> Tales of an Equestrian Battle Mage
>  by Babroniedad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue - Sunset
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset was restless. Her bed was comfortable, but sleep was hard in coming tonight.  She kept going back in her mind to that evening. Celestia had shown her Star Swirl’s mirror, and she had seen her destiny in it.

She’d always known that she belonged here with her mentor, Princess Celestia. But what she had seen just confirmed it.  Looking into the mirror as her mentor requested, she saw something more precious than she could ever have imagined.

She saw a new alicorn princess.  Herself.  Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Equestria.

It was an understatement to say she was shocked when she saw that.  She had always dreamed of being by her mentor’s side, the only pony who had even remotely acted like a mother to her.  When Celestia had taken her into the school for gifted unicorns, she was delighted, and dreamed of finding a way to repay the princess for her kindness.

Then, when the princess had taken her on as her private pupil, she thought her dreams had come true.  She would dedicate her life to serving the princess, whatever it took to stay by her side and keep her safe.  To return the kindness her princess had shown her.

To that end, she had focused intensely on her studies, learning magic and practicing her spells.  When her mentor suggested she spend more time making friends, she put token efforts into it, but seriously, what could be more important than studying to serve the best friend she already had?  The only mare that had ever even shown a personal interest in her?  The one that most acted like a mother to her. The mare she wanted to be with for the rest of her life, and to serve.

So no.  She wasn’t really interested in friends.  Besides, most of the ponies that tried to be her friends once she became the Princesses' student were trying to use her to gain status.  She wasn’t that naive.  She could tell they were only interested in using her, and frankly why should she waste her time making friends with ponies that were not interested in being real friends?

It was a source of frustration between them. But her mentor, while persistently reminding her, didn’t begrudge her enthusiasm.  She accepted Sunset where she was, and helped her learn and grow as best she could.

And now, Sunset knew. She had seen it, and she knew in her heart it was true.  She was destined to become a princess too, and rule by the side of her mentor, together forever. She shook with joy at the thought.  She would finally be able to repay the kindness her Princess had shown her. She would finally be worthy of the love she had already shown her.

She would not let her down.  She would redouble her efforts, her learning, and not let anything distract her from her goal.

Princess Sunset.  Forever by her mentor’s side.
> 01 - Sunset - Into the Breach
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Act 1 - Battle Mage



In her apartment in the castle, Sunset looked up from her scroll, noting the time.  She put away her studies, turned out her light, and trotted over to her bookshelf where her orders lay.

Her first assignment, the proof of all her work and study, was open on the top of the bookshelf. She read it again, mentally preparing herself for her upcoming operation.  It was a simple assignment. She was to travel by chariot to her insertion point, then by hoof to her theater of operations. There she was to deliver a message to the dragons of the Grevenweld Clutch, one way or another.

Celestia had trained her for this, including combat conditioning and survival training. She had also been trained in the mental discipline known affectionately as killology, learning to distance herself from the objects of her operations as the need arose.  

She was ready. She would not let her mentor down.

The sit-rep was direct and straight to the point.  The Grevenweld Clutch had begun staging raids against their neighboring pony villages, stealing foals and livestock under the cover of night.  A diplomatic envoy had been sent along with a contingent of Royal Guard to demand the return of the foals.  They too disappeared, down to the last mare.  A reply was sent by the clutch, however.  The next morning, the robes and picked-clean skull of the envoy was found outside a nearby village.  The message was clear. We don’t parlay with our food, we eat them.

So the mage corps was called.  As the princesses personal special operations team, they were tasked with delivering more direct messages from the princess, when her diplomatic attempts were rebuffed.  Her diplomats were the olive branch of Friendship. Her mage corps were Friendship, Weaponized.

It may have seemed contradictory, at first, how what she was about to do to this entire clutch could be viewed as “Friendship”, but it was really a form of terrible mercy.  By sending the message she was tasked to deliver tonight, Celestia, and by extension all of Equestria, were actually behaving as true friends to the Dragon Nations, keeping them from the folly of viewing the prey species they lived near as weak, As helpless, As Food.  If allowed to continue, it could lead to an all out war with the Dragons, and with the power of the Equestrian forces, the decimation of the Dragon population.

So to avoid that, and to keep relations friendly, sometimes a terrible message had to be sent, as a firm but necessary reminder to a proud species that a sentient prey species does not mean food.  And sometimes, that message was spelled out in fire, blood, and death.

Throwing on the white and gold hooded shawl of the mage corps, Sunset strapped on her saddlebag, sliding her orders into it, and trotted out of her room in the castle tower, down the stairs and out to the parade ground in the central keep.  There waiting for her was her ride, a single chariot with two pegasus guards ready to roll.  She stepped up to the lead mare.

“Mage Sunset Shimmer, reporting as ordered,” she announced.

“Major Tailwind, Canterlot Royal Guard. We’re your insertion team for the night.  Have you reviewed your orders, and understood the operations?” queried the lead mare.

“Yes ma'am,” replied Sunset.  “Tactical insertion at three stadia outside the clutch. I deliver the princess's ‘message’ then return for immediate extraction.”

“Copy that, Mage. We’re good to go then. Good hunting,” the Major replied.  Sunset trotted into the chariot securing her hooves in the straps provided and the team took off into the night. They kept low and headed straight for the clutch on the outskirts of Equestria.  From her studies, Sunset knew it would be a moderately long fight, so she closed her eyes and meditated, trying to keep her focus and peace before the operation.

As they neared the insertion point she opened her eyes, taking in the landscape around them.  They had just dropped under the cloud cover, losing altitude quickly to minimize the risk of being spied on their approach.  She confirmed the location and heading to the clutch as they descended. It was a moderately small clutch. Several stone buildings were in the central region. A large stonework wall surrounded the clutch with cages and stone sheds around the inside of the wall for storage.  By the looks of it, perhaps 100 to 150 dragons lived inside.

This was a touch and go insertion, which meant that her team would only be grounded for a few seconds as she leapt off the back of the chariot.  They would then return to the cover of the clouds above.  She released her hooves from the straps, preparing to jump off as they touched down.  There was a slight bump. She leapt through the darkness, landing neatly in the field beneath her at a brisk troot to bleed off the momentum from her jump.  She watched as the team lifted back off silently and flew up into the cloud cover unseen.  There was no sign or sound of alarm - a good insertion, by the numbers and by the book.

Sunset trotted briskly towards the clutch wall. Her eyes, ears and senses were keyed and alert for any sign of trouble or detection.  As she neared the wall she reflected on the mage corps motto.  One mess, one mage. It was their way of keeping their responses proportional.  Any more than one mage and it wasn’t a response, it was a war.

At the wall, she stopped, and took a breath. This was it.  No turning back.  If she ever wanted to be a princess herself, she needed to be able to act like one. To do that included acts like these, what she was sent here to do.  

She shook herself briefly, a shiver passing through her. No! No second thoughts. She was committed.  She was the princesses' iron fist.  She’d given her vow. She was doing this.  

She pulled the hood up over her head, and charged at the wall…

And teleported directly through it coming out on the other side just past the sheds she had seen on her approach.  Still at full charge, she bellowed out in her loudest Canterlot Voice.

“Dragons of Grevenweld Clutch!  You have been found guilty of acts of aggression against the ponies of Equestria!  Prepare to face Equestria’s wrath!”

Reaching the building in the center of the clutch, she lowered her head and released a seismic shockwave at the building, which rattled it causing the walls to crumble and its towers to fall.  Dragons ran screaming from the building only to be pierced through by laser focused beams of pure magical destruction from her horn, dropping them as they appeared.  The night was filled with cries, screaming and shouting as she charged around the structure, slaying anything that appeared before her.

Eventually, no more heads or faces presented themselves to her as targets, though she could still hear crying and screaming from within the ruins of the destroyed keep.  She stopped before the still intact gate, ripping it telekinetically from its moorings and entering the decimated stronghold.  Smoke and fire obscured her vision, so she summoned a storm wind to race through ahead of her, blowing out the smoke, fanning the flames, and scattering the shattered furnishings against the still standing keep walls.  Several smaller dragons were uncovered in the brief storm, all of whom she dispatched quickly.

As she worked her way through the keep, storming and slaying from room to room, she kept her eye out for a dragon to serve as her designated survivor.  Mage corps doctrine directed that, if possible without compromising the safety and efficacy of the mission, she was to select a moderately healthy and sufficiently mature survivor from among her targets to spare as a witness to her acts.  They had to be old enough to understand what they were seeing, but not so mature as to be a risk to either the mage or the operation.  She dismissed all the vermin she had seen so far as being too capable of fighting back for the role, putting them to immediate death by her hoof or horn instead.

She came to what was clearly the clutches nursery.  A young mother hid under a table, holding her terrified newt close to her.  Sunset turned to her, preparing to dispatch her and her newt.

“Why are you doing this!?” the terrified mother screamed. “Why?”

Sunset paused. “You chose this yourselves. By your actions, by your choices, you have sentenced yourself and your clan to death.  You have no one to blame but yourself,” she answered, lancing her through the skull with a powerful beam of magic.  The child in her arms screamed out in terror, shocking Sunset from the trance she was trying to maintain.  Looking at the child screaming in terror and its nearly headless mother, she nearly vomited in revulsion.

“No!” she reminded herself.  “No!  These are not creatures!  These are vermin!  And I have been sent here to exterminate vermin!”  Shaking her head, she shot the screaming newt through the heart, ending her cries, then went from crib to crib, incinerating the eggs and newts within each of them.  When she had completely decimated the room and its occupants, she resumed her march through the keep, destroying everything in her path.

In one of the last rooms left to check, she came across a group of older newts hiding under a bed, screaming and crying. She yanked the nearest one from under the bed holding it suspended beside her in her telekenitic grasp while she destroyed the others, lancing them through their hearts and setting their bodies and the entire room afire, the newt beside her crying and screaming in abject terror.

Completing her sweep of the keep, she backtracked through the carnage, keeping the terrified newt aloft to see the death and destruction she had wrought.  When she came again to the gate, she exited, sending one last telekinetic seismic shockwave through the keep, collapsing it in on itself, the ruble burying the flaming dead inside.

Newt still at her side, sensate but overwrought to the point of speechlessness, she blasted in the doors to each of the dwellings surrounding the keep, destroying anything or anyone within.  Once all the dwellings had been destroyed, Sunset moved on to the cages and sheds surrounding the clutch outer wall.

She had been hoping against hope to find some of the missing foals alive in the cages or sheds, but that was not to be.  The cages only contained livestock, which she released, and the sheds only prepared meats, much of that the cured flesh of ponies.  She incinerated the found flesh, leaving nothing but ash as required by her mandate, and left not one stone upon another of every shed containing pony flesh.  Having completed the entire round of the structure, with not one shed or cage left standing, she blasted out a section of the wall, opening a large pathway to the surrounding fields.  The livestock immediately fled through the opening in a squawking, squealing  exodus of feathers and fur, while Sunset and her now silent witness followed at their rear.

Leaving the structure, Sunset turned to face the wall. She leveled a final spell against it, rending the entire structure all around, leaving not one stone upon another. Satisfied with her work, she turned and trotted into a nearby field, her insensate involuntary witness still in tow.

Reaching the center of the field, Sunset lowered the newt to the ground, where she promptly collapsed, looking up at her in shock.

“You!” Sunset called out to her. “You have been spared for one reason, to deliver this message. Go, and tell everyone you find what you have seen here. Tell them this is what happens to those who spurn Equestria’s offered hoof of friendship!”

Sunset turned and trotted away from the trembling newt who, still shaking, rose and ran screaming and crying off into the darkness.

Sunset trotted back out to the extraction point, sending up a magical flare into the night. 

Her extraction team descended from the clouds, rolling to a stop before her.  “Mage Sunset Shimmer reporting message delivered, ma’am,” she reported to the Major as she passed, entering the chariot and securing her hooves once again in the straps for the return trip.

Satisfied, the Major nodded. “Message received, Mage. Heading home,” she replied as they launched back into the air and headed back to Canterlot castle.

In her mind, Sunset could not stop seeing the blood and carnage, still hearing the screams of the newts and dragons as she took their lives.  She closed her eyes, trying desperately to think of anything else, but nothing could displace the visions before her.

When they reached Canterlot castle, they landed in the parade ground before the tower.  Sunset slowly stepped out of the chariot, nodded her thanks to her team, then returned to her tower apartment.  She entered the bathroom where she stripped off her robe and crawled into the shower, trying to wash the blood, smoke and death from herself as she emptied her stomach repeatedly over the drain. As she scrubbed, visions of death and carnage were still present with crystal clarity before her.

Drying off finally, she crawled into bed, pulling the covers up over her head.  Shaking, she fell fitfully asleep, still seeing the young mothers face in her mind as she restlessly dreamt through the night, always calling out one word to her.

“Why?”
> 02 - Sunset - What Dreams May Come
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset tossed and turned as she dreamed that night, the smoke and screams of those she exterminated filling her senses.  She wandered from one scene to the next, seeing again and again the carnage of the evening replayed as she drifted in and out of deep slumber.  Always ending with that final question.

“Why?”

As the sky began to lighten, her dreams shifted, regressing back to her training and conditioning for her role as a Battle Mage.  

“Eyes forward, maggot!” screamed her instructor as her thoughts drifted.  She snapped back into focus, eyes forward and ears attentive. “Better!  Stay with me candidate!” the instructor continued.

“You cannot think of the low life vermin you are sent to exterminate as fellow creatures.  They have lost that right or you would not be paying them this visit.  By the time you get there, they are vermin.  One step below pond scum, good for only one thing, extermination. There can be no pity!  There can be no compassion!  And there sure as Tartarus cannot be any friendship in what you are doing here!  You are here for one purpose only!  You are here to clean house!  You are here to take out the trash!  You are here to kill off these overgrown cockroaches, smash everything they have tried to build and leave them bleeding and dying under your hooves.  No quarter!  No mercy!  And no hesitation!  Do. You. Hear. Me. Maggots!”

“Sir Yes Sir!” chorused out from the battalion of mages.

“Very good maggots!  You can be taught!  Which places you one step above the trash you are exterminating!  If you cannot do what it takes to complete your job, ponies will die!  Ponies will die Needlessly!  You have to be the iron hoof that shatters the challenge brought against your Princess!  You cannot show weakness.  You are the strength of Equestria.  You are her iron will.  You are her firmest resolve!  Do not fail your Princess!  Do not fail your kingdom!  Do not fail your fellow ponies!  Leave nothing but death and bitter memories in your wake!  Be her iron resolve!”

“Hoo raw!” shouted the battalion, including Sunset.

“Soon you will all take your first assignment.  This will sort the mares from the fillies, the stallions from the colts!  This will be your chance to show our Princess you have what it takes to be her elite!  To show her she was right to place her trust, her faith, in you!  This will be your finest hour!  To victory!  To our Princess!  To Celestia, our Sol Invictus!”  Shouted the instructor.

“Sol Invictus!” shouted the mages.

“Hoo raw!” shouted the instructor. “Study hard! Train harder!  And when the time comes, for those of you who prove Worthy of her Trust, prepare for your assignments.  Then you will be accomplished and storied members of the mage corps!  Dismissed!”

The battalion stomped in unison, then broke ranks and scattered to gather their equipment and supplies.

Her dream skipped forward.  It was the day before, receiving her first assignment. Sunset gathered her belongings, placing them in her saddle bag and drifting over to the assignment roster to receive her first assignment. She was still buzzing with the excitement of the instructor's speech, and the thrill of her first assignment. She was not going to let her mentor down, she would show her, and all the other mages, she had what it took. She was the right stuff.  She could be everything her mentor needed, and one day, she would be her partner, shouldering the load of leadership with her, so her princess would never need to be alone again.

Her dream drifted forward to the moment she received the orders with her assignment, taking the envelope from the staff sergeant, then moving aside to open and read it.  She was thrilled to see her first assignment was a punitive combat mission against a known aggressor.  “She really trusts me!” thrilled Sunset, reading through her orders.  “I won’t let her down!”

She was then back at the end of the assignment, giving her brutal speech to her designated survivor.  She watched again as the newt fled screaming in terror through the fields, watching with mounting horror as she smiled smugly while the newt ran off.  She started crying as she watched them.

“No!” she shouted to herself. “No, I can’t feel mercy for them!  They are less than insects!  They are vermin!  No!!!”

She was outside of herself, watching herself crying as she watched herself smiling at the fleeing newt.  She screamed at her crying self. “Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare feel for them!  You can’t feel for them!  Ponies will die if you show them mercy!  No mercy!  No quarter! No!!!!”

Still her other self cried. Still her other self smiled in smug satisfaction. Still she shouted at them both.

She woke up with a start, realizing it was once again morning. Shaking herself free from the last of the nightmare, she rolled out of her bed and into her bathroom to prepare for her morning training.
> 03 - Sunset - The Princess’s Prodigy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her morning calisthenics and training completed, Sunset headed to Princess Celestia's chambers for her studies under her mentor.  She valued this time as these lessons were taught to her directly by Celestia herself, and one on one time with her mentor had become increasingly rare and cherished all the more.

She hurried down the hall to the Princess’s chambers, ready to take notes and receive the day's instruction.  She stopped before the Royal Guard contingent at the chamber's door.

“Good evening, Miss Shimmer.  Her highness has been delayed but instructed us to let you enter,” informed the chief guard, nodding to her and stepping aside. “Please make yourself comfortable and wait inside.”

She nodded in thanks, entering through the door he had opened.  When she was inside, he closed the door and stepped back into his station.

Sunset trotted over to her customary spot by the fireplace and sat, content to study the scroll from yesterday's lesson in preparation for today's lesson until the princess arrived.  As she reviewed her notes she heard a noise from the antechambers behind her. Turning she saw a small unicorn filly emerge from the royal bathroom, dripping water from her forehooves.

“Sorry!” said the filly. “I know I was supposed to wait here, but it was taking so long and I really really had to go. And I can’t find the towels,” she admitted bashfully as she trotted over to Sunset and plopped down next to her.  “Watcha doing?”

“Who are you, and why are you in the Princess’s chambers?” asked Sunset, looking at the little filly askance.

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that!  You must be Sunset Shimmer, right? The princess told me about you.  I’m really excited to meet you!  Are you really a battle mage?  That’s so cool!  My brother is a Royal Guard and he tells me stories about the battle mages all the time. Battle Mages sound so awesome!  I can’t wait to get to know you!” enthused the young filly.

“Yes I’m Sunset Shimmer, the Princess’s personal student.  And you are?” prompted Sunset, not unkindly.

“Me too!  I mean I’m her personal student too!  Not that I’m Sunset Shimmer too. I’m Twilight!  Twilight Sparkle.  I’ve heard so much about you.  I’m so happy to meet you!” the filly gushed.

Sunset rolled her eyes.  “Sorry, young Twilight, I’ve never heard of you.  Are you sure about that, being the Princess’s personal student?  As far as I know, I’m the only one. When did this happen?”

“Oh, yeah!  Today is my first day!  It happened yesterday," Twilight bounced excitedly. 

"I was taking the exam for the School for Gifted Unicorns and I kind of blew part of it up when I took the test.  So the Princess came and fixed everything then asked me to be her personal student.  She told me about you and told me stories about you and her as her student, then told me to go to bed and be here in the morning for lessons with her and you.  But I was really really nervous, so I set the alarm so I wouldn't sleep in.  But I was so tired in the morning when I woke up because all night long I kept waking up afraid I had slept through the alarm so when the alarm went off I was still tired.  And I didn’t want to fall asleep on her during the lesson so I got dressed and found the place where all the guards were eating and saw they had coffee. So I had some coffee but was still tired so I had some more because the guards all said that coffee was the best way to deal with being tired on their shifts, but I was still so tired and didn’t want to fall asleep. So I had more coffee until I wasn’t tired.  Then I didn’t want to be late so I came here to wait even though I was not really supposed to be here until now.  But I figured that she wouldn’t mind because being late is disrespectful but being early is not.  So I asked the guards if I could come in and they laughed.  Then they let me in and told me to wait for you and the Princess. So I waited right here, right where you are sitting too!  And I was looking forward to you coming in so I could meet you and take lessons with the Princess.  But while I was waiting all those coffees that I drank started to want to come out and I was sitting here trying to ignore them.  But they wanted to come out!  And I was sitting here but started shaking because I really had to go but I was told to wait here.  So I waited but I didn’t want to have an accident so I decided to disobey and used the bathroom.  And I couldn’t find the towels and I don’t want to be in trouble so I tried to dry them on anything else but the paper just made a mess.  So I had to clean that up and wash the paper off and then they were all wet again and I still didn’t have a way to dry them.  So I was shaking them around and then I heard the door and I thought maybe it was the Princess and I was in trouble so I ran out and there you were and I was still wet from the water,” finished the filly, panting for breath.

Sunset smirked. “So, how many cups of coffee did you have?” she asked.

“Uh, I lost count after twelve,” admitted the filly hanging her head.

Sunset laughed.  “Wow, definitely beat my record,” she snarked.  “So what did the Princess tell you about me?”

“Oh!  She said you were her personal student too!  And that now you were a battle mage!  And that you were actually not here because you were on assignment.  That is so cool!  I wish I could be a battle mage like you!  Is it cool?  I guess you can’t tell me about it, because it is top secret and all that. My brother told me a battle mage can never tell anyone about their work because it’s top secret, and if they tell them they might have to kill them, because they are super secret and cool,” enthused the filly.

“Yeah, I was on assignment yesterday. And your brother was right, it is top secret. But we don’t kill anyone for asking, that’s fictitious.  We just don’t talk about the secret parts,” smiled Sunset.

“You don’t kill ponies?” asked the filly innocently.

“Nope.  We kill the enemies of ponies.  One mishap, one mage. They send us in to stop the bad guys,” nodded Sunset.  “We protect ponies.  I was protecting ponies yesterday,” answered Sunset.

“I so want to be a battle mage like you when I grow up!” smiled the filly up to her.

“I bet you do. And if you're following in my hoofsteps, I bet you will be too,” agreed Sunset.

The little filly squeed happily on hearing that.  Sunset found it absolutely adorable.

The door opened and the Princess entered the room. Seeing the both of them sitting together by the fireplace, she smiled.

“So, I see you two have met.  Hello Sunset, how did your operation go yesterday?” Princess Celestia greeted as she prepared herself a cup of tea and a slice of cake from the snack tray sitting on the table.  “Would you care for some tea you two?”

“Yes please!” agreed Sunset, notes set aside to completely attend to her mentor.

“Uh, I probably shouldn't have any,” answered Twilight. “I drank some coffee before I came here. I didn’t want to be sleepy. I think I should stop now.”  She sat, slightly shaking and placing her hooves over her muzzle.

“Twilight, just how many cups of coffee did you have?” scolded the Princess playfully.

“Please don’t be angry with me!” begged the filly. “Please don’t send me away!  I just wanted to be awake for you and your lessons. I don’t want to go back to magical kindergarten!” she wailed.

Sunset threw back her head in laughter, placing her foreleg across the filly and holding her tightly as she rocked with mirth.

“Twilight, where on Equus did you get the idea that I would send you back to magical kindergarten for anything?” asked the Princess askance.  “Is that even a thing?”

Still shaking, the filly clutched Sunset, turning to face the Princess. “I was sent back a few times when I didn’t do my lessons right in school. The teacher would send me back and I had to start over again. I was in kindergarten for the whole rest of the day!  But the kindergarten teacher always advanced me back to my class at the end of the day, so it wasn’t forever.  But please don’t send me back!” begged Twilight.

Sunset held the filly tight, still giggling. “Silly filly, this isn’t school. This is tutoring from the princess. She’s not going to send you back,” she laughed, smiling down at the filly.

“She’s not?”  Twilight turned towards the Princess. “You’re not?” she asked again.

Smirking herself, the Princess assured her. “No, I’m not. That’s not even a thing here. Once I take you on as a student you don’t go back,” she consoled.  “So Twilight, just how many cups of coffee did you have?”

Twilight ducked her head in shame.  Still holding on to Sunset, the filly admitted, “I lost track after twelve.”

Sunset and the Princess both burst into laughter.  Celestia joined Sunset in hugging the young filly, who was comforted knowing that both her hero and her idol were not laughing at her, but with her.

Once that silliness was behind them, Celestia led them in the day's lesson, both fillies paying rapt attention while taking copious notes.  When the lesson was completed, she requested both her students join her for lunch before heading off for the self study portion of the day, then excused herself, leaving the room to deal with some State business.

“Self study?  What do we study?” asked Twilight, perplexed.

“We get to pick a subject related to the day's lesson and research it in the library. Then we have to write a report on it,” groaned Sunset.

“We get to write a report!?” enthused Twilight. “That is so awesome!  I love writing reports!”

Sunset hooved Twilight’s muzzle. “Brown nose!” she teased. “You’ll definitely fit right in here!”

Twilight ducked out from under the boop, and looked at Sunset in shock. “I am not a brown noser!” she insisted.  Sunset just scooped her up and held her tight.

“Yes you are,” she teased her. “But don’t worry, we like you anyway.”  She ruffled the filly’s mane then set her down. “Do you know where lunch is served?” she asked the filly.

“No,” Twilight sheepishly admitted.

“No worries!  Follow me, I’ll show you!”  Sunset scooped her up and teleported them down the hallway around the corner where the guards could not see them.  She snickered, “That’ll keep them guessing.”

She put Twilight down, who turned to her. “Guessing what?” she asked.

Sunset put a hoof to her muzzle. “Shh! It’s just a game we’ve played since I was a filly.  They'll wait there for us to come out until they finally get bored of it, then they'll go in and check to see what the hold up is. Then they'll realize we're gone and that I got them again.”

“I don’t get it,” said Twilight. “So you just teleported out, they'll just figure that.”

“Nope. The castle is an interdicted zone. No teleports are supposed to be possible unless the castle is in a state of emergency.  And then only to designated emergency egress zones,” grinned Sunset.

“Then how did you…” Twilight started to ask.

Sunset put her hoof over Twilight’s muzzle. “That’s the fun part! If you want I’ll teach you. But… you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, and don’t be silly with it and get caught or they’ll figure it out and take our fun away. Promise?” She asked.

The filly nodded her head excitedly. “Alright!  Come by after dinner and I’ll teach it to you. But I am holding you to your promise! Don’t get me in trouble now okay?”

Stars in her eyes, the filly agreed enthusiastically. “Okay, come on, the dining room is this way!”  Sunset led her little charge down the halls to Celestia’s personal dining room.

Laughing quietly the filly followed her.

Sunset led her fellow student into the dining area, found in the portion of the castle near the kitchens and close to the front gate, arguably to facilitate the deliveries that kept the kitchen running and the castle staff fed.  Celestia’s personal dining room was a small affair with a table that could comfortably fit about ten ponies tops, located in a smaller room off the main thoroughfare.  They passed the main state dining hall and the castle canteen where the castle staff ate their meals.  They turned down an out of the way hallway, quieter than the rest of the dining are as there were not many who had any business down this hall.  This was the hall that contained Celestia’s private dining room and several other smaller dining halls for visiting dignitaries and heads of state.

Entering Sunset took her customary seat next to the head of the table.  Twilight sat down next to her looking around excitedly. “You know,” Sunset pointed out. “You could sit across from me. That would put you right next to the Princess when she sits down as she always sits at the head of the table.”

“That’s okay!” stated the filly. “I want to sit next to you!” She looked up at Sunset, stars still in her eyes.

Sunset laughed and scruffed her mane. “Kid, you’re all right,” she teased.  They turned to the door as it opened and Princess Celestia trotted in.

They both rose to their feet. “Sit!” commanded Celestia, taking her seat at the head of the table. “Sunset, you know better,” she teased. “Twilight, so you know, when we’re in here, we’re family. There is no bowing or formal speech or any of that nonsense. You say what’s on your mind and I will be just as direct with you. None of that standing when I enter the room or anything like that.”

She gave Sunset a scowl.  “One mission and you get all formal on me again, my student?” she teased.

“Sorry mom, won’t happen again!” Sunset snarked.

Celestia smiled. “See that it doesn't my dear!” she teased back. “So have they come in to take the orders yet?”

“Nope!” answered both her students just as the door opened in a magical aura.  A staff member entered pushing a cart of soups and salads with a selection of drinks.

“Sorry for the delay!” she stated, placing a soup and salad before the princess then the two students. She placed a basket of warm and delicious smelling bread sticks between them on the table.  “What would you like to drink?  We have tea, coffee, soda, milk, and juice.”

“I’ll have tea.  Thank you, Rose!” answered Celestia.  Rose poured out a cup, placing the tea cozy with the pot, sugar and cream beside the princess, with the teacup beside her plate.

“I think I'll avoid the coffee,” mused Twilight.

“You think?” teased Sunset with a friendly jab at the filly.

Twilight grinned at her. “Unless you want me to?” she teased back.

“Nah, get what you want kiddo!  I’m just messing with you!” smiled Sunset.

“I’ll take a juice please, apple if you have it,” answered Twilight.  The mare nodded, pouring an apple juice for the filly and passing it over.

“How about you, oh battle mage,” teased the mare. “What will it be?”

“That’s miss battle mage to you!” teased Sunset back. “I’ll take whatever soda you have opened. Thanks Rose!”  Rose smirked and poured out a cola for Sunset into a cup full of ice.  She left the bottle on the table beside her, then put the pitcher of apple juice beside Twilight.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it little one,” said the mare as she left laughing.

“Hey, I’m allowed to pour my own juice!” answered Twilight to her retreating back.

Sunset just laughed. “Don’t worry Twilight, she’s just messing with you. We tease each other, it’s all in good fun. We’re family here.”

Celestia led them in grace, then they tucked into their first course. “Hey, this is really good!” noted Twilight between enthusiastic slurps.  She practically inhaled her salad.  Both her soup and salad were gone before Sunset even finished her salad.

“Wow Twilight, starving much?” laughed Sunset.

“Uh, no. Just can’t remember the last time I ate anything that tasted remotely like home cooking. That was good!” she smiled.

“Yeah it is, isn’t it,” agreed Sunset, enjoying the rest of her salad. “The cooks here are the best.  Way better than the cafeteria cooks.  Though I wouldn’t complain about them either.  They’re all better than my cooking,” she laughed.

Twilight smiled.  “I can cook too!” she smiled. “Mom taught me how to make grilled cheese and hay sandwiches all by myself!”

Sunset smirked and ruffled Twilight’s mane again. “And I bet they taste fantastic,” she agreed, causing the filly to smile ear to ear.

Celestia beamed, watching her two students bond.

Rose returned through the door, quill and pad ready in her magic. “So fillies, ready to order?  Or do you need a few more minutes?” she smiled.

Looking over at Twilight’s empty bowls, Celestia laughed. “I think we should order. I wouldn’t want my new student to faint from hunger on her first day.”  Twilight nodded happily.

“Okay then!  Orders it is. Our entrees today are spinach quiche with vegetable medley, hayburgers with hayfries from our foals menu, or grilled tuna with lemon and sauteed squash.  Just let me know when you’re ready,” Rose smiled.

“Grilled Tuna and Squash for me,” nodded Celestia, still daintily sipping her soup.

Sunset turned to Twilight. “What are you going to get, kiddo?  I was thinking of the quiche, but I want to get what you get so you go first.”

Twilight beamed happily. “Okay!  Yeah!  Uh… wait.  I want the hayburger, but I’m not a foal. I really don’t want anything off the foals menu because then I will just be hungry still. The foal portions are too small. I guess I should get the quiche then,” she said resignedly.

Rose smiled. “It’s okay little one. I was just teasing about the foals menu. They are all full sized. Is that what you want?”

Twilight smiled. “Oh, okay! Yes then, the hayburger with hay fries and extra catsup!” she answered excitedly.

Sunset grinned. “Okay then, make it double or there'll be trouble!” she joked. Rose rolled her eyes and gave Sunset a wink.

“You got it Sunset. Extra catsup for you too?” she asked.

“I’ll just steal some of Twilight’s,” snickered Sunset.

“Hey!” Twilight said, looking up from her juice she was carefully pouring.  It overfilled the cup and went all over the table.  Sunset laughed, magically taking the pitcher from Twilight and setting it back down as she and Rose levitated over several rags to clean it up.

“Rule one of combat, Twilight.  Don’t let your adversary distract you,” she smiled as Twilight looked horrified at the mess she had made. Sunset gently poked her shoulder. “Hey don’t worry about it. Happens to everyone. You’ll get used to it.  Easy enough to get distracted.”

Twilight smiled at her and nodded, hoofing away the tears that had been forming in her eyes. “Thanks Sunset,” she smiled.

“No worries, silly filly,” grinned Sunset, returning to her soup.  “You were right!  This really is good.”  Twilight nodded smiling.

Still grinning, Rose excused herself, taking their orders to the kitchen.

Twilight smiled up at Sunset. “So Sunset, what’s it like to be a battle mage?” she asked innocently.

Sunset started, then teared up a bit, but caught herself.  She smiled back at the filly. “It was my first assignment last night actually,” she told Twilight. “I had to go stop a group of bad dragons that were eating ponies. It wasn't pretty,” she admitted.

Twilight’s eyes got as big as saucers. “That really happens?” she asked in a small voice.

Sunset turned to Celestia. “I don’t think I am allowed to talk about it, am I ma’am?” she asked.  Celestia smiled and nodded to her.

“No, not ordinarily. But in this case I give you permission to share what you think is appropriate,” she smiled.  “And remember, not ma’am here. Here we're family.”

“Okay, thanks mom,” Sunset grinned. She turned back to Twilight. “They were a bad group of dragons.  They were eating the pony foals from the farms all around them. It was a nightmare.  Ponies were afraid to let their foals go out alone or they would disappear and never come home.  We tried telling them to stop, but they ate the ponies sent to talk to them too. So I had to go and stop them.”

“So did you go and beat them up, and make them stop eating everypony?” asked Twilight, eyes still as big as saucers.

“I did,” nodded Sunset, a tear falling past her smile. “I made sure they will never hurt another pony again.  And I made sure the other dragons around knew not to touch any ponies too, just like I was told to do,” she smiled.  “I made it safe again.”

“Wow!  You’re awesome!  I want to be like you when I grow up!” Twilight said with stars in her eyes.

Sunset looked down at her new friend. “Twilight, I hope when you grow up you never have to,” she smiled and sighed.  “But if you do I hope you're not like me. I hope you're even better!”

Twilight popped out of her chair and hugged her new friend tightly. “You’re the coolest, Sunset Shimmer!  I'm so glad to have you as my friend!”

Sunset looked down at Twilight and pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad to have you as my friend too,” she smiled, hugging Twilight tightly.

Watching them, a tear rolled down Celestia’s cheek as she smiled happily.

A moment later Rose returned with their entries. “Lessee… That’s right, fish for the little filly,” she teased.

“No, no no no!  Not fish, please!” begged Twilight in panic.

Rose just bopped her nose and smiled. “Just kidding little Twilight. Here’s your hayburger and hay fries.”  She set the tray down in front of her and lifted the lid, displaying the generously sized hayburger and portion of hay fries to the delight of Twilight.  “Enjoy kiddo!”

Turning to Sunset, she set a similar tray down and lifted its lid, displaying the identical serving.  She placed a catsup bottle between them. “And here is your catsup. You’ll have to share, hope that’s all right!” She laughed.

Stepping over to her princess, she set down a fancy tray with the grilled fish and sauteed squash she ordered. “As you ordered Princess!  Enjoy!”  She turned to the fillies. “I’ll be back with the desert cart later! Enjoy your lunch!” she said as she left the room.

Sunset waited for Twilight to finish burying her hayburger and hay fries under a flood of catsup, then poured them over her servings as well, returning the lid to the bottle.  She watched as Twilight waded into her lunch, catsup and hay burger grease dripping all over the young filly as she moaned while ripping into her feast.  Smirking at the sight, Sunset powered through her lunch, surprised at how hungry she actually felt.

“Look out, Twilight!  I think some of those fries actually made it into your muzzle!” She teased her young friend. Twilight gave her a scowl as she continued to mow through her lunch.  Sunset chuckled and ruffled her mane again, then used a napkin to dab some of the more egregious messes from her friend's mane as she continued to happily chew through her lunch.

Celestial smiled at the pair as she made short work of her grilled tuna and squash.

As they were getting to the end of their meals Rose returned with a cart full of deserts. She served Celestia first, clearing her place and replacing the empty plates with a huge portion of chocolate ripple cake. “As you requested,” she smiled, setting down a clean fork and linen for her princess who happily thanked her and started in on her cake.

Sunset smirked, earning her a playful glare from her Princess.  “Not saying a word, honest!” she grinned.

“So Sunset, what will it be today?” asked Rose, wheeling the cart up next to her. Sunset looked over the choices, all of which looked absolutely heavenly.

“Wow, way to make it hard,” grinned Sunset. “I think I’ll go with the Strawberry Caramel Sundae!” she decided.  Rose placed it before her, along with a long straw and long handled spoon.

“Enjoy!” welcomed Rose. She turned to Twilight, blanching at the catsup and grease covered filly before her. “Wow miss Twilight, it looks like you really got into that lunch! Did you enjoy it?”

“Did I ever!” she grinned, nodding happily.

Rose laughed. “I think you got a spot of it on you,” she snarked, causing Sunset to laugh and give her a playful smack on the shoulder.

“Be nice Rose, she’s just enthusiastic,” grinned Sunset.

“She clearly is,” agreed Rose with a laugh. “Okay Miss Twilight, have you decided what you want for dessert?” She asked.

Twilight looked over the entire cart, thinking hard. She finally nodded, pointing at the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sundae in the middle. “I want that one please!” she stated happily.

“All yours dear,” stated Rose, putting the same straw and spoon by Twilight and placing the sundae before her as she cleared her place.  “Enjoy! I’ll be back later with more drinks if you need and to help you clean up.”  She gathered all the dishes together, then took one more look at Twilight and shook her head laughing as she left the room.

Sunset watched Twilight eating her sundae, chocolate syrup and chips all over her face and mane as she waded through her treat happily.  She smiled.

“What, do I have something on my face?” asked the filly.

Sunset nodded. “Just a bit,” she smiled.

Twilight picked up her napkin and rubbed a spot on her face. Pulling it away she saw chocolate on it. “Did I get it?” she asked.

Princess Celestia was shaking silently in mirth as she watched her newest student try to clean herself off.  Sunset smiled, looking back at the princess and shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it kid. I’ll help you get the rest of it off when we’re done here.”

“Okay!” said Twilight happily, wading back into her dessert.  Sunset grinned while watching her finish off her sundae and set it aside.

Sunset finished her sundae and set it aside too.  Twilight took one last long drink of her juice, then smacked her lips. “That was good!” she chirped.

“Yeah, it really was!” agreed Sunset. She looked over at Celestia and grinned. “You know Twilight, when we're in here, we're all family. You should go give mommy Celestia a big hug to thank her for that wonderful lunch!” she suggested.

Celestia coughed trying to stop laughing so she could say something, anything. “No!  That’s okay!” She got out before Twilight was out of her chair, across the room, and leaping into the princess’s lap.

“Thank you Princess, I mean Mommy Celestia!” happily called out Twilight, burying her face in Celestia’s main and barrel as she snuggled her thanks.

Celestial snuggled her young student back, quietly mouthing the words “I will get you back!” to Sunset over the filly’s head as she did so.

Finally having expressed her complete thanks, Twilight hopped off of the princess. “Thank you so much Mommy Celestia!  That was wonderful!”

“I am so glad you enjoyed it, Twilight!” answered Celestia with a smile.  Looking over at her older student, she grinned. “Seeing as you seem to be doing such a wonderful job of directing your young friend, I think you should take her to the bath and help her get cleaned up,” she suggested.

“Sounds like a plan!” agreed Sunset, scooping Twilight up and putting her on her back mess and all. “Come on Twilight, I’ll show you where I stay, and we can scrub off anything you may have missed.”  Winking at the princess on the way out the door, she headed down the hallway, trotting past Rose who just laughed and shook her head as they passed by, Twilight hanging on tight and sitting proud on her very own battle mage friend.

Sunset took her to her apartment in the tower, which turned out to be just a few doors down from the room Twilight had been given.

“Woah!  Your room is huge!” noted Twilight as they entered.

“Yeah, I used to be in the room you’re in now, but I needed more room as my studies grew and my library with it,” Sunset nodded, heading across the room and into the bathroom to draw a bath to clean them both up from Twilight’s enthusiastic lunch.

“You have a library!” chirped Twilight.  “Can I see it!”

“Sure, but not now… first let’s clean up.  Then I can show you around and teach you a few spells that are useful if you are going to live in the castle. Come on when you’re ready!”

Twilight trotted across the room, chocolate chips and bits of hayburger dropping from her mane as she bounced into the bathroom. “Woah! That tub is big enough to swim in!” noted Twilight as she ran over and propped her forelegs up on the edge, watching Sunset fill it from the taps.

“Maybe for you, not quite for me, and definitely not for the Princess.  They had to make it this big just so she could fit in it,” answered Sunset as she adjusted the water temperature, then levitated the bath brushes, soaps and oils over to the side of the tub.

“Are you going to take a bath with me?” asked Twilight, smiling in excitement at Sunset.

‘Yup!  Makes it easier to get you clean. And truth be told, I kind of need one, now,” she added as she watched a chocolate chip fall from her back.

“Yeah, you got chocolate all over you too!” agreed Twilight, looking Sunset over.

“Imagine that,” smirked Sunset, scruffing the filly's mane. “Almost done, just a bit longer.”

While the tub was finishing filling, Sunset stripped off the few garments the filly was wearing, and wiped down her saddle bag as best as she could. She hit the bag with a spell leaving it clean and food free, then levitated it over to the counter. She did the same for her bag and placed it next to Twilight’s.

“Can’t you just use that spell to clean us too?” asked Twilight as she watched her work. “Then we wouldn’t even need the bath!”

“Yeah we could. But the bath is better, and more fun anyway.  Okay runt!  Ready to get wet?” she asked.

“Who are you calling runt, you meany?” said Twilight with a scowl.

“My new friend! You silly!” said Sunset, climbing into the tub and relaxing in the warm water.  “Ah that’s the ticket. Come on in, Twilight!  No sense sitting alone out there!  Let me scrub you up and we can play for a bit before we study.”

“You want me to study with you?” asked Twilight happily as she climbed into the tub then swam over to a seat that was high enough for her smaller body.

“Heck yeah! We can be study buddies,” agreed Sunset.  She levitated over a brush and a bottle of mane soap, gently pulling Twilight into her lap and started working the soap into her mane, especially her muzzle that was caked with trophies of her lunchtime conquests.  Careful not to get any soap in Twilight’s eyes, she carefully worked the soap in, then gently used the smaller mane brush in her magic to work the food and stains out of her young friend's muzzle and mane.

“So, who does this for you at home?” asked Sunset as she scrubbed the food away.

“My mom does,” said Twilight. “I told mom I was big enough to do it myself, but every time I did she kept finding stuff I missed, so she just finally said no for now and does it every night after dinner,” admitted Twilight.

“She sounds like a wonderful mom,” agreed Sunset, finished with her face and moving on to the rest of her mane.

“Does your mom help you clean?” asked Twilight innocently.

Sunset got a sad look on her face. “No,” she admitted sadly.

“Why not?” asked Twilight, turning to look at her friend.

“Well Twilight, I don’t have a mom. Or if I do, I don’t know who she is. I’m an orphan,” explained Sunset, moving down to Twilight’s shoulders and back.  “Or I guess you could say Celestia is kind of my mom, but she is way too busy to do things like that for me. She has to keep the country running. So I have to take care of myself.”

“I could take care of you!” offered Twilight. “I’m not a mom, but I can be a good friend, and I can help you.” She smiled at her friend.

“Sure Twilight.  That sounds great. You can be my little sister and help me out,” agreed Sunset with a smile. She moved down to Twilight’s flank and barrel. “Wow Twilight!  I can see how you could get food on your barrel, but how the heck did it get all the way down here?” joked Sunset as she continued to scrub her young friend.

“I dunno. Mom says I’m a mess magnet.  I guess it just does?” answered Twilight.  Sunset laughed.

“Yeah, you seem to attract messes like I do trouble.  Almost done here, then it’s my turn.”  Sunset finished scrubbing the last of the food off her friend, then rinsed her off.  “Shut your eyes, Twilight. I'm going to rinse off your face and I don’t want you to get soap in your eyes. Trust me, that’s not fun.”

“You’re telling me!  I accidentally got soap in my eyes last week and could not stop crying.  And I wasn’t even sad, it just hurt,” agreed Twilight, scrunching her eyes tightly shut.

Sunset smiled to herself, seeing how adorable the young filly looked with her eyes so tightly scrunched up and a big smile plastered on her face. She carefully rinsed her friend's face, pouring water over her and rinsing the last of the soap from her fur.  “Okay, all done, you can open them back up now,” Sunset smiled.

Twilight did, then shook her head to clear the water from her eyes. Sunset laughed. “What are you, a dog?” she teased.

“No, I’m a pony!” grinned Twilight. “Your turn!”

“Okay filly!  Let me have it!” Sunset teased, placing Twilight back on the tall seat and sitting with her back to her. “Let me know if you need any help!”

“I got this!” answered Twilight happily, levitating over the brush and mane shampoo. She upended the bottle over Sunset’s head, coating her in a thick layer of shampoo.

“Uh, just so you know Twilight… it’s okay not to use the entire bottle up in one bath. You don’t need quite that much to start, just saying,” Sunset smiled back at her friend. “Okay, now it's time to work it in.”  Sunset shut her eyes, sticking out her tongue and making faces at Twilight, making her laugh.

“Stop Sunset, if you keep doing that I might accidentally get some in your mouth, and trust me I know.  Just because this soap smells good doesn’t mean it tastes good.” commented Twilight.

“Tried that one out, did you?” asked Sunset with a grin.

“Yeah, and never again,” answered Twilight.

“Me too, and me too,” agreed Sunset.  “How are you doing?”

“Okay,” answered Twilight, still working on her thick mane.  “Wow Sunset, you have a lot of hair.”

“You will too as you get older Twilight, it’s part of growing up.  Let me know if you need a break.  It’s okay to take a break if you get tired,” said Sunset.

“Okay. But I’m okay, I can keep going for now,” answered Twilight, working her way down her friends back and shoulders. “You’re really big,” noted Twilight.

“Nah, I’m just normal.  You’ll be as big as me when you get older too.  Really big, that’s the princess,” snarked Sunset.

“Oh. Yeah, she’s huge!” agreed Twilight.

Sunset laughed. “Yeah, just don’t ever say that around her.  Just so you know, she's kind of sensitive about that.”

“Why?” asked Twilight. “I would love to be huge like her!  Then everypony would respect me and listen to me.”

Sunset laughed. “Nah, she’s big like that because she’s the princess. But you don’t have to be big to be respected and have ponies listen to you.  You just have to be powerful.”

“Are you powerful?” asked Twilight.

“Yup, and that’s why ponies listen to me. And as the princesses' personal student, you'll be powerful too, and ponies will listen to you!” added Sunset.

“Really, just like you?” asked Twilight.

“Hopefully not just like me, but in your own way,” explained Sunset.

“Um, sorry Sunset, I don’t know how to wash the rest of you,” said Twilight in frustration.

“No worries Twilight.  Thanks for getting the top part of me all clean. I’ll finish up if you want to relax and soak for a bit,” offered Sunset, taking the brush from her magic.

“Okay,” agreed Twilight, leaning back in the water. “This is really relaxing.”

“Yes it is,” agreed Sunset, scrubbing all the spots that Twilight missed then dunking under the water to rinse all the soap off.  Popping back up, she sat over against the seat with her friend and smiled. “Just let me know when you’re ready to get out.  Then I’ll help you with the mane oil and brushing, and we can go study. No rush though, take as long as you want to soak.”

“Okay,” smiled Twilight sleepily, the warm water starting to relax the little filly to sleep. Sunset smiled, pulling her friend over to her and snuggling her up to keep her head from dipping into the water. “Wha…?” Twilight sleepily called out.

“No worries, Twilight, I got you,” smiled Sunset down to her friend, cradling the young filly gently.  Twilight gently drifted off to sleep as Sunset held her.  She smiled down at her. “You're the reason why I do what I do,” smiled Sunset down at her sleeping friend, gently stroking her mane as she slept.

After a thoroughly relaxing soak, Sunset exited the tub, gently drying off her friend then carefully working the mane oil into her fur. The strawberry scent of the oil mixed with Twilight’s own natural lavender scent, making Sunset smile. She trotted out to her bed, carefully tucking the young filly in, then went back to finish drying herself and applying the oils to her mane as well, brushing out all her coat. Thoroughly relaxed and clean, she trotted back out to her room, checking on her friend, then pulled down her notes and hopped up into the bed to snuggle up next to her little friend and study.

An hour later there was a quiet knock at her door and her mentor poked her head in. “Hi Sunset, may I come in?” she asked.

Sunset smiled at her mentor. “Always!  It’s your castle!” she teased, looking up from her notes with a grin.

“Not the point, but thank you,” answered the princess as she entered. “Have you seen… oh.!” she laughed. “Well that answered that. I was looking for Twilight, and as I didn’t see her in her room I thought I would ask you if you’d seen her.  My stars but that’s just adorable,” she grinned.

Sunset laughed quietly. “Yeah, she cleans up nice,” she snarked.  “She fell asleep in the tub while we were finishing up, so I just combed her out and oiled her up, then tucked her in.  My little study buddy that is too tired to study,” smirked Sunset.  “So what did you want Twilight for?  Do you want me to wake her up?” asked Sunset.

“No, I’ll just tell you and you can tell her when she wakes. I have a state function tonight so I won’t be able to join you two for dinner. Can you guide her to the dining hall and help her find everything she needs?”  asked Celestia.

“Sure, no worries.  Happy to help her out,” agreed Sunset. “You know, I was thinking if she wanted she could spend the night here with me, at least for now, and until she is used to being away from home. I know it’s an adjustment being in your own room away from home, so I was going to offer that to her anyway if it’s okay with you?” asked Sunset.

“Oh Sunset, you would have made a wonderful big sister,” sighed Celestia looking at the two of them.

“Maybe in a way I still can?” smiled Sunset.

“I definitely think so,” agreed Celestia. “Thanks Sunset.  I will see you two tomorrow!” she smiled as she left the apartment and closed the door.

“Good night, mom,” wistfully sighed Sunset as she left, then returned to her studies.

As dinner time neared and her little friend was still sound asleep, Sunset put her notes away and gently shook her friend awake.  “Twilight!  Twilight, wake up,” she gently called out to her.

The filly slowly cracked an eye open and yawned. “Five more minutes mom,” she breathed, falling back asleep.  Sunset laughed and gently hooved her mane.

“Come on Twilight, time for dinner,” Sunset said to her.  She rolled off her bed, lifted her sleeping friend onto her shoulders with her magic, then headed down to the dining hall, the still sleeping filly firmly held in place with her magic as she left her apartment.  Closing the door, she headed down the stairway then down the hall towards the castle kitchen.

As she neared the dining hall the increasing noise woke Twilight, who poked her head up next to Sunset’s.  “Where are we?” she asked groggily.

“Hey sleepyhead!  Welcome back from the land of nod!  Ready for dinner?” Sunset teased as they entered the common dining hall through the main door, heading for the cafeteria where they could pick out their dinner.

Holding tightly, Twilight looked around at everyone working through the lines to get their food and head out to the tables.  “So,” Sunset asked her friend, “What are you in the mood for?  Looks like it is pasta night.  Up for some lasagna, or maybe some spinach Alfredo?”

“What’s Alfredo?” asked Twilight, looking around at all the ponies in the cafeteria.

“It’s like spaghetti, but with a creamy white sauce instead of the red tomatoes sauce, and with spinach,” answered Sunset.

“Uh, I think I will just have lasagna and bread sticks,” answered Twilight. “I don’t think I have ever had that stuff you said.”

“Tell you what, I will get some and you can try some of mine. That way, the next time you'll know if you like it or not.  Sound like a plan?” asked Sunset.

“Okay,” nodded Twilight, smiling at her friend. “Thanks!”

“No worries!” answered Sunset happily.

“Well if it isn’t our newest battle mage!” called out a voice from across the room.  Sunset looked over and saw Major Tailwind waving and smiling.  She waved back, heading over to chat.

“Who is that?” asked Twilight, eyes wide open and fully awake now.

“That’s Major Tailwind.  She was the lead on my insertion and extraction last night, really nice mare,” answered Sunset as they headed over.

“Major Tailwind, so nice to see you again!” smiled Sunset as she trotted up to the Major. “Slumming it tonight, eating with us riff raff?” teased Sunset.

“I could ask you the same, Mage!” the major shot back with a smile. “I thought you mage types didn’t associate with us commoners?” she teased.

“Food’s food, and the company's always good,” smiled Sunset.

“So, who's your plus one there, Sunset?  I didn’t realize you had a foal,” grinned Major Tailwind.

“Major, allow me to introduce you to the newest personal student of the Princess, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Major Tailwind,” introduced Sunset.

“Nice to meet you, Twilight.  So you looking to become a mage too?” asked the Major.

“You bet!  I’m going to grow up and be a mage, just like Sunset!” agreed Twilight happily.

“Let’s not rush that, shall we?” laughed Sunset. “First things first, let’s get you big and strong, and keep teaching and training you. You’ll get there,” Sunset smiled. Twilight beamed happily.

“She has the corps spirit,” smiled Major Tailwind. “Kid, I think you’ll go far!”

“Yes ma’am!” agreed Twilight happily.  Sunset smiled at her friend.  “So eating alone, Major?”

“Nah, meeting some friends, then we’re going out for the evening, it should be a blast,” smiled the Major.

“Well don’t let us hold you up then.  Have a great time!” Sunset smiled, waving at the Major as she joined her friends.  They headed back to her line for the lasagna.

“She seemed nice!  Did you want to go with her,” asked Twilight.

“Nah, we’d be a fifth wheel on their wagon.  Better just to say hi and wish them a good time. Besides, I already have plans with a good friend tonight, and don’t want to disappoint her,” answered Sunset.

Twilight looked down dejected. “Ah, okay.  So after this, are you just going to drop me off at my room then?” she asked.

Sunset looked back at her. “Uh, no.  Did you forget what I told you earlier?”

Twilight looked confused. “No, I don’t think so.  What did you tell me?” she asked.

“I promised to take you on a tour of the castle and teach you some cool spells you should know if you are going to live here.  Remember?” smiled Sunset. “And, I was kind of hoping that you would stay with me for the evening, so we can get some rest afterwards and head straight over to breakfast then our lessons in the morning. Unless you had other plans?  I can just drop you off if you want,” Sunset teased.

“No, no no no no, I want to do that. Let’s do that,” Twilight bounced on her back enthusiastically.

“Okay roomy, let’s get us fed, then we can start our adventure,” smiled Sunset.

They passed through the line, Sunset picking out a large garden salad for herself, a smaller one for her little passenger, a large serving of bread sticks to share, then a large slice of lasagna for Twilight and a bowl of spinach Alfredo for herself, with two large sodas.  As they passed by the dessert selections Twilight picked out two slices of carrot cake, one for each of them which were added to the tray.  Showing her id at the cashiers, she waited while the mare rang them all up then levitated the tray over to a nearby table where they took their seats.  Taking her selection off the tray, she slid the tray over to Twilight, who promptly started eating.

“One sec, Twilight,” said Sunset. She took Twilight’s hoof in her own, bowed her head, and led them in grace.  Twilight looked confused but smiled and waited, then resumed eating when they were done.

“Do you not say grace at home?” asked Sunset as she tucked into her salad.

“The first I ever heard of it was when the Princess led us in it at lunch.  What is it?” she asked.

“Huh, I just thought everyone did that. I guess maybe it’s a princess thing?  Not sure,” Sunset replied. “I just know every time we eat, Princess Celestia thanks Harmony for our food, then we eat.  I figured it was something all ponies did. No worries I guess,” noted Sunset.

“Okay,” nodded Twilight. “I don’t mind, I just didn’t know what it was for,” she added.

“Ah, okay. Hey, want to try some of this spinach Alfredo?  It’s pretty good,” asked Sunset as she finished up her salad and started in on her pasta.

“Sure, do you want some of my lasagna?” asked Twilight.

“That’s okay Twilight, I already know I like it, so I don’t want to take anything away from you,” nodded Sunset, scooping over a small serving of the pasta from her bowl and placing it on Twilight’s plate.

“No, I want to share with you too, you’re my friend,” answered Twilight, cutting off a part of her lasagna and levitating it over to Sunset’s bowl.

“Ah, thanks Twilight,” smiled Sunset, scruffing her friend's mane. “You’re all right!”

Twilight beamed.  She tried a small bite of the spinach Alfredo, chewing it carefully. She smiled.  “This is really good!” she nodded, quickly finishing it off.

“Do you want some more?” offered Sunset.

“Nah, I’m good, but I think I will get it next time,” agreed Twilight.  She finished up her plate, and moved onto her cake.

Finishing up her pasta, Sunset moved on to her cake as well, then polished off her drink. Twilight finished her drink as well placing all her dishes back on the tray. Sunset moved hers onto the tray as well, then turned to her friend. “Ready for our evening?” she asked.

Twilight nodded excitedly.  “Okay, hop on!  Time to get this show on the road,” Sunset smiled. Getting up, she lifted Twilight up onto her back where she got comfortable, holding on tight, while Sunset lifted the tray up in her magic and trotted it over to the tray return belt where the trays slowly moved into the kitchen for cleanup.

Trotting off to her room, they prepared for their evening of mischief and fun.

When they got back to Sunset’s room they washed up and got ready for bed. “Why are we getting ready for bed?” asked Twilight. “I don’t want to go to sleep. I want to have fun with you!”

“And you will, I promise,” answered Sunset, tucking her into bed beside her. “But the most important part of preparing for a night mission is making sure you get enough rest before hoof. You don’t want to fall asleep halfway through our fun, do you?” she asked. 

The filly shook her head. “Nuh uhh. I don’t want to miss any of it.” She answered excitedly. 

“Exactly!” Agreed Sunset. “So we’re going to rest for a few hours. Then when everypony else is asleep we’ll get up and have our fun. Got it?”

“You bet!” agreed Twilight enthusiastically, laying down beside Sunset in the bed. Sunset snuggled her up and the two dozed off for a bit.

A few hours later, Sunset gently shook her little filly friend awake. “Twilight you awake?” she whispered. 

Twilight looked around sleepily. “Is it time yet?” she yawned. 

“It’s time,” Sunset happily agreed. 

Twilight’s eyes popped wide open. “Yay!” She said quietly, standing up on the bed covers. “What do we do first?” she asked excitedly. 

“First I am going to teach you how to get around. Do you know how to teleport?” asked Sunset. 

“You bet!” agreed Twilight. 

“Okay filly, show me,” said Sunset. “Teleport down off the bed to prove it.”

“Okay,” agreed Twilight happily. Her horn lit. She stuck out her tongue. Her eyes crossed. She held her breath and squinted. She left out her breath in a huff. “It’s not working!  I really do know how to do it, honest. Why isn’t it working?” asked Twilight, clearly flustered. 

“Remember when I said teleportation was interdicted in the castle?” Reminded Sunset. 

“Uh huh,” nodded the filly. 

“You know what that means, right?” asked Sunset. 

“I think so. It means it’s really hard, right?” replied Twilight. 

“Not quite,” answered Sunset. “Very close though and a good guess. It means that it’s not supposed to be possible at all. Well technically it means it’s forbidden. With magic those are usually the same thing. But what if I told you there was another way to do magic? A way that isn’t blocked like the others?”

“Another way to do magic?” asked Twilight. “What do you mean?  There’s only one way, right?”

“Nope,” smiled Sunset. “Think about it. All ponies have magic. But only unicorns have horns. So how do other ponies do magic?”

“What magic?” asked Twilight. 

“Like storm magic. Or walking on clouds. Or flying even. Or growing things,” Sunset suggested. 

“Ohhh.  I get it. So wings then. But we don’t have wings,” replied Twilight. 

“No, not yet,” smirked Sunset. “But we do have hooves. And that’s what pegusi use for cloud walking. And what earth ponies use for growing things. And what we’ll be using tonight.”

“But we want to teleport, not cloud walk or grow stuff. How’s that gonna help?” Asked Twilight, confused. 

“Simple. Turns out any spell you can cast with your horn you can cast with another part of your body with practice. And the reason that’s important is because each part of your body has its own magical frequency. So any magical interdiction tuned to say, a unicorn's frequency is not going to stop a non-unicorn pony casting the same spell because the energy is different.”

Twilight nodded as she listened. “So how do you cast a spell with your hooves?” asked Twilight. 

“Visualize the spell matrix the same as always. But then imagine the spell going down your leg and out your hoof. It will feel weird at first but keep at it and it will become easier,” answered Sunset. 

Twilight scrunched her eyes up cutely. A moment later her hoof glowed and she popped onto the floor.  “Yay!” She bounced happily in place. “I did it! I did it!”

“Wow, you picked that up quickly,” marvel Sunset. “Color me impressed.”

“But why did it work?” asked Twilight. “If one way is blocked wouldn’t all of them be blocked?”

“And that’s exactly the right question to be asking, my dear filly!” praised Sunset, scruffing her little friend’s mane. “Ordinarily you’d be right. But the castle has special magic to keep it strong and intact when attacked. It uses a type of magic similar to earth magic to do that. If they block things at that frequency it might make the castle weaker. So they don’t. And that means we can use that trick to get around. Lucky us!” She laughed. 

“Yay, lucky us!” Agreed Twilight. “So what should we do first?”

“I think our first stop should be to check on our dear mentor. Sound like fun?” asked Sunset. Twilight nodded enthusiastically.

Laughing quietly, the pair teleported into Celestia’s bedroom.  Placing a hoof over her little friend's muzzle, Sunset cautioned her. “We have to be very quiet,” she whispered.  “Mom is a light sleeper, and we don’t want to get caught or she’ll put a stop to our fun.  Come on,” she led Twilight over to Celestia’s bed, then levitated her up and onto it.  “Trot very carefully,” she whispered. “Time for some arts and crafts.”

Levitating over Celestia’s make up kit from her dresser, Sunset placed it down gently next to Twilight. “Okay kid, time to impress me with your artistic talent. Make mom beautiful!  Pull out all the stops,” smirked Sunset.

Twilight took the mascara into her magic, and working carefully did her very best to make her mentor look beautiful.  Sunset kept her hooves over her muzzle to keep from bursting out in laughter.  “Awesome, Twilight. Now I think she needs some lipstick and eye-shadow.  Keep it up,” encouraged Sunset. Twilight applied a nice thick line of eye-shadow around both Celestia’s eyes, then two thick red slashes over her upper and lower muzzle.  “Ah, good job Twilight,  Mom’s never looked so beautiful. Keep going, maybe some blush too,” she encouraged.  Twilight painted two bright red circles on both Celestia’s cheeks, tongue hanging from her muzzle and squinting as she worked hard to get them just right.

“Okay, now some glitter to make mom extra pretty, and I think we are done,” whispered Sunset, putting the rest of the makeup away except the bottles of silver and gold glitter.

“Sunset, isn’t the glitter just supposed to go on her eyelids?” asked Twilight quietly.

“Sure, but you are the beautician today, so you decide,” nodded Sunset sagely.  Twilight nodded, rubbing the glitter all around her face like a picture frame.  Sunset stifled a snicker. “Well done, my padawan.  Okay, come on, more mischief to make,” Sunset said, lifting the filly off the bed and placing the last of the cosmetics away.  Twilight smiled at her work as she was lifted off the bed, then with a light pop, the pair of hooligans disappeared from her bedroom.

Smirking, Celestia opened one eye and grinned. “Let’s see what those two stinkers did,” she giggled, hoping out of bed and into the bathroom to examine herself in the mirror.

She couldn’t stop laughing for at least five minutes. When she finally caught her breath, she washed her muzzle and face off, and still giggling, returned to bed.

The two stinkers teleported into the forbidden section of the library. “Woah!” said Twilight, looking around.

“Shush!  The guard will hear you if you say anything too loud.  Yeah, this is pretty cool though.  Can’t tell anyone you know about this, this part of the library isn’t really supposed to exists. This is the forbidden section where Mom keeps the spells she doesn’t want anypony else knowing, especially the Star Swirl the Bearded spells,” informed Sunset.

“Oh!  I love Star Swirl!  He’s my favorite mage of all time!” whispered Twilight happily.

“What?” teased Sunset. “I’m not your favorite mage?” she asked in mock shock.

“Uh…,” answered Twilight, not knowing what to say.

Sunset laughed and booped Twilight on the nose. “Just messing with you silly.  Come on, I want to show you something.”  She led Twilight further into the room, and over to a large horseshoe mirror.  “Take a look in here and tell me what you see,” she instructed.

She stepped back, and let Twilight step forward.  “Well?” she asked with a smile.

Twilight stood speechless before the mirror, looking awestruck at her reflection.  “So,” asked Sunset. “What is it, what do you see?” she asked.

“Sunset, you’re not gonna believe this, but I see me!” said Twilight in shock.

“Really?  It’s a mirror Twilight, of course you see you,” she snarked.

“No, I mean it’s me, but not me.  I’m big like you. But I have wings and a crown too, like a princess or something,” said Twilight in shock.

“Really?” asked Sunset, stepping up to the mirror next to her.  She looked in and saw herself as a princess too, just like last time. “That’s what you see, really?” she asked Twilight.

“Yeah, totally. I see me as a princess.  What do you see?” asked Twilight.

“Same thing,” admitted Sunset. “Huh, I wasn't really expecting that. I wonder if that's what it shows everypony?  Odd,” she noted.

“So do you see me as a princess too?” asked Twilight.

“Nope, I see myself as a princess.  I think you can only see yourself,” noted Sunset, still looking into the mirror.

“Does that mean I am going to be a princess?” asked Twilight in shock.

“Maybe?  I think so, but I’m not really sure. Hey, that’s cool!  We can be princesses together,” smiled Sunset , hip checking her little friend.

“Yeah, I’d love that!” agreed Twilight, turning away from the mirror. “What else does it do?”

“Apparently if you hit it when the time is right, it becomes a portal and takes you to another magical land where your wishes come true,” added Sunset, turning away as well. “At least that’s what I read. I think.  The book I snuck a peak at wasn’t really clear, and mom wasn’t very forthcoming when I asked. Guess we’ll see what we see,” she finished.

“So where are we going next?” asked Twilight.

“I’m feeling a bit hungry. Care for some cake?” Sunset asked, smiling.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay. Mom has a special freezer just for her desserts in the kitchen. We jokingly call it her cake vault. Let’s go check it out.” Together, they popped away from the library.

“Brrr!  It’s really cold in here!” Twilight shivered.

“Yup, that’s why it’s called a freezer,” snarked Sunset next to her. “Let’s pick one out and go somewhere warmer to eat it.”

“We’re gonna take an whole cake?” asked Twilight incredulously.

“Well yeah!  If we take half a cake, it will be totally obvious we where here.  If we take the whole thing they may never even notice it’s missing,” explained Sunset.

“Wow, you are really good at being sneaky,” noted Twilight with respect.

“Thank you, I learned from the best,” smirked Sunset.  “Which one do you want?”

“Oh, let’s take that strawberry one!  That looks really good!” pointed Twilight.

“Oh, good choice!  Okay,” Sunset lifted the cake in her magic, and together with the cake, they teleported away.

They appeared together on the patio outside her room on the castle tower.  Twilight looked at the cake. “Sunset, how we gonna eat it?  We don’t have any plates or silverware?” asked Twilight.

“No worries my dear friend!  We’ll eat it cavepony style.  With our magic and muzzles!” grinned Sunset.

“Won’t that make a huge mess?” asked Twilight.

“Probably, but I know a good place to clean you up, then we can have more fun,” grinned Sunset, taking a chunk of the cake out with her magic and shoving it into her mouth. “Mmmm… so good!  Good choice, Twilight,” she commented as she chewed and swallowed the cake.

Twilight copied her, getting the frosting all over her muzzle and mane of course.  “Ah Sunset, it really is!  This is awesome!” agreed Twilight. She scooped more in her magic, funneling it straight, well mostly, into her waiting muzzle.

Sunset laughed watching her attack the cake, taking another piece herself.  “It really is, isn’t it,” she agreed.

Together, they watched the mare-in-the-moon drift across the star filled sky, enjoying the fruits of their mischievous labors.

Once they were done with the cake they entered the room, trotting over to the bathroom to clean up. When Twilight was sufficiently looking like a filly and not a cake monster they resumed their adventures.

Sunset took Twilight on a tour of all the hidden passages she knew about in the castle, avoiding the guards and sneaking around as much as they could. As it got closer to sunrise Sunset turned to Twilight.

“There’s one last thing I wanted to show you before we came back and got ready for the day.  Up for one last adventure?” asked Sunset.

Twilight nodded happily.

“Okay then, let’s go, then it will be time to get up anyway. See why I wanted you to get some rest before we did all this?” asked Sunset.

Twilight nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”  They disappeared in a flash again.

They appeared on the roof just over Princess Celestia’s balcony. Twilight started to slip and panicked, calling out to Sunset. “Sunset, help!”

Sunset caught her in her magic and pulled her into her lap. “No worries, Twilight, I’d never let you get hurt.  Yeah, this roof is kind of steep, you have to watch your hoofing when you first get here. Next time, just lower yourself down flat and keep your hooves flat down on the roof. That’s usually enough to stop you sliding. And if worst comes to worst, just teleport back to where you came from and try again.  You’ll get the hang of it,” she consoled her friend.

“Okay, almost time. Keep really quiet now or we’ll get caught,” cautioned Sunset.  Twilight nodded in her forehooves.

Below them, the doors to the balcony opened and Princess Celestia stepped out, stretching and shaking her head.  Looking up to the moon, she smiled. “Love you Luna,” she said softly, then guided the moon over the horizon, the stars following.  Turning then to the east, she reached out with her magic and guided the sun up over the horizon to start the day.

Twilight watched in breathless awe as she observed the entire process.

Still looking out over the breaking dawn, watching her ponies rise to greet the day, she called out to them. “So my dear students, did you enjoy the show?”

Twilight’s eyes got as big as saucers, while Sunset laughed. “Busted,” she said quietly.

“Come on down and join me for breakfast,” she invited, looking up at them and smiling as she reentered her room. Teleporting them both down to the balcony, Sunset placed the still gobsmacked Twilight on her back and trotted into the room after her.

Taking a seat next to her at the table in the center of the room she levitated Twilight next to her, between her and the princess.

“So Twilight, I have you to thank for that wonderful make over this morning, do I not?” she smiled at Twilight.

Twilight smiled and nodded, then her hooves flew up to her muzzle and she looked panicked.  Sunset burst out laughing.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to work on your secret keeping skills,” she snarked, scruffing Twilight’s mane.  Twilight turned in surprise to Sunset.

“Are we not in trouble?” she asked in confusion.

Celestia leaned down into Twilight's muzzle and smiled. “No, my dear student, you are not in trouble,” she smiled.  She muzzled her and grinned. “It was a good attempt.  I had a good laugh too,” she giggled.

Twilight turned to Sunset. “I thought you said we would get in trouble if we got caught?” she asked.

“Guess I was wrong,” smirked Sunset.

“So we’re not in trouble for eating that whole cake?” she pressed.  Sunset facehooved.

“What cake?” asked Celestia, looking between the two of them.

“Smooth, Twilight.  Smooth,” snarked Sunset.

Breakfast over, Celestia thanked them for the company, and dismissed them for their morning exercise, with the promise she would join them in her room for their usual morning lessons.

As they were trotting off to their training, Sunset turned to Twilight. “You weren’t supposed to mention the cake, silly filly.”

“Sorry!” Twilight apologized.
> 04 - Sunset - The Goddess Must be Crazy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Sunset had settled into a normal routine.  Wake, breakfast together, off to lessons, again together, lunch with the princess, then self study, again almost always in each other's company, then writing their reports and dinner.  Though these were more and more rarely with the princess, but always together, then either more study, or resting then more late night hijinx, followed by whatever rest they could get.

The common element to all of the above being that the two of them were thick as thieves through all of them.  So when the call came for Sunset to take another covert assignment, it was a shock to both their systems.

“Can’t I come with you, please?” begged Twilight. “I promise I would get in the way!  I could even help!  Come on, Sunset. Don’t leave me!” she cried.

“Twilight, I’m sorry, but you don’t have the training for it. You’re not ready.  I would love to have you with me, honest!” She lied. She really hoped that Twight would never have to do the horrible things she did on assignment, but there was no way she was going to tell her just about little sister that.  “Sorry Twilight. But I will tell you about it when I get back, okay?  I just don’t want you to get hurt.  Keep training, someday you’ll be big and strong enough, and you can be a mage too!”

“That’s what they all say,” Twilight pouted. “I’m never going to be big enough, no one wants me to do anything,” she whined.

“Twilight, that’s not true and you know it,” Sunset told her. “I love doing things with you. We hang out together all the time.”

“Yeah, and now you’re leaving me,” she pouted.

“But I will come back, and then we can hang out again,” promised Sunset.

Twilight huffed and turned away.  Sunset spotted Princess Celestia trotting down an adjoining hall to her next meeting, so she telekinetically shook the armor next to her causing her to look over and notice the two of them. “Help!” Sunset mouthed silently.

“Twilight, do you want to spend the evening with me?  We can read a story together, and have some snacks,” suggested Celestia, trotting over to Sunset’s rescue.

“Can we have cake?” asked Twilight hopefully.

Celestia smiled.  “Yes, Twilight. I will share my cake with you,” she agreed.

Twilight turned to Sunset and stuck out her tongue. “Too bad you’ll miss it, miss meany pants.  I’ll be sure to tell you all about it when you get back,” she harrumphed.

Sunset smiled and tousled her mane. “I’m sure you will,” she grinned.  “Thank you!” she mouthed to Celestia, turning to go.

Back in her apartment, Sunset opened her orders and read tonight’s assignment.  She was being sent to the YakYakistan border to try to bring an unruly group of Yaks under hoof, as they were causing mischief among the border settlements.  At least this time there were no kill orders, she thought thankfully.

Packing up her kit and donning her robe, she headed out to meet her transport team for the evening.  As she got out to the courtyard, she was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face.

“Major Tailwind, what a pleasant surprise,” smiled Sunset as she stepped up into the chariot.  “Was not expecting to see you so soon again!”

”Yeah, it’s not set in stone or anything, but command does try to keep winning teams together.  So here we are!  Ready to rock and roll?” she asked.

“Ready as ever,” nodded Sunset.  “Off to the YakYakistan border!  I can’t wait to see what happens next,” she snarked.

“With those folks, you never know, “ agreed Major Tailwind.  “Okay, We’ll set up camp when we drop you off.  Hopefully you can resolve it fairly quickly and we can all get back soon.”

“From your lips to the maker’s ears,” nodded Sunset.

They took off, heading for the north and the YakYakistan border.

Along the way, Sunset thought over everything she knew about the Yaks, which basically boiled down to they like to break things, and they don’t respect weakness.  “This ought to be fun,” she smirked, rolling her eyes.

About an hour and change later, the Major brought the team in for a landing. The ground was cold, covered with a bit of frost.

“I can see why they have such thick coats,” noted Sunset, shivering a bit.

The Major and her sergeant laughed.  “You unicorns just need to toughen up a bit,” she teased.

Sunset smirked. “Well sorry if not all of us are gifted with such hot blood,” she laughed back.  “Okay.  I’ll check back in as soon as possible. Hopefully I can make this quick.  How hard can it be to get a bunch of overgrown rugs to behave?”

The Major rolled her eyes and laughed at that. “Way to go, rookie.  Nice Jinx!  Now go have fun dealing with it.  Rube!”  She chuckled and she tossed off her lead and pulled out the camp tent.

“Now who’s jinxing it?” laughed Sunset.  “Setting up the tent?  Really?  That’s how much faith you have in me getting this done quickly?”

“Prove me wrong, nube, and I’ll treat you to a round of cider.  But if I’m right, you buy for the whole wing,” challenged the Major with a grin.

“Phfft! Sucker bet.  You’re on!” agreed Sunset, clopping hooves with her.  “Be back in a few to help you eat those words,” she grinned, trotting off towards the settlements in the distance.

The Major just laughed and shook her head, then went back to setting up the camp.

As Sunset drew closer to the settlements, she began to see the nature of just what was wrong.  Random sections of the settlement were smashed to splinters, trompled into the ground.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she groaned.  “Really? Smashing houses?  What’s wrong with these creatures?”

As she got closer she spied ponies poking their heads out of the doors to peak at who was coming.  A beige coated earth pony shot from one of the doors, running over to her.

“Oh sweet Celestia!  Are you here to help us?  Please tell me you are the mage they said they were sending,” panted the pony, coming to a stop before her.

“Mage Sunset Shimmer, as promised,” agreed Sunset, facing the mare who had run out to meet her.  “Not that I am blind or anything but, what seems to be the problem.  And also, who am I speaking with?”

“I’m Mayor Mayonnaise, I also run the local delicatessen.   And the problem is Yaks! Yaks are the problem!” vented the mayor.

“Okay.   Backing up a bit here.  Yeah, I can see clearly that there has been some Yak smashing going on here.  My question is more, what happened before that?”

“Nothing happened!  We were just minding our own business, and they came in yelling Yak Smash! And started breaking all sorts of stuff.  Then one of them said, and I quote Yaks send message to ponies.  Not nice to not be nice.  Then they ran off,” she related.

“And are you ever not nice to them?” asked Sunset.

“Sweet harmony, no!” exclaimed the mayor. “We avoid them like the plague!  If they come into town, we just smile and nod and stay the heck out of their way.  It’s worked fine for us for the last few years. And then, this!” She pointed to the destroyed houses.

“Okay. Got it,” Sunset nodded. “I need you all to stay inside while I look around, then I am going to have a nice chat with the Yaks. Which way did they run off to?” she asked.

The mayor pointed off to the hills on the outskirts of the settlement.

“Alright.  Tell everyone to stay inside, and I’ll go take care of this,” Sunset assured her, then trotted over to look at the smashed house nearby.  Sorting through the debris, she saw no sign that anypony was hurt in the rampage, just lots of splintered furniture, walls, and anything else that may have suggested this was once a pony home.

She trotted over to the other smashed houses and determined they were in the same state. So apparently the Yaks were not looking to harm anypony, just shatter their homes. And not all of them, just a handful.

“Wow, that sounds like remarkable restraint for Yaks, at least from what I’ve been told,” she mused to herself. She trotted out of the settlement, heading in the direction pointed out by the mayor.

Trotting through the hills, Sunset could see signs of a Yak settlement nearby.  As she neared the settlement, the Yaks noticed her and several ran out towards her, shouting and yelling.

“Pony not welcome here! Pony leave now!” they were shouting. “Pony go home!  Leave now!”

Puzzled, Sunset stopped, waiting for them.  As they neared, one of the larger yaks tried to ram her.  Surprised, she lifted him in her magic, leaving him sputtering and kicking in the air, outraged.  “Put Yak down now, Pony!  Pony leave now!” yelled the outraged yak.

Sunset turned to the others as they ran up, stopping short at the sight of their friend suspended in Sunset’s magic.

“Pony go home!  No pony allowed!  Pony leave!” they were all shouting.

“Nope.  Don’t think so,” said Sunset. “How about we start over.  Why are you trying so hard to smash me, and what is going on here?” asked Sunset.

“Ponies not friends!” shouted one of the yaks.  “Ponies bad!  Ponies hurt yaks!”

“Show me,” insisted Sunset.

The yaks turned around and ran back into the settlement, Sunset following, her smash prone captive still held in her magic, trailing behind her.

Entering the settlement, Sunset saw the yaks had gathered around a young yak family, sitting before their home, or what was left of it.  It had clearly burned down to the ground, nothing left of it but smoking embers and scraps of what clearly used to be their belonging.

“What happened here?” asked Sunset.

The larger of the yaks squatting before the smoldering ruins looked up at her, clearly upset. “Ponies happened, bad ponies not our friends.  Ponies burn home, laugh and run away,” he said.

“Did you see the ponies that did this?” she asked.  He nodded.

“Come with me,” said Sunset, turning around.  The yak followed her, along with several of his friends, as well as the yak still in her magic.

Trotting back though the hills, she returned to the settlement, stopping in the middle with her yak followers as the ponies all gathered around the yaks and Sunset.

Turning to the yak who had seen the ponies that started the fire, she asked. “Do you see the ponies that burned your home?”

He nodded, pointing.. “Ponies there!”

She looked at where he was pointing, seeing two colts hiding behind their mother. “Those two?” she asked, incredulous.

“Those bad ponies!  Tried hurt my family, burned our home!” he insisted.

“That’s a lie!” insisted the mare. “My precious foals would never do something like that!  You can’t trust anything a yak says anyway!  They just smash and destroy whatever they want and lie about everything!”

“Who are you then?” asked Sunset of the indignant mare.

‘I’m Karen Cauliflower, and these precious colts are my babies!  And they would never do anything so evil!  Why are we even listening to these cretinous creatures?  Aren’t you supposed to be a mage or something?  Blast them!  Telling lies about my children, they should be punished for such lies!”

Sunset hung her head. “I swear there’s one in every crowd,” she muttered.  “Ma’am, trying to incite a riot really isn’t helping much right now. Can you just answer the questions and dial the outrage back a bit?  Thanks!” she snarked.  Turning to the yak, she asked.. “You're sure these two colts were the ones that started the fire?” she confirmed.  The yak nodded firmly, staring straight at the two young colts.  Their mom stepped in front of them, staring the yak back down.

Peeking around their mom’s legs, they stuck their tongues out at the yaks and made faces at them.

“Real mature, colts,” groaned Sunset, watching them goad the yaks. “I swear they want to be smashed into paste,” she grumbled under her breath. “No sense of self preservation at all.”

“You two,” she called out to the colts.  “You need to come with me so we can clear this up.”

“No they do not!” declared their mother. “You are not sacrificing my colts to these heathen yaks!  Not while I have a breath in my body!”  She stepped between Sunset and the colts.

Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked.

“Look what she’s doing!” Karen shouted out to the rest of the ponies. “She’s sacrificing our foals to the yaks to appease their bloodlust!  Is this how the princess treats her subjects!  We should report this so-called mage for abandoning her beloved ponies and sacrificing our children to the heathen yak blood lust!”

Sunset face-hooved.  “No one is sacrificing anypony!” she called out over the clamoring of the ponies of the settlement all talking worriedly among themselves and Karen shouting at them, egging them on.  The entire time the two colts were peeking around her legs making faces at the yaks.

“Enough!” Sunset called out in her best Canterlot voice. “Silence!”

In shock, everyone went quiet, staring at her.  Sunset glared daggers at Karen. “That’s quite enough from you. Nopony is sacrificing anypony.  But we are going to get to the bottom of this.  Someponies here,” and at this point she glared at the two gloating colts, who immediately hid back behind their mom, “have single hoofedly unraveled years worth of work Princess Celestia has done to bring peace between the Yaks and Ponies.  And those someponies will be held responsible.”

“You can’t touch my babies!  I forbid it!” Karen screamed at her, her colts clutching her legs.

“That’s it, you’re all coming with me,” declared Sunset, picking up Karen and the colts in her magic as well.  Karen went to the right of the still struggling yak, and the colts off to the left.

“Outrage!  This is an outrage!” screamed Karen. “You can’t do this!  I will see you pay for this!  Ponies have rights!  You can’t sacrifice us to these heathens!”  A teal glow surrounded Karens head, and the shouting stopped though her muzzle was still going a mile a minute.

“Much better,” sighed Sunset.  “Come with me,” she directed the yaks and villagers. “We are going to hold a tribunal and get to the bottom of this.”  She headed off back to her camp.  The ponies from the settlement followed, trailing behind the collection of creatures dragged along in Sunset’s magic.  One of the yaks ran off, headed back to the yak settlement to tell them what was happening.

As Sunset approached the camp, Major Tailwind noticed her approach with her menagerie of floating guests and the entire pony settlement behind her.  In the distance, she saw the yaks streaming out of the settlement, trying to catch up.  She busted up laughing, almost falling over from laughing so hard.

“You had to jinx us, didn’t you?” she gasped out.

“Shuddup you,” growled Sunset.  “You jinxed us too, don’t blame this all on me.” She smirked.

Arriving before the tent, she turned and waited for the trailing yaks to arrive. When everycreature was present and gathered around, Sunset turned to face them.

“Okay, the provincial court is now in session!” she called out.  She let the yak down, and he quickly scampered over to the rest of his kin, looking back at Sunset in fright.

“Sorry about that,” Sunset smirked.  She continued. “This is in informal inquiry into the events that led to the destruction of several homes in your settlement, and the destruction of a yak family’s home in their settlement.  I will remind you all that the penalty for lying to the court could be as severe as a trip to Tartarus!”

The ponies all blanched at that, especially the colts and Karen.

Sunset turned to the yak. “So, to clarify, you did see the ponies that burned down your home?”  The yak nodded.  She continued.  “And they are here with us now?”  The yak nodded again. “Can you point them out?” she asked.

The yak pointed to the two colts still suspended in her magical aura.  The colts looked sick. Karen was still thrashing and screaming at her, but not a word of it was audible.

“Okay, thank you,” Sunset nodded to the yak.  He nodded back and sat down.  She turned to the colts.

“Anything you two feel like adding or changing to your story?” she challenged. Karen was kicking and thrashing violently now. “Don’t worry, dear,” Sunset smirked at her. “You’ll have your chance to speak too.  Eventually.”

The colts looked at each other. “They started it!” blurted out the younger one.  “They broke our fort first!  They started everything!”

“Okay, tell me what happened,” asked Sunset.

The older one looked at his brother, then spoke. “We built a fort in the fields between our settlements.  We were just playing when they attacked us and nearly trampled us to death!  We couldn’t let them get away with almost killing us!” he added.

“So the yaks saw you and your brother playing in your fort, and just decided to attack you?” clarified Sunset.

“Yeah!  Well, sorta. Maybe they didn’t exactly see us,” he amended.

“How’s that?” asked Sunset.

“We built the fort in the grass, and made it low so they wouldn’t see us. We were pretending to be pony spies, doing a covert operation against the heathen yaks,” he clarified.

Sunset face-hoved, again.  “Okay, just going to say this now.  Wherever you got the idea that yaks were heathens, whatever the heck you mean by that, it’s wrong. Stop saying that.  Now.”  Taking a deep breath, she continued. “So, they didn’t see you, but they did run over your fort and nearly trampled you.”

The colts nodded emphatically. “And did they scream at you or anything while they were doing it?” she asked.

Both colts shook their head. “No, they just laughed and yelled the whole time. It was like they didn’t even know we were there!”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “Almost like you were covert?” she clarified.

The two colts looked at each other. “Ohhh…” they both went at the same time.  The older one added. “I guess that makes more sense. I wondered why they were yelling Tag, you’re it! At us.”

Half the ponies gathered around face-hooved at the same time.  Sunset just laughed and shook her head.  “So from that, you decided to light their house on fire?”

“Well, not at first,” answered the older colt.

“Yeah, we were just shocked and super scared!” added his brother.

“So we followed them back into their settlement and watched where they went. They all went into the house that we burned. We started thinking about it, and how angry we were that they almost smashed us to death, so we decided we needed to show them how that felt,” continued the older colt. His brother nodded.

“So you snuck into the settlement and lit their home on fire.,” clarified Sunset.

“Yeah, we saw the watchfire at the edge of the settlement, so we stole a brand from it, then snuck over to the house.  We threw the brand on the roof, then started kicking the doors and windows yelling at them ‘How do you like it when someone breaks your stuff!’  They came running out and we ran off, and back to our settlement. They were all running out of the house screaming and yelling,” said the older brother.

“Yeah it was super scary!” added the little brother.  “We ran so fast, it was crazy!”

“Thank Celestia for small mercies,” sighed Sunset. Turning to the yak, she asked. “Does this sound about right?”  He nodded.  “And where are your children?” she asked.  He pointed back into the crowd of yaks, where several small yaks were gathered around the yak he had been sitting in front of the burned home with. Sunset nodded.

“So then, you saw these two colts running back to their settlement, and decided to get some revenge?” she asked.

The yak shook his head. “Yak mad at ponies, but too sad to fight and smash. Home gone, food gone, wife and children almost hurt.  Yak needed to mourn.”

Sunset turned to the yaks gathered. “So who followed the ponies into the settlement and smashed things?”

Several of the younger yaks shuffled forward, including the yak that tried to smash her when she first arrived.  They looked completely dejected.

“Yaks sorry.  Yaks thought ponies trying to hurt yaks, being mean. Did not know ponies almost hurt and scared,” he shuffled in apology.

“So you all went into the pony settlement and smashed the pony houses.  Why did you smash so many?” asked Sunset.

“Yaks not see where little ponies went. So angry so just smashed some then left, make ponies know not okay to hurt yaks,” admitted the yak.

“Well that clears that up,” Sunset sighed.  Turning to her last guest, she lowered Karen down to the ground and released the spell on her muzzle.

Karen looked up at her, finally quiet. “What are you going to do?” she asked in a small voice.

“It’s not what I am going to do,” stated Sunset. “It’s what all of you are going to do, together.”

She turned to the gathered ponies and yaks. “Okay, enough bad blood here. No blood has been spilled. Time to fix this. All of you are going to work together and repair the damage that’s been done.  And we are going to start where the heartache started.  We are going to rebuild this yak families home and gather them food so they can survive. And then, we are going to repair each of the damaged pony homes, and do the same thing for those families.  Are you with me?” she called out.

“Yes!” called out the ponies and yaks together.  Sunset led a much more subdued and friendlier group of creatures back into the settlement, where the ponies all stopped to gather their tools and supplies, then followed her out to the yak settlement.

It was a long evening, but productive. It amazed her how quickly they were able to rebuild everything when everycreature pitched in a helping hoof and worked together.  The homes were rebuilt, the suffering families' larders restocked from the others largess, and even the colts fort was rebuilt for them, but this time in the trees outside there settlement, away from places happy playing yaks might blunder. No more covert operations for those two.

As the yaks and ponies celebrated together with a bonfire and banquet, Sunset smiled.

“Not bad for a botched second assignment,” grinned Sunset to the Major.

“Not botched, just jinxed,” grinned the Major. “And well done.  You managed to pull it off in the end, and that’s all that matters.”

“And glad for that!” agreed Sunset, sipping some of the cider the ponies had shared.  “I’m just glad nocreature was hurt.”

“Agreed,” nodded the Major. “So when do you want to head out?”

“What do you think? It’s pretty late, been a long day, and it’s a long flight back to Canterlot.  Would you rather rest for the night, then head back? I don’t want to cause you two any more inconvenience than I already have,” noted Sunset.

The Major looked at her with an appreciative nod. “I like how you think, Mage.  Yes, I think that would be best. I know I wasn’t looking forward to that late night flight after the day we had and the flight out.  Thank you!”

“Thank you!” nodded Sunset. “We’re a team.  And teammates look out for each other.”

“That they do, Sunset,” nodded the Major, finishing off her cider. “And in that case, I’m calling it a night. See you in the morning!”  She nodded, then entered the tent.

Sunset sat, watching the ponies and yaks celebrate for a while longer, then she too joined the Major and the Sergeant, resting for the night.

The next day, they had a hearty field breakfast, then struck camp and flew back to Canterlot.  Arriving back midday, Sunset thanked her team, and trotted into the castle to get cleaned up and join the Princess and her little probably worried friend for their self study and dinner.

She entered her apartment and was body tackled by a little purple flash. “Sunset!” yelled Twilight happily, “You’re back!”

Sunset hugged her little friend back tightly. “I told you I would be,” she grinned happily. “And now you smell as bad as I do!” she smirked, hugging Twilight.

“Don’t care!” called out Twilight, still holding her tightly.

“So what did I miss?” asked Sunset playfully, trotting into the bathroom to draw her bath, Twilight having jumped up onto her back still hugging her tightly.

“Only the bestest awesomest tea party ever!” bragged Twilight excitedly. “I even got two giant pieces of Princess Celestia’s cake! Two. Giant. Pieces!  And she shared!”

Sunset laughed. “She shared a whole cake with us before,” she reminded Twilight.

“Yeah, but this time she wanted to do it!” chirped Twilight happily.  “She totally gave it to me!”

“Wow!” smiled Sunset. “Not many ponies can say that. She must really really like you!” she grinned.

“Best day ever!” agreed Twilight. “Only sad part was you weren’t there with me,” she added.

“Well I’m here now, runt,” teased Sunset, levitating Twilight off her back and booping her snout.  “Okay, time for this mare to scrub up and relax.  Want to join me?” she asked.

Twilight answered by scampering up to the edge of the tub and diving in, swimming over to the raised seat.  Sunset smiled. “Guess that answers that,” she grinned, hopping in herself.  She levitated over the brushes, soap, and mane oil and went to work, Twilight helping her where she could.

When she was completely soaped up then rinsed off, she turned to her little filly friend and cleaned her up as well. Twilight laughed as she scrubbed her claiming it tickled.  Both scrubbed and rinsed, they soaked for a bit in the warm bath, Sunset letting the heat work the kinks out of her tired muscles, uncramping from the flight back. And Twilight just enjoyed the time with her surrogate big sister.  Sunset listened to Twilight go on about the lessons she learned for the day, the new stuff she had read while waiting for Sunset to return, and more about the totally awesome tea party she had enjoyed with the Princess.

When they had finally had enough of soaking, they got out. Sunset dried them both off and combed the mane oil into Twilight’s coat, then did the same for herself.  Clean, dried and groomed, they both returned to her room.

“Looks like it’s almost time for dinner. Did mom say anything to you about dinner?” asked Sunset.

“Yeah, she said we were to eat with her in her dining room tonight,” confirmed Twilight. “Can I ask you something?” she added.

“Sure Twilight, what do you want to know?” answered Sunset.

‘You keep calling Princess Celestia mom, but you say it in that type of voice that makes it sound like you are just kidding.  Is Princess Celestia really your mom?”

Sunset smiled, but a little bit of a tear formed in her eyes as she thought about her answer. “No, she’s not really my mom. I’m an orphan, remember?” answered Sunset. Twilight nodded.

“But, she is the closest pony to a mom that I have ever had.  So I tease her about it, and call her mom like that. I wish she was my mom, but any time I’ve even started to ask her seriously about it, she gets all flustered and pulls away.  So I just tease her about it.” She shut her eyes for a minute, then continued.

“So no, she’s not my mom.  But, if I could have my wish, she would be. And you’d be my little sister,” added Sunset.

“Really!” squeaked Twilight happily.  “I would love that!  I already have a big brother!  I would love to have a big sister too!”  she gushed, hugging Sunset.

Sunset hugged her back. “And I would love to have you as a little sister,” she agreed playfully.  “That would be awesome,” she scruffed Twilight’s mane, as Twilight looked up at her beaming.

“So, it's almost dinner time.  What say we head out and join the Princess,” smiled Sunset, picking up Twilight in her magic and placing her on her back, where she happily snuggled into her mane, holding on tightly.

Together, the mares trotted out of her apartment and down the stairs, heading to Celestia’s personal dining hall.

They headed into her dining room, noticing that the place setting had been put out, but they were the first to arrive.

They had just sat down when Rose entered with a cart full of beverages.  “Hi fillies!  Glad you could make it!  Want anything to drink?” she asked them.

“Soda for me,” answered Sunset with a grin.

“I can have a soda?” asked Twilight.

“Uh yeah, why wouldn’t you?” asked Sunset.

“Mom never let me drink soda at home,” answered Twilight.

Sunset thought for a moment about the episode with the coffee, then smirked. “Yeah, I guess I could understand that.  But as long as you only had one, I don’t think it would harm anything,” she noted.

Twilight grinned ear to ear. “One soda for me too please!” she answered happily.

“Sure honey, what kind?” asked Rose, smiling.

“Grape!” answered Twilight proudly. Sunset snickered.

“One Grape soda coming right up!” answered Rose, pouring out a grape soda and placing it by Twilight. She went to put the bottle next to her, then thought better of it. “I think I’ll have your friend help you with the rest of this,” noted Rose, setting the soda down next to Sunset.

Sunset smirked. “Will do,” she nodded, sipping on her cola.

As they were joking around, Princess Celestia entered the room. Her two students went to rise, but she shot them both a look and they sat right back down.

“Better,” she nodded, smiling. “They can be taught.”

Rose grinned and laughed. “Anything for you, my dear Princess?” she asked, pushing the cart over to the princess.

“My usual, thanks,” smiled the Princess. Rose prepared her tea, then poured a cup for her, placing the pot, cream and sugar on the table. Pushing the cart from the room she called out, “I’ll be back with the soups and salads in a moment.”

Celestia turned to Sunset, “So how did your operation go?”

“Mom, not in front of the foals,” snarked Sunset.

“Who are you calling a foal?” complained Twilight. “I can handle hearing about your stuff!”

“I was just teasing, squirt,” grinned Sunset playfully. Turning back to the princess, she answered.  “It went well, considering the start we got.  It turned out to be a big misunderstanding.” She then related the adventure to Celestia and Twilight, her little friend hanging on every word.  While she was sharing Rose returned with the soup and salads - leak soup and pasta salad today. Twilight waded happily through her salad and soup as she listened to Sunset’s adventure.

“So then we celebrated together with a bonfire and feast, and cider. They had some really good cider,” finished Sunset.  “And I leared a valuable lesson.”

“And what lesson was that?” asked Celestia, finishing up with her first course.

“Don’t tweak fate!  She’s merciless and has a wicked sense of humor,” grinned Sunset.

Celestia coughed, her involuntary laugh causing her to send her tea down the wrong pipe.  “True that!” she coughed, laughing and patting her muzzle with a napkin.

Dinner arrived, pasta primavera with eggplant, and more breadsticks to Twilight’s delight.  They enjoyed the repast, topped off with, surprise, cake for dessert, then said their goodnight’s to the princess and headed back to Sunset’s apartment.

“I’m tuckered out for the evening, Twilight. I hope you don’t mind if I just head for bed,” yawned Sunset.

“Nope! I’ll go with you!” agreed Twilight happily.

“Sure thing, little sister!” Sunset smiled, scruffing her mane.  Twilight beamed, following her into the bathroom where the fillies got ready for bed.

Teeth brushed, faces washed, and ablutions performed, they two climbed up into the bed. Sunset snuggled her little friend close as she smiled happily.

“I’m so glad I met you,” Sunset smiled sleepily.

“Me too!” grinned Twilight sleepily.

Together, the mares drifted off to sleep.
> 05 - Sunset - Red Shirt!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days were their usual pleasant routine.  Celestia’s prize students would wake, get ready for the day, then eat breakfast in the large dining hall with the rest of the castle staff, mostly talking about their studies, but occasionally Twilight wanted to hear more stories about the Battle Mages.  Sunset regaled her with what she could, cleaning up and glamorizing what she had to for little filly consumption.

One evening Sunset and Twilight were surprised by a knock on her door as they were studying together.  Trotting over to the door and opening it, Sunset found an orderly standing before her, scroll in her magic.

“Mage Sunset Shimmer!  Your orders!” she said, presenting the scroll to Sunset.  Sunset took it in her magic, thanking the orderly, who nodded and trotted off.  Shutting the door, Sunset opened the scroll, reading it as she returned to Twilight.

“What was it?” asked Twilight excitedly. “Are you getting sent out again?”

Sunset nodded as she read.  A Griffon crew was raiding villages along the Equestrian border, burning villages to the ground and capturing or killing the ponies living in them.  According to their spies, several of the missing ponies had turned up on the Griffin slave blocks.  Tomorrow, she was being sent in to deal with the raiders and make the border safe again.

Twilight wanted to know more, but Sunset reminded her they needed to focus on their studies. The princess was occupied with affairs of state, so the two ate dinner in the common hall again then retired to Sunset’s apartment for the rest of the night.

The following morning, Sunset said her goodbyes to Twilight, over protestations.  She wanted to come with her.  While she might have been fine on that last outing, Sunset had a very bad feeling in her gut about this one, and she didn’t want any dark stains on her sister's souls from seeing what she was afraid she would find on this assignment.  She asked Twilight to say hi for her to the Princess, then with a gentle scruff of her mane sent her on her way to breakfast.

Bag packed, robe on, and battle ready, she retired to the courtyard to find the Major and the Sergeant wanting for her.  Even they were in a more somber mode, confirming her gut reaction to this assignment.

“So it’s not just me then,” she commented as she climbed up into the chariot and secured her hooves in the straps. “You feel it too?”

“I do,” agreed the Major.  “Though I will admit, slavers always leave a bad taste in my mouth.  What type of creature sells another for profit?”  She shook her head.

“I guess the same kind that rapes and kills the others,” Sunset sighed.  “The sooner they are stopped, the better.  And if not us, whom?” she asked rhetorically.

“True that,” agreed the Major as she trotted into place. Together the two Pegusi kicked off, pulling us skyward and towards the border of the Griffin Empire.

Several hours later they touched down, a few clicks from the border and a short trot from the sight of their latest raid.  While they set up camp, Sunset trotted over to the ruins of the raided village to gather any insight into who was doing this.

The bodies had been buried, that dignity afforded them by the guard troops who had found them and reported the incident.  Rows of gravestones lined the road into the village, marking their final resting place. She hoped they’d found peace in the next life, peace that had been robbed from them in this one.  Turning aside from the rows of graves, she entered the village.

The embers had long since burned out, but the lingering smell of burnt flesh and carnage still hung in the air.  Blood stains were splashed along the cobblestones all through the village, turned black with the passing of days, but not yet washed and worn away by time.  Bits of fur and tufts of hide were caught in crevices, crows picking at the scattered bits in a death's feast.

She threw a rock at them, and they scattered, only to return as she passed.

Surrounded by death and destruction, there was nothing to learn here.  She moved to the edge of the village and circled around, reading the tells of the battle.  She saw where the scouts had murdered the village watch, silencing them before any alarm could be raised.  She saw where a larger group had come in afterwards, spreading out through the village in mayhem and destruction.  She traced the tracks of the larger group back to the main group, where it was clear they had taken to the skies to join the attack.  A few stray feathers were scattered among the trampled growth. She picked them up, examining them.

“Griffons,” she confirmed.  Just as the stories said.  Wrapping the feathers in a parchment, she placed them into her bag, continuing her examinations.

Sunset scouted around the area, looking for signs of where they had come from.  There were no tracks leading into the area, confirming they had flown in and gathered just out of sight of the village to stage their raid.  She then examined the marks on the ground, trying to determine from the marks of their landings the direction they had been coming from.  The majority of the landing marks suggested they had come from directly over the border, a few stadia away.  She lit out in a trot in that direction.

Coming to the border, Sunset saw the milestones that marked the border between our two kingdoms.  She gave a brief thought to the fact that by crossing she was technically committing an act of war, violating their borders, but dismissed it as meaningless given what she had seen in the village already.  She wasn’t instigating a conflict here. She was responding to one.  And she intended to end it.

Crossing into Griffin lands, Sunset continued her quests for any sign of the raiders.  About an hour's journey in, she came across signs of a campsite, several days cold, and large enough to have been the party she was looking for.  She gathered some molted feathers from the ground around the campsite, comparing them to the feathers she had gathered earlier.  They were a good match, suggesting this was the same crew that had committed the raid.  She once again took a read of the landing markings, then continued along in the direction suggested.

Several more hours of travel, she found another campsite, and more this time.  Wagon tracks joined the campsite this time, leading off to a main trail further into the woods.  Following the tracks, She determined that there were only three wagons, and they were all heading towards the Griffin village several stadia down the road.

The picture was becoming clearer in my mind.  She now understood why so many were slaughtered in the village, despite the party clearly being slavers.  They were raiding into pony lands, they were traveling light, only taking out what they could carry with them in flight.  That was why they only needed three wagons.  They could only take as many slaves as the party could carry flying out from the raid.  The rest were slain where they stood.

So they had rained down upon the village like death from above, taking their prizes then slaying the rest of the village and putting it to the torch, then had flown back here to gather their prizes into the wagon’s pens and off to the market for their bounty.

Sunset’s hide crawled with repressed rage for what they had done.

Lighting out towards the trail, she cantered swiftly towards the village.  As she approached, she pulled the hood up over her head, leaving only her horn showing from under it. She trotted brazenly into the town.

Griffins all around her stared in open beaked shock at the pony trotting among them, calling out and whispering to each other as she passed.  She headed straight for the central market, keeping her eyes open for any sign of the wagons or a group of griffins looking like a raiding party.

Inside, Sunset was still shaking with rage. She half wished somegriff would start something, would give her a reason to lay into everygriff around her.

Sunset trotted up to the auctioneers stage, calling out to the merchant griff talking with his associates.  “You!  Griff, I have some questions!” she called out.

He turned, scowling. “We don’t serve your kind here, pony.  Buzz off before you lose your head,” he dismissed her, turning back to his associates.

Sunset glowered. “I don’t think you heard me, griff!  I said I have some questions!” she challenged.  Horn glowing in teal, the griffin merchant was roughly spun in her magic, then dragged over to the edge of the stage.

A griffin charged her from her right, and was immediately hit by a telekinetic blast, launching him back through a stall into the wall behind it. With a thump and a spray of feathers he fell to the ground, unconscious.  At the same time, a crossbow bolt shot toward her from behind, only to be incinerated in mid-flight. The griff with the crossbow was launched across the market, slamming into a wall and joining his compatriot in enforced slumber.  Slamming the merchant down to the floor of the stage where she could look him in the eye, she glared at him.

“Let’s try this again, shall we,” she growled into his face.  “Any other griffs want to get in on this?  I can do this all day, and I’ve been spoiling for a fight.” She looked around.  No one moved. “No?  Okay then,” she turned back to the merchant.  “A group of slavers have been through her.  They made the mistake of taking some of my ponies.  I’m here to take them back, and take the slavers out.  Know anything about that?” she asked.

“Screw you, pony!” the merchant gasped.

“Not the answer I was looking for,” Sunset replied.  She grabbed his wings in her magic, pulling them back until his pinions were almost pulled from the sockets.  “I heard that dislocating a wing can be horribly painful. Care to find out?” she asked.

Sweating and gasping, he shook his head. “Good griff. You can be taught.  So answer my question.  Did a group of slavers come through here with captured ponies?”

“No!” he gasped.

“Trick question,” Sunset informed him, pulling harder on his pinions. “I already know they did. I need to know where they went.  Want to try again?”

“Okay!  Okay!  They came through yesterday.  They only stayed long enough to purchase supplies!  I tried to get them to let me sell their slaves for them, but they turned me down flat, saying they could get a better price in the capitol.  I swear!  That’s all I know,” he gasped.

“Thank you!” smiled Sunset. “See, was that so hard?  And hardly any time at all, now you can go back to whatever business you had going.”  She released him from her magic. “Just one thing though,” she smiled as he pushed himself up off the floor.  “If I ever hear of you selling pony slaves, I will personally come back here and make you wish I had just done to you what I threatened.  If you ever sell pony slaves, I will make sure you never walk again, and forget flying.”

She spun and trotted back out of the marketplace, heading back to camp.  She needed to check in.

As she galloped out of the town and back to the border, she didn’t see griffin skimming through the treetops, following her.

Several hours later she trotted up the hill towards her camp. She paused, her every instinct screaming danger.  She listened, and realized she couldn’t hear or see any movement.  She cautiously entered the camp.

To her horror, she saw the sergeant laid out in front of the tent, neck slit ear to ear, blood soaked into the ground under her.  She spun around looking frantically, and saw the Major laying shot through with two crossbow bolts, barrel struggling to draw a breath.

With a gasp, Sunset raced over to the Major.  “Major, hang on!  I’ll get you some help, hang in there!” she cried.  The Major looked toward her, then her eyes rolled up in her head and she laid still. Sunset’s eyes shot open in raw panic.

As she leaned over to call out to the Major, a crossbow bolt shot past her neck, nicking her fur and tearing her hood.  If she hadn’t just lowered her head then the bolt would have shattered her spine.  A griffin leapt from the tent, talon blades bared ready to rip her to ribbons.

Only to disappear in a flash of fire with a scream as she blasted him out of the air.  From the back of the tent another griffin took off into the air, flying at top speed back towards the border.

“Damn it!” swore Sunset.  “Damn it damn it damn it!  They must have followed me back here!”  She put her cheek down next to the Major and felt for breath.  “Oh sweet Celestia, thank the Maker!  She’s still breathing!” she sighed.  “Hang in there Major!  I’ll get you some help!”

Throwing her saddlebag and torn robe into the chariot, she used them to make a place to lay, and gently lifted the Major into the chariot.  Tying her down as best she could so she wouldn’t fall out, she hurried back to the front of the chariot and harnessed herself into the lead position, then as fast as she could lit out for the nearest guard outpost, pulling the chariot behind her.

Several hours later, shaking and covered with sweat she trotted up to the gates of the guard output.  “Halt, who goes there?” called out the guard on watch.

“Open up!” she panted. “Sunset Shimmer, Mage Corps!  I have wounded!”  The gates were pulled open.  She dragged the chariot into the compound and collapsed.

The regiment surgeon was treating the Major.  Sunset laid in the bed across from him, watching as he worked on the Major. “Will she be okay, Doctor?” she asked.

“She’s in a rough spot here, mage.  She’s lost a lot of blood.  She’s a tough mare though, and I think she’ll pull through.  That’s an old griffin battle trick though,” he noted as he worked.  “They kill everyone outright, leaving just enough left wounded, too damaged to do anything themselves. They know we are too kindhearted to leave our injured to die, so they use them against us to slow us down and burden us so we cannot come after them.  Makes my blood boil to see it,” the surgeon commented.

“Mine too,” agreed Sunset.

“What happened to your third?  Don’t you mage units travel in threes?” asked the doctor.

“The sergeant was dead. They had slit her throat ear to ear,” said Sunset sadly.  “There was nothing I could do.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” nodded the doctor.

Sunset dragged herself over to the side of the bed, and shakily got to her hooves. “Woah woah woah, just where do you think you’re going, miss!” barked the doctor, heading over to her and pushing her back into bed.  “I haven't released you yet!”

“You don’t understand, I have to go back!” Sunset tried to get up again, but the doctor held her down. “I have to go after those ponies!  I’m already a day behind them!  If I don’t hurry I may never be able to get them back!” she protested.

“And if you go after them in the shape you are in now, you never will,” the doctor finished. “Get a good night's rest, and get rehydrated.  That run took too much out of you, you need to recuperate.  Come morning we’ll see how you're doing and you can make a more intelligent decision then. You’re just running on nerves now.  Get some rest, doctor's orders!”  He tucked her in.  Sunset struggled briefly, then fell completely asleep.

The camp commandant sent his fastest flier with a dispatch for Canterlot detailing what had happened, and a scout team to gather the remains of the sergeant and what was left of Sunset’s camp.

The next morning, Sunset did feel better.  While not fully recovered, at least she was no longer shaking and too weak to stand.  She was relieved to find that a report had been dispatched to Canterlot, and that a team had been sent to her camp to recover the sergeant’s body and clear up the camp.

Requesting permission to leave, the camp commandant gave her a new robe and wished her good hunting.  Putting on the robe and her saddlebag, she left the camp and headed back for the border, determined to track down the ponies that had been captured from the last village raid.
> 06 - Sunset - In Search of Griffin Slavers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset traveled light.  Determined not to make the same mistake she made last time she packed up her mages robe into her saddle bag on arriving at the border, crossing over as just another traveler. She gave the town she had caused the ruckus in a wide berth, catching the road towards the capital past the town and continuing on towards her destination. She slept in redoubts atop the trees to allow her to keep an eye on the skies as well as the woods around her and was sure to be deferential to any griffin caravans she passed, giving them the right of way and keeping her head down.

She did however keep her ears open as she passed by. And she was constantly on the lookout for the griff she had seen fly off from the back of her tent or any crew that looked to potentially be the slavers she was looking for. 

She made good time, only once having to deal with some brigands who mistook her for an easy mark. She pretended to be terrified, running into the forest crying and screaming. They were completely surprised after toying with chasing her for half a stadia when she turned around and dispatched the nearest of them in a blast of fire. 

“Ah crap she’s a witch!” Yelled the furthest of them, spinning around to run away. She yanked him back in her magic, tossing him into his companion, sending them both to the ground tumbling.  Rearing over them she stomped down quickly with her fore hooves breaking both their wings. They shrieked out in pain. Throwing them up against a nearby tree with her magic she placed a hoof against the tree. Her hoof glowed teal and the tree branches and limbs grew over the two hapless griffs as they struggled against her magic. She glared at them as they hung there helpless. 

“That’s right,” she growled at them. “I am a witch. The witch of the Everfree Forest. And I don’t like creatures who harm my ponies. I think I’ll let you die here while my trees slowly eat you!” She spat, then turned, trotting back to the road and continuing her journey. By the time she had reached the road she could no longer hear their cries. 

Arriving in the capital that evening, she secured herself a room at a cheap inn and a bowl of porridge for her supper. Thanking the kindly griffin hen who ran the inn, she headed out into the night to make the rounds of the local taverns listening for any news of slavers and auctions of ponies. She had to keep her head down as most places were less than happy to serve her kind but were more than happy to take her bits. 

After a night of nothing useful learned and moderate abuse from the drunken griffs surrounding her, she returned to her room and retired for the night. 

The next morning, she visited the Equestrian Embassy, requesting to see the charge de affairs.  She was taken into a small office to wait, where eventually a griffin hen entered.

“I’m Gilda, the charge de affairs for this embassy. You requested to see me, here I am.  How can we help you?” she asked, taking a seat at the table opposite Sunset.

“Sunset Shimmer, Mage Corps.  Sorry to drop in unannounced, but I tracked a band of slavers with captured pony citizens of Equestria to the capitol here, and am trying to find them before our citizens are sold off.  Do you know anything about the slave trade here in Griffinstone?” asked Sunset.

“I know it is legal here, and state sanctioned.  Our office has been instructed to turn a blind eye to it for now, as long as the slaves are legally acquired. And no, raiding Equestria and capturing our citizens does not meet that bar,” the hen added. “They have a guild, and keep decent records to cover the legalities.  I’ve not heard of any ponies being sold or tendered in recent history, so I suspect that if your ponies are being offered, they are off book,” agreed Gilda.

“So where would be a good place to start?  I’ve already tried hitting the taverns and listening in for anything, but got nothing,” added Sunset.

“Yeah, you’re not going to hear anything at the taverns that let ponies in,” agreed Gilda.  “That kind of crowd is tight lipped, and would not be comfortable around others not like minded.”

“Like minded?” asked Sunset.

“As in, Griffins.  Not ponies,” clarified Gilda.

“So what do I do then?” asked Sunset.  “I’m not a changeling, can’t change what I am,” she laughed.

“Nope.  And wouldn’t matter anyways, because if they don’t know you, they wouldn't let you in.  I can make some inquiries.  Ask around, reach out to my informants.  I'll keep you posted. Where can I reach you?” offered Gilda.

Sunset gave her the name of the inn she was staying in.  Gilda wrote it down and put it into her notes. “Okay.  Give me a few hours.  I’ll reach out to you either tonight or early tomorrow with anything I’ve found.”

“Thank you, Gilda.  I really appreciate it,” thanked Sunset.

“No problem.  Get some rest, Mage Sunset.  You may need it, depending on what I find,” smiled Gilda, escorting her from the office.

Sunset nodded, then left the embassy and headed back to the market, purchasing the supplies she may need for any operation that may arise from whatever Gilda found.

After that, she returned to the inn in time for an early dinner of porridge and mead, then headed up to her room to rest.

She woke several hours later to a gentle tapping on her door.  Rising from her slumber, she opened the door to find Gilda waiting for her.  She entered the room and Sunset latched the door.

“Sorry for the early visit, but we found something, and need to move quickly if you want a chance at rescuing your ponies.  The band that raided the villages and captured your ponies is a loyalist group called The Griff's Claw.  They want war with Equestria, and think the raids will force Equestria's hoof.  They also fund the group, as selling the captured ponies gives them the resources they need to stay operational.  The word from my informants is that the group is planning on leaving first light with their captured stock on a ship they’ve secured passage on, headed for Kludgetown.  We weren’t able to ascertain which ship, so we need to move quickly to interdict them before they ship out,” informed Gilda.

Sunset looked out the window at the night sky.  The moon was near setting, and she could see the beginnings of dawn creeping up over the surrounding forest as the sun waited for its moment to rise.  “Damn,  Less than two hours to sunrise. Yeah, not kidding about the time being short.  So what’s the plan?” asked Sunset.

“I’m coming with you. I know the city, and have the contacts if we need them.  Normally I would farm this out to an operative, but no time.  We need to move out now,” replied Gilda.

“Okay, will do,” agreed Sunset, grabbing her backed saddle bag.  “Let’s roll!” She locked the door behind her, then dropped the key into the return box downstairs in the tavern on her way out the door, along with a two bit tip.  She followed Gilda out into the night.

They headed straight for the docks.  Gilda passed Sunset a rough sewn cloak to wear as they hurried to the docks. “Probably better if they don’t see you.  With this on, you’ll just look like another laborer or slave coming in for work.  If you prance around with that saddle bag and uncovered they will recognize you for certain.  You do kind of stand out.”

Sunset slipped on the cloak, placing it over her saddlebag and pulling the hood up. “Good point, and thank you,” she stated as she briskly trotted beside the griffin.

“No problem,” answered Gilda. “Pays to be operationally aware.”

“Noted,” sighed Sunset, thinking of her recent mistakes.

As they neared the docks, they slowed, trying to blend in with the others heading in for work loading the ships along the riverbank for morning departures.  Already there were crews at work loading and unloading cargo, and passengers trying to shift their way through the maze of work, attempting to get to their berths before their dawn departures.

Sunset was surprised to see a fair number of ponies among the crews and passengers, though among the latter they appeared to be the hired for the traveling griffs rather than the actual passengers themselves, as they were hauling baggage for the most part.  They were almost universally clothed like herself, with a cloak thrown on, though only a few had their hoods raised. And most of the ponies had leather collars with metal tags on them.

“Surprised to see so many ponies here,” commented Sunset to Gilda under her breath.  “And what’s with everypony wearing a cloak?  That some sort of fashion here?  And the leather collars?”

“No, they wear the cloak out of respect for their employers or masters.  We griffs don’t have your cutey marks, and most griffs resent them and think they’re just another way of ponies being speciest.  So they make their pony staff cover them up to avoid stirring up resentment.”  She grimaced,  “And the leather collars are for slave, or indentured servants.  The metal tag in them is their slave id, showing they are registered with the crown.”

Sunset looked around again. “That’s a lot of slaves,” she noticed.  “How did so many ponies end up slaves here?”

“Most of them are more what we call indentured,” clarified Gilda, as they continued through the throngs of workers and passengers moving on and off the ships.  “The difference being, indentured are contracted to be slaves for a set amount of time in return for the promise of livelihood and an initial payout.  Ponies here working as indentured servants were generally looking for a better life, and had nothing but debt and no future where they were. So selling 20 years of their life for a shot at something better while getting to pay off whatever they were leaving behind seemed worth it to them.”

Sunset nodded. “I guess I can see the appeal to that.”

“Not much different then signing on as crew for some of these ships, just longer duration,” agreed Gilda.

Sunset saw a familiar Griff in the distance, getting onto one of the ships being loaded. “That’s her! That’s the griff that flew out of the back of my tent when I was attacked helping the Major,” she whispered.

“Where?  Which ship?” asked Gilda quietly. “And are you sure?  I know we look a lot alike to you ponies.”

“I’m sure, I’ll never forget that griff,” whispered Sunset tersely.  “And I’m not most ponies.  But point taken.”  She squinted, trying to read the sign before the boarding plank on the ship. “I can’t make it out completely, but it looks like it says Intrepid,” she answered.

“Ah, yeah they haul a lot of stuff between here and Kludgetown.  Makes sense.  That’s Captain Celaeno’s ship.”

“Who?” asked Sunset.

“She’s a pirate.  Works this route as a side gig to keep up appearances and pay the bills.  Piracy is not what it used to be with our navies on patrol,” grinned Gilda.

“Glad to hear that,” smiled Sunset.  As they neared the ship, two sailors stepped out and drew the plank up, securing it to the rigging.

“Damn it.  They’re leaving early.  I guess they got everything they needed and were heading out before the rush,” swore Gilda.  “Sorry Sunset, we’re too late.”

“No!  No no no no,” groaned Sunset, watching them drop the lines and rig the sail, pulling away from the dock.  “Damn it!”  She saw the Griffins again, looking out over the stern as they departed. “That’s definitely her.  So they are certainly going to Kludgetown?” asked Sunset, watching them sail out to the middle of the river and head down current towards the bay.

“Yup, that’s the only run she makes.  If they’re on that ship that clinches it,” confirmed Gilda.

“Okay, so how am I going to get to Kludgetown ahead of them?” asked Sunset.  “How long will it take them to sail to Kludgetown?”

“Not as long as you are thinking,” replied Gilda. “The Intrepid is a hybrid. As soon as they are out in the bay and clear of obstacles, they will take to the air. The Intrepid is an airship.”

“Ah crap. This just gets better and better,” groaned Sunset. “So again, what’s my next move?”

The best that could be arranged with such short notice was to secure passage on another airship headed to Kludgetown, leaving with its cargo and passengers at the normal time after sunrise.  Gilda passed her a bag of bits and gems to help her secure the release of the slaves, and paid for her passage on the ship, then bid her good luck, promising to send a dispatch to Canterlot with the status of her operation.

Sunset thanked her for all the help she had been and retired to her berth to wait for the sunrise and their departure.

Sunrise came, and within the hour they were off.  Sunset watched from her porthole like the others, as all passengers were restricted from the deck during departure. Too much going on in too small a space to have gawkers wandering around taking in the sights.

Just as the Intrepid had done, the ship lifted out of the water when they reached the middle of the bay, the crew shifting the rigging for sails more appropriate to an airship.  Once the lines were secure and properly lashed, the deck was secured and the passengers were allowed to come out on the deck.

Sunset emerged with the other passengers, still wearing her rough cloak and glad for it, as the weather was noticeably cooler above the cloud cover where they were sailing.  She looked around, watching the Griffin families hold their chicks up so they could see the clouds and skies over the railing, sharing their joy at the wondrous sight below.  “It may not be as fast as a chariot, but I can see where it would have its advantages,” thought Sunset as she watched them with a smile.

Sunset stayed on deck, enjoying the fresh air and the antics of the griffin chicks, excited for what was clearly their first flight as they excitedly dashed around looking out at the clouds, sea, shoreline, and occasional islands as they cruised to their destination.  Smiling to herself, Sunset pulled the cloak closer around her, glad for the warmth it provided.

In the distance, she spied a small storm cloud drifting along, looking like it was going to pass nearby.  Watching as they neared it, she noticed a strange glint reflect for a moment from it, then it was gone.

“That’s odd,” she thought. “I wouldn’t have thought clouds could reflect like that.”

She was about to turn away when she saw a frigate burst from the cloud on a collision course with their broadside.  “Hey, someone, what’s that?” she called out loudly, pointing.

The griff of the watch turned and noticed it too, immediately sounding the bell and yelling.  “Attack from the Port!  Griffs to your Cannons!  Griffs to your Cannons!  Attack from the Port!”  The crew immediately leapt into action, jumping into the rigging and running down into the ship, opening the cannon ports and loading and priming the port side cannons.  The ship's mate was herding the passengers down below decks, worried hens scooping up their chicks as they all raced below to huddle in the center of the hold.  Sunset ignored them, staying at her spot watching the attacking ship close on them.

There was a flash and a sharp retort, and the rigging snapped and shredded as buckshot flew through it, shredding sails and wounding a few of the crew, who fell to the decks. One unfortunate soul fell off to the side, missing the deck and heading down into the clouds below, unresponsive.  Aiming her horn, Sunset tracked him, and with a flash of magic he was teleported to the deck behind her, where he landed with a thud.

The crew scrambled to secure the rigging before it was completely destroyed as another shot rang out.  Sunset threw a shield up over the remaining crew members in the rigging as the buckshot tore through again, making short work of the remaining sails.  Shaken but unharmed, the crew abandoned the rigging, running over to the helm and gathering poleaxes, preparing to repel any attempts to board them.

The cannons below deck burst with their answering salvo, but as their target was coming head on, they had little beam to shoot at, and only one shot hit the bow of the attacking ship, bouncing harmlessly off the hardwood with no damage due to the angle of the shot.

The fwo attacking forward cannons barked again, both hitting their targets, the cannon ports on the port side of their ship.  The remaining cannons replied with their answering salvo, all missing their mark.  The attacking cannons barked again, silencing the rest of their port cannons.

“Damn, that’s not good,” mumbled Sunset. “Whoever they have on their cannons really knows their stuff.”

As the ship drew closer, they slipped over to present their broadside, then slammed up against their ship.  A Griffin boarding party leapt over the railing, crossbows at the ready while other members of their crew lashed the two ships together.  Sunset crouched behind a barrel on deck as they crossed over, quickly teleporting to the far side of the forecastle to watch from behind it as the pirate crew advanced on the defenders, poleaxes at the ready and gathered around their injured crewmates.  Sunset stood ready to attack as well, her horn charged, but hesitated, knowing that the attacking ships' cannons primed and ready to fire into them point blank, there would be no way the passengers in the hold could avoid harm.

“Avast, maties, no need to die today!” called out one of the boarding crew, a large Griff with a garish sash and a saber, still strapped to their waist.  “You fought valiantly, but you’ve lost, as you can see.  Put down yer arms, and surrender peacefully, and there be no need of further bloodshed.”

Looking at the overwhelming number of crossbows aimed at them, the crew dropped their poleaxes and knelt on the deck.

“There be some reasonable mates now, good choice, maties!” nodded the pirate as the crew ran among them, gathering the poleaxes and pitching them over the side of the ship.  Several of the crew ran below, and emerged prodding the passengers back up onto the deck, shaking and frightened by the ordeal.

When they were all gathered in the center of the deck, the pirate addressed them. “Now then, me maties.  Surely you all know how this works!  Me mates and I, we’ll be relieving you of any valuables on your persons, and you’ll all be good little Griffs and stay out of our way.  Do as I say here, and we’ll be off on our way shortly, no griff the worse for our little adventure here.  Do anything else, and you might not be able to enjoy the rest of your little cruise.”

While two of the party went among the passengers collecting gems, bits, and anything else they may have had of value, another contingent ran below decks, coming back up with anything they could find of value.

While they were doing that, a blast rang out and the ship shuddered. “Don’t worry maties, we haven’t scuttled you.  Yet.  Just taking out your rudder, don’t want you causing us any trouble after we take our departure.  You’ll still be able to limp along to the shore, and tell the fine tale of your adventure with the Griffin Sea Pirates,” teased the pirate.

“Crap,” muttered Sunset from her hiding place.  “Guess I need to find a new ride.”  Seeing they were not going to harm the crew, she quickly teleported over to the pirate’s deck, hiding behind some barrels and rigging.  A short while later, the pirate crew returned to their ship, undoing the lashings as they returned.  The passenger ship drifted away. There was a muffled explosion, and the ship started listing downward slowly towards the sea below.  Standing before the barrel and rigging Sunset was hiding behind, the pirate nodded in satisfaction.

“Aye, that ought ta keep them out of the air and our feathers, and still let them make it to shore,” he smiled. He walked over to the Mast, nodding in satisfaction as the crew secured the captured booty below decks.  Sunset teleported over to the side of the forecastle, looking into the captain's quarters. She teleported again, directly into the captain's quarters, only to see a large griffin hen decked out in a captain's coat bent over a table examining maps, her back turned to her.

“What was that? I thought they were done with the fighting,” she said, looking up and turning around, having heard the pop of Sunset’s teleport.  Sunset quickly noticed a drape hung over the wall opposite of where the hen was turning, and quickly teleported behind it.

Striding to the door, she opened it up and called out. “First mate! Front and center, now!”  She slammed the door then returned to her maps.

The pirate Sunset had seen on the deck and with the boarding party entered, shutting the door.  “Aye, captain,” he responded, coming over to stand next to her. “Ya needed something now?” he asked.

“What’s that racket?  I thought you were just stowing the booty, and the fighting be over,” she asked without looking up.

“No racket, captain, the fighting be long over.  The booty stowed and we’re under sail,” answered her first mate.

“I thought I heard a shot,” she responded, still going over the map.

“Aye, there be naught o’ that.  Mayhap ya heard a rope snapping in the rigging?” he ventured.

“Aye, mayhap.  Go check it out then, don’t want no messes in me rigging,” commanded the captain.

“Aye then,” answered the mate, moving off and leaving the cabin.

Sunset figured this was as good a time as any to make her request known.  She teleported behind the captain.

“Well, that was quite a performance!” she laughed.  “And my congratulations on pulling it off without taking or losing a single life.  If you had we would be having a very different conversation,” she smiled.

The captain spun around, eyes wide in surprise.  “And who might you be!?” growled the captain.

Just as Sunset was about to reply, the first mate came back through the door.  Seeing Sunset before his captain, he drew a dagger from his sleeve and readied to throw it.  Before he could, Sunset ripped it from his claw, launching it past the captain's beak and into the wall beside her.  She ripped the first mate into the cabin in her magic, slamming the door behind him then blasted him up against the cabin wall pinning him there.

“Now is that any way to treat your paying customers?” Sunset smiled, trotting up to the captain.

Sunset continued.  “I’ll make this worth your while.  You left me at a bit of a disadvantage there, blowing my ride out of the sky.  So, I am feeling generous.  In return for your taking me to my destination, I’ll see that you get a little something out of it, and, I’ll agree not to kill you. Seems like a win-win for both of us, don’t you agree?”

“Scurvy dog!  There is no way you’ll survive my crew!  They’ll rend you limb from limb, and throw the pieces to the sharks below!” swore the captain.

Sunset smirked.  “Hm.  No.  You might think that, but you're wrong.  I could rip this ship to shreds right here, with a thought,” she paused to let the captain think on that.

The captain smirked, cocking her head. “You’re a pony, I think I’ll be calling that bluff of yers.”

“You don’t seem to understand whom you're dealing with,” Sunset smiled, tossing back the hood from her cloak.  “I’m not just an over entitled unicorn who thinks she’s all that.  I do have a reputation, you know.  You may have heard of me.  My friends call me Sunset.  But my enemies call me the Witch of the Everfree.  Ring any bells?”

Of course, she was  pulling this fully formed from her plot. The only time she had ever been called the Witch of the Everfree was mockingly by her classmates after she became lost in the Everfree on one of their training assignments.  She used her magic to form the trees into a shelter, waiting to be found.  The first time she had ever used that silly title for anything even remotely serious was on the two brigands who attacked her in the Griffin forest.  But, if it kept her from having to kill any of this captain's crew, and got her what she wanted, she wasn’t above taking the pitch and swinging for the fences.

“You got some brass, pony.  I’ll give you that,” conceded the captain. “And what, besides me life that’s already mine own, do you suppose you can give me to make this worth the time of me crew and I?”

“To start, a full pardon for whatever misadventures you’ve already been a part of.  To sweeten that up, I’ll offer you, uhm.. Let’s call it enrollment, shall we?  Enrollment into Equestria’s service as a licensed privateer.  It would mean perhaps being a bit more selective about your targets, but it takes the Equestrian navy off your back as long as you keep to the agreement.  And whatever you take is yours to keep.  Interested.?” asked Sunset.

“And who be you to be offering such fine prizes as this, with such high promises?  Much to say and not much to show from where I’m sitting here,” countered the captain.

“Fair enough.  But at this point, what have you got to lose?” countered Sunset. “Take me at my word, and take me to Kludgetown.  If my word is false, my freedom is forfeit, as I am sure anything I tried at the docks would end up with my capture anyway.  But if I'm not false, then you’ve gained a prize.”

“Be true, I could use yer Navy off me back,” mused the captain. “Free me mate, then we'll think on it.”  Sunset released the first mate.  He walked calmly over and pulled his dagger from the wall, returning it to its sheath.  Glaring at Sunset, he went to his captain’s side in whispered conversation.

After several heated minutes, the mate nodded and approached her. “Okay, we’ll take you to Kludgetown.  But yer not staying here.  Yer stay in the brig until we get there, and no shenanigans.”

“Fine,” agreed Sunset, pulling the hood back up over her head. “Lead on.”

The mate led her out of the cabin, the crew noticing the strange pony in their midst.  He led her down into the hold and over to the brig.  “You need to put this on,” stated the mate, holding out an inhibitor ring.

“Unless you mean I need to put it somewhere on you, that’s not happening,” commented Sunset.  

He stepped into the cell, attempting to grab her by the head and slip it on anyway.  She twisted out of his grasp and knocked the ring from his hand onto the floor.  She promptly stomped on it, embedding it into the wooden deck.

“Oops, not sorry!” she smirked. “Guess now you’ll have to dig it out if you want it.  Feel like trying that too?” she goaded.

“Fine then!  Stay here!” he commanded, shutting and locking the door.

“Whatever,” said Sunset, laying out on the straw covered cot to wait.

Bored, Sunset waited for their response.

Some time later, Sunset heard the call to quarters.  “Navy ship-o-war!  All Griffs to battle stations!” called out the first mate.

Sunset decided to intervene before the crew did something stupid and someone got hurt.  Rising from the cot, she teleported directly  into the captain's quarters.  Seeing no sign of her, she trotted across the cabin and threw the door open.  She saw the captain standing beside the first mate, rallying the crew.

“Throw up the white flag and parley!” Sunset called out to the captain.  “You won’t survive this!  The Navy doesn't deal well with pirates. Time for me to show you I'm not all talk.  Trust me!”

The captain looked at her standing in her cabin doorway and scowled.  She turned to her mate and nodded.  He ran off, lowering their flag and raising the white flag of parley.  The captain called out to her crew.  “Stand down!  Stand down!  We’ll try for parley!  Stand down!”

Her crew stopped what they were doing, turning to the captain.  “Aye, stand down, me maties.  We’ll give this pony a chance to prove her salt.”  She waved Sunset to her to stand beside her as the Naval ship-o-war came abreast, cannons still at the ready and boarding party primed.  A pony with Admiral’s pips hopped aboard, trotting over to the captain and Sunset.

“We don’t usually parley with the likes of you, but you have my interest,” she commented. “Speak quick, or I will end this quicker.  What reason do you have for me to not just send you flaming down from the sky?”

“I think I can answer that, Admiral,” commented Sunset, throwing back her hood.  “Sunset Shimmer, Battle Mage Corps.”

Surprised, the admiral raised an eyebrow.  “Odd place to find a member of the Mage Corps,” she mused.

The admiral suggested they retire to her cabin to discuss the terms of parley.  The captain and Sunset accompanied her back onto the naval vessel, past the rows of able bodied sea ponies waiting to board, crossbows at the ready.  She led them into her cabin and over to her table, pouring three glasses of scotch and setting a glass before both of her guests. “To your health!” greeted the admiral, raising her glass.

“To your health,” agrees Sunset and the captain, raising their glasses and sipping the fine malt.

“So, Mage Shimmer, what brings you to my fine table this afternoon?” smiled the Admiral.

“I’m chasing after a group of Griffin slavers who raided several villages and took several ponies captive, and are headed to Kludgetown to sell them at the slave market.  My previous ride had an unfortunate turn of events, so I’ve contracted with this band of griffins to take me to my destination.  In return, I’ve offered them a chance at pardon and a privateers license if they can agree to the rules,” informed Sunset.

“We’re always looking for good privateers,” agreed the admiral.  “And as long as this crew has done nothing too egregious, I don’t see any issue with the blanket pardon.”

“Aye, we done not ye need worry about.  We don’t abide slavers, we don’t kill or cripple ships unless set upon for our lives, and have no truck with making families orphans,” the captain agreed.

“To that point, I can vouch that the captain and her crew were quite solicitous to the ship I had contracted,” Sunset added with a smirk. “Right before they crippled her and left me needing a new ride while they limped back to the coast.”

The captain rolled her eyes while the admiral smirked.  “Admirable, to be sure,” she snarked.  “I have no issue with this, and will let you pass unmolested if this is true.  What say you, captain?”

“I say, what choice have I?  Glad to be of service,” quipped the captain.

“Glad to have you,” nodded the Admiral. “I’ll have the articles of our arraignment drawn up for your signature, then you can be back on your way.” She waved over her attendant, who after whispered instructions left the cabin. The three enjoyed their scotch while waiting.

A short while later, the adjunct returned, document in hoof.  The admiral thanked her, taking the document and affixing her signature and seal to it.  Sunset did likewise, as did the pirate captain.

Handing the document over to the captain, the admiral smiled.  “If that’s it then, you are free to leave. Good hunting!”

They all stood, shook hooves, then Sunset and the captain left, returning to their ship.  The ship-o-war crew released their lashings, giving them a push, then moved off, letting them proceed on their way.

Sunset smiled at the captain.  “Told you,” she grinned.

The captain grinned back. “Aye, you did at that, pony.”

Enjoying the remainder of their trip as a guest in the captain quarters, Sunset watched out the port window as they dropped below the cloud cover and landed in the bay outside of Kludgetown, sailing in and finding their moorings at the dock.  Thanking the captain and her crew for the ride, Sunset disembarked, searching up and down the docks for Captain Celaeno’s ship.

Eventually she found it, all signs of activity on it passed, only a watch bird on deck. Sunset walked up the gangplank, calling out to the bird.  “Permission to come aboard?  I need to parley with your captain,” she called out.

“And what might you be looking to parley about?” called out the bird, moving to stand before her.

“Looking for some information about a cargo she was hauling, and might be willing to make it worth her while,” answered Sunset.

“This wouldn’t be about them griffin and their weird cargo now, would it?” queried the bird.

“It would indeed,” agreed Sunset.

“Them were right strange folk,” the bird mused. “Aye, fine then, come aboard.  We’ll see if the captain be interested in talking with ye.”

Sunset nodded her thanks, following the bird over to the captains quarters, where the bird knocked on the door.

“What is it, Beaks?  Kind of busy here!” called out Captain Celaeno from her cabin.

“Got a pony here asking about our passengers, says she can make it worth our while,” answered Beaks.

“Come on in,” replied Captain Celaeno.  Beaks led them into the cabin, then left, returning to her watch and shutting the door behind her.

“Have a seat,” offered Captain Celaeno, pulling out a chair next to her at the table she was working at. “So what do you want to know, and what are you offering?”

“Well, I’m tracking a crew of griffin slavers who raided several villages, slaughtering everyone but the few ponies they apparently thought might make them some profit as slaves.  I saw them board your ship so followed you here hoping to get the jump on them before they left.  Unfortunately ran into a bit of trouble on the ship I took to get her, and was delayed.  They cargo you just transported was my ponies, apparently brought here to be sold at the slave market.,” replied Sunset.

“Son of a sea biscuit!” swore Captain Celaeno.  “I thought they were acting weird!  They wouldn’t let anyone near their cargo, and insisted on carrying it on board themselves.  Damn it, I hate slavers!” she growled.

Sunset smiled, relieved to hear that.  “What I’m offering is a chance to collect the bounty for rescuing my ponies.  If you can provide me passage back to Manehattan once I’ve rescued them, I think that would certainly be worth your while.”

“Aye, it would at that,” agreed Captain Celaeno. “Though between you and I would have done it for free if asked. Slavers leave a bitter taste in my mouth,” she grimaced.

“Well I’m sure you don’t have to take the bounty if you don’t want it,” smirked Sunset. “But a ship doesn’t run for free.  Best to be paid when the chance presents, yes?”

“You’re not wrong there,” agreed Captain Celaeno.

“What can you tell me,” asked Sunset.

“They were certainly an antsy bunch.  They were the ones that insisted we leave before sunrise, as soon as they finished moving the last of their cargo aboard.  We flew straight here and docked, where they were met by another crew of griffins that helped them unload their cargo into wagons.  They no sooner finished than the paid the balance of their due, and left with the wagons.  I overheard they were headed to the auctioneers paddocks in the central market, which is where all the slave auctions are held as well,” provided Captain Celaeno.

“How soon can you be ready to embark?  Once I have them freed, I may be coming to you in a rush,” asked Sunset.

Captain Celaeno smirked. “Yeah, I’d imagine.  I’’ll send the watch out to gather the crew.  We’ve already restocked, so we can be ready to go as soon as my crew returns.”

“Awesome,” smiled Sunset.  “See you soon then. How do I get to the Central Auction? First time here in Kludgetown,” admitted Sunset.

Captain Celaeno gave her detailed instructions, as well as a letter of introduction in case anyone asked why she was asking around the market.  “You can pose as a buyer on retainer to me for an assignment.  Nothing opens the beak of a merchant like the chance to do more business.”

“Thank you!” nodded Sunset. “That’s much appreciated.”

“Don’t mention it, the least I can do to help out,” Captain Celaeno replied.

Sunset left, following her instructions to the Auction in the Central Market.

Asking around, she was directed to the Auction board, where she noted the next slave auction was tomorrow morning.  Her deadline set, she started looking around for any sign of the griffin crew.

As she was moving around through the stalls around the auction house, she noticed a familiar looking griffin moving to a door in the building behind the auctioneers stage. She knocked twice, a small window slid open, and she said something.  The door opened and she passed inside, the door closing behind her.

Sunset waited a few moments, then trotted over to the door and knocked twice also.  The window slid open, and a bored Kludge looked out. “Password?” he asked.

Sunset sent a telekinetic blast through the window that knocked his head back. He crumpled to the floor.  She teleported in behind him, dragging him behind a nearby table and closing the small window.  Looking around, she spied the griffin heading down one of the hallways.  She trotted quietly after her.

Following the griffin to the end of the hall and staying out of sight, she saw the griffin stop and chat with two other hens outside one of the holding pens.  They then opened the door, and one of the hens entered with her, while the other stayed outside, shutting and locking the door.  Waiting a moment, Sunset teleported before the startled hen.

“Surprise,” she whispered.

“What the..” the hen gasped out in surprise as Sunset wheeled and bucked her hard into the wall.  She dropped to the floor, completely out.

Sunset hopped up against the door, forelegs pressed against it as she looked through the small barred window.  She saw the two griffins talking in the corner of the pen.  The ponies she had been looking for were all manacled and chained to one another, six ponies to a chain, their leads locked to posts rising up from the floor.

Channeling her magic, Sunset teleported into the pen between the two startled Griffins.

“Surprise, mother buckers!” she called out, wheeling and bucking the hen behind her into the nearby wall while she grabbed the other in her magic, throwing her up against the ceiling then slamming her down into the ground. She bounced slightly then lay still, both griffin's completely KO’d.

Seeing the sudden violence in their midst, the chained ponies panicked, bucking and pulling against their restraints.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa!” called out Sunset, moving to calm the ponies. “I’m here to rescue you.  Sunset Shimmer, Battle Mage.  I’m taking you home,” she comforted them.  Hearing this, they calmed, eyes still wide with fright but no longer panicked.

“It’s okay. I have a ship lined up to get you all out of here.  Just follow along.  Let’s go,” Sunset ripped the locks from the chains, gathering the leads up in her magic and led the ponies to the door.  She blasted it open, then led them out and down the hall, past the guard still out under the table and through the door, out into the open market.

The lead auctioneer saw her leading the ponies out into the open market, and sounded an alarm. He stormed up to her and the ponies as several Hench kludges with crossbows and clubs came running at the alarm and surrounded them.

“What do you think you’re doing!  The auction is not until tomorrow!  Get this stock back into the pen, and you can join them yourself for your audacity!” he stormed.

“What are you talking about?” replied Sunset Shimmer. “I’m making a purchase now! I’m taking my purchase with me and leaving.  I’m sure you can agree I am offering a fair price.”  She levitated the bag of gems out, opening them and allowing him to get a good look inside.

“Nice,” agreed the auctioneer.  “Or I can just take these, kill you, and sell my stock tomorrow like I planned.  Kill her!” he shouted out.

Two arrows flew at her, both instantly turned to ash by her magic, immediately followed by the two kludges that fired on her.

“Kill her!  Kill her!” screamed the auctioneer.  Sunset leveled a blast at him, turning him to ash too.

“Enough!” she called out loudly, knocking every kludge over with a telekinetic blast.  As they scrambled back to their feet, Sunset called out.  “Who is his second in command?!”

Rising to his feet, one of the better dressed Kludges raised his hand.

“Congratulations on your promotion!  Prove to me you have more brains than this crisper here and you may get to go home today.  Are you taking my offer?” she shouted at him.

He nodded.

“Good, glad we got that settled. Escort me to my ship!”  The kludges formed up around her and the ponies, marching them to the docks.  Sunset led them to Captain Celaeno’s ship, where she gave the bag to the Kludge with a warning while Celaeno's crew helped the ponies onto the ship.

“Congratulations, you get to go home today,” she stated. “But if I ever hear you are selling ponies on your block, I will be back, and I promise when that happens, you will have a very bad day!  Are we clear?”

The Kludge nodded, taking the bag. Him and his associates moved off, returning to the auctioneer house while Sunset joined the other ponies on the ship.

“Are we good to leave?” she asked Captain Celaeno.

“Loaded and packed.  We’re good,” nodded the captain.  She turned to her crew.  “Okay, let's shag some tail here!  Make me proud!”

They pulled up the gangplank and cast off the mooring lines, rigging the sails and moving out into the port harbor.  Once they were clear of the docks and traffic, they rigged for flight, and lifted off into the sky, headed for Manehatten.

Sunset watched the approaching Manhattan skyline from the edge of the deck, surrounded by the ponies she had rescued.  The first thing she had done after they took flight was rip the chains and shackles from them, then together with them, tossed them over the ships railing into the sea below, celebrating their release from captivity.  The crew provided them with drinks and food, and played the concertina while the ponies sang and danced.  It was a celebration enjoyed by them all.

As they neared the docks, Sunset shepherded her ponies below decks so they were not in the way of the crew as they landed and sailed into the harbor’s docks, securing a berthing and lashing the mooring lines.  Dropping the gangplank, Sunset disembarked with Captain Celaeno and her ponies, taking them to the regional guard headquarters to report in and repatriate her rescued ponies.

While there, she secured the promised bag of gems for Captain Celaeno and her crew.  As she handed them over to her, she took out her remaining bag of bits and passed it to her as well.

“I think you and your crew have earned a bit of paid leave on me,” Sunset smiled.  “Why don’t you take this and spend it on some fun, and see the city's sights?  When’s the next time you’ll get a chance like this?” asked Sunset.

Captain Celaeno took the offered bags with a smile. “Sunset, you spoil us.  Thank you!”

“Thank you!” smiled Sunset back.  “I couldn’t have done it without you.  Go have some fun!”

Captain Celaeno nodded, waving off and heading back towards the docks.  Sunset headed back into the regional headquarters, looking for a warm shower and a soft cot.  Right after she finished her action report and sent it off to the princess.

Arriving at the castle by chariot much later that evening, she thanked the team that brought her home, and trotted into the castle, heading up to her room.  She opened the door to be side tackled by a purple blur.

“Don’t you ever do that again!” cried out Twilight, holding her tightly. “I was so worried about you!  Princess Celestia wouldn’t tell me anything about what was going on, just that you were ‘fine’ and would be coming home when you finished.  But I overheard the other guards talking about your team and how horrible it was with what happened. And I thought for sure you were dead or something!” she wailed.

Sunset pulled Twilight up into a hug, snuggling her tightly.  “I missed you, little sister,” she smiled, a tear falling down her cheek. “And don’t you know?  I’m too stubborn to die!” she smiled.

“You dummy! Nopony is too stubborn to die!  What if you had been hurt!  Who would I study with then?” Twilight complained tearfully, snuggling tightly to Sunset.

“Not gonna happen,” smiled Sunset, snuggling back. “I’d never leave you like that.”

Giving her one more squeeze, she scruffed her mane. “I really did miss you,” Sunset smiled at her.

“Jerk!” Twilight hugged her tightly.

Dropping her bags on her bed, she lifted Twilight onto her back. “It’s almost dinner time.  Want to go see if the princess wants to eat with us?” she asked, trotting out of her apartment and shutting the door.  Twilight nodded, happily buried in her mane.

Together they trotted to the princesses private dining room.  A guard was standing outside the door as they approached.

“Wow, she beat us there tonight,” noted Sunset.  Twilight looked up from her mane to see the guard.

“The princess is inside waiting,” the guard instructed.  “Go right in.”

Sunset nodded, opening the door and entering.  There was Celestia, pouring over a pile of reports with a cup of tea levitating next to her. She took a sip, noticing her students entering.  She grinned. “Took you long enough,” she laughed, putting the reports aside.

“A few days longer than I thought it would,” agreed Sunset, placing Twilight in the seat next to the Princess and sitting down next to her.

Celestia cocked an eyebrow, so Sunset just smiled and shrugged, getting a smirk from the princess.

“So, not to put a damper on the evening, but how is the Major doing?” asked Sunset.  “I heard nothing since I left for Kludgetown.”

“She’s angry.  And she has a lot of recovery ahead of her. But she's a determined mare. She’ll bounce back, with time,” answered Celestia.

“Happy to hear it,” nodded Sunset. “I don’t blame her for being angry.  That should never have happened.  I screwed up.  I led the raiders right to them.  I had no idea, I wasn’t staying situationally aware,” she castigated herself.

“And you learned.  Yes, it was unfortunate. But unfortunate things happen in combat.  Just learn from what happened, and do what you can to keep it from happening again. And it will happen again,” promised the Princess.  “No pony is perfect.  Not me, not you, no one.”

Sunset nodded. “Still though. It is my fault. I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to see me again.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” answered the Princess.

Twilight had a thousand questions about what happened, so with the princesses permission, she regaled them with a sanitized for fillies version of the events and the rescue.  Twilight listened with stars in her eyes, hanging onto every word her big sister spoke.

When dinner was over, Celestia thanked them for the company, and bid them good night.  They trotted back to Sunset’s apartment, where she drew a bath before bed.  Twilight insisted she wanted to join her, so they bathed together, scrubbing and soaking while Sunset asked Twilight all about what she had done while she was gone, giving her a chance of her own to brag a bit.

Smiling as she listened to Twilight relate all the different spells she had mastered, Sunset relaxed in the warm water, letting the pleasant conversation and the heat wash away the stress of the last few days.

When Twilight finished her tale, thoroughly pruned, they dried and headed into bed.  Sunset snuggled her dear little friend who smiled while dropping off into sleep holding her tightly.  With a smile of her own, Sunset joined her in restful repose.
> 07 - Sunset - Les Tres Amicis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was good to be back, no more pirates, killer griffins, silly yaks, or despicable dragons, nothing but learning, training, and spending time with the only family she had.  She threw herself happily into being one of the princesses' private pupils.

A few weeks later Sunset and Twilight were getting ready in the morning preparing to join the princess for breakfast prior to the day's lessons when a knock rang out on their door.  Sunet trotted over and opened it, finding an orderly standing at attention.

“Mage Sunset Shimmer, Miss Twilight Sparkle. I regret to inform you the princess has left on urgent crown business and will not be able to meet with you today.  She requests you do self study until she is able to return.   That is all.” He held out a notice in his hoof, which Sunset took, thanking him.  He saluted, then turned and trotted back down the stairway.

“What was that all about?” asked Twilight, trotting over.

Sunset opened and read the note. “I guess we’re on our own today.  Self study.  Want to join me in getting some breakfast first?” she asked.

Twilight nodded.

Sunset placed the notice into her saddle bag, then lifted Twilight onto her back, trotting out, shutting the door and heading down to the cafeteria.  They picked out bowls of oatmeal porridge with fruit and honey, orange juice and coffee, then took a seat in the common dining room.  Sunset led them in a brief prayer of thanks then they dug in.

Sunset overheard a snippet of interesting conversation a few tables over.

“A princess!?” gasped one of the guards.  That caught her attention.

“Shh!  Idiot!  That’s a state secret.  And not confirmed yet anyway!” whispered another guard loudly.  “They say the Princess left this morning to check it out.”

“But, a princess? Who the heck did that even happen?  I thought Princess Celestia was the only one?” continued the guard.

“Just stop talking about it, okay?” said his table mate. “I swear, you can’t keep your muzzle shut for anything.  How have you survived so long?”

Looking around, Sunset noticed that many of the guards seemed to be agitated.  She listened to the conversations around her for more information.

Finishing up their breakfasts, she noticed Twilight glaring at her.  “What?” she asked.

“It’s like you weren’t even trying to listen to me,” she grumbled.

“I’m sorry Twilight. I thought I overheard something while we were eating breakfast and it caught my attention,” answered Sunset, stacking their tray on the return belt on their way out.

“What did you hear?” asked Twilight, struggling to keep up with her.  Sunset scooped her up in her magic and set her on her shoulders.

“Remember what we saw in the mirror that first night?” reminded Sunset.

Twilight started. “You mean when we say ourselves as..”

“Sshh!  Don’t say it out loud,” whispered Sunset, placing a hoof over Twilight’s muzzle. “Yeah, that.  Apparently somepony did it!  They’re saying there’s another princess now and that’s where Princess Celestia went.  At least, that’s what the guards were whispering.”

“Realy?” Twilight’s eyes got big as saucers. “So we really could become princesses too?”

“I guess so,” agreed Sunset.  “Let’s go see if we can find something about it in the library.  It’ll be our own secret research assignment.”

“Yes,” said Twilight gleefully.

They trotted down the hall until they were alone.  Sunset teleported them into the restricted section of the library.

“Okay,” she said, setting Twilight down. “We’re looking for anything related to alicorn ascension.  I’ll start gathering books, and you start going through them.”  Twilight hopped up into the seat at one of the research tables, nodding happily to Sunset.  Sunset poured through the stacks.

A few minutes later she brought out a pile of books in her magic setting them down next to Twilight.  Twilight took the top book and started reading while Sunset returned to the stacks to find more books.

A few trips later, Sunset sat down opposite Twilight, grabbed a book and went through it. “Find anything?” she asked.

“Not yet,” answered Twilight, still reading.

An hour later the two had made a sizable dent in the pile of books before them with nothing to show for it.  “Found something!” called out Twilight.  Sunset rose and trotted over to read over her shoulder.  “Check this out!  According to this, if you complete some kind of powerful magic related to your cutie mark destiny, you could possibly ascend.”

Sunset bent down and read the passage.  “Hmm.  It doesn’t say ascend to what, but that’s the first time I’ve even heard it mentioned. What tome is this?” asked Sunset.

“It’s one of Star Swirl's journals,” answered Twilight.

“Figures,” replied Sunset.  “He was probably writing for himself, so he knew what he meant. Good chance then he explains it more in an earlier entry or journal.”

“I already read the earlier entries in this journal.  This was the first mention of it.  So it would be one of the others”, noted Twilight as she skimmed the rest of the journal.

Nodding, Sunset started digging through their pile of unread books and scrolls looking for earlier journals and works by Star Swirl.  She handed one to Twilight, taking the book she had just finished and setting it aside for later reference.  Twilight started skimming it, noting the new stack Sunset had placed beside her of Star Swirl’s journals.  Sunset went back to finding Star Swirl's earlier journals.

After checking the rest of the books on the table, placing all the journals found in the new pile before Twilight, Sunset took the top book and started skimming through herself.  The two mares kept at it, looking through all the books.  Hitting the end of the pile with no results, they headed back to the stacks to look for more.

“Okay Twilight.  I’ll go high and you go low. I’ll get the top six shelves, and you can check the bottom two.”  Twilight nodded as they moved up and down the stacks, looking for more of Star Swirl's journals and writings.  Finding dozens more, they returned to the table and resumed their searches.

By mid afternoon, they had found three other references to alicorn ascension, none of them more concrete than the first reference they had found.  Sunset kept the books with a reference in a separate pile, bookmarks neatly holding the place of each reference.  Eventually they exhausted the stacks, so the mares set the books with references aside.  They returned the rest of the books to the shelves as best they could.

Putting the books they found in her saddle bags, Sunset scooped up Twilight and teleported them out of the library and into one of the little used hallways near the cafeteria.

“Let's get something to eat. We missed lunch, and who knows?  Maybe we’ll hear something while we eat.” suggested Sunset.

“Sounds good to me.  I'm pretty hungry,” agreed Twilight.  They trotted into the cafeteria.  Selecting a soup and sandwich combo each, they sat at a table, listening to the conversations around them.

Midway through their late lunch, a junior watch officer ran into the lunch room going from table to table alerting the officers.  “She’s here!” they overheard her say as she passed by, heading to the next table.

Sunset scooped Twilight up onto her back and cantered quickly out of the cafeteria.  Heading down the hall, she waited until no pony was around then teleported to the roof over Princess Celestia’s balcony.

Together she and Twilight looked out over Canterlot.  They saw Celestia’s chariot land in the courtyard.  She disembarked, a pink unicorn filly wearing a cloak followed behind her, struggling to keep up with her longer strides.  Together they passed through the doors and into the castle.

“Do you think she’s bringing her up here?” asked Twilight.

“I can’t think of anywhere else they would go,” agreed Sunset.  “We should just wait here and see what happens.”  They sat quietly listening for any sound from the room below.

A few minutes later, they heard the door open and someponies coming in.  The door shut and they heard the princess speak. “Go ahead and clean up Cadence then come in here so we can chat.”  They heard the antechamber door shut then Princess Celestia trotted out onto her balcony.  She looked out over Canterlot while her two students watched her.

“I know you’re up there,” said Celestia as she returned to her bedroom. “Come down and join us.  There’s somepony I’d like you both to meet.”

Sunset teleported them down to the balcony.  They trotted in and sat down next to her.

A minute later a pink pony opened the door to the bathroom, trotting out then turning to pull it closed.  Both Sunset and Twilight gasped as they realized she was a pegasus filly with a cute little horn.

“Oh my gosh!  You really are a princess!” gasped Twilight.  In shock, the little pink alicorn looked up, just now noticing the two of them.  She ran to hide behind Princess Celestia, looking out from between her legs.

Sunset spoke up.  “Hi!  We’re Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, the princesses’ students.  I’m Sunset.  Who are you?” she smiled.

“Um, I’m Cadence,” the filly answered guardedly.

Placing a comforting foreleg around the filly, Princess Celestia pulled her under her wing, giving her a smile.  “Sunset, Twilight, this is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Equestria’s newest princess.  Her friends call her Cadance.”  Turning to Cadance, she continued. “Cadance, these are my personal students, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle.  They’re as close to family around here as you can get,” she smiled.

She turned to her students.  “I’ve brought Cadence to the castle to learn magic and teach her how to be a princess.  To keep things simple for the nobility, I’ve decided to adopt her as a niece.  I’m hoping that will help them accept her without any undue grief,” Celestia smiled at Cadence.

“So you’re learning magic?  I thought princesses all knew magic,” asked Twilight, confused.

“Uh, I never had to worry about it before yesterday,” said Cadence softly.  “I was just a pegasus before then.”

“That clinches it,” said Sunset. Twilight nodded.

“Clinches what?” asked Celestia, confused.

“We’re going to be princesses!” answered Twilight, bounding happily.

‘What?” asked Celestia, more confused than before.

“She saw herself as an alicorn princess, just like I did,” clarified Sunset.

“You took Twilight into the forbidden section of the library?” asked Celestia, angered and shocked.

“Yeah, and she saw the same thing I did, but as her. And I saw it again, same as last time,” replied Sunset.

“Sunset Shimmer.  That library is restricted for a reason!” she growled.

“We heard you might be coming back with another princess, so we decided to do our research for the day on Alicorn Ascension,” deflected Sunset.  “We found several references to it and when it could occur in Star Swirl’s journals, but nothing spelling out how to make it happen or exactly why it occurs.  We brought the references with us. I have them right here.”  Sunset trotted over to the table and removed the books from her saddle bags, placing them on the table.  “We bookmarked each of the references if you wanted to study them yourself,” she said as she trotted back.

Princess Celestia facehooved. “Why am I not surprised,” she groaned.  “Sunset, you know that section of the library is restricted for a reason.”

“Yes, and this seemed to be clearly one of the reasons.  Where else would this type of information be available?” answered Sunset reasonably.

“Okay, good point, but we will be discussing this further,” Celestia warned her.

“Mom, we're training to be your hooves for pity's sake,” sighed Sunset. “We’re not just some impressionable ponies you have to protect. We want to protect you!  You can trust us.”

“You’re her mom?” asked Cadance, confused.

“Not exactly,” sighed Celestia.

“I’m an orphan,” replied Sunset to Cadance.  “Princess Celestia is the closest mare to a mom I have ever had.”

“So you’re adopted too?” asked Cadance.

“Not exactly,” signed Sunset.

“Okay, not the time for this,” responded Celestia. “So Cadance will be living in the castle with us, officially as my niece, but she will be joining us for our private lessons.”

“Awesome!” chirped Twilight. “You’re going to love it!  The princess is an awesome teacher, and Sunset can show you all sorts of magic.”

Overwhelmed, Cadance just nodded.

Introductions made, Twilight happily showed Princess Celestia and Cadance what they had found on alicorn ascension while Cadance filled them in with what had happened to her, and how she had ended up ascending.

“That kind of fits then,” agreed Sunset. “Star Swirl did mention in one passage that an act of great magic related to your cutie mark was part of the process.”  Celestia nodded.

“And that’s how we’re going to become princesses too!” smiled Twilight, looking up at Cadance.

“We think.  We hope,” corrected Sunset to Twilight.  “We don’t know 100 percent what those visions mean. But probably.”

Celestia just facehooved.  “We’ll cross that bridge when it comes,” she said.  Sunset nodded.

There was a knock on the door. A maid entered, and announced. “Princess, your niece’s chambers are ready, as you requested.”

“Thank you!  We will be there in a moment,” answered Celestia. The maid nodded and left, shutting the door.

“Come on fillies. Let’s go see Cadance’s new home.”  Celestia led them out of her room and down the hall to one of the dignitaries' bedrooms.  The maid was waiting by the door. She opened it for them, then followed them into the room.

It was spacious, and neat.  Nowhere near as fancy or large as the princesses room, but certainly larger than Sunset’s and doubly so for Twilight.  Sunset nodded. “Nice!  You should be able to get plenty of studying done in here!”  Twilight nodded too.

Cadance just looked around. “It’s so huge.  What would I do with all this space?” she wondered out loud.  She turned to Celestia.  “Thank you Princess Celestia. I won’t let you down,” she offered.

“I wasn’t worried that you would.  You’ll do fine,” smiled Celestia, pulling her into a hug.  “Do you want to get settled in?”

“Sure,” said Cadance, trotting over to the nightstand by the bed.  She hooved open the drawer, then opened her saddle bag, took out a pair of cute warm pajamas and put them into the drawer. Closing the drawer and latching her bag back shut, she trotted back over to the princess. “Done,” she stated.

“Wow, you travel light,” teased Sunset.  Cadance blushed, scooting closer to the princess.”That’s all I have,” she stated simply.

Twilight smiled. “That’s okay!  When I came here, I only had one thing with me. Mr. Smarty Pants!”  Sunset grinned and rolled her eyes.

“Mr. Smarty Pants?  Who is that?” she asked confused.

“Her doll,” laughed Sunset. “She never parts with it. I bet he’s in you bag right now. Amiright?” she grinned at Twilight.

Twilight looked indignant. “I know he’s just a doll.  Stop teasing me already.”

“But he is in there, isn’t he?” grinned Sunset.

“Whatever,” huffed Twilight, looking away. Sunset tugged on Twilight’s saddle bags with her magic. “Hey, stop it!” growled the filly, clamping down on her bags and pulling away. “Leave him alone!  He’s sleeping!”

Sunset smirked, releasing her magic from the bag.  “I rest my case,” she giggled, reaching over to ruffle Twilight’s mane.

Twilight pushed her hoof away.  “Don’t touch me, meany pants!”

Sunset pulled her into a hug. “I was just teasing you, Twilight.  Mr. Smarty Pants is fine,” Sunset grinned at her.

“You’re still a big meany pants!” huffed Twilight, settling into the hug.

Sunset ruffled her mane and gave her a squeeze.  “And you’re my favorite little sister,” she smiled. That calmed Twilight down.

Cadance, still pushed up against the princess, gave them an odd look. “Welcome to the family!” laughed Sunset.

Celestia looked down at Cadance, smiling. “So, do you need more time to get used to your room?” she asked.

“No thank you, I’m good,” replied Cadance. “When do we start learning all this stuff you said I needed to learn?”

“Later.  First, I need to introduce you to our subjects, and get them used to seeing you.  I’ve invited several nobles and their families over for lunch, and I intend to introduce you to them there,” stated Celestia. She turned to her two students. “And I expect you two to attend at my side as well.  It’ll be a good chance for you to practice your tact with the nobility, Sunset. And for you Twilight, a chance to see how we operate at a State function.  I expect you both to be on your best behavior.”

“And as for you, my dear niece,” she stated, turning back to Cadance.  “I just want you to relax.  Just try to be yourself.  Be honest but polite, and answer their questions as best as you can.  If they start being too demanding or making you uncomfortable, I’ll step in. I just want them to get to know the wonderful mare you are.”

Cadance smiled.  Sunset grinned and shook her head.  “Too bad the nobles are never on their best behavior,” she laughed.

Cadance looked concerned again. “What does that mean?” she asked, looking up at Celestia.

Celestia shot a glare at her student, then smiled down at Cadance. “Don’t worry.  Some of the nobles can be a little rude.  I won’t let them hurt you, you’ll be fine,” she comforted.

Leading them from the room, Celestia left the royal wing and headed down to the large dining hall for State functions.  Still nervous, Cadance trotted beside her, wings twitching and tail hung low, with an occasional gallup to catch up to the Princesses' longer stride.  Sunset and Twilight followed.

Twilight was having the same issue keeping up so Sunset scooped her up and planted her firmly on her back.  “You look like you could use a pony ride,” smiled Sunset.

“Thanks!” nodded Twilight, hanging on to her mane.  Together they followed their mentor and her new niece into the State dining hall.  Guards had already been posted outside the doors, opening them and bowing to the princess as she passed with her entourage.

The hall was packed with the nobility and their families, conversations buzzing.  The herald announced them as they entered.

“All rise for Princess Celestia, Sol Invictus!” he shouted out over the voices.  The mummering stopped, and all rose, facing the door as Celestia, Cadence, and her students trotted through them to the head table.  Celestia took her seat, directing Cadence to sit on her right.  Sunset sat to her left, helping Twilight into the chair next to her.  Once Celestia was seated, everyone in the hall sat as well.

“Greetings my dear nobles!” Called out Celestia.  “We are gathered here today to celebrate a happy and momentous occasion!  My niece, here beside me, has ascended, and is now a princess.  Allow me to introduce to you, my niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

She whispered to Cadance, “Stand up, smile, wave, then take a bow and sit back down.”  She smiled at her, ”You got this!  Go ahead!”

Smiling, Cadance stood, waved her right hoof at the room while looking around at all of them.  She then bowed and sat back down. There was a smattering of polite applause.

“It is my hope you will treat her with the same respect and kindness you have shown me!  Thank you, my little ponies!”  She picked up her fork in her magic, took a small bite of her salad. Taking that cue, the staff started passing out the garden salads to the gathered guests, who began eating and chatting among themselves again.

“See, not so hard, was it?” smiled Celestia to her niece.  Cadance nodded her head with a smile.

“True that!  The hard part is when you go down to mingle, and they all act like you should already know them and want to be their best friend,” Sunset laughed.

“It’s not that bad,” smiled Celestia.

“Sure mom, it’s not that bad. For you.  Everypony else thinks we’re fair game.  Just watch,” grinned Sunset.

“Sunset, this is Cadance’s moment to shine.  Don’t try to ruin it for her,“ admonished her mentor.

“Sorry. Cadance, you’ll be fine. Just listen to your aunt and it will work out,” agreed Sunset with a grin.

Cadance nodded, still clearly concerned.

When they had finished eating, Celestia led them to the front of the table, where she stood, Cadance to her right, and her students two steps back and to her left.  The nobles lined up, coming forward to greet the princess and meet her newest niece.

Cadance was charming and open, smiling and greeting everyone. As promised, if a particular noble started getting too difficult or asking impertinent questions of her niece, she interjected and deflected, artfully moving their conversation back to her then kindly dismissing them, making room for the next noble to come forward.

Over an hour later, Cadance had greeted every noble.  They returned to the table for dessert and refreshments while the nobles mingled among themselves.  Sunset turned to Cadance.

“Okay, so spill, how many marriage proposals did you just shoot down?” she grinned.

“Uh… I stopped counting after six. It was all starting to turn into a haze of nodding and smiling at that point,” acknowledged Cadance.

“Well you got me beat.  Six in one hour has to be some sort of record,” laughed Sunset.

“Wait, what?”  Celestia turned to her student. “You have marriage proposals?  You received marriage proposals?  When, and from whom?  That’s highly inappropriate of them!” snipped the princess.

“Yeah, I was doing like you said and trying to be friendly and make friends. Turned out they didn’t want a friend. They wanted a pawn, somepony they could use to get leverage over and into you.  You asked me to be a friend, not someponies pawn, so I dismissed them,” Sunset answered.

“And boy, you want to see entitled and mad?  Dismiss a noble.  Then duck,” she grinned.  Cadance blanched.

Celestia sighed. “I suppose that’s just the way they are.  Unfortunate.  I try so hard to show them a better way.”

“It’s not you mom, that’s just the way some ponies are. They are so self-entitled they think the world and everpony in it should be doing their bidding, and they get rude and snippy when they’re disappointed.  Too bad for them,” Sunset consoled the Princess.

“I supposed,” sighed Celestia.  They finished their desserts and drinks. Celestia turned to her niece.  “Well, you survived your first State Luncheon.  Well done,” she grinned.  “Let's head back to my chambers where we can start all of your lessons for the day.”

Nodding, Cadance, Sunset, and Twilight stood.  Celestia stood as well, and the heralds played her royal fanfare.  The crowd of nobles stood at the start of the fanfare, all conversation paused. Nodding and smiling, Celestia trotted through the standing crowd of nobles, Cadance again at her right, and her students behind her, Twilight once again riding on Sunset’s shoulders while holding onto her mane.  Together they left the room, the fanfare ended, and the nobles sat again, finishing their conversations and repasts.

They arrived at Celestia’s chambers, where the guards opened the door with their magic and bowed to the princess as she passed.  Cadance and her students followed her into the room as the guards closed the doors.  They gathered around the table.

“Really, marriage?” groaned Celestia, facing Sunset.

“It’s fine mom, don’t worry about it. I handled it.  I was even very polite, just like you taught me. But I turned every last one of them down,” grinned Sunset.

“Some ponies, I swear,” Celestia shook her head.

Sunset grinned.  “Yup, your little ponies can be a pain in the flank sometimes.”

Celestia grinned. “Yes they can.”  She turned to Cadance.  “How have you been doing with your magic?” she asked.

“Uh.. okay, I guess?   I can at least hold a book now, for a few seconds.  Why do you ask?” replied Cadance.

“I noticed you are still using your hooves for everything, just like an earth pony would. So I was curious how you were doing,” noted the Princess.

“Well, I am still having issues using it.  And a lifetime of habits growing up in an earth pony family are hard to break overnight,” replied Cadance.

Celestia nodded. “True that.”  She turned to Sunset and Twilight.  “Would you two mind doing self study now? It’s clear Cadance needs some help with her magic.”

Twilight just nodded. “No problem, mom,” replied Sunset.  She turned to Cadance. “Good luck, Cadance!”

Picking up Twilight, Sunset teleported out directly to her room.

“That mare,” laughed Celestia, turning back to Cadance.

“What was that?” asked Cadance, confused. “She just disappeared. They both just disappeared.”

“That was teleportation. It’s a unicorn magic, and one I will be eventually teaching you,” answered Celestia. “Though she’s not supposed to be able to do it in the castle,” she grinned.

“She’s not?  Why not?” asked Cadance.

“There are powerful charms in place blocking it.  But, she’s a resourceful mare. They both are, actually,” Celestia smiled. “As you will be in time.  Baby steps, you’ll get there.”

Cadance nodded.

Back in her apartment, Sunset appeared with a pop, setting Twilight down.

“So Twilight, what do you think of our new princess?” asked Sunset with a smile.

“She’s pretty cool!  And so friendly!  She doesn't seem like a Princess at all!” answered Twilight.

“She doesn’t, does she,” nodded Sunset.  “I got to be honest. I was concerned when I first saw her.  I thought maybe she wouldn't want the competition and might try to stop us once she found out we hoped to be princesses too.  But she was actually really cool about it.  And to be honest, the way she used love magic to overcome that witch, that was pretty sweet, I have to admit.”

“She seemed really nice,” added Twilight.

“Yeah, I think so too,” agreed Sunset.  “Hey, want to see if she wants to join us for a sleepover tonight?  That might help her feel more at home. And we can introduce her to our Mischievous Ways!”

Twilight grinned happily.  They sat down together, studying the lessons they were supposed to have covered today before everything changed when their mentor went to gather the newest Princess.

Dinner time came so the fillies put their studies aside.  Placing Twilight back up on her shoulders, they left the room and headed downstairs to Celestia’s personal dining hall.

There was a guard at the door, who opened it for them as they approached.  On entering, Sunset saw Cadance sitting in her usual spot to the right of the princess. She grinned.  Smiling, she placed Twilight down in the seat next to Cadance then took the seat next to Twilight.

“Hi mom! Hi Cadance! How did the magic lessons go?” she asked as she sat.

Cadance smiled at them both. “It went well! I can lift a book and carry it now,” replied Cadance.

“Progress!  That’s awesome,” nodded Sunset.  Twilight smiled and nodded too.

“I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t carry a book!” added Twilight.  Sunset just grinned at her.

“What?” asked Twilight. “I love books!”

Sunset grinned and nodded. “Yes, you do.”  Twilight rolled her eyes.

Sunset turned to Cadance. “So, Cadance, what are you doing tonight?” she asked, grinning.

“Uh, sleeping?” replied Cadance, confused.

“Okay, trying again,” nodded Sunset. “Hey, Cadance.  Want to have a sleepover in my apartment with Twilight and I?” asked Sunset.  Twilight smiled and nodded.

Cadance turned to Celestia. “Is it alright if I do that?” she asked.

Celestia looked at Sunset. “And what will you be doing at your sleepover?” she asked with a grin.

“Ah, mare stuff?” snarked Sunset. “Really mom, she has to ask your permission to have a sleepover? Really?”

Celestia turned to Cadance. “I don’t see why not. Try to keep those two out of trouble,” she smiled.

They enjoyed the rest of their meal.  Thanking the Princess, they headed off for their sleepover.  They stopped at Cadance’s new room on the way to pick up her pajamas, then they all trotted happily to Sunset’s room.

Once there, Sunset led them into the bathroom where they washed up.  Sunset and Twilight both pulled on their PJs and jumped into bed, snuggling up.  Cadance changed as well then joined them getting into the bed on the other side of Twilight.

“Come on princess, snuggle up!” teased Sunset, inviting her over.  “We don’t bite.  Much.”

“Please don’t call me that,” said Cadance and she scooted closer, snuggling up next to Twilight.  “I much prefer Cadance.”

“I was just teasing,” Sunset grinned.  “Don’t worry. No pony’s going to throw that in your muzzle here.”

“So what are we doing first?” asked Cadance with a grin.

“Sleeping!” said Twilight happily.

“What?  I thought sleepovers were supposed to be staying up all night having fun and being silly?” asked Cadance in surprise.

“Oh, we will, don’t worry about that. But our fun starts when everyone else goes to sleep. So we’re going to get a little rest, then have fun the rest of the night,” smiled Sunset.  Twilight nodded excitedly.

“Oh-kay…” said Cadance.  “I don’t know much about sleepovers, but I was pretty sure there was usually no sleep involved.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But we still have to be up in the morning, so we need some rest. And too, if we didn’t get some rest now we would be too tired to really enjoy the fun later.  So, it still counts,” replied Sunset.  “Snuggle up, Cadance. Don’t worry, we’ll wake you when the fun is starting.”  Sunset snuggled up to Twilight, reaching over and pulling Cadance into a hug, Twilight happily smooshed between them.  Closing her eyes, she smiled and drifted off to sleep.

Smiling Cadance closed her eyes and joined them.

“Cadance, wake up,” she heard. She looked up to find Sunset rubbing her mane and smiling.  “Time to wake up, sleepy head.  Time for that fun we talked about.”

She looked down and saw Twilight grinning up at her.  “I’m awake,” she yawned, grinning. “So what are we doing first?”

“Well, first we are going to change out of these PJs.  Then, I think I’m feeling a bit peckish. How do you feel about a late night snack?” grinned Sunset.

“Sure, sounds good.  What do you have?” Cadance asked.

“Cake,” replied Sunset with a grin. Twilight laughed.

A few minutes later they were inside their mentor’s cake vault. “Oh my stars!  It’s really cold in here,” commented Cadance.

“You know it’s cold when a Pegasus says it’s cold,” grinned Sunset. Cadance grinned and gave her a playful swat.

“So, which cake should we take?” asked Twilight, looking at the racks of delicious cakes waiting for their Princess.

“Let's ask the mare of the hour.  Cadance, any preference?” grinned Sunset.

“Why are you asking me?” she asked. “I have no idea which ones are good.”

“It’s a tradition,” stated Sunset.  “When you’re on your first cake raid you get to pick. So, what will it be?” she grinned.

Cadance looked around. There were so many cakes, and they all looked so decadently good she was hard pressed to choose.  She finally pointed to a chocolate and caramel ripple cake with whipped cream frosting. “How about that one?” she suggested.

“We have a winner,” nodded Sunset.  She lifted the cake in her magic and they teleported to their patio.

“So you know, our tradition is to eat the cake cavepony style. No forks, knives, plates, or napkins.  Rip into it with your magic, or hooves if you’re more comfortable with that, and dig in.  Just have fun with it and enjoy the moment,” Sunset explained. “As this is your first raid, you go first. Dig in!” Sunset grinned.

Cadance tentatively reached over with her hoof, and scooped out a chunk of the cake.  Sunset and Twilight watched her, smiling.  She plopped the chunk in her muzzle and started chewing. Her eyes flew open. “Wow!  This is really good!”

“Right?” laughed Sunset, scooping out a chunk with her magic and plopping it into her waiting muzzle.  “Hmm.  Mom always does get the best cake,” she agreed.  Twilight scooped a chuck out, some of which made it into her waiting mouth. She smiled happily.

“So after we finish off this snack, we’ll clean up and show you the real fun,” Sunset promised. “No rush though.  Cake like this is way too good to rush.” She swallowed another piece and moaned in happiness.

Cadance laughed watching Sunset and Twilight. The little filly was covered with frosting, grinning madly while still shoveling the cake mostly into her waiting maw.  Sunset was eating her piece and moaning like a madmare.  She took another piece, enjoying it thoroughly.

When the cake was mostly consumed and thoroughly destroyed, Sunset led them into the bathroom to clean up.  She helped her little sister get clean, then the three of them gathered in the room.  “Okay, so what should we do first?” asked Sunset.

“Oh, let’s decorate your mom again!” said Twilight.

“Decorate what?” asked Cadance, confused.

“I dunno. Don’t you think she might kind of be expecting that now?  I don’t want to get caught right out of the gate,” noted Sunset.

“Ah, but that was so fun,” whined Twilight.

“True.  Cadance, what do you think?  Want to decorate a Princess?” asked Sunset.

“How mad will she be?” asked Cadance in concern.  Both Twilight and Sunset grinned ear to ear.  “Uh, you two are kind of scaring me right now.”

“Okay, it’s settled then. Twilight, that’s it, you’re getting your wish, so sit down!  Hold on, hang tight and keep your hooves and heads inside the ride at all times!” She placed a foreleg over them both and pulling them tight, teleported them all into Celestia’s bedroom.

They quietly trotted over Celestia’s bed. She was laid out, head on the pillow, gently snoring.  Sunset levitated over the makeup kit.

“One sec,” she said. She jumped up onto the bed, leaned over, and whispered into Celestia’s ear. “I know you’re awake mom,” she teased. Celestia gave no response.  Sunset grinned. She nibbled her ear, then tried again. “I know you’re awake mom.  Stop pretending,” she laughed.  Celestia grinned, but didn’t open her eyes.  Sunset rolled her eyes, then nibbled her ear again.  “Don’t make me slobber all over your ears mom,” she teased.

“Fine,” Celestia laughed.  “Hi girls, to what do I owe the privilege of this late night visit?”

“We’re going to do makeovers on each other.  And as Cadance is our guest of honor, she gets to make you over first.  Then you pick who you want to makeover until everyone has been beautified!” grinned Sunset. “Ready for a little mare fun?”

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it,” grinned Celestia.  She rolled over, and moving to the edge of the bed placed her long muzzle down over her forelegs. “Go ahead Cadance, make me beautiful!” she laughed.

Cadance grinned. “Okay!  I don’t know much about this, but I’ll do my best.”  Taking the cosmetic case, she opened it up and looked it over.  “I think I am supposed to do this first,” she said, pulling out some foundation.

“Don’t worry about supposed to,” laughed Sunset. “This is about having fun.  Just go with what you want and be as creative as can.”

Cadance looked to Princess Celestia, who just smiled. “It’s all in fun, go ahead Cadance!  Have fun with it,” she encouraged.

“Oh-kay,” Cadance replied, taking the foundation in her hooves and smearing it on.  “I’ve never actually done this before,” she admitted. “We didn’t use makeup or anything on the farm.  Seemed kind of pointless.”  She smoothed it in until she thought it looked right.  “Uhm.  I think I need to do your eyes next.”

Cadance applied mascara, then eyeliner, then some shadow stuff she had no idea what it was for, but Twilight had some suggestions so she went with those.  She used some blush, putting color into the Princesses cheeks, then tried to blend it out. “I think that’s it,” said Cadance, finished with her work.  Sunset held a hand mirror up in her magic so the Princess could see how beautiful she looked. “That’s actually not bad Cadance,” she commented.  “Well done for a first attempt!”  She gave Cadance a hug which she accepted gratefully.  “So it's my turn.  Hmmm, who should I pick on,” she grinned.  Both Sunset and Twilight grinned madly.

“I think I need to return the favor to my dear student for the wonderful job she did on me last time. Twilight, up you go! You’re next,” smiled the Princess.  Twilight bounced up and down happily. Celestia moved over on the bed, then grabbed her in her magic and blopped her down in front of her.

“Ready to look beautiful, Twilight?” grinned Celestia.  Twilight nodded happily.  Celestia levitated over the cosmetics, recreating the clown face Twilight had left her with last time while her subject squirmed and wiggled with happiness.  Finishing up she smiled at Twilight. “Ready to see how beautiful you are, Twilight?”

“Yes please!” the filly agreed. She held the mirror up so she could see, smiling.

“I love it!” Twilight called out.  She jumped up and hugged the princess, who hugged her back.  “Okay Twilight, who’s next?” grinned Sunset.

“You! I pick you!” she called out to Sunset.

“Okay, runt!  Do your best!” laughed Sunset, sitting in front of the bed so Twilight could reach.  Just like last time, Twilight was adorably serious, tongue hanging out while she squinted and made the cutest faces as she worked intently on her big sister’s makeover.  When she was done Sunset looked very much like a circus clown ready for her big top debut.

“Awesome job Twilight!” congratulated Sunset as she looked at herself in the mirror. “I love it!”  Twilight beamed happily.  Sunset turned to Cadance. “Okay mare, you're it!  Ready to look gorgeous?” she laughed.

“Sure?” smiled Cadance nervously.  She hopped up on the bed and laid down next to Princess Celestia, head on her forelegs.

Sunset grinned. “Don’t worry. This won’t hurt.  Much.”  She laughed.

Sunset went to work, using the glitter, mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, blush, lipstick and every brush in the case.  When she was done, she grinned. “My finest masterpiece yet!” she cackled.

“Okay, now I am really worried,” laughed Cadance. “What did you do to me?”

“Mare, you look gorgeous!” laughed Sunset.  “Behold!”  She held the mirror in front of Cadance.

Cadance burst out laughing.  “Oh sweet harmony!  You brat!  You made me look like a Las Pegasus Showmare!” she grinned.

“And you wear it well!” laughed Sunset.  Twilight and Celestia grinned and nodded.

“Fine!” laughed Cadance.  “That was fun,” she agreed.

“So where are you mares off to next?” asked Celestia with a grin.  “Not going to steal any more cakes, are you?”

“What do you mean, going to?” snarked Sunset.

“Incorrigible!  Please tell me you didn’t take my chocolate cake?” Celestia teased.  Sunset just looked away and whistled. “You are such a brat!” laughed Celestia.

Sunset laughed.  “So no, no more cake. But we still have to give our newest princess the grand tour of the castle.  Not the boring stuff she’ll see tomorrow, but the fun stuff nopony else will show her.”

“Try to stay out of too much trouble, please?” teased Celestia.  “You know, I think I may keep this look, see what every pony says tomorrow,” she grinned.

Cadance facehooved. “Please no,” she begged.

“Maybe we all should?” teased Sunset.  “We can go through the day just like we are now, and see if anyone says anything!” Twilight nodded enthusiastically while Cadance shook her head emphatically.

“No!  No no no no!  Please no!” she laughed.

“Fine,” Sunset relented. “But we keep them on for the rest of the night. Deal?”

“Deal!  I can live with that,” agreed Cadance.

Celestia bid her students and niece a good night, smiling as they popped out from her room.  Still grinning, she hopped back into bed, falling asleep with a happy grin.

Back in her room, Sunset gave Cadance the rundown on the rest of their night.  This was the ninja pony portion of their festivities, sneaking around through the different passageways and parts of the castle, getting into as much mischief as possible without actually hurting anypony or getting caught.

First though, tradition required Cadance be initiated into the sacred knowledge of the forbidden library.

“Why would a library be forbidden?” asked Cadance, not understanding.

“It’s where mom keeps all the tomes, scrolls, and books of knowledge that she doesn’t want anypony to know about,” answered Sunset.

“So then, why do we need to know about it?” asked Cadance, still confused.

“We don’t need to know the knowledge, at least not necessarily,” agreed Sunset.  “But we do need to know it’s there, and where to find it if and when we need it.  We’re her hooves after all. I wasn’t kidding earlier when I said mom needs to trust us with this.  We really are an extension of her will and strength. The knowledge there is just a part of that.  Anything in there we only use for her,” Sunset assured her.

“But that’s not the most important part. For tonight, we have to initiate you into the mysteries of Star Swirl’s mirror,” stated Sunset.

“I wonder what she’ll see?” asked Twilight. “She’s already a princess.”

“Shh!  Don’t spoil the surprise, Twilight,” grinned Sunset.  Turning to Cadance, she smiled. “So, ready to take the first step into a larger world?”  Cadance nodded. Sunset pulled them both close again and teleported away.

They appeared in the middle of the forbidden library. “Wow!” commented Cadance. “This is huge!”

“Shh!” Both Twilight and Sunset hushed her.

“If the guards hear us, we’ll be in trouble,” said Sunset.  “We have to be very quiet.”

“But, doesn’t Celestia know we are in here?” asked Cadance.

“Even if she knows, they don’t,” answered Sunset.  “And frankly spending the rest of the night in lockup waiting for the Princess to wake in the morning would kill our fun.  Better not to get caught.”

Cadance nodded in understanding.

“So, come here for a moment,” called Sunset, moving to stand before Star Swirl’s mirror. “Look into this enchanted mirror, and tell us what you see.”  She stepped back so Cadance could step up and take a good look.

Cadance stepped up to the mirror. She looked in then gasped and cried.

“Cadance are you okay?  What do you see?  Is it sad?” asked Sunset in concern.

Cadance shook her head.  Still looking into the mirror, she smiled. “No, it’s not sad. These are happy tears!  I see myself as a princess, but older. And I’m holding an adorable filly foal, and she’s a princess too!”

“No way!” said Twilight happily.  “Really?  That’s awesome!  Is she your foal?”

“I think so, yes!” smiled Cadance, still looking into the mirror.

“Sweet!” called out Sunset, placing a leg over Cadance and pulling her in for a hug.  “When Twilight and I look into the mirror, we see ourselves as Princesses, which is why we weren’t really too surprised when you showed up. We already knew it was possible. We just didn’t know it was going to happen to anypony else.”

“So the mirror shows you what is going to happen?” asked Cadance hopefully.

“Yeah, we think so. Pretty sure that’s what it is,” agreed Sunset.  Cadance cried again, smiling happily.  “She’s so beautiful!”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” agreed Sunset, giving her another hug.

Twilight joined her on Cadance’s other side, hugging tightly to her leg. “Me too!” she added.

Cadance hugged them both. “Thank you for showing me this!”

“You bet!” smiled Sunset.

“Okay, take all the time you need. But when you’re ready, we start the ninja pony tour,” grinned Sunset.  Cadance just nodded, smiling.

A few minutes later, Cadance stepped back from the mirror.  “I don’t ever want to forget this,” she smiled.

“I don’t think you ever will. I know what I saw is burned into my memory.  I would bet this same is true for you,” smiled Sunset.  “Ready for more fun?”  Cadance nodded.

“Okay!  Ninja pony time!” laughed Sunset.  They disappeared with a pop.

They appeared in a tunnel, pitch black.  Sunset cast a teal glow from her horn.  Rough brickwork surrounded them, the tunnel extending off before them and behind them.

“Where are we?” asked Cadance.

“This is one of the secret passageways that run all through the castle.  This one runs from the Princesses chamber to the armory.  There’s hundreds of them.  If you know their secrets, you can move all through the castle without getting caught,” explained Sunset.

“Why would there be a passageway between Princess Celestia’s bedchambers and the armory?” wondered Cadance, looking around.

‘Think about it,” replied Sunset.  “Back when the castle was built, things weren’t as peaceful as they are now.  If the Princess was being attacked, she’d need a quick way to get from her room to her armor so she could bring the fight to whomever was attacking.  She could just run down this passageway and get straight to the armory without having to worry about fighting her way through whomever was storming through the castle.”

“Why wouldn’t she just teleport like you do?” asked Cadance.

“Interdiction,” both Twilight and Sunset answered at the same time.

“What? What’s that mean?” asked Cadance, confused.

“It means you can’t.  It’s not possible to teleport in the castle.  It won’t work,” replied Sunset.

“What do you mean it won’t work?  You do it all the time,” asked Cadance, still confused.

“Not really.  Twilight and I are using a slightly different form of magic to do teleport. Teleportation doesn’t work.  Nopony can teleport in the castle, not even the Princess,” assured Sunset.

“Then what is that you’re doing?  It sure looks like teleportation to me,” replied Cadance.

“It’s a secret earth pony magic,” replied Twilight.

“Wait, what?  You can do earth pony magic?  I thought only alicorns could do magic of all the tribes?  And earth ponies can teleport?  Since when?” asked Cadance, now thoroughly confused.

“Yes, if they knew the secret, earth ponies could teleport. Maybe,” Sunset answered.  “And actually no, all ponies can use the magic of all the tribes. Well, sort of.  It Is kind of hard for me to use flight magic with no wings. But not impossible I don’t think.  Just not easy.  For alicorns, using the magic of all the pony tribes is easy, because they’re members of all the tribes.  For a unicorn to use earth pony magic takes a lot of work, because we don’t have the same level of magical pathways as an earth pony would. We all have them, but not to the same level.  So for Twilight and I, we can use earth pony magic, but it’s much harder than it would be for an actual earth pony.”

“But an earth pony can teleport?” asked Cadance.

“They could if they knew the spell, and could visualize the spell form.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think that’s a normal way for earth ponies to think. But if they learned how I’d be willing to bet they could,” asserted Sunset.

“Huh,” mused Cadance.

“Of course, it also depends on how much mana you have.  Teleportation takes some deep mana reserves.  Not everypony can do it.  But if they had deep enough mana reserves, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to,” Sunset clarified.

“So you and Twilight use earth pony magic to teleport all around the castle even though nopony can teleport in the castle.  And earth ponies can teleport, even though no earth pony has ever teleported.  This is a tease, right?  You two are pulling my leg, right?” asked Cadance.

“No joke.  We’re using earth pony magic to teleport,” agreed Twilight.

Cadance looked at them both.  “So I suppose next you’ll be telling me earth ponies can cast a luminesce spell too,” she asked skeptically.

“Like this?” asked Twilight.  She held up her foreleg.  Her hoof started glowing.

Cadance shook her head. “Okay, that’s just weird.”  Twilight put her foot down and the glow faded.

“So, want to see the armory?” asked Sunset, hoping to get them back on track.

“Sure,” sighed Cadance.  She and Twilight trotted behind Sunset as she let them down the tunnel.  A very short trot later they were at a blank wall.  “Dead end.  Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” asked Cadance.

“There are no dead ends here, only deceptions.  If our enemies did get into these passageways, we wouldn’t want to make it easy for them to get back out.  You have to know the trick,” answered Sunset.  She touched her horn to the wall and it opened up. They trotted through and as promised were in the Princesses’ Armory.

“Woah!” exclaimed Cadance, looking around.  There was Celestia’s battle armor, including her Daybreaker armor, large sets of wing blades, pole-axes, long swords, short swords, and a large variety of petrals, helmets, and hoof guards.  “This is all just for the Princess?”

“Yup.  The armory for the guard is much larger, and has many more types of weapons.  I’d take you there too, but it’s guarded,” replied Sunset.

“I wonder if I’ll be getting my own armor?” mused Cadance.

“Of course you will.  Can’t be a princess and not know how to protect your ponies,” agreed Sunset.  “Of course, you need to learn how to use magic and fight first.  But I’m sure eventually you’ll have a full set like mom.”

“Cool,” thought Cadance.  “What other weapons are there?”

“Taking a look at those would mean a visit to the guards armory.  Like I said, it’s always guarded. Sneaking in there just about guarantees you’ll get caught,” warned Sunset.

“We could go to the castle library.  It has a display showing the history of arms in Equestria on loan.  Would that work?” suggested Twilight.

“Ah, good thinking!  Want to head to the library?” Sunset asked Cadance.

“Sure!” Cadance smiled.

“Okay, let's go,” said Sunset.  She teleported them away.

With a pop, they appeared deep in the stacks of the library.  “Okay, here’s the deal.  We have to be very quiet here.  There’s guards that come through on regular rounds, but you can tell they’re coming because they always walk around with a light. So when you notice a light approaching, time to move out of the way.  We don’t want to get caught,” explained Sunset.

“The display is this way!  Follow me,” whispered Twilight.  She lit her horn and trotted off, heading out of the stacks to the study area in the back of the library.  Cadance followed her, with Sunset trailing behind.  Emerging from the stacks, Twilight trotted to the back wall of the library, where they could see a large collection of armaments in the glass cases along the wall. There were ancient and modern crossbows, lances, spears, darts of varying sized, all manor of swords, shields, daggers, axes, polearms of many assorted designs, and other armaments that Cadance had no idea what they were for or how they were used.

“I didn’t realize there were so many different types of weapons,” mused Cadance, studying them through the glass.  “They’re all so different.”

“There are as many different types of weapons as there are styles of fighting, and then some,” agreed Sunset.  “They do all have at least one thing in common though.”

“What’s that,” asked Cadance, looking at her.

“They’re all designed to take a life,” stated Sunset flatly.  Cadance blanched.

“Good point,” she noted, her enthusiasm for the display markedly dampened.  “I wonder what type I’ll end up training with?”

“Given your background, likely something like wing blades or shin blades.  But you really won’t know that until you start training. Usually your primary weapon is selected to compliment your strongest fighting attribute,” Sunset answered.

“Do you have a primary weapon?” asked Cadance.

“I’m trained for combat as a battle mage, so yes.  My primary strength is my battle magic, especially pyromancy and kinetics.  So my primary weapon is this,” Sunset answered.  A short glowing blade appeared before her, covered in runes and held in her magic.

“Cool!  You never showed me that before,” enthused Twilight.

“It just never came up,” replied Sunset. “This is my enchanted blade.  It is charmed to appear when I need or summon it, and disappear when I don’t.  It has runic magic to make the blade harder than a diamond and to keep its edge eternally.  It’s sharper than anything I have ever seen.  It complements my battle style, which is close in hoof fighting.”

Twilight and Cadance studied the blade, Sunset turning it in her magic so they could get a good look at all of its features. When they were done, she released the blade which disappeared with a pop.

“Uh, Sunset, I think I see the guard coming. We need to hide,” suggested Twilight.  She pointed over to the entrance to the main library.  They could all see the light approaching them after Twilight pointed it out.

“Good eyes, Twilight.  Okay, where to hide,” Sunset looked around.  “Crud, we’d need to head back into the main library to hide in the stacks, and we’ll never make it in time.  Everypony duck, we’ll hide under the tables.”  Twilight immediately ducked under the nearest table, easy for her with her smaller stature.

“Come on Cadance, we’ll hide over here,” suggested Sunset, moving over a few rows and dragging a few chairs out of the way.  She ducked down and wiggled under the table gesturing for Cadance to follow her.  Cadance ducked and crawled in behind Sunset, wings twitching nervously.

The guard entered the study area, light shining back and forth over the tables and displays.  “Did you hear that?  I swear I heard voices,” said the one guard.

“I didn’t hear anything, but you pegasus have better hearing, so maybe?”  Cadance looked out from under the chair she was hiding behind, and saw the two guards looking around.  Her wings were twitching non-stop now.  The guards started walking forward again, heading right for their hiding spot.  Cadence backed up hard into the chair behind her which slid back, making a screech as it slid across the floor.  Her eyes got as big as saucers.

“Did you hear that?  It came from over there!” called out the unicorn guard, shining the light directly at the table they were hiding under.  Cadance’s wings were almost fluttering now with nervous energy.

The two guards trotted quickly towards them.  Seeing how nervous Cadance was, Sunset reached out a hoof to calm her.  But as soon as her hoof touched Cadance, she bolted.

Knocking the chair aside, she shot out from under the table and past the two guards, almost screaming “Nope nope nope nope!” as she raced by them.

“Halt! Intruder halt!” called out the two guards, turning and giving chase.

“Crab nuggets!” swore Sunset under her breath. She pushed out from under the table and called out quietly. “Twilight, are you still here?”

“Yeah!” came the reply from two tables over.

“Meet me in the pantry. I have to go rescue our little princess,” she growled, then disappeared with a pop.

She reappeared in the rafters of the library.  Looking down into the darkened main library below she spotted Cadance still at a dead run, bouncing off of stacks of books and she raced blindly away from the guards, who were catching up to her.  Sunset disappeared with a pop again.

And reappeared in the stacks below.  She crouched, ready to pounce, then launched, tackling the pink blur that almost shot past her. Rolling in a bundle of limbs and feathers, they rolled through a hole in the shelves, disappearing in mid roll.

To reappear in the pantry, still rolling and slamming into the shelf, Sunset still wrapped around the thrashing princess.

“Nope nope nope nope!” she was still calling out, kicking and thrashing to get free.

“Cadance!  Cadance!  It’s fine!  You’re fine! I got you!” called out Sunset still holding her.

Cadance stopped thrashing and calling out. She panted, eyes squeezed shut.  Catching her breath, she opened her eyes. “Sunset?  What happened?  Where are we?” she asked.

“We’re safe.  You panicked and bolted, so I caught you and brought you here.  We’re safe here. We’re in the pantry. No one can hear us.  Are you okay?” asked Sunset.

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute.  Feeling better now,” answered Cadance.  Sunset let her go, and rolled off of her, standing back up.  Cadance got up too, and shaking her wings and mane, took a deep breath in, held it while pulling her foreleg up to her chest, then breathed it out slowly, moving her leg out in front of her. “Deep breath,” Cadance said.  Then repeated the exercise a few more times until she was completely calmed.  She turned to Sunset. “I’m so sorry about that,” she apologized.

“Hey don’t worry Cadance,” Twilight comforted, hugging her. “I’ve gotten scared a few times too.  It’s okay.”

“Yeah, no worries Cadance,” agreed Sunset, rubbing her back and pulling her into a hug. “We’d never let you get hurt.  We’re your friends. Heck, we’re family.”  They held the hug for a while, letting everypony calm down.

“So, who’s up for a bit of refreshment while we’re here?” suggested Sunset. She pulled down a bottle of cider from the shelves, cracking it open and sipping it.

“I could use one of those,” agreed Cadance.

“Oh, me too!” echoed Twilight.  Sunset pulled two more down and opened them, passing them to her friends who took them gratefully.

Sunset pulled down a bag of corn chips and opened them too. She levitated a few into her muzzle and chomped them happily, then passed the bag over to Cadance.

Cadance shoveled several hoof fulls of chips into her maw, chomping busily.  Twilight levitated a hoofful for herself between Cadance’s dips into the bag.  When the bag was empty they finished up their ciders. Sunset folded the bag up, then took their empty cider bottles and placed them on the bag on one of the empty shelves.

“Okay, anypony need a break for a bit?” Sunset asked.

“Just a quick one!” answered Cadance.

Nodding Sunset held her two friends and they popped away.

And appeared back in her apartment. Cadance pulled away and ran into the bathroom.

“Good idea,” agreed Sunset, following after her.  Twilight followed her too.

Pressure relieved and hooves washed the mares were ready for fun again.

Sunset and Twilight took Cadance into the passageways again where Sunset showed her the spell to open and close the doors in the tunnels, then helped her practice it until she could get in and out on her own with no troubles.  They then showed her all of the passageways and tunnel entries she would need to start, with the promise to show the rest during future sleepovers.  Until Cadance’s magic progressed to the stage where she could handle and advanced spell like teleportation, the tunnels would provide her with a good way to get around in the castle without getting caught, in case she needed to bug out again in the future with neither of her friends nearby to help her teleport out of trouble.

She also practiced casting the spells she knew through other parts of her body besides her horn.  Oddly enough, or perhaps not so oddly considering she was still getting the hang of her unicorn magic, and was used to using weather magic as a pegasus, she took to this exercise fairly well.  They all laughed when she cast luminescence through her wings, flapping them as they glowed brightly.

As the hour to raise the sun approached they prepared for their last sortie of the night.

“Okay, it’s a bit of a tradition that we end our sleepovers by watching mom raise the sun.  Ready for a break from all these tunnels?” smiled Sunset.

“Yes, please,” agreed Cadance with a smile of her own. “These tunnels are great, and I’m glad you’ve shown them to me, but I am feeling a bit claustrophobic.  I’d love a chance to be outside for a bit.”

Nodding, Sunset and Twilight held onto her, and together they teleported to the castle roof overlooking Celestia’s balcony.

They appeared with a pop on the roof.  Twilight started sliding down again, and immediately did as she was taught, crouching down low and holding her hooves flat against the roof.  Her slide stopped, and she scrambled over into Sunset's lap.

Cadance grinned at them both, then started sliding herself.  Sunset reached out for her, but she just grinned as she slid away.  As she fell over the edge she called out. “Woo hoo!” and spread her wings, gliding out from the roof and racing through the air around them.

Sunset laughed. “Show off!”  Twilight watched her flying with a huge grin.

Cadance continued to race around the castle tower, doing barrel rolls, flips and darting past her friends, a huge smile on her face, tongue hanging out of her muzzle as she enjoyed the open air and not being trapped in a tunnel.

Celestia opened her balcony doors and trotted out, noticing her niece flying joyfully around the castle.  “Cadance?” she called out.

“Hi Aunty Celestia!” Cadance called out as she raced past the balcony then back out into the open air over the castle.  Celestia grinned, turning back to see her students sitting on her roof. They both smiled and waved.

Laughing, Celestia turned to the moon. “Good morning dear sister.  Not much longer now I think,” she smiled.  She took the moon in her magic and moved it off to the west, over the horizon.  Turning to the east, she looked over the horizon and summoned her sun, moving it up and into the morning sky with her magic.  As the sun's warm rays bathed the city, her ponies awoke, rose, and started their day.

“Come join me for breakfast please!” she called out to her niece and students.  Sunset teleported them down to her balcony while Cadance came in for a landing beside them.

“Now that was fun!  Thank you!” she laughed happily, following her friends into the princesses’ bedroom.

“So, did you have fun?” she asked Cadance and her students.

“Oh yes!” enthused Cadance. “We went to the forbidden library, and got to look into Star Swirl’s mirror.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “And why am I not surprised,” she commented to her students.  Turning back to Cadance, she smiled and asked.  “So, what did you see?”

“I saw myself as an older Princess,” answered Cadance.  “And I had a baby.  And my baby was an alicorn princess too!”

“That’s new.  So far everypony just saw themselves as an alicorn princess,” mused Celestia.

“Maybe it had to change things up because she already did that,” commented Twilight.

“That could be,” agreed Celestia.

“So is it true?  What you see in the mirror is in your future?” Cadance asked hopefully.

“Yes.  At least I think so,” answered Celestia truthfully. “It’s an oracle.  Sometimes it’s very clear, and what you see is what is actually going to happen. And sometimes it’s more like a warning of something that may happen if you don’t change and do something else better.  This sounds to me more like the first type of message.”

“Well I sure hope mine is a vision, not a warning,” stated Sunset.  “I want to become an alicorn and rule by your side forever, helping you for the rest of my life.”

“My too!” agreed Twilight.

“And I sure hope mine is a vision too!” agreed Cadance. “Because if that’s a warning, I plan on doing everything wrong if that beautiful little foal is the punishment!”

That got a laugh from all of them.  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure foals aren’t a punishment.  Unless they're little spoiled brats like I was,” grinned Sunset.

Celestia laughed.  “Was?” she teased. “Just kidding!  I always thought you were adorable,” she admitted.

“Love you too, mom,” grinned Sunset.

Celestia wrapped a wing over Sunset, giving her a light squeeze.  “So, did anything else fun happen?” she asked.

“Cadance raced the guards through the library,” noted Twilight.

Sunset facehooved.  “That was mostly my fault,” she admitted.  “We were looking at the History of Armaments Display when the guards came in, so we hid under a table while they did their rounds.  I saw Cadance was nervous, so I went to reach out to her, and I think I accidentally spooked her when I touched her.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” comforted Cadance. “I was so frightened of getting caught and disappointing aunt Celestia, I was kind of freaking out.  I became so focused on getting out of there, I kind of forgot you were even there.  So when I felt something on my flank I panicked and bolted.”

“You were pretty impressive.  I had no idea you could run so fast,” grinned Sunset.  “I’m just glad I was able to catch you before they did and get us out of there.”

“And thank you for that,” agreed Cadance. “I needed that. And this. And in fact the entire night.  I’ve been so overwhelmed by everything, and so intimidated, it was wonderful just to have a fun night like that with two friends who honestly had my back.  So again, thank you!”

Twilight hugged her. “Anytime, Cadance!” she grinned happily.

Sunset reached over and pulled them both into a hug under Celestia’s wing.  “Yeah, like Twilight said, anytime Cadance,” she agreed, snuggling them both.

Celestia gave them all a loving squeeze too.  “Thank you, my dear students.  So, who’s ready for breakfast”

They all nodded happily.  Smiling, Celestia led them through the castle to the castle kitchen, where she comandered one of the stoves to make her students her own special pancakes, starting for them a new tradition, just like the one she used to do for her sister.






Extending the same offer she had made to Twilight, Sunset offered Cadance the chance to move in with them for a while while she got used to living in the castle.  Cadance gratefully accepted, happy to spend more time with her two new best friends.

That night, after all the fun they had the night before, the absolute delight of watching their aunt and mentor make them all pancakes with her own hooves for breakfast, Princess style, then the fun day of lessons and studying together, they had all gotten ready for the night then piled together into Sunset’s bed.

As they lay snuggled together under the sheet, Sunset thought back over the last two days.  

When Cadance first appeared, she thought she might be an obstacle to her goal of becoming an alicorn herself and serving by her mentor’s side.  Why would she need her when she had an alicorn already?  But once she got to know Cadance, she realized that wasn’t who Cadance was. She was kind, compassionate, clumsy, a little bit shy, loving, for Harmony’s sake that was what her cutie mark was about, it was a crystal heart after all.  But she couldn’t find it in herself to stay jealous of Cadance.  She was one of the most loving, open, and friendly mares she knew.

And Twilight absolutely adored her.  She loved showing off to her.  Her cries of “Watch this!  Cadence, watch this!” were absolutely adorable.

Sunset reflected on their sisterly Mischief Made tour the night before.  Poor Cadance, she could barely levitate a book up off the table, let alone teleport or keep up with her or Twilight.  She was clumsy, unless she was flying, then she had a natural elegance.  But she was a determined filly who threw herself into everything she did, including their fun.  She had shaken like a leaf from worry, but smiled the entire time like a filly on hearth's warming eve.  She almost got them caught in the library, so was freaked out about how much trouble she would be in.  Yet she clearly had the time of her life.

That thought made Sunset smile.  Cadance clearly needed friends, and someponies to show her the ropes.  She had that now.  Her and Twilight decided she was one of them.  Les Tres Amicis, as the castle staff had jokingly started calling them.

Sunset laid there awake for a bit, holding Twilight as she fell asleep smiling with Cadance pushed up against Twilight’s back.  Sunset watched her barrel rise and fall, her little wings twitching. She must have thought everypony was asleep as she began crying softly, her shoulders hitching.  Sunset reached over and gently rubbed her shoulder.

“Cadance, what’s wrong?  Are you okay?” she whispered.  Cadance carefully rolled over, turning to Sunset while trying not to wake Twilight.  Sunset reached over to dry her tears and smooth back her mane.

Cadance snuggled up closer to Twilight and put a hoof over Sunset’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she said softly, tears in her eyes.

“You’re welcome, but for what?” Sunset smiled, gently rubbing her shoulder.

‘For treating me like a pony. Like a friend, and not some princess or something,” she said. “Thank you for including me.”

Sunset smiled at her and gently rubbed her cheek. “You’re welcome, but that’s what friends do.  And thank you for being our friend.”

Cadance smiled, spooning Twilight and snuggling up to Sunset, laying her head under Sunset’s muzzle. Her eyes closed, and smiling, she fell asleep.

Sunset knew right then she had made the right choice. She wasn’t her competition. She was their friend.  A friend who needed them.  And they loved her.  Smiling, Sunset closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, Sunset woke to her surprise with Princess Celestia leaning over them grinning happily, smirking at the three of them all cuddled up in the bed.

“Take a picture, they last longer,” Sunset teased, one eye half open. “What brings you to my humble room, oh Princess mine?”

“I came looking for my niece when I couldn’t find her, and thought, I bet I know exactly where she is,” grinned Celestia.

“Caught again,” Sunset smiled.  “We had a bit of fun last yesterday. Sorry if we overslept.”

“So what, are you going to collect all my personal students?  Starting your own collection?” teased Celestia.

“Maybe?” Sunset grinned back. “You did say to make friends.  I’m starting to see the appeal.”  Cadance stirred. Sunset gently rubbed her shoulder and she fell back asleep.

“You really do make a wonderful big sister,” smiled Celestia.

“If you say so,” Sunset smiled.  “Thanks mom.”

Celestia ruffled her mane.  ‘No rush.  Come join me in my room when you all wake.  We’ll get some breakfast together.’  Smiling, she trotted back out of Sunset’s room and shut the door.






The days continued, Cadance becoming more comfortable in her new life as an alicorn princess while learning her new magic, Equestrian history, and Statecraft, her two new friends at her side most of the time, Les Tres Amicis.
> 08 - Sunset - Manehattan Mayhem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset, Twilight and Cadance enjoyed the next few weeks studying under the Princess together. Increasingly though the Princess would cancel the time with her students to work with her niece, trying to raise her magical skills to a level expected of a Princess of the Realm.  Cadance was working very hard and making progress, though her learning seemed to be going frustratingly slow.

“What’s the hardest part of magic for you so far?” Sunset asked Cadance as they were getting ready to join the Princess for breakfast, something else that was becoming increasingly rare lately.

“It’s not the magic itself,” confessed Cadance. “Once I understand what I’m supposed to be doing it’s simple enough.  It’s just understanding the spells.  The books describe the forms I’m supposed to keep in my mind as I cast the spell, but sometimes what they’re describing just doesn’t make sense when I read it.  I wish there were pictures or something showing me how to do it instead of walls of words that only make sense once I’ve done it a few times,” she lamented.

Twilight looked confused.  “They always made sense to me,” she stated.

“That’s because you think in words,” noted Sunset. “There are all sorts of different ways to think of things.  Someponies think of things mostly with words and descriptions, and for them a book full of words describing things is the best way to learn about something new.  But someponies think of things mostly in pictures and actions, like myself and Cadance. For us seeing how something works is the best way to learn, then doing it ourselves. Or even books with pictures or diagrams showing how a spell or anything is put together with short descriptions of the different parts and processes.  Someponies even do better with both.  It’s all just whatever helps you visualize the process best and recreate it in your mind.

“I think that’s what you’re experiencing, Cadance,” explained Sunset.  “I think you learn more like me.  The textbooks that are used to teach magic all assume we learn best with words, but I bet you would learn better with a more interactive, hoofs on approach.  That’s why I always spend more time practicing a spell than pouring over books about it.  Seeing and doing work best for me. 

Sunset thought for a moment. “You know, we should ask mom if I could take over some of your magic training.  I could teach you the techniques that worked best for me. I bet that would help you learn the lessons quicker.”

“I would really appreciate that,” agreed Cadance.  “It’s getting very frustrating stumbling repeatedly over these supposedly basic lessons.”

“Okay then,” agreed Sunset.  “I’ll ask her over breakfast, and if she agrees we can start today.”

There was a knock at the door.  Sunset trotted over, opening the door to find the orderly with a scroll in her magic.  “Mage Sunset Shimmer, I have your orders.  You’ve been assigned an emergency case. You need to leave immediately.  A diplomat has been kidnapped and time is of the essence.  Please grab your gear and go.  Your team is waiting to take you in the courtyard.  Time is of the essence!  Here are your orders,” the orderly held out the scroll.  Sunset took it in her magic, reading it.

Twilight and Cadance trotted over. “What’s it say?” Cadance asked.  Sunset read the order quickly.

“A Nippony delegate has been kidnapped from their Consulate in Manehattan.  They want me to investigate immediately and retrieve her if at all possible before it becomes an international incident,” summarized Sunset. “Sorry Cadance, I guess we’ll have to start your lessons when I get back if mom’s okay with it.  Can you give her my apologies?  I need to go.”

Cadance and Twilight nodded as she fetched her saddlebags and robe, throwing both on as she trotted out the door after the orderly.  “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back!” she promised.

Cadance and Twilight headed off to breakfast with the Princess while Sunset followed the orderly down to the courtyard. She saw Major Tailwind and a pegasus stallion hitched to the waiting chariot.

“Major!  Good to see you back!” Sunset greeted.

“Shimmer,” returned the Major coldly.  “We’re prepared to take you to the Nippony Consulate in Manehattan. Please prepare for departure.”

Subdued by the Major’s snub, Sunset climbed into the back of the chariot and secured her hooves in the straps. The pegusi sprinted across the courtyard and up into the sky, rising up above the clouds then heading off towards Manehattan.

“So that’s how it is,” sighed Sunset to herself. “I wondered if she would resent me for my failure with the Sergeant.”

A half hour later, they landed at the Nippony Consulate in Manehattan.  Sunset stepped off the chariot.

“Major…” she began.

“We will return for you when you summon us after you’ve completed your assignment,” interrupted the Major. “If you have no further need for us, we will take our leave.”

Sunset sighed. “Very well.”

The Major nodded, and the pegusi launched up from the Consulate grounds, returning to Canterlot.

“Well, that could have gone better,” grumbled Sunset.  She trotted towards the Consulate proper and entered.

“May I help you?” asked a Kitsune receptionist from behind her desk in the lobby.

“Yes, Mage Sunset Shimmer, ma’am. I was told you needed me to investigate the disappearance of one of your diplomates?”

“Of course.  Follow me, please,” the receptionist responded.  She rose from the desk and loped down the hallway behind her desk, Sunset trotting after her.  She stopped before a mahogany door with Jade inlays.  Knocking on the door, she opened it and stepped inside.

“Consul? The mage is here regarding our missing diplomate,” she informed her.

“Show them in,” responded the Consul, a large Kitsune vixen with five tails.  The receptionist nodded and bowed., then waved Sunset in.  “The Consul will see you now.”

“Thank you,” Sunet nodded as she entered.  The receptionist nodded and shut the door.  Sunset stood before the Consul’s desk and bowed.

“Mage Sunset Shimmer, reporting as requested.  I am here to discuss your missing diplomat.”

The consul nodded.  “Rise please.”  Sunset rose, facing the Consul. “Yes.  We were told you have some skill with tracking missing persons, so we requested you specifically.  Yesterday, one of our junior diplotating envoy’s failed to return from her courier assignment.  She is a three-tailed Kitsune, and niece to the secretary general of our Beloved Minister.  We hope you can find what has happened to her and recover her before this becomes an embarrassment for us and your government.”

Sunset nodded.  “I won’t disappoint you.  What can you tell me about what happened?”

“Very little, I’m afraid,” reported the Consul. “I have instructed Kaede, one of her coworkers whom she befriended, to accompany you. She’ll show you what we know.  Please report back to me with anything you find.”

Sunset bowed. “It will be done.”

“Excellent. You’re dismissed.” The Consul waved her away in dismissal.  Sunset rose and left the office, shutting the door behind her.  A two-tailed Kitsune was waiting for her in the foyer.

“You are the mage that was sent to help us find Aiko?” she bowed and asked.

“I am. Mage Sunset Shimmer, at your service,” Sunset bowed.

“I am Kaede,” she introduced herself. “I will assist you in finding my friend Aiko.”

“What can you tell me about when and how she went missing?” asked Sunset. “Did she receive any threats prior to this?  Was she ever in any perceived danger, or in a dangerous situation?”

“No, nothing like that,” responded Kaede.  “She was well regarded by all, and was never allowed to take any dangerous or questionable assignments due to her nature.”

“Nature?” asked Sunset.

“The nature of her relationship with our Minister’s Secretary General,” clarified Kaede.

“Ah.  Understood,” nodded Sunset.  “Please continue.”

“She was delivering routine diplomatic dispatches from the Consulate to the Princesses office in Manehattan as a regular part of her job.  She had delivered the dispatches and collected the Princesses responses. As she was returning to the Consulate she went missing,” continued  Kaede.

“Was there something in the dispatches that perhaps was the cause for a possible abduction?” asked Sunset.

“It would not appear so.  When she did not return in a timely manner, I was sent to find out why she was late.  I found the satchel of responses. I returned them to the Princesses office where they confirmed nothing was missing, and that Aiko had been there picking them up only a short time before.  I then brought the responses back to the Consulate and informed the Consul herself. A security team was dispatched to search for Aiko but no sign of her was found. We then conferred with the Princesses office and they recommended we request you to aid us in finding Aiko.”

“So no sign was found of her.  Does that mean that they found no clues or indications of where or why she was abducted?” asked Sunset.

“Only one,” clarified Kaede.  “A rag was found near where I found the satchel.  The security team determined it had been soaked in chloroform leading us to suspect she had in fact been abducted.”

“Sound reasoning,” agreed Sunset. “Can you please take me to this location so I can search for anything that may possibly have been missed?”

“Of course,” agreed Kaede. “Anything you need I am happy to provide.”  She led Sunset out of the office and off the Consulate grounds.  As they departed a two kitsune security team followed them discreetly.  Kaede walked for a short distance stopping on a side street between the Nippony Consulate and the local office of the Princess.  She stood on the sidewalk, pointing to a set of brick steps nearby.

“It was there I found the diplomatic bag of responses.  It was still sealed. It looked to have been tossed rather than set there. The bag was scuffed and dirty, as if it had been thrown and rolled on the sidewalk,” clarified Kaede.

Sunset trotted over to the steps, examining the sidewalk as she went. A few canvas threads were still stuck to the pavement, shorn from the bag as it slid. There was no other sign of an abduction.  Sunset picked up the threads with her magic, putting them into a parchment envelope that she placed in her saddlebag.

“And where was the rag found?” asked Sunset.

“Just inside that alleyway, right next to the wall,” responded Kaede, pointing to a small alleyway less than a half block away.”

Sunset trotted over to the alleyway, Kaede following.  She examined the area where the rag was found. Nothing was obviously out of place.  Trotting a bit further in, she saw a trash can that had been knocked over.

“May I see the rag please?” asked Sunset.

Kaede pulled it from the satchel she was wearing.  She handed it to Sunset who took it in her magic.  Looking at it closely, she flipped it to its side, then held it to her nose, sniffing carefully.  Arching an eyebrow, she then trotted over to the toppled trashcan and sniffed around.  A moment later she pulled a scrap of fabric from the trash, holding it up in her magic.

“She put up a fight.  Whomever abducted her got bitten here. She tore off a shred from their garment and drew blood.  There’s blood along the edge of the rag and on this scrap of fabric that match.

Sunset held the scrap in her magic.  It glowed with a teal haze as she ran diagnostic spells against it.

“Interesting,” nodded Sunset, placing both the scrap and the rag into parchment envelopes and securing them in her saddle bags.  “Her attacker was an earth pony.  I can tell that much from the blood.  If we find her attacker I can match them from this, but this alone won’t help me identify them.  I’d need a larger sample for that.”

“Were you using blood magic just now?” asked Kaede in concern. “I thought that magic type was forbidden.”

“It is, and I was,” confirmed Sunset.  “But I care about finding your friend too much to be concerned with what is forbidden.”  Kaede just nodded, still looking concerned.

Sunset resumed looking through the trash for more clues.  She spied another scrap, similar in texture and color to the first scrap she found.  She held it up, noticing it had a decal on it.  She recognized the logo of the local dockworkers union.  “I know where we should head next,” confirmed Sunset, placing the scrap in a parchment envelope as well then securing it in her bags.  “We’re heading to the dockworkers union headquarters now.”

She trotted off with Kaede following.

They stopped for coffees then sat sipping them as they watched the front of the dockworkers union headquarters.  Ponies wearing the jacket of the union local were heading in and out of the office getting their assignments for the evening.  Eventually Sunset spied a stalky earth pony wearing a jacket with a hole torn in it right where the union decal would be.  “There’s our pony I’d bet,” said Sunset, tossing back the rest of her coffee, throwing the cup into the trashcan next to her.  Kaede threw her coffee away as well.  They trotted after the pony, following him from a discrete distance as he headed down the street.

“Stay close to me.  When he passes the next alleyway, run up and stop him for a moment while I come up behind him.  I’m going to take him and ask some questions,” whispered Sunset.

“Stop him?  How?  He’s a tank!” whispered Kaede back, panicked.

“Use your feminine charms!  Flirt or something?” suggested Sunset.

“With a pony?” Kaede’s nose wrinkled up in disgust.

“You're not going to do anything with him,” growled Sunset. “Just make him think you are for a moment!”

“Fine, okay! I can do that,” whispered Kaede back.  “Here goes.” She loped up to the pony.

“Hey big guy!” smiled Kaede. “Looking to have a little exotic fun?” She moved before him, brushing her tails against him as she passed.  “You look like you could use a little break.”

“Lady, I don’t know what your game is, but can you step off please?” the stallion requested.

Sunset came up behind him. “Now that’s an interesting choice of words,” she chuckled.  With a teal flash, Kaede, the stallion, and Sunset disappeared.

They reappeared on the roof of the building next to them, farther down the alleyway and near the edge of the roof.  The stallion was held in Sunset’s magic out from the edge nine stories above the pavement below.

“Interesting, because you seem to have stepped off the edge of this building, and I don’t think the bounce is going to do you a lot of good,” grinned Sunset.

“Lady, are you bucking insane! What are you doing!  Put me back down this instant!” he shouted.

“Down?  You want down?” laughed Sunset. “Okay!” she dropped him, letting him fall screaming several stories before lifting him back up to face her.

“You know what they say?  Watch what you wish for?” she teased.

“You bucking crazy!  You crazy bitch, you trying to kill me?” he shouted.

“No need to shout,” Sunset smiled, pulling him closer to the side of the building as his hooves scrambled for the edge.  When he was close to edge she lashed out, smacking his face with her forehoof sending him spinning back out over the alleyway.  He resumed shouting and screaming obscenities at her as his muzzle bled.

Sunset looked at her hoof and the blood along its edge.  She lifted the blood in a teal glow then ran the diagnostic tests she’d performed previously.  “We have a match,” she confirmed after a few moments.

“Wow, just not your lucky day is it stud?” smiled Sunset as he spun over the alley.  “Care to tell me about the cute little Kitsune vixen you kidnapped earlier? I’d really love to know all the details!”

“Screw you, bitch!” yelled the stallion. “I don’t know what you think you got on me, but you got nothing!  And I ain’t squealing to no two bit bitch unicorn and her pet fox! Piss off!”

Sunset turned to Kaede. “I have a plan.  Watch to make sure this jackwad takes me down, then report to your Consul I’m going undercover to find your friend.”  She removed her saddle bags and robe, folding it and placing it in one of the bags pockets.  “Take this as well and return it to the Princesses office. They’ll know what to do with it,” she instructed.

Kaede took the saddle bags and nodded.  Sunset shot a blast of magic at the stallion and his eyes rolled back in his head.  She teleported them all back into the alleyway below.

“I planted a suggestion in his mind that I’m an exotic who knows the ways of pleasing Kitsune in the arts of love.  When he comes to, he's going to want to capture me for his masters and take me to them, just as he did with your friend.  Hide quickly!  He is coming out of it now.

Sunset turned, sitting down a bit away from the stallion, her back turned to him. Kaede loped off and hid behind a large trash container.  Sunset shook her head, acting like she was feeling dizzy and looking away from the stallion with her hoof to her head.  “Uhhh…” she groaned as the stallion snapped out of the spell that was holding him.

Squinting, he looked closely at the mare groaning before him then smiled. He removed a bottle and rag from his pocket, drenching the rag with the liquid in the bottle.  Placing the bottle back in his pocket, he trotted towards Sunset then clamped the rag over her muzzle.  Her horn sputtered then went out as she thrashed briefly in his grasp, then collapsed.  Holding the rag over her muzzle, the stallion counted out loud to twenty, then placed the rag back in his pocket. He pulled the unconscious Sunset over his broad back then  trotted off down the alleyway, disappearing around a corner.

Kaede rose from her hiding place and loped off quickly to do as Sunset had requested.

Sunset came to. She was stuffed into a shipping container.  An inhibitor ring was strapped to her horn and her legs were tied beneath her.  The container was so small that she was kneeling on her trussed legs while shoved back into a squatting position. Her head was  pushed back by the front of the container. Her barrel was squeezed by the sides to the point she couldn’t take a deep breath.

“Good thing I’m not claustrophobic,” she groused.  The rough wood of the container chaffed her muzzle as she tried to find some way to get comfortable. “Definitely not first class accommodations.”  She shifted a bit and knelt as best she could while waiting for her captors to make the next move.

Several hours later she heard voices outside her box.  They came closer, stopping next to her box. She heard metal rasping and a click.  The top of her box opened and a muscular earth pony stallion looked in.  She started thrashing like she was trying to get out.

“Hey, bitch!  Knock it off!” said the stallion, punching her face.  Sunset dropped back down into the box, seeming dazed. “Don’t you cause no trouble now, you hear?  We got a right good price for you, and I’d hate to lose me some money ‘cause I had to rough you up, you get me?  So settle down!”

He reached in, making sure her bonds were still tight, and the ring securely on her horn.  “Lucky you, you’re getting an all expense trip paid to Nippony. Gonna have a nice life making some Nippony Yaks very happy,” he grinned.  He reached in and wrapped a muzzle on her as well then shut the lid again.  Sunset heard him secure the lock.

Sunset knelt and waited.  She sent out a coded magical pulse using earth pony magic.

I am here, she stated.

Several hours later she felt her crate taken up and loaded onto a lorry, near as she could tell.  For the next several minutes she felt the lorry rocking over the surface of the street, then stop.  Rough hooves rocked her crate back and forth, snapping and clicking on the four corners of the crate. Somepony hit it twice in quick succession, then she felt a jolt with disorientation as she felt herself lifted and swinging through the air, coming to a dizzying stop moments later.  She was abruptly dropped several times then felt a thud as her crate settled down to the floor of whatever she was being loaded onto.

She was abruptly dragged to one side a moment later, then forward.  She stopped. She felt somepony carefully buck the bottom of her crate, sliding it into place.  When it slammed up against something, the bucking stopped.

“Secure it here!  Then we can move onto the next one,” a voice called out. She felt her crate creak and shift a bit as somepony secured it, then the voices moved off.

Waiting a few moments until they were gone, Sunset sent out another coded magical pulse.

I am here.

What seemed like hours later she heard the voices again.  “Okay, this batch has a cargo specialist shipping out with it. He says he needs to check on the cargo once a day, so he needs a path of some kind so he can get to his crates.  Move that one and that one, then lash them here.”

There was a jolt, and some noise as crates were pushed around and relashed.  A few moments later it stopped.  “That oughtta do it,” the voice said. “Okay, that was the last of the special orders, let’s get off this crate and go home.  Don’t want to stow away and end up in Nippony,” he joked.

Sore and tired, Sunset mused as they left. She had done it.  She was headed to Nippony apparently just like her target.  She settled in as best she could to wait for her departure.

Several hours later she felt slow movement as the ship cast off, headed for the island nation.  She sent out another pulse.

I am here.

Shortly after she felt pushed into the bottom of the crate briefly, then gently swaying as the ship rose from the ocean into the air. They were on an airship.  Waiting awhile, Sunset enjoyed the gentle rocking of the ship as it sailed through the clouds, sailing with the prevailing winds.  Once again, she sent her message to those who watched, to those who waited.

I am here.

A while later she heard metallic scraping then the top of her container lifted.  A large earth pony stallion looked in.

“Huh,” he laughed seeing her looking back. “Somepony screwed up.  You’re definitely not supposed to be awake yet. Chow time.  I’m taking the muzzle off so you can drink and eat.  No screaming or biting or it goes right back on with a beat down then you don’t eat for a few days.  Not something I’d recommend.  Not that it would matter if you yelled anyways.  This crew is paid to not be curious.  Nopony would come for you even if you yelled yourself hoarse.”

He paused to laugh at his own joke.  He placed a j-hook over the edge of the container then took Sunset’s muzzle off.  “Thanks,” she muttered.

“No problem,” returned the stallion.  He hooked a small feed bag filled with water and oats on the j-hook.  Sunset stared into the slimy mess with a distinct lack of excitement.  “When you finish that, I'll fill the bag with water.  But you only get this and one bag of water a day so best make it count.  And if you don’t finish this wonderful meal before I leave you don’t even get that, so I’d suggest you get cracking.  Go on now!”  He shut the lid over the hook, locking it into place and plunging her back into darkness.

Accepting the inevitable, Sunset dipped her muzzle into the slimy mess before her so she could enjoy her dinner.

He came back a while later, lifting the lid again to check on her progress. “Good girl, done it all up.  You’ll do fine.  The ones that don’t eat don’t tend to do so well.  Here’s your water. Remember it has to last all day, so I best not to guzzle it all up at once.”  He hung her muzzle on the hook as well.  “I'm leaving this off.  You seem to understand what we’re working with here.  Don’t make me regret it.”  He shut and locked the lid again.

She heard him saying something a few more times, then moving off.  Waiting a few minutes after she no longer heard anything outside, she sent out another pulse.

I am here.

Bone tired, still wedged tightly into the crate, muscles cramping from lack of movement, she fell fitfully asleep.

The first day of her new assignment was behind her.  She had no idea how many stretched out before her.
> 09 - Sunset - The Mares Passage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset woke the following morning to the smell of sweat and urine.  She shifted, realizing that at some point during the night she had emptied her bladder all over her hindlegs.  ‘At least I didn’t soil myself!’ she thought.  Then she thought again.  A journey to Nippony typically took almost a week even in a fast airship.  ‘Crab nuggets!’ she swore silently, realizing there was no way she could hold it that long.

The stallion raised her lid looking into her crate, then pulled back.  “Yeah, can’t say I enjoy this part of the job much,” he said, eye twitching. Sunset looked woefully back up at him.  “Hey now, don’t you worry about that.  I'm not supposed to tell you, but that’s a normal reaction, nothing wrong with you.  There’s a muscle relaxant in the feed.  If you didn’t get that, the cramps you’re clearly feeling would be ten times worse.  That’s a normal side effect.  Don’t mean anything, though I don’t envy you the smell.”

He poured a bucket of water over her, washing away the worst of the stink.  The water drained from the crate through small holes in the sides near the bottom then ran down the deck to the ship's bilge.

“Don’t get too used to this pampered treatment,” he cautioned.  “After today I only come by for dinner.  You won’t get the double room service like you’re getting today.”  He shut her lid and locked it moving on to his other passengers.  She tried to keep count of how many mares he spoke to, finishing with a count of five. They seemed to all be lashed closeby, possibly all together.

His voice moved off again, the quiet of the ship returning. Only the ship's creaking and the gentle sound of the wind outside remained for companions.

I am here she sent again.

She dozed off.  Evening came and with it another plain water bath and her cold oats with water. She drank and ate gratefully, her stomach rumbling with hunger.  When she finished he refilled her bag with water then shut and locked her lid, moving on.  A few minutes later she heard him leave, done for the night.  She settled into an exhausted doze.

During the night she woke to the ship pitching back and forth, the sound of rain pelting the ships sides with thunder echoing all around them. ‘Squall line,’ she thought. ‘We must be crossing through a squall line.’  The rocking and thunder continued relentlessly.

I am here she sent.

She dozed off, sleeping fitfully. The storm continued into what she guessed was the following day.  Towards what seemed midday the storms relented.  She listened for any activity, but only heard a few hoofs come through, checking the lashings then moving on.  They left, the only sound once again the creaking of the ship and the wind passing outside.

I am here she sent.

She woke to her plain water bath.  “You look a might bit tired, filly,” noted the stallion.  “Not normal for my fillies to be so tired.  I think I’ll drop a bit more feed in your bucket tonight,” he mused.  He dropped her feed bag in with a double portion of oats still swimming in cold water.  She ate gratefully, lapping up all the feed and water in the bag.  He returned a bit later, refilling her bag with water then locking her in again.

She listened to him settle the other mares then move off. Five, she counted again. There were six of them counting herself.  Six mares headed for the Nipponies brothels.

I am here she sent. She dozed.

During the night, she awoke. She could hear yelling from the deck above.  A resounding crack echoed through the deck, clearly the sound of a cannon shot bouncing off the hard ironwood hull of the frigate transporting them.  The intensity of the shots increased, The ship rattled with the response of their own slavo, the returning barrage sending shocking jolts and ear rattling cracks rolling through their hold as the battle raged above them.

“Pirates, damn it!  I can’t let them screw this up,” muttered Sunset.  Channeling her magic, she teleported outside her crate to where she had seen the stallion standing, leaving her bindings behind.  She crept towards the hold’s exit, searching for anyplace she could look out and see the battle.

She caught a break.  One of the shots pierced the hull.  Cracking through the tough ironwood near their crates, it bled off its energy bouncing back and forth through the hold smashing and shattering everything in its path as it shed its momentum.  Eventually it bounced off the hull and rolled down the deck lodging itself against the wall nearby.  She picked it up in her magic, levitating it to her while looking out through the hole it created.

She could see the pirates manning the cannon that scored the hit.  They were loading again, preparing to widen the damage with a second shot to the same hole.  Sunset watched them line up the shot then drop the torch to the gunpowder fuse.  Timing her cast, she teleported the cannonball into the throat of the cannon just as it fired causing a misfire that blew out the back of the cannon, shredding the pirates manning the gun.  Safe again for the moment, she scanned the rest of the attacking schooner.

Flames reflected off the sides of the pirate ship, showing their own vessel was already on fire.  Two holes were pierced in the pirate ship's hull, suggesting their own armaments had already scored significant damage to their hold and possibly crew.  The pirates' rigging was shredded but not in flames, indicating for that portion of the fight, perhaps the pirates had the upper hand.

The remaining pirate cannons again fired, their salvo cracking hard against the side of her ship.  Deadly concussive vibrations rocked through the ironwood hull, capable of killing any crew pony unfortunate enough to be touching the hull as they raced through the ship.  Overhead she heard a crack, then screaming and confusion as a cannon ball breached the hull again, bouncing around in its deadly course through the gun deck as it bleed off its lethal momentum.  An answering salvo went out, two more piercing the pirate hull with accompanying screams of terror and pain from their crew.

Sunset watched as the pirate crew prepared another salvo.  The battle was too evenly matched. She could not afford to lose this opportunity to follow her target to their destination. If the pirates won this engagement her trail would go cold, and she could lose any chance at rescuing the unfortunate kitsune who had been taken captive.  She had to make this more decisive.

As the pirate gunner lowered his touch on the cannon opposite her, she flipped the barrel of the cannon up, bouncing it off its tracks. The muzzle rocked back inside the hold as the cannon went off.

The cannon flew back into two crews behind it killing them instantly.  The ball bounced off the inside of the hull at full energy.  It proceeded to pinwheel throughout the pirates gun deck, cleaving a path of blood and carnage as it ricocheted back and forth, damaging cannon mounts, crews, and armaments.  As it raced through the hold it sparked off secondary explosions from the staged gunpowder causing even more death and destruction on the pirate gun deck.  By the time the cannonball had completely expended its energy and rolled to rest, half of the pirate cannons were laying broken in their moorings, there were fires throughout the hold, and pirates were dead or dying everywhere.

Three bells rang out on the pirate ship and they veered off, diving into a cloudbank as they fled the scene of the battle. A resounding cheer went up from her frigate as the sea ponies realized they had won the engagement, surviving with a mostly functioning ship.  She could hear ponies scrambling into the rigging to cut away the burning wreck, watching as the burning rigging drifted down to the sea past her new porthole, dropping into the ocean so they could replace the damaged parts with new.

Sunset heard hoofsteps approaching, coming down the short stairs into their hold.  She teleported back into her crate, scrambling to place the ring back onto her horn and secure it around her chin.  With the ring back in place, she listened for whomever was approaching.

“Sweet mother of pearl, what a mess!” she heard the stallion say. He cantered over to their crates, checking them over completely.  “At least the fillies were spared,” he breathed in relief.

Sunset chose that moment to start kicking and thrashing, thumping the sides of the box and bucking the backside.

“Whoa whoa whoa!  Settle down in there!” he called out, slamming his hoof down repeatedly on the lid.  “Settle down!  If you want me to check on you, you need to calm down right now!”

She stopped, sitting on her haunches and looking up at the lid.  He opened it and she cowered down, staring up at him in fright.  He looked down at her curled up tightly in the bottom of the crate.

“Oh for the love of Riley, I had to get Mary Pondini”, he groused, seeing her free from her bindings.  He closed and locked the lid. “I’ll be back for you sweetheart.  I need to go check on the others.”  He moved off, opening then shutting the crate lids, then returned to her.

“The gods must love you bunch, not a one of you hit.  Though the rest of the cargo has seen better days,” he grumbled. “Here, have some more feed and water. That’ll help you calm down.  Then try to get some rest.  The battle is over, you lived.  Nothing more to fear,” he assured her as he removed her feed bag, placing more oats and water into it and hanging it back in her crate.  “I’ll see you in the morning darling.  Try to get a decent night’s sleep.”  He shut and locked the lid, checking the others again as he moved off.

Sunset finished off the oats and drank the water, grateful for the extra energy after expending so much during the battle. Settling down on her haunches, she pushed the bindings up to the front of the crate and settled in for a night's sleep.

She awoke the next morning to find she was bound again, this time with leather bindings cinched tight. Her bag had been refilled with water. Her original bindings were still piled along the bottom of her crate.

Sunset groaned.  “Damn it. He drugged the oats,” she grumbled to herself.  She drank some water to clear her head.  “At least the leather doesn’t bind as badly. The rope really cut into my legs.”  She shifted, finding a more comfortable level of discomfort.

She sent out her ping again.  I am here.

Around midday or thereabouts she felt the wind pick up.  An hour after that the rain started pelting the sides of the ship. Within about a half hour the thunder was shaking the ship, winds constantly rocking them and shifting her weight from one side of her container to the other.  Sunset heard the crew moving through the hold, calling out to each other as they checked and resecured the lashings on the cargo.  They finished and moved off to other parts of the ship, battening down everything to weather the storm.

When they had moved off Sunset teleported out from her crate, still bound and wearing the inhibitor ring. She teleported again, freeing herself from the leather bindings, which she knelt and looped up over her neck for safekeeping.  She moved over to the ragged porthole still left in the side of the hold, looking out from it into the storm, the rain lashing against her as it flew straight in from the gale force winds outside.  She stepped back from the hole, standing with legs spread, and lowered her head looking out at the storm.

‘Here goes nothing,” she said under her breath.  Gathering her magic, she channeled it through her body, calling out to the charges outside gathering in the clouds around them.  Feeling them building she willed them towards the ship, willing them to strike directly on the hole in the side.  Her body glowed with a bright teal aura as her spell charged then shot out from her.  An overcharged bolt of lightning answered back, arcing from the cloud into the ship, blasting at the hole and ripping away more of the hull, leaving a jagged wound large enough for shipping containers to fall out of the side and into the sea.

‘Yes!  Thank you Cadance!’ she thought.

Spinning around she raised a hoof, launching bolts of pure teal magical energy at the ropes binding the cargo nearby.  The ropes broken, the cargo immediately slid around, some of it falling through the hole in the ship to the ocean below.  She sprinted over to the crates containing the remaining mares, blasing the ropes binding them as well. She then telekinetically ripped the lock off her own crate, throwing the top open then sending it spinning across the room.   She gathered the other crates in her telekinesis and teleported them all through the deck into the open air below the ship.

Falling together through the rain, Sunset looked down, searching for any sign of the ocean surface.  Shortly she saw a large cresting wave below her.  She teleported to its windward side, landing with a splash in the water, the five crates still held in her magic.  She formed shield bubble around the crates holding them all together, then went from crate to crate, blasting the lid open and pulling the sputtering mares out one by one, placing them atop their scuttled cargo crates.  The mares looked around, wet, shaking and shivering.

When all of the mares were out of their crates and huddled down on their boxes, Sunset sent out another magical pulse.

Come get me.

Within minutes several naval pegasus officers were visible through the storm heading in her direction.  Dropping the shield spell as they approached, Sunset called out over the storm. “Save these mares!”  Alighting quickly, a pegasus grabbed each of the mares and flew back off into the storm, returning to their vessel.

A pegasus stallion lit down on the box next to her.  “We received your messages, mage.  What can I do to help?!” he yelled over the storm.

“I need to get back on that frigate!” yelled Sunset back.  “Can you get me close enough to see it so I can teleport back onto it?!  First though, I need you to re-secure my bindings.  It can’t look like I escaped!”

“Can do ma’am!” he called out.  She laid down on her crate and he quickly took the belts, rebinding her legs with his wings, hooves, and teeth.  He straddled her, wrapped his limbs around her barrel and lifted off from the crate.

“One second!” called out Sunset.  She quickly sent five telekinetic blasts from her hooves, splintering the crates beyond recognition.  The officer glided up into the storm, using his best reconning to head towards Sunset’s frigate.

Several minutes later Sunset saw her frigate ahead of them silhouetted by frequent flashes of lightning. She teleported out of his grip to a position just over the ship, then disappeared as she started to fall, teleporting into the hold.

She appeared behind several boxes in the stern of the hold.  She could hear crew members swearing as they worked to secure the cargo sliding around the deck, lashing everything down again to keep more of their shipments from falling through the jagged hole in the side of the ship.

She saw the stallion racing around, looking through the cargo for his missing mares.  Cold, wet, and shivering, she crawled out from behind the boxes, rolling and inching along towards him as best she could with her hobbles.  Looking up, he saw her and raced over to her.

“Where are the others?” he called out in panic.

She looked towards the hole in the side of the ship, shaking in affected terror.  She curled up into a ball. “Gone,” she cried in a small voice.

“Buck me! Shit, shit, shit!” he swore, punching the hull with a hoof.  “Damn it!”  He looked down at the mare curled into a ball, still shaking at his hooves.

“Okay, come with me.  Let’s get you out of here,” he said, lifting her over his back.  He saddle-carried her through the hold and up the stairs to the gun deck.  From there he trotted up to the stern bunkings, setting her down in his bunk then sitting down beside her.

“Hey Jerko!  What ya doing?  Find some mermaid to buck?” laughed a crewmate in the bunk across from him.

“Can it, bait breath!  I already lost the rest of my cargo!  I’m gonna be in deep trouble for that.  But if I lose this one it’ll be my head!”

“You couldn’t pay me to babysit like you do,” nodded his crewmate.  “Way too easy to get a permanent mane cut.”

The stallion nodded. Sunset drifted off to sleep, the sound of the storm and the rocking ship lulling her to slumber.

She woke to find the stallion had lashed her to his bunk.  He was gone, but there were plenty of off duty crew members sleeping or loafing in the bunks around them.

The stallion returned, a bowl of steaming food set on his back.  Reaching the bunk, he set the bowl of stew down before her.

“Breaks your heart, I know.  But your oats went over the side with your friends and a bunch of our cargo, so you’ll have to live off the gruel we deal with,” he smirked.  “Eat up filly. Then I’ll get you some water and take you to the head.  Can’t have you crapping on my bunk now.”  He laughed.

Sunset shifted herself forward, leaning over the bowl. She dipped her muzzle down into the stew and hungrily bit into it, lapping up every bit of gravy in the bowl.

“Somepony was hungry,” he grinned. “One sec, I'll get you that water.”  He returned with a large cup of water which he carefully poured into the bowl. Sunset lapped it up greedily while he returned the cup to the water station.

Returning, he unlashed her from the bed and set her over his shoulders.  “Now the head.  I know that’s gonna run right through you cause you're not used to it anymore.”  He trotted off to the crew head, waiting in line with her.  When her turn came he carefully set her down on the seat, then turned around, his back to her. “Give me a nudge when you’re done,” he called out.

She did her ablutions then nudged him with her muzzle.  “All done?” he asked, turning around.  “Good.”  He helped her clean up then placed her on his back, carrying her back to the bunk and lashing her down again.  “Can't have you wandering off again,” he grinned.

Sunset dozed.  When she woke the storm had passed.  Looking out through the porthole in the opposite wall she saw clear skies with stars twinkling in the night sky. A shooting star flew by, dropping low then fading as it burned up.  Sunset smiled.  Looking down, she saw the stallion sleeping on a blanket on the floor next to the cot. She looked back out the window, enjoying the night sky.  Eventually she fell back asleep.

She woke up.  She could see the morning sky through the small porthole.  The sun was still low over the waves, rising to start a new day.  She smiled, thinking of her mentor a half world away and the two mares that were like sisters to her.

A while later the stallion returned, another bowl balanced on his back as he navigated the bunks and lockers.  He smiled as he trotted up.

“Hey filly.  Brought you some breakfast because, why not?  Enjoy!”  He set the bowl of porridge and dried fruit down before her.

“Thank you,” she rasped then set into the porridge, finishing off the bowl quickly.  He left and returned with the water, filling the bowl.  She lapped it up.

“Lemme know when you gotta use the head.  And try to plan ahead,” he laughed. “There’s always a long line after breakfast.”  Picking up the bowl, he set it on his back then left to return it to the ship's galley.  When he returned Sunset was once again sound asleep.

Sunset felt rumbling as she woke. She stretched and nudged the stallion’s back with her muzzle. He turned to look at her. “Got to use the head?” he asked. She nodded.

He unlashed her.  Setting her across his back, he carried her to the crew head where they performed the same procedure as last time.  Finished, he carried her back and lashed her to the bed again. Sunset leaned back and fell almost immediately asleep.  He sat down beside the bunk to wait for dinner.

She awoke to him setting another bowl of stew before her. “You know the drill, filly,” he smiled.  Nodding, she dipped her muzzle into the bowl and finished off the dinner.  He fetched water which she finished off as well.  He returned the cup to the station and the bowl to the galley. Then he carried her to the crew head again, same routine as before. He brought her back to the bed, lashed her in, then sat down beside it.  She fell asleep.

She woke in the middle of the night, once again to clear skies and twinkling stars.  Watching for a while, she fell back asleep.

She woke as he set another bowl of porridge and dried fruit before her. “Last room service for this voyage, filly!  We’ll make port this afternoon,” he smiled.  He poured her water into her bowl when she finished, then returned the dishes to where they belonged.  He took her again to the crew head where she did the needful.  Returning, he lashed her to the bed to wait out the remainder of her trip.

As they neared the Nipponies port the rest of the crew became frantically busy, stowing gear, prepping lines, and getting the frigate ready to land in the bay below, then sail to the docks and offload their cargo.

Because they no longer had her cargo crate which was smashed in the storm, Sunset was placed in a large shipping crate.  To fit in, she curled up on her side.  The stallion placed the lid on and hammered it into place.

The frigate landed in the bay, then quickly re-rigged to sail to the docks where they moored and unloaded.  The gangplank dropped, the stallion lifted Sunset’s crate, balanced it on his shoulders, then carried it down the gangplank and over to the waiting lorry.  He loaded it, then gave it two taps, calling out softly to its side.

“Good luck, filly!”

The lorry drove off into the busy streets, taking Sunset one step closer to her objective.
> 10 - Sunset - Yak-uza!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset felt the lorry stop.  She heard voices approaching her crate, then was shaken around in her container as it was roughly dragged from the lorry and dropped to the ground.  She heard the lorry move off, then with further conversation, she was abruptly lifted and jostled as she was carried.  She heard a door close somewhere behind her, then was dropped again to the floor.

She heard and felt a slam against the top of her crate, then a squeal as the top was leveraged off, nails and all.  A cloven hoof reached into the opening, ripping the top of the crate away.  Sunset looked up into the blinding light, blinking her watering eyes trying to make out who was there.  She saw a large yak, covered in tattoos, his hoof pulled back.  He said something angrily incomprehensible to her and slammed his hoof into her muzzle.  A wave of pain shot through her as she blacked out.






She came too, looking around.  It was dark, but there was enough light that she could see the outline of the room she was in.  She tried to move, then realized she was tied down.  Her original bindings had been removed.  She was now tied down on some sort of bed.  Looking around, she saw in the dim light that the bed and a chair nearby were the only furnishings in the room.

A door in the wall behind her opened, flooding the room with light and temporarily blinding her. Looking over her shoulder as best she could with the bindings, she saw a silhouette of a yak standing outlined in the door, speaking to her in an incomprehensible tongue.  The yak moved to the side of the bed and hooved her hard in the side of her head while yelling angrily at her, dazing her and blurring her vision.  He moved behind her.  She was grabbed by her flanks and felt something pressed roughly up against her dock.

‘Oh sweet tartarus no!’ she thought.






The yak moved off, still talking in his incomprehensible tongue and sounding quite pleased with himself.  Sunset tried to process what had just happened.

The yak left, slamming the door shut behind him, returning Sunset to the darkness she first woke to.  Her mind raced, scrambling to process what she had just learned and experienced.

The yak had come in to rape her.  This was part of their indoctrination of the mares they purchased for their brothels, she realized.  She was in a processing location, where mares were trained in how to behave and satisfy their clients.  She had been purchased by a clan that called themselves the Yak-uza.  They were criminals, but respected in a way that allowed them to function with impunity in their community.

She had used forbidden mind magic, learned without permission while studying some of the tomes in the forbidden section of the library.  In the yaks mind, she placed the memory of being brutally used by him from the fantasies and memories she had gleaned, then  ransacked his memories and thoughts for information about who they were, where she was, what she was to them, as well as any possible sign of the kitsune she was seeking.  She also took several memories she thought may be useful to her in understanding the tongue they spoke, as she was clearly at a disadvantage not being able to understand them.

She laid there, processing what she had gathered and learned, categorizing the facts and processing the language.

So this yak had no recollection of her target.  He was part of the clan Yak-uza, and this was where they conditioned their new acquisitions to accept the life the clan purchased them for.  Apparently she had this to look forward to for the next week or so until she was deemed sufficiently docile.

More concerning was learning they used drugs to keep their mares compliant. She would need to be especially careful with the food and drink they provided, scanning everything. She could not afford to be caught by that and chewed into their system or she would have no chance of completing her assignment.

Apparently the clan ran several brothels in this city and the surrounding countryside, ranging from dirty sex sweatshops at the lower end for the entertainment of the locals all the way though higher end establishments catering to the more specific tastes of local aristocracy.

As a pony, she was considered an exotic, and was destined for the higher scaled establishments.

She gleaned through the other memories she had stolen, comparing the speech in them with the circumstances portrayed.  She slowly pieced together the language of the Yak-uza as she worked through the stolen memories.






Several days later, she was still tied to the bed, messy, bloody, and exhausted.  She had learned a great deal in the meantime.

She now had a working knowledge of the Nipponies language, and was able to understand most of the speech of the yaks.  What they were yelling at her she realized she could ignore.  It was derogatory insults meant to frighten her and break her will, all part of the training she was being subjected to, designed to make her a willing sex slave for thier brothels.  Now when they spoke she now just acted as if she were in abject terror long enough to lock onto their mind with her spell, at which point the yak slumped to the floor, continuing on with the experience she provided internally while she made herself as comfortable as possible on the bed, riffling through their mind.

She placed compulsions on all of them, a desire to bring food and drink with them to eat and drink in front of her after they had committed whatever acts upon her.  She then provided them with the memory of having taunted her by eating and drinking it themselves, while in fact she ate and drank what they had brought. She also placed on them a compulsion to feel marked indifference when she did not eat or drink the food she was provided, all of which she found drenched in mind altering substances when she scanned it.  So strong was the compulsion they did not even feel the need to report her lack of eating or drinking, just disposing of the food and drink as they left without a thought.

She acted the part of a mind dazed mare, drooling and acting insensate when any were in the room.  She had managed to convince them that she was completely docile, so they thought she was far enough along to graduate from her training, though were keeping her for the three additional days allowed to enjoy the fun they were having as long as they could get away with.

Her hardest challenge to date had been when five of them had come in to enjoy some shared recreation.  Hijacking a single mind was simple enough, but she found managing five of them at once a taxing challenge.  She managed to cobble together a shared hallucination that she then led them through where they fulfilled their dreams and desires on her.  She was glad for the mental training that allowed her to hide her revulsion at their virtual acts upon her.  Unfortunately keeping all five insensate and fully invested in the hallucination left her with no mental resources to get anything from them during that episode.  By the time the five left satisfied with the work they had accomplished, she was drained mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Say what you will, but it was crushingly exhausting dealing with the sheer weight of working inside another's mind when they had a deep hatred of you and willfully wished your excruciatingly violent death, only held in check by command from one stronger than them.  Killing intent was a thing.  Dealing with it definitely had a psychic cost.

Categorizing the thoughts she had gleaned, she had what she hoped was a decent working knowledge of the brothels and their operation, which she hoped to leverage to survive in them long enough to find her missing kitsune and escape.  For now, she thought and planned, all while playing the part of the broken insensate mare, eyes lidded with a blank unfocused stare, laying still upon the bed, drooling on the sheets.

Her training completed and the time passed allotted for it, she was unbound and packed roughly into a box.  The lid was secured, then she was jostled and shaken as she was roughly carried outside and deposited on a waiting lorry.  A short journey later, she was again roughly shaken about as her crate was unloaded, taken into someplace with a door that shut heavily, then after a short but bruising few moments dropped roughly onto the floor. A semi-metallic shriek of nails in wood later, the lid of her crate was tossed aside and she was roughly lifted and thrown onto a bed in the corner of the room, still bound and gagged from her journey.

She watched vacantly as the yak who’d brought her in threw the lid back on the box then carried it from the room, slamming and barring her door as he exited.  She heard his lumbering steps as he moved off, then looked around the room she was in.

It was a small but functional bedroom.  A table with a few drawers beneath it was against the far wall.  A cracked but functional mirror sat on it with a small lamp, currently lit, providing barely enough illumination to see the room clearly.  A pitcher of water sat beside it, with a basin in front of the pitcher.  A small slit of a window rode high on the wall opposite the door, light dimly leaking through it from outside.  The only other furnishing in the room was the bed itself, covered with rough sheets and her, laying where she had been thrown.

Biting down hard, she bit through the rag gagging her muzzle then spat the rag out of her mouth, swallowing and taking a deep grateful breath.  Her nasal passages were difficult to breathe through due to the clubbings she endured during her training.  It would heal, but the swelling was still present, making breathing while gagged a matter of effort and patience.  She imagined they were used to losing a few mares to inadvertent suffocation due to the methods they were using.

A while later, two kitsune entered her room, rags draped over them.  Shutting the door, one went to the table.  Pouring water from the pitcher into the basin, she then poured powder from a pouch around her neck into the water and placed one of the rags into it, moving it around with her paw.  An antiseptic smell filled the room, strong enough for even Sunset to smell with her inflamed muzzle.  The vixens then removed her remaining bindings, save only the inhibitor ring on her horn, and setting the basin on the bed, proceeded to use the rags to wash the filth and stains from her she had accumulated during her stay in training.

Several basins of water later, she was once again looking like the mare she used to be, though a bit gaunt from a lack of proper nutrition.  Clean, the vixens used combs and brushes they had brought, working out the knots and snarls in her mane and coat.  The second vixen removed a flask of scented oils from the pouch she wore, working the oils into Sunset’s coat and mane, restoring some of the sheen her coat used to possess and providing a fragrance other than the blood, fluids, sweat and stench she had arrived covered in.

Their work completed, they again emptied the basin, rinsing it clean and replenishing her water from a sink down the hall from her room.  Cleaning up their brushes, rags, and flasks they exited, rebaring the door as they left.  Sunset laid on the sheets, grateful for the small kindness shown.

A bit later, the door again opened and a fox entered, tools and bags fastened to a belt he wore.  Closing the door, he crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Sunset.  Taking her head in his paws, he silently worked at the fastenings to her inhibitor, releasing the binding straps then cutting them away from the ring with a small sharp knife.  Tossing the ruined straps to the foot of the bed, he proceeded to oil the ring and her horn, cleaning it gently and removing any dirt or particulates from them.

‘Crab nuggets, this can’t be good,’ thought Sunset as he worked.

Sure enough, as soon as her horn and the ring were clean and dry, he proceeded to use an organic epoxy to firmly fix the ring onto her horn, cementing it into place, never to be removed and ostensibly removing her magic from her.  Once the epoxy was applied, he used an accelerant to aneal and set the epoxy permanently to her horn.  He then brought out a bag of small to moderately sized gems, artfully fixing them to the ring and horn above and below the ring, turning the abominable ring into an apparently artfully jeweled accessory worn on her horn, permanently in her case.

Finished, he returned his tools and craft to the pouches and pockets of his belt, then carefully lifted her head, showing her the results in the mirror across from her on the desk.

“What say you dear, am I not the artist?” he smiled at her reflection.

“It’s beautiful,” she replied in Equish, looking in the mirror at the jewel encrusted ring.

“As are you, my child,” replied the fox.  Giving her a gentle hug, he departed, bolting the door again behind him.

Turning back to the mirror, she looked into it and smirked. “Well, at least I clean up nice,” she grinned to herself.

Getting up from the bed, she trotted over to the desk, and opened the drawers.  They were currently empty.  Shutting them, she sniffed the water, and setting a hoof against the pitcher scanned the water with a quick diagnostic spell.  There was no trace of the substance they used to drug the mares, comforting her somewhat that she would not have to force herself to thirst to keep from falling into their trap.  Using her hooves, she poured a small amount into the basin and lapped it up, letting the moisture ease the pain in her abdomen.

Placing a hoof against the wall, she scried, searching for any embedded magics or spells.  Finding none, she reached out, spreading her senses through the walls, getting a feel for the layout of the place she was in.  Several moments later she pulled her hoof back and sat on her haunches, visualizing the mental map she had constructed of her dwelling.

There was very little in the way of enchantments or spells in the workings of the building.  A few basic antimagic charms were incorporated into a handful of the building’s sections, but of such a basic design and limited power they were easy to avoid and bypass.  Apparently the staff of this establishment put great stock in the rings used to inhibit their permanent guests' magic, not feeling the need to supplement this with much in the way of further protection.  That would work to her advantage, she noted.

She was apparently in the basement of the building, her room along the back wall. The window seemed to be barely above ground level, accounting for the obscuring of any light coming through it.  Her window likely looked out to a hedge or shrub, blocking her view and much of the light that may otherwise have brightened her room during the day.

Around her were other rooms like her own, many of which she felt occupied by creatures.  A few had enough of a magical presence to stand out to her scry, perhaps other unicorn mares or kitsune advanced enough in their development to register as sources of magical power.  There was a larger room at the end of the hallway she was in, containing what seemed to be stalls and tubs.  Likely it was the bathroom and toilets for the residents of this back hall.

The rest of the building consisted of offices, large furnished rooms similar to hers, a common kitchen and dining hall, and storage, as well as a large and ornate hall at the front of the building that was where she and her fellow permanent guests greeted the paying visitors, she hazarded a guess.

There was a second floor,extending around the perimeter of the building, surrounding what seemed to be a large central courtyard in its center.  The rooms on the top floor seemed to be entirely furnished bedrooms, but with no creature currently in any of them.

As Sunset pondered this, reviewing her memories of the scan and reinforcing her mental imagery of the building in her mind, her stomach rumbled.  She realized she had not eaten since early the day before during her last training session with her yak captives. She had been fed again after that but had let her captors dispose of the meal as she had conditioned them to do, as it was full of the mind altering substance she had to avoid at all costs if she was to keep any hope of successfully completing her mission.

A while later she heard her door being unbarred.  A vixen opened the door, beckoning her to follow. “Come,” called out the vixen, moving back from the door. Sunset rose from the bed and trotted over to the vixen, exiting the door to stand behind her.  The vixen shut the door then moved off down the hall, calling out over her shoulder.  “Follow me.”

Sunset trotted along behind her.  The vixen led her up a flight of stairs to the ground floor of the building, then down a hallway to the common dining hall Sunset had sensed during her scry.  Sunset observed everything as they trotted, updating and correcting the map in her mind as they traveled through the building. She was smugly satisfied that her scry had been almost entirely accurate, needing only minor corrections and additions as they worked their way through the building.

In the dining hall were gathered the other creatures she had sensed during her scry.  Mostly vixens, there were a scattering of ponies like herself, one also a unicorn, three pegasus and one earth pony, all mares.  She noted the pegasus mares had their flight feathers artfully cut, leaving the beauty of their wings but removing the magic of their flight.

The vixen who had brought her in turned to the group.  “Everyone!” she called out over the scattered conversations. “Everyone!  I’d like to introduce you to the latest member of our household!  Madam has named her きらめく太陽 (Kirameku taiyō - Shimmering Sun).  She will be entertaining with us from now on.”  There was a slight applause, then everyone went back to their conversations.

“Have a seat, Shimmering Sun. You’ll find we’re light on formality here.  Dinner will be out shortly, then we’ll prepare for the evening’s guests.  I’ll step you through it this first time, after that it will be up to you to prepare.  Madam punishes those who are not ready most severely, so please don’t invite her wrath,” warned the vixen.  She loped off, passing through double doors into the kitchen area behind the dining room.

Sunset turned to the nearest vixen.  “Who was that?” she asked.

“She is the house mother to our leash,” answered the vixen.  “We call her only mother.  She cares for us and sees to our needs.”

“Thank you,” bowed Sunset.  The vixen bowed back, then returned to listening to her table mates

Their house mother returned pushing a cart of food and tea which she passed out to each creature present.  Seated alone at the end of the tables, she passed Sunset her soup, tea, and dinner with a smile.  “Wait for me when you are done, and I will return with you.”  Sunset nodded, starting on the soup.  It was a seaweed soup, made with seaweed stock and bits of fish.  While not her normal fare, she found it pleasant enough.  The dinner consisted of rice, steamed vegetables, and steamed dumplings with some sort of spiced vegetable hash inside.  None of the food or drink had any taint of drugs on them and were actually well made and enjoyable.  Sunset ate, the rumblings in her stomach ceasing for a time.  The tea was also quite delicious.

Her meal finished, Sunset waited for the house mother to return for her.  She collected the bowls, dishes, cups and utensils of the others, then returned to Sunset, taking hers as well and placing them in the kitchen.

Returning, she instructed Sunset to follow her, leading her from the dining room back to her small bedroom.  When she entered, she could see a cosmetics kit had been placed on her table, and a flowing orange robe had been placed over her bed.  The vixen entered with her, and together they went over how to use the kit, as well as the look and mannerisms she was expected to affect while working. Once her makeup and poise were prepared and practiced to the house mother’s satisfaction, she assisted Sunset in donning the robe.  It flowed over her form, gracefully fitting her shoulders, barrel, and flanks, elegantly trailing down to almost the floor at her backside.  She practiced taking it off with grace and dignity, then putting it on as well.  When the house mother was satisfied, she led her out and back up the stairs to one of the larger ornate bedrooms, where she was to wait, sitting respectfully on her haunches.

The house mother left, leaving Sunset alone, preparing mentally for what was to follow.

Sometime later, an older two tailed kitsune vixen wearing fine silk robes and jewels loped in, then settled herself comfortably upon the bed.

“So, you are Shimmering Sun. You are now mine. You serve me and this house at my pleasure.  Tonight I will test and instruct you on the arts of love.  Failure to serve me or any of the clients I see fit to provide you to will be severely punished.  Failure to provide satisfactory service to any of my clients will also be severely punished.  Insolence, attitude, or resistance to any demand of my clients will be severely punished.  Satisfy me, my clients, perform your service well and you will be rewarded. I look out for my own, but I destroy those who cross me.

“Now, come to me, Shimmering Sun. Show me what you know of the ways of pleasure, and I will instruct you.”

She patted the bed with a paw. Sunset climbed on the bed next to her and looked to her mistress expectantly.






Two hours later, she was dismissed and told to return to her room.  Sunset returned to her room as instructed.  Removing the beautiful dress, she carefully folded it and placed it in one of the drawers, then used one of the rags and soaps left on her table to remove the cosmetics from her face, scrubbing herself clean of them. Taking the spent water in the basin and now empty water jug with her to the sink down the hall, she dumped the water down the drain, washed out the basin, then filled the jug and returned to her room placing them on the table.  She trotted down to the communal bath room at the end of the hall.  Finding it empty, she used one of the stalls to perform her ablutions, then sat on one of the provided stools, using a bucket of water, brush, and the provided soaps to scrub herself clean, then rinsed herself from using the provided bucket.

She trotted over to the common bath, also currently empty.  Lowering herself into it, she sat back and enjoyed the first bath she had been allowed in almost a week.  Eyes closed, she waited.

A while later, three kitsune vixens entered, chatting among themselves as they used the stalls then washed on the stools nearby.  They entered to bathe with Sunset.

“So, you are Shimmering Sun,” nodded one of them.  “I am Radiant Semblance.  These are my friends, Pleasant Countenance and Fragrant Flower.  What did you think of our beloved Madam.”

Sunset opened her eyes, looking at her companions.  “I will be honest.  She frightens me,” she admitted bluntly.  This caused the three vixens to laugh.

“She has that effect on everyone,” admitted Radiant.  “It is right to fear her.  She is wickedly clever with her punishments to those who displease her.  While she cannot kill us outright, she can and has brought many to the point of wishing for death when they failed to meet her expectations.”

Sunset closed her eyes. “Wonderful,” she groaned. “I’m not sure if I can do all the things she said she expects of me.  Guess I’d better find a way, because I certainly don’t want to be another story told to new mares about what will happen when you cross her.”

The vixens laughed again. “No, you do not,” agreed the one introduced as Pleasant.

“The threat alone is usually enough to keep all in line,” agreed Fragrant.

“So what is up with all the Yaks?” asked Sunset. “When I left Madam, I noticed they were all over the house.  They all looked at me like I was a piece of meat.  It was very unnerving.”

“This is their brothel,” answered Pleasant.  “The Madam and all of us are their property.  And, I can personally attest they are very good at delivering a beating to anyone who challenges or disappoints them.  And they are skilled in doing it in a way that does not leave obvious marks on a vixen.”

“Or a mare,” nodded Fargrent.

“Or anyone,” agreed Pleasant.

“So how long do we serve here?” aked Sunset.

“What do you mean?” asked Radiant.

“I mean, do we live here and serve here for the rest of our lives?  Do we get to retire at some point?  Is this all there is for us from now on?” clarified Sunset.

“Ah, no, there is no retirement. We’re not servants, we’re slaves, to put it simply.  But if you impress the clients and the Madam, and are able to handle certain types of requests made by some of the more demanding clients, you might be moved to the exotic brothel. I’ve heard working there you are treated like royalty.  But I have never actually met anyone who has been assigned there,” answered Radiant.

Sunset nodded. “I see.  Hey, I had a friend who worked in the brothels.  She was a three tailed Kitsune vixen.  I thought I might see her after my, uhm, forced recruitment.  That thought kept me going through my training,” Sunset admitted.

“A three tailed? Safe bet she works in the exotics brothel. That’s the brothel we were talking about,” responded Radiant.

While they were talking, several other vixens and mares joined them in the bath, having finished their assignments for the evening.

Making introductions, the talk quickly moved off to topics poking fun at the clients they had been assigned, laughing at their mishaps and mocking their inadequacies.  Sunset just smiled, laughed and nodded, listening to her fellow slaves share tales of thier evenings.

A while later, everyone excused themselves, leaving the tub and drying off.  “Why are we all leaving?  Is something happening?” askes Sunset.

“Yes, it is nearly curfew.  If we are out of our rooms without permission after curfew, we will be beaten.  Better to get into our rooms before it’s too late and stay out of trouble,” informed Radiant, drying beside her.

“Oh. Thanks!  I didn’t know that,” replied Sunset, looking out the large window over the tub at the moon in the night sky.  She noted the time, reminding herself to be mindful of it going forward.

Bidding the mares and vixens goodnight, Sunset returned to her room, laying down upon her bed to rest.  A short time later, a Yak opened her door and poked his head in. Seeing her laying on her bed, eyes closed, he nodded, then shut the door. She could hear the bar being dropped into place behind it.

“Guess I’m in for the night,” she sighed.

She thought back over the day and what she had learned.

She could not snoop or sneak around the brothel with any degree of inpunity.  The Yak-uza guarded and monitored their actions closely.  If they complied and performed well they were given the illusion of some autonomy, allowed to move through their areas of the house with a reasonable degree of freedom.  But anything outside of that was forbidden and would result in a beating.  The yaks were also apparently very skilled in painful beatdowns that did not leave damaging marks on their prostitutes.

Failing to please the brothels clients would bring painful punishments from the Madam.  Pleasing the clients on the otherhoof could result in rewards.  The Madam could not kill her outright, but was known to be wickedly accomplished at making those she punished wish for death instead.

Her target had not come through this brothel. But, based on what the others told her, was likely already serving at the exotics brothel.  She needed to get advanced to the exotics brothel as well for any chance to find her target and save her.  And the way to do that was by exceeding the expectations of her clients, and getting a reputation for her willingness to oblige her clients exotic requests.

It left a bitter taste in her muzzle thinking of the things she would have to do to be sent to the exotics brothel. But the mission required it, so she quieted her mind and steeled her nerves.

There was one last annoying thing she had learned. Her Madam was largely immune to her mind magic.  She had tried to skip the unpleasantness of her session with the Madam, reaching out to invade her mind as she had the others during her so called training. Only to see Madam's eyes widen in response, her gaze locking onto Sunset as she entered.  She backed out quickly, leaving only the faintest of suggestions that she was just being paranoid, all the while presenting herself as subservient and listening.

The Madam had given her a sharp look, pausing in her instructions, then shook her head and resumed.  Sunset mentally gave a sigh of relief.  All she’d been able to plant was passive thoughts, subtle suggestions loosely tied to whatever Madam was commenting on, then passively watching her thoughts, keeping her presence light and faint to avoid being sensed again.

Noticing in Madam’s thoughts her intentions to watch as she practiced the arts just taught, Sunset planted the suggestion that it would waste of her precious time as her slave clearly understood her instructions.  By this subterfuge she avoided many of the more egregious activities the Madam had planned. It was still an extremely unpleasant several hours.

Sunset laid her head down on her bed, drifting off to sleep in preparation for her efforts starting tomorrow.
> 11 - Sunset - The Price of Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning came. Sunset woke to the knocks and greeting of the house mother, urging her to rise and prepare for the day.  Shutting the door but not barring it, she moved off to the next room, rousing her residents.

Sunset rose, poured water in the basin and drank her fill.  She then used the basin to wash.  Setting the basin of used water and jug on her back, she trotted out to join the line of vixens and mares at the sink with the same intention.  Her turn finally, she rinsed and dried her basin then filled the pitcher with water.  She returned them to her room, used the restroom down the hall, then joined her housemates in trotting up the stairs to the dining room.

They had fish, omelets, leek soup and tea for breakfast, then were off to the brothel’s dojo where Madam gave lessons on the Courtesan's Arts and guided their exercise.  After that was a quick lunch and resting in their rooms, or in Sunset’s case studying the house with magic to keep in practice.  Then dinner and the moment she’d been dreading; her first presentation.

The other mares and vixens had talked about it so she had some idea what to expect.  They would prepare for the evening, putting on their finest dresses, cosmetics applied in the Kitsune fashion, then gracefully arrange themselves along the beds in the clients lobby.  There was a seniority to it that simply meant for her, she had the last bed as the newest addition.  There Madam would bring the clients in, and by their importance, they would select the mare, mares, or vixens they desired for the evening and retire with them to one of the dedicated art rooms, where the residents would exercise their art to the pleasure of their client.

Because this was one of the higher end establishments, once the engagement was over, the resident was done for the evening and could clean up in the common bath below.

As this was her first engagement Madam would be watching to evaluate her continued presence in this house.  If she wildly exceeded expectations, she would be moved up into one of the more refined brothels, in her case, the exotics brothel.  If she failed to meet expectations, she would either be punished or cast down to one of the common brothels.  The mares in those houses did not live long.

With her fellow residents, Sunset trotted in at the end of the line. She held her head aloof, looking uninterested in all around her.  She trotted elegantly over to the end bed and lay down on it, forelegs fetchingly before her, head raised, looking bored and casually studying the finery around her, clearly unimpressed.

A three tailed Kitsune fox chatted with the Madam, first up, and looked the residents over, smirking. He caught Sunset’s eye. She just raised an eyebrow, rolled her eyes, and looked back over at the jeweled tapestry by her bed, clearly bored.

Grinning, he loped over to her bed and stood before her.  “Mare, do you know who I am?” he challenged.

Sunset turned back, looking him over and radiating attitude.  “Boring?” she answered, then turned back to the tapestry.  There was a quiet titter of laughter from some of the vixens.

The fox drew back, offended. “You dare mock me?!” he shouted.  He smacked Sunset soundly at the base of her horn, rocking her head.

“Ouch!” Sunset exclaimed, turning to glare at him.

“Do not harm the residents!” warned Madam in a loud voice.  “If you cannot behave you will lose your privileges here.”  She loped over to him, backing him up from Sunset.

“You wouldn’t dare!” he raged. “I’m the vice council of this district!  I can destroy you and your pitiful brothel!”

“I think we both know better than that, my dear vice counsel.  The patient souls who own this establishment do not like it when their friends decide to try to flex against them.  Let us try this again, shall we?” she soothed, running her paw around his ears and down his back.  She purred.

“Clearly this mare has captured your attention?  You seek to show her your prowess, to dominate her?  To bend her to your will?  Perhaps you have what it takes to tame this savage lovely, recently brought into our service, and new to our ways.

“Perhaps you could be her teacher, her mentor. Her master. Show her her place. But remember.  She is not yours to break. You break her, my masters will break yours.  Do not forget, or they will make you remember.

She loped off. “Do have fun!”

The fox turned to Sunset.  He grabbed her mane.  “Come slave!” he called out. Seeing Madam glaring at him, he let go.  Sunset trotted along behind him, staying just out of his reach.

As she passed, the Madam whispered, “Take the Zanzabar room down the hallway.”  Sunset nodded.

As they left the lobby the fox reached back.  Grabbing her mane again, he threw her in front of him.  “Lead me to your room, slave!” he commanded.

‘Grabby little jerk,’ Sunset thought to herself.  Taking advantage of Madam not being nearby, she quickly scanned the foxes memories as she trotted ahead, finding images of his family.  She then cast a horrible compulsion on him, images of his family being beaten and abused by the Yak-uza, tying it to the memory of Madam’s promise.  She wanted to make certain that thought stayed in the front of his pinheaded mind tonight.

Sunset turned down the hallway to the Zanzabar room.  She reached up and with her hooves opened the door, throwing it wide open for him then bowing down deeply by it.  “My room, oh master,” she said in her most sarcastic tone.  The fox drew back to strike her again, thought better of it, and pulled his paw back, loping into the room.

Sunset hid a grin as he passed, then rose, entering and shutting the door behind her.

“What is your bidding, oh master,” she snarked.

“You are my chattel, slave,” the fox roared, leaping at her and pushing up against her ruthlessly. “You will know fear.  You will fear me as all should fear me.  I am powerful, and you are nothing!  You are less than nothing!  You are a meal I hunt, devour in a moment, and are heard from no more!  You are the worm food that falls from my nethers, gone and forgotten.

“You are nothing!” he screamed, shaking with rage.

Overcome with emotion, he grabbed Sunset by the throat and threw her down on the bed, pouncing to pin her.

‘Oh Tartarus no!’ thought Sunset, rolling to the side and letting him attack the pillows she had landed on.  Ripping into his mind, she substituted her image for the pile of pillows.  Rage blind, the fox ripped into the pillows shredding and tearing them apart, biting and twisting, pulling them to pieces.

“You know mind magic,” Madam stated behind her.  Sunset had not heard or sensed her entering. Disconcerting.

“No,” she answered, watching the fox vent his rage upon the bedding. “I know the power of suggestion.  It is a Zebrican craft I learned in a previous employ.  I can use it to bring my clients to the heights of paradise,” she offered.

“Or give them something better to do when they cannot seem to control themselves,” smirked Madam.  “A most useful talent.”

“It has served me well,” responded Sunset.  “I have pleased many with its craft.”

The fox was panting, rage now spent.  Calming, he looked down at the bed.  Panic overtook him.  “What have I done!” he cried, looking at the feather and fabric carnage.

“Perhaps it is time to suggest something else,” smiled Madam.

“Yes, it wouldn't do to leave my client in a panic. Pleasure is our goal.”  Sunset placed a hoof on the foxes foreleg.  He shook, then looked down at the pillows in confusion, turning to face Sunset in surprise.

“Here, you can dream anything,” purred Sunset, stroking his ears and rubbing his chin.  “Here, you can do anything.  Here, all that you desire can come to pass.  Share with me your dreams, my master.  I will make your dreams come true!”

“Oh sweet goddess of the hunt! Thank you!” exclaimed the fox, shaking with excitement. “I have truly chosen well!”

Madam reclined on a chase, watching Sunset work. “Speak to me your dreams, oh master!  Let us live a night of delightful fantasy,” she purred into the foxes ear.

Shaking with excitement he answered her. “Yes!  Yes! Yes!”






Sunset pulled the fox up onto the bed with her, purring into his ears.  She gently stroked his ears, his head, his muzzle.  She rolled over, sitting astride him, sitting up with her forehooves on his chest.  She leaned down and breathed onto his twitching ears.

“Let us begin our night of passion and pleasure.  Remember me always from this night forever!” she breathed, her hooves stroking his face and rubbing his ears.  The fox’s eyes rolled back into his head, a huge smile on his muzzle.  He twitched, his tail flicking about wildly.

Sitting up, Sunset turned around and smiled at her Madam.  “And he’s off,” she grinned.  “The trick is the touch, not the words.  The words frame the suggestion, but the touch contains the magic, the power to make the suggestion into the passionate command, the intense experience that masks even the world around them,” she explained.

She rolled off the fox and trotted over to the table, pouring a glass of wine.  “Would my Madam like some wine?” she offered.

“I would, thank you,” replied Madam, still smiling.

Sunset carried the wine over to her Madam, offering it to her.  The Madam took it, sipping it.

Sunset returned to the table and poured herself a cup as well, returning to her Madam with it and sitting before her.  Sipping her own wine, she continued. “I will need to return to him shortly to maintain the illusion, but once it has begun it is capable of continuing on its own for a time.”

“Could you do this for more than one client at a time?” inquired the Madam.

“Yes, I have done that. The problem is the clients' suggestions are not always experienced the same, as their fantasies shape and power their experience.  So, when they later share their experiences they may find discrepancies. Usually when I have done this the desire is for them to have shared an experience, so discrepancies are not desired.  I must then be more artful in my suggestions, shaping them around their desires to craft the common experience.  As the sensing of their desires and fantasies then shaping the suggestion take some moments, I cannot maintain a completely consistent experience across more than five clients at a time, though three I can do comfortably.

Sunset took another sip of wine, then continued.  “If the consistency of the shared experience is not so important, I can do more, though there the limit is having to touch, sense, and renew the suggestions across a larger group before they break from the spell and lose the illusion which varies from client to client.  Over time I have developed a good sense of the limit for my clients, but effectively, I can handle no more than ten, maybe a dozen, at one time.”

“Truly impressive,” nodded her Madam.

“Thank you, mistress,” bowed Sunset.  She finished her wine.  “And I believe I need to return for a moment to reinforce his illusion.  Please excuse me.”

The Madam nodded to her.  Sunset returned her cup to the table, then hopping up on the bed, once again straddled the still twitching fox.

“My master, rouse to greater passions!  You have hunted me well!  Claim now the prize of your prowess!” she purred, gently enfolding his face in her hooves.  “Arouse me!  Bring my passion to its peak, to match your own!” she whispered, stroking his ears and muzzle.

She rolled back off of him, returning to her Madam.  The fox trashed and moaned joyfully on the bed.  Jerking and twitching, he seized and howled loudly.

The Madam laughed.  “We needed to get new bedding anyway.”






The fox roused, finding Sunset astride him, holding his head in her hooves.  She smiled down at him.  “Is my master not pleased?” she purred.

Grinning ear to ear, the fox replied.  “Your master is well pleased!  I have never experienced such joy before in my life,” he enthused.

Sunset rolled off him, moving down to the floor and bowing.  “I am pleased to have pleased you, Master,” she said.

The fox rolled and sprang from the bed, standing before the Madam. “I think I have found a new favorite!  Thank you for this experience!” he thanked her.

“Of course, vice counsel.  Your pleasure is our pleasure,” assured the Madam.  She turned to Sunset, still bowed to the floor.

“You are dismissed, Shimmering Sun.  Go clean up,” she commanded.

‘“As you command, my mistress,” stated Sunset, rising and leaving the room.  She shut the door.  Smiling, she trotted to the baths to clean and relax for the rest of the evening, satisfied that the next phase of her plane was in play.

She entered the bathroom and went to an open stall to complete her ablutions.  Done, she cleaned herself with the brush and bucket, then entered the bath.  Several vixen were already bathing, including Radiant Semblance, Pleasant Countenance, and Fragrant Flower. 

“Wow!  No bruises or cuts?  You did well, usually those picked by the beast come back in much worse shape,” observed Radiant.

“Wow, thanks for the warning!” laughed Sunset.  “He started out pretty rough,” agreed Sunset.  “But once I figured out his fantasies, he was clay in my hooves,” she smiled.

“I think you are the first I’ve seen to pass beneath him without some mark,” laughed Fragrant.

“I can believe it.  Are all like him, wanting only to hit, hurt, and maime?” Sunset asked.

“Goddesses no!” grinned Pleasant.  “If that were true none of us would survive it.  Most are happy to have a few good moments upon you, then leave.  There is a reason he alone is called the Beast.”

“That’s a relief,” sighed Sunset, leaning back into the warm water.  “I was afraid that they were all like him.  He is a bit much.”

“He is more than a bit much.  He’s a monster.  I heard he was banned once for killing a vixen.  He bit her throat and choked her out in front of her entire house.  She died of her injuries painfully later that day.  The Yak-uza banned him for a year from coming here,” stated Radiant.

Sunset blanched. “I will definitely be careful with him then.  Yikes.”

“Yeah no one wants to be picked by him. Sorry Shimmering, but we all breathed a huge sigh of relief when he picked you,” continued Radiant.

Sunset nodded. “I bet.  I had no idea.”

More joined them as their sessions with their clients were completed.  They all laughed and shared jokes about the clients they had served as they relaxed in the warm bath together.






Bath over and barred back in her room for the night, Sunset thought over her plans. Though the disclosure was not intended, Madam was clearly impressed by what she saw, and bought the story of Zebrican magic. Hopefully she was impressed enough to think of sending Sunset to the exotics brothel so she could find and rescue her missing Kitsune.

She laid down to sleep dreaming of her mentor and sisters.






She woke to the house mother’s knock on her door, rousing her to wake and prepare for the day then join them for breakfast. Sunset did this quickly, then trotted to the dining room. As she entered the discussion stopped, every vixen and mare staring at her. She smiled. 

“Good morning, everyone!” She chirped happily. 

One of the vixen’s blurted out, “How are you so happy?  How are you even walking?  You have not one scratch on you. Did I not see you picked by the beast?”

“You did. I fulfilled his every desire. He did not want to beat me after that,” Sunset smiled. 

Jaws dropped across the room. “No one has ever managed to slate the beast’s desires!  His deprivities are limitless!” Breathed the vixen.

“No. I definitely hit his limit,” Sunset smiled, sitting down next to her friends.  The conversations all started back up, several of the mares and vixens still staring at her. 

“Wow, who knew that would hit a nerve?” Sunset smiled at her friends as she sat.

“You have to admit it’s a pretty big thing,” grinned Radiant. “As I said before, no vixen or mare has passed beneath his claws unscathed. You are the first.”

“I might be the last,” stated Sunset. “He told Madam after our session he only wanted me from now on.”

“Would to the goddesses that were true,” groused Radiant. “You watch! You will see!  Madam will move you to the exotics brothel. Then we will be left to deal with his raging disappointment!” Fussed Radiant. 

“Why wouldn’t he just follow me to the exotics brothel then?” Asked Sunset. “Wouldn’t that make more sense?”

“He cannot!  The Yak-usa would never allow a confirmed vixen slayer near their most prized vixens!” Radiant continued. 

“They would if they knew the one the one mare who could rein him in was there. That he would pick no one else. They would be foolish to let him rage his disappointment here. I will even say that to their faces if they try it. If I go he has to go too for everyone’s sake,” Sunset countered. 

“Then I hope they listen to you,” said Radiant. “I really think if you go and he can't, another mare will die.”

“I certainly hope not!  I can’t let that happen to any of you,” Sunset assured them. “I’ll make them listen.”

“I pray to the goddesses you are right,” sighed Radiant.

The meal over, they joined their Madam for training then ate lunch. After, they parted ways with Sunset retiring to her room to practice her magic. Sunset was surprised to find Radiant waiting for her by her room. 

“Hey dear friend, did you need something from me?” Sunset asked as she entered her room.

“Yes!” Stated Radiant, entering with her and shutting the door. “Teach me this Zebrican magic you used!”

Sunset turned to her. “Where did you hear that?” she asked pointedly. “Only one other knew that and it was Madam herself!”

“That’s where I heard it!” Radiant answered, paws on Sunset’s shoulders. “She was telling the Yak-uza in charge of our house about it and I overheard it.”  She fell to her knees.  “Please Shimmering!  Please teach me this magic! Please teach me a way to not live in terror of our clients!”

Sunset looked down on her friend sadly. “Can Kitsune even do Zebrican magic?” She asked.

“We are magical creatures. I’m sure I could do it if you taught me!” Radiant insisted.

“Well it’s worth a shot. Hop up on the bed with me and we’ll give it a try,” Sunset replied, hopping up on her bed. 

Radiant hopped up beside her and Sunset put her hooves to her head. “First I need to check your imagination and suggestibility. If you are lacking in either, this magic may not work for you.”

Sunset let her magic spread from her hooves into her friend’s body, feeling her magical pathways and capacities. Sensing a well of deep magic within her, Sunset reached in and pulled the magic towards her friend’s mind, letting it flow in and around her thoughts. “Tell me what you are feeling and thinking now,” directed Sunset. 

“I feel powerful!” Gushed her friend. “I feel a warmth from deep inside me resting in my mind and enfolding my thoughts,” she added. 

“That is your magic,” nodded Sunset in answer. “You will need it for what we are about to do. Place your paws upon me and imagine moving through them into my mind, seeing what I think and dream. Feel yourself moving out from yourself into me,” Sunset instructed. From her position in her friend’s mind, she visualized pulling her friend’s thoughts into herself as she pushed down through her friend’s forelegs and into her paws, then through them back into herself, up through her shoulders and into her mind and thoughts. There with her friend she saw herself looking upon herself with her friend. 

“What do you see?” Sunset asked. 

“What is this?” Exclaimed her friend. “How can this be?  I see you beside me as I stare at you!  I felt myself pass from my mind and down out through my paws into you. And now I see your thoughts!” She puzzled excitedly.

“That is exactly what has happened,” Sunset confirmed. “I have traveled into your mind, and taken you on a journey back from your mind to my mind. This is the basis of the magic of suggestion. You travel through touch to the mind of your candidate. There in their mind you will see their dreams and desires. These you will use to shape their dreams, to suggest to them the reality of their dreams over their own placid lives.”

“When next you do this you will lope these paths alone, though for this first I shall assist you. I will now show you a dream of mine,” shared Sunset.

The image of Sunset before them faded, replaced by a happy image of her and her dear little sister Twilight sitting on a balcony, muzzles and paws covered in cake and frosting, both laughing like a couple of school fillies.

“Command me to relive this dream,” directed Sunset. “Make my dream new. Command me to sprout wings and fly my friend around the city below. Imagine it with me, then watch as I take ownership of the suggestion.”

Radiant did as instructed, imagining her friend sprouting a pair of pegasus wings, then pulling Twilight onto her back and taking off from the balcony, flying them happily around the city. 

“When you become accomplished at this, you’ll be able to leave the dream for a while and it will continue for a time in your absence.  Though for now I would ask you to stay and experience the dream with me so I can further instruct you,” suggested Sunset. Radiant nodded next to her. 

“Over time I will start to diverge from what you suggested, and if I stray far enough I will fall out of the dream and abruptly back into reality which will destroy the dream. You must be on guard for this and not let me stray, reinforcing or replacing your suggestion to bring me back into the dream. And when it is time to wake, you must bring me back to the place where I will wake to bridge the realities of the dream and waking. That will allow you subjects to feel authentically what they have dreamed was and is indeed real.”

Radiant nodded, observing all occurring before her with wonder. She watched her friend and Twilight as they soared happily through the city, diving down and racing over the heads of the ponies below them as they laughed together in joy. After a bit they drifted over to the edge of the city, racing down the river that cut through the city then down over the falls, looping and laughing as they shot through the mists of the falls.

As the two moved further from the castle Sunset and Radiant found themselves on a cloud, tailing behind the delighted pair as they continued their joyful flight.

“How is this?” Exclaimed Radiant excitedly. “How is it we appeared on a cloud and can still see them?”

“I told you to concentrate on my dream, to monitor me. Your mind has provided whatever constructs necessary to maintain that. We cannot be seen by them unless you want them to see us,” explained Sunset. “Note the usefulness of this technique. I am here with you and in the dream. You too can do this, replacing yourself in the dream with a dream construct. This is a safe way to allow the one whose dreams you are shaping to be with you as they desire without actually experiencing any psychic harm from their actions in their dream.

“I have used this technique to sate the violent lusts of many who wanted only to harm or kill me. While it is still disconcerting to watch yourself be raped or killed it is far less shocking then actually experiencing it,” Sunset replied. “As you probably suspect, it was this technique I used to satisfy the horrific urges of the one you called the Beast. It was unpleasant to watch him do those horrible things to me. But, as you noted, by this I was able to pass under his paw unscathed.”

“I so must learn this technique!” Radiant whispered in awe.

“And so you are,” encouraged Sunset. “Time for us to end this dream so you may make the attempt on your own. Suggest to me we return to the castle and then prepare for bed.”

“Return to the castle and get ready for bed,” Radiant said to her.

Sunset laughed. “No dear friend. Suggest to her.”  She pointed towards her dream self with a hoof.

Calling out, Radiant repeated, “Time to return to the castle and get ready for bed!”  The two mares left the spray of the falls, still laughing as they rose again above the fall then flew back through the city, Twilight still sitting astride her sister clinging tightly to her mane.

On their cloud, Radiant and Sunset followed.

Sunset and Twilight landed on the balcony, her wings disappearing as her hooves touched the balcony. Sunset teleported the evidence of their culinary misadventures away as she passed through to their apartment and into the bathroom, where the two washed then dove into the bath to finish cleaning up. Together the two exited the tub then dried and returned to the bedroom, snuggling up and the bed together. As Sunset fell asleep, Twilight snuggled up in her grasp, the dream faded from around them and they were once again laying in her bed in her brothel bedroom. 

Radiant looked up in wonder at her friend and saw the tears flowing freely from her eyes. “Shimmering, are you okay?  What’s wrong?  Have I hurt you?” She asked in concern. 

Sunset smiled over at her. “Only in the best way possible,” she cried happily. “That filly is like a sister to me, dearer to my heart than my own life. Seeing her again, even just in a dream, reminded me of how much I miss and love her.”  Radiant reached over and hugged her.

“I am sorry for your loss,” she comforted.

“I know in my heart someday I will see her again,” Sunset smiled, hugging her friend back. “And so you see the power of dreams. Even I, who knew she was in a dream, cannot be unmoved by them. And this will be the power you will wield over those who come before you. Are you ready to embrace that power?” Sunset grinned. 

“Yes!” Radiant enthusiastically agreed.

“Then let us begin again,” Sunset instructed.






Sunset talked Radiant through three more sessions, only speaking when necessary to assist or assure her friend. By the third session Radiant managed the entire process herself. 

“I did it! I did it!  I can do Zebrican magic!” She enthused. 

“Yes you can and yes you did!” Agreed Sunset happily. “Next you will need to practice it on someone besides me. Maybe Pleasant and Fragrant can join us next time?”

“I will ask them,” agreed Radiant. 

“Who knows? Perhaps they will also be able to use this magic,” suggested Sunset. 

“I certainly hope so!” Exclaimed Radiant. “If we can use this to satisfy our clients instead of offering them our bodies to use we will be much safer!”

“That’s the truth,” Sunset agreed. “I would be dead several times over were it not for this magic.”

There was a knock on the door. “Enter!” Sunset called out. 

The door opened and the house mother poked her head in. “It’s time to gather for dinner,” she called to them, retreating and moving on to the next door. Radiant and Sunset hopped of the bed and left the room, Sunset shutting the door behind them. Together they joined Pleasant and Fragrant on thier way to the dining room as Radiant shared with them what they had accomplished that afternoon. 

“Please keep this a secret,” begged Sunset. “If everyone finds out about this it could leak to the clients and they might not like being deceived. This should stay just between us for now!”

The vixens agreed. They entered the dining hall and joined Sunset at her table. 

The house mother served tea and dinner while the house residents chatted among themselves at their tables. Sunset and her friends talked in lowered voices about the Zebrican technique she had used to sate the beast unmarked while Radiant gushed in enthusiasm about her experience using the magic that afternoon. 

“We want you both to join us tomorrow afternoon for more lessons and practice. As Radiant can clearly use this magic it’s our hope that the two of you will be able to master it as well,” explained Sunset. 

Pleasant and Fragrant nodded excitedly. Plans made, the vixens and Sunset finished their dinner then left to prepare for their nightly session. 






Sunset retired to the communal bathroom and completed her ablutions, then washed up and returned to her room. There she used the cracked mirror on her desk and cosmetics to apply her makeup in the Kitsune fashion. Satisfied with her results, she removed her still clean robe from the drawer and put it on. Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, she gave a wink and headed out the door to the hall, where she took her place in line at the end and waited to enter. 

Once again, as her turn came to enter she appeared completely aloof, bowing to Madam the trotting nose held high to her bed at the end of the line. She hopped upon it, laying once again forelegs stretched out before her, bored and examining the tapestries around her bed. 

A large and heavily tattooed yak sat beside Madam’s bed. Sunset glanced over towards him, noticing he had been glaring intensely at her the entire time. Smirking, she raised an eyebrow at him and grinned. He grinned back, his breath visibly steaming as it passed over the nose ring that hung over his upper lip. 

Still grinning, the yak lumbered over to Sunset’s bed. “Mare! I hear you know how to show a yak a good time!” He bellowed. 

Still smiling and staring straight back, Sunset soothed. “I know how to show anyone a good time. Every time with me is a good time.” Grinning widely Sunset continued. “What is my master’s bidding?”

Still grinning, the yak headed for the door.  “I will show you. Come!” He called out over his shoulder. 

Sunset left the bed and trotted after him, turning to Madam for instructions on the way out. Madam just smiled and waved her on. Sunset shrugged and continued after the yak. 

When they were in the hallway with the door closed Sunset called out. “Master, where are we going?”

“My personal party room,” answered the yak. “Just follow me.” 

“Yes, Master,” Sunset replied, trotting along behind him.

He led her back to the second stairs that led to the top floor of the brothel. Stepping out into the central patio she saw one of the larger rooms in the back corner had been decorated beautifully. It was well lit, with bowls of fruit and jugs of wine and nectar laid out for their enjoyment. The yak settled into the bed and turned to Sunset. “Feed me,” he bellowed. 

Sunset took a basket of fruit and hopped up on the bed next to him.  Sitting down facing him she placed a dangle of grapes before his lips and gently lowered them into his mouth. He leaned up and snapped his lips around the bunch, stripping them all off and swallowing them with one bite. 

“Are you trying to starve me slave!  Feed me!” He bellowed again. 

Sunset placed an apple in his mouth which he immediately chewed and swallowed. Sunset quickly worked her way through the entire basket. 

With his last bite, Sunset suggested, “Would my master like some wine to go with his fruits?”

“Yes, fetch me wine!” Agreed the yak loudly. Sunset rose, taking the now empty basket with her and returned to the table. She took a cup and one of the pitchers of wine and returned to the yak’s side.  Pouring wine into the cup she held it up to the yak. 

“Your wine, master,” she said. The yak just glared at her and opened his mouth. Internally Sunset groaned. She carefully held the cup to his lips and poured the wine into his mouth and over his tongue as he lapped it greedily. When the cup was empty he glared at her, so she refilled it and poured it carefully into his mouth again.

She repeated this several more times until the pitcher was empty. She then left his side to get more wine and fruit but he grabbed her roughly. “Who said you could leave slave!  You’re a unicorn! Use your magic!” He cuffed her upside her head.

“As you are no doubt aware, master, I cannot. You have ringed in my magic so I no longer have it. I will fetch what you need now,” Sunset reasoned. She once again rose to leave. 

He roughly grabbed her again and pulled her to him. “Maybe I want something more fun. Maybe I want to hear you scream,” growled the yak. He yanked her head down to his and evilly glared into her eyes. “I’m going to drink deeply your blood and terror,” he smiled. 

‘Buck this,’ Sunset thought. Smiling back, Sunset cupped his massive head in her hooves. “And I will give you a night you will never forget,” she purred as his eyes rolled back into his head. When he was completely insensate, she rose from the bed and crossed over to the table. Pouring herself a glass of spiced wine from the pitcher, she tossed it back and shook her head. 

“What an unpleasant individual,” she commented to herself. 

“I assure you, you don’t know the half of it,” agreed a voice behind her. She turned to find Madam sitting behind her smirking. 

“Madam,” exclaimed Sunset, bowing. “Once again, I didn’t hear you enter. You are quite stealthy, my mistress.”

“A talent I possess that has served me well,” agreed Madam. Sunset poured a cup of spiced wine and brought it to her mistress. Madam took it smiling. 

“So attentive! I think I shall miss you when you move on,” smiled her Mistress. 

“Move on? Madam, I don’t understand?” Sunset dissembled. 

“I have advised our masters of your talents. Given what I have seen here and before, I fully expect they will be moving a mare of your skills to their more valuable properties soon. I hate to lose your skills, but I will be well considered for making them aware of your talents,” explained Madam, sipping her wine. 

Madam continued, “But I won’t really be losing those talents, will I?”  She grinned. “So tell me of your time with my Radiant. She has learned the practice of your art?”

Sunset poured herself another cup of wine, and refilled her Madam’s cup. Taking a sip of her wine, Sunset smiled. “I can see how you have earned your position, my mistress. Nothing escapes your notice. Yes, I was not sure Zebrican arts would work with your Kitsune magic, but was delighted to find working with Radiant yesterday that not only does it, but she is a capable and willing student. She was already mastered the basics of the craft in one afternoon and ran through several sessions with me as her mentor and subject. We have invited Pleasant and Fragrant to join us tomorrow for a session where I will have her teach them, as nothing firms up knowledge like teaching it to another.”

“Please keep me informed of how this proceeds,” instructed Madam.

Sunset nodded. “Of course, my mistress. It will be done.”  The yak started to twitch on the bed. “If my mistress will excuse me, I have a very unpleasant fantasy to continue.”

Madam grinned and raised her cup. Sunset bowed then jumped back up on the bed, whispering into the yaks ears as Madam finished her wine and left. 

Several hours later, Sunset reappeared before Madam, looking cowed being pulled by her mane by the yak. “Your claims of her skills were understated!  I have never had such an interesting experience with a mare. I will make a place for her with my prized possessions. Have her ready for me in two days!” He bellowed, tossing her to Madam.

Madam nodded as Sunset laid on the floor. She looked down in concern at Sunset, who winked back at her hidden from the yak’s view. Madam smiled. “It will be as you command,” she bowed. 

The yak grunted and left. Sunset looked up, smiling. “Madam, you called it,” she grinned. 

“Indeed I did. You are dismissed for the evening, Shimmering. Do not disappoint us,” she smiled, waving Sunset off. Sunset bowed, then left, heading for the baths. 

She entered the bathroom and performed her ablutions, then washed herself thoroughly and joined her friends and several others in the bath. 

“Do you know who that was who selected you?” Radiant asked. 

“A brute with fantasies that would make the Brute blush?” Laughed Sunset. 

“Besides that,” laughed Radiant back. “That was the clan leader! It’s he who owns all of us and the brothels. And you smile!  Truly you will not be with us long!”

“You’re not wrong,” agreed Sunset more seriously. “I am to be moved from here by the day after tomorrow. We really must move your lessons along so you are prepared to practice my arts without me. I would not leave you helpless once I am gone.”

“What can we do? Will the few hours we have tomorrow be enough?” Asked Radiant. 

“I don’t know. I would rather we worked together tonight too to be safe. Is that possible?” Sunset answered. 

“Technically no. But I will arrange something with our mother. She will help us,” whispered Radiant. Sunset nodded. 

When the time came, they all exited the tub, dried and returned to their rooms. Radiant excused herself to seek out the house mother. Sunset returned to her room and laid out on her bed, waiting to see what would happen. 

A short time later her door was partially opened and a yak looked in. Seeing her on her bed he grunted then shut and barred the door. 

Several minutes later Sunset heard her door being unbarred and opened. Radiant, Pleasant, and Fragrant were there with the house mother. She motioned them in then closed and barred the door behind them. 

Sunset motioned them over to the bed. “Come on up ladies. Don’t know if you heard but our time together is short. Radiant and I are going to teach you the Zebrican art of Suggestion.”

The vixen’s crossed the room and climbed up on the bed around Sunset.  This was going to be a long night. 

Sunset watched as Radiant entered her friends minds, explaining to them what she was doing and guiding them through the process. Radiant crafted a shared experience for them with only minor suggestions and clarifications from Sunset throughout the process. Sunset was proud of how well her friend had grasped the fundamentals of mind magic, intuitively walking her friends through the process as well.

Once the shared experience was complete, they split up, Radiant working with Fragrant and Sunset with Pleasant. They let their partners take them through a session, then traded partners and went again. To the delight of all of them both Pleasant and Fragrant proved apt and able studies, with more than enough magical prowess to handle the skill. By the time the morning came and the house mother knocked on the door to rouse them for breakfast, Pleasant and Fragrant had both led several sessions each and taken a turn at teaching the craft as well. Sunset felt much better after this as they used the bathroom to perform their ablutions, washed, and joined their fellow residents for breakfast. 

After breakfast, their session with Madam, and lunch, they decided to each try taking other residents with them to teach. Radiant, Pleasant, and Fragrant each pulled aside vixens they thought might be interested to work with them while Sunset approached the mares. 

“Mares, how would you like to learn some Zebrican magic?” Sunset asked. They all responded enthusiastically, so the six of them met at Sunset’s room where she stepped them through a shared session. 

“That’s not Zebrican magic! That’s forbidden mind magic! And how are you doing that?” One one the unicorn mare’s challenged. “Were you not ringed like us?”

Sunset silenced her. “First, it is Zebrican magic or how would I do it? I am clearly ringed as you are as you can plainly see. And secondly even why would you say that even if it were true? Do you not wish to learn this technique? Would you rather invite the wrath of our masters?” She challenged. The mare cringed in apology. “Never question or show doubt before our so called masters. Never give them a reason to doubt or punish us. Remain united before them. That is our one strength.” She then continued with their lessons. All six proved both motivated and adept at the craft. 

By the time the house mother came to gather them for dinner, Sunset was confident in thier ability to guide their clients through a session. Happy with the progress they had made, she joined her friends at their table. 

The vixens where enthusiastic, sharing their stories of success as well. Sunset was hearted by this and shared her successes as well. Together the friends enjoyed their meal, then parted to prepare for the evening’s work. 

The Beast was back, anxious for another session. He moved to Sunset immediately, grabbing her and dragging her behind him. Sunset winked at her friends as she passed, dragged along by the Beast to the Zanzibar room. There once again she fulfilled his every fantasy. When he was completely spent she begged him release her, which he happily did.

She reported to her Madam, sharing with her the success she had training her friends in the Art of Zebrican Suggestion, as well as their success in training others. Her Madam was beyond delighted with this news, dismissing her for the evening. 

Sunset performed her ablutions, washed, then joined her friends in the bath.

“I was able to use your art of suggestion with my client this evening!” Enthused Radiant. “He said never has he felt so fulfilled!  He is recommending his friends come to experience what I have offered.”

“The same for me!” Exclaimed Fragrant. 

“Me too!” Nodded Pleasant.

“That’s wonderful!” Agreed Sunset. “I’m so pleased that you were able to learn so quickly and use the art. This will surely help keep you safer going forward.”

“May the goddesses will it!” Nodded Radiant, her friends nodding as well. 

The four enjoyed their last bath together, knowing Sunset was to be moved the following day. When the time came to retire for the night, they dried off and with hugs retired for the evening. Sunset slept soundly knowing that she was leaving the mares and vixens better prepared to protect themselves from the dangers they were being forced to live with. 

The next morning, Sunset rose and after quickly performing her morning ablutions and washing, she headed to the dining room to join her friends for breakfast. As she emerged from the stairwell two Yaks stood before her, blocking her way. 

“Masters, may I help you?” Asked Sunset, coming to a stop. 

The Yaks parted, showing the Yak-uza boss behind them. He reached forward and grabbed her by her mane. “I am your master!” He roared. He pulled her along behind him. 

“Master! Wait, I beg you!” Sunset shouted. “Please let the one known as the Beast follow after me!” She begged. “Do not leave him to vent his wrath on my sisters!”

The yak stopped. Turning, he faced her, face flushed with rage. He yanked her hard forward, holding her by her mane up to his face, her forelegs dangling under her. “You dare tell Me what to do!  You dare tell me what to do!” He screamed. He slammed her face into the wall. She slumped unconscious in his grasp. 

Dragging her along behind him, he exited the brothel with his guards, throwing her into a trunk in the back of his carriage and locking the lid before climbing into the carriage with his guards and driving off.
> 12 - Sunset - Exotics
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset regained consciousness slowly. She cracked open her eyes to see a concerned Kitsune vixen looking down at her worriedly. She felt a cool cloth placed on her muzzle. 

“Where am I?” She groaned. She moved to turn her head to better face the vixen but flinched and stopped. “Okay nope. Not doing that. Ouch,” she breathed. 

“You are in the Exotics Brothel. You were dropped off by the Yak-uza several hours ago and left on our steps with instructions to make you presentable for service. You were concussed with a shattered muzzle. I have been working my healing arts on you for hours but was concerned when you we’re taking so long to awaken. I am greatly relieved to see you rouse,” answered the vixen as she placed more cool clothes on her muzzle and face. 

“Of thank the Maker, it worked,” breathed Sunset, sighing in relief. 

“What do you mean?” Asked the vixen. 

“Nothing. I was just afraid I was heading somewhere horrible,” said Sunset.

She thought back to those last moments. When she first saw the Yak-uza boss she had reached out to touch his mind, thinking to confirm he was here to bring her to this brothel.

Instead, to her horror she realized he had no intention of bringing her to the exotics brothel, instead intending to keep her at his mansion as his personal plaything. In a panic, she realized she had to stop him from doing so immediately. Recalling her promise to her leash sisters she blurted out her request, knowing he would be angered by it. And just as her head was about to meet the wall she planted in his mind a revulsion of her for her disrespect, with the thought that having her serve clients at the Exotics brothel would be the most fitting punishment for her insolence. She blacked out from her injury before she could complete the read to confirm the suggestion had taken. 

It had worked though. Thank the Maker it had worked. She was here, she hoped finally caught up with the goal of her entire operation, the missing Kitsune kidnapped off the streets of Baltimare over a week ago.  She laid back in relief.

“When you are feeling well enough I will fetch for you some food and drink. Healing magic takes much from your body. You will need to replenish your energy,” explained the vixen, dragging Sunset back to the present. 

“Thank you,” Sunset replied. “I could perhaps sip some water or juice, though as you just saw I can’t yet move my head without pain.”  Sunset shut her eyes, running her senses throughout her body looking for other injuries. Aside from some almost healed bruises and cuts and some clumps of missing mane that were quickly growing back she was fine. “By any chance, are you the leash mother of this brothel?” She asked. 

“Yes, I am. You may call me mother. Did you come from one of the other brothels?  The yaks who left you at our doorstep were rather terse,” the vixen replied. 

“I did. The leader of the Yak-uza decided I was perhaps more suited to the services provided here. Apparently insulted by a request I made for my leash sisters, he saw fit to beat me first. My name in the previous brothel was Shimmering Sun,” answered Sunset. 

“That was very noble of you to think of your leash sisters. What were you requesting that set him off so harshly?  Though in truth it takes very little to set our masters off,” asked the mother as she worked. 

“I honestly knew it may offend him. But for the very lives of my sisters I had to ask. I requested the one known as the beast be allowed to follow me here,” Sunset answered. 

“The beast!” She exclaimed, nearly dropping the rag she was mostening. “Why in the goddesses' names would you ask for such a thing?” She asked in shock. 

“Because I alone of my entire leash could pass under his claws unscathed. I cannot bear the thought of my dear friends, my sisters, suffering under his cruelties,” replied Sunset in earnest. 

The vixen leaned down and hugged her. “You are a kind and generous soul to have such concern for your leash.”  She sat back up and resumed placing cool clothes on Sunset’s face and muzzle, putting the now warm ones back in the cool water. “Please do not take this the wrong way, but I am glad they didn’t honor your request. It was in this very brothel the beast killed a vixen in his uncontrolled rage. I still recall the horror of that night. We wept and begged the masters to never allow him to return. I did not know they had provided him access to other brothels. I am sorry for your sisters, but I know there are many here who would nearly die of fright were he to appear again.

“And to be truthful I would fear for you as well. Just because he is playing well with you now as his new favorite toy does not mean he will do so always,” added the vixen. 

“I still would rather face him myself than let him near my leashmates,” sighed Sunset. 

“Perhaps the goddesses will have mercy on us and drop a large building upon him,” snickered the mother. 

“Or strike him with bolts of lightning and fry him like a well cooked fish,” agreed Sunset. 

The vixen laughed. “One may hope,” she agreed.  Sunset joined her in laughter. 

Sunset laid back. “Thank you for that. I have not laughed that hard in awhile,” she grinned. 

“Nor I,” agreed the vixen. “I think if you are now well enough to laugh so hard you should be well enough to eat. Wait here and I will return with some supper.”

“Supper? I guess you weren’t kidding about being out a few hours,” Sunset smiled. The vixen smiled back as she left, closing the door. 

Sunset looked around the room she was in. She was laying on a well made bed, silk sheets covering a comfortably firm mattress with several down pillows tossed about. On the opposite wall a large picture window looked out over a beautifully maintained garden, a small stream running through it with curved wooden bridges spanning it strategically in several locations. A goldfish leapt from the stream, catching an insect that was hovering over the water. She could see a water movement mechanism that slowly filled up with water, dumping into the stream with a clack and flutter before settling back into place to gently fill the bucket again. Back in the room, on the wall between the large window and bed was a beautiful desk and mirror with a lamp, currently lit, that flooded the room with a warm diffuse light. On the opposite side of the room was a stunningly crafted mahogany table, low to the floor and surrounded by sitting pillows in the Nipponies fashion.   The door to the room was by the head of her bed. The inlays of the door were carved with scenes from the land’s folklore, Kitsune foxes and vixens dancing and portraying important moments in their history. 

The door opened, the vixen returning with a basket that filled the room with heavenly scents sending Sunset’s stomach rumbling.  Smiling, the vixen closed the door and placed the basket on the table. 

“I was enjoying the view from the window. The garden is beautiful. Your room is very beautiful,” commented Sunset. 

“Thank you,” replied the vixen as she set out the food, preparing a tray for Sunset to eat from. “But I think you are mistaken.”

“How is that?” Asked Sunset. 

“This is your room, not mine. Though all our rooms are like this,” commented the vixen as she poured juice into a cup from a pitcher pulled from the basket. 

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Do you feel well enough to join me at the table, or do I need to feed you in bed?  And you heard me. This is your room,” the vixen replied, pulling cushions out for both of them and sitting at the table. 

“Wow,” Sunset said, getting up from the bed and joining the leash mother at the table. “Thank you,” she added, taking the tray from the vixen and enjoying the food. “This is delicious.”

“You are welcome,” replied the vixen passing her the cup of juice as well. Sunset took it in her hooves and drank slowly. 

“My room is actually just across the garden from yours,” informed the vixen as she munched on a fried prawn. 

“Thank you for healing me,” Sunset added, munching on a prawn of her own. “I had heard of the lavish state of the exotics brothel. I didn’t think it applied to our living spaces as well.”

“Yes, all the house is elegant. We are surrounded by elegance to remind us of our elegance. It is a state of being I strive to maintain among all my leash, with my Madam’s full support,” insisted the house mother. “And it is my responsibility and joy to use my skills to heal you. I care deeply for all in my leash.”

“I have a friend, a vixen, whom I’ve not seen in weeks. She is a three tailed, a dear friend. I heard she was moved here as well. I hoped to see her again,” added Sunset, eating a squash filled dumpling. 

“Perhaps you mean 眠りの花 (Nemurinohana, Sleeping Flower). She arrived two weeks ago. She is a three tailed,” noted the mother. 

“I guess I‘ll know when I see her,” agreed Sunset. “Sleeping Flower. That was not her name when I knew her if she is the same vixen.”

“She could not give her name when she came here, so our Madam named her,” clarified the mother. “In fact she hardly spoke at all, and when she did no one could understand what she said.”

“I can understand that. When I was first taken, I spoke only my own tongue and couldn’t understand what anyone said. My friend spoke ponish and nipponesse, so it is possible she is Sleeping Flower.  If I may ask though, why would Madam name her sleeping flower? That seems an odd name for a vixen,” asked Sunset. 

“She is an odd vixen. She apparently has a condition that requires daily medication, which our masters have provided. Perhaps because of this, she is always sleepy and confused. She is a very popular resident however.  Many seek her company. And none have complained of her services,” added the mother. 

“Even if she is not my friend, she sounds like a good leash mate. And I could help her learn the tongue if she needs, as I myself had to learn,” offered Sunset as she finished her miso soup. “This is very delicious, by the way. Thank you.”

“You are welcome. It is an old family recipe. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” smiled the mother. 

“Did you prepare all this?” Asked Sunset.

“As the leash mother, it is my duty and happiness to provide and protect my leash. Yes, that includes your health in all aspects,” affirmed the mother.

They finished the meal, and the mother straightened up the table, returning everything to the basket. “The rest of your leash sisters are currently working. Come, I will show you around our house, then show you the baths where you can introduce yourself to your sisters when they finish.” 

Taking the basket, the mother lead her out into the house. 

The house was a single story, built around the perimeter of the central garden. Each of the residents had two bedrooms facing the central garden, one, like the one Sunset just left, for sleeping and living, and another, more lavish but also simpler, for entertaining and sating their clients’ appetites. A hall surrounded that, on the other side of which was the rest of the rooms. The back of the house was the offices, kitchen, dining hall, baths, and other areas. The very front of the house was the greeting hall, structured similarly to the house Sunset had left. Lavish, with beds for her and each of her leash mates for presentation, Madam’s bed placed at the front.  The line of presentation beds were separated by a large entryway to the perimeter hallway. And directly across the hall from this arching entryway was the arched, gated and locked entrance to the central garden. The message was clear. The garden was there to see, but only the invited had access. It was not a place for curious visitors. Sunset found out the garden was only for her and her leash mates. It was a place of solace and reflection. It was not for their work. It was only for them.

One major difference Sunset noticed was a complete absence of yaks. Sunset commented on this. The mother explained that it was unique to the exotics. In order to maintain the mystique of the brothel, the yaks didn’t enter unless needed. They counted on Madam and the mother to manage the household and care and protect their leash. They only time that had ever failed had been the incident with the beast, which they had dealt with by forbidding him any future access.

The tour over, the mother led her to the baths. “Unlike your leash mate Sleeping Flower, you will keep you name. Please introduce yourself to your leash sisters as they retire from their work to join you. I must return to my tasks to prepare for the new day.” 

Sunset thanked the mother, then performing her ablutions, she scrubbed up then entered the tub to soak. 

As the evening wore on, Sunset greeted her new leash sisters as they joined her in the tub. There were vixens of course, and mares, though only six again counting herself. She had expected more ponies considering it was the exotics brothel.  There were two of each tribe this time. There were also two Kirin mares.

The one creature Sunset did not see was her three tailed friend. When she asked where Sleeping Flower was, several vixens volunteered that she often didn’t come to the baths if she was feeling especially sleepy or confused, returning to her room instead.

“Oh, I was so hoping to meet her and see if she was the three tailed Kitsune vixen I befriended before,” sighed Sunset. “Would it be possible to visit her before bed, do you think?”

“I suspect she will not be up to receiving any visitors if she is too tired to bathe. But her room is the Jade room, three doors down from the dining hall if you wish to try to visit,” answered one of the vixens. 

Thanking her for the information, Sunset dried then bid her leash sisters a good night. She trotted out into the hall, then down to the dining hall looking for the third door past. She saw the door, jade inlaid and named Jade in the room placard. She knocked gently on the door with her hoof. 

“Enter,” called out a vixen from inside. 

Opening the door, Sunset was surprised to find the leash mother leaning over another vixen, a three tail, her face and muzzle turned away from Sunset. The mother was gently washing the vixen with a lightly soaped rag and a basin of warm water. 

“Shimmering!” Greeted the mother. “I was wondering if you would show up,” she smiled. 

Sunset shut the door and crossed the room. “How can I help?” She asked, stopping next to the mother. 

“I am almost done bathing her. If you can, please start drying her hind paws and legs, then gently dry her tails,” suggested the mother as she carefully cleaned her ears and muzzle. 

Sunset took a towel and started drying her lower paws, working her way up her hind legs. As she dried the vixen, she reached out and into her mind, feeling for her experiences and confirmation this vixen was her target. She drifted through her memories, trying not to stir anything up that would spark fear or discomfort. She saw face after face, Kitsune fox and Yak, looking down at her as she drifted back through the vixen’s memories. As she continued drying her tails, Sunset continued further back, seeing yak after yak. She felt a spike of terror rising in the vixen, so she sent soothing feelings of love and warmth to the vixen through her mind, calming her thoughts enough she could continue. She then felt and saw the inside of a familiar shipping container, broken by occasional views of a stallion’s face.

Sunset continued moving back through the vixen’s memories. She dried her last tail as she moved finally into memories from before her transport. She saw the face of the very same stallion who had captured her. She saw the vixen fighting back, biting and tearing at the stallion, tearing his jacket and drawing both his blood and his ire. She then moved further back, and saw the smiling face of Kaede, the very Kitsune vixen who had been with her as she started her search by allowing herself to be captured. 

“Aiko, I have found you,” Sunset cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

“Shimmering Sun, are you well? Why are you crying?” Asked the house mother.

“She’s my friend,” smiled Sunset. “This is my friend Aiko.  But what happened to her? She was full of life before. My friend was full of life. Not this sleeping creature.”

“I cannot say, though we both know the likely answer. It doesn’t do to speak ill of our masters. Anything said that returns to them will be cause for regrets,” cautioned the mother. 

“Seeing my dear friend like this, I don’t care who hears. I’m filled with anger by what they’ve done to her. I want to rip the throats out of those who did this to her,” Sunset seethed. 

The mother blanched. “I cannot say I have ever seen a mare so angry. I did not know ponies even thought of ripping throats out. You speak like a Kitsune warrior.”

“I am not a normal mare,” agreed Sunset. “I have spilled the blood of my enemies. And yet here I am, caught up in the same web as my friend, though clearly not suffering as deeply as her.”  She pulled the vixen to her, holding her tightly. “I will not fail you, dear friend. I have found you now, and I will not fail you.”

The house mother held them both.

Sunset did not return to her room that night, requesting instead permission from the mother to stay the night with her friend. Moved by her concern, the mother agreed, leaving them in the room together.

Sunset continued her magical scans. The mother left the vixen’s nightly dose of medication with Sunset as well. In scanning it Sunset found large quantities of the mind altering substances that had been added to her food. She scowled. Bastards. Taking the entire package of medication she left the room briefly, going to the bathroom and dumping all the laced drugs down the toilet drains. Returning to the room, she laid next to Aiko, resting her hooves upon her and flooding her body and mind with her healing magic. She worked the night through, cleansing and clearing the fog from the vixen, easing her pain and comforting her in her suffering.

By early morning, the vixen yawned, opening her eyes to see Sunset sitting astride her, gently massaging her temples with her hooves. She looked up at her sadly. “Have you come to shame me, too?” She asked. 

“No dear friend. I have come to bring you home. I am called Shimmering Sun here, but am known by other names elsewhere,” smiled Sunset down to her.

“No one has come for me,” sighed the vixen. “Only those who use me come for me now. I am one of the forgotten.”

“Kaede has not forgotten you. Your friends have not forgotten you, Aiko. I have not forgotten you. They sent me to find you and bring you home. You have not been forgotten,” comforted Sunset. 

“How do you know my true name?” Cried Aiko. “How do you know Kaede?  No one here knows these names!”

“Shh! They have sent me here to bring you home. I will free you from our masters and reunite you with your family and friends,” answered Sunset. 

“My family will surely change their minds when they find I’ve been soiled. I will not survive this dishonor,” lamented the vixen. 

“You surely will, as I myself will stand beside you,” comforted Sunset. “Even if your family forsakes you your friends will not.”  She held the vixen close. “I will get you home. And I will keep you safe.”

The vixen looked to Sunset. “Please do not take offense, but how can you, a single small mare, protect me from our masters or my family?”

“Do not be concerned, I take no offense. Many have underestimated me. Some of them still live, though none who have threatened me or mine,” answered Sunset.

“Who are you?” Asked Aiko in amazement.

“I am a friend of your friend Kaede. I have been sent by my princess at the request of her and your Counsel. I am trained in the arts of war, statesmareship, and spy craft. My princess had complete confidence in my abilities. Your life is safe in my hooves,” assured Sunset. 

“I did not know mares such as you existed,” stated the amazed Aiko.

“Not many live who do,” agreed Sunset. “Those who we are sent against do not fare well. Those who we are sent to save fare considerably better.”  She smirked.

Sunset continued. “So I allowed myself to be captured by the same stallion who captured you. Made possible by your bravely fighting back against him, my respect and thanks to you for that. Then when shipped over here, I worked my way through the Yak-uza and brothels to find you, though fortunately have found you on the second attempt, the Maker be praised. And finding you, I was able to use healing magic to clear the drugs from your system. And now we must strengthen you and plan our escape.”

“No one has ever returned from the hell we are in,” answered Aiko.

“Two will have by the time we are done,” smiled Sunset. 

Aiko smiled back. “Your confidence is contagious. I almost believe myself we will do this.”

Sunset grinned back. “There is no almost. Now that I am with you it has become a matter of when, no longer if.  We will delay long enough to allow you to strengthen, then we will make good our escape.  You will not be taking any more clients in the meantime however. I will take care of that.”

“How do you intend to do that? I cannot imagine the mother or Madam will allow me to idle while the rest of the leash labors,” asked Aiko.

“The mother is sympathetic to your plight. I believe she will allow me to remain with you while you recover fully. I will use my own arts to sate your clients and my own. I will keep you safe as you recover,” answered Sunset. 

“How will you satisfy clients who have come for bragging rights to have bedded a three tailed?  Even if you were the most amazing mare in all creation you could not cover that,” Aiko commented. 

“I am skilled in the Zebrican arts of suggestion. I will merely suggest they desire me, not you. And that I have satisfied them fully. I am sure they will agree,” countered Sunset. 

“I have never heard of this art,” replied Aiko. “Though it sounds very useful.”

“It is a closely guarded secret,” agreed Sunset. “And it has saved my life on many occasions. And now I will use it to save yours.”

Aiko nodded. “Thank you.”

There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” replied Sunset. 

The door opened and the house mother looked inside. “Good morning, Shimmering Sun, how fares…” She stopped mid sentence as she noticed Aiko sitting up and staring directly back at her.

“Sleeping Flower, you're awake!” She called out in amazement, entering the room and shutting the door. “By the goddesses you are awake! “ She ran over to the vixen, enfolding her in a hug. “Oh, thank the goddesses you are awake.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. And who is Sleeping Flower?” 

Sunset laughed. “That’s you, Aiko. That’s your name here. I’m Shimmering Sun. And you’re Sleeping Flower. Though I think you are done with the sleeping part.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ve had enough brain fog for a lifetime, thanks,” agreed Aiko. 

The house mother turned to Sunset. “Your Zebrican magics must be strong to have cleared the effects so quickly. Was it as you thought?” She asked. 

“Yes. The medication has nothing but strong hallucinogens to enforce docility and suggestibility. I disposed of it,” replied Sunset.   “I was able to enhance her bodies regenerative functions to clear it out using my Zebrican touch. My friend is back!” Smiled Sunset. “I have a request though,” she amended. 

“What’s that?” Asked the house mother. 

“She is undrugged and recovering. Let me take her requests while she recovers. When they come for her, let me be there too and I will satisfy them so she may heal,” requested Sunset. 

“You would do this for your friend?” Asked the mother, surprised. 

“I would die for my friends if need be, so yes,” replied Sunset. 

“I see no reason to deny it. I will request permission from our Madam, and let you know our decision,” replied the mother.  Turning to Aiko, she asked, “Sleeping Flower, will you be joining us for breakfast?”

Aiko turned to Sunset in response. Sunset replied. “We may not want everyone to see just how different you are now that you’re undrugged. Can you still act as if you are dazed and confused?” She asked Aiko. Aiko nodded. “Then as long as you can keep up that facade we should be okay. I’ll stay by your side the whole time.”

“Then we are good. Wash up please and join us all for breakfast. And, Sleeping Flower, or whatever your true name is?  It is good to finally really meet you,” said the house mother as she moved off, heading for the other rooms to rouse them for breakfast as well. 

Sunset levitated a wet rag over and started cleaning Aiko’s muzzle and face. Aiko looked shocked. “Are you not ringed?  I thought ringed unicorns had their magic bound and could not do magic?” She asked incredulously. 

“That’s correct. I’m ringed same as all my unicorn sisters. I cannot do unicorn magic,” agreed Sunset as she cleaned her own face with the rag using levitation. “I’m not using unicorn magic. I’m using Zebrican magic. Zebras don’t have or use horns, so the ring has no affect on it.”

Aiko laughed. “I can see why your princess sent you. You are quite the unstoppable filly,” she smiled. “And what other surprises do you have under that grin of yours?”

“You’ll just have to follow me and find out,” teased Sunset. “Come on, Sleeping Flower, let’s go eat!”

“Lead on, Shimmering Sun.” Agreed Aiko. Together the two left the room, heading for the common dining room. 

Mindful of the need to not fully give away the full scope of her recovery, Aiko kept her head bowed, and gave the appearance of being still confused and dazed.

They entered the dining hall together. One of the vixen’s called out. “You found your friend!”

“I did!” Agreed Sunset happily. “Sleeping Flower is my old friend. I am so delighted to see her again!” Sunset hugged Aiko happily, getting many happy grins from the vixens. 

They sat down together at the end table. It seemed all her leash sisters were excited to see her reunited with her friend. The house mother brought out miso soup and tea for all. Sunset helped her friend to eat and drink, using her hooves deftly to hold the cup to her friend’s lips and slowly and carefully pour the tea into her friend’s muzzle. She spooned the soup carefully into her friend’s muzzle as well, careful not to burn her. Aiko played her part well, eyes unfocused as she ate and drank what was offered. 

Sunset quickly ate her soup and drank her tea as the leash mother served the rest of the meal. When they were served Sunset once again hoof fed her friend her rice, meats, and vegetables, eating her own once her friend had eaten. When they were finished, they went to the bathroom where Sunset helped her friend with her ablutions, performing her own, then cleaning them both up. They returned to the leash dojo to be instructed by their Madam in the Kitsune arts. 

As they were returning to their rooms to wash for dinner the house mother pulled them aside.

“Madam agrees. When the time comes for the presentation, Shimmering Sun, you are to bed with your friend in the position of service, behind your friend and kneeling as a servant. You will be selected as a pair for the evening. When Sleeping Flower is selected, go with her as her servant, and do what is needed to protect your friend without disappointing or denying your clients.  Your dress and makeup should be as always, only your demeanor will be changed,” the mother instructed. Sunset bowed in acquiescence. 

Ablutions completed, they washed and returned to the dining room, where Sunset once again fed her friend and then herself. When the meal was completed they left to wash, then stopping briefly by Sunset’s room to pick up her robe and kit, retiring to Sleeping Flower’s room to prepare together. The house mother joined them to help Aiko with her makeup, as she had never done it herself before due to her previously insensate state.  Sunset prepared her makeup as well, then placed on her robe and tied up her flaming colored mane in a traditional manner. Together they entered the presentation room, making a great show of Sunset helping her friend onto the bed and taking the position of service at the end of the bed. Her house sisters entered behind them, taking their places on their beds. Sunset’s bed was left unlit and unoccupied at the far end. 

A two tailed Kitsune fox was first, and he headed directly for Sleeping Flower, selecting her and leading her away, Sunset tailing behind in the position of service. When they reached Sleeping Flower‘s room of service, Sunset went to the front, helping her friend up onto the bed then taking her place by her side.

The fox stepped up, reaching out to brush her aside, Sunset bowed and placed her hooves upon the foxes paws. “Please master, allow me to show you pleasures at my hooves first.”

The fox scowled, then got a vacant look for a moment. Turning to face Sunset, he smiled. “Yes, I would like that. Show me the pleasures of a mare.”  He climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to the vacant stared vixen.

Straddling the fox, Sunset leaned down, stroking his ears and cheeks. “Master, I will fulfill your fantasies. Prepare to have your every dream fulfilled,” she purred. The foxes eye’s rolled back in his head, a happy smile on his face. 

Aiko popped up from her side of the bed. “Holy Tartarus!  What did you do to him?” She laughed. “Sweet goddesses!” She rolled away from him as he started twisting and twitching.

“Stand back! There she blows!  We have another satisfied customer,” joked Sunset. The fox spasmed, twitched and howled.  The fox continued to twitch and moan.

“Okay, if I didn’t know you were over your sleeping sickness, I would have been convinced. You really nailed the zombie vixen act,” Sunset laughed.

“I just channeled my inner reaction to every staff meeting I’ve ever had to attend,” joked the vixen. “But what the heck is this?” She pointed to the still smiling and twitching fox. “Talk about zombie. What the heck did you do to him?”

The fox started thrashing and twitching harder. Aiko jumped off the bed. “Oh hells no I’m not laying next to that again,” she said as she scrambled off the bed to sit next to Sunset.

“What do you mean, what did I do?” Teased Sunset. “I fulfilled his every fantasy. Weren’t you watching?  You were there the entire time!  Too bad I’ll have him so spent by the time he’s done with me he’ll have no energy left for you. Oh well,” sighed Sunset dramatically. 

“Okay, seriously!  What is that?  I’ve never seen anything like it. We just sit here while he does all the work and we watch while he looks happy about it. Shimmering, what have you done?” Enthused Aiko.

“Sleeping no more Flower, you are now observing the full power of the Zebrican art of suggestion. I promised I would fulfill his every fantasy. He presented them to me, so I am now allowing him to experience the complete fulfillment of them. Currently, he has hunted me through the sacred gardens where I sought to escape him, and he is dragging me by the throat back as his conquest to this very room where he will claim me. Again, as the first time was right after he caught me in the gardens. He was so excited he couldn’t wait,”
Sunset snicked. “I told him he can tell no one he has broken the seal of the gardens or the yak-uza will kill him and his family, but that as my master, having successfully hunted me in my own sacred sanctuary, he has won the right to take me as he wills.” Sunset turned to her friend. 

“So sorry, Sleeping Flower. I think he has forgotten you were even in the room. He’s so far gone into his fantasy the room could burn down around him and he still wouldn’t come up for air,” Sunset smiled.

“Oops! Recharge time, one second,” stated Sunset, climbing back up into the saddle. “Oh master,” she soothed the fox, “you have won me so completely. I am completely at your mercy. Do what you will with me.”

She quickly rolled back off the fox as he shook and howled. “Yeah, he’s gonna be sore tomorrow. That’ll leave a mark,” snarked Sunset.

“How? How did you do this? How is this possible?” Asked Aiko. 

“The secret of the magic is touch. Through my touch, I can see their thoughts and dreams, their feelings, their very fantasies. Then, through my suggestions and guidance, he lives his fantasy in such detail, such intensity, such passion, that he would rather stay within his fantasy than return to the reality around him.  This is why I must periodically return to touch, remind, and strengthen his fantasies,” explained Sunset.

“I’ve never heard of this magic,” admitted Aiko.

“It is a closely guarded secret,” explained Sunset. “Only those sisters trained in the practice know its secrets.”

“And you,” grinned Aiko.

“Who do you think trained the sisters?” Grinned Sunset. The fox before them shook and howled again. “Wow, still swinging for the bleachers,” laughed Sunset.

“Okay, glad it’s not me he’s doing that to,” observed Aiko.  She shivered slightly. “Yeah, how soon can we get out of here. I can’t believe this was happening to me and I didn’t even know it. Even if my family never speaks to me again.”

“If your family does pull any road apples like that I will personally take care of you. Let’s not worry about that and cross that bridge when we get there. Build back up your strength. Flush the rest of the drugs. Then we run. How resistant to magic are you?” Asked Sunset.

“What do you mean?” Asked Aiko. “I’m a three tailed Kitsune. I have high Magical Potential. I just never trained to do much with it, I was focused on my career in the foreign service,” she answered.

“Yeah, and look how that turned out,” snarked Sunset. “Not so foreign now, and a bit long in service. Hard pass, thanks,” she laughed. 

“Yeah, no passing hard or otherwise. Our masters would take exception to it. What a bloody nightmare,” agreed Aiko.

“I don’t plan on leaving that unanswered,” commented Sunset. “I have a beast to roast before I leave town, and few yaks need a final visit. I’ve a few lose ends to tie up. Then we book. And I get you back to your family safely. Then I get back to my princess.”

“I really don’t think that’s going to work like you think,” stated Aiko. “But as you said. One step at a time.”

There was a howl and more twitching from the bed.

“Damn. I’m almost impressed,” Sunset laughed.

“If you can laugh after being dragged by the throat back to bed, you're a darker vixen than me,” grinned Aiko.

“I can laugh because in my fantasy I bit down on some things he was fond of and made them my snack. You do realize ponies are not true obligate herbivores, right?” Sunset asked. 

“Ouch!” Laughed Aiko. “Yeah, that’s a good payback. Works.” She looked over at the still grinning fox. “Do you think he’s done yet so we can bail?”

Sunset reached over and placed a hoof on his head. She wrinkled her muzzle. “Eew. Nope, not yet. Blech.”

“Do I even want to know?” Asked Aiko.

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

“I do definitely want to see the gardens before we leave. No way am I getting this close to such a perfect garden without getting to at least see it. Maybe we can check it out tomorrow,” commented Sunset. 

“You like gardens?” Asked Aiko.

“More like mom likes gardens and it rubbed off on me,” grinned Sunset. 

“Mom huh? Does your mom know what you do for a living?” Asked Aiko.

“She has some idea, yeah,” smirked Sunset. 

There was another howl from the bed. “Okay, some little fox is going to be very dehydrated and oyster deficient,” she added.  “One more and I cut him off before he turns into a husk and blows away.”

A few minutes later there was another howl as the bed shook. “Okay Studly Doo Rod. Closing time! You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here,” said Sunset as she once again straddled the fox, sticking to his fur as she did. Aiko groaned as she settled back in beside him for the same reason, settling her vacant expression back, her vacant stare on the ceiling.

“That’s still just creepy,” shuddered Sunset looking at her.

Aiko almost smirked, still staring dead eyed at the ceiling. “Shut it, Shimmering Sun. If you make me laugh there’s no way I can sell this. Behave please.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. Turning her attention back to the fox, she placed her hooves on his head, then collapsed completely on top of him as he awoke. 

The foxes eyes shot wide open, looking down on the messy mare on top of him.  He grinned from ear to ear as he rolled out from under her and extracted himself from the mare. “Don’t mind me ladies, I can let myself out,” he laughed happily as he loped out of the room.

“Born in a barn?” Groused Sunset as she arose after he was gone, Aiko behind her as she closed the door and headed for the baths. She noted they were not the first, and that the others were surprised to see her and Sleeping Flower in the room. Still playing the part, Sunset bathed her friend, thoroughly scrubbing both their coats before settling them both into the tub for a soak.

Sunset sat with her friend, laughing and smiling as the vixens and mares shared stories and laughter at their clients’ missteps and misadventures from the evening. Sunset shared her annoyance at her client’s repeated howling which got peals of laughter and agreement from her leash sisters.

“Oh by the goddesses yes! Everything is a hunt and bragging howl with the foxes!  I just want to roll my eyes every time!” One of the vixens agreed. The others laughed and nodded. Sunset noticed the tiniest of smirks from her friend but it disappeared just as quickly. 

When the time came for them all to part ways and get some sleep and rest, she bade them goodnight. Drying herself and her friend, they again retired to Sleeping Flower’s room for the night. There, they snuggled up together and fell soundly asleep.
> 13 - Sunset - Best Laid Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset woke to the knock on Aiko’s bedroom door. The house mother opened the door and called out to them. “Time to rise, my leash. Time for breakfast.”  She shut the door, leaving it unlocked behind her.

Sunset turned to her friend, gently shaking her. “Are you awake, Aiko?” She asked. 

“No,” deadpanned Aiko, eyes still closed. “Sound asleep.  Sorry, come back later.”

Sunset threw the covers back. “Oops,” she said as she bumped Aiko off the bed, then rolled out herself. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She smirked, helping her friend up.

“Brat!” Grinned Aiko as she got up off the floor.  Together the two used the bathroom, performing their morning ablutions and washing up. They trotted and loped together to the dining hall, the other residents noticing Sleeping Flower’s decidedly improved condition. 

Their leash mates laughed as Aiko hip checked Sunset into a nearby table as they passed on their way to their seats.

“Oops,” said Aiko as Sunset extracted herself from the chair she had landed on.

“Brat,” laughed Sunset, taking the seat next to her. “Fine, now we’re even.”

Their house mother brought in the tea and soup, then served glazed pastries filled with creamed fish.  Breakfast finished, they cleaned up and joined their house mates in the Madam’s dojo for the day’s lessons.

After that was lunch then their free time. Sunset requested to be allowed time in the garden, so the house mother opened the gate for them allowing them access. 

“I’ll be in the kitchen preparing our dinner. Just come let me know when you’re done and I will lock it back up,” requested the mother. Sunset and Aiko nodded, passing through the gate and into the garden. The mother shut the gate but did not lock it, returning to her preparations.

The friends drifted through the garden, enjoying its peaceful beauty and tranquility. After a full round of the garden path, they retired to the small pagoda in the center of the garden, lying atop cushions while masked from view from the gate and the surrounding windows.

“Going to take a quick peek at the neighborhood, be right back,” commented Sunset. With a flash of teal she disappeared from her mat.

Aiko’s jaw dropped. A few seconds later Sunset reappeared on the mat. “Okay got our exit. We’ll leave tonight during our client session.  Eat a good dinner, we may not be eating for a bit once this starts. And probably won’t be getting much sleep tonight either. Are you ready for this?” Asked Sunset.

“Ever since you woke me up,” answered Aiko.  Sunset nodded. 

They enjoyed some time relaxing and talking about their time before being captured, old friends, and amusing stories. They left the garden well before dinner, not wanting to inconvenience the house mother.   They went to the kitchen and knocked on the door. She returned with them, locked the gate, thanking them for their consideration, then returned to her duties.

Sunset and Aiko returned to her room to wait for dinner. It wasn’t a long wait, the mother appearing and calling them and their leash mates to dinner. Together they washed and joined them in the dining hall.

Dinner was a seafood soup with tea, fried prawns, steamed rice and vegetables.  Both Shimmering Sun and Sleeping Flower ate double portions. They then retired to the bathroom to perform their ablutions and clean up, then to Aiko’s room to do their makeup and dress for presentation.

Lining up for presentation, Sleeping Flower and Shimmering Sun once again played their parts, Sleeping Flower again with her vacuous listless stare and insensate demeanor and Shimmering Sun with head bowed and timorous attitude. They entered and laid upon Sleeping Flower’s bed, Shimmering again in the service position.

The first client in was a Yak, dressed impeccably and covered by tattoos. With a grunt he pushed past the Madam and moved to Sleeping Flower’s bed, dragging her from the bed, her head flopping listlessly as he roughly pulled her after him headed towards her art room. Shimmering Sun followed along behind, head bowed as she scrambled to keep up. 

As they approached the room, Shimmering ran ahead, opening the door then bowing to the floor as the Yak threw Sleeping Flower onto the bed and entered the room. Shimmering rose, entering the room to shut the door only to be back hooved into the hall by the yak. “Beat it pony!” He spat at her as he slammed the door. 

Sunset picked herself up from the floor, wiping the blood from her muzzle with a forehoof. She opened the door and trotted in.

The yak looked up from the bed in anger. “You deaf, mare? I said beat it!” He yelled as he leapt up from the bed. He stormed over to Sunset, cloven hoof cocked back to knock her out. As he closed on her, Sunset wheeled and bucked him hard, knocking him clear across the room and onto the bed.

Seeing her buck, the insensate vixen came to life, rolling quickly off the bed before the large and now completely unconscious yak landed on the bed, breaking the frame and sending the mattresses crashing to the floor.

“Damn, Shimmering, give a vixen some warning,” commented Aiko as she rose from the floor.

Sunset kicked the door shut, then leapt up on the bed and straddled the yak, placing her hooves on his forehead. “Special delivery,” she mumbled as she implanted her suggestions into his psyche. Rolling off him, she joined her friend by the bed.

“You okay?” She asked. 

“Yeah, fine,” answered Aiko. “Though a few more seconds it might have been a very different story.”

“Yeah, didn’t see that coming. Being bitch slapped into the hallway and locked out definitely wasn’t part of the plan,” agreed Sunset, staunching the flow from her cracked muzzle. She placed her hooves on both sides of her muzzle. There was a flash and a slight crack, then the flow stopped as she crossed her eyes and swore softly.

“Okay, that even sounded painful,” commented Aiko. 

“Ya think?” Groused Sunset. She turned to the yak. “Enjoy your personal hell, asshole,” she growled.

“So not the usual fantasy package for our client today?” Smiled Aiko to her friend.

“After what he did?  And what he intended to do?  Nope. Rot in hell,” affirmed Sunset. 

“So what’s the plan?” Asked Aiko.

“For now? We chill. Once everyone has had a chance to get selected and busy, we ditch our guest and start our journey,” replied Sunset. They sat by the side of the bed leaning back against it.

Several minutes later, Sunset turned to her friend. “Ready for this, Aiko?  Time to head through the looking glass. Ever been teleported before?” She asked. Aiko nodded. “Good, so you know the basics. Whatever you see, don’t scream and don’t trash or kick. Don’t panic. I’ve got you. Let’s go.”

Sunset reached over, placing a hoof on her friend. With a snap and a flash of teal, they were back in the pagoda. “Lay down,” Sunset instructed. Aiko complied, laying out on her stomach, head resting on her forelegs. Sunset climbed on top of her friend, legs clasped tightly around her.

“Now remember what I said, keep completely quiet.  Not a word or a peep. And stay completely still. Okay, here we go.”  There was a flash of teal and they disappeared. 

The flash startled Aiko, her eyes popping open to see the brothel several stadia below them as the hurtled back down towards it. She opened her muzzle and screamed in fright.

“Damn it!” She heard Sunset swear. There was another flash of teal, then she was surrounded by a cloudy hazy fog.

Sunset trotted up to her as she hung there, suspended in the haze. Sunset looked at her crossly. “Seriously! What did I say? Don’t. Scream. Don’t. Panic. I’ve got you. Sound familiar?” She asked crossly. 

“Holy smoking hells, you didn’t tell me you were going to kill us by throwing us into the sky to smash into the ground!” Screamed Aiko, eyes still wide in panic. “Then this!  Holy hells, what even is this?” She raged.

“This is your mind, this is the calmest I could get you so I could hopefully get through to you. We don’t have much time, so I need you to listen,” growled Sunset. 

“Why? Why do we not have much time?  Where are we?” Asked Aiko suspiciously. 

Sunset facehooved. “Really?  We are falling through the clouds, heading back to those cute little cushions we were laying on back in the pagoda. Oh, but we’ll be close to terminal velocity by then, and we will need to pass, rather violently and suddenly, through the pagoda roof before we land on the cushions. And drive them into the ground with energy from the impact of our about to be quite suddenly dead bodies!  So I guess it doesn’t matter that our stealthy escape is ruined because everyone for hundreds of statia around knows something weird is happening because there's some vixen screaming her damn fool head off just under the clouds. Thank you for that!”

“What did you expect!” Yelled Aiko back. “Like I have so much experience with falling out of the sky and not dying! You want me to stop screaming? Fine. I’m not screaming. Happy?”

“And stop kicking. You nearly bucked me completely off! Do you really want to just fall back into the pagoda?  Or do you want to maybe get out of here?” Informed Sunset. 

Aiko screwed her eyes shut. “Fine!  Let’s just do it.” She shuddered slightly. 

“Fine!  Then just keep it together. Trust me! I’ll get us out of here,” commented Sunset. “Change of plans, thanks to the screaming sky show. We’re going to cruise for a bit. Try to make yourself comfortable.”

The haze and clouds faded, replaced once again with the sight of the clouds and ground racing up to meet them. Aiko clamped her jaws shut, forcing herself to keep quiet and still. A teal glow surrounded her, then they disappeared once again.

They reappeared with a pop flash of teal just over one of the clouds drifting below them, skimming just over its surface. Glowing teal briefly, they slowed then dropped gently onto the cloud, coming to rest laying on the cloud as it drifted away from the brothel and that portion of the city.

Aiko looked out over the edge of the cloud In amazement, Sunset still on her back, legs tucked tight around her. “Okay, no idea how you made us able to sit on a cloud. And if you say Zebrican Magic I get to smack you,” said Aiko. 

“Zebrican magic,” snarked Sunset.  “Seriously, it’s the basic cloud walking spell, applied through Zebrican magic because our dear captors effed my horn. So smack me later, busy now. We just need to hitch a ride for a bit to get some distance between us and the, uhm, sky show, then we can pop down and work our way back to your family and freedom.”

“So what happens when the cloud walking spell wears off?” Asked Aiko.

“Duh. We rip through the cloud, finish our brief trip to the ground, and maybe bounce once. Which is exactly why I won’t let that happen. So why do you ask?” Groused Sunset. 

Aiko shut her eyes and took a shuddering breath. “No reason,” she answered. 

The cloud drifted slowly away from the brothel and their previous excitement, Kitsune sill pointing up into the sky and looking where they were before as they drifted away.  Sunset just shook her head ruefully. “Ah well. Since when does anything go according to plan anyway. I lost the connection with our last client too, so safe bet our former masters know we’ve, uhhh, terminated our employment at this point. So good time to bunker down and enjoy the ride, as it’s a safe bet a cloud bank is the last place they’ll be looking for us.  I’ll take the first watch if you want to get some rest.”

Aiko looked back at Sunset, eyebrow arched. “You’re kidding, right?”

“What? Cloud beds are supposed to be some of the softest, most comfortable beds ever crafted. When are you going to get a chance like this again?” Sunset smiled. 

“Ah, don’t know if you noticed, but no wings on this vixen. I don’t do clouds. I’m trying hard not to think about that bounce you mentioned. Not really ready to sleep with all that going on,” Aiko replied. 

“Okay. You can have the first watch then. Wake me if something happens or we drift out of town. Good night,” responded Sunset.  She settled down into her friend, settling her muzzle into the small of her back. 

“Uh, wait. If you go to sleep, who’s going to keep the spell going to keep us on the cloud instead of falling through the cloud?” Asked Aiko. 

“The spell maintains itself until the magic runs out. We should be fine for several more hours,” mumbled Sunset sleepily. 

“And if it runs out before you wake up?” Nervously asked Aiko. 

“I’m sure the fall will wake me,” answered Sunset as she fell asleep. 

“Great,” grumbled Aiko.

Several hours later, Aiko called out to Sunset. “Shimmering Sun, we’re leaving the city. What now?”

Sunset yawned, stretched a bit, then opened her eyes. Looking down, she saw the harbor passing beneath them as they drifted out to sea. Her eyes popped wide open.

“Ah crab nuggets! That’s not good,” she responded. 

“What’s not good?” Asked Aiko, worried now.

“I would have sworn we were drifting inland. I thought we would drift clear of the city and we could hide in the countryside. Now I have to get us down quickly before we’re completely out of range and we have to pin our hopes on a passing ship. Or my flying. I’d bet on the ship as the safer of the two,” answered Sunset. 

Aiko buried her face in her paws. “Bacca,” she swore quietly. 

Sunset scanned the harbor, looking for a safe place to land before they drifted too far out. Spying a warehouse roof that looked fairly abandoned, she charged the spell.

With a flash of teal and a soft pop, they appeared a few feet above the roof and dropped down with a slight thump.

“Oof,” groaned Aiko. “That hurt.”

“Sorry,” apologized Sunset, rolling off her back and sitting next to her as she painfully got to her paws.

Shaking herself off, Aiko turned to Sunset. “Okay. So what now?”

“Now we sneak our way through a city probably full of really pissed off yaks who are looking for us, and get you back to your family. Then I get my tail to the Equestrian embassy and go home,” commented Sunset. 

“Oh, is that all? So we’ll be all set before breakfast.  Nice,” snarked Aiko.

“You don’t seem convinced,” noted Sunset. 

“Small update for you from a vixen that grew up here. The yaks? Specifically the Yak-uza clan? You know, the happy gentlebeings we just left the employ of?  Yeah, well, they own the harbor. Like, completely. Getting out of or through this area without them knowing will be difficult,” informed Aiko. 

“Oh,” sighed Sunset. “Yeah. Need to think a bit then.”

Sunset looked out over the city, stretching out thousands and thousands of stadia from them out to the horizon and covering the hills off in the distance. The issue was fairly straightforward. How do two creatures, one of whom stood out like a giant purple dragon in a field of daisies, sneak through the city without drawing the attention of those looking for them. Too bad she never met a changeling. That would be useful magic. The only two useful spells in her arsenal for this case were a notice me not spell which would quickly be overwhelmed by the sheer number of creatures noticing them. And invisibility, which she could maintain for maybe an hour, certainly not long enough for them to clear the city's boundaries, not to mention how useless it would be as creatures who couldn’t see her plowed into her then realized there was something amiss.

No, low or no magic was the key here. She just needed a simple disguise. Yes, that would do. A vixen and her servant out in the city. Running some simple errands, or maybe just the vixen having a simple relaxing day out on the city, her servant stepping and fetching whatever was needed for her vixen mistress. Yes, that was it. She would need a covering, something to completely mask her colorations, mane, and especially her cutie mark. As proud as she was of her mark, showing her close relationship with the mare she most considered to be her mother, it was worse than useless now. There was also the issue of the gaudy jewel encrusted ring on her horn. Being ringed only marked her as a slave or indentured servant.  The jewel encrusted blight that currently ringed her horn only belonged in two possible places. A circus or sideshow, or a brothel or harem. She needed to do something to change that.

She reached out through her hooves, sending her senses out through the warehouse below them. It was large, a completely open space below. There were no creatures currently inside. The warehouse was filled with crates full of shipments headed out to distant destinations. She scanned the crates, searching for anything that could help them with her plan.

Aiko watched her working, a slight teal glow coming from her forehooves and leaking out from her tightly shut eyes.  After several moments the glow faded and Sunset opened her eyes. “Okay my mistress, I have a plan,” she stated. She reached out and placed a hoof on Aiko.

“Mistress?” Asked Aiko In confusion as they disappeared with a flash of teal and a soft pop. 

They appeared in the darkened interior of the warehouse, sunlight visible through the thin strip of windows near the roof barely providing enough light to make out shadowy shapes of the crates around them. Sunset’s hooves glowed teal, banishing the darkness around them.

“Yeah I know, weird, right?  Best I can manage with a locked horn. I think I’ve found something we can use over here, mistress.  Let’s get dressed for our day out,” Sunset explained, trotting towards a stack of crates against the far wall.

Looking over the crates, Sunset reached out her hoof. There was a flash of teal and a fashionable Kitsune headdress appeared on the floor before her. Three more flashes and it was joined by a pair of flowing coats and a cream colored vail with an embroidered hole in the center. One more flash and a set of jeweled saddle bags joined the pile. “That should do it,” said Sunset, turning to Aiko. “So here’s the plan. We dress up for a day in the market. You’re a Vixen mistress out for a day of shopping and fun. I’m your indentured servant along to carry your finds and accompany you. We work our way out from the docks. We go as far as we can, then find an inn and get a room for the night.”

“How will we pay for the inn?” Asked Aiko. “I don’t have any coin. And I’m fairly sure you don’t either.”

“Not yet. But I’ll take care of that. By the time we get to the edge of town I’ll have plenty of coins in the satchel to pay for what we need,” answered Sunset. 

“So pick-pocketing is another one of your skills,” snarked Aiko. 

“Among many others you may also mock,” agreed Sunset. 

“Far be it from me to mock the mare who rescued me,” grinned Aiko. 

“Yeah, not really a rescue until I have you home safe, so we’ll put a pin in that,” commented Sunset. “Speaking of which, actual introductions. Aiko, I’m pleased to meet you. As you know, Shimmering Sun is not my given name, nice as it was. My name is Sunset Shimmer, member of the Equestrian Battle Mage Corps, personal student of Princess Celestia, Regent. I’ve been sent by my Princess at the request of your embassy to rescue you and bring you home safely.”  She held out her hoof.

“Pleased to meet you, Sunset Shimmer. As you know, I am Aiko Adobaizā, attaché to the Nipponies Council to Equestria.  I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” Aiko bowed, and Sunset returned the courtesy.

“Very well, pleased to make your acquaintance, Aiko. I think for the time being, just call me servant, or Sanī if my name is needed. I will be your servant for the time being, and you will lead us on our little excursion through town to our eventual destination, your family’s residence so I can get you to safety,” responded Sunset. 

“Where I will be required to commit ritual suicide to protect my family honor,” sighed Aiko. 

“I will not let that happen,” assured Sunset. “Trust me, Aiko, after all we have been through, I’m not going to abandon you. If it comes to that, I’ll rescue you from that as well. I swear.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” smiled Aiko. 

They dressed in the outfits Sunset found. Sunset’s highly visible coloration and marks were covered by a draped cream colored covering that reached almost to her hooves. Her tail was completely covered. Her mane and the gaudy bejeweled ring were covered by the cream colored vail, her horn protruding from the hole in its center, her eyes peering out, masked by gauzy films of fabric. The jeweled saddle bags were secured about her barrel over the draped dress by leather straps.  She looked every bit the elegant servant ready to serve her mistress on her day out to market. 

Aiko wore the dark rich robe Sunset selected for her, loosely laid across her shoulders and nethers secured only with two straps of dark fabric to keep it from slipping. The headdress completed her ensemble, giving her the air of a Vixen mistress out for a day of enjoyment with her loyal servant.

“Alright, I think we’re set. Aside from coinage, which I will gather as we travel, can you think of anything else we will need?” Asked Sunset.

“One of our first purchases should be a set of skins of water so we can drink as we travel. We will look out of place without them. Other than that, I do believe we are ready,” agreed Aiko. 

“How much coin will we need to purchase those?” Asked Sunset. 

“For two jeweled bags, and the juice to fill them, two gold pence and three coppers for the juice,” advised Aiko. 

“Okay. I’ll give you a nod when I’ve pilfered sufficient coins to cover it. And maybe something to eat. I for one could definitely do with some food,” agreed Sunset.

Sunset reached out a hoof to Aiko. With a flash of teal they were outside of the warehouse. “This way,” advised Aiko, walking through the warehouses and heading into the city proper. Sunset followed along, to her right and one step behind. Together they passed into the marketplace, stopping occasionally to examine the offerings of the different merchants. 

Aiko played her part to perfection, showing just enough interest to justify stopping and looking, but enough disinterest that her failure to engage with the merchant's efforts to capture her interest raised no one’s suspicions.  As they passed through the merchants' stalls, no one noticed the slightest of teal glows on her servant’s hooves, nor the imperceptible slightest of pops from the merchants' money bags as they passed. Within a few minutes, Aiko got an almost imperceptible nod from her servant, and led them to a stall with jeweled skins to hold their beverages. She purchased two of them, bartering the merchant down to a gold pence apiece.  He happily took them from her, placing them into his coin purse and providing the bags to Aiko, draping them over her servant, who was grinning under her coverings as with a slight pop her coins returned to her saddle bags, along with a few new companions. 

Thanking the merchant, Aiko led them to a juice vendor who filled both skins with cold sweet nectar. Aiko helped her servant to drink her fill, then drank from her skin as well, in keeping with the teachings of the goddesses to show charity to those who serve them. She then led them to a food stall, where she purchased pickled eggs and prepared fruit which she again shared with her servant. 

Together they drifted through the marketplace, always heading towards the city center. They reached the city’s center just before lunch, stopping again at another food vendor, this time for baked pears and seasoned fish for lunch. They refilled their juices then Aiko led them to a bath with private stalls, allowing them to relieve themselves and clean up for the day. Sunset gratefully performed her ablutions then joined her mistress in the bath, scrubbing them both then enjoying a brief soak before drying and redressing to resume their journey. 

They continued towards the edge of the city. Aiko picked the pace up, moving them along so by the evening they were at their goal, an inn just before the road out to the surrounding countryside. Aiko purchased a room for the night, along with a dinner for both of them to be brought up to the room. Together they ate and relaxed, delighted that they had made it so far without incident. Aiko gratefully thanked the goddesses of the hunt for their success and survival. 

Cleaning up from the meal, Sunset returned the dishes to the innkeeper, then returned to the room where the two elated but exhausted escapees turned in for the night, sleeping in a shared bed snuggled up together. 

The next morning they rose with the sun. Sunset dressed quickly then went down to the inn’s tavern to request breakfast for her mistress and herself. While she was out Aiko performed her ablutions and washed up, dressing for the day. Sunset returned with their breakfast, porridge and dried fish, fruit, and eggs with tea. She laid it out at the table, then they ate together when Aiko returned. Sunset returned the tray to the innkeeper, then took her turn at ablutions and bathing for the day. Dressing again, she returned to her room, finding Aiko packed and ready to go. She slipped on her saddle bags and turned to Aiko.

“So, how far to your family’s estate?” Asked Sunset. 

“About a day’s travel,” answered Aiko. “We should arrive by early afternoon if all goes well.”

“Lead on then,” smiled Sunset. “The sooner we get you home the quicker this nightmare is over.”  Aiko led them out of the inn, settling their debt with the innkeeper on the way out. Together they headed out into the countryside, following the winding path through the brush and brambles of the wooded hillsides. They passed other travelers along the path, mostly merchants heading to or from the city to ply their wares.

They stopped in a clearing for lunch, salted fish, pickled eggs and vegetables, with the last of the juice saved from breakfast. Cleaning their skins, Sunset filled them with fresh water from a nearby stream. They headed back down the path. 

A short time later Sunset turned to Aiko. “We’re being followed,” she said quietly. “Two foxes on the path behind us, another four tracking us from the woods around us. I do believe we are being hunted.”

“It’s probably a band of bandits. They have been known to roam these woods. They likely find us an attractive target, a single vixen and her servant. They most probably intend to rob us, have some sport with us, then either ransom us or sell us back into slavery.  So what’s the plan?” Responded Aiko in a whisper. 

“I’ve prepared a few defensive spells. We wait for them to strike, then respond,” answered Sunset. They continued along, acting as if nothing was amiss.

“So sport, huh? Why does that not sound like something I would want to experience,” whispered Sunset. 

“Because our services at the brothel were considered sport,” answered Aiko. 

“Oh,” replied Sunset. “That figures. I don’t really want to be anyone’s sport.”

“Nor I,” agreed Aiko. 

They trotted and loped for a few more minutes. Sunset turned to Aiko. “They’re closing in. Get ready.”

Aiko nodded almost imperceptibly. A moment later there was a snap from the brush as a fox leapt out at them, claws extended as he flew through the air towards Aiko and her servant. Sunset wheeled into a buck, her hind hooves smashing into the foxes chest, sending him spinning and flying back into the brush. 

Almost immediately five more foxes burst from the brush, completely surrounding them as they leapt at them from all sides. With a flash of teal they all bounced off of a bubble shield then dropped insensate to the ground. They sixth fox reappeared, levitating in a teal glow to be dropped alongside his leash mates.

Aiko watched incredulously. “What just happened?” She asked. 

“Zebrican battle magic,” snarked Sunset, catching her breath. 

“I thought you had to touch them to do that,” asked Aiko, confused. 

“Oh, I definitely put the touch on them,” agreed Sunset. “They’ll be feeling that for a while.”

“So, what, we just leave them?” Asked Aiko. “Won’t they just hunt us down again as soon as they wake?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Sunset. “You tell me?  Would they think to cut their losses? Turn tail and find easier game? Or would they feel dishonored and chase us down to avenge the insult?”

“I don’t know. But given how aggressive their attack was, I suspect they are long on attitude and short on common sense. More experienced hunters would have kept something in reserve in case of a surprise like you gave them. They just barreled in, clearly expecting to overwhelm us completely,” observed Aiko. 

“So basically young, dumb, and full of..” Sunset started to say. 

“Yes, exactly,” agreed Aiko, cutting her off.

“Lovely. Okay, I guess we have to leave them for another to find. One moment,” Sunset commented.

Her hooves glowed teal, and the bandits were raised up from the ground in a teal glow, levitating towards some larger brush. They were pushed roughly up against the bushes as vines and brambles over grew them, wrapping them tightly against the brush. A hedge grew up before them, spelling out “Bandits” in flowing kanji’s for all to see.

Aiko laughed. “They’re screwed. Don’t think anyone will want to let them go seeing that,” she commented.

“Glad to hear that,” agreed Sunset, heading down the path. Aiko loped after her.

“Remind me not to piss you off,” laughed Aiko.

Sunset grinned at her friend. “Don’t piss me off,” she snarked.

Aiko smacked her flank with a paw. “Smart flank.”

“Why thank you,” laughed Sunset. 

They traveled together the remainder of the day with no further attacks or incidents. By that evening they were in sight of Aiko’s family home. As they approached the home’s main gate, Aiko turned to her friend. “Remember what I said, and don’t be surprised when this goes as I said. I’m counting on you to save me. I don’t want to die here,” she whispered. 

“I promise you won’t,” assured Sunset. 

They stopped at the gate, where Aiko rang a bell. As the tones died away, a servant approached. Bowing, he called out to them. “Please state your name and purpose,” he requested. 

Aiko and Sunset returned the bow. “I am Aiko Adobaizā, returning home with my friend,” she stated. 

“I am Sunset Shimmer, Equestrian Mage, and friend of Aiko,” replied Sunset.

“Aiko?” Responded the servant. “How can that be? We were told she had been kidnapped in Equestria?”

“As I was, and now I am here,” responded Aiko.

“One moment,” responded the servant, hurrying back to the house. 

Moments later, the doors burst open and a pair of Kitsune rushed forward, an older vixen and fox. They pulled the gate open and rushed out, embracing Aiko. 

“I thought I would never see you again,” sobbed the vixen. “They said you were kidnapped and had been sold into slavery. We thought you were gone forever!”

The fox cried quietly, holding tightly onto his lost daughter with his weeping wife. Sunset stood back, smiling at the family reunion. 

Together, the pair led them back into the house, where they sat at a short table as their servant served them tea. Aiko launched into her story, describing her last day at work, her abduction and fight back against her attacker, her capture and journey in a crate as a captive back across the ocean, then her drugged use as a sex slave in a brothel until being rescued by her friend.

Sunset gave them a brief version of her story, how she had been tasked by her princess to rescue Aiko at the request of the Consul and her friends. She told them she had arranged to be captured by the same group then searched for their daughter as a sex slave at the brothels until she found her, than arraigned their escape together. She described how they had become friends as they planned their escape and their escapades to get Aiko back to her family. 

The couple tearfully thanked her for returning their beloved daughter to them and invited her to stay with them for a while before returning to Equestria. Sunset gratefully accepted. 

Her parents left to go spread the news of their daughter’s return. Sunset turned to Aiko. “See!” She said, “They’re overjoyed to see you!  Not one peep of disappointment or dishonor. They would never ask you to do such a horrible thing.”

Aiko smiled at her friend. “Do not forget your promise. The evening is young and we have not heard from the rest of my clan. I will hold you to your promise,” she whispered. 

“And I will not fail you should you need me,” assured Sunset. 

A while later her father returned, sitting with them at the table. “We were able to contact your uncle. He will join us for dinner,” he informed them. They shared stories, Aiko of her work at the Consulate, and he of the family events since she had left overseas. Sunset just listened and nodded, smiling at the tales. Eventually her father had to leave to prepare to greet his guest, and Sunset and Aiko retired to her bedroom to clean from their journey and prepare for dinner. They used her private bathroom to perform their ablutions and wash, dressing in simple silk robes for dinner. 

Returning to the dining room they were greeted by a three tailed Kitsune fox, already seated at the table with their parents. 

“Uncle,” Aiko bowed deeply, Sunset following her lead.

“Rise,” commanded her uncle casually. “So the prodigal daughter has returned home. Your parents have informed me you have had quite an adventure. Perhaps we may speak more about it later, after dinner.”

“As you wish, my uncle,” replied Aiko, taking her seat at the table, Sunset at her side. 

“And who might this mare be?” Inquired her uncle, turning to Sunset. 

Sunset was about to introduce herself when a paw from her friend stopped her. “Uncle, this is the mare that rescued me from the slavery I had been sold into. She is a Samurai of the Equestrian Princess, sent to rescue me, and a dear friend. Her name is Sunset Shimmer,” responded Aiko, bowing to her uncle. Sunset again followed her lead.

“A pleasure to meet an Equestrian Samurai, Miss Shimmer. I have heard tales of the mages. Thank you for your efforts to rescue my niece,” replied her uncle.

“It was my honor, sir,” replied Sunset, still bowed. He nodded, acknowledging her bow, releasing them both to return to sitting. 

The dinner was then served, while discussions turned to family matters and affairs of state. After dinner was cleared away, her uncle turned to Aiko. “Okay my niece, please tell me the complete story. I got some bits from your parents, but need to hear from you exactly what happened. Please, tell me,” he requested. 

Aiko related again the story, how she was captured on the street while running errands, her fighting back against her attacker, being subdued then shipped as live freight back to Nippony. How she was handed over to the Yak-uza, drugged and used as a sex slave in their brothels.  She related how Sunset had tracked her down, arranging her own capture by the same gang that had captured her, then following her through the brothels until she found her, then had helped clear her body of the drugs used to sedate her, and plan and execute their escape from their captors.

As she related her tale, her uncle appeared saddened. When she finished, he turned to her deeply moved. “Aiko, what you have been through breaks my heart, and it pains me to say this. But what has happened to you will be seen as bringing dishonor to our family and our clan. Aiko, I am so sorry, but I must ask you to ritually suicide. You must do this to protect our clan’s honor. I’m so very sorry.”

On hearing this, her mother wept bitterly, held tightly by her father, his own head bowed in disappointment. Sunset started to speak out in defense of her friend, but Aiko put a paw on her shoulder, silencing her friend. 

“I will not dishonor my family or clan. I will do what I must,” replied Aiko, bowing to her uncle. 

“I am truly sorry, my dear niece,” her uncle rose, and crossing over to her enfolded her in a hug. “Please forgive me for adding to your suffering. And thank you for your heroic sacrifice. You will not be forgotten,” he promised. 

Sunset looked on in complete shock at her friend. Aiko smiled gently at her. “If I may, I would like to spend the night with my dear friend.  I will perform the ritual tomorrow evening, with my friend as my second. I will explain to her what is required, and she will protect my honor.”

Her father and uncle nodded sadly as her mother continued her heart wrenching sobbing. Aiko rose, and hugged each of them, then retired to her room with Sunset. “Well, hate to say I told you so, but there it is,” commented Aiko, shutting the door.

“Tell me you don’t really intend to go through with this,” asked Sunset incredulously. 

“Only if you can’t save me from it. At this point I have to appear to have done this, and disappear. Can you help me with that?  Is that something you can do?” Asked Aiko. 

“Tell me exactly how this has to happen, and we’ll work back from there,” replied Sunset. 

Aiko explained how Seppuku worked. Sunset was horrified, but listened intently, trying to put together a plan to save her friend. When Aiko finished describing what would happen tomorrow, Sunset suggested they bathe then retire for the day.

They performed their ablutions, scrubbed then soaked in the bath, relaxing quietly together. After an hour of silent soaking, they returned to Aiko’s bedroom and climbed into bed. Sunset snuggled up beside her friend. “We got this,” she whispered. “I’ve got a plan. Just do as I say and we’ll get through this, and I’ll get you out of here, with your family’s honor intact and your life spared. We’ll get through this.”

Together, they fell asleep, ready for the following day.
> 14 - Sunset - The Great Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset woke the next morning with the rising of the sun. ‘I wish I were back home with you,’ she mused silently, thinking of her princess and friends. She turned to silently watch Aiko, still sleeping peacefully. 

She smiled. “I will get you back safely,” she quietly promised her friend. 

She rose, checking her saddle bags. She then went to perform her morning ablutions and returned as Aiko woke. “So, ready for the last day of your first life?” Quipped Sunset. 

Aiko just grimaced. “You have a very weird sense of humor,” she grunted as she rose from her bed. “And yes, as ready as I’ll ever be.”

She retreated to the bathroom for her turn to clean up. Sunset finished backing her belongings, as well as several outfits for her friend and some of her personal effects. 

Aiko returned to her room as Sunset was finishing up. “Is there anything personal you want to take with you?” She asked. “Any keepsake or cherished mementos?”

Aiko pulled a journal from the bottom drawer of her dresser. “Just this,” she commented, passing the journal to Sunset. “It’s my diary. Might be nice to remind me of the life I had.”  Sunset took it and added it to her saddle bags. 

Dressed once again as Aiko’s servant, Sunset and her friend joined her parents and uncle for breakfast. It was a somber affair, which Aiko tried to liven up by smiling and assuring her parents she was happy to have had a chance to see them again and ask them not to be sad for her. Her uncle and father smiled for her, thanking her for her courage, but her mother broke into tears and had to flee the table in sadness. They all looked after her as she fled the room in sorrow. 

“I’m so sorry mom!” Aiko called out after her. 

“You did nothing wrong!” Insisted her father. “There is nothing for you to be sorry for. I am sorry for this horrible situation that has done this to you!”  He got up and wrapped her in a hug. “You deserve so much better than this. You are so much better than this.” He held her tightly, tears glistening in his eyes. 

Her uncle rose and joined them in the hug. “Your father is right. You are truly blameless here. Those that have done this to you are the ones who should pay. And I promise you the Yak-uza clan will regret the day they took you captive.”

They sat back down as Aiko begged their leave to prepare for her death. She retired to the family dojo to meditate and pray to her ancestors to prepare a place for her. Begging their indulgence, Sunset requested permission to pack some food and supplies for her return journey back to Equestria, which she planned on starting immediately following Aiko’s funeral rites. Her father and uncle begged her to stay, but she insisted they needed time to mourn as a family and she needed to return to her duties. 

Reluctantly they agreed, so Sunset left and gathered what they would need for their return journey. 

When she was finished, she joined her friend in the family dojo. Sitting quietly beside her, Sunset joined her in quiet meditation. 

The morning passed, turning to evening as the two sat in silence. As the time approached for her ritual, Sunset turned to Aiko. “You know what’s going to happen. Promise me this time you won’t freak out. I’ll be with you, but no sky show this time, okay?”

Aiko nodded silently. Sunset smiled. “We’ll make a Battle Mage of you yet,” she grinned. Aiko just glared at her. Sunset got up and gave her a hug. “Let’s go say goodbye to everyone, and get this ritual started.”

Aiko rose, and together they left to find her family. They found them in the study waiting for them. Sunset opened the door for her friend, then closed it behind her, staying in the hall to allow them some privacy for their goodbyes. 

Eventually the door opened, and Aiko led everyone out to the courtyard where the ceremony was to occur.  A pyre was prepared just behind the mat she was to use, with her two swords, one long and one short, were placed on the mat along with a clean cloth and a vase of water. Dressed in her finest robe, Aiko knelt before the swords, her head bowed. Her family, including her uncle, sat across the courtyard, witnesses to her final act of honor. Sunset hugged her family, then, as her kaishakunin, took the long sword in her hooves and moved off to stand just behind her.

Bowing to the ground, Aiko called out to her ancestors, begging them to receive her as she made reparation for the shame that had been thrust upon her. She cried out to them to honor her, and punish those who had dared to dishonor her family through her. Her mother wept bitterly but quietly at her words, though her father and uncle remained stoic.

She then sat up, taking the short sword and pouring the water over it. She opened her robe, leaving her abdomen bare. Wrapping the short blade midway with the cloth, she grasped the blade and plunged it into her abdomen, dragging it across then up in the proscribed lethal cut. She gasped in pain, about to cry out as Sunset swung the long blade down from behind her, severing her head with a single blow. Her body fell forward from the blow’s momentum as her head rolled to a stop midway towards her family. 

Placing the long blade down on the mat, Sunset removed the short blade from her friend’s body, placing it next to the long blade. She then laid out a silk sheet, decorated with Kitsune fighting in most honorable battle. She laid her friend out on the sheet, then retrieved her severed head, placing it back atop her body. Wrapping her carefully in the sheet, Sunset placed her atop the pyre. Taking the burning brand from its holder, she lit the pyre. Black smoke curled up from the funeral pyre as her friend’s remains were consumed by the flames licking skyward. As the flames danced, Sunset removed her friend’s journal from her saddlebag and gently tossed it into the flames, bowing as it burned to ash while she honored her friend’s final wishes.  She did the same with the favorite outfits Aiko had chosen, placing them also on the fire to be burned. 

Sunset sat silently, joining her family as they watched the flames consume the body of their fallen daughter. When the flames had died down, Sunset glowed in a teal light, and a flash of lightning burst from her into the remains left on the pyre, completely combusting them and leaving nothing but a large pile of white ash. 

Sunset then turned to the two swords, still stained with her friend’s blood. She washed them with the remaining water, then wiped them with the rag, which she threw towards the pyre. It burst into flames as it hit the pyre, leaving only ash as well. Sunset sheathed the swords, placing them under her saddle bags. 

Turning to Aiko’s family, she bowed. “I am sorry for your loss. Aiko was a dear friend. She will be missed. Farewell.”

With a flash of teal and a pop. She disappeared from their sight. 






Sunset appeared over a cloud bank, her friend wrapped in a teal glow next to her as they dropped gently into the cloud beneath them. Together they peered over the edge, looking down at Aiko’s family as they looked around, surprised by Sunset’s sudden departure. As they both expected, no one was looking up to the drifting clouds for them. As they watched, her father and uncle helped her still crying mother up and into the house, leaving the ashes and pyre to blow into the surrounding fields on the gentle prevailing winds. Those same winds blew them slowly away from her home, heading north and west towards the northern coast of her island country. 

Sunset looked over to her friend. “How are you feeling?” She asked quietly. 

“Sad,” replied Aiko. “I knew it would come to that. But it still hurts.”

“I’m sorry,” responded Sunset. “I wanted so much for you to be wrong. After everything you’ve endured I really hoped you would get a happy ending. Not this.”

“I am happy,” answered Aiko. “I got to see my family again. I got to say goodbye. And I got to save my family's honor.”

Sunset hugged her friend. “Yes, you did. And now you live again. Welcome to your second life.”

“All we have to do is live long enough to get back to Equestria,” smiled Aiko. “And I’m sure you have a plan for that.”

“Sure do,” agreed Sunset. “First priority is getting you out and safe.  So, we drift to the coast, then find a ship to get you out of the country and back to Equestria.”

They settled back into the cloud, watching as beneath them the ground drifted slowly by. Sunset brought out some nuts and dried fruit she had packed for their journey. Aiko scooped out a paw full of the nuts, tossing them into her muzzle. One bounced off her nose and fell through the cloud below them.  “Oops,” she said. 

“Dork,” laughed Sunset.

Below them, a Yak was cultivating rice, hock deep in muddy water. Something smacked into his head then bounced off, plopping into the water at his feet. Looking up, he saw nothing around him, only a cloud passing overhead. Scratching his head, he shrugged and returned to his work.






They slept briefly as they headed for the coast, Sunset occasionally recharging the cloud walking spell to keep them from plunging, like the nut earlier, through the cloud and into the landscape below. As night grew closer, they again shared a meal from Sunset’s saddlebags, this time with nothing dropped. They prepared for the night, then snuggled up together and drifted off to sleep. 

Sunset woke several hours later, updated the spell again, then settled back to sleep. She woke throughout the night, keeping the necessary spell active as they continued their journey in their sleep, drifting closer to the coast with each passing hour. 

Sunset woke with the rising sun, renewing the spell then preparing for the day ahead.  Aiko woke and prepared as well.  They breakfasted on dried fish and fruit, washed down with water from the skins. They could see the coast coming up, just beyond the rolling hills they were over.  A village sat beyond them, fishing boats lined up along the beach. 

“We should probably drop into the hills then enter the village from there,” commented Sunset, looking over the edge of the cloud. 

“Drop?” Asked Aiko with concern. 

“Not literally. But yes, down into the hills before the village,” clarified Sunset. 

“Okay, when?” Agreed Aiko. 

Sunset looked over the clouds edge. A teal glow flashed from her hooves as she and Aiko both disappeared with a pop. 

And reappeared in a bowl of the rolling hills below. “Now,” snarked Sunset.  “Come on,” Sunset got up and trotted up over the hill. “The village is this way.”  Aiko just glared, then loped after her. 

Aiko led them into the village, Sunset following after her as her servant. Seeing no central square or vendors, Aiko approached one of the fishermen mending his nets. “Excuse me,” ventured Aiko, “is there somewhere I can charter a boat for a voyage?” She asked. 

The fisherman laughed. “Sorry vixen, you’re a few thousand stadia off for that. Charter a boat for an evening? We can do that. Charter a boat for further than that?  Yeah, not happening.”

“Is there somewhere nearby that I could charter a berth for a voyage?” Aiko asked.

“You’re on the wrong side of the island for that,” the fisherman teased. “Need to go back east to Yokeo or Yokeohama if you want to voyage anywhere.  Anywhere else, it’s just fishing and site-seeing.”

Aiko bowed in thanks, resuming her trek into the village.

“Seriously?” grumbled Sunset as they moved off. “Nowhere on the west coast has a real port?”

“Apparently?” noted Aiko. “Not that I ever tried for one, growing up near Yokeo all my life.”

Sunset rolled her eyes.  “Okay, well, that was a waste of a day and change.  So now we get to travel back to Yokeohama I guess if we want to get out of here.”  Sunset thought for a moment. “I can work with that though.  I wanted to head back to tie up a few loose ends. I just wanted to get you to safety before I did.”

“Wait, what?” Aiko spun to look at her.  “You weren’t coming with me?”

“I was going to join you later.  After I cleaned up some of the messes we left behind,” Sunset replied.

“And what messes are those?” Aiko asked.

“The Beast.  And the Yak-uza.  I’m not leaving them like they are.  I need to make sure the Beast will never hurt anyone again, especially not my leash sisters.  And, the Yak-uza are beasts. The rape factories are getting shut down permanently.  And I have an appointment with the top management.  Time for some of them to get their permanent walking papers,” replied Sunset, resuming her walk into the village.  Aiko followed.

“Are you sure you’re a pony?” snarked Aiko.  “You have to be the most violent pony I have ever met.”

“Nah, only when I need to be,” grinned Sunset.

They found a noodle stall in the village, and took their breakfast there, loading up on fish, vegetables, tea and noodles.  They asked the vendor if there were anyone traveling towards the east coast, and she referred them to a group of traveling merchants who had come to town.

Aiko and Sunset made their way to the merchants. Aiko struck up a conversation with one of them.  “Excuse me, but my servant and I were looking to journey to Yokeohama.  Is it possible you are heading that way, and if so, may we accompany you?”

“We don’t generally travel with others, but if the price were right, it could be arranged,” agreed the merchant.

‘“I will offer the services of my servant as protection. She is trained as a samurai, and is very proficient,” offered Aiko.

The fox looked at Sunset in disbelief.  “How could that be?  She’s just a pony.  And I can see she has her horn ringed.  Just how useful is a small pony in a fight?”

Sunset bowed to the merchant.  “That is a mistake many have made in confronting me, and I have used it to my advantage.  I am skilled in many arts, and am a capable warrior.”

The fox looked a bit doubtful, but sighed.  “Okay,” he agreed.  “Not like you have much competition in these parts.  No one here is signing up to be a mercenary.  Welcome to our caravan.  In return for defending us against any attacks and attempted robberies on our way back to Yokeo, you may travel with us. You can sleep in our tents and share our food, but you must contribute to the food as every other merchant does.  We will be leaving at sunrise tomorrow.  It should be obvious, but we will be making our journey with the intent to stop in as many towns and villages as we can reasonably accommodate, as trade is why we are traveling. Do you agree with this?”

Aiko bowed.  “We do.  I am Aiko, and my servant is Sunset.  You will not be disappointed, we will assure you of safe travels.  Thank you!”

“Thank you, Aiko.  See you both tomorrow morning then,” replied the merchant, returning to his wares.

“Well that went well,” commented Sunset after they had moved off, heading towards the lone inn in the village.

“Well enough,” agreed Aiko. “You didn’t steal from him, did you?  That would be a horrible way to start off our relationship with our new partners.”

“Heck no!  I don’t steal,” answered Sunset. “At least, not from my employers.  Yeah, that would be beyond awkward.”

They entered the inn, and secured a room for the night.  They then returned to the small market, looking for supplies for their journey.

They came to the stall of the merchant that had hired them.  While Sunset haggled with one of his associates over some lengths of rope and travel sacks for their supplies, Aiko chatted with the merchant. “So, any requests for the type of food we provide for the trip?  You mentioned we would have to chip in, so we were wondering if you had any requests or suggestions?”

“Fresh fruit and vegetables if you can get them. We will obviously have lots of fish,” he grinned. “But we always seem to run short of fresh food.  Meat is usually easy enough to get, but fruit and vegetables are harder to come by.  And not that it keeps well, but fruit juice is a treat everyone enjoys,” he answered. “But truthfully, anything you bring we will eat.  Amazing how much less picky everyone is when there isn’t much to pick at.”  He grinned.

‘Fruit and vegetables.  Okay, we’ll make that our priority.  Thanks!” Aiko said.  Sunset had settled on a price with the associate, and was putting all the purchased rope and bags into one of the travel bags then settled it on her back balanced between the saddle bags.

Together they roamed through the market, picking through the offerings, looking for more items that might be useful for their journey.  As the morning wore on, they purchased some grilled fish and peppers for lunch, then sat in the square eating as they watched the village around them.

“I saw some wild grapes not too far off as we were approaching the shore,” commented Sunset as they finished their lunch. “I bet we could gather a bag or so of them to supplement our food supply.”

“The merchant did mention they would appreciate fruits and vegetables.  Let’s check it out,” agreed Aiko.  Finished, they dropped off their purchases at their room, then left with a few bags to gather grapes.

It was a short trot to the wilds Sunset had spotted, and there were plenty of wild grapes still present, though clearly others had been through also gathering the fruit.

“I bet the village uses this to supplement their diets.  We should be considerate of that and not clean them out.  Let’s just take half a bag, and look around for other food too,” commented Aiko.  Sunset agreed, so they filled up half of one of the travel bags, then scouted further into the woods looking for nuts, berries, and other foods.

They found several varieties of edible fungus and mushrooms, so they gathered those and packed them away. There were also a few varieties of tree nuts and berries, so they were able to fill another bag and a half with those.  Sunset found a few edible roots that also went into the bags.  By the time the sun was setting, they had roughly three full bags of nuts, grapes, berries, roots and mushrooms and other fungi to bring for the trip.  They headed back to the village.

“I have an idea for the fruit juice. I think I can enchant one of the skins to hold more, and keep it fresh with a preservation spell.  If it works, we can fill it in the morning and bring that as well,” Sunset suggested.

They ate fish porridge with tea for dinner at the inn, then retired to their room.  Sunset dug out one of the new skins, and laid the enchantments on it, her hooves glowing as her magic worked.  Satisfied with the result, she laid the skin on top of the pile to pack for tomorrow.  They performed their ablutions, bathed, and snuggled up in bed, falling to sleep quickly.  Sunset was grateful for the chance to sleep through the entire night, not having to wake every few hours to check anything or update spells.  Sleeping in a cloud was nice, but sleeping all night trumped it.

The next morning, they woke, did their ablutions and cleaned up, then packed.  Sunset looped both the enchanted and normal skins over her neck, placed the packed travel bag on her back, and followed her mistress downstairs to the tavern where they had tea and breakfast, then settled their bill.

Heading out for the market, they found the juice merchant, where they purchased 20 skins worth of juice, the first going into the unenchanted skin, with the remaining going into the enchanted skin to his amazement.

Prepared, they traversed the market to join the merchant and his associates who were packing and preparing to leave.

“Ah, you made it.  And you’re packed and ready to go. Excellent,” he observed as he loaded up a cart.

“I can pull that for you,” offered Sunset, heading to the head of the cart. She slipped her bag into the back with the merchant's wares, then slipped into the harness, tightening it down for her smaller frame.

“Are you sure?” the merchant asked. “I have a lot of merchandise, and it’s a fairly heavy load.  And won’t that slow you down if we are attacked?”

“No, I got this.  I can handle a lot more than you think,” answered Sunset. “And, I can slip out of a harness pretty quick if things start to go sideways. Trust me, lots of practice there. You’d be amazed at the troubles we’ve seen.”

Aiko nodded.  The merchant relented. “Okay. But if you need a break, just let me know.”

Sunset nodded.  They finished loading up the cart, then the merchant led the small caravan out of the village and onto the road heading southeast through the woods.

As they traveled, introductions were made.  The merchant, Akira, was traveling with three associates, two vixens, Akiko and Akemi, and a tod, Daichi, his younger siblings.  They traveled across the land trading and plying their wares while their parents stayed home running the family business, a store on the outskirts of Yokeo.  It was difficult to make much of a profit with the graft required to stay in business, especially with the protection payout they had to provide the Yak-uza as they were operating in their area.

Sunset scowled. “We can help you with that,” she growled. “I’ll bring it up with their management when I see them next time.”

“You know the Yak-uza Overlord?” asked the merchant in shock.

“He used to be a client of mine,” replied Sunset. “Yeah, and he still owes me.  I’ll bring it up with him.”

The Kitsune all moved back a bit from her.  Aiko just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “It’s true,” she replied.  “But don’t let her scare you. My Sunset is one of the nicest mare’s you’ll ever meet. Just, don’t tick her off.”  She laughed.

“What?” laughed Sunset. “I am nice. Just ask me!

“Also, as we are traveling together, I’ll let you in on our sign,” Sunset continued.  Aiko looked over in confusion.

“Okay, I’ll let you all in on the sign, sorry Aiko. When I sense danger, and I can’t just say it, I will talk about the cicadas. And if I think we are about to be attacked, I will wonder if it is their season.  Also, if I try to guess what year the season is, I am telling you how many attackers I expect.  That way we don’t get caught unaware, and don’t give away our advantage that we know the attack is coming,” finished Sunset. Aiko and the merchants nodded.

They continued on, eating smoked fish with rice balls for lunch as they marched.  Eventually evening fell, and the merchant suggested they stop for the night and set up camp.  Sunset pulled the cart off the trail a ways, then they pulled out the tent and supplies needed for the night.  Sunset shared with them the fruit juice from the unenchanted skin as they worked.

When they finished, they set up a fire, which Sunset ignited with a flash of lightning.  Aiko shared some of their roots and nuts as they roasted salted fish over the open fire.

After their dinner was complete, Sunset drew a large runic circle around the camp and cart, then activated it with a glowing spell from her hooves.  She settled into the tent in the corner with Aiko by the front near the flap, so she would be able to quickly exit if something triggered her wards.  Snuggling together, they fell asleep.

The next morning they rose with the sun.  Sunset deactivated her runes, then wandered off into the woods to perform her ablutions.  Aiko joined her, then together they washed up as much as they could in a nearby stream before returning to camp.  They offered some of their wild grapes and nuts for breakfast, with more of the fruit juice, which was happily accepted.

Brushing away the last of the runic circle, Sunset slipped again into the harness and pulled the cart back to the path, where they resumed their journey to the next village.

By midday they arrived at the village, where the merchant and his associates quickly set up a booth and began plying their wares.  Aiko and Sunset wandered the market, looking through the stalls for useful wares.  Finding little of interest, they bought a lunch to share of grilled fish and vegetables with sticky rice washed down with spiced tea.

They enjoyed the lunch, so they decided to purchase four more and brought them back to the merchant and his family.  They were grateful for the consideration, and enjoyed the lunches.  Aiko and Sunset remained for the rest of the afternoon, helping out around the booth and trying to be useful, which mostly meant staying out of the way when potential customers came by.

Evening came, and the market closed.  They helped break the stall down and pack everything back into the cart, then pulled it to the edge of town where they set up their camp.  They set up the tent, ate a light dinner of fruit and dried fish, then performed their ablutions in the woods nearby, cleaning up and preparing for the evening.  Over a small fire they prepared tea to enjoy before retiring for the evening.  After the tea, Sunset surrounded the camp once again with a protective runic circle before retiring for the night.

The night passed without incident, and the morning came.  They struck camp, eating a quick breakfast of berries and juice then a quick visit to the forest for the needful.  Sunset struck the runes and scattered the cold ashes of their campfire, then harnessed herself to the wagon to begin their day’s journey.

They left the village and traveled through the surrounding woods, following the trail to the next town.  While they were traversing the deeper woods, Sunset felt others tracking them on a few occasions.  But they always veered off, never confronting them.

This was due to the size of the group, and was part of the reason she offered to pull the cart.  A Kitsune pulling the cart would be discounted as a threat.  As a pony, she was discounted completely anyway, because who had anything to fear from a clearly ringed unicorn mare?  But with five adult Kitsune, one clearly a three tail, and all unfettered, ready to fight, they would measure their odds and decide this party was not worth attending.

Of course, that was the theory.  Eventually you meet up with those either more determined, more powerful, or just plain too stupid, then all the tactics and intimidation just don’t work. Despite that, Sunset felt they were ready.  She knew they had reserves that didn’t show.

Late in the afternoon, Sunset again sensed others tracking them.  These were clearly better hunters.  She could feel them coming just into and out of her perception as she scried the surrounding forest.  They knew they might be sensed, and were doing their best to stay far enough away to avoid being scented.  Clearly these hunters knew their craft.

Sunset stumbled, then stopped, pulling her hoof up and looking at it.

“Sorry, got something in my hoof, just a second,” she called out, looking her frog over. She brushed her hoof off on her foreleg, and set it back down, rubbing it back and forth for a bit.

While she did that, her hooves glowed slightly teal, as she forced her senses out, covering a wider area.  There!  She had them.  Nine Kitsune, one heavy with magic. They were moving up around them, almost completely surrounding them.   They stopped once they had surrounded them, then slowly moved in.

“Okay, sorry about that.  All good now!  Hey, do you hear the cicadas?” asked Sunset, resuming pulling the cart down the path.

“Don’t we always?” laughed the Merchant, looking back to her.  She nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Sunset smiled.  She looked around. “They really are everywhere, aren’t they.”

“This time of year, yes.  I wonder, is this the seventeenth year?  Maybe?” replied the merchant.  As they were chatting, the others paired off ahead of them a bit, two abreast, chatting together.

“I don’t know, maybe?” answered Sunset.  “The ninth year, I think?”  The merchant nodded.

“I can’t tell.  Not like I pay that much attention anyway,” he grinned.

There was a ripping sound, then pain exploded in Sunset’s flank.  She dropped like a rock, her magic gone, and her consciousness fading fast as well, her vision clouding out.  She pushed back in her mind, forcing herself to stay awake, and looked down at her flank.  She could hear shouting and fighting around her as she stared down at her bleeding flank to see an arrow embedded there, glowing pale green as teal streamed from her down into the wound towards the tip.

“Bacca!  That can’t be good!” she swore to herself, and with what strength she had left, she bent back and put her teeth around the shaft, wrenching the arrow from her bleeding flank.

“Ahhhh!” she screamed out in pain as it ripped out, then in a teal flash she disappeared.

Sunset looked down from the trees above the fight.  The five Kitsune in their party were holding their own against their attackers, but two of them were loading up two large bags with goods from the cart, including Aiko and Sunset’s stash of food for the trip.  When they had taken everything they could carry, they loped off into the forest.

Seeing them leave, and realizing the five kitsune they were fighting were more than capable of defending themselves, the other seven took off into the forest as well, leaving the party to themselves.

The merchant ran back to the cart, and rummaged through what remained to see what had been taken. “Damn it!” he swore. “They found the hiding place I kept our coin in. It’s gone!”

Sunset popped back down behind him, blood still seeping from her flank. “I guess that means I need to go after them. What in the Tartarus was that thing that hit me?  It sucked my magic right out of me!  I almost blacked completely out from the shock,” she said, looking around for where she had dropped the arrow.

“Is this it?” asked one of the vixens, holding it up. “It kind of tingles.”

“That’s it,” said Sunset, coming over to look at it.  “I can feel the drain even from here. What the heck is that?  I’ve never seen anything like it.”  She tried to take it in her magic, but it just sucked it all into the arrowhead.  “That’s really odd.”  She reached out with a forehoof and took it in her frog.  “Wow, I can feel it sucking at me even through the wood staff.  Yeah, this thing would kill a pony quickly.”

“I saw you almost black out, then you just reached back and ripped out of your backside,” noted Aiko.

“I had to get it out quick, or I would have been completely helpless,” Sunset admitted.  “Like I said, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“So, are you going to get rid of it?” asked Aiko.

“Not until I understand it.  I need to find some kind of defense against it, clearly.  If common bandits are using this, Mages like me are screwed.  I can’t ignore that,” answered Sunset.  She placed the arrow carefully along the side of the cart.  “Okay, Sorry I was so useless back there.  I got taken by surprise.”

“No, you were clearly not useless.  Thank you for the warning.  If you had not let us know they were coming, we would have been completely defenseless.  And knowing their numbers made us more effective, knowing how to fight them,” responded the merchant.

“Not sure how I am going to do this.  I can’t do my usual storm in and kick flank when all any of them have to do is notch one of those and take a shot, knowing it will go right through any shield I cast then hit me then suck me dry.  Not sure I can take two of these in a day,” Sunset shuddered.

Aiko smiled. “But you have a plan, right?  Just like always?”

Sunset smiled.  “I have a plan.”






Sunset sent the others onward, promising to catch up with them when she was done.  Aiko wanted to go with her, but Sunset pointed out that stealth was the only thing that would work at this point, and given how proficient the foxes had proven earlier, it was probably going to take all of her fieldcraft to track and close on them without being detected.  She was not sure Aiko could match that with her office experience.  Aiko regretfully agreed, but found some consolation in tending to Sunset’s wound before she left.

“I am so going to enjoy teaching that vixen fieldcraft.  She really has the heart for the hunt,” thought Sunset to herself as she silently galloped after the bandits, following the trail they had left through the underbrush.

About a half hour later, she sensed the pack up ahead.  They had stopped, and were congregating together.  She slowed, went invisible, and swept around to approach from the other side.  She silently moved up, and peered out from the brush.  They were in a small clearing in the middle of the forest surrounding a small campfire.  They were dumping the bags of stolen merchandise out and examining their haul.

Two of the foxes were laughing at the bag of food they had stolen from her, throwing grapes at each other as they ate.  ”Wish I had poisoned the food,” thought Sunset sourly.

She watched as they feasted on her food, placing the mushrooms on sticks and roasting them over the fire while they plowed through the rest of the fruit and nuts.  Eventually the mushrooms were toasted to perfection, and they ate them as well.

Sunset relocated into the higher branches of one of the trees surrounding the clearing, dropping her invisibility spell and letting the natural camouflage work for her.  She settled down to wait until the misfits below her fell asleep.

She found herself surprised at how much energy idiots with full stomachs had and how long they could carry on.  Though to be honest, she noted for all their antics, they did not break fieldcraft.  There were no shouts, howls, or any other behavior that could be heard through the forest and give their location away.  They ran, wrestled, talked, laughed, but nothing that carried much past the clearing they were in.  Watching them, she realized this group had martial training.

“Ronin,” she thought to herself.  During their conversation at dinner, Aiko’s uncle had mentioned that Ronin had become an issue recently.  The Emperor had issued an edict forbidding Samurai to take a new master after losing theirs.  As a result, many had taken to crime in order to survive.  This group clearly seemed to be in that category.

The setting sun bathed the forest in a golden hue. Sunset enjoyed the beautiful reminder of her mentor, and sisters, smiling to herself as she watched the foxes below enjoy their success.  Eventually they settled down around the fire, sharing stories and tales with each other as they relaxed for the night.  A while after the moon had risen, they laid down around the fire while one of their number moved out from the fire’s light and into the forest around them.  Sunset saw him in the dim light hunched down just inside the surrounding  forest, silently moving around the perimeter of the clearing.  Clearly he was the first watch.

Sunset waited until he passed beneath her, dropping down behind him silently. She placed a hoof on him, dropping him instantly.  She placed him up against the tree where branches and vines quickly grew up around him completely binding him to the tree.  He slumbered peacefully through it, dreaming he was still circling the camp, watching his companions sleep peacefully while nothing of any note happened.

Sunset quickly moved into the camp, touching each of the foxes in turn, deepening their slumbers.  Vines and brambles quickly grew up around them, wrapping them tightly as they slept.  Seeing them secured, Sunset quickly returned everything back into the two bags the bandits had dumped them from, then realized there was no way she was going to be able to haul both bags back with her while running silently through the forest.

Scowling, she looked up to the moon, and noticed a cloud drifting through the night sky.  Fortune was smiling on her tonight, she thought, seeing it drift in the direction she had come from.  Thinking quickly, she reached out and touched both bags, then disappeared with a pop.

She dropped into the cloud with both bags, settling into the cloudbank.   The merchandise was secure, so she looked down over the edge of the cloud down at the clearing below.

“起きろ！(Okiro! Wake up!)” she heard from the edge of the clearing.  Immediately the foxes bound in the clearing began to rouse, thrashing in their bonds.  There were several glints from them in the moonlight, then they were free, katanas at their sides.  The fox she had left in the forest joined them, his katana also drawn.  Together they joined in the clearing, looked up at the moon, and howled.  They then loped off in the direction she had left the merchants.

“Crab nuggets!  That’s not good!” Sunset swore softly as they entered the forest.

Sunset teleported back down into the clearing, racing off after them, reaching out with her senses to feel for the hunting pack.  They were moving quickly ahead of her, clearly familiar with the woods and headed directly, she was sure, for Aiko and the merchants, no doubt intending to finish what they had started and recoup what they had woken to find missing.  Even galloping after them at full speed she was not certain she would be able to catch them before they caught up with her party.  She needed to get their attention on her, but without being caught in the process.  She teleported once again into the sky above, scouting the path before the moving pack in the moonlight as she fell.  She spotted a clearing they would pass through, and teleported into a tree ringing it.

As they burst into the clearing, she fired off two lightning bolts, dropping the two lead foxes.  The rest scattered immediately into the woods. Sunset teleported away quickly as two arrows ripped through the branches she had just left.

From her view several stadia above the clearing, Sunset saw them circling towards the tree she had been in.  As she fell, she fired off two more bolts of lightning at two of the foxes she had clear shots at through the brush, dropping them both.  There was more yelling, then she saw the glint of more arrows flying up towards her.  She teleported again before they reached her.

She was invisible, in the clearing from before. Knowing she had to move quickly, as invisible was not unscentable, she reached out through the earth and identified the remaining five still moving around the clearing looking for her.

“彼女のにおいがする! (Kanojo no nioi ga suru! I smell her!)” shouted one of the foxes, bounding into the clearing.  She disappeared with a pop.

From a tree near the clearing, a bolt of lightning lanced out, dropping the fox.  A companion leapt into the clearing, his bow at the ready, and fired off an arrow at the point the lightning had come from just as a pop was heard behind him.  A bolt of lighting fried into him, dropping him as well.  Arrows lanced through the clearing as another pop was heard.

Back in the trees, Sunset listened for any sound of her quarry.  Hearing nothing, she turned invisible again, and silently dropped down to the ground under the tree.  She reached out again, feeling for the remaining foxes.

They were being more cautious.  Spread out, they were circling around, moving more slowly.  One was nearly upon her, so she turned to face him as he approached.  As he cleared the brush, she launched a bolt of lightning into him, dropping him.  She felt the others rushing to the sound, and teleported back up into the tree as they approached.  An arrow lanced through the space she had just left.

She could see the two remaining foxes looking out from the brush at where she had been, then looking around and up to try to find her.  They were still facing towards the clearing.  She teleported again.

Still invisible, she popped in behind them.  Just as they were wheeling around to face her, she fired off two consecutive bolts of lightning at them.  The first dropped the fox completely, but the second just singed the last fox and he rolled out of the way and bolted back into the forest.  Sunset teleported back up into the trees as another arrow flew through the space she had just left.

Sniffing, she realized she could smell the singed fur and flesh of the second fox she had grazed.  She listened carefully, thinking perhaps in his injured state, he might stumble or make some misstep.  Only the sounds of the woods returned to her.  Of her fox, there was not a sign.

She teleported back down to the forest floor, further out from the small clearing and still invisible.  Reaching out through the earth, she felt her prey moving slowly away from her current location.  Realizing she was downwind of the fox she quickly headed for him.  Seeing him through the forest brush in the moonlight, she teleported directly behind him.

As she popped in behind him, he wheeled, arrow notched and ready to fire.

He was too late. Sunset reached out and touched him with her hoof. He dropped to the forest floor.

Dropping her invisibility, Sunset held his head in her forehooves, diving into his dreams.

She saw nine friends, Samurai of a local Daimyo.  They were laughing and teasing each other, returning from a successful assignment.  As they approached the home of their master, they heard weeping and wailing.

They rushed from the road and into the residence, to find the staff weeping piteously.  “What happened?” one of the foxes asked.

“They have taken the master away, and disbanded the han!  We were told to leave, we can no longer work or stay here.  All the samurai have been dismissed.  All are now ronin!” cried the servants.

The friends looked at each other, crestfallen.  Together, they left the residence, traveling listlessly down the road away from the han.

She saw scene after scene where the former samurai had tried to find honest labor, only to be turned away, victims of the new law that forbade dismissed samurai from taking other jobs.

Heartbroken, but unwilling to kill themselves and leave their companions, they turned to banditry, stealing what they needed from merchants who traveled through their forest.  The did not stoop so low as some they had seen, killing for sport, raping and selling vixens into slavery, or needlessly damaging or hurting others.  They took what they needed, and left those they robbed to flee with what they still had.

The exception to this were those who fought back.  Those, they fought honorably, and often lethally.

Then there was this night.  They had targeted the pony with arrows they had brought, tipped with a rock that sucked all magic.  They had stolen the rock from a griffin merchant a year before, and kept it for a time like this, when they had to face off against a creature of powerful magic.  They did not know for certain the pony had deep magic, but could clearly see she was a unicorn and pulling a wagon.  That either meant she was cunning, and knew keeping the Kitsune free to deal with the fighting would intimidate many.  And that she was confident in her ability to free herself and still be of use in the battle. Or, she was magically inert, and worthless in the fight.  As they didn’t know, they assumed the former, and took her out preemptively.

But even taking out the mare first, the group they attacked faced them bravely and honorably, fighting with surprising skill and tenacity for a group clearly not used to fighting.  They were happy to leave them alive with what they did not take, and headed back to their camp to celebrate their spoils.

They did not, however, expect to see the unicorn mare again.  That she had survived the attack surprised them.  And to see her magic intact, then be taken out by her one by one?  They fought bravely, but each one fell, joining their ancestors.

And now there was one.  Injured, he tried to finish what they had started, to meet the mare in honorable combat. But he was done too, and would soon meet his ancestors as well.

Sunset appeared before him in his dream.

“Honorable Samurai,” she called out to him, bowing. “There is no dishonor in you.  You have fought bravely and nobly, and are a truly worthy foe.  I greet you here as one Samurai to another, honored to have fought you in battle.”

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am Sunset Shimmer, Samurai of the Equestrian Princess, sent here on a mission.  That I had to slay you and your band has saddened me, as has your plight.  It was wrong of the emperor to place such an edict on you, forbidding you to find noble employment with another master.  Your attempts anyway, despite that foul edict, are a credit to your nobility.  And your treatment of those you faced in your difficulties was noble as well.  You and your friends are a credit to your house, and your ancestors.  Join them in peace, my friend,” she answered, smiling.

She reached out to him, touching his forehead with her hoof.  He slowly faded from the dream.

Sunset was again before the injured and unconscious fox, her hoof still on his head.  In a flash, he turned to white ash beneath her hoof, drifting away in the wind.

Moving back through her travels, she found the bodies of the other eight, releasing them to the forest winds as well.  She also gathered up all the anti-magically tipped arrows she could find, burying them in the forest, marked, she hoped, in a way only she would be able to find again.  When she was done, she tracked down the cloud with their missing merchandise and teleported up to it, riding the winds towards Aiko and the merchants.  Several hours later, she saw her friend below her, so she teleported down behind her.

“Did you miss me?” she asked, teasing.

Aiko jumped up, wheeling about in mid air. “What!”  She saw Sunset, and ran over scooping her into her paws.  “Where were you?” she cried.

With her free hoof, she pointed up. Looking up, Aiko saw two bags falling towards them out of the sky.  “Bacca, bacca, bacca!” she cried out, dropping Sunset and running around to wake up the others. “Look out!  Our stuff is about to crash on our heads!”

The other rolled to their feet and looked into the sky as the bags hurtled towards them.  “Sunset, help!” called out Aiko.

Sunset laughed, and with a teal glow, the bags slowed, then slowly finished their journey, landing gently in the wagon with the rest of their merchandise.

Aiko punched her on the flank. “Dork!  Why’d you scare us like that?” she asked.

“Because you’re too much fun to tease,” grinned Sunset, sticking out her tongue.

Aiko rolled her eyes.  “So where are the bandits?” she asked.  Sunset looked sad.

“I had to send them to their ancestors,” she answered.

“What?  No plant restraints? No Bandits sign?” asked Aiko.

“Not this time. I tried, but they were Ronin.  They cast off my mind magic and sliced through my restraints.  Then they started after you.  I couldn’t let them take you.  They fought bravely and honorably, but they fell.  Every last one of them. They are with their ancestors now,” Sunset answered sadly.

Aiko pulled her into a hug, which Sunset gratefully accepted.  The merchants gave them their moment.  Together, they settled back down around the fire, Sunset snuggled up tightly to her friend, and they fell asleep.
> 15 - Sunset - Journey to the Secretary
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning they woke, and found to their surprise the camp was once again surrounded by a runic circle.

Sunset smiled.  “What?” She laughed. “After all that you really didn’t think I’d leave us unprotected did you?”   Aiko grinned and nodded yes, so Sunset playfully smacked her haunches.  Together they loped into the forest to perform their ablutions. Washing up and returning they saw the merchant digging through the bags. 

“You didn’t happen to bring back those grapes and nuts did you?” he asked. 

“Sorry,” replied Sunset. “Our recently departed friends ate them all. There was nothing left of them I’m afraid.”

“Unfortunately, I think that was the last of the food,” responded the merchant. “I was going to barter for more at the next village.”

“I’ll go look around. Maybe I can find something we can eat nearby.”  Sunset replied as she grabbed an empty travel sack from the wagon and trotted off into the woods.   Once she was a ways in, she stretched her senses down into the earth and tried to feel for grapes and nuts. All she felt was an overwhelming sense of the vegetation all around her. “Ugh. I guess that makes sense. How would I know one plant from another by feel unless I’d somehow learned what each plant feels like.”

She looked up into the sky and spotted a cloud drifting by. “Maybe I’ll see something from up there,” she mused. With a pop and teal flash she disappeared. 

Appearing over the cloud, she dropped down into the cloud bank and peered over the edge. She looked down at the forest below, scanning the terrain around her. No sign of wild grapes, but she did see a small lake nearby. She launched herself over the side of the cloud towards the lake, figuring she’d try her hoof at flying. Closing her eyes, she imagined magic stretching out from her back, just like mom’s or Cadance’s wings. Concentrating, she could feel the wind passing through where she imagined her wings to be, but nothing slowed her descent. She opened her eyes, seeing the trees below fast approaching. 

“Drat!” She fumed, then teleported to the lake. “One of these days I’m going to figure that out.”

She trotted over to the edge of the lake. Looking into the lake she saw fish darting around. She grinned as she trotted back over to the forest edge where she noticed a tree with a straight slender low branch. With a flash, her sword appeared before her and she looped off the branch, then peeled off the outer bark and sharpened both ends to a fine point. Finished with her sword, it disappeared as she levitated the stick back over to the lake with her.

She turned invisible while moving up to the side of the lake.  The stick floated out over the pond, the end downward. One of the fish darted up towards the surface and the stick lanced down into the water, disappearing. A moment later, it floated up to the surface with a fish speared through in the middle still thrashing and flopping. The stick levitated over to the side of the pond where something knocked the fish from the stick into the grass.  The stick then levitated back out over the water. 

Over the next few minutes this repeated a dozen times. Finished, Sunset reappeared, tossing the stick into the grass by the pond as she gathered the fish into the sack, then headed back to camp. Along the way back she found some mushrooms and a few hooves full of nuts, so those went into the bag as well.  As she stepped into the small cleaning where they had spent the night, she saw Aiko had started a cooking fire. Sunset held out the bag to her. 

“What did you find?” Aiko asked as she took the bag and opened it. “Oh nice! Fish!  And some wild mushrooms. That’ll work.”  She quickly gutted and filleted the fish, placing them over the fire to cook. She cleaned and sliced the mushrooms as well, placing them over the fire with the fish. 

“So where’s the rest of the crew?” Asked Sunset. 

“They went out to look as well,” answered Aiko. “And hey, what were you doing earlier?  I was looking up at the clouds a while ago, waiting for the fire to get hot, then I saw you launch yourself over the edge of a cloud and just fall with your legs splayed out. Just before I thought you were going to auger into the trees you disappeared.”

“You saw that?” Laughed Sunset. “Yeah, that was me practicing flying.”  She grinned. 

“More like falling,” snarked Aiko. “Although you did look like you were having fun.”

“Fun would have been if it worked,” grinned Sunset. 

“Yeah, seeing that made me very glad we didn’t need to count on your flying abilities over the bay. It would have turned into swimming rather quickly,” Aiko teased. 

“Oh ha ha,” teased Sunset back. “Like you’d do any better.”

“Already told you filly, no wings on this vixen. I don’t fly, and never intend to,” she laughed as she tended the fish. 

“You watch. One of these days I’ll figure it out. Just you wait,” promised Sunset. 

“You know, for a brief moment there while you were falling, I thought I saw a pair of translucent wings flutter briefly, then they disappeared,” smiled Aiko. 

“Really?” Asked Sunset hopefully. 

“Nope! Just kidding!” Laughed Aiko. 

Sunset smacked her friend’s haunch again with a laugh. “I so hate you just a little bit right now,” she grinned. 

“No you don’t,” Aiko teased back. 

“No, I don’t,” laughed Sunset. “You got me. Good one.”

“Think I’ll keep you. And yes, it was,” Aiko agreed. 

They both looked up as they heard voices approaching. The merchant and his siblings emerged from the forest, bags over their back. “Something smells wonderful,” he called out as they loped up. 

“Found some fish,” smiled Sunset. 

“Better than we did. We found some edible roots and nuts, and half a bag of wild berries,” he added. 

“Oh I bet those would make a good lunch. We should cook the roots now so we can eat them later,” commented Sunset. They agreed, so they dumped them out, washed them up, and placed them around the fire to cook as well. 

The fish and mushrooms were done, so they took them from the fire, two fish each and mushrooms to go with them.  They enjoyed their breakfast while they waited for the roots to cook. When they were finished, they took the now cooked roots from the fire and placed them into the bag with the rest of the food.  They put out the fire and quenched the embers, then finished loading up the cart. Sunset hitched herself up to it and they moved off down the trail towards the next stop, a moderately sized city. 

They kept a decent pace that would have them at the city by nightfall.  The merchant and his associates planned to spend the next few days in the city’s bazaar plying their trade, while Sunset and Aiko investigated more about the anti-magic arrows and what the Yak-uza were up to, particularly if they were still searching for them. 

Because they were staying in the city and not a village this time, Sunset procured adjoining rooms at one of the local inns, including a locked storage stall for the cart and merchandise.  They secured their goods with the cart.  Sunset enchanted the lock and placed wards, then they ate together in the tavern, enjoying the hospitality, company, food and drinks while they unwound from the last two days of adventure.

After the welcome repast, they went together to the baths, and after washing the sweat and dust of the road from themselves enjoyed a wonderful soak in the hot spring baths.  They shared stores as they soaked, Sunset mostly just listening as the merchant and his siblings told tales of their misadventures growing up in their shop, and Aiko laughingly added her own tales of mischief growing up on her dan with her cousins, and the trouble they seemed to have a knack for getting themselves into.

Bathed, fed, and relaxed, they retired to their rooms.  Sunset and Aiko snuggled up on the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, they rose, performed their ablutions, and after cleaning joined the merchant and his siblings for breakfast.  Sunset pulled the cart from storage for them to the stall they procured to use during their stay, then she and Aiko left to start their investigations.

The first place they visited is the journeyman’s guild to find some work and determine if the Yak-uza were still looking for their missing slaves.  Scanning the notices in the board, Sunset saw that yes, in fact the Yak-uza had in fact issued a sizable bounty on them, the notice including a surprisingly accurate description of them both.  She took it down from the wall, claiming she was going to find them and collect the bounty, which got laughter and derision from many of the foxes and yaks who were also looking at the board.

“What?” laughed Sunset. “I could take them!  They’re just a couple of prostitutes?  How hard could it be?”  That got even more laughter as she returned to Aiko.

“Find anything?” Aiko asked as she trotted up grinning.

“Yeah!  We could turn ourselves in and be rich on the bounty!” joked Sunset quietly.  Aiko rolled her eyes.  Sunset passed the notice over to her and she read it.

“Wow you weren’t kidding.  And that really is a good description.  I guess they really want us back,” grinned Aiko.

“Yeah, so they can publicly make an example of us and keep all the others in line.  I am so going to bring this with me when I sack the current management,” grinned Sunset.

“By sack, you don’t mean fire, do you,” laughed Aiko.

“Oh, there will be fire involved,” promised Sunset.

“I swear you’re not a pony,” Aiko chuckled. “You have the right shape, but everything that comes out of your mouth sounds like some kind of oni.”

Sunset smacked her friend's haunches.  “Bite your tongue, vixen!  I am a sweet and adorable little pony and don’t you dare say otherwise!” she joked.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” deadpanned Aiko. “I might end up sampling some of that fire you were talking about.”

Sunset laughed, giving her friend a shoulder bump. “Come on, let's see if anyone knows something about the anti-magic arrows.”  They left the guild hall, looking for a magical shop that might have knowledge about the arrows.  As they left, one of the yaks who had been at the board with Sunset slipped out as well.

Several shops later, they decided to break for lunch. They found a noodle stall, and bought two lunches of noodles with grilled fish and vegetables.  They found a fruit juice vendor afterwards and enjoyed two cups of her wares, then resumed their quest for answers.

The third shop for the afternoon finally got them something.

“Excuse me.  I’m looking for an artifact that can suck magic from magical creatures, something I can use as a weapon. Do you have something like that, or know of someone who might?” Aiko asked the shopkeeper.

“You mean like an inhibitor ring, like your servant has there?” snarked the fox keeping the shop.

“Yes, but more like a weapon. Something strong enough it just had to touch someone, like a pony, and it would knock them out.  The rings are good, but too specific. I want something I don’t have to fight with strapping it on, something I could even just throw or shoot at them and it would work,” clarified Aiko.

“That’s a pretty powerful artifact. You don’t see artifacts like that used as common weapons,” hedged the fox.

“I don’t know about the common part, but we have seen them used.  There was a group of ronan who had some, and we saw them use one. It was very effective,” added Aiko.

“Was a group?” observed the fox.

“Apparently, there’s no sign of them now.  They seem to have passed like the wind,” added Aiko. Sunset rolled her eyes.

“Well,now that you mention it, there was a griffin that passed through here about a year back or so. He had a bag of rocks he was selling, claiming they could suck the magic out of just about anything.  He sold me a sample to show around, said if anyone was interested he would be back and happy to sell through me if there were a sale.”  The fox dug around behind the counter. “Where did I put that box?”  He asked himself as he looked.

He pulled a box from a lower shelf, and placed it on the counter. “Here it is,” he stated.  “Want to test it out?  See if that’s what you’re looking for?” he asked.

“Yes, please,” agreed Aiko, picking up the box.  She opened it, taking the flint like rock from inside.  “Oh wow, it does feel tingly.  Let’s see,” she said as she held it.

Turning, she reached out and held the rock against Sunset’s flank.

Teal magic poured out from Sunset and into the rock as she hissed loudly and jumped back. “What the Buck!” she spat at Aiko.

“Sorry Soni!” Aiko apologized, placing the rock back into the box and handing it back to the fox. “I just had to be sure it worked.”  She turned to the fox. “So, you can get more of those?  How many, and how soon?  And once we settle that, now much?”

“And the answers to all that will have to wait until I see him again,” replied the fox.

“Any idea when that will be?” Aiko asked.

“Nope,” answered the fox. “Haven’t seen him since then.  And like I said, that was over a year ago. If you’re interested, give me a way to get a hold of you, and I’ll let you know when I see him again.”

“Just send a message to the Prime Minister’s secretary, saying Soni was looking for it.  He’ll make sure we get the message,” replied Aiko.

The foxes and Sunset’s jaws dropped.  “You know the Prime Minister’s Secretary?” asked the fox, shocked.

“Yes, you know the Prime Minister’s Secretary?” asked Sunset, glaring pointedly.

The fox looked over at Sunset, then back at Aiko. “You allow your servants to talk to you like that?” he asked.

“I allow Soni to talk any way she wishes.  Servant or not, we have been friends for a very long time, and I respect her thoughts,” answered Aiko, looking back at Sunset. Sunset just shook her head and looked away.

“So, yes, I know the Prime Minister’s Secretary.  If you find a way to purchase more of those, please contact the Prime Minister's Secretary care of my servant.  And I will then get in touch with you,” replied Aiko.

The fox nodded dumbly.

“Come on, Suni!  We have other errands to attend to,” called out Aiko, leaving the shop. With a glance at the shop keeper, Sunset turned and followed her out.

Once they were clear of the shop and down the street, Sunset pulled Aiko into an alley.

“What the buck, Aiko!  What are you thinking?” exploded Sunset.

“What the buck back!  You know damned well what I am thinking!” growled Aiko. “We need a way for him to reach us, and my uncle is the only resource we can trust!  Why are you even questioning this?” fumed Aiko.

Sunset stood back, looking at Aiko.  “Well?” repeated Aiko.

“Okay, you’re right.  That’s actually a fair point. We don’t have any contacts we can use, and we should have discussed that before I left you hanging, having to come up with something on the fly.  That was my bad,” admitted Sunset. “But seriously, your uncle?  The Prime Minister’s Secretary?  That’s not exactly low key!  You saw  his reaction!  He was just about as floored as I was,” counted Sunset.

“We can trust him. He is the one person with any authority we can trust,” responded Aiko.

“Why do you think we can trust him, Aiko?  He was the one that said you had to kill yourself.  That was all on him!  Why should I trust him?” fumed Sunset.

“Because he was right, Sunset.  He was only telling the truth.  You know it.  He knew it. I knew it.  There was no other way it could have gone in our culture with what happened.  Rage all you want, that’s just how it is here,” answered Aiko.  “And he said it anyway, even though he knew it would hurt my mom and dad, hurt him. And kill me.  Because he had to. Because he was right.  And he looks out for our family.  And if he knew I still needed him, he would still have my back,” responded Aiko.

“And you really believe that?” asked Sunset.

“With all my heart,” affirmed Aiko.

“Okay.  I have to trust you. Our lives are riding on this, Aiko.  No oops, try again. We have one shot at getting everything right.   Just one.  But if you say this is the way, then fine.  We do it your way.  How do I get to him so I can read him in on what we are doing?” asked Sunset.

“You’ll just make an appointment, as yourself.  He’ll see you.  Then you can explain it all to him, and let him know what we are trying to do,” answered Aiko.

“Fine,” sighed Sunset. “Any more surprises you plan on hitting me with?  And speaking of which… What in Tartarus were you thinking, slapping that rock on me?  Holy bucking hells that hurt!  Why would you do that?”

“I needed to know if it was actually the same rock,” answered Aiko. “And there was only one way to find out.  I only held it there for a moment, and was ready to whip it back if needed.”

Sunset nodded. “Fair enough.  Just next time?  Give a mare some warning, okay?”

“Okay.  Still friends?” agreed Aiko, holding her paws out.

“Forever Aiko,” agreed Sunset, pulling her friend into a nuzzle.

They hugged for a bit, letting the tension fade, then stepped back into the street. “So, where to next, Soni?” asked Aiko.

“I guess keep looking, see if there are any more,” answered Sunset  “And find some way to let your uncle know what’s really going on.”

“That’s going to have to be all you. I’m dead, remember?” snarked Aiko.

“Uh, yeah, I was the one that killed you. Kinda was there,” answered Sunset.  “I just hope your uncle is as trustworthy as you think.  We’re going to be trusting him a lot here.”

They entered the next store.  The proprietor had no idea what they were looking for.  They got the same response from the rest of the shops they visited.  As it was getting later in the evening, Sunset proposed they head for the government office to send a message to her uncle.  They went to the city hall.  From the front desk, Sunset requested a quill,ink, and a piece of stationary, then composed of a letter to Aiko’s uncle, leaving it with them to deliver.

To the Secretary of the Prime Minister,
From Soni, former companion of Aiko Adobaizā
Care of City Hall, City of Tackasaki

Dear Sir,
My sincere regrets for the circumstances we met under, and the loss of your beloved niece and my dear friend, Aiko.

I have come upon some information that I feel compelled to share with you privately, at your earliest convenience.  I will be in this town for the next few days if you wish to reach me, and will check back with this office for any response.

Thank you sir.
Suni

“Well that’s that. Hopefully he will get the message and be able to respond before we leave,” said Sunset as they left the city offices, trotting back to the market to check on the merchant and his siblings.

“I can’t imagine he won’t respond quickly.  With the abruptness of your departure, he will be very curious about your reaching out to him so quickly afterwards,” noted Aiko.

“I suppose you’re right,” nodded Sunset.

They found the merchant and his siblings closing out the stall, moving the last of their wares into the cart. Sunset hitched herself up, then pulled it back to the inn, listening to them discuss their day's fortunes.  Once Sunset had secured the cart back in the stall, locked up and warded, they went to the inn’s tavern for some dinner and relaxation.

After dinner Aiko and Sunset bathed, then retired for the evening. As they laid on their bed they discussed their plans going forward.

“Okay, so why are we dragging your uncle into this?” asked Sunset.

“I’ll get to that, but first, I want to know why you thought I would be okay with you just shipping me off to Equestria without you while you went on some sort of ninja raiding party without me,” countered Aiko.

“I wasn’t just shipping you off!” insisted Sunset.  “I was concerned for your safety, and I’ve promised my princess, your Consul, and your friends that I would return you safe. Well, safe and unharmed, but I already failed at that part, so I wasn’t going to let you possibly get harmed even more by having you tag along while I cleaned up this mess.”

“Do you not understand anything about me?  About us?   We’re friends, Sunset!  We were and are leashmates.  That’s a level of family even deeper than blood!  We don’t just wrap each other in cotton balls and lock them away somewhere safe!  We bleed for each other, hunt and die for each other!  By the goddesses, do you not understand anything?” stormed Aiko.

“I’m sorry, okay!” insisted Sunset. “I get that now.  I wasn’t trying to be insensitive or ignore how you felt!  I just wanted you safe.  Not just because I promised.  Because I care. Because if anything happened to you, anything more, after all you’ve suffered, I couldn’t live with myself.  I’d hate myself for letting you down.  I just couldn’t stand to let you get hurt again,” confessed Sunset.

Aiko held Sunset, staring into her eyes. “And I feel the same way about you.  You came all the way over here, trapped in a shipping box, beaten and raped, then made a slave prostitute, just like I had, and all that by your choice just to save me!  Me, who was stupid enough to let herself get captured.  You suffered all that because of me, for my mistake!  There’s no way I could let you face that kind of danger alone!”

Sunset looked tenderly to Aiko.  “Aiko, you didn’t make a mistake.  None of what happened is your fault, and I never saw you to blame for any of this,” Sunset assured her friend. “I chose this, I wanted to come after you, to save you. Even before I met you, I knew the kind of vixen you were. I could see from your friends devotion what a kind soul you were, and knew I would do anything it took to save you.  I wanted to be your friend even then.

Sunset laughed ruefully. “Me, the mare who never wanted or had time for friends, and now have several, knew that you would be, and were, my friend.  I had to come for you. I could never leave a friend to suffer alone like you were.”  She hugged Aiko tightly. “I just want you safe, Aiko.  I don’t ever want you hurt again.”

Aiko hugged her tightly. “I don’t think we get to choose that, Sunset. I think we just have to face what life offers us, and the best we can choose is to face it together. As friends,” she smiled.

Sunset hugged her back and smiled. “As friends. Okay Aiko.  We’re in this together, for better or worse.  Friends to the end.”

“Friends to the end,” agreed Aiko.  “Okay, so that's settled. We need my uncle,” Aiko explained. “We need someone to help us wreck the Yak-uza, someone who can force the changes we make to stay made.  He has the political connections and iron will to carry it through, and he will work with us to do what needs to be done.”

“I don’t want to seem disparaging,” cautioned Sunset, “but he is a politician, and politics is an extremely pragmatic art. What if the best course of action for him is to not keep our secrets?  How can we be sure that will never happen?  And I understand that is a horrible question to ask, and I am not trying to disrespect him in any way.”

“Yes, politics is flexible. But, he is not.  Not when family is involved.  And not when doing what is clearly right.  He will stand with us to the end, I know it,” promised Aiko.

“Then I will take you at your word, because you know him better than I do, and possibly better than anyone,” agreed Sunset.  “So revised plan.  Step one, we read your uncle in on what is really happening, and what we are doing.  Right after we agree on what we are doing.”

Aiko laughed.  “Okay, so what are we doing?”

“Okay, new step one, figure out what we are doing. Then step two is read your uncle in,” Sunset chuckled.  “So, step two.  Here’s my goals.

“First, I made a promise to my leash sisters. I am not going to let the Beast hurt them.  I need to neutralize him before he hurts or kills anyone else.  That’s top of the agenda.

“Second, I’m freeing the slaves.  No one has to stay working at the brothels.  They can leave when and if they want,” continued Sunset. “And I know what that means now in your culture. I know what would be facing them if they returned home.  So I expect many of them may want to stay.  So I want all my sisters in bondage to be brought into the Zebrican sisterhood, so they can protect themselves from the harms of their profession.  And for anyone staying, it would be a profession, if only because they could then leave.  I would need my sisters that know the art to teach it to the others, and to promise to hold the secret safe, to keep others from using it against us.  And for those that cannot practice the craft, they need to be protected, offered roles away from those who could hurt us.

“And lastly, time for me to clean the house within the Yak-uza.  I wish I could just flush the entire Yak-uza away, but I can see that is not how your culture works, and I must work with your culture not try to replace it.  So first, the Madam’s are now full partners, in complete control of their respective brothels.  The mothers are their equal in the brothel, where they will work together for the safety of their leash.  The mothers will care for the leash, and the Madams will keep them safe in the Yak-uza, making sure the Yak-uza takes their needs into account.  And the cess-pits that are the commoners' brothels are getting upgrades.  No more are they allowed to be places vixens and mares are sent to work and die.  They will all be held to the ideas and culture of the exotics.  And any that cannot will be closed down, and their leashes moved to others that can and will meet the new expectations.  And yes, that means all the brothels of the Zebrican Sisterhood will be like the Exotics.

“As for the Yak-uza.  Time for some management that cares for their clan, not just themselves or their pleasures.  And the personal pleasure zoos are gone.  The mares, kits, vixens and others in them will be returned to the brothels or set free at their choice.  And the ones that trapped them there will be set free too; free from breathing,” fumed Sunset.  “I saw the zoos when I was in the mind of our fearless leader.  He will not enjoy our next visit, that is a solemn promise.

“And on top of this, I promised the Ronin I would get the emperor to rescind the edict forbidding Samurai from finding other work when dismissed.  It’s wrong, and it’s driving honorable warriors into lives of crime and desperation.  It has to stop,” finished Sunset.

Aiko laughed. “Is that all?  Just want to reinvent and replace the seedier side of our culture.  So what are we going to do after next Tuesday?  Should have all this wrapped up in a couple of days, right?” snarked Aiko.  “Ambitious much?”

“It’s not about being ambitious, it’s about doing what’s right, and not leaving messes behind you,” countered Sunset. “It takes what it takes. Yeah, I’d love to finish it all in a couple of days.  I doubt it will go that fast.  I may need to leave much of it in the hooves, or paws, of those I can trust.  It really does take what it takes.  But I am not keeping you here one second longer than I have to, your safety comes absolutely first. You are the reason I am here in the first place.”

“Okay, I can live with that.  Just tell me what I need to do,” agreed Aiko, “except leave you to deal with all this yourself.  That isn’t happening.  And you’re leaving something out.  Aren’t you afraid?  What if someone else has more of those rocks?  Then all our plans end right there.”

“True. But, I don’t think so.  Just a hunch, but I may have gotten lucky?  Sort of?  If there were more out there, I would think I would have run into them before, or at least have heard of them.  Honestly, they’re pretty impressive. I think even the Princess would have a hard time against those.  So, my hunch is the griffin left some samples around, trying to drum up interest, but was probably too greedy to take the offers he got at first, then got robbed and didn’t get to sell them like he wanted.  That said…” Sunset mused, “I am definitely done with my half cocked magic will solve everything attacks.  All I have to be is wrong once with those things and I am done for good.  Time to change my style, more like I had to do with the ronin who had them.

“And as for the rest?  I guess it starts when your uncle contacts us,” responded Sunset. “We will figure the rest out from there.” Aiko nodded.  They settled into the bed, snuggled up together.

“We got this, Sunset. You’ll see,” nodded Aiko as they fell asleep.

“I hope so,” agreed Sunset, eyes closed and almost asleep herself.






The next morning they woke, performed their morning ablutions, washed and joined the merchant and his siblings for a quick breakfast.  Sunset again pulled the cart to the bazaar stall for them before Aiko and she headed off to check for more signs of the griffin merchant who had apparently passed through here a year ago with the bag of rocks that could completely suck the magic from a pony.  As the day wore on, they were coming to the conclusion that he must have decided to just deal with the one fox exclusively, so for now they likely were not going to find any more rocks, or clues to his whereabouts, or the origin of his anti-magical rocks.  They stopped at a noodle cart for a late lunch of grilled fish, vegetables and noodles, then headed to City Hall hoping for some word from Aiko’s uncle.

“I think we’re being followed,” commented Sunset as they wandered out of the bazaar.

“What!?” said Aiko in alarm, looking around in panic. Sunset facehooved.

“What are you doing?” she asked.  Aiko stopped, looking at her in concern.

“You said we were being followed. I was looking for who was following us,” she said, worried.

“Well, not sure if you saw them, but I can promise you, they saw that.  Vixen, I really need to teach you some spy-craft.  If you’re being followed, the last thing you want to do is act like you know you’re being followed.  After that high profile panic attack, even the two yaks following us… yes, those two, why don’t you wave for pity’s… oh for the love of Celestia, Aiko!  I was just kidding!  I cannot believe you actually waved!  Oh great, they waved back!  And here they come…” Sunset groaned.

Two Yaks, covered with tattoos, wandered up to the two. “Hey ladies!  How you fine ladies doing?” greeted the larger of them as they trotted up. Sunset just hung her head, in deference, and frustration.

“Hey studs!  I saw you checking us out,” grinned Aiko.  “See something you like?”

“Don’t you know it, vixen!  Kind of hard not to notice a hot number like yourself,” leered the Yak.

“Yeah, I saw you checking out my servant too, big guy.  You into mares?  She is kinda hot,” teased Aiko.  The other Yak was grinning widely at their exchange.

“Vixen, I am into hot, and you two have that in spades,” soothed the Yak, pressing his luck.

“Lucky for you two I’m really into big and powerful.  What say you two buy us some drinks, and we see where things go?” Aiko suggested, winking at the Yak.

“I say that sounds like a great idea!  I know a little place not far from here, let me show you where it’s at,” offered the Yak with a leer, heading back down the street.  Aiko loped after him, the other Yak at her heels.

“Come along, Suni!  Let’s show these studs how city girls like us like to party,” she called out over her shoulder. Sunset groaned and followed, catching up to trot next to her friend.

A ways down the street, the Yaks led them into an alley.  They turned back to Sunset and Aiko, still leering.  Sunset leered back, stepping up to them. “Hey big boys, let me show you some of my better assets,” she purred, rearing up and putting a hoof on each of them. They both looked down then dropped like rocks, completely out.  She wheeled around.

“What the buck, Aiko!  What was that all about?” she hissed.

“What?  I lived in Manehatten. You think I don’t know how to handle a pair of Stallions who can’t take no for an answer?” she laughed.

“These aren’t stallions!  These are Yak-uza!” Sunset scowled.

“Same smell, same hormones.  Talk to the little head and the rest follows.  I had your back,” Aiko grinned.

“Girl, ugh…” groaned Sunset. “Yeah, you did. Good call. Okay, let’s see what tweedle dee and tweedle dum were really up to,” she replied, turning back to the two Yaks, still out next to the trash cans they stopped before.  She placed her hooves on them.  “Oh… yup.  Yak-uza.  Hmm. Ah that makes sense.  Well that’s not so bad.  Okay.  How to spin this. Ugh.  Aiko, I'm going to need your help on this one.  Can you get us a lorry?  We’re going to need a ride.”

“Sure, one sec,” nodded Aiko. She stepped back out into the street, and flagged down a heavy duty cab.  The driver, a heavy set Yak, pulled up to the alley and stopped.

“Need a fare miss?” he asked from his harness.

“Yes please!” smiled Aiko. “Our dates did a little too much partying, and need to sleep it off for a bit.  Mind if we load them up, and can you take us to a hotel?”

“What hotel are you staying at?” asked the Yak politely.

“Any love hotel will do,” grinned Aiko, giving him a wink.  The yak laughed.

“No problem. There’s one not too far from here,” he offered.

“Thanks!” said Sunset, one of the Yaks over her back as she struggled towards the cab, then pushed him in.

“Damn girl, I didn’t know mares were that strong,” said the Yak in surprise.

“Yeah, we’re full of surprises,” said Sunset, slightly out of breath, heading back for the other one.  She returned a moment later with him, and shoved him into the cart as well.  They both hopped into the cab after them.

“Okay, we’re ready.  Thanks again!” said Aiko.

“No problem ladies, happy to be of help,” laughed the Yak, pulling them out into traffic and towards the love hotel.  As he promised, it was a short trip.  Sunset unloaded them and carried them into the hotel room while Aiko paid the cabbie, with a generous tip, then booked their room for the next several hours, complete with wine and fruit snacks. She joined Sunset in the room, both sitting on the edge of the bed, the bed itself taken up by the two snoring yaks.

“Well, that happened,” snarked Sunset.  “Life with you is never dull girl.”

“Back at you,” laughed Aiko. “So, what now?”

“We need to check if your Uncle has sent a reply, but I can’t leave these two alone or the spell will wear off and they’ll wake up.  So I have to stay with them. And I don’t want to send you off alone, because others might be watching for us too, and I don’t want you caught without me.  So afraid we might just miss your Uncle's reply,” explained Sunset.

“I should be fine, it’s only a few blocks from here,” commented Aiko.  “Not like I can’t handle myself in a city.”

“I keep thinking about the last time you did, and I do not want a repeat of that. And that’s what will happen if the Yak-uza find us.  I really want you safe, Aiko. I am not willing to take risks with your safety,” answered Sunset.

“I got this Sunset. Just put a tracker on me, and I’ll run over and right back.  You’re making this a bigger deal than it needs to be,” assured Aiko.

“Fine, but please be quick about it.  And no heroics.  If something looks off, bolt, and come straight back here, okay?” relented Sunset.

“I promise, nothing else, and straight back here,” answered Aiko.  Sunset laid the enchantment on her, then she slipped out of the room, heading for City Hall.  Sunset hopped up on the bed and refocused the Yaks dreams, then hopped back down, all four hooves on the ground, sensing the progress of her friend through the ground below them.

She continued cycling back and forth between the Yaks and tracking her friend’s progress.  An hour later, Aiko returned, entering the room with a smile.

“Got it!” she grinned, sitting up on the bed next to Sunset. “Let’s open it up.”  Together they read the note.

To Soni, former companion of Aiko Adobaizā
From the Secretary of the Prime Minister,
Care of City Hall, City of Tackasaki

Suni, I am happy to hear from you.  I will be in Tackasaki tomorrow, we can meet and discuss anything you wish then.  Looking forward to seeing you again.

“Yes!” Sunset cheered quietly.  “We are on.  Okay, tomorrow then after we drop off the merchant and his associates at the bazaar, we’ll head over to City Hall and set things up.  Progress!”

“Progress!” agreed Aiko, hugging her friend.

They stayed until it was time to pick up the merchant and his siblings from the bazaar.  Sunset poured the wine down the sink then pulled a bag out from her saddle bags, sliding the fruit into it and placing it back in her bags. “Never know when we might want a snack,” she winked.

She refreshed her spell on the Yaks, closing out their experience and leaving them to slumber.  “They’ll be bragging about this date for a while,” she grinned. They went and tipped the fox in the hotel office, explaining their dates were sleeping off the wine and would leave when they woke.  They then loped over to the bazaar in time for Sunset to hitch up and pull the cart back to the storage and lock and ward it up for the night.

They ate dinner together, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company, then bathed and performed their ablutions for the night before retiring for the evening.  Sunset and Aiko snuggled happily together, looking forward to tomorrow and the meeting with her uncle.
> 16 - Sunset - New Orders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

TRIGGER WARNING - This chapter contains graphic violence, and decapitation.

Sunset woke, and awakened Aiko.  Together they performed their ablutions, bathed quickly, then joined the merchant and his siblings for a quick breakfast of fish porridge and fruit in the tavern.  Afterwards Sunset fetched the cart, pulling it to their booth at the bazaar.  Leaving the merchant and his siblings to set up, Sunset and Aiko bounded over to the City Hall where they had to wait a few minutes for it to open.

“I can’t wait to see my uncle,” grinned Aiko. “The look on his face will be priceless.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” counted Sunset. “And I’m not sure priceless is the word I would use. Pissed is probably a better description.”

“What?” asked Aiko, surprised. “Why do you think he’ll be pissed?  He’ll be thrilled to see me still alive!”

“Yeah, for the first two seconds. Then he will realize we lied to him, and put him and your mom and dad through a lot of heartfelt grief.  He will not be amused in the slightest until we explain exactly why we had to use that subterfuge.  And even then, he may still be angry.”

“He’ll get over it,” countered Aiko. “He will just be happy to see me. You’ll see.”

“Yes, I guess I will.  Let’s ease him into it though, okay. Let me talk with him first, then you can make your appearance.  Can we do that?” asked Sunset.

“Oh, that would be more dramatic, yeah!” agreed Aiko.

“No, not dramatic! Not what we’re going for. We’re trying to ease him into it so we can skip the angry part. If we are going to work together, I would really rather skip any anger,” explained Sunset.

“You worry too much,” smiled Aiko. “My uncle loves me,  My whole family loves me, and loves my uncle.  It will be fine.”

Sunset sighed. “Well, I should trust your judgment. You were spot on the last time.  But we still do it my way, okay?”

“Okay, however that goes,” agreed Aiko.  The functionary approached the door from the inside, unlocking it.  Sunset and Aiko entered, following him back as he returned to his desk.

When he got to the desk, he put the keys away in a drawer, and turned to the two of them. “How can I help you today?” he asked in a bored voice.

“We’re here to see the Secretary of the Prime Minister,” smiled Aiko.  Sunset facehooved.

The functionary looked up, startled.  “Excuse me?” he asked.

Before Aiko could say another word, Sunset spoke up, nudging her friend. “Sorry, yes. We are here to see the Secretary of the Prime Minister. He’s expecting us.  We’ll just wait over here, if you could please announce us, thank you.”

The functionary looked at them pointedly. “No one was supposed to know he was here today.  So, whom shall I say has come calling?”

“Just tell him Soni and her friend are here, as promised,” said Sunset as she herded her friend over to some chairs set in the corner to wait.  The functionary left to announce them while Sunset pushed her friend into a chair.

“This won’t do,” fused Sunset. “Let’s see…”  She placed a hoof on her friend, and a flash of teal passed over her.

“What did you do?” asked Aiko suspiciously.

“Take a look,” offered Sunset, stepping back.  Aiko looked down at herself.  She was now a silver vixen, with two tails and a large purple tuft of fur covering her chest.

“What the… Sunset, why did you do this?  Is this a glamor?” she asked, looking herself over.

“Yes, I’ll take it off after we explain everything. I don’t want him to recognise you right away.  This gives me a chance to have my say first,” explained Sunset.

“You know he’s going to suspect, right?” noted Aiko, turning from her inspection of herself to her friend.

“As intelligent as he clearly is, I expect he will be onto us from the start. But with the glamor, and us clearly trying to keep you out of sight, he will at least be willing to listen first,” Sunset explained.  “At least, that’s my hope.”

The functionary returned, and called out to them. “Follow me please,” he then noticed the silver vixen. “What happened to your friend?” he asked, looking around.

“Bad dye job,” quipped Sunset, getting up to follow him with Aiko behind her.  The functionary just raised an eyebrow, then turned and led them down the hall to the offices, the girls following.

He led them to a large office at the end of the hall, and opened the doors, announcing them.  “Mr. Secretary, I have here the two I mentioned.”  He bowed and ushered the girls in.

“Excuse me, but didn’t you say the vixen had a brown coat and three tails?  Who is this then?” demanded the Secretary,

“Hi uncle!” waved the silver Kitsune, bowing.  Sunset facehooved.

“Aiko?” asked the Secretary, bewildered.

“I can explain,” countered Sunset.

The secretary turned to the functionary. “Not a word of this to anyone, do you understand?  This does not leave this room.  You’re dismissed!” he motioned for the functionary to leave, which he did promptly, closing the doors behind him.

“Aiko, is that really you?  I watched you die,” asked her uncle, bewildered. He turned to Sunset, his frown turning into a dark scowl. “Explain, Miss Suni, right now, if you please!”

“See, that, right there!?  That’s what I was trying to avoid, Aiko! See how pissed he is!” growled Sunset at Aiko.  She reached out and touched her friend, releasing the glamor.  Aiko stood smiling before her uncle, back to her true self.

“Hi uncle!  It’s so good to see you!” smiled Aiko.

“Uh… Likewise?  You look surprisingly healthy, considering how you looked the last time we met,” said her uncle, turning to Sunset. “When you were dead, and burned to ashes that scattered all over the family vineyard on the wind.  Right Soni?”  He glared angrily at her.

“Uncle, don’t be mad at Sunset.  We did what we had to do,” counted Aiko, stepping between them.  “I had to die, honor required it.  But Sunset gave me another way,” she explained.

Her uncle moved forward, taking Aiko into a tight hug. “Aiko, I am so happy to see you,” he smiled.  Then he looked down at Sunset, glare returning, as he moved Aiko aside and stepped up to Sunset, looking down at her.  “Explain, now.”

Sunset fell back onto her haunches. “Right. Okay then.  Like Aiko said, she knew she had to die, honor required it. I tried to talk her out of it, because I’ve lost too many friends already, and I didn’t want to lose another one. I didn’t want to lose her.  She is a dear friend and I couldn’t bear to let her just die like that.  She was dead set, no please pardon the pun, it was not intentional, she was determined to go through with it, to preserve the family honor and save your reputation and position.  So, I told her I would help her die in her old life, and give her a new one.

“I enrolled her as an Equestrian Battle Mage, and gave her a new life as a mage by my side.  Her old life was dead, and she would die to it publicly, to satisfy her honor debt left by the shame of her mistreatment.  When I greeted you right before the ceremony, I touched each of you, placing you under my glamor so you only witnessed what we wished you to see.  You saw Aiko satisfy her debt of honor, and be released to the land she loved.  Then you saw me depart, which ended the glamor.  When I left, I took Aiko with me, and we started our new life together.  She is now a mage in training, at my side in our battles.

“And the first battle we are joining now.  I must correct the abuses that led to her capture and shame.  For that, I must change the nature of the brothels, and the leadership and structure of the Yak-uza.  What has been happening can not be allowed to continue.

“Your niece has explained to me the order of society, and how I cannot just remove elements without disrupting your society.  Not that I could truly anyway, as I am just one Samurai, one warrior.  But with another warrior at my side,” Sunset smiled at Aiko. “I have seen a way to make the changes necessary, and we are moving forward with that plan.

“We need your help. Aiko has convinced me you are the one who can best help us in our quest.  Help us symbolically reclaim her honor, and redress what was done to her, and others.  Help us to end this,” finished Sunset.

“And what was done to you,” added Aiko, looking at her friend. “You too bore those indignities, you too were raped and tortured, and abused.”

“All of which I chose to undergo willingly to rescue you,” added Sunset. “And which I would willingly bear again if it meant saving you.”

Aiko stepped over and hugged her friend. “You are a true friend and warrior,” smiled Aiko. “You are truly a worthy huntress, even if you are a cute little pony.”

“Really?” grinned Sunset. “Now I’m a cute little pony?  The other day you said I was an oni!”

“Okay, I said you are an oni that looks like a cute little pony. I stand beside that comment,” grinned Aiko.

The Secretary looked on bemused.  “Aiko, you have a truly dear friend, I can see that,” he smiled. “So why the farce?  Why did you lie to your mother, your father, and me?  Why didn’t you just tell us what was going on?”

“Because that would not have satisfied honor,” answered Sunset, pulling from her friend's grasp to stand before her uncle again.  “She had to die, visibly, to her old life to be free to live her new one as a mage by my side.  And to satisfy honor. You were very clear on that, as was she.  I respect your traditions, and we abided by them.  Aiko is dead. Long live Aiko.”

“So, what can I do to help you, and what do you have planned?” asked her uncle.

Together, they laid out their plan.

“You are quite ambitious,” mused her uncle. “But if anyone can pull this off, it would be you two. Especially considering what you have already done.  Quite amazing.  Yes, you have my full support, and your secret is safe with me, though I do hope you will let me tell your parents.”

“Yes, but for their safety only after this task is done.  Then, we can visit and all can be explained.  And I hope, be forgiven,” agreed Aiko.

The Secretary called out, summoned the functionary, and ordered refreshments brought for all of them. They planned throughout the afternoon.

By the time they were satisfied with the plan and their preparations, the evening had worn on and it was time for them to leave. Promising to report back when they arrived in Yokeo and had started on the first phase of their plan, Sunset and Aiko left, returning to the bazaar and the Merchant and his siblings.

“So how was your day? Did you find anything useful?” smiled the Merchant as they packed up the cart.

“We did!” agreed Aiko. “How about you?  Was this a successful stop for you as well?” she asked.

“It was,” agreed the merchant.  “We made several profitable trades, and sold our inventory at an advantageous price.  It will certainly help our parents to keep the family store open.”

“As will our visit to your, um, detractors, once we are back in Yokeo,” agreed Sunset from her place in the harness.  “A few more days of journey, then that adventure can start.”  She smiled.

“And with your protection, we will arrive safely,” smiled the merchant, loading up the last of the merchandise and closing down the stall.  “Okay, I for one am looking forward to another night of good food and a soft bed.  Then off we go in the morning.”  He led the way back to the inn, the others following.

They placed the cart in the stall, Sunset again locking and warding it, then they retired to the tavern for dinner, eating well in celebration of their fortunes and friendships.  They then bathed together in the common baths, performed their ablutions, and headed to bed to rest up for the journey ahead.

Sunset and Aiko snuggled together in the bed, falling asleep quickly.






The next morning, they woke, cleaned, performed their ablutions, then packed up everything and headed downstairs to the tavern to join their party for breakfast.  They again ate fish porridge with vegetable stuffed pastries and tea.  They paid their bill, collected the cart which Sunset hitched up to pull, then left the city, heading towards Yokeo and their destination.  As these final three days were just intended to be a straight shot to Yokeo and the Merchants home, they chose a path that avoided detours to any towns, sticking to the woods, forests, and passes that would get them to their goal most directly.

They stopped at midday for a light lunch, then continued on their way.  Sunset once again sensed occasional parties scouting them out, but never one that could match five unencumbered Kitsune, one a three tail.  So they were not accosted that day, and stopped for the night as the sun settled under the western horizon, ceding the sky to the full moon and her guardian spirit, the Mare in the Moon.  They ate a hearty dinner cooked over the fire.  Sunset then warded the site and they settled into the tent for a night’s sleep.

Nothing disturbed them that night.  Sunset rose with the dawn, the rest of the party right behind her, as she finished her ablutions, cleaned in the nearby stream, then ate. Afterwards she dismissed the wards, brushing away any sign of them and hitched herself back up to the cart for the day's journey.

As they were journeying, Sunset sensed a party of three foxes tracking them. They were not even trying to hide their approach, just barreling in, racing past them to stand before them on the path, swords drawn as they blocked their passage.

“Pay the toll, or die by our hand!” threatened the oldest of the three.  The other two just nodded, looking intense.

“Did you practice that in the mirror all day before borrowing someone's swords to try it out on us?” asked Sunset from her harness.  Her Kitsune partners were lined up by twos in front of them, their swords drawn as well.  It did Sunset proud to see Aiko standing fiercely, her katana in paws as she faced down their would be robbers.  She was wielding the very long sword Sunset had rescued from her ceremony, after using it to chop her head completely off.  The katana looked much better in her paws with her head in its proper place, thought Sunset proudly.

“How dare you mock us!” raged the oldest, speaking up again. “If you don’t meet our demands right this second, we will be forced to kill you all!”

“Okay, never make a threat you don’t even have a prayer of keeping,” said Sunset, shaking her head. The fox looked surprised, offended, and extremely angry.  Before he could even open his mouth to reply, Sunset popped from her harness between him and the other two, bucking first the one then the other with a quick twist, dropping them both senseless.

“You next, Bacca,” she smiled as she hit him in the head with a hoof. He too dropped like a rock.

“So, what fantasy did you give these three?” asked Aiko with a grin.  “And what tree should we bind them to?”

The merchant looked confused.  “Fantasy?” he asked, sword still drawn.

“I knocked them out.  They are dreaming, getting the worst scolding from their mammas for stealing their daddy’s swords and getting into trouble,” laughed Sunset.  “And no, these three aren’t worthy of that kind of punishment.  They would only be in that much trouble if they were an actual threat. To someone. Anyone.  These baccas are only worthy of one thing.”

With a flash, a quill and ink-pot appeared before her.  In scrolling calligraphy, she inked the kanji for Bacca on each of their foreheads, then propped them up against a tree to sleep off their dream. For good measure, then embedded each of their swords into a wooden trunk, deep enough it would take all three of them pulling to get each one out.  She laughed.  “That ought to teach them. And I enchanted the ink. They won’t be able to wash it off or write over it for about a month.  I think that ought to keep them out of trouble for a bit.”

She laughed as she popped the quill and ink away, and settled back into the harness.  “Good luck explaining that to your mamma, boys!” she grinned.  With a laugh, the party sheathed their swords and went back to their travels, interrupted only briefly by the three fools.

There were no further incidents that day.  They made camp for the night, ate well, then rested, secure in the camp protected by Sunset’s runes.

The next morning they rose, ate a quick breakfast, with tea warmed by the campfire’s dying embers, then struck camp, ready for the long final day of their journey. Sunset scattered her runes and hitched herself to the cart, then they were off.

They pushed hard to cover the final distance with the goal of arriving at the outskirts of Yokeo sometime around nightfall.  Sunset kept her senses alert, not wanting to deal with the distraction of bandits, especially not today when they were intent on making good time.  There were a few times she sensed others tracking them, but for the most part, they quickly moved off, looking for easier game.  One group was especially persistent, but they too eventually moved off after being bruised by some large stray branches falling on them.

The group ate as they moved, not stopping for lunch.  They pressed through into the evening as well, eating a walking meal of snacks for their supper.  By nightfall, they could see the outlines of the city from the hills they were cresting.  They redoubled their efforts.

It was dark by the time they arrived at the family store.  Sunset pulled the cart into the yard behind the store while the merchant and his siblings went in to let their parents know they had arrived, with friends.  The entire family came out back, greeting Sunset and Aiko and moving the merchandise back into the store.  Sunset and Aiko followed them in, where after putting everything quickly away, they sat around the dining room table for tea and pastries, introduced by their new companions and sharing their adventures.

An hour later, refreshed by the hospitality but still exhausted by their hard day’s journey, everyone went to bed. Sunset and Aiko were shown the guest room and the washroom down the hall.  They cleaned up, did their ablutions, then retired to bed, Sunset especially sore from the day spent pulling the cart.  They snuggled up and were quickly asleep.






The next morning, Sunset woke to the heavenly smells of home cooking.  Smiling, she turned to see Aiko smiling back at her.  “Smells delicious, doesn't it?” she grinned.

“Yeah it does,” agreed Sunset.  “So what are we waiting here for?” she quipped.

“Just for you to wake up,” teased her friend, rolling out of bed.  Sunset joined her.  Quick ablutions and clean up later, they both joined the merchant’s family in the dining room.

“That smells heavenly,” smiled Aiko as they joined them at the table.

“It always does,” agreed the merchant, passing over a tray of steamed fish and vegetables, while their mother served up two bowls of soup that we passed to them as well.  One of the sisters poured them tea.

“Thank you!” bowed Sunset, Aiko joining her.  They ate the soup, then the rest of the breakfast, which tasted as good as its fragrance.  While they ate, their father had some questions.

“So, my son has explained to us, you have offered to speak with the Yak-uza for us about our payments to them?  I thank you kindly for this, but I cannot allow you to put yourself in a dangerous situation like that for us. While I deeply appreciate the offer, it would be dangerous for you to even attempt it,” he explained.

“I do appreciate your consideration of our safety,” nodded Sunset. “But I assure you, I would not be in any additional danger from it, and am happy to ask for you.  Your family has been kind to us on our journey, and after all we have been through together I would like to help your family out.  Please allow me to do this. It is not a bother, as I have to discuss other business with them anyways, and it would be simple enough for me to request this as well.”

“If you’ll forgive my asking, why do you feel they would listen to your request?” asked the father.

Aiko laughed.  “They owe her the favor.  And besides,” she grinned. “They always give her exactly what she asks for.”

Sunset scowled at her friend. “It’s not like that.  You can be such a brat,” she grinned.  “I guess we have that in common.”

“One of our more endearing attributes,” agreed Aiko, winking.  Sunset laughed.

“So yes, I am sure they will listen to me. I am happy to request it for you and your family,” answered Sunset.

His eyebrow raised, the father replied. “Well, okay then.  Thank you!”

“Wow, someone who can get dad to back down!  Never thought I would see that,” grinned one of the vixens.  Her father scowled playfully at her  and threw a roll at her.  She caught it, stuck her tongue out playfully and threw it back.  He caught it and ate it with a grin.

Sunset laughed. “Now I feel like I’m back home,” she grinned.

“Soon enough, Suni,” laughed Aiko, tossing a roll at her.  Sunset caught it in a teal glow and popped it into her mouth.

“Thank you!” she snarked. “Next time more jam though, please!”

Aiko and the rest of the table laughed.  They finished up their breakfast.  Sunset and Aiko changed into their town outfits and left, promising to return for dinner that evening and to spend the night again.

Once again a vixen with her cloaked and veiled servant out on the town, they headed first to the government offices to check in with her Uncle.  They loped up to the front desk.

“May I help you?” asked the functionary.

“Yes, could you please let the Secretary to the Minister know that Suni and her companion are here as promised?” informed Aiko.

“Is he expecting you?” asked the functionary.

“I believe so, yes,” replied Aiko.

“Okay, I will announce you. Please take a seat,” replied the functionary, stepping away from her desk.  Sunset and Aiko sat in the seats provided.

A few minutes later, the functionary returned, looking slightly surprised. “Follow me please, he will see you now.”  She led them through large double doors, through a large well furnished conference room, and into a spacious office on the other side of the room.

“Miss Suni and her companion, Mr. Secretary,” informed the functionary, stepping aside to let them enter.

“Very good, please see that we are not interrupted. Thank you,” he dismissed her.  She bowed and shut the door behind her.

Her uncle rushed over and pulled Aiko into a hug.  “It is still so wonderful to see you. I’m still coming to grips with the fact that I didn’t lose you forever,” he said happily.

Aiko hugged him tightly back. “I hear you there.  I was so sure it would be my real death.  I didn’t think Suni would be able to save me,” she admitted.

“I am so glad you were wrong,” smiled her uncle, giving her one final tight hug.   “Okay, have a seat!  Let’s get this party started. So, where are we at?”

Sunset led off. “We had a run in with the Yak-uza back in Tackasaki. We thought they were on to us, but it turned out they just thought we might know something about what happened.  So we’re still in the clear, though with a tidy bounty on our heads.”  She passed over the notice she had taken down from the board. The Secretary whistled.

Sunset laughed. “Yeah, they really want to make an example out of us.  Jokes on them.  Anyways, we plan on getting captured heading into the mansion of the head of the Yak-uza.  That way he'll have to take us into his on site holding chambers, which I have seen extensively.  Once we’re in there, Aiko and I will rip them a new one literally from the inside out, and replace him with someone we can trust to do what we want done.  And as we are not asking them to do anything other than what their code demands, it shouldn’t be impossible to find someone willing to work with us instead of dying.”

“That still sounds extremely dangerous. Are you sure there isn’t a better way to do this?” asked the Secretary.

“Not that keeps as many safe as this. The only ones taking risks here are Aiko and myself,” Sunset replied, looking pointedly at Aiko.

“I’m not comfortable allowing my niece to place herself in danger, especially after almost losing her once,” agreed the Secretary.

“And I’ve made it clear, we are partners, Suni.  You go, I go.  We’re in this together,” replied Aiko emphatically.

Sunset sighed. “I know. I just want you safe.”

“There is nowhere safer than by your side, and nowhere I would rather be,” responded Aiko.

“Then we’ll make it work,” said Sunset in resignation. “You’re niece is very insistent.  She gets what she wants, I am told,”

“So I’ve heard,” agreed the Secretary with a smile.  “Okay.  Keep her safe.  I can’t bear to lose her again.”

“I promise on my life,” agreed Sunset.

“So then, once that is settled, Aiko and I take a representative of the new management on a tour of the brothels, and we make some changes.  And anyone who tries to stop us is relieved of their membership in the Yak-uza on the spot,” continued Sunset.

“Yak-uza is for life. The only way out is death,” clarified the Secretary.

“Exactly,” agreed Sunset. The Secretary blanched.

“Oni as a pony,” whispered Aiko to her uncle.  He nodded quietly.

“I heard that,” snarked Sunset.

“Still true,” snarked Aiko back.

Sunset continued.  “The last brothels we will visit will be the common brothels.  I will be shutting them down until they can be brought up to the level of the exotics.  Those that cannot be brought up to that level will be closed permanently.  Any of the Madams or house mothers that oppose this will be relieved as well.  The permanent house guests of the common brothels will be moved to the other brothels for training to allow them to perform at the level expected of them.  After the training, any who wish to leave the employ of the brothels will be allowed to go. But not until they have completed their training, because I want them to have a real choice to make, not be deciding between two horrible deaths like that are now in the conditions they are in.

“The state will now be licensing brothels, to keep my new associates in check.  If any of them start sliding back to the old ways, I need you to put the screws on them so tight they decide it’s not worth the effort.  They do it my way, or they don’t play. I need you to make that stick.  They don’t like losing assets or coins. Hit them where it hurts.

“The last thing I need to take care of for the brothels is a particular council member. He is nicknamed the Beast.  He has a hobby of killing vixens after their services to him.  He has to go, and I intend to take care of him personally,” finished Sunset.

“And there is one more item, a debt of honor I owe some fallen samurai.  I need the edict rescinded that forbids Samurai from finding another master after they are dismissed.  It’s wrong, and has caused many to turn to crime as ronin, as you pointed out over dinner,” finished Sunset.

The Secretary groaned. “I agree wholeheartedly.  The prime minister and I both told the emperor it was a bad idea, but he dismissed us both out of hand.”

“If you can’t convince him, please get me before him to speak with him.  I will help him to see reason,” requested Sunset.

“I will make that happen. If you can get that blight lifted, it would be a boon to everyone,” agreed the Secretary.

“Then, when that’s all settled, your niece and I will make our way back to Equestria, when the newest member of the Mage Corps will continue her training in magic state field and spy-craft, and join me by my side in our missions.” Sunset smiled at Aiko, who nodded and smiled back.

“You do make a cute couple,” grinned her uncle.

“What?  It’s not like that!” insisted Aiko.  Sunset laughed.

“I don’t know, Aiko. We do sleep together every night.  And we are inseparable,” Sunset teased.

Aiko smacked Sunset on the withers. “Don’t you dare encourage him!  He doesn’t need it!” laughed Aiko.  That got a laugh from all of them.

They discussed details.  Aiko took off her Katanas, handing them to her uncle for safekeeping, then with a final hug from her uncle, they parted ways, heading for the next stop of the day. 

“Time to depose a tin hat tyrant,” smiled Sunset as they headed back out to the street.






They loped towards the manse of the Yak-uza oyabun.  A block away Sunset pulled Aiko  into the bush and stowed their outfits back in her saddlebags.  They wanted to be recognized, so they went completely uncovered, with Sunset’s saddlebags her only accompaniment.  As they approached the gate, two large Yaks came running out, calling for others.

“Halt!” they called out, katanas drawn.  Sunset popped between them wheeling and bucking, dropping them both cold.  Aiko just grinned as she loped through them, joining her friend as they passed through the open gates.

More Yaks streamed out from both sides of the manse quickly surrounding them.  “Hello boys.  I have some unfinished business with your oyabun.  Don’t suppose he’s around, is he?” laughed Sunset, back to back with Aiko as they faced down the Yaks.

One of the yaks stepped up, pulling back his hoof to strike her. “How dare you take that tone when speaking of our oyabun!” he yelled as he swung.  He had barely even started his swing when Sunset wheeled and bucked him so hard he flew into one of the other yaks in the ring, knocking him down and both of them out cold.

The rest of the yaks moved in. “Ah ah ah!  You might want to rethink that!” called out Sunset, her back to Aiko again, facing them down.

“What, whorse, think you can buck us all?  You’re going down painfully, and then you’re going to spend the pitiful rest of your life regretting your decisions,” called out one of the yaks.  They moved towards them again.

In a flash of teal, Sunset and Aiko disappeared from the middle of the scrum, appearing at the front door.  They rushed in and locked it behind them, while the Yaks yelled and beat on the door, then took off for the entrances they had emerged from.

“Yeah, that’ll only slow them down.  Let’s move to the zoo,” called out Sunset, leading them down several hallways to a room in the back of the house.  She tapped three spots on the wall and a secret door opened up. “This way!” she called back to Aiko as she darted down the stairs, Aiko right behind her.

They raced down the stairs and into a dungeon, various devices of torture and abuse scattered in the open space, the walls ringed with cells.  Feral and near feral mares and vixens stared out, their eyes dim with pain and suffering.  Seeing the two of them charging into the dungeon, they stood at their bars, looking out, hardly daring to hope.

A flash of teal magic burst out from Sunset, and all the doors flew open, the locks wrenched open, her magic fueled by the rage she was feeling at seeing these poor creatures in their wretched state.

“Come out, now!” Sunset commanded.  They came towards her, shuffling, confused.  But some began moving with purpose, with hope.  They gathered around her, looking at her expectantly.

Sunset turned to Aiko.  “I need you to watch them.  I’m going to drop you outside with them.  Keep them safe and keep them hidden.  Do not get caught!  I will come for you as soon as I finish the management change here,” Sunset reminded her.  Aiko nodded.

“Everyone, stay right here!  I will be right back, I am getting us all out of here,” commanded Sunset.  They all nodded.  With a flash of teal, Aiko, Sunset, and four of the closest mares disappeared.

They reappeared in the bushes Sunset and Aiko had hidden in earlier, just down the street. “Keep everyone here.  I will be back,” reassured Sunset.  She disappeared with a flash.

And reappeared in the middle of the now worried group of mares and vixens. “See, I didn’t forget you! We are all getting out of here,” assured Sunset.  She disappeared again, this time with three vixens and two mares.  A moment later she was back, then gone again with five vixens this time.  Three more trips, she had cleared out everyone, and quickly made a circuit of the cells, looking for anyone who may have been too ill or feral to emerge.

Finding no one, she was about to head back into the hallway when the oyabun ran into the room followed by twenty yaks, all with their katanas drawn.

“You!” snarled the oyabun.  “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”

“You never stood a chance,” snarled Sunset back.  With a flash, her sword appeared.  She grabbed it in a hoof and faced him.

“Kill her!” commanded the oyabun to his kobun.  They moved to attack.

“Hold!” shouted Sunset. “I demand the right to battle you with honor!”

“Whorses have no honor!” spat the oyabun. “Kill her!”  They again moved to attack.

A blast of teal magic shot out from Sunset, knocking them all over. “Let me make this simple then.  You can face me with honor, or I can kill everyone where they stand, and go home.  Your choice!”

The oyabun stepped forward. “I will end you like the little worthless cockroach you are,” he snarled, facing off against her. Sunset circled around him, keeping him before her.

She got too close to the edge of the circle. One of the kobun lashed out at her with his katana.  She rolled under the blade then up next to him, quickly slicing him open side to side.  He fell with a moan as she rolled back to the center of the circle just as the oyabun lunged at her.  “This is between the oyabun and I!  Anyone who interferes will taste my blade!” called out Sunset and she circled the oyabun again.

The oyabun lunged again, sweeping and swiping at her in a series of moves almost too quick to follow.  Rolling, leaping, blocking and parrying, Sunset met his every attack, then answered with her own, her sword flashing as she leaned in scoring a cut on his barrel, even as she twisted and blocked his counter with her sword then rolled away again.  Swearing, the oyabun wiped the blood from the wound and glared at her.

“I am so going to enjoy watching you die, bitch,” he growled.  He moved in again, a whirling whirlwind of tempered steel as he pressed her back towards the edge of the circle.  Before he could drive her completely into his waiting kobun, Sunset rolled under his blade, slicing up and cutting his hind-leg as she rolled completely under him.

Bouncing to her hooves behind him she moved in to finish him, but he twisted and blocked, attacked again, driving her back towards the other side of the circle as she blocked his attacks.  This time, instead of rolling under his sword, she fainted then rolled to the side, bouncing back to score two cuts on his barrel before pulling back from his ferocious counter attack.

Again they circled one another, Sunset breathing heavily from the excursions, but the oyabun visibly moving slower from his wounds.  She darted in again, scoring a cut on his other hind-leg.  He swore loudly, parrying and recovering quickly.

Once again he launched an attack on her, landing a hit which she blocked, but the force was so great she was launched into the waiting kobun.  Two katanas flashed down towards her, which she barely managed to roll away from, quickly springing back, gutting the first kobun who had struck at her.

The other swung again while she was attacking his companion. Her sword still engaged in his companion, she rolled away, just barely avoiding the blow, then rolled back, grabbing her sword from his companion's falling body and skewering him with it. He fell face first to the floor as she rolled and bounded back into the center of the circle facing the oyabun again,

“I could do this all day!” she taunted him. “You, on the other hand, are going to run out of blood and kobun soon.  Better step it up, oyabun.”  She laughed.

He glared at her, then launched again into a whirlwind of steel, driving her back. This time, she did not let him drive her back into his waiting kobun, but stepped off to the side, letting him chase her around the circle, tiring himself out.

“Getting old, oyabun?  Need to retire?  I have your retirement right here!” she mocked, waving her sword.  “Come on, let me carve out the terms of your retirement in your entrails!” she laughed.

He roared and launched at her again, driving her back with the ferocity of his attack into the kobun behind her, who was waiting readily for his chance to end this.  He swung at Sunset.  She ducked under the blade of the oyabun and rolled under him, bucking him in the backside and launching him into the waiting blade of his kobun.

The oyabun cried out in shock, looking down at his kobun’s katana piercing his barrel, protruding from his back.  The kobun looked down in shock, then fell to the floor in shame.  The oyabun pulled his blade from his barrel, then dropped it in front of the kobun, holding his side to staunch the flow of his blood.

“You know what to do, fool,” he rasped at the kobun.  Still in shock, the kobun sat up.  He looked up at his oyabun, who looked down at him in fury.  Picking up his blade by the middle, the kobun plunged it into his belly, pulled it across then up, then with a gasp fell forward, lying dead on the floor.

The oyabun turned back to Sunset.  “Finish it, bitch,” he rasped. Sunset nodded, then leapt and twirled, lopping off the oyabun’s head, which rolled back to the center of the circle.  His body fell in a heap next to the dead kobun.

Sunset turned to the rest of the circle.  “Where is his second in command!  Get him now, and bring him here!” she commanded.  One of the yaks sprang from the circle and down the hall.

Less than two minutes later he returned with over twenty more yaks, including a large yak with a nose ring.  He looked around.  “What happened?!” he thundered.

Before any of the yaks could chime in, Sunset bellowed back her response. “Honorable combat!  I informed him there were going to be changes in the way the Yaks handled the brothels. He disagreed.  We fought, he died.”

“Whorse!  Who asked you!?” the yak bellowed at her. A teal flash flew out from Sunset, bowling the yaks over, including the yak that was closing on her as he bellowed.

As he picked himself up, Sunset continued. “There will be changes in the way the brothels are handled.  Am I getting through to you? Or do you want to take me on too?” she asked.

“Bitch, I could scrub the walls with your skull!” raged the Yak, charging for her.  Sunset flipped in the air, whipping her sword around and launching it into his chest. He stopped, gurgled, then fell over dead.  Trotting up to him, she took her sword out and wiped it on his tunic.

“Anyone else?  I swear, I will thin your ranks to the last Yak if that’s what it takes to get this through your thick skulls.  The brothels are changing.  I am laying down changes that are not optional.  Is there any one of you thick skulled fools that can grasp that fact, or am I going to have to burn your clan to the ground and start over?” Sunset challenged.

Another yak stepped up. “We don’t listen to Whorses!” he bellowed.

Sunset lowered her head. “Are you ready to listen to this Whorse? Because if you’re not, you're done listening to anything.  Give me a reason to add you to the growing pile of bodies!”

“You seriously think you can take us, whorse!?  We’re the Yak-uza!  We can storm you right now, and you die here, unmourned and unmissed!” he hissed.

“Yeah, no.  I can turn you all into piles of ash faster than you can blink.  One false move and you all die, right here, right now,” replied Sunset. 

As she was talking, one of the kobun behind her made to throw his katana through her.  Without missing a beat, she whipped her sword around, launching it through him so fast the entire motion was an almost unseeable blur.  He dropped his katana, and dropped to the floor. The other kobun started to rush for her as she pulled her sword back with her magic.  Another powerful pulse rocked out from her, laying them all out on the floor again.

“I could just kill you all, and run the brothels myself. I am trying to be reasonable here.  Your bacca oyabun did not see the light of my reason.  If you wish to live, you will,” Sunset responded.

“Suppose I agreed to listen. What are you demanding?” said the Yak, moving up beside her.

As Sunset started to answer, he whipped out his short sword moving to plunge it into her so quickly his hoof was just a blur.  Before the blade was even halfway to her, he was slammed up against the ceiling in a teal glow, and a pulse of teal shot out from her again, bowling the yaks back over.

As they picked themselves back up, she looked up at the yak in her magical grip. “Okay, I can see there is no dealing with you.  Goodbye.”  His neck snapped, and she dropped him in a pile on the ground.  ‘Who is next?” she asked calmly.

Another Yak stepped out.  “What are you demanding?” he asked nervously.

Sunset spelled it out. “The brothels are all being raised to the level of the exotics.  The prostitutes are no longer slaves, and are free to leave your employ whenever they wish.  The leash mothers and Madams run the brothels completely, without any interference from the Yakuza.  The brothels continue to be your properties, and the revenue from them that is not spent on their upkeep and the wages of the prostitutes and staff is yours to keep. The leash mothers are in charge of the day to day operations of the brothels under the direction of their Madam.  No prostitute is forced to take any client, they can refuse any client if they wish, though they can be released from their leash or moved to a menial job if they are refusing to work.  You will not take any reprisals against the prostitutes or staff, they are all under the complete jurisdiction of their Madam.

“The rape factories you have been running to train prostitutes are closed permanently.  Anyone who beats, rapes or harms a prostitute may be killed.  This includes clients.  Any of the common brothels that cannot be raised to the level of the exotics will be closed permanently, and its leash reassigned to the other brothels.  All of the common brothels will be closed for now, until the renovations required have been completed.

“And all brothels and prostitutes will now be licensed by the empire.  That has already been put into effect, you have no choice on that.  A small fee will be charged for each transaction your prostitutes engage in, as well as a small yearly charge to cover administration costs,” she finished.

“And if we don’t agree?” asked the Yak nervously.

“Then I level this entire estate, and move forward without you.  And one more rule, which I shouldn’t even have to bring up,” Sunset added. “No more personal zoos.  If I or the government finds anything of that going on, you will be shut down permanently. Don’t do it. I have already freed the members of your oyabun’s zoo. I will do the same for any others that are found, and promise a painful, ignoble death for anyone keeping them.  Are we clear?”

The yak nodded.  “Good.  Congratulations, you are the new oyabun,” Sunset informed the yak. “Don’t screw this up.  I am leaving now to inform the brothels of these changes. If I or the soon to be visiting government inspectors find you have not done exactly as I said, they will assess you with heavy fines, and possibly imprison you. And I will end you.  I am done playing around with your clan. Do not disappoint me.”

She walked through the yaks, down the hallway and up the stairs, then to the front of the house and out the door.  Several yaks started running towards her. “Better hurry!” she called out to them. “You have a new oyabun!  He has called a meeting of everyone.”  The yaks stopped mid stride.

“Really?” asked the nearest one.

“Yes, hurry, they are in the old zoo downstairs. He can explain the changes,” added Sunset as she strode by.

“You're a lying whorse!” yelled one of the yaks further back, rushing up to her with his hoof pulled back to strike her.  A flash of lightning whipped out from her, dropping him, leaving a smoking burnt corpse.

“I don’t lie, and I’m not a whorse,” she spat in reply to his smoking body. “Better hurry!” she called out again to the rest.

They rushed past her into the manse. She continued down the block to the bushes, stepping into the hedge.  Aiko leapt to her, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“That’s done,” soothed Sunset, hugging her crying friend. “Let’s get these girls to my old brothel.  It’s nearby. We have a lot of work to do.”

Drying her eyes with her paw, Aiko smiled and nodded.  Together, they led the girls to the first brothel Sunset had worked at.






They arrived.  Sunset recognized the brothel from the memories she had taken from others, though she had never actually seen the outside herself before. She went up to the door and opened it, entering.

“You!” bellowed a Yak seeing her, lunging for her.  She whipped around and bucked him into a wall where he slid down unconscious.

“That’s annoying! Of course they don’t know what is going on.  Let’s give them all a chance to catch up,” said Sunset, putting a hoof on the wall.  Reaching out with her senses, she located three other yaks in the house.  Three quick pulses of teal shot out from her hoof, and she smiled.  “That will work for now.  Okay, time to visit the Madam and mother.”

She led them into the main hallway, then down to the kitchen where she could hear the leash mother preparing the next meal.  Lending her band through the dining room, she opened the kitchen door and looked in.

“Hi mother!  Did you miss me?” she laughed.

The leash mother looked up, then nearly dropped the tureen she was holding. “Shimmering Sun!  Is that really you?” she asked, rushing over to her and hugging her tightly.

“In the fur!” smiled Sunset, hugging her back. “And I came with friends!  Can you help them?  They will be staying with you for a while,” said Sunset, stepping back.  The leash mother looked up to see the menagerie in her dining room.

“Wha… who are these mares and vixens, Shimmering? And why do they look so poorly?” she asked, stepping fully into the room and examining all the mares and vixens carefully.

“They were in the personal zoo of our former oyabun. They will be working here now, once you have nursed them back to health and trained them.  Can you help them?” asked Sunset.

“What?  He gave them to you?  How did this happen?” asked the Mother in wonder.

“Long story.  Short version, he’s retired.  The clan is under new management.  As are the brothels, with new rules.  And these girls need your help,” Sunset answered.

“Retired?  Yak-uza is for life,” asked the Mother in confusion.

“I just finished retiring him.  Yes, for life.  And a few of his direct reports. The new management is much more amenable to my requests,” smiled Sunset.

The Mother’s mouth dropped open in shock.  “Truly?” she gasped.

“Truly,” responded Aiko, coming up behind Sunset.  “I am from the Exotics brothel, where Shimmering Sun was sent.  It is all as she says,” confirmed Aiko, pulling Sunset into a hug.

The mother pulled Sunset and Aiko along after her, Sunset’s entire ensemble following them down the halls.  The mother stopped, knocking on a door that was answered by two vixens. “Take these mares and vixens to the baths, then help them get cleaned up and presentable. Give them rooms to use. They will be staying with us,” she instructed them.  They both nodded, then led the ensemble away to the baths.

“Come, we must inform the Madam of this,” stated the Mother, leading Sunset and Aiko away.

“Yes, we must,” agreed Sunset, following her.

The Mother knocked twice on the Madam’s door. “Come in,” replied the Madam.  The Mother opened the door, leading Sunset and Aiko in after her.

“Madam, I have come bearing news,” stated the Mother, bowing before her.

“And with guests, I see,” mused the Madam. “Shimmering Sun, is that truly you?” asked the Madam.

“It is Madam,  I have returned with news of changes, and several mares and vixens in need of the leash’s help.  There has been a change in our relationships with the Yak-uza.  The brothels no longer work for the Yak-uza, but with them,” replied Sunset.

“What?  Surely this is madness.  The clan does not relinquish that which they hold so readily,” challenged the Madam.

“They are under new management, as the old oyabun has been forced into retirement,” informed Sunset.

“And who possibly could have forced a member of the clan to retire,” scolded the Madam. “You know as well as I, there is only one way to leave the clan.”

“He had some help.  I impaled him then cut off his head.  That has been known to change minds,’ grinned Sunset.

The Madam’s eyebrow raised. “Truly?” she asked.

“Truly,” affirmed Sunset. “The vixens and mares I have returned with were his private collection in his personal zoo. They were near feral when I found them from his abuse.  It was a pleasure to send him to his ancestors.”

“Then, who is in charge of the clan now?” asked the Madam.

“I did not catch his name.  I had to work my way through several candidates, all of whom proved unsuitable,” replied Sunset.  “ He was the first to keep his head and health.  He is now holding an emergency meeting with the clan, explaining the new orders of things.  For one, no longer do the brothels work for the Yak-uza.  We now work with the Yak-uza.  The Madams are in charge of their own leashes, with the day to day operations being decided by the leash Mothers.  No longer are prostitutes slaves, but are employed by the brothels and free to leave at any time they choose.  Also all brothels are to be raised to the level of the exotics, or be closed down and their sisters moved to other brothels if they cannot.

“This is especially true for the common brothels.  They are shut down immediately and their sisters moved to other brothels while they are renovated to the level of the exotics, if possible.

“And this is to remain secret to only the sisters, mothers, and Madams. All brothels are to be brought into the Zebrican Sisterhood we started here, with the secrets of the sisterhood to be protected at all costs.  And any who cannot exercise the practices of the sisterhood will need to be given jobs not servicing clients,” finished Sunset.

“And all the other Madam’s and Mothers know of this new arrangement?” questioned the Madam.

“No, Madam, you’re the first.  We need to get the message to the other brothels immediately, and arrange a meeting of the Madam’s to cement the new arrangement,” informed Sunset.

The Madam turned to the Mother. “Call the Madam’s all here, tell them it is an emergency meeting, and to leave their Mothers to keep their brothels working.  We will meet this afternoon, before the night begins.”  The Mother nodded, then left the room at a lope to make the announcement to the other brothels.

The Madam turned to Sunset.  “Shimmering Sun, you will need proof of what you claim.  Will a representative of the Yak-uza back up your claims?”

“I will request they send a representative, someone to help me explain the new order of things,” explained Sunset.  The Madam nodded.

“Excellent, that will help greatly. Better that they hear it directly from the source,” agreed the Madam.  Sunset nodded.

The Madam dismissed her, stating she needed to prepare for the evening’s meeting.  Sunset bowed and excused herself, leaving to find her friends, Aiko still at her side.

She found Radiant Semblance, Pleasant Countenance, and Fragrant Flower in their rooms, holding sessions with the other sisters teaching the Zebrican Arts of Suggestion.  Sunset pulled them all into her old room after introducing her friend.  She asked them to train Aiko as well, who joined them in their lessons.

She told them all of the news and the new orders for the brothels.  They rejoiced together.  She encouraged them to teach everyone of their leash sisters, and explained that she wanted the sisterhood of the Zebrican Arts to include all the brothels, and all their leash sisters.  The vixens all agreed readily as Aiko looked on happily, ready to start her training.

Sunset gathered the Yak-uza in the house, then woke them, explaining to them the new order of things.  As expected, there was considerable bucking and stunning involved on her part before they were even willing to listen.  She finally got them to the point they were willing to accompany her to the manse of the oyabun.  She left with the four yaks following behind her.  When she arrived, they were surprised to see the two yak-uza guarding the door open it for her, allowing her to enter without a comment.

They followed her into the manse.  She stood still for a moment, her hooves glowing teal, and teal magic leaking from her closed eyes.

“Follow me, they are in a meeting discussing the future of the clan.  We will join them,” said Sunset, leading them deeper into the manse.

“They will not let you join, whorse.  No one but yak males may attend the yak-uza meetings,” said one of the Yaks following her under his breath.

“Call me a whorse again and I will fry you right here,” said Sunset over her shoulder.  “Here, they are in session.  Be quiet and show some respect.”  She opened the doors and trotted into the room, the four yaks with her.

The gathering of Yak-uza turned to her, watching her and the yak-uza behind her join them.  “You’ve returned then?” asked the new oyabun.  “Is there something further you need?” he asked.  The jaws of the four yaks with her nearly hit the floor.

“Yes,” Sunset answered, “I require a representative to come with me, someone who can speak for the clan, address the gathered Madams, then work out the arrangements to accommodate what I have stated.”

The oyabun turned to a yak on his left. “You, go with her and do as she says, then come back here and report to us what you have accomplished.”  He turned Sunset. “He is my second in command, he will help you.”  He then turned back to the rest of the gathered Yak-uza as they resumed their discussions.

Sunset turned to the four yaks that had accompanied her.  “You four should stay here.  Find out what your new duties will be.  You are no longer needed at the brothel,” she informed them.  

Turning to the Yak-uza lieutenant, Sunset nodded. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. I will take you to the Madams, so you can negotiate the details of your arrangement with them.”  he nodded.

She led him from the room and out of the manse, then back to the brothel.  There she introduced him to the Madam and left him in her care.

She joined her friends for lunch. “I noticed the Madam has dismissed the love lessons in the Dojo to allow more time for teaching the Zebrican Arts of Suggestion,” noted Sunset as they ate.

“Yes, she thought it a better use of our time than rehashing the courtesan love practices,” agreed Pleasant.

“Especially as we have all been over it dozens of times, and have had to practice it constantly with our clients,” agreed Fragrant.  “And she wants all of the sisters to be versed in the Arts.”

“On that we completely agree,” commented Sunset, sipping her miso soup. Aiko sat beside her, quietly listening.

“So are you back?  Will you be working and living with us again?” asked Pleasant.

“No, I am on a quest with my dear friend Sleeping Flower to improve the lives of our sisters.  We are not content with how things were, and will not rest until we have improved the lot of all our sisters, in every leash,” replied Sunset with a glance to Aiko, who nodded and smiled.

“Is it true?  Did you really take on the Yak-uza, and challenge the oyabun?” asked Fragrant.

“I did,” smiled Sunset. “He was a vicious swordsman.  But in the end he fell to my blade.”

“You have a blade?” asked Pleasant.  “Where is it?  Did you have it here?”

“It’s always with me,” answered Sunset. “It’s part of being a mage, a Samurai.  Do you want to see it?”  All four vixens nodded, including Aiko.

“Okay,” agreed Sunset. Her hooves flashed teal, and the sword appeared floating in her levitation before her.  She took it into her hoof, and set it on the table for them to see.  This got the attention of the other mares and vixens as well, who left their table to crowd around gawking at the sword.

“Wait, if you had this all the time, and are so good at it, why did you even stay here?  You could have escaped any time you wanted, and no one could have stopped you,” noted Fragrant.

“I could have,” agreed Sunset. “But, I wasn’t here for that. I was here to find my friend, and get her free.  I couldn’t leave until she was safe. And once I met all of you, you became my friends too!  So now I want all of you safe, and Sleeping Flower agrees with me.  Time for all our sisters to be safe from harm,” explained Sunset.  One of the mares had picked up the sword and was turning it around, taking it in while the vixens around her pushed in closely to see it too.  Eventually she passed it on, allowing everyone to take a turn feeling its weight and examining it.  When everyone had their moment with it, it disappeared in a flash of teal.

The other unicorn mare, clearly ringed also, looked on in confusion.  “How can you do that?  I can see the ring on your head, just like mine!  I can’t do any magic, how are you still doing it?” she asked.

“By using the Zebrican Arts.  They don’t have horns, and they can perform magic just fine.  There are other ways to channel spells and arts, and when you learn enough about the Zebrican ways you too will be able to do magic in ways other than horncraft,” answered Sunset.  “As a mage, I cannot allow myself to be incapacitated by something as simple as a horn lock, so I learned and practiced the Zebrican Arts to overcome that limitation,’ Sunset prevaricated.  “What kind of Samurai would I be if I couldn’t overcome a single simple limitation.”

“I don’t think having my horn locked is a simple limitation,” fussed the unicorn.  “I had to learn how to do everything over again.  It was humiliating, like being a baby again.”

“And yet, you did, and now, you are stronger for it,” countered Sunset.  “You can do things well without your magic, so you have grown from the experience. And, once you advance in the Zebrican Arts, you can get your old skills back too, in different ways.  You’ll see, it’s a gain overall.”

The mare nodded her head in confused acceptance.

After chatting a bit more, the rest of the mares and vixens returned to their lunches.  Sunset and her friends finished as well, cleaning off their places and returning to Sunset’s room.  Sunset laid with them and Aiko on her now crowded bed.

“Aiko, show me what you have learned,” requested Sunset.

“Okay. Still a bit rusty with it.  Do you want me to start?” asked Aiko, placing a paw on Sunset’s muzzle tenderly.

“Yes,” answered Sunset, placing a hoof on Aiko’s cheek. Aiko drifted into Sunset’s mind, and saw her friend there waiting for her.  “You came, all on your own. You’re doing well, my dear friend,” she greeted.

“Yeah, I seem to have that part down.  But it’s almost like something is holding me back.  I have to push with everything I have just to get here,” replied Aiko.

“Let’s return to your mind and I will look with you,” smiled Sunset. Together the two friends left her mind and traveled into Aiko’s. She was surprised to find a version of herself present, sleeping. “Don’t worry, that is completely normal.  Let’s let her slumber while I look at what is going on with your magic.  As a three tail, you should be overflowing with magic.  Something is clearly blocking it.”

“Remember what I said though,” reminded Aiko.  “I have not really used my magic for years.  I haven’t had any use for it in my last job.”

Sunset dove into Aiko’s heart, her friend at her side, following her magical channels.  The magic flowed into her heart, but from there, very little was coming out.  Sunset frowned.

“Aiko, you are a magical creature.  But it looks to me like you’re denying your magic.  Why would you want to repress or deny your magic?” asked Sunset of her friend, confused.

“I was told ponies would be frightened of my magic, so I taught myself not to express it so I could properly do my job.  I didn’t need it anyways,” confessed Aiko.

“Aiko, that is so wrong.  First, no one will be frightened of you just because you have magic.  Please never believe such a lie again.  And second, you are a magical creature to your very core. Here we are, in your heart, the very center of your being. I see huge amounts of magic channeling in, but you have bound it up, and refuse to allow it to leave your heart!  Aiko, my dear friend!  My leash mate, my hearthmate, my 弟子 (deshi - apprentice), let me help you release the flow of your magic,” begged Sunset.

Aiko nodded.  Sunset reached into her heart, filling it with her own magic as she sought to heal and strengthen her friend's wounded heart.  A teal glow suffused her friend's eyes, and her heart started beating strong and hard as if she were running a race, with her magic pulsing within it with each beat.  After a few moments like this, a flash of crimson blasted out from her heart, and crimson magic flew out from it, flowing out into her entire body.  Aiko, still  next to Sunset, became suffused with a crimson glow, floating in the air, her eyes twin crimson beams of magic.  This continued on for several moments until everywhere they could see within Aiko’s body was glowing, suffused with crimson magic. Aiko floated back down, until she was sitting next to Sunset in her heart, glowing with crimson magic.

“I feel so completely alive,” whispered Aiko in wonder. “What has happened to me?”

“You just unlocked your magical potential.  And I think you found your destiny. If you were a pony after a display like that, I would expect to see a cutie mark,” replied Sunset with a grin.  “Shall we see what has happened to you?” asked Sunset.

Aiko nodded happily.

“Then awake, my dear dreamer,” smiled Sunset, with a nuzzle to her friend.  They both awoke on the bed, smiling at each other as they laid together nuzzling and snuggled on her bed. The other vixens were smiling happily at the two of them.

“What happened,” asked Sunset of her friends with a smile.

“It was like nothing I have ever seen,” replied Radiant in wonder.  “You snuggled up together and fell asleep, then a few moments later, your friend Aiko started glowing crimson with crimson light leaking out from her eyes.  She lifted off the bed, still clutching tightly to you.  Then there was a burst of light, and when it faded, that happened!  Then she lowered back down to the bed, still holding you.”

“What that?” asked Aiko, still confused.

“That,” smiled Sunset, pointing down towards her tails.

Aiko looked down, and saw. She had manifested. She now had four tails.  “Wow,” she said, laying her head back. “That was unexpected.”

“I knew you had it in you!  Woo hoo!” celebrated her friend, snuggling her close.  The other vixens also rushed to embrace and congratulate her. Then, together they continued to practice the Art of Suggestion.

Sometime later, there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” called out Sunset.

The Mother opened the door, leaning in through the opening. “Come Shimmering Sun!  The Mothers meeting has begun, and they need you there.

Sunset excused herself from her friends and followed the Mother back to the chamber where the Madams and the lieutenant had gathered.  She entered, bowing, then took her place by the lieutenant where they explained what had happened, what it meant, and what then needed to discuss to cement the changes that Sunset had demanded.

After all the questions had been fielded, Sunset stepped back, allowing the lieutenant and the Madams to work out the specifics and details of their deal while she observed.  When they were done, satisfied with what they had worked out, Sunset nodded, and dismissed the lieutenant to go report to the clan what had been agreed upon.

Bowing to the Madams, she was dismissed, so Sunset left, joining her friends again.

“How did it go?” asked Aiko excitedly. “Are our sisters now all truly free?”

“They are. We are all free now. And you and I are no longer wanted with a bounty on our heads. Though it may take a while before all the notices get taken down, so we probably still want to show some caution,” smiled Sunset.

The vixens celebrated, hugging each other happily.  They joined the rest of her leash, including the new additions, in the dining room for dinner, where they happily shared the news with everyone.  Together with the Mother, they rejoiced and celebrated with a very festive and lively dinner.  After the dinner, Sunset and Aiko excused themselves, promising they would return tomorrow.

Together they left the brothel, returning to the merchant’s family and joining them for an after dinner tea and telling them what they had accomplished.  The tale kept them up for several hours, to the amazement and delight of their hosts.

After, they left to bathe, perform their ablutions, and rest.  Sunset snuggled up to her four-tailed friend, smiling, and together they slept.
> 17 - Sunset - A New Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aiko woke, stretching and smiling.  Sunset was still snoring softly next to her.  She gently stroked Sunset’s main with her forepaw.  “Rise and shine, Sunny.  Busy day today.”

Sunset smiled and stretched.  “Yeah, it will be.  Good morning, Aiko,” she greeted, opening her eyes and gazing at her friend with a happy grin.  She pulled Aiko into a hug, which Aiko warmly reciprocated.

Together the rose and performed their ablutions, washed, and loped into the kitchen where they found the merchant preparing breakfast.  “Good morning!” He greeted them.  They bowed and returned his greeting.

“You’re up early!  Not even my parents are up yet. Would you care for some tea?” he asked.  They both nodded, so he served them both green tea with honey.

Sunset drank hers quickly. “Thank you,” she said, looking slightly more alert.  “We have a long day ahead of us, trying to tie up any loose ends before we return to Equestria.”  She smiled at that.  “It will be nice to see my mom and sisters again.”

“Sisters?” asked Aiko.

“Sort of.  Twilight and Cadance. They are both students of mom’s, like I am, and we’re pretty close.  We do a lot together,” answered Sunset.

“Should I be jealous?” teased Aiko.

“Hardly!” laughed Sunset, giving Aiko a side hug.  “I haven’t had to travel halfway around Equs to save them, and they haven’t been through what we have.  We’re bonded, girl.  Sisters forever.”

Aiko laughed. “Sisters from another mister, Sisters forever,” she agreed, returning the hug.

The merchant grinned at the exchange, bringing over two bowls of breakfast porridge.  “You’re both too cute,” he laughed as he placed the bowls before them. “Enjoy.”

They bowed their heads in thanksgiving, then ate.  Thanking him for breakfast, and promising to be back to enjoy dinner with his family that evening, they made their way to the government offices to speak with Aiko’s uncle.

The offices were not officially open this early, but when they knocked a functionary let them in and escorted them back to the Secretary's office.  Announcing them, she left them with her uncle and another fox in his office as she bowed then shut the doors behind her.  Sunset noted that the new Kitsune was a bit unkempt, his mane under the hat he was wearing a rat's nest of tangles, and was attired in a worn and wrinkled traditional haori jacket and kimono, and hakama skirt.  He wore tabi socks and wooden clogs on his back paws, holes clearly worn into the socks.

“Good to see you, Aiko, Sunny.  This is inspector Kosuke Kindaichi (コスケ 金田一). He will be assessing the brothels for compliance with the new regulations and the taxes we’ve discussed.  He will be joining you today for your tour of the brothels.  Whenever you’re ready to begin, he is at your service.”

Sunset bowed. “Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  We should begin immediately, as there are several brothels to visit, and we have other tasks to accomplish,” she answered.

The Secretary agreed, so with a hug for both girls he dismissed them and Mr. Kindaichi.  Together they headed to the manse of the Yak-uza oyabun.  The yaks guarding the gate opened it for them, one of them escorting them to the manse where they were let in and led to a spacious library to wait. Tea and cake had been left out for them, so after a quick scan of the food and surroundings, Sunset served up Mr. Kindaichi, Aiko and herself as they waited for the new oyabun.

Several minutes later he came through the doors, accompanied by a large Yak-uza bodyguard and his lieutenant from the day before.  “Hello Suni, friends.  I see you found the tea and refreshments.  Splendid.  Suni, you remember my lieutenant?  He will be escorting you today to see that you have everything you need.”

Sunset bowed then introduced her companion.  “This is Mr. Kindaichi.  He is from the government office, and will be assessing the brothels for compliance to all regulations and auditing for tax purposes.  He will be accompanying us as well today.”

Introductions complete, the oyabun excused himself, wishing them good fortune.  After finishing their tea and snacks the group left the compound together, heading for the first of the brothels, one of the common ones.

It was an absolute mess.  The accommodations for the sisters were near poverty levels.  Even the Madam herself looked near emaciated.  The government inspector insisted it be renovated, and the lieutenant agreed, so the Madam, her Mother, and their leash were taken to one of the other brothels that were found to be in acceptable shape by the inspector.  There they were left in the care of the Madam of that brothel.

They continued on in this manner right up to the hour before lunch, having closed out all but the last of the common brothels and moved their leashes over to the other more prosperous brothels while they were renovated.  Things were moving along well, better even than Sunset had hoped. They had even discussed the renovations with the local builders guild, with the lieutenant and the inspector agreeing over the proposed changes.  The builders guild felt they should be able to complete the renovations within the next month, given the priority that was being placed upon the task.  Things were going very well.

They came to the last of the common brothels. It looked in substantially better shape than the other common brothels from the outside.  Entering, they saw the greeting area and bed chambers were nicely maintained, as were the halls.

“Are you sure this is a common brothel?” asked Sunset of the lieutenant.  He nodded.

Sunset stopped for a moment, her hooves glowing with teal magic.  Silent for a moment, she felt around the brothel, inventorying it with her magical senses, as she had at the other brothels.  With a startled cry, she bolted upright, then rand down the hallway and around a corner.  The others followed her, thoroughly confused.

She stopped before a closed door, which she tried to open but felt it securely locked.  Angered, she wheeled and bucked the door, ripping it from its hinges and cracking it in half as it fell into the room it secured.

Sunset trotted into the room, light glowing teal from her mane and feet, her mane magically waving behind her.  The others stepped into the room with her, then both the inspector and Aiko gasped in horror.

There, stacked all around them, were the rotting, broken bodies of mares and vixens, wrapped in bloody clothes, stacked in piles around the room.  At Sunset’s best count there were more than 50 lost souls here.  Seeing this, she wheeled around, heading for the Madam’s room.

She raced through the halls leaving most of her party behind, with Aiko herself bounding behind her.  Coming to the Madam’s door, Sunset wheeled and bucked it off its hinges, completely blasting the door into the room where it crashed against the far wall.  Sunset stormed in, her mane waving still in a magical storm behind her as she turned to face the cowering Madam before her.

“Why!?” she shouted, the force of her Canterlot voice shaking the very walls.

The Madam fell back in fright. “I don’t know what you mean?  Why what?” she disambled.

Sunset leapt at her, bowling her over to the floor where she stood over her.  She stomped both forehooves down on her shoulders and she yelled again. “Why!”  Her eyes glowed teal as the Madam fell unconscious, Sunset racing through her memories.

She saw the fallen sisters, broken bodies savaged, being taken to the morgue, as the Madam had taken to calling it,where they were tossed in stacks, wrapped in their bedsheets, waiting for the Yak-uza to come take them away.

She saw more mares and vixens being brought in, drugged near insensate, beaten and bruised, replacing the ones dead.

She saw the Madam presenting her leash, bragging to her clients that for a modest surcharge, they could literally do whatever they wished with their escorts, with no consequences.

She saw the Beast, a smiling repeat customer, regularly agreeing to the surcharge as he led an insentate mare or vixen away.

She saw the Madam laughing with the Yak-uza, giving them half of her surcharges as they hauled away piles of broken bodies while more bruised, beaten, and insensate mares and vixens were placed in the now vacant rooms.

She saw the large chest of gold coins the Madam kept holding her share of the surcharges. It was as big as a desk and took three yaks to carry.

She saw pile after pile of broken sisters, their bloody bodies wrapped in sheets, left to rot until the next delivery of insensate mares and vixens the following week.

Aiko, the lieutenant, and the government inspector watched in horror as Sunset’s mane turned to fire, her eyes white with power as she stood over the fallen madam.  Magical wind whipped through the room, scattering sheets and papers as Sunset’s rage filled magic whipped out from her in streams of fire, lashing at the room around them.

Without looking up, she called out to them in an eerily calm voice.  “Get everyone out of here.  Take them to the Exotics brothel, then stay there with them.  I will join you shortly,” she commanded.

The lieutenant ran out of the room, and finding the leash Mother, together they gathered all the sisters and headed to the Exotics Brothel with the government inspector.  

Aiko did not go with them, instead choosing to stay by her sister’s side.  “Why are you still here, sister?” asked Sunset, still over the insensate Madam, still pulsing with fiery power.

“I will not leave you Suni.  I am by your side no matter what,” promised Aiko.

“So be it,” said Sunset.  She stepped off of the Madam, who blinked, then rose to stand before her.

“What are you doing?” asked the Madam. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why am I doing this?  You have the temerity to ask me Why?  Why did you kill your leash?  Why did you not protect them, as was your duty!?  Why are you surprised I would be angry at what you have done?” thundered Sunset.

The Madam cowered.  Sunset calmed a bit.  “No,” she said. “Even now, you have no idea what you did wrong. You are truly a broken creature.  Ask the guardian of Elysium if you cannot understand. I am sure she will make it abundantly clear to you. I don’t have the patience or time for it.”

With a crack, a bolt of teal magic leapt from Sunset’s mane, consuming the cowering Madam and turning her completely to a pile of white ash.  Flames leapt from her mane, burning the walls and ceiling of the room.

As the back wall burned, it dropped away, revealing a room behind it containing a large desk sized chest.  In a blast of teal it disappeared. “This will be for our leash sisters.  No one will profit from the blood of our fallen sisters but their sisters themselves.  This will pay to bring the weakened and drugged sisters back to health,” Sunset explained.

Sunset wrapped Aiko and herself in a teal shield as the house burned down around them.  Together they worked through the flames towards the front entrance, then out through the burning doors and garden to the street outside, where onlookers were gawking first at the fire, then the oni and vixen that emerged from it.  They parted as Sunset and Aiko walked through them, the brothel completely consumed in flames behind them.  As they walked through the crowd, whispered comments surrounded them.  “Oni,” they whispered.  Sunset and Aiko ignored them.

They trotted to the offices of the commissioner to confront the Beast.

When they arrived at the commissioner’s offices, his staff scattered, fleeing the sight of the angry pony oni and four-tailed vixen at her side.  They ran from the offices in fright while Sunset and Aiko stepped up to the commissioner’s door.  Sunset wheeled and bucked it sending splinters flying into the office as she completely obliterated the door.

The commissioner leapt up on his desk roaring.  “How dare you charge into my offices like that!  Do you know who I am?!  Do you know who you are dealing with?!” he shouted.  Then he saw who had entered his office.

“You!” he called out, seeing Sunset and Aiko.  “What are you two doing here?  My playthings are supposed to stay put!”

He leapt down from the desk, darting forward to Sunset with his claws outstretched.  A teal cloud of magic flowed out from Sunset.  Two flashes of lightning shot together at the fox as he leapt at them both, catching him in midair and turning him to a charred crisp that crashed into the ground before them.

Sunset stared down at him, eyes leaking teal magic. “Don’t mind us, we’re just here to take out the trash,” she spat, then smashed her hoof down on the foxes crisped head, scattering the ashes.  Together, she and Aiko left the office, heading to the Exotics brothel to meet back up with the lieutenant and the inspector.

As they walked, Sunset cooled, and before long was back to her usual adorable self.  “Feeling better?” asked Aiko.

“Much,” agreed Sunset.  She grimaced. “That was unpleasant.  I’m glad to see the Beast gone.  And the Murder brothel.  That had to go.”

“Absolutely agreed,” nodded Aiko.  “Almost done. Let’s collect our charges and get back to the manse and your uncle.  Then we can put this day behind us.”  Sunset nodded.

They arrived at the exotics brothel and entered to find the leash Mother tending to the sisters from the common brothel.  They both pitched in to help the new sisters get settled and secured.  Afterwards, they said their goodbyes and left with the lieutenant and inspector.

They entered the manse with the lieutenant, and stood by while he gave his report to the oyabun.  When he was finished, Sunset approached.

“I have a boon to request,” stated Sunset.

“Name it,” answered the oyabun.

“I would like the protection payments for my associates to be considered paid in full in perpetuity,” Sunset asked, then gave him the address of the merchant’s shop and their family name.

The oyabun nodded. “Consider it done.  Anything else?”

“The government will be setting up a fund to treat the leash sisters from the brothels who need medical attention.  I have set aside some money for it, and the rest will be paid by the small tax they will assess the brothels.  They will contact you with the details, and will work with the leash mothers for access to the sisters that require medical and other assistance.  They will keep you apprised of these activities as a courtesy,” added Sunset.

The inspector nodded.  “As effective partners in this endeavor, we will keep you apprised of our efforts,” he agreed.

The oyabun nodded. “Thank you. Your consideration is appreciated.”

The inspector bowed.  Sunset and Aiko bowed as well, giving their farewells.  The inspector left with them as they returned to the Secretary’s offices. They were escorted directly into his office where he was waiting for them.

The inspector made his report, to the satisfaction of the Secretary.  Sunset then spoke up.

“I have the money for the treatment of the abused leash sisters here,” Sunset stated. With a teal flash and a pop, the chest appeared in the Secretary’s office. “This was confiscated from the funds one of the Madams was receiving for the recreational murder of her leash sisters.  She has been dealt with.”

The secretary turned to his niece.  “Don’t ask,” Aiko said, shaking her head.

“So, permanently then.  Got it,” the secretary nodded.

“You will also need a new commissioner.  The former one has passed away,” Sunset added.

“This was the Beast you mentioned?” clarified the secretary.

“Yes, he was attacked by an oni in his offices, and perished in the encounter,” smirked Aiko, looking at Sunset.

“How unfortunate for him,” agreed the secretary with a smirk.  “I can only imagine his shock at the visit.”

“The visit definitely didn’t go the way he had planned,” Sunset agreed. “But, he can take it up with Elysium's guardian now.”

“Definitely out of my jurisdiction,” nodded the Secretary.  “So, done for the day, heading back to your friends for dinner and the evening?”

“Yes,” agreed Aiko.  “We’re spending one more night with our friends, then will meet with you in the morning for our trip back home.  Well, both homes, I guess.  Right Soni?”

“Sounds good to me. It will be nice to see your parents again for the day.  And it will be nice to be headed back to Equestria. I miss my friends there, and I know they will love you,” agreed Sunset.

They thanked her uncle again for everything, then said goodbye to him and the inspector as they left his offices, returning back to the Merchant and his family in time for dinner.

On their last night together they had a wonderful feast, made all the better when Aiko explained that Suni had negotiated full payment of all their protection with the Yak-uza in perpetuity.

They stayed up late with the family, trading tales of their adventures, then bathed, did the needful, then they snuggled up in bed together, looking forward to the next day.






The next morning, they woke, excited for their trip.  They performed their ablutions and cleaned up for the day, then had a wonderful breakfast with the merchant and their family.  They exchanged information with them so they could correspond, thanking them again for everything.

Departing, Sunset and Aiko returned to the Secretary’s office where they found him waiting for them.

“Ready to say goodbye more properly to your old life?” smiled Aiko’s uncle, waiting by the carriage that was going to take them back to the Dan of Aiko’s family.

She nodded. “Yes, this time with no subterfuge.  An honest goodbye,” agreed Aiko.  Sunset smiled.  “And I hope they can find it in their hearts to forgive me,” she added.

“I am sure they will feel there is nothing to forgive,” assured Aiko’s uncle.  The footman loaded helped them up into the carriage, and the Secretary as well, then shut the door behind them.  He climbed up into his seat, and the carriage rolled out into the street, beginning their journey.

“So, when we return, I have booked passage for you both on an airship, the 優雅なアホウドリ (Yūgana ahōdori - The Graceful Albatros).  You will share a stateroom, with its own bath and water closet. It will take you straight back to our offices in Manehatten, where you can assure your friends the news of your death was greatly exaggerated.”  the Secretary informed them, with a pointed look at Sunset.

“Thank you,” bowed Sunset, smiling. “I am sure they will be happy to hear they heard wrong.”

“I’m sure they will,” agreed her uncle.  Aiko smiled.

“And then, you can meet the family,” smirked Sunset.

“You mean your mom?” teased Aiko.

“And sisters,” agreed Sunset.  “Twilight will be delighted to meet you, and I’m sure so will Cadance.”

“Your mom?” asked the Secretary.

“It’s complicated,” said Sunset. Aiko rolled her eyes.

“She means Princess Celestia,” said Aiko to her uncle.  “She considers Sunset her child.”

“Well, not sure I’d go that far,” said Sunset, backpedaling.  “Just, she’s the closest pony to a mom that I have.”

“Close enough, I’m sure, from all the stories you have told me,” laughed Aiko.

“Do tell!” said the Secretary, smiling.

At their prompting, Sunset related some of the misadventures she, Twilight, and Cadance had enjoyed, especially their pranks on mom.  That prompted Aiko to share some of her misadventures growing up in the family Dan.  Swapping back and forth with their stories, they passed the day entertaining each other and her uncle with their reminiscing.

As darkness fell, the coach pulled into an inn, where they were escorted to a suite with dinner and tea already waiting for them.  They ate, still sharing stories, then Aiko and Sunset excused themselves to prepare for bed. They enjoyed the private bath, performed their ablutions, then settled into the bed in their bedroom in the suite and snuggled up to sleep.

Sunset watched as Aiko fell peacefully asleep, then mischievously slipped into her friends dreams, watching, laughing, and occasionally slipping into place in her dream to enjoy the parts where she was welcome.  As the morning came, Sunset slipped back out of mind and smiled at her friend as she woke.

“I had the most interesting dreams.  And you were in them,” mused Aiko as she woke.

Sunset grinned at her friend. “Did you, now?  What did you dream?” she asked disingenuously.

Aiko then began describing the dream she had, and after a moment Sunset interrupted her.

“Wow, that sounds so much like my dream!” she grinned, then related the next few things that happened in the dream.

‘Wow!  That’s what I dreamed too!” enthused Aiko.

“Me too!” agreed Sunset with a grin.

Aiko laughed, then stopped suddenly, her eyes widening. “You are such a brat!” she laughed even harder.  “You didn’t!”

“Didn’t what?” grinned Sunset.

“Did you sleep at all last night?  Or did you spend the entire night peeping at my dreams?” she grinned.

“Uh… maybe both?  Don’t know, I’ve never tried it before.  I’ll let you know if the sleep counted, I guess,” acknowledged Sunset.

Aiko bopped her muzzle. “At least I got to share my dreams with a friend,” she laughed. “If you fall asleep in the coach though, I am so mocking you,” she teased.

“We’ll see,” agreed Sunset.  “We’d better get ready to go.  Don’t want to hold your uncle up.”  They rose and wandered into the suite's bath, performing their morning ablutions and cleaning up for the day.  They then joined the Secretary, who was seated at the table spread with their morning breakfast.

Good morning, sleepy heads,” he smiled, greeting them as they joined him at the table, Sunset yawning widely.

“Good morning, uncle,” greeted Aiko.  “Forgive my friend, she stayed up all night playing,” she teased.

‘I did not,” laughed Sunset. “I slept fine,” she protested.

“If you say so,” laughed Aiko.  She poured tea for the both of them, preparing it the way her friend liked, with cream and sugar.  Setting the tea before her, she joked. “This may not be strong enough for you, but I am not sure where we’d get coffee here.”

“Oh ha ha,” snarked Sunset.  “Thank you.”  She sipped the tea, enjoying the warmth and feeling more awake with each sip.

Aiko served them up the breakfast porridge, including her uncle who was sipping his own tea.  When everyone was served, they bowed their heads in thanks, then enjoyed the breakfast.

A few stifled yawns from Sunset later, they quit the suite and entered the carriage again for the day’s journey.  Her uncle regalled them both with stories from his work as they traveled.  They enjoyed a lite lunch in the carriage, stopping only briefly occasionally for the team of two yaks pulling the carriage to rest and refresh themselves.

During their afternoon break they heard a challenge called out, then sounds of fighting.  Alarmed, Sunset leapt out the door to see what was happening.

A group of bandits had challenged the yaks and their footman, who were now engaged in fighting them off.  They were badly outnumbered by the bandits, who numbered twenty in total and were clearly close to overwhelming their escort.

Sunset leapt into the fray with a snarl, bucking and wheeling.  Her sword appeared with a flash, parrying and slashing in a teal glow as she continued to wheel and buck at the bandits, knocking them flat with her touch.

Seeing her engaged, Aiko drew her katana and leapt from the carriage to join her.  Together, they waded through the ranks of the bandits, smacking them with their swords and dropping them with their touch.

Several minutes later, they stood back to back, panting from their exertions, surrounded by the insensate forms of the bandits who had attacked.  The yaks and footman rose up from where they had been fighting, seeing all their attackers subdued.

Her uncle applauded from the carriage door.  “Well done!  I did not realize you were both such proficient warriors,” he smiled.

Sunset nodded back. “Thank you, Mr. Secretary.”  She looked around at the fallen bandits. With a teal glow, the surrounding plants grew vines and branches, pulling the fallen kitsune into their trunks and boles, binding them tight with growth while they slumbered.  A sign grew up out of the ground, with the words 山賊 (Sanzoku - Bandits) carved upon it.  Their work complete, Sunset tended to the wounds suffered by the pair of yaks and their footman while Aiko returned to her uncle.

Her uncle marveled. “That was truly some accomplished fighting.  You defeated them without slaying any of your opponents.  Amazing.”

“Sunset has been teaching me much.  There is more to magecraft than just the use of our swords,” replied Aiko.

“I can see why she wants you by her side.  You make an accomplished team,” agreed her uncle.

“Thank you,” smiled Aiko. “Yes, and with more instruction, I think we will accomplish much good,” she agreed.

Sunset returned to them, their crew tended.  “Well that was a surprise. I didn’t realize there were teams of bandits that large in these parts.  I probably should have been outside with our livery.  This could have gone very badly if they had just decided to attack instead of issuing their challenge.  Then our crew would have likely perished, and I would be trying to pull us instead,” she noted. She smiled. “Thank the Maker for the small mercies.”

Their team was in shape to continue, so Sunset stayed outside of the carriage, sitting up top with the footman for the rest of the day's journey, while Aiko stayed in the carriage with her Uncle.  They arrived at the village inn that was their day’s destination.  Sunset remained with the livery to secure the carriage while Aiko and her uncle secured the rooms for the evening and dinner for the company.

Sunset joined Aiko and her uncle for dinner in the tavern, while the footman and Yaks ate in their room.  Sunset had offered for them to join them in the tavern as well after everything they had gone through earlier, but they demurred, preferring to keep their own company.

Sunset sat down, and the innkeeper came over and took their orders.  As she left, Sunset scowled.  “I invited them down to eat with us, but they waved me off.  I figured after what we had been through together it would be welcome.”

The secretary shook his head. “That is not our way, Suni.  They are seeking to keep the honor of my office and status intact, and I can’t fault them for it.  It’s just our way, they didn’t do it as a slight or mean any offense to you by it.”

Sunset frowned. “I just wanted them to know we appreciated them and how hard they fought.  They were completely overwhelmed, and they stood their ground anyway.  That should be rewarded.”

The secretary nodded. “They would see it as just being faithful to their word.  But yes, you are correct, and it will be honored. I will see to it, in a way that is appropriate and that they can accept.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said.  “That would be wonderful.”

The innkeeper returned with their drinks and soup, so they said their grace and started eating.  “So, we should get to the family Dan by the end of tomorrow, you think?” Sunset asked.

“If we travel as well as we did today, we should arrive there by late evening,” agreed the secretary as he finished his soup.

Aiko smiled. “I’m looking forward to the reunion, though I am a bit concerned. I hope they can forgive me for the subterfuge we forced on them.”

Her uncle smiled. “Trust me, they will be overjoyed it was only a subterfuge.  They will be thrilled to see you again.”

Sunset smiled. “If they are mad at anyone, it will be me.  I agree, Aiko.  They will be delighted to see you again.”

“I hope so,” sighed Aiko.  She finished her soup.  The innkeeper brought their dinners as they finished, fish, rice and vegetable curry. They ate in relative silence, everyone thinking about the reunion with Aiko’s parents.  While everyone expected it to go well, there was still plenty of concern, not the least of which was the guilt Sunset and Aiko felt for putting them through the heartbreak in the first place.

When the dinner was over, they all went to their rooms.  Sunset and Aiko said goodnight to her uncle, then performed their ablutions and went to bed, snuggled up against each other.  Sunset slept fitfully, her dreams filled with her concerns about Aiko’s family, and Aiko had her own dreams.  No shared dreams tonight, only shared company.






Morning came and the girls rose, got ready and performed ablutions, then joined Aiko’s uncle and the rest of the crew for a quick breakfast before resuming their journey.  Aiko settled the inn accounts with her uncle while the crew hitched up to the carriage.  Then Aiko, her uncle and Sunset boarded and they made their way again.

Aiko’s uncle looked surprised to see Sunset in the carriage with them.  “Not joining them atop the carriage today?”

“Nah, I realized I was being Bacca,” Sunset replied. “I’ll keep my senses sharp and use my magic.  Which I should have been doing yesterday, then we would not have been surprised like that. I forgot the most important rule of magecraft.”

“And what is that?” asked the secretary.

“Mages are never off the clock,” answered Sunset. “I should never have let my guard down. Just because there is a team out there that is incredibly brave and responsible does not mean that I can just lay back and take it easy. I should have been paying attention.”

The Secretary looked skeptical.  “And you can do that from here?”

Sunset nodded.  “Yes, the same way I was able to keep tabs on what was going on in the brothels while I was in them.  I can use my magic to sense what is happening around me through my connections to the air and earth.  It’s part of the Zebrican way that I have been teaching Aiko and my leash sisters.”

Aiko looked puzzled. “I have to ask.  Zebrican way?  So the zebras have this secret art and you learned it?   How did that happen?”

Sunset grinned. “Okay.  Can you both keep a secret?”  They both nodded.  She laughed.  “I made that part up.”

Aiko looked shocked. “What?” she exclaimed. “This is all made up?  What does that mean?”

Sunset laughed. “No!  No no no.  It’s not all made up. It’s a mix of Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn magic, mixed in with so-called forbidden mind and dream magic.  I learned it from my studies of the restricted tommes as mom’s student.  I just had to call it something besides Sunset’s magical mix bag of cool forbidden magic, and Zebrican just sounded really mysterious and awesome. So I went with that.”

Aiko was laughing hysterically.  “So you decided to teach forbidden magic to me and all our leash sisters because it seemed really cool!  Oh my stars, Suni!  You slay me!  And your mom is okay with all this?”

Sunset looked sheepish. “Well, not exactly. She doesn’t know that I started teaching it to all of you. She thinks I am just teaching my sisters back home. But hey, I couldn’t leave you all suffering like we all were in the brothels!  You all needed to know what I know so you could survive!  So I decided to call it the sisterhood, and teach you all. I’m sure she’ll understand.  Hopefully.  I think.  Maybe?”

The Secretary raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Well, I don’t know if your mother will approve or not.  But I for one am thrilled that you did decide that. Anything that helps the vixens and mares in those places to survive has my wholehearted thanks and praise.  And if your mother disagrees, you can tell her that.”

Sunset smiled. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. We have to get home first. And we have to have this reunion first. We owe your parents that, Aiko.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” nodded Aiko.

Nodding as well, Sunset leaned back and spread her senses out, feeling the terrain around them.  “Okay. So on that note, time for some situational awareness.”  She closed her eyes, smiling. “I’m not sleeping, honest,” she grinned.  “I’ll let you know if something or someone else comes our way.”

“You’ll have to teach me how to do that,” Aiko commented. “It sounds like a very useful talent for a battle mage to have.”

“It is,” agreed Sunset, nodding with her eyes still closed.  “I intend to teach you everything I know. With your magical aptitude and power, you should be a fantastic battle mage.  I look forward to working with you.”

“And I, with you,” agreed Aiko.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they traveled.  Aiko read while her uncle reviewed paperwork he had brought.

They took a short break for lunch, the crew and them eating a lunch they had packed from the inn’s tavern, then they resumed their travels.  Sunset scanned their surroundings the entire time, maintaining her situational awareness.

Towards evening they finally approached the family's Dan, Sunset only having sensed peaceful fellow travelers the entire day’s journey.  Aiko was nervous, looking forward to seeing her parents again, but dreading having to face the pain she had left them in with her necessary deception. She only hoped they could forgive her for her part in it.

The carriage stopped before the family home, and as they discussed, the Secretary exited first, greeting his brother and sister-in-law as they descended from the house.

His brother bowed, then hugged him close.  “Brother!  Welcome!  We didn’t expect to see you back so soon!  What brings you to our home, nothing amiss I hope?”

The Secretary laughed. “No, I think we have had enough of poor fortune for a lifetime. I’ve come with some fellow travelers.”  He turned to the carriage.

Sunset took her cue and exited the carriage, bowing low.  “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Adobaizā.  I come with a friend, and my sincere apologies and heartfelt sorrow for the grief I have left you with. Please accept my apologies and heartfelt love.”

Aiko’s mom moved to Sunset’s side, embracing her and lifting her head back up, looking into her eyes with a gentle smile. “I do not fault you for your part in our daughter’s demise. You were her dearest friend, and faithful to her to the end.”

“I am still her dearest friend, my lady.  And will be for the rest of my life, fates willing,” agreed Sunset with a smile.

Aiko’s mother smiled, if a bit confused.  “Of course, dear,” she comforted, hugging Sunset close.

“So brother,” said Aiko’s father with a smile. “You said travelers.  Who is left in that carriage of yours?”

Swallowing her trepidation, Aiko steeled her nerves, and smiling, emerged from the carriage.

“Hi Mom!  Hi Dad!  I’m back!” She greeted them as she stepped from the carriage, then bowed low, her face completely to the ground. “Please forgive me!” she begged.
> 18 - Sunset - Reconciliations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aiko remained bowed low, head on the ground in complete supplication before her parents.  She was shaking with fear, clearly concerned that they may not forgive her subterfuge.

Her parents' eyes flew open in wonder.  “Aiko?” called out her mother, her voice hopeful. “Aiko, is that really you?”

“Yes mother, it is really me.  I am sorry for my subterfuge, and for the pain I have caused you and father,” cried Aiko, face still down to the ground.  “I have no right to ask it, but I beg you forgive me for the hurt I have caused.”  She wept.

Her mother raced over to her, scooping her up into her arms, crying happily as she hugged her tightly and wordlessly.  The two wept happily together.

Her father stood in shocked open jawed wonder.  “I don’t understand.  I watched you die, Aiko. I watched your body burn.  Your ashes were scattered across our fields.  How can this be?”

Sunset bowed low.  “That was my doing, sir.  I used my Zebrican touch on you, your wife, and brother to let you see what I wished you to see.  I did not allow your beloved daughter to truly die in defense of her honor.  She is dear to me, closer than a sister, and I could not bear to lose her.  So I allowed her to die in honor, if not in truth.  She is dead, witnessed by you and your family, and honor has been met.  But in truth she is alive, with me now always, starting a new life with me with new honors as a samurai warrior, a battle mage of Equestria.  She is my sister, my leash mate, my dearest friend, and I will guard her with my life for the remainder of mine.”

“So, she is not to return then?” asked her father. “She has not returned to us, but is to remain dead and to stay with you?”

“Yes sir,” answered Sunset. “That is what your family's honor allows, and so that is what we will do.”

Aiko’s uncle nodded.  “I was not part of this plan, but was made aware of it days after we parted. I understand the debt of honor Aiko continues to pay, but could not let the deception of her dearest family continue. I could not bear to witness your continued pain and suffering, so I begged her and Soni to come, reconcile with you, and share the secret they bear for the sake of our family honor.  I wanted you to know peace, and to know that Aiko is safe and happy in her new life.”

Her father slowly nodded.  He joined Aiko and her mother in their embrace, tears rolling gently down his face in happiness.

Sunset remained face down in supplication.  Her uncle walked over to her, and pulled her into a hug. “Take good care of my niece, Soni.  Do not let her fall in her battles,” he ordered her, a tear glistening on his cheek as he watched the joyful reunion of his brother and family.

“With my life, sir.  With my very life,” promised Sunset, returning his embrace.

Together, they all walked into the house, leaving the livery to stable the carriage and settle in.

Their servants prepared tea and snacks for them as they sat at the dining room table waiting for dinner and sharing what had happened between them.  Sunset told them of their escape from the Dan, riding on a cloud together to the West coast, which got a laugh from the family as they realized her mistake in thinking she would be able to charter a ship from the west coast.  Aiko shared with them their adventures in avenging themselves and their leash sisters against the Yak-uza, as well as their eventual overthrow of the Yak-uza and the new deal they had enforced to protect their leash sisters, as well as the horrors they had been subjected to.

“You did all this, against the might of the Yak-uza clan?” asked Aiko’s father incredulously.  “One Samurai was able to do all this?”

“No,” stated Sunset. “I did not do this alone.  None of it would have been possible without Aiko by my side.  She assisted me through all of this, and made what we did possible.  None of this would have happened without her with me.”

Aiko smiled. “We were pretty awesome,” she grinned.  “And it was actually fun to play the fool for a while and deceive them, until we surprised them in the end.”

Sunset laughed. “Yes, you are a natural born actress.  You had me convinced with your feigned insensate mindlessness.”

Aiko grinned. “Who says I was faking that?  Maybe my mind was just on vacation.”

Sunset snickered. “You kind of gave that away when you almost burst out in a fit of giggles.”

Aiko laughed, rolling her eyes.  “Well that was your fault for being such a dork. You're not supposed to be so funny!”  She stuck out her tongue, squinting one eye shut.

Sunset laughed, returning the expression.  Her uncle laughed at them both.  “I for one am happy it worked out so well in the end.  Your leash sisters are safe, a killer has been stopped, and the more egregious abuses have stopped.  You have both done well.”

Aiko smiled happily, joined by her friend.  “Yes, we have,” they both agreed.

Dinner was served, with Aiko leading the family in a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving after which they ate and discussed their future plans.  With the evening drawing to a close, Sunset and Aiko excused themselves, and readied for bed.  After their ablutions, they snuggled together in Aiko’s bed and fell quickly to sleep.






Morning came, both girls sleeping so soundly neither recalled their dreams.  They woke, prepared for the day, then joined Aiko’s uncle and family for breakfast.

“So will you be staying long?” asked her father as they ate.  “It really has been wonderful to see you again.  And with where you are heading I am not sure when we will be able to visit again.”

Her uncle replied. “Regrettably, we do need to head back to Yokeo, as the girls have a charter to catch back to their new lives together.  And, I am hesitant to spend much time here lest word of Aiko’s return leak and undo the heroic sacrifice she has made.  As much as it pains me to say it, the sooner she is off to her new life, the better it will be for all.  And, I promise I will keep in touch through discrete channels, so if you wish to correspond I will be happy to facilitate.”

Her mother nodded. “Yes, please. I will definitely be taking you up on that,” she agreed.  Aiko nodded as well.

Her uncle replied. “No worries, it is the least I could do after all you have done for my office and others.  You may be unsung, but Aiko, Sunset, you are heroes.  I will not forget what you have done, and when the time is right, others will not forget it either.”

When breakfast was over, Aiko walked around the family vineyard with her parents, making her goodbyes.  Sunset stayed with her uncle to allow them their privacy.

“Thank you so much for helping us with this, and for arranging this for Aiko,” said Sunset.  “She was trying to bear it stoically, but it was clear this was really hurting her. She didn’t want her parents to suffer from this, and not being able to relieve their sorrow was weighing heavily on her.”

“I could see that as well,” agreed Aiko’s uncle.  “And they needed this as much as she did. Now, they can know that their daughter, my niece, lives as a hero, and did not just die as one.  And that they can be proud of her for more than just her sacrifice, but for her life as well.”

“Well put,” agreed Sunset.  “It warms my heart to see her happy again.  To see them all happy again.  I was so sad to leave them like that.  I’m glad you were able to set this up.”

The Secretary nodded silently, watching the family stroll peacefully through the vineyard.  Sunset looked on smiling as well.

Eventually, the family returned, and with final hugs, bade them goodbye and goodluck in their new life together and their future adventures.  The livery had already packed the few belongings they had brought with them for the trip, and were ready to head out with the carriage.  Sunset and the Secretary made their goodbyes as well, with bows, and at least in Sunset’s case with a pair of heartfelt hugs, then they boarded the carriage and headed back to Yokeo.

The day's journey passed uneventfully, Sunset using her extended magical senses to guard their passage against any potential attacks.  She supposed their recent travels along this path may have thinned the ranks of potential miscreants in the area, as well as made the remainder more wary of attacking unknown providence, like for example their carriage, when they had no idea who could be inside and what grief they may be inviting.

They stopped for the evening, midway through their journey, Sunset helping the livery to stow the carriage then warding it for the night.  She joined Aiko and the Secretary in the tavern for dinner while the livery took their dinner in their room.  After dinner, Sunset and Aiko bathed, performed their ablutions, then retired for the night to their room to rest.  Snuggling up together, they fell soundly asleep, dreaming of the coming voyage they would be making and their new life together.

Rising with the sun, Aiko and Sunset did their morning ablutions then helped the livery prepare the carriage for the remainder of their journey.  Together they joined the Secretary for a quick travelers breakfast and tea, then they entered the carriage, the livery taking their positions.  They resumed their journey, Sunset again using her magical senses to guard their party from potential attackers.  Again, the day’s journey was uneventful, and by nightfall they were back in Yokeo, spending the late evening and night with the Secretary in his capital residence.

They woke fully rested the following morning, ready for their journey to Sunset’s home and Aiko’s new life as an Equestrian Battle Mage with her mentor and friend.  They performed their ablutions then quickly packed what they had, leaving it with the service staff to be brought to the dock with them.

They joined the Secretary for breakfast and tea.  “So, excited for the beginning of your new adventure?” he asked Aiko as she took her seat.

“Yes, a little. Not sure what to expect, but I know it will be wonderful with my friend,” she said, smiling at Sunset.

Sunset smiled back. “You know it.  And I can’t wait to introduce you to mom, Twilight, and Cadence.”  She frowned a bit. “Though this is the longest I think I have ever been away from them.  I hope they are doing alright.  I’m sure mom would have let me know if something horrible happened, so I just have to trust that everything is fine.”

Aiko laughed.  “Trust?  I never saw you as the type of mare to just trust anything. You always seem to want to have some hoof in things.”

“You know me too well,” agreed Sunset with a grin. “I do trust them, with my life if need be. But I do feel the need to take charge most of the time.  I know I don’t always know best, but I don’t know when I don’t either, so not always sure when I should be backing off.  I’m a work in progress.”  She laughed.  “And they love me anyway.”

“Me too,” agreed Aiko with a grin.  “And I am so glad you came to rescue me from the life I had fallen into.  I know I’ve said it before, but Soni, thank you!”  She leaned over and hugged her friend, nuzzling her briefly with a huge smile.

Sunset smiled back. “Anytime, anyway, anywhere. You were worth it, still are, and always will be.  Thank you for being my friend,” answered Sunset, nuzzling one more time before breaking away with a grin.  “And thank you Mr. Secretary for your help and everything you have done.  We could not have done this without you.”

Her uncle smiled happily.  “For Aiko, and you, her dear friend, as you said. Anytime, anyway, anywhere.  I’m glad she has a friend like you to guide her in her new life.  Take care of her please!  She is still very dear to me, even if she is moving out of my life and into a new one.”

While they ate, Sunset told Aiko more stories of her times with her sisters and as a battle mage, and a bit about Canterlot, living at the castle, and what Princess Celestia was like.  “You’ll see, she is the kindest mare I know.  She’ll love you too, I just know it,” Sunset assured her friend.

While they were eating, the servants loaded up their luggage into the carriage.  When they finished breakfast, they left the residence, and entered the carriage with Aiko’s uncle, while the livery took the carriage to the docks where their ship, a coastal water and airship hybrid, the 優雅なアホウドリ (Yūgana ahōdori - The Graceful Albatros).  The livery unloaded their luggage, turning it over to the stevedores who loaded the luggage aboard the ship while they said their goodbyes.

Her uncle held them both tightly. “Goodbye, Aiko.  Take care of yourself and your friends.  And stay safe, but not too safe.  You are a samurai now,” he said smiling. “And Soni, you take care too, of yourself and my niece.  You too make a great team, and I look forward to hearing all about your wonderful exploits.”  He gave them both a final hug, then bowing, he waved goodbye, smiling as he entered the carriage and drove back to his residence.

Aiko and Sunset showed their tickets to the steward at the gangplank, then went up and into the ship. At the entrance another steward greeted them, and with a glance at their tickets had a porter summoned to escort the Top Class travelers to their stateroom.  Sunset and Aiko followed the porter, and young Kitsune cat, who led them to a magnificent stateroom just below decks at the back of the ship, which included a recessed and enclosed patio along the back of the ship, glassed in for their comfort but including a spectacular viewing space from ship. Currently the view was of the port, where they could see other ships being loaded for departure just as theirs was.

“Wow!  Don’t think I’ve ever traveled in something this nice,” marveled Sunset, taking in the view.  Aiko stood next to her, smiling at the view as well.

Sunset turned to the porter, passing him a silver bit. “Thank you!  I think we have it from here.”  She smiled at him, then bowed in dismissal.

The porter smiled back. “Thank you, but we do not accept gratuities,” he explained, placing the silver bit down on the counter. “But I am grateful for your thanks.  The captain requests the honor of both of your company for dinner.  Please be ready at 17:00. I will come and escort you to the officer's mess and the captain’s table.”

“Thank you. Please inform the captain we are honored to accept his invitation,” agreed Sunset, bowing again to the porter in acknowledgement. He nodded and left, shutting their door behind him.

“Wow!  First night out and eating at the captain’s table. Your uncle sure knows how to travel in style,” Sunset said with a laugh.

Aiko nodded. “Yes he does. I remember him taking me on some of his trips when I was younger. I always felt like a little princess.”

The two friends returned to the suite from the patio, looking through their luggage for something appropriate to wear to a captain’s dinner.  Sunset settled on a slight modification to the dress she had worn while masquerading as Aiko’s servant, forgoing the veil this time.  Aiko decided on a brown and green gown that covered her flanks but left the bottom two thirds of her tails exposed.  She wore a green floral wreath for her headgear, forgoing any veil or armament.

After that, they decided it would be fun to wander the ship, at least in the areas they were allowed to wander without getting in the way of the crew preparing to cast off.  They ended up on the deck with several of the other guests, waving to their friends and relatives still gathered on the dock to see them off.  Even though there was no one there to see them off, Sunset and Aiko enjoyed waving to everyone as the ship pulled away from the dock and sailed out to the middle of the bay.

A porter moved through the gathered guests, advising them to either grab hold of something or head back below decks, as the ship was preparing to lift off.  Sunset and Aiko elected to stay on deck, and holding tightly to the rails, they watched with anticipation as the crew rigged the ship for flight, then rang the bells alerting the crew and passengers to prepare for the transition to flight.  The bells had only just finished echoing when they both felt the ship lift beneath them, rising majestically up into the air and turning to put its backside to the wind as it lifted towards the clouds, heading out from the port eastward, pulling past the harbor markers and out over the open sea of Nipony.  Below them, they could see fishing fleets heading out for the day's catch, as well as more traditional ships sailing ahead of them through the gentle rolling waves of the sea, off to their own destinations.

Sunset leaned out over the railing, letting the wind blow through her mane as she looked out over the waves below and the ships upon them.  As she smiled and breathed the cold salty air, she felt Aiko wrap her in a hug, pulling her back from leaning so far over the railing.

“No flying lessons today Sunset!” teased her friend. “You can’t leave me like that.”

“Oh you’re no fun!  How about I take you with me!” Sunset grinned at her friend.

“Don’t you dare! I told you before, silly mare. No wings on this Kitsune.  I’m not a flier,”  She laughed.

“How do you know if you never try?” teased Sunset back.

“I have tried plenty, thanks to you, dear friend,” laughed Aiko back. “Now we have a nice, comfortable, safe ship to fly from. Let’s try it that way, hum?”

Sunset grinned. “But my way is so much more fun!” She leaned away from Aiko, slipping from her arms and falling backwards over the railing.

One of the crew members saw her roll backwards over the railing and sounded the alarm. “Mare overboard!  Mare overboard!  All hands alert!  Mare overboard!”

“Belay that!” called out Aiko loudly. “She’s just messing around!  She’s fine, trust me!  Just being a brat!”

The crew had dropped everything, ready to scramble to recover their errant guest when a bolt of lighting cracked between two clouds nearby. Looking over at the clouds, they say the grinning unicorn waving at them from the side of one.

“There she is!” called out the one that had sounded the alarm.

“Sunset, I swear!  You are in so much trouble,” laughed Aiko, waving back.  Sunset leapt from the side of the cloud, falling down towards the ocean below. Several of the crew and passengers watching her screamed in fright as she plunged towards the ocean below, then with a pop, Sunset appeared back up in the air, closer to the ship.  She did this several times, falling towards the ocean only to appear with a teal flash and pop closer to the ship, until she was only a few hundred spans from them, when she disappeared with a pop again.

“Where did she go?” asked the crew member who had called the alarm, looking all over for her.

“Woo hoo!” they heard her call out above them.  Several hundred spans above them, they looked up to see the unicorn happily whooping and laughing as she plunged down towards them, looking like she was going to tear through the rigging on the way down. Just before she fouled the rigging, she disappeared with a pop, reappearing next to Aiko again with a flash.

“Woo hoo!  That was a rush!” She called out as she was gang tackled by several crew members who restrained her and hustled her back below decks, Aiko trailing along behind her and laughing loudly.






“Seriously, I promise to behave!  Please, let me out!” begged Sunset from the ship's brig.

The captain looked sternly at her. “Do you realize the heart attack you gave my crew!?” He scowled. “They seriously thought you had fallen overboard. They were ready to cancel our departure to fish your sorry flank out of the ocean. And I would have let them, because we don’t leave anyone behind, passengers or crew.  What in the seven hells were you thinking, mare?”

Sunset looked abashed. “I was just having some fun with my friend.  We had to ride on a cloud to get here, so I was teasing her that we could just do it again.”

The captain shook his head. “I would call you a liar, but my first mate saw you standing on the cloud before you dove over the side.  So I know you can do it.”  He looked up at the ceiling. “No idea how though, never heard of a unicorn walking on clouds. What is the world coming to?”

Sunset smiled. “I could teach you to do it too, if you wanted?” she offered.

The captain laughed finally, shaking his head. “Maybe some other time,” he replied with a smile. Turning to his second, he commanded her. “Let her go.”

Turning back to Sunset as she stepped out of the brig, he reprimanded her. “Please promise me you will not cause any further discord for my crew or the other passengers.”

“I swear, on my best behavior. You have my promise!” agreed Sunset nodding emphatically.

“Great.  See you tonight.  You can regal me and the guests at my table with your undoubtedly amusing stories.  I can only imagine,” he laughed, nodding to his XO as he left.

“Very well Miss Shimmer. You are released on your own recognizance. Please try not to be a pain in my backside for the remainder of the cruise.  Can you find your way back to your quarters?  Or do you need me to escort you?” asked the XO.

“No ma'am, I can manage,” nodded Sunset.

The XO nodded and left the room.  Sunset followed out behind her, going the opposite direction once they were in the hall, heading back to her quarters, or anywhere else as truth be told she had no idea where she was on the ship, but she did not want to cause any further grief for the XO or the crew than she already had with her impulsive prank.

Heading down the hall nothing looked familiar.  This definitely wasn’t the first class cabins down this hallway. It mostly looked like facilities and operations.  She was about to turn back when she noticed a kitsune steward down the hallway exiting from one of the rooms then heading further down the hall.  Trotting after her to ask directions, Sunset almost caught up to her when she opened a door marked in red and entered, shutting it behind her.

“Drat!” Sunset muttered, trotting up to the door.  Staff Access Only it read in white letters on the red background.  She knocked quietly on the door hoping the steward was still nearby.  Waiting a few moments for a reply, she realized she was out of luck, the steward must have continued on and her knocks were not going to be answered.

She opened the door, poking her head in. “Anyone here?  Anyone?  I’m a bit lost, and could use some help finding my cabin,” she called out into the hallway.  No one answered, so she stepped through, shutting the door behind her, then trotted down the hall looking for anyone who could help her find her way back to the cabin and Aiko.

Trotting a ways down the hallway and finding only closed doors and no sign of anyone else present, she growled in frustration. “Okay, fine.  Let’s see what I can find out,” she sighed.  Reaching out with her hoof, she touched one of the hallway walls and let her senses reach out through the ship.

The first thing she noticed was that her sense was muted, she could barely make out the rooms and passageways more than a few dozen cubits beyond her.  She could sense the magic of the other guests and crew in the vessel, but the sense of the rooms and corridors was subdued.

“I guess that makes sense.  It’s Earth magic, and I’m in a ship high in the air made of dead wood and metal.  Not going to be much residual Earth magic in those.  Annoying,” she observed.  She noticed a particularly large concentration of magic below and ahead of her towards what she perceived to be the center beam of the ship.  “Might as well head there,” she mused.  “Safe bet that’s the engines, and there should be someone there who can help me find how to get back to my cabin.  Besides, I’ve always wanted to see how these magical engines worked. Maybe they won’t be too busy and can give me a tour,” she thought, laughing to herself.

She continued forward until she came to a steep set of stairs, almost to the point it could be considered a ladder, heading down to the lower decks.  Knowing the engines and the source of magic she had seen were below her, she took them down. Seeing another set going down just behind where she was, she headed down it as well.  She touched the wall to get her bearings again, and confirmed that she was now on the same level as the source of magic she was heading towards.  Nodding to herself, she headed down the hall towards where she had sensed the magic.

Coming to the end of the hall, she stood before a door with the red warning background and the words Engine Room printed on it.  She knocked on the door firmly.

“Come on in, engine is secure, just mind your step!” called out a voice from inside.

Sunset opened the door, bowing her head as she entered.  “Excuse me, I’m…” she started to apologize when she noticed the engine behind the Kitsune three tail vixen in the room. “Sweet Celestia!  Is that a Cloudsdale Industries Stratos 5000?  Oh my gosh!  I’ve read about them but have never seen one!  Is that how we are staying up without a traditional flight balloon bag?  Can I see it?  Please!”

Sunset shot into the room to stand next to the startled vixen, staring in wonder at the magical flight engine. “I studied these, but I never ever got to actually see one. They’re even more impressive in person, and so huge!  So do they really run on concentrated rainbows?”  Sunset danced from hoof to hoof as she looked all over, taking in the entire engine room in giddy delight.

The vixen smiled, her concern melting behind a bit of pride. “It is! And yes, it runs on pure rainbow magic, stored in tanks on both sides of the ship.  We have enough stored to make a complete circuit of Equus if we needed, though we do top them off every time we make a port in Equestria, as they are currently the sole provider of concentrated rainbow magic in liquid form.”  She smiled at Sunset.  “We don’t typically get many guests here, on account that most guests are able to read and obey signs and warnings,” she snarked.

Sunset laughed.  “Yeah… that.  I was lost, and was hoping the steward I had just seen would be able to help me find my cabin. But she was gone by the time I got through the door, so I kept looking for her or anyone.  But when I saw the Engine Room I figured I would certainly find someone in there.  So I knocked.  Sorry about that, but not really sorry because that’s Cloudsdale Industries Stratos 5000 and I’ve wanted to see one up close since I was studying them and here one is!” she gushed.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who are you?  You don’t usually see many unicorns learning about flight engines,” asked the Kitsune.

“Sorry!” Sunset, bowing deeply. “I’m Sunset Shimmer, personal student of Princess Celestia, and member of the Equestrian Battle Mages currently returning from an assignment in your country.  And a huge fan of magi-tech, which is in its currently finest implementation right in front of me!” she rose from her bow with a huge smile.

“Pleased to meet you, Sunset Shimmer! I’m First Officer 硬質金属花 (Kōshitsu Kinzoku Hana - Hard Metal Flower) of Engineering.  I usually take the first watch when we are leaving port, just in case something goes a bit wonky and needs my expertise, otherwise you would have met one of my more than capable staff.  So, ignoring that you really don’t belong here, what would you like to know about this baby before I drag you back up to the passenger decks and back to your quarters?” asked the Kitsune pleasantly.

“Yes!  How is the performance?  Do you still have issues with magical feedback during sustained high power operations?  Is it really as low maintenance as the literature suggests?” Sunset asked, quill and parchment appeared before her as she asked her questions to the amusement of Kōshitsu.

“Yes, odd that you would ask that, but we do have to limit our operations to avoid the feedback issue.  Mostly that’s meant avoiding any high powered moves that would normally only be necessary in combat or avoiding sudden storms,” acknowledged Kōshitsu.

“Cloudsdale found a work-around to correct that!  I was reading about it just before I left on assignment,” informed Sunset, launching into a description of the work around and the procedure to implement it on a running engine.  When she finished, Kōshitsu looked impressed.   “That actually makes a great deal of sense.  And the procedure is simple enough. I can do it now with little risk to our flight operations,” Kōshitsu observed. “Want to hang around for a bit?  I’m going to get authorization for it, then give it a whirl.”

Sunset nodded emphatically.

Kōshitsu lifted the communications phone from its cradle, punching in the code for the bridge from the list on the wall beneath. “Bridge, engineering calling. Requesting captains permission for in-flight maintenance to correct some performance issues with the engine.  Low risk, standard safety protocols.  Standing by for confirmation or denial.”

Over the communications device, Sunset heard the reply. “Request acknowledged. Please stand-by for the watch response.”

“Response acknowledged.  Standing by,” confirmed Kōshitsu.

Sunset stood still, almost shaking from holding her breath at the chance to be a part of the team working on a state of the art piece of magi-tech.  Trembling slightly, she waited with Kōshitsu for the captain’s response.

“Engineering, XO responded. Request approved with standard safeties and protocols.  Please acknowledge,” informed the watch officer.

“Response acknowledged, permission received.  We will commence maintenance operations in five minutes with standard safeties and protocols, expected to be completed within the hour.  I will report when operations are completed,” acknowledged Kōshitsu.

“Acknowledgement received, awaiting your report. Bridge out,” responded the watch officer, hanging up.

“How can I help?” asked Sunset excitedly.

“You can’t.  Not really.  But I could use a second set of eyes.  Care to oversee my work?” asked Kōshitsu.

“Yes!” agreed Sunset excitedly.

The engineer prepared for the operations, verifying the magical energy flow rates, the tank reserves, current capacity settings and limiters, and running settings.  She then began methodically working through the steps Sunset laid out, checking her work as she proceeded, Sunset observing each step and acknowledging they had been completed correctly.  Working methodically, about forty-five minutes later the engineer completed the last step. Together they checked the engine’s operational parameters, observing the expected improvement in base efficiency.

“I guess we won’t be able to fully test the fix without operating in the peak settings, which we aren’t scheduled to run at during this cruise.  But if nothing else the increased efficiency is certainly welcome.  That will improve our operational costs if nothing else,” grinned the vixen.  “Thank you, Miss Shimmer.  Glad you got lost, and happy to have met you.”

“Me too!” agreed Sunset. “How often would I have a chance to work with anyone on a Stratos engine?  That was a dream come true!”

“Always nice to meet a fellow tech geek.  Care to keep me company until the end of my shift?  We can talk shop and I can give you a quick tour of engineering at the end of my shift,” asked the vixen.

Sunset agreed happily. The Kitsune called in her report to the bridge watch officier, then showed Sunset how to use the watch communicator, punching in the code for her suite.  A few dozen rings later a familiar voice was heard. “Hello?”

“Aiko?  Hey, what took you so long to answer?” asked Sunset.

“Sunset?  Is that you?  Are you still in the brig?” asked Aiko.

“Yeah, it’s me!  And no, they turned me loose as long as I promised to behave myself from now on. And I met the captain!  He’s nice enough.  He’s looking forward to meeting us for dinner with his other guests,” answered Sunset.

“So where are you now?” asked Aiko. “How come you didn’t just come back to the suite?”

“I got lost,” answered Sunset.

“Of course you did,” laughed Aiko.

“Hey!  Be nice!” exclaimed Sunset. “So how come the communicator rang so long before you answered it?”

“I had no idea what it was.  Just this thing on the wall started ringing over and over, so I flagged down a porter in the hall and they explained how they work.  Who ever heard of such a thing?  Internship communications, that’s some nice tech.”

“That makes sense,” agreed Sunset. “So I ended up here in engineering, and the lead engineer let me help her out with maintenance on the ship's flight engine.  It’s a Cloudsdale Industries Stratos 5000, Aiko!  They are the latest marvel in magi-tech!”

“I have no idea what that is, but it sounds cool,” agreed Aiko.

“It is!  And when her watch is over, she is going to give me a tour of engineering!” gushed Sunset.

Aiko laughed.  “Wow!  That sounds fun!  Should I be jealous?”

“Wait, what?  Why?” asked Sunset, oblivious.

“Just kidding.  Have fun! I’ll see you when you finish,” teased Aiko.

“Don’t you want to come?  It will be a blast!  They have some really high tech stuff down here!” asked Sunset.

“Sure, if you want me to, I’ll come.  We can have fun together,” agreed Aiko with a grin.

“Awesome!  Wait, let me make sure that is okay,” said Sunset.  She turned to the vixen, who was laughing and shaking her head in amusement.

“Sure, why not!” she said. “Tell her we’ll call her in an hour, and to let the porter know she will need an escort to the engine room when we call.”

Sunset relayed the information to Aiko, who promised to get the porter and let her know, then join them when they called back.  Sunset placed the device back in its cradle happily.  “She’s coming!  This will be so much fun!”

“I’m sure it will,” agreed Kōshitsu.

Sunset continued asking her questions about the magi-tech on the ship, and together they spent the remainder of the watch discussing the tech used on the ship as well as Sunset observing as the engineer performed her watch checks and operational corrections, Sunset taking notes the entire time as she observed her work.

Kōshitsu finished the last of her shift end checks as her replacement showed up, knocking on the door and entering, then looking startled to find Sunset standing there taking copious notes.

“Hey boss!  I didn’t realize we were having inspections?” asked the todd hesitantly as he entered.

“Nah, no inspections, just taking one of our guests on a tour of the ship.  She’s an Equestrian Samurai, and knows her way around magi-tech. You know that feedback issue we’ve been living with on the Stratos engine?” asked Kōshitsu.

“Yeah, what about it?” replied the todd.

“She knew how to fix it. We got permission from the watch to make the changes during the shift, and already we’re seeing a seven percent improvement in efficiency. I can’t wait to try out some of the higher power moves and see this engine fulfill its promise,” bragged the lead engineer.

The todd looked at Sunset with new respect. “Really?  Wow, that’s great. I never liked having to keep the engines limited like that.  Thanks!”  He reached out his paw.  “Thaddeus Flavius, at your service. Nice to meet another techie.”

Sunset magiced her notes and quill away, taking his offered paw and shaking it. “Not used to that,” she laughed. “I’ve been in Nipony so long I forgot how to shake. Everything’s been bowing and smiling for the last few weeks.  Pleased to meet you! Sunset Shimmer, Equestrian Battle Mage.  I’ve been a fan of these engines ever since I first read about them, and am thrilled to have finally gotten to see one up close.”

“They are quite impressive.  I know Nipony generally has the edge on tech and magi-tech, but these engines are an absolute marvel. I won’t lie, working with them is one of the reasons I volunteered for this service,” replied the todd with a smile.  “Well if you have a tour to get to, I won’t keep you.  Have a great time!”

“Oh we can’t start yet!  I have to call my fellow mage so she can join us.  She just joined up with the mages, and I know she would love to see this too!”  Sunset moved over to the communications device, and lifting it from its cradle, held it in her magic near her ear as she dialed the number for their suite.

A moment later Aiko answered. “Is that you Sunset?” she asked.

‘Yup!  We’re ready to start!  Grab your guide and come on down!” said Sunset with a laugh.

“Okay!  Be down in a few!  Bye!” said Aiko, hanging up.

“She’s on her way,” Sunset said, hanging up herself. “So, Thaddeus, pardon my asking, but you're the first Kitsune I’ve met with an old Equestrian name.  How’d that happen?  Sorry if it’s not my business, just curious.”

“No worries. I was born in Mainhattan, second generation Equestrian. Both my parents were Kitsune, born in Equestria.  My grandparents on both sides emigrated from Nipony.  My parents grew up together, best friends since birth, and ended up falling in love and getting married.  Had me and my five sisters.  I loved Niponies culture growing up, and loved tech, so when I was old enough to pick a trade I picked engineering, and ended up getting an offer to work here, which I jumped at, thanks to the Stratos engines,” Thaddeus grinned.

“Let’s let Thaddeus get started on his shift.  Come this way and I can start setting up for our tour,” Kōshitsu guided Sunset out of Thaddeus's way and over to a workbench at the far end of the engine.  “Now where were those… hmm.”  She scanned the enclosed bookcase next to the workstation, looking for the manuals she wanted. “System schematics, nope.  Systems overviews, nope.  Operational maps and schematics, bingo,” she opened the case and pulled the manual out, opening it on the workbench.  “Okay, this has diagrams of the layout of the entire ship and the location of all of the engineering critical systems. Why don’t you poke through this while we wait for your companion to show?  That way you can figure out what you want to see first, and we can plan accordingly.  Do you have to be anywhere soon?” she asked.

“The next thing we have scheduled is dinner at the captain’s table at 1700 hours,” answered Sunset, already pouring through the book.

“Oh, nice! It’s my rotation at the table tonight, I’ll be there too!  There’s always two of the department heads at the table with the captain to represent.  I have seniority so I’m in the first rotation.  It’s fairly formal, but still lots of fun.  The captain likes to get his guests talking about themselves, so be prepared to share some amusing stories.  It’s part of the table’s tradition,” said Kōshitsu as she sat at the workbench next to Sunset.

Sunset smiled at Kōshitsu.  “It’ll be nice to have a friendly and familiar face with us. I’m glad to hear it.”  There was a knock at the engine room door.  It opened, showing Aiko standing there behind a porter, smiling and bowing as he pointed the way in.

“Here you go, miss!  Just let us know if you need anything, and enjoy your tour.”  He backed up, allowing Aiko to pass through the door which he shut behind her.  Looking around, she saw Sunset and Kōshitsu sitting at the workbench.

“So there you are!” she said laughing, loping over to join them.

Thaddeus looked up from the watch station by the engine. “Hey, how are you doing?  You must be Sunset’s friend!” he waved to her as she passed by.

“That’s me!” she smiled and waved back as she passed by.

“Sorry, for some reason I assumed you were a pony too,” responded Thaddeus.

“Really, why’s that?” asked Aiko, stopping to ask.

“Well, Sunset mentioned you were a new Equestrian Samurai, so I guess I just assumed you were a pony. I guess I of all creatures should have known better to assume,” said Thaddeus with a laugh.

“Why do you say that?” asked Aiko.

“I’m Equestrian, born and raised,” answered Thaddeus.  “So if anyone should not assume Equestrian means pony, it should be me.  Thaddeus Flavius, pleased to meet you,” he bowed.

“Really!  That’s cool.  I was born and raised here, educated and worked in Yokeo before taking an ambassadorial job in Equestria. And now, apparently on my way to becoming an Equestrian citizen and Battle Mage in training.  My name is Aiko Adobaizā, pleased to meet you Thaddeus.” Aiko bowed back with a laugh.

“Sounds like you made a new friend, Aiko!  Should I be jealous?” teased Sunset, returning her friend's taunt from earlier.

“Oh shoot!  Your friend is onto me!” laughed Thaddeus.  “So much for my plans on adding you to my harem of vixens in every port!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at the young todd from her place at the work table. “Seriously?” she snarked.

“Hey, you started it,” he laughed, giving her a sloppy salute, then grinned at Aiko and returned to his duties. Aiko laughed and joined her friend.

“So did you start without me?” she asked, taking a seat next to Sunset on the opposite side of Kōshitsu.  “What did I miss?”

“Not a thing. I was just letting your friend Sunset look through some ships diagrams while we waited for you.  We can start whenever you both are ready,” answered Kōshitsu with a gentle smile.

“Well this is Sunset’s baby, I’m just here for moral support and the fun of it, so whenever you’re ready it's fine by me,” answered Aiko.

Sunset nodded. “Let’s get this party started.  I can’t wait to find out all about this baby!”

Kōshitsu nodded. “Okay then!  Let’s start with the star of this show, the Stratos 5000.”






The tour took the entire rest of the morning, and most of the afternoon.  They took a break for lunch, joining the crew in the common mess, meeting even more of the crew as they shared meals and stories as they ate. Sunset was clearly in her element, regaling the crew with the antics of her and her sisters on their nighttime raids, while Aiko looked on fondly watching her friend hold the crew captive with her storytelling and theatrics.  When lunch was over, they continued on their tour, seeing what felt like every span of the ship by the time they were finished and Kōshitsu dropped them off at their suite.

“See you both again in an hour and change!  Don’t be late!” said Kōshitsu, laughing and waving as she loped away.

Opening the door to their suite, Sunset led the way in, flopping down on the bed. “Well that was the funnest getting lost I have had in a long time!”

Aiko shut the door, then flopped down next to her friend. “I swear, only you could get put in the brig, let out, get lost, and meet and entertain half the crew on your first day of our cruise.”

Sunset turned to her friend with a grin. “Don’t blame me!  Mom cursed me. It’s all her fault.”

Aiko smirked. “Okay, I can’t wait to hear this one. How is any of that your mom’s fault?”

Sunset laughed. “She said, Sunset, may you always live in interesting times.”

Aiko looked dubious. “Really?”

“Nope!” laughed Sunset. “But it really is her fault. She told me, Sunset, go make some friends. And look what happened!”

Aiko grinned at her, then laughed as well. “Yes, look what happened.  And is still happening.  I’m liking your mom more and more.”

“She has that effect on everyone,” agreed Sunset.  “Semi-formal, huh?  I guess we should start getting cleaned up and dressed. I already missed my chance to make a good first impression. I sure as heck don’t want to make a bad one.”

Aiko agreed, so they bathed and performed their ablutions, then put on the attire they wore earlier, Sunset once again forgoing the veil and sticking with the simpler headdress.

Five minutes before 1700, there was a knock at their suite door. “I’ll get it!” she called out, heading over and opening the door.

She was expecting to see a porter there. She was surprised instead to see Kōshitsu in her dress blues. “Kōshitsu?” Sunset asked in confusion.

“In the flesh.  Are you two ready?  Don’t want to keep the captain and the other guests waiting,” she answered.

“Uh.. yeah. Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you to be our escort. I was expecting a porter,” confessed Sunset.

Aiko entered the room from the bathroom.  “Sunset, who is… oh, hey Kōshitsu!  What are you doing here?”

“Picking up you two. Are you ready to go?” Kōshitsu asked, smiling.

“Sure!” Aiko answered, grabbing her purse and joining them at the door.  “Let’s go,”

“Okay!  Follow me,” said Kōshitsu, loping down the hall.  Aiko fell in behind her. Sunset closed the door, warded it, then followed them.

“So where are we headed?” asked Sunset.  Aiko turned and looked at her friend. “The captain’s table.  You know that.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I mean, where is it?  Is it off the galley?  Is it part of the captain's quarters?  I’ve never been to a captains table, so I have no idea.”

“You mean all the time you’ve spent with your princess, you’ve never been invited to the captain’s table when you traveled?” asked Aiko.

“No, never once.  The captain’s always joined us at the princess’s table when they ate with us,” answered Sunset in complete honesty.

Aiko laughed. “Well I guess that makes sense.  Sorry, I just figured being a protege of the princess you would know that.”

Kōshitsu laughed. “Yes, I can’t imagine any captain would want to pull rank on a princess.  Good point.  In answer to your question, the captain’s table is in his personal quarters. It’s a formal dining room attached to his suite, used just for these types of occasions.”

“Oh, so he doesn’t eat there all the time,” nodded Sunset.

“Nope. Except for these and formal meals, he mostly eats with the senior staff in the officers' mess.  And most of the time he takes his meals on watch, so he eats in his office off the bridge.  Don’t tell him I told you, he would not like his reputation tarnished.  I think he thinks we all believe he just survives on grit and the occasional dinners,” Kōshitsu said with a laugh.

They came to a set of double doors at the end of the hallway.  Staff Only was painted in white lettering on a red background on the doors.  “This is the Captain’s suite.  I’ll escort you to the table.  One second.”  Kōshitsu knocked on the door.

An orderly opened the doors.  “May I help you?” she asked.

“Kōshitsu Kinzoku Hana, Aiko Adobaizā, and Sunset Shimmer, reporting as requested for the honor of the captain’s table,” replied Kōshitsu.

The orderly nodded, backing away and bowing. “Please, enter. You know the way.  Please direct your guests to the table.”  They entered, following Kōshitsu. The orderly shut the doors behind them.

“Almost there,” Kōshitsu called over her shoulder. “It’s in here.”  She opened a set of doors, bowing and sweeping her paw before her to bid them enter.  Sunset and Aiko entered, seeing the room filled by a large table, mostly filled with well dressed Kistune chatting together.  A few heads looked up to see who had entered then went back to their conversations.

“Our seats are here,” offered Kōshitsu, leading them around the back of the table to three seats near the head of the table.

“Wow, top of the table, eh?” laughed Sunset, looking at Kōshitsu.  “You must really rate.”

“It’s my seniority. Everything here is based on rank and seniority. And I asked that the two of you be seated with me, and that I be allowed to fetch you myself.  I wanted to have a chance to personally thank you for what you did today, and the captain agreed.  Hope you don’t mind?” asked Kōshitsu.

“Heck, no I don’t mind. I should be the one thanking you for letting me see the Stratos engine.  That was definitely a treat,” said Sunset with a smile.

Aiko just grinned and rolled her eyes.  “Sometimes you still surprise me,” she said with a laugh.

“What? That I would be grateful?” asked Sunset.

“No, dork. That you would be that much of a magi-tech geek.  I think that’s adorable,” smirked Aiko.

Sunset laughed. “I guess I can’t complain about that. I’ve been called worse.”

They took their seats, nodding in greeting to the couples next to them and around the table.  They sipped their tea while they waited for the captain and the rest of the guests.

At 1700 on the nose, the doors opened and the XO loped in, taking a seat just to the right of the captain’s chair.  “The captain regrets that he is running a few minutes late, but will be here shortly,” she called out to the table as she sat.

The last of the guests entered moments later, taking their seats at the direction of one of the stewards in the room.  After everyone was seated, the door opened again and one of the stewards called out. “All rise!  Captain on the deck!”

Everyone stood, and the captain brushed in, taking his seat at the head of the table.  “Please be seated,” the steward called out again, and everyone resumed their seats.

“Thank you all for joining me this evening. On behalf of myself and the crew of my ship, the Yūgana Ahōdori, I welcome you.  We hope you enjoy your brief stay with us, and are honored by your patronage.  Please, enjoy our company and repast,” he stated.

While he was speaking, the stewards began filling everyone’s wine glasses.  When they were finished, the captain took his glass and raised it. “A toast!  To your health, wealth, and success!  May your journeys be fruitful, your harvests bountiful, and every hunt successful.”  He raised his glass towards his guests, then sipped his wine.  All around the table his guests and officers returned his salute and sipped their wine as well, including Sunset and Aiko.

Everyone started talking amongst themselves after that as the stewards began serving everyone their soup or salads.  As the steward was about to leave a salad before Sunset, she leaned into him and asked. “Would it be okay if I had both?  I really enjoy the soup, and I’ve burned quite a lot of energy today,” she asked.  The steward nodded, and placed a soup on the table before her as well. “Thank you!” Sunset bowed quietly to him. He nodded, bowing slightly and moving on.

“You always do have a healthy appetite,” agreed Aiko, sipping her soup.

“Magic burns a lot of calories.  Been a busy mare,” smiled Sunset as she forked her salad up and ate it.  “Hmm. This is exquisite!”

“So is the soup,” agreed Aiko. “And yeah, I guess making yourself a pony cannonball then careening around the sky can take a lot out of a mare,” she snarked.

“I wasn’t careening .  I was flying,” corrected Sunset with a grin.

“More like falling,” teased Aiko.

“With style!” clarified Sunset.

“Definitely with style.  I’ll give you that,” agreed Aiko, finishing her soup.  Sunset moved her plate aside and started on her soup.  A steward cleared her plate.

“Oh wow, you weren’t kidding!  This really is good! I wonder what it is?” Sunset said happily as she worked on her soup.

“It’s fish soup.  But not the kind you would find in most taverns,” informed Kōshitsu.  “It’s a personal favorite of the captain’s.”

“Mine too now,” agreed Sunset, finishing up the bowl.  As she leaned back to wipe her muzzle, the steward cleared her bowl.  “Wow, no moss growing under their hooves.  Paws, I mean.”

The steward nodded and smiled as he leaned in, serving her spiced rice and vegetables with spicy noodles, miso and fish.  “We aim to please,” he grinned.

“And you don’t miss,” said Sunset, smiling back. “My compliments to the staff and your chiefs.  This is fantastic.”  The steward nodded, pleased with the comment as he moved on to serving the others down the table.

The captain watched the exchange, grinning and pleased. “So Miss Shimmer. I hear you got into a bit of trouble again,” he teased.

“Sorry sir, I got lost trying to find my way back to my quarters.  But while looking for anyone who could direct me back to where I belonged, I stumbled across your delightful engineering officer and the marvelous engine keeping us in the sky,” Sunset answered, returning the captain's smile.

“I hear you did more than stumble across my engineering first officer.  My XO tells me you had some suggestions that have improved our engine’s efficiency? And you assisted my officer in applying the required changes?” suggested the captain.

“Not exactly sir.  Kōshitsu made and triple checked all of the changes herself. I just provided her with the procedure for the hot fix. I’m a big fan of these engines, and happened to have studied the procedure before I was given my current assignment.  I was happy to be able to have been of any help after the ruckus I caused earlier,” Sunset clarified.

“The best part is not just the increased operational efficiencies sir. The fix eliminates the magic feedback issue we were experiencing, allowing us to operate the engines at all magical load levels. No more rate limiters.  We can now get full performance from the engine,” added Kōshitsu.

“Really!  That’s wonderful.  Not that we expect to have to dodge any storms, but it's always good to have the options there when they’re needed.  Thank you, Miss Shimmer,” nodded the captain.

“Thank you, sir,” acknowledged Sunset, bowing her head. “It was an honor to be of assistance.”

The captain returned her bow, then turned to converse with the couple seated next to his XO.

Aiko placed a paw on her friend's back as she beamed with pride.






The dinner over, Sunset and Aiko said goodbye to the captain, his XO, and to Kōshitsu, who had to remain for an after-meal staff meeting.

Returning to their quarters, they performed their ablutions, then soaked in the tub together for a while before preparing for bed and snuggling up together in one of the beds.  They both fell asleep quickly, tired from the day's activities and looking forward to the rest of the cruise, and their arrival in Equestria.
> 19 - Sunset - The Voyage Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset woke with a start, looking around the darkened cabin.  Aiko stirred restlessly next to her in her sleep.

Unable to shake her feeling that something was wrong, Sunset hopped out of bed and trotted over to the patio.  Looking out over the night sky blanketing the sea below them, the stars were twinkling in the mostly clear night, a few scattered clouds billowing out around them as they made their way towards Equestria over the Ocean of Peace.

The beautiful sight settled Sunset’s nerves, calming her down as she gazed out at the crescent moon’s reflection in the ocean’s waters.  She sighed, smiling, then turned to re-enter her suite and go back to bed.

Something caught her eye as she turned, the briefest sense of something not quite right as her gaze passed over the sky while turning back towards the door.  Having  learned from her previous assignments to alway trust her instincts she turned back, scanning the sky again.

There!  Not too distant from the port side, a cloud was gaining slowly on their ship.  Wait, what?  Gaining?  All the other clouds were gently drifting back from them as they used the ship's engine to move faster than the surrounding winds.  But this cloud wasn’t matching the rest of them. This cloud was slowly closing the gap.

“Crud.  That can’t be good,” thought Sunset.  She watched for a few more moments, wanting to be sure she wasn’t imagining things, but the cloud continued to gain on them.  Sunset returned to the cabin and gently shook Aiko awake.

“Aiko, wake up,” she called out quietly. Aiko woke up sleepily and looked at her friend.

“Sunset, why aren’t you in bed?  What’s up?” she mumbled.

“I think someone is staging an attack on our ship.  I woke up, feeling odd, and as I was looking out over the water to try to relax, I saw a cloud moving up on our ship.  All the other clouds are moving away but that one is moving towards us,” said Sunset.

Aiko was instantly awake. “Yeah, can’t say I have ever seen a cloud go off and do something on its own. What should we do?”

“Get ready for battle.  Gear up, grab you katanas.  I’m going to try to see if I can get onto that little cloud and see what is going on.  After you are geared up, try to raise the bridge on that communication thing and let them know what is going on,” Sunset explained.

“How do I do that?” asked Aiko. “I don’t know the numbers to punch to do that.”

“I don’t know either.  Try picking it up and talking into it, maybe someone is listening that can help.  Or if that doesn’t work, try to find a porter and have them show you how or do it.  I’m sure they all know how to reach the bridge,” answered Sunset, pulling on her saddlebags.  “Okay, I hope it’s just random weirdness, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.  Back in a few, I hope.”  She stepped back out to the patio to get a bearing on her little errant cloud, only to see in shock it was already almost to the ship. “Damn, it sped up,” she muttered.  She disappeared with a flash of teal and a pop.






Invisible, Sunset settled down gently on top of the cloud, listening carefully.

“Did you feel that?” a voice whispered below her. “I swear I heard something pop, and felt something bump the cloud.”

“I didn’t hear anything. Come on, we’re almost there.  Shut yer yap and keep flapping,” replied another voice.  Poking her head partway into the cloud, she saw a rowboat full of explosives being pushed by twelve griffons towards her ship.

“There’s some pony up there!” called out one of the griffins. “I just saw a pony’s face silhouetted in the cloud top!  Haul flank!  Secure the package and light the fuses!”  She launched up at where Sunset was standing, her sword out and slashing.  Sunset teleported several cubits further down the cloud from her position as the griffin shot through where she was with her sword swinging wildly.

From below, there was a crack as the boat slammed into the side of her ship, pikes driven quickly into the ship's wood to hold the boat in place. Griffins shot down out of the cloud, heading under the ship as Sunset teleported into the boat.  Looking around, she saw the fuse just finish burning into the powder kegs below her.

“Ah Crab Nuggets!” she swore as the boat exploded beneath her.






Aiko tried lifting the receiver on the unit again and again, getting no response.  Frustrated, she placed the receiver back on the cradle and was heading towards the door when the communicator rang.  Racing back and picking it up, she answered.

“Hello!  Anyone there?” she called into the receiver.

“Hello miss,” said a voice over the device. “We noticed you were having issues with your internship communications device.  Do you need room service?”

“No!  I need the bridge!” called out Aiko. “We saw..”

“Ma’am, no need to demand to see the captain, I’m sure whatever you need we can send right up,” soothed the voice.

“No!  You don’t get it.  I don’t need anything, you need to be aware someone is sneaking up on the ship. We think they are staging an attack.  I need to let the bridge know we are under attack,” informed Aiko.

“Ma’am, I’ll pass on your concerns when my watch is over.  Please go back to sleep now, okay?” consoled the voice.

“What are you not getting!  Please put me in touch with the bridge now!  This isn’t some game!” growled Aiko.

“Ma’am..” Just then, an explosion sounded and the ship rocked under her paws.

“Bacca!  They’re here.  Damnit! Call the bridge! Someone just breached the ship on the port side!” Aiko hung up the phone in disgust and stormed out of the suite, lopping towards the staircase to the ships deck.






The explosion blew away not only the lifeboat, but the enclosing cloud as well.  Sunset, wrapped in her shield, was launched upward by the force of the blast, teleporting to the deck once her head stopped spinning with her ears still ringing from the force of the blast.  Running to the side of the deck, she looked down to see the last of the griffins flying into the now gaping hole in the side of the ship.  With a growl, she leapt over the side, then teleported into the hold after them as she shot past it.

It was a supply room, definitely past tense, as the supplies had been blown to pieces by the force of the blast.  The door had been shattered, and there was no sign of the griffins.  Racing into the hallway, Sunset looked both ways but saw no sign of her quarry.  Reaching a hoof out to the wall, she stretched out her senses and felt for any magic around her.  She felt twelve individuals, moving tightly together through the ship towards the centerline. She gasped.

“Ah crap, they're heading straight for the bridge!”  She ran after them down the halls, quickly realizing she was not going to beat them to the bridge that way.  With a teal pop, she teleported.






Running over to the port side, Aiko looked down over the railing and saw smoke and papers streaming out of the side of the ship.

“Ah crud, that’s not good!” she called out.  She looked up as she was about to spin around and head back down the stairs only to see fifty or so griffins flying at full speed towards the deck, still several hundred cubits out.  “And that’s even worse!  Watch!  We’re under attack from the port side!  Pirates to port!  We are under attack!” she called out, looking around for the watch. Not seeing anyone, she ran back down the stairs, locking and barring the door to the deck behind her, then shooting down the halls looking for someone to report they were under attack.






Sunset popped into the bridge, looking around quickly to get her bearings.  There was frantic activity all around her, with the XO sitting in the captain's chair conferring loudly with several officers of the watch.  “XO, we’re under attack!” Sunset called out.

The XO looked up from her conversation and noticed Sunset in the corner of the bridge.  “What are you doing here, Miss Shimmer!?  Yes, we know we’ve been attacked, we felt the explosion. We’re polling the watch now to find what happened.”

“Sorry, I just witnessed the breach.  The port side supply room was breached by a boatload of explosives, then twelve griffins boarded the ship through the breach.  They are armed and moving fast towards this location. I had to get her before them to warn you, which I’m doing now,” informed Sunset.

The XO bellowed out, “Battle stations!  Sound the alarm!  Arm the crew!  Lieutenant, take a squad and guard the door.  Batten it down!”

Sunset moved quickly over the XO to give her report.  “I came across them as they were making the breach. They anchored a lifeboat to the side of the ship then moved under the hull.  I dropped down into the boat to see what they had done just in time to get blasted off the boat when the fuse ran out.  By the time I got back into the ship they had moved off and were heading here, to the bridge.”

There was a loud slam against the bridge hatch, followed by the sound of gunfire as the door was fired upon.  The firing stopped, followed by the sound of something being slapped onto the hatch echoing through the bridge, followed by the sound of creatures running away quickly. 

“We’re about to be breached!” Sunset called out, teleporting to stand before the door.  Her shield flared out just as an explosion rocked the bridge.






Aiko ran through the halls below deck, looking for anyone to whom she could report what she had seen.  As she rounded a corner, she saw a porter running down the hall ahead of her.

“Porter! Hey porter!” she called out as she ran. The porter looked over her shoulder. “Sorry!  I can’t help you now!” the porter called out as she continued to run.

“No!  I am helping you!  Wait up!” called out Aiko, catching up to her. “I just came from the deck.  There’s about fifty or so griffins heading in from the port side!  I barred the hatch to the deck, but we have to let the bridge know!”

“Come with me!” the porter called out, continuing her race down the hall.  She turned into a Staff Only room, and picked up the communications device, punching in the code for the bridge.

“Bridge here, watch officer. What do you need?” asked the answering voice.

“Say what you saw!” said the porter.

“Aiko here, one of the Equestrian Samurai on board!  I was just on deck and saw a horde of fifty armed griffin pirates approaching from the port side.  I’ve dogged the deck hatch, but they are likely already on the deck by now.  We need reinforcements!” called Aiko into the receiver.

“Acknowledged,” said the watch officer. “We’ll..”  Just then Aiko heard Sunset yell something out, and there was an explosion as the line went dead.  Aiko screamed in frustration.






Sunset’s shield kept the force of the blast from entering the bridge, but the hatch was definitely gone.  With a flash, her sword appeared before her as she lunged at the first griffin darting through the shattered door, cutting her down as she entered.  Standing before the door with her shield raised, there were several flashes as a storm of gunfire peppered her in the doorway, then another griffin tried forcing her way through to be dispatched just as quickly.

Seeing they were not going to be able to push their way through, their attackers changed tactics again.  A hastily bundled handful of sticks of dynamite bounced off of Sunset’s shield then fell to the floor before the door.  The short fuse lit off the sticks, the flash temporarily blinding the bridge staff. But when the stars cleared, Sunset was still standing before the door, another griffin body on the floor before her.

With a warbling battle cry, a griffin hen strapped with explosives launched herself at Sunset, holding tightly to the sides of the door as Sunset hacked at her.  With a blinding flash, her vest exploded, knocking Sunset back out of the doorway as the remaining eight griffins of the attacking force rushed through the now cleared door, guns and swords drawn.






Aiko ran from the room back towards the hatch to the deck, preparing to defend it.  As she rounded the corner there was another explosion.  She heard griffins shouting then the sound of gunfire and screaming.  Peering around the corner, she saw the griffins were going from room to room, killing and looting the guests as they worked their way down the corridor.  She ducked back before she was seen and headed back to the room the porter was still in, looking out through the door towards the sound of the explosion and fighting.

“What’s going on?” she asked, clearly terrified.  Aiko gently pushed her back into the room and shut the door behind them.

“Call the bridge, the pirates have breached the deck and are executing the guests,” answered Aiko. “We need to report, and we need those reinforcements.”

The porter called the bridge again, paw shaking in fear as she dialed the numbers. She gave the receiver to Aiko.

“What do you need?” a whispered voice called out from the phone.

“Aiko reporting again,” she answered. “The pirates have breached the deck and are executing the guests.  We need reinforcements, please advise,” she stated calmly.

“We’re not in a position to help,” the voice answered. “The pirates have breached the bridge and we’re fighting them off right now.”

“Where’s Sunset? Where is the other Samurai?” asked Aiko.

“She’s fighting them right now. Look, we can’t help you. Do whatever you can,” said the voice, then they hung up.

“Crud.  They breached the bridge. We’re on our own,” groused Aiko.

“I don’t want to die,” cried the porter.

“Relax, we’re not dead yet.  I have an idea.  Come on,” said Aiko, taking the porter by the paw and leading her out then down the hall away from the pirates.






Sunset came to, realizing she was on her back flat on the floor with a griffin hen hacking brutally at her, trying to get past her shield to kill her.  She quickly rolled out from under the attack then spun and bucked the hen across the bridge.  Looking around she saw the remaining seven griffins surrounding the rest of the bridge crew, who were in a ring around the XO.

“No reason for you all to die today, mates,” one of the griffins called out.  “Lay down your weapons, and you live to tell the tale of this day.”

In response, one of the deck crew leapt at them slashing with her sword, and was quickly cut down by gunfire.  “Any more brave fools?” asked the griffin.  “We brought our guns to your little knife fight.  I’m sure you realize how that will end?”  Another kitsune lunged for the griffin and was also cut down.  The griffin looked disappointed. “So, we just end you all then?  Okay,” she pointed her machine pistol at the XO. “Let’s end this.”

“No!  Everyone, drop your arms!” called out the XO.  “I’m not willing to see my entire crew slaughtered!  Take me as your prisoner and let them go.”  She placed her sword on the deck, looking around at her crew.  They dropped their swords, then dropped to the deck in surrender.

“Good choice,” nodded the griffin.  Behind her, Sunset popped away in a flash of teal.






Aiko and the porter were in the access space between decks, working their way through the pipes and fittings towards the bridge.  A glaring alarm rang out, then the voice of the XO could be heard through the ship's speakers.

“Attention guests and crew of the Yūgana Ahōdori. This is your XO speaking.  The pirates have taken control of the ship. Please stop fighting and give them what they want. They have promised to spare our lives if we cooperate.  Lay down your arms and surrender now.  That is all.”

Another voice came on after that. “Aye, that’s right mates.  We come for your wealth, not your lives.  Though we’re happy to take both if you fight us.  Lay down where you are, and you can live to see another sunrise.”  The line went dead.

“Change of plans,” called out Aiko.  “We’re heading back to my suite.  We need to meet up with my partner, and the safe bet is that’s where she’ll expect to find me.”  They turned around, making their way back towards the deck access and the top class suites.






Aiko looked out the glass from their patio, the porter trembling beside her as they hid behind a potted plant.  She could see the tail end of the pirates’ ship, a traditional gas bag airship, lashed up against their ship as more griffins scrambled on the deck, moving looted treasurers back up onto their ship.

More disconcerting was that she had heard several kitsune calling out in terror as they were hauled onto the ship as well, either for ransom or sale as slaves was Aiko’s best guess.

She wasn’t too worried about being discovered, as their room had already been ransacked when she arrived.  Anything of obvious value was already missing with everything else thrown around the room as they searched for treasure everywhere.  Aiko was very glad she had her kitana’s on her, as those were the only things of value she had that she would miss greatly if taken.

“So what do we do?  Do we just hide here until they leave?” asked the porter.

“No. We are waiting for Sunset. She’ll have a plan,” answered Aiko.






Sunset popped into the engine room, teleporting there from the now very hostile bridge.

“Sunset?  What’s going on?” called out the startled crew member at the watch station.

“Thaddeus?” replied Sunset, surprised. “Yeah, pirates. The ship has fallen.”

“Fallen!?  What do you mean fallen?” asked Thaddeus in concern.

“I mean..” Sunset started, only to be cut off by the XO’s announcement.

“Yeah, that,” finished Sunset.

“The hell with that! I’m not letting these assholes take my ship,” growled the todd.  “What are we going to do?”

“No idea yet.  I’m thinking.  There has to be some way to turn this around,” mused Sunset.  “I’m going to look for Aiko, then come back.  Can you secure the station and hide somewhere you can see me when I return?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” agreed Thaddeus.  He started locking down the settings, then locking down the station itself as Sunset popped away in a flash of teal.






Sunset teleported into their stateroom, quickly looking around at the mess. “Well, that happened,” she sighed.  She spied Aiko looking around the plant on the patio, waving her over.  Sunset stepped out to the patio and noticed the porter huddled behind the plant.

“You brought a friend,” she smiled.  Aiko smirked.

“Sorry, I would introduce her but I didn’t catch her name.  Sunset, tell me you have a plan, right?” asked Aiko hopefully.

“Ah, not really.  Don’t surrender?  How’s that?” asked  Sunset.  “I’m working on one, I have a few ideas, but to be honest it’s not looking all that good.  Whoever planned this definitely believed in the concept of overwhelming force.  They have armament and numbers on their side. And now they have hostages too, making the situation even more bleak.”

“Ah, yeah, but from what I could hear on their deck from here while we were hiding, waiting for you, they are being a bit disingenuous about their claims to just rob and leave. I heard several very upset and terrified kitsune being dragged onto their ship. If I had to guess, I would say slaves or ransome, either of which doesn’t bode well for a fair bit of the crew and guests.  My bet is we would top their must have guest list if they could find us just by being guests in these suites.  And there’s no way in hades I am going back to being a slave,” answered Aiko.

“Me neither,” agreed Sunset.  The kitsune cowering behind the plant nodded her head in emphatic agreement.

“Okay.  No sense hanging out here.  Come on, I’ll take you to engineering. Thaddeus is there, we can work on a plan with him,” said Sunset.

“Take me too!” begged the porter, reaching a paw out to Sunset.

“Of course!  All able bodied fighters are welcome,” agreed Sunset.  Placing a hoof on both of them, the three of them disappeared in a flash of teal.

And reappeared in the engine room, now locked down and completely abandoned.

“What was that?  Was that teleportation?  I’ve never felt that before,” shivered the kitsune vixen with them.

“Yes, that was a local teleportation spell. It takes some getting used to, but you shouldn’t feel much but brief mild disorientation.  It will pass,” answered Sunset, looking around.

“Psst!” came a hiss from the grating above them. “I’m in here.  The access is behind the engine.  I’ll meet you there,” called out Thaddeus.  Sunset, Aiko, and the porter crossed the workspace and headed behind the Stratos engine. A panel in the wall behind it popped out, and Thaddeus grinned out at them.

“Come on in, this should be a safe place to hide. I grabbed the ship's manuals so we can look at the maps while you strategize,” greeted Thaddeus.  Sunset, Aiko and the porter slipped in behind him and he fastened the panel back into place.  “This way,” he whispered, leading them back into the pipes and around to the front of the engineering workspace, where they could look out over the workstation from a duct he had removed from its grating.  Looking out through the grating, they could see the workstation, still abandoned and locked down.  In the crawl space, there was a small workbench by the wall down from the grating laid out over the piping.

“Welcome to my hidden study area!” greeted Thaddeus. “Never thought it would be getting this kind of use though,” he laughed.

“Fortune favors the prepared,” nodded Aiko, looking around at Thaddeus’s hidden study area.

“And the bold,” agreed Sunset, looking at their still trembling porter.  “Hi, we never actually got introduced. Sunset Shimmer, Equestrian Battle Mage,” she bowed to the porter.

“And I’m Aiko Adobaizā, Battle Mage in training,” bowed Aiko.

“You know me, Emi.  Thaddeus, glad to see you with these two and not missing,” Thaddeus nodded.

“I am 絵美 悦子 (Emi Etsuko), porter. I am honored to meet you,” the porter bowed to them.

“So, Thaddeus, don’t suppose you have anything to eat or drink back here?” asked Sunset.

“Nope. I usually bring a snack and a flask of tea if I plan on studying, but don’t keep any supplies here,” answered the todd.

“No worries.  I guess I can try to liberate something if we need it,” responded Sunset. “Just getting a bit thirsty, and not sure how long this will take.”  She placed a hoof on the wall, stretching out her senses. “I just need to get a feel for where everyone is now.”  She could sense that currently everyone had been gathered into the main dining room, bunched together towards the backside of the room, while smaller groups of two or three were placed near the doors.  She could detect groups of others still moving through the ship, likely the raiding parties still looking for stray guests and staff and any further loot to be stolen.

Sunset turned to Thaddeus. “Where is the kitchen?” she asked. “I’m going to run a quick raid there to get us some supplies, or at least something to drink.”

He pointed to the book spread out on his workbench.  “It’s right here, just behind the main dining room,” he informed her.

“That works out well. I can peek in on the guests while I’m there to see how they are being treated,” nodded Sunset. “Okay, be right back.”  With a teal flash and a light pop, she disappeared.






She appeared in the kitchen behind one of the workstations.

“Hey, what was that?” called out a griffin voice on the other side of the room.  Sunset dropped down, immediately going invisible.

‘What was what?” asked another griffin.

“Did you hear that pop?” asked the first.

“No, but we’re in the kitchen.  Probably a stove or something cooling down.  Who cares?” asked the second.

“I guess.  I keep waiting for that damned mare to pop out again.  That pony gives me the creeps.  Did you see the way she cut down Glen and Gretchen?  She was freaking smiling!  What kind of pony smiles while they cut someone down?” said the first.

“Whatever!  You smile when you fight, so what’s the big deal?” the second voice asked.

“I’m a griffin. We’re supposed to be all violent.  Ponies are supposed to be crying and running away from a fight, not enjoying it!  It’s not natural. I bet she’s really not even a pony at all,” answered the first.

“Dude, you’re just being weird.  She’s probably just used to fighting.  That’s very speciest to think ponies can’t be fighters,” replied the second. “Have you finished filling those pitchers yet?  If we don’t get back out there the commander is going to skin us alive.”

“What the heck does that even mean, speciest?  I’ve never even heard of that word,” asked the first as he finished filling the pitchers.

“It means discriminating against others because of their species.  Which you would know if you were raised somewhere with an actual civilization,” responded the second, taking some of the full pitchers in claw.

“Well sorry for growing up in the cradle of our civilization, Griffenstone,” growled the first. “Where other species are properly considered to be what they really are. Prey.”

“As if!  Bet you wouldn’t be quick to assume that everyone else is prey if that mare were here now,” laughed the second. “Come on, let’s get these out.”  The first grabbed the remaining pitchers and they left back out the double doors to the dining room.

Sunset smirked as she rose from her hiding spot. “No, I bet he wouldn’t,” she agreed quietly, looking around the room for something to carry some water in herself.  She spied two more pitchers next to a pantry door across the room.  She crossed over to them, opening the pantry to look inside.  Seeing several bags of bread, she grabbed those, as well as the two pitchers.  She set them to fill in a nearby sink, slinking over to the double doors to peek out into the dining room from the circular windows in the center of each one.

Looking out, she saw three dead vixens in the middle of the room, clearly tortured, with the rest of the guests and staff gathered up against the wall she was looking out from.  On the other side of the room, three teams of griffins were gathered, one team by each door. A fourth team was in the middle of the room, discussing something, while the two buffoons who had just been in here were moving amongst the prisoners, giving them sips of water from two of the pitchers.

Sunset moved back to the sink, gathering her two full pitchers in hoof with the bag of bread clenched in her muzzle.  With a flash of teal and a light pop, she returned to the engineering crawl space.

Appearing before the startled porter, Sunset handed the vixen the pitchers, then dropped the bags from her muzzle onto the floor. “Put these somewhere, will you?” she asked, then turned back to Aiko and Thaddeus. “It’s not good.  To pacify the guests, they tortured three older vixens to death in front of them.  It’s also clear they have harvested some of the guests.  The ones left are mostly younger males, and older couples of more common bearings.  The dearth of vixens concerns me.  I suspect I know where many of those young vixens are heading.”

Aiko growled. “Not on my watch. Tell me you have a plan to put a stop to this.”

“Not yet, but we will, I promise.  We’ll figure something out,” agreed Sunset.

The porter set the bags of bread on the workbench.  Sunset reached into one, pulling out several loaves and tossing one to each of them.  Tearing into hers, Sunset looked over the ship's schematics again, hoping for inspiration.

Flipping back and forth through the ship's diagrams, Sunset hummed quietly to herself as she thought.  After several minutes, she sighed.  “Okay Aiko, I’m definitely going to need your help on this one.  I need you to learn invisibility. I am certain you have the magical capacity for it now.  Do you mind if we enter your dreamspace?  It will be easier to explain and show how it works there.”

Aiko nodded. “Sure, whatever you need, Soni.”  She loped over to Sunset.

“Okay, Let’s do this,” She touched Aiko on the forehead with her hoof, then caught her as she dropped, laying her gently down on the floor. She snuggled down next to her, then placing her hoof on her friend, closed her eyes.






Thaddeus and Emi watched them for several moments, then Aiko radiated an amber glow, disappearing before them.  Sunset opened her eyes, looking over to where her friend was.  She could still feel her in her grasp, but she was completely invisible.

“Well done, Aiko!  You now know invisibility,” smiled Sunset.

“Thanks!  It seemed simple enough once you explained it and showed the spell matrix to me.  Though how spell matrices even make sense to me is a wonder, as I’ve never studied them before. How does that even work?” came Aiko’s voice from next to Sunset.

“I imparted the knowledge directly to you using another spell in the dreamscape.  I can teach you that one too someday, but we have more pressing things to worry about for the moment,” explained Sunset.

Sunset rose to her hooves, and Aiko reappeared.  “Wait, I know teleportation too?” she blurted out.  “What else did you stick in my head?”

“Just those two, you’ll need them for what we have to do.  But you’ll need some practice with teleport to be fully proficient,” corrected Sunset.

“That was trippy. Okay, so what’s the plan?” asked Aiko.

Sunset replied. “The biggest issue we have at the moment is we don’t know where all the hostages are.  We need to find where the captain is, and where all the prisoners are they have taken on the other ship.  I’m going to teleport over to the pirate ship and look around there, while you scour this ship for the captain. I already know from the last time I looked that all the guests are now in the dining room or off the ship, and a few crew members are hidden around the ship, likely as we are. The rest on the ship are just teams of griffins looting everything in sight.  I suspect that the captain is hiding in a warded hidden room somewhere near his quarters. Thaddeus can help you scan the diagrams for where it might be located, but you’re going to have to go to his quarters and look around yourself.

“While you do that, I’ll be looking around the pirate schooner to locate all our missing guests and crew, as well as find out just how many more pirates are holed up on their vessel.  Once we know where everyone is and what numbers we are talking about, we can come up with a better plan on how to deal with them,” finished Sunset.

While Thaddeus and Aiko looked over the ship’s diagrams for clues to the whereabouts of the captain's hidden room, Sunset ran a quick final scan over the ship to verify everyone’s locations.  She was unsurprised to find a single griffin stationed in the captain’s quarters, likely to sound an alarm if the captain did return.  As that would hamper Aiko’s efforts to examine his quarters for signs of the hidden room, Sunset revised her plans to allow the both of them to take out the pirate first, then leave her to her examinations.  She finished her scan then trotted over to Aiko and Thaddeus.

“Okay, change of plans. There’s a griffin guarding the captain’s quarters.  I’m going with you to take them out quickly before they sound an alarm, then I’ll leave you to search while I go examine the pirate’s schooner,” Sunset explained. “So any ideas on where the hidden room might be?”

“We have a few ideas, assuming the room even exists,” confirmed Thaddeus.

“It exists, I’m sure of it.  And that’s one of the most logical places for it,” assured Sunset.  “We have to start somewhere.”

“Okay, then I know where to start looking.  How are we going to take out this griffin before they sound an alarm?” asked Aiko.

“Here’s the plan,” Sunset outlined, explaining it to Aiko.






In the captain’s quarters, a bored griffin hen was swinging her sword side to side, pretending to fight with an imaginary foe. She spun and wheeled, slashing and hacking the air around her as she played at her mock battle.

As she was imagining herself thrusting her foe through and him dropping to the beach with a gurgle, she heard a pop behind her.  Spinning around, she saw a kitsune vixen coming straight at her with her Kitana drawn, and a pony and todd running off to either side. Wheeling to face the immediate threat of the vixen, she was shocked to be dropped dead by the mare’s sword, which she had flung across the room, impaling her.  She dropped to the deck gurgling, then died.

“Okay, you got this. Meet you back in engineering,” assured Sunset as she yanked her sword back out of the dead griffin and wiped it on the griffin’s garments.  Placing a hoof on the body, with a teal flash she and the dead griffin disappeared.

Aiko started checking the places where they suspected the entrance to the hidden room might be located.






Sunset appeared with a flash under the pirate schooner, letting the griffin’s body drop from her as she pushed off from it.  Teleporting again, she appeared in the rigging of the pirate’s ship, looking over the remainder of the rigging for any scouts or lookouts.  Seeing only one in the crow’s nest, Sunset teleported behind her, wrapping her throat and beak with her forelegs before teleporting back away under the schooner. There, as the griffin hen bit and fought against her hold, she cut the hen’s throat then kicked her away, letting her drop to the ocean below while she teleported again into the rigging.

Looking around, she confirmed no one had noticed her attack, and started picking off the griffins on deck in the same way.  First, she teleported behind a griffin that was standing next to the focsle, looking over the deck from its shade.  They popped away, and a few moments later Sunset was back in the rigging, looking for her next target. She was able to pick off the outliers in this way, but had to wait for some of them to move or turn as she worked her way inward.  When there was only the innermost group left, she abandoned that for a bit, deciding to look into the focsle to see what was going on in there.

Teleporting down next to it, she placed her hoof on the wall, sensing the occupants of the quarters. Two griffins were in the room, apparently hunched over a table examining something.  Not seeing any better way to deal with the pair, she teleported right behind them.  She immediately wheeled and bucked the leftmost while she impaled he one on the right with her sword, swung in her telekinesis.  She then ripped the sword from the body of the one she had just impaled and cleaved the head off of the one she had bucked into the table.  Grabbing both bodies and the head, she teleported away.

A few moments later, she was back in the cabin, looking over the documents on the table that had captured the interests of the two previous occupants.  It was the passenger manifest of the Albatros.  Apparently the griffins were making certain they had captured all of the high profile targets.  Shaking her head, she gathered up the documents and magiced them away to review later.  She quickly scanned the rest of what was clearly the captain’s quarters, finding nothing further of note, then teleported back outside of the focsle.  She saw a grate nearby, and from the cover of a nearby barrel, looked down into the lower deck through the grating.

She saw members of the pirate crew securing the treasures they had stolen from the Albatros, boxing them and lashing down the larger items to keep them from shifting.  Seeing a crate in the shadows of the hold, Sunset teleported down behind it to continue her investigations.

A crew member looked up and over on hearing the pop, but seeing nothing went back to his work, lashing a tarp wrapped painting down.  Across from them, Sunset could see the steep stairs to the lower deck.  Placing her hoof on the deck, she stretched out her senses, confirming there were no griffins near the entrance to the lower deck. She quickly teleported over to it and quietly descended to the lower deck.

She teleported behind a crate across from the bottom of the stairs and examined the layout of this hold.  There were cages lining both sides of the ship, full of battered and bruised Kitsune.  Two vixens were laying in the middle of the hold, clothes torn and shredded, clearly beaten and used.  Sunset couldn’t tell from this distance if they were dead or just insensate from the beatings and abuse they had suffered.  At the far end of the hold was a table with a muscular kitsune vixen stretched out on it, lashed down to keep her from moving or escaping.  She was bruised and bleeding but clearly breathing. Sunset teleported behind the table she was splayed out on.

Looking down at the vixen before her, Sunset was shocked to recognize the XO.  “XO, what happened to you?” she whispered into the vixen's ear, still hidden behind the table.

“Shimmer, is that you?  What happened?  Tell me they didn’t find my husband,” whispered the XO from her swollen muzzle, her eyes looking around for Sunset.

“Yeah, it’s me.  Husband?” asked Sunset.  “I’m hiding behind the table, that’s why you can’t see me. I don't want everyone to notice me and start screaming at me to let them out. One samurai can’t take on an entire ship no matter how good they are.”

The XO grunted in assent. “Yeah, the captain. My husband. We’re married,” explained the XO.

“They’re still looking for him,” assured Sunset. “They haven’t found him yet.  Aiko is looking for him in his quarters now.  We’re working with Thaddeus on a plan to take back the ship, and have locked down engineering.  Aiko and I took out the griffin that was searching his quarters, and I left her to search while I came over here to check on you and the rest of the guests and crew.  Are there any griffins down here I should know about before I move on?”

“No. They are coming back later, but they gave up on trying to torture the location of the captain’s safe room from me.  They took a break to finish lashing down everything they stole from the ship,” explained the XO.

“Yeah, I passed them all up on my way down here.  One sec then, I’m going to unbind you,” Sunset warned. She sliced through the bindings with her sword, and the XO rolled from the table, collapsing down to the floor.

“Ouch,” she grunted. “Feeling that now.”  She worked off the rest of the ropes, rubbing her limbs to get some circulation back into them.

“You gonna be okay, XO?” asked Sunset from her place behind the table.  The XO rolled to her paws and crawled behind the table with Sunset.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. What’s the plan now?” she asked.

“First thing I want to get you back to the captain.  One sec,” Sunset placed a hoof on the XO, and with a pop and a flash of teal, they both disappeared from the hold.

And appeared back on the Albatros in the captain's quarters.

The XO loped over to the closet where Aiko was searching.  “Here, let me help,” she said, gently moving Aiko aside. She then rotated the closet crossbeam in a series of movements, and a panel opened up in the bottom of the closet.  “Babe!” she whispered into the dark opening.

“Honey, is that you?” called out the captain’s voice. His head poked out from the darkness, and seeing the XO, he scampered out from the hole and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Oh sweet goddess of the hunt!  I was so worried I would never see you again!” he breathed, holding her tight.

“Me too, babe!” She hugged him back.

Sunset and Aiko smiled warmly at the reunion. Another face poked out from the darkness. “XO, that you?”

“Yeah, come on out,” called the XO, breaking off from her hug with her husband. The todd exited from the hole into the room, followed by another todd and two vixens.  “Wow must have been a tight fit in there with your entire protection detail,” mused the XO.

“Yeah a bit cramped. But we were busy trying to figure out a way to take the ship back,” answered the captain.

“We were working on that as well,” replied Sunset.  Aiko nodded.

“So what did you come up with?” asked the captain.

“We figured the first thing to do was to find what we were up against, and where everyone was,” answered Sunset.  “The good news, such as it is, is that there are only about seventy total pirates, most of them currently in two griffin raiding teams ripping through the Albatros looking for things to steal.  This is the ideal time to thin those numbers.  If we can get you and your team back to engineering to work on the plan to take back the ship, Aiko and I can work through the raiding teams and thin them out like I did earlier.  Then we can get our passengers and crew back.”

“Sounds good to me,” agreed the captain.

“We’ll have to make a few trips. Aiko, can you teleport yourself to Thaddeus’s study spot?  I’ll ferry the rest of the crew here,” asked Sunset.

“You got it.  See you there,” agreed Aiko.  With a flash of amber, she popped away.

“Wow, never seen a kitsune teleport before,” noted the XO.

“She’s got talent. She’ll make a great battle mage,” agreed Sunset. Okay, Captain, XO? Let’s go.” Sunset placed a hoof on each of them, and they disappeared in a flash of teal.  A few moments later, Sunset was back for the next set.

Two trips later, they were all gathered in the crawl space behind engineering gathered around Thaddeus and his workbench.

“Nice little unauthorized workspace you have here, Thaddeus,” snarked the XO.

“Uh, thank you ma’am,” gulped Thaddeus. “Just glad you’re here ma’am.”

“You and I both,” grinned the XO. “So what’s the plan?”

“It’s a work in progress. Let me show you what we’ve thought of so far,” explained Thaddeus.

“Pardon Aiko and I.  We have some hunting to do.  We’ll be back after we’ve thinned the pack,” commented Sunset, pulling Aiko after her and bowing.

The captain and the XO nodded, listening still to Thaddeus as he explained their plan.  Sunset placed a hoof on Aiko and together they teleported out.






The two griffins were exiting the stateroom when two pops went off to either side of them.  Two swords flashed out before they even got a moment to blink and they both dropped to the floor dead.

“I got these two, just drag this junk back into the room and I’ll be right back so we can take care of the next set,” whispered Sunset.  She placed a hoof on both bodies, all three of them disappearing in a flash of teal.  Aiko dragged the fallen treasures back into the room they belonged in and shut the door.

A moment later, Sunset reappeared in the room next to her, and placed her hoof on the wall.  “Okay, we have our next target.  Ready?”  She reached out her hoof.

“Second verse, same as the first,” agreed Aiko, stretching out her paw to touch her friend's hoof.  There was a flash of teal as she drew her paw back, and they both disappeared.






About thirty odd minutes later, Sunset and Aiko reappeared back in the engineering crawl space with a pop.  Both were looking a bit ragged and blood spattered, but were grinning ear to ear.

“We got them all.  The only one’s left are the crew still on the schooner and the guards with the guests in the dining room.  We should take care of the crew on the schooner first, before they realize no one is coming back and start killing off hostages or sound the alarm,” noted Aiko.

“I think we probably need to do the guards in the dining room first though,” suggested Sunset.  “They are right in the middle of the guests, and they could start killing them at the slightest provocation. The crew on the schooner would have to travel down two decks to get to their prisoners, so that buys up a few seconds there.”

“Okay, so we do the dining room first.  How can we take them out before they start shooting into the crowd?” asked Aiko.

“Let me check on something.  Just a sec.”  Sunset put her hoof to the wall, eyes closed.  “Okay, we might be in luck. They still have the prisoners all up against the back wall, and are all forward from them in the other half of the room.  If you line up behind me, I can teleport in with a queued fire spell, and take them all out with an oversized fireball while you protect the passengers from anyone who runs by me. Sounds like a plan?”  They all agreed, so Sunset spun up the fire spell while they all put a paw on her, then with a flash of teal, Sunset, Aiko, and two of the security team disappeared while the remaining two, the captain and XO remained with a startled Thaddeus.

“What happened?” he asked.






In the dining room, there was a flash of teal and a pop, then a very angry mare appeared, fire launching out from her hooves incinerating the griffins in the forward part of the room while Aiko and the two guards ran back to protect the passengers.  Sunset ran to each group of burning bodies, quickly teleporting them off the ship to freefall into the ocean below them, then dousing the flames in the carpet with a freezing spell.  When she had eliminated all the dead griffins and extinguished all the flames, she called out to Aiko.

“I’ll be right back! I’m going to get the Captain and the rest of them.”  She disappeared in a teal flash.






“Sorry about that!” called out Sunset as she reappeared in the crawlspace. “I didn’t have enough magic to get the entire set.  Let’s head out.”  She placed a hoof on the shocked Captain and XO, then disappeared again with both of them.  A few moments later, she was back. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget you.  Grab hold!”  Thaddeus, the two remaining guards and the porter put a paw on her, and they all disappeared this time.

And reappeared in the dining hall, where two griffins were making their way through the guests, offering water to anyone thirsty.

Aiko laughed. “Yeah, right after you left, they came back in with pitchers of water.  Apparently they missed all the fun.  They were sent to get more water for the prisoners and came back in after it was all over.”

“That’s fine,” laughed Sunset. “I’m actually kind of glad those two didn’t get their chips cashed in.  They might be okay, I think.  Keep them busy here though,” she advised the XO.  “I’ll be right back.”  She disappeared again in a flash of teal.

She was back up in the rigging again. The crew below were clearly getting worried.  One of them exited the focsle. “They’re not in there.  Where do you think they went?” he said, walking back to the others who were now gathered in a circle in the center of the deck. Sunset took aim, and with a mighty crack a wave of lightning washed over the group of them, dropping them all to the deck burnt and twitching.  Teleporting down to the deck, Sunset pitched them all over the side of the ship into the ocean below.  Reaching out with her senses, she confirmed that the only ones left on the ship were the prisoners in the lower holds.  She teleported back into the dining room.

“It’s done. The pirates are all dead.  Your passengers need to be rescued. They are on the lower deck, and some of them will need help getting back over onto the ship. A few of them can’t even move by themselves,” advised Sunset.

“Crew, form up on me.  Rescue mission, let’s go!” called out the XO as the guards and captain followed her out of the dining room and up to the deck to rescue their guests and missing crew.  Thaddeus joined them, determined to help out.






“Ugh!  I wish this wasn’t a dinner, so I could wear the veil again,” groused Sunset as she slipped into her formal outfit, ironically the one she wore while masquerading as a pony servant while sneaking around Yokeo.

“Who are you and what have you done with my friend?” snarked Aiko. “Seriously Soni, when have you ever passed up a chance to toot your own horn a bit?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.  But we are supposed to be keeping a low profile to keep your family's honor.  Taking credit for all this and marching around in front of everyone is the opposite of low profile,” explained Sunset.

“Which is why the captain and XO agreed with your plan to just join in the festivities as part of the crew responsible for the guests' liberation, instead of being feted as their actual liberators.  It won’t be that bad.  We just have to smile and look adorable while the Captain and the XO stand in the limelight.  It would be beyond awkward if we just bowed completely out.  Celebrate with them.  This is big!  We all survived a hard core modern pirate attack, with automatic weaponry.  We all deserve a little fun after all that,” reminded Aiko.

“It would have been true fun if so many hadn’t died.  Seven of the guests.  Nine of the crew.  And all but two of the pirates,” stated Sunset.  “They aren’t coming back.”

“Okay, the two ex-pirates are crew now, thanks to your recommendations.  And no, we can’t bring them back. But we can honor them by celebrating those who survived, which includes you and I.  And if I ever buy the farm, I expect you to have a huge party in my honor.  None of this mopey dopey stuff,” said Aiko.

“Yeah, you better not be buying any farms.  And as for those two, I was shocked to learn they were press ganged.  Who does that anymore?  I really have to talk with mom about the insane stuff going on in Griffinstone.  How is it they are considered our allies with all this happening?” commented Sunset.

Aiko shrugged.  “So how do I look?” she asked, back in her vixen on the town ensemble, twirling before her friend.

“Like a Slumbering Flower,” snarked Sunset.

Aiko gave her friend a stink eye. “Really?  You really are a brat.”

Sunset laughed. “You look great, Aiko.  You wear it well.”

“Thank you, Shimmering Sun,” teased Aiko back. “You look fetching as well!  Fetch me something to drink, please.”

Sunset smacked her friend on her haunches.  “Ha ha ha, fetch it yourself, oh maiden.”

Sunset looked out their patio window, the pirate schooner in tow behind their airship taking most of the view. “At least the salvage on the ship should cover the costs of repairs for the Albatros,” observed Sunset.

“Okay, ready.  Let’s go,” said Aiko, loping over to the door and holding it for her friend.  “Don’t want to be fashionably late to this party.”

“No, we don’t,” agreed Sunset.  “Not when we’re sitting at the table with the captain.”  She trotted out the door, Aiko shutting it behind them.  They headed down the hall then entered the ship's dining hall, a special table set up at the head of the room for tonight’s dinner, as the captain and XO would be joining them all tonight.

As they headed over to the table, they noted that everyone except the captain was already seated.  Bowing to the XO and the rest of the crew at the table, they sat at the end by Thaddeus and Kōshitsu.

“Well you clean up nice,” smiled Sunset to Kōshitsu as she sat down next to her.

“And happy for that, because while I was sitting in that cage after being pawed by those jerks, I thought I might never be clean again,” sighed Kōshitsu.  “I like being wanted for my intellect, not my biology.  I hope I never have to go through that again.”

“You and I both, sister,” said Sunset, giving her a hug.  “Not ever again.”

Aiko gave her a quick hug as well before sitting down on the other side of Sunset.  “So I heard the captain authorized some leave once we arrive in Manehattan.  You down for a little sightseeing, my treat?”

Kōshitsu turned to Thaddeus.  “I could use the break. What do you say, Thaddeus?  Down for some sightseeing?”

“I go where you go, oh fearless leader,” smiled Thaddeus.  “Sounds good to me.”

“And after that, I would love to introduce you two to mom.   And Twilight. Especially Twilight.  She will geek out hard finding out that you both work on the Stratos engine, and that I got to see one before she did,” Sunset laughed.

“So that’s how it is?” teased Aiko.

“What?  She’s an even bigger magic geek than I am.  You’ll love her,” laughed Sunset.

“All rise for the Captain,” called out the door watch.  Everyone rose as the captain loped in and joined them at the table.

“Good evening everyone!” called out the captain, taking his seat. “Please, be seated.”  Everyone sat, and the captain continued.

“I am thrilled to be here with you tonight, especially after the horrors we survived today.  While our hearts are saddened by those among us who lost their lives today in this senseless attack, we are reminded by their loss and our survival just what a precious thing life really is.  So to honor our fallen friends and guests, we join together here in celebrating surviving for another day, living again to see another sunrise, and to remember another day those who have fallen before us.  To life!” the captain toasted, raising his wine glass.

“To life,” the room called back, raising their glasses.  The captain drank his toast and everyone joined him.

The crew served up the soup and salad, Sunset being served both as her waiter gave her a wink, then onto the main course when that was finished.  They shared small talk with one another and enjoyed being able to enjoy the dinner together.  After dinner and dessert, there was dancing, with a live band playing contemporary favorites.  Aiko and Sunset joined Thaddeus and Kōshitsu on the dance floor, all of them having a wonderful time.  As the evening wound down, Thaddeus and Kōshitsu excused themselves to get some rest before the next watch. Making their own excuses, Sunset and Aiko stole away as well, retiring to their suite for a warm bath, their ablutions, and a well earned good night’s sleep snuggled up together in bed.
> 20 - Sunset - Hi Mom! Look Who Followed Me Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset woke with a start, looking around the darkened cabin. Aiko stirred restlessly next to her in her sleep. Shaking off a sudden feeling of deja vu, Sunset looked out through their patio window to see the pirate ship still trailing along behind them, pulling taunt the tow line tailing from the deck above out to the prow of the once menacing pirate schooner.

Seeing the ship tailing behind them Sunset was reminded of the carnage of the day before. With a sigh she rolled over and faced her dear friend, the one she had traveled halfway around the world to rescue. “Well, that could have gone better,” she sighed quietly. “I’m sure mom will have plenty to say about it.”

She smiled as her thoughts turned to home, seeing her sisters again and introducing them to Aiko. She grinned thinking of the thousand plus questions Twilight would surely have for Aiko about life in Nippony as well as the adventures they had shared.

“Well somepony is happy,” smirked Aiko, now awake and smiling. “What caused that grin?”

“I was just thinking of the welcome you’re going to get from Twilight,” laughed Sunset. “Good morning, Slumbering Flower.”

“Good morning to you too, Shimmering Sun,” grinned Aiko. “So today’s the day.”

“Yup, today is the day. We’ll make port this afternoon. Then we’ll swing by the consulate to let them know you are alive and well, sort of, we’ll report to mom’s local office and make our reports, then we’ll head back to Canterlot,” agreed Sunset. “I really am looking forward to seeing everyone again and to introducing you.”

“I’m really looking forward to meeting them. They sound nice,” agreed Aiko.

“They are. Annoying sometimes, but nice. I really think they’ll love you,” smiled Sunset. Rolling out of bed she entered their bathroom to perform her morning ablutions, then waited while Aiko took her turn.

“All set?” Sunset asked as Aiko stepped out of the bathroom.

“Ready Freddy,” agreed Aiko. “Let’s get breakfast, then go bug engineering.”

“Yeah, no. I don’t think they would appreciate that. They’re probably extremely busy getting ready to make port,” argued Sunset.

"Well if you don’t want to do that we could just go up on deck, then you can give the crew and everyone another heart attack while you practice your falling lessons,” suggested Aiko with a smirk.

“Ha ha. It is to laugh,” snarked Sunset. “Okay here’s a better thought. We can hang out on our patio while I teach you more Battle Magic.”

“That actually sounds good to me,” agreed Aiko.

They adjourned to breakfast, then after the meal returned to their suite. Getting comfortable on their balcony they entered the dreamscape to practice their battle magic.

In their shared dreamscape Sunset started her instruction. “Okay, so as a mage, you have to have a grasp of the basics. Levitation, light spells, shields of course, and basic bolt casting. Past that, there are advanced techniques we will build up to, like self levitation, advanced shields, multi-casting, and teleportation. Once you’ve mastered those there are the so-called forbidden magics, one of which we are using now.

“So, let’s start simple. Cast a light sprite and move it around the dreamscape. Let’s see how you’ve been doing with your practice.” 

Aiko manifested an amber sprite above her forehead and moved it up and around in circles holding Sunset’s gaze the whole time. She finished by parking the sprite on the end of Sunset’s still bejeweled horn.

“Nice! Excellent spatial control, and I see you’re still using the default coloration of your magic. Have you practiced changing the hue of the sprite and the intensity?” asked Sunset.

“Huh. No it didn’t occur to me it would even matter. I mean yeah, I’ve been changing the intensity, but not the hue,” replied Aiko. She shut her eyes for a moment and the sprite on Sunset’s horn shifted to a teal hue. She opened her eyes and grinned. “There! Your favorite color. How’s that?”

Sunset smirked. “Well done, my student. Okay now cycle it through the rainbow and stop at gold.”

“Gold is not a color in the rainbow, dork,” laughed Aiko as the sprite flashed, working its way through the rainbow starting at a deep red, shifting through to yellow, then passing through blue and violet. It finally rolled back to a metallic yellow giving the sprite a golden sheen.

“You really are talented, Aiko. Okay, levitation then! Manifest the largest thing you think you can levitate, then move it around the dreamscape,” instructed Sunset.

Aiko smirked. With a bang! The Albatross appeared next to them complete with rigging and sails billowing in the imaginary wind.

“Oh hoh! It looks like someone thinks they’re a nine-tail already,” laughed Sunset.

“If I were a nine-tail, I would be tossing around stars and planets like your mom, bacca,” stated Aiko, laughing.

“Fair,” agreed Sunset. “Still if you really think you can move that much mass, that would be impressive. It would put you among the highest level mages.”

“I’m already in the company of one of the highest level mages, she’s showing me the ropes,” snarked Aiko.

“Watch it vixen! Flattery will get you everywhere,” teased Sunset. “Okay, if that’s what you want to use, go for it. I’m just saying, in the dreamscape is one thing because here you can dial in the gravitational and inertial masses. That trick is a bit harder in RL.”

“RL?” asked Aiko.

“Real Life,” answered Sunset. “Especially when Real Life is in the middle of combat, with one or more creatures actively and violently trying to end your life or the lives of those you’re protecting. Yeah sure, that looks cool in the classroom or in a demonstration but in an actual fight it can get you quite dead quite quickly. Casting has to be fast, nearly instantaneous, thought free, and more often than not brutally direct. So a flashy cast ends up as a flashy final exit from life.”

“So then mass effect spells are fine as long as I can cast them near instantaneously with little thought,” clarified Aiko.

“Well, yeah. But bear in mind that you’ll be casting them with one or more other spells, like manifestation, energization, levitation, inertial manifestation, for example.

Sunset nodded towards her ship. “Like for example manifesting this ship levitating towards your target, accelerating fast enough to minimize dodging or other forms of avoidance and with inertial modifications to make it easy to throw, but just before impact inertially massive enough to eliminate your target. Add to that magical and other energies can be imparted to your missile and you have a very complicated casting that has to be second nature, instantaneous, and perfectly cast every time. That’s where practice comes in, and the dreamscape is perfect for that. Get the form and flow perfect here and the thoughts and actions will flow perfectly when you need them in Real Life. The secret is don’t use any cheats here, do it exactly like you’d have to do it in Real Life. Then everything you learn and hone here will carry over to your practice and use there.”

“That makes sense,” agreed Aiko, lifting the ship telekinetically. “Okay. Yeah, I can feel the push back from the magic lifting this. If I fling it around as a cudgel or missile in battle I will be pressed pretty hard. So teach me how to do mass effects, please?”

Sunset looked abashed. “I will, I promise,” she said, looking down and away. “As soon as I learn them myself. I haven’t studied those yet, but I’ve noted several places where it mentions it’s possible.” She looked back to Aiko. “That’s quantum level magic in the Higgs field. Not something I have learned yet, but as soon as I do I'll certainly show them to you too. You’re my partner, so any tools I have in my arsenal I want in yours too. We’ll have each other’s backs.”

“To the end, Soni!” agreed Aiko, smiling. She moved the ship in circles around them, practicing accelerating and decelerating as well as modifying its path. It took all her concentration but she managed.

“Well done, Aiko, you got it. Now I’m going to teach you a basic shield spell. I ‘m placing the spell matrix in your mind now. Do you see it?” asked Sunset.

“I see it and I think I get it. If I am reading this right it’s a form of impervious levitation? It redirects all momentum back at the target by reversing all momentum vectors while stealing energy from the object to help power the spell. Is that right?” asked Aiko as she examined the spell form.

Sunset nodded. “Yup, you got it. That’s the basic form. There are several modifications I will teach you, but in essence that’s your basic battle shield. It steals energy from attacks to augment its power and redirects momentum vectors back at the attacker. It’s a set and forget form of the spell requiring next to no concentration once activated. A form of this will be one of the mainstays of probably all your battle strategies. Never go into battle without an active shield, you never know when it will save your life.”

Sunset watched as Aiko cast the spell, surrounding herself in an amber tinted shield. Sunset tested her crafting, launching inertial, energy, and magical attacks at her shield. As expected many of the magical attacks passed right through, doing nothing to Aiko aside from briefly lighting up where they hit.

Sunset smiled. “That’s one of the limitations on this basic version of the spell. Magical attacks are inertia-less, so vector reversal is essentially ineffective against them. Also the energy capture is subject to bleed through depending on the energy profile of the attack. That means some of the energy can still pass through the shield, just as you can see here. There are steps you can take to minimize bleed through, but to my current knowledge it’s not something you can avoid completely. Some spell casters do what they can to minimize bleed through then overpower the spell to reduce the amount. Fine when you have hugely deep mana wells, but for the rest of us it's not the best solution, because mana committed to your shields is mana unavailable for your attacks or other spells.

“I have a different way to deal with this issue. I tend to tweak the spell to minimize bleed through, then use a secondary spell at much lower power and tuned to a different magical harmonic positioned just below it that absorbs any bleed through energy. It’s harder to cast. But with practice it can be second nature and it’s much more efficient than overpowering the main shield, leaving me with more resources for whatever else I need to be actively doing.”

Aiko nodded.

“Okay, time to practice your magical blasts. Have at me and don’t forget to change things up as you go,” prompted Sunset, raising a shield of her own.

Aiko dropped her shield and started lobbing manifested inertial missiles at Sunset.

Sunset scowled. “No! No, no, no! Aiko, never go into battle without your shield active and ready. That’s the first rule of magical combat. We just covered that. Put your shield back up, and then launch your attacks at me. I will keep things interesting by mirroring your attacks back at you to mimic us being in action combat.”

Aiko stopped her attacks, re-enabling her shield. Then she launched into her attacks again.

“Perfect! Well done, Aiko,” encouraged Sunset, reflecting Aiko’s attacks back and watching with satisfaction when they were redirected back to her. Sunset then tweaked her shield, adding a bit of energy to the redirected vector instead of siphoning the energy off. Now the missiles bounced back and forth between them until eventually Aiko’s shield cracked and she was struck.

“Ouch! Dammit Soni, that hurt,” she rubbed the shoulder where she’d been impacted. “What happened?”

Sunset laughed. “I tweaked my shield. Instead of siphoning off energies from the inertial redirections, I reconfigured it to add energy from my mana pool. So eventually the projectiles had enough energy to break through one or both of our shields. That’s another useful tweak you can make to your shield on the fly, so you eventually overpower their shields. It uses more of your mana, but it can be useful occasionally.

“Okay, start over. And this time make sure to absorb more energy when you see that starting to happen. Also don’t forget to add in energy and magical attacks as well.”

Sunset stood at the ready, her shield raised, as Aiko re-manifested her shield and restarted her attacks.

This time she started with energy attacks, lightning blasts that echoed off of Sunset’s shield, their energies absorbed. Mixed in were limited kinetic attacks that bounced off of her shield and back to Aiko’s shield, where they lost enough momentum they just rebounded and augered into the ground. Aiko also threw in a slew of amber magical bolts but they just disappeared.

“Do you see that?” noted Sunset as they fought. “I have my secondary shield in place. I’m using the energy siphoned from your attacks to empower it. And it’s preventing the magical bleed-through that would have hit me.

“Hold up for a second. I’ll give you the updated spell matrix for the combination of the two shields.” She placed the updated spell matrix in Aiko’s mind. “Do you see it?”

“Yeah, one second.” answered Aiko as she dropped her attacks and shield, studying the new spellform. “Oh! Wow, it’s got layers!” she noted.

Sunset nodded excitedly. “Exactly! One of the most intuitive ways to cast two conjoined spells is as a nested form. By transforming the two spells into a matrix that encapsulates and defines the relationship between them into a single spell form, it’s easier to cast it reflexively. This is actually the form I use in combat. If you understand this, and clearly you do as you see the nesting of the layered spell form, then you should practice with this until casting it becomes completely automatic. It will be your automatic defense whenever you need it.”

Aiko sat for a moment silently studying the new spell. She smiled. With an amber glow the new shield appeared around her. “Ready to go!” she called out.

Sunset probed her shield, testing her casting, then she smiled too. “Aiko, you were so wasted as a diplomatic attache. You have such a natural talent for this! This is where you’ve always belonged.”

“By your side forever, Soni. Funny how life works out,” agreed Aiko with a smile. “Let’s try it out.” She launched a magical barrage at Sunset. Sunset returned in kind. This time there were no tell-tale flashes of magical leak-through. Aiko’s shield held against all attacks just like Sunset’s shield.

Sunset nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it! Practice that form every chance you get until at the slightest bit of trouble it automatically becomes the first thing you cast. Make it your ready and constant companion and a trusted friend.”

Aiko smirked. “Really? I thought you were my ready and constant companion,” she snarked.

“Make it your other constant companion and friend then, dork,” grinned Sunset.

Aiko laughed. “So what’s next?”

Sunset thought. “There’s still the advanced topics. We haven’t practiced self-levitation or teleportation yet. I’ll give you the spell forms for them and you can practice those. I don’t use self-levitation myself. The only forms I’ve been able to come up with are transformations of the basic levitation spell, and they end up too energy intensive to be of any practical use. That’s the reason why my flying at this point is just chained teleports, interspersed with graceful falling, or the occasional rest on a cloud using the cloud-walking spell. I am still working on aetherial wings though - I swear I will get those figured out at some point.

“Yeah, teleportation is a big one. But even with deep mana pools it takes a lot of endurance to get to a point where you can pop off consecutive teleports. They’re complex and extremely draining spells. You will improve with practice if you have the mana reserves to back them up, which you do.

“I highly recommend practicing them eventually, though for now I just need you to become familiar with the spell form. We’ll practice together once you’re comfortable with them. Also the first few times going through the ether under your own power can be highly disconcerting, so I will be with you just in case you have any issues. Or freak out like I did the first time. Not that I will ever admit that,” Sunset teased.

“That sounds like fun,” agreed Aiko. “Yeah, you’ll have to tell me that story sometime.”

“Never happened. Never admitting to it,” smiled Sunset.

“Too late, dork! You already did, you have to tell me now,” Aiko playfully prodded.

“Some other time.” replied Sunset. “It’s almost time for lunch, then we need to get ready to disembark. Study and become familiar with those spell forms. Just don’t actually do the teleportation yet. I seriously want to be with you when you do actually use that for the first time. I am not interested in losing my dear friend in the ether.”

“Wait! That can actually happen?” asked Aiko, concerned.

‘Let’s not find out,” answered Sunset. She dropped out of the dreamscape and went back into their cabin to pack their things up for disembarking after their final lunch on-board. Aiko remained in the dreamscape studying the spell forms and trying her paw at the self levitation. As Sunset said, it was extremely taxing and would be useless for long distances or prolonged encounters. Still a useful trick to have in a pinch though she thought.

Several minutes later Aiko came in from the patio ready to join her friend for lunch. Together the two of them left the cabin and loped down to the dining hall for the final lunch buffet of the cruise. They stood in line, and when their turn came selecting fish, soups and salads, then found seats at an empty table.

They started to eat, and were joined by two others. “Hey Soni! Hey Aiko! Bet you’re both ready to get off this ship, right?” teased Kōshitsu, sitting down next to Sunset. Grinning, Thaddeus sat beside her with a nod in greeting.

“Hey! They let you two off for good behavior?” teased Sunset. “We didn’t expect to see you two here. We thought you’d be busy prepping everything for our arrival.”

“We were and we did. But even slaves get to eat,” snarked Kōshitsu. “And we thought we would eat in the passenger mess so we could hang out with you two.”

Thaddeus added, “And we wanted to thank you both again for what you’ve done. Honestly, we wanted to catch you before you disappeared. Don’t be strangers. I count us as friends and I will be writing. Band of brothers and all that.”

Kōshitsu snorted. “You do realize you’re the only brother here, right?”

“You know what I mean,” Thaddeus laughed.

“Yes, I know exactly what you mean,” grinned Sunset. “Leash mates. You’re both part of my leash. Leash sister and leash brother.”

“Yeah, that,” agreed Thaddeus. “Leash mates, I like that.”

“So writing. Good idea! Let’s exchange addresses so we can send each other letters,” agreed Sunset. “Can you stop by our suite after lunch?”

“Sure, we can spare a few minutes,” agreed Kōshitsu.

They finished their lunch and joined Sunset and Aiko back in their suite. Sunset found some parchment and a quill then jotted down her contact information for both Kōshitsu and Thaddeus.

“Yeah, now that’s an impressive address. Nothing like addressing your mail to Celestial Royal Palace, Canterlot, care of Princess Sunset,” laughed Kōshitsu. “At least it’s easy to remember.”

“Oh, oops! Make that Sunset Shimmer, student of Princess Celestia. Getting ahead of myself,” Sunset laughed in embarrassment. “Aiko will be living there with me, so that address works for both of us. Though, please send anything to Aiko in my name, so she can preserve her anonymity,” stated Sunset.

“Makes sense. The best way to reach either of us is through the main office. They’ll make sure it gets routed to us at one of our stops. Same address for both of us for that reason also,” replied Kōshitsu, writing down the address for the fleet headquarters, care of the 優雅なアホウドリ (Yūgana Ahōdori - The Graceful Albatross). Sunset nodded, placing the address in her saddlebag. “So we have a day stopover in port. Any chance we can get together tomorrow and see the sights with you two?”

Sunset sighed. “I wish we could. Sorry, but we have to report back as soon as we make port, and I’d imagine Princess Celestia is going to keep us busy with her debriefing. But if you wanted to come to Canterlot, I could request some time off for the two of us, maybe tomorrow afternoon? And I would love to introduce you to the Princesses, Twilight and Cadance.”

“I’m not sure that would work. We have to be back on the ship by lights out tomorrow night. So just spending an afternoon we would have only a little time to visit then have to hop on the train to get back in time. We would likely only have an hour or two to visit. Is that even long enough to say hi without seeming rude and just rushing off?” asked Kōshitsu.

“We could make it work if you wanted. Can you get leave for this afternoon? Then you could come with us back to Canterlot tonight? We can put you up for the night and set you up with some guided tours or something tomorrow morning, then catch up with you as soon as we are free. Does that work?” suggested Sunset.

“Maybe. I’ll ask the XO if we can leave after our shift ends this afternoon,’ replied Kōshitsu.

“Okay, just let us know. If you’re on and it all works out, we can pick you up before we head out of town, and you can travel with us. Just pack light, for overnight and tomorrow, no need to go crazy,” noted Sunset.

Kōshitsu and Thaddeus smiled and nodded. “Sounds good! I’ll let you know if we get approval,” she said. They said their goodbyes and headed off to the remainder of their shift.

“That would be great if they got to come too,” agreed Sunset. “Twilight can pester them about the Stratos drive while we watch.”

Aiko grinned. “You really can be a stinker.”

They finished packing up their belongings then went out to the patio to watch as the ship headed into port.

The first thing they noticed was when the pirate schooner was pulled closer into the ship. A gangplank was dropped from the deck above them onto the deck of the schooner and a dozen Kitsune crossed over. The plank was then pulled back onto their ship and the tether line cast off. The crew that had crossed over scattered across the deck and into the rigging as the schooner pulled away and drifted down towards the harbor below.

“Ah, that makes sense. Easier to land each ship separately than try to bring them in tethered. I hadn’t thought of that,” mused Sunset as she watched them work. The schooner soon was far below them as they continued their flight into the port proper. They could see other ships in a holding pattern just a ways out from the passenger docks on the shore, in line all waiting for their turn to settle down into the harbor. Eventually their turn came. The ship, true to its name, gracefully spiraled down from the sky towards the harbor below. Landing gently in the harbor, she sailed smoothly into the designated berthing and was lashed to the docks. Boarding walkways were then lashed and secured for the passengers and crew to make their egress.

“That’s our cue!” smiled Sunset.

They returned to the suite and gathered up their things, then headed up the main stairs to the deck to wait in line with the other passengers to disembark. Further down the dock they saw the pirate schooner, bearing the Nippony colors from her mast, come into port and dock at an open berth. Sunset smiled as she watched the crew bring her alongside the berth, the then thrown lashing ropes caught by the crew and the ship lashed securely to the dock. The gangplank lowered.

“I wonder who will own and crew the ship now?” mused Aiko. “I’m pretty sure Nippony Cruise Lines doesn’t want a pirate schooner in their fleet.”

“Technically by rights of salvage, the ship belongs equally to the Equestrian Crown and Nippony Cruise Lines. If I had to guess, the Crown will probably cash Nippony Cruise Lines out and the ship will either be repurposed into the Equestrian Navy, or will be put up for auction,” explained Sunset.

“So it could end up as a naval vessel? Huh,” questioned Aiko.

“Stranger things have happened. Though if it were used in the navy, it would likely be in the Coastal Guard to safeguard the coast against invasions. It is a functioning airship, and with some refurbishing could make a decent freight frigate for ferrying supplies,” noted Sunset.

It was their turn to disembark. As they disembarked, they smiled and nodded to the Captain and XO, both nodding and smiling back. “Safe travels, Sirs,” said Sunset as they passed them.

“And to the both of you,” replied the XO.

They stepped off the walkway and onto the dock, then followed the crowd into the port authority. When their paperwork was checked and cleared they exited the port authority, emerging out into the city proper.

“So where to go first? The consulate? Or to the Princesses offices?” asked Aiko.

“Duty first. To the offices to report in. Then, with their leave, to the Consulate to report back on your successful un-rescue,” answered Sunset.

“Un-rescue?” asked Aiko.

“Not sure what to call it. Not really rescue what with the cluster-buck that left you having to do what honor required. You’re not returning to work or your old life. So un-rescue? But still, we need to let the Consulate know what has happened and give your friends some closure. And know as hard as it will be, I have your back. You don’t have to do it alone,” consoled Sunset.

“Yeah, not looking forward to this to be honest. Thanks,” nodded Aiko.

Sunset hailed a cab that took them to the Equestrian governmental offices. Sunset thanked the cap driver, tipping him generously. They entered the building and Sunset approached the receptionist.

“Excuse me. Sunset Shimmer and Aiko Adobaizā, Equestrian Battle Mages, returning from assignment duty abroad and reporting in,” she informed the receptionist.

“One moment. I’ll take you to the director where you can debrief,” she informed them. Ringing up the director’s desk she announced, “The battle mages have returned. I am bringing them up now.” She paused for a moment. “Yes sir, thank you,” she replied into her headset. She then removed her headset and rose from her desk. Another mare trotted over and took her seat as she trotted into the hallway behind her. “The director will see you now. Please follow me,” she called out to them. She led them down the hall then into an elevator that took them directly to the top floor. The doors opened up into a spacious but simple office, with a window overlooking the city and bay. “Please be seated. The director will be back shortly,” she informed them, escorting them to seats before a large mahogany desk. She then left, the elevator doors closing behind her.

A few moments later the director entered through a side door, a conference room visible briefly through the open door where several ponies in suits were collecting notes then leaving through a far door. The director entered his office and closed the door. Nodding to the two of them he rounded the desk, taking his seat behind it.

“Welcome back, Miss Shimmer. I take it this is Miss Adobaizā?” he asked.

“Yes sir, that’s me,” confirmed Aiko.

“Welcome to Equestria, Miis Adobaizā,” replied the director. “I’ve heard you had a rough time during your absence. I’m pleased you were rescued, though I was deeply distressed to hear of your kidnapping.”

“Thank you sir. Yes, though the kidnapping was not the worst of it. But with the help of Sunset here I am back, if not back in my life,” replied Aiko.

The director raised an eyebrow at that. “Can you elaborate? I’m not certain I understand.”

“Sir, permit me to make a brief report. I think that will clear up much of the confusion,” suggested Sunset.

The director nodded so Sunset gave him a terse summary report of the kidnapping, sale to the Yak-uza as an exotic prostitute, drugging and abuse, and eventual rescue. She then reveled her forced ritual suicide and how Sunset had staged the ritual and faked Aiko’s death to satisfy her family honor, protecting her uncle’s position in the government. She also mentioned she had enrolled Aiko in the corps of Equestrian Battle Mages as her protege.

The director’s eyebrows were raised at several points during Sunset’s debrief but he did not interrupt. When she had finished, he sighed.

“Miss Adobaizā? My sincere condolences for your losses and for the hell you endured. Correction, that you both endured,” he turned to Sunset. “I am sure there will be no problems with her enrollment into the Battle Mages, nor with her Equestrian citizenship. I’ll make it my priority to expedite both,” he promised.

"Thank you sir,” both Sunset and Aiko answered.

“I imagine you wish to report back to your Consulate to let them know what’s happened. I’ll inform the Princess as well and let her know to expect you back at the castle this evening,” informed the director.

“Sir, we would like to bring along two of the officers from the ship we returned from Nippony on to meet with the Princess, and to help answer any questions she may have from the latter part of my report. Can we please be sure there is room for the two of them on whatever conveyance we end up using to return to Canterlot?” requested Sunset.

“Okay. What are they? Ponies?” asked the director.

“They’re both Kitsune, sir. Why do you ask?” asked Sunset.

“Kitsune? No problem then. If they were Yaks, I would likely have had to request a second chariot. But the four of you should fit fine in a standard chariot,” explained the director.

Sunset looked relieved. “Oh, of course sir. Thank you.”

The director nodded. “Of course, happy to help. Please report back here at 1600 hours for your flight back to Canterlot. That gives you a few hours to take care of what’s needed at the Nippony Consulate. You’re dismissed,” he smiled, waving them back out of the office. Getting up from his desk he returned to the conference room where another group of suit wearing ponies were gathering.

Sunset and Aiko left the directors office, taking the elevator down to the lobby. They left the government building, heading the few blocks down the street to the Nippony Consulate. A short trot later, they entered the building, following the same procedure they had just completed at the government offices. They were escorted into the Consulate’s offices, and seated before the Consulate.

“Welcome back, Miss Adobaizā,” greeted the Consulate. “I am relieved to see you returned and apparently unharmed.”

“Well, not exactly unharmed, and sadly, not exactly returned,” sighed Aiko.

“Yes, I was warned that was happening, regarding your returning,” agreed the Consulate.

“Sir, permit me to give you a summary report of what has happened, and what we are doing going forward, if I may,” replied Sunset.

“Please, Miss Shimmer. I would be grateful to hear what has happened,” answered the Consulate. Sunset related her summary of the events that had transpired, just as she had to the director earlier.

Nodding in understanding, the Consulate looked sadly at Aiko. “My dear Miss Adobaizā, I am so sorry for what you endured. And I fully understand why you took the steps you did, and why you are joining the Equestrian Battle Mage Corps. Know that your secret is safe with us, and we wish you every success and happiness in your new life. And thank you Miss Shimmer for taking care of our dear Aiko for us.”

“The honor is all mine sir. Aiko is worth every effort and everything we both endured. I am looking forward to serving with her,” replied Sunset.

“You are a true friend, Miss Shimmer. Thank you,” smiled the Consulate. He turned to Aiko. “Aiko, do you wish to see your old friend before you go? Do you want some time to explain to her what has happened, to give her some closure?”

“Yes sir, if that is permissible,” answered Aiko.

“Of course! I will give you my conference room, and complete privacy. One moment, I will have her paged. Go ahead and wait for her in the conference room and I will have her brought in,” said the Consulate. “Miss Shimmer, will you be joining them? Or would you like me to escort you to our lunchroom where you can wait for your friend?”

Aiko answered. “No sir, she is staying with me. She can help me explain some of the more difficult parts of our ordeal to my friend in a way she can understand.”

“Very well then,” replied the Consulate, waving them towards the conference room door on the right side of his office. He placed on a headset, requesting that Aiko’s friend be led up to his conference room for a quick meeting. Sunset and Aiko rose from their chairs and trotted into the conference room, shutting the door for privacy.

“So, are you ready for this Aiko? I’ll let you do the talking, but if you need me to jump in at any point, you don’t even need to ask. Just a look and I will step in,” assured Sunset. Aiko nodded. They sat and waited for her friend to arrive.

The door opened, and a two-tailed Kitsune vixen entered. “Kaede?” asked Aiko happily.

“Aiko!” shouted the vixen, shooting across the room to scoop her missing friend into a hug. “Aiko! It’s really you!'' She chanted and danced happily, crying and hugging her friend. “I was so afraid I would never see you again!” She held onto her friend, crying happily. Aiko smiled and held her back.

“It’s good to see you again too, Kaede. No lie, I was convinced I wasn’t going to make it at several points myself. But, I survived, thanks to my friend Soni! And now I get to visit you again, and let you know I lived. But, I have to tell you, I’m not coming back. I can’t live this life any longer,” related Aiko sadly.

“If it’s from the shock of what you went through, I can totally understand that,” said Kaede through her happy tears. “But that doesn’t have to be forever, right?”

“Kaede honey, have a seat. I need to tell you a few things, so you can understand what happened, and why I can’t come back to work here. Do you need something to drink, some tissues, or anything before I start?” asked Aiko, trying to help her friend get comfortable. Sunset closed the door to the conference room, returned to the table and sat down on the other side of Kaede with a box of tissues, which she passed over. Kaede took them, thanking her, then dried her eyes and cleared her muzzle.

“So what happened, Aiko? You were gone so long? And I was even afraid that I might not see Miss Shimmer here either, after the horrid way she was kidnapped too and disappeared,” asked Kaede.

“I was kidnapped by the same stallion that kidnapped Soni. He placed me into a shipping crate with just enough room to stand with my head bowed, and dropped me onto a schooner that shipped me back over to Nippony to be sold as a slave to work in the brothels. Because I was a three tail, I sold well for them to the Yak-uza, who raped me repeatedly, addicted me to drugs, and placed me in one of their brothels to be used by their customers. I was completely insensate after the initial beatings and rapes due to the drugs, having no idea what was going on around me not where I was. I was completely out of it, just a body to be used and abused.

“Soni got herself sold to the Yak-uza as well, and started working her way through the brothels looking for me. She found me eventually, cleaned and sobered me up, then escaped with me from the brothels. Together, we took on the Yak-uza, and overthrew the corrupt leaders, helping free the prostitute slaves in the brothels and protecting our leash sisters, as we called each other, from being subject to slavery and rape. I could never have done it without Soni, I owe her my life.”

Sunset clarified. “And I could never have done any of it without you, Aiko. You were incredibly brave and heroic all through our campaign, heroically rescuing our sisters and taking on the corrupt leaders of the brothels.”

Aiko smiled. “I had a good teacher. There was no way I could be fearful when you were being so brave.

“So, by the time we were finished, we had liberated the slaves in the brothels, killed the corrupt leaders who were causing the rapes and suffering of our sisters, and given our leash sisters a new hope, free to leave when they wished and free from the fear of rape and abuse.

“However, there was a cost to what I had been through. You know about my family, remember? My Uncle, he is the Secretary to the PM, and an important Tod in the Empire. What had happened to me was a dishonor to my family, and to our family name. To cleanse the family's honor, I had to commit ritual suicide. I’m dead to my life, Kaede. I can’t come back, I killed myself. My family watched me die, and burned my body, scattering my ashes. I have to start a new life, and have chosen to become a Battle Mage, like my friend Soni, who saved my life.”

Kaede looked at Aiko in confusion. “I understand what you are saying, but I don’t get it. If you committed suicide, how are you here?”

Aiko explained. “Soni, she faked my death and cremation. She spirited me away after the funeral, and together we left Nippony behind, and my old life. I am enrolled as an Equestrian Battle Mage now, learning battle magic and fighting against injustices under the Equestrian Princess, by the side of my friend and mentor Soni.”

Sunset placed her frog over Kaede’s paw. “Just because Aiko cannot be a part of her old life, does not mean you cannot keep in touch. If you want to send and receive messages, just send your correspondence to the Princess's Castle, care of me, and I will be sure Aiko receives your letters, and that you receive hers in turn. Also, at some point, you may want to visit. Contact me and I will do what I can to accommodate that as well, though know that it will be in secret, as Aiko has well and truly left behind her old life.”

Kaede nodded. “Thank you, I will surely take you up on both offers.” Sunset smiled and nodded.

She then excused herself, leaving the room to allow the friends some time together. As she passed into the Consulate's office, he looked up from his desk and beckoned her over. “Miss Shimmer, a moment please? Have a seat,” he offered, waving at the chairs before the desk. Sunset bowed and took the proffered seat.

“Yes sir, how can I help you?” she asked.

The Consul replied. “First, thank you again for rescuing our dear Aiko, and helping her family through their sorrow and grief. And for not allowing them the further sorrow of the actual loss of their beloved niece and daughter. I know I am mirroring their sentiments when I say I am happy you have taken her into your service and offered her a life of honor and meritorious work by your side. You truly are a dear friend to her, and we are deeply grateful for what you have done for her.”

“It was an honor, sir. Aiko is a noble and courageous vixen, thinking of others even in the midst of her trials. I was honored to help her, and honored to call her my friend,’ replied Sunset. “And, if you need to contact her for any reason, know that you can always reach me through the Princess, and reach her through me.”

“Noted, and thank you, Miss Shimmer. Do you require anything further from my or my office?” asked the Consul.

“No sir. I just left the room to give Aiko and Kaede time to be together before we leave. We have to catch a chariot back to Canterlot in an hour, so I wanted to give them a chance to properly say their goodbyes for now,” replied Sunset.

“Very good. Okay. Do you know the way to the break room? Or do I need to page an assistant to help you find it? I’ll have Aiko brought to you when they are finished as well, so you can do what you need to do,” clarified the Consul.

“No sir, I know the way. I recall from the last time I was here. Thank you sir.” Sunset rose from the seat, bowed deeply to the Consul, then exited his office, heading down the hall to the breakroom where she made herself a cup of tea and waited at one of the tables for Aiko to finish her goodbyes to her friend Kaede.

Three teas and a trip to the little vixen’s room later, Aiko loped into the break room looking for her. “All set, whenever you’re ready to go,” informed Aiko, sitting down next to her.

Sunset finished off her tea, then rose, taking the cup to the sink, where she washed it and placed it on the rack to dry with the others. “Okay, let’s head back to the docks to let Kōshitsu and Thaddeus know we are ready to leave and pick them up, then we can head back over to the offices and catch our ride.”

“So, elephant in the room time. It’s kind of odd to see a unicorn not using her horn. I know I’ve gotten used to it, because I have been hanging around you for what seems like forever. But it is weird to see a unicorn not using her horn for most things, like you just using your hooves right now to wash and dry that cup. Are you planning on doing that forever, or will they be able to fix your horn?” Aiko asked as they trotted down the hall and into the elevators to return to the lobby.

Sunset sighed as elevator doors closed. “Honestly? I don’t know. I mean, I’d be disappointed if they don’t have some way to repair my horn. But even if that’s true, it’s not the end of the world. I have learned to use my other channels well, and it certainly hasn’t been too much of a limitation so far. No lie I do miss it though. I’ll ask the Princess when I see her, maybe she knows some way to repair the damage that’s been done by epoxying this inhibitor to my horn.”

“Makes sense,” noted Aiko as they left the elevator, crossing through the foyer and out onto the street. They loped towards the docks, heading for the berthing of the Graceful Albatross and their friends.

They spied them both leaning over the railing of the hybrid cruiser, both waving back as they spied them, then leaving the ship and loping up to them. “Hey Aiko, Soni! Everything set? We got leave for the rest of the day and tomorrow. We don’t have to be back until the morning after, when the ship will begin preparing for the return voyage,” stated Kōshitsu.

“Awesome. That should give us a little time to sightsee tomorrow then,” grinned Sunset, hugging them both. “Is that all you’re taking?” she asked, looking at the daybags they both had strung over their backs.

“Yup, packed light just like you suggested,” replied Thaddeus. “Ready to roll.”

“Alright! Let’s head over to the government offices and catch our ride. Ever been on a sky chariot before?” asked Sunset.

“No, but how much different than a ship can it be?” aske Thaddeus. Kōshitsu snickered and Sunset grinned.

“I guess you’ll find out,” laughed Sunset, leading them back to the offices.




Back at the office, the receptionist passed Sunset a packet that was waiting for her at the desk. Sunset opened the packet. “Oh, these are for you, Aiko,” she noted as she read them. “They’re your citizenship papers, and your enrollment paperwork for the Battle Mages.” She stuffed them into her saddlebags. “We can go through them tonight and you can sign anything that’s needed to make them official. So yeah, you’re a legit Equestrian now. Feel any different?” smiled Sunset.

“Right now, every moment feels different,” mused Aiko. “It’s like I am living in a dream.”

“A good one I hope,” smiled Sunset.

“Mostly. Especially now,” smiled Aiko back, shoulder checking her friend. 

They went to the roof for their departure and saw the team responsible for their return waiting for them. To Sunset’s frustration the team was led by the Major.

“Major, it’s been awhile. Good to see you again,” greeted Sunset.

“Shimmer,” she returned the greeting coldly. “The team is ready to go as soon as you and your fellow passengers are secured. Can you help them lash themselves into the chariot, or do you need supervision?”

“No, I got it. Thank you Major, I will get everyone secured,” replied Sunset kindly.

While they were getting secured into the chariot by Sunset, Kōshitsu leaned over and whispered into Sunset’s ear. “What’s with the stick up her plot?” she asked.

“We have some history. I’ll fill you both in later,” whispered Sunset back. Once she had triple checked everyone’s lashings she lashed herself in as well. “Everyone is secured, Major, we are good to go,” confirmed Sunset.

“You’re not going to fall out like you did on our ship, are you?” teased Thaddeus.

The Major turned around looking dead serious. “What’s that?” she asked.

“Nothing, Major. No one is falling from the chariot.” Sunset reassured the Major. She shot a glare at Thaddeus who looked confused. “We’re good to go.”

“Good,” grunted the Major, turning back around and leading her wingmare in a dash off the side of the roof. The chariot lurched, dropped suddenly, then steeply climbed upward as they flew up over the clouds blanketing the city then off, over the hills to the east, heading inland towards Canterlot.

Looking a bit green, Thaddeus held onto the straps, wide eyed as they jostled through and around the storm clouds to emerge above the weather then flattened out their flight. “So, you were asking what’s the difference? That,” teased Sunset. He just nodded, his eyes still wide.




About an hour later they could see the city of Canterlot in the distance, hanging magnificently from the side of the Cantorhorn. Within another twenty minutes they were over the city and coming in for a landing in the castle courtyard. When the chariot had completely stopped, Sunset unlashed herself, then helped her fellow passengers unlash as well. They hopped down from the chariot.

“Thank you Major, we appreciate the lift,” said Sunset.

The Major grunted. “Shimmer.” She barely nodded as the two of them trotted off pulling the chariot to the stable, putting it away for the night and ending their shift.

“Stick. Plot. Wedged. Probably sideways,” smirked Kōshitsu. “You’ll have to tell me what the Tartarus happened that would make someone act like that.”

“Yeah. Short version. We lost the rest of our team on assignment. I was in command, so it was my fault,” sighed Sunset.

“What?” gasped Kōshitsu, the others turning to listen as they trotted towards the castle entrance.

Sunset related briefly how her unit had been surprised by Griffin raiders while she was out on reconnaissance. The raiders had killed her entire command except the Major, who she found barely clinging to life. She related her desperate run to the nearest fort while trying to keep the Major alive with her then limited skills, racing across the countryside, trying desperately to get to the fort before she died of blood loss from her extensive injuries.

“And so for saving her life she hates you that much?” asked Aiko.

“No, for not planning properly and allowing my command to be ambushed and decimated by Griffin raiders, she hates me that much,” corrected Sunset. “And I nearly lost her. Thank Harmony Herself for saving her, it wasn’t my doing. She’s not wrong. I’m the one that messed it all up.”

“You know as well as I do, that’s donkey diddly,” Kōshitsu stated. “You made decisions that may or may not have been the best. But in the field you don’t always have the luxury of the best choices. More often than not you just do the best you can then pray, and work diligently to carry it off with what you’re left with. She needs to pull her head out of her plot, and fast, or she’s going to cause more damage than any poor decision you may have made.”

Sunset sighed. “You’re right, but I can’t fault her for her grief. She doesn’t have this issue with other officers, just me. So I have been avoiding her, limiting our interactions to minimize any fallout.”

“That’s nice that you are trying to be accommodating,” Kōshitsu nodded. “But having been an officer for a while across several commissions, I can tell you that despite your noble intentions you are doing more harm than good. Letting her harbor those feelings and letting her act out like that, you are not doing her or others under her command any favors. You need to nip that seed in the bud, now! You cannot let that continue, or your and her command will fall apart. My kindest advice to you as a fellow officer and friend is to deal with that directly and immediately.”

“Immediately?” asked Sunset, turning to Kōshitsu.

“As in right now! We’ll wait for you in the castle. I’m sure someone can guide us to where we need to go. Go take care of this now, Soni,” counseled Kōshitsu.

Nodding, Sunset moved off towards the barracks the team was heading for having finished securing the chariot for the night.

“Come on, she’ll be fine. Let’s just go find ourselves a Princess,” suggested Kōshitsu, leading them into the castle.




Sunset caught up to the Major and her wingmare as they were entering the barracks. “Major,” she called out.

Looking back over her shoulder, her face darkened. “Shimmer. Something else you need?” she asked coldly, stopping just inside the barracks.

“Yes. I just need a moment of your time,” Sunset stated flatly.

“I’m a bit busy at the moment. Perhaps you can have your Princess schedule some other time when we can chat,” said the Major as she turned back around to leave.

“Major! You will not trot away when you are being addressed by a ranking officer!” snapped Sunset.

“Excuse me? I don’t see any ranking officers here. Just want-to-be pleb who got her unit slaughtered!” the Major snapped back, wheeling around.

“Uh, ma’am?” nervously said the mare with him. “What are you doing, ma’am?”

“You’re dismissed, private! Go file your reports then get some grub! You’re done here,” the Major barked.

“Yes ma’am!” she hurriedly scurried off trotting briskly down the hallway away from the angry pair of senior ponies.

“Something on your mind, Major? Feel like you have something to say?” challenged Sunset, facing off against the Major.

“You bet I have something to say, you no account waste of fur!” shouted the Major. “You think you’re fit to command? You think I want any guard under my command working under you? Just so I can watch you kill off more of my ponies!? Like hell if I let you get any more of my ponies slaughtered, you pretentious piece of filth!”

Sunset growled. “Major, I have tried to cut you slack on account of what you’ve suffered, but you are insubordinate, and I cannot let that stand. The next word out of your mouth will be "I am sorry, ma’am“ or I will personally haul your feathered flank into the stockade!” Sunset shouted.

“Buck you!” shouted the Major spinning around to leave.

“I did not dismiss you!” roared Sunset, reaching out and touching her muzzle as she tried to pass. She dropped to the floor like a pile of wet rags.




When the Major woke she found himself in the brig, a pitcher of water on a table next to his bed with a cup of sweetened tea and a loaf of bread.

“Buck me,” she sighed, sitting up and resting her face in her forehooves.




Sunset found her friends in one of the Princesses’ private conference rooms still waiting for the Princess.

“So did you get things taken care of?” asked Kōshitsu.

“It could have gone better,” sighed Sunset as she sat down between Kōshitsu and Aiko, who had moved over to give her a spot when she entered. “I confronted her. She was insubordinate. I reprimanded her. She was outraged. So I knocked her out and stuck her in the brig, where I left her locked up with some bread, water, and tea for when she comes too.”

“Damn mare! You knocked her out? Not exactly what I had in mind when I said to manage it. What happened?” asked Kōshitsu.

“She lost it. I had to drop her before she embarrassed herself and my command with the scene she was making. I hope a little cooling off and the reality check will help her reevaluate her choices. Then we’ll try having a more productive conversation,” answered Sunset.

Kōshitsu laughed. “Remind me not to piss you off.”

Sunset grimaced and smirked. “Don’t piss me off. Or better, if you do, be blunt about why you did it then help me dial back my response. Thanks Kōshitsu.”

The door opened and Twilight and Cadance entered followed by the Princess. Seeing her, Twilight shot over to Sunset, pulling her into a hug.

“We missed you!” she sniffled, hugging her tightly. Sunset hugged back, scruffing her mane.

“I missed you too, sis,” she smiled while rubbing her back. “I’m so glad to be back.”

Cadance and Celestia beamed watching their reunion.

“We all missed you, Sunbeam. Welcome home,” Celestia grinned. Turning to the others, she smiled. “And welcome to you also! Any friend of my little Sunbeam is a friend of mine. Welcome to Equestria!” She sat at the head of the table. A housekeeper wheeled in a tray with cake and tea and proceeded to serve them.

“Thanks Mom,” said Sunset, still holding tightly to Twilight. “It’s good to be back.” She turned to her friends. “Mom, allow me to introduce you to my friends.

With a final nuzzle she let go of Twilight, placing a hoof on Aiko’s shoulder. “Mom, this is Aiko Adobaizā. She’s the vixen who was kidnapped from the Nippony Consulate in Manehattan. She’s my companion now, enrolled as a battle mage and under my tutelage. I’ve also enrolled her as an Equestrian Citizen.

Celestia’s eyebrow went up as Sunset continued. “I’ll tell you all about it. And these two are officers on the Yūgana Ahōdori - The Graceful Albatross. Kōshitsu Kinzoku Hana is the First Officer of Engineering, and Thaddeus Flavius is one of her Journeymen First Class. Thaddeus was actually born in Equestria.”

Thaddeus grinned. “The Old Ponish name usually gives that away,” he laughed. Princess Celestia smiled and nodded.

“Aiko and I met these two on the Graceful Albatross. They helped us defeat a band of sky pirates when they took over the ship,” added Sunset. “And now we’re friends. See, I can make friends!” laughed Sunset.

“I always knew you could Sunbeam,” laughed Princess Celestia. “You just had to decide it was important enough to want them.”

Sunset grinned. “I always had friends, Mom. I had you.” She sat back, looking around the table with a happy smile. “And last, but not least, Aiko, Kōshitsu, Thaddeus, I would like to introduce you to my sisters in tutelage. The little purple squirt is Twilight Sparkle”, said Sunset, giving her sister a little hug as she squirmed. “And the princess next to her is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, also known as Princess Cadance.”

Cadance grinned. “Please just call me Cadance,” she blushed.

“Pleased to meet you both. And sure thing Cadance,” greeted Aiko. Thaddeus and Kōshitsu bowed and smiled in greeting as well.

“So, with introductions made, I’d like to debrief you on what happened. Twilight, some of this I think you are too young to hear, so I may need to cover your ears. I don’t want to corrupt my adorable little sister,” she teased, holding her hooves over Twilight’s ears.

“Hey! Knock that off,” squeaked Twilight, twisting out of Sunsets' hold to sit on Aiko’s lap while pouting at her sister. “I’m plenty old enough to know about what happens when you go on an assignment. Stop it.”

“If you say so,” nodded Sunset. “If you get any nightmares from it though, tell me and I’ll hold you until they go away,” smiled Sunset, reaching over and smoothing her sister's mane. Twilight blushed and nodded.

“Okay, this will take awhile. We should all have some cake and tea, then I’ll begin,” stated Sunset, the housekeeper poured more tea for them all while they enjoyed their cake.




Sunset finished her report. Princess Celestia sat silently for a few moments digesting what she had heard. She got up, trotted over to Sunset and pulled her into a gentle hug.

“Sunset, I want to say how happy I am that you returned and survived everything you just related, and even more how delighted I am to meet your friends, especially Aiko. I ‘m delighted you were able to find and rescue her after all she has been through,” said Celestia,. Releasing Sunset she hugged Aiko as well, then returned to her seat.

“That said, I have a few comments and suggestions based on what you’ve reported. Sunset, you are a brave and courageous mare. Not many would have the tenacity, bravery, or fortitude to endure what you did to save your friend. But, I am concerned that at several points you showed a distinct lack of reluctance in the taking of other lives.

“I am not saying you were wrong or in any way implying that you shouldn't have done so. In combat we are often faced with circumstances where taking the life of another is our only reasonable choice. You were in combat, where not just your life was on the line but the lives of others you were protecting. For those reasons I beg you to take this correction in the spirit it was intended. Not as a rebuke, but as gentle advice from somepony who cares for you, and doesn't want to see you make some of the same mistakes she did.

“While you should never hesitate to do what you must in the heat of battle, sometimes it’s better to capture than to kill. Several times in the tale you just told me, you did exactly that and it does my heart good to hear it. Mercy is always the best choice when it’s an option. What you did with those bandits and with the ronin when you first dealt with them, that warms my heart.

“And during your efforts to save yourselves and fellow shipmates from the pirates that attacked, murdered, and took captive the guests and crew of your ship, you really had no choice but to dispatch them as quietly and efficiently as possible if you wanted to successfully overcome them.

“Except that last group. You had them knocked out. They were completely at your mercy. You had available cells you could have used just below decks, admittedly full of prisoners about to be released. You could have put them all into a cell and let the prisoners free. But instead, you pitched them all over the deck rails and into the sea. Why? Why did you not spare their lives and take them prisoner?”

Sunset looked troubled while thinking about what she’d done. She looked up at the Princess then answered. “I see what you mean. At that point, my only thoughts were to keep a low profile, and as part of that I wanted the Captain and his XO to be the ones that liberated the imprisoned passengers and crew. But I had already been a very visible and active part in the liberation of the passengers in the dining hall. They had already seen my and Aiko’s part in that battle. And my part was admittedly hard to miss. I’m not bragging, but flames over half the room do tend to be noticed. So clearly my thinking was flawed at that point. There was no harm if I had just set the prisoners free and taken the last of the crew captive. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

“My dear Sunbeam, there is nothing to be sorry for,” smiled the Princess, stepping forward and placing a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “You made a call in the midst of battle and saved the lives of many of your fellow passengers and crew. You didn’t make a mistake. You just missed an opportunity to show mercy where you could have. Call it a learning experience. Never hesitate in your actions, but always tend towards mercy where and when you can.

“You were ruthless when you needed to be. You ended without hesitation the predations of a horrid killer. You terminated the yak-uza bosses and underlings when they tried to kill you without hesitation or remorse. You have a reputation that I whole-heartedly approve of, one that earned you the nickname pony-oni. A fearsome reputation is actually a great boon to a warrior. It lets your opponents know before they face you in battle, they are better off not opposing you. In that you have done well in my estimations. Well done my dear student.

“There is one other topic I need to raise. I must warn you about vengeance. As a creature of harmony I know it’s not something you would normally think of, as vengeance is antithetical to harmony, even more so than discord. But as your quests take you to other lands you will be faced with it soon enough, if you have not had to face it already.

“Vengeance has no part in harmony. As an Equestrian Mage and a Creature of Harmony, you should have no truck with vengeance. The Maker Herself has warned us through Her countless teachings that those who take up the cause of vengeance have laid down Her cause, and made strangers of themselves to Her. We do what is right and fight for what is just. But we must never allow ourselves to take up the cause of vengeance.

“If another has insulted us it’s right to correct them, and to inform them they’ve given us a slight. All are endowed with the dignity of life by the Maker, and are worthy of respect. But having informed the other of the slight, offering your correction in the spirit of love and friendship, that must be the end of it. If the other continues to slight us we may avoid them, but we cannot avenge ourselves on them. Our dignity is not so important that we should slight our Maker. She loves us even in our imperfections, so we must tolerate the imperfections of others, accepting with humility others' slights just as our Maker accepts our own in Her Love.

“If the offense is not just a slight, but an actual injury? We’re justified in defending ourselves and protecting those in our care, but not in returning the injury, not in visiting the consequences we decide on others for their actions against us. We defend ourselves. We defend those we protect. But we do not take vengeance on those who’ve hurt us.

“There is one exception to this and one only. The state may demand certain restitutions for injury, or war, from other states or individuals. These judgments often look like vengeance. But the state exists for the protection of its citizens and must balance its actions in the world that surrounds it. Prosecuting a just war may seem vengeance but it often is the only recourse to protect the state and its citizens. But if the judgment is vengeance, woe to the head that wears the crown, for she who makes that decision will not impress her Maker. Better to do nothing than to prosecute a war of vengeance.

“So, never avenge yourselves or those you protect. As the sword of the state, punish what the state proscribes. Protect what the state cherishes. And protect yourselves. But never avenge.” Celestia looked not just to Sunset but to Aiko, Twilight, and Cadance as well. She wanted them all to hear this.

Twilight watched with eyes wide, drinking in everything she heard. Looking thoughtful, Cadence nodded slowly while thinking of her own experiences facing the witch when she earned her horn. Aiko nodded as well, recognizing the wisdom in the Princesses’ words.

Sunset bowed her head, reflecting on her choices.




Sunset sipped her tea, her cup held in her telekinesis as she looked over the table, watching everyone quietly discuss her report and the Princesses’ reply. Celetia looked over, watching her drink.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” snarked Sunset.

Celestia grinned. “Yes, you’re back. Sunbeam, as much as I like fancy jewelry, what’s up with your horn?”

“Yeah, that,” Sunset sighed. “It’s an inhibitor ring. My owners thought it should look pretty so it wouldn’t scare off the clients. It’s permanently a part of my horn now because the plotholes epoxied it on, and the resin worked its way into the keratin. I’m not sure I can even remove it without permanently damaging my horn.”

“Yet you’re still using your magic,” noted Celestia.

“Yeah, it’s something Twilight and I learned. Magic can be cast through any of the tribe's channels, not just horns. It’s extremely inefficient, and not easy. But, it’s what I have to do now and I’ve certainly had lots of practice,” quipped Sunset.

Rising from her chair Celestia trotted over and examined Sunset’s horn. Her crimson glow engulfed Sunset’s horn while she examined the ring and its bond. Sunset squirmed slightly. “Mom, I can feel that. It, uh, tingles,” she blushed.

“That’s good! It means that the nerves and mana channels are still functioning”, encouraged the Princess. “I see what you mean about the epoxy. They clearly intended this to never come off. I’ll check with our medical staff, maybe they can come up with something. If nothing else though I can remove the iron from the ring and at least remove the inhibitor. That should help considerably. Though removing the ring might weaken the keratin beneath it given the way they did this.” Celestia groaned. “Just seeing this on you makes me want to geld someone,” she seethed.

“I can relate,” mused Sunset. “If I’d known just how badly this was going to mess up my horn I might have fought them on it.”

“Live and learn, Sunbeam. But you overcame it and I am proud of you,” noted Celestia, continuing to examine her horn. “I’ll speak with the doctors. Maybe we can find something to try this evening. In the meantime, I’m sure Twilight and Cadance would love to join you in showing your friends their rooms and having a little bonding time. Welcome back, my little Sunbeam.” Celestia gave her a hug and a smile.

“We’re done here girls. Welcome to Equestria! And welcome back, Sunbeam. We’ll all meet back for dinner. I have some affairs I need to attend to so I’ll see you all then!” With that Celestia nodded and left.

“Wow! Princess Celestia really does act like your mom!” grinned Aiko. “You’re so lucky!”

“Yeah, she’s just like that. She loves everyone,” agreed Sunset. “So, let’s go see your rooms.” Sunset led them all out, and down the hall towards her, Twilight, and Cadance’s rooms. When they were in the residential hall, she led them into her room.

“Welcome to Casa de Sunset!” greeted Sunset with a grin. “We hang out here a lot, but Twilight and Candance’s rooms are right down the hall. I suspect yours are as well. Let’s ring for service and find out.” She pulled a small cord near the door, and a moment later one of the maids appeared.

“Welcome back, Miss Shimmer. How can I help you?” she asked.

Sunset smiled. “These two friends of mine will be staying for the night, and need a room. Are there rooms available for them? Also, my friend Aiko here has enlisted as a Battle Mage, and will be training and living with us from now on, so she needs a permanent room close by, if you can please accommodate that.”

“Of course. I will arrange that immediately,” the maid replied, leaving the room. Aiko, Kōshitsu, and Thaddeus looked around the room, admiring the finery.

“What’s in here?” asked Kōshitsu, pointing to the door at the side of the room.

“That’s the water closet. Baths, bidets, and beyond. Seriously, it has a bath large enough for all of us, two bidets in stalls, and two sinks with full mirrors. And enough counter space for three mares worth of cosmetics and creams, as we can vouch for from experience. Go ahead and take a look if you want,” answered Sunset.

Kōshitsu opened the door and walked in, so Aiko, Thaddeus, and the rest followed. Wow,” said Kōshitsu. “This is even more opulent than the most refined suite on the 優雅なアホウドリ (Yūgana ahōdori - The Graceful Albatross).”

“Well, it is a suite in the Palace,” grinned Sunset. “Can do a lot more in a palace than you can in an airship.”

“Still though, wow,” restated Kōshitsu. “So, when we do we try out that pond?”

Sunset laughed. “We can try out the tub after dinner if you want. It would be nice to take a soak.” Everyone agreed, even Thaddeus, so it was decided. They returned to the suite, then drifted out to the balcony.

“Okay, even this is huge. You could berth an airship off this,” noted Thaddeus.

“I’m pretty sure Princess Celestia would frown on that,” smirked Sunset. “But if you want to test it we could sneak your ship up here.”

“Yeah, pass on that,” laughed Kōshitsu. “I like my job. That would be an instant career ender.”

“Maybe we could try buying the pirate ship that we captured and dock it here,” smirked Aiko.

Sunset turned to her. “Hmm…”

“I was just kidding! I just got here, don’t make the Princess mad at me on the first day,” Aiko laughed.

Kōshitsu and Thaddeus laughed as well. “I can totally picture that,” grinned Kōshitsu.

“Don’t encourage her,” laughed Aiko. “She gets into enough trouble on her own.”

The maid returned, calling out to them. “Miss Shimmer, your guests' rooms are ready. Please, would you all come with me,” she informed them. They returned to the room and followed her out and down the hall.

“Hey, that’s my room,” said Twilight, pointing to the room next to Sunset’s.

“And that’s mine,” stated Cadance, pointing across the hall.

“And this room will be yours, Miss Aiko,” stated the maid, opening the door of the room next to Cadance’s.

Aiko poked her head in. “Hey, it looks just like yours does,” she noted to Sunset.

“Yeah, they’re all very similar. You have to personalize them if you want them to look much different,” noted Twilight.

And these will be your rooms,” noted the maid, opening the next two doors. Kōshitsu and Thaddeus each quickly picked one of the rooms and put their stuff inside, returning to the hall with the group.

“If that is all, it’s almost time for dinner. If you would be so kind, please join the Princess in her private dining hall.” stated the maid as she led them out of the residential wing towards the Princesses quarters.

“So, where is the Princess’s dining hall?” asked Aiko as they followed.

“It’s where we usually all eat together. It’s near the kitchens on the far side of the Princess’s wing. It’s actually not too far from our quarters, which is uncommon in the castle. I’ve been all through it and I can vouch for the rumor that it really is as large and complex as some small cities. There’s levels here I bet most ponies never even thought of,” answered Sunset.

“Wow, you’ve been all over the castle and it’s really that complex? How’d you manage that?” asked Thaddeus.

Hearing that, the maid chuckled quietly. Sunset groaned.

Aiko grinned on seeing her friend's reaction. “Why am I not surprised? You have a reputation for sneaking around, right? I’m shocked!” she laughed sarcastically.

“I like knowing things. What can I say, I’m a curious mare,” stated Sunset imperiously.

“You are definitely the most curious mare I’ve ever met,” agreed Aiko, smirking.

“I’m not sure that was a complement,” noted Sunset with a grin.

“Oh no, it definitely was,” confirmed Aiko, still smirking.

Cadance laughed at them both. “Sunset, I think you’ve finally met your match,” she grinned.

“Yes, she has,” agreed Aiko. Sunset joined their laughter.

Several moments later they entered the dining room, taking seats to wait for the Princess.
> 21 - Aiko - Welcome to Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia entered the dining room and took her seat. One of the palace maids entered behind her with a tray containing the salads and soups for their dinner and served them.  Sunset once again took both.  Celestia let them in a quick moment of thanksgiving before eating.  “So, Sunbeam, what are your plans for tomorrow?” she asked Sunset.

“I was hoping after our breakfast, I could take Twilight and Cadance out and we could show Aiko, Kōshitsu and Thaddeus the sites of Canterlot.  Then maybe have an early dinner before Kōshitsu and Thaddeus have to take a chariot back to Manehattan to join their ship for departure to Japony,” Sunset answered.  Cadance and Twilight nodded in happy agreement.

“I don’t see why not,” agreed Celestia.

Sunset groaned. “Oh yeah, and I need to take care of Major Tailwind.”

“What?  Was she hurt?” asked Celestia.

“No. Well, not physically. She was insubordinate, so I had to put her in the brig,” sighed Sunset.

Celestia frowned. “Sunset, please tell me you didn’t put one of your junior officers in jail because they didn’t properly give you the respect you wanted.”

“Hold on!  Hold on, it wasn’t like that,” interrupted Kōshitsu.  “I saw the whole thing, and your student here was trying very hard to ignore the disrespect and give the officer the benefit of the doubt.  She just dismissed her. I was the one that told her she couldn’t let that stand.  She didn’t put her in jail because she offended her.  She did it to snap her out of insubordinate behavior that was clearly scandalizing her reports and detrimental to her and Sunny’s command.  If she kept that up, eventually it would have come out in a crisis or combat situation and lives would have been lost, or at the very least affected from it.  Sunny did that filly a favor, not a disservice.”

“Oh,” said Celestia. “I see.”  She turned to Sunset. “I’m pleased that you took care of the situation then.  How long is the Major incarcerated for?”

“Not long I hope.  I plan on seeing her tomorrow, discussing her future in the corps and what she plans to do with herself. I’m hoping that the reality check of sitting in a cell overnight will snap her out of whatever resentment is curdling her thoughts and she will get some help.  I was going to order her to therapy, with the understanding that if she takes care of the issue, there would be no permanent ramifications to her record,” explained Sunset.

Celestia smiled. “Fair and direct.  Well done, Sunbeam. Let me know how it turns out.”

“Thanks, mom,” smiled Sunset.  Turning to Kōshitsu, she added, “And thanks Kōshitsu for calling me on that.  You were right.”

Kōshitsu smiled.  “Always happy to help out a fellow officer.”

Sunset turned to Twilight.  “Hey Twilight, guess what I got to play with on the trip back?  The Albatross has a Stratos Engine.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “You got to use a Stratos engine?  You got to play with magi-tech?  Is it still there?  Can we go see it tomorrow?”  She turned to Kōshitsu and Thaddeus.  “Can we go see it tomorrow?”

“I don’t think so, Twilight.  That would be incredibly rude to our guests. They came all the way to Canterlot to see the sites with us, we shouldn’t make them head home early just to show us their ship,” stated Sunset.  Twilight frowned.

“Okay, I was teasing, a bit.  I didn’t get to play with it. But, I did get to study it while Kōshitsu and Thaddeus used it.  And they let me read through the manuals.  It was pretty cool,” relented Sunset.

“If you want, we’d be happy to answer any questions you had,” smiled Kōshitsu.  Twilight grinned and nodded.

“So, I guess you’re spending the night with Twilight then.  I don’t think she’ll run out of questions for you until tomorrow morning,” teased Sunset.

Twilight frowned and smacked Sunset on her flank. “I’m not that bad!” she groused.

“Who said that was bad?” grinned Sunset, ruffling her mane.  Twilight smacked her hoof away, but grinned.

“So what are you girls doing tonight?” grinned Celestia.  “Anything I should be concerned about?  It’s been so quiet and calm since you left,” Celestia snarked.

“Nah, nothing much.  Twilight is going to ask Kōshitsu and Thaddeus some questions while we eat some cake, then we will watch the stars as we fall asleep,” said Sunset, grinning.

“Cake?  That sounds nice.  So you found a place that has decent cake that caters?” Celestia asked, eyebrows raised.

“Oh, it’s the best!  But they don’t deliver. It’s more self-serve,” grinned Sunset.

“Sunbeam, stay out of my cake vault,” grinned Celestia.

“Cake vault?  What’s that?” laughed Sunset.

“Filly, you better behave yourself. I’m watching you!” grinned Celestia.

“Oh, I’m always behaving, just ask me!” stated Sunset with an angelic look upwards.  Celestia rolled her eyes and laughed.

Aiko smirked watching them both.






After dinner, they said goodnight to the Princess and headed back to their rooms.

“Give us a minute to freshen up, then we’ll join you in your room,” stated Kōshitsu.  She and Thaddeus went to their rooms.

“Okay fillies, ready to give our guests a night they’ll remember?” laughed Sunset as she led Twilight and Cadance into her room.

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “Are we not going to talk about the Stratos drive?”

“Oh yeah, we promised that.  But, we also promised cake.  And I have to swing by and get it.  I wonder if they would like to be part of that,” grinned Sunset.

“And she’s back,” smirked Cadance with a bump and a grin.  “It was so quiet without you.”

“So I heard,” Sunset grinned back. “It’s so good to be back. I missed you fillies so much.” She hugged them both.  “Okay, so cake first.  And then Aiko, we should show them how we did so much of our traveling in Nippony.”  Aiko laughed and groaned.

“What, you want us to walk around at night?” asked Twilight.

“We walked a lot.  But that’s not what your sister’s talking about,” agreed Aiko.

“What then?” asked Twilight, confused.

“We rode,” smirked Sunset.  Twilight looked even more confused.

“We rode on clouds,” clarified Aiko.

“Nice!” nodded Cadance.

“It was, wasn’t it?” agreed Sunset, nodding and smiling at Aiko.  “I know it wouldn’t be a new experience for you Cadance, but for Twilight, Kōshitsu and Thaddeus, it probably is.”

“It was certainly a surprise for me the first time we did it. I kept waiting for the spell to break or something and we’d go crashing down into the hills below us.  Vixens were not meant to fly,” Aiko laughed.

“Then whoever didn’t mean for us to fly clearly overlooked something,” commented Sunset.

“So you fly now?” asked Cadance.

“More like fall with style,” teased Aiko.  Sunset scowled, then hip checked her friend with a laugh.

“It’s a work in progress.  No, I teleport then drop like a rock.  But as long as there is a cloud beneath me, and I have the cloud-walking spell cast, all good,” Sunset explained.

The three mares and vixen washed up and climbed up into Sunset’s bed waiting for their friends.  A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“Come on in!” called out Sunset.  Kōshitsu opened the door, and her and Thaddeus entered, closing it behind them.

“So what’s the plan,” asked Kōshitsu as they sat on the end of the bed next to the rest of them.

“Pantry raid!” Sunset grinned.

“Really, what are you, five?” asked Kōshitsu with a smirk.

“I’m seven and a half,” replied Twilight, looking confused.

Cadance and Sunset both burst out laughing.  “No, she means we’re acting like foals,” she explained to Twilight.

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Twilight.

“Absolutely nothing,” agreed Sunset, ruffling her mane.  Twilight knocked her hoof away with a grin.

“Seriously, you want us to go on a pantry raid?  We just ate,” laughed Kōshitsu.

“Ah, but we didn’t eat cake.  We need some cake for the question session and evening.  And maybe a few drinks too,” said Sunset.

“It really is good cake,” agreed Twilight.

“And we should get some drinks too, definitely.  And some chips while we’re there,” agreed Cadance.

“Settled then!  Everyone around me, put a hoof or paw on me if you want to come along!” sang out Sunset.  Kōshitsu and Thaddeus scrambled up onto the bed with them placing a paw on Sunset with Cadance, Aiko and Twilight.  In a teal flash they disappeared…






They appeared in Princess Celestia’s cake vault in the kitchen pantry.

“We should let our guests pick tonight.  It’s their first time,” suggested Twilight.

“Good call, squirt.  Hey, why don’t you and Cadance go grab the rest of the snacks and drinks, and I’ll meet you back in our room?” suggested Sunset.

“Okay!” agreed Twilight. She hugged Cadance and they disappeared in a lavender flash.

Sunset turned to her friends.  “Okay, Let me know what you want, then we’ll snag it and make our escape.”

They looked around, eventually picking out a heavily frosted strawberry chocolate cake which Sunset levitated down for them.  Sunset passed it to Aiko as the cake vault door opened and Celestia stepped in.

“Why are the lights on?” she wondered out loud, then looked over and saw Sunset, the cake, and her friends.  “Sunset Shimmer!” she called out.

“Gotta go!  Bye mom!” Sunset called out as she scooped her Kitsune friends into a panicked hug and disappeared, cake and all, in a flash of teal.

Celestia laughed and shook her head.  “Sunset Shimmer, what am I going to do with you?”






In a teal flash they appeared back on Sunset’s bed, Aiko still holding the cake.

“Cloud-walking spell, now!”  In three consecutive flashes, Aiko, Kōshitsu and Thaddeus were bathed in a teal glow.  Cadance and Twilight appeared in a flash of violet, bags of chips and drinks levitated above them as they hopped up on the bed with the others.

“Okay good, we’re all here!  Let’s go before Mom gets here!” Sunset called out as she scooped them all up. They immediately disappeared in a flash of teal.

And appeared directly above a cloud floating a ways out from their bedroom patio, dropping down onto it.

Except Twilight and their snacks, which dropped right through, Twilight’s scream fading as she plummeted.

“Buck me!” yelled Sunset as she immediately popped away.

And appeared just under the cloud, scanning the sky beneath her as she fell.  Honing in on the sound of the terrified screams she saw Twilight spinning towards the ground, both bags slightly above her.  Sunset teleported again.

Coming in just under Twilight who dropped down onto her back, scrambling and clutching tightly to her neck, forelegs wrapped tightly.

“You jerk!  You dropped me!  You knew I wasn’t ready and you didn’t even let me put the spell on and you dropped me! I hate you!  Jerk!” she screamed into Sunset’s ears.

“I am so sorry Twilight!  Hold on, grab the bags, I’ll get us back up with our friends,” apologized Sunset.

“I never let go of the bags, jerk!  I’m still holding them, because I don’t drop ponies or things!” Twilight answered.

“Okay. Oh crud, gotta go now, almost to the ground!” Sunset noticed. With a teal flash, they disappeared, reappearing over the cloud again, dropping onto it.  Kōshitsu and Thaddeus took the bags while Twilight applied the cloud-walking spell to herself then hopped down onto the cloud.

“Jerk!” she smacked Sunset in the flank.

“Bacca!” Sunset sighed in agreement.  She reached over and pulled her little sister into a tight hug.  “Don’t ever scare me like that again!  Next time something horrible like that happens, remember what I taught you.  Emergency teleport.  Use that bone on your head and get yourself out of trouble.  That was very brave of you to hold onto the snacks, but I would rather lose the snacks than you.”  She squeezed Twilight tight.

“You wouldn’t have lost me if you just waited a moment and let me cast the spell first,” groused Twilight.

“I know, you’re right. I was in too much of a hurry. I shouldn’t have assumed you already had it covered.  That was my bad.  I’m just glad you're safe,” Sunset said.

Twilight grumbled, then reached out and hugged Sunset back. “Thanks for saving me,” she mumbled.

“Always, Twilight.  That’s what sisters are for,” she hugged her back.

Sunset applied the could-walking spell to the cake plate and the snack bags, then Aiko smoothed out part of the cloud and set the cake down.  Kōshitsu and Thaddeus gathered around setting the bags down.

“So tradition is we just dig in, cavepony style, and eat it.  Guests first, dig in!” Sunset encouraged.

Aiko stuck a paw in, scooping out a portion and eating it.  Kōshitsu and Thaddeus copied her enjoying the silliness.  Cadance and Twilight both took a turn then Sunset helped herself.  Everyone got a few delicious scoops of the cake, then it was gone. Sunset teleported the cake plate back to their room to deal with later.

The cake finished, Twilight spoke up. “So, now we talk about the Stratos Drive?” she asked hopefully.

Sunset was looking out over the horizon towards the distant coast.  “Hey, how do you all feel about a little late night trip?” she asked.

“Huh?” asked Twilight. “But what about the Stratos Drive?”

“I’m seeing a nice cloud-front stretching all the way to the coast.  We could cloud hop all the way there and actually see the drive instead of just talking about it,” responded Sunset.

Aiko laughed. “I swear you're crazy.  Only you would seriously suggest that.”

“Wouldn’t that take us hours to get there?” asked Kōshitsu.

“I think I could pull it off in like 50 or so teleports.  It would only take like 30 minutes tops,” mused Sunset.

“You really are crazy,” groaned Aiko.  “Yeah, count me in.  And how are we going to get back, same way?”

“Maybe?” answered Sunset. “I guess we’ll figure that out when we get there.”

Aiko grinned, giving her friend a suspicious look.  “And you aren’t thinking at all about a pirate schooner sitting at the docks, like we talked about earlier?”

“Hmm… maybe?” smirked Sunset.

“Yeah, the truth comes out.  I’m still in, and you're still a brat,” grinned Aiko.

“We can go see the drive?  And a real live pirate ship?  I’m in!” bounced Twilight happily.

“Sounds fun to me, count me in,” agreed Cadance.

“Not sure how we’ll get permission from the XO this late at night, but sure, why not?” stated Kōshitsu.  Thaddeus grinned.

“So road… er, cloud trip!” called out Sunset. “Okay, someone grab the snacks, Everyone put a hoof or paw on me, and we’ll get this started.  And as we get to each cloud, form up quick and as soon as everyone has a grip on me, we’ll pop off to the next one.  Off we go!”

Aiko grabbed the snacks, looping the bags over her shoulders, then everyone grabbed hold of Sunset.  In a flash of teal, they disappeared.






About forty minutes later, they were in a cloud over the harbor looking down on the Graceful Albatross.

“There she is!” smiled Sunset.  “Quite a beauty, isn’t she?”

“I’d like to think so,” agreed Kōshitsu.

“Okay, two more teleports and we’re in.  Everyone grab hold again!” called out Sunset.  They did, disappearing again.

And appeared on the deck of the Graceful Albatross. “Grab hold, quick!” whispered Sunset.  When they did she teleported again.

Appearing in the engineering room with the Stratos drive.  Twilight’s eyes grew big as saucers.  “Wow!  It’s so big!”

“It has to be to hold the power it needs to levitate the ship and accelerate it through the atmosphere,” stated Kōshitsu.  “This is state of the art magi-tech, powered by liquid rainbows.”

“And having seen it in action during an actual aerial naval battle, I can say it’s every bit as impressive as it looks,” agreed Sunset.

Kōshitsu took Twilight aside, bringing her over to the engine while giving her a tour of its features and abilities.  Twilight was grinning ear to ear, nodding happily while writing everything down on a scroll she pulled from her saddlebag.  Aiko and Thaddeus put out the snacks while they watched.

Helping herself to a handful of chips, Sunset telekinetically grabbed one of the soda bottles and poured everyone something to drink using the travel cups they had brought with the sodas.  Aiko and Thaddeus each took one with thanks.

A while later, Kōshitsu took a break from the questions, leading Twilight over to enjoy some of the snacks and drinks.  “So, Twilight, is it as cool as you thought?” asked Sunset.

“Better!” answered Twilight, chips falling from her muzzle.  She chugged down her soda, then turned back to Kōshitsu.  “So can we take a tour of the ship?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.  Let’s finish our snacks, then I’ll give you a walking tour,” agreed Kōshitsu.

They finished off the snacks and soda, then Sunset cleaned up the area, cleaning the travel cups and folding all the empty snack and travel bags, stowing them all in her saddle bag.  They followed Kōshitsu out as she led them on the tour.

She showed them the rest of the engineering area, briefly describing the functions of each device and answering any questions. Then she moved on to the crew's quarters, showing everyone her berth and office, the mess hall and galley.

From there, it was a quick tour of the passenger area, including a tour of the stateroom that Sunset and Aiko had stayed in.  Then they headed towards the bridge.

Knocking on the entryway, Kōshitsu stepped in. “Permission to enter?” she asked.

The XO looked up from her watch in the command seat. “Hi Kōshitsu!  I heard you were sighted back.  What’s up?  Come on in.”

“I brought some guests, and wanted to give them a tour of our ship.  May they enter too?” Kōshitsu asked.

“Bring them in!” smiled the XO.

Aiko, Twilight, Thaddeus, and Cadance followed Kōshitsu in, with Sunset bringing up the rear.

“Hi XO!  Sorry to bother you so late,” greeted Sunset.  “These are my fellow students, Twilight Sparkle and Cadance.”

The XO caught sight of Cadance. “Ah, so you’re the new Princess I’ve been hearing so much about,” she grinned. “Welcome aboard the Graceful Albatross.  Glad to meet you,” she nodded.

“Thank you,” smiled Cadance, grateful for the informal attitude.  They all gathered around while Kōshitsu led them on a tour of the bridge.  While they were taking the tour, Sunset trotted over and had a brief discussion with the XO.  She nodded in agreement with what Sunset was proposing.  Sunset bowed in thanks, then rejoined her friends.

“So what was all that about?” asked Aiko with a smirk.

“Exactly what you think,” smirked Sunset back.  “I was arranging our ride back to Canterlot.”

“And you are going to make a certain little filly extremely happy,” grinned Aiko.

“Don’t I know it,” agreed Sunset grinning back.

When the tour was over, they thanked the XO, then all left the ship, walking up to the deck and leaving by the walkway rigged to the dock.  “So where are we going next?” asked Twilight.

“I seem to recall somepony saying she wanted to see a real live pirate ship?” commented Sunset.

“Yes! I do!” bounced Twilight excitedly.

“It just so happens one of those is docked nearby, and I got permission to board it from the XO.  Feel like extending our field trip?” grinned Sunset.

“Yay!” called out Twilight. “Where is it?” She looked around excitedly.

“Follow me,”encouraged Kōshitsu, leading them down the docks to the pirate ship.  She had a brief discussion with the vixen on watch, then they trotted up the gangplank and onto the ship.

Thaddeus started by giving Cadance and Twilight a tour of the deck, describing the battle they had with the pirates in filly friendly terms while showing them where everything was. Aiko tagged along, answering questions when needed.

Sunset and Kōshitsu spoke with the vixen on watch. She nodded, then disappeared below decks while Sunset and Kōshitsu joined the rest of the tour.

A short while later, the vixen returned with five others.  They scrambled up into the rigging, unfurling sails preparing to cast off.

“Well that’s my cue,” nodded Sunset, quickly scrambling down the ramp and over to the moorings. She untied the mooring ropes, using her magic to levitate them back up onto the ship.  As she did that, two of the kitsune raised the gangplank and stowed it away as the ship drifted away from the dock.

“Sunset!” called out Twilight in a panic, seeing her friend left on the dock as they pulled away. “What’s going on?”

Sunset appeared with a pop and a flash of teal next to her.  “We’re taking a little trip,” she grinned, pulling Twilight into a side hug.  “Ready to take a ride on an actual pirate ship?”

Twilight looked up with a huge grin. “Heck yes!”

“Then hang onto your hat, matey!  We’re setting sail,” grinned Sunset.  As they watched, the five kitsune crew navigated the ship to the middle of the bay.  With a sudden start, the ship lifted slowly out of the water, riding the wind as they rose towards the moonlit clouds over the bay.

Twilight rushed to the rail, hanging on as she leaned over the side in excitement watching the bay pull away while they drifted up towards the clouds above them.  Sunset trotted over to her, sitting beside her and gently rubbing her back.

Together, they watched as the ship gently lifted into the clouds, pushing through them like rising through a dreamlike mist.  Below them, the sparkling moonlit waters of the bay faded, replaced by the drifting mists of the cloud around them.  Moments later, they emerged from the cloud-top, the mist above them replaced by the brilliant night sky, stars twinkling and the night’s guardian, the Mare in the Moon, staring down at them as the cloud tops shimmered in the moon's gentle glow.

“It’s magic,” Twilight whispered, taking in the breathtaking site before her.

“The very best kind of magic,” agreed Sunset, giving her a gentle hug.  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” agreed Twilight, hugging her back, never taking her eyes off the scene before her.

Together they sat, Twilight hugging Sunset’s barrel, Sunset with her foreleg over her dear little sister as they looked out over the night sky twinkling in its splendor before them. No further words were spoken as they basked in the beauty and wonder of the scene before them.

Cadance leaned over to Aiko, both watching the two of them.  “They really are adorable,” grinned Cadance.

Aiko smiled back. “Yes they are.  She really did miss you all. She would talk about you two all the time.  She said you were the sisters she never had.”

“I know the feeling,” agreed Cadance with a contented sigh. She reached over and pulled Aiko into a side hug. “Welcome to the family.  How’s it feel to have a few more sisters?” Cadance asked with a grin.

“Heavenly,” smiled Aiko back.  “I feel completely at home here with Sunset and you two.”

“I’m glad,” smiled Cadance, tightening her grip on her new friend.  Together they watched Twilight and Sunset as they basked in the beauty of the night’s sky.






A little over an hour later, they could see the spires of Canterlot rising from the clouds in the distance before them.  Sunset was still at the rails, looking out over the cloud tops towards her home.  Asleep on her back, bundled up and held in place by her magic was a very tired young filly who had fallen asleep living out one of her dreams, flying through the night sky on a swashbuckling pirate ship.

Cadance sat down beside her. “You should probably wake her,” she smiled at Sunset. “She wouldn’t want to miss this.”

“I think you’re right.  Care to do the honors?” agreed Sunset.

Cadance reached over, gently running her hoof down Twilight’s back then through her mane. “Twilight, we’re almost home. Wake up, ladybug, you don’t want to miss this.”

Twilight twitched and smiled. “Five more minutes, mom.  I’m having the nicest dream,” she sleepily answered.

Cadance grinned.  Reaching over with a wingtip, she gently tickled Twilight’s muzzle with one of her primaries.  Twilight twitched her nose and shook her head.  “Wah..” she puzzled, waking and looking over to see Cadance pulling her wing back with a grin with Sunset smirking as she looked back over her shoulder.

“Good rest, sleepyhead?” asked Sunset playfully.  “We’re almost home.  Want to watch as we dock at the castle?”

Twilight nodded her head happily while the rest of their group gathered beside them at the rails, watching as the spires grew slowly larger in the mists.

As they neared the castle, a Pegasus guard flew by.  Sunset saluted as they passed, which was returned by the guard as she continued on her rounds.  As they approached the spire with Sunset’s apartment several of the kitsune sprang into the rigging, furling sails and tying down rigging in preparation for their arrival.  With a nod, Cadance gently lifted Twilight from Sunset’s back.  Twilight clung to Cadance as Sunset trotted over to the mooring ropes.  Quickly checking that they were secured on the ships end, she levitated them over to her balcony, then teleported over and tied both moorings securely to the balcony’s railing.  The kitsune then placed the gangplank back in place, lowering it down to the balcony while the ship pulled up against the balcony as Sunset tightened the lashings on the moorings.  Moving over to the end of the gangplank she smiled up at her friends.

“Welcome back home,” she smiled as they descended the plank to the patio around her.  Looking up, she called out to the crew of kitsune finishing up securing the rigging.  “When you are finished, please join us inside for a while.”  Smiling, she turned and led her friends and family back inside her apartment.

Inside, she rang for one of the maids. When she entered, Sunset requested tea and light snacks for her friends and the crew, then rejoined them in sitting around on the bed and furniture as they waited for the snacks and the ship's crew.  Both arrived at nearly the same time a few minutes later, the kitsune taking whatever seats were left, or sitting on cushions on the floor when there were none left.

The maid quickly poured everyone a cup of tea, passing them out with a biscuit to all gathered.  Everyone settled.  Snacks consumed and tea nearly finished, Sunset spoke.

“Everyone, welcome to Canterlot. It’s been a long night, and we have a few hours left until morning, so I propose we all get some sleep before then.”  She turned to the crew of the schooner.  “Thank you so much for getting us here so quickly. Please accept my hospitality and get some rest.  I will take the watch for you for the remainder of the night so you can get some well earned rest.  Tomorrow you can join us for some sightseeing and fun, then we will return with you in the schooner to your ship.”

Conferring amongst themselves, the kitsune agreed, taking the two beds in the room at Sunset’s insistence to get some rest.  Kōshitsu and Thaddeus retired to their rooms while Cadance took Twilight to sleep with her in her apartment.  Sunset smiled as she returned to the pirate frigate tied to her balcony.  She trotted up the ramp then went to the bridge, sitting in the commander's chair and looking out over the night as she took the remainder of the night watch.






The next morning the kitsune returned to the frigate on waking, relieving Sunset of her watch.  Aiko smiled as Sunset returned to the apartment.  “So, Captain Sunset.  How was your night commanding your own schooner?”

Sunset snorted. “I wish!  And completely uneventful, the best kind of watch,” she replied.  “I told the schooner crew we would get them some breakfast and tea, though what I’d really like is to take them with us to breakfast.  I wonder if I can get some naval trained guards to take over for them for the day?  I did promise they could go sightseeing with us later.”

“Can’t hurt to ask,” agreed Aiko.  Sunset nodded, trotting out her door to find one of the maids to relay her request to the current guard watch commander.  Her request sent, she returned to get ready for the day with her friends.

As they were getting ready to leave for breakfast with the Princess a complement of guard mares trotted down the hall, stopping in front of her room.  One of the mares saluted sharply, which Sunset returned.

“Major Full Sail reporting, mage.  You requested a crew for a schooner airship?” she asked.

“Thank you Major, yes I did.  Right this way please,” Sunset replied, leading them back into the apartment and out the patio, then onto the schooner moored to her balcony.  The Major raised an eyebrow at that as they boarded, but made no comment.

Aiko watched them spread out, checking the moorings and rigging as Sunset and the Major entered the bridge.  After a brief conversation, Sunset emerged with the vixen, who called out to the others.  They formed up on her and followed Sunset down the boarding plank and back into her apartment.

“I take it that it was a yes?” smiled Aiko as they trotted out of the apartment and down the hall with the kitsune crew in tow.

“Yup, more guests for the Princess’s breakfast,” agreed Sunset with a smile.  They trotted and loped quickly to Celestia’s private dining room where they greeted the guard and after explaining the situation joined their friends already seated and waiting in the dining room.  Everyone finding places at the now very full table, they waited for the Princess, sipping their tea and enjoying some biscuits.

Sunset turned to Twilight. “So did you sleep well last night?” she asked with a grin.

“Yeah, I had awesome dreams all night!  I was the captain of the pirate ship, and we sailed all over Equs having really cool adventures,” Twilight replied smiling.

“Doesn’t sound that far-fetched to me.  Maybe someday,” agreed Sunset.

Princess Celestia entered, and the kitsune all rose.  Seeing them, Sunset and her friends rose as well turning towards the Princess.  Celestia smirked, taking her seat.  “Sunset, would you care to introduce me to your new friends?”

“Princess, this is the prize crew of the pirate frigate.  They are here at my invitation to meet you and enjoy a well deserved breakfast,” acknowledged Sunset standing at attention.

“Be seated please, all of you,” Celestia replied.  “Welcome to my table.  This is an informal breakfast, so please no more saluting, standing stoically, or long serious faces.  Enjoy your breakfasts and I will enjoy your company,” she addressed the kitsune.  Everyone sat, still looking towards her.

“Please, continue your breakfast and conversations,” encouraged the Princess.  “So, Sunset, instead of our morning session, I have arranged for the palace doctors to have a look at that ring on your horn and make some recommendations on how to best remove it.  After they've had a look we can discuss how best to move forward.”

“Thanks mom,” smiled Sunset.  Celestia grinned.  “Twilight, Cadance, and Aiko?  You will still be joining me for morning lessons.  I will keep them brief today so there will be plenty of time for sightseeing before our guests need to take their leave.”  The three of them nodded in understanding.

The maid brought in the cart with tea and more breakfast rolls, taking everyone's breakfast requests while serving them.  At Sunset’s recommendation, the kitsune all agreed to try pancakes with fruit and cream, with sides of shredded fried potatoes and scrambled eggs, which she ordered as well to enjoy with them.  Twilight decided that sounded good too, prompting Aiko and Cadance to join in also.

“Might as well make it all around then,” smiled Celestia. “Can you please just bring in trays, and we will serve ourselves?  And keep them coming, I am sure this crew can pack away good food,” she requested of the maid.  Nodding, the maid finished serving the tea, placing the tea set and the rest of the biscuits on the serving counter then wheeling the cart from the room.  She returned a few moments later with a mug and carafe of coffee for Sunset which she accepted with gratitude.

“Long night, Sunbeam?” asked the Princess.

“Yeah, not much sleep.  After our meeting in the kitchen last night, we cloud-hopped back to Manhattan to take a tour of the Graceful Albatross and see the Stratos engines, and meet the XO.  Then we rode the schooner back with the crew here.  I took watch while they got some well earned sleep,” replied Sunset, sipping the black beverage.

“It was so awesome!” Twilight called out, muzzle caked in syrup. “It was a real life pirate ship!  And I got to ride it all the way back to Canterlot!”

“I bet that was a treat,” smiled Celestia at her youngest student.

“It so was!” squeed Twilight.  “I can’t wait to tell my brother about it!”  Celestia laughed, nodding.

“Oh I bet,” she agreed.  She smiled at Sunset. “Sunbeam?”

“Yes mom?” asked Sunset.

“Well done,” beamed the Princess.

Sunset glowed at the praise. “Thanks!”  She ruffled Twilight's mane, who just looked up at her and smiled.  Sunset smiled back.  “Hey Twilight, why don’t you tell mom all about our adventures last night?”

“Yes please do!” encouraged Celestia. “I’m especially interested in hearing how you enjoyed the cake.”

Twilight blanched.  She looked up at Sunset. “I didn’t say anything, I promise!” she protested.

Sunset laughed. “Nope, you didn’t.  Mom caught us raiding the cake vault.”  She turned to Celestia.  “And thank you for asking, the cake was wonderful.”

Celestia snickered. “I bet.  It’s the one I was headed for. Happy to hear you enjoyed it.”

“Oh we did!  We all did!” laughed Sunset.

“If you know mom wasn’t going to be mad, why did you rush us out of the apartment and drop me through a cloud?” pouted Twilight.

Celestia looked shocked hearing that. Sunset pulled Twilight into a hug. “And I sincerely apologized for that, twerp.  And I raced down to get you before you hit the ground.  Remember too, I had taught you what to do if that ever happens, not that that excuses me letting it happen in the first place.”

“You dropped Twilight through a cloud?  How in the world did that even happen?  Sunset, please don’t drop your fellow students through clouds.  They’re not as proficient as you yet, you have to be careful with them,” admonished the Princess.

“You’re right mom.  It was negligent on my part.  I had assumed Twilight had already cast the cloud-walking spell when they got to my room, so as soon as everyone was there I teleported us onto the cloud,” admitted Sunset.

“You said we were going to get in trouble and that’s why you did it.  Mom isn’t even mad,” countered Twilight.

“That was just for fun.  We were just pretending to make it more fun for everyone,” replied Sunset.  “Still though, it was my fault, and it won’t happen again.”

“Fun is fine, but please take care of each other.  And please don’t take any unnecessary risks.  You mares are important to me, and to our country.  You're going to do great things someday, but if something horrible happens, no one will be able to take your place.  Not to mention, if anything happened to any of you it would break my heart.”  Celestia turned to Aiko.  “That includes you too now, my dear.  Please take care of each other, you are all very precious to me.”

“So, yeah.  Sunset caught me and teleported us back onto the cloud. Then I put the cloud-walker spell on and we decided to cloud hop back to Manehattan to see the ship and the Stratos engine.  Sunset thought it would be really quick but it took almost an hour,” continued Twilight.

“More like forty minutes,” corrected Sunset.  Twilight scowled. “Sorry, continue,”

“Then we teleported into the engine room.  Kōshitsu gave me a tour of the engine then she took us all over the ship and we got to see where they eat and live. And we got to see the room Sunset and Aiko used, it was super fancy.  And we got to see the bridge and meet the XO.  Then she let us have the pirate ship!” continued Twilight.

“She just let you have the schooner?” asked the Princess, perplexed.

“Not exactly,” corrected Sunset.

“So how exactly is there a pirate schooner moored to my castle then?” asked Celestia with a grin.

“I sort of agreed to buy it from them,” answered Sunset.  “She let us collect it and use the crew to get it here.  But I have to have them back with Kōshitsu and Thaddeus by tonight so they can leave port in the morning.”

“And who is going to pay for the schooner?” laughed Celestia, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

“I’ll do extra chores?” snarked Sunset.

“Filly, sometimes... I swear,” Celestia chuckled.  “Okay, fine.  The crown will cover the cost of the schooner and assign it to the battle mage corps to be available for use on your missions or other crises.  And you will work that off on assignment.”

“Like a loan?” asked Twilight.

“No, like I will give you assignments where you will need it, and you will prove to me we did not just waste Equestrian bits on something useless.  And when you are not using it, it will be tasked with other assignments and duties.  And it will be stationed out of the Canterlot docks, not your balcony. It’s a part of the Equestrian armed forces, not your ride parked in your private port,” corrected Celestia.  “I will assign a crew to run it. When not on assignment with you, they will operate under the captain I assign.  And when on assignment with you, the Captain will report to you acting as the ship commander.”

Sunset nodded. “Thanks mom.”

“This is not a gift, Sunbeam. It’s an investment.  An investment in our and your future.  I expect you to take care of it as its acting commander and to use it wisely,” admonished Celestia.

“Understood,” said Sunset.

“Go ahead Twilight.  Please continue,” Celestia nodded to her student.  Twilight beamed.

“So then we went to the pirate ship, and they let us on.  While we did the tour they sailed out to the middle of the bay and lifted off into the sky.  We went through the clouds and came out on top. The stars and the moon were so bright and with the clouds they were beautiful.  I watched with Sunset, then started getting sleepy, so she held me on her back, and I fell asleep watching the clouds sparkle in the moonlight as we flew over the top of them.” continued Twilight.

“That sounds wonderful.” agreed Celestia.

“It was!  And then, when we got near enough to see the castle, Cadance and Sunset woke me up, and we watched as the ship docked at the tower.  Sunset helped them tie it to the balcony, then they put the gangplank down and we walked into the apartment.  I was getting really sleepy again at that point, but I kind of remember Cadance took me to her bed and Sunset let the kitsune sleep on her bed while she watched the ship.” finished Twilight.

“It sounds like you had quite a night,” agreed Celestia.  “I’m glad you're all safe and had a wonderful time.”

“And learned things!” agreed Twilight, her muzzle full of pancakes.

“And learned things,” agreed Celestia.  Twilight nodded happily.

They finished up their breakfast laughing together as they recalled their adventures of the night before.  Sunset drank the entire carafe of coffee while she ate.  As everyone was getting ready to head back to the apartments and clean up, Celestia turned to Sunset.  “Sunset, after you’ve cleaned up, please head over to the infirmary.  The doctors are expecting you so they can start their examination on your ring.”

“I’ll be sure to head straight there as soon as I’m clean.  I hope they can get this off, it would be wonderful to be able to use my horn again,” mused Sunset hopefully.

“As I said, I’m sure we’ll figure something out.  I’ll see you later Sunbeam,” Celestia comforted.  She thanked their guests again for their visit, then left for her morning meetings.  Full and happy, the crew and friends headed back to the personal apartments.  Cadance took Twilight into the bath so Sunset could do a quick cleanup and head over to the infirmary.  Aiko volunteered to keep their guests company while they cleaned up, while the prize crew of the schooner returned to their ship to show their replacements the ropes.  Sunset washed her muzzle and hooves quickly, waving to Cadance and Twilight playing in the tub while waiting for the water to fill it.

Hurrying to the infirmary, she checked in with the nurse at the front desk, then waited to be called into one of the examination rooms.

“Ms. Shimmer?  Please follow me,” she heard, looking up to see an orderly standing by an open door waiting for her, clipboard in hoof.

“Coming!” she called up, getting up and trotting over to follow her into the clinic.  She led her down the hall and into one of the exam rooms.  “Have a seat on the exam table Ms. Shimmer.  So you have a horn problem?  You have a magic inhibitor epoxied to your horn.  Ugh, I can't even imagine.  That sounds like quite a story,” remarked the mare, reading through her chart.

“Okay, anything else you want to add while I am here?” she asked.

“Just that I’m hoping there is something you can do about it.  As a battle mage, it would be wonderful to have my horn back,” agreed Sunset.

“Now that’s an understatement,” agreed the mare.  “Okay, wait right here, the doctor will be in shortly.”  She got up, making a few notations on the chart as she left the room, placing the chart in the basket by the door.

Sunset waited patiently for a few minutes, then the doctor entered.  He was a younger doctor, looking possibly fresh out of medical school.  “Hello Ms. Shimmer.  My name is Dr. Horse. I’ve been assigned your care.  Wow, epoxied on an inhibitor ring.  That’s brutal.  How are you doing?” he asked, looking up from the chart.

“Aside from having my unicorn magic blocked, I’m doing well,” answered Sunset.  “This happened while I was on assignment.  Apparently the slave ring I was investigating uses this to neuter any unicorns in their possession.  As I was undercover as a slave, I got to experience it first hoof.  Now that the operation is over, I am hoping you can remove it so I can be fully ready for any future assignments.”

“That certainly makes sense,” agreed Dr. Horse. “Let’s see what we're dealing with.”  He trotted over to the exam table, where Sunset lay with her head in her hooves.  Looking gently around her horn, he gently scraped along the base of the jewels to see how firmly set the epoxy was.

“Ouch,” grunted Sunset as he poked at the epoxy.

“Oh rot, that’s not good,” mused the Dr. in concern.

Sunset raised an eyebrow.  “Yeah, that’s not frightening at all to hear.  What’s not good Dr.?” she asked.

“I can see the epoxy has leached into the keratin of your horn.  I’m concerned that if we used a reagent to lift the epoxy away, we would end up lifting a fair amount of your horn’s structure away as well, resulting in further injury,” answered the Dr.

Sunset gulped. “Yeah, let’s not do that, I really need this thing to do my job,” she agreed.

“Of course.  Maybe we could shave or grind it down?  We would have to leave some of it to keep the horn structure intact, but we could likely get rid of the gaudy gems at least,” Dr. Horse mused.

“The gems are not really my concern.  I just need the cold iron inhibitor ring removed so I can access my unicorn magic through my horn again,” clarified Sunset.  “Personally I’m fine with the jewels staying if that helps keep the horn stable. All I really care about is the magic.”

“Understood.  I’m not sure if we have a reagent that will reduce the iron without affecting your horn’s keratin,” acknowledged the Dr.

“The Princess did say that if that happened, she would probably have some way to remove the iron without damaging the horn, but I’m with you on that Dr.  I don’t know of any reagent that will reduce cold iron without damaging organic matter as well.  Maybe we need to call in the Princess?” suggested Sunset.

“I think you’re right there, Ms. Sunset.  Okay, hold on here for a bit while I consult with the other doctors and request the Princess’s help. I’ll be back in a bit,” replied the Dr. making notations in her chart.  He trotted out the door, waving over to his colleagues as he exited. They went together into one of the conference rooms.  A moment later a nurse emerged, trotting down the hall and out the door, likely to alert the Princess that her help was needed.

Sunset sat back, waiting and slightly frustrated.

Around 15 minutes later, the nurse returned, leading the Princess down the hall and into the conference room.  Seeing her student sitting on the table, she smiled and nodded as they passed. Sunset smiled and waved back.

A few minutes later, Dr. Horse returned to the room with the Princess followed by several other Doctors, leaving the room rather crowded.

“Sorry Sunbeam, looks like you were right.  I’m going to try to use my magic on the iron.  I will have to overload the ring with my magic as part of the process so I can get it to the point where I can transmute it or teleport it.  If you start to feel too uncomfortable, please speak up.  If this is more that you can comfortably tolerate, we can reschedule this with you completely unconscious, though I would prefer you to be awake so I can get your feedback on how your magic is reacting,” Celestia explained.

“It’s okay mom, just do it,” agreed Sunset.

“Okay Sunbeam.  But you have to tell me if it hurts too much. I don’t want you hurting so much you black out.  Be honest with me,” comforted Celestia.  Sunset nodded slightly, shutting her eyes.

“I’m ready, go ahead,” she stated.

Celestia's horn glowed, her magic enveloping Sunset’s horn, especially the ring above its base.  The glow intensified.  Sunset flinched for a moment, then settled.  “Sorry about that,” she mumbled.

“No problem Sunbeam.  It’s reducing now. Just be a bit while the rest transmutes.  Hang in there dear,” comforted Celestia keeping her focus on the ring and horn.

Sunset’s eyes started to squint in pain.  She took slow deep breaths to keep herself calm.  “Halfway there Sunbeam, hang in there,” encouraged Celestia.

Sweet broke out on her forehead and her entire coat began to sheen.  Her breathing came a little faster.  She blew out the air in her lungs then slowly took a breath in.  Beads of perspiration were now dropping from her brows then running down her face.  Her coat was now damp from perspiration as her flanks twitched.  She held her breath for several seconds then blew it out and slowly took another breath in.  The exam table was wet from her perspiration.

“Almost done dear, almost there,” muttered Celestia.

Her flanks shaking, Sunset let out her breath, then slowly took another breath in.  She held her breath again.  “Just about finished….” said Celestia.

A bright teal glow started forming at the tip of her horn, then worked its way down, displacing Celestia’s golden aura.  “Sunset, hold on!  Try to hold it in for a moment.  If you let it out all at once it might…”

“Mom, I can’t stop it! I can’t stop!” Sunset called out, slightly panicked.  “Mom, help!”  Her horn glowed intensely teal.  A slight snap echoed through the room, a hairline of bright teal cracking along the side of her horn.  Celestia slammed her magic tightly around Sunset’s horn as a blast of teal shot out from her horn, the magic funneled up to the roof by the Princess’s shield.  Sunset let out a scream as the blast ripped from her then stopped, her aura gone.  She slumped down on the table completely insensate.

Celestia scooped her up, cradling Sunset in her forelegs and wings.  She gently stroked Sunset’s muzzle, whispering to her while holding her close. “It’s over Sunbeam.  You did well, it’s all done now.  Just breathe.  The pain will fade in a little bit.  Just breathe dear.  In and out.  You’re okay.  You’re going to be okay.”  She rocked her student in her arms, gently comforting her.

Slowly, Sunset’s eyes unscrunched, her ragged breathing calmed, and her face relaxed.  A moment later, she went limp in the Princess’s forelegs.  The sound of gentle snoring could be heard as her barrel slowly rose and lowered.

Celestia gently muzzled her student. “My dear little Sunbeam.  Even coffee can’t keep you awake after that.”  She smiled. “Rest dear.  You made it.”  She held her still as the Doctor began repairing the damage to the keratin, sealing back up the hairline crack that had opened during her surge and reinforcing the area that was damaged where the iron ring and its epoxy used to be.

When they were finished with their work, she lifted her student onto her back, holding her in place with her wings as she carried her out of the clinic and back to her room to recover.






Aiko, Kōshitsu and Thaddeus were on the patio in Sunset’s apartment watching the prize crew crawl through the rigging with their Equestrian counterparts, trading information and sharing their insights with one another. They could see the two crew leaders having a discussion on the bridge.  Twilight and Cadance were seated at the table in the apartment, Twilight helping Cadance with her magic lessons.  All of them were waiting for Sunset.

The door to the apartment opened, all eyes turning towards it.  Instead of seeing Sunset trotting through the door however, Princess Celestia entered, Sunset cradled gently between her wings.

“Is she alright?” asked Twilight, worried.  Celestia smiled and nodded as she crossed over to them.

“She’s fine.  Just a bit drained from the procedure.  Her horn is back working again, but she’ll have to take it easy for a bit while it heals.  She has a hairline fracture that we mended, which should be set in a few days, then she can start using it again,” Celestia explained.

“Ugh, did you get the plate on the lorry that hit me,” groaned Sunset from between her wings.  She opened her eyes slowly and looked around.  Realizing where she was and seeing everyone looking at her, she dropped back down, hiding her muzzle between her forelegs.  “Mom, I’m not a foal.  You didn’t have to carry me like a child,’ she groused, thoroughly embarrassed.

“You had a magic surge.  You’re going to be out of energy for a bit while your manna reserves build back up, so it’s either this or you sleep it off in bed alone. I figured you would want to be with your friends, so you get to put up with me coddling you for a bit.  Unless you would rather lay in bed and miss everything?” Celesta snarked.

“No…. fine…” she mumbled.  “So I heard you say it worked?”

“Yes!  Your horn is back.  Just don’t use it for a few days to allow the keratin to regrow into the growth matrix we used to heal the crack and damaged areas where the ring used to be.  The binders we used will hold it in place while it heals, but you don’t want to be placing any pressure on those areas while they're healing, so no horn magic for a few days,” Celestia explained.

“So no magic for the next few days,” sighed Sunset.

“No horn magic,” corrected the Princess. “You can still keep doing the recasting you and Twilight figured out, that won’t harm anything.”

“Well that’s something,” agreed Sunset. “Thank you mom.  I really appreciate your fixing that for me.”

“Anytime, Sunbeam.  Happy to help,” smiled Celestia.  She turned to Cadance. “Cadance, will you please ask everyone to come in for a bit?  I think it’s time to get our tour started.”

“Okay!” Cadance chirped, bouncing up from the table and trotting out to Aiko and her friends. She gave them the message, then flew over to the rigging, calling out to the crew and explaining what was happening.  She then flew to the bridge and entered, explaining it to the crew chiefs.  They both followed her out as she led them back into the apartment.

Aiko leaned over to her friend. “So how are you feeling there, Shimmering Sun?” she laughed.

“I’m feeling more like a Sleeping Flower,” grinned Sunset from her perch atop the Princess. “Hey Twilight, is this how it feels when I give you a lift?”  Twilight nodded happily.  “Awesome, I can see the appeal,” Sunset laughed.

Both crews entered, circling around them as Cadance resumed her seat at the table.

“Alright everyone, here’s the plan,” explained Celestia. “Your tour guide is under the weather for a bit, so I will be leading the festivities for the afternoon.” She turned to the crew leader for the ponies. “I need you and your crew to stay with the schooner, making sure it is ready for the return trip to drop off our friends when we finish.”  She nodded. She turned to the kitsune team. “And I am inviting you and your crew to join us for our outing, if you don’t object,” she suggested to the kitsune crew lead.  She also nodded and bowed.  “Okay then, we’ll be back in time to get you to your ship, but for now, let’s go see Canterlot!”

She trotted out of the apartment and towards the stairs, Sunset still cradled between her wings as everyone trailed behind her, following her down the hall and down the stairs then marching through the castle foyer and out into the courtyard while she chatted about everything around them as they went.






Hours later they sat together at an outdoor cafe, several tables pushed together to make room for them all along the edge of the street.  Sunset, no longer in her embarrassing yet endearing cradle, sat across from Celestia, with Twilight and Aiko at her sides laughing as Aiko related some of their more humorous misadventures together.  Around them ponies trotted to and from their appointments, nopony making much of their Princess sitting in their midst.

Kōshitsu commented as much in her surprise.  “I can’t believe we are all just sitting here, and no one is going nuts over you being out in their presence.  If the Emperor or the Prime Minister stepped out for a bite to eat on the street, they would have to cordon off the streets and have a small army of police out to keep the crowds from inundating either of them.  Yet here you are just sitting on a street corner having dinner with guests, and everyone acts like it’s just another weekday.  Amazing.”

“It’s what they are used to,” answered Celestia.  “I refuse to hide myself away from my ponies.  I want to be part of their lives, and I want them in mine.  I’m sure if your Emperor or PM wanted to and did interact with their public regularly, you would see the same reaction to them in time when they went out.  And it’s not as if I don’t have protection when I go out.  There is a team of pegusi patrolling overhead to keep things safe.  I’m not insensitive to the dangers posed by bad actors trying to take advantage of my openness.  And don’t forget, I’m not just another bureaucrat.  Both Sunset and I are trained and accomplished Battle Mages, and Aiko is in training as one.  Anypony or anyone thinking they would have an easy time with any mischief against us would be in for a rather rude awakening.”

Sunset grinned. “That’s right, nopony or no one better mess with mom.  Bate the bull, bear the horns.  If mom didn’t get them I would certainly be there to do it.”

Aiko laughed. “When I hear you talk like that, it’s easy to forget you’re still considered a prey creature by some cultures.”

“Anyone who thinks we’re prey had better make their peace with their maker.  We don’t abide those who consider us food,” growled Sunset.

“Got that right,” agreed Celestia. “I have eradicated entire tribes for that crime.”

“As have I at your command,” agreed Sunset.

The conversation stopped at that.  “Okay, that took a dark turn,” commented Aiko.  “Thank the goddesses we’re all on the same side.  So, what did you all pick out for lunch?  I went with the seaside combo!”

Sunset snickered. “Nice save, Aiko.  Yeah, everything here is good.  I went with the squash and vegetable soup medley.” Relaxed, everyone chimed in and the conversation resumed on a lighter note.

Their lunches arrived shortly after that, cutting down slightly on the banter as they enjoyed their food. Afterward they resumed their tour, Celestia leading them to one of the many museums the city boasted.

Several hours later, they returned to the castle.  Celestia hugged Kōshitsu and Thaddeus, then bowed to each of the kitsune crew in turn, thanking them for spending the afternoon with her and her students.  She left to attend to some affairs of state, while they returned to Sunset’s apartment to take the Albatross crew back to their ship.

Kōshitsu and Thaddeus gathered their bags from their rooms then joined them on the deck of the schooner.  The kitsune prize crew sat back with the rest of them, enjoying the chance to be guest on the ship as the Equestrian crew took up their duties, unfurling the sails, untying the moorings from the balcony railing, and stowing the mooring lines and gangplank.  With a gentle push, the ship drifted out and away from the castle spire, turning with the wind and rising up over the parapets as they headed back towards the coast and Manehattan.

“That was fun,” grinned Kōshitsu at Thaddeus.

“Yeah it was,” he agreed.  “We’ll have to do it again next time we’re in port.”

“It’s a date,” agreed Sunset, stepping between them and hugging them both. “I’m so glad you were able to get the time off to do this. And next time, we’ll definitely have more fun.”

“And more cake?” grinned Thaddeus.

“More cake, and maybe less cloud hopping,” agreed Sunset.

“And less dropping ponies through clouds,” grumped Twilight, smacking Sunset on her flank.

“And no dropping adorable little ponies through clouds,” agreed Sunset, rustling her mane.

A bit less than an hour later, the schooner was settling down into the harbor, then sailing back over to the berth she left the day before.  The crew secured the mooring, dropping the gangplank to allow their guests to leave.

“Goodbye Sunset, Aiko.  Nice to meet you Cadance and Twilight.  We’ll see you again as soon as we can arrange it,” said Kōshitsu, hugging them all goodbye.  Thaddeus gave them all hugs as well, leaving with Kōshitsu.  The prize crew bowed in thanks then left as well, also returning to the Graceful Albatross.  Sunset, Twilight, Cadance, and Aiko watched them lope down the docks then onto their ship.

A single sustained bell rang out from their ship.  Their crew released their moorings, stowing the lines, and with sails unfurled sailed back out to the middle of the harbor where the ship rose majestically up into the air, spiraling up into the clouds above, then through and up into the evening sky, turning to head towards the setting sun as they tacked over the clouds back to their home.

Twilight stood spellbound, holding tightly to the railing as she took it all in.  “Never gets old, does it?” smiled Sunset, putting a foreleg around her little sister.  Twilight looked up at her with a smile, shaking her head then looking back out over the horizon.

“Just think.  When we become princesses and get our wings, we can see this whenever we want,” grinned Sunset. Twilight nodded in happy assent.

“It is pretty special,” agreed Cadance, hugging them both.

Aiko giggled. They all looked over at her. “Hey, no wings on this vixen.  I’ll just enjoy the view as the Maker intended from the deck of a study ship,” she laughed.

The sun had completely set by the time they arrived back in Canterlot.  As Celestia promised they did not dock on Sunset’s balcony but put into port at the guard airport towers on the eastern side of the castle compound.  Thanking the crew, they left, heading back to their apartments for night.

“I don’t know about the three of you, but I’m too tuckered out for any mischief tonight.  What say we just grab a snack from the kitchen, then read for a bit and call it a night?” suggested Sunset as they passed by the common dining hall.

“I could go for that,” agreed Aiko.  Twilight and Cadance nodded in assent so they headed through the hall and into the kitchen to gather some snacks for the evening before bed.  Treats gathered, they returned to Sunset’s apartment.

“I think I’m going to take a soak.  Anyone who wants can join me, it's a big tub,” said Sunset, heading into the bathroom.

“I’m in!” shouted Twilight gleefully, pronking behind her sister.

Aiko turned to Cadance with a smirk. “Why not! We’re in,” agreed Cadance, gathering up the snacks and bringing them with her.  She laid them out on the counter next to the tub while Sunset started filling it, Twilight happily splashing in the water as it filled.

Snacks set out, Aiko joined her in the tub, with Sunset and Cadance following.  Sunset leaned back into the warm water letting it soak the aches out of her sore muscles.  “Ah, this is the way to end the day,” she purred, enjoying the relaxing sensations of the water rippling over her shoulders.

“You mean in the tub?” asked Twilight as she paddled around her sisters.

“I mean with my sisters,” smiled Sunset. “Though the tub definitely helps,” she grinned. They laughed.

Enjoying their snacks and relaxing soaks, they talked about anything and everything, enjoying each others' company.  Twilight’s contributions were getting further and further apart, with Sunset eventually pulling the filly over and resting her head on her shoulder as she gently dozed off, the active day finally catching up with the filly.

A little over an hour later, with everyone completely relaxed and more than ready for a good night’s sleep, they got out and got ready for bed.  Sunset dried, oiled and powdered Twilight and herself while Aiko and Cadance dried off then cleaned up and put away the snacks.  Everyone dried and ready for bed, they climbed up into Sunsets bed, snuggling up in a pony (and vixen) pile with Twilight cuddled in the middle as they fell asleep at the end of a long and wonderful day.
> 22 - Aiko - Journey to the Badlands
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aiko woke, yawning widely.  Opening her eyes she saw Sunset smiling at her from the other side of the pillow.

“See!  I told you they would love you,” she grinned, looking down at Cadance laying across them both, still snoring peacefully, and Twilight curled up into an adorable little pony ball in the middle of them.

Aiko grinned. “You did. I certainly see why you love them so much, they really are adorable.”

Sunset snorted. “Don’t let them hear you say that!  Cadance is determined to be taken seriously, and Twilight hates being reminded she's still a little filly.  But yeah, they really are, aren’t they?”

Aiko grinned back. “Count yourself among them filly!  You’re adorable too.”

“Pfht!” laughed Sunset. “I’m not adorable! I’m an oni.  The oni pony, remember?”

“An adorable little oni pony,” smirked Aiko.  “Don’t forget the adorable part.”

Sunset rolled her eyes with a smirk.  “Sure, whatever.  So ready to get to work?”

“You mean my training?  Absolutely!” agreed Aiko.  “That’s why I’m here.”

“That’s part of it.” agreed Sunset.  “But also, I want you by my side.  We’re leash sisters, we look out for each other.  And we still have a job to do.  We need to track the source of those stone arrowheads, find where that griffin merchant found them, then take them off the market and out of circulation permanently.  There's no way am I leaving those out to take out more mages.”

“I fully agree,” nodded Aiko.  “Especially now that magic is an important part of who I am.  I saw how they affected you, there’s no way I’d want that happening to me.”

“Exactly,” smiled Sunset.  “So time to pour through some forbidden tomes.  We’ll drag little squirt and our mini-princess along too.  Twilight excels at research, and Cadance needs to know she belongs with us.  We can start during our private study time, I’m sure the squirt and Cadance won’t mind.”

“You really do love them, don’t you,” smiled Aiko.

“More than I ever imagined,” agreed Sunset. “I wouldn't have admitted that before, but I can't imagine my life without them.”  She smiled at Aiko. “Or without you! Never forget that.  You’re one of us now.  Not just my leash sister, but part of our family. We belong together.”

Aiko smiled. “For such a violent little pony, you certainly have a tender heart.”

Sunset smiled. “I’m only the oni pony so I can protect those I love, and I’m sure you feel the same way. We're sister hearts, you and I.”

“You know me well,” agreed Aiko, reaching over and smoothing her friend's mane.  From their legs they heard a quiet chuckle.

Cadance was awake, smiling and watching.  “Don’t mind me,” she grinned sleepily. “You two are too sweet.”

Sunset smirked, cocking an eyebrow.  “That’s rich coming from the marshmallow princess of hearts. You’re way too sweet to talk.”  Cadance grinned and rolled her eyes.

Twilight stirred, opening an eye. “It wasn’t just a dream, you really are back,” she smiled sleepily, reaching out to snuggle tightly into Sunset as she drifted back asleep.

“Duh ah!  Now that’s adorable,” smiled Cadance.

“Yeah, our little dork definitely has her moments,” agreed Sunset, smiling down at her little sister. She softly smoothed her mane as she slept gently nuzzled into her barrel.

They laid there for a few moments enjoying the peace of the morning while the sun rose majestically over the horizon, the moon and its mare setting on the far side of the sky with their watch over the stars and heavens done.  As they laid in bed enjoying the beauty of Celestia’s sunrise there was a knock at the door.  One of the castle maids entered.

“Good morning!” she called out to them.  “The Princess sends her greetings, and a reminder she would like to see you all for breakfast in a few minutes.  If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.”  She bowed and backed out of the room.

“Well that’s our cue, we’ve been summoned. Time to get ready, let's not keep the Princess waiting,” said Sunset, gently waking Twilight. The others untangled from their sleeping pile, heading into the bathroom to perform their morning ablutions.  “Twilight, wake up sleepyhead!  The Princess is waiting for us,” prompted Sunset.

“Wah…the Princess?” mumbled Twilight, waking again. “Okay.”  She untangled herself from Sunset then dropped down from the bed, following the others into the bathroom.  Sunset trotted along behind her.

A few minutes later the sister students, washed and ready for their day, left together for breakfast with the Princess.






After breakfast they joined the Princess for their lessons, a treat that was becoming rarer recently.  The little herd of students, now expanded to include a very special vixen, listened raptly as the Princess taught them History and Statecraft, as well as some practical magic, the glamors and charms often useful in politics.  They took notes, Twilight laboriously so trying to capture every word the Princess uttered.

When the lessons were over Celestia dismissed them for lunch, followed by their private studies.  “I look forward to reading your reports,” she smiled., then looking at Aiko she added, “That includes you too, my little vixen.  If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask your fellow students.  I’m sure they won’t lead you astray.”

Bowing, they left the Princess, heading back to their room and dropping off their notes then off to lunch.  “Don’t forget, our self-study today is in the forbidden section of the library to look for any information about the magic absorbing artifacts.  We need to find those quickly and get them out of circulation,” reminded Sunset as they headed to the common dining hall. The girls nodded.

They raced through lunch, then ducking down an empty hall teleported into the forbidden section of the library.  They popped into the library, appearing before a rather surprised Princess who looked up from the tome she was reading at the sound. She rolled her eyes, smirking at the sight of her students frozen in surprise before her.

Celestia grinned. “I swear Sunset… Girls, I don’t know why I even bothered to restrict this section of the library if you are just going to pop in here all the time.  What is this, your favorite study place?”

Shaking off her surprise, Sunset grinned back. “Yes?  But that’s not why we’re here.  Remember in my briefing I mentioned the arrowhead that sucked my magic when I was attacked by the Ronin?  And how we tracked them back to a griffin merchant, who apparently found them somewhere in Equestria?  Our study self-assignment today is searching the archive for any mention of them and their location, so we can collect them and keep our mages safe,” she replied.

“That’s..” Celestia thought for a moment. “That’s actually a very good idea. In fact, it’s an excellent idea.  Well done my students!”  She closed the her book, levitating it back up onto its shelf.  “I am going to help you.  Those certainly sound like a pressing menace to high powered magic users.  They must be found and dealt with.  What do we know?”

Her students gathered around her and Sunset spoke.  “We know he found them somewhere in Equestria less than a decade ago. He must have realized how powerful they were or he wouldn’t have traveled halfway around the world to sell them.  He was looking to make a considerable profit from them, because he didn’t just sell off the bag to the first big bidder but traveled around trying to drum up interest.  He apparently planned on circling back around after he had sparked demand, but he didn’t count on the rampant robbery plaguing Japony in recent history.”

“A shame about that,” nodded Celestia. “I had hoped someone would be able to talk the Emperor out of that ill advised decree.”

“You knew about that?” gasped Sunset. “Why didn’t you convince him not to do it?”

“Sunset, that’s not how statecraft works,” Celestia sighed.  “If I dictated to him or even gave unsolicited advice on how to run his kingdom, he would see that as an attempt on his and his nation’s sovereignty. And he would be right, it’s not my place to correct other kingdoms, no matter how much better I may know than them.  Every country is free to make their own mistakes and deal with the consequences of their own decisions.  When it affects our country then I weigh in, and even then only to the extent of mitigating damage to us.”

Sunset frowned. “Warfare is so much simpler.”

“Sometimes. It’s certainly more direct,” agreed Celestia. “Please continue my little Sunbeam.”

Sunset resumed. “We canvassed the shops in one of the cities he stopped in and found he left a small sample with one vendor in that city.  Apparently it was only that vendor, and possibly single vendors in other cities around Japony.  I seriously doubt we'll be able to find all of them easily.  But those small single stone samples are not as big a threat as the bag of them we recovered from the ronin who stole them, and whatever may remain from the source he found.  The only real clue we have is that he came from Equestria and spoke mostly Equish, according to the merchant he left the sample with.”

“That’s really not much to go on,” remarked the Princess.

“No, it’s not.  But I’m making a few inferences, warranted or not, for somewhere to start at least,” agreed Sunset. “From his speaking Equish and not speaking fluent Nipponies, I suspect he spent a considerable amount of time in Equestria, probably as a trader.  From the fact that we have not seen any sign of this type of artifact here, I believe he found it himself and realized he could make a profit, but not here where in all likelihood that you would catch wind of it and track him down like a rabid beast.”

Celestia scowled.

Sunset laughed. “I meant like he was a rabid beast you had to find and stop.  Not that you were a rabid beast,” she amended.

“Better,” smirked Celestia. “Please continue.”

“From the fact that he was not heard from again, I believe he was killed by the Ronin or some other bandits, or he gave up and went elsewhere. If he’d been able to return and gather more stones he would have continued with his efforts to sell them,” concluded Sunset.

“Reasonable assumptions, and definitely a sound basis for beginning our investigation,” agreed Celestia. “Okay.  We’ll pull the record of events and scan for any mentioned artifacts that can seal away or steal magical powers.  I’d imagine this may take awhile.  Those records are not kept here as they aren’t forbidden, so I will have them brought to us.”  She got up and trotted to the door, opening it and conversing with one of the guards on duty.  He saluted and trotted off on his errand.

Celestia returned, taking her seat. “I’ve requested the head librarian gather the news summaries for the last thirty years, as well as the logs from the Equestrian Geographic and Celestial Observatory.  My thoughts are if he was able to find these while moving about as a trader, but nopony else found them before, they may have been unearthed by some fairly recent seismic or celestial event, like an earthquake or a meteor.  We’ll see how that pans out.”

“Good thinking mom,” agreed Sunset.

“I have my moments,” grinned Celestia.  Her students laughed.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the library door. “Come in,” Celestia called out.  The guard who left to pass on her request entered, closing the door behind him.

“Your highness, I passed your requests to the head librarian. She is gathering the documents you requested and asked me to inform you she will bring the first batch shortly, then gather up the rest and bring them over as soon as possible,” he reported.

“Thank you sergeant.  Please see her in when she arrives,” instructed the Princess.  The guard saluted and exited, returning to his post.

Minutes later he returned, escorting the head librarian in with a cart full of books.  “Your highness,” she curtsied, “I’ve brought the Equestrian Geographic and Celestial Observatory records, as well as the recent news summaries. We’re gathering the news summaries for the last thirty years from our archives as you requested, and will bring them in as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Celestia acknowledged with a nod. Bowing, the mare left. The guard shut the door.

Celestia passed out the books to her students keeping a stack for herself. “Let’s get going. You know what we’re looking for. If you see anything interesting call it out,” instructed Celestia, opening her first scroll.  They began quietly reading.  Several minutes later the head librarian returned with another cart of tomes.  Celestia passed those out to her students as well, then resumed her search.

About an hour later Twilight spoke up. “I think I found something interesting,” she announced.

“What do you see, squirt?” asked Sunset, looking up from the tome she was reading.

“I found an article about thirty years ago that mentions a stone that stops the magic from anyone who touches it.  An old gem hunter said he found it while gathering in the badlands, but when asked to turn it over for examination admitted he had lost it.  He tried to take the authorities back to where he found it but couldn’t find that either, so the story was dismissed as an urban legend.  What’s an urban legend?” asked Twilight.

“It’s a myth, a story made up by ponies to scare or impress others,” answered Sunset.

“Or it's a story that is true, but maybe not exactly in the way we thought or the pony telling the story remembered,” cautioned Celestia, “In this case, I suspect the old earth pony did find something, but just misplaced it and likely didn’t correctly remember where he found the stone.  But we have another piece of the puzzle possibly.  The badlands, and at least thirty years ago.  Well done Twilight.” Celestia nuzzled her youngest student who beamed happily.

Aiko spoke up.  “In that case I may have something.  I was looking through the Celestial Society journals and there was a meteorite that struck the badlands around that time.  One second, I’ll find it,” she dug through the journal she was reading, flipping back through the pages.

“I remember that,” nodded Celestia. “It was fairly bright and frightened quite a few ponies at the time.  The papers ran ludicrous stories on it, everything from blaming it on the mare in the moon to predicting it was an omen the stars were starting to fall from the sky.  I ended up having the Celestial Society make a pronouncement on it just to end all the wild speculations.  Some ponies will say or do anything for a bit.  It was quite shameful the fear and panic they spread just to sell a few more papers.”

“Some things never change,” groused Sunset.  “I wonder if that could be the source of our stones?  Did the Society send anyone out to examine the site?”

“No.  They planned an expedition, but our relations with Griffinstone soured.  They started skirmishes along the coast and into the badlands, restricting travel through the area until the hostilities died down.  By the time things were settled again everypony had moved on.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Another thing that never seems to change.  Why are we allies with them again?”

“Welcome to statecraft, my little Sunbeam,” laughed Celestia.  “They are definitely one of our most problematic allies.  With them it's more like Marechiovelli said.  Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

“Here it is,” called out Aiko, sliding the journal over to Sunset.

She quickly skimmed the article, noting the references cited at the end.  She leaned over, found the cited journal in Aiko’s pile and pulled it free with her magic.  Flipping through she found the article referenced. “Ah, good news. They projected the impact site based on observations of its fall,” Sunset summarized.  She passed the journal over to Celestia.

Celestia skimmed the journal entry, nodding. “A very good start,” she agreed. She set the journal aside for future reference as they continued looking.

Two hours later with no new clues found, Celestia called it.  “Okay my students, that was a productive effort yielding a promising lead, well done.  I’ll authorize an excursion to the impact site for all of you.  You can take off tomorrow and investigate.  But now we need to clean this up and get ready for dinner.”

Holding aside the two journals and the tome of news summaries referencing their finds, they gathered up the books, journals and scrolls then loaded them up onto the two carts brought in by the librarians.  They then rolled them to the door for the guards to deliver for restocking.  Leading her students back to her dining room, they stopped at the Princess’s suite to clean up, then together went to her private dining room for their dinner, chatting happily through the meal in excitement.

“Road trip!” grinned Sunset.  “Our first remote assignment together!  I can’t wait!”

“You mean sky trip!” corrected Twilight, grinning happily. “In our own Pirate Ship!”

Sunset ruffled her mane. “Yes, Sky Trip.  In our own Schooner. It’s not a pirate ship anymore, silly filly.  It’s a schooner in the service of Celestia's Royal Navy.”

“It’s still a pirate ship to me,” grinned Twilight. “Argh!  I should wear an eye-patch!”

“Please don’t,” laughed Celestia.  “I don’t need you bumbling over the edge and falling through the clouds again because you couldn’t see properly.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” huffed Twilight. “Somepony dropped me through the clouds!” She scowled at Sunset.

Sunset pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks mom!” she snarked. “Just when I thought she was getting over that.”  Twilight settled into the hug, snuggling into her sister for a moment, then sat back in her chair.

“I’ll ask the crew to be prepared to leave right after our morning breakfast.  You can spend the day examining the site, then report back for our dinner together and let me know what you found,” stated Celestia.

Plans made, they finished their dinner and retired to Sunset’s apartment to prepare for their journey and get a good night’s sleep.

They packed what they would need for the trip, complete with Sunset helping Twilight pair down what she was bringing to something that could reasonably fit into a saddle bag.  Sunset pointed out to Twilight thirty scrolls might be a bit excessive.

They performed their nightly ablutions ending in a soak together in the warm tub with Twilight swimming happily between them.  Eventually once her excited energy was expended, she cuddled up in Sunset’s forelegs, nuzzled up on her barrel and sound asleep in the warm water.  After their thoroughly relaxing soak, Sunset dried, oiled, and powdered her little friend, who dozed soundly through the entire process, before joining her sisters in drying off.  They snuggled up together in a pony pile on her bed, blankets laid out over them due to the chill of the night, with Twilight warmly swaddled in the middle, her plushie Smarty Pants wrapped tightly in her grasp.






The next morning, roused by their maid and the rising sun, the friends prepared quickly for the day and excitedly moved through the castle, joining their Princess for breakfast.

“Good morning my dear students,” greeted Celestia, sipping her tea and nibbling her tea cake while she waited.

“Good morning Princess,” they bowed, taking their seats as the maid prepared their tea and placed a slice of tea cake in front of each of them.  They ate them quickly, savoring the tea.

“So, are you ready for your excursion?” smiled Celestia.

“Packed and ready to go,” agreed Sunset with Twilight nodded emphatically.  “And looking forward to the brief voyage on our schooner.”

“Pirate Ship!” chirped out Twilight.

“Schooner of the Equestrian Navy,” corrected Sunset with a grin.

“Pirate Ship,” repeated Twilight.  Sunset laughed and ruffled her mane.

“If you say so squirt,” she teased.  Turning back to the Princess, she continued. “We packed last night so we would be ready to go. We just need to grab our saddle bags then head over to the sky port and be on our way.”

Celestia nodded, pleased.  “I’m sure it will be a grand adventure for all of you.  Hopefully a grand, safe adventure,” she amended.

“We hope so,” agreed Sunset. “Though if any trouble does present itself, there will be two battle mages there to meet it, along with the crew of a very determined little Naval Schooner.”

Aiko nodded at that.  Celestia smiled.  “Yes, I know you are all in good hooves.”

Breakfast was brought in, pancakes served in the Princess style, with lots of whipped cream, chocolate chips, drizzled caramel and chocolate syrups, along with maple syrup and butter.

After blessings and enjoying the tasty breakfast, Celestia bade them goodbye, reminding them she would see them again for dinner.  Bowing to her they then departed, heading straight back to Sunset’s apartment for any last minute ablutions.  Saddling up their bags, they trotted out and across the keep to the spires of the castle air port, reporting to the master at arms who directed them to the current berthing for their repurposed Schooner.  They boarded, noting it was now flying the colors of Equestria flag waving in the wind, its white and black alicorns chasing each other with each crack and furl.

“Wow, they really cleaned it up nice. It looks like new,” commented Sunset as they stood in the center of the deck looking it over.  A familiar mare trotted over to join them.

“Major Full Sail,” greeted Sunset.  “A pleasure to see you here.”

The Major saluted crisply with a grin. “It’s Captain Full Sail now, Commander,” she corrected. “Captain Full Sail and crew, ready for duty.  Welcome aboard the Phoenix Sun, Commander.”

“Who picked out that name?  I love it,” smiled Sunset.

Aiko grinned. “I may have had some input,” she admitted.

The Major laughed. “Her first recommendation was The Pony Oni, but the Princess put the nix on that one.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and laughed. “Remind me to thank her,” she snarked.  “Thanks Aiko.”

“What are sister’s for?” Aiko quipped.  “Glad you like it.”

Introductions made, the Captain escorted them into her quarters, inviting them to her table while her steward poured them tea.  The Captain pulled out her maps, laying them out in the middle of the table.

“So our journey will be brief, just a little over two hours to arrive at the reported site of the meteor impact,” the Captain explained.  “When we get there we will drop a land anchor for station keeping, then provide you with any escort needed to the ground below.  We will keep overwatch.  When you are ready you can re-board and we will return to Canterlot, in time for your dinner with the Princess I was told?”

“That is the plan,” Sunset confirmed, sipping her tea.

The Captain continued, tracing out their route on the map with a primary. “We'll pass over Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest, crossing over its eastern expense and into the San Palomino Desert.  From there we will skirt Dodge City, heading towards the eastern pass through the Macintosh Hills and into the Badlands themselves.  From there it will be a brief flight to the central expanse where the meteor is projected to have fallen. With any luck we should be there in a little over two hours.”

As they were talking they heard preparations to get underway outside the cabin.  A single bell rang out.  With a gentle bump they felt the Schooner release from her moorings.  “And with that we are underway.  Make yourselves comfortable ladies, our maiden voyage has begun,” grinned the Captain.






Leaving her sisters under the guidance of Aiko, Sunset joined the Captain on the bridge of the Phoenix Sun.  The watch mare saluted them both as they entered.

“Captain, Commander,” she called out, saluting. “All crew to attention, Captain and Commander on the Bridge!”  The bridge crew all turned and smartly saluted.

Entering and closing the door behind them, Sunset and the Captain returned their salutes. “At ease,” the Captain called out, trotting over with Sunset to her First Officer. “XO, how goes it?”

“Flawless departure, Captain.  Full sail and steady rudder,” replied the XO, rising from the commander's chair in deference to her captain.

The Captain turned to Sunset. “Commander?” she asked, looking towards the chair.

“Your ship, your crew, Captain.  Please,” deferred Sunset.  The Captain nodded, taking the proffered seat.  Sunset stood off to her right with the XO standing to the Captain’s left.

Together they watched the crew effortlessly pilot the schooner into the clouds, then through and up and above them as the schooner rose on a steady heading to their cruising altitude.  The pegasus crew flew and climbed through the rigging, trimming sails to take full advantage of the prevailing winds.  Like a well designed machine they coaxed the schooner to its full potential as it briskly moved over the clouds above Ponyville, heading into the chaotic region of the Everfree forest.

Skilled shipmares and stallions, they anticipated and adjusted for the chaotic gusts over the Everfree, keeping the ship on course and the helm steady.  The pegasus scouts surrounding the ship would call out adjustments to the helmsmare, who would repeat them back as she made the necessary corrections.  Together they kept the beam straight and true despite the gusts and roils of the weather.

A short while later they reached the southeastern edge of the Everfree, leaving behind the chaotic weather of the forest as the ancient castle of the two sisters fading from view off to their west.  Below them the open expanse of the San Palomino desert stretched out to the horizon.

The watch shifted with half of the watchmares heading out further from the ship, adjusting their monitoring and direction of the weather around them to accommodate the expansive desert.  Gently roiling dust devils rose up from the desert floor, dissipating into broad sandy gusting winds several hundreds of spans from the surface.  Over these the ship flew, racing on the winds towards their destination.

Some time later the large settlement of Dodge City came into view off the port side.  The sprawling desert community was vibrant and active, with ponies pulling carts moving through the streets and pegasus moving through the air on their errands.  A train was waiting at the station, smoke and steam drifting from the engine as the cars were unloaded of their wares.  Passing over the station, they headed on a southeastern bearing into the southern expanse of the desert.

Before them the inaptly named Macintosh Hills stretched out, marking the edge of the San Palomino  desert.  They saw the open mountain pass in the distance, and through it the expansive badlands stretched out with its jagged landscape of the rocks, hills, gullies and canyons.

Soon they entered the pass, the ranging mountains of the Macintosh Hills rising to their port and starboard.  The ship with its escort of watchmares sped through the pass entering into the badlands proper.  Before them league after league of the badland landscape continued on to the horizon.  No cities or settlements were present in this unforgiving terrain, only scattered vegetation with no visible signs of wildlife.

The captain rose with her XO following, taking her sextant from her command table then stepping out onto the command deck.  Sighting through the instrument she read off the heading, making notations on in the watch log upon reentering the bridge. Together they returned to the command seat, relieving Sunset who rose from it, retaking her position beside the command chair.  The captain resumed her seat with the XO again taking her position beside her.

“We’re on course, bearing straight to the estimated impact site. We should be coming up to it within the next quarter hour or so,” reported the captain to Sunset.

“That you Captain,” Sunset acknowledged.  Together they watched the badlands landscape pass beneath them.

Roughly a quarter hour later they came upon a hole in the landscape, a crater several stadia in circumference that had displaced a section of the badlands.  The ejected debris and detritus spread from the crater marking the path the meteor had taken.  They circled down over the crater stopping a few hundred cubits about the crater floor.  The crew dropped the earth anchor, catching it into the crater floor and temporarily mooring their craft in place.

“I’ll let my companions know we’ve arrived,” excused Sunset, leaving the bridge and heading into the Captain's quarters.

“We’re here,” she announced to her sisters.  “Time to find our magic rocks.”  Aiko, Cadance, and Twilight rose from where they had been resting and chatting, trotting over to join Sunset.  Picking up Twilight in her magic, Sunset settled her down on her withers as together they headed out onto the deck, stopping at the guardrails to lean over and examine the ground beneath them.

“I’m getting a weird vibe from below but I’m not really seeing anything that stands out,” observed Sunset.

“I can see what might be the impact point over there,” Aiko pointed.  “But it’s covered by what was probably ejecta from the impact.  We may have to do some digging to find what we are looking for.”

Sunset nodded in agreement.  The captain trotted up to them.  “We’re here Commander.  Do you and your team require assistance getting to the ground?”

“Nah, we got this. Thank you Captain.  Please continue your overwatch while we conduct our investigation,” responded Sunset.

With a nod to the captain, she leapt over the railing, Twilight hanging onto her mane tightly.  Aiko and Cadance followed her, Cadance taking hold of Aiko as she spiraled gently down to the crater floor.  Twilight and Sunset plunged towards the ground, disappearing in a teal flash to appear below them on the floor of the crater. Joining them, Cadance gently set Aiko down then settled to the ground herself with a flap of her wings.  Together the students trotted towards the impact point Aiko had sighted.

To their surprise, as they neared impact point an earth pony mare with a pickaxe stepped out from behind one of the larger rocks, proceeding to strike the rock, digging into its surface with the pickaxe.

Sunset trotted up to the mare. “Hello miss.  What are you looking for?” she asked.

“Oh, howdy all,” greeted the mare, looking over and noticing the small herd.  “Sorry, don’t get many visitors here.  This here’s my claim.  I’m a gem prospector, looking for gems and valuable stones.  If’n yer here to horn on my claim I’ll have to ask you to bugger off, but if’n yer just visiting yer more than welcome stay for mite.”

“Well regrettably we are here to prospect for stones ourselves,” clarified Sunset.  “Though if you have the prior claim, we will see that you are adequately compensated for your time and loss of anything that we require.”

Grumbling, the mare resumed her digging. “See that you do.  We don’t take kindly to claim-jumping around here.”

Sunset and her sister students left her to her work, trotting to the impact site.  “I can feel something here,” acknowledged Sunset.  Together they set to work digging out the debris, sifting through for any rocks with magic sucking properties.

After an hour later they had made significant headway in clearing away the ejecta from the impact sight.  They were finding larger stones at this point when Twilight called out.

“I think I found something!”  Twilight tried to pick the stone up in her magic but it just glowed green, absorbing her magic and remaining still.  She then bent over and picked it up in her hoof but quickly dropped it, shaking her hoof.

“Ouch!” she cried.

Sunset bent over, lightly touching the stone. It glowed green for a moment.  She picked it up and quickly tossed it into her saddlebag.  “Well done squirt!  That was definitely one of them.  We’re in the right place!”  She ruffled Twilight’s mane in thanks, then they resumed their search.  By the time they had dug down to the bedrock, they had filled all four of their saddlebags with the green glowing rocks.  Digging further around and satisfied they had at the very least found everything in this area, Cadance removed her saddlebag and flew back up to the schooner.  She returned with the end of a rope, which they tied to all of their saddlebags.  Sunset trotted over to the prospector.

“We’ll likely be back to look more, but we have what we need for now.  This should be more than compensation for your troubles and the stones we have taken.  Thank you,” she explained, handing a bag of gold bits over to the mare.  With a nod she left, rejoining her sisters.

“Okay, we have what we need, and we know where to come back.  Time to head back to Canterlot,” smiled Sunset. Leaving the bags tied to the rope, she teleported them back up onto the ship.  Pulling the rope up after them, they redoned their saddlebags, stowing the robe and trotting to the bridge to alert the Captain they were finished for the day.






Watching them fly off, the prospector continued chipping away at the large stone.  When she was sure they were out of sight, she pulled back and swung with a burst of energy, shattering the stone, pieces falling away from the green glowing core.  It was easily several times the size of even a large pony.

The prospector shimmered, and where she was standing now was an insectoid pony with gossamer wings, a jagged green horn, holes all through its legs, covered in a black caprice.  Turning, she spun out green thread, quickly building up a wrapped cocoon around the glowing green core.  Trailing out strands of webbing, she attached them to the cocoon, and rising up on her gossamer wings, lifted the stone up from the crater floor, flying off with it trailing behind her, heading over the horizon deeper into the badlands.






Alighting at the Canterlot Air Port, the Phoenix Sun docked and Sunset and her sister students disembarked. They trotted directly to the castle proper, heading for the Princess’s dining room and dinner with their Mentor.  They brought the fragments they had found with them still in their saddlebags.  Sunset had wrapped one of them in cloth and carefully placed at the top of her saddlebag with her supplies.  Even now she could feel the drain from the stones as they leached at her magical power.

Entering the dining room, they doffed their bags and took their places as they waited for the Princess.  Sunset removed the wrapped stone from her bag, carefully unwrapping it and placing it on the table before her.

“How can you even stand to touch it?” asked Twilight. “When I touched it, I felt like I had just placed my hoof in a raging fire.  It hurt so bad all I could think about was getting it away from me.”

“It does hurt that bad. But you get used to it.  You just need to be quick about it before it sucks so much from you that you can’t move.  If you let it, I’m sure it would keep removing your magical essence until you died from the loss.  I can’t imagine that would be a pleasant way to go,” responded Sunset, staring at the stone.

“That’s what happened to you when you got shot with that arrow, right?” asked Cadance.

“Yes.  I ripped it out as quickly as I could, but I was essentially out of the fight at that point.  I was near comatose and not much use to anyone.  It’s a highly effective weapon against magical creatures like ourselves,” Sunset agreed.

“And that’s why we need to find all of these and destroy or contain them,” Aiko added.  “As magical creatures, these are weapons of mass destruction for us.  It would turn the course of any battle against us.  We have to deny any enemies this weapon.”

Sunset nodded.  “I think we made a good start today. Finding the meteor that was the source of the artifacts was fortuitous.  We just need to find any other places where our missing merchant may have sold or cached these then we'll be in good shape.”

Celestia trotted in, taking her place at the head of the table.  The maid followed her, serving up tea and tea cakes, then taking everyone's dinner orders.

“So my little students, I see you had a successful day. Is that stone one of the artifacts you hoped to find?” asked Celestia, eyeing the slightly glowing green stone that was holding her students attention.

“Yes mom, this is one of the artifacts,” agreed Sunset, pulling out of her reverie.  “Just to warn you, magic doesn’t work on it and holding it hurts like you wouldn’t believe.  Take a look.”

Sunset pushed the cloth with the stone over to Celestia, who tried to take it in her magic.  As Sunset stated, it just soaked in the Princess’s magic and didn’t budge.  Reaching out with her petraled forehoof she touched it, letting out a quick hiss as she pulled her hoof back.

“You weren’t kidding about the pain,” noted Celestia, reaching out again to take the stone.  She took hold of it with a gasp, holding it up in the one hoof and examining it.  After a few moments of turning it around and probing it with her other forehoof, she placed it back on the cloth and let out the breath she had been holding.

“Yes, I think I can safely say that given enough time in contact with that artifact, even I would eventually succumb to it,” observed Celestia.  “We definitely need to find and contain or destroy these stones,” agreed Celestia.  “So, other than that, how was your maiden cruise on the Pony Oni?”

Sunset smirked. “I heard you shot that name down.”  She glanced over at the grinning vixen, then back to Celestia.  “The Phoenix Sun performed beautifully.  Captain Full Sail and her crew handled her flawlessly, even through wild magic disturbances as we crossed over the Everfree forest.  They were efficient, fast and completely professional.”

Celestia laughed.  “As I would expect from her and her crew.  So we didn’t waste Equestria’s bits on purchasing and refitting your captured Pirate Schooner. Good to know.”

“You know, when.. whatever it is we are currently doing with Griffonstone, I guess it’s not quite a war at this point… but whenever that’s over, I do have two privateer ships currently running around in the Celestial Sea.  I’m sure we could pull them into the fold after this is over, crews and all,” mused Sunset.

“Yes, quite the little navy you have amassed for yourself ,” nodded Celestia, still grinning. “Should I be concerned?”

“Really mom?” snarked Sunset. “Yes, I definitely plan to depose you.  Not!  But I do intend to one day rule by your side so you don’t have to do everything alone.”  She looked around the table with a smile. “And apparently, I won’t be alone either.  If I‘m reading the portents correctly I’ll have plenty of company.”  She smiled at Cadance and Twilight, then winked at Aiko.

Celestia laughed. “As will I, my dear student. But only when you are ready.  You still have much to learn and grow.”

“Sure mom, when it’s time,” agreed Sunset.  “As long as it’s not too long a wait, because you could really use the help now, not later,” noted Sunset.

“More than you could possibly know,” agreed Celestia, smiling at her students.

Sunset looked puzzled. “What does that mean?” she asked.

“Don’t worry, my little Sunbeam.  In its time,” smiled Celestia.

“Okay…” Sunset nodded.  “Sure, I’ll ask again later.  When it’s time,” she grinned.  Wrapping up the gem in the cloth, Sunset slid it back over to the Princess. “I think you should keep all of these we find, and destroy or lock them away for safekeeping, whatever you think best.  When I go back to Japony, I will dig up the others I hid for safekeeping and return those to you as well.”

“Thank you Sunset. I will lock this and the rest of what you found away with the other dangerous artifacts I have recovered over the ages,” agreed Celestia, sliding the stone over to her place.

Their dinners arrived.  When everyone was served Celestia led them in a prayer of gratitude.  They ate, chatting about the day with their mentor.  Eventually the dinner plates cleared and dessert served - cake, to absolutely no one’s surprise. They then loaded all of the rocks from their bags onto a cart the princess had brought in, then bid the Princess goodnight and headed for Sunset’s apartment.

“Hey, does anyone else feel like a good soak before we start our study session?” asked Sunset as they entered the apartment.  “After today I could really use the bath and a chance to relax,” she commented, setting her saddlebags on her desk.

“I’m in!” Twilight chimed happily.  She threw her saddlebag onto Sunset’s bed and pronked into the bathroom.  Sunset laughed, rolling her eyes.

“I didn’t mean right away squirt,” she called into the bathroom as she heard water start running.  “Ah, nevermind.  Hey, so does everyone feel up to taking a bath?”

Cadance laughed as she set her saddlebags on the desk next to Sunset’s. “I’ll go help her,” she agreed, entering the bathroom. “Oh dear! Twilight, you’re making a huge mess!” she said as the door shut behind her.

Aiko laughed. “I can see why you love them.  You’re all peas in a pod.”

“Hey, don’t forget you’re one of the peas too!” grinned Sunset, pulling Aiko into a side hug. “Sisters forever.  Come on pea, let’s hop in the soup.”  Laughing, she led the way into the bathroom.  Aiko tossed her bag onto the bed then followed right behind her.

The tub still filling, Cadance had pulled Twilight over to the bathing stools and was soaping her down, scrubbing away all the dirt and dust from the crater.  Sunset and Aiko sat on their stools next to her, dumping the water over themselves then scrubbing down as well.  Once she was finished, Sunset took Twilight so Cadance could scrub.

Rinsing Twilight and herself down, Sunset teased her little sister. “Last one in is a sore loser!”  Taking the bait, Twilight wiggled out of her grasp and dashed to the tub, diving in.

“Careful squirt!  We don’t want you braining yourself then drowning,” teased Sunset as she stepped into the tub taking her usual spot.  “You heard the Princess. You’re important to the future of this kingdom.”

“No, she said we are important to the future of this kingdom. She meant all of us!” smiled Twilight, paddling back and forth across the tub.

Sunset scooped her into her forelegs as Cadance and Aiko joined them in the tub.  She gave her sister a noogie, scruffing her mane. “And we includes you, squirt.  You are important.”

“No more than the rest of us,” countered Twilight, wiggling free to again paddle back and forth.

“Probably.  What does it matter as long as we’re helping mom and we’re together,” replied Sunset, leaning back into the water. “Ah, now this is the way to finish the day,” she sighed.

“With your sisters?” prompted Aiko, leaning into her with a contented grin.

“With my sisters,” agreed Sunset.

Cadance grinned from her spot, leaning back into the warm water. "I couldn't agree more.”  Smiling, they watched their energetic filly paddle back and forth, happy to let her work off any extra energy before they went to bed to study and eventually sleep.

A while later Twilight had slowed noticeably.  Sunset pulled her in, resting her muzzle on her shoulder as she gently rubbed her back and mane. Twilight continued talking the entire time, about the things she had seen on the ship, the magic stones, the latest magic she had studied, and anything else that came to mind as she snuggled down into Sunset’s embrace smiling contentedly.

Eventually the stream of chatter from the little filly slowed, the gaps growing longer between her comments. With a contented smile Sunset watched her eyes flutter, then finally close.  A moment later a gentle snore escaped the exhausted filly as her sisters looked on in loving contentment.

Cadance smiled.  “That little filly has a ton of energy, but that works every time.”

“Not surprising,” agreed Sunset, still gently rubbing her sisters back. “Works for me too.  Who doesn’t need to know they’re loved and wanted?”

“I have to agree,” nodded Aiko. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else or with anyone else.”

“I’ll second that,” nodded Cadance with a grin. “I would rather be with you three than anywhere else.”

“Same here,” smiled Sunset.

They soaked for a while longer, quietly enjoying each others’ company punctuated by the gentle snores of their littlest sister.






Bath over, oiled and brushed, and back in bed with Twilight gently swaddled between them still softly snoring, they quietly read, studying their magic lessons for the next day.  Looking up from her lessons some time later Sunset noticed her sisters had all fallen asleep, their books now fallen over their barrels.  She gently levitated their books to her desk, then wrapped both them and herself up in warm blankets, turning out the lights and settling down for a good night’s sleep.

“I love you,” she whispered softly to them as she fell asleep.
> 23 - Aiko - Return to the Badlands
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waking, Sunset gently muzzled Aiko, who woke with a smile.  “Good morning, Sunny,” she greeted sleepily, yawning.

“Good morning Aiko,” Sunset smiled.  Together they woke Cadance and Twilight, quickly performing their morning ablutions then heading out to join the Princess for breakfast.

Entering the dining room they found the Princess already there, sipping her morning tea while reading reports.

“Good morning, my little students,” she greeted them, smiling as she looked up from her papers.  Gathering them up and placing them to the side, she watched them take their places as the maid entered behind them with their tea and tea cakes.  Serving everyone, the maid left to fetch their breakfasts.

“So mom, is there anything special going on today?” asked Sunset, finishing off her tea cake.

“I have a Lunch meeting with the Griffonian Ambassador.  I would like you and Cadance to attend.  Don’t worry Cadance, I don’t intend to put you on the spot.  I want the two of you to observe and participate. I will discuss the issues we’re having with Griffon piracy, and I want your evaluations of his response afterwards,” answered Celestia.

“So, it’s a test,” responded Cadance.

“A bit,” admitted the Princess. “But it’s also an honest request for your input. I value both of your insights.”

Both Cadance and Sunset promised to attend.  “What about Twilight and Aiko?  Don’t you want them to attend too?” asked Cadance.

“I do,” agreed Celestia. “But pulling all four of you into a private meeting would put him on guard. I was hoping for a candid response from him, so I’m trying to avoid any awkwardness with apologies to you both. Please don’t take this as a slight.”

Twilight and Aiko nodded.  “That’s okay.  Twilight and I will just have lunch in the common hall and join you afterwards,” agreed Aiko.”

“Thank you, my little vixen, that would be perfect,” answered Celestia.

They finished their breakfast then joined the Princess in the garden for their morning lessons.  They sat around her in the garden gazebo.

“The weather team scheduled clear skies today, so it’s a perfect opportunity for us to have our lessons in the garden and enjoy this beautiful warm day,” stated Celestia. “Today we’re discussing the importance of personal relations in statecraft.  By forging friendships with emissaries from other countries, we forge friendships between our states themselves.”

The Princess highlighted the power of friendship to overcome differences by uniting friends over commonalities and shared experiences, interests, and passions.  By focusing on what was in common and valued, friends, and countries, could grow and work together despite their differences or separate goals.

“I’d bet you really get a chance to put that to the test with the Griffons,” grinned Sunset. “I’d swear sometimes the only thing we have in common is we both breathe.”

“It’s not that bad,” laughed Celestia. “But yes there are many times that the friendship between myself and the Griffon Ambassador has kept us from hostile indifference, or even outright war.  For the sake of that alone we would value each other's friendship.”

“I’m glad you were able to make friends with him,” acknowledged Sunset. “Most of the griffons I’ve met would just as soon kill me as talk with me.  They’re smug species supremacists and think they’re the best of everything.”

“That’s an unfortunate consequence of their warlike culture. They view everything in terms of conquest and conflict.  Only the strongest rise above the rest, so when they have power or authority they act as if they’re entitled to everything they want.  Not all are like that, especially those like the Ambassador who have spent time in other lands or were exposed to other cultures. But that is their culture and how they’re raised,” replied Celesta.

“Which explains why they seem to have no issues with piracy or slavery, especially against other races,” noted Sunset.

“Correct, my dear student,” affirmed Celestia.  “And also why I keep relations with them close at hoof and value my friendship with their Ambassador.  Many times he has helped me shepard them towards a better way, avoiding open conflict that would be harmful to both our species.  He ‘s been an active partner to the betterment of both our countries.

“Wow.  I wouldn’t have expected that,” answered Sunset.  “I’m definitely looking forward to lunch now. I want to hear what he has to say!”

“I figured both you and Aiko would feel that way, especially as you’ve had rather direct experience with the problem at hoof,” agreed Celestia.  “Unfortunately, it would be overwhelming for him if I brought you all in.”

“Then bring Aiko in instead of me,” offered Cadance. “I don’t mind! That way it’s still just two guests and Aiko could hear his response too.”

“That’s very considerate of you, my dear niece,” answered Celestia. “But I cannot do that. The fact is, as you are a titled Princess I must include you in many of these meetings. So I need you to experience and grow comfortable with them.  I’m starting with this meeting because he’s a friend, so you’ll experience a friendly environment.  And with Sunset, whom you can lean on as a role model.  She has experience in these settings and comports herself well.”

“Thanks mom,” Sunset snarked. “And I thought you just wanted my keen insights.”

“I do, it’s a win win for me. I get both your insights and Cadance gets to learn from a pony who has the experience she lacks.  And I get to spend time with both of you.  I only regret I can’t include your entire herd,” Celestia teased.

“We’re not a herd mom, we’re a leash,” teased Sunset.

“Semantics,” laughed Celestia.

“Words are important,” Sunset grinned.

“Oh, you were paying attention. I am so relieved, “ teased Celestia.

Aiko grinned. “Are you sure you're not really related?  You could be sisters the way you both carry on.”

“I assure you, we’re not secretly sisters. I have a sister; she’s nothing like you, my little Sunbeam,” Celestia smiled wistfully.

“Ah!  So the stories are true then!” Sunset replied excitedly.  “Your sister is the black alicorn! That’s the two of you on our flag!  Did she really become the mare in the moon?” she asked.

“You’ve been doing your reading, my little Sunbeam.  Yes, that’s her.  Almost one thousand years ago, I made a tragic mistake, one of the worst in my life.  Because of my mistake, my dear younger sister is now the Mare in the Moon,” confessed Celestia.

“I knew it!  I knew it! I knew it!” Twilight danced around, hugging the Princess.  “I knew the Mare in the Moon was the banished Princess!  I figured it out from the nighttime stories my mom used to read to me!”

“Used to, squirt?  We still read those to you,” teased Sunset.

“So? They’re really good stories,” answered Twilight.

Sunset grinned, scruffing Twilight's mane. “You got me there, squirt, I always loved them too.” Twilight batted her hoof away, smiling up at her friend.

“So, is your sister coming back?” asked Twilight innocently.

“I hope so,” responded the Princess.  “I miss her very much.  I would love for her to come back.  We’ll see what the future brings.”

“If she comes back, she will be the princess that rules by your side, right?” asked Sunset warily.  “You won’t need another princess, right?”

“I certainly hope that if she comes back, she will rule beside me,” agreed Celestia. “But she isn’t the only other princess.”  She smiled at Cadance. “And I will rule beside all of my princesses, together in Harmony.”

“So, I could still become a princess then, and so could Twilight, right?” asked Sunset hopefully.

“Sunbeam, when the time is right I am sure you all will,” assured Celestia.

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought for a moment there you didn’t need me anymore.”

“My dear little Sunbeam,” Celestia hugged Sunset under her wing. “I want you, Twilight, Cadance, and now your dear student Aiko to be by my side for as long as you all live.  If that is as princesses then I am happy. If instead it's as my students I will also be content.  I value you all and want to enjoy every moment we have together as friends, and as family.

“I do hope someday you all become princesses, just as you saw yourselves in the mirror.  But regardless of what happens I will always consider you my friends, my family.  You will always have a place in my heart,” Celestia smiled.

Cadance and Aiko joined the hug, with Twilight still wrapped around the Princesses leg.

When the lessons finished Sunset and Cadance joined the Princess, returning with her to the formal dining hall for the state Lunch.  Aiko placed Twilight on her back then loped towards the common dining hall.

“So what did you think about that?” whispered Aiko to her little friend as they took their lunches to an empty table.  Setting their lunch tray down, she lifted Twilight off her back, sitting her down next to her.  Twilight took her lunch and drink from the tray and sipped her apple juice as she thought.

“I always knew the Mare in the Moon was the other princess,” she replied after a moment. “At least I was pretty sure, it just made sense.  But that would mean the Mare in the Moon is coming back, because the story said she would come back on the day of the longest night after a thousand years.  That’s good right?  Because she would get to be with her sister again?”

“Maybe?  Is she coming back as the Princess or as this Nightmare of the Moon thing? If I recall from the stories, the  Princess is good but this Nightmare thing tried to kill the Princess and everyone else, right?” Aiko asked.

“You heard the stories growing up too?” asked Twilight in surprise.

“Sort of. When I was still very little, my uncle told me about your land. I was fascinated by it, so I looked the stories up.  That’s part of the reason I ended up joining the diplomatic corps,” answered Aiko.

“You think she might come back as Nightmare Moon?” asked Twilight.

“I think that’s possible, yes,” agreed Aiko.

“I hope not!  That would be kind of scary,” said Twilight.

Aiko nodded in agreement. “If I had to guess, I think the Princess is concerned too.  If she thought everything was going to be okay she would be more excited. I bet she’s worried that when her sister returns she’ll just start the war between them all over again, still as this Nightmare Moon.”

“Then we’ll just have to stop her and make her be friends with her sister again,” stated Twilight.

“That we will,” agreed Aiko with a smile.






After a quick stop in the Princess’s suite to freshen up, they entered the formal dining room.  They were announced by the head waiter.  Nodding in acknowledgement to the standing Ambassador and his staff, the Princess entered the room with Cadance just behind and to her right, and Sunset a step back and to her left.  She took her seat with Sunset standing to her left and Cadance to her right. When she was seated, they sat along with the rest of their guests.

“Lord Gestal, it has been a while, has it not?” The Princess smiled at the Griffon Ambassador.  “How are things in your fair kingdom?”

The Ambassador snorted. “Ah Princess, ever the wit.  Thank you for not saying that while I was chewing or drinking,” he laughed.  “It’s as good as it ever is, thank you for asking.  The King is concerned the coffers are not as full as he would like.  The House of Lords is concerned the projects showcasing their importance are not being given proper consideration.  And the king's subjects would all just rather everyone bugger off and let them turn a bit, honest or otherwise. Yet we somehow manage to continue to not burn our kingdom to the ground and reduce ourselves to rabble while we rob each other blind.  We clearly are the finest kingdom in existence, if I do say so myself.”  He chuckled, taking a sip of his wine.

“Surely you overstate things my dear friend.  It can’t be all that bad,” smiled Celestia, taking a sip of her cider.

The Ambassador nodded to Sunset sitting next to her. “From what my staff tells me, your mage could tell you stories that might convince you otherwise.”  He smiled at Sunset, and raising his glass in salute took another sip.  Sunset smiled and nodded, raising her cider and sipping as well.

“Her stories were indeed most colorful.  She’s certainly had many occasions to enjoy Griffon hospitality,” agreed Celestia, starting on her salad.

Cadance was watching the friendly banter intently while trying to daintily eat her salad.  Sunset caught her eye, and winked with a smirk.

“If you’ll pardon my impudence, Ambassador, I must confess I have not had grievous issues with anyone in your kingdom,” Sunset interrupted with a charming smile.  “With a few passing exceptions, your king's subjects have been most helpful while I was in your kingdom.  I’ve had very little to complain of from my visits.”

“I’m delighted to hear that, my dear mage,” smiled the Ambassador.  “And it’s no impudence at all, I’m delighted to hear from you and everyone here.”  He took a bite of the sausage from his plate.

“I regret I cannot say the same of your kingdom’s denizens I’ve interacted with apart from your fine kingdom,” Sunset continued, taking another bite of her salad.

“And there's the rub,” agreed the Ambassador.  “We are an ambitious lot.  And those of us who range abroad in pursuit of their ambitions often leave their graces behind,” he lamented.

“Yes, not to put too fine a point on things,” agreed Celestia, rejoining the conversation.  “A topic of conversation I meant to bring up at an opportune moment.”

“I believe the moment is upon us,” smiled the Ambassador.  “We’re all friends here, please speak freely. What’s on your mind?”

At the Princess’s behest Sunset related her earlier misadventures with the slavers in Klugetown, including the death of her teammate and wounding of her Major.  She ended with the tale of her, Aiko and the crew of the Graceful Albatross fighting off the Griffon pirate crew.  The Ambassador nodded, listening and asking the occasional question throughout her tale.

She finished about the same time everyone finished their main course.  The Ambassador nodded in understanding. “That is extremely unfortunate.”

“Appalling is what it is, Gestal,” countered Celestia politely.  “While I understand neither you nor your kingdom is responsible for what goes on outside your borders, is there nothing that can be done to reign this in?  It’s reached the point where a frigate now expects to be attacked during the course of its voyage. It’s quite out of hoof.”

“You’re not wrong,” agreed the Ambassador. “They’ve become so proflagrant, they’re now targeting even griffon ships.  The king was willing to turn them a blind eye while they marauded competing fleets, but with so many self-proclaimed privateers ranging for bounty, no fleet is safe, not even our own.  That reason alone may persuade him to be amenable to my suggestions.”

Deserts were passed out, then Celestia continued. “I do hope you understand this situation has come to the point where it is simply untenable.  We have to put an end to it, even if it means mobilizing our naval forces against them.  I don’t want protecting our own merchantmares misunderstood as an act of aggression.  We just want trade to flow freely, and our citizens to travel free of the threat of death or slavery.  We have no complaint against Griffonstone nor the king and his court.  We just need to clean the skies and waters of these threats.”  She cut a corner off her slice of cake.  “Mmm, delicious. My cooks have outdone themselves, you simply must try this.”

The Ambassador took a bite of his cake and nodded pleasantly. “I’m not one for the sweet flavors.  My tastes tend towards the savory.  But yes, this is certainly exceptional.”  He smiled, “And I concur, if you were to clear the skies and waters of threats to all trade I rather suspect the king and his court would be grateful, as it would relieve them of the awkward task of correcting our own wayward citizens.”

“Only suspect, Gestal?” quipped the Princess, taking another bite of cake.

“My dear Princess, if you want something in writing, send me a postcard.  I’ll be more than happy to send you an appropriate reply,” smirked the Ambassador.

Sunset snickered, earning her a teasing glare from her Princess.

“Just so, Gestal.  Perhaps I will send you a lovely missive.  Thank you for the advice,” smiled Celestia, finishing her cake then daintily wiping the crumbs from her muzzle.

“Anytime, my dear Celestia.  Always happy to be of service to our friends in Equestria,” smiled the Ambassador, taking another sip of his wine.  “Ah! This is an excellent vintage, it truly cleanses the palate and tongue.  Your vineyards are second to none.”

“Thank you, Gestal!  I’ll be sure to pass along the compliment,” smiled Celestia. “So how is that niece of yours?  Greta, correct?  I haven’t seen your nest in ages.”

The business of the meeting over, the conversation settled into pleasantries and banalities, filled with the friendly banter of two old friends catching up on family and personal events.  Cadance or Sunset were drawn into the conversation whenever some point of their involvement became the topic of the moment, but for the most part their participation in the conversation was as pleasantly absorbed but passive listeners.

As the end of lunch hour approached the Ambassador begged the Princess’s indulgence as he had another meeting to attend.  The princess graciously gave her leave, so the Ambassador and his party bowed then departed.

After they left Celestia turned to her students.  “Well done, my little ponies.  That was a productive and pleasant meeting.  Thank you for taking part, your efforts as always are deeply appreciated.”  She stood and thanked the wait staff, who bowed in reply.  Together she and her students departed for the Princess’s apartments.

Aiko and Twilight were waiting for them, both on the Princess’s bed engrossed in their studies.

“So, how did it go?” asked Aiko, looking up as they entered.

“It went well, my little vixen.  I’ll do my best to have you at the next such meeting. I really feel you could have added to our discussion if I had been able to force the accommodation,” replied Celestia.  “So, did you enjoy your lunch?”

“Yup!” chirped Twilight, putting her book away in her saddle bag.  “We talked about your sister and the Mare in the Moon.”

Aiko rolled her eyes. “Smooth, little one.  Truly you are without guile,” she grinned, ruffling Twilight’s mane.

“What’s guile?” asked Twilight. “Is that something I should be learning and practicing?”

“Certainly not!” laughed Celestia. “Aiko, please don’t be putting such ideas in my young students' heads.”

Aiko grinned. “Of course not, Princess.  Forgive me,” she laughed, bowing.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Celestia said, pulling them both into a wing hug.  “It was a productive and pleasant meeting.  We received assurances Griffonstone will not oppose us when we clear out the rogue privateers capturing our citizens and absconding with our trade. That’s better than I expected, and all I could have hoped for.”

“And Sunset got to tell your stories, or at least the pirate parts,” added Cadance. “How you bravely fought the pirates that attacked your ship.”

Aiko smiled at Sunset. “It’s easy to be brave when your partner is fearless.”

“Oh I know fear,” Sunset grinned. “I just make sure whoever I’m fighting knows fear better.  I keep fear as a passing acquaintance, not an honored friend.”

“Well said, my little Sunbeam,” smiled Celestia. 

Sunset smiled back. “Thanks, mom.”

“So we’re going to fight the pirates?” gasped Twilight happily.

“We are not fighting.  Aiko and I will take care of the fighting.  You and Cadance will be doing the learning.  You’re not ready for battle, either of you,” responded Sunset.

“Speak for yourself,” interjected Cadance, clearly flustered.  “I’ll have you know I battled that witch when I earned my horn!  I know how to fight.”

“I’m sorry Cadance, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise,” apologized Sunset. “What I meant is that Aiko and I don’t want you or Twilight involved in any fighting until we can properly train you both.  When you’re full battle mages in the Princess’s Battle Corps then you can join us.  Together, side by side, we’ll defeat the enemies of our Princess.”

Cadance smiled. “I know you didn’t mean offense Sunset, so none taken.  I’m looking forward to training.”

“Me too!” agreed Twilight.  Smiling, Aiko gave her a hug.

“We can start this afternoon if you have no objections,” Sunset replied to Cadance.

“Train me too!” insisted Twilight. “You need to train me too!”

“Squirt, we will train you,” agreed Sunset. “But I really think you’re too young for this type of training right now.  You should focus on your studies and improving your magic.  There’ll be plenty of time for learning to battle when you’ve grown a bit more.”  Sunset scruffed her mane with a grin.

Twilight pouted. “I’m plenty old enough.  And I can totally keep up with you, just watch me!  Please?” she begged.

“You know Sunbeam, she does have a point,” agreed Princess Celestia. “While I certainly wouldn’t teach her any mortal techniques now, there’s nothing wrong with Twilight learning defensive skills and improving her fitness.  It will even help her studying, as a healthy foal can concentrate more effectively,” Celestia prompted.

“Mom, seriously?” Sunset groaned.  “I know she has to learn all this but she’s just a foal!  Can’t she please stay a filly for a while longer?  She really doesn’t need to experience the things Aiko and I have been through at her age.”

“I’m not asking you to subject her to anything of that sort,” explained Celestia. “But she can start learning combat basics and getting into shape.  I expect great things from all of you!  There’s no time like the present to begin preparing for your destinies.”

“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me something?” asked Sunset. “It feels like you’re rushing us. Mom, what’s going on?”

“Just call it a hunch, my little Sunbeam.  Chalk it up to my intuition,” Celestia smiled.

Sunset looked at the Princess askance. “This feels like more than just intuition.”.

“You’ll know more when I do, my dear,” replied Celestia.

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” groused Sunset in a whisper to Aiko.

A bit louder she replied. “Fine. Twerp, we’ll include you in our basic training. We don’t want you left behind so you need to apply yourself to get fit and master the basics of combat.  And we’ll be with you through all of it.”  Twilight pranced happily.

Excusing themselves, the students retired to Sunset’s apartment to study.

“Okay, beginning today, Aiko and I will be initiating you into the Sacred Sisterhood of the Zebrican Arts.  Twilight, Aiko will be your sensei, while I will be teaching Cadance. Get a drink, wash up, use the bathroom, whatever you need to do.  When you're done meet us on the balcony and we’ll start,” Sunset invited.

They all quickly drank some water, performed their ablutions, then moved to the apartment balcony. Aiko took Twilight aside, walking her through the initiation into the Zebrican Sisterhood and showing her the empathetic mind magic that comprised the so-called Zebrican Arts.  They practiced it together until Twilight could lead a session start to finish on her own with minimal correction and support. Unsurprisingly she was a very quick and astute study.

While Aiko worked with Twilight, Sunset did the same with Cadance.

“Okay Princess,” Sunset smirked, “Welcome again to the mysteries of the Sacred Sisterhood of the Zebrican Arts, or just the Zebrican Sisterhood as we usually call it.”

Hearing her title, Cadance frowned, but quickly recovered due to her curiosity.  “So this is something you learned while in Nippony?” she asked.

Sunset grinned and nodded. “Sort of.  It’s the art Aiko and I used to survive the brothels.  We trained our leash sisters to use for their protection in the brothels too.  Basically it’s a strong form of empathetic mind magic that’s usually keyed on touch.  But the truth is once you become proficient in it touch is useful but optional for an accomplished mage. That’s not something we teach our leash sisters, but as a Princess and Battle Mage you need to know everything about the art and its uses.”

Cadance nodded.  “So as this is a Zebrican Art, I guess it makes sense it’s keyed to touch as they don’t have horns.  Odd though that you only found out about it in Nippony.  You’d think somepony would have heard of it here with all the studies our mages and the staff at the School for Gifted Unicorns are doing.”

“You’d think,” smirked Sunset, laughing.

“What?  Sunset, what are you not telling me?” asked Cadance, suspicious.

“Would I lie to you?” disassembled Sunset, trying her best to look innocent.  It was proving difficult with the shiitake eating grin she couldn’t wipe from her muzzle.

“Come on Sunset!  Tell me the truth,” complained Cadance, looking hurt.

Sunset leaned into Cadance, pulling her muzzle next to hers.  “It’s a secret.  You can’t tell anyone.  Aiko knows, but other than her no one else knows. Promise you’ll keep the secret,” Sunset whispered.

Cadance nodded, smiling.  “I promise!” she whispered back.

Sunset smirked, looking her straight in the eyes. “I made it all up.”

“What!?” shouted Cadance in shock.

Sunset laughed and facehooved.  “Smooth, Cadance.  Secret, remember?” she grinned.

“Sorry!” said Cadance. “What do you mean, you made it up?  It isn’t real?” she whispered in surprise.

“No!  No, it's real.  The magic is real.  It’s just not Zebrican,” Sunset explained quietly. “It’s not a lost Zebra Magical art.  It’s forbidden mind magic I learned from the forbidden archives.  I needed a cool name for it and a backstory I could sell.  I had to teach it to others, and I couldn’t very well tell them ‘Hey! You should learn this really useful forbidden magical technique!  It may just save your life!’ Because as soon as anypony heard the word forbidden, they would have scurried away like rats from sunlight.  So I invented a cool backstory for it and a catchy name.  That way I can teach it and save the lives of my leash mates, of all the other sisters caught in the slavery of the brothels.”

“So you made this all up to protect the other mares and vixens that were trapped with you in the brothels?” clarified Cadance.

“And myself, yes.  I used the techniques to protect myself and save my own life while I was undercover as a slave in the brothels.  The technique worked!  And when I realized I could teach the others trapped in the brothels the same techniques, and allow them to save their own live too, I had to find a way to share it.

Sunset grinned. “Though the truth is I made up the backstory very spur of the moment.  My Madam found me out.  She caught me using mind magic on a client, and I had to think and talk fast, trying to pass it off as an unknown art so she didn’t realize I could still use magic even though they’d glued an inhibitor ring on my horn.  It just kind of tumbled out as I talked fast to cover my flank.”

“You always were good at being a sneak,” grinned Cadance.

“Hey!  I’ll have you know that’s a finely honed survival craft, don’t be making it sound all evil or something,” laughed Sunset.

“It is kind of the opposite of good, Sunset,” chuckled Cadance. “It’s harmonious to tell the truth.”

“It’s harmonious to stay alive and not let others get hurt.  If a little fib helps that happen, that sounds harmonious enough for me,” countered Sunset.

Candace smiled. “Well, your heart’s in the right place, as always. Thank you for telling me the truth and explaining it to me.”  She hugged Sunset, then sat back expectantly. “Okay, so that said, are you going to teach me this Zebrican Art?”

“That’s the plan,” agreed Sunset, smiling.  “Okay, it may seem a little weird at first, but think of it as a shared dream.  Here goes.”  Sunset reached out a hoof to Cadance who promptly fell asleep.

Sunset entered her mind, showing her how to leave her mind and enter another's, and how to separate her conscious self from the rest of her psyche allowing her mind to dream and take part in the shared experience, even as she sat apart with Sunset co-directing and controlling the shared dream.

Despite Cadance’s current limitations with magic she quickly picked up the technique, running through Sunset’s mind without help or too much guidance.

“You really have a gift for this,” noted Sunset as she followed Cadance through their shared dreamspace. “I was concerned that with your magical issues it might be difficult for you to pick this up, but you’ve figured it out fairly quickly.

“If you were a vixen, I’d bet you’d have ascended another tail at this point,” she laughed.

“Wait, what?  How does that work?” asked Cadance, curious.

“It’s a kitsune thing,” explained Sunset. “They ascend in stages. Each time they learn and master a new type of magic they earn another tail, it’s their version of ascending.  One you have nine tails, you’re as powerful as a Princess, meaning mom.  When Aiko learned this technique she ascended another tail.  She was a three tail when we started. It was pretty cool.”

Once Cadance had mastered the technique, Sunset took her to a virtual arena to learn basic combat skills, just as she had with Aiko before.  She even showed Cadance the refined version of the shield spell she used for combat, placing it into her mind in the shared dreamspace as an image just as she had with Aiko.  She was delighted to find her suspicions were correct.  Seeing the spell in that para-physical form, Cadance was immediately able to grasp it and use it correctly with very little issue.

“Oh, thank the Maker!” breathed Cadance. “This  makes so much more sense!  If you can teach me this way instead of just reading and rereading those primers and books the Princess keeps hoofing me, I may just get this yet!  Thank you so much for showing me this, Sunset!” She pulled Sunset into a wing hug.

Sunset hugged her back with a nuzzle.  “Happy to help, Cadance!  I knew you would understand eventually.  I’m glad this worked out.”

By the end of the session, Cadance could quickly cast the shield spell with a few rudimentary battle spells while keeping the shield spell active.

Trying to extend her attacks, Cadance got frustrated.  Sunset reminded her. “Foal steps, Cadance.  You need to learn to trot before you can canter.  You’re doing great!  You’ll get there.”

Sighing, Cadance nodded. “Thank you Sunset.  I needed to hear that.  I’ll keep practicing this until it’s second nature.”

Sunset hugged Cadance. “That’s all I ask.  You’ve got this.  Ready for a break?”  Cadance nodded.

Dismissing them from the shared dream, Sunset and Cadance woke to see Aiko and Twilight were finished.  “So, how’d you do, squirt?” asked Sunset, giving Twilight a quick hug.

“She did remarkably well,” answered Aiko. “Unsurprising I guess for such a driven little filly, but I think she’ll be a natural at this before long.”  Twilight nodded,  beaming at the praise.

“I need to take care of something I’ve been putting off this afternoon, but why don’t you all do something fun to celebrate?” suggested Sunset.

“That sounds wonderful.  I know, I’ll take you both out for ice cream, my treat!” replied Cadance.

“Sorry I’ll miss it,” smiled Sunset.  “Have fun! I’ll see you all for dinner.”  She trotted out of the apartment, heading for the brig and a discussion she had put off far too long.






Sunset nodded to the sergeant at arms, who opened the cell door. Taking a deep breath she trotted in, the sergeant closing and locking the cell door behind her. 

The mare laying on the bed rolled over, looking up to see who had entered. “I thought you’d forgotten about me,” she said as she sat up on her cot facing Sunset. 

“No Major, I didn’t forget. There’s been a lot happening. You’re being treated well?” Sunset asked. 

“Well enough,” the Major responded. “I can’t complain. It’s my own fault I’m in here anyways.”  She looked up at Sunset. “So where do we go from here?”

Sunset crossed the cell, sitting on the cot next to the Major. “That’s really up to you, Major.

“You can trot out of this cell right now. You’ll be on probation until it’s clear your attitude issues are completely resolved. If you’re over them, if we don’t have any more issues like we’ve been having, this incident and your incarceration will be expunged from your record.  You’ll be free to continue your honorable career in the guard as if they never happened.

“Major, you’ve been through Tartarus. Nopony expects you to be fine after what you’ve been through. You were grievously injured in the line of duty. One of your subordinates died in the same attack.  None of that was your fault.

“Your commanding officer made a mistake, one that placed you and your subordinate in mortal danger. I was that officer, I made that mistake. Was I at fault?  No. Did I learn from it? Painfully. Am I a better officer for it? Absolutely.

“We were in combat. Mistakes in combat happen. When they do, bad things happen. That’s why we train. That’s why we learn. And that’s why we fight. To protect others so they don’t have to suffer what we do, or what we did. 

“Major, I’m not going to tell you everything’s going to be alright. We both know it’s not.  I’m not going to blow sunshine up your trotters. But that’s okay, because we can deal with it, learn from it, and keep moving forward.

“You can’t do that alone, Major. We move forward together. We fight as part of a team. And we recover as part of a team. I’m recommending you to a counselor I’ve worked with, she can help you move forward. I’m not ordering you to see her, but she can help you, together. Don’t try to do this alone. 

“So, what’s next is up to you. If you want what I’ve just offered, come with me and put this behind you.” 

Sunset rose, trotting over to the cell door. She wrapped on it with her forehoof, then the sergeant at arms opened the door for her. She looked back over her shoulder. “Are you coming, Major?”

The Major rose from her cot and trotted out behind her.






After settling the Major back into her barracks, Sunset returned to her apartment to get ready for dinner.  She smiled thinking of Aiko and Twilight off with Cadance, window shopping in the city as they enjoyed their afternoon out.

Looking out over the city from her balcony, she saw the weather team had pulled in a storm front in preparation for rain tonight leaving clouds scattered over the city.

She grinned.  With a teal flash and a pop, she disappeared from her balcony.

After spying from several clouds around town, she located her query, a familiar pink princess oblivious to anything but her two dear friends.  Sunset smirked.  She popped away in a flash of teal.

Cadance was sitting at a table outside the cafe with Aiko and Twilight, eating her strawberry swirl sundae while her sister students enjoyed their treats.  She smiled over at Aiko. “So, do they have anything like this over in Yokeo?”

“With less climbing, yes.  Yokeo is a bay city like Manehatten, not set on a mountain like this.  But we have our cafe’s, and we do have our treats.  Not much ice cream, but sticky sweet noodles and sweet and savory confections. And of course tea,” Aiko laughed.

“How are you doing, Twilight?  I haven’t heard much from you since you sat down,” grinned Cadance at her young friend.

Twilight pulled her muzzle from her oversized shake. “Still eating!” she chirped happily, diving back into her treat.  Aiko and Cadance both grinned.

There was a shout, the ponies around them looking up at the sky and pointing.  “What’s that pony doing?” a mare called out, shielding her eyes with a hoof to get a better look.

Another stallion, his own hoof shielding his eyes from the evening sun, called out as well. “What’s that crazy pegasus doing?  She’s flying straight down towards the ground!”

Behind them a pegasus mare called out in panic. “Oh sweet Celestia!  That’s not a pegasus!  That’s a unicorn!”  She leapt up into the sky racing towards the falling pony.

That got Aiko’s attention.  She turned, looking where they were all pointing.  Pegasus from all over the city were racing through the clouds to get to the falling mare.  She placed a paw over her eyes for a better look.  “Son of a..”

A flash of teal filled the sky, the falling unicorn disappearing to the shock of everyone watching.

There was a teal flash and pop right behind them. Cadance suddenly felt two forelegs wrapped around her shoulders and muzzle in her ear.  “Did you miss me?” a playful voice whispered.

“Gah!” shouted Cadance, launching her sundae up into the air.  It was caught in a teal glow and gently returned to the table before her.  Her eyes wide in shock, Cadance slammed up straight into Sunset’s hug.  She threw her fore hoof out in front of her, taking slow, measured breaths as she slowly moved her hoof in and out, her panic slowly fading.

Turning to face the playful intruder still hanging over her shoulder, she looked into Sunset’s grinning face.

“So Cadance, did you miss me?” repeated Sunset, grinning like a cat face to face with a very surprised canary.

Cadance smirked, raising one eyebrow.  Across the table, Aiko placed both paws over her face trying unsuccessfully to hide her laughter.  Twilight looked up from her treat, noticing her big sister hanging over Cadance’s shoulder.

“Hi Sunset!” Twilight chirped, her face covered in ice cream.  “When did you get here?  Are you going to join us?”  Aiko laughed so hard she nearly fell from her chair.

When she finally stopped laughing, Aiko grinned at Sunset. “You. Are. A. Brat!” she gasped.

“What?  I just thought it might be nice to join you all for a bit.  I finished earlier than expected so I decided to drop in on you,” smirked Sunset.

Twilight looked askance in confusion. “Huh?” she asked.

Aiko turned to Twilight with a grin. “Did you hear all the people talking about the falling unicorn?”

“Yeah, and?  It sounded like they were all going to help,” responded Twilight, licking her muzzle still trying to get the tasty treat pasted all over it.

Aiko grinned, looked over at Sunset, then back.  Twilight looked at Sunset, then back at Aiko.  “Oh!” she exclaimed a moment later. ”I get it!  Drop in on us!  Good one!” She went back to her treat.

Cadance snorted and giggled. “Never change, Twilight,” she laughed.  Turning back to the mare still violating her personal space she grinned, giving her a friendly peck on the cheek. “You’re a dork!” she laughed. “You darn near gave me a heart attack!”

Sunset smiled and nuzzled her, then sat in the chair next to her.  “You’re way too nice, Cadance.  Ugh!  Even when I get a rise out of you, you’re still perfectly adorable!  I couldn’t hate you even if I wanted to!” she laughed.

Cadance grinned.  Scooping out a dollop of whipped cream, she artfully flicked it onto Sunset’s muzzle.  “Wouldn’t want you to miss out on the fun!  There, now we’re even!” she laughed.

Sunset grinned, licking off the cream then stealing Cadance’s napkin to wipe off her muzzle.  “Sure, call it even,” she grinned.

Aiko smirked at Sunset. “So, are you going to clear that up?” she motioned back to the bedlam still going on behind them.  Pegasus were still flying all over through the clouds, with ponies still talking and pointing to where the mare disappeared, the confusion running rampant.

“Nah, they’ll figure it out.  Eventually,” grinned Sunset.






Sunset joined them for the rest of their evening.  When the time for their dinner with Celestia came they returned to the castle, stopping to clean up in Sunset’s apartment, especially the delightfully sticky and fully frosted Twilight, before heading to the Princess’s private dining hall.  They arrived early and were seated enjoying their tea and tea cakes when the Princess arrived.

The Princess entered and took her seat, glaring at her little Sunbeam from the moment she entered.  Sunset stared back, smiling.  The Princess sat and raised an eyebrow. Sunset’s grin widened.

“So my afternoon was entertaining, how was yours?” Celestia asked her students, her eyebrow still raised and not looking away from Sunset.  “Did anything interesting happen during your outing?”

Twilight started giggling.

“You mean like a pony falling out of the sky and half the city freaking out?” asked Aiko, taking a sip of her tea.

“Something like that,” affirmed the Princess, eyebrow still raised, still staring directly at Sunset.

Sunset took a long sip of her tea. She looked away, trying very hard not to laugh.  Getting herself under control, she turned back to the Princess. “Wow, that sounds dramatic,” she snickered.

“Do tell,” agreed the Princess, still staring. “I’ve just spent the last thirty or so minutes assuring everypony that there isn’t a missing unicorn and that there’s no need to mobilize the guard for a marehunt to find the poor missing pony who may have fallen out of a balloon.  At least that was their current guess.  You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you, my little Sunbeam?” she asked sweetly.

“Maybe?” smirked Sunset, looking away.  She stuffed her muzzle full with the last of her tea cake.

“You don’t say,” snarked the Princess back.

Aiko smirked at her friend. “Brat,” she snickered.

“Indeed,” agreed the Princess. “Sunset, please don’t trigger metropolitan level emergencies with your pranks,” she admonished, breaking into a grin.  “I’m not sure the city can take them as often as you seem to think is humorous.”

“It was pretty epic,” grinned Sunset after swallowing the last of her cake.

“Do I need to make myself more directly clear?” the Princess smiled.

“No mom, I got it. Don’t panic the populace,” agreed Sunset with a laugh.

“Good,” grinned Celestia, finally taking a sip of her tea then starting on her cake. “I am sorry I missed it.  It did sound quite epic.”

Aiko laughed. “You know, she really doesn’t need the encouragement.”

Sunset grinned. “I’ll be good, I promise.”

“See that you do, my little Sunbeam,” Celestia smiled.  The maid brought in their dinners  Celestia led them in harmonic grace.  As they ate, she turned to Sunset.

‘I have news on the meteor fragments you found,” she informed them.  “I asked the professors from the School for Gifted Unicorns to examine the fragments you brought back.  They consulted with the scientists at the Celestial Observatory, and together returned some unfortunate news.  I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to return to the crater and search again.”

“Why is that?” Sunset asked.

“Based on their analysis of the impact crater and the measurements they made of the mass you collected, what you found could only be a tenth or less of the asteroid that created that crater.  You haven’t found it all yet,” the Princess explained.

“Crab nuggets,” swore Sunset.






As they soaked in the tub before bed, Sunset groused. “Well, that happened.  I wonder what we missed?  I’m pretty sure we gathered everything there was at the impact point.’

“Maybe it broke prior to impact and we didn’t notice the other part,” noted Aiko.

“I guess,” agreed Sunset.  “But what did we miss?  I scanned everything.”

“We’ll know more when we get out there tomorrow,” consoled Cadance.

“One more trip on the pirate ship!” celebrated Twilight, paddling back and forth across the tub.

Sunset smirked. “Yup, another ride on the Phoenix Sun.”






The next morning they rose then joined the Princess for breakfast.  She served them her favorite breakfast pancakes, sharing how she used to make them for her sister.  Enjoying the brief time they had with her for the day, they thanked the Princess then quickly trotted back to Sunset’s apartment.  Cleaning up and gathering their packs, they left the apartment, heading out and across the courtyard to the castle air port.

Reporting to the mare at arms they were escorted to the schooner's berth, where Captain Full Sail welcomed them aboard the Phoenix Sun.

“Welcome aboard, Commander!” she saluted, smiling.

Sunset smiled back, returning her salute.  “Thank you, Captain.”

Sunset and her sisters joined the captain in her cabin.  When everyone was settled Sunset left her sisters to study, once again joining the Captain on the bridge.  Taking the same place as before, she joined the XO as the Captain returned them to the badlands crater.

The journey was without incident.  When they arrived at the crater Sunset rejoined her sisters.  Gathering their saddlebags, they teleported down to the crater floor with Sunset enveloping Cadance in her teal glow.

Down on the crater floor Aiko immediately noticed the missing boulder.  Loping over to the fragments, she called out. “Hey, look at this! Somepony blasted that big rock and hauled most of it off.  Do you think that might be the missing part of the asteroid?”

“Maybe,” Sunset agreed, trotting over to her.  She picked up one of the fragments in her frog, feeling for any sense of the anti-magic.  “I’m feel something, but not much.  Maybe it was a solid core covered by this rock?  There’s definitely a trace here but it’s so slight I only just get a sense of it, even holding it here in my hoof.”

Twilight wandered over, picking up another fragment. “Ouch!” she called out, dropping it quickly.

“What do you have there, Twilight?” asked Aiko, reaching over and taking the dropped fragment in her paw. “Oooof,” she grunted, holding it up. “Yup, you found another fragment.”

Dropping the fragment she was holding, Sunset crossed over to Aiko.  She reached over and touched the fragment in Aiko’s paw. “Ah, ouch, yeah.  Good find, squirt.  Definitely what we’re looking for.  Wherever that core went, that’s our missing magical rock, aside from any other fragments scattered here.  Let’s gather those up then try to figure out what happened to our core,” Sunset suggested.

They scattered, sifting through the shattered fragments looking for more of the rocks, and placing anything they found into their saddlebags. Sunset tossed the rock Twilight had found into her bags, joining them in their search.

While they scoured the crater for any further fragments Sunset kept her eyes open for any clues to the whereabouts of the missing core.  When they finally gathered everything they could find, they sat together by the shattered fragment.

“I can’t see any sign of anypony dragging away that core.  If it was that prospector who was here, Earth Pony or not I don’t see her just carrying that away,” commented Sunset.

Cadance shook her head. “You’d be surprised what a healthy Earth pony can carry.  Growing up with my parents on their farm there were plenty of times I saw them carry something so big and heavy I couldn’t believe it,” she related.

“I guess that’s true,” Sunset conceded.  “But there would still be hoofprints heading somewhere.  Something that heavy, there’s no way she wouldn’t leave deep prints in the soil, right?”

“That’s true.  Maybe she flew it out?” replied Cadance.

“Earth pony, how’s she gonna do that?” asked Sunset.

“She had help?  And don’t give me that look.  A healthy pegasus can lift plenty!  I used to haul our wagon full of harvest produce all the time! I had no problem flying with it.  I’m just saying if she had help, they could have flown it out. I could have done it, so I’m sure if she had a pegasus helper they could have just flown it out,” answered Cadance, annoyed by Sunset’s incredulous look.

“You can fly a full wagon loaded with an entire harvest?” smirked Sunset.

“Try me!  You think I can’t?” glared Cadance back.

Aiko moved between them, hugging them both. “I’m sure you can, Cadance,” she smiled at her.

Turning to glare at Sunset, she growled.  “Soni….”

Sunset sighed. “Sorry Cadance, I’m sure you could and that you did.” She hugged them both back.  “So any sign of where they could have gone?”

Looking around, Cadance shook her head. “If they had a cart, there would be tracks somewhere.  You can tell when a cart has been flown out.  We usually need a running start, so you would see the wagon tracks getting very faint just at the very end when our magic kicked in and they took off.  I’m not seeing any tracks anywhere.”

“If they didn’t use a cart, could they have just tied it up and hauled it out?” asked Aiko.

“Sure, that’s a lot harder though. If they were strong enough it would work,” agreed Cadance.

“Well that’s our working theory then,” agreed Sunset.  “So, how do we find them? Without some hoofprints or wagon tracks to go by, I’m stumped.”

“Maybe if we look from the air we can see some sign of where they came from,” suggested Twilight. “Maybe they camped somewhere around here on the way in or out, and if we find that we can tell what direction they were going,” she added.

Cadance smiled.  “Twilight, that’s brilliant! Come on little ladybug, let’s go look!”  She scooped the filly up onto her back, setting her between her wings.  Twilight held onto her mane grinning happily as Cadance leapt up into the air, flying off to scout for any sign of the missing prospector.

Aiko laughed. “Well, that happened.”  She smiled watching Cadance and Twilight fan out from them in ever widening circles.

“She has a point. It’s a good plan, but they’re going to take forever looking that way though.  Let’s get some help,” agreed Sunset.  Together she and Aiko flashed back to the deck of the schooner.  Seeing them appear the Captain trotted over.

“Any progress, Commander?” she asked.

“We think the prospector who was here before found the core and flew it out.  We’re trying to circle around and find her old campsite to get an idea of the direction she was heading.  Our little princess over there will take forever to find it herself so we were hoping your crew could give her a hand,” directed Sunset.

“Understood.  I’ll get my flyers on it right away,” the Captain saluted.  Moving off she called her staff to her, giving instructions.  A pair of pegasus mares darted off, tapping out eight other crew members who followed them off the ship after the still searching Cadance.

In the distance Cadance stopped as the pegasus mares surrounded her and Twilight.  After a brief exchange, they all took off heading in different directions.

“They’re a good crew and excellent spotters.  This shouldn’t take too long,” commented the Captain, coming back over to stand beside them.






An hour later, Cadance and the mares long since passed from sight, Sunset and Aiko sat on the deck sorting through the fragments they had collected.  Aiko took the bulk of them, leaving Sunset with the fragment Twilight had originally found with a few others of note to show the Princess when they returned.  As they put their bags back on, a magenta flash filled the deck beside them. With a pop Cadance and Twilight appeared.

“I did it!” Twilight crowed from Cadance’s withers.

“Yes you did,” agreed Cadance, lifting her little ladybug down to the deck. “Thank you!”  She turned to Sunset and Aiko. “We found the campsite.  We told the nearest watchmare and she went off to tell the others.  They should be back shortly, but Twilight wanted to rush right back so we could tell you,” she grinned at her little sister.  “She thought flying took too long and didn’t want to wait.”

“How far away is it?” asked Sunset, scruffing Twilight’s mane. Twilight grinned, swatting her hoof away.

“A bit over half an hour’s flight from here.  I’d guess just under two hundred stadia or so?  At least a half day’s walk if you were to walk from here,” answered Cadance.

“That’s great!  That should give us a good idea of the rough heading then,” smiled Sunset.  “And you teleported all the way back here?  Good job, twerp!” she grinned.

Twilight beamed. “I had to do it in three hops. But I did it!” she chirped happily.

Cadance scooped the beaming filly over to her with a wing, snuggling her up next to her. “And saved me a good twenty minutes of flying.  Thank you Twilight.” She smiled down at her friend.

Sunset trotted off to find the captain and relay the news.  Finding her on the bridge, she shared what they had found.  With a smile, the captain gave orders to the crew to prepare to make way as soon as the scouts returned. Sunset returned to her sisters with a happy grin.

“Okay, we’ll head out as soon as everypony returns,” she informed them.  Snuggling next to Cadance, Twilight and Aiko, they waited for the watch mares.






Twenty minutes later they were underway following the heading given by the returning mares.  The students sat together on the bow looking out over the railing at the badlands landscape passing beneath them.

Eventually they saw an open clearing with a camp circle clearly visible.  “That’s the site we found!” Twilight called out happily.

They passed over it keeping their current heading.  Sunset stretched out her senses, feeling for anything out of the ordinary below them.

An hour later they were still on the same heading, the watch mares having found two more campsites near their path along the way.  Sunset still hadn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary as they continued their journey.

In the distance ahead of them a spire rose from the rugged landscape.  Approaching it they saw it was considerably taller than the surrounding terrain and filled with arching caves and caverns.

“Well that’s not even remotely ominous,” snarked Aiko as they moved closer to the spire.

Sunset started. “Wait!  I have something,” she called out.  The watchmare on deck called out the bridge and the ship slowed.

“Is it the big ugly spire?” asked Aiko, still staring at the imposing rocky peak rising up from the landscape.

“No, it’s off to the west, over there!  Let’s go check it out,” Sunset answered, pointing over the railing towards a recession in the landscape.

Cadance scooped Twilight back up in her wings, placing her again on her withers as she leapt over the side of the ship with Twilight holding tightly to her mane.  Aiko leapt up to the railing preparing to jump off when Sunset leapt up to her back, grabbing quickly a hold of her and teleported them both to the bowl in the distance.

When the teal flash cleared with a pop, Aiko looked over her shoulders at the grinning Pony clutching onto her. “Give a vixen some warning why don’t you,” she laughed, shaking out her fur as Sunset slid down off her back.

“It was faster,” smirked Sunset, standing next to her.  Before them a cave opened in the side of the bowl, hidden from view before by the depths of the recession.  “It’s coming from there,” Sunset pointed to the cave opening.

“Awesome,” Aiko rolled her eyes.  “Let’s wait for the rest of the crew before we leap into danger,” she advised.

“Spoilsport,” teased Sunset. “Fine, we do it the safe way.”  They sat and waited for Cadance and Twilight to catch up.”






Hiding among the rocks at the lip of the recession a team of insect ponies looked down on the two below them.  They watched as a pink Pegasus mare with a unicorn foal on her back flew in to join them, then with the others trotted towards the cave entrance.  When they had all entered the cave the team darted down over the lip of the bowl, racing through the cave entrance and into the cave.






Still sitting on Cadance’s withers Twilight lit her horn, dispelling the darkness around them.

“Do any of you know the night vision spell?” Sunset asked them, looking around with a purple glow enveloping her eyes.

“Nope,” replied Cadance. “Thanks Twilight.”  Twilight nodded, still holding her mane tightly as she looked around the cave they were passing through.

“I don’t like this,” she said quietly, muzzling down into Cadance’s mane while keeping her eyes on the cavern around them. “It’s scary! There’s something wrong with the place.”

“You’re not wrong there, squirt,” agreed Sunset, leading them deeper into the cavern. “I feel something off about this place too. It’s not like the draining magic rocks though. This feels more like it doesn’t want us.”

“Or don’t belong here,” muttered Cadance, following Sunset and Aiko.

A still pond in the cavern blocked their way forward completely. The surface was smooth as a mirror, not a ripple moving across it.  Aiko reached down, picked up a pebble, then tossed it in.  It soundlessly broke the surface of the pond, causing a brief splash and concentric ripples that quickly died out.  “That’s not water,” observed Aiko.

“No, it doesn’t look right,” agreed Cadance, bending down to look closer, Twilight leaning over her head to see as well.

“No, it’s not water. It’s liquid magic,” Sunset answered.  Her horn glowed as she bent down over the surface. “I recognize this. There were tanks of it on the Albatross. It’s what fueled the Stratos engine.”

They were still examining the surface of the mirrored pool when a pulse of green magic shot out from the rocks behind them catching Cadance on her flank.  “Ahh!” She screamed out, springing into the air in shock and pain. Twilight hung on for her life as Cadance slammed into Sunset then bolted down the cavern in panic, barreling past a surprised team of changelings facing the students behind the rocks they were using for cover.

“Sunset no!” Aiko cried out, trying to catch her leash sister as she tumbled into the pool.  Sunset slipped into the mirrored surface, passing soundlessly through as it closed over her, the ripples fading away in moments.  Looking back over her shoulder Aiko could see no sign of Cadance or Twilight.

“Hang on Soni, I’m coming!” she shouted, diving into the pool where Sunset had fallen.  She too passed soundlessly through the mirrored surface, the ripples quickly fading.

From their places behind the rocks the team of changelings trotted forward, looking into the mirrored surface then at each other. Their leader shrugged.






Cadance shot out of the cave entrance, Twilight still clinging to her mane.  “Nope nope nope nope!” shouted Cadance as she rocketed towards the Phoenix Sun.  Landing on the deck of the schooner, she recovered her wits. “Help!  We were attacked in the cave and Sunset fell in!” she yelled, looking desperately around for anyone to respond.

Twilight added her voice. “Help!  Sunset fell into a magical pool!  I think it’s some kind of portal, she just disappeared!  We need to get in there and help her out!” she called out in panic.

The XO shot out of the bridge landing next to them. “What happened?” she questioned sharply, snapping Twilight and Cadance out of their panic.

“We went into a cave in that depression over there,” Cadance pointed. “Sunset felt a magical power coming from it. The magic she sensed was coming from a mirror pool in the back of the cave. While we were examining it we were attacked!  Sunset fell in, and I flew back here as fast as I could.  We have to save her!”

“They shot you!” added Twilight, looking over her shoulder at the angry pink wound on Cadance’s flank.  Her coat had burned away where the shot had landed with a trickle of blood seeping from the worst of the wound.

“And they shot me!” added Cadance. “And I bolted up!  And bumped into Sunset, and she fell into the pool. Then I panicked and flew past the insect ponies that shot us and straight out cave straight back here…”

Cadance collapsed onto her backside, her eyes wide.  Twilight slid down her back, scampering around to hug her tightly.  “Oh sweet Celestia, what have I done?  I knocked Sunset into the mirror pool!  I hurt Sunset!  Oh sweet Celestia!” Cadance broke into tears, racked with sobs as Twilight hugged her tightly.

With a quick whistle and nod from the XO the six watch mares took off towards the depression, sweeping down into it in moments.

A minute later they returned.  “It was empty. There’s no pony there, insect or otherwise.  We saw the pool, but no sign of the Commander or her student,” the lead mare reported.

“We need a magical expert,” the Captain called out. “This is beyond our expertise.  I’ll send a flyer back to alert the Princess and request immediate assistance.”  She turned to her XO, but Cadance called out.

“I’ll go!  It’s my fault she fell in and I can get there quickly,” she said. “Let me go and get help.”

“Fine,” the Captain relented.  “XO, you have the bridge.  Watch mares on me!” she ordered, launching over the side of the ship and flying towards the depression.  The XO sounded general quarters then returned to the bridge.

Twilight scrambled up Cadance’s back, holding tightly to her mane again. “What are you doing, Twilight?  Aren’t you going to stay here and wait for Sunset?”

“No! I’m coming with you.  I can help you and we need to get help now,” Twilight answered.

“Okay, let’s go!”  Cadance leapt over the railing, her wings flaring out as she launched them up into the clouds and back towards Canterlot.  As they broke through and over the clouds there was a flash of magenta and they disappeared.
> 24 - Aiko - Return of Tambelon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset groaned. Opening her eyes, she looked out at an upside down darkened alleyway.  She was lying inverted against a trash bin overflowing with spoiling refuse that was tumbled down over her.  The dent in the bin was probably the match for the throbbing ache in her withers where she likely slammed into it after ejecting from the portal.  Her saddle bag was several lengths down the alley, no doubt ripped from her by the impact.

“Ouch,” she hissed, rising to her hoofs.  She shook the refuse off, stopping suddenly with a bitten off yelp. “Yeah, no shaking. Too sore,” she grunted, trotting gingerly over to her bags.  Lifting them in her magic she noticed the cinch torn where the buckle poked through the belt.  Putting it on, she tightened it to the next hole, a little tight but bearable and better than carrying it around in her magic.

Looking back down the alleyway there was no sign of the portal. “Crab nuggets!  It couldn’t be easy, could it,” she grumbled.  Trotting slowly she exited the alley, trying to get her bearings and stretch out her cramped muscles.

She was only a half block down the street when a flash and a crack echoed from the alley followed by a string of Japonies curses. Sunset turned, heading back towards the alley as she called out, “Aiko?”

She’d only taken two steps when a guard rounded the corner before her. Startled, he quickly pulled out a horn and gave a loud blast. “Intruder!” he yelled at the top of his voice while running towards her, his spear outstretched, the tip glowing with an eerie amber haze.  Before he could hit her Sunset wheeled, shooting a teal bolt of magic that blasted him across the street cracking the shop wall where he impacted.

Sunset wheeled back to the alley just as several guards raced around the corner, immediately shooting her, bolts of magic from their lances knocking her off her hooves to tumble down the street.  She rolled, leaping up to face them as a shadow passed over her.  With a deafening screech a dragon clutched her tightly in its claws, springing back into the skies with its prize.  Dazed, Sunset hung limply from its claws as it flew over the buildings back towards the castle on the hill in the center of the city.

In the alley, Aiko rolled to her paws, slinking to the alley entrance in time to see Sunset’s brief battle on the street.  Sunset was knocked from her hooves by several blasts of magic just as a draconic beast dropped down from the skies, grasping her in its claws with a shriek as it sprang back up and away.

“Damn it!” Aiko hissed, leaping up onto the roof of the shop beside her.  She sprinted quickly across the roof launching over an alley to next as she followed the path of the receding beast.  She quickly crossed the city rooftops, leaping and flashing from roof to roof in pursuit of the beast that had taken her friend.






Sunset hung limply from the dragon's claws looking out over the city as the dragon flew towards the castle at the city's center.  Her eyes barely open, she feigned unconsciousness, observing and categorizing what passed below.

The town was filled with the oddly draconic creatures, many going about their lives, looking up in passing as the dragon flew over.  Everywhere among them were the draconic guards, mostly just observing but occasionally directing the activities of others.  Her head hung limp, tossed side to side by the powerful beat of the dragon’s wings, allowing her the occasional glance at the city behind her.

A smile briefly crossed her muzzle.  In the distance behind she saw her pupil, her beloved battle sister Aiko, sprinting, launching, and flashing across the city rooftops in pursuit, always out of sight from those below but keeping pace as they closed on the city center.

The dragon reached the castle, passing over the parapets and into the keep with a final beat of its powerful wings.  As the dragon dropped to the ground, Sunset still firmly in its grasp, she saw Aiko flash to one of the parapets overlooking the courtyard, holding tightly to its spire.

The beast tossed Sunset to the ground where she rolled to a stop before a large Ram, his horns glowing with arcane power.  Using the rolls' momentum Sunset sprang up into full battle stance, her horn alight blasting a shock of teal lightening at the Ram with the full force of her magic.

Instead of blasting the creature across the courtyard as she intended, to her surprise the blast’s magic was funneled by a swirling green glow into a bell worn around the Rams neck.  As the last of the blast was sucked into the bell the glow shot across to her, enveloping her in its sickly glow. Teal arcs of her magic were torn from her body as her magical energies were sucked and channeled into the bell.  Weakened, she dropped to her side, her head turned toward the smiling Ram as he trotted over.

“So pony, what have we here?” gloated the Ram.  “Quite the pony mage, aren’t you?  Even clearly ringed, still bristling with power!  I’m going to enjoy the time we’ll spend together in my dungeon as I probe your secrets and drain you of your very essence!”  He rang the bell on his neck.  Miasma drifted from it, surrounding her, draining her of her magic and life's essence.  She cried out in agony as her energies were consumed, writhing in pain while the bell absorbed her essence.  As her strength left her color faded until she was unable to even lift her head from the courtyard’s flagstones.

The Ram gloated, leaning down over her prostate form. “Come, little mage!  Time to enjoy my hospitality!”  He wheeled and entered the castle behind him.  Two of the draconic guards rushed forward, bound her then carried her insensate form, marching into the castle behind their master.

From her vantage on the castle’s spire, Aiko watched her dear sister taken captive into the castle.  Releasing the spire she slid down the roof, dropping over the edge to catch hold of a window ledge below.  She quickly pulled herself up and into the window disappearing into the castle’s depths.






Sunset woke in a dark room, a single sliver of light lancing overhead illuminating the dusty stale air and a small patch on the wall beside her.

She felt an inhibitor ring fixed to her horn.  Surrounding her were mildewed walls, the seeping moisture from them filling the room with a fetid stench.  A chain was bolted to the wall, stretching down to her bindings where it was padlocked to another set of chains entwined with rope wrapping her so tightly she was barely even able to turn her head let alone rise.

Surprisingly, she felt her magic as it pushed back against the inhibitor ring, almost completely recharged from her earlier painful experience.  ‘How long was I out?’ she wondered in surprise at it returning so quickly.  Through her hooves she reached out, spreading her magical senses down into the floor beneath her, then from there into the walls and out into the surrounding dungeon.

She felt familiar magic. Several unicorn foals laid in the cell across the hall all bound like herself. Stretching further, she sensed only empty cells, storage rooms, and halfway surrounding a circular stairwell that rose back up into the castle.  Following the stairway she continued her search.






Aiko glanced quickly around the room, observing what appeared to be a small armory.  By the light from the room’s four windows she saw racks of the guards' wretched lances and a small ballista, just large enough to hurl what she assumed were its armaments, small spheres of iron or some other metal, piled all throughout the room.  The ballista itself was wheeled allowing it to be positioned in any of the room's four windows.

In the center of the room, down through the floor a circular staircase descended in a spiral down to the rest of the castle. Quickly loping over to it Aiko craned her neck, her ears pivoting to catch any sounds coming from the castle below. Hearing nothing, she cautiously slunk down the stairs, alert and listening for any sign of Sunset, the Ram, or any of the draconic creatures that seemed to populate this city.

Encountering no one, she reached the bottom of the tower.  To her right another pit opened with another circular staircase descending into the castle's bowels.  To her left an archway opened into the castle proper.  Recalling the Ram’s crowing he would keep Sunset in his dungeons she sprang to the right, cautiously descending the stairs into the dank pits of the castle's dungeons.






Sunset reflected on her finds while scanning the castle.  Ancient dark magic permeated every stone of this castle and seeped deeply into the very earth itself, radiating up through the rocks beneath her.

‘Where am I?’ she wondered.  Tartarus itself couldn’t have been more profane.  Nowhere else could she imagine such a strong stench of old dark magic.

A glow from her hoof traveled up her leg, across her withers, then down to the small of her back where the chains were all locked together, but before she could use her magic to unlock her bindings the cell door above her rattled with the sound of keys being inserted and turning in the door's lock.

Quickly dispelling her magic she lidded her eyes and laid still, peering through only the tiniest sliver as she pretended to be still insensate.  The door finally unlocked and opened fully, and the Ram from earlier trotted down the stairs.  Standing over her he leered down. “I sense you’ve recovered.  Most unexpected!  You really are full of wonderful surprises, pony.  You may become one of my favorite pastimes!”  He laughed.  “Tell me, are you enjoying my hospitality?” he grinned.

Opening one lidded eye Sunset looked up. “Oh clearly, horned one,” she grumbled. “One of the finest establishments I’ve ever stayed in.  Tell me, do you fête all your guests with such lavish accommodations?”

The Ram laughed. “You have spunk, pony!  I admire that.”  He grinned, leaning closely down in her face. “But I cannot have such a powerful adversary wandering around, undoing the work I’ve set in motion so long ago and labored so hard to accomplish. So I’ll just have to drain you completely.”  He leaned back, his cloven forehoof reaching for the bell around his neck.

“One moment,” called out Sunset, looking up at him. “You think I’m your enemy. I admit you have me at a disadvantage. I don’t even know you let alone why I would want or need to stop you from anything.  Who are you?  Where am I?  And what’s going on here?” she asked.

“Really?  Has it been so long that ponies have forgotten me?” he mocked. “So busy enjoying your pathetic lives you can’t recall Tambelon or Grogar, the father of monsters?  Well then, your loss pony, the time for introductions just passed.  As for what is going on?  I’ll leave that for you to find out in the fullness of time as my plans unfold.”  He rang the bell, miasma issuing forth again to surround Sunset.  With a wracking scream her magic and essence were rung from her until she faded collapsing and shaking on the stone floor of her cell.  Satisfied, Grogar nodded, leaving her once again nearly insensate as he climbed the stairs locking the cell behind him.

“Buck me,” groaned Sunset in agony.






Halfway down the long spiraling staircase Aiko heard Sunset cry out in anguish.  Redoubling her efforts she sprinted to the bottom of the staircase.

Looking around the catacomb of arches surrounding the landing she listened for any sound to guide her to her sister’s side.  A door slammed shut, followed by a clopping trot heading towards her from a passageway across from her.

Darting over into a nearby passage, she looked out from its shadows towards the hall the sound came from.  The Ram exited the hall, crossing before her into another.  As he passed from view she darted across the landing, standing off from the edge of the hallway to watch as the Ram reached the end of the hall.  He pushed on one of the facing stones, and a hidden door opened with another dimly lit hall behind it.  The Ram entered, the door swinging slowly shut behind him.

Seeing the door about to shut, Aiko sprang from her hiding spot, darting quickly through the door just before it snapped shut.  The Ram was already  halfway down the hall, still oblivious to her intrusion. She quickly scurried into the shadows of an nearby alcove, watching as he stopped before a door near the end of the hall.  Pulling a set of keys from his belt, he jiggled a key in the door’s lock, unlocking and opening the door. Removing the keys he returned them to his belt, then trotted into the room shutting the door behind him.

Aiko quietly loped over to the door, crouching down to peer through the keyhole.  She saw the Ram before a workbench, and was about to return to find Sunset when she saw him pull Sunset’s saddlebag from beneath his robes.  She watched him open it, pouring out the rocks Sunset gathered across his table.  He reached for one, quickly pulling back his cloven hoof with a hiss.

“Well pony!  You really are one for surprises,” he grumbled.  He gently turned the rock over as he bent over it, examining it closely.

‘Damn it!’ thought Aiko. ‘I can’t let him have those. Sorry Soni, I have to take care of this first.’

She looked up and down the hall, spying a half open door in one of the alcoves.  She loped over. Peering in she saw racks of the guard’s lances.  Quickly grabbing one she returned to the door, stooping down to peer again through the keyhole. The Ram was still examining the rock, his back to the door.

Stepping back Aiko held the lance out before her, channeling her magic. With an amber flash she teleported through the door and directly behind the Ram, who was turning at the sound of her pop.  She thrust the lance into him, arcing magic spasming him as he dropped to the floor, his eyes rolled back.

Throwing the lance aside Aiko grabbed the bag, sweeping the rocks from the desk into it then teleporting back out of the room.  Unnoticed one of the rocks had fallen with the Ram, now hidden by his form on the floor beside him.

Sprinting quickly down the hall, Aiko popped through the closed door then sprinted back down that hall and across the landing into the hall the Ram emerged from.

At the end of the hall there were two doors on opposite sides.  She loped to the door on the right.  Peering through the bared viewport into the darkened room she called out.

“Sunset?” she whispered.

From the room she heard stirrings, then a voice. “Ribbons, did you hear that?”  Aiko backed away from the door, trying the other.

“Sunset?” she whispered again.

“Aiko?” she heard the feeble reply.  Teleporting through the door she saw Sunset bound and chained on the floor below her.  She leapt down from the landing, crouching down by her side.

“Sunset!” she whispered. “What happened?”

Sunset opened one eye. “Hospitality happened,” she snorted then groaned.  Noticing her saddlebag looped over Aiko’s withers she grinned.  “Thank the Maker!  I was wondering where that went.  Don’t want anyone finding those.”

“I liberated them from an old goat,” snorted Aiko as she worked to free Sunset from her bindings. “You really need to take better care of your stuff, Soni,” she admonished.  Sunset rolled her eyes.

Aiko sprung the padlock in her magic then unraveled the chains and ropes binding her sister.  Now free of her restraints, Aiko helped her to her hooves.

“I see you picked up more exotic jewelry,” Aiko smirked at the inhibitor ring screwed into her friend's horn.

“Yeah, buckers,” she snarled.  “Just when I was almost healed from the last time.” She gently ran her frog over the ring and horn.  “They better not have cracked anything or there will be Tartarus to pay.”  She took her bag from Aiko, fastening it back around her barrel.

She followed Aiko up the stairs.  Pulling Sunset into her, Aiko teleported them both back through the door just as the alarm sounded throughout the castle.

“Damn it,” grumbled Aiko. “I guess the bucker woke up.” There was the clattering of guards running down the stairs, yelling out in alarm as they approached.  Aiko quickly cast an invisibility spell over them both then teleported them into the cell across the hall.

In the dim light they saw several little unicorns looking up in concern at the door and calling out to each other in fear, no doubt alarmed by the pop and flash of their entrance and the sound of the guards' cries as they grew closer.  Aiko quickly teleported her and Sunset again, popping over to the furthest dark corner of the cell, the pops causing even more distress to the frightened ponies.  Outside they heard the guards unlocking the door across the hall, then their panicked cries.

“She’s escaped!  The unicorn mage has escaped!  Search everywhere!  Alert the master!” the guards called out.  Keys rattled in their door then it was thrown open by a pair of guards who stormed into the room looking around frantically.  Seeing nothing but the chained and terrified ponies they exited, shutting and locking the door behind them.

“She’s not in there!  Search the rest of the cells!  Find her!” they called out.

Aiko listened as they moved off, waiting until she no longer heard them shouting in the hall outside to release her spell.  She and Sunset appeared before the little ponies.

“Well that happened,” Sunset grumbled.

Sunset turned to the foals, their eyes wide in fright.  “Okay, would one of you mind telling us just where the buck we are and what the buck is going on?” she demanded.

Seeing the angry mage and a fox before them was too much for their young minds.  They started crying, and one opened her muzzle to scream.

“Nope!” hissed Sunset, lunging for the little one with her hoof outstretched.  She dropped the filly into slumber before the scream came, the other foals watching in speechless terror.

“Smooth, Soni,” hissed Aiko.  She loped over and tapped out the remaining unicorn foals.  As Sunset entered their shared dreamscape, Aiko stood guard over their forms watching the door and listening for the guards return.






Sunset trotted up to the confused foals.  They stood in billowing banks of clouds, staring in wonder at each other and the pony mage before them.

One of them found her voice.  “Are we free?  Does this mean we’re free now?” she asked.  She turned to her friends. Confused, they shook their heads, turning to face Sunset.

“Did you rescue us?  Are we free now?” they asked.

“No, not yet. We’re in a shared dream I cast so we can talk, and maybe calm you all down.  Seriously, you were about to scream out and call the guards back in. Not what we needed, so I thought we should share some time here, figure out what’s going on, then plan what we need to do next,” Sunset answered.

One of the fillies still looked around in concern. “Where is the fox?” she asked fearfully. “Is she going to eat us?”

Sunset snorted. “What?  Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked incredulously.

“Foxes eat chickens, and every pony always tells me I’m a big chicken. I don’t want to be eaten!” the filly cried.

Sunset doubled over in laughter. “Okay, stop. Just stop.  Wow,” she gasped, catching her breath. “No, the fox is not going to eat anypony.  She’s my sister.  We eat fish, not ponies. Sheesh.”

“She’s your sister?” gasped one of the other fillies.

“You eat fish?” gasped another.

“You're a fox too?” gasped a colt.

“Stop!  Please stop!  You’re going to sprain something leaping to those conclusions,” she groaned. “What is it with you?  Seriously, do I look like a vixen?”

“What’s a vixen?” asked a filly.

Sunset sat on her haunches, rubbing her face with a hoof.  She took a deep breath, then smiled at the foals. “Okay, reset.

“Let’s start over…

“Hi!  Nice to meet you! I’m Sunset Shimmer, a mage and personal student of Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria.

“The very nice and not at all hungry fox you saw is my sister Aiko.  She’s a mage and a student of Princess Celestia too.

Turning to the filly who asked, she added, “And a vixen is a female fox, just so you know.  And no I am not a fox. You can clearly see I’m a pony, just like you, but older.”

Under her breath, she added, “and definitely smarter, sheesh.”

Still smiling, she continued. “So, now that you know who I am and who my sister is, who are you little ones?”

One of the fillies spoke up.  “I’m Ribbons.  These are my friends.

“We were all caught by those dragon things when we tried to snap.  I was with my friends in Dream Valley when I got frightened and decided to snap away.  But instead of coming out in my safe spot, I snapped into a weird dark place where two of those things zapped me with glowing sticks, then snapped me here.  They chained me up to the wall.  A while later they showed up again with one of my friends and chained her up too. Pretty soon there was a whole bunch of us all chained up and not able to snap at all,” finished Ribbons.

Looking at them Sunset could see little inhibitors fastened to their horns.

“Yeah, the reason you can’t snap is because of those rings on your horns,” informed Sunset.

One of the colts started tugging violently at his ring. “Get it off me!” he hollered, trying to rip it off.  “I wanna go home!”

Sunset pulled his hooves away from the ring, looking down at him. “Hey, stop that. Never try to rip anything off your horn. You could scratch or break it and then how would your magic work?”

She pulled the colt into a hug. “You have to be careful taking things off your horn.  Don’t panic and make things worse by breaking it.”

She looked at the rest of the foals. “So that’s what happened to all of you?” she asked.  They all nodded.

A rotund little colt grumbled.  “These things are staving us! They haven’t even fed us since we got here, and I’m hungry!  We need to get back home to Megan, she’d know how to take these things off and let us snap again!  And she would feed us too!”

The others nodded.  Ribbons spoke up. “You know though, we’ve only been here a few hours.  We really haven’t had a chance to actually starve yet.”

The complaining colt fussed. “Well, it feels like it’s been a lot longer. And I still want to go home.”

Sunset turned back to the fussing colt. “Wait.  Dream Valley?  Megan?”  She thought for a moment. “Is her name Megan Williams by any chance?” Sunset asked the colt.

He nodded excitedly with the others.  “Yeah, Megan Williams and her little brother Danny and little sister Molly!”

Sunset facehooved.  “Excuse me for a moment,” she sighed.  She popped away, leaving them looking at each other in puzzlement.

“Where’d she go?” asked Ribbons, looking all around the cloudscape.






Sunset opened her eyes and turned to Aiko.

“Great!  I just found out we’ve been sucked back at least two thousand years into the past!  What the buck kind of magic is that portal?  These foals are friends of Megan Williams from Dream Valley!  What kind of shiitake did we stumble into?” she groused.

Aiko shrugged. “No idea.  Who’s Megan Williams?  And I’ve never heard of Dream Valley.  Is that in Griffonia or something?”

“It’s old ponish folklore. I’m honestly surprised it's real. The stories I heard as a filly were so corny I was certain they were fake,” she replied.  “Okay, heading back in.  Still not sure what Tambelon is either.  I’ll see if they know anything else. At least they’re calming down.

“One of them thought you were going to eat them,” she laughed.

Aiko rolled her eyes. “This Kitsune eats fish,” she replied. “Not ponies.”

Sunset grinned.  “Right?  Me too!  Fish, not friends.”  Grinning, she returned to the dreamscape.






Megan and the ponies were very concerned.  Together with Danny and Molly, they were scouting all over Dream Valley searching for the missing foals. They looked in all their favorite hiding and safe places.  They even asked the bushwoolies and other creatures, but no one had seen any of the missing foals.

Buttons was with them, looking for her friends.  She was the last of the unicorn foals.  Every other one in Dream Valley had gone missing.  She was trying very hard not to panic, asking every creature she could find if they had seen any sign of her friends.

As they were searching through one of the small ravines that ran through the valley a small rockside spooked her. In a panic, Buttons reacted as she always did, and winked to her safe place, disappearing before her friends eyes as the small pile of rocks rolled over where she was standing.

Megan threw her hands up in frustration.  “Darn it Buttons!  Now they’re all gone!” she said in exasperation.  She raced with her friends to Buttons safe place but there was no sign of her.






Buttons was thoroughly confused, this was not her safe place.  All around her was an inky blackness, a void she could feel pulling at her very soul.

“Help!” she called out loudly in panic. “Anypony!  Help!  Where are you!?”

Her words didn’t even fill the void, drifting off into the inky darkness.  “Hello!  Anypony?” she called out again.

Two figures appeared out of the inky darkness, wearing armor and holding lances out toward her.  A sickly glow of magic danced around the sharp blades of their lances.

“Well well!  We have another one!” sneered the nearest one. “Let’s take her out!”  Together they thrust their lances at her.  Magic shot out from the lances slamming into her small frame, sending her spinning and sliding through the void. The guards laughed as they chased after her.  When her slide stopped she was sprawled completely out, barely able to think past the pain coursing through her small body.

Grinning, one of the creatures pulled a length of rope from his belt, tying her legs tightly together.  The other took a ring from his pocket, pushing it down firmly over her horn.  He pulled something from another pocket putting it up next to the ring.  A moment later she felt crushing pressure as something pushed sharply into her horn.  She blacked out, hearing herself screaming as her sight faded.






Outside the cell Aiko heard the scuffing of approaching feet.  Grabbing Sunset, she quickly cast an invisibility spell over them both as keys grated in the lock.  The foals all turned to the door as it swung open, and she teleported them both with twin pops to the furthest dark corner of the cell.

Quickly entering their shared dreamscape, she called out to them.  “Soni!  The guards have returned.  I’ve pulled us both into the corner to hide but you all need to wake up now!  Tell no one about us!” she admonished the foals.  She and Sunset popped away.  The foals all left popping away from the dreamscape as well.

The foals roused as the guards entered, hauling the insensate Buttons into the cell and dropping her on the floor between them.  One of the guards pulled a length of chain from the wall and wrapped it around and through her bindings, then padlocked Buttons to the wall just as they had done to the others.

“Taking a nap, ponies?” taunted a guard.  He kicked the nearest foal, who flinched and cried.  He laughed. “I guess we’ve made you too comfortable.  We’ll just see how you like going without dinner then!”

The rotund colt in the corner began to weep piteously.

Hearing the unkind laughter, Buttons raised her head.  Seeing herself and her friends bound and tormented she too started crying.

The filly next to her tried to console her. “Buttons!  Don’t cry, we’re going to be okay!  You’ll see!  Megan and our friends will come get us!”

“You don’t have to be scared, Buttons! It’ill be alright,” another filly comforted.

The guard laughed. “Don’t count on that, ponies! Your friends are no match for our master!” he crowed.

Finished, the guards left, locking the door behind them.  The foals tried to comfort their two crying friends.

“There’s still no sign of that damnable mare!  You two, back to the void, the rest of you, keep searching!” One of the guards called out.  Their shuffling footsteps moved off, eventually leaving the foals alone again.

To their surprise, Buttons stopped crying, falling into a deep sleep.  Then so did the rotund colt.  “What the heck?” said one of the mares, then she two dropped off to sleep.  One by one the other foals quickly followed.






The foals all looked at each other, back in the cloud filled dreamscape.  Buttons stood among them, her muzzle open in shock.

As she was about to ask what was happening, Sunset and Aiko popped into the dreamscape with them.

Seeing a large fox next to the strange jeweled pony, Buttons immediately shrieked in terror then bolted, racing as fast as her little legs could go, trying to get away from the scary large fox with far too many tails.

But as fast as her little legs could pump, she wasn’t going anywhere.  She floated in a teal glow above the drifting mists rolling over the dreamscapes floor.  Realizing this, Buttons shrieked again, redoubling her efforts.

Sunset laughed gently, trotting next to the panicked filly.  She smoothed her back and rubbed the filly’s mane.  The filly stopped screaming and running, looking up at Sunset.

Sunset smiled down at her.  “Welcome, little filly.

“I’m Sunset Shimmer, and this fox is my sister, Aiko.  We’re mages from Equestria, personal students of our ruler, Princess Celestia.  We mean you no harm, we’re here to help you.”

Aiko bowed to the filly with a friendly smile, her four tails swishing behind her.

“A pleasure to meet you, my dear,” Aiko smiled. Turning to Sunset she grinned. “I need to get back.  I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”  She popped out of the dreamscape to stand guard over her sister and the foals.

Ribbons spoke. “With Buttons here all the unicorn foals in Dream Valley have been captured. We need to talk to Megan now!  We have to tell her what’s happening and warn her about these bad creatures!” she insisted.

Sunset nodded. “I think you’re right, Ribbons.  Would you be willing to try with me?  We can reach her dreams from here if you help me,” she asked the filly.

Buttons watched her friend nod emphatically.

“Alrighty then!” agreed Sunset.  Bending down, she gently held Buttons face in both her hooves, muzzling her with a grin. “And who are you, little filly?” Sunset asked.

“I’m Buttons,” she answered.

“Buttons, you’re going to be alright.  You’re all going to be alright.  Aiko and I are here to protect you.  Your friend and I are going to let Megan know what happened, then she’ll protect you too!  You’ll see, it’s all going to be fine,” she comforted.

Buttons smiled and nodded.

Sunset turned to the other foals. “You can all stay here, or you can leave and stay in the cell with my sister.  Ribbons and I are going to leave for a little bit to try to find Megan.  
We’ll be back soon.”

With that she and Ribbons popped out of the dreamscape.






The two of them appeared in Aiko’s mind. “Aiko, we’re off to find Megan!” Sunset called out.  Aiko appeared before them.

“Off to warn her?  Good luck then sister. I’ll keep everypony safe while you’re gone,” Aiko assured.  They embraced, then Sunset and Ribbons popped away while Aiko returned her attention to the waking world.






Together, Sunset and Ribbon sat in the starry void of the dreamscape, looking out at the stars floating around them.

“Where are we?” asked Ribbons, looking around in wonder.

“We’re in the shared realm of dreams,” answered Sunset, pulling the filly close and nuzzling her.  “This is a sacred realm created by the shared thoughts and dreams of all sentient creatures.  All those stars you see shining around you? Those are your friends and neighbors, their brilliant souls shining like stars in the night sky.”

Ribbons gasped.  “All of them?  Even the Bushwoolies?” she asked in wonder.

“Even the Bushwoolies,” agreed Sunset with a smile.  “And one of these stars is your dear friend Megan. I’ll need your help to find her star.  You have to picture her in your thoughts and remember all the happy times you’ve had with her.  We’ll follow those happy memories back to her star among the many that surround us.”

Beaming, Ribbons squinted her eyes shut in adorable concentration, thinking hard on all the happy times she and Megan shared.

A violet thread popped out from Ribbons, quickly drifting out and among the stars.  Smiling, Sunset picked up the filly and placed her on her withers as they followed the thread on its meandering path.

Eventually it stopped before one star, spooling down into its brightness.  “Well done, Ribbons.  I think we’ve found our friend.”  She placed Ribbons down beside her.  Ribbons opened her eyes, beaming in happiness at the praise. “Shall we?” offered Sunset, raising a hoof towards the thread that had pierced the star's brilliance.

With a happy nod, Ribbons agreed. Together they trotted to the star and passed through its shine.






Before them they saw Megan Williams dancing in a field, the night sky overhead lit by the full moon, shining down on her and lighting her rustic dance floor with its silvery light.

“Call out to her, Ribbons,” Sunset urged the foal with a smile.

Nodding, Ribbons turned towards her dancing friend. “Megan!” she called out.  Megan danced on, neither hearing nor noticing her two interlopers.

Ribbons redoubled her efforts.  “Megan, it’s me, Ribbons!  We need to talk.  Megan!  We’re in some place called Tambelon!  We were captured in the void between when we blinked!  We’re all here!  There are mages here, a pony unicorn mare and a fox with a bunch of tails, and they’re trying to help us!  What is Tambelon, Megan?  Megan!” she called out.

Sensing something Megan stopped her dance, looking over to the side of the field.  There she saw a dim outline of a little unicorn pony.  Walking over she saw it was Ribbons.

“Ribbons!” she called out happily, running over to her friend, pulling her into a happy embrace.  Ribbons smiled and spoke again, but all Megan heard was soft static.

“Ribbons, I can’t hear you?  Where are you?  What are you saying?” asked Megan.

Ribbons spoke again. This time Megan heard one word through the static, “...Tambelon…,” she heard from Ribbons.

“Tambelon?  Is that where you are?” asked Megan. Ribbons stopped talking and nodded.  “But why?  How?  Are all of you there?” she asked.  Ribbons looked back over her shoulder.

Turning to follow her stair Megan saw a grown unicorn mare standing before her, beautiful gems set in her horn with an ugly inhibitor clamped above it. Her jaw dropped.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Sunset trotted next to her. Reaching out, she gently placed her hoof over the foal she was holding.  Megan could suddenly hear everything Ribbons was saying.

“Megan!  We’re in Tambelon!  We’re all in Tambelon.  This mare and her sister are mages who’ve come to protect us.  We need to tell you that Grogar stole us from the void when we winked then placed us all in his prison.  Can you come get us?  Can you come rescue us from his prison?” asked Ribbons looking up into her eyes.

Megan looked back and forth between them. “Tambelon?  Grogar?  Tambelon sounds kind of familiar, like maybe one of the older ponies told a story about it.  I can ask Paradise about it when I wake up, I guess.”

The mare nodded and smiled. “That would be appreciated.”

“Who are you?” Megan asked the mare. “Are you one of the mages she mentioned?”

“I am,” confirmed Sunset.  “My name’s Sunset Shimmer. I’m a mage in the service of Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria.  My sister and I are both mages in her service.  And yes, my sister is a Kitsune, a fox with many tails,” she added.  “We can help, but we need you to find us.  I’m not sure how to bridge to you from where we are.”

“Find you?  Okay, I’m not sure how to do that, but I’m sure one of the ponies will have an idea,” she responded. “Wait, I’m still dreaming, right?  Is this a dream?” she asked.

“Yes,” confirmed Sunset. “This is the realm of dreams, a sacred place shared by all sentient life.  We’re in the part of the realm you share with your friends and all who are dear to you.  But yes, this is a dream.  We can’t cross over to you completely, only in this shared realm.  But we are real, and this is real!  And we really need your help,” amended Sunset.

“And you will have it,” agreed Megan, smoothing her friend’s mane.  “I'll go talk to Paradise as soon as I wake up,” she promised.

Sunset smiled. “And we’ll be here waiting for you when you find us.  And meanwhile, my sister and I will keep these foals safe,” she promised.

“Thank you!” Megan smiled and pulled Sunset into a hug. “I’ll go talk to Paradise right now!  I will find a way to reach you all,” she promised.

Sunset hugged them both back.  “Thank you,” she smiled.  Both her and Ribbons popped away, leaving her once again alone in her dream under the starry sky.

“No time like the present!” said Megan, standing resolutely. “Time to talk to Paradise!”  She faded from the dream which dissipated into feathered wisps of darkness, leaving only the starry void of the dreamscape behind.
> 25 - Aiko - Valley of Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset and Ribbons woke from the shared dream back in their cell.  Aiko smiled. “How did it go?” she asked.

“We found Megan Williams in her dream and relayed our message,” confirmed Sunset.  “She’s going to talk to the older ponies in Dream Valley and see if there’s some way to bridge the gap between us.”

“That’s good. At least they know where their foals are and can keep the rest from getting caught,” agreed Aiko.  “So any idea when they might come for us?”

“I think we’re going to have to figure out how to get to them,” Sunset sighed in exasperation.  “Megan Williams can’t be much past a foal herself.  I don’t know her species but she clearly wasn’t an adult, despite her willingness to help.  Which was kind of a surprise.  In the stories she seemed older.”

“We work with what we got. So what next?” asked Aiko.

“We wake the foals and get out of here,” said Sunset.  “We need to find this young Miss Williams and we aren't going to get much done here.  I’ll go wake our little herd.”  Sunset closed her eyes and returned to their shared dream.

She popped into the clouded dreamscape where Ribbons filling in the other foals on their visit with Megan Williams.

“... and she was dancing in a field!  The stars were out and the moon, and I kept trying to talk with her but she couldn’t hear me!” explained Buttons.  “Then she picked me up and held and snuggled me up!”

She noticed Sunset was back. “Then Sunset came over and put her hoof on me and Megan could hear me!  I told her about how I winked and the dragon things caught me, and how we were all in prison now!  And that Sunset and her sister were going to help us!” she finished proudly.  She looked over at Sunset who grinned at her.

“Well…” added Buttons sheepishly, “Sunset explained some of it.  But we got to tell Megan where we were and how we needed her to come get us!  And she will too!  She’s coming, she promised!” Buttons exclaimed.

“Yes she is, Buttons.  She’s going to find a way to come get us,” smiled Sunset at the enthusiastic filly. “But we can’t stay here.  If she is going to find us we have to go meet her.  She can’t barge into Grogar’s castle to rescue us from his dungeon, so we’re escaping now while it’s nighttime and most of the guards are asleep.  Are you foals up for a little nighttime adventure?” she asked.

“Yeah!  Let’s go home!” exclaimed Buttons excitedly bouncing up and down.  The other foals joined her in celebrating.

“Here's the plan.  Everypony wake up!  Then Aiko and I will help you escape.  Let’s go find Megan!” she laughed as she popped out of the shared dream.

Opening her eyes she watched the foals wake, smiling and rubbing the sleep from their eyes.  She removed their chains and bindings.  As they were freed the foals danced and celebrated around them.  One of the colts started to celebrate a little too loudly.

“Shh!  Silly foal, do you want to get caught?” laughed Aiko.  “If you wake the guards we won’t be able to escape.  We have to be quiet!” she whispered loudly.

“Oh!” grinned the foal. “We’re gonna be sneaky!  Okay!”  He grinned, crouching down to the ground.

Aiko rolled her eyes and smirked.  Sunset laughed as she finished removing the last of the bindings.

“Okay listen up, here’s the plan!  First, Aiko and I will bring everypony out of the cell. It’s going to feel weird, probably a bit like your winking, but without landing in that void.  You all need to stay absolutely close, no wandering off and no getting distracted,” directed Sunset.

“Can we wink now?” asked one of the fillies, feeling the ring on her horn with a hoof.

“No!  And please don't try either,” explained Sunset. “If you did wink you would just be caught again. And you can’t anyways until we get those rings off.  Don’t worry, once we get to Megan we will help you all get those off.”

Everypony now free of the bindings and somewhat settled down, Sunset and Aiko led them to the doorway.  Aiko popped through the door with two of the foals then Sunset followed her taking two more.  Leaving the foals in the hallway with Aiko she returned, making several more trips until all the foals were out in the hallway.

Sunset whispered to the foals.  “Okay follow me!  Aiko will stay behind us while I lead you out of this dungeon.”

She led them down the hallway then into the central chamber with the stairs. Seeing the stairs one of the foals ran to them and started climbing. Scowling, Sunset wrapped him in her magic and levitated the surprised colt back to the group.

“What are you doing?” she whispered sternly. “I told you to follow me.  You can’t just run off or you’ll get us all caught.”

“But the stairs are right there,” pouted the colt.  “That’s how you get out of a dungeon.  You take the stairs,” he explained.

Sunset facehooved.  Suspended in her magic, the colt looked bewildered.  She turned to the colt.  “No.  If we take the stairs we’ll end up in the castle where there are hundreds of guards running around.  We would get caught.  We aren’t taking the stairs,” she explained.

“We’re not?” asked the colt, still perplexed.

“We are not.  I’m taking you out through caves I’ve found that run under the city.  We’re going to sneak out.  Remember, sneaky?” she asked the colt.

“Oh yeah!  Sneaky!” he exclaimed happily.

She looked down at a white with pink maned filly who was tapping her leg expectantly.  “What is it, little one?” she asked.

“Uh, I’m Seesee.  I know you told us to all stay together, but while you were talking Galaxy ran that way!” she pointed towards one of the archways.

Sunset groaned. “Like herding cats, I swear,” she grumbled.  Aiko laughed.  Sunset turned to Aiko.  “Can you lead these hoodlums to the caves while I gather our little escapee?  I’ll join you in a minute,” she asked.

“I got this,” grinned Aiko. Loping to the head of the herd, she whispered to the foals. “Okay everypony!  Line up with me!  Follow me and I’ll lead you all out while Sunset fetches Galaxy.  Let’s go!” She led them into one of the open archways, their little herd of foals following behind including the colt as Sunset placed him back on the floor. Crouching low, he scurried quickly after the rest of the group.

“Foals,” smirked Sunset, rolling her eyes.  She trotted into the alcove where Galaxy had wandered off.

She found her staring up at a large bell hung from the ceiling. Sunset could feel dark power radiating from it, the same power she felt from the bell around Grogar’s neck.

“Galaxy!  You need to stay with the herd,” Sunset admonished the little foal.

“What’s that?” Galaxy asked, staring up at the large bell.

“It’s a magic bell,” said Sunset. “It’s good you found it, but you really need to stay with the herd while we're trying to escape.  No more wandering off, okay?”

The filly nodded. “Okay!” she agreed.  She turned and followed Sunset back to the rest of their little herd of escapees.  Catching up, Sunset joined Aiko in leading them.

“The little filly Galaxy found a magic bell,” explained Sunset.  “I sensed a tremendous amount of magic from it.  I note it might be useful if we end up needing to fight Grogar and his army, but now let’s get our little herd back to Megan.”

“That’s a tall enough order,” agreed Aiko.  “And there go two more. One second.”  Aiko popped away, returning with the two foals each under a foreleg.  Setting them down, she whispered, “Don’t do that again!  Stay with the herd.”

Reaching the wall at the end of the hall Sunset pushed one of the bricks, opening a door into the caves beyond. “That’ll work,” she grinned, leading them into the caves.  Once again taking her sweep position, Aiko shepherded the foals through the door then shut it behind them.

Using a touch of magic, Sunset set her mane glowing, giving the group some light as she led them through the caves.

The unicorn filly Seesee trotted up beside her at the head of the herd.  “Hey, um… how are you able to make your mane glow?  You have a ring on your horn just like us.  So how are you able to do any magic?” she asked.

“I’m a mage, it’s what we do,” Sunset smirked.  The filly looked confused.  “Don’t worry about it.  It’s not something any unicorn can do unless they're a mage. Maybe someday you will be a mage too and learn all sorts of magical secrets.  There’s much you don’t know.”

The filly scowled. “I want to be a mage then.  Can you teach me?”

“Not now sweetie. We have to get back to Megan first.  Ask me then, okay?” Sunset smiled.

The filly nodded, falling back into line. Sunset noticed her cutie mark as she turned back into the line.

“She totally reminds me of someone we know,” Sunset grinned to Aiko.

A half hour later they arrived at the opening into the town's sewers.  The fillies raised their muzzles in disgust at the fetid water flowing through the channel running down the middle of the sewer.

“That stinks!” one little filly exclaimed, staying as far from the channel as she possibly could while avoiding the slime covered sewer walls.

Sunset laughed. “You’re not wrong.  Everypony!  Try not to step in the channel, it’s deep enough you would get a dunking.  But don’t be too prissy either!  I don’t think any of us will get through here without needing a good bath,” she grinned.

They continued their journey through the sewers maze.  Aiko kept her watch at the end of their column, herding any stragglers or strays. Mercifully, nopony wanted to stray with the fetid stench of the sewer.

Through gratings along the top of the sewer they saw it was still dark outside. As they trotted the ground shook, almost knocking one of the colts into the sewage filled channel, who was saved from the ignominy only by dropping to his barrel in horror before he fell in.  The shaking stopped, then cloudy sunlight filtered through the gratings. Day had broken.

Sunset stopped as Aiko joined her under one of the gratings.

“That was a magical quake. We need to get out of here and up onto the streets, then to the city walls,” she explained.  Rising up on her hindlegs she peered through the grating seeing an alley, several trash containers, and more importantly no sign of any guards or other creatures. She dropped back down.

She called out to the foals. “Okay little one’s, it’s time to leave the sewers and hit the streets. Same rules!  No wandering off, stay close, and don’t get lost.  If you want Megan to find you, stay with the herd!  One moment and I’ll get us out of here.”  Rising back up she pushed the grating, working it loose from the wall.  With a bit of effort it popped free and she gently set it down in the alley.  Aiko sprang up through the opening.  Turning, she reached down to Sunset.

One at a time Sunset lifted the foals up to her and she placed them in the alley.  Once all the foals were up with Aiko, Sunset sprang up, catching her sister’s outstretched paw as Aiko pulled her through the opening.  Sunset lifted the grate back into place then turned to face her little herd.

“Okay, listen up! Like I said below, stay together.  No wandering off, no getting distracted, and stay between Aiko and I at all times. Ready?” she instructed.

The foals nodded, so she led them down the alleyway, Aiko once again behind sweeping for any stragglers.

As they neared the end of the alley there was another earthquake.  The foals squealed in terror while Sunset and Aiko tried to contain and comfort them.  Three of the foals shot past Sunset in a group, racing into and down the street at a dead run.

“Galaxy!  You… other two… gah!” called out Sunset.

“That was Galaxy, Magic Star, and Heart Throb,” said Seesee again tugging on her leg. “Are you gonna go get them?”

The ground stopped shaking as the mists overhead cleared. “Crab nuggets!” Sunset swore. “Aiko, bring them to the alleyway where we first appeared, I’ll grab these two and catch up with you there!”

She sprinted after the still fleeing foals.






Several blocks later Sunset caught up to the still running but slowing foals.  Sscooping them up in her magic she ducked into a nearby alleyway.  The mists overhead cleared, showing more of the guards moving through the streets on their way to the city gates.  Sunset pulled the three foals close to her.

“Galaxy, what did I say about wandering off!  You too Magic Star and Heart Throb.  Stay close!” she admonished not letting them go.

Chastised, they sat sadly around her. “I’m sorry but it was very scary!” said Galaxy. “I thought the ground was going to open up and bury us!”

“That’s part of the reason we got out of the sewer,” admitted Sunset.  “But we’re safe up here if we stay together and don’t get caught.  Now stay with me!  We’re going to rejoin Aiko and your friends. Then we’re going to find Megan and get you all home!  Come on.”

She looked back out of the alley but now the street was filled with guards headed to the city gates. “It looks like we’ll have to take another route.  Through the alleys foals, let’s go.”  Sunset led them back into the alley behind the buildings picking out paths that lead back to where she and Aiko first appeared.  The three foals stayed very close, none of them wanting to be lost again.






Waking from her dream Megan ran from her room and down the hall to knock on Paradise’s door.  The adult pegasus pony opened the door with a yawn.  “What is it Megan?  It’s really late, did you need something?” she asked in concern.

“I had a dream! I saw Ribbons in it and she was with an adult unicorn pony.  She said they were taken to Tambelon and are prisoners of Grogar.  Paradise, do you know what Tambelon is?  And how can we get there?  And who is Grogar?” asked Megan.

Rubbing her eyes Paradise stepped through the door then headed down the hall.  “Come with me. I’ll make us some tea and tell you what I know,” she explained.

Megan followed her into the kitchen where Paradise put a pot of water on to boil.  She sat down at the table with Megan and began.

“Five hundred years ago, a powerful Necromancer, a Ram named Grogar, tried to take over all of Ponyland to become the ruler of all ponies.  He was defeated, and he and his kingdom of Tambelon were banished.  As he was banished he cursed out that he would return to reclaim our kingdom and banish all ponies.”

“How was he defeated?  And how was he going to come back?” asked Megan.

“It happened so long ago I don’t think anypony remembers,” admitted Paradise. The water was boiling so Paradise rose and dropped in the tea leaves, taking the pot off the stove to steep.  “All I recall from the old stories is that Tambelon is the kingdom ruled by Grogar, a Ram wizard.”

Pouring out two cups of the tea, Paradise stirred in some honey. Balancing the cups on her wings, she bought them over to the table.  Megan thanked her, taking her tea while Paradise placed her cup at her spot. Taking her seat, she looked at Megan.

“If the unicorn foals really were taken to Tambelon, I wonder if that means Grogar’s curse is finally here.  Maybe he’s back, and captured them as part of his plan to remove all the ponies from Dream Valley and Ponyland,” mused Paradise.  “So Ribbons was with another unicorn?  An adult pony?”

Sipping her tea, Megan nodded. “Yes!  She said she was a mage, a student of Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. I’ve never heard of Celestia or that place, have you?”

Paradise shook her head.  “I don’t know anypony named Celestia,” she stated.

“The mage said she was protecting all the kidnapped foals with her sister Aiko, and they needed us to meet them so the foals could get back to Dream Valley.  I’ve no idea how to find Tambelon, so I needed your help,” Megan finished explaining.

“I’ll ask the other ponies.  Maybe somepony else will recall more.  In the meantime it sounds like we need to get out there and start looking again.  If Tambelon is close enough to kidnap our unicorn foals when they wink, they can’t be too far off,” Paradise observed.

Megan nodded in agreement. “I’ll go wake Danny and Molly and we'll join you searching for the foals again.”  Finishing her tea she placed her cup in the sink then hurried back to wake her brother and sister.






Megan, Danny, Molly, and the other ponies gathered in the woods around the campfire Paradise had prepared.  Everypony was preparing for another chance to find the missing foals.  Even the bushwoolies and other forest creatures had come to help.

“We’ve looked everywhere.  There’s no sign of the missing foals,” said one of the bushwoolies sadly.

The ground broke open at their hooves, and several troll-like creatures piled out.  “We look too!  Not under ground are they!  Nope nope!”

“And we’ve flown everywhere,” sighed an exasperated Paradise.  “We just have to keep looking.  I know they can’t be far away!  They will turn up!”

Megan gently hugged Paradise. “They will! And in the meantime the two mages will keep them safe.”

While they talked the sunrise broke over them filling the sky with its golden glow.  As the sky brightened there was a rumble and the ground began to shake.

“Earthquake!” yelled Danny, grabbing hold of Molly.

Megan kept her hand on Paradise. “That’s not an earthquake!” she called out in alarm.  “Look!”

She pointed to billowing clouds settling down over the forests outside of Paradise Valley.  Billowing and blowing, they expanded downward towards the forest below, shapes and colors forming in the flashes of lightning and roiling clouds.  When the clouds settled the lightning stopped, the silhouette of a city showing through the mist.  There was shouting and the sound of gates crashing open.

From the clearing mists an army of draconic creature charged out, their staffs raised before them, flashing out sickly blasts of magic that sent anypony or creature they hit into spasms of agony as they fell locked in rictus to the ground where they were quickly overrun by the creatures.  As they were caught they were bound then tossed onto the back of large carts, waiting to be hauled back into the city.

Get on!” called out Paradise.  She slid under Megan then leapt into flight. “We have to get you out of here!”

Two other pegasus slid under Danny and Molly, lifting off into the air and away from the advancing hoard.  Several other pegasus joined them in fleeing into the depths of the forest.

“No!  No no!  We can’t run away!  Go back, Paradise!  Go back!” cried Megan.

Paradise looked back at Megan, briefly stopping in the branches of a tree.  “Megan, we can’t go back. I have to keep you and the other children safe!  I can’t let you be taken like the foals!”

“Paradise, that’s Tambelon!  It has to be!  Here’s our chance to rescue the foals!  We have to go back and find them!” demanded Megan, climbing off of Paradise and into the tree. “If you can’t take me I have to go back alone! I can’t let the foals down!  I have to go!”

Lofty flew over to Megan.  “I’ll take you, Megan!  I’ll go with you.  We can look for the foals together!”  Thanking her, Megan climbed onto her back, holding tightly to her mane.

Peach Blossom flew with them.  “I’m going with you too!” the Flutter pony declared. “We can cover more ground that way!”  Megan thanked her as well.

Paradise nodded.  “And the rest of us will gather everypony and creature we can and hide in the woods with Danny and Molly.  We’ll be in the gathering place waiting.  You can meet us there when you find the mages and the foals!”

Megan agreed with a resolute nod.  Lofty, Megan and Peach Blossom flew off towards the city while Paradise and the rest of the pegasus ponies flew deeper into the woods with Danny and Molly.

Racing through the edge of the woods below the treeline, Loft, Megan, and Peach Blossom skirted the advancing hoard.  Megan watched in horror as the stunned and insensate residents of Dream Valley were carted off into the City of Tambelon.  Even the Sea Ponies weren’t spared.  The creatures used their magic to stun the creeks' water, where the Sea Ponies' insensate, spasmed bodies floated up to the surface.  They were quickly gathered by waiting guards, trussed up, then stacked on carts with the others to be brought back to Grogar’s dungeons.

“Never again,” growled Megan, watching as her dear friends' still twitching forms were hauled away. “I swear by Harmony!  I’ll learn magic myself and use the Rainbow of light on all of them!  No one will ever hurt my friends again!”

“You're scaring me, Megan,” cowed Lofty.  “I’ve never heard you so angry.”

“Look at that!  Look. At. That!” she spat. “How could I not be angry!  How could I not want to stop them anyway I can!”

Lofty shuddered beneath her, shooting across a clearing then over the city wall.  They landed in a nearby alley with Peach Blossom landing beside them.

Megan addressed them both.  “We’ll circle around staying in the alleyways.  I don’t want to get caught by those guards. I’m not sure I could withstand those sticks they’re using. I bet if I got shot I’d be down on the ground twitching like a dying fish too.”

Megan still balanced on her withers, Lofty flew back up over the shop roof.  Together with Peach Blossom they flew over the alleyways looking for the lost foals.






Grogar sat on his throne.  The bag in his cloven hoof held the piece of stone he had been examining in his workshop.  The vixen had surprised him and made off with the rest of the stones, but somehow she missed this one in her escape.  He could feel it tugging at his power even untouched in the bag.  He grinned.  He was looking forward to finding uses for these new artifacts, if only he still had the rest of the stones.  One piece of stone is an oddity.  Hundreds of them?  A potentially useful new weapon.

Several guards came running into the throne room, prostrating themselves before him. “Speak!” he commanded, not looking up from his musings.

“Your greatness!  You instructed us to look for anything magical and bring it to you!  Several guards found this as we raced through the city preparing for our attack.  See what we have found, oh Great One!”  One of them rose.  Running to the throne, he dropped a saddlebag at his feet then returned to his companions still groveling before the throne.

Bending down, Grogar picked up the sack and opened it.  There in the bag were piles of black rocks all pulling at him, demanding his magic, his essence.

Grogar smiled.  Today was going to be a very good day.






Megan, Lofty and Peach Blossom raced through the alleys looking for any sign of the foals or the mages.  Racing past an adjoining alleyway Megan caught a flash of color, quickly turning to spy the tail end of a little pony ducking down an adjoining alley.

“Stop! I saw somepony!  That way!” Megan called out quietly, pointing back to where she saw the pony run.  They wheeled and flew down the alley, turning where the foal had fled.

Up ahead they spied an adult unicorn, her horn sparkling with jewels, leading three little fillies.  “That’s the mage!” called out Megan excitedly.  “And look, she’s with Galaxy, Magic Star, and Heart Throb!”  They raced ahead, landing before the Unicorns who stopped short.

“Megan!” called out the mage. “You came!  Thank Harmony!”

“You’re the mage from my dream!  Sunset Shimmer, right?” asked Megan, reaching down to pull Galaxy up into a hug. “How have you been, fillies?  Is everypony alright?  Where are the rest of the foals?”

“We got separated. Some of the foals panicked at the earthquake and bolted,” Sunset scowled at Galaxy, who burrowed into Megan’s embrace in embarrassment.  “I had to chase after them before they were caught by the guards.  We’re heading back to meet up with my sister and the rest now.”

“So they’re with the other mage then?” asked Lofty.

“Yes. Sorry, I’m Sunset Shimmer, Equestrian battle mage and student of Princess Celestia. Who might you be?” Sunset asked, bowing to Lofty.

“I’m Lofty, and this is Megan and Peach Blossom,” replied Lofty, nodding in return.

“A pleasure to meet you Lofty and Peach Blossom,” nodded Sunset.  She turned to Megan.  “It’s nice to finally meet you again Megan, this time in the flesh as it were,” she smiled, holding her hoof out to Megan.  Making a fist, Megan bumped her hoof with a grin.

“Likewise, Sunset Shimmer.  Though I’ve never heard of Princess Celestia or Equestria.  Where is that?” she asked.

“That’s a long story, one best left for after we’ve settled all this.  I do promise I’ll tell you all about it then,” replied Sunset, trotting ahead. “Come on.  Follow me and we’ll join the rest of your missing friends.”

Together they resumed their travels to rejoin the rest of their little herd.






In the alley where the portal had tossed them, Aiko rode herd over her little… well, herd … of foals.  They were bored of waiting and were once again acting their ages.

“I’m hungry!” the rotund stallion complained.  “They never fed us!  I’m gonna starve soon if we don’t get something to eat.”

Seesee rolled her eyes.  “Cuddles, we have more important things to worry about than you eating.  Besides, it wouldn’t hurt you to skip a meal or two,” she noted primly.  Cuddles teared up at the rebuke.

“Hey hey hey, none of that!” responded Aiko, gently scolding the filly.  “Seesee, don’t be mean. He’s just trying to cope like the rest of us,” she said as she cuddled the whimpering foal.  “We just need to wait patiently.  I’m sure your Megan will find us soon.”  The foal stopped crying, falling asleep cuddled up in Aiko’s hug.

“He’s always whining about being hungry,” groused the unicorn filly.  “I’m sick of everypony complaining.  Why can’t they just suck it up and get through it like the rest of us?”

“I hate to burst your bubble, little one, but you haven’t been sucking it up as well as you think,” corrected Aiko. “Complaining about everypony else and putting on airs isn’t helping.  Your companions need your friendship, not your correction,” she pointed out.

“Humph!” pouted Seesee.  Aiko pulled her into a hug too, gently rubbing her mane.

“You’ll see.  Friends and friendship are our greatest strength.  It’s what makes Equestria strong and keeps us safe.  A lesson you would do well to learn, little one.  No pony, nor any other creature, was made to go it alone.  Friendship is the magic that guides us and takes us safely and happily through life.”  She snuggled the filly, who settled smiling into the hug.

The rest of the foals gathered around them, settling down to wait.






Sunset led Megan and the ponies back to the alley where Aiko waited.  They stuck to the rooftops and alleys, always staying hidden from the ever present guards.  Arriving at the alleyway they dropped down before Aiko and the waiting foals.

Aiko grinned. “Took you long enough!  Did you do a little sightseeing on the way?  And who are your new friends?”

Sunset laughed, giving her friend a hug being careful to avoid waking the two foals in her lap. “I ran into a few new friends on the way.” She turned.  “Megan, Lofty, Peach Blossom, I’d like you to meet my sister Aiko.  Aiko, this is Megan and her friends Lofty and Peach Blossom,” she pointed to each in turn.

“Ah, so you’re the Megan I’ve heard so much about,” smiled Aiko, bumping her paw against Megan’s outstretched fist.  She smiled. “The foals won’t stop talking about you. They certainly hold you in high esteem.” She greeted Lofty and Peach Blossom with paw bumps as well.

“Well they do certainly enjoy my visits,” acknowledged Megan, smiling. “I do enjoy their company.  They’re a lively lot.”

“So, any plans on getting us all out of here?” Aiko asked.

“Just sneaking back out the way we came,” acknowledged Megan. “Though that’s always an adventure with this lot,” she smiled as she looked over the foals.

“So I’ve noticed,” grinned Sunset, joining the conversation. “Any troubles with the rest of the herd while I was gone fetching our runaways?”

“Just boredom and hunger, the bane of foals everywhere,” smirked Aiko. “So are we heading out now?”

“Yeah, no time like the present,” agreed Sunset. Aiko woke her two sleeping charges, getting them settled on their hooves.  The rest of the foals all gathered around Megan delightedly clamoring for her attention .

“I knew you would come for us! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” bounced the excited foals.  Megan crouched down ruffling their manes and hugging them in turn.  Hearing Sunset, she stood and addressed her little friends.

“Okay, you heard Sunset. Time for us to head out and get back home!”  She smiled, turning to Sunset.  “Lead on, oh mage.”

Sunset laughed. “Okay!  Let’s head out!”  She trotted to the end of the alleyway, looking out at the street. “It looks safe.  Let’s go quickly before more of those guards show up.”  She led them out into the street and towards the city’s wall.

They had crossed through three intersections, almost to the wall when their luck ran out.  A platoon of the guards entered the street from an alleyway behind them immediately spotting them.  They grabbed two of the foals at the end of the line, frying Aiko with their lances when she tried to rescue the foals.  Rolling to the ground, she shook off the paralysis from the blasts then shepherded the rest of the foals over next to Sunset and Megan.

“Unhand those foals!” both Megan and Sunset demanded in unison.  They turned to each other, nodded then turned back to the guards.

“No, you will submit to us and come peaceably, or we will kill them!” demanded the head guard.

He turned to the guards holding the foals. “Shock them again!  I don’t think they believe us!”  The guards lanced them, blinding bolts of magic raced into both of the foals who screamed out in agony, crying abjectly afterwards.  Megan and Sunset both looked enraged.

Sunset turned to Megan. “I don’t think he’s playing, I’ve seen what they're capable of.  They’re more than willing to kill anyone who opposes them.  What do you want to do?  There’s no way I can keep them all safe and save those two before they kill them.”

“It makes me sick to see this,” growled Megan. “This is Ponyland for pity's sake!  This kind of garbage isn’t supposed to happen here.”  She sighed. “I think then it’s best if we do as he says. We can figure out a way to escape again later like you did before.  It’s our best bet, I can’t let them hurt my friends.”

“Okay.  That’s the plan then,” Sunset agreed.  She called out to the guards. “Fine!  We’ll do things your way. But I promise you this!  If you harm one hair on the manes of any of my friends, Tartarus itself won’t be able to protect you from my wrath!  I will hunt you down and send every one of your miserable souls into a screaming hell.”

She trotted forward, laying down before them. The guards rushed up to her stunning her repeatedly until she was completely insensate.  They then bound her, Megan, and the rest of the foals up and took them away.

Peach Blossom watched from the rooftop she had bolted to at the first sign of the guards. Flitting quickly from rooftop to rooftop she flew over the wall then towards the encampment to find Danny, Molly, and the other ponies.
> 26 - Danny - Ponyland
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny and Molly sat with the ponies around the campfire Paradise has started.  They were deep in the forest planning their strategies to get their captured friends and foals back.

“I wish Megan were here,” sighed Danny. “She always knows what to do.”  Molly just nodded sadly.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them,” sighed Peach Blossom. “I was more worried they were going to take me too, and then who could go to get help?  Maybe I should have stayed and fought them?  I don’t know, I’ve never been any good at fighting.  Arguing, sure, but fighting?  Never.”

Molly hugged Peach Blossom. “It’s okay, Peach Blossom. You’ll see. Megan will be okay.”

“You don’t know that,” challenged Danny crossly.

“None of that!” interrupted Paradise. “This is not the time to argue and fight.  We need to focus on a plan to rescue our foals, Megan, and the mages.  No arguing.”  Paradise looked at everypony, getting a nod from them all.

“Sorry Molly,” said Danny sadly.  Molly gave him a hug as well, which Danny eventually reciprocated hugging his sister back.

“Okay then,” continued Paradise. “The floor is open. Anypony have any ideas?”

“There must be a way to defeat Grogar,” Danny commented.

“I noticed when Grogar does his magic, the bell around his neck glows,” replied Peach Blossom.

“Maybe that’s the source of his magic,” speculated Wind Whistle, a light blue Pegasus with a pink mane.  “If we could take that, maybe he would lose his power.”

“Oh!  So, we get the bell and we win!” smiled Molly.

“So, how would we get the bell?” asked Paradise.

“I have an idea.  We can lure him out!  We just need to pretend to be someone he listens to, and get him to follow us into the forest. Then we take the bell away and free all our friends!” suggested Danny.

“And how do you propose to do this, Danny?” asked Paradise.

“We can get Masquerade to help!  She can disguise herself as Bray!  Then she can lure him out into the forest and we take the bell!” suggested Molly.

“A bold plan,” acknowledged Paradise.  “But, how is Masquerade going to sound like Bray to lure Grogar out?  She is very good at her masquerades, but not so much at affecting other creatures' voices.”

“That’s the beauty of it, she doesn’t have to!” smiled Danny. “I got an idea for that!  We’ll use Bray's voice to do it. All Masquerade has to do is act!”

“Okay, I’m pretty sure Bray’s voice is not going to help us, as Bray would have something to say about that,” commented Peach Blossoms.

Paradise smirked. “Well said, Peach Blossoms.”

“What?” asked Peach Blossoms in surprise.

“Never mind dear.  So Mr. Danny, how do you intend to get Bray to say what we need said?” continued Paradise.

“That’s the beauty of it!  He doesn’t even need to be there, just his voice!” said Danny excitedly.

“Now I am thoroughly confused,” added Peach Blossom. “I don’t think voices work apart from the ones voicing them.”

“No, they work when we use my tape recorder!” said Danny excitedly. “I’ll just record Bray saying a bunch of stuff, then make my tape recorder put them in the right order to say what we want him to say.  And when Masquerade is ready, we just play that, and it sounds like Bray is saying it for us!”

“Ah, that does indeed have promise!” agreed Paradise. “Very well, we should start that immediately.  Where is this tape recorder so we can begin?”

Danny’s face fell.  “Well, you see, that’s the thing…” he hedged. “I don’t have it.  But I know where we left it.  We just need to go get it.”

“Excellent!  And where is that?” continued Paradise.

“Uh, back at the estates.  I left it in my room,” said Danny, crestfallen.

“You mean the estates that we barely escaped from when those horrid creatures overwhelmed us?” asked Wind Whistle, surprised.

“Yeah, that,” agreed Danny, looking down sadly.  “We’d have to sneak in and get it.”

“Well if that's what we’re doing, no time like the present,” noted Paradise.  Come on, let’s sneak in and get your tape recorder, Danny. Then we can start on this plan of yours.”

Everypony agreed, so they formed teams to get started.






Danny and Molly were with the team fetching Danny’s tape recorder.  They could see the house from where they were hiding under heavy Troggle guard.  They had discovered the name for the draconic creatures as they snuck through the camp, listening to what was said by them.

“So, how do we get in there?” asked Paradise.

“Leave that to me!” said an excited white pegasus pony. “I can take care of that.”

“How?” asked Danny.  “We have to get the guards away from the door so I can get in.”

“Don’t worry!  It will be a Surprise!” laughed Surprise, shooting away from them and disappearing into a row of tents.  A few moments later they heard a ruckus by the estate as a pony started taunting the guards.

Looking through the tents they were hiding behind, they could see Surprise jumping around tormenting the guards as they tried to fire on her.  When she had their full attention, she ran off towards the forest continuing to call out taunts.  To the complete surprise of Paradise, every one of the guards ran off after her.

“Well that just happened,” noted Paradise, shocked.

“Come on!  Let’s go.  Get on, Danny!” called out Cherry Blossom, a cherry light pink adult Earth Pony with orange mane.  Sliding under Danny, who grabbed her mane as she started off, Cherry Blossom ran into the estate.

“Yee-haw!” yelled Danny at the top of his lungs, waving his free arm overhead.  Paradise facehooved as the guards turned on hearing that running back to the estate.

Cherry Blossom, with Danny on her back, ran through the doors and into his bedroom. Grabbing the satchel holding his tape player off the table, they raced back towards the door, only to be confronted by the returned guards.

Cherry Blossom came to an abrupt stop, nearly toppling Danny off as she wheeled about and headed the other way.

“Where did they come from?” asked Danny in surprise.

Cherry Blossom whickered. “Maybe we should have waited on the celebratory yell,” she suggested as they ducked down a hall.

“Oh,” said Danny, crestfallen.  They could hear the Troggles gaining on them, but Cherry Blossom spied an open window as she ran by a room.

“Hold on!” she called out to Danny, pivoting into the room and running for the window at a sprint. “Duck!” she called, jumping for the open window.

Danny ducked down, holding tightly to her neck as she leapt through the open window and out into the gardens outside.  The Troggles raced back to the door, tripping over themselves to pursue them.  Seeing them coming at full speed, the rest of the group faded back into the forest to meet up after Danny, Cherry Blossom, and Surprise shook off their respective pursuers.






Back together at the campfire Danny examined the tape player.  “It still works,” he announced.

‘That’s good,” acknowledged Paradise.  “Now we just need to capture Bray’s voice.”






Danny and Cherry Blossom snuck into the encampment where Bray was currently.  They could hear him shouting orders and bossing the Troggles around as they got closer. Danny took out his tape recorder, turning it on as they approached the tent Bray was in front of, belittling the Troggles of the camp.

“So, you call yourself guards?” Bray brayed.  “This is your last chance!  Grogar didn't capture all those ponies just so you could let them escape!”

The player reached the end of the tape and clicked off with an audible snap.  Danny and Cherry Blossom looked at each other in shock.

“What was that?!” called out Bray. “Go find who that was and capture them!”

The Troggles ran from the front of the tent as Cherry Blossom bolted away, Danny holding tightly to her to stay on and not drop his tape player as they raced back into the forest.






Back safely at the campfire, Danny worked on splicing the tape together to make a believable message to trick Grogar.  Spinning the tape back, he hit the play button to listen to his efforts.

“Grogar!  This is your last chance to capture all those ponies!” Bray’s voice yelled from the tape player.

“It just might work, if Masquerade can fool Grogar,” nodded Cherry Blossom on hearing the final result.

“Where is Masquerade?” asked Danny.

Masquerade emerged from the woods, wearing a costume that made her look just like Bray from a bit of distance.

“All right!  We have this!” celebrated Danny.






Danny, Molly and the ponies hid among the tents pitched in the forest just outside one of the gates of Tambelon.  They had seen Grogar walking the walls earlier so they knew this was their chance.  His tape recorder ready, Danny watched as Masquerade marched out into the middle of the camp facing the wall in her disguise.

Danny queued up the tape and played it.

“Grogar!”  Bray’s voice boomed out, Masquerade playing the part flawlessly miming the words.  Danny stopped the tape and quickly respooled it back.

“Grogar!” boomed out Bray’s voice again, Masquerade again miming the voice flawlessly.

Danny stopped and respooled the tape again, waiting to see if Grogar would respond.  He was ready to play it again when Grogar appeared on the wall.

Grogar looked down from the wall, annoyed and confused.  “Bray, I thought you were in the dungeon!” he thundered.

“Go time!” whispered Danny, playing the tape again, this time the complete message.

“Grogar!” the tape played, Masquerade again playing her part.  “This is your last chance to capture all those ponies!”

Stopping the tape, Danny and the others hightailed it back into the forest.  Still acting as Bray, Masquerade turned and ran into the forest following the trail behind her companions.

Grogar stood on the wall, thoroughly annoyed. “Bray!” he called out to the retreating form. “Bray!”  Bray continued his run into the forest.

“Ugh!” growled Grogar. He leapt from the wall, his bell flaring to life as he fell, landing gently on the field below and trotting after his confusing and annoying second.

Seeing Bray enter the forest, Grogar stepped up his pace racing after Bray.  Entering a clearing, Danny, Molly and the ponies emerged from around him, completely surrounding him.

“Give it up, Grogar!  We've got you surrounded!” Danny called out.

Grogar laughed.  “You've got me surrounded?  You're wrong, boy!  I've got you surrounded!”  Grinning maliciously, he charged at Danny.  Danny, Molly and the ponies scattered.

Thoroughly enjoying himself, Grogar turned and charged a group of ponies.  They ran in every direction, but while running and laughing at them he slammed into a tree getting his horns caught in the branches.  He lit up his bell to blast the tree off his horns just as Spike the lizard ran up to him and grabbed onto the bell, canceling the spell.

“Now’s our chance!” called out Spike as he hung from Grogar’s neck, swinging back and forth as Grogar twisted and pulled to get his horns free.

Stopping for a moment, Grogar looked down at the little lizard hanging from his neck. “Really?” he asked, eyebrow cocked.

Spike just grinned and held on tighter.  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Grogar grumbled, wrenching his horns free at last.

Now free, Grogar whipped his head around, launching Spike off the bell and into a nearby bush.  Paradise and Forget Me Not ran to aid him but were both caught by a blast of magic from Grogar, knocking them senseless.

Danny, Molly and the other ponies fled for their lives.

Watching them fade into the woods, Grogar shook his head. “I hate ponies,” he growled to himself, picking up Paradise and Forget Me Not in his magic as he trotted back to Tambelon.






The real Bray led a group of guards carrying their master’s latest captives into the dungeon.  Opening the door to the cell Megan and the others were in, they tossed the two into the dungeon while Bray laughed, then locked the door behind them as they left.

Megan and the others gathered around the two new additions unbinding them and brushing them off.

“Are you okay?” she asked them both as they shook their heads to clear the cobwebs.

Paradise grinned at Megan. “I’ve had better days.”

“You and me both,” agreed Megan with a laugh, pulling her friend in for a hug.  “So, what happened to you two?”

“We came up with a plan to steal Grogar’s magic.  Danny used his tape recorder to copy and manipulate Bray’s voice, and Masquerade pretended to be Bray so we could lure Grogar into the forest and steal his bell and magic.  Except once we got him into the forest, he kicked our flanks and caught Forget Me Not and I while the rest ran for their lives.  We clearly didn’t think that plan through completely,” admitted Paradise.

“Well I certainly have to respect the initiative, if not the outcome,” smiled Megan.  “And you said the others, Molly and Danny and the rest all escaped unharmed?”

“Yes, just Forget Me Not and I were captured.  The rest made good their escape,” nodded Paradise.

“We’ll find a way out of here, then we’ll join up with them and stop Grogar.  We aren’t done yet,” insisted Megan.

“I do admire your enthusiasm, Megan,” smiled Paradise.

“Actually, getting out of here is the easy part,” smirked Aiko from the corner of the cell.  “The hard part is getting out of town with this herd of easily distracted foals.”

Sunset laughed. “And dealing with our admittedly rotten luck when it comes to running into patrols.  I could go hoof to hoof with them but once they get a hostage it’s all over.

“So, ready to get out of here?” she asked.






While Danny and Molly were planning with the ponies on how to get into Tambelon to rescue Megan, the mages, and their foals and defeat Grogar, several of the Pegasus ponies were busily setting traps in the forest surrounding their encampment to keep them safe.

They were heading back to join the discussion when they noticed a Troggle hanging upside down from his foot in one of their traps.  Rather than looking irritated, or thrashing around to get free, he was looking around pensively.

Upside down, he waved at them when he saw them looking out from the shrubs in the forest.

“Hello ponies!  Can you help me?” he called out.

Surprised, the ponies faded back from the bushes and flew back to the campfire.

“Danny!  Molly!  We caught a Troggle!” they cried together as they landed before them.  “He’s caught in our rope trap and he’s asking for help.”

“What?  That doesn’t sound right!” stated Danny emphatically. “Take me to him.”

Together Danny, Molly and the ponies raced back to where the Troggle was suspended, still hanging upside down by his foot in the tree trap.

‘Hello!” he called out cheerfully, waving as they approached.

“Alright Troggle, or whatever you are!” demanded Danny.  “No funny stuff or we will have to hurt you!”

“You don’t need to hurt me,” explained the Troggle with a smile.  “There is no need to keep me prisoner either!  I have deserted Tambelon.  I want to join you.”

“He’s lying!” said Molly in her loudest stage whisper.

“No!  I am not lying.  I am telling the truth!  Many Troggles like me do not like Grogar, and we want to escape.  We were taken prisoner by Grogar too and now we are made to do his will.  We want to escape too, but we have nowhere to go.  You can help us!”

“I still think he’s lying!” insisted Molly.

“Let’s give him a chance, Molly,” insisted Danny. “He seems nice, not like those other ones that were blasting everypony.” He turned to Spike. “Spike, help him down please!”

“Okay!” Spike said happily. He launched a wave of dragon fire at the rope.  It burned through instantly, dropping the hapless Troggle on his face.

“Ohfff!” the Troggle let out as he dropped down into the dirt face first.  He scrambled up to his feet then turned to face his captors.

“My name is Drog.  Thank you for setting me free,” he introduced himself.

"I should warn you. Grogar plans to exile the ponies he has already captured to the realm of darkness at midnight tonight,"  Drog continued.  “If you want to save your friends and help me set all the Troggles free, we have to hurry!”






Drog led Danny, Molly and the ponies to a small dark doorway under the walls of Tambelon, hidden by shrubs and bushes along the side away from the gates and encampments of Grogar’s army.

“We go in here, and it will take us to the dungeons where your friends are being kept,” explained Drog.

“I’m not going in there!” said one of the pegasus ponies. “It’s dark!  And it’s really cramped.  What if we need to escape?  How can we fly in a tunnel so small?”

“We can’t,” agreed Danny. “We’ll just have to crawl through, and trust Drog.  It’s worth it to rescue Megan and the others.”

“I know!  I can help!” said Spike.

“Really Spike?  What can you do?” asked Molly.

“Watch this!”  Spike picked up a dried branch from the dirt and breathed his dragon fire on it.  The stick caught fire, burning brightly as Spike raced into the tunnel.

“Well, I guess we follow Spike,” said Danny, preparing to enter the tunnel.

“I will go first! I can show the way,” replied Drog.  He pushed ahead, entering the tunnel after Spike. “Spike!  Wait up!  I will show you the way so you don’t get lost!” he called out as he crawled down the tunnel.  Molly ducked into the tunnel and raced after them.

“Come on!  Let’s go find Megan!” called out Danny, crouching down and following Molly.  The others entered behind him following after the light from Spike's flaming branch.






Grogar sat on his throne watching as Bray groveled before him  "All is in readiness master, just as you ordered!”

“Good!” acknowledged Grogar. “Very soon now, there will be no more annoying ponies in ponyland.  I will begin the spell shortly, and at midnight, we will be free from annoying ponies forever!”






Drog led them through the catacombs and into the dungeons by which point Spike’s flaming branch had long gone out.

They were racing through the hallways.  They came to the stairway up into the castle and were racing past just as Grogar, Bray and their guards were almost to the bottom of the stairs.

Seeing them, Grogar called out. “Seize them!  Do not let them escape!”

The Troggle guards raced down the stairs surrounding them, cutting them off completely.

Two of the guards took Drog by the arms.

“You lied to us!” shouted Danny at Drog.  “You betrayed us!”

Above them, Grogar laughed loudly.  “My little ponies! What a pity you can't stay for long.  For in a few short hours you and the rest of your kind will be banished to the realm of darkness!  Forever!”

The guards quickly overpowered and subdued them.
> 27 - Sunset - The Mists of Tambelon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset, Aiko, Megan and the ponies looked up as their cell door clattered open again.

Bray crowed at them while the troggles dropped their new prisoners into the cell.  “So ponies!  We have captured more of your friends!  Soon all of you will be here, then banished into the darkness!”

Danny, Molly and the others were tossed roughly into the cell, crying out as they landed on the floor.  The troggles departed with Bray still laughing maniacally as he locked the door behind them.

“What an ass,” commented Aiko.

“True that,” agreed Sunset.

Megan rushed over to her brother and sister, untying them and looking them over for wounds. “Are you hurt?  Danny, Molly, are you okay?” she asked, holding them both tightly to her.

“Yeah, it’s just bruises, we’re fine sis,” groaned Danny, hugging her back.  Then he pulled away to sulk. “We were supposed to be coming to rescue you until that stupid troggle got us caught. It’s all his fault!”

Still holding tightly to her sister, Molly turned to her brother.  “I don’t think he did it on purpose. Drog was really trying to help,” she explained.

“Yeah, a lot of good it did!” groused Danny, still sulking.

“Well, at least we are all together now,” smiled Paradise, giving the sulking boy a hug.  With a sigh, Danny reached up and hugged Paradise back.

Calmed, Danny looked around at the smiling faces surrounding them. “So, is there anything to eat?” he asked.






A while later the cell door opened again.  Bray dragged in Drog, tossing him onto the ponies. “Traitors stay together!  You love the ponies so much Drog?  Then you can share their fate!”

Turning, he left, slamming and locking the door behind him.

Danny turned to Drog, sitting dejected. “So, you didn’t betray us?” he asked.

Drog looked up.  “No, Drog would never betray his friends.  But Troggles betrayed Drog.  They told Bray about my plan to bring Troggles to Ponyland. Now I am banished too!” He hung his head sadly.

Megan sat next to him.  “So you want to be free of Grogar and live lives of your own?  We welcome you as our friend, and any Troggle who wants to join you.  You’re all welcome in Ponyland.” She hugged Drog.

Drog looked up to her. “Thank you,” he said, a tear rolling down his cheek as he hugged her back.






Bray bowed down before the throne of his master Grogar.  “Good master!  The moonchicks and the other ponies have been captured,” he reported, head bowed to the floor.

Grogar laughed on the throne. “Excellent!  That means ponyland is mine!  This calls for a celebration!  Tell the troggles that anyone not celebrating will be banished with the ponies at midnight!”

He rose from the throne heading towards the large bell in the dungeons.  “Now to start the spell that will banish the ponies forever!”






Standing next to the bell, his own bell glowing in power, Grogar started the spell that would banish all around it to the darkness at midnight.






Megan heard what sounded like partying and laughter coming from outside the cell.  She turned to the others.

“Do you hear that?” she asked.

Sunset nodded. “Sounds like they are starting the party early. I guess with us all down here they figure they have this in the bag,” she noted.

“So, are we going to stop them?” asked Megan expectantly.

“Yup!” smirked Aiko.  “And no time like the present. Let’s go!”  She grabbed Paradise and teleported outside the door.

Sunset facehooved. “Okay, time to go everypony!  Stay together and do not wander off. Time to save Ponyland!” She grabbed two of the foals and disappeared with a pop.  A moment later Aiko reappeared, scooping up two more foals and disappearing again.

“What are they doing?” asked Danny in surprise.

“Leaving,” answered Megan. “Time to end this.  Danny, take Molly and go wait by the door, I’ll be with you in a moment.”  She rounded up the rest of the foals, calming them and explaining what was going on.

Drog looked on in amazement. “We can just leave?” he asked.

Aiko popped back into the room. “Yup!” she said, wrapping a paw around him, both of them disappearing with a pop.

She and Sunset appeared again, grabbing another pair of foals each then disappearing.  On the next round Aiko noticed Danny and Molly waiting by the door.  When she and Sunset appeared again, she popped in right next to them.

“Come on kids, no time to wait by the door. Let’s go!” Aiko smirked, wrapping them both in her paws as she popped out again.  Returning she took the last of the foals, Sunset returning for Megan.

“Okay Megan!  Let’s do this!” said Sunset, wrapping her in a hug and teleporting out of the cell.






Returning to the cell to taunt the ponies, Bray threw open the door. “Hah ponies!  In less than an hour you will all be gone!  Banished to the…”

He paused, finally noticing there was no one in the cell.

“Guards!  Guards!  The prisoners have escaped!” he cried out, racing back out of the dungeons.






Cowering down before Grogar’s thrown, he listened to his Master rage.

“You let them escape!  You worthless jackass!  You had one job!  One job to do!  And you let them escape!” he raged.

“Master!  No!  I locked them into the cell!  There was no way they could escape,” cried Bray, shaking in fear.

Taking a deep breath, Grogar struggled to calm himself.  “Go! Go find them!  Capture them and return them to the cell. The time for banishment is almost upon us!  Make sure they are locked up!” he bellowed.  Bray scrambled to his feet and rushed from the throne room to obey.

He stormed out of the throne room. “They can’t have gone far,” he muttered to himself as he stormed up to the castle ramparts.






Sunset, Aiko, Megan, Danny, Molly, Paradise, the ponies and foals, and now a small army of troggles rushed through the city to the main gate, determined to make their escape before the bell rang at midnight and banished everyone around it back to the darkness.  Their way was clear with all the troggles joining in the mandated victory celebrations.

Pacing around in his ramparts, Grogar spied the herd racing for the main gate.  His bell glowing with power, he yelled out his command to the fleeing herd.

“Stop!  I command you!  You cannot escape your fate!  I will not let you leave, you are doomed to suffer the fate you inflicted on me for 500 years!  You will be banished!” he called out.

Sunset led them onward, ignoring his taunts while Aiko turned, launching a magical fireball at him.  He ducked, the fireball igniting around him.  When it cleared, he emerged from his shield grinning. “Cheeky little vixen, that one.”

Looking back over the rampart, he saw they were at the gate, with the unicorn mage attempting a spell to breach it.

“No!” shouted Grogar. “You will not escape!” He launched an enormous ball of destructive energy at them, intending to obliterate the mage and stop her from using her magic.

Looking back at the warning, Sunset quickly covered them all in a shield, bouncing the spell off them and into the gate behind them.  The gate shattered from the power of the spell and the ponies, Megan, Molly, Danny, Aiko and troggles race through the destroyed gate to their freedom.

“No!” shouted Grogar in horror, watching them all run away, all save the unicorn mage who was running back towards him. Launching himself from the ramparts, he drifted down to her, his bell glowing with power as he landed on the street before her.

“I may not be able to stop them, but you will be joining me in the darkness, pony!” Grogar growled as he raced towards her.

Sunset took her battle stance, horn ready and glowing with power.  Just then the bell rang out. A purple wave of power pulsed out from the castle, shooting out over Sunset and Grogar.  As the wave crested over him, he dropped to his knees, his power completely gone.

“No!  Not like this!  Not again!  Never like this!” Grogar cried out, struggling to his hooves.  He looked with fear at Sunset as she approached him.  “So you have come to end me, now that I am powerless?” he asked in fear.

Smiling, Sunset reached out to him, pulling him back to his hooves.  She pulled him into a hug.

“A very wise pony taught me that enemies are temporary, but friends are forever.  And that mercy should always triumph.”  She smiled at the confused old ram.

She continued, still hugging him.  “And the next time we meet, remember, we are better as friends than enemies.  Mercy, always over revenge, and next time?  Friends, right?”

She grinned, pulling back from the surprised old ram. “There will be a next time, I’m sure of it,” she smiled. “Until then, friend!”  The bell rang out again just as she popped out of existence.

Grogar looked around as the bell continued to peel, waves of magic pulling him and Tambelon back into the dark void.






Sunset appeared next to her sister with a pop.  “What did I miss?” she asked pleasantly.  Megan just looked at her mouth agape.  Behind them Tambelon shimmered covered in purple magic, then faded from existence.

Aiko smacked her gently upside the head. “Dork!  Don’t go running back into danger!  I thought I lost you forever!” she growled, hugging her sister.

“Nah, but something told me we will be seeing that old ram again, so I wanted to give him a final friendship lesson. I hope it sticks.  I really do think we could get along if he would just let go of all that hate,” Sunset smiled.

Seesee watched them with her sister Looloo, taking it all in with wonder.  The troggles rejoiced in their new freedom from Grogar and Tambelon, as did the ponies, dancing and singing with each other in celebration.  Seesee and Looloo were scooped up along with the other foals as the celebration spread.

Drog turned to Megan and Paradise. “And Drog and troggles can stay? We have a home here?” he asked happily.

Megan pulled him into a hug, nodding happily while Paradise spoke. “Any friend of Megan’s is a friend of all ponies. Of course you can stay here! Welcome to ponyland!”  Paradise joined their hug.

Sunset watched the happy celebration, her hoof over her sister's shoulders. “I hope I didn’t just banish us here for 500 years too!” she laughed.  “The portal that dropped us here was in that city that just disappeared.  We might have a long wait to get back,” she joked.

As Aiko joined her in laughter the air began to shimmer behind them, then with a blast of light and thunderous crack a shimmering portal appeared behind them.

Turning to look through it they saw a happy bouncing purple filly between a happy large white alicorn and a smaller just as happy pink alicorn.

“Found you!” the purple unicorn foal called out happily.

“Who is that!?” gasped out Megan, turning with her siblings to stare through the portal at the smiling pony trio.

“Megan, meet Aiko and my mom and sisters, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Cadance Mi Amore Cadenza!  Mom, Twilight, Cadance, meet Megan Williams and her brother Danny and sister Molly!” Sunset introduced.

Megan’s jaw dropped.

“Pony princesses?” she gasped.  Danny and Molly were speechless beside her.

Behind them a foal sat in speechless wonder, having escaped from her enforced celebrations.  Her sister came and sat beside her watching as well.

“Took you long enough!” laughed Aiko, standing before the portal and smiling back at them.  “We just helped save ponyland!  And we thought for sure we were going to be stuck here for 500 more years.  About time!” She grinned at them.

Sunset turned to Megan and her family. “I guess this is goodbye.  Megan, Danny, Molly, it was an absolute treat getting to meet you. Take care of each other, okay!” she grinned, giving them each a hug.

With a nod to Paradise and the rest of the ponies, she joined her sister before the portal.

Aiko turned to her. “So ready to get out of here?” she grinned.

Sunset grinned back. “Let’s!” she agreed.

Together they jumped through the portal, joining their family on the other side, immediately buried under a herd of pony hugs.

The foal, followed by her sister, wandered up to the portal as it began closing. “Who are you?!” she called out to the white alicorn.

Celestia’s head turned.  Catching sight of the foals her eyes grew big in shock. “Seesee? Looloo?” she called out in surprise just as the portal snapped shut.






Shimmer stumbled through the barren badlands, head hung down, thirsty, confused, and utterly despondent.

Her sister had pushed her through the portal. She couldn’t have intended for this to happen. She knew Sunset was deathly afraid to return to Equestria because of the princess who banished her, but she would never have intentionally hurt her.

Lost, confused and hopeless, she kept stumbling forward, recalling the events that led to her being here.

They were playing together in the Everfree woods, running through the trails hand in hand when they stumbled on the wild magical portal.  Sunset had immediately sensed the Equestrian magic streaming from it and refused to go near it, deathly afraid that if she did the princess would sense her and come to finish her banishment.  Aiko had run off as soon as the portal appeared.

“Come on!” she begged her sister. “Don’t be a wuss!  We can just pop through for a quick peek then come right back!  You promised me you would take me to see Equestria someday!  When will we ever get another chance like this!”

“No!  You don’t understand!  The princess wanted to banish me forever!  If I even poke my head through, she will sense me and find me!  We can’t go!  We just can’t!” cried out her sister in terror. “Why can’t you understand?”

“And why can’t you understand why I want to see your home!  I want to see where you came from!  Why?” cried Shimmer in frustration.

She dragged her sister towards the portal, pulling her along with her.  Just before the portal she stumbled on a root, falling towards and into it.  In a panic Sunset tried to grab her and pull her back but missed, only landing one hand on her sister's back as she fell through the portal.

“No!” Sunset screamed as the portal slammed shut once Shimmer had passed through.

In Shimmer's mind as she played through her memories, she did not see her sister trying to pull her back.  She only felt her hand pushing her as she passed through with her screamed “No!” in the background.  Then she was here in this wretched desert, wandering, looking for any way back, or any signs of life at all.

The only thing that she had expected, though it still felt beyond odd even considering everything else that had just happened, was that she was now a pony. A cute little unicorn pony judging from the horn she could just see at the edge of her vision, jutting from her head just like her sister had always described.

Overcome with exhaustion she collapsed on the sand and hung her head in defeat.

A gentle voice called out to her. “Little lamb,” the voice kindly called. “Get up!  Your deliverance is coming.  You need to journey a bit further. Take heart, my dear!  Know that those who care are near.”

Shimmer looked up and saw a ghost of a beautiful ewe shimmering before her.  Her wool was white as freshly fallen snow and sparkled just as beautifully,  The ewe’s eyes were shining emeralds of green and filled with kindness.

“Who are you?” Shimmer asked, believing she must be near death to be seeing spirits.

“You may call me Rose. And you, dear one, have captured my heart with your kind soul.  Come!  Rouse yourself and continue your journey.  Follow me and I will show you the way,” urged the ewe, gently nudging Shimmer with her cold nose as she encouraged her up, leading her further into the desolate wilderness.

Taking hope in the ghosts' kindness, Shimmer rose and followed.

Minutes later a wave of magic washed over them, causing Shimmer to stubble in her weakened state.  Successive waves of magic revealed before them a walled city.  Still stumbling, Shimmer followed the ewe to the city gate.

An old ram glowed in magical power as he looked down over the rampart, watching them approach.

“Well, what have we here?” he laughed.  “It appears my old nemesis has come to visit me.”

“I’m sorry sir, but I don’t believe we’ve ever met. I’m nobody's nemesis,” replied Shimmer weakly, looking up at the ram.

Beside her Rose whispered into her ear. “Trust him! He has a kind heart and will care for you. Be his friend and open your heart to him,” she consoled.  Turning, Shimmer could no longer see her.

Grogar looked more closely at the weakened unicorn before him.  “What’s this?” he said to himself, just realizing she was only a foal, though otherwise an exact match for the unicorn who bested him hundreds of years ago.  “What is your name, little one?” he called out kindly.

“Sunset Shimmer sir, though I swear to you we’ve never met.  Please help me, sir,” she called out, collapsing on the sand before the gates.

“Open the gates!” commanded the ram, leaping down from the rampart as his bell glowed, easing his descent.  He landed next to the filly and gently scooped her up.

“Don’t worry, little one. You are with friends here,” he assured her, carrying her into the city as the gates closed behind them.






Aiko ran up to her sister with the park ranger in tow, only to find Sunset curled up on the ground in tears and their sister completely missing.

“Why? Why? Why?” Sunset cried out repeatedly in anguish as she rocked in place.

Aiko scrambled over to her sister, pulling her into a hug. “Sunset, where is Shimmer!?  What happened to the portal?” she asked, holding her sister close as she shook and wept.

“Gone!” she gasped. “She fell through and she’s gone!”  Sunset pulled into herself, shaking in distraught tears.  Aiko held her sobbing sister tightly as the Ranger got on his radio calling for police backup.

“We have a possible child abduction here,” he reported, swallowing his bile. “Send the unit.”






Following her two rescued students, Celestia shook her head, lost in her own thoughts.  “That couldn't have been… could it?” she wondered to herself as they returned to the airship prepared to take them all home.