When the Everfree Burns

by SpiritDutch

Chapter 1: Old Mare's Tale

“Hundreds of years ago in our fair land there came a great crisis- It is known variably as the Everfree Crisis, Everfree Siege, and Celestiaan Civil War. The benevolent Celestia the First, predecessor to all succeeding divine daughters of the sun, ruled beside her sister over the Everfree Principality. The two Celestiaan sisters had so recently descended from heaven and subjugated vast tracts of the pony nation, and threw the remaining princes into confusion. The promise of quick unification was shattered when malign mortal ambition overcame the Dark sister, and she betrayed Celestia I.
The enemies of the Celestiaan, vast armies of nightmares and monsters, raised the banner of the Dark sister, and the pony princess declared for either sister in a continental struggle, to wage brutal war against Celestia. The pivot of the campaign was Everfree Castle, the crown jewel of the sisters' principality, where Celestia I and her faithful legions were besieged by the Dark sister and her nightmare armies. The sturdy battlements of Everfree held all assaults and engineering, until the besieging force collapsed from hunger, disease, and indiscipline. Yet the Everfree Principality was nary saved: the fertile land was laid to absolute ruin, depopulated and scarred, and the devil forest lately grown over the region hides bones and steel aplenty.
When her campaign seemed lost, monsters and princess deserting her cause, the Dark sister rejected defeat. Appealing to her divine heritage, she called up such a power of corruption not seen upon the Bright World since the Ancient Alicorns, transforming herself into the physical manifestation of the Dark magic within her. In the ensuing battle between the sisters, the Everfree Castle was utterly destroyed and the Dark princess was dispelled.
The Dark sister's name is now lost to history, her reward for her treachery. The line of divine sun princess rule Equestria perpetually.
See Index for map of Everfree Forest as it stands today. See index for illumination of Celestia I. See Index for-”

The book was slammed shut in the face of the pony reading it.

The brown robed monk blinked away his surprise. “Err... Is something the matter m'lady?”

”You don't need to continue.” Twilight Sparkle said softly, in contrast to her antagonistic demeanor of slamming the book. “This is a surpufluous secondary source. Everything you read was a retread of Annals by Hippotitius, of Gaius Juneighus Courser's memoirs, of... look, bluntly, this doesn't help me."

The monk looked between Twilight and the book. "Sorry but I am not familiar with those works, so, um, I found it interesting."

"And I highly encourage you to read it on your own time, but not mine." Twilight admonished. "Look, I pulled out dozens upon dozens of books from the overlooked recesses of the castle library. All night, on into the morning, I've been reading the same thing from different sources. Usually, I'd be fine with that. But, right now, I'm starting to get a little frustrated with my lack of progress." Her disposition turned sad. "So sorry for being terse, but this is my last hope of finding a more detailed source, else I'll have to mining private collections, and that takes forever just to get permission." She sighed and pushed aside the old book. "All we've found are these vague summaries. Nopony at all has anything about the Everfree Crisis beyond the level of half-remembered rumor."

Twilight Sparkle was a small unicorn, just over a meter tall with another hoof's length of helically scored horn. Underneath her plain white dress her fur was lavender, and her dark blue mane streaked with amethyst and violet was straight and shoulder length. Her eyes, ever watchful, were a brilliant purple.

Across the study table from her, two monks of the monastery weathered her disappointment. “Yes m'lady, I'd heard Late Classical historians only ever regurgitated what the Mid Classical historians had said." The second monk said. "I know it's true of the theological and scholastic text; Apparently history as well. I really don't know what you were expecting from secondary sources.”

“What I was expecting?! Listen, brother, there is no knowledge,” Twilight began, calm but becoming more irritated as she spoke. “no knowledge which is outside the realm of books! The written word is how we communicate our ideas across time, and make every practice of society possible. If it isn't written somewhere, it didn't happen. If it did happen, it's written about somewhere." She knew she was hyperbolizing a bit. "Whenever I visit your solar monastery, your brothers and sisters are so snide, ragging on the castle's history collection and bragging about how much better your library is. I've never been disappointed to visit you before, and I like this collection a lot. But now?" The clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Dare I say, you presume and report such prevarications to perplex passing pupils of presage and power! Are you telling me you can't do any better than the castle and university collections? Phooie. So where are you hiding the detailed archives?!"

But it was not the monks across from Twilight that interrupted Twilight's rant, but a soft voice from behind her. “Giving my brothers a hard time, m'lady?”

Twilight turned to the new voice, where another brown robed monk was peeking through the door.

“Brother Manered!” Twilight hailed the new pony. Her frown softened to an earnest smile. "Enter, I order you!"

“Lady Sparkle, this is 'my' library, after all.” The pony named Manered smiled and trotted over to the study table. He was an earth pony of average height, somewhat skinny, though the flowing monk's robe did much to hide it. His coat was as grey as gravel and his head shaved bald. His slow and methodical cadence could have put a raging bull at ease. “You do so excite things when you visit. Although I must remind you that monastic convents are supposed to be quiet. Doubly so for our libraries.”

“I respect that, obviously, but I think tranquility and repose deserve to be broken for the purposes of healthy discourse.” Twilight quipped.

"Is shouting at us discourse?" One of the seated monks asked.

Twilight glared at him, and so the two seated monks took the opportunity to ease away from the table and scoot out of the library. Manered, watching bemused at their departure, took an emptied seat. "Passion is a mortal burden we strive to regulate. You don't actually think abusing the poor celibates of my monastery helps anything, do you? Surely not."

Twilight laughed and shook her head. "I'm just a little tired, you know, sleep deprived, and I've gotten nowhere in hours, so I guess I'm on a shorter fuse. Sorry, Brother Manered." She leaned forward. "But since you let them escape, now you have to help me."

"Do I?" Manered chuckled.

Twilight gestured to the weighty book she had slammed before. “You know I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't an emergency."

"No, I don't know that. Hot-blooded noblemares come around just to torment us, just for their kicks." Manered circled around and eased the old tome back open. "War of the Everfree Crisis." He glanced up at Twilight. "A was that ended a thousand years ago is no emergency, my lady."

Twilight nibbled her lip, trying to think of what to say. It was difficult to explain herself because she didn't fully understand it herself. The mystery compelled her for its own sake, yes, that tantalizing promise of discovery. But... there was something else, a tingle along her spine, like there was a hint of magic in the mystery too. Candle-lit, overseen by the moon though the window of her castle library reading room, Twilight had become engrossed beyond her ability to rationally justify. She just had to know about the Everfree War and the Nightmare Pretender now.
"Oh yes it is." She blustered a bit. "There's an embarrassing gap in the literature. What could be worse? I'm surprised this hasn't come to sompony's attention sooner. As an imperial subject, it's my duty to fix this before it spirals out of control."

Manered politely chuckled at her joke. Maybe she would share her real reasons later. "Oh my Lady Sparkle, that is dire indeed. As a fellow subject of her highness, though one of the first estate, I would likewise be pressed to save the realm. You almost have me sold on this, Twilight."

Twilight arched a brow. "You want me to apologize for yelling, don't you."

"Sinners like us have no right to apologize, Lady Sparkle, only to repent." Manered said with a smile.

"I don't even know what that means, but I'm sorry nonetheless." Twilight said. She at least sounded like she meant it so that was good enough for Brother Manered. "Now you'll help me."

"Far be it for me to say no to you,, and to duty, ma'am." Manered acceded. "I am your servant. Tell me what you need from me."

Twilight scooted her chair forward, leaning in conspiratorially. "There's a pony I'm trying to track down, the so-called 'Nightmare Pretender'." She tapped on the name in the paragraph.

“Nightmares? Oh my. That is a dangerous topic to even speak of.” Manered pursed his lips. “It is my responsibility as an adherent to the laws of the Sun and her divine daughter to warn you away from dark and corrupt magic.”

“Sure, sure, big scary Dark magic. But I'm a scholar and I think I know a little better than you what's just dogma and what's actually dangerous about Dark magic. 'Dark' is a very well defined magical concept and- Ah! I don't have time to explain it to you.” Twilight huffed. “Besides, you known me. I'm obviously not after any Nightmare power. I'm just awful at dream magic and don't have the patience for what other ponies dream up anyway."

Manered didn't seem entirely convinced. "Neither of us have whole picture here, Lady Twilight."

Twilight face a face. "I've taken multiple pledges, as Princess Celestia's student and a student of the University, to use magic responsibly. Dark magic, selfish magic, is the antithesis of those pledges. Yes I've tried it. Every unicorn has tried it a little. But I don't like the Dark and I have no plans to get better with it."

"I believe you." Manered bowed his head. "I wouldn't trust most ponies to do the right think with power, and surely not myself, but I trust you Twilight, in no small part because our Princess Celestia trusts you."

Twilight hid a grimace at mention of Celestia's name being thrown back at her. "Okay okay, don't you dare try to flatter me. Let's get to brass tacks already." She leaned over to grab a notebook from her saddlebag on the floor beside her. "You can take a look at my notes on the sources I pulled from the castle and University. So far, every source has an almost identical narrative about the events of the Everfree Siege. That's where the Nightmare Pretender came about and was very quickly defeated, or so sources allege. But there are inconsistencies, even between sources citing each other."

Manered tapped his chin. " Have you already consulted your professors at the University?"

“Obviously. The classical specialists are very specifically pre-Unification and then Post-Unification. It's like whole Unification period including the Everfree Siege is taboo or something. I mean, not consciously, but no polite pony wants to dwell about it or research it." Twilight said. "For how much it's ingrained in our popular consciousness, Equestria has no academic angle on the period. It's just folk knowledge."

"You've drilled down on quite the interesting paradox, Lady Sparkle, which those same taboos let us overlook. If you mean to confront us with something uncomfortable I hope you know what you are getting yourself into."
Manered sighed. The young Lady Sparkle was never easy to work with when she became so fixated. Last week it had been Babyloneighian astrology and two weeks ago it had been star fort architecture. Some ponies couldn't handle how pushy the bookish little noblepony could be. “Have you talked to anyone at the princess's court? "Asked around or told them your theories?”

“Huh, I never thought of that.” Twilight said mockingly, becoming irritated once again. "Why would I want to talk to the dolts in the Imperial Court? You may not take this seriously, but I think there could be a real conspiracy here. Even the first book I saw the Nightmare Pretender's name mentioned implied that records and artifacts were destroyed! What kind of barbarian destroys history and artifacts?!"

“Ok ok! Just please put the table down.” Manered gasped. Twilight hadn't even realized she had picked the table up with her magic, apparently unconsciously intent on flipping it. With an apologetic giggle she set it back gently. “Twilight, if this proves a larger endeavor that your last obsessions, will it be worth interrupting your studies for? Last time you visited, you were pursuing another degree.”

“Yes, I was." Twilight said, somewhat defensive. "I'm... working on it. I can use my sabbatical for other research, like this. This is important, and not just to me. This is of interest to all ponykind."

Manered gave a skeptical look. "Twilight, this Everfree War was a thousand years ago. The abiding mass of ponykind doesn't think about a week ago, and even political savants rarely consider a decade ago. This is a time of forward-looking ponies with hope in the future." He sighed as though he was himself displeased by what he had to admit. "I can appreciate you find it interesting- I find it interesting too- But it's not going to change the world. That's why I think your university career should take priority."

The spiel made Twilight more than a little irritated, and she entertained the idea of flipping the table on purpose. What did a monk, who had made the ultimate bad life choice of going into a celibate institution, have to offer a noblemare like her. "I'll take that into consideration, brother, but don't get mad at me if I forget and do what I want anyway."
She cleared her throat and directed Manered's attention back to the book. "Now you consider this. The mysterious figure of the 'Nightmare Pretender' exists in half the historical sources, while the equally mysterious sister of Celestia the First exists in the other half. I dare say that these two characters-" She thumped the page. "are the same mare. The Dark alicorn sister was the Nightmare Pretender, and the abstract idea of her turning to evil was, in fact, a very concrete transformation into a Nightmare!"

Manered was resigned to accept that he wasn't going to deter Twilight whatsoever. At the least could he check her most dangerous ideas? "That makes no sense to me, my lady. I would rethink suggesting that alicorns could become nightmares, lest somepony interpret it as heresy."

"Heresy shmerecy. Magical creature research still has a lot to go and this is an interesting theory worth disseminating." Twilight said. "I'm not well versed in Nightmare theory, so I'd probably have to collaborate with a specialist in dream magic. What I'd bring to the table, of course, is my familiarity with alicorns." She smirked. "This is all theoretical, of course.

“Barely even hypothetical. What is your proof of this Nightmare Pretender and Dark Alicorn connection? It must be better than conjecture.” Manered pointed out.

Twilight made a sour face. "I understand the task in front of me. There's a whole sequence of things I have to prove. But the most frightening part is right here, which stands out from all the sources."
She lifted her hoof from the page,
'The promise of quick unification was shattered when malign mortal ambition overcame the Dark sister'

Manered's eyes lingered on the sentence. He looked to Twilight questioningly.

"The author specifically says 'mortal ambition' to describe the motivations of a divine alicorn. I don't think that choice of words is an accident." Twilight said. "I think that's the key to understanding the alicorn-Nightmare link. Alicorns, like all non-mortal creatures, don't have dreams. For some reason, Celestia I's lost sister did."

Though spoken softly, they both felt an oppressiveness to Twilight declaration. Perhaps Manered's warning about heresy was not so misplaced.

Twilight continued. "I know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me to discard this source and take this topic from a different angle. Maybe I would, but as I was putting all of this together in my head, I wonder to myself 'What really separates an alicorn from a mortal', and that question terrified me so much I couldn't help put want to chase it. Whatever happened between the alicorn sisters either explains or defines the alicorn nature."
She paused, as if to ponder that thought. "Well, that's still several steps ahead. Let's first talk about the facts as the sources unambiguously describe them."

"Let's." Manered agreed.

"We have this image of Celestia I, our valiant first empress, as an unassailable paragon of justice. In the popular history and, to a less extent, the official imperial historiography, Celestia I was a pragmatic but purposeful mare whose divinity shown through all her works. I know I'm cynical sometimes but even I'm enamored with the idea of our first alicorn empress being the archetype of benevolent governance, leading a new pony nation to prosperity." Twilight said. "But there's contemporary sources that don't mince words about the difficulties of the Unification era, nor the hardships Equestria faced right after the foundation."

Manered pondered this. "You're saying that if we want to reconcile how the first empress is described in these texts, where she dithers during the war against her sister, we have to take a broader view."

"I guess that's what I'm saying. War is an incomprehensibly nasty buisness, and we've never had a Celestiaan empress fight since the unification. What if Celestia I was somehow different from our Princess Celestia? What if Celestia I was more like her sister than like her successors?" Twilight posed. "I'm just throwing ideas out there."

It was a rather serious topic to be wildly speculating, at least for Manered's comfort, but Twilight Sparkle had some leeway for having been personally instructed by the alicorn princess for years. “Howsoever the first Celestiaan were, we know the outcome of their Conflict: Celestia triumphant, the Dark sister destroyed, and Equestria unified under the Sun's guidance."

“I'll point you to passage again.” Twilight shivered. “It reads that 'the dark princess was dispelled'. What the hay does 'dispelled' mean in this context? Disenchanted, enlightened, executed, or vaporized? I don't know if I want to consider Celestia I as a kinslayer, if in the context of war. Now that would be heretical to suggest. Maybe the author is just couching their language, or the Dark sister didn't die at all. Just... 'dispelled'. Did she revert from the thrall of the nightmare? It's just too ambiguous. Perhaps the Nightmare Pretender suffered a fate worse than death, somehow." She wondered out loud.

Manered found Twilight's wording odd. “I hope you don't find fault in Celestia's mercy.”

"Don't be silly." Twilight said quickly. "I'm not exactly in a position to criticize the mother of our nation. She made tough choices. That won't stop us from asking questions."

Manered had the feeling she was being snide, but let it go. "You don't have to question the Dark sister longer. She is not around today. Infer her fate from there."

“And what a fate, where even her name is gone! Not only was she 'dispelled', but her legacy was too. Every artifact and monument is gone, except for oblique, confusing references." Twilight nodded. She was almost done explaining everything she had already inferred and decided upon, and near spelling out what she actually needed the monastery library for.
"In reading through all this, I had an interesting theory. Uh, this will be a logical stretch so please bear with me Brother. How would you describe the spread of magical corruption in a society?”

“I hear it most often compared to the dreaded plague.” Manered said. “It infects a pony’s mind and feeds of their ill thoughts.”

“Now being a learned colt yourself, you know it is neither impiety nor sin which spreads plague and disease, however convenient it is for the faith to say so.”

Manered nodded. “Indeed. It is but tiny and invisible devils spread by air, water, or contact.”

Twilight thought about derailing the conversation to explain germ theory but decided to stay on topic. “Err, close enough. Tell me now, how do you treat plague?” She leaned in closer in anticipation of his revelation.

“You can't. It's all you can do to avoid the infected. To...” He smiled as he caught Twilight's point. “Quarantine them.”

Twilight smiled back. “Exactly! A quarantine."

"A quarantine... for a nightmare."

Was it possible? There were so many explanations, but both ponies felt inexplicably drawn to that one. "I can hardly bear to consider it! Is that the true meaning of 'dispelled'?" Manered said what they were thinking aloud.

"Indeed, it's my working theory that the Dark alicorn sister was put in some manner of divine quarantine." Twilight said. I played this rhetorical game with my professors too, and admittedly this is about where I lost their attention. They said it was impossible. The cosmic magics professor cursed me out." She grimaced. "So are you taking the idea seriously? You look like you are. Isn't it ironic that a monk would be more open minded than an academic?”

Manered sputtered on a barely suppressed laugh, breaking the tension. “Only for you, m'lady. Though I am not totally convinced, you have strung me along so cleverly I feel the need to repay you with a lark of my own." He rose from the table and trotted around the the aisles of bookshelves. "Just one moment, Lady Twilight. I have had a wonderful little idea. My best idea in weeks!" He disappeared into the maze of shelves.

Twilight idly flipped through the pages of the books spread across the study table while she waited. She was conflicted- Did she want to pursue the mystery to its logical conclusion? Was she going to consciously keep away from controversy and put out a neat little article with some of her observations? Every time she and Manered and invoked Celestia the First, it reinforced the fact that sorting the mystery of the Nightmare Pretender had a very direct connection to the ruling regime of the empress Celestia CLXXIX, Twilight's liege and nominal teacher. If Twilight played around and bumbled into committing heresy, it could result in a humiliating public disavowal.

Twilight was still dwelling on those thoughts when Manered shouted to her from across the library. "I have found it Lady Sparkle! I found what you were looking for!" He said. "The elusive details!"

The study table was sent flying at Twilight burst up from her seat explosively, instantly at Manered's side deep in the jungle library shelves. “Really? What is it? Give me that!” She snatched the book he'd found with her telekinetic grip.
“'Magical Phenomena of the Late Classical Era'. What? Are you sure?” She said scrutinizing the cover. Its center was embellished with a gilded profile of a horned equine head, presumably one of the Celestiaan princesses.

“Unconventional historiography." Manered smiled. "I overheard Brother Springwise tell you that the latter historians only copied the earlier ones, and I thought maybe your answers would be in something not historian-y...”

“That is unconventional, but then again I started this hunt in a metallurgy book. Let's see if you've really got what I'm looking for."
Twilight's horn began to glow. In a blinding flash she and Manered were back at the study table. Teleportation magic! Manered retched from the sudden spatial shift, his stomach churning and his head spinning.

Twilight set the book down and began to rapidly flip through pages, her nose inches from the paper.
“Brother Manered either you're a genius or a total fool. You don't really think the quarantine is to be found here? Would the classical ponies understand what they saw? Perhaps our missing mare..." She stopped flipping, her eyes darting quickly over the chosen page. "...is in plain sight. Could it really be? No, it'd be too silly! But... maybe?” Twilight gasped and broke into a wide grin. In deliberate fashion she read out the title. “The 'MARE IN THE MOON'. That pattern of craters that look like a pony, looming over us as long as we've been alive...
"Is it really possible that the Dark alicorn is on the moon?"

Manered held his head in his hooves, slumped against the table, still nauseous. "As you said Lady Sparkle- Folk stories and the popular consciousness. They can destroy artifacts but not our stories." He mumbled.

Twilight rapidly read down the page. “Let's see what the classicals have to say about it. Ahem, 'Three centuries ago, two sisters battled for the fate of the day. The elder sister reluctantly took up the power of the most awesome magics ever known to mortalkind, and used them to defeat her sister, banishing her permanently on the moon. There the younger sister remains.' ” Twilight read the words aloud, and then a dozen times more to herself. She was shocked into silence for a moment. “...Good gods. This could be it. It seems silly but it makes so much sense! Those embattled sisters must have been, Celestia I and her sister.” Her expression turned from wonder to worry. "For nearly a thousand years, there's been an alicorn exiled on the moon. Wow."

“That sounds awful, like I can only imagine.” Manered mumbled. “Unending existential pain.”

“But I was right! The Dark sister was imprisoned.” Twilight sighed. “Fate of the day? More like fate of all days, or the very concept of day.” She shook her head. “I'll rub it in my professors' faces later. This raises so many more questions. Is the Nightmare Pretender still alive? Can we contact her on the moon? Which powerful magics is this talking about? Gosh, we have so much more to uncover!”

Manered pulled himself to his hooves. “No 'we' don't. If there truly is an evil alicorn on the moon, I advise you to stay the hell away. She is up there for a reason, that reason being that it was the will of your divine empress Celestia, so you had best stay out of all this Nightmare Pretender business. Lady Sparkle this is getting into imperial jurisdiction."

"You think I haven't had had that in the back of my mind? I'm not a political neophyte, and I know where the red lines are, mostly. Because I have court responsibilities as Princess Celestia's student, I also have privileges. I've done controversial research before." Twilight frowned. "Maybe Celestia I suppressed the knowledge of her sister's banishment, but that was literally a thousand years and over a hundred daughters of the sun ago. If it came to it, our Princess Celestia would probably see the benefit of knowing what's really up there."

"I..." Manered hesitated. "Lady Twilight, all you have is a guess, premised on other guesses. It cannot be proved conclusively that Celestia I's Dark sister, the Nightmare Pretender, and the Mare in the Moon are the same creature."

Twilight bowed her head in agreement. "Which is why say we have so much more to uncover, Red. Do you have a copy of Predictions and Prophesies here?”

“No we don't. Twilight please slow down. Think this through.” Manered sighed. Sometimes you had to draw a line with Twilight. He hadn't seen her so fixated in years.
If Twilight was too hasty, she could get herself hurt, or worse. It had happened to the students of the princess before.

Apparently Twilight was starting to get impatient with his exultations, for she bristled and raised her voice.. “I HAVE thought this through! Maybe if you pushed past your cowardice you could see what I see! But nay, it is just like you to abandon an inquiry just as it gets interesting. Are you so drunk off sun-watching you pale at the suggestion of irregularity or in-habittuous behavior?" She stared angrily at a point on the ceiling. "Or, is it fear of the mystery? We don't know what the future holds for us, and that can be terrifying, even paralyzing. But don't you think we have to go on? I have never permitted myself to give up on a project. Never. Even when others give up on me, I'm fine going it alone. Since my brother was knighted, it really has always been alone.” Twilight trailed off. How damnable that there were so many ponies in her life whose mention made her melancholic. "If that's the way it has to be, then I'll see it through, from earth to the moon, by myself."

So it was, as it often was, that the little noblemare was searching for something within herself through her work.
Manered offered a hoof. "Lady Twilight, please..."

Twilight shifted here eyes back to him. She looked tired.

“This one is not so simple, Twilight. In your own words, this has the makings of intersecting some incomprehensibly nasty buisness, alicorn buisness. I'm not the right pony to help you through this, but you do need help. Don't go about this alone.” Manered implored.

And so it was, as it often was, that the limiting factor was the constraints of other ponies.
Twilight rose from the chair, levitated her saddlebags and affixed them. She scooped up the copy of Magical Phenomena of the Late Classical Era and dropped it therein. “You have been an indispensable help as always, Brother Manered. But as always, the sun sets, the flower withers, and my research takes me elsewhere. I'll bring the book back eventually. Au revoir, mon frere.”
In a blinding flash of purple magic, she used her magic to teleport away.

“Fare thee well.” Manered mumbled into the vacant air. He turned to reshelve the books Lady Sparkle had scattered across the library. He had only just taken one book in his hooves when another magical explosion of purple light knocked him onto his face.

Twilight stood above him. “Oh! I forgot to ask before, but how long until the solstice?”

Manered rolled onto his back. “Eighty-nine days. It's posted on the door.” He grumbled.

Twilight pulled a calendar and quill out of her saddlebag and scribbled in the date. “Cheers.” She waved her hoof in a parody of salute, then blinked out one more.

Manered's scowl threatened to cleave him in twain. He grit his teeth until his annoyance subsided. “Fate smile upon you.” He addressed the absent unicorn, then returned to organizing.

---

While the Mare in the Moon watched at night, another pony had become accustomed to watching Canterlot during the day. That would be not so bad were it not to the exclusion of all else.
The Princess and Empress of Equestria, Celestia, stood in stoic attention at the top of the southeastern watchtower of her sprawling castle complex. There had been a few minutes of panic among the staff until they realized that, once again, their liege had shirked her court responsibilities to stand on that watchtower. Nopony bothered to make the arduous climb up to her anymore. The princess would never be convinced to come down, preferring to maintain her listless gaze across her capital, Canterlot.

So the guards sighed resignedly, assuaging the presumptuous nobles in the audience hall and returning to their duty posts. It had been a few weeks since the princess had gone up to the tower; Everypony had prayed she had shrugged off her malaise and was taking interest in things again.
The silly rumors were beginning to fly. Had she been taken with an ailment, malady, or curse? Could she be seeing a secret lover in the many absent hours? Was her majesty beginning to tire of the life she led, perhaps even considering abdicating?

“It's hard to tell.” The Imperial Household Guard whispered to the servants. “She just stands there, and stares. She doesn't even notice us until we speak. At times, not even then.” The servant girls giggled and gasped amongst themselves. And so it spread. It was as these rumors began to circulate the castle, and then the city at large, that the imperial court began to worry in earnest.

Such was the court's worry that it finally decided to send one of their own to see what the princess's deal was. All eyes had turned to the most senior official. That was how the chair of the Imperial Council, the lord vizier Fancy Pants, was compelled to make the exhausting climb up the southeastern watchtower.

Though he led a life of relative leisure, Fancy Pants kept fit and thin, and managed the climb well enough. The whole way he smugly assured himself that the other court ponies would be huffing and puffing where he was only breathing hard- What wretches, he told himself, those nobles who did nothing but carouse and piss around in politics they didn't understand. They didn't appreciate the work he did.

Fancy Pants was a tall unicorn, with an off-white coat and crinkled wavy blue hair, cut and combed fashionably. Although he shaved every morning, by noon there was always the vestiges of a mustache upon his upper lip. In keeping with his self-image as a meritocratic professional he worse a fine suit, something the old fashioned nobles constantly ridiculed him for, and which was now getting sweaty during his climb.

Ask Fancy Pants, and he would declare himself a colt of action. Though a noble, he was born of that 'petty' noble stock that had neither land nor titles, meaning he had to work. Among the petty nobles of Canterlot, that meant socializing and schmoozing, getting in the good graces of the actual power brokers. Though haughty, proud, and ambitious above his station, somepony with connections saw something in the young Fancy Pants, and he had gotten an appointment in the Canterlot magistracy. He worked his way up the ranks by being one of the few appointees actually doing his job, but he was promoted into the Imperial Court. All the while he never stopped schmoozing, so when the position of Lord Vizier was vacated, Fancy Pants had dozens upon dozens of favors to call in to cinch the appointment to the highest secretariat in the empire. Princess Celestia had barely met the stallion before she was advised into giving him the position by the court.
The competitor for the viziership, the august Duke Sharphoof Lightdowser, had left Canterlot in spite and shame.

Fancy Pants liked to think about those days, when he was still an ambitious climber and not actually on top of the entire empire. The viziership had seemed so regal at the time. Yet he was still climbing to get to the top, just in a different way.
He even still had to schmooze, only this time it was not a pliant dullard noble he had to charm, it was the magnificent and undeniably stubborn Empress of Equestria.

He almost missed that he had taken the last step, and had at least reached the landing to the top of the tower. An open door opened out to the tower roof, through which sunshine streamed into the dark spiral stairwell.
There was the sun princess, just as promised.

Celestia was an alicorn, semi-divine creature in the shape of a pony. But not a pony, no, but a being of an entirely different sort. She was literally the daughter of the Sun, so the dogma went. She stood twice as high as any other pony, with her horn nearly as long as a pony's leg. She possessed a white coat and an iridescent spectral mane. Her mark was a sun, identical to that of all of her predecessors, come down from heaven to be the Sun's princess upon the earth. Her visage had stolen the breath of many a pony, for various reasons.

“Your majesty?” Then louder when she did not respond. “Princess?” When still she did not take notice he spoke at full volume. “Celestia.”

Princess Celestia tilted her head to eye the interloper. Her wide, penetrating gaze gave Fancy Pants a sudden chill. Before he could say anything she smiled, and her intense gaze softened. “Interesting things are ahoof.”

Fancy Pants cleared his throat and found himself wishing he had taken a moment to catch his breath after the climb. "Indeed it is so." He said flatly.

The princess eyed him for a moment longer, then turned back to the cityscape. "Canterlot has gotten taller. I feel proud of my ponies, yet inexplicably unsettled. How much longer before the houses challenge the castle, or even the Mountain?"

The city of Canterlot was built on a huge natural plateau which clung to the Southwest corner of the grand peak known only as the Mountain, which dominated the center of the continent of Equestria. Roughly 500 hectares, the plateau rose and merged with the Mountain's steep slopes on one side, and fell thousands of hooves above the valley below on the other three. The only land path down was a winding causeway which snaked south along the adjacent ridges. Since their invention most ponies had arrived to Canterlot by airship.

The city itself was a fine match for its monumental surroundings. Pushed into the northern edge of the plateau was the oldest part of the city, the descriptively named Old Town or old city, where all the most glorious institutions of Equestria made their home. Canterlot Castle an its environs loomed over the district. The high class shopping, master crafters, and middle class professionals resided in Old Town.
South of Old Town, at the center of the plateau, was the crowded and labyrinthine Inner City, where most of Canterlot's hundred-thousand ponies lived. A veritable forest of stone bell towers and steeples rose from the cityscape, and here and there plazas or market squares opened the streets to the sky above. It was, frankly, a slum, largely untouched by planning or regulation. Different viziers had attempted to 'rejuvenate' the Inner City with little showing. Fancy Pants preferred to pretend the Inner City didn't exist.
Furthest south, on the opposite side of the plateau from the castle, the city thinned up somewhat, giving way to a more verdant district of mansions, parks, and gardens. Freestanding townhouses, small houses, and extravagant palaces surrounded the tree-lined avenues and housed the different classes of nobles, technically equal but obviously of vastly different means.

All of this, Canterlot, was circled with a massive wall, which ran along the very edge of the plateau. This massive fortification, as fantastically unnecessary as it was impressive, was over forty hooves tall for most of its length and even taller in places.

"My princess, I can understand your anxiety. You know I have been a critic of those apostles of 'progress' who say we must build taller, faster, and pack ever more ponies in our city." Fancy Pants said. "But, not all ponies understand your wisdom, but then few stop to listen to it."

Celestia chuckled. "I feel a subtle criticism, Sir Pants. Do you levy that I do not speak at them enough?"

Fancy Pants arched a brow. "My princess, what need is there to talk when this fortress is testament enough. If they lack faith in the face of apparently glory that is their sin."

Indeed no palace in the world could compare to Canterlot Castle. The castle sat at north-northwestern edge of the plateau, a mountain of marble and glass to complement the Mountain of stone that supported it. Palace with the trappings and dimensions of a cathedral, Canterlot Castle was the heart of the city's and the empire's politics, culture, and consciousness. The central citadel structure rose as one towering keep, which split off into many towers and halls as it rose to its full height. As Celestia and her bureaucracy stayed in the castle year-round, the vast complex saw a constant stream of servants and agents coming and going.
Attached to the central structure towards the south was the barracks of the Imperial Household Guard, and beyond that the University of Canterlot. To the north was the luxuriant castle gardens.

"Talk not of sin. If this palace is my testament, then what is to be said for those." Celestia said, gesturing south.

She meant the only structures which could possibly rival Canterlot Castle for stature on the skyline. Embedded within the huge outer wall was a series of other castles. They had started as towers meant to supplement the wall defenses, but had been bought and improved by Equestria's prominent noble families, turning into citadels in their own right. Ponies given to idle chatter liked to say that those prominent noble ponies ruled their own little Equestrias, with mediocre ponies from across the continent visiting them in their knock-off Canterlot Castles.

"Oh yes, those towers..." Fancy Pants felt a sudden delight that Celestia seemed to be interested in politics, even just the politics of aesthetics. He was conflicted between flattering her or feeding her worry. "They may be pale imitation, just as their pretentious owners are pale imitations of your regal highness. However we may be blind-sighted by the foolish and ignorant of this nation who can not tell the difference."

Celestia sat silently for a few minutes, completely still except for the waver of her magical mane and tail. "Why have I not ordered them demolished? Refresh my memory, Sir Pants." Was she joking?

"It was deemed that it is better to have the nobles here in Canterlot rather than at home on their landed estates. This is your base of power. They may have their faux-Canterlot Castles but you are the Princess." Fancy Pants said.

"The city is getting taller, but is it progress? " Celestia pointed over the city again. "There is construction even now, under my gaze."
This time her hoof settled over one of the castles in particular: The tallest of them, a single spire that jutted above the wall and city, the Castle Magoria.

"What? Active construction?" Fancy Pants squinted. "I don't know about any-" He was startled as Celestia tapped his nose with a telescope. He took the telescope and peered south. "There is no chance that Duke Foaly Flux has enough money to keep up his building spree. He only just completed an addition to the outer wall." But as he focussed on the Castle Magoria, his words turned to muttering. "That old fool."

"A groundbreaking ceremony, and you where not invited." Celestia said coyly. "My my, his lordship the duke appears to be fortifying Castle Magoria with bastions and towers. How kind of him to add to Canterlot's defense."

"What a brazen display of power. My word, how... how gaudy!" Fancy Pants could not make out individual ponies through the telescope, but he could certainly see the party and construction Celestia indicated. "I have to send somepony to find out how Flux has afforded all that."

But Fancy Pants had gotten so caught up in his thoughts he had missed the storm of emotions that crossed Celestias face. She looked away, gazing over Canterlot's white roofs again, and when Fancy Pants looked back to her she had returned to stoicism.
"My little pony, surely you have no come all this way to demonstrate how you have been slacking on the job." She cooed.

Fancy Pants breathing hitched. "Of course not princess! This buisness with Foaly Flux, why- why- it's already sorted. I will be sending a pony down immediately." He cleared his throat and passed Celestia back her telescope. "Yet it can not necessarily be dismissed that Lord Flux and others become brazen for a lack of your tutelage, Princess. It's blindness and ideology without faith."

Celestia hummed. "Do you levy that I am not involved enough, Sir Fancy Pants?"

There was no beating around the bush anymore. "My princess, your games are infinitely amusing, truly. However I am so ignorant that I can not fully believe that you are really all that concerned about construction and parties. I feel, wrongly perhaps, that you are mocking me out of a misplaced guilt." When Celestia turned her head back to him, staring him straight in the eyes, Fancy Pants realized he was not going to be finishing the speech he had played in his head. 'Guilt' had been the absolute wrong word to use, and the princess was not going to humor him. "My lady, ahem, if you believe there are faults among us ponies, seclusion will not redeem us. We need your cooperation."

Celestia, it had often been noted, rarely blinked. Up close a pony would notice that there were many little strange things about her, that she did not shiver in cold or sweat in heat, that there were times she seemed not to breath for hours on end, that loud noises could never startle her no matter how loud. She had never, for as long as Fancy Pants could remember, mis-remembered a fact or a face.
"I suppose you do." She said, slowly and deliberately. "However I will be staying here."

Fancy Pants felt crestfallen. Mission failed. "Yes, Princess Celestia." He bowed. "My princess we shall serve to our utmost as always." If Celestia was not going to come down, he was going to have to spend the day in damage control. "Though as your council, lord vizier of the court, you often privilege me that I may serve you better."

Celestia squinted at him, then turned away to watch Canterlot again. "Do you want to know why I'm up here, Sir Fancy Pants? It is why you made the climb, more than simply asking me to attend court."

"Uh-" He had not been expecting for her to be forthright about it. "If it please your highness. Your mind guides my hoof."

Celestia, unexpectedly, broke into a thin smile. Instantly, Fancy Pants's anxiety melted away. No matter how apathetic or cryptic she was, the smile from the princess of the sun warmed the heart of all loyal ponies. "Look east, level with us on the Mountain. Trouble ahoof."

---

The mighty Mountain, the firmament of Canterlot, was among the steepest slopes in Equestria. Save for the causeways and the plateau of the city itself, nearly nothing could be built on it.
Nearly, because the Solar Monastery clung to the mountainside like a goat, its lowest and largest floors dug into the rock, and following the slope with each successive floor. The highest floor, where the bellower and observatory jutted up like twin spires, were almost even with the towers of Canterlot Castle over on the plateau. The mountain retreat was perched just above Canterlot, but the difficult path up kept away idle wanderers. The monks preferred it that way, for in isolation they could dedicate themselves to observing and plotting the movement of the Sun, the calling of devotees of the Sun and Celestia.

However Twilight Sparkle knew teleportation magic, and visiting the monastery library was a matter of desire. Her noisy departure from Manered and the library corresponded a burst of magic and noise outside the monastery walls, as Twilight reappeared outside the doors.
She let her eyes adjust to the midday sun and started down the path. She felt a dull regret at her abrupt and rude departure from the monastery library. She should have just walked to the door like a normal pony, and let Manered see her off. But he was tedious and Twilight was in a rush. She could not let herself be held back for one second by other ponies. If that meant being rude or impatient, she had to brush aside her own feelings and keep going.

The sun warmed Twilight up and she forgot all regrets. She adjusted the weight of her saddlebag and proceeded down the path towards Canterlot.

That high up the mountain the slope was dominated by rocks and shrubs. It was a few minutes of descending before Twilight passed ponies reposed on the side of the path- It was an isolated and calm place not far from Canterlot, if you had the legs for it.
Twilight did not have the legs for it, and as she began to tire she teleported halfway down to Canterlot, where the slope was easier. "I'll get good enough to take the whole climb in one go." Twilight promised herself. Good enough at teleporting, that was. She had no interest in physical fitness.

The slope of the mountain flattened and transitioned to the broad flat plateau of Canterlot. Twilight was nearing the the edge of what was considered the city, with a few sturdy manors dug into the still-slanting land, when she noticed a little figure barreling up the path towards her. It was a little grey colt wearing the uniform and hat of a messenger pony, kid-sized.

"Uh oh." Twilight muttered under her breath.

The colt galloped right up to Twilight, almost colliding into her legs. He hopped up and down as if he didn't have her attention already. “Lady Spawkle?!” He had a thick colonial accent.

Twilight flashed an empty smile. “That's me.”

The colt presented her a sealed letter, which she took with her magic. “It's uwgent, need repwyy!” He danced in place impatiently awaiting her response.

The letter had a wax seal impression three amethyst encrusted crowns. “Fancy Pants.” Twilight scowled. "Good grief. How many times to I have to tell him I'm not interested in attending court."

But before she could open Fancy Pants' letter, another courier, this time a pegasus filly, impacted the dirt beside her and waved a letter of her own. “Message for you, sah!” She squeaked.

The first little courier began to yell at the second. Twilight groaned and took the second letter. "Calm down, I'll get to them in order." Twilight said, pulling open Fancy Pants' letter.

Customary as it is for those under the Empress's tutelage
to observe the functions of state as well as those of magic
Lady Twilight Sparkle, scion of House Twilight and House Bright
is due requested, most humbly, to mind the Imperial Court session this morrow
for her highness's benefit and ours
Respectfully, Sir Fancy Pants of Canterlot

"They should call him fancy quill." Twilight sighed. But the thought struck her that if anypony besides Princess Celestia knew the mystery of the Nightmare Pretender, shrouded in state secrecy, it would be ponies of the Imperial Council.
Twilight turned to the messenger colt. “Sir Pants knows I'm on academic leave. While his request places undo burden on me, I will strive to make time to honor his most humble request." She grimaced. "It's been a few years since I bothered with the council, and I have no patience for the court formality. If they give me a hard time I'll leave half-way though. I promise him that."

The colt dashed off down the road, repeating the message to himself to remember it.

Twilight looked at the second letter, watched by the impatient courier filly. It was dated from the previous day, and had already been unsealed. Had it been tampered with?
"Who the- ohh." It made sense when Twilight opened the letter and saw the mark of her great uncle, Foaly Flux. The erratic stallion had probably forgotten to seal it or send it on time. "Let me guess, a party invitation."

Glancing down the latter, Twilight confirmed it was indeed a party invitation. Twilight suppressed a sigh. Her great uncle's frequent parties were just as annoying as Imperial Court sessions, and less immediately useful.

"Tell Lord Flux..." Twilight closed her eyes, trying to think up an excuse. "I'm in the middle of delicate work, and can't come. Tell him I will visit him for brunch tomorrow, or something like that." She probably wasn't going to honor that either.

The courier filly saluted and took to the sky.

All Twilight wanted was a day all by herself to study, same as every day. She could only stand pony company in limited, controlled, and useful bursts. She saw the appeal of locking herself up in the Solar Monastery if Canterlot was going to bombard her with letters.

That thought was ironically interrupted by the loud return of the courier filly, landing next to Twilight again. "Sah!" The filly squeeked. “Sah! Lady Velvet says you have to come, or she'll be angry.”

Then, the messenger colt bolted back up the path, pushing the filly out of the way to speak. “Mistewr Pants says it's about hewr highness the empwess! Urrgent!”

Twilight bit her lip to avoid cursing. Confound the meddlesome elders! “Tell his Lordship Pants... You know what, never mind. I'll find and tell him myself.”
She teleported away.

Teleportation magic was in academic discourse near universally regarded as instantaneous. Twilight never disagreed out loud, because she could never prove it, but sometimes she felt the time between disappearing in one place and reappearing in another, sometimes stretching to tens of seconds.
This was one of those times. So, Twilight used the instantaneous moment to run through everything in her head before she returned to reality and actually had to do them:
Dig into the mystery of the Nightmare Pretender,
Satisfy the asinine humdrum of the Imperial Council,
Get her mother off her back.
Twilight started connecting dots in her head how she could do multiple of those at once.

When she popped back into existence, Twilight stood in the center of a large, tall room; Her room, to be precise. It was a freestanding little tower on the grounds of Canterlot Castle, tucked away near where the castle gardens met the City Wall. The walls of the room's two open levels were dominated by bookcases- It was less living space, more library. The far wall featured one enormous windows overlooking a pond and hedge maze in the garden, and several telescopes and instruments had been lined up to peer out and up. It was the ideal residence of an eccentric scholar bachelorette.

It took Twilight several seconds to shake off her teleport vertigo. She looked around.
“Spike! Spike!” Twilight called out. “Spike?” She noticed an anguished purple and green shape on the floor before her.

Spike- On formal occasions, Spike the Dragon, incorrectly, for he was a bonafide adopted member of Twilight's family, the House Twilight-Bright. Spike was a squat lizard with stubby arms and dexterous claws, bipedal unlike the ponies he lived amongst, but still he only came neck high to Twilight at the top of his purple head and nose high at the top of his green spines. His large green eyes blinked infrequently.

“Ugh...” Spike was never really the archetype of dignified dragon. Twilight's teleportation spell had knocked him on his stomach, and there he lay in exaggerated agony. "You've killed me." He groaned. His voice was soft and not quite masculine in the pony way, but distinct enough. "Would it hurt to pop outside and come through the front door, like a normal pony?"

Twilight stared at her adopted kin for a few seconds, just long enough to make sure he was alright, before running past him to the nearest bookcase. “I need a copy of Predictions and Prophesies.” She pulled a random selection of books from across the room. “Spike! I don't have time for this! I've got meeting and parties.” She pulled the little dragon to his feet.

Spike wobbled on his feet for a moment, then straightened up. "I don't see you for a day, and you show up throwing out orders. Predictions and Prophesies? What'dya need that for?"
Despite his questioning Spike obliged Twilight, and he jogged on his stumpy legs to the nearest rolling ladder. "And did you say meeting and parties? Is your mom hounding you again?" He pushed the ladder against a bookcase and scaled it. "I don't know why you hate the parties so much. You just have to stand around pretending to socialize, and heck it's free food."
Finding the requested book, he pulled it out and turned to show it to Twilight, but she had disappeared. “Hey Twilight where'd you go? Twilight?”

In a burst of magic Twilight reappeared, carrying an emerald necklace and hairbrush.
“Aha!” She took the book in her telekinetic grip and dragged Spike, still holding it, off the ladder. She shoved it in her saddlebag and trotted over to a vanity mirror. She began to aggressively brush her hair.

Spike once again pulled himself up off the ground. "Cripes. It's been a while since you've been this worked up, Twilight. Is something wrong? I can't help if you don't tell me."

Satisfied with her hair, Twilight clasped the necklace around her neck. “Two parts the end of the world and one part frivolity.” She huffed, and began to apply makeup to her face. “Princess Celestia is sick or something, her ancestor is calling to me from the grave, and mother is making me go to a party.”

Spike's expression contorted in worry. “What was that about dead ponies calling to you?”

Twilight chuckled. “Metaphorically. And she's probably not dead, only imprisoned. Actually it's all conjecture at this point. I wish I had time to explain but this day is going to be packed. How do I look? Does the makeup look passable?” She twirled around.

“Amazing.” Spike commented flatly.

Twilight spent critical seconds staring at her reflection. Dressed up as she was, Twilight could tolerate what she was a little better than usual. “Amazing... is good enough. I don't owe those vain ponies anything."

"Nope." Spike nodded along.

Twilight drew back her lips in a flat smile. She locked eyes with Spike in the mirror. "The party is at Castle Magoria again. If you go I'll meet you there."

"I will." Spike nodded. "Free food, and seeing relatives."

"Yeah..." Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, thanks Spike. I have to go to that imperial meeting." She double checked she had the books in her saddlebag, and teleported away again.

---

Fancy Pants had been busy in the too. After the tiring climb back down the watchtower, he had shot off a couple quick letters (one such being the letter to Twilight Sparkle) and began preparing for the Imperial Council meeting.

As lord vizier, Fancy Pants knew he served both halves of statecraft: Politics and governance. Politics was the intrigue and negotiation that came with power. Nobles, policy, ideology, and personality. Governance was getting things done. Problem solving, economy, function, and service. The former was significantly more frustrating than the latter for Fancy Pants.

At the best of times, when Princess Celestia was attentive and alert, the Imperial Council was a well-functioning tool of governance. All other times, it was a mess that represented the arrogant lethargy of Equestrian politics.

"Hmm hmm hmm." Fancy Pants hummed to himself while he arranged the chairs and notes around the meeting table. As the members of the council filed in he made the customary polite greetings. They asked about Celestia and he told them to wait for the meeting to start. He sat and hummed to himself while the council members began to chat, boast, and nettle amongst themselves. That slowly died down, as the councilors noted the Fancy Pants would usually have called council to order by then.

"About starting time eh?" One of the ten councilors asked.

"Give it a few more moments." Fancy Pants said, pretending to read through the notes. They were past time to begin the meeting.

Another minute of uncomfortable silence, there was a sudden high whine in the air. In a burst of light and a shower of magic, Twilight Sparkle appeared in the corner of the room.
The councilors glanced between Fancy Pants and Twilight.

"Patience does pay off, it would seem." Fancy Pants said smugly.

Twilight blushed and took the nearest of the vacant seats, trying to look as small as possible. "Err, hi, sir. Sorry for being late, and for..." Her eyes darted to random points in the room to avoid eye contact. "for, you know, missing the last couple council sessions."

“Don't ponies walk anywhere anymore? Not that I'm complaining in this instance Lady Sparkle.” Fancy Pants shuffled his papers. “Indeed it is not often you grace us with your presence. I can see you are dressed for the occasion.”

"I assume you got my message. I'm not obligated have to be here. And..." Twilight blushed. “I’m going to a party later.”

“Isn’t everypony.” Fancy Pants arched a brow. "Anyhow, we need not dwell, even on the exciting life of Lady Sparkle. Unless anypony else has something to say before we begin?" He scanned the faces of the councilors. "No? This session of the Imperial Council is called to order. I preside in her highness's absence."

The peace was immediately shattered. "The seventh consecutive session you have done so. Her highness should march in here and whip you into shape, lord vizier." One of the elderly generals of the council wheezed. "You run a sloppy ship!"

"Ya couldn't even get Captain Hausseway or his second to attend." Another councilor chimed in.

Fancy Pants tapped on the table. "Order, gentleponies. Captain Hausseway and Sir Armor are indisposed. They are tasked with more important matter, in fact." He leaned forward. "I preside, and Captain Hausseway provides cover in court, because our duties to the princess are more important than ever in times like these."

There were several harrumphs around the table.
One of the councilors who had not yet spoken, a peach earth pony stallion in a red robe, tapped the table.

Fancy Pants cautiously eyed the earth pony. "Yes, Councillor Prosser?"

Prosser flashed a smile. "Sir Pants, for the minutes, could you elaborate on the character of these time?" He had an abnormally high voice and a sarcastic way of speaking.

Fancy Pants hesitated. He cleared his throat and began in a lecturing tone. "We sit at the epicenter of Equestria, humbled, by the royal buisness we are tasked to undertake."

“We are on 'royal business'? Oh yes.” Prossor rolled his eyes. “Isn’t everypony.”

Ignoring the jab, Fancy Pants continued. “As many of you are aware, Princess Celestia has been indisposed as of late. This is not her usually malaise, but rather some manner of active distraction which has pulled her attention away from the present. At every opportunity, she has been slipping away to watch the sky from the south watchtower. When I spoke to her highness she was less than forthcoming about what is preoccupying her. What I did gather is that she is concerned about a threat she saw in a possibly prophetic dream. It is a threat, I believe, with which her highness has some familiarity.”

The room was silent for a while. Then several ponies tried to speak at once.

"Princess Celestia has been searching for a mysterious threat in the southern sky? Invasion?" A pegasus, one of the council generals, asked.

“Should I call up our levies?” A withered teal pegasus croaked.

“Has she lost it?” Prossor jeered.

The council murmured amongst themselves. “This threat sounds is very indistinct.” Another councilor wondered.

Twilight Sparkle observed in silence. When she thought nopony was looking, she grabbed the copy of Predictions and Prophecies she had taken from her room and began flipping through it.

"While vigilance is commendable, panic is counterproductive. Particularly on the point of the levies." Fancy Pants cautioned. "If, in fighting evil we release an even greater evil, we will only have harmed our princess. We can NOT raise levies."

"There's no putting that genie back in the bottle." Prosser chimed in, laughing.
The council pondered this. It had been centuries since the princess had sent out the call for the nobles to mobilize the countryside, and that had been for a natural disaster. The dynamic was completely different now, and the provincial nobles were much less keen to obey. If they received an excuse to build up military power, they would use it to extort Canterlot.

“Is there anything we know about the coming threat?” The princess's adjutant pulled out a calendar.

Fancy Pants nodded."What we know is not from the princess, but from observing patterns of her behavior. As the monks watch the sun, we watch the princess."

"Oh I bet you watch her." Prosser snickered under his breath.

"The princess confessed about the premonition she had last night, but made no remark about any others. As such it was not the case that the same distraction held for her watchtower visits from last week, or those from two months ago.
Now I am no diviner, or a theologian. Go trawl the University or bother the Unicorn Prelate for those. However I firmly believe there could be hints or signals we have missed that explain the currant mystery." Fancy Pants leaned forward in his seat. "Did anyone notice anything peculiar before last week.” They shook their heads. "What about you, Lady Sparkle?” Fancy Pants questioned.

Twilight had been putting the copy of Predictions and Prophecies back in her bag. "Huh?" She blinked.

Fancy Pants cleared his throat. "I asked if you had noticed anything suspicious apropos Princess Celestia's mystery. Do you know anything that could explain her inexplicable behavior?"

Twilight was uncomfortable about being put on the spot again. "You keep calling it a 'mystery'. But it's not. Celestia knows, but isn't telling you. That makes it a secret, not a mystery."

Fancy Pants shivered a bit at the use of Celestia's name without her title. "I suppose that offends you academic sensibilities, ye who deals with real 'mysteries' concerning magic and nature."

Twilight frowned. "Sir Pants, I trouble to remind you that I would not tolerate you giving me a hard time. Besides you would be credulous to believe that I did indeed know, in some detail, what is bothering Celestia and about the threat."

Prosser made a gleeful sound. "Oh, my lady, do you know?"

Twilight stood up and put on her saddlebag. "The princess haven't told anypony about it for a thousand years, sirs. I don't know why she would do it now. Good-day." She bowed to Fancy Pants, then again to the rest of the room. Then she teleported away.

"Oh dear, you've driven her off. Bad form, sir lord vizier." Prosser tisked. "But what of her tantalizing words? Something strange is ahoof, n'est pas?"

"Never mind her. Todays agenda concerns more than the princess. Let us address the rest of the empire."
Fancy Pants knew Twilight Sparkle was not a kidder, but she was right that he didn't believe she knew. Still, he felt disrespected that she had left like that. "Come in late, leave early. The youth these days." He said to himself as he shuffled papers, earning a few laughs from the councilors.
However, if Twilight Sparkle did truly know, and wasn't sharing, there was the uncomfortable possibility that both the princess and her protégée were keeping dangerous secrets from him.

---

The standards of what constituted a good knight had been relaxed lately. Discipline was ignored, honor was optional, weapon skill was a joke. As would be expected the most consistent tradition was the intense chauvinism from the nobles. Otherwise there was little resemblance between the contemporary knight and those of previous eras.

Shining Armor, however, still held himself to those high standards of the bygone age. Everypony needs a personality, he sometimes joked. If it irked him that he was the only pony doing their job in the Imperial Household Guard, he never let it show.

Although there were times where he did show annoyance at particular aspects of the job. Such as when a letter came from the castle ordering him to flake on the Imperial Council Meeting and instead ordered him to stake out his uncle Flux's party. THAT was pretty annoying.
All the same, he didn't let it show.

"Hello. Hello. Good day. Good morning." He nodded to the ponies waiting in line to get in. Since he was a recognized guest, not to mention a servant of the princess, his Uncle Flux's guards waved him into the courtyard.

Of the numerous castles built into Canterlot's city wall, the Castle Magoria was not the largest or tallest, nor the most livable or defensible. However, it was by far the most modern. It was the only one that extended out on both sides of the city wall- a jagged circle of fortifications creating a star pattern about the keep, a star fort of sorts, totally out of place in an urban environment. It was a grand testament to the continuing power of House Bright, them of a grand olde lineage going back to before the unification. Castle Magoria was only getting bigger too, with its owner Duke Foaly Flux piling on extra bastions, towers, and features.

This latest party seemed to be held on one of those new bastions, facing the city, where the guests had a view over most of south Canterlot. Shining Armor followed the stream of servants up the ramp to the party bastion, where about a hundred ponies were gathered. There were no tables or chairs, except for the area where Duke Flux's 22 piece private orchestra were set up, playing upbeat music.

"Standing room only." Shining said to himself. He honestly wasn't sure what Celestia, Pants, or whomever had ordered him to the party had expected him to do. Was he supposed to party too? Or meet somepony? He felt like he'd gotten the last link in a line of garbled messages.

"Sir Armor!" Somepony called out to him.

Shining turned to the voice. It was an olive mare with an oaky mane, wearing a thin pair of spectacles which closely resembled the pair that comprised her mark. "Oh hello mis..." He paused, trying to remember her name. "I'm sorry I'm just horrible with names, but I see you in the castle. You're... the court architect."

"I know." The mare laughed, a hint of nervousness in her tone. "Laurel Black. I don't get enough work from the court nowadays, so I freelance. Hence..." She waved over Castle Magoria. "The bastions and the bastion towers are my work."

"No kidding. This is a topping out party then?" Shining asked.

"Combination topping out and groundbreaking." Laurel Black laughed again, almost an anxious whine now. "His lordship the duke is doubling the height of the bastion towers! Unbelievable. If they go any higher they'll need buttresses."

"I'll take your word for it." Shining said. He had studied a little bit of siege and fortification engineering, but not in depth. "Who else is here?"

"Mostly Lord Flux's friends I think. I don't recognize most of them. Some I recognize from the princess's court. There are some local merchants and professions I've worked for too." Laurel counted off. She gave Shining a thin smile. "Oh and of course, her Ladyship Twilight Velvet, and his lordship Night Light."

"Of course." Shining nodded and smiled back awkwardly. He was starting to get an idea of why he had been ordered to the party now.

"Oye Laurel!" Somepony shouted.

Both Shining and Laurel turned to the shouter. It was him of high station, the one behind it all, Foaly Flux.
Flux had a chalky grey coat, adobe orange colored mane and tail, cut short, and yellow eyes. A goofball and fundamentally unserious character, Flux had lasted far longer in the demanding position of Duke of the Foal Mountains than anypony expected. His bachelor lifestyle had weathered him, making him look in his late fifties, when in fact he was just halfway through his forties.
Lord Flux was dragging a garden chair behind him, to sit down in wherever he wandered in the party. On that day he wore a frilly black waistcoat, cravat, and stockings pulled so high they covered his mark: a stylized whirlpool. His horn poked out of a hole in his black chaperon.

“Sir?” Laurel Black asked hesitantly.

Flux pointed accusingly. “Why aren’t you drunk! This is a celebration of another one of your accomplishments. Cut loose!”

“Well the truth is,” Laurel began quietly. “I... feel somewhat uncomfortable about the taller towers. I don't think you should be lauding me because I might not go through with it.”

“Ach.” Flux exclaimed, tilting his head and closing his eyes. “Then drink to forget your failure and bury your disappointment. Thats what I say!” He pulled a bottle (probably hard cider) out from under the chair and passed it to Laurel.

Laurel took the bottle, but looked conflicted. “Um... Are you going to have some too?”

Flus looked insulted. “Hell no! That stuff is poison! Didn't I tell you that my wife died of drink or something like that? I swore upon her grave I would touch not a drop more, no sir! Nary a drop! Wait, have I ever been married, oh ho?”
He blinked, and was suddenly looking in another direction, at somepony else, in silence.

Shining, standing right beside them, wondered for all the world if he had become invisible. He was about to greet his great uncle Flux when he spotted two ponies moving his direction through the party crowd.

"Crivens, it's my parents." Shining snatched the cider bottle out of Laurel's hooves. "I'll need some of this before I talk to him. I'll come back around in a bit." Shining retreated into the crowd and out of sight.

"Hmm?" Flux perked up again. "You say something?" He looked from Laurel to where Shining had been standing.
But another stallion, heading towards him, caught Flux's attention. "Oye oye oye! It's Night Light! Nighty my boy! Get over here!” He jumped out of the garden chair and waved him over.

Night Light was a cousin of some sort to Duke Flux, and fellow member of House Bright- There weren't many Brights left, and they stuck together. Night Light was a tall pony, with a navy mane and slightly lighter coat. He moved and spoke in a very reserved manner that belied a cool precision in word and action. He wore a simple white vest with black trimming.
“Telling a story, Foaly? A tale of princesses and deathtraps?”

Fulx nodded his head exuberantly. “Yes, the one where I saved the griffin lass! Oh, spoiler alert, she died in the end. Ate an uncooked oyster. That kind of thing happens to princesses too.”
He looked like he was about to say more, then suddenly looked off in another direction again, then back to Night Light. "Where's ya filly though, Nighty? I thought little Twilight junior was gunna come around for my shindig."

Laurel perked up. “Oh, yes. I should like to know too.”

Night Light cast Laurel a curious glance, then refocused on Flux.
“She'll be along shortly. Please allow me to check.” Night Light trotted past them to the far side of the bastion.

Some scaffolding, brick, and mortar had been set off on one side of the bastion, in preparation for the next stage of construction. It was away from the orchestra and most of the party crowd, but there was still one pony standing there by herself, watching from a distance.

She had an off-white coat and a striped purple mane. For the party she had a lacy dress, veil, and a little jeweled ring on her horn. Her teal eyes could shift from piecing intensity to lidded contempt in a second. She held her head high; Imperious pride was common among nobles, but the mare's power and grace of motion suggested her pride was deserved.

Night Light sighed as he approached. "Goodness Velvet, why do you keep slinking off like that."

Twilight Velvet didn't spare her husband a glance. "One of the ponies here wasn't invited. We locked eyes a couple times. I think he realizes I'm in the market."

Night Light was torn between saying several different things, so he just stayed silent.

"Contact, finally. You know how hard it is to get a musician who is not affiliated with the guild." Velvet continued. "This could be the end of a very long waiting game, Night Light."

"Or you could give the game away. There's probably some uninvited imperial agents around here too, you know." Night Light warned.

Twilight Velvet scoffed. "Let them see. They can not stop me."

As she had said, another pony broke away from the party crowd and trotted over to them. It was a coffee-colored unicorn stallion with a spiky beige mane. He had a black cloak and wore tinted goggles.

"How do you get away dressing like that." Night Light wondered.

"They assume I'm a lawyer. Not far from the truth." The cloaked pony had a quiet, choked voice. "I help the judgement."

"Glad to know we're on the same page." Twilight Velvet purred. "I'm sure you know the deal. I can't assume any heat you get from the authorities or from the guild. The payout is monumental though, and there will be follow-up work."

"Freelance, no-questions-asked, and retainer all burgeon the fee. Some up front, naturally." The cloaked pony croaked. "I specialize in flute, guitar, and drums. In Griffany I am famous for body percussion. One performance made international news."

Velvet pulled a rolled up parchment from her lacy dress. "This has details of making contact with my agent. Contract negotiation and 'visitation' detail go through her. If you approach me again, there will be problems." She gave the cloaked pony the parchment. "Three visitations to begin with, but it has to be quick. As in, within a week."

The cloaked pony unrolled and read down the parchment. "Tall order. Lucky you met the best musician in Equestria." He tucked it away. "Lucky I received a hint about solicitous ponies at these parties."

Velvet perked an eyebrow. "I know the best musician in Equestria. You aren't nearly tall enough or red enough."

The cloaked pony froze up for a moment. "Not yet. See how red I am at the end, my lady." He circled around Velvet and Night Light, putting himself between them and the edge of the bastion. "I've got the details of your agent, so not much else to say, eh? Will she be handling the advance?"

Velvet slipped the jeweled ring off her horn and tossed it to him. "You can get several thousand bits for that in the Old Town. It's not stollen, so keep it intact."

The cloaked pony inspected the ring. "I look forward to making some proper noise with you, my lady."
The stallion pulled his hood down more, backing away until he toppled backwards over the lip of the bastion, disappearing from sight.

Night Light watched the exchange with mixed feelings.
"I congratulate you on the one hoof, Velvet. Just be aware when you're locking us both down a path of no return."

"Every day, we get a bit closer to the coalescence of my whole life's work." Velvet taped for forehead. "I haven't done anything wrong yet, just give a pony a ring."

Night Light turned and looked back towards the party crowd. His wife had just hired an assassin when the only thing between her and a hundred ponies was a pallet and some bricks. "Dukes, counts, tycoons, and magnates are milling all around us Velvet. Are we going to be ready when it is our turn in the spotlight?"

Velvet gave him kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for being patient.”

"You make it hard not to be." Night Light was unimpressed by her platitudes, though he thought he might as well forget about what had just happened and address marginally more pleasant matters.
"I came over to convey a question from Flux. He wants to know where Twilie is."

Twilight Velvet huffed, finicking with her veil in impatience. “She isn't here already? I sent the messenger hours ago. She must be blowing me off. What impertinent children I have.”

"You are too pushy with them. Give Twilie more space. Shining Armor too, for that matter. He actually hid from me." Night Light said. "Just because their relationship to their liege Celestia is strained, it is not an invitation to you to reimpose filial authority. We taught them to be more open minded than that."

Twilight Velvet fixated on the first part of what he had said. "You saw Shining here? At the party?" She was silent for a while, then turned to look north, towards Canterlot Castle. "More than one uninvited guest. Was this a setup?" She whispered.

"Shining wouldn't agree to spy on us. He probably just had the day off, and happened to hear about the party." Night Light lied. "At the least, we can ask him. He was talking to Foaly and that architect."

Velvet led the way back towards the party crowd. "Hardly matters one way or another. I was not kidding when I said they can't stop us." She accepted a drink from a passing waiter. "Still, Twilie is not here, and I can not well substitute children. They are not interchangeable."

"Twilie has a busy academic life, you know. She can not drop everything for 'frivolous' parties." Night Light reminded her.

Flux was regaling Shining Armor and Laurel Black with an off-color tale, but stopped when he saw the two return.
“Oye! Velvet, I was missing you.” Flux exclaimed. "Find your daughter, Nighty? Maybe she just didn't come..."

Shining Armor had the cider bottle, partially emptied, tucked under a leg. He eyed his parents with caution. "Uh, Hi father, mother."

Velvet greeted her son with a sideways glance. Night Light smiled. "Hope you are having a wonderful day, Shining. But remember your limits." He gestured to the bottle.

Shining blushed. "I- I'm just holding on to it for Mis Laurel."

Meanwhile Flux and Velvet chatted.
"The towers, ohh, the towers. Will be like a whole city rising all its own! Six bastions, six towers, with the keep at the center. It will be a tourist attraction to rival the Castle." Flux gushed, rocking back and forth in his garden chair. "I'll be such a big name, maybe the princess will invite me back to the Imperial Council!"

"I am not entirely convinced about that last part, but nothing is impossible I suppose." Velvet said. "But if I call back to a conversation last year, when you started the bastion project, why did you decide on six instead of the five like I suggested?"

Flux seemed confused. "Lady Lady Velvet dear, I think we have a different perspective on if the central keep counts as a tower. I hold it is the focal point, and does not count. You say it does. The differences are reconcilable but distinct!"

"I'm sorry, what is so special about six?" Laurel Black, off to the side fo the conversation, was somewhat uncomfortable she had not been told before about her client's design process.

Velvet shrugged.

Flux watched Velvet for a moment, until it was clear she wasn't going to say anything. "It's two threes. Or three twos. Or one sixes, if you prefer."

"Oh, uh... Of course, sir." Laurel had to assume it was just an arbitrary number, given significance by Flux's eccentricity. She shifted her attention back towards Shining Armor and Night Light's conversation.

Flux and Velvet traded cool glares.

"Life can be a relay race or a tug-of-war, my Lady Lady Velvet." Flux bobbed his head back and forth. "Aren't we on the same side, ever since you married that dope cousin of mine? Aren't we all trying to find happiness?"

The conversation was at this point so layered in metaphor that Velvet wasn't too sure if they were still talking about the towers or not. "That's right Foaly. I love and respect you, and not just because you have castles and a duchy, and I merely own a townhouse." She smiled. "When I'm on top, you'll love and respect me too, right?"

Foaly pulled another bottle of cider from under his chair and took a swig. "What else do I have to live for, but to see you try." He voice dipped, from his customary lightheartedness to nearly a growl. "By that logic, once you're on top, I won't be around anymore."

Velvet didn't contradict him.

"How are things at the Castle?" Night Light asked Shining Armor.

"Very normal. You know us, we love to have normal days." Shining said with a nod.

Night Light and his wife had really only interacted with Canterlot Castle and the imperial court because of their children, which was remarkably rare when most courtiers owed their position to generational status or wealth. Yet despite Twilight Sparkle serving as the princess's student, and Shining Armor attaining rank in the Imperial Household Guard, their parents stayed aloof when the logic of petty noble attainment would demand them doggedly exploit it for society clout.
"I should wish then for you to be constantly in love, no?" Night Light smiled. "Say hello to the princess and Captain Hauseway for me."

"S- Sure." Shining said.

All conversation across the bastion was interrupted by a deafening bang from the direction of the 22 piece private orchestra. Shining at first thought somepony had dropped their instrument, until he turned and saw Twilight Sparkle there, shaking off the disorientation of her teleportation spell.

"Twilie! Hey! Good to see you at an old stallion’s party, girly.” Flux beckoned.

“Finally.” Twilight Velvet whispered to her husband.

Twilight demurely trotted over to her great uncle, sparing a few glances to her parents and Shining Armor.
“I'm really sorry I'm late, but I've just got so much to do today. I can't stay for long.” Twilight panted. "I had royal buisness."

"Don't we all!" Flux guffawed.

Shining Armor gave her a timid pat on the shoulder. “That was a loud entrance. You know you don't have to teleport everywhere.”

Twilight reluctantly turned to her brother.
Shining was short for a stallion, but visibly muscular, as his knightly calling demanded. He had his mother's white coat and his father's blue mane, though with lighter blue streaks which mirrored his eyes. He wore only a simple red vest embroidered with celestial suns, a guardspony's formal garb.

Twilight averted her eyes for a moment, but straightened up and gave Shining a thin smile. "When I lose concentration it makes a pop. It announces for me."

"You hate drawing attention." Shining pointed out.

Twilight blushed for being called out. "Well.. Shouldn't you be at the castle? They say it's all hooves on deck over there. I would have expected you more than anyone to be dealing with it.” She shot back.

Night Light and Twilight Velvet exchanged concerned glances.

Shining Armor just shook his head. "I was overseeing drills in the IHG barracks before I came."

"Came to party. Such a diligent knight." Twilight Sparkle teased.

Shining snorted. "Well, where did you hear about happenings at the castle? You steer clear of that place, and it's not just because I'm there."

It was relieving that once they got over built-up reservations from time not seeing each other, Shining and Twilight could still be open and crack self-deprecating jokes.
"I heard it at the Imperial Council meeting." Twilight said.

Shining Armor's expression flashed to confusion, then to amusement. "Oh. I've really been letting everypony down if I missed the council meeting." He wondered if he had been ordered to the party specifically to keep him away from the meeting. "But Captain Hauseway was there, right?"

Twilight shook her head. “The captain wasn't there either.”

Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow. “Neither me or Hausseway?" He leaned forward, to speak in a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm not saying thats suspicious, but that is two fewer IHG than are supposed to be sitting in on the council meeting. Twilie, what were those scheming bureaucrats up to?”

“I wouldn't worry about it. I-” Twilight began, but the siblings realized the group was staring, and so sheepishly turned back to them.

“We'll talk about it later.” Shining whispered. This reminded Twilight of all the other instances he'd said the same thing, and not visited or written for months.

Laurel Black spoke up. “Hello Lady Sparkle. Uh, it is rather nice to see you here.”

“Thanks! You too Laurel.” Twilight replied with a smile.

“How blessed I get to have two geniuses in my parlor, both stollen away from the princess!" Foaly Flux interrupted.

This immediately drew a glare from Twilight, and Laurel seemed panicked. "My lord, I p- protest! Genius? You do me too much credit, a- and I was not stollen. No, nopony has stollen anything from the princess!" Laurel's pitch raised as her throat constricted.

"No? Not stollen from the princess?" Flux chuckled. "But something has been stollen. Perhaps not from Princess Celestia." He turned to Twilight. "Stollen from you, Twilie."

“I beg your pardon?” Twilight blinked.

Flux gestured. “Your mark!” This elicited a deep blush from Laurel and a laugh from everypony else. Indeed, the Castle Magoria's bastions would resemble Twilight's six-pointed star mark when viewed from above.

“That's just a coincidence. The star shape make for a very defensible design. These pointed bastions can cover each other's base more easily than than any other design. They also deflect cannon.” Twilight defended Laurel.

“Thats more of a side effect of giving the arquebusiers a better field of fire.” Laurel squeaked out.

"That too." Twilight agreed.

"Should have gone with five." Twilight Velvet said to herself. Bored of the banter, she wandered to get another drink from a waiter.

Night Light watched her go. As the conversation between Twilight, Laurel, Flux, and Shining devolved into debating the merits of star forts, he retreated from the conversation and followed after his wife.
"You wanted Twilie here, now she is here. Do you have nothing to say to either of your children?"

Twilight Velvet swirled her drink, staring off toward Canterlot Castle again. "While they dawdle and talk about architecture? No, nothing."

"Your plans are going to your head, Velvet. Try to live a normal life and have a normal relationship with our kids while you can. Goodness gracious." Night Light rubbed his eyes. "Or you might have your wishes granted and you will look back on this moment in shame."

Velvet's lip twitched. "I would never." She whispered harshly. "Give me a moment. Then I'll come join the insipid gossip."

Flux was droning on. “It's my opinion that powder is a fad, but Laurel was insistent. Honestly I was disappointed we couldn't fit ravelins and a moat like the original design called for. My neighbors are such prudes. How am I to go on living without a moat in my life?!”

“Isn't all a bit much considering the confined space?” Twilight gestured out over the grounds. The three inside bastions faced hedgerows and lordly estates. The three outside bastions were perched precariously on the edge of the plateau. Bringing an army to bear against the castle would already have been nearly impossible without the awesome bastions. Not that anypony would dare attack Canterlot anyway.

“Forgive my impudence, but his lordship is defined by 'a but much'.” Laurel tried to joke, glancing to Flux for approval. "Surplus to requirement."

“And to add towers on top of the bastions is just weird. They could cause I lot of damage if they fell.” Twilight nodded.

“The towers are necessary. Trust me. I'm playing a very, very long game.” Flux said, to everypony's silent incredulity. “And how did you become an expert on castle design, Twilight Sparkle?”

“I took a class on it, read a few books." Twilight said.

"How you learn everything." Shining grinned.

Twilight Sparkle, like her mother, was suddenly feeling very weary about the conversation. She wanted to talk about castles. It was infuriating how the topic kept turning so they were talking about her.
"I've had a busy day. I'm glad I came, but running around has made me a bit tired. Would you mind if I found a place to sit?"

"Umm..." Flux had the only chair in the area. "There are a few down in the garden."

"Great." Twilight trotted away.

Shining and Laurel watched her go.
"Well, um..." Laurel took the cider bottle and took a swig. "I don't need to bother the family any more. I see some acquaintances. Until next time Sir Armor."

Shining was torn between staying and talking to Flux and following his sister, until he saw his parents heading in Twilie's direction already.
"If there really is a situation at Canterlot Castle, I might have to cut this visit short." He said regretfully.

"You gotta do what you gotta do." Flux said. He stood up and folded up his chair. "I should be a magnanimous host and greet some of the other ponies here anyhow. It is expected of me! Pshh, this duke is many things, but magnanimous is absolutely one of them."

"See you later then." Shining trotted out of the crowd and down towards the castle gate. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his parents and sister talking. He tried not to think about it. He loved his family, but the drama was time consuming and duty came first. He could not serve the princess and blood at the same time. So he slipped past the incoming ponies and trotted up the street to Canterlot Castle.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light watched their son go before turning back to their daughter.
"We sent a letter last week to invite you to dinner. We have been worried about you." Night Light said. "Are you eating well?"

Twilight, resting on the bench under a dead tree, stayed silent.

Night Light pursed his lips. He did not think there was any good reason the family didn't get along. After leaving home Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor had stopped communicating and visiting. If asked, the kids just said they were busy. "How is Spike?"

Twilight Sparkle gave a little nod. "He's good." She said quietly. "I think he was coming to the party too. He must be late."

Night Light was about to say more, but a look from his wife silenced him.
Twilight Velvet stepped forward. Mother and daughter locked eyes.
"Twilie, Twilight, if you believe my letter was too strongly worded, I apologize. I am too pushy and I have soured the experience for you. Parties are supposed to be enjoyed, not be a chore."

Twilight Sparkle sat up a bit straighter on the bench. "I don't know what you want from me. Maybe you want me to be a surrogate daughter for Uncle Flux so we get a bit of the inheritance. Maybe you want to introduce me to all the noble ponies so I can exploit my imperial status. I know you think you want what is best for me." She sighed and looked off in another direction. "Please, leave it be. I just want to be left alone. I have some research stuff to think about."

Velvet chewed her lip for a few minutes. "I was a rhetoric teacher, not a career advisor, so I have trouble telling you this. You have enormous potential, Twilie. You deserve respect and wealth more than any of those addlepated fools up on the bastion. I know you have the strength and wits to make this world yours." It was hard to tell if Velvet was speaking metaphorically or literally. She stepped closer. "What is your plan for the future, Twilie? Are you going to be a student forever, collecting diplomas? How many degrees do you have by now, four? It is about time you USE what you have, Twilight Sparkle. Imperial business is too humble for you."

Twilight stewed in silence for a while. "It's five, actually. Stop talking about me. It's bothersome." She mumbled. "I have important stuff to do, alone. I don't have time for the distractions."

Twilight Velvet was not satisfied. "Something is making you anxious, isn't it. I saw a new look in your eyes tonight, Twilie. Something big is on your mind." Twilight Velvet continued. "You have seen something nopony else sees and you have been thinking about what it means."

Twilight Sparkle felt a great urge to shout at her mother for not respecting her feelings, and her father for just standing there. But Velvet was right. "I have. It involves 'imperial business' and my future too." Twilight Sparkle confessed. "Honestly, I think it involves the future of all Equestria."

Velvet nodded. "So, you have been wondering if you have the skill or the right to change the future of Equestria. As your mother and your greatest admirer, Twilie, I promise that you do."

Twilight frowned and shook her head. "There are some... concerning secrets about the princess I learned today. I..." She glanced to Velvet for a brief moment. "I thought it was just me. I thought I was a total failure when I left the princess. I- It's heresy to imagine, but I'm daring to imagine it was partly her fault, and that I'm not as bad a pony as I thought."

Twilight Velvet allowed herself a thin smile. "Then go ask the princess and set your mind at ease."

Twilight silently nodded. She stood up, double checked her saddle bags, and teleported away in a cacophonous burst of magic.

"Oww." Night Light shrunk from the sound. "I hope Twilie paces herself."

"If she hurts herself she will learn her limits." Velvet took the vacated seat on the bench. "Did you see what book Twilie had in her bag? Predictions and Prophesies. I think Twilie has had a glance into somepony's secrets. That is going to be much more dangerous than teleporting."

Night Light shook his head. "You think going to the alicorn princess is a good idea for her? What if things get... ugly?"

Vlevet shrugged. "They won't. Let us not entertain counterfactuals." She leaned back on the bench and relaxed. "Come sit next to me."

Night Light obliged. They enjoyed the calmness of the garden and the meagre shade of the dead tree, while the 22 piece orchestra played up on the bastion.

---

Shining Armor was ambling along the tree-lined road back towards the north city and Canterlot Castle, when he heard a strange gasping noise behind him. Shining thought it was coming from one of the mansions lining the road, but then he heard it again accompanied by a sculpted bush shaking violently.
Worried that somepony was in trouble, Shining galloped over to the bush. A brown unicorn with a mohawk mane and a black cloak was crouched behind it, coughing violently into their hooves.

"Hold on sir! Roll onto your stomach!" Shining stepped forward.

Before he reached the choking pony, they doubled over and spat something out. The motion also rubbed away some of the powder on their fur, revealing the pale yellow under the brown pigment.

"Uhh..." Shining blinked.

"Damn." The cloaked pony sniffled. They had a slightly nasal but clearly female contralto voice. She dropped the thing she had been choking on, a toad. "You weren't supposed to see that."

Shining was still so confused he did not detect the mare's menacing tone. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy, mate, just peachy." The mare pushed her goggles up to have a better look at the stallion. "The toad makes you sound like a fifty year old stallion. Trick of the trade." She shifted a hoof toward her belt under her coat, where her guns and knives were concealed, ready to get rid of the witness.

It clicked for Shining. "Yes, I get it now. I thought I recognized you from the party." He nodded. "You're a clown! Wow, you sure commit to the job, almost choking like that." He chuckled. "Sorry to make light of it. Glad you're not hurt, mis."

"Right..." The mare wasn't sure how to react now.

"Yes, with the cape and goggles you look like something out of a story." Shining finally noticed the hostile looks the mare was giving him. "Look, sorry for, you know, sneaking up on you out of character. I'll, umm, go then."
He turned around and continued up the road, thinking of ways he could spin what had just happened into a more heroic story for the other knights back in the barracks.

The mare slumped a bit, both relieved and somewhat disappointed in herself. What was the point in a disguise if you let somepony see you changing out of it?
She stood up and shook off the rest of the pigment, brushing it out of her fur and mane. Her coat was a yellow so pale it looked white, and on her flanks was the telltale mark of a dangerous mare, two connected musical notes. Her spiky mane was electric blue and cyan. She pushed the maroon tinted goggles back over her eyes.

Her name was Pon-3. Or at least that is what she had been calling herself recently. At any given time she went by a variety of other pseudonyms. The mare bragged that her real name could get you killed on four continents, and that she used it so little now she struggled to remember it.

But she wasn't feeling like she was living up to her grand persona at that moment. She was taking jobs from random ponies at parties and getting attention from civilians.
"Buck me. Good thing no guild ponies are watching. I'd die from embarrassment." The mare muttered to herself as she flipped over her coat to the reverse side, dyed white. "Washed up killer, they'd sneer! Well, tell me what you think when I'm rolling in dosh after this job."

Satisfied she wouldn't stand out on the streets, Pon-3 emerged from behind the bush and nonchalantly strolled up the street, heading north. The mansions transitioned into townhouses, rowhouses, and more crowded insula housing.

She hummed to herself. "I'm the music mare. I'll be your conductor, yeah. I can make them sing and play, with my bow ribbon." She said melodiously. She fished the jeweled ring Twilight Velvet had given her out of her pocket. "Hmm, fancy. Even if it's not stollen, I should break it up. It'd be hard to sell it in one piece."

Her winding path north took her toward the center of Canterlot, to the edge of the Inner City district.

"It's... been a while." Pon-3 stowed the ring back in her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper with Velvet's instructions instead. "But this address should be around here somewhere."

Indeed she turned a corner and was face-to-face with a dilapidated storefront bearing the address on the paper. A petit unicorn mare in a frilly maid uniform stood in the doorway, tracking Pon-3's approach with unblinking eyes.

"Not the weirdest rendezvous I've ever had, out in the open like this." Pon-3 looked in both directions down the poorly-cobbled street. Most of the shops and buildings had been boarded up. There were very few ponies lingering around, huddled over dice games or chatting. "I remember this place being a lot livelier. I haven't been to Canterlot in a while. Kinda sad to see this place crumble."

The mare in the maid uniform stayed completely silent.

"Yeah, anyway..." Pon-3 cleared her throat. "Are you the agent I'm supposed to meet?"

The maid glanced past Pon-3 for a moment. "You were followed." She said in a monotone voice.

"Bullshit I was." Pon-3 looked over her shoulder but saw nothing. "Look, if you're nervous or whatever, just give me a name and I'll clean 'em up. I've been payed and I'm itching to go." She pantomimed stabbing someone.

The maid's expression did not change. "Do you have an address?"

"Yeah but it doesn't get postage." Pon-3 said.

"That is of no consequence." The maid said. "Where is it? I will send information along. Names, dates, and our next meeting."

Pon-3 turned and pointed north. Over the roofs of the abandoned row houses around them, a tall square tenement building rose above the heart of the Inner City. Even from kilometers away, one could see where parts of its facade had crumbled away. "I'm squatting on an upper floor. Decent digs. Nopony bothers me."

"Expect the next message, express mail." The maid gave a curt nod. "Perhaps on the way there you can loose the mare tailing you."
With that, the maid bowed politely and trotted along the road to the south, back toward the affluent South Canterlot.

"Geeze. I hate the paranoid ones. Gotta jump through ten hoops before I get a name. I just wanna stab a hoe and get payed for it!" Pon-3 scowled. But maybe she HAD been followed. She looked over her shoulder again, but still nopony. "There could have been a guild mare at that party, one of the musicians. Damn it, I should have been more careful."

She trotted north for a few blocks, then abruptly jumped into an alley and started galloping. She zigzagged through the darker parts of the city until she didn't know where she was anymore. She hoped that meant the tail would get lost too. Then Pon-3 began carefully working her way back to her home base.

However, the ponies tracking Pon-3 were more tenacious than she had given them credit for. Stalking from the rooftops, several members of the party orchestra observed her progress across the city. The worst thing thing to happen both to music and professional murder was back in town, and in less than a week she had caught the attention of the Musician's Guild.

---

It was the twentieth time that day, but Twilight still was exhilarated by the magic of teleportation. The enormous energy it took to shatter atoms and ensnare consciousness, it was nothing short of awe inspiring. It broke and mended her at every point across space simultaneously. Twilight was almost addicted to that feeling, to be in control of it all, a magical master.

She was in the place between places again. A hundreds years could pass in that impossible moment, so she let her mind wander, a short respite between the family drama she had just left, to the royal drama she was heading into.

Her imagination wandered to the point where magic had first called to her. She was in an enormous crowd at the edge of Canterlot Castle's expansive gardens. It was a moonless pre-dawn, dark but for torches and lanterns dancing above them. Chants, prayers, and exultations came in waves across the sea of ponies, as excitement and anticipation built up. A hundred-thousand ponies all pushed into each other see the dais perched above them on the city walls. It would certainly be a dangerous situation if not for the city guards and knights keeping things orderly (one of the few times they were genuinely useful).
Twilight was much shorter, just a filly who could weave between the legs of the taller ponies. Commoner and noblepony alike stood on the concourse to see the impending ceremony. Just as Twilight reached the front of the throng, a pony stepped out onto the dais above them. The new figure was a unicorn of enormous size, with wings which would look more reasonably scaled on a griffin.
The winged unicorn's (nay, alicorn's!) horn came alight with magic. The weak light of the torches around them dimmed as orange light pierced the air at the horizon, daybreak. In tandem with the rising sun the majestic pony launched into the sky. Twilight's eye's widened in awe.

Her dream dissolved. The great alicorn was still rising before her, but that was because Twilight was falling. She screamed.

Twilight's downward momentum was arrested as she was encased in golden magic. She was pulled back up through the air to the top of the watchtower. When the magical grasp on her ceased, Twilight slumped against the parapet, taking slow breaths to calm her heart rate. "Whoops." She said to herself. She had miscalculated teleportation before, but never so badly.

The voice from above her pulled her attention. “You should be more careful, my faithful student."
Twilight lifted her gaze. Even if she had been standing, Princess Celestia would have towered over Twilight. The princess peered over her nose at her nominal student in a way that made Twilight feel like an ant. Yet Celestia's tone was calm, welcoming, and even somewhat maternal. It made Twilight feel good, if only for a moment. "I've felt you teleporting all about Canterlot today. Busy as always, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight’s first instinct was to feel wronged somehow, that Celestia was keeping close tabs on her. Officially, Twilight was still the princess's student, her ward. During the first few centuries of the empire, the princesses would take on dozens of students at a time, headed up by a beknighted 'First Student' who all used Celestias' wisdom to exercise her will. The centuries passed and the institutions of power, the Imperial Council, the Imperial Military, the administration, took on the actual work of executing the empress's laws. Princess Celestia had only very occasionally taken on students over the past century, and nopony was sure what the role of student meant anymore. Was it ceremonial? Did she have actual authority?

All that ambiguity remained even after Twilight Sparkle drifted away from Celestia and dedicated herself to her study at the University. If Twilight had real political power, Celestia was right to observe her. If Twilight didn't, Celestia was just being nosy and petty. But neither of them wanted to confront the question. The ambiguity helped both of them. The ambiguity protected them both from obligation and hurt feelings.

"Princess Celestia." Twilight stood up, her legs still a bit wobbly. She bowed and Celestia bowed back. "It's... good to see you." She didn't know why it was so hard even to say that much. "You have always been courteous and generous with me, and you just saved my life. It's more than I could ever deserve."

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, then dipped her head to be more at Twilight's level. "Twilight, you know you don't need this hollow adoratio masquerade with me."

Twilight smiled a bit, but she wasn't sure she was happy about it. This was the one time the court decorum was helpful, to regulate the conversation and to maintain that essential ambiguity. Twilight and Celestia had been friends before. Now they were here.
"Yes princess. I know." Twilight nodded. "All goes well, I hope?"

Celestia lifted her head and looked off to the horizon again. "Not particularly."

"Oh, Um, I am saddened to hear that. I hope I can help in some way." Twilight said.

"I do not want to get bogged down in platitudes like I am with Fancy Pants. You came to see me with purpose. That is how you will help me." Celestia said, softly but forcefully. "Does it have something to do with that book, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. There was no escaping the princess's keen senses and deduction. "Did Fancy Pants drop by after the Council meeting?"

Celestia smiled. “Not in the way you did, but yes.”

Twilight cracked a brief smile at the joke.
"So, Sir Pants probably came to tell you I was being evasive and conspiratorial. He may have demanded to know the truth and threatened to resign."

"Lord Vizier Fancy Pants, bless him, only hinted his suspicions and begged for information in a roundabout way." Celestia said, in a tone on the edge of sympathetic and condescending. "Go on then, Twilight. Show me what you have."

"Well, uh, okay. It is difficult to discuss, and I have been debating with myself if I should." Twilight nudged her saddlebag open. “Princess, I believe I have uncovered something about your lineage of sun princesses. It's a bit obtuse..."

Celestia nodded. "Take as much time as you need."

"As you may know your first incarnation, Celestia the First, had a sister who became the Nightmare Pretender." Twilight looked for Celestia's approval to continue and received it with a slight nod. That was already more than she was expecting! So, the Nightmare Pretended WAS the younger celestial sister! Twilight continued. "Princess, I have reason to believe she is alive. After losing to Celestia I, the Nightmare was cast off this world, and is locked away in the form of the Mare in the Moon." Twilight paused again, but Celestia's expression was unreadable. Twilight found it hard to continue under the princess's intense stare. "The Nightmare Pretender, according to prophesy, will be- excuse me, may be escaping from her lunar prison soon. Very soon."

Celestia shifted away from Twilight imperceptibly. "This is a grave claim. Have you consulted with the Prelate or other scholars? You bring it directly to me, but scattered with uncertainty and qualifiers."

"When Fancy Pants said you were having dreadful premonitions I drew the link that they involved the Nightmare Pretender." Twilight said defensively. "Am I wrong? It would be an enormous relief if you can deny all this to me."

Celestia looked away, to hide the doubt and fear that was clouding her lilac eyes. “Show me.” She said.

Twilight pulled 'Predictions and Prophesies' out of her saddlebag and flipped to the page in question.

"THE MARE IN THE MOON AND THE ELEMENTS

"The Mare in the Moon, also Night Mare, was once a powerful leader in the Wars of Unification. She was defeated and imprisoned in the moon by the 'Elements of Harmony'.

The very Stars will aid in her escape on the brightest day of the thousandth year of her banishment. She will return to bring about night's eternal victory over the sun.

-Prophesy unattributed. The words have appeared in blood/ichor several times in various languages since first records, usually on buildings on moonlit hilltops. Original attribution somewhere in modern Prance estimated 210 SS."

Twilight followed up with the copy of 'Magical Phenomena of the Late Classical Era' she had pilfered from the monastery. “This is where I found the original reference to the moon prison. And Night Mare, obviously, becomes nightmare. The Nightmare Pretender was, as the name suggests, a nightmare creature. The dream-eating nightmares are frequently associated with the moon which is a dream borderland. It all fits together!"
Twilight tripped over her words as she tried to explain it all. "And the 'brightest day'? Obviously, the Summer Sun. We can do the math to infer the day of the nightmare's return. Crucially, we know the nightmare was imprisoned before the unification. This is the year 999 SS, and the new year Summer Sun coming up will be the thousandth anniversary of the unification. Obviously since the nightmare didn't return last year or any year previously, we know she will return this year, because it's the last possible year! Therefore the Nightmare Pretender was imprisoned just before the unification! Her release date is just months away on the millennia Summer Sun!"

Celestia looked over all the evidence impassively. A dishonest plan was forming in her mind. She had not come up with it on the spot; It was something she had been considering for a while. Twilight's discovery forced her to put it into motion.
When Twilight paused between sentences, Celestia raised a hoof to her student's mouth, silencing her. The princess's voice was solemn. “Twilight, you have outdone yourself. You continuously impress me with your intelligence and curiosity, my faithful student. It has never done you wrong until now.”

Twilight was unsure how to take that remark. “Uh, what?”

Celestia continued, her gaze empty. “You have told me remarkable things, Twilight. You have made a very strong and convincing case. It would take a better pony than I to find the holes in your reasoning. You have done well..." She trailed off, and looked away to the horizon yet again. "I may have to act rashly, Twilight. I must know, do you trust me, Lady Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight remained silent.

The princess let out a strained breath. "Twilight, please, I must have an answer from you."

Twilight felt a chill. Celestia was not reacting the way she'd anticipated. "Princess, if this is just an informal conversation between friends, you can't make me answer that." She said politely. The ambiguity was twisted and strained. "Look, shouldn't we talk about the implications of the nightmare pretender returning?"

"No. I do not care to do so." Celestia frowned. She cleared her throat and assumed her formal tone. "Lady Twilight Sparkle-" The ambiguity was shattering apart. "-in formal recognition of your service to the crown I invest you with office befitting your virtue and ability. You are granted the title of 'First Student', the 'Élève Premier' of the imperial court. With your title the responsibilities over the Chateau la Garde, the fortified keep surrounding the city gate, fall to you. You may have a full investiture ceremony if you wish it, but this grant and the corresponding duties are immediate." Celestia proclaimed. She stared down her nose at Twilight again. Like an Ant... "You are not released from my ward. You will not be until I decree so. You are my vassal and student both, and whatever else I design, Lady Sparkle."

Twilight stood in dumb incomprehension for several minutes. What? WHAT? Celestia... was giving her a castle? Did that have anything to do with the Nightmare Pretender?
"Princess, I really don't understand. Is this, like, a joke?"

But her princess continued. “Since you will be on assignment from me, it is expected you will select a regent for your substantive title, the Chateau la Garde. Your parents would be the most fitting regents."

"On assignment." Twilight parroted.

"As Élève Premier, First Student, you stand above and apart from the administration. You are equal to the lord vizier, but much will be required of you." Celestia said. "Lady Sparkle, I am not being fanciful. You are now a landed peer of this empire, vested with great power and responsibility."

Twilight's confusion grew into shock. “What are you even talking about?”

"The first assignment will take you away from Canterlot, to a town in the river valley. You shall act on my behalf to appropriate the cooperation of the citizens there. “

“What?” Twilight was torn between starting to yell or to beg. Celestia was blowing her off. No, more than that. Celestia was utterly committed to pretending the whole conversation about the Nightmare Pretender hadn't happened. Now this moment of high attainment and accomplishment, Twilight's promotion to First Student, was nothing but a hollow ploy for Celestia to deflect! As First Student, Twilight was unambiguously subject to the princess's direct orders. The topic of the Nightmare Pretender would be stifled.
Twilight opted to yell. "Celestia! Why? Why are you-"

Why what? What did Twilight need to know?
Why are you doing this? Twilight already knew.
Why are you betraying me? Celestia didn't owe Twilight anything.
Why are you doing this now? Celestia couldn't have been bothered before.

Twilight didn't finish the sentence. There was still one question she did not have the answer too, but even then she could not bring herself to ask it. Celestia, if you are committed to keeping this secret, why not just silence me more directly?

Twilight and Celestia met eyes again. The question was asked and answered in their expressions, of confusion and rage, and of regret and necessity.

"Your promotions, the prophesy..." Twilight's voice cracked. "I don't understand, Princess. Do you want to stand on this tower forever?" There was an echo of irony, as Twilight felt herself using part of what Velvet had said to her. "You have had me as your student for years, and now you wish to use me like this?"

Celestia nodded. "So it seems, Lady Sparkle. Do not entertain the idea of turning me down or resigning. I am the empress. I am within my rights to use coercive force to make you accept and have you do preform your duties."

The ambiguity was broken and had been buried in a shallow grave. The patina of freedom Twilight had enjoyed at the University had been killed too. She was no different than a slave now. "If that is how you want to spend your energy before she returns." Twilight ground her teeth. "So. Be. It. Where are you sending me then?"

Celestia had won. Twilight was subjugated. There was no joy in such a trivial victory. "You will go to Ponyville, a settlement chartered with 'Imperial City' rights to the South on the Dneighper River.”

“Yes I know where Ponyville is. I can see it from here.” Twilight said bitterly, waving over the parapet. Ponyville, some 300 kilometers away south, was one of the closer settlements, but not literally visible from Canterlot unless from the top of The Mountain. “What am I doing there?"

"You will organize the Summer Sun Fair for the region. I expect it to be a grand occasion, befitting an empress." Celestia explained. She cracked a smile. "Or perhaps, a grad occasion. Lady Sparkle, this is the culmination of the organizational and political skills you have learned with me."

"It's a culmination alright. I get to pitch tents with farm ponies. Ponyville! Good grief! Great use of my talent, princess." Twilight was by this point so burning with rage at this snub, Celestia was afraid she would ignite.

Celestia could not meet Twilight's glare anymore. "Twilight... I trust you, more than you know. Canterlot is not the right place for you right now. This SS fair is important." She recovered her placid composure. "You should leave for Ponyville tomorrow. Pack light, bring your ward Spike with you."

“I suppose that's an order. Good. Good. I'm overjoyed I get to erase my entire life for you. That sounds great." Twilight seethed, snatching up her books.

Celestia bowed. "I look forward to the next time we see each other, Lady Sparkle."

With wordless fury, Twilight broke for the stairwell down the tower. Once out of Celestia's sight she screamed in frustration, causing the princess to wince.

Fancy Pants was climbing up the tower stairs (for the third time that day) as Twilight came barreling down, nearly colliding with him. "Oh my!" He dodged back a bit. "Lady Sparkle-"

"Yeah?!" Twilight hissed, eyes reddened with tears.

Fancy Pants hesitated. What had the princess and Twilight discussed? "Are you okay, my lady?"

Twilight's lip trembled. "You better ask Celestia that. I think something wrong with her." She sniffled. "Me? I'm FINE. Actually I just got promoted! I'm a viscountess now!" She hiccuped on her tears. "I have a little castle and everything. I hope you gets yours soon." She rushed on down the stairs.

"... viscountess?" Fancy Pants mumbled. "Oh dear." He resumed the climb.
A few minutes later Fancy Pants emerged onto the watchtower, breathing with difficultly. He rested by the door, eyeing Celestia from behind. "Princess, it's me."

"So it is." Celestia maintained her gaze over the city.

“Since when does Lady Sparkle take the stairs?” Fancy Pants asked. "Princess, I dearly hope I will not be expected to manage her as well."

"You think that you manage me, sir?" Celestia asked pointedly.

Taking the hint that the princess was on edge, Fancy Pants approached the subject more carefully. "Her ladyship said she had been promoted."

Celestia nodded. "The clever filly. She came to confirm my worst fears." She said to herself. "And I, in return, told her lies. I do not treat her well. I never have. It is unbecoming of the daughter of the sun to act so unjust."

"Princess I don't follow. You lied? So, she did not receive a promotion?" Fancy Pants scratched his head. "I am puzzled, for you have been magnanimous and generous with Lady Sparkle. She has catapulted forward academically and socially from your patronage, my princess."

"You would say that, you envious fop." Celestia said flatly.

Fancy Pants could tell she not as venomous as the words implied, or he would have real reason to be afraid. "My princess I just call the balls and strikes when I see them." He stood up and took a few steps closer. "Please, let us be straightforward. What did you two discuss?"

“The premonitions I have had are real. Twilight proved it.” Celestia sighed. “I had a plan to tell her something very important, but now she has fixated on a path I can not yet follow. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her what she needs to hear.”
The princess whipped around and loomed over her vizier. “Twilight is arrogant, proud, ambitious, and totally naive. Her desire to learn, nay, her visceral need to learn greatly outshines her willingness to face the consequences. She knows every spell my institutions can teach her. It wasn’t enough for her. She is a student of every science and knowledgeable in every philosophy. She has educated herself in the disciplines of a master engineer, general, and politician because it fills some hole in her life. I would call that pitiful, if I were not guilty of the same thing on a much grander scale."

Her highness was astute. Fancy Pants had noticed but been unable to articulate everything Celestia had just said about Twilight Sparkle. What Celestia had just said about the premonitions being true was alerting, but Pants had no time to dwell as the princess kept ranting.

“What tremulant guilt, that I confess these things to you instead of her. I become an utter coward around her for reasons I can hardly grasp. The result is that I am a failure in my role as her mentor." Celestia confessed. "So instead of facing her and all that I fear, I have unleashed her on the world instead. Next time she loses control, she will destroy more than just a tower."
Celestia leaned over the edge of the watchtower. Down on ground level, hundreds of meters below, Twilight Sparkle galloped out of the castle and towards her little tower in the garden. "I can't face the truth. I'm not a very good pony..." Celestia sighed. "Which of us will flinch first? When that question is answered I will doubtless rue this day, that I made her l'Élève Premier.”

So much flowery vague language, but Fancy Pants's attention was only really caught by the last part. “I beg your pardon?Princess, please tell me that was a joke. Please tell me you didn't actually make Sparkle the First Student.”

Her confessional venting over, Celestia broke into a sad smile. She enjoyed the stallion's aghast expression, regretting to herself again that she was talking to him and not Twilight. “I did. It was an impulsive thing to do, but Canterlot is not the right place for her. The city grows stagnant in some ways, dangerously dynamic in others, so it was necessary to get her out of the city. The most direct way to do that was to promote her: She is essentially my reeve now, and I may order her as I please.”

Fancy Pants didn't know where to begin. "You could have ordered her before! If you had told her to leave the city, she would never have refused, never! This-" He took a deep breath. "Princess, this is very upsetting. You should have consulted me. This upsets the balance of power between the crown, the administration, and the Estates."

Celestia scoffed. "I am princess and empress of Equestria. Are you telling me I may not do what I please?"

Fancy Pants groaned in frustration. The little things the princess was defensive or stubborn about prevented forthright conversation. "Actions have consequences. Forgive me my princess, for in my faithlessness I can not grasp how ordering Twilight without promoting her is more costly than ordering her after promoting her."

"I do not have to explain myself." Celestia said with some finality.

The cloud of secrecy was really starting to bother Fancy Pants. If Twilight had not been crying, he would have suspected that student and teacher were plotting something against him. Celestia was shutting him out, expecting him to do his job while she didn't do hers.
"You really did not need to make a temperamental adolescent one of the most authoritative ponies in Equestria. Do you remember Sunset Shimmer? Do you remember how well that went? Oh don't give me that look, it's a perfectly serviceable comparison!"

Celestia sighed. "I will admit Twilight is a flawed pony-"

“Lady Sparkle is not-" Fancy Pants stopped himself. Celestia had already characterized Twilight Sparkle adequately. "Well, I don't have to tell you what she is." He cleared his throat. "But what about the Chateau la Garde? You give her a castle at the same time you shoo her out of the city. She'll need a regency. You know her mother and father are under heavy suspicion of seditious and heretical activity. Lady Velvet is a borderline traitor! You are handing them the Chateau la Garde, a formidable little keep in its own right if it did not ALSO straddle the city gatehouse!”

"You don't have to yell. I am right here, Sir Pants." Celestia said.

Fancy Pants shook his head woefully. “If Velvet and Light start to plot against us we will be in a bad way. There are already conspiracies brewing around here, taking advantage of your... ahem, absence from the court.”

Celestia nodded. “Count on it.”

Fancy Pants just stared at her for a while. "Princess, I ask this with no glib nor sarcastic intentions: Are you trying to destroy Equestria? You are undermining your ability to rule, my ability to administer, and feeding faction against yourself."

"My intentions are not your concern. You keep the gears of empire turning. I protect ponykind as its princess." Celestia turned away from him. "This audience is over, sir. To your duty."

"Your highness." Fancy Pants mumbled. He bowed and backed into the stairwell. He was not too big a stallion to admit he almost cried like Twilight Sparkle had as he made the depressing descent down the tower to the rest of Canterlot Castle. Even more heartache awaited him there.

---

Twilight galloped right to the door of her tower before she stopped to consider what had just happened. That was when the emotions raging through her began to mellow, and she could think in complete sentences again.

On the princess's whim, she had just been catapulted to a rank of noble attainment that put her in the community with the most powerful and influential ponies in Equestria. Sure, the title of First Student and its associated castle was non-inheritable, but it was Twilight's for as long as she rendered service to the princess. Twilight was young, so that could mean upwards of seventy years! Who would try to kick her family out of Chateau la Garde after that long in occupation?

But it was a totally moot point. One, Twilight didn't really want any of it. Two, a castle was no use if the Nightmare Pretender returned and won "eternal victory over day" like the prophesy stated.
"On the one hoof, I could accept what I've been given, keep my head down, and enjoy the benefits of being a viscountess." Twilight said. "On the other hoof, I could be a nuisance and throw it all into question, maybe saving Equestria along the way." The choice was obvious.

Twilight entered her tower. Spike was absent, presumably at or coming back from Foaly Flux's party. Twilight trotted to her writing desk, pulling out a few letter-sized sheets of paper and jotting down vague invitations.
Her tower was unsuited to hosting a dinner, so she had to propose a dinner at her parent's South Canterlot townhouse. She made one invitation out to her brother, one to her mother (her father was doubtless in the same place), and one to Spike.

Twilight signed and sealed the letters. She set aside her inkwell and grabbed the other small bottle on her desk- It was a glowing glass container of dragon fire, the magical alternative to messenger ponies. The imperial administration ran on the stuff, allowing books, letters, decrees, and news to be sent nearly instantaneously across Equestria. Spike's breath replicated the effect, but Twilight kept some in reserve for moments like these where he was out.

Twilight opened the warm glowing bottle and, before she had time to second guess herself, released a drop of liquid green fire on each of the letters. They were engulfed in green fire and disappeared with neither smoke nor ash. Green tendrils of light briefly danced in the air above Twilight before darting away.

Twilight mulled for a bit after that, hunched over in her writing chair, thinking about nothing in particular. She would be leaving Canterlot the next day. Her tower and its familiar comforts would be left behind. When she returned from the little exile to Ponyville it would be to the Chateau la Garde as viscountess.
It was deeply unsettling. Twilight felt mourning pangs for her relatively carefree life as a student. Now she had genuine responsibilities, duties she couldn't blow off.
Well, she could. But the wisdom of going against the princess now was questionable, considering recent examples of another First Student.

When enough time had passed, Twilight got up and changed outfits for dinner. She ditched the necklace and makeup, and wore a simpler plain dress- She felt an irrational grudge against the white dress for getting her into so much trouble.

Satisfied, she teleported to her parent's townhouse.
The family maid greeted her at the door. "Hello Lady Sparkle." The maid bowed and stepped back for Twilight to enter. "Have you had a nice day young mistress?"

Twilight had never really understood the deal with the maid. She didn't even know the mare's name, yet she had seemingly always been there. Shining had once guessed the maid was a childhood friend of Twilight Velvet's hired to the family for a secure livelihood, but that was never substantiated. It was one of those things that never got questioned.
"It's been so-so. And you?"

"Standard, m'lady." The maid nodded. "Your parents are still out. Have you come to see them or..."

"Umm, kinda. I want to hold a family dinner. Shining is coming too. Can you help me with that?" Twilight asked. It was no secret that Twilight was a distracted and haphazard cook: The maid would be doing most of the work.

The maid bowed her head. "Of course. It is a marvelous idea too. You mother will be pleasantly surprised."

So they got to the work of putting together a modest dinner for five. Salad, fruit, some fresh-baked bread, a few simple confections.
True to her usual, Twilight became bored of the repetitious work and wandered into the family library, ostensibly taking a break but with little intention to return to the kitchen. Her father's side of the room was filled with romantic tales of knightly duty and honor, fencing guides, memoirs of oceanic explorers, and weapon catalogues. Her mother side of the room had bookcases of rhetoric guides, Prench histories, folklore, and fundamentals of magic.
Twilight's attention lingered around the folklore section. Velvet apparently owned a volume of Predictions and Prophesies too. Twilight pulled out the copy. Several pages was dog-eared. Twilight flipped between them: The Twelve-point Star, the one-armed griffin, the spectacled monster, the Mare in the Moon-
Twilight hesitated. How come Twilight Velvet had noted the Mare in the Moon as well? Was it coincidence, or had she made the connection to the Nightmare Pretender as well? Twilight quickly scanned the bookcase and was relieved that Velvet did not own a copy of Magical Phenomena of the Late Classical Era. She was ready to believe it was just a coincidence.

There was a sound from the front hallway, somepony arriving. Twilight slotted Velvet's Predictions and Prophesies back into place, but her eyes strayed over the spine of another book beside it, where a taped label was emblazoned with 'EoH' and a numeral 'I'. But Twilight thought nothing of it, more concerned with affecting an air of nonchalance before the new arrival came in.

The new arrival turned out to be her parents with Spike in tow. They had all been at Flux's party when her letters arrived.

"Sorry to pull you away. I have some important stuff to say to everypony. Shining's coming too hopefully." Twilight said. She ignored their questions and withdrew into the kitchen to pretend to help some more.

Shining Armor arrived a little while later. He was silently annoyed, having just made it back from Canterlot Castle from the party when his letter appeared. His sisters apologetic smile made him feel a bit better about it all.

Not long after, dinner was ready and served. Everything was laid out and the family took their seats.
Twilight didn't dig in right away. She waited until everypony's (and dragon's) mouths were full before she explained herself.
"I won't drag it out. I was promoted to l'Élève Premier, First Student of the empire."

Shining dropped his fork, which bounced off his plate to the ground. His eyes darted between his sister and parents.

"Huh?" Spike scratched his chin. "What's that mean? Like, valedictorian?"

"No sweetie, its a court title. the princess bestows it." Velvet said. "My my Twilie, you must have had a very interesting discussion with Princess Celestia. Congratulations. You more than deserve it."

Twilight accepted the uncomfortable praise. "I guess. Maybe I deserve it, maybe I earned it. I don't know."

"Do not doubt yourself. This is just the beginning." Night Light patted her on the back.

"And I assume you were granted the Chateau la Garde as well? Just marvelous Twilie!" Velvet clopped her hooves. "I hope you don't ask us to call you viscountess now." She joked.

"Isn't that the gatehouse?" Spike was catching her parent's excitement. "You mean you have a chateau now? Cool!"

The only pony not smiling and laughing was Shining Armor. "Huh." He was a bit confused, since Twilight had always emphasized her estrangement from Celestia to him. It seemed like an odd reversal, especially considering the general disorder of Canterlot Castle from the princess's apathy. Of course he was still happy for his sister. "Pretty impressive. You made first student before I made captain." He remarked dryly.

Twilight blushed a bit. His comment was the only one that resonated. "Hey now. I know you have worked way harder for our promotion than I did mine. Honestly..." She trailed off. Expressing her doubts would only lead to confessing about her discovery and the Nightmare Pretender. Telling her family would expose them to danger and retribution from the princess. "You'll get there sooner than you think, Shining. I'm sure of it."

"Geeze. Considering Captain Hauseway would have to retire or die for me to get promoted, words like that can be interpreted as a threat." Shining chuckled. "Cheers Twilie, on attaining one of the few jobs just left open, where you don't have to maim a pony to get it."

"Keep that up and I'll hire you for my guard. I'm allowed one of those now, as a viscountess." Twilight teased.

They had a good laugh, and the cheer lasted through dinner. But Twilight's little grin slowly faded as the looming danger hung over everypony's jokes and merriment.
None of it mattered if the Nightmare Pretender returned.

Twilight also explained her assignment to Ponyville, which made her parents sentimental. Their daughter would have to leave the city for her first real job. Twilight stayed more and more quiet as she picked through her dinner.

The dinner wore into the evening, and Canterlot's towers began to cast long shadows. Shining took his leave, taking a few deserts to distribute with the other knights. Night Light helped the maid clean up the table. Spike went to check on his old room on the second floor.
Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet remained at the table.

"We will be at the skydock in the morning when you leave." Velvet said. "I can tell you are not thrilled about how got your new rank, but I encourage you to embrace it. Power is something everypony covets, difficult to gain, easily lost."

Twilight leaned her head against her hoof. "I'm a plenty strong pony without fancy appellation or a big stone house." She mumbled. "I don't care about owning a chateau, or ponies calling me a viscountess. I couldn't give a hoot about executing Celestia's orders. I'm a scholar, mother."

"Very high minded. However even the Celestiaan alicorn sisters, as powerful as they were, were unimportant before ponies began to call them princess." Velvet said. "Eventually you're going to discover something that is important to you, a goal you are willing to fight to achieve. Then you will not begrudge any power and influence you can wield, even frivolous titles that mean nothing."

The deliberate reference to the Celestiaan sisters jolted Twilight Sparkle up in her seat. "Do you have something to do with this?" She asked gruffly.

"I don't know what you are talking about my dear." Velvet cooed.

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. Obviously, how could her mother have anything to do with the Nightmare Pretender. It was just a coincidence. Twilight was too on edge and jumping at shadows. "Shoot." She slumped. "This is everything you ever wanted from me. I hope you're happy. I thought I had trouble going about my day before, and now I have constant attention, appeals, and probably aggression to look forward to. I've been tied at the hip to the princess for good or ill."

Velvet shrugged. "If you are not up to it, either you are downgraded back to a more obscure position, or you are promoted to a job with less work." She winked. "Some ponies, not you of course, have a habit of failing upwards. The pleasure of wealth I suppose."

Twilight scoffed at the absurdity. "There's no court position higher than First Student, mother."

"Isn't there? One of your superiors does nothing but stand on the southern watchtower all day." Velvet tittered.

Twilight lurched again. Velvet was being too provocative and borderline heretical. "I've got to go." She stood up and trotted to the entry hall. "Spike, I'm heading home!" She shouted. She could feel her mothers eyes on her.

"Coming!" Spike shouted down the stairs.

"See you tomorrow Twilie." Velvet said, lighthearted.

"Bye Twilie." Night Light called out from the kitchen.

Twilight and Spike emerged into the cool evening air, and started their way back towards the bachelorette tower.

"So much happened today. I can't really process it all." Spike remarked. "Are we really leaving Canterlot tomorrow? Gosh! It's been a while since we left the city. It was last year's family vacation to the Foal Mountains. And where the heck is Ponyville? Is that in the Canter, or way far away? Well, don't forget to send goodbye letters to your university pals."

Twilight was absorbed in her own thoughts and didn't pay much attention to what he was saying. It didn't bother Spike.

They arrived back at the tower and Twilight made a beeline for her writing desk. She set about pulling some books and scrolls together, arranging quills, and checking over her stash of notes.

Spike was tired and wanted to go to bed, but dutifully followed Twilight. "That's all your school stuff."

"Yup. I have a few essays and a thesis to submit before I leave Canterlot. I can't leave without giving my professors the work I promised them." Twilight said as she finished arranging the desk. "So, I'll be doing a lot of writing tonight. I'll sleep on the way to Ponyville."

"Uhh, seems like a bad idea to go into your new job sleep deprived." Spike pointed out. "Your professors will understand for sure."

Twilight sighed. "Spike, I'm doing this for me, not for them. It's a last hurrah, you know. I don't know how long before I can get back to my studies. Maybe... never." She shivered. "You don't have to stay up with me." She grabbed the first book from her stack and pulled up the corresponding notes, a quill, and paper.

Spike was a firm believer in sleep, but an even firmer believer in helping Twilight, especially when she was this committed. She tried not to show it, but Twilight had had a difficult day, and Spike wanted to help. “I'll go get some tea.” Spike trundled to the tower's little fireplace and kettle.

Twilight lifted her quill, but hesitated before putting pen to paper. She knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to write essays. Her head still swam with thoughts about the Nightmare Pretender and Celestia's dire secrets.
She looked up, through the tower's multi-story window, to the night sky above Canterlot. The full moon has risen. A pattern of craters, creating the profile of a black unicorn head, was there as it always had been. It was a trick of the night most likely, but Twilight could have sworn the moonlight dimmed and shimmered across the lunar surface.

"You can see me too." Twilight whispered to the grey orb. It was like a great unblinking eye.
It made her angry. How could Celestia be so blind to the danger? They were probably the only ponies in Equestria who knew of the nightmare's impending return, and Celestia was forbidding her to speak or act on it.
What if Twilight disobeyed and spread the news as much as she could? She would sound crazy, and Celestia would probably deny it. She would get locked up and suffer a public humiliation even greater than the last Élève Premier.

“I'll show them. I'll show them all.” She promised. Or at least, she’d show Celestia, because that was the only one who mattered. Twilight returned her gaze to the book pile. In addition to the one already in her magical grasp, she pulled five more down. It was goddamn study time.

Comments

[DarknessLilly]

its a very interesting story i am liking it so far. ^_^ very underrated.

[StormyVenture]

This a somewhat interesting premise for a different version of the events etc that S1 covers. I did notice quite a few issues in this chapter, particularly with word choice and grammar, though. (see below)

This will be a logical stretch but bare with me Brother. How would you describe the spread of nightmares in a society

You mean 'bear', in the sense of to carry or put up with something, not 'bare' as in empty or uncover.

“Correct. Now being a learned colt yourself you know it is neither impiety nor sin which spreads plague and disease, however convenient it is for the faith to say so.”

Last I checked, 'stallion' was the word for an adult male pony. Also, there should probably be commas around 'being a learned colt yourself', as it is not necessary to the sentence and describes 'you'.

“A three centuries ago, two sisters battled for the fate of the day. The eldest sister reluctantly took up the power of the most powerful magic ever known to ponykind, and used them to defeat her sister, banishing her permanently on the moon.”

Why does this start with an 'a'. It should start with "Three centuries ago" if only because centuries is plural. Also, I think you should say 'elder sister' unless there is more than one other sister.

“You do so excite things when you visit. Although I must remind you that convents are supposed to be quiet. Doubly so for libraries.”

In our historical context, convents are for nuns (female) and monasteries are for monks (male), so it's odd to call the place where Twilight converses with the monks a convent even indirectly.

Now, as Celestia CLXXIX's imperial vizir, he traveled the width and breadth of her domain to execute her will. He would assist her once again.

That's 'vizier' to you.

“Amazing how their already done.” Celestia said. Such fast construction was not unheard of, but required an army of master masons and workers

The word you want is 'they're' (they are) not 'their' the possessive. For the sake of flow, I'd suggest using 'wasn't' here instead of 'was not'.

“Foaly Flux has become very loose with his money recently. I think that bastion project consumed the last of his saving.”

Shouldn't that be 'savings' plural? It would make more sense, to me at least, to say 'bits' rather than 'money'.

“Thats quite the building spree. I hadn't realized he had the income for this many projects.”

You seem to have missed the apostrophe in 'that's'. Personally I'd swap 'this' for 'so'.

The Sun Monastery was the farthest up the slopes of The Mountain of any building in Canterlot, it's bells nearly even with the outrageously tall watchtowers of Canterlot Castle.

Are the bells or the bell towers even with the watchtowers of Canterlot Castle? And why wouldn't you call it the 'Solar Monastery' or the 'Monastery of the Sun' (solar means 'of the sun' if I recall correctly) ?

Either this letter had been delayed, or Foaly Flux had forgotten to send it. Knowing her uncle, it was the latter.

Was, as in 'must have been', or probably, as in 'in all likelihood' ?

Twilight skimmed it and provided her reply. “Tell Sir Flux I have a lot of studying to catch up on, so I go to his party couldn’t stay long.” The filly saluted and took to the sky.

Very poor grammar in use here, for a pony who is presumably well-educated. I think what you mean to say is that her visit will be very brief. Rewriting that reply would be a good idea unless you mean to convey that Twilight can't talk straight or properly when she's in a rush.

She ironically noted it was not the first time she had to choose between her mother and her princess.

A number of things wonky here. I believe it should be phrased as follows:
'It was not the first time she'd had to choose between her mother and the princess, she noted ironically.'
or 'She noted ironically that it was not the first time she'd had to choose between her mother and the princess.'
adverb location -> http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/word-order/adverb-position
Celestia is not Twilight's princess, Twilight is Celestia's subject. So it seems most appropriate to say 'the princess' or perhaps 'her sovereign'. Also, I believe you have a case of needing to say 'had had', so it's cleanest to wrap the first had into she with a contraction.

His horn poked out of a hole in his black chaperon.

I think you are mixing chaperone (one who accompanies, an escort) up with chapeau (hat).

Laurel perked up. “Oh, yes. I should like to know too.” Night Light cast her a curious glance, then refocused on Flux.

Like elsewhere you use a lot of informal language. I would replace 'too' with 'myself'.

"We're both discerning ponies, m'lady. I eagerly away my payment." The assassin turned to leave.

Do you mean 'await'? Is that meant to convey an accent?

“It's to avoid the crowds. I'm surprised to see you here. I heard you were on a mission for Princess Celestia.”

I think that "You know I do it to avoid the crowd." or "You know I do it so as to avoid the crowds." or perhaps "I do it to avoid the crowds, you know.". The way it's currently phrased is wrong somehow. I guess part of the problem is that it is a pronoun, and there's prior noun it's referring to.

“My impromptu confrontation with the princess should have begun half-a-minute ago! I love you, by by.”

'by by' ? Do you 'bye bye' or 'Goodbye'?

“It's this kind of magical abuses that make my job hard.”

You have a singular/plural problem here. You should say 'this kind of magical abuse' OR 'these kinds of magical abuses' depending whether
you mean that it is this particular kind of abuse that makes his job hard or one of many kinds of abuses that make his job hard.

“Lies. She's came, just now, and confirmed my worst fears.”

I think you mean 'she came' not 'she is came'.

“We're leaving tomorrow for the county.”

County or country?

* There may be more, but this is more than adequate for a single comment.

[SpiritDutch]

5212213

You mean 'bear', in the sense of to carry or put up with something, not 'bare' as in empty or uncover.

Why does this start with an 'a'. It should start with "Three centuries ago" if only because centuries is plural. Also, I think you should say 'elder sister' unless there is more than one other sister.

That's 'vizier' to you.

The word you want is 'they're' (they are) not 'their' the possessive. For the sake of flow, I'd suggest using 'wasn't' here instead of 'was not'.

Shouldn't that be 'savings' plural? It would make more sense, to me at least, to say 'bits' rather than 'money'.

You seem to have missed the apostrophe in 'that's'. Personally I'd swap 'this' for 'so'.

Very poor grammar in use here, for a pony who is presumably well-educated. I think what you mean to say is that her visit will be very brief. Rewriting that reply would be a good idea unless you mean to convey that Twilight can't talk straight or properly when she's in a rush.

Very poor grammar in use here, for a pony who is presumably well-educated. I think what you mean to say is that her visit will be very brief. Rewriting that reply would be a good idea unless you mean to convey that Twilight can't talk straight or properly when she's in a rush.

Do you mean 'await'? Is that meant to convey an accent?

'by by' ? Do you 'bye bye' or 'Goodbye'?

You have a singular/plural problem here.

I think you mean 'she came' not 'she is came'.

County or country?

I fixed all those for you, sir.

I think you are mixing chaperone (one who accompanies, an escort) up with chapeau (hat).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaperon_(headgear)

I didn't know english very well when I started this story (It's debatable if I know it well now). Until a couple days ago when I came back and reedited it, the first few chapters were nigh unreadable. It seems I missed some things. I really appreciate what you've taken time to inform me of.

[SpiritDutch]

I'm going back and re-editing Acts 1 & 2, again. Probably going to take a while. Why do I spend my time on this?