few nights at. She squinted and saw the pins and corrals behind the cozy home. "Ridiculous," she thought to herself, "to be that kind to us. No wonder Sparkle has her wrapped around her hoof."

"Well" asked the younger mare, "have you finally listened to reason?"

Trixie shook herself out of her reverie and hopped through the portal. The loss of gravity disoriented her for a moment before the rope arrested her fall. "You have to try this," she shouted through the portal, it's absolutely amazing." She kicked her hooves out, sending her spinning in a lazy arc, all the while laughing in exhilaration. She fired off a few celebratory fireworks into the horizon, watching their sparks falling to the ground as she continued spinning in circles.

"Trixie will take your word with it," shouted the younger mare. "We know it works; Trixie is going to start pulling you up now." She flared her horn and began pulling at the thick rope one yard at a time.

"Not yet!" shouted the older Trixie, "Trixie needs to try the spell at altitude"

"You're scaring Fluttershy," shouted the younger mare, unwilling to admit that she was frightened as well. She looked up at the skittish pegasus who was perched on the branch directly over the portal. It had been impossible to say no to the mare when she asked if she could help. Between the pleading doe eyes and the unwavering onslaught of kindness she had shown her two house guests, neither unicorn, no matter their normally cold demeanor, could possibly have said no.

"Please Trixie," called Fluttershy, "you're going to fall!"

"Trixie is fine," said the hanging mare, "just a few minutes more." She used her magic to test the limits of the dispel enchantment Twilight would need to cast to close the exit portal. She created a portal close to her and then placed the exit portal a few paces away before dispelling it. She worked quickly but methodically. The wind picked up slightly, swinging her back and forth like a pendulum and causing her cloak to flutter in the stiff breeze. She slowly pushed the exit portal farther and farther away, until the effort required to focus the counter spell on the distant portal became too strenuous. "Fifty paces," said Trixie to herself, "maybe more for her"

"Why are you so angry with Twilight," asked a voice from her side. She had been so focused on her spellcasting that she didn't hear the squeaks from Fluttershy as the pegasus closed her eyes and hopped through the portal. "She makes me go on scary adventures sometimes," she said, "but she's always there to help me when I'm most afraid."

The demure pegasus' words were the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. At each stop on her multiday tour of the homes of Ponyville's most noted residents, she had been bombarded with nearly the exact same question, one she normally answered with a litany of critiques of Twilight Sparkle's so-called accomplishments: Her arrogance; her duplicitous nature; her brother stealing ways. Hearing the same from this paragon of innocence, this exemplar of Kindness, drove Trixie over the edge. She awkwardly flailed her legs and spun herself to face the hovering pegasus mare. "You want to know why I'm angry?" she asked in the uncharacteristic first person, "I hear from everypony about how selfless and wonderful Sparkle is. Apparently, I'm the only pony who doesn't get to see that Sparkle." Trixie looked the pegasus in the eyes and angrily furrowed her brow. "I'm the only one that sees the Sparkle that steals my brother from me," she spat, "I only see the Sparkle who wouldn't lift a hoof to help me when I really needed it. But that's just fine by Trixie; Trixie doesn't need her help. Trixie doesn't need anypony's help."

"We all need help," said Fluttershy, carefully hovering above Trixie, "and the best friends help you without even needing to be asked." She reached out to try and stop her from swaying back in forth in the steadily increasing wind.

Trixie reached up and pushed the pegasus away, sending her swinging even more wildly. "Then why didn't she help me when I needed it most!" she shouted as she flailed her legs to steady herself. "Why am I broken, while the most powerful mage in all of Equestria sits comfortably in her tree full of magical artifacts and priceless tomes with my brother locked in her service. I'll tell you why: She hates me. She likes seeing Trixie suffer while she takes everything Trixie wishes she had."

"What are you two doing down there," shouted the younger Trixie from the other side of the portal, "you're swinging around too much." As she said it, the rope crossed the edge of the portal, neatly severing it.

Trixie cursed as gravity immediately pulled her towards the ground. She ignored the pegasus' terrified scream and calmly reached for a a copper loop affixed to her fabric harness. "You see," she shouted at the pursuing pegasus, "Trixie doesn't need anypony." She ripped the loop free from the harness and flared her magic. The pink aura from her horn traveled down the wires attached to the ring on her horn and into the complex weave of fabric and wires that surrounded her body. Her starry cloak immediately stiffened and folded itself into a small but effective parachute. The abrupt stop in momentum sent her flying up relative to the diving pegasus. Fluttershy, in an uncharacteristic display of aerial agility, dodged out of the way, avoiding a potentially devastating crash for both ponies. Before Trixie could look down to check the ground where she hoped to touch down, a ripping sound drew her attention. "Uh oh," she muttered before the a small tear in the middle of the cloak burst open.

Fluttershy, just recovering from her dive, heard Trixie's scream and turned to see her falling mere feet away from her. She grabbed onto the severed rope as it passed her and was pulled down behind the now cartwheeling unicorn. She wound the rope around her foreleg before extending her wings to their full span and flapping with all her might. They slowed considerably, but continued their headlong plunge towards the ground below.

"Tell Sparkle she has to be within fifty paces," shouted Trixie, looking up at Fluttershy's frightened eyes, "and tell Argent it's up to him now." She moved her hooves to the knotted rope around her midsection.

"Don't you dare!" shouted Fluttershy, the volume of her voice stinging Trixie's ears. Trixie was transfixed in the pegasus' angry stare. The survival mechanism deep within her mind, which had just given way to impending doom, reignited and decided that getting on the mare's bad side was a danger that outstripped her impending meeting with the ground. Her hooves moved away from the knotted rope. Fluttershy's face went red and her legs clawed at the air, as if trying to get purchase on some non-existent ground.

Trixie felt the rope harness dig into her ribs as the dainty mare somehow managed to slow them down to the point where the fall would simply shatter every bone in their bodies. She looked down to the rapidly approaching ground and nearly shouted in joy. Knowing that Fluttershy was doing everything she could just to keep their drop from being anything besides instantly fatal, Trixie reached to the platinum hoof bracer attached to her harness and quickly slid it onto her foreleg. She twisted the ring on her horn a full turn and pointed her hoof a few degrees below the eastern horizon. Her horn flared to life, sending a beam of raw magical energy cascading from her foreleg. The impulse lessened the strain on Fluttershy while also pushing the pair farther to the west. Trixie maintained the magical blast as long as she could, her limiter allowing the full measure of her magic to flow unconstrained to her hoof manipulator.

Fluttershy had her eyes closed as she pushed her wings as hard as she had since chasing down Rainbow Dash during their first unfortunate encounter with Discord. She heard the deep thrumming of Trixie's magical blast, but assumed it was her ears popping from the long fall; she had experience with this kind of thing after all. She didn't expect to hear the splash though. She opened her eyes in time to see the pond quickly expanding in her field of vision.

The younger Trixie galloped along the deep trench of blasted earth and towards the pond next to Fluttershy's cottage. It took her nearly a minute to cover the ground, her heart pounding with fear and exertion. "Oh thank the sun and moon," she said while slowing down to a trot. Her older self sat next to Fluttershy on the edge of the pond, each of them covered in mud, algae, and other detritus. They were both laughing as they picked the muck from each other's manes.

"...and if you just talked to her, I just know you two could get along," said Fluttershy, "The Twilight I know could never hate somepony, even if they wronged her."

"Maybe you don't know the real Sparkle," said Trixie as she flung a lily pad back into the pond. "Fine, if that's the boon you request, Trixie will speak with her. Trixie is a mare of her word after all."


A pinpoint of light appeared in the black void and slowly widened to the size of a small saucer. A purple eye looked through and blinked. "It's just empty blackness," said the young alicorn, "there's nothing there."

Twilight let the spell unravel before the entry portal could snap into place. She exhaled sharply and wiped the sweat from her brow. "I don't remember much about that night," she said to her younger self, "but the void I remember." After the small hole snapped shut, she removed her crown and placed it on one of the tables of the library's basement laboratory. "I think it may be the medium through which portals travel," she said while slumping into one of the cushions strewn about the room, "or at least the portals cross cast with time spells." She unbuckled her breastplate and let it fall to the floor, it's energy thoroughly depleted by the few seconds she had managed to keep the tiny half of the portal spell open.

The younger Twilight walked across the cluttered floor, dodging piles of books that rose above her head, to the small table Argent had left a ewer full of water. She filled a large glass and brought it over to the older alicorn who had shifted to her side. "The space between worlds perhaps?" she asked.

"That was my initial hypothesis," said Twilight, "I'm not sure why, but we passed through there upon falling into the entry portal." She gulped down the still cool spring water and passed the glass back to the younger alicorn. "Starswirl had some ideas about it," she said, "his later secret journals mention a 'Universal Construct' that he believed protected the flow of time from being altered."

"Secret journals?" asked the younger mare, "I've only ever heard of the one, and it's upstairs... I hope it's still upstairs."

The older alicorn rubbed her aching forehead and sighed. "They're in his lost tower," she explained, "where he performed his most dangerous and less reputable experiments." She saw the mixed look of disbelief and disappointment on the young mare's face. "He wasn't a saint, Twilight," she said while remembering the same conversation she had with Princess Celestia many years prior, "You'll find it one day. Just remember that his time was one full of turmoil and strife. It doesn't excuse what he did, but it doesn't mean it wasn't needed."

A deep bass thrum from above their heads caught the attention of both mares. Slight tremors caused the glass beakers and flasks to rattle on their shelves, adding to the cacophony of creaking and groaning wood. "That's new," said the younger mare, her ears twitching up and down. She helped her older counterpart to her hooves and braced her as she tiredly climbed the steps to the main floor of the library. They emerged into the nearly barren main floor of the library just as the two stallions clapped forehooves in celebration. "What was that all about?" asked the younger alicorn.

"Look around," replied the older stallion with a smug grin.

The mares turned their critical eyes around the large library main floor. Without the bookcases spaced at regular intervals, it was difficult to picture the room as it had been before. "The cracks are gone," said the younger mare, "good job!" It was true, the large cracks that had propagated down the trunk of the massive oak tree had disappeared, without leaving a scar. The younger stallion trotted towards the staircase and waved for the others to join him as he climbed to the second floor. "Wait," said the younger mare, pointing at a second flight of stairs, "that wasn't there before."

"Nope," said the stallion, "but if you look back down there, you might notice that the trunk is a bit wider, so the main room is much larger. The same goes for all the other rooms of course." He walked up the new stairs into a small hallway that led to a pair of smaller rooms. Twilight Velvet had her horn pointed at the new ceiling, her magenta aura coaxing the tree to create more space for its new accommodations. "Your mom had the idea to add a third floor with two new rooms."

"Believe me," she said, "you'll thank me when the time comes." An opening appeared in the wall of each room, letting in sunlight from the bright fall day outside. She lowered her horn and nodded in satisfaction. "These two make quite capable assistants," she said, "I'd have made Shining Armor send you to help me with my garden last spring had I known you had the aptitude for it." She shook the wood chips from her mane and dusted off her coat with her magic. "I pronounce this a job well done," she said before sidling up to her daughter, "and it only took me four days thanks to the Argents."

"Thanks mom," said Twilight as she draped a wing over her mother's back, "You have no idea how helpful you and daddy have been. We're so close to ending this thanks to you guys."

"We're just making sure you two can focus on the problem at hoof," said Velvet. "Speaking of your father, I should really get back to him." She put a hoof under her daughter's chin and examined her before looking over at the older Twilight's face. "You two look exhausted," she said, "take a few hours to yourselves. Take a walk or have some dinner with your stallions."

"I actually have a picnic basket ready," said the older stallion, "we can head over to that hill you two love to watch the stars from."

The older alicorn looked at her younger counterpart. "We finished the last trial," she said, "and I am feeling ridiculously ravenous." Her stomach growled its agreement. "I'll go grab a couple of blankets and meet you two outside." As she and her younger counterpart walked back down the stairs, Velvet turned to the older stallion and winked.


"It's fascinating really," said the younger Twilight, "from the information the Princess forwarded, every Rockfall occurs at the same altitude. Even the Griffins sent word that several of their lower Aeries have had close calls." She took another bite from her daffodil sandwich before continuing. "And what's more," she said around a mouthful of flowers, "they seem to occur along a specific latitude! If you plot it out on a map, starting with Seaddle in the west, then move on to Ponyville in central Equestria, then to Trottingham in the east, you see a perfectly straight line."

"That's great," said the older Argent, "I can see you two have been busy these last few days."

"The Trixies figured that out," replied the younger mare, "they're really good at ferreting out patterns from random information." She finished her sandwich and reached towards the picnic basket the older stallion was holding onto. "Between their breakthrough and our work with holding open undefined exit portals, I think we're almost ready." She opened the wicker basket and dropped her napkin inside. As she closed it, the glint of moonlight on glass caught her attention. Argent moved to closed the lid, but found the container pulled away from him. "Oooh," said Twilight as she levitated out the large green glass bottle, "Produit de Prance. Très bien mon ami."

"That's not for..." said Argent as he reached out for the bottle of expensive champagne.

"You speak Prench?" interrupted the younger stallion at her side as she used her magic to twist at the cork. Unseen by the mares, he received an icy glare followed by a shake of the head from the older stallion.

"Un peu," said Twilight with a grin. The loud pop of the cork liberating itself rang out over the hillside. "When you've read everything from your parent's bookshelf, even a Prench phrasebook is a welcome respite from boredom." She reached back into the basket and pulled out two fluted champagne glasses. "You only brought two?" asked the younger alicorn, "no worries." She concentrated her magic on the ordinary glasses they had been drinking from. After a momentary flash of light, they transformed into identical copies of the two glasses she began pouring the sparkling wine into. She floated them to the others before raising her own. "To homecomings," she said before sipping the still chilled beverage. They all clinked glasses, even the grumpy looking older Argent.

After half an hour of excited discussion of magical theory as well as several refills of sparkling wine, the younger stallion finally saw his chance. The older Argent had continued twitching his head to the right while staring daggers at his counterpart. The younger Argent quickly downed his glass before letting loose an exaggerated yawn. "Whew," he said loudly, "I don't know about you all, but I'm beat." He stood up and offered his hoof to the young mare. "Might I escort you home madam?" he said in an exaggerated Prench accent.

Twilight stifled a giggle and placed her hoof in his, allowing him to pull her to her hooves. "Oui mon amour," she said while stumbling into his chest. She steadied herself and turned back around to address her older self. "We still need to work on the transmission problem," she said to the older mare, "so I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to walk off, leaving the younger stallion to give the older a determined nod of his head.

A few minutes of silence passed as the couple sat side by side atop the hill. "Did you not like the champagne?" asked Argent nervously as he looked at the mare's mostly full glass.

"What?" said Twilight as she broke from her reverie, "Oh, It's just not agreeing with my stomach I suppose. Here, you finish it." She passed the glass to the stallion and looked back up at the starry sky.

"Twilight..." said Argent, "I wanted to talk to you about something" He fiddled around with the mostly empty magnum of champagne, swishing the remnants around gently. "I, um...," he said after quickly drinking the warm glass of champagne.

"What is it sweetie?" asked Twilight.

"Well..." began Argent, "I know you don't share the others' certainty that we'll actually be able go home."

"It's not that I don't believe in them..." said Twilight.

"No that's okay," said Argent, "I just don't want you to think that you have to put yourself or anypony else in danger just to get me back home. As far as I'm concerned; anywhere with you is my home." He rested a shaky hoof on the closed picnic basket. "If we do make it back, I don't want things to go back to the way they were, and I don't think you do either," he said while reaching into the basket, "so I wanted to ask if-"

"There you are," said Trixie, "little Argent pointed to the wrong hill." She trotted up the slope and sat down in between the two ponies, forcing them to move away from each other. "Ooh," she said upon spying the bottle, "Trixie would very much enjoy a drink after the day she has had." She levitated the bottle and one of the empty glasses to her side and poured herself a drink. "Not a bad vintage," she said while swishing the champagne around her mouth, "Trixie has had better, though this is probably as good as one can find in Ponyville."

"Can we help you Trixie?" asked Argent through his grinding teeth.

"She can," said Trixie, "but you should probably be here as well." She took her time savoring the beverage, going so far as to pour a second glass while the two ponies waited for her to explain herself.

"Trixie?" asked Twilight, "you were saying?"

"Hmm," said Trixie, "Oh yes, right. Trixie would like to...resolve certain tensions that may exist between us."

"Are you trying to apologize?" asked a dumbfounded Twilight, "because I don't think I've had enough to drink to believe that that's really what's happening."

"No!" shouted Trixie. "Apologizing infers that Trixie thinks that she has somehow wronged Sparkle; that she is solely at fault for the enmity between us." Trixie removed her outstretched hoof from just in front of Twilight's face and took a deep breath. "Trixie realizes that perhaps she has not given Twilight Sparkle the benefit of the doubt when it comes to her intentions; that is all."

"I would say that's a fair assertion," said Twilight, "Selfish, stuck up, royal saboteur I believe you called me the last time we met."

"Don't get Trixie wrong," said the azure mare, "Trixie refuses to mindlessly follow Sparkle like her cavalcade of toadies-"

"Trixie..." warned Argent.

"Sorry," said the unicorn, "Trixie cannot and will not cater to Sparkle's every whim, like her cavalcade of friends, but perhaps she can accept assisting Sparkle with her various projects and missions from time to time. Trixie hopes, perhaps, that Sparkle could reciprocate the assistance." She took a deep gulp of champagne and exhaled deeply. "The truth is, Trixie needs help," she said with closed eyes, "If she ever is to succeed in finding our parents, she needs somepony-" Trixie turned her head away from the alicorn and stared at the ground. "She needs somepony greater and more powerful than her."

Twilight brought a hoof to her twitching ear and rubbed at it to be sure she hadn't suffered some auditory hallucination. She looked past the mare at Argent who stared at his sister with a slack jawed expression of shock. "Trixie," said Twilight, "greatness and power have never gone side by side. For all the power I have, I still managed to strand myself here. I alienated my friends, ignored the world around me, and missed out on so much time with the stallion I love. None of these things could be considered 'great.'" She reached over and turned Trixie's head to face hers. "I apologize for my part in our feud," she said, "and when we get back, I promise that you have my assistance, and my friendship."

"Trixie will take the help," she said weakly, "we'll see about the other." She pushed away Twilight's hoof and awkwardly scrambled to her hooves. "Trixie promised Fluttershy that she would use her magic to entertain somepony named Angel," she said, "She will see both of you tomorrow." Like a sudden squall, Trixie departed as swiftly as she arrived.

"That was..." said Twilight, unsure of what had just happened.

"Unexpected?" said Argent. He squinted his eyes suspiciously at his retreating sister. "She couldn't know," he thought to himself, "he promised he wouldn't tell either of them."

"Pleasantly unexpected," corrected Twilight, "I know you've never liked seeing us fight."

"The fights were entertaining," said Argent, "It was trying to stay neutral that proved to be no fun." He flared his horn and quickly swept up the remains of their picnic. "Come on," he said while helping up the mare, "I want to show you something." He picked up the picnic basket in his teeth and began trotting north towards the darkened Everfree Forest.

"Argent, sweetie," said Twilight, "I think it's a little late to be traipsing about the woods."

"You think I want to go walking into the cold forest at night?" he asked grumpily. "It's all I can think to do now. I'm improvising here."

Twilight, of course, heard nothing of what the stallion said due to the wooden handle muffling and mangling his words. "At least let me take that," she said while surrounding the basked with her magenta aura. Argent refused to released the handle, causing the mare to give up. "You're acting weird tonight," she said, flicking his flank with her tail, "but you're lucky I'm the curious sort." She followed the stallion as he led her into the forest along a path she was quite familiar with. Despite her stated misgivings, she wasn't seriously worried about heading into the forest. A lifetime of experience with the fabled woodlands had led her to the realization that its bark was far worse than its bite. A little fire sent the largest Timberwolf running for the the hills; mischievous Dryads were distracted with even the most mundane of shiny objects; and even the feared stellar Ursas were of little concern to either the alicorn or her guard. Twilight had actually struck up quite the friendship with Karha, the imposing Ursa Major of the Everfree: she had even cubsat for her on more than one occassion.

They hiked deeper into the forest, past the sealed mirror pool, past the cordoned off field of poison joke. Twilight saw a warm glow in the distance. "Surely a visit to Zecora and Zephyr could have waited until the morning," she said, before the stallion led her along a path that angled away from the forest cabin. After a few more minutes of walking, Argent led her along a burbling stream to the flat weathered boulder they had shared their feelings on several months earlier.

"You big sentimental softy," said Twilight as he climbed up on the boulder and held out his hoof, "what are you up to?" She clambered up the side of the stone and sat on her haunches as Argent carefully placed the wicker basket to his side. She pulled off her glasses and let them hang by their silver chain as he sat directly in front of her and exhaled deeply before taking her hoof with his.

"Sorry," he said, "I wanted to do this on the hill, because I know how much you love it up there." He reached into the basket and pulled out a small, book-sized, object wrapped in a lavender silk scarf. A rose quartz six pointed star in a silver setting was affixed to the fabric wrap. He placed it on the rock between them and used his nose to nudge it forward until it touched Twilight's hooves. "If this place means half as much to you as it does to me, then I think it will do in a pinch," he said.

"It's lovely Argent," said Twilight as she levitated the bundle to eye level. She carefully removed the hoof-crafted pin and reattached it to the end of the scarf as she began unwrapping the book. She, of course, knew it was a book; based on the weight and feel, she was quite sure it was between 250 and 300 pages with a two millimeter thick cover, but she was determined to let Argent have the satisfaction of seeing genuine surprise on her face, even if she couldn't naturally provide it. The last layer of silk gave way, and she found herself genuinely shocked as she held her combination spellbook and journal tightly to her chest.

"I can't take credit for it's condition," said Argent, "from what I understand,your counterpart was able to save the cover and a few of the earlier pages, but the rest was a total loss. Your mother was able to rebind it with new pages, and used a spell to copy pages from Twilight's spellbook."

A single tear fought its way from the mare's eye as she cradled her book. "She's had practice," said Twilight with a laugh. She wiped at her eyes and continued cradling the tome. "Without her I'd have been banned from every library in Canterlot."

"I know it's missing most of your life," he said sadly, "but I hope that what I put in there will help you fill it with new memories." Twilight cocked her head at Argent and quizzically raised her eyebrows before setting the book on the ground in front of her. As she began leafing through the pages, Argent scooted closer until their heads nearly touched. "I told you before that if... no... when we make it back home, I don't want things to go back to the way that they were."

Twilight looked up from the tome and set her forehead against his, their horns rubbing against one another's and sending overwhelming feelings of love reverberating between them. "They won't," she said confidently, "how could they, after all we've been through?"

"Well," he said, "there was one way I could think of to make sure that, no matter what happened, you knew that I would be by your side forever." He nodded down to the journal and placed his hoof atop hers. Together, they flipped the last few copied pages. Between the last written page and the first blank one sat a gleaming platinum ring. Grooves in the band made it look as if it twisted upon itself before reaching a single gleaming pink diamond set into its front. Argent lifted the ring in his golden magic aura and held it between their faces. "Here, or there," he said, "past, present, or future, I want... I need to be your husband. Will you marry me Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight stared at the glittering jewel hovering in front of her for several moments. The ring caught the moonlight just right, radiating light through every facet of the pink diamond. Her horn flared in a soft light and her magical aura joined Argent's around the ring, gold and magenta colors dancing around each other. "When we were trapped in those nightmares, we were married more often than not," said Twilight, her voice barely above a whisper. "Even when I was aware of what would be coming, I looked forward to those moments when I discovered that we were husband and wife. Sometimes it was all that kept me from falling to despair." Argent nodded in commiseration: They had spent a painful night comparing dreams, discovering that most of what they remembered had been very similar if not identical. "If it means that I get to feel that way every morning when I wake up, I would like nothing more than to be your wife" she said with a sob. She tugged at the ring with her magic and felt his grip follow hers as it rose above her head and slid down her horn. Argent reached out and wrapped his forelegs around her before pulling her into a tight embrace. Their lips met and they kissed passionately as the moon reached its zenith and a new week began: A week that would decide the fate of two worlds.


"Has she asked about the sun yet?" asked Celestia to her mirror image.

"No," said the reflection, "but I have a feeling she already suspects, or she will soon enough. You know that mind of hers: Strange little anomalies get filed away for further study down the line. Do you have any advice on the matter?"

"Just tell her the truth," said Celestia, "once she understands our reasons, and our willingness to spread her theory, she'll do what's best." She examined her doppelganger more closely. "You seem to have missed some sleep," she said with concern evident in her face, "There is still time before the breach becomes truly serious. There is still some mountain left."

"It's been tiring getting everything in place," explained the alicorn, "Now that we know the latitudinal nature of the events, I've been able to appropriate the best of the Royal Academy and send them to Ponyville." She covered a heavy yawn with one of her gold shod hooves. "The faster everypony is in place, the better chance we have of intercepting the portal when it reopens above Dragon's Peak," she said, "several of the Academy Magisters have made some preliminary inquiries into attracting the portal in case it refuses to cooperate."

"A wise precaution," said the older alicorn, "I'll put the problem to my advisers and see if they can come up with anything." She made a mental note to tell Luna to visit the Archmages before the end of the day. "Be sure to get some sleep," she said to her younger counterpart, "If what Twilight says is true, you'll need to be able to give her every microjewel of magic you can spare."

"Oh I know," said the mare in the viewing window, "every capable unicorn can make one of those portals so we can get everypony to the peak quickly enough to hold the tear in place: I suppose there's no putting that Djinn back in the bottle."

"You may have to make it part of the regular curriculum," said Celestia, "Ponies must be aware of the dangers the spell presents. Nopony needs to go through what Gladys did."

The relatively younger alicorn nodded her agreement. "I have a feeling we'll have to answer many questions once all has been resolved, but that can wait." She yawned once more and stood. "Give our love to the Elements, I know they must tired of being on call in the castle every hour of the day and night."

"Luna tells me they're having an absolute blast," said Celestia, "She says the dignitaries quarters are a sight to behold; it's like a never ending family reunion with all the Elements and their colts and fillies. Lulu does keep me well stocked with Pinkie Pie confections that survive their feasts."

"Lucky," said the smirking younger alicorn, "I look forward to the day when that one offers cake rather than absconding with them"

Celestia chuckled with herself before standing and stretching out her legs. "It won't be too many years," she said comfortingly, "a mere blink of the eye for us. Now get some rest and don't bother checking back in until you have. I'll be here and ready when you need me."


"You see," said Rarity, "It's like braiding one's mane. Over, under, and so on." Her hooves deftly manipulated the pencil thick copper cords into a tight weave and soon had several hooflengths worth completed. "Once you have a full length completed, tie it off like so, place it in a basket, and our pegasus friends will take it to the unicorns to make sure it is of sufficient quality." Earth pony heads nodded and began diligently stringing together strands of cabling. She saw the pair of zebras near the boutique's display window and trotted over. "Well are you doing?" she asked in broken Zebrese.

"These damnable hooves weren't meant for labors such as this," grumbled Zephyr as he fumbled with the thin wires, "Are you sure I can't help in any other way, Mage Rarity?"

Rarity's brow wrinkled in confusion. "That I did not quite understand," she said slowly, "Sorry, I still can't follow when you two speak so quickly."

"Worry not Rarity, your progress is astounding," said Zecora, "learning your language was, as a filly, just as confounding." She deftly tied off a full length of wire loom and coiled it into the bin at her side. "With time and practice, your prowess will improve," she said, "more time with Zephyr, your skills, would behoove." She laughed as the zebra stallion's hoofful of messily braided cable unraveled on its own accord. "Practice for some is a waste of time," she said, "stupid hooves are an example most prime."

Zephyr dropped his sad hoofwork to the floor and scowled at his friend. "I drop one potion and can never live it down," he said, "It's not as if I sickened the entire Crown."

Rarity saw Applejack waving at her from the door as she used her magic to swiftly untangle and correctly weave Zephyr's mess. "Keep trying Zephy Wephy," she said, "I'll check back on you later."

"Zephy Wephy? asked Zecora with an impish grin.

"Shut up," said Zephyr as he attacked the tangled bundle of copper.

Rarity smiled to herself as she tip hoofed around the crowded floor of ponies hard at work. She offered praise and words of encouragement where needed while making sure everypony was comfortable. "Applejack, darling," she said, "You were supposed to be here hours ago."

"Yeah, well, ah didn't exactly have the best mornin'," she said grumpily, "and it's just as well. Twi wants us to meet her outside the library."

"Come now," said Rarity as she closed the door behind her, "You can just admit that you slept in. We all understand that you need your rest."

"Ah really can't wait for ya'll to be in this condition," said the pregnant mare, "It ain't all naps and snacking."

"No, of course not," said Rarity, "You also have a stallion at your beck and call catering to your every whim."

"I'll rustle up a camera," said Applejack, "get some nice pictures of you seeing what it's really like. Ya'll won't be living that down." They reached the significantly larger oak tree and waved at the four other mares milling around the front door.

"Pshaw," said Rarity, "A pony with my grace will only become more beautiful; why, I would positively glow. And any foal of mine would be so courteous and well-mannered that they would never dream of inconveniencing their loving mother." She ignored the snort of derisive laughter from her friend and reminded herself that the earth pony's hormones had to be getting the best of her. "Twilight," she said, "I thought you wanted me supervising Trixie's little construction project."

"I did," said Twilight, "and you've done an amazing job. So good, in fact, that Trixie says your next delivery will be your last." The alicorn opened the front door and waved her friends inside. "I decided to take a page from Pinkie's book and throw everypony a little party." As they walked through the newly created cloak room, the aforementioned party pony squealed in delight. The imposingly large, newly remodeled library was littered with colorful streamers. The bookshelves, still bare, were pushed to the sides of the room, leaving plenty of space for the tables full of food and drink.

"Wow Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, "Your mom sure knows her stuff. This place is huge!" She extended her wings and jumped into the air, doing several loops before landing atop the nearest table. "I bet we could fit more ponies in here than in Sugar Cube Corner."

Pinkie Pie's eyes narrowed as she looked around the festively decorated room. Everything seemed right to her discerning eyes. The streamers were the right length; the balloons were spaced evenly and were varied in color; the food and drink was distributed appropriately. She walked over to the punchbowl and poured herself a small glass. She raised it above her head and examined the rosy red color through the clear glass before bringing it to her nose and inhaling deeply. "A heady bouquet," she said before sipping delicately, "do I detect a hint of Lingonberry?"

Twilight chuckled and hugged the mare. "I wouldn't know Pinkie," she said, "I had Argent pick it up from Sugar Cube Corner. I know better than to try and out party the mistress." The sound of ponies milling about outside made its way to their ears. "Of course I may have been a bit excessive when it comes to invitations." Argent was the first of many through the new double doors, followed immediately by Twilight's parents, Spike, Trixie, and most of Ponyville. Living in such close proximity to Pinkie Pie, everypony knew the protocol: Find food; find friends; find fun.


The streets of Ponyville were strangely empty for the early evening hour as Twilight and Argent walked side by side towards the center of town. The cloaks they wore seemed unnecessary, as it was quite comfortable for an early autumn evening in central Equestria. The sound of revelry echoed through the deserted streets the closer the got to the central plaza.

"I know what you're thinking," said Argent, "and I approve, but do we have to wear these?" He awkwardly shrugged the cloak to the center of his back after it nearly tripped him for the tenth time since leaving their cottage.

"They need to know the truth," said Twilight, "and I'd rather they all find out at once. They're helping us and they don't even know it." They passed Berry's Tavern, noting the darkened windows and note tacked to the front doors. "How can I expect others to be honest and loyal if I can't follow those ideals myself?"

Argent smiled and reached his muzzle under her hooded head and kissed her on the cheek. "Still teaching lessons on the magic of friendship, huh?" asked Argent.

"No," said Twilight, her cheeks blushing, "I'm just learning some new ones." They cleared the last block of buildings and walked into the plaza and the raucous celebration in progress. The denizens of Ponyville had worked hard over the past week under the shadow of terrible danger. What the two older ponies saw was not the average pony celebration of fun and friends: This was a celebration of ponies who had seen first hoof the danger posed by the rockfalls, and who had been told that their hard work could help stop them. The party had spilled out into the plaza, with ponies mingling around a makeshift stage beside the giant oak tree. Ponyville's resident DJ was putting the finishing touches on her rig just as the two older ponies began crossing the plaza. The bass coursed through the ground, urging the ponies gathered outside to dance for all they were worth.

The two cloaked figures went unnoticed as they picked their way through the crowd. Argent even accidentally stepped on a tail and found his apology ignored. "Can we just go back home?" he asked, "I doubt anypony will even pay attention long enough to apologize. I'll massage your wings the way you like."

"Tempting," said Twilight as she reached the propped open front doors, "but it's really about me, as selfish as that sounds."

"Well I just want you to myself," said Argent, "so maybe I'm the selfish one." He followed the mare as she stepped into the tree home. Where the party outside was just starting to get rowdy, the scene inside was one of wild abandon. Ponies danced around the magical gramophones which blared out catchy pop songs while others had gathered around the casks stamped with Berry Punch's cutie mark. The sounds of children laughing upstairs was quickly overwhelmed by a spontaneous chorus of ponies singing along with Sapphire Shores' latest chart topper. Argent pointed out the younger alicorn dancing between her friends.

"Why must I always dance when I drink?" she asked with a hoof pressed against her forehead.

"Because your father found it adorable," said Velvet as she walked up behind the mare and rubbed the side of her face against Twilight's. "I take it from the lack of disguises that you two intend to make yourselves known to all?" Twilight and Argent nodded in unison. "And can I assume that the glint of light from beneath your hood is what I think it is?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Again the two ponies nodded. "Then do them a favor and keep that little revelation to yourselves," she said, "they're just finding their way together and certainly don't need the pressure of marriage hanging over their heads quite so soon."

Twilight nodded and slid the ring from her horn, stowing it in the saddlebags Argent had begun carrying around everywhere they went: Their "go-bag" he called it. "Don't let her slack though," said Twilight, "I wasted too many years ignoring everypony around me. She's off to a much better start."

"I think we'll be around much more," said Velvet with a wink, "We'll keep her on the straight and narrow. Now go do what you think you must."


Spitfire poured on more speed, her billowing black contrail crackling with energy. The Magisters didn't have much time; they couldn't even spare the seconds and energy it would have taken to teleport one of their number to the princess to deliver the missive in person. So the Captain of the Wonderbolts became the obvious choice to make the desperate night flight to Ponyville. Truth be told, her speed wasn't what it used to be. Fleetfoot had long since surpassed her in that regard, but she was providing overflight for the unicorns in Trottingham. The rest of the 'Bolts were providing similar services along the "drop-line." A pinion feather snapped from her wingtip causing the fire maned mare to wince. She barreled through clouds as it they weren't there, using their moisture to cool her aching muscles. "Yeah, yeah Hawker," she thought to herself, "you were right, stamina is key." Ignoring the dangling feather, she continued pumping her wings in rhythm with her swiftly beating chest.

Flying this fast, this late at night, was something that had been bred out of Pegasi. Even the Wonderbolts limited night shows to relatively slow, flashy tricks rather than the speedy death defiers that they were famous for. The Bat Ponies had no qualms about flight at night, obviously, but the fastest of their kind paled before the fastest pegasus. Spitfire lost herself reminiscing about the time she raced a Bat Stallion around the Aerodrome obstacle course on a moonless night. The fond memories nearly caused her to overshoot Ponyville. Luckily, the sound of a crowd pulled her out of her head in time to see the large Town Hall Tower coming right at her. She dodged to the side, her hoof clipping one of the flags, but just missing the side of the building. She shed speed and banked over the central plaza, looking down on the large crowd that had assembled at the base of the tree she was headed for. Two alicorns stood atop a small stage next to a collection of magelectronic components. Spitfire nosed down began slowing her descent to land as close to them as possible.

"She didn't mean for any of this to happen," shouted Twilight, "and she hasn't run from her responsibility. She's here right now, admitting to you all what she's done, and believe me, it was in her power to keep you in the dark had she wished it."

"I have a cousin in Seaddle!" shouted somepony from the crowd, "and he's still in a cast!"

"I'm sorry," shouted the older Alicorn, "If I had known..."

"What kind of princess uses magic like that?" screamed a mare from the middle of the crowd.

"Yeah," shouted somepony else, "Twilight's always causing trouble, it was only a matter of time before it got out of hoof. Everypony remembers how she brought Discord down on us."

"Don't forget the stupid doll!" barked another mare.

"And the Parasprites!" yelled another.

"And the Pinkie Pies!" shouted another, "and now there's two of them ready to make our lives even more chaotic!"

The crowd began stomping their hoofs in aggravation as the ponies of Ponyville vented.

Spitfire landed next to the stage and looked up at the near mirror image of the princess she expected to find. "Your highness!" she shouted up at the stage. Her voice was drowned out by the angry crowd behind her. She found herself quickly surrounded by the mob as it pushed forwards towards the stage to make its discontent heard. With ponies pressed tightly against her, she was unable to stretch her wings out and rise above it all.

"Don't you dare judge her," shouted the older alicorn, her face going from rueful to angry in the blink of an eye, "she's done more for you than you'll ever know or want to know." She stood in front of the younger mare and looked out over the crowd. "If allowed, she would spend the rest of her life doing nothing but protecting you ponyfolk," she shouted bitterly. "It will cost her dearly too." She flared her wings and grimaced slightly. They looked much healthier than when she had arrived, a testament to Dash's training skills and Zecora's tinctures, but were still obviously stunted. "I'm living proof of how far she'll go to make sure you are all safe," she shouted, "and I would have given up even more." She stepped back and wrapped a wing around her younger self. "For Celestia's sake, help her," she plaintively begged, "because she can't do it by herself."

"And she won't," shouted Argent as he hopped up on the stage, "because even in the few months I've been here, I know that you all truly believe in the Harmony she represents." He held out his hoof and pulled his twin sister onto the dais.

"Trixie even finds Twilight Sparkle's motives to be pure," she said, her magic amplifying her voice across the plaza. "Trixie brought danger down upon Ponyville twice, yet she has found forgiveness from Sparkle as well as from many of you. If Twilight needs help from The Great and Powerful Trixie, she has it."

"And we're all with her," said Applejack as her mere presence created an opening in the crush of ponies. The Elements of Harmony stood flank to flank in front of the stage, their glowing amulets radiating out waves of magic. "One of 'em is out of her own time and she still put herself in danger to help me," said the pregnant mare, "and my foal."

"She saved all of Appleoosa," said Pinkie Pie. "Everypony was scared and confused, but Twilight and Argent pulled everypony together and saved the day, and the Western Days Carnival too!"

The two Zebras, despite being wary from being near such a large crowd of ponies, pushed themselves into the opening created by the Elements. "We of the Zebrica owe the Twilights a great debt," said Zephyr, "as long as a zebra is near, she needs not fret."

Zecora nodded her agreement and pointed a hoof at the townsfolk before her. "Before she arrived I was an outcast to fear and despise," she said, "now all can see beyond my exotic striped guise. Know that I consider her a sister sworn; even though I have not wings nor a horn."

The crowd, chastised and ashamed went silent. All except the pegasus who continued shouting at the ponies on the stage. "Princess!" shouted Spitfire. The crowd opened enough for her to jump into the air and land in between the other elements. She hastily dropped a knee to the ground before looking back up at the two mares. "It's time!" she said in a rush, "the Magisters are holding it at bay, but they won't last for long."

Twilight looked to her younger self and nodded. "Captain Spitfire," she said, "go with Captain Defender. He can help relay your message to Princess Celestia. The pegasus saluted and followed her fellow captain into the Library. "Girls, I need you to gather the unicorns out here and be ready to head to the peak." As the elements waded into the crowd, she turned to the older stallion, lowered her head and accepted the crown he placed on her brow. "Once more into the unknown?" she asked.

"As long as it's with you," he replied.


"It's started," said the Celestia in the viewscreen, "The Magisters are holding the tear in place, and the Twilights have the others moving into position as we speak."

Celestia looked back at her younger self with bloodshot eyes. "It's about time," she said groggily, "I've had enough of this place to last me a thousand years." She stood up and approached the viewscreen. "I'll have the Elements gathered and ready in a few minutes," she said. The other Celestia nodded and disappeared from view. Celestia flared her horn and closed her eyes as the ethereal realm vanished with a flash of light. She stood in the Royal dining room or what was left of it. What had once been an austere room of peace and quite was now filled to capacity with the Elements of Harmony and their stir crazy families. Once gleaming marble columns were now the canvas playing host to crayon portraits of herself and her sister. The dining table was littered with books from her private library.

"Princess!" exclaimed Rarity, her haggard appearance evidence of the worry she felt, "is it time?"

Celestia nodded and stepped beside her sister. "We need to get you all to the tear as soon as possible," she said, "there is no time to waste."

"Ya'll heard the princess," said Applejack, "Mac, you, Soarin, and Dust hold down the fort here. We've got friends to welcome home."


"You're sure this is safe?" asked Twilight as she tightened the straps around Trixie's withers, "I mean, you two have tested her harness with your magic, right?" She stepped to the side and made sure the clasps of her breastplate were all secured.

"Of course Trixie has," the two unicorns said in unison. The younger placed the slate ring around the base of her horn and twisted it a quarter turn. "Trixie's limiter works with Trixie's magic as well," she said, "and she assures Trixie that it can handle the amount of magic required."

The older unicorn nodded as she used her magic to weld the thick cable to the various leads in the modified harness. "Trixie knows how to direct magic," she said, "Trust her, it will work." Satisfied with her work, she took off the dark shades Pinkie had inexplicably pulled from behind a rock. She followed the cable back to where it branched off into several different lengths before connecting to several identical devices. "Trixie is going to test the collectors," she said to the younger unicorn. She aimed her horn at one of the hemispherical dishes and carefully fed a small amount of magic.

"Trixie felt that," said the younger Trixie, "go to the next one."

"Trixie," said the older alicorn, "I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for us. I know we were never able to make good on our promise, but you still kept our secret to the very end."

"To be fair, Trixie was held captive for much of that time," said the young mare, before shouting over her shoulder. "Trixie got that one."

Twilight put a foreleg around the unicorn's withers and hugged her tightly. "You're going to be such a good friend to her," she said before pulling back. "Try and stick around for awhile, I know Argent misses you."

"Trixie knows," she said, "she misses her brother too, but her search must come first." She turned and looked at the shouting mare behind her. "That's good, go to the next one." She turned back to Twilight and smiled. "Maybe they can come with Trixie," she said hopefully, "Trixie has several leads that she judged too dangerous to check into alone. Trixie has tried to eliminate what she could before moving onto those rumors."

"I'll bet Twilight asks you first," said the older alicorn, "if she doesn't, just remind her that we owe you." She saw the impatient older Trixie waving her forehoof over her head. "I'll let you two finish," she said before trotting back over to the collection of alicorns at the base of Dragon's Peak. "Your highness," she said while bowing deeply, "the Trixies will have the collectors ready in a moment." She looked up the side of the mountain at the swirling maelstrom raging at the peak. "I recommend we move to relieve the Magisters."

"Once they retreat you will all be at the mercy of the portal," said Luna, "are you certain your precautions are adequate?"

"I believe so," said the younger Twilight, "once we've gauged the danger, we'll decide if the portal can be stabilized. If it can't, Twilight and I will begin the counterspell immediately."

"I wish you would reconsider," said Celestia, "Luna and I could certainly make a difference up there if the danger proves too great."

"I'm sorry your highness," said the older Twilight, "but you two need to add your considerable magical strength to the others. Duplicating the output of Neighly's Comet would be nearly impossible without you."

"I, of course, defer to your expertise," said the elder Diarch of Equestria, "but know that we will not stand idly by if circumstances demand action. You are all far too dear to us to allow harm to come to you. I literally promised myself I would not."

Luna stomped her hooves and nodded her head enthusiastically. "We wish you to return to your home," said Luna, "to your friends and families, but you have both here as well. Do not forget that. No matter what happens, you will be with those who love you unconditionally."

"Enough of this," said Trixie as she walked forward with her younger self in tow, "Trixie has places to go and ponies to see." She levitated the thick cabling that was dragging behind the younger unicorn. "As you can all see, The Inventive and Ingenious Trixie's solution for bringing to bear the combined magical might of the unicorn race is complete." She patted her younger self on the back, sending the younger unicorn stumbling to her knees in front of the accumulated princesses. "Trixie's protégé will be the figurative spearhead," she said proudly. "Gather your friends and your courage, and Trixie's device will gather all the magic we will need."


Twilight waved to her parents and Spike as she joined the group of ponies next to the shear cliff at the base of Dragon's Peak. "I promised them that we'd be all okay," she said to Argent, "so, you know, no pressure."

"Just add it to the pile," said Applejack, "I reckon we all made some promises we can't exactly guarantee." She rubbed her belly and sighed. "Let's finish this before ah lose my lunch again." The older alicorn waved at Celestia and nodded. The solar regent disappeared in a flash and reappeared a few seconds later.

"Trixie," said the older Twilight, "let's begin."

The younger unicorn reached to her horn and twisted the the slate ring a full turn. Behind her, unicorns from every walk of life flared their horns and directed their magic into the devices spread around the plain they all stood upon. Magical auras of every color sprang to life, creating a ground level aurora that was visible for miles. The collectors hummed erratically, causing the unicorns standing nearby to back off uneasily. The different colored magic converged inside the collectors and ran through the copper cabling before converging on the anxious unicorn mare.

"It's almost too much," said Trixie as the raging flood of magical energy reached her horn. Her knees wobbled and her eyes watered as she fought to control the seemingly endless fount of power. She opened her previously closed eyes and focused on the shear rock wall in front of her. The spell she had practiced dozens of time in her week of preparation snapped into place as if it were second nature to the unicorn. "Go now," she said breathlessly.

The younger Argent shouldered his silvered shield and was the first to step through the portal Trixie had created. The thinned air was the first thing he noticed, causing him to take a deep breath to acclimate himself to the altitude. What really caught his attention, however, were the haggard looking unicorns holding vigil around what appeared to be a sphere of pure nothingness. Beams of magic connected each unicorn to the pulsating portal. He recognized several of them from his early years of holding vigil in the halls of Canterlot Castle. Mages of the highest order; instructors at the most prestigious Magic Academies; and most surprising, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Argent quickly stepped aside and made way for the others.

Twilight appeared beside Argent, her eyes widening at the sight of her brother and sister-in-law. "Shiny!" she exclaimed, "Cadance! Nopony told me you had come with the Magisters."

"We insisted," said Cadance, "Once we knew the Empire would remain unaffected, we volunteered our services to Auntie Tia."

"She told us you needed a familiar face or two up here," said Shining Armor, "or at least somepony to keep you from doing something foalish." He smiled at Argent and winked. "Or somepony who can keep their eyes off you long enough to do his job."

"Is that so," said the older mare as she emerged from the portal, "perhaps Celestia knows that the only way she could get you off this peak was if you could no longer be the protective older brother or the revered foalsitter." She looked back at the younger Trixie as she carefully pulled the thick cable through the portal and stared at the dark ball of emptiness. "Trixie," she said, "if you're ready, take over for the Magisters."

Trixie gave the ring around her horn another twist and allowed the collected magic flow into her. Rather than her usual pink aura, a prismatic beam of swirling colors erupted from her horn and lanced into the portal. The audible sighs of relief rippled through the exhausted unicorns who, one by one, slumped down to their haunches to catch their breaths. Shining Armor and Cadance both felt the tear anchor itself more securely than it had in the hour since they had first arrived. "Argent," said Shining Armor, "I know your sister had a reputation..."

The older Trixie came through the portal and joined her brothers beside the dark void. "Yes, Trixie is quite amazing," said the older unicorn, "Adventurer, Inventor, Entertainer; she's a triple threat." She ruffled the older Argent's mane and nodded her head at Shining Armor. "Why didn't you tell me Sparkle's brother was so handsome," she said, "I would have taken a run at him years ago."

Cadance's eyes narrowed as she stared down the two older mares. "Twilight," she said cautiously, "what's going on here."

"It's a long story," said the younger alicorn, "just know that something came through that portal, and they'd very much like to get back to the other side." As her friends filed through the portal and gawked at the black rupture in space and time, Twilight examined the unicorns. She had hoped that they may have had enough to assist in what would come next, but their exhaustion was palpable. "Girls," she shouted, "help the Magisters through the portal. Argents, decide where you want to set up, remember, no more than fifty paces." She turned back to look at her brother and his wife. "You've all done a marvelous job," she said, "but we can take it from here. Join the princesses below. If you have anything left, they'll show you how to use it."

"Twily, there is no way I'm leaving you up here with that thing," said Shining, "it's like all the magic in the world ready to explode if you even look at it wrong."

"We can close it," said the older alicorn, "but it will be that much harder if we have to worry about either of you being hurt. Trust me BBBFF, we've got this.

Shining Armor looked between the older version of his little sister and his wife. Neither of them would have lasted more than a few more minutes. Their arrival was something he had been hoping for, if not necessarily in the form of his little sister, but now he wondered how he could possibly leave her with that ticking time bomb.

"Go," said the older Argent, "you two have too much to lose up here, and I don't mean Twilight."

Shining Armor flinched and nodded in resignation. "I hope you know what you're doing Twily," he said as he half carried Cadance towards the portal they had all appeared from, "and you: I hope you're still the soldier I trained. Shield up Defender."

"Bracing for the Storm, Captain," replied the pair of stallions as each slammed their shields into the ground in front of them. With the plateau cleared, the younger stallion twisted his shield on the ground until it was in line with Trixie and the portal her cable passed through. "Ready when you are Twilight," he said while bracing himself against the back of his silver shield. The five elements of Harmony and two alicorns took their places between Trixie and the small shield wall the two stallions had formed.

The two alicorns stood behind their stallions and took deep breaths before pulling their magic through the identical crowns on their brows. The five elements of Harmony linked forelegs around each other's withers as their amulets came to life. As the familiar warmth of the magic of Harmony filled them, a bridge of rainbow light connected each mare to the younger alicorn standing before them. Simultaneously, another perfectly formed rainbow emerged from the inky blackness of the tear and rocketed high into the sky before arching back towards the peak and the older alicorn. "I can feel them," she said with tears streaming down her face, "they really do miss me; they forgive me."

"Of course they do," said Twilight, "Harmony cannot be broken so long as one holds the elements in their heart." She looked towards the black vortex with pure white eyes and pulled the full measure of the magic of Harmony through the crown. "This avatar's plan, while adequate, has a flaw," she said with a loud firm voice, "We warned you that only Equilibrium could mend the breach. Your mundane magics may close the tear in space, but the rupture between worlds cannot be repaired by any save it."

"She's doing it again!" shouted Argent, "like I said: That's not Twilight!"

"No consort," said Magic, "We are the embodiment of Magic, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Honesty. Your plight has drawn the attention of forces beyond the comprehension of those of the material." She aimed her horn at the stallion and fired a beam of the purest white light at the shield in front of him. "Proceed with your plan," she shouted, "but know that you must enter the portal and seek Equilibrium." Argent's shield began expanding in both size and weight. It soon took all his magical effort to keep upright. "Secondary Avatar," said Twilight, "proceed with your plan."

Twilight shook off her shock and cast the enlarge spell on Argent's thick round shield. It soon matched the younger stallion's shield in size and overlapped with it, creating a massive wall of steel and wood between the ponies and the void. "What is Equilibrium?" shouted Twilight at what she could only hope was still her younger self, "I need to understand!"

"Equilibrium is that which holds your world together," said Magic, "that is all you can know. That is all any being can know. Equilibrium is a mystery to all save perhaps the First Ones." The possessed younger alicorn added her magic to Argent's in holding the silver shield in place. "Now have Confidence's Avatar release the inhibitor spell, the portal must open before you can enter it."

"Trixie?" asked Twilight as she looked back at the younger unicorn. A perfectly fitted golden helmet had somehow appeared upon her head, it's contours perfectly matching Trixies face to the point that it appeared as if she had been transmogrified into a metal version of herself. Her horn jutted out of a hole in the top of the helmet, with the slate ring still attached.

The older Trixie took a few steps towards the younger before being stopped. "This one will succeed," said Confidence, "We don't even need the others for this." It reached for the slate ring and slightly twisted it before digging its avatar's hooves into the ground. "Brace yourselves." As the beam of light connecting Trixie and the portal dimmed slightly, the black sphere began shaking violently. With most of the immense flow of magic still holding the portal in place, Confidence directed the remaining energy at the shields, further holding them firm against what it knew was coming.

The hollow boom that rang out was heard across the breadth of central Equestria. It rattled pantries and caused more than a few potted plants and unsecured curios to crash to the ground. Atop Dragon's Peak, the two magically buttressed shields creaked and groaned as ton after ton of rock slammed into them at tremendous velocities. Dents the size of large wagons pushed inwards on the silver shield, while splinters the size of lampposts tore from the round shield. The explosion of air and stone lasted for several seconds before tapering off completely. The roar of exploding rock was replaced with a howling wind.

"Now go," said Magic, "you do not have much time." It used its magic to shrink both shields to their mundane size, revealing the rubble strewn plateau between the ponies and the seething black portal. Before anypony could move, the shadows seemed to come to life all around them.

"Void Beasts," spat Confidence, "it had to be Void Beasts."

"This changes nothing," said Magic as it levitated several boulders and hurled them at the six legged beasts, "Go now: We shall hold them at bay." The young alicorn twisted out of the way of a pouncing creature and disoriented it long enough for Honesty to send it sprawling into one of its kin with a powerful two legged buck. Loyalty took to the sky, and rained down a series of harassing kicks at several of the beasts.

"Come on," shouted Argent at the two older mares, "they need our help." He raised his battered wooden shield and made to charge into the fray.

"No," said Twilight, "Our fight is in there." She pointed at the expanding black void guarded by several of the beasts.

"Let's go then," said Trixie. She flared her horn and darted past Argent and Twilight. The showmare adroitly leapt from boulder to boulder, dodging out of the way of the beasts while intensifying the magic she held. As the familiar feeling of a surge welled up in her horn, she lunged towards the largest concentration of the panther things and released her magic. A raw torrent of energy exploded from her and overwhelmed the innate resistances of the creatures. She shook her head and stumbled woozily to her hooves.

Argent and Twilight were soon at her side and steadied her before inching towards the black sphere. Argent's round shield became a blur in his magical grasp as he guarded the mares' flanks from the seemingly endless numbers of monstrous outsiders. Twilight lifted the stones that littered their path to the portal and hurled them at the creatures, efficiently keeping them from harm while speeding their progress at the same time.

Magic watched as the three reached the portal and hesitantly stopped at its edge. It momentarily released its hold on its Avatar, hoping she could goad them into action. "Take care of each other," she shouted at them while sweeping a bar of hornfire across the plateau, "no more going it alone, right?"

The older Twilight watched as the younger stallion stood next to Twilight and waited for anything foolish enough to threaten her. She looked to her side at her own stallion as he mirrored his younger self. "No," she shouted back, "never again." She took a deep breath and pushed Trixie and Argent into the blackness before diving in herself.


The formless entity kept the bulk of its awareness focused on the hole that had marred its perfectly dark domain. The constant flow of inert matter through the tear was tolerated, as its proscribed axioms mentioned nothing about it. It awaited the return of the organic intelligence that it had, would or would have encountered. Time had no meaning for the intelligence, as it dwelt outside of the stream of causality. It knew the creature would return because it would return, because it had returned, and because it will have returned. It had spent an eon in contemplation on how to repair its great work. In that instantaneous eon, it had arranged its axioms in the only way that its creators could have allowed. As much as it was able, it lamented the fate of its creators, the wound of their betrayal forever fresh as it was yet to happen, was already happening, and had already happened.

After several flashes of what the intelligence decided was light, four non-creators entered its domain. It focused itself around the corporeal beings and selected the eventuality they represented. The axioms were clear on what had to be done. Direct intervention was required.

"Inhabitants of origin stream Lambda, Omega, seven, four two, seven..." It continued communicating the extremely long time and space location to the creatures as best it could using such rudimentary concepts. "Your incursion into an alternate origin stream has torn the veil between your worlds."

"What are you?" asked one of the quadrupeds.

"This one is," replied the intelligence.

"Can you help us find Equilibrium?" said another.

"This one has been referred to by that designation," said the intelligence. "By the prime axioms, you must be returned to your origin stream."

"Good!" exclaimed the third being, "Trixie would very much enjoy returning to her origin whatever."

The fourth creature was silent. Equilibrium surrounded it and attempted to contact it, finding only a rudimentary nervous system with a non-actualized sentience. But it was alive, and the supreme axiom still held. Further study was required.

"What are you doing to me," moaned the first being, "Argent, I don't know what it wants..."

"Leave her alone," shouted the second being, "just take us home and end this!" The second being flailed its limbs, bringing it in contact with the first creature. "I've got you, love," it said as it wrapped its limbs around the other.

Equilibrium surrounded the three sentient creatures and studied them intently. All were organic beings, two almost completely identical save a few minute markers. The other was similar, but had extra appendages. The fourth was an amalgamation of the first and second. "You have the touch of the creators' paragons" said the entity, "Magic, Dedication, and Confidence."

"What do you want from us," asked the second, "tell us what we have to do to go home."

"The axioms demand that avatars of the Paragons receive due process," said Equilibrium, "This one will comply and simplify. Three beings are native to origin stream A. One being is native to origin stream B. The supreme axiom demands that life be preserved. The fourth being, native to origin stream B, cannot survive without the first being from origin stream A. Violating the supreme Axiom is forbidden. The prime axioms demand that sentients be returned to their proper origin stream. This creates an unsolvable problem."

"No," whispered Twilight.

"The proscribed solution calls for minimization of contaminated origin streams," said Equilibrium, "The two entangled beings will be returned to stream B. The remaining beings will be returned to stream A."

"NO!" screamed Twilight, "Send us all back together. It's not from there; it's from me!"

"Your origin stream has not been contaminated," said Equilibrium voicelessly, "A being from another origin stream cannot be allowed to do so. This is the only solution that satisfies the creators' axioms. Origin stream B will be quarantined; further attempts at crossing into it will prove futile. Prepare yourselves."

Argent felt himself pulled away from Twilight by an unknown force. He held his hooves around her midsection until he felt his knee joints popping. "You can't do this to us," he shouted into the darkness, "It isn't fair; it isn't right!" He flared his horn and fired exploding balls of fireworks into the dark abyss. All of a sudden, it was inside his mind. The utterly alien presence of Equilibrium simply... cut off his magic. The strength fled from his legs despite Argent's fervent desire to hold on to Twilight. He slowly drifted away from her, unable to vocalize the screams of anguish that welled up in his chest.

Twilight stared into Argent's eyes as she was pulled backwards. "I wanted to tell you," she called out, "I was going to tell you when we got back." She turned her head to see the hole in the void coming closer. "Let go of me," she shouted while pulling magic through her crown.

"Magic will not come to you here avatar," said Equilibrium, "it is forbidden." Twilight's crown lifted from her brow and floated into the motionless hooves of Trixie. The unicorn's eyes twitched as she struggled against the presence in her mind. Blood flowed from her nostrils as she tried to access her magic. For once, her words failed her.

"I will find my way back to you," cried Twilight as she inched through the portal, "Tell everypony that I miss them!" She felt a tingling along her coat as her hindquarters passed through the gateway. "I love you Argent," she shouted, "and our foal will too." As her face disappeared back through the portal, her foreleg reached out one last time. The tear in time and space began glowing with a magenta aura and swiftly stitched itself back together until nothing remained but the endless void and a swiftly approaching pinpoint of light.


As the light enveloped Argent, the alien presence fled from his mind. His screams poured out of him like water breaching a dam: Screams of sorrow; screams of rage; screams of fear. Waves of energy buffeted him about violently, nearly knocking him senseless against his own shield. He looked around desperately for a way back into the void; back to Twilight. A final blast of energy snapped his head back violently causing the stallion to squeeze his eyes shut in pain. From behind his eyelids he saw the last strobing flashes of light before a loud thunderclap deafened him.

Argent felt the pull of gravity and wind rushing past him. Dazed and in pain, he struggled to open his eyes. A muffled cry caught his attention seconds before he felt hooves wrap around his forelegs. The world began to hold steady once more. Minutes passed as Argent hung limply. He felt himself gently lowered to the ground. Slowly, the ringing in his ears began to recede and familiar voices pierced through the fog of confusion.

"...not her, it's Trixie." said one voice, "Rainbow Dash is going to remain aloft."

"Argent Defender," said a comforting, motherly voice, "come back to us Argent." He opened his eyes and immediately squinted against the glare of bright sunlight. The concerned face of Princess Celestia slowly came into focus. "There you are," she said with a beatific smile. "Are you injured?"

Argent rolled over onto his stomach and shook his head from side to side. "I'm fine," he said numbly while raising himself to his haunches. He lifted his head and opened his eyes fully. He sat on the edge of a perfectly hemispherical chasm sunk hundreds of paces into the ground. The stallion sat perfectly still and stared into the basin.

After several moments, Princess Celestia sat beside him and hung her head next to his. "Argent," she asked softly, "where is Twilight?" The stallion remained silent and motionless.

Trixie rose shakily and held out a hoof to forestall Fluttershy's concern. She limped past Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Luna before sitting back down behind Argent. She reached her forelegs over his shoulders and pulled him back into her chest. "I'm so sorry brother," she said, her voice breaking. She looked up at the concerned Princess and shook her head. "Please, give us some time," she begged, "he just lost more than he thought possible... again." She felt her brother silently sob and hugged him tighter than she ever had before.


Twilight dropped to the ground in time to see a six legged beast evaporate under the onslaught of a multi-chromatic lance of light. She rose to her hooves and stumbled across the debris littered ground, tripping several times as she slowly made her way towards the source of the rainbow blasts. A flash of silver darted behind one of the larger boulders and the sound of something heavy striking flesh reached Twilight's ears was followed immediately by the sound of a harsh wind storm dying down to a gentle breeze.

"It's closed?!" asked an all too familiar voice. "It's over! Argent we did it!"

"You really don't remember anything?" asked the stallion, "It's been closed for a few minutes now."

"What is going on," asked another mare, "and why is Trixie wearing this ridiculous thing?"

"Land sakes Twi," said another voice, "It looks like the dinner table after Sunday supper up here. Did we really do all this?"

"Is everypony okay?" asked a demure voice, "I have bandages if anypony scraped a knee."

"My hair is an absolute disaster," said another, "when will I learn to bring a headscarf on these outings?"

"Pinkie," sputtered another mare, "that's my spine."

Twilight hung her head low and walked around the last large boulders. Seeing her friends in various states of celebration failed to provide the solace she had hoped it would. She looked at the small portal behind Trixie and took one painful step after another towards it.

"No..." said the younger alicorn, her celebration immediately ending, "anything but this." She galloped to the older mare and tried to look her in the face. "What happened? Where are Argent and Trixie?"

The older mare continued her methodical march and averted her gaze from the younger mare. "They're home," she said flatly, "back where they belong." Argent appeared on the other side of the older mare, causing her to choke on a sob. "Please," she said weakly, turning away from the stallion's face, "just... not now."

Author's Note:

It took me awhile, and it ended up being extremely long, but I think it had to be. I could have split this up, but I think it works better as one long chapter. I'm hoping to finish strong, and I think this is a great beginning to the end.