The Immortal Dream

by Czar_Yoshi

Brute Force Method

"Aegis."

For a moment, the ponies in Twilight's suite were still. "Aegis?" the unicorn sitting across from Twilight eventually said, blinking. "The mechanical one? That you guys raised a stink about last month after the Crystalling?"

Starlight nodded. "One and the same. Twilight?"

Twilight looked confused and slightly worried. "That's... not what I expected you to say. I thought you didn't want anything to do with the kind of power that dragon represents."

Starlight gave her a flat look. "I also don't want anything to do with going back to the north. And as far as I'm concerned, those two are one and the same."

Twilight leaned back.

"I can't face the north without also facing my response to the north." Starlight shook her head. "That's who I am, Twilight. When I have the choice, I always take the path of power. And that choice is always there if I want it. I can look away and pretend it doesn't exist, or I can choose the only option I've ever found palatable. Do you want me to open the door on my history without taking action when something comes through it? The only way I know how to do that is by averting my eyes and burying my head in the sand."

Twilight bit her lip.

"Either we ignore this problem and go home, or you can solve it." Starlight looked her straight in the eye. "Or I can. And I even gave it a whole extra day after thinking of this to see if I could come up with something that involves crossing fewer boundaries, with no luck. This is my way. And now you get to choose whether to sign off on it, because you've put yourself in the position of being the one to do something about it if I go too far."

"Not to interrupt if you're having a moment," the white unicorn said. "But that's not just her decision. To actually use Aegis, you'd need every Princess to sign off on that. Plus the Convocation in Cernial. You do know how they feel about Aegis, right?"

Starlight turned her glare to him, softening it just a little. "That's not what 'no boundary I won't break' means. I don't intend to do this without your permission, but if you tried to stop me, the thought would cross my mind. And speaking from experience, I'm less scared of the wrath of goddesses and nations than I am of what Aegis could do if someone like me were to misuse it." She deflated a little. "Which is why I'll think about how to do this later. Right now, the only thing I'm doing is asking my friend whether this is something I should try to do at all."

The white unicorn sighed, put a hoof on his forehead, and grumbled something about mares under his breath.

"Then I think you should do it." Twilight's indecision vanished, and she gave Starlight a firm nod. "If you're trusting me with this, then I'm trusting you in return. I don't think your primary motivator deserves to be fear of the consequences of your actions, Starlight. Even if you've made mistakes before. Remember that as a Flame of Harmony, you were always meant to be a fundamental force for good in the world. You were meant to take action; all of us were. And I'll be by your side to make sure your hooves stay true."

Starlight melted in relief. "That's... what I was hoping you were going to say. I think." She hesitated. "Maybe I was also hoping you would talk me out of it."

Twilight smiled, got up and walked over, putting a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "Then it sounds like you're easy to please. I'll have Spike summon the Princesses. If there's action to take, then we shouldn't dawdle."

As Starlight and Twilight traded platitudes, Corsica rolled over to Twilight's abandoned spot at the table, its giant game board dredging up inviting memories from a time not so long ago when she had taken names at Icereach's school board game club. "We're not pulling her away from anything important, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Twilight's abandoned opponent. "If this is just for fun and you want someone to finish your game with, I'm a quick study..."

The white unicorn laughed. "Oh, this is just a tactics exercise for Ironridge. Twilight hasn't commanded troops before, and I don't think my aunts want her to, but she wanted to be prepared in case she had to get directly involved with Equestria's strike force."

Corsica tilted her head. "Your aunts?"

The white unicorn patted his chest. "I'm the Prince. Shining Armor? Twilight's sister. That's what I've been calling Celestia and Luna ever since getting married, even though that's not really my relationship, or Cadance's..." He scratched his head. "Where did that nickname come from...? Anyway, it's always nice to meet more of Twilight's friends. You are?"

Oh. A Prince. Cool. Probably actually the Emperor, considering that the goddesses were called Princesses. Casually consorting with even more royalty, even though with her current connections in Equestria, Corsica really shouldn't have been surprised... She gave herself a smug little smile directed at her past life in Icereach. Being the Head Scientist's daughter had nothing on consorting with royalty. And she used to think she was a big shot.

"Corsica," she said, making an easy read on his character. "I'd offer a hoofbump, but my body might literally fall apart if I move an unnecessary muscle."

Shining Armor threw back his head and laughed like a jock at a party. "I see that a lot! The Crystal Empire's usually peaceful enough that training can get rowdy to compensate. There a good story behind yours?"

"Fell off a cliff." Corsica shrugged nonchalantly, as if she had already had three years to process the trauma of nearly falling to her death. Less surprising was the fact that this guy had managed to land an empress than the fact that he was still married. "During an avalanche. Barely survived. It was pretty metal."

Shining Armor whistled. "This one time-"

Rainbow Dash stepped over, grabbed a token on the game board and slapped it down with a wing several spaces over. "Checkmate."

Shining Armor blinked at her. "That was a supply convoy tent."

"Seriously?" Rainbow winked. "Must be embarrassing to lose to one of those. Now come on, they're leaving without us!"

"Oop!" Shining Armor flipped to his hooves and bounded out of the room with an athlete's stride, in a manner far less dignified than befitted an emperor prince.

Corsica slowly gave chase, pausing a few times as she slowly realized that her body felt worse than it had this morning. Was she overdoing it? Not like she had done that much today other than ride on a train, but yesterday... She'd have to force herself to take it easier, at least until she wouldn't jeopardize her recovery. Re-injuring herself would reek.

Rainbow caught up to her after locking the door in their wake, and to Corsica's surprise decided to keep pace with her rather than rushing ahead to join the guards and Twilight's entourage.

Corsica raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to stick with slow old me. I can see you wanna go fast."

Rainbow mirrored the expression. "You know your way around here well enough to find the throne room on your lonesome?"

"Uhh..." Corsica wanted to say I'll explore until I find it, but that didn't sound like taking it easy. And that was also how Halcyon got in trouble the first time they were here. "Good point."

So they walked - or rather, she rolled and Rainbow flew. From the distant, frequently-changing grin on Rainbow's face, Corsica got the vague impression she was entertaining herself by daydreaming about battling hoards of invaders in the hallways. It looked like fun.

"What do you think of Shining Armor?" Corsica eventually asked, popping a question from the most recent subject on her mind.

"Twilight's big brother?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "I think he's pretty cool. Knows how to lighten up when he needs to, unlike literally every noble ever. He was the captain of the Royal Guard before the Crystal Empire came back and Cadance got it as her territory. So I guess he's the kind of guy who doesn't mind getting his hooves dirty?" She shrugged. "Honestly, we've only met, like... a dozen times. Twilight could tell you more. Why?"

Corsica shrugged, turning a corner at Rainbow's direction now that the others were completely out of sight. Even the guards hadn't bothered to stay back with her? Maybe Nanzanaya had done something suspicious, or her presence just distracted them enough that they forgot about her...

She shook her head. "Just seems like he's a little more interested in being a heartthrob than ruling. Is his wife like that too?"

"A heartthrob?" Rainbow gave her a suspicious look. "I mean, he was considered Equestria's most eligible bachelor before the big wedding, but now he's, like, super wholesome and chaste and stuff. Especially when Twilight's around. Except with his wife. And I didn't see him doing anything unusual. You just got a thing for him?"

Corsica blinked hard.

"Do I?" she asked out loud. "Is that what this is? I don't think so, but..." She frowned harder. "That's what anyone in denial would say. But if I was in denial, wouldn't I be ridiculously embarrassed and blushing right now? That's what kids who are too dumb to notice they're in love are supposed to do, right? Besides, he's literally married." She tilted her head at Rainbow. "Am I blushing?"

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly and looked away. "Actually, uh, yeah, you are getting pretty red there..."

Now she could feel it. "I'll have you know," Corsica insisted through gritted teeth, "that I am technically still an adult despite having the body and apparently also mind of a teenager again. And I've spent the last three years emotionally repressing myself anyways. So don't look at me like I'm weird. I'm apparently just a prisoner to my own hormones today."

"Oh, nah, having crushes is great." Rainbow waved a casual hoof. "Been there, done that plenty of times. I'm just surprised 'cuz I had you pegged for a mares' mare."

Corsica wilted on her roller with an almighty sigh, and instantly regretted it as her rib cage complained. "Have you never heard of being able to appreciate both ways?" She let herself deflate further. "Apparently I haven't, because I'm handling this like a schoolfilly even though I've literally been in a relationship before, and according to my present state of mind I still was as of three days ago."

Rainbow landed and gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah, those were some interesting years for me too. My advice would be to literally not sweat it and have fun. Odds are, Shining Armor would even find it funny, because you kinda look a lot like his wife as well."

"That just makes it worse!" Corsica burst out, once again instantly regretting her sharp movement. "Also I will literally break a rib if I don't settle down. So if you're going to give advice, do you think you could give some that both wouldn't upset a hysterical teenager and also treats me like an adult?"

Rainbow bit her lip, suppressing a clearly juvenile joke through a mighty force of will. Corsica was chagrined, but she found that she appreciated it, too.

"Uh," Rainbow eventually said. "Serious dating advice, from literally me? You used to be what, twenty? First off, that's not that old. Still allowed to do stupid stuff. Second, adults can get horny too. Shining Armor's the pure and faithful one; that doesn't extend to his wife. Actually, if you're trying to avoid losing your cool like this, you probably shouldn't say anything to draw Cadance's attention at all, because she will be able to tell and she will make a horny joke at your expense. And finally, try to be more shameless. She's a professional wingmare, so if you really wanna land someone, she could help. If you don't mind getting teased about it."

Corsica summoned her determination, took a deep breath, let it out, winced at the pain in her bones, and managed not to say anything witty. "Got it. Thanks. And by the way, I was completely fine about this until we started talking. I know what a crush is. I'm just... more embarrassed by my own situation and lack of control over myself, is all."

Rainbow winked. "That's, uh, actually how it is for everyone. Good luck out there. Glad you're feeling stuff at all again."

Did she have a point? Maybe she did. Corsica started rolling again with no reply save for a nod.

It was humiliating, having feelings that were outside the control of her higher thinking. But wasn't this what she wanted? With every day that passed, her time with her special talent felt another year away, and she couldn't be sure if it was a magical effect of her memories sorting themselves out after recombination, or if she was simply feeling and experiencing as much in a single day as she had in an entire year, before.

She should embrace this. Relish it, even. Only to an extent; she did have an image to maintain, and she needed to not hurt herself by physically overreacting. But shamelessness had been a big part of her identity in Icereach, so she should be able to do that just fine... right?

Actually, if she really had been perfectly rewound, why was she embarrassed at all over a thing like finding a stallion attractive? She had literally been in a relationship, like she'd said.

It would be nice to have a little more control over her feelings. Turning back to where she had been before was unthinkable, and even the prospect of finding a middle ground gave her a chill. But she hadn't wanted to lose the ability to police her thoughts. Merely be free from the requirement that she always do it. It was like she had broken down a dam, and now her heart was a river that couldn't be stopped.

Better than the alternative. That was the one thing she knew for certain: her old life had reached the end of the line. Her older self might as well have died when the Immortal Dream touched down in Snowport's harbor. She had no hope and no future, and if her wish hadn't been miraculously answered... Better not to think about what she could have done next.

So she would do her best to relish this. It was better than the alternative. And since this whole conversation was all Rainbow Dash's fault, Corsica shelved her shame and spent the rest of the walk in silence, following Rainbow's advice by contemplating whether Rainbow was a looker.

---

Last time, Corsica had a vague recollection of visiting a reception room that looked like a downscaled stand-in for a throne room, broken out for guests who were important enough to meet with the powers that be in a refined setting but not important enough to make said powers climb all the way to the real throne room and gussy it up for an audience.

This time, she was definitely standing in the real throne room.

The ceiling arched almost five stories high, though past the first the crystals grew so reflective that looking up was like staring into a fun house mirror, and it was impossible to tell where anything truly was or how many edifices and chandeliers there truly were. She swept her gaze down to take in the first floor as well, only to have its occupants immediately take precedence over the architecture in her mind.

Alicorns. Two of them - three, counting Twilight, though Corsica wasn't quite sure she counted in this situation. Princess Celestia, Corsica remembered meeting before, but the Celestia of her tarnished memories was smaller, less radiant and commanding and lustrous, someone she had simply spoken to without stopping to be wowed by her presence.

But this Princess Celestia could take up an entire window, the castle's crystals shining behind her translucent, flowing mane and lending it an ever-changing sparkle, like sunlight bouncing off inch-high waves on a calm sea. Back when Corsica had been dead, everyone else looked more or less the same to her, but now that her own flame had been relit, it was plain to see how much more alive she was than everyone else in the room. Twilight was just a mare with wings and a horn, Celestia was an immortal.

And standing in front of the throne next to her, true to Rainbow Dash's word, was an alicorn she hadn't met before that looked surprisingly similar to her, only older, with a more colorful mane, and much, much more attractive.

Corsica shivered with envy. She had always been proud of her own looks, considered remarkable in Icereach for the length and finesse of her horn, combined with the care she took of her coat. But while Corsica's coat was merely lustrous and soft, this mare looked like you could stick a hoof into her fur and never find the bottom, as if her very being was made of something extradimensional, a fluff so transcendent and fine that the individual hairs ceased to exist and flowed together into a pink, pillowy whole.

Not that this alicorn, who could only be Princess Cadance, was packing any excess material. With her pencil-like muzzle and wide, cornered eyes, every angle was sharp and every curve was unfair... and the curious foal strapped to her back only drove home the image. It was like a great, big billboard advertising that she wasn't in the market, and just happened to look this good anyway.

Focus, Corsica told herself, remembering that she had kept her composure perfectly in the presence of princesses before. She was here on business... But it was business the adults in the room could take care of without her. So she didn't have to pay perfect attention. Besides, Twilight was an alicorn, and looked like a mostly normal pony. That meant the way the other two looked wasn't an inherent property conferred by simply being an alicorn. And that meant that if she could keep her head on straight, she could potentially ask Princess Cadance what shampoo she used later.

No... No, that wasn't why she was here. Corsica wrenched her thoughts back on track. Aegis. Starlight borrowing Aegis. That was part of her important and overarching quest, which was more important than doing absolutely whatever she felt like at the moment, such as being envious of alicorn figures. Ignoring her responsibilities and doing and thinking whatever she pleased instead might have been the most constant aspect of her life in Icereach, so at least it didn't leave her feeling alien like her earlier discussion with Rainbow Dash. But had she really never learned to get serious at all? Maybe not. After all, Icereach never gave her anything truly important to do.

She would have to re-kick that habit, and fast.

"Looks like everyone's here," Twilight sighed in relief. "Sorry, Corsica. I didn't realize I left you so far behind. I should have-"

The situation finally clicked in Corsica's brain as reality took hold. "Wait up. I thought you said you were going to get Spike and contact the Princesses to request a summit..."

Spike gave her a big enough thumbs-up that she finally noticed him, and then took a look around the rest of the room for good measure. Shining Armor, Twilight, Rainbow Dash... Pinkie Pie had left the posse at some point, as had Nanzanaya and most of the guards.

"I work fast," Spike said, patting himself proudly.

"I already happened to be in the Crystal Empire at the time," Princess Celestia explained.

Twilight nodded. "Yep. That's what I did."

"You didn't even come straight here? You took a detour?" Corsica gave her an owlish look. "How slow am I right now?"

Rainbow Dash awkwardly looked away, hovering in midair. "Umm, well, we did stand around talking in the hall for a bit. But, like, pretty slow?"

Corsica sighed.

"I'd rate you at two snails out of ten," Rainbow added, as if that helped.

"Thanks," Corsica said flatly. "If I had gotten my mojo back without breaking every bone in my body and losing two years of for-fun military conditioning, I'd beat you in a race for that."

Twilight shushed Rainbow with her aura. "Since we have more than I expected at such short notice, Princess, do you think we could start discussing my request on Starlight's behalf?" She bowed to Celestia. "I know it won't be possible to get a yes until Princess Luna and the dragons have both gotten to weigh in, but if it's going to get shot down immediately, better now than later. And if it requires time for thought, better to get as much of a head start as..."

She trailed off. Princess Celestia was smiling.

"Princess?" Twilight tilted her head.

"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said, her voice echoing and regal and calm. "And Starlight Glimmer. Do you recall what you saw in your journey to the Palace of Convergence?"

"A whole lot," Twilight admitted. "But you're probably talking about..."

"The vision of Aegis fighting," Starlight finished for her. "Of the destruction of Indus. We assumed you had seen that too."

Celestia nodded. "Then you have seen this machine at its worst. But even then, it was merely a weapon in the hooves of its pilot, Tetra. Starlight. You have seen Aegis act many times in person, as well."

"I have." Starlight nodded. "It can be gentle. Or kill ponies. Or save them. But I don't intend to use Aegis on other creatures at all. Just to fix my airship, and then I'll give it right back. You can even accompany us in person if you want to see that it isn't misused."

Celestia looked intrigued. "You would not take Aegis with you to the north?"

Twilight hesitated, and then spoke slowly. "Umm, should we?"

"You know the dangers against which you will fight," Princess Celestia said. "As well as the guarantee many unexpected ones, beyond. Do you have faith in your abilities and in harmony to see this task through without the most powerful weapon we have to offer?"

"Is this a test?" Twilight asked nervously. "That... doesn't quite sound like something you'd normally say, Princess."

Cadance chuckled. "She knows you well."

Twilight tilted her head further and squinted. "Wait, what?"

Some of Celestia's demeanor dropped. "Indeed. This is not an unrehearsed meeting. Ever since we met Starlight, Twilight, and especially so after your visit to Convergence, we have discussed among us what we would say if you were to ask for the use of Aegis. That particular question was from my sister. Because we wanted to be able to give you our full answer no matter which of us happened to be present when you asked us."

"Does that mean this is all fanfare and you've already got a verdict?" Rainbow asked, hovering.

Celestia nodded. "We do."

"You, Twilight, may use Aegis." Princess Cadance bowed. "It would be far from the first time you've held Equestria's fate in your hooves."

"Um," Twilight said. "Me specifically? Starlight, will that work for what you're trying to do?"

Starlight frowned. "I'd understand why you would trust her more than me. Honestly, I'd be a lot more comfortable with that as well. But Twilight is..." She looked awkwardly at Twilight. "Thought exercise. What's the biggest horn laser you can shoot, and what's the limiting factor preventing you from going bigger?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes in thought. "Too big to demonstrate in here, for sure. As a general day to day matter, I'd say the limiting factor is the fact that it's not socially acceptable to shoot lasers for no reason, but if I really had to push myself, it would entirely come down to stamina and how fast I want to tire myself out. As an alicorn, my mana conversion rate and overall magical throughput are basically impossible to saturate, even during events like Tirek's rampage when I had access to external power sources."

Starlight nodded. "Your limiting factor is your stamina as a mage and ability to store and produce energy, not your capacity to use power that you're given. And my understanding of Aegis is that it's an exoskeleton or artificial body that's powered by your own internal magic. In other words, it's a way to transcend physical limitations if you have too much power to express with your existing body." She turned to the older princesses. "Aegis would primarily bolster Twilight in places where she already has untapped potential, and do nothing for the areas that are holding her back. It could still solve our present problem, but in terms of making her stronger, it would be little more than a glorified suit of armor."

"That's a good point," Twilight said, blinking. "I'm a pretty powerful mage by normal standards, and becoming an alicorn definitely let me express that power more freely, but my impression is that the powers older goddesses use are stockpiled over millennia. Right?" She offered Celestia a questioning stare. "So if I'm so far off from saturating my own potential as an alicorn... Not that I wouldn't use Aegis with the utmost care, but I couldn't do something like what I saw it do in Macrothesis even if I wanted to, right?"

Princess Celestia beamed. "You are both very perceptive. However, we have a separate gift that is much more relevant to your mission in the north, and it may change your assessment of that situation."

Corsica raised a curious eyebrow... and then Princess Cadance started glowing.

The glow had almost always been there, she felt like, only suppressed somehow. But now it burned off her like a fiery red light, and then compressed, congealing, its rays bending around forward like a lamp being placed in a reflective lamp hood, merging into a torch on her chest. And then it parted from her entirely, enveloped in her aura, at first too bright to look at but swiftly cooling and becoming corporeal.

It was a red, triangular gemstone about the size of a hoof. And aside from the light show, plus the fact that it seemed to be rotating in her aura of its own accord, it was surprisingly unremarkable.

"The Lovebringer?" Twilight looked confused. "But-"

"It was you who returned this to us, after all," Cadance confirmed. "And surely between your own studies and Starlight's story, you know its history... as well as the unique power it has over one of our foes."

Twilight hesitantly nodded.

"Uhh," Rainbow cut in, having mostly held her silence throughout the meeting. "I might'a zoned out during the relevant bit. Could you give me the night school version?"

Corsica backed her up. "Charity for the unenlightened?"

"You know what a societal virtue is, at least?" Cadance asked. "I mean, I assume you do, given who you've been traveling with..."

Rainbow pointed a hoof at Starlight.

Starlight nodded. "That gemstone is the equivalent to the Element of Harmony gemstones in your necklaces. The gemstones are the Flames of Harmony. The flames are the gemstones. If it's hard to envision, remember that the flames themselves are technically the soul of the world, so even though you think you're just talking to one little flame, the palaces are actually just loci of power where they can manifest enough to speak. The whole world is their body. Everything that exists. So these gemstones are just the part of their body that's most receptive to being carried around wherever they're needed, and then used as a direct conduit to their primal power. The burny part of the flame concentrates in palaces, the gemstone part goes wherever we take them."

"But they once existed in the same place, at the time of this world's creation," Princess Celestia said, taking over for her. "In the beginning, each gemstone was kept in its palace, with its flame. And this state of affairs continued until the first palaces were discovered and then entered, some two thousand years past. While the gemstones corresponding to the Elements of Harmony were given freely, each of the three societal virtues was sealed along with a curse, and to remove the gemstone was to free the curse and unleash it upon the world."

"And that one's curse was the windigoes," Twilight finished for her.

"It was," Princess Celestia agreed. "Stories are passed down and told at Hearth's Warming of how the windigo scourge was driven back by the fires of friendship and camaraderie. Over my long rule, I have guided those stories to ensure they remain accurate, because the windigoes were repelled by such fires, and that is a tool even the meekest among us can bring to bear. But the stories make less mention of the Lovebringer, because I wished for my little ponies to turn to themselves for the answer rather than a lost, mythical relic."

She stared into the gemstone for a moment, and then turned back to Twilight. "But now that the keystone that began the curse is no longer lost - and especially in the hooves of a Princess of Friendship who knows those fires like no other - it may be possible to write a new ending for this annual parable. One more harmonic than savage beasts being driven away, only to await their chance at revenge."

Twilight gave the Lovebringer a solemn stare. "I understand," she said, bowing. "I'll make sure to return this safely."

Corsica watched as Cadance - somehow not quite as divine or lovely as she had been before divesting the gemstone, but still divine and lovely - floated the gemstone towards Twilight, and Twilight bowed and awaited it.

With a splash of red, it melded into her chest.

Instantly, a spark of red lightning ran down Twilight's mane, and she winced as if struck by static. After the jolt, her mane and tail had changed, beginning to rise and flow like Celestia's, taking on a deep and starry sheen, with one of her twin stripes turned bright crimson for emphasis.

"Oh," Twilight said, her voice endowed with an odd, echoing ring that hadn't been there before. "This is... much more powerful than my own Element. I can... Umm, some of you might want to take cover in case I accidentally flex a muscle wrong and half the room breaks?" She shakily turned to look at Starlight over her shoulder, and Corsica saw that her irises had gone bright red. "If this is the same power as yours, is this how you feel every single day?"

"Not an alicorn." Starlight shrugged. "Just a plain old unicorn who can't accept defeat."

"I think this is about the same power level as the Tirek incident," Twilight said, studying her hooves, moving in a jerky fashion as if she was contradicting her every action. "Which I did manage to control before, so I should be able to re-familiarize with it quickly enough. Is this...?"

"The power we were attempting to emulate by 'stockpiling power for millennia,' yes," Princess Celestia said. "The power that alicorns and sphinxes were originally created to wield. And though we can survive containing the unbridled energies of creation, you should know that our forms are far from sufficient to do more than skimming the surface of this reservoir... although such skimming was still sufficient to accomplish feats such as raising the Aldenfold. With Aegis, you could be far stronger. It was over the proper usage of this power that my sister and I clashed one thousand years ago, before I banished her to the moon. And it is this power that you will need to restore harmony to the north, in a manner that does not merely pass today's problems on to the next generation. We are giving it to you. Use it well."

Twilight chuckled nervously, her movements already becoming slightly more assured... though Corsica noticed her wings were clamped much more tightly to her sides than usual. "So you really think I need Aegis and this at the same time?"

Cadance shook her head. "This power was too important to your mission to withhold. We were going to offer it to you before you crossed the border whether you asked for it or not. So our discussions about Aegis were based on the assumption that you would already have this."

"Hence the warnings," Twilight said, a bit more confidence returning to her voice. "Although I think not breaking anything like this is going to be more a matter of practice and control than intent..."

"Your intent was never in question, my little pony," Princess Celestia said fondly. "And if it was, you have a friend with a similar power who is already trusting you to steer her right. I am sure she would be willing to return the favor."

Starlight shuffled warily, and Twilight gave her a reassuring nod. "I'm pretty sure that's the least of our worries."

"So..." Twilight had started pacing, her legs twitching occasionally, like they wanted to break free and run on ahead. "I'm pretty sure, or at least I feel like, I could completely ignore the intended ways of doing anything right now and solve all the north's problems directly through brute force. And I don't even have combat training. I could probably just blow up an invading army from the opposite horizon! Not that I'd do that, but I sure feel like I could." She looked up at Celestia. "So, why are you giving me Aegis, again? Do you really think there's possibly any problem up there that I couldn't solve now, but could if I was stronger?"

That was what Corsica wanted to know, too. As well as why a rando like her got to watch goddesses exchange powers on scales that could accidentally level a city. Maybe they didn't think her knowing about it was a threat, since she'd probably just explode if she tried to touch that power and couldn't use it for herself? Or maybe they figured that since she'd be following the team to the north, she'd find out about it one way or another anyway.

Her other questions had decent answers. But seriously, she could smell Twilight's power, it was wafting off her so strongly. So why throw Aegis on top of that?

"You asked before we could offer the Lovebringer, and I would not be surprised if you changed your mind in light of its power," Celestia answered. "We merely prepared our answer to that question in advance in case you asked it. However, I believe you summoned us because you had a problem that required more finesse to solve, not more force. And having access to the one tool that was ever capable of channeling this much power may also make it easier for you to control it."

"Well, that would be a relief," Twilight said, stopping in front of a particularly reflective crystal and staring. "Also, are my eyes red? Can I change that?"

"There are ways to repress the cosmetic effects of excess power," Cadance chuckled. "But that's something you can figure out on your own time. I think Flurry's getting bored with this conversation."

She teased at the ears of the foal on her back, who looked anything but bored.

"Come," Princess Celestia instructed. "I will show you to Aegis's current location... as well as instruct you on the contingencies under which the dragons insisted this be done in order to grant their blessing. It will be your decision how much and whether to use it."

Oh, great. More walking. "Hey!" Corsica called, willing to take any attention she could get. "Mind going slow enough that I can keep up? Only got so many wheels, here..."

It was only once they were out of the throne room and proceeding apace that it hit her: Cadance wasn't following, and Corsica had gotten so absorbed in being responsible and paying attention to her mission that she forgot to ask about her shampoo.

Rats. This was what she got for being a good filly.

Comments

[Venlinelle]

"Oh, nah, having crushes is great." Rainbow waved a casual hoof. "Been there, done that plenty of times. I'm just surprised 'cuz I had you pegged for a mares' mare."

Not, demographically speaking, an unreasonable assumption.
Horny bi ambiguously-old Corsica is delightful <3

"In other words, it's a way to transcend physical limitations if you have too much power to express with your existing body."

I'm sure this has been said many times before, but having it put so directly with these examples clears up some uncertainties I had about certain worldbuilding stuff and exactly how powerful Starlight is. That is, her Virtue expresses itself more through (uncontrollable and oft-unwanted) passive effects than directly through her power because she doesn't have a physical form capable of expressing that much power through her usual magic---though obviously she's still more magically powerful than almost any other creature in the world, and could (presumably) pursue greater magical power output if she wanted.

So now we're going north with...
Checks notes
Twilight with (a significant portion of) the power of a dragon god that destroyed the previous world, Starlight and her reality-warping mechanically-justified angst powers, the Elements, and, if you count people already in the north, Valey's Artifice that may or may not have substantial untapped potential, and, if you count people who may or may not be helpful, Discord. Chrysalis, I hope you have some tricks up your sleeves.

[RoboRed]

Twilight suddenly uncomfortably energetic, lol.

The white unicorn patted his chest. "I'm the Prince. Shining Armor? Twilight's sister.

I believe you meant "Twilight's brother". Unless you meant "Twilight's my sister"?

Rainbow Dash stepped over, grabbed a token on the game board and slapped it down with a wing several spaces over. "Checkmate."

Shining Armor blinked at her. "That was a supply convoy tent."

"Seriously?" Rainbow winked. "Must be embarrassing to lose to one of those. Now come on, they're leaving without us!"

I laughed too hard at this.

[PropsValroa]

It seems as if the tests never end. I think with the power Twilight now wields, that she should be able to stop the wars between Abyssinia and Cernial too. The big question is what state Ironridge is currently, if the Yaks managed to over-run their defense, or if Ironridge is still holding on. I look forward to the eventual confrontation with Twilight here, and what kind of treaties, etc, Twilight will deal out to end these wars.

[Okie Brony]

11897697
I can't believe that I missed that "Twilight's sister" typo! I would've totally made fun of that. Let's see how long it takes for Yoshi to fix it.
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