> Twilight's Kingdom of Steam
>  by Darthvalgaav
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> Prologue
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Far to the south of Equestria, there is a chain of mountains that are nestled close to those that house Griffinstone. The territory that these mountains occupy is a vast expanse, almost equal to an entire country unto themselves. Many creatures, both pony and non-pony alike, have mapped them over for as long as can be remembered and have estimated that the area is 280,000 square miles. It is an area that, at many points in history, has grabbed the attention of all races who know of its existence. Stories and rumors have been told about what these mountains could be hiding away from the rest of the world. Many explorers dream of ancient cities waiting to be explored and to have their names cemented in the history books for their findings. Some creatures who are more greedy agree that there could be ancient cities hidden on these peaks only made of solid gold just waiting to be pillaged. From there the stories become more varied. A treasure trove of ancient magical artifacts that were considered too powerful for the rest of the world. A massive hoard of a now dead dragon whose bones rest on top a pile of gems and gold. The home of dark creatures who were banished there, waiting for some fool to set them free. Rocks. Yet to this day, this area of the world remains unexplored.


These mountains are far from calm by any standard. For as long as there has been documented reports within the region, this mountain range has had an eternal storm raging around it. Dark clouds surround its numerous peaks as lightning dances in the air. The high winds, hail, and snow make it impossible for any creature with wings to fly through. Many have, sadly, tried to do just that either in an effort to discover what lies within or as a badge of honor. Griffons and Wonderbolts have tried countless times over the last thousand years or more only to never be heard from again. A few times a greedy dragon has attempted this as well only to be seen falling to the elements.


There have been a few who have thought to try and fly above the storm only to achieve the same results. The last one to try was a pegasus within the proud ranks of the Wonderbolts. Like many before her, she had flown next to the dark mass of clouds ready to make a ninety degree turn once she had reached its peak. However, when she was nearing such a point the air began to grow dangerously thin while noticing frost appearing on her feathers. Still she pressed on until these extreme conditions caused her to pass out and fall down to the earth below. It was only a miracle that she came to at the last moment or else she would have been unable to tell a soul how pointless it was.


Even the Diamond Dogs have tried their own method. For months on end they dug into the earth, hoping this would be easier. However the rocks were far too hard for their paws and not enough of their precious gems along the way for it to be considered worth it. In the end, they abandoned their attempts having only scratched the surface. Perhaps this makes them the smartest out of all.


There is only one other way to get in, deceptively simple while being the most dangerous. There is a pass, a straight line a mile wide that goes into the valley and into what looks like a plain nestled within the mountain range. This too was a death sentence, for it is the most heavily area bombarded by lightning strikes. There, the ground remains forever scorched and singed. Not even the bones of those fools who have tried to enter remain. Unicorns have tried their shield spells and teleportation only to be met with failure. On record there has been only one reported survivor; Princess Celestia from one thousand years ago. Yet not even her mighty shield was powerful enough to allow her to reach a tenth of the way towards the valley on the other side.


As time went by, a small Equestrian town was built near this pass. This town holds an historic inn which has chronicled all of the visitors who have tried to enter the mountain range. Thankfully, those fools have grown smaller in number as time has marched on, and now serves as a place for the tourists who wish to see it instead. Those that live there full time have grown used to the sound of constant thunder in the background.


Recently, however, things have changed. According to those living in that small town, the storm has grown weaker. The strikes of lightning have visibly diminished along the pass. What is even more shocking is how suddenly this has happened. One would expect that the storm would grow weaker over time, noticeable only when you looked at a chart or the like. However, to those living in the town, they could see it happening before their eyes over the course of a few years.


Then one night, two years before the return of Nightmare Moon, something came out of the pass. It was spotted by a young couple on a late night stroll. The figure looked almost like a pegasus carrying something in its forehooves. But that was all they could see in the light of the full moon before it flew off into the distance towards Canterlot. After that, the couple ran to tell everypony they could about what they had seen which gained a mixture of responses. Most scoffed at the idea that anything could come out of the pass. Those that didn’t saw this as a dark omen for what was to come in the future.


Time passed on. As the storm began to grow weaker, those who dwelt in that tiny village heard about things happening all over the country. They heard about the return of Nightmare Moon and of Princess Luna. The newspaper printed how the nation had become the grand central station of chaos due to the release of Discord followed swiftly by his defeat. News of a royal wedding and near invasion of Canterlot turned many heads, but not as much as the news of a new kingdom appearing out of nowhere in the frozen north. Then, shortly after the celebrations had died down after the crowning of Equestria’s newest princess, something else came out of the pass.
> Offer from Afar
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“Twilight,” said Spike with the smallest of groans being hinted in his voice. “You need to calm down. We’re just going to Canterlot.”


Princess Twilight Sparkle looked down at her dragon assistant standing next to her within the chariot they shared as it rode through the early morning sky. Despite how cool the air felt as it whipped through her mane, Twilight could feel beads of sweat forming all over her face as she frantically shuffled her hooves in the confined space they were in. Her new wings twitched and extended before retracting as if to telegraph the chaos that was going on inside of her. She wished she could stop it so that it wasn’t so obvious what a nervous wreck she was inside, but she could barely control the damn things before going to bed!


As Twilight bit her lower lip as she stared off towards Canterlot, accidently slapping Spike upside the head at the same time, the princess’s mind went back to what was causing her so much distress. Not even an hour ago she had been sitting at her breakfast table like always, going over her plans for the day when suddenly Spike belched out a letter from Princess Celestia. Now this wasn’t something odd or unusual for Twilight since this had happened so very often. After all, Princess Celestia had sent her all sorts of messages in the past. But this one felt different. It was short, telling her that she was needed in Canterlot at once and given no other details. Twilight felt a chill running down her spine as she wondered what could be so urgent that would cause the solar princess to send a message like this without explaining why. Then to add to Twilight’s worry a chariot arrived in front of her library at that very moment, sent by both her mentor and Princess Luna.


“How can I be calm?” asked Twilight as she scanned the sky before her for any sign of danger. “Something important must have happened if Princess Celestia summoned me like this! What if she got word that there was another changeling threat? What if Sombra wasn’t defeated and was seen in the Crystal Empire?”


“You worry too much,” said Spike as he waved off Twilight’s concern. “It might just be a press conference or something like that.” As Spike spoke, Twilight’s entire body became rigid while her eyes became wide. Slowly her mouth opened as her face morphed into pure terror.


“That’s even worse!” Twilight almost screamed as she turned to grab Spike with both her hooves, lifting him up into the air. Now above the alicorn’s head, Spike panicked both at the fact that his words had made things worse as well as the fact that he was more likely to fall to the ground. “I’m not ready to speak to the press! I don’t know what the topics are or had time to make any flashcards! How can I speak to the press without any flashcards?!?”


Spike gulped while his body trembled. “Twilight, I’m sure Princess Celestia won’t…let you…” Spike’s voice trailed off from there as his head turned to look at what was before them. Despite her panic, Twilight also turned her head to see what had taken Spike’s attention. What she saw caused her to drop Spike who landed on the floor of their aerial chariot. Without making a single comment, the dragon got back onto his feet and continued to stare at the sight before them.


In front of them was Canterlot Castle in all of its glory. Its white marble towers topped with golden domes (some of them striped with purple for some reason) shined brightly in the sun’s warming light. However, there was something else there that had caught both Spike’s and Twilight’s attention. A dark spot on this shining scenery before them. Parked on one of the landing strips reserved for various forms of air traffic was a zeppelin. Now normally this wouldn’t have caused anything above an eyebrow raise, but the fact was that neither Twilight nor Spike had ever seen a zeppelin like this one before. Even from this distance, the two of them could see that it wasn’t made of wood like all of the others they had seen before. Instead it was mostly made out of black metal. In the middle of the craft was a semi-cylindrical area seemingly made out of yellowish glass that looked like it could hold two or three decks. At the very front, the black metal returned in order to form a narrow blade. At the rear was a mass of black metal that had several grated windows set into it while below it were smoke stacks that bent away from the glass area. Finally, at its very end, was a single stabilizer fin that looked much like the tail of a dolphin. On top of this craft were three differently sized domes set in decreasing order, with the largest one closest to the rear of the ship. Twilight guessed that they held the gas that allowed the zeppelin to fly, even though she had never seen anything like this before.


Twilight and Spike turned to look at each other as they both wondered the same thing: who did that zeppelin belong to? Both of them had only ever seen the more colorful and friendly versions that Equestria used. Could it be that they had made contact with a new kingdom? As she turned her head forward again, Twilight did her best to look at the guards pulling the chariot. Neither of them seemed to bat an eye at this sight.


‘This must be what Princess Celestia wanted to talk to me about,’ thought Twilight as the chariot began its descent towards an open landing area. As the chariot moved closer, Twilight scanned the area around the zeppelin and saw that there were ponies standing guard at its entrance. The alicorn princess could make out the shine of armor that belonged to those of the Equestrian Royal Guard. But they only made up about half of the ponies there. The other half were wearing something that was dark red, but it wasn’t armor due to the lack of shine. Beyond that, Twilight was too far away to make out any other details.


Finally, the chariot landed on the opposite side of the castle from where the dark zeppelin was parked. After getting out of the chariot, she was about to thank the stallions who had delivered her the castle but never got the chance. Approaching them were six members of the Royal Guard, all of them looking a bit more tense than normal. The guard in front glanced at the two pegasi that had brought Twilight and Spike before giving them a nod. The purple princess almost jumped in the air along with her assistant as the two pegasi behind them took off into the sky. Apparently that nod was permission for them to leave.


Soon, the guards arrived in front of Twilight and gave her a short bow. “Princess Twilight,” said the guard before her after rising. “Princess Celestia has requested your presence at once.”


Twilight gave him a short nod. “Lead the way,” she said. The guard nodded before motioning to his fellows in armor. At once, the remaining five surrounded Twilight and Spike as if to create a living shield. Once this had been accomplished, they set out while always making sure that Twilight was safe in the middle.


As they entered the castle, Twilight’s fears and general nervousness grew tenfold. Everything almost seemed as normal as the last time she had been here. The castle staff was hard at work making sure everything looked at its best. However, Twilight’s eyes could see that they too looked tense about these new visitors. They were working much faster than normal in order to move on and freaking out whenever they realized they missed a spot in their haste, meaning they would have to redo the entire thing again. There were also more guards in the castle than normal. At every corner, Twilight counted at least two to three guards standing at attention. Now the newest alicorn had to wonder what was putting all of these ponies on edge. Were they now at war with some sinister foe who had sent a delegation demanding their surrender? Suddenly, talking to the press without any flash cards didn’t seem so bad.


After a few turns as well as taking a flight of stairs downwards, Twilight began to realize where they were heading: the throne room. Or at least it made the most sense given what she had seen. If Princess Celestia was meeting with foreigners, then the throne room would be the most ideal place to do so. Besides, all the other places where Twilight would be meeting up with the princess were above her like Princess Celestia’s private chambers. Or the library. Unless they were taking her to an area of the castle she had never been allowed before. Twilight could remember that, ever since she started her studies under the princess, there had been areas she had been forbidden to enter under any circumstance. Was one of these areas a secret war room or something and she was now being brought to it since she had become a princess?


The answer to that was, strangely disappointingly, no. Both she and Spike were, in fact, being led to the throne room which had even more guards posted at it than normal. But there was something else there as well. Standing by the door were two ponies that were dressed in a dark red uniform. Now that she was closer, Twilight could see that the right side of their uniforms were not cloth, but instead dark red leather trench coats that looked that looked both worn and dirty. Underneath those coats was form fitting body armor of a similar color. Given that Twilight had grown up around members of the Royal Guard, she could tell that this armor was not made of metal and would not protect against a sword blow. On the other hoof, it appeared much lighter while also providing greater mobility. The ponies in red were also wearing helmets that covered the entire back of their heads. These helmets also came with the same colored leather face masks that unnerved Twilight. Each had goggles sticking out of them with yellow lenses, hiding their eyes so that nopony could tell what they were really looking at, as well as two breathing devices that went off in opposite directions from each other.


Then there were their weapons. In all her years, Twilight had never seen anything like them before. In each of the soldier’s right hooves was a long copper device. At the top, it was shaped like that of a horn trumpet. As her eyes traveled downwards, Twilight saw that these weapons had coils and gauges sticking out at various places before the copper turned to a wooden handle. At the point where the wood and copper connected, Twilight noticed a tube coming out of the weapons side which was connected to the saddlebags that each of the ponies in red worn. The young alicorn could see that these saddlebags each had a larger pressure gauge on them while bits of steam seemed to escape from their edges. Twilight felt a battle raging inside of her: the scientific side wanting to look at these obviously technological weapons while the other side told her it would be safer to stay away from them.


As Twilight’s group passed these ponies in red, the princess couldn’t help but notice that the Royal Guard quickened their pace. Looking around she could see that their normally emotionless expressions were broken as they glanced over at the visitors. It was clear that they too were unnerved by them. Twilight also felt Spike as the tiny dragon had moved to ensure that he was between Twilight and the foreign ponies. Glancing at him, she could see him rubbing his claws as sweat dripped down the side of his face while his eyes darted over at the unusual weapons.


Quickly the doors to the throne room opened, allowing them entrance before swiftly closing again. The Royal Guards moved out of the way, stationing themselves by the door. Now Twilight had an unrestricted view of the room where two ponies stood at the opposite end looking back at her. Naturally one of them was Princess Celestia, looking as composed as she normally was. It was almost as if she had missed seeing the zeppelin that was right outside her castle. Next to her was someone Twilight had never seen before. He was an aged stallion dressed in a black opera coat that had gear shaped copper buttons with a matching black vest underneath it. Beneath that, the stallion’s natural coat was grey and his mane was white with matching mutton chops. Around the stallions neck, hanging from a leather strap, was a mask that looking like it would only cover his mouth with breathing filters in it. In his mane, Twilight also spotted goggles with dark green lens in them.


What took Twilight for surprise was not how he was dress, but instead his other natural features. The first was the stallions golden eyes with a slit pupil. They seemed to bore into Twilight’s soul as they stared at her. The other feature was that stallion’s wings which looked like bat wings. Only once in Twilight’s entire life had she seen ponies like him and that had been on Nightmare Night. The stallions who had brought Princess Luna to Ponyville had the exact same features. At the time Twilight had chalked it up to being some sort of illusion magic that the night princess had placed on them to give her protectors a bit more of a night theme. Now that she was staring at another one, out of armor and during the day, Twilight was being to reconsider that notion.


“Is this her Princess? The one you spoke of?” asked the stallion as he walked over to Twilight. Without thinking, Twilight bit her lower lip as this strange stallion began to circle around her like the way a shark would in one of the many books she had read. The way he looked at her felt like he was sizing her up or looking for some sort of weakness. It also didn’t help her feel at ease as she now noticed the large canines he had which were sticking out slightly from his upper lip.


Twilight could feel her heart rate increasing as she realized this. Thanks to years of reading every book under Celestia’s sun she couldn’t help but think of vamponies. Stories of these creatures went back to the time when Equestria was just getting off the ground. Savage, blood drinking ponies that flew through the air like the pegasi but with wings like a bat. Nopony knew how these stories got started, but there were a few theories on it. Up until this moment, Twilight would have dismissed these legends as simply at: legends with no proof to back them up. But now seeing one at a time other than Nightmare Night was causing Twilight to series reconsider her viewpoint on the matter.


As Twilight quickly averted her gaze to Princess Celestia she saw that the larger princess was calmly walking towards them. “Yes, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she said politely while watching the scene before her.


The stallion paused as he let out a huff. “I highly doubt that she’ll do,” he said in a dark tone that caused Twilight to wince. “Just look at her. That stance. That look on her face. She’ll be nothing more than grim between the clog within a week…at best. Surely even you can see it. We’ll need somepony with more experience.”


“I think you are underestimating her,” replied Princess Celestia before looking at Twilight’s nervous expression. “My former student has completed many difficult tasks in the past for her to reach this point in her life. I am sure she will do just fine. She just needs to be brought up to speed on this matter.”


The stallion looked at Twilight, clearly annoyed and unimpressed with what he saw. “I suppose then I shall give you some time,” replied the stallion as he put on his mask and goggles. “I shall be on my ship along with my forces. Please send for me when your fledgling princess has made her decision.”


Celestia gave him a short nod. “Very well,” she said kindly. “Hopefully, you will have your answer soon.” The old stallion said nothing, only giving the Princess a short bow before turning around to leave. As he did, he turned his head one last time in Twilight’s direction. Before the purple princess could register what kind of look he was giving her, the stallion shook his head before leaving the room.


As the sound of the door closing echoed throughout the room, thousands of questions swam through Twilight’s brain. Like trout trying to move up stream, each question was fighting to be first. Who was that stallion? What was he? Where did he and those stallions in the hallway come from? What did she have to do with this? Twilight felt like she was about to hyperventilate. Looking over at Princess Celestia, she could see the worry fill her eyes in the same way they always did when Twilight was going to have a panic attack. So, with the greatest amount of control she could muster, Twilight began to do the breathing exercise that Cadence taught her. She repeated this motion several times and, while she did, Spike spoke up.


“Princess Celestia, what is going on?”


This question was ideal in Twilight’s humble opinion for it summed up everything that Twilight could have asked herself. Twilight looked down at her number one assistant to give him a thankful smile before returning to look at the princess before her. Celestia too looked thankful for Spike’s question as well as happy to see her former pupil calming down. Her warming smile helped to put Twilight further at ease.


“Yes,” said Celestia as she stretched out a wing towards one of the open windows, motioning Twilight and Spike to follow her there. “I believe that would be a good place to start.” The three of them walked out onto a balcony overlooking the nature that surrounded the mountain, free of the view of the city as well as the zeppelin that had brought the stallion. Princess Celestia once more motioned them towards the single table there while her horn lit up. In an instant there was a golden flash of light followed by the appearance of a tea set along with an assortment of snacks for the group to eat.


“What is going on,” began Celestia as she sat down followed swiftly by Twilight and Spike. “is that for the first time ever there has been an envoy from those living in the mountain range close to Griffinstone. I believe you are well aware of them Twilight. You did a fourteen page report on that region your third year under me.”


Twilight blinked while her jaw dropped slightly. “B-But that’s impossible,” she said while Celestia poured them all tea. “Thousands have died just trying to get into that area. The eternal storm makes it impossible for anypony to get in or out.”


“Apparently not,” replied Celestia as she added sugar and milk into each of their cups, just the way they liked them. “Recently the storm over there has been weakening. A few years ago, the storm became weak enough that a dozen or so of its inhabitants believed they could make it out and make contact with the rest of the world. Sadly, only two managed to survive. It was from them that I learned of their existence. I thought that after so many perished that it would be far longer before they would try something like this again. However it appears that for some unknown reason, the eternal storm is quickly weakening. At this moment, travel is now possible between our two nations; Equestria and Thunder Valley.”


“But what are they?” asked Twilight. “They look like,” Twilight paused for a moment as a blush caused by her embarrassment appeared on her cheeks. “Vamponies.”


“It’s not surprising you and many others are making that connection,” replied Celestia as she calmly levitated her cup to take a sip. “I myself also believed in some of the speculations about them until Luna’s guards arrived. While their tribe is, in fact, the origin of where the ‘vampony’ mythos nearly all of the stories about them are false. They do not need to drink the blood of the living to survive nor are they undead. They are ponies, like you or me, who are more adapted for nocturnal life.”


“Fascinating,” replied Twilight as she picked up her own cup with her magic. A smile crossed her muzzle as she took a sip. Like with the Crystal Empire, she had a chance to learn about a forgotten culture. To get a chance to separate fact from myth. Perhaps soon, she’d be able to order books from this ‘Thunder Valley’ and learn all about their history and culture. There might even be new books popping up about them within Equestria’s own literature!


“So,” said Twilight with a bit more cheer as she set down her cup. “Are you going to need my help making them feel welcome in Equestria? Will I be organizing a conference between our two countries?” As she said this, her mind was already working out several checklists to help accomplish these goals. Naturally she would want Pinkie Pie to help with the party and to show them a good time. But she would need to find out if the thestrals had any dietary needs that would need to be addressed. The last thing she would want was for somepony to offend them by serving them blood. From there, she could talk to both the Apple family and the Cakes on supplying the food while asking Rarity to help with the décor.


Celestia’s warm smile faded slightly. “Ah, no,” she said. “Count Raven, the stallion you just met, is here on behalf of his nation to ask for our help on a very important matter.”


“Oh,” said Twilight while looking slightly crestfallen as her mental checklists were ripped apart in her head. Still she remained upbeat while picking up a small sandwich on one of the plates. “Well, if they need help with something I’ll do my best. That’s what friends are for.”


“Well, it’s a bit more complicated,” said Celestia as she watched Spike also pick up a similar sandwich. “They have come here to ask you to be their new Queen.” As she said this, Spike dropped his sandwich onto the floor as his arms had become limp. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Twilight, however, was not so lucky as she had already taken a bite of hers. Instantly her eyes widened as well as she began to choke and gag on her food. Thinking quickly, Twilight reached over for her tea cup and quickly drank the still warm liquid to help wash down the blockage. Once it was out of the way, Twilight took a deep breath of the life giving air all around her.


“Excuse me Princess,” gasped Twilight while Spike got to his feet and moved behind his surrogate sister to rub her back. “I must have misheard you. It sounded like you said that they wanted to make me a Queen.” As she finished that sentence, Twilight gave a force and uncomfortable laugh to which she was the only one to do so.


“You did not mishear me,” replied Celestia as she looked down at her own cup. “According to Count Raven, the ponies of Thunder Valley have been without a King or a Queen for the last year and a half. Their government has done its best to deal with this situation while also trying to decide amongst themselves who has be the new ruler. From what I understand, they have failed to reach a consenus. Count Raven has informed me that during this time they noticed the storm weakening more and more. It was decided that once it was weak enough they would travel to a land based on their own legends, Equestria, to seek us for assistance.”


Twilight looked at her mentor in shock. While she had yet to tell anypony about this, Twilight had feared that this might happen someday. That she would be tasked to run a kingdom one day like how Cadence and Shining Armor were now running the Crystal Empire. However, she never expected to be asked so soon after becoming an alicorn. What did she know about running a nation and leading other ponies? More than that, running another country meant leaving behind Ponyville. Leaving behind her friends as well as the bonds that they shared. She would miss the day that Rainbow Dash finally became a Wonderbolt. She would miss seeing Rarity as she rose to the fame she sought. Twilight would miss all of Pinkie’s parties and would never again get to have dinner with the Apple family. No more would she be able to spend time with Fluttershy and all of her cute animal friends. There would be no more going to Zecora’s hut to have tea and chat with the zebra mare. On and on the list grew of things she wanted to see with her friends or just miss doing. Honestly, Twilight didn’t know if she could leave it all behind.


Yet, something seemed off. Why ask her to be their Queen? Princess Celestia had just said that the thestrals came looking for the two sisters based on old legends. So that would have meant that they would know of only two alicorns. Wouldn’t the alicorn responsible for the night be a much better Queen for a race that was nocturnal? Not only that, wouldn’t Princess Luna love a chance like this? To be at the top and being adored by the ponies she ruler over? Was that why she wasn’t here? That for some reason they didn’t ask her?


“Ah, Princess,” began Twilight slowly, rubbing one of her forelegs nervously with her hoof while adverting her eyes. “Forgive me, but why wasn’t Princess Luna asked?”


When Twilight looked up, she saw that Celestia was once more calmly sipping her tea. “To tell the truth, Twilight, my sister was the one they came here for. However, she turned them down before recommending you for the job.”
> Her Reasons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight paced back and forth as she frantically tried to muster up her courage. Thankfully the hallway she was now in was devoid of any ponies or objects that she might bump into. Her eyes flickered for a moment at the large double doors across from her while the fur on the back of her neck nearly stood straight up. Normally, Twilight wasn’t afraid of doors and there was nothing menacing about these at all. They were just slightly larger than most of the doors she had passed by on her way here and were a light shade of blue with the moon painted in the middle. No, it wasn’t the doors that had Twilight in a panic but the pony who was currently on the other side.


The purple alicorn still could not believe what Celestia had told her. Princess Luna, the mare who became evil due to jealousy over the love and attention that her sister received every day, had declined an offer that give her what she always wanted. Not only that, but for some reason that completely escaped Twilight, Luna had nominated Twilight for the position instead. But why? What made Princess Luna think that she could actually do this? At least Twilight could sort of understand Princess Celestia agreeing with this decision. After all, the solar princess had always believed in Twilight as well as her abilities even when nopony else did. Yet right now this still seemed a little too much for her.


Thankfully, Twilight didn’t have to decide right away. After she had received this information, Twilight had been told by Princess Celestia to give the matter some thought and that she would stand by whatever decision her former pupil chose. She also hinted to Spike that they should allow Twilight some time to herself in order think about this without any distractions.


So Twilight did what she normally did as she walked the halls: she made a list. Well, two lists to be precise, lists of the pros and cons. Starting with the pros, going to Thunder Valley and becoming their Queen would be a chance of a lifetime. She would be able to see a country that nopony had ever visited before and learn so much. There were sure to be books there that she had never read before. Just thinking about all she could learn like their arts, sciences, and history almost caused the mare to drool where she stood. But, most important of all, she would be able to make a difference in the lives of so many ponies. Add to the fact that, if she didn’t, who knew who they would pick instead. The idea of somepony like Prince Blueblood taking up the job sent shivers down her spine. On the cons side, there was the very real possibility that she would never be able to spend time with her friends the way she used to. Gone would be the days where she could travel around and go on adventures. She would be farther away from her family. She would be alone in a different country.


For the first time in her life, Twilight’s list making skills hadn’t made things easier. In a way it felt like a betrayal from something she trusted. While there were more pros than cons, the cons side just felt…heavier. The idea that she would not be able to be with the ponies she cared about hurt her more than anything she had ever felt before. Yet the longing to help others and to learn more was just an impossible lure that Twilight couldn’t resist. So she was stuck in the same position as she was when she made the list.


So here she was now, pacing back and forth in front of Princess Luna’s door as she mustered up the courage to talk to her. She needed to know why the Princess of the Night was not taking up this role. Perhaps with that information, it would help Twilight with this decision. Or knowing the reason might help Twilight convince Princess Luna to do this instead. At least that way everypony would win.


Taking a deep breath, Twilight moved towards the door and knocked on it three times. The few seconds she stood there, waiting for a response, felt to her like an eternity as she immediately began to second guess herself. Perhaps she should have thought out what she was going to say and organize it. What was she going to say and how should she say it? Was there time for her to head down to the library, look up a book on the matter, and come back when she had a solid plan? Or was she just stalling right now? What if she looked like an idiot in front of the Princess? What if she said something accidently that hurt Princess Luna’s feelings so much that Princess Celestia banished her to Magical Kindergarten for the rest of eternity?! As these thoughts continued to build within Twilight’s head, her breathing quickened as well as her panic. Thankfully, before she could have a full on breakdown, the doors to the Sister of the Night’s bedroom opened to allow her entrance.


With a calming breath, Twilight entered Princess Luna’s room for the very first time. As she called out for the Moon Princess, Twilight took a moment to look around the slightly darkened room. The room was smaller than Princess Celestia’s by comparison, but not terribly so that it would feel uncomfortable. There was a crescent moon shaped bed close to the door that looked like it might be made of silver. Along the walls were light fixtures that looked like trees with light bulbs at the end of each branch. Finally, there was Luna standing directly across from her staring at one of the very heavy curtains as if she could see through it and into the brightly lit day.


“I knew you would come Twilight Sparkle,” said the Lunar Princess as the doors swiftly closed behind Twilight, causing her to jump. This left the two of them alone in the barely lit room, making the situation all the more intimidating to Twilight. “Forgive me for not meeting you along with my sister as I should have. I have needed some time to myself in order to reflect on the matters at hoof.”


Twilight gave a nervous laugh as she felt sweat appear on her face. “Oh, is that so?” she said while eyeing the door behind her. “Well, if that’s the case then I can come back later.”


Luna turned her head around to look at Twilight for the first time, eyebrow raised. “If I did not wish to speak to you, I would have either not allowed you entry into my private sanctuary or simply told you to leave. Besides, the choice before you should be made soon. The thestrals shall wait a while, but their time here is not infinite.”


“R-Right,” stammered Twilight as she approached Luna. As she did, Luna turned her entire body around to face Twilight. “I guess I just wanted to know why you turned this position down and why you think I’m the pony for the job.”


“I see,” said Luna, closing her eyes for a moment. “I suppose that is an understandable question given my past. Yet it is because of my past that I have chosen not to take up the mantle of Queen.” At that, Twilight’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped slightly. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could her past make her make her think that she shouldn’t become a Queen? Then, it hit her like that piano that fell from the sky a year or so ago when she was trailing Pinkie Pie. It all came from a single name.


“Is it because of Nightmare Moon?” asked Twilight. The young alicorn watched as Luna nodded while lowering her hind legs so that she could sit down while still towering over Twilight. “But I don’t get it! Everypony has forgiven you for what happened including your sister. I know she’d help support you no matter what.”


“Not everypony has forgiven me,” replied Luna as she lowered her head. She then took a deep breath before exhaling, her body becoming looser as she did. Luna seemed to lose a lot of the power and intimidation she once had when Twilight first entered the room. She almost seemed weak and tired. “While you are correct that my sister has forgiven me and would support me in this situation, there are many here in Canterlot who would not. Many of the nobles here remember how I overthrew my sister and nearly brought forth an eternal night. They think I do not know this, but I am aware of their eyes watching me whenever I walk through the halls of the castle during the day as well as their agents during the night. Many of them believe that I am pretending to have been purified of my insanity and am now waiting for the right moment to strike. That fear has haunted their dreams many nights since I have returned. And while I have not named names, I have brought this situation up with my sister who has told me not to worry about it too much. That it will blow over sooner or later. So I have allowed their spying ways in order for them to see that I have changed as well as to put their minds at ease, at least a tiny bit.”


Luna paused to look over at the curtained window she had been staring at. “Now, imagine what would happen if I left to some far away kingdom outside of their sight and influence. Their fears would be doubled. Every action I made would be questioned by them, paranoia festering that I am up to no good. Worse, if they went to my sister with their fears I know she would dismiss them. No matter what she said to try and reassure them, they would believe that her familial feeling towards me were blinding her to see the truth they believed in. Tensions would rise until something snapped.” Luna shook her head as she turned to look at a stunned Twilight again. “If that happened, I would be putting the ponies of two nations in jeopardy.”


“Gee,” said Twilight as she brought a hoof to her chin. “I never thought about it like that.”


Luna nodded. “And that is only the ponies here in Canterlot. I am sure that there are others out there across Equestria who still view me as Nightmare Moon. Perhaps in the same way that Ponyville had of me prior to Nightmare Night. I cannot imagine what would happen should I take over my own kingdom so soon after my return. Before I have had a chance to convince them that my intentions are pure.


“Then there is the matter of myself. I…have not quite forgiven myself for the harm I have done to this land. Taking up a throne all to myself after all I have done would not be right. To make sure that I will never forget I have-” Luna stopped herself there, her eyes suddenly widening. To Twilight, it was like Luna was about to tell her something important that she knew she shouldn’t and had stopped herself.


“A-Anyways,” stammered Luna nervously, almost confirming Twilight’s suspicions. Twilight wanted to interrupt her, to ask what she was about to say. However, Twilight knew that if she pressed the issue then there was a chance that Luna would clam up before ushering her out of the room. The younger alicorn quickly reasoned that if something was wrong, she would have to wait for Luna to mention something. Until then Twilight would show Luna that, as a friend, she was there for her when she would be ready to talk. So, Twilight said nothing as Luna continued to talk. “I-I am also still getting used to this time. My reeducation has been going such smoother since I last saw you in Ponyville, as you can probably tell. My speech has become more modern and I am getting used to some of these new devices everywhere. Still it would probably be best for me to remain here by my sister’s side until I have caught up completely.”


“I guess that makes sense,” began Twilight as she bit her lower lip. “But, why pick me?” This question seemed to give Luna some of her energy back as she seemed to hold herself up tall again. There was also a hint of a smile on her face as the Lunar Princess looked down at her.


“Why not pick you?” she asked with traces of humor weaved into her voice.


“I don’t know what to do,” said Twilight quickly. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”


“Neither did Celestia or I when we first took on our crowns,” replied Luna easily, as if it were common knowledge.


“But there has to be somepony more qualified for this than I am,” said Twilight quickly. “Perhaps one of the nobles like Fancy Pants or somepony like that!”


Luna shook her head. “Twilight Sparkle, when you became an alicorn my sister said it herself. You have displayed the various traits that make you a true leader, one who has earned the right to rule as a princess of Equestria. That was why she pushed you through so many tests to get you to this point, because she believes in you. As do I for that matter.” Luna leaned a bit closer to Twilight. “But beyond that, I know you will see them for who they really are.”


As Princess Luna pulled back, Twilight wondered what she meant by this. When she had first seen a thestral up close and without armor her first impression was to think he was a vampony. She had reacted with fear. How could she possibly rule a nation full of ponies like this when just one of them made her nervous?


Her face must have betrayed her thoughts for Luna shook her head slightly. “Twilight Sparkle, do you remember how it was when I visited Ponyville during my first Nightmare Night? How everypony there reacted at the sight of me?” Slowly, Twilight nodded not knowing where the princess was going with this. “There was only one pony there who did not react with fear when she laid eyes on me: you. Only you reached out your hoof to try and help me. To show me how I could soothe the fears of my new subjects so they would not see me as a foal eating monster.”


“But that was because I saw the Elements purify you,” interrupted Twilight as she stood a step forwards. “I knew you were Luna and I could see that you were having a hard time adjusting. But with the thestrals-”


“You saw them the way they were taught to you,” interrupted Luna this time as her horn began to glow. A moment later the magical blue image of a thestral appeared between the two. It was small, probably only a few inches tall as it flapped its bat like wings while flying in a figure eight formation. “I am aware of how they have been recorded by history. Many here will see them as monsters as they did back in the time before I was banished. They will react to them the same way they did to me. But now that you know that they are simply ponies like the rest of us, I have the utmost confidence that you shall treat them as such. To offer them your hoof in friendship as you did to me. To see the best in them like with that griffon who visited Ponyville. And, as with me, I know you will do everything in your power to help the world see them for who they are.” Luna reached out her hoof as the image vanished, gently placing it under Twilight’s chin. “This, I believe with all my heart, makes you far better suited for this task than I am in my current state.”


Twilight pulled her head back to look away from Luna’s gaze. “But I don’t know if I can do this without my friends,” admitted Twilight causing Luna to lower her hoof. “I was only able to make it to this point because I had them in my life. If I do this, then we’ll have to say goodbye because I can’t ask them to give up their lives and dreams just to make me feel better. It wouldn’t be fair to them.”


Luna closed her eyes as she let out a sigh. “No, it wouldn’t,” she agreed as she opened them again. “Twilight Sparkle, I know this is a daunting decision before you. If you truly feel that you cannot do this or live without your friends than I urge you not to take this path. Nopony of any worth will think the lesser of you least of all me or my sister.”


Hearing that, Twilight relaxed a bit as she felt a great sense of relief. But it only lasted a moment as the smile that had appeared on her face vanished just as quickly as it came. “But then what will happen to the thestrals?”


“Their fate will be out of our hooves,” answered Luna gravely. “They will either continue down the road they are on or seek another. Which they will choose I cannot say.” To this, Twilight nodded before excusing herself.


-x-


It was several hours later and Twilight now found herself in one of the sitting rooms in the upper floors of the castle. In the past, she had had several lessons with Princess Celestia in this very room back when the princess wanted a more private session. In those days, Twilight could use her magic without worrying if anypony was watching her. It was simple, just a student and teacher. But now the room had changed since Twilight had been in it. The cushions, small tables, and other various items in the room had been elegantly placed against the walls so that Twilight could pace in peace. It was the only thing she could think of that could calm her nerves right now.


As she continued to move, her eyes shot another glance at the clock. She knew it had not been too long ago since she had requested to see Count Raven. The guard sent for him knew where she would be waiting. All she would have to do was wait patiently for him to arrive so she could give him her answer. However, with each glance at the clock, Twilight felt a ball of nervousness grow inside her while tying itself into knots. This was going to be the biggest decision of her entire life and just giving it was frightening her to no end. Twilight wished he would hurry up so she could tell him, no matter how much that sounded like something Rainbow Dash would think.


As Twilight continued to pace, she regretted asking Spike not to stay with her. She had already told her number one assistant her answer and he supported her decision. What he didn’t support, however, was her being by herself when she told the earl. He had told her that he should be there while she waited. Sadly, Twilight had insisted that this should be done with just the two of them. Maybe if she hadn’t insisted then maybe she wouldn’t feel so wound up right now. Perhaps she wouldn’t look like a nervous wreck ready to explode at any moment!


As Twilight’s wings began to fidget uncontrollably, there was a sudden knock on the door. The door then opened slightly to allow the face of the Guard Twilight had sent.


“Princess, Count Raven is here to see you,” he said.


“Good,” said Twilight quickly. Too quickly in what could have been one of her more awkward tones. Taking a moment, Twilight cleared her throat before she spoke again. “Thank you, please allow him in and that will be all.” The Guard nodded before he pulled his head back. Once it was out of sight the door opened fully and, standing in the middle of the doorway, was a frowning Count Raven.


For a moment, the Count stood there with a deadpan expression. Twilight could see his eyes surveying the room as if he were expecting a trap of some kind. That or he was taking in the state of the room as well as its sole occupant. Twilight could see his slit eyes linger on her ruffled feathers as well as the matching ones on the ground around her. They then narrowed in on her mane which she was sure was sticking up in several spots. Unable to help herself Twilight did her best to smile which resulted in the stallion closing his eyes and sighing.


“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” said Count Raven after he opened his eyes. “I am here as you requested. Do you have an answer for me?”


“I,” began Twilight but paused when she heard how nervous she still sounded. The knots inside her were already beginning to tighten as her flight or fight instincts told her to make a run for it. Standing on the rails as the Friendship Express came thundering towards her was a more welcome situation than this. Still, Twilight knew she couldn’t back down now. Not after calling Count Raven all the way here. So after taking a moment to collect herself, Twilight was able to talk with a bit more confidence. “I have. If you would permit, I would like to become your Queen.”


There, she had done it. At once she felt the coils of nervousness within her beginning to loosen, allowing her body and mind to relax slightly. She could even feel the strands of her mane that had been sticking out of place return to where they should have been. Count Raven, on the other hoof, seemed unmoved by this statement. At the most, one of his eyebrows had risen slightly as he continued to stare down at the alicorn.


“I see,” he said after a moment. “Well then, my lady, would you mind if I asked you why you think you would be a good leader? Better than the one we actually wanted?”


“In all honesty, I don’t know,” replied Twilight sincerely causing Count Raven eye’s to widen at that statement. Clearly, he had been expecting something else. Her voice was much calmer now as she spoke, placing a hoof over her heart as she elaborated. “I’ve done many things before, but never anything like what I’m being asked to do. It’s almost a little intimidating having that much power and being responsible for the lives of so many ponies. Knowing that any mistakes I make could spell disaster to them is something frightening to me. Some might say it that it would be in my best interests not to even try since I might not be able to handle it.


“But despite that I still want to try! You came here seeking help for your nation, for the ponies who live there! With the position that I now hold, I can be that help that you need if you let me. I can’t promise I’ll be a good or better than the ruler you’ve had in your past or even if I can meet your expectations. All I can give you is my word that I will learn all I can as fast as possible in order to be what you deserve. If you’ll have me that is.” With that said, Twilight lowered herself into a bow in front of Count Raven. For several long heartbeats, Twilight remained in this position as she waited for a response of some kind. She didn’t know if he was staring at her in surprise, confusion, or even if he had a smirk on his face from seeing a princess prostrate herself like this. She just kept still, waiting for him to make the next move.


Twilight’s ears perked slightly when she heard Count Raven’s hoofsteps as he moved about the room past her. Slowly, Twilight rose and turned to see that his back was facing her as he stared at a wall.


“You fidget too much, Your Grace,” he said slowly. As Twilight blinked in confusion, he continued. “Also, your hesitation might not be seen by many as a sign of a good ruler. They will think you indecisive, especially at critical moments. There will be many thestrals out there who will see this as you being weak willed. An easy pushover to either get what they want or have you booted off the throne.” At this, Twilight lowered her head slightly in defeat. Movement ahead of her caught her attention, raising it back up just in time to see Raven turn to look at her with a smile on his face. “But that will be their mistake, won’t it Your Grace?”


Again Twilight blinked before the meaning of his words became clear. “You mean you’re ok with me becoming Queen instead of Princess Luna?” Twilight’s eyes shined with excitement as Earl Grey have a very short nod. But it was, nonetheless, a nod.


“Despite what both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia claimed, I had my doubts about you Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he took a single step closer to Twilight. He gave a light chuckle. “But I suppose that was not hard to guess, given how I acted. I do hope Your Grace can understand why. I was sent here, to a land we only knew from myth, in the hopes of finding an immortal ruler for us. Imagine how it feels when after the journey is through, the one whom you sought after replies no. Follow that up with that same legendary mare claiming that another alicorn could take her place; one who has only recently become an alicorn. I’m afraid that in my shattered disappointment I made a grave error with you.”


“So what changed your mind?” asked Twilight, curious.


“Your humility, Your Grace,” replied Count Raven. “I had believed that once you found out what we were asking, you would leap for the opportunity presented. I see it all the time back in Thunder Valley that it feels much like clockwork. Once you realized what was being offered I believed you would spend your time trying to figure out how to boast about how you are the perfect mare for the job before summoning me. Yet Your Grace’s words felt, for lack of a better word, honest. Truthful, given what I have been told about Your Grace from Princess Celestia.


“Not only that, but I believe that the time it took you to come to this decision worked in your favor. My former King would often witness those who leapt at the chance to secure a position that granted them more power without thinking things through. Never wondering what they would do with this power or if they were able to meet all the responsibilities that it came with. It would only take one cog in the machine to bring everything to a standstill or, worse yet, break the machine entirely. Hearing Your Grace talk, it is clear that you at least understand what is expected of you. That is a good start. Hopefully, Your Grace is a quick study.”


Unable to control herself, Twilight smirked at this statement. Clearly, Count Raven had no idea who he was talking to. “I’m sure I’ll be able to manage.” Twilight then paused as she brought a hoof to her chin. “So, what comes next?”


“Well, I believe we should be heading to Thunder Valley as soon as possible,” responded Count Raven. As he spoke, Twilight’s heart sank heavily at this. She hadn’t even been able to tell her friends that she had gone to Canterlot. Now she was heading off into a new country without even saying goodbye to them or her family! Sure she could write them a letter or something, but that’s not what they deserved after everything they had been through. At the very least, she should be able to say goodbye face to face. Perhaps she could get Princess Celestia to send for them while Twilight was preparing to leave.


“With that in mind,” continued Count Raven, speaking louder as if to get Twilight’s attention. “I am sure there are several affairs that will need to be taken care of before Your Grace can leave Equestria. Things that will need to be packed, ponies who would appreciate a goodbye, and so forth. While I am sure that it is not much time the return to Thunder Valley shall be delayed by one week. Please do your best to see to it that everything is taken care of by then.”


What happened next probably took Count Raven by surprise. Unable to control herself, Twilight lunged forwards to embrace the thestral in a hug. She could feel the stallion’s body stiffen, as if he were unaccustomed to such acts. Yet, slowly, he began to loosen up before returning the hug.


“Thank you,” whispered Twilight before pulling back. As Twilight wiped away a tear with her hoof, Count Raven brought his left wing over his heart before he sank into a bow.
> Goodbye
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One week. It’s amazing how time seems to work. When you’re excited for something it feels like time begins to drag each and every second out. The exact opposite, time consciously moving faster, seems to happen when you know you have a limited amount of time or if you’re dreading something to come. If somepony had asked why this was to Twilight over a week ago, she would have said it was cognitive psychology: that your brain is being stimulated in a way that either accelerates or decelerates your perception of time. Now, however, it was a different story altogether.


Right now, time was just a cruel mistress who used magic to make sure everypony suffered in one way or another. If it were an alicorn, Twilight would have walked up to her and punched her in the jaw with no hesitation. It’s what she would have deserved for the week Twilight had had. Not that it was a bad week, far from it, only that her last week in Ponyville with all of her friends seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. To Twilight, that was simply unforgivable.


When she had returned from Canterlot a week ago, the first thing Twilight did was tell her friends what was happening. She had called them all over to her place while putting on a brave face so she could tell them what was going to happen as well as how soon. Doing her best to appear strong and like there was nothing wrong, Twilight waited for them all to arrive before beginning. However, there were plenty of interruptions, starting with Rarity going into full drama mode about Twilight visiting Canterlot without her. Then Fluttershy and Applejack had to tell Rarity that she was being unfair given that it was an urgent call from the Princess before she apologized. After that, Rainbow wanted to know if they were going to go on another adventure like when they went to save the Crystal Empire. Pinkie Pie wanted to know if they were doing something called a crossover to help some spiky haired colt save his world using the power of friendship and a foal’s trading card game. These interruptions only ended after Twilight screamed at them with tears appearing in her eyes.


That had gotten their attention. From there, Twilight told them about Count Raven and her decision to become the Queen of another nation. As she spoke, Twilight’s words came out choked while she felt like her heart was being trampled on for she could easily read her friends expressions. At first the shock that they had been visited by another nation they had never heard of and also the offer given to Twilight. This was then followed by hurt when they found out that Twilight had accepted this without coming to them for advice.


Thankfully, Spike had been there.


“Hey, it’s not like they gave Twilight a lot of time to think about this,” Spike had said leaping up to Twilight’s defense when he had seen the looks on the other’s faces. As he spoke, he pointed at the group. “Do any of you know how hard this was for her to do?! She was thinking of all of you while she had to make it! Can’t you see how difficult this is for her just doing this?”


At first, none of them said anything. They only looked at each other, seemingly taken aback by the baby dragon’s words. Then…


“Spike’s right,” said Fluttershy firmly as she moved over to Twilight and gave her a hug with not only her forelegs but her wings as well. While brief, it was more than welcomed and appreciated by the young alicorn as she watched her friend move beside her when it was over. “Twilight’s going through enough right now without us making the poor dear feel worse. I’m sure she would have asked us if she could have.”


“Ah reckon the same,” agreed Applejack as she tilted her hat back a bit. “’Sides, we only have a week left with Twi. Doesn’t make a lick of sense wasting any of it feelin’ sorry for ourselves.”


“This is the chance of a lifetime darling,” added Rarity as she stepped forwards, pushing back her mane as she walked. “Simply the opportunity to become the highest rank within royalty. Not to mention able to be the first to see the latest fashion trends in another country. Oh, I’m practically green with envy.”


“Reckon only you would think about that stuff,” Applejack had said, rolling her eyes with annoyance. As she did, Pinkie Pie zoomed towards Twilight at speeds only the pink pony could before taking hold of her face.


“I am going to throw you the biggest Goodbye Twilight Party EVER!” shouted Pinkie Pie with their faces so close together that their eyes were practically touching. Then she pulled back, looking thoughtful. “On second thought, there is no way in Equestria that just one party will be enough. We’re going to need to have one every night!”


“That sounds awesome,” said Rainbow Dash as she floated in between the two. “So what are we waiting for?”


So, for the following week, Twilight spent with her friends cramming in as much fun as she could. Each day brought with it something different that nopony missed. Rainbow Dash even went without her infamous naps for the entire week, just so she wouldn’t miss out on anything. The six of them spent time on Applejack’s farm, eating lunch together with Rainbow Dash even offering up her freshly made cider to Twilight. They had more pony pet play dates than ever before. Going for long swims down by the river followed by so many tasty treats at Sugarcube Corner that it made Twilight sick. At the end of each day, there was a party hosted by Pinkie Pie who invited the entire town. By the time each one ended, Twilight would be crawling back to her library, past houses covered in streamers and confetti, in order to get to bed so she could rest up for the next one.


Helping her out, like always, was Spike. The baby dragon made sure that everything that Twilight needed to be done was finished so that the nerdy alicorn wouldn’t worry as much. He made sure all of Twilight’s various appointments within Ponyville and beyond were canceled while sending each pony a letter detailing the reason. He triple checked to make sure all the books in the library were organized so that the next pony who took over wouldn’t have any trouble. When he was finished with that, Spike made sure he made the most of his time left in Ponyville. During the day, he spent time with the Crusaders while at night he did his best to finish up the Ogres and Oubliettes game with Big Mac. After all, he was coming as well.


Then the inevitable finally came. Now in front of her, on her bed, were Twilight’s suitcases packed with everything she owned. The various dresses Rarity had made her over her short time in Ponyville were in sealed plastic bags in order to prevent them from getting damaged. In another suitcase next to it held her various personal items such as her alarm clock, toiletries, her Smarty Pants doll that she managed to rescue from Big Mac, and photographs of herself with her friends. Her telescope was in its own case, having already been broken down for easy transport. As for her pet owl, he was in a transport cage she had gotten from Fluttershy along with plenty of food for him just in case. Lastly, there were three large trunks full of all the books she owned.


After closing the last trunk, Twilight paused to look around the room. For the first time since her first Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville the room looked barren and lifeless. There were no signs that this was her home, only the lingering scent of her shampoo left in the air. Soon that too would be gone and Twilight’s presence would be gone from the Golden Oaks Library forever.


Before a tear could form in her eye, there was a knock at the front door. Sighing sadly, Twilight made her way down the steps to the main floor. As her hooves touched the floor, she looked around to see that everything was in almost perfect order. The library floor had been scrubbed clean and the shelves dusted. Even the wooden horse head statue in the middle of the room had a shine to it. The only place where something was out of place was over in a corner which contained all of Spike’s packed possessions. His bed, long boxes full of his comics, a bag of dice, and a few articles of clothing Rarity had made for him all piled up in one spot. Twilight moved past everything quickly in an effort to keep her emotions under control all while the knocking at the door continued. Once she was close enough, the alicorn reached out with her magic to open it revealing Count Raven and several of the thestral guards standing in the sunlight.


“Greetings, Your Grace,” said the Count as he gave a short bow with the guards mimicking him. Looking past them, Twilight could see the ponies of Ponyville staring at them or at their zeppelin floating in the air above. Once the bow ended, Count Raven spoke once more. “Is Your Grace ready to depart?”


“Yes,” replied Twilight after taking a deep breath. “All of our things are packed and ready to go. My stuff is upstairs and Spike is right over there.” As she gestured to Spike’s pile, the guards moved into the room wordlessly. A few went to collect Spike’s belongings while the rest headed upstairs. As they began to collect everything, Twilight turned back to look at Count Raven. “When do we leave?”


“As soon as Your Grace’s possessions are on board the airship,” replied Count Raven causing Twilight to take a few steps back.


“So soon?” she asked, unable to control herself. “I…I was hoping I’d have a chance to talk to my friends one last time.”


Count Raven looked at her for a moment with understanding before slowly shaking his head. “I fear I must insist,” he said as the first thestral guard walked out of the library with Spike’s things. As soon as they were in Celestia’s sun, they spread their wings out from underneath their coat before flying up to the zeppelin. The Count, meanwhile, continued as if nothing was going on in the background. “If we are to make it to Thunder Valley as the sun sets, we will need to leave as soon as possible. There is simply no telling how long it will take to find Your Grace’s friends.” As another pair of thestrals moved past them, carrying one of Twilight’s trunks with great difficulty, the Count leaned closer as to whisper to her. “Your Grace, I understand how sudden this must be for you. But it would not be a good showing on your part to act like this in front of those who will soon become Your Grace’s Guards.”


Twilight blinked before looking up at the two straining their wings to take up her belongings. As she stared at them, she was surprised by herself for not considering how they felt. They were in a strange land and far away from their families. Every day those whom they had left behind were probably worried about them. Twilight herself knew what that was like, her brother going on long tours within the Equestrian Guard back when he first joined. He had promised to write to her when he could and reading those letters had always been a huge weight off Twilight’s mind. However, the longer the wait between receiving one the more Twilight’s fear that her brother was alright grew. She would worry that something had happened, that he had been attacked by a stray Diamond Dog pack or hurt defending a town from a monster attack. To her, those were the only reasons she could consider as a valid reason for not getting a letter each and every day. It would only be when the scroll was floating in front of her that she realized how silly she had been. Would it be the same for some of them as well? Were their parents, younger siblings, or even their own children looking out the window for some sign that they were at the very least safe?


Also, Count Raven was right. If she was going to be a ruler, she was going to need to act like it. She knew she had only a week to spend with her friends and she couldn’t be complaining about not having one last goodbye like a foal. Then there was the fact that she hadn’t seen any of her friends yet so she didn’t know where any of them were. Rarity and Applejack would be the easiest, most likely working at their own properties. But Fluttershy could be at her house or she could be anywhere in Ponyville helping out with somepony’s sick pet. Possibly even in the Everfree Forest helping some poor sick animal she found. Knowing Pinkie Pie, she could be bouncing around anywhere. As for Rainbow Dash, she could be in her cloud house getting ready to head over here or she could be getting in some flying practice in. As much as she wanted to see them once more, it would simply take too long.  But still…


Twilight’s ears twitched as she heard the sound of a door opening behind her. Turning her head she saw that the door to the basement had opened and, looking out of the doorway, was Spike. The alicorn princess managed not to facehoof herself for forgetting that Spike was tidying up the basement, making sure that neither he nor Twilight left anything important behind. As she looked at her dragon assistant in silence she saw that his eyes were darting towards Count Raven, his pile of possessions that was now smaller than before, and the guards moving about the library.


“Is…Is it time?” he asked, pausing to gulp as he did.


“It is,” replied Twilight as she approached Spike, doing her best to sound strong despite her heavy heart. As she moved closer, Twilight watched as the small dragon brought his claws together while giving Twilight a pleading look. Pausing she shook her head as she knew what that look as asking. He too wanted a bit more time to say his goodbyes, especially Rarity. But then, in a moment it all changed. Spike took a deep breath, as if he were sucking up his pain, before putting on brave face.


“Alright then,” he said, his voice slightly betraying the pain he felt. Still, Twilight smiled at her brave little dragon. Once they were alone she’d be sure to talk to him about this, letting him know he didn’t have to pretend to be strong for her.


Walking side by side, Twilight and Spike made their way towards the front door. Ahead of them were the thestral guards, grunting as they slowly made their way out the door before heading into the sky with one of Twilight’s book trunks. Once the two made it to the doorway, Twilight paused to look at the library once more. As she did a flood of memories washed over her. She remembered the times when Rainbow Dash crashed through her window as she tried to pull off some new stunt. She recalled the times when Pinkie Pie seemed to be able to find any book that they needed. There was the time when she cast that spell on Rarity that allowed her to grew butterfly wings. The time when she, Applejack, and Rarity had a slumber party on that stormy night. All of the gentle tea times with Fluttershy. The night she met Owlowiscious and gave him a home. So many sweet and happy memories she had, connected to this place. So many she would never have come by if she had stayed in Canterlot. How she wished she could take something with her so that she could have some sort of link to this place. But…it didn’t belong to her. The Golden Oaks Library belonged to Ponyville and she was no longer its resident librarian.


As she felt her emotions beginning to get the best of her once more, Twilight walked out of the library for the final time.


However, as she turned her head to look forward, she saw something pink and bubbly in front of her. Naturally, Twilight did what anypony in her position would do.


“AAAAHHHHH!” screamed Twilight as she jumped back, heart pounding. Around her, the guards dropped what they were doing before pulling out their long metal sticks. Count Raven looked shocked and amazed at the bouncing pink pony as she grinned at Twilight. “Pinkie Pie, what have I said about doing that?”


“Sorry Twilight,” said Pinkie as she bounced around Twilight. “But my Pinkie Sense was ringing off the chart telling me that somepony was leaving Ponyville. Since you’re the only pony I know who would be moving I thought I’d hurry over here.” As she spoke, Twilight saw out of the corner of her eye that the Count was signaling to the others. By the way they seemed to relax, she assumed that he was telling them that everything was ok. Twilight became sure of this when they put away their weapons before gathering up Twilight’s dropped possessions.


“Thanks Pinkie,” said Twilight, causing her friend to stop with her bouncing. “It means a lot to me to be able to say goodbye to at least one of my friends.” With that said, Twilight embraced Pinkie with a hug.


“Yeah,” said Spike as the two mares ended their embrace. “Just wish we could say goodbye to the rest.”


“And who said you’re not?” asked a different voice off to the side. Twilight and Spike turned their heads while Pinkie looked super excited. There stood the pony who had spoken, Rainbow Dash, looking somewhat cocky as the rest of their friends arrived behind her. Fluttershy and Rarity looked slightly winded as if they had dropped everything in a hurry to get here.


“B-But how?” asked Twilight flabbergasted to see them all here.


“How do you think, egghead?” asked Rainbow Dash with a playful eye roll before gesturing to Pinkie Pie. “As soon as her Pinkie Sense went off, she rushed to each of us to saying we needed to drop everything and get here fast.”


“I do wish we would have been given a bit more notice,” said Rarity as she approached Twilight. The princess noticed that she had a dress bag on her back which was then levitated between them. “Darling, I made this dress for you using your last measurements. Hopefully it will be in fashion where you’re going.”


“I’m sure it will,” replied Twilight as she took the bag with her magic before hugging her friend. When it ended, Rarity went over to Spike and pulled out new gem encrusted bowtie.


“I’m going to miss you too Spiky-Wikey,” she said before kissing Spike on the cheek. The moment her lips touched his scales, Spike’s eyes transformed into hearts. When the hearts vanished, Spike shook his head and grinned at her only for it to fade just as quick. Twilight knew what was probably going on in his head, that he was realizing that he might never get to see Rarity again.


“I’ll,” Spike began but paused to gulp. “I’ll treasure it always.”


As Rarity stepped away, Applejack approached the pair. “Mah family usually saves a few of these,” she said as she pulled out two jars of her family’s famous rainbow colored jam.”After everything we’ve been through, ah’m really gonna miss ya Twi. If the farm didn’t need me so much then…” Applejack turned to look away as her words trailed off.


“I know,” replied Twilight as she accepted the jars.


Nodding, Applejack turned to look at Count Raven. “Ya better take care of her, ya hear me.”


If this statement bothered the Count he didn’t show it. “I shall strive to do my best in service to Her Grace.” Applejack did her famous eyebrow raise, one more thing Twilight would miss seeing, at the Count and his words before turning back to Twilight. Teary eyed she embraced her alicorn friend before moving on to Spike. It was then that Rainbow Dash landed in front of Twilight.


“I managed to swipe this from the hospital,” she said, looking proud as she pulled out Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone.


“Rainbow Dash!” said Twilight crossly as she glared at her pegasus friend. Made even worse by how blasé Rainbow appeared about it. “You stole from a hospital!? What in Equestria is wrong with you?”


“Pff, relax Twilight,” responded Rainbow, waving a hoof in the air. “I switched it out with a brand new copy so they’ll never know the difference. Even if they do, they probably won’t mind seeing as it’s, you know, brand new! Anyways, go on and open it.”


As her irritation began to subside, Twilight took the book from her friend. Not knowing what she was looking for, she opened the book to the title page to begin skimming through it. However, there was no need. Right under the title, Rainbow had written: ‘This is the book that got me to realize how awesome reading is. Keep it to remember how you made my life twenty percent cooler. Rainbow Dash’. Next to the message, Rainbow had added a drawing of her face wearing her signature sunglasses. Smiling at this, Twilight looked up at her friend before hugging her as well.


“Thank you,” she said. As Rainbow went over to Spike to say her goodbyes to him, Pinkie Pie bounced over with a little less bounce than normal.


“I wanted to give you something special as well,” began Pinkie as she pulled out a photo album. “But most of the stuff I’m good at eventually goes bad if you don’t eat it and I sort of wanted you to have something that lasts. So instead of cupcakes, I managed to put this together so you’ll always remember the good times.”


Twilight said nothing as she took the album in her magical hold while giving her friend a thankful smile. When she opened it, Twilight’s eyes widened a bit. Every picture came from various parties she had had with her friends. There were several photos of her and her friends in Canterlot, celebrating her birthday as she wore the dress Rarity had made for her. There was, sadly, only one picture of her at the Summer Sun Celebration party which was when she had drunk from the spicy punch. But there were many more. Like Twilight and her friends working together to put together Applejack’s welcome home party from the rodeo. There were ones from Gummy’s birthday party as well. It seemed like every picture from every party Pinkie could have gotten her hooves on that had Twilight enjoying time with her friends was here in this album.


“Thank you so much Pinkie,” said Twilight with a tearful smile. “It’s perfect.”


“Yay!” cried Pinkie as she wrapped Twilight in a bone crushing hug before bouncing over to Spike. Finally, Fluttershy approached looking ready to cry.


“I,” she began before biting her lower lip in order to keep the visible tears at bay. Quickly she pulled out a small bag full of pet treats before rapidly finishing off her sentence. “Made these for you to give to Owloysius.” Then, Fluttershy could no longer hold her sobs in as she embraced Twilight. “I don’t want you to go.”


As all of her friends turned to look at the pair, Twilight returned the hug. “I’ll miss you Fluttershy,” she whispered. Twilight then pulled her head back, looking at all of the sad faces of her friends. “I’ll miss everypony here. I just wish we could have…” Those final words seemed stuck in Twilight’s throat. Time was never something you could get back, could never know how much one had. Be it one’s entire life or spending it with those you loved, nopony knew when their time would run out. That was why everypony had to make the most of the time they did have instead of wishing they had more. And while Twilight knew she hadn’t wasted a single moment with her friends, she still wished she could go to one more party. To go on one last crazy adventure across Equestria.


To have more time.


“We know sugarcube,” said Applejack as she and the others surrounded Twilight. Then, all together, they embraced her and Spike as a group for the last time. Twilight lost track of how long she was in the group hug, surrounded by the warmth and love of her friends. All she knew was that it was a while but not something she could or wanted to quantify. It was only when they heard Count Raven clear his throat that the girls separated from her.


“Forgive me Your Grace,” he said curtly while gesturing up at the zeppelin. “But we are set and ready to depart.”


“I understand,” she replied. So, after one last quick hug, Twilight placed Spike on her back before opening her wings. Count Raven did the same with his own leathery wings before taking off with Twilight in tow. Around her, suspended by her magic, were the gifts that her friends had given her as she soared up towards her future.


-x-


Elsewhere, Princess Luna was still awake in Canterlot. Upon her balcony she stood, looking through her telescope as it pointed towards Ponyville. Her gaze was fixed upon the zeppelin that hovered over the library, watching as the thestrals and Twilight boarded it.


“You know, you could change your mind,” came a voice behind her. However, Luna did not flinch nor did she avert her gaze from the zeppelin until the opening Twilight had entered had closed. It was only then that Luna turned to look at her sister, standing there with the Night Guard flanking her on both sides.


“I made my decision sister,” replied Luna calmly. “One that I stand by whole heartedly.”


Celestia let out a sigh as she shook her head. “After everything you did for the thestrals back then, after everything you sacrificed, you deserve this Luna,” said the solar princess as she took a step while gesturing to Luna’s Guards. “They still somewhat remember.”


Luna did not answer her sister, instead turning her attention to her two Guards. “You could have gone home,” she stated. “All you had to do is ask and I would have released you both from your oaths.”


“We said our goodbyes when we first traveled to Equestria,” said one of them while the other nodded. “We knew it would be a one way trip, one worth it for the chance to serve and protect the mare from our myths. We shall honor our oath until our dying breath.” Luna’s cheeks burned slightly at this proclamation, which she quickly hid with one of her wings.


“I see,” she said, feeling the smug look on Celestia’s face that screamed ‘told you’ without actually seeing it. Taking a breath to get her emotions under control, Luna lowered her wing and turned to look at her sister. “This changes nothing. Perhaps if they come again asking for me to rule I shall rise to the occasion, but not now after I have encouraged your pupil to take up this path.”


“That’s all I wanted to know,” said Celestia as she turned to leave, the thestral guards remaining where they stood.


Luna watched her sister leave, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Surely you didn’t come all the way here just to tell me this.” Celestia, who was reaching for the door, paused at Luna’s words. “Is there anything else you wish to say?”


For a moment, Celestia stood there looking at the ground. Her mane seemed to lose a bit of its flow while her shoulders slumped. Eventually she turned to face her sister. “I,” she began but hesitated for a moment. Celestia looked to the side as if she were wondering how to phrase her words best. Finally, she spoke again. “I should have said this sooner, but thank you for not telling Twilight everything. About what happened back then. I…still feel guilt over what happened.”


The two guards looked at each other in confusion before turning to look at Luna. The Princess of the Night seemed to ignore their existence, staring back at Celestia. “It was not my place to say. History seems to have buried the truth of those events from everypony except for those who lived through them. Since you never said anything I thought it best not to say anything myself. As for our part…I always understood why you did what you did. My only wish was that you understood why I did what I did sooner.”


As Luna smiled at her sister, Celestia’s mane seemed to regain a bit of its flow as she turned to head out the door.
> The Twin Rulers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The inside of the zeppelin was very much different than anything she had ever experienced in Equestria. The ones she had been on all had luscious wooden floors that were so shiny that a pony could see her reflection in them. There were elegant, white walls that curved out in order to give the impression that the hallways weren’t so narrow to help those who were claustrophobic. The air always smelt pleasant and inviting, whether it be the scent of the food being prepared in the kitchen making its way to one’s nose or simply the various scented candles. This included cruise zeppelins as well as the one military one she had been on when she had gone to visit her brother.


The thestrals of Thunder Valley, it seemed, did things a bit different. Upon landing inside the zeppelin, Twilight’s hooves touched hard metal floors that looked like soot and grease had been ground into it. Darkened halls greeted her ahead with only dim light coming from a few random glowing orbs whose light paled in comparison to the light she was producing with her own magic. The walls of the hallway were narrow and made of black metal with pipes poking out at random places, sometimes at weird angles, while bursts of steam escaped them from time to time. Because of this it looked like two ponies walking side by side could barely fit through. Then there was the smell. The only odor Twilight could identify was oil, but that mixed in with several others was enough to make her stomach wretch. Twilight’s ears flattened against her skull as various clanking noises filled the air. Looking down at Spike, she saw that he had his claws on his head to try and block the sounds.


“Follow me, Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he stood in front of them. Twilight nodded, instantly following him in the hopes that she would be able to move to some place less assaulting to her senses. As she moved further inside, Twilight caught glimpses of oil dripping from the ceiling while random busts of steam further filled the air with the putrid odor. Seeing all this she instantly enhanced the spell around the gifts her friends had given her in order to protect them from this environment.


Slowly they moved down the hallway, passing by both the guards as well as ponies who she assumed would be the crew of the ship. She spotted one of them as they passed through intersecting hallways, looking like he had only recently reached stallionhood. His coat was grey and wore what looked like the type of hat an old newscolt would wear and black overalls. The hat was the thing that stood out to Twilight the most, for it seemed to have several magnifying lens attachments on it that stopped just in front of his goggles. As they passed, Twilight watched as the stallion switched to a smaller lens using one of his wings as he had a large wrench in both his hooves. As they moved deeper inside, Twilight spotted a few other thestrals walking around the zeppelin wearing dark blue button up uniform shirts. Gears seemed to be the motif here as the buttons were shaped like them and each one had a series of interlocking gears on the right side of their chests like medals. Twilight wondered if the positions and the number of gears indicated rank or simply their station aboard the zeppelin.


After several minutes of walking, Twilight began to notice things getting a bit better. The noise was less pounding and the smell was less distinct. The hallways felt less cramped while also appearing cleaner. There even seemed to be more light which made it easier on her eyes. She could now see spiraling metal stairways leading up to higher levels of the zeppelin as well as metallic signs hung up every so often. They were even passing doorways, each one having a glass window on them shaped like a gear with bat wings on both sides. However, despite these improvements, the halls still had a cold metallic feel to them that did not do anything to make Twilight feel at ease.


There was one door that stood out amongst the rest. While it was made of the same dark metal, it had a shine and a polish to it that made it stand out. Twilight also noted that this one’s window was being covered on the other side by a dark red cloth making it impossible to see in. It was this door that Count Raven stopped at. He paused for a moment to look at Twilight who had also stopped before opening the door.


Twilight felt her jaw drop. The wall directly across from her was composed completely of glass panels, allowing her to see everything along the journey. The flooring here was made of bronze that looked like it had been polished recently with a blood red rug placed in the middle. On both sides of the rug were two chairs and two loveseats, both made of bronze with the same blood red colored cushions. Beyond that there was little else in the room. The other walls, which were made of the same black metal as the outer hall except more polished, had no art hanging from them nor were there any personal flourishes. The only thing she noticed were a group of buttons, each with a bronze plaque next to them, and a circular patch of bronze on the other side. Given how dark everything else in the zeppelin had been, seeing a room like this took Twilight completely by surprise.


As Twilight walked in, Count Raven gave a short chuckle. “His Excellency, before his passing, preferred to have few distractions when he traveled. Better to concentrate on his work that way.” After he finished speaking, the Count shut the door which created a clanging sound.


“I see,” said Twilight as she approached the window while setting her gifts down onto one of the chairs. Looking around, she saw that the zeppelin was still parked above Ponyville. Looking down, she saw that her friends were still down there looking up at them. She could hear Spike moving next to her and then saw him pressing his face against the glass. Wordlessly, Twilight opened a wing to wrap around Spike’s body before pulling him in close.


“I’m going to miss them,” he said, never taking his eyes off their friends or the tree house.


“So will I,” said Twilight in agreement.


As they stood there, Twilight heard the sound of hooves against the metallic floor. At first, Twilight thought it was Count Raven coming over to join them by the window or to take a seat. But the sound wasn’t coming closer to them, instead moving off to the side. This peaked Twilight’s curiosity enough to cause her to turn her head just in time to see him pressing one of the buttons on the wall. A series of clicks and fuzzy noises quickly followed as the Count turned his head towards the bronze circle.


“Captain Blasted Weather,” he said normally. “Princess Twilight is onboard and safely in her quarters. You may depart when ready.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at this while the Count released his hold on the button. There was nopony else here and as far as she could tell thestrals didn’t have any magic. So how-


“Copy that Count Raven,” came a stallion’s voice that Twilight didn’t recognize, causing her and Spike to jump before staring at that part of the wall. “This is Captain Blasted Weather wishing you and the princess a pleasant journey.”


As the fuzzy noises died down, Twilight felt the zeppelin begin to move. Turning her attention back towards the window, she was able to see the shifting scenery as they moved through the air. Her eyes darted downwards in order to catch one last look at her friends as they waved goodbye to her. With a sad smile on her face, Twilight waved back while wondering if they could see her. Regardless Twilight continued to wave towards her friends until they were well out of sight. But it was during this time that she noticed something just outside her vision. As the zeppelin crossed the sky, it left behind a trail of black smoke that left flakes of soot fall to the ground below.


Slowly, Twilight pulled herself away from the window to look at the room once more. Count Raven was now seated on one of the loveseats, looking out at the window. An uncomfortable feeling crept over Twilight as she realized that she would be in this room for an unforeseeable amount of time. Perhaps she could get a tour of the zeppelin if she wanted…but she wasn’t that bored yet. The less time she had to spend out there the better. Still, she needed something to pass the time. She supposed she could read the book Rainbow Dash had given her, but there was something a bit more important she needed to do. Something to show how serious she was about being the ruler of Thunder Valley.


“Ah, Count Raven,” began Twilight, a hint of nervousness in her voice as she approached the love seat directly across from him. “Since we have some time on our hooves, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind telling me about Thunder Valley. Specifically, what happened there that you needed to come to Equestria in order to find a new ruler?”


Count Raven turned his head towards Twilight as she sat down followed by Spike. “Ah yes,” he said softly while giving her an approving nod. “We do have quite a large amount of time to pass and Your Grace should be brought up to speed before we arrive. Please, forgive me for not thinking ahead on such an important matter.”


“Oh, it’s fine,” replied Twilight gently.


Count Raven gave Twilight a thankful nod before lowering his head slightly while also closing his eyes. Twilight and Spike looked at each other, confused as to what he was doing. But when they turned to look at him again, they did it just in time to see the Count opening his eyes again. There was something different about the way they shined. Almost…mournful.


“I suppose it would be best to start with the passing of his late Excellency, King Cobalt,” began Count Raven with a sigh. “On his deathbed the King made a startling decree that his twin children, Prince Obsidian and Princess Alabaster, would share the throne and rule together as one. The twins were opposites in almost every sense of the word. Prince Obsidian had fallen out of favor with his father for some time, having left the capital for only to return upon news that his father was ill. Ever since he was a colt, the Prince was highly antisocial and that did not improve as time passed. Yet, despite this, he was skilled at balancing the books and making sure everything was on budget. Princess Alabaster, on the other hoof, was a social butterfly. Never failing to charm anypony she met with her grace and manners, always making a good impression whenever the Royal Family stepped out. If only she was as skilled in her studies as she was with talking to ponies then she would have been the perfect Queen.”


“After His Excellency’s passing, there was a hint of fear amongst the nobility. While the idea of having them rule together made sense on paper we rightfully feared that they would be unable to share such a responsibility. That they would end up bickering with each other more often than they would run Thunder Valley or try to cut the other out. After so many years of rebellious elements popping up creating civil unrest the last thing we needed would be unrest within the heart of the government. Yet, this was what King Cobalt wanted. To have both of his children taking over the kingdom that he had ruled over for so very long. We decided, in the end, to honor his wishes but only after a trial run of one year. If they proved this could work then we would allow them to work together. If not, we would begin talks on which one would be best suited to rule alone.”


“Two siblings ruling together,” said Spike as he rolled his eyes. “Sounds really familiar to me.”


At that, Twilight fought hard with herself to keep from nodding in agreement. Prince Obsidian and Princess Alabaster seemed to have something in common with the Royal Sisters. Opposites like day and night being asked to rule together as one. What’s more, Twilight couldn’t really fault the nobility for fearing for the worse. While there was little chance that one could become the next Nightmare Moon and bring about eternal night, there could have been a civil war. Especially given the fact that the prince had fallen out of favor with his father. Who knew what disaster that might bring to the table? Obviously things didn’t work out.


“At first, it seemed our fears were misplaced,” continued Count Raven. “Princess Alabaster held court, held parties, and made public appearances while Prince Obsidian tended to the books as well as looking over any new laws to make sure they were sound. While the two barely saw each other in those early days, it was clear that their system was working far better than expected. Things were running faster with little grime in the gears. Our fears slowly began to fade while whispers of ending the trial period began to float around.” The Count then sighed before shaking his head slowly.


“So what changed?” asked Twilight.


Count Raven lowered his head so that his gaze was towards the floor. “It started with small budget cuts in some of the minor departments. At the time, nopony thought too much of it since those things do tend to happen. There didn’t seem to be any signs of trouble. In fact, Princess Alabaster had already sent out RSVP’s for her next several parties so we assumed everything was fine. But we were wrong, so very, very wrong. In the months to come, the budgets and salaries were being cut in every branch of the military. Princess Alabaster continued to throw her parties at an increased rate to assure us that everything was ok, that Prince Obsidian had assured her that this was a necessary measure. Then, when the taxes began to raise drastically, the ponies of Thunder Valley demanded to know what was going on.”


“Sounds to me like this Prince Obsidian guy was stealing bits for himself,” said Spike, his arms crossed as he spoke.


“Bits?” asked Count Raven as he looked up at the young drake.


“It’s the Equestrian currency,” explained Twilight quickly.


“Ah,” said Count Raven with a nod. “I see. Well young dragon, we were also coming to that conclusion given his position. When you add in that he was almost never seen, always shut up in his room or office, ponies begin to wonder what he was up to. Princess Alabaster went to talk to him several times behind closed doors. Not that it did much; everypony there could hear him screaming so loud that it made thunder sound more like a sneeze. Then, when it was over, the Princess would walk out looking flustered as she returned to the public to try and ease their concerns.”


Count Raven shook his head again before getting onto his hooves. Wordlessly, he walked over to the window and stared out at the sea of rolling green hills as far as the eye could see. In the sky, Twilight could make out a few pegasi flying through the air. To any other pony, it would have been a calming peaceful image. However, Twilight doubted that the Count was even seeing all of this. From what she could make out from his reflection he was still lost in the past.


“Then came that fateful morning. The night before I was heading to speak to the Prince, but stopped at his door when I overheard them fighting again. Prince Obsidian was doing most of the shouting and while I couldn’t make everything out I caught him yelling few phrases that caused my blood to run cold. ‘I’m tired of this game’ and ‘I will end this’. I left shortly after that to inform the others, worried that if we didn’t act quickly blood from the Royal Line might flow. But we waited too long. As the sun began to rise, the alarm in Princess Alabaster’s room sounded. The guards broke down her door to find an assassin there with a pistol in hoof pointed at the Princess. According to the report, as soon as he saw the guards he began to panic firing wildly. The guards were forced to take his life in order to protect their own as well as secure the Princess. When it was over, we discovered that Prince Obsidian was no longer in his room. A quick search of the castle revealed that he was on longer on the premises. He had fled.”


“Called it,” said Spike as he moved his hands behind his head and leaned back. A triumphant smile appeared on his lips as he looked up at the ceiling. “Prince was the bad guy. No one runs when they are innocent.”


“They do when they know they are being framed,” said Count Raven as he turned to look at Spike. Spike’s mouth opened slightly in confusion as the Count began to pace across the room. His hooves hit the metal floor with more force than before and his eyes had narrowed. Twilight could almost feel the angry radiating off of him. But she doubted it was towards Spike. “We fell for it like fools. We believed the same thing you did! But after Princess Alabaster was given full rein of the kingdom, we came to see the truth. More parties were being held than ever before and entire departments of the government were being shut down. The army, those sworn to serve the crown and protect our nation, were now ordered to throw entire families out onto the streets for failing to pay the new taxes. All because the Princess wanted her parties. Parties that served the very best food in the kingdom. Ones that had her in the spotlight, being admired while she wore brand new jewelry and dresses each time. She had been spending so much that the Royal Bank Account had long since been emptied.”


As Spike stumbled to try and say anything, Twilight stared at the older stallion as she processed what she had just been told. In her mind, Twilight could see a thestral mare decked out with gaudy gems all over her body as she spent untold riches to gain more. Then she saw a stallion with a crazy mane, looking over documents at a frantic pace while also being forced to make adjustments just to keep things running. Was there a chance he had talked to her about this before the shouting matches started? Did he tell her that this wasn’t a game of dress up back then?


“But the assassin!” shouted Spike.


“It was a setup,” said the Count with a hint of ice in his tone. “Later on, we discovered proof that she had hired him under the impression that he was to kill her brother. She probably snuck him into her room before hoof and then pulled the alarm. Knowing her, she probably had a plan set in place if the assassin had been caught. If the Prince hadn’t fled when he did, we would have imprisoned him for life while stripping him of his title.”


“B-But,” stammered Spike. However, he said no more.


“Taking her brother out of the equation, however, turned out to be her undoing,” continued Count Raven as he moved back to his seat. “Prior to that, she had a scapegoat. A pony to direct everypony’s anger towards. With him gone, the ponies of Thunder Valley quickly realized who was really to blame and what their money was really being spent on. Thanks to her actions as well as her lack of understanding on how to work the red tape, the gears of the government slowly began to come to a grinding halt. Few ponies supported her and even fewer came to the parties she still wished to hold for herself.


“Finally, the ponies of Thunder Valley could no longer take it anymore. The fires of rebellion had been lit. Government buildings all over the country were being destroyed and burnt to the ground. Thestrals everywhere were making makeshift weapons as they headed towards the castle. Then as the stallions, mares, and foals approached the capital the Princess gave one command to the military who were sick of being used as her goon squad and were barely even loyal to her anymore: gun them all down. Well, that did it. The army stepped aside and allow the mob to pass them with some even joining in. The Princess must have realized her blunder, for when they arrived she had fled like her brother.”


Count Raven paused to take a breath, finally lifting his head to look at Twilight’s shocked expression. “Since then, the Five Great House’s have been doing their best to rule as a council until they could decide who shall rule. They have tried Your Grace, they really have tried. Things have gotten better since the days of the rebellion. But each one has their own idea of what’s more important and there are times when their judgment is clouded by their business ties. With the bad blood between them and the petty feuds they hold onto, there is no way one House will support another’s claim to the throne. As for looking for Prince Obsidian, there has been no sign of him after all this time. It’s highly unlikely that he would even come back given how we so quickly jumped to conclusion.”


“And I guess that brings us to today,” said Twilight to which the Count nodded at. She watched as the stallion slumped a bit in his seat Twilight began to think of what she had gotten herself into while the zeppelin sailed onwards through the sky.
> Entering Thunder Valley
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Twilight, wake up!” said Spike as his small claws touched Twilight’s shoulder and began to shake her slumbering figure. Groggily, the purple princess half opened her eyes as she lifted her head to look at Spike. The last thing she remembered was giving out a royal decree to remove all quesadillas from Equestria before she and Pinkie Pie went to play chess under a bridge. No idea why she would do the chess thing since, for some reason, it seemed like a silly idea to do right now. 

As Twilight opened her mouth to ask Spike what was going on, the room shook violently. So much so that Twilight was knocked off of the couch and landed on the hard metal floor. The room shook again while Twilight realized what was going on. Well, for the most part at least. She did remember that she was going to Thunder Valley and, at some point, had fallen asleep during the long voyage. As to why the room was shaking there were several ideas that quickly came to mind. They could have been under attack from violent air pirates. There could have been an issue with the zeppelin’s engine. They could be caught in weather so severe that an emergency landing may be required.

Quickly turning her head towards the window and, despite the darkness of the room, Twilight spotted Count Raven staring out of it. The scenery of endless valleys and fields that she remembered seeing out of it had been replaced by what seemed to be black rock. As she lifted herself off the floor, Twilight witnessed a large bolt of blue lightning shooting across the window towards the ground below before the zeppelin shook once again. Instantly the fur on the back of Twilight neck stood up as she galloped over to where the Count stood seemingly calm.

Once she was at the window, Twilight looked down which instantly confirmed where they were. They were at the pass that led into Thunder Valley. No place else had the same permanently scorched earth from the massive amount of lightning strikes. The fact that there was a wall of rock before her, a mountain, seemed to add weight to this theory. Twilight could feel her heart beating faster now, her hooves seemingly to be frozen in place while her jaw dropped.

“Ah, Your Grace,” said the Count. It was as if he was so lost in the view that he was just now realizing that Twilight was standing next to him. Calmly he bowed before Twilight as lightning struck the wall before them, various small pieces of rock hitting the glass. “Please, forgive me for not awakening Your Grace when we drew near. I do hope that Your Grace’s rest was peaceful.”

“It was,” replied Twilight nervously as her eyes darted from the stallion to out the window before quickly returning to the stallion. Sweat was appearing all over Twilight face while her wings began to fidget uncontrollably. Despite knowing that the storm had weakened greatly, it still didn’t change the fact that it had not ended. This only served to remind Twilight that they were in one of, if not the, most dangerous spots in the known world! In a zeppelin! Something that, if struck by lightning, would explode!

“Are you sure this is safe?” asked Twilight before gulping. She then braved a peak out the window to see, thankfully, no lightning.

“Far safer than it used to be, Your Grace,” replied Count Raven. “Why, only a few years ago, had this vehicle attempted something like this it would have crashed into the ground the second it entered the path.” If this was meant to reassure Twilight, it failed utterly.

As Twilight did her best to fight the nervousness growing inside her, Spike walked up to the window and pressed his face against the glass. “Well, that was the most lightning we’ve seen since coming here and that was a while ago,” he commented. “I just wonder how much-Hey look over there!” Twilight’s eyes followed in the direction where one of Spike’s claws was now pointing. Much to her relief, she could now see the end of the path as they moved towards it at breakneck speed.

All three of them stood there, keeping their eyes on the entrance to Thunder Valley. Twilight could feel the zeppelin moving faster, almost as if the craft itself wanted to return home as soon as possible. Or, a more likely guess, the captain was pushing the engine as much as possible to escape this area sooner rather than later. But, as they drew closer to the end, Twilight noticed movement all around. From the mountain walls to the ground just after coming out of the pass, she could see that there were plenty of busy thestrals. Curious, Twilight’s horn lit up as she cast a spell on her eyes that would allow her to see at a greater distance for a short amount of time. The first thing she noticed were the thestrals on the mountain walls, standing or laying down on outcroppings with their stick weapons pointing at the ground. A few, she noticed, had their odd weapons pointing at their zeppelin. Feeling a bit more than concerned by this, Twilight began relaying what she was seeing to the Count as she turned her attention to the ground. There, spaced across evenly near the entrance to Thunder Valley, were dozens of sandbag walls. Behind them soldiers moved about, only pausing to look up at their zeppelin.

Beyond that, there was a large amount of obvious machinery. One looked like a scoop made out of blackened metal with what appeared to be a furnace in the back, spewing out smoke as it dug into the earth. Also in the area was another machine made of the same colored metal, moving its bulky body on four tracks as it smoothed out the ground. Around the machines were thestrals in hard hats, reading blueprints in the light of Luna’s moon.

“What’s going on here?” asked Twilight as she turned to look at Count Raven as the zeppelin finally left the pass. As it did, Twilight nearly let out a gasp of shock, for hidden just out of sight was another zeppelin, tethered to the rocky wall besides it. This one had two massive envelopes which held the lifting gases and, given the size of the airship it held, it would need two. The main body of the airship reminded Twilight of a transport boat that she had once seen in Horseshoe Bay. Its surface was wide and flat in order to carry large amounts of cargo. However, instead of crates Twilight saw several large devices that looked like cannons with a seat next to them for a pony to sit and aim all along the sides of the zeppelin. The rest of the airship seemed to be made out of metal; the front ending at such a sharp point that Twilight believed it could slice through anything in its way.

“None of this was here when I left,” muttered Count Raven to himself before narrowing his eyes. “General Steel Trap must have started working on this as soon as I left! I never would have expected him to do something like this, Storm take him!”

“Who’s General Steel Trap?” asked Spike as he backed away from the window and turned to face the stallion. “Is he somepony Twilight is going to have to watch out for?”

The Count didn’t answer right away. Instead he eyed both him and Twilight as the zeppelin moved out into Thunder Valley and past the many ponies on the ground. With no cloud cover, the light from Luna’s moon was able to shine into the room. Finally, he turned to look at Twilight. “Your Grace, please do not take what I am about to tell you as a warning to stay away from the General.”

“Ah, ok,” said a slightly surprised Twilight as she quickly spared a glance at Spike who seemed to be taking this the same way she was.

“General Steel Trap is to be your highest ranking military officer,” stated the Count. “As such, he is in charge of all of Thunder Valley’s military forces as well as working as your advisor in matters of defending this country.” Count Raven paused as he looked past Twilight and out the window towards the pass they had just left. “He takes this duty and responsibility very seriously Your Grace. Always on the lookout for possible threats against our fair country. So it came as little surprise that when the Storm began showing signs of weakening he believed that we should begin fortifying the area. He believed that, whether or not this was the work of an outside force, once the Storm becomes weak enough we will become the target for other nations to plunder.”

“Sounds a bit paranoid to me,” said Spike with a roll of his eyes.

“Actually Spike, he has a point,” said Twilight as she looked down at the young dragon. “The thestrals have no idea what’s out there. For all they knew, it could have been peaceful lands as far as the eye could see or a region filled with various warlords battling each other for control. Also, if there were ever thestrals wondering what was out there I’m sure that the General figured that there was also a good chance that whoever was on the other side of the storm was wondering what was on the other side as well. Thankfully there is still only one viable entrance into the Valley so that it will be easier to defend.”

Count Raven smiled proudly at Twilight, showing his fangs as he did so. “That is an impressive evaluation of the General’s thinking Your Grace.” In response, Twilight blushed while hiding her face with her wings. However, Count Raven’s smile did not last long as it quickly became a frown. Slowly Twilight lowered her wings as the Count continued to speak. “While many of us have agreed that he has a point, we have been more focused on the current situation than a possible future one. There is just not enough within our current budget to build any type of long-lasting defense. Our resources are needed elsewhere! Sadly, there lies part of the problem: nopony can agree on where our focus should be.”

Twilight gave a nod, understanding the situation. While she understood the General’s fears she could also understand the worries of the nobles. While ensuring their safety was important, so too was making sure they had running water, food, and dozens of other important things. Not to mention dealing with the chaos of the uprising they just came out of. Right now, Twilight wasn’t sure what was the most important thing to start on.

“Twilight,” said Spike, snapping Twilight from her thought as she looked down at her number one assistant. “Do you think that this means the General has taken over or-”

“Hardly,” snorted the Count as he walked away from the window. “General Steel Trap is many things, but power hungry isn’t one of them. When the army turned against the Princess, he had a chance to take control but didn’t. I’d say it would be far more likely that he convinced the other nobles to do this or he is acting on his own without their knowledge.” The stallion then turned to give Twilight a look. “Your Grace, we’d best hurry to the capital with due haste.”

Twilight simply nodded.

-x-

It took almost an entire night’s flight before they made it to the capital. As the zeppelin flew through the sky, Twilight took this time to get an idea of the land she would soon be in charge of. The first thing she noticed was that the grass was dark than back in Equestria. Perhaps it was because of the lack of light but even back home the grass never looked this dark. There were also forested areas with pine trees so large that the zeppelin had to swerve around a few. Every so often Twilight would catch glimpses of creatures scurrying across the ground only to quickly lose sight of them before she could register what they were. Beyond that, Thunder Valley seemed to exist mostly of rolling hills and flat land with the occasional river. Almost as if it were deserted.

Eventually, the zeppelin flew close to a nearby settlement located next to a large lake. It wasn’t a small hamlet like Ponyville, instead reminding Twilight of Manehatten. Despite the vast area of land they could possibly expand into, the town seemed to be cramped with no spaces between any buildings and in some instances seemingly on top of each other. Each building seemed to be made of grey brick with dark purple roofs that curved into a smoke stack at the top, spewing large amounts of black smoke into the air. The only exception to this that Twilight could see was the clock tower, which was made once more from the same blackened metal. Or maybe it was more than a clock tower as Twilight noticed that below the clock face it seemed to spread out to take up the same amount of room as two buildings on either side. She could even manage to see thestrals walking in and out of it. The only other thing she noticed were the pipes, large massive ones that seemed to run down many of the buildings. Twilight had no idea what they were for, but she could make a few guesses. It could have been some sort of sewer line or perhaps an emergency escape system. The pipes did look large enough to hold a fully grown pony after all.

As they left the city to follow a river that was connected to the lake, Twilight began to wonder about the thestrals. Why did they live like this? Was there enough room to go around or was it that they just preferred to stay as close as possible? Also, why was there so much smoke coming out of every building? For a moment, Twilight’s imagination showed her each building ablaze on the inside. But that couldn’t be. The thestrals she had seen were walking around like it was nothing out of the ordinary. There were so many questions that were buzzing around in Twilight’s head that she didn’t know where to start. For a moment, she looked over at the Count for she knew he would answer them. However, Twilight bit her tongue. If she was going to become the Queen then she probably shouldn’t be asking questions at random without any real thought to them. So instead, she promised herself that once she got to the capital she would get all the paper and quills she could find so she could make a nicely organized list.

After many hours of following the river, the Count suddenly stood up and walked towards the window. “There it is,” he said while pointing to something growing larger in the distance. Excitement was radiating from his voice, his slit eyes twinkling with joy. “The capital of Thunder Valley: Automahollow!”

Both Twilight and Spike moved out of their seat in order to look out the window to see what Count Raven was pointing at. There, in the distance and growing clearer by the moment, was a larger city than the one they had previously seen. Unlike the last one, Automahollow seemed to be more spaced out, as if to give its residents room to breathe. Twilight also noticed that the buildings were taller, perhaps even grander as well, being easily seen in the distance. Above the city, Twilight could see dozens of zeppelins flying through the sky while leaving trails of black smoke in their wake. She could even make out several thestrals in the air as well.

As they entered the city, Twilight’s heart sank. It terms of size, it seemed larger than Canterlot. Looking down at the layout she saw that she had been right, there were alleyways between most of the buildings in order to give a bit more space. Twilight also noted that there canal system that moved through the city in a similar pattern as a spider’s web and that there were roads on each side of the canal for ponies to walk about or move about in their strange machines. One of these looked like a carriage, black with rows of spikes on the very top. What pulled it was not a pair of thestrals but instead two large machines that looked like ponies. Even from way up in the sky, Twilight could see the smoke stacks in the middle of each as well as the wide array of tubes and gauges on their side as they crossed one of the many bridges. Twilight also noticed the several train tracks that were spread out around the city. These tracks were not on the ground, using many bridges in order to traverse the city. No, these train tracks were high above the ground supported by many steel pillars so that they needn’t interrupt the travel of those below. From what she could see, some of the tracks actually ran next to some of the taller buildings which had areas cleared out as if the trains were meant to stop there so they could unload. There was even one building that had a tunnel built into it!

That, however, was not what made her heart sink. With Canterlot, there was a sense of size and majesty that showed both the power as well as the importance of the capital. While it had the size, roughly about double that of Canterlot’s, it lacked anything that could even remotely be considered majestic. Automahollow was a dank, dirty city the likes Twilight had never seen or even imagined possible. From what Twilight could see, the city had layers almost similar to that of the last city she had seen. Looking down at the canal system, just right above the dank green water, there were dwelling built into the rusted metal walls. Some were even situated next to sewer pipelines which shot out filth into the water system. Whatever decorations these dwelling had looked old and decayed, some appearing ready to fall off at any moment.

Above them was somewhat better. Most of the buildings were made of greystone, going up two to three stories that were topped off with black metal roofs that ended in a narrow point. These rooftops had several smokestacks coming out of each while the outer edges had a row of sharp spikes pointing to the sky. Yet there were buildings where the main body of the structure had patches of the black metal or was simply made completely of metal. Those that were made completely of metal were much different. Instead on the rectangular appearance that the others had, these metal dwellings were a mixture of spherical and cylindrical stacked on top of each other with attachments next to them that reminded Twilight of large kettles. With these buildings, Twilight could see the large rivets in them as well as patches of rust. Pipes both thin and wide seemed to be connected to every building Twilight could lay her eyes upon.

Twilight could see plenty of thestrals walking around on the sidewalks in front of these buildings. Almost all of them were dressed along with their goggles and masks, avoiding the piles of soot that littered their paths. The alicorn could spot a few pausing to look into the dirty windows of what must have been shops but for the most part they seemed to head towards their destination without pausing to do anything else.

Then there were the largest buildings, standing as tall as the skyscrapers in Manehatten. Yet there was something wrong with their appearance. One such building stood on four steel arcs the same way Shining Armor and Cadence’s castle did back in the Crystal Empire. After that the building became smooth and circular before becoming this jagged, almost oval glass section that seemed to go on for ten stories. Above that, the building decreased in width while looking more rectangular before jutting out into three smokestacks. Twilight had no idea if she was supposed to be impressed that they accomplished building something like this, fearful that it might fall if the weather got out of control, or simply repulsed by how ugly it looked. And that was only one of the large buildings she spotted. Several other buildings of similar odd design were littered around the capital.

“Magnificent, isn’t it Your Grace,” said Count Raven, the pride clear in his voice as he looked at one of the taller buildings. “Automahollow has always been the heart of our country. A monument to our ingenuity.”

“Well,” began Twilight as her eyes darted back and forth quickly. She could feel her cheeks burn as she racked her brain on trying to find something nice to say about this place. “It is something.”

“Something dirty,” muttered Spike as he eyed flakes of soot falling down like black snow. “Somepony better tell the weather team to do something about this mess.”

“The…weather team?” questioned Count Raven as he turned his head to look at Spike. “I’m not sure what you mean by that young dragon.”

“You know,” said Spike as he turned to look at the Count, spreading his arms wide as he did. “The weather team. The ponies who move the clouds, make it rain, and all that stuff. I’m sure a good rain or something for a couple of days might help wash away all this crud.”

For a moment, the Count stood there looking down at Spike with a look of confusion that did not sit well with Twilight. Then his eyes widened slightly. “Ah, yes. I remember Princess Luna and Celestia mentioning something about that while I was in Canterlot. I might have even saw a few of them at work one night, but thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me!” He then paused to let out a good natured laugh. “Mr. Spike, here in Thunder Valley there is nothing like that here. We thestrals are unable to manipulate the weather. Why, we can’t even walk on the clouds!”

“You can’t?!” exclaimed Twilight in surprise. “B-But then who manages the weather?”

“Why, nature itself Your Grace,” replied the Count before turning to look out the window again. “Thunder Valley is much like this Everfree Forest I was told about. We are at the Storm’s whim. Only it decides when to grace us with rain or snow before it rejoins with the main body at our border.”

As the zeppelin moved further inward, Twilight could see a more…normal buildings dominating the area. Nearly all of them were large, square shaped buildings that took up a large amount of land. So large in fact that a few of them had small, personal zeppelins parked on their flattened roofs! Taking all this in, as well as the fact that there were no thestrals living in the canal system, Twilight assumed that this was the upper class district of the capital.

Licking her lips in anticipation, Twilight turned her head to look in the direction they were heading. There, in the      of the city, were several grayish rectangular guard towers that were about six or so stories tall with a large gate in the middle of them. Twilight could feel her heart beating faster now, knowing that she was closer to the end of this journey. She could see the towers of her new home as the zeppelin rose higher into the sky. This would be the place where she would rule this land. She only hoped that it wasn’t as filthy as most of the city.

After the zeppelin passed the towers, Twilight noticed a bridge with a filthy yellow glass ceiling connecting the guard towers to the castle which was surrounded by the polluted water. As her gaze started from the river, Twilight looked up to see massive gears turning under the bridge on both sides with cables running along its underbelly. On the castle’s side, the foundation looked ancient with green moss taking up large portions of the walls. Water was pouring out of various holes from the wall while on another side of the building were four massive pipes that trailed downwards into the murky depths. Then, just beyond those pipes, were row upon row of yellow tinted windows that started from the water level and went all the way up towards the main body of the castle. Said main body had four circular towers, one at each corner, that were each topped with a giant orb of yellow stained glass and bound together by steel girders. The massive building had areas that jutted outwards for a floor or three here which seemed odd to Twilight. After several floors, she noticed what looked like another smaller building had been placed on top of it away from the smokestacks about one tenth the size of the main body. This upper level had large yellow stained glass windows, three on each side, that reminded Twilight of the ones back in Canterlot but only due to their sheer size.

As the zeppelin moved towards the back, Twilight felt the airship begin to slow down while continuing to climb up higher. The reason for that, as Twilight quickly realized, was that there was a long stretch of metal exiting from the back of the castle the length of a polo field. Below them was a largely polluted lake of green and black that made Twilight’s stomach turn just by looking at it.

Finally, when the zeppelin came to a stop it was parallel to the strip causing Twilight to realize that it must be some sort of off loading deck or something like that. She wasn’t the only one to realize that either as Spike ran to the door. “About time,” he said, his voice ringing with childish eagerness. Before Twilight could say anything, Spike was already out the door, probably tired of being cooped up in one room for so long.

“Spike, wait up,” cried Twilight as she chased after her assistant.

“Your Grace, you need to-” began Count Raven, but Twilight kept moving out the door and down the hallways following after her baby dragon. She watched as he sprinted as fast as his tiny legs would carry him, almost uncaring if he bumped into anypony. Twilight…did not have that luxury. Her ears picked up the sounds of hoofsteps and voices from the other thestrals aboard the airship. No doubt they were glad to be home as well, ready to depart when they were able to. Meaning it was likely that some would be heading towards the exit right about now. So with this in mind, every time she saw a new hallway coming up she slowed down and looked to see if anypony was heading in her direction. While doing this slowed her down greatly it did prevent her from running down two thestrals.

By the time Twilight caught up to Spike he was already out the open door. Groaning and gritting her teeth in frustration, Twilight picked up the pace as she too exited the airship. She could see Spike as he began to slow down on the metal pathway, taking in everything around him as he did. Twilight took a breath, ready to yell at him only to have her eyes widen. Her lungs felt like they were on fire! Had she pushed herself too hard running after Spike? Was it a cause of needing more air? While it certainly felt that way to her, Twilight doubted it was because of this light gallop. When she had been chased by that hydra she hadn’t felt this winded and since then she had become much more physically active. Twilight began to cough loudly, doing her best to take deep breaths as Spike turned around to look at her.

“Twilight?” Spike said in a fearful tone as he took a few steps towards her. However, Twilight couldn’t answer him as she was now on her front knees coughing violently in order to get some air with her eyes wide with fear. She didn’t understand what was going on. How could Spike be fine while she wasn’t? A new burning sensation cut off those thoughts as tears began to run down her cheeks. Her eyes felt like dozens of tiny needles were pressed against them.

By this time members of the crew were now exiting the airship. Twilight did her best to look up, but found it difficult due to the severity of her coughing. Still she was able to see something in her peripheral vision. There were only a few that she could see, mostly engineers and crew members. Most of them took to the sky to head into the city while the few that didn’t walked past Twilight without paying her distress any mind. Twilight wondered if they even bothered to look at her as she couldn’t tell due to the fact that they were all wearing their goggles.

“Twilight!” shouted Spike. “Somepony help! Twilight’s-”

“Your Grace,” came the familiar voice of Count Raven while Twilight felt somepony landing next to her. But, by this point, it was getting harder to concentrate. Her thoughts were becoming less focused while her vision was becoming blurry. It was all she could do right now just to identify who was around her and try to breath.

Then…sweat relief filled her. Her lungs were finally getting air and her vision was beginning to clear up. However, everything around her now had a yellow tint to it and there was something around her muzzle.

“Just keep breathing Your Grace,” said Count Raven in a comforting tone as he knelt down besides her. “Forgive me for my failure. As soon as when got into the city I should have been giving your autolungs and goggles.”

“Why does she need those?” asked Spike as he point to Twilight. Or, more specifically, her face. While continuing to take steady breaths Twilight brought a hoof up to her muzzle to find that she was wearing a mask, one that was probably identical to the one Count Raven was wearing.

“An…unfortunate side effect I’m afraid,” replied the Count as he helped Twilight get to her hooves. “With all smoke from burning coal as well as a number of other gases that are all needed to power everything there is sadly not enough fresh air to breathe. Thus the need for the autolungs arose. Without them, no thestral would be able to go outside.” He then looked down at Spike. “Hmm, curious. I was going to give you your own autolungs as well but it seems like you are not having any difficulty breathing at all.”

“I guess dragon lungs work differently,” said Spike as he moved next to Twilight. “After all, we can swim in lava. Guess we’re just made of stronger stuff.”

Insane. That word echoed in Twilight’s head as they slowly moved towards the doorway at the end of the ramp. The thestrals were insane! How in the wide world of Equestria could they live like this? How could they trade fresh air for these ugly factories? How could they allow their water to become so polluted like this? How could they walk past a pony in need of help like she wasn’t even there? Didn’t they know anything of friendship or compassion? What was wrong with them?!

Perhaps for the first time since she had begun this trip, Twilight was glad her friends weren’t here. In fact, she was now dreading the moment that they came for a visit! She could see Applejack’s disgusted expression as she looked out at the land that was probably useless for farming. Fluttershy would be worrying herself to death over all the animals who suffered because of what had been done to the environment. Pinkie Pie wouldn’t be able to see anypony smiling due to the masks as well as realizing that outdoor parties were a no-no. Rarity would faint at seeing how everypony dressed and would then go off the deep end when she found out you had to wear the autolungs regardless if it clashed with your outfit. Then there was Rainbow Dash. Who knew what would happen to her if she came in here at full speed without one of the masks? Just one visit and Twilight knew that none of them would ever want to come here of their own free will. Right now a part of Twilight was screaming at her to change her mind, hop back onto the zeppelin and return to her library. But she knew she couldn’t. After all, she had promised them she would become their queen.

So the question was: how could she do that if she didn’t want to be here?

-x-

As Twilight and company entered the castle, the alicorn princess found herself in a short hallway that actually looked nice. The dark purple carpet felt soft against her hooves and matched the wallpaper perfectly. On each side of the walls, high above their heads, pipes were jutting out of before bending downwards and ending with a bright light. This light confused Twilight for a moment since she had never seen anything like it. It wasn’t a candle nor was it full of fireflies. It was…fascinating. She couldn’t stop staring as they made their way down the hallway, passing by many bronze doors that looked like they slide into the walls.

It wasn’t until Twilight heard a slight whooshing sound coming from the end of the hallway that redirected her attention. At the end of the hallways was another one of the bronze doorways which opened up to reveal two thestral mares in maid uniforms with their masks hanging from their necks. Both mares had dark brown coats while dressed in pitch black uniforms with white aprons in the front. As for their manes, one was a darker color of brown with a light toned stripe in the middle while the other had a simple grey color and both were tied up into tight buns. As the two walked into the hallway, their eyes lingered on Count Raven for a moment before trailing off towards Twilight. Upon seeing the alicorn, their dull eyes lit up as they rushed over towards the princess.

“Princess Luna!” exclaimed the brown maned mare as they stopped in front of Twilight. “It is an honor to have you here this wonderful night. You are everything I’d image you’d be. You even have a night themed cutie mark!”

“We are delighted to see that you have accepted the offer to rule over us,” said the other while they both placed a wing over their chests and bowed. “With an immortal princess as our new beckon, Thunder Valley shall continue to move forwards.”

Twilight raised a leg as she was both surprised by this sudden outburst as well as to keep herself from backing up. It wasn’t surprising that they would have assumed she was Princess Luna given that it was supposed to be her Count Raven was sent to find. They had probably been waiting, hoping for this moment to come for a week or so. Now Twilight was in a very uncomfortable situation while being glad that the mask hid her nervous smile.

At that moment, Count Raven cleared his throat to grab the mare’s attention while also removing his mask. “I am so sorry to disappoint the two of you; however this is not Princess Luna. The alicorn who stands before you is Her Grace Princess Twilight Sparkle.” As the Count said her name, Twilight slowly removed her mask so that she could give her best warming smile.

For a moment, the two mares looked at each other in confusion causing Twilight to grow nervous again. Then, when they looked back at them, the brown maned mare spoke up. “Is she Princess Luna’s daughter then?”

“Ah, no,” said Twilight as the two mare’s looked rather disappointed by this.

“Then does this mean she is Celestia’s-”

“Her Grace was not born from either of the two princess of Equestria,” interrupted Count Raven in a firm tone, his eyebrows narrowing as he did. “Rather, Her Grace earned the honor to ascend to becoming an alicorn just recently.” This statement caused the two mares’ to glare at Twilight while Spike moved in front of her and glared back.

“With all due respect, Count Raven,” said the grey maned mare in a rather harsh tone. “Why did you bring back this alicorn when it was requested that you ask Princess Luna?”

At this, Count Raven took a few steps forwards so that he was now in front of the mare who had spoken. His wings bristled slightly while his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Is it your place to question me?” he asked, his voice full of authority. “Do you think I am some senile old stallion who has forgotten his duty to crown and country? That I would be so careless as to grab any alicorn in my path?”

At this point, both of the maid’s ears were flattened against their skulls as their bodies trembled. “P-Please, your lordship,” said the brown maned mare. “S-She meant no disrespect. T-This j-just comes as a surprise.” She looked like she was going to say more, but a sharp glare from the Count silenced her.

“Not another word from you,” he stated causing both mares to whimper. “I should have you both tossed out onto the streets for this poor showing.”

At these words, both mare’s trembling grew as tears began to form in their eyes. To Twilight, it almost looked like they wanted to throw themselves before the Count’s hooves and beg for forgiveness. Only something was holding them back. Was it because they knew it wouldn’t do any good or that they were too afraid to do so? Regardless of what it was, Twilight had seen far too much to continue to stand on the sidelines as a simple observer. In a bright flash Twilight teleported herself between the Count and the two mares before extending her wings.

“That is enough Count Raven,” said Twilight as she gave him a disappointed look that she usually reserved for Spike when he misbehaved.

Count Raven didn’t raise an eyebrow nor did he seem irritated that Twilight was getting involved. Instead, he simply bowed. “Forgive me, Your Grace,” he said in a humbler tone as Twilight folded her wings back. “I was only acting in accordance to my station in an effort to correct these mare’s presumptions. If Your Grace feels that I have stepped out of line then I shall willingly accept any punishment deemed fit.”

This statement caused Twilight to falter slightly, her expression morphing into a more flabbergasted one. To be honest, she hadn’t expected that to work so quickly. Twilight had thought that he’s put up a bit more of a fight or thoroughly explain why his actions weren’t out of line in greater detail. She also certainly didn’t expect him to willingly accept any punishment she thought he deserved.

“There’s, ah, no need to go that far,” she said quickly as she composed herself a bit. Twilight then took a step back while turning so that all three thestrals were in her line of view. “I think that we all allowed our emotions to get the better of us. So, what we will do is pretend like this never happened.”

Count Raven bowed again. “If that is what Your Grace wishes of us,” he said. As for the two maids, they didn’t bow like they had before. Just lowering their heads slightly as they took on more neutral expressions.

“As you wish Lady Twilight,” said the brown maned thestral as she and her fellow maid lifted their heads. “Please, follow us. The other lords are in a meeting with the General. I’m sure they’ll wish to meet you.”
> Wild Theory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say the ride down the elevator wasn’t tense would have been a downright lie. While Twilight did her best to not show it, she kept glancing back at the two maids who were standing directly behind her. Despite their blank expressions and closed eyes, Twilight could still feel their resentment for her being here instead of Princess Luna. As for Count Raven, he also appeared to be calm yet there was still an air of displeasure emanating from him. Most likely due to the maid’s prior behavior.


For that, Twilight couldn’t blame them for the way they acted. They had wanted Princess Luna, the alicorn of the moon and ruler of the night. She was the perfect fit for these ponies. Yet instead they were sent Princess Twilight, a pony who had only been alive for barely two decades and wasn’t the ruler of anything. She had no realm that was under her control or influence. All she had on her resume were defeating a few bad guys with the help of her friends. Would all the ponies here act like the maids? Perhaps. While Count Raven was on her side, he had originally taken the news badly so it was likely that most (if not all) thestrals would react in a similar manner.


Thankfully Twilight felt the elevator slowing down meaning they were close to their stop. That or somepony else needed to get on. Just before the contraption came to its final stop the sound of a buzzer was heard right before the doors opened. Spike jumped and Twilight cried out in shock, her wings outstretched as she did, when they saw who was waiting for them. There, standing at the threshold was a stallion accompanied by two guards. The stallion was wearing a coat that reminded Twilight of the one her brother wore at his wedding, red with golden gear shaped buttons running up the middle. On his chest were several large interlocking gears, larger than any Twilight had seen before. His natural grey coat look rugged and scarred in the places that were visible while his black mane was slicked back ending with a ponytail. But none of that was what shocked Twilight or her assistant. It was his lower jaw. Instead of one made of skin, fur, and bone it was made of steel with etchings of the lunar cycle across his jaw line.


“Greetings Princess Luna,” said the stallion as he was somehow able to move his mouth. Yet his tone was pleasant and easy to understand despite this. Twilight watched as he calmly bowed as did the guards next to him. “Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am General Steel Trap. I beg your forgiveness for not being able to greet you when you first arrived. Had I not been in a meeting with the Great Houses-”


“General,” interrupted the Count as he stepped forward. “This is not Princess Luna. She declined our request and instead recommended Princess Twilight Sparkle who you see before you.” Twilight could see the General’s eyes twitch at this information, but said nothing as he backed up to allow the occupants of the elevator to walk out. Yet despite not saying anything Twilight could feel the air around her become filled with even more tension. She could feel the eyes of the two guards upon her even though they were hidden by their masks and goggles. Steel Trap himself seemed to be giving her a cold, calculating appraisal. Twilight in turn tried her best to smile at him, only for it to falter at his intense glare.


“I see,” said General Steel Trap at last. There was an edge to his tone that caused Twilight’s ears to flatten. “Count Raven, allow me to escort you to the conference hall. We will need to…discuss this development with the Heads of Houses. I am sure they will have many words for you.” Twilight watched as Count Raven gave a firm nod of understanding. Without another word, the General and the two guards turned around before walking down the hallway they were in. As for the Count, he took a few steps backwards so that he could move next to Twilight without letting the General out of his sight.


“Your Grace, I’m afraid I must leave you for now,” he whispered swiftly. “Please stay with the maids while I attempt to have them see reason.” With that said, Count Raven walked in the direction Steel Trap had gone without so much as waiting to hear Twilight’s reply.


As the four retreating figures moved down the dark hallway they were in, Twilight and Spike exchanged a look. Spike was twiddling his claws like he always did when he was nervous while trying his best to look like everything was ok. Twilight was sure that her reassuring expression was just as weak, biting her lower lip as she trip to smile. Both felt scared and alone within the new land of steel, steam, and smog. Without Count Raven, Twilight didn’t know who she could trust.


“So,” said Spike as he broke the silence. “What do we do now?”


“Well I suppose we could take a tour of the castle,” said Twilight as she turned to look behind her. “Do you think…” Twilight’s words trailed off as she realized that both maids were no longer standing behind them. Squinting her eyes, Twilight tried to see if she could see them down the hallway only to fail. Somehow they were long gone without any way for her to contact them.


Head tilting down now, Twilight began to ponder Spike’s question again. As much as she wanted to look around the castle she had no way of knowing how they would be treated. Many would probably assume she was Princess Luna, greeting her warmly until she told them the truth. She could lie and say she was Princess Luna, but how would they react when they found out they had been lied to? How could they ever trust her to rule this land when the first time they met was when she was claiming to be somepony else? Perhaps she could use her magic to make her and Spike look like thestrals for a bit while they looked around. That, however, also came with risks. What if the spell failed and they were caught? General Steel Trap was already paranoid about outside threats, so doing something like that would be more like throwing more fuel onto the fire. Not to mention that if they thought she was spying on them then they definitely wouldn't want her to be their Queen. They would lock her and Spike in jail, never to see Ponyville ever again. Worst of all she would have embarrassed not only Equestria but also Princess Celestia!


Just as Twilight was about to suggest they just sit and wait her ears perked due to a strange noise approaching them. Lighting up her horn in order to see better, Twilight lifted her head just in time to see something stranger than the appearance of Steel Trap turn the corner: a pony made of metal! Twilight briefly remembered seeing something similar to this when she was looking out the zeppelin, but it was something else to see it so close. In terms of shape, it reminded Twilight more of a bronze earth pony due to the lack of wings or a horn. On its back was a flat surface, as if it were meant to carry things on it, as well as several slots on his legs. Both eyes shined a red tinted light from its lens as it moved down the tracks on the side of the hallway that both Twilight and Spike just noticed. As it passed her by, Twilight noticed something in its neck. It looked like a card or something similar. For what reason it was there Twilight had no idea, but the red line around the slot it was in made it seem important.


Unable to help herself, Twilight began to follow this machine from a safe distance. Her mouth salivated as she thought of all the things she could learn if she could only get it to stay still for just a few moments. Was it like an enchanted golem, able to do any task that its creator desired? If so then that would mean that non-magical ponies could build them to help out in their labors! Perhaps handling material that was unsafe for a normal pony or just doing jobs that no pony has time to do.


Up ahead, the machine turned another corner causing Twilight to speed up with Spike hot on her hooves. Down it went through another long hallway that seemed to go on forever with only the occasional doorway as a change of scenery. Thankfully the machine never sped up or bumped into anypony, both of which would have made it harder for Twilight to follow it. Glancing upwards at the ceiling, Twilight noticed plenty of spider webs which suggested that few ponies went down this way. She also noted that several of the lights didn’t seem to be working anymore.


Finally, the machine entered a large archway which Twilight followed after…and then stopped dead in her tracks.


“Wha-What is this place?” asked Spike as the two looked around. The area they were in reminded Twilight of the tower the two had lived in back in Canterlot, with metal stairways running up its circular walls stopping at the occasional railing the served as a floor. Chains hung from various cranes that ended in hooks that skewered the bodies of machines like the one that they had been following, oil and other fluids dripping from them. All across the dirty floor were parts of machinery that the purple princess had no idea what to make of. Half open cabinets were on the railings above them all the way up to the yellow glass domed ceiling above.


“I…I have no idea,” whispered Twilight as she took a step back. “But I think we shouldn’t be here.” After she said this, a metal door slid out from the wall behind them to seal off the archway as well as the exit.


As Twilight lit her horn, ready to teleport them out of there, a voice called out. “Well, well, well. What have we here?” Twilight and Spike turned around, searching for the voice. Then, something landed in front of them causing the pair to scream in fright. Due to the light of her horn, Twilight was able to see four spider like legs with five or six segments on each. Cables and wires ran down each of these ‘legs’ to the middle and into a large metallic pack that had cords running upwards to the ceiling. And wearing that pack was a thestral. The thestral had a white mane that seemed to stand up in every direction and a brown coat with several scorch marks on it. His eyes were covered by goggles that had several tools sticking out of them such as a metal arm holding a toothpick, scissors, and magnifying glass. As the legs brought his body closer to the ground, Twilight and Spike screamed again.


“AHHHHH!” shouted the thestral as he fell to his hooves. Then, as the two from Equestria looked on in confusion, he quickly removed a strap that was holding him to the legs and fell to the ground. Once all four hooves were on the ground the thestral raced away, still screaming at the top of his lungs, until he reached a particularly large pile of junk which he ducked behind.


Spike and Twilight blinked at this. “Ah, Twilight,” began Spike as he crossed his arms, a look of utter confusion still on his face. “Do you have any idea what’s going on here?”


“Not really,” replied Twilight as she shook her head. It was then that she noticed the head of the stallion peeking out from around the pile. Not wanting to frighten him anymore, as well as hoping he could let them out, Twilight Sparkle grinned nervously as she waved to him. “We’re friendly,” she called out.


Slowly the thestral stepped out from behind the junk pile, gaze locked onto Twilight. It was only after several long seconds did he move, traveling at a blurry speed that reminded Twilight of Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie. Before she could comprehend this Twilight felt hooves touching her wings. With a quick jerk of her head she saw that it was the stallion looking upon her wings in rapture.


“Oh Blessed Storm,” he cried out, his voice a bit on the high pitched side as he continued to feel up Twilight’s wings. “Feathers on a pony? Then this must mean that you’re a pegasi. Never seen one in pony before but there is no other explanation! They’re so soft and smooth! I would have thought they would have had to been made of stronger stuff, but no! They’re as soft as a baby birds. Oh how utterly fascinating these pegasi wings are.”


“Excuse me,” grumbled Twilight as she pulled her wing away. As the stallion turned to look at her, Twilight noticed something was horribly wrong with one of his wings. It looked dried up, almost to a skeletal level and about a third of the size of his other wing. But those thoughts ended as she realized that this crazy pony was now staring at her horn.


“And…And A HORN!” he cried out while bouncing closer in the direction of her head. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly silenced as the thestral placed both his front hooves on either side of her face. Unable to move thanks to this as well as shock, Twilight watched as the stallion brought his face so close to her horn that she could feel his breath brushing up against it. “So this is a unicorn’s horn! Oooooooh, I read so many stories about these things. It even has the spiral just like how they were described! This is simply incredible. I wonder if there are nerve endings within the horn that connects it to the brain allowing the use of magic or if magic is present within the entire body making the horn a focusing point. Ma’am, would you mind if I cut into your horn?”


That snapped Twilight out of her funk. “What? NO!” she yelled as she pushed the stallion away causing him to fall to the ground with his legs pointing in all directions. As Twilight rubbed the side of her face Spike walked in front of her and held his arms up as if to guard her. This was a mistake.


“Wait,” said the stallion getting giddy again. “Wait, wait, wait! What is that creature?” Quickly he got up and began to look over Spike in rapid succession. “This creature seems to have scales rather than fur. I wonder how strong they are? The teeth are clearly fangs meaning its most likely a meat eater.”


“What?” said Spike before sticking out his tongue in disgust. “Eat meat? No way. I prefer gems over meat any day buddy.”


“And it can understand me!” cheered the stallion. “It’s capable of speaking and understanding the words its saying! Clearly this isn’t a mimicking response to-”


“EXCUSE ME!” shouted Twilight, finally getting the stallion to stop what he was doing and looking at Twilight. “Could you please calm down? You are freaking us out!”


Instantly, the stallion’s face morphed into that of horror before he quickly lifted up his goggles. “Oh, I am so dreadfully sorry about that,” he said while panting slightly in an effort to calm himself down. “Please, please, please forgive me. It’s just this is the first time I have ever seen non-thestrals before that I guess I got carried away. Never seen feathery wings like on a pony or…a…horn…” At that, his eyes lit up. “Wait, wings AND a horn. But the only creatures in existence that have both of those are alicorns! That must mean your Princess Luna, right?”


Twilight winced uncomfortably. “N-No, I’m not,” she answered. “She decided not to accept your offer and instead recommended me for the position. My name is Twilight-”


“Not Princess Luna!” shouted the stallion. His voice, however, did not carry any angry like she had expected. Instead, the stallion seemed to be excited once more as he walked around the room talking to himself. “Yes, well we knew there was at least one other alicorn so it would stand to reason that there could be others. Factor in the amount of time that has passed since our writings told us of Princess Luna and Celestia, there could have been any number of changes! Why, there could be hundreds if not thousands of alicorns running around across the planet as we speak! I have so many questions buzzing around my head. Better write them down before I spring a leak. Nothing worse than a leaky valve.”


Twilight smiled. “You seem to be taking this better than most thestrals we’ve met.”


“Seriously?” commented the stallion as he walked over to one of the piles before flinging stuff about. “Why shouldn’t I or any other pony be excited by this? You, my dear alicorn, are the first non-thestral we have ever had in Thunder Valley’s history! Add in the fact that there could be more alicorns out there has caused my brain to shift gears.” He then picked up an oily pipe with his mouth and then froze. Quickly he spit it out before turning to face Twilight. “Oh my, oh my, oh my. Please forgive me for not properly introducing myself. Often forget my manners when I get excited, you see. I am Dr. Wild Theory, in service to the crown as Royal Scientific Advisor.” As he said this, Wild Theory wrapped his good wing over his chest while his bad one touched the ground, sinking low to the ground as he did this.


“You’re a what?” asked Spike as Theory righted himself.


“Royal Scientific Advisor young lizard lad,” said Theory as he trotted over to another pile and began searching through it. “Back when King Cobalt was still alive, there would be many companies seeking government funded research grants for various projects they were working on. My duty was to consult the king on whether or not something seemed feasible and the possible effects such technology would have on Thunder Valley.” Theory paused, his mood shifting again as reflected in his voice. “Nowadays, all my position amounts to is a fancy title. Don’t know if you know this, but not too long ago there were plenty of budget cuts. In order to save money, I was also put in charge of the in-house repairs for all of our gizmos. Then we had staff cut after staff cut until I was the only pony left. With this area being such a low priority, there aren’t enough grits to order new parts so I’ve been reduced to searching through scrap yards and cannibalizing parts from anything I can get my hooves on. That includes the other auto-ponies.”


“Auto-ponies?” repeated Twilight as she looked over at the machine ponies dangling from the hooks. “Is that what they are?”


“Yes indeed they are,” said Theory as he seemed to regain some of his lost enthusiasm, turning around to look at them with a smile. Quickly trotting to the back of the room, with Spike and Twilight right behind him, not stopping until he was next to the mechanical pony the two followed. “This is the latest in auto-pony technology. Unlike previous models that were limited to a single task and location, this one can go anywhere in the castle with the use of a single punch card as long as there are tracks. Now, the duties it can perform are still very limited, so we have mostly used it for mundane deliveries and such. But, but, but it is certainly a trot in the right direction. If we can get funding for these beauties once more I feel certain within the next twenty years we won’t be needing either the track or a punch card. Just imagine being able to ask one of these wonderful auto-beauties to do a job for you and it’ll do it right on the spot!”


“That sounds wonderful,” said Twilight without a smile as she looked over the auto-pony. “But, won’t that replace ponies in the workplace? Like the staff here in the castle? If these things will be able to do what you say then wouldn’t you be putting the maids out of work?”


Wild Theory rubbed his chin. “Yes, that is worrisome. But, but, but what about ponies who have such dangerous jobs hauling toxic chemicals or working in the mines? If we can get these things to replace their jobs then they’ll be free to find safer jobs.”


“That’s assuming that they’ll be able to find some,” responded Twilight as she touched the cold metal of the auto-pony. “Believe me, I do like the sound of these things taking over jobs that put ponies’ lives at risk. But I can’t help but feel that they would have gone with a safer job if they could. Also, I have known ponies who enjoy doing jobs that others consider dangerous. No matter how you look at it, allowing these things to take over other ponies jobs simply means that there will be fewer jobs available. Instead of making life easier for ponies, we’d just be making them more stressful.” It was then that Twilight noticed the smile on Wild Theory’s face, his eyes glued to Twilight. “What?”


“Oh, sorry,” replied the stallion as he moved to a nearby tool bench. “It’s…just been a long time since I’ve been able to have a conversation like this. It’s been nice.”


Wild Theory’s words struck a chord with Twilight, her eyes widening slightly as watched him look at his tools. Before her stood a pony whose job had been to voice his opinion to help serve throne. One who probably sat down with the former king and had back and forth conversations with him for who knows how long. But now he was a simple repair pony with a fancy title, probably just taking orders from others and not allowed to voice his opinions. Judging by the webbing out in the hallway, Twilight thought it unlikely that anypony came down here all that often.


But that didn’t mean it would always be like this! Not if Twilight could help it. “Ah, Wild Theory,” began Twilight as she approached the bench. “I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind showing me around?” Wild Theory dropped the wrench he had just picked up in his mouth before turning to look at Princess Twilight. “You see I just arrived here with Count Raven and, well, he was sort of called away before he could show me around. So we’re a little lost now…”


Theory smiled at her. “Well, well, well, we can’t have you getting lost now can we?”


-x-


With that the tour began, starting in the area where most in the city came when visiting the castle. It was four stories tall and it was hard to tell what color the walls were due to all the bronze pipes running along them. The ground floor, which she was on, was mostly barren of anything that could obstruct a pony’s path as the thestrals milled about. Most of them were moving towards the various windows in the walls where they then either got in line or formed a new one. Each window had a mare or stallion standing behind it with several clear tubes coming out of the walls next to them. Twilight noticed that, on occasion, one of these ponies would put a piece of paper in a bronze cylinder before putting it in an opening for these tubes. Once it was closed, the cylinder would go flying up the tube without any magic helping it at all. It was simply amazing. At the other end of the hallway, Twilight saw two large spiraling staircases made of metal that went all the way up to the fourth floor. There were a few thestrals taking the stairs but most Twilight noticed used their wings to fly to the desired floor. With the limited light, Twilight could only see them going into rooms that were up there but as to what they were she had no idea.


On the other side of the room, in-between the double spiraling staircases, was a large door made of steel. It was so large that it went up to the second floor! Twilight could easily see that it had been polished recently due to the shine and on both sides stood a single guard with their odd looking weapons by their sides. But what fascinated Twilight the most was what was engraved into the door. Three cloaked ponies depicted as larger than life, their faces unseen as the full moon stood out in the background. Twilight would have sooner expected something like an old thestral ruler to be there depicted in some sort of glory or perhaps even Princess Luna, not three hooded figures. When Wild Theory noticed Twilight staring at those doors he explained that they were only ever opened to allow the populace into the throne room and those times were very rare.


From there, they moved out into more spacious and elegant hallways that were somewhat similar to those back in Canterlot Castle. Twilight guessed that this was meant for ponies of higher status and power compared to what she had seen before. The hallways were tall and majestic while also lacking as many pipes (perhaps two or three thinner ones running along the side of the wall at a time) allowing the dark wooden walls to be more easily seen. There were even wooden archways placed in the middle of hallways that had wooden ‘spears’ pointing down on the ponies who walked beneath them. Portraits hung on the walls of thestrals Twilight had to assume were important, perhaps past leaders from various points in the nation’s history.


One portrait did catch her attention as it depicted two thestrals around her age. One of them was a black coated stallion with an equally black mane that looked remarkably oily and parted in the middle. The artist had also seemed fit to give him the look of a pony who had gone several days without sleep. The other pony in the picture, by contrast, looked fresh and ready to take on the world. That pony was a mare with a coat as white as fresh snow with her equally white mane tied into a bun on the back. Twilight also couldn’t help notice how the two were dressed with the stallion wearing a simple dark brown vest while the mare had on an elegant black dress. Both ponies were back to back, while their heads were turned to face the viewer. While there was nothing there to tell her who these ponies were, Twilight had a good hunch that this was Princess Alabaster and Prince Obsidian. She never got a change to confirm this however as they moved from room to room at a shocking pace. One moment she was looking at a dining room that could easily seat fifty ponies or more before moving on to a copper colored ballroom.


There was something else that Twilight noticed yet said nothing about. As they moved through the castle, Twilight would hear a noise behind her. When she turned her head to look down a previous empty hallway she would instead find one of the maids cleaning something up. Other times they would pass by a maid and, when Twilight turned her head to look behind her the maid would have vanished. How they did this so quickly confused the princess since she knew they couldn’t have teleported away.


As the group turned around another corner to head towards the throne room they were met by a pair of guards standing in the middle of the hallway. “Princess Twilight and servant,” spoke one of the guards behind his mask. “The Heads of the Great Houses have requested your presence.”


Twilight blinked for a moment as she processed what had just been said as a small bit of Twilight style panic began to rear its head. They were ready to see her now? How long had they been waiting on her? Just how long had she been on this tour? It didn’t feel like very long, but that could have just been her perception of time. Perhaps it hadn’t been long at all and they were ready to throw her and Spike out of the country since she wasn’t the one they wanted! She’d have to go back to Equestria and tell Princess Celestia that she failed! What could be worse than that?!


Before her freak out could fully manifest on the outside, Twilight felt a small claw touch her side. She looked downward already knowing that it belonged to Spike. She looked down at the baby dragon who was smiling at her and giving a nod. Seeing this allowed Twilight to take a breath in order to calm down. If these Heads of the Great Houses had made their decision then there was nothing she could do beyond pleading her case, something that wouldn’t go so well if she were panicking. She also chided herself. The only way Princess Celestia would have been upset with her is if she hadn’t given this her very best effort. As long as she did that, no matter how it turned out in the end, the Princess would be proud of her.


“Very well,” said Twilight at last. “Lead the way-” Already the guards had turned and were walking down the hall without saying a word. Unable to help herself, the purple pony puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.


“Best be going,” said Theory from behind her. “Don’t want to keep their lordships waiting.”


Twilight turned and nodded to the stallion. “You’re right,” she said. “Thank you for showing me around.”


“Anytime Princess,” replied Theory with a bow.
> The Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a bit of time before Twilight found herself standing almost in the middle of a large, circular room that lacked any windows. Despite this, light covered the area from the many bulbs that shined around the room. In an odd bit of design work, the flooring was made of copper plates while the walls had been constructed of plaster and dark wood. Lining the walls were several large machines that hissed and ticked constantly. One, Twilight noticed, looked like an oversized radio with massive speakers. But it also had a large, grey circular window in the middle while below it was a control panel with plenty of knobs. The others, however, Twilight had no idea what to make of, nor did she have the time to wonder about what they might be. All she could guess was that they were important or else they wouldn’t be here.


Before her, the floor had been raised so that a pony would have to climb a small set of stairs in order to get to the middle with a railing around it. After climbing them, Twilight found that there was a bronze table directly in the middle of the room shaped like a gear. Around it laid several red cushions placed for ponies to sit on them. Most of the seats had been filled, their occupants watching her intently. There were only two that she recognized, the first being General Steel Trap who looked upon her coldly. Standing near him, beside an unoccupied cushion, stood Count Raven.


“Your Grace, please be seated so that we may begin,” said the Count. Nodding, Twilight approached her appointed seat and sat down. Nopony else in the room said anything, they just continued to watch her. As for Spike, he remained standing next to her.


“Your Grace, please allow me to introduce these honorable ponies gathered here tonight,” continued Count Raven. “General Steel Trap has already had the pleasure of being in Your Grace’s presence. Seated next to him is Duchess Blue Moon.” Twilight turned to look at the Duchess whom seemed to be older than her mother. Crow’s feet could easily be seen on her grey furred face and streaks of grey could also be seen in her long, black mane. Blue Moon wore a black gown with a high collar as well as a tiny black hat with a matching feather in it. Around her neck was a metallic snake, its head biting its own tail to form a clasp in front.


“Duke Rolling Thunder,” continued Count Raven as he gestured to the gentlecolt seated next to Blue Moon. Like Blue Moon, he had a grey coat but it looked more youthful than hers did. The stallion wore a long, fancy black coat which had a matching buttoned up vest underneath it and a top hat. His eyes were covered by thick round glasses with black lenses on them. While his mane was covered by his hat, Twilight noticed that his beard and mutton chops were brown with a black zigzagging pattern in the middle.


“Duke Fallen Star.” Twilight looked at the next Duke who was also wearing a top hat. Fallen Star was wearing a long, dark coat as well, only it was buttoned up with the buttons at an odd angle up the right side of his chest. His natural coat was brown and was clean shaven, making it harder for Twilight to tell what his mane color was.


“Duchess Eerie Shadow.” Twilight turned to look at the next mare…and almost let out a gasp of shock. The mare’s left eye had been covered by a metal eye patch that seemed bolted into her skull! Twilight could see the large bolts from where she sat while also being unable to see any straps, so it had to be bolted on. The eye patch was decorated with two golden gears with a metal thread connecting the two. Beyond that strangeness, the mare had a black coat with a short brown mane that didn’t go as far as her neck. Her gown was grey that showed off her bare shoulders as she sat.


“And finally, Duke Ticking Clock,” finished Count Raven. Ticking Clock was by far the oldest pony in the room. His grey coat was wrinkly and the top of his head was bald leaving only a ring of white mane around his head. His eyes appeared closed, but the stallion’s posture seemed to suggest that he was aware of what was going on in the room. He wore a dark red coat with golden gear shaped buttons running down the middle. As he raised his right hoof, Twilight noticed a large strap on it with an oversized pocket watch attached.


Looking at all of them, Twilight couldn’t help but make a mental note at what she had been observing to this point. Thestrals seemed to have a far more limited color pallet than the ponies in Equestria. The majority that Twilight had seen had various shades of brown, grey, and black. The only exception to this seemed to be Princess Alabaster who was white. Now, admittedly, it could have simply been a request to paint her like that in order to make her seem more unique compared to her brother so she couldn’t be a hundred percent certain. Was there a reason for this or was it just she lacked more information?


“Hmm, yes,” wheezed Duke Ticking Clock as he checked the time. “Now that the Princess knows who we are we can get down to business. Our time is limited after all.”


“And for others it is remarkably shorter,” commented Rolling Thunder with a ghost of a smile. Ticking Clock lowered his hoof as he turned to look in the direction of the younger stallion. However, Twilight wasn’t sure if he was glaring or not. It was so hard to tell. Heck, she wasn’t even sure if Rolling Thunder knew what the look meant or simply didn’t care as he turned his attention to Twilight. “Princess Twilight, I am sure by now you have gathered that we are…a bit disappointed that Count Raven brought you here instead of Princess Luna.”


“We acknowledge the reasons why he did this,” continued Duchess Blue Moon who didn’t even bother to look at Twilight. “Princess Luna declined our request and recommended you in her stead. While we would have preferred to have been told this ahead of time, long range communication with Equestria is not possible at the moment. A decision had to be made and the Count did what he believed was correct.”


“Be that as it may, we are still concerned,” said Fallen Star. “According to what Count Raven has told us, you were made a Princess because of the traits you showed while defeating several villains in the past. He has relayed the accounts of these adventures and, while being most impressive, we fail to see how these would make you suitable to lead a nation. Perhaps leading a platoon or an army, but not ruling a nation.”


“Your lack of experience gives us much reason to worry,” said Ticking Clock as he shook his head. “We are aware of some of your other services to Equestria’s crown, but organizing events pales in comparison to the duties expected of royalty! Count Raven has also informed us that Princess Celestia told him herself that she has not given you any lessons for the duties befitting your new station. Not even sitting down with her as she goes about her duties.”


Twilight found herself unable to stop from nodding in agreement. It was hard not to see where they were coming from with this. They had the right to be concerned about who was going to be taking over their country. Twilight herself had been wondering since she became an alicorn if she was ready to take up the role that Princess Celestia had given her. To tell the truth, she didn’t feel like she was able to do something so big. She had read plenty of books on the legal process of Equestria, about treaties formed between nations, and a slew of other things that would help one in leading a nation. But…could she actually do something like that? Would she be able to make the right choices while so many lives hang in the balance?


As Twilight was about to give herself a mental pep-talk and formally address the nobility, Spike stood up. “Now wait just a minute,” he said loudly causing Twilight’s eyes to widen in surprise. She looked down at her number one assistant to see him pointing a clawed finger at the thestrals in front of them. “None of you know Twilight so how can you tell what she is and isn’t capable of?! She’s come all this way from Equestria because you asked for somepony to come and lead you.”


All of the nobles looked shocked at this outburst. Clearly, they were not used to being talked to like this. However, once they regained their senses, how would they react? It seemed like they had already made up their mind that they didn’t want Twilight to be their Queen and something like this might dissuade from even letting her talk! For all she knew such disrespect could land them in jail if they didn’t know about diplomatic immunity!


“Spike,” whispered Twilight through gritted teeth as she forced herself to smile.


“What…is that purple creature?” asked Steel Trap, eyeing Spike as if seeing him for the first time.


“I’m a dragon,” responded Spike as he snorted green flames from his nostrils. “Not only that, I’m Twilight’s number one assistant!” At this proclamation, Steel Trap stood up with his wings outstretched. His upper lip curled in order to better show off his fangs.


“A dragon?!” he snarled before turning his attention towards Twilight.


“Hmm,” came the soft voice of Eerie Shadow, speaking for the first time. “A dragon you say. According to our legends, dragons are large flying lizards that breathed fire on innocent ponies as they plundered the land for riches. Complete and utter brutes. Hard to believe that this little one before us is one of their kind.”


“He’s a baby dragon,” said Twilight quickly as she placed a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. Quickly she applied a bit of pressure, silently ordering Spike to sit down. He got the message but continued to glare at the nobles as Twilight spoke. “Ever since I hatched him, Spike has been raised like a pony and has had very few encounters with his kind. I promise all of you that he is not dangerous. If fact, most ponies don’t even bat an eye when they meet him for the first time.”


“I suppose that’s your excuse for not informing us that you brought in a potentially dangerous creature!” yelled Steel Trap.


“General, please compose yourself,” said Eerie Shadow as she kept her good eye on both Twilight and Spike. The General turned to look at the Duchess, but before he could open his mouth Eerie Shadow spoke out. “Need I remind you of the meeting we were having before you left to greet the Princess? It appears that not only did you fail to inform us that you took funding from our other projects to build a blockade at the pass but also to enquire the identity of the race traveling with Princess Twilight.” Twilight could see several heads nodding to this.


“Shouldn’t this prove I’m right!” demanded the General as he slammed a hoof onto the table, wings still extended as he did this. “Because we are not taking the proper measures to safeguard our now exposed borders, a foreigner was able to bring a potentially dangerous creature into our land with no difficulty.” Steel Trap then blinked before taking a breath. He sat down again, folding his wings as he did. “I will admit that, in my excitement to meet Princess Luna followed by my profound disappointment, I failed to take into account the…dragon. I vow to be more aware in the future.”


Twilight looked at the other Dukes and Duchesses who were exchanging looks with each other with frowns on their faces. A ball of guilt began rolling around inside of Twilight her attention turned to the General who, despite looking rather grim, held his head high. Before she knew what she was doing, Twilight spoke. “The General is correct.” This statement caused all head to turn to look at her, including Spike who seemed shocked by this as well as General Steel Trap.


“But Twilight-” began Spike, but Twilight continued to speak.


“I have had Spike with me for so long that I forget that not everypony is as comfortable around dragons as I am. That there are those out there who see them as threats. While I had no way of knowing if anypony in Thunder Valley even knew about dragons, it still should have been my duty as both a princess and a guest to make sure you knew about him. For that, I am sorry.”


“As is it my fault as well,” added Count Raven. There was a twinkle in the stallion’s eye despite the fact that the rest of his face remained neutral. “When I mentioned Her Grace was here with a guest it should have been my duty to clarify that he was a dragon on Her behalf.” Twilight watched as most of the nobles looked at each other, doing their best to hide their confusion at their admittance. Only Eerie Shadow seemed to be unaffected by this statement, her gaze still locked on Twilight.


“Well then,” said the one-eyed Duchess after a moment. “Seeing how there is enough blame to go around, I believe we should get back down to the matter at hoof.” Around her the other nobles nodded. “Very well then. Princess Twilight Sparkle, while we have voiced our concerns on you becoming our Queen, your dragon made two very good points. Ones that we had agreed upon before you entered this room. We did ask for help and we don’t know what you are fully capable of. Therefore, we’d like to see what you can do.”


Before she knew what she was doing, Twilight began to shake her head only to place a hoof by her horn when she stopped. This was so unexpected that she thought she had misheard. After everything that they had said they were still going to make her their Queen? Just what was going on here?


“For the next six months, we will be giving you temporary control of the government,” said Rolling Thunder as he ignored the confusion on Twilight’s face. “During this time, we expect you to familiarize yourself with our history and customs. Count Raven has agreed to remain here by your side to oversee your education as well as to act as a royal advisor. He will also be sending us regular updates on your progress. As for us, we will be returning to our own estates in order to return to our normal duties. We will only return here for our monthly meeting or if there is something urgent that has come to our attention.”


“General Steel Trap will be here to advise you as well,” added in Ticking Clock. “Should there be any rebellious elements or situations that require a military touch that come about.” Twilight gave a slight nod to this while looking at the General out of the corner of her eye. While his face had become neutral, she could see a small glint in his eye that all but confirmed something that was implied but not said. He would be here to keep an eye on her, probably spying on her to make sure she didn’t sabotage the nation. If she stepped out of line or gave them any reason to fear for their country, she was sure he’d put a stop to it quickly. Probably using the end of a sword.


“The end of the six month trial will coincide with the end of Mechacon,” said Fallen Star with a hint of pride in his voice. “This is a weeklong celebration occurring here in the capital. Vendors from all across Thunder Valley will be gathered to put up booths, rides, and so forth while companies both large and small show off their latest mechanical wonders. Before Mechacon begins, the five of us will discuss how you have handled things. Should your rule be satisfactory, we shall end Mechacon with your coronation as Queen. But, if things do not improve, we shall need to decide if you should be stripped of this position or given an extension.”


“Of course, we might not need wait that long to remove you,” added Blue Moon. “If we feel like things are only getting worse or you are in over your young head, we will step in. Do you understand?”


“I do,” said Twilight with a nod.


“Good,” said Ticking Clock. “Then, let us go over a few simple things.”


-x-


Twilight and company didn’t exit the room until two hours later. The Heads of the Great Houses had wanted to go over the many things Twilight would be unable to do until she officially became Queen. Most of them made sense to her, given the circumstances that she found herself in. For example, she would be unable to demote or fire General Steel Trap. If she had good reason for wanting to do so she would have to contact them and provide proof of her claim. Should they agree with her then they would pick his successor. Most likely this was being done as a way to make sure she wouldn’t be able to replace him with somepony who would be willing to help her gain full control. It seemed like most of the rules followed the same kind of logic.


There were, however, a few rules that didn’t seem to make much sense to Twilight. One of them being that she would be unable to sit upon the actual throne until she became Queen. Until that day came, a seat would be supplied for her to sit upon should she ever have need of the throne room. Compared to all of the other rules she had sat through, this one seemed to be less important. Why should anypony care where she sat?


“It is one of the many traditions we have here,” explained Count Raven when she brought this up in the hallway. “Not even Princess Alabaster was allowed to sit upon her father’s throne until she became Queen. I’m not sure how things work in Equestria, but to us thestrals the throne is sacred. A right of rule that symbolizes one's power over the land more so than any crown.”


“Why is that?” asked Spike as he tried to suppress a yawn. Twilight frowned a bit as she looked at him. Not because she was mad…well she was still a little upset that he had spoken out at the meeting. But no, her frown was more directed at how tired he was. Spike was still a baby dragon who needed his sleep. They had been up all night and with no clocks within eyesight there was no way of knowing just how long they had been up. For all she knew the sun had risen hours ago.


Count Raven chuckled, catching Twilight’s attention as they approached an intercepting hallway. The one they had been walking in was minuscule in comparison to the other, which looked like a hundred ponies could walk in it at once with no problem. “Allow me to show you,” said the Count as he gestured down the large hallway.


Twilight turned her head to look at where he was pointing, seeing large doors similar to the ones in the public area of the castle. Only these were open just a crack, enough for a pony to slip past without any trouble. Without a word the Count lead them towards the door where a row of guards were standing at attention on each side of the hall. All of them were still as statues with their weapons under their right wing. Twilight knew from experiences meeting her brother during his training that they would remain motionless for hours but were nonetheless alert to everything that was going on. With this set up, they could surround at her within moments and knock her out with those weapons if she didn’t put up a shield in time. Thankfully, none of them had spears so she didn’t have to worry about ranged attacks.


Beyond the door laid the throne room. Both Twilight and Spike looked around with their jaws slightly hung open. It was easily double the size of the one in Canterlot. Looking around, Twilight saw there were numerous thin marble pillars neatly placed into four rows with vines made of copper wrapped around them. Some of the vines even had copper flowers ‘growing’ on them, making Twilight wonder if this was a real plant that could only be found here in Thunder Valley or if it was just a flourish. From the doorway to the other end was a red velvet walkway that contrasted nicely with the white marble flooring around them. Above their heads, somepony had long ago painted the ceiling to resemble the night sky in perfect detail. Every star was in just the right place and every constellation was perfectly proportionate, causing Twilight to give a nod of approval. The only thing that was off was the moon, which still contained The Mare in the Moon looking down at the few ponies in the room. As Twilight walked across the throne room it almost felt like it was always looking at her. Weird.


At the end of the velvet walkway were six marble steps that led up to a wooden throne. Large enough to sit Princess Celestia, the cushion was made of red velvet and looked very soft. There were no engravings or details in the wood, making it look plain and simple. Twilight was almost a tad disappointed having assumed that this would have been another technological marvel. Behind the throne were the only windows in the entire room. They were stained glass, each one with one of the hooded figures from before with their heads looking down upon the throne as if they were watching its occupant.


“This throne is over eight hundred years old,” said the Count, his voice echoing across the room. “Queen Blood Diamond was traveling across Thunder Valley when a sudden storm appeared, knocking her carriage to the ground along with her only colt. While her escort did not survive, the royal line survived using the remains of their transport as shelter. For four days they were protected from the fury of the elements and the rage of the beasts that prowl this land. Then, when they were brought back, the Queen demanded that carriage that had so dutifully kept them safe become her throne.”


Twilight blinked at this. “You mean to say that this…”


Count Raven nodded. “This was hoof crafted from its remains. King Cobalt used to tell me that he always felt safe when he sat there, more level-headed. Something Your Grace will get to experience one day. Now, allow me to show you to Your Grace’s office followed by the living quarters.”


As the Count turned to walk over to side, Spike spoke up. “I’m still a little surprised. I mean, that they’re giving Twilight a chance. They seemed like they were against the idea when we first got in there.”


“Oh, make no mistake,” said the Count as they approached a wooden door. “They are not excited about this at all. The only reason they are allowing Her Grace this chance is because it will work out well for them either way.”


Twilight paused as she blinked at this statement. “What do you mean by that?”


“I told Your Grace that the nobles here have made very little headway in improving things over since the Princess was dethroned,” said the Count as he stopped in front of the door. Calmly, he turned to look at her as she nodded. “Many of the ponies here have been losing their faith in them while their own personal projects have had to be put on hold. They need to show that something, anything is being done. Thus where Your Grace comes in. If Your Grace does a good job then they shall receive credit for putting you in the position to do so. Should Your Grace fail, well then, it makes them look better by comparison. Add to the fact that they will remove you while undoing all the changes you made will help make them look a tad bit better. Regardless of the outcome, they get to go home and relax from all the stress they have been under, turning their attention to more personal matters. No matter how one looks at this, it’s a win-win situation for them.”


“What a bunch of jerks,” stated Spike as he crossed his arms and looked away. Count Raven, who at this point had a hoof on the door, paused for a moment to look at him.


“At least their behavior works in our favor,” he said before opening the door.


On the other side was a large, circular room. Walking in, Twilight saw that the room had barely any clutter at all. Nearly every bit of the walls had built in bookshelves stacked with books going all the way to the ceiling. There were only a few exceptions to this. The first was a space directly across from where she stood. Instead of books was a large cylinder pipe coming out of the ground and into the ceiling. Turning her head in one direction Twilight saw another door that looked much like the one she had just come through, meaning that there was more than one way into this office. Turning her head the other way, Twilight spotted a space behind the desk which contained a map of Thunder Valley. Speaking of the desk, it was made of bronze except for its surface, which was made of finely polished wood. Littering the desk was an in & out tray, some sort of machine with a speaker in it, papers, and a picture frame, while in front of it were two seats for guests. As Twilight walked across the wooden floor to get behind the desk she lifted the gear shaped picture frame with her magic. Inside was a black and white photo of four thestrals. There was a large, burly stallion with mutton chops, a short beard, and mustache standing next to an elegant looking mare with her mane tied up in a bun. In front of the couple was a black colt and a white filly.


For a while, Twilight stood there as she stared at the picture before her, realizing that this had to be King Cobalt and his family. She wished she could get a better idea of what they were like from the photo but it seemed impossible. The former king was stone faced as he looked at the camera while the mare next to him looked regal, but nothing beyond that. There was no smile to be seen or twinkle in the eyes like the ones Twilight had of her family. Looking down at the two foals, they were displaying much more personality. Obsidian couldn’t hide the grumpiness from his face, his glare shouting to the pony taking the picture to hurry up. Alabaster, on the other hoof, was all smiles and joy. It looked like she was as happy as Pinkie Pie in that moment, clearly enjoying herself. It was saddening to know how she would later turn out.


As Twilight set the frame down, she looked up to see Count Raven approaching the pipeline. As she walked around the desk, Twilight watched as the Count reaching for a leaver that he quickly pulled. There was a hissing noise followed by the pipe opening up and slid to the side revealing another elevator lift.


“Right this way Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he opened a wing towards the now open door.


Soon enough all three of them were in the elevator. Space was a bit tighter than it had been in the first lift, with Spike needing to jump onto her back in order for all of them to fit. It was clear this was meant for a single pony, two max. As she stood there, Twilight watched Count Raven bring the tip of his wing towards three golden buttons that were labeled. The first was labeled as ‘Royal Quarters’ while the second was ‘Office’. The third was simply labeled ‘Escape’.


After pressing the first button, Twilight felt the lift rise quicker than she expected. Before she knew it the door slid open once more to reveal a much more cluttered area. In every direction she looked there were mannequins dolled up in fancy dresses of blacks, greys, and golds. Around each of their necks were large necklaces that sported enough gems to serve as a full course meal for Spike. There were also earrings attached to their ears as well as bracelets on their front hooves.


Slowly, Twilight stepped into the room only to find more dresses. Along the walls were racks full of dresses that were lightly powdered in dust while in-between them were large cabinets of fine dark wood. What was in them Twilight could only guess. Perhaps more jewelry or horseshoes. Humming to herself, the alicorn had to wonder just how much had been spent on all of this. How much of the Royal budget had been wasted buying so much? Not even Rarity had this many dresses just lying around collecting dust.


“Sadly, the upstairs is a bit more crowded Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he stepped out of the lift. Twilight’s wings stiffened in shock as she turned around to look at him.


“Please tell me there’s not more dresses up there?” she pleaded.


The stallion let out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid so, Your Grace. Princess Alabaster was never one to throw away anything that belonged to her, even if she hated it or used it only once.” He then turned towards the stairs. “Perhaps Your Grace would like to turn in for the day. I’ll show Your Grace how to summon the maids so that they may clear out a room while bringing up Your Grace’s belongings.”


Twilight could only nod to that. It had been a long night and she had a feeling they were only going to be getting longer.
> Lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Once more Your Grace, from the top,” instructed Count Raven. Twilight nodded as she stood next to the stallion while taking a breath to keep her nerves cool. They stood together, side by side in the middle of what was now Twilight’s office where it was clear. Spike was in the room as well, lying on one of the chairs in front of Twilight’s desk turned towards them. The dragon had his head on its armrest and tail hanging limply over the other, a comic held lazily in his claws as he looked at the pair in the middle of the room. Last was Owlicious, sitting on a perch with his eyes fixated on his master.


It had been several days since Twilight had arrived within Thunder Valley and made temporary ruler. After being shown her living quarters Twilight, Spike, and Count Raven had spent the remainder of the night doing their best to give themselves some space. As it turned out, there was more than dress gowns and jewelry, but also plenty of self portraits of the former Princess being showered in moonlight as if she were being blessed by the moon. For some reason, none of them were hanging on the walls but instead filled up an entire room as they laid on their sides just taking up space. In another room, the trio found it full of white marble statues of her in various poses that made even Count Raven tilt his head. Slowly, they were able to clear out a bit of room for themselves to live in. It would have to be like this until Twilight found the time to decide what she was going to do with all of this junk.


Her time, however, was spent on lesson after lesson in order to help her get up to speed on the thestral way of life. History proved to be very easy for Twilight, there being plenty of texts within her office. As she read page after page, Twilight was moved by their various struggles and impressed by just how resourceful they really were. As far as she could tell, thestrals had no earth pony magic to help them with crops so they had to come up with chemicals to help improve their yields. Then they invented various ways in order to help harvest their crops at recorded speeds that impressed Twilight. And that was just for their farming technology! It seemed like everything that Equestrians did with their various magics the thestrals had to be clever enough to find a work around.


That wasn’t to say that their history was all about inventions. It saddened Twilight’s heart to read about all the uprisings and rebellions this country had had during its run. For example, a Duke by the name of Black Lightning had been assisting something called the Hoofright Company by seizing land. The book didn’t go into too much detail as to why, but it made clear that they wanted to build several large factories specifically where those homes once were. Those who had lost their homes rallied together and fought back, attacking not just the company but also the Duke and his family. When the army showed up they too were attacked leading to a massacre. That was just one of dozens within a single book.


Despite having all of these books, Twilight felt like she wasn’t being told everything. After reading an entire collection of their history, Twilight was able to pinpoint when the thestral tribe claimed it began: around the same time as when Starswirl the Bearded was teaching the two princesses! That wasn’t even two thousand years ago! How could they have developed so much in such a short amount of time? Or were they keeping something from her? Perhaps parts of their history was forgotten? The earliest parts of their history felt more religious than factual, speaking of the Three Guides who Twilight quickly realized were the three hooded figures on some of the doors and on the stained glass windows. According to what was recorded these three found the thestrals and bestowed great knowledge upon them as gifts.


What made things even more curious was the fact that, according to what she was reading, Princess Luna had never set a hoof in Thunder Valley. However, despite this, they spoke about Princess Luna as the one who had ‘saved’ them but never went into more detail on that matter. Twilight had expected there to be writings depicting Princess Celestia in some horrible light but no. They gave the sun princess a short passage saying that she was the elder sister and raiser of the sun. There was no hatred to be seen there unless she was missing something. This lead Twilight to wonder how they knew about the two sisters despite having never left their homeland one. Also, how did Princess Luna ‘save’ them? Why didn’t the princesses tell her about any of this?


Twilight wished she had time to devote to discovering the truth behind these long lost secrets, as well as several others. Like why their languages were identical. However, Twilight knew she had more pressing matters that required her attention over satisfying her curiosity. Perhaps, when everything was running more smoothly, she could send a letter to Princess Celestia asking about this. Until then she would have to focus on making Thunder Valley a more stable country.


When Twilight was not reading about her new country’s past, she was doing all she could to learn about its customs and culture. This was handled personally by the Count who had a very hooves on approach. The first night they started, he asked her to sit at her desk before placing three coins of different sizes but all shaped like gears on the surface.


“The name of our currency is called grits,” he said as his hoof moved towards the largest. “This is a steel grit.” He then moved his hoof to the middle one which was much smaller. “This is a copper grit and it is worth ten steel grits.” Once again his hoof moved, stopping over the third and smallest coin. “And this is a gold grit, worth ten copper grits or a hundred steel grits.” He paused for a moment before dumping more of the coins in a pile. It was only when the last coin had landed on the table and the clanging had stopped did he look at the purple princess. “Now Your Grace, I’d like to have you work on some simple problems with these coins. Please, do not feel offended by how basic they may seem.” From there, the Count posed question after question. Show me forty six grits. Stack up six hundred grits but only use two gold grits. Twilight quickly realized what this was, he was trying to help her associate with the coins usage as fast as he could until it became second nature for her. While she never got any of the questions wrong, it was slow going as she had to pause to remember what the values of each grits was worth. Yet with every question she moved just a bit faster earning her a nod of approval from the Count.


From there, their lessons continue to progress. The Count taught Twilight how to work the various communication devices that were around the castle. He went over various holidays and court procedures. The stallion informed her of the various upper class ponies and what their stances were on various matters. All of this was being poured into her mind at incredible pace.


Which brought them back to the present, learning how to bow the thestral way. After a signal from the Count the two ponies placed their left wings over their chests while stretching out their right ones to the floor. This was then immediately followed by the pair sinking onto their front knees in order to finish the bow. However, while they were doing this, Twilight’s left wing fidgeted a bit as it wanted to join the right one on the ground. While she was able to keep it in place, the movement was caught by the Count’s sharp eye.


“Your Grace,” he said as they rose up before turning to look at Twilight. “Please try a bit harder to keep that wing under control. If Your Grace were to bow like that before any of the nobility, they might fear there was a weapon concealed underneath it. It simply won’t do.”


“Or maybe they’ll think she has an itch or something,” suggested Spike. “You really need to lighten up a little.” At this, Twilight couldn’t help but wince slightly. Spike had been present during all of her lessons making his usual comments. While it didn’t really bother Twilight all that much since she was used to it, she could see that the Count was getting annoyed by it.


“I will not ‘lighten up’ as you put it,” replied Raven as he rolled his eyes without turning to look at the drake. “If you had been paying attention to any of the history lessons with Her Grace, you would know about all the bloody betrayals. Both in past and in our current times. The last thing Her Grace will desire is to make those around her fear that she will strike them dead. Even if it were just an itch, moving Her Grace’s wing to scratch it during the bow would be seen as massive disrespect as well as weakness. Her Grace is now a symbol of authority and strength for all the ponies she resides over. To allow herself to be seen in such a position so early in her rein would be to invite disaster.”


Spike let out a groan as he face palmed himself. “You have to be kidding me,” he grumbled before getting into a sitting position on the chair, his legs dangling off of it. “Here I thought Twilight liked to blow things out of proportion! One little mistake won’t destroy this country.” Twilight watched as the Count’s head seemed to vibrate, fangs bared as I he were losing control. Before she could do anything, the Count turned and approached Spike.


“Young dragon,” said Count Raven, slowly turning to look at him with a hardened look. Spike looked back at him while gulping loudly. “I have had quiet enough of this. You have made the claim that you are Her Grace’s Number One Assistant, yet your ignorance in matters of politics would make that impossible. If you were to remain in this position you so cherish the only thing that would happen would be bringing upon more stress and shame to Her Grace.”


Spike’s eyes widened for a moment before he jumped off the chair. “Hey, I’ve been Twilight’s Number One Assistant for a while,” barked Spike as he pointed at Count Raven. “I would never-”


“That was back when you were in Equestria, living in a small library with Her Grace,” interrupted Count Raven. Twilight’s mane bristled as he spoke, his tone now matching the same one he used when he scolded the maids when she first arrived. His eyes bore down on Spike who seemed to now be feeling the intensity behind them. “The situation, as I would hope you have come to realize, has changed. While I am not familiar with the happenings of the Equestrian Court, things are done a certain way here. Her Grace has been working hard these last several days while you lay there, watching and making comments as if you thought your uneducated opinion held any say in the-”


“Count Raven, that’s enough,” said Twilight in her firmest voice as she moved between the two. As she did this, Twilight could see the hurt in Spike’s eyes as they moistened before turning her full attention towards the Count. “You will not talk to Spike like that. Ever. Do I make myself clear?”


“Of course, Your Grace,” replied the Count in a cooler tone as he bowed before Twilight. When he rose he didn’t look at Spike nor did he offer no apology towards him. He just stood there as if to wait for Twilight to yell at him some more or order him to leave.


As Twilight was about to turn around to talk to Spike face to face, she heard a familiar gagging noise. Eyes wide and a smile on her face, she turned just in time to see Spike burp green flames as well as a scroll. Ignoring the look of confusion on the Count’s face, Twilight took the scroll with her magic and giddily moved behind her desk before opening it.


“What? How?” asked the Count as he scratched his head.


“It’s a letter from Princess Celestia,” explained Twilight as she read. “When Spike was old enough, she cast a spell on his flames so that he could send messages to her as well as receive them. Then after we moved to Ponyville, the spell was altered to allow him to send messages to other ponies.”


“Interesting,” said the Count as he approached the desk. “I take it she is checking on your well being?”


“Actually,” began Twilight, her good mood dropping slightly. “I wanted to ask her for a few favors in order to help Thunder Valley branch out a bit into the world. The Equestrian Games are coming up and I asked her to speak on our behalf to see if they would allow us to compete. It would be a good chance to have some exposure as well as engage in some friendly competition.” There were other reasons for wanting to participate in the Games. This year they would be taking place in the Crystal Empire where her brother and sister-in-law lived. If they could compete it would a great chance for her to see them again. Plus she knew Ponyville planned on joining in on the Games meaning she would also be able to see all of her friends.


Count Raven hummed at that, looking thoughtful. “I take it by Your Grace’s tone that the answer is not a favorable one?”


Twilight nodded. “The committee behind the Games was made aware of our situation by the Princess herself,” she began as she continued to read the letter while her ears drooped. “However, the deadline to simply register had already passed and they refuse to make an exception. I was sort of hoping that they would seeing as the tryouts haven’t even begun.”


“Well that sucks,” muttered Spike as he fell into a sitting position on the floor. “I was really looking forward to seeing the Crystal Empire again when it wasn’t in danger of some shadow pony destroying everything.”


“Perhaps this is for the best then,” replied the Count calmly. “Right now, getting the nation stabilized is of much greater importance than showing off in some silly sports event. Even if there were ponies who wished to join, we would need to create a committee to host our own tryouts. Not to mention we have no idea what is in these ‘Equestrian Games’ so we would be going in blind. Imagine the humiliation of our first encounter in the outside world looking like a joke! Honestly, I believe that this is for the best. We can wait until we are ready in order to put our best hoof forward.”


Twilight let out a sigh. “You do have a point,” she said as she continued to read. Then, she came across something that brought back a smile to her face. “But it looks like there is some good news. The Princess is offering to have a railroad built in order to connect Equestria with Thunder Valley! All she asks is that we look into a way to protect the train from the lightning strikes going still going on in the pass.”


“Well now,” said the Count as Twilight looked up at him. “This is a much more practical gift, I must say. The amount of grits it would have cost us…I don’t believe we could have done it ourselves for several years. Opening trade with Equestria might help us out of this economic slump we’re facing.” He then frowned. “But finding a way to protect the trains, that might be a tad trick I’m afraid. There is always a chance that lightning will strike.”


“Well, Princess Celestia says it’ll take several months for the tracks to be put down,” said Twilight as she rolled up the scroll and put it in her desk. She then stood up before making her way towards the door. “That will give our Royal Scientific Advisor plenty of time to see if it is possible. Come on Spike, lets go say hi.”


As Spike quickly made his way over to Twilight, who was almost at the door, Count Raven cleared his throat. “Your Grace, there is no need to leave. After all, it is not the place of a pony in charge to go to those that they need. Rather, they are to come to Your Grace when needed. It is what is expected.”


“But I’ve been cooped up in this office since I got here,” stated Twilight as she turned to look at the Count. “I’m either here or in my quarters. The only other ponies I get to see are the maids when they bring me my meal.”


“Still haven’t been able to figure out how they get up there,” said Spike as he crossed his arms while looking down. “Just just seem to appear out of thin air with food.”


“The point is,” continued Twilight as she looked imploringly at Count Raven, “I need to get a better lay of the castle and stretch my legs a bit. See a friendly face. Other than yours of course.”


“I certainly can understand that desire,” said the Count with a nod. “But you will be getting your chance to do that later tonight, remember? We have a meeting with the General who will be assigning Your Grace a personal bodyguard. Then, tomorrow night there will be a small party of the Automahollow elite. Remember?”


“How could I forget,” said Twilight in weary tone. “Is the party really necessary? I feel self conscious enough just getting a single bodyguard to stand next to me. Besides, wouldn’t that cause ponies to fear I’m just like Princess Alabaster? Spending grits on a party while the nation is struggling?”


Count Raven let out a hum as he approached the princess, a thoughtful look on his face. “Yes, I can see how that would look, Your Grace.” The Count nodded in a way that reminded Twilight of her father when he was proud of her. “A brand new princess appearing without Thunder Valley and her first public act is to throw a party? Yes, I do see how this could look to some. However, it is important that Your Grace gets to know the elite of Automahollow. These are ponies who have large bank accounts that, if Your Grace plays her cards right, might be willing to donate some grits to projects we desperately need. Also the size of this party will be miniscule compared to the ones that the former princess used to host. Only ten or so ponies have been invited with a single guest each.”


Twilight nodded before looking away. “Still,” was all she able to say causing the Count to sigh.


“Well, Your Grace is in charge,” he said as Twilight looked up. “I suppose given how well Your Grace has been doing in these lessons a short break wouldn’t hurt. Still, Your Grace shouldn’t make a habit of this.” If he was going to say anymore it was quickly interrupted as Twilight hugged him before speeding out the door with Spike on her back and the door slamming in her wake. For a moment, the Count stood there with a raised eyebrow. “Does Your Grace know where to go?” Slowly, the door opened again to reveal an embarrassed Twilight.


-x-


Soon enough, Twilight found herself in the lower regions of the castle with the directions to Wild Theory’s in castle apartment in front of her. The area she was in was less kept than the halls from above, barren walls on one side with a row of doors on the other. The floors were uncarpeted and made of stone had many cracks in it while the ceiling seemed to drip in various locations. To make matters worse there was a horrible odor hanging in the air that turned her stomach something awful. Thankfully it wasn’t bad enough to keep her from breathing, but she could taste whatever it was on her tongue. The princess wondered how anypony could stand to live like this before she remembered the conditions outside of the castle. It could always be worse.


“Spike, we have a lot of work we need to do,” she said as she turned another corner. “Just another box in the checklist of things to do.”


“Hmm?” came the dragon’s response, sounding far away. Twilight paused as she turned her head to look at him on her back, his chin resting in his clawed hand while his mind seemed far, far away. It took a minute or two for him to realize that they had stopped moving almost causing him to just in the air with shock. “Oh, right Twilight. We’ll get right on that, er, thing you said.”


Twilight frowned at him. “Spike, what’s wrong?”


“Nothing,” he said too quickly. “Everything is just fine!” He tried to smile as if he thought that it would appease Twilight. However, she did not advert her gaze from him nor did her frown lessen. Quickly, the façade Spike had put up was shattered as his shoulders slumped. “It’s about what Count Raven said earlier. I want to stay as your Number One Assistant, I really do. But the way he said it made it sound like all I would do was be a burden to you.”


Twilight blinked at that. “Spike, nothing would make me happier if you continued to help me like you always do.” She watched Spike brighten at that. “But…I think I understand where the Count is coming from. Things have changed and we’re no longer in Equestria. The ponies here might not take your comments the same way our friends did back home. Especially when they are trying to teach me about how things are done here.”


“So does that mean you-” Spike was halted in his question as Twilight gently placed a hoof over his mouth. He moved his eyes to look into hers and saw that there was a smile on her face.


“Spike, there is no other pony or dragon who could ever replace you as my Number One Assistant,” she said as she removed her hoof. “Not after everything we’ve been through together.” Twilight then smiled and her tone became lighter. “But if you’re worried about what the Count said then maybe you should try paying a bit more attention during my lessons with him. Who knows, you might find something interesting.”


While Spike rolled his eyes he couldn’t help but grin back at the purple princess. “Twilight, you and I have very different definitions on what’s interesting.”


Happy to see one crisis adverted, Twilight continued to trot down the hallway. Yet, there was something in the back of her mind that wouldn’t go away. While she didn’t like the way Count Raven had spoken to Spike he wasn’t without reason. If Spike spoke that way during Court or when she was in an important meeting with somepony things might go south really quickly. She would never trade in her relationship with Spike for a kingdom, but she wondered how losing this because of something he did or said would affect the young drake. He might beat himself up over it. Perhaps she would soon have to start scolding him more when he did something like that so that he learned it wasn’t right.


“Hey, isn’t that it,” said Spike suddenly as he pointed to a door up ahead. Twilight paused as she looked at the directions and then back at the door. The numbers matched so this had to be it. So without another word she walked over to it and knocked.


As expected, nothing happened for the first couple of seconds. After all, she knew very few ponies who would be able to answer the door after the first knock. She waited a bit and, as she was about to knock again, the door opened. Only…it wasn’t Wild Theory who opened it. It was another stallion wearing a rather bored expression on his white coated face. His equally white mane was short, parted in the middle in a very classy manner. The stallion also wore a vest the color of copper which looked rather old as well as worn with several pencils sticking out of the single pocket. Twilight also observed that he had on a band near the end of his hoof where a pocket watch was strapped to it.


“Yes?” he said in a very grumpy tone as if he had just gotten up from a very comfortable nap.


“Ah hi,” began Twilight as she smiled hoping to disarm the stallion before her. It didn’t work. “I’m looking for Wild Theory. I was told this was his place.”


“It is,” replied the stallion hotly.


“Chalky, do we have guests?” came Wild’s voice from behind the door. Twilight watched as the stallion before her flattened his ears in annoyance before turning his head to look behind him.


“It’s the purple freaks from Equestria,” he said, irritating both Twilight and Spike. “I think they’re looking for you.”


“The princess is here?!?” cried Wild’s voice. The stallion quickly zoomed to the front door, knocking Chalky away causing  a crashing noise to be heard in the distance. When he saw Twilight, Dr. Theory placed both his front hooves on either side of his face which was lit with utter joy. “Well, well, well isn’t this a surprise. A delightful one at that I must admit. Please, please, please come in and make yourselves at home. My home is your home.”


With that, Wild Theory opened the door fully to allow them entrance. The inside looked like a combination living room/kitchen with no barrier between them. There were three doors, all of them closed but Twilight could make educated guesses as to what was behind them. Perhaps two were bedrooms and the third a bathroom. Looking around she saw that the room had no flourishes to give it any personality, just a couple of pipes running down the wall and into the kitchen where Chalky now stood in with his back to them. The only furniture in the room was a single table that looked like it had been fished from a dump and taped back together.


Thankfully the kitchen looked a bit more up to date. At least, Twilight assumed it was as she had yet to fully grasp the true level of thestral technology. Currently Chalky was working with something that reminded Twilight of a blender, with metal coils around its sides and pressure gages. Next to him was a large bronze looking machine with a large wheel in its middle. No other appliances were next to it due to the knobs, pressure gauges, and tubes that went from the bottom to the top. Several of the pipes running across the walls seemed to connect to this device that sported even more gauges around it. As Chalky stopped whatever it was he was doing with the blender, he took a step to the side so that he was in front of the large wheel. After placing both hooves on it and gritting his teeth, he turned it several time before it opened while making a hissing noise to reveal that it was a refrigerator


It was while the white stallion was searching through the food that Twilight noticed his cutie mark: a blackboard with a simple 2+2 equation. Turning her head back to look at her host, she saw that his cutie mark was a book titled biology with a watch nest to in several pieces. What an odd couple they were.


“Sorry about my roommate,” said Wild Theory as he moved behind Twilight to close the door. “Works part time in the accounting department as well as helping me check my math. Always good to have another pony double check that sort of thing in my profession after all. Terrible, terrible, terrible things can happen if the math isn’t perfect. Great with number but not very good talking to mares. Or stallions. Hmm, perhaps it would be simpler if I just said he wasn’t a very social pony. As far as I know, I’m the closest thing to a friend he has!”


“We’re not friends,” said Chalky as he closed the refrigerator, several odd looking fruits held in his wing. “You’re just the stallion who is letting me crash at his place. That’s all.”


“If you’re staying here then that means you’re my friend,” replied Wild causing the other stallion to groan and roll his eyes. Wild only chuckled as he turned to look at Twilight again, seeing her staring at the white stallion for a moment. When Twilight turned her attention back to Wild she saw that he was smirking at her causing the purple princess to blush in embarrassment.


“Sorry,” she said. “This is just the first time I’ve seen a white thestral in pony. It’s a little odd.”


“It is, it is, it is,” said Wild as he began to bounce like a certain pink pony Twilight knew. “I almost forgot that you didn’t know. I mean, really, how could you know? Normally a thestral has a very limited color pattern. Sometimes they’ll be born with a different color but those are rare. The rarest of all is white. At the last census, it was revealed that there were only ten thestrals in Thunder Valley who were white.” He then zoomed over to Chalky, spinning him around so that he faced Twilight. Ignoring the annoyed look his roommate was giving him, Wild continued to talk while gesturing to the fellow stallion. “This white coat and mane are so rare that there are even legends about them. That those born with them are destined for greatness!”


Chalky snorted. “Which is utter nonsense,” he growled as he turned around. “How does having a certain coat color equal greatness? It just doesn’t add up.”


Twilight watched as Wild zoomed back over to her. “It is such a mystery as to why this happens,” continued Wild with a look of excitement in his eyes. “So many theories over the years have been tossed around. Most scientists believe that its just a genetic fluke which is just so boring. Personally I have come up with at least a dozen or so of my own ideas as to why this is. Would you like to hear them?”


Twilight looked over at Chalky who was glaring daggers at the both of them. Slowly she turned back to Wild and gave him an apologetic smile. “Perhaps another time,” she said. “I actually came by to get advice from my Royal Scientific Advisor.” Hearing that made the stallion grin even more broadly. Then, as Twilight began to describe the issue she was having, his body began to shake with excitement as if he were about to explode with joy.


“Oh my, oh my, oh my,” he said when she had finished. “So many ideas are running through my head on what we could do. With the lightning strikes lessened to such an extent, we could place lightning rods on both sides of the pass. Or an insulated cover above the tracks. But that might not work seeing as we don’t know the size of an Equestrian train. Maybe…maybe I could see if somepony is making a machine that can help. So many possibilities!” Then, if it were possible, he brightened up even more. “If I can make this work, I can travel to a whole new world! A dazzling place I never knew! Think about all I could study! PRINCESS! I WON’T SLEEP A WINK UNTIL I SOLVE THIS!” And with that, before Twilight knew what was happening, Wild speed through the door leaving a thestral shaped hole in it.


“You know you’re paying for that door,” grumbled Chalky who still hadn’t turned around.
> The Bodyguard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Welcome to Fort Chrostorm, Princess,” said General Steel Trap as they walked through the grounds of the fort. However, in Twilight’s opinion, it didn’t feel right to call this place a fort having been to several in her youth. With their large, pure white walls that seemed to lack even a speck of dust from all the times they had been cleaned while bushes of roses were planted in front of them. She could remember walking through the large oak doors that towered over her, making her feel small as she entered the training grounds where ponies practiced their drills or were just returning from buying filly scout cookies. Wooden dummies would have been lining one of the walls where the Royal Guard would take turns practicing their archery, sword skills, spear throwing, and magical attacks on them until they had to be replaced. Twilight also remembered the scent of decent food filling the air. That had been a fort.


This place, however, was so much more! It had been less than an hour ago when Twilight first saw the facility from her carriage, which was pulled by two auto-ponies that spewed black smoke into the air. Located several miles from Automahollow, it towered over the grassy land surrounding it. Large walls of stone adorned with wickedly sharp looking spikes made of black metal surrounded the five-towered structure. Still Twilight could see that it was almost as tall as her castle even from a mile away. Each of the five towers, four of them surrounding the fifth in its center, were steel grey. The outer towers were smaller and more rounded with bridges linking them all together, while the central tower was taller and more spike-like. Zeppelins soared around the buildings, some even docking on the various outcroppings that the outer towers provided.


When they finally passed through the large steel doors, both Twilight and Spike had their noses pressed against the windows to see everything. The first thing that drew their attention was the large gear sticking out from the central tower. Only a quarter of it was visible as it slowly turned away from the building and into the ground below. As for the grounds, everywhere Twilight looked she failed to find a single blade of grass. Hard dirt covered almost everything except for the trails made of metal. The soldiers in their red uniforms marched in formations across the area in dead silence. Machines were also littered atop the rocky soil with the troops surrounding some of them. All in all, this place felt more like a fortress than a simple fort.


Now they walked behind the General as he gave them a brief tour of the facility. The four of them were walking down a metal walkway on the third story of one of the outer towers with the wind blowing in their unmasked faces. It turned out that the air out here was ‘fresher’ than in the big city. That wasn’t to say that it was like the sweet, clean air she was used to in Equestria. There was still a hint of foulness to it, but she could breathe it in without falling to her knees so that was something.


“Fort Chrostorm is the oldest military base in Thunder Valley,” the General was saying as he walked. “This single location serves as the foundation of our current military might. All those wishing to join undergo their training here. Whether they wish to be one of the proud hoof soldiers, captain or crew a zeppelin, or serve as a repair pony. All of these are valuable in the service of protecting the common pony from rebel elements. As such we need to make sure that they all receive the best training as well as working as a single unit.”


“I see,” said Twilight, as she looked down at a group below them. A hundred ponies were marching in a ten by ten formation, their hoofsteps perfectly in synch. As she watched them her mind was doing its very best to decide how to handle this situation. She knew full well that the General didn’t want her here, that his desire to keep Thunder Valley safe would normally never allow him to be show off their best base. Perhaps it was because of the situation he was in right now. The General was a smart stallion; he’d had to be in order to make it to the top rank. Twilight guessed that he knew that if he withheld any information about their military and later complained about it, the nobility would say it was his own fault. That he kept too much from the princess in order for her to decide if the grits needed to go to the military or not. Further, if he brought them here and showed them around himself, he could better control what they saw as well as ascertain if they were planning on stealing any military secrets. Or perhaps he was doing this to discourage Twilight from sending a message to Princess Celestia on attacking them. That they were just too prepared for battle that a sneak attack would be pointless. These were just a few ideas running around her brain since the moment she arrived.


Twilight did her best not to bite her lower lip. She knew she had to do say or do something or else she would appear weak. What would Princess Celestia do in a situation like this? Twilight thought back to all the times she had spent with the princess, remembering how she would engage in pleasant conversation. Perhaps that’s what she should do was well?


“In Equestria, we did things a little different,” began Twilight hoping this was a good idea. “There those who wish to join the E.U.P. can sign up at any military base and be trained there. I was taught that it was done this way to ensure unity between the troops. The E.U.P. also does its best to ensure that each base is equipped to handle the training needed for each tribe.”


“Perhaps also to prevent overcrowding at a single location,” added in Count Raven with a nod.


“I can see some merit in that approach,” said Steel Trap in an even tone. “Yet our way ensures that every single cadet who wishes to be a part of this nation's military will receive the same type of training no matter where they are from or where they go after. It also allows personnel like myself to better evaluate the troops as well as their instructors. During their training, there will be several review sessions to see if they are meeting the requirements we have set. If it appears they are struggling we consider moving them to a more appropriate training program or determine if this life just isn’t meant for them.”


“That does sound like an efficient method of doing things,” Twilight complimented. “How long does their training take?”


“Depends on what duty they sign up for,” replied Steel Trap simply. “Take our hoof soldiers for example. We require one full year of training to ensure that they can fight as a single unit, take proper care of their gear, and being able to adapt to the seasonal changes. Those going into the more mechanical side of the military will be in training for three years with no exceptions. We do get the occasional thestral who has a cutie mark in repairing and whatnot, but here we refuse to allow any exceptions to the rules no matter what your natural talent is.”


“Hey look,” said Spike from a distance. Twilight turned her head to see that Spike had moved ahead of the group and was now pointing at something she couldn’t see. “They have trains here as well.” Frowning, ears flattened against her head, Twilight walked over to where Spike was. It was true; two sets of train tracks seemed to head right up next to the fort as well as a massive amount of posts that had a thick black cable running along them. Twilight found that to be more interesting since the cable went right into the fort.


“Of course we have trains,” commented Steel Trap. “Fort Chrostorm does much more than simply train troops and other personal. It is also the spot where troop and equipment assignment is decided upon. Several times a day we get status reports from all over Thunder Valley. If the reports indicate growing tensions or if a request is made to send more troops in, it is here where the request is decided upon as well as judging which areas can spare what is needed. All troops are moved in via zeppelins while the more heavy gadgetry is transported via train.”


“I guess the makes sense,” said Spike. “At least with the trains. But why use zeppelins when you can all fly?”


When General Steel Trap spoke again, Twilight could hear slight irritation in his voice. “Thunder Valley is very large. While it is true that we can fly, having our hoof soldiers move there under their own power while carrying all their gear would greatly reduce their stamina. There is also the chance that an enemy could be lying in wait, ready to ambush our troops. Thus zeppelins are essential in getting well rested troops across Thunder Valley in a safe and speedy manner.”


Spike opened his mouth to speak, but Twilight got him to pause by placing a hoof on his shoulder. “That makes a great deal of sense,” she said as she looked at the General. “In Equestria, our troops are moved by way of flying chariots pulled by two pegasus ponies. According to my studies, during times of war there would always be a unicorn riding with them to throw up a magical barrier in case of an ambush. While effective in getting them where they needed to go quickly and safely, this method often drained both the pegasi and the unicorns by the time they reached the battlefront. The zeppelin allows the troops to rest and, if an attack were ever to occur, the thestrals onboard could easily fly out to confront the enemy.”


“As well as provide protection and covering fire,” added General Steel Trap as he opened his wings. Without saying a word he flapped them several times to get airborne, allowing enough time for Count Raven and Twilight to do the same as the purple princess also placed Spike on her back.


Gliding downwards towards the ground below, Twilight wondered if she had handled this well. She had done her best to keep the conversation civil, giving him truthful information that she also hoped would put him at ease. But for some reason, Spike’s questioning irritated him. Was it that he wasn’t used to dealing with much younger ponies who would ask those sorts of things? Or was there something else she didn’t see at the moment?


The group landed a moment later with the troops carrying on like they weren’t there. Twilight suspected that they would continue to go about their training unless either an emergency happened or if they were order to.


“General, I was wondering if the military does anything besides taking down rebel elements?” asked Twilight hoping to keep the conversation going. The General slowed down his trot for a moment as if he were wondering what to tell her. He didn’t turn his head to look at her, but rather off to the side where nothing but a wall stood. Unsure which direction he was looking in, for all she knew he could be looking in the direction of Automahollow, another town, or even Equestria.


“We do assist in other matters,” said the General after a moment of thought. “When an emergency situation rises, Fort Chrostorm is used to house civilians who have lost their homes. There are also times we have been called upon to help the Clubbers with their duty.”


Without thinking, Twilight leaned her head close to Count Raven’s. “What are Clubbers?” she asked quickly in a whisper.


“Local law enforcement,” the stallion whispered back. “They got the name from the wooden club weapons they carried since it was illegal for any thestral to own a metal weapon that wasn’t military. While the laws have changed the name has not.”


“That second part has become more common as of late,” continued Steel Trap as if the two had not spoken a word. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke while his voice held an edge to it that was so sharp it could slice down the walls of the fort. “Back when my troops were being used as thugs for the Princess, gangs began to rise up all over the country. Thestrals coming together and stealing in order to survive. Even though that foul mare is no longer in power, the gangs have remained and have continued to cause trouble. However, with the storm weakening to such a degree I have been unable to justify sending troops to help the Clubbers. Protecting our border is far more important at this moment.” He then turned to look at Twilight and when he spoke next his voice was far more in control. “I have expressed this to the Great Houses several times. Without proper fortification and weaponry at such a key point, we will require a large amount of hoof soldiers to stand guard. They do not understand. If they would simply supply us with the material to finish building a proper line of defense then I could spare more troops to help end these gangs.”


“I,” began Twilight but stopped herself quickly. She realized what the General was doing right now and what it would mean for her. It was simple enough to see that he wanted additional funding to help his cause. If she gave it to him, the General might become an ally that would support her. Yet, if she did that, it might turn the other Great Houses against her. Also…


“General, I understand your concern and your desire to protect Thunder Valley. I also understand the need to build this fort. However, there are many others who need those grits. From what I have been able to look at in my short time here many schools have shut down due to improper funding as well as several services such as fire prevention. There are probably more areas that need to be addressed. I need to consider what would help all of Thunder Valley.”


Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw the Count give a slight nod. The General, on the other hoof, did not seem pleased by this decision.


“That is the same tripe I have heard from the Great Houses,” he said coldly. “What good will schools and such do us if we are invaded by a foreign power?”


“It means you won’t have to waste time teaching your new recruits how to read and write,” snapped Spike as he hopped off of Twilight’s back.


As the General glared at Spike, Twilight let out a sigh before speaking again. “He does have a point General. Educated troops would probably be easier to train in the more complicated areas of the military. Also I doubt that we will be invaded any time soon. The only entrance into the Valley is well within Equestrian territory. Princess Celestia would never invade another nation without cause.”


As she spoke, Steel Trap looked from Spike to her. His expression an unreadable mask once more, but his eyes told a different story. They looked at her as if she were a stupid fool in every sense of the word. When she finished talking, the General turned around so he was facing them before walking towards Twilight. It was only when he was face to face with Twilight did he stop. Twilight could feel her wings twitch as if they were screaming for her to get away from him. Her legs wanted to back away for the metal mouthed stallion. Yet Twilight did her best to remain calm and where she was.


“With all due respect, you are overlooking other possible threats,” said the General in a tone that suggested like this was something obvious. “For example, what if a massive army were to stop at the border of Equestria? One that greatly outnumbered their own military. But they did not want to invade Equestria, but Thunder Valley. Let’s say that their leader made a deal with Princess Celestia: allow my troops to walk through your land unopposed and no harm shall befall your subjects. Given the situation, the most rational conclusion to make would be to throw us into the spinning gears in order to save her subjects.”


Twilight’s eyes narrowed at this. “Princess Celestia would never do that!”


“Perhaps,” conceded Steel Trap. “You would know her better than I do. Then let’s say that her kingdom was invaded suddenly and swiftly defeated with this land being the next target. They would march upon this land with no difficulty, taking whatever supplies they could gather from Equestria as they went before launching into battle against us. Without any warning or information on a foe like this, it is difficult to say how many would survive if we were to win that battle. If we lost, how many innocent ponies would die afterwards? Or perhaps they would just cross Equestria without anypony knowing? Perhaps a dragon or something similar come to plunder our land.”


Twilight was unable to stop her eyes from widening. These were very valid points and were sadly very possible. She could still remember the changeling invasion of Canterlot as if it had just happened yesterday. What if they had won that day? Would they have been content to stay in Equestria, or would they have moved to conquer more land once they too saw that the storm was weakening? It would have been very easy to come in here using their magic to disguise themselves as the local thestrals and formulate an attack plan. In fact, it was possible that they might set their sights on this kingdom. An entire army of changelings might be able to move across Equestria without anypony realizing it!


The dragon angle was also very possible. Nopony in their right mind would try to tell a dragon where to go, simply desiring to stay out of its way. A dragon could now easily fly through the pass and probably destroy any zeppelins the General had stationed. While she doubted a fort would be enough of a deterrent to something like that, it might be a decent shelter for those who are injured.


“I see you at least understand,” said the General as he observed Twilight’s expression.


Twilight nodded. “You have your concerns. However, with the power I have been given I will need to take in all of the other concerns that are brought in. Hopefully I will be able to figure something out that benefits all parties.”


Steel Trap looked at Twilight for a moment or two before turning around. “I suppose that is the best I could hope for. Right now anyway. Hopefully you will make the correct decision.” There was a brief pause. “I believe that your personal guard is doing his blunderbuss training right now.” With that said he began to walk away.


Sighing, Twilight and her company followed. As they walked the purple alicorn wondered if she had handled things correctly or not. All in all, she might have appeared weak by not remaining firm enough or…something. In truth she felt way over her head, wishing that she knew how Princess Celestia did things like this every day. From all the times Twilight had watched her in the past, Princess Celestia also seemed to know what she was doing and just what to say to everypony around her.


There was another thing bothering her, something that had been creeping in the back of her brain ever since the General brought up a possible attack on Canterlot. How much did he really know about the threats that Equestria had faced in the past? The only creature that existed outside the Valley that Twilight had heard was dragons. They had told her that they knew about some of her past heroism…but how much did they really know? Did they know about how Discord tried to turn Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world? Did they know about King Sombra’s return and the threat it had posed? Did they know that the changelings almost succeeded in doing what the General had feared?


That last one specifically bothered Twilight to no end. If he did know, why didn’t he remind Twilight about that incident in a more pointed fashion? Or even mention the changelings by name? If he had, the effectiveness of his argument would have been greater simply by stating a specific example of past Equestrian failure. The more she thought about it, she doubted that the General would wait any longer to finish building the fort if he knew about the shapeshifters. Was it possible that something like that had been omitted to Count Raven? Or was it that Count Raven had neglected to tell the Great Houses. If that were the case then-


A loud bang interrupted Twilight’s thoughts as well as causing her to jump in the air. Spike let out a yelp of fright at the same time and she could feel the dragon’s body going rigid. As the pair landed on the ground, Twilight became aware of what was before them. It was a machine whose shape reminded Twilight of a Hearth’s Warming Tree colored in brass and copper. It stood tall, large enough for Twilight to crane her neck all the way to look at its top. She could see that it was spinning around in three different segments, with the top and bottom moving one way while the middle moved in the opposite. Sticking out of the machine in random locations were metallic bars holding target boards at the end of them which, as Twilight managed to notice, were all dented and a few even had holes in them.


There was another loud bang that only caused the fur on Twilight’s body to stand on end this time as a thestral was flying around close to the machine. She watched this soldier as he or she dodged the bars while pointing his odd weapon at the targets. For a moment, Twilight assumed the weapon would be launched from his hooves and then grabbed again in a stunning display of areal skill. Instead there was another loud bang as something very, very fast and very small was launched from the end of the weapon. Had it not been for all her times watching the speedy pegasi of Equestria flying around she might not have been able to see it. But she did. Whatever was fired hit one of the targets close to the center as the soldier continued to dodge.


“Wh-What is that?” asked Twilight as she pointed a hoof at the weapon.


Steel Trap, who was still in front of her, turned around with a look of either amusement or superiority. Perhaps even both. “That is a blunderbuss,” he said calmly as another loud bang filled the air.


Twilight said nothing as she watched the soldier continue with the training in amazement. She had, of course, seen unicorns use their magic to blast foes from a distance. She had also seen Rainbow Dash buck a cloud in order to get lightning to shoot out of it for a prank. But this…this was something else entirely. This was a weapon that could deal serious damage and useable by any tribe of pony. While lacking the versatility of magical beams, it would certainly do the job in the right hooves. Or, as she remembered all of the rebellions, do great harm in the wrong hooves.


Eventually, the machine began to pick up speed, turning faster so as to reduce the amount of time the soldier had to aim as well as needing to dodge more. “Usually we have more thestrals training at once,” said Steel Trap coolly. “Another part of the training is to ensure we don’t hit our own troops when we aim. Naturally we use training rounds to ensure if an accident does happen there is no permanent damage. But then again, we also need to make sure that our troops always remain aware of their surroundings.” As he spoke, something happened. Something that looked like steam shot out at the training pony with enough force that he was blown off course. So much so that he was blown face first into one of the bars he was trying to avoid.


As the soldier fell towards the ground, Twilight used her magic without a second thought. A purplish glow surrounded the fallen soldier as he was slowly lowered to the ground. She could see heads turning in surprise at this, but all the ponies around them remained in their ranks. When his body touched the ground, the soldier let out a groan before trying to get back on his legs.


“A poor showing by him,” said General Steel Trap. “Too focused on what was before him that he failed to take notice of anything else.” As he said this, the General brought his hoof up to touch his metallic chin. Twilight did her best not to think about what this might indicate as she moved over to the soldier.


“Are you ok?” she asked as she looked at the pony whom she had just saved.


“Yes ma’am,” said the soldier as he saluted her on shaky legs. His left wing was brought up to his forehead while his left front leg pounded against his chest. Next to him was his blunderbuss tucked under his right wing. “I’m fine ma’am.”


Steel Trap let out a sigh. “I had hoped to introduce you to him under better circumstances,” he said while giving the soldier a disapproving look. “Princess Twilight, allow me to introduce to you Specialist Starfall Barrage. He will be your personal guard.”


“It is an honor ma’am,” said Starfall quickly as he continued to salute her. “Ma’am, I hope you do not hold this against me. I can assure you that I will be diligent in my duty to protect you.”


“Ah, at ease?” she said uncertainty. Instantly Starfall returned to a normal stance as he continued to look in Twilight’s direction from behind his mask. Twilight couldn’t help but smile uncomfortably, sweat appearing along-


“I swing my blade, swing my blade so much faster than the rest~,” sang a mare’s voice in the distance. At once, the orderly feel of the area dissolved and was replaced with an aura of fear so powerful that Twilight could taste it on her tongue. She looked over at Spike who just shrugged before turning her attention to Steel Trap. The metal jawed stallion looked like he was watching his life flash before his eyes.


It was then that Twilight spotted a uniformed mare zooming overhead moving towards the training machine. While her attire was the same as all of the other soldiers around Twilight, there were a few additions to it. First thing Twilight noticed was that her saddle bags were smaller with tubes that lead to two smaller blunderbusses that she held in either hoof. Across her barrel were two bandoliers that made an X formation, full of grenades. Then, to top it all off, the mare had a massive battle axe strapped to her back that shined in the moonlight. One other thing Twilight noticed was that something was covering one of the yellow lenses on her mask. It looked as red as blood, perhaps part of her mane sticking out.


“I swing my blade, swing my blade right into your chest~,” continued the song as the mare got in as close to the machine as Starfall had been while holding out her twin hoofheld blunderbusses. What happened next caused Twilight to stare in amazement. The mare fired her weapons, hitting two targets at the same time. She shifted and moved fluidly to dodge the incoming targets before shooting them from behind. It was like everything was moving in slow motion for this mare, able to see and react to everything perfectly. She even moved in time to avoid the same steam blast that took out Starfall.


The machine was moving faster now and twelve targets had been destroyed. The mare had put away her mini blunderbusses so she could now wield her axe with both hooves. As she sliced through the first bar holding up one of the targets, Twilight remembered seeing a few earth ponies back in Equestria training with the same type of weapon. At the time, she didn’t find it impressive seeing that a unicorn could levitate the same weapon with much greater ease and finesse than one of them. Now she was looking at a mare, about half the size as the earth pony stallions she remembered, wielding the giant axe as if it her an extension of herself.


“I swing my blade, swing my blade so nopony can protest~,” continued the mare gleefully as her axe suddenly swung into the spinning machine behind her. Then, before Twilight knew what was going on, the mare tossed in one of her grenades before flying away. “That I am the BEST!” As she sang that last word the machine behind her exploded causing most of the soldier to shield themselves or run away. The only one of them to do anything else was General Steel Trap who moved in front of Princess Twilight as if to shield her with his body.


Reacting more than thinking, Twilight closed her eyes as her horn lit up. Instantly a wall of purplish colored magic appeared out of nowhere to block all the incoming debris. Chunks of flaming metal in various sizes bounced off the wall before falling to the ground. Most stared at the wall, wondering where it came from but those few who were closest to the princess watched as she struggled to keep it up.


“Some protector,” muttered Spike. Without dropping her shield, Twilight looked over where the voice had come from and saw Spike standing next to Starfall with his arms crossed and shaking his head. Starfall had his belly pressed against the dirt covered surface with both his front hooves over his head.


At this point Twilight could no longer feel any pressure being put upon her shield. Meaning that the danger was most likely over. Sighing in relief, Twilight turned her attention back to what was before her. Bolts, gears, and an assortment of parts Twilight couldn’t comprehend laid around what had once been the training machine. Now it was nothing more than a pile of junk with dark smoke pouring into the sky. As she dropped her shield, Twilight noticed that the mare who had done all this was dancing in the sky with her axe serving as her partner. She twirled around gleefully, as if she was unaware of the damage she had just caused, reminding Twilight a bit of another pony she knew.


“Your Grace,” breathed Count Raven at last, his voice full of shock. Twilight turned around to look at him, his coat several shades paler. “Is…Is everything alright? Nothing hurt?”


“She’s fine,” said Spike before she could speak, waving his hand as he continued to look at Starfall. “Throwing up a shield like that is nothing for somepony like Twilight.”


Twilight rolled her eyes before smiling at Count Raven. “I’m fine Count,” she said before she turned to look at the rest of the troops. “Is anypony hurt?”


“OVERKILL!” screamed the General, surprising Twilight and her friends so much that they all jumped. Steel Trap, Twilight saw, was bright red in the face with veins sticking out along his neck and temples. The mare in the sky stopped her dance and it seemed that she was finally taking in the damage she caused as she looked downward. Head lowered, she scratched the back of her helmet before landing on the ground as she chuckled weakly.


“Specialist Overkill reporting,” she said in a weak tone.


“Why. Are. You. Here?” breathed the General as he fumed with rage. His anger was so intense that both Twilight and Spike flinched upon every syllable spoken.


“Well sir,” began Overkill. “I saw that the target machine was free. It had been a while and wanted to take a swing at-”


“You know what I mean!” yelled Steel Trap as he slammed his hoof against the ground. “You were sentenced to a month of solitary confinement after you ‘cleaned’ the latrine.”


“To be fair sir, you said you didn’t want to see any grime and you didn’t. Because I blew it up!” At that the General’s face grew redder. “And about my solitary confinement it, well, ended about an hour ago. Came straight here to get some practice in to make sure I hadn’t grown too rusty.” The Mare suddenly tilted her head in a questioning way. “Sir, did you forget? Maybe old age is catching up with you.”


“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!?” roared the General, one eye going wide while his head twitched. “WE DO NOT USE LIVE AMMO DURING TRAINING! WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT HEAD OF YOURS? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY GRITS-”


“Hey, who’s that?” interrupted Overkill as she pointed to Twilight with her wing. As the General looked like his head was about to burst into flames, Overkill approached Twilight and began to look her over. “Wow, she’s got a horn on her head so she can stab her enemies with a head butt. Did some crazy doc weld this thing to your head and you just painted it? That had to be painful. Or did you…wait a moment.” Overkill’s head was now looking at Twilight’s wings. “Feathered? Sir, I-I don’t think this is a thestral.”


“No she isn’t,” growled the General who seemed to be doing everything in his power to calm down.


Overkill turned her head to look at the General, tilting her head in a questioning manner. “Then what is she? And what is she doing here?”


“Her Grace is Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria,” said Count Raven stepping forward and gaining Overkill’s attention. “Currently Her Grace has been chosen to temporarily rule over Thunder Valley and, as such, requires a body guard.”


“Oh,” replied the masked mare. “Well, good luck with that.” She then stretched her back, fanning her wings as she did so. “Me, I think I’d better check and see if all of my other skills haven’t gotten rusty.”


As the General looked like he was about to object, probably to tell her that she was being kicked out of the Army or something like that, Twilight smiled before speaking. “Well don’t take too long because we’ll be leaving soon. That includes you Overkill. Because I would like you to be my personal bodyguard.” Twilight could hear the world shattering as she said this. Spike looked at her in disbelief while all of the stallions whose faces she could see appeared horrified by this news. Not that she could blame them.


“Y-Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he stumbled with his words. “P-Perhaps I misheard. Forgive me but it sounded as though Your Grace wishes for this…walking disaster to come to the Capital, the head of Your Grace’s government, to be a bodyguard?” Twilight nodded causing the Count to appear as though he were having a heart attack. “Your Grace, this seems most unorthodox! From all accounts seen thus far she’s likely to try to kill a fly with a pistol! Or a grenade! Surely Your Grace can see this?!”


“Not happening,” said Overkill as she shook her head rapidly. “Staying in the castle will probably be the most boring thing ever! I’ll go crazy!”


“S-She can get crazier?!?” screamed somepony in the crowd.


At that moment, the General seemed to return to his senses. “Princess, Specialist Overkill is…not suited for the type of work required to be a bodyguard,” he said as he approached Twilight, his tone very serious. “She is more suited for destroying a rebel hold out or leveling a city block. Now, Specialist Starfall on the other…hoof…” Twilight looked down at Starfall who was still on the ground, looking up at them all while shaking slightly. Once again Steel Trap’s eye began to twitch something awful at this sight while Overkill facehoofed.


“Specialist Starfall, you may rise,” said Twilight. At once the soldier scrambled to his hooves before saluting while Twilight fought to keep a certain look off of her face as she returned to look at Steel Trap. One that said ‘really, you think he’ll keep me safe?’ “General, I am sure that Starfall is a good soldier and that you had good reasons to choose him over so many others. I also understand your concerns about Overkill. But this is a decision I feel confident about.”


For the longest time, the two stood there looking at each other. Twilight waited, expecting him to get angry again. To point and shout about all the damage that Overkill would most likely cause within Automahollow. That she should instead be kicked out of the military or banished or whatever it was that happened to ponies here. She waited for Steel Trap to demand some sort of explanation as to why she wanted Overkill or some justification for keeping her around. Yet, strangely, none of that happened. Steel Trap just nodded as if he accepted this.


“Specialist Overkill,” he said as he turned to the mare. “Head over to my office so we can go over your new assignment.” With that, the stallion turned to Twilight as Overkill flew off and told her that she would be back in a short while. That she would feel more comfortable waiting for her in their carriage. He then bowed before walking away, barking at all the soldiers gathered around to clean up the mess.


“That was weird,” said Twilight as the group headed towards their carriage.


“Not really,” said Count Raven. “Please remember that Your Grace has the final word. The General is bound to obey. Still, this could work against Your Grace. Should that crazy mare do too much damage Your Grace will share some of the blame for bringing her to the castle. Then, if the Great Houses question me and the General, I shall be bound by law to answer truthfully that I did not recommend this.”


“I understand,” said Twilight. “The last thing I would want from you is to break the law just because I made a mistake.”


“Your Grace, a question if I can?” asked the Count which Twilight nodded. “Why did Your Grace request that mare? Surely it wouldn’t be a simple whim.”


Twilight let out a sigh. “Specialist Starfall just made me feel uncomfortable. I just kept imagining him standing behind me rigidly while I’m trying look over my work or holding court. Maybe if I got to know him a bit better he might loosen up a bit, but still it would have made it difficult to become friends with him.” Seeing Count Raven raise an eyebrow at this, Twilight continued. “I’d rather be on friendly terms with those around me, even if for no other reason than to make me more comfortable. Plus, she reminds me of one of my friends back in Equestria.”


“Not to mention she was much more impressive than that coward,” added Spike.


Count Raven hummed at that. “You do make a valid point,” he said to Spike. “I will admit that I was impressed by her skill, but that was before I witnessed her reckless destruction!”


“Which is another reason I’d like to keep her close,” continued Twilight. “As long as she’s close I’ll be able to keep an eye on her and use my magic to keep property damage to a minimum. Also while she’s with me, fewer machines here will be destroyed by her. Pretty sure that will save on some grits.”


“Only if you can keep an eye on her all the time, Your Grace,” said Count Raven. “But, I do see Your Grace’s point. I’m pretty sure that had Your Grace not intervened, the General would have dismissed her from the military completely. Given her skill and the amount of grits that probably went into her training it would have been a shame.”


“But doesn’t it seemed odd?” asked Spike as he furrowed his brows. “I mean the General doesn’t seem like the type of stallion to keep somepony around like that for long. Feels weird that he didn’t kick her to the curb long ago. Is she his daughter or something?”


“General Steel Trap has never married anypony,” said the Count as he looked down at Spike. “The stallion is wed to his work and his duty alone. Yet once again I am inclined to agree with you. The General I have known for years would never keep somepony around like that without good reason.”


-x-


“Well this is a fine mess you put us in Overkill,” said Steel Trap as the two entered his office. The room was very Spartan-like, holding only things that he needed. There was no clutter of pictures on the metallic walls or awards from his past deeds. There were no knick-knacks on his desk, only an in and out tray along with the needed pens to sign with. Beyond the single desk was a chair for him to sit behind which he did as Overkill on the opposite side.

“Not my fault you thought giving them Starfall was a good idea,” replied Overkill in a somewhat amused tone. “The stallion has got to have the lowest combat skill rating out of all the Specialists. If you wanted him to look impressive in front of the Princess, then maybe you should have set the difficulty level to beginners. Would have made anypony look amazing to her.”


“I would have hoped that by now he would have advanced above such a level,” replied Steel Trap. “Now I know what I’ll be driving into his skull while you’re on your next mission.”


“Ahh, come on sir,” groaned Overkill. “Do I really have to do this? Can’t you just send me on another solo mission to annihilate rebel scum?”


“Out of the twenty Specialists, Starfall has the least amount of combat skills,” said Steel Trap above Overkill’s groaning. “But his skills in information gathering are almost unmatched. That was the reason I had decided to assign him to the Princess, to discreetly uncover as much information about the outside world as possible.”


Overkill tilted her head. “Sir, do you think that Equestria is a threat?”


The General did not answer right away, instead averting his eyes to the surface of his desk. If she had asked him this earlier this night then he would have said no. The Princess seemed surprised by almost all of their most basic technology, looking at it with the intrigue and wonder of a foal. What information he was able to get from her during their tour suggested that Equestria barely had any technology at their hooves relying on melee and other outdated weapons. No, it would be all the other lands that were surrounded in mystery that he wanted to know about. All the other possible threats that were out there, those who would wish harm to all of ponykind. Knowing who they were, how to combat them, would be the first step in ensuring their safety.


Yet that was before the General witnessed Twilight’s magic at work. When she had mentioned a magical barrier, he thought of it more like a moving shield or whatnot. Just something small and basic. Now, after seeing Princess Twilight protecting not just herself but a good number of his troops with a single spell, made him realize just how short sighted he had been. If she could do that, then maybe others in Equestria could do the same as well. Protect their troops from their ammo as they stormed the field and the skies. What if their magic could do more than simply lift objects or create barriers?


“It is possible,” replied the General as he slowly looked up at her. “Which is why we need to gather this intel. Any information you can gather like troop strength, what their magic is capable of, if there are other races living in Equestria, and so forth will aid us in determining this. I will also need you to find out everything you can about that purple dragon’s weaknesses.”


“Wait…dragon?” said Overkill as she took a step back. “That purple thing with them was a dragon? But, but dragons are supposed to be huge and-and breathe fire! They’re supposed to be total bad-flanks, not some tiny cute thing that makes me want to hurl!”


“Apparently this is a baby dragon has been by the princess’s side since the day it hatched,” replied the General. “This could mean that Equestria has a dragon air force at their command. Or, at the very least, dragons living amongst them. Either way, we need to know how to fight them should one of them get into the Valley. Our history books speaks of the dangers they posed and there is that large skeleton by Webbings Fall. We need to verify fact from fiction as soon as possible.”


Overkill let out a sigh. “I guess,” she said. “Lousy tiny dragon ruining my fantasy,” she added under her breath. Steel Trap shook his head at that. Everypony in the fort knew that it was Overkill’s fantasy to slay a mythical creature like a dragon in single combat, riding its corpse as it fell from the sky. Something that most thestrals who knew her believed could happen. It was one of the reasons General Steel Trap kept her around.


As well as not wanting her to join the enemy side.
> Party Guests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Boring,” said Overkill loudly. Without thinking about it, Twilight jerked her head to look at her new bodyguard. Said pony was still in her uniform, minus her mask to reveal her grey furred face and that her mane had been dyed red with streaks of black in it. She was not standing next to Twilight in attention like many of the Guards Twilight had seen doing for Princess Celestia back in Equestria. Instead she was on her back as she laid on the floor of Twilight’s castle suite, her eyes locked on the ceiling. On the ground next to her was the large axe.


“Princess,” snapped a voice next to her right before her head was forcefully turned forwards so that she now faced the same mirror she had been since she returned from Fort Chrostorm. The owner of the voice, one of the castle maids, didn’t bother to hide her annoyance at this while taking a brush back into her mouth. Without another word, the maid continued what she had been doing of meticulously applying makeup to her. As Twilight sat there, doing nothing, she had to agree with Overkill that this was completely boring. She had had other mares doing her makeup before, but that was back when she was surrounded by her friends who would talk and giggle with her during the long process. Not so much now.


In a way, Twilight was a bit disappointed. Given all that she had seen of thestral technology, she had wondered if they had a contraption that would help her get ready for the party. This being Twilight, she had given the matter much thought and had come up with several different ideas on how they might do it. One of them was similar to a cart wash back in Manehatten. The purple alicorn had imagined herself stepping onto a conveyor belt somewhere else in the castle before being moved on to have her coat washed by sprayers, dried by giant vacuums, and makeup shot onto her face before she could step off. Of course, that was just her first idea and Twilight had felt very silly for assuming they would do something like that. Another, more practical, idea was based off of the mechanical legs she had seen Wild Theory using when they first met. Like back then, Twilight could see through her mind’s eye a mare sitting behind her wearing a pack with the same metal spider-like limbs. It was somewhat unsettling to imagine these limbs moving around Twilight’s body, applying makeup as well as cleaning her coat. Yet Twilight knew she had could not show any signs of fear. As Princess, she had to make every effort to adapt to this new land. To show disgust or fear instead of trust in these machines would not help matters.


Also they might not let her study whatever machines they had if she offended them!


The reality of what awaited her back in her suite was far more tame than her thoughts. Upon leaving the lift, she saw that many of the dress racks had been unceremoniously moved over to the side. Within this newly freed space were a couple of carts that held dozens of small drawers, a set with oddly large wheels in the back that were at least twice the size of the cart. A mirror had been placed in the middle of these carts with a changing screen off to the side. As Twilight took this all in, a single maid quickly ushered her in front of the mirror and began to work silently. Several times Twilight tried to start a conversation with the mare or try to talk to Overkill, however the maid would have none of that. These were the only times the maid ever spoke, telling Twilight to keep her jaw shut and her head straight. Twilight wondered if she had long ago been ordered to act this way by the former princess or if she wanted absolute concentration as she worked.


In either case the results spoke for themselves. The mare had brushed Twilight’s fur with an old fashioned brush that looked similar to the ones she had seen in museums. Yet this brush, along with the mare’s meticulous skills, had managed to give her coat a shine that she had failed to gain from the deluxe spa treatment Rarity had procured them for the gala. Once that had been finished, the mare moved to her wings. She didn’t do much, due to having no experience with feathered wings, only ensuring that nothing hid between the feathers. After working on Twilight’s hooves until they shined, the maid moved to Twilight’s mane, which was quickly styled into a bun. With that complete, the maid did the first truly unpleasant thing during this entire ordeal: clean Twilight’s teeth. To do this, the maid opened the alicorn’s mouth before smearing a horribly smelling gel over her teeth with a leathery wing tip. While it smelled bad, the taste was far worse. So much so that Twilight could feel tears running down her face. After several minutes the maid removed the gel and showed that Twilight’s teeth were now sparkling white.


Now, in the present, the maid was applying blush and other items to Twilight’s face. This was taking a bit longer since thestrals only have so many coat colorations, meaning the maid had to do a lot of guesswork. Whenever something didn’t look just right, it was quickly removed before trying a different combination.


Carefully, Twilight raised her lips just a tiny bit and managed to say “You could go next if you want,” through gritted teeth. The maid paused to raise an eyebrow at Twilight before continuing.


“I’d rather work in the drudges,” replied Overkill. As she said this, Twilight was able to see her sour expression clearly in the mirror. “Sitting still that long, doing nothing? When most of the time ponies can’t even see most of your face? Seems like something my ma would do but not me. Rather be doing something more productive with my time like cleaning my weapons.”


“Really?” asked Spike as he came down the stairs, one of his comics in his claws. “You enjoy polishing your weapons? Doesn’t really seem all that important.”


At that, Overkill quickly rolled over and stood up before thrusting a hoof in Spike’s direction. “Don’t you know anything tiny dragon? Making sure your weapons are properly clean is one of the most important things they teach you in basic training! Smoothing out your melee weapon helps reduce friction and allowing for you to cut deeper as well as easier! Blunderbusses need to be dismantled each and every day to can clean every part of them so that they can function at their peak condition. Failure to do so can cause the blunderbuss to jam up or blow up in your face! Not to mention by taking your blunderbuss apart you can check to see if any parts need to be replaced. Is the hose leading to your furnace pack starting to fray? Are any of the gauges off? There are hundreds of ways things can go wrong and the worse time for that to happen is when your life is in danger! Cleaning your weapons means staying alive and I happen to like living!”


“Geez,” said Spike as he sat down and opened up his comic. “Why is everything here so complicated?”


“It’s not complicated,” stated Overkill as she picked up her axe and began to twirl it around her foreleg like a baton stick. “You just happen to be ignorant. What are you reading anyway?”


“Power Ponies issue 357,” he said without looking up. “Pretty good one where Saddle Ranger has to defeat the Phony Pharaoh and his gang all by herself whiles the rest of the team are wrapped in power sapping bandages.”


Overkill gave him a deadpanned look as she stopped her twirling. “All I heard was words without any blasted meaning,” she said, head tilted to the side.


Watching all this through the mirror still, Twilight saw that Spike had opened his mouth to make some sort of retort when the sound of the lift door opening was heard. Twilight’s ears perked at this since access to said lift was very limited. Right now, as far as she knew, the only ones allowed to it were herself, Spike, Count Raven, and Overkill since she was going to be staying with Twilight in the suite in order to better protect her. As for everypony else, there was another entrance at the other end of Twilight’s home. She had been told that there were guards stationed at various points, making note of everypony who was coming to see her as well as searching all of their belongings.


Still looking through the mirror, Twilight saw Overkill tense up slightly. The princess guessed what was going through her bodyguards head: that just because only a few ponies were allowed to use it doesn’t mean others couldn’t use it as well. Thestral assassins for example. Given the history of this land, it was no surprise to her that Overkill would think this way. Still, her eyes widened in shock and fear as Overkill pulled out a grenade from her bandolier before getting into the best throwing position. Twilight’s fear seemed to triple, fearful of the damage that thing could cause. It would most likely kill the intruder but there was no telling what the blast would do to the others in the room!


Thankfully, Overkill did not throw it. “Put that blasted thing away,” came the familiar voice of Count Raven as he exited the lift while looking at Overkill crossly. Overkill looked like a filly who had just opened up her Hearth’s Warming gifts to reveal moldy old socks. With a pained look she put her grenade away as the stallion entered the room.


As he approached Twilight, she noticed out of the corner of her eye the slight differences in the Count’s appearance. His black opera coat had been replaced with a black frock that was completely buttoned up all the way to his neckline by golden gear-shaped buttons. The sleeves of his jacket went all the way down to his hooves with three golden buckles on each. His white mane was mostly hidden by a top hat and under his right wing was a cane. Not that he needed one, perhaps more for show than anything. The rest of his featured looked like they had been cleaned. Perhaps not to the same degree as Twilight’s, but it was still noticeable. There was something else there as well. On his back was a long rectangular white box.


“Your Grace is looking most excellent this night,” said Count Raven with a bow, causing Twilight to blush. “I am sure Your Grace will make a most wonderful impression on thine guests.”


“Thanks,” replied Twilight as the maid began to finish up. “Just hope I don’t have to go through this every time we invite thestrals over.”


The Count chuckled at that. “Ah, Prince Obsidian used to say the same thing as did his father before him. Sometimes it seemed like that was the only thing they shared in common. But His Former Excellency used to have a saying, ‘Place two gifts before a crowd and most will assume that the better wrapped one is more worthy of attention.’ He…would often say that that to both himself and the former prince when they were getting ready.” At that moment, the Count seemed to sober a great deal as he lowered his head.


Seeing that the maid was putting away her things, Twilight felt like she could move about freely now. The princess turned to place a comforting hoof on the shoulder of the Count. “It sounds like you miss both of them.”


“That I do Your Grace,” replied Count Raven. “I served His Former Excellency for many, many years. I was there when our former Queen gave birth.”


Twilight smiled somewhat. “What was he like?” she asked, “King Cobalt. I’m a bit curious since you haven’t talked about him much. Unless you don’t want to of course. I can understand if it’s too difficult.”


Count Raven shook his head. “Not at all,” he said before placing a hoof to his chin in thought. “He was a very good king, I’d say. Took his work very seriously, for the most part. He had his faults, his blind spots if you will, but he ensured that nearly everything ran smoothly throughout the kingdom. No matter what issue came before him, he treated them all with the same level of dedication. Whether it was a civil uprising in one area of Thunder Valley or a slight decrease in the crops, they were all important to him. He used to say that the kingdom was like a complex machine, with many parts both large and small. Yet, no matter the size, they are all important. A single piece damaged or missing could result in the machine not performing at its best or, far worse, stop working altogether.”


“Sounds like he had a lot of sayings,” commented Twilight as her horn lit up.


“It was a hobby of sorts,” said Count Raven. “Liked to think about things and write them down in a notebook. My personal favorite was what he used to say about the moon, that it represents hope.” Twilight looked at the Count with some confusion. Growing up in Equestria, she had always associated the sun with hope and life. Without it, nothing could survive. The moon, as well as the night, had always brought the cold and darkness. She had nothing against the night of course for she loved to study the stars and the planets. It’s just how she viewed them on a symbolic level. The Count must have noticed this as he continued to talk. “His Former Excellency would say that the day is the normal where everything is fine. Everything just seems to be going right and you don’t have a care in the world. But then that warmth, that comfort is taken away leaving you in the dark. That’s when you can see it, a light shining brightly along with many other smaller dots in the sky, to break up the darkness. It’s only then, in those dark times that true hope shines its brightest and can be seen.”


Twilight stared at the stallion with her jaw open a tiny bit. She had never heard anypony describe the moon in such a way. But now that it had been explained to her like this, she couldn’t help but see where the former king was coming from. It was actually very beautiful now that she thought about it. Sadly, not everypony in the room felt the same way.


“Sounds sappy,” commented Overkill. Twilight turned to see that Overkill was laying back down, eyes closed, while Spike nodded.


“Well I think it’s wonderfully insightful,” said Twilight before turning to look at Count Raven. “I don’t suppose you know if that notebook is still around? I’d love to read more.”


“I shall strive to accomplish this goal Your Grace. If my memory serves correctly, the notebook should be in the archives with several other items that belonged to His Former Excellency. His Former Excellency had left it there until… until it could be presented to both his children, to help them rule when he passed.” Count Raven continued to speak, but his voice was mournful. “But that sadly never happened. Your Grace, while King Cobalt was a great ruler for many years His Former Excellency was not the best father. His Former Excellency loved them both dearly, but he felt he needed to be firm with them if they were ever to bare the weight of the crown. Perhaps he went harder on the Prince who was just as stubborn as his father. The fights between King Cobalt and Prince Obsidian would echo through these great halls on a nightly basis. It was only after one particularly venomous argument that the Prince decided to leave in the middle of the day without a word to anypony. Neither were ever able to reconcile.”


“That’s horrible,” said Twilight as she placed a hoof to her mouth as a bag from her room descended towards her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live like that, to have your last encounter with somepony you loved being filled with such anger. Having to go through that for the rest of your days.


Twilight briefly wondered if it was because of that fight that Prince Obsidian came back to the castle. Did he blame himself for not being there when his father needed him, or did he think that their fight might have had an impact on his father’s health? Was his trying to keep the kingdom afloat part of some sort of penance? Or did he just feel obligated to do the work? There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but now wasn’t the time.


“More like pathetic on the guards’ account,” stated Overkill, causing Twilight to turn and look at her. “Heard about that while I was back in training. Not a single guard saw him leaving the castle or leaving the city. It was a clubber in a nearby village that spotted him. The General was not too pleased about that.”


“Well of course nopony would see him leaving the castle,” snorted Count Raven. “Within the castle are several emergency escape routes should anything befall the Royal Family. Then there are-” Whatever Count Raven was going to say next was cut short as a whistle similar to the kind made by a kettle sounded several times. Twilight had heard this noise several times before, assuming it to be a clock of some kind that she had yet to find due to all this mess. “Oh dear, is it that time already? The party will be starting soon.”


“Well, I’m almost ready,” said Twilight as she opened the bag she had brought down. “All I have to do is put on this dress.” Now in her magical hold was the dress Rarity had given her as a goodbye gift. After looking at it, Twilight saw that Rarity had pulled out all of the stops for this one gown. It reminded her of the starry gala dress she had worn that one time, but with some impressive improvements. The star pattern the original had once held had been replaced by diamonds that shined in the light of the room. They spiraled around the light blue gown in a way that reminded Twilight of the Milky Way. There was no better time to wear such a gift than when she was about to make her first appearance before the upper crust of Automahollow. Wearing this dress would be like having her friend beside her.


Looking over at the Count, Twilight expected him to be equally impressed. But he was not. Instead he seemed put off by the dress or something. “Oh,” he managed to say as his eyes shifted about. “Were you planning on wearing that?”


“…Yes?” replied Twilight slowly, not understanding. “It probably wouldn’t be right to wear one of Princess Alabaster’s dresses to this, would it?”


“No, no,” said the Count quickly. “You are right, that wouldn’t send the right message. That’s why I went to the trouble of finding you this.” As he spoke, Count Raven reached for the box on his back before handing it to Twilight. Touched by this gesture, as well as a bit curious as to what he had gotten her, Twilight opened the box. Instantly her eyes widened before closing it.


“Well that’s,” began Twilight as she forced a smile. As tiny beads of sweat threatened to form on her forehead, she began to think of the most polite way to say no. A really, really big no! “It’s certainly an…interesting design. But I don’t think it’s me.”


Count Raven frowned at this. “Your Grace, please understand,” he said in a calm tone, his eyes shifting towards the dress Rarity had made for a brief moment. “I do not wish to sound cruel, but that dress Your Grace has selected is far too…Equestrian, for lack of a better term.” Twilight opened her mouth, only to have the Count raise a hoof. “Your Grace was correct in thinking that wearing a dress that belonged to the former princess would send the wrong message. Your Grace standing there in such a lavish dress while the rest of Thunder Valley is struggling to get by just simply won’t do. But this dress,” he gestured to Rarity’s gown, “will also send them the wrong message. It says that Your Grace is still clinging to Your Grace’s homeland, unwilling to adapt. They need to see Your Grace as their future ruler, not as a guest or a member of a foreign power.”


“AAHHH,” wailed Overkill as she placed her two front hooves on either side of her head. “This is why I hate politics. A dress is a dress!”


Twilight didn’t reply to Overkill’s outburst, only rotating her gaze between the beautiful dress her friend had made and the closed box before her. With all her heart, Twilight wanted to wear Rarity’s dress for she knew how hard she had worked to make it and that it would look great on her. Yet, at the same time, she understood what the Count was telling her. If she wanted these ponies to listen to her, to see her as their potential queen, then she had to act like it. She needed to show them that she was becoming one of them. Plus, the Count had gone through the trouble of getting her a dress just for this occasion. Wouldn’t it be thoughtless and rude of her to refuse such kindness? Count Raven was one of the few thestrals she knew was truly on her side so she didn’t want to upset him.


“Are you sure?” asked Twilight in a soft voice. “I mean, me wearing a brand new dress might also send the wrong impression.”


“That’s right,” said Spike as he ran over to them and placed a claw on Rarity’s dress. “I’m sure nopony will mind Twilight trotting around wearing a dress Rarity made. Better than finding out that she’s already spending bits, er, I mean grits on a new dress for herself.”


“That’s why this dress is slightly out of fashion,” replied the Count. “It’s a keepsake from our former queen before she too passed into the Storm. It should show that Your Grace is assimilating well into our culture as well as showing that Your Grace is not wasting any grits.”


Twilight said nothing, only staring at the box with half-lidded eyes. She knew that Spike was watching her, hoping that she would make some sort of argument against this. Or perhaps put her hoof down. But Twilight knew she had to wear this tonight. The Count was right; she needed to make the best impression she possibly could. Even if it meant wearing something she didn’t feel comfortable in. So, with a heavy sigh, Twilight gently let Rarity’s gown fall into Spike’s arms while he looked at her in shock. Then, very slowly, she lifted the box containing the other dress.


-x-


Later that evening, a few hours before the night sky would give way to the rising sun, Twilight stood within the ballroom feeling like she was wearing a Nightmare Night costume. The dress was almost blood red, with black trimming in a spider web-like pattern. On her flank was another layer of cloth, looking as if the dress was a bit too big so the extra length had been placed there, while below it the frills seemed to zig and zag about. Around her barrel was a corset that matched the spider theme of the frills, depicting several arachnids with a large gear where its abdomen should have been. Long sleeves went down both her forelegs, both of which held buttons looking like the same mecha spider on her corset. Right now, Twilight didn’t feel like a princess at a ball. Instead she felt more like a vampony straight from one of the better haunted houses in Canterlot.


At the very least, the gown was comfortable. The dress didn’t feel too baggy nor did it make her look like she had put on any weight since arriving. The fabric of the dress felt soft and smooth against her fur. Even the corset wasn’t put on too tightly, allowing her more breathing room than she would have thought possible.


The music playing in the background, however, was something she could do without. Off in the corner, far from everypony else, was another one of the thestrals’ machines. Its back portion looked like several pill shaped boilers squished together, with the usual tubes and gauges sticking out in various places. In front of it was something that disturbed Twilight so much that she did everything she could not to look at it. Several bumps of the same bronze metal as the machine rose up three feet from the ground before morphing into the bodies on auto-ponies. Each one of them held in their hooves musical instruments, which they played the same depressing song that made the music at a funeral sound like a celebration over and over again. But that wasn’t what made them hard to look at. For reasons Twilight didn’t know, some mad pony had placed fake fur over their bodies. That, along with the numerous wires and tubes sticking out from their backs, created a nightmarish image for the purple princess.


Beside her was Count Raven, sticking as close to her as if he had suddenly become her shadow. Together they stood at the end of a long, red velvet carpet that started at the door. Unlike the time when she had been with Princess Celestia to greet ponies at the door, her guests for this evening had to walk to the opposite end of the ballroom to be greeted. At most two ponies would slowly approach her while the rest waited behind the door. It was an almost unbearably slow process for Twilight.


“Blood Diamond and his newlywed wife Black Widow,” whispered Count Raven into Twilight’s ear as the latest pair approached them. “Blood Diamond owns one of the finest jewelry shops in Automahollow. Has ties to Duke Fallen Star who, in turn, has ties to the mining companies in his area. The best gems and ore always arrive to his shop. Very influential with the upper crust.” Twilight fought hard not to nod as she processed this information very quickly. Perhaps the best part of this long carpet system was that Count Raven was able to dispense enough information to her before they arrive.


When the two got closer, both Twilight and Count Raven bowed which was echoed in turn. After they had all risen, Twilight saw that Blood Diamond was giving her an appraising look. Like many of the other guests, he was taken slightly aback by her feathered wings as well as her horn. As he did this, Twilight felt a chill running down her spine thanks to the look Black Widow was giving her. It was a hungry type of look that felt like it belonged more on a wild manticore than a pony. Not helped in the slightest when she licked her lips slightly. For a moment her gaze flicked to her husband, looking maybe a bit bored by what she saw before returning to look at Twilight.


“It is an honor to be here this night Princess Twilight,” said Blood Diamond at last, his tone very formal. “I do hope that your being here will mean that things will begin to stabilize. The leadership of the Great Houses was not kind to my business. No, not at all.”


“I am very sorry to hear that,” replied Twilight in a sincere tone. “Right now, my top priority is to ensure the wellbeing of all Thunder Valley’s thestrals. I hope to count on your support on this matter.”


“Well,” began Blood Diamond slowly. “Grits are tight right now for most ponies. I have already had to let go of several employees.” He then leaned a little closer. “But perhaps I could make a small…donation if you are willing to help me out in a small matter. I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not but Duke Rolling Thunder has been petitioning to use government grants to help support a new power source. An untested one, and the company developing it is in his pocket. If such a thing were to happen, who knows how it might affect the mining industry?”


Twilight gave a nod. “Workers might have to be laid off,” she replied. “Possibly fewer sources of income if those areas are so heavily dependent on mining. It could ruin entire towns.”


“And the prices of certain gems might go up,” added Blood Diamond with a nod. “Sure, for a stallion like myself, it might make some good grits in the short term. But after a while, who knows? I might have to go into a bidding war with so many others in order to supply my customers.”


“That sounds awful,” replied Twilight in a deadpanned voice. It was hard not to talk like this after so many others had made similar requests. Scattered around the ballroom were the others that had come in before, each one of them refusing to donate any grits unless Twilight helped them with their personal matters. Several of the thestrals here owned the many factories that made up the capital who clamored for her to lower the minimum wage or cut their taxes in half. Others had asked for more government grants to head their way and some requested that certain investigations be halted against them. Twilight had already made a mental note to find out what was going on with that last group.


Seeming to not notice the tone of her voice, Blood Diamond excused himself so that he and his wife could enjoy the party. Not that there was much going on. Most of the thestrals that had shown up seemed to be standing by themselves around the room, not talking much or anything else. A few of them were by the small food table which was scarce even before the first guest arrived. The most activity Twilight had seen was the auto-pony that Wild Theory had managed to repair, zooming along the track line with a tray filled with drinks. Occasionally it would stop so the guests could either take a drink or deposit their empty glass before the machine could return to the kitchen. As they walked away, Black Widow turned to look at Twilight and gave her a saucy wink.


“I’ll keep an eye on her,” whispered Count Raven, his voice tense. Twilight nodded, glad to hear that he felt the same way as she did.


At that moment, one of the guards approached the two. He gave a short bow to the both of them before moving to whisper in the Count’s ear. Twilight watched as the Count’s face shifted from slight annoyance to disappointment before looking annoyed.


“It seems our star guest, Arms Maker, was unable to make it,” said Count Raven after the guard walked away, sighing as he spoke. “Hopefully it doesn’t have anything to do with that son of his, storm blast him. I was hoping to introduce the two of you, but I fear it must happen on a later night.”


Twilight looked at him with some confusion. She wanted to know who this Arms Maker was as well as the deal with his son. However, before she could get the words out, Lady Crystal Chime was announced. At the sound of her name, Count Raven frowned deeply as he gazed at the mare heading towards them. Twilight followed his example to see something that was truly surprising: a mare who looked absolutely delighted to be here. The mare was dressed in a black ball gown that had a bump over her flank. Her young eyes sparkled with glee, an almost uncontrollable joy emanating from her very being.


“Be careful with this one,” whispered Count Raven darkly. “She’s Duke Ticking Clock’s grandfilly. I don’t know how she found out about this.”


“Princess Twilight!” exclaimed Crystal Chime loudly as she stopped in front of the pair. “Oh, how good it is to hear that the parties have resumed! You have no idea how much I have missed these since poor Princess Alabaster was dethroned. Such a tragedy!” As she said this, Crystal spun around with her wings extended while the other guests either glared at her statement or looked away. Yet the young mare didn’t seem to notice or pay any mind to them. Instead she stopped to look at the purple alicorn as if she were a savior of some kind.


“You really should have been there Princess,” Crystal continued happily. “Those were truly amazing times when this entire room would be full of thestrals dancing the day away. The music flowed elegantly through our ears, brought to us by the most gifted intellects who had put their talents to good use! The food was simply divine. Night after night, week and week. It was truly a celebration that should never have ended!” She then paused to look around, taking in the meager food and the abomination that was the machine playing the music. For the first time, a frown appeared on her face. “Alas, it seems like it will be a while before the taxes can be collected again in order to bring us such fair times again.”


“Actually,” said Twilight, her voice raised so that all could hear her. “That won’t be happening. Right now, my top priority is to repair this nation from the poor handling and selfish behavior of the former princess. Holding extravagant parties right now would just be a waste of grits. Nor will I be upping the taxes on those who are struggling to get by. Perhaps someday, in a few years, there will be more proper get togethers and parties. But they will be held on official holidays or whenever a situation calls for them. Not just because I feel like showing off!” Twilight was sure that her voice had carried through the room. While she kept her gaze locked on Crystal Chime, she could see out of the corner of her eyes several couples looking relieved. Or at least going back to what they were doing.


As for the mare in front of her, Twilight watched an almost shocking change in her. The mare who had been giddy for so long had looked at her wide eyed when Twilight had started speaking. Now was a much different story. Crystal’s eyes were half lidded with a slight sneer on her muzzle. She was now regarding Twilight as if she were something beneath her, holding her in contempt. It was like the grown mare before her was nothing more than a spoiled filly who had just been denied a trip to Whinnyland.


Twilight had expected the mare to say something to her, but it seemed that Twilight was now too far beneath the mare for such a courtesy. Crystal spun around, her nose high in the air, and began to walk the way she came. Nopony said another word, not even the guards who stepped out of the way to allow her to pass.


“Well, that could have gone better,” said Count Raven in a whisper as the door closed. He then looked over at Twilight with a frown. “I do wish Your Grace could have handled this more carefully. Your Grace has now made a most annoying enemy this night.”


Now Twilight frowned. “You said that we needed to make things clear that I wasn’t going to be following in the hoofsteps of Princess Alabaster. Everypony in this room could hear her! I had to ensure that they all know where I stand on this topic.”


“I suppose Your Grace has a point,” admitted Count Raven with a sigh. “Despite being the grandfilly to a well respected Duke, Lady Crystal Chime was a firm supporter of Princess Alabaster along with many other young foolish foals. Far too caught up in the limelight and the ‘fun’ she provided. It was only after their Princess fell from grace that many had a change of heart. Perhaps it was because they witnessed the consequences of their actions, either to the entirety of Thunder Valley or their own lifestyle change. Or perhaps they are simply putting up a front of remorse, unwilling to admit even to themselves the folly of their actions. She is the only one to still freely and openly support the former regime. She needs to understand that those nights are done with. Still, Your Grace has now made a full on enemy of her. She will no doubt do whatever she can to undermine Your Grace.”


Twilight shook her head. “Something tells me she would have done that no matter what I said to her or how I said it.”


Count Raven managed a small smile at this. “Another good point to Your Grace.” At that moment the doors opened announcing a stallion named Golden Spike. The stallion was decked in a fine coat much like the Count’s, with the addition of a top hat. His brown coat was line and his mutton chops had grayed nicely. There was a smile on his face as he looked over to his much younger companion, a mare who had a black coat as well as a mane that was black with streaks of white in it. Her dress looked more than a little on the worn side, probably second or third hooved.


“Golden Spike owns a company that produces railroads as well as trains,” whispered Count Raven. “He has been doing business with the crown for decades. He also has the second highest number of ponies working for him in Automahollow. As for the mare, I have no idea who she is. Hopefully she is not a tail raiser. It would be improper to bring one of their lot here.”


“Princess Twilight, how good of you to invite me,” said Golden Spike as he bowed, probably the most respectful one of the night. The mare beside him followed suit and Twilight bowed back. “It is such a pleasure to see somepony has finally taken up the crown after all this time.”


“It’s only on a trial basis,” admitted Twilight. “I only get to keep it if I do a good job.” As she spoke, Golden Spike seemed to allow his gaze to drift towards the mare next to him. This close, she could see her cheeks blushing brightly against her coat while raising a hoof to keep it from view. It was sort of cute in Twilight’s opinion. However, the Count felt differently as he loudly cleared his throat.


“Oh my, where are my manners,” said Golden Spike after jumping slightly. “Allow me to introduce my lovely guest for this lovely affair: Nightingale.”


“I-It’s a pleasure,” said the embarrassed mare, looking away slightly with a slight smile on her lips.


“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” said Twilight earnestly. Out of all the thestrals she had met so far, these seemed to be the most, for lack of a better term, Equestrian. “I hope I can count on your support.”


“Why of course you can,” beamed Golden Spike. He then drew a bit closer and when he spoke next, his tone was much softer as if to make sure nopony else could hear them. “It has come to my attention from a very reliable source that the first railroad will be built connecting Thunder Valley to Equestria.”


“How did you come by that information?” asked Count Raven. Golden Spike simply waved a hoof at him.


“It does not matter,” he said swiftly. “This information would have been discovered sooner or later. There is no point in hiding it or hunting down my source. Now then, an endeavor like this cannot come cheaply. So allow me to help! I am willing to help build the tracks on our side, connecting them with the Equestria’s, as well as helping to create a system that will allow trains to pass through our two countries free of charge.”


Twilight felt her jaw drop. “That…That is a very generous offer,” she said. Already her mind was going over all the grits she would be saving thanks to this gesture. More grits could go into the rebuilding of schools and other government funded buildings! Perhaps even putting some aside for the military base the General wanted! She looked over at Count Raven, expecting him to be just as happy. Except, he wasn’t. A deep frown was frozen on his face as he watched Golden Spike smiling pleasantly. It took a moment for Twilight to guess what the issue was: it was too good of an offer. There had to be some string attached to it.


“Oh it is nothing,” said Golden Spike gaining Twilight’s full attention once again. “But, while this is free of charge, I will have to ask for two small favors.”


Twilight’s ears flattened lifelessly against her head. There it was, the catch. There was no telling what it could be. He could ask for the biggest tax write off in the history of Thunder Valley. Perhaps to lower the minimum wage laws or to crush a rival in his business. The possibilities were-


“I would like for you Princess Twilight to ride the first train from Thunder Valley to Equestria,” said Golden Spike happily.


Twilight’s eyes widened at this. Quickly she turned to look at Count Raven who looked back at her in equal confusion. It was clear that he too had expected something far more demanding than a request for Twilight to ride a train. With a raised eyebrow, the purple princess turned to look at the smiling train pony. “Really?” she asked.


“Of course,” replied Golden Spike with a grin. “I am but a humble, simple business stallion who is seeing a huge opportunity before me. This is the first time in Thunder Valley’s history that we can now go to the outer world! And ponies out there use trains! An entire nation for me to expand my business to! A whole new world of trade opportunities that might need specially built carts for transport! If you were seen riding one of my trains, it would help promote my business just a tad.”


“Let me guess, you also want to put in a good word for you with Princess Celestia and the press?” asked Twilight, the idea not sitting well with her at all. While Twilight didn’t mind lending her support to help with another’s business, the truth was that she didn’t know if she could do that in this instance. From what she had seen, Thunder Valley technology was much more advanced than Equestria’s but also that much more dirty. Not the sort of thing that Equestrians would like. The only way they would even consider it was if a Princess gave it her blessing. Something she was not sure if she was willing to give.


“Princess, Princess,” laughed Golden Spike a bit louder than before and surprising Twilight once again. “There is a reason why my company is so large. Is it because I am friendly with royalty? No I say. It is because my products are the best. That is why the government contracts me over all the others: because they know they are working with the best.” Twilight turned to look at Count Raven who simply nodded. “Every train is inspected by the best and, after them, inspected by me! Right now we are working on a brand new train that, hopefully, will burn three times less coal. It is my greatest hope that you, Princess Twilight, will ride it from Automahollow to Equestria. If you find that it meets or succeeds your expectations, then you may recommend it to whomever your heart desires. If not, condemn it all you wish and I shall build a better one.”


“I…I couldn’t do that to you,” stated a shocked Twilight as she raised a hoof over her heart.


Golden continued to smile. “I have been making trains for fifty years. Of course with such a long history, not everything will be perfect. When I hear that one has fallen short of expectations then I see that as a challenge to do better. Isn’t it the motto of Thunder Valley to ‘Never Stop Advancing’? I need to know what is going wrong so that I can make the next train better than the last or if there is a flaw that can be undone with the next model.”


“That’s,” breathed Twilight as she tried to find her words only to fail. This stallion before her seemed to be on the up and up. He was correct that there was great business opportunities awaiting him in Equestria and beyond, able to see the bigger picture. Even if he were only doing this for his own business, Twilight felt that the benefits towards all of Thunder Valley were worth it in the end.


“You mentioned two favors,” said Count Raven when Twilight failed to finish her sentence. “What is the other?”


“Oh that,” said Golden Spike, now looking a bit sheepish. “Well, I was hoping that you would allow me to join you when you travel to Equestria. It’s…It’s been a dream of many young colts and fillies to see beyond our mountains to what is out there. A dream that, well, has never really left me. Up until this point, all I have ever had were some old pulp stories.” As Golden Spike paused, Nightingale placed a gentle hoof onto his shoulder.


“I see,” said Twilight with a nod. “Very well. It would be my honor to show you around Equestria in return for your serves. In fact, we could even go beyond to the Crystal Empire where my brother and sister-in-law rule.”


“An empire of crystals?” exclaimed Nightingale as she turned to look at Golden. He looked back at her, equally stunned by this news.


“Yes,” replied Twilight followed by Count Raven coughing into his hoof. Twilight knew what this meant; she had to wrap this up quickly. “I would be happy to tell you more, but I’m afraid it will have to wait a bit. Perhaps you could schedule a meeting within the next couple of days and we’ll go into more details. Or maybe when I’m done here we can talk some more.”


“I understand,” said Golden Spike. “Busy night, busy night. I am sure we will be in touch.” With that, the first kind hearted pony walked away and into the small crowd as another name was announced. Another pair of ponies came walking towards the princess, looking like so many of the selfish ones who had come before to lower Twilight’s spirits. As Count Raven began to swiftly whisper who they were and why they were important, all Twilight could think about was how much she wanted to end this whole ordeal.


-x-


“Seriously don’t envy her,” said Overkill. Twilight’s personal guard was standing by the snack table with Spike, watching over the crowd as well as the incoming guests. It was highly doubtful that anypony could sneak a weapon into something like this since all of them had been checked before entering. However, Overkill was not one to let her guard down. All it took was a single slip up and all Tartarus would break out. A guard could forget to check a chain for a concealed weapon. A needle in one of these uppity mares’ manes could be used to jab into the purple princess’s neck. A flask or two containing a very volatile chemical which could explode, killing everypony here! No, none of that fun stuff would be happening tonight. As much fun as it would be dealing with any of that, she had to make sure nothing happened to the princess.


“Yeah,” agreed the tiny dragon, wincing as the music began to play again. “Must be boring having to listen to all these ponies and that music. I don’t know how Princess Celestia does it everyday.”


“I’d pull the pin of my grenade while still strapped to my barrel before I do anything like that,” agreed Overkill. As she spoke, a couple walked past them deep in conversation. Overkill’s ears twitched as gibberish words were uttered about one of the guests. “Or maybe all the pins, just to be on the safe side.”


Spike shrugged. “But I guess boring is better than dangerous,” he said earning Overkill’s attention. “Sort of nice to be at a party where nothing happens for a change.”


Overkill smirked a bit, unnoticed by the tiny dragon. It was time for her to go to work on her other assignment.
> Letter Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as she stared up into the sky. Lying on her back on a bed of clouds she was able to get the perfect view of the endless blue, flawless sky before her. Barely any wind was blowing today. With these conditions it was the perfect day to either practice her flying or just lay here on this bed of clouds until she fell asleep. Not that the latter would be difficult with how quiet it was. Below her, the ponies of Ponyville were going about their day without a care in the world. There were no screams of terror as a home was destroyed by a monster that got loose from the Everfree Forest. Discord wasn’t turning the streets into pudding. No evil unicorns were bent of conquering Equestria. No freaky magical accidents to cause a panic. It was just a nice, quiet day like so many others had been happening recently.


Which was exactly the problem! Every day was turning to be exactly like the last, turning the town into Boringville for Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash! The biggest thing to happen around here was the competition to see who would carry the Ponyville flag for the Equestrian games.


Turning over to her side, Rainbow began thinking of how this odd calmness was affecting them as well. For starters, Applejack had been less willing to compete with Rainbow Dash. The last time they had done anything together was a ‘bravest pony competition’ which had ended with the two of them covering parts of their faces with bees. After that, she told Rainbow they would pick it up later and went back to the farm. There Applejack’s work had become a tad sloppy, missing trees and having to go back to them. Then there was Rarity who was suffering from some sort of inspiration block. Since Spike was gone, she had to look and dig up the gems all by herself but they all laid in her home untouched. More than once Rainbow had seen the fashion loving unicorn looking frazzled as she made her way to pick up more supplies, yet nopony had seen anything new in her shop. As for Pinkie Pie, she was still doing all the things she normally did but with less of a bounce in her trot. Ponies around could tell that there were less streamers in the parties she provided and less confetti in her party cannon. Lastly there was Fluttershy who had been seen less around town. Maybe she was working more with Discord or something.


Letting out a sigh, Rainbow wondered what had happened to the town. What had changed to make a place that dealt with so much on an almost weekly basis to become so quiet all of a sudden? Was it-


“Rainbow Dash!” screamed a voice from below, causing the prism-maned pegasus to jump to her hooves. Quickly looking down, she saw Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down while being surrounded by the rest of her friends. Faster than you could say ‘20% cooler’ Rainbow was off her cloud bed and in front of them with an eager look on her face.


“What happened?” she asked excitedly as she looked around. “Has Princess Celestia summoned us to face some new threat? Has a monster from Tartarus escaped again? Has the Equestrian Games been moved to Ponyville? Are the Wonderbolts coming?”


“No,” said Pinkie as she held up a scroll. “I just got a letter.”


Rainbow made a face. “That’s it? You got a letter?” As she said that, everypony around her began to either shake their heads or facehoof. “What?”


“Darling, the letter is from Twilight,” said Rarity as she rolled her eyes. “It appeared in my shop thanks to Spikey-wikey.”


“An’ we all thought it would be mighty nice ta read it together,” continued Applejack.


“Unless of course you don’t want to,” finished Fluttershy.


“Of course I want to!” said Rainbow as she began to smile. “It’s been awhile since we heard from the egghead.”


“Ok!” said a chipper Pinkie Pie as she held up the scroll in front of her. She then cleared her throat while a hoof pulled back her mane which instantly turned it into the same mane style Twilight used. When the pink pony did speak, it was in a very good imitation of Twilight’s voice. “To all my friends. I hope that this letter finds you well. Sorry for not writing to you sooner but there has just been so much to do around here. Between learning about the history of Thunder Valley, learning their culture, and trying to work out some of the issues they have been having, both me and Spike have been exhausted.


“There is so much to tell you all that I don’t know where to start! I guess, for starters, I should tell you all about my position. I had sent a letter to Princess Celestia about this so I don’t know if she told the Equestrian press. Well, in case she hasn’t, my role as the ruler of Thunder Valley is sort of up in the air. My rule is on a trial period for the foreseeable future.”


Rainbow Dash frowned when she heard this. According to what she had heard from ponies who regularly read the Canterlot Times, the only thing to be mentioned about Twilight since her inauguration was that she was heading to Thunder Valley to become Queen. After that, the closest thing relating to Twilight that the rainbow maned pegasus had heard was about was that a railroad was going to connect them to Thunder Valley. To her, it seemed a bit odd that the princess hadn’t told the press about this trial thing. Or heck, sent a letter to them about what was happening to their friend. Rainbow racked her brain as she tried to figure out why she would do this with the best answer being that she wanted Twilight to be the one to tell them. That or her letter got lost in the mail which could have happened since Spike was no longer around.


As for the trial thingy, it sort of made sense to her. After all, you don’t get to be a Wonderbolt without going through a number of trial periods. They wanted the best of the best after all so there were many things they had to look at. So, in a way, she could understand why the thestrals were doing this: they wanted to make sure they had the best. How they measured the best, Rainbow had no clue. Of course, Rainbow wasn’t worried about her old friend Twi. She was an over organizing egghead who had earned the right to become an alicorn! If there was any pony who could get through this trial thing than it would be her.


“I’m also meeting a lot of…interesting ponies,” continued Pinkie Pie in Twilight’s voice. “Most of them are friendly and have been supportive in helping on my journey to becoming Queen. For example, I have my own bodyguard.”


“Ohh,” went Rarity as starts appeared in her eyes. Quickly her hoof went up into the air before landing over her heart in a dramatic fashion. “Probably some dashing stallion who is very dignified like Shining Armor. Perhaps there will be wedding bells in her future!”


“Her name is Overkill,” continued Pinkie, ignoring Rarity as she slumped a bit. “She can be a hooffull at times. Especially in the mornings…”


-x-


Twilight snoozed peacefully in her bed, the thick curtains blocking out the sun’s light so that she could sleep. When she had moved in, Twilight had thought that this was a room dedicated to mirrors since they seemed to dominate its entirety. Nearly every inch of the walls, the ceiling, and even parts of the floor were covered in mirrors of every shape and size Twilight could imagine. It was only due to the fact that Count Raven had informed her that this was the master bedroom as well as seeing a rather large four poster bed that told her this was her room. Knowing that she would be unable to sleep in here with so many mirrors about, Twilight had used her magic to take them out before ordering that they be put into storage until they could figure out what to do with them. As for the bed it was far too elegant for her tastes, mostly made of black marble except for the mattress which was thankfully very soft. However, Twilight was glad (as well as surprised) that the bed didn’t have Alabaster’s face carved into it or that it had been replaced by a white marble one. It would be one of the many things she would just have to get used to.


On the floor of her bedroom laid many books, stacked up into neat piles. So far, Twilight had been unable to get any proper bookshelves in her room. Well, to be more accurate, she was unwilling to do so. Right now she had very little time for personal reading or studying as well as lacking the grits to get the amount of bookshelves needed for her personal collection. Add to the fact that she didn’t know if she would be staying here for very long and it seemed like a bad idea. So for now her books were on the floor along with Spike’s bed. The only other thing in her room was her pet Owliscious’ stand where said owl was snoozing peacefully along with the rest of them.


That was until a soft ringing could barely be heard in the room next to them. But Twilight’s ears flickered and her eyes opened just in time as several shots were fired, dampened thanks to a spell she had cast on her room. Right above her head three small holes appeared in the wall followed by small spheres of metal being implanted in the wall across from her. Once the ringing had been silenced, Twilight got out of bed and trotted out of her room. Calmly she moved to the room next to hers which she opened without knocking.


With a deadpan expression, she looked in to see Overkill on the ground. Before the thestral mare were three long pieces of cloth which held the pieces to her weapons, carefully laid out as she cleaned each and every piece. As for the mare herself, she was spotting a major bed mane with strands poking in every direction while still covering her one eye. Briefly the mare looked up at Twilight while a hoof reached over to grab the large battle axe next to her, but pulled back when she saw who it was and went back to her work.


Sighing, Twilight looked around the mare’s room. Hanging on most of the walls were various weapons from all eras of Thunder Valley’s history. Some looked like they would fit right in with Equestria. Others were clearly the more high tech type that Twilight had come to expect from this land. Then there were those that looked like a fusion of the two. For example, there was a large axe hanging on the wall that had a few gas chambers on it which connected to tubes running towards the blade as well as the other side. According to what she had been told, this weapon was designed so that with a flip of a switch the blade would heat up while creating a burst of steam to help add additional momentum to the blow. However it required expert timing and was difficult to master. So in the end it was deemed a failure.


The only spot in Overkill’s room that did not have any weapons on it was the side with a long dresser. On top of the dresser were the remains of an alarm clock. With a sigh, Twilight’s horn lit up to allow her magic to not only fix the clock but also repair the damages to the wall.


-x-


“Overkill might be a little extreme sometimes, but she has a good heart,” read Pinkie as the rest of Twilight’s friends stared at her with open mouths. “She has taken a real liking to Spike asking him all sorts of questions while I’m busy with my lessons with Count Raven. As for Spike, he’s given her one of his scales to act like a target to help with her training. Since dragon scales are really tough, it hasn’t even dented a little since he gave it to her.”


“Golly,” said Applejack. “An here ah was thinking Rainbow Dash was reckless.”


“Hey!” cried Rainbow Dash with a glare towards the farming pony.


“It’s true,” said Applejack calmly. “Just thinkin’ of all them times you went out there ta practice a stunt before ya went flyin’ through someponies window, wall, or apple tree.” AJ then shook her head. “Ah don’t know what Twilight was thinkin’, but it sound ta me that mare is a few apples short of a dozen.”


“She sounds positively barbaric,” exclaimed Rarity.


“But at least we know she likes Spike,” interjected Fluttershy softly with a hopeful smile on her face. “I mean, from the sounds of it she hasn’t tried hurting him. And if she ever did, Twilight would do something about it.”


“I have also become acquainted with a stallion named Wild Theory,” said Pinkie Pie as she continued to read the letter in Twilight’s voice. “His official title is Royal Scientific Advisor. As can probably guess, it’s his duty to help me understand the technology in Thunder Valley. Both the old as well as the new. So far he has been a wellspring of information…


-x-


“Hello, hello, hello!” sang Wild Theory as he entered Twilight’s private office. The stallion looked a bit ruffled, probably thanks to the guard down the hallway that had frisked him before informing Twilight on the comm system that he was here to see her. It was something that annoyed Twilight, that he couldn’t just walk in to her office even after she had extended the offer that he could see her whenever he liked. Then again, if he DID do that, Overkill would have shot him or chucked a grenade at him the moment he entered unannounced thinking he was an assailant or something.


Smiling, Twilight gestured towards the seat that she had moved there as soon as she heard that he was coming. While it hadn’t been going on for long, Wild Theory had been making it a habit to visit her around lunch time each and every night since she had extended the offer. Perhaps it was done this way to ensure that he wasn’t bothering her while she was doing anything important.  Or maybe it was just his lunch break as well. Nevertheless, Twilight was glad to have some additional company.


“How is your night going so far?” asked Twilight as the stallion sat down. As he did so, Twilight took in a spoonful of her lunch which was a simple vegetable stew with some bread.


“Wonderful!” cried the stallion with a bounce in his chair. “The latest news from the Black Snow Academy up in the northern border of Thunder Valley just came in! The professors there are working on a brand new model of an auto-pony: one that can actually fly! This is simply amazing, amazing, amazing news.”


“It does,” replied Twilight with a small nod. “Do you think it will work?”


“Well…that depends,” replied Wild Theory as he crossed his front hooves. “I have yet to look at the specs for their designs but I can deduce a few of my own theories as to how this might work. If I had to guess, they will be using a lighter frame while adding in specialized gas chambers to allow it gain some lift. With added wing motions from the auto-pony, it would be able to fly. However, there are a number of issues that will need to be taken into account. For example, in order for this to work they will need to put in a furnace system in order to heat up the gases. This will produce a duo of issues: the weight of the furnace will more than likely make it too heavy to get off the ground while the proximity to the gases will increase the chances of an explosion. My, my, my. I do hope they think of that.


“In fact, now that I think of it, any design they go with will no doubt be heavier due to the need on an interior heating system. Should it run out of fuel, it will more than likely crash to the ground! Maybe glide to the ground, but there will still be a crash. Oh, so many problems to address.”


“Yes,” said Twilight with a sigh. “It does sound like they would be more trouble than they are worth.” She was silent for a moment as a thought came to her. “What sort of jobs could they do?”


“Well the military could find some jobs for them,” grinned Overkill as she stood behind Twilight, munching on some stick like military ration that she had brought with her. “Put the right combination of gases in them or, better yet, a massive bomb and then send them on their way towards an enemy outpost. Less fun for me but it’ll get the job done with a big explosion.”


Wild Theory frowned at that. “Why is it your type of pony always wants to weaponize every new discovery?” he asked while rolling his eyes. “If we could get this to work, we could-”


“Put more thestrals out of a job,” stated Overkill, causing the two other ponies in the room to stare at her in amazement. “What? You think thestrals out there won’t use them to replace their employees? Sure it might be boring jobs like window washing or delivering mail or some dung like that, but those are still jobs that ponies need. Most ponies out there will do anything to save some grits, meaning that if this works there will be plenty of bosses out there figuring out if it’ll be cheaper to buy a dozen of these things or just to keep the ponies they already have. My grits are on them being replaced. Spend a chunk now and save grits and headaches in the long run.” She paused to bite into her food. “At least my idea doesn’t replace anypony.”


“…Well maybe new laws could be put in place to prevent something like that,” said Wild Theory, his cheeks turning red. Twilight could feel her own face burning as well for not having thought of that.


“I guess,” shrugged Overkill as she finished her meal. “But seems like it would be better to just let the military have them. That way, more lives could be saved.”


“That’s assuming that they could get them to do any sort of task,” sighed Theory. “Most auto-ponies can only do the most basic of tasks.”


“Could they…pull chariots?” asked Twilight. She saw Theory tilt his head as he looked at her, prompting her to explain. “Back in Equestria, some ponies can hire pegasi to pull chariots through the sky in order to travel long distance. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that there are auto-ponies pulling land based chariots but no flying ones. Perhaps these flying auto-ponies can provide that role.”


“Ah, why not just make a smaller zeppelin?” asked Overkill.


“Because even those would still be too big!” said an excited Wild Theory as he jumped out of his seat. “We have something similar here, but instead of chariots thestrals pull carriages! If they could get those flying auto-ponies to work, whole new business could open up! Building a more compact means of traveling without the worry of traffic jam! This could work, work, work!”


Twilight nodded. “But only if they manage to get the prototypes working,” she said with a smile, happy to see him so excited. Not that she wasn’t excited as well. Not even after years of hard work had Equestria’s best minds figured out how to make a flying golem. This would be history and she was living it right this moment.


“That’s right,” said Theory as he began to pace back and forth. “Perhaps this research might aid in other fields. Like, for example, auto-limbs! Right now the problem with them is that they are simply too big and too heavy for flight. If these professors manage to get that auto-pony into the air, then there is a chance their research might…help…them.” It was as if somepony had thrown water into the fire that was Theory’s excitement. The stallion seemed to stop dead in his tracks before a hoof went to touch his bad wing.


While his head was turned, Twilight and Overkill exchanged a meaningful look. Neither of them knew what had happened to his wing. According to what she had learned during her stay here, losing a limb or body part happened from time to time. Be it a lab accident, a fight gone horribly bad, or something far darker that they had not gone into details with Twilight. While most auto-limbs could at least allow some form of returned mobility, wing auto-limbs could never give back the gift of flight making them more decorative than anything else. Due to this being a tribe where everypony could fly, it was considered rude to inquire into how one lost their flight unless they were intimately close. Similar to how most unicorns found it rude to have ponies staring at their chipped, dented, or broken horns. It was simply a sore spot that nopony wanted to really bring up.


As Overkill scratched the back of her head, Twilight spoke up. “Well, we’ll keep an eye on this and see where it leads. Now I heard that you have been working on some theories on how the thestrals might have had ties with the other pony races.” Twilight’s attempt at changing the topic seemed to have the desired effect of Theory. He brightened up considerably, bouncing back into his seat with a face full of glee.


“That I have!” he exclaimed. “You have to agree that there are so many, many, many similarities between us and you. There has to be a reason for this; some sort of connection between us. So in my spare time I have been bouncing off ideas onto Chalky to see what he thinks. Normally he tells me to shut up so he can work on his cooking, but I have known him long enough to tell the differences between the tones he uses!” Twilight said nothing as she listened to him talk, slowly eating her stew while enjoying the remainder of her lunch.


-x-


“Well he seems nice,” said Pinkie Pie, breaking from the Twilight speak as her mane went back to normal.


“Y-Yeah,” agreed Rainbow with a wince before looking over at her own wings. She could remember the times in her life when she had been unable to fly due to an injury. The feeling of confinement as she was stuck to the ground, the lack of freedom she was used to had been almost unbearable each and every time. Thankfully she always healed and was ready to go back to the sky where she belonged. It was a sad reminder that not everypony healed; never to return to the place fliers like them belonged.


“A bit odd, but I suppose he is good company for Twilight,” said Rarity as her horn lit up, the glow surrounding the letter as it left Pinkie’s hooves and floated over to her. “Perhaps when she comes to visit us she’ll bring the dear along. If it’s not too soon I could make him a marvelous outfit to distract from his injury.” She then looked down at the letter, her eyes trailing down the inked lines. “Now let’s see when she going to visit. Perhaps it will be during the…oh.”


“What ‘oh’?” asked Applejack as she raised an eyebrow.


“Well, according to this letter, Twilight doesn’t know when she’ll be able to return for a visit,” said Rarity with a sad sigh. Shaking her head slightly she rolled up the letter. “She had tried to get them into the Equestrian Games, hoping to represent Thunder Valley as well as a good excuse to see us again. However she was denied so-”


“Wait!” shouted Rainbow, her wings outstretched. As she marched over to Rarity, the others of the group took a small step back. “What do you mean Twilight’s not entering the Equestrian Games?!? She has to!”


“Well it’s just like it says,” replied Rarity as she gave the scroll to Rainbow Dash who quickly ripped it out of her magical hold and opened it. “Something about them missing the registration deadline and not even having a team ready to compete. I will admit that it is a pity, but an understandable one. Just means that we will just have to continue to wait. I am sure that Twilight will do her best to try and schedule something in the near future.”


Rainbow was only half listening to Rarity as she spoke; her eyes glued to the lines Rarity had just talked about. It was there in dark black ink written most likely by Spike that they would not be able to attend. And that would not do for Rainbow Dash! The Equestrian Games were a really, really big deal. Her buddy should not be denied the chance to have her country’s finest be represented in this great event. It was practically a crime! Also, what was with them not having a team picked out already? Didn’t they have athletes like the Wonderbolts around? Or at least something close? Oh, what if it was a nation full of eggheads like Twilight?


As the others said their goodbyes and walked away to go back to whatever they were doing before, Rainbow continued to stand there looking at the letter. Now she realized what was missing that made their lives so exciting: Twilight. Didn’t all of their adventures start when she had first arrived in Ponyville? Wasn’t it because Twilight was so close to Princess Celestia that they were called in by the princess to help out? Realizing this, Rainbow’s eyes widened. Would those same dangers follow Twilight to Thunder Valley? Would she have to face them without her friends?


Well, not if Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash had anything to say about it! Sure, she might have something like the Canterlot Royal Guards to help protect her and junk, but the six of them have been able to stop some of the biggest bad guys ever! Twilight would need all the help she could get! Even if there wasn’t any danger going on, there was no way Rainbow could let Twilight have a country devoid of awesome ace fliers like herself. Her friend deserved to have the very best at her hooves and that’s what she was going to get!


With that in mind, Rainbow Dash shot up in to the sky to prepare.


-x-


Elsewhere, a tired thestral general was looking over various documents. Before him were evaluations of each of the first year cadets. At the top of each document was a black and white photograph of the cadet with the gender, coloration, and cutie mark of said cadet written next to it. Below was basic information about each cadet’s progress. Any emotional issues or behavioral problems that that cadet might be having. How many reps the cadet could do now vs how many they did when they first entered. If their accuracy had improved. At the very bottom of each was a space for the General to write his own notes.


As he moved his bullet shaped pen across the paper, his eyes quickly flicked over towards the small two way communicator in the corner of his office. The square, copper device sat upon a small table with the only break in its ten inch frame being a single large gear sticking out of its side. Besides the gear, the only other thing that really stood out was the metal mesh of wire in the middle which formed a circle with a few switches next to it. This communicator sent wavelengths on a special frequency that only its twin could pick up on, making it perfect for the assignment at hoof.


Ever since the General Steel Trap had sent Overkill on this mission, he had found himself checking it every day. When the sun had risen and every thestral was asleep the General would be in his office later than normal in case Overkill had something to report. There were no set dates for reports which was slightly irksome, but it was standard protocol for all Specialists out in the field. Making regular reports while surveying the target gave more chances that a pattern in their behavior might be detected and thus risking death.


It was when his eyes had returned to his work that he heard a clicking sound. Stopping what he was doing, the General looked up to see the large gear beginning to move slowly while static could be heard buzzing from the speaker. Quickly setting down his pen, Steel Trap moved towards the device as the gear began to move faster and faster. Once he was in front, the General flipped one of the switches causing the static heard to lessen considerably.


“This is Specialist Overkill reporting in,” her voice whispered, barely audible over the low static. “I repeat, this is Specialist Overkill reporting in. General, do you read me? Over.”


“This is General Steel Trap,” the stallion whispered back. “What do you have to report?”


“Well sir, since beginning my investigation, I have noticed plenty of things about the princess,” began Overkill. “She usually gets up at around five in the afternoon…but that could be more because of me. You know how I like to silence my alarm. But it is pretty cool that she can repair it with her magic. Anyways, she goes back to her room after that and comes out about half an hour later or so before going to breakfast along with the tiny dragon. His name is Spike, but I’m sure you knew that already. At breakfast she…” For the next several minutes, Overkill began to talk about every little thing Twilight did during the course of the first meal of the day. How many times she asked for some sugar. How many times the dragon claimed to miss something called haybacon. That one time Twilight had a panic attack because she thought she missed a memo.


“Overkill,” hissed Steel Trap. “Condense! Important information only!”


He could almost see the mare rolling her eyes. “Sir, this could be useful information,” she said. “Besides, you wanted me to report everything so that’s what I’m doing.”


“I meant information that I couldn’t get from my normal sources,” snapped the General, almost allowing his voice to rise slightly. “What have you found out about the dragon?”


“This one doesn’t seem to be a threat,” began Overkill. “Acts more like a spoiled or ignorant foal at times, lying around reading something called comic books all day. But there are times he seems to want to be of use to the princess, willing dropping everything he is doing just to help her out with only a bit of snark. So far he has been willing to tell me anything I want to know about the outside world. The other dragons, however, are an issue. From what Spike has told me, they seem to go and do whatever they want. Adult dragons are huge, growing up large enough to fix one to five thestrals in their mouth before swallowing them whole.”


The General paused for a moment. In his head, he saw large dragons flying through the sky as they knocked the zeppelins out of the air. Taking a breath, he spoke again. “If they were to venture into Thunder Valley, could we take them?”


“I’m…not sure,” admitted Overkill, causing the General’s blood to run cold. “If I were to take everything Spike has been telling me at face value, they seem to be able to swim in lava. Freaking lava! I also convinced him to give me one of his scales so I could shoot it. All my bullets did was scratch it. Pretty sure a cannon might have some effect, but this little fella is just a baby. Those scales might get a lot tougher as he gets older. Maybe that blasted magic them unicorns have can be used against them or maybe they know a weak point that we don’t. Right now, all I can say is that if just one adult were to make it into Thunder Valley we’re going to need the entire military to deal with it. More than likely some serious losses.”


Steel Trap stood there for a moment or two not saying anything. Their weapons would be that ineffective against such a threat? All their achievements being rendered useless to an ancient creature? Just how powerful were unicorns?


“Understood,” said Steel Trap finally. “Is there anything else to report?”


“Oh is there,” replied Overkill. “Let me tell you what I found out about a race called the Changelings and how they almost took over Equestria.”
> Assault
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Now where is that book,” Twilight  mumbled under her breath as she looked up at the large bookcase in her office. Slowly, her hoof traced along the spines of the various books, briefly looking at their titles before moving on to the next one. It was late at night with the sun threatening to rise over the horizon, soon to bring about its end. Something that Twilight was thankful for given how the night had gone for her.


Simply put, things were still rocky for the purple princess. She had seen a grand total of six ponies today in her office between her lessons with the Count, each meeting growing worse. The first few who had come to see her were seeking government aid for various endeavors. Only one came in prepared with charts, documents, and visual aids to help sell his point. While Twilight had been impressed with his presentation, she had to regretfully decline him on the spot due to the lack of funds. It was hard seeing him look so dejected, but at least he handled it like a stallion and thanked her for her time before leaving. The others who tried this walked into Twilight’s office like it was theirs simply demanding the funding on the spot. As Twilight tried to question them about what they wanted the grits for, she couldn’t help but think they were acting this way because she was the new princess. That she was weak, easily caving into their demands. This proved true when she declined their requests flatly; watching as they quickly grew angry. With the last one, she had to order Overkill to remove him from the castle who did so with great pleasure.


As for the rest, Twilight had scheduled meeting with a few business ponies. At the moment, Twilight had finally looked over the entire budget and saw where all their grits were going. Sadly there just wasn’t enough to keep everything a float, not with their current limitations. Golden Spike had been the only one from that little get together to donate any grits and, while she was very thankful for this, it still wasn’t enough to do everything that she felt she needed to do. Thus the need for these meetings. Today she was meeting with the companies that her government had the biggest contracts with in the hopes that they would be willing to settle with a smaller profit for the time being.


This was not to be as she soon found out. Nearly all of them flat out told her that they had already made price cuts for the government when the Great Houses had asked them before. That they had already agreed to the lowest price they were willing to go. To make matters worse her last appointment of the day didn’t even show up. It was supposed to be with Storm Breaker Ammunition, run by Arms Maker. Given the fact that Storm Breaker was a very large company, there was a chance that Arms Maker was running late. However, after an hour and thirteen minutes of sitting behind her desk with no word from Maker, Twilight came to the conclusion that he was not showing up.


So now she was resigned to call it a night. Twilight had contacted Count Raven to inform him that she would no longer be seeing anypony unless it was an emergency. He agreed, bidding her a good day before retiring himself. Overkill had also left, heading upstairs to her quarters to probably clean her weapons. Now, Twilight was alone in her office with the plan of sitting in a nice comfy chair with a book in her hooves. Perhaps she would call on one of the maids to bring her some tea and maybe have a nice chat with them. Get to know the members of her staff the same way Princess Celestia did.


The only problem was finding the right book. She remembered that there was a book full of old stories about the Three Guides somewhere on this book shelf. Perhaps they were just legends created by the thestrals. Or, as Twilight had come to realize over the last few years, maybe they were real. After all, Equestria had once believed that Nightmare Moon had been believed to be just an old pony tale. Same with Discord. Perhaps if she read more about them she might be able to skim a bit of the truth. Even if that didn’t happen she would still be learning more about the belief structure of the ponies she was ruling. Now if only she could find the book. It had to be-


“Twilight!” yelled Spike as the door to her office swung open without any warning.


“AAAHHH!” screamed Twilight, her wings opening up all by themselves as she shot several feet in the air. There she remained for several seconds with a hoof over her heart as Spike looked up at her. After taking a few deep breaths, she was about to turn around when she spotted something. “Oh, here it is!” she said happily as she took the book off the shelf and quickly hugged it.


“Twilight, I think I figured it out!” shouted Spike as Twilight landed onto the floor. As she put the book onto the desk without looking, she examined her young assistant. He was panting somewhat while a bit of sweat rolled off his scales causing Twilight to think that he had ran straight to her in a hurry. His eyes seemed to burn with some sort of excitement and with every other huff there was a small bit of green flame coming out of his mouth. Before Twilight could say or do anything, the small dragon had grabbed her closest hoof with his claw to drag her.


“What’s with all the excitement?” asked Twilight as she gave in and moved with Spike.


“You have got to see this!” was all the excited dragon could say as he pulled Twilight out of the room.


Now in the halls of the castle, Twilight did her best to gallop on three legs as Spike led the way. Given the excitement and the speed they were going the purple princess worried that they might run into one of the guards stationed. However, there was nopony around that she could see. There were none of the intimidating guards standing there with their blunderbusses. No clerks or assistants running around delivering documents from one branch of the government to another. There was just nothing other than light fixtures and various painting on the walls, making the place feel a bit more eerie.


After a short bit, Spike suddenly stopped before the entrance to a hallway. As Twilight looked down at him, he motioned her to remain quiet while also to follow him. At first she expected him to start sneaking down the hallway. Instead, Spike leaned forward a bit to peek down the hallway where he then remained almost motionless. Only somewhat curious to see what was going on Twilight rolled her eyes before following suit with her head just above Spike’s. Down the hall…was absolutely nothing! It was a familiar hallway, the same one she and Spike had seen when Wild Theory had shown them around. But other than the spears hanging from every archway there was really nothing special about this.


“Spike,” said Twilight in a normal voice. Before she could say anything else, Spike quickly ‘shhed’ her causing the alicorn’s ears to lean back a bit before flattening on her forehead. As Spike turned his attention back towards the hallway Twilight glared down at him. She had no idea what he was doing and if he wasn’t even going to bother to tell her about it then she might as well just return to her office.


Then, just as she was about to pull her head back, the two of them heard a noise. Whatever it was caused Spike to turn and look at her for a brief moment, excitement dancing in his eyes, before he turned around to look back down the hallway. Believing this to be what he wanted to show her Twilight remained where she was with her ears upright. She didn’t have to wait very long as one of the castle maids was moving down the hallway. Attached to her were metal bars that connected to a cart similar to the ones the Apple family used to bring in their crops to town. Instead of apples there were a large pile of dirty laundry. Or at least that’s what it looked like to her.


Twilight supposed this made sense to do something like this now, when the castle was quieting down. Believing that the maid would be heading towards them, Twilight began to pull back when a clawed hand stopped her. For the briefest of moments, Twilight looked down at the little dragon, raising it back up when she heard the cart stop. At first Twilight believed they had been spotted. She had to wonder how this would look, the princess and perhaps future queen sneaking around to spy on the hired help. How would they react to such a thing!? But, that fear was short lived as Twilight noticed that the maid was looking at the wall. Calmly the maid raised a hoof to a light fixture before pulling down on it. A loud clank quickly followed along with the sound of turning gears as the wall opened up for her. With wide eyes, Twilight watched as the maid entered into this secret passageway, pulling her cart with her as the wall slid back into place.


“Pretty cool, right?” said Spike aloud as he stepped into the hallway. Twilight did the same, trotting over to where the maid had stood. Looking at the wall she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. It was just a plain old wall.


“Spike,” breathed Twilight as she pressed a hoof against the solid wall. “How did you find this?” Ever since the night of the get-together, Spike had been hanging around Twilight less during her lessons. Instead he was either hanging out with Overkill, something that pleased Twilight greatly to see the two of them getting along so well, or he was exploring the castle. Twilight wondered if this had something to do with one of the conversations he had had with Count Raven. Trying his best to learn his way around the castle in order to be a better assistant. Or maybe he just wanted to be out of the way so Twilight could better concentrate on her lessons. Or it could have done it because he was bored.


Spike cocked a grin. “Impressed?” he asked as he placed his hands on his hips. “I’ve been trying to figure out how the maids just seem to appear and disappear. Hasn’t been easy trying to follow them and keeping my distance. They turn a corner and then BAM they're gone.” He then held up a finger. “But I got lucky. Not too long ago I was just walking near where we were standing and saw her coming out of the wall. I had to show you right away!”


All Twilight could do was nod as she returned her attention back to the wall. It was so interesting. None of the help in either Canterlot Castle or the Crystal Castle used hidden passages. Twilight had to wonder why they did this. Was it because there to help them move about the castle quicker without running into anypony? Another possibility was that these were here because thestrals wanted their help to be neither seen nor heard. Something to help make the castle look good without seeing the castle help working on it all the time. She would be sure to ask the Count about this at moonrise.


Spike bounced over to her so she could see him pointing up at the light fixture. “Let’s see where this goes,” he said excitedly.


Twilight gave the fixture a quick glance before returning to look at Spike. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea Spike,” she said in an uncertain tone before briefly biting her lower lip. “We might not be allowed down there.”


Now Spike rolled his eyes. “Twilight, you are a princess and this is your castle,” he said flatly.


“Not yet,” replied Twilight as her eyes narrowed a bit. “What if we get lost down there? How would it look if the guard has to go looking for me? Even if we don’t get lost we might interrupt the maids in their work, or bump into something that we shouldn’t! We might break something important by accident!”


“Twilight, you have your magic, remember?” said Spike. “If we get lost you could just teleport us back to your office or someplace else! Come on. When was the last time we did anything exciting or fun together? We’re just going to take a quick peek to see what’s on the other side. We won’t break anything.”


Twilight’s focus moved between the door and Spike as sweat began to form on her brow. What Spike had said was true: they hadn’t done anything fun for a while. While she thought it was much more fun to reorganize the library (something she was DYING to do around here when she got the time), she had to admit that the adventures she had had with her friends had grown on her. She still wasn’t a fan of being chased by a giant hydra, losing her friends in a desert, or being trapped behind a wall of dark crystals but they were memorable. It had been nice to go to places she had never been before and do new things. Because of her adventures she had seen and learned so much!


Now that she thought about it, it was a bit sad knowing that those days were over. She was now the ruler of this kingdom. It was important to present herself in the best light possible so that others would follow her. If she did do this with Spike, and something went wrong, she might lose this big chance! She could almost see Count Raven’s expression become downcast when he saw that she had failed to live up to his expectations. The look of disappointment in Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when she returned. Maybe even her friends back in Ponyville would be ashamed of her!


On the other hoof, when would they ever get a chance to have another adventure? Even a small one? It was just a bit of exploring within the safety of the castle. Also Spike did make a good point about her magic. If they did get lost she could just teleport them back to the office. Maybe she was blowing things a tad out of proportion if they were caught. Maybe…


“Ok,” said Twilight at last as her magic enveloped the light fixture. Before pulling down on it, she turned to look at the now gleeful dragon. “But before we go, promise me you won’t touch anything you don’t know.”


Spike didn’t hesitate in the slightest. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” replied Spike as he did the motions.


Satisfied with this, Twilight pulled down on the fixture to reveal the doorway. What was revealed to her was an empty, grey stoned passageway that seemed to slope downwards. On the ceiling there were more light fixtures, but they looked far creepier than they had any right to be. They looked like a black, mechanical spider holding an orb of light within its eight legs. On a brief closer inspection, Twilight saw that they were really holding an old, glass light orb. Beyond that, there was nothing to be seen. Not a trail, mare, or even a spider web. It was almost like it had been recently constructed. For a moment the two paused as they looked down before looking at each other. Wordlessly they asked the other if they were ready before moving in with the door closing behind them.


With the door shut behind them, the two moved through the passage with the only sounds they could hear being the buzzing of the lights above them, along with the clip-clop of Twilight’s hooves. As they moved, Twilight looked around her for any sign of other ponies or anything else that might clue her in to what this passage was for. The only thing she noticed, however, were the pipes that were now coming out of the walls. Some seemed to just shoot out of the walls above their heads, making a gurgling noise as they passed. At other times, it felt like the pipes seemed to replace small sections of the wall as they became pure metal.


As they went deeper, the changes to their surrounding became more apparent. For one thing, Twilight was beginning to notice a change in the air around her. It was growing warmer as well as more humid the more they went down. More and more pipes were being seen in the walls, one as large as Twilight with a couple smaller ones heading in the same direction they were. Then there was the noise. An odd rumbling, turning noise unlike anything she had ever heard before in her life. It was-


“STOP PLEASE!” Both of them froze of a moment at the sudden cry of a mare. Twilight didn’t look down at Spike as she heard the voice again, a begging and sobbing tone that echoed all around them. Wings raising, Twilight dashed forward as fast as she could without looking back to see if Spike was following her. With eyes focused on what was ahead of her, Twilight began to briefly wonder what was going on. Had a fight broken out? Before Twilight could think about it further, however, she heard the cry again followed by the sound of a hoof smacking flesh hard. Twilight’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing as her teeth became clenched while the sounds of the mare could no longer be heard.


In what seemed like no time at all, Twilight was on level ground once more staring into a large room. On one side were several large machines. One of them was a massive tank of white chrome, tall enough to fit fifteen of herself standing on top of each other and taking up a large portion of the room. Behind it was a frame that looked like an upside down L with a series of visible gears inside of it that turned thanks to a belt. At the end hovering above the bowl was a large metal rack that looked like it was meant to be lowered into the water. Then, above the frame, was the end of a pipe. Besides this was an equally large square device with several glass portals on its surface. More pipes were connected to it as well as cranks and levers beside the portals. It sort of reminded Twilight of the drier from the Ponyville Spa only on a more massive scale.


Twilight only glanced that them for a moment before her the sound of clothing being ripped drew her attention. On the other side of the room was the cart she had seen with the maid earlier, now on its side as towel and rags littered the floor. On top of it were two ponies. One of them was the maid, her eyes closed and a large red bruise on her right cheek. Around her brown coat were the shreds of her uniform.


Above her was a stallion, a piece of the torn uniform still in his black hoof. Obscuring most of his form was a black tailcoat and vest that almost blended in with his natural coat save for the silver buttons shaped like gears. There were three rows of these buttons, one running down the middle of his vest while two other rows were on either side of his jacket flap. Around his neck was an equally black gas mask that had a nozzle running out from the bottom towards a bronze cylinder attached to his upper left foreleg. One thing that seemed odd with his appearance was the dirty brown bowler hat on her head which hid the top of his long wiry grey mane. There was a band just above the brim which contained several odd items that seemed off. For example a couple of these items looked like tiny metal chambers with equally small wires and tubes which coiled into a spiral, before being connected some sort of device in the middle.


“Well look at what we have here,” said the stallion when he spotted Twilight. “Has another pretty come to play?” There was a grin on his fanged face while his revolting eyes roamed her form as if she were nothing than a piece of meat to him. It took every bit of control she had not to stick out her tongue.


With a powerful wing beat, the stallion was in the air while he continued to leer at Twilight. As for her, Twilight stood her ground as she positioned her legs to better brace herself. It was a small thing, but important as she had learned in her years of magical training. Princess Celestia herself had explained to Twilight when using a new spell or going into a magical duel it was best to be prepared. Many of the more powerful magical spells known to unicorns can cause a powerful backlash of force which might knock her down if she wasn’t careful. Likewise, she needed to be prepared for an attack on her shield spell and be ready to push more magic into it if need be. This lesson had come in handy numerous times in recent years with this time being the most recent case.


Her eyes never left the stallion who still grinned down at her. Twilight watched him carefully as a hoof moved towards the side of the hat. While she didn’t see what he was doing, she could tell that the coils were heating up while sparks began to come from the device. Sensing the danger, her horn began to light up as the stallion dove down towards her. When he had closed half the distance he must have pressed a button or something, because the device on his hat suddenly shot out two small bolts of lightning at her while his eyes became all the more malevolent. That, thankfully, changed when he saw Twilight’s shield appear around her. The two bolts hit her shield, causing no damage. Then as the stallion continued to process what had just happened, the shield dropped before Twilight fired her own attack which hit the stallion in the chest. Whoever the stallion was, Twilight watched as he was knocked backwards and fell to the ground with a thud.


As he growled in pain, Twilight’s ears heard something behind her. Briefly turning her head, she saw that it was Spike who had finally caught up to her.


“Twilight, what’s going on?” he asked.


“No, no!” shouted the stallion before Twilight could get in a word. Instantly, Twilight turned her attention back to him while at the same time raising a wing to block Spike from view. She saw him slowly getting back to his hooves, the smirk on his face replaced with a look of utter hatred. “Pretties aren’t supposed to fight back. Pretties let me have my fun with them until I’m done!”


“Spike,” whispered Twilight. “Go get Overkill and bring her back here. I think she’ll want to have some words this stallion.” While Twilight had done her best to remain calm, there was a note of finality to it. One that she hoped would convey to Spike not to argue with her. Thankfully the dragon heard it loud and clear, running back the way he had just come from.


As Spike left, the stallion charged forwards on three legs. His forth was raised once again to touch his hat to more than likely attack her with another bolt. Sure enough, once he was close enough another lightning strike came from the device on his hat. However, the element of surprise he had was now gone. Twilight had seen what that thing could do and believed she knew its fatal flaw: it could only fire in the direction he was looking at. As such, Twilight leapt to the side to avoid both the attack as well as the stallion.


As she skidded slightly against the ground, Twilight turned to look at her attacker who was fuming. Gritting his teeth hard, the stallion fired again at Twilight only to have her easily dodge the attack. When it hit the wall behind her Twilight could see his eyes grow wide allowing her to see the veins in them. He looked shocked, nervous. He was probably used to having the element of surprise or going after mares who lacked any real means to fight back. The stallion before her was nothing more than a low life coward. One that she would happily put behind bars.


Horn glowing again, Twilight focused her efforts on the towels now behind the attacking stallion. Seven or eight of them became enveloped in her magic’s glow before rising up into the air. At Twilight’s silent, mental command the towels went flying towards the stallion. Something, however, must have tipped him off because a second before the first one made contact with him the stallion had turned his head to look behind him. As his jaw dropped in shock, the first towel connected with one of his hind legs before wrapping around it tightly. Another one soon followed, wrapping around the other hind leg. Then a third which connected the first two. The stallion opened his wings to try and fly away, but a fourth towel was quickly wrapped around his barrel while forcing his wings to his side. Without his wings, he fell to the ground while facing the machines on the other side of the room as more towels moved to wrap him up.


“Pretty thinks she’s smart,” growled the stallion as his last free hoof went back to his hat. “Not that smart I say.” Before Twilight could register what he meant and use a towel to restrain his free foreleg, a final bolt attack was fired at the washing machine. She didn’t see where it hit, but it must have been important for sparks began to appear at seemingly random places on the metal frame as well as under the bowl. The noise of a siren began to fill the room causing Twilight’s ears to flatten in annoyance.


It was then that her blood went cold while her eyes widened in shock. The giant bowl began to tip over, revealing that it was filled to the brim with steaming hot water. Twilight reacted on the spot, getting ready to force the bowl back into its rightful position, however it was too late. The bowl was tipping over too quickly and water was already hitting the floor. Beginning to panic, Twilight switched tactics to quickly throwing up a power shield to block the water. Instantly a pinkish purple barrier went from the floor to the wall right before the water hit it. She could feel the water now pressing against her barrier, forcing her to pour more magic into it in order to keep it up. To put all of her focus into keeping it up so that nopony there was harmed.


Focus that had once been on the stallion, keeping him tied up, was now lost. Quickly the stallion shook off the towels before dashing out through another doorway on the opposite side of the room she had come in from. Just out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pause for a moment to grin at her before vanishing from sight. Twilight growled in frustration, wanting to go after him. But that would mean dropping her barrier which would cause the steaming hot water to hit the two of them in an instant. As beads of sweat began to form on her face, she considered her options. She could try to teleport them out of the room, but the maid needed to be closer. Twilight thought there was a possibility that she could move over to her, but if she tripped or lost her focus for an instant then the water would be upon them. Also, she didn’t know if she could drop the barrier and then focus on the teleportation in time before the water hit them.


As Twilight began to think of another option, she heard hoofsteps coming from the same path that the stallion had departed. Twilight looked at the barrier, then at the doorway, and then back to the barrier as her heart pounded in her chest. Was he coming back to finish her off? Or was he going to grab the maid before leaving? As the hoofsteps grow louder, Twilight gritted her teeth while trying to think of a plan. Sadly, the only thing she could think of at the moment was stalling. Maybe she could get him to taunt her until Spike returned with Overkill.


“Hello, hello, hello,” came the familiar voice of Wild Theory. “Got a ring that something was busted here. So what seems to…oh, my.” Twilight looked at the doorway again to see Wild Theory standing there, his eyes glued on Twilight’s barrier. It was at that moment, a flutter of wings could be heard coming from the other side of the room. Glancing over, Twilight saw Overkill had finally arrived with axe in hoof followed by several other guards with blunderbusses at the ready. There was no Spike with her, probably because she had flown off in a hurry. She too was looking at the barrier in an almost transfixed state.


“Theory,” gasped Twilight. “I need some help over here. I can’t hold this forever!”


“R-Right,” he said quickly, shaking his head before scrambling along the side of the wall. Closing her eyes to focus on the task at hoof, she was unable to see what he was doing. She did, however, hear several clicks right before the sound of water draining filled the room. As seconds passed, Twilight felt the pressure on her barrier fade. It was only when the draining had stopped and the pressure vanish completely did Twilight end her magic before collapsing to the floor.


Now panting a bit, Twilight slowly opened her eyes to see what was going on. Theory was over at some sort of workstation, flipping switches rapidly as several of the maids entered the room. Overkill had landed on the ground near her while stilling looking at the fallen tank. After a little while the guard mare turned towards Twilight with an impressed look in her eyes.


“Princess,” she said as helped Twilight up off the ground. “What happened here?”


Twilight did not answer right away. Her legs felt a bit heavier and she was feeling slightly light headed, a side effect from using her magic to such a degree for so long. However, it was nothing like the time she had given Rarity wings so she knew she would recover quickly. “There was a stallion,” she said as she walked over to where the fallen maid still laid. “He was attacking her. I tried to stop him but he used some sort of hat device that shot lightning out of it. When he saw that my magic could easily defend against-”


“Wait, back up princess,” said Overkill suddenly. “You said he shot lightning from his hat?” Twilight blinked at this sudden outburst, but nodded all the same. The effect was instantaneous. Overkill threw her head back to let out a cry of anger, rearing up onto her hind legs before slamming them down on the ground. Overkill then rounded on the guards who remained motionless. “A member of the Copper Heads managed to get into the castle?!?” she roared. “How could any of you allow this to happen? Do you think that when the sun comes up you can just fall asleep at your post? WELL?”


“No, ma’am, no,” said the guards at once.


Overkill glared at them for a moment before facehoofing. “Like I’m one to talk,” she muttered as she turned to look at Twilight. “Should have been by your side till you retired for the day. Made sure you were safe in your room before I went to mine. It was my mistake for assuming you would be safe in your own castle. Had I been by your side, this would have been handled cleaner.” She then stood resolute before Twilight. “Princess, I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate.”


Twilight shook her head. “There is no need,” she said kindly, causing Overkill’s eyes to widen in surprise. “I was the one who granted you permission to leave after all. Had I not done that, you probably would have stayed by my side. It was almost my fault for going into an area of the castle I was unfamiliar with without informing anypony.” Overkill opened her mouth, probably to argue, but Twilight cut her off. “What is done is done. Mistakes were made, but thankfully no pony was seriously hurt…or worse. Now, let us get to the matter at hoof. You said a member of the Copper Heads got into the castle. Who are they?”


Overkill looked at her, fire seeming to be burning in her eyes. But it wasn’t directed at her. She could tell that much. “They’re the main gang here in Automahollow,” she spat. “Probably the largest in Thunder Valley. They’re big and have a hoof in just every crime you can think of. They all wear those damned hats, knocking out thestrals with them before taking everything they have on their pony or…other things.”


“They weren’t always so bad,” chimed in Theory off to the side. Twilight turned her head to see that he was no longer at the workstation, but instead checking on the mare along with the other maids. “Back when the tax hikes began, they were among the first to stand up against the former princess. Called themselves the Copper Hounds as they protected many of those who couldn’t pay the higher taxes. When the Princess then sent members of the military take whatever they could find from the ponies, they fought back. Then, after she was dethroned, the Copper Hounds were the ones out in the streets maintaining order.”


Twilight blinked at this new information. How could such a once noble group go so wrong?


“Well that was then and this is now thinker,” spat Overkill as Twilight walked over to the maid. “All that matters right now is that they are a threat to thestrals on the streets. The only thing I’m grateful for is that they haven’t tried to overthrow the government like so many other rebel groups.”


When Overkill finished speaking, Twilight found herself looking down at the maid. Scraps of her uniform laid around her, more so than Twilight imagined there would be. On one spot of exposed fur looked slightly singed making her think that the mare had gotten hit by the hat. But other than that and the bruise on her cheek, the mare looked physically fine. Emotionally and psychologically, on the other hoof, would no doubt be a very different matter.


As Twilight continued to look around her, she noticed several papers on the floor. Curious, Twilight lifted them up with her magic. Overkill, noticing this, rushed over to Twilight’s side to see what she had found. On the top of all the papers was a logo of a hammer striking metal with two lightning bolts flying off on either side. Then, just below that, was the name Storm Breaker Ammunition written in a very elegantly.


“So that’s how he got in here,” muttered Overkill as she pulled away.


“You think he impersonated Arms Maker with this paperwork?” asked Twilight as she began skimming through the documents. From what she could gleam, they seemed to detail a new payment plan that would be cheaper on the government until they got back on their hooves.


Overkill shook her head. “Nah, Arms Maker used to be real chummy with King Cobalt so the guards here know what he looks like. That would never work unless they all went blind and dumb. His son, Arms Dealer, is another matter. Now he’s a real piece of slime if ever there was. On top of his numerous crimes we’ve suspected he either has ties to the Copper Heads or is an active member. Best guess is daddy asked him to go in his place which explains how he got in. Once in he probably decided to have some fun.” Overkill then let out a sigh before shaking her head. “Shame it’s him. I would have loved to have hunted him down like the rabid animal he is.”


Twilight lowered the documents she was still examining, a look of shock appearing on her face as she turned towards Overkill. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.


“That it’s pointless to go looking for him,” said Overkill. “He’s done this sort of thing before and got-”


“He’s what?” said a now horrified Twilight as she dropped the documents. Not caring about them now, her eyes focused on the maid lying on the ground. A mare who had come so close to having something horrible happen to her. Slowly her eyes narrowed.


“Ah, I think I’ll take Moon Chime home then,” said Theory aloud. “I know her pretty well so it’s not a problem.”


“No,” said Twilight as Theory went to pick up Moon Chime. The stallion turned to look at her, clearly shocked by her words as well as her tone. “I am not having her sent home with that monster still on the streets.” She turned to look at the other maids, all of them looking shocked as well. “Please take her up to my personal quarters. She’ll be staying there until Arms Dealer is caught. After you do that, contact a doctor so we can make sure he didn’t do anything else to her. I’ll be up to check on her as soon as I’m done here.” For a moment, the maids stood there looking flabbergasted, looking at Twilight as if she had grown a second head. Thankfully, they did get to work before Twilight could repeat her order.


“As for the rest of you,” continued Twilight as she turned to look at the guards. “I want Arms Dealer brought in. Take as many members of the military within the castle as need be. Contact the Clubbers to assist you. Also contact the General and let him know what happened. I’m sure he’ll want to be kept informed about this.”


-x-


“You’re home late,” said Chalky as the door opened to reveal Wild Theory. The tone was plain, more like Chalky was stating a fact rather than being worried about anything. Something that Wild Theory was used to by now.


As he stepped through the threshold, he saw that his roommate was in the kitchen area. While the other stallion’s back was turned towards him, not even bothering to look at him, Theory could see that his attention was towards the stove. In one hoof the stallion held a stirring spoon which was at work stirring something in the large pot simmering before him. Taking in a whiff of air, Theory could smell the delicious aroma that filled their home, causing his mouth to water.


“Smells like Glow Moss Soup,” commented Theory as he shut the door.


“It is,” replied Chalky. “Been saving up my grits to get some of the ingredients. The rest I managed to talk the chiefs in the kitchen into letting me have some. I have to help them with their tax documents, but it’ll be worth it I think.” Chalky stopped stirring as he pulled out a clean wooden spoon. Theory stood there, watching his roommate as he scooped up some of the soup and tasted it. Eyes closed, a rare smile slowly appeared on the stallion’s face before putting the wooden spoon off to the side. “Almost there.”


“I’m glad,” said Theory honestly. “Sounds like your night went better than mine. What a night, what a night, what a night.”


“Don’t want to hear it,” commented Chalky as he began to stir away.


“Moon Chime was attacked. Most likely by Arms Dealer.” At that, Chalky’s hoof came to a sudden stop as his wings stood upright. The stallion didn’t turn around to look at Theory, instead focusing on the soup before him. Then, slowly, he returned to what he had been doing.


“Is…she alright?” he asked.


“Looks like it,” said Theory with a sigh. “She was lucky, lucky, lucky that the princess happened to be in the area. Don’t know why she was, but what matters was that she managed to chase him off before he could do anything other than knocking her out. She’s now personally making sure that Moon Chime is taken care of. So that’s something.”


“True,” replied Chalky as his wings lowered.


“She’s also got the guards looking for him,” continued Theory as he sat down. “You think that maybe Arms Dealer will finally get what’s coming to him?”


“No,” replied Chalky simply. “She’ll more than likely claim that she cares, putting on a good show for all of us. Some might even begin to believe it. Once the other Great Houses hear about this and talk to her…well the princess won’t sacrifice her chance to become queen. Never going to happen. Not for ponies like us.”
> The Leader of the Copper Heads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight had read stories of travelers for as long as she could remember. Some of the Daring Do books, for example, painted mental pictures of far off lands with cultures that baffled the pegasus adventurer. Other books had unicorns trotting a year in the horseshoes of an earth pony to see how they lived without the use of magic. There was even a book written by a Saddle Arabian horse who had spent three years in Equestria. One of the common themes in all of these was the shock of seeing how different these lands were while slowly becoming accustomed to them. Twilight had hoped that this would be the same for her. With each day that passed, she felt like she was growing more and more used to the ways of Thunder Valley. Perhaps soon, everything around here would seem as normal to her as things back in Equestria.


Seeing the castle doctor showed her just how far she had to go.


Dr. Plague stood there at the entrance to Twilight’s bedroom as Twilight felt her fur stand on end.  The most normal thing about him was his top hat, which was black while looking like it had been cut up and stitched back together. Similar to the military, the doctor wore a mask that covered his entire face. Unlike the military, it was jet black and jutted outwards to form a beak with a metal tip at the end. Thick straps wrapped around the back of his head to keep it on. Twilight noticed on it were three breathing filters on each side on the lower portion of the beak. There were also two dirty looking copper tubes that connected his mask to two copper tanks that he wore like saddle bags. Twilight had no idea what color his eyes were due to the equally black lens built into the mask. Below that, Dr. Plague wore a black lab coat with the same gear shaped buttons running down the middle that she was used to by now. It was because his name had been written on it in blood red letters that Twilight was able to know the doctor’s name. On the other side of his coat was a single pin that was shaped like four gears stacked on top of each other, with the largest on top and the smallest at the bottom. Sort of like an inverted pyramid.


Equally startling was the nurse he had brought with him. On her head was a nurse’s cap which had the same symbol as the pin Dr. Plague wore. She wore a white gown that covered her entire form with big, puffy shoulders. Her face was also hidden by a similar mask, only what with a black tip at the end. Nor did it have any tubes connecting anything to her saddle bags which looked more like chests.


“I was called?” asked Dr. Plague in a breathy, almost gasping voice that took all of Twilight’s might not to cringe. It sounded so…unnatural.


“Yes,” said Twilight as she lifted a shaking hoof which she pointed to the bed. There, tucked under the covers, was Moon Chime. The maid’s eyes were still closed as her head rested on the pillow. Over to the side was the remains of her maid outfit, which both Twilight and the other maids had removed before putting her into bed. Finally, there was a chair near the bed which was where Twilight had been sitting before the doctors arrived. The purple princess had wanted to be there for Moon Chime in case something happened. So that if she woke up Twilight would have been able to reassure the maid that everything was fine and that she was safe.


“Very well,” wheezed Dr. Plague as he looked over at Moon Chime. “Come along Nurse Internal Bleeding.” Gulping at that name, Twilight watched as both the doctor and the nurse approached the slumbering figure. Once they were next to her, the nurse turned around so that her back was facing the bed with one of her saddle bags next to the doctor.


As the doctor began to open up the saddle bag there was another knock on her door. While Twilight wanted to keep an eye on Dr. Plague for…reasons, she did slowly turn around. Standing there at the doorway was Overkill as she took off her mask. From what Twilight could see her personal bodyguard looked a bit more tired and worn. However, it didn’t seem to be stemming from fatigue.


“Princess,” said Overkill with a quick salute. “Nearly all of the guards in the castle are out there combing the streets. The Clubbers reported in, saying that they went to check Arms Dealer’s home but found he wasn’t there. Big shock. They are now assisting the guards in checking the streets and they believe they will be able to start checking the surrounding area outside of the city within the hour. I have already informed General Steel Trap and, per his orders, detained the two dimwits who allowed that sack of gear grime to walk around the castle unescorted. The General wishes to have words with them himself.”


Twilight let out a sigh, glad she wasn’t the one who had to deal with them. “I see,” she said before turning back to look at Dr. Plague. The doctor had attached a magnifying glass to his mask and was now combing around the area’s where Moon Chime had been struck.


“How’s the little guy doing?” asked Overkill. Twilight turned to look at her personal guard again to see that she was still standing in the doorway, craning her head to look about the room. It was as if she expected him to be hiding in some dark corner of the room or something.


“Spike was a little shaken up,” said Twilight. “Me getting into fights isn’t something new, but it was the first time he had ever seen a pony attacking like that. Or talking like that. I’m just glad he wasn’t there to see what he was about to do to Moon Chime.”


“Then he’s a lucky one,” said Overkill in a grave tone as she looked down at her hooves. While her eyes weren’t looking at her, Twilight could see that she wasn’t really looking at her hooves. That her mind was far, far away perhaps in a different time.


Not for the first time, Twilight wondered what Overkill’s past had been like. The mare rarely talked about her life before joining the military, preferring to talk about her exploits more than anything else about her. Twilight knew what her favorite brand of grenade was, but not her favorite color or favorite friend. She had no idea what her foalhood friends were like or if she even had any. Maybe she never had any of that. Perhaps she had grown up on a military base, with explosions and gunfire as her lullabies. It would certainly explain a lot. Or maybe…maybe it was something far darker, seeing that she tried to avoid talking about it.


“Anyways,” Twilight said suddenly, her voice sounding very awkward at the moment. “Spike’s helping me find out if any other mare was attacked, starting with the maids. He’s with the head maid right now, making sure all of them are safe. He’ll be busy for awhile.”


“Well…I guess that’s some good news,” replied Overkill as she slowly lifted her head. “Probably the only good news any of us are going to get from this.”


Twilight frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.


“Just that we’ve done this song and drunken dance with Arms Dealer before,” replied Overkill with a sigh and a shrug. “From what I’ve heard, he’s been caught in the act doing this at least four times. Maybe more. Each time he’s been caught he runs and hides until things blow over. It’s just what happens.”


Twilight’s frown deepened while her eyes narrowed. “Well that’s not what’s going to happen this time!” she stated.


Overkill seemed to bristle at that. “There’s nothing anypony can do,” she spat, causing Twilight to look at her with shock. “Like I said, we believe he at least has ties to the Copper Heads. They have safe houses all over the city for their members to hide in with enough supplies to last him a year or two. I know because I actually helped raid one of them when I was a wet behind the tuff newbie. He’s probably underneath somepony’s home, snoozing away in some comfy bed as we waste our time looking for him on the streets. Then all he has to do is wait long enough and things will blow over for him.”


Twilight felt her jaw fall open. “There…There has to be some way to find him!”


“Not likely,” responded Overkill. “We don’t have any real idea who all the members of the Copper Heads are; only the ones we’ve caught in the act. Not a single one we have arrested has talked about other active members. Heck, with how large they are I’m not sure even they know who all their members are. The only way I think we’ll be able to find Arms Dealer is if we go into everypony’s home and tear it apart looking for him. But I’m pretty sure you’re not willing to do that.”


Still frowning, Twilight shook her head. Yes, tearing apart everypony’s home just to find this one stallion was something that Overkill would think to do. While that would get her what she wanted, there were laws of this land that Twilight had been studying. One of them forbade the law from unwarranted searches and arrests. In order for the law to search any building they would need some sort of proof that he was in that particular building. And though she was the princess in charge of this country, she was not keen to break the law. Not just because her principles dictated that she should always follow the rules to the best of her ability, but also because of the previous princess. If Twilight allowed this, it might open the doors for the Clubbers and the military to search homes whenever it suited them. Then she would be no less of a tyrant than Princess Alabaster.


As she looked away from Overkill, Twilight began to think more about the current situation. While she wanted Arms Dealer found so he could be brought to justice, there was no way she could keep the Clubbers and the military looking for just him indefinitely. There were probably other crimes being committed right this second, other cases that the Clubbers were putting on hold right now. Sooner or later they would have to go back to their normal duties, lest all order in Automahollow be placed into jeopardy. There was no way she could allow that despite how much she wanted Arms Dealer brought in. Yet at the same time she could not allow Arms Dealer to continue to trot free. No, this would not blow over if she could help it. Moon Chime, as well as all of the other mares this monster had assaulted, deserved justice.


“Princess,” came a wheezing voice off to Twilight’s side, causing her to yelp while jumping in the air. Opening her wings, she began to flap them in order to keep herself from falling to the ground. Looking downward, she saw the slightly amused face of Overkill on one side while Dr. Plague looked up.


“Sorry,” said Twilight, her face burning as she landed. She coughed into her hoof in an effort to regain some composure before looking imploringly at the doctor. “How is she?”


“The maid will live,” replied the doctor. “A few bruises and a minor shock. No sign of a concussion or other serious trauma. No sign that she was raped.”


Twilight let out a sigh of relief. While she was less than impressed with the doctor’s bedside manner, she was too relieved to find that Moon Chime had been spared a life scarring event. “Thank you,” she said. “I, ah, hope you feel better.” As soon as she said that, she heard Overkill snort into her hoof while the doctor tilted his head to the side.


“I am merely a bit tired,” Dr. Plague said as the nurse walked next to him, he words coming out faint. “It is late in the day. Something like this is nothing to a medical professional such as myself. But thank you for your concern.” With that said, both the doctor and nurse bowed to Twilight before walking out.


“Ok,” said Twilight slowly as the door closed. She then let out a sigh as she grew serious again. “Overkill, you’re right, I’m not willing to destroy innocent ponies’ homes just to find this one stallion. But there has to be something else we can do. There has to be some piece of information we can use. Please think.”


Overkill rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m not an Information Specialist nor am I a Clubber so you won’t be able to get a lot of information about them from me. All I can tell you are rumors, but none of it is really all that helpful. You’ll just have to accept that-”


“I won’t!” Twilight nearly shouted, shoving her face close to Overkill’s so their noses were touching. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into her guard’s shocked expression. “Now, what can you tell me?”


With a deadpan expression, Overkill pushed Twilight back. “Fine then. I’ve heard a few ponies at the pubs claim their leader is a stallion named Just Dandy.” Overkill frowned, no doubt seeing the excitement on Twilight’s face. “But like I said, it’s just a rumor. Stories told over a few rounds of hard cider or glish. If it were true then the Clubbers would be all over him.”


“Still, its something,” said Twilight as her horn began to glow. With a flash the purple princess was wrapped in a cloak with its hood up. There was then another flash as Twilight suddenly had on her goggles and breathing mask.


“Ok, stop right-” began Overkill. However, she never got the chance to finish as Twilight teleported out of the room.


-x-


As the golden sun shined brightly outside, Muggy scanned his bar with hidden satisfaction. It wasn’t because it was a nice bar, nothing could be farther from the truth. The tables, which had been part of many fights in the past, were only held together by both spit and tape. At any moment they could collapse in a heap for no reason at all. The chairs and pillows were in a similar state as well as being stained by who knew what. He had no patience anymore for taking the time to replace or clean them. It was just something Muggy didn’t want to do. What patches of wood were still intact had multiple words carved into them by his patrons. Due to its location being near the river, nothing Muggy did could keep out the penetrating foul odor of dozens of dead animals baking in the daylight out of his bar.


Yet despite there being nicer bars only a few blocks away, the place was packed! This was mainly due to the location; despite being located in a vile locale it was situated right in-between the lowlife district and the working class. About a third of his patrons had gotten off of work at the factory, trying to drown the frustrations of their horrible jobs with cheap hard cider. The rest were the scum of Thunder Valley, thieves and the like who paid top grit for their drinks. Muggy didn’t care where the grits came from or what they did to get them. All he cared about was that they came here to order up some glish; a black, sticky substance that was made from the local berries and highly concentrated sugar.


It was an interesting thing about the world. No matter how hard life got ponies would seek out a cheap bar like his.


Muggy’s ears twitched as he heard the steel door being pulled open. Quickly he raised a foreleg just in time to shield his face from the incoming light while also holding his breath. His patrons were not so lucky. Many screamed for the door to be shut before they were blinded. Those who did not had their masks off, coughing loudly in response. Whoever had opened the door quickly shut it, the sound of the door slamming echoing the room.


As Muggy lowered his foreleg, he saw somepony new before him. Dressed in a hooded robe that shaded their face, it was quite difficult to make out the newcomer’s face. The only features he could see were the goggles and breathing mask under the hood.


“What can I get ya?” said Muggy. As he spoke, he noticed a few thestrals in the back drinking slower with their eyes glued to the back of the hooded figure. One had even pulled out a dagger as if expecting trouble.


“I’m looking for somepony,” said the figure in a mare’s voice.


Muggy frowned. “This ain’t no lost and found nor information booth,” said Muggy firmly. He paused for a moment before gesturing with his wing to the crowd, a grin appearing on his face as he did this. “Now, if you’re looking for deadbeat husband then go right ahead and look. Bet this crowd could use a good laugh!” A chorus of chuckles erupted from the crowd.


“I’m not sure of his name,” said the mare, her tone very serious. “The pony I’m looking for is the leader of the Copper Heads. I believe he goes by the name Just Dandy.” Like that, all good humor in the bar died down. A few of the ponies around her slowly backed away while those who didn’t were clearly not paying attention to the room.


“Now…Now you look here,” began Muggy as his eyes darted to the back of the bar. The same group with the one who had pulled out the dagger were now whispering to each other. Thankfully they were not pulling any more daggers out. The last thing he wanted was a fight were somepony might get killed. The Clubbers might close him down! “I don’t know who you are or what you think you’ll accomplish. Don’t rightfully care either. Get out and don’t bring your sorry flank back in here ever again!”


The mare stared at him for a moment, not saying a word. Again, Muggy’s eyes shot back to the group to see them slowly getting up. He could now feel sweat rolling down his neck as their gaze was focused in his direction. If this mare didn’t leave right away then he might get-


“Alright,” said the mare, sounding slightly crestfallen. “But please, if you are able to contact him or any other leader of the Copper Heads, please let tell them that Princess Twilight Sparkle wishes to talk to them.” With that said, Muggy watched the mare walk towards the exit with the door opening all by itself.


-x-


As the door closed behind her, Twilight let out a grown of frustration. This had been her fifth bar since she had teleported from the castle, each one looking worse than the one previous as she made her way away from the castle. Not a single one had been able to tell her anything…which she supposed was to be expected. If finding the head of a criminal organization were that easy then the Clubbers would have found him ages ago.


Sighing to herself, Twilight began to trot down the empty streets near the vile river. Now that it was light out she could see that it looked like green slime with swirls of black mixed in as it slugged its way down to wherever. Mixed in with it were various trash like boxes, fruit peels, steel barrels, and…were those bones? Twilight shivered, not wanted to think about it as she kept her eyes on the walkway before her. Soot seemed to cover the street like freshly covered snow. Every so often Twilight spotted piles of the stuff, with tiny hoofprints beginning to fade around them as she passed by deserted looking building after deserted looking building.


As she turned a corner, Twilight could feel her mistakes weighing heavily on her. She had been blinded by her sense of justice, her desire to set things right that she had left the castle without a plan. She didn’t even have a map of the city or any idea where all the bars or other hangouts criminals like this Just Dandy might be at. She was just wandering around, looking for any open place that looked seedy enough. A little difficult since everything looked seedy from her Equestrian perspective.


Continuing to walk, Twilight’s thoughts shifted towards a new plan. She could try to offer up a reward for information that lead to Arms Dealer’s capture. Maybe the promise of a bag full of grits would get a few ponies to speak. She could talk to the Clubbers and get them to put up wanted posters in every bar or wherever she could. But the problem with that was that the grits would most likely come out of the government’s account. With how tight the budget was she couldn’t offer much. It might not be enough. She also supposed she could refine her current plan. Twilight could go back to the castle, get a map of the area and get information on where the Copper Heads like to hang out. Maybe if she focused on these areas she might have more luck.


Or she could become a target. That’s what she expected somepony like Count Raven to say if she went back right now. He would say that her place was to remain behind a desk, not getting caught up in some quest to bring justice. She could almost hear him going on about all the dangers she would face by doing something like this. Sure she had managed to take on one member of the Copper Heads, but would she get the same results if she took on a group? What would happen to her there? She would no doubt suffer a horrible fate.


Twilight knew that all this was true, but she wasn’t the type of mare to just sit by and do nothing. Maybe that meant she was a bad princess or didn’t deserve to be one. If that was the case then fine! As long as she at least got this piece of filth off the streets and showed Automahollow that you couldn’t escape justice then she was fine with it. Twilight had to do what she felt was right.


“Hey you,” came a voice that snapped Twilight out of her thought. Looking around her, she found herself on another deserted street. Soot was falling down like snow now, coating the windows of all the leaning three story building around her. Turning her head to where she had heard the voice, Twilight spotted a grey mare in an alleyway. The mare had on a gown with a black blouse while the skirt was pin striped black and white. On her head sat a hat, leaning off to the side with a long feather on it.


Once the mare saw she had Twilight’s attention, she beckoned Twilight to follow her as she backed up into the alley. For a moment, Twilight questioned if she should follow this mare. For all she knew this could be a trap of some kind. Yet, this was the first pony she had seen on the streets at this hour. The first time somepony had tried to reach out to her. Maybe it would be worth it. Still, as Twilight walked to where she had seen the mare slip off to, she readied her horn in case she needed to fight.


The alleyway was long and narrow, but thankfully lacking any trash, making it easy for Twilight to move through it. When she got to the other side, Twilight found herself in a boxed in area with only the other mare in sight. The brick and steel building surrounded them, making it impossible for a normal thestral to break through them. To make it feel even more enclosed, there were several boxes stacked up sloppily over to the side. Each of the crates were as large as a pony, some even bigger. For a terrifying second, Twilight imagined thestrals were in those boxes.


“So,” said the mare in a sultry tone. “What’s a mare like you doing out here at this time of day?”


Twilight tilted her head. “How did you know I was a mare?” she asked. Nothing about her attire, as far as she knew at least, could have given away that she was a mare.


“Oh, little things dear,” giggled the mare in a way that made the fur on Twilight’s neck stand on end. “First of all, you’re a bit shorter than stallions and your hoofprints in the soot are equally smaller. Not to mention you walk like a mare. You learn these things when you’re a tail raiser.”


Taken aback by this, Twilight found herself unable to speak as the mare sauntered closer to her. Twilight kept her eyes locked on the other mare until she heard a gasp behind her. Turning her head back to alleyway, the purple mare saw a filly no older than five years old staring at them with goggles so large they took up half her face. Twilight only had time to make note of her brown fur before the filly ran back the way she came, kicking black soot into the air as she moved.


“Now then,” said the mare, getting Twilight’s attention again. Twilight turned her head to find that this mare was now so close that their masks were almost touching. Through her goggles Twilight could see the mare’s eyes were half lidded as if trying to give Twilight bedroom eyes. “Are you out here trying to make some grits? You must be to be up at this hour.” The mare then raised her hoof to gentle place under Twilight’s chin. “Now you could try tail raising all on your own, but that might be a little dangerous for you. So many bad stallions and mares out there who could do who knows what. Even then the grits wouldn’t be enough. Or you could come work for Lady Gray. She’s looking to expand in this area and could use a mare like you. Trust me, she takes good care of her mares. As long as you follow her rules that is.”


Alarm bells began to ring in Twilight’s head as she realized what was going on here. This wasn’t a trap but some sort of recruitment. She had no idea who this ‘Lady Gray’ was, but given the fact that this mare thought Twilight was a tail raiser and what she was offering gave Twilight a pretty good idea. Quickly the alicorn took several steps back.


“Oh,” said the mare as she set down her hoof. “Are you rejecting this nice little offer? Now that just won’t do. Please think about this carefully. I can assure you that Lady Gray will soon have her hoof in this area. Then only mares who work for her will be allowed to tail raise…without consequence.”


“Oie, is that so,” came a new voice, startling both mares. As they looked around for the source, a flutter of bat wings could be heard overhead. They looked up and Twilight saw six thestrals, mares and stallions alike, descending downwards. Some landed on the crates while others landed on the ground. While they all wore different styles of clothing, Twilight couldn’t miss the fact that they were all wearing bowler hats similar to the one that Arms Dealer had worn. The only difference being that none of them had the machine on them like he did. Once they landed, they turned their heads so that they were all looking at the two mares.


The mare who had brought Twilight here looked around with her wings raised. Twilight could tell by her stance that she was considering flying away, but both of them knew better. If she did try to fly away and the newcomers attacked, there was no way she could avoid them all. They were simply too spread out within this confined space to find an opening. A noise that was like a mixture of a growl and a whimper escaped the mare’s throat as she then bolted past Twilight towards the alleyway exit.


She didn’t get far, halting as two figures stepped from that path. One was a stallion. Or at least Twilight believed it was a stallion. His muzzle was in the shape of a stallion’s but he was smaller, maybe an inch or two smaller than Twilight. His coat was a dark brown while his mane was several shades lighter while appearing messy underneath his bowler hat. He wore a simple, black patched up vest along with both his goggles as well as his mask. While he looked unalarming to Twilight, the other mare looked at him as if he were Sombra come back to life. Beside the stallion was the filly from before.


“There she is,” said the filly as she pointed to Twilight. “She’s the one who was lookin’ for ya.”


The stallion tilted his head. “So she is,” he said in a voice that was light and friendly before straightening his head. He then looked at the filly, pulling two golden grits from a pocket in his vest. “You did a good job little one. Now, take these and run straight home. I know you have an early shift in the evening so best you not be staying up so late.”


The filly quickly said her thanks as she took the grits with her mouth. Managing a grin she ran off as the stallion chuckled. “Well now. Seeing as the little one is off, how about you do the same,” he said as his gaze locked onto the tail raiser. The mare said nothing, dashing for the exit so fast that she tripped on her dress and landed in front of the stallion. Said stallion made no move to help her up, just watching as she scrambled to her hooves with her dress covered in soot. Panting madly, the mare raced off into the daylight leaving Twilight alone with the stallion and the others.


“Thank you for the help,” said Twilight in a slightly nervous tone as she looked around. All of the ponies there were remaining quiet, their attention focused on the events before them. As far as she could tell, none of them had any weapons on them. However, it would be stupid to let her guard down. Who knew what they were carrying under their clothing.


“Think nothing of it lovely,” replied the stallion as he walked towards the crates, putting some distance between them. When he reached them he slowly spun appear to face Twilight. “Very rude of a mare to be doing something like that in this here neighborhood. Now, allow me to introduce myself. The name is Dandy. Just Dandy my lovely. And I hear you’ve been looking for me.”
> Just Dandy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight blinked behind her goggles as her mind did its best to process this information. This small stallion was Just Dandy, leader of the Copper Heads? Back when she first heard of him Twilight had imagined somepony more like Arms Dealer. Somepony who had a voice that sounded like slime running down the wall causing the fur on her back to stand on end. Somepony whose gaze would seem vile. She imagined somepony who was bulky and scarred, strong enough to command the entire Copper Heads as they did whatever they pleased without worry. The stallion before her seemed more suited to running a small shop.


With that said, Twilight was mindful of her lesson with Zecora about judging a book by its cover. While this stallion seemed friendly the tail raiser had reacted with utter fear at the sight of him. The other thestrals that surrounded them, all of whom looked bigger and tougher than this stallion, seemed content to let him do the talking. As if he were in charge.


“You’re Just Dandy, leader of the Copper Heads?” asked Twilight to seek clarification. Around her, the other thestrals chuckled as Just Dandy tilted his head.


“Well I am Just Dandy,” he said in a tone that told Twilight he was smiling from behind his mask. “But if I was the leader of the Copper Heads, and I’m not saying I am, then it would be foolish of me to admit that to a mare who I don’t know. Let alone one who claims she is working for the new princess. Might get me into a whole lot of trouble, wouldn’t it? But since I am the only Just Dandy in town and you were asking for me, I thought it be polite to see what you wanted.”


Twilight felt herself frown. Was he in charge of the gang? Was he a mouth piece? Was he just here wasting her time? Twilight couldn’t be sure. His answer didn’t feel all that clear. The only thing she was sure about was that he was willing to talk at least. If he was the one in charge or sent here on the order of the real leader of the Copper Heads, then there was a chance she could make her case. If he wasn’t, well, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. So, with a sigh, Twilight lowered her hood to reveal her face to them.


The reveal got mixed reactions. Most of the thestrals around her could not hide their shock. Some opened their wings while lowering their front legs a bit in a position Twilight had seen Rainbow use more than once when the pegasus was about to pounce on something. Like they were getting ready for an ambush or something. Others began looking around them as they were most likely thinking along the same lines but were preparing to flee. Only Just Dandy seemed weirdly calm about this. Like he had suspected that she might be Twilight. That or he knew nothing would harm them.


“Very well then,” said Twilight as she stared at Dandy, ignoring the looks of surprise the others had. Doing her best to stand as tall as possible, Twilight cleared her throat before speaking in the most royal Celestia-like tone she could muster. “Just Dandy, I’ve come to request that you cease your protection of Arms Dealer and turn him over to the proper authorities for his crimes.”


“Hmm, is that all?” asked Just Dandy. “Well if I were the leader of the Copper Heads, and I’m not saying I am, then I would have to say no.”


Twilight felt herself deflate a bit as she heard this, sinking back into her original posture as she did while the thestrals around them snickered. She should have known this was a long shot. After all, these were criminals. It would have been foolish to believe that they would have listened to her just because she said so. Perhaps this was why she should never do anything without thinking things through.


“Please,” said Twilight. “This is very important.”


Just Dandy gave her a slow nod. “Yes, it would have to be. To tell the truth I am a bit curious. Why would the new princess of Thunder Valley being going from bar to bar all by her lonesome looking for me? What has this Arms Dealer fellow done to warrant such attention and dedication from you?” Twilight could see his facial muscles move to indicate a grin. “Did the daft fool skip out on a date or something?”


As the ponies around her laughed, Twilight couldn’t help showing the anger on her face. She could feel her cheeks reddening, her eyes narrowing, and a snarl appearing behind her mask. Those around her could see this for their laughter grew louder. “No,” she almost spat causing Just Dandy to raise an eyebrow. It seemed he was the only one not laughing. “A few hours ago, Arms Dealer assaulted a maid by the name of Moon Chime and attempted to force himself onto her. When I stumbled upon him I tried to subdue him but failed. According to my personal bodyguard, he most likely headed towards one of your safe houses after escaping from the castle.”


As Twilight finished talking, she suddenly became aware of the charged atmosphere around her. The thestrals Dandy had brought his him were no longer laughing. Now they stood still as they looked to their leader, their coats seeming to lose a bit of their color. For a moment, Twilight wondered what had gotten into them. Then…


“He did WHAT?!?” shouted Just Dandy, his voice echoing around them. Those closest to him began to tremble, something Twilight couldn’t blame them for. Something about his voice held an edge so sharp and murderous it could slice a diamond in half. While his eyes and mouth were hidden to Twilight she could sense a change within him. It was as if a blanket of darkness and malice had wrapped itself around him, invisible to the naked eye but easily sensed. All he needed now were for his eyes to glow white, shattering the goggles he wore as he did so, and Twilight would have fled from the spot. Any doubts she had about this stallion being the leader of the Copper Heads vanished from her being.


Then, just as quickly as it came, the invisible darkness around Just Dandy vanished. Much to her surprise, Just Dandy opened his wings and placed them across his chest while taking a deep breath. Soon after he exhaled, his wings moving back as he did so, reminding Twilight of the breathing technique Cadence had taught her. When he finished Just Dandy looked much more like he had at the start.


“Terribly sorry about that princess,” he said in his friendly tone again. He then made a motion with his hoof to tell the others that they were leaving. Twilight watched as those who were on the crates jumped to the ground to join the others in walking out through the alleyway as Dandy continued to talk. “I’m sorry to hear about your maid, truly I am. She is lucky to have such a caring employer willing to go searching for this bloke all by herself. But I think you should call it quits for today. Perhaps try looking up and down the rivers tomorrow. Who knows what you might find.”


As he said this, while giving Twilight a bow, the purple princess felt a chill run down her spine. “W-What do you mean by that?”


“It’s just a hunch,” said Just Dandy as he trotted past Twilight without looking at her. “A violent bloke like him is bound to make some mistakes while on the run. Might not watch where he is running while on the escape, trip down some stairs, break his worthless neck, and land dead in the river. Best to check start checking in the morning if I were you.”


Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed as her horn lit up. “No,” she said firmly as her magic held Dandy in place. While Twilight may not know everything, she felt very sure that he had just announced that he intended to kill Arms Dealer. Something Twilight didn’t want. Quickly, she lifted Dandy into the air only to put him back down right in front of her.


“Pleasure meeting you again lovely,” said Dandy, sounding half amused half annoyed. “Looks like you Equestrian princesses seem to have a way of getting a pony’s attention.”


“You can’t kill Arms Dealer,” stated Twilight firmly as the other thestrals surrounded the two of them. In the corners of Twilight’s vision she could see a few pulling out daggers, holding them at the ready but not advancing. “What he did was deplorable, but his punishment shouldn’t come from you. Moon Chime needs to know that justice, real justice provided by the courts, will be there for her. If you give him to me I will see to it that he will have his day in court!”


“Then if that’s how you feel about it you might want to get back to looking for him,” replied Just Dandy calmly and coolly. “You never know, perhaps you might find him before he has that hypothetical accident I was talking about. Besides, even if I was the leader of the Copper Heads, and I’m not saying I am, there is no way I could give him to you.”


Twilight’s hoof smacked the side of her head as she let out a growl of frustration. “I don’t believe this!” she shouted. “Weren’t you once the leader of the Copper Hounds? The ones who used to protect this city from injustice?! How is it that you have fallen so far that you can’t see what’s right and what’s wrong?”


Twilight wished Just Dandy didn’t have on his mask or goggles. Then maybe she could see something. A flicker of guilt in his eyes or a look of cold indifference. Perhaps maybe a twitch of the lip to show that her words were having some effect. Twilight opened her mouth to yell at him some more when she heard those around them shifting. Turning her head, she spotted a few members of the gang were no longer looking at her. Instead their heads were hanging low while others chose to turn their heads away from her entirely. Those that still had their heads up had trembles running down their bodies making it harder to hold their daggers straight. One, Twilight noted, had even taken off his bowler hat and was now looking at it. Then Twilight looked back at Just Dandy who was still held within her magic. Wordlessly she released her hold allowing him to move freely once again. He did not turn his head or shake, nor did he move to turn away from her. He just stood there with his wings hanging slightly limp at his sides. Perhaps his eyes were downcast as well.


“…I wish I were that stallion,” said Just Dandy, his tone dripping with regret.


Twilight bit her lower lip as she turned her head to look away slightly. As the silence grew more uncomfortable, Twilight regretted that she had spoken out of frustration. That was not something Princess Celestia would have done in this situation. While it had provided some insight into those before her it might have come at a terrible price. If she did something like that again, if she offended them or made them angry, there was no telling what they would do. They could lash out in their angry or turn away from her on the spot. Twilight knew she needed to be smarter about this. Needed to handle the situation better. Meaning she needed to understand the situation better.


And what better way to get more information than to do some research?


“Alright then,” said Twilight as she let out a sigh. “Ah, let’s try something else. Say you were the leader of the Copper Heads, and I’m not saying you are, why can’t you just give me Arms Dealer? Why would you insist on killing him?”


Just Dandy tilted his head, as if to give her a funny look, while his wings moved back into place. “Hmm,” he said as his head straightened. “Well that seems obvious, don’t it? If I were the leader of the Copper Heads, and I’m not saying I am, then I’d most likely give me colts a few rules. Lines they ain’t supposed to cross, places they aren’t supposed to go, and all that sort of thing. Things from keeping them from getting too dark if you catch my drift. Course, some of them might get to thinking they could pull one over on me…if I were the leader of that gang that is. Might be getting some thoughts and falling into temptation. Need to know what will happen to gear grime that crosses me. Keeps a sort of order.”


Twilight felt herself nodding at this. It was almost frightening how much this made sense to her. From her readings about pre-Equestrian history, there was a point where the pegasi were not united under one banner with various warlords trying to gain dominion over the sky. Much like Just Dandy and the Copper Heads, these warlords would have their own rules with dire consequences to those who broke them. Due to both the brutality of these punishments, as well as the effectiveness of how it helped keep the others in line, the phase ‘kill one to warn a thousand’ was born. The princess had also read books about criminals from other countries who, when they showed too much leniency, often lost control over the entire group.


“So, hypothetically speaking, why couldn’t you just give me Arms Dealer?” asked Twilight. “Like I said, he will face justice for what he has done. I will also be doing everything within my power to see that he receives the maximum punishment required by law.”


“Because if I were the leader of the Copper Heads, hypothetically speaking of course, then that would send a bad message,” said Just Dandy, his tone sounding like he was rather enjoying this conversation. “Hoofing over a member of my gang just because you asked would make me come off as weak. Or perhaps they would think I was selling them out to save my own flank. No doubt they would turn on me first chance they got.”


Twilight raised her hoof to tap at her chin, her mind racing with this new information. This was a tricky situation. Just Dandy seemed to be a reasonable stallion, probably doing his best to keep a bad situation with the Copper Heads from getting worse. How it got this bad in the first place was a question for another night. Right now, the key was to get Arms Dealer without creating a power struggle within the Copper Heads. If something like that were to happen then the chaos it would cause on the streets might lead to a lot of innocent ponies getting hurt.


Ideally, she would like to be led to Arms Dealer so she could just teleport him back to the castle. But that was clearly out of the question. She had been publically looking for him, announcing that the princess wanted to speak with Just Dandy. If she were seen going to one of these safe houses so shortly after that then the Copper Heads would know that Just Dandy betrayed them. Same would happen if Twilight sent guards to that location. The timing would make it clear somepony talked, most likely Just Dandy. Maybe she could convince Dandy to get Arms Dealer to leave the safe house for a bit or maybe…


Twilight’s eyes widened before a broad grin appeared on her face. “Perhaps there is a way we could both get what we want…in this hypothetical situation,” said Twilight with a hint of slyness in her voice. “What if Arms Dealer were no longer part of the Copper Heads?” Just Dandy narrowed his eyebrows at that in a questioning manner, causing Twilight to continue talking. “You have more than enough grounds to do something like that. Right now I have every Clubber and military officer looking for him and, by extension, the Copper Heads. He’s putting the entire gang in jeopardy until he is caught.”


“Or dead,” said one of the other gang members, speaking for the first time. “Listen princess-”


“That’s true,” interrupted Twilight as she kept her gaze on Just Dandy. “But just imagine what it would be like. Arms Dealer running around the city, being chased like a wild animal with nopony to help him. His fear will be like nothing he’s ever felt before and will last far longer. If he gets caught then it’ll be on his head, not yours. And if by some miracle he manages to escape then he will have spend the rest of his life in hiding. Whatever comforts he had will be lost to him forever.”


Just Dandy chuckled darkly. “Ohh, I like this princess,” he said as he took a step closer to Twilight. “I’d be giving him to you on a silver platter without really giving him to you. Might throw in a threat or two to add to the fear. Make the little piece of slime sweat more so you have a trail to follow.”


“What if he tries to make a deal?” asked one of the other gang members. “Like naming names or pointing out-”


“Nothing like that will happen as long as I’m in charge,” stated Twilight firmly, interrupting the pony.


For a moment, nopony said anything as they looked at each other through unreadable goggles. Then Just Dandy made a jerking movement with his head towards the alleyway. At first nothing happened causing Dandy to jerk his head for a second time. It was then that the other thestrals began to move, slowly, out of the area. One or two of them paused to look at their leader and then Twilight before moving on. Soon there was just the two of them, staring at each other.


“Princess,” said Dandy once they were all gone. “Been a while since I’ve seen the big gears up top give a damn about any of us. This idea, it sounds mighty good to me. Would be…nice dealing with a problem like this without having to, well, you know. But I must ask: lovely: can you promise me that gear grime will get what’s coming to him?”


Twilight felt her breath leave her at that question. A part of her wanted to answer yes right away. However… “I can’t promise that, I’m afraid,” she said truthfully. “It will be up to the courts. Since I am somewhat involved I don’t think it would be considered a fair trial if I were to act as judge. All I can promise is to do everything within my legal power to build a case as best I can and hope the D.A. is better than whatever lawyer Arms Dealer can afford.”


As Just Dandy looked at her, Twilight felt a stabbing in her gut. Apart of her brain was screaming at her, demanding to know why she did that! She should have said right then and there that Arms Dealer would never see the light of the moon again. That she would have a special prison built just for him were she would lock him up and throw away the key. Anything to make sure that Just Dandy sided with her so he would go through with this. Yet Twilight believed that lying to him would not help matters. The last thing she wanted to be was a leader who made big promises she couldn’t keep in order to get others to do what she wanted. Just Dandy needed to know that he could trust her and her government.


“Well, you’re an honest lovely I’ll give you that,” said Just Dandy finally. Before Twilight knew what was happening, Just Dandy took her hoof with his own. Then, much to her surprise, he moved his mask out of the way for a brief moment to kiss her hoof. The princess felt her cheeks burn like never before, her brain shutting down as he released her. “Well now, think that’s enough gabbing for me for one day. Perhaps I might take a late day stroll to sort some things over. Hope you find what you’re looking for and can do some good. Because,” he turned around, no longer looking at Twilight who still stood there shocked at the kiss, “that would be…just dandy I think.” And with that, Dandy walked out of the area through the alleyway.


For several minutes, Twilight stood there in shock. Her brain was still in a haywire, so much so that she hadn’t even registered Dandy’s awful joke. Then, without warning, she left out an ‘eeeeeeee’ so soft that Fluttershy would have been proud of before teleporting far, far away.


-x-


“Gee, thanks for coming back after I got my flank chewed out,” said Overkill after Twilight appeared within her own suite. Breathing hard to get her emotions under control Twilight removed her cloak as soot was shaken off, sprinkling the floor around her. As she did this the purple princess saw that the uniformed mare had been sitting there on the floor, sharpening her axe with a whetstone. She looked up at Twilight with an un-amused expression. Off to the side, Spike stopped in the middle of pacing. “Nope, don't bring me along for the ride or anything. Only my job to keep you safe and all that.”


“Sorry,” said Twilight honestly as she levitated off her mask and goggles. “Was it really that bad?”


“No,” replied Overkill in a flat voice. “Just me exaggerating. It was a nice friendly chat with both the General and Count Raven. At the same time. They offered me milk and cookies.” Overkill shook her head before going back to her weapon. “Both of them were probably mighty pissed at me before you left with the whole Arms Dealer situation. But when I told them that you had left the castle all on your own they were ready to take away my weapons and shoot me with them.”


“Hey!” shouted Spike as he ran over and stood between the two mares. He then raised his arms as if trying to shield Twilight. “Sure, Twilight going off into a city she doesn’t know anything about was probably really stupid.”


“Spike!” said Twilight.


The dragon turned to look at her. “Well, it’s true.” He then turned to look back at Overkill. “Where was I?”


“That the princess was mighty stupid,” answered Overkill, a small grin appearing on her face. “If you have any more to say about that, please go on. Or please, let me list off all the ways she could have gotten herself hurt or worse.”


“Nah, I think that covers that,” he said causing Twilight to roll her eyes. “But I think the important thing is that she was trying to do something good for Moon Chime. I mean, if somepony who was important to you got hurt like that wouldn’t you do the same?”


Overkill eyed Spike for a moment, surveying him with a critical look before looking up at Twilight. While keeping her eyes on the princess, Overkill stood as her axe swung around before landing on her shoulder. “Would have been the messiest bloodbath anypony had ever seen,” admitted Overkill before sighing. She then hefted the axe off her shoulder and pointed it at a startled Twilight. “Look princess, I don’t know how they do things in Equestria and frankly I don’t care much. It’s my job to keep an eye on you and keep you safe. Ditching me like that made me look like I was slacking on the job. So if you ever want to go down into the city like that again then I’m coming with you.”


“Right,” said Twilight with an apologetic smile. “I should have realized that you would have gotten in trouble for that. I’m just not-” Twilight’s words were cut off as Overkill dropped her axe, closed the distance between them, and placed a hoof over Twilight’s mouth before her weapon hit the ground.


“Yeah, not really one for apology speeches either,” said the thestral mare as her eyes rolled. “So like my mother used to say: Just say you’re sorry so we can move on with our lives!” As she said this, Overkill pulled her hoof away from Twilight’s mouth. Spike, meanwhile, looked at her curiously before putting a claw to his chin which both mares ignored.


“So, did anything else happen while I was away?” asked Twilight as she levitated up Overkill’s weapon.


Overkill allowed a small grin as she took back her weapon. Perhaps it was because Twilight was moving past the apology speech like she had requested. “You can say that. General Steel Trap received word from the pass just before the whole Arms Dealer thing went down. Apparently something flew past all of the defenses he had set out. He wasn’t in the mood to give out all the details, but I do know that it was fast enough to out fly all of patrol groups in the area. As of right now we have no idea where it’s heading or what its purpose is. Military intelligence might have a few theories but I’m not in the need to know right now. He was going to talk to you about it, but you weren’t here. Spike wasn’t here either when he showed up. The little dragon only came back a short while ago.”


Twilight winced at that, her ears flattening as she fought to keep herself from looking away. She had been so used to calling it a day when the sun rose up that she had never considered an emergency situation might occur while she was away. Not once had there been somepony running up to her door after she had retired to inform her of some sort of emergency. The idea that there could have been an emergency when she left had never occurred to her until just now. Yet now that she thought about it, how many times had Princess Celestia been awoken when something horrible was happening in Equestria? How many times did Princess Luna rouse from her slumber to help out in some crisis?


It was an eye opening experience to say the least. Twilight had rolled her eyes many times when Count Raven had insisted that ponies come to her rather than her going to them. Perhaps one of the reasons for this was not just about her own personal safety, but also the safety of the nation. Ponies like the General wouldn’t have the luxury of time in the middle of a crisis. The more time they spent looking for her was more time that should have been spent dealing with the issue at hoof.


“Has anypony been hurt?” asked Twilight quickly.


“No,” said Overkill. “A little winded trying to catch it, but other than that no reports of injuries or deaths have come in. Plus it’s heading in the opposite direction of Automahollow so I’m sure the capital is safe. If you want more details, you’re going to have to ask the General.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. That was good to know at least. “So, how did your little venture go? Come up empty hooved?”


“No,” said Twilight with a calm smile. “I think we’ll be seeing Arms Dealer rather soon.”


“Oh?” went both Spike and Overkill as they looked at her.


“I managed to talk to Just Dandy and…” Twilight’s words trailed off as the name of the stallion who had kissed her passed her lips. She could still clearly remember the feeling of his lips on her hoof as well as they sound they made when he kissed it. Her cheeks began to burn. Judging by the amused looks on both the faces of Spike and Overkill, she was sure she was making some sort of odd expression. But she couldn’t help it. No stallion had ever done that to her before. Maybe it was nothing. Perhaps some sort of overreaction to a simple custom! Yeah, that had to be it!


Before Twilight could regain her focus, there was a soft knock on the door followed by it opening. Everyone in the room turned to look, seeing Count Raven at the entrance. He was dressed in his normal attire yet somehow looked far more stiff than normal. His face was kept neutral, only raising an eyebrow when he spotted Twilight.


“Your Grace,” he said curtly. “The Dukes and Duchesses are here. They are waiting for you.”
> Hard Choices
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chalky walked down the empty, deserted hallways of the castle. For as long as he had been here, he could not remember a time when it had been like this. Even during the brightest hours of the day the staff here had always been hard at work. Maids and other workers for the crown would spend hours making sure that the castle was presentable while the ponies of the city slept. Windows had to be cleaned as best they could and brass needed to be polished. Sheets needed to be washed as did the various facilities. Even the ponies who guarded the castle were to be making the rounds to ensure that everything was secure.


The stallion paused in his step, his deadpan expression shifting to the small container of soup on his back, which was meant for the victim from earlier in the day. Because of the events which happened to her, the maids were now nowhere to be seen. Most likely they were all huddled together in fear since the princess had order nearly all of the guards to search for the mad dog who had done all of this. It was, he presumed, a nice gesture. Yet in the end, that was all it was: a gesture. Much like the soup on his back.


Hoofsteps began to sound in front of him causing Chalky to turn his gaze forward. Up ahead of him, walking along a different passageway than himself, were four individuals. In front was Count Raven with his famous poker face at the ready. Behind him looking worried was the princess from Equestria with her pet dragon walking to her side. Finally there was the guard he had heard so much about bringing up the rear with her axe laid ready on her shoulder. Then, just like that, they were out of sight.


Chalky’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a feeling…no, he knew where they were going. Given what was happening and who was involved it came as no surprise to him that they would have shown up as quickly as they did.


“Now Princess Twilight,” whispered Chalky. “Now we will see your true colors as you cling to your crown.”


-x-


“Princess Twilight, thank you for seeing us at such a late hour,” said Duke Ticking Clock as Twilight and company entered the room. The same circular room with the raised copper floor where she had met the Dukes and Duchesses when she had first set hoof in this country. The only pony who was missing was General Steel Trap, something that did not bode well with the young princess. All of them stood up from their seats, the same ones where they had been sitting the first time, before giving Twilight a bow as she approached her seat with Overkill taking position behind her. As for Spike he stood next to her while Count Raven took position off to the side.


Before sitting, Twilight returned the bow while silently wondering what this was all about. The journey from her suite had been an oddly silent and uncomfortable one since Count Raven had not said a single word since informing her of their arrival. This troubled the purple pony as he was normally the first pony to give her information that would help her. With him leading the way, it was impossible for Twilight to glean any facial information that might help her. However, given what she had recently learned from Overkill, Twilight believed that the Count was upset with her.


Being completely honest with herself, Twilight couldn’t blame the Count for this. Yes, Twilight was trying to catch a criminal who had assaulted a maid under her care. But now that she thought about it, she should have at least kept the stallion in the loop. Count Raven could have assisted Spike in checking with the maids to make sure they were all alright given the situation. He might have been able to advise Twilight on the situation. Or at the very least she should have informed him of her plan. Count Raven had been the first thestral here to openly accept her to become the new ruler of Thunder Valley and was helping mentor her in the role of a leader. She might even go so far as to call him her first friend from this strange land. Even if they might have disagreed on how to handle the matter, Twilight should have kept him in the loop as a sign of respect for the older stallion. That was the very least she should have done.


“It isn’t a problem,” said Twilight as she righted herself. As all of the ponies became seated, Twilight realized that trying to fix that mistake would have to wait. Right now, the matter before her had to take priority.


“Princess, I believe you are probably wondering why we are all here at this ungoddessly hour of the day,” said Duchess Blue Moon, her nose high in the air as she spoke.


Twilight closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. “I take it has something to do with the object that entered into Thunder Valley,” said Twilight. While Count Raven hadn’t said anything to her about this, Twilight had been able to do some thinking on her way here. Her mind going over all the possibilities that would cause them to make such an impromptu meeting with her. This seemed to hold the most weight in her opinion.


“Hmm,” went the Duchess as she lowered her head a bit to look at Count Raven. “We were told you were out of the castle when the General came to talk to you about that. That the whereabouts of your location were unknown and could not be contacted. Clearly, we were misinformed.”


“No, you were told the truth,” said Twilight at once, her eyes fixed on Blue Moon. “It is true I was out of the castle, personally overseeing an investigation that concerned a member of my staff. In my haste to catch this culprit, I failed to inform any of my staff. For this, I am solely responsible.” Twilight paused as she watched the ponies in front of her raise their eyebrows and look at each other. “As for how I found out about this, Specialist Overkill informed me of what happened at the border as soon as I arrived.”


“I see,” said Duke Rolling Thunder as he casted a nasty look in Blue Moon’s direction. The mare, however, did not seem to take notice of this. “Well, the incident is a part of the reason we are here. However, our main concern was the attack not just on the maid but on you as well Princess Twilight. The news of both incidents reached us nearly at the same time, it is true. And we had reason to believe that these two events were somehow connected given how closely linked they were to each other. It was only upon finding out that the lead suspect was Arms Dealer that we realized that this wasn’t the case. Just an unfortunate coincidence.”


“We have also heard that you have ordered the Clubbers and all members of our army within the city to look for him,” continued Fallen Star as he looked down at the table they all surrounded. “Is this true?”


“It is,” said Twilight. As she spoke, she wondered what the matter was. Had she abused her power in some manner? From what the General had told her, the military had been helping out the Clubbers more often lately. Perhaps this stallion hunt was a bit on the extreme. Hopefully Just Dandy would come through for her and this would be taken care of soon.


“That’s…unfortunate,” said Fallen Star in a dreaded tone. Slowly he lifted his head and looked at her dead in the eye. “Princess, the choice of what to do is still yours. We have gathered here today to stress the importance of this matter: Please, call off the search and let Arms Dealer go.”


Twilight felt her jaw begin to hang as she heard this. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing! Where they seriously asking her to let Arms Dealer go free? After everything he had done? Not just last night but all of his other attacks was well? It didn’t make any sense to her.


“Are you crazy?!” shouted Spike as he slammed a claw onto the table, snapping Twilight out of her stupor. She looked down at the dragon to see the glare he was giving everypony in the room.


“Spike,” said Twilight as she placed a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up at her, their eyes meeting as she gave him a look that said ‘Let me do this’. Her number one assistant nodded before she turned to look at those gathered. “Are you crazy?!” she shouted as she mirrored Spike’s outburst. “What possible reason could there be for letting him trot free after everything he has done?”


“Princess Twilight, please calm yourself,” said Eerie Shadow as she looked at Twilight with her one good eye.


“No! I won’t calm myself,” said Twilight as she stood up with her front legs both on the table. She could feel her wings extending in her anger as hot bursts of air shot out of her nose. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the ponies before her. “You want me to rule this nation, to enforce its laws, but then tell me which ponies get passes?! Who get to do whatever they want without consequence?! No wonder there are so many rebellions!”


“Princess Twilight!” yelled Eerie Shadow. Twilight opened her mouth, not ready to give this mare a chance to interrupt her. To vent all of her anger. But something caught her eye. It was the mare’s hooves. They were on the table, shaking slightly. Looking back into her eye, the purple alicorn saw that it looked a bit more moist than was normal. “Please understand how difficult this is for a mare to ask.”


Twilight said nothing, instead shooting a glance at the around the table. Some had their heads lowered while others could not contain the very subtle shaking of their bodies. The only exception was Blue Moon who had raised her nose even higher into the air. Yet that just made it a bit easier for Twilight to see the tremor of her eyelid. Slowly, Twilight’s wings retracted as she brought a hoof over her heart. Several times she did her breathing exercise in order to regain control of the fire burning inside her. With each breath, the flames grew more and more controllable. It was only when they had reached a point where she felt she would be able to talk instead of screaming did she sit.


“Princess, we are all naturally uncomfortable about this matter,” said Ticking Clock as he stated the obvious, earning a few nods from those seated at the table.


“A matter you should have been made well aware of prior to this date,” said Blue Moon coldly as she shot another glare at Count Raven. “If you had, you wouldn’t have wasted your time with this ponyhunt. Clearly, somepony wasn’t doing his job.”


Twilight raised a hoof and pointed it at Blue Moon, her mouthing opening as got ready to defend the Count. It was only the slamming on a hoof onto the table that caused her to stop. As the princess lowered her hoof, she turned her head in the direction of where the noise had come from and saw that Fallen Star was looking at the Duchess with a lethal dose of venom. “We all believed that this matter was done and over with you old crone,” he barked causing Blue Moon to give a huff. “I would be defending the princess’ decision if it wasn’t for-”


“Enough,” said Eerie Shadow as both she and Twilight looked back and forth between the two. “We are the heads of the Great Houses. Such behavior is not befitting of ponies of our ranks.” Blue Moon looked like she had swallowed something that didn’t agree with her, huffing under her breath yet not uttering a word. Fallen Star kept his angry expression focused on Blue Moon yet removed his hoof off the table. Seeing this, Twilight lowered her own hoof as well.


For a moment, there was a growing silence within the room creating a certain uneasiness. Perhaps it was because they were all tired, the situation adding stress to their tired minds. Even Twilight, with her increased stamina thanks to her transformation into an alicorn, was beginning to feel that same irritability that came with a lack of sleep. She so much wanted to suggest that they all go to bed and pick up this meeting when they were all rested. As a show of good will as well as hospitality she could even offer them rooms within the castle. Yet she knew that they would more than likely refuse. If the issue with Arms Dealer was something they could put off until nightfall they would have done so. They had chosen to come here as soon as they found out.


Still, something bothered Twilight deeply. She remembered back at the get together she had held not too long ago. There had been a brief moment when Count Raven had mentioned Arms Maker not being able to make it, hoping that it didn’t have anything to do with his son if she was remembering correctly. Following that she had met with Crystal Chime and the issue had been forgotten. Had Count Raven suspected Arms Dealer of doing something like this? She could understand not doing it at the party, for Twilight knew she would have made a scene. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have told her later. Like, for example, after the party behind closed doors. Or even the next day?


“I believe it would be prudent to bring the princess up to speed on the matter,” said Rolling Thunder, finally breaking the silence. The stallion laid his hooves on the table, one over the other. “In the end, this must be her decision. She will need all of the facts.” One by one, the other Dukes and Duchesses exchanged a knowing look. Then, almost as one, they nodded together.


“This all began many years ago,” began Ticking Clock. “When it first began, it had been a matter for the lower courts, yet I can still remember reading about it in the papers. Arms Dealer had been implicated in a crime very much like the one he had tried to pull last night. He had moved in on the servant of a middle class pony while she had been tending to the family’s young foal. He was spotted by the Clubbers trying to escape the scene, chased, and was captured to be put on trial. It should have been an open and shut case, one that did not need the highest levels of the government to intervene in any capacity. Yet a few days later, we were all called in by King Cobalt.”


“We all knew that King Cobalt and Arms Maker were good friends,” continued Rolling Thunder as he closed his eyes. “Perhaps even the best of friends. He did his best to make room in his schedule to attend many of the government functions as well as fundraisers. That’s where we met him the most, either talking business with us or bragging about his son. It was never any secret that he loved the colt to death and would do whatever it took to make sure he was happy. We just never thought he’d go so far as to issue an ultimatum.”


“What’s an ultimatum?” asked Spike as he looked around the table.


“Basically kind of like a final demand,” said Twilight as she turned to look at the dragon. “One pony issues it saying do this or else.”


“Sounds more like a threat,” commented Spike as he crossed his arms.


Eerie Shadow let out a sigh. “It’s surprising how similar those two are,” she said while gaining back Twilight’s attention. “King Cobalt informed us that Arms Maker didn’t want his son going to jail. He believed he could watch over his son better and help him see the error of his ways. The King sympathized with his friend’s plight, understanding a father’s need to protect his foals. But there was also his duty to the law. He tried to tell his friend this, telling him he would ask the judge for leniency but Arms Maker wouldn’t have it. Then before he left, he told the King that if this didn’t happen he could cancel his contract with the government.”


As Twilight let out a gasp of surprise, Rolling Thunder shook his head. “Naturally we checked the fine print of the contract we had with Storm Breaker Ammunition. It was there, decreeing that either party could cancel the contract whenever they so desired without any penalty. I believe this was done as a show of good faith to both parties as Arms Dealer had never given us a reason to believe he would use this against us.”


“…So you gave into his demand,” said Twilight quietly as she lowered her head.


“It was not a decision we came to lightly Princess,” said Ticking Clock, his elderly tone darkening a bit. “We needed to look at the larger picture. Storm Breaker Ammunition is one of the biggest companies within Thunder Valley and the sole provider of weapons and ammo to our military. The sudden cancelation of this contract would put hundreds if not thousands of families out into the streets within a matter of months. Such an event would likely spawn several more uprisings. King Cobalt knew that he had to put the majority of his subjects first. He also trusted his friend, even after he had pulled something like this. The King believed that Arms Maker would be true to his word and this would never happen again. So arrangements were made and the incident was swept under the rug.


“We had, naturally, hoped that this would be the end of the matter. However, we were soon proven wrong. In the months that followed, mare after mare was assaulted. Time after time the same threat was made along with the promise that Arms Dealer would ‘fix’ his son. Each time we caved in and the relationship between the King and Arms Maker became more strained. Each time we were informed that Arms Dealer had struck again, we discovered that he had become bolder. He moved from mere working mares on the streets and in factories to the help of the upper class.”


“The last time we caught him he had assaulted one of my housekeepers,” snarled Blue Moon. “Can you imagine how embarrassing that was for me? He came into my home, assaulted and had his way with one of my housekeepers! Had I been a mare of lesser breeding, I would have wrung his slimy neck myself.” Twilight narrowed her eyes a little as she looked at the Duchess as a feeling of profound dislike began to grow inside of her. It really sounded like the mare didn’t care about the mare, only how what happened reflected on her.


Fallen Star shook his head. “It was after that that we all said enough was enough,” he said. “King Cobalt brought in Arms Maker to stand before all of us. Together, we told him that this would be the last time we would release his son as a final favor to him. King Cobalt even made a final plea, that if he no longer valued their friendship then he should at least value the lives of the families he employs.


“Since that night, things did appear to improve. While none of us would ever allow Arms Dealer into one of our homes, that stallion had been behaving himself. Even after the king passed away due to heart issues and his children took the throne, we heard no mention that Dealer was up to his old ways. It was only after the fall of Princess Alabaster that we began to hear rumors that he had joined up with the Copper Heads. Perhaps using them to return to his old ways. Yet no mare has been willing to step forward and claim that he was the one who assaulted them. Nor has there been any evidence that suggests he was the one behind those attacks. Only whispers and rumors. As such, we have been unable to do anything without any hard evidence.”


“Until now,” stated Twilight firmly. “We have the opportunity to try him for his actions and end this. You said so yourself, he wasn’t going to be given anymore chance! So what has caused all of you to change your minds?!”


“When we said there would be no more second chances, things were very different,” said Eerie Shadow as her eye became fixed on the table before her. “Back then, the government was not in a state of financial difficulty like it is now. Back then, we could have gone over the allotted military budget by cutting corners elsewhere. There was also a lack of danger on the horizon. If such a matter were to come up, we would have been willing to find a company to supply us for a short period of time or simply dealt with the rebellious element more swiftly. We also had the barrier in place.”


“With the barrier down, we are vulnerable to an outside attack,” said Ticking Clock as he slammed an elderly hoof onto the table. “With each passing night the lightning strikes are getting to be fewer and far more between. Already something has crossed through with complete disregard to our borders. It flew so fast that it was gone before any of the troops could reach for their blunderbusses! This could very well be the advanced scout for a possible invasion force!”


“Or, ah, it could be a simple misunderstanding,” said Twilight as she wracked her brain for some sort of explanation. Something that would calm them down. “We shouldn’t be jumping to any conclusions right now. Not until we have more information.”


“The information we do have points to possibly hostility,” said Blue Moon coldly. “Tell me Princess Twilight, wasn’t there an invasion of a hostile force on your brother’s wedding?”


At that, Twilight’s head jerked back while being unable to hold back the look of surprise on her face. They knew about that? How could they? Twilight hadn’t told anypony here about that. Looking around the table, she could tell that her own surprise had brought forth mixed results from the nobles. A couple looked worried while seemed to just narrow their eyes.


“Yes,” said Twilight as she nervously took a breath. “However, you must understand the circumstances. The race that attacked us are called the Changelings, a race of shape shifters who feed off of love. We had thought that we had prepared for them by having my brother put up one of his strongest shield spells.”


“We have been informed of what happened,” said Fallen Star in a grave tone. “Their queen easily found a way around that barrier, abducted Princess Cadence, impersonated her, and drained your brother’s love in order to weaken him so that her forces were able to break past. After that, the army of Equestria was easily overtaken.”


Once again, Twilight was shocked by what she heard. Not because of how much they seemed to know, which was surprising enough, but the name they had used. Only ponies who were close to her knew which name Cadence preferred to be called. It was only during official business did anypony call her by her full and proper name. The same went with newspapers and books. If they had obtained this information via proper channels they would have used Cadence’s full and proper name. Slowly, Twilight looked down at the only one in Thunder Valley who could have told them: Spike. He was looking just as shocked, but he wasn’t looking at the nobles. Instead, his head was turned to look at Overkill.


It did not take a genius to figure things out from there. After all, both Spike and Overkill had been hanging around more lately.


Twilight took a deep breath as she turned to look at those gathered. “Then if you know all of that, then surely you know that they were defeated in the end,” she said in an even tone.


“Yes,” said Blue Moon. “Via a magical love wave which we are unable to do ourselves. Scattered to the wind, forced to crawl back into the hole from which they came. They are still out there Princess Twilight. Most likely looking for a new source of food, meaning ponies. How long do you think it will be before they set their sights on us? I have no doubt that our army will be as easily incapacitated as Equestria’s was, but…”


“We are worried about the potential danger they present,” said Ticking Clock as Twilight didn’t bother to hide her look on outrage at Blue Moon. “Based on the information provided, we are afraid for the whole of Thunder Valley. Princess, we are unaware of how powerful a shield you can produce. Even if it could encompass all of Automahollow, then wouldn’t the Changelings just attack another city? They could do a series of hit and run tactics, abducting and replacing our citizens without us knowing. How long would it take them to stop all incoming supplies to this city and forcing you to drop the barrier?”


Twilight turned her head to look at the elder stallion, her eyes widening with this realization. At the time, she had been so preoccupied with the wedding and afterwards had never given the matter any thought. But now that this scenario had been put out, Twilight couldn’t help but think about how differently the Changeling invasion could have gone. All of their defenses had been at the capital with no warning to the rest of the country. Had the Changelings decided to adjust their plan, they could have easily taken a city like Manehatten, Ponyville, and others. What would be the fall out to such an event? While Twilight knew that she and ponies like herself would not blame Princess Celestia, she was aware that not everypony would see it the same way. Those in the areas attacked would more than likely be upset with the Royal Family, protecting themselves and holding a wedding instead of defending the nation as a whole.


“We are not just worried about Changelings,” continued Eerie Shadow. “There are other races out there in the world that we have heard about. The Diamond Dogs who dig tunnels under Equestria and take ponies to be made into slaves. Griffons who possess great strength but are also very aggressive. Dragons which fly unimpeded over Equestria’s lands. A god of chaos who can do whatever he wants with the snap of his fingers. A shadow-like pony who took over an entire empire whose death you have been unable to confirm. Given all of these outside threats, it is hard for us to feel safe.”


“Not to mention the threat that could come from Equestria and their magic,” added Blue Moon.


“Princess Celestia would never attack another nation without reason!” stated Twilight, her frustration with this mare reaching its peak. As she kept her burning gaze on Blue Moon, Twilight saw out of the corner of her eye Count Raven beginning to stand up. Yet she paid him no mind right now. The mare before her how dare she even suggest that Princess Celestia would ever do such a thing!


“It is not Princess Celestia who we are worried about,” said Duke Ticking Clock as he gave Blue Moon a very annoyed look. One that said ‘you’re pushing it’ or something to that effect. “Through Count Raven we have been informed that she wishes to have good relationships and has such made no clear hostile intent. It is more of her citizens we are worried about. For example, we learned of a mare name Trixie I believe. She cast you out of your own home town after losing in a magical duel.”


Twilight groaned inwardly as a hoof went to touch her head. She couldn’t believe Spike told Overkill about that. “Normally, unicorns are not that powerful,” Twilight explained. “The reason for her power boost as well as her actions were the result of a magical artifact called the Alicorn Amulet. While it made her more powerful, it also brought out her worst features as well as amplifying them. But if you are worried about that, me and my friends were able to trick her into removing it before hiding the artifact. As of right now not even I know its exact location.”


“Yet there is still the fact that she was able to do so much damage in a short amount of time,” replied Fallen Star before letting out a heavy sigh. “That might have been an isolated incident, however what if there are other unicorns who possess power similar to that? All it would take would be one misguided or power hunger pony to lead a small army into our nation. Unicorns with their magic, pegasi with their ability to manipulate the weather, and earth ponies with their superior strength. As you have no doubt read from our history books, all it takes is one pony to ignite the spark of rebellion and chaos.”


“When we look at all of these factors, losing our contract with Storm Breaker is not advisable,” said Rolling Thunder, earning a nod from most of the others at the table. “Nor can we force him to do business with us or simply take his materials for ourselves. We have no legal claim to them and by taking them we might be observed as becoming tyrants. Then rebellion would be assured leading to even more bloodshed. That is the very last thing we want.” The stallion then paused to shake his head sadly. “This may seem heartless, but we must put the needs of the whole machine above one tiny cog.”


Twilight’s eyes widened at this statement. In a way, she could see how they could make the comparison of the government being like a machine. Each part moving and contributing to the greater whole. Some parts were simply more important to keep everything running smoothly and some parts were easily replaced. However…


“Moon Chime is not a cog,” stated Twilight as her eyes narrowed. “She is a pony, a thestral of this country! She should be protected by the law like every other pony here! Those that violate the law need to be punished!” She then looked around the group before her. “Hasn’t it been the goal of the government since Princess Alabaster was dethroned trying to fix what was broken and regain the trust of its ponies? If this keeps up, that’ll never happen. Instead it will only worsen until the rebellion you are all trying to prevent happens anyway.”


“So, is that your choice Princess?” asked Duchess Eerie as she looked at Twilight with an unreadable expression on her face. “As I said when you first came to Thunder Valley, we would like to see what you can do. The decision, in the end, is completely yours. As will be how you handle things afterwards. We came here simply to advise you as well as give our opinion.”


“But be aware that should it look like your choice has endangered our lands we will be forced to remove you,” added Blue Moon with a cold smile on her upturned face. “Just something to keep in mind while you are making your choice.”


Twilight said nothing at this nor did she look at the mare. Her body and mind suddenly felt like thousands of tons had been added to them since Eerie Shadow had spoken. So intense was the weight that she had almost fallen down to the ground to be crushed by it, but somehow she remained where she was as her now vacant expression stared forwards. The fire that she had within now felt like a candle being blown in the wind. She knew the cause of this sudden weight for it had not just suddenly appeared. It had been there, ever since she came to this land and began her trial rule. It was the weight of her position; something that hadn’t seemed real until just this moment. When she had to make a difficult choice.
> Standing Firm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How could you do this to us?!” shouted Spike. Twilight looked up slowly, her tired eyes looked slowly across her office as she sat at her desk at the scene before her. On one side of the room was Spike, the signs of sleep desperately trying to take hold of him mixing with the anger he displayed. A shaking clawed finger was pointing over at Overkill who did not look nearly as tired as the other two as she stood there at the other side of the office.


It had only been several minutes since the meeting with the Great Houses had ended. They had not asked Twilight to make a decision right then and there, instead going back to their homes to watch and observe her actions. They had come here just to express their concerns and explain them to Twilight about letting Arms Dealer walk away a free stallion, a thought that was simply vile in the throat of the princess. It was also pleasing to know that not everypony there agreed with this idea. However, Twilight could understand their concerns. While one of their advanced weapons might not be able to take down a foe like Nightmare Moon, an army of them would be a different story. Magic has its limits and, while she had not tested this theory herself, she wondered if her own barrier spell would be able to protect her as thousands of bullets fired on her. All it would take is one or two cracks and then… A brief shutter went through her body as Twilight considered other methods. She knew she had a freezing spell that could keep a number of ponies frozen, but the more she tried to hold the harder it became while also leaving her body exposed to any sort of attack. Would even Princess Celestia be able to freeze so many of them for long? Even if other unicorns came to help, not everypony could make a shield, let alone a powerful one or any of the advanced magic she knew about. Take those weapons away and the thestrals wouldn’t stand a chance against anything out there.


But, was she willing to ignore the law just to suit one pony? Was she willing to allow Arms Dealer to do whatever he wanted with just another slap on the hoof?


While extremely tired at the moment, Twilight could feel her thoughts wandering to what Count Raven had said when she first took over as the temporary ruler. That the Great Houses were in a position that ultimately favored themselves. Whatever decision she made it would be on her. If things ended up better as a result, they would look good for picking her to be their ruler. If not, then she gets all the blame while they step in to sweep things up.


“It’s simple, I was ordered to do it,” replied Overkill, snapping Twilight from her thoughts. The weapon-loving mare spoke calmly as if she were having a pleasant conversation with the dragon, not bothered at all by the accusation.  “Since night one, the General ordered me to watch the both of you and gathered whatever information I could.”


“We trusted you,” said Spike as he stomped a foot onto the ground. “We thought you were our friend, that you would have our backs!”


“No matter who had ended up here, the results would have been the same,” said Overkill as she stared at Spike. “Information would have been weeded out of you through any means and sent back to the General who would then tell the other Dukes and such. It was never anything personal.”


“But can we still trust you?” asked Twilight as she spoke for the first time since she had sat down, gaining the pair’s attention. At her words, Overkill looked down at the floor for a moment while biting her lower lip. Then, slowly, she looked up at Twilight suddenly looking more tired than she had a moment ago.


“That’s up to you,” said Overkill. “If you don’t, you can request another Specialist to take my place as your personal guard. Or you could keep me around and just not say anything.” She then let out a sigh. Slowly, she walked away from her spot against the wall and didn’t stop until she was standing in front of Twilight’s desk. “Look Princess, I’m not saying this to keep this job but I do respect you. For a mare like you to go out into the city like you did takes a lot of guts, especially for thestrals like us. You seem to really care. But, Princess, I’m not sorry for doing my job! My family is the military and it’s the only one I have. Nearly everypony there is like a brother, sister, and even that weird uncle. They don’t have the power of friendship, magical rocks that turn bad guys good, or a god of chaos to protect them. But they now have information of what’s out there so the smarty pants out there can begin figuring out a way to protect us.”


Twilight said nothing, simply mulling over the words that had been said to her as she looked down at her desk. At the same time, Twilight could hear the rustle of movement as Overkill bowed before turning around. Twilight could hear hoofsteps moving away from her towards the door.


“I did not give you permission to leave,” said Twilight calmly, the steps Overkill was taking stopping suddenly. Twilight raised her head to see her guard, as well as Spike, looking at her with confusion. “I need to ask for your opinion: what do you think I should do about Arms Dealer?”


Spike was the first to snap out of it, shaking his head as he ran towards Twilight’s desk. “Twilight, you can’t seriously be considering asking her what to do about this!”


“I need to know this Spike,” replied Twilight as she looked down at the dragon briefly before returning her gaze to her guard. “All I want is an honest opinion from you. If you were in my position, how would you handle this?”


“Me?” repeated Overkill as she blinked with her one visible eye. She then brought a hoof to her chin. “Let’s see. Well, first of all, I’d let the sack of gear grime go free thinking he’d gotten away with it before having him shot several times in some alleyway. Then I’d make it look like a mugging or something. Or maybe I’d kidnap him so I could throw him in a cage only to be let out when I want to test a blunt weapon until I grow tired of it.”


Twilight let out a tired sigh as she shook her head. “And how does that help Moon Chime? Or the other mares he has assaulted?”


Overkill shrugged. “They could swing by and take a whack at him?” She then smiled as she picked up her axe off her back. Holding it close to her face, she licked the sharpened edge. “Maybe we could let him go free after I perform a little…operation on him to make sure he can never try this again with all of his past victims watching. Maybe even save some grits by not giving him pain killers!”


Smiling slightly, Twilight shook her head. “I really wish I could do that,” she said with a sad sigh. “You’re free to leave for the day. But I expect you to be by my side for breakfast. We have a lot to do.”


Overkill said nothing at that. Just simply raising an eyebrow the tiniest bit in surprise before bowing to Twilight. When she straightened up, she did not head for the lift in the room. Rather she exited out the main door into the hallway. Where she was heading, Twilight only had guesses.


Spike, meanwhile, was shaking his head. “Twilight, you should have let her go,” he said firmly, his voice a little shaky as he tried to hold back a yawn. “If you keep her here she’ll just continue to spy on us. She might even try to do something worse if he asks.”


The purple princess shook her head as she got up, her magic lighting up to open the lift door as she did. “I don’t think the General would do something like that. Not now at least. All he wants is to protect Thunder Valley so going after me would more than likely get Equestria involved. Perhaps even the Crystal Empire. I’m also sure that if something were to happen to me the Dukes and Duchesses would think he might be making a grab for power or something like that.


“As for Overkill, I get what she was saying,” continued Twilight as the two stepped into the lift. Fighting back a yawn, Twilight operated the machine so that it would take them up to her suite. “She was ordered to do this, probably since the day we first met. I can’t fault her for following her orders. Not when she had a good reason to do so. I just wish they had thought of just asking me.” Twilight let out another sigh as she realized why that might not have worked. Sure, she would have told them about the Changelings and things like that but she might have skipped on a few details. Like, for example, her humiliation when Trixie got her hooves on the Alicorn Amulet. Maybe forgoing information of ponies like the Flim Flam brothers or the time Big Mac moved an entire house while under a love curse. No telling what she might have shied away from when talking about her home country. Just like how some of the famous ponies in Equestria’s history tended to shy away from some truths when writing their autobiographies. Not intentional on her end of course!


“Besides, even if I did send her away the General would just assign somepony new to guard us,” said the Twilight. “Most likely with the same orders as before.”


“Still don’t like it,” grumbled Spike as the lift stopped and the door opened. They exited together at once with Spike crossing his arms. “I still don’t see how we can trust her or any other thestral that the General gives us. Maybe we should send a letter to Princess Celestia and ask her to send somepony in her place.”


Twilight didn’t say anything at first, the Princess’s name echoing in her head causing her to freeze for a moment. Spike had said her name, the name of the mare she admired more than anything else. The mare who had ruled over Equestria for so long, had so much experience under her tiara. Closing her eyes, Twilight began to image Princess Celestia as she wondered what the sun alicorn would do in this situation. Then the answer came to her. Slowly opening her eyes, Twilight felt calmer than before. Tired to be sure and ready to go to bed. But also far more relaxed as she now knew what she had to do.


“Spike,” said Twilight in a firm yet kind voice. “If I’m going to be the ruler of this country, I can’t rely on protection from Equestria. I’ll give Overkill one more chance. I’d also like you to set up a meeting with the General so we can go over everything that is out there. Hopefully, if I can answer all of his questions there will be no need to spy around for information.”


Spike shook his head. “I still don’t like it,” he muttered.


At that, Twilight only smiled as the wing closest to the small dragon brushed up against his back. “Well then, it’s a good thing I have my brave dragon assistant to help me out,” she said warmly. As Spike’s cheeks began to glow reddish, a door above them was heard opening and closing. Twilight could feel Spike tensing up while she did the same, eyes widening as she looked up at the stairway. As her heart began to race, her mind began to spin wildly. Was it Arms Dealer come to finish what he started? Impossible! The castle guards were on high alert. Besides, there was no way he should know where she was. Could it be an assassin? Some thestral who thought that Thunder Valley should be ruled by their own and decided to take matters into his own hooves? Again not likely because a smarter move would have been to wait until Twilight was alone and in bed, sound asleep so that she could not cry for help. No, there had to be a more logical conclusion. Maybe it was one of the other maids coming to check up on Moon Chime or do some late day house work. That at least made more sense. Or it could be Count Raven coming to check up on her. He was one of the few thestrals who came into her suite whenever so that made sense. Yet, despite that thought, Twilight couldn’t help it as the fear began to seep into her body while the sound of her heart beating pounded in both her ears to drown out all noise. Right now she was tired and she had no idea what condition her magic was in. If things did turn out for the worst, she would need to distract whoever it was while Spike sounded the alarm.


With bated breath, the two watched the stairway as a familiar white stallion began to descend down. After sighing in relief, Twilight couldn’t help but frown as she watched the stallion reach the ground floor. What was Chalky doing here? She hadn’t given him any permission to be in her suite! The only ones who should be here would be the maids, taking care of Moon Chime while she recovers. Given everything that had happened recently, Twilight was uncomfortable with having a stallion with her all by themselves.


With a tired snort, Twilight headed towards the staircase with Spike in tow. Chalky looked back at her with a deadpan expression, not bothered at all by the glare Twilight was giving him. Or the suspicious look Spike shot in his direction. He walked without a care in the world and would have walked right past her had Twilight not sidestepped to block his path! This caused Chalky to stop dead in his tracks before rolling his eyes.


“What are you doing here?” demanded Twilight as she considered her options. She didn’t have Overkill with her right now, but one word to Spike and he would send her a message on the spot. While she was tired, she felt like she could hold him in place for a bit. He didn’t seem like a strong pony who would cause her magic to strain.


“Just delivering some soup,” he said plainly. “I made it myself and got permission from the other maids to bring it up.”


Twilight blinked at that. It sounded…nice! Something that Twilight would never have expected of Chalky as he always seemed to avoid pony contact. The few times she had been down to his and Wild Theory’s home, the white stallion talked in a grumpy or annoyed tone. Sometimes he would talk to her and Spike with his back facing them, not even bothering to turn his head around to talk. It had always bothered Twilight, not because it was a lack of respect for a princess, but because it was just rude to do to any pony. So seeing him going out of his way to do something like this (by himself without Wild Theory dragging him about) was more than a little shocking!


“That was very thoughtful of you,” she said, not bothering to hide the surprise in her voice.


Chalky shrugged. “I see her from time to time,” he replied. “The least I could do for her since you're letting Arms Dealer walk. If she can’t have justice then she can at least have some nice soup.”


“Who said he was walking?” asked Twilight as her frown reappeared.


Chalky rolled his eyes. “Princess, everypony here knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “Even if you do capture Arms Dealer, he’ll sit in a tiny cell for a few days before the government gives into his father’s demands. It’s pathetic, but it's what happens around here.”


“Not this time,” replied Twilight. As she spoke, Chalky’s eyes widened considerably before staggering back. Twilight said nothing more on this opting instead to walk past him with Spike in tow without looking back at the stallion.


“So you’re going to arrest him then,” said Chalky before Twilight could reach the stairs. The mare turned around to look at him and saw that his back was facing her. His head lifted to stare at the door in front of him. “Even at the risk of losing your position as future queen.”


Twilight turned around to look at him, eyes fixed on the back of his head. “That is my plan. He will receive a fair trial. If his father wants to protect him he can get a lawyer like everypony else. And if he attempts to make the same threat he has done in the past then I will break the government's contract with him.” Yes, this was Twilight’s decision. It was what Princess Celestia would do in this situation. The law existed to protect everypony out there. She would not allow the poor foresight of those who ruled before her to continue to destroy this fact.


“Then you are a fool,” said Chalky, still not turning his head. Twilight tilted her head to the side, confused by what he said. But she didn’t need to ask why for the stallion was already continuing to talk. “Those of us you have lived in this castle for a while have heard the whispers of the guards in the break rooms. They’re worried about the barrier failing more and more each day. It might not even be a threat from outside the country. I could imagine many of the thestrals who lost their jobs rioting in the streets, mad at both you and Maker. If you do anything that takes away the government’s ability to defend itself, then the others will remove you. Arms Dealer will spend a few days in jail before the other go crawling back to Arms Maker. He will be freed and you will be removed from the throne. Nothing will be accomplished.”


“Then I’ll figure something else out,” said Twilight loudly and firmly, causing Chalky’s wings to twitch. “I’ll look through the law books and see if there is any way around this in a legal manner. I’ll look for other ammunition companies to see if any of them will be willing to take us on as clients!”


“She’ll do it alright,” chimed in Spike, pumping a claw into the air. “There’s nopony around like Twilight when it comes to researching. I bet before the trial even begins she’ll have poured through every book on law to find a way to make things better!”


“Perhaps,” said Chalky as he began to walk towards the door. “But if it were that easy, somepony would have done so. Back when the budget wasn’t as tight as it is now. Let’s see if you can do it before things fall apart.” With that, Chalky left.


As the door closed, Twilight stood there staring where Chalky had been. While her mind was made up, she couldn’t help but feel a little worried by what he said. It was true; if it were easy to replace Storm Breaker Ammunitions then the government would have done so sooner. How many ammunition companies were there? Would they be ready to take on such large orders? The same went with the legal matters at hoof. If there was a law that would have helped to prevent this surely somepony would have brought it up! Or gone looking through the books to see if there was any obscure law that might help!


However, none of that was going to dissuade Twilight from what she knew she had to do. She had no idea how much time she would have so she needed to make every second count! If she didn’t, she would be removed as the potential queen of this country. While this would mean she could go back home to a country that didn’t require her to wear a mask just to go outside and be with the ponies who loved her, it would also mean that she had failed the ponies who believed in her. Ponies like Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. More than that, it would also mean that Arms Dealer would more than likely be let free, just like Chalky said. Nopony deserved to live in a country where a pony could do something like that and walk free. As long as she had the power she was going to do everything she could to end this madness.


And what better way to start than a research project! Oh, how many books she could go through? She had no idea but the thought excited her enough to keep her sleepiness at bay long enough to reach the top of the stairs! Hmm, now that she thought about it, maybe she might need some help.


“Spike,” said Twilight as she looked down at the dragon. “I need you to do one more thing. Let Count Raven know as soon as you get up that all lessons are hereby suspended. I want every available pony to help with research project. We’re going to go through every law book this country has, every history text, to see if there is anything we can use as leverage against Arms Maker. I also want to contact the D.A. and have him or her or them or whatever to start making a case against Arms Dealer.”


Spike saluted. “I’ll get right on it,” he said as his eyes drooped a bit. His shoulder then began to hunch a bit and his head lowered. A loud yawn escaped his mouth as he began to topple over, caught by Twilight’s magic before he hit the ground. “Right after I get some sleep,” he mumbled. Giggling a bit, Twilight wasn’t surprise by this. After all Spike was still a baby dragon who needed his sleep. As gently as she could Twilight levitated the dragon onto her back. It was shakier than normal, almost giving out completely for a moment. Turned out she was more tired than she thought she was.


“Guess we both need our rest,” she whispered as she looked at her slumbering dragon fondly. However, there was one more thing she knew she needed to do. Opening the door, the purple princess trotted over to her occupied bed. Laying there nestled in the sheets was a very nervous looking Moon Chime with an empty bowl next to her. The maid watched Twilight, fear growing more and more in her eyes while her hooves clutched tighter onto the blankets.


“Princess,” whispered Moon Chime as she tried to sink deeper into the mattress as if hoping it would swallow her whole. “I-I am sorry to be in your bed. The last thing I remember was a stallion on top of me and…and…” Tears began to form in the mare’s eyes, no doubt remembering what had transpired earlier.


“I ordered that you be brought here,” said Twilight gently as she put a hoof close by the scared mare. “I also had a doctor examine you and, besides for some bruising, you’re fine. That monster didn’t do anything worse to you. Right now the Clubbers and the military are looking for him. Until this is over I’d like you to rest here and recover properly. If you need anything, just ask and I’ll see to it. Would you like something to drink?”


Moon Chime looked Twilight dumbly before shaking her head no. No doubt she was still processing all of this, but she was looking at Twilight as if she had just grown Discord’s head while doing a can-can dance.


“Alright then,” said Twilight. “There’s a small couch on the main floor where I can sleep. I’ll be there if you need me.” Twilight then turned her head to look at the sleeping dragon. “Or Spike of course.”


Moon Chime opened her mouth, but quickly closed it before any sound could come out. It looked like she was working hard not to say something, going as far as to put both hooves over her mouth. More tears were appearing in her eyes as she looked around, as if afraid something would lunge at her at any moment. As more tears began to form in her eyes Twilight began to worry about the mare. She-


“Why!” blurted out the mare, breaking off Twilight’s thoughts. “Why didn’t you kick me to the streets? I’m just a minor cog, easily replaced! I’ve probably embarrassed the crown and wasted grits! So why?”


Twilight took a step back, almost knocking Spike off her back in the process. She looked at Moon Chime who was now gasping for air in puzzlement. Was…Was that how things worked around here? She had heard plenty of ponies voice their surprise that Twilight would think of the minor ‘gears’ and such, but was it really so surprising that she could show concern like this? And what was this about replacing her?


This was something that needed to change, right now!


“Moon Chime,” said Twilight as she moved a bit closer to the mare who was still looking scared. Probably caused by her own outburst. “I’m not going to replace you for something that wasn’t your fault. If anypony in this room is to blame, it would be me. You are a member of the castle staff making you my responsibility. What happened to you should not have happened to any mare. So I will make sure you are well. As for you being a cog, that’s a load of rubbish! You are not a cog or a piece of machinery. You’re a thestral, a pony just like me and I will not throw you to the streets when you need help the most. I mean, nopony here would fire you if you were sick, would they?” To Twilight’s surprise, Moon Chime nodded vigorously.


Twilight frowned, causing Moon Chime to shrink back a bit. However the frown was not directed at her. Rather, Twilight was frowning at her own lack of knowledge. Everything Count Raven had taught her, everything that the books she had been given, none of that had mentioned how the lower classes were treated. She had been spending her time learning about the high society ponies, learning about their customs, learning about their money, but never about the ponies who she was supposed to be leading. How they were treated by those who govern this land.


Why hadn’t she thought about this before? Twilight had more in common with these lower class ponies than she did with those in high society. She had seen the way the city looked from her castle, walked along the hallways leading to Wild Theory’s apartment and seen how he lived, and had even seen the way Count Raven spoke to the maids when they ‘disrespected’ her. It had all be right in front of her. Had she really been so blind? Or had she just been so nervous about being in a new land, with the weight of her new responsibility that she had…Twilight shook her head. No, there was no time for excuses. She had made a grievous mistake. One that she now had to fix.


“Well not anymore,” said Twilight. “I’ll speak to Count Raven about this in the morning. Don’t worry; as long as I’m in charge you’ll still have a place here.” With that said, Twilight turned and headed out the door leaving a bewildered Moon Chime behind her. There would be a lot of work to do and she would need her rest.
> Sorry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Twilight awoke the next night it was to hear that Arms Dealer had been found. The report was read to her by Spike, the several documents held in his claws as she quickly readied herself for the night ahead. The rapist had been brought in alive, much to her delight, after being caught trying to leave the city on hoof. The report made it clear that when the Clubbers found him, Arms Dealer was not in the best of shape. He already had several wounds including missing teeth, a black eye, several bruises across his body, and a twisted wing making flight impossible for the next several days. The arresting Clubbers claimed to have no idea how that happened and were denying that they were the ones to inflict such injuries. Their best guess was that he might have come across some unsavory ponies during the day. Or perhaps he had tried to find another mare only to bite off more than he could chew. While Twilight never said anything aloud, she had a good hunch that Just Dandy and his friends might have made sure he got the message he was no longer welcome in their gang. His injuries were probably their goodbye gift.


Spike continued to read off that Arms Dealer was asked to come quietly and read his rights. He did not. Like a cornered animal, he lashed out trying to bite the arresting Clubbers with his bare fangs in a vain effort to secure his freedom. He had bitten one of the officers on his foreleg, digging in deep and refusing to let go. In the end, the others there were forced to hit him with their clubs until he let go. Currently the stallion was being held at a place called Three Strings Penitentiary.


“Seems a little weird,” muttered Spike as the two entered the lift to go down to Twilight office. Twilight, who was in the middle of eating a small pastry, paused as she looked down at her assistant. “I mean, doesn’t he know that his dad will bail him out again? Or at least try to? Why act like that when he won’t be in jail for very long?”


Twilight let out a hum before finishing her meal. “Maybe something changed,” said Twilight as she thought about her meeting with Just Dandy. She had not told anypony or Spike about the details of that meeting. About how close Arms Dealer came from becoming a body floating in the river because of her. Right now they didn’t need to know. “Perhaps he wanted to get as far away from whoever gave him those injuries. He might not even feel safe at his father’s home. Then again, he might not want to stay in one of our jails. Still have no idea what they’re like.”


At that moment the door to the lift opened. Standing at the threshold was Count Raven as he bowed to her. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Twilight walked out of the lift, biting her lower lip as she avoided looking at him. Her normally helpful adviser had not said much to her since her late day departure to look for Just Dandy. From what she could tell he had probably gotten into some trouble. In fact, there were times at the meeting when it felt like the others nobles in attendance were angry with him, based on what they said.


Slowly the Count rose into a standing position, his gaze downcast and his ears limp. “I hope you slept well, Your Grace,” he said emotionlessly. Twilight felt like cringing at the sound of his voice, but fought off the impulse as much as she could. It was just so heartbreaking to hear him sound like this.


“I-I did,” replied Twilight as she stumbled with her words. “As much as I could anyways.” As she spoke, she could see that his normal state of dress was nowhere to be found. Tonight it looked like it had been put on half hazardly, slightly crooked in some areas or with ceases.


“I see,” said the Count as he closed his eyes. “As Your Grace commanded, all lessons have been halted for the foreseeable future. The district attorney has been contracted and has begun to put together a case against Arms Dealer. She has promised to keep Your Grace up to date with all her progress and has even scheduled a meeting with Your Grace two nights from now. I have also contacted all the qualified ponies need to help with Your Grace’s research project without greatly hindering the operations of the government. They shall be forwarding all information straight to Your Grace as it comes up.”


“I-I see,” said Twilight as she looked at the stallion with growing dread. To do all of the things he had just listed must have taken an enormous amount of time. Even with her magic, organization, and friends it would have taken Twilight hours or even a whole day to get all of those things finished. For Count Raven to do all of that…had she forced him to stay up all night? “Well, how about you take the rest of the night off?”


That got a reaction out of the stallion as he swiftly lifted his head, eyes opening slightly as he looked at Twilight. “Nonsense Your Grace,” he said, his voice mustering up a bit of his old energy. “It is my duty to stay by Your Grace’s side through this endeavor no matter what! I shall not fail Your Grace again. Now, if Your Grace will excuse me, there is still much work left to be done.”


As Count Raven bowed before Twilight, sinking a bit lower than normal, a worried frown appeared on the mare’s face. Had he thought he had failed her somehow? Did he think that he would be thrown out into the streets like how the hired help thought they would be if they were sick or injured? Or was it that he was in so much trouble with everypony else that he did not want to risk having Twilight’s wrath heaped upon him?


“Count Raven, before you leave, would you care to have a cup of tea with me?” The words left Twilight’s mouth before the good Count could rise. Her voice had been gentle, gesturing to a pair of seats in the corner of her office as she spoke.


“Your Grace, as lovely as that sounds there is much to do-” began the Count but was silenced when Twilight raised a hoof.


“There are plenty of hours in the night still,” she said as she walked over to one of the chairs. “So I don’t think taking a couple of minutes to have some tea with me will hurt that much.” As she then sat down, Twilight looked over at her assistant. “Spike, would you please fetch us some tea?”


As Spike nodded and hurried over to the communication device, Twilight sat patiently as she waited for Count Raven to take the chair next to her. As she sat there, Twilight couldn’t help put pat herself on the back for this idea. It was just like how Princess Celestia would help calm down Twilight whenever she was stressed out about a magic assignment back in Canterlot. Or like the times she would spend with Fluttershy, talking about their problems over a soothing cup of tea. This would be a great chance for the two of them to ‘clear the air’ as it were. After all, they both had apologies to give to the other.


Shortly after Count Raven sat down there was a knock on the door which Spike answered. It was a maid with one of their brass and copper carts. On the cart was a, thankfully, normal looking teapot as well as a few elegant looking cups. Alongside them were several other items arranged elegantly, including several slices of lemons, honey, and milk. But that wasn’t all. Surprising Twilight were all the other extras the maid had added. Several sugar cookies were piled neatly in one corner along with a few crackers. Fruits like strawberries and slices of apples were also found there waiting for a pony to take a bite out of them. The only thing that hadn’t been added it seemed were those small tea sandwiches that Rarity would have had at one of her tea parties.


As the maid set up their food on the small table between the two ponies, Twilight noticed Count Raven giving the maid a disapproving look. Whatever the issue was he held his tongue, watching as the maid poured them both their first cup. Which she did with a small smile on her face. This was odd since the maids always seemed to have a neutral expression or just seemed to frown. Come to think of it, it was also odd to see the maids bring her this much in the first place. Normally they would bring her only what she asked for with no sides. Before Twilight could question this, the maid had bowed and left leaving the two of them with steaming cups of tea made just the way they liked them while Spike munched on one of the cookies.


“I believe an apology is in order,” said Twilight after Count Raven has picked up his drink. There was a brief clatter as she spoke, nearly causing the steaming liquid to pour over him. After sighing in relief at what could have happened, the stallion looked over at Twilight.


“I suppose that is true,” he said in a solemn tone as he looked at his un-sipped drink. “I-”


“I’m sorry about how I handled myself last night,” said Twilight suddenly. “Not only did I make everypony here worry about me for no reason, but I wasn’t here when that object entered into the country. Because of that, you probably got into a lot of trouble. I hope you can accept my apology.”


Count Raven stared at Twilight as she spoke, eyes widened a bit more than normal. By the time she was finished, he had already taken a deep breath. “Your Grace,” he began in a somewhat choked tone. “While as flattering as it is, please rest assured that whatever may happen to me is irrelevant. Last night I was more concerned for Your Grace’s well being and safety more than anything else. To be honest, there was a moment when I feared that Your Grace might have been seriously injured. The streets are quite dangerous for those who have no idea what to expect.” At that, Twilight felt her ears flatten against her skull as she looked away.


“The truth, Your Grace, is that I have failed spectacularly,” continued the Count causing Twilight to look back at him. Slowly he placed his untouched cup of tea on the table between them. “I should have informed Your Grace about Arms Maker and that…son of his. The history we have with them, the complications therein. Furthermore, I should have remained by Your Graces side until Your Grace was ready to truly retire for the night. Perhaps, had I done my duty, Your Grace would not have had to face that…creature alone. Or, perhaps, I had not done enough to make it clear that my services to Your Grace knew no hour so that I may be contacted whenever Your Grace so desired. I apologize for that shortcoming and hope that Your Grace will find it in Her Grace’s heart to forgive me.”


Twilight sat there for a moment feeling like she had been punched in the gut. All the air in her lungs seemed to be gone, keeping her from speaking while her eyes watered up. But this feeling lasted only a moment as she took a breath to steady herself. Slowly, she placed her own cup down while reaching over to touch the Count’s hoof with her own. He flinched at the contact, looking up at her with alarm. Yet, Twilight did her best to give him a reassuring expression.


“Count Raven, you have not failed me,” began Twilight earning a shocked look from the stallion. “Since before I arrived here, you have been my guide in this new path my life has taken. I don’t know if I would still even be here without your teachings and words of advice. You are always looking out for what is best for me so that I will succeed in this task. You’re more than just an advisor to me. I consider you to be one of my friends. Which is why I must apologize to you. Last night, it never occurred to me to call upon you for advice when I needed it the most. I was so frantic that I went running out the door without a clue as to what I was doing. It might have all worked out, but I made not just you worry but several other ponies who have become my friends here worry as well. I also left you in a bad position with the General. That is not something a good ruler nor friend should do. And for that, I am truly sorry.”


Twilight then let out a sigh. “As for you not being there when I was fighting Arms Dealer, I’ll tell you what I told Overkill: it wasn’t your fault. I dismissed you for the day just like I did with her. I went someplace I probably shouldn’t have on a whim and stumbled onto the crime. I don’t blame you in the slightest for not being there so, please, don’t go blaming yourself.”


Count Raven continued to stare at Twilight for the next several seconds which seemed to draw themselves out. Then, slowly, he began to smile and then nod. “Thank you, Your Grace,” he whispered in a horse voice. There was a twinkling in his eyes that hinted that tears might be on the verge of forming yet he kept them at bay without lifting a hoof.


“However,” said Twilight as she pulled back her hoof, “curious as to why I was never informed about the on goings of Arms Dealer and Arms Maker. I believe that was something I should have been told about before last night.”


For his part, Count Raven nodded as he picked up his cup. Before speaking he took a sip of his drink. “I suppose I just wanted to continue to hope that Arms Dealer had learned by now,” admitted Count Raven as he pulled the cup away from his mouth. “That all the stress King Cobalt went through wasn’t in vain. That’s why I invited Arms Maker to that get together. It would have been a fresh start for the two of you. I suppose I was a bit fearful that, had I told Your Grace the history we had with him and his son, Your Grace would have been cold or distant to him. Perhaps even refusing to see him entirely. But, for whatever reason, he never showed. I suppose at that point it should have been my duty to inform Your Grace of his history. For that, I hope Your Grace can forgive me.”


“I will. Just please don’t let it happen again,” said Twilight as she picked up her cup and took a sip. She balked at the cooler temperature, warming it with her magic before taking another sip. She smiled a bit as the warmer liquid entered her mouth. “Much better. Now, I do have another question for you and I hope you will answer me truthfully.”


“Of course Your Grace. Of course.”


“In your opinion, do you think I’m doing the right thing by bringing Arms Dealer to justice?” asked Twilight. “The Dukes and Duchesses seem to believe, despite their own personal feelings on the matter, that letting him go again would be in everypony’s best interests. You never really spoke out during the meeting so I was curious.”


“What you are doing right now is the same thing that King Cobalt would have if he were still alive,” said Count Raven instantly, surprising Twilight a bit. “Even with all the trouble going on in Your Grace’s kingdom, the former king would have stood by him word and thrown every law book he could get his hooves on at the damned colt. I know this for a fact. Besides, the idea of letting him go again after he attacked Your Grace in this very castle is absolutely insane! If Your Grace lets him go after that, there is no telling what he might do next! It’s the same as saying he can attack any noble or member of the royal family without cost! It is clear that Arms Dealer has no intention on changing his ways for anypony. We can only hope that Arms Maker can see this or convince him that his efforts were in vain.”


Twilight nodded. “We can hope. But still, better to plan around-” Twilight’s words were interrupted by a knock on the door. As she turned her head to look at it, it was suddenly opened as a very worried looking Overkill stepped in. It was the first time she had seen Overkill since last night, having not been in her bedroom this morning nor at breakfast. The thought of asking her bodyguard where she was died in her throat as Overkill’s worried eyes looked into Twilight’s.


“Forgive the interruption of whatever this is,” said Overkill quickly as she saluted, standing in front of Twilight as she did so. “We just received a communication that the object that entered Thunder Valley yesterday is heading in the direction of Automahollow. Zeppelins have tried to cut off whatever this thing is only to be out maneuvered. It should arrive within the next few minutes.”


-x-


Time had passed quickly as Twilight now stood outside on the castle roof, her mask firmly in place as she scanned the skies around her city. Next to her was Overkill, bellowing orders to all of the castle guards as they scrambled into the air like nothing Twilight had ever seen before. They were coming out of every window, doorway, and so on like a swarm of ants before opening their wings to enter into the night’s sky. Most of them seemed to remain near the castle, to protect the seat of government from this unknown threat as best they could. They hovered in the air, blunderbusses at the ready, in five by five formations in the air around the castle. Others were being positioned in the city, ready to strike if it decided on another target. All military zeppelins were being positioned outside of the city with their cannons at the ready.


While all this was going on, an alarm could be heard bellowing across Automahollow. Out of the corner of the Princess’ eye, Twilight could see thestrals quickly making their way towards the underground shelter where she hoped they would be ok. This had been done on the suggestion of Count Raven. Right after Overkill had informed them of what was going on, the older stallion had instantly recommended that they implement the emergency system that would inform all citizens to make their way to underground shelters positioned all across the city. Even if every building was on fire, the civilians would be safe. It was a hard choice for the princess to make. She did not want to consider that whatever this was could be an enemy. But since it had outrun the military and made its way here without saying if it was friend or foe, she felt it best to err on the side of caution. The last thing she wanted was for the ponies in the city to get hurt right now. Their safety was her first priority.


“Your Grace,” said Count Raven as he stood next to her. “Please permit me to escort Your Grace to a safer location.”


Twilight shook her head, horn glowing as she did. “Whatever this thing is, it might be magically powered,” she said. “Since it hasn’t hurt anypony, I want to believe that it is peaceful. There is a chance I can neutralize it with my magic and perhaps even figure out what it is. If it is an attack, then my magic might be the only thing to slow it down or stop it. Besides, it just doesn’t feel right hiding with everypony else when I can do something to help.”


“Maybe you could put up a barrier like Shining Armor did around Canterlot,” suggested Spike as he looked out.


Twilight didn’t say anything at first, just looking up at the cloudy sky. “I don’t know if I can do something like that,” she admitted. “I’ve never tried to cover an entire city in a spell like that before. Not to mention that Automahollow is a much larger city than Canterlot. I might not be able to cover everything or the spell might leave me drained and not that strong. We’ll just have to hope that-”


“IT’S HERE!” shouted somepony in the distance. Twilight shut her mouth as she began to look around frantically, worried pouring over her. The nervousness that appeared within her whenever she face an unknown enemy was there. It whispered to her how everything could go wrong. This could be an enemy attack, some super powerful villain with powers far above anything she had ever faced before with enough force to destroy the city. If she survived, it would be her fault that the nation was doomed and she would have failed all those who believed in her.


But there was another part of her mind that argued she could do this, louder than the whispers of doubt. She understood magic, had studied it. There were only a few ponies alive better suited to dealing with a situation like this. She knew that if this was some sort of attack, the power behind it had to be weakening since magic was like a power source. The longer it was cut away from the source the weaker it got. Very few spells could last forever without some impressive amplification. Even then, those spell were normally banishment spells and not attack spells. She felt sure that she could deal with this situation. She had to.


Moments ticked by as she stood there, the sounds of cannons firing in the distance. Most likely the zeppelins firing on the target. Quickly she ordered Overkill to inform them that they were not allowed to fire in the direction of the city. The last thing she needed was for a cannon fire to destroy somepony’s home or business. Overkill nodded, quickly speaking into a machine she had brought with her but before she could finish issuing the order, the thing entered the city.


“Is that?” asked Twilight as she saw a very familiar multi rainbow colored streak of light enter the city before making a U-turn back out. She turned to look at Spike who looked as confused as she was.


“I think it is,” said Spike as the beam of light entered the city again. It got a bit farther than the last time, maybe halfway to the castle, before it made another U-turn. Before either of them could do anything else, the beam of light made four more attempts to enter the city with none of the succeeding for long. All of the guards seemed confused by this, Twilight spotting a few of them looking at each other in confusion.


Then, something happened to make Twilight’s eyes widen behind her mask. The object flew high into the sky outside the city dodging cannon fire as it did. Quickly, Twilight turned to Overkill to order a cease fire and for all zeppelins to get out of the area. Or at least to brace for impact. But it was too late. The object shot downwards faster than ever before until there was a sonic boom followed by a rainbow colored explosion of light. All of Twilight’s guards were flung back, almost falling into the murky water that surrounded her castle. The zeppelins she could see were rocked back and forth due to the wind speed that blew over everything in the area.


As the guards scrambled to get back into formation, the blur flew towards the castle. It made a single half circle before landing in front of Twilight. The purple Princess let out a sigh of annoyance and relief to see Rainbow Dash standing before her.


“Hey Twilight, did you know you have a serious air problem?” asked Rainbow before the clicks dozens of blunderbusses sounded around her.
> The Rainbow's New Home?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood there, utterly baffled, as her friend remained still in front of her. Her mind was still busy trying to process that her rainbow colored friend was here, in Thunder Valley. That it was her who had entered into the country at super speed, slipping past the patrols and putting the General on the warpath. It was because of Rainbow that Twilight had ordered civilians to head down to shelters in order to keep them safe from the unknown. That is was her that had just performed a Sonic Rainboom in order to blow away all the foul air that surrounded the place so that she could breathe.


Normally, Twilight would be more than a little angry at Rainbow Dash for all of this. This was certainly worse than the time she had snuck into her library in order to steal a book, pulled a prank, or just crashing into a window and knocking down every book on her shelves. Yet seeing her tired friend as she did her best to hold back a yawn made Twilight forget all of that for a moment. It was nice to see her again, even under the circumstances.


Two shots rang through the air, hitting the space between Twilight and Rainbow. Both backed up with the guards moving in on both of Twilight’s sides as well as hanging above her. The other guards began to swarm the sky, painting in red from their uniforms. Many were landing all around the two with their weapons aimed at Rainbow Dash who only looked confused. Most likely due to the fact that she had no idea what their weapons could do or how they worked. Finally, landing in between Twilight and Rainbow Dash on her hind legs was Overkill. In both front hooves she held her hoofheld blunderbusses, the ones that most likely took those first shots. Twilight couldn’t tell where they were being aimed, but she felt sure that their aim would be both true as well as fatal.


“Stand down and put your wings behind your head or get shot down,” growled Overkill as Rainbow Dash looked around. “You will be taken in for questioning before being put on trial. This is your only warning!”


“And what do you think you can do with those,” asked Rainbow Dash, her voice rising as she gestured to Overkill’s weapons. “They’re not sharp enough to cut me. Most you could do is bludgeon me. That is…if you catch me.”


“Oh?” asked Overkill in a tone that made Twilight image her guard grinning behind her mask. “Sort of hoping you’d be dumb enough to think that.”


“Bring it on!” snapped Rainbow Dash as she got into a stance Twilight had seen a million times. It was the one Rainbow always went into whenever she was going to go into a reckless aerial dogfight. Her legs were spread out, ready to help spring her into the air really quickly.


“Enough!” shouted Twilight as she regained her wits. Using her magic, a purple glow appeared on the exposed ear of Rainbow Dash. At once she began to pull on it causing Rainbow to break out of her stance as she moaned painfully, constantly repeating ‘ouch’ over and over again as she failed to pull the magic off with her hooves.


“Your Grace,” whispered Count Raven. “I believe I saw that one before we departed for Equestria. I believe she is one of Your Grace’s friends.” As he spoke, the guards looked at each other. While their faces were still hidden behind their masks, the tension in the area began to quickly fade. Many began to lower their weapons upon seeing their new princess handling the threat in such a manner. Others kept their weapons trained on the target but there was a bit more lax in their stance. As for Overkill, she put one of her blunderbusses away while the other was fixed on Rainbow Dash as she backed up until she was standing next to Twilight.


Twilight sighed as she nodded. “She is,” she said over their cries of her friend. Calmly, Twilight began to march back into the castle while dragging the pegasus behind her with Overkill by her side. Both Spike and Count Raven gave her some distance as they did not want to be her next victims. “Count Raven, please inform all the guards and military to stand down while I deal with this. Be sure to let them, as well as the General, know that this is a misunderstanding and not an invasion. One that I will be dealing with so that it will not happen again. Please also make sure that the public knows it’s safe to return home or go to work. If there were any damages caused by the Sonic Rainboom, make sure I am told.”


“…A Sonic Rainboom?” echoed the Count, his voice puzzled as the unfamiliar words left his lips. However this confusion lasted him only a moment. “It shall be done Your Grace.”


Taking only a moment to turn and nod her thanks to the older stallion, Twilight’s horn began to glow brightly. A moment later she, Spike, Overkill, and Rainbow Dash were in her office. Twilight had managed to teleport herself, Spike, and Overkill on one side of her desk where her chain was. As for Rainbow, she landed on one of the chairs situated in front of the desk opposite of Twilight. The chair whined and shook from the sudden weight dropped on it but held up. Knowing that this might be a while, Twilight did her best to get comfortable before releasing the magical hold on her hot headed friend.


“Geez Twi, what’s the big deal?” complained Rainbow Dash as she rubbed her now free ear while shooting a nasty look in Twilight’s direction. “This is what a mare gets for coming over to see a friend?


“Rainbow, as happy as I am to see you again, do you have any idea what you just did?” asked Twilight as Rainbow continued to slowly rub her ear. “I have a nervous General who thinks this might have been the start to an attack on Thunder Valley. Ponies panicked because they had no idea what was going on!”


“Since when is it a problem to fly over to a friend’s house?!” demanded Rainbow as she rose. As she did, Overkill reached for her weapons again but was halted when Twilight raised a wing. Rainbow seemed to get the message and sat back down.


“Rainbow, this country has had no visitors in over a thousand years,” said Twilight slowly. “Nopony here is used to having ponies or other creatures flying in unannounced like that. Their world is changing and having you just flying in faster than any zeppelin on the market made them fear the worse. And it didn’t help that you never stopped to say why you were here as well as getting past a blockade around this city.” Twilight then let out a sigh before shaking her head. “You could have at least written a letter saying you were coming. All you had to do was hoof it over to Princess Celestia and she would have sent it to me right away. I would have had a zeppelin waiting for you at the border ready to pick up if I had known you were coming.”


Now Rainbow was looking rather sheepish. “Well, to be honest, this was sort of a spur of the moment sort of thing. We got your letter about not being able to make to the Equestria Games. So I thought maybe I should come and see you. Maybe make it a surprise?”


Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m surprised,” she said in a rather flat tone. Then she let out a sigh as her face softened. “I’m sorry Rainbow. I am happy to see you again, it's just that your timing isn’t all that great right now.”


Rainbow tilted her head. “Why? What else is going on?” she asked.


“Oh nothing much,” said Spike. “We just found out that Overkill here has been spying on us for the General. Not only that, a bunch of the nobles want Twilight here to let this big scumbag go because of who his daddy is.  So having them think that they might be under attack or this being the beginning to an invasion didn’t help matters.”


Twilight bit the bottom of her lip as Spike spoke up. Quickly she glanced behind her to see Spike had his arms crossed, briefly looking over at Overkill while the Specialist stood there facing Rainbow, almost as if she wasn’t paying any attention to the smaller creature. While that was all true, she really wished Spike hadn’t mentioned the bit with Overkill. Twilight had allowed her a second chance due to the fact that she understood Overkill had been following orders. It seemed, however, that Spike still hadn’t gotten over the betrayal.


“Princess,” said Overkill, gaining Twilight’s attention. The purple alicorn turned to look at her protector whose gaze had not left Rainbow. “Are we sure this is your friend?”


“What?!?” shouted Rainbow as she got to her hooves. Rearing on her hind legs, Rainbow made a motion to slam both her forelegs onto the desk but was quickly stopped. Not by Twilight’s magic this time but by the blade of Overkill’s axe which she quickly whipped out. Instantly recognizing the danger of this weapon, Rainbow shrinked back.


“Overkill, put that away,” said Twilight. Overkill did not obey right away, slowly pulled the weapon back to her side yet keeping it in hoof. “What makes you think this might not be Rainbow Dash? You’ve never met her before.”


“The information I received on Changelings,” said Overkill in a matter of fact voice, causing Rainbow’s eyes to widen. Spike, meanwhile, clenched his tiny fists.


“Twilight, you’re not going to let her accuse-” began Spike but was cut off as Overkill spoke up louder.


“According to what I’ve learned, they can not only take on other ponies appearances but can also do feats of magic. I don’t pretend to completely understand how magic works and all that, but I don’t think a single pony could create a shockwave that powerful or that colorful. Not without the aid of some device. Or perhaps magic. Considering that, we should not rule out the possibility of infiltration or assassination by them.”


“What? The Sonic Rainboom?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That’s not an attack. It’s a flying trick. One that only one pegasus on the planet can do wow the crowds. Guess which pegasus that is? This one!”


“Trust me, I don’t think it's possible for a Changeling to reproduce it,” said Twilight to Overkill. “Not without me noticing if something was off. I’ve seen it plenty of times to understand how it works. She even did one for my brother’s wedding to make it extra special.” She then turned to look at Rainbow. “But I do understand why it could be considered an attack. Rainbow, why did you do something like that?”


“Because the air here is impossible to breathe!” shouted Rainbow. “I tried flying in, but the air here just sucks. I had to fly back a bunch of times to get another lungful before trying to figure out where you were. Plus with those zeppelins shooting at me I really didn’t have a whole lot of options in front of me. What is with that anyways?”


“It was like that when I got here,” said Twilight with a sigh. “One of many things I need to figure out how I’m going to fix once I get the time.”


“Well it’s a good thing that I’m here then,” said Rainbow as she sat back in her chair, looking rather pleased with herself as she crossed her hooves in front of her barrel. “Because I can help you cross something off that long list I’m pretty sure you have written in several places.”


“You are?” asked Twilight and Spike at the same time. “How?”


“With your sports team obviously,” said Rainbow Dash as she rolled her eyes. “Look, you said you couldn’t make it to the Equestria Games because you didn’t have a team ready. Well that and you missed the deadline. The thing is: you can’t let this stand. Next year you might qualify to host the games. How embarrassing will it be if you get rejected because you still don’t have a team of elite athletes and sports ponies? The answer: so badly you don’t want to know. Which is where I come in. I’m willing to help start up and train a team just like the Wonderbolts to help Thunder Smelly win the gold.”


“Valley!” growled Overkill. “It’s Thunder Valley! Not smelly!”


Rainbow smirked at that. “Not from where I’m smelling,” she said. “Applejack’s pig pen combined with the locker room at the Ponyville gym is a field of daisies compared to what I’ve smelt out there. It’s like you ponies have gone nose blind or something.”


“But Rainbow, what about your dream to become a Wonderbolt?” asked Twilight. At the sound of her words, Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened a bit as she looked away.


“Yeah, about that,” began Rainbow before she turned to look at Twilight. “I’ve been doing some thinking after you left. As awesome as being a Wonderbolt would be, it’s starting to look like a boring job after everything we’ve been through. I mean, how many bad guy flanks have we kicked together since we became friends? How many times I had an excuse to travel from one end of Equestria to the other? How many times have the Wonderbolts been able to claim to do any of that? The last time they tried to help they ended up getting stuck in a water tower jammed into the side of a mountain. Not really as epic as they used to be.


“So, I started doing some thinking and what I came up with was a real no brainer. I’ll create a team that can rival the Wonderbolts here in Thunder Valley. That way I’ll be here if we ever have to go on another wild, crazy adventure or if you just need somepony as awesome as me to hang around with. Plus I’ll be starting up the very first group of thestral elite fliers that are sure to give the Wonderbolts a run for their money.”


Twilight nodded at that. It did sound like it would work. Sure, they couldn’t compete in the Games this year but at least they could start working on next year. It would be good for them to get a little more exposure as well. Perhaps before the games they could do some shows in other countries. The only thing she was worried about was how the team would possibly feel about being led and created by a pony from another country. Then again their current ruler was from another country so maybe that would be a mute point. But then again…


“This all seems good,” began Twilight. “But, what about the rest of our friends? And those back in Ponyville?”


Once again, Rainbow looked away for a moment. “Yeah, I thought about that,” she said. “I’ve talked about this with Pinkie and the squirt a bit. They’re not too thrilled about the idea but they understand it’s what I want to do. Right now they’re keeping things on the down low until I talked to you. See if it were ok before I packed my bags. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of crying and other sappy stuff when I do decide to tell them, but I think it’s for the best. Besides, Ponyville has gone from being the Chaos Capital of Equestria to snooze city. Plus there are plenty of pegasi ready to take over my weather duties. Not as fast as me of course but they can manage. And it’s not like I’ll never see them again. If there is trouble I’ll just triple book it back to Ponyville, help stop whatever is going on, and be back in time for dinner. Easy peasy.”


Despite herself, Twilight let out a chuckle while shaking her head. “It won’t be that simple,” she said. “But, I’m not going to turn down a friend who is willing to help out Thunder Valley. So if you’re sure about this I’ll be glad to have you on staff. I’ll speak with the General to let him know you’re going to be helping us and try to calm him down. I’m pretty sure Steel Trap wasn’t happy with the way you made all his trained soldiers look. You may be looking at some jail time as well as community service depending on how much damage you caused. But if nopony was hurt, I’ll do my best to make sure it isn’t too long.”


Rainbow grinned as she stood up. Quickly she spat on her hoof before holding it out to Twilight. “You won’t regret this Twi.”


Twilight, for her part, shied away from the offered hoof. “We…don’t do that around here,” she said. Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on her door. After giving permission for the pony to enter, a stallion entered the office. Dressed in a pinstripe shirt and vest, the thestral stallion pulled in a cart full of papers that swayed back and forth behind him.


“Princess, here is the first group of documents on business contracts that you requested,” he said in a dull voice.


“I thought you were going to give her the abridged version or something,” said Spike causing the stallion to eye him evilly.


“This is the abridged version,” he said stiffly as he unhooked himself. Once freed he bowed before the Twilight who looked at the documents with a look of awe on her face. “By your leave, I shall go and acquire the other four carts that we have prepared for you. Hopefully you find what you are looking for.” With that said, the stallion left.


Twilight wasted no time getting to her hooves and walking over to the documents. “Wow,” she said as she eyed the stacks of documents with an almost hungry expression. “For a moment, I was worried all they would give me was a few pieces of paper with most of the juicy stuff taken out! Looks like I was worried for nothing! Now we can have fun while we deal justice!”


“Well then,” said Rainbow Dash as she spotted Twilight levitating several documents with her magic. “I can see you guys are going to be busy for a while. Guess I’ll head back to Ponyville and start packing.” As she leapt from her chair, the speedy pegasus made her way to the door…only to be stopped by Twilight teleporting in front of her. Wearing a smile that made Rainbow cringe.


“There’s plenty of fun to go around,” said Twilight. “Plus we could use all the hooves we can get.”


Rainbow looked at the documents floating around Twilight with apprehension. The alicorn had known Rainbow Dash for a good length of time; well enough to know that her friend only read Daring Do, the book series that she had introduced her to. Still, it surprised her that her friends weren’t more open to the idea of expanding their minds. Sure, these documents might not have the same amount of action as Daring Do. Far less jungle fights at least. But there would be hidden traps and loopholes just waiting to be found! A chance to learn about another culture's legal dealings. How could anypony in their right mind turn that down?


Rainbow Dash looked from side to side, sweat appearing on her muzzle as she gave a forced smile. “Ah, well,” she began stumbling with an excuse to get her out.


Twilight just sighed. “We could just call this the start of your community service,” she said.


-x-


At the same time, Lady Gray walked into her apartment. She was an elegant mare with a grey coat, her mane of silver and white tied to one side of her head with a gear spider mane clip keeping it together. The mask she wore was white instead of black or red with yellow lenses that dripped soot onto the carpet. Perhaps there was even more soot on the black and grey dress that she wore, hidden by their colors. Finally, in one of her hooves, she held a long thin box which she placed on the floor near the closet.


Without a word, the mare opened her closet door and began to undress. First came her mask which was placed on a hanger along with three other masks the colors gold, silver, and red. Next to the masks were six other fine dresses as well as an empty hanger for the dress she was currently wearing. Each one looking like they had been made by the best seamstresses in Automahollow. Which, in fact, they were. And considering the amount of grits she had paid for them they had better show it to the world. For a moment, Lady Gray stood there with her head hanging low before finally she removed her dress and placed it with the other.


With her attire removed, she reached down for the box with a blank expression on her muzzle. Slowly she opened it to see that the gift she had been given by her best client was a bottle of wine. A twenty eight year old vintage and one very popular by the current upper middle class these days. Something about its more fruity flavor or something like that. For several minutes she stared at the bottle, paying no attention to anything else while her eyes slowly narrowed.


Then, with a furious and sudden scream, Lady Gray took the bottle with both hooves on the neck and began to smash it over and over against the wall. The bottle shattered after the third blow, its red liquid splashing against the wall, floor, and a bit of her face. But it didn’t stop her. A few more blows were given until all that remained of the bottle were shards of glass, leaving a panting mare to stare at the liquid as it stained her carpet.


“A right waste that,” said a voice in her apartment, causing Lady Gray’s eyes to widen. Her heart began to beat ever faster for she knew nopony else lived with her. Not even a mouse was allowed to stay with her for too long.


Slowly, Lady Gray turned her head to look around her apartment for the intruder. The adjacent living room was large, with lime green wallpaper that had cost her extra grits to have installed. The hardwood floor shined in the moonlight as did the fake diamond (in reality just cheap glass) chandler in the middle of the ceiling. The furniture was simple, a long sitting couch and a few chairs surrounding an elegantly crafted bronze table in the middle. All of this for entertaining what few ponies were allowed in her home. Everything had been mostly how she had left it when she had departed for her appointment the previous evening. All but two things. One was the glass of wine on the table, half drunk. The other was the stallion laying on the couch with both his forelegs behind his head.


As if on some sort of cue, the stallion righted himself before getting off the couch. Now with him looking at her, Lady Gray could see who had dared enter her pitiful home. She had never seen the stallion face to face, but she knew him instantly. She had wanted to meet with him, on her terms. Clearly, it was not to be.


“Mr. Dandy,” said Lady Gray as she quickly morphed her expression into the most pleasant and charming one she could muster. There was still a chance she could make this work. Her plans for the city would be greatly helped if she had a stallion like him unwittingly helping her. “What an unexpected surprise.”


Dandy didn’t say anything at first, simply picking up the glass on the table before taking a sip. Lady Gray almost flinched as the crystal glass touched his lips but managed to keep herself in control. When the stallion finished he gently placed the glass on the table.


“Been meaning to have a little chat with you for some time now,” said Just Dandy as he licked his lips.


“As have I,” said Lady Gray as she strode over to him. “Please, allow me to freshen up a bit before we talk business. Perhaps I can find us something more refined to drink.”


“Oh, sorry there love,” said Just Dandy, his voice icy cold enough to caused Lady Gray to freeze in mid trot. Only for a moment allowing her to move back a bit. “I ain’t here to get into bed with you. Neither for business or pleasure. Just here to give some good advice.”


Lady Gray took a quick breath at that, her eyes focused on him. “Now, there’s no need to be like that,” she said sweetly as she moved forward again. “There’s always plenty of room in bed for both. You just need to keep an open mind. Just think of all the grits we could make if we pooled our resources.” Now close enough, Lady Gray reached out with one of her wings to stroke Just Dandy’s cheek. It was a gesture she had used to calm down and placate even the most hardened clients. None of them could resist her charm, her soft touch. Imagine her surprise when Just Dandy swatted her wing away with his own.


“You’ve been in this town for a couple of months now,” hissed Dandy as he moved a bit closer. “Got yourself a fancy office for them upper class blokes to rent a mare, tail raisers walking the streets, and even rented a couple of buildings for the middle blokes to come to you. Now you’re trying to get the mare’s in the slums with promises that they’ll have a good life. I don’t like that much.”


Lady Gray’s ear twitched a bit, but did her best to stay calm. “I’m just making them a better offer than anything they could ever make in the back of the city,” said Lady Gray as she kept her eyes on Dandy. “Some of them were probably tail raisers already.”


“Perhaps,” said Dandy in a cold tone. “If they wanted to come and work for you, I wouldn’t have anything to say about it now. But, when your mares are making veiled threats or if their hassling mares who are just pretty to pressure them into joining that’s different. That’s when they talk to their friend Just Dandy.” Dandy then slammed a hoof on the floor causing Lady Gray to flinch. In that moment, the stallion had closed the distance between them so that his face was inches away from hers. When he spoke next, she could feel every breath against her muzzle. “Now, I will say this once. A lot of those mares in the slums are good, hard working thestrals that I see every night. Some might even have a chance to break out of their lot. Stay away from them.”


Lady Gray opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of her bedroom door opening caused her to stop. Turning her head to the side, she saw that there were two thestrals standing at the doorway. As she took a deep breath, another door opened up this one leading to her kitchen. This time a mare was standing there with her hooves looking a little wet with the sound of running water coming in the background. Lady Gray didn’t even need a moment to understand the direness of the threat being made. Quickly, she looked at Dandy and nodded.


“Need to hear you say it,” said Dandy.


“I’ll stay away from them,” said Lady Gray quickly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. For a moment, Dandy just watched her as if he were trying to figure out if she was lying or not. Then he pulled away and jerked his head towards the door. The thestrals with him moved silently towards the door leading out of her apartment where they waited for their leader.


As for Just Dandy, he waited for another moment or two while keeping his eyes glued to her. She could see his lower lip twitching slightly. For a moment, Lady Gray feared he would strike at her or something. Instead the stallion muttered something under his breath before turning to depart. Soon the door to her apartment opened and closed leaving the mare alone.


-x-


“Princess you cannot be serious!” roared General Steel Trap as he paced within Twilight’s office. Twilight, who had been reading some of the documents in front of her before he had come, barging in, watched him as he moved. “Illegally entering the country, attacking our troops, fleeing arrest, that damned light show in the sky! And you want to give her control of some sports team!”


“Yes I do,” said Twilight simply. “Rainbow Dash is willing to accept some form of punishment for her trespasses. After that-”


Steel Trap never let Twilight finish, slamming his hoof on her desk so hard that it blew all of her papers away. “Her crimes are too numerous. You are allowing your friendship with this mare to blind you from your duty. This is supposed to be your country now! Your priority should be to protect the ponies here from would be invaders and maintain order! If you cannot do that-”


“I am not so blinded as you might think,” snapped Twilight, her horn glowing as all the scattered documents returned to her desk. “First of all, I doubled checked our border laws…or at least I tried to. There isn’t a single law out there pertaining to entering the country illegally or under false pretenses. We can thank the barrier for that I believe. Or is it written somewhere I haven’t been informed about?”


Steel Trap said nothing as he stared back at Twilight, a glint in his gaze. She could see the wheels turning in his head trying to find an appropriate counterargument to make. She knew this wouldn’t be easy for him. If he said yes, he would then have to point out when it was created, why, and why she hadn’t been informed about it when she had asked. If he said no then there was no crime to resist. Then again…


“She still should have stopped to state her intentions,” said Steel Trap as he backed away from the desk and speaking in a calmer tone. “If she had done that, this whole situation could have been avoided.”


“I agree,” said Twilight with a nod. “She should have realized that she was worrying us when cannons were being fired upon her.” She paused for a moment. “I read that nopony in the city was hurt by the sonic shock wave she created. The report also mentioned that there was no property damage. However, the gases within the city were pushed out to the surrounding area. Thankfully, nopony was hurt and the gases are starting to settle over the city again as we speak. We’ll probably be able to walk outside without our masks on for at least a couple of days. Maybe weeks. Were any of our forces hurt?”


“Nothing major,” said the General. “Several crew members aboard our zeppelins were thrown off, but they managed to right themselves and got back on board. More shaken up than anything. As for the equipment, no major damages have been brought to my attention so far. Just dents and a loss of ammo that can hopefully be found with a search of the surface. I’ll know more soon in a few hours when the inspection has been fully completed.”


Twilight couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief. Nopony was hurt by all of this. This was good.


“We’ll start making preparations to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” began Twilight. “For right now, I believe we should put up several signs and set up loudspeakers to inform travelers that they are to stop for a brief inspection before they can enter. If they resist like that again, you have permission to detain them while I contact Princess Celestia. In the long term, once the budget is not so tight, we can begin building something more official and sturdy.”


General Steel Trap’s eyes narrowed a tad. “That might be too late!” he all but shouted. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, even if ponies who can fly that fast are rare they still propose a danger to this country. We couldn’t keep up with one. That single mare made our army look like a joke. Imagine if-”


“I will speak with Princess Celestia and ask her to inform us if any Wonderbolt level pegasus is planning on entering our country,” interrupted Twilight. “Right now that’s all we can do with what we have. If you want, we can place a few more troops around the entrance of Thunder Valley. As for Rainbow Dash, she is one of Equestria’s greatest modern day flyers and is asking for the chance to help us. If she can help train our flyers to be even closer to her level of skill, I would think that even you could see the benefits.”


“But the risk,” hissed General Steel Trap. He opened his mouth to say more, but then stopped. Shaking his head he backed away from her desk. “Princess, I believe I have made my feelings clear on the matter. What will her punishment be?”


“Two weeks imprisonment followed by community service up until the next Equestrian Games,” replied Twilight. “Following that, if I am still in charge, I’ll be speaking with the other Great Houses to see if anything more is needed. It will depend how her team performs and how the thestrals react.”


“And you are going through with this even though you are pressing charges against Arms Dealer?” pressed the General. “Even though we might lose our contract with his father?”


Twilight waved a hoof over her deck to indicate the documents. “I am working on it as we speak,” she said. “I am hoping we can find the right ponies to help us with this issue. That or try to keep Arms Maker from breaking his contract with us in some way. No matter what, Arms Dealer is a problem that has gone on for too long. We can’t allow this to continue.”


At first, Twilight expected the General to argue with her. To say that the life or well beings of a few mares couldn’t compare to the safety of the nation. That she wasn’t thinking logically or something like that. But, he didn’t. The General closed his eyes for a moment while his face relaxed somewhat. Well, as much as it could when his lower jaw was made of metal. Then when he opened them again the General looked older somehow.


“In principle, I agree with you,” he said softly, surprising Twilight even more with his words. “This mess shouldn’t have gone on as long as it did. The last time he did this should have been the last time, period.” Then the General shook his head. “We were in a much better situation back then. We had the barrier. We could have rationed our ammo while we sought out new vendors. If only we could have conceived that it might one day, in our lifetime, fade then maybe we would have done something sooner. But we didn’t.” The General then let out a sigh. “In practice and in the best interests of Thunder Valley, we need Arms Maker. Perhaps now more than ever. My opinion is that we wait until the contract with his company comes up for renewal so that he can’t cancel it on a whim. So he can’t use it to shield his son anymore. Or perhaps find an alternative punishment for Arms Dealer.”


“I’m sorry,” said Twilight. “But in the best interests of Thunder Valley, I can’t let this go on any longer than it has. Arms Dealer will just continue to do whatever he wants like a spoiled colt. There are to be no more compromises with him.”


The General nodded slowly before bowing. “Then I hope you know that you are doing Princess,” he said if he turned around. “Because, if I feel like you will be unable to keep our military running, it will be my duty to inform the other Great Houses that you have put this nation into jeopardy. Then your time as ruler of Thunder Valley will be over.”


With that, the General opened the door to Twilight office. Both he and Twilight blinked when they saw Chalky standing there, looking back at them. Had he been listening at the door? Before Twilight could raise herself from her seat, Chalky began to walk out of sight. Soon the frowning General followed suit, leaving Twilight alone in her office with nothing but her papers.
> Meeting his Maker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was several days later and Twilight was stepping out of her carriage, pulled by twin auto-ponies, before heading back into the castle. She had just returned from Three Strings Penitentiary, a truly revolting place if ever there was one. It lay underground far beneath the rusting towers and pipe stacks of the city, however Twilight didn’t know if it had been built that way or if they had just converted a pre-existing structure to serve as the new jail. Some parts looked ancient, made of chiseled stone only to be suddenly replaced in some areas with steel flooring. If Twilight had to guess the reason why, it would be that having it underground made it harder for those staying there to escape.


Whatever the case may have been, the place lacked any comforts of an Equestrian prison. She had walked down the dank, dark spiraling walkway with the wall to her right side. On her left was something of a pit that, if she didn’t have any wings, would have certainly been a fatal fall if she slipped. To her right were the circular cells that were so small that even a minor wing flap would have caused a thestral to bang his or her head against the ceiling. There were no doors, instead thick bars sunk into the ground whenever one of the guards inserted a key into a device next to the cell and pulled a connected lever. Speaking of the guards, they wore similar attire as the members of the military but in green instead of red. They moved up and down the pit, most of the time flying, while keeping their billy club on hoof for anypony causing trouble.


The first group of criminals she had passed had the most life to them. Those convicted of minor crimes acted like wild animals as she passed them by. They hooted, howled, jeered, and made comments that would have caused Shining Armor to break all of their teeth with his bare hooves had he been there. A few even tried to push their hooves between the bars of their cells in the hopes of touching her flank. However, due to the bars being close together it was rendered impossible. It took all of Twilight’s will power to ignore them as she continued to walk at the same pace and not break out in a trot with her wings covering her face.


The only cell that she did slow down at was the one belonging to Rainbow Dash. News had quickly spread across the city and perhaps to the rest of the country about what had happened as well as the punishment Rainbow had been given. While Twilight had not heard anything directly, Spike had managed to overhear several of the guards and maids talking about it. Naturally there were those who thought that Twilight had gone too easy on her friend but there were those who were quick to point out that Twilight could have easily given her friend a free pass. Some had even mentioned that their friends who were guards at the prison insisted that Rainbow was not being given any special treatment during her stay. From the tone in Spike’s voice it seemed like more and more thestrals were approving on how she dealt with this situation. There were even a few members of the military who were inquiring to Count Raven about the flying group that would be set up in the future.


After passing her speedy friend, who was doing wing-ups in order to keep in shape, security became tighter. The spiraling path vanished, forcing Twilight to fly along with the other guards. The cells were the same shape, but metal surrounded them instead of stone in order to make digging impossible. For added measure these inmates had weights strapped to their legs that made flight impossible. The purple alicorn was sure that should any of these criminals try to escape when the guards opened their cells to bring them food, they would simply fall to their deaths. The looks on these ponies told her that this was a fact they knew all too well. She also noted that these ponies were not given beds to sleep on, but straw bedding with only stained blankets for cover.


Then, at the very bottom, was where the worst of the worst were held. Those who had committed murder, rape, or treasonous actions to Thunder Valley. Their cells were not in the walls, but in the floors. There they were weighted down and chained like animals, food dropped down to them through the bars of their cells. No warmth or other comfort was given to these bound ponies. And in one of these cells was Arms Dealer.


Prison had not changed Arms Dealer much. He sat there, glaring at Twilight with a smirk on his ugly face. She spoke quickly, informing him that his trial would begin on the following night. That his only chance for leniency would be to admit his wrongdoing before the court for all to hear. But that would only get him the shortest sentence allowed by law: twenty-five years with no chance of an early parole. If he wished to defend his actions and was still found guilty he would be looking at spending the rest of his life in this cells.


“Sorry nasty pretty,” chuckled Arms Dealer darkly when Twilight finished talking. “Don’t think any of that will be happening.” To that Twilight didn’t say anything more, only turning around to leave. Words would most likely be wasted.


Now she was back in the castle, walking through the halls back to her office with Overkill right behind her. As those around her bowed in respect, Twilight’s mind was elsewhere. Everything looked like it was ready. At least as far as she could tell according to the mental checklist she was going over. She had spoken to the District Attorney several times now to go over everything they had. Twilight would be one of the witnesses taking the stand along with Moon Chime. Not only that, but there were several other mares coming forward who all claimed to have been raped by Arms Dealer during that period of quiet. Most of them had shockingly similar stories of being shocked and beaten before they were taken. And they all ended with the threat that, if they told, the Copper Heads would be paying them a visit.


Hopefully, this would be enough. Twilight wished she could bring out more victims from before the time of Princess Alabaster to establish a behavioral pattern. Not to mention making sure that those whom had been denied justice before were granted it now. Twilight had talked to the DA about this, however due to the letter of the law it was impossible. King Cobalt had pardoned Arms Dealer of those former crimes making them unable to testify before court. Meaning Twilight would have to work with what she had.


“Your Grace,” said a voice in front of her, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. Instantly, Twilight found herself a few feet from her office with Count Raven standing before it. The good Count had been running around the castle nearly every night, seeing to everything that Twilight had pushed to the side to make sure this court case would go through as best it could. Never once had he complained nor lost his temper, for he knew how important this would be. But now his voice sounded more than a little irritated a scowl on his tired muzzle.


“Count Raven, is everything alright?” asked Twilight.


The stallion looked at her with surprise before realizing how he must have looked at that moment. “Forgive me, Your Grace,” he said as he took a breath, slowly looking a little calmer as he did so. But not enough to completely hide the look like he had stepped in something awful and vile to the nose. “I know that Your Grace has been very busy these last several nights and would prefer to get as much rest as possible. Something to which it would be my pleasure to provide. However, while Your Grace was away a guest has come seeking an audience. Arms Maker.”


The sound of that name caused the fur on the back of Twilight’s neck to raise slightly, her eyes narrowing at the same time. He was finally here. Later than she had expected.


In all actuality, Twilight had been hoping that this meeting would never happen. She and the rest of her friends had combed through so many files and papers seeking a means as to prevent Arms Maker from canceling his contract with them. Their efforts, sadly, resulted in some bitter truth. Arms Maker was fully within his legal, if not moral, rights to cut off ties at a moment’s notice as was written in his contract. There were no laws to prevent something like this over personal reasons. The case files were of little help as well. Each case dealing with a contract had always had clauses to prevent such an event from happening, thus the reason they went to court in the first place. The only reason this was happening right now was because Arms Maker had taken advantage of his friendship with King Cobalt. If only the contract would come up for renewal a bit sooner.


So, Twilight could not force him to continue doing business with her. This left her with the hope that he would not interfere this time. Hadn't Arms Maker stayed away when in the past he would have raced to his son’s defense? Hadn’t he remembered King Cobalt’s words in the past, that this was the last time the government would allow his son to do as he pleased? As far as she had heard thus far, Arms Dealer was working with a public defender with no assistance from his father. With each moonrise it seemed more and more likely that Arms Maker would be staying out of this one. To allow the courts to decide his fate.


Perhaps she had been a bit too hopeful.


It was the snort from Overkill that broke the silence of the moment. “Daft fool took his sweet time. Permission to kick his sorry flank into the river Princess?”


Twilight turned to look at Overkill with a frown on her face. “Permission denied,” she said firmly, causing her guard to look like she had been denied Hearts Warming gifts. The purple alicorn then turned to look at the Count while doing her best to remain composed. “I suppose it would be best if we spoke to him. Where is he currently?”


“In Your Grace’s office,” came the reply as Count Raven gestured with his wing to the nearby door. As his wing returned to his side he added, “I felt it best to keep him out of sight from the rest of the staff.”


Twilight merely nodded before walking past the Count. With each step, her heart began to beat just a little faster. As her horn lit up to turn the doorknob she could feel her level of anxiety rising. In her office right now was the stallion who had raised Arms Dealer. What kind of stallion could have done something like that and defend such actions…she had no idea. How much of the father had rubbed off onto the son? Would he be a cruel, cold heart stallion of business like she had read about in many books and seen in plays? Would he look down at her because she was a mare?


Perhaps she should have Overkill standing next to her. While what she had never heard that the stallion was violent that might change if he came here to demand his son’s release and she, naturally, refused him. If such a thing were to occur she would need somepony to defend her. Somepony trained in combat that might be able to spot a hostile act before it happened. Of course, knowing Overkill, she might respond by pulling her hoofheld blunderbuss and shooting him several times as a warning. That might make the situation messier than it should be. She could always defend herself as a show of power. Twilight was aware of several spells that could immobilize him. Honestly she had no idea. Twilight had never seen Princess Celestia do something like that, always commanding the guards or Twilight and her friends when danger was nearby. Perhaps she should do the same. Again, this was all assuming that he would become violent!


As the door opened, Twilight could see the stallion inside…and could not hold back the look of utter shock and horror at what she beheld! The stallion looked like your average brown thestral (odd how she was becoming used to this after such a short time) with a white beard and muttonchops which looked finely groomed. His face was heavily lined, giving him the look of a great elder and his eyes seemed to be almost half shut. He wore a black suit with long coattails that was left open, showing off a criss-crossing shirt with red and golden hues so unlike the fashion of many thestrals. On his head was a top hat with a brass colored ring at its bottom along with three gears in the middle of its front. While nothing about him screamed horrible monster, Twilight’s source of horror came from what he was doing. For sitting in a chair next to Arms Maker was Spike, smiling pleasantly they spoke to one another.


Or at least they were speaking to each other. As soon as the door began to open the conversation they were having ended abruptly. Both stallion and dragon alike turned to look at the purple princess as she stared at the scene before her. All she could do at that moment was wondering how Count Raven could have allowed Spike to be in the same room as Arms Maker. Or could it be that Spike had come down from their suite above and bumped into him?


“Hey Twilight,” said Spike with a smile and a wave as he leapt off his seat. As he walked over, Twilight couldn’t see anything wrong with him. He certainly wasn’t limping or anything.


“Greetings Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria,” said Arms Maker as he did a traditional Equestrian bow.


“I taught him that,” chuckled Spike softly, pride coming from his voice.


“Yes, me and the young fierce dragon were having a pleasant chat while we waited for you,” said Arms Maker as he slowly got up. Twilight could notice him wincing as he did so, a wing shooting to touch a part of his back as he did so. But as soon as he was up again, the wing returned to its rightful place. “I was curious of a few of our new neighbor’s customs and thought I would indulge myself. It seemed like a most wholesome way to pass the time.”


Twilight stared at the stallion for a moment, wondering if this was part of some sort of game. A trick to butter her up by playing on her love of learning or something like that. Perhaps even his interest in Spike was also part of his plan. Then, mentally, Twilight shook her head as she realized now she was being more and more paranoid. She still had no real idea what he wanted so it might be best to give him the benefit of the doubt.


“I agree, learning something new is an excellent way to pass the time,” said Twilight honestly before looking over at the door. There stood both the Count and Overkill, watching the exchange. “Count Raven, would you please keep an eye on Spike please? I’m sure this is going to take a while.” Instantly the Count nodded, understanding the seemingly trivial task Twilight had given him.


“Ah,” said Spike while looking sullen. He then moved to stand before Twilight and Arms Maker with his arms crossed. “You’re going to be having a meeting right now, aren’t you? How am I supposed to act as your number one assistant if you shut me out?! Come on Twilight. There has to be something I can do. Like taking notes?”


Twilight felt herself looking a little lost as she gazed at the young dragon. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him nor did she not value his role as her assistant. It was just that she didn’t want him here in case the conversation shifted to something more…unpleasant. Oddly, help came from an unlikely source. “Perhaps another time,” said Arms Maker in a manner that reminded Twilight of her father. “You have already more than fulfilled your duty as Princess Twilight’s assistant by keeping this old stallion company. I fear that the rest of the night might be far more dull compared to what we were doing as well as taking up a considerable amount of time. Perhaps Count Raven would be kind enough to give you some other duty that would assist your princess?”


“Yes,” said Count Raven slowly as he entered the room. The old stallion made his way towards Spike before gently placing a wing on the back of the young dragon. “There are still a few things that need to be done for tomorrow. Let’s see to them together.” Spike gave only the briefest of nods before allowing himself to be lead out of the room.


When the two were out of sight, Overkill quickly closed the door while Twilight turned to look at her guest. As she looked at Arms Maker, she admitted to herself that he didn’t seem too much like his greasy-maned, foul-mouthed son. Rather, it was like seeing an old fashioned, well-to-do grandfather back in Canterlot. Even if he did become violent, she doubted that he could do anything as he was surely searched before being allowed into the castle, let alone this room. Yet the question as to if she needed Overkill needed to be answered. While Twilight did feel she could deal with things if they became ugly, it might be a good idea to have a witness there just to be on the same side. In case he tried to make some sort of claim or whatnot.


“Thank you for that,” said Twilight honestly after a moment.


“Not a problem,” said Arms Maker as Twilight and Overkill took their positions on the appropriate side of the desk. Twilight sat in her chair with Overkill standing in attention next to her, eyes fixed on Arms Maker. The old stallion continued to talk as he too made his way back to the desk. “He’s a fine young dragon it seems. Very pleasant to be in his company. Have you thought about sending him to school in the city? There are several fine institutions that are still up and running from what I’ve heard that will grant him the very best education this nation can provide.”


Twilight blinked at that. “He has been home tutored by me,” she said. “But that was back when I had more time. That might not work as well seeing how much needs my attention these days, er, nights. I am a little worried about sending him out to school as he would be the only dragon in attendance.”


“Something to look into,” said Arms Maker with a nod. He then took a deep breath before continuing. “Princess, please permit me to begin by saying how sorry I am that our first meeting is under such horrid circumstances. It had been my intention to formally greet you in pony when I was invited to the castle. I had hoped we could have used such a time to get off on the right hoof and continue the beneficial relationship the government has had with my company. Needless to say, I was unable to make it. Nor have I been able to find the time to escape the hassle of my obligations in order to see you. I am sure you can understand such things.”


Twilight said nothing at first to this. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see that Overkill was biting her lip in an effort to keep herself from saying something less…dignified. Honestly, Twilight herself was finding it difficult right now to keep her own face neutral as this could have been honesty on his part or a long winded lie/excuse he had been cooking up. She wanted to take him at face value, she really did. But at the same time Twilight couldn’t help but think he was slowly buttering her up before asking for his son to be released.


So, in the end, Twilight decided to answer him honestly. “I also wish we could have met under more favorable circumstances.”


Arms Maker eyes became a bit downcast as he nodded. “There should have been no excuse for the slight I gave you. I realized that when an emergency occurred at one of my factories that I would have to handle personally, forcing me to cancel yet another appointment with you. The last thing I wanted was for the gears that connect us to become worn. That was why I sent Dealer in my stead. There were no misgiving in my heart when I asked him to do this. I had been working with him to stop this behavior of his, seeing the progress we had made with my own eyes.” Arms Maker then paused as a lump appeared in his throat. Twilight noticed that his eyes were beginning to water slightly as he continued to speak a bit more quickly than before. “Princess, you must believe me when I say that by all accounts he had turned his life around. Dealer was laying off the drink, asking to take on more responsibility at the factory. My son was getting better! Having him come here was the chance he needed to prove to all the naysayers as well as hopefully starting up a friendship with you, princess. One which I once had with Cobalt, may the Guides watch over his soul. But…But I never in my wildest dream imagined he would return to his old ways so spontaneously! For the harm he has caused both to you and especially the poor maid I apologize for sending him here.”


Again, Twilight didn’t know what to say. She wanted to believe him, she really did. The others members of the Great Houses seemed to have believed that he had changed his ways. Perhaps had the meeting gone as expected this might not have happened the way it did. Yet, somehow, Twilight knew that whatever mask Dealer had been wearing up until that point would have been discovered sooner or later. Eventually she would have found out about Dealer’s past, she was sure of it. At the very least he was not excusing Dealer’s actions or blaming them on Moon Chime so Twilight was at least willing to believe that he was sorry for what had happened.


Twilight licked her lips. “I accept your apology,” said Twilight. “However, the main blame goes to your son. His actions were his own.”


“T-That is true,” stammered Maker as be began to collect himself. Twilight watched as he took off his hat, noticing at the same time Overkill tensing as if afraid of a hidden weapon within. Yet nothing was pulled out as the stallion took a seat and began to roll the hat between his hooves. “The…The last several days have been a nightmare for me. Nothing compared to what yourself and your maid went through I’m sure, but a nightmare nonetheless. I have tried my best to stay away, to leave my son to his fate. But it is so hard to sit there and do nothing when I still believe I can be of help to him.”


“Arms Maker-” began Twilight.


“Princess, please listen!” interrupted Arms Maker in a louder tone. “He was getting better! I was getting through to him, I know it! Please, allow me this one last chance to set him right. I swear that I can help him. Dealer doesn’t deserve to be locked in a cell for the rest of his life.”


“Trust me, he doesn’t,” said Overkill as she was unable to hold her tongue anymore. She glared at Maker with fiery hate in her eyes. “If I were to give him what he deserved then this conversation would never be happening!”


“Princess,” pleaded Arms Maker as he leaned forwards and placed both hooves on the desk. Twilight could see that his eyes were still moist, wishing that she could avert her own from their begging presence. “I am willing to do whatever it takes for this to be settled outside of the courts. If it means free ammo or donating my entire fortune to whatever it is you desire, I’ll do it. I’ll have a fort built in front of the entrance to Equestria with my own labor if I need be! Please, just allow me to take him back to my estate so I can continue to help him. He will get better, I’m sure of it!”


“…From what I’ve heard you’ve been trying to help him over and over again,” said Twilight slowly while keeping her focus on the stallion. “I don’t believe you can change him.”


“But he was doing so well for so long!” insisted Arms Maker, his voice sounding more desperate. “We were making such good progress! I’m sure I am close to getting him to stop once and for all.”


“Or he was learning to hide it better,” stated Twilight firmly, rising from her seat slightly. “Several mares have been willing to come forward and are willing to testify in court that he used his gang ties to keep them silent. If I hadn’t come along when I did then the same thing might have happened here.” Twilight then took a breath before leaning back a bit in her chair. “Arms Maker, I’m sorry but your son has been given more chances than anypony should ever have…and he has wasted everyone of them. I have spoken to him and he feels no remorse.”


“Princess, this is my only son!” cried Arms Maker, tears flowing down his cheeks. “I need to save him. I know I can bring back the good stallion I know is inside!” Twilight looked upon Arms Maker with nothing but pity. Now she understood him far better. He was not some heartless fiend, but rather a stallion who loved his son from the bottom of his heart. Love this monster so much that he was willing to do whatever it took to save him. Even if that monster was beyond saving. It was becoming more and more clear to Twilight that Dealer knew his father loved him so much that he would do anything to get him out of trouble. He used that love for all it was worth.


“I’m sorry,” replied Twilight as she reached over the desk to touch the older stallion’s hoof. She kept her gaze on his, watching as he slowly shook his head. “But if I let him go again, who will save all the mares of this city? He has proven he’s not willing to change. It’ll be only a matter of time before he strikes again. As princess, I can not allow this to happen. Please understand.”


Arms Maker bite his lower lip while his gaze lowered to look at Twilight’s hoof. “What,” he began slowly only to pause and gulp loudly. “What if this were Spike? What if everypony around him called him a monster because of something he did? Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to protect him? To save him?”


Twilight’s wings flared at his words while Overkill swore several times, making Twilight very glad Spike wasn’t in the room to hear such…descriptive words. A part of Twilight couldn’t help but remember Spike’s birthday not too long ago when he experienced a greed growth. How he felt compelled to take everything he wanted for himself in order to create his own horde. The way he grew and grew until he was a giant dragon able to take the water tower with one claw before filling it up with whatever he wanted. Roaring instead of speaking like some savage monster straight from the Everfree. Twilight could easily recall how she felt back then, so helpless and scared that she might never see her young assistant/brother ever again. Fearful that he might do something that no amount of friendship speeches could ever hope to take back. All he would have had to do was make one misstep and he could have easily crushed somepony or toppled down a home with a family inside. Yes, she knew what it was like to see somepony or somedragon you loved turn into a monster.


While Twilight could relate to how Arms Maker was feeling, she knew there were differences. In Spike’s case, he had felt bad for the things he had done while being a monstrous dragon. That if he had seriously hurt anypony he would never have been able to forgive himself. That was the difference between him and Arms Dealer who felt indifference for the lives he hurt with his selfish behavior. What’s more, while Twilight would have defended Spike with all her might she would not have tried to do what Maker was doing right now. She would try to make her case to try and get Spike off or at least she would try to lessen his punishment via the law. At most she would ask Princess Celestia for advice, rather than sweeping away his crimes. She might have even tried to take on some of the punishment herself in order to lessen Spike’s burden the same way she was willing to do with Fluttershy when she stole Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix. But that would be it.


But would she be willing to do that for Spike now that she was a princess? Twilight’s thoughts shifted to Princess Celestia and the hard choice she had to make when her sister became Nightmare Moon. How hard that choice had been for her, to do what needed to be done for the sake of Equestria.


With that thought lingering on her lips for a moment, Twilight folded her wings again before speaking. “If Spike had been accused of something like what your son has done, I would hope to give him a fair trial in order to clear his name. I would give him the best defense as possible and do what needed to be done.” Twilight paused as Arms Maker pulled away while also sniffing loudly. “I am sorry for you. But I have to do what needs to be done.”


“I…am sorry as well,” replied Arms Maker slowly as he got off his chair. “You seem like such a kind hearted pony. I really wish we could be friends. But I need to must do what needs to be done for the sake of my son.” He then turned so that his back was facing Twilight. “Once the trial begins the contract between my company and the government will end. We will deliver what has already been paid for and nothing more.”


As he began to walk towards the door, Twilight teleported in front of him. As the startled stallion moved back and his eyes widened, Twilight looked at him imploringly. “Please, you don’t have to do this. Think about what would happen to your company! I’ve been told that we are your biggest client. What will happen to the families of your workers in you just cut ties with us? Please, think about them before you do anything rash!”


As Arms Maker looked at Twilight, she thought she saw for a moment a look of shame and hurt in his eyes. His tears almost seemed to renew while a wing was placed over his heart. Then, however, he closed his eyes before turning his head away from Twilight. “I hope you will think of them as well.” With that, Arms Maker moved past Twilight, ending their first, and last, meeting.
> What We Can, Can't, and Won't Change
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight let out a sigh as she exited the courtroom. Thestral justice was far more intense than she had imagined. When Twilight had entered the room she had trotted down a long hallway, escorted by two Clubbers until the path opened up so that there was only a steel awning above her for a few more steps. Once she was completely in the open, Twilight had found herself in what she could best describe as the bottom of a pit. The area she stood in was small, maybe three yards in diameter with wooden floors and a witness stand that was very much like those found in Equestria. Around her were walls made of rusting steel that rose well above her head with three half gears sticking out of them halfway between her and the top of the wall. Each one of these gears were both large and thick enough for a thestral to stand on. And the gears did indeed have ponies standing on them, looking down upon her with powdered wigs on their heads. She knew two of the three at once. The one on her right was the DA while the one directly in front of her was the judge.


That left the one on her left to be the defense attorney. It was not the public defender who was supposed to be defending Arms Dealer, Twilight could tell that before even looking at the stallions face. While the public defender had worn modest attire that looked second hooved, this stallion’s clothing was considerably less worn and fresher. Most likely he had been hired at the last minute, taking the place of Arms Dealer’s attorney thanks to Arms Maker. Perhaps he was one of the best lawyers in the city or one willing to take on this case at the last moment.


It quickly became clear what the defense’s strategy was in this case. As soon as he was allowed to question Twilight, he had questioned the young princess about the state of the government as well as its finances until going into setting up a certain scenario. One where the Princess and her staff could claim rape in an effort to get Arms Maker to give them ammo for free. Perhaps, he suggested, even suing the company in order to take all of its grits as well. He then pointed to the lack of ‘credible hard evidence’ that she had brought up since it was all witness testimonies. While it had been established that Arms Dealer had entered the castle, all they had was the word of an outsider princess and a lowly maid. The documents found at the scene of the crime could have been put there by anypony. Or they could have never been there in the first place, another string of lies from the government.


While he had spoken, Twilight could tell nopony in the room had believed a word of this. For above the heads of the judge and lawyers to where their confinement ended, was an auditorium. It rose on a slope allowing for all thestrals in attendance to get a clear view of the princess. There were also statues there in the back of the Three Guides, their cloaked heads staring down at the scene before them. All the defense had been doing was spouting out speculation with no clear evidence to back it up. Not once had he given any real proof to support these claims making himself sound a bit more like a nut preaching on a soap box than a lawyer. But perhaps that’s all he could do since he had been called in at the last minute. In a sad way, Arms Maker might have helped his son’s case more if he had just allowed the public defender to handle this case. In any event, this whole conspiracy theory would have more holes poked into it once they called to the stands several of the guards on duty, the maids on scene, Dr. Plague, and so many more to testify.


Once the defense’s questioning had finished, the DA only asked a couple questions further before Twilight had been allowed to leave. Throughout the whole ordeal, Twilight made sure that they treated her like any other mare. This she felt was most important for those watching. They needed to see her following the law and being treated like any of them would be during these proceedings. She planned not to reenter the trial nor have any communications with the judge. Whatever the courts decided on she would abide by.


“Your Grace,” came a voice off to Twilight’s side down the long, poorly lit hallways. When she first heard the words her mind conjured up the image of Count Raven even though the voice didn’t match at all. Instead the speaker had been Moon Chime dressed in a simple black dress with several patches in it and her mask hanging from her neck. Behind her were several of the other mares who had already testified for the night.


As she looked at them, Twilight forced herself to smile reassuringly towards them and did her best not to back away. It wasn’t because she felt like the case was lost. Rather it was the way they were looking at her right now. Their slit eyes were looking to her with hope as well as the need to be reassured. Like they were looking to her for an answer that Twilight didn’t feel comfortable giving at this moment. Now that she was out of the courtroom anything could happen.


“How did it go Your Grace?” asked one of the mares in the back of the small herd approaching her.


“Will that beast finally get locked up?” asked another who looked like she hadn’t slept for weeks. Twilight could see her eyes shifting back and forth; as if afraid some sort of fiend would flying out at her from the corners of her eyes.


Twilight took a breath before answering. “We will know after the trial is finished,” replied Twilight in complete honesty as she looked at all those gather. “As long as we speak the honest truth then I believe things will work out. If Arms Dealer is found guilty then he will never bother any of you again.” The mares looked at each other as she spoke. Some seemed perfectly content by what she said while others looked worried.


“Princess, w-what if the Copper Heads find out?” asked a trembling thestral mare. All of the other looked at her, causing the poor thing to gulp in fear. “He told me…he told us all if we spoke out against him that the Copper Heads would make us pay! What if after this they come looking for revenge?!” At this, all of the mares looked worried. Together they began to talk, asking questions over one another so fast that Twilight couldn’t keep track of who was saying what.


“QUIET!” shouted Twilight, much louder than she had wanted while raising herself to her hind legs and throwing her forelegs into the air. At once the hallways became silent with a few onlookers staring at the group. Chuckling nervously, Twilight got back onto all fours before scratching the back of her mane. In all honesty, she was very surprised none of them had thought about this before. It could be that in the rush of having a chance to put Arms Dealer away for good they had forgotten about the Copper Heads. That or they thought that maybe Twilight had plans of dealing with the gang after words.


If she were being honest with herself, Twilight had no idea on how to get rid of the Copper Heads. There was no way of finding out who was a member and who wasn’t without catching them in the act. The best she could do right now was to see if the Clubbers could pose more sting operations and patrol the streets more. As for these mares, Twilight felt confident that no harm would come to them. If her assumptions of Just Dandy were correct, he wouldn’t allow any within the gang to seek retribution for a member who had been violently kicked out. Most likely he would be telling them not to go after these mares under the same penalty as Arms Dealer. Hmm, perhaps she should have another talk with the stallion just to make sure he knew who these mares were. Still, Twilight had to tell these mares something and she didn’t believe that they would find the idea of a crime boss giving his word to be all that reassuring.


“Ok,” said Twilight in a calm toe. “I know you are all scared of what might happen. And, unfortunately, there’s very little I can guarantee; it’s in the hooves of the judge right now. Nothing that will be done tonight will undo what Arms Dealer did to any of you.” Twilight paused for a moment as she looked at the mares. All of them had lowered their heads, ears flat against their skulls. But what she said next caused them all to perk back up. “That said, I am watching the judge’s accounts to make sure no grits were ‘donated’ to him from Arms Maker to ensure that he doesn’t influence his decision. As for the DA, I have complete confidence in her skills.


“I know you are all worried about that Arms Dealer might be set free. That the Copper Heads will come for you in retaliation. But right now, all of you here were able to take back something that he took from you. You all stood there, stated before the court and the other thestrals what he did to you. In that moment, you all took back the control he had taken. Not just for yourselves, but for all the mares who were not able to stand here tonight. Because of all of you, Arms Dealer will hopefully be put away for good.” Twilight paused to take a breath. “I don’t know what will happen after this nor do I know if your lives will improve. All I can say is that my door will always be open to all of you if you need to talk. From thinking that somepony is following you to just needing to get something off your chest, if I’m at the castle I’ll listen. And if I’m not there then I will instruct Count Raven to make sure you are comfortable until I return. I know that it isn’t much, but it is the best I can do for all of you.”


Twilight paused, allowing the silence to take over for a moment as she looked over the mares before her. Each one was looking at the other as if they were having a silent conversation with each other. Slowly, one by one, they turned to look at Twilight with a small smile on each of their muzzles. Twilight smiled back as they began to nod randomly while a few looked like they had tears in their eyes. It might have been a small gesture for Twilight to lend an ear whenever they needed it, but it seemed to help. Perhaps in time Twilight would be able to set up a support program for mares like these or ensure that the proper help could be available. Something to work for in the future.


“T-That’s not enough,” exclaimed the trembling mare who began to back up. “Princess, I don’t feel safe in my own home anymore. I can’t walk or fly in the city without looking over my shoulder. Just you saying you’ll be there for us isn’t going to change that! You have to do more than that to ever make this right!”


“Looks like shit’s coming out the wrong pipeline,” came the voice of Overkill from behind Twilight, surprising the purple princess. Turning her head, she saw that her personal guard was approaching them with a paper under one of her wings. There was no sign of her usual axe but both of her hoofheld blunderbusses were in their holsters, tubes still connected to the devices in her saddle bags. The violent mare’s single visible eye was fixed on the trembling one who lowered herself closer to the ground. Twilight frowned at this but Overkill paid it no mind. “The Princess has gone above and beyond what any other noble would do for you. Can’t do anymore than that unless you want protection around the clock until you’re six feet under. Guides know that won’t be happening.”


“B-But she could,” stammered the mare as she looked over at Twilight for a moment. Then her eyes looked back at Overkill before swallowing hard. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. What we’ve all been through!”


Overkill tilted her head to the side a bit while giving her something that might have been seen as a questioning look. However, Twilight could see something in the soldier’s eye that did not sit well with her. A sort of evil gleam within that sphere that she had seen in some of the villains she had faced before.


“You’re right, I don’t know what it’s like to go through what any of you have,” said Overkill in an almost hollow voice while dipping her head. Even though Twilight was so close to her, it was like a shadow was keeping the mare’s eye hidden. “I’ve heard you all talk about it and read about it. Seen with my own eyes more than once as well, back when I was so small I couldn’t do anything about it. Had to watch it happen more than once and afterward that mare had to drag herself to a bottle to drown her sorrows because nopony would believe her if she went to the Clubbers. I’ve seen plenty of things worse since then, like my comrades being shot and tortured by rebels, with me being only a few seconds too late to have done anything to save them. None of them ever lived to see justice for what happened to them, never were given the chance. So before-”


“Specialist Overkill, that’s more than enough!” commanded Twilight. At the sound of her voice, Overkill’s head jerked up and looked at the princess. However, Twilight didn’t look at her but instead approached the trembling mare who, by this point, was shaking from tuffed ear to hoof. Calmly she brought down a wing to gently touch the mare’s cheek causing her to flinch at the touch. “I’m sorry about the things she said to you. They were out of line. But, if you don’t feel safe in Automahollow anymore then perhaps it would help if you stayed with some friends for a while. Perhaps family in another city?”


The mare gave the merest of nods in response, her eyes glancing over at Overkill who had trotted off to look out a soot covered window. Frowning at that, Twilight excused herself from the group before approaching the same window allowing the other mares to walk off. Whether they decided to go and watch the rest of the trial or do anything else, Twilight had no idea. All that was on her mind right now was Overkill and what she had said.


In all honesty, Twilight still knew very little about the mare who protected her. She had never been very forthcoming about her past and Twilight didn’t think it to be appropriate to pry into her personal past since they hadn’t known each other very well. Once or twice she had mentioned her mother in passing, but never anything in detail like where she was born or where her mother was living. Twilight had never assumed that something awful had happened to her in the past. Now, with this outburst, Twilight felt she had to find out as well as make sure nothing like this happened again.


“I don’t regret what I said,” were Overkill’s words as Twilight approached. She soon stopped next to the mare whose bangs hid her eye on that side of her head making it harder for Twilight to get a read on her face. As she sat down Twilight used her magic to wipe away the soot revealing the night sky choked with smoke coming from numerous smoke stakes in the distance. Specks of soot were already falling on the window in an effort to coat them once more.


“It was uncalled for to talk that way to a victim,” said Twilight. The purple princess then let out a tired sigh before turning to look at Overkill. “If I’m going to allow you to stay here then I’ll need to know where that outburst came from. Was that mare you spoke of a friend or…”


For several long minutes, the only sound Twilight could hear was the buzzing of the electric lights above their heads and the pounding of the wind against the window. Overkill did not move, not to lower her head in contemplation nor turn to look at Twilight to say it was none of her business. She just seemed to continue staring at the window as more soot covered the glass. Still, Twilight waited for some sign that Overkill was going to answer. To give her the same patience as she would have given any mare who would have said that same thing. The same patience she would give to any of her friends who needed a shoulder to cry on.


More time passed, allowing several ponies to walk past them. When they had left, Twilight was about to say something only to be interrupted by Overkill. “It was my mother.” Twilight’s eyes widened as she said this, almost completely taken aback by what she had said. As she stared at Overkill, the soot seemed to pile on the window to block out the light from outside.


“We…We lived in a small town called Spring Chapel,” continued Overkill after swallowing hard. “Sounds like a nice place, but it was really a living nightmare. Used to be something nice ‘til these rebels came and screwed things up for everypony living there. At least that’s what some of the older ponies living there used to tell me. Nothing there now but dirty streets full of run down machinery, crime, and boarded up buildings. Heck, I think there was even an entire block full of buildings that had long since burned down before I was born. As long as I could remember, my mother was a tail raiser.” Twilight’s eyes widened at that, knowing what that term meant. “I never asked if that was what she was doing before I was born or something she had to do after. Never even bothered to ask if my father was a client of hers or not. She always changed the subject whenever I asked her where he was. All I know was that my mother hated what she had to do in order to put what little food we could afford on the table.”


Overkill paused for a moment, looking up at the ceiling. “Every once in a while, a stallion would stop by our apartment. Sometimes more than one. Some would slip through the door, others would open the window, more than once they would bust down the door. I…I would try to stop them but they would just swat me away like I was nothing. Then after they left my mother would get whatever cheap drink she had lying around and drink until she passed out. Then the next morning she had to pick herself up and try to carry on like nothing happened. Nopony ever came to help us. Clubbers were overworked in Spring Chapel as it was and seemed to think that there was no rape. That my mother was making it up to get more grits from them or something like that. Bet a few even believed you couldn’t rape a tail raiser. That’s…That’s just how it was for us.”


Twilight was silent for a moment as she looked down at the down as if searching it for something to say. This…This was just madness! How could the Clubbers think something like that? Wouldn’t the evidence of a broken door lead them to look into something? Anything?


“Where is she now?” asked Twilight, her throat becoming incredibly dry as she feared what the answer might be. She looked over at the mare finding that she had lowered her head again to stare at the soot covered window.


“Died before I got my cutie mark,” said Overkill as Twilight jumped to her hooves. “Couldn’t afford a doctor or anything to find out how. Heck, couldn’t afford a proper grave. Had to bury her in a nameless plot with others like her and then I was on my own. Don’t even know if I have any family out there.”


“Th-That’s awful!” exclaimed Twilight.


Overkill just shrugged. “That’s just the way life is for some ponies,” she replied. “Heard a lot of them on the streets complaining about what had happened to them, talking on and on about how unfair it was. Hear a lot of it now too for ponies who have never gone a day without food or never had to wear an old breathing mask that could fail at any moment. Not everypony gets to start their lives in a nice, happy home. Just be grateful for anything good that comes your way.” Overkill then turned to look at Twilight. “Look Twilight, I’m sorry for saying all that stuff to that mare in front of you. The General would have had my flank if I had done anything like that while he was around. It’s just…it’s not that I don’t feel for her or anything like that. Because I do. But when I stop to think about all you’ve done for her, all that you’re risking just to make this happen, and she just keeps asking for more right away... It just rubs me the wrong way.”


Twilight felt her body slump as she sat back down on her flank. The weight of what Overkill had told her was tremendous. She wanted to say to her that they could make it right somehow…but she didn’t know how. It wasn’t like there was a spell to bring back the dead. Heck, if her mother was buried in an unmarked grave then there was no telling if she could ever find the right body to give a proper funeral. For that matter, how could she allow so many to be buried in such a way? Didn’t they all deserve to be laid to rest properly? To do that would probably take more grits than she had at her disposal. As for the stallions who had done all that, well she doubted that Overkill could remember them or if she could provide proof in court if she could.


“Hey,” said Overkill as she gently punched Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight looked up to see Overkill giving her a knowing look as if she knew what Twilight had been thinking about. “It’s fine. You can’t help everypony out there with a sob story.”


“But-” As Twilight said this, Overkill placed a hoof over her mouth to keep her from saying anymore. As Twilight looked at the other mare Overkill shook her head slowly.


“Look princess, the reason I told you all of that was because you asked. Not because I thought you could help or anything like that.” Slowly Overkill pulled away her hoof from Twilight’s mouth. “I’ve learned to roll with the punches as they came. Plus my life hasn’t turned out too badly these days. I got a good family in the military and a job that lets me shoot things all I want without getting arrested! So I’m not somepony you need to go out of your way to help. If I need help, I’ll ask.”


“B-But as a princess, it’s my duty to look after the well-being of all my subjects,” stated Twilight as she extended her wings. “At least, while I can. I don’t know how long the Dukes will wait before thinking I’m hurting Thunder Valley.”


Overkill shrugged again as she stood on her hooves. “Yeah well, being in the military has taught me that you should always expect casualties even in the best of missions. Not every battle can be realistically fought and won. That’s why we have to pull back sometimes and leave good ponies to die. But we never give up the fight, we do what we can while we can so we can keep on fighting. That way, those who we couldn’t save didn’t die in vain. It’s just something that we have to accept.” Overkill then paused as she pulled out the paper she was keeping under her wing. Now out in the open, Twilight could see that it was a newspaper with tonight’s date on it. “And I have a feeling the Dukes won’t be coming after you anytime soon.”


Curious, Twilight took the paper with her magic and held it up. It didn’t take her long to spot what Overkill was talking about. The main article had a side by side picture of Arms Maker on one side while on the other was Twilight with a title ‘Who Rules Thunder Valley?’ Skimming the article, it began with what Arms Dealer was being charged with as well as some of the basics of the trial. This much Twilight was intimately familiar with by on. Yet, she began to notice something in the following paragraphs. Apparently there was an informant within the castle staff who had told the paper that the Great Houses were going to give Arms Dealer another free pass out of fear that his father would end the ammunition contract. That the Houses were putting pressure on the temporary princess to let him go or she might be dismissed from her position. It even talked about the meeting between herself and Arms Maker! Some of the details of that meeting were printed, information that only three ponies knew about.


“While threats from outside our borders maybe a problem,” the writer of the article wrote, “we cannot ignore threats from within. Not when they are happening right in front of our muzzles and in the center of our government. To allow this would be an invitation to create more chaos in this great nation of ours.”


Scanning the rest of the front page, Twilight saw that the other members of the Great Houses had been questioned about this as well as General Steel Trap. All of them seemed to evade the questions with statements like ‘no comment’ or made sure they were unavailable for questioning. Perhaps those thestrals had some inside information that allowed them to avoid this situation completely. The only thing that they were willing to admit to was that if they felt that Princess Twilight had put Thunder Valley in danger she would be removed.


“You did this?” asked Twilight as she looked up. It seemed obvious to her since she knew she had never talked to the press about any of this. And she doubted that Arms Maker would have admitted to any of this as well as any of the members of the Great Houses. Count Raven could have done it, but he wasn’t privy to all of the details of the meeting she had last morning.


“Maybe~,” said Overkill in a tone that screamed yes. “I mean I am a member of the castle staff. So I could have leaked a bit to the press in order to make a preemptive strike for you. I don’t think that they’ll be quick to kick you to the curb anytime soon. This should buy you a bit more time to find a replacement for Arms Maker.”


“A bit more time at least,” agreed Twilight with a nod before giving it back to Overkill. “But, won’t you get in trouble for this when they find out?”


“Well I won’t tell if you don’t,” said Overkill in a serious tone. “I still don’t regret spying on you so I’m not asking for forgiveness on that. But I do think that you have this country’s best interests at heart. If this place is ever going to start ticking right again then we’re going to need somepony like you.”


Twilight couldn’t help but blush at that. “Thanks,” she said as she began to get up. “Let’s go. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done and I’m sure the press will want to speak to me.”


“Eh, I could scare them away by shooting in the air a few times,” said Overkill as she walked alongside Twilight. Upon seeing Twilight turn her head quickly to give Overkill a disapproving look, the military mare let out a nervous chuckle. “Ah, just kidding?”


“Not funny,” said Twilight as they continued to walk. “Also, don’t think I’ve forgotten about what you said to that mare. Before we leave, you will apologize.” At that, Overkill began to curse slightly under her breath in words Twilight hoped would never be repeated in front of Spike.


-x-


“Welcome back,” said Spike as Twilight entered her office a few hours later.


“Thanks Spike,” replied Twilight in a horse voice, rubbing her throat with her hoof after she had finished speaking. Twilight had decided to leave before the final verdict came as a symbol that her presence would not interfere with the final outcome. To not have the judge looking up at her for confirmation before delivering the sentence. In doing so, Twilight and Overkill were meet by what felt like hundreds of reporters all of who had many questions for her. Naturally, the first was how she felt about the case and what she hoped the verdict would be.


After that, Twilight had gotten a surprising question: once this was over, what would her plans be for Thunder Valley? Twilight had needed a moment to think about that one. She had been so caught up in learning the customs of the thestrals and with this case that she had barely enough time to think about anything long-term. She supposed that the first thing she should do is ensure that events like this would never happen again, cracking down on big companies who think that they can buy the law. Then there was level of pollution that she had found in the city. She still had no idea if it was like this everywhere or just in the major cities, but it was something she felt needed to be addressed at some point. The thestrals deserved to be able to go outside and breathe fresh air. Another battle between large companies no doubt.


Then there was the old barrier. As Twilight thought about it, it seemed strange that it would suddenly begin to fail like it had been. Something must have happened to cause it to weaken, but what? And could its disappearance be a prelude to something worse on the horizon? Something dangerous? Another thing she would have to look at in the near future.


Perhaps her main goal was establishing trade with other nations like Equestria. Yes, that would have to be one of the big ones. The thestrals had lived in isolation for perhaps their entire existence and now that that isolation was over many were no doubt fearful of the outside world. Twilight needed to show them that while there was danger out there, they would also find plenty of friends. They could meet the crystal ponies of the Empire as well as their other fellow ponies in Equestria. Show them the buffalo that live in the areas around Appleloosa. Or the zebras. They could go out and see so many wonderful things that could only enrich their culture. Not to mention how other cultures could be enriched by meeting the thestrals.


So, in the end, Twilight decided to talk more about trading with other nations than anything else. For the time being at least. Reporters were relentless, talking a mile a minute wanting to know everything on the spot. Which country would they be trading with first? What would they be trading? Would this hurt the economy? Would this create more jobs? How would they be trading? Had they found a safe way to constantly pass through the barrier? And so on and so on.


As Twilight levitated her mask off her face to put it away, one of her maids entered the room with a tray on her back. “Your Grace, we heard you just came back,” she said while setting the tray on a nearby table. On it was a silver tea set, adorned with the standard gear makings that the thestrals put on everything. Twilight also noted one of their machines in the back. It looked like a silver box with a crank on its side, standing on four clawed legs while a fire burned beneath it. Twin tines of a pristine metal rose up from its back, spiraling in the air before arcs backwards and simply ending.


“Would Your Grace like a cup of tea?” asked the maid as she bowed before Twilight. As for the purple alicorn, she took a step back at seeing this. While it had been true that the staff were becoming more friendly and respectful to her and Spike, this was a whole new level. Before, when they had bowed it seemed a little on the stiff side. Now it looked like a fluid motion, natural instead of forced. Also none of them had called her ‘Your Grace’ like that. In fact, the only pony who ever called her that was Count Raven.


“Ah, sure,” said Twilight, slightly taken by this. “I mean, yes some tea would be lovely. Thank you.” As the maid rose up, Twilight saw her beam before turning to the tray. The purple alicorn then watched as she opened up the top of the box before taking some leaves that were on the tray and putting them in. After then pouring some water into the box as well, the maid closed the lid and then proceeded to turn the crank. Twilight watched as the device began to hiss and clink before tea came out of the tube and into the cup. Once full, the maid stopped what she was doing to give the now full cup of tea to Twilight.


“You got a package,” said Spike as Twilight accepted her tea. “It was just there when I got up.” While sipping the piping hot drink, Twilight turned to look at her assistant who was pointing at her desk. As the warm fluid ran down her throat she noticed a long brown parcel sitting in the middle. Curious, she approached it while Overkill pulled out one of her blunderbusses and approached it as well. Overkill reached it first, taking off a letter attached to it before placing an ear on the top.


While Overkill closed her eyes to listen in on anything inside, Twilight picked up the letter with her magic while continuing to drink. At the top was her name, written in fancy letters with large swirls. Below that it read, “You kept your word and for that I thank you. Please allow me to show a token of my gratitude. Your humble shadow on the streets, JD.”


“I think it's clean,” said Overkill as she poked the parcel with her weapon. “Still, somepony should have told us you had a package when we got in and that it cleared security. Maybe I should shoot it once or twice just to be on the safe side. Or we could just blow it up all together!”


“No, no,” said Twilight quickly as Overkill licked her lips. “I think I’ll risk it.” Looking disappointed, Overkill put away her weapon as Twilight set down her drink and the letter. If she was right, JD was Just Dandy. Given how he had acted during their rather brief meeting she doubted he would try to hurt her. Still, there was no guarantee that it was from him so she erected a magical field around the package strong enough to take several magical beams without cracking as she slowly undid the packaging. Just to be on the safe side.


What she found inside made her glad she had put down her tea cup for she was sure to have dropped it or done a spit take. Inside was a corset made of finely polished bronze. It was made of thin panels that would allow it to conform best to any mare’s figure, probably without too much discomfort as one would imagine. As Twilight looked at it, she noticed that it seemed to incorporate a form of architectural sculpture to it. Slightly jutting out of the panels were recreations of famous thestral art Twilight had seen in books. One of the ones she was looking at now showed two thestrals in mid-flight, with the mare’s mane and dress blowing wildly in the wind. The mare’s attention was behind her, a stallion shown flying towards her with a hoof extended towards her while above them the full moon shined brightly. The detail on this piece of art was so precise that Twilight could see every line on the mare’s gown. Below that was another piece of art, which, while being highly regarded by the thestrals was not much to Twilight’s liking. It was of a thestral, only its body was composed mainly of gears and other mechanical components.


Slowly lifting it out of the box, Twilight continued to study it carefully. As she looked at the various images of thestral art on display, she could not deny the amount of care and thought that went into this gift. It almost caused her ears to press against her skull, since she was still in the habit of not wearing clothing, only doing so during special occasions. There was no rule against it, it was considered unwise since the soot and other things in the air could seriously damage or stain ones coat. Hence why thestrals all seemed to wear clothing of some kind within the cities. While Twilight could clean her fur far better with her magic and remove any damages, perhaps she could avoid it completely if she made a better habit out of wearing something.


As everypony in the room looked at the corset, there was a sudden swishing noise heard behind them. Twilight was the first to turn around, noticing that a letter had been slid under the doorway. She could also hear the rustle of hooves behind the door. But before the alicorn could even move magic to her horn a shot was fired. Twilight, Spike, and the maid screamed loudly as Overkill held one of her blunderbusses at the letter which now had a hole in its middle. She then eyes the door as the pulled out her second.


“DON’T!” yelled Twilight as she held down her guard’s hoof with her magic.


“Hey, I let you open a suspicious package,” said Overkill. “That could be part of the assassins plan! Or it could be a brand new type of bomb or something!”


Twilight frowned was she lifted the remains of the letter and opened it. Most of its contents were no longer readable except for the upper most part. The line read: In all likelihood, Overkill will have shot this letter. And that was all Twilight could make out. Heck, she was lucky to even be able to read this much in the first place.


“Somepony knows you well,” said Twilight as she glanced at Overkill while a second letter was slipped under the door. As the figure behind the door galloped away, Twilight summoned the letter before Overkill could shoot it again. As the trigger happy mare glared at the paper, Twilight opened and unfolded it before beginning to read it out loud. “Under the assumption that Overkill doesn’t shoot this letter, I hope that its contents help you.”


What followed was a list. A list consisting of weapons manufacturers that Twilight had recognized at once. She had been going over all of the companies within Thunder Valley to hopefully find a good replacement for Arms Maker if the need should ever arrive. However, she knew nothing about this type of military equipment, what could be considered good, or even if that company could make what was needed. Sure she could have learned while consulting with Steel Trap and Overkill, but that would take a great deal of time. Time that had been extended thanks to Overkill, but there was no way of knowing how long that would last. However it seemed somepony had saved her a great deal of time. Next to each company were facts such as ‘makes ammo compatible for the XXXX’ or ‘making new weapons for zeppelins’. There were also pricings next to each with a comparison to what Arms Maker would have charged.


As Twilight scanned the list, she walked silently behind her desk. This was a huge boon to her. While she would need to double check this information, if it proved to be true then she could more easily decide on whom to get what from. None of these companies could make everything that the army needed, but perhaps that would be for the best. She could just cherry pick what she needed from who offered the best deal at the best quality. While many were pricy, there was also a chance that she could make some sort of deal.


Calmly, she levitated her tea cup to her and took a sip. Now she needed to decide.


-x-


Arms Maker sat within the central office of his factory without a single soul around. As the daylight shined weakly through the blinded windows to illuminate the various untouched bottles of alcohol on his deck, the old stallion paid them little mind. Instead his focus was on the black and white photograph held within his hooves. The picture showed him and his son back when he had gotten his cutie mark, both smiling happily along with his wife, may the Guides protect her soul. Memories of better days when his world was happy and complete. All he did was stare at it as time passed him by while tears ran down his face.


Guilty. That had been the verdict after a single day of court. He had sat there, watching as the only lawyer he could get at such short notice did what little he could under the circumstances before his son was dragged away. He could never forget how Dealer had thrashed around like a wild animal, almost attacking the guards as they tried to take him back to prison for his crimes. How he had called out to him to do something, to set him free like he had done in the past before being pulled out of the courtroom.


Now Arms Maker sat alone in a mostly empty building whose smoke stacks were now cooling. In an effort to give his employees more time to find new work should they need it, Maker had cut their hours so that nopony worked the day shift anymore. Now the machines that worked night and day to supply ponies a place to work sat silent. While he had said nothing, there were already whispers going around the place about their future. So many scared, worried that they might end up on the streets or worse living by the river. So many looking for the same jobs at the same places at the same time. And none of them were blaming Princess Twilight for this situation. They all knew who had made the threat due to that news article. They all knew what he had done to try and save his son.


Things that normally Arms Maker would have responded to. Today, however, his heart just wasn’t in it. All he could think about was what had happened today. Watching all of those mares coming forward to tell what had happened to them. What his son had done to them. Some even had scars to show for it, but he was sure that many held scars within their souls.


Barely he heard a knock at his door before it opened. Slowly he looked up to see a young, grey thestral mare in an equally grey pin-striped gown, smiling at him. Through his blurry eyes he felt like he knew this mare, but could not recall. Was she the daughter of a former client or something? Past her, Arms Maker could make out the shadow of another figure standing by the door. However this figure remained behind never taking a step past the threshold of his office.


“Good day to you,” said the mare politely as she approached the desk, seemingly not paying any attention to the bottles. Yet, Arms Maker almost did a double take. That voice. He had heard that voice before. But where? “It is a pleasure to meet with you. I am here on behalf of my employer to make an arrangement that will suit both of our parties. My name is Lady Gray.”


“Please,” said Arms Maker as he shook his head in an effort to think straight while the mare took a seat across from him. “I am in no mood to talk-”


“It is about your son,” interrupted Lady Gray, stopping Arms Maker from telling her to leave. Now he stared at her with confusion and a twinge of hope that fluttered around his heart as she continued to speak, a leathery wing tracing one of his bottles. “It is such a shame that the new princess has chosen to take such a stance. To lock up your only son while discrediting you. Unless something happens, Storm Breaker Ammunitions will not last a year due to the fallout. Such a fate should never befall he who was once good friends with the crown.”


Arms Maker felt his throat grow dry as he thought of his old friend who now lied buried. “I was friends with the crown,” he said slowly. “But those were the old days, but when King Cobalt still lived and his children inhabited the castle. They…no longer do.”


“But they could again, with your help,” said Lady Gray as she leaned over the table. “The great Princess Alabaster seeks to take back what was taken from her.” At that, Arms Maker nearly dropped the picture in his hooves as he stared at the mare. He knew of course that Alabaster had escaped before the rebellion had taken the castle. Rumors floated about how she had done it with most hoping that her father had returned from the grave to take her to the underworld. But Arms Maker had heard something more believable. After the castle had been taken, one of the lower noble’s daughter who had been a loyal supporter of the princess was reported missing as well as a large amount of the family’s grits. There were those who believed that she had assisted the former princess in her flight to freedom, supplying her with all she needed. It was possible that this was that mare.


“Is…Is Princess Alabaster your employer?” asked Arms Maker as he stared at the mare. He already knew the answer, but he needed her to say it. To confirm it so that there would be no room for interpretation.


The young mare smiled as she nodded. “She is the only one I will ever serve,” she said honestly. “Princess Alabaster holds you and your family in the highest regards. She remembers the times when you would dine with her family in the greatest of comforts. Such a time is one that she wishes to return to. I am sure you can understand. That is why she wishes to extend a hoof so that both parties can benefit.” The mare then paused to eye one of the more expensive bottles on the desk, eyeing it with unparalleled desire and greed. Her eyes then began to trace around the room with an appraising eye.


“But how?” asked Arms Maker getting the mare’s attention back to him. “She is wanted even to this night for her crimes against the thestrals!”


The mare did not answer right away. Instead she smiled before rising from her seat to walk over to a counter were several glasses were held. Calmly she picked up two of the crystal glasses and brought them back to the table. “Would you rather serve an outsider who sits on the throne? One who threw your son in jail for such a minor crime?” she asked as she began to pour the most expensive drink into both glasses. “The great Princess Alabaster is planning her return to power, where she belongs. It is only a matter of time, but until then she must wait in truly undesirable conditions one such as her must be forced to endure. But she is willing to do so for the sake of her plan. To expedite this, we will need somepony like yourself. One who has access to great power and wealth. In return for such loyal service to the true royal crown, upon her return to power your son will be set free never to set hoof in a prison ever again.”


Arms Maker felt his heart stop at that. A chance to free his son? To ensure that he would never be in a cell ever again?


“You were her father’s best friend,” continued Lady Gray as she pushed his glass to him. “I am sure King Cobalt would have wanted you to help his wonderful daughter in her time of need after everything he had done for you. And you would be helping your own son in the process! Just think of it. He’ll be back at home, your factory working as hard as it ever did. The grits you will make. Everything can be yours once again. All you have to do is help your true princess. Help the daughter of your best friend reclaim what was once hers.”


Arms Maker looked at the glass before looking up at the mare who held her own in her hoof, waiting for him to do the same. Then he looked down at the picture of his son smiling there before him. Fresh tears appeared on his face as he thought of the memories of their shared past. All the times he sat down from a hard day at the office and listened as his son told him about his day. The trips they had taken to far away areas of Thunder Valley. So many memories there with many more to be had when he returned. Then, Arms Maker heard the silence of the factory around him, broken only by the ticking of the clock. He thought about the trial and of the deal before him as he set the picture on the desk only to flip it face down.


“No,” he said as his heart broke. He closed his eyes and turned away from the mare as he heard her set down her glass. “I can’t.”


“But your son?!” shouted Lady Gray followed by the sound of a chair being pushed back. “Don’t you care about him at all?”


“Ever after all this, I do,” said Arms Maker as he opened his eyes slightly, staring at the ground. “I love him so very, very much. It hurts to know that he will never be able to fly in the night sky or have a family of his own one day. But perhaps it was my love that blinded me from the truth. I abused my friendship in order to save him, never considering the strain I was putting on him. I even gambled with my company’s future because I loved him so much. All those mares he hurt I had a hoof in. Had I let him go to jail that first time, maybe that would have set him straight or at least protected many of those mares he would assault. As much as this pains me it’s well past time I leave him to his own fate.”


“I…see,” said his guest in a cold voice.


“As a courtesy to Princess Alabaster, I will not tell anypony about this meeting,” continued Arms Maker. “Nor will I tell anypony what she is planning. But that is as far as I am willing to go. She will not receive any help from me.” As Arms Maker became silent his mind shifted over to the matter at hoof. He needed to start making amends for all the harm he had done. Firstly, he needed to set things right with Princess Twilight. She had been right to do what she did, even trying to get him to think about how his emotional actions would have an effect on his company. Perhaps there was still time to fix things with her. If he talked to her and apologized for his behavior then maybe he could renegotiate a contract. Then he could start making it up to all those mares whom his son had hurt. Finding out what he could do to help them.


Sadly, none of this ever came to pass. For when the moon rose the next night the body of Arms Maker was found in the river. Dead.
> Business Deals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Excuse me, Mr. Arm Shell?”


Arm Shell, owner and founder of Armory Inc., looked up from the ledger he had been working on for the last several hours which was full of red marks. He was a slender, elder thestral with a grey coat and, behind the goggles of his mask, had eyes that had long since lost the zeal he had in his youth. Back then, he had been hopeful that the small factory he had opened up would grow into something more or, better yet, change location to somewhere more noticeable. That he’d be able to provide better working conditions for his employees who had stuck by him. Yes, he had been a dreamer once. Reality, however, had long since set in and that reality was that it was a struggle to keep the doors open every month while having to hire his daughter to act as his secretary. Who, by the way, was the mare standing at the door.


He did not answer her right away, instead looking at her curiously as she in turn looked around his office with a look of nervousness. It seemed very odd to him that she would be doing something like this all of a sudden, for she had been in this tiny room hanging at the top of the factory many times before. She had never seemed embarrassed by the piles of papers with grease stains on them before nor had she eyed the bottles on his desk with contempt before either. It was also very odd that she would address him so formally. Everypony here knew that she was his daughter so there was never a need to pretend to be anything but.


“Yes?” he finally asked.


“Are you ready?” she asked, the nervousness heavy in her voice. Oh, if only she could see the frown on his face at that moment.


“Ready for…” he responded, circling his hoof in the air in a gesture of impatience. If this was some sort of game or joke Shell found it highly un-amusing. Not while he was under this much stress.


“Your meeting,” she hissed. “Princess Twilight is here for her meeting with you right now!”


As she said this, Arm Shell felt his heart stop for a moment. He had remembered several nights ago getting a letter in the post with the royal seal on it stating that Princess Twilight Sparkle wished to meet with him. To become a client of all things. When he had first read the letter he had thought it was rubbish, a joke on him played by one of the other ammunition companies out there and nothing more. After all, why the thunder would the crown be interested in his tiny business? The best out there was, and might still be, Storm Breaker Ammunition. Like every thestral in Automahollow he had heard about Arms Dealer’s tragic end, unable to handle the grief of losing his son he had drowned himself in the river a week ago. As soon as the news came out he had heard that several of the other weapon manufacturing companies out there were relieved to have lost their biggest foe, believing that soon the big grits would come knocking on their doors. Arm Shell didn’t see it that way. While they had taken some big hits with the bad press, the founder of the company dead and the son in jail for life, they were not out of the game entirely. No doubt there would be a period of chaos where everypony who worked there was trying to figure out who was in charge or fighting to make themselves the boss. However, Arm Shell felt like it would not last too long for it to matter. Then, once the dust settled, they would make some big announcement before cozying up to that new princess from Equestria that all the thestrals were talking about.


Even if Princess Twilight were to cut her ties with Storm Breakers, something he firmly doubted she would do, there was no reason for her to bother with his tiny operation. Not that he was ashamed of it or anything like that. No, he still had a spark of pride left in his business which had never missed a shipment date since the doors first opened. Nor had they had anypony coming to them complaining of a weapons malfunction! Everything that left his shop was of the highest quality he could provide for his few clients. But with that said, he couldn’t see why the Princess would be interested with them. None of their weapons were military grade. Mostly of the lighter variety along with a few hoof held models. Things more suited for the common pony than for the military. So, really, why would she come here? Clearly she had not done her homework.


“Well,” began Shell as he looked around. For a brief moment, he had thought about asking her to stall for a bit. To give him time to quickly tidy up. But one glance around his office told him it would be a losing battle. It would take hours to pick everything up, throw out the stained rug in the middle of the floor, and make the pace look presentable. Heck, it would take a week to remove the lingering odor in his office. Besides, if she was coming through the factory then she had to see what they could and couldn’t do. “Bring her in,” he said in a defeated tone.


His daughter nodded nervously, her eyes darting towards the bottle on his desk. “Make sure you get rid of those at least,” she hissed before hurrying off. Shell rolled his eyes behind his mask at that. Ever since she had read the papers about Princess Twilight pursuing justice for the mares that fiend Arms Dealer had defiled, his daughter had nothing but starry eyes for her. As he picked up the bottles, Shell could only shake his head at the simplicity. While he was glad for what she had done, he doubted it was strictly for the sake of justice. No noble ever simply did something because it was the right thing to do. It was merely an added bonus to some other agenda.


By the time Arm Shell had placed the bottle next to his cushion a figure appeared at the door. “Good evening,” said Princess Twilight through her mask as she entered the office room, seeming to pay no attention to the mess that surrounded her. She wore a dark red dress with a spider web/gear like pattern on it along with a finely made corset. Shell was glad for his mask for he was sure his eyes widened. He had seen the black and white photographs of her in the papers, but it still hadn’t prepared him enough for the sight of a purple pony with feathered wings! Her mask was honestly the least impressive thing on her, looking like a run of the mill version instead of one of the fancier models available to the elites. There was an odd growth on her forehead, a horn of some kind, that was lit up. At first Shell believed that this was some sort of light similar to the creatures who lived in the darkest regions of the caves until he saw something he would never forget. Behind the princess, covered in the same colored glowing light, was a thestral stallion with a wild white mane and a bad wing. The stallion looked like he was having the time of his life, like a colt whose mother had given him an extra cookie or two with sugar on top. The way he looked about himself spoke volumes of just how long he had been without the great gift of flight and his body slumped slightly when all four hooves touched the ground.


“Hello, hello, hello,” said the stallion in a chipper tone as he quickly approached the desk ahead of the princess. Not that she seemed to mind at all. “It is simply a pleasure to be here. Actually, it’s just a pleasure to me looking at machinery that I haven’t fixed myself. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. No, no, no. It just gives me a chance to appreciate the fine work that other thestrals do. Simply wonderful.”


“Ah, well thank you,” replied Shell slowly.


“This is Dr. Wild Theory, my Royal Scientific Advisor,” said the princess, drawing Shell’s attention back to her. Looking back at the mare in front of him, he saw her gesture to the stallion as he began to look around the office at the weapons mounted on the walls. “I thought it best to bring him along as an advisor in this discussion due to my lack of understanding with much of this country's machinery.”


“Yes, ah, well,” stammered Shell as she sat down before him. He blinked, still surprised that this was really happening. Before speaking again Shell cleared his throat. “Let us get down to business. What were you hoping to purchase?”


The princess said nothing, only nodding as that odd horn of hers began to glow again. This time several documents were levitated from somewhere behind her back before being set on the table, landing on the ledger Shell had been working on. Quickly, Shell began to skim the document as a hoof went through it line by line. Before Shell had even gotten halfway through reading it, he had to admit that the Princess had done her homework. That or she had some very dedicated staff who had done their research for her. Everything before him was laid out with the correct model numbers as well as several diagrams for what they needed. However there was a problem with the amount of ammunition that they were requesting.


“Ah, princess, are you sure about this?” asked Shell as his trembling hoof did its best to remain close to the number. “I mean, there is simply no way we can get you this amount in any timely manner. M-My factory just isn’t staffed enough and the machinery-”


“Slightly outdated,” interrupted Wild Theory as he skipped over to the table. “Most of the equipment you are using appears to have been made in-house if I am correct, and by very skilled hooves. However, just from a glance I can tell that it is slightly behind the current times. Not enough for it to be an issue for you. Oh no, no, no. From what I saw it is well kept and can handle a larger load than what it is currently being used for.”


“Well I suppose it might,” began Shell as he looked at the thestral in alarm. “But even if I could hire more thestrals, there is no way I can get you all of this by the end of the month! Not with the amount of equipment I have right now. What I could do would only be enough to fill a storage shed!”


“That is what Dr. Theory told me while we were waiting to see you,” replied the princess in a gentle tone. “Still he has assured me that it is possible for you to make your quota by the end of the year. The scheduling terms are two more pages in.” Shell blinked before quickly turning the pages. And there is was: a chart which broke down the shipments of each order of ammunition as well as a slow yet steady stream of their lighter firearms. As he looked at it, Shell felt that it seemed more doable at that moment. It would be tight sure enough, but possible. He might even have to hire more ponies.


Shell licked his lips under his mask. With this sort of thing, he could begin crawling his way from out of the red. Why he half fancied that he might even be able to have several new machines made and used either for the specific use of the government’s orders or to ensure that his other orders could still be maintained. It might also be a boon for his business if others knew that the government had sought them out to make such a contract.


For a moment, Shell allowed himself to remember his old dream. Of looking out of his clean window down at a factory filled with hundreds of workers in a larger building than he had now. Perhaps even a new building, freshly made just for them outside of the city with their own fleet of zeppelins and trains that were constantly on the move. A dream that when the day ended, he would be taken to his home in the upper districts of Automahollow by an auto-pony pulled carriage where his family would be waiting. To see his wife entertaining guests, laughing happily in a fine dress along with their daughter. To provide them with all the finest things in life.


Yes, it all looked so very good. However…


“Princess,” said Shell as he returned to the front page of the contract. “I am honored that you would seek out Armory Inc. for your military needs. However, you must know that even this much will not fill your entire military’s needs. Even if I were to expand my business, your troops would have long since passed the point of rationing bullets. And our weapons won’t meet the same standards. As much as I would hate to say this, you would be better off visiting one of the other ammunition companies. I could provide you with a short list of other companies that would be more suitable until the chaos at Storm Breakers has ended.”


Princess Twilight nodded. “Thank you for that honesty,” she said in a still pleasant tone. “Now I am more certain than ever that I want to do business with you.” These words, so innocently spoken, nearly caused Shell to topple over onto his bottles. Quickly he righted himself before either pony could look over the table to see the drinks that took away his worries for a short time.


“Oh dear, dear, dear,” went Wild Theory as he brought a hoof to his mouth. “I do hope you’re alright. Bit of a breather tube malfunction?”


“N-No, just surprised,” replied Shell as he steadied himself on the table with both his front legs as well as his wings. “I just can’t understand why you wouldn’t want to go back to Storm Breaker. With Arms Maker gone I mean…”


The princess nodded. “I see,” she said as she brought a hoof to her cheek. “Well, to put it simply, I have decided that the government will not have a single military supplier. Over the last couple of days I have been meeting with several companies like your own to create contracts that will meet our military needs.” Shell nodded as his wings retracted. So, he wasn’t going to be getting an exclusive military contract. Others were going to be getting the same deal.


“You see,” continued the Princess as she put her hoof down. “While King Cobalt had good intentions as well as good faith in the previous arrangement, recent events have shown how that trust can be abused. I am hoping that this new system will help prevent that from reoccurring. If you continue to read the contract, it will state that the contract will be up for yearly review by both myself, General Steel Trap, and yourself so that we may go over any issues or concerns that both parties might have. That way we can better alter the conditions of the contract before any serious grievances occur or simply terminate it if neither party is benefiting. There are also several clauses that are meant to prevent either side from abusing the other. For example, article 47 states that a change in a deadline may not occur under any circumstance other than wartime situations. Article 100 states that if you wish to break this contract, you must have sufficient evidence that we have broken any of the agreed upon rules set forth in this contract as dictated by the courts. There we will both be brought before a judge to plead our cases.”


“Currently the Princess has brought this offer to eight ammunition companies, a few of them right here in Automahollow,” added Wild Theory. “Many of them have weapons that they specialize in, a few being superior to those made by Storm Breakers! The gears in my brain are just spinning with all the interesting things we’ve seen. Like Spirit Ammunitions. Did you know that they were going to declare bankruptcy in a couple of months when they had a brand new mounted weapon that can switch from lethal projectiles to a sort of bullet that opens up into a capture net? Must have had one fine Tinker working for them since the switch is only a couple of seconds! I tell you if the princess didn’t have such a busy schedule I would have begged, begged, begged to study how it worked.”


“I see,” said Shell as he nodded. “So you want a contract with my company not just for the ammunition, but also my hoof held blunderbusses?”


“Well, I won’t deny that that is part of the reason,” said Twilight. “The blunderbusses that your company produces have an underappreciated value. Due to their lighter weight and smaller size, they are perfect for combat in tighter spaces with plenty of corners. Places like the castle. It is my hope that members of my security and staff will be trained to use them in case of an emergency. But moreover, I want to do business with a company with a good reputation. An…acquaintance of mine on the street mentioned that your company is known for its good working environment and that you yourself work hard to keep it open so ponies don’t wind up on the street. I don’t think a pony like yourself would try to use your own workers as hostages in some sort of negotiation.”


“Ah, thank you,” said Shell slowly, taken aback by her words.


“Now all that is left is to go over payment terms,” continued the Princess. “I hope we can come to a good deal that benefits parties.”


Shell nodded. “I hope so as well,” he said.


-x-


“Well that sure wasn’t as painful as getting your wing caught in turning gears,” said Theory sometime later as both he and Twilight entered the castle. Around them the castle staff were taking hoses connected to a device within the walls, flipping a large switch to activate the vacuums. Together they began to suck as much of the soot off the pair while a different pair of maids accepted their breathing masks.


“I suppose,” said Twilight with a heavy sigh as they finished. As the maids bowed to her before backing away the princess looked down at the contract in her magical hold. The negotiations between her and Arm Shell had gone on for almost an hour straight. Twilight had pledged to cut his taxes by fifteen percent as well as provide a document of authenticity to the banks, proving that he had a contract with the crown should he need a loan. She had hoped that this would be a greater incentive to give them a better price than what Armory Inc. normally charged. However, things didn’t work out that way. While Shell had promised he would give the Princess the lowest deal he could, there was a limit to what he could promise. He had explained how much he normally charged for everything, breaking it down so that the princess understood where all the grits were going. He had to buy the material, pay his employees, pay the taxes for the land, and also set aside grits incase one of the machines (or more) broke down. It was informational and Twilight was deeply impressed by how organized his quickly made layout was. But even as he was explaining where he could take out grits Twilight was already doing the calculations in her head which made her wince. If her math was right that it would be a few hundred golden grits more than she had hoped even with the tax cuts brought into the equation.


Perhaps if he was the only one it wouldn’t be so bad. As Theory had told Shell back in his office, they had contacted eight companies so far. Some, Twilight had sent Count Raven on her behalf to make the requests outside of the city, hoping that his presence might help smooth things along. However he had reported back with similar experiences to the one she had just had. Right now, if the math remained consistent, they would be going a couple thousand gold grits over the allotted budget. Something that she believed the Dukes and Duchesses would not be happy about.


That is, of course, if her alternative source of income plan didn’t work out.


As she put the documents away, both Twilight and Theory made their way to the stallion’s workplace. As they did so, dozens of maids and soldiers were hard at work bringing boxes down from the upper floors to the loading docks and zeppelin landing zones. Each one contained treasures that had once belonged to the former princess. Gems and other precious stones had been removed from dresses while her jewelry was being boxed up so that it could all be taken to various auctions around the country as well as jewelry stores. Other items were having their worth assessed with the ones that had real worth being packaged as well before they were to be sent out. Everything else, the de-jeweled gowns or anything else that was left, could be taken by the staff if they wanted it while the rest was to be sent to charities across the city. As for the portraits and statues of Princess Alabaster, Twilight did not know what to do with them for now. A few of the soldiers had expressed a desire to use them as targets in the firing range, she Twilight suspected would help them save at least a few grits. She just didn’t think it would send the right message to her ponies if they ever found out.


At first, Twilight didn’t believe that they would have enough. All it took was Twilight using the gem finding spell Rarity had taught her in her attempt to find more treasure showed that not all of the former Princess’ belonging were genuine.  It seemed that about a fourth of the items within Twilight’s personal quarters been made of very convincing material that would have fooled anypony who didn’t examine them more closely. Perhaps somepony had tried to cheat the self-indulgent princess or it could have been that she lacked the funding to buy the real thing. Whatever the case was, it had put a damper on Twilight’s spirits. Further exploration of the castle, however, brought back her hope. It seemed that Alabaster was more vain than Twilight had believed, having various rooms of the castle dedicated to herself. One room was full of mirrors with frames of pure silver decorated with rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Another room had a golden statue in Alabaster’s likeness situated in the very middle. Why she had all of this, Twilight had no idea. It was excessive self indulgence no matter how somepony sliced it. Not even her maids knew what Alabaster had planned for all of this and they were still finding similar rooms. Even now as the pair moved through one of the secret passages within the castle, Twilight was hearing from Spike about more and more rooms being found to have treasure.


With all this in mind, Twilight was hoping to make a decent profit to help her budget.  Overkill had suggested that they tell the ponies they were selling this to that everything came from Princess Alabaster’s personal collection, something that Count Raven had oddly agreed upon. Yet the reasons for doing so were very different.


“If Your Grace permits me,” he had said when they first began, “Informing ponies that this came from Princess Alabaster would do ever more for Your Grace’s reputation. It would be seen as Your Grace returning the wealth that was stolen. The gear of the press would be spinning out stories that Your Grace is not only cleaning up the grime clogging up the gears of the system but also the literal house where you work.”


“I was more thinking it would help you raise the prices,” commented Overkill. Count Raven had turned to glower at the mare who responded with a questioning look. “What? I once knew this idiot who sold his house and everything in it just so he would have a chance at buying an ancient blunderbuss that was used in the Bloodriver Rebellion. It was a fake, of course, anypony who had ever studied weapons for more than a week could tell you that when that particular model suffered any sort of break in the furnace saddle then you don’t have time to abandon it. Mainly because at that point you’ve lost your entire rear, bleeding out, and screaming for a medic who has no chance to save you.”


Twilight remembered how the Count’s eyes widened at that. “Wait. You let your friend sell everything he owned for something you knew was a fake?!”


“Well I tried to tell him,” Overkill had replied, rolling her eyes as she did so. “But short of tying him up, taking him out to the country, and waiting for the sale to end before returning there was nothing else I could have done. And I’m banned from buying rope after…well, anyways he was an adult and it was his choice.” Overkill had paused to shake her head. “His completely idiotic choice that cost him his home, wife, foals, and now he's living on the streets with nothing but his breathing mask and that piece of junk he calls his ‘precious’. But if a pony is willing to do all that, then just think of all the ponies who would be willing to do the same! Only difference is that Twilight will be honest about it!”


Twilight responded by shaking her head. “Right now isn’t the time to be greedy,” she had said to the pair. “I know we need the grits, but the ponies in Thunder Valley shouldn’t have to pay anymore than what it’s actually worth. It wouldn’t be fair to them. Also, we need to do this quickly, so I don’t need ponies haggling over the ‘historic value’ of items that are not worth as much.”


Twilight came out of her recollection as she and Theory entered his work space which had changed in recent days. While there were still the unnerving chains hanging from the ceiling with mechanical body parts, the scrap that Wild Theory had brought in had been properly sorted thanks in no small part to Twilight’s organizational skills. The floor had been cleaned of most of the oil and even the stains. Most of Theory’s gear had been sorted and put away on hangers on the walls. Now her Royal Scientific Advisor had a place to do his work more safely.


“Oh there you are,” said a voice from across the room. Both heads turned to look to the side to see Chalky standing there next to a long wooden work bench, full of tools and devices that honestly scared Twilight a little. But it didn’t take her long to notice several folders on the deck that hadn’t been there the last time she was in the room. Nor the plate which had a large sandwich on it with a bowl that was large enough only for dipping.


“Something came for you from the Underbelly Academy,” said Chalky as he began to walk away while avoiding looking at the two. “Don’t know what it is, but it sounded urgent and I don’t want to put a pillow over my head as you freak out all night because somepony discovered a new way to spin a gear. I also left you something to eat. Nothing too fancy. Just a hay and honeyed grasshopper sandwich with homemade wheat bread that has a hint of lemon baked in it. There is also some horseradish dipping sauce with a hint of grounded moth.”


“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” cried Theory as he skipped over to his work bench. As he began to open up the folder, the scientist turned his head to look over at Twilight. “Princess, you don’t mind if I look this over and meet up with you later?”


Twilight smiled as she shook her head. “Not at all,” she replied as the stallion picked up his sandwich. “We have other things we need to talk about, but taking a small break won’t put us too far behind schedule. Just be sure to tell me what you think of whatever it is that the Academy is working on. Then we can go over that special project of Princess Alabaster’s that we found.”


Twilight turned her head, ready to ask Chalky if he’d accompany her out. However, it seemed that he was already out the door. The princess rolled her eyes before waving goodbye to Theory and then moved to trot after Chalky. For a moment she was glad that Spike wasn’t here as he would have made a comment that she shouldn’t be chasing after such a rude pony. If he had, Twilight would have gently reminded him that once upon a time she had been just as rude.


“Chalky,” she called out. The white stallion paused in the hallway, turning his head to look at her. They were now the only two there. “I wanted to thank you.”


Chalky snorted loudly at that. “Thank me for what?” he asked as he began to move down the hallway. Twilight moved with him, noticing with her now more familiar layout of the castle that they were heading back towards his quarters. “For bringing him his meal? Like I said, I only did that because he would have gone spinning like an out of control gear all night and day. Now he can do that to his heart’s content without bothering me.”


“Come on, you know you like him,” said Twilight with a sly smile on her face. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have made him that meal.” Chalky opened his mouth, most likely to object to such a thing, but Twilight quickly cut him off. “And don’t try to pass it up as not wanting him to come back for lunch or something like that. You and I both know he could have asked any of the maids to bring him something to eat. Plus you went out of your way to make him something that looked really good.”


There was a brief pause between them before Chalky spoke. “Actually, I was going to say that like is a very strong word,” he mumbled. “I…tolerate him. To be honest, he’s the closest thing I have to a friend and I don’t know what that says about me.”


“That you know a true friend when you see one,” said Twilight with a smirk before lightly tapping at his shoulder with her wing. “And now it’s my turn to ‘actually’ you! I wanted to thank you for that information you slipped under my door. It’s saving me so much time.”


“Oh,” said Chalky, his eyes widening and his wings jerking a bit. He turned to give Twilight a look. “Well I…er…how did you know it was me?”


“It wasn’t that hard,” replied Twilight with a knowing smirk. “I mean, yes there were a lot of ponies who knew I was not going to back down from trying Arms Dealer and all of them knew I was running out of time. But I found it odd that the night Arms Maker came to see me you were outside my door listening in. Then, the very next night, I got that slip of paper with everything I needed with all the math done nice and neatly for me. Now, there are a few other ponies I know who could have done the same thing. Like Count Raven for example. Except, I really can’t see the Count slipping anything under my door like that. No, he would walk in and give it to me himself or just wait till we were alone. Now it could have been one of the Dukes or Duchesses, sending one of their servants to deliver the message. However that also seems very unlikely since the pony who sent it didn’t leave their name on it. Doing something like this would have meant that I owed them one or it could have made them look better in my eye. But there was nothing. Overkill was in the room with me so she couldn’t have done it and Theory would have just walked in like he always did. Plus…you just told me you did!”


Once again, Chalky stumbled as he walked before placing a white wing over his face. “Of course I did,” he muttered. Then, with a sigh, he lowered his wing before turning to look at Twilight. “I just wanted to do something to say thank you. I’ve known Dealer since we were foals and that animal always rubbed me the wrong way.”


That caused Twilight to halt in her tracks. “You…knew Dealer?” she asked in surprise.


Chalky nodded slowly. “My father and his used to do business,” he replied simply. He must have seen Twilight raising an eyebrow for he let out a scoffed noise. “What? You think that Maker only ever did business with the crown? Or that he was never invited to one of the lush parties that the elite like to have for no reason other than to show off their wealth? The amount of evenings and mornings I had to spend with that colt were too many to count. Drove me up the wall with his picky eating habits! Would rather drink the dipping sauce than eat the tentacle coils that had a hint of lemon. The utter fiend!”


Twilight took a breath before looking down at Chalky’s cutie mark. “You really do like food. Are you sure your cutie mark shouldn’t be some fancy cuisine?”


“Math is my special talent,” said Chalky sternly. “I took to it naturally, picking up how to solve problems and figuring out the most difficult of them very quickly. Before I was eight I had learned how to balance the books, something that made my father proud. Perhaps the only time he was ever proud of me.” As Chalky said this, his voice turned dark for a brief moment. So dark that it caused Twilight to become worried, for it was the same tone that Shining used whenever the topic of Changelings came up. She then watched as Chalky sat down and when he spoke again, there was something of reverence in his tone. “But cooking, that is my passion. It’s like a complex math problem with food being the digits. Adding or subtracting to help bring about the best possible result for the taste buds. It has been the closest thing to magic I have ever witnessed in my life.”


“Really?” asked Twilight, as her thoughts went to some of the things she had seen in Thunder Valley since she had arrived. Most notably the auto-ponies. Machines that could do the work of a normal pony, moving about to deliver items or pulling carriages. Surely something like that would be magical.


Chalky nodded. “I saw it so often,” he said in a distant voice like he was remembering something dear to him. “Ponies sitting at a table, bickering with each other over grits or giving each other false flattery in order to win favor. Heh, they always changed their tune when they thought nopony was looking. Then…the food would arrive causing everypony to slowly stop talking as it was set before them. I would watch as they would eat and, for the first time, they would be honest. They would briefly band together to talk about how good or bad the food was, asking for the name of the chief, or expressive envy that they had not hired him or her. Everypony would seem so, I don’t know, happy thanks to a pony who remained hidden behind the wall. And I so very much wished to be that pony.”


Twilight watched as Chalky closed his eyes as if to savor the moments he was remembering. She stood there, watching as the introvert began to slowly come out of his shell as he shared with her his passion. To be honest, Twilight had not expected this. She had heard and read that most introverts only came out of their shells when they talked about things that they were truly passionate about. But she had no idea he would do so as quickly as he had.


“Did you ever cook for your parents?” asked Twilight innocently. What happened next happened so quickly that Twilight was surprised she didn’t hear a record scratch. Chalky’s eyes opened with fury before getting back on his hooves.


“No,” he growled. “Because it wasn’t in his plans that his son should become some no named chef in some backwater restaurant. Not when there was a greater destiny in store for me: taking over the family business, BAH! I’M GLAD IT FELL APART! I ONLY WISH-” Chalky’s words were cut off as he suddenly stomped his hoof on the ground in a fit of rage before snorting loudly. The stallion then began to grind his teeth menacingly for a moment, causing Twilight to wince.


Perhaps seeing that caused Chalky to snap out of it. His expression shifted from anger to alarm and then back to his normal indifference. The stallion then sighed before walking away. “Anyways, I’m glad you used the information. Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to go back to my room now.” He had said all of this as if nothing had happened, walking away as if he had never raised his voice. However, Twilight knew that she would never forget this moment.


For a moment, as she watched Chalky’s back, Twilight wanted to call out to him. To try and help him get over this issue with his father. Yet the words of Overkill came to her quickly, causing her to keep her mouth shut. She couldn’t be there to solve everypony’s problems. With so many issues before her there was just too much to do without worrying about every individual that was out there. Twilight knew she was right and that if she tried she would drive herself mad with exhaustion.


But that didn’t mean she should do nothing at all! Straightening up, Twilight turned to head back to Theory’s lab/workplace. Yes, she couldn’t do something for everypony she met. But that didn’t mean she should become hollow to their pain. She could be there for the ponies around her, listening to their concerns. She could start listening to the voices of her subjects and if there was something she could do to make their lives better, even in a small way, she would do it. She would be the best princess she could be until they either made her a queen or replaced her.


As she walked, Twilight realized something. It had been a while since she had written a letter to Princess Celestia. Not because she hadn’t wanted to, but with all the chaos with Arms Dealer she hadn’t had much time to do so. Perhaps it was a poor excuse but it was the only one Twilight had. She was sure that Princess Celestia would love to hear about how she had dealt with her first crisis since becoming Princess. Making a mental note to make an actual note to write a letter, Twilight continued down the hallway with a smile on her muzzle.


Hmm, perhaps she should write two letters.


-x-


Celestia smiled from her balcony as the morning sun began to rise. As its light touched the ground she could already see many of her little ponies beginning to rise. Several were already on the streets, nothing more than mere dots from this distance as they moved up and down the rows below.


As she turned to return to her quarters, a familiar flash appeared next to her, revealing a letter. On instinct, she grabbed it with her magic while her smile became warmer. A letter from her former student, one that she missed dearly. It had been so long since she had last wrote to her. The last letter had been about how her lessons were going with the Count Raven.


“I wonder if she is having any trouble with the nobles there,” chuckled Celestia as she undid the ribbon on the scroll. “Or perhaps there is some handsome stallion that has caught her eye. It would be wonderful gossip with Cadence if…” But Celestia words faded as she looked at what had been written. Her smile vanished, moving from concern to anger to something that was more unreadable. When she had finished, she rolled the scroll back up and sighed. “Oh Twilight, you still have much to learn.”
> The Second Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack stood out alone in her southern pasture within a small clearing that gave her a promising look at the midday sky above. Behind her were the trees that had recently been picked bare yet there were no baskets or wagons filled with her family’s fruit. The only things that remained were a few rotten fruit as well as the signs of many hooves that had been there recently, many more than one would normally expect at the apple farm, even during their family reunion. Given all of this, one could have expected that Sweet Apple Acres had recently been plundered for its bountiful crop. Perhaps by a group of pegasi who desired a free meal or the Flim Flam brothers out to get back at the family. Yet Applejack did not seem bothered by this at all. Instead she kept her focus on a spot of darkness, the only thing that broke apart the endless blue above her, as it grew smaller by the moment.


“Applejack darling,” came a voice that pulled Applejack’s attention away from the wide blue yonder. Smiling a little to herself, Applejack turned to see Rarity moving towards her. Dressed in a white bonnet hat with a blue stripe she strode down the rows of trees while avoiding patches of upturned dirt and the like.


As Rarity slowly made her way towards her, actually pausing to consider the best possible route to avoid a large patch of mud, Applejack took a moment to think about how little she had seen the fashionista these days. It wasn’t that she wasn’t seeing her at all as they would say hi and chit chat for a bit whenever it was Applejack’s turn to sell apples in the market, but their other get-togethers were getting fewer and wider apart. Perhaps it was because they had been going on less adventures together. There was less chaos in Ponyville lately, even though Discord himself was spending a mighty large amount of time with a certain pegasus. There was simply less to do around here that caused her to pull away from her farm work. And now with Rainbow gone there was nopony around to have contests with.


Applejack’s gaze fell to the green earth below her. It was an odd feeling right now. Even when she was going on all them adventures and solving all them friendship problems, there was a part of her that wished things would calm down one day. But just a little so she could help Big Mac with the farm as well as taking care of both Granny Smith and Apple Bloom. She certainly didn’t want Fluttershy to only come over when she had a pest problem, but that’s how things were now. Or to have Pinkie Pie visit a bit more often. Heck, she wouldn’t mind it one lick if Rarity came over to try and get her to model or something.


“Howdy Rares,” said Applejack after Rarity had taken the long way around, walking past six trees instead of hopping or walking over the mud. “What brings ya around these here parts?”


“Well darling if you must know,” began Rarity, fluttering her eyelashes to get some dirt out of them as she spoke. “I was on my way home after picking up some fabrics; a garish ordeal ever since Spikey-Wikey left. Without his help, picking out the right shades has been an absolute mess. Not to mention when I’m done transporting everything back to my boutique. Did you know I have to bribe Sweetie Belle to help her own sister? It’s madness I tell you! But anyways, I noticed something above your orchard and saw one of those, ah, interesting zeppelins. You know, like the one that took Twilight to Thunder Valley. I thought that, maybe, Twilight had come back for a visit?”


“So ya came here all quick like?” asked Applejack.


“Heavens no!” replied Rarity as she brought a heart to her chest. “I ran home as quickly as I could to pick out the perfect ensemble to see our dear friend after so long. Then I had to write a quick note to the spa informing them that I was canceling my three o’clock appointment. A lady, no matter what the emergency, should always be courteous to those she makes appointments with.”


Applejack could only smile for a brief moment before shaking her head slightly in amusement. It was nice to know that while some things changed, others stayed the same. “Sorry ta tell ya Rares but Twilight ain’t here. Never was.”


“She isn’t?” asked Rarity, slowly turning her head to where the zeppelin had once been. “But what was that zeppelin doing here then?”


Applejack let out a small sigh. “Just here ta pick up some apples,” explained Applejack. “See, a couple of days ago, Ah get this here letter from Twi asking me if Ah would be willing ta donate some of my harvest for some big shindig she’s got planned. Must be having a hard time since she mentioned it was a morale booster.”


“Did…Did she say what it was?” asked Rarity looking worried. “Was it Rainbow Dash? We haven’t heard from the dear since she left. Was she hurt on the way to Thunder Valley?”


“Didn’t say,” replied Applejack. “But Ah don’t think it was Rainbow. Knowing Twi, she would have sent a zeppelin ta pick us all up so we could all be with her if that were the case. Just thinkin’ it would be more like she’s having trouble with ruling the place. Have my own trouble just lookin’ after one farm so it must be mighty tough for that filly.”


“Yes,” said Rarity slowly. “I suppose it would be.”


“So Ah sent a letter ta Princess Celestia ta give ta Twilight telling her it would be alright,” continued AJ. She then paused, grinding the ground with her hoof a little before she spoke again. “Thought she might be coming over myself, though didn’t get my hopes up too high. Thought it might make for a good surprise ta ya’ll. But she couldn’t make it. Sent a whole bunch of them guards she’s got ta help with the crops. Nice gesture Ah suppose but would have been better ta see her again.”


“Now, now dear,” said Rarity as she placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “We will have none of that. You said it yourself: Twilight is very busy. She is a queen right now…or something very similar. But the point is that she now has a nation to run and I don’t think she can run around like she used to. And it was a very nice gesture on her part to send help.” Slowly Rarity withdrew her hoof while a frown appeared on her face. “Still, it would be nice to at least hear from her again. I mean if she can’t come here in pony, she could at least send us a letter again.”


At that moment, Applejack’s eyes widened in sudden realization. She had almost forgotten that Twilight had sent them something. The orange mare almost bucked herself for forgetting about them. Without saying a word to her friend, she took off her Stetson hat to reveal a small stack of black and white pictures. Well, not exactly black and white, as there were some browns and such in them that made them look a bit murky in the farmer mare’s opinion. In all honesty it was a little weird. Given how many gizmos and gadgets that them folks in Thunder Valley seemed to have, they would have come up with colored pictures by now like they did in Equestria. Then again they hadn’t mastered clean flying vehicles.


“Twilight did send us these,” proclaimed AJ as she showed them to her friend. The top picture showed Twi and Spike standing in what she believed to be Twilight’s new office. The purple alicorn was wearing some fancy dress with what looked like a metal corset while Spike was his own natural self. Honestly she was glad her friend was dressing up in those over the top fancy dresses. It showed that she was still the same old Twi. And despite the quality of the pictures, it was nice of her to send them. Applejack had already looked through them while the thestrals were first starting to help collect the apples. Each one showed Twilight with a different thestral or two with their names printed on the back. It was nice to see that Twilight was getting along with more ponies than she had since her past letter.


“What is this?!?” screamed Rarity so loudly and suddenly that it caused AJ to jump. When the orange pony landed on the ground she looked at Rarity to see that her eye was twitching madly with slightly curled lips. Slowly she brought the picture closer to her face, holding it now with her magic. She seemed to be studying the picture of Twilight closely before moving to the next showing their friend with a pair of maids. Rarity made a sound of annoyance as her eyes narrowed, moving on to the next where Twilight was standing next to Overkill. Following that, the pair looked at a picture where Twilight was with a pair of stallions: one seemingly overexcited on Twilight right while the one on the left looked more annoyed than anything else. Picture after picture Rarity tore through them without uttering a single intelligible word, just slight mutterings that Applejack could barely understand. It was only when they were back at the top that the white unicorn gave back the pictures to Applejack.


“It’s…horrible!” cried Rarity with a shutter. “While I can appreciate the fact that Twilight is trying to assimilate into their culture, and there is some merit to these designs that interests me just a tad, I cannot allow this to stand!”


“Ah, Rares,” began Applejack as she looked at her friend with worry. Honestly, she didn’t get what Rarity was getting all worked up about. She had seen maids working at both Canterlot Castle and the Crystal Empire that wore outfits that looked mighty similar. As for the rest, well she was never big on fashion at all. She thought that they looked nice at least. Yet whatever she was going to say to her friend was quickly silenced as Rarity continued her rant.



“Their entire fashion looks positively ghoulish!” cried Rarity again. “Spiders, web designs, bats, and who knows what else. The color scheme for everything is simply too dark for their furs. It’s a fashion travesty over there. If any of those ponies ever set hoof in Canterlot they would be treated like eyesores! Or worse!” With that, Rarity galloped out of the field leaving behind a wide-eyed Applejack who was surprised to see the white unicorn trample through the mud.


-x-


“Well doesn’t somepony look like the belle of the ball,” said Smoldering Smile to the three other mares as Nightingale trotted out past the curtain that separated the main room from the apartment’s single bedroom. However, none of the mares really used that room for sleeping. Rather it was used to hold the various dresses for their special ‘dates’ as it were. Instead all of them slept on mattresses scattered around the large main room of their apartment, which by the standards of the area was very nice. The wallpaper hadn’t completely peeled off showcasing the brownish floral design that comes from such an aged product, the hot water was too often turned off, and the locks were very recent. For all five mares it was certainly a leg up from where they had all resided prior.


Nightingale acted as if she hadn’t heard what her fellow tail raiser had said, almost humming to herself as she moved to look at herself in the least cracked mirrors they had. Tonight was wearing a gift that Golden Spike had given her after their last ‘date’. It was dark red with frills that had a gear shaped partner to them.


“So, what does Golden Spike have planned for you tonight?” asked one of the mares, leaning close to Nightingale as she checked her makeup. “A weekend trip on one of his trains? Perhaps you can get a little of the VIP treatment.”


“No, nothing like that,” replied Nightingale beaming. “Just a trip to the castle.”


“Is that all?” asked Smoldering with a frown. “Doing that tonight? Well isn’t he an old cheap client.”


Now Nightingale frowned as she turned to look at her roommate. “Please don’t say such things! He’s one of the sweetest, gentlest stallions I’ve ever met. He hasn’t once tried to pressure me into his bedroom. He…makes me feel special.”


Nightingale could see the other mares sharing a look, one that she knew too well. That she was living in some fantasy where he would sweep her off her hooves to live a better life. A fantasy that would end when they did the deed and his true face would be shown, leaving her in tears. Perhaps it was nothing more than a dream. Golden Spike had so much wealth to his name and she was just a gritless street filly who worked as a tail raiser. It had all the makings of a fairytale ready for reality to smash into thousands of pieces. But Nightingale couldn’t help but hope that there was something more. Golden Spike, a stallion with enough wealth to hire an entire household’s worth of maids that he could do with as he pleased, had chosen her. He had never done anything to her even though he knew he could. Instead he treated each of their outings as if they were true dates. Like he was truly found of her and desired to win her heart rather than taking her body.


And it was working.


Perhaps the others were right that she was living a dream right now. Yet Nightingale wished for this dream to last for as long as possible. To hold onto hope for just a little while longer before she woke up.


Ears began to twitch as the doorknob rattled. All heads turned to look at the main entrance right before it opened, revealing Lady Gray. She stood there in one of her finest dresses eyeing them all in a cold, business-like fashion.


“Listen up ladies,” she said as she stepped into the room. As she did, Nightingale and the other mares quickly formed a line similar to the way stallions lined up in the military. Once lined up, Lady Gray stood next to Smoldering who was at the end where she whipped out a notepad. “Now then, Smoldering, I have two clients who have requested you. One is a simple nopony who is paying big grits for some fun around midnight. Make it quick so you can be ready for your sunrise appointment. He runs a grit lending business out of Gaslight Lot. Be sure to get him to talk about his business and home life while showing him a good time.”


Nightingale looked down the line, watching as Smoldering fought to keep herself from rolling her eyes, for she knew the drill by now. Anypony who worked for Lady Gray for more than a week would know how things worked. Lady Gray would set up the appointments for the tail raisers who went out to meet with high paying clients, ordering them to spy on them while working. They had all been trained by Lady Gray herself on how to make innocent small talk, getting the target to loosen his or her lips. Sometimes they would even use hard cider for the more stone walled clients before sneaking around their homes or looking through their belongings as the clients slept. Repeated failure to find anything useful was harshly punished. As for the tail raisers who stayed in the dingy brothels that Lady Gray had in various cities across the country, she had lower expectations. The thestrals who went to those places were not of the sort to have such high level information or were in positions that Lady Gray cared about. But that did not mean that they were not expected to find out as much as they could when they could. For if a tail raiser at one of these establishments did find something of worth they were greatly rewarded. What she wanted this information for, well, the mares all had their own guesses. Most guesses being blackmail and the like.


After speaking to two other mares Lady Gray stopped at Nightingale. Briefly she looked at the notepad before a smile crossed her lips that caused Nightingale to feel a lump of dread in the pit of her stomach.


“Nightingale, I am canceling your appointment with Golden Spike,” she said, causing Nightingale’s eyes to open wide. “I shall be going in your stead to the castle.”


“But Lady Gray, Golden asked for-” Smack! Nightingale’s head turned to the side after Lady Gray’s hoof made contact with the side of her face, silencing her. Already the mare could feel it starting to swell a bit before she had a chance to look at Lady Gray. Said mare was looking at her with a frosty hatred.


“I said I shall go in your stead,” said the mare coldly, eyes narrowing at Nightingale. “Perhaps the last time you went to the castle went to your head. Had I known that was where you were being taken I would have gone in your place! Such an esteemed location is too good to be wasted on scum like yourself.” Before Nightingale could say or do anything her mane was roughly grabbed by Lady Gray and brought within an inch of her face. “Let me make this clear to you: You belong to me! I took you in, all of you, and provided you with a better life than anything you could ever hope for. Without me your body would have been found in the river long ago. Or maybe even curled in the trash. Would you like me to send you back out there with any of the precious gifts I gave you? No nice dresses? No grits to send to your family? No functioning breathing masks?”


“N-No,” whispered Nightingale as she trembled.


“Then learn your place,” snarled Lady Gray as she released Nightingale, letting her drop to the ground. “When I say I am taking your client I am taking your client. Be grateful I am giving you the night off.” All Nightingale, as well as the other mares there, could do at this moment was to stand there and nod.


-x-


“Princess, this is insane!” cried Crystal Chime as she raced behind Twilight. “How could you do this?” Tonight she was dressed in a similar outfit as she had done when they had first met with the only difference being a three part gear shaped mane piece she wore on the side of her head. With the heavy make-up on, she looked almost like a clown that Twilight had seen at several of Pinkie Pie’s parties. Even more so with the look of horror she had with this situation.


Twilight simply shook her head as she walked down the hallways out of the kitchen, a large plate of cookies held in her magical aura as she moved down the secret tunnels towards the throne room. The princess of the thestrals was wearing a more simplistic gown, one that was striped with blacks and reds, along with the corset that Just Dandy had given her. However there were patches of flour on bits here and there on her gown despite the apron she wore on top of it. As she walked her magic was also busy removing the bits of cookie batter that had struck her face, balling it up before placing it on her tongue. Beside her were two of her maids who carried similar trays of cookies on their backs. Admittedly they were much cleaner looking than the princess but none of them seemed to mind in the slightest.


The four continued to walk, Crystal Chime continuing her cries which fell on deaf ears until the passageway before them opened. Together the three in front stepped into the throne room…only to be instantly swarmed by giggling thestral colts and fillies. Some galloped on their small legs while others descended upon them from above. With so many around them it almost looked like they were running up and down the bodies of the three while Crystal Chime watched on with doubled horror. Once they had each gotten a treat they began to disperse with only a muffled thank you to show for it. And when they were all gone, Twilight and her maids stood there with expressions of ‘well that just happened’ along with empty trays.


“Well we better get some more,” sighed Moon Chime as she turned her head to look at the tray. At the same time, Twilight looked at her own seeing that it appeared to have been licked clean. More than likely it was the same for all three of them. “Your Grace,” continued Moon Chime. “Please allow us to retrieve more. That way Your Grace may mingle.”


Twilight gave a nod, giving Moon Chime both her tray and apron. “Thank you,” she replied just seconds before the two nodded. Now only Crystal Chime stood next to her looking horror struck to the point where tears were coming out of her eyes.


“You’re going to mingle with that…filth?” whined the young mare as she stared out into the crowd before the, her wing stretched out and shaking in their direction. Twilight spared this scene from the noble for only a moment before looking at the group before her and smiling. The place was, for lack of a better word, packed. Large groups of thestrals were all over the place, speaking with each other and laughing as patches of soot fell from their clothing. Yet it was easy to tell that these were not the same elites who had once graced that castle not too long ago. No, these ponies wore more simple attire of things like overalls, full body jumpsuits with built-in tool belts, and simple dresses. All of them had worn looking breathing masks around their necks as they talked to one another, sometimes breaking out into uncontrollable laughter over something Twilight couldn’t overhear. These ponies were the common folk of Automahollow. While she couldn’t see it herself, she knew that the main doors to the throne room where open with crowds of ponies going all the way towards the main entrance. Her Guards were on hoof to make sure that nopony went into areas they were not supposed to go as well as to break up any fights that might occur. Naturally with a gentle hoof. Spike was right now by the main entrance, overseeing and warming up the small amount of snacks that Chalky had whipped up for them on the cheap. Helped, of course, by donations from ponies like Applejack who had given up a part of their harvest.


As Crystal looked on in horror, Twilight was filled with pride in what she saw. This ‘morale booster’ as she liked to call it was just what the city needed. After everything that had happened since Princess Alabaster had been dethroned (as well as some things prior to that), Twilight felt like these ponies needed more than just a few good stories in the press. That Twilight was going to be taking care of them and wanted them to feel welcome in coming to her like Princess Celestia. To that end, she had asked her staff to put up posters inviting anypony who wished to come to the castle and enjoy themselves with free refreshments. Hopefully this was a trot in the right direction.


“Where is the gala?” Crystal Chime continued to whine. Doing her best not to sigh, Twilight turned to look at the mare who had somehow heard of this. Right now she looked more like a filly who was told she could not get a second helping of ice cream, crying over the injustice of it all. “I heard you were having a party! A large one like nopony had ever seen before! Not some low brow, riff-raff infused rabble!”


As Twilight let out a sigh, one that held some of growing irritation at the mare behind her, she heard the sound of the secret passage being opened once more. Turning, this time she saw that it was Chalky wearing a device on his right foreleg that ran all the way from his shoulder to the end of his hoof. Twilight had seen what this device could do within the kitchen where the white stallion had been just mere minutes ago, tubes connecting it to his furnace satchel in order to power the motor at the end of his hoof used to mix batter. Now he had a tray of apple tarts on his back as well as a more peaceful expression on his face.


“These ponies are going through the apple tarts like mad,” he exclaimed, causing Crystal Chime to jump having failed to notice him or the several other members of Twilight’s staff who were helping to bring out food. Once her surprise ended, Crystal gave them a look of contempt. Something that only made her look more foalish in Twilight’s eyes. However she ignored the spoiled mare and instead focused on Chalky as he continued to speak. “Not surprising considering the quality of these apples. Probably the finest I have seen in a very long time. You can really tell by their shine and the firmness that whoever grew these did so with a great deal of care. Not even a single speck of soot on their skin! I only wish that the rest of the ingredients I used were of the same quality. Then my tarts would be even better!”


“Well I’m glad you approve Chalky,” said Twilight. “Because I am hoping to do some trading with Equestria in order to get more produce like this. Hopefully the other Dukes and Duchesses will agree with me.”


Chalky didn’t answer right away, his ears twitching slightly at the sound of wings flapping. Before anypony noticed anything, a scruffy thestral stallion flew overhead and took one of the tarts. Both Chalky and Twilight watched him as he landed not too far away from them, splitting the tart in two upon landing and sharing it was a mare who seemed happy to see him. Together they ate the small treat, smiling as they did so. They were not the only ones. Twilight could still see many of the colts and fillies nibbling on the cookies that the white stallion had made. Other small apple based treats could be seen in the hooves of smiling stallions and mares alike while they held tea ups which they themselves had brought held on holsters on their belts. Carefully, Twilight turned her head slightly to look at Chalky, seeing that he was smiling more broadly and his eyes were beginning to moisten.


“I hope so as well,” he said at last.


“Wouldn’t mind that myself,” came another voice. One that Twilight had only heard once before and she could never forget it. She, Chalky, and Crystal turned to see Just Dandy walking towards them with a pleasant smile on his face while being flanked by four of his ‘friends’. He looked just as shabby as any other pony there, wearing a simple vest with fraying edges with a zig zagging copper gear pattern on it as well as a dusty old bowler hat. The others around him had similar attire on with the exception of the mares in his group. They were dressed in simple black dresses with red corsets and hats worn on the sides of their heads.


As Just Dandy took off his hat in a show of respect, Crystal began to move away. From what Twilight could see without taking her eyes off Dandy, Crystal was walking backwards as if afraid to turn her back on this stallion. Moments later Twilight heard a rip followed by the bratty mare’s cry of outrage before tumbling to the ground. It must have been a sight for Dandy’s friends began to chuckle.


“Sorry about that lovely,” said Dandy, his eyes on where Crystal had been. “Seems the poor dear don’t like me company much. Shame really. Been told I’m quite the charmer once you get to know me.”


Unable to help herself, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don’t be,” replied Twilight as Dandy put his bowler hat back on. “When she heard that there was to be a party at the castle, she assumed that it was going to be a gala like when Princess Alabaster was in charge.” Twilight let out a mirthless chuckle. “When she got here she was saying things like ‘I’m so glad you came around’ and ‘It will be so good to see the ballrooms filled again.’”


Dandy chuckled at that. “Doesn’t seem like the miss agrees with that anymore. Guess the company doesn’t sit as right as she hoped.” Dandy then paused for a moment eyeing Chalky for a moment. “Well now, aren’t you a sight. Didn’t know there was a white thestral still in Automahollow. Fancy that. Now where are my manners? The name is Dandy, Just Dandy at your service. And you are?”


“Chalky,” replied the white stallion, his voice becoming far less cheerful than it had been a minute ago. He eyed the smaller stallion before him like he was a spot of grease on the floor of a kitchen before turning away. “Princess, I’d had better be getting these to the table.” Then, without saying another word, began to walk away.


“Best be careful around him lovely. Getting an odd feeling about him that don’t sit so right,” said Dandy as his friends began to walk away as well making Twilight feel slightly uncomfortable. Not that she felt like she was in danger or anything like that. Instead it felt like it was just the two of them, a stallion and a mare, with the rest of the ponies here separated from them by an invisible bubble. Alone with the stallion who had given her this wonder corset and had k-kissed her hoof. Was it getting warmer all of a sudden?


“W-Well, some might say the same about you,” replied Twilight after clearing her throat. “You know. That you are rumored to be a gang leader, and I’m not saying you are, so you could be a threat to me.”


Dandy placed a hoof over his heart before expressing mock shock. “Would they? Well then they clearly don’t know this young Dandy as well as they might think. I am many things, but a stallion who would take advantage of a helpless mare is one thing I am not! Not that I am saying that you are helpless in the least. I still remember how easily you can pick me up.” Both he and Twilight shared a laugh at the memory. When they stopped, Dandy looked at the crowd in a thoughtful way. “Been a good while since I’ve seen these ponies in such high spirits. You are certainly doing a good job.”


Twilight blushed again, the desire to hide her face with her wings being almost overwhelming. The only thing that stopped her was remembering the lessons that Count Raven had taught her; that, as royalty, she was beneath such things. That she had to remain strong in body, mind, and emotion while in the public eye.


“Thank you,” she managed to say, pausing briefly to clear her throat as she gestured to Dandy to follow her. Together, the two moved into the crowd. Many bowed in her direction while others gave the princess their thanks for the evening. As they did this, Twilight’s eyes were suddenly drawn to their wings, causing an idea to form in her head. Quickly, Twilight turned her attention to Dandy. “You know, I think there might be a way to raise everypony’s spirits even higher. But I may need your help for that.”


The stallion raised an eyebrow at this even though his smile never left his face. “Oh?” he asked in an amused tone. “Now what could a simple stallion from the streets do to help our princess?”


“Well,” began Twilight slowly as she got her thoughts in order. “Right now there is a plan in the works to create Thunder Valley’s own professional flying team. One that will help entertain the masses by putting on good shows and, more importantly, represent our country in things like the Equestrian Games. I have a coach all set up but I will need talented fliers for the team. Think you might know some ponies who fit that bill?”


“Hmm,” went Dandy as he rubbed his chin with his hoof. “Might know a few good sets of wings in the alleyways around town and a few others outside.” He then looked at Twilight. “But, don’t you think that you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself lovely? Everypony knows that the castle’s saddle bags don’t carry as much as they used to. And here you are making all sorts of business deals and throwing free parties for the poor. Last thing I want is for a nice lovely like yourself to be kicked to the curb for caring too much.”


“Thank you,” said a touched Twilight as she placed a wing over her heart while her blush deepened. “But don’t worry about that for right now. I’ve been selling plenty of Princess Alabaster’s old things all over the castle which is helping our finances. I’m even scrapping some of her other projects that she had started.”


“Other projects?” asked Dandy, his smile vanishing as he looked at her. Twilight nodded. For a brief moment she wondered if she should continue and explain what she had found along with Wild Theory. But in all honestly there was no real reason not to. She was literally having it scrapped and his grits had gone to pay for it. Plus it seemed hard for Princess Alabaster’s name to get anymore tarnished than it already was this the populace. So why not?


“While we were looking through Princess Alabaster’s things, me and Dr. Wild Theory made a discovery,” she said. “It seemed that she had commissioned a new zeppelin to be built; one that would serve as her new castle. From the looks of it, it looked like it was meant to be a twelve story mansion that could fly around the country at a whim. It didn’t take me long to decide to scrap it.”


The sound of breaking glass or china echoed through the room, its source coming from behind Twilight. Quickly turning around, she noticed the familiar face of Golden Spike. However, he seemed more distant this night. There was no sense of joy in his expression nor was he constantly looking at the mare next to him. Probably because this mare, the one who had dropped her teacup, was not Nightingale. She was a grey colored mare about the same age as Twilight, staring in her direction with wide and unblinking eyes.


But only for a moment when she noticed Twilight looking in her direction.


“Oh my,” she said, stepping over the remains of her cup as she approached Twilight and leaving Golden Spike behind. Twilight felt a little…uneasy as this mare walked towards her. Something about the focused, fixated look she had on her and her alone. “Please, forgive me your majesty for that slight slip of my hoof. It was an honest mistake on my part. It’s just I thought I heard you say that Princess Alabaster was using our grits to build a new flying castle? And you decided to just scrap it?”


“That’s right,” replied Twilight as she tried not to take a step back. Instead, she lit up her horn to pick up the pieces of her shattered cup before teleporting them into the trash. The last thing that she wanted right now was to have one of her guests step in it before the maids took care of it. “In fact, some of the proceeds for the scrap job went to pay for this event while the rest are being diverted into several other areas that are in desperate need of funding. We are getting uniforms for our flying team, money is going into reopening the schools, and a few other things here and there.”


The mare continued to stare at her with those unblinking eyes for a moment longer, before finally taking a breath. The grey mare then took a step backwards as her expression became more controlled. “Yes, that is what this country needs right now,” she said, her voice now coming out smoothly. “I am terribly sorry for that little outburst. It’s just that I happen to know many ponies who have been working on similar projects over the years. There is a chance you heard about this, but several years ago there were many thestrals trying to create mobile homes. One of those was my uncle who sank a great deal of his grits into the project. Oh it broke his heart to see his efforts fall apart before his eyes.”


“Yes, that is tragic,” agreed Twilight with a nod. If she was telling the truth then it would explain why she had reacted that way. If she was telling the truth, that is. Yet Twilight’s scientific side was piqued. Mobile zeppelin homes? She knew very well that zeppelin cruises were all the rage these days in Equestria due to the fact that they were not bound solely to the water allowing them a greater variety of travel paths. Yet even with skilled earth pony hard work and ingenuity along with unicorns magic there was a limit to how long those zeppelins could stay in the air. Even Princess Celestia would grow tired after using her magic for too long! It certainly would be amazing to see something like that.


As she thought about this, however, Twilight began to think of the downsides to such a feat here in Thunder Valley. It was impossible to miss the amount of soot that rained from the sky caused by their zeppelins. Imagine if they were up there longer, pouring down more of the black flakes to the surface below. As hard as it was to imagine, Twilight felt like the air would become even harder to breathe than it already was and their water would become even more polluted. Then there was a simple matter of safety. What would happen during the day, when thestrals were asleep and one zeppelin collided with another? Or a fire happened? Or an engine malfunction? Perhaps she should have a talk with Wild Theory to see if he shared these concerns.  


“Princess,” continued the mare, pulling Twilight for her thoughts. “Permit me to say that, if it looked like it might have worked: shouldn’t you have finished it and kept it for yourself? It would have been the perfect thing for you: an out with the old and in with the new approach. Showing everypony here that you are a progressive mare, living in the latest dwelling around and scrapping this old, dusty castle. Surely you could have gathered more grits from this old place than that zeppelin.”


“I could never do something like that,” said Twilight instantly, her eyes becoming slightly harder as she looked at the mare. “That zeppelin was nothing more than another vanity project for Princess Alabaster. To be used by her alone with only a small section of her servants to stay in. There weren’t any offices for officials, areas for documents, or a proper conference room to meet with the Great Families! Instead she wanted things like seven master bedrooms, one for every day of the week that could hold a two story house with room to spare and a bathroom the size of a track field!” As she spoke, Twilight noticed a few of the ponies around her looking at her yet she paid them no mind. She just kept looking at the mare in front of her. “But even if it did have everything needed for a proper government to function, such a thing would never realistically work. Ponies need to know where the center of their government is. Never mind the ponies who need to protect it having to work harder just to keep track of the place and maintain a presence there, but also the ponies who work there having to fly more. Then there are those that don’t work at the castle! It’s simply more trouble than it’s worth despite the achievement.”


“Princess,” began the mare, but stopped when the sound of a forced cough was heard.


“Looks like the Princess has made up her mind,” said Dandy. “Wouldn’t you agree Lady Gray?” Twilight blinked at the sudden information she was getting. She recalled that name from when she had been looking for Just Dandy. That she ran a tail raiser business. But what was more interesting were the rumors that surrounded her. While that was a shocking piece of information, what was more shocking was Dandy. The humor his voice held earlier was gone and in its place was a tone close to that of warning. His eyes were fixed on Lady Gray in a way that said he clearly didn’t like her.


As for Lady Gray, it seemed like she had failed to notice the stallion until just now. When she first looked in his direction, Twilight couldn’t fail to notice the annoyance her eyes held. But upon looking at the stallion Lady Gray could not conceal her horror. Perhaps it was because of the look he was giving her along with his reputation as a gang leader that was the cause of this. Without bothering to excuse herself, Lady Gray all but galloped away from the pair. As she did, Twilight noticed Golden Spike shaking his head at all of this before he went after her.


“Well, that’s two mares you’ve chased off,” said Twilight after a moment. Her tone was neither playful nor was in scolding. Just simply stating facts as she turned to look at Dandy who was keeping his gaze on the retreating mare. “I take it you’ve met her before?”


“We’ve had words and nothing more, lovely,” replied Dandy, turning to look at Twilight. “Been doing a very disagreeable practice in my neck of the city. Don’t really care for it myself.” He paused for a moment to shoot a brief glance down where Lady Gray had vanished. “Nor for the mare herself, especially if the rumors are true.”


“Rumors other than running a tail raising business?” asked Twilight. Dandy nodded.


“Not the sort of stuff I’d expect the high and mighty around here to pay much attention to,” he began. “Those rumors have been spreading ever since she came to town a couple of months ago. See there was this one noble named Lady White Lightning. Came from one of those lower noble houses who had a large amount of golden grits to their name, a fancy title, and not much else. Don’t even know what they did for the courts! But Lady White, oh she took a shine to the witch Alabaster. At least that’s what I heard. Know for a fact that she never missed one of Alabaster’s parties and there were a few comments she made in the papers where she defended the witch. Heard she was even in the castle when the revolt started up, but never saw her there myself. But what I do know is that that very night, Lady White Lightning took her family fortune and vanished from sight.”


“So thestrals think that Lady Gray is White Lightning?” asked Twilight.


Dandy nodded. “That’s what they say,” he said. “Sort of fits since her name started floating around Darkmire Chapel in the south, close to where Lady White Lightning’s family lived. Been working in the tail raiser business ever since.” Dandy then paused to sigh. “But that’s just one of the nasty things I’ve heard tell about the mare. Most thestrals that come to me, they be telling stories about thinly veiled threats to join her operation. Not something they can go to the Clubbers with. He said she said situation and all. They know coming to good old Dandy gets the situation taken care of.”


“Well,” said Twilight. “Perhaps you should send a few of them to me from time to time? See if there is anything I can do for them myself? Or you could look into these rumors and see if there is anything to support them other than hearsay. I might be able to do something about it then.”


Dandy let out a laugh. “Of course, lovely, of course. Seeing her get the Arms Dealer treatment would be worth me doing a bit of extra leg and wing work. But aren’t we a sight right now. Working shop while a party goes on around us. Wouldn’t be right to let it all go to waste.”


“A Princess’s work is never over,” countered Twilight before she was surprised by Dandy holding out his hoof. Looking up at his face, Twilight saw that Dandy was smiling at her in a way that caused her cheeks to redden even more. It was clear, even to a socially awkward pony like her, what he was asking her. But…should she, a princess, accept this offer from a stallion with a reputation like Just Dandy’s? Would that not reflect-


“P-Princess?” Twilight let out a yelp and jumped in the air at the sudden voice that spoke out behind her. She turned around and saw that it was a mare about the same age as her own mother. She wore a ragged bonnet on her head and held an overused handkerchief in one hoof close to her face. Twilight could see it on the mare’s face that she had been crying recently, most likely whipping they away before speaking to Twilight.


“Yes?” Twilight asked gently.


“I…I heard that you were taking petitions,” the mare began, tears threatening to reappear. “Forgive me. I-I know you must be very busy tonight but I need your help. I just…I just don’t know who else to turn to.” With that, the mare suddenly threw herself onto Twilight as a dam burst. The mare began to cry openly onto Twilight’s shoulder loudly, quickly soaking Twilight gown. Not that Twilight minded at all. Quickly she shot a look at Dandy and he understood what she was silently saying.


“It’s alright,” said Twilight as softly as she could while leading the mare towards her office. “You can tell me everything.”
> New Adventures
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood on the zeppelin platform, staring at the same zeppelin that had brought her to Thunder Valley. Several thestrals were hard at work doing last minute maintenance, fluttering around the back engine to see if any of the parts had been corrupted. And those were just the ones Twilight could see through the lens of her gas mask. Inside it was no doubt a thousand times busier as the engineers were double and triple checking the engine to ensure that nothing would break down. Security was also hard at work with Overkill taking the lead as they swept the zeppelin for anything that could endanger her life. With her in charge of that, Twilight knew they would leave no stone or bolt left unchecked. She just hoped that Overkill wouldn’t rip through all the pillows searching for explosives or anything like that. While that was going on Spike was overseeing several members of the castle’s staff as they carried a small sample of her luggage into the dirigible. Mostly books with a small assortment of gowns for her to wear.


There was a small hint of nervousness since Twilight decided on venturing out into more of Thunder Valley. The only other time she had been out of the capital was when she had gone to visit Fort Chronostorm. In an odd way she had become used to this disgusting city as she learned its ins and outs. Leaving behind all of her responsibilities, ones that she had just taken up, in the hooves of others while she went to somewhere new was nerve racking. Not to mention the reason she was going.


-Flashback-


“Would you like some tea?” asked Twilight as she closed the door to her office moving towards her desk as she spoke. For a brief moment, Twilight marveled at how effective her office blotted out the noise of the party outside. Back in Equestria, she would have needed to cast noise dampening spells in order to reach the same effect and recasting them whenever they began to fade. But here, even though there were thousands of ponies just outside her door all Twilight could hear were the sounds of her own hoof steps along with the sniffles from the mare as she stood in front of her desk. That marvel, however, was pushed back as she came back to the reality of the situation before her.


“N-No,” whispered the mare, her lips trembling as she spoke. “Y-You’re already going through all the trouble j-just to see me. I…I don’t want to…” The mare paused to take several deep breaths as her body swayed from side to side. It seemed like she was doing everything she could to keep her emotions under control.


As Twilight sat down, she glanced at the other chairs in the room causing her to adopt a more panicked look. On the other side of the room were the same chairs where she had sat with Count Raven not too long ago. Why had she not done the same right off the bat? Sitting next to the mare would have been more comforting, would have helped put the mare more at ease. It’s what Princess Celestia would have done, right? Or perhaps since this was more official, with a stranger no less, she needed to show her some sort of authority? Like when she was listening to all those ponies who wanted her to grant them grits. Or maybe it was more simple: she just hadn’t been thinking about it! Was she doing a horrible job now? Would the thestrals kick her out because she didn’t know where to sit?


“P-Princess?” came the voice of the mare, causing Twilight to blink. The mare was looking at her funny, causing Twilight to wonder what her face must look like at that moment to receive such a look. After giving a laugh that sounded beyond uncomfortable even to her, Twilight did her breathing exercise to help get her under control. “So sorry about that. Now, what can I help you with Miss…”


“Midnight Snack. Mrs. Midnight Snack,” replied the mare before taking a deep breath. Twilight motioned her to sit which she did so. “It’s about my husband. He…He died. Not too long ago. And I want him back.”


“Oh,” began Twilight as she looked around the room nervously, tapping the tips of her hooves together while the mare dried her eyes again. She really should have seen a question like this coming at some point. Magic was powerful and useful, but it couldn’t solve every problem there was. She should know that better than anypony else. The number of times she tried to fix problems in Ponyville with her magic only to have them blow up in her face were too many to count. She still had nightmares from time to time about the parasprites! More than that, necromancy was a forbidden subject. Ever since she was a foal, it had been hammered into her skull that dark magics were forbidden and one of the darkest of all was necromancy! In fact, the punishment even for being caught with such a book was an instant life sentence!


Of course they were not in Equestria anymore, so she didn’t know if those laws still applied. Even so, there was no way she could ask Princess Celestia for one of those books. Princess Celestia would no doubt be disgusted by her, never wanting to speak to her again!


After a moment, Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m sorry,” she began. “But there is nothing I or my magic can do.” Midnight Snack looked up at her, her eyes widening as her mouth dropped. It was as if Twilight had suddenly sprouted a second head and Discord was doing a can-can dance in one of Fluttershy’s dresses right behind the purple princess. Before Twilight could say or do anything else, Midnight Snack brought both of her hooves to her mouth.


“Oh no,” she said with a sharp intake of breath. “That’s not what I…I wouldn’t presume you would…Oh my, oh my, oh my. Please, I’m so sorry I-”


Despite the panic before her, Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Ok then,” she said, interrupting the mare. “How about you start from the beginning.”


“Yes, I suppose I should,” said Midnight Snack as she nodded quickly. She then pulled out a picture from under her dress. Slightly crumpled and tear-stained, she placed it on Twilight’s desk before sliding it over to her. Looking down, Twilight saw a black and brownish picture of a stallion with a large mustache and mutton chops. “This is…was my husband, Midnight Oil. We were living together in Cogburn.”


Twilight nodded as she listened. She had heard of Cogburn before from both Count Raven as well as Wild Theory. According to Count Raven, the city of Cogburn was nestled in the middle of a series of mines, mostly coal, which provided a large portion of the country’s supply. From what she had heard, at least half of the city worked there mining the black rock in order to meet the ever growing demand. It did seem strange to her that the mines had yet to run dry yet given how much coal was needed on a daily basis, but she’d never had the time to investigate the issue. What’s more, Count Raven had informed her that Cogburn was the home of Duchess Blue Moon. It was from there that her family had presided over the region in service to the crown for many, many years.


“Was there an accident?” asked Twilight gently as she looked at the photo. According to what she had read about thestral law, serious mining accidents were supposed to be reported. From there, there was to be a lengthy overview of the situation involving members of Twilight’s staff along with the Duke or Duchess of that region. In this case, Blue Moon. They would then determine blame, if there could have been anything done to prevent such a thing, and even some minor compensation for the families who had lost loved ones. Sadly, it was very minor compensation. Not helped by the current grit problems the nation had suffered. While it was probably wrong for her to do so, Twilight could see the snotty mare choosing trying to hide this if she could. Blue Moon had always given off the air of a mare who cared more about appearances and her own superior status over the concerns of others. Her statements alone during their discussion over what to do with Arms Dealer was more than enough proof.


“Ah, sort of,” replied Mrs. Midnight. “He passed out on the job. By the time anypony noticed, it was too late. The mine officials checked his equipment and found there was an issue with his breather. He had been having trouble with it for a while and I told him to get it looked at. But he…he always told me he’d do it tomorrow.” Fresh tears began to appear on the mare’s face as she choked back a sob.


“Ok,” said Twilight slowly, leaning back against her chair slightly. Honestly she was having a hard time figuring out what was wrong and what Midnight Snack wanted. There was no accident or tampering with her late husband’s equipment, so there was no legal issue she could help her with. Even if she blamed the other workers, there was really very little she could do. Especially when she just admitted that Midnight Oil knew there was a problem with her equipment and hadn’t taken care of it himself. “What happened then?”


“Well,” continued Mrs. Midnight after loudly blowing her nose. “I was about to make funeral arrangements for my husband when Tinkers from the Underbelly Academy approached me. They wanted me to donate his body for medical experiments. Just for a while and then they’d return him for a proper burial.” Twilight nodded as she leaned in a bit forward. This was that part of Cogburn that she had heard about from Wild Theory. There were several different Academies stationed around Thunder Valley, filled with Tinkers and students. Black Snow, Sparklight, Ethermoore, and a few others she had heard about pumping out ideas to sell to the various companies and government. Underbelly had been the most recent she had heard about, Wild Theory having talked about the place several times since he had received a note from them.


Slowly, Twilight looked down at her desk in contemplation. Did this have something to do with that note? Also, what sort of medical experiments were they working on?


“Did you agree to this?” asked Twilight after looking up.


Mrs. Midnight nodded. “I did. I thought that maybe some good could come out of my husband’s death. They promised me that it would take a week, three at most, before they would conclude their experiments. But that was three months ago. I-I’ve gone to speak with the Tinkers there several times, and each time they assured me that he would be returned. It was just that their experiments were taking longer than expected. Then, about a month and a half ago, they refused to allow me to enter. They started claiming that they had never heard of Midnight Oil! So I went to the Clubbers, the courts, and even tried speaking with Duchess Blue Moon. None of them have done anything or even seemed willing to help!”


Midnight Snack paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before reaching out a hoof to touch Twilight’s desk. “That’s why I decided to come to you Princess. I know nothing will ever bring back my husband or will ever take his place. All I want is to let him rest in peace with a proper burial. Can you help me?”


-x-End Flashback-x-


“Your Grace,” said Count Raven, startling Twilight a bit. She turned around just in time to see him bowing before her. When he rose, the Count pulled out a clipboard from underneath his jacket. “Preparations for your trip are almost complete. The zeppelin is fully stocked and is just waiting on Your Grace’s personal bodyguard’s final inspection. We have received confirmation that Duchess Blue Moon has received Your Grace’s request to stay at her manor as Your Grace tours Cogburn. It has also been confirmed that she has accepted, albeit with some hesitation. I have also outlined Your Grace’s schedule in order to help with the appearance that this is a simple tour.”


“Thank you,” replied Twilight before glancing at the ground. She was glad for the mask she wore at that moment for she was sure that he would have seen her reluctance. After everything he had done that night after the morale booster to make all this possible. She had explained everything that had gone in between her and Mrs. Midnight. She had originally thought about sending the Underbelly Academy a letter detailing what she had been told while demanding an explanation. But what good would that do? If they were up to something, this would be like announcing to them that she was on to them. Their reply would be a complete denial of everything, disposing of any evidence before the letter arrived in her hooves. On the other hoof, what if this mare was lying to her? She didn’t want to doubt the poor mare, but she had to keep an open mind about such things. She could have been mistaken or just trying to hurt the Academy for some reason. Twilight just didn’t have enough proof on her side to start pointing her hoof at other ponies just yet.


Thankfully, Count Raven had an idea.


“Is something the matter Your Grace?” he asked. No doubt he had heard something of Twilight’s worries in her voice, despite the muffle.


Looking up, she nodded. “It just feels wrong to be doing all of this under a false pretense,” she admitted. “One of the Elements of Harmony is Honesty. But I’m going to Cogburn, lying to a lot of ponies about what I’m really doing. It just doesn’t seem like something a ruler should be doing.” Officially, this trip was announced as her getting to know the country better. As was thestral custom, she was staying at Duchess Blue Moon’s manor, which was a secure location, during her stay. While on the surface this was a tour of one of Thunder Valley’s great cities, only a few thestrals knew what was really going on. Naturally, Count Raven had suggested this, saying that the fewer ponies who knew about this the better. Then there was Overkill, who had agreed with the Count but was glad to be included. That made her job of protecting Twilight easier. Wild Theory knew as well since he had connections to the Academy and Twilight didn’t want to lie through her teeth time after time. And there was one more, one she hadn’t told anypony here of who she believed would be of great help.


Oh, and Spike of course. Can’t forget about Spike!


“Perhaps Your Grace needs to look at this from a different angle,” suggested Count Raven, putting the clipboard under a wing as he moved closer. When the older stallion spoke again, his words were softer so that nopony else could hear him. “In a sense, Your Grace is touring another city within Thunder Valley. Getting to know the thestrals who live there so that Your Grace may better rule over them. Therefore, Your Grace isn’t lying to anypony. The investigation is merely a side job. One that can be best accomplished if nopony is any the wiser of Your Grace’s true intentions. If nothing is discovered, then Your Grace simply had a nice trip. If something is uncovered, Your Grace will be there to right it.”


Twilight turned to look at Count Raven, giving him a small nod of understanding. “Did King Cobalt, ah, investigate his subjects the same way?” she asked.


“Officially, no,” said Count Raven before leaning in a bit closer. “But, off the record, more than once as did his father before him. There were a number of thestrals who approached His Former Grace with concerns, most of them being passed on to other officials who were better suited to dealing with them. But there was the rare occasion when a more troubling or concerning piece of news came to His Former Grace that caused him to look into things in such a manner. Generally he used a cover of visiting one of the Great Houses or a personal inspection. One time King Cobalt went to the Black Snow Academy, claiming that His Former Grace was rather bored just reading the reports and wanted to see things personally.”


“Why did he really go there?” asked Twilight, her heart thumping madly as she spoke.


“His Former Grace had been told by a reliable source that the Grand Tinker of the Academy was embezzling a large number of grits,” whispered Count Raven before shaking his head. “That they were using second hoofed, perhaps even third, equipment with the difference going into the Grand Tinker’s personal account. That he was falsifying official documents as well as paying off various other thestrals to cover all of this up. Now, normally, His Former Grace would have taken something like that with a grain of salt. However, the source approached King Cobalt after a rather nasty accident that blew a hole right through part of the Academy’s wall. His Former Grace arrived with little to find, everything was in order. In fact, I believe King Cobalt rather enjoyed getting out of the castle for a while and seeing all of the discoveries that they were making. So, in a sense, His Former Grace was truthful.”


Feeling more at ease, Twilight stepped back a bit to give them more natural room before nodding. She wished the Count could see her smiling at that moment, to know that this took a load off her mind. She still didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets like this, but he did have a point.


“So what happened after that?” she asked with a lighter tone in her voice.


“Well Your Grace, it turned out the one who had given the report was an ex-lover of the Grand Tinker,” replied the Count with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know what she was expecting to come with such a tale, but there you have it. If I recall, she still has five years on her sentence.”


“At least we know nothing was truly wrong,” said Twilight, surprised to hear about something like this. However, she shook it off before turning her attention back to the castle. Time to get back on track. “Are you sure you can manage everything while we’re gone?”


“I shall endeavor to proceed in a manner that befits Your Grace’s rule,” the Count said while giving her a slight bow. “Please feel at ease knowing that the castle will still be standing upon your return.”


Twilight let out a good natured laugh at that. “Perhaps it’ll be easier to do that since Overkill’s coming with us.”


Count Raven nodded. “Yes, that will save me some headaches. We won’t have to deal with the repairs of her shooting her alarm clock with her blunderbuss.” The older stallion then pulled out his clipboard once again, briefly looking down at it before speaking again. “There is one thing to note before Your Grace departs. General Steel Trap is heading down the border to run some practice drills in that region. He is claiming that he wants the army to be prepared for any possible invasion.”


Twilight didn’t answer right away, instead putting a hoof to her chin as she considered the General for a moment. She hadn’t heard much from him in recent nights. True to her last official meeting with the stallion, she had approved sending additional troops to the border in order to make sure that there wasn’t another ‘Rainbow Dash’ style incident. But beyond that there had been few words between them. Something that was more than likely a good thing. If nothing was being brought to her attention via him or his office, she had to assume that everything was good. Meaning he had nothing to complain about.


Was she worried he would use this opportunity to take over the kingdom while she was gone? Of course not. He could have done that very thing before she had ever showed up! On the other hoof, she did have concerns that something might happen with him putting all of those troops at the border. She doubted he would marshal them into Equestria unprovoked. He had been more concerned about keeping the rest of the world out rather than charging head first into the unknown. Yet if something were to happen, if something from the outside were to provoke him with all of those troops there, there was a chance he might act up.


“Very well,” said Twilight after putting her hoof down. “However, if anything gets out of control, contact me as quickly as possible. I’ll do the same if I get a message from Princess Celestia.”


“As you command Your Grace,” replied Count Raven with a short bow. Once the stallion had risen and was about to put away his clipboard a blur came past him, spinning him around some only to be stopped thanks to Twilight’s magic.


“Hey Twi,” said Rainbow Dash as she fluttered above their heads. Looking up at her newly freed friend, Twilight was a little disappointed in what she was wearing. It looked like it had been made from an old potato sack, stitched together with thick string that one could spot from a mile away while also being a little tight. Both her goggles and mask appeared to have been integrated into the design so that they were a part of the suit. It was functional, but even to a mare like Twilight it was a bit of an eye sore just looking at it.


“Rainbow Dash! What are you wearing?!” asked Twilight.


“My new team uniform. Duh,” was the answer her airborne friend gave. Rainbow then did a midair backflip as if to show off more of her attire. But it only showed off the crude stitching along the back. “Made most of it myself to make sure it wouldn’t weigh me down or anything. So,” she paused for a moment to rub her hooves together, “when do I meet my new recruits? Time’s a-wasting till the next Friendship Games.”


In order to get her focus back before answering, Twilight shook her head several times. “I heard that they will be showing up within the next several nights. So hopefully you’ll be able to give me a full assessment before we return. A few of them are from the military, finishing off their paperwork before they can be officially transferred. Others are coming from the streets.”


Slumping her shoulders, Rainbow lowered herself to the ground looking like she were being lowered to the ground by a cable attached to her back. Clearly, this was not the answer she had been hoping for. “Oh, come on! These thestrals should be knocking themselves over for a chance to learn from the fastest pegasus in Equestria.”


“Sorry Rainbow,” replied Twilight, a slight giggle in her tone. “But I’m pretty sure none of them have ever heard of you before.”


For a moment Rainbow looked at the ground, before slowing raising her head in an awkward manner. “Well then, since there’s nothing for me to do here, then maybe I could go with you guys?”


“Out of the question,” said Twilight at once, much to the surprise of Rainbow. Dash looked ready to deliver a retort but for once Twilight beat her to the punch. “Just because your team isn’t here doesn’t mean that you get out of community service. I left a list of things for you to do with Count Raven.”


“Come on Twi,” begged Rainbow, but Twilight shook her head in immediate response.


“I’m sorry Rainbow,” said Twilight as she approached her friend. “I’d love to make an exception for you to come with us. But with you just getting out of jail and then going on a trip with us, it might send the message to the thestrals that I am going easy on you. Also you need to make good on the promise we made.” Now standing next to Rainbow, she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “But once this new team is up and running and some time has passed, I promise you can start heading out with us like before.”


Rainbow lowered her head for a moment before slowly raising it. “I guess,” she said in a reluctant tone.


“Good,” said Twilight with a nod as she turned to look at Count Raven. “Now then, please tell me when we are ready to go. There are a few more lists, schedules, and organizational charts I’d like to make-” Twilight stopped as one of her maids came bursting through the door leading into the castle. Twilight’s eyes widened, for this maid was flying in the air, one hoof holding up a silver tray while the other was busy trying to put her mask on correctly! Remembering the dangers of her first time outside in Thunder Valley, Twilight’s horn lit to create a bubble around the mare while doing her best to remove the pollution inside of it as the mare continued to run. It had been done more out of instinct than anything else, for the mare quickly put her mask on allowing Twilight to cancel her short-lived spell.


“Your Grace,” gasped the mare as she landed, quickly bowing to Twilight while still hold the tray. Twilight glanced at it, wondering what was on it that could have caused the maid to act in such a manner as to risk her life. Hopefully it wasn’t a snack or anything like that. If it had been, it would no doubt be inedible now due to the soot. It wasn’t. In the very center was a letter, weighed down by a large wax seal.


“T-This letter just arrived for you Your Grace,” continued the mare as she rose up. “We were told to deliver it before Your Grace left.”


“Thank you,” said Twilight as her horn began to glow, picking up the letter. “But, next time, please be more careful with your health.”


“Of course Your Grace, of course,” said the mare as she bowed once more before backing away.


Twilight rolled her eyes slightly, glad that her mask hid this from everypony as she examined the letter closer. Nothing had been written on the front, but the wax seal did have two elegantly written letters in the center. The letters JD. Her heart rate began to quicken as she broke the seal, pulling out the letter instantly. The script was short, only a few vague sentences that would mean nothing to anypony other than Twilight. Most likely done should her staff open it in her stead.


“Is something the matter Your Grace?” asked Count Raven.


“Nothing is wrong,” replied Twilight as she folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. “However there is something that I will need to take care of personally. Please inform the crew that, should they finish the inspection, that I will be back as soon as possible.” Count Raven did not say anything at first. He merely looked at Twilight with what she guessed was a curious expression. He then looked over at Rainbow whom she saw out of the corner of her eyes had simply shrugged.


“Very well Your Grace,” he said at last. He didn’t sound annoyed or angry. Nor did he enquire as to what she was doing. It seemed like he was simply going to trust her.


As her horn began to glow, she was glad for it. Then, right before she teleported away, she vowed she would not let that trust be in vain.


-x-


A moment later, Twilight reappeared in a familiar spot. It was at the boxed in area of the alleyway where she had first met Just Dandy and his crew. Looking around, she could see fresh soot had fallen on the many large crates that lined up and were stacked against the walls. Turning her head to look behind her Twilight saw that there were two thestrals standing in the thin alley with their gaze focused on the entrance. Perhaps more were out there on the rooftops to ensure that no thestral disturbed them.


Twilight stood there for a minute or so before the sound of leathery wings flapping in the air caught her attention. Looking upwards, she saw the figure of her friend on the streets descending to the ground. Two others were there with him but they stayed airborne as Dandy landed gently on the ground, making sure not to kick up too much soot.


“Thank you for getting back to me so quickly,” said Twilight as she approached Just Dandy.


“It was nothing,” replied the gang leader, using one of his wings to brush off some soot from his coat. “But I do have to apologize for not getting us a reservation at someplace more fancy. I mean, this is our third meeting. Surely a stallion such as myself should be doing more to impress such a fine mare such as yourself. Yet that might draw too much attention.” A small smile and blush appeared on Twilight face, thankfully hidden behind her mask. For a moment, she wondered if he was just being charming or serious. Yet those thoughts had to wait for now as there were bigger things on her mind.


“I’ll pencil something in for later,” said Twilight, earning a cocked head from Just Dandy. “Sorry to get right down to business, but my zeppelin is just about ready to go. So we sort of have to do this quickly.”


“Yes,” said Dandy, his voice slightly shaky. As Twilight pulled her head back in surprise, the stallion placed a hoof to his throat before clearing it. When he spoke next, he sounded more like his usual self. “I mean, yes, I have some place that needs attending to as well lovely.


“After you told me what was going on, I got on the wire to this lass I know down in Cogburn. Nice little miss, she is. Can bust heads and make a nice plate of cookies. Turns out, she was considering contacting me for some help for some time. See, a lot of them homeless fillies and colts are going missing over there. Not a lot mind you. Maybe one to three a week. Just up and vanishing without a trace.”


Twilight frowned at this. “And the Clubbers aren’t doing anything about it?”


Dandy let out a humorless laugh. “To be fair to them, none of their friends are willing to set hoof in them Clubber offices. Snatched one too many loaves of bread and picked too many pockets to be considered trustworthy. And those good folks who do take them in and give them a roof to sleep under only do so for the short term. If they don’t come back then they just assume they be heading to other places. But them foals, they be talking to each other and noticing something is happening. Asking around the place, looking for their friends. One thing kept coming back: those young ones were last seen with a Tinker from the Academy.”


Twilight felt like she couldn’t frown any deeper at that moment. She had known about this problem for some time now and it tore her up knowing that nothing had been done about it. A part of her tried to argue that she had so much to fix that it was impossible to do everything at once. That she had been dealing with the Dealer rape and the fallout. That as well as the budget problem which was just recently getting better. Now she was in a position to actually do something about it. But no, Twilight wasn’t going to let herself get away with those excuses for not doing anything sooner. Not when pony’s lives were at stake here.


Yes, that would be the next thing to deal with on her very long to-do list. But first, she needed to figure this out. She could understand why the Academy wanted to take Midnight Oil’s body. That much wasn’t unheard of back in Equestria. But what she didn’t get was why they would lie about it now. And why would they be after foals? What were they experimenting on that would be so important that they would grave rob and foalnap?


“Thank you Dandy,” said Twilight as she gave the crime lord a short bow. Truly, she meant those words. The reason she had contacted him was not just because she believed she could trust him, but he might also have knowledge that would not have moved through the proper channels. Things that might not have reached her ears. “I’ll be sure to look into this while I’m in Cogburn.”


“Never a doubt in my mind, lovely,” replied Dandy as he bowed back. “You’re the gear who will help get this system back on track. Me? I’m just a tiny spec of oil trying his best to help you along.”


“Oh, well,” stammered Twilight, her feathers ruffling and her cheeks burning from the compliment. “You, ah, shouldn’t sell yourself so short.” Her words came out as barely a squeak, feeling awkward even to her ears as she said it. She had no idea why for Twilight had been complimented many times in her life, even by Princess Celestia. So why did this stallion have such an effect on her like this? Maybe one of her books had the answer!


“Lovely,” said Dandy as he regained her focus. “If you need an extra hoof, seek out Burnt Biscuit. That lass will help you with anything you need. Now, best we both be off. Wouldn’t want either of our reps get any favors being seen like this.” Twilight nodded and, in a flash, vanished from sight.


-x-


Lady Gray stood within her apartment as she gazed out the window. With a glass of wine in her hoof, she gazed at the castle far off in the distance with the moon looming behind it while specks of soot fell to the earth like snow. In the background, soft, elegant music played from a record player she had scrounged up. It stood not too far from her, standing as tall as a table on four wooden legs. Tubes ran from it to the fireplace, helping to heat the chemicals that allowed the advanced motor to work with having to turn a crank. The top was open, revealing the single record as it spun round and round while its music came out of two elegant horns that rose far above Lady Gray’s head. Yet her attention was not on the music. It all seemed to be drowned out as she stared up at the castle, her eyes focused on the zeppelin that was parked at its airway.


The grey-coated mare pursed her lips slightly as she stared, slight irritation running through her. For a moment she broke her gaze to glance at the bedroom where a figure stood in the shadows, gazing back at her. One who wore a dress of pure white fabric with golden pearl sewn into it. Taking a breath and extending her wings, Lady Gray turned her attention back to the window with renewed focus.


As hard as it was for her, she had made mistakes. Costly ones that she was forced to chide herself for. Credit to where it was due, she had managed to run a successful business using the trash of this poor nation. As long as there were enough desperate mares out there who were willing to sell their dignity in order to stay alive she had a steady stream of income to be used to return the true Princess to her rightful place. Not only that, Lady Gray also had a wellspring of dirt she could use for leverage when the time was right. But for some unknown reason, Just Dandy, that dirty street thug, had a problem with how she treated those tail raisers. It was because of that he refused to listen to a good deal when presented to him. That and she would have a target put on her back should she try to venture too close to his territory. Then there was her failure with Arms Maker. Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered, gaining all those weapons but having nopony to use them. Still, if she had access to such an armory cache then taking this kingdom from those traitorous foals would have been so much simpler. Yet she had failed to convince him and that was sadly on her. Lady Gray had waited for a moment to get dirt on him and instead this wonderful opportunity fell into her lap as if it had been giftwrapped by the Three Guides themselves. She should have pressed him harder or done more instead of banking everything on the idea that he would have done anything to save the life of that creature he called a son. At the very least she had managed to cover her tracks. Everypony believed that he had killed himself in his grief. That was good.


But her latest failure was the worst. So bad that just thinking about it over the course of the last few nights caused her to nearly throw something, anything, through her window. Going to the purple cow’s ‘morale booster’ had been a calculated effort on her part. A chance to get close to some of the higher class as well as possibly catch the ear of the usurper to the true princess of this great land. But it had been so long since she had walked through those great halls that she got caught up in the moment, not helped by finding out that the great plans for the flying mansion had been slashed by that bitch! She had slipped up, barely able to cover her tracks. What was even more infuriating was that bloke Just Dandy had somehow managed to get into her good graces.


A growl escaped Lady Gray’s thought as she thought of those two together. Two problems she was having working together. Well she knew his real game. ‘Princess’ Twilight Sparkle must have low tastes if she found filth like him charming in the slightest. That Just Dandy must be so pleased with himself, probably already planning what to do with all the grits he would gain by simply asking her to-


Lady Gray paused for a moment, exhaling before taking a sip of her wine. No, now was not the time to be angry. Now was the time to step up her game if she wanted to return this land’s true Princess to power. For a moment, she glanced back at the doorway whose occupant had not left. She needed more power, more muscle, more grits if she was going to see Princess Alabaster reclaim her rightful place.


For a moment, the mare stood there musing as she sipped her wine once more. Outside of her window, the zeppelin began to move away from the castle. Taking the purple cow with her, out of the capital and away from her. If she wanted to win, she would need to play the long game better. She would not be dealing with the helpless and gritless any longer. She would be going up against those who had everything she did not.


Briefly a smile crossed her muzzle. What did her father say to her so often? Those who have everything have more to lose? Yes, that would be fitting.


Walking over to the nearby table, Lady Gray set down her glass before looking over at the doorway again. “I’ll be back in a while. There is somepony I need to see.” Without waiting for a reply or anything else, Lady Gray walked over to get her coat and mask. It was time to use some of that well collected dirt.
> Welcome to Cogburn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The sudden, fuzzy voice jolted Twilight from the tome she had been immersed in for the last several hours. Her quarters had been silent for so long that the sudden appearance of any sound caused Twilight to nearly knock down the two large stacks of books on either side of her. Luckily that did not happen, as some of them might have fallen on her Number One Assistant who was off reading his comic books. As her heart rate slowly returned to normal, Twilight looked around at the three others who were with her. Overkill was on the floor, her blunderbuss in pieces as she worked diligently to reassemble it after a good cleaning. One of many she had done during this two night trip. The mare’s hooves were slick with oil and grease making the purple princess silently glad she had declined the offer of reading one of Twilight’s many books. The one who had taken up that offer was Wild Theory, who now had two thick tomes sitting next to him and one in his hooves. While Twilight had brought with her books from both Thunder Valley and Equestria ranging across a wide array of topics, Wild Theory seemed more interested in Equestrian history and legends.


Once again the voice repeated itself allowing a memory to stir within the purple princess. She recalled a similar voice coming from the walls of this very zeppelin when she first arrived. Just like the one she had in her office. Taking a breath Twilight stood up, stretching her wings before trotting over to the other side of the room and pressing the button she recalled Count Raven pressing at the time.


“This is Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she said.


“This is Captain Blasted Weather,” came the fuzzy voice from the wall. “I wish to inform the princess that we shall be arriving at our destination shortly.”


“Thank you Captain,” replied Twilight as she turned to look at her companions. Already, Theory was returning the books he had borrowed from Twilight while Overkill picked up the pace on her own project. The only one not putting stuff away was Spike, who had several of his comics sprawled on the seat next to him. Rolling her eyes at this, Twilight returned her attention back to the communication device. “We shall be preparing to disembark. Please keep us informed as well as giving my compliments to the crew for such a safe journey.”


There was a brief pause as Twilight took her hoof off the button as if the pony on the other side was shocked or something. “I shall pass along your majesty’s wishes,” said the Captain at last, the stallion’s voice sounding normal. “Have a safe visit Princess.”


As Twilight felt the zeppelin begin its descent she trotted over to the window. Already small amounts of soot were beginning to gather on glass surface, the first time this had happened since they had left the capital. It had been nice to see, once more, the sights of Thunder Valley that were not filled with large factories. One of which was the Ironbark Forest, a lush area with trees that had trucks so thick that three of them could probably support the entire Canterlot Castle! Then there was their size! Their zeppelin actually had to adjust its height just to stay above these mammoth trees, nearly all of them taller than the buildings in Manehatten! Beneath their greenish black leaves, Twilight had seen a rustling in several spots and more than once she thought she saw a head poking out of the canopy as they passed by. She only wished the zeppelin could have slowed down to see if these faces were ponies or some other race that lived within the forest.


“Probably just rebels or outcasts,” Overkill had commented when Twilight voiced this without looking up from her work. “The dense forest makes it hard for the military to bring in some of its bigger equipment and weapons. That, along with the vast area that it covers, makes it an ideal place for them to hide out. Live like savages, they do.”


Twilight had briefly glanced over at her personal guard at that, wondering what she meant. She knew that Overkill had no love of rebels whose actions had led to the deaths of many of her comrades. It was certainly possible that she naturally always thought the worst of those types of ponies. Or it could be that she might know more about how they lived, waiting for Twilight to inquire more. It was tempting, but since Spike was here Twilight really didn’t want Overkill to say something that would give the baby dragon nightmares for the next three weeks. Plus, knowing Overkill, she would probably say that they were savages because they used spears to help collect their food instead of grenades.


Still, Twilight was intrigued by the idea of outcasts living in the forest. Who were they? Why had they become outcasts? Were they ponies who had failed to pay their taxes or had they simply had enough of the government and went into hiding? Were they sick of the constant pollution, deciding to live their lives in tune with nature? Perhaps she might be able to get more information out of Count Raven. He would know the more ‘official’ reasons.


After several hours after leaving the forest, Twilight beheld what was called the Eclipsed Lake. As they flew over the dark water with the light of the moon being reflected off it at them, Wild Theory began dropping trivia about the lake which surprised Twilight. If the size of it was to be believed, it was just shy of being considered a fresh water ocean by Equestrian standards! It was also surprising to hear, as well as to see, that ponies lived on Eclipsed. More than once the zeppelin flew over metallic cities that floated on the water that from her pegasi-eyed view looked like giant octopi. Each one had a rounded center with eight ‘tentacles’ moving out from the bottom before they wrapped around large towers at their end.


“Each one of those towers serves a specific purpose,” Wild Theory had explained, pointed a hoof at one of them as they passed overhead. “Some of those towers are water treatment facilities, sucking up the water below and ensuring that they are safe to drink. Other towers also suck up the water to be sent to boilers to help with power generation. But all of them have something else. See that blinking red light on top of each? Well that’s to help thestrals who get lost. It’s a big, big, big lake and very easy to get lost. Nothing scarier than flying for hours trying to find your way back home, wings beginning to ache and could fall into the water at any moment. You wouldn’t want that. No, no, no. Some nasty creatures that live in those waters.”


That had sent a chill down Twilight’s spine. Having not been born with wings she still had some trouble with directions in the air. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to fly over something so large without any markers to help guide her. Maybe, possibly, Rainbow could do it but that would be a stretch. Not only that, but to think that there could be creatures lurking in the waters ready to gobble up a pony was not a very pleasant thought.


Now they were back in what Twilight was considering familiar territory. A vast city close to the mountain range that surrounded Thunder Valley could be seen, with dozens of train tracks heading in and out in almost every direction. Within the city, Twilight could see large masses of buildings made of brick and appearing to be three to four stories tall filling an entire block at a time along the dirty streets. Some of these buildings had tracks on top, with metal bridges connecting one building to another. Like in Automahollow, a vast system of metal tubes ran along these buildings and connected them. She also spotted similar looking factories here and there, nowhere near as many as in the capital but still enough that ash and soot flicked down like snow.


Looking about, Twilight noticed that many of the pipelines headed towards the center of the town. Instead of a town hall, statue, or anything else Twilight was used to seeing in such a location, there was a hole. It was a massive one, having (at a glance) a radius of several hundred yards. The pipes came from all directions and, if they were water, flowed down along the sides of the hole so that the rocky earth could not be seen. Smoke and other gasses rose up towards the night sky making Twilight hope that no thestral would be so foolish as to fly into it. Thankfully she spotted several thestrals standing near its edge by a long, metal rectangle on the ground which opened up to allow a lift to rise to the surface. She watched with interest as several of the leather winged ponies left the lift before those waiting entered, the lift moving down once they were all onboard. Perhaps this was the Underbelly Academy. If so it certainly seemed to live up to its name.


As Twilight gaze moved past the tower, she spotted a less ‘pristine’ part of the Cogburn. Resting near a large cave entrance was a cluster of buildings that looked haphazardly built on top of each other. Made of lost brick and wood, these building went up higher than the ones near the Underbelly Academy. Using her magic, Twilight zoomed in to see that chimney stacks were coming out of poorly cut holes at the sides of the buildings as if the upper sections were an afterthought. And when a passing train roared past them, the buildings shook so viciously that Twilight feared that they would collapse if not for the support of the large pipes connected to the sides.


Of course, the zeppelin did not head in the direction of the cave. Instead it flew over the city towards a building that made Twilight’s stomach turn. A manor sat in the middle of a small lake with high metal bars that ended in nasty spikes surrounding it. While any thestral could easily fly both of these obstacles the message it sent was clear: it was separate from the rest of the world. As for the manor itself, it looked like something that anypony in Canterlot would have loved to own. Made of light brownish stonework, the building stood four stories tall. On both its sides were long stretches with archways covered in bronze vines and metallic flowers. One side was probably used as a grand dining room while the other was probably a ballroom used for official functions. In the middle, the building was built a bit more bulky while maintaining an elegant appearance with a single connected tower on its side.


That was their destination: the home of Duchess Blue Moon.


-x-


“Yes, welcome Princess,” said the Duchess, nose high in the air as Twilight and her company entered the building. Her tone was close to sounding arrogant as well as patronizing while her lips twitched as if she had just smell something rotten in her presence. It could have been Wild Theory with his wild mane and untidy appearance or Overkill with her guns and axe strapped on filling the room with the scent of oil. It could have been the sight of Spike, a dragon. Or even Twilight herself. Perhaps it was all of them. On both sides of the Duchess were two sets of maids who bowed deeply in respect. It was only after a moment that the Duchess followed suit.


“Thank you for having us,” replied Twilight as she bowed back. In contrast to her host, Twilight did her best to keep her tone light and friendly despite the problems she had with the place. She did not feel like Blue Moon should be keeping herself isolated from the rest of the town or the region that she was in charge of. However, for the sake of the task before her, she held her tongue.


As the ponies rose, Twilight turned around to look at the room. On the opposite side of the large room was large with a grand marble staircase (which matched the floors) which spiraled upwards to the second floor. Behind her, Twilight had noticed a bronze lift when she entered which skipped the second floor all together. Fake plants made of solid bronze lined the walls with gear shaped flowers, barely obscuring the ugly brown and white striped wallpaper with portraits hanging off of them.


“It would have been a disgrace to my rank to refuse a member of the crown,” replied Blue Moon stiffly as she approached Twilight. With each step she took, the click of her hooves echoed around the room. Looking down from her nose the older mare’s gaze looked like it was trying to burn Twilight on the spot…and being angered that it wasn’t working. “Even if said member is only there in a potentially temporary basis. Had you been anypony else I would have refused for the shortness of notice. Tell me Princess Twilight, is it customary in Equestria to make spur of the moment vacation decisions and inconvenience others in the process? Or is it that ponies in Equestria lack the consideration?”


As the Duchess stopped before her, Twilight did her best to remain calm. Since the moment Twilight had met Blue Moon, her impression was that she was an arrogant and uncaring noble. A vain creature who cared more about her appearance than anything else. What made it worse was that she was one of the ponies who would decide Twilight’s fate. It was possible that any small slight or even a perceived one would be used against Twilight. Not to mention Blue Moon getting in Twilight’s way during this trip. So once again Twilight held her tongue and kept her composure


“I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” said Twilight politely. “It was never my intention to slight you or trouble you in any way. I merely wished to see this important city for myself and get to know the ponies that live here if I should become Queen.”


For a moment, Blue Moon continued to stare at Twilight with her nose still upturned before quickly spinning around. “I suppose I should accept your apology Princess,” she said as she walked back to her maids. “But please, while you are here, do me the honor of sparing me any false pretenses and flattery. Such meaningless things are heard far too often and as such I have little time for them. As well as the ponies who use such tactics.”


“Oh, come now mother,” came a loud voice from behind Twilight. “The Princess was just trying to show you some common courtesy. Nothing underhooved about that at all!” Twilight turned around in time to see a stallion around her age stepping out of the lift. He grinned broadly, his teeth even twinkling slightly as he approached them. His coat was a very dark brown with a mane of black containing a single streak of grey in it, slicked back in wave like fashion. This stallion wore a tailcoat jacket with bronze gear shaped buttons and a top hat with four large gears on its side.


A low growl escaped Blue Moon’s throat. “Princess, this is my son and successor Blood Moon,” she said with even more stiffness in her voice than before.


“A pleasure to meet you,” said Twilight as she bowed to the future Duke. As she raised herself, Twilight found her hoof in the gentle grasp of Blood Moon who stared at her with those yellow slitted eyes of his.


“The pleasure is all mine,” he said in a husky whisper before kissing Twilight’s hoof. Twilight looked back in shock at this, but a much weaker version of it than when Just Dandy had done the same thing. Perhaps it was because Just Dandy had surprised her, with that being the first time she had been kissed in such a manner. Now she was certainly more on her guard especially when the nobles were concerned. Whatever the case, Blood Moon never flinched even as Overkill pulled out one of her small, hoof held blunderbuss and pointed at him. Or as Spike snorted green flames while his claws cracked.


“Ah, well maybe we should put our luggage away before we visit the Academy,” said Wild Theory nervously as he looked between Spike and Overkill to Twilight and Blood Moon. “Yes, yes, yes. One of the places we wanted to see. Important to the city and the country.”


“The servants will get that for you,” said Blood Moon as he released Twilight’s hoof. As Twilight pulled her hoof away Blood Moon looked over at the maids who, after a single nod from the stallion, began to put on the masks before heading out towards the zeppelin, leaving the glaring Duchess to stand alone. “I do hope that you enjoy your stay in our corner of Thunder Valley Princess. Rest assured that our Great House shall extend every courtesy to ensure this. I shall have our carriage prepared and ready to take you to the Underbelly or anywhere else you would like to go while you are here.”


There was an awkward silence for a moment as Twilight stood there, with the hoof Blood Moon had kissed slightly in the air. The offer was kind and he seemed far more friendly than Blue. Yet there was something amiss that Twilight couldn’t quite put her hoof on. It could be that she had expected him to be more vain or selfish like Crystal Bell…but no, that wasn’t it. Was it the disconnect from such a warm reception from him while his mother’s was icy? Maybe, but it felt like there was something more. In any case, she should at least try to be friendly with him until she found out what this feeling was.


“Thank you,” said Twilight as she put her hoof down. At the same time, Overkill slowly began to put her weapon away. “Your offer is very kind.”


“Hmm, I suspect then I will be without a mode of transportation during your stay here then,” said Blue Moon, gaining everypony’s attention once more. “Another inconvenience that I shall have to deal with.”


“Oh come now mother,” said Blood imploringly as he stepped forward. “We have guests from the capital who wish to see our city! Surely they may use our carriage for a little while. And we can always send a wire out to the city to get rental.” At that, Blue Moon made a face that allowed Twilight to see inside her nostril.


“A rental?!?” she hissed, her voice seething with anger. “To have something like that fall upon our Great House…just to get around…if your father were still alive…” The mare looked besides herself in anger as her eyes darted from Blood to Twilight and then back to Blood. As if she couldn’t figure out who she was more angry with.


“Mother, please be reasonable,” urged Blood as he took another step forward. “Surely it is not that big of a deal. You barely ever use the one we have.” Blue Moon said nothing in response. She looked like she had had enough of this conversation, turning around and heading up the steps without another word. By the time the maids had reentered the house Blue Moon was in a room on the second floor, slamming it behind her so that its sound echoed through the chambers.


“Well, she seems huffy,” said Spike.


“Spike!” snapped Twilight as she shot the dragon a quick glare. She then turned to look at Blood who had turned to look at the group once again. “I am so sorry about that. The last thing I wanted to do was to cause problems between the two of you.”


“No offence taken,” said Blood Moon while waving it off. “Truth be told, I rather agree with the, ah, tiny lizard-dragon fellow you keep in your company. I have seen my mother act like that all my life, even when my father was still alive. How that stallion ever managed to bed a creature with an icebox for a heart is beyond me.” He then let out a sigh before smiling. “Now, allow me to call up the carriage. Normally I would insist that you all rest up from your travels, but I understand your desire. The Underbelly Academy is a must see for anypony out there that loves learning.”


“Oh, did you attend?” asked Twilight, tilting her head as Blood Moon walked over to the nearby wall.


“That was my desire,” replied the future Duke as he turned his head to give Twilight a half lidded smile. “During my younger nights, I studied hard so that I could be admitted into its great halls. Sometimes I would study until the sun was high into the sky and the stars were nowhere to be seen.”


“I understand that feeling,” said Twilight with a soft smile on her face. “When I was younger, I wanted to attend Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. So I studied nearly every book I could get my hooves on and practiced my magic. Sometimes I would even fall asleep on my books.” The purple alicorn paused for a moment, her cheeks beginning to glow red. “I might have had to learn a certain spell along the way to protect the books from drool.”


“Ah, Twilight, all books require that spell even when you’re awake,” said Spike with a smug look on his face.


In response, Twilight’s jaw opened as a few indistinct sounds were heard. “That’s not true!” she stated as her eyes darted back and forth, her cheeks burning even brighter as she did so.


Blood Moon chuckled at this. “I see you understand my passion,” he said. “Truly, there is nothing nobler than the pursuit of knowledge.” Twilight watched as his expression shifted as he spoke. From good humor to that of deep admiration. An expression she had seen many of her long time teachers back in Canterlot get when they talked about the importance of learning. Well, the good ones anyways. There were those who were doing it solely for the paycheck. But, there was a short pause before his face became somber and his shoulders slumped a bit. “What I would have given to have been admitted.”


“They turned you down?” asked Spike as he raised an eyebrow. “Couldn’t your parents pull some strings or something?”


“It’s not that simple Spike,” said Wild Theory while Twilight shot Spike another look. “The Academies take the selection of their students very, very, very seriously. They have to be because the class work is demanding that most students crack under the pressure in their first year. Not to mention the graduation project at the end of the rails. If parents did pull strings or gave the Academy a large donation of grits, it would end up being for a worthless scrap of paper.”


“Because nopony would ever take them seriously as a tinker,” continued Overkill with a nod. “It’s like in the military, we don’t just let some spoiled nobles jump up the ranks just because the family has grits or has influence. It would undermine the very system that was created! Not to mention that it would be hard from anypony under that spoiled, pompous, grime stain’s command to take his orders seriously when everypony there is far more competent.” Overkill then turned to look at Blood Moon with a curious look on her face. “But, then again, most thestrals from noble families don’t send their foals to the military or the Academies. Such things are beneath them and blah, blah, blah. Seems a little odd that your parents would consider sending you to the Underbelly.”


“Well, you’re not entirely wrong,” admitted Blood calmly. “My parents did believe that it was a waste of my time and effort learning things of that nature. ‘We have servants for that’, they would say. So I had to convince them. Something I wish had been easy, but alas it wasn’t. Looking back some of my ideas were very juvenile in both their thought process as well as execution. In the end, I managed to stumble upon an idea: if I understood more about the processes of engineering and other forms of tinkering, then I would be better set to decide where the family’s grits were spent. Better able to make wise business investments. This seemed to do the trick…or they were merely tired of my whining and simply gave in. It doesn’t matter in the end; I barely scraped by on the written portion and utterly failed the practical test.”


“I’m so sorry,” said Twilight automatically, her ears flattening as she spoke. Hearing this caused her mind to think back on the day of her big test all on its own. How she was presented an egg and expected to hatch it all on her own. The fear and panic coursing through her as the seconds ticked by, her desperation as the future she wanted slipped through her hooves. If it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash’s first Sonic Rainboom she might have had a similar experience as Blood Moon.


Yet, while this was going on in her head, there was another thought creeping around in the background. That this story of his seemed too close to what happened to herself. Perhaps meant to manipulate her in some way? But that was unlikely. Very few ponies back in Equestria knew about that and certainly nopony in Thunder Valley knew either. She pushed the thoughts aside, yet did not dismiss them entirely. Not yet anyways.


“Thank you Princess,” said the future Duke as he bowed his head. “The winding of time has done much to heal those old scars. But that does not mean I am not interacting with Underbelly. I may not have trotted down its halls as a student, but as a backer and benefactor, I am quite active.” The stallion then turned around before speaking again. “I shall inform Dr. Sparks, the head of the tinkers, that you will be arriving soon so that he may properly welcome you.”


-x-


At the same time, Night Shredder fought not to yawn from inside his mask. As a soldier of the mighty Thunder Valley Army such an action was not tolerated while on duty. He should always remain alert, ready for action at a moment’s notice. Especially given the nature of his job, for he was tasked the duty of manning one of the many mighty cannons situated on the surface of the cliffs. His duty was to fire at any siege equipment brought in from Equestria or anything else that might be considered a threat to his homeland. Around him were some of the best shooters in the military, equipped with long range blunderbusses for single targets. Finally, if whatever foolish force survived all of this, several zeppelins were waiting. So, Night Shredder knew he must stay alert.


“Shredder, you there?” came a mare’s voice from above. With a hoof reaching back to take hold of his blunderbuss, Shredder looked up before relaxing his grip. It was Star Flung, looking down at him with her mask off!


“What are you doing here?” asked Shredder as he pulled out a pocket watch. “Your shift doesn’t start for an hour. And you’re not fully in uniform!”


Star rolled her eyes at that as she landed, the beat of her wings kicking up small amounts of dust as she did so. “Relax there,” she said. Calmly, Star reached for a thermos attached to her hind leg. The metal tube had on it a handle that looked like three pipes of different lengths had been wielded together with a temperature gauge attached to it. After setting it down Star turned to her other hind leg, taking off a small survival dining ware set which included two small tin cups. “Just finished heating up the last of the good stuff the missus made before we left. Thought you might like some before it cools down.”


Shredder stared as Star began to twist the cap of the thermos off, glad the lens of his mask hid the hungry expression in his eyes. Once the cap off his mouth began to water as he remembered just how good Star’s wife made everything. Made him wish he had gotten hitched. Slowly, he glanced around looking for signs of trouble or one of their commanding officers flying about. Thankfully he saw nothing but an empty path through the mountains.


“You should still be in uniform,” Shredder said stiffly, still debating if he should relax.


Star snorted loudly as she began to pour them the drinks. “Oh please,” she said dismissively. “Spare me the good soldier routine for a moment. Who is going to notice? All we have seen around here are rocks for the last few weeks! And you can’t tell me you don’t want to take off that mask. Not with all this fresh air around here. Come on.”


Shredder watched as Star picked up one of the cups and handed it to him. The stallion’s heart began to race as he kept his eyes glued to the cup as wisps of steam spiraled above it. He knew the reasons for keeping the masks on: unity and intimidation. If he was found on duty without his mask on he would be facing the Great Storm’s wrath when General Steel Trap chewed him up. And that might not be an exaggeration! He had heard the General had once bitten into a cadet’s wing with that metal mouth of his. Other’s said he had put the cadet’s wing between a set of interconnecting gears, running it over again and again until the wing was permanently damaged. Shredder had no idea which was worse. On the other hoof, there would be no telling when he would get some of the good stuff again.


“I swear, you could tempt the Three Guides,” muttered Shredder as he lifted his mask up while taking the drink.


Star snorted again as she sat beside him, sipping her drink. For a moment, the two sat there in silence as Shredder felt the hot liquid warm him from ear to hoof. Out of the corner of him eye, he noticed the rows of tents on the ground near the very incomplete fort that they had hoped to make. Hopefully there would be funding for it to be finished soon. He did not like how they all had to live in tents for such a long period of time or having their ammo so easily exposed. Nor did he like the fact that all their meals lately came from tin cans, having to make fires in order to have a warm meal. Had the fort been complete, all of his comrades would have nicer…ish beds to sleep on while here as well as better protection from the elements and better meals.


“So, did you hear that Surge requested a transfer?” asked Star, making light conversation before taking another sip.


“Surge?” echoed Shredder as he thought for a moment. “From the 120th Aerial Scouts?”


“The same,” said Star with a nod as she stared at the wall ahead of them. “Wants to try out for that Equestrian’s team.”


Shredder nearly spat out his drink. “What?” he hissed as he set down his tin cup. “You have got to be kidding me! Surge is one of the fastest flyers in that unit! There’s no way in the name of the Storm he would ever lower himself to be a…a mere entertainer!”


“Hey, I’m just repeating what I heard,” said Star with a shrug. “Don’t know why he’s doing it. Maybe it’s to show those Equestrians what real flyers are like. But I do know he’s not the only one. Comet Chaser from the 224th Tank Core said she’s going to try out as well. Then there’s Swift Strike who’s joining because he wants to see a mare with a rainbow colored mane.”


“Swift Strike, from our unit?!?” cried Shredded as he jumped to his hooves. For several long seconds, the stallion stood there making noises that were almost words before cutting off to the next as his mind tried to process this. “I don’t believe him. There’s no such thing as a mare with a rainbow colored mane. At least not naturally!”


“Well you do know that Princess Twilight’s friend from Equestria is the one heading up this little project,” said Star as she took Shredder’s cup and reattached it to her hind leg. “Her name’s Rainbow Dash. You did hear about that rainbow explosion above the capital, right? Well I have spoken to some of our comrades who were there and they all say the same thing: Rainbow Dash did it all on her own without any gear! Not only that, but when she flew around she left behind a trail of rainbow that matched her mane. Here I thought having a purple princess was weird, eh? Guess those Equestrians are a colorful group.”


Shaking his head, Shredder walked over to the edge and looked down. “There’s no way,” he muttered. “It has to be some sort of dye or…” The stallion’s voice trailed off as he looked into the distance. There, just at the edge of his sight, something was moving. A light blue light that shined in the distance. A weapon of some kind? Shredder did not know but it was always best to take every precaution. So wordlessly he slipped his mask back on as he manned the cannon. As he did so, others spotted the light as well for Shredder could hear the click and whines of the machinery around him. Even Star put her mask back on as she dropped to the floor, pulling out her blunderbuss to take aim.


Seconds ticked by, each one meet with the beating of Shredder’s heart in his ear. Was this it? The attack they had been afraid of? What sort of horror was coming towards them? Could it be some sort of-


“You have got to be kidding me,” groaned Star as she relaxed her hold on her weapon, interrupting Shredder’s thoughts. Looking over the horizon, Shredder saw it as well. A white mare with a purple mane was walking down through the pass with some sort of weird hat or helmet on. He honestly couldn’t tell from all the way up here. But he could see that she wasn’t wearing a uniform…or anything else to protect her body. Weird. Floating behind her were several small bags while two pained, sweaty stallions did their best to keep up with her as they carried dozens of heavy looking trunks on their backs.


Together, Shredder and Star watched the mare pause to examine her hoof. The wind carried with it a whining noise, what was said they couldn’t make out but it did cause their ears to flatten under their helmets. “I think we’d better let the General decide what to do with this.”
> The Underbelly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shredder had come to the conclusion that Equestrians were an odd sort, which was saying something given everything he had been through. He had fought against rebellions where the streets were exploding all around him. He’d flown through forests where snipers could have been resting on every branch. Once, he was forced to evacuate from a zeppelin before it exploded. The tests and practical examinations during military training hadn’t been a cakewalk either. Even back when he was a colt, he’d grown up next door to a house where explosions were a daily occurrence. Not because of poor house maintenance, but because the two fillies who lived there liked to build things…that just happened to blow up a lot. So given all that, he had thought that nothing could surprise him. 

 
Yet, standing at attention at the flap of the General’s tent, was something Shredder had to admit was a new one for him. This tent's primary purpose was to serve as sort of a makeshift office for General Steel Trap. Across from the flap entrance, where he stood, there was a wooden table that had been brought in to be used as a desk, along with a few chairs, one behind the desk, two in front of it. Outside of the tent was a large furnace engine which was being used to power up a few items on the bare desk, like a slowly spinning fan, as well as a two-way radio. There was a bed off to the side, yet it was so perfectly made that Shredder wondered if the General had ever slept in it at all.

 
Sitting in the seats in front of the desk were two of the three Equestrians they had arrested on the suspicion of a possible infiltration or terrorist attack on Thunder Valley. The two seated were the stallions who had been carrying the large luggage which was now in another tent across the base, being examined carefully. While neither of them looked like they were still in pain, they were still sweating as they looked around. Shredder remembered how they had cringed and cried out in fear as the soldiers of Thunder Valley floated down before them, weapons in wing. By the Storm, Shredder had half expected the two to wet themselves as they cried out in horror, the color draining from their fur as they did so. Hardly the actions of a trained soldier. But, then again, Shredder had no idea what kind of training the Equestrians’ gave. For all he knew they were acting this way in hopes that those from Thunder Valley would lower their guard. Not that that was likely to happen.

 
In truth, what made all of this odd was what the mare of the group was doing. When they had first arrested her, the mare had scoffed…until they fired a warning shot at the ground in front of her to show her that they meant business. Her reaction afterwards was fairly predictable, complying to their demands with little resistance. There was a small amount of whining from her as they walked back to camp, but when the blunderbusses were pointed in her direction again she quickly quieted down. From there they were then placed within the General’s tent as per Steel Trap’s orders with both himself and Star standing guard at the flap of the tent. Now, Shredder had dealt with several female prisoners. Most of them would either be shaking, sobbing messes or trying to seduce their way out of trouble. Or he would be dealing with Overkill, who would be laughing at all the destruction she had caused on base as he led her to a holding cell. But this mare, well, it was a new experience. She was standing in front of him with slightly narrowed eyes, examining his uniform closely. Very, very closely.

 
“I must say that the material is an interesting choice,” she commented while running a hoof over the outer jacket. “The last time I got to see these uniforms was in Ponyville, but never had a chance to really examine them for myself. Now that I take a closer look it feels tougher than most fabrics. Hmm, and I can tell that it’s still flexible. Probably more so than the armor used by the Canterlot Royal Guards but less than a Wonderbolt’s flightsuit. Not so sure about the red color. Or all the dirt and grime in it. Somepony should take more care in washing it.” Slowly she began to walk around Shredder, examining and feeling his uniform bit by bit until she came to his helmet. She scowled at it, twisting her head from side to side as if trying to look at it from different angles before finally throwing up a hoof into the air. “Oh my, this is worse than I thought from those pictures Twilight sent me. These outfits are positively dreadful darling, simply dreadful. Trotting around the streets in these is more than likely to intimidate in the worst possible way.”

 
“Ah, that’s sort of the point,” replied Shredder as Star shook her head. With her face so close to his mask, Shredder had to admit that she was gorgeous, for a non-thestral. This mare had a white coat, the rarest and most exotic in all the land! What’s more he could tell that there was not a soot spot or blemish on it despite being completely naked. Then there was that mane, which appeared luxurious. If only she didn’t have that horn at the top of her head and had wings, then she would be so much closer to perfection.

 
“But darling!” cried the mare as she placed a hoof over her heart in a dramatic fashion. “Such a thing is surely a crime. A protector of the realm should look the part. Heroic, dashing, dignified, and elegant. With armor that shines with the light of day and allows the citizens to see your reassuring faces. But this…Oh no, darling. This outfit covers everything. Nopony will be able to see the real you underneath! Not your charming face, mane, or even tail. Just imagine if there were a group of you trotting down the street: a number of faceless figures who all look the same. How is anypony supposed to feel safe with something like that?”

 
“Again, that’s the point,” said Star, a slight irritation in her voice. “We act like a single cog to protect our country. This uniform was designed to assist with that function.”

 
Shredder found himself nodding while finding it odd that this Equestrian would focus so much on appearance rather than function. She was correct in her assumption that the jacket provided them more flexibility when flying while being fairly light. They did, after all, have to carry their saddle furnaces with them in order to fire their blunderbusses so having armament that was too heavy or bulky was not feasible. Unless you had a death wish. No light reflected off their uniform, nothing that might help catch the enemy’s attention. Along with that, their uniforms helped them carry additional ammo without it exploding on them as well as some minor protection. Sure, it could do nothing against a shot from a blunderbuss, but it did keep them warm in the winter as well as in the high sky, cool in the summer, and protection from the heat from their saddle furnaces. Not to mention the fact that both the auto-lungs and goggles were built into their masks, allowing them one less worry during combat.

 
But, their function went beyond that. This Equestrian was right, they all looked the same. No thestral stood out from the rest of them save for the upper brass. When an enemy faced them, they faced a sea of faceless soldiers without any trace of thestralism to pin down. Like an army of monsters. Kill one in a rebellion, and another that looked just like the fallen would take its place. Shredder had heard stories going back to his youth, horror stories of the soldiers and the fear they invoked. More than one was about a rebel who had slain a guard, his curiosity getting the better of him and pulling off the mask of the thestral he had slain…only to find that they were faceless. Just a smooth area where their face should have been. That was what they wanted them to think. You never knew if the soldier had noticed you until his or her blunderbuss was pointing in your direction. Everything about them was supposed to inspire fear. To make their opponents tremble slightly as they fought. The longer the battle raged the more that fear sunk in.

 
Honestly, what was this mare thinking? That they were like old fashioned knights or something?

 
“Attention!” came a cry as the flap of the tent was opened. Not even a half second later, General Steel Trap entered while Shredder and Star stiffened. Through his yellow goggles, Shredder could see the other two stallions give the usual reaction when seeing the General for the first time. Their jaws opened slightly, eyes fixed on that lower metal jaw. No doubt they also noted his uniform, with all the power and authority it gave him. The two Equestrian stallions cowered in their seats looking like they were really going to wet themselves. As for the white mare she stood there with her pupils shrinking at the sight of the stallion before…a wide smile appeared on her face?

 
“Amazing darling,” said the mare as she moved closer to the General whose eyes widened a tad. His hoof reached for a small pistol where it rested while the mare began to examine his lower jaw, like how a jeweler would examine a rare gem. “Such exquisite hoof craft with sublime attention to details. Why, it must have taken weeks to craft something so unique. And, what’s this? It looks like it was polished recently. So good to meet a stallion with such refined tastes.” She then pulled herself back to examine his uniform. “As for the rest of your uniform, I dare say that is a little drab. More so than what Shining Armor wears from time to time. Still far superior than those other two behind you.”

 
“Ma’am,” began the General, his hoof slowly pulling out the pistol.

 
“Rarity,” said the mare calmly, interrupting Steel Trap while closing her eyes and holding out her hoof. Shredder watched as the General stared at her hoof before looking up at her face. Or, rather, her horn. Why he would do that, Shredder had no idea. But he did see that the General was releasing his hold on his pistol.

 
“Miss Rarity then,” said the General as he walked past her. Rarity opened her eyes in surprise, looking shocking and indignant as she turned to watch Steel Trap take a seat behind his desk. “I am General Steel Trap, commander of this campsite and head of the entire military of Thunder Valley. Are you aware as to why you have been detained?”

 
“Honestly no, darling,” replied Rarity as the other two stallions shook their heads. “All I was told was that I was under arrest and that I was to follow those garishly dressed ponies.”

 
Seeing that she understood this, Steel Trap gave her a slight nod as his eyes moved from her to the two seated stallions. Both continued to shake causing his attention to return to her. Clearly she was the one in charge of the three. “Do you understand why?”

 
“Again, no,” said Rarity as she moved closer to the desk. “Something that I find rather rude of a gentlecolt of your stature. Surely I should at least be informed of my crime before being arrested. Had that happened, I would not have scoffed at the two guarding the exit to this tent.”

 
“Our last experience with somepony entering our borders was less than ideal,” said Steel Trap in an even tone. Yet, while he spoke, Shredder could see Rarity’s ears twitch and her head tilt a little to the side. She remained like that for a moment before her hoof shot upwards to cover her mouth. If Shredder had to guess, Rarity understood that something bad had happened. “I take it from your expression that you understand. Good. I hope you will keep that in mind as well as the fact that my soldiers are a little on guard when it comes to Equestrians and what they can do. None of them wish for a repeat of what happened. As for why you have been arrested, at this moment you are a suspicious individual entering this country. We need to confirm that you bear us no hostile intent before you are allowed to proceed any further.”

 
For a moment there was a slight pause. The mare named Rarity looked a little worried now, turning her head back to look at Shredder and Star as well as eyeing the weapons that they carried. Her eyes slightly widened as the worry within her rightfully grew. Small beads of sweat began to appear on her brow as she took a deep breath. Yet after she exhaled it appeared as thought that fear and worry seemed to subside a bit.

 
“I understand,” she said. “A basic customs check if you will. So, what sort of things will me and my companions be expecting?”

 
“We will begin by inspecting everything in your bags,” began the General in a tone that brokered no arguments. “Any item we are not familiar with will be examined to see if it can be used as a potential threat against us. We will also be questioning you individually for the next several days. Should we find any hint that you have ill intentions towards Thunder Valley and its inhabitants, I shall not hesitate to place all of you in irons and dragged before our courts to receive their judgment.”

 
If that fazed Rarity, she didn’t show it. “And if there is nothing amiss?” she asked politely.

 
“If we find nothing and cannot glean any ill wishes from these interviews,” began Steel Trap as he closed his eyes, looking like he was bracing himself for something unpleasant. “Then you shall be escorted to your destination by one of our zeppelins. There you will remain under our watch until your business here is concluded where you will then be returned to this spot.”

 
“I see,” said Rarity as she looked at the stallions on either side of her. Shredder then watched as she brought her upper body onto the desk, surprising everypony in the room. From where he stood he could see her forelegs moving so that her head rested in her front hooves. She then began to flutter her eyelids at the General who, for the first time since Shredder had known him, seemed taken aback in surprise. “And what would happen if I said I wished to remain here darling?”

 
-x-

 
At the same time, Twilight was looking out of one of the windows within the Underbelly Academy. Not that there was much to look at, seeing that they were in a deep, massive underground cave system that dwarfed anything she had read about in her books back in Canterlot. On the massive ground floor were stone spikes which looked powerful enough to impale a dragon a hundred times the size of Spike. Pipes ran down the sides of the cavern from the surface, dumping various colored liquids onto the floor. Some simply pooled where they landed, creating vapors that Twilight could see even with the lack of light. The rest flowed down the slope of the caverns to where there was no light, deep down where they were no doubt forgotten about.

 
As for the Underbelly Academy, it jutted out of the side of the cave like a peninsular outcrop overlooking everything in this subterranean world. It stood out like a ten-story building made of black metal sheets, welded and riveted together, built into the side of the cavern walls. Twilight also found that each floor was shorter than the one above it, as if to form a gigantic, upside-down stairway. Coming out of the belly of the Academy was a single massive gear which turned slowly, barely scraping the wall of the cave as it did so. She also knew that certain areas of the bottom could open up, allowing more of the discarded liquids to be dumped deep into the earth.

 
Shaking her head at all of this, Twilight pulled herself from the window and turned around. While the floors were made of the same black steel plates, they looked like they had been polished recently. The light fixtures reminded Twilight of crystal wind chimes, hanging on the the walls as wires lit them up. Two long, red sofas were against the walls on either side of Twilight, each one looking like they could seat three or four thestrals. On Twilight’s right sat Wild Theory, looking up at the ceiling with a small grin on his face while he hummed an unfamiliar tune, and Overkill, who stared at the single door leading in and out with a hoof resting on her small blunderbuss. On her left side was Blood Moon, sitting alone by himself as he checked his watch with a growing frown. No doubt upset over how long they had all been waiting. As for Spike, he was standing next to Twilight.

 
“By the Storm, how long will they keep the Princess waiting?” muttered Blood as he closed his pocket watch perhaps a little too hard. “I wired them before we left that Her Grace would be here!”

 
“It’s fine,” said Twilight with a sigh.

 
“But Princess,” began Blood Moon with a start, wings extending rapidly as he spoke. “To be kept waiting like this is surely an insult to one of your station. The proper response would have been to drop everything as to not keep you waiting. Or, at the very least, provide refreshments.”

 
“He’s got a point,” grumbled Overkill without looking away from the door. “It feels like we’ve been waiting here for months, waiting for something to happen. Not even a secretary to tell us the docs will see us in five more minutes. I just-”

 
Overkill’s words were halted by the sudden creaking of the metal door as it opened. While Twilight’s guard became instantly ready for combat, Twilight herself stood at her full height as a single pony entered that caught her attention. The first thing she noticed was the stallion's head. At first, Twilight assumed that it was a metal cap of some sort but that was quickly dismissed when she saw random patches of flesh climbing over it as if it had been pulled up. Where his ears should have been were disks sticking up about an inch with mesh coverings that reminded Twilight of the devices she spoke into around here. Goggles covered his eyes that ticked as he walked forward, changing the lens as he entered from dark to clear. Several thick tubes ran across the metal dome with one that went down the stallions back and into his furnace bag. Thankfully the rest of his appearance wasn’t as unsettling. On both of his forelegs were copper leg guards that went from his shoulder down to his elbow. At the bottom of both were watches while above them were a collection of tools held in place with leather straps. He also wore a dirty brown pin striped vest over his grey coat.

 
“Greetings Princess Twilight,” said the strange new pony in an elderly voice, bowing as he spoke. Despite the warmth of his tone, Spike hid behind Twilight who could feel the little drake shaking a bit. Not that she blamed him. “I am the Grand Tinker of the Underbelly Academy, Dr. Sparks. Please, forgive me for not coming to greet you sooner. When the young Duke contacted me, I was in the middle of an experiment that required my full attention. I just now finished.”

 
“You shou-”

 
“I understand,” said Twilight, interrupting Blood as she, Theory, and Overkill all returned the bow. “No doubt you were working on a time-sensitive subject when we arrived, one that required you to see it through to the end or else you would have had to start all over. I myself know just how…frustrating it can be when you are interrupted right in the middle. Or worse, nearing the end.”

 
“Ah,” cried Dr. Spark as he placed a wing over his chest. “Storm bless my heart. Finally, a member of the nobility who understands just how painful it is to see all your hard work be interrupted at the worst possible time.”

 
“Do I ever!” cried Twilight with a grin. “I remember there was this one time I was studying the reactions of certain chemicals when my friends decided to play a little joke on me. Long story short, my lab blew up and I had to start all over again.”

 
Dr. Spark’s face twisted into something akin to horror before reaching out both of his wings to take one of Twilight’s hooves. At the same time, Overkill pulled out both of her blunderbusses and pointed them at the doctor’s head, ready to fire should he try anything. “Such…Such a travesty!” he exclaimed with a slightly trembling lip. “To lose time in such a way. It…It is simply unthinkable! We only have so much, never knowing when it will run out. To have to waste it redoing an experiment! Hopefully they received a suitable punishment for such an act.”

 
“Well, they did get an earful after Twilight tracked them down,” commented Spike. This earned him an odd look from the doctor.

 
“An earful of what?” he asked. “Hot wax right off the candle?”

 
“Ah, no,” said Twilight as she quickly removed her hoof from his wings, looking a little alarmed. “I just gave them a stern talking to when I found them.”

 
“If that is the Equestrian way,” said Dr. Spark as another figure entered the room. This time it was an auto-pony, but one unlike the ones Twilight had seen in her castle. Unlike those, this one did not have a punch card reader in the back of the neck nor were there any ponies around to control it. Instead it walked in on its own, pulling a cart full of small cakes and coffee. Twilight opened her mouth with excitement, yet the rest of this auto-pony’s design continued to hold her attention. It was slightly bulkier than the ones in the castle and its back wasn’t as flat as those as well. On its sides were several tubes, each one containing a green liquid that seemed to glow. It reminded her of something Zecora would have made, yet it had an eerie feel to it. Temperature and pressure gauges were placed near each of the transparent tubes as circular copper tubes ran up towards its back where a row of pipes allowed steam to escape. Twilight also noted that the face seemed to more closely resemble  a pony than any other auto-pony she had seen, looking as if they had shoved a pony’s head into liquid copper and allowed it to harden. The result was more than a little…unnerving. Then there were the eyes. Instead of the glowing red light, this auto-pony had black lenses covering the eyes with copper bars crossing it in order to keep it in place.

 
“Oh my, my, my,” exclaimed Wild Theory as he moved to examine the auto-pony. “Is this one of the new models you have been working on? Simply incredible!”

 
Dr. Sparks chuckled softly as he walked over to the cart, taking a thermos of coffee before pouring himself a cup. “Still only a prototype I’m afraid. Not ready for mass production as of yet.”

 
“It does seem impressive,” said Twilight as she began to circle the auto-pony, levitating a drink for herself in the process. Slowly, she took a sip before sticking out her tongue. Too bitter, needed some sugar. “I don’t see a punch card reader on this model. How does it know where to go or what to do?”

 
“That would be the new device we installed: the audio-ether reader,” explained Dr. Sparks as the rest of the ponies, and one dragon, began to examine the auto-pony. “To put it simply, the device helps translate verbal orders into codes that it can understand. Nothing too complex mind you. Simple things right now like ‘follow me’ and all that. Just before I entered, I told this auto-pony to wait one minute before entering and then stopping in the middle. The most complex order it has followed thus far. Hopefully soon we will be able to see what its limits are.”

 
“Brilliant, Dr. Sparks!” chimed Blood Moon as he looked at the auto-pony in an almost longing fashion. “Simply brilliant. Wouldn’t you agree Princess?” Yet, Twilight didn’t answer right away. Instead, her focus was on the tubes containing the green liquid.

 
“What powers this auto-pony?” she asked. However, she felt like she had an idea. “I don’t see a furnace bag on it.”

 
“I’m impressed you noticed,” exclaimed Dr. Sparks. His elderly voice became more cheerful now, barely containing the excitement. He moved over next to Twilight with the same speed she herself had used when she was a filly and had heard that the Canterlot Library had new books. As he stood next to Twilight, pointing at the tubes with his wing, she could tell just how pleased he was that she was looking at this. “You are correct to assume that this liquid is what is powering the machine. This…This, my dear Princess, is something I managed to decipher from The First Book.”

 
“The First Book…” whispered Wild Theory. Twilight looked away from the tubes to see the wild stallion bow his head in respect. Not only him, but Overkill had her eyes closed for a moment as if in reverence to what she heard.

 
“What is this First Book?” asked Spike as he walked over to the cart and grabbed one of the mini cakes in his claws. “What’s the big deal?”

 
“The ‘big deal’ as you put it is that it’s the very first book ever written in Thunder Valley,” exclaimed Blood Moon as he placed a wing over his heart. “Before we began to record the passage of time, it was there. Believed to have been written by The Three Guides themselves over a thousand plus years ago. A gift of knowledge beyond our understanding.” As he spoke, Twilight could feel all of her royal decorum slipping away as a dreamy look appeared on her face. She could feel a bit of drool slip out of her mouth as she imagined what it would be like. The historical value alone made it worth reading!

 
“Y-You’ve read it?” she asked in an excited tone. “What does it say? What’s it about?”

 
“Alas, I have not read it,” said a somber Blood Moon while Twilight took on the appearance of somepony who had just seen a kitten murdered. “Naturally, a book of such high importance is not shown to just anypony. Perhaps when I am a fully fledged Duke I will be permitted to look onto its pages, not that I will be able to understand what is written. For you see, Princess, The First Book contains knowledge. The brightest minds have been studying the book since the founding of this country and they have only been able to scratch the merest fraction of its secrets!”

 
“It sounds amazing,” said Twilight as she regained some of her excitement.

 
“Oh, that it is,” said Dr. Sparks. “It is the source of everything we have achieved as a species. From it, our ancestors learned the basics of this world. How to make a canal system, crop rotation, a pulley system, and so on.  But the rest of it, we have spent centuries trying to uncover the meaning behind the formulas and theories the Book presents. Some of it we have an idea as to what The Book is describing, yet our level of understanding can not reach the same results. Instead we have had to cobble together our own crude methods in order to imitate that which is written. With each success, we believe we trot one step closer towards the same level of understanding as those who wrote The Book.”

 
“That’s…incredible,” whispered Twilight, her mind racing like never before. Twilight had been examining this tribe of pony since she had first arrived and it was clear that they had no magic to them whatsoever. They could not move the clouds to make it rain nor could they send magic into the ground to produce a bountiful crop. Magic like that of the unicorns or changelings was impossible for them nor could they produce magical potions like the zebra. None of those wonders were available to them, making surviving in this world all the harder. So, in order to survive, they had to use their intelligence. They created machines to help them in the fields, travel through the skies, and to help them make ‘their’ world. But what didn’t make sense was that the point of their beginning was roughly one to two thousand years ago. How could they have covered so much ground in such a short amount of time? It just didn’t make sense!

 
Until now, that is. With this Book, they had a road map on how to build a civilization and proceed. Some might scoff at such a suggestion, but something as simple as a canal system or a dam would have greatly benefited their advancement. It had, Twilight recalled, taken earth ponies thousands of years to come up with such ideas back in the times before the three tribes united. It allowed them to not be completely dependent on pegasi for rainwater and allowed them to place their crops further inland. It took unicorns even longer to come up with spells which would do the same thing, allowing them to bring large amounts of water to their castles to be used as bathwater and for cleaning. Now Twilight imagined how things might be if this information had been provided to them from the beginning. How much time would have been saved by this simple act, allowing them to focus on other pursuits? The alicorn shuddered at the frightening implications. More so the idea that ponies (or something else) just gave them this information.

 
Yet it was also made clear that the thestrals also had to work to understand this information. Just because they had the information it didn’t mean they understood it. Like many of the spells Twilight had learned in her life, just having the spell was meaningless most of the time. There was a need to understand the theory behind it in order to bring out the spell’s full potential. From what she was hearing, the thestrals were still working on that. Perhaps most of the byproducts of their technology were due to not fully understanding what they were working with or just making make-shift workarounds in order to get the desired results.

 
Now she really, really wanted to see that book!

 
“So is this the only thing you guys are working on over here?” asked Spike as he eyed the green chemical, looking unimpressed.

 
The gleeful expression on Dr. Spark’s muzzle faded slightly as he turned his mechanical head over to look at Spike. “Not at all,” he said in a strained, yet polite tone that made Twilight feel a little embarrassed. “While I am the Grand Tinker, my specialty is in auto-limbs and auto-pony research. This model has been my own pet project as it were. One that I could not help but show off if Her Majesty will forgive me.”

 
“It is fine,” said Twilight quickly as she moved a wing to cover Spike. She could feel his claws on her wing, pulling it down to look at Dr. Sparks and Twilight yet didn’t say anything more. “What you have done here is nothing short of remarkable. Hopefully we will be able to see other wonders that your staff and students have created.”

 
“Most certainly,” said Dr. Sparks in a more friendly tone. “This semester, our Tinkers and students have been hard at work on several difficult projects. A few of them are for the military with one ready for a demonstration.” At that, Overkill’s eyes lit up. “I hope we can receive some feedback on its usefulness.”

 
Twilight smirked briefly at Overkill before turning back to look at Dr. Sparks. “I think she can help with that.”

 
“And, of course, there is our auto-limb and biology Tinkers,” continued Dr. Sparks. “Many of them are the pride and joy of all Thunder Valley. Right now they are hard at work trying to create lighter auto-limbs. Something that your Royal Scientific Advisor has been assisting us with.”

 
“My, my, my,” said Wild Theory as he rubbed his mane with a hoof. “It was nothing. Just some notes here and there.”

 
As the mares in the room looked at each other in slight confusion at this, Dr. Sparks barked out a laugh. “You mustn’t be too modest my colt! I know Mad Theory would die before admitting it, but there have been times when we were stuck for months before one of your notes arrived! Of course, now that I said it, I’d better be on my guard as he’s liable to have my neck! Perhaps this time he really will put my brain in a jar!”

 
As Dr. Sparks continued to laugh, Twilight turned to look at Wild Theory whose face was now burning red. “Who’s this Mad Theory?” she asked.

 
“Well, he just happens to be one of the best, best, best Tinkers in Thunder Valley,” said Wild as his eyes refused to meet Twilight’s. “He’s also my older brother. And might hate me just a tad.”
> Underworld Tour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You stupid little,” hissed Overkill under her breath. Twilight’s ear’s flattened as she glanced around her, wondering if the guardsmare’s voice had traveled far down the hallway of steel and copper tubes. Thankfully, there weren’t very many ponies nearby who weren’t in her party. The only ones she saw were Dr. Sparks and Blood Moon, who were both providing a tour of the facility. Moreover, while thestrals had very good hearing, the hallway was full of noise. From the clopping of their hooves on the metal floor to loud clanks that echoed through the halls, the words were mostly drowned out. Unless, of course, they were focusing on them and waiting for Twilight to ask them a question. Thankfully, neither of their ears twitched at the sound of Overkill’s voice and their heads were still looking straight ahead. Nothing showed that they had heard anything.
 

Still, Twilight didn’t want to take any more chances. Her horn began to glow as she cast a swift spell around them, one that she had picked up from her time at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The spell was fairly simple, it altered the vibrations created when a pony was talking to either drown them out or make it like they sounded like something else. For this, Twilight chose silence since the words would come out as random gibberish. Normally, Twilight didn’t like to use this spell since it wasn't in any of the books. Rather it was one that had been passed around by the students so that they could gossip in class without anypony hearing what was really said. The only problem was that others could still see their lips moving and a skilled enough lip reader would be able to figure out what they were really talking about. Not to mention the horn glowing was a dead giveaway. For her part, Twilight had glanced at the spell a number of times, seeing it as nothing more than a waste of time and magic. Now, however, it couldn’t hurt to take a few additional precautions.
 

“How could you not tell us that you had a brother here?” Overkill continued, Twilight noticing that a vein had appeared on the mare’s forehead. At the same time, the purple princess also noticed that Overkill seemed to be fighting to keep herself from reaching for her blunderbuss. And it looked like it was a losing battle as her hoof inched ever closer! “Do you understand how helpful it would have been to have a pony on the inside? One that we could contact or spy for us? A backup in case we needed an emergency escape? We could have contacted him before we left Automahollow and asked him to look into some of the top secret projects around him. Or found out if there were any rumors flying around. Did you not think that would be helpful? Well?!?”
 

“Ah, I did say that Mad hates me,” said Wild in a calm voice as if he were discussing the weather, a small smile on his face. “If I did try to contact him, he’d more than likely warn, warn, warn everypony about us. So I really didn’t see any point in telling any of you.”
 

“Not any…” mumbled Overkill as her face turned red while her eye twitched. “Are some of your brain cylinders misfiring in there? Because I’ll gladly deck you if it means it’ll fix them.”
 

“Actually, Tinkers have found that simply hitting a machine won’t help fix the prob-” Wild was suddenly cut off as one of Overkill’s wings was pressed against his throat. While not dangerous, there was an implied message there that Wild got loud and clear.
 

“If it’s that bad you should have warned us!” growled Overkill as her eye continued to twitch. “Any information would have helped us in formulating a plan. We are in hostile territory and knowing who to watch out for would have been good to know! Plus, we were just now caught off guard. That tends to kill thestrals in my line of work! Do you even understand the importance of this mission?!?”
 

“Oh, yes, yes, yes,” began Wild as Overkill pulled her wing back. “But I really don’t think that applies here. This isn’t a war zone caused by rebels. The only way we’d get killed around here is if you touched something you shouldn’t or shot something randomly.” As Overkill seethed with anger, Wild tilted his head in a very innocent way. As if he had just thought of something. “Come to think of it, that might very well happen with you around. I guess I should have warned you about that sooner.”
 

What happened next occurred in a flash. Overkill’s face was burning brighter than ever while steam was shooting out of her ears. With teeth gritted so tightly that they might soon shatter, the mare pulled out one of her blunderbusses before pointing it at the good doctor. She might have pulled the trigger had Twilight not seen this and levitated the weapon out of her angry hoof.
 

“Overkill, I understand you’re angry,” said Twilight as she spoke in her calmest voice. “But right now isn’t the time. We’re on a mission, remember?” Slowly, she brought the weapon back to her personal guard, who was still seething in rage. Once it was close enough Overkill swiped at it like a cat would with a toy mouse dangling from its tail. As she held the weapon, Overkill took several hard and labored breaths before putting it back in its holster. Still, the mare seethed in rage, shooting Wild the dirtiest of looks. With a soft sigh, Twilight’s horn lit up and, with a soft pop, teleported between the two in order to separate them.
 

Both ponies looked shocked and surprised by this, eyes widening while Twilight’s wings pushed them further apart. The flash created by the teleport also caught the attention of the two thestrals in front of them, turning their heads to look at what had caused it. What they saw was Twilight separating the two as an embarrassed smile appeared on her face, beads of sweat beginning to appear as she laughed nervously. She could see their eyes move from her to Overkill, who was still slightly foaming at the mouth, and then to Wild, who eyed Twilight’s wing with curiosity. It became very clear to her that they had read the situation, giving the princess looks akin to pity before looking ahead once more. Twilight’s face was slightly red now, fighting the urge to hide her face with her wings while also wishing lightning would just strike her dead. The only good thing was that she had managed to cut off the magic in her horn so that they didn’t know she was using magic. That would have made the whole thing worse.
 

Now that they had some measure of privacy back, Twilight pulled her wings back while her horn lit up once more to cast the noise muffling spell. “Overkill, I expect better from my personal guard.” she hissed. Her words caught Overkill off guard before she lowered her head a bit in shame. “Next time you want to chew someone out or have a problem with them, wait until we are alone. Is that clear?”
 

“Yes, ma’am,” muttered Overkill as she glanced over at Twilight briefly. Twilight’s eyes softened a bit as she saw the look of disappointment Overkill had for herself. But before she could say anything else, Overkill’s gaze averted to the floor while both her wings and ears drooped.
 

With a sigh she turned to look at Wild Theory who was looking at the two of them with…curiosity? It was a little hard to tell with his face so calm and almost featureless. “Dr. Theory, you know that Overkill has a point. You should have told us about your brother. I mean, we’re supposed to be friends. Right?”
 

Twilight watched as the stallion’s mouth twitched, his movement slowing down a bit. “Well…you see…I didn’t,” he stuttered as a look of hurt entered his eyes. His normal, cheerful tone was gone which told Twilight everything she needed to know.
 

“Is it really that bad between you two?” she whispered.
 

“I think so,” he said slowly. “Maybe worse. It’s…It’s hard to describe.”
 

“What-” began Twilight, only to cut herself off as she noticed Dr. Sparks turning his head. Without thinking, Twilight once more cut the magic flowing into her horn to end the spell as the Tinker looked at the three.
 

“We’re almost to the first lab,” he said with a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll find it quite fascinating.”
 

Before Twilight could open her mouth, Overkill snorted. “I doubt that,” she muttered.
 

-x-
 

Overkill’s eyes sparkled within the lab, her wings fully erect as her mouth hung open to allow drool to touch the floor. The lab they were in was large, nowhere as massive as the tower where Wild Theory worked yet smelled more like cooked meat than of oil and grease. If Twilight had to guess they could squeeze the barn at Sweet Apple Acres inside this room if they were lucky. Metal pipes lined the walls like wallpaper, almost fading into the background if it weren’t for the pressure gauges that were close to the red or the ones that had the skull and crossbones logo on them. Here and there were piles of metallic scrap, probably parts from past failed experiments that they hoped to reuse or scrap along with massive work benches with tall backs. Hanging from the ceiling were long tubes that looked like they were supposed to connect to something as well as plenty of metal chains that had heavy metal hooks at their ends. Some of these hooks were empty while others had metal pipes and other parts attached to them. In all honesty, Twilight was glad she didn’t see any auto-limbs on the hooks for they might play with her mind.
 

Then there was the device sitting in the middle of the room and making Overkill drool. It was large, standing twice as tall Princess Celestia and twice as wide. Its shape reminded Twilight of two saucers placed on top of each other, starting out narrow at the top and widening as it got to the middle before narrowing again at the bottom. The outside was made of bronze, but cleaner and more polished than most of the machinery in which Twilight had become accustomed to around here. Its surface wasn’t smooth however, with many bolts on it to show where the sheets of metal had been attached, handlebars used to open up sections, furnace grates, pressure gauges, and more. The princess also noted that there were several tubes on the upper section that ran across the floor and into the pipes lining the walls, creating a slight hissing noise. The bottom portion was not bare either, for it had a number of gears sticking half out, spinning rapidly as the machine let out a hum that caused her fur to stand up slightly. Around the machine were several tinkers, several of whom were wearing the same spider like attachments that Wild Theory wore when they first met.
 

One of these tinkers stood several feet away from the machine. In one hoof she held a weapon very similar to that of a blunderbuss, only the tubes coming out of the back did not lead to a saddle bag but instead the machine. Twilight could see the tube connecting to a spot next to several gauges. Finally, Twilight saw something else only this made her feel more uncomfortable. It was an object that looked like a thestral with its fur missing. Its ‘skin’ was slightly transparent, allowing her to see the red colored guts on the inside as well as all of its bones in the greatest of detail.
 

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” began Dr. Sparks as he approached the thestral holding the weapon. “Allow me to introduce you to Dr. Voltage, the leader of this fine experiment. She has been hard at work on this endeavor for the military for the last four years.”
 

“Pleasure,” said Dr. Voltage in a short, but polite tone as she shifted the weapon in her hooves. “Real exciting day this is. Finally got the old gal working a couple of nights ago. She’s-”
 

“It’s a lightning gun!” shouted Overkill, unable to control herself any longer. There was a look in the mare’s eyes that reminded Twilight of Pinkie Pie whenever she found herself looking at one of the Cake’s latest desserts, making her take a step back as her guard flew over to the machine. “By the Storm, it’s almost exactly like how the pulps described it. Finally! I can shoot rebel scum with actual lightning!”
 

Twilight looked at the machine as a shudder ran through her body. “I thought the technology already existed that allowed thestrals to shoot lightning,” she said, her thoughts turning back to Arms Dealer and how he sent small bolts of lightning at her from his bowler hat.
 

“Well, in a sense there is,” said Dr. Voltage as Overkill landed back on the ground, a bounce in her hooves as she smiled at the doctor. “What we have been able to do in the past is create very small currents of lightning. Nothing that would seriously harm anypony, just knock them out. But tonight we are making a huge gallop forward! While some of the more foalish out there believe they can capture actual lightning, my brilliance has taken on the more plausible route of expanding and perfecting the science. Not creating a tiny, insignificant spark but something far closer to the glory of the actual force itself. With this machine anypony can harness that power to destroy their enemies with the ease of pulling a trigger.”  
 

“I think something like this was the plot of a Power Pony’s comic,” said Spike as he walked up to the machine, a hand on his chin. “One of Zapp’s enemies from the golden age tried to make a comeback by making a machine that would create lightning more powerful than Zapp’s. Spent three issues building it up, talking about how it could level buildings with a single blast. Pity the end was a letdown with Zapp taking the machine down with one bolt and the bad guys ending up with a whopper of an electrical bill.”


“I don’t know what a ‘comic’ is or any of the ponies you spoke of,” said Dr. Voltage as she gestured to the other ponies. At once they began to get to work, turning knobs on the machine and recording the information on the gauges. “But I can assure you that this machine is not a ‘letdown’. Goggles on everythestral.”
 

Nodding, Twilight slid the goggles on her forehead down to shield her eyes while handing a pair to Spike. As the young drake put them up, the machine began to hum louder than ever to the point where it almost hurt Twilight’s ears. The gears began to spin faster than ever before with steam escaping from the cracks of the machine. A few spots began to glow red before turning into a bright orange, as if a great heat were trying to break free of its containment. Twilight could see the gauges going into the red, making her fear that there could be an explosion.
 

Before Twilight could put up her shield, Dr. Voltage pulled the trigger on her blunderbuss. Twilight could feel the hair of her mane and coat stand up as a white, crackling bolt of electricity went flying across the room and hit the dummy. Everypony (and dragon) watched as the area that was hit became scorched, the insides expanding with some organs exploding as they were cooked. The energy instantly traveled through the dummy’s body, causing it to jerk. ‘Blood’ escaped from its innards and made its way up the dummy’s throat where it began to spill out. Then, a moment after the trigger was pulled, it stopped.
 

Overkill let out a squeal of delight as the humming died down. “That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!”
 

“I am glad you think so,” said Dr. Voltage with a small smile as she set down the blunderbuss as it began to smoke. Taking a breath, Twilight found that the scent of cooked meat had become ten times stronger. And she had a feeling she knew why, causing her stomach to turn slightly. But before she could place a hoof or wing on her chest, Dr. Voltage began to trot over to her. “Of course, we are interested in what our new princess thinks as well.”
 

“It is an amazing achievement,” said Twilight honestly, yet slowly. She did mean that. Normally it was the pegasi who put the lightning in the clouds. How they did that was a trade secret which the residents of Cloudsdale carried close to their chests. There were also a few unicorns who could fire mini lightning bolts from their horns, but since those were more draining than normal magical beams and varied in effectiveness they were seen as more for show. So to see another race produce their own lightning like this was an accomplishment to be sure. It also made this feel so unsettling. These thestrals had managed to create something so amazing, yet it was only done so they could find another way to kill each other. In a new and more horrific way.
 

This experience still made her sick to her stomach. Twilight was no filly, she had seen soldiers practicing with swords and spears on dummies whenever she went to visit her brother. Knew what those blades could do if they had used them on real ponies. Just like how she knew what a magical blast or any other spell could do to another. Like with the guards, fillies and colts had done target practice with their spell; sometimes on a target and other times on a dummy. While she knew what they were doing, it was never as real as this was. To see the actual damage it could cause was disturbing. Less so than seeing the glee around her and the pride these thestrals took in this victory.
 

Twilight didn’t like it. No, not at all. She wanted to end this project right here and now. Or, at the very least, have them find another way to use this machine without making it into a weapon of war. Yet with just a glance, she could tell that both Dr. Sparks and Blood Moon were eager to hear her continue. She could see the look of excitement on their faces, hoping for more praise. The last thing she wanted to do was slight them right now, making the rest of her trip here more difficult. She was on mission! Plus there was a chance that the military might be interested in this later down the line. Unless she could come up with a good reason to dismiss this machine, General Steel Trap would voice that she was not fit to rule and all of her hard work would have been for nothing.
 

Thankfully, she had two advisors on hoof that might help with that.
 

“However, I do have some worries about the safety of this machine. Dr. Theory, your thoughts on the matter?” asked Twilight as she turned to the thestral next to her. All of the tinkers in the room turned to heads to look at Theory as the stallion placed a hoof on his chin. Slowly he approached the machine, examining it bit by bit until he had circled it twice.
 

“I will admit that I am more than a tad, tad, tad worried,” he said at last, approaching a tinker with a clipboard and holding out a hoof. Said tinker understood what he wanted on the spot, hoofing over the notes that had been taken. As Theory continued to speak, his eyes roamed over the notes. “I share the Princess’s concern as I thought for a moment that it was about to explode. Unless you were making a bomb, it wouldn’t be useful out in the field.”
 

“But, as you saw with your own eyes, your fears were misplaced,” said Dr. Voltage shortly, a slight huff in her voice. “The weapon handled itself perfectly.” Dr. Theory however shook his head.
 

“I’m afraid these notes say otherwise,” he said simply as he gave the mare the clipboard. Once his hoof was free, he gestured to the machine. “As the Royal Scientific Advisor to the throne, I feel it is my duty to commend you on such an achievement. The hard work of you and your fellow tinkers is simply a tribute to what we can accomplish. This weapon could be the first stepping stone towards a new age. But with that said, there are problems that make it impractical as it is now as well as unsafe. If I were to just go by these notes, you have had fifteen successful firing demonstrations of this device. During that period of time your tinkers had to replace the pressure gauges four times in order to get a more accurate readout. There were also multiple notes of having to replace melted gears, cracked pipes, and other internal components. Perhaps due to the extreme amount of heat, pressure and stress put on it. Not good, not good, not good. I fear that this lightning gun of yours might be too powerful for its own good. We may have to put it on hold until we are better able to contain that level of power.”
 

As Wild Theory spoke, Twilight noticed Overkill out of the corner of her eyes. The battle loving mare was no longer as giddy, looking at the machine with keener attention. She started looking at the machine’s underbelly, sniffing it slightly before pulling her head back and sticking out her tongue. Twilight then watched as the mare gingerly touched one of the gears before pulling her hoof back as if she suddenly saw a snake poking its head out. Overkill shook her head before bringing her hoof over to touch the surface only to pull back right before making contact. With a snort, Overkill trotted over to the blunderbuss laying on the ground where she then picked it up.
 

“That is very short sighted of you, doctor,” said Dr. Voltage, her voice becoming a few dozen degrees colder as she spoke. “As far as I can see, the reason we had to replace those parts is not because of my brilliant design but rather due to poorly constructed parts. No doubt made on the cheap which escaped my notice at the time. In the last four tests, we have not had to replace anything so-”
 

“Hey doc, got a question for you,” interrupted Overkill as she held the gun up in her hooves, looking down its barrel. Everypony turned to look, seeing a small trail of smoke coming from the blunderbuss. “How long until this lightning gun can fire again?”
 

“We have seen that, with everything properly fueled, it can fire once every three minutes,” answered Dr. Voltage.
 

“It takes time to build the power and then compress it,” added one of the other tinkers. “When the weapon fires, it releases all of that stored power. We were hoping to add another lightning tank to this design in the near future so that it can fire twice. Or a way to cut off the flow of lightning before the tank runs out.”
 

Overkill didn’t look too impressed as she set down the barrel before turning to look at the rest of the machine. “I don’t see any wheels or auto-legs on this thing. Were you planning on having the soldiers carry it on the battlefield?” Despite her even tone, all of the tinkers looked like she had just smacked them hard upside the heads. Some found something interesting on the floor while those with notes began to examine them closely.
 

“Well…that’s a later part of the design,” Dr. Voltage said after a moment, a mixture of embarrassment and anger in her tone. “We needed to ensure that the weapon worked properly before we moved on to its mobility.”
 

Overkill shook her head. “Mobility is one of the key elements with any weapon,” she stated. “It doesn’t matter how bloody powerful the weapon is if you can’t get it on the battlefield or hit anything with it.” Overkill then pointed to the line connecting the machine to the blunderbuss. “I can already tell that won’t go to the backside of that machine. Meaning it has a serious blind spot. And with it being that big and heavy, any soldier using it will be nothing more than a target screaming ‘please hit me’. Made worse if this thunder blasted thing really does need fixing every hour on the battlefield! Might be better as a bomb, just drop it from a zeppelin and be done with it all.”
 

“Well,” said Theory as he stepped closer to Overkill. “I guess we could see if we could install it into a zeppelin or just build a vehicle around it. It would help solve the mobility problem and offer some protection. But the problem would be how much power is drained just so it can fire. Might make a mess with the other systems.”
 

“That’s only if they could get that thing to work properly,” grunted Overkill. “If you're right and this thing needs fixing every couple of times it fires, it would just become dead weight. Standing there with its mask off, coughing up a storm so that the enemy has something easy to fire at. Might as well just shoot it ourselves and grant it a mercy death.”
 

“Hmm, as far as I can tell right now the best fix would be for a slower build up,” commented Theory as he looked at Overkill. “If there was a slower flow, it might reduce the stress and heat placed on the machine allowing for it to function longer without needing so many repairs. But that would mean a longer wait time before shots. How long, well it would be hard to say. Ten minutes? Half an hour? A full night? Tests would have to be done to determine the safest pace, but by your account that wouldn’t make this machine any better.”
 

Twilight felt herself smile a little at this as she watched Overkill nodding in agreement. Twilight had been worried that Overkill’s recent anger at Theory and love of things that could, well, kill others would have caused her to defend this machine to the bitter end. Even if only to spite him. Instead, she was acting as though she were one of Twilight’s military advisors giving her own input on how this machine would handle on the battlefield. It made her feel good to know that, despite whatever issues these two had with each other, they put their country first.
 

“Now hold on, both of you!” growled Dr. Voltage, her angry temper evident in her voice. But if it was made to intimidate anypony, the only ones who shrank were the other tinkers. Both Overkill and Theory stood there looking back at the mare who was now foaming at the mouth. “Try to understand that this machine is the future. If your little minds cannot comprehend the greatness of this then-”
 

“Dr. Voltage,” said Twilight in a calm tone.
 

“WHAT?!” shouted Voltage, wings extending as she turned to look at who had spoken. A moment later it had sunken in on who she had just screamed at for she instantly folded her wings back and tried to make herself look smaller. “Princess…I, uh…”
 

Twilight, for her part, glanced at the other tinkers who were still cowering in fear before returning her attention to Dr. Voltage with an eyebrow raised. “I do hope that this is not how you act when other ponies criticize your work or point out a flaw you overlooked,” she said in a firm tone. As she spoke, Twilight did her best to imitate the stance that Princess Celestia would have taken. Her wings were slightly raised to her side while trying her best to seem taller. This was a little harder for her to do since she was nowhere near as tall as the sun princess and that Dr. Voltage was just a tad shorter than she was. Still, her stance did seem to have some effect on the short-tempered doctor as she shrank just a little more.
 

Rather than speaking further to Dr. Voltage, Twilight turned to Dr. Sparks while folding her wings back to her side. “I believe I have seen and heard enough,” she said in a firm tone. She then paused, considering if it were best to leave it like this before speaking again. “The accomplishment of the tinkers here at the Underbelly will be noted. I do hope that both you and Dr. Voltage will take in the concerns that have been brought up if you wish to continue with this project.”
 

“Of course, Princess, of course,” said Dr. Sparks, with a bow and no signs of irritation or obvious anger in his voice. When he rose, what she could see of his face told Twilight that he, at least, had taken their observations to heart. Or at least better than Dr. Voltage, whom she would be keeping an eye on.
 

After saying their farewells to the tinkers, Dr. Sparks led Twilight and her company out of the lab. Overkill quickly moved beside Twilight, shooting one last look of disappointment at the machine that almost made Twilight smile. Wild Theory just let out a sigh as he took up the rear while Spike raced to position himself between Twilight and Overkill. As the group moved out of the room, Twilight spotted Blood Moon standing by the door. He was eyeing Dr. Voltage with a look of utter disdain before he too turned to leave. How Dr. Voltage felt about that, Twilight had no idea, for she was out the door without a chance to look back.
 

“I am so sorry that disappointed you so Princess,” said Blood Moon quickly as he moved to the opposite side of her where nopony was. “The shame I feel right now is truly indescribable! When I had last come here to donate my grits, I was told by Dr. Voltage that the project was nearing completion!”
 

Twilight didn’t answer right away as she looked at the soon to be duke. His voice was slightly panicked while sounding apologetic. To a degree, Twilight felt like she understood why. He was a backer of the Underbelly Academy and had no doubt sunk a large amount of grits into its projects. He clearly wanted to show off what had been done with those grits hoping they would dazzle everypony around. To share some of the glory that the tinkers had achieved with his financial help. Yet, the project he had helped back did not receive the praise he had hoped for. Given the state of Thunder Valley, he probably thought that she was going to lash out at him for wasteful spending or for not paying enough attention to what was going on.
 

Yet there was something that still didn’t feel right to her. Maybe it was the look he gave Dr. Voltage along with not even bothering to come to her aid. Given how much he had given the academy, surely he could have defended her a little. Or…or maybe he was only to have Dr. Voltage dig her own grave by insisting that there were no faults to her machine. Still…
 

“It’s quite alright,” said Twilight, letting go of this feeling for the moment as they walked down the hallway. If he was going to be taking over for his mother one day, Twilight believed that they should get on the right hoof at the start. So she added in as friendly a tone as she could, “It was still an impressive display. But I would suggest keeping a closer eye on things like these. A bit more documentation never hurt anypony.”
 

“Speak for yourself,” muttered Spike.
 

-x-
 

For the next several hours, Twilight was shown around the Underbelly. For the most part, they passed by wooden doors with windows in the upper section that led to the classrooms. It was honestly very interesting for Twilight to peek in and see all the different ways that thestrals here were taught. Some classrooms were small, only allowing ten students inside in what looked like tiny auditoriums. In those rooms the desks were made of metal, bolted to the ground as the students took hurried notes as their professor lectured on the ‘stage’. The professors had no desks in these rooms nor did they employ any sort of blackboard. Instead, coming from the ceilings were spider like appendages that carried a variety of tools at their ends. One of those legs, Twilight noted in horror, had items that looked like riding crops and small blunderbusses like the ones Overkill had. And after seeing one student who had one of his legs bandaged, Twilight wondered if they used a more medieval system of punishing students here. She never saw anything to back up that thought or else she would have busted down the door in an effort to save the student. Instead, each professor had some sort of device in which he or she was in the middle of explaining to the students.
 

Other rooms, Twilight found students working on projects. In one of these rooms, Twilight saw a group of twenty thestrals who all looked to be no older than Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle. Each one was seated at their own personal work bench as a professor walked up and down the rows, their eyes focused on the task at hoof. From what she could see, nopony there said a word or was looking around, just keeping their eyes down as they worked to assemble something. What it was, Twilight had no idea but it seemed pretty advanced given how complex some of the parts were. Once or twice, there were slight change ups where students grouped up at a long table. But those times were when they were cutting up a corpse in order to better study their insides or learning how to attach an auto-limb.
 

It was at one of these rooms that Twilight found something rather shocking. There the professor had stopped his patrolling to stand in front of a bench belonging to a filly with a cutie mark that looked like interlocking gears made of white clouds. She wore a yellow shirt with brown stripes along with a brown vest made of faux leather over her ashen grey coat. Her mane was black with twin white stripes that reminded Twilight of a skunk, slicked up so that it covered one of her eyes. From what she could tell, and she could have been wrong, the filly was having trouble with her work. At least that’s what Twilight assumed since she seemed so far behind the other students with hers being much smaller. When the professor picked up the device, Twilight thought he was going to examine it and tell her what she did wrong. The truth was far different. In a flash the professor flung the device onto the floor, veins appearing in his neck as he proceeded to scream at the filly and pointing a hoof right in her face.
 

“It’s how they learn,” was all Dr. Sparks said when Twilight brought this up.
 

For a moment, Twilight and Spike looked at each other before she turned to look at the filly once more. At that moment, Twilight wanted more than anything to go in and stop this from continuing. Taking several deep breaths, she thought about how easy it would be for her to do so. She had the power, right? However, as she continued to breathe, Twilight’s thoughts returned to the matter at hoof. The reason they were here: to find out what had happened to the corpse of Midnight Oil as well as the disappearances of foals in the city. Right now, Dr. Sparks was showing them around without any trouble and she wanted to keep it that way for now. At least until she had a better idea of what was going on.
 

So, with a sigh, Twilight continued to walk down the hallway leaving the filly to her fate. However, the purple princess made a mental note for herself. Once she got back to the capital she would be reviewing all the laws that were supposed to protect fillies and colts. And if there weren’t any she would make sure that there would be some in the near future.
 

After moving past that unsightliness, Twilight began to see more of the projects that were in development at the Underbelly. Most of them were being headed by tinkers who had been at the academy for many years or by students who had proven their skills. The room sizes they used varied from project to project, some no larger than the bedroom she had back at the old library while others were simply massive. In the smaller rooms, Twilight usually found one tinker working on a project all by him or herself. Nothing that really stood out for Twilight given their incomplete nature.
 

The larger rooms were something altogether different. In one room, Twilight found herself looking at a boat with legs! The boat reminded Twilight of a large yacht, able to hold a dozen ponies with four steel legs. On its front were two large cannons while on its underbelly was a glass dome. A thestral tinker sat in that dome on an armchair, holding a mock blunderbuss as the dome twisted left and right. In the room after that, Twilight was glad to see that it wasn’t a weapon at all. Instead it appeared to be a set of bronze chairs spaced several feet apart from each other and attached to a massive machine that filled the entire back of the room. The main body of this machine was smooth with only a hooffull of gauges near eye level, along with a row of levers. Most noticeable was an indent placed halfway between the two chairs where a weird light was emitted. The light seemed to shift at random, at one point being a light green, then a sickening yellow, followed by a dark red that almost seemed impossible. Something about it sent a shudder through Twilight’s body as it didn’t seem right. Why she felt like this she couldn’t quite place. Forcefully, she turned her attention to the twin chairs where she found that they had straps on their sides, as if to keep a pony on them against their will, with headsets above each. In a way, the headsets reminded of the one she used on Pinkie that one time when she was to figure out Pinkie Sense. Only this one had attachments that looked like drills ready to bore into a pony’s skull with wires coming out the opposite end.
 

“Impressive, isn’t it,” said Dr. Sparks as they all looked through the window. “This is our prototype lie detector. Still in the testing phase.”
 

“Ah, is it supposed to look that big?” asked Spike with a gulp, his eyes moving towards the drills. “Or scary?”
 

Dr. Sparks merely chuckled at this. “Would give the incentive to tell the truth right away, wouldn’t it? Now, come along.”
 

From there, the group moved down the hallway to a railing which overlooked a massive dark room. On the floor of this room were at least a hundred eggs made of black metal evenly spaced apart from one another. Metal pipes ran across the floor in so many directions that they often overlapped each other, attaching themselves around the bottom of these eggs. Thick heavy bolts could be seen sticking out of these eggs as well in four straight lines as well as several gauges. Then, near their tops, were glass windows that emitted an eerie green light that gave the room an horrific feel to it. As Twilight watched the thestral tinkers walk from egg to egg she could feel Spike holding onto her hind leg while shaking slightly.
 

“What are those?” asked Twilight as she looked over the railing. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Overkill looking just as clueless as she was. In a small way, it made her feel better. But what dashed that was the equally puzzled expression on Theory’s muzzle. To have her most trusted tech advisor in the dark as much as she was, well, was unsettling to say the least.
 

“Those are our preservation tanks,” said Dr. Sparks as his lens changed automatically to fit with the lack of light in this room. “One of Mad Theory’s latest creations. Come, let me show you.”
 

With that, Dr. Sparks led the way down to the lower level by opening his wings and gliding down with Blood Moon right behind him. At first, Twilight hesitated for a moment, looking to Overkill, who gave her a reassuring nod and showed her that her blunderbusses were at the ready. Taking a breath, the purple alicorn placed Spike on her back before heading down as well, with Overkill right behind her. As for Wild Theory, due to his crippled wing he was forced to take a nearby ladder.
 

Once they were all on the ground floor, Dr. Sparks pointed towards the nearest tank and gestured for Twilight to take a look. Briefly, Overkill nodded to indicate that she would be beside the princess the entire time. Feeling a little bit better, Twilight set Spike down as she approached the tank. With each echoing step she took on the metal floor Twilight’s sense of dread grew tenfold as a nameless fear took hold of her. She chastised herself for this since it only looked spooky, yet still her heart was racing faster and faster where it reached the point where the sound was pounding in her ears. Finally she reached the tanks and looked through the window…
 

And screamed.
 

“What is going on?!?” cried Twilight through her wails of horror as Overkill got besides her, still looking through the window. Inside was a thestral, suspended within a green liquid. Lightly it bobbed within the tank and, for a moment, Twilight thought she saw the slight movement of the eye under the lid as if this thestral were just in a deep sleep. Backing away, Twilight began to take deep breaths as she did her best to reason this out. That thestral had to be dead, there was no way anypony could still be alive with their lungs no doubt filled with…with whatever that stuff was!
 

“Is something wrong princess?” asked Dr. Sparks in a concerned tone.
 

For a moment, Twilight thought about lying to him. To tell him it was nothing or something to that effect. But that idea was quickly shot down as she knew he would not believe her. Not after that outburst. “I…I thought I saw that thestral’s eye move,” she said. “But, that can’t be.”
 

Dr. Sparks nodded gently. “I see,” he said before pointing at the pipes at the base. “Princess, do you see those pipes? They are constantly exchanging the chemicals within the tanks at various speeds. Sometimes powerful enough to give the illusion of movement. A twitch of the lip, movement of the leg, or even putting pressure on the eyelid to make it look like the eye has moved. It can seem unsettling the first time it is seen.”
 

“But what about-”
 

“There’s a pony in there?” asked Spike as he moved over to the tank. Twilight watched in horror as Spike began to climb his way up the tank, almost digging his claws into the metal in order to make his way up. Thankfully, before Twilight could get her wits back to use her magic, Overkill had grabbed Spike by his tail and dropped him to the floor. “Hey, what’s the big idea?”
 

Overkill looked down at Spike as he pointed an accusing finger at her. “Don’t want you to be giving the princess anymore trouble,” she said.
 

“What?” shouted Spike as he got to his feet, looking angry now. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
 

“Who is making all that damned noise!” came a loud voice. “In my lab no less!”
 

As a figure approached, Twilight felt another scream trying hard to escape her throat yet she managed to keep it at bay. Spike was not so skilled, yelling as he ran back to Twilight and hid behind her. Not that she blamed him as this was the most nightmarish stallion she had ever seen. Large scars could be seen all over the stallion dark brown coat, with gear shaped metal infused into his chest like stitches covering some of the scars as if they were there to keep them from opening up. Maybe if he wore a shirt like so many other thestrals it would have been less noticeable, but instead he wore a ratty grey vest with two pockets. Covering his yellow eyes were goggles, but even with those on Twilight could see one of his eyes was larger than the other and seemingly unblinking. The rest of his muzzle was scarred and deformed, twisting slightly to the side. But worst of all was his back past his wings as it was all made of auto parts! It was monstrous things made of black metal and with exposed belts that turned constantly from his back to where his tail was. Thick, bulky black legs that reminded Twilight of cinder blocks that somehow bent as they spewed out globs of oil and hissed with every step he took. Of course, due to this stage of mechanization, he didn’t have a cutie mark. Only a temperature and pressure gauge filled that spot.
 

This new thestral looked at the group of ponies before him with unkind eyes which narrowed severely when they fell upon Wild Theory. “You,” hissed the stallion. “Why in thunder are you here?”
 

Wild Theory gave an award-winning smile as he waved to the stallion before him. “Hello, hello, hello brother,” he said. 
> The Mad Lab of Dr. Theory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You…You…,” gasped Mad Theory, his distorted and disfigured features darkening with utter hatred. The monstrous stallion stood there, seething for several long seconds before slowly moving closer to the group, his goggled eyes fixated on Wild Theory. With each step he took, there was a loud ‘clank’ as well as a hiss coming from his hind legs that made Twilight’s insides squirm. Oil was dripping from somewhere as his lower body’s gauges began to shoot into the red. It was as if his anger was so great it was affecting his mechanical body. The fleshy side of him wasn’t looking any better as veins were nearly popping out of his throat, his teeth gritted with clear anger. Behind her, she could feel Spike’s claws holding on to her hind legs as he began to shake with fear.
 

Twilight had to be honest with herself, she was afraid of this stallion. Yes, she had stood up to a mare who had threatened to bring forth endless night. She had been toyed with by a god of chaos and watched her friends as they turned into the very worst versions of themselves. She had watched as a love parasite queen brainwashed her brother at his wedding and then took down Princess Celestia. And somehow, this pony scared her worse than all of them put together.
 

Perhaps that was just the shock of seeing him for the first time, making a powerful impression. She had never had the chance to envision what Wild’s brother would look like, but she supposed she would have thought that they looked the same. Maybe Mad wouldn’t have the crippled wing or something to that effect. Heck, she would have expected a more serious version of Wild without the triple repeats! But the sight before her felt like it belonged in a nightmare rather than in the waking world.
 

“Miserable cur!” spat Mad Theory. “What in the name of the Storm gives you the right to be in my lab? My lab!”
 

“Now Dr. Theory, you need to calm down,” said Dr. Sparks, stepping forward and raising a hoof. “You know this isn’t good for you old chap. How about you take a nice step back, take some medicine and-”
 

“You do not get to lecture me about staying calm!” roared Mad Theory, his voice echoing through the lad. Thestrals around them began to cower in fear, some huddled in corners with their wings covering their faces. “You know what this…this thing did to me!”
 

“Haha,” laughed Wild nervously. “A bit harsh to be calling me a ‘thing’, brother. Don’t you think, think, think?”
 

“I think, think, think yes!” screamed Mad, more veins popping out of his neck as he slammed a front hoof onto the ground. However, as he took another step, something happened in the blink of an eye surprising several of the ponies there into stunned silence. While it was brief, Twilight had just managed to see the motor belt within Mad’s hind quarters go flying across the room and hitting one of the preservation chambers. There was a short sputtering sound followed by several gears coming loose. The stallion’s anger quickly morphed into fear, an absolute panic, as he fell to the ground. Pain appeared in his eyes as veins began to poke out of his skin around where his flesh connected to the metal.
 

“HELP ME!” screamed Mad as he looked over at the other Tinkers, steam shooting out of his metal legs and plot. “HELP ME!” Tears were appearing in his eyes along with, much to Twilight own horror, blood. Mad began to flail about in a state, wailing and crying as if pain were now coursing through his very veins. His voice was not that of one in control, ordering others to do his bidding but rather begging for help. What had happened to him that just not having his hind legs working would cause such a thing?
 

“Brother I’m here. Just let me-” began Wild, only to stop as Mad regained enough of his senses to swat the air in front of him.
 

“Not you!” cried Mad, blood now seeping from his jaw line. “Anythestral but you! You did this to me! You did this to me! YOU DID THIS TO ME!”
 

“Hold on!” said Twilight as she galloped over to Mad’s side. Whatever feelings she might have had about his appearance, the impact the sight of him caused, no longer mattered to her. He was the brother of a friend of hers and, more importantly, a pony in need. As a princess…no, as a pony herself it was her duty to help out.
 

Dr. Sparks stepped forward, but paused when he saw Twilight’s horn aglow. As her eyes became fixated on the complex mechanism before her, the belt and gears that had gone flying not too long ago floated over to her until they were hovering around her head. Twilight’s ears then flattened, doing her best to tune out the cries of the screaming thestral as to better examine the inner workings of his legs. Though she might not have been born in this land and the technology of Equestria being slightly behind their own, she was still Twilight Sparkle! Whenever she had a moments free time she had been studying everything she could, including some of the thestral’s mechanical guides. That, paired with her own learning as well as the time she had spent with Wild Theory, had given her a decent understanding of the basics.
 

As such, it didn’t take her long to replace the belt back where it belonged. Using her magic, she then began to scan the hind quarters looking for where the gears went while also using that same magic to allow the gears still inside him to turn. Everypony around her watched in silence as she examined the gears that now hung within her magical hold, trying her best to figure out where they went. Even Mad Theory eventually stopped his screaming, turning his head to watch her in amazement even as a shot of oil coated her face. While cleaning that up would have taken only a moment, Twilight didn’t waste a moment’s worth of concentration on something so minor as her focus was needed on the task at hoof. Eventually, Twilight managed to get all the gears back into the rightful place, screwing them in more carefully so that they did not come undone so easily.
 

“There we go,” said Twilight with a sigh of relief. She then turned to look down at Mad Theory finding that he was still staring at her. With a warm smile Twilight held out a hoof to help him up. “Are you feeling better?”
 

Mad Theory looked at the hoof for a moment as if dumbfounded by the gesture. Like nopony had ever done anything like that for him. It was almost pitiable in Twilight’s eyes. She then watched as his gaze moved up and over to her side, seeing her feathered wings before his eyes shot up to look at her horn.
 

“I-I’m fine,” he stammered weakly, but managing to stand on his own while never taking his eyes off Twilight. She could see that his coat had lost some of its color becoming very pale and that the parts of him that were still flesh and bone were shaking. It was clear he was anything but fine no matter how you wanted to put it. Yet, at the same time, Twilight couldn’t help but think how much worse it could have been. The doctor could have died from the pain! So maybe in that sense, he was fine.
 

“That…That thing you did,” said the doctor between gulps, his voice sounding dry. “You…You were able to lift all my parts. Put me back together without touching me. Amazing.”
 

“It’s nothing that special,” said Twilight as she moved a wing in front of her face to hide her blush. “Nothing that any unicorn who studied properly couldn’t do.” Then she lowered her wing and took a breath. “I did my best to repair your, ah, autoparts but my skills are still somewhat amateurish. You might want to get somepony else to look at your legs.”
 

“Yes, very wise Princess,” said Dr. Sparks as he stood up on his own hind legs. He then clapped his hooves together before landing back on the metal floor, signaling the other Tinkers towards him. They all came, bringing with them various tools and other items that surprised Twilight. One Tinker wearing the same spider leg like harness she had seen Wild wearing when she first arrived was pushing a large metal frame: a cube like contraption that had a metal claw dangling from its center. Another was pushing a cart with very large back wheels, the cart carrying a wide variety of tools and spare parts.
 

Work began on the sport. As soon as the frame was moved so that Mad Theory was right in its center before the claw was slowly lowered. With how close it was, Twilight could see that there was some sort of padding on the claw’s insides before it was clamped around Mad’s barrel while being careful not to touch his wings. The doctor was then raised high enough so that his hooves dangled above the ground. From there the other Tinkers went to work, pulling out wrenches and other such tools as they began to repair Mad’s legs. Twilight was impressed by the speed of which they worked, almost as if they had done this a hundred times. Was this because they were highly skilled or just overly familiar with this project, having done it so many times.
 

A slight motion drew Twilight’s attention away from the working Tinkers. It was Mad. With every twist of a wrench or turning of a screw, the stallion winced in pain. His teeth were gritted tightly on his distorted muzzle with the neck veins making a reappearance. It seemed like the pain had never really left him bringing a wave of pity for this poor creature. So much so that for a moment she was about to use her magic once again in order to conjure up some water to help ease his nerves. It was only due to fear that such an act would startle the other Tinkers, surprised by her sudden act of magic, causing them to fumble in their work and harming Mad further that prevented this.
 

But, what surprised Twilight was the fact that Mad was doing his best to keep his gaze on Twilight. They seemed fixated on her. Maybe it was because he had never seen an alicorn before which was understandable.
 

Just then, Dr. Sparks cleared his throat. “Well, now that that unpleasantness is finished,” he said moving over to Mad Theory as the scared stallion was lowered back to the ground. “Esteemed  guests, please allow me to introduce to you our head in the fields of auto-limbs and biology: Dr. Mad Theory. Dr. Theory, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle. The mare who might become our new queen.”
 

“Interesting,” wheezed Mad, his eyes focused on Twilight. Or, rather, her horn. “Very interesting.”
 

“Now, Dr. Theory, perhaps you would be kind enough to show our guests the new auto-limbs you have been working on,” urged Dr. Sparks. Twilight’s ears perked at this as there was something off about the stallion’s voice. Yet, what it was she could not tell. Perhaps he was just excited to show them what they had made?
 

“Didn’t you get the memo?” growled Mad as he turned around, the other Tinker’s around him scurrying about as if to get as far away for the doctor as possible. “Sent it with one of those urchins that this academy thinks can become a Tinker. Pah! When I find that little rat I’ll be sure to skin her ali-”
 

“No, I didn’t get the memo,” interrupted Dr. Sparks quickly, moving in front of the other doctor. “What did the memo say?”
 

“The project needs to be scrapped,” said Mad gruffly, shocking both Dr. Sparks and Blood Moon in the process.
 

“Y-You can’t be serious,” stammered Dr. Sparks as he looked from Mad Theory to Twilight and then back to Mad. “All the grits we poured into that project, all the hours spent on it. And you just want to scrap it?!”
 

“Think this makes me happy?” growled Mad Theory, taking a step closer to Dr. Sparks. It seemed like Mad Theory had either forgotten that there were other ponies in the room or just didn’t care. Twilight watched as he bared his fangs, showing off how they were also chipped and disfigured. Like someone had taken a hammer to them and only broken them halfway. She winced, the mere sight of them giving her a phantom pain. “Think I don’t know how important this is? Well I do! I wanted this to work too, or have you forgotten?”
 

“I haven’t,” said Dr. Sparks, puffing his cheeks a little as he spoke while his head set changed his lens to red ones. “In fact, I had believed that if there was anythestral here who was willing to make this work it would be you! Given your situation. No, you just want to go back to your original project.”
 

At that, Mad let out a hiss as he moved closer to Dr. Sparks face. “Has a better chance of working,” spat Dr. Theory. The two doctors were glaring daggers at the other as tensions began to build.
 

Then, Twilight cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Dr. Mad,” she said politely. At once, Mad Theory turned to glare at her causing Spike to topple down to the ground. “I am sure you have a good reason for wishing the project scrapped. So, instead of yelling at each other, perhaps you could explain to us why you feel it was necessary.” As she spoke, Twilight watched as the stallion’s muzzle softened a bit. Or at least his features relaxed a bit.
 

“Well, somepony’s asking the right questions,” he said, licking his lips as he stared at Twilight. The way he was now looking at her caused something cold to run down her spine, nearly causing her to shiver. Thankfully his gaze moved away from her alone and towards the entire group. “Yeah, I’ll show you all why. Blasted thundering blunder it was! Come on!” With that, Dr. Mad Theory began to walk away, his hind legs being a bit less noisy than before. But not before shooting one more nasty glance over at his brother showing his utter contempt. As Twilight helped get Spike back up to his feet, the party soon began to fall in line with Wild being in the back.
 

After several minutes of walking, they came to a sectioned off corner separated by a very thin wall. Once inside, Twilight found herself too horrified to gag. The smell hit her first, blood and bodily waste seemed to fill the air to the point where she could all but taste it on her tongue. Most likely the scent came from a shoot in one corner of the room labeled: waste. Tubes lined the floors, so much so that Twilight thought she would trip at any moment making her wonder how anypony could manage to walk around in such a place safely. Along the walls were three objects covered by a cloth being the same size and shape as the preservation chambers outside. Between these covered objects, the tools were mounted on the walls. Many of them looked familiar, things like screwdrivers and wrenches and other such things. But then there were the objects that looked more like weapons. Blades of all shapes and sizes, saws used for cutting bones, and things that made Twilight’s insides turn labeled ‘for eyes’. Then, finally, in the middle of the room, was an operating table coated with dried blood. Hanging from the ceiling above the table were chains ending with wicked hooks. Some of them were dripping oil while others had chunks of meat on them. There was something else as well, coming down from where the head would reach was a mechanical arm that ended in a bowl. Like it was meant to be placed on a pony’s head. Normally, the curious Twilight would have looked a bit closer to see if there was any more to this strange device…but spotting several locks of mane dissuaded her from that pursuit.
 

Turning her head, Twilight was slightly relieved to see that she wasn’t the only pony disturbed by this room. Blood Moon’s fur was looking slightly green as he pulled a handkerchief out of his vest, holding it over his nose in order to block the order. Wild Theory bit his lower lips, his good wing trembling a little while his gaze shifted towards the exit. Then there was Overkill. Out of all the ponies in the room, Twilight had expected her to handle this the best. And she did, maintaining a stoic front as she stood next to Twilight. Yet her eyes still squinted slightly perhaps as a sign that this was bothering her to some degree. Then there was Spike… 
 

“I,” began Spike as he began to breathe heavily. “I think I’m going to wait outside.” He didn’t wait for Twilight to give him permission or to say anything. He just walked backwards out of the room, his eyes unblinking as he then closed the door.
 

“This is it,” said Mad Theory, ignoring Spike completely as he pointed to the thing in the back of the room that Twilight’s eyes had yet to process. At first, she thought it was a pony’s leg connected to several tubes. She would have screamed, and almost did, but then she noticed a few things. She could see several lines on the leg as well as signs of wielding. Looking up at the top she could spot several bits of metal coming out of it.
 

“May I?” asked Twilight. Mad Theory licked his lips before gesturing for her to proceed. She walked past the Doctor, feeling his eyes on her body every trot of the way, and even leaning forward to take a sniff of the air above her as she passed him by. Fighting the urge to shudder, Twilight continued to walk while ignoring him as she felt his gaze on her flank which only ended when she was right in front of the auto-limb. Carefully she reached forward to lift it, finding it lighter than she would have imagined given its size and what it was made of. It was still heavy, much heavier than a normal limb, but compared to the other auto-limbs she had been able to hold since arriving in Thunder Valley, it was very light.
 

“Did it work?” asked Twilight, bringing the leg up and down as she spoke.
 

“Course it worked,” grunted Mad Theory, sounding slightly insulted. “Built the damn thing myself along with help from those morons who call themselves Tinkers! Compacted everything we could and used lighter material so it won’t weigh anythestral down. Might be able to fly with that thing if not for one problem.”
 

“And that would be?” asked Blood Moon, his voice sounding slightly muffled through the cloth. He also sounded a little short of breath, as if he were trying his best to inhale as little oxygen as possible.
 

“Can’t compact a furnace in the damned thing,” growled Mad as he pointed to the leg. “At least nothing that will last longer than a match. Won’t provide the right amount of heat needed. Can’t put in the right amount of fuel to help it last long. Just won’t work right.” The scared stallion then shook his head. “Every design I’ve come up with runs into the same problem: adding the furnace to the leg would just end up adding more weight and making the damn thing off balanced. Yes it would still be lighter, but only by such an insignificant margin. Might as well not have bothered.”
 

“But couldn’t you just connect this to a saddle furnace?” asked Twilight as she tilted her head, thinking of something like Overkill’s weapons. They could fly with those on their sides.
 

“Could work if you didn’t factor in the total extra weight,” said Mad Theory, his tone softening when speaking to her. “The leg is still heavy, even with all the tinkering I’ve done. Used lighter metals, compacted what I could. Whoever puts that think on will still need some time to adjust to it, building up wing muscles in order to fly. But adding in a saddle furnace to that? Might be too much, too much without a lighter furnace!” He then looked over at Dr. Sparks. “You want this thing working right? Then send it over to somepony who has time to waste making new furnaces! Me? I have better things to do than working on pipe dreams!”
 

As Dr. Sparks made an aggressive noise, Twilight couldn’t help but think back to some of her first flying mistakes. Namely the time when she had carried a very large stack of books in her front hooves. Cheeks almost burning red, Twilight recalled how her front was pulled downward forcing her rear to be raised as she flew. Not the most dignified look for a princess. She also recalled the times when she had gone out with large tomes sticking out of her saddle bags, making flying all the more tiring as well as making her feel just as unbalanced as when she had carried her books by hoof.
 

Twilight opened her mouth to ask Dr. Sparks a question, but the only sound that came out was a shriek as she felt Mad Theory touching her wings. His hoof ran across her feathers, feeling them in a way that was supposed to be intimate for pegasi and made Twilight’s spine tingle. In the blink of an eye Overkill was on Mad, blunderbuss out and pressed right up against the stallion’s head. With one pull of the trigger, his brains would decorate the walls.
 

“What was that about you bloody Tinker?” Overkill demanded.
 

“Just curious. Just curious,” said Mad Theory swiftly, his eyes darting this way and that. “Never seen a pony with feathers before. Do you fly well?”
 

“I…guess,” said Twilight managed to say, feeling her wings with her hoof. “I’m still rather new to them myself so-” Twilight was cut short as Mad Theory made a loud noise. Up until now he had appeared angry, hostile even. But as soon as Twilight had begun to speak about her wings, a change had taken place. His lips curled into a twisted smile and there was an odd gleam in his eyes. His front body jumped into the air while letting out a sound that might have been joyful, all without fearing the blunderbuss still pointed in his direction.
 

“Those wings were grafted onto you?” he asked moving closer to Twilight again, taking her wing with his hooves before yanking her wing out. Twilight let out a loud noise, yet became suddenly silent as she watched in horror as the stallion deeply inhaled the scent of her wings. For a moment, he appeared to be in a state of complete bliss, giving Twilight a moment to pull her wing back. For a second, it seemed like Mad didn’t even notice as he stared off into nothingness without realizing that Overkill had moved between Twilight and the insane doctor. As she held onto her wing, Twilight noticed the horrified looks on both Blood Moon and Dr. Sparks. Together, they moved to the side of the doctor while Wild kept his head down.
 

As Mad stood there, almost drooling now, Twilight’s mind raced on what to do. A part of her, a big part, wanted to lock this crazy pony up. If not just for what he had done to her but also for his own good! Maybe even doing it herself, using her magic to drag him out of the Academy and towards the nearest Clubber Station. But she relented from such thoughts. As much as she didn’t want to, she could use this to gain some leverage with the Academy who would be more likely to comply if she didn’t press charges or throw one of their top (yet deranged) minds into a cell. That and she still held some degree of pity for the poor stallion.
 

“Back away from the princess,” said Overkill, her blunderbuss aimed right at the stallion’s head.
 

“No scars, not a one. HAHA!” cried Mad Theory, failing to notice anything around him. He then began to speak softly and rapidly with a hint of craze in his tone. “Not a trace of any sign that these aren’t her own. Oh ho ho! How? How was this achieved? I must…I must study her. I must figure out the secret! Put on the table and cut her open. Look at her insides and see what makes her cogs turn. Oh yes, oh yes. I’ll finally figure it out. The answers are here, just waiting for me to find them! The glory of the Guides is with me! Or…Or maybe I’ll use that project to just-”
 

“DR. THEORY!” screamed Dr. Sparks. His voice seemed to snap Mad out of his ranting as his eyes widened, darting around to see his surroundings. Seeing the blunderbuss still pointed right at him as well as Twilight’s face from behind her guard. Now he looked like he was in utter horror.
 

“I…I am so sorry,” he said quickly, cowering down to the ground. “Don’t know what came over me. It was so much. Right here. Right in front of me. Just wanted to know that’s all. Wouldn’t do any harm, no harm at all. Yes, no harm just wanted to know.”
 

Overkill looked over at Wild, who was staring at his brother with pity. “Has he always been like this?” she asked, blunderbuss still pointed at Mad despite not looking at him. The jabbering stallion moved a little to the side only to find that the blunderbuss moved in the same direction. “Because I can put him out of his misery. Probably should do it anyways for touching the princess like that and threatening to open her up.”
 

“Well, ah, not always,” said Theory. “Some days are worse, worse, worse than others.”
 

“He’s right,” said Dr. Sparks as he approached Twilight, head lowered. “I do hope you will find it in your heart to forgive him Your Grace. He is not normally like this and is truly a brilliant mind far above many who work at the Academy. I believe seeing a pony like you, saying what you said, sparked something inside of him.”
 

“Well, I can overlook it this once,” Twilight, still rubbing her wing with her hooves. But she did nod to Overkill who reluctantly lowered her weapon. At the same time, she heard Wild let out a sigh of relief. “But I do want to know what that was all about.”
 

Dr. Sparks opened his mouth, but Mad Theory beat him to the punch. “You want to know?” he asked, speaking in an excited whisper. “You really want to know my genius? Want to see what I have gleaned from The Book? It’s here, in this very lab! Let me show you.” With that last whisper, Mad turned around to grab the cloth with his jagged teeth. In one swift motion he pulled it down to reveal a horror Twilight never would have expected.
 

Underneath the cloth was a circular tank, filled with the same green liquid as was in the preservation tanks. And floating in the middle was the corpse of a thestral who did not look all there. There were stitches on its body, connecting parts of its body together starting from the ears all the way down to its tail. At first, Twilight thought this to be a subject used in dissection lessons, put back together so that it would be able to have a proper funeral. Only the more she looked at it the more she realized that wasn’t the case. Parts of the body clearly belonged to other ponies as the shades of its fur were different colors. Even its wings looked like they came from different ponies as one looked more dainty while the other was larger with more muscle to it.
 

“Isn’t it wonderful?” asked Mad Theory, failing to notice that Twilight was doing her best to hold down her bile as he spoke excitedly. “The Book spoke of a method in which one can graft body parts from one to another as well as…other things. I am working to replicate that sort of ability, starting with corpses. It might not be much to look at right now, but I believe in time I will be able to make more progress. Soon, we will be able to transplant entire limbs onto another. Wondrous, is it not? With this breakthrough, we will no longer need clanky auto-limbs that weigh us down and lack the sensation of touch. We will be able to become whole once more, taking to the skies in delightful glory! And perhaps, hahaha, we might even be able to defeat that ancient enemy we call death. For if we can easily replace our failing bodies, then it might be possible to live forever!”
 

“That’s…” began Twilight, however her words ended there as a dark feeling crept over her. It sounded amazing, but it also brought up memories of darkened tomes she had read about in Canterlot. Tomes that had given her nightmares as a filly and that fright had never really left her. “Is it…alive?”
 

“No, no,” Mad whispered as he turned to look at Twilight in the eyes, their faces suddenly so close that the princess all but jumped. She could now smell his vile breath filling her nose. “Oh, I tried to see if any life would return but my tests have not produced any real results. But the true purpose has been to see if the nerves are working properly. A jolt there and wack there. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. A little more testing and examination is required to find out why, then I can begin making the needed adjustments. Fine tuning as it were. I have discovered, however, that freshness is the key. Hence the preservation chambers. Oh, how they have truly expedited my work. The first several batches of corpses gave me so little to work with as they had been dead for far too long. Too much decay you see. So, I have to preserve them as one would fruit! Stave off as much decay as possible making the connections that much easier and effective. Just need a little more fine tuning. Then I can move onto living subjects.”
 

“Well if it works it would be amazing,” said Wild in a soft tone, his voice causing Mad to stiffen. Slowly the half stallion turned to look at his brother with renewed hate. “I mean, as long as you can find willing donors this could be possible. But I fear you might, might, might be stretching it a bit in thinking you’ll live forever.”
 

“You dare?!?” roared Mad as he moved forward, only to be blocked by Overkill as she stepped between them. While he didn’t walk around her, he managed to move his head so he could look past the mare. “You dare to come into MY LAB, question MY RESEARCH?! Research that I have gleaned from the Great Book, the glorious knowledge written within?!? You damn fool! You idiot! You incompetent lunatic!”
 

“I’m sure,” began Twilight and Blood Moon at the same time. The pair looked at each other before Blood Moon backed off, allowing Twilight to clear her throat before speaking again. “I’m sure that Dr. Wild Theory did not mean anything hostile towards your research. I too think that some of your ambitions might be a little out of reach at the moment.” Mad looked ready to kill with Overkill readying her blunderbuss. It seemed that any mention of Wild Theory was enough to sour even her position to him. Thinking quickly, Twilight asked the first question that came to mind. “Did the First Book mention immortality at all when you, ah, gleamed this information?”
 

Mad Theory looked momentarily taken aback, quickly regaining his less angry but sour attitude as he puffed out his chest. “No, it didn’t,” he said coldly. “I might be able to replace the body parts, but the mind is a different matter. Requiring a different set of reading and research that I have been looking into.”
 

Twilight found this answer to be…not so comforting to tell the truth. Still, she did her best to smile at the doctor. “Well, one step at a time,” she said.
 

Mad’s eyes narrowed before they suddenly widened for some reason. He then began to scratch the back of his neck while giving her a once over out of the corner of his eyes. “I, ah, yes,” he managed to stammer out. “One step at a time. Very wise, very wise.”
 

“Sooooo,” began Overkill, putting her weapon away before turning her gaze to the tube. “Where did ya get the bloody body parts for this?”
 

Mad shot her a nasty look. “Think I went to the morgue to plunder them?” he barked. “Think I have time for that sort of grunt work? HA! Put in a requisition and let the Academy do the searching for me.”
 

Twilight turned to look at Dr. Sparks. “I’d like to see those papers.”
 

-x-
 

“I don’t ever want to go there again,” said Spike. Twilight looked up from the paperwork held within her magic before looking down at the small dragon. On his seat within the carriage they had borrowed from Blue Moon, the purple dragon sat there almost curled into a ball as he stared blankly at the floor. His tiny claws were clutched to his legs, holding them tight against his stomach as his tail wrapped around him. Despite him looking downward, Twilight still managed to see the green tint on his purple scaled cheeks.
 

The carriage, pulled by twin black auto-ponies, was moving away from the Underbelly Academy and the center of Cogburn and towards the more run-down area. Twilight hesitated to call this part of town the slums, but the word sadly fit all too well. From what brief glances she had taken, Twilight could make out just how dingy the place was as they moved along its cobblestone streets. The many jostles of the carriage told her that there were holes in the road, not to mention the splashing they heard as they ran through puddles despite it not raining for several nights. The buildings looked like they were in disrepair, slanting left and right with wads of cloth being shoved through holes in the windows. From many, Twilight could see the warming light of a stove leaking past the grim covered windows. Yet others were completely dark, sending shivers down her spine.
 

“Don’t worry,” said Twilight gently, wrapping one of her wings around the little dragon and bringing him closer. Honestly, she was glad he wasn’t there to see nor had he heard the things that had happened with Mad. No telling how much worse he would feel if he did. “You won’t have to if you don’t want to.” She then let out a sigh. “I do wish they had told us what to expect.”
 

“Yeah, like Wild’s brother dearest,” said Overkill. Twilight looked up and over across the carriage to the only two other occupants with her. On one side was Overkill, leaning her back against both the seat and the window with her hind legs folded on top of each other on the seat. In one hoof she twirled one of her hoofheld blunderbusses, eyes glancing at the windows as a few of the townsponies got a little too close. Next to her was Wild, scrunched against the wall to make room for Twilight’s personal guard. He didn’t look like he minded this too much as he just sat there tapping his hooves together and looking up at the ceiling.
 

As for Blood Moon, he had stayed behind to speak to Dr. Sparks some more after the High Tinker had given Twilight all the paperwork they had regarding the procurement of the dead. He had told them that he wanted to discuss something important and that it might take some time. So he told them he could catch a public carriage to take him home where he would see them for dinner. But until then they could freely use the carriage to see the sights without him.
 

“Yes,” sighed Wild, still clapping his hooves together idly as he tried not to look at Overkill. “Should have warned you all he can be, well…”
 

“Creepy?” supplied Twilight, thinking of the gentlest word she could find.
 

“Er, more like a walking gore pile who really needs to be kept away from everypony before his monstrous tendencies ends up killing a whole lot of urchins,” said Overkill, earning a frown from Twilight. But again she ignored it, looking over at Wild. “Claimed he was like that because of you. Is that true?”
 

“I…I don’t know,” admitted Wild. “We were young then, didn’t even have our cutie marks. Working from an old abandoned warehouse we had found, experimenting long into the day in the hopes that our work would lead us to our true destiny. Thought we would do it together, brothers together like in the pulps. We…we were so innocent at the time.” Wild lowered his head a bit more, shaking it as he did so. “There was an explosion, everything, everything, everything happening so fast that I don’t remember what caused it. All I remember is waking up to find my wing crippled. And Mad, well, he fared far worse. It was only thanks to the Tinkers that he was able to, er, walk again. He’s blamed and hated me ever since.”
 

“Ah, well wasn’t expecting that,” said Overkill as the carriage began to slow down. “Then again, with you Tinkers, I never know what to expect. But I suppose you should both be thanking the Guides that you both survived. Believe me, I’ve seen some messed up stuff that would make what Mad-”
 

“Thank you, Overkill,” said Twilight quickly, interrupting her guard before she could further traumatize Spike. At that moment, the carriage came to a complete stop in front of a dark house in the middle of the block. A thin thing that looked slightly more kept up than the rest. Sighing, Twilight put on her mask and signaled the others to do the same. It was only after they had all donned their breathers that she opened the door with her magic. “Let’s go everypony. And dragon.”
 

Together, Twilight and Spike exited the vehicle. As soon as Spike was out and able to see the cloudy sky above them, he seemed to relax greatly. He even took in a deep breath of the seemingly poisonous air that surrounded them before letting out a sigh. Perhaps now that he was out in the open and not down there in that endless mad darkness he felt safe. Still, Twilight knew she would have to watch him. No doubt he would be having bad dreams for the foreseeable future.
 

Maybe she should send a letter to Princess Luna in order to have her on deck just to be on the safe side.
 

“So tell me again why we have to see this Midnight Oil mare again?” asked Overkill.
 

“Because I need to go over a few more things with her,” said Twilight as she approached the door. “The documents I have will help us to…” Twilight’s words trailed off. As she had been speaking, she had knocked on the door only to find it opening freely from the light gesture.
 

All four of them suddenly became alert, with Overkill moving past Twilight to take point. Slowly she peeked inside, turning her head to scan the room to see if there was any sign of danger. Not long after, Twilight saw Overkill’s ears flare before flattening against her skull as a growl left her throat. Without another sound, the guard pulled her head out of the door and closed it.
 

“What’s going o-”
 

“Spike, get in the carriage,” snapped Overkill, interrupting Spike as she glared at him. “Get in the carriage right now. Doc, make sure he gets there.”
 

“Hey wait a moment,” said Spike, stomping his little foot on the ground so that soot danced around it. Overkill, however, did not look impressed or interested. All she did was point at the carriage with her hoof in a commanding manner.
 

“Come on little guy,” said Wild as he placed a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. At first, Spike looked like he was going to resist. He looked over at Twilight who had remained silent up until that point. But rather than take his side, Twilight simply nodded. She knew that if Overkill was acting this way then it had to be for a good reason. And with the door like that…Twilight shuddered to think what might be on the other side. In the end, Spike was led away with a frown on his face.
 

Twilight waited until she heard the click of the carriage door before speaking. “Overkill, how bad is it?”
 

“Bad enough for me to want to protect that little dragon,” muttered Overkill before sighing. “Good news is that there’s no ambush waiting for us. Well, good news for you. Me? I could really use a little action right about now. Bad news, the place is a mess.”
 

Twilight tilted her head. “That’s it?” she asked. “It’s a mess?”
 

Overkill nodded. “Oh yeah, it’s a mess,” she said grimly. “Tables are knocked over, vases smashed, bit of smoke coming from the stove, glish smeared everywhere like there was a party. But, then again, most parties don’t have the host hanging from the ceiling with a rope around her neck.”