Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 4:1 - A Ruler in Waiting, Part the First

Chapter 4:1 – A Ruler in Waiting, Part the First

The city of Cant’r Laht, perched high upon the Titan’s Horn, was bristling with energy. The summer solstice ceremony was just days away and the city was filled with ponies from all corners of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, come to celebrate Regent Celestia’s raising of the sun to start a new year. Despite the ceremony being held at Cant’r Laht Castle this year, and closed off to all but the nobility and a few privileged gentry, ponies had still come from far and wide to share in the revels and sneak a glimpse of the newest alicorn. Some had even attempted to set up camp against the walls of the castle grounds, and Cant’r Laht’s guards were trying to move them elsewhere. Trotting along the perimeter of the castle grounds, observing the evacuations as an aside, were two stallions, both members of the 1^st Council of the Lodge of Sorceresses.

“At least give it some consideration,” Earl Neighsay Ferrun told his colleague as he watched a guard tear down a lean-to, to the protests of the pony within. “Baron Midwinter was a disaster as a chancellor, and if we let the council go ahead, they’ll likely pick someone who will just agree with whatever Celestia says, like Selene or Fleur.”

“So you do understand our position,” Earl Brisk Shot Ironsides replied with a snort. “The Lodge’s allegiance has shifted, Neighsay. You, me, Augusta.… We’re out, and Celestian loyalists are in. Duchess Rocinté is the chairpony now, a close friend of Grand Duchess Cadence.”

“I refuse to recognize that title,” Neighsay huffed, “Nor mi Amore Cadenza’s assertion that the North is not a part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, but a dependent realm that owes fealty to Celestia only as long as she lives.”

“Which, functionally, is forever. I don’t know why you are so caught up on this, my friend,” Brisk Shot said. “We both know that Celestia is immortal.”

“Firstly, even if I could depend upon the North remaining a dependency forever, they do not recognize any laws we—the Lodge—make. Secondly … is Celestia truly immortal?”

Taken completely off guard by the question, Brisk Shot halted briefly before cantering to catch back up with Neighsay.

“Talk like that is liable to get you beheaded,” he whispered conspiratorially. “Besides, the New Cabal tried to kill Celestia and failed.”

“Of course they did! Trying to kill Celestia is folly, and not just because it’s practically impossible,” Neighsay said far too loudly for Brisk Shot’s comfort, with all the city guards around. “I would never want to kill Celestia unless my goal was to destroy Cant’r Laht, which I assuredly do not want. In a way, I almost applaud her for her efforts to provide structure and stability to our realm by reorganizing it into a kingdom—had she not centralized power in herself rather than in the Lodge, where it rightly belongs.”

“What, then? You expect the mighty Celestia to die of old age?” Brisk Shot asked.

“Yes,” Neighsay said, turning to face his friend and shocking him into immobility once again. “Or perhaps illness, I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that Celestia’s actions point to the plans of a pony who knows she will die soon. Why else would she suddenly have become so insistent on finding an heir thirty years ago? Why has she pushed her apprentices so hard into positions they are not ready for? Both Cadence and Twilight Sparkle became alicorns at such a young age, centuries before Yliiena or Nostracom took that leap. Now Cadence has been proclaimed Grand Duchess of a distant patchwork land that she’s barely managing to hold together in the face of internal dissent and bison rebellions, and Twilight Sparkle …”

As if for dramatic effect, whatever Neighsay had been meaning to say was drowned out by the cries and cheers of the ponies who’d assembled along the wall surrounding Cant’r Laht Castle. Even the guards ceased their evictions to look up as ponies pointed to the sky. Flying over the gardens was Twilight Sparkle, the tempo of her wingbeats changing rapidly as she plummeted downward as quickly as she’d risen.

“I’m the right pony for the job,” Neighsay insisted as he stared his colleague in the eyes. “We need a strong chancellor who will hold the line with Celestia, one who will be ready to step in once she and Luna are gone, somepony who can guide the inexperienced monarch that will take the regents’ place.”

“You do make a good point,” Brisk Shot said thoughtfully. “I will see what strings I can pull. You realize, of course, that it could still be centuries before Celestia and Luna die or abdicate? Who can say how an alicorn perceives time?”

“All the better to start now,” Neighsay said. “Besides, I have time. There is no greater cause for me than to preserve the order and structure of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, and the Lodge’s place in it.”

***

“Come on, Twilight, try it again,” Rainbow Dash encouraged her friend.

Twilight Sparkle had once believed flight to be a worthless skill for a sorceress, after she had learned how to teleport and open portals. Now that she had wings of her own, though, she was determined to learn how to use them properly. She still wasn’t planning to fly for long journeys (portals would still be superior for such travel) but it could be helpful in certain other situations, such as getting out of range of forces that would block the opening of portals or teleporting. Flight could also provide her with a different perspective and tactical advantage—something she hadn't ever considered before taking courses in aerial superiority at Cant’r Laht Academy in the World Across the Divide.

The sorceress picked herself up off the grass and took a moment to stretch her still-new wings before flapping them to lift herself back into the air. Twilight managed to catch up with Rainbow Dash in the sky and strained to maintain enough altitude.

“Flap ‘em hard!” her friend commanded.

Twilight Sparkle obliged, but her wings flitted out of sync almost instantly and threw her off-balance. She careened past Rainbow Dash and started to fall out of the sky again, back down toward the castle gardens. She struggled to regain a steady hover and nearly succeeded, right before her right wing caught on her robes and sent her tumbling down. After landing in a patch of flowers, Twilight brushed snapped stems off of her as she stood back up.

“Much better that time, Twi’,” Applejack told her as she helped the sorceress to her hooves.

Twilight gave her friend an appreciative smile, though she knew she still had a long way to go. She’d returned through Star-Swirl’s magic mirror from her strange, otherworldly caper only a few weeks earlier. Upon learning that her pupil had returned, Celestia had sent a missive asking Twilight to play a role in this year’s Summer Sun Ceremony in Cant’r Laht—a role that involved flying. She’d spent much of her time practicing her flight since then but felt she had little to show for it. though she knew she still had a long way to go.

“Hmm, maybe I should speak to Celestia and Luna’s seamstresses and see if there are any adjustments I should make to your robes to accommodate your wings,” Rarity mused as she trotted up and inspected the folds of fabric that were proving unwieldy.

Since Twilight had become an alicorn, Rarity had done her best to modify her sorceress robes beyond “cut a hole for the wings.” Twilight Sparkle was convinced her own clumsiness was just as much to blame as her clothing, if not more, concerning why she kept getting tangled. Just how did Fluttershy fly around in those druidess robes all the time?

“Thank you, Rarity, but I do not think it will make a difference in time for the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight admitted with a sigh. “I doubt two days will be enough for me to perfect my flying, either.”

Twilight Sparkle had a lot on her mind in addition to the summer solstice ceremony and becoming accustomed to her alicorn body. She didn’t know whether spending several months in a human body had helped or harmed her acclimation, but it had certainly complicated things. Her time in the World Across the Divide to reclaim the Element of Sorcery could have been spent on other pursuits, like learning how to fly or engaging more in her studies now that she had even more magical potential at her disposal. After coming back home, she’d had to catch up on both things, and more.

When she’d returned, Equestria had been much the same as she’d left it. The Kingdom of Los Pegasus was still divided, though the claimants to the throne were consolidating their territory into three successor realms. The bison in the north were still in rebellion, burning their way through the countryside, though they’d started settling into established territories and begun talks on how to form the khaganate that had been little more than conjecture up to this point. The rest of Equestria was relatively peaceful, barring the odd revolt, plague, or monster attack.

Across the Shimmering Sea, things were a different story. Things might be peaceful now, but Twilight Sparkle had missed something very important in her absence. While she’d been trying to navigate a bizarrely alien culture in another world, the Zebrikaanian Empire had finally invaded Saddle Arabia and managed to conquer it in a matter of days. Twilight Sparkle’s promise to the Saddle Arabian sultana and her calls for aid had gone unanswered. This was something she was going to have to deal with … after learning how to fly for the Summer solstice ceremony.

“Well, it certainly won’t be enough if you don’t keep at it,” Rainbow Dash called down to Twilight. “Come on, give it another go.”

The Brave Companions spread out around Twilight, and she took off. She was getting rather good at that bit, she thought; it was staying up that she was having trouble with. She tried to steady her flapping as she reached a comfortable altitude, and this time didn’t immediately fall from the sky. Now, she just had to fly forward. She understood the principles of flight—that propelling herself forward would cause her to lose altitude, so she would have to compensate with enough upward force to remain steady—but it was harder in practice than in her head. She managed to make it forward a few body lengths before she started to fall. She reactively overcompensated, then undercompensated, sending her bobbing, weaving, and accelerating as she moved forward. Twilight started diving toward the river that ran through the castle grounds but teleported herself away before she fell into the water, crashing down near her friends instead. She definitely still had a lot of work ahead of her.

***

Later that day, the Brave Companions trotted through the great hall of Cant’r Laht Castle as Twilight took a break from her flight practice. Servants were busy preparing for the summer solstice festivities, making sure everything was just flawless. In addition to Twilight’s role in the ceremony, Celestia had also placed the new princess in charge of planning it. Thankfully, most of the planning had been simplified so that her duties entailed little more than they had during the first Summer solstice ceremony Twilight had planned in Ponieville. Cant’r Laht Castle had held the ceremony far more times than any other location in the rotation, and the process had become a well-oiled machine. The castle staff and the denizens of the city responsible for the ceremony knew exactly what to do, and it was Twilight’s job to advise, coordinate, and stay out of the way. However, the ceremony’s preparations weren’t what had brought the Brave Companions to the great hall.

“It’s magnificent, Twilight,” Rarity remarked as they admired the newest stained glass window added to the hall. “It must be a dream come true to have your image immortalized in stained glass.”

“I suppose so,” Twilight replied.

There was still scaffolding around the window, the gaffers having just barely finished their work in time for the summer solstice. The window was to commemorate Twilight’s ascension to alicornhood and featured her standing regally, wings outstretched. To her friends, it was a marvelous tribute; to Twilight, it was another reminder of how much things were changing. She’d been Celestia’s apprentice for years and had spent the last year trying to get caught up on Cant’r Laht politics, but her mentor's recent actions suggested that she wanted Twilight to take an active role in the governance of the realm as crown princess—making their relationship less like teacher-student and more like regent-heir. She wanted to live up to her teacher’s expectations but was worried what these changes would mean for her studies, and, more importantly, her relationships with her friends. She had only met them a few years ago, and it already seemed like something was pulling her away. Twilight would never have imagined there would come a day when she’d be worried that Cant’r Laht would take her away from Ponieville. She’d felt quite the opposite when Celestia had first sent her to that muddy little hamlet—a place her friends would soon be returning to without her.

“‘Tis mighty nice, Twi’,” Applejack said. “A shame we can’t stand here gawkin’ at it, but we’d best return t’ Ponieville afore Mayor Mare gets herself int’ too much of a tizzy.”

It may have been the year for Cant’r Laht Castle to host the summer solstice ceremony, but that didn’t stop Mayor Mare from pulling out all the stops for Ponieville’s celebration. Her reaction to Twilight’s ascension to alicornhood had been … mixed. The conniving mayor had been displeased to find out the troublesome mage who’d moved uninvited into her town several years ago had become even more powerful. However, she’d also decided to capitalize on it by touting Ponieville as the home of the kingdom’s crown princess; perhaps she even had grand designs to turn her little town into a second Cant’r Laht.

Even before her alicornification, Twilight’s presence had caused the town to grow enough that it almost couldn’t be considered a hamlet anymore. The number of structures outside of Ponieville’s palisade was nearing the number of those within, though that was a distinction that would soon cease to matter. After a year of work, Mayor Mare’s town wall was nearing half completion, and the palisade would soon be pulled down; the completed structure would encompass not only Ponieville and its accompanying buildings but also a fair stretch of land for potential future expansion. The wall on the northwest bank of the Equestry River was almost done, and Mayor Mare was pushing the townsponies to finish it before the summer solstice ceremony so she could show it off. This was the primary reason she needed the Brave Companions to help her finish the ceremony’s preparations, as nearly everyone else had been put to work on the wall. An accompanying wall that would mirror the one on the northwest bank was planned on the southeast bank, across the river from Ponieville; it would enclose only a couple mills and mostly farmland, but Mayor Mare was planning big for the future. That wall, however, had only just begun construction and would likely take another year to finish.

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy tried to comfort her friend, whose downcast expression had begun to reflect her thoughts. “We’ll be back for the summer solstice ceremony.”

“Right,” Twilight said with a forced smile, and she opened a portal to Ponieville for her friends’ return home.

After they’d passed through and the portal snapped shut, she found herself facing her stained-glass portrait again. The pony staring back at her wasn’t her—and not just because she had been in the World Across the Divide when it had been commissioned and the gaffers had had to work without her posing for them. The pony in the window was a princess, a mare ready to rule, and Twilight … wasn’t.

***

“Everything is lining up nicely,” Spike reported later that evening. As Twilight massaged her sore wings, she went over the checklist one last time before bed. “There really isn’t anything else for you to do, Twilight, other than sit back and let the rest of the summer solstice preparations take place. We could easily go to Ponieville tomorrow and return before the ceremony.”

“That would be nice, and thank you Spike, but we cannot leave,” Twilight replied dolefully. “If something were to go wrong, I need to be here to address it. Celestia is depending on me to make sure everything goes smoothly, and I cannot let her down.”

“I know you won’t,” Celestia said as she strode into Twilight’s chambers unannounced.

“Celestia, your royal highness!” Twilight said in surprise, and she gave a bow to her mentor and liege.

“When did you become so formal, Twilight?” Celestia asked playfully, “This isn’t court; there’s no need for your prostrations here. I just came to see how preparations are going for the summer solstice ceremony.”

“Spike?” Twilight directed her page to give his report.

“Everything is on schedule,” Spike said, presenting the long and overly detailed checklist that Twilight had compiled.

“And your part in the ceremony?” Celestia asked, looking to Twilight.

“I am … still learning how to fly. I do not know if I will be ready in time for the ceremony,” Twilight admitted. Or ready to take your place.

“I am certain you will be ready, Twilight,” Celestia assured her. “As my student, you never disappoint.”

“Even when I tried to open a portal to Tartarus?” Twilight asked.

“Well …” Celestia said hesitantly. “We all have made mistakes, Twilight, and we all will continue to make mistakes. Looking back on my life recently has provided me with a perspective I lacked at the time. Many of my actions.… I did what I thought was necessary at the time, but not necessarily what I thought was right. You will need to make such decisions as well; whether they are right or wrong, whether they take a toll on you or bring you contentment, you must live with them and continue on.

“For a thousand years, I’ve had to live with my decision to banish Luna in order to defeat Nightmare Moon, as well as my actions that brought my sister and me to that moment in the first place. Every year, at the summer solstice, I’ve been reminded of that. While my subjects reveled in my display of power over the sun, I grieved for Luna and the time we could have had together.”

“I suppose I’d never considered that,” Twilight said quietly.

“But now I can look forward to the celebration, at least in some measure, for is it not also a reminder of our reunion? I have much to thank you and your friends for, Twilight, not the least for reuniting me with my beloved sister these past few years.”

“And for many years to come,” Twilight said hopefully, and Celestia got a distant look.

“Perhaps fewer than I could wish for,” the ancient sorceress replied softly, below what Spike could hear, before returning her attention to the present moment. “You are no longer my student, Twilight Sparkle. But as my heir, you may always depend on me, just as I trust I may always depend upon you.”

“Of course,” Twilight replied.

“I will leave you to it then, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said as she made her way out of Twilight’s chambers.

Twilight didn’t know what had disturbed her more: the worry Celestia now expressed openly in front of her about her possible death, or the ancient sorceress’s confirmation that Twilight was no longer her apprentice. Her role was to be Celestia’s heir now, and she must be prepared to take her place. Twilight didn’t feel at all ready for that, but at least things weren't so dire that she’d need to take Celestia and Luna’s place anytime soon. Twilight was sure she’d have time before she was expected to rule Cant’r Laht.

***

When Twilight Sparkle awoke, she was greeted by incessant knocking upon her chamber doors.

“Spike?” she asked blearily, but her page didn’t stir from his slumber.

Eventually rising herself, Twilight donned a robe before trotting from her bedchambers. Early dawn light shone through her windows, so it couldn’t have been too late in the morning. Had today’s preparations for the summer solstice ceremony commenced and run into a problem already? She reached her chamber doors, and the knocking stopped as she opened them. Two guards waited outside on the landing, though not her normal pair. (She’d decided to give Ream and Baldavin some time off while in Cant’r Laht.)

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” one of the guards said nervously as he executed a hasty bow. “Please get dressed and come with us. You are needed urgently in the council chamber.”

“What is the emergency?” Twilight asked, puzzled. Glancing around, she spotted Raven, Celestia’s page, hurrying up the stairs behind the guards.

“Your Highness,” Raven said, being overly formal despite having been acquainted with Twilight for years, “Please do as they say at once. We must hurry.”

“What is happening?” Twilight demanded. “What time is it?”

“Take a look at the sky,” Raven urged gravely.

Twilight trotted back into her chambers, and Raven followed after motioning to the guards to post themselves outside. A yawning Spike soon emerged from the bedchamber; the young dragon was visibly surprised to see Raven here but didn’t ask any questions, and he followed after the ponies. Twilight stepped out onto her balcony, where she could get a better view the sky over Cant’r Laht. The sun, as she’d suspected, was low on the horizon, bathing Equestria in a twilight glow. However, the moon also hung in the sky in the opposite direction; while this wasn’t unheard of, it was extraordinarily rare. Usually Celestia—and now Luna—rose and set the sun and moon at the same time, giving perfect symmetry to the day and night. But now, the two heavenly bodies appeared to be off their rotation.

“It’s hard to say what time it is. The sun and moon have been in these positions for at least the last two hours,” Raven disclosed as she trotted up next to Twilight, and she prepared herself to burden the sorceress with the more serious news that accompanied this. “Regents Celestia and Luna have vanished. We’ve searched the castle and Cant’r Laht as discretely as we could, but we have been unable to locate them.”

Twilight stared at Raven in disbelief. How could the two most powerful alicorns in the world have simply … disappeared?

“With the regents missing, we must look to you as our ruler, Your Highness,” Raven continued. “As crown princess, it is your duty to take up the role Celestia and Luna have vacated.”

“Do you mean … I am to be queen?” Twilight Sparkle asked, shocked at the suggestion.

“We can leave off the coronation for the moment, I think. I still hold out hope that Celestia and Luna may yet return, but in the meantime, you must take up rule in their names,” Raven said. “Both the council and the Lodge of Sorceresses would love to take this opportunity to seize control of the kingdom—you must not allow them to do so. If you step up and provide strong leadership in this time of crisis, they will have no choice but to submit to you. You must maintain order in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht during Celestia and Luna’s absence. Now, please clothe yourself and we can be off to the council chamber, where your advisors are already assembled. I also think it would be best to wear your tiara.”

Raven stayed in the main chamber of Twilight’s rooms as she went off to prepare herself for an audience with the royal council—her council now. Her best robes had not yet been tailored to accommodate her wings, which left her with two options: her traveling robes, or the dress she'd worn for her ascension ceremony three months earlier. She had no idea what the council would be expecting of her. After some deliberation, she decided they would probably be more impressed by her dress and donned it with some help from Spike. Twilight also placed the tiara that marked her as crown princess upon her head, though she couldn’t help thinking that it didn’t look quite right on her as she gazed at her reflection in a mirror. She ended up wearing the Element of Sorcery as well; she felt more confident wearing it—especially after the ordeal she’d recently gone through to reclaim it—even though it may not match her tiara or dress.

Raven and the two guards joined her and Spike on the way out of her chambers, and together they marched down from Twilight’s tower and across to the castle. Twilight, with her enhanced alicorn senses, could vaguely hear the distress and questions coming from the ponies outside the walls of the castle grounds. Raven seemed to believe that Celestia and Luna’s absence had been successfully kept a secret, but ponies were going to figure it out eventually, even just by looking up at the sky. The longer this went on, the harder it would be to keep the regents’ disappearance under wraps.

The council chamber of Cant’r Laht Castle had once been one of several audience chambers constructed for Celestia’s use. However, following the transformation of Cant’r Laht from dominions to kingdom, and the formation of a council that had gone with it, the room had been repurposed. Twilight could remember wandering through the castle as a foal, and she noted the changes between the council chamber of her memories and the renovated setup; the plush seating around a fireplace with a low table for serving beverages had been replaced with a long, sturdy table surrounded by stiff, high-backed chairs. Everypony on the council would have an assigned seat at the table, with the more ornate chairs at its head reserved for Celestia and Luna. Twilight noticed that one of those chairs had been pulled aside and pushed up against the wall, though she was unsure whether that was ordinary or had been done specifically for her. At the moment, the councilors were not seated at the table but standing around it, engaged in a heated discussion that ended as Twilight entered the room and was announced by Raven.

“Crown Princess Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun,” Raven declared loudly and authoritatively.

“Your Highness,” the various councilors replied and gave bows with differing levels of obeisance.

The ponies arrayed before Twilight were mostly nobles. They were also mostly unicorns, though there were a few exceptions, such as a pegasus from the Hill Kingdoms and earth ponies from White Tail Wood and Appleoosa. Academically, Twilight knew who they were and what roles each member each held. Unfortunately, she’d never gone into too much detail on the subject and her knowledge was quite shallow overall. The majority of the council were loyalist, at least, and had been directly appointed by Celestia and Luna. Even so, there were some whose allegiance was ambiguous, and loyalties to Celestia weren’t necessarily guaranteed to translate to her heir.

“Your highness, have you been filled in on the situation?” Chancellor Midwinter asked and Twilight nodded, suppressing her desire to look to Raven for confirmation and call her authority into question. “The council stands ready to govern the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht until the regents’ return or your accession.”

“No,” Twilight Sparkle said, shocking the chancellor. “I know my duties and yours. Until Celestia and Luna return, I shall govern Cant’r Laht, and you shall advise me and enact my decrees.”

“This is a most … unusual situation, your highness. I think you’ll find it requires a smooth transition,” the chancellor said, biting back his words. “Now, I wasn’t suggesting that you should be denied your rightful position, but we must consider all options if we are to keep the realm from panic and survive this crisis. The council is full of experienced members ready to take up the responsibility you may not be prepared to—”

“Why don’t you speak clearly and say you want more power for yourself?” the pegasus councilor spoke bluntly.

“It’s not about power, it’s about fitness to govern,” Duchess Reigna Pardassus, a prominent Cant’r Laht noble and member of the Lodge of Sorceresses, entered the debate. “The Lodge has governed Cant’r Laht for centuries and should take command until Twilight Sparkle is ready to rule.”

“Celestia governed the Dominions of Cant’r Laht for centuries,” Twilight said authoritatively, reminding her councilors that she was there. “I do not deny the Lodge’s role, rights, or place, but this is not it. According to the charter, governance of the realm is the right and duty of the monarch, and I am ready to rule. I will not be swayed on this. Is my council prepared to follow and advise me, or must I appoint a more capable one?”

The councilors made no reply, but their chastened looks were enough of a response to satisfy Twilight. She knew their compliance wouldn’t last, but hopefully Celestia and Luna would return before the council grew too restless.

***

The council was tasked with continuing the search for Celestia and Luna behind the scenes, but Twilight Sparkle had given them freedom in what methods they chose. She needed sorceresses to employ any kind of magical means, but that inherently carried a risk of the news getting out or being used to plot a coup. To ameliorate these dangers, she’d ordered any sorceresses recruited for the investigation to be bound with a spell of silence if they wished to leave the castle. It would all come to light eventually, but Twilight needed to stave off panic as long as possible. She also tasked her council with searching for spells to move the sun and moon. Celestia had cycled them for centuries on her own, and despite the ancient sorceress’s declining power, Twilight knew she was not yet on the same level as her mentor. Even with the appropriate knowledge, she would not be able to accomplish the feat on her own. If she could cast the spells with Cadence, then she might have a chance. If only Nostracom had finished his Stellaetrix.… The stars wouldn’t be a problem, but that wasn’t what ponies were looking at.

Twilight couldn’t leave things entirely in her council’s hooves, though, so she was conducting her own search in a room she’d designated as her headquarters. Using the throne room had seemed wrong and her own chambers—at the top of a tower—were far from convenient when somepony needed to reach her, so she’d chosen a room that had once been occupied by Prince Blueblood. It rightfully belonged to her family ever since her father had become Prince of the City, but since the Haltrotsuns preferred to remain in their ancestral manor, the chambers had stayed vacant.

Upon the table before her, Twilight had laid out maps of Equestria, Stygra, and the Eastern Continent. There were rolled-up maps of cities throughout Equestria piled at the edges of the table, but she thought it prudent to start with the larger maps, given her experience with this spell two years earlier when looking for Cadence. She spoke an incantation to a silver coin before sending it spinning across the map of Equestria. The coin meandered up the Equestry Valley, past Stalliongrad, and through the North before circling back down toward Cant’r Laht. As the coin spun to a halt, it was to the south of the city—in the center of the Everfree Forest. What is Celestia doing there? Twilight repeated the spell for Luna, and again the coin led her to the center of the Everfree. According to the spell, Celestia and Luna were both there together, or at least close to each other.

“Spike, is the water ready?” Twilight asked, and her page approached with a basin for scrying.

Gazing into it, Twilight drew her vision out from Cant’r Laht, where ponies seeking answeres still milled about the castle’s gates. She directed her vision southwards, across the White Mountains and down to the Equestry Valley. When her scrying reached the Everfree Forest, however, the image in the basin grew cloudy and indistinct. Twilight tried to maintain her focus, but that didn’t seem to be the issue. Sweeping her vision around, she found that the fuzz originated a league or more away from the forest’s boundaries. A terrible thought crossed her mind, and she redirected her scrying around toward Ponieville, where she was met with a similarly clouded vision.

“Your highness!” Raven announced as she pushed open the door. Feeling troubled, Twilight let the vision in the basin vanish. “This Hunter brings news!”

The pegasus that entered the room was in a frightful state, her armor looking as if it could fall from her body at any second. She was caked in dried mud and blood, both her own and from the beasts she’d been fighting. Her unique physiology had allowed her to regain her breath already after her long and frantic journey, but she still looked exhausted.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the Hunter addressed her, clearly surprised that she was speaking to Twilight and not to Celestia or Luna. “I came as quickly as I could. Monsters are pouring out from the Everfree Forest, and the forest itself is expanding rapidly. We Hunters cannot hold it back alone. The sorceresses of Cant’r Laht must intervene.”

“Ponieville,” Twilight mouthed with a sinking feeling in her heart.

***

Ponieville was in chaos. It had begun with Fluttershy trying to herd the wildlife from the Everfree Forest into town, which was met with passionate objection from Mayor Mare and her guards. However, soon it wasn’t just Fluttershy and her animals seeking shelter within Ponieville’s newly constructed walls. Farmers on the east bank of the Equestry River all flocked to the town, including the Apples, Granny Smith riding atop Big McIntosh’s back. The mayor finally agreed to let the refugees in when monsters began to get past Rainbow Dash and the other Hunters in the area.

Due to Ponieville’s proximity to the Everfree Forest, the Hunters had done a fairly thorough job over the past years of hunting down monsters in the adjoining region of forest or discouraging monsters from attempting to leave in the direction of Ponieville. Thanks to their efforts, most of the swarm had stayed away from the town while evacuating the forest. Unfortunately, they were now receiving a wave of monsters from the deep forest—ones that had grown large and powerful as they’d fought amongst themselves without worry of Hunters. Lamias, monstrous timberwolves, fiends, and ursa majors and minors were emerging from the forest to descend upon the town. As fighting reached Ponieville’s streets, the population had retreated into the Mayoral Keep.

The monsters were merely the first of their problems; black thorn-covered vines were snaking out from the Everfree Forest, creating a dense second forest around the hamlet. The Hunters had to contend with the vines, which constantly got in the way, in addition to fighting off the monsters. Distressingly, it was soon discovered that once the vines wrapped around a living being, they caused it to vanish. Guards atop the walls of the Mayoral Keep soon had to prod and slash at the vines as well as the demonic plant growth filled the streets, tearing up the dirt paths and stretching to cover buildings.

A blast of flame came from near Golden Oak’s laboratory, and the vines burned away in the streets around it. One of the guards atop the wall of the Mayoral Keep called out and pointed at the figure ascending from the epicenter of the blast. Twilight Sparkle flew shakily over the vines and made an ungraceful landing atop the walls. A second later, she teleported Spike next to her.

“Rarity! Applejack! Fluttershy! Pinkamena! Rainbow Dash!” she called out over the crowd of ponies congregated in the courtyard, all looking up to her expectantly.

The Brave Companions assembled from all around—from the courtyard, from within the keep, or from the sky where battles with winged monsters were still raging. Twilight Sparkle cleared a space outside of the Mayoral Keep’s gates where they could meet without being pressed in by the crowd.

“Twilight, darling, what is happening?” Rarity demanded. “First the sky, and then the monsters, and now these dreadful vines!”

“I do not have time to explain everything, but I can tell you this: the Everfree Forest is expanding in all directions, and we must stop it before it can go any farther,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“And how are we going to do that?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“With the best tools we have at our disposal for averting crises: the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight announced as she produced the Elements and passed them out to her friends.

“Alright,” Applejack said excitedly as they donned the powerful amulets that accompanied the circlet already on Twilight’s head, now sitting there by itself. “Who do we need t’ point these at this time?”

“That, I do not know,” Twilight admitted. “For the moment, directing them at the Everfree Forest must be enough.”

The six of them formed a semicircle facing the Everfree Forest and the vines regrowing to replace those that Twilight had destroyed on her arrival. Spike backed away toward the Mayoral Keep as the Brave Companions focused, their Elements beginning to resonate with each other. They began to levitate as threads of magic, intermittently taking visible forms, coursed between them. All the power concentrated in the Element of Sorcery burst forth in a wave of magical energy from the Companions, manifesting as a dome that swept over Ponieville and spread out over the surrounding countryside. The magical shield completely eradicating the vines wherever it touched them, leaving not even dust behind. As the Elements of Harmony finished their work, the group of friends settled back to the ground and looked around to see if all was right with the world again. It certainly seemed to be, other than the fact that the sun and moon were still frozen in place. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air to observe the scene from above, but she didn’t look satisfied.

“Ponieville is clear, but the Everfree is still crawling with the vines, and they’re spreading again!” Rainbow Dash called down.

“Do we do it again?” Pinkamena asked as Twilight tried to figure out their next step.

“The Elements of Harmony won't be a sufficient defense, or perhaps Applejack is right. We may need to find who is behind this,” Twilight said.

“So, who is behind all this chaos?” Rarity asked, expectantly.

“Hmm … chaos,” Twilight mused. “I can think of one party who could stand to benefit.”

“Oh? Who? Who?” Discord asked from behind the group, and they all twirled to face him.

Cries and shouts came from Mayoral Keep; the ponies there had been the first ones to see the mad draconequus appear dramatically on the scene. Discord was reclining on thin air, and he brushed away the owls on his arms and horns as the Brave Companions repositioned themselves to speak to him.

“Discord!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “So you are behind this!”

“What? Of course not. Are your memories so short? Don’t you recall that I’m a changed draconequus, ready to reenter society as a solid citizen?” Discord said indignantly. “Well, maybe not that last bit, but the fact still stands that I had nothing to do with this. I merely recognized the Elements of Harmony being used and came to watch the fireworks.”

“As if we would believe that excuse,” Rarity sniped.

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth. Would I lie to you?” Discord asked, acting meek and innocent.

“Yes!” everypony replied—other than Fluttershy, who merely said, “Umm …”

“Now, this isn’t a very productive working relationship, is it?” Discord said huffily, “Where’s the trust? Why can’t you believe that I had nothing to do with the disappearance of Celestia and Luna or the Everfree Forest expanding?”

“I never said anything about Celestia and Luna’s disappearance,” Twilight said, trying to keep her voice down, mindful of the ponies watching from the Mayoral Keep.

“Celestia and Luna have disappeared?” Rarity asked, eyes wide with panic.

“Ha! So you are the one responsible! Caught red-hooved!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, and Discord checked his various appendages for the hoof she was referring to.

“Oh dear … Twilight Sparkle, you didn’t tell them?” Discord said condescendingly. “It seems I’m not the only one with whom you have trust issues.”

“Stop it, Discord,” Twilight demanded. “Do not try to tear us apart; it did not work last time, and it will not work now. I intended to tell them, but fighting back against the forest was more urgent. Do not try to distract us with this, when you have just admitted your own guilt. How could you know the regents were gone if you had nothing to do with this?”

“I pay attention, Twilight,” Discord replied. “You’ve been put in charge of Cant’r Laht, which means the normal big cheeses are either vanished or dead—and I didn’t receive any invitations to a state funeral.”

“Enough o’ this!” Applejack demanded. “Twi’s right, y’r just wastin’ time. Are y’ goin’ t’ turn things back th’ way they were, or do we have t’ turn y’ back t’ stone?”

“Wait! What if he really is innocent?” Fluttershy came to Discord’s defense. “We can’t condemn him to an eternity as a statue unless we can prove he’s to blame.”

“At last! A voice of reeeason! I was beginning to get a little worried,” Discord said as he yanked at a nonexistent collar.

“He should still dispense with the vines,” Twilight Sparkle said. “When we released you, it was on the condition that you would use your chaos magic for good, to help us.”

“Well, excuuuuuse me, princess, if I don’t feel like helping you out after you immediately start flinging accusations my way the moment I arrive,” Discord said.

“Fair enough, but what is done is done,” Twilight said somewhat apologetically. “If you do not intervene to stop the vines, they could consume all of Equestria.”

“Hmm, I suppose I could lend a hand,” Discord said as he removed one of his arms. “But I hate to be the one to break it to you: if your precious Elements of Harmony barely put a dent in them, what makes you think I’ll be able to overcome them?”

Twilight Sparkle sighed deeply. “Can you at least use your chaos magic to hem in the vines and keep them from spreading?” she asked. “That will give the rest of us more time to search for a permanent solution.”

“You see, it’s not so hard to be polite,” Discord said. “Or so I’ve been told. One wall around the Everfree coming right up! Should I close it in before or after your zebra friend makes it out?”

“Zecor?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash flew up and confirmed that the zebra was fleeing from the forest, somehow having managed to survive the vines. Twilight opened a portal in front of her, and Zecor rushed through into the square before the Mayoral Keep. Twilight waited until Discord fulfilled his promise and raised up tessellated berms around the Everfree Forest to hold the vines back before closing the portal.

“Zecor, what are you doing here?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“My home has become too treacherous, Twilight’Sparkle,” Zecor replied as she rummaged around in her saddlebags. “I knew that you would come, so I have prepared a potion from the vines that now beset the forest. With the proper spell applied, it should give insight into their cause and how to undo them.”

Zecor produced a phial filled with a slightly luminous purple liquid from her bags, along with a heavy tome. She proffered them to Twilight, who accepted both items with a little hesitation. The truth was, she had no idea what the vines were or how to conquer them; what she did know was that the longer the strange black plants remained and Celestia and Luna were absent—while Cant’r Laht’s nobility was allowed to run around unsupervised in the capitol city—the worse it would be. The research she was familiar with involved poring through ancient tomes for information, but she was desperate enough now to try what Zecor had come up with. Twilight Sparkle examined the tome where Zecor had marked it, translating the Cainhiran Zebrikaanian until she had the spell down. She stared at the phial and pressed a spell matrix upon it until it transformed into a milky white substance.

“Twilight, darling … are you really going to drink that?” Rarity asked.

“I must,” Twilight said. Steeling herself, she took a sip of the potion.

Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then her vision flashed, and she found herself standing in the Royal Court of the Three Palaces of the Two Queens. It did not appear the same as it had when Twilight had last been here; instead, it was rebuilt to the same glory it held a thousand years ago. Upon the dais were two thrones, one gilt in gold for Celestia and the other in silver for Luna. How long has this been here? Twilight hadn’t ventured to the ancient seat of the Equestrian diarchy since she’d first met her friends in Ponieville, so she had no way of knowing. If I’m at the Three Palaces, then surely this is where Celestia and Luna are, too. Her suspicions were confirmed as Luna strode out from the passages that led to the Castle of the Night to stand upon the dais with the thrones. She had a bitter look in her eyes, though Twilight missed that in her overwhelming relief to see Luna alive.

“Take not one step nearer,” Luna commanded as Twilight trotted forward, and she slid to a halt.

“Luna, what is happening?” Twilight asked. “Why is the Everfree expanding? Why are you here? Is Celestia here?”

“This throne art not for thee,” Luna said with a frown. “Didst thou expect me to do naught, to stand aside or sit idly by whilst they basked in thy precious light?”

“Precious light?” Twilight asked in confusion, “Luna, I do not understand.”

“Equestria can have one queen alone, and that queen … shall be me!” Luna cried passionately.

Dark power exuded from Luna stronger than anything Twilight Sparkle had ever faced … and yet, it was familiar. It was the same black magic that Twilight and her friends had faced here three years earlier—the magic of Nightmare Moon. Indeed, Twilight watched Luna transform before her eyes into that creature of darkness once again, cackling evilly as the torches in their sconces were blown out, leaving only a few to weakly light the hall, fighting back against a darkness that was palpable. Nightmare Moon had returned, and Twilight was facing her alone.

Comments

[Elsaack]

I think something went really wrong when this got imported to FIMFic, almost every other paragraph repeats large chunks of text. I'm gonna delay reading a day, hopefully Fire gets it fixed in the meantime. It's a slog trying to read right now.

[TasermonsPartner]

Twilight Sparkle had once believed flight to be a worthless skill for a sorceress, after she had learned how to teleport and open portals. Now that she had wings of her own, though, she was determined to learn how to use them properly. She still wasn’t planning to fly for long journeys (portals would still be superior for such travel) but it could be helpful in certain other situations, such as getting out of range of forces that would block the opening of portals or teleporting. Flight could also provide her with a different perspective and tactical advantage—something she hadn't ever considered before taking courses in aerial superiority at Cant’r Laht Academy in the World Across the Divide. after she had learned how to teleport and open portals. Now that she had wings of her own, though, she was determined to learn how to use them properly. She still wasn’t planning to fly for long journeys (portals would still be superior for such travel) but it could be helpful in certain other situations, such as getting out of range of forces that would block the opening of portals or teleporting. Flight could also provide her with a different perspective and tactical advantage—something she hadn't ever considered before taking courses in aerial superiority at Cant’r Laht Academy in the World Across the Divide.

Multiple paragraphs have repeating lines like this, just to let you know.

[FireOfTheNorth]

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Holy cow, I've never seen it go this bad before. I think I got them all now, but let me know if I missed any. Sorry about that and thanks for letting me know. I guess I need to go line-by-line through these when I post them from now on to make sure this doesn't happen again.

[Corax Morn]

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The sorceress picked herself up off the grass and took a moment to stretch her still-new wings before flapping them to lift herself back into the air. Twilight managed to catch up with Rainbow Dash in the sky and strained to maintain enough altitude. Twilight managed to catch up with Rainbow Dash in the sky and strained to maintain enough altitude.

Looks like at least one slipped through.

[TasermonsPartner]

Um, sorry, but there are still a few repeats...

Twilight Sparkle obliged, but her wings flitted out of sync almost instantly and threw her off-balance. She careened past Rainbow Dash and started to fall out of the sky again, back down toward the castle gardens. She struggled to regain a steady hover and nearly succeeded, right before her right wing caught on her robes and sent her tumbling down. After landing in a patch of flowers, Twilight brushed snapped stems off of her as she stood back up. balance. She careened past Rainbow Dash and started to fall out of the sky again, back down toward the castle gardens. She struggled to regain a steady hover and nearly succeeded, right before her right wing caught on her robes and sent her tumbling down. After landing in a patch of flowers, Twilight brushed snapped stems off of her as she stood back up.

Twilight gave her friend an appreciative smile, though she knew she still had a long way to go. She’d returned through Star-Swirl’s magic mirror from her strange, otherworldly caper only a few weeks earlier. Upon learning that her pupil had returned, Celestia had sent a missive asking Twilight to play a role in this year’s Summer Sun Ceremony in Cant’r Laht—a role that involved flying. She’d spent much of her time practicing her flight since then but felt she had little to show for it. though she knew she still had a long way to go. She’d returned through Star-Swirl’s magic mirror from her strange, otherworldly caper only a few weeks earlier. Upon learning that her pupil had returned, Celestia had sent a missive asking Twilight to play a role in this year’s Summer Sun Ceremony in Cant’r Laht—a role that involved flying. She’d spent much of her time practicing her flight since then but felt she had little to show for it.

I was abit confused when you started talking about an academy and Across the Divide; then, on a hunch, I checked that you had added a new story that relates to this one. I'll have to read it soon. It's good that it looks like you may integrate Sunset Shimmer and her adventures more prevalently in the story (the series basically swept over it, trying to keep the two separate entities except for a few nods here and there). May I suggest you put a link to the story with author's note at the start of this chapter explaining it? It may help limit confusion.

To be honest, I almost wonder if it would be better to combine the two stories, despite the different settings and how it may interrupt the flow of this story. I don't think your side-stories get nearly as many views as this one, and more people might read it if they're integrated. That being said, the different settings and time-frames would mess the flow, and if you did do other EQG installments, going back-and-forth could be jarring, especially since some of the EQG movies didn't feature Princess Twilight at all.

Hmm, so Saddle Arabia has fallen. Twilight must feel bad about that, but since it fell in a matter of days, then there would've been little time to even send word all the way across the sea to Celestia, much less time to raise an army and send it over, so the outcome may have been the same even if Twilight had been in Ponieville. She may not have found out about it until after it occurred.

Out of curiosity, do you plan to do side-stories for all the Equestria Girls installments?

[FireOfTheNorth]

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Hopefully that's the last of the repeats, in this chapter at least.

I have all the side stories linked on the main story page, but I didn't realize they actually appear below the cutoff and you have to click "More" to see them. I like the idea of linking it elsewhere to make sure people know, so I added a link in Chapter 4:0, since it's technically the start of the "season." In the past, I've kept the side stories more separate since they had no immediate bearing on the story, but since The Other Side of the Mirror stories directly involve Twilight (at least for now), it makes sense to make them a bit more integrated, with the added benefit of getting some more eyes on them. Thanks for the suggest.

The Other Side of the Mirror is planned to have seven volumes, though only the first three are going to have a direct Equestria Girls equivalent. It's going to diverge fairly quickly from the canon storyline.

[kitsune119]

Since Twilight had become an alicorn, Rarity had done her best to modify her sorceress robes beyond “cut a hole for the wings.” Twilight Sparkle was convinced her own clumsiness was just as much to blame as her clothing, if not more, concerning why she kept getting tangled. Just how did Fluttershy fly around in those druidess robes all the time? Just how did Fluttershy fly around in those druidess robes all the time?

repeating line