> What Followed The Dawn
>  by Anemptyshell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Silver Lining
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, let me make sure I understand you. As it stands, Nightmare Moon has been defeated for some time, and the sun princess is no longer imprisoned, correct?"

I took another deep breath. It had been a long year, even after Nightmare Moon was defeated. There were so many backed-up repairs across the nation that I doubt we'd have it completely settled within the decade. Yet, we were trying. It had also been a little over a year since Stargazer. I smirked at the name. I had woken up in the Everfree forest with naught a memory in my head. 

Yet, here I was. Surrounded by six friends who managed to save Equestria in its darkest hour. I held back a snort. It was like a fairytale story. The even queen bested by the purest of hearts or something. Though, I don't know many who would say Sombra or Blueblood were pure-hearted. But that was neither here nor there. 

None of this, however, foretold today's concern. A mere hour ago, a fleet of zeppelins concealed in a thunderhead had landed in our fair Canterlot. That was all well and good, nothing we couldn't handle. The fact the heavily armed forces that disembarked were yetis, of all things, certainly didn't help the issue. No, the real kick in the butt was that they were led by a unicorn, a mare whose very horn was broken. I couldn't say from experience, but I doubt that was very fun. 

That mare, Tempest Shadow, now sat across from me in one of Canterlot Castle's many conference rooms. A comfortable room with bright plush cushions and sofas. A fireplace, currently unused to one side. A rich wooden bookshelf and large windows left the room a place of quiet serenity. I managed a glance to my side. The ever-faithful captain of the guard and my first friend since waking into this crazy world, Light Sabre, was staring daggers at Tempest. Someone was on edge today. 

"That sums it up, yeah. You know, except for all the physical, mental, and emotional agony. But, yeah, sums it up."

Sturdy Spade smirked at Tempest, who met his idle gaze with a terse sneer of her own. Spade paid it no mind as he sat up just a bit taller. The pegasus was just trying to get us caught in some kind of war. He'd throw himself right into the storm just to prove he could. 

"As that may be. What matters is what you plan to do now that you have learned the fate of Nightmare Moon," Sombra said. The King of the Crystal Empire sat to my side opposite Sabre. The dark, in both coat and mannerism, looked to Tempest with placid interest. 

"You will excuse me if I am a bit suspicious of such fortunate coincidences forming the base of your supposed victory," Tempest said. She matched Sombra's gaze, locking them in a staring contest with lives on the line. 

"How else would you explain the fact that even now, the sun sits high and free?" Blueblood asked. He'd only grown bolder since sailing the skies and meeting with just about every country on Equiss. 

"A necessity. The ramifications of a continued and undisturbed night would not only decimate most ecosystems but the tidal effects alone would render the coasts of every kingdom on the planet uninhabitable." 

The room went quiet. "Huh," was all I could muster. I mean, it was always kind of implied, but having someone point it out directly. It left a sour taste on my tongue. I would, in the very near future, have to have a private discussion about such issues. It was hardly my responsibility or in my skill set to handle said potential devastation. But, the fact I'd never heard anything about the ports and such was, disquieting. 

"That's a good point, actually," I said, my voice cracking as I tried to regain my composure. 

"True," Sabre agreed. 

"It is only natural. Even the delusional mind of that monster would relegate at least some period of time to daylight," Tempest said. 

I shivered, shaking my head in deject reflection. My ears swiveled in place as I muttered to myself. My actions did not, however, go unnoticed. A firm hoof rested on one shoulder. I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"You okay?" Sabre asked. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You worrywart."

"It's my job to worry, sir."

I inhaled hard through my nose and turned to the smug captain, hoof still firmly on my shoulder. "Really?"

Sabre nodded. "Really," he said before releasing me. 

"I'm sorry to say, Ms. Shadow, but there was never any sunlight. It was always very much night," Thorax said. He wore a mix of anxiety and curiosity. The ex-captain, but still very much respected changeling, seemed in debate on where his eyes should settle. If they could even settle, lack of pupils and all that. 

"That's a fair point. I mean, no, you're right." 

"Excuse me?" Tempest asked. 

I nearly jumped from my seat. My vision flicked from Tempest to the ground and back. I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I tried to cover my startled kerfuffle with a cough. 

"I mean, how did you not know about the eternal night thing and how it had been, you know, eternal?" I asked. 

Tempest rolled her eyes. "The lands of the Storm King are wrought with heavy weather almost as eternal as your supposed night was. It is rare to ever see an open sky. Thus, my expectation of your old ruler's intelligence. It seems I gave her far too much credit."

I caught myself mumbling again and nodded along. "Fair enough, she can, sorry could be, no, was, rather narrow-minded all things concerned."

"That might be a bit too generous," Blueblood said. The writhing flame of disdain in his eye hadn't faded, even after all this time. I could hardly blame him. 

"Back to the matter at hoof," Sombra said. All eyes turned to the king, who hadn't so much as nudged from his regal posture. 

"Yeah, oh, wait, maybe I should get you a copy of my novelization of the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon. It's a top seller. I could get a few for you yeti friends, too, if you want."

In less time than my mind could process the events, Bright Pitch had jettisoned from his seat and now hovered in front of Tempest, eyes glistening in jubilation. A copy of said novel was held forth for Tempest to see. The mare gave the cover a single glance before pushing it back toward its writer. 

"No."

"Oh, come on, that's no fun at all," Bright said, returning to his seat at an almost grueling pace. 

"So, about your plans?" Sabre asked. 

"I will admit to being caught unawares. I did not think, Nightmare could be beaten by some sextuplet of ponies and their spark."

The bit about the spark sent a shiver up my spine. I felt myself push back in my seat a bit further.

"Don't hassle Star. He did nothing wrong," Thorax responded. The reserved nervousness was replaced with a fierce, almost predatory bravado. Tempest hadn't let it go unnoticed as the jagged edge of her broken horn began to glow. This led to a domino of reactions in rapid succession. Sabre had placed himself between Tempest and the rest of our group. Sombra's horn now hummed, wrapped in its own red glow. Spade had started chuckling to himself, and both Blue and Bright seemed all too happy to let the others clobber the yeti commander. 

"This is all your fault," I hissed. 

"You did nothing wrong, Stargazer."

Sombra spoke, and he'd be damned if it wasn't reality. If it wasn't, he'd remedy that posthaste. I shook my head and waved dismissively. 

"That isn't what I meant," I said. 

"So, are we fighting or what?" Bright asked.

Tempest quelled the storm atop what was once her horn and slowly sat back down. "No, there is no point. You are," Tempest looked to Sabre. "Not the enemy I sought."

"Closer than she thinks, huh?" 

"Star?" Bright asked. The flighty thestral was hovering over me. He looked down at me. I looked up to him. He blinked slowly, and then I did the same. I shrugged, and Bright squinted at me before slowly finding his seat once more. 

"What now?" Thorax asked. 

Tempest fought between a look of irritation and dejected realization. There for several seconds, we sat in silence. The grandfather clock that sat hidden in the corner opposite the door. One I hadn't noticed until the ticking was left the only sound amongst our gathering. 

"I don't mean to insult. But, your horn…" I said, gently tapping my own barren forehead. My wings twitched in response. Tempest's own broken stump arced with arcane energy as I slowly lowered my hoof back down. "...Can we help?" I asked. 

The question left Tempest for the first time since her arrival on the back hoof. Her scowl was replaced with an owlish look. Beside me, Sombra muffled a laugh. One Spade did not withhold. 

"Glue maybe, or duct tape. I have a lot of duct tape," Spade said. He mimed wrapping his non-existent horn in the solve-all solution. 

"It can't be fixed," Tempest said. Her voice barely traveled past her lips. Her eyes bore a hole in the floor. The presence of her mere existent demand fell away and left something far more pony behind. 

"Says, who?" Sombra asked. The question rallied Tempest, who looked up, face ashen horn stump still aglow. 

"What?" Tempest asked. 

"Sombra is right, you know. Between him and Discord, I have no reason to believe it can't be fixed. I mean, I can ask Discord for you if you like?"

Tempest once again fell into silence. This time, however, the air did not bristle with unkempt angst. Well, no more than Sombra and I managed by ourselves. When Tempest did respond. It was not a request or concern. No, that would be too sane. My life can't handle sanity. That would be too easy. 

No, instead, Tempest Shadow, the commander of The Storm King's fleet. The mare who had been sent to best Nightmare Moon of all ponies. I winced. My vision crawled with shadows. My left eye burned. I bit my tongue, anything to draw my attention elsewhere. Tempest's own actions proved far more successful in that regard. 

She rose slowly. Sabre tensed but otherwise made no action to stop her. Her eyes were glued to my own. Tempest took two steps forward and thusly fell to one knee. I blinked. Sabre blinked. Sombra smirked, and Bright started taking notes. He mumbled under his breath the whole time. 

Then she bowed her head. "If you can repair my horn, then I am willing to pledge myself in compensation."

"No, it isn't funny," I covered my thought with a cough and offered a strained smile in return. "I mean, I'm sure the princesses would be more—"

"No, not them. My pledge is to you. You made the offer. You are the one who has given me hope. My pledge is to you."

My mouth opened and shut several times, with no words presenting themselves in return. The shadows were undulating in the corner of my vision. My thoughts replayed the declaration several times in my head. The laugh in the back of my mind returned the headache I'd been ignoring for the last few minutes. Simply put, I had no words. 

"Quite the offer, Stargazer. It is rare for soldiers as fine as she to offer such fielty, in this age, no?" Sombra said. The jerk was ginning. His fangs bared in wicked humor. 

"That won't be necessary. Star already has the support of The crown, The Empire, The Elements, and me."

My brain remained blank. Sabre had stepped in front of me. This had several effects. First, Thorax, Bright, and Spade were laughing their flanks off. Sombra even managed a single chuckle, and Tempest had all but ignored Sabre's retort, her eyes still firmly locked with mine. 

"My pledge stands."

"Are you kidding me? Why would—" I spoke, my thoughts interrupted by the sudden poof of smoke above me, and the one and only laughter of Discord, Lord of Chaos, rang out in all directions. 

"My, my, my, you've once again proven to be my rival for master chaos, dead Stargazer. But to offer my services without so much as asking first. Tut tut, how very rude."

Discord hovered over me, his neck twisting in an unnatural direction as he occupied the sum total of my vision. I rubbed the sides of my head with both hooves and questioned my very existence as a whole. 

"I mean, I said I'd ask," I said lamely. 

Discord reached down and booped my muzzle. "Very well, if you are gonna twist my arm over it. I'd be more than happy to help my bestest friend in all of Equestria procure himself a knight in…" Discord poofed away and reappeared in front of Tempest. He had a measuring tape in his claw as he darted around, mumbling numbers and measurements with no regard to his volume. Tempest herself had frozen in place following Discord's actions in mute aggravation. The last measurement taken was the very thing in question. A few pointed measurements of Tempest's missing horn. "...purplish armor."

Then pulling himself from the shellshocked mare. He gave a devilish grin, eyebrows literally bouncing off his brow. "I may not be a djinn, but I can be a miracle worker when the mood hits me," Discord said. He then winked, sapped his claw, and with a flashy explosion of bright pink sparkles that resembled various fruits. To which Tempest recoiled. Not the action itself but the sparkly images with a face of horror.

It was when Tempest stumbled back. Two things became apparent. One that Tempest had an impeccable aim. The sparkles blasted away in an electric bolt that hit the ceiling, leaving a black mark in the otherwise impeccable craftsponyship of the room. The second, Discord had once again proven his near omnipotence. For once, where there was naught by a stub. There was now, atop Tempest's head, sat a horn as natural as if it had always been there, and the idea of her horn ever having been shattered was a bad dream, a terrible joke that the universe had attempted to pull for no reason whatsoever. 

Tempest had noticed as well. Her eyes tried very hard to see it for herself. Though what her eyes could not do, her hooves and her magic most certainly could. Tempest Shadow was whole once more.

Discord nudged me with an elbow, face the perfect dictionary definition of smug. His grin was only tainted by his snaggletooth. "Not bad, huh? I would say it is some of my finest work. I really went the extra mile."

Discord's legs pulled themselves free of their master and ran out the door. Only seconds later, a maid's scream to indicate the legs hadn't stopped. "You're welcome, by the way. Ms. Fizzle, over there, is now bound by her oath. Am I just the best friend or what?"

I took a deep breath and considered finding out how hard the floor was face first. When my breath relented. All I could manage was a tired shake of my head. It wasn't funny. The shadows firmly disagreed. They mocked me with silent manic guffaws that fell in beat with the throbbing of my head. 

"You, my horn, I—" Tempest's words died in her throat. Ending with her all but throwing herself into a deep bow. If it was to me or Discord, or just the universe in general. There she bowed so deep her muzzle scraped the floor. 

"Think nothing of it, my dear. It was all for dear Stargazer. If not for him, I'd never have thought it up. He truly is my equal in all things nonsensical. That said. I do have a schedule to keep, and my legs are half wat to Vanhoover by now," Discord said. With a single wave and snap of his paw, he was gone as quickly as he'd come. 

"Well, that happened," Blue said. 

"Never a dull moment," Spade said. He nodded, lounging back in his seat. 

"Um, so, what about the yeti's outside?" Thorax asked. The pen dropped. Everyone, as if guided by a single mind, turned to the open door. 

"Crap," I said. "No, no pelts," I hissed under my breath. 

My headache was only growing worse.     
> Stormfront
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a logistics problem. Whether for good or worse, we'd effectively subdued the threat of Tempest Shadow. That was a good start. No, the issues arose when you looked out the nearest window and saw the line of armored airships and the hundred, if not thousands, of potential enemies aboard them. An army, something that, at the moment, Equestria lacked. Olive branch and dove of peace and all that. Worse, it was my idea. 

“Thorax,” Sabre said. He was out the door before anyone else even managed to stand. Except for Tempest and Bright, though the latter was hardly a fair metric.

"On it, on it," Thorax answered. 

"Oh, tell Queen Chryssi I said hi," Bright said, following Sabre into the main hall. From there, the issue was all but obvious.

"It won't be enough. Tempest." 

I turned to the mare. Who stood at full attention, eyes trained on my every move. "Thoughts? What was the plan after Nightmare's defeat?"

"Occupation and control," she answered. 

I nod. "Yeah, we, I, I figured as much. Suggestions for de-escalation?"

"Stop building up?" Spade said. The groundskeeper had yet to bother standing. He lay wistfully in place. "Not a fight we can win conventionally. Heck, doubt we could win unconventionally either."

"True, but that has hardly stopped us before, yes?" Blue asked. He'd rested beside me. He offered a pat on the back before making his own way out of the room. 

"Tempest, you must know the Yeti's weapons and tech inside out, right?"

"Irrelevant. The outstanding order for failure is scorched earth. Sabotage or subterfuge would only ensure both sides lose as much as possible."

My blood ran cold. Equestria couldn't handle a second loss of Canterlot. The loss of all our progress, every step forward, undone in a single collective blow. I would almost be impressed if I wasn't stuck between a heart attack and fantasizing about stomping the supposed King of Yeti's head in with my bare hooves.

"What of Discord? Certainly, he could end this before it ever began." Tempest asked. A single brow rose in consideration. 

It was a fair concern. No, he wasn't a cheater. I shook my head. The issue was rather benign. He would never intentionally solve an absolute powder keg of chaos and confusion. He hadn't helped with Tirek either. The stupid magic leech had spent the last year of Nightmare's reign slowly accruing his power. By the time he'd made his power play, we were barely setting the groundwork for rebuilding.

"No, not really an option. We'll need something else."

Tempest's brow only rose higher. Meanwhile, Spade was snickering to himself. When Tempest turned her attention to him, he merely waved and continued lounging.

"We also lack the time or forethought to prepare any outside assistance. Though, I do wonder. Are we as outgunned as you claim?"

I jumped my wings wide. Sombra had managed to creep up behind me without so much as a word. He scoffed and turned to Tempest. "How exactly did you plan to best alicorns and/or alicorn adjacent beings such as myself and Chrysalis? Simply holding numbers would be reckless at best and suicidal at worst."

A spark, a single flicker in Tempest's eye. Then the phantom of a smile. "Ah, yes, well. We had a certain weapon prepared solely for such a purpose. A means to petrify and render inept. A weapon that is no longer a secret."

I glided over the two conspiring unicorns to Thorax. "You getting all this?" I asked. Thorax didn't answer. But he heard me, but more importantly, thanks to the Changeling hivemind. So did the royals across the castle.

"Even if we drive the king's forces away, it will only be a temporary victory. The Storm King is a very sore loser," Tempest said. 

"A problem for later," Sabre said as he reentered the conference room. "If your king wants a war, then he'll get one. We don't have the position to dig in our heels. Too little time and resources for a battle of attrition."

"Agreed, Captain," Sombra said. 

"Hey guys, you may want to see this?" 

Bright sounded on the verge of ecstasy, which could mean one of two things. The first was none of my business; the second told me he'd found his next manuscript. No, it is not weird to know what those sound like.

So, we did exactly as requested. Lo and behold, Bright had the nearest window opened and was leaning so far out, if he were not a thestral, I'd be worried it was a cry for help.        

"Look, look, look. Look, That's so not cool."

Blueblood stood to one side, mouth agape. Let it not be said that what followed was anything less than humbling. The yetis were, at that very moment, reboarding their ships. No ruckus, no demands; the only thing different from when the mountain dwellers arrived was. A pair of stones, statues, or some crystalline interpretations of statues. 

"They're gone," Thorax yelled, leaning out the window and pointing to the statues. 

"Who?" I asked. 

"This isn't right. This is different from the plan. We need to get to the ships. Now.

Tempest was seething. Her mouth was drawn into a tight snarl. I stepped back without realizing it, bumping into Sabre as I went. 

"They have the Princesses. Princess Luna and Celestia, they, they took them. They went and took them while we were here, My queen, and Sir Armor, are mobilizing the guard and hive."

Thorax's chest bobbed as he danced in place. My veins ran cold. The shadows swallowed my vision. They danced, laughed, and hissed, I shook my head, but the shadows stayed firm. "No, it is not funny. They don't deserve it."
   
“Sombra, Teleport,” Sabre said. I could barely hear him. My mind raced as I rewound the conversation in my head repeatedly. 

"Already primed, Captain," Sombra said. 

Then there was a bright flash. The shadows receded. The castle was left behind. The roar of the engines brought me back to reality. The yetis paid us no mind. Tempest had stormed forth before anyone could so much as gather their wits. Her voice drowned out everything. 

"What is going on here? Who gave you orders to—"

Tempest was cut off by the raving approach of a creature I'd never seen before. A marsupial-like creature, eyes wide and yelling as best they could over Tempest's rage. They weren't doing an outstanding job.

"Tempest, oh great, there you are. You're late. I guess you didn't have a schedule, but we're moving. Let's go, hurry."

"Grubber, what is going on? Who gave the order to retreat?"

The punk rock groundhog flinched. He threw his arms up in surrender. "Whoa, I mean, it was, you know. Her," Grubber said, looking back over his shoulder. The yetis were nearly finished. If they were planning to leave, it was sooner rather than later.

Tempest growled, pushing past Grubber and marching to the boarding plank. "Explain this, now."

The yetis fell silent and still, eyes flicking between their now ex-commander and the darkness that led deeper into the bowels of the airship. The silence persists for a minute, the only sound the hum of the ship's engine. Then the rhythmic clank of hoof on metal. 

"Tempest, you don't need to yell, you know. I was thinking you'd get left behind. Wouldn't that be a shame?"

Smiling down from the ship's entrance was a second pony. I was beginning to wonder if the Storm King found a clearance sale for ponies with a chip on their shoulder. The first word that popped into my mind was purple, light purple coat, purple eyes, purple, and mint mane. So, less chip on the shoulder and more of a fixation on purple. Orm maybe purple ponies were more prone to fits of object insanity or stupidity? No, I don't think you needed more purple. 

"Starlight. What did you do?" Tempest asked. Her horn flickered, then shone. For a first use of a new horn, the flare-up was enough to dazzle the surrounding yetis.

"Oh wow, your horn. That's quite the glow-up. While you were playing politics. I decided it was best we simply take what we needed and be done with it. You're welcome, by the way," Starlight said, smiling down at Tempest.        

 "Return the princesses, now!" 

Sabre had matched Tempest inch for inch, and rapier held aloft, he glowered up at the Storm King's second unicorn enforcer. Starlight rolled her eyes and shooed Sabre away. 

"I'm afraid that will not be happening. Now, I have things to do, magic to siphon. A mare's job is never done.

"Not going to happen. Release them, now."

Starlight frowned, and the sum who of every yeti within sight cowered back. Even Tempest took a step back. Horn pointed forward. Grubber took to hiding behind her with fervor.

"Such a waste." 

A flick of her head, a brief magic ripple, and then. An orb, semitranslucent, with a crystal in its center. It hovered for only a second before snapping forward right at Sabre. 

My vision contorted. All I could see was Sabre, the Orb, and Starlight Glimmer. I could feel my breathing stop. My mind raced, then the shadows surged forth. Past my vision, out forward like tendrils snaking through the air. 

Sabre didn't have time to react. The orb was too fast, too close. The shadows bore no such distinction. Starlight had already turned away. The packing was done. The yetis were doing final boarding. Tempest was yelling, not that I could hear her.

Then, it all came crashing down. The boarding pank retracted. Starlight had already retreated into her ship. Sabre had swung his weapon too late. However, the orb had stopped. Held free mere inches from Sabre's face. It hissed, then dark rock pierced free of the sphere that held it. The spell, or enchantment, whichever, had nowhere to go. Held still by a tendril of shadows, no, my darkness. They writhed, rising up from Sabre's own cast shadow. The airships had begun to take off. But, no one paid them any mind. Every eye was cast on the orb and what held it. 

"Star," Thorax said, his voice barely a whisper.

"What have you done?" Sombra spoke from behind me. 

Sabre had pulled his attention from the orb and what held it and now looked back towards me. I took a shaky breath. I couldn't meet his gaze. I shook in place. My mind raced. 

"I, I don't know. I just, I don't know."

"Oh, I think we both know what happened." 

My vision swam once more, and darkness pulled me into the void.

I hadn't felt the call like I had back when Luna and Discord had spoken to me in my dreams. This was different. It was colder. My chest throbbed. Phantom pains followed my revival. Discord could heal me, could put me back together. But he couldn't erase the feeling; he couldn't erase what it felt like to die. 

None of that mattered, not really. This wasn't about that, not really. No, I was here for a reason. The same way I'd spent most nights since Equestria was freed. I stared into the void, and it stared back. 

"You seem displeased. Did you want the traitor to be consumed by that orb's curse? I could always release it. Is that what you want?"

I bit my lip hard enough to bleed. If one could bleed in the mental prison of one's own mind. Chains rattled as the prisoner walked forward. Even here, she was taller than me. Her bright cyan eyes looked down at me. No hatred or anger, no sorrow or contempt. No, those eyes betrayed nothing. There was only pity and twisted mirth. 

"Nightmare. What did you do? How?" I screamed. 

Nightmare huffed and flicked her mane back. Her toothy grin, however, grew ever so slightly. "Is what I did not prevalent. Little usurper? In my infinite generosity, I spent what little power I have—" She hissed. Fangs bared. "—trapped here in my prison, saving your friend." 

"How?" 

My legs buckled, and I fell on my plot. I wiped a hood from muzzle to forehead and let myself deflate. Nightmare Moon, shackled chains around her neck, horn, all four hooves, and wings bound. Laughed.

"Did you really believe a mere thestral could repress all of my power? The power of a god? I may be a prisoner, but so are you, little pony."

 I closed my eyes, and when I opened them once more. I was once more in the realm of the living. Lying on my back, with half a dozen ponies and one groundhog standing over me. 

"Oh great, we're back to this," I said.

Sombra pushed the others away and towered over me. "I do believe you have some explaining to do."

I sat up and grunted.

"Maybe we should return to the castle. The Queen and Princess Cadance are still waiting," Thorax said. 

"Agreed, today has been quite the ordeal," Blue said. 

"I have a feeling it won't be the last," I said. The sound of Nightmare's laugh still rang in my ears. 

"Also, yes," Bright agreed. 

Just another day in Equestria.
> A Mental Prison
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eleven, eleven pairs of eyes. All staring right at me. It was, well, nothing new. Ever since waking up in the Everfree, I'd been watched, tracked, scrutinized, and otherwise observed. So, why these eleven pairs had me writhing in place was well deserved. I'd known for some time this point would be reached. I hadn't thought it'd be because through power not my own, I'd, we'd saved Sabre. 

We were once more in the royal antechamber. The same one we'd been sitting in this morning. That seemed so long ago. It was also far less awkward. 

I licked my lips and shuffled in my seat for the thousandth time. Chrysalis and Shining Armor sat pointedly at one end of the table, withholding any observable irritation, concern, or panic. It was impressive, even if they had half a decade to master such skills.

The others those being my friends, Tempest, who I wasn't sure what to name her, and then her little hamster friend, Grubber, if I recall. Oh, and Cadence, who looked ready to cry. A truly captivated audience.

"Dark magic, explain," Sombra said. 

The room rumbled with grumbles and mumbles of agreement.

"Where to start, so, remember when I died?" I asked. Silence, the answer was clear, more or less. Tempest and Grubber were lost, and Cadance still looked ready to cry. She had a lot of repressed emotions after Nightmare's defeat. It was good she had the best therapists in the country at her beck and call. Two countries, if you count the Crystal Empire.  

"We do," Sombra answered. 

"So, well, when I was blasted by Nightmare and then again with the Elements. Um, there was a bit of a whoopsie."

"A whoopsie, you say?" Chrysalis mused. She rested a hoof on her cheek and hummed. “Interesting choice of words.” 

"Yes?" I answered. 

"And what exactly did this whoopsie do?" Blueblood asked. He leaned forward, mouth a terse line, his glorious golden locks bedraggled from before the zeppelins had taken off. 

"Um, the Elements don't normally destroy things, right? They are more prone to entrapment and repulsion if we look back on Sombra, Discord, and Tirek's examples. Turned to stone, hurled through time, and blasted back to Tartarus. I was the only time something. Well, less pleasant occurred. Or did it?"

"Oooh, foreshadowing, chilling, I like it," Bright said, clapping his hooves.

"Go on, Shining said. The ex-leader of Equestria's rebel alliance looked pensive as he peered through me and off into the horizon far beyond.

"So, as I see it, maybe it wasn't trying to kill me."

"If we neglect the gaping hole in your chest. Then what was it trying to do?" Sabre asked. He'd glued himself to my side since we returned to the castle. All I could do was shrug and let him do as he pleased. 

"Trying to put me back where Discord had found me. While also trying to rip Nightmare from Luna like a bad splinter. Even pulled free, Nightmare was still Nightmare, and without me in my body. Weakened to a shriveled-up speck, or no, she isn't stupid. Crazy, yes, stupid, no."

The sudden thump of Spade slamming his head into the table jarred everyone's attention, at least for the moment away from me. Still face-down, the groundskeeper through this arm high. 

"How do you keep getting nigh god-like beings crammed into your head? What this makes, three, four? I mean, come on."

I didn't have a response. No one did. I leaned back in my chair and recounted my first few months in Equestria. Spade had a point. This was ridiculous when you think about it that way. I was just glad Luna wasn't here. If Cadence looked ready to cry, Luna would have been a downright mess. 

"So, what do we do, then?" Thorax asked. 

“Honestly, we might want to wait a bit," I said. There goes the eleven pairs of eyes right back where they belong. This time, if it were possible, they were even less happy. I held up a hoof in protest.

"Star." 

The back of my head throbbed after Sabre promptly whacked me over the head. I shrugged it off and waited for the ache to dull. I think Blueblood would have done the same if he could reach it. I had a feeling this wouldn't be the last whack over the head by the time this was settled. 

"I'm just saying. The Princesses should be the priority. I've had Nightmare in my brain for months. It took everything she had just to grab the orb thing back when that Starlight pony tried to deck you." 

A murmur amongst the concession. Sabre didn't look happy about it. 

"He's right if you don't act soon. The Storm King and that self-serving witch will have all the time they need for whatever plot they have conjured up since our arrival," Tempest said. She'd taken up a post on my other side. She looked almost half as annoyed as Sabre. But I had a feeling nearly none of that had to do with me.

"I never liked that backstabber. She was always so shifty and fake nice. Someone needs to give her what for," Grubber said. He added a one-two jab and hook to top it off. 

"And do we even know what they're planning to do?" Chrysalis asked.

"She said something about siphoning magic. A page from Tirek's book, I wonder. To what end though that remains unseen?" Sombra pondered. 

"A super-weapon maybe, or mind control lazers. No better, A super Zeppelin. Or, maybe the Storm King is just crazy or maybe stupid?" Bright rattled off the possibilities, all while taking notes. All this time, I still had no idea where he kept his trusty notepad. I wasn't even sure I wanted to know anymore. It might kill the allure.

"Well, if nothing, the whole Nightmare thing explains why Star always argues with himself. Though I suppose it wouldn't be accurate to say himself anymore. More like an inner demon." Blueblood added. 

"Relatable," Cadence agreed.

"Tempest Shadow. They were your forces until you met with Stargazer, the Elements, and Discord. Tell us, where might they go from here?"

Chrysalis tapped the table, eyes, bright green eyes that commanded nothing less than obedience. A shiver shot down my spine as I tried my best to avoid eye contact. Tempest was less successful, though she held her composure better than most. 

"Mount Aris, most likely. It is one of his more favored conquests. With the power of two alicorns, I doubt many could stop him from expanding his reach across Equiss."

"Yeah, his evil reach would be unreachable," Grubber added. 

"So there we have it. Target found, enemy, depicted, and the second great alicorn saving. If this keeps up, I will start filing for worker comp," Spade said, finally rising up from his position on the table. 

"I will admit, this is getting a tad formulaic," Blueblod mused, a hoof tapping his chin as he thought. 

"Mount Aris it is, then. Though, I do wonder. Where are the Hippogriffs? Surely they did not simply hand their lands over, no?" Sombra asked.

"Fled, mostly. A few are working the mines or other subjugated lines of work. The majority, however, have been missing for some time."

"Hmm, interesting. Are you thinking what I am, oh King of the North?" Chrysalis asked. She gave Sombra a knowing smile. 

"I believe I am, Queen of the Changelings," Sombra said. The royal's conspiracy had left the rest of the table silent. 

"Blueblood, you're airship is still parked at the port, right?" Shining asked.

"I see where this is going. Yes, I will painstakingly volunteer my ship in the name of saving my oh-so-capturable aunts. Oh, woe is me," The princeling lamented. Tossing a hoof over his face, Blueblood fell back into his chair. "It is oh so hard being me."  

"That accounted for. We still have the issue of Nightmare Moon and her place inside Star. I don't like it. It is a risk. I say Stargazer should remain here."

That hurt far more than I would have guessed. All I could do was turn and gape at Sabre, who stood, body tense, teeth grinding. But he was right. Nightmare was weak, even if I didn't truly believe her about how much or how little power she had mustered. She was there. She sat in my head, commentating and reveling in the chaos around me.

"What about, Discord, could he?" Thorax asked. 

"Already tried. Before today, he was the only one who knew. He knew from the beginning. The problem is, after the Elements. The only way, Discord could fit me back in was to bind me and Nightmare together. If Nightmare goes, I go with her."

"All the more reason for you to stay," Sabre said. He stood and made to leave. All I could do was watch as he went. Something inside me broke, a dam I had no idea was built. Even Nightmare surprised by with the pungent stew that brewed in the back of my mind. 

"He's wrong," Tempest said. 

"While he was rather blunt, it is a valid concern. Even when Discord was weakened and working through Star, he could take control, did take control more than once. What is to say, Nightmare Moon couldn't as well?" Shining Said. 

If the room wasn't somber before, the mood was thoroughly murdered by now. I slid down in my chair. Nightmare was having fun, at least. Her endless prattle about how weak one pony is or how soft Luna was. It was all white noise. I felt numb, my thoughts barely forming before they melted back into sludge. 

"It would be a waste to keep Stargazer here. Be it weakened or not. If the Storm King gets the alicorns first, there is little you can do to stop him. Elements of Harmony or not, all it would take is removing one of you. Then what? Beg, run, and hide. We need every advantage we can get."

Tempest was unfaltering. With her horn repaired, she was all the more bold. She glared out at the others, daring them to riposte. She would not budge. The look in her eye rivaled even Sombra when he was in a particularly foul mood.

"And if Nightmare does gain control?" Spade asked.

"Let us ask her."

Tempest turned to me. I flinched in a slump. I blinked slowly and shrugged. Tempest leaned in before promptly slapping my cheek with a resounding smack. I pushed back, nearly tipping my chain as I flailed.

"Get a hold of yourself. You look pathetic," Tempest said.

"Faust, fine," I snapped. "Ask away."

"Would you allow a foe such as the Storm King the chance to crush you by mindlessly wasting time fighting your ex-subjects? Are you that petty, Nightmare Moon, that foolish?" Tempest asked. 

 I spun an idle hoof as I let Nightmare answer. In the form of a manic rant, of course. I don't even know if she could manage anything else anymore. If there was a single ray of light in the confines of Nightmare's prison. It was that clearly being stuck in my head had some effect on her, as much as she had on me. 

"She swears that all would fall to her one way or another, that the Storm King is a mindless ape, one she would smite without a second thought. Then she went on a tirade about her divinity. Then spiraled into her own ego. If I had to translate, she'd smite the closest foe. So if the Storm King is there, then yes, she'd fight him."

"That's not good enough, even if she would fight the Storm King. That is a conditional alliance rather than one we can assure," Cadence said.

"True," I agreed.

"It still remains better than walking into a fight you can't win," Tempest said, slamming her forehooves into the table and groaning. "Then what? You've yet to offer any alternative."

"What about the Hippogriffs? If we found them and teamed up. Maybe we could catch the Storm King off guard," Thorax said. 

"My child has a point," Chrysalis said. 

Tempest surrendered, returning to her seat and widely dismissing the group. "Do as you wish, though. Let it be known. My pledge is to Stargazer, not to Equestria, not to your Princesses. If he stays, so do I."

"Hey, That's cheating," Bright hopped onto the meeting table, and before anyone could stop him, he was stomping his way towards Tempest, who was smiling all the while. 

"Ha, and thus, we have reached an impasse. Clever mare, you sat back and held your last card, ready to reduce all arguments to ultimatums. I respect that, Tempest Shadow.

Sombra was smirking right back at Tempest. At that moment, a friendship was built. I'd be happy for Sombra, the glum loner he is and all. But, this ultimately meant this entire trip would be a massive headache. Nightmare was cackling. It was clear between Sombra, Tempest, and Nightmare a truly twisted, if not even realized, alliance was forged. 

"Well, who wants to hunt some chicken ponies then? I asked. 

"Star, language," Cadence gasped. 

"There is no reason to insult an entire race just because you're in a bad mood. Shame on you," Blue said, tutting me as Cadance added a rather harsh face of shame and disappointment.

I slapped a hoof into my muzzle. Faust, have mercy on me, please.

"Okay, geez. Who wants to hunt a kingdom's worth of missing Hippogriffs that lost their home to a deranged supervillain? Is that better?"

"Much, thank you," Cadence said. She offered a patient nod. The kind one gives a child who accidentally says a no-no word. 

"That settled. We really must be off if we have any hope of outpacing the Storm King's fleet," Blueblood said. Then stood and made his way out of the meeting room. The rest of us quickly followed suit. 

Sabre was not going to be happy. But I don't think I really cared right now. Let him seeth, see how he likes it.

"Hey, Star?" Thorax had sidled beside me as we made it into the main hall. He offered a smile, which I had no choice but to return. Someone, heck, most ponies would probably flay me if I didn't. Honestly, I was probably first in line for that same flaying. 

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Please don't be mad at Sabre. He means well. He cares. He really does. I promise. So please don't be mad."

  I took a deep breath and sucked on a lip. "Yeah, I know. It's just—"

"He only wants to keep you safe. We all do, but he," Thorax stopped himself and sped up. "We really should hurry."

"Right, of course."

So, to lands unknown, we save the world again. Setting Sabre and Nightmare Moon aside. I don't know why I even go on these adventures. The Elements of Harmony are a win condition to ninety-five percent of all Equestria's problems. 

Well, it was too late to back out now. I wasn't gonna let Sabre have this win. Nightmare or no Nightmare, Stargazer was no coward. He was a thestral with a lot of psychological trauma and a bad habit of picking up mind parasites. I coughed. Perhaps I wasn't making much of a case for myself. But I'd never forgive myself if I didn't go and someone got hurt. 

"Let the storm rage."
> The Wild Blue Wander
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Incandescence, Blueblood's ambassador airship. Hued in whites and shining gold. A testament to the exquisite and striking. There was, at least to my knowledge, no other airship in Equestria as recognizable or as swift. However, being quicker than a massive military transport zeppelin was hardly worth praise. In any different situation, it would be pompous and pointless to claim anything of that metric. This was none of those situations. We had little time and a desperate need for extraneous transportation.

Blueblood was barking orders at this crew. A ship of the Incandescence size only needed a hoof full to operate, but a hoofful still meant preparations required to be taken. The rest of us had found a place on deck and out of the way. All but Sabre, who was pacing up the starboard. He had taken my arrival well enough if we guage the glower he'd worn since we'd arrived.

On a positive note, as one would expect, Tempest had taken to the ship like a fish to water. Bright and I watched as she outpaced most of the crew in preparations. So much so, Blueblood's orders were complete before he could issue them. That, combined with the captain, a veteran from the royal guard pre-Nightmare Moon, Rolling Breeze, had relinquished any need to participate and had made his way to the bridge. We were minutes out, and the thought made my stomach churn. 

"Pathetic to think even now Luna and my rancid sister would send children to clean up this mess. Worse still, I am expected to fend off this mindless ape's attempts to conquer MY kingdom. Ridiculous."

Nightmare Moon hadn't stopped ranting since we boarded. I had done my best to ignore her, but in terms of volume, she'd not been this cacophonous since I woke up the day after her defeat. I'd thought my heart would burst when her voice started projecting in my head. 

"Please stop. You're complaining isn't going to solve anything." I said. I found it was far easier to collect my thoughts, all irony aside, out loud.

"The parasite is lamenting her fate, I assume?" 

I hopped, turning to an amused Sombra. I offered an apologetic smile. He shook his head and scowled over at Sabre. The King of the North's face was, far more than not, a mask of perfect ambivalence. This was different than those times. 

"Such selfish interests. He has grown worse as of late."

I nodded. "To what ends, though?" I asked. 

"All aboard," a deckhoof yelled. 

"Make ready for cast off," a second stallion responded. 

"This is going to be so fun. This is my first time flying. I mean on an airship. Oh, and finding another missing kingdom. We're getting pretty good at this, huh?" Bright Pitch said. A giddy flex of his wings and a sudden foreleg around both Sombra's and my neck. Spread his enthusiasm whether we wanted it or not. I offered an agreeable pat on the shoulder. 

"Let's hope so," Sombra answered. 

"Well, if she hadn't already given her allegiance to our little Star, I'd be begging her to join my crew."

Blueblood had made his way over to the corner of the deck our group had made our own. He smiled as he gazed past us to the open sky. I followed his gaze to the empty clear blue sun-filled horizon.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It seems I'm a magnet for outcasts, rebels, and scoundrels. It's my curse to bear; oh woe is me," I said as I waved a hoof over my face and leaned back into the railing, hoing and hawing in mock despair.

"So it would seem," Blue agreed. "Oh, what a daunting life to lead."

"Moreso, that you qualify as all three," Spade said from Sombra's other side. I muffled a laugh. Bright did not; he happily giggled, hopped forward, and wrapped Blueblood in a friendly hug. 

"It's okay, Blue; we can all be weirdos together."

Blueblood rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, all together it is."

The engines roared to life, and within minutes, we were airborne. It was a certain feeling being someone who can fly and fly by means, not your own. It left one antsy. A tingle that ran up your hooves and to the tips of your wings. Yet, we were sailing through the winds all the same. Canterlot, in all its worn but unyielding glory. Sabre had finished his prelude of displaced anger and was now simply staring down at the land below. 

"Oh, poor simpering traitor. He doesn't get his way and is incapable of expressing what he truly thinks. Not even to himself. It would be heartbreaking if it weren't so pathetic."

My left eye twitched. I managed a suppressed snarl. I close my eyes, and I can see her. In my mind's eye, Nightmare Moon in all her twisted glory. All of that darkness hosts to an emphatic shark-toothed grin. I could feel myself shake, both in and out of the mindscape. 

"Stop," I said. My voice was even, shaking notwithstanding. I stared at her, and she at me. We were lost in the ethereal plane that made up the deeper parts of my mind. The prison I constructed just for her. 

"Oh, you dain to order me?" Nightmare asked. She gently placed an unarmored hoof on her chest. Her smile never wavered.

"Almost a year. A year of you buzzing in my ear. Do you even understand where you are, what you've become?" I asked. I took a step closer, and Nightmare lowered her hoof. 

"I spent millennia imprisoned. Do you really believe your feeble lifetime means anything to me? Poor, naive, shortsighted child. You are nothing to me."   

"I don't fear you."

I took another step forward. Nightmare gently shook her head. 

"You don't have to fear me. It does not change the inevitable. But that is not why you are here. I can feel it, you know?"

My eyebrow rises. "Feel what?"

"Your fear, anger, hate. I may not be one of those wretched bugs, but here in your mind. I feel everything."

I took a single deep breath and rejoined the waking world. The flight was in full swing, and my friends wandered off to do as they saw fit. My hooves were shaking. I could feel the sweat drip down my neck. "Later," I whispered.

"I take it. She isn't playing nice?" 

Sabre stood, hunched over the rail beside me. He'd angered himself out; I wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there or for how long I'd been out of it. Time was funny when it came to the world in my head. Sometimes it was almost instantaneous; sometimes, it flew by. I'd been spending too much time there as of late. Only sometimes due to Nightmare. 

"Something like that," I said. I joined Sabre. I slumped over the rail and looked down at the greenery below. 

"Star."

"Yep."

"I stand by what I said. This is a massive risk."

Sabre turned to look at me. I didn't move; my eyes trailed the thin snake-like path of a local river. Green and blue, a road here and a house there. It was quiet, pleasant. Soon enough, it wouldn't be. Even if it was indirectly, we were headed straight for a warzone.

"I know," I said. 

"That said, I'm glad you're here."

I could help a smile. Thorax had been right, to begin with. I could still feel the twinge in the back of my head. The shadows dancing. The heat in my bones. But that is all it was, a feeling. 

"Not like it mattered now, huh? Sorry Captain Sabre, you're stuck with me. So, deal with it."

I stood up and offered a pointed salute. Sabre shoved me, though he couldn't mask his smile fast enough for me to miss it. 

"Whatever you say, sir."

I huffed. "Seriously?" I asked. 

Sabre blinked and shrugged. "I have no idea what you mean, sir."

I leaned back a raked my forehooves down my face. Sabre whistled and turned back to the open skies. I let out a muffled groan and relinquished the battle for now. Another time, when there was less insanity going on. 

"Do we have an ETA?" I asked.

"Not exactly."

I managed a doubletake and had a brain aneurysm all at the same time. That, combined with Nightmare cackling, was doing quite a number on my nerves. Sabre had noticed but chose to say nothing. It was a terrible coincidence then that Sabre was easier to read than the neon in Las Pegasus. 

"Explain, please."

Sabre trailed his vision off across the rest of the deck. Tempest wasn't far off, eying Sabre back. I had to suppress a choked laugh. Bright was talking with a couple of deckhooves, and Blueblood was making his way over as we watched.

"Might want to let the ambassador," Sabre said, waving to Blueblood. 
  
"Explain what, my friend?" Blue asked. The coy smile begot a challenge. The wink, to me, only proved my point. 

"Our heading," I said.

Blueblood chewed on the question before scowling in disgust. "Yes, that. Unfortunately, we'll be taking…" Blueblood choked on his next words. "The scenic route. Or, more precisely, we have a direction. We know which way, thanks to your newest loyal minion, which direction the Hippogriffs went. To where they ended up, we will simply have to see."

"Okay, two things. One, I do not, nor have I ever had a minion. Two, You're just mad we don't have a map, aren't you? And three, are there any nearby cities or landmarks? I mean, an entire country doesn't just vanish off the map."

Blueblood had recoiled twice. Once to the first map remake and secondly to the second map pun. In short, it was two for Star, nill for Blueblood.

"Well, the earliest possible refuge in our course is a seedly little place known as Klugetown, though, after the oughts of Nightmare Moon. They are not too kind to Ponyfolk. Across the sea is Panthera, roguish but ultimately far more interested in keeping their economy moving. There is a chance, if not the location of the whole population at large. Perhaps one or two may have splintered off. Though, This far south, we are certainly at a disadvantage. 

"Oh, well, gee Blue. You certainly are a good spring of optimism," I said, flapping my wings to add a bit of pep to my step as I spun about my cartographically addicted friend.   

"No one claimed this would be easy," Blue said, holding a forehoof out just in time for me to run chest-first into it. Sabre snorted and patted my back.

"What if they didn't go to either of those places?" I asked as I rubbed my chest. Both Sabre and Blue shared a laugh at my expense. 

"There is always the direct route."

Tempest had it seemed to take an interest in our little pow-wow and sidled up beside me, Grubber not far behind. The mouse man seemed adamant about staying well and away from anyone other than his partner in crime. If Tempest noticed or cared, it did not show. 

"As in," Blueblood asked.

"If the goal is Hippogriffs, then the mines on Mount Aris are alive and well. Though, the Storm King has more than just Hippogriffs in those mines or in his employ. Tempest leaned in and whispered the last bit like a gossip might trade scandal in town. 

"That sounds dangerous," I said. 

"Too dangerous," Sabre added, pushing me back and leering at Tempest. The mare paid him no mind and was watching me, cooly. 

"Dangerous, yes, effective; it beats jumping from town to town hoping someone has seen a hippogriff. It is also a waste of time, Something we don't have the luxury to squander."

"That is also a fair point. Blueblood, thoughts?"

Blue squirmed in place, stuck between Sabre and Tempest, neither of which seemed keen on giving Blue any recourse. I sucked in and stepped between the two soldiers and pushed them free of Blueblood's personal space. 

"Okay, you two. Give the guy some space."

Blueblood coughed into a foreleg. "Yes, as entertaining as it is, standing in the most awkward triangle of intrigue I've ever seen. Star, I would have to agree on both accounts. We might be faster but not so swift as to dilly-dally. We may have a day, at most, ahead of our foes if we carve a straight path. We could afford a stop at Klugetown. Before needing to move on."

"Okay, then, we have sour barings. Also, why does it always boil down to me making these decisions? I'm the tag-along, for Faust's sake?" I asked. 

I was met with silence. Both Bluenlood and Sabre seemed at a loss. Tempest's answer was obvious after how big a deal she made her vow to be. Grubber was out of his depth, and Nightmare was stuck pondering it herself. I sucked on my bottom lip for a moment before relenting. 

"Nevermind."

That seemed to shatter whatever spell the others were entranced by and left us right where we began. I'd have said it was Discord messing with me if I didn't know better. Worse still, he wasn't and got a free gag without having to do any of the setups.

"Right then. I will let Captain Breeze know where we will make port. 

"You're doomed." Nightmare whispered in my ear. "All doomed.”
> Blow the Mane Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The badlands were, well, pretty awful. There was, of course, the knowledge once upon a time, the Changeling Hive called it home. So if nothing else, I was grateful to the Badlands for that. It was a survival of the fittest or nature will find a way theme. Thorax seemed taken by the orange and brown below us. He wistfully rested his head on the railing and watched the sand and dirt move further and further away. 

Bright had also taken to it, sitting beside Thorax, notepad in hoof, listening as Thorax recounted the hardships he and the hive went through to make the Badlands their home. I could only sand downwind and watch with a smile ever since Nightmare had started whispering to me after we decided where to go from here. I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. 

It was more than a bad omen; it was something far deeper. Captain Breeze did not seem happy with our destination if the yelling he’d done after Blue went to meet with him was any indication. Blue had unsold how seedy the place really was. It was still better than wandering completely blind. 

I hadn’t seen Sombra in some time. He’d shut himself off in one of the crew rooms and had otherwise been hard at work, doing something. One can only guess at that stallion some days.

We weren’t that far out from Kulgetown. But still, there was something in the air. A hidden tension. A fuse lit and slowly crept toward the gunpowder cache. Though, The Kiren and the minotaurs had yet to give Equestria such tools, at least not the recipe. You know, cause a crazy tyrant with explosives was clearly a good idea. That was a wise move on their part. Though I suppose Celestia could have persuaded it in the time between Nightmare’s banishment and revival. Equestria did have fireworks, though they were more often than not magically fused rather than practically. 

“Airship off the port. Making way, our direction. Prepare for parlay.” A crewhoof said from the other end of the deck. I slowly gazed his way. There was, in fact, a ship headed right for us. A larger, much more heavily armed vessel. 

“One guess where this leads,” I said. My guess was strictly professional. You see one trojan horse. You’ve seen them all. Blueblood had rushed from the bridge with an eyeglass. The poor sod looked ready to chuck the nearest crewmate off the ship. He ran from stem to stern, muttering to himself. Bright had also taken note and glided beside the ship taking notes of all details for the approaching ship. It was slower than our own transport but headed in the opposite direction. We’d run up on it regardless of evasive maneuvers.

I slowly walked across the deck, weaving between the crew as they did their duties. Tempest had already joined Blue and was pointing at something across the sky. Something at the encroaching vessel. Something that made Blueblood even more frantic as he through the eyeglass over his shoulder and growled in protest.

“Oh, come on, we run into those guys, here of all places?” Grubber bemoaned. I hadn’t even realized he’d made his way beside me, and though he was eying me pretty hard, he made no attempt to distance himself from me. 

“Oh, and who are they?” I asked. 

Grubber chewed on his words momentarily before sighing and nodding at me. “Since you’re my boss’s boss, I’ll tell ya. Pirates, sky pirates, but not just any pirates. They—”

Grubber was cut off by Blueblood, who was now very much in complaining distance. “They work for the Storm King. This has to be a bad joke. Pirates that no doubt want to plunder my ship. My ship, if they want my plunder, they can come get it. They’ll be no looting my ship, no sir.”

“Is that a fact?” Tempest asked. 

“They have no idea what Tarturus they have unleashed on themselves,” I said, stopping on Blue’s free side. “Tis all the more pity.”

“Really?” Tempest asked. She gave a terse glance to the nearing pirate ship and back to Blueblood. “This ship is not equipped for battle, let alone for a heavily armed, skilled band of cutthroat bird brains.”

“Bird brains?” I asked. 

“Harpies,” Grubber said. I smirked. The hedgehog hadn’t run off to hide behind Tempest. However, he did stand on the opposite side of the still very upset Pony Ambassador. 

“Oh, this should be interesting then. Make ready to receive guests, or however, you say that in pirate.”

I was roughly grabbed in a telekinetic grip as Blueblood glared at me. His eyes pinprick. I coughed and offered a lopsided grin. “We will be doing no such thing. I will not have pirates of all creatures board my ship for any such reason.”

“He’s very protective of his ship.”

Bright had taken to hovering alongside us. He offered Tempest a grin, who in turn rolled her eyes. Her horn was still aglow as she watched Blue. I shrugged from the other side of Blue, and Tempest eased up just a bit. 

“Tempest is right; we don’t have the means to match them in raw firepower. Besides, they’re pirates. They aren’t exactly the loyal type. If you know what I mean.”

“Stargazer is right. Even the Storm King keeps them on a tight leash. To keep them from doing something stupid.”

I pointed over Blue’s shoulder. “See, Tempest agrees.”

Blueblood grumbled but released me from his grip.”This is foolish. Absolutely, unbelievably, incontestably silly.”

“Oh, come on, Blue, how often do you get to chat with a real-life pirate. This will be amazing. Just watch,” Bright Pitch said, offering the ill-begotten Blueblood, who put up no resistance. 


“One time is too many,” Sabre had marched up, hoof tapping the pummel of his rapier as he watched the pirate ship. The ship had entered parlay distance. To which begrudgingly, Blueblood gave the order. A deckhoof signaling for the flag to be raised in deference. If the pirates started an attack at this distance, we’d have little means to stop them. Heck, even if we somehow beat them. The chase of damage to the Incandescence could mean losing all the ground we had on Starlight and her fleet. 

To our relief, mostly Bluebloods, the pirate drew made to sidle beside us. Also, they were birds, big birds, parrotish by the looks. I always imagined Harpies, of all things, to be more well-mixed. Though, they did at least seem to have hands of some vocation, which was weird to see on a bird. The leader, or at least who appeared to be giving orders, was a female, if looks were any measure. I wasn’t one to judge. Light off beige and green, a very calming palette for a pirate. Maybe that would be a good omen, right?

“Let down the gangplank. We’ve got us a live one,” A larger than average dark green harpy yelled out. It was more for us, I think, than themselves. The rest of the harpy crew looked much more excited to see us than one would expect. 

“Here we go,” I said. “You’ve got this, Blue.” 

“I what?” Blue said right as the boarding plank was dropped. I added a wink and waved to the harpies, one of which a plump peach-colored harpy waved back.

“So, look what we have here. A far throw from Canterlot, aren’t we?” 

The leader, I was right at this point, strolled over the plank and planted herself on our deck with authority. I pushed Blueblood forward, even as he mouthed some miserable thoughts my way. 

“Yes, well. I am Ambassador Blueblood. I travel to and fro in order to build constructive connections with other nations. So, it is only natural I would be traveling far from home.

The harpy nodded along. “Well met. I am Captain Celaeno, and unfortunately, I will need you to surrender your ship immediately.”

“And my, whose authority do you act under? If I recall, pirates don’t usually ask so politely,” Blueblood said. I was left impressed. Blue’s mask of perfect refinement barely budged at the provocation of Ms. Celaeno. Sabre managed to keep his blade at his side as well.

“The Storm King, actually. So, please don’t make this difficult.”

Several of Celaeno’s crew had begun crossing the gantry so much for diplomacy. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. “That’s all well and good. But you’ve missed something entirely,” I stepped to the side and motioned to Tempest. The mare offered a look that gave even the worst of Nightmare Moon a run for their money.

“How dare you,” Nightmare said. I could feel her hate even from the deepest reaches of my mind. 

“She does look familiar.”

Celaeno leered at Tempest for a moment before reeling back. One could almost see the lightbulb go off in her head. Tempest took a step forward, her fury replaced with some level of pride. We need to work on that. 

“So you do know me, then?” Tempest asked. 

Then. the deck was chaos. A bright red flash and those of the pirates still on the walkway were blown back on their backs, firmly once again on their vessel. Those who weren’t blasted away were left in shock. 

“Who dares threaten my comrades? Who thinks they may challenge the King of the Crystal Empire?

Sombra looked a little worse for wear. His coat had a hint of green, and he held a metal trash can in one leg. I couldn’t help but a silly grin. King Sombra had locked himself in his chamber to hide his rather severe motion sickness. Yet he still had the energy to look enraged and sickly simultaneously.

“Oh dear,” Blueblood huffed. Then, it began. I stepped back and let Sabre charge ahead, blade drawn. Bright was already dipping and dodging around the recovering pirates aboard their own ship. Blueblood has a shield up covering both I and himself.

Then you had Sombra, beams, and whatever he could grab with his magic flew. Spade, who I’d never even seen join the fray, was locked cutlass to shovel with the larger green harpy I’d seen earlier.

“Star, Blue, are you two okay?” Thorax had managed to find his way to the two of us as we watched the battle in full. 

“We were so close, too,” I said. 

“Yep,” Blueblood agreed. A bucket exploded against Blue’s shield as Tempest finally got to fully try out her recovered magic. Between her and Sombra. The harpies, and, for that matter, I had vastly underestimated our offensive. Who needs cannons when you have a demi-god king, a battle-hardened mare with a chip on her shoulder, Equestria’s finest, and Spade, just Spade? I almost felt bad for the harpies.

“Um, Star?” Thorax asked. 

I turned away from the deadlock Tempest and Celaeno were currently in. Thorax was scuffing the ground, eyes darting every which way. 

“Yeah?”

“Does, are you going to help? Nightmare, I mean, her power?” 

I gently place a hoof on Thorax’s shoulder. “I feel no need at the moment. If this fight were any less fair. I might have pulled Spade or Sabre away just to give the birds a chance.”

“And what does the beast inside you think?” Blue asked. His shield flickered as a pair of pirates ran face-first into the barrier. 

I hummed. Nightmare said nothing. She’d not stopped glaring since my earlier comment about her intimidation. “Nope, don’t think so,” I said.

“Gah, fine then. Someone get the orbs. These ponies need to be put in their place,” Celaeno yelled over the fighting. 

“Oh crap,” I said before jumping into the fray and ducking under a flailing pirate. I dipped around a second harpy and through the opening Spade made when he parried his larger opponent. 

“Star,” Thorax yelled after me. 

“What are you doing,” Blue yelled in concert.

It was a great question. Now if only I knew. I hopped over a discarded hand axe and onto the gantry way. For my luck, the gantry itself was barren. To the reverse, there was a hoofful of pirates still on their ship’s deck and one pirate rummaging through several boxes near the rear. I smiled and unfurled my wings, jumping off the last meter or so of the board and into the air just in time to plant one hoof on the back of a responding pirate.

“Star, whatcha doing?” I swerved to one side as Bright swooped around me. My heart was pounding, and it wasn’t even from the fight around me. I swear, Bright, one of these days.

“Orb, need to stop, hurry.” 

I pointed to the peach harpy, who had pulled a pair of familiar orbs free from their container. 

“Oh, okay, I’ll keep the others off your tail,” Bright said. He stuck out his tongue and was gone in a blur.   

Well, that settled; I had a bird to speak with/ I said down in a deep dive toward the peach parrot, who had seen me coming and was trying its hardest to avoid me. In this situation, there was a sense of irony at being the bird of prey, but it was lost on the fact that those orbs were terrifying.

“Here, Polly, here, Polly,” I said, baring down on the harpy. No sooner had I called to the harpy than they froze in place and looked up at me. My face was wracked with surprise as I slammed into them, sending us both sprawling. 

“Okay, now, why the heck did you stop?” I asked, scrambling to my hooves.

“How’d you know my name?”

I blinked, and Polly blinked. I opened my mouth only to shut it immediately. Polly cocked their head to the side. “You’re serious I asked after a moment of silence. The pirate, Polly the pirate nodded. 

“Right, okay, Polly. I’m going to need you to drop the orbs if you would be so kind. Thank you.”

Polly shook their head. “Captain’s orders.” 

One could not question Polly’s loyalty, if nothing else. I reopened my wings and pawed at the wood beneath me. “I can’t let you use those, Polly. I won’t let you hurt anyone, not while I can stop you.”

“Can you? I do believe it was I who stopped those cursed things before. It was I who saved the life of your little Captain.”

I ignored Nightmare’s goading. I narrowed my eyes. Polly took a step back and realized or realized what they had in their minds. Polly pulled back to throw one of the orbs. 

Polly,” I said. “Don’t do it.” My voice rose several octaves. Polly aimed an orb right at me. “Polly,” I yelled. 

Then the orb was free. Polly’s aim was true; the crystal-filled orb sale right for my head. I took a breath. The shadows bled into my vision. No, that wasn’t completely true. It consumed half of my sight. In my left eye, I felt the familiar icy touch, the shiver down my spine. Though while the shadows writhed, they did not impede my vision. Instead, I saw through them like a filter. An inverse to the light of the sun. I hadn’t realized I’d moved. Nor had I relayed I was screaming. My throat felt hot, Then like fingers rising from my own shadow. The dark tendrils crept. The orb never reached me. Instead, the tendrils shot forward at varying angles and stuck the sphere fast in midair. 

“I said No!”

Polly had fallen to the ground and was trying to crawl backward out of my reach. There was nowhere to go. 

“What have you done, whelp.”

I froze in place. Reality came crashing back around me. I slowly looked around me, vision still partially wrapped in whatever this was. I could feel Nightmare shaking and straining against the chains that bound her. 

“What have you done? Give it back, give it back.”

There were only two words that came to mind. “I’m sorry.” To whom I was apologizing, I wasn’t sure, Polly, Nightmare, myself? Maybe no one at all.
> From the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a blur, a rapid series of still frames. That of a slideshow, one instance played frozen, then the next. I felt sick, and my insides boiled. The orbs were disposed of, Polly was left shaking against the ship's railing, and I was pulled away from the frightened parrot. I could feel myself walking but had little in the way of guiding it. I was a prisoner in my mind. I stood beside Nightmare, who was shaking in her chains. She felt as rancid as I did if the pool of bile that sat between her forelegs was any consideration. The fact she could vomit in my mind was a thought I'd rather not dwell on.

"What have you done?" Nightmare asked. She didn't meet my eye, or perhaps I couldn't meet hers. It didn't matter; the question hung in the air. A physical force that drove me deeper into myself. 

"What have I done?" I asked in return. 

We'd spent the better half of the time I was brought away from Polly asking the questions on repeat. It was clear that neither of us was genuinely privy to the actions that took place. One of us wrought with rage, the other desperation. To whom each belonged was indiscernible. We were one and the same in the here and now. There was no Stargazer, no Nightmare Moon. The shadows were all that remained. Two echoes, neither truly who they were before The Elements had consumed us both. 

On some level, I'd known, she'd known. We'd been bound; yes, Discord had tied the loose strands of fate. But such acts, even for him, had a cost. Two souls stitched together. I hadn't lied to my friends. The same friends who were outside were trying to coax me back into reality. They had no need. Nothing was holding us here. There never was. 

"I'm sorry," I said. 

Nightmare let out a bedraggled sigh. She otherwise made no move. The chains that shackled her led to nowhere. I had never noticed, never thought about it, in any concrete fashion. The chains simply vanished into the dark. I shook my head and waved at the restraints. Then they were gone. Nightmare made no sign of relief, no motion to vanish into the dark.

"To what ends does it even matter? This paltry farce of ours. It disgusts me," Nightmare muttered.

"Agreed."

"They're are waiting for you," Nightmare said, looking up from her own metaphysical sick to the frantic scene in the real world. 

"Yeah, but I don't know what to tell them, where to start. If anything, I proved Sabre right. The dark inside, the power you have. I used it, stole it. I could have hurt someone, I could have died, we could have died."

"Pathetic. Nightmare Moon is beyond death. My power beyond your puny grasp. You gazed into the abyss, and it gazed back. You should feel lucky; I deigned to look upon you at all."

Nightmare struck a pose, though it lacked any dramatic flair. It was instinct, habit. She did so because it was what Nightmare Moon would do. It was what one would expect. I shook my head. Without the chains, armor, and majesty, it was all an act, all the right parts in the wrong places. 
      
"Of course, my apologies. I mistook your alarmed yelling earlier as one of hurt. I should have known better."

I offered a dry laugh. One Nightmare returned. "Do not mistake your place, little pony. It was a moment of surprise, nothing more."

"Right."

We fell back into silence. The others were talking outside, though the words were muffled and distant. Ambient background noise and nothing more. I stood slowly. I looked over to Nightmare, who looked back. 

"I should go. They'll have a heart attack at this rate."

"Go. I need no attention from the likes of you," Nightmare said. She shooed me away. I gave a humorless smile and a slow nod. I walked towards the world outside, to the light, away from the dark. As the two mixed, I could almost hear a voice, though on what end it originated was beyond my senses. A distant small voice, hoarse and weak. A gentle thanks, guided to none, under the breath of the mind and reality. 

I blinked. Above me, the sky sat, clouds lazily floating through the pale blues of the world above. I shook and shifted upright. No sooner than I reached a sitting position, something struck the back of my head. I yelped a dragged my forehooves in defense. 

"Idiot." I turned about to see Spade standing, shovel over his shoulder. "You know what you did."

I huffed. "Rude."

"He's up, he's up. Huzzah," Bright Pitch sang as he circled Spade and me, gliding around the deck with a giddy laugh. 

"Yes, yes, he is. Now, Spade, if it wouldn't be too much to ask. Please hit him again."

"Kay," Spade said, raising his shovel overhead.

"Blue," I said, managing to stumble out of Spade's spades immediate reach. Blueblood joined Spade and Bright Lande beside him. 

"Far be it from me to be cautious when one of my closest friends exhibits dark magical fits that could issue the rise of Equestira's darkest hour. Literally, at that."

I offered a chaste wave. "That's a fair point. But blunt force trauma is hardly liable to solve that issue, now is it?" I asked. 

"Maybe not, but it made me feel better," Spade said.

"So, care to explain."

A cold shiver crawled up my spine. The voice had come from behind me. I tried hard to ignore the hole being burned into the back of my head. I swallowed hard and tried my best to slow my breathing. I slowly looked behind me to a very unhappy stallion. Sabre stood looming over me. The muscles across his legs flexed. His tail swayed, and his look was straight out of the book of Nightmare Moon herself or Chrysalis on a bad day. Though she at least had the excuse of being pregnant. Sabre was fighting and losing to his desire to suplex me overboard. 

"Sabre, hey."

I threw my hooves over my throbbing head for the second time in as many minutes. Sabre leered down, his hoof extending back for a second swing. I gulped. 

"Hey, that's all you have to say to me, not a day after I predicted this event. I told you, told all of you, that Nightmare Moon could not be trusted. That she would pull something. I warned you."

Sabre was shaking in place. A hoof was still raised and primed for delivering pain. His breathing was ragged as he yelled down at me. 

"It wasn't—" I said. 

"Wasn't that enough in self-defense? It wasn't her magic, her tainted evil magic? Because, Star, that looked exactly like when you told me, told all of us, she saved me. So, Star, it wasn't what?"

Sabre was gasping, snorting, his eyes narrowed to the point of closing entirely. He'd leaned in and tabbed a hoof into my chest. I couldn't meet his gaze. My ears were glued to the side of my head. The others were whispering amongst themselves. I managed a slow shake of my head.

"Nightmare didn't do anything. She tried to stop me. She's not very happy with me, either."

Sabre's breath caught. He stepped back as if struck. His hoof was still pointed to my chest, where it had just rested. The look on his face was unreadable. A plethora of emotions played out in a rapid incoherent cycle. 

"What?" he asked. 

"I didn't really mean to. Neither of us was prepared for it. I got mad, I thought back to Canterlot, and it just sort of happened. It reminded me of when Discord took over when the shadows took hold back then. It was like it was me and not me at the same time. But it wasn't Nightmare. That I am sure of, we're both sure of."

I took a deep breath. My heart was pounding. I felt bile building in the back of my throat. Sabre had fallen to his haunches. The whispering behind me had gone entirely silent. 

"By Faust's teats. Why do you have to make everything so complicated?" Sabre asked. It was a fair question.

"Because Star likes to stir the pot. Duh," Bright added, wrapping a foreleg around me and pulling me into a tight hug. 

"It does seem to be his calling card," Blue said. 

I gave a wry smile. Sabre limply pulled his head into his hooves and groaned. This earned a laugh from Bright and a chuckle from Blue. Blue hadn't been wrong. I did seem to get into these situations too much for it to be expected. Past Nightmare Moon, Tirek certainly didn't help matters, nor did The Storm King and his lackeys. 

"What happened to the pirates, by the way?" I asked. 

"Tempest," Blueblood said. 

"Tempest, Spade agreed. 

Tempest, Bright whooped, tightening his already vice grip around my neck.

"Oh?" I asked. I struggled vainly in Bright's grip, who seemed happy to keep me there for the foreseeable future. 

"While you hunted the fat one, your new bodyguard beat the rest of 'em' into the ground and then used those she beat as digging implements to bury the rest. It was a civil service as any," Spade said. He saluted and straightened his shovel in reverie.

"You were only gone like five minutes, and then you were out for a couple more. You really missed a good show. I can't wait to write about it when we get home. It's gonna be amazing."

Bright finally released me, only for me to lurch forward and cough as fresh air filled my lungs. At the very least, we weren't held up too long. We may still beat Starlight and her crew. All we needed now was?

"Hippogriffs."

I nodded; exactly, all we needed was a hippogriff. "Wait, what?"

Thorax came sprinting in, nearly running Bright and me as he slid to a stop. "Hippogriffs, to in the brig, that's what its called right, a brig?" Thorax looked to Blueblood, who nodded in response. "Two in the brig."

"Why?" I asked. 

"The Captain would know, now wouldn't she?" Sabre asked. He'd recollected himself for the moment and looked past me to the crew's quarters door across the deck.

"Tempest," Thorax said. He held a hoof to his heart and whispered a simple prayer. That certainly didn't help matters. 

So, off we were. A short jaunt later and the sound of several whimpers and bird trills had us join the rest of our companions in the bowels of the harpy's ship. Where Tempest Shadow was hard at work. Sombra stood in the doorway, watching the affair with mild amusement. He even managed a smug smile. It was nice to see Sombra branching out and making new friends. 

"How is it going?" Sabre asked. 

"Yes," Sombra answered, never taking his eyes off the spectacle. 

Tempest had a lot of the birds tied up and thrown into one corner. Their captain was, however, in the center of the room, tied to a ship's support beam. Grubber stood off to the side, smiling away as Tempest tried her own brand of investigation. By which, she was taking the ever-loving Tartarus out of Celaeno. She really was eager to test out that new horn of hers. 

"Talk, now," Tempest said. Her voice was low, the dim lantern light of the chamber dancing off her eyes in a sadistic recital. Celaeno huffed and puffed, coughing out a wisp of smoke as she struggled, weakling in her restraints. 

Celaeno held Tempest's stare for a few seconds before trilling in defeat. "I just do what I'm told. Saw the bird ponies and caught the bird ponies. We don't get on Storm King's bad side as long as we do what we are told. You know better than most," Celaeno responded hoarsely.

"Never assigned to catch strays. So, where are the rest?" Tempest asked. 

"What, need something else to torture?" Celaeno asked. 

The wood beneath Tempest's hooves cracked. The glow of her horn cast Celaeno in an electric blue accent. The harpy spat onto the ground beside her. Her spit was flecked with blood. 

"Go ask them yourself. They wouldn't say a thing."

Tempest hissed, horn crackling. Celaeno winced but otherwise sat slumped, feathers ruffled, flecked with burn marks and ash. Then as suddenly as it began, Tempest stepped away from the pirate captain and turned to her audience. Sombra offered a polite clap. 

"Good show. You're quite the performer Commander."

Tempest smirked. "Thank you, I aim to please."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. She was going easy on the cooked goose," Grubbed said, parading behind Tempes,t all smiles and rainbows. 

"Technically, she's a harpy, even more so a parrot harpy," Blue said. 

"That aside, we have a pair of hippogriffs to see, yeah?" I asked. 

"Were they harmed, Blue asked?" 

Thorax shook his head. "No, a few bruises, maybe. They did seem pretty spooked. When we found them, the poor things were ready to jump out of their feathers. Though they did calm down when they saw I wasn't a harpy, yeti, or any other unthinkable monster they conjured up in their minds as they waited for the uncertain doom that would soon befall them."

"Is that all?"" Spade asked. The grave keeper rolled his eyes and rested a hoof on Thorax's shoulder.

"No, but I thought it best to ask them yourselves. I could go over all of it if you wanted, but that'd be a lot of wasted time," Thorax offered. 

"No, that will be all."

Sombra turned on end and was down the narrow passages of the airship. On a one-way course straight for the brig. The rest of us fell in behind him. Tempest and Grubber taking up the rear. 

"Something tells me this isn't gonna be a fun talk," Bright whispered back from ahead of me. The aged wood of the ship creaked with each step. The musty air is enough to choke on. Then there were the whispers. The unheard stories of fortune and failure. The shadows played actress the walls and devoured everything they touched. 

"No, no, I don't think it will." 

"Fun or not, we have a duty to protect them, stop the Storm King, and free the princesses."

Sabre leaned over and peered past me to Bright, who smiled back in return. Which earned an eye roll from Sabre. 

"True enough. Besides, Luna still owes me from the last poker night," Spade said from ahead of Bright.

"Yeah, it is surprising just how bad Luna is at cards," I agreed. 

"Dead ahead."

Sombra's words silenced the precession. Ahead indeed. Draw in shadows and lamps consisting of wick and little else. A single iron-barred cell. It looked big enough for four or five. Its actual limits have been tested once or twice. If Tempest's talk about mines on Mt. Aris were anything to go on. Two prisoners sat back to the wall, huddled together. I felt sick, even from my place in the middle of the pack. I could see it, the look. The same look I'd seen when Nightmare Moon was discussed in hushed whispers back in the Everfree. Looks seen even after the sun rose. When they thought Luna didn't notice. A fear that would fade but never disappear. Those scars in their minds and souls would never truly heal. 

I felt a hoof on my shoulder. Sabre pulled ahead of me, placing himself between me and the cage. I couldn't help a small smile as we drew up to the brig and those locked within
> Fish Out of Water
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sombra eyed the two hippogriffs with the look of a jeweler. He appraised, reappraised, and dismissed them just as quickly. It did not go unnoticed by the prisoners either. They watched every step, every breath. Each and every aspect of Sombra was just as readily appraised and disregarded. 

“I promised I’d bring some friends. I hope you don’t mind.”

Thorax stepped past Sombra and gently rested a hoof on a cell bar. The almost immediate look of one hippogriff. A small, cyan filly. She hid as best she could behind the other. A darker mint green stallion, if you call hippogriffs, foals, and stallions, that would need to be looked into later. I was not down for whatever grueling torture Blue would whip up if I started an international incident. A second incident, the less I recall the yaks, the better.

The elder was still relatively young, a far cry from Sombra or Thorax’s size. The Younger offered Thorax a trepidacious wave. A wave Thorax returned. 

“Babble, Brook, these are my friends. Say hello, Sombra,” Thorax said, nudging the beguiled unicorn.

“Greetings,” Sombra said. For all his posturing and etiquette, the king was hardly challenging to read. Even now, his left foreleg twitched, his eyes unfocused, the grinding of his teeth adding a hiss to his words. 

“Sombra?” Sabre asked. He was promptly ignored. 

“This is Captain Light Sabre. He’s the leader of the Royal Guard. He’s super nice, always ready to help others.”

Thorax gave Sabre a gentle smile. Sabre took a single sharp breath and did his best to relax. He wasn’t doing much better than Sombra. 

“Thorax told us you two were in the brig. Can we ask why?” Sabre asked. 

Silence.

“Now, now, gents. This is not an interrogation. First thing first, let’s get these two out of this dingy hole and get them a proper meal, yes.” Blueblood said and pushed past Sabre and smiled down at the foals. Babble, the younger, stepped out of Brook’s shadow at the mention of food. The gurgle that followed repeated their interest.

“Why?” Brook asked. His voice was low and hoarse. The cell had no discarded refuse from foodstuffs. The only water was a gentle brine drip from one corner of the upper planks. 

“That’s silly because we can. Who wants to chat behind bars? That is totally not a cool place to shoot the breeze. Come on, it’ll be fun. We can eat, drink and be merry,” Bright leaped between Thorax and Blueblood, pulling them into an impromptu hug.

“Enough,” Sombra said. Then a flash of red and the lock on the cell door was ripped free. “The others are correct. This is hardly the place for meaningful discussion.” Then Sombra turned about and was off in a brisk trot. 

“All in favor, or some R and R? I asked. 

A resounding chorus of agreement. That included Babble, who’d fully stepped free of her protector. Though Brook was still giving us the stink eye. 

“The ayes have it,” I said.

Thorax shooed us on ahead. The two hippogriffs waited. Some space might do them some good. Thorax could keep an eye on them, and we wouldn’t crowd the already narrow halls of the ship’s underbelly. 

“I’ve never seen Sombra that angry,” Sabre said beside me. 

I nodded. “No kidding. He looked ready to throttle the first moron who opened their mouth.”

“I could see that. If he didn’t, I would,” Spade said. I withheld a wince. The dreary cloud that haunted the pegasus, irony notwithstanding. Was a storm now. Dry wit was replaced with a bitter growl. 

“The Storm King is nothing if not equal in his disregard for all that oppose him. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a leisurely cruise compared to what the mines look like,” Tempest said. She’d made her as scarce as possible while we met the Babble and Brook. I don’t know if the two would recognize her, but I couldn’t blame Tempest for not taking the risk.

“That hardly makes things better,” Blue said. 

“No, it doesn’t. Which is why you wish to change that, correct?” Tempest answered. It was strange. Tempest had been a part of this whole monstrous affront to peace days before. She’d said she didn’t meddle with the mines and the capture of runaways, be she was still a part of the machine that did. She helped aid such disgusting actions. One would have thought she’d have made peace with that or perhaps simply responded with apathy.

Tempest, however, the look on her face. It mirrored that of Sombra. Her pupils pinprick as she stomped through the ship. Her horn hummed, though it never reached a complete glow. This was not apathy. 

“You okay?” I asked. 

“No.”

That was that. The rest of the short march back into fresh air was silent. When we did finally return above deck. We found Sombra ordering some of our own crew. 

“Split my own rations if you must. Now, do as you are told,” Sombra said, leaving a crewhoof to yelp and scurry away. 

“Snacks?” Bright asked. 

Sombra grunted, turning to leer at Bright, who smiled back. 

“The foals?” Sombra asked. 

I rolled a hoof in thought. “Thorax wanted us to give them some space, let them come out at their own pace, you know? I just hope we can get them home. Mt. Aris or no Mt. Aris.”

“We will,” Sabre said. He peered out to see. His eyes squinted as he searched the gentle waves. 

“Fresh air.”

Those words were all we heard before tornado Babble came zipping by. She was leaning over the deck railing faster than the terms could travel. I started to laugh, then Bright and Blue joined. Then Brook came trotting by, calling after his younger companion. 

“Ponies are weird,” Grubber said. He looked to Tempest, who shook her head as she watched the group. 

“Babble, please be careful,” Thorax said. The changeling was puffing as he climbed free onto the deck. 

“She’s a spry one, that’s for sure,” Spade said. 

“It doesn’t matter the species or tribe. A foal is still a foal,” Sombra said. 

“All the more reason to keep them safe.”

Sabre was still peering out to sea. His grim scowl deepened as he watched. I rolled my eyes and swatted him on the back of the head.

“True, so let’s do just that, yeah? If we don’t, who will? You big grump.” Sabre looked back at me and relaxed his brow. I nodded in approval. There, was that so hard?”

“Extremely,” Sabre said. “But thanks.”

“More, give us more,” Bright said, giggling as he jotted something on his notepad. He’d managed to creep up and float above Sabre and me.

“Bright?”

“Yes, Star?”

“Why are you floating above Sabre and me?”

Bright laughed, rolling about in midair. “Taking notes,” he said when he could manage both speaking and not falling simultaneously. 

“For?” Sabre asked. 

Bright’s hoof shot out and bopped Sabre on his muzzle. “Nuh-uh, no spoilers. You’ll know just as soon as everyone else.”

Sabre rubbed his muzzle and blinked away his confusion. 

“Food inbound,” Blue called. Loud enough that every ear on deck swiveled in interest. “And someone please feed the birds.”

I snorted, which had Bright giggle, and then Sabre and the three of us laughed as hard as we could. Who knew when we’d have another chance.

“Few, if you continue to ignore us, whelp.”

My laughter stopped. Nightmare sat where she always was. Her chains were gone, yet she had not budged an inch. She simply sat, staring through the abyss around her. She sneered, but the anger did not make it past her muzzle.

“Nightmare.”

She did not answer. I sighed and left it be for the moment. She wasn’t wrong. The chat we had earlier was case enough to delve deeper into what she and I really were. I rubbed a hoof across my forehead. The dull thump of a headache pounded against my frog. The shadows, however, did not move. They hung, always just out of sight. I traced my hoof down and covered my eye. The same one the shadows devoured earlier.

“Star, you okay?” Sabre asked. He’d moved, now standing before me, eyes glued to the hoof covering my eye. 

I flinched and shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m beginning to think you were right about me not coming along,” I said. I dropped my hoof and blinked. Sabre stepped forward and jerked my head to the side. He peered into my eye for a moment before releasing his grip.

“It looks fine. No dark magic or whatever you want to call it. Just Stargazer. The same as always.”

I was at a loss. Sabre gave no time for a retort before he trotted off towards The Incondecence, where almost everyone had gathered for lunch. I cocked my head to the side as I watched Sabre go. 

“The machinations of mortals are just as blind and foolish as ever,” Nightmare said. The mare smiled smugly through the dregs of my mind. 

“Shut up.”

“I think not. If you will not voice those ever-escalating thoughts of yours. Then I shall.”

The smugness was maddening. I slammed a back hoof into the ship railing and buried Nightmare’s laughter as far down into her prison as I could muster. It was not enough to silence her, but it at least did not drown out my own thoughts completely. Then I winced as her words struck me once more. My own thoughts were scattered incoherently. My head pounded as I staggered towards the gantry to the Incandescence.

“So, then he jumped off the spire. You should have heard all the naughty things Blue here said when he saw Star go over the side,” Bright said, flinging himself onto his back and screaming.

“I do not know why you insist on reminding everyone present of my clearly rational fear that a pair of my closest friends were going to die. To that same point, why you would tell foals in the first place.”

Blue frazzled his mane as Babble laughed along with Bright. Brook rolled his eyes but smiled tiredly as he watched the others. I managed a chuckle as I stopped beside the older hippogriff. 

“We’re quite the rescue party, ay?” I asked. 

“Better than none at all,” Brook said. 

“True, you okay? I mean. I know you’re aren’t okay, but are you—”
 
Brook held up a talon. “I know what you meant.”

“Right, so, uh. Mind telling us what happened? Not just to you and Babble, but to Aris and the hippogriffs? You kind of just fell off the map.”

Brook scoffed, waving a talon in my direction. “More literally than you might think.” He sighed and dropped his claw lamely. “These last few years haven’t been great. First, you ponies go and get some mad god to conquer your lands and destroy the ecosystems of most of the world. Most of us don’t have the magic necessary to keep up with the world suddenly going dark.”

I rub a hoof against my neck and fake a laugh. “Yeah, sure is, or I mean, was a massive pain.”

“We could have survived her, not well, but we’d have survived. Then the Storm King marches onto our lands, and we lose everything.”

“Then, boom, this super rainbow laser explodes, and Nightmare Moon was all like. Curses, I’ve been foiled. Villains are goofy like that.”

Brook and I look over to watch Bright’s exaggerated retelling of the battle with Nightmare Moon to a captivated Babble and a somewhat interested Grubber. Bright dances about adding voices and trite attitudes for all involved. That somehow counted himself. How he made a parody of himself is beyond me, but the others were laughing and joking along. All except Sombra, who huffed every time Bright played his part. 

“I’m glad she’s still able to do this. Be a kid, innocent, still, just be her. Most of us weren’t so lucky.”  

“Oh?” I ask.

“You want to know where we went, what the hippogriffs have been up to. You really think you can help us?” Brook asked. 

“We’d die trying. Besides, they have our princesses. We save them one more time, and we get a free yogurt,” I said, slapping my chest. 

Brook snorted. “You were right.”

I cock an eyebrow. “About?”

“Being one weird rescue party.”

I slap my chest again. “You better believe it.”

“When we finish eating and get moving again. If it is okay with you, can you fill us in? We wanted to find you guys, offer help and maybe ask for some ourselves. We’re in this whole survive the storm thing together, right?” 

Brook took a moment. He watched the others, and as such, so did I. He was right, the fact anyone could go through all these disasters back to back and still find a reason to smile. That itself was a miracle. 

“I can’t promise anything. But, at the very least. I can take you to see Queen Novo. She’ll know what to do.”
  
  “That’s fair enough.”

“Star, Brook, you two gonna come join us or sit over there in the grump corner? I’m just about to start the tale of Tirek. Come on.”

Bright waved over, the others having turned to us in kind. I smirked. And elbowed Brook. “Alright, the show is about to start.”

Brook shook his head. “What a strange day.”

I winked and began the walk toward the others. “You’ve no idea.”
> Two Halves Never Whole
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The feast dwindled out, and Bright finished his tales to the delight of Babble. The filly had drifted off into a food coma. That left the rest of us with one collective interest. The fall of the Hippogriff homestead. It was time for the retelling of Mt. Aris and the Storm King. Brook sat a plate of half-eaten food in claw. His eyes focused on anything but the inquisitive bunch that surrounded him. Bright had a notepad, and Tempest repeatedly looked off the port towards the ever-closing distance of Mt. Aris. It might not be our final destination, but it was a landmark, if nothing else. 

"So, what exactly befell your people?" Sombra asked. 

His question shattered the silence, and Brook sighed down at his plate. That question was getting a bit old at this point. I offered a pat on the shoulder from Brook's left. He put his plate on the makeshift table of crates and free boards. 

"We left. We had little choice. So, as the Storm King ransacked our home, we fled Mt. Aris. Not all of us made it, but we couldn't stop, or none would make it at all."

"All too relatable," Blue said,

"Unfortunately," Sombra agreed.

"Queen Novo saved who she could. Those that got away have been living hidden away. Except for those, like myself, who try our best to free our brothers and sisters who are still slaves to the mad King."

"So, Babble?" Thorax asked. 

Brook hissed. "Not anymore, never again."

"So the question is, where? Panthera, black skull, an uncharted island? To survive this long, you'd need more than to run and hide."

Tempest eyed the young hippogriff. The colt took several steps back, wilting under her concentrated presence. Sombra broke the spell stomping a hoof into the wood hard enough to splinter it under hoof. Tempest relaxed, at least relaxed for Tempest, and Brook managed to crawl back into the circle, eyes still thoroughly fixed on Tempest, who tried to ignore it to her best ability.

"She's not wrong," Sabre said. All eyes trailed to him. He offered a shrug. "They've put down roots somewhere. If there's a home, there is the potential of being found. So, what's the trick? How have you left the Storm King clueless?" 

"It isn't that complicated, actually. We've been right under his nose the whole time. The Storm King might have taken Aris, but Queen Novo is not one you underestimate lightly."

"Oh ho, now that's how you foreshadow. I love it," Bright said, shaking in place with unkempt jubilation. His smile was so bright you couldn't look at it directly lest you go blind. 

"Next thing you'll tell us is you've grown gills," Spade said. He wrapped a hoof around Bright's withers and pushed him back into his seat. Bright barely seemed to notice as he stared down Brook with almost as much force as Tmepest had moments before. 

Brook coughed into a talon and shook his head. "Not quite. Well, I mean. It's complicated, okay."

"Wait, are you serious?" I asked.

"Well, Queen Novo has a pearl," Book said, motioning to nothing at all. 

"And?" Blue asked. "One cannot simply hint at marine life tendencies and expect the mention of a pearl to explain everything."

It turns us into seaponies, similar to the Merfolk or Sirens. You know, except not those things."

I withheld a groan and focused on Nightmare spewing something about sirens and how even she finds them disgusting. In the meantime, Bright had rocketed into the air, giddily laughing. He even left his notepad and pencil spiraling in place as he streaked by one way and then the other. Then landed, only to catch his tools before they landed. No one reacted, so I assumed I'd lost my mind and left it at that. 

"Another twist, keep 'em coming, Brook. This is great stuff," Bright said, leaning forward and eyeing the younger stallion with a starved look. 

"Bad Bright," Bright yelped as a shovel conked down on his head. Spade shook his head and rallied his namesake for a second swing. Bright quickly pulled back, rubbing his head the whole way. 

"So, gills it is then," Sabre said. Brook nodded slowly, still watching Bright, who was now sulking in his seat. 

"Hmm, if the tales of sirens are to be believed, I would hope your adaptations did not favor them," Sombra said. 

"No, just the ability to survive underwater," Brook confirmed. 

"A sound strategy. The Storm King would likely never find the hippogriffs if this is all true," Tempest said. She leered over the ship's railing down at the waves below. The churning seafoam and all that lie beneath, a world all its own. 

"So, um, how do the others meet Queen Novo? They don't have gills. Do you want me to go in alone? I can, but it'd be nice if everyone else could come. Sombra and Blue are trained in diplomatics. I just help the sick."

Thorax shifted in his seat. He chanced looks about the group, stopping on Brook. The hippogriff held up his talons in surrender to Thorax's uncanny nature as the most empathetic erovore in creation. 

"No, it'll be fine. I think. The others can help when we get there."

"Where exactly is there?" Blue asked. He'd pulled a map from the bridge and gently placed it between everyone. He smiled, eyes twinkling with delight. A sextant floating at the ready.     

"You have no idea what monster you have unleashed," I whispered to Brook. Who looked somewhat lost at this point. 

"Strange, don't begin to describe you, weirdos," Brook whispered. 

What followed was a relatively uneventful day of travel. Brook had been pulled aside by Blueblood and had spent over an hour mapping out our course. The rest of us had little to do as we left the harpies behind, which I didn't mind whatsoever—well, trying not to. The more profound ramifications of Nightmare and I's shared existence was still writhing in the back of my mind. Which was made all the worse by Nightmare, who had taken to goading me as much as possible. Tapping her hoof and fidgeting didn't strike as unmarred confidence, no matter how much she said it was. 

"You dare?" Nightmare asked. She balked and flung a hoof in my metaphysical direction. 

"I do."

"Then dare not, mortal."

I shrug. "Too late."

"You learned nothing since we last talked. Yet, here you stand to request some insignificant unity. Nightmare Moon has no need of your kinship."

Nightmare shook teeth grit, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. I shrugged again. I didn't need to explain. She was there. She and I both knew. The fact remains, even after waking up, after helping Brook and Babble. The thought sat a gash across our shared psyche.

"I learned enough. Nightmare, what are we? Are we really who we think we are? Discord saved us, but as much as The Elements don't kill by design, Discord doesn't leave things well enough alone."

Nightmare grunted. "The first thing you've said that has bore any distinction of fact, whelp."

"Well then?" I asked. 

Nightmare fell onto her haunches. The anger fell away. All that was left was a weary angst. Her eyes still glowed faintly, pools of frosty blue emotions. She met our gaze, and I followed her lead, taking a seat. 

"Broken."

"Well, that's morbid."

"You requested an answer, foal, so I granted you one."

Nightmare and I sat in dreadful silence. The abyss watched us, two wandering souls, twisted by fate, lie exposed and incarcerated by our chains. It wasn't a prison for Nightmare Moon. It never was. It was a prison for both her and me. It always was. I was cold. In a mental construct, I was chilled. It was almost painful, a biting, creeping cold that ran up my spine. 

For how long we'd sat in the void, I couldn't say. The concept faded away in the dark. It was timeless, featureless, infinite. I felt sick, and bile clung to the back of my throat. Nightmare hid whatever she felt far better than I. She sat stock still, prim, imposing, eyes locked to me. 

"Foal, Stargazer."

My ears flicked in Nightmare's direction. I let out a slow breath. "Yes."

"Can we be repaired?" she asked. 

My breath caught in the back of my throat. I restrained a gag. The bile churned hard in my stomach. The shadows danced. Even here, they cast darkness in the void.

"Can we?"

I shook in place. First, there was fear, dread, then boiling all-consuming rage. Then as quickly as it stirred, it died, and I was cold once more. 

"We're two halves of two separate puzzles. We are missing too many pieces to rebuild alone. I don't."

I felt the tears trail down my face. Then I collapsed. 

"Star?"

I wanted to be alone. I need to be alone. 

"Star?"

Leave me alone. Please, go away.

"Star."

Something warm wrapped itself around me. Why?

My eyes shot open. The void was gone. Nightmare was no longer in front of me. Instead, I sat back to the rail of the Incondesence. Thorax had pulled me into a tight hug. I almost laughed. Only Thorax could find someone having a mental breakdown and react with a hug. 

"I'm awake," I said. My voice cracked as I collected my thoughts. My throat was raw, and my eyes stung. The tears had been confirmed. No matter what else happened in the void, that was real. The chill was no better. 

"Want to talk about it?" Thorax asked. He pulled away, giving me a brief survey before releasing me completely. He took a step back and watched as I groggily stood. 

"Not really."

Thorax frowned. "Let me rephrase my request," Thorax said and cleared his throat. "We are talking about it, Star."

That was that, then. I pursed my lips. "Seems we are."

Thorax nodded. He returned to a content smile and motioned for me to begin. I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. The question was about more than what to say but where to begin. Thorax certainly wasn't going anywhere, and we were still some ways off from this magical undersea paradise, Brook mentioned. 

"So, I uh, well. I mean, we're broken."

Thorax's frown had returned. "Star, you are not—"

I held up a hoof. "No, I mean, in a more literal sense."

Thorax remained silent. I took another shaky breath. 

"Nightmare and I, well, we're more or less just stitched together. Pieces of both, but neither whole. It was all Discord could do to do that much. That's what I believe. He was working with what he had at the time.

"And that means?" Thorax asked. 

"In a literal sense, Nightmare and I are one and the same. In a more technical sense, Stargazer did die back then."

I had no time to react. My cheek stung. Thorax's hoof stayed pinned in the air. The look in his eyes. It brought the bile back twice over. I felt sick. 

"You are never allowed to say that, ever again."

I rubbed a hoof over my slapped cheek. I blinked away the dots that danced in my vision. "Thorax."

"No! You are never to say that, ever again." 

Thorax's hoof was shaking, no, his everything was shaking. I had never seen Thorax angry, not really. This was something a step further. I took a step back, my flank bumping the rail behind me. 

"Thorax, it—"

"No!"

I fell silent. Thorax fell silent. The sick continued in the back of my throat. The shadows reached out like spindly black fingers. They grasped mindlessly at Thorax. They fought aimlessly to reach him. 

“Stargazer, did not die. He's right here," Thorax said and pointed to me. "Stargazer is right where he should be. With his friends." Thorax pointed behind himself at the rest of the deck. "With all of us."

"Sabre was right. I really do make things too complicated, don't I?" The words were barely a whisper, caught in the breeze and carried away. 

"Of course you do."

I blinked. And looked past Thorax. It seemed the others had heard the kerfuffle. That is to say, everyone had heard. Sombra, Sabre, Spade, Blue Bright, Tempest, and Grubber. At the very least, Brook had made himself scarce, and Babble was still snoozing below deck. The crew had also cleared as much free space as they could. This was one heck of a kerfuffle, indeed. 

Sabre stood, eyes narrowed. His gaze stopped on my reddened cheek, and he shook his head slowly. "You must have if you got Thorax mad enough to slap you like that."

"Fair point," I said. I offered a half-shrug as the others boxed me in from every angle. I sighed in defeat. 

"Now, if you would. Please do tell. While we have the time, just what is going through that thick skull of yours," Blueblood asked.

"Not enough, it seems," I said. 

"Seriously, Star." Now I had Bright glaring at me. One was bad enough. Thorax and Bright combined should be considered a war crime.

"It's like I told Thorax, When Discord picked up the pieces, well, there weren't enough. Then the Elements filled the gaps. Nightmare Moon and Stargazer are not two souls in one body. We're two halves of a new soul entirely. I'm not who I once was.

"Existential horror. I can relate to that," Spade said.

"Spade," Blueblood said.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Spade shrugged. "Sure."

"That said. It does explain why the earlier bouts of dark magic fade so quickly. A soul untainted would have more remarkable remains after casting. Yours faded far too quickly for it to be natural."

All eyes turned to Sombra, whose horn was alight. Whatever spell he'd cast had me feeling tingly all over. His brow furrowed, but any other reactions were lost to his stoic kinglyhood.

"Makes sense," I nodded. 

"I swear if you add any more plot twists. I'll have a pretzel instead of a book. Not that there is anything wrong with pretzels, but still."

Bright tapped his pencil on his notepad. His eyes hazed over as he lingered in whatever world his imagination had conjured up.

"So, what do we do?" Sabre asked. 

"Nothing," Sombra answered. His spell finished, and the King of the North tutted in disapproval.

"Nothing, Thorax asked. 

"That is ominous," Bright said agreeably. 

"Sombra."

Sabre's brow looked ready to rip away and find a place among the stars. His lower lip bled as he bit down. Sombra offered a cursory look before returning his sights to me. 

"There is nothing to be done. We have no means of correcting this development. A development neglected for far too long."

I rubbed the back of my neck and avoided his look like the plague. Sabre was openly seething. Sombra paid no mind. 

"So, we ignore it?" Sabre asked. 

"I mean, Sombra has a point," I said.

"That is unacceptable. I won't just sit back and do nothing. We have the Elements. What if—"

Sabre's mouth was forced close, Sombra's magical grip restraining him as Sabre struggled in place. 

"The Elements were directly involved in this incident. I have little faith reapplying said power will have any meaningful effect. We have other priorities at the moment. We may debate solutions to Star's spiritual predicament once the Storm King is dealt with."

"I agree, if begrudgingly," Blueblood said. 

One could feel Sabre's disbelief, even held in Sombra's aura. 

"Come now, Captain. One problem at a time. The princesses and the Hippogriffs need immediate aid. Star has survived months without falling to pieces. I have the utmost confidence he can survive a few days more."

Blueblood offered me a stiff upper lip. I returned it in kind. 

"Sabre, he's right. I can wait for now. Starlight isn't that far behind. We don't have time to dilly-dally," I said. 

"True," Thorax said. "I don't like it, but they're right."

Sabre stopped his resistance. Sombra released his grip, and Sabre all but slumped to the ground. 

"I hate this," he grumbled. 

"I can't imagine why?" Spade said. He patted Sabre's shoulder, who idly swatted the hoof away. 

"Hate it or not. We've only a short time till we arrive at Brook's coordinates. We will meet Queen Novo, save my aunts, and be home in no time at all."

Blueblood slapped a hoof to his chest before turning on end and walking back towards the bridge. 

"Sounds like a plan," Bright said. Then he was gone, flying around the main mast and up to the crow's nest. The idea of with seemed superfluous when the entire space above you was a massive balloon.

The others moseyed away, leaving me, Sabre, and Thorax. 

"It'll be okay, Star. I promise."

I smiled at Thorax and allowed him to pull me into another hug. 

"Thanks." 

Thorax laughed into a hoof. "Now, if we could get to the root of your other problem, we might actually get somewhere."

"My, what?" I asked. But, Thorax had already skittered away. 

"Does he always have to be so cryptic when it comes to emotional or personal affairs?" Sabre asked from his slump on the floor. 

"Probably not."

If it wasn't one thing, it was another.
> A World So Deep
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, not to be that guy. But, you know, we can’t breathe underwater, right?” I said. We’d reached the location Brook had insisted the genetically dimorphous hippogriffs had as a checkpoint. That was in of itself fine. The issue was not only did it look like any other strip of sea in a hundred-mile radius. Brook never did tell us how we’d actually meet the queen. Or even who we were meeting. In hindsight, it was slightly more clandestine than I felt comfortable with. 

“Just wait. They’ll be here,” Brook said, peering off the ship as it rose and fell with each wave. That was a nice change, at least. Blueblood’s ship was the Hippogriff of the aeronautical world from the sky to the sea. 

“But like, who, though?” I asked. 

“The princess, silly,” Babble said. The foal had been running around the deck ever since she woke up. It would have been adorable if she didn’t trip every other cre worker she ran under. 

“Which one?” Thorax asked. 

“Princess Skystar,” Brook said, plucking Babble as she ran by. The filly struggled vainly in her captor’s grasp. “She assists with escorting those returning back to shelter. Something we are supposed to keep secret,” Brook japped Babble, who retaliated in kind. 

“Oh, that makes sense,” Bright said. He’d taken to flying circles overhead, scouting for our supposed allies. 

“If the purpose of your princess’ arrival is to assure you were neither captured nor coerced, isn’t our presence reason enough to go unseen?” Sombra asked. Brook dropped Babble and groaned. 

“If only she were that cautious. She’s too nosy for her own good.”

“Speaking of. Something coming in fast.”

Sabre pointed into the water, where several dark silhouettes moved beneath the waves. Then Bright was in the water, or more precisely, he dived straight into the water. I planted a hoof into my face. What was he thinking?

“Thorax, could you?” Sabre asked. 

Thorax hopped in place, eyes darting from the still-rippling water to Sabre, who shook his head in disbelief. 

“Oh, right, sure.” 

Thorax said before mumbling under his breath and jumping to the waters below. I thought I saw the flash of his change, but how the green fire and water mixed was beyond me. 

“Yay, Princess Skystar.”

There went Babble right behind Thorax. Brook cursed a storm up as he followed behind his junior.

I turned to Sombra. “You think they’ll be okay?” I asked. 

Sombra rolle dhis eyes. “Our friends or the hippogriffs?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Three, two, one.”

Spade counted allowed gesturing to the water in mock surprise. No one expected what came next. Or, more precisely, what changed about what happened to whom next? It was a messy thought. 

“Hey, guys.” 

Bright leaped from the water, smiling like a loon. That was normal. No issues there, nope, none. You know, except for the fins and missing hindlegs, nope, nothing wrong at all. Then Brook surfaced and rapped Bright upside his now finned head. 

“What were you thinking?” Brook asked.

“That I wanted to see a seapony, silly. Now I am a seapony. Life is neat like that. Besides, your Princess seemed happy to see us.”

Brook raised his hoof before letting it fall back into the water. “That’s true, at the very least. If not completely her style.”

“Well, I certainly am left bereft of words. I was expecting Brook and Babble.” Blueblood pointed to the equally fishified Brook. “However, how Bright Pitch of all ponies managed to metamorphize is strictly an affront to Faust in every sense of the word. That is to say, Bright changing, not the act in of itself.”

Blueblood coughed into a hoof and offered an embarrassed smile. Brook chose to ignore him.

“Nice Blue. Way for an ambassador to potentially do a racist the minute our new friends arrive. Very unbecoming,” Spade said, tutting Blueblood, who offered a second louder cough into his hoof. 

“I only meant Bright Pitch having such abilities is terrifying.”

“He’s not wrong,” Sabre said.

“Rude,” Bright yelled back from the water. 

“It’s nice to see Brook managed to make some friends on his trip to the mines. So, many new allies. It is so nice to meet you all.”

From the churning seas rose a third seapony if I had to guess.

“Princess, please, you make it sound like a leisurely swim. Mt. Aris is dangerous,” Brook said. Skystar giggled and winked at those of us still topside. 

“Oh, absolutely it is, but that doesn’t mean our guests deserve the cold shoulder.”

“We were just happy to help.”

Thorax’s new form fit more keenly into some sort of insect eel. So, an Eelling, a Changeel. Whichever really. He swam passed the others and smiled up at us. “The Princess has agreed to take us to her mother, which is a relief. I didn’t want to be the only one to see Queen Novo. Queen Chrysalis would no doubt want to speak with her. Then I would be stuck playing translator, which wouldn’t be any fun at all.”

Probably,” I agreed. 

“That aside, I thought only the queen could alter the forms of others. Yet, there Bright Pitch sits, more fish than a mammal.”

Sombra squinted down at Skystar, who met his glare with a raspberry. I felt myself choke back a laugh. Spade had no such restraint. Neither did. To anyone’s surprise Bright who was eagerly swimming, circles around the other aquatic folk. 

“Of course not. My mother can’t be everywhere. Besides, all of the others, those rescued, I mean, would need the pearl’s power to change. I could use air bubbles, but those don’t last very long, and not everyone would be a good enough swimmer to make it with four legs. Can you imagine? My mother can make it more permanent, but I can at least get them back home.”

“Huh, right then.”

With a single flap of my wings, I jumped the rail and splashed down into the waters below. Then there was a glow, the funniest feeling of vertigo, and poof. I no longer had hindlegs. It was interesting. I wondered if this was how Changelings felt. So fluid and malleable?

When I breached, I was met by Birght, who tackled me in a nautical hug. “Welcome to the water breather club, Star.”

“Oh, for the love of—” 

Another splash. When I finally freed myself from Bright’s grasp, I was met by Blueblood, who’d also managed the change. Then another splash and Spade joined us as well. 

“The things I put up with,” Blue said, blowing a bang from his eyes. 

“It’s not that bad, is it?” Skystar asked. 

“No, just different,” Blueblood said, relented, swiping his new fishy tail about. Then he was pulled into one of Bright’s hugs which sunk both of them in equal measure. 

“Water, you waiting for Sabre, Sombra. We really need to H2go.”

Spade waved the remaining mammalian members of our amphibious entourage of freedom fighters. Sabre looked behind him towards the remaining crew, who’d paused their work to watch. Then he took a single deep breath and hopped the rail. At the same time, Sabre was going through his magical girl transformation. Sombra looked on the verge of hitting something. The glint of restrained irritation was barely masked by his interest in the extent of the Hippogriff’s unique magics. That and His pungent annoyance at Princess Skystar. The latter, of whom seemed nonplussed by his fury. 

“Come on, Sombra, we got things to do, you know.”

“I will ensure you are aware. I do not consent to these necessary alternations to my biology for any more reason than seeking The Storm King’s disposition. Am I clear?”

“As crystal,” Blueblood said. Sombra nodded once, and with a pop and flash of red, Sombra landed inches beside me with barely a ripple. Teleporting was cheating, and he knew it. 

“Okay, last one, here we go,” Skystar said before Sombra was wrapped in whatever magic Skystar was pulling from. My guess was the large glowing pearl-esque thing she had lifted for all to see.

When the light faded, Sombra was officially fishy. I bumped my hoof into his shoulder. “That wasn’t so bad, huh?”

Sombra hissed. “I despise this.”

“Okay, everyone. Mom will want to see you guys as soon as possible. If it means beating The Storm King, Mom will totally offer any aid we can. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when I bring her a rescue party.”

Skystar was off like a rocket, weaving deeper into the seas as the rest of us slowly followed. Brook slowed to ensure we didn’t get lost, and Bavvle seemed happy to play water tag with Bright the whole way.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Brook said. He leaned towards me, fishy hoof raised in the universal sign of evident secrecy.

“As in?”

Brook sighed. “The Queen. She may want to free her subjects, but she is none too appreciative of outsiders. All thanks to The Storm King, of course.”

“She sounds wise. Only a fool trusts others,” Nightmare said.

“I am not getting into this right now,” I said. Nightmare scoffed and turned her head away. Well, as close as one can get when they are inside the one you are trying to ignore. 

“What?”

I blinked. Brook was giving me an odd look. It then clicked I’d spoken to Nightmare allowed. I offered a meek smile. “Sorry, but um, then why take us at all? If all it is going to do, is anger your queen?”

Brook pointed a head to Skystar. “Because many of us are tired of hiding from that monster. We’re tired of trying and barely saving any of those still captured. Princess Skystar, more than most, is tired of hiding.”

“I see.”

“Tis a sign of empathy. The very ability to strive to be better for her subjects. A noble trait if none others are,” Blueblood said. He struck a daring pose, even if it didn’t translate well to underwater. 

“Noble aspirations alone do not make a good leader. One must see past the moment to see the steps to achieve, sacrifice, and know when and where to fight.”

Sombra slowed, eyes glazed over, lost in his memories. I recalled our first meeting. He was stuck in the past then too. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. Only a year and some change later, here we were, on another battle to save, the diarchy, the Hippogriffs, this and that. A tale as old as time. I wanted to know if it made any real change, any meaningful path to a brighter future. One mess was cleaned, only to find five more. 

“You would challenge my rule, only to cower among your imagined what if? How pathetic.” 

Nightmare had stood stomping forward, pointing a hoof in my imagined direction. Her fangs ground as she seethed. I was taken aback by her response. The anger, it wasn’t the cold rage she normally embodied. The glint in her eyes was different—the hissing and growling unbecoming of her typical tyrannical pedigree. I was offended. Her words stung. The truth was, she had a point. 

“Fair,” I said, relenting to the maniac that sat in my subconscious. The shadows played, wrapping and twisting the dark as quickly as they cast over a sunlit wall. My head thumped with my heartbeat as the world around me played out on autopilot. 

“Is that all you have to say? Is that all you are capable of? If so, then you deserved to die at my hoof. The wretched Discord be damned for resurrecting such a coward.”

The barbs dug deeper. Then, as suddenly as I had fallen back into the palace of my mind. I was shaken back to reality. Sabre had taken to jostling my shoulder. I blinked away the shadows that returned to my periphery. 

“Star?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Sabre?”

Sabre looked ahead, and I followed his lead. Coral reefs, a palace of some kind, like a flower, grew from above, leading down into the depths. Other seaponies swam about, though as they saw our approach, many retreated. I could feel dozens of eyes on my back.

“Woah.” 

That was all our group could collectively muster. A response that left Skystar giggling as she waved a hoof around, spinning in a delightful giddy dance. Stopping only when the rest of us came to a stop. 

“Ta-da, welcome to Seaquestria.”

“We sure did,” Bright said. I cracked a smile as Bright instinctively reached for his notepad. Even if he did have it on him, which he did not. It would have been ruined by our extended dip in the ocean. 

“I take it, Queen Novo, is in the large petaled structure?” Sombra asked. 

“Yep, she should still be having court. So, we need to get moving. The sooner we figure out how to save the day, the better.”

“Agreed,” Sabre said. I hadn’t noticed, but Sabre had grabbed my leg and pulled me behind him as the rest of us followed Skystar to the Seat of seaquestrian power.

A nudge to my free side had me looking at Thorax, who grinned at me. The rows of prickly eel teeth sent a shiver up my spine. 

“One step at a time, Star.”

“If you say so,” I said. I swear my friends make less and less sense by the day. That said. We’d made it to the palace, where the seafarers nearby swam away as quickly as they could. 

“A better response than I expected,” Brook said. 

“It’ll be fine, you’ll see. Mom will have to listen to you guys, even if she won’t listen to me.”

Skystar’s Smiled for a moment. The merriment stripped from her words faster than she could mask it. Relatable, even if not desired.

“We’ll do our best,” Thorax said and offered Skystar a gentle hoof on her shoulder. The Princess nodded and twirled about to face the entryway, a vertical opening in the petals. I hoped not all the doors worked that way. Talk about a confusing parallel to the surface.
> Court at The Bottom of The Sea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would be a disservice to say the underwater Queendom of the  Hippogriff Seaponies was a wonder. They were forged from coral, sea rock, and anything they could get their hooves on. It was as naturalistic as one could get without living in a cave. The throneroom was exceptionally well put together. An eye for aesthetics, these halls did not lack. I found my eyes scanning everything, everything except Queen Novo herself. 

Skystar had mentioned the Queen's less-than-thrilled opinion of Skystar's rebel rescue squad. That, however, did not hold water in terms of the scathing scowl she lazily foisted at us. Sombra had taken to matching it, and Thorax had already made himself invisible as he could. I envied him for that. Sure, just turn into a crab and scuttle away. 

"Explain," Novo said. Her eyes flicked to her daughter. Skystar stood in front of our group. She pouted even as her gaze never wavered. The type of look only a kid could give a parent. It was nice to see the seas did not alter their biological imperative. Children rebel, and Parents seek to protect them. It was nature at its finest.

"They're here to help."

Queen Novo rolled her eyes and dismissed her daughter. Skystar huffed and swam around to stand or float beside us. I cracked a wry grin. United, we sail. 

"We aim to crush the mindless brute who calls himself King of Storms," Sombra said, swimming to meet the Queen at eye level. Her guards leveled their spears. Novo waved them off and scoffed. 

"Aren't we all? That doesn't tell me why you are here, in my Queendom. Why you found us here in Seaquestria."

"That name is a bit weak. You're just portmanteauing a completely separate diarchy's name with a new location of your own. I mean, spice it up a bit. Get creative," Bright Pitch said. 

He hadn't even looked up. He instead sullenly looked to where his favored notepad should be but wasn't. Spade offered a solemn pat on the back in consolation for Bright's loss. He'd simply have to retain everything he saw and heard in Seaquestria, all by himself. I licked my upper lip. He had a point, though. The name really was underwhelming. 

"Your complaint has been noted. Now, why are you here? I will not ask again," Queen Novo said. She rose from her lounging atop her throne to standing or as close to it as she could underwater to her fullest. She raised a hoof, and the nearby guards encircled us. 

It wasn't a very sane choice on their end, considering who they were threatening. I mean, Sombra, Spade, or Sabre could probably take them all separately. That was not the case, however, for together, they were a monster all their own.

"We heard your people needed help. That you disappeared after the Storm King attacked Mt. Aris. We wanted to help. We still do."

Sabre placed a hoof on his chest. He seemed unstirred by the nearby pointy sticks the Sea folk were waving about. He smiled at Skystar. Who smiled back. Queen Novo shook her head but once again dismissed her guards. I hope Novo offered killer life insurance. They might very well need it.

"Continue," Queen Novo commanded. 

"The Storm King attacked Canterlot. One of his minions. Starlight Glimmer captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. We thought that if we joined together, we might be able to save both our homes."

"Sums it up nicely, Sabre," Spade said. 

"Ah yes, the return of day and your humbled royalty. I will at least congratulate whatever fools went on that crusade," Novo said with a dry chuckle. 

"That would be us, actually," Blueblood said. The smugness was getting really thick in these waters. 

"Is that so? Then bravo, I am genuinely impressed."    

"Enough to help us?" Thorax asked. 

"No, I will not risk the lives of my people on a pipe dream. The Storm King is a tyrant and a fiend. I do not condone the acts of my daughter, but at least she risks only a few for the sake of rescuing an equal measure of our lost people at a time. It is reckless and foalish, but at least thought through. You came here, hoping I would jump at the bit to slay that monster. As much as watching him topple would make my day. I will not risk losing another queendom, not ever."

"A fair a point as any. However, Your Majesty. If you hide, cowering in fear of the unknown. A villain you could help slay. Then The Storm King has already conquered your Queendom. He has already broken you," Sabre said. 

The room went deathly quiet. The guards exchanged worried looks. Skystar didn't seem any better. I let out a sigh. All this way and for what?"

"A coward who would rather hide than crush her enemy. It is truly pathetic. At least her daughter has some spine. This whole voyage has been nothing but a waste of time. We should have hunted down that mare from the Storm King's Fleet and crushed her ourselves."

I blinked. There in the dark confines of my mind. Nightmare Moon sat with hooves crossed, proudly displaying her size and grandeur. Like a peacock, she wore her ego like a prize. That wasn't the odd part. What she'd said had my mind running laps. 

"Did you just advocate saving Celestia and Luna? That'd you do so yourself? Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever?" I asked. 

Nightmare spat. "I did no such thing."

"We should have hunted down Starlight ourselves. That is what you said. Did you offer to save your sisters? How does that even work?"

"Silence. Whelp. You speak in semantics and assumption. As it stands, that witch has attempted harm upon us and thus deserves to suffer."

Nightmare stomped across the void and jabbed a hoof into my chest. I did not recant my smirk as I pushed her back.

"Right, that must be it. It couldn't be that the all-powerful Nightmare Moon isn't the violent monster she pretends to be."

"SILENCE!"

Thusly I was kicked from Nightmare's prison, where I rejoined the rest of reality. I hadn't missed much. Time was weird between the mind and the physical plane. Seconds at most. Queen Novo had managed to float before Sabre, her eyes bulging as she shook. Sabre didn't move a muscle. 

"Who are you to lecture me? Who are you to tell me how to protect my people? You know nothing of my burdens."

Sabre nodded. "You're right. I don't know the weight of a crown." Sabre said. Novo smiled in triumph. "But, I do know the cost of saving my home. You say we know nothing of your hardships. Maybe, maybe not. But we do know all too well the risks of fighting tyrants." 

Novo's smile melted away. Sabre stood unwavering in his speech. He didn't yell or pantomime. It wasn't a story. That was Bright. When Sabre spoke of the battle for the day, it was a scar.

"As for crowns, you lack such wit if you dare ignore my own. I am King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. Once upon a time, I hid out of sight and out of mind of those who suffered and died. I know you far better than you could ever know."

There it was. I was surprised he'd managed to hold his tongue this long. Sombra floated beside Sabre and made himself as big as he could handle in his seapony form. Novo was back to shaking. 

"I will not be disrespected in my home. You will leave now!"

"We touched a nerve, I think," Spade whispered from the safety of a single hoof's tried and true shield. I nodded, eying the still shell-shocked guards and the seething Queen.

"That's not fair. Just because you're scared doesn't mean everyone is."

Skystar had pushed passed Sabre and Sombra and pushed her mother back. Novo joined her noble protectors in surprise. 

"Skystar!"

Novo started, only to be silenced with a hoof in her mouth. 

"No, ever since The Storm King sent us into hiding, you've been too scared to do anything. You just sit on your throne and hope the problem magically disappears. Well, The Storm King hasn't gone anywhere. We have to do something. If not for Mt. Aris, for our old home, then to ensure no one else has to suffer like we did."

There it was, the pen dropped. Novo's mouth opened and closed in silent protest. Yet, there was nothing left to be said. Skystar turned about and started for the exit. 

"If you don't help, I'll do it myself."

That was that. The rest of our group slowly followed after Skystar, leaving Seaquestria's Queen alone with her thoughts. 

"Well, that happened," I said as we exited into open water. 

"Yes, yes, it did," Blueblood agreed. 

"Uh, Skystar. Are you sure you should—"

Thorax was shushed by the still-fuming princess. "If mom wants to hide, then let her. I am perfectly capable of helping you all by myself."

"Well then, I suspect you know a few ways into Mt. Aris, correct? The kind that leaves our foes unaware?" Sombra asked. 

"My team and I have been sneaking into those cursed mines for months. They'll never see us coming."

Skystar twirled about, swimming backward as she smiled, hooves crossed, eyes twinkling with earned pride. Sombra nodded in satisfaction. 

"Then we'll head back to the ship, and you know, prepare for espionage. A fun old time, we'll have, on The Yeti's dime. Oh, what fun we'll have," I sang off-key. This earned a smirk from Sabre, then a giggle from Skystar, which Bright reciprocated. Before long, the whole group laughed. The tension from the throneroom was forgotten for the moment. 

"Let the wargames begin," Spade said cocking an over-the-top salute. 

"The yeti filth will find that in war, Sombra is unmatched."

"Let's hope so," Sabre said, throwing Sombra a dry withering stare. 

"Fools, if you seek war, then I am the only hope to peddling children have. The Storm King and his lackeys shall no my wrath and tremble in terror. Right before they die," Nightmare said. My brain mate fell into a fit of her own brand of manic laughter. It was enough to give foals nightmares of their own. 

"We also have Tempest. I'm sure she has thought up a few plans for when we arrive. Between all of us, we should be more than a match for The King and Starlight. Right?" I asked. 

I received no answer. Everyone had already been swallowed by their own thoughts. Queen Novo had been a bust, but at least Skystar was willing to help. It'd have to do. We couldn't afford for it not to be.    

"What about your friends?" Bright asked. Skystar stalled in place and looked about, pulled from her own machinations. 

"Oh, oh, right. I almost forgot. Sorry, Mom just got under my skin. I'll go gather my team. We'll meet you back at your boat, okay?"

"It's not a boat…" Blueblood assured only for his words to meet empty water. Skystar had rocketed away at impressive speeds. Our dear ambassador hoof was raised in protest with no one to correct. "... It's an airship."

"I don't think she heard you," Bright said. This earned the author a growl. A growl met with a laugh. Bright swam behind, Spade using his frame as a makeshift defense against the flustered Blueblood.

"Guess we'll go give the crew the not-so-great, but could be worse news," I said. I pointed in a random direction before I recoiled. "That said, where is the ship and the crew, and honestly, anything other than water?"

Blueblood swam ahead. "You're lucky I have an immaculate memory and a nigh flawless internal clock and compass."

"Is that counting the fact that your special talent is directly related to those traits? Or is that just a happy coincidence?" Spade asked. 

Blue turned and pointed to Spade. "I will end you."

Spade shrugged. "I wish you a quick death once AJ finds out."

"Guys, we don't have time for squabbling. Starlight could pass us by at any moment. She was never that far behind," Sabre said.

That ushered in a new quiet. Blueblood coughed into a hoof before pointing in a direction and swimming off. The rest of us were right behind him. The swim back was a short one. However, the silence dragged the minutes out second by second.

"Star."

Sabre had solved to swim beside me. I offered a deep bemoaning sigh. "I don't get her at all. One minute she's out for domination, the next staking her pride on saving the day."

"Who?" Sabre asked. 

"Who else, Nightmare Moon, is who. She made some rather odd comments earlier in the throne room. I can't get them out of my head. You know, not counting the fact that's where she is and all."

"She offered to help?" Sabre asked. 

I nodded. "Something like that."

"Do you trust her?" 

I bit the inside of a cheek and hummed. That was the same question I'd been asking myself since we'd left Seaquestria. Nightmare hadn't said anything since we'd got moving. She sat in silent meditation, eyes closed, her prison silent as the grave. 

"Would it be wrong if I said I don't think she's lying, buttering me up, or whatever? The way she got so angry at Queen Novo. It was like she took it all personally. It doesn't make much sense if you ask me. That said, I think she is on our side, in her own special Nightmarey way."

"I see, that is strange. But I think I get it."

"Get what?" I asked. Sabre cast a look around.

"You said that you and Nightmare were broken parts. That Discord stitched you both together from what was left, right?"

I nodded along. 

"So, as much as you fear Nightmare is affecting you, changing you. Maybe, you are doing the same. You aren't just touched by her. She is also touched by you." Sabre said. He nudged me, shoulder to shoulder.

"Huh, that's fair. Though, Nightmare's stubbornness is totally not mine," I said and nudged Sabre back. 

"Right, of course not." 

"Pick up the pace, you too. We do have a timetable to keep," Blue yelled back in our direction. I had not noticed how far the others had gotten ahead of Sabre and me. I rolled my eyes and picked up the pace. Sabre, right beside me.
> Battle Plans: War on Aris
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I approve." Tempest Shadow nodded along with the recounting back in Seaquestria. It was hardly surprising that the warrior mare was up for storming the beaches. The grin on her face spoke volumes of the misery and woe that mare could conjure at any given moment. I was thrilled I'd gotten her to swap sides. Magically poofing in a new limb will do that. That said, why she wasn't imprinting on Discord since he did the hard part is beyond me. 

"You would," I agreed. 

"Well, it's nice to know the ex-commander of the opposing military force we are about to siege is happy with these complications," Blueblood said. The poor ambassador was being shown what happens when one extends their governmental authority from jolly cooperation to aggressive negotiations. 

"She would," Bright echoed. Since we'd returned to the ship, he'd buried his muzzle in his notepad. 

"Still, this won't be easy."

Skystar sat aboard the Incandescence, messaging her temples. She had her head to the skies, scanning for some invisible sign. It was nice to have the extra numbers. Skystar's rescue squad was small, but they were well-versed in the terrain and the blindspots on Mt. Aris. They'd had years to perfect, sneaking back and forth. Brook rejoined us and looked almost half as antsy as his princess. 

"To be fair, we are two and zilch on defeating crazy tyrannical jerks. So, that should count for something, right?" I asked. 

"Except both of those fights were seven-on-one. This time, we have an entire island to take. Actually, that said, we've gotten pretty lucky on that front so far." Spade said as he tapped the tip of his namesake on the deck. He tapped a tune the whole while. 

"True," Thorax said. 

"Well, that's why we have Sombra. He's been in a few battles over the years. Right?" Bright asked. 

"That would be accurate, yes. Between Tempest, Skystar, Sabre, and I, we have far better odds than one would think. Isn't that right, Tempest Shadow?"

Tempest grinned. Her horn crackled with arcane energy. The soft blue of her aura was a sharp contrast to her darker coat and mane. "I look forward to crushing Starlight and her ego into the dirt. She has always been a snake. This is just a justified reason to bury her."

"I am beginning to like this mare. Unfortunately, This Storm King found her first. She would have made a fine servant," Nightmare mused from her prison. I rolled my eyes. She would take to Tempest like fish to water. My inner thoughts were drawn to a halt as the conversation on the airship continued.

"Yeah, she's always been kind of a freak," Grubber added. He offered a look to his boss, who was too busy justifying the plethora of war crimes she could get away with.

"That is another concern. Starlight is a loose element. If she beats us to the island, knowing we most assuredly would follow. Then they would have plenty of time to shore up with the added numbers."

"Blueblood, please. We all know precisely what that would mean.

Sabre rested a hoof on Blueblood's shoulder. The latter goes silent, and the former takes in multiple sharp breaths. 

"Then, we'll just have to beat her there. Right? Thorax said. He smiled, though it seemed more in habit than conviction.

"Guess so," I agreed. "So, Princess, what's the secret to getting on the island without sounding the alarms? The more we know, the better the preparations, right?" 

"Right, sorry. This is all just a bit much. I know I volunteered."

Skystar looked to her comrades. 

"We all did, Your Highness," Brook said. The other Seappogriffs added their own resolve. Skystar smiled, if only a bit. She took a deep breath and stood to her full height.

"Right, well, then, we don't have any time to lose. We'll have to go under before we come into sight. If the lookouts see the airship, we'll never get in. As long as we go in quiet, an underwater tunnel system leads deep into the mountain itself. We come out there, and we'll have a brief element of surprise. We'll have to act quickly from there on."

Sombra nodded. "From there, we'll need to divide and conquer. If we strike multiple points, we can disrupt the chain of command and crush the nerve center of the waiting Storm King's forces before they have a chance to counterattack." Sombra looks to Tempest. "Commander."

"It's not that complicated, honestly. The Yetis are more muscle than brains. Why do you think The Storm King had ponies leading his army. He can't be bothered to do it himself, and too few lieutenants have enough common sense to do more than hit things and breathe."

"And that is a roast," I said.

"Not half bad," Spade said.

"Scathing," Nightmare agreed. 

"Right, so I assume there are at least a few thinkers on the island if you could manage to leave alongside Starlight simultaneously, yes?" Blue asked. 

"Or, they didn't expect to be gone long," Thorax added. 

"Both,"

Tempest shrugged. She waved at our collective. "To be honest. I expected to crush any resistance with relative ease. Ponies aren't exactly apex predators. You much prefer peace to war."

"You say that as if you weren't a pony yourself," Sombra said. 

"I lost that piece of me a long time ago."

I clapped my hooves, drawing everyone's attention. 

"Now, now, this is a judgment-free zone. Tempest is a friend now. There is no need to shame her for her past. Right, Sombra." 

I narrowed my eyes and extended the last syllable for several seconds. The King huffed and looked away but said nothing more. Tempest seemed nonplussed and offered another shrug. Grubber gave me a thumbs up. I was glad to see the hedgehog was warming up to the group. 

"So, who are the targets, the ones who run the show? Come on, I need faces and quirks and backstories. My audience demands it." 

Bright had pulled up and hovered in front of Tempest, a pen being waved in her face. The sneer she wore, combined with the sparks sizzling from her horn, said more than enough on her thoughts of Bright's apparent disregard of all things private and space-wise. 

"Bright," Blueblood said. His own magic flared up as he pulled Bright back down beside him. The thestral crossed his forehooves and grumbled about no respect for art. "Please, Commander, if you would."

Tempest let her magic fade, even as she eyes Bright warily. "I can name three. If those morons are disposed of before Starlight gets to Aris, we have a real chance of success. If not, we may lose our one and only opportunity altogether. We have no room for mistakes."

"Sounds fair."

"Having targets is useful, but not if we don't make it past the front door. Coming up from the Seaquestrian's secret tunnel gets us into the mines. Though we lack a map or the time to sneak past every yeti in the fortress of theirs." Blueblood said. 

"Map junkie," Spade said, cracking a smile as Blueblood snorted defiantly. I rolled my eyes and motioned to Tempest. 

"Actually, I wonder. If the yeties don't have long-reach communications, couldn't you walk in with them none the wiser?"

"Unlikely. Starlight, in fact, has means to communicate with nearly any and every base under Storm King's control. She's an insufferable egotist but isn't stupid or inept."

"Damn, there goes the easy way."

"If war were so simple, it would not be an art, would it not?" Nightmare asked. I didn't have nor desire to create an answer to her question. That was a slippery slope straight down the rabbit hole, and I was no Alice. 

"If we possess an accurate gauge of where the three lieutenants will be, I may be able to teleport to their location. Perhaps with one or two passengers. If I split our forces between the three locations, we can handle all relevant personnel in the most quickly and efficiently."

"That would be helpful," Thorax said. 

"Agreed, between myself and…" Skystar looked to Tempest and shivered. "...The Commander, we should be able to divvy up the most likely and discreet locations for each group."

"I'll get my tools," Blueblood said. He was gone before anyone could argue. A pep in his step as he whistled a nonsensical tune. 

"Between him and Bright, we may have a pair of talent addicts among us," Spade said, earning an indignant huff from Bright Pitch. 

"The plan is coming together. But what do we do once the lieutenants are dealt with? I doubt the Yeti's are just going to surrender." I said. 

"Skystar," Sabre said. 

"Yes?"

If we split to engage the fortress high forces, can your group cause a distraction? Nothing risky, just enough to draw the attention of the nearest yeti forces. If they are half as dumb as Tempest says, they won't suspect any subterfuge. It weakens any defenses the lieutenants may have in play."

Sabre gazed out into the distance. He was plotting every step taken with almost no intel at his disposal. He didn't earn Captainship on hero nepotism alone. It may have helped a little.  

Tempest followed Sabre's gaze to the horizon. "With no leadership, they are liable to panic, and once panic sets in, curtailing the mindless brutes will be simple. Yeti's response to power. We have more than enough between us to keep them in line."

"It's true, the Storm King really put the fear of the strong in them. I almost feel bad for what the boss will do to them if they don't surrender," Grubber said. That earned a dark chuckle from Tempest.

"Skystar, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I'm sure Blue is ready by now. Tempest, could you come as well?" Thorax ushered the two away with little fanfare. That left the rest of us to our own devices and preparations.

"So, once again, I must bear witness to your frailty. You should seek to usurp control. To sow panic with no end goal leads to nothing gained. I pity how willing the likes of Sombra and even this Tempest Shadow are to cater to your allies' weakness."

There she was, like a cricket on my shoulder. I sighed and made my way to the deck railing. I gazed down into the passing waves. "You aren't completely wrong. But we're not going to kill them or whatever is going through your head."

"Fie, I say. Why should one slay what they can command? Break the yeti's will and force their subservience. Such simple creatures lack the necessary fortitude to resist."

"Well, that's better than genocide, I guess."

"You assume so little of me, whelp. If not for my power, you would have long since perished. We are stuck with one another, regardless of our own wishes. That is an unfortunate truth even I can not deny."

I gasped. "Careful, Nightmare, your humility is showing."

"May those you hold dear burn for your mockery," Nightmare responded. Her grin was less of a threat and close to but not quite teasing.

I was left caught off guard. I had nothing to respond with. All I could do was blink in surprise. The smile Nightmare wore shifted to smug, and as if the heavens themselves shone down upon us, the feeling of shock vanished. 

"Whatever you say, Nightmare…" I said. I swallowed a lump in my throat and struggled with my following words. "...And thank you."

It was Nightmare's turn to look surprised. "For?" she asked. 

"Saving Sabre, and then helping on the pirate ship. You could have just sat there and done nothing. But you didn't. So, thank you."

Nightmare Moon scoffed but did not look away. She stared deep into my eyes and down to my soul in the most physical, metaphysical way she could. Which was also her soul, frankensteined as it was.

"What type of god would I be if I did not protect my subjects? You owe me nothing but your allegiance. Your thanks are wasted on such trivial matters."

"Right, of course, how silly of me. I will henceforth keep that in mind, oh wise and divine Nightmare," I said. I gave my mind mate a deep, sniveling bow. To which she grinned in triumph.

"As you should. I have a feeling you will need my divine grace all too soon. Though I wretch at the reality, my power is weaved into your very being. A mortal has no place wielding such power."

I hissed. On that point, she was most likely correct. The more powerhouses we had on our side, the better. Even with the extra troops from Skystar, we were still utterly outnumbered and outgunned. Nightmare's power would help, but it alone couldn't solve everything. The fact it was mixed up with me made it all the more uncertain. I wouldn't speak to any sort of divinity, but Alicorn magic wasn't something I had any business wielding. I didn't even have normal magic, so Nightmare's was almost mind-melting. 

If we could free Celestia and Luna, we might have had a chance of outmuscling Starlight and The Storm King's main forces. Well, there was also Discord. He'd pop in if the situation were genuinely unwinnable, but as much as I respect and like Discord, he was utterly ruled by whims. We all have our vices. Some are just more inconvenient than others.     

"We will crush this petulant scum that dare claim himself royalty and the vapid witch he employs. They will rue the day they attempted to claim my kingdom. As well, to make away, with those of whom I share divine providence."

Nightmare vowed to the empty void around her. Her thoughts so loud I found myself mouthing along back in the Incandescence." It was only after she finished that something clicked in my head. I chuckled and smiled wide at Nightmare Moon. She'd slipped, and now, she was at my mercy. 

"Shared?" I asked. 

She realized what she said and wordlessly mumbled to herself. She looked about like she suspected an exit might appear slowly to hide her shame and embarrassment. She was met with no such luck.

"Care to explain?" I asked. 

"Sharing divinity does not make us equals," Nightmare said. 

"But the fact you share anything and seek to avenge them says more than you would have liked, no?"

Nightmare stomped, wings flared, fangs bared. "Silence."

So, I did. I sat there, grinning ear to ear, as Nightmare Moon shook in rage. She could lash out and curse all she liked. But she could not take back what was said. Nor, what it meant.

"Star."

I blinked back to reality. Sabre stood beside me. "Yeah?"

Sabre took a deep breath. "We need to talk."
> Loyal-Bound Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, those are four words you never want to hear before a daring nightscapade into the trenches of an enemy fortress. Let me guess, you're pregnant?" I said. Sabre restrained a smile. Curse that stoic guard training. I nudged Sabre. "Come on, what's the matter?"

It seems that the foolish guard has finally grown a spine. The two of you would ruin my appetite if I possessed such things in this mental prison of yours," Nightmare said. She held a hoof over her mouth and made a very unladylike gagging noise.

"Shut up."

I blinked when I realized I'd said that out loud. The chuckle that followed, at least, didn't leave me completely backpedaling. Sabre had cracked a smile after all. He tapped a hoof to his temple. 

"I assume Nightmare Moon is whispering in your ear."

I nod. "Something like that."

"Then I'll try my best to give her as little ammo as possible. Sound military tactics: never surrender your weapons to the enemy, not even in retreat. To do so is to arm those same enemies further."

"He is not wrong," Nightmare said. It was her turn to grin. Her vengeance was swift, and I'm sure it was far from cold at this point.

"Right, well then. The floor is yours, Sabre. Hurry before Nightmare fills the silence with her sweet nothings," I said. That earned a huff from the bewitching demon. Let it not be said I went down without a fight.  

"Star," Sabre said. He made to continue but retracted whatever thought he had planned and fell silent. His brow creased, and he gazed around as if looking for a sign or cue. There was nothing. Well, there was plenty goings on deckside. We had plenty to do to prepare. The rolling seas beneath us the gentle breeze as we sailed through the skies. There was plenty, but not whatever Sabre was looking for. 

I wasn't sure why, but the uncertainty sent shivers down my spine. The look in Sabre's eye made me a bit nervous. Sabre wasn't prone to doubt. He stared down Sombra, Nightmare, and Tirek. Yet, whatever was happening in his head, his eyes betrayed fear. Nightmare's chuckle in my mind attested to my own worries. The two of them were going to drive me crazy before this whole adventure ended. 

"Damn," Sabre muttered to himself, 

I don't think he knew I heard him. My wings twitched as I considered just how quickly this conversation became a pair of awkward morons trying to out awkward the other. I wish Bright or Thorax were here. They'd know what to do. At the very least, Bright would out awkward everyone else, thereby breaking the stalemate once and for all. 

"Sabre, you okay?" I asked. 

I hated that question. It was redundant. It was asinine. Everyone asks, but for better or worse, you already knew if they were, in fact, okay. Then, there was the fabled response. The type of response everyone gave because it was the polite and dismissive staple. I couldn't help but scoff. It almost made it not worth asking. Almost.  

"I'm fine."

There it was as if the very gods read my mind. He wasn't okay, I knew it before I asked, and he knew I knew. We stood there, Sabre avoiding eye contact and me pretending it was no big deal. 

"No, you're not. So, why aren't you fine?"

"Well, little Stargazer taking command, how brave," Nightmare cooed.

Sabre shook his head, eyes still pinned to the deck floor. "I've been practicing, you know?"

My brow rose, and my eyes swiveled in pace as I was caught off-guard by his answer. "practicing what?" I asked. 

"This," Sabre pointed between himself and I. "What I wanted to say. It was never this stilted, this frustrating."

I couldn't help it. I snorted. I held back a laugh, forehooved closed over my smile. He practiced. Of course, he did. Couldn't take the routine out of Captain Light Sabre if you tried. A soldier through and through. 

"It isn't funny."

Sabre crossed his own forehooves and pouted. The dam broke, and I laughed. I tried to stop. I really did. Then, Sabre joined me. I had no chance after that. The two of us laughed like giggling fools.

"It kind of is."

Sabre took a moment to collect himself. The edge of tension seemed to ebb away. At least a little bit. The look in his eye was something different now. There was some level of nervousness, but something else too. Something I could not place. Only when Sabre coughed into a hoof I realized I'd been staring perhaps a bit too hard into Sabre's eyes. He'd noticed. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I shrugged in surrender. 

"Maybe a little," Sabre responded. "But, well. Everything I prepared really doesn't work in practice, it seems. So, maybe I should stick to what I'm good at."

"Beating around the bush?" I quipped. 

That earned me a jab to the shoulder. I took it without complaint. 

"Being direct," Sabre countered. 

I managed a wry smile. "By all means then, Captain."

Sabre planted a hoof on his forehead. "You really aren't making this easier, you know?"

"True," I agreed. 

"You two make me sick. Stop your ceaseless stalling and admit thy truth, you sniveling excuse for a guard," Nightmare screamed in my mind.

"Nightmare says you have her on the edge of her seat in expectation. I would almost say she's excited. It's almost cute."

That earned a choked laugh from Sabre. And a roar from Nightmare. Between the two of them, I'm going to lose my mind. "Well then, I won't keep our audience waiting. Besides. I don't think words do it justice."

"Oh!"

I stiffened as Sabre cupped my chin with a hoof and tilted my head up just a bit to match his slightly larger frame. I blinked. Sabre blinked. The whole of the world around us seemed to go unnaturally silent, aside from my brainmate, who hummed in dissatisfaction. 

For several seconds, we stayed like that. Frozen in place as we looked at one another. A need for more words was right. I couldn't conjure any up if I wanted to. I could feel a heat in my muzzle. My wings flittered as I tried hard not to retreat backward. 

Sabre stared at me. An intense glint in his eye as he seemed to debate what to do next. I could see the light red under his pale coat. He matched mine to a tee. 

I swallowed hard. I leaned in just a bit. Sabre's hoof pulled me as he retracted it towards his breast. A sudden snort had me all but jump out of my skin.

"You two daft foals." Nightmare groaned. I would have ignored Nightmare Moon. If this were any normal circumstance. It wasn't terribly hard to drown her out when I had the mind to do so. This was, however, slightly different. I felt a pull in the back of my head. Then, with a muffled yelp, my face lurched forward. My eyes went wide as my lips pressed into Sabre's. 

"You may thank me for my generous assistance later. I think the Changeling and I were at our combined wit's end."

My brain turned to soup. Fire coursed through my veins as Sabre pushed into the kiss and pressed his lips against mine a bit harder. My heart played a tempo that matched my own scattered thoughts. His breath gently sent the fur on the tip of my muzzle on end. His look was still as intense, though distant, as if he were looking through me to the horizon beyond. I resisted closing mine as we stood there, lips locked and nowhere else to go from there. We stayed like that for an indiscriminate length of time. However, it was far too short, regardless. 

When Sabre did release my chin and step back. I was left teetering between falling forward onto my face or back onto my rear. I managed to sway my fall backward, eyes still locked with Sabre's. 

"You okay?" Sabre asked. 

I spoke before my mind could make sense of the words. "Yes?"

"So, uh, I, I didn't practice that part."

I licked my lips. I could still feel the tingle where Sabre had been a moment ago. "Sorry."

Sabre tilted his head. "Sorry for?"

"I... don't know. I wasn't expecting any of this, to be honest. I mean, I liked the kiss. But you kind of caught me off guard. Nightmare knew, and Thorax, I think, But I didn't. Then you say we need to talk, and I just wasn't prepared. Sorry." I shrunk in place. My cheeks flared back up, this time in embarrassment.

Sabre shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry for. I've been thinking about this, about confessing for weeks. I just, I've never done any of this before. I've never had a special somepony. Never had the chance, really. Then, after all we've been through. It just made sense. It just felt right."

"Neither have I. But it makes sense. Now that I think about it. It feels nice. If there was anyone, anyone at all. I'm glad it was you. First kiss and all that. I never really put much stock into fireworks, but I get it now.

"So?" Sabre asked. 

"So," I repeated. 

"I will end the both of you," Nightmare hissed from her spot in the dark. The shadows danced in the corners of my vision, but they obscured nothing. I wouldn't let them hide anything right now, not one thing.     

"Where does this leave us?" Sabre asked. 

I rolled my eyes. "On an airship headed straight for The Storm King's Aris fortress to defeat a crazy mare who has kidnapped the princesses," I said with a shrug. I could feel the facehoof from Nightmare so well I'd almost mistaken it for my own. 

"Star."

I smiled. "Do I need to get Throax for this? I'm pretty sure we've made it as clear as two romantically novice ponies can be. Unless you don't want to be my special somepony," I said, stepping forward and planting a hoof against Sabre's chest. His blush redoubled as he seemed to chew on my words. 

"I did, I mean do. Even if this isn't the best time. I just, we keep being thrown into these life-or-death missions. I just wanted to be clear, just in case. I didn't want to lose the chance."

Sabre stumbled over his words. This time, he was the one to fall on his tail. The somber implications left me shaking my head. When I stopped. I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips into Sabre's. It was fleeting, a second at most. A whisper of the first. A gentle reminder. It felt right. 

"Too late. You're stuck with me now," I said. 

Sabre smiled. A gentle, relaxed smile. The kind one doesn't really have time for when facing down evil. It matched my own perfectly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
 
Then, a pair of hooves swung around from behind and lifted off the deck. I flailed helplessly as the hug grew tighter. "About time, you two. Oh, this will be so cute when I put it in my next book. You two are just so cute together. Yay!"

I went limp. Bright Pitch tossed me about like a teddy bear. A big, batty bear who would totally get him back for this later. 

"About time, indeed."

Blueblood had sidled up beside Sabre and smiled up at me. I'd offer a few choice words if I wasn't struggling to breathe. Bright hadn't stopped gushing yet, and I doubt he'd have heard me if I had given him a sample of the words buzzing through my head at that moment. 

"I swear, the two of you are helpless. Between you two and Sombra's conflicted feelings on a particular princess, I thought I'd have to get a sign or something. I mean, I'm not the type of Changeling to go spoiling someone's feelings like that, but still. To be honest with each other, You two shouldn't need a potential death to express what you truly feel."

Thorax chastised Sabre and me as he jabbed a hoof into Sabre's side opposite Blueblood. The fact was, the whole deck had gone silent and had been watching. Someone needs to teach these jerks the words private conversation for Faust's sake. 

By this point, Bright had finally hugged himself out and lowered me back to the deck. I welcomed the ability to breathe again. Sabre shook his head but otherwise made no move to shoo Bright away, who was still floating above me, his notepad in hoof. 

"You're right," Sabre said, turning to Thorax. "But it did. So, we'll move forward with that in mind."

Thorax jabbed Sabre again. "Don't make me smack you."

"I believe the warning is supposed to come before the assault," Blue said, leaning past Sabre and winking at Thorax. "Something like. You'd best behave or else, Captain." Then Blue whacked Sabre across the back of his head.

"Oh, right," Thorax said and nodded along. 

"That's enough."

Sombra had decided to join our little pow-wow, Spade right behind him. The gravedigger wore the grin of a stallion who just won a bet. 

"How much do you make?" I asked. 

Spade went to answer, only for Sombra's magic to clamp his muzzle shut.

"Enough," Sabre said with a chuckle.

"Congratulations, Captain, Star. I expected no less. If not far sooner," Sombra said. The tight-lipped smile he gave was one of the most genuine displays of joy I'd ever seen the grump make. It was enough to melt one's heart. If it was opposite day, and you were in the sun. Still, the thought was what counted. I offered Sombra a smile of my own. 

"That does seem to be the consensus."

"Well, better late than never, right?" Bright asked. 

"This mission is just full of strange situations."

The group turned to see Tempest approaching, Grubber at her heels. She offered a curt nod and the ghost of a smile in my direction. 

"Agreed," The whole group said at once. 

Tempest looked past the group to the skies beyond. "Our approach is minutes out. I suggest celebration and merriment after we crush Starlight under our hooves."

"Fair enough. But just to be clear. I intend to take these two lovebirds through the grinder later," Spade said. That earned a laugh amongst the group. They never could leave well enough alone. 

"Prepare for landing," a deckhoof shouted from the bow. The airship lurched slightly as we began our descent. The landing was the easy part. The sneaking into a fortress of Yeti's would be the fun part, and Starlight, she would be the hard part. I needed a vacation.

"Everyone ready. Deep dive in ten, then we make for Mt. Aris. For Seaquestria, for the Hippogriffs, for all of Equuis," Skystar shouted as she flew by over the port side, smiling all the while. Her entourage was gathering by the same deckside as their princess. Guess we'd be going aquatic commando in that direction. I felt my chest tighten. The shadows jumped, clawing at my periphery. My heart was pounding, my throat ached. Then, something pressed itself to my side. 

I didn't look, I didn't need to. I smiled. They say all is fair and love and war. They forgot to mention the part of love in war. I pressed myself into Sabre's firm frame. We'd figure the rest out later. For now, we had some yetis to evict. 
> Divide and Conquer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The swim to Aris was pretty decent. The water was a little cold for my liking, but otherwise, it was your average polymorphed sightseeing tour under an enemy-controlled fortress. The Hippogriffs seemed excited. The hushed whispers and looks toward the sky above left everyone on edge. Tempest had practically glued herself to my side, to the chagrin of Sabre. She seemed incredibly serious about the owed debt. The pirate thing had her a little peeved at how close I was to getting myself really messed up. I deserved that. And Skystar deserved not to look ready to swim off screaming for her life. 

"I pulled ahead of Tempest and sidled myself along Babble. "Just a bit of the jitters, ay?" I asked. 

"If by jitters you mean in over her head. Then yes, I agree completely. She's always anxious when we execute one of her rescue missions. This," Babble waves over to Skystar. The aquatic mare ducked and bucked at every fish that swam around her. "This is just pitiful."

"She fears death. A very real and possible concern, considering what we plan to do," Tempest said from behind us. Babble and I shared a face hoof. 

"Thank you, Tempest. We very much needed the reminder of our obvious mortality," I said, turning to leer at my nonplussed guardian. 

"Your mortality is very much in question. The conditions of your revival are untested and potentially terrifying."

I took a deep underwater breath and withheld a groan that would no doubt send our fidgeting princess into a death roll. Tempest wasn't wrong, per se, but there was such a thing as tact. 

"She's not wrong," Nightmare said. 

"I know," I answered. 

"We could test the limits of my divine provenance if you like."

The groan grew louder, at least in my head. "For the sake of all that is decent, do not attempt to get us killed."

Nightmare's Cheshire grin spoke volumes. I did not have time for this.

"We're nearing the tunnel. Keep close. They are rather dark. Once inside, we will split into our assigned teams. Then, it's all in Faust's hooves."

Babble tensed, glaring ahead at the encroaching mass of rock that was Mt. Aris. He seemed ready to bore a hole through one end and out the other. I nudged him, but he didn't respond. However, his glare moved from the rock to the spot already bored into the mountain. Our ticket in and the start of Operation Salvation. Leave it to Bright to come up with a name that was both accurate and ironic in more ways than one. 

"Everyone, stay close. The tunnels are winding. It'll take three or so minutes to get to the secret lagoon. Then," Skystar's voice hitched. "Then we save our home."

"This is so exciting. I've never written espionage before," Bright shouted from the back of the congregation. He wrapped a hoof around Blue's neck and all but throttled the poor ambassador as he excitedly laughed. 

"At least someone is having fun," Sombra said. He'd taken point letting Skystar fall behind him as she jittered and woed.

"Expect anything else?" I asked. 

“Never,” Sombra said. 

Then, the light above vanished. We entered the cave system. The winding descriptor did the tunnels no justice. The sharp turns, double backs, and deadends were well. I was glad I wasn't the guide. I could feel a headache coming on just imagining memorizing these things. 

"Left," Babble said, pulling me from my spiral of spatial awareness. I blinked back to reality and followed Babble's directions—three minutes and counting until we again threw ourselves at some larger-than-life tyrant. I shook my head and withheld a terse laugh. 

"It is by your own hooves that you walk this path, whelp."

"Truer words have never been spoken. Still, though."

"You wish for peace and quiet. Ideals that can only be obtained when all your enemies are defeated. As long as evil thrives, you will know no such freedoms. My naive little thestral."

I nod along. "You did it again," I said.

Nightmare cocked an eyebrow. "Did what?"

"You said as long as evil thrives. I know a villain is the hero of their own story and all. But, you sided with us again."

Nightmare balked. "What else am I to do? I am not free to pursue my own desires, one way or the other. As you've said before. We are stuck with one another, depending on how my power manifests. We may be so for some centuries to come."

   I didn't have a response to that. I didn't like the implications and feared what it'd take to learn the truth even less. I expected a rebuke or taunt. Instead, I got a tired smile. Nightmare Moon, Queen of Equestria, and the Eternal Night stood before me, poise and grace discarded. The smugness, an afterthought, was replaced by a look of wary contemplation. The face of a mare who found out the hard way just how hard longevity of that sort can be on one's mind. She spent a millennium with nothing but Luna's sorrow and her own plans for revenge. 

"Right," I said. I blanked my mind out of my mindscape and back to reality. Where the dark waters were giving way to the shimmer of light ahead. The journey to Aris was over. Now came the hard part.

 "Everyone ready?" Babble twisted in place to face the vast majority of our party. The group went silent. "Once we breach, we'll be splitting accordingly. Four teams, four goals. We do this right and might just take back Mt. Aris here tonight. Now, ARE! YOU! READY!?"

The question was met with murmurs that grew to mumbles, words, and then yells. The Hippogriffs' final chorus was rivaled only by Bright Pitch, who was reveling in the moment.

"Looks like someone's got a leader in there somewhere," I said, nudging Babble, who grumbled in dismissal. 

I nudged him again, which broke the dam and earned a cheeky smile. "Yeah, maybe. That coming from the guy who led a coup against an alicorn speaks volumes of my ability not to lead by accident and happenstance."

"He's got you there, Star." 

Sabre had swam up to join the lead. He offered a shrug as I complimented Babble's earlier grumble with my own. 

"I am beginning to like this Hippogriff. He speaks true to your lackluster ability not to die in your attempt to overthrow royalty," Nightmare added. It was official: I hated everyone.
 
The groups separated as per our agreed selections. First was the distraction party. This consisted of the Hippogriffs. They would ensure we had the chance to deal with the big three without interruption. It was dangerous and would likely go south quickly if Starlight made it back tonight. Skystar was jumpy, nervous, scared. However, the look in her eye. The look she gave to her followers. Showed nothing, gave away no fear. She was Princess Skystar; they were her subjects, and Mt. Aris was their home. It was as simple as that. I couldn't help but smile. They'd be fine. 

The second group was after the quartermaster. This would mean the armory would be the target. If we cut off their supply of armor and weapons, we might stand a chance. That group was made up of Blueblood, Spade, and Thorax. A little of everything could go a long way. Besides, they weren't anything to scoff at. Their victory over Cadance proved that long ago.

The third group was that of the Shaman. As I understand it, she was in charge of the magical artifacts and brews the Yetis used in place of natural magic. We put her down, and suddenly, Mt. Aris was very much isolated. This group was made up of Sombra, Bright Pitch, and Sabre. If nothing, this was one hundred percent the team with the highest chance of success. I almost pitied the Shaman. She was in for an abysmal night.

Then, that left the lieutenant, Starlight's yes Yeti. As Tempest put it, he was big, stupid, ugly, and extremely violent. So, that was fun. This was my group because, of course, it was. Tempest, Babble, and I would handle this one. Babble felt the need to repay his debt from the pirate rescue. He owed us nothing, but well, he was also ordered by Skystar. Something about being more useful taking on the yeti leaders and such: then, of course, Tempest would not leave my side for the foreseeable future. So, we'd just have to settle this as quickly as possible. That or die horrible deaths. 

"What wondrous thoughts to have before the battle. One should walk onto the battlefield knowing one has already conquered. To cower from thy enemy is to seed your own destruction," Nightmare said, striking a pose worthy of a statue. I rolled my eyes. 

"Ready?" Babble asked.

"Not really." 

"Too bad. We storm Aris and bring it down upon our enemies' heads tonight. And crush Starlight Glimmer if the opportunity arises as well."

The glint in Tempest's eyes did not bode well. Fire and brimstone, the manic carnal desire for battle. There weren't many ponies who could manage such a feat. They were, for the most part, far too soft. Tempest was a mold all her own. The only other pony I knew who could strike such bloodlust was Sombra if one chose to rouse him too early, deny him coffee, or threaten his kingdom, friends, or Cadance. Actually, thinking about it, he had that look a bit too often. We'd need to talk about that later. 

"Quite," Babble agreed.

We breached the cavern. Where there was a cool, damp, and empty cave. The Yeti's, as expected, still had no idea where these caves were. From there, it was a matter of the pearl returning us to normal and us planting our hooves on dry land. 

"Sombra, you ready for the port?" Sabre asked. 

As one would expect, Sombra had long since mastered the craft of teleporting. The more accurately he knew where to go, the better his spell would work. The unfortunate fact was he only had memories and vague distances to use. But it was better than nothing. He would be teleporting his team and Blue's team as close to their marks as he could. The Hippogriffs knew their way through the place, so they had no issue sneaking around as they saw fit. My team, we had Tempest. Once we got into the fortress, for real, she'd have a reasonable countenance of where to go. I could feel a shudder down my spine. The shadows leaped as the chance to claw their way into my vision. Nightmare seemed on the edge of her metaphorical seat. 

"Star," Sabre said. I shook my head. The shadows had my vision dancing with spots of light. Sabre placed a hoof on my shoulder. I barely reacted. Then, I was pulled into a hug against Sabre's side. I huffed but made no attempt to resist. It'd have been nice if we were anywhere else at the moment. 

"I'm getting too old for this," I mused.

"No, you're getting too tired for this. Nightmare is the only one here who can complain about age," Sabre said.

"I will end you, you worthless cur," Nightmare hissed. 

"Maybe. Still, it is always a bit daunting," I said. 

"Yeah, you'd think saving the day would get easier with time. Experience and teamwork would be sharper and hope easier. But that isn't how facing impossible odds works, is it?"

I push myself out of Sabre's embrace. "Gee, thanks, Sabre."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

"Sabre, we are ready to depart," Sombra said. 

Sabre made to turn. I tsked, and before he could make his way back to his team, I offered a quick peck on the cheek. That stalled him for just a step. 

"Good luck."

He nodded, a smile on his lips as he looked back over his shoulder. "You too, Star. And Nightmare, I am holding you responsible if anything happens to Star. Got that?"

"Fool believes he may threaten me. You will rue the day you dared issue such a challenge, Earth Pony. That I swear."

"Calm down, it'll be fine. All you have to do is prove him wrong and not get me killed. Then you'll have that over his head for some time."

Nightmare pondered my words and scoffed. Though left it at that. The Hippogriffs had already made their way out of the cave. Sombra was prepping to send Blue's team and would follow suit after. 

I turned to Babble. "Lead the way, Team Captain, sir," I said with a lofty salute. Babble was not amused. 

 "Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with. The longer I stick with you, Equestrian's, the more complicated my life becomes."

Tempest barked a laugh. "Agreed."

"Any extra details we might wanna know about the Leftenant, Tempest?" I asked. My oh-so-diligent guardian hummed.

"His armor is distinct from the fodder that follows him. Be on the lookout for deep purple with Starlight's cutie mark on the right breast. That aside, He is only marginally smarter than the rest. Easy prey, so long as we catch him off guard. Easier still if he is alone."

"Fair enough." Thus, we marched out from the cave and into the heart of the Aris Mines. We'd need to reach the top of said mines to get to the fortress' main body. Then we just had to hunt us some yetis.

The walk into the mines was quiet. The only sound is the clop of hooves and rustle of wings. The second we exitted into the mines, from an overshadowed outcropping on one of the lower levels, the rhythmic chink of chains and picks echoed all around. Then I gagged.  

"Dear Faust." I let out a hacking cough. "What is that?"

"The smell?" Babble asked. "The stench of sweat, blood, sulfur, and lithium. Some metal ore as well. You get used to it."

"It is not that bad. Get it together," Tempest said, pushing me forward with one hoof. I stumbled but complied. One hoof covered my muzzle as we snuck further in. 

"Now, keep quiet. There are few guards posted this far into the mines. The further up we go, the heavier the security. If we can make it out without drawing any attention, we may actually have a chance here," Babble whispered. 

"Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, to save the day we go," I sang to myself as we began our ascent. "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho. Through the mines, we go."

"Stop singing," Nightmare ordered. 

I smirked. "Make me."
> What Waits on the Mountain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The smell only got worse the closer to the actual mining we got. Tempest and Babble took turns rolling their eyes at my gagging. I returned their dismissal with melodramatic staggers and whimsical fainting tilts. Nightmare did not, however, have to worry that the yetis would hear her, and thus. She lectured me the whole way up. Every single step was met with her vast disapproval. It was funny, actually. I would never tell her this, nor anyone else, lest I be killed in my sleep by my oh-so-friendly sleep paralysis demon. The thing was, she sounded so much like Celestia. Well, situationally, anyway, the actual content and delivery were far more snide and far less motherly. Even the way she stood screamed Celestia. 

"Stop," Babble whisper-yelled. Tempest and I froze in place. My ears swiveled on end as I tracked the chinks and crunch of picks on stone up ahead. "We're coming up to the watched zone. Stay quiet and follow me exactly. Got it?"

I nodded, and Tempest tsked, but we both fell in line behind Babble. We crept along the wall, dancing from a shadowy crevice to shadowy crevice. The plinks and plonks grew louder and over those, the rumbling growls of angry guards taking out their repressed self-image issues on poor, defenseless, enslaved birdhorses. It sent an unpleasant chill up my spine.

"Scum," Nightmare hissed in my ear. On that, she and I were in total agreement. However, I had to ponder if they weren't too dissimilar to Nightmare's hierarchical systems in place not too long ago. To such a degree, in fact, that Thestrals even now were held in suspicion and, in some places, outright hate. 

"Alright, puny diggers, hurry up. We got a qu-quo-quota to get done before the boss comes back. So, Move it!" 

The shadows rallied in the corners of my vision. My breath hitched as I struggled not to grind my teeth. Babble had slowed but otherwise showed no other outward signs of rage. Tempest, well, she looked as she always did. She was complicit in all of this not long ago.

"Stay focused," Tempest whispered, pointing from me back toward the encroaching miners. I repressed a retort and focused ahead. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we beat Starlight. The sooner we do that, the sooner everyone will be freed.

The first of said miners was now in view. Hooves up, pick down. The rhythmic agony etched on each face was appalling. It was evident by the ruffled feathers, matted fur, and somewhat unsightly protruding ribs. These Hippogriffs were not in good health or well-kept. The shadows had completely wrapped my vision in a dull monochrome. Black and white, everything but the firelight from the torches and lanterns. The brilliant oranges and yellows contrasted with the rage that festered deep in my chest. It hurt like a caged animal trying to escape a trap. It called and tore at my ribs with reckless abandon.

"Sloppy, mindless, and shortsighted. These insipid creatures have no right to rule. Lost in their own greed. They are better off dead," Nightmare preambled from her place in my mind. She watched a disgusted sneer on her face. Her words buzzed in my ears. Which only added to my growing anger. 

Then, something collided with the back of my head. I was now staring at the ground. I gingerly placed a hoof where the affront to my well-being collided. The shadows had retreated for the moment, and color returned in full. 

I looked up to see Tempest glaring at me. I wanted to leer back, point and scream, tell her to go buck herself. I wanted to, but I didn't. She was right. There was a better time and place to get rattled. I needed to focus, Get Starlight's goon, her, then crack some skulls. Focus, I just needed to focus.

So, the three of us slowly crept around the rock and through the dark, dancing around the salvation of the lanterns. The Yetis were too busy picking on the weak to look for intruders. They were nowhere near clever enough to expect intruders to come in through the mines. Sure, over the years since the Storm King took over, that is precisely how their prisoners were rescued, but who am I to correct the invaders' indifference?

I was impressed if by nothing else than the infrastructure of the mines, large natural caverns connected with wooden walkways in place where cracks and holes would otherwise make passage impossible. You know, if you are a yeti or chained up starving native. The fact that the caverns were natural was the reason we had the room to snake about. The yetis were far too focused on their one job that they neglected the remainder of their surroundings. It was sad how easy it was. Nope, no, shut up brain. That was just begging for karma. I shook my head and stuck my tongue out in rebellion to the mighty tropes of nature.

This earned me an odd look from Tempest, but I otherwise ignored her. The mines were beginning to widen further, and the dancing lights of the various fires were washed away by the gentle light of the night. We were getting close. 

Then we heard it. The sound of something exploding or combusting, maybe both. Regardless, the yetis had heard it too. The closest few were sent running out into the open to see just what happened. I already knew the mighty princess of the rebellion had begun her show. Fight the power, Skystar, fight the power. I cracked a smile as several more yetis ran out of the mines. A second explosion shook the walls closest to the exit. 

That would buy us some time, and the confusion would give us a little more leeway once we got free of these horrible-smelling rock farms. As we closed the distance, the shadows grew further and thinner in between. The entrance was in full view, and so were the confused yetis who were yammering on about fires and pretty lights. I heard Tempest grumble something under her breath but didn't make out any actual words.

"What now?" I asked. 

Babble shook his head and pointed obviously to the waiting pack of yetis. It was a fair observation, but not much in the way of helping. 

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Nightmare asked. The smile on her face was enough to chill a lesser pony to the bone. It only gave me goosebumps. Whether growing used to her chicanery was good or bad was beyond me. I would leave such thoughts to the philosophers and religious. 

"How?" I asked. 

Nightmare laughed, and I was oh so thankful this was all in my head. The whole of Aris would have heard her cackles otherwise. "Poor Stargazer, all this time, and you still underestimate my powers."

I shook my head. "No, I respect your power. I question your sanity. Those are two wholly different things."

That earned me a dismissive huff of indignation. I retaliated with an eye roll of my own. This was getting us nowhere. I sighed and motioned for Nightmare to go on. It wouldn't hurt to hear her out, or so I hoped.

"For the record. I am a magnanimous ruler, leader, and companion. As we've skulked through these tunnels, I have left a few gifts for the intellectually stunted apes we aim to best."

I blinked and looked behind me, past Tempest and into the dark recesses of the mines. Tempest followed my gaze and offered a silent question. I shook my head and attempted a smile. Even I wasn't fooled by that one. 

"What kind of gifts?" I asked. 

Nightmare's grin looked prepared to split her head in two. Her eyes flashed with a devious conviction that had me take a step back both in and outside my psyche. 

"Such little faith from one whom my power has done naught but assist. My gifts will ensure the apes are distracted and those that work these mines are given means to upend these abysmally mismanaged work camps. It is enough to make even I wretch in disgust."

"I am going to be honest. There is far too much for me to unpack there, then we have time to do so. If these gifts of yours are as you say. Then you will not hear me complain about them."

Nightmare stood triumphant and smug in her victory. So, bested as I was, Nightmare had naught but to reap her spoils. That being whatever insane traps she'd set. The fact no one, including me, noticed was a mystery to look into later, but for now. Let the rebellion begin. 

"Then let the festivities begin."

I waited, breath held as I once again looked over my shoulder to the darkness that lay behind me. There was nothing. So, I waited some more. Yet again, not a sound nor sight to be had. By this point, Tempest looked ready to slap me. I couldn't blame her. The yetis had quieted down but otherwise hadn't moved from their spot in the entranceway.

"Nightmare?" I asked. 

She looked down at me, nose to the sky. "It has been done."

I plant a hoof to my muzzle both in my mind palace and reality. Nightmare sits undeterred. Tempest finally whapped me over the head. My stalwart but unwarranted guardian mouthed a question. I didn't need to read lips to guess what she'd asked.

I mouthed the name of my mind mate. Tempest looked unamused. I sighed and offered a quiet apology. Then, the shouting began. There were growls, squawks, and more unmasked animalistic roars of challenge and victory from the dark. The yetis had also heard and were begrudgingly turning from the debacle outside and forced to confront the happenings below their noses. Tempest raised an eyebrow. I shrugged once more. 

"Do I even want to know?" I asked Nightmare. 

"I shattered the shackles of the oppressed and may or may not have severed the atlas from several yeti spinal cords." I stared slackjawed at the amused Nightmare. She snorted. "I assure you it was painless."

I took a deep breath. "So you killed them?"

Nightmare shook her head. "Paralysed from the neck down, they are very much alive. Well, they did not die by my hoof. What the Hippogriffs do is beyond even my peerless control."

Babble had taken the time since the yelling began to stare back at me. The worried look on his face was unpleasant. The flicker of his eyes between me and Tempest spoke volumes. Tempest's own look was less nervous, more unimpressed curiosity. 

"Nightmare freed the miners and, for all intents and purposes, killed several of the guards that remained in the mines." 

"How?" Babble asked. His harsh whisper would have given us away if not for the sound pollution behind us. 

"She broke shackles and severed spinal columns. At least that's what she told me. So, there is that."

"Yes, but how? Isn't she trapped in your mind or whatever?" Balled asked. 

I reflected on just how open about having an insane demi-god in my head, which had been a mixed bag of responses. There were my friends. They accepted it if not only for the fact they could do little about it. Having heard the stories of my and my friends' adventures, Tempest was intrigued but had little reason to doubt us. Skystar and Babble had been something else. 

If we were gonna save Aris together, they'd deserved the truth. Babble had heard most of the stories back when Bright had entertained Brook. But the frantic terror in his eyes when we told him and his princess was disheartening. Skystar had managed to hide whatever was happening in her head at the time. But I doubted it was a good thing. This, though, is Nightmare's plan. It did little to usher forth confidence in the hippogriff sitting before me. It didn't warrant much confidence in me, either.

"Umbralmancy, of course, you uninformed fool," Nightmare said. 

"She says umbralmancy. So, something with shadows seemed to be the extent of what she's done from inside my head so far. At least it is consistent, right?" I asked. I offered a wry laugh, which was met with silence from my companions. Where was Discord when you needed him?"

"We should move. We have no idea how long the mines will keep the guards' attention," Tempest said, walking past me and Babble toward the exit. Any further queries on Nightmare and her magics would have to wait. 

"Right."

I followed, and Babble slowly drew in behind me. The moonlight was an incredible change of pace. The second I walked out into the open air, I could start breathing without choking on who knows what. 

I looked out over the mountain-based home of the Hipposeagriffponies. They'd really need to decide a name for both. The whole split between land and sea was just a little silly. The sum of my thoughts and reflections upon seeing Mt. Aris for all its luster was a mix of impressive and concerned. The city and mountain themselves were nothing short of breathtaking. The kind of sight you put on the front of a postcard. The concern stemmed from the airship port, which was clearly a newer addition. A port that was not empty. I couldn't say if any of those same ships were Starlight's. I don't recall any unique markings or insignias. So, there was a chance. We might still have time. 

"Tempest?" I asked. 

She leered at the port. "Not hers, not yet. Now, move."

That was some kind of relief. Babble and I followed as commanded. The supposed location of our target was atop the mountainside, near the old Hippogriff barracks. It was a perfect place for leadership to maintain and hide away from explosions and slave riots. It was an ideal place for me to strangle that same target to death and hang him from the nearest partition. 

"My my, Stargazer, who knew you were so creative. A masterful symbol of conquest and dominance. A sight worth noting, but a sight not befitting your meeker character," Nightmare tutted. I blinked, my whole body shuddering in protest to my rather dark fantasy. Nightmare was right. That wasn't acceptable, even if it was deserved.

"You're right, my apologies," I said, giving Nightmare an apologetic smile in return for her touching concern. 

The path through the city was far more barren than I'd have thought. There was only the occasional bored sentry. Some so utterly dead to their task we could have paraded right past then, and they'd have not so much as budged. 

"Tempest, something doesn't feel right," I said. We were sneaking through a more prominent boulevard, one for what I supposed was the noble class of Hippogriffs. There were three sentries, all of which were more interested in seeing what had exploded without actually abandoning their posts outright.

"Agreed," She said. "These numbers are noticeably shorter than when we'd left. It smells of a trap. The question is where and for which team? Even if Starlight were present, she'd not have the numbers to mount such a trap for all of our teams simultaneously. She'd have to leave the rest of the city completely unguarded to manage that. What is that witch planning?"

"Are you sure it is Starlight's doing?" I asked. 

Tempest nodded. 

"So, what do we do?" Babble asked. 

Tempest smiled. "What else? We trigger her trap, then crush her for thinking she could beat me in warfare."

"I like it," Nightmare said.

"It's like Nightmare in stereo," I said. I sighed deeply and wrapped my hooves around my temples as the dull thud of an oncoming headache played slowly through my skull. 

"I will attempt to take that as a compliment," Tempest said. 

My pupils dilated, and my sigh caught in my throat as I realized I'd said that out loud. Babble offered me a shake of his head as he walked past me. Nightmare was enjoying a good laugh. We might survive walking into the lion's den between the two of them. I was still pining for the hope that Starlight was miles away.

Then, as we entered the city square, marble and fountains shattered statues that had yet to be cleaned up and pillars. There was a bright flash. The world went white as I hissed and waved my hooves in an attempt to banish the accursed beams of piercing light.

"My my, look what we have here."

"Faust, Damn it." 

"Do not speak of our mother in such a way, whelp."

"Shut up, Nightmare."

Nightmare hissed. "Make us."
> Starlight to Starfall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There, atop a presiding balcony, stood the worst of my fears. At least fears that could and would immediately affect my personage. Starlight Glimmer, one hoof dangling idly over the lip of the balcony's marble railing, smiled down at my group. A smile that sent a wave of nausea through my everything.

"I must admit, I'd thought you'd be here ages ago. You disappoint, Tempest. You're usually much less predictable. A pity that changing loyalties came at the cost of your talents."

Tempest stomped closer, her eyes never leaving Starlight's smug stare. "You want talent? Those expectations of yours existed before I had a repaired horn. Now that I do, what makes you think you can look down on me, witch?"

"Uh, Tempest," I waved in her direction. She chose to ignore me. That or she was so blinded and deafened by hate she couldn't. It was the former. The latter was a world I could live without. 

"Yes, yes, your horn. I won't deny that it was a surprise. A welcomed one, I'm sure, right, Fizzle?" Starlight asked. 

Magic crackled and spat in all directions as Tempest charged her aforementioned remarkably intact horn. The bolts and arcs of magical current had both Babble and I backpedal lest we be disintegrated. 

"I swear I will reduce you to ash."

"By all means. Let's see what that mended horn of yours can really do." Starlight's horn began to glow. 

I lean towards Babble. "You ever feel like you should be anywhere else at all. Like this has nothing to do with you?" I asked. 

Babble rolled his eyes. "Every time I recount joining this quest, yes."

"Have you not noticed?" Nightmare asked.

"Noticed what?"

My neck turned to a darkened corner near Starlight's perch. The sudden movement under Nightmare's control had me shudder. I was not a fan. It took a moment to parse Nightmare's point. In the dark, shadows cast from the three-story building stirred something, something very much alive. 

"Ambush?" I asked. 

Nightmare through her hooves wide. "The whelp can be taught, after all."

"Oh, haha, so, suggestions then. Miss knows everything? Should we go after them?" I asked. 

Nightmare tapped a hoof to her chin, gazing up into the endless void of my mind. That came out sounding far more deprecating than I'd meant.

"No, leave them be for now."

"Might I ask why?" I pointed toward the hidden assailant from my mental palace. Nightmare grinned.

"I wish to see where this goes. This Starlight intrigues me, and Tempest already has my favor. Let them settle their score in peace."

I look back to the brewing storm of violence that churned and gathered before us. The sum of the city’s sound seemed to have muted itself of all but this moment, this confrontation. It reminded me of the night we'd stopped Nightmare Moon. The same night, she and I had become one.

What followed was all but instantaneous. The world was erased in a blinding flash. The sound of the colliding powers. The stream of magic Starlight and Tempest commanded left my head ringing. My hoof held in a failed attempt to shield my eyes from the flash. Then, a second and third flashes.  

 The ground cracked beneath my hooves. When the light finally faded, I could once again see. I was left aghast at the dueling unicorns. The already dismally kept plaza was rendered even more so by the new scorch marks and cracked ground. Starlight was no longer atop her balcony. She'd at some point found herself on the ground with the rest of us. Tempest had also moved. But instead of seeking a superior angle of attack, she'd placed herself between Babble, Myself, and the smirking Starlight.

Starlight rubbed a hoof against her cheek. "My my, you've tamed this wild mutt well, Stargazer. I won't lie, I'm impressed. Not even The Storm King had Fizzle so domesticated. Such a loyal little dog, aren't you, Fizzle?"

"Shut your mouth. Before I force it closed," Tempest responded with a very non-herbivore growl. It didn't help Starlight's comparison, that was for sure.

"Tempest, calm down. She's goading you," I said, sneering over Tempest's shoulder at the all to pleased Starlight.

"Stay out of this. The witch is mine."

"Star is right. We don't even know how she beat us here. Or, for that matter, how long she's been waiting," Babble said. He stepped forward and grabbed Tempest's shoulder, only to have her wrench his hoof away. 

"We know which of you little rebels has the lion's share of the brains. A Hippogriff to boot, very thematically appropriate." 

"I'll take that as an insult," Babble said as he nursed his hoof. 

"As will I," I agreed. "Do you really think you can beat us all alone?" I asked. Starlight hummed as she seemed to mull over the question. I could see whomever she had hiding nearby.

"It is more than one, isn't it?" I asked Nightmare from her place, watching fangs glistening in her prison devoid of light. 

"You've caught up, good. I've counted four waiting in the dark. It would be clever if I wasn't here. To use my domain as a blanket, has this smug brat forgotten our first meeting?"

I shook my head. "No, I doubt it. She's a bit too smart for that. If I were to guess, maybe it's a bluff or a test. I don't like it, either way."

"Oh, that, young Stargazer, we agree."

I was pulled back to the standoff as Tempest reignited her horn. She really needed a therapist when this was all over. Starlight laughed into a hoof. "All by myself, you say. In a fortress full of my soldiers, I'm alone? What an interesting point of view.” 

"Whatever plot you've thought up is moot. Once you're gone, I can't imagine there is a yeti in this citadel that will challenge me. They know me. They've seen what I can do. They know better, and whether you admit it or not, so do you," Tempest said, steely cold venom dripping from her all the sudden very even and civil tone. A shiver played up my spine. 

Starlight didn't react. She sighed and shook her head. Her horn glowed again, and her gaze fell past Tempest to me. I borrowed my own gaze and took a step forward. "Yes?" I asked. 

"Is it not common to meet the eyes of your opponent? Your dog is all bark, and the hippogriff is no threat. That leaves just you, Stargazer, just you."  

"I resent that assertion."

Tempest brought a hoof down and shattered the cobble beneath it. "As do I. Leave him out of this."

Starlight let forth a withering sigh. "Leave him out of this, you say? It was he who started all of this in the first place. He stopped Nightmare Moon, and he fixed your horn. He pushed me and the yeti king to act in haste. All of this, every last second wasted in this pointless game of royalty and egos, was his doing." Starlight's mask of polite condescension fell away. Replaced by a horrid contempt that could curdle milk. 

"I also resent that statement."

"As do I," Nightmare huffed, to no one's knowledge. 

"Resent it all you like. This is and will always be your fault. This whole charade is a waste of time, and it is a waste of my time. That cannot go unpunished."

I leaned towards Babble. "I think maybe, just maybe, Starlight isn't a very loyal lackey. I almost feel bad for the Storm King. It is so hard to get good help these days."

"Oh please, the ape could care less. That's how it always works. The only one you can rely on is yourself. Everyone is out for themself. Tempest wanted a horn, the Storm King wanted control, and you wanted the princesses. It's take, take, take. So, what is wrong with me taking what I want?"

"What do you want?" Babble asked. He spoke slow and low, stepping past Tempest, who herself looked ready to leave Mt. Aris nothing more than rubble in her rage. That really would be a pyrrhic victory at best. 

"Oh, little hippogriff. I want what any pony wants."

"A therapist because you're sounding kinda crazy, to be honest," I said. 

I offered the most enormous, fakest smile I could manage. The dismissive tut I received in return was duly earned. "I want my life back! I want my family back! I want Sunburst back! She took it all. She took everything. I want Vengeance!"

"I have a feeling she is talking to you," I told Nightmare. To which Nightmare looked rather bored. Even as her hooves shook beneath her. 

"Such wasted potential. She went and wasted it on such trite, overused tropes. The vengeful loved one. I have lost all interest in this Starlight. Let us retrieve my sisters and be gone."

I blinked in both reality and my mindscape. My fangs glistened as I grinned madly at Nightmare. It took only a few seconds for her to realize what she'd done. A pattern was forming. She pointed a hoof at me and snarled. 

"Not one word."

I shrugged. "Whatever you say."

On the matter of Starlight, Nightmare had a point. Meanwhile, Nightmare definitely took a lot from so many. Starlight seemed especially unhinged. I couldn’t blame her for it, not really. I offered an apologetic smile. Starlight didn’t seem to be appreciative if the grimace I received back was any indication. 

"Nightmare took them away, I assume?" I asked. 

Starlight blinked as my sudden smile fell away into a bored frown in all but a second. I needed to work on not projecting while talking with my literal inner demon. That'd have to wait. 

"If by took, you mean had killed. My entire town was razed. Early into her conquest, Nightmare Moon decimated anyone or anything that so much as complained of her ascension. One of which was Sire's Hollow. Only a few of us survived. So many dead over simple words. So many ponies I loved, gone, reduced to ash and bone."

"Is that true?" I asked Nightmare. I actively tried to restrain my body from copying the look in my mind. It was not thematically fitting. The hint of rage was buried in my look. The way Nightmare pondered such evils like one might consider what they want for dinner, had me grinding my teeth. 

"The name does ring some bells. In the first few months of my rule, I did make several examples of the growing dissension. I only burned three, maybe four villages before most fell in line. Those were dark nights, indeed. However, it was necessary to ensure peace and devotion." Nightmare’s words rang hollow. Even as she spoke them, there was a dull mechanical feel. It was as if not even she believed her words. 

"And you wonder why so many hate you?" I asked. Nightmare didn't respond. She wasn't meant to. What she did do was sigh. Her flowing mane wavered for a moment. Her look was downcast as she thought through my words. My fury stalled as I watched. A single metaphysical tear fell from Nightmare's foggy eye. I was left as dumbstruck as she was at that moment. 

"Nightmare Moon is gone. You said it yourself: Stargazer and his friends bested her and freed Equestria. So, why take the princesses? Why play these games at all?" Babble asked. 

“If you were right, I would have to concede. I might have relinquished the princesses if those claims were made in good faith. If you were honest, I might have even surrounded Mt. Aris. But those are all ifs. None of which are true. Nightmare Moon is not gone. She never was. In fact, it's clear that she is here, right now, right there!" Starlight screamed, pointing a hoof at me. I didn't bother to put up a facade of innocence. She was smart enough. It'd be pointless.

I held up my forehooves in submission. "Not completely wrong. May I ask how you came to such conclusions, though?" 

"The airship. Though I believe you know that already. Nightmare's magic saved your friend. That inky black mess reeked of her power. The same magic that burned my home to the ground."

I nodded along. "I don't know much about magic and how such things can reek. However, the inky tendrils did scream the queen of the night. I don't suppose you're interested in understanding why and how Nightmare is what she is now?"

"Would it change your mind?" Starlight asked. 

I pursed my lips and blew out through clenched teeth. "No, probably not. Though I'd like to say one thing all the same, if I may."

Starlight waved a dismissive hoof. "Go on."

"The Nightmare you hate, the one who performed so many atrocities, the monster that ruled through fear and death. That Nightmare did, in fact, die the night I and my friends faced her. That nightmare is over."

That caught Starlight's attention. She dropped her hoof and stepped closer. Her eyes sparkled with a thirst for secrets. I restrained a smirk. One that would have died on my lips nonetheless. The yetis hiding in wait were on the move. The shadows stirred. My skin crawled. Nightmare had shrunk back into her prison, in a corner of a room with no walls. It left my skin numb and my stomach twisted. I felt a welling anger, one with no target to enact its fury upon. 

Starlight tapped a hoof on the cobblestone, returning my attention to what was directly before me."Then tell me, what Nightmare is left?" 

Something clicked in my head. A cog that fell into place. Starlight's question was one of many similar questions I'd been asking myself for a year. Nightmare, what Nightmare, who was Nightmare, why was Nightmare still here? They were all the wrong questions and the right questions at the same time. 

The yetis were drawing in from all directions. We were surrounded, even if Tempest and Babble hadn't noticed. I had a feeling they'd know from the get-go. Starlight really picked the biggest batch of alert ponies she could. It'd have been funny if I hadn't been left pondering Starlight's question. 

"Those are the questions, aren’t they? Who, what, and why, Nightmare Moon was evil. A monster. A creature born from jealousy and spite. Of which, at least at first, had been justified by Luna. However, Luna is not Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare shrunk further in her imaginary corner. She'd begun nursing her head. Fangs clenched, she hissed incomprehensible thoughts under her breath. My veins ran cold. My tongue was dry, and I felt like I might vomit.

 "The things she did were unforgivable. You aren't the only one, nor are you wrong in wanting her punished. On that, you and I agree."

My vision swam, and the shadows danced. The encircling yetis were no longer hiding whatsoever. Nightmare had gone from mumbling under her breath to gasping for air. A familiar dark crept along my skin. My left eye was consumed in darkness. It was dark but comforting like being swaddled in a mother's embrace. It was safe, protective, and sincere. 

Starlight was staring at me. I blinked. I could feel the gentle darkness that had wrapped itself around my left side. I could only imagine what it looked like. Like Nightmare Moon, no, not Nightmare Moon. That was the issue here. The thing it all boiled down to.

I shook my head. I ignored everything but the mare cowering in my mindscape and the bewildered but still righteously angered mare in front of me. Everything else faded away. 

"That doesn't answer your question. It's the same one I'd been asking for a while. A question that could not be answered because the question is incomplete. It isn't what Nightmare is left. Because there is no Nightmare to be left of. When Discord stitched us together, no one knew what'd happen. But it wasn't just tossing two souls into a body and praying for the best. Those two souls became one," I took a deep breath. The world was deathly quiet.

"The two ponies that had once been were no longer wholly who they were before. Stargazer was, and is, the dominant personality. The one in control, most of the time. It was his body, so his soul got top billing. That said, one must then ask, what of the other? The other weakened, Element of Harmony blasted, Chaos magically fused soul? That soul became something new, it looked familiar, and pretended to be that deception. So well, in fact, they duped themselves."

The soul that sat in the corner shook and flailed like a mare possessed. All I could do was watch. The pain, the confusion, plain as day. She was wrapped in the dark as it tried to calm her. The same dark that covered me. 

"The answer is Starlight. There is no Nightmare. There hasn't been since the night in the Everfree. You point your hoof and make your claims. You may lay them at our hooves. We will take responsibility. But your anger is pointless. Your vengeance, unrequited." 

"Liar," Starlight whispered. 

The spell was broken. The world returned. The yetis surrounded us. Tempest looked ready to burst. Babble stood disenchanted as her look traveled between everyone and everything around us. Starlight, however, stood stock still. Her eyes were pinpricks. Her words were almost lost in the night's breeze. 

"Liar, liar, liar, liar."

"Starlight."

"LIAR!" Starlight screamed to the heavens. She growled and snarled and spat. The maddening rage that had consumed her met with her horn glowing brightly. Her magic formed a twister around the plaza, trapping everyone in. "The dead will have their revenge."

I shook my head silently. Words can only get one so far. If only Starlight could see what I saw. If only it were that simple.   
> The Shattered Mask
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chaos, and not the kind I liked. That was the scene on Mt. Aris. Before me, and, I am sure, everywhere else. I had yet to learn how the others were faring. Starlight could have set any number of traps. I shouldn't be worried. Sombra and Sabre were smart enough to know a losing gambit or apparent ploys. I'd bet my left hoof, Sombra, would have seen it all a mile away. None of that was my concern, though. Well, that's not my immediate concern, at least. Nope, all I had to focus on was the two dozen yetis and the mare who started to explode anything within fifty meters. Tempest had taken the opportunity to reengage said upset mare. Starlight had obliged readily. 

I took a deep breath and watched as the first few yetis approached. They had to juggle getting to their targets and not being reduced to ashes by their boss. It was quite the task for the poor, uneducated beasts. I would have felt some level of pity if they weren't currently an occupying army. 

"Thoughts, Babble?" I asked. 

"This could have gone worse."

I tilted my head, my jaw working in disbelief. "Really?" 

Babble sighed. "We could be on fire, you know, not counting the megaton explosions taking up ninety percent of the surrounding plaza."

As if in answer to Babble's karma. The sudden roar of a far-off explosion drew nearly everyone's attention. Besides Tempest and Starlight, who were in the zone as it were. Below us, on a lower set of buildings. The whole sum of which was now on fire. The scurrying of tiny blobs that made up whoever had to be in that area fled with a passion. 

"You were saying?" 

"No further comment."

The yetis had recovered from their confusion. With fewer thoughts running through their thick skulls, it was far easier to dismiss non-immediate concerns. Out of sight, out of mind. They turned back to Babble and me. I sighed deeply, rubbing a hoof against my throbbing head. 

My soul companion had stopped convulsing in her prison and was now back to staring into the void, mumbling under her breath. That was unfortunate. I could really use her help right about now. 

"For the sake of Faust," I muttered. 

"For the sake of us all at this point," Babble corrected. 

The yetis were drawing close. They'd slowed just outside of reach and had encircled us. Any second now, they'd make their first play. They'd have a fair chance of winning if they bum-rushed us all at once. I was still determining if they'd be smart enough to see it. It was a pretty brain-dead plan, but stranger things have happened. The first yeti lunged forward. 

Babble's talon shot out and planted it firmly in the yeti's growling face. The giant ape stumbled back a pace and hissed. Its nose dripped with fresh blood. However, the fire behind the stalled Yeti's eye did not scream fear and panic. I sucked in air through my teeth and took a broach stance. 

The yeti lunged again, this time far faster, and whipped an army in a hard horizontal lariat. Babble ducked the attack quicker, adding a second punch to the yeti's face. The others were getting restless and angry. I whistled and motioned up with my head. Babble responded with a quick nod in agreement. Then, in rapid succession, we both jumped wings wide. The yetis left surprised as we winged folk did the wholly unexpected and used those same wings. It was unthinkable if you were a yeti, at least. 

"Well, that's a temporary solution to an unwavering issue," Babble said. 

"True, but at least we have the mobility advantage."

An explosion not two meters out knocked any further affirmation of victory right out of my head. Babble and I drifted away, only for another explosion to land where we'd been seconds before. 

"Yeah, not as much of an advantage as I'd like," Babble said. "Any ideas? We could use some magic right about now. Babble gave me a knowing jab. Another explosion off to one side, a meter away, didn't help. 

"I wish," I said. 

She hadn't even blinked in the time since Starlight went off and started exploding everything in sight. She sat there in the dark, staring at the abyss. At some point, one would blink; who and when were mysteries. But I really hoped it was soon.

"Look out. Babble pushed me of the side, a bolt whizzing past. I could hear the hiss as it pierced into the night. The yetis below had, it seemed, most likely under orders from Starlight, brought themselves a set of crossbows. There were at least eight drawn; half were loading, and with us airborne, there was much more real estate to attack from for the yetis. That is for the ones who'd brought their toys. The others could do little but watch or, if fitfully suicidal, aim to take on Tempest. You know, if they could even get through the spell-slinging happening in all directions. Even the yetis had seemed to accept that Tempest was a no-go. 

"Well, this is unfortunate," I said.

"Agreed."

Several more bolts were launched. The night was doing us some good. The yetis, unlike yours truly, did not have the best low-light vision. This meant most of the bolts sailed through open air, nowhere near close enough even to need to move. If not for hippogriffs' keen sight from their griffon half. I'd have been the one dragging Babble around. 

Those bolts that did aim true were still predictable enough to evade if one kept an eye on the crossbowmen's yetis. If one kept an eye out, in general, everything was fine—a feat I'd always needed to improve on. Babble was better, but even still. We could dodge all night, but if we didn't do something to actually stop the stupid gorillas, it didn't amount to anything worthwhile.

"Nightmare, wake up. We could really use your help here."

I stepped closer through my mind palace. There was no response. Though it was clear she was mumbling something. In the dark, all alone, muttering to the darkness. It wasn't a very inspiring scene. 

"Nightmare, please." I hissed. I was almost within reach. Nightmare's mumbling was almost audible. Trying to rouse a pseudo-goddess and avoiding crossbow bolts was already taxing my weary mind. "Nightmare!"

The whole of the plaza was chaos. It was bad enough. I'm surprised Discord hadn't popped in. He might not like to solve every issue for us mortals, but this was big enough. I'd have thought he'd show up just to watch. If I called, he'd most likely show up. He might even offer an out. I could do that, but Discord had a point with his distaste for saving the day. He'd be here long after we were all gone. In what short time we had amongst the living, we should strive to stand on our own four hooves. That said, while I can respect his beliefs. I could not speak for my bum and the bolt that nearly gave me a second sphincter.

"Plans?" Babble asked. 

"I'm trying. But we're not exactly in the best place to think on the fly here," I said, ducking a wayward bolt that just so happened to whiz right past where I swerved to duck another. The longer we went, the more accurate the yetis were getting. "How's Tempest doing?"

Babble scoffed. "Those two might reduce the mountain to rubble at the rate they're going."

I sighed. "Of course."

I retreated to my mindscape. Nightmare was close enough that I could reach out and touch her. Yet, I didn't. I couldn't. Whatever had Nightmare in a state like this went beyond me. I didn't have the right to force her back to reality. I'd told Starlight that Nightmare and I were one and the same. That was true in all the ways that mattered. We weren't quite who we were before. But that did not mean we were identical. She was still here, as was I. We were two halves of a single hole. A more complete whole than when Nightmare had controlled Luna. 

"Nightmare, please," I whispered. 

"Not."

I blinked. It was the first thing Nightmare had said clearly enough to make out. "Not what?" I asked.

"Not Nightmare, not anymore."

"Oh."

It seems Starlight wasn't the only one left reeling after my speech earlier. Nightmare had come to terms with what we'd become. It was a bit much. As the speaker, I wasn't quite as struck by the implications. I had come to the realization some time ago. I had a year to accept Nightmare, and I were stuck together. That Discord had done what he could, but even he couldn't cheat death. A cost for my revival No, that wasn't fair. It was our revival. Both Nightmare and I were given a second chance. Now, Nightmare had to accept it as well. Once all but a god, now, something less. It was quite the drop back to reality, to a life so opposed to her past conquests. 

"Nightmare, please. We're in this together. You aren't alone."

Nightmare looked up from her self-reflections. Her eyes could barely focus on me. Her breath was ragged. "I'm! Not! Nightmare! I'm, I'm not Nightmare Moon, not anymore."

There it was. It was as simple as any other declaration I'd made since we set off on this voyage to save the princesses again. I didn't know what to say. She was still staring at me, shaking but her gaze unwavering. I couldn't look away as her stare bore into me. 

"Then who are you."

I don't recall thinking or speaking. The words were simply there, free for both of us to hear and consider. I was pulled from my mind palace as I was pulled further into the sky as the Yetis continued to fire their crossbows. The time dilation between my inner world and the physical world was impressive. I cursed under my breath as I pulled out of Babble's grip. He gave me a tired look. I could relate to that. 

"What in the world are you doing?" Babble asked. 

"A battle on two fronts," I said with a humorless laugh. 

"Meaning?" Babble asked.

"Plan A isn't looking so good. You got anything?" I asked. 

"We could go find the others," Babble suggested. 

I shook my head and looked back toward the magic duel going on below us. Starlight through lightning, Tempest through fire, shield here, dodge there. A stalemate by any other name. 

"We can't just leave Tempest. So, I'll stay. You go."

Babble balked. "With your trances, you'll end up a pin cushion. You go, I'll stay. Besides, your aerial mobility is tragically poor."

I place a hoof on my chest. "Ouch, my pride. Go, Babble, I'll be fine, we'll be fine. All of us, so go find Sombra, or Sabre, anyone."

Babble made to say something, but the words died in his throat. Instead, he shook his head, gave one more look at the yetis below, and, mumbling something about my lack of sanity, left, back the way we came toward the city and the fires and the shouting. Babble had his mission, and I had mine. All I had to do was keep these yetis occupied. Easy, anyone could do it. Several of the yetis had turned to watch Babble go. Jingling keys and all that. 

"Hey, you big hairy morons. Forget something?"

It seemed that perhaps at least a few of them had. The looks of dumbfounded recollection as they exchanged looks between the fleeing hippogriff and myself. It almost hurt being so readily disregarded.

"Come on, guys, you're gonna hurt my feelings here." 

The second wave of confusion was almost pitiable. I offered a midair shrug before dropping several meters and sticking my tongue out in defiance. That broke them out of their stupor and returned their undivided attention to little old me. Only after the first few bolts were fired did I recall just how unenjoyable that was. 

"Crap," I whispered as one bolt missed my ear by a hair's breadth. "Babble better get back soon, or I might end up haunting him before the night's end."

So, target practice continued. Now, flying is a tricky skill. A taxing one at that. It was more so for thestrals. Our wings were far more optimized for gliding and hovering. Pegasi had the endurance for speed and maneuverability. Give and take feathers versus leather. It was becoming clear that Babble's opinion hosted far more fact than fiction in terms of his thoughts on my flying skills. If it weren't for the fact the yetis were as dumb as rocks, and I didn't blend into the night so well. I'd have died a dozen times over by now. 

I swerved another bolt and pondered just how many bolts did these guys have. We had to be close to twenty a piece at this point. My wings felt like each beat was doubling their weight, and I wasn't the only one to notice I was slowing down. The yetis were being much more deliberate with each shot. It was just a matter of time for them. I flipped over two more bolts. I could barely catch my breath. My lungs burned, and my sides were all but numb. 

"Who!"

I blinked. The voice was low, a whisper on the wind. So faint one could have imagined it. Anyone but me, that is. I withheld a curse as I lost another meter in height. If I dropped too much further, the blasted apes might be able to just grab me out of the sky. 

"Am!"

I was also starting to worry for Tempest. The escalation of her and Starlight's duel had become far more one-sided the longer their battle waged. Tempest had far more combat experience and raw force behind her spells, but Starlight had a nigh unparalleled talent and precision with her own casts. Even now, it was clear Tempest was tiring faster than her enemy. All in all, everything was going just peachy. 

"I."

Then there were my brainmate's whispers. Even if I could spare the time, her words would be quiet. Trying to parse them while fighting for my life was doing me no favors. Then I felt it. The searing pain of something sharp pierced my left wing. I managed a chaste glance, and lo and behold. A bolt lanced taut, dripping in blood. I barely had time for a growl before I fell the last few meters out of the air and landed hard on my back. I was lucky that the marble was oh so soft and inviting, or the fall might have been excruciating. 

"No, I, only we," I answered in between bouts of mind-bending pain. I don't know why I answered her, why that was the first cohesive thought that came to mind. But it was, and for some reason, that made me happy. A certain satisfaction only the insane could revel in. 

"Only we…"

I could hear the plodding stomps of approaching yetis. This should be fun. I let that simmer, though. They could wait. I nodded, both in and outside of my mental place. "That's right. We're in this together."

"…Together."

It was warm, a faint tingling warmth that started in my chest and swelled outward. I heard the yetis stop in their tracks, talking amongst themselves. The warmth grew hotter and hotter. The pain vanished as the feeling grew. Then, the darkness came, but there was something else. A thousand little sparkling lights. Like the sky above. A starry night. I smiled. Then, I began to laugh, and another voice laughed right alongside me. "Only we."
> Born Anew
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was madness, a wicked, blackening madness. The shadows wrapped around my every inch. I was blind and deafened to what was happening in the realm of the living- the yetis, Tempest, Aris as a whole- it was all lost to me. I'd finally stopped laughing, leaving only a comfortable silence.

"Well, this is a mess, eh?" I asked the darkness. The darkness held its tongue- not that it'd ever been very conversational to begin with.

"Yes, it is."

I jumped, flailing as the shadows convulsed and ripped apart beside me. Where once there was nothing, there was a familiar form. She smirked at me as I pawed at my stamping heart. 

"Jeez, gonna need to put a bell on you or something."

"You will do no such thing."

She was right. It was kind of hard to bend the mental space like that. It was even worse when it was a shared space on top of everything else. I waved in her general direction and huffed. 

"So, what happened this time? I recall a bolt and laughing, and then the dark came calling as it does. Ya know?"

She nodded along. "I do. It seems there has been a fundamental change to our fused selves- an interesting but ultimately not unwelcome one."

I roll my hoof. "Go on."

"It seems, to my understanding, we are no longer two bound souls, two differing beings. However, what that means is beyond me. You can feel it, can't you? There is no I only We."

"Yeah, I was just hoping you'd know more, Nightmare."

The sum whole of the dark shuddered. A searing, all-consuming dread took hold of everything in me. I felt like I needed to vomit. The word was rejected wholesale by our very core.

"No," she said. "Not anymore." I nodded along slowly, feeling the acid in the back of my metaphysical self settle. She shook her head slowly. "You could feel that as well. You knew."

I didn't really know what to say. She wasn't wrong. I did, even if I didn't know why. I knew even before the bolt or the laughing. I was wondering how long either of us had known.

"So."

I let the word hang. She did not seem in any rush. Time was dubious inside such a realm. Mind, soul, whatever it was, played by its own rules. I wasn't much of a fan, but I had little say. 

"Indeed. In a way, it makes sense. How could Nightmare Moon exist without Luna? The very building blocks of what we once were no longer exist. We, both you and I, simply wished it so. It is far easier to hold onto what we knew was real, what we thought was real."

I whistle dejectedly. "Isn't that the truth?"

"Thus, why we are here."

"So, what are you, or we, or whatever? What comes next?"

She smiles. A serene flash of fangs in the dark, one that whispers of horrors yet to come. A duality much akin to us in general. I smiled back. 

"If we are no longer our past, then we have no use for the trivialities of its name, pledges, desires, or vendettas. Let us announce to the world what We have become. Let us teach the petty rabble that stole our sisters. Let us break this storm and bask in the starlight."

"Lots of hyperbole there. I like it."

There was no more use for words. The shadows faded, and the waking world returned: the stars above, the sounds of fire and battle, the whispers of nearby yetis. We took a single deep breath. 

We slowly rose to our hooves. The yetis before us took defensive stances as we dusted ourselves off. The bolt lay discarded beside us, the tear in our wing gone, repaired while we talked in our mind palace. 

"Well, that was oddly productive," we muttered to no one. 

"Monster."

We look up to the leading yeti, brow cocked. "Beg pardon?"

"What kind of best are you?" it asked. 

We mulled the question around our tongue. It tasted of blood and dirt. We could go for some water or mouthwash. We pursed our lips and nodded. "An excellent question, my good sir. You might not like the answer."

The yetis fanned out, encircling us. Our look never left the questioner. He twitched and snarled but made no sign of attack. One could almost taste the fear in the air. The fear of something new, of an unknown variable. It was enough to drive one mad. 

"We are—"

The bit finally dropped, and one of the yetis leaped forward without any signal. A speak held out, poised to skewer us where we stood. The yeti didn't make it far. Still several meters out, he stood frozen in place. He struggled vainly as he was wrapped in a web of darkness. A series of wires shot out from his own shadow. I smiled a bit as I turned from the captured yeti back to his supervisor. 

"—Well, that was rude. As I was saying."

"Monster, you are a monster," The lead yeti yelled, spittle flying from his sneering mouth. It was enough to cause us to grimace in return.

"No, no, no. We are no monster. We are the night, we are the shadows, we are everything caught in the light of the stars. You may serve Starlight, but we are the Starlight incarnate."

We took a step forward, wings spread wide. The yetis scrambled back. We shook our head. The dark that once consumed us was no more. Instead, our coat lightened to a near silver, and our wings sparkled like the very light of the heavens above. A tapestry of constellations much like that of Luna's own ethereal mane. We lacked the horn or the sheer presence of an alicorn, but we made up for it with enthusiasm.

"We are Noctis Stella, and we will not be denied. Now yield beast of be trampled beneath our hooves."

I couldn't help but smile as Stella and I watched from our mindscape. It was refreshing to work in tandem and no longer play Jekkyl and Hyde. I had to restrain a laugh the longer our monologue went. Both that and the name were mostly Stella's spiel. While we may no longer be tossed from one to the other, Stella had taken the lead. She deserved an outlet; hell, I did, too. But there was plenty to go around, and I at least try not to be greedy. 

Stella seemed happy. The light in her eye danced. The twinkle, much like our wings, sparkled with an uncanny glow. The transformation wasn't too dissimilar to her prior form. The same cyan eyes, the same black coat, the same imposing presence. It was subtle. Her mane was shorter and lighter while still that of the night sky. Her cutie mark had also changed. No longer the moon, it was now a plethora of stars inked in dark blues. A light that shone in the dreariest of nights, a light that would watch over all those lost in the dark.

"We should wrap this up. Tempest could use the help," I said, nudging the mare beside me. She nodded back. 

"True, we shall make this swift."

The yetis had mustered whatever resolve they had left. The surprise of our transformation and then the capture of the first attacker would only go so far. Thus, they rallied and looked none too pleased. That was fine. We were not happy either. We cracked our neck to one side and let the deepest dark flood forth. The shadows of the surrounding yetis, rubble, fountain, and pretty much everything within sight wiggled free of their origin and gathered beneath us. The light of our wings spread through the gathered mass and twisted towards our enemies. Their resolve wavered, and that was their last mistake.

A glittering wave erupted from between our hooves, the maelstrom of magic washing the yetis away in its path. They attempted to dip, dodge, weather, and hold. They probably would have if this were any other pony, excluding alicorns. They are a hearty sort. That was, to their misfortune, not the case. We were no alicorn, but we were close enough.

We were at least half of a half of an alicorn, which was pretty good, all things considered. Without the other alicorns and probably Chrysalis, Sombra was likely the only unicorn with more power. Tempest and Starlight, and maybe Shining, were just a little behind. That's a small pool considering. It also did not account for Discord because no one, even he probably, knew the actual limits to his powers. So, back to the yetis. They were well gone. Not dead, to our knowledge, just ripped away and out of the area stuck in the tide's current. 

"Not bad," I said, patting Stella on the shoulder. She stood proud, leering down at where our foes had been seconds before. 

"But of course. Now, to the arrogant brat that taints our domain with her mere existence," Stella turned us to the decimated crater that was, at some point, the central plaza.

"They're a little too good at this," I said. I motioned to the pile of stone and wood that not ten minutes ago was quite the feat in architecture. 

"I would agree. Now, where is that insipid witch?"

"Mirroring Tempest, now are we?" I asked. 

"As I've said before, I like that mare. She has gumption, so few have anymore. It is admirable."

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

The actual search was trifling since the explosions were less than subtle. Flying over the scarred city block and passing a score of well-to-do manors was none other than the clashing unicorns in their ragged and far too done with this visage. Tempest looked ready to keel over, and Starlight knew it. 

"Surrender, you've lost. Even with your horn repaired, you are not my equal," Starlight said, walking toward her panting target. 

“Like tartarus, witch.”

"Fitting last words. I will engrave them on your tombstone."

Starlight's horn glowed as she prepared the coup de grâce.

"I would not do that if I were you."

Both unicorns looked up at our stunning visage. Tempest mouthed an unsavory request for reality to explain itself. Starlight, however, looked more annoyed than anything else. She stared at us, her eyes roaming to our sparkly wings and back.     

 "What?" Starlight asked. 

"The bit about the gravestone. We know a pegasus who would be none too pleased if you trifled with his work. We would not tread this path for all the bits on Equiss. A fool's bargain that would be."

"Stargazer?" Tempest asked. It wasn't lost on us that her question was more rhetorical than anything. A request for confirmation of the reality she thought she knew. It was a fair question.  

"In part, yes."

"How!" Starlight demanded, the ground cracking beneath her hooves. Her horn still shimmered with unused power. "What did you do?"

We cocked our head to one side and hummed. "We dealt with your minions, if that is what you mean. Or perhaps you mean how we still draw breath or where our ally has gone? So many questions left unanswered. Our apologies, you farcical fop.”

"Oh, nice one," I said between snickers. Stella rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the mare, who seemed ready to burst. Be that a blood vessel or explode into a red mist, one could not say.

"No!" 

Starlight fired her spell. We tutted as a wall of chaos shot from the dimly lit walls and buttresses that surrounded us. Starlight's spell collided with our construct, and the spell and wall dissipated.

"Tis that the best you can do, witch?"

"No! this cannot, this will not happen. I've come too far to be beaten by a wraith and a bat. You're just like the rest. You're just another obstacle to crush beneath my hoof. I will not be denied my revenge. You deserve far worse."

"Thus, your hubris will be your undoing, as it undid those who came before Tirek, Cadenza, Nightmare Moon. Each believed themselves untouchable. So, tell us, Cur, what makes you so special?"

"Because you're the villain here. You hurt so many. Do you think you're different just because you're no longer in Luna's head? You're still a parasite, a monster- the Mare in the Moon."

We shook our head. "If it were so easy, right and wrong were so black and white. We cannot undo what Nightmare Moon hath wrought. But we are no longer that same mare. We are not absolved, but we are no monster."  

"And who are you to decide that?" Starlight asked. She had begun to charge her horn once more. In the corner of our vision, we saw Tempest preparing to launch her own offensive at the distracted mare. We shook our head. Though not happy about it, she stayed her hoof for the moment.

"We are not; we do not flee from our responsibility, but we will not sit idly by and let our sae madness consume others. If we were a monster, then what have you become? You do unto others as was done to you. A tit for tat, and eye for an eye. Are you any better, truly?"

Starlight balked. "No, I did what I had to to stop you."

"And thus, you became the same mare you swore to destroy."

"Enough!" Starlight fired a second spell, which we dodged rather than block. The spell flew high and exploded in a street-shaking ball of fire. 

"Are you quite done?" we asked. 

"Never, I will never stop, not until you're gone. Not until everyone you've hurt is avenged. For, for everyone, for Starburst."

Starlight was on the verge of tears. She shook in place, her horn shining brighter and brighter. The air distorted around her. The cobble beneath her melted away. If she continued, she'd burn herself out, literally.

"Will that fix what is broken? Will that rouse the dead and rewind time? Will it make you happy, bring you peace?" we asked. 

"I, they deserved better."

Starlight was crying now. Her horn did not relent. She took a step forward, eyes fixed on our own, even through her tears. We took a deep breath and landed not five meters between us. 

"On that, you may be right. But, even our death will not repair those broken ties, those broken homes, broken hearts."

"This is what you deserve," Starlight said, and the world went white. 


  

    
> Atop the Mountain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was light, and then there was dark. Starlight's spell had consumed everything, and through the heat of mana burning and the hiss of the spell itself, there was no pain, no explosion; instead, there were the shadows.

I would be lying if I said I understood the full scope of Stella's new or returning powers. I stood in our mindscape, watching as the light that sought to erase everything was consumed. It was like a candle had been doused by a tsunami. Stella herself seemed pensive as if waiting for the gotcha. Starlight was strong and intelligent, so there had to be something more. I shook my head and sighed. It was always so complicated. 

"Are you okay?" I asked. Stella didn't respond, her eyes glued to the outside world. I slouched in place, let out a baleful yawn, and watched the world go dark.  

When both spells finished, we stood staring at a still-frothing Starlight. Her horn was still a blazing beacon in the night. We chanced a chaste glance at Tempest. She looked no worse for wear. Not that I'd expect her to show weakness even if she were at death's door. She scowled, her horn arcing with unused mana.

"We suggest you hold onto what power you have left, Tempest Shadow. We have no means to predict if it may be needed."

Tempest gave us a slow look before returning to stare at Starlight, though her horn was doused, if only for now. One misplaced pebble, and we've little doubt she'd be obliterating something. We wish for whatever solemn fool that is, the mercy of a quick death.

"This is pointless; you've lost Starlight; please, do not take this any further. You've every right to be angry. But, that does not mean one should throw their life away, for something as petty as revenge."

Starlight barked a humorless laugh. "That's rich coming from you. That's how this all started, right? Revenge, revenge against Celestia, Equestria, and all those you felt had betrayed you."

We nodded. "This is true, but that is the past. A past not worth repeating. Learn from our folly; be better than us."

"Oh, I have, I've learned a lot, actually. I've learned that in raw power, you've got me beat. You also, be it a new form or not, had far more experience in war and cruelty than I. So, that in mind. I've chosen a separate path; it was a bit more windy than I'd have liked, but a win is a win."

I cocked a brow, turning to Stella. She'd taken to biting her lip so hard, metaphysical or not, she'd drawn blood. I'd hazard the guess that the us outside had, too. Stella seemed ready to bolt. A certain hesitant energy sat in the air. The sum whole of our mind was practically dancing with sparks. 

"Do you have any idea what she means?" I asked. Stella growled, eyes darting around, scanning our surroundings. She had me getting nervous. I'd taken to idly tapping a hoof, eyes following Stella rather than the world around us. "Stella?"

"Where?" was all she said before something popped behind us. There was a sudden whoosh, and something smacked into our back. The second it did, something clung to us, heavy and growing. Then it clicked. 

"An orb, one of her magic orb things, shit." I jumped up from my spot in the mindscape and all but pounced toward Stella. "Thoughts, these stupid things are, this isn't good."

Stella hissed. Her fangs bared, she reared onto her hind legs, wings spread wide. Our corporeal form matched in tandem. Despite the growing wait on our back, we stood wide, eyes glowing in the dark. 

"I win," Starlight said. She grinned from ear to ear, muzzle held up in smug superiority. Tempest cursed from beside us. We paid her no mind. 

"Won, that is amusing. We have given you ample chances to quietly surrender. You have trampled our mercy into the dust. Won indeed."

A sudden crackling sound had me shudder. It was as if a rake was going up our spine. I looked at Stella, who seemed unphased by the sound of the feeling that followed it. Starlight blinked in confusion, eyes dilating as the sound continued. The stone that sought to imprison us was cracking and sliding off in chunks. My own look matched Starlight's. Even Tempest's stoic disposition seemed to recoil. 

"What, how, you can't."

Stella smiled at Starlight as the largest stone, the spot where it began, split in twine and fell to both sides. I attempted to ask Stella what she did but could only manage to flap my mouth wordlessly. 

"Oh, and whom, I wonder, decided that? This is not the first time you've resorted to these cursed spheres of yours. Twice prior have we avoided the fate you would have left us to. Twice over, we had the chance to examine your secret weapons. Twice over, we've dissected what power they wield and how to undermine said power. Did you think us daft, a mindless brute? No, my dear Starlight. But more than that. You forget, that your once upon a time, ally." Stella looks over and nods to Tempest. "Knows them well. As such, finding a means to break free was foal's play."

Starlight took a step back. The color had drained from her face. She couldn't keep from shaking her head in silent denial. I could relate. While we had come across the orbs before, and Tempest would clearly know about them. I hadn't ever thought of pursuing such things. To that end, when had she had the chance? What was even going on anymore?

"While you slumbered," Stella said. 

I blinked. "What?"

"We sought the aide of Tempest Shadow while you slumbered. We did not intend to let the Storm King or his allies surprise us. We would not let the impudent cur believe himself safe."

All I could muster was a tired shrug. "Yeah, that would do it."

"But that is the difference between you and me, Starlight. You could never have won this game. For, you were never even a player."

"Nononono, This can't be happening. I was supposed to win. You're just a monster. This can't be happening."

Starlight attempted to flee, to turn tail and run as quickly and as far as she could to her airship, the Storm King's palace, and the ends of Equiss. She would have if only she faced any other. As hard as she made to turn and flee. She could not move from her spot. Her hooves had been pulled into her very shadow, stuck like she'd found herself caught in liquid tar. She fought to free herself, screaming and pulling, but it did little. The fear in her eyes grew. Each movement was more desperate and erratic. She cursed, pulled, twisted, and growled, but she only sunk deeper into the shadow and into herself.

Stella slowly walked over with no joy or taunting. Instead, both Stella, inside and out, were tired. Our wings sagged, eyes barely able to stay open. The adrenaline had come crashing down, and the battering we'd taken left us at our limit. Yet, even still, Stella strode forth. 

"I believe this farce needs to end. You are not wrong to hate me, but to let it consume you. You have begun down a path I am all too familiar with. I can not force you from it, but I offer aid should you seek it. You are not alone."

Before Starlight could respond, Stella tapped a hoof to Starlight's forehead, and thus, the outraged unicorn drooped, snoring as she was forced into an uneasy, unwanted slumber. 

"You can do that?" I asked. 

Stella tutted. "While my new form is based upon that of your own. I am now without any of my old magic. I must simply wield it more creatively."

"Huh, fair enough."

"What would you do with her?" Tempest asked, taking a place beside us. She looked down at the sleeping mare and sneered. 

"We shall do as we must. For now, she is a prisoner of war. Her capture should give us some leverage over the yetis who follow her correct?"

Tempest did not seem happy with our decision but refrained from expressing whatever thoughts were running through her head. "It'll at least get their attention. If that is a good thing, It'd be the first. Those mindless apes will take any excuse to smash something."

"Well, that is why we have you, is it not?"

That earned a smirk from our overprotective companion. "Among other reasons. I am invaluable, after all."

We nodded. "That you are."

"Star, you around here?" We pursed our lips and prepared for the inevitable. Bright Pitch was on the hunt. 

"Three."

"I'm surprised your friends found us so quickly," Tempest mused. The dutiful mare slung Starlight's unconscious body across her back. 

"Two."

"There, over there," Bright called from behind us. 

"One."

Even braced, the wind was knocked from our lungs as I was tackled at full speed from behind. So, there we were, face buried in the cobble as an overexcited Bright hugged the life from our body. 

"Star, you big dummy. Who said you were allowed to take on the final baddie without me present to record it? That'd be just silly. Oh, and uh, what happened to your coat, and mane, and wings, and well, everything?"

"It would be easier for them to answer if you weren't on the verge of killing them, you know?" Tempest offered a small mercy.

"Oh, right, sorry."

Bright climbed off of us and offered Tempest a hoof bump, which she accepted, lest she be crushed next. We groaned and stumbled to our hooves. Stella looked over at me and winked. The moment she did, there was a flash, like the flicker of a candle in the night's gentle breeze. Where Stella's new form once stood, Stargazer, in all his normalcy, now stood. 

"This better?" I asked Bright. Stella was laughing in my head. The stupid traitor, she'd rue this day, so I swore.

"Wow, neat trick."

It was about that time that Bright's teammates showed up, unlike Bright, who seemed to be almost glowing, with not a scratch to show. Sombra and Sabre both looked like they'd been run ragged. Gliding above them was Babble, who seemed to be intensely scrutinizing the scene. 

"Well, here comes the cavalry, like five minutes too late. Class act, guys, really. You're doing Faust's work."

That earned me a smack to the head from Sabre, who looked on the verge of collapse. I wasn't any better, so I chose to say nothing. I was pulled into a tight hug as I rubbed the sudden bruise. I leaned into it, if only half because standing was a massive pain. 

"You look like you got your plot kicked," Sabre said. It was a matter of fact. He left no room for interpretation. Once again, he did not look much better, so I once again said nothing regarding it. 

"Only a little. You should see the other mare," I said, motioning to Tempest and her cargo. 

"You beat her, really?" Babble asked, landing between Tempest and me. After all that, you beat her?"

"If it helps, I did nearly die. So, you know, same old same old."

"A bad habit," Sombra said. He looked around the battlefield with interest before pointing to the remains of Starlight's orb and the rock that spawned from it. "Explain."

"Yeah, I need to write down everything," Bright said, pad and pencil in hoof. My fellow bat danced in place with anticipation.

I scoff. "First, I take it you took care of the shaman?" I asked. 

"We did now explain," Sombra said. His glare sent a shiver down my spine. If I didn't know him, I might have even been scared. I tapped my chin and shook my head. Nah, never. Sombra is too pure a soul. Stella balked from her place in the mind palace. 

"So, it all started a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." I was met with an audience of blank stares. "Fine, geez. I assume Babble told you what had happened before his leave, right?" I received a round of nods. 

"Good, well. A minute or two later, I got skewered by a couple of crossbow bolts. That was a fun time, for sure," I said. Babble, Sombra, and Sabre did not look amused. I threw my hooves up. "I did."

Sombra looks to Tempest, who shakes her head. "I was not present to confirm or deny anything."

"Don't believe me, ask Stella," I huffed.

"Stella?" Sabre asked. 

"Formerly known as Nightmare Moon, now known as Noctis Stella, yeah. You've met her."

Sabre rubbed a hoof down his face. "Star, we can't leave you alone for five minutes without you either nearly dying or doing something that makes Bright seem normal. Why did Nightmare of all ponies change her name?"

"Firstly, don't dead name her, secondly because she wanted to. She even got a new look. You missed a pivotal moment in her existence. We even got a cool new power-up. Of which, both Tempest and Bright can confirm."

I smiled up at Sabre. He looked down at me. My smile grew wider until Sabre could no longer bear the smug and looked to Bright.

"It's true. He was all whoosh and pow and giant starry wings. It was awesome. Once we return home, it'll be a killer scene when I get to write it."  

"It was impressive," Tempest added.

"This is Something to look into later. I assume this new power broke the sealing orb's power?" Sombra asked. 

"Nah, Stella had actually been working with Tempest to counter it. I mean, before it finished its whole rock prison thing."

"Of course she did," Sabre said, leering at an amused Tempest.

"Yeah, so the new suped-up Noctis Stella form thing was just more than Starlight was prepared to handle. She's alive, if you're curious by the way."

"We were not," Sombra assured. "Now, I believe we've caused enough chaos. It is—"

"Enough, Chaos, you say? It's impossible; you can never have too much of a good thing." Thus, where once there was none, there now stood Discord, who arrived in a flash of confetti and candy corn.

"Oh joy," Sabre said with a sigh. "When it rains, it pours."

"Yes, well. I think you've all proven yourselves good and proper. We have a quota for heroics, you know. We can't have you falling behind. Chyssie would never let you live it down."

"So, uh?" I asked. 

"Right, right. Firstly, congratulations, you silly little love birds."

Discord pulled Sabre and me into a far too-tight hug. When he did let go, he gave a knowing wink. I withheld the satisfaction of a groan and instead smiled back up at him.

"Gee, thanks," Sabre said. He dusted off his chest plate and looked defeated at me. 

"You are quite welcome, my dear friend. Now, secondly, this little farce has gone on long enough. Don't you think so?"

"Whatcha mean, Dissy?" Bright asked. 

Discord snapped his claw, and the whole of Aris went quiet. That is, the fighting and fires and the maelstrom of insanity vanished like a fart in the wind. Discord offered a tada before shooting forth more confetti.

"Yetis, beaten?" I asked

"I returned them ala express delivery back to the "Storm King." I'm sure he'll enjoy an army's worth of his precious people being made snug as a bug in a rug, except instead of a rug, it's his bedroom."

"The rest of our friends?"

"Right where they were, what did you expect?" Discord asked, wrapping a limb around Sombra's withers. 

Sombra did not so much as flinch. "The unexpected, of course."

"Wise," Discord nodded in agreement. 

"The princesses?" Sabre asked. 

"On Starlight's airship, where she left them."

"Couldn't you, you know, just free them?" Sabre asked. 

"Nope, the hero clause states that is your problem, my dear Captain. You and the other bearers, and Star for whatever reason."

"Why am I an afterthought?" I asked. 

"Because you are an afterthought," Stella said. 

I pouted, crossed my hooves, and tried my best to ignore Stella's laughter. 

"Of course, well, guess we know where we're headed next," Sabre said. 

"To bed?" I asked. 

"Nope, silly. Only Starlight gets to nap. We have princesses to rescue. Then we have to find Skystar, Thorax, Spade, and Blueblood. Oh, then…"

I let Bright go on, letting him happily talk into the abyss. He wasn't wrong. We did need to do those things. I just wish we could do them later. 

I was pulled into a side hug by Sabre, who planted a kiss on my cheek. "Come on, we're almost done. The sooner we get this settled, the better."

"Discord." Tempest was eying the Draconequus.

"Yes?"

"If you could do this," Tempest waved in no particular direction. "Then why not aid us from the beginning?"

Discord patted Tempest on the head and chuckled. "If I settled every little apocalypse and war, then what would you silly little ponies do once you were so used to me saving the day, and I could no longer do so?"

Tempest's expression morphed into one of recognition. One could see her stoicism and insight battle over who had rights to her face. Recognition eventually won, even if it was a war of untold proportions. 

"Complacent and weak," Tempest said. Discord nodded.

"Besides, Nighty, excuse me. Stelly and Star here had some stuff they needed to work out first. Isn't that right, you two??

I shrug. "I guess so."

"There ya see, now, I believe my job here is done. Toodles." As quickly as he'd come, Discord was gone. 

"So, does anyone know where Starlight's ship is?" Babble asked. A collective round of facehooves later, the seven of us were off. Tonight could not end soon enough.
> The Stars Beckon the Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took three hours to find Starlight's personal vessel. The blasted thing was hidden in a dock located in a lower nook. One that if you were not looking for, you probably would not find it at all. Of course, even before that. I had some explaining to do for the others. To the surprise of no one, my friends bless their souls took it with grace. Thorax looked a bit frayed by the end, but that was to be expected.

"So, Skystar seemed happy enough," I said. 

"We did, sort of kinda free her ancestral home. You know, if you squint real hard and ignore Discord," Bright said. He jabbed my shoulder and pointed to Starlight's almighty zeppelin. "So, how many booby traps are we guessing, huh?"

"Too many," Tempest said. Grubber nodded along. He, along with the rest of the Incondesence's crew, had joined us a while ago. Blueblood had insisted. So, loyal to a fault, the crazy seafarers did just that. "Stay back."

"Do you truly find us such fools we'd walk into that vessel with nary a plan?" Sombra asked. The King of the North's horn shimmered in red. The whole of Starlight's airship glowed in a similar vein.

Tempest did not respond. This elicited a snort from Sabre, a chuckle from Blueblood, and a guffaw from both Spade and Bright. Sombra was less than amused. He offered a scathing look from the corner of his eye as his spell concluded. The ship had mostly stayed the same. 

"I see. Well, I can confirm that our missing alicorns are on board. I also counted sixteen separate snares, traps, and illusions that would have impeded our progress. Thoughts, Commander?"

Tempest gave a curt shrug. "I counted seventeen."

By this point, the rest of us were trying to conceal our laughter poorly. Sombra's whole body was consumed in an intense red glow for but a second before it vanished. 

"Okay, okay, but seriously, who is going into that death trap?" Sabre asked. Both Tempest and Sombra took a step forward. 
"No one, duh," I said.

"Oh, plan to use your new alicorn power-up to wash away Starlight's madness, are you?" Spade asked. 

"Kinda," I offered with a wry smile. 

"Explain," Sombra said with a heavy stomp. The ground beneath him cracked. The level gaze he leveled my way earned a cough into a hoof. 

"Well, Stella can just, you know, kinda grab Celestia and Luna and pull them out. Shadow magic stuff and all that. If cast in shade, it is free for the taking, and with us being in an obscured hole in the mountain.

I let my words trail off. I had everyone's sans Tempest's attention. Stella offered her own chinging tut. Et tu, I mused to myself. 

"This should be interesting, if not a bit beguiling," Blue said, waving a hoof from me to the ship.

"I'm taking notes. Today has been a spring of awesome ideas," Bright said, tapping the tip of his pen to his waiting notepad. 

"Fine." I raised my nose in defiance. Taking her cue, Stella unleashed the miasma for her endless, boundless darkness. By that, I meant she wiggled her magic through the docked airship, grabbed her fellow alicorns, and pulled them back through. It took less than a minute, but the act left me huffing. 

"You okay, Star?" Sabre asked. 

"Running on fumes and force of will, but sure," I answered. 

I caught my breath, notwithstanding; there were, in fact, two very unhappy alicorn statues now sitting not ten paces in front of our group. I smiled, Stella smiled, Bright smiled, and the rest walked in passive judgment. 

"So, can you free them?" Thorax asked. The poor changeling had been caught between explaining everything to Chrysalis and helping those who had been tossed around by the yetis. He looked as dead on his hooves as I felt. 

"I mean, yeah, but it'll probably go faster if Tempest helps,"

"Right, well, you seem to have this well in hoof. In the meantime, I believe I'll break out the good whiskey. The crew and our hippogriff companions deserve a toast," Blueblood said. He turned on end and cantered out of the nook. 

"He best deign to share. After this trying day, even a king could use a drink or three." Sombra and Sabre turned to follow our thirsty ambassador friend. With any luck, they'd find their own reward at the bottom of a bottle. 

"Absolutely," Sabre agreed. Thus, Tempest and I were alone, with two petrified princesses and days' worth of fatigue pulling at the last frayed nerve we barely shared between us.     
 
"Shall we?" I asked. I nudged Tempest, who rolled her eyes in return. 

"If not us, then who?" she asked. 

I nodded. "True."

The spell wasn't exactly demanding to break. It wasn't the magic or the process; no, what sucked forth every drop of energy I had was the mundane fight with time. The rock fell away in bits and pieces. When the sum whole of the head was free. The princesses were roused to the corporeal world and were none too pleased. To which I could relate. 

"Luna, watch—" Celestia yelled before her situation caught up with her. She managed an awkward look around. The fact her withers down were unresponsive caught up to the Celestia seconds later. 

"Morning," I said. I gave a lethargic wave. Celestia looked down at me, a familiar weariness hidden behind those ancient eyes. 

"Star."

I nodded. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Where are we?"

I look about at the dreary hidden port. Then, back to her, I offer a sigh. "Mt. Aris, actually. A hidden port on Mt. Aris, to be exact."

"The yetis?" She asked. 

No sooner had my mouth opened than a sharp gasp drew everyone's attention. Luna was awake. 

"Sister, behind you."

Much like her older sister, it took only seconds for her last memory and new reality to collide. Luna took a look about and locked eyes with Celestia. 

"Sister," Luna said. 

"Yes, Luna?"

"Where are we?" 

Celestia looked down at me and back to her sister. "It would seem we are on Mt. Aris, of all places."

Luna attempted and failed to face hoof herself and took note of her mostly petrified body. "The yeti curs?" Luna asked with a grumble. 

"Technically, It was their pony leader, but yes," I answered. 

"The witch," Tempest muttered. 

"And you were the one meeting with Star and the Elements before our sudden capture. correct Ms. Storm?" Celestia asked.

"Tempest, Your Highness."

"Of course, my apologies."

"And you are aiding us?" Luna asked. 

"I am, yes," Tempest answered. 

"It has been a very long week," I added. 

"Hey, actually. This might be the perfect time to mention a bit of a thing that you may or may not be very pleased with," I said. I offered a toothy grin. Though by the way the sisters shared a less than enthusiastic look. Well, one can try, can't they?

"Star."

My smile grew a bit wider. "Yes, Celestia?"

"What did you do."

I rolled my eyes and waved a hoof in her direction. "Me, nothing, nothing new anyway. But you know how things go when it involves the recent past and the ill tidings of that era."

"Star."

I turn to Luna. "Yes?"

Luna did not answer. Instead, she leveled a very rude look my way. I rested a hoof on my chest and let forth a gasp. "How rude."

"Star, we are in no mood."

I snorted. "Of course not. You're in stone, silly."

I had not considered that their magical apparatus was also freed with the freeing of the princesses' upper half. I was, however, made aware of my folly when Luna wrenched me off my hooves and pulled her level with herself. 

"Fine, geez."

Luna eyed me for a second more and then let me fall back to the ground. "What did you do?" she asked. 

"Like I said, I technically didn't do anything, at least directly. So, back when I died. Discord revived me after getting obliterated by magical friendship lasers, right?" I asked. Tempest offered a raised brow, but no one bothered to answer. I didn't blame them. 

"So, when I was revived, I was pieced together by what was left of my soul before I could fade completely. Ala, the magic of Discord and his tomfoolery."

The princesses nodded along. Tempest was not surprised. Though she'd met Discord, any sane being that meets Discord quickly becomes unsurprising. 

"Go on," Celestia said. 

"Well, If my soul was still hanging about, and I was hit by The super rainbow, then well…" I trailed off. It only took a second. No, that would be far too long a measurement. In a second, too much happened for it to be adequately measured. I wasn't prepared. Tempest wasn't prepared. Celestia was not prepared. Stella, it seemed, was. I hadn't consulted her on telling the princesses about what we'd been through. It had been a spur-of-the-moment thought that had snowballed quicker and far more violently than I was apt to say. 

At one instance, Luna was still mostly stoned. Then, in the next, far louder and shrapnel instant, Luna was not stoned at all. No, in fact, she looked ready to catch fire. The room shook, the air chilled, and Luna had once again lifted me into the air, this time several meters up as I vainly tried to grasp what happened. Luna leered up at me, her eyes shining within a magical haze.

"If this was a joke, you will find my humor has abandoned me. Now, Star, please continue. If thou were amidst the ruins that night, then what manner of creature also shared this fate?"  
 
Celestia had apparently caught on and looked like she'd been slapped. She looked at her furious sister and then at me. I paid her no mind. She wasn't the alicorn I was worried about. 

“Luna,” Celestia said. 

"No! We must hear Stargazer's take in full. Now, continue."

I had little means to deny such a quest. So, with my body dangling like the victim of the gallows. I did as Luna demanded. "If I was still there, then why wouldn't Nightmare Moon be present too," I said.

"And if she was?" Luna whispered. 

"Then what became of her," Celestia finished.

"Well, the thing is. Even Discord couldn't put me back together completely. There just wasn't enough of me to fill the void. So he—"

I gagged as I was pulled back down to earth and placed promptly before the oh-so-upset Princess of the Moon. "What did he do? What madness has he unleashed? Tell us."

I sighed and offered a sullen look. I met Luna's gaze even as her stalwart facade seemed ready to break at the gentlest prod. Prepared to fall away and leave a mare who had already seen so many horrors, horrors she had unleashed not so long ago. Even now, tears fought at the corners of her eyes. 

"To save me, he used Nightmare's soul to fill the missing pieces. I was the majority, the one at the wheel. But she was there too, in the back of my mind. She has been since the day she was bested, the day the sun rose on Equestria in a very long time."

The port went silent. Luna had taken to the floor with enthusiastic fervor. Tempest had stepped away, as this wasn't exactly her concern. Celestia, however, had her eyes trained by every faint movement. My breaths, blinks, and even the rhythm of my heartbeat. She didn't look angry or afraid. Celestia was nothing if not a master, an emotional suppression and misdirect. In the last year, I'd heard more than one grumble from Chrysalis, saying it wasn't fair. That Celestia ruined the hunt. I'd thought it funny then. Now, it left me feeling cold. Stella wasn't doing much better. I could feel her shaking as she tried to edge up the confidence to take the reins. I was wondering how well that would go, but it'd need to be done at some point. The earlier, the better.

"She is listening, correct?" Celestia asked. The silent spell that held the port's occupancy hostage was finally broken. I let out a sigh of relief. If only for the sake of my frayed nerves. 

"She is."

"Sister?"

Celestia ignored Luna's response. I swallowed hard. 

"May I speak with her?" Celestia asked. It wasn't a question. She formed it as one, but it wasn't. The not question left Luna quivering. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. Luna seemed to fold in like a house of cards. What remained of the petrification shattered as Celestia took a single step forward.  

Stella tapped me on the metaphysical shoulder. It was show time, it seemed. I am unsure how I expected this to go, but it was inevitable.

I felt the gentle touch of magic as my body shimmered in starlight. When the tingle ceased, there we stood. Noctis Stella in the flesh. We may not be an alicorn, but we'd be damned before thinking ourselves any less impressive. 

"Celestia," we said. 

"Nightmare!"

"No!"

Celestia stared impassively at us. If we surprised her with the change, she didn't let it show. Luna seemed torn between shock and terror. It has only been a year, a year free, free of her literal inner demons. To see us now, I could only pity her for all her bravado. She was still a victim of a fate most foul.

"No?" Celestia's brow rose only the tiniest bit but rose it did.

"Not Nightmare, not anymore, never again."

Celestia shook her head. The terse suspicion eased into a more relaxed intrigue. I let out an internal sigh as Stella contemplated our next move. 

"Stella then," Celestia decided.

We smiled tiredly. "Thank you."    
  
"That settled. I must ask, what have you become? Not accounting for the change in looks. That is not wholly surprising. You altered your…" Celestia trailed off and looked down at her sister. Luna had pulled her gaze from the rock beneath her and was eying us warily. That was fair, all things considered. "...Your prior host as well."

"What have we become?" Stella mused aloud. "A question I am afraid I cannot answer, not completely. Even now, we are rather new to what we have become. Though, whatever I am, started the night Nightmare Moon was beaten, struck down, vanquished. Stella lowered her head to match Luna's rather limp position. "The new the true Mistress of the Stars was freed."

The admission earned a startled look from Luna and a complex range of emotions that were covered as quickly as Celestia experienced them. We sat back up and let the two sisters decide their next move. 

"A demon, tailored to whom they possess. A beast we feed until they are so grand we are left helpless before them."

If not for the acoustics of the port cavern, I doubt even Luna herself would have heard her whisper.

"Perhaps so. Perhaps we truly are what we devour. Or it is instinct, something deeper than the flesh or mind. The fact that we possess a soul bound together by two, we may not be what we once were. We only know for certain we are no longer Nightmare Moon."

Luna snapped up, stomping in defiance. The look of sheepish despair was replaced with righteous anger. Her eyes drowned in a maelstrom of pain and rage. She glowed in an aura of magic, her mane whipping about like the tide in a storm. We did not rise to the challenge. We sat silent as the storm raged. "Then what? What are you, A parasite, a monster, a demon? No, no, you are my nightmare; for over one thousand years, you were my waking, unending nightmare. You can't change, you can't, you can't, please, you can't."

As quickly as it came, the rage died to solemn surrender. Tears streaked down Luna's face. We did nothing as Celestia pulled her sister close. There we sat. However long it'd been, it was long enough for the light that had reached the cavern to rise and brighten. We were tired, no, exhausted. It took a conscious effort to stand, but we did so regardless. In time, Luna calmed and leaned on her sister as the two continued to stare us down. 

"Change is inevitable, unstoppable. We all change with time. For the better or for the worse, we evolve, adapt, and march forward. We do not ask your forgiveness. We do not deserve it. We may never deserve it."

"If not forgiveness, then what do you desire?" Celestia asked. She wrapped a wing tighter around her sister, who welcomed the comfort. 

"A chance."

"A chance?"

We nodded. "The same as with Sombra, with Discord. We seek the chance to prove what we are, what we truly are. We wish to move forward. We may not know what we have become, but we wish the chance to find out."

Silence. Less ravenous than the one prior. It was uncomfortable, leaving me on pins and needles from within the mind palace. I wasn't sure how that was possible. Stella would be holding her breath if we needed to breathe within the confines of our own imagination.

"You do NOT deserve forgiveness. After everything we did, neither do we," Luna said, pulling herself from the protection of her sister. "However, we trust in Stargazer; he has earned that time and time again. Thus, we shall trust him to discover the truth behind you and to smite thee if necessary."

Luna's word was law. Celestia masked the faintest of smiles. She did not hide the pride in her eyes as she stood beside her sister. Luna stood firm, though the anger did not fade from her presence, she tamed it, and broke that which bound her to Nightmare Moon all those centuries ago. 

"That is more than fair," Stella said. Before anything else could happen, she retreated from control, and our changed form faded with her.

I took a deep breath and cracked my neck to one side. "So, anyone else needs a drink?"

Four separate hooves rose. Though one belonged to the present but nearly forgotten Tempest and one the unseen hoof of Stella. I nodded. "Thought so. Hopefully, Blue hasn't downed it all. He gets super greedy when drunk."

So we left the port behind. Another night had concluded. Another story told. We had a direction, and like this, map or no, we charted out our own trail. The past was not forgotten, trust not earned, but hope, hope wrapped us all in their tight embrace. Tomorrow, we would strive forth, and Stella and I would stand side by side in the light of a new day. The nightmare was over.
> Tomorrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tis about time. Cadence has been nigh in arms over you two. That and has recently taken to betting on pairings and their feelings. As I've heard, she has made quite the mint from her dealings."

I groaned and leaned my back into the Incodescence's railing. Luna had been ranting nearly the whole time we were on the airship, lecturing Sabre and me. Blue, tipsy from his secret stash of booze, had become quite chatty. He'd taken his sweet time divulging all the gossip his rich, unicorn butt could think up. 

"Loose lips and sunken ships," I shouted into my mind palace. Stella had been laughing at my Luna conundrum and me since we boarded. Between her and Luna, I was almost convinced this was all some machination of Nightmare before her loss.

"Come now, Luna. I believe you've made your point quite clear," Celestia said, coaxing her grumbling sister into sitting down. The Night Mother may have ceased shouting, but her crossed legs and leer remained. 

"I'm not even sure why you're so mad," I said. 

Celestia rolled her eyes. Lluna is merely upset. Cadence has officially bested and bled my dear sister's coffers dry."

That bad?" Sabre asked. 

"I could have bought so much coffee with those bits," Luna snarled. 

"That bad," Celestia agreed. "On that note, I would like to congratulate you two and wish you the best."

"Thank you, princess," Sabre bowed his head. 

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Celestia. I appreciate your encouragement."

"The question remains, though, when will the announcement be made?" Sombra asked. The darker stallion had made his way onto the deck during Luna's rant and wisely kept his mouth shut for its duration.

"Announcement?" Sabre asked. 

"For the newest royal. Certainly, the noble houses will want to know, yes?" Sombra asked. 

"Newest royal—" I said before my mind came to a screeching halt. Stella's laughter had doubled, and all three royals were staring at me, a sparkle in their eyes. "Nope! Nonononono, Never."

"Come now, Star. The masses deserve to know," Luna said. Her frown had become a toothy grin, a fang glistening in the dawn's light. 

"How dare you," I countered, throwing up an accusatory hoof.

"What of Stella? Certainly, she deserves a say, yes?" Celestia asked. 

The two princesses may not trust Stella, but it was clear they had no issue using her as a weapon against me. Not that Stella would oppose such an opportunity. "No, no, we would not. Stella said between giggles. 

"All of you suck."

"And yet, the question of how we move forward with this twist remains."

Celestia tapped her chin. Luna bumped her flank into her sister's. The evil smile the princess of the night could conjure was not derived from Nightmare Moon; in fact, it was most likely the other way around. 

"Tis quite the predicament. Would they be Princess Stella or Prince Stargazer? Would we classify them both as royalty or only young Stargazer's alter ego? Perhaps we should census the populace and see what the common folk think."

I narrowed my eyes and pointed a hoof at Luna in the most menacing, slightly shaking way I could muster. "We can't be royalty; neither of our forms is Alicorn. We were also not born to the throne like Sombra or Chrysalis. You've got nothing, you evil old nag, nothing I say."

"Is that so?" Luna asked. The mare took a step closer and swatted my shaking hoof aside. "Would it not be wrong to claim that my inner turmoil birthed Nightmare Moon, that she and I are intrinsically linked?" 

"Luna, perhaps this joke has run its course."

Celestia stepped between Luna and me. The sisters shared a look before Luna stepped back and relented. 

"She isn't wrong, you know," Stella said, jabbing my metaphysical form in the ribs.

"Silence, you traitor. I am not touching a throne of any kind, so help me, Faust."

"Tis it that big a leap from hero to royalty? A knight of the land, one anointed by Luna not days after besting me, made royalty."

I let out a body-wracking groan. "Stella, please. I'm not a leader, not much of a fighter or hero for that part. I mean, yes, I was there when you were bested, but all I accomplished was dying."

"This is a feat that awakened the Elements of Harmony, a feat that would have failed without your thoughtless actions."

Why was I even arguing this? It was a cyclical argument at best. Stella wasn't vying for the throne. She was trying to hoist it on me. A feat Luna seemed interested in as well. Trees and apples and all the metaphorical crap. 

"So, um, is everyone done arguing?" Thorax asked. The crazy bug had talked with Chryssie and Shining for almost an hour. He only made brief checks of those in the walking world to ensure he hadn't fallen overboard. 

"It would seem so," Sabre said. He pulled me into a sidelong hug. I snorted but otherwise made no move to leave his side. 

"We shall redress this in the future. For now, our home awaits us. We take it, Chrysalis. Cadence and Shining Armor have kept the populace from rioting?" Luna asked. 

Thorax nodded, a wistful smile stretched across his face as he looked out to the horizon. "They've done their best, Princess."

"That is all that can be asked," Celestia said. She, too, looked out to sea, to the rising sun, the ebbing dark to the cerulean seas, and the gentle hues of the morning sun. I was the type of sight that left one humbled, the reminder that time marches on, the dusk awaits the dawn, and the dawn awaits the dusk. 

"You do realize the battle is not over, Stargazer."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, big time, those two are relentless," I say, looking at Stella. My other half, wrapped in her constellations, marveled, but not to the sun. She looked to the skies beyond, to the stars on high. They were still there; they left for none. When the sun's radiance dimmed, they would retake the world above. 

"What is your plan then?" She asked. 

I shrugged. "I have no idea. I have zero interest in ruling or having any title, whether honorary or not. But."

"But?" Stella asked. Her gaze met my own. I winked back. 

"I do know a certain mare who has some experience in such fields. In time, we could at least give the princesses a vacation here and there. Who knows."

Stella sank in her seat. Her eyes fell, and the ethereal waves of her mane seemed to fall with them. The drip of metaphysical tears echoed through eternity. I stood and, with naught, a sound, found a spot beside Stella and wrapped a wing over her shoulder. She sat and wept, and I waited. 

In the end, nothing could fix what had been done. Not long ago, Stella was the face of evil everyone on Equiss knew. She is still hated by most. If others, the everypony, the family who suffered under her reign, knew she was still out there, still free, anarchy was the only word that came to mind—total anarchy. 

"I stand by my words," I whispered. Stella's silent weeping stalled for just a moment. "You might not be forgiven for your past, but that doesn't mean we can't carve a future for both of us: no thrones, no crown, just a brighter night, a bit more twinkle in the stars. We don't need a fancy title to be something more. So, let's take it slow, and maybe one day, people will hate Nightmare Moon; let them. But maybe they'll learn to love Noctis Stella. Okay?"

Minutes passed, and there we stayed. A bat from another world and a spirit who once ruled through fear. A pair that made no sense, but that was fine. We didn't need to make sense. What fun was that anyway? Look to our friends, changelings, hippogriffs, ponies of every tribe, sitting on an airship, and happier to be there than anywhere else.

After a few more minutes, Stella righted herself. She was no worse for wear, considering technically, this wasn't real to begin with. I stepped aside and withdrew my wing. Stella took several deep breaths and looked back at me. The faintest trace of a smile was on her lip, and the spark of hope was glistening in her eye. 

"Perhaps one day," Stella said, looking back to the skies above. "We too can be a light others look to for comfort and guidance. No longer just the dark blanket the weak hide from. Someone like you, young Stargazer."

"Ha!" I bark a laugh. "Not a chance." Stella's face drooped. I gave the mare a light shove. "Last time I checked, it was you who taught me how to shine. So, get it together, lest the others think you weak."

Stella shook her head and shoved me back hard enough to have me tumble to the side. "Me, weak, never." I scoff, and Stella offers me a hoof. I make myself back to my legs and blow my companion a raspberry.

"Foal," She huffs. 

"Downer," I reply. 

Several seconds pass before we both laugh, an exhausted laugh that only those who've been worked to the ends of their sanity can laugh. It's the kind of mad cackle of those who have won against all odds—a laugh of relief. 

"Thank you, Stargazer."

The laughter faded. I fan a hoof in dismissal. "No, thank you, Stella."

So there we sat. The world of the conscious was at peace, and for the first time since this whole insane journey began, so too were the inner machinations of our shared mind—a peace all too brief. 

"Star, you've got to see this; I totally have a write-up for the climactic finale. Oh, this is going to be great." 

Bright Pitch flew over, put a hoof around my neck, and waved his notepad in front of me in a jubilant hysteria. I shoved Bright off me and held him at bay with one hoof. 

"Relax, I can't read anything if you're hopping around. Now, can I?"

Bright slowly settled and leaned on my shoulder, reading over my shoulder. Sabre stood against my other side, looking off to nowhere, in a deserved half-sleep. The princesses had wandered off, and Thorax had literally fallen asleep against the ship railing. He'd need to be moved before he ends up taking a swim. 

"Stargazer."

Both Bright and I looked up from his notes. Tempest stood resolute and tall. You could take the mare from the military, but not vice versa. I raised a brow. Grubber stood beside his boss, eyes flicking about in restless anticipation.

"Tempest?"

"We owe you a debt," Tempest said, tapping Grubber inclusively. The hedgehog looked ready to dive to the side. The poor guy's nerves were totally fried. 

"No, you don't," I countered. I smiled as the mare looked ready to throw a punch. I stuck my tongue out, beckoning her to do it. "You owe me nothing."

"That's not true," Grubber said. "The boss and I, we, you helped us, just because you could. You beat the Storm King's army and the witch, too."

I shook my head. "I did no such thing. Discord beat the army, and Stella beat Starlight. I was just along for the ride."

"Wrong," Tempest said. I cocked my head to the side but said nothing. "You were not along for the ride; you were the one who drove it forward. Discord healed my horn because you asked." Tempest jabbed my chest. "He then tossed the yetis away because he cared about you. Stella saved the day because you pushed her to be better. Time and time again, you led others to shine when no one else would have. A lord of chaos and the mad Nightmare. If in your shoes, no one would have given them a chance. No one would have even considered it."

I scoff. "That's a nihilistic point of view. There are others who care, who would do the right thing because it was the right thing to do. I'm nothing special, just a bat making his way in the world."

"Nihilistic, maybe, but not wrong."

Sabre wrapped me in another hug and nodded to Tempest, who returned the gesture. Traitors the lot of them. 

"Sabre, don't encourage her. I didn't do anything that special. Well, the whole Stella transformation, in a roundabout way. That was pretty awesome."

Bright nodded along. "I know. I have so many ideas for that part."

"You don't need to do anything special. In fact, it is often the mundane that brings out the best in those around you—the small things that show you care." Oh, great, another one seeking to displace my sense of normalcy.

Luna had returned. She stood side by side with Tempest, officially boxing me in. It was a trap, a mutiny. They'd all walk the plank, so help me.

"For the love of Faust, stop engineering my self-respect and look to one another. Even if what all of you insist is true. I didn't do a single thing alone. I am just another pony in the crowd. All I did was cast the first stone, as it were. It took all of us to do any of this, Nightmare Moon, Tirek, Starlight, all of it."

"That's fair, Bright agreed. 

"Tis the nature of equines, after all. Our strength only grows with those that fight for a better tomorrow together," Luna said. 

"Um, I'm not—" Grubber said. 

"You're part of the herd, whether you like it or not," Tempest said, bonking her sidekick on the head. Grubber's smile was enough to make me smile, too. 

"I just hope we aren't tossed into another storm too soon. Pun not intended," Sabre said as he threw a hoof toward the heavens. 

I bumped the big lug. "Yeah, next time, who knows what'll get us, maybe a—"

"NO!" The sum of everyone on deck yelled in combined denial. 

My ears flayed back in distress. "What all I was gonna say—"

Once again, I was cut off, this time by the voice in my head. Stella had wrestled away my voice and was not likely to return it anytime soon. 

"Cast not your gambit, Stargazer, for if you do, I will do nothing as Shining Armor rips you limb from limb."

"Phooey to all of you," I said in my mind, where not even Stella could steal my voice. "You're all just paranoid."

"Be that as it may, the masses have spoken. Now, sit still and enjoy the ride back home, or else." 

I rolled my eyes and turned away from my warden. "Yes, mom."

So, as the waves below rose and fell, as the sun shined down upon the Incandescence, and the crew sailed ever on toward the ports far ahead, the story of the crazy ape monsters and insane zealot unicorns came to a close. I sat smiling at my friends as we talked, joked, and made merry. I wouldn't give this up for all the power and wealth in creation. This was where I was meant to be. This was my home. 

"And to think, it all started with a spark."