> In the Shadows of Starlight
>  by IMFoalishFace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Fence in the Amendment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight was finally getting over the shock of it all. She had been living with Princess Twilight Sparkle for a while now and had been forgiven for some truly damnable actions just like that. The only thing Twilight asked was that Starlight become her personal friendship student and work to be a better pony. Starlight had been accepted by Twilight's friends and the community of Ponyville with open hooves. They had shared their homes, thoughts, joys, skills, and loves with her; Starlight still couldn't understand how she could have become so wrapped up in her hurt to think differences were bad. They had shown her the beauty that she had been ignoring and then actively working against for the majority of her life. However, she could still tell that not everypony trusted her or were comfortable with her around; but she wasn't about to criticize them and they kept their opinions to themselves. This whole helping lead the villain into the light of friendship thing was apparently becoming regular with Twilight.

Next thing Starlight knew, she would replace Luna as the leader of Villainy Anonymous. Telling the latest batch of conversions about the wonders of being good while Tirek scowled at her for being so weak as to cave to friendship, Luna would sit there in full Nightmare Moon garb and just drool over the others in attendance letting the legends of the alter ego's diet do the rest, or it might be Celestia while Luna slept in. Then Discord would sit across from her in a bathtub full of suds, singing or having the chairs for the meeting fight a monstrous potted plant, while a changeling or two looking on. Yes, Starlight thought meeting her peers would be an interesting experience when the time came.

Shaking the day dream from her head Starlight turned her gaze from the book sitting in front of her that had failed to keep her attention to the fading day outside. She couldn't help but frown a little. Spending a beautiful day inside, studying was something that she wouldn't have objected to when she was trying to rid the world of cutie marks and reading was her new mentor's favorite way to spend any amount of time. However, now she lacked the hurt-fueled drive to read endlessly and felt that she had wasted the potential day. Especially since this was the third day in a row that she had spent this way.

Twilight had gone to Canterlot on "Royal Duties". Starlight hadn't been told point blank what that meant but Spike had revealed that she was checking up on some old friends that lived in the city and making sure that Celestia and Luna were OK with her taking in Starlight. At Starlight's anxiety about the Royal Sisters' letting her pardon stand, Spike had told her that she shouldn't worry: if they really wanted to get rid of her, they already had a whole platoon of clandestine guard in Ponyville that could take Starlight out at the princesses' slightest whim. Starlight hadn't been amused and in protest (and no fear what so ever) she had spent the whole time Twilight had been gone holed up in the library looking through her teachers old friendship reports, magical experiments, ancient tomes, and eventually her collection of Daring Do novels.

Starlight had made it through several of them before finally becoming numb to even the humorous, nerve-fraying writing of A.K. Yearling. She had finally gone stir crazy but couldn't face the idea of going out on her own. Couldn't face what ponies would do without Twilight at her side. The community had a right to be suspicious about some cutie mark stealing, cult leader and Starlight hated playing the role of outcast.

Starlight hated to admit, but she also still kinda hated Twilight deep down but the princess was the closest thing to a friend she had gotten in years. Twilight had spoke on her behalf, given her a place to live, and forgiven her completely; still pinning any amount of pain, anger, or discontent on that mare was being petty and foalish, and Starlight hated that about herself. How could she be such a pathetic excuse for a pony. She ripped away the identities of others and warped the fabric of time when driven by spite and misplaced hatred. She had ruined ponies lives and stole away years that they will never get back. She was a true monster. But, without those feelings to drive her, she couldn't even bring herself to go outside. What kind of basically evil pathetic...

Knock. Knock.

Her brooding was interrupted by knocking on the door. 

"Starlight? Are you in there?"

The baby dragon  on the other side didn't wait for a response before he opened the door to Starlight's citadel and walked in with three mares in tow.

"Starlight, have you been in here all day again?" Spike asked.

Starlight looked over to the dragon with a forced smile forming on her lips, "Well-"

"Pfff. She spent the whole day in a library? Twilight's really wearing off on you."

Starlight looked up at the rainbow pegasus overhead and frowned slightly.

"Well," Starlight said in a defensive tone, "Twilight has a very interesting collection as well as an extensive catalog of her findings on friendship. I figured that I should study for when she gets back and we start my lessons."

"Oh, please, darling. Rainbow is just jesting." Rarity was immaculate as she trotted over. "However, spending this much time indoors isn't good for a pony. It simply ruins the coat's complexion.

"Now, come, darling. Twilight's train is arriving this afternoon and we are all going to meet her at the station."

Starlight perked up a little at that.

"YES! Then, we're totally having a welcome-back-even-though-you-where-only-gone-for-like-three-days party."

Starlight could feel and see as everypony (and dragon) in the room was moved away from the pink pony with the thunderous voice. She returned to bouncing up and down when continuing:

"I figured that Twilight would be tried after traveling all day and you're kinda' scared of other ponies so its just going to be us and Twilight. I always say 'the more, the merrier' but you guys are a really merry bunch. So, it'll make up for there being so few of us."

Starlight gave a little gulp and put on a small smile.

"It sounds wonderful."

"That's the spirt!" Pinkie exclaimed with a wink and sweep of her hoof. "Now, lets GO!!!"

With that the mare raced out of the room and down the hall. Leaving her companions to sit in the now deafening silence. 

"Well, it sounds like we should get going," Starlight said looking down at the floor.

There was a murmured consensus and the group followed the pink pony's contrail out the library and toward the train station.





Starlight was in much higher spirits on her way back to the castle. 

The evening had started off awkward enough, not only had Starlight felt unsure of being out and really just desired to be alone, but she just couldn't have a discussion with any of these ponies. She knew almost nothing about stunt flying, farming, dressmaking, baking, party planning, comics, gemstone quality, local weather scheduling politics, or anything else that the group babbled about walking to the train station. However, Starlight had eventually found solace with Fluttershy; caring for animals was something she had done as a filly and yellow pegasus was the only pony that Starlight felt even remotely OK being around other than Twilight. Of all of Twilight's friends, Fluttershy had never gotten hateful of Starlight, even at her most furious she had only looked disappointed. In what Starlight didn't know, Fluttershy hadn't had any reason to think that Starlight could do better when she had taken her prisoner at the village, peeled off her cutie mark, or when she caught the mare trying to expose her as a fraud. Yet, Fluttershy was the one who had thought that what she had been doing wasn't bad, she had believed in Starlight's philosophy and now Fluttershy still stood by, quietly encouraging her to do better and filling her with hope. 

The similarities had allowed Starlight to open up just a little and from there Fluttershy had helped guide her into the discussions of the others. By the time they had all arrived at the train station Starlight was as much a part of the exchanges as anypony. After that the group had gone to Rarity's boutique for dinner and fun. It wasn't Pinkie's best but still much more then Starlight thought necessary for such a mundane event. Twilight had told about her trip and became very cross with Spike after Starlight told her about his stories of Celestia's hit squads. 

Eventually, the get-together wound down and the girls departed Rarity's for home. Applejack and Rainbow had trotted along with Starlight and Twilight, who had Spike napping on her back. The group discussing their takes on whether Nightmare Moon was Luna being a spaz or if it was some exterior being, maybe even somewhere in between. Starlight had to choke down being a bit jealous of Luna, who could pin all of her wrongs on possession by a maleficent spirt or bipolar disorder. 

Eventually, AJ and Rainbow bid there "good nights" and headed off to their respective homes. Leaving the remaining three walking on the road alone.

"You seem to be doing better today, Starlight," Twilight said after a while.

"Really?" Starlight's voice was hopeful but still unsure.

"Yes, you seem to really have made a connection with the girls."

Starlight stopped and rubbed a hoof on the ground.

"It was really just Fluttershy. I still don't think Applejack and Rainbow like me very much. And Pinkie still kind of scares me. It's like she knows my deepest darkest secrets and my very fate under that bubbly exterior."

Starlight shivered a little. "I really don't know if I can do this whole friend making thing, Twilight."

"Oh, Starlight." Twilight looked back at her ward, smiling solemnly. "I know that you had a rough time while I was gone and maybe I wasn't thinking straight when I left you here, but you just admitted to making a friend. AJ and Rainbow are both about as stubborn as you can get, but they'll come around eventually. As for Pinkie Pie, I think it would be better if you just stop worrying about it and enjoy the bubbly exterior."  The smile turned more genuine as she added: "Trust me, trying to figure that mare out will only end badly."

Starlight gave a little smile back and Twilight went on.

"I think you're making great progress on friendship. You've apologized to everypony that you've hurt, you're starting to grow on the girls, and you just had a great time, right?."

"I guess so," Starlight stopped and her smile grew. "Thanks, Twilight." 

The two embraced briefly before Twilight let out yawn.

"Now, I think getting to bed sounds like a wonderful idea."

Starlight simply smiled as they trotted home.





The rest of the trip back to the castle had passed in a quick, content silence. Twilight had proceeded right to Spike's room to deposit the snoozing dragon while Starlight headed to her bedroom. She settled down on her matress and was laying there, staring at the ceiling, reflecting on the day as her eyelids grew heavy. She was almost asleep when she heard her door open.

"Starlight?"

'Seriously?' Starlight thought. 'She's tucking me in? I know I've been having a rough time but I'm a full grown mare. I don't need to be coddled like some foal. Why doesn't she just go to bed? She sounds horrible.' 

Stretching and rolling onto her side she looked to the door. "Yes, Twilight? What is it?"

"I need you to come with me."

That got Starlight to rise up in bed. "What? Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes. I need you to come with me right now."

Starlight rubbed her eyes and looked fearfully at the silhouette of the mare in door. Twilight's tone had cut through her drowsiness and was now putting her on edge. Twilight's voice wasn't just devoid of its usual friendliness but had taken on a raspy, gravely tone that gave the impression that she had gargled with rocks. She raised a hoof to her muzzle and gave a vicious cough. 

"Are you OK, Twilight? What's wrong?" The fear and confusion in Starlight's voice obvious.

"Yes, I'm fine. I need you to get to the thrown room. I'll meet you down there, I have to get Spike and send a letter to Princess Celestia first."

Venom dripped from her voice as she said the last few works. However, in an instant Twilight vanished from the door before Starlight could voice any more questions. She stared blankly at the open portal for several seconds before she rolled out of her bed and glanced about her room wondering if she would need anything. Twilight hadn't really told her anything about the problem so she didn't know how to prepare. Starlight decided urgency would have to take precedence over preparedness and she would have enough trouble finding her way down to the thrown room. Navigating the labyrinth of a castle would require time.

She started out her room and down the hall in the direction of the staircase down to the main level.


xxXXxx


Twilight was very annoyed to be amongst the waking again. She had barely even made it to her room after tucking in Spike and had been seriously tempted to just go to bed on a pile of books and mail piled my her door. However, she had persevered and been rewarded with the soft embrace of her bed and fallen asleep almost instantly. 

Now she was awake again, some sensation keeping her from going back to sleep. 

Twilight heard a shuffling from her door and opened her eyes just fast enough to see a tail swish out of the slit into the dark hallway.

Twilight hadn't really gotten around to closing the door properly when she had stumbled into her room and didn't really make a point of doing it in general. Its not like she did anything suspicious or embarrassing in her sleep, the outside of reciting classical literature and drooling a little. If Starlight or Spike needed anything they were free to ask. For Starlight have come to her door just to run off with out saying anything wasn't good.

'She must still be beating up on herself', Twilight thought.

She climbed out of her bed and gave an enormous yawn accompanied by a cat-like stretching of her back, legs, and neck; her wings arcing up in the air. Exiting through her door, Twilight just caught a shadow fleeing down the hallway toward the staircase and she set off after it


xxXXxx


Starlight had been waiting just long enough to start breaking down. Was Twilight angry? Had the meeting in Canterlot not gone as well as she had said? Was Celestia going to show up and give her a one-way ticket to the moon or Tartarus? She didn't want to spend the next couple centuries as a marble lawn ornament in the palace gardens. Maybe Equestria under attack? She knew she should have at least grabbed her towel. What could have happened? It would have had to be a real mess to get Twilight as irritated as she sounded. Oh, what if-

"Starlight?"

Starlight's train of thought came to a crashing stop as the thrown room door opened and Twilight walked in. She looked about as well as she had sounded. Her face was dominated by a scar that ran underneath her right eye and around the side of her head. The larger scar was joined by a multitude of smaller ones all across her face and neck and maybe even her body. Starlight couldn't tell, Twilight was wearing... a black, rubbery jump suit. Rarity must be on a tare again. Twilight's mane looked about the same as it always did but her tail wasn't even half its usual length.

"Uhh. Hello, -uhh... Twilight," Starlight was still kind of stunned by what she was looking at and her brain reacted before she could get her wits together. "What are you wearing?"

"Just a static dissipating jumpsuit with a few enchantments to reduce my detectability, the last thing I would want is getting zapped by the air-born organic matter of my temporal counterpart."

"Oh... uhh. OK. What is it that you wanted?"

"You. I've spent years studying the hole you punched in time and I have to say it is an honor to finally meet you face to face. Tell me, is it fun to hold power over time in you hooves?"

Starlight was now in total shock. Twilight's tone was not bookish, nerdy glee that usually accompanies such discussion of magic but one of hateful, sarcastic spite. She gave another painful, wet hack and turned back to her saddle bags, levitating out a scroll. It was then that Starlight focused on Twilight's back, where a certain set of supernatural appendages should have been. There were no holes for wings, no lumps under the fabric, just no wings. This fact worked its way through Starlight's brain, changing the unease and confusion from the whole encounter into full blown fear. She took a single step back and spread her front hooves in to a defensive fighting stance.

However, 'other Twilight's' head spun around, faster then could really be seen, and shot a bolt. Starlight took a stunning spell to the face and fell flat on it. It wasn't, unfortunately, a strong one and sensation returned to Starlight's face to get the full brunt of the impact with floor. Starlight looked up to see 'other Twilight' strutting over talking, voice dripping with contempt:

"You really are something. You some how perfect Starswirl's time spells and become god to reality and the first and ONLY thing you do with it is harass some snot-nosed, brain-dead, Pegasus, BRAT. And you still manage to ruin dozens of timelines, without even realizing it. I really thought the 'Master of the Universe' would be a little bit more impressive. And that she would have put up a better fight."

The 'thing' was standing over Starlight now, it's guard down and belly open to a more powerful stunning spell. Starlight shifted her head aiming her horn at its target and felt nothing; the numbness that had consumed her face for such a brief time still had its grasp on her horn. She couldn't feel the appendage at all and magic simply wouldn't flow through it. Her horn was useless for only this fiend knew how long. 

The fiend in question placed a hoof on Starlight's face and shoved her back down to the floor, her expression and voice now locked into a neutral, professional attitude.

"Listen, I need you to cooperate because if you don't when we go through the portal you might get me killed and will meet a far worse fate yourself. We go through and you hit the dirt. When I pick you up off the dirt, you stick on my tail like it was true love. Don't stop. Don't get distracted. There will be other ponies there, don't talk to them or even look at them. Understand?"

Starlight stared blankly, the worlds slowly penetrating. This complete change attitude was downright scary. This Twilight had gone from the classic monologging, wait-for-the-elements-ex-machina-to-defeat-me villain to some stone cold terror who would kill her with out the slightest provocation or remorse. Even now she could feel her scream for the real Twilight or another attempt at attack weathering under that glare. She wasn't however going to give who ever this was the satisfaction of breaking her.

"Twili-hehh...." 

Starlight's call started hoarse and only got worse as she went on before the outburst faded to a hack. The same numbness in her horn was also clamped around her vocal cords and from the way she had tried to shift her weight, her legs weren't responding properly either.

"That wasn't very clear, Miss Glimmer. You and I are the only ones awake in this castle and I really don't think you want to get your friends and this time lines me hurt, do you? Now, I want to know if your going to cooperate or if I should just stun you and heave you around like a bag of oats?"

The expression hadn't changed. Still cold. Still uncaring. Just expecting, a hint of irritation seeping in, like her train was running late during a commute. That face was still scary but fear was starting to be suppressed by curiosity. Who and what was standing in front of her? Where or when did she come from?  And taking the cake, how in Celestia's green Equestria was she there? All of these questions were repressed by one that Starlight felt would be the obvious place to start.

"What do you want with me?"

That was most definitely the wrong question to ask. Twilight's eyes exploded in rage and before Starlight could so much as flinch, was back-hooved. The limb hit Starlight like a train and sent her sprawling across the thrown room, coming to a rest under the large circular table at the center.

Twilight didn't press her attack and instead started charring up her horn, Starlight would be making their journey as a sack of oats. 

"STOP!"

The thrown room doors burst open as Princess Twilight charged in. 

"Don't you dare lay another hoof on her,... uh.. ME!"

Twilight had been sitting outside since following her other self down. Confusion, curiously, and caution had been driving her thought process to just sit there. This thing defiantly wasn't a really stupid changeling and the last time she let the wonders of time travel get the better of her hadn't ended well. She really hadn't liked the way that this Twilight was acting, this was a mare who didn't just look the part of a survivor of (or even warrior in) an epic pony war. This mare was just a little scary and probably really dangerous if one got in her way. Twilight knew that the time traveler had not wanted her to be around and she seemed like she was going to get talkative with Starlight. So, Twilight had seen no issue with simply lurking and listening, learning as much about the visitor as she could before finally confronting her about helping her solve her issues and letting Starlight go.

That was until she was treated a smack of hoof on skin and crack of bone. Now she didn't really care what this mare wanted or even what she might need, other then a plot kicking. 

Twilight charged in, horn flaring, as she shot a beam at where the other her was standing over Starlight. The doppelganger turned, a shield building instantly to block the incoming shot, the rage on her face melting away to be replaced with calm, neutral, determined focus. Twilight's bolt was reflected with little trouble, and than her double returned fire.

Twilight dodged to her right and gave a little gasp as the bolt of magic tracked toward her still. She reflexively threw up a shield. Her brother had taught her and he was the best there was, shields were draining but hers were pretty much impregnable to anything under another alicorn.

The bolt hit the shield focused into a point and with a pin-prick of light punched right though the protective bubble and delivered a stunning spell right to Twilight. Fortunately, punching through the shield had eaten up most of the bolt's energy and it delivered little more then a moments dazing. However, the spell delivered a crippling scaring to Twilight. Her experience in magic based combat was really just limited to a dueling class she had taken for a semester, she knew the bare basics of fighting at best. Her wit, intellect, and vast knowledge had always helped her avoid direct confrontation and on the few times it had come to blows she could rely on her natural strength and talent.

Now, however, she was facing off against herself; another self that seemed to have been to Tartarus and back on tasks far more taxing than getting a lost dog home. To have cast a stunning and shield-dispersion spells with a tracking enchantment, all in one swift, clean motion with out even breaking a sweat after blocking her own attack was beyond Twilight's comprehension. This combined with the mare's cold, resigned actions brought Twilight to one unpleasant conclusion: she couldn't beat this other self. This was a full blown battle-mage; there was no hoping to take advantage of her arrogance, no way to just over power her, out witting her sounded just as unlikely. Just her winning and making a clean getaway.

In the time it had taken Twilight to recover from her slight dazing her counter part had taken her scroll and cast a spell in the table in the center of the thrown room. The table glowed briefly before ripples of energy flowed up into the air collecting at one point where a bell of magic formed sucking away at the fabric of the world around it.

The other Twilight turned to Starlight who was still laying on the floor clutching her face as it turned black and blue. She didn't say a thing as she hoisted Starlight onto her back and placed a hoof on the table, raising herself and her passenger up to toward the portal. 

Twilight acted rapidly and called on a spell learned in dueling class. Her horn flared and a single point in the air next to the time travelers glowed pink. The other Twilight tried to throw up a quick shield but wasn't fast enough as the point exploded out ward in a concussive blast, throwing back 'Other' Twilight and Starlight. Princess Twilight didn't take time to celebrate getting a hit in as her double turned and shot at her. Another bolt of skillfully woven spell work sent off without a moment of thought. Twilight countered it by simply shooting a beam of pure magic at it and smashed it away in a flash. She wasn't given the opportunity to return fire as another bolt came flying, so she focused on a spell. In a moment Twilight had blinked out of and into existence, now twenty hooves above the floor looking down on the scene, hovering with her wings.

Other Twilight was hoisting Starlight back up as she backed toward the portal.

"Stay out of this, Twilight. You don't owe her anything and I really don't want to hurt myself. Just let me get her out of your mane"

Twilight glared down at her. "I'm not going to let you just take my friend. Starlight may have made mistakes and she has harmed ponies but your not going to fix anything doing this. Only the everypony working together is going to fix your issues."

"Gosh." Other Twilight turned back to Starlight, "am I really just that preachy in this time?" Turning back up to Twilight. "I am leaving with Starlight and seeing to it that she fixes what she did to me and my world, her personal wellbeing be damned."

She shot another bolt up at Twilight, turned, and jumped up onto the table, Starlight in tow. Twilight decided to take a leaf from Rainbow's book and just tucked her wings in, dropping out of the air like a brick. The bolt, not being fast enough to catch her motion, overshot. Twilight fell for a split second before flaring her wings and flying straight at her alter persona. 

Twilight plowed into herself as she was hoisting Starlight up to the portal. Together the three ponies where all thrown forward by Twilight, caught up in the gravity of the portal, and sucked in. Twilight reminisced about the odd sensation of traveling through time and worried about the tingly numbness she was getting where her body came close to the other Twilight. Her mind started to blur and memories started drifting forward.

Getting her cutie mark in a classroom in the royal academy. Playing with Shining Armor. Getting foalsitted by Cadence. Talking with Celestia. Wondering countless libraries. Talks with her friends. Her family looking on as she was presented with an award for stopping Nightmare Moon, Discord, the changelings at Foal Mountain, zebras in the Hayseed Swamps. The faces of the group of unicorns that were her best friends. Fighting crystal ponies in the frozen north. Presenting a folded Equestrian flag to a distraught yellow earth pony that was still lacking her cutie mark. The rainbow pegaus that she hatted with a passion and missed dearly. A horrible burning in her very soul.

Twilight's mind swam as she was released from the time vortex's grip, bouncing off the table and hitting dirt. She clutched her head as her mind tried and failed to purge itself of the memories that it should not have had. Her mind finally cleared enough to take in her surroundings. The table sat next to them but everything else had changed. 

Twilight looked out over an empty field. The sky grey, the ground barren, she realized that the dirt she had landed in was ash. She remembered this world, it was where she had originally been able to convince Starlight that her revenge was ruining the future. 

Before she could express her observations she was treated to a hoof smacking her across her face with the force of a train.

"You IDIOT!!!"
> Welcome to the World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight was looking around in shock, her heart twisting in her chest. She was scanning the barren landscape, illuminated under the full moon. This future had terrified her. Knowing that she had lead to the destruction of the world: wiping away everything she and anypony else had ever held dear had been the horribly sobering experience. Now seeing the barren hell-scape around her again was chocking her to death with confussion, guilt, and fear. How was this still here? Hadn't she fixed the past? Wasn't this all avoided? Was she still responsible for all of this? She couldn't ever hope to fix this, there was no fixing ash. 

Starlight turned to the two other mares next to her. Both Twilights were laying on the ground having not stirred since one slapped the other and collapsed herself. They were both still breathing so that was mostly good, though the two ceasing to exist would have been best. She wouldn't be in this situation. Starlight's miniscule hatred of Twilight Sparkle had been massively multiplied by the other Twilight's actions and the building guilt that she was responsible for them in some roundabout way.

"What in Tartarus?"

Starlight jumped a full three hooves into the air and spun around to face a pony made of ash. The creature was grey from hoof to mane tip with the residue of the world. It was looking at the Twilights laying on the ground head tilted to the side. Then, it turned to Starlight.

Starlight had been expecting this creature to have the eyes of a tormented soul damned to wonder this wasteland for eternity; flaming, hollow orbs of pain. Instead, she was even more shocked to find a singular but otherwise very normal steel blue eye reflecting moon light back at her in utter confusion. Starlight saw now that she wasn't a pony made of ash, just covered in it; she did seem to be on about the tormented soul thing though. The unicorn mare standing in front of her was malnourished, scarred, and looked like she couldn't even comprehend the concept of rest. Yet, the slight, stress-caused wrinkles on her face were those of a face that had born a smile most of its life. The face of a pony that still smiled despite what the world threw at her.

"Are you the Time Lordy pony that Captain Sparkle was talking about? What happened in there? Why are there two of them? And is that one an Alicorn? Hey, are you all right?"

Starlight jumped again when the mare reached out and touched her. Guilt had started building in her when she had seen this horrible place and was leaking out in tears. She fell into a little hug letting out a sob. 

"Shhh, you're ok. Look, my name's Minuette. I'm a friend of the Captain's. You're going to be fine. We'll just get our Twilights awake and get out of here. Ok?" She beamed and Starlight returned it, soaking in the warm feeling the mare gave off before Minuette turned away. "Twinkle, Lemon check those two."

Two other piles of ash proceeded stand up and walk over. Another two unicorn mares that were indistinguishable from the first except in there eyes: one had lighter blue eyes and the second's were magenta, both had a full set. They made their way to the two once identical ponies on the ground. They shared a glance of uncertainty before each pressing a hoof to the neck of their chosen Twilight Sparkle. Both mares jumped back as the Twilights started to stir.

The alicorn sat up and looked around again, rubbing her face. Fear shot through her eyes after realizing she was surrounded by three moving piles of ash but dissipated soon after to confusion.

"Are you ok?" Minuette was quick to the point. 

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Minuette? Is that you? What are you doing here? What happened to your eye!?! What's even going on? Are we in the alternate timeline?"

"Sounds like you're good," Minuette silenced that Twilight with a hoof and turned to her own. "How about you, Captain?"

"Uhhhg.." The other Twilight rose to sit. Hooves pressed to her temples. "It feels like my head is a ballon that has been given a negative static charge and life has a positive charge."

"I don't think that's good but its coherent enough for me. Lets get going."

"Oh, yes. Could you imagine what a disaster it would be if you all were caught out here in the open?"

The group gave a collective jump and looked up at the source of the smug voice. Starlight gasped, the ashen ponies grit their teeth, Cpt. Sparkle growled, while Twilight couldn't manage more then gawking in confusion. Descending, like a falling star unto the earth, was an orange alicorn. She sported a vibrant and immaculate mane of yellow and red with matching tail. She was wearing a set of gleaming golden armor. It reminded Twilight of royal guard suits but with a much more streamlined design, hugging the alicorn's frame like a finely tailored dress. The suit included greave and sabaton covering her legs and a higher collar line. The helmet was distinctly different from what Twilight had seen Royal Guards wear. Instead of the curving, open-fronted, Pegasus style head dress the helmet had much sharper edges. A wide, down-turned brim that gave the impression of anger and a pair of large, sharp cheek pieces stuck out like fangs. Finally, a large bladed horn guard finished the image of a fearsome, golden nightmare. The armor was adorned with a star at the center of the chest and maroon trim complemented the pony's light green eyes.

"SUNSET!"

"Sunset?"

The Twilights addressed the alicorn as one while she glided gently to land in front of the group. She took in the sight of another alicorn with bafflement and a slight shimmer of anger. She looked between the theoretically but hardly identical ponies before turning to the one with wings.

"I'm-"

Sunset's speech was cut off before her first line by several bolts and beams coming at her. A shield absorbed most of the shock and her armor the rest but the alicorn was still sent skidding along the ground a short distance. Several more bolts were deflected just as aptly before Sunset's horn flared brighter and sent out a pulse of energy. Starlight thought it was like the spell Sparkle had placed on her, bringing a numb sensation to her horn even if it seemed much weaker than the one before. After casting her spell, Sunset took to her wings and set to hovering a decent distance away.

"Well I guess that I wasn't really expecting to make any new friends," Sunset said. She magically amplified her voice as she continued. "Twilight Sparkle! I, in respect of the good old days and with all my generous splendor, am going to give you and your little team one chance. I'm not going to assume you would hand yourselves but you'll have a day's head start before we hunt you down and you finally face justice for you crimes. Your friends might not even face the gallows. My only stipulation is that you hand over your new friends here."

Sunset's gaze settled on the other two ponies that were as clean as she was. "You two are trespassing in the Kingdom of Equestria. My Queen  requires registration of aliens and would be most interested in learning how it is that you both came here. The sharing of that knowledge would be most valuable in our fight to preserve the Kingdom as well as seeing to your personal safety." She shot a threatening grin. "Knowing that inter-dimensional travel wasn't a dead end is wonderful news. I do have to say though that the thought of Twilight Sparkle upstaging me -in any reality- is pretty bitter."

"Sunset," Princess Twilight answered, "I don't know what you think this is but we aren't here from another dimension. I rea-"

"What do you mean not from another dimension? The only way for us to be getting graced with seeing that wash-up traitor over there," Sunset pointed a hoof at Cpt. Sparkle, who's scowl only deepened, "as an alicorn was if you came from some twisted alternate reality."

"Well, we are from an alternate reality, but we have no idea how we got here or even how this place exists. I thought that Starlight had fixed her mistakes and that this timeline didn't exist any more-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Timeline?" Each 'wait' had been accented with a wave of a hoof as Sunset set her gaze on the only pony she didn't know anything about. Sparkle's scowl grew yet deeper and Minuette stuck a hoof in Twilight's mouth, Twilight choking on ash. "Starlight, I'm assuming? I always knew that Celestia and Starswirl covered up dimension jumping but I really thought that time travel magic lead nowhere. I have to say I'm almost intimidated, Starswirl was one of the best and he spent most of his life trying to crack controlled temporal manipulation, just to make one spell that barely works. From what your friend is describing, however, you have it down to a science. My Queen and I will be most interested in becoming familiar with you and your research." Sunset put on a venomous smile. "Come with me and none of these ponies will get hurt." A group of eight golden clad pegasi dropped out of a cloud behind her, accenting the point. 

"Ugh, what did I tell you?" Sparkle all but snarled at her two prisoners. "Sunset! I'm really not looking forward to you talking us to death and I really thought you would have learned by now: I'm always prepared."

Sparkle stuck a hoof out to her side and jerked it down. The air was almost instantly filled with the clang of metal and a swift crack. Sunset's head jerked back and she fell from the sky, impacting the ground limply. Before her journey to the ground was finished, Sparkle raced over toward her. Sunset barely managed to struggle to her hooves, showing off a large blemish in the brow of her helmet, and get half way to a defensive stance before the lavender unicorn was upon her. Metal wailed and bone cracked as Sparkle delivered a powerful punch. The hit proved that what had sent Twilight and Starlight sprawling had been restrained love-taps for the mare. Sunset was thrown back a large dent in her armor at the left shoulder. Sparkle, however, wasn't able to press her offensive. She jumped back toward her allies and raised a shield as the wing of gold-clad pegasi rained a barrage of lights down on her. The bolts shattering into metallic fragments that pelted the ground. Sparkle threw her head up at them and her shield followed the movement flying up into the group of airborne horses. Two weren't fast enough and smacked into it, the rest of the formation broke apart and fled back into the sky, dodging spell fire that managed to claim another four.

Twilight watched as Sparkle turned and made a b-line for the group still huddled by the map. She made it half way back when she skidded to a stop and screamed: "SIX O'CLOCK"

Twilight was instantly wrapped in shields as the world exploded in color around her. Greens and pink, but most of all fiery red, yellow, and orange. The noise could have easily been described as apocalyptic. The shield warped and bulged under the rays, threatening to collapse and the three unicorns holding it up groaned under the effort. Twilight was able to overcome her shock at the light display and realize that her magic wasn't fritzed anymore. She helped hold the shield as the pounding faded. She looked out to see a group of thirty pegasi clad in electric blue with gold and orange accents racing past, raining their technicolor death down on where Sparkle had been standing as the golden group came down with reinforcements; landing and taking up defensive positions on the ground. 

It was at this point that Twilight noticed that she was the only pony still holding up the shield. 

"Keep it up. You're doing great."

Minuette moved past Twilight brushing a hoof against her shoulder in support. Twinkleshine followed; levitating up a stick, she started drawing intricate patterns in the ash. Lemon Hearts and Minuette took up positions on her flanks, guarding their friend. Twilight couldn't help but nerd out as she recognized battle runes being drawn in the dirt. Runes had always been something that she had ignored for the most part in her own education but they were no less interesting. The archaic practice was mostly used by earth pony and zebra sorcerers, employing them to focus magical energy so that spells, curses, fetishes, potions, and other magics could be weaved. Unicorns, having horns for performing the same task, mostly ignored the art. They had only really found use for it in massively powerful and complex spells (like the one used to raise the sun in pre-Celestial time) or combat. The marks allowed a unicorn to focus and channel exterior energies from their environment; increasing strength and endurance at the expense of mobility. A most fascinating topic that could be further researched in Magebrook's "Advanced Magical Theories".

As Twinkleshine worked on her rune Twilight turned her attention back to the outside of the light purple bubble they were in. The second group of ponies was still strafing Sparkle, providing cover as the golden ponies recovered their own. Their plan wasn't going off with out a hitch though. Every couple of seconds there would be a crack and a pony would fall, a bloody wound gushing. Eventually the golden solders fell back to the far side of a small ridge where the origin of the crack couldn't seem to get at them. Overhead a decent portion of airborne pegasi banked and headed off to the south, toward where Ponyville would have been.

"Minuette!" Lemon Drops looked back to the one-eyed mare. "They found Lyra. Please tell me we're ready to go."

"Twinkleshine? How're you coming?"

"Just a little bit longer." The mare was concentrated on her sketches.

"Ok!" Minuette turned to the purple mare in the group." Twilight, I want you to drop the bubble shield and set up a wall between us and the Royal Guard over there-" she pointed toward the golden clad troops. "Lemon, we need to get to our places."

Twilight did as she was told and set her shield. However, she couldn't curb her curiosity completely and looked back at the other three ponies. Twinkleshine had taken her place at her center of the rune, her horn glowed and the lines in the ground followed suit. Minuette and Lemon Hearts had taken up places at the other corners of a triangle drawn inside of the large circle that the runes revolved around. 

"Twilight, keep an eye out." Minuette's voice was stern but soothing. "Ready girls?"

Lemon gave a nod and both turned their gazes to Twinkle. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a motion that the other two ponies reflected. When their eyes opened again all shown white as the magical lines went from glowing to flaming. Together the three ponies swept their heads back and around in a wide sweeping motion. The air around Twilight instantly lost all warmth, frost spread along the ground, and the night grew darker as the magic flared even brighter, changing from Twinkles light blue to a much darker royal blue that sparkled like a night sky. As the sweep was completed magic raced up from the runes, over the ponies standing amongst them, swirling around their horns, and three beams of light shot out at the group of pegasi racing south. 

Twilight was reminded of her battle with Tirek as the beams met in front of the formation and the world turned white.

The shock wave knocked Twilight to the ground and forced the air out of her lungs. When Twilight's vision finally cleared, she looked back to see the last of the black mushroom cloud fading. The pegasi were no where to be seen. The ground under her hooves was coated in ice and her breath was visible. Minuette was collapsed on her knees breathing hard while Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine looked to the south, the latter raising a hoof in a little wave. Twilight's gaze moved about taking in her surroundings. Many of the other pegasi hadn't weathered the blast well. Figured, a pegasus eardrum was a very sensitive piece of equipment that provided acute hearing, measure of air pressure, and acted gyroscope for flight; the shock wave would have been panful say the least. There were now 10 blues and 8 Royal Guard vs the four unicorns, alicorn, and the crack of death. Almost two dozen felled troops laid on the ground, most clutching their ears or bleeding out in the ash, another dozen had just been vaporized.

Twilight's gaze eventually fell on the only pony in their group that was out, Starlight. The pony hadn't moved from next to the map where she had landed after falling out of the portal. Everything Twilight saw was a cause for distress: Starlight was swaying her head about, taking in the carnage all around her, her expression was dazed and tears were streaming down her face. Maybe slightly more alarming was that the fact that behind her the map was gone. Not a single trace of the large crystal table was left. Just Starlight sitting there, completely lost. Twilight made to move toward her friend.

"Twilight!" Lemon Heart's yell was just as angry as it was scared.

Twilight looked at Lemon, the unicorn's horn glowed and Twilight caught a flash in her peripherals. She started to turn and took in the edge of a  shield before her side exploded in pain and she blacked out.





Starlight was numb. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't accept that fact. She had avoided this. She had given up her whole stupid plan and let history right itself. She had worked so hard to make things right in her own world. But the issues that she had left behind didn't even compare to is ashen hellhole. Where what few remaining ponies fought and killed each other, for what she couldn't comprehend. It didn't seem real, like the worst dream ever conceived.

Yet, she was here. Taking in the carnage around her. The sound of Sparkle shattering Sunset's shoulder and the deafening crack of death itself echoing trough her head. She stood completely absorbed in her horror. She couldn't even escape. The second they had fallen out of the portal, while Twilight and the others were talking, she had stared blankly as the table started to fade from sight. Growing more and more transparent until it disappeared and left her to her punishment. Her eyes still had the mighty glow from the runes' spell blurring her vision. She looked around again taking in her handy work. The slain pegasi lucky enough to dot the ground with their brilliant white, gold, and red coloring. Twilight's fearsome counter part and the blue pegasi blasting away at each other. The smoky, glowing patch of sky that had recently contained almost a dozen ponies. Her eyes finally settled on Twilight, her friend, scanning her surroundings in the daze of the spell. The pony that had helped her get on a better path. Who had been there to support her. Starlight had dragged her into this too. Just another layer of guilt to add to the blanket smothering her.

Starlight was struck from her revelry by a bolt of magic that hit Twilight in the side. The lavender alicorn screamed and fell limp. Starlight turned toward the origin of the spell and only narrowly avoided getting blasted by an angry, orange pony. She flew, her front left leg hanging limply and arranged all wrong. Her knee would have bent in toward her other leg if she had flexed the joint. She was flanked on each side by two gold-clad pegasi. The small formation broke apart as spell fire tore through their ranks. Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts stood in a line staring down their next opponents, not looking a bit like they had just blasted away a large chunk of sky.

The four pegasi darted around Starlight to bring the large metal tubes mounted to their sides to bare on the offening unicorns while Sunset fired off another spell at Starlight. She dodged it and dropped into a defensive stance, Starlight had seen more then a few fights and was far better versed in combat then Twilight. She wasn't about to let herself get surprised again.

When her shot missed, Sunset settled into a bit of a hover and her horn flared brilliantly. She grit her teeth and tears streamed down her face as her front leg jerked back into position with a grind and pop. She settled back to the ground as the magic faded from the wound. She took a deep breath and limped forward.

"I think the time for our allies to fight our battles has come to an end." Sunset, baring a sadistic grin, lowered herself into a shallow bow that rapidly shifted into a defensive stance and stoic expression. Starlight could hear the other three mares exchanging spells for the metallic bolts coming from the guard's battlesaddles. She and her friends were going to get killed if Starlight just kept standing there. It was time for Starlight to take a stand, starting with putting bacon hair here in her place.

Starlight was surprised as she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

"Nopony has to stand alone when they have friends," Twilight stood, winded but ready. Starlight wanted to grimace at the delivery but could only smile at her and Twilight smiled back before the two turned to their opponent. 

Sunset's grin grew bigger: "Now this might be a challenge."

Starlight lunged her head forward in a simple beam of magic, starting off the fight. Sunset swiped it aside easily and lunged into the air, gliding out of reach with a smirk on her face. Starlight retuned the smug grin as she channeled magic into her horn and felt her body lighten around her. With a jump she was airborne and floating gracefully in front of a gaping Sunset. Starlight grinned and fired a bolt to match the stunned look on the other mare's face. Twilight joined her in the air a second later.

Sunset didn't so much as dodge the bolt as she startled and dropped out of the sky. She caught herself before she could hit the ground and fluttered back up to Starlight's altitude. She took another spell from Starlight and Twilight's opening shot, her armor absorbing the shots with no effect. With Sunset having recovered from her surprise, she and Starlight shared a quick glare, Starlight ducked low as Sunset launched the starting volley of magic, and they were off.

Starlight and Twilight darted about the sky trying to get the upper hoof on Sunset. Blasting away and dodging the mare's attacks along with rouge shots from the numerous fights around them. Sunset was in one word, good. Two: scary good. She was standing her own against two of the best magic users that another world had ever seen. Her combat training was far superior to Starlight and left Twilight feeling embarrassed, she masterfully cast spells that would use as little magic as possible, position herself so her opponents were always in front of and below her, she could sense their spells forming in their horns and felt them rippling through the either around her. Her experience and superior combat knowledge and skill were invalidating the raw power and numbers of her foes. However Twilight and Starlight were still wearing her down.

Starlight spared the time to look and see that Minuette and the other two ash colored unicorns had caught up with Other Twilight and the group had fled to a ditch a ways off from the small hill the map had been on. They were hunkered down exchanging fire with the five remaining gold pegasi and a twelve of the blue ones. The blues had looked much faster and agile then their golden counterparts and their battlesaddles fired bolts of glowing energy instead of projectiles. How Captain Sparkle had been keeping a dozen off of herself for long enough to make it back to her troops had been a mystery until Starlight had seen her jump over a dozen hooves into the air and snag a par of winged horses that had just been strafing her, brutally throwing them to the ground. The only thing giving Terminator Twilight any trouble was a white blur that would dart in and knock the group's members down every once in a while. It never stayed long enough to do any more damage, or get a face full of magic or super hoof. It did fire off a bolt of plasma out of its battlesaddle at one of the other mares at point blank range and she had collapsed screaming and clutching her head.

Starlight thought she had seen the white pony flying among the scattered clouds looking down on the skirmish. During a brief moment of relief afforded by her opponent's occupation with getting up off of the ground while Twilight pressed the initiative and Starlight caved to her growing fatigue; she noticed that the alabaster pony and the blues looked almost tied. Their movements were perfectly controlled but they were holding back and Starlight got the impression that it wasn't them being arrogant or total mooks.

Starlight was thrown from her analysis by Twilight yelling. Shimmer had returned to the air and flung the other alicorn away in a telekinetic grasp and into the dirt. However, in throwing Twilight, Sunset had placed herself in between her and Starlight. Starlight looked to Twilight as she readied to attack their opponent's front, she would fire into the back of her head. 

The two fired simultaneously aiming at points that would leave a bubble shield popped and Sunset out for the count. However, her horn glowed and the air around her was filled with a similar colored haze. Twilight and Starlight's spells hit it, wrapped around the bubble of haze, and shot off toward the other mare. Sunset completely unharmed while her opposition was left dodging their partner's shots. She moved on Twilight and tried to blast the mare into the ground beneath Starlight launched into the air and flew to the alicorn with the upper hoof. Starlight forwent a spell that Sunset would sense and block, instead flying up over Sunset and cutting her self-levitation spell. 

Starlight fell out of the sky making a b-line for the back of Sunset's head with her rear hooves. She would adjust her course a little bit with her spell but the attack was basically a function of gravity. Sunset was trying something with a little more flare then beams as Starlight descended; the ground around Twilight had become a gapping maw that was trying to swallow the lavender alicorn. She was trying as hard as she could to force the jaws open with her magic but it was a struggle. Starlight, seeing this wondered if this spell required focus to continue or if it would function without input from its caster.

An answer was found as Sunset dodged Starlight's attack, leaving her to fly past on the way to the floor. Starlight just avoided smacking into the ground but wasn't able to make a recovery before Sunset pounced on her like a bird of prey. Her hooves pinning Starlight down as her horn charged. 

"Stay down," Sunset looked slightly pleading with her request but no less intimidating. Starlight was out, she was exhausted, physically beaten, and currently trying to ward off a mental break down along with magical burnout. She just laid her head back against the ash.

"You get away from-"

Sunset fell forward onto Starlight and Twilight hit the ground as the ground was raked by blaster fire. In the impressive distance that the three ponies had flown in their fight, the four ponies that were Twilight and Starlight's better option were facing off against the royal guard and blues in hoof to hoof combat. Most of the ponies having run out of ammunition for the engagement. One of the blues had just taken a buck to the head and wound up firing wildly into the ash. The fight was rapidly winding to a close with two of the ash covered mares climbing out of their ditch, mopping up the two guards and three blues still standing. A bit further past them was Sparkle and the white pony beating the ever loving piss out of each other, throwing one another against the ground and into the air.

The group left the other three currently facing off a small distance away alone, too absorbed in fighting one another. Twilight struck at Sunset and made a solid hit but the armor bounced the shot. Sunset set a hoof directly on Starlight's face as she heaved herself up and turned to her assailant. 

"Get ug-ph" Sunset was cut short by Starlight's hooves ramming into her abdomen, she smiled at making a solid hit. The orange mare fell off of the pink one that had bucked her in the stomach and the latter struggled to her hooves.

Starlight's head swam at the effort to stand but she managed to get up right and look down at Shimmer. Twilight moved up as Sunset righted herself. 

"Oh, will you two just stop! If you had the means to move through time and space on your own I wouldn't be in any position to beat you, so you've got no way to return to your home. You're trapped here and you don't stand a chance against me, let alone my Queen and her armies. We should be collaborating. Working together we could crack this magic and get you two home easily." Sunset's strain was evident. Her magically mended shoulder was in ruin; the leg hanging limply and the dark bruise on her orange coal showing through a gap in her armor at the elbow. The armor's polish had faded from repeated impacts with the ashen ground and her mane and tail were disheveled.

Starlight hadn't faired much better. The impact form her failed 'falling bird' maneuver had knocked the wind out of her. The mare's coat was turning the same color as the ground except where it was stained rusty brown from a few cuts. As sore as she was she wouldn't be surprised if under her ash coat was a uniform bruise. She didn't really have much more to give. 

Twilight, comparatively, seemed positively glowing. She had a pair of bags hanging from under her eyes and she was ash grey up to her fetlocks with most of her right side colored the same. All in all though Twilight was tired, dirty, and had a few ruffled feathers. Sunset hadn't won yet.

"Look, Sunset. I don't know what happened in this world or how much has happened to you personally but I know that your a good pony. I know that you can become blinded by ambition and anger but deep down you're a good pony who would never even consider pony-napping another one of my friends just to try and get information out of her. I-"

"Shut Up, Twilight. Whatever you think you know doesn't exist here. This isn't a world of love and sunshine were friendship and hugs will fix any issue instantly."

Twilight was surprised as she looked at the lavender unicorn that the comment had come from. Sparkle was limping toward them having warded off her attacker. Her joints whined, she grimaced a little in pain, and her mane was a mess but she still looked far fresher then some pony who battled a swarm of pegasi.

"You will leave us in peace or a bag. Understood, Shimmer?"

"Why risk it? We should just off her and get out of here before reinforcements arrive," Lemon Hearts was prompt in conveying her opinion as she and the other two unicorns moved up behind Shimmer, abandoning their ditch.

"Lemon's right, Capt. We need to get moving ASAP. We should just stun her into next year and move out before any of more friends show up." Minuette gestured to the ground where there were likely to be a few pegasi that were just unconscious.

"I'm afraid that you're already out of time." Sunset launched a quick spell at Starlight. The stunning spell hit square in the chest, Starlight's world went fuzzy around the edges and she collapsed. Sunset curled her head down to hide it with her armor as five horns pointed at her and started to crackle with energy.

Suddenly, there was a loud whistling that ended with a crash in the center of the group. The white pony had swooped in and pinned Sparkle under its hooves. Instantly the air was ripped apart by the roar from a pair of rounded metal boxes spewing plasma attached to an extra set of appendages on the pegasus' back. Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Minuette dove back into their ditch as the dirt and air around them was melted. Twilight spun around to point her horn at the new arrival and the mare (it had a mare's figure) pointed her right hoof at her. The end of the hoof was open and blue energy glowed inside it. Twilight recognized the business end of one of those bazar laser sticks, built into this thing's fore hoof.

"Cool it, princess," a husky, tomboyish voice with a slight staticy under tone said, the blasters on her back smoldering as they ceased firing. "Shimmer,you ok?"

No, it couldn't be. Could it? The white was pretty un Rainbow-like but the prismatic bangs handing over a pair of magenta eyes looked like how Rainbow would wear her mane if she were going to war. The white wasn't uniform either: gold, blue, and black marking the full body armor. Black covered the roots of the wings and the joints in her alabaster shell. A gold and orange, seven-pointed star with a lightning bolt blasting out the lowest point adorned each shoulder, accompanied by a few red dots that gave Twilight the impression of rank. A five-pointed blue star sat in the middle of her chest was accompanied by cyan pin striping along the collar and leading edges of the wings. The complete look of much else was lost to the massive damage that the armor had taken. It was scratched and dented from nose to tail. A metallic wing was slightly bent. What looked like hydraulic fluid leaked from the hip joint of her rear leg right beneath a painted on cloud-and-rainbow-lightning-bolt insignia. 

"Get the prisoner and lets vamoose," Sunset looked at Rainbow with a scowl and Rainbow added a sweet: "Commander." Her face didn't seem to move under her mask.

"Are you just going to release her?" Sunset glanced down at Sparkle, unconscious beneath Rainbow's hooves. Rainbow gave an offended glare (quite the accomplishment when only her eyes were visible) and spread her wings, big metal things with white feathers shaped like a tanto blade. Sunset retuned the glare momentarily before turning the venomous look on Twilight. "You so much as twitch and my attack dog here will turn you and the other three into ash."

Twilight gulped. She looked to Rainbow Dash and saw red in her eyes. The orbs were actually sending an almost evil glow at her from the center of the irises. Twilight decided she wasn't about to go doubting that this mare and her friend were the same. She just looked on as Sunset fluttered over and levitated Starlight into the air. 

Then Sunset's wing exploded. A haze of red painted the ground as Twilight felt something smack into her shoulder and a crack echoed across the wastes. Twilight and Sunset both collapsed to the ground.

"There you are!" Rainbow's head swiveled to a the south and her shoulder opened up. A panel slided out and a gleaming grey tube popped forward. Several dark grey darts with red tips could be seen lined up to feed into the tube. A green laser gleamed from the side of the main tube. With a little beep and a massive bang followed by a whoosh, one of the darts was gone leaving Rainbow surrounded in a cloud of smoke with a small trail that rapidly faded off. The rumble of an explosion in the distance rolling in a split-second latter.

Rainbow was still for a second looking out at her target, the wailing of the two injured alicorns going ignored. Once she was sure she had hit her mark she looked over to Sunset, the rocket launcher folding back into the shoulder. Rainbow took to wing and flew over to one of the downed pegasus soldiers. She picked up a pack and flew back to where Sunset was writhing in agony. She pulled out a long thin tube with a needle on the end and jabbed it into the pony's flank, just above the cutie mark. The alicorn's suffering gradually diminished to silently crying as Dash pulled out a plastic package. Metallic appendages in the edges of her hooves moved out, gripping and ripping the package open. She wrapped the bandage inside around Sunset's bleeding wing, pulling it tight with her fingers. 

Confident her superior wasn't going to bleed out, Rainbow trotted over to Starlight. She gave a quick glance over her and looked back to Sunset: "This one's fine."

"G-gg-good," Sunset answered shakily. "Did you take care of that pest?" She looked to the smoke rising to the south.

"The sniper's been taken care of, Commander." Rainbow popped off a perfect salute. 

"Take care of Twilight Sparkle. She doesn't need to be getting away. Let the rest of them go. The Rangers can mop them up if necessary."

Sunset wrapped the stunned mare in her magic and levitated her over. Just to get hit side on with a spell. Her armor absorbed the shot but she was still shifted sideways onto her bad leg and screamed out in pain, dropping Starlight in the process. Rainbow pounced on the origin of the bolt and Sparkle reared up to lock hooves with her. They stood, both on their hind legs with forelimbs interlocked as they tried to gain leverage on one another.

Dash gave flap of her wings and rose into the air. Sparkle tightened her grip on the other pony's forelegs and lashed out with her rear hooves at the mare's underside, the deformed plates bending inward further. Rainbow gave two more flaps and then dropped out of the sky, diving fore hooves first with the lavender unicorn wrapped around them. Sparkle dug in and wrenched her body out of the way as the two impacted the ground with a massive thud and a cloud of ash.

Sparkle jumped from the ground and onto Dash's back. The wings flew inward edge first as the arms on her back swung their lasers at the offending pony. Sparkle blocked the wings with her hooves as she sent a spell point blank at the roots of the arms. One was blasted clean of and the other  hung limply. Dash didn't so much as yelp at the molten metal running down her back. She launched herself up into the air again, going into a tight loop and went into an aileron roll, leaving the hitchhiking unicorn hanging on perpendicular to Rainbow. She grabbed Sparkle and, settling momentarily on the ground with her rear hooves, threw the unicorn off and across the small plain. Sparkle landed like a cat on all four hooves and rounded on her opponent. Rainbow raised her right fore hoof, the end of the limb opening up. She sighted for just a second before letting loose a blast of hellish blue energy. 

Captain Sparkle blocked the shot with a shield. Twilight could feet the heat from the blast radiating upon her supine form. The block was a massive feat of magic. Several more came and the Captain stood her ground but her magic was fading. Twilight, from the relative safety of the ash, watched her counterpart's blocks with a slight bit of envy and a decent helping of concern. Sparkle's body seemed to be mostly unaffected by the display but her horn was slowly blackening and her eyes were growing hazy and unfocused; showing the strain the unicorn was inflicting on her body and mind.

On the fifth blast Sparkle's shield dissipated to reveal the lavender mare in the process of collapsing. Her head fell forward into the ash, smacking against the ground, before jerking back up into an alert position; her lower half standing resolute the whole time. It reminded Twilight of watching a peer who's head fell out of their hooves during a "boring" lecture at school. Twilight was able to fight through the pain in her shoulder to shield her counterpart against the next shot. The shield wasn't enough to stop the blast but Sparkle dodged what penetrated. However, her head was still strained and she tumbled to the ground. She scrambled up panting. Rainbow, sensing that the kill was evident took to the sky and looked down her hoof as she sighted in on Sparkle's head.

The crack of Celestia's will rang out again and Rainbow's forehoof exploded in a blast of magical energy. The prismatic pegasus was thrown back. She impacted hard on a rock outcrop and lay still. Bits and pieces of armor were thrown around the flat, Twilight's gaze coming to a rest on the face plate that had come off in the blast.

"Get Starlight" The Captain's voice only showed her exhaustion in its slurred delivery, the shout still a bit deafening. Twilight was able to swivel her head a enough to see Sunset standing with tears in her eyes and an unconscious Starlight in her aura. 

"Incoming!" Minuette had risen from her ditch, a few more burns on her. Her hoof was pointed to the western sky where several formations of pegasi, some pulling wagons, could be seen flying toward the group. 

Sunset couldn't resist herself. "Have fun with round two." Her smile was sickly and she swayed as she said the words. Just the same, her horn flared and she vanished into a flash of magic with the pink mare in tow.

"DAMN IT!" Sparkle slamed a hoof into the ground then ran to the spot where her quarry had been.

"Cap, we're going to need to make ourselves scarce," Minuette said.

Sparkle let out a huff and turned to her number two. "Get the alicorn and get the spell ready."

"What about her?" Lemon hearts pointed to where Rainbow Dash was laying a distance way. She was levitating packs that she had gathered from fallen troops and examining a component that had come off of Dash's leg. "Are we just going to leave her?"

"No." Sparkle glanced to Lemon and the mare gave a nod. Lemon Hearts turned and walked toward were the pegaus laid. Twilight's ears clamped shut as she was treated to the sound of a two sheets of metal getting funky. Rainbow rose on three legs, the front right ending in a mangled mess half way above the elbow: a steal shaft surrounded by sparking wires, leaking tubes, shredded internals, and shattered composite covers. The cyan face that Twilight knew so well looked out: furious. One of the evil, red eyes glared at the yellow mare that was approaching. The other didn't look anymore, a piece of shrapnel planted in it. Twilight's dinner shifted in her stomach looking at the bloody socket, wires, flesh, and blood running out around the piece of metal lodged in the steel ring that housed the optical sensor. She raised her wings and launched into the air, flapping off toward the incoming swarm like the wounded bird she was.

Sparkle ground her teeth. "Twinkle?"

"We're ready to go, Ma'am." 

"Lets get you patched up," Minuette stood next to Twilight. She wrapped a bandage around Twilight's shoulder, clumped blood and ash keeping the wound mostly sealed. "Do you think you can walk?"

Twilight gave a nod and Minuette's aura helped her to her hooves. Twilight leaned heavily on Minuette as the pair rejoined Sparkle, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine in a circle. Twinkleshine's horn glowed, enveloping all present, and Twilight felt the sensation of magic building in the air, the tingling building until there was a sharp pop and zap and they all vanished into thin air.





She was still bruised but that wasn't what hurt. The ash in her nostrils went unnoticed as she laid on the ground. The tinge of copper in the dirt absorbed her thoughts completely. The sight of the mare next to her. Her brilliant red and yellow mane: ashy, crumpled, and flat. That pristine orange coat tarnished and stained rust colored. Starlight wasn't an expert but she knew when there wasn't anything left of a wing to save. The limbs bandage had come apart in teleportation and it hung from the shoulder by only a small strand of flesh. The bone fragments under the wounded shoulder stuck out at odd angles, producing lumps under the skin. The limb hung useless from the contusion, the tip of the hoof turning black from ruined blood circulation.

She sat there looking to her angels descending from the west, tears cutting channels through the ash coat on her face. Blood seeping from her nose. Her breath escaped in whimpers. It would have hurt too much, both physically and pridefully, for her to wail out in pain so the misery was just radiating outward through the air, sinking into Starlight's heart. This mare had done some wonderful and amazing thing, ascending to become an alicorn. But now here she sat in the ash.The symbols of her victory: dirty, bloody, and mangled; just like the rest of her. What had she been robbed of? A sun in the style of Celestia's adorned her flank, colored yellow and red. Starlight recognized a stylized Longman Yin and Yang in it, a symbol representing balance and pure harmony between extremes. Had that been this ponies destiny? To show others how to find balance in there own lives and the world around them.

Celestia knows that it was something that her Equestria could have learned. Twilight's friendship everything into harmony system only worked because she wielded a set of magical rocks that struck down draconequuses and lesser gods with ease. Some greater god only knows what other power the elements had bestowed on her in her ascension as she held the world in a state of perpetual pleasantness.

Here was the potential for a world that was seemingly just a little fairer (certainly unique and interesting) then Starlight's and it was bleeding in the ash of what could have been. This stolen mare of gold was going to make the universe a better place only by riding it of a monster in a ponies body.

But not before Starlight would steal Sunset's equinity and then give her final poison. Knowledge that would corrupt the best in absolute and lead to a perfect horror; disaster beyond scale. Even in death Starlight would see this world, and probably others, twisted ever further.

The suffering would never end.





They had teleported into the square outside of Ponyville's town hall, another set of runes fading in the chilly air. All of the buildings in town were ruined at best, most of the homes having been blasted into kindling a long time ago and laid as more piles then structures. Every ruin was scorched on the south east side. Town Hall had been the most intact building, standing an impressive eighth its original height. However, the target of Rainbow Dash's rocket had been mostly leveled to the ground on the north side where it had been hit, the pile of debris still smoldering.

Moondancer had emerged from a ruined store for quills and sofas. The off-cream, antisocial book nerd was to guide the group to where they would be waiting out the day before moving out of Ponyville by cover of a fresh night. Twilight had seen little other choice as she followed her impromptu friends who might still be her technical captors.

Traveling quietly and as quickly as the limping Twilight, severely-burned Twinkleshine, and the general exhaustion of the group would allow they made good progress, ghosting through the streets. On the way Twilight had spotted one of the tallest still standing buildings, her old home, The Golden Oaks Library. The place had most of its limbs burned off and was severly scorched on the southwest side of the building. It looked more like a charred stub then where she had lived some of the best years but still brought about a wave of nostalgia and heart break. Nested in what was left of the room off the top balcony had been Lyra. Lurking in new hiding spot as she took pot shots at the approaching pegasi. 

Soon enough the group had reached their refuge. The Carousel Boutique was in the same condition as the rest of town but at least it had a basement that was mostly clear where Twilight and the others had bedded down. Lyra had joined them as dawn was arriving, killing the last of the cover of night.

The eccentric sea foam unicorn that in another life was beyond any conventional protocol had offered a sharp salute to Captian Sparkle and then give the other three mares a hug, dragging Moondancer into the it as well. Both, Lyra and Moondancer had both tried to bring up the mission and the lavender alicorn that bore a striking resemblance to their CO but Sparkle had killed any discussion saying she needed time to think and that Twilight needed rest.

Minuette had done her best to patch up Twilight in the field but now that they were safe and she had a few extra hooves, she went about fixing the wound. She had stunned Twilight around the injury, taken the bandage with its clumped ashy mess off, and cleaned the wound with medical supplies scavenged from the royal guards. She got out a set of forceps and dug the slug of lead out of Twilight's shoulder before pointing her horn at it and using her magic to set everything back into place, stitching the hole shut as she went. A splint was finally set and Twilight was declared "Good as New". Lyra had apologized profusely about shooting Twilight and joked about how nice a scar she would have. Twilight had still looked at the long, metal, wood-wrapped tube that Lyra identified as her "baby" like it would jump up and attack her.

With the surgery done and some healing magic for Twinkleshine's burned face, Sparkle had declared that everypony was going to get some rest. Moondancer and Lemon Hearts had drawn to take the first watch while the rest of the ponies settled around the basement. Lyra had  found a pile of old fabric to sleep in while Sparkle had dug out some maps, reports, one of Rarity's drawing pads, and a pen and started adorning a corner with notes and plans; muttering to herself the whole time. Minuette had found Twinkleshine a bed of soft, cool linen for her burns, Twilight a nice full body pillow to sleep on, and -at Twilight's insistence not to go to far- had levitated a coutch over next her and curled up on it.

"Don't worry. You're going to be alright. We'll figure this out, OK?" Minuette's words had calmed Twilight enough to cave to the exhaustion that her body had been screaming about since before this ordeal started.

She laid her head down and fell asleep.
> Becoming Aquanted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight had been woken in the wee hours of the afternoon having slept..... decently and rose feeling refreshed if still haunted by her nightmare. 

Twilight had originally rose with Sunset bleeding out at her hooves, the other alicorn's breaths gurgling in her throat, while Rainbow was consumed by a pile of metal and electronics in the background. The rainbow mare had vanished with a plea for help to her friend as she was absorbed and ground into the parts. Eventually, the bloody mass of metal stood in an equine shape and glared at Twilight. The metal on the ground had started slithering toward her and she had turned to run, just to see a flash of light in the distance followed instantly by pain and a crack. She'd fallen and laid bleeding as the metal consumed her legs and started wrapping around her head. Darkness had creeped into Twilight's vision as she was lost to the machines when she saw Starlight walk up and look down at her. The pink mare shook her like a mother would a foal, smiling sadly, and saying: "Be strong, I believe in you..." Then, Twilight had realized that it wasn't Starlight shaking her, ending a dream that would warrant investigation into her mental heath indeed.

After rousing her, Lemon Hearts had given Twilight a bag of bland oatmeal and herded her over to Captain Sparkle's corner. The rest of the group, sans Lyra, was gathered around quietly waiting and finishing dinner as their leader collected her thoughts. Twilight had the sneaking suspicion that the Captain hadn't slept during the day. All the same, nopony voiced any concern about her well being as they all continued to wait.

Twinkle had Minuette wrapping her neck in a bandage and her forehoof in Moondancer's lap. Twilight couldn't help but marvel at the artificial limb as Moondancer worked. It started at the shoulder and now that its fabric cover had been removed Twilight could see the sophisticated mechanics that replicated Twinkle's organic limb. Metal digits that Twilight had identified as fingers sprouted from the sides of the hoof allowing for the manipulation of things only a unicorn's horn could hope to hold with ease. Moondancer was examining the hoof at  the lowest joint of the leg, working to free it where a plasma blast had fused it.

Twilight had taken this as a cue to study the rest of the entourage and she arrived at the conclusion only herself, Minuette, and Moondancer were without augmentation. She had seen Lyra's fingers last night holding her rifle and a hole in the fabric of Lemon Hearts' baring had revealed the metal beneath. Twilight was really quite thankful for an explanation of how her counterpart was able to shatter bone and leap immense distances, though Sparkle did still seem much stronger then her peers.

Twilight had eventually noticed that her observations were making the other ponies uncomfortable and stopped. Not to long after, Lyra came into the basement and had a short discussion with Sparkle, gesturing to a map drawn on one of Rarity's pads. After receiving Lyra's report, Sparkle pondered a few seconds more as her troops finished eating.

"All right, girls. The army troopers have almost made it to town so we'll be moving as soon as possible. There's three platoons of ground troops approaching from the northeast and two other units securing a western perimeter." Sparkle levitated up the magic-drawn map of Ponyville that showed an X over their current location, several blocks to the northeast of town, a line of triangles to the west, and a circle to the southeast of town. Several lines connected the X and circle in round about ways. "There's also a company of pegasi over head. 

"Our rendezvous will be an old orchard house here." She gestured to the circle. "Now, we have wounded so we're going to split up. Minuette, you'll be taking Twinkle and the Princess through the streets of Ponyville. Stick to the shadows and try not to engage at all costs. You'll have to make a mad dash across this area between the edge of town and these rolling hills; watch out for the old runes and local wildlife. Lyra, Moondancer; you two will move to this hill on the south side of town and provide supporting fire for Minuette's group as well as Lemon and me."

Sparkle turned to her subordinate. "Lemon, you and I are going to be causing a distraction. We'll move to intercept most of the ground troops as they enter town, here." She pointed near the rectangles to the northeast. "After we're done, we'll fall back to the Everfree forest and then move southeast to the rendezvous point. Lyra and Moondancer move out as soon as Lemon and I make the tree line.

"These ponies are regulars so only engage them if it's absolutely necessary. They're just following orders and not going to be that much of a problem for us, understood?"

Everypony soaked in the plan for several seconds. Twilight didn't think she was in the position to question her own plan and it seemed solid enough, even if...

"How exactly are you and Lemon Hearts going to be distracting those troops?" Twilight even raised her hoof in the air like a school filly.

"We're going to jump out and shake our plots at them and you guys run off while they're distracted. What part of this plan don't you have a grasp on." Lemon Hearts' dead pan elicited snickers from Lyra and Minuette. Even the marbelly-stoic Captain Twilight Sparkle spared a smile.

"Our little group has a reputation, Twilight," Sparkle looked at her temporal reflection like one would a child who asked an extremely naïve question. "I'm simply going to walk up to them talk about how they should leave. That if they don't, I'll spring my super cleaver trap and kill them all with a look and a cough. That'll scare them for a while and if they realize my bluff I'll stun a couple and Lemon will cover me as the two of us draw as many away from town as possible. Bust through this picket line," Sparkle pointed to the tringles to the west of Ponyville, "and make our getaway to regroup with the rest of you ponies."

"Ok...." Twilight said, still unsure.

"Where are we going after we get out of town?" Twinkle questioned.

"I'm...... still working on that..." Sparkle's voice trailed off. "Our first objective will be getting somewhere we can lay low and get you and the Princess fixed up. At that point, I wouldn't be surprised if half of the home guard and the Starbolts after us. We'll need to get Starlight out of the Kingdom's hooves but we'll get to that in due time.

"Right now, we need to keep our heads in the game. We get out of town and escape into the Everfree, then we can worry about the next course of action. Understood?"

Part of that last question was a dare but not one Twilight needed to answer. Sparkle had a level head, her objectives straight, and Twilight's own head wasn't working well enough to challenge anything more. She should be seeing more issues with the plan and feeling more stress over everything in general but it made sense for her to be suffering from some impaired judgement. Besides, as crazy as Sparkle's plan to deal with the soldiers outside was, Twilight figured that she wasn't going to be dissuaded from it.

Nods of understanding went around the group and they broke apart, Twilight was instantly set upon by Minuette. The medic of the group changed her bandages and then lead her over to one of the basement's high windows. The ash from out side had piled up under it and Minuette scooped up a hoof full of the stuff and started lathering it all over Twilight.

"You seem quiet," came the probe.

Twilight nodded. She had no idea how to respond to that. Part of her was still thinking she should be angry about the mare just slathering her with dirt but the thoughts just wouldn't solidify. 

"Tell me about your home."

"Huh?" That was unexpected. "What?"

"I need you to prove to me that you're more then just a vegetable if I'm going to be dragging you across town. Home is always something that will get a response out of somepony. I'll take tears and sobbing over the stare any day," Minuette responded. "So, tell me about your home. Unless you have something else you would like to talk about."

Twilight contemplated for a moment before saying: "It's nice. Picturesque really. There's none of this. No war, no burned away valleys, no suffering or hatred. Just ponies living in love and harmony.... What happened to this world?"

"What do you mean by that?" Minuette seemed entertained at the question. Her voice took on a masculine, snobby imitation of a primary school history teacher from back in the day. "War, my dear child. Fighting, suffering, dying, tragedy, heroism, etcetera, etcetrera. Time ran its course, there were effects to causes, blah, blah, blah." Her speech returned to normal. "It sounds to me that you have a better idea of what happened here then I ever will."

"I guess. It's just that this world is so different. Even from all of the others I saw. It's like a dream........ or a nightmare really."

Minuette's  let out a short, cough-like laugh as her face darkened. It was the kind of laugh a pony gives when the joke was more tragic then funny but it would hurt too much to do anything else. A moment of silence passed before she asked: "Did that other mare -Starlight- really figure out time travel?"

Twilight nodded and Minuette went on, awe dominating her expression.

"Wow. So, it was her messing around in the past that caused our worlds to diverge?"

Another nod.

"What on earth could she have done to cause this?"

"She made it so that my friends and I would never get our cutie marks at the same time. That we would never have our special connection or become friends."

"And that leads to the destruction of the tranquil Equestria?" She stifled a giggle. "Somepony's got a big ego." Minuette teased.

Twilight thought of Rainbow's reaction when she had been told about the alternate futures. She laughed in spite of herself. "You have no idea. We're the biggest deals in history since the Royal Sisters."

Minuete joined in Twilight's laughter. She was pretty much done coating the now grey alicorn.

"Sounds like quite the story."

"It is."

"Tell you what," Minuette stood up, wiped her hooves on the floor, and started moving to where her own gear was piled up. "We'll trade stories. We get out of town in one piece and I'll tell you all about Nightmare Moon and the wars; you get to tell me about that daydream you call a reality and your band o' god slayers. Deal?"

Twilight smiled. "Deal."

Minuette pulled on her armored vest, tactical harness, and pair of saddle bags over the fatigues that she had slept in. Everything was a covered in grey that blended well with the surroundings but was conventional green-brown-black camouflage underneath the coating of ash. Minuette finished with a helmet that featured a cut out and guard for a horn. The rest of the group was already suited up and getting ready to move out. All of them were dressed similarly, Sparkle having ditched her fetish gear. Minuette and Moondancer (who's headgear featured a visor with a display of some sort) were the only ones to make use of a helmet though. Lyra wore a black ball cap and the rest of the group went bare headed. 

"I'll see you on the other side girls." Lyra's happy go lucky attitude toward the situation unsettled Twilight. The rest of the ponies turned and saluted their sniper and her spotter in mock ceremony as they made to move out in the gathering darkness.

Moondancer glanced at Sparkle before raising a hoof silent farewell to the rest. Then the pair was gone up the stairs and into the darkness.

With the first team away Twilight prepared herself for the upcoming mission. Her task was the simple one of getting out of town in one piece. It wasn't complicated but Twilight wasn't going to think it would be easy for a second. She could walk decently but managing anything more then that would just dissolve into some sick parody of movement. Probably resulting in her broken and bleeding on the ground, a trooper's rifle pressed against her head. 

Twinkleshine limped up next to Twilight and sat down. Sparkle was having a final word with Minuette in the back ground as she and Lemon Hearts were preparing to leave, Minuette would be taking her group out soon after. Twinkle just settled next to Twilight and stared at her jammed hoof, Moondancer not being able to fix it. She looked uncertain, troubled. Twilight reflecting the feeling decided to initiate a conversation.

"Nervous?"

Twinkle nodded but otherwise stayed silent. Twilight guessed that wasn't all that odd. She had always been a bit distant from her friends in Canterlot but she remembered that they had been bound together out of necessity more then anything else. They had been six socially inept mares that hung out because everypony else wouldn't accept them. Twilight: an obsessive freak. Moondancer: the painfully shy. Minuette: a ball of energy who was so distractible she couldn't finish her own sentences. Lyra: the trotting definition of eccentric amongst several diverse examples. Lemon Hearts: the rather blockheaded yet somehow cunning mare who was always getting into trouble. And Twinkleshine: a voice of reason that didn't have much to say. Twilight didn't remember ever meeting any of these five for the first time but she was pretty sure that their teacher had just bundled all of the troublesome fillies in class into one group for a project of some sort. The rest was history that Twilight had mostly forgot but she remembered Twinkle as a pony of a few very well crafted words; not shy, just quiet. She had always been the pony that was turned to when another needed a wingmare, Guinea pig, lookout, different opinion (from peer reviewing essays to judging potential love interests), additional teammate, or shoulder to cry on.

"Me too." Twilight responded.

"You've got more than enough reason to be but if your anything like our Twilight you should be fine. We just need to watch our footing and not get spotted. Minuette's pretty sharp and if there's a pony that can cause a distraction it's Lemon Hearts." Twinkle's voice was soft and soothing.

"I just hope that I don't fall flat on my face."

Twinkle gave an amused sigh at that. "I don't know if I'll be able to help you out of a pile of dirt when I'm laying in another one forty paces back."

"Hopefully not, I really don't like the idea of dragging you two all the way to the rendezvous," Minuette approached as Sparkle and Lemon moved toward the stairs out of the basement.

"Minuette, Twinkleshine," Sparkle turned to each of her subordinates before arriving on herself, "Your Worship," Twilight's nose crinkled at that. Captain Sparkle gave the tagalong, her wounded trooper, and their caretaker one more look over. "Good luck." Quick and concise.

Twinkleshine snapped off what would have been sharp salute save the crooked fore hoof while Minuette's was much sloppier but her smile made up for it. Twilight settled for a nod and a smile at Lemon Hearts. The two mares climbed the stairs, waited at the exit for a second and were gone into the darkness. 

Minuett gave her charges a once over, hoof under her chin. After a second of deliberation she turned back to the basement and trotted over to a pile of textiles. She pulled out some thick sheets and levitated them into her saddle bags.

"There, can't have the two of you freezing to death while you heal," she said. She gave the basement one last look over for anything valuable. 

Finding nothing she put on her helmet, walked to the foot of the stairs, turned to the other two mares, and jerked her head to the exit. "Upward and onwards."





They had made it across town without incident and were now moving along the east side, trying to minimize how long they would have to run across the open space between town and the hill's precious concealment. They had never really gotten beyond crawling, the cover provided by the ruins of Ponyville was mostly shoulder high at best with the occasional half-erect wall providing Twilight a place to stand up and straighten her crippled leg. Going had been slow but steady and there had been almost no sign of pursuers.

However, the company of pegasi had broken up to secure the village's north and east perimeters, a squad taking up position on the east side looking down a street. One of its members had taken notice of movement in the shadows as the three mares tried to move unnoticed. Now, Twilight found herself hiding under a piece of roof with Twinkleshine, Minuette was leaning against the low remains of a brick corner, the troops were talking to each other in the street.

"I told you, corporal, I saw something moving across this street," a young stallion said. He had Manehattan accent and probably a cutie mark but Twilight definitely didn't think he was old enough to be a soldier.

"Ehh, he was just jumpin' at shadows, frigin' greenbelly." An older, gravely-voiced stallion said.

"Or the ghosts." It was a mare that chimed in, sounding like she was an extra in a horror movie and knew it.

"That's enough! You three are making fools of yourselves and me. Now search through these ruins for any sign of the fugitives." The corporal's voice was irritated and dripping with disinterest.

"Ehh, if those mares had any sense they would be as far away from me as they could get," gravel voice claimed.

"Salt Lick, you've never been shot at in your life, I've been in the service longer than you." said the young stallion.

"Are you kiddin'? I've killed more people then you'll ever meet, kid. Seen things that you'll never be able to comprehend," Salt Lick growled.

"I cant say that I find the inside of a whiskey bottle that incomprehensible."

"Why I-"

Salt Lick's probable death threat was cut off from gun fire coming from the west. The chatter echoed across the leveled settlement ominously, sounding almost like maniacal laughter. Twilight shivered, she hated this Ponyville with a passion, the whole settlement was more like a haunted grave yard then her home. It wasn't helped by the fog rolling in from the reservoir to the northeast and Everfree Forest to the south. Topping off the atmosphere was the low wailing of the breeze blowing through the ruins.

"Corporal Star Burst! What are you doing? We're supposed to be securing the perimeter of the town." The voice of the platoon's lieutenant flying over head sounded over the reverberations of the gun fire.

"Investigating a disturbance, Ma'am," Star Burst answered. 

There was a pause before the mare answered: "As you were. Check it out and then get back to your post."

Star Burst waited for her to fly off before he hissed at his subordinates: "You three quit standing around like fillies and get searching."

"A-are you kidding? You're going to make us look through the remains of Ponyville? This place is cursed." The scared mare sounded like she was laying on the ground covering her head, quivering like a leaf.

"Look, there are no such things as ghosts, Dewdrop. This place isn't haunted and there is nothing dangerous about it other then some lingering dark magic." 

Twilight took the discussion as an opportunity to raise her head a little and look into the street. The four-pony fireteam was standing in the middle of the intersection not throwing distance away. The white and green mare was indeed laying in the road with her hooves over her head. A dark blue stallion was standing over her while an older grey pony looked on. An orange, rail-thin colt was looking west toward where the ground troops were chasing Lemon and Sparkle. They all wore dark, flat green uniforms with helmets and combat boots. These pegasi weren't as predisposed to aerial combat as the guards and blues had been. Instead of full battlesaddles with heavy machine guns or plasma rifles they had harnesses that would carry their carbines in a similar position but with a quick detach to use the bite grip. The design allowed the troopers to fly with the weapon secure and trained ahead were it would be most effective for a flying pegasus but then when they moved to the ground they could take them off and carry the guns conventionally using their mouths. 

The mare looked up and Twilight ducked back down, Twinkle shoved her in the ribs and Minuette shot a disapproving glare.

"You're really going to tell me that this place isn't haunted? After what she did to them? All those ponies were desecrated and their spirts left to rot and wonder this waste," Dewdrop was starting to sound outright panicked.

"D-ose th-ee-ories abouut Nigh-mare Moon aw-ren't rea'we true. Are w-ey?" The kid spoke around his carbine's grip, starting to get spooked as well.

Clank-CRASH!!!

A rock that Minuette had lobbed into the ruin across the intersection, cattycorner from the one she and the others were in, knocked over a decaying section of wall on an old cabinet still full of plates that shattered. Dew Drop jumped into the air and dove beneath Star Burst's hooves. The colt fired his carbine into the building, emptying a magazine. 

Minuette forwent words and simply levitated her charges with her as she darted across the street into another ruin while the troops were distracted, the gathering fog offering enough protection from the eyes of the other fireteams a couple blocks away.

"CEASE FIRE!!!" Star Burst yelled over the cacophony. 

"You idiot," Salt Lick smacked the kid upside the head, knocking him off of the ground.

"I'm sorry!" He answered defensively as he got up off the ground.

At this point Twilight, Minuette, and Twinkleshine were settled in their new pile of rubble on the other side of the street. Not a moment too soon as the sound of wings flapping was heard. 

"What in Celestia's name is going on here?!?" A new, angry mare's voice screamed.

"Just a weapons malfunction. Nothing out of the ordinary," Cpl. Star Burst stuttered out.

"Is that so? Private, present you weapon for inspection." 

The sound of the colt trotting over and the mare inspecting the weapon followed.

"Trooper this rifle is in immaculate condition. Fantastically well maintained, as it should be."

"Thanks...?" The colt answered the just furious mare.

"Tell me, why did you discharge your weapon?"

"Well.... I got spooked. Dewdrop was talking about those old Ponyville horror stories and there was the wind and the gunfire and I guess I just let my nerves get the better of me."

"I see. Corporal, if you lie to me again I'll have you court marshaled. Lieutenant Cloud Glider, I haven't issued any orders for troops to move into the ruins."

"Cpl. Star Burst stated that he was 'investigating a disturbance'," the lieutenant from earlier answered.

"And what disturbance was that, Corporal?" 

"The private here thought he saw shadows moving around the streets."

"Is that true, Private?"

"Yes, Captain Blossomforth." The colt was shivering in his shoes but staying to the truth. "I saw a group of shadows passing through this junction."

"Ah still think you're jumpin' at shadows," Salt Lick chimed in. 

"Shut up," Blossomforth snapped at the old salt before turning back to the private and softening her tone. "What did you see? How many shadows moved through this intersection?"

"There were three sets, Ma'am."

"And you're sure of that."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Silence sounded for a second before there was some hushed whispering. Twilight thought it sounded like Blossomforth and Cloud Glider. Minuette cursed under her breath and started prodding Twinkle and Twilight back further into the pile of debris. They crawled into the bay window of the attic of a house across the street from the one they were in, the roof now laying across the street. From there they dropped into a drainage ditch.

It wasn't a moment too soon as the pegasi opened fire on the ruin that the fugitves had just been in. A second long barrage was followed by Blossomforth yelling orders.

"Secure a perimeter! Cloud Glider, on the south side, you four follow her. Get me in contact with the Lt. Colonel. Tell her to stop messing around with chasing those other two through the forest and seal off the southern side of town...."

Twilight was prodded down the ditch by Twinkle. Minuette had already started moving forward, making sure it was clear to a covert that went under one of the crossroads. The three made it to the covert and Minuette turned to the other two in the cramped, spidery space.

"Twilight, you live in this town, right?"

"Yah..."

"Where do these storm drains lead?"

"They go to the Ponyville Reservoir." She know that memorizing Ponyville's infrastructure would come in useful one day!

"That body of water to the north east of town?"

"Yes."

"So these drains should lead to the south edge of town?"

"Just about. Most of that side of Ponyville just drains off naturally into the farm country and forest."

"Good. We'll follow these to the edge of town and then make a break for it."

"Ok," Twiinkleshine looked like she just wanted a plan that ended in her resting.

"Right," Twilight wasn't much better then Twinkle.

"Cover me, while I move to the next culvert."

"I've got you," Twinkleshine moved so that she could look at the right side of the ditch that was open to the street and Minuette raced off. 

After she made it across, Twinkleshine went. Half way across she froze and slammed her belly to the ground silently. She laid for a second before peaking at what ever had spooked her and then moved swiftly to the end of the ditch. She looked back at Twilight and started gesturing. She slapped her hoof against her other fetlock three times and pointed directly to the side, she repeated the motion once and pointed to Twilight's left. She then put her hooves close to the ground and smoothed it with them.

Twilight hadn't really known what the slaps and pointing meant but she got 'lay low'. However, with her splinted leg that was easier thought then done. She hobbled along, hanging up on the awkwardly straight limb. She was three quarters of the way there when her hoof got caught and dug into the ground. The leg pressed into its damaged joint and Twilight bit her tounge to muffle a scream but a yelp still escaped.

There was a flutter of wings and a thump of something landing. Twilight looked over, tears streaming down her face. The colt was standing there, utterly terrified, with his carbine pointed at her. Twilight guessed his fear was understandable, he had just found an ash-covered alicorn trying to run through a ditch. The colt and Twilight stared at each other, lost for a course of action.

"Private, what's the matter." Cloud Glider's voice came over the edge of the ditch from down the street.

It cleared the colt's head and he moved the carbine to point right between her eyes. Than, Lyra's will reached out and, with a crack, turned the colt's head inside out. He fell into the ditch on top of Twilight.

"Snip-" Cloud Glider's call was cut off by another crack but the message got out to the company.

Minuette rushed up to Twilight and levitated the body off of her as the company was returning fire at the unknown assailant.

"Come on, we need to go."

She herded Twilight and Twinkleshine up the ditch initially foregoing crossing the streets through the culverts and eventually abandoning the ditch all together as they all stealthed toward the school house on the southeastern corner of town. 

They arrived at one of Ponyville's most intact buildings, the schoolhouse was burned and leaned to the side but was still actually standing. It was as far as Twilight could go, she was exhausted and in pain from dragging her broken form across town. The tears streaming down her face built into full blown sobbing. Minuette brought a bucket of water from the well in front of the school and washed the alicorn of the bloody ash covering her. Afterward, the blue mare just laid across Twilight as she shook and wept, suppressing the sound and keeping her spasming from furthering her injuries. Twinkleshine scooted over and cradled Twilight's head and the two settled down to ride the third's fit out.





"... then after Starlight and I returned to our future, she took up a position as my student and everything was fine.

"Well, until I showed up in the middle of the night and ponynapped Starlight." Twilight had held up her end of the deal while Minuette had been redressing her and Twinkleshine's wounds then wrapping them in their blankets. She missed home but that feeling of longing was far better than the hollow feeling that had been consuming her.

"Wow, I guess you really are the most important ponies in the nation."

"I guess," Twilight said. "Now I've held my end of the bargain. So, what's different and what happened with Ponyville and Nightmare Moon?"

Both mares gulped and looked all around the farmhouse they were hiding in. Twilight had never seen the inside of the Carrot's home, the only thing that she knew about them was that they lived a few hills away from Sweet Apple Acers and that Applejack's only romance story involved one of the stallions in the family. 

Applejack and Sweet Apple Acers, Twilight had been trying to avoid thinking about them. Judging by the state of things and the bit of delapidadted farm house she had seen, Twilight really didn't think her one constant in time was very intact. She had quietly been dreading learning what had happened to the rest of her friends.

"I guess Nightmare Moon is the best place to start," Minuette had found her resolve. She was now done with Twinkle's neck and wraped the mare in a blanket before collapsing on a sofa. "It seems to be the place were our timelines start to diverge dramatically.

"So, you, as in the captain, went to the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration. However, it was hosted in Canterlot and not Ponyville. You weren't involved with the preperations at all, you and the other STARs had been working for months on end and were told to take full advantage of the biggest party of our time."

What's a Star?" Twilight interacted. 

"The Scientific, Technological, and Archaic Research Program," Twinkleshine answered. "It was run by the Guard and Royal Academy out of Celestial Laboratories. Twilight, Moondancer, and I all worked there under Sunset Shimmer after graduating from Celestia's school."

"We worked for Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight sounded confussed.

"She was and is one of the foremost magicians in the world. Being on her team at Celestial Laboratories was like making it with the Wonderbolts or performing at Maredison Square Garden. Shimmer was an exceptional leader and the research that we were doing was the most advanced and ground breaking in the world. It was a dream come true for all of us."

"What did you work on?" Twilight wondered.

"It was mostly developing magitech, archiving and rewriting spells, lot of development of earth pony and pegasi magic applications, all kinds of stuff really. We did a lot more- military specific stuff that bugged us all, but Sunset was good at convincing us that it was for the protection of Equestria and that benefits from the developments would trickle down to the average pony. Guess, she was right; there were massive jumps forward in non-magical medicine, communication, and a massive raise in the quality of living based off our work.

"Really, in hindsight, I see that Celestia had us working to prepare for..... well, this," Twinkle waved her hooves about her head, gesturing at her surroundings.

"What happened?" Twilight was done with exposition and distractions.

"Nightmare Moon returned," Minuette's face darkened as she said the words. 

"For the thousandth SSC, Princess Celestia had fallen ill and was only going to be able to make limited appearances to the public but that wasn't going to put a damper on the festivities. I was able to get the whole group together for the first time since graduation. Twilight, Moondancer, and Twinkle hadn't seen daylight in at least a month, Lemon got back from her journey south, and we were able to pry Lyra off of her marefriend." Minutte's eyes filled with a few nostalgic tears for the better times.

"We all had gone to stay with Twilight's family when the sun didn't come up. While we were there, her brother had gotten an urgent message about mobilizing the royal guard. A pegasus from a town in the valley came rambling about a village being consumed in shadows from the Everfree Forest. Celestia was... unable to respond."

"What? Why?" Twilight didn't know of a pony more reliable and invested then Celestia.

"Officially, she had a case of feather flu, I think." Minuette looked off as she racked her memory but shook the distraction out of her head. "Shining Armor told us that she had gotten progressively more depressed as the holiday grew closer. She withdrew into her chambers three days before and he said that news of the message from Ponyville broke her. She was a sobbing, incoherent mess laying on the floor of her cambers; rambling off names from storybooks.

"What you said about Princess Luna explains why...." Minuette looked down at her lap as she gathered the strength to go on.

"Shining Armor sent a wing of guards to investigate and none of them returned. Then he lead an entire divisions worth of troops down into the valley to retake Ponyville and expel the evil there. He was confronted by Nightmare Moon, she wanted to see Celestia, he told her no and she squared off with him and his troops. They actually managed to drive her off and take the town, only to find it abandoned."

Minuette had to take a breath to steady herself against what came next: "That was when Nightmare Moon sprang her trap. She had set an ambush with the.... inhabitants." Minuette choked out the last words.

"Wait. She attacked the ponies of Ponyville?"

"No, she attacked with them," Twinkle had tagged in for Minuette, her face hard and eyes hollow. "Nightmare Moon used dark magic to twist, torment, and warp the minds of all the inhabitants of Ponyville. She used their nightmares to consume their minds and then she was able to warp their bodies. She turned them into Umbrum. Shadow ponies, demons, slaves in the image of Tartarus itself. 

"There was nothing we could do. Several prisoners were taken by the guard and army for us STARs to find a cure but we never could. We saved one filly in the early stages from succumbing to the Nightmare." Twinkle's plaster face had a single tear running down it. "It was horrible, Nightmare Moon would plant her magic in the minds of her victims, it would latch onto their nightmares and fears, hatreds, insecurities, anything it could use against the host. That damn curse would break down a pony's mind and turn them into a mindless monster. Then it would corrupt the body. I'll never forget watching that mare from Ponyville.... melt and writhe in that isolation room. Shining Armor should have put her out of her misery far sooner. The victims' eyes turned milky and ran out of their skulls. Skin turned into ash colored putty and eventually what once was a pony was some demon hellspawn intent on serving its 'Empress of the Night'."

Twinkle spat out the last words, her voice scratchy as she finished speaking. Twilight was beyond stunned or horrified. Luna had been to some dark places but could she really do something so horrible? The Nightmare Moon of her timeline had spent her time occupied messing with Twilight and her friends with Celestia nowhere to be seen. Had her Celestia really been out right crippled with guilt and anxiety about the return of her sister? Twilight hadn't seen anything more of Celestia than letters on the few days leading up to the Summer Sun Celebration. The thought that she and her friends had been played with like toys was something that had been pointed out to Twilight before. She really had no qualms whatsoever about distracting physical gods so that they couldn't ravage the nation at large. However, being the plaything of the creator of what was just described made Twilight's stomach churn.

Twinkle had worked the bad taste of NMM's official title out of her mouth and continued. "The shadow ponies ambushed the Royal Guard and Army troops in Ponyville. It was a slaughter, most of our ponies didn't make it out. A lot wound up absorbed by the shadows."

Minuette had recovered from trying to recount the Umbrum (Twilight had a good idea what haunted her nightmares), she passed Twinkle a cantean for her hoarse voice and continued the story herself.

"Shining Armor and a group of survivors were able to escape and came back to Canterlot with Moon's forces hot on their tails. They besieged the city and Nightmare Moon offered the ultimatum that if we turned over Celestia she would leave our city standing; refusal would be met cruelly. 

"Lots of ponies tried to storm the castle themselves and riots erupted. In the chaos Nightmare Moon was able to bypass the shield and confront Celestia. That was what got her to finally snap out of it. Got her to snap period. They fought briefly, Celestia and our forces were able to drive off the Nightmares and chase them back to the Everfree forest."

"Celestia and Shining Armor gathered an army of royal guards, regulars from around the nation, and every volunteer willing and marched right through the Everfree forest, burning everything in sight." She looked off again and an odd smile spread across her face. "It was the first time in the week and a half since Nightmare Moon had taken away the sun that the sky was bright and the air got a little warmer."

Minuette fell into a moment of revelry that Twilight didn't want to take away immediately. Twinkleshine, having said her piece was snoozing in her quilt. Twilight eventually grew impatient and cleared her throat: "What happened next?"

"They confronted Nightmare Moon in her palace in the Everfree," Minuette continued. " Celestia was able to over power her and break her hold on the sky, rasing the sun. For the first time in months...." Minuette's face became consumed in the memory briefly, pure bliss and joy at seeing the lost light of the world return. The expression turned sour though. "But the war wasn't over.

"Shining and his forces weren't able to trap and rout out the Nightmares in the Everfree Forest. Nightmare Moon marched all over southern Equestria attacking settlements. The fighting was brutal but scattered. Los Pegasus and Baltimare burned but neither of our armies came face to face. Celestia set the STARs on finding weaknesses to exploit and new ways to fight our opponents as well as protecting everypony."

"We looked into everything and anything," Twinkleshine spoke up again, blinking her tiredness away. "Celestia and Sunset had us digging through ancient tomes preaching rapture, foreign magic manuals, tech advancements, and each other's crackpot thesis papers. Searching for something that would give us the upper hoof on NMM and her forces." Twinkle shuttered. "And we found it. All of it. The archives of Canterlot contained mountains of dark and occult magic that we should have never looked at, let alone studied studied. Not to mention the new advancements." She rubbed her synthetic limbs together.

"When our armies met again it was a massacre. Nightmare Moon had conquered the Deer, Bison, and no small number of ponies that she turned to Umbrum . Her forces were supplemented with the other inhabitants of the Everfree: dragons, Ursas, timber wolves, cockatrices, and what not; warped by her dark magic. Then we had an army of thousands wielding the worst that had been found in over a millennia of magical and technological study, hastily pressed into practical use."

"Nighmare Moon's Last Stand was a battle on a scale of horror that hasn't been seen in Equestria, ever," Minuette was speaking now. "Our armies were pretty evenly matched and the savage fighting didn't show promise of a victor. Eventually, Celestia grew tired of the slaughter and pulled her forces out of the valley. She went right up to the gates of NMM's palace and faced the mare of shadows in single combat. Then she pulled some spell that wiped away everything."

"Everything?" Asked a stunned Twilight.

"Everything."

"Celestia beat Nightmare Moon and then teleported a ball of the sun on to the planet right in their midst." Twinkle said. "Just released it and it did the rest. Wiped way everything in the Valley."

"Not that there was much left...." Minuette said grimly.

"Wow......" was all Twilight could give. She had seen the destruction induced by the spell.

"Everything went down hill from there. The Changelings and Dragons made moves against Equestria. Several rebellions. The return of the Crystal Empire. There was rampant corruption and ruthless competition in the government. Everyone with ambition made a game of seeing who could topple the unsteady Equestria. Famine, riots, and the body counts just continued to grow. It was all just utter chaos."

"We, STARs had it really bad. We were working 24.7 in appaling conditions doing and seeing horrible things." Twinkle shivered at the memory. "We spent our free time hoping not to wind up in IRIS's cross hairs or get foalnapped and brainwashed by an enemy. It wasn't helped by the fact that we were working in a completion driven environment, there were more then a few of us got killed or framed or worse by our own. The strain broke many of us and loss of family and friends took others but we were driven on, knowing what failure would bring."

"Needless to say our little group fell apart along with the rest of the world," Minuette spoke up. "Lyra joined the army after her marefriend died in Ponyville; Twilight followed after she lost her brother. Lemon was making a living working for the royal court in logistics. Moondancer and Twinkle stayed with Celestial Labs for a while, though."

Twinkle nodded and rubbed her forelegs together again, looking anxious. Twilight couldn't resist any longer. "Twinkle, what happened to your hooves?"

Twinkle looked down at her metallic limbs. "It was another part of the labs, a group of earth ponies came up with the idea of using some old earth pony healing magic to affix robotic implants onto troops. When I heard they were looking for volunteers, I saw a way out of the STARs. Lyra having already signed up for the program and talked Lemon into it sealed the deal. So, I became a Night Mare."

"A Night Mare? Bit of an odd name given the background, isn't it?" Twilight questioned.

"Supposedly they just wanted to forgo enemy troops calling us that any way. It was a little more finessed then calling us Umbrum as well but that's what we are pretty much. The first successful fielding of cybernetic enhancements."

Twinkle held up her hoof and used her horn to remove the metal shrouds. What laid beneath stunned Twilight, the flesh of her leg was perfectly and grotesquely fused with the added metal and mechanics that had drawn Twilights attention before. The hoof was entirely metallic with its artificial digits, the leg was flesh in places all the way down to the wrist around the front but Twilight could see actuators working beside the muscles underneath the skin; a particularly distinct piston in place of the Achilles tendon. Further up the leg, above a metal knee plate that much of the hardware was connected to, were three larger pistons surrounding her femur and controlling the lower parts of the legs in tandem with her muscles.

"We were designed to take on NMM's forces but didn't get out fast enough, put the Crystal Empire down when it returned, though. The augmentations gave us improved mobility and superior strength to deal with the mountains and crystal soldiers. Not to mention that fingers and being able to stand and run on two hooves is super useful in fights.

"It was really quite astonishing with us analogues," Twinkle said, in her soft tone. "They figured out how to use our muscles and their movements to control the inputs to the cybernetics since digital interfaces hadn't been perfected yet. Then they were able to use our natural nerves to give feedback on the limbs." She gave her good leg a twist and flex, the symphony of steel and meat carrying on perfectly. "Nothing but cleaver engineering, a few batteries, a pinch of magic, some earth pony stubbornness, and a lot of R&R after the operation."

"How much of it is you?" Twilight was looking at Twinkleshine's leg in awe. Wondering in the back of her mind why she couldn't have a note pad to document her observations at least.

"Well I have nerves that go almost to the end of the hoof and they kept a lot of the sensitive muscles and nerves in our hooves to control the fingers and bracers that we had installed. Our entire skeletons are reinforced with carbon fibers that were grown using some bazar potions and some bones were replaced with steel in spots. Our spines have a lot of reinforcement and modification for mounting the hardware on it. Everything got touched so there isn't really a point were I don't think of something as not me anymore."

"Fascinating." Twilight marveled. "What about the others? You didn't say that Other Me became a Night Mare."

"Lemon and Lyra are pretty much the same as me, they might have a few more dents than I do. Twilight's different though."

"Uhm," Minuette agreed. "Twilight is an-..."

Twinkles ears twitched and she looked toward the Minuette, jerking her head outside. Minuette stood up and readied her horn. Twilight could only lay on the floor silently as she waited for a white robopony to come busting through the walls of the house.

A whisper floated in from the outside: "Salt lick."

"Beaker," Minuette said back.

There was a rustling outside, then Lyra and Moondancer dove in through a window a second latter. Lyra was the first to rise, standing tall on two legs and stretching. 

"Oh Celestia, that wasn't fun at all."

"What happened with you guys?" Minuette had a teasing grin on her face. "Mrs. Cock-Sure and Miss Infinate-Knowlage run into some competent opposition."

"Not just competent. Rangers," Moondancer didn't share either mares amuzement.

"Damn it," Twinkle said quietly.

"Those were rangers? The troops we ran into seemed to be pretty inexperienced," Minuette's face was skeptical but the grin had vanished.

"They're freshly reinforced but there are some real vets in there with those green backs," Lyra seemed to have calmed down but she was still riding her high. She pulled off her cap and held it to her chest. "That sniper was a worthy opponent. He may have gotten a good shot off," Lyra motioned to her ear, half of which was missing, "but I got the last laugh." The grin made Twilight's skin crawl.

"You girls got out here with out any more incidents?" Moondancer asked. "We lost track of you at the edge of town."

"After that brush with the pegasi...." Minuette shot Twilight a quick worrying glance, "No, we got to the edge of town and made the mad dash here. Didn't even have trouble with any of the old runes. Why?"

"These are Flur De Lis's troops," Moondancer said.

Shock and fear broke out on Minuette and Twinkleshine's faces. 

"That was the 3rd Rangers?" Minuette was fully scared now.

"What's so scary about the 3rd Rangers?" Twilight wasn't liking the tones the mares were using. Her Equestria had rangers but they functioned as an extension of the royal guard and were tasked with boarder patrol. Occasionally, additional protection for government events and crisis relief. However, if Equestria were ever to go to war they would be the first troops deployed and with this world that probably meant that they had been fighting longer then any pony else.

"Twilight and I were in the 3rd Rangers. We took changeling nests, busted a dragon fortress, brought down Nightmare Moon's citadel in the Everfree, and laid all the ground work for wiping out Sombra," Lyra said in her don't-give-a-damn voice. "They're the ones Celestia sends in when a situation is impossible and calls for more then shock-and-awe or stealth. They probably responded because their final training manuvers are carried out in the Everfree Forest." She gave a bright smile to Twilight. "In more common vanacular I would say we're all bucked."

"You three got lucky that you had a group of fresh troops to deal with. Twilight and Lemon barely got to the forest," Moondancer said. "Hopefully, they'll actually get away." 

"Should we move into the forest and try to meet up with them?" Twinkleshine asked.

"No," Minuette raised a hoof to her face as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in thought. "Tracking down the Captain and Lemon Hearts in the Everfree while not getting caught by the 3rd would be a tall order without our wounded. As we stand its probably our best move to wait here for a while and if they don't show make the move for-"

"Sh-shhh....." Lyra held a hoof up for silence, then moved it to her intact ear. "I don't think we'll be waiting for long."

The ponies around the room once again hunkered down as the sound of trotting came up to the house and was followed by a knocking at the door. 

"Lemon!" came a hushed whisper, followed by more knocking. The door was busted open soon after with a formerly yellow mare standing in the threshold. Sparkle could be seen racing up from a well she had been hiding behind as Lemon Hearts strolled into the livingroom.

"Ha! I got here FIRST! I win!" She said turning back to Sparkle shaking hoof. She then rounded on the mares gathered in the room. "What points do I receive?.... I'd better not get shorted....I swear on Nightmare Moon's sixth right eyelash!" Lemon then changed from stumbling around to laying on the welcome mat.

"What happened?" Several voices called out in unison.

Minuette raced up to her fallen comrade as Sparkle galloped up to the house and entered, closing the door behind her. "We got hit with mortars after we made the trees. Lemon got more than a little more blast off one then she should have."

"I would say she's more than a little stunned," Minuette said irritably. Her horn glowed as she looked at the fallen mare. "Her eardrums are blown out and I think that she had a concussion. Hugh, we'll have to wait the rest of the night here. I can heal her pretty quickly but she's in no condition to face the Everfree right now."

"Right, we'll stay here and recuperate," Sparkle said. "We should be able to move through the Everfree during the day.The Rangers will be sweeping this way so we have to be in the forest by day break."

"I should be able to pull that off," Minuette supposed.

"Good," stated Sparkle. "Get some shut eye girls, we're moving out in three hours."

All in presence acknowledged the command and went about settling down for a brief respite.





“…and she should be able to make a full recovery, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.”

The doctors all gave bows as they filed out of the observation room. The few ponies that remained inside stood silent. Not unusual behavior for Royal Guards as their charge looked into the operation room, idly watching the technicians cleaning the space.

Well isn’t this a wonderful situation you’ve found yourself in?

Celestia wasn’t having a good day.

Well, to be honest she hadn't had a good day in a long time but this particular day was proving truly rotten as it bled into the next. The 4th Division's advance in the south had officially ground to a stop, a mere 10 miles from Johnnesburrow. Capturing the zebra trade city would have crippled their efforts against her southern boarders while also providing the 4th with supplies and munitions that the homeland couldn't really provide them with properly. Celestia resigned that the offensive would last another three days; if they hadn't broken through by then she would cut her losses and pull  back. The 4th was one of only trained, equipped, and generally intact armies Equestria had left, one city wasn't worth its loss.

The 12th and 13th Sky Legions and the Golden Army were still beating the Pentad Union back in the west and the 5th Division was holding  Griffonstone but the 2nd Army was being torn apart in the north. The Crystal Remnant, changelings, griffons, yaks, and numerous separatists groups of ponies were all vying for control of the north against them; looking to take Manehattan or Vanhoover as their own. Equestria's remaining forces were ill equipped and poorly trained; thinly spread shells of older units and volunteer corps.

Humph. Equestria has been falling for the past four years. There is something else bothering you.

Celestia cringed at the voice but acknowledged its truth. The real issue of the day had come from south of the old capital. A group of very wanted but very slippery mares was discovered performing some very unusual magic and had taken down several very valuable units that the loss of which were going to put Celestia in very tight spots as the war moved forward.

Twilight Sparkle and her group were, in theory, the most dangerous threat to Equestria. A mighty band of: three STARs, three Night Mares, an Ironpony, five highly decorated combat veterans, Equestria's deadliest sniper, one of its most successful officers, a computer and hardware wiz, a former personal aid to Celestia, an IRIS agent, and in general enough know-how to bring the crumbling nation to its knees in a day or two.

Oh, they sound simply delightful. Some more excitement is exactly what you need in your life isn't it? Just let them try and thwart the great and mighty Celly!

However, Celestia never perused the group with any amount of seriousness because they posed no practical threat. They weren't terrorists or revolutionaries, they didn't fight for a cause beyond their own; something that for most of them was still the nation. They had seen and taken part in Equestria's darkest plots and most vile exploits. They were just done working for their Queen and had made a profession of desertion with the occasional foray as vigilantes or saboteurs. They hated Celestia: what she had become, what she had done to their nation, and what they had done in her service. At the end of the day, however, they would take her familiarity and the idea of everything returning to the way it had been over the zebras or changelings in a heart beat. 

The group had tried and come very close to assassinating Celestia and actively worked to foul the workings of her government's more clandestine and ethically-dubious operations but left most of Equestria, soldier and citizen alike, alone. As a result, they were rarely a problem worth dealing with over dragons, Equalists, or the Pentad Union.

That was until today. Celestia's number two, Sunset Shimmer, had been tracking some temporal anomaly in the Valley of Nightmares and had been attacked by 'Sparkle's Marauders'. Sunset had been a fool confronting the group with only a few royal guards. Her arrogance was irritating when it reared its head. Taking a detachment of Starbolts with her had been an intelligent idea but the troopers could have been used better elsewhere, specifically recuperating on a bed on base. The flyers she had appropriated had been returning from a mission behind enemy lines: worn out from fighting a faction of dragons that had worked their way to the west to attack Equestria's softer boarder along the Unknown Forests. Sunset had even acquisitioned Rainbow Dash, also in need of a bit of R&R from dragon busting.

For being such a genius and protégé, Miss Shimmer seems to be a bit of an idiot; must have worn off from her teacher. Though, it really is still pleasing to hear about your minions being shown up, if a bit regular at this point.

Saying the situation had ended badly would have gotten that particular analyst fired, literally. Celestia was about as close to seething as she got. She had lost a platoon of Royal Guard, a wing of Starbolts, and the number two member of her government and chief overseer of development was in this hospital. 

Oh, what ever shall you do? Doth thy require a mysterious mare-do-well? I think the mares to deliver righteousness stand ready! Be ready for you also lay upon the villainous side.

Most unnerving had been the reports of two new mares. A very powerful and highly skilled unicorn along with an alicorn that very closely resembled Twilight Sparkle had been found by Sunset. These two mares were complete mysteries having just popped up out of nowhere. Something an ancient alicorn, whom had seen almost everything the world had to offer and knowledge of all else (You flatter yourself, Celestia.) found very hard to believe. One of the few things the solar monarch feared was unknown variables.

Celestia did know was that one was an alicorn, nothing to sneeze at even if she did sound combat inept. The unicorn apparently had decent combat skills and a mastery of a ridiculous array of magic up to and including time travel far beyond anything that Starswirl had figured. (Or so your pet rambles.) The knowledge kept in her head was probably some of the most valuable ever learned and it was most fortunate that she was captured. It would most likely be very difficult to extract anything from her and even harder to keep under wraps, but Celestia was handing the processing of this "Starlight Glimmer" over to IRIS, and they had yet to fail her.

I shall start with her last arrangements if that's who your leaving her with.

Celestia scowled. The voice was particularly chatty tonight and her mind was settled on edge by the pressing matter. The alicorn and what she could get the Marauders to do was a terrifying proposition. She would most likely be interested in the return of her ally and Sparkle’s group was already involved with keeping Starlight out of The Kingdom’s hooves. They would fight their way through what ever Celestia threw at them. Rangers, IRIS, Rainbow Dash. Ponies would get hurt, the nation probably wouldn't survive the waste of resources battling the mares. In all likelihood Sparkle would free Starlight just for the lot of them to get captured and pumped for knowledge by the changelings. A shiver ran though Celestia just at the thought.

‘Why?’ Celestia thought. ‘Why couldn’t they just have stayed the course? They could have ended this war if they hadn’t left.’

You know exactly why they left, dear.

‘Silence, demon! You have no right to criticize my actions. You’re the one who started all this in the first place.’

I may have started it but you have shown to be much better at playing the villain than I ever was.

A shutter passed through the solar monarch as she moved the voice out of her mind and set her resolve.

Action would be swift and overpowering. The fugitives would be crushed before they had the chance to get out of the Valley of Nightmares. The 3rd Rangers were already in pursuit and Rainbow Dash would be ready in 24 hours. Having the IRIS agents and Home Guard in Las Pegasus and Vanhoover ready for a mare hunt wouldn't hurt.

Ah, yes. Just kill your rouge agents with a bunch of ponies that function as evidence of what dissuaded them in the first place. Genius! If you’re really lucky, Dash might finally get scraped after blowing a fuse and killing off everypony.

Celestia’s alabaster abomination was very expensive to run and seemed to spend as much time in the shop as she did in the field but Rainbow’s effectiveness was beyond question. She was easily the most intimidating mare in Equestria, rivaled by only Celestia herself. However, there were worries about her condition and well being. A constant life of fight and recover from previous battle just to go and fight again wasn’t healthy in most opinions and that wasn’t even addressing the issues associated with her “transformation”. 

Wonderful vernacular, Celestia. That let you sleep at night?

Celestia could see the smug grim in the sarcastic tone of the voice. ‘I guess you would know about transformations.’

I think we're both more then a little familiar with what the passage of time can do. Dark magic even has its uses and measured effects. Technology on the other hoof.

Celestia gave a shuddering sigh bringing a hoof to her head. 

What? The crazy mare getting tired of arguing with herself again?

Celestia could see the black mare’s reflection looking back at her from the reflection in the window, malice on her face.

‘No. Just tired. But that shouldn't last too much longer.’

Celestia let a honest smile creep onto her face as the apparition faded from sight with a disgusted look. The six had served their purposes, Rainbow would fulfil hers, and eventually Celestia herself would see an end to all this.

Confident that the matters of state and her 'conscious' had been dealt with Celestia turned from the observation window and strode out of the room. 
> The Dawn of a New Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight awoke feeling dazed save for the sensations of a splitting headache. 

After getting past the fact that she hadn't been having a terrible nightmare the night before, Starlight cradled her head and started to examine her newly discovered enclosure. The cell was very spacious for a single pony, possessing enough space for easily a half dozen beds, and was very barren. There were blank white walls on all sides: one had the bed against it, another bore a door, a sink/toilet combo in their corner, and a mirrored one way window dominating the side across from the bed. The room was unpleasantly similar to the holding room Starlight had in her village.

Starlight's headache eventually faded to a dull hammering and she grew bored with lying on her bed. First, she did a few laps of the new space, verifying that this was indeed all there was. She sat and thought about her current position and means of escape. An unknown building, in an unknown location, operated by a group of ponies that would probably have executed her if they didn't want something from her. Teleporting was an old standby but without knowledge of her surroundings she would probably wind up in a wall, and that was if she could even teleport through the walls. Escaping with no assistance sounded unlikely. 

Analysis of her situation done opened up several minutes to spend testing how one-way the one-way glass was. A few more laps. Reminiscing on how thirsty she was and trying the sink. Several more minutes trying to rid her tongue of the taste of chlorine, rust, and only a chemist knows what else; the bed sheets proved to be fresh at least. The facility used a plesant lilac fabric softener. More laps. Discovering an intriguing crack in the wall across from the door.

Starlight did anything she could to occupy herself in the mind-numbingly boring space but she eventually found herself sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed staring at the blank wall. Her stomach growled, her mouth was dry, and pacing was only making it worse. Her thoughts rapidly grew dark. Matter less of how she tried, despair gripped Starlight.

What was wrong with her? She had kinda' lost a friend when she was young and used that as justification to cause all of this? Strip sentient beings of their identity. Act as a totalitarian dictator over a town of good ponies. Successfully stalk Twilight Sparkle and devise a plan that would leave her hopeless to fight back. Ruin who knows how many worlds in the process.

Starlight's time travel plot was beyond genius, the princess had no idea how to combat the spell and its effects. Starlight had been stronger, better prepared, and with an opponent who was completely unbalanced by a new environment. There were only two others who had come close to what Starlight had accomplished. Starswirl had laid the groundwork for Starlight's spell, dedicating most of his life to unlocking various methods of space/time travel but never quite cracking it. Discord, the all powerful manifestation of chaos himself, was the other. A being who spent his spare time making things fall away from gravity, animating inanimate objects, harassing the most powerful beings on the planet without repercussion, or lounging in his own claw and paw made pocket dimension. 

No, Starlight hadn’t done too shabby for some random mare from a hick town in the middle of nowhere.

The things she could have accomplished if she had taken a better path. She could have easily gotten into Celestia's school with half the effort she put into her obsession with cutie marks as a filly. Twilight might have had to watch her position as Celestia's protege. Then again the thing that had driven Starlight to be so studious was her hurt. Unwilling to deal with her issues she had been driven to distract herself with knowledge, the result had been interesting to say the least.

Starlight's thoughts once again drifted to her new mentor. Princess Twilight Sparkle had a lot to say about the power of friendship. While the actual beams of love magic that the Elements dealt out were confusing and arbitrary in Starlight's opinion, she couldn't argue how useful others were when it came to accomplishing goals. However, Starlight found her mind poisonously reflecting on how she had never seen the benefits of friendship in action herself. She had relied on her own strength most of her life and having others follow her, willing or not, made up the balance.

Starlight could only try and put the doubt out of her mind. She would see how her escape options evolved with time and Twilight and company were out there working to break her out. She let the fact that she had a friend out there rooting for her soak in. There was no reason to despair. Starlight could still work to fix this all. Right?

"Damn it" Starlight mumbled to herself as her eyes didn't close nor her thoughts slow.





Starlight woke with a hollow feeling in her gut, partly explained by hunger. However, that wasn't the reason she was drifting back into the realm of the waking. Her head didn't hurt and it's thoughts had finally stopped, allowing the mare a painfully short trip to blissful, dreamless sleep. Starlight was quite irritated to be drifting back into consciousness. She eventually became aware of her left side feeling numb but that was something that came after wakefulness. There was  something her subconscious was having issues with. Starlight tried to  rub the sensation out of her head on the carpet.

Wait a moment......

Her cell had a concrete floor.

Starlight's eyes jerked open. This was not her cell. The room was much smaller, about a quarter of the size. It had a deep, luxurious red carpet and walls covered in handsome wood paneling. Another one-way window dominated the wall to Starlight's right, but featured a golden frame about it, giving the impression of a massive picture mirror. A hardwood door was directly in front of Starlight; between her and the door was a table with a mare sitting at it...

"Glad to see you've finally woken up, darling."

The mare's blue eyes flicked up from a stack of reports on the table, looking over her red-rimmed reading glasses. The usual elegant waves had been replaced with an economic but still sophisticated bun. Rarity wore a calm expression with a hint of concern, sniff of awe, and underlying fear as she looked at Starlight sprawled on the floor.

"How are you feeling? Are you thirsty? Hungry?" Rarity motioned to a covered tray and pitcher sitting next to her, a smile on her face. "I'm just wondering if you could answer a few questions."

Starlight stared blankly at the white unicorn, her skin crawling and nerves buzzing for some unknown reason. The way Sunset had spoken, Starlight was surprised she wasn't already strapped to a rack, the orange mare and her minions trying to literally wring information out of her. She definitely didn't expect finding herself sitting in a nice room with Rarity who was treating her like a house guest to a noble.

Starlight choked down the surrealism and instead assessed her current situation. She was defiantly in the custody of Celestia's government. Sunset was not beating her to a pulp  nor was she still locked in the blank cell. According to the other Twilight this was a government that had completely lost all sense of morals and ethics. Corrupt and merciless. They would stop at nothing until they had achieved their goals which right now was a knowledge of time travel that they strongly believed (and rightly so) that Starlight possessed. If Other-Twilight was to be believed, Starlight was going to suffer until she had given up everything she knew at the hooves of Celestia's twisted will.

Of course, Other-Twilight had also come through time and space, foalnapped Starlight, and threatened her with bodily harm if she didn't give up the secrets time travel so her opinions of the Equestrian government were probably skewed. Rarity showing up was making her even more uneasy but for all she knew it was a coincidence, not some grand plot to dull Starlight's guard. As the pink mare stood she figured the best course of action would be to cooperate, she just had to make sure not to give anything too important away.

That and she was starving.

"Something to eat sounds fantastic."

The concern that had been building on Rarity's face melted away as she levitated the tray and pitcher over. Carrot soup with plain hay and water was very satisfying after not eating for.... How long had Starlight been unconscious or in her cell? There were no means of telling time when one was passed out or locked in a windowless and clockless room. Rarity sipped from a glass of water and went back to looking over her paperwork while she waited for Starlight to finish.

"The meal was satisfactory I hope?" Rarity asked, looking over her reading glasses.

"Yes, it was. Thank you"

"It is nothing, dear. It sounds like you needed some nourishment after all you've been through." Rarity smiled radiantly while she pulled out a quill and a blank sheet. "Now, my name is Rarity. I'm with the Internal Regulatory and Investigative Service. I'm here to follow up on your encounter with Twilight Sparkle and her group."

Starlight reached up and scratched her head, the inside of her skull was itchy somehow, looking down at the table. "Am I in trouble?"

"Calm down, darling. We are just wondering how it is that you came to be in the company of some very unsavory ponies. Could you please tell me your name?"

"I'm Starlight. Starlight Glimmer." No real point lying about her name. Hopefully this her hadn't spent her life being evil. "Who were those ponies that captured me?"

"Some truly terrible ponies, darling." Rarity floated over six folders of varying thicknesses, set them out in front of the other mare, and flipped them open. The first pages were summaries giving a pony's name, race, physical description, status, occupation, a few others things, and a large box at the bottom marked "notes". Each rap sheet was completed by three pictures: a mug shots of the face and a sketch of a cutie mark. Starlight didn't recognize any of the pictured ponies except Sparkle and Minuette, who was a pretty blue mare with a warm smile and no missing eye in her picture. Sweeping across the group she noticed the common themes of "Status: Rouge", "treason, murder in the first, mareslaughter, assault, sabotage, theft, resisting arrest" and "extremely dangerous, deadly force approved, do NOT approach". There were also other notes about things like Night Mare, 3rd Rangers, and STAR shared by more than a few of the mares.

"They're some of the most dangerous criminals in the nation. Being their prisoner must have been simply horrifying." Rarity raised a hoof to her brow and leaned back. Still dramatic as anywhen else.

"I guess I didn't really stay with them long enough to see." Starlight said. She had Rarity's sympathy and that could be used to her advantage. "They were really scary though."

"Could you tell me what happened to you? From the beginning?" Rarity put on a sugar-coated smile with a slight tilt of her head.

"Well I was asleep in my bed when a friend came and woke me in the middle of the night. She lead me into the middle of my garden and then teleported me away, when the spell was complete my friend had turned into her." Starlight pointed to Twilight's picture. "The alicorn showed up not to long after and tried to take me away. I struggled but I didn't know what was happening or who anypony was. I got knocked out and woke up with the alicorn. She sedated me and the next thing I woke up in a cell. Now I'm talking to you."

If that story wasn't a paper-mache cup full of water. Starlight still did as much as she could to hide her feelings of doubt as Rarity looked over some more paperwork.

"I see, darling, and where is it you live?"

"I live in a small settlement north of Manehattan. Out in the deserts."

"And does this settlement have a name?"

"Not really. Only about thirty ponies live there and we all just call it 'Our Town'."

"Mm-hum" Rarity wrote some more and shifted the files in front of her, digging one out and setting it off by itself. "Now this town up north you claim to be from: how would you describe it, Starlight Glimmer?" Her tone was still sweet as ever as she looked up over her glasses.

'That's an odd question to ask,' Starlight thought. Answering aloud: "Its nice enough I guess. Nothing much but it’s home and we all make it work."

"Is it peaceful, Starlight?" Rarity set Starlight with a confrontational glare that caused the other mare to shift in her seat slightly.

"There isn't really anything to cause a ruckus. It’s just us, the dirt, a couple of beasts in the nearby mountains to watch for, and the occasional traveler to spice things up. We all just kind of just live our lives."

"I see, and this is in the north right?"

"Yes.." Starlight dragged the world out. She was going to get nailed.

"I find that interesting. The stories I’ve heard about the fighting in the north are most gruesome and unpleasant. The Army’s been dealing with Changelings, the Crystal Remnant, Yaks, and a very odd group of upstart ponies lead by some madmare."
Rarity levitated the folder she had set aside in front of Starlight and opened it with her magic.

“Starlight Glimmer. Female, Unicorn. Avg height and build; blue eyes; pink coat; purple mane with light purple and bright blue accents. Advanced magical knowledge and training, learned combat knowledge: dangerous, approach with extreme caution. Treason, insurrection, various accounts of conspiracy in murder (varying degrees), assault, resisting arrest, sabotage of military and civil functions and structures, practice of dark magic, and atrocities to the Equine races. Former leader and Founder of the Equalist Movement, toppled from position due to internal opposition. Status: Unknown.”

Starlight gulped. She was quite nailed. Looking back up to Rarity didn't help. The white unicorn's expression had turned to icy stone barely containing an underlying rage. "I do not appreciate being lied to, Miss Glimmer. Now, you are either a zealot that I should have executed immediately or you can start telling the truth about where and when you came from and how it is you got to be my problem. You could cooperate but I should tell you that I have been given permission from the princess herself to use any and all means at my disposal to break you as fast as possible. And trust me when I tell you: nopony wants that."

Starlight shifted again. She was cornered. She was going to get tortured and mutilated by Rarity. The sheer ridiculousness was almost overwhelming. Here, the stuck-up fashionista was some sort of thriller novel’s sinister spymaster. Starlight's Rarity would probably have loved the idea, what with her love of Shadow Spade and similar novels. The theatrics, the mystery, the drama of keeping Equestria's underbelly in check. If Starlight made it out of this she would have to write those books.

Starlight’s mind stalled, her thoughts getting caught one unifying thought: Rarity was a very theatrical pony. She carried herself as a Canterlot elite despite the fact she was born and raised in a hick town. Acted like a dainty, prissy lady despite the fact that she could beat Applejack and Rainbow Dash in a hoof to hoof fight. This Rarity had acted very similar to the other.

Starlight wondered consciously why she was spending time thinking about this. She was getting interrogated. Rarity was her opponent, time couldn’t be wasted reminiscing on a her from another dimension. Yet, her mind wouldn’t be desuaded as she followed the idea’s path through her head. 

Starlight had done a decent amount of pondering how things in this timeline came to be and still didn't have any real answers. She knew that the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony had never been found and that would have lead to disaster after disaster. She lacked information to understand what exactly had happened to Twilight, Rainbow, or Ponyville. There was nothing but massive question marks when it came to the matters of magic and time that got her here in the first place (that might not end well for Starlight given her current situation). The events and politics that had shaped this modern Equestria were beyond her comprehension but she saw truth right in front of her.

Rarity had decent natural skills as an actress, knew how to carry herself with both nobility and peasantry, loved collecting gossip, could work a group of ponies with finesse (most of the time), and had mad organizational skills. The mare Starlight knew had gone from a dressmaker in a backwater town to one of the premier fashion designers in the nation. Here she had been forced into a different life path but she was still just about the same mare.

Starlight blinked. That was quite a conclusion she had arrived at. All of it seemed to make sense of how Rarity had wound up in her current position but it seemed to have come out of  nowhere. Starlight’s skin crawled again and she was momentarily gripped in panic. Something wasn’t right but she just couldn’t tell what. She might have been drugged with something to make her tell the truth or just dull her guard and make her think slower.

Wait, there was a very irritated mare in front of Starlight. She looked up at Rarity who was looking at her like a mother would a child who had been caught stealing and needed to explain herself. Being treated like a foal really rubbed Starlight the wrong way; she set Rarity with an equally cold glare:

"Fine. I didn't come from up north. I live in Ponyville." Rarity flinched at that. "I was awoken late last night, I think, by Twilight Sparkle, whom is my teacher and a personal friend, except that particular Twilight was from this timeline. She dragged me through a portal and I wound up here where I was quickly detained by Sunset and her goons."

Starlight flashed Rarity a smile. And Rarity returned it, saying: "See. Now how hard was that, darling?"

"Incredibly," Starlight answered. "So, Rarity, I'm assuming the dressmaking thing didn't go so well. Then again it would be hard to stay fabulous during repeated national crises."

Starlight found the look of complete incomprehension and confused terror on Rarity's face to be one of the most gratifying things she had ever seen. "I-I've no idea what you're talking about."

'Ah, the sputtering of fear.' Starlight thought. "Why, darling, I thought we weren't lying to each other. You are Rarity, from in Ponyville. Aren't you?"

Rarity hardened herself and stared back at Starlight. "The fact that that's how you know me points to you not being able to read minds or doing your homework. And you're not scarred up or crazy enough to be the Starlight Glimmer in that file. So, I assume Miss Shimmer was right in her statement that you're some sort of time traveler then?"

"If I were a time traveler wouldn't I have popped into existence from the future to bust me out already?"

"Being that time travel spells are im- almost impossible, I'm not sure you have the strength to jump about willy-nilly, not mention risking hurting yourself or ripping a hole in the universe."

“Well, I’m only a time traveler by foalnapping. I got drug out of my home and taken here by somepony that you’ve openly called: ‘an obsessive madmare’.”

Starlight finished her statement with air quotes and then set Rarity with a challenging glare. The other pony returned it and they sat in silence for several moments.

"I'm not a mare to be trifled with, Starlight."

"And neither am I."

"I can make your world hell."

"Say, have you heard the word about equality? It could really help you enrich your life. Plus, diamonds are so materialistic and cliche."

Rarity's eye twitched and she looked like she was going to throw a temper tantrum. Starlight just stared back with a small smile on her lips as the other mare fumed.

After gathering herself, Rarity looked back at Starlight with an irritation and exhaustion, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Really, Starlight. We are two grown civilized mares and I really have gotten tired of the barbarism that dominates this business. Why can’t we just act decent to each other instead of getting all worked up.”

Starlight looked incredulously at the other unicorn as she pouted. The suggestion was most unexpected but did sound very pleasant to Starlight. A spell of dizziness washed over Starlight and she raised a hoof to her head, leaning on the table with the other.

“Oh my,” Rarity asked with concern. “Are you alright?” When Starlight didn’t answer she continued. “See, all of this aggression and anger is doing a real number on both of us. What we need is some fresh air. Come, dear, a good walk would do us some good.”

Rarity stood and smiled at Starlight, the latter feeling like she was about to die. Starlight stood and broke out in a cold sweat, her knees shaking. The pink mare stumbled to the wall to her right for support as she was momentarily left disoriented. Looking out the window on the wall she saw a park sprawling out below them. The sun shown down on soft rolling hills, criss-crossed with trotting paths, surrounded by skyscrapers. It was a perfect day to go strolling in Manehattan’s Central Park and just looking at the scene was clearing Starlight’s head.

Looking back to Rarity, Starlight smiled, pushed off the wall, and said: “Sounds like a wonderful idea.”
> Starting Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lieutenant Second Class Twilight Sparkle of the 3rd Royal Equestrian Rangers Regiment, 1st Squadron stood at attention, like most of the other ponies present. She wore her newly acquired dark olive dress uniform with its matched black beret which was  adorned with a golden shield featuring a rearing alicorn alongside her single brass bar. Her posture was perfect: legs straight, chest puffed out, chin down, eyes forward. She was getting sore and it was hot beneath the mid-day sun but she wasn't about to break formation with all of Equestria's top brass, nobility, and the damn ruler of the nation inspecting them.

In front of Twilight was her captain and the aisle between the columns of troops, behind her was the group of enlisted-ponies that made up Twilight’s platoon, . Eighteen souls that she was now responsible for stood behind Twilight and that fact weighed heavily on the young officer. She didn't know a single fact about most of them, Tartarus, she had only been given her patches and orders a week ago. The 3rd had been formed almost overnight from the most promising recruits and draftees that Equestria had to offer. In the whole unit, Twilight only knew her old friend Lyra, one of Twilight's eighteen, and her captain. Twilight's CO was a rowdy Cloudsdale pegasus mare named Rainbow Dash; whom seemed to like making bad first impressions (Twilight had gotten bowled over by the pegaus before she even had the chance to ask where to find her) and dramatic pep talks. She had a name to match her mane and an attitude to match her  brazen coloration. She would seem cocky  if not for her record as a former Skyguard.

There were quite a few ponies in attendance for the christening ceremony of the regiment, granted the 3rd was the first official tri-race military unit in the history of Equestria and it was being treated as a social revelation. Twilight really hated how the nobility was busy obsessing about equal rights for the sake of their image when there was a war going on. One would think ending the Changeling’s reign of terror would rank higher on anyponies’ priorities than appearances in the media.

However, the formation of the third had been a purely tactical decision on the part of some higher ups and clever one at that. A unit with the quick response of pegasi but the ground pounding abilities of earth pony troops and magic of unicorns, all under one compact command structure. Twilight was in charge of a platoon of eighteen ponies, four platoons to her company, “A”, which was a mixed-race scouting/light infantry unit, under Cpt. Dash. A was joined by B, a purely pegasus company dedicated to transportation and close air-support, two companies of airborne infantry , and a company for support and logistics of regimental command; rounding off Major Do's 1st Squadron. The Regiment consisted of four squadrons total, each with variations in equipment but the same overall structure. All the squadrons were essentially self-contained units that could accomplish almost any military goal quickly and efficiently or become truly crushing force when brought to bear in unity.

"Yes, Auntie, but I still can't understand how this oaf could think that combined units would be a disadvantage to the pegasi when unicorns provide superior combat skills."

Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof. The voice was snooty and disinterested with a perfect tone of dignified whining, definitely a Canterlot noble of some sort. He sounded educated but was by no means smart. A unicorn like Twilight was a very dangerous thing indeed but few honed or developed their magical skill past levitation and a few simple spells, let alone to Twilight’s degree. On a battlefield, most unicorns were earth-ponies who would spend less time fumbling with a weapon. The advantage a pegasus had was obvious.

"Blueblood, a pegasus always has the upper hoof in a fight."

Twilight didn't suppress the smile that came to her face at the sound of the wise, grizzled, old voice. She dared a glance down the aisle to confirm her suspicions. Indeed, Commander Windwraith was flying above a gorgeous but snooty looking white unicorn stallion, a massive smile on the pegasus' face as he tap danced in the air above the buffoon who was looking up with incredulousness.

To their left was a certain orange, red, and yellow unicorn mare and then Princess Celestia. The glorious leader of the nation tranquilly looked out at the sea of troops, mane flowing in an unseen wind, the perfect awe-inspiring image of regality. Twilight had to work to pull her gaze off of Celestia and take in the rest of the entourage. Several nobles trailed the Princess looking pretentious while to her left was a gap where Windwraith had been. Past the gap there was some assorted brass Twilight didn't recognize, and at the end: a tall beauty with a white coat, light pink mane, striking purple eyes, and wearing the regiment’s  dress. Colonel Fleur de Lis flawlessly modeled the olive and black attire as she showed the latest fashion in military might.

Twilight returned her gaze forward as the group approached. She hoped that she wouldn't get called out but between Sunset and Windwraith she doubted remaining anonymous. Both of those ponies carried a lot of negative emotion in Twilight. One was her former boss and the head of the STAR program, just those four letters sent shivers traveling down Twilight’s spine. The other was Shining Armor's mentor and predecessor, called back from retirement to serve the nation again. Windwraith had featured strongly in Twilight's memory alongside her beloved sibling. He was the stallion that had come and gotten her out of her office at Celestial Labs to deliver the most crushing news of her life. The young lieutenant really didn't need to break down in tears in front of her superiors and new subordinates because those memories got dragged forward.

"Twilight?"

‘Damn it,’ Twilight groaned inside. Sunset had spotted her. The lavender mare turned to Fleur de Lis and popped off a salute. "Permission to speak."

"At ease, lieutenant," the colonel said in her exotic accent. She and the other officers saluted back to Twilight, Windwraith giving her a sad smile. Twilight bowed to her princess before turning back to her former boss. "Yes, Sunset."

"I would just like to say that this is a most interesting career change." Sunset did her best to act like a Canterlotian but couldn't quite pull off the posture or tone of voice.

"Lt. Sparkle is defending her nation, Miss Shimmer. It is hardly an uncommon or shameful thing to do. Especially, in times like now," Fleur said. "I am most pleased to have such an accomplished and motivated mare amongst our ranks."

"I would agree that Twilight will continue doing great things. In any endeavor she embarks on," Windwraith said giving Twilight a reassuring smile.

"I'm just questioning the wisdom in making such a drastic decision after such a traumatic event in one's life," Sunset's voice dripped with concern but not for Twilight's well being. She didn't appreciate losing one of her top researchers. "I really think you could do far better working to ending the war as a STAR. Not running around getting shot full of holes."

"Indeed," the unicorn stallion, Blueblood, spoke up, "dirtying one’s hooves is pointless when a greater purpose could be served here. There are more than enough commoners to fight these conflicts."

Twilight, Windwraith, and most of the troops in ear shot all ground their teeth. Rainbow broke her perfect stance to shoot the noble a death glare.

"Not all of us are content to sit around and send others off to suffer in our stead, Blueblood," Fleur's voice dripped with contempt.
The noble was about to retort when Windwraith cut in.

"I believe that dear Twilight is a grown filly and can make her own decisions in life. I would think that she's in good hooves with whom ever Fleur had her assigned to."

"Oui, Captain Dash is one of my most accomplished troopers." Fleur looked at the blue pegasus and Rainbow stepped forward to salute.

"Captain," Windwraith looked Rainbow over and then started to stare into her eyes as he measured her true worth. "You seen any action?"

"Yes, sir." Dash still had a cocky tone in her voice despite being pummeled beneath the Commander’s glare. "I was in the Skyguard when Nightmare Moon returned. I guess you could say I saw some action."

"Before the wars? What was a good looking, young mare up to there? Surely not looking for a career?"

"Yes, sir. I wanted to work my way into the Wonderbolts."

"My condolences."

"Whatever," Dash shook the fact that the Wonderbolts had been disbanded off, even if her eyes grew dark for a second. "I'll be awesome no matter what I’m doing. And I'll get Miss Sparkles and all my other ponies here back in one piece."

Twilight rolled her eyes. Her superior was more than a little juvenile and optimistic.

"I see." Windwraith wore an equally juvenile smirk of his own but it had a hint of sorrowful wisdom hidden behind it. The pegasus nodded to the two mares and started to move on before Sunset could start needling Twilight again or Blueblood could open his mouth. Fleur de Lis followed Windwraith's cue to continue the inspection, nudging Blueblood, Sunset, and the assembled nobles along. However, they only got a few steps before realizing that their parade was missing its center piece.

Princess Celestia was standing and staring at one of the soldiers whom was defiantly gazing back at the alicorn. Twilight stole a glance back and had to fight the despair of realizing that the trooper was in her platoon. Lyra noticed her lieutenant looking back in shock and nudged the belligerent mare next to her in hopes of disengaging the staring contest. When that failed Twilight turned around and yelled: "Private! At attention. What do you think you’re doing?"

Twilight didn't recall the name of the orange earth pony with the blond mane but she couldn't believe the audacity of the mare sitting there trying to stare down a demigod. Yet, there Orange stood, unblinking, anger and disappointment etched in her face. A quick glance at Celestia revealed the alicorn's expression not to have changed from the neutral expression she always wore, even if the small, caring smile was gone.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash had turned to see what was flustering her troopers and ruler. She fluttered her wings and landed imposingly in front of Orange. "Why don't you show some respect to the Princess."

Blind rage flashed across the other mare's face as she turned to the prismatic pegasus and set a hateful gaze on the captain. "My sincerest apologies to, Her Majesty." The mare's voice dripped sarcasm and contempt.

Rainbow grit her teeth and leaned forward into the earth pony’s personal space. From the waylaid group of nobles, Blueblood voiced his contempt: "Why you insolent cure! How dare you act like this to of your Princess. I've never seen such a blatant lack of dignity in a uniform before. I don't care how uncultured you are, you muck-dwelling mule, this is an outrage!"

"Shut up, Blueblood." Windwraith growled. He looked to be torn between ripping either the insubordinate trooper or unicorn noble limb from limb. Fleur dis Lis stood behind him on the edge of exploding in rage or breaking down in tears.

The nobles took Windwraith’s outburst as indication to start berating him, Fleur, and the other officers present. Aghast at the poor discipline and composure of private and commander alike. The ranks of troopers had broken apart as bystanders tried to put as much a space between themselves and the incident as possible. Rainbow and Orange were ready to pounce on each other at the first flinch while Twilight and Lyra stood nearby, ready to break up the fight.

"Enough."

The world was not yelled but spoken with such weight, wisdom, and experience that it cut through everything. The bickering of the nobles, the tension of the two mares facing off, and the general disarray that was spreading was all swept away by a single word from Princess Celestia. The solar ruler looked over the scene with a small frown before she turned to the orange mare.

"What is your name, my little pony?"

"Applejack." The answer was served cold.

Celestia's caring smile returned: "An Apple. One of Equestria’s most illustrious and pervasive clans." Blueblood snorted. "Where are you from?"

"Ponyville."

“---

The silence became defining as all present looked at Applejack in disbelief. She stood, ignoring it all, once again gazing into the soul of her leader with pain and disappointment showing. Celestia’s expression had become caring and regretful as she continued: "I am sorry for your loss. Ponyville was a tragedy."

"Ah guess that's a word to describe it. A-ah called it home." Tears gathered in Applejack's eyes as she broke eye contact with Celestia to look at her hooves. "Muh family built that town and Ah grew up there. I've never belonged anywhere else and now i-it’s gone."
Rainbow Dash’s aggression vanished and was there in a moment with a hoof around her trooper's shoulder.

"Look, private,” Dash sighed. “I lost a my best friend in Ponyville. I saw her that morning when everything happened, I was trying to convince her to come out with me for the holiday and now I'll never see her again. And there's nothing that I can do to change that. We've all lost ponies and there is nothing to be done about them.” She tightened her grip and gave a little shake to the other mare. “What we can change is anypony else having to go through it."

Applejack looked up and Rainbow flashed a supportive smile. Twilight was amazed how fast Cpt. Dash was to spring to the aid of a fallen trooper, especially after said trooper had jeopardized her position. After a quick squeeze of a hug Rainbow stepped back and Applejack looked to Celestia, bowing deeply.

"I'm sorry for the way Ah was actin’, Your Majesty. Ah'll accept any punishment you have." She kept her eyes down and face as blank as possible. However, the orange mare's countermeasures failed on the Princess.

"You still detest me, don't you?"

Applejack glanced about nervously, not looking up at Celestia. A quiet “yes” escaping her lips.

"I see. I'm pleased to see some straight honesty," Celestia looked over her shoulder at the nobles with slight crease in her brow. "There is no need to please me and there will be no repercussions for expressing your dissatisfaction. I failed you in my oath as a ruler and left your ancestral home in ruin because of my own shortcomings. If I remember correctly you and your sister are all the only survivors of the entire community?"

"Yes, Princess. Ah almost lost my sister to the curse and she hasn't seemed the same since."

"Be thankful that you still have her." Celestia's closed her eyes as pain threatened to overcome her composure before she put on her usual caring expression. "You have my deepest apologies Applejack and, although I may have failed you, I have no doubt you and this magnificent unit will serve our nation brilliantly." Celestia looked over the assembled troops, her gaze filling them with pride and strength. Windwriath had to catch Fleur as she almost fainted in relief.

Celestia turned to the military brass assembled: Commander Windwraith was fanning Colonel Lis with his wings while the mare was being helped up from the ground by several officers and enlisted ponies from the surrounding ranks. Upon hearing the princess clear her throat the disorganized mass of equines snapped almost instantly into a perfectly straight line, all in it standing in a proud (if slightly foolish) salute. Windwraith and Flur were placed at the center.

"Your experiment is shaping up nicely, Windwaith. And colonel, you have a fine regiment. Now, if you excuse me. I have other matters to attend to and the children are getting grouchy in the sun." Celestia shot the collected nobility a snide glance and a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Good Luck."

The 3rd Regiment of the Royal Equestrian Rangers lowered into bows for their princess. Twilight once again found herself looking in awe at the alicorn as she and surveyed the force with a sad pride. The lavender mare couldn't help but feel wonder at her ruler; Celestia’s knowledge of magic and history, her wisdom and insight, they would be enough to fill any library. She was a literal god to her ponies and carried the mantra with modesty and tact. The mare that dwelled beneath that royal mask must have been a real wonder and Twilight could only wish to know her better.





Sparkle woke, her short respite from consciousness ending with a slow opening of eyes. The memory bringing tears to her eyes. That day was an introduction to many important elements in the wary soldier's life, many of which were pressing down on her now. Dash, the Rangers  She still needed to form a plan.

The memories did offer Sparkle her next two objectives, though. It was still about an hour before they should be moving out, giving time for her first destination, which was a quick trot away. The second would be their goal as the group navigated through and out of the Everfree Forest.

With her immediate objectives finally settled, Twilight Sparkle rose, gave Moondancer, who was standing watch, a nod and disappeared out the door and into the night.