> Side of Beans
>  by Irrespective
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Pregnant Noses Chap. 6 - Ogres & Oubliettes Followup
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a dark and stormy night when destiny decided to again interfere in the affairs of the mortal realm. A pounding, unrelenting rain had soaked the countryside, turning all roads into impassable muddy rivers of sticky muck and driving everypony into whatever shelter they could find. 

All except for one. 

A young stallion trudged through the deluge, his steps slow and methodical. Though there were a thousand other places he’d rather be at the moment, he had to press on. The fate of his young wife was at stake, to say nothing of his village and the surrounding areas. 

But he needed to find some sort of shelter, and soon. He was literally soaked to the bone, and the cold evening air was sapping what little energy and strength he had left. The distant howl of timberwolves had been a steady companion since he had begun his journey, but they were growing uncomfortably close, and there were times he could swear he could see their glowing eyes in the bushes and brambles that lined the ‘road.’

In fact, when he first caught a glimpse of the lights in the distance, he mistook it for a timberwolf and nearly sent himself into the bushes for cover. It was several moments before he realized that the unmoving glint was an unmoving structure, but once he did, he let out a sigh of relief for the safety that a building like that would supply. 

For a few moments, he worried that the light came from the torches of a guard on watch at a city’s gates, and that they would not allow him entrance at such a late hour, but to his great joy, he found a warm and comfortable looking inn, nestled in between two trees and with the smell of fresh bread pouring from the chimney.

Just as he took his first steps towards the oasis in the woods, though, his progress was halted by a most unexpected guard.

“Auch! Wouldda get a load of this dobber, thumpin’ about like some nanny goat in the springtime?” A tiny but sharp voice called out, and the equally tiny butt of a staff thumped the end of his nose. “State yer name’n business, and be quick about it.”

“My name is Dusty Roads, ma’am,” he replied, and he went cross-eyed in an attempt to focus on the tiny assailant in green robes. “My village has been attacked, and—”

“So yer seekin’ a company of heroes to go a-questin’ fer ya.” The diminutive druid spat to one side. “And what are you starin’ at?”

“Forgive me, but I’ve never met a… a… whatever you are.”

“Name’s Pansy,” the dark blue bumblebee sized fairy replied as she withdrew her staff. “An’ fer yer information, I’m a breezie. ‘Taint got many o’ them out yer way, I take it?”

Dusty shook his head. “I live in a small farming community of earth ponies, noble Pansy.”

“Aye, that explains it. C’mon then.” Pansy turned and motioned for him to follow her. “You must be the lucky sort. Group o’ adventures arrived naught but two hours ago. They should be able to help.”

Dusty let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I’ll pay whatever price they want, just so long as they can save my Maud.”

“That yer wife?”

“Yes. She—”

“Hold the story for inside,” Pansy said, with a suspicious glance to the trees around them. “Been a lot of brigands and cutthroats passin’ through lately. Can’t be too careful.”

Dusty said nothing more as he followed the breezie druid to the inn. Once at the door, his hoof reached for the latch and was promptly zapped by a tiny bolt of lightning.

“Ow!” 

“Third rule of adventurin’.” Pansy chuckled and aimed her staff at the door. “Always assume a door is booby trapped.”

A beam of blue magic lept from Pansy’s staff, wrapped around the latch, and pushed the door open in one swift move. The druid then motioned for Dusty to enter first, and he did so carefully, lest he trip some other trap.

The inside of the inn, at first glance, was much like the inn in his own village, with a smattering of tables in front of a roaring hearth. Two chandeliers blazed overhead with the light of a hundred candles, and his stomach rumbled as the smell of bread practically ran him over. 

There were few guests in the taproom that evening, but Dusty took a moment to look all of them over as he slowly walked towards the barkeep. In one corner sat a stern-looking, pale purple unicorn, who was decked out in armor that appeared to be made of bones, and with a skull staff leaning up next to her. A tankard was before her, but those deep violet eyes remained on him, unblinking and somehow piercing right to his heart.

In another corner sat a barbarian, who was currently unencumbered but had all of her gear in a nearby pile. Dusty was a bit confused to find that she was gleefully brading the silky smooth mane of a paladin into long plaits, and for some odd reason, she was rambling on about an enchanted ribbon that would give the svelte white mare increased stamina, if she would only wear it as a bow on her tail. The paladin was glaring furiously at a small wizard who sat with them, but the draconic summoner seemed to be unperturbed and giggled to himself as he watched the antics before him. 

“Oy! Mud!” the breezie called out, and she jerked a hoof towards the straggling visitor. “Somepony ‘ere to see ya.”

The keep offered a warm smile and a hoof to shake, and Dusty couldn’t help but notice how unusually common he appeared to be. Typically, barkeeps were large ponies, with large bellies and even larger moustaches, but the yellow earth pony before him was so painfully normal that it hurt, somehow.

“Welcome to my humble establishment,” Mud offered as he placed a tankard on the bar in front of Dusty. “What can I get for you?”

“I’m looking for some adventurers,” Dusty began, but then he licked his parched lips as Mud filled the tankard with a fine-looking ale. Dusty hadn’t realized how thirsty he was up until that point—probably because he had been so focused on finding help, he noted to himself—but now that he could relax and catch his breath, his mouth felt as dry as a board. After taking a long draft, he continued. “My village was attacked two days ago by some sort of horrible army, and my wife was foalnapped, along with most of the villagers. I need somepony to go rescue her. And them.”

“I see.” Mud topped off the tankard and gave Dusty a reassuring smile. “Well, you’re in the right place. I’m sure there’s a creature here who will take up your cause. For a fee, of course.”

“I don’t care how much money it takes,” Dusty said, and he fought back the tears that were surging at the back of his eyes. “I just want my Maud back. Nothing else matters.”

When Dusty had walked into the inn, there had been a door just to Mud’s left, which he quickly assumed was the way back to the kitchen. But as soon as he had put the period on his last sentence, the door fairly exploded outward, leaving shards all over the room and one half of one hinge hanging limply from the frame. 

Dusty fell off the barstool with the explosion, his eyes widening in dumbstruck amazement. The door’s former position was now filled with a mountain that was roughly shaped like an earth pony, her coat glistening in the candlelight from a thin, even coat of sweat from the ovens. Her fiery red mane matched her blazing yellow eyes, and all along her white body were the bold red tattoo lines of some fearsome warrior clan. In one hoof, she held an oversized war hammer that was easily as tall as she was long, and the head of it had to be the same size as his own. 

If ever there was a pony who could rescue his wife, this mare was it. 

“Bean!” she bellowed, the volume of the shouted name rattling the windows and floorboards. “I mean, Mud! Quickly, we must make haste! This poor stallion’s wife has been abducted, and who knows what perilous condition she may be in now! Garbunkle! Use one of your seeker spells to ascertain the mare’s whereabouts! Bonecrusher, to arms! We haven’t a moment to lose! Why are you just sitting there?! Time is of the essence!” 

“You know, when I said you should try to act the way Brunhilde would act, I didn’t mean you should destroy our home,” Mud said as he rubbed the inside of his ear. 

The massive mare gave Mud a sheepish grin, then turned back to evaluate the carnage she’d wrought. “At least I didn’t come through the wall this time.”

“Who are you?” Dusty breathlessly gasped.

“Oh! Forgive me, I have forgotten my manners.” The oversized maul slammed into the floor, and the living mountain offered a small curtsey. “Brunhilde, at your service.”

Dusty slowly picked himself up, and it took him several moments to look the gigantic mare over. “Are you a warrior, then?”

“Me?” Brunhilde tittered. “Oh, no. I’m just a humble cook. I run this inn with my husband, Mud,” she finished with a nuzzle to said husband’s cheek. 

“A cook?” Dusty glanced to Mud in confusion, and got a nod in reply. “Forgive me, m’lady, but you don’t look like any cook I’ve ever met before.”

“That’s because she’s the luckiest mare on the planet,” the paladin in the corner grumbled. “I still say those dice were loaded.”

“Now, now, Gleaming Shield,” the barbarian chided. “We tested the dice repeatedly. Those twenties were all natural, and you know it. Quit being a sore loser.”

“Cheater.” Gleaming briefly stuck out her tongue at Brunhilde, then went back to sulking.

“Don’t mind her, Mister Dusty. She’s just upset that she’s a she,” Brunhilde said. “Now, about your wife and village. Did you happen to see who attacked you?”

Dusty slowly righted his stool and sat on it, and he hesitated as Brunhilde sat on the stool next to him. The severely stressed wood somehow held under her weight, despite the unholy groans of pain that it emitted. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sight. We were…” he stalled, then shook his head. “We were attacked by skeletons.”

“Skeletons?” the pale pony in the back stood, and with a critical eye remaining on Dusty, she moved towards him. “What kind of skeletons?”

“The boney kind, I guess.”

“No. What I mean is, were they all skeleton, or did they still have some flesh and sinew on them?

Mud gagged slightly, but Dusty shook his head. “They were nothing but bone. Why?”

“This is the Squizard’s doing, then. Only he would have power sufficient enough to bring life to nothing more than the bones of the deceased.”

The small wizard lit up with delight. “Do you really think it’s the Squizard, Tonberry? We’ve not had any sight of him for weeks.”

“I’m sure of it, Garbunkle,” Tonberry solemnly said. “I will take up this quest for you, sir. My powers of necromancy will be needed to undo the evil he has created.”

“I shall accompany you, Tonberry,” the paladin proudly announced, and she thumped a hoof on her chest. “I am honor bound by oath and covenant to seek out and to destroy evil, wherever it may be. You have my blade.”

“And my axe,” Bonecrusher added, her hoof sliding along the edge of her weapon as she flashed a wicked grin. “It’s been far too long since I’ve bashed in some skulls.”

“I’m coming, too,” Garbunkle announced. “You’ll need a wizard to fight against a wizard, after all.”

“Ach, suppose I’ll need to chum along with you, ya bunch of dafties,” Pansy piped in. 

“Mud?” Brunhilde glanced back to the barkeep, who was calmly sweeping up the shreds of door that had been scattered all around. “Go retrieve your exceptionally long and double-edged chef’s knife. We have work to do.” 

“‘Fraid not,” Mud replied, his eyes still on the floor. “I just rolled a one. You and I have to stay here and tend to the inn.”

“What?” Brunhilde glanced over the newly formed fellowship, who all had sheepish grins. “He’s not serious, right?”

“I’m afraid he’s right,” Garbunkle said. “The roll was a critical fail, and since you two are married in this campaign, you have to stay here.”

A sly grin came, and Brunhilde’s rear hoof wiggled, as if it was surreptitiously kicking something. “I do believe Mud didn’t look close enough at the die. As I see it, he rolled a fifteen.” 

“What?” Mud hesitated for a moment. “No I didn’t. It was a one. You bumped it when no one was looking, didn’t you?”

“Me?” Brunhilde put a hoof to her chest in faux alarm. “You accuse me of manipulating the die? I would never do such a thing! You all made it very clear that the Rule of the Die is absolute, and that I should never, under any circumstances, upset the random number gods. I am merely pointing out that the die reads fifteen, not one.”

“Sure looks like a fifteen to me,” Gleaming Shield noted. “I see no reason why they cannot accompany us.”

“You are all a bunch of filthy cheaters,” Garbunkle said with a laugh. “But the die does say fifteen. Brunhilde and Mud are part of the Fellowship.”

“Outstanding!” Brunhilde thundered, and she slammed her war hammer through a nearby table. “Rest tonight, noble Dusty. At first light, we shall gather provisions and embark on our quest. You shall guide us to your village, and we shall pick up the trail from there. The foul Squizard shall rue the day he dared to ply his evil in these lands!”



 * *  ✹ * * 

> What if... Bean Didn't Meet Celestia???
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Beanmeister!”

“Hey Sip.” Bean replied softly, his gaze on the floor. 

“Long time no see! How was your trip?”

“It was ... disheartening.” Bean whispered. “Are my parents here? I need to talk to them.”

“Yeah, they’re here. They should be down in just a minute, Bake ran to tell them you were back after we saw you down the street.”

“Thanks. Could, uh...” He coughed, and he sniffled back an apparent sob. “Could you give me a few minutes alone with them?”

“I’ll give you however much time you need. What happened?”

This sob managed to escape slightly, and a couple of heavy tears fell to the floor. “They were right.”

“O-o-o-oh.” Sip replied knowingly. “Yeah, dude. Take all the time you need.”

“Baked?” Lima called out from the back before striding up to the front. “Is that you, sweetie?”

“Hey mom.” Bean’s eyes didn’t even flit upwards. 

“Oh, my little Baked! What happened?”

Bean let out a cold and mirthless laugh. “You were right.”

“Oh, Baked, sweetie. Come here,” Lima opened her arms wide for a hug, and Bean slowly stepped into it. There was no warmth in it, no comfort, no peace. All he could feel was meaningless pressure and a smug, know-it-all vibe from his mother.

“Bean, buddy? Is that you?”

Bean’s body shook involuntarily for a moment, and he tried to offer a reply but nothing was coming out. His mouth simply opened and closed for a moment until he flat gave up. 

“Oh, sweetie. It’s ok.” His mother soothed. “Sip, why don’t you go get us some tea?”

“Righty-o,” he offered, and he moved into the kitchen quickly.

“Here, sweetie. Let’s sit down and talk this out,” Lima offered as she pulled away.





“...and then I went to Canterlot,” Bean continued, as his gaze remained on the ice-cold tea he held in his hooves. “I thought I could try writing some descriptions of things, like the train station maybe, or the gardens. I even went to the gardens, and I tried to write down how the sunflowers there felt.”

“And?” Garbanzo prodded after a pause.

“I met Lord Page,” Bean offered. “Or, I saw him, and he said ‘hi’ real quick before moving on. Princess Celestia was there, too, but she was walking with somepony, I don’t know who. A grape-colored mare, but … anyway. They didn’t say hello, they were too lost in each other’s eyes to notice me.

“Once they left, I finished writing about the sunflowers and went back to the hotel. I tried going to a bunch of publishers after that, but nopony was interested in my writing. I kept at it until I ran out of bits, and I had to panhandle to get the train fare to come home.

“So you were right. The writing thing was just a phase, nothing more. I’m as bad at writing as I am at cooking.”

“Oh, Baked. Don’t say that.” Lima replied in sympathy. “You’re a far better cook than that.”

“Your mom is right, son,” Garbanzo offered as well. “Why, I bet within a week you’ll be cooking up a storm. You’ve seen what is out there, and now you know that sometimes we get a little distracted from our true callings in life. You’re home now, where you should be, and you’ll see. All will be right as rain before you know it.”

“Sure, Dad. Sure.”

“Boss?” Sip called out from the main door. “Hate to interrupt, buy we got some live ones inbound.”

“Time to get to work.” Garbanzo announced. “We could really use your help, son.”

“Give me just a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Garbanzo and Lima then simply left, leaving Baked Bean with his thoughts and emotions. He didn’t move, he didn’t stir, he hardly even breathed for several long moments.

“I was so sure.” He finally remarked to his reflection in the teacup. “So sure. There had to be something for me … there. In Canterlot …”
> This Nose Knows Deleted Scene - The Questioning Bean
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bean slunk back, then made a somewhat hasty retreat while his beloved gave her most faithful student a reassuring hug. Now was clearly not the time for him to burden his wife with his own mixed feelings, it was readily apparent that Twilight needed the reassurance more than he did. 

It was an odd notion to him that she would question her place and purpose. To him, her role was clear, and her pathway was bright: she was to bring the magic of friendship to all whom she encountered. Perhaps that meant that, at times, she was required to no more than smile and wave, but how often had a friend been bolstered by such a simple act? 

He took a slow breath in as he walked away, and the weight of inadequacy began to crush his own wounded heart. While Twilight Sparkle would find her true purpose and destiny in short order, his pathway was the one that was dim and unclear. What was his role? What purpose did he serve? Was he really no more than a base satisfaction?

He continued to muse while he retreated further in, but no answers came to his troubled mind. If anything, he was only growing more confused with each passing thought. 

“You’ll play your part,”
State the princesses three,

To the one who, like them,
Is vital, and key.

Indeed, they have set
The stage, and the scene

But what of my part?
Is it meant to be seen?

The Sun rises true
The Moon, in soft rays

Speaks of Love, and the Magic
Shall soon know the world’s praise

But what of the Prince?
He was a mistake

And his role, it would seem
Simply does not equate.
> This Nose Knows Deleted Scene - Celestia Learns the Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia was worried.

This wasn’t really news in and of itself, since Princess Celestia tended to worry about all of her subjects, their happiness, and their well-being. But there was one former subject who had arguably become the most precious pony to her, and that pony was not acting like himself in the slightest.

Celestia had noticed many things were amiss about Baked Bean after she had begun to follow Doctor Horsenpfeffer’s instructions to watch her husband like a hawk.  For the rest of the day, she had casually but intently scrutinized everything he did, from the choice of words and the way he phrased them all the way down to his little tics and twitches. Over a thousand years of diplomatic training was put in full use, and the results that came back from this intense observation was extremely disheartening. By the time the two of them had made their way to the dining room for dinner, Celestia was almost completely convinced that the pony who was sitting next to her was not what he appeared to be.

It was something like when a pony portrayed another historical figure in a play. The movements, words, and actions of this Bean were close enough to the real Bean’s that an unobservant pony would think it was him.

Celestia knew better, though. This Bean put the emphasis on the wrong vowels and consonants for a Salt Licker, he blinked faster than normal, and he twitched more than usual.

That didn't even take his odd sneezing fits into account. Why would her husband suddenly develop an allergy when he’d been exposed to everything in their room before? Celestia just couldn't believe that a flying introduction to a grove a trees would suddenly make him allergic to dust mites.

Even now, Celestia could tell something was off. Thought this Bean was eagerly partaking in the evening meal, he was doing so in a rather unprofessional way. It appeared that he had forgotten some of the proper rules of etiquette: his elbows were propped up on the table, he had used the same fork for all three courses, and his napkin had not yet moved from its position beside his plate.

“How do the artichoke hearts taste, my love?” Celestia asked.

“Oh, they’re pretty good. I think they could use just a pinch of pepper, though.”

“Perhaps. You know, Chef Beet mentioned that she was looking for something special to prepare for Minotarian ambassador’s visit. Maybe you could help her develop a nice five course meal plan.”

There. Though this Bean was extremely good at masking his emotions, there was still the brief and faint flash of panic across his face.

“I'd love to help, if I can. I'll have to do some research first though. I don't know much about minotaur cuisine, and I'd hate to suggest something that they’d hate.”

“That would be problematic,” she replied, her jaw clenched tight. This was not right, her Bean would never show panic over such a simple request. If she had asked him to cook for the visiting delegation, then he might be concerned, but he had never shown anything but delight when asked to assist with meals.

But if was not her Bean, who was he, and what was he trying to accomplish by impersonating him? Where was the real Bean at? She refused to entertain the notion that he had perished in the Everfree. He had to be alive. But since he was alive, the only possible reason this Bean would be here was because …

Celestia’s eyes widened a bit with the realization, and she forced down a gasp of alarm.

Chrysalis.

Somehow, the Queen of the Changelings must have figured out Bean’s plans to defend Ponyville from Tirek, and then she could have abducted her Bean and replaced him with this imposter. It would be easy to do, and Chrysalis would know that Celestia would not ask any questions after finding her husband alive after believing him to be dead.

Celestia fought down her anger at the brash defiance of such a plan. If this was the case, she would personally level the Hive and banish Chrysalis to a prison she would construct in the middle of the Everfree Forest just for her.

But she needed to be sure. If the Bean that sat next to her was an agent of the Queen, he would hold valuable information about Chrysalis’ plans, and more importantly, where her beloved Bean was being held.

“Celly, are you all right?” Bean asked. “You look like something is troubling you.”

Celestia met his gaze directly, and his emotion was so clearly exposed in his face that he might as well have been shouting it.

He was scared.

Celestia pushed her seat backwards and regarded the imposter from under half-lidded eyes, a predatory purr rumbling up from her throat. “On the contrary, my dear Bean. I am just fine. I was just thinking about how much I’ve missed your personal touch.”

“Oh?” There was a slight hint of nervousness in the question.

“Oh yes.” Celestia moved in close, and she heard his breath shudder. “There’s never been any other pony who knew how I liked to be held and caressed, and you always know what I long to hear. Now that you are feeling well enough to be up and about, I think we can begin to rekindle the more intimate side of our relationship.”

Bean gagged on his food, then stammered out something incoherent. Celestia gave him a menacing chuckle, then began to nibble his neck. If this was her Bean, then he would enjoy this show of affection, and she would reduce him to giggling mess when she reached that one particular ticklish spot on his neck.

If he was not, then Luna would be given the opportunity to practice her ancient torture methods once more.

“Should we be doing this right here?” Bean protested weakly. “I mean—”

Celestia shushed him, and she moved up. He should react to this. Celestia wanted him to react to her actions.

But Baked Bean did not react.

Instead, he pulled away slightly from her. “No, really. What will Wysteria say if she finds us doing this?”

He did not get an answer to his question.

What he did get was a personal introduction to the wall on the far end of the hall.
> No Nose Knows - Alternate Starlight Glimmer Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Discord has invaded the court, filling most of the room with a crowd of himself. Bean has allowed him to stay, but is wondering where Luna is.]
“Who’s the first petitioner?”

“Let’s see…” She [Wysteria] glanced down at her trusty clipboard. “Oh! That’s interesting. It’s a unicorn by the name of Starlight Glimmer. She wants to start a new town out near the edge of the Badlands.”

“Why is that interesting?”

“I don't recall anypony else asking to start a town the whole time I've worked here. It's interesting that she wants to start a new one rather than move to a place that's already established.”

Bean thought about this for a moment. While interesting and perhaps a bit odd, there didn't seem to be a reason why this Starlight should be denied. “Send her in, Wysteria. Maybe we can figure out why she wants to do this while we wait.”

“Of course Your Highness.” Wysteria replied, and she nodded to the guards at the door. The massive double doors then swung open, and Bean took a deep breath again as his hoof touched his Celestial Crystal.

This was now his court.

The alternate introduction of Starlight Glimmer:

The natural light that was in the room suddenly extinguished itself and was replaced by the flickering light of torches which were being held by every third Discord in the room, who had all changed with the light into black hooded robes that obscured everything but their gleefully malevolent grins. The doors creaked like they hadn't been used in a hundred years as they opened, and Starlight was then led into the room in shackles by two of the pegasi guards, who looked just as confused as Starlight did.

Bean groaned and began rubbing his temples as the knell of a distant bell echoed throughout the chamber, and he closed his eyes as he tried for a moment to figure out what Discord was up to as Starlight finished walking the red mile to the throne.

When the clanking of the chains finally stopped, Bean opened his eyes and found himself dressed in black robes and banging a gavel from behind a raised Bench. Starlight Glimmer stood before him, still chained and flanked by the guards, and to her left Discord - who was dressed in robes that were similar to Bean’s and wearing a white powder wig - unfurled a scroll and cleared his throat.

“Good morning, Bean your Honor!” he grandly proclaimed. “The Crown will plainly show the prisoner who now stands before you was caught red-hoofed showing … feelings!”

The crowd gasped in unison.

“Yes!” Discord continued. “Caught red-hoofed showing feelings of an almost equine nature! This will not do!”

“Discord, what are you doing?” Bean asked in exasperation.

“Well, since you’re flying solo I thought I would help,” he replied with a pout.

“All right. Walk me through this, then: why does an application to found a new town involve shackles, a judge and an attorney - and, if I may point out, neither of us have had any training in law to boot - and accusations of having feelings?”

“Well, it…” Discord started, but then he stalled. After a moment of thought, he gave Bean an embarrassed smile. “Perhaps a bit over the top?” he offered.

“Just a pinch.” Bean agreed with heavy sarcasm. “Look, I really don't mind you helping, but it needs to actually be helpful.”
> Side Story - Royal Treatment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Royal Treatment



By: Mythic Night



After everything that had happened, Baked Bean was glad to be home, recovering from his ordeal. Half his body was bandaged up, and he was under strict orders from Doctor Horsenpfeffer to stay in bed while his injuries healed—not that he was really in any condition to wander around the castle, anyway.

We’re going on a long vacation when I get done healing, he decided. A whole month away from everything. Just me and Celly… A smile grew as he added, and our little bean. He still couldn’t believe the news, but Doctor Horsenpfeffer confirmed what his wife already knew; she was pregnant with their first child. He felt both overjoyed and utterly terrified at the thought of being a father, and he knew Celly felt the same way about becoming a mother, but he had faith that they’d get through it together.

Before he could further reflect on his upcoming foal, he heard voices at the door. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but he could tell that Celly and Sergeant Pokey were the ones talking. She had decided to personally oversee his recovery, and under her diligent care he was sure to heal quickly.

The door opened just enough for him to see Celestia’s muzzle, and he heard her say, “Make sure to keep your head tilted back, Sergeant; that’ll help to stop the bleeding.” With that wisdom given, the door opened fully to reveal his wife, and what he saw made his jaw drop.

Princess Celestia, diarch of Equestria and ruler of the sun, was wearing a snug, pink nurse outfit, complete with a matching hat. The top was a short-sleeved shirt buttoned up just enough to reveal her chest fluff, and it appeared that she was wearing a short skirt as well.

“How are you feeling, my love?” she asked him.

“…As well as can be expected, I suppose,” he replied, looking her over. “Uh, what are you wearing?”

She smiled at that. “Oh, this thing? I had Rarity make it for me; something to encourage you to heal faster. Do you like it?” she asked as she turned to the side, showing off her outfit. 

She was definitely wearing a short pink skirt, and he barely managed to pull his eyes away from her rump to look at her and say, “Y-yeah…”

“I’m glad to hear that. So, are you feeling hungry?” she wondered.

He nodded in response. “Food sounds good.”

“Wonderful!” She stepped aside, allowing two maids to wheel carts into the room. They nodded to the royals and then closed the door as they left. “Chef Beet made a delicious meal for you,” she told Bean as she turned around to look over the food on the cart, and Bean felt his heart skip a beat.

That short skirt hugged her perfect rear—which he could see because she kept her ethereal tail flagged—and it was just long enough to hide her royal goodies. Not for the first time, he wondered what he did to deserve such a wonderful and sexy mare as his wife.

“The main dish is a hearty vegetable stew,” she told him as she lifted up the cover and took a deep sniff. “There’s also fresh biscuits to go along with it.” She lifted another cover to reveal a plate stacked tall with perfectly-baked biscuits. “And as for your drink, Chef Beet made some ice-cold lemonade. She tells me that it’s her grandmother’s recipe. But if you’d prefer something else…?”

“Uh, no, that’s fine,” Bean replied, his attention more on her plot than on the menu selection.

Celestia smirked as she heard the distraction in his voice. “Now, as for desert…” She turned to the other food cart, and bent down to look into the freezer at the bottom.

Bean gasped as her position allowed him just a glimpse of her femininity otherwise hidden by the skirt—or her tail on any other day.

“We’ve got several flavors of the finest ice cream in Equestria, with all the fixings,” she told him. “We could make sundaes! Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Bean could only respond with a needy groan, his eyes glued to her rear.

Celestia smirked to herself. “Is everything okay, my love?”

Bean took a deep, shaky breath and nodded his head. “Y-yeah, everything’s swell…”

She got up and turned around, a smug grin on her face as her eyes fell to the tent her husband was pitching. “I don’t know about everything, but there’s definitely something swelling.” Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle as her dear Bean’s face went beet red.

She trotted over to the bed, hips swaying with each step. “Perhaps, after you’re done with lunch, I could give you a nice sponge bath. What do you think?”

“S-sounds awesome…” he answered.

Celestia chuckled. “I thought you’d say that.”
> Side Story - Spikey Wikey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity skipped up to the Golden Oaks Library and knocked. Her smile was locked in place while she waited. After several seconds, the door opened and a young voice called out from well below her head.

“Library is open! Just come on…Rarity!” His eyes practically filled with stars and the last word dripped with reverence.

The unicorn tittered. “Oh, Spikey Wikey! You always know just what to say to make a mare feel welcome!”

The dragon sighed. “Whatever you say, Rarity!”

The fashionista leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of his head. “You are just SUCH a dear! And always so helpful!”

Spike’s breath caught in his throat and he stood stock still.

After ten seconds or so, Rarity’s smile disappeared and she spoke with a hint of annoyance. “Breathe, Spike. Don’t forget to breathe.”

With a gasp followed by a look of utter gratitude, Spike smiled even wider. “Wow! Thanks, Rarity!”

The same smile plastered itself on the mare’s face. “Oh, Spike! Such a kidder! Say! Would you do your biggest fan a teensy-weensy favor?”

“Anything for you, Rarity.”

“That’s gooooood. Please send this scroll off to Princess Celestia for me, would you? That’s a nice dragon.” A scroll sealed with green wax floated in front of him.

Without taking his eyes off the unicorn, Spike breathed on the scroll and it dissolved in the dragonfire. Wisps of smoke headed off towards Canterlot.

Rarity gave a little jump. “Oh, look at the time! I must be off to sew more amazing fashions! Thank you again, Spike!” The dragon and the door to the library lit up in Rarity’s magic. Spike was levitated inside and the door slammed closed. Rarity immediately began galloping in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

Spike blinked a few times, slowly shook his head, and asked aloud, “What happened?” He then caught his breath. “Rarity!” Again, he froze in place. There was a knock on the library door, but Spike stood insensate. After another knock with no answer, a voice from the other side of the door said “Oh, right. Still open-for-business hours.”

Then three things happened almost simultaneously: the door slammed open, someone yelled “Surprise!” and a cannon went off.

Spike extracted himself from a ball of confetti that had impacted and stuck in the fourth shelf up in the “Self-Help” section. “Pinkie! What the heck! Why did you just party cannon me into next week?”

The perky party pony bounced in front of him. “But were you surprised? Huh? Huh? Huh? Because I got a triple left knee itch followed by a one of those almost sneezes that suddenly goes away have you ever had those anyway that meant you had forgotten to breathe again and there was somepony new in town at the Library!”

Spike frowned and tried to step out of the confetti streamers wrapped around his legs. Instead, he made two multi-colored paper comets trail behind him across the floor. “Well…maybe the first part, but it was just Rarity here a second ago. You must have seen her.”

Pinkie furrowed her brow then slowly turned her head upside down then shook it back and forth. “Whoa! Head rush! I’ll have to try this again! Anyway, no, I didn’t see her on my way over. Are you SUUUUURRRREEEEE there was nopony new here just a few seconds ago?”





The Earth Pony Guard wore a set of armor that Celestia recognized as Mark VII duridium steel full-plate that now was a bit worse for wear. Mud, leaves, and dirt were caked on every surface that served to cover the stallions’ body completely. The helm held under one foreleg was in the same state. He stopped in front of the Solar Diarch in her private chambers and bowed.

“Lieutenant Grappling Hooves. Report.” Celestia’s voice was flat and emotionless but her eyes burned with a fire that could not be hidden.

“The chimera’s nest was located and Sergeant Ironbottom and I kept the beast pinned while the rest of the team searched. We found these and I hesitate to guess their meaning.” Opening his saddlebag, he reached both forehooves inside and extracted two items, holding them for his ruler to see. One hoof held the sun medallion given to Prince Bean by his wife. The other…

Celestia’s mask broke and she fell to her knees. “Is that…? There were no…”

The soldier shook his head and held the piece of black shell higher. “There was enough chitin for a single changeling. It had died recently and there were no bones or hide of any pony.”

The Princess’ eyes watered and tears fell freely from them. “Then, that means…”

Her musings were stopped by a pop in front of her horn. Instinctively, she caught it and rotated it in her magic. The green seal was too translucent to be wax and bore a stylized letter “C.”

Her composure returned instantly and she stared forcefully at earth pony. “Speak to no pony about this. Also, give the same instructions to the rest of the team.”

He bowed. “It has already been done, Your Highness.”

She nodded. “Take both items to brief my sister, in private. Then ask her to come to my chambers.”





Luna turned the scroll upside down. “Such an amateurish attempt at extortion. I mean honestly. ‘WE hAvE YOur BEAn. COme aLOnE to The BaDLAndS. TelL NoONe.’ Is it really necessary to clip letters from various magazines to form a scroll of ransom? Is this a practice I missed while I was away?” She then started to examine the back of the scroll.

Her sister huffed. “Please try to be serious, Lulu. I’m already putting my husband at risk by showing you this.”

“By no means,” replied Luna. “There is no such word as ‘noone.’ You can’t be expected to have to guess the intentions of those who don’t know these are two separate words. Perhaps they meant to say ‘no pony’ but ran out of the letter ‘p’ and weren’t clever enough to place the letter ‘b’ upside down.”

“Luna…”

The Night Alicorn waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, fine. I admit it still wouldn’t look right without a mirror. So…” she put down the scroll and looked at her sister. “…plan 17B, I suppose?”

Celestia blinked. “Ummm…that was some time ago. Is that the one where you lead a few dozen dragons down every hole and burn up everything in sight?”

Luan smiled fondly and sighed. “Oh, that was great fun! But you’re thinking of Plan 27A. No. You swallow a moonstone for tracking, I spy on your whereabouts by moonlight, and if you don’t emerge from the changeling hive within an hour, I start destroying it with iron meteorites, working my way from the outside in. I won’t use anything heavier than an average pony so there will be no chance of hurting you, even if your magic is suppressed.”

“But my Bean still could be.”

“Then you will just have to shield him with your ample posterior.”

That earned her a glare.

“What? Safer than using your face, is it not? And you must admit it is big enough to do the job.”

The Day Alicorn sighed and started for her balcony. “Good enough, I suppose.” She took and gulped down the small rock offered by her sister. “No reason to delay.”





Chrysalis cackled. At last, the Alicorn of the Sun was under her control once again. The princess had left her vestments at the edge of the Badlands before being led deeper in the desert—only being led to the hive after ensuring there was no pursuit. The changeling queen double-checked the three nullstone rings on Celestia’s horn and the hobbles of the same material above her hooves. The drones before and behind them were alert and ready for any tricks. The alicorn walked impassively forward through the passageway of the new changeling hive. Even if the nullstone wasn’t in place, no magic except for changeling magic would work here, but that was a secret to be held back in case this was a futile rescue attempt.

“Did you enjoy spending time with my drone? Was his act convincing?”

“He was the bravest creature I have met in centuries. I will mourn his passing for the rest of my days.”

The queen’s smile ended. This was not what she had expected to hear. She studied the alicorn’s face but did not see any deception. Eventually, she sighed and looked away. “Yes. He was indeed the finest of my children.”

Celestia glanced sideways and gave a small smile. “Then we do have something in common.”

This got no response.

A minute later, they entered a small storage chamber with perhaps a dozen green pods hanging from the ceiling. A large empty pod hung next to the only occupied one. Inside…

Celestia gasped and Chrysalis was surprised at the strength and depth of the love radiating from the pony monarch. So he really had re-awakened the passions of the oldest creature in all the lands. The queen unconsciously extended her wings a bit while she soaked up the energy. Free food is free food. “Take your time. I promise you will dream of him when you are in your pod, just as he has dreamed of you for the past week.”

The Sun Princess did not seem to hear her. “You saved my prince. You saved my love.”

Chrysalis drummed a forehoof with a bit of impatience. “Yes. Now would you—”

That was as far as she got. Celestia’s wing snapped out, gathered up the queen and drew her back in an instant. Before a shout could be made, before a breath could be taken, before a there was time to blink, the alicorns’ lips met those of Chrysalis.

An explosion of love filled the queen’s body. She felt the holes in her legs fill in a moment and the energy threatened to burst out of every crease between her chitinous plates. It was as if all the power of the shield that expelled the hive from Canterlot was being channeled into Chrysalis’ body.

In desperation, the queen used her hive mind connections to shoot the excess to the closest guards which collapsed in spasms as their bodies struggled to cope with the impossibly fast influx of love. This was quickly followed by every changeling in the hive, then every changeling throughout Equestria and the nations beyond. And still it came.

With her body feeling like it was an overfilled balloon, Chrysalis dumped a year’s-worth of love into every dormant egg in the hive. Grubs burst from every egg, screaming in joy at the energy that surged inside them. And still it came.

Locked in Celestia’s embrace, the queen could only find one outlet left to keep from exploding. She streamed the love back to the alicorn.

After perhaps seconds and perhaps lifetimes, the kiss ended. Chrysalis slid bonelessly to the floor as Celestia broke the chains binding her manacles with two steps and sliced open her husband’s pod with the uncovered tip of her horn. Baked Bean slid out, coughing green gel from his lungs. Celestia gently helped him to his hooves and waited for him to open his eyes. When he did, he smiled.

“I was just having the most wonderful dream about you.” He shook his head and neck, causing green goo to fly everywhere. “Though I suppose I look quite frightful right now.”

Celestia smiled and booped her nose against his slime-covered one. ”You’ve never been more beautiful, my love.”

They closed their eyes and their lips met.

“What…have…you…done?”

The royal couple turned and looked down to the source of the voice.

“Every…ugh…every one of my eggs is hatched. Every drone will be in a food coma for a week. What have you done?”

Celestia smiled sweetly. “You are very welcome.”

This was met by a slack-jawed stare. “I now have twelve queens that just hatched! What am I supposed to do with one hive and twelve extra queens!?”

Bean spoke up. “Say, dear? Who is that, exactly?”

Chrysalis struggled to get to her hooves and noticed that everything about her body felt…wrong. Her head was top-heavy. Her vision was fundamentally different, able to pick out reds and yellows as never before. And the hunger was gone. Even when she had been fully sated in the past, the ghost of that hunger was always there. Now it just didn’t seem to exist. She pointed an accusatory hoof at the pair. “You two did some…thing...” Her hoof was green. No, her entire LEG was a seamless lime green.

Her horn lit and her magic coalesced into a full-length mirror beside her. She shrieked, “I’m hideous!” She spread her wings and screamed again. “You turned me into some sort of sparkly deer butterfly thing! I look like a rejected foal’s toy!” She stopped to look herself again up and down. “No, too colorful and tasteless! I look like a rejected baby toy!”

The mirror dissipated as her horn went out. Her rear legs gave way and her rear hit the ground. She started hyperventilating. “Why did you do this to me? How can I lead my people when I look like a cotton candy-fueled nightmare?”

Celestia wrapped a protective wing around Bean. “I did nothing of the sort. Somehow, you did this to yourself.”

Chrysalis’ head snapped up. “My beauty is gone! My hive will soon be starving again! I would never wish this on anyone!”

The Sun Princess smiled a bit evilly. “It sounds like you are going to need a FRIEND to provide HELP for your people. All you ever had to do was ASK.”

The Sun Goddess turned and returned to kissing her husband as her wing made sure he had absolutely no say in the matter. When she came up for air, she said to Baked Bean, “You see, dear? Friendship truly is magic.”

The transformed queen stared unblinkingly for several seconds. “By the First Egg, I so hate you ponies.”
> Side Story - A Glimpse Into The Future
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Glimpse of the Future
By: Mythic Night

It was morning in Canterlot, and the royal family was sitting around their dining table, eating breakfast together. Bean smiled as he gazed upon his family, with his beautiful wife helping their youngest with their food, while Banana Split minded the other two. Little Nilla was having a lively conversation with Banana about the dreams she’d had the night before, and her nanny listened intently. Bean’s gaze upon this domestic bliss was broken when he heard the door open, and he turned to see who had invited themselves into the dining room. 

Raven nodded to him as she trotted in, bringing the daily newspaper and, curiously enough, a tabloid magazine. “Good morning, your highnesses,” she greeted them as she placed the two items on the table next to Bean.
“Good morning, Raven,” Bean replied. “What brings you by so early?”

Raven smirked and told him, “Well, I saw this magazine last night while I was out shopping, and I thought you and the princess might get a kick out of it. I’ll be back later to talk about your schedule for today.” With that, she turned around and trotted out the door, closing it behind her.

Curious, Bean picked up the magazine, and his brow furrowed as he saw the headline. Royal Marriage in Trouble? the magazine asked, and curious, Bean opened it to read the article. It didn’t take him long at all to find out the reason they thought he and Celestia were having marriage problems, and he began to chortle.

Celestia turned to look at him curiously. “Bean? What’s so funny?” she wondered. Wordlessly, he hoofed over the magazine for her to read.  She cocked an eyebrow at him, then turned her gaze to the article. It wasn’t long before she discovered just what it was he saw, and she was incredulous. “Really? Really…?” Her reaction caused Bean’s chortles to grow into full belly laughs.

“What is it?” Banana Split asked.

Celestia snorted and rolled her eyes. “The author of this article believes that Bean and I are experiencing relationship issues because I’m not currently pregnant.” She shook her head at the sheer insanity of it all. “I bore three foals in five years, and now that we’re currently content with the size of our family, suddenly ponies think that our relationship is on the rocks simply because I’m not waddling about the castle.”

“That’s ridiculous,” the nanny declared.

“It sure is,” Celestia agreed. “Our marriage is doing just fine, isn’t it, Bean?”

Bean smiled and nodded. “Absolutely fine.” He raised his muzzle to meet hers for a tender kiss. “Even if it began with a nose boop,” he whispered, the two booping noses once more with a chuckle.
> This Nose Deleted Scene - Bean and Discord
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bean offered a sigh that so heavy it could very well have doubled for a black hole. He knew who it was, who was standing behind him. He didn't bother to turn his head to any degree, and his grey eyes remained focused on the grey and windswept horizon before him.

"Good afternoon, Discord."

"Bean-o." Discord replied flatly. Bean chuckled mirthlessly, and he slowly closed his eyes.

"Bean-o," he repeated softly. "Huh. There was a time when I actually liked that nickname. I'd never had one before. It was something ... something friends did. I had thought, at one time, that we were friends. It's really rather disappointing that we are not."

"Spare me the guilt trip, Bean. Tirek has offered me much more than you ponies ever could."

"He has? Well. I suppose I should be glad that you have been given so much. Just do me this one favor: whatever you've come here to do on behalf of your master, do it quickly. I would hope I've earned that small morsel of compassion from you."

"Master? I am a slave to nopony, or nothing.
I am his friend."

"I sincerely hope you are, Discord; but I also hope that you are not too disappointed when you find your playtime is cut far shorter than you ever expected."

But then later, because this is Bean:

Ashamed was about the tip of the iceberg for how Discord looked, let alone felt. There was a strong chance he would have fled the scene already except for the fact that Fluttershy was gently and firmly holding his paw. He slowly walked up to Baked Bean, and after a gentle pat on his paw, he tried to mount an apology.

"Look, uh... I..."

Discord glanced up slightly, and found a yellow hoof stretched out him. His eyes went further, and he found a forgiving smile plastered on the face of the Prince.

"Call me Bean-o. All my friends do, after all is said and done."
> Piracy is Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s it?” Twilight blinked several times, dumbfounded by the sight of the wreck before her. “That’s the RES Friendship?

“Now, ah know what yer thinkin’,” Applejack replied with a nervous chuckle, “but it ain’t as bad as it looks. Ah’ll admit that the Friendship hasn’t been seaworthy for several years now, but with a lick of paint and some patches on the sails, she’d be the finest frigate on the high seas.”

That statement was hard to take seriously, and Twilight’s face showed her disbelief. “Really? That’s all?”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Well, strictly speaking, the sails should just be replaced, obviously. Tain’t much more than threads up there at the moment. And ah’ve been meaning to patch that hole, but them durn pirates took everything not nailed down and Ah ain’t had the money for the timber. And Ah’m sure that list to port could be straightened out, somehow.”

“What about the mizzenmast?” Twilight asked.

“What about it?”

“It’s not even there!” Twilight gestured to the blank spot on the ship’s aft deck. 

“Oh, that. Ah’ve always said a good ship doesn’t need it. Slows you down and adds extra weight, right?”

Twilight rubbed the sides of her head with her hooves. “This isn’t a ship. This is a pile of lumber, held together with some rope and a barrel of wishful thinking.”

“Ah’ll have you know that the Friendship is one of the finest ships in Celestia’s fleet!” Applejack stomped a hoof on the dock. “She is the only ship to have survived an encounter with the Endless Night, after all.”   
> Aborted Sequel - Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * *  ✹ * * 


“Up for another race-ending fight, Twilight?” Starlight Glimmer called out to her foe with a smug grin. 

Everything was going exactly as she wanted it to, and she had to admit that vengeance was deliriously delicious. It had taken the most detailed of planning and plotting, breaking into the Starswirl the Bearded wing in the Canterlot Archives, a smidge of luck, and innumerable hours of stalking the so-called Princess of “Friendship,” but all of that effort was now paying out handsome dividends. Each time Twilight Sparkle returned from the future, she was a little more beaten, a little more broken and worn. Soon she would completely break, and Starlight would finally prove that she had been right about cutie marks all along.

“You’re right, Starlight,” Twilight replied in a weary voice. “I can’t beat you.” 

Emboldened even more by her confession, Starlight let loose with a shot of paralyzing magic, but Twilight effortlessly parried it away with a shield. “But you can’t stop me from trying, and we could be stuck doing this for all eternity!” the Princess finished. 

“If that’s what it takes to keep you and your friends from getting your cutie mark connection, then I’m game!” Starlight announced before firing off another beam from her horn. 

Twilight effortlessly deflected the shot with another shield, then grabbed a nearby cloud and shaped it with her own magic into what looked like a village at the base of a hill. “What you’re doing goes way beyond cutie marks. Everything we do here in the past,” she said as she created a cloud snowball at the top of the ‘hill,’ “even the smallest change can snowball into an avalanche of trouble for the future.”

The cloud snowball slammed into the village, but Starlight simply vaporized the whole thing with another shot. “Oh, next I suppose you’ll tell me that the fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance.” 

“It does!” Twilight protested. 

“Spare me your overblown ego!” Starlight snapped. “No group of friends, not even Princess Twilight’s, are that important!”

Another magic blast shot from Starlight’s horn, but this one lashed out to strike the young Rainbow Dash as she raced by, sending her into a tailspin and opening the time portal once more. Twilight clearly wasn’t learning the lesson that she was supposed to, so Starlight was going to have to be more direct this time. 

“I don’t know how important other ponies’ friendships are to the future,” Twilight said as Spike lost his grip and was sucked away, “but I can show you what the world is like without mine!”

And before Starlight could react, Twilight leapt from her cloud, tackled her, and then held fast as they were sucked up into the portal.

Or, at least Twilight tried to. Despite the shock of the action, Starlight managed to recover, and as they crossed the event horizon of the spell, her horn flared to life.

“Starlight, no!” Twilight called out, but before her own magic could counter it, Starlight’s teleportation spell flung her away from Twilight’s grip.



 * *  ✹ * * 



Teleportation spells were fairly standard and straightforward, once a pony could work the math required. The main problem was making sure one calculated out the distribution of mass properly, or the end result could be a bit messy. 
 
Most unicorns avoided using teleportation for this very reason, but Starlight had figured out the equations for her own mass years ago, with occasional adjustments whenever she noticed that she needed to eat more rice cakes and less cheesecakes. By now, it was a simple matter of having where she wanted to go in her mind’s eye, and then letting magic take care of the rest. 

So, when Starlight had used her teleportation spell to get away from Twilight, she had intended to reappear on a cloud bank half a skip away from where the time portal had opened.

But when she winked back into existence, she was mildly annoyed to find that she was not on the intended cloud. Yes, plotting revenge meant she'd ordered take-out every night, but surely she hadn't gained that much weight with her unhealthy eating habits.

Starlight glanced around, trying to figure out where she was and how far away from her intended target she was. 

She then glanced down. She hadn’t bothered to look over the vast green land of Equestria while she had been trying to sabotage Rainbow Dash’s race, but now that there were no clouds to block the scenery, she had to admit that the view was rather stunning.

Half a second later, the full weight of what this meant hit Starlight, and she screamed when she realized that the ground was going to be a lot more stunning once her freefall through the air came to an abrupt conclusion. Her legs flailed wildly, and either she forgot how to breathe or the rushing wind stole her breath from her as she streaked downward. Blind panic overtook her rational thought, and in a desperate attempt to avoid becoming a pinkish-purple splat, she hastily cast another teleportation spell.

This time, Starlight Glimmer found that she was not plummeting to immediate doom. Instead, the not-so-tender embrace of a tree welcomed her with sharp twigs and razor-edged leaves, and she yelped in pain as she bounced off three stout branches, ricocheted off the trunk, and finally slammed into the ground in a painful heap. 

“Ow.”

For several long moments, Starlight simply lay where she’d landed, trying to convince herself that she was, in fact, still breathing and could still feel her extremities, even if she wasn’t totally sure that she wanted to. 

Finally, once Starlight was mostly sure that her legs would cooperate, she slowly picked herself up with a groan as new aches joined in with the screaming pains from all over her body. Twilight Sparkle was going to pay for this, if it was the last thing she did!

“Where am I?” she muttered, a hoof rubbing the back of her head, as she surveyed her landing spot. At first glance, she appeared to be in a farmer’s field somewhere, and her landing had been softened by a healthy crop of wheat stalks. A lush mountain range was off in the distance, but the peaks did not look familiar to her, and as far as she could see, there was no sign of civilization. “Great. I’m out in the middle of nowhere!”

Starlight snorted. If she didn’t know where she was, then she couldn’t know where to go. 

But she could still make this work for her. Twilight Sparkle was also nowhere in sight, so at least her teleport had flung her away, too. If she could just figure out where that cutie mark map thing was before Twilight did, she could get herself back to the past and then seal the time portal, thus trapping her nemesis here and completing Starlight’s revenge once and for all.

Starlight glanced up to note the position of the sun, pointed herself east, and began to walk. A farmer’s field obviously meant there was a farmer somewhere, and said farmer could at least tell her how to get to the nearest city. If she was lucky, she might even be able to sweet talk him or her into giving her a ride.

It did take a few minutes longer than she expected to get out of the field, but she smiled once she found the dirt road that divided the farmer’s crops. Thus far, this future world didn’t seem all that bad, so Twilight had obviously overstated how dire the consequences would be for tampering with the past. 

“She probably can’t stand the fact that everything turns out just fine without her and her friends,” Starlight remarked to herself as she turned to follow the road, and then she snickered. “Maybe I should go find her, just to rub the truth in her face. ‘Oh, this is just so horrible, Princess!’” she mockingly said with a deep smile. “‘However will Equestria go on without you?’”

A distant buzzing noise caught her attention, but when she stopped to figure out where it was coming from, it stopped too. Starlight took a moment to glance behind her, and she shrugged when she found nothing amiss. There was a slight prance in her step when she started off again, and she began to hum a happy tune as she moved along. This setback was but a minor bump in the road, and soon, everything would be—

Starlight stopped and whipped around. That high-pitched buzzing had started up again, and it was getting louder. “Hello?” she called out. “Is somepony there?”

No answer came. Starlight stood stock still for several minutes, her eyes and ears darting about in a vain effort to catch her mysterious stalker, if there was one. Once she was halfway satisfied that she was alone, she again began to trot down the path before her.

But after a moment of thought, and another backward glance, Starlight decided a brisk canter would be better. 


 * *  ✹ * * 


“Finally!” Starlight cheered. She’d lost track of time while she’d been marching herself along, but she was sure she’d been on the move for the better part of the last hour, if not longer. The simple farmhouse she'd found reminded her of the simple homes that had made up Our Town, and Starlight’s burning thirst for revenge flared as she moved to the front door, to say nothing of her burning thirst for water. 

“Hello?” she called out as she knocked. “Is somepony home? I’m lost, and I need help!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” a voice called back from somewhere inside. “Who in Equestria could be banging on…”

The speaker trailed off as he opened the door, and his eyes went wide in shock once he saw her. “Chancellor Glimmer? What are you doing out here?”

“Chancellor?” Starlight took a step back and evaluated the crystal pony before her. She’d met a couple of crystal ponies while she had been searching for those who were disenfranchised and disheartened with their cutie marks, but none of them had been willing to listen to her explanation on why they should come to Our Town. Meeting a crystal pony meant that she was most likely in the Crystal Empire, and for a brief instant, Starlight’s mind tried to figure out how she had gotten shot so far away from Cloudsdale. “Look, I’m not who you think I am. I don’t even know where I am. Can you help me?”

“Of course, of course!” The glittering stallion stepped outside with a grin, and he pointed down the road Starlight had just left. “I’m sorry you’re lost, Chancellor, but if you just keep going that way, you’ll walk right into the city.”

Starlight smiled. If she hurried, she might be able to catch the afternoon train to Ponyville and get a chance to eat and rest along the way. “Thank you. That’s just what I wanted to hear,” she gleefully said.

“How did you end up way out here?” the stallion asked. “Not that I mind the surprise visit, of course, but my farm is too small to be of any importance to you.”

“Twilight Sparkle happened,” Starlight growled. “But don’t worry about it. Thanks for the help.”

“Forgive me, Chancellor, but maybe you should step inside for a moment? It looks like you might be bleeding.”

Starlight glanced back to her cutie mark, and she sucked in a breath when she saw the trickle of blood running down her flank and leg. She hadn’t noticed the pain or the cut before, but now that the adrenaline from her skydiving incident was wearing off, the pain from her impact was beginning to flair and surge. “Well, I could use a drink of water,” she admitted.

“Please!” The stallion stepped back, pushed his front door wide open, and motioned for her to enter. “It would be my pleasure to assist.”

Starlight took the invitation, but she resolved to be on her way as soon as possible. A quick drink, a few minutes to patch up her cuts, and then she’d—

“Well, well, well! What do we have here?”

Starlight froze in place, and her heart nearly pounded clean out of her chest. She knew she should scream, or run, or do anything besides stand there like an idiot, but the glowing green eyes before her seemed to hold her captive within an invisible grasp. 

“Chancellor Glimmer, what a surprise!” Queen Chrysalis pronounced, and with a predatory grin, she approached the trembling visitor. “I was under the impression that you were going to be in Manehattan this week. I do hope you’ll forgive my lack of a proper welcome party.”

This was bad! This was very, very bad! Starlight had never encountered a changeling before—or, at least, not that she was aware of—and the stories she had heard about the fearsome Queen were bad enough to give any pony nightmares. Of course, there had been some rumors floating around that Chrysalis was living in Canterlot with a royal guard, but that detail was lost as soon as it came as Starlight finally found her voice and let out a terrified scream. Her horn flared to life, and in desperation, she tried to teleport to anywhere besides here.

“Aw, leaving so soon?” Chrysalis sneered when Starlight blinked back in the exact same place. “What a pity. You just got here, and you never got your drink of water.”

Another frantic attempt at teleportation ended the same way, as did the third and fourth. Starlight then tried to turn and make a run for it, but the stallion from before was blocking the door, and in a blast of green balefire, his form twisted into a loyal and sharp-fanged drone, complete with armor and spear.

“Mandible, I have a question for you,” Chrysalis said with a bob of her eyebrows. “Do you notice anything different about the good Chancellor here?”

“It sure looks like the Chancellor,” Mandible replied with a wicked grin. “But that mane style is rather old-fashioned, I have to say. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Starlight Glimmer with bangs.”

“It’s rather tacky, too,” Chrysalis said. “And since she’s in such a hurry to leave, I’d be willing to bet that this Starlight Glimmer is not the Starlight that we both know and love.”

“You stay back!” Starlight warned with more bravado than she felt.

“Or what?” Chrysalis shot back. “You’re in no position to make threats, my little impostor!”

The statement was true, and Starlight knew it. But she was determined to put up a fight all the same, and her horn flared to life again, ready to fire off the strongest paralyzation spell she knew. Maybe if she could get a good hit on Chrysalis, the drone would rush to her aid, and Starlight could—

Without warning, Starlight was tackled from the left, and before she knew what was happening, two more changelings pounced on top of her. Thick strips of green ichor were wrapped around her faster than she could react, and within moments, the unicorn found herself bound and immobile within a slimy green pod. 

“Mandible, take our guest back to my palace.” Chrysalis strode out of the house, but paused to glance back once outside with a grin. “And make sure she’s shown to our finest accommodations.”

“With pleasure, my Empress,” Mandible replied.   



 * *  ✹ * * 


Wrong. 

This was all wrong. Starlight Glimmer wasn’t supposed to be wrapped up in a cocoon of changeling… well, it was probably best that she not think about what she was bound in. She wasn’t supposed to be a prisoner to the changelings, and the changelings were not supposed to be in the Crystal Empire.

The trip to her current jail cell had answered one question and bought several dozen more to life. Starlight was in the Crystal Empire, and she had crash-landed in a field not too far away from the grand crystalline city. The flight from the farm to the castle had only taken about ten minutes or so, but she’d lost track of time after the changeling drones had unceremoniously dumped her in a pitch-black cell and left her to rot. Every effort to break free had failed miserably, and Starlight’s strength had given out with her magic hours ago, if not longer.

Why are there changelings in the Crystal Empire? Starlight had nothing better to do at the moment, so she allowed her questions to meet up with her wild speculation and have a field day in her head. Maybe they defeated Shining Armor and Cadence at the wedding, or they got here before the ponies could. Why don’t the crystal ponies fight back? Are there even any crystal ponies left, or did Chrysalis enslave them all?

She hadn’t seen any ponies on her way to jail, but then again, she had been rather preoccupied with trying to escape at the time. Even if there were crystal ponies who weren’t enslaved, how was she supposed to contact them? Had anypony seen the changelings while they had buzzed in with her?

Starlight’s thoughts were interrupted when the heavy iron locks on her cell began to clank and thunk open, and she had to close her eyes when the bright exterior light flooded the interior. For several long moments, all she could see was vague shapes and blurs, but since they were all black against blinding white, she was reasonably assured that her changeling captors had come back.

“I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding,” Starlight said while blinking rapidly. “I’m not an impostor; I was brought here against my will.”

“Obviously,” the dark voice of Chrysalis snarked. 

“I don’t mean by you or your changelings, Your Majesty,” Starlight went on, hoping that an appeal to vanity might help her cause. “I’m not from this world, originally. I’m from a different timeline, or dimension, or reality, or whatever you want to call it, I don’t know. All I know is that I want to go home, and I promise I won’t cause any problems for you or your changelings. I just need to get to Ponyville, and then I’ll leave and never bother you again.”

“Ponyville?” Chrysalis said, and Starlight wasn’t quite sure that she wanted her vision to clear when the changeling queen came within an inch of her nose. “What could possibly be in that abysmal heap that’d rip a pony from one reality to another?”

For a brief moment, Starlight paused. This Queen Chrysalis didn’t look quite like the one that she’d seen in the newspaper articles, tabloids, and magazines. This Queen wore a crown of some jade-colored material that rested behind her jagged horn and ran down the sides of her head, thick green shoes with some odd, rune-like markings, and a breastplate of similar composition and with similar markings. The top third of her horn seemed to be glowing with pent-up magical power, but the biggest and most obvious difference was in the eyes. Her sclera was the same glowing green as her irises and it was almost impossible to make out where one part began and the other ended.  

“There’s a magical map and table,” Starlight said, once she’d finished her evaluation. This version of Chrysalis was even more creepy than the regular one, so she had to play her cards carefully here and stay on the Queen’s good side. Besides, there was no real reason to lie, and once she got back to the cutie mark map, she could ditch this horrible world faster than Chrysalis would be able to respond. “I don’t know if it exists here, but in my world, I figured out a way to use it for time travel. I belong in the past, and that map can send me there.”

“How very interesting,” Chrysalis said thoughtfully. “Why would you travel to the future? Curious to see how awesome you’d be?”

“I was tricked into coming here by Twilight Sparkle. She’s jealous of my abilities, and she’s trying to get rid of me.”

“Twilight Sparkle?” Chrysalis tapped her chin and glanced up as she thought. “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. Mandible?”

“I got nothing, my Empress,” a drone said from somewhere on Starlight’s right. She would have turned to look at the speaker, but her uncomfortable pod prevented any sort of head movement. 

“She’s probably in Ponyville now, trying to figure out how to keep me trapped here. Please,” Starlight begged, and she quickly worked up some tears for added dramatic emphasis. “I just want to go home, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, spare me the crocodile tears, will you?” Chrysalis sneered. “You’re a horrible liar who’s just trying to get out of here. I could taste your deceit and your pride from a mile away.”

Well, that didn’t go quite the way she’d wanted it to. “So what are you going to do with me?”

“That is quite the dilemma I face, isn’t it?” Chrysalis flashed a wicked smile, and her tongue darted out to taste the emotions in the air. “But I am feeling peckish, and I bet you’re just stuffed full with all sorts of tasty emotions. Anger, with some subtle hints of jealousy and sadness, and…” her tongue darted out again. “Is that just a hint of doubt? What a delightful little cocktail you are!”

Starlight whimpered slightly. Some small part of her cursed Twilight Sparkle yet again for getting her into this mess, but she was too busy wondering if changelings saw her as an appetizer or as dessert to fully form the curse.

“However, and unfortunately for you, all trespassers are to be sent to Canterlot for questioning.” Chrysalis reached out and pulled Starlight’s pod in so the prisoner’s nose was touching her own. “But don’t worry, my little Anarchist. Once you’ve been properly and completely broken, I’ll get to feast on what’s left of you. Mandible! Prepare my carriage. Chancellor Glimmer and I are overdue for our appointment, and you know how the Prince detests it when his spinach puffs get cold.”


 * *  ✹ * * 

> Aborted Sequel - Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * *  ✹ * * 


Starlight Glimmer hated Twilight Sparkle.

This was nothing new or shocking, but she couldn’t help but repeat how much she detested the Princess of Friendship as she was forced to stare at the metal floor of her current conveyance. Queen Chrysalis had simply dropped her in the back of the ornate carriage like she was a piece of luggage, and the changeling pod she was encased in still refused to give in any way. 

In between the moments of pure, unadulterated rage at Twilight Sparkle, Starlight wondered what was going to happen next. Chrysalis had conquered Equestria—or, at least, the Crystal Empire—but she also was subservient to a ‘Prince,’ apparently, and most confusingly of all, the changeling queen had called her an anarchist. True, Starlight had set up an anarcho-syndicalist commune with herself secretly at the head of all decisions, but even she still had to answer to Celestia’s rule and the laws of Equestria. 

The only ‘Prince’ that she could come up with was Prince Baked Bean, Celestia’s husband and the luckiest idiot to have ever lived. She’d only met him once, when she had gotten royal permission to build Our Town, but that had been more than enough to cement her hatred of his ridiculous fortune. Where she had to beg, borrow, steal, cajole, and ultimately brainwash ponies to get what she wanted, that yellow commoner had stumbled into the lap of luxury and ease, with Princess Celestia at his personal beck and call. Anything he wanted, he instantly got, and the whole thing only reinforced how patently unfair life was, especially to her. 

Oh, sure, there was Prince Shining Armor as well, she supposed, but since he was supposed to be in the Crystal Empire, Starlight was reasonably sure that he was not part of the equation in this world. 

That thought gave Starlight a bit of cheer, since it meant that there was one more avenue of anguish for Twilight to walk down, but the joy was jostled out of her when the carriage hit a patch of turbulence and sent her, nose-first, into the floor.

“Just you wait ‘till I get out of this, Twilight Sparkle!” she grumbled under her breath.

“If you’re going to badmouth a pony, you should really speak up,” Chrysalis called over her shoulder. “I’ll join in, if it’s especially foul.”

“You’re next,” Starlight growled, but Chrysalis simply laughed.

“Give it your best shot, by all means. I have very thick chitin; I can take it.”

Another bump of turbulence knocked Starlight onto her side, and she took the opportunity to properly glare at the changeling queen. The horrid bug was looking at something off in the distance, so the effect was a bit of a waste, but Starlight hoped that maybe she could burn a hole in Chrysalis’ carapice, if she just stared at the same spot for long enough. 

“So, my little impostor, is there any particular reason why you thought skydiving into the Crystal Empire would be a good infiltration method?” Chrysalis asked without looking back. “Or are you one of those deranged ponies that likes skirting the edge of death for a few cheap thrills?”

“I wasn’t skydiving. Or, not intentionally. When Twilight banished me here, she didn’t bother to make sure that I was going somewhere nice. She just flung me off into oblivion without a care in the world.”

“I’m liking this Twilight Sparkle more and more,” Chrysalis said with a snicker. “She sounds like my kind of pony. If she was real, I think I’d like to meet her.”

“You think I’m making this up?!” Starlight shot with incredulous rage. 

“Yes, and it’s one of the worst cover stories I’ve ever heard. If you’re going to lie to me, you should at least lie believably. Less is more, in my personal experience.”

Starlight bit her lip. Apart from freedom, a gallon of water to drink, and a trip to the little filly’s room, the one thing she needed more than anything right now was information. “So, if I’m lying about all of this, then what do you think I am?”

Chrysalis glanced over her shoulder and gave Starlight a devious smirk. “I think you’re the worst impostor that’s ever tried to weasel her way into my domain, you filthy little rat. But I also know when somepony is fishing for information, so that’s all you’ll get from me. I am looking forward to the lobotomy later, I have to admit.  There’s just something so wonderful about seeing a pony reduced to the intelligence level of a radish. You will remember to scream, won’t you? That’s always my favorite part.”

Outwardly, Starlight locked her jaw shut and glared at the Queen. Inwardly, however, her heart began to beat wildly, and her mind began to race once more. She wanted to believe that Chrysalis was exaggerating and making empty threats, but that glint in the Queen’s eye was anything but joking.

Just stay calm, Starlight. You’ve gotten out of worse jams than this. Keep it together. Keep! It! Together! They’re taking you to see Prince Bean, and there’s no way he’d let Chrysalis lobotomize you. 

Right?     


 * *  ✹ * * 


Starlight Glimmer’s arrival in Canterlot was not one that she’d care to repeat. Queen Chrysalis’ carriage, after bouncing off the ground a couple of times— and ricocheting off of something else—slammed to a stop with a clatter and a loud thunk that shot the trapped unicorn up in the air for several seconds. She groaned once her own landing was completed, and the pale green magic field that enveloped her did not help her pain.

“Mandible, you really need to work on your landings,” Chrysalis casually remarked to the wheezing drone who was sprawled out on the floor.

“I could do better if you’d get more drones to help pull the carriage, my Empress,” he gasped through ragged breaths. 

“Don’t bother me with details. Now! Where is my Princey poo? He’s usually here to greet me right when I arrive.”

“Father isn’t here right now,” a feminine voice replied, but Starlight wasn’t facing the right way to see who the speaker was. “He was called to Manehattan earlier today by Chancellor…”

Starlight’s eyes widened when Chrysalis turned her around and presented the captive, and for a moment, she wondered how much weirder this future could possibly get. 

“A yak?” Starlight couldn’t hold back the question, no matter how dumb it was. 

“Chancellor Glimmer?” the yak replied, her head tilting to the right. “Chrysalis, what is the meaning of this?”

“I caught this one out on the edge of the Empire,” Chrysalis said matter-of-factly. “So if there was a last-minute change in Chancellor Glimmer’s itinerary, now’s the time to say something.” 

“No, there was no change.” Starlight followed the overgrown lump of shaggy brown fur with her eyes until she moved out of her field of vision, but she kept the scowl all the same. “Why in Equestria would they send a look-alike to the Empire? Were they trying to smuggle her in or something?”

“This one was acting alone,” Chrysalis said, and she tossed the Starlight bundle to the feet of the yak once she had stopped moving. “I haven’t interrogated her, so maybe she’s just one of those delusional ones.”

“Is she a changeling?” The yak prodded Starlight’s nose with a hoof, and she tried to bite it.

“No, she’s a pony.”

“It’s a pretty good illusion spell. Father will definitely want to talk to this one.” The yak poked the pod, then glanced up to Chrysalis. “Can she get out of that?”

“Relax, Yona. That pod is indestructible,” said Chrysalis. “If you want to have some real fun, I could put an anti-gravity spell on her. She’d make a great beach ball.”

“That’s just mean.” Yona the Yak picked up Starlight and pulled her into a protective hug. “Even if she is an Anarchist, you know Father doesn’t like it when you hurt them.”

“You accidently break a couple of ponies in half, and you never hear the end of it,” Chrysalis said with a roll of her eyes. “She’s all yours, then. Do whatever you want with her, but let me know when I can have her emotions. I’m going to get a snack.”

Well, at least this ‘Yona’ didn’t smell yakkish, but the full face of yak fur really wasn’t much better. Thankfully, Yona didn’t hold Starlight in her embrace for long, but she did hold the changeling pod and it’s occupant out at arm’s length to properly look the captive over. “I guess you’re my problem now, Miss…”

“Starlight Glimmer,” Starlight snapped. 

“Wow, you’re good,” Yona said with a giggle. “Everpony else just gives up by this point and confesses. Father tends to be lenient if you confess, you know.”

“The only thing I’m guilty of is being duped by Twilight,” Starlight grumbled. “I don’t know why you are all treating me like I’m some kind of terrorist or something.”

“That’s because you are, of course,” Yona said. “And they all deny it at first, too. Major? Do you mind helping me take care of ‘Starlight?’”

“Of course, Your Highness,” a nearby unicorn replied, and he hoisted Starlight up in a light blue glow. 

If there was any one thing that Starlight prided herself on, it was her ability to read other ponies. Our Town had been founded and populated because Starlight knew how to interpret body language, facial expressions, and the overall bearing of a pony. Convincing a pony to see your point of view was much easier when you could pick out if a pony was receptive or hesitant to what you were saying, and adjust the message accordingly.

And, even though she’d never dealt with yaks before, Starlight saw that Yona was just as easy to read as any other pony she’d met. There was an eagerness to please written in her features, along with a youthful curiosity and a certain degree of conviction. She was twice as wide as a pony and a head taller, so she was probably a young yak, one who was on the cusp of leaving home but not quite ready to leave her family yet.

Starlight grinned. Young ponies tended to be the most gullible, and she was willing to bet that young yaks were no better. 

“So, your name is Yona?” Starlight asked. Chrysalis had been as tight as a clam with information, but Yona would be more forthcoming, with the proper motivations. 

“Yes,” Yona replied, with a wary backward glance. 

“You’re not at all what I thought a yak would be.” 

Yona rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. You were expecting something more along the lines of ‘Hi, my name Yona. Yona is yak. Yak is best at everything, and Yona is best yak. If yak not like something, yak smash!’” 

“That’s not quite what I meant,” Starlight said. “I’ve never met a yak before. Where I come from, Yakyakistan is closed off to ponies.”

Yona nodded, the two thick braids by her horns bobbing in rhythm with the action. “That was true, ten years ago.”

“So how did you end up here in Canterlot?”

“Careful, Your Highness,” the guard interrupted. “This one is trying to get intel out of you.”

Yona nodded again, but with a grin. “Thank you, Major, but I don’t think my history is a state secret. I’m also quite sure that you already know the answer to your own question,” she finished with a hard glare for Starlight. 

“I actually don’t. Believe it or not, but I’m not from this world at all. I was banished by Twilight Sparkle to this weird alternate reality  for the heinous crime of disagreeing with her.”

“Twilight Sparkle? Can’t say I’ve heard of her,” Yona replied with a thoughtful look. “But for all I know, you are Twilight Sparkle in disguise.”

“What?” Starlight shot, her frustrations having finally hit the boiling point. “You have magic here, so why is it so hard to believe that there’s a way to magically send a pony from one timeline to another?”

“Because it’s all just a bit too convenient,” Yona replied with a grin. “You appear out of nowhere, have a story that can’t be verified, and refer to a pony that nopony else has ever heard of. Would you trust yourself, if the situation was reversed?”

Starlight had to begrudgingly concede the point, much as she hated to. “I guess I wouldn’t. But I am telling the truth.”

“Sure,” Yona said with a knowing glance to the Major and a wink. “But since you are being so insistent about this, I’ll play along for now. Would you like something to eat or to drink while we wait for Father to get home? I’m sure being thrown from one reality to another must be taxing.”

Starlight licked her parched lips at the offer of refreshment, and her stomach growled. How long had her battle with Twilight gone on for? “I could use a drink of water,” she admitted.

“Let’s head over to the dining hall, then,” Yona announced. “You’ll forgive me for leaving you in the pod for now, but we should be able to take care of your needs all the same.”





It was amazing how often food made things better. 

Starlight Glimmer had grouced and grumbled about her treatment when she, Yona, and the guard had first arrived in the dining hall. She wanted out of her restraints, and being propped up in a chair like she was some sort of rag doll at a little filly’s pretend tea time was beneath her dignity.

But after Yona provided several pitchers of water for her to drink and a surprisingly delicious rosemary salad, Starlight’s mood had improved considerably. Now that she was full and hydrated, she could figure out how to get out of this mess she was in and get back to the cutie mark map table thing. 

“So, you never answered my question from earlier,” Starlight casually said with a small grin. If she could befriend Yona before her father got back, then the yak would be on Starlight’s side as she negotiated for her freedom. “How did you end up here in Canterlot?”

The Major grunted somewhere behind them, but Yona grinned and ignored the interruption. “How do you think I got here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’re an exchange student or something,” Starlight mused. “You keep mentioning a ‘father,’ so I guess you’ve been adopted by a pony?”

“There you go,” Yona said.

“Forgive me, but why would a pony adopt you?” Starlight’s mind continued to work, and she found this riddle was refreshingly stimulating. “If you’re an orphan, wouldn’t the yaks want to keep you with one of your own kind?”

“Do you have a problem with yaks and ponies being together?” Yona asked, her face and voice devoid of humor.

“No, not at all!” Starlight hastily said. “I just meant that the yaks in my time are very isolantonalist. It’s hard for me to believe that they would let a yak be adopted by ponies when there’s plenty of yak families who would love to take a child in. Why would they send you away from Yakyakistan?”

Yona chuckled. “It’s difficult to keep someyak in a place that no longer exists, wouldn’t you say?”

“What?” the gears in Starlight’s head began to grind as she thought this over. “Wait. Are you telling me that Yakyakistan was destroyed, somehow?”

Yona nodded with a sly grin. “I doubt this is news to you, if we’re being honest with each other.”

“But, but…” Starlight tried to wrap her brain around this information, but the mental reach wasn’t nearly long enough to get all the way around. “But how could that happen? What could possibly be strong enough to take out the Yaks? Why didn’t the ponies come help? There’s no way Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would have just sat back and done nothing to help.”

Yona shrugged. “I suppose they would have helped us, if they’d been around to do so.”

“Not around?” Starlight tried to give Yona an incredulous look, despite the restraints of her pod. “Oh, c’mon. You expect me to believe that something happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, too?”

Yona sat back and giggled. “You’re a really good actress, I have to say. I’m almost convinced that you don’t know anything about what happened.”

“I don’t!” Starlight protested. “First the changelings in the Crystal Empire, then yaks in Canterlot, and no Princesses? C’mon! There’s no way the future could be messed up this badly! Did Twilight put all of you up to this?”

“I think you are the one who needs to drop the act,” Yona replied with a deep scowl. “I don’t appreciate it when somepony says I’m lying to them.”

“But what in Equestria could be powerful enough to take out Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Starlight said.

“Tirek,” another voice cut in, and Yona gasped in delight.

“Ota! You’re back already!” Starlight felt the chair beneath her rumble and vibrate as Yona charged the speaker, but she couldn’t see who it was. “I thought it would take you longer.”

“I teleported back here as soon as I got Chrysalis’ message,” the unknown pony replied. “Is this ‘Starlight,’ then?”

“Yes. I just gave her some water and a little bit of food. Be careful with this one, Father. She’s tricky.”

“Well, let’s not be rude. Why don’t you introduce me?” 

Starlight braced herself for anything as her chair was spun around. With the way things were going in this bizzare place, she was probably going to be introduced to a talking kumquat.

She wasn’t too far off, but at least this pony looked familiar, for a change of pace. 

“Miss Starlight Glimmer, I presume?” His Royal Highness, Prince Baked Bean dipped his head in greeting. “My apologies for keeping you waiting. I see you’ve already met my daughter, Princess Yona, and the loyal-but-usually-silent Major Reinforcements. A pleasure to have you here in my home.”

“Prince Bean?” Starlight’s confusion forced the name to come out as a question as she looked the prince over. Though she had only met the commoner-turned-husband once before, she distinctly recalled that he was about her age, a bit overweight since he was a cook, and he was supposed to have an earthy brown mane and yellow coat.

This Baked Bean looked like he’d to tartarus, set up shop, and lived with the demons there for several years before finally being kicked out. He had to be at least ten years older than she was now, with streaks of grey in his mane, around his ears, and at the tip of his tail. Deep lines were carved into his face, especially around his eyes, and the yellow of his coat had faded out to more of a pale, sun bleached coloration. This Bean was thinner, too—far too thin, in fact. Starlight noted, with a bit of shock, that his face looked pinched, and that she could see the faint outline of rib and hip bones.
 
“Not what you were expecting, I take it?” this Baked Bean said with a wry grin. “Better get used to disappointments around here, I’m afraid. Now then! Why don’t we see who you really are, what say?”

Starlight didn’t get a chance to reply. The prince, she now noticed, held some sort of staff in his hoof, something like her own fake Staff of Sameness but with a multihued crystal mounted at the top. A strand of golden magic lept from the crystal before her astonished eyes, but then she cried out in pain when the magic turned itself into a bolt, pierced the pod, and hit her square in the chest. 

The cry turned into a scream, and if she could have, Starlight would have pulled herself into a tight ball as a burning agony ran just under the surface of her coat and threatened to rip her skin off her body. She began to convulse, and she knocked herself out of her chair as she tried desperately to do something—anything—to get away from the agony of being ripped apart from the inside out. 

The pain cut out as soon as it had begun, but the aftereffects continued to burn as Baked Bean withdrew the staff. Starlight drew in deep, ragged breaths as the burning cooled, but Prince Bean looked pleasantly confused as he approached her position and glanced her over. 

“Father?” Yona asked. “What’s going on?”

“There’s no illusion spell,” the Prince replied in a contemplative voice. “This is Starlight Glimmer.”

“But, how can that be?” Yona asked, but the Prince didn’t answer her. His head dropped to her level, and for several long moments, he studied her anguished expression. 

“How very interesting,” he said in a pleased whisper.


 * *  ✹ * * 


“I am sorry about what happened, Miss Glimmer,” Prince Bean offered once more as he guided his unexpected guest through one of the maze-like hallways in the palace. “I hope you can forgive me.”

Starlight smiled and shook her head slightly. Guilt was a wonderful tool in the hooves of a skilled manipulator such as herself, and with the Prince’s guilt now at her disposal, she was going to play him like a harp. “It’s fine, Your Highness. The pain is starting to subside slightly, and I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few hours.”

“Just over here.” Prince Bean motioned to a door, and Starlight paused as he pushed it open. “Please, after you.”

Starlight entered, and her smile grew. This was more like it! A private room, stuffed with velvet pillows and plush lounges awaited inside, complete with warm candlelight and one of those decorative fruit basket centerpieces on a large round table in the center of it all. Her magic plucked an apple from the offering, and she grunted with delight as the sweet tang of the ambrosia danced across her tongue. 

She could get used to living like this. 

“May I offer you something to drink?” Prince Bean asked, bringing Starlight back to earth. Yona had just entered the room, and in her hooves, she carried three snifters and a tall bottle of what looked like brandy on a silver tray. The liquor alone probably cost more bits than Starlight could ever see in her lifetime, and she nodded as Yona set the tray on the table.

“I think I would enjoy that very much, Your Highness, thank you.”

Yona grinned as she picked up the bottle, then held it out at an angle in both hooves for Starlight to inspect. “You’ll enjoy this one, Miss Glimmer. An hors d'âge ugni blanc from the most fertile regions of Prance. This particular brand is renowned for its rich notes of honey, oak, and nuts that gives way to a full-bodied taste and smooth finish.”

“It smells amazing,” Starlight remarked when Yona began to pour. “I doubt I’ve ever had anything so elegant before.”

“Then you are in for a treat,” Prince Bean said, and he thanked Yona when she passed a half-full snifter to him. “And an excellent selection for the evening, Yona.”

“I learned from the best.” Yona raised her glass with a smile. “To health, to life, and to Celestia.”

“To Celestia,” Prince Bean repeated, and the three took a long moment to properly enjoy the first sip.

Starlight didn’t want to pull the glass away, but it would probably be bad manners to chug the contents of the snifter all at once. She smacked her lips as the delicate taste teased and tickled her mouth, and she couldn’t help but take a long sniff of the elegant aromas. 

“Quite extraordinary, isn’t it?” Prince Bean said with a bob of his eyebrows. “Almost as extraordinary as you are, Miss Glimmer.”

“I have got to find a bottle of this stuff when I get home,” Starlight dreamily said as she slumped down on the nearest pile of pillows. 

“I’m glad you like it. Now then! If you don’t mind, I think both of us have some questions that we’d like to have answered,” said Bean. “Why don’t we start with you. Obviously, you are not the Starlight Glimmer that Yona and I know, so where did you come from? How did you get here?”

Starlight hesitated. She needed to keep Prince Bean on her side, and one wrong word could undo it all and get her banished to a jail cell somewhere. “That is a long story, Your Highness. I’m not sure where I should begin.”

“Understandable,” Bean said with a knowing nod. “Take your time.”

“I suppose the best place to begin is with Twilight Sparkle,” Starlight said after several moments of thought. “You see, I was the mayor of a small hamlet in my time, a humble place that was an oasis of tranquility in a raging sea of confusion and doubt. The ponies that lived there were happy, and it was my greatest pleasure to show them their place and purpose in life.

“But then Twilight and her friends came to town one day, supposedly sent by a magical map to ‘solve’ a problem that didn’t exist.” Starlight took another sip of her brandy, mostly so she could concoct the next part of her story. “I should have known from the beginning that she would be trouble, I suppose, but they were adamant that they were just there to help. Before I knew what was happening, they were organizing mobs and sowing seeds of anger and malice among the population, eager to destroy what I had labored so hard to create. I tried to stop them, to share why we were happy, but she was determined to destroy everything that I’d created in the name of ‘friendship.’ Eventually, she convinced the locals to run me out of town, and I became a wanted fugitive simply because I didn’t share the same beliefs that she did.

“But that wasn’t enough,” Starlight went on, the momentum of her story growing steadily. “I tried to stay out of sight while I waited for the whole thing to blow over, but Twilight eventually found me and challenged me to a duel. I didn’t want to fight her, of course, but she left me with no choice, and I defended myself against her attacks. 

“Twilight grew more frantic when she saw that I wouldn’t yield, so in desperation, she created a time travel portal and threw me into it. The next thing I knew, I was falling through the air over the Crystal Empire, and then Queen Chrysalis captured me. It’s sad what lengths a pony will go to just to spite another pony, especially if that pony has something that they don’t.”   

“I know that all too well,” Bean said with a distant look, but in an instant, his gaze returned to the visitor. “I suppose this means you’re looking for a way to return to your own time, yes?”

“I am. While I do appreciate your hospitality, this world just isn’t mine. I’m sure you’d want the same thing, if you’d been flung into my world.”

“Perhaps,” Bean said thoughtfully. “Tell me, what happened to Princess Celestia in your time?”

“Celestia?” Starlight was a bit confused by the question, but she saw no harm in answering truthfully. “Well, I’m not quite sure what you mean. Nothing’s really happened to her, or at least nothing that would keep her from ruling Equestria. She raises the sun everyday, just like always, and I understand most days are quite busy for her.”

Bean shared a brief glance with Yona, and a grin began to grow on his face. “Wait. You mean to tell me that Princess Celestia is still in Canterlot, and that she still rules Equestria?”

“Uh, yeah?” Starlight said.

Bean leaned forward with an eager expression. “And, in your timeline, am I married to her?”

“You are,” she confirmed. “Last I heard, you and she just had a newborn foal.”

“A foal?!” Bean gasped and recoiled with a delirious laugh. “Don’t tease me, Miss Glimmer! Are you serious? Did Celestia and I really have a baby filly together?”

“Colt, actually,” Starlight said. “But yes. I don’t remember what you named him, but the foal was definitely a boy.”

“A colt,” Bean repeated as he slumped back and chuckled. “Celly and I had a colt together.”

“I don’t understand,” Starlight went on. “Hasn’t all of this happened to you here?”

“I’m afraid not, Miss Glimmer,” Baked Bean said with a shake of his head. “But just knowing that I got my Celestia back cheers me far more than you could possibly ever understand.”

“Back? Did the Princess go somewhere?”

Bean took a moment to throw back a shot of brandy before clearing his throat. “Much as it pains me to say it, yes. In this time and place, there are no more princesses.”

“You mentioned Tirek earlier,” Starlight said with a thoughtful frown. “So, what happened to them? In my time, Tirek was defeated.”

“That must be where our histories diverge,” Bean mused aloud. “Interesting. But I suppose it was a seminal event, so it makes some sense. 

“Miss Glimmer, I won’t bore you with the details of how Celestia and I met, but I would presume that the circumstances were similar.”

“You booped her nose with yours and had to marry her because of an ancient law she wrote?” Starlight asked, and Bean nodded.

“Exactly. At first, she was cold and distant, and I figured that I would be nothing more than a prop to her, a pony she could pull into her busy schedule when she needed to look good for a crowd and their cameras."
> New Noses Alternate Nightmare Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Luna? Hey!”

“Fair eventide, Baked Bean.” Luna greeted her Brother-in-Law with a warm smile. “I would not expect you to be up so late. Doth my sister’s snoring keep you from slumber?”

“Nah, she’s fast asleep, and Mama Nanna is keeping an eye on Apollo for me. But if you’ve got a minute, I need your help with something.”

“Certes. How may I assist?”

“I’m having a… I guess it’s an ‘elevated disagreement’ with Twilight via dragonfire mail,” he started. “See, I was going over some of the ancient prophecies about Nightmare Moon, and I came across a passage that I think got translated wrong.”

One royal eyebrow slid upwards. “Oh? Is that so?”

“Yeah. See, here. I got this from the archives.” Bean unfurled a scroll, and Luna levitated it in her magic so they could both read it. “Right… here. Twilight says this passage should be translated as ‘The Stars will aid in her escape,’ but I thought you said that, in Old Equish, adding the cs ending indicates feminine, not neuter.”

“That is but one example. The declension of nouns has many differing rules and exceptions, much like our modern language. However, since you speak of The Prophecy that refers to my return from exile, I can settle the debate in your favor. Without getting into all of the why behind it, the phrase should be ‘Her Star will aid in her escape.’”

“HA!” Bean pumped a fist in the air. “I knew it! This’ll make Trixie happy; she’s been forced to burp up letters from Twilight for the better part of an hour now.” Bean paused as a thought came to him. “Wait. But, if the phrase is ‘Her Star,’ then that would mean it refers to…”

“My Star,” Luna softly confirmed. “And since I know you are too polite to ask, I will tell you how, even after a thousand years, my beloved Star Struck did indeed aid in my liberation and redemption.”





In the annals of history, there had been many references to the ancient scourge known as Nightmare Moon, and dozens of prophecies that foretold her return.

What had been lost to the ever steady beat of the pendulum was the details of how that would be accomplished, to say nothing of when and after how long.
 At first, the dire warnings proclaimed that Nightmare Moon’s return would be imminent, and ponies lived in fear of her escape and return. But when the shock of Luna’s betrayal had been dulled some by time, the prognosticators began to push back their projections. The Living Midnight’s return steadily moved from weeks away to months, from months to years, until finally—and with a firm but unseen nudge from Celestia—the number one thousand was settled on, both for its roundness and its distance from the present.

In fairness, the number had not been selected at random, but there was but one pony who knew that fact. Celestia had spent years in research, trying to determine how quickly Luna’s return and redemption would be. When she had used the Elements of Harmony on her corrupted sister, She Who Brings the Day had thought that the banishment would be somewhere in the vicinity of five to ten years, just long enough for tempers to cool to the point where a meaningful conversation and apology could take place.

But slowly, like a noose being tightened around her neck, Celestia realized that her actions were to have a longer lasting effect. To properly purge the Nightmare from Luna, a thousand years would be needed and not a day sooner. If Celestia attempted to bring Luna back before then, Nightmare Moon’s rage and jealousy would roar back to life, and their conflict began anew, but with Celestia bereft of the Elements.

So the elder had waited and watched with great remorse.

What she had not known—not her, nor anypony else—was that Harmony had felt the sorrow in Celestia’s heart for what had transpired. It knew that the Alicorn of Day could have destroyed the Alicorn of Night, but had held back her power to ensure that would not happen.

And so, when the time came for the Nightmare to be released, Harmony enlisted the help of another.





For a thousand years, Nightmare Moon had laid in wait, bound and consumed by her anger and jealousy. The passage of time rushed by her in a rage-filled blur, until finally, the time for her final triumph had come. 

She had made grand plans for her return to Equestria. She would appear in the main court at high noon, when her sister was sure to be seated on her throne and the Court would be in session. The peasantry would then be witness to the swift and utter destruction of their worthless ‘princess,’ and they would all bend the knee as she ascended to her rightful place and brought her night eternal to pass.

So it was with great confusion that Nightmare Moon found herself in a small cemetery when the cursed elements finally released her from her imprisonment. Her moon was resting near the edge of the western hills, the twilight of dawn imminent on the horizon.

“Ah!” The Living Night drew in a deep breath. “I am free! After so long, I shall have my revenge upon my sister and her sun-loving sycophants! Your time now draws to a close, Celestia. My Night shall last forever!”

“And then what?”

Nightmare Moon whirled around, ready to strike down the pony who had dared to interrupt her. 

She found herself alone, surrounded only by reverent tombstones and the soft chorus of crickets. She glanced around, snarled, and tore at the dirt beneath her with a forehoof. Somepony was here, and she was going to find them and make them pay.

Her eyes then flicked to a large obsidian headstone that rested near the back corner. Her sneer lessened, and without thinking about her actions, she moved slowly towards it.

“So, here I find you again, you lazy layabout.” Nightmare Moon paused to sniff the night lilies that grew near the headstone, her mind flooded with memories of a past long removed. “Always shirking your duties. You were always the most…”

The words of derision died in her throat and made her choke. There was no nightmare that could convince the Mare of Eventide to speak ill of her beloved husband, no amount of malice that could turn her heart away from him. 

Nightmare Moon gently touched the relief of his face in the stone. She could not hold back the flow of memories from that cherished time, nor did she wish to restrict them in the slightest. She recalled, with great fondness and joy, the life she had shared with him: the long discussions during cold winter nights while bundled together under blankets beside the fire, the longing look he always seemed to have whenever she caught him staring at her flanks, the gentle kisses and the tender caresses.

“How I wish you were here,” she whispered. “You gave me all I could ever want or need, and far more. With you, there was nothing I could not do. I was your polar star, but you were my anchor, my life, my all. Without you…”

Tears began to flow, but they were banished with a snort. “This is ridiculous! I am Nightmare Moon, and I shall have my vengeance! You saw my worth, you knew my greatness! Equestria will now behold my dark wonder, and all will cherish me, just as you did! 

“Now, I must make haste.” Nightmare Moon turned her back on the headstone and glanced up to the full moon. “Doubtless, my Sister will send forth champions with the Elements of Harmony. I must ensure they do not succeed. I shall divide them, and eliminate them one by one, as an example and a warning to all who would dare to defy me.” 

Her ebon wings flared, but the dark alicorn did not take flight. Her gaze went over her shoulder and back to the stone. “But, you always abhorred such things, didn’t you? Life was precious, sacred even. To strike down my sister’s champions would… fine. I will spare them, for your sake. They shall live, but they shall not succeed. My Sister shall receive no such leniency.”

Again the Nightmare moved to take flight, but again, her progress halted before it began. With a frustrated snort, she stomped a hoof, like a petulant child who had been told it was time to tidy away their toys. “Arragh! Fine!” She turned to properly glare at the relief in the stone, as if her beloved was present and speaking to her. “I shall spare my infernal sister, too, but she will never again see the light of day! I shall extend the same courtesy she extended to me, and I am sure she will find the moon to be most distressing. It will be most rewarding, to see her imprisoned and unable to interfere while I bend her kingdom to my whims and desires. I will give her your regards, and inform her that it was your idea to deal with her so.

“Now, if you are quite done with impeding my progress, my blessed eternal night will wait no longer. The dead exist in the past, and I must tend to the future.”

With that, Nightmare Moon took to the sky, her dark resolve fixed and unchangeable.





“You know the rest,” Luna concluded with a small grin for Bean’s awe-struck expression. “Because I could not strike directly at the Element Bearers, Twilight Sparkle and her friends rallied together and liberated me, once and for all. Had my Star not interfered on their behalf, this world would have been a much darker place.”    

The story was a bit much for the poor stallion to take in, it seemed. He simply sat there, his mouth hanging half-open, for a few moments. Luna could see the flood of questions building, and she braced herself for it.

“So, your anger was tempered by Star Struck,” he finally said. “His memory made you rethink your actions.”

“Nay. It was not the memory that stayed my wrath. He, himself, prevented the unspeakable.”

“So… so he was there. In the cemetery. With you.”

“Do you find this difficult to believe?”

“No. I mean, I’ve seen him several times myself, so he must have been there with you. I just didn’t think that he could still have that much of an impact or influence in this world.”

“I am convinced the past affects the present far more than we realize, but only if we take the time to realize it. Even after a thousand years, I am still learning how to hear their counsel.”