Imperial Forclousure

by The Sound of Loneliness

The Royal Audience

"But they threatened-"

"Silence!" Nightmare Moon chided her youngest sister. "I am gravely disappointed," she switched to her oldest sibling. "You were supposed to watch over the camp while I negotiate our entry, not murder innocent border guards!"

Daybreaker did not move a muscle in reaction to the stab, still standing at attention in the middle of the tent Nightmare Moon chose to berate them in, away from prying eyes. Most likely not ears, though.

"What do you have to say, sister?" Nightmare Moon finally asked, a bit calmer.

"That I did no such thing," Daybreaker answered with an entirely flat voice. "I never intended to harm them. I would have disarmed them if that is what it would've taken, but I would not jeopardize your plans by antagonizing Queen Novo like this."

"Sister, you snapped their necks. All of our sisters saw you do that," Nightmare Moon reminded. "Save for those who left the camp without telling anyone," she shot a glance at Tiny.

"I only attempted to intimidate them, I did not kill them."

"Then who did?" Nightmare Moon asked with faked innocence. "Sister, I hope you still remember that there aren't too many candidates here."

"She did," Daybreaker accusatory pointed at Tiny with a hoof. "She is a cold-blooded killer already, you know as much. Nightmare, I believe your... attachment is clouding your judgment in the matter. Go on, tell her," Daybreaker looked at Tiny directly.

"They tried to hurt Daybreaker..." Tiny said meekly, being wary of the two mares.

"Should we take this as a confession then?" Daybreaker impassively turned her attention back to the ghostly figure of her oldest sister.

"You tried to protect Daybreaker?" Nightmare Moon asked her filly sister with concern, Tiny curtly nodded. "Sister, Daybreaker would be honored with your concern, if she was better behaved," Daybreaker broke her composure for a moment and humphed loudly. "But you cannot simply kill everyone who threatens you, do you understand?"

"But they were about to-"

"They wouldn't have dared to shoot me," Daybreaker sighed. "They would have been court-martiale for murdering an unarmed mare, especially after they learned who we are. It was a contest of gut, which they had no way to win because they couldn't raise the stakes anymore. Do you really think me so foolish as to try something like that without being certain of my success?"

"Tiny, your sister is correct. As much as I don't approve of her methods of resolving conflicts like this, she is correct. While your actions have put us in grave peril," Nightmare Moon supported Daybreaker's narrative.

"I am sorry..." Tiny weakly mumbled.

"Sister, perhaps you should teach her more discipline," Daybreaker remarked. "Your magic lessons alone are clearly not enough and only serve to make our dear sister an even larger threat to our goals."

"Perhaps you are right..." Nightmare Moon mused. "Would you perhaps do so yourself? I arranged for our entry, but twelve corpses would not be a good first impression. I would have to make our peace, hopefully, they would understand."

"Hopefully? Sister, are you saying that you intend to accept a sentence from them?"

"If that is how it has to be. We would have to pay back to their families and perhaps do service to Novo. If she even gives us the audience, that is."

At that, the council concluded and Tiny was given over to the fiery sister for her punishment, or "disciplining." Daybreaker's idea of that was much more straightforward. Tiny spent their whole way to the narrow line of land connecting Mount Aris to the continent, manually hauling sacks with grain and doing everything else Daybreaker felt would do her good. It was boring, hard and the slightest hesitation resulted in an increased load.

After a day of this regiment, they arrived at the land bridge and started moving along a dusty trail, riddled with deep tracks. Tiny never saw a wagon that could be heavy enough to leave those. Daybreaker just lowered the sun when they came to the simple chain fence. Tiny saw fences just like these around some of the workshops back at her home. There was also a checkpoint, just like at a factory she once saw from afar, when she and Spoiled were exploring. At the checkpoint stood about twenty hippogriffs, only some of them armed. On the ground, lines of metal spikes were laid out. One of them had a fancy hat. Their column came to a stop about thirty meters away from the checkpoint. Tiny wasn't allowed to ride on Mister Rich's wagon like she usually did, but instead she got the best view, standing at Daybreaker's beck and call together with Shadow. During the day, the changeling mare was remarkably more attentive to her, helping her with her chores where she could. Tiny wasn't sure if she was making sure she wasn't overextending or just watching her.

"Straighten your back, young Miss," Shadow suddenly pressed on the heavy sack of grain on her back with her hoof. "Put your head higher. It's easier to carry the load with that posture and we may need to wait for a few more hours here."

"Thank you," Tiny said with a nod, trying her best to follow the instruction. One of the most useful things she learned since the start of their journey is that she should always listen to Shadow on the rare occasions when she spoke to her directly.

Nightmare Moon then deliberately slowly floated in front of their formation. Few of their sister shuddering slightly as they felt her chilling touch. Hippogriffs on the other side frowned and some shuffled their legs uncomfortably.

Nightmare Moon spoke for a while with the hippogriff with the fancy hat. After that, the soldiers cleared away the spikes and they continued forward. Daybreaker stopped to help ponies unload the dead troopers from one of the wagons. Following the dusty trail with the caravan, Tiny started noticing buildings she couldn't see from afar. Concrete walls with narrow slits embedded in hills, fortified doorways, hidden dugouts, all reinforced with concrete and connected to shelters. Tiny stared in wonder at the real fortress around her, only becoming visible up-close. Having cleared the land bridge, they arrived at the mountain proper. The city hugged the mountain like gigantic stairs, but they didn't go to the city itself. Instead, Nightmare Moon led them to a facility at the base of the mountain, surrounded by a concrete wall, with metal gates. They were let inside by another group of soldiers. Inside was a large space and a large square building in the corner separated by a fence. Nightmare Moon said to set up camp. Ponies reluctantly obeyed. She then came to see Tiny for the first time since morning.

"Sister, rest for now," she said, removing the grain sack off Tiny's back. "Don't leave Mister Rich's wagon for today, this is very important," she instructed. "Shadow, check If our wagon has all our supplies. Daybreaker, I negotiated for us to pay with my old crown. Colonel Bilge Water will come to collect soon."

"Understood, Nightmare," Daybreaker nodded.

"I will find you all in a few hours, once our... issue is settled. Until then, I need to think about what to do next. We need to be ready to leave quickly. As soon as Novo finds out who we are, she will not be pleased."

"Let us not waste time, sister. Go out and find Sparkle, I will oversee the camp while you are away," Daybreaker suggested. Nightmare Moon remained silent, thinking on the idea.

The gates suddenly opened again and a hippogriff in a fancy outfit slipped inside.

"Milady!" he announced himself, hurrying to them. "Sincerest apologies for this treatment!" he quickly dropped down and bowed to the ground. "Queen only knew moments ago! She will receive you now," he said without raising or looking up from the ground. Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker shared a long look.

"Then let us go," Nightmare Moon said. "Mister Rich!" she called across the compound. Moments later the stallion similarly came running, "You are in charge for the next several hours, watch our camp," without waiting for an answer, Nightmare Moon turned away again.

To Tiny's delight, Nightmare Moon chose not to leave her behind this time, she and Shadow were both brought along. The messenger proposed flying, but Nightmare Moon declined. They ended up going through the city instead. From what Mister Rich told her about hippogriffs, Tiny came to expect there not to be too many of them in the city itself. They could change between land and an aquatic form, so most of them should be underwater. The streets indeed weren't very populous, although that might've been due to the late hour, there was a surprising number of ponies here too. Unlike hippogriffs, ponies were stopping on the spot and staring at them in disbelief, they most certainly knew who Tiny's older sisters were. One older pony in a police uniform even ran away when he saw them. Nightmare Moon keenly studied the streets too, was that why she wanted to walk?

Eventually, they arrived at the top of the mountain, to the large building surrounded by a garden, but no walls. It was both majestic and simple, whitewashed and with precise proportion.

"Has your Queen moved her throne?" Nightmare Moon musingly asked.

"She did. With the last of Storm King's influence gone, she wanted to end our isolation," the messenger answered.

"Progressive..."

They climbed simple, rounded stairs and the twin hippogriffs in metal armor threw open the doors for them after giving a short salute with their spears. If the exterior was pretty modest, even compared to some of the estates Tiny saw, the interior was lavish to the point of being breathtaking. The entry hall was made almost entirely out of carved, dark wood, with wide stairs leading to the second floor and several doors leading to other rooms. The walls were decorated with portraits and paintings, while the doorways were guarded by armor stands. The windows were adorned with heavy, velvet drapes. From the ceiling, a large chandelier was hanging.

"Electric lights, quaint," Nightmare Moon did not sound impressed.

"Sister, not all of the monarchs are as old-fashioned as you are," Daybreaker quickly reminded.

"And you still have no taste, sister," Nightmare Moon sighed. "Fake lights ruin the room's aesthetics. If you intend to go for the traditional feeling, then do go all the way."

"Wait here, if you would," their guide asked. "The Queen will be with you momentarily." He then quickly left through one of the side doors.

"At least they received us properly. You leave for a few decades and everyone suddenly forgets how to behave around royalty," Daybreaker allowed herself a slip from her usual stoic demeanor.

"May I remind you that we hold no more titles?" Nightmare Moon said while occupying herself with studying the armor by the door.

"Young Miss," Shadow loudly whispered to Tiny, both of them still standing at the door. "Don't forget the etiquette, you may not speak unless spoken to, you may not touch anything unless allowed and you may not stare," Shadow decided to use this moment to remind Tiny how to behave. Tiny wasn't sure if she was showing concern for her or her Mistress. After listening to the sisters bickering for a few minutes, the same side door opened and the hippogriff Queen slowly and deliberately walked into the room. She was smaller than Daybreaker and nowhere near as imposing, but she was still wearing an elegant, golden crown with finely cut gems around the headband. To Tiny, it was just a piece of metal, but she couldn't deny that it was well made. She was not young, but not quite as old as Mister Rich was.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," the Queen said with a low voice and giving a formal bow. Daybreaker proceeded to bow in her turn while Nightmare Moon, lacking faculties, had to resort to simply drifting down in through the air. "I am sorry for any inconvenience you may have encountered on the border."

"It was minor," Nightmare Moon brushed away. "I am afraid we were not introduced. I expected to see Queen Novo," Nightmare Moon moved to business, unwilling to waste time on idle talk.

"Queen Sky Star, sister," Daybreaker curtly prompted.

"Queen Novo was my mother, Your Majesty," the Queen nodded.

"Ah... yes... I remember now. You were with Princess Twilight. It is sad that we could not get properly acquainted, Your Majesty, my hope is that my feud with your mother ended with both of our deaths."

"Queen Novo's attitude never found any solidarity with me, I assure you. Queen Novo spent her reign trying to resist Storm King's aggression, I think her hateful views could be forgiven," Skystar gave a barely visible nod.

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Nightmare Moon agreed.

"Now, with our immediate introduction over, I invite you and your suite to the tea room. To my knowledge, you used to be rather fond of speaking there, were you not?" Sky Star turned away and started moving towards one of the doors again. Nightmare Moon followed and the rest of them followed her.

"I accept, but I fear I am in no condition to drink anything just now. My hope was that our stay in your realm would be brief. We wish to be of no disturbance."

"There is no disturbance, Your Majesty," Sky Star sighed. "That... regrettable incident, was completely avoidable had we known of your visit."

"We would like to offer compensation, but I could not inform you any sooner. See, I walk among the living again for not even a month and we had to travel from far away to see you. Sister, what was that land, again?"

"I believe its denizens call it the Jade Empire," Daybreaker humbly replied. So she could be humble after all...

"That far? Why I would have expected you for another week by ship."

"Teleportation circles, Your Majesty," Nightmare Moon explained.

"You also brought quite a retinue," the Queen continued with her small talk after taking a turn to the next door in the hallway.

"They all are our kin, Your Majesty. They asked me to lead them." The discussion stopped for a few moments as the Queen entered her tea room, leaving the door open for the rest of them. Inside stood a single hippogriff miss in a cute uniform.

"Clear Tide, my guests need two more chairs," the Queen instructed, before sitting down at the table. "Please, make yourselves comfortable, servants will find us more seats now. I am afraid I am not familiar with the rest of your suite, Your Majesty."

"Of course. Meet my sisters: Daybreaker and Tiny. Lastly, Shadow is my oldest retainer to date," the changeling formally bowed on cue, Tiny followed the late example.

"Daybreaker? As I recall, you used to have a different name," Sky Star addressed Daybreaker directly.

"Your Majesty, my sister prefers to not speak on this subject, personal reasons," Nightmare Moon quickly interjected. "Sister, would you sit?" Daybreaker obediently took the only chair, while Nightmare Moon continued to simply float.

"You said you have more kin?" the Queen continued forth.

"Yes..." Nightmare Moon hesitated a moment, thinking on how to better explain to the Queen the duality of their existence. "Your Majesty, I am sorry to not answer your question directly, but are you aware of how I came to rule?"

"Not too well, frankly speaking. My mother never quite explained what you did do for her to despise you so much, but I know that you had to fight for your right to rule with... your sister," the Queen gave a tiny look to Daybreaker, the Princess weathered the look but didn't return it.

"That is true, but only partially. You see, Princess Celestia was not my sister," Nightmare Moon said in her most delicate words. "My sister is here, her name Is Daybreaker, Your Majesty. Princess Celestia was a different pony."

"I don't understand."

"Your Majesty, I am afraid I would have to inform you that the beings you receive in your realm right now are not entirely ponies, despite our appearance," Nightmare Moon deliberately slowly began her explanation. "Sometimes, when another creature is born, they are destined to share their body with another entity. We ourselves lack any comprehensive understanding of why this happens, or how, we only know that we are separate from our hosts and that we have an instinctive drive to subdue the will of our host to take control over our shared body," Nightmare Moon made a pause for the stunned Queen to catch up. "We know each other when we meet and we refer to each other as sisters," Nightmare Moon finished.

At that moment, a trio of servants entered the room, carrying two more requested chairs and the teapot with the accompanying cups and saucers.

"Thank you," Nightmare Moon relieved Sky Star of the necessity to dismiss her servants, the hippogriffs gave her wary looks but did not disobey. Shadow then gave Tiny a small push and they both sat on the newly delivered chairs as the hippogriffs exited. "This may sound rather monstrous, but I assure you, we would not do that if we had our own bodies, as we are forced to fight for the right to have our own."

Tiny fidgeted a little in her seat as her older sister explained their situation, this whole meeting was rather boring.

"Celestia and Luna?" Sky Star finally asked, after a heavy swallow.

"Celestia is still with my sister, she is subdued and unaware. Luna is well, from what I know. During my reign, we managed to find a way to separate ourselves, with each having her own body. In fact, this is a reason why we came to you this night.
You see, after my untimely demise, my court shattered and my former attendants spread out through the land and I would like to find some of them again.
"Luna and I were unusually close for a host and a sister, you see. I... intended to take Luna's body, just as my instinct told me to, but the more we interacted, the better Luna treated me. Eventually, she simply allowed me to take control sometimes and-" Nightmare Moon stopped her thought and sat quietly for a while. "Your Majesty, I just need help to find my other sister, this is all."

A long silence prevailed over the table. Shadow quietly began serving the tea, she put a cup before everyone except herself and Nightmare Moon. She then put the tray aside and went for another lap, pouring everyone the tea. It was still steaming.
Tiny gave her cup an experimental sip, she only drank tea a few times when Mister Rich managed to exchange it for some of his trinkets, it was very expensive, as he told her. The drink was hot and had a soft, bitter taste. It felt more refined than the tea she had before.

"What can I do to help?" the Queen finally said with a sigh.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I need your help to locate another one of my close friends first. You are acquainted with Princess Twilight Sparkle already. I am certain that she is here, or was here for some time in the past. I need her help."

The Queen quietly hummed to herself,
"She is here. She came asking for an asylum many years ago. She had some of her friends with her too, but they all went their own ways one by one along the years. Twilight did not look like I remembered her, she was grim and bitter, but most of all she looked tired. I gave her one of the chambers in the old catacombs under the mountain, I have rarely seen her since. She also brought with her a few hundred soldiers, she said they were the guards from your palace."

"Which chamber is she in?"

"I believe it used to be the dining hall, the mountain halls predate the top city for several centuries. I shall send someone to show you the way."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Nightmare Moon said happily. "I will not forget your assistance."

"You and your sisters may also stay for as long as you require. I will give the order to let them go out from the procession camp if they wish to," Sky Star nodded.

"Thank you again, Your Majesty," Nightmare Moon said with less enthusiasm. "But I hoped to speak to you on their account too. You see, Your Majesty, my sisters may have a somewhat unrealistic view of me. I seem to have become some sort of an idol for them."

"That is understandable, Your Majesty. You are by far the most famous pony in recent history, after Princess Celestia."

"Indeed, but I do not intend to re-assume my position as they expect me to. I had my time, now I let history run on without me. I believe it is better this way for all of us." Daybreaker visibly shrank and pouted and at the words but said nothing.

"Then what is it you require my aid for?" Sky Star went on to ask.

"If you would accommodate them. My sisters aren't evil, they merely wish to have the freedom to live that every other creature has. They will do no one any harm if hippogriffs won't do any to them."

"Your Majesty, I am afraid I cannot do this," Sky Star sharply straightened up. "If those ponies wish for you to lead them, it would not be honorable to stand in-between you and them. You should speak to them first."

"Honor?" Nightmare Moon asked with a slight surprise. "Wasn't your mother the one sending spies into my lands? I allowed her to have her way, but hearing from you about honor is surprising in the extreme."

"Your Majesty, I am not my mother," Sky Star said passionately. "I was just as abhorred by her actions as you were, but I was powerless until I inherited her legacy. It was far too late to make amends then. But allow me to apologize for the actions of my mother nonetheless. I owe you some concessions, on behalf of my mother, but I won't follow in her steps."

"Then I shall honor your wish," Nightmare Moon said without enthusiasm. "May we go to see Twilight now?"

"I will show you the way myself," Sky Star stood up from the table. "It would be better to leave my servants out of this."

The Queen then promptly walked out of the room without caring to look at anyone. Nightmare Moon was the first to follow, the rest of them followed her. They moved through the corridors for another half a minute, bizarrely enough they never met anyone on their way to the stairs leading downward. There was no door or anything, just stairs. The walls quickly lost all embellishment and became bare stone, save for occasional lamps and ubiquitous power cables. Tiny saw a few of those, but she never quite understood what they were for or how they worked, she only knew that some machinery in workshops and some lights didn't work without them. The stairs ended in a square room with three more corridors and various chairs, tables, and boxes all covered with dusty cloth along the walls. The Queen led them down one of the passages, moving past several turns before ending up in front of a wooden door. It looked much newer than the walls around but still looked old. Tiny didn't say anything, but she hopped that on the side there will be less dust. She could already feel the dust, she breathed in with the still, underground air, starting to accumulate in her throat. She wanted to spit it out, but it was stuck to the walls of her neck and won't move.

Queen Sky Star checked if they were still behind her and calmly knocked on the door. It took a minute, and the Queen was already raising her hoof to knock again, but the door was eventually opened. Tiny instinctively hid behind Shadow upon seeing a monster standing in the doorway. He (and she could clearly see that it was "he") had purple scales; a large, muscular frame with a thick, spiked tail and long claws on all his limbs. He only used two of his legs to stand and that way he was even taller than the already very imposing Daybreaker. His head was elongated with sharp teeth sticking from it. On the back, he had disproportionally small wings, if Tiny had to guess, he couldn't fly.

Despite his enormous stature that barely fit through the door, not Shadow, any of her sisters, nor even the Queen, so much as even flinched at his sudden appearance. Although Daybreaker uncomfortably shuffled.

They, on the other hoof, made an impression on him without any doubt. He first looked down at the Queen, but as soon as he noticed Tiny's sisters behind, his green, slitted eyes went wide and his mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Hello, Spike," the Queen said casually. "Is Twilight too busy?"

"Eghh..." he mumbled and scratched the back of his head. "N-not too much," he then stepped away from the doorway, allowing them to enter.

One by one they went through the door, each giving a look to the queer creature. Nightmare Moon only looked at him fleetingly, Daybreaker gave him a heavy look, making him almost visibly shrink; Shadow, surprisingly, gave him a short nod and even brushed his foreleg with her hoof in a greeting. Lastly, Tiny looked at him in bewilderment. The giant looked like he could brush the sky with his head if he went outside. He looked down at her with a similar expression, no doubt wondering who she was and why her regal sisters brought her with them.

The Queen, seemingly aware of the layout, went further, following a weird, crystalline wall. The giant silently closed the door and after a momentary hesitation, caught up to them in two large steps, producing sizeable plaps instead of regular hoofsteps. The Queen, navigating confidently, led them through another door into some sort of a seating area, complete with a table. It looked like a mix of Daybreaker's relic room and Mister Rich's wagon. Orderly bookshelves coexisted with piles of objects of all shapes and sizes, most of which Tiny never even saw before in her life, and precise geometric shapes of arcane circles, just like Daybreaker could draw.

"I-I'll get Twilight then," the gigantic lizard said and quickly plaped away until disappearing out of view. Nightmare Moon immediately set to studying the room, while the rest of them, including the Queen, sat down at the table, it had just enough seats for all of them.

"Curious," Nightmare Moon said amusingly, staring down at one of the circles, though its covering of open books and focusing devices. "A transmutation circle, lacking any failsafe, but sophisticated enough to minimize the probability of miscasting. It seems the student has grown bolder... and less reserved."

"I don't know what she is doing down here," Sky Star flatly stated. "When I asked her, she started to tell me about some experiments and studying. It was the extent of what I could collect, however. Twilight was... never too good at explanations."

"Humph," Daybreaker snorted. "It's surprising she is even alive with how careless she has grown. Look at that enchanting circle, she didn't even take precautions. Just imagine what could happen if the object she is recharging melts, or worse, discharges. Poor Spike would have to put his friend in an urn to keep her in one place."

"Sister, restrain yourself. We spoke on this before, Twilight did nothing to deserve such treatment," Nightmare Moon berated, without pulling away from the drawings on the floor.

"Nothing except trying to murder you, Nightmare," Daybreaker grumbled back.

"For the last time, Daybreaker, it wasn't her idea. The poor filly didn't even know about the plot until it was sprung up."

"But you didn't punish the ones who enacted it either," Daybreaker continued her line.

"Oh, but I did. Sister, for knowing someone like Celestia so intimately, your view is surprisingly narrow. Subtlety has benefits too, dear sister," Nightmare Moon gave Daybreaker a short look and floated to the bookshelves. "Good policies make friends, not enemies. Twilight and her friends proved to be good and trustworthy subjects. They did good for the Empire."

"Not mentioning certain risks, of course," Daybreaker shot back sarcastically. With another bickering round concluded, both of them continued where they left. Daybreaker was silently staring at the table, periodically finding something interesting elsewhere in the room. While Nightmare Moon continued sorting through the room's various items, puffing and cooing at some of them.

Tiny continued to quietly watch her sisters and the Queen. Sky Star noticed her wandering eyes and shot her a reserved smile.

Eventually, the loud plaping steps returned. Spike immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Ehh... Twilight got carried away a little..." Daybreaker gave a long, heavy sigh. "I couldn't get into her lab, the door is magically locked."

"Well, we would have to rectify that, wouldn't we, sister?" Nightmare Moon pulled away from a book she was going through the pages of. As usual, the rest of the herd followed the leader. Spike again led them along crystal walls, through a large library and to a pair of heavy double doors on the far side of the library.
"An impressive place and to think all of this was just one hall away. Well, sister, would you take a look?" Daybreaker obediently stepped forwards and examined the door from top to bottom.

"I see no spells here," she said in the end. "She tried opening it, both with magic and physically, but the door still didn't budge."

"Well, we have no physical locks here..." said Spike.

"Jamming doesn't make sense either," said Daybreaker. "Something must be holding it on the other side."

"That's... weird, Twilight's lab doesn't have any heavy furniture."

"How long has she been in there?" Nightmare Moon asked, her tone growing heavier by the word.

"About fifteen hours, that's pretty normal."

"Sister, blast the door open," Nightmare Moon ordered, her voice not leaving any room for debate.

Daybreaker quickly made ten steps back. Her horn glowing with the golden aura as she took a wide stance.

"Don't overdo it," Nightmare Moon gave a stern warning.

A large golden orb appeared over her head and began to steadily grow in size. Tiny watched in awe as the sphere grew almost to the size of a wagon. With a heave, Daybreaker sent the pulsing, glowing sphere floating to the door.

"Take cover," Nightmare Moon ordered, without moving an inch herself.

"This is just a-" Daybreaker wanted to explain.

"I said: hide," Nightmare Moon repeated.

Offering no further resistance, Daybreaker quickly waved everyone towards the closest shelf. Shadow obeyed immediately, while Spike and the Queenfollowed reluctantly. The bookshelf was not a wall, but at least Tiny could take a look through the holes. The shining sphere slowly floated to the doors, then it touched the surface, producing smoke. Then the orb quivered and suddenly collapsed with a loud pop. The doors still stood.

"What?!" Daybreaker yelped, her head and neck sticking out like a mole from its hole. "I swear, I didn't miscast!"

"It seems that Twilight anticipated someone trying to breach it," Nightmare Moon musingly said.

"What kind of spell can protect from us?! This is ridiculous!" Daybreaker continued her outrage.

"Well, Twilight did say that she was going to cast every spell she knew on this door after the last time her experiment didn't go as planned," Spike explained.

"I could probably break it still, but I need to find a spell that she didn't know the defences from," Daybreaker thought aloud.

"Why, that is trivial," Nightmare Moon waved off. "Fetch my spellbook, there are a few spells there that no other creature is even aware of today."

"Your Majesty, I understand your eagerness, but can't we simply wait? Twilight would have to go out sooner or later. Destroying something she made such an effort to make looks unnecessary to me," Queen Sky Star gave her protest.

"Your Majesty, this is no longer about us," Nightmare Moon stated flatly. "Twilight knows we are here, it is trivially easy to notice the gate spell we used to arrive. It disturbs the work of other magic momentarily, unicorns can feel it. She would have met us already if she could. Considering that she did not, she either lost interest in the outside world entirely, or she is in danger. I will not stand idly with chances like these! Sister, get the spellbook. We will tear this door open even if it means blowing a hole in this mountain!"

The way Nightmare Moon said it, Tiny knew that her sister meant it. The night would surely prove exciting!