1. The Kingdom of Light

THE SPACE BETWEEN

The bathrooms aboard the Starlight were well-stocked. Fluttershy was pleased to see that all sorts of hair care products, almost as big a variety as could be found in the Ponyville spa, were aboard. Her hair was beginning to curl up as it usually did when she went a while without relaxing it; the curls didn't look at all bad on her—quite the opposite—but they were a hassle to take care of. Hence Fluttershy, already having her hooves full back home with a treeful of animals to care for and many friends that needed help, took full advantage of her weekly spa dates with Rarity to have her hair relaxed and straightened.

Fluttershy doused her hair with the relaxer stocked onboard—the process was much easier with hands—and wrapped her hair up in a soft pink towel so as not to risk disturbing her hair during the time it needed to set. She then wandered out into the hallways of the Starlight.

She passed Rarity's room, where Rarity had been hard at work ever since leaving the Seven Deserts, sewing new clothes for pony proportions based on the styles she'd seen in Agrabah, Getzistan, Odiferous, and Galifem. A few more designs, she insisted, and she would be ready to send back the first package of her new line via fireplace. She had also made sure to design some more clothes in human proportions for general wear on human-dominated territories; for now, the six just wore the clothes Rarity had modified from the Gala gowns.

Fluttershy continued all the way to the kitchen, where Applejack was hard at work pitting dates. "Howdy, Fluttershy!" she greeted. "I'm just fixin' some dates up for whenever anypony gets hungry. What'd'ya think I should do first for fillin's? Almonds, lemon peel, or…" She looked at a scroll Jasmine had written out for her during one of the break times between construction on Agrabah. "This 'tahini' stuff? It's made outta sesame seeds."

"Any sound fine," Fluttershy replied. "Um…can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure thing! What's on your mind, Fluttershy?"

"Well…um…I don't mean to be a burden on you, but…"

"C'mon, Fluttershy, spit it out." Applejack smiled warmly, encouraging her friend to speak up.

"I know you were excited to try a lot of new recipes," Fluttershy continued. "And a lot of those recipes had…meat in them. I know you really liked it, and I've been trying my best to eat it for the past few days, but…I just can't anymore! I keep thinking about the animals! I'm so sorry! You don't have to stop eating it, but I…I can't!" She nearly burst into tears.

"Hey," Applejack reassured her, "ain't no problem. I ain't offended. Well, yeah, I was fixin' to make some real great lamb dishes, but you don't have to eat 'em. Heck, I'd even switch out the menu altogether if you don't wanna look at it."

"I'll learn to handle watching others eat it," Fluttershy promised. "I just can't eat a baby sheep!"

"Only thing is," Applejack brought up, "Twilight said our human bodies need meat for nutrition and all that. Now, there's gotta be some way around that, but I sure don't know it. I'm only just gettin' used to all the stuff human bodies need in the first place. You're gonna have to ask Twilight for the details on what you can eat instead, but when you come up with somethin', I'll learn to make it. Don't worry yourself so much, Fluttershy. We got your back!"

"Thank you," Fluttershy said gratefully. "It means a lot to me."

"In the meantime…" Applejack gently tossed an almond-stuffed date over to Fluttershy. "No animals harmed!"

Fluttershy delicately bit the date in half, feeling the snap of the almond. "Good!" she exclaimed.

"Glad to hear it!" Applejack beamed.

---

"Please?" Pinkie asked, staring at Twilight over the top of the Guide, which the latter was trying to study while sitting atop a couch in the lounge. Pinkie stood in the lounge's center for the optimum position in which to beg Twilight.

"No," Twilight insisted. "I know you want to have music throughout the whole ship, but I just can't let you try and use the main computer to try and rig that up! For all we know, that computer is as integral to the navigation station as the engine, and we just can't risk messing that up!"

"But it's too quiet around here!" Pinkie moaned.

"Tell you what," Twilight said. "I will personally put myself in charge of a mission to find you a way to play more music onboard than just in your room. Can you be patient until then?"

Twilight was answered with a nearly bone-crushing hug. "OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" Pinkie squealed.

"Um…is this a bad time?"

Twilight and Pinkie looked to the door to see Fluttershy standing there, her hair still wrapped up. "Not at all!" Pinkie insisted.

"What do you need?" Twilight asked cheerily.

"Um…I have a question about humans," Fluttershy said, "and Applejack said you'd be the most likely to know."

"Well, I'm learning a lot about them," Twilight admitted. "What do you want to know?"

"Can humans have diets without meat?" Fluttershy asked. "I, um…I can't eat meat anymore."

"Why not?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, can I guess?" Pinkie broke in. "You think it tastes like shoes! No, no, wait, it's because you…" Then Pinkie gasped dramatically. "It's because you're thinking of the animals! I just KNOW that's right!"

"It is," Fluttershy confirmed. "I know that there's a difference between talking animals and non-talking animals, but to me, they're all animals, and I just…can't eat them. You can eat them if you want, even in front of me. After all, there is a difference, and you'd only eat non-talking animals…but all the same, I can't."

"Well, let's just do a little research!" Twilight sifted through the Guide to find information on the biology of humanoid species. "It's a bit complicated, but…it looks like there's a way around it. We just have to match up all the things you wouldn't get from meat with things you can get from other food. Looks like…" She scrolled through. "Sea vegetables, soy, almonds, cauliflower, spinach…there are a lot of things we can use to replace those essential nutrients for you. And also, you need to get a lot of sun. Hmm…wasn't Applejack working with almonds earlier?"

"She was stuffing them in dates," Fluttershy clarified. "They're delicious. You should try some."

A soft "ding" noise sounded overhead. "That sounds like an alert from the control room," Twilight identified.

"How did we hear it all the way down here?" Pinkie asked.

"There's a PA system that runs through the whole ship," Twilight answered. "I noticed it earlier."

"THERE'S A SOUND SYSTEM RIGGED THROUGH THE WHOLE SHIP?" Pinkie gasped dramatically.

"You can't use it to blast music," Twilight sighed. "It's connected to the alert system!"

"Well, what's the alert system alerting?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know. I just know it's an alert!"

"Maybe it's an alert that we need to party?"

"That wouldn't be an alert."

"Oh, well…a mare can hope…"

---

When Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie reached the control room, they realized they weren't entirely sure which event had triggered the alert bell: the scroll that had appeared in the fireplace, or the way the map had cleared to show that the ship was approaching a new landmass.

Pinkie picked up the scroll, unrolling it. "It's from Princess Celestia!"

"What's from Celestia?" Applejack asked; she, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had filed into the room.

"We heard the alert," Rarity explained.

"Let's see…" Pinkie looked over the letter, reading it out loud in her best Celestia voice:

"My faithful students:

"Everypony in Canterlot was pleased to receive your first report. The account of your adventures in the Seven Deserts astounded us all. You have learned so many lessons, and we are pleased to hear that you are making new friends. By 'we,' of course, I mean Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and myself. The rest of your families, as well as Spike, will be receiving a copy of your report as well.

"I should have expected that you would run into trouble with the Elements of Harmony. The Elements need to grow, and will do so with practice and learning. As your abilities in magic, honesty, generosity, loyalty, kindness, and laughter increase, so will your power. Continuing your journey will provide you with the opportunities to grow stronger. When Luna and I wielded them, we were weak at first, but our travels helped us to increase in power. Here's a fun fact—Luna wielded magic, honesty, and generosity, while I held loyalty, kindness, and laughter. However, I cannot tell you what sort of powers bolstered the djinni you faced. That will hopefully become clearer in time.

"I do regret that I did not know you were to visit the Shadow Country, or Luna and I would have sent our regards to Farabu. She was a true inspiration to Luna.

"We all wish you continued good luck on your travels. I also feel regret that I did not inform you of the transformations you would undergo. That was a fault on my part. I was afraid to tell you, fearing it would dissuade you from the journey. I would be lying if I said there were not still things to learn about your responsibility. However, it is nothing you cannot handle.

"I look forward to continued updates. I wish you all the best!

"Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia

"P.S. I have attached to this letter a royal seal. If you are to deal with royalty in your chase of Chrysalis, you may need it.

"P.P.S. While I am not usually fond of post-postscripts, I feel it is necessary to tell Twilight that while I worry for her, I do not judge her actions, decisions, or feelings. Follow your heart, Twilight Sparkle, and do not second-guess yourself." Pinkie rolled up the letter and looked back into the fireplace, where a glimmering gold seal lay on the marble. "Here's the seal, everypony! Ooh…shiny!"

"So we just need to get stronger!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Well, I'll prove to her what Rainbow Dash can do! I'll be super-powerful before you know it! And as long as you're at my side, which is always, you'll get just as strong!"

"It's good to know she doesn't judge you," Fluttershy said softly to Twilight.

"But she's still worried," Twilight moaned. "I'll do my best not to second-guess myself, but it still bothers me that she's worried. Then again, she doesn't seem disturbed that I set a criminally insane sorcerer loose on a world of magic…"

"Pardon me," Rarity interrupted, "but what is that place we're approaching? I would like to get my new line shipped off before we land."

"I'll get to work looking it up," Twilight promised. She produced the Guide, scrolling through screens to find the name of the territory that matched the coordinates onscreen. "Okay, I've got it! It's not an Earth territory, though it says a lot of the culture is similar to the Earth territories. For the most part, this planet hasn't been that central to cosmic events, though there is one kingdom that happens to be, quote, 'a source of light that shines across dimensions.' Whatever that means. The planet is known as Aestas. But it looks like we're sailing up right next to the kingdom, which is known as…"

---

CORONA, AESTAS

The Starlight sailed through a clear blue stretch of sea towards a medieval metropolis; the shining white buildings, especially the hilltop castle, were stunningly visible out the ship windows. As it had been when the Starlight had pulled into the river near Agrabah, the sun blazed brightly; however, Corona was most certainly not desert, as green grass was visible in flashes between the white structures and on the edge of the shore.

The ship pulled in right next to the coast, and Rainbow Dash hurried up to drop the anchor. She reported on her way down, "We're right next to a dock."

"Looks like it's time for…" Rarity ran out of the control room. The others stared after her; she'd managed to throw her new outfits into the fire and transport them back to Fourth Equestria, after which she'd uttered the cryptic sentence fragment. After five full minutes, Rarity skidded back into the control room wearing her stealth suit. "STEALTH RARITY! I'm just going for a short jaunt outdoors to see what the local civilians wear. I shall return!" With that, she left the room again.

---

While the others waited for Rarity to return, Fluttershy finished her hair treatment, letting the pink fluff cascade down past her shoulders. Twilight kept scrolling through screens on the Guide.

"Hey," Twilight suddenly said, "this is interesting. Hasn't anypony wondered why everypony seems to speak our language wherever we go?"

"That actually is a little bit odd," Applejack admitted.

"Well," Twilight explained, "there's something called the Babel Effect. Most sentient beings actually can't pick up on other languages like we do, and have to use aids like a 'Babel Fish.' However, certain beings, called 'Travelers,' can actually learn languages just through exposure to certain atmospheres. A 'Traveler' with a capital T is a term that used to be defined very specifically, but it's been expanded recently because of new types of Travelers. Basically, a Traveler is someone that's meant to cross between different dimensions and worlds, and so gets the Babel Effect because he or she needs it in order to, well, travel. I guess that means we're doing the right thing, huh?"

"But how do puns and rhymes translate, then?" Pinkie asked.

"I…" Twilight faltered. "I honestly have no idea on that one."

Rarity strode into the control room. "Well," she said, "I have a fairly good idea of what we're working with. The good news is, I have plenty of ideas! The bad news is…well…I don't quite know how to put this. You see, it's very in style for the mares to wear long skirts, apparently. I didn't see a single mare in pants. At all."

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"I already don't like where this is going," Applejack sighed.

"Oh, but you two enjoyed your skirts for the Gala so much!" Rarity protested. "Applejack, you're wearing yours right now!"

"I'm just not a fan of those flowy frilly ones," Applejack grumbled. "They ain't practical!"

"The dress you made for the Gala was beautiful," Rainbow Dash admitted. "I loved it! But that was for the Gala. That was special. This is gonna be every day, and we don't know how many days it will take to find Chrysalis. I don't wanna wear a skirt every day!"

"Well, you're going to have to!" Rarity ordered. "We don't need to stick out any more than we already do! Our hair seems to be the defeat of us when it comes to blending in. There only seem to be five types of hair color in the whole kingdom: blonde, brunette, black, red, and white, or a variant thereof."

"Well, there ya go," Applejack said with a shrug. "We stick out. Why not just wear the pants?"

"Because…well, because…" Rarity broke down. "Because I really really really want to design skirts for you two! I already have the ideas and everything! You two would have been so gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!"

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Fine…if it means that much to you…make me the stupid skirt."

"You don't need to give in like that, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight insisted.

"No," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Look at her face, Twilight. Do you think I can say no to that face?"

Rarity's eyes were wide and sparkling at the prospect of making Rainbow Dash a dress, and her mouth was turned into a wide smile.

"But you owe me cool pants later!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"But of course!" Rarity promised.

"Eh, guess there ain't that much difference in a few more inches of skirt," Applejack resolved. "Go ahead and make one for me too."

"YES!" Rarity cried. "I shall not fail!" She charged off to her chamber to begin work.

---

"I'm beginning to regret this," Rainbow Dash said as she looked upon her new dress. The dress had a soft blue bodice that faded down into purple in the swishy, A-liine skirt and faded into red at the off-the-shoulder sleeves trimmed in lace.

"Nonsense!" Rarity said, practically shoving the dress at Rainbow Dash. "Just try it on! You'll like it much better when you're wearing it!"

"All right…" Rainbow Dash left the room to change.

Rarity doled out the other dresses. Twilight's was also soft blue, but a different shade, not quite as bold; the bodice was adorned with a dark blue over-corset, and the skirt, the same cut as that on all the other dresses, was made of a fabric that sparkled slightly under the light. Applejack's was a deep, mossy green with a high neckline, a brown sash, and short, lacy sleeves. Fluttershy's was sea foam green with long, draping sleeves and a pattern of soft yellow flowers over the skirt. Pinkie's, a cotton-candy-pink number, had large, puffy sleeves and a short, gauzy over-layer for the skirt, cut into shapes like flower petals that flounced whenever the wearer moved. Finally, Rarity's dress, of a deep pink, had white lace trim on the hem, large draping sleeves, a white sash whose ribbon-edges trailed down the length of the skirt, and subtle maroon floral embroidery on the rather low-cut bodice.

Everypony met back up in the control room after donning the new garments. "I guess it isn't too bad," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Let's just get going already! We don't know how much damage Chrysalis has already done!"

Rarity passed out several low-heeled shoes of coordinating colors, and the six left the Starlight, letting the gangplank out at the dock.

---

Nopony could deny that Corona was a majestically beautiful kingdom. All roads in the city sloped upward to the castle. The streets themselves were of white cobblestone and absolutely bustling with activity; vendors haggled with customers over carts, friends greeted one another, parents carried children on their shoulders. The people here did have only the spectrum of hair colors Rarity had described, and most of them had skin on the paler side. The women all wore flowing skirts, and the men shirts and pants with the occasional vest. Among them could be seen livestock, geese and cattle. The houses along the streets were mostly made of wood, with some stone here and there, and were designed with intricate, multicolored gables, all tall enough that it felt as though the street was enveloping those who walked upon it. Strung from roof to roof were two different types of decorative strand: garlands of plants and lines of purple flags bearing a golden sun insignia that reminded the six of Celestia's Cutie Mark.

"It's beautiful!" Fluttershy gushed.

"It's like Agrabah," Twilight said, "but at the same time it's not."

"Reminds me of Canterlot!" Pinkie added.

As the six moved uphill, they passed other landmarks: a fountain, a library from whose window Twilight had to be dragged away, a wall mosaic depicting a brunette king and queen in violet finery holding a baby girl with flowing blonde hair. They walked through one of the busier squares, in which the sun symbol was set in the bricks of the street, and on to yet another square.

"How do we know what we're even lookin' for?" Applejack asked.

"I have no idea," Twilight admitted.

"Can we at least look around until we know?" Pinkie asked. "Everything here looks like so much fun!"

"I gotta agree," Rainbow Dash added. "I wanna explore this place."

"OOH!" Pinkie cried, seeing a crowd of people on the ground, drawing on the street. "Street art! Maybe we can join!"

"I don't see why not," Applejack said with a smile.

"We're on business!" Twilight insisted.

"We don't even know what business is!" Rainbow Dash shot back.

Twilight sighed. "Okay. You're right."

Rarity placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "It's all right. We'll find out what we're supposed to do eventually. I'd rather focus on our mission, but I suppose it isn't very healthy for us to forget to have some fun."

The six approached the group that drew upon the street. Four little redheaded girls used chalk to scribble multicolored designs upon the stone. Several women and a few men, all dressed in either earth tones or soft pastels, sketched tiny scenes—their selves, their homes, their families. The biggest drawing by far, a splash that looked like the night sky complete with comets and star-clusters, traced back to a young woman clothed in a vibrant purple dress. Her hands and her bare feet had turned multicolored as she used different chalk to add supernovas to her work. Her dark brown hair was cut to just above her neck in a perky way; her face had green eyes, freckles, and a smile that showed just how much she was enjoying her art.

Deciding this young woman was probably the leader of the artists, Pinkie approached her with a hop. "Hi! I love your drawing!"

"Thank you!" The young woman stood and brushed off her skirt. "We're all just kind of drawing what we want, if you want to join in. Are you new around here? I've never met you before!"

"I sure am!" Pinkie gushed. "My friends and I sailed here from far, far away!"

"Your friends?" The young woman looked over Pinkie's shoulder to see Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. "Hi! Um, welcome to Corona…are you having a nice time?"

"It's absolutely fabulous," Rarity replied.

"You know, you can sure sit down and draw if you want," the young woman said. "I just kind of wanted a day to get out and know people and do some art, so…there's plenty of chalk."

"Yes!" Pinkie immediately knelt, grabbing a few pieces of pink chalk and beginning her own piece down on the street. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy soon joined her.

Exchanging shrugs, Twilight and Rarity finally knelt down to do some drawing of their own.

---

A thick stretch of water separated Corona from the surrounding country; a bridge stretched from the kingdom to this other land. Here, on the other side, beaches stretched out before tangles of wilderness. Just beyond the tree line of one of these forests, looking out toward where Corona rose up from the glittering blue waters, the draconequus and the changeling stood.

"What an utterly boring place," Discord said with a yawn. "You would think that for such a distinct territory, it would have more magic in it. SOMETHING to make it less organized."

"Would we stand out in an undesirable way?" Chrysalis asked.

"Probably," Discord said with a shrug. "Oh, well. There's always…"

He shifted. Chrysalis was taken aback. Before her eyes, he became a human male, with pale skin and short brown hair. Though he lacked the facial structure of a draconequus, his eyes held the same expression within them that they always did—one of amusement, but that gave the beholder unease, as though he was laughing at whomever he looked at.

Chrysalis tried to think of what she wanted to ask first. Instead, she blurted out, "If you're trying to blend in, you WILL need clothing."

"Must I?" Discord sighed. With a snap of the fingers, he was suddenly clothed in resplendent robes of black and red.

"Have you always been able to become…that?" Chrysalis asked.

"On some planets, they actually know me better this way," Discord admitted. "Of course, under a different name and vastly different circumstances. SOME people just can't comprehend it if I don't do this! Oh, and you'll want to become something too. Don't pick one of the famous ones. We don't want to confuse anypony…YET."

Chrysalis thought over her short stint in Agrabah, when she had kidnapped the princess. She'd passed a few civilians, gleaning from them knowledge of whom they loved the most. Settling on one of the forms left in her memory, she transformed into a human woman, an Agrabanian who had never met the Equestrians, clothed in a green tunic, a green skirt, and a green hijab.

Discord applauded. "Much better! Now, to go over the plan."

"I came here because you said it was one of the most populous kingdoms in your memory," Chrysalis recapitulated. "Its princess must be absolutely adored."

"Trust me," Discord said. "She is. And just six days away from being married, too!"

"All I'll need to do is find her, dispose of her, and wed the prince myself." Chrysalis' gaze turned back out to Corona. "And all the love Corona has to offer shall be mine…mine to feast upon…"

"Ah, ah." Discord pointed out to the ship docked at the kingdom's edge. "Don't forget our little ponies."

"I shall figure out something for them when the time comes," Chrysalis replied. "There should be a window where they do not realize the difference between the royalty and myself. This time, there are no prophets around to tell them…and I'm sure that the prince isn't used to fakes."

"No prophets and no shape-shifters!" Discord confirmed. "The most magic this world's ever had was in its golden flower, but that was picked, and…well, I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you. It will be much more fun for you if you figure it out yourself!"

They both looked to Corona, dreaming of conquest, when a third voice interrupted them, a somewhat sultry female voice: "I see we are plotting a scheme most chaotic."

Discord and Chrysalis whipped around to see the slightly green-skinned woman dressed in black with the horned headdress. Discord recognized her immediately. "You again?" he snapped.

"I had thought you would be happy to see me," the woman replied with a smirk. "After all, I did release you from your stone prison."

"So that is her!" Chrysalis barked.

"You and I, we are not so different, Chrysalis," the woman said calmly. "You and I may not be Old Ones by the true definition, but we are both of the fair folk, are we not?"

"You aren't a changeling," Chrysalis spat.

"But she is a faerie," Discord pointed out. "I can tell from here. And, admittedly, faeries and changelings are, if you will, in the same bracket of supernatural being. Long lifespans, incredible powers…and most famous faeries and changelings have had a taste for chaos."

"I do not see why you look down upon me," the woman continued, "when a changeling, one of my stature in power…maybe even less so…is by your side."

"We have a bit of a history," Discord snapped. "Chrysalis was one of my best agents of chaos. All you did was speed up my inevitable release and try to claim superiority over me."

Chrysalis realized something. "How…how did you know my name?"

"I have watched your world and many others for a long time," the woman replied. "I have been preparing for a new age of chaos since…well, since the old one ended."

"You should at least tell us your name," Discord said condescendingly. "Unless you want to be completely rude."

"Of course not," the woman replied smugly. "I am Maleficent, the leader of the Overtakers."

"Who are these Overtakers?" Chrysalis snapped.

"Simply a group of like-minded beings," Maleficent answered, "whose desires match many of your own. We wish for destruction, darkness, chaos…power. If we were to commiserate…"

"And why would we do that?" Discord asked.

"You would still be a labyrinth decoration if not for me!" Now Maleficent's air of smugness was slipping; her temper was showing through. "Your release was not, in fact, inevitable. You have been asleep for thousands of years in Fourth Equestria. To some, you have only been gone a year, perhaps a month, but to others, you have been gone for eons! In all that time, I have been awake. I have been struck down, but never do they realize that I cannot, in fact, be permanently destroyed. I have gathered unimaginable powers! I have studied the warp and woof of the very multiverse! I have seen things you could only guess at! And I know of threats that have slipped under your sights. One of them lives in that very kingdom. Yes, you had planned to overtake the princess, usurp her wedding…but did you have any idea of the danger she was to you?"

"Please," Discord replied, "no flouncy little princess of a boring kingdom like this is going to be any threat to me."

"With that belief," Maleficent informed Discord, "you may very well one day find yourself sealed again."

"Not likely. I've even prepared for the Elements, after all. Are you meaning to tell me that there's something even more powerful that could stand up to me?"

"It is a distinct possibility," Maleficent replied somberly. "That is why I propose we combine our goals. All I want is for you to get what you want." The smile returned. "Chrysalis would take the form of the princess and wed the prince. You would gain control of the kingdom. And the princess' fate would be mine."

"Hmmm." Discord thought it over. "Well, we hadn't given much thought to what would actually happen to the princess…and you weren't going to interfere in our previous plan?"

"I would actually be willing to make you an offer," Maleficent said. "If things should go…awry with the Elements of Harmony, I would indeed interfere…so that you did not have to do it yourself. After all, they still do not believe that you are again awake, Discord…and that gives you power."

"And I know you would actually try to hold them back and ALSO that you have the capability to overpower them because…"

"Because it was I who showed Jafar how to gain the dark magic he currently wields."

That gave Discord pause. "YOU were the one who made him stronger than TWO other free djinni?"

"I give strength to all my Overtakers," Maleficent replied matter-of-factly. "Should anything go wrong, I would step in…and Corona itself would become an utter waste. Should I fail, you can always interfere with my intent. After all, you are more powerful than I."

"Very true," Discord realized. "All right. I'll bite."

"We shall, of course, need one more," Maleficent informed Discord. "You will appreciate her. She has caused her share of chaos. Of course, she currently makes her home in the Underworld, but I have my ways of returning the dead to life."

"You couldn't possibly!" Chrysalis accused.

"A normal faerie could not reverse death," Maleficent admitted. "Then again…a normal faerie would not have a special relationship to one of the masters of death itself. The Overtakers include friends in places both very high and incredibly low."

"Then humor me," Discord challenged. "Bring her up here. The more the merrier, after all."

"As you wish." Maleficent stepped back, creating a space between herself and Discord and Chrysalis. She passed her staff over the ground, alighting the grass with green fire. The fire rose into the shape of a mound as long as the average human being was tall. From the center outward, it subsided; it had been only a cocoon, and inside, the woman lay upon ground scorched clean of grass. She looked to be in her early twenties, with pale skin, wavy dark hair that flowed past her shoulders, and a face that, even with closed eyes that indicated unconsciousness, still betrayed a certain aura of dissatisfaction. She was clothed in a dress of deep red with gold edging and a darker red sash that tied at a circular brass buckle.

She opened her eyes. She took in the view of the trees overhead and the sun shining through. Confused, she sat up. "Well," she said haughtily, "THIS certainly doesn't look like Tartarus. Though looks have proven to be deceiving." She stood, looking around at Chrysalis, Discord, and Maleficent. "Are you here to deal out a new form of punishment? I'll have you know that rolling the rock up the endless hill is not only overdone, but would be just murder on my nails. I hope you've come up with something more creative."

"This is not Tartarus," Maleficent said. "This is the living world. In fact, it is the living world from which you came."

The new woman looked out towards Corona. "I thought I recognized that garish view."

"Your story impresses me," Maleficent told the woman. "You have no magical talents and your strength is average, yet you managed to abduct the infant princess, keep her locked up for eighteen years, use the talents of local criminals as pawns in your scheme to capture her forever, and nearly kill the prince-to-be twice…once by turning him over to the royal guard and once by your own hand. Most importantly to me, however, you have a complex connection to the princess, one I believe I can utilize. Join me…Gothel…and I will grant you that which you most wish."

"Don't think you can win me over with overdone lines," Gothel replied. "You can't give me what I want. What I want is gone!"

"On the contrary," Maleficent corrected. "The magic of the flower still lies within the princess herself, whether or not her hair has been cut. It is in her heart. If that is not sufficient, however, there is more than one way to skin a unicorn…"

Maleficent reached out, her hand glowing with a spherical green aura, and touched Gothel lightly upon the chin. Discord and Chrysalis watched in awe as some of Gothel's age lines, the few she had, disappeared.

Gothel felt the change. She grinned. "I DO like this!"

"My associates and I can grant you immortality as easily as I granted you life," Maleficent promised. "However, it does not come free of cost. If you wish any more regneration, you shall have to carry out a certain task for me…one that works in tandem with the schemes of our allies here."

"So you're going to just accept this random woman into your Overtakers," Discord criticized, "even though she doesn't have any power to speak of?"

"It is not her power or lack thereof that interests me," Maleficent retorted, "but her cruelty."

"In other words…" Gothel smirked. "You want me to be the bad guy."

---

Six murals now rivaled the brunette woman's starscape in size. Pinkie Pie dotted a mass of pure pink with multicolored flecks that resembled confetti. Twilight recreated the illustrations from her Equestrian history books, drawing a stylized Celestia and Luna watching over a landscape divided into day and night. Rarity formed an abstract pattern of varied colors that blended into each other the way the colors of her fashions did. Fluttershy drew bunnies and butterflies against a background of blue sky. Applejack drew her orchard, bright green trees studded with crimson apples. Rainbow Dash utilized all the chalk available to form a Sonic Rainboom there on the street, bright white in the middle and circling out into the colors of the rainbow.

By now, most of the other civilians had left, and only the six remained with the brunette woman.

"I must say," Rarity blurted, "we've come up with some simply divine decoration!"

"Your drawings are all so great!" the brunette woman gushed.

"Thanks," Twilight replied, "but yours is actually the most accurate. You have all the constellations in the right place in relation to each other! How'd you do that?"

"Well…star charting is one of my hobbies…" the brunette woman replied humbly.

"I just realized we've been drawing out here all afternoon," Pinkie said, "and we don't even know your name!"

"I should have introduced myself!" the brunette woman realized. "Well…this might sound a little bit weird, since I waited so long to say it, but my name's Rapunzel, and I'm, well, I'm sort of the princess of this kingdom. Who are you?"

Instead of answering Rapunzel's question, the six gaped at her. "THE PRINCESS?" they chorused.

"I'm really sorry I didn't mention it earlier," Rapunzel replied sheepishly. "Actually, part of the reason I came down here to draw in the first place was to get to know the people better. I don't want to be one of those princesses that sits up in the castle all day and doesn't care about her people, and making new friends who love drawing is fun anyway."

"You're getting married," Pinkie stated, "aren't you?"

"Yeah," Rapunzel replied, smiling at the thought. "It's true. I can still hardly believe it myself…I'm actually getting married to the best possible person I could ever have asked for! Anyway, you still haven't said who you are."

"We're…ambassadors," Rarity said, improvising. "From another kingdom. And we have word that you're in terrible, terrible danger!"

"Someone from our kingdom is coming here to sabotage your wedding," Twilight added, "and she'll probably try to…well, get rid of you!"

Rapunzel was stunned. "How…how do I know you're…"

"Telling the truth?" Rarity drew the royal seal Celestia had sent. "This is the seal of our kingdom, Canterlot. We were officially sent by our princess to warn you!"

"And, if all goes well, stop that nasty criminal from ruinin' your wedding and hurtin' ya!" Applejack added.

It took Rapunzel a while to come up with a response. "I believe you," she said, looking at the seal. "But you'll still have to talk to my parents about this. If someone's making a threat on Corona, they'll need to know."

"We should tell them right away!" Pinkie cried, leaping to her feet. "Like, right now!"

Rapunzel also rose. "Come with me," she said. "We're going to the castle."

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash also got to their feet. Rapunzel began walking uphill; the others followed.

"I've never heard of Canterlot," Rapunzel admitted.

"It's…really, REALLY far away," Rainbow Dash insisted.

"You still haven't told me your names," Rapunzel reiterated.

In response, the six gave their names:

"I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"And I'm Rainbow Dash!"

"Name's Applejack."

"I'M PINKIE PIE!"

"I am Rarity."

"Flutter…shy…"

Rapunzel seemed confused at first. "Guess you haven't heard names like ours around here," Twilight guessed.

"I haven't," Rapunzel admitted, "but then again, I have the same name as a kind of lettuce, so I shouldn't judge."

"If you don't mind me askin'," Applejack broke in, "what makes ya believe us?"

"You…seem honest," Rapunzel answered. "I mean, I've been tricked before, but I also learned that more people than you'd think have good intentions, so I'm trying to give the world the benefit of the doubt." She didn't add that if the six were revealed to be harmful, the palace guards would be able to defend her…after she got a few shots in herself. "So…tell me more about this Canterlot."

The six silently agreed to let Twilight give Rapunzel the version that didn't betray their origins before they figured out whether or not the princess was aware of other worlds or could conceive of ponies as a dominant species. "Well," Twilight began, "it's ruled by two princesses, one of the day and one of the night. We're students of the princess that rules during the day, and…"

---

On the way up to the castle, as the sun set, the six had explained their lives back home as best they could while still sounding as though "home" wasn't that different from Corona. Twilight had said she studied mythology under Celestia. Applejack had admitted to running an apple orchard. Rarity said she designed clothing. Pinkie Pie said she was a baker, and loved parties, though she did let the term "foalsitter" slip when she described her job taking care of the Cakes' children. Rainbow Dash said she was an athlete, and the best at races. Fluttershy said she cared for a variety of animals. Now the conversation had turned around to Rapunzel and how she came to be engaged.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Rapunzel said, "but I didn't always know I was the princess. Until this past year, I thought I was just an ordinary girl…well, maybe not that ordinary. I had some…special talents. And I lived in a place where I hid from the outside world because I thought people would try to hurt me and use me because of my talents. Then, one day, a thief named Eugene Fitzherbert broke into my home. He tried to tell me his name was Flynn Rider, but that turned out just to be a name he used because he thought it sounded braver and more adventurous. He actually got it out of the Flynnigan Rider books."

"What do you think, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked. "Would you ever change your name to Daring Do?"

"Not for real," Rainbow Dash said, "but I wouldn't mind pretending to be her for a day or two…"

"Is Daring Do the heroine of the adventure books in your kingdom?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yep yep!" Pinkie replied. "Now keep going with the story!"

"Anyway," Rapunzel said, "at that time, what I wanted more than anything in the world was to go outside to see the lanterns that I saw in the sky on my birthday. So I tricked Eugene into taking me there. As we went along, well…first, he started to be a lot less of a rival and more of a friend. By the time we actually saw the lanterns, I realized I felt something much more about him. Like…seeing the light. We'd been through so much together, shared our secrets…after the lanterns went down, some complicated things happened. We ended up saving each other's lives. I found out that I was the lost princess of Corona, and that's why the lanterns went up on my birthday every year. We went together to meet my parents. After I moved into the castle, we kept seeing each other, and we fell more in love every day. Then he asked me to marry him, and I said yes immediately! Now our wedding is set to be in six days."

"That's the best story!" Pinkie gushed.

"It's certainly very romantic," Rarity said with a slight coldness. She knew it was all a matter of luck, and not fair to fault Rapunzel, but she was jealous that Rapunzel—as had Jasmine—had found true love, her prince charming, and Rarity was still waiting.

By now, the seven had reached the castle. Guards in red uniforms stood posted before the great doors. The being that came down the front path to survey the seven, however, was not human, but a horse—a tall, muscular white stallion who wore a sun-shaped medallion over his chest.

"Hey, Maximus," Rapunzel greeted.

Maximus gave her a short whinny of greeting before focusing on the six newcomers.

"They're ambassadors from another kingdom," Rapunzel told the horse. "Everyone, meet Maximus, the captain of the Corona guard!"

"Um…" Fluttershy, as the others, didn't know what to say. Maximus didn't seem quite as animalistic as the pegasi of Galifem, but at the same time, he most certainly was not a talking Animal by Twilight's definition. "Hello?"

Maximus stared down the "ambassadors." There was something familiar about them, but he couldn't put his hoof on it. He knew he'd never met any of them before. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were somehow similar to him in a way that Rapunzel wasn't.

"They have a message for my parents," Rapunzel told Maximus. "Wanna help us deliver it?"

Maximus gave a nod before falling in alongside the seven women.

The great doors opened, and the group of eight entered the wide entrance hall. Rapunzel led them down gleaming white corridors, seeking the room that held the king and queen.

Turning one corner, she ran into a young man with similarly brown hair and very expressive eyes, dressed in a white tunic and brown pants with an intricate teal vest. "Rapunzel!" he greeted. "How'd your bonding with the townspeople go? I see a few of them followed you home." He smirked, but Twilight noted it was a very different smirk than the one she was used to seeing on Mozenrath—this expression was more playful.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel greeted the man by throwing her arms around his neck, and he immediately reacted by wrapping his arms around her back. The six Equestrians knew this was the man she was to marry. Rarity felt a pang of envy; Pinkie Pie came down with a case of what she would have described as "the warm fuzzies."

Rapunzel then backed out of the embrace. "They're ambassadors from another kingdom," she told Eugene. "They say that Corona is in danger from someone they know. I'm taking them to see my parents about it. Speaking of which, how was your day bonding with them?"

"Well," Eugene replied, "I managed to beat your dad at chess three times out of eight. I let him win the other five so he wouldn't hold a grudge when the wedding came around."

A tiny green chameleon clambered up the back of Eugene's vest, settling down on his right shoulder. It gave a noise of discontent, rearing up on its hind legs and folding its front legs in condescension.

"All right, fine," Eugene sighed. "I only started winning when Pascal slipped me hints."

The chameleon, apparently Pascal, smiled and nodded his approval.

"I think your parents are still in the chess room, actually," Eugene concluded. "Onward we go! So, carrying messages from another kingdom?"

"From Canterlot," Rarity clarified. "It's a very serious matter. Your wedding is in danger."

"With eagle-eye Maximus patrolling the grounds?" Eugene said in disbelief as the group, now with him and Pascal, moved toward the chess rom. "I'd like to see the bad guy that can get past him."

Maximus whinnied his agreement.

In the meantime, Fluttershy had tentatively made her way to Eugene's side to get a better look at Pascal. "He's adorable," she said softly.

Pascal looked down at Fluttershy and gave a click of approval. Fluttershy squeaked happily.

A wooden door led from the hallway to a tapestry-laden room—most of said tapestries sewn of purple and gold thread—where the king and queen, immediately recognizable as the figures from the mosaic in town, sat at opposite ends of a chess table, the king playing black and the queen playing white.

"Mom?" Rapunzel said. "Dad?"

The king and queen looked towards the group gathered in the doorway.

"May I present," Eugene said dramatically, "their royal majesties, Queen Barbara and King Zal of Corona!"

"There's no need to be so formal, Eugene!" Zal laughed. "After all, soon you'll be calling us Mom and Dad as well!"

"Who are your friends?" Barbara asked.

"They have something kind of serious to tell you," Rapunzel began.

"Your daughter's in danger!" Pinkie cried. "And we just CAN'T let anything happen to her! She's so nice!"

Rarity cleared her throat, stepping forward. "I'll explain properly," she said. "Your highnesses, we are the students of Princess Celestia of Canterlot." She held out the seal. "A dangerous criminal from our kingdom has gone on the run, and we have very strong reason to believe that she intends to come here and harm Princess Rapunzel. She left very specific evidence that she was to strike at the time of a royal wedding, and we understand that your daughter is to be wed to Mr. Fitzherbert in six days' time. It is our aim to stop her at all costs and make sure your kingdom is safe."

Barbara and Zal were struck speechless. "This…is serious," Zal said. "However, we have received no word of an incoming threat."

"She is a master of stealth," Rarity explained. "After all, she tried to sabotage the wedding of another of our own princesses and use it to gain power over Canterlot. You probably wouldn't be aware of it when she did turn up."

"We shall then increase the guard around the castle," Barbara resolved, "especially during the wedding."

"Can't we help?" Pinkie asked. "We've dealt with her before, and anyway, we really like Rapunzel! Or, at least I do…"

The other five nodded their assent; Rapunzel had left a good impression on everypony.

"We simply do not know if we can trust you," Zal informed them. "Without evidence, we cannot let you onto the castle premises. After all, for all we know, you may be using this story to sabotage the wedding yourselves."

"We do not mean to accuse you," Barbara added hastily. "If we can be sure that we can trust you, you would of course be free to attend the wedding. It is, after all, open to most of the kingdom."

"We can find a way to show that you're trustworthy," Rapunzel told the six Equestrians. "Don't worry."

"We do thank you for bringing this message," Barbara said. "We will keep it in mind as we prepare for the upcoming ceremony."

"However, it is sundown," Zal pointed out, "and we must ask you to leave the castle grounds. You are, after all, strangers."

"Awwww…" Pinkie moaned.

"We understand," Rarity stated. "We also thank you for hearing us out."

"Maximus will see you out," said Zal.

"This isn't gonna be the last time we see each other, is it?" Pinkie asked Rapunzel.

"Of course not," Rapunzel replied. "We had so much fun today, after all. I'll probably even see you tomorrow. But for tonight, you should probably…"

"No problem," said Applejack. "We get it. C'mon, girls."

Maximus led the six Equestrians out of the chess room and down the hallways. Eugene, having left Pascal with Rapunzel, eventually caught up to them. "Even I have to get out when the sun goes down," he sighed. "I assume you've heard the story. The story of how the dashing, daring Flynn Rider, once public enemy number one of Corona, changed his ways when he met the beautiful Rapunzel—"

"We heard," Twilight said with a wink, "but in the version we got, your name was Eugene Fitzherbert. Which, by the way, Rapunzel called you when she saw you today."

"It just doesn't have the same ring to it!" Eugene complained. "Of course, if I'm going to become the prince of Corona, I have to use my legal name…Eugene Fitzherbert, prince of Corona."

"Are ya nervous?" Applejack asked him. "It's kind of a big deal, becomin' the prince. Not to mention marryin' your true love."

"Oh, I'm nervous, all right," Eugene confirmed. "I'm not exactly prince material. I grew up an orphan and a thief."

"Oh, trust us," Rainbow Dash replied, "that's prince material. We've seen it firsthand."

"O…kay…if you say so," Eugene said in confusion. "Anyway, it's all gonna be worth it just to be with her. She's some kind of amazing, you know? I mean, you were with her today. Now Rapunzel…she'll make a great queen."

They reached the exit; Maximus left them at this point. "So," Eugene asked, "you ladies got anywhere to stay? I mean, since you're from another kingdom and all."

"We can just stay on our ship," Twilight said. "It's kind of like home away from home now."

"You sure?" Eugene asked. "'Cause if you wanted to stay in town, I've got plenty of room at my place. It isn't too far from here, actually. Once I became engaged to the princess, they couldn't let me stay in the castle, but they did give me quite the manor to live in until I move into the castle officially. Besides, I know what it's like to not have a place to belong in this kingdom."

"Girls," Twilight announced, "conference."

The six huddled in a circle, speaking softly. "It would be nice to not have to go all the way back down to the ship," Rarity said. "And besides, we should get to know the city."

"Can we trust him?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think so," Twilight answered. "And even if it turns out we can't, he doesn't seem very powerful. In the magic sense, I mean. We could just turn the Elements of Harmony on him."

"Let's take the offer, then," Rainbow Dash resolved. "After all, he seems like a cool guy."

The conference broke up. "We'll stay with you," Rarity answered.

"Right this way!" Eugene led them to a nearby house. He hadn't exaggerated; it was three stories tall, twice as wide as most other houses on the street, and intricately designed.

The interior of the house was very lavish, though not quite up to the level of the palace. "You ladies need anything to eat?" Eugene asked. "I have this huge venison roast in the icebox that I haven't finished. And I mean HUGE. Plenty for all of us. I swear I didn't steal it—they've been supplying me with food from the palace ever since I became the prince-to-be."

"Thank you," Twilight said, "but Fluttershy doesn't eat meat. Do you have anything else for her? Particularly anything that has sea vegetables, soy, almonds, cauliflower, or spinach."

"That's incredibly specific," Eugene replied, thinking it over. "I think I have some fancy kelp and sesame salad they sent over. I keep throwing those out because honestly, I think they're disgusting, but if you want it, it's all yours."

"Thank you so much," Fluttershy said softly.

"Hey, no problem," Eugene replied. "Now, talking about food is reminding me that I'm honestly starving, so we should move this conversation into the dining room."

---

That evening, after Barbara and Zal finished their games of chess, Zal left for the master bedchamber, but Barbara detoured to her daughter's room. She entered Rapunzel's bedroom to find the princess lying awake, hands behind her head and over the plum-colored pillow, staring up at the ceiling painted with the golden sun symbol of Corona.

"Sweetie," Barbara asked, "are you all right? The news today was…disturbing."

"I'm fine," Rapunzel answered. "I'm sure nothing that bad will happen. Like Eugene said, I'd like to see the person that could get past Maximus…and even if someone did, that person would have to deal with Eugene and me. I'm actually glad I met the ambassadors today. We drew murals in the street together. They're all very friendly, especially Pinkie Pie. I know I shouldn't just trust people I meet at random, but I really feel like I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, I actually thought of a way we can see if they're trustworthy. It'll also give me the chance to tie up some loose ends tomorrow."

"So long as you're all right," Barbara said. "Good night, Rapunzel. I love you."

"I love you…too," Rapunzel said, catching herself. Old habits had nearly caused her to say "I love you more."

"I will see you in the morning," Barbara replied. "Sweet dreams." Then she left.

Rapunzel still stared at the sun on the ceiling. Her thoughts were not on the six new friends she'd made, but instead on Barbara. Though it was best that she hadn't said the phrase "I love you more," she wished she could have said it. Even more, she wished she could have truly meant it. Her mother was the kindest person she had ever met, and had welcomed her long-lost daughter with open arms; Rapunzel wanted to emotionally repay that. Still, old memories persisted. Memories of false love and of lies…of joy and of what Rapunzel had thought was love. Those memories continually got in the way between her and Barbara, and the queen couldn't even see it.

As always whenever Rapunzel thought it over too hard, tears came to the princess' eyes. She changed her focus, thinking about the drawings in the street and what she wanted to do with the six newcomers to Corona, and those thoughts eventually lulled her to sleep.

---

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had settled in one of the spare bedrooms; Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack settled in the other. The beds were large enough to accommodate three, so they all snuggled in next to each other.

With his guests settled, Eugene made the rounds of his temporary house to make sure everything was locked up. He often thought that the place he'd been given was so big, he could probably be in the same house as a burglar all day and never notice anything was off.

A noise alerted him; he turned to see Rainbow Dash. "Um…hi," he said.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash greeted. "Sorry to bug you, but I couldn't sleep, and I just wanted to tell you that I think it's really cool, how you identified with that book character and all. Yeah, Rapunzel told me. I know you've kinda abandoned the whole 'Flynn' identity, but I still think it was cool."

"I still think it was cool," Eugene agreed. "You…you read adventure books much? Like swashbuckling tales of daring-do?"

"More literally than you'd think," Rainbow Dash replied.

"You know," Eugene said, "after dinner tonight and everything, I think you're good people. So, just because I know you'd love it and I'm not using it anymore, I wanna show you something. Come on."

He led Rainbow Dash down to a living room filled with bookshelves. He took from the shelves one of the only things in the house that wasn't immaculate; in fact, it was tattered and old. It was a book entitled Flynnigan Rider and the Island of Doom.

"Don't steal it," he told Rainbow Dash as he handed it to her. "I mean, it's just a book, but if you take advantage of me to walk away with it, I will be pretty angry."

"I…I can read it?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smile.

"You seem like the kind of person that would love it," Eugene replied with a smile. "Just let me know what you think."

"This…this is awesome!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Can I stay up and read it for a bit?"

Eugene lit one of the candles near a chair in the living room. "Knock yourself out," he said before leaving the room to go to sleep.

Rainbow Dash curled up with her new book, reading until she felt tired enough to go back to bed alongside Twilight and Rarity.

---

Chapter 17:

· I originally didn't have the world Corona was on as named. I started this fic before "Frozen" was a thing. I decided I did in fact want Frozen and Tangled to be on the same world, and that meant I had to give it a world name for the location headers to distinguish between the two kingdoms while establishing it as the same world. "Aestas" is Latin for "summer." I chose that word because of Corona's association with the sun and Arendelle's association with seasons.

· This takes place between Tangled and Tangled Ever After. I did see Tangled Ever After. I liked it. I accept it as canon. However, for the purposes of this story and the rule of fun, I'm going to intercept it here and do the wedding with a twist.

· Fluttershy relaxes her hair because of a headcanon based on a conversation with Ophira. It makes sense to me. After all, she meets Rarity at the spa every week, which gives her the opportunity to do it, and her hair does have that very slight curl to it. It would also make sense with her personality, in a way, as Ophira pointed out—Fluttershy spends so much time taking care of others that if her hair was at all complicated to treat, she would probably do that one thing for herself to make her daily life easier.

· Fluttershy also had to become a vegetarian. I realized this, and I'm kinda regretting not doing it earlier. I don't think I really need to explain why I made this development.

· I feel like I should have included some non-Earth foods in Twi's research. After all, it's the GUIDE. But I'm boring and the only non-Earth vegetable-based food I could think of was nipling and colly from the Diana-Wynne-Jonesverse, and that stuff is good for NOTHING. Also, in the early chapters, I didn't properly capture the Guide's snark. This was rectified later.

· There's still stuff Celestia hasn't told the Mane Six about having/being the Elements. But she's a bit of a coward because it's huge stuff.

· Babel Effect: because I needed to explain the language barrier/lack thereof. I came up with the name "Babel Effect" myself, but the concept of "Traveler" is from The Pendragon Adventure and the Babel Fish is, of course, from Hitchhiker's Guide.

· RD and AJ aren't fans of full skirts because RD hates so much as getting hooficures and Rarity's song "Art of the Dress" states that AJ doesn't care much for fashion. Now, I fully believe they enjoyed wearing full skirts to the Gala and Cadence's wedding, but those were special occasions with different circumstances. And I do see AJ as being more fine with skirts than RD. I just couldn't see them wearing pants in Corona without standing out…and more importantly, much like Rarity, I wanted to design dresses for everypony. So I owe RD a pair of nice pants.

· Discord's human form is, as you probably expected, Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. They ARE the same being. How does this work with Discord being an Old One and Q being of a distinct alien race? We'll work that out later.

· I have this theory that changelings can "read" who others love, and this is how they can take on those forms. Chrys wears all green because it's obviously her favorite color.

· Even Wikipedia agrees that changelings and faeries are of the same supernatural ilk. Yes, its definition of "changeling" was different, but I think Chrys' version is a believable offshoot.

· Whenever Mal appears in any massive Disney crossover, she always brings with her all the other Disney villains that died in their respective canons. I'm sure she knows how to just bring them back from the dead. It's very believable that Hades gave her that ability; Mal/Hades is actually a popular pairing (and one I'll be playing with), so it makes sense for them to be close allies.

· They said they were from Canterlot because it was easier to explain that way. Plus, while "Canterlot" already sounds like the name of a kingdom of equines, "Ponyville" is even more of a dead giveaway.

· Daring Do is the Indiana Jones parody that forms a popular adventure book series in MLPFIM.

· The king and queen in Tangled technically have no names. My choices were based on the mythos of Rapunzel; the fairy tale may have been based on a Persian poem (from which the name "Zal" comes) and may have also been based on the life of St. Barbara. I Wiki'd this.

· My headcanon is that you can't live in the castle unless you're literally part of the family—and I doubt Barbara and Zal want to risk letting Eugene and Zel sleep in the same room!—but if you're important to the royal family, they'd probably set you up with accommodations and food. I suppose Eugene should have a job by now, but I don't see the point, since he's going to marry into a very demanding job anyway.

· I kept typing "Flynn" instead of "Eugene" by accident and having to backpedal. If I left a Flynn in, I apologize.

· And of course, if RD loves the adventure books of HER world and a similar series is hinted to exist in the Tangledverse, she has to be a Flynnigan Rider fan!