The Best and The Worst

by Firesight

Prologue

It was the start of May when Celestia first took Twilight to Equios, the nation that served as the Equestrian outpost on the human world of Earth.

Founded over 500 years earlier as a European microstate bordering both Switzerland and the only slightly-larger nation of Liechtenstein, it had served Celestia well over the centuries, allowing both a primary point of transit and a base of operations for her agents to observe Earth from afar and—at times—give Celestia herself an escape from the pressures of ruling Equestria alone, allowing her to vacation on Earth under the guise of alternately Queen Alva or Princess Celeste, the hereditary rulers of Equios.

Though neutral in the affairs of humanity—a luxury afforded by its small size and isolated location high in the Austrian Alps—the nation of Equios had some notoriety in certain circles; it had become known over time as a magical and musical mecca—the latter for an autumn wine-and-music festival that was its main source of yearly income, and the former for a series of hot springs said by the ailing and afflicted to have uncommon curative powers.

Not without reason, given a confluence of magically conductive ley lines in the area that allowed for easy transit from Equestria and eased use of spellcasting on the normally magic-poor human world.

Affording both privacy and sufficient power to Celestia’s agents to magically maintain human form, as well as an easy ingress and egress route to and from Equestria should the need arise, it had been present for five centuries of human history, escaping most continental conflicts unscathed.

Two days into their stay, Celestia had introduced her student to her human and Equestrian agents alike, and even took her on a foray to Geneva to show her their banking arrangements, meeting some officials and human royals she knew along the way.

Though initially nervous over the unfamiliar environs, so different from the society and semi-arid climate she had previously experienced in Los Angeles, Twilight slowly got more comfortable in her human skin and surroundings. She enjoyed the unique food and cultures, to say nothing of human technology; more than once Celestia had to pull her away from the ‘internet’ that gave her access to all the information on humans she could ever want or need.

Her visit was going well to that point, having been very meticulously planned and scheduled. Until, that was, Celestia rousted her with a shake of her shoulder one morning before dawn, bearing with her an early breakfast. “Forgive me for springing this on you, my student. And I apologize for the early hour. But I have checked, and as the weather there is good, there is a place I wish you to accompany me.”

“Uh… sure, but why?” Twilight asked her mentor through bleary eyes, levitating a sheet of human paper with their daily schedule, the glowing outline of her otherwise invisible unicorn horn becoming apparent as she cast the levitation spell. “Weren’t we supposed to visit the Bank of Equios today as part of my education on the human financial system?”

Celestia bowed her human head, her voice solemn but expression unreadable. “Indeed we were, but it can wait for another day. In the meantime, I wish to take you somewhere, strictly off the books, my student,” she explained as she presented a light breakfast of fruit and pastries. “I have cleared today’s schedule for this purpose. I apologize for being so coy about our destination, and the odd arrangements. But for where I intend to take us, we simply must be ponies. And that means we cannot travel by human means.”

Twilight blinked as she began to eat, her fork freezing halfway to her mouth. “You want us to go out there as ponies?” All her pre-travel briefings had emphasized in the most emphatic terms that they were to remain in human form at all times while present on Earth, lest they be photographed by the increasingly ubiquitous, ever-present, and—to Twilight—ever so annoying human surveillance equipment, which even Equestrian magic had progressively more trouble countering as human technology got more advanced.

“Yes,” Celestia confirmed as she poured them both some tea. “I know it seems odd, but for where we are going, we will need our full power available, including the ability to cast shields, shrouds, and—if necessary—teleport, which as you know, is difficult to do as humans. Our destination lies nearly a thousand miles away, my student. And it is likely we will spend the better part of a day there, at least.”

“A thousand miles?” Twilight echoed before she bit into a fruit. “But not even you can teleport that far, Princess! How will we get there in a day if not by human air carriage?” she asked, though she was secretly relieved, not relishing the idea of flying on the large human ‘airliners’ they’d seen taking off from various airfields during her time in Aresia—Europe, she corrected her own thought for what seemed like the hundredth time already, wondering if she might not even get it correct in her head before she left in a week.

“A valid concern. But one with a simple answer. We will be able to travel by ley line tunneling,” she replied, licking her fingers of some pastry icing. “We had a magical nexus in the area I seek to go once, and with some occasional reinforcement, it remains active. It has been sealed for a while, however,” she mused, her tone grim. “It is now accessible only by me.”

“Sealed?” Twilight could scarcely imagine what would cause such drastic action, given that humans were unable to sense or access the nexus to travel with.

“Sealed,” Celestia confirmed as they finished their brief meal. After they were done, she shed her clothes and human form, instructing Twilight to do the same. She waited until she was finished and they were both in their pony bodies before continuing, leaving Twilight feeling strangely naked even though she was once again equine; she couldn’t but reflect again at that moment how well she’d adapted to her human body after such a short period.

“Now, my student, before we depart, I will give you some instructions that may strike you as odd, but it is crucial that you obey them. For where we are going, you must stay close to me at all times. Do not wander off the paths or paved roads we travel, except under my protection and only with my express permission. You must likewise not enter structures unless I tell you to, even if they seem safe. The dangers of our destination are unseen, but still present. I know you are confused, but I promise you will understand in due course.”

“Okay…” Twilight agreed, her unease only growing the more she heard. “I promise to stay close, Princess. I don’t think I’d want to be out in an unfamiliar human area alone as a pony anyway.”

“Very well.” Celestia nodded gravely as she turned to face the mirror. “Then let us be off. Watch closely as I cast this unsealing spell, my student. In the unlikely event that we are separated, do not linger or look for me—you must return to the nexus immediately and unlock it yourself in order to return to Equios.”

“Yes, Princess.” She bowed low and observed carefully as Celestia’s horn glowed, reading the complicated course of the incantation she cast on the mirror and then magically committing it to memory; she couldn’t help but swallow as the glass surface of the mirror opened into a swirling cacophony of light. As they stepped through, it immediately swept them forward; the magical conduit automatically re-sealing itself behind them.

Where are we going? What am I about to see? Twilight couldn’t help but dread the answer for the Princess’s odd behavior even as she tried to hold onto her barely eaten breakfast in the face of the disorienting travel method; one that never seemed to get easier no matter how many times she took it.

And why all the secrecy? she further wondered as she sensed their destination approach, coming up with no good or reasonable explanation for it.

Author's Note:

Welcome to the story! This takes place in the Phoenixverse of Turnabout Storm and The Lawyer and The Unicorn, though reading these stories is unnecessary to enjoy this one.

Thanks go to prereaders James CyberLink, AJ_Aficionado, Silentwoodfire, and Denim_Blue. Nothing else to say except I hope you enjoy!

Comments

[Firesight]

9765144

Nope. This is the present day.