Divergence

by RQK

8 - Links I

Princess Celestia looked at the ponies standing in the middle of the throne room. While the (recently renovated) dais behind her hosted two thrones, one each for her and her sister, both presently remained empty. It was a rare day when she had to talk to families about things that had happened to their loved ones, and especially in this case, she had no right to sit over them. And so Celestia stood with those ponies.

Aside from warning these ones about the possibilities a few days prior, the last time she had to have this sort of conversation had been with Twilight Sparkle’s parents. It had not been easy back then either.

The pegasi standing before her staring her down were not Sunset Shimmer’s family by birth, but were in every other sense of the word. The uncle, Blue Streak, had a silver coat, a black mane and tail, and dark blue eyes. The aunt, Solar Flare, had a golden coat, a red-rooted mane and tail that transitioned to light yellow, and bright green eyes.

The third pegasus, the cousin, gripped her guard helmet even tighter against her chest plate. Sunrunner, if one ignored the much shorter mane, looked like a spitting image of Sunset herself. “So…” she tentatively said, “she went through with it…”

Celestia nodded. “That is correct.”

Blue Streak exchanged glances with Solar Flare and then nodded solemnly. “Honestly… Princess Celestia, we figured it out on the way over,” he said. “We figured that she would.”

Solar Flare sighed. “I wish she didn’t. But… I know she did what she had to.”

Princess Luna, who stood right beside Celestia, nodded solemnly. “Yes. Sunset Shimmer is a hero.”

Solar Flare sniffled and then leaned on Blue Streak.

He cradled her head in return and sighed. “We’re very proud of her,” he said. “She’s done so many great things since… she left. Both here and in that other world she lives in.”

“Oh?” Celestia hesitantly replied. “You know of the things she’s done over there?”

“She came to see us the last couple of times she was in Equestria,” Sunrunner replied. “We’ve talked.”

“Which is more than you did for us when she first disappeared,” Solar Flare grumbled.

An imaginary pain shot through Celestia. She kept more secrets than she needed to, so those words stung. She hung her head. “I know. I’m… sorry.”

Blue Streak frowned. “Well, Princess, you’re doing better at it.”

Solar Flare let off another sniffle, and that prompted Sunrunner to turn toward her. And then Sunrunner too sniffled.

Luna looked at the growing wetness in their faces and then tapped Celestia on her withers; she remained facing the trio. “We can give you a few moments if you all like,” Luna said.

As Blue Streak and Solar Flare held each other tighter, Sunrunner looked up; her expression was now long and full of pain. “Please.”

Celestia etched Sunrunner’s face into her mind—easy enough when it looked just like Sunset’s down to the agony within—as Luna led Celestia up one of the ramps that flanked the dais. The ramp ended at a curtain-filled doorway which the two of them ducked through.

The two emerged onto an open balcony that overlooked a large plaza immediately below and offered a commanding view of the rest of Canterlot beyond. Right now, however, the plaza lay completely deserted, and the rest of the city was just too far away. They were all by themselves.

And so, after managing to make it halfway out, Celestia let herself collapse with as much grace as she had left. Luna merely let her frown deepen, quickly glanced at the city beyond, and then sat right beside Celestia.

Neither dared speak, opting for silence instead.

Finally, Celestia sighed. “Where did it all go wrong?” she croaked.

Luna’s ear twitched in response.

“Where did I go wrong?” Celestia continued. “Why… why is it every time we manage to get through these things… only to invite something even worse?”

Luna shuddered and now turned to face Celestia. “I don’t know.” She then leaned forward. “But I know we’ll get through this. We always do.”

Celestia looked up. And she asked, tentatively, “How?”

Luna sucked in a breath. “W-well… we prevented everything from being destroyed.”

“Yes. And I caused all of our allies to turn against us… only to lose Sunset Shimmer anyway.” Celestia paused. “I… wonder if I should have just sealed Sunset away immediately, instead of letting Twilight waste her time trying and losing everypony’s trust.”

Luna raised a hoof into the air. “But…”

“I know that Twilight would have never let me live it down,” Celestia finished.

“Yes. I think so too,” Luna replied. “And I would have wanted to save Sunset’s life too.”

Celestia grimaced. “We didn’t.”

Luna frowned and hung her head. “I don’t think we could have.”

Celestia’s expression hardened and she suddenly sat up. “And that’s what bothers me the most!” she cried. “I can’t do anything! I couldn’t stop Twilight from dying. I couldn’t stop the unponies from dying. And now I couldn’t have stopped us losing—”

As Celestia lost her wind and subsequently deflated again, Luna rose to her hooves. And when Celestia let off a sob, Luna sobbed in turn before subsequently hobbling forward and wrapping her hooves around her sister.

Celestia returned the embrace and let her head fall against Luna’s backside. Luna responded by stroking Celestia’s back.

Celestia’s thoughts went to a filly likened to the sunset itself. She thought of that filly as she tackled every task before her. She thought of that filly grown into a mare who had run away from her. She thought about the worries she had about where that mare had gone and the path she had chosen. She thought of that mare coming back, completely reinvented. She thought of a phoenix burning bright in the sky.

And now that mare was gone.

“Why do these things happen?” Celestia croaked.

And Luna held Celestia even tighter. “I don’t know, Sister. I just… I don’t know.”

---

Twilight Sparkle looked up from the notebook in front of her as the doors to the library swung open and Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Spike entered the room. She smiled and straightened up. “Hey! Good morning!”

Celestia smiled. “Twilight, good morning.”

While Celestia and Luna trotted over to the table that Twilight and Adamantine sat at, Spike wandered over to another table where Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Starlight Glimmer held a quiet discussion about school matters.

“How go things here?” Luna asked.

“Well, if you give us a little more time, we’ll be done with the spell,” Twilight answered.

“I see, good,” Celestia said.

“Has there been any progression since we last convened?” Adamantine asked.

Celestia exchanged glances with Luna. “There was something. I think we’d like to discuss it with you, especially since we think you might shed some light on it.”

Adamantine nodded. “I would be happy to. Please, tell me your thoughts.”

“Well…” Luna began. Several documents sat scattered around the crystal ball on a nearby table. She picked a few of those documents up—which prompted Celestia to lean forward and look at them from an angle—and began sifting through them.

The apparatus around the mirror portal chose that moment to spring to life, with the various components moving and channeling energy through the tubing that connected everything. The cacophony quickly became a mild roar.

“Ah!” Twilight exclaimed as she shot to her hooves and subsequently raced around the table. “That has to be them!”

Finally, the apparatus shot some magic into the face of the portal. And then a pony—no, ponies stepped out. They all wobbled about on their hind legs but quickly let themselves fall forward and place all four hooves on the floor.

Adamantine shot up in her seat.

The five ponies now standing in front of the mirror were spitting images of five of the ponies sitting at the table. But Twilight knew better; these ones were her Canterlot High friends. They were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.

Applejack, the native Applejack, stood up and walked around the table to greet them (as did the others). “Howdy, y’all.”

The other Applejack wobbled forward. “H-howdy. Woah nelly.”

Rarity chuckled. “Oh dear,” she said as she observed her double. “Are you alright?”

The other Rarity hazarded a few steps forward, even going so far as to look down at her hooves to make sure they were moving right, before she finally smiled. “I think I’m okay, darling. It’s just been a while since we’ve come over here.”

Applejack chuckled. “Eeyup. Ah remember.”

The portal face flashed again, and another pony emerged. This one looked much like Twilight Sparkle did, although the most striking differences were the lack of wings on her back and the large, square spectacles on her muzzle. She wobbled about as she tried to stay upright; she made no attempt to even fall onto all fours.

The five other newcomers immediately crowded around her, ready to catch her if she tumbled. However, the other Twilight finally took a good glance at them and lowered herself down.

Twilight approached her double and smiled. “Are you okay?”

The other Twilight held her hooves up to her face and gasped. “Wow…” She looked up at her friends. “You weren’t kidding.”

“Now you know how I felt coming over to the human world for the first time,” Twilight replied.

The other Twilight giggled. “I guess I do.”

The mirror shimmered again and two more ponies, one after the other, stepped through. The two wobbled about and then immediately fell onto the platform. The whole room turned to observe them.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna especially straightened up and stared with wide-eyed shock.

The first of the ponies on the platform had a pink mane and tail, a white coat, wings and a horn, and a sun for a cutie mark. She looked like a younger, duller Celestia. And the other had an azure mane and tail, wings and a horn, a phthalo blue coat, and a moon for a cutie mark. She looked like a younger, duller Luna.

Princess Celestia, who looked like she had her breath taken away, placed a hoof over her chest. Princess Luna ruffled her wings and said nothing.

Twilight walked up to the two newcomers. “Principal Celestia. Vice Principal Luna. Is that you?” she asked.

Principal Celestia blinked and then looked up. It took her a moment more to consider Twilight. “Princess Twilight?” she slurred.

Vice Principal Luna also looked up and went wide-eyed.

Twilight offered her hoof, and when Principal Celestia took it, Twilight pulled her to her hooves. “That’s me. Welcome to Equestria! I’m so glad you could join us,” she said as she then helped Vice Principal Luna up as well.

Principal Celestia nodded. “Of course. While I’m not entirely sure how we can help, we’ll try to be here in case anyone does need us for anything.”

Princess Celestia swallowed and then hazarded a few steps forward. “Hello.”

Vice Principal Luna simply stared, especially since Princess Celestia—and Princess Luna who came up shortly thereafter—towered over the both of them.

Principal Celestia sucked in a breath. “H-hi… You’re Princess Celestia, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” Princess Celestia replied. “I do believe we saw each other the other day.”

Principal Celestia cracked a smile. “W-well… yes… This is very strange…”

“Oh, believe me,” Princess Luna replied, “the feeling is mutual.” She looked at her counterpart and chuckled nervously.

And Vice Principal Luna shuddered. “I-Incredible…”

Finally, Adamantine grunted and made her way around the table. “I am so very sorry, but what is this? How are there two of everypony?”

All heads turned to face her now. The eight who had just come through the portal regarded her with narrowed eyes and unsure frowns.

Twilight giggled. “Adamantine, these are my friends from Canterlot High. They’re from the world Sunset told you about.” When Adamantine’s expression didn’t budge, Twilight continued, “Most everypony has a counterpart over there.”

“…Fascinating,” Adamantine cooed.

Vice Principal Luna straightened up. “Y… you’re Adamantine? You’re the unpony queen?”

Adamantine donned a sad smile. “I was.”

The other Twilight approached with her friends close behind her. “Sunset’s told us all about you.”

“I see.” Adamantine bowed. “I certainly hope that my presence does not trouble you.”

The eight exchanged glances, and then the other Rainbow Dash voiced it. “Eh.”

“She said good things about you, Your Majesty,” the other Rarity added, bowing in return.

Adamantine nodded and hummed affirmatively.

“So, uh,” Starlight asked as she stepped forward, “I think something is wrong here. Why do they—” she pointed at Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, “—have wings and she—” she pointed to the other Twilight, “—doesn’t? What gives?”

The whole room fell silent as everyone examined the three in question. Some heads briefly compared them to Twilight, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. And then many began scratching their heads or stroking their chins.

“Huh. Everypony else mapped perfectly,” Twilight said, noting the wings on the other Rainbow Dash and the other Fluttershy, noting the horn on the other Rarity, and noting the earthly features of the other Applejack and the other Pinkie Pie.

“Twilight was born a unicorn, right?” Sunset Shimmer’s voice suddenly said from the crystal ball.

The whole room sans Adamantine gasped and turned their attention to the crystal ball. A few of the non-natives even made some movements toward it.

“Sunset!?” the other Twilight cried. “You can hear us!?”

Adamantine chuckled. “Ah, no, she cannot. I merely have been feeding her this conversation this whole time.”

The other Twilight frowned. “Oh. I see, I guess. Uh, maybe we should get her in on this.”

Twilight blocked her way. “Nopony is touching the ball right now. It’s off limits.”

The other Twilight, as well as her friends, narrowed her eyes. “…Why?”

Twilight smiled nervously. “Uh, we’re trying to limit the amount the lower layer hears from us.”

The other Twilight deflated. “Oh… I see.”

“Yesterday was an exception. I had to talk to you myself,” Sunset’s voice replied.

“Sunset brings up a good poiAnt,” Princess Celestia said. “Luna and I are natural-born alicorns. Twilight, on the other hoof, ascended to alicornhood.”

“Hey, yeah,” Starlight said, pointing, “I guess that makes sense. I guess the portal knows about that.”

“Oh!” the other Rarity gasped. “You can ascend?”

Princess Celestia smiled slyly. “Circumstances permitting, yes.”

The other Applejack stepped forward. “Now wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute. Whenever we’d pony up in the other world, Twilight would have wings then.”

The other Rainbow Dash also jumped forward. “Hey, yeah! So why doesn’t she have wings again?”

Twilight groaned and scratched her head. “Uhm… well…”

“Pony up?” Adamantine asked, tilting her head inquisitively.

“Oh! Hey!” the other Pinkie Pie said. “Yeah. Sunset Shimmer stole the Element of Magic and she transformed into a demon and then Princess Twilight was able to get its magic to go through us, so we power up like ponies and everything. And then, this one time, our Twilight stole our magic and used it to transform herself! So she has magic inside her too, just like we do! Also, we have these geodes that let us power up and give us cool abilities and whatever.”

The other Twilight blushed and glanced back at the other Pinkie Pie. “Yes… We typically get some pony-like features whenever we do that. So… yes, ‘pony up.’”

Adamantine’s frown deepened and she looked at Twilight for guidance.

Twilight stroked her chin. “That’s true. Those transformations came from the Elements originally.”

“I like to think that there was some imprinting,” Sunset’s voice said.

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe. It’s likely that there’re different rules in play in each case. I’ll have to ask Starswirl more about the world-to-world mapping when all of this is over.”

Adamantine came over and laid a hoof on Twilight’s withers. “Yes. We should get back to the matter at hoof and finish the method.”

Twilight nodded, and the two of them trotted back to the table. They shuffled some papers around, and Twilight picked up a quill and began writing.

The other Rainbow Dash glanced between her friends and then followed over (and they followed her). “Uh, can we ask about this? How does this work?”

Adamantine, who was now reorganizing some papers on the table, nodded. “Well, thus far, I’ve more or less acted as a sort of intermediary between Sunset and the crystal ball. The link exists. That is why you can talk to each other.” She paused to look at one particular paper and then passed it to Twilight. “The method that we are about to complete will incorporate this, among other things.”

“You all remember the secret behind unpony bodies, right?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh! That’s right. I remember. They were spells, right?”

“Yes, spells sustained by the stones. We’re going to do the same spell for Sunset, essentially—Adamantine has offered to sustain it herself—but we’re going to forego the material component. It should be doable, albeit quite a bit more expensive, magically.”

Starlight frowned. “Material component?”

“Ah, yes.” Twilight nodded. “The unponies were masses of… sand, held in the shape of the pony and given some illusion magic to complete the image.” She paused. “That’s… why they fell apart the way they did when their spells canceled; they weren’t holding themselves together anymore.”

Adamantine shuddered.

Starlight frowned. “I see… That’s pretty impressive, though.”

“Yes,” Adamantine said. “I must confess that, before today, this possibility as to the nature of their existence had not occurred to me.”

Princess Luna finally cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Actually, Adamantine, that was what we wanted to talk to you about.”

That prompted Adamantine to look up and straighten up. “Ah, yes. What is it?”

“We were reviewing the seal transcriptions again,” Princess Luna replied, “and something caught our eye. May we read it?” She motioned to a paper in Princess Celestia’s magical grasp.

Adamantine nodded.

Princess Celestia held up the paper and read it aloud. “This is the I seal for the Nameless. This seal has many functions. From time to time, the seal autonomously performs some of these functions. However, all functions may also be manually activated. Such manual activation may only be done by one who exists within the seal and has permission from she who is the seal herself. And the one who shall be within the seal shall be connected to its entirety; they shall be intimate with it. As such, the seal shall become her extension. She shall, with permission of the seal herself, control the entirety of the seal and the activation of its functions. For the good of Consensus, you would do well to observe this, Sunset Shimmer.”

Princess Celestia looked up. “What especially strikes me about this is that it refers to the seal as a her.”

Adamantine paused. “That is very strange,” she said simply.

“I thought it was weird too,” Twilight agreed. “Everything else is straightforward, but…”

“As did we,” Princess Luna said. “But as we talked about it more… we realized that it isn’t really that strange. In fact, we’ve been given a lot of clues.”

After a moment, Twilight gasped. She glanced at the papers on the table, around the room, and then finally at Adamantine. She nodded solemnly and said, “Yes… we have.”

Adamantine blinked. “I’m sorry?”

A few heads turned as Tempest Shadow entered the room. She trotted toward them in silence and, on looking around, settled for joining Starlight, Spike, and (to some degree) the visitors from the human world.

“I… have to admit that the thought occurred to me. I just wasn’t sure,” Twilight said as she nodded at Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. She looked back to Adamantine. “We found the same sort of projected body framework within the seals themselves. That means they’re capable of projecting some body, just like the stones did.”

“Sure.”

“There was something you pointed out to Starlight, Sunset—err, Sunsets—and I. We were looking at stones. And a few of them had lost their outer energies. …You told us those ones were dead.”

“I do remember that,” Adamantine replied.

“You may or may not remember this,” Princess Celestia said as she stepped forward, “but the seals apparently act in the same way. The other seals are dead.”

Princess Luna glanced at her sister and then stepped forward. “And as I understand it, all of your counterparts are also dead, yes?”

Adamantine, now with a couple of sweat drops on her brow, took a couple of steps back. “Y… yes…”

“Just as well… the seal in our timeline is still alive. You are still alive.”

“Oh stars,” Starlight said.

Princess Luna stepped forward the same distance. “And, Adamantine, you are very connected to the seal. You can freely see into it, among other things, correct?”

The color drained from Adamantine’s face. She took a few further steps back and eventually fell onto her haunches. She held her hooves in front of her face. She stared at them for the longest time. “It’s… not…” she wheezed under her breath.

Princess Luna nodded solemnly. “I believe this leads to one conclusion. I think this says something about who you really are.”

The rest of the room remained silent. Everyone watched Adamantine closely now.

Adamantine eventually lowered her hooves back down, let her limp jaw firm up again, and she stared into nothingness. “It… Everything you have just said is circumstantial… and yet I cannot convince myself to deny it,” she croaked. “I… think that, somewhere deep down… I know it to be true.”

She stood up. She stood to her full height, even going so far as to spread her wings to their full length. “I am… indeed… the seal herself. That… is the true nature of my existence.”

Rarity looked breathless; she held a hoof over her chest as she looked at Adamantine with worry. Both Pinkie Pies glanced around the room, looking for any hints of smiles on anyone, including each other. They found none. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna exchanged glances, with the former setting the seal transcription on the table. The other Fluttershy gave a whimper, while Fluttershy gave two. Tempest looked on with disinterest.

No one spoke. No one moved.

“Uh,” Sunset’s voice said out of the crystal ball, “I have a question.”

A few heads turned. All still kept silent.

“How…” Sunset’s voice tremulously, hesitantly continued, “how does a prison… for the most dangerous entity we’ve ever dealt with… uh, go about getting addicted to coffee?”

A moment of silence hung about the room. Several blinked and raised eyebrows. No one otherwise moved. Some color drained from Twilight’s face as she deadpanned at no one in particular. Starlight stared at the crystal ball with wide-eyed shock. Adamantine herself looked stunned.

Rainbow Dash let out a few snorts which she tried to hide behind a foreleg. Pinkie Pie and her counterpart had jitters as they fought off grins and giggles. They looked around to make sure no one was staring.

“Like,” Sunset’s voice continued, “I thought she was going to die or something.”

Adamantine blushed, folded her wings back in, and loosened up. She then nodded from side to side, scratched her head, and said, “Well… I suppose it does sound quite ridiculous”—she began chucking—“when you put it like that.”

That prompted Rainbow Dash and the Pinkie Pies to snicker and snort harder. That gained some chuckles from the likes of both Fluttershys, both Celestias, and the other Rainbow Dash. Many of the others looked like they were trying to hold it in.

“Holy hay,” Starlight finally wheezed. “You really did drink a lot, though.”

Twilight loosened up and even shrugged. “Well…”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “She totally did! I remember this one time she walked out of Sugar Cube Corner with ten cups of coffee.”

The other Twilight gasped. “What!?” she asked incredulously.

“So,” Vice Principal Luna began as she stroked her chin, “the seal for the Nameless is a coffee queen.”

Adamantine blushed even harder. “Oh dear… this appears several magnitudes worse now,” she said, now laughing outright.

And now most everyone burst into laughter, with some like the Rainbow Dashes and the Pinkie Pies, who lost it at that point, rolling on the floor while clutching their stomachs. Spike followed them soon after. While Tempest wasn’t laughing, she did wear a sizeable grin. Twilight barely managed to stifle her own laughs, saved only by the hoof covering her muzzle.

“So, anyway,” Adamantine said as she straightened up and tapered her chuckles off, “I suppose that my next task will be to look into giving Sunset permission to work, I guess, my various functions… however I am supposed to do that.”

Twilight let her own giggles taper off and she nodded. “Yes. But, let’s,” she said as she pointed to the papers on the table, “let’s… let’s finish this first. And then we’ll worry about that.”

Adamantine picked a few papers off the table and floated them over to Twilight. “Yes, let’s finish this.”

Princess Celestia nodded and then walked over to the newcomers. “We should let them work. Perhaps, in the meantime, we can maybe all talk and bring everypony up to speed,” she said, looking at Principal Celestia in particular.

Principal Celestia nodded. “I agree. Come on, everyone,” she said as she motioned for everyone to join Starlight and the others at their table.

For the next few minutes, while Adamantine and Twilight worked, with the latter doing the writing and the former supervising and occasionally chiming in with an observation, everyone else gathered at the table on the other side of the room. As there were seventeen of them, they let the newcomers sit down at the table itself while everyone else, save Spike who stood on the table itself and Princess Celestia who sat at the table as well, hung around the perimeter and stood over them.

Princess Celestia spoke with low tones and addressed each of them. She also asked the occasional question to see what they knew, skipping ahead when they answered affirmatively and dropping into explanations when they didn’t. The newcomers, who occasionally stole glances at Twilight and Adamantine, also spoke with low tones. They even spent a couple of minutes recounting their own version of events, during which Princess Celestia listened attentively.

Twilight finally stood up, exchanged nods with Adamantine, and then turned to the other table. “Okay. We’re going to try this now,” she announced.

The conversation at the other table died down as all turned to face them now. No one said anything as Adamantine received the papers from Twilight with her magic and began scanning them. A few more seconds of silence passed, during which Twilight backed away to give Adamantine some room.

Magic coursed through Adamantine’s horn as she read the spell over. She eventually lowered the papers and focused on a spot in the center of the room.

Finally, in a flash of white light, an object appeared in the middle of the room. Said object was organic. A pony, even. This pony, who lay splayed out on her chest, had an amber coat, a red and yellow-striped mane and tail, and a red and yellow sun for a cutie mark.

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes flew open and she spent several moments adjusting to the light. The room watched in stunned silence (although those sitting rose to their hooves) as she stood up and looked around. Finally, however, she settled on the many standing around the one table.

And Sunset’s Canterlot High friends all yelled out “Sunset!” as they rushed over to her. The first of them glomped her and the others quickly piled on top.

Sunset, who now lay beneath them, laughed. “Hey, girls!” she exclaimed.

Everyone else beamed.

Adamantine, however, winced. And then, just as suddenly as Sunset had appeared, she disappeared again. The pile that had been on top of her collapsed. The six cried out in surprise and practically scrambled back to their hooves.

Several sets of eyes, including Twilight’s, swiveled toward Adamantine now.

Adamantine blushed. “Ah, sorry. I felt that tackle, and it surprised me.”

In another flash of light, Sunset reappeared where she had just been. She now stood with a shocked frown on her face.

Adamantine approached them now. “The connection is not completely stable, Sunset Shimmer. I will do my best to refine it. But also…” Her frown deepened. “You should know that I cannot sustain this projection indefinitely. I will have to stop and recharge at some points.”

Sunset listened in silence and then examined herself. She even took a moment to flex her right foreleg, noting how naturally it bent this way and that. She coursed some magic into her horn but didn’t let anything off. Her friends, meanwhile, just looked at her intently.

Twilight stepped forward. “Yes… We’ll have to make the most of our time.”

Sunset gave her body another once over, nodded solemnly, and then let her expression firm up. “Yeah,” she said. She turned toward the table. “Princess Celestia, I think I want to go over everything that we’ve learned about all this. I want to know everything everyone else knows.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “Absolutely, Sunset.”

Sunset turned to Adamantine now. “And then maybe we can start talking about those permissions that you mentioned.”

Adamantine nodded.

Sunset looked around, passing over everyone in the room, although she especially stopped over her friends. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. So… let’s get working.”

And everyone in the room shared affirmative nods.

Comments

[RolkFlameraven]

9479989
How does one commit Japanese number puzzle?

That said, this chapter does give some hope. Now we just have to wait and see if that hope is a false one.

[EchoWing]

I find myself optimistic that we're dealing with a fool's hope rather than false hope. The former tends to work out much more regularly than the latter.

[Fallowsthorn]

“Luna and I are natural-born alicorns. Twilight, on the other hoof, ascended to alicornhood.”

Wasn’t Sunset surprised in the previous story that Flurry Heart was a natural-born alicorn, implying that it hadn't happened before? If Celestia and Luna didn’t ascend, that's 50% of the population of alicorns as of Twilight’s coronation, so even disregarding show canon, why would an alicorn mare having an alicorn foal be surprising? This is the kind of fic where I'm not sure if this is a clue or a continuity error.

[RQK]

10146782
The show told us that that, indeed, there had been no natural-born alicorns in Equestria's history; Celestia and Luna predate Equestria. In other words, natural-born alicorn are not surprising, but given that the typical path to alicornhood seems to be via ascension instead of by birth, you can think of it as the surprise is more at alicornhood by a contemporarily atypical method.